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ActuaryActuaries are business professionals who deal with the financial impact of risk. Actuaries use skills in mathematics, economics, finance and statistics to handle uncertain future events, especially those of concern to insurance and reinsurance companies, employee benefits such as health insurance|medical insurance and pension plans, and social welfare programs such as social security and Medicare. |
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Bond_(masonry)When laying bricks, the manner in which the bricks overlap is called the bond. A brick laid with its longest side exposed is called a ''stretcher'', as opposed to a ''header'', where only the end of the brick can be seen in the brickwork.The thickness of brickwork is often measured using units of length known as the brick. The length of the longest face of a particular brick equals "one brick" for the purposes of measuring a wall built from such bricks. There are a number of different bonds used. |
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| Construction Renewal 2005.09.19
Scaffolding / Wattle and daub / Guastavino tile / Slab-on-grade foundations / Solar design / Building material / Tilt slab / Tool / Rammed earth / Building code / Earthquake construction / Land rehabilitation / Dump truck / Falsework / Earthbag construction / Arris / Steel frame / Computer-aided design / Construction / Balloon frame
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Phlox:''For the '''' character, see Phlox (Star Trek).''About 65 species; see text Phlox (pronounced "flocks") is a genus of perennial flower that blooms in early Spring (season)|spring. They are native mainly to temperate North America, with a few species in eastern Asia. Phlox range in color from pale blue to bright red to white. Some species such as Smooth Phlox (''Phlox glaberrima'') grow to 1.5 m tall, while others, such as Creeping Phlox (''Phlox stolonifera''), form low mats only a few centimetres in height. Phlox is best grown in well-drained soil, exposed to partial shade to partial sun. The foliage of ''Phlox'' is sometimes eaten by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Hummingbird hawk moth. The plant is also popular with rabbits and deer if no other food source is available. Species*''Phlox adsurgens'' - Northern Phlox *''Phlox alyssifolia'' *''Phlox andicola'' *''Phlox austromontana'' *''Phlox bifida'' - Sand Phlox *''Phlox borealis'' *''Phlox bryoides'' *''Phlox buckleyi'' - Swordleaf Phlox *''Phlox caespitosa'' - Cushion Phlox *''Phlox carolina'' - Thickleaf Phlox *''Phlox cuspidata'' - Pointed Phlox *''Phlox diffusa'' - Spreading Phlox *''Phlox divaricata'' - Blue Phlox or Woodland Phlox *''Phlox douglasii'' *''Phlox drummondii'' - Drummond Phlox *''Phlox floridana'' - Florida Phlox *''Phlox glaberrima'' - Smooth Phlox *''Phlox idahonis'' - Idaho Phlox *''Phlox kelseyi'' - Kelsey's Phlox *''Phlox maculata'' - Meadow Phlox *''Phlox missoulensis'' - Missoula Phlox *''Phlox multiflora'' - Flowery Phlox, Rocky Mountain Phlox *''Phlox nana'' - Santa Fe Phlox *''Phlox nivalis'' - Trailing Phlox *''Phlox ovata'' - Mountain Phlox *''Phlox paniculata'' - Summer Phlox *''Phlox pilosa'' - Prairie Phlox *''Phlox pulchra'' - Alabama Phlox *''Phlox sibirica'' - Siberian Phlox *''Phlox speciosa'' - Bush Phlox *''Phlox stolonifera'' - Creeping Phlox *''Phlox subulata'' - Moss Phlox CultivationPhlox are often cultivated in gardens. |
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| American actor Renewal 2005.09.17
Delphinium / Nasturtium (common name) / Liliaceae / Costus barbatus / Siam Tulip / Freesia / Dog's Mercury / Ylang-ylang / Nymphaeaceae / Matilija poppy / Nectar source / Iris innominata / Iris (plant) / Scarborough Lily / Erythronium 'Pagoda' / Dog violet / Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff' / Alstroemeria / Violet (plant) / Pasque flower
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ViaticalA Viatical settlement is the sale of a life insurance policy by the Insurance contract|policy owner, before the policy matures. Such a sale, at a price discounted from the face amount of the policy but usually in excess of the premiums paid or current cash surrender value, provides the seller an immediate cash settlement. Generally, viatical settlements involve insured individuals with a life expectancy of less than two years. Some people are also familiar with life settlements, which are similar transactions but involve insureds with longer life expectancies (two to twelve years).A viatical settlement can be an innovative wealth and estate planning tool under the right circumstances. It also essentially creates an open market for redemption of a policy. For example, if the only place you could sell your Ford Motor Company stock was to Ford you would not get that much for it. The same applies to the value of an insurance policy. As long as life insurance has been aro! und, the only place to redeem your policy was from the issuer. Now, much to the chagrin of the life insurance industry, there is an open market to determine a policy's value. From the perspective of the investor, purchasing a viatical settlement is similar to buying a bond with a negative coupon and an uncertain redeption date. The return depends on the seller's life expectancy and when he or she dies.Viatical settlements grew in popularity in the United States in the late 1980s, when the AIDS epidemic first hit. The early victims of AIDS in the U.S. were largely gay men, many of whom were not particularly old. They often had no wives or children (the traditional dependents in a life insurance policy), but they had life insurance policies through employment or due to other investment activity. The dependents on the policies were often their parents who did not need the money. Viatical settlements offered a way to extract value from the policy while the policyholder was! still alive.At the time, the AIDS mortality rate was very hig! h, and l ife expectancy after diagnosis was typically short. Investors were reasonably sure that they would collect in a relatively short time. This combination of events caused a surge in viatical settlements as both investors and viators saw an opportunity for mutual benefit.Viatical settlements eventually developed a bad reputation in the investing community. The companies that purchased them from policy holders typically resold them to individual investors. Salesmen were paid large commissions to push the settlements, which were not conventional investments and which were misunderstood by many investors. The government regulatory agencies had little experience and few regulations dealing with viatical settlements, and the industry attracted some unscrupulous dealers.Despite the bad experience of some investors, viatical settlements remain an often valuable tool for the personal financial management of many ill people. A 2002 study showed that among hospice financial counsel! ors who have had experience with viatical settlements, most report positive experiences. |
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Building_materialBuilding material is any material which is used for a construction purpose. Just about every type of available material has been used at one time or another for creating various human and animal homes, structures, and technologies. This reference deals with habitat architecture|structures including homes.For other kinds of building materials, see Hardware, Biology, Star formation. |
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| Construction Renewal 2005.09.15
Building material / Building code / Tilt slab / Tie rod / Structural failure / Harl / Clinker brick / Brick nog / Hard hat / Rammed-earth construction / Tradesman / Repointing / Bond (mas!
onry) / Hydraulic lime / Balloon frame / Concrete / Corrugated galvanised iron / Infrastructure / Construction engineering / Product Lifecycle Management
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BottleA bottle is a small container with a neck that is narrower than the body and a "mouth." Bottles are often made of glass, plastic or aluminum, and typically used to store liquids. e.g. water, milk, soft drinks, beer, wine, oil for cooking and as fuel, medicine, liquid soap, shampoo, ink, etc.For some bottles a deposit is paid, which is returned after returning the bottle to the retailer. For other glass bottles there is often separate waste|garbage collection for recycling.A device used to close the mouth of a bottle is called a bottle cap.A make-shift mail method after stranding on a deserted island is a message in a bottle: current (water)|current may bring it to a shore where the message is read so that a rescue operation can be started. Glass is inert, rigid, and almost completely impermeable, so if the bottle is properly closed a letter inside can stay intact and readable for a long time. |
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| Konwledge of Wine Renewal 2005.09.14
Mulled wine / Cellar door / Puncheon / First Growth / Kosher wine / Oz Clarke / Winery / Farm winery / Lachryma Christi / KWV / Cooking wine / Heuriger / Clos vougeot / Hogshead / Corkscrew (tool) / Wine cellar / Tierce / Barrel (storage) / Cercle des Amateurs de Vin / Angel's share
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Torpedo_Juice:''This article is about an alcoholic beverage. For the novel by Tim Dorsey, see Torpedo Juice (novel).Torpedo Juice is a term used to describe an alcoholic beverage in World War II which was made from the high grain alcohol fuel used in torpedo motors and cleaning alcohol. Poisons in these liquids were often passed through makeshift filters, often as simple as pouring it through a loaf of bread. |
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| Alcoholic beverages Renewal 2005.09.13
Sake / Pickled snakes / Shochu / On the rocks / Oatmeal Cookie / Alcopop / Apéritif / Japanese beer / Cachaça / Maotai / Absinthe / Corn liquor / Country wine / Bourbon whiskey / Wine cooler / Balche' / Sparks (drink) / Chicha / Plymouth Gin / Galliano (drink)
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PelargoniumAbout 200: ''Pelargonium radens'' ''Pelargonium scabrum'' ''Pelargonium triste'' et al. ''Pelargonium'' is a genus of flowering plants that includes about 200 species of perennial, succulent, and shrub plants, commonly but incorrectly known and even sold as geraniums. Confusingly, ''Geranium'' is the correct botanical name of the separate genus that contains the related Cranesbills. Both genera are in the family Geraniaceae. Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus originally included all the species in one genus ''Geranium'', but they were later separated into two genera by Charles L’H?ritier in 1789. Gardeners sometimes refer to the members of genus ''Pelargonium'' as "pelargoniums" in order to avoid the confusion, but the older common name is still in regular use.Most species of geranium (''Pelargonium'') are subtropical or tropical and do not tolerate more than very light frosts. Geraniums are extremely popular garden plants, and hundreds of cultivars have been developed from about 20 of the species.Geranium Leaf|leaves are usually alternate, and palmately lobed! or pinnate, often on long stacks, and sometimes with light or dark patterns. The erect stems bear five-petaled flowers in umbel-like clusters called pseudoumbels. The shapes of the flowers have been bred to a variety ranging star-shaped to funnel-shaped, and colors include white, pink, red, orange-red, fuchsia and an almost black variety which is quite rare.Horticultural pelargoniums (as opposed to botanical, the wild 'species') fall into six major groups, with zonals subdivided further: * Angel * Ivy-leaved = hanging * Regal (or Royal) = French = Martha Washington = Violet * Shrubby-leaved * Unique * Zonal - erect and bushy Cactus-flowered Deacon (mostly dwarfs, cfr infra) Double-flowered Fancy-leaved Formosum hybrid Rosebud (?) Tulip-flowered Single-flowered Stellar Straight Zonals *Americana *Ecclipse It is also usual to classify small Zonals alternatively by size or odorous excellence : * Dwarfs (small) * Miniatures (even smaller) * Parfum-leavedThe first species of ''Pelargonium'' known to be cultivated was ''Pelargonium triste'', a native of South Africa. It was probably brought to the botanical garden in Leiden before 1600 on ships that stopped at the Cape of Good Hope. In 1631, the English gardener John Tradescant bought seeds from Rene Morin in Paris and introduced the plant to England. The name ''Pelargonium'' was introduced by Johannes Burman in 1738. |
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| American actor Renewal 2005.09.12
Wildflower / Dahlia / Lilium / Epigaea / Ylang-ylang / Pincushion (plant) / Pansy / Kniphofia / Hypericum calycinum / Eranthis / List of Minnesota wild flowers / Gilliflower / Seed / Matilija poppy / Sweet pea / African lily / Hellebore / Dog violet / Californicae / Gaillardia
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AdenineAdenine is one of the two purine nucleobases used in forming nucleotides of the nucleic acids DNA and RNA. In DNA, adenine (A) binds to thymine (T) via two hydrogen bonds to assist in stabilizing the nucleic acid structures. In RNA, adenine binds to uracil (U).Adenine forms adenosine, a nucleoside, when attached to ribose, and deoxyadenosine when attached to deoxyribose, and it forms adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a nucleotide, when three phosphate groups are added to adenosine. Adenosine triphosphate is used in cellular metabolism as one of the basic methods of transferring chemical energy between reactions.In older literature, adenine was sometimes called Vitamin B4. However it is no longer considered a true vitamin (see Vitamin B). |
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| Health care Renewal 2005.09.10
Dietary mineral / Asparagine / Health science / Evolution Diet / Glycine / Pyroglutamic acid / Aib / Hwa-Byung / Selenocysteine / Hodges Health Career Model / Potassium chloride / Threonine / Homocysteine / Vitamin K / Dehydroalanine / Micromineral / Glutamic acid / Healthcare reform / Macromineral / Carboxyglutamate
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Leucine |
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| Health care Renewal 2005.09.09
Hydroxylysine / Selenomethionine / Riboflavin / Micromineral / Arginine / Tryptophan / Muscazone / Ibotenic acid / Adenine / Histidine / Healthy city / Niacin / Carboxyglutamate / Serine / Cholecalciferol / Ergocalciferol / Glutamine / Hydroxyproline / Selenocysteine / Vitamin K
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