Show Your Colors

The object of this game is to compile a list of different words -- each related to its predecessor to form a compound word or familiar phrase -- and have this chain begin and end with the same word. Our theme is Color ... and, to keep the exercise interesting, we ask that your chains be no fewer than fifteen, nor more than twenty-five words in length. This will eliminate a simple BLUE-sky-BLUE combination ... and it conserves on paper by keeping your lists from stretching to infinity

Commentary: An adaptive household sampling method for rural African communities

No Abstract

E Pluribus Unum

In most instances, one adds an S to pluralize a word: all well and good. But when a second S is added, interestnig things begin to happen; suddenly, the word becomes singular again, or takes on an altogether new meaning -- ADVENTURES becomes ADVENTURESS, or CARES becomes CARESS. Try your hand at identifying the following dual-identity words

The Name is the Game

We\u27ve all known people whose names or nicknames indicated that their parents had a sense of humor, if not compassion or good taste. One of the most highly noted examples of frivolous appellation was Ima Hogg, the highly-regarded philanthropist. The actor Rip Torn\u27s real name is Rip Torn, and in popular fiction, Perry Mason\u27s courtroom adversary was Hamilton Ham Burger

Occupational Hazards

Nobody gets fired anymore. They are now victims of \u27involuntary resignations\u27 or \u27temporary cutbacks\u27 or \u27job classification eliminations\u27 ... or any of a dozen other euphemistic descriptions for summary dismissal. In the continuing search for newer, softer, more ambiguous terms with which to deliver the final blow to unsatisfactory workers, some industries are digging into their own terminology. Thus a Yellow Pages employee on the way out may be \u27declassified\u27, \u27unlisted\u27 or \u27disconnected\u27. A deposed nobleman may be \u27discounted\u27, \u27distributed\u27 or subjected to \u27delivery\u27

Venerable Venery

If you thumb through your standard deskside dictionary, you may be shocked to learn that venery is a euphemistic term describing coital commerce. To stem any blazing tide of flaming pens charging us with smut, sensationalism, prurience and suchlike, let us assure you that our topic concerns another -- wholly respectable -- interpretation of the word

Ecological Distribution of Small Mammals in the De Long Mountains of Northwestern Alaska

The ecological distribution of small mammals (<200 g) was studied in the foothill tundra of the De Long Mountains in northwestern Alaska. Three species of shrews and five species of microtine rodents were trapped on 15 live-trapping grids during 1978 and 1979. Emphasis was placed on the three most abundant microtine species (Clethrionomys rutilus, Microtus oeconomus and M. gregalis). During late summer up to six species of small mammals were captured per habitat type which ranged from wet meadow through mesic shrubland to dry ridges. Following snowmelt most habitats contained only a single species and some contained none. Only four habitat types were continuously occupied by small mammals during both summers. Species diversity was variable among habitats. Most species of small mammals were captured on eight or fewer of the 15 trapping grids. Only Clethrionomys rutilus was captured on all grids. The number of habitats occupied by Clethrionomys rutilus increased from 4 to 14 as population densities increased. The number of habitats occupied by the other species seemed to be independent of population density. Average population densities for the microtines were low (<15/ha) and, for each species, varied according to habitat type. Only Clethrionomys rutilus populations demonstrated marked intra-annual fluctuations (3/ha to 37/ha).Key words: rodents, habitat, Alaska, populations, Clethrionomys rutilus, Micro oeconomus, Microtu gregalisMots clés: rongeurs, habitat, Alaska, populations, Clethrionomys rutilus, Microtus oeconomus, M. gregali

Double Reverse Play

When we were children, many of us went through a phase -- much to the dismay and embarrassment of our parents -- of reciting everything backward. Every so often, this practice would unearth a genuine reversal: live/evil, doom/mood, straw/warts. The following phrases define both words in a series of two word reversals; the length of each word is given in parenthesis. Be warned: some clues are straightforward, but others are obscure. Answers can be found at the end of this issue

Analysis of stratospheric ozone, temperature, and minor constituent data

The objective of this research is to use available satellite measurements of temperature and constituent concentrations to test the conceptual picture of stratospheric chemistry and transport. This was originally broken down into two sub-goals: first, to use the constituent data to search for critical tests of our understanding of stratospheric chemistry and second, to examine constituent transport processes emphasizing interactions with chemistry on various time scales. A third important goal which has evolved is to use the available solar backscattered ultraviolet (SBUV) and Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) data from Nimbus 7 to describe the morphology of recent changes in Antarctic and global ozone with emphasis on searching for constraints to theories. The major effort now being pursued relative to the two original goals is our effort as a theoretical team for the Arctic Airborne Stratospheric Expedition (AASE). Our effort for the AASE is based on the 3D transport and chemistry model at Goddard. Our goal is to use this model to place the results from the mission data in a regional and global context. Specifically, we set out to make model runs starting in late December and running through March of 1989, both with and without heterogeneous chemistry. The transport is to be carried out using dynamical fields from a 4D data assimilation model being developed under separate funding from this task. We have successfully carried out a series of single constituent transport experiments. One of the things demonstrated by these runs was the difficulty in obtaining observed low N2O abundances in the vortex without simultaneously obtaining very high ozone values. Because the runs start in late December, this difficulty arises in the attempt to define consistent initial conditions for the 3D model. To accomplish a consistent set of initial conditions, we are using the 2D photochemistry-transport model of Jackman and Douglass and mapping in potential temperature, potential vorticity space as developed by Schoeberl and coworkers