Wavelength #23

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Volume 3, Issue 23, July 2007

To r Sea each far ou er r s

avelength centrofin@centrofin.gr

An Inconvenient Truth is an Academy Awardwinning documentary film about climate change, specifically global warming, presented by former United States Vice President Al Gore and directed by Davis Guggenheim. A companion book authored by Gore has been on the paperback nonfiction New York Times bestseller list since June 11, 2006, reaching #1 on July 2, 2006.

In this issue pg 1, 2-4

CENTRO-NEWS

The film premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and opened in New York and Los Angeles on May 24, 2006. It is the third-highest-grossing documentary in the United States to date. The film's distributor, Paramount Classics, is donating 5% of the box office receipts and Gore is donating all of his proceeds from the film to The Alliance for Climate Protection (of which Gore is both founder and chairman). The film was released on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment on November 21, 2006. The film has been generally well received by critics, scientists and politicians, even becoming required classroom material in schools across the world, including Norway and Sweden. On the other hand, skeptics opposing the mainstream scientific assessment of global warming have attacked the film as "hype" criticizing the science as "exaggerated and erroneous."

An inconvenient truth Synopsis “ You look at that river gently flowing by.

You notice the leaves rustling with the wind.

You hear the birds; you hear the tree frogs.

In the distance you hear a cow. You feel the grass.

The mud gives a little bit on the river bank. It's quiet; it's peaceful. And all of a sudden, it's a gear shift inside you. And it's like taking a deep breath and going, "Oh yeah, I forgot about this."�

(Al Gore in the opening monologue of An Inconvenient Truth).

The Environment

An Inconvenient Truth chronicles the plight of Al Gore, his life and his efforts to educate the public about the severity of the climate crisis. Looking back at his earlier failed efforts, Gore broods, "I've been trying to tell this story for a long time and I feel as I've failed to get the message across."

Ostensibly an elaborate exploration of data and predictions regarding climate change and its potential for disaster, An Inconvenient Truth,

An inconvenient truth pg 6-7

Ants pg 8

Crisis Management pg 10

MARS pg 12

Hepatitis B Infection pg14

Reduce your impact at home

cont'd to pg 2 Organisation and Conduct of Business

Robert's Rules of Order The Classic Manual (excerpts).

For over a century, this manual has been a guide for political, community, and civic groups organisations of all kinds, large and small, permanent and temporary. Even groups which have their own constitutions or bylaws frequently state that procedures not covered therein shall be governed by Robert's Rules.

One might not be able to identify General Henry M. Robert, but almost everyone knows that Robert's Rules is a standard manual outlining the conduct of meetings. Though originally published in 1907 it is, still, a most useful tool to every CEO/Chairperson's library.

The enduring principle underlying the manual's contents is that, though the minority shall be heard and absentees protected, the majority will decide.

The Rules codify this principle and enable us to preserve our basic rights in both large assemblies and in small meetings; it is indispensable to the orderly functioning of a group's decisionmaking process, because it is a rule book that has been universally accepted.

It outlines all the commonly accepted procedures, including introduction of new and old business, debate and disposition of motions, creation and use of committees, and election of officers.

TO THE MASTER: Please circulate this Bulletin to the CREW.

This book is a well organised guide for anyone who participates in meetings, committees, or structured groups.

To preserve the interests of a group, the rights of each individual within the group must, of necessity, be somewhat curtailed. Without limited restraints of this kind, the probability of maintaining majority rule is greatly reduced. For this reason many of the motions, such as motions to adjourn, are nondebatable.

cont'd to pg 15

An inconvenient truth cont'd from pg 1 intersperses Gore's life story, giving a contemplative account of events that changed his worldview, including his college education with early climate expert Roger Revelle at Harvard University, his sister's death from lung cancer, his young son's near-fatal car accident and his loss in the close 2000 Presidential Election.

D D

carbon dioxide concentrations higher than at any time during the past 650,000 years. ·Temperature record since 1880 showing that the ten hottest years ever measured in this atmospheric record have all occurred in the last fourteen years. ·A 2004 survey by Dr. Naomi Oreskes of 928 peer-reviewed scientific articles on global climate change published between 1993 and 2003. The survey, published as an editorial in the journal Science, claimed that every article either supported the human-caused global warming consensus or did not comment on it.

Through a Keynote presentation (dubbed "the slide show") that he has presented worldwide, Gore reviews the scientific evidence for global warming, discusses the politics and economics of global warming, and describes the consequences he believes global climate change will produce if the amount of human-generated greenhouse gases is not significantly reduced in the very near future.

The film includes many segments intended to refute critics who say that global warming is insignificant or unproven. For example, Gore discusses the risk of the collapse of a major ice sheet in Greenland or in West Antarctica, either of which could raise global sea levels by approximately 20 feet (6m), flooding coastal areas and producing 100 million refugees. Melt water from Greenland, because of its lower salinity, could halt the Gulf Stream current and quickly trigger dramatic local cooling in Northern Europe.

In an effort to explain the global warming phenomenon, the film examines annual temperature and CO2 levels for the past 600,000 years in Antarctic ice core samples.

The documentary ends with Gore noting that if appropriate action is taken soon, the effects of global warming can be successfully reversed by releasing less carbon dioxide and growing more plants or trees. Gore calls upon viewers to learn how they can help in this initiative.

WAVELENGTH goes GREEN Effective this issue, WAVELENGTH is being printed on natural, recyclable paper made from wood grown in sustainable forests. We might have lost some of our page gloss but have gained our soul.

Gore's book of the same title was published concurrently with the theatrical release of the documentary. The book contains additional, detailed information, scientific analysis, and Gore's commentary on the issues presented in the documentary. A 2007 documentary entitled An Update with Former Vice President Al Gore features Gore discussing additional information that came to light after the film was completed, such as Hurricane Katrina.

Scientific basis Main articles: Scientific opinion on climate change and Global warming Gore's claim is that global warming is real and largely humancaused. Gore presents specific data that supports the film's thesis, including: ·The Keeling curve, measuring CO2 from the Mauna Loa Observatory. ·The retreat of numerous glaciers is shown in before-andafter photographs (see Retreat of glaciers since 1850). ·A study by researchers at the Physics Institute at the University of Bern and the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctic presenting data from Antarctic ice cores showing

D D D

An incon

- pg 3 with a number of environmental topics, reached the New York Times bestseller list.

As Vice President during the Clinton Administration, Gore pushed for the implementation of a carbon tax to modify incentives to reduce fossil fuel consumption

The Associated Press contacted more than 100 top climate researchers and questioned them about the film's veracity.

Because these interviews were done before the film's general release, most of those surveyed had neither seen the movie nor read the book, but all 19 climate scientists who had done so said that Gore conveyed the science correctly. In contrast, the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, at the time chaired by Sen. Jim Inhofe, a global warming skeptic, issued a press release criticizing this article. Inhofe's statement that "global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people" appears in the film.

Real Climate, a group blog maintained by eleven climate scientists, lauded the film's science as "remarkably up to date, with reference to some of the very latest research."

Michael Shermer, science historian and founder of The Skeptics Society, wrote in Scientific American that An Inconvenient Truth "shocked me out of my doubting stance".

Origins Gore first became intrigued by the topic of global warming when he took a course at Harvard University with Professor Roger Revelle, one of the first scientists to measure carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Later, when Gore was in Congress, he initiated the first congressional hearing on the subject, brought in climate scientists and began talking to politicians about the issue. He thought that once legislators heard the compelling evidence, they would be driven to action; ultimately, though, the process was a slow one. Gore's 1992 book, Earth in the Balance, dealing

and thereby decrease emission of greenhouse gases; it was partially implemented in 1993. He helped broker the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty designed to curb greenhouse gas emissions. However, it was not ratified in the United States due to opposition in the Senate. Gore also supported the funding of a satellite called Triana, to increase awareness of environmental issues and to take the first direct measurements of how much sunlight is reflected from the Earth. During his 2000 Presidential Campaign, Gore ran, in part, on a pledge to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

After his defeat in the 2000 presidential election, Gore returned his focus to the topic. He edited and adapted a slideshow he had compiled years earlier, and began featuring the slideshow in multimedia presentations on global warming across the U.S. and around the world. At the time of the film, Gore estimated he had shown the presentation more than one thousand times.

Producers Laurie David and Lawrence Bender saw Gore's slide show in New York City after the 2004 premiere of The Day After Tomorrow. Inspired, they met with director Davis Guggenheim about the possibility of making the slide show into a movie.

Guggenheim, who was skeptical at first, later saw the presentation for himself, stating that he was "blown away," and "left after an hour and a half thinking that global warming [was] the most important issue. . . . I had no idea how you'd make a film out of it, but I wanted to try," he said.

Viewpoint by David Attenborough (Extracts - The Guardian, June 2, 2007) Sir David Attenborough said yesterday that he detected signs of a "moral change" in the public's attitude to global warming. He accepted that some people may find his views "optimistic" or "naive", but he said the historical examples like the change in attitudes to slavery 200 years ago showed that society could undergo rapid and profound moral shifts. "When you started it was perfectly acceptable that you should own slaves and treat human beings in that way; and within a quarter of a century it was intolerable", he said.

The environmentalist and veteran broadcaster said: "I am perfectly persuaded that the issue about global warning is a real one and we are headed for a great worsening of the conditions on this planet for life of all kinds. I have no doubt whatsoever of the cause, which is the by-product of humanity's activities, and therefore we should be curbing them". But it would be very difficult to impose limits on people's actions, such as their freedom to fly. "It is pie in the sky to say that everybody has got to stop doing everything. That's why the emphasis is on the waste" he said.

Sir David was speaking in advance of his 'Joseph Rotblat' memorial lecture at the Guardian Hay festival.

nvenient truth

cont'd to pg 4

A Mariner's Life Today & the Top Management

An inconvenient truth cont'd from pg 3

A Point of View Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant journey, and safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success. (Advertisement placed by Ernest Shackleton in a London newspaper, August 1914. It is said that 5,000 people responded to it.)

Small minds have only room for bread and butter (Roald Amundsen, 1872-1928, on being asked why he went to the South Pole)

The Great Global Warming Swindle Main article: The Great Global Warming Swindle The controversial documentary film The Great Global Warming Swindle, broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK on March 8, 2007, brought together skeptical scientists who disagree with the prevailing consensus regarding human-caused global warming.

The film claims that in An Inconvenient Truth, Gore has misrepresented the data, and that the actual relationship between carbon dioxide and the temperature is the other way round (that is, rise in temperature causes an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere). Climatologist Fred Singer argued that the documentary is "devastating" to Gore's movie: "In spite of its flamboyant title, The Great Global Warming Swindle is based on sound science by recording the statements of real climate scientists. An Inconvenient Truth mainly records a politician. However the film's claims have been called into question by various scientists and scientific organisations, including two (Carl Wunsch and Eigil Friis-Christensen) who are interviewed in the programme. A source at Channel 4 described The Great Global Warming Swindle as "essentially a polemic."

Am going to cross the Pacific on a wooden raft to support a theory that the South Sea Islands were peopled from Peru. Will you come?

(A message from Thor Heyerdahl to Knut Heggeland, Torstein Raby and Herik Heselberg inviting them to take part in the Kon-tiki Expedition, 1946-1947. They all said Yes) "Barbados. By this Publick Act or Instrument of Protest, be it made known and Manifest unto all Men that on the day of the date hereof before me Richard Husbands Esquire Deputy Secretary and Sole Notary Publick of this Island personal by came and appeared Samuel Wise late Master or Commander of the Brigantine Dolphin, Edmond Hopkins Marriner late belonging also the said Vessell who being duly Sworn on the Holy Evangels of Almighty God requested me the said Notary to make or draw a Protest for the Reasons following, (Viz.) For that those Appearers sailed from Maryland on the fist day of November last past, bound for this Island with a Cargo of Corn Tobacco Flour and Lumber, and proceeding on their said voyage on Monday the first day of this Instant December at nine O'clock A. M. was taken by a French Privateer Sloop of ten carriage Guns about eight leagues to westward of this Island who carried the said Brigantine Dolphin into Martinique where the said Vessell and Cargoes was condemned as a Lawfull Prize as by a Certificate of the Condemnation hereto annexed May appear Wherefore I the said Notary at the Instance and Request aforesaid did even as I do by these Presents Publickly and Solemnly Protest as well against the said French Privateer Sloop aforesaid as against the Insurers and Owners of the said Dolphin..."

Samuel Wise, Edmond Hopkins, 16 December 1760

New York Times article A March 13, 2007 article in The New York Times reported on concerns among some scientists about the tone and the accuracy of the film, noting that they "argue that some of Mr. Gore's central points are exaggerated and erroneous". Gore's discussion of a rise in sea level of up to 20 feet is contrasted with a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which predicts a maximum rise of 23 inches excluding non-linear effects on ice sheets; although that too discusses the possibilities of higher rises if the ice sheets melt. The article also states that "a report last June by the National Academies seemed to contradict Mr. Gore's portrayal of recent temperatures as the highest in the past millennium." The article quotes both defenders and critics of the film; Gore claims that scientists may disagree with him on some details, "but we do agree on the fundamentals."

cont'd to pg 14

Latin Quotations:

A fonte puro pura defluit aqua Caeca invidia est Lapsus linguae Annus mirabilis Semper paratus Errare humanum est Nuda veritas Primus inter pares Sui generis Tempori parendum Manus manum lavat Ex tempore

From a pure spring pure water flows Envy is blind A slip of the tongue A year filled with wonders Always ready To err is human The naked truth First among equals One of a kind (of its own kind) One must move with the times One hand washes the other On the spare of the moment

- pg 5 Oh Tempora! Oh Mores!

Many changes have taken place since the times of the seafarer-explorer and the incident above. But one shouldn't miss the point that, essentially, all those sea voyages were projects that had to be managed. Teams had to be selected, equipped and motivated. Goals had to be set and crises had to be overcome. The physical risks may be were greater and the rewards may be were less tangible, still it all came down to knowing what one wanted and how one were giving oneself the best chance of getting it. So what makes a good seafarer?

Adaptability, ambition, money, stamina, self believe, doggedness, curiosity, optimism, authority, hardiness…

Would a factory owner hire a total stranger to take charge of a piece of plant worth millions, with potential liabilities of tens of millions?

The key message is that the image of the maritime profession ought to be improved and enhanced; and the signs are that there is light at the end of the tunnel. This is not to persuade someone to join or work efficiently in a profession that is not generally respected. Therefore the seafarers' recruitment and retainment should be jointly focused, by all the peers of the shipping industry, to:

>Improve the image and re-establish the status of the maritime profession

>Improve its popularity and develop momentum

It is self evident that the most vital factor, of nowadays, an asset of immeasurable value, is the Human Resources employed on ships and in onshore maritime related activities. One could not imagine the existence of the shipping industry without its valuable workforce. We are all well aware that shipping is the most overregulated industry. Today, the master of an aframax oil-tanker and his officers and ratings onboard are responsible for an approximate capital in the sum of USD$ 100 million plus, plus 25 souls and the environment. God forbid, if a serious accident were to happen. Seafarering is a hard and a high risk job. There are many background elements that increase the vulnerability; we know them, we feel them and some times we detest them.

>Promote the positive aspects: 8 Academic Status 8 Secured professional development

8 Conditions of work 8 Remuneration (in high levels)

>Refresher courses >Embody knowledge

We consider the latter of paramount importance. Knowledge is not impersonal, like money. Knowledge does not reside in a book, a databank, a software programme; they contain only information. Knowledge is always embodied in a person; carried by a person; created, augmented, or improved by a person; applied by a person; taught and passed on by a person; used or misused by a person.

Quotes on Leadership Character !"Charisma becomes the undoing of leaders. It ! ! ! ! ! ! !

makes them inflexible, convinced of their own infallibility, unable to change."

"A single lie destroys a whole reputation for integrity."

"Leadership is a combination of strategy and character. If you must be without one, be without the strategy."

"Example is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing."

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

"I am certainly not one of those who need to be prodded. In fact, if anything, I am the prod."

"Be willing to make decisions. That's the most important quality in a good leader."

"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other."

The shift to the 'knowledge-society' puts the person in the centre.

In doing so it raises new challenges, new issues, and quite unprecedented questions about the knowledge-society's representative: The Educated Person.

This person (the seafarer in our case) will have to be able to appreciate other cultures and traditions; the philosophers and religions; the arts and literature; science and technology; production and economics, in a global world.

One must become a “citizen of the world” in Vision, Horizon and Information. But one will also have to draw nourishment from one's local roots and, in turn, enrich one's own local culture.

The Educated Person will thus have to be prepared to understand two cultures: that of the “intellectual”, who focuses on words and ideas, and that of the “manager”, who focuses on people and work.

Easier said than done.

Commitment has to come from the 'Top Management / CEOs'; and indeed we see it coming. “The strategy may not have changed, however, Execution is the new strategy. The devil is in the details.

Today's CEOs are probably a lot more deeply involved than their predecessors were on those things. For many years strategy was about determining the future and making big bold moves. Now, it's hands on, getting your hands dirty and delivering the results.

People aren't looking to be on the cover of business magazines anymore”. Most CEOs are making concerted new efforts to show they are good “corporate citizens” - in part as a response to pressures from some shareholder activists. Companies are opening up the culture a bit, internally. Are not afraid to talk about things, and this seems to happen in all successful institutions. By beginning to believe everything one says to one's self; and as it seems to morph into a form of arrogance, one has got to discuss it.

What are the issues in question? They are social, economical and environmental.

What do our customers & citizens expect from us? A socially responsible shipping industry, that is also efficient and competitive. An industry that has integrated seafarering and shoreside expertise, that promotes matters of Research & Development, Science and Technology.

The sea demands our Respect; and if treated with respect, it will continue to be an enormously powerful resource. Ocean governance and the role of the oceans is an important factor, for the future of mankind. The sea routes were the first vehicles of globalisation; carrying goods, technologies and values around the world. The link continues today; in the world of lighting-fast communications and the Internet technology.

Quotes on Leadership Quotes on Leadership and Empowerment and Management : ! !"People ask the !"The function of leadership is to produce difference between a leader and a boss. . . .

The leader works in the open, and the boss in covert. The leader leads, and the boss drives."

!"Management is

efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall."

!"You manage things; you lead people."

more leaders, not more followers."

!"As we look ahead into the next century, !

leaders will be those who empower others."

"The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership."

!"The final test of a leader is that he leaves

behind in others the conviction and will to carry on."

Quotes on Leadership Process !"The first responsibility of a leader is to

define reality. The last is to say thank you.

In between the two, the leader must become a servant and a debtor. That sums up the progress of an artful leader."

!"People are persuaded by reason, but

moved by emotion; [the leader] must both persuade them and move them."

Ants

Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related families of wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. They are a diverse group of more than 12,000 species, with a higher diversity in the tropics. They are known for their highly organized colonies and nests, which sometimes consist of millions of individuals.

Individuals are divided into subfertile, and more commonly sterile, females ("workers"), fertile males ("drones"), and fertile females ("queens"). Colonies can occupy and use a wide area of land to support them. Ant colonies are sometimes described as super organisms because the colony appears to operate as a single entity.

Ants have colonized almost every landmass on Earth. The only places lacking indigenous ant species are Antarctica, Greenland, Iceland, and the Hawaiian Islands. When all their individual contributions are added up, they may constitute up to 15 to 25% of the total terrestrial animal biomass.

This close-up shows the prominent mandibles and the comparatively small compound eyes.

Termites, sometimes called white ants, are not closely related to ants, although they have similar social structures. Velvet ants, although resembling large ants, are wingless female wasps.

Evolution

Ants are a lineage derived from within the vespoid wasps.

Phylogenetic analysis indicates that ants evolved from vespoids in the mid-Cretaceous period about 120 to 170 million years ago.

Ant bodies, like those of other insects, have an exoskeleton, meaning their bodies are externally covered in a protective casing, as opposed to the internal skeletal framework of humans and other vertebrates. Ants do not have lungs. Oxygen passes through tiny valves, the spiracles, in their exoskeleton the same holes through which carbon dioxide leaves their body. Nor do they have a heart; a colorless blood, the hemolymph, runs from their head to rear and back again along a long tube. Their nervous system is much like a human spinal cord in that it is a continuous cord, the ventral nerve cord, from head to rear with branches into each extremity.

The three main divisions of the ant body are the head, mesosoma and metasoma.

The head of an ant has many important parts.

Ant eyes include the compound eyes, similar to fly eyes: numerous tiny lenses attached together which enables them to see movement very well. They also have three small ocelli on the top of the head, which detect light and dark. Most ants have poor to mediocre eyesight; some are blind altogether. A few have exceptional vision though, such as Australia's bulldog ant. Also attached to the head of an ant are two antennae ("feelers").

The antennae are special organs that help ants detect chemicals, including those used in communication, as well as a sense of touch. Ants release pheromones to communicate with each other and the antennae pick up these chemical signals. The head also has two strong jaws, the mandibles, which are used to carry food, manipulate objects,

construct nests, and for defense.

In some species there is also a small pocket inside the mouth to hold food for passing to others.

The thorax of the ant is where all six legs are attached. At the end of each leg is a hooked claw that helps ants climb and hang onto things. Most queens and male ants have wings, which they drop after the nuptial flight; however wingless queens (ergatoids) and males can occur.

The metasoma (the "abdomen") of the ant houses many of the important internal organs, including the reproductive organs. Many species of ants have stingers used for subduing prey and defending their nests.

The life of an ant starts with an egg. If the egg is fertilized, the

BOTH ANTS & HUMANS SHARE THESE ENDEAVORS

LIVESTOCK FARMING herd aphids & "milk" them for nectar-like food CULTIVATION growing underground gardens for food CHILDCARE feeding young & providing intensive nursery care EDUCATION teaching younger ants the tricks of the trade CLIMATE CONTROL o maintaining a strict 77 F. for developing ants CAREER SPECIALIZATION changing & learning new careers CIVIC DUTIES responding with massive group projects ARMED FORCES raising an army of specialized soldier ants SECURITY warding off other ants, insects, and animals EARTH MOVERS move at least as much soil as earthworms SOCIAL PLANNING maintain ratio of workers, soldiers, & reproductive's ENGINEERING tunnel from 2 directions & meet exactly midway COMMUNICATIONS complex tactile, chemical communication system FLOOD CONTROL incorporate water traps to keep out rain LIMITED FREE WILL inter-relationships more symbiotic than coercive

This is also how adults distribute food amongst themselves. Larvae and pupae need to be kept at fairly constant temperatures to ensure proper development, and so are often moved around various brood chambers within the colony.

ant will be female (diploid); if not, it will be male (haploid). Ants are holometabolous, and develop by complete metamorphosis, passing through larval and pupal stages (with the pupae being exarate) before they become adults. The larval stage is particularly helpless for instance it lacks legs entirely and cannot care for itself. The difference between queens and workers (which are both female), and between different castes of workers when they exist, is determined by the feeding in the larval stage. Food is given to the larvae by a process called trophallaxis in which an ant regurgitates food previously held in its crop for communal storage.

A new worker spends the first few days of its adult life caring for the queen and young. After that it graduates to digging and other nest work, and then to foraging and defense of the nest. These changes are fairly abrupt and define what are called temporal castes.

One theory of why this occurs is because foraging has a high death rate, so ants only participate in it when they are older and closer to death anyway. In a few ants there are also physical castes; workers come in a spectrum of sizes, called minor, median, and major workers, the latter beginning foraging sooner.

Often the larger ants will have disproportionately larger heads, and correspondingly stronger mandibles.

- pg 7 Such individuals are sometimes called "soldier" ants because their stronger mandibles make them more effective in fighting other creatures, although they are still in fact worker ants and their "duties" typically do not vary greatly from the minor or median workers. In a few species the median workers have disappeared, creating a sharp divide and clear physical difference between the minors and majors.

Most of the common ant species breed in the same way. Only the queen and breeding females have the ability to mate. Contrary to popular belief, some ant nests have multiple queens. The male ants, called drones, along with the breeding females emerge from pupation with wings (although some species, like army ants, do not produce winged queens), and do nothing throughout their life except eat, until the time for mating comes. At this time, all breeding ants, excluding the queen, are carried outside where other colonies of similar species are doing the same. Then, all the winged breeding ants take flight.

Mating occurs in flight and the males die shortly afterward. The females that survive land and seek a suitable place to begin a colony.

There, they break off their own wings and begin to lay eggs, which they care for. Sperm obtained during their nuptial flight is stored and used to fertilize all future eggs produced. The first workers to hatch are weak and smaller than later workers, but they begin to serve the colony immediately. They enlarge the nest, forage for food and care for the other eggs. This is how most new colonies start. A few species that have multiple queens can start a new colony as a queen from the old nest takes a number of workers to a new site and founds a colony there.

Ant colonies can be long-lived.

The queens themselves can live for up to 30 years, while workers live from 1 to 3 years. Males, however, are short lived and live for only a few weeks.

Communication Ant communication is accomplished primarily through chemicals called pheromones. Because most ants spend their time in direct contact with the ground, these chemical messages are more developed than in other hymenopterans. So for instance,

when a forager finds food, she will leave a pheromone trail along the ground on her way home. In a short time other ants will follow this pheromone trail. Home is often located through the use of remembered landmarks and the position of the sun as detected with compound eyes and also by means of special sky polarizationdetecting fibers within the eyes.

Returning home, they reinforce the same trail which in turn attracts more ants until the food is exhausted, after which the trail scent slowly dissipates. This behavior helps ants adapt to changes in their environment.

When an established path to a food source is blocked by a new obstacle, the foragers leave the path to explore new routes. If successful, the returning ant leaves a new trail marking the shortest route. Since each ant prefers to follow a path richer in pheromone rather than poorer, the resulting route is also the shortest available.

Ants make use of pheromones for other purposes as well. A crushed ant, for example, will emit an alarm pheromone which in high concentration sends nearby ants into an attack frenzy; and in lower

and passed in trophallaxis, giving the ants information about one another's health and nutrition. Ants can also detect what task group (e.g. foraging or nest maintenance) to which other ants belong.

Of special note, the queen produces a certain pheromone without which the workers would begin raising new queens.

Defense Ants attack and defend themselves by biting and in many species, stinging, often injecting chemicals like formic acid. Apart from defense against larger threats, ants also need to defend their colonies against disease organisms. Some ant workers' role is to maintain the hygiene of the colony and their activities include undertaking or necrophory, the transport of dead nest-mates.

Learning While many types of animals can learn behaviors by imitating other

With their combined weight greater than the combined weight of all humans, ants are the most numerous type of animal.

Strong in relation to their size, ants can carry 10 to 20 times their body weight. They work in teams to move extremely heavy things.

Ant brains are largest amongst insects. Mushroom shaped brain appendages have function similar to the gray-matter of human brains.

It has been estimated that an ant's brain may have the same processing power as a Macintosh II computer. concentration, merely attracts them. To confuse their enemies several ant species even employ "propaganda pheromones", which cause their enemies to fight among themselves.

Like other insects, ants smell with their antennae, which are long and thin. These are fairly mobile, having a distinct elbow joint after an elongated first segment; and since they come in pairs--rather like binocular vision or stereophonic sound equipment-they provide information about direction as well as intensity.

Pheromones are also exchanged as compounds mixed with food

animals, ants may be the only group of a nima l s besides primates and some other mammals in which interactive teaching behavior has been observed. Knowledgeable forager ants directly lead naive nestmates to newly discovered food sources by the excruciatingly slow (and time-costly) process of

tandem running. The follower thereby obtains knowledge that it would not have, had it not been tutored, and this is at the expense of its nest-mate teacher. Both leader and follower are acutely sensitive to the progress of their partner. For example, the leader slows down when the follower lags too far behind, and speeds up when the follower gets too close, while the follower does the opposite.

While some ants form complex nests and galleries, other species are nomadic and do not build permanent structures.

Navigation Desert ants make use of visual landmarks in combination with other cues to navigate.

In the absence of visual landmarks, Sahara desert ants have been shown to navigate by keeping track of direction as well as distance travelled, like an internal pedometer that keeps tracks of how many steps they take, and use this information to find the shortest routes back to their nests.

Locomotion Ants usually lose, or never develop, their wings. Therefore, unlike their wasp ancestors, most ants travel by walking.

The more cooperative species of ants sometimes form chains to bridge gaps; whether that is over water, underground, or through spaces in arboreal paths.

Some ants are even capable of leaping.

cont'd to pg 8

A weaver ant in fighting position, mandibles wide open

Ants cont'd from pg 7

Ant cooperation and competition Not all ants have the same kind of societies. Some species of ants are known for attacking and taking over the colonies of other ant species.

Others are less expansionist but nonetheless just as aggressive; they attack colonies to steal eggs or larvae, which they either eat or raise as workers/slaves. Some ants, such as the Amazon ants, are incapable of feeding themselves, and must rely on captured worker ants to care for them. The pavement ant is famous for its urge to increase its territory. In early spring, colonies attempt to conquer new areas and often attack the nearest enemy colony. These result in huge sidewalk battles, sometimes leaving thousands of ants dead. Because of their aggressive nature, they often invade and colonize seemingly impenetrable areas.

Ants identify kin and nest mates through their scents. Any ant that enters a colony with a different scent than that of the colony will be attacked.

Humans and ants Ants are useful for clearing out insect pests and aerating the soil. On the other hand, they can become annoyances when they invade homes, yards, gardens and fields.

Carpenter ants damage wood by hollowing it out for nesting. Some species, called killer ants, have a tendency to attack much larger What happens when ants are painted with color dots?

Colored dots, painted on the backs of ants according to the type of work they are observed doing, show that ants have specific jobs So yellow dotted ants would concentrate on cleaning. Teams of green dotted ants forage outward for food. Orange dotted ants would take care of the young.

After a few days or weeks, the ants may change their jobs as they take on new skills.

Sometimes when a catastrophe occurs, the ants respond by quickly adapting their duties to overcome the problem.

Crisis management is a relatively new field of management.

Typically, proactive crisis management activities include forecasting potential crises and planning how to deal with them.

Hopefully, organisations have time and resources to complete a crisis management plan before they experience a crisis.

Crisis management in the face of a current, real crisis, includes identifying the real nature of a current crisis, intervening to minimize damage and recovering from the crisis. Crisis management often includes strong focus on public relations to recover any damage to public image and assure stakeholders that recovery is underway.

In our industry news reports announcing that yet another company has stumbled into a crisis - often without warning and/or expectation and through no direct fault of its management - seem as regular as the tide. The spectrum of shipping crises is so wide that it seems almost impossible to have listed each type. However, the influence of the 'top management' of how expertly it handles the challenge and of how well it has prepared the planning of: avoiding the crisis, preparing to manage the crisis, recognising the crisis, containing the crisis, resolving the crisis and finally profiting from the crisis, can determine the future of the enterprise.

The first stage is prevention. That is to make a list of, possibly, everything that could attract troubles to the shipping

animals during foraging or in defending their nests. Attacks on humans are rare, but the stings and bites can be quite painful and in large enough numbers can be disabling.

Ants as food Ants and their larvae are eaten in different parts of the world.

business (the vessel and its staff, onboard & ashore) A difficult exercise. Management should through the chain of command - make clear to the employees what behaviour is expected of them.

We usually cannot seek revenue growth without also expecting increases in expenses; we cannot encourage risk taking and then be surprised if some of the risks result in greater exposure.

In the preventive phase must try to minimize risks and be certain that those that must be taken are commensurate with the returns expected. Risks that cannot be avoided must be properly hedged. The real problem, however, is that perfection prevention is perfectly unattainable.

The second stage is preparing to manage the crisis. Noah started building the ark before it began to rain. One should view and plan for the inevitability of a crisis in

Ants as pests Modern society considers the ant a pest, and due to the adaptive nature of ant colonies, eliminating one is near impossible. Pest control with regard to ants is more a matter of controlling local populations than eliminating an entire colony. Attempts to control ant populations of any kind are temporary solutions. Control of

species populations are usually done with bait insecticides, which are either in the form of small granules, or as a sticky liquid.

Ants in culture Ants have often been used in fables and children's stories to represent industriousness and cooperative effort, as well as aggressiveness and vindictive-

- pg 9 -

Crisis

Comment - Debate

Management much the same way one views and plans for the inevitability of death and taxes: not out of weakness or fear, but out of the strength that comes from knowing one is prepared to play the "hand" that fate deals to one. One shouldn't be overconfident. Action plans, ready communication plans with redundancy and an established communication centre, drills, essential relationships, contingency plans and advanced selected crisis-teams, should be at the ready.

The third stage is recognizing the crisis. The most challenging. “When you smell an odorless gas, it's probably carbon dioxide”. Correct? No! One should not, sometimes, misclassify a problem, focusing on the technical aspects and ignoring issues of perception, as it is often the public perception that causes the crisis which eventually becomes a reality. The interests of the customer must come first. Experience suggests that we listen to people throughout the organisation. “The natives have the maps”. The phrase "We have had an incident" when spoken by the head of an operating entity should be one of the most recognisable alarms. “No Comment” is an unacceptable response in today's advanced world of communications and media. Finally in this stage independent investigators, as well as insiders, are needed to assist understanding the situation. There are, of course, costs associated with using

ness. They are also mentioned in religious texts. In parts of Africa, ants are the messengers of the gods. Ant bites are often said to have curative properties. The sting of some species of Pseudomyrmex is claimed to give fever relief.

Some Native American religions, such as Hopi mythology, recognize ants as the very first animals. Others use ant bites in initiation ceremonies as a test of endurance.

independent experts, but, as the old adage goes, if you think an expert is expensive, try hiring an amateur.

The fourth stage is containing the crisis. Stopping the hemorrhaging. This is the phase in which the tough decisions have to be made and made fast; decisiveness is critical. Some reasonable, decisive action is almost always better than no action at all. The problem is that usually you don't know what you don't know. There may be either too little information or there may be far too much, with no way to sift out what is important. Crisis situations tend to be accompanied by conflicting advice among the legal department, the public relations, the brokers, the operators and engineers etc. “ Tell'em nothin' and tell'em slow”. The experience dictates and prefers to err on the side of over disclosure, even at the risk of harming one's legal position. Credibility is far more important than legal position. Still it is up to the CEO to clarify a murky situation and override advisors.

Experts' advise: “First state clearly that you do not know all the facts. Then promptly state the facts that you do know. One's objective should be to get it right, get it quick, get it out, and get it over. You see, your problem won't improve with age”.

The world is not interested in the storms you encountered but in whether you

The Japanese word for ant, ari, is represented by an ideograph formed of the character for insect combined with the character signifying moral rectitude, propriety (giri). So the Chinese character could possibly be read as The Propriety-Insect. Its actual etymology is likely to be different however.

Ant society has always fascinated humans and has been written

brought the ship in safely. As a senior executive one must call on one's own conscience. One sets aside for a few minutes the voices of trusted advisers and, in as calm and dispassionate a manner as possible, evaluates in human terms the real issues and the real messages. By doing so, one at least has the comfort of defending a position that one believes to be correct.

It is of value to have immediately despatched, to the scene of the problem the senior responsible individual.

Four additional measures: Have a dedicated team of individuals working full time to contain the crisis. A single individual should be identified as the company spokesperson. The company's own constituencies (customers / owners / employees / suppliers etc) should not be left to ferret out information from the public media. They have a special need for information. A devil's advocate should be part of the crisis management team (some one who can tell the emperor when he is wearing no clothes).

The fifth stage is resolving the crisis.

In this phase speed is of the essence.

A crisis simply will not wait.

The sixth stage is profiting from the crisis. If the company has handled the previous steps flawlessly (that is has not somehow managed to make the crisis worse) this stage offers an opportunity to recoup some losses at least partially and begin to repair the dislocations. “If you run a public company you cannot ignore the public. Institutional trust is a lot more important than most people realise and a lot depends on how much confidence has been built in the organisation over the years before the crisis”.

Tell the truth and tell it fast. Comments??

Ed.

about both humorously and seriously by writers. Mark Twain wrote about ants in his A Tramp Abroad. In more recent times, animated cartoons featuring ants have been produced include Ants, A Bug's Life, The Ant Bully, The Ant and the Aardvark and Atom Ant.

Ant inspired technology The successful techniques used

by ant colonies have been widely studied especially in computer science and robotics to produce distributed and fault-tolerant systems for solving problems.

This area of biomimetics has led to studies of ant locomotion, search engines which make use of foraging trails and fault tolerant storage and networking algorithms.

MARS 200727

Avoid short cuts (Compliments SEAWAYS / N.I.) A tanker in ballast was sailing out of a busy port, navigating the departure TSS on a northerly course.

Deciding to take a short cut, the master altered course to NE to go out of the TSS and pass through the designated anchorage area stretching to the east of the traffic scheme. A tidal stream was setting from west to east. At this point, the tanker's bridge team also became aware of an inbound container vessel, wide on the starboard bow, about two miles away, on a westerly course apparently proceeding to the anchorage.

The ARPA on the tanker gave the container ship's Closest Point of Approach (CPA) as two cables ahead.

In order to allow a wider clearance, the tanker reduced speed to dead slow. However, at this speed, she not only lost steerage, but also was being strongly set towards the anchored vessels by the tidal current. The tanker then went full astern, causing her bow to rapidly swing to STBD. With the current pushing her on to the anchored vessels, and her head turning towards the container ship, she was lucky to extricate herself from the anchorage, with the container vessel crossing her bow at a distance of just a cable.

Moral of the story? Avoid passing through designated anchorage areas and avoid short cuts.

(The devil finds work for idle hands) Work, we know, is both a burden and a need, both a curse and a blessing. Unemployment we long ago learned creates severe psychological disturbances, not because of economic deprivation, but primarily because it undermines self respect. Work is an extension of personality. It is achievement. It is one of the way in which a person defines himself or herself, measures his worth and his humanity.

Work

Action Point. Don't let your self-respect be undermined by being unemployed. Remind yourself that there are other ways to define you besides work.

(Management Tasks/ Responsibilities/ By Peter F. Drucker)

Maintaining (pilot & other) ladders (Compliments STOPLOSS Bulletin) It is very important and of serious consequences of failing to correctly rig pilot ladders. Also failing to maintain them properly can have disastrous consequences, as illustrated by an accident recently drawn to the attention of the Club.

During a transfer in the port of Dublin, the side ropes of a pilot ladder gave way, and the pilot fell back into the pilot cutter, together with a section of the ladder. Fortunately the pilot on this occasion was not seriously injured, but subsequent port state investigation found that both the port and stbd pilot ladders were permanently rigged and open to damage from the weather, the action of the seas and the sun, in contravention of SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 23.

The failure was found to have been caused by a significant loss of strength in the ropes used in the ladder's construction, caused by external abrasion. The position of the failures in each leg suggested that flex fatigue had also contributed to loss of strength. The general appearance of the failed ladder suggested that it had been in service for a considerable period of time, and there was no evidence of regular inspection as required under SOLAS. Vessels are reminded that it is essential to ensure that pilot ladders are inspected regularly, and properly stowed when not in use.

- pg 11 -

Miniature Books Book Reading (Adapted from NYT/ June 1, 2007)

I

n the 1930s the paperback made its appearance. Readers in Germany, Britain and the United States responded enthusiastically to the idea of a small-format book that could be slipped into the pocket and read on the bus or train. What novelty it seemed, a streamlined leisure product fitting for a scientific age. In fact the shrunken book was nearly five centuries old.

T

he earliest miniature books, illuminated manuscripts that could be dangled from the waist on a chain, predated the invention of moveable type. Their dimensions made the typical paperback look gargantuan. The larger examples

measured 8 centimeters or less on each side. As book marking technology improved, the small became even smaller.

B

ookbinders in Russia and Japan have published books, complete with bindings, which are about the size of the letter “a”. Though these books were small still the subjects were surprisingly big, embracing thumbnail-size cuneiform tablets from Mesopotamia; the “thumb Bibles” first printed for children in the 17th century; and the first printing in book form of Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, an eight centimeter volume distributed to Union soldiers and slaves during the American Civil War. Miniatures also include exquisite, bejeweled books of hours

Speak Whale to Me Consider the beautiful music that whales make, which became known to us 37 years ago when “Songs of the Humpback Whale” was released and went on to become one of the best-selling nature recordings of all time.

The whales' long drawn-out melodies thunder on, loudly enough to be heard underwater for a distance of at least 10 miles. Five to 20 minutes songs marked by repeating phrases, rhythm and even rhyme are sung over and over four hours on end.

and practical sets of classic writers intended for travellers.

M

iniature books originally served a useful purpose.

Reduced-size prayer books made it possible to practice devotion on the move. But early on, the human fascination with miniaturisation assumed its own momentum. In 1480 Salvador Gagliardelli, a Florentine scribe, created an illuminated prayer book with 17 paintings measuring

Because only males sing, scientists long assumed that their songs were mating calls directed to females - like bird song in spring. But observation of humpback whale behaviour has revealed that females actually pay no attention to the male singing. Other explanations have been proposed: that males sing to warn other males away, for example, or that the songs act as some kind of beacon to help migrating whales navigate. Another theory is that male singing alone usually will join up with another male for a brief almost always friendly or at least conflict-free interaction. During breeding their songs, somehow, may help them to cooperate and to recognise their closest associates.

Whale song has another unexplained aspect that no bird song possesses.

Across a single breeding ground, and in

Killing innovation Fortune has listed things done by companies to kill innovation:

! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Hire employees looking for safety in their roles Hire incompetent employees. Keep salaries below the 75th percentile Treat employees like garbage Reward conservative and marginal successes Micromanage Only create customer-requested features Make performance reviews easy Build mini-kingdoms so that people can't find information and contacts

Not enough. There's more:

! Arrange short-notice 'Let's Innovate' meeting ! Just support your ideas ! Don't realise any innovated ideas generated ! Always support previously tried and succeeded ideas ! Let employees feel the hierarchy and make jokes about it in any chance

Our Joke

about two centimetres square, unquestionably light and portable, but first and foremost an exhibition of the book making art. In descending order, collectors categorise such books as macrominiatures (seven to ten centimetres in height), miniatures (three to seven centimetres), microminiatures (0.6 to three cents) and the greatest of the least, the ultramicrominiatures (less than 0.6 centimetres).

some cases across the reach of an ocean basin as large as the North Pacific, the whales all sing essentially the same tune.

As the season progresses, they collectively revise it, adding new melodies and taking others away. Over several mating seasons, songs are entirely changed.(Today's humpbacks would not recognise the music on “Songs of the Humpback Whale” from 1970. The whales evolve their common songs simultaneously even though some of them are much too apart from one another to hear the changes, at the same time). How do they know what new notes to choose? What guides the changes they make? Scientists don't know and hardly know how to find out.

(Adapted from NYT/ May 31, 2007)

No man is old until his mother stops worrying about him.

Husband: I am feeling so depressed today Wife: Why darling?

Husband: It's just that sometimes I feel so alone and useless Wife: Oh! You don't have to feel so alone. Many people think you are useless

Hepatitis B Infection

By Fe Almogela-Bacungan, M.D. S.M.LAZO Medical Clinic Inc, Manila It is estimated that about one third of the world's population has been exposed at some time to Hepatitis B Virus (HBV).

About 350 million individuals worldwide are infected with the virus for a long time (chronic carriers). This is expected to lead to two million deaths annually.

What is more alarming is that the Hepatitis B virus is 100 times more infectious than the Human Immunodeficiency (HIV) or AIDS virus.

A healthy liver is essential to a healthy life. It is the body's largest organ that has many functions vital to survival: It filters - wastes, bacteria, nviruses, toxins from the blood. It changes poisonous substances into harmless substances and medicines into forms the body can use.

It transforms food into usable chemicals, it manufactures most of the proteins and those needed to clot blood, it digests fats and cholesterol and it sends nourishment through the blood to the different cells and organs.

It is the warehouse of the body. It stores mineral, vitamins and sugars that our body uses for energy.

n

n

The liver undergoes changes once it becomes inflamed (hepatitis) due to infection or toxins. The organ tries to repair itself by forming tiny scars or fibrosis making it difficult to perform its functions. As damage continues, many scars form and begin to join together leading to cirrhosis. With this condition, the liver shrinks and becomes hard.

Severe scarring prevents the blood from flowing freely through the liver severely impairing the vital liver functions. It is unable to filter wastes and drugs from the blood. It can no longer produce blood clotting factors necessary to stop

bleeding. Fluids build up in the abdomen (ascitis) and legs (pedal oedema) and haemorrhage in the intestines is common at this stage (liver failure).

Hepatitis B virus is spread when blood or blood fluids from an infected person enter the body of one who is not infected. Most likely this is the result of contact with skin pores, small breaks or mucous membranes with the infected blood, unsafe injections when using illegal drugs, other skin penetrating procedures such as acupuncture, piercing, tattooing even sharing razors or toothbrushes. Most people are not aware that the virus is mainly contracted the same way as sexually transmitted diseases. Increased risks are associated with multiple sexual partners and unprotected sexual contact.

The virus is also transferred by an infected mother to her baby during birth. It is not transmitted through food and water, breastfeeding, sharing eating utensils, hugging, coughing, sneezing or casual contact such as shaking hands.

Hepa B infection is diagnosed only through a blood test that specifically looks for the virus or its associated structures in a person's blood.

Hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) is a structure found in Hepa B infection that could already be detected in an infected person's blood on the average of four weeks exposure.

Hepa B is a 'silent' disease that affects many people without them feeling sick.

Symptoms during the acute phase appear in about 70% of patients who develop them in 12 weeks after exposure to the virus. Manifestations are 'flu-like' such as body weakness, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal discomfort, low grade fever and fatigue. In more serious cases, there is jaundice (yellowish discolouration of the sclera of the eyes

and the skin), dark coloured urine, clay coloured stools, and generalised join pains. There are however, situations when an infected person has no symptoms at all (healthy carrier).

Symptoms are more common among adults than children. From having acute hepatitis B infection 95% will recover completely. As a result they will become immune to a future infection. Healthy carriers remain healthy and asymptomatic but they can spread the virus to others.

About 2% to 6% of the acute cases are expected to progress to a chronic and long term infection. They can pas on the virus to others and they carry an increase risk from serious diseases such as cirrhosis and liver cancers (hepatoma).

There is no specific medication for the acute or recently acquired infection.

However, for the chronic cases there are anti-viral drugs which aim to suppress the viral multiplication and prevention of complications such as liver cancers and hepatoma.

Currently available anti-viral drugs are the following:

>Interferon alpha 2b (Intron A), given

for 16 weeks up to one year, with 33% sustained response following 4 months into treatment >Adefovir dipivoxil (Hepsera), one year up to 48 months treatment >Lamiduvine (Epivir HBV), one year treatment.

If the injectable Interferon is used, one would spend today about U$14,000 for six months to one year. This makes it cheaper to prevent getting the disease than buying these expensive medications with 40% to 50% chance of success.

- pg 13-

An Emerging Public Health Threat PREVETION IS BETTER THAN CURE

Hepatitis B vaccines are currently available for prevention of HBV infection. Because of its ability to prevent serious liver diseases, this vaccine has been recognised as the first anti-cancer vaccine. It provides a long term protection though the development of anti-bodies against the virus. However, vaccines are not useful for an individual already chronically infected (HbsAg positive).

To complete the regimen, the first vaccine is followed by 2 others at one and six month interval.

Other preparations may have different schedules. The important thing is for one to complete the vaccination schedules to benefit fully.

Ideally a post vaccination test is conducted one or two months after completion of the vaccine series to check if the body has already developed antibodies against the virus. Booster doses after completion of the original schedule are not routinely recommended because studies show that infants and teens

MURPHOLOGY (Humour, Wit or Wisdom?)

.When several reporters share a

cab on an assignment, the reporter at the front seat pays for all .No matter how many reporters share a cab, and no matter who pays, each puts the full fare on his own expense account .Men and nations will act rationally when all other possibilities have been exhausted .Nobody really cares or understands what anyone else is doing .The probability of a young man meeting a desirable receptive young female increases by

who were vaccinated still have protective antibodies 10 years after vaccination.

Hepatitis B infection is so serious that lack of treatment may lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure and eventually death, among those with chronic infection. Hence there is an urgent need to protect ourselves and families especially our children.

As preventive measures, pregnant women must be tested for the virus before giving birth and all babies to have vaccination. Babies who were born from mothers, who are carriers, still have the chance to actually not contracting the disease. It is vital that they are immune at an early stage so they won't develop infection in the future. Vaccination remains the best option in its management because of the high cost and long treatment with the available antiviral drugs. This essential information and awareness may save thousand lives from the fatal outcome of the HEPA B infection.

Thank you.

pyramidal progression when he is already in the company of: (1) a date, (2) his wife, (3) a better looking and richer male friend .The only imperfect thing in nature is the human race .Nothing is ever accomplished by a reasonable man .Trivial matters are handled promptly; important matters are never solved .Once a job is fouled up, anything done to improve it only makes it worse .The one who does the least work will get the most credit .When all else fails, try the boss's suggestion .Anyone who is popular is bound to be disliked

This editor was 'silly' enough to have ruptured his left-knee's quadriceps tendon, last 23rd April 2007, while walking his dog 'Willy' on a mountainhike.

The patellar tendon attaches to the tibia tubercle on the front of the tibia (shin bone) just below the front of the knee. It also is attached to the bottom of the patella (kneecap). At the top of the patella, the quadriceps tendon is attached. At the tope of the quadriceps tendon is the quadriceps muscle. The quadriceps muscle is the large muscle on the front of the thigh. As the quadriceps muscle contracts (shortens), it pulls on the quadriceps tendon, the patella, the patellar tendon, and the tibia to move the knee from a flexed (bent) position to an extended (straight) position.

Conversely, when the quadriceps muscle relaxes, it lengthens. This allows the knee to move from a position of extension (straight) to a position of flexion (bent).

It took a four-hour surgery to have the damage under control. The orthopaedic surgeon told him he would have him on his feet within four weeks flat.

And did he? Yes! The casualty had to sell off his car to foot his bill.

Action Point: Accidents don't come by appointment; they just happen. Never walk on a mountain trek reading your last-before-printing bulletin instead of minding your next step.

cont'd from 4

Reduce your impact at home

Political will is a renewable resource - take action

Most emissions from homes are from the fossil fuels burned to generate electricity and heat. By using energy more efficiently at home, you can reduce your emissions and lower your energy bills by more than 30%.

In addition, since agriculture is responsible for about a fifth of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, you can reduce your emissions simply by watching what you eat.

Here's how: 1. Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl) CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. If every family in the U.S. made the switch, we'd reduce carbon dioxide by more than 90 billion pounds!

2. Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment. Your local Energy Council has more tips for saving energy on heating and cooling.

3. Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

4. Install a programmable thermostat Programmable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning. They can save you $100 a year on your energy bill.

5. Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases Choose the most efficient models. If each household in the U.S. replaced its existing appliances with the most efficient models available, we'd eliminate 175 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year!

6. Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket You'll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action. You can save another 550 pounds per year by setting the thermostat no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

7. Use less hot water It takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year) instead of hot.

8. Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year.

9. Turn off electronic devices you're not using Simply turning off your television, DVD player, stereo, and computer when you're not using them will save you thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

10. Unplug electronics from the wall when you're not using them Even when turned off, things like hairdryers, cell phone chargers and televisions use energy. In fact, the energy used to keep display clocks lit and memory chips working accounts for 5 percent of total domestic energy consumption and spews 18 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year!

11. Only run your dishwasher when there's a full load and use the energy-saving setting You can save 100 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.

(addressed to the U.S. market)

12. Insulate and weatherize your home Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

Caulking and weather-stripping can save another 1,700 pounds per year. The Consumers' Federations' have more information on how to better insulate your home.

13. Be sure you're recycling at home You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates.

14. Buy recycled paper products It takes less 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide.

15. Plant a tree A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%.

16. Get a home energy audit Many utilities offer free home energy audits to find where your home is poorly insulated or energy inefficient. You can save up to 30% off your energy bill and 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

17. Switch to green power In many areas, you can switch to energy generated by clean, renewable sources such as wind and solar.

18. Buy locally grown and produced foods Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community.

19. Buy fresh foods instead of frozen Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce.

M

21. Buy organic foods as much as possible Organic soils capture and store carbon dioxide at much higher levels than soils from conventional farms. If we grew all of our corn and soybeans organically, we'd remove 580 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere!

22. Avoid heavily packaged products You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you cut down your garbage by 10%.

23. Eat less meat Methane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale with every breath.

C.

20. Seek out and support local farmers markets They reduce the amount of energy required to grow and transport the food to you by one fifth.

AGEMENT I N AN

IN

CE

NTROF

QUOTATIONS

Reduce your impact while on the move Almost one third of the carbon dioxide comes from our cars, trucks and airplanes. Here are some simple, practical things you can do to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide you produce while on the move.

4. Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possible Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year!

25. Start a carpool with your coworkers or classmates Sharing a ride with someone just 2 days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds a year.

26. Keep your car tuned up Regular maintenance helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces emissions. When just 1% of car owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere.

27. Check your tires weekly to make sure they're properly inflated Proper inflation can improve

cont'd from 2

Robert's Rules of Order Others, like the motion to reconsider a debatable question, may not be amended. Rules of this type are practical in that they assist in avoiding long discussion of topics that are tangential to the purpose of a meeting.

Rules of conduct such as the following, today too often honoured in the breach rather than the observance, are plainly requisites of common courtesy as well as underpinnings of order:

!

The regret of a gentleman is not leaving a legacy after he is gone

!

It is DIFFICULT to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his NOT UNDERSTANDING it

!

As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a Master

!

Almost every crisis contains within itself the seeds of success as well as the roots of failure

!

The only way to atone for being occasionally overdressed is by always being absolutely over educated

30. Try telecommuting from home Telecommuting can help you drastically reduce the number of miles you drive every week.

!

Next week there can't be any crisis. My schedule is already full

31. Fly less Air travel produces large amounts of emissions so reducing how much you fly by even one or two trips a year can reduce your emissions significantly.

Thank you for your attention. Ed.

Quotes on Leadership and Vision

gas mileage by more than 3%. Since every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, every increase in fuel efficiency makes a difference!

28. When it is time for a new car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicle You can save 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year if your new car gets only 3 miles per gallon more than your current one. You can get up to 60 miles per gallon with a hybrid!

29. Try car sharing Need a car but don't want to buy one?

Community car sharing organizations provide access to a car and your membership fee covers gas, maintenance and insurance.

>'During debate, and while the

chairperson is speaking or the Assembly is engaged in voting, no member is permitted to disturb the Assembly by whispering, or walking across the floor; or in any other way‌'

>'Never interrupt members while

speaking, simply because you know more about the matter than they do; never get excited; never be unjust to the most troublesome member; nor take advantage of his ignorance of the law, even though a temporary good is accomplished thereby.'

Order! Order!

If democracy can be defined as rule by the majority, which does not infringe on or jeopardise the rights of minorities, this book can justifiably claim to point the ways in which democracy can best be practically achieved in a public forum.

Robert's Rules of Order strikes a successful balance between the preservation of individual liberties and the proper functioning of assemblies. Judging from the endurance of the work, one can expect it to continue to enjoy the same importance for organisations in the future.

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"If you do not know where you are going, every road will get you nowhere." Henry Kissinger

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"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

Eleanor Roosevelt

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"Don't be afraid to take a big step when one is indicated. You can't cross a chasm in two small steps."

David Lloyd George

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"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has."

- Margaret Mead

The 21 Irrefutable LAWS OF LEADERSHIP (Management & Leadership)

1.- THE LAW OF THE LID Leadership Determines a Person's Level of Effectiveness 2.- THE LAW OF INFLUENCE The True Measure of Leadership is Influence Nothing More, Nothing Less 3.- THE LAW OF PROCESS Leadership Develops Daily, Not in a Day 4.- THE LAW OF NAVIGATION Anyone Can Steer the 'Ship', But It Takes a Leader to Chart the Course 5.- THE LAW OF E.F. HUTTON When the Real Leader Speaks, People Listen 6.- THE LAW OF SOLID GROUND Trust is the Foundation of Leadership 7.- THE LAW OF RESPECT People Naturally Follow Leaders Stronger Than Themselves 8.- THE LAW OF INTUITION Leaders Evaluate Everything with a Leadership Bias 9.- THE LAW OF MAGNETISM Who You Are Is Who You Attract 10.- THE LAW OF CONNECTION Leaders Touch a Heart Before They Ask for a Hand 11.- THE LAW OF INNER CIRCLE A Leader's Potential Is Determined by Those Closest to Him

Here below is a brief description of the Laws: 12.- THE LAW OF EMPOWERMENT Only Secure Leaders Give Power to Others 13.- THE LAW OF REPRODUCTION It Takes a Leader to Raise Up a Leader 14.- THE LAW OF BUY-IN People Buy into the Leader, Then the Vision 15.- THE LAW OF VICTORY Leaders Find a Way for the Team to Win# 16.- THE LAW OF THE BIG MO Momentum Is a Leader's Best Friend 17.- THE LAW OF PRIORITIES Leaders Understand That Activity Is Not Necessarily Accomplishment 18.- THE LAW OF SACRIFICE A Leader Must Give Up to Go Up 19.- THE LAW OF TIMING When to Lead Is As Important As What to Do and Where to Go 20.- THE LAW OF EXPLOSIVE GROWTH To Add to Growth, Lead Followers To Multiply, Lead Leaders 21.- THE LAW OF LEGACY A Leader's Lasting Value Is Measured by Succession.-

Articles written in this bulletin do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of CENTROFIN. DISCLAIMER. The contents provided herewith are for general information purposes only; not intended to replace or otherwise contradict the detailed instructions issued by the owners, flag etc.

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CENTRO-NEWS

1. The laws can be learned. Some laws are easier to understand and apply than others, but every one of them can be acquired.

2. The laws can stand alone. Each law complements all the others, but you don't need one in order to learn another.

3. The laws carry consequences with them. Apply the laws and people will follow you. Violate or ignore them and you will not be able to lead others.

4. The laws are the foundations of leadership. Once you learn the principles you have to practice them and apply them to your life.

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As one makes its way through the 'workbook' one should keep in mind four ideas:

M

This is a first class workbook worth having into your library; whether you are a follower who is just beginning to discover the impact of leadership or a natural leader who already has followers. Each law is like a tool, ready to be picked up and used to help to achieve one's dreams and add value to other people. Master them all and people will gladly follow you. Leadership is leadership, no matter where you go or what you do. Times change. Technology matches forward.

Cultures vary from place to place. But the true principles of leadership are constant whether you are looking at the citizens of ancient Greece, the armies of the last two hundred years, the rulers of modern Europe, or the business people of today's global economy. Leadership principles stand the test of time.

They are irrefutable; and apply from the largest global corporations to the one vessel's crew.

CE

Workbook by John C. Maxwell

Comments? The Wavelength welcomes readers' responses to all articles and editorials.

Editor: Cmdr Nicholas A. Iliopoulos Staff Captain - Human Resources Manager Tel: +30.210 8983.305 Fax: +30.210 8983.231 E-mail: ilioship@yahoo.com.sg www.wavelength.info.ms/ Design-Production: www.paradox.com.gr Tel: +30.210 6560.832