The Coriolis Effect
Gaspard-Gustave de Coriolis (1792-1843) was a French mathematician, mechanical engineer, and scientist. He is best known for his work (in 1835) on the supplementary forces that are detected in a rotating frame of reference, leading to is now known as the Coriolis effect (or the Coriolis force). It describes the pattern of deflection taken by objects not firmly connected to the ground as they travel long distances around Earth and is the explanation for many large-scale weather patterns.
The key to the Coriolis effect lies in Earth’s rotation. Earth is wider at the Equator and rotates faster there than at the poles. To make a rotation in one 24-hour period, equatorial regions rotate at nearly 1,000 miles per hour; near the poles, the rotation is about 0.00005 miles per hour.
The impact of the Coriolis effect is dependent on velocity—the velocity of Earth and the velocity of the object or weather pattern being deflected by the Coriolis effect. It is most significant with high speeds or long distances.
The development of weather patterns, such as cyclones and trade winds, are examples of the impact of the Coriolis effect. It is the explanation for why, in the Northern Hemisphere, hurricanes appear to rotate counterclockwise, and in the Southern Hemisphere, currents are deflected to the left, and, as a result, storm systems seem to rotate clockwise.
The weather impacting fast-moving objects, such as airplanes and rockets, is influenced by the Coriolis effect. The directions of prevailing winds are largely determined by the Coriolis effect, and pilots must take that into account when charting flight paths over long distances.
You could observe the Coriolis effect if you sat on a rotating merry-go-round and threw or rolled a ball back and forth with someone. When the merry-go-round is not rotating, rolling the ball back-and-forth is simple and straightforward. While it is rotating, however, the ball won’t make it to the other person unless you propel it with significant force. Rolled with regular effort, the ball appears to curve, or deflect, to the right. The ball is actually traveling in a straight line and you and the other person. are moving out of its path.
The Coriolis force is strongest near the poles and absent at the Equator. Cyclones need the Coriolis force in order to circulate. That is why hurricanes almost never occur in equatorial regions, and never cross the Equator itself.
Connote vs. Denote
To connote is to suggest a connection. [Only words and symbols can connote something; people imply it.] When you act a certain way to show how you feel rather than just outright saying it, you’re connoting or suggesting that emotion. Words can often connote or suggest certain meanings or ideas. (e.g., if you fold your arms and look away from someone as he speaks to you, you are connoting your discomfort.)
To denote is to draw attention to something or to show what it means. A word’s denotation is its literal meaning or exact definition. [e.g., A blue wheelchair painted on a parking spot denotes handicapped parking.]
Why is red for Republicans and blue for Democrats?
This universally accepted color-coding arose from the 2000 presidential election. According to The Verge, it was in this year that The New York Times and USA Today published their first full-color election maps
That year, The New York Times and USA Today published full-color electoral maps for the first time, and according to The Verge (opens in new tab), they assigned the colors fairly arbitrarily. Apparently, it was as simple as someone in the graphics department decided to use red for Republicans because both ‘red’ and ‘Republican’ begin begins with ‘r’. According to The History Channel, colorful electoral maps on television were used in 1976, but there was no consistency between networks as to what colors were used for which party. Red often stood for Democrats, and blue for Republicans. The extended vote count in the election between George W. Bush and Al Gore in 2000 (which was not resolved until December) precipitated the major news networks keeping the colors consistent, so that reporting contested electoral college numbers and the Florida recount would be less confusing. By the time, the winner was resolved, the color associations were set.
I Just stopped in…to see what condition my condition was in.
Most hospitals follow the American Hospital Association guidelines to describe a patient’s condition to the media. Those guidelines advise spokespersons to use only a one-word description of a patient’s condition. Here, excerpted from the AHA’s “General Guide for the Release of Information on the Condition of Patients,” is the short list:
Undetermined: Patient awaiting physician and assessment. Good: Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious and comfortable. Indicators are excellent. Fair: Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious but may be uncomfortable. Indicators are favorable. Serious: Vital signs may be unstable and not within normal limits. Patient is acutely ill. Indicators are questionable. Critical: Vital signs are unstable and not within normal limits. Patient may be unconscious. Indicators are unfavorable.
“Vital signs” means indicators such as blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and respiration, and the one-word descriptions are not medical term—rather they are based on a doctor’s best judgment of a patient’s condition. And not all hospitals strictly adhere to these guidelines, which is why you occasionally will here ‘treated and released’ (suggesting that the patient received treatment but was not admitted) or ‘critical but stable 9to indicate that some patients’ conditions are less dire than others.)
What the heck!
“Heck” is a common alternative to the swear word “hell.” It is not a bad word at its core, nor is it consider a swear word. “Heck” really isn’t spoken much because many people think it’s far too tame to convey the correct emotion. It doesn’t show true anger or disappointment compared to most swear words. Schools are often very strict with the words that can and can’t be used. Most schools would probably be fine with students using “heck” because it shows the students are actively trying to censor themselves to appear more polite. It’s even acceptable on radio and television. But if uncomfortable using a word like ‘heck’, try one of these replacement exclamations: Fudge! Blast! Dang! (which, of course, is a slang word for ‘damn’) What the…?! What the Dickens?!
While we’re on the topic, if you need a replacement exclamation for ‘dang’, try: Doggone! Shoot! (which itself is a replacement for another curse word) Confound it! Gosh! Golly! My, my, my.
If there is such a place “Hell” (and we’re not saying there is or isn’t), it would it be funny if there was also a place called “Heck.” In Heck, would be bad—but not terrible like they are in Hell.
Calliope
In Greek mythology, Calliope ( ’beautiful-voiced’) is the Muse who presides over eloquence and epic poetry. Hesiod and Ovid called her the “Chief of all Muses”. She is the daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne. She had two famous sons, Orpheus and Linus, by either Apollo (her brother) or King Oeagrus of Thrace. She taught Orpheus verses for singing. According to Hesiod, she was also the wisest of the Muses, as well as the most assertive. In some accounts, Calliope is the mother of the Corybantes by her father Zeus, She was sometimes believed to be Homer’s muse for the Iliad and the Odyssey, and the Roman epic poet Virgil invokes her in the Aeneid.
Meat Cuts
