The Fall of the Byzantines

The Pollution Revolution

Religious Security in America

The Biomechanics of Archery

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Table of Contents2 Opinions

Regulars

Fall of an Empire

5Biomechanics of Archery

8The Pollution Revolution

11Religious Security in America

Bringing back the Woolly Mammoth

Getting in Touch with Learning

Conventional vs. Alternative: Medicine

The Grassroots of Capitalism

1

4

7

10

Top 10 Poisonous Plants

History of Video Game Consoles

Greatest Military Failures

The Particle Physics of Politics

3

6

9

12

Cover Story

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A Spectrum of Four Separate Colors (or otherwise know as contributions)

Alex was cruelly forced by his group members to write in past tense, despite the absurdity of pretending to be dead. They were just a bunch of conformist fascists who liked to opress free thinkers like him. Despite his numerous virtues, first among them obviously modesty, sheer force of numbers meant that he couldnt write his biography in a reasonable style without Chles thought police swooping into edit it. In retrospect, it is remarkable that even this made it through their controlling censorship.

Brooks was an innocent, nature-loving child, except for those few times that he was out in nature with a sniper, tracking down his next kill. After eliminating his target, he would exchange his ghillie suit for armor and charge into battle using a pole with a blade attached to each end. He would then travel back in time to World War 2, become a gen-eral in the Russian army, and fight back the Nazi scourge. Afterwards, he would retire to his tree house in the Amazon, which he had saved from deforestation, and write about his adventures. His only mistake was trying to get honey from a beehive, which is weird because he didnt even like honey.

A is for Alex, who fell down the stairs.

B is for Brooks assaulted by bears.

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Chle was a legend. She was smote down by some petty disease while she wasnt looking. If she had seen it, it would currently be lying, evicerated on the floor. Or maybe shot with arrows. Anyway, back to in memoriam. She was more of the morose type. Out of anyone, histori-cal or famous, in the entire world to kill, well, she couldnt choose just one. So she chose everyone. How-ever, the killing of human beings in unlawful in their society, so she simply opted to kill virtual men, in video games. Among her favorite games were Metroid, The Legend of Zelda, Bioshock and Silent Hill. Other past times of hers were target shooting, aromatherapy and growing medicinal plants, devis-ing artistic masterpieces and thai food, until her untimely demise.

Danny was an all around mobile technology lover and a freshman at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy. He sported a rooted HTC Sensation 4G with ARHD custom rom running on it. He lived in Austin his whole life and was eager to explore the world and have some fun. He also despised Texas weather because it was too hot. He wished to move to Alaska, where it is a bit cooler. He also enjoyed biology and planned to pursue a career in biology. He would have been best described as goofy, nerdy, and fun loving.

C is for Chle who wasted away.

D is for Danny thrown out of a sleigh.

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Were you looking for something? Well, then youre sure to find at least a piece of what youre looking for. Everything and nothing, thats our magazine. Spec-trum isnt for the faint of heart or mind. We delve deep into the decay of the Byzantine empire, take a look at whats poisoning our planet, and discuss the physics of an ancient art. We show you a history of game consoles, advise you on whats good to grow in the poison-ous plant world, and discover the true situation of religion in America. Its

quite a large fleshy lump of topics, all mashed together, but somehow it worked out. So, without further ado, announcing to you our first issue, Spectrum I.

Letter from the Editors

Alex Denko (Alex Denko)

Chle Fackler

Brooks Perkins-Jechow(Brooks Perkins-Jechow)

Danny Perez

Photo by Wikimedia

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Its 5:45 am, youre waking up early to get all your stuff together and still have to eat breakfast before you have to leave for the bus stop. You check the main oxygen tank to make sure its not run-ning on low. You run out the door to get to the bus stop. The sky is still dark and gloomy. You dont know if the sun is shining, the thick layer of smog is not let-ting any light through. You feel the ground. Devoid of any life. Only coarse sand layers the top. You yearn to see real plants, not the photographs from school. The bus arrives and the creaky door closes as you enter. A quest for alternative energy sources is on the rise as the world uses uo Earths fossil fuels. Air quality is important to our way of life. Accord-ing to the EPA, air pollution [is linked] to disease and other health problems. By using alternative energy sources the EPA says that we may be able to improve the environments health. The different alternative energy sources we have today are solar energy, biofuels, hydroelectricity, geothermal en-ergy, and wind power. These technologies have been implemented in many places, but we still depend on fossil fuels for our day to day lives. According to the University of Texas, The United States uses about 17 million barrels of oil every day. Oil is used to make electricity, which basically powers everything in our homes. Environmentalists are on a quest for other sources of energy so that we can continue to live the way we do.

The Pollution Revolution

From WikimediaFrom Spectroinc

By Danny Perez

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Many people fear what will happen in the future and how we will survive if their is a cata-clysmic fall in the health of the environment.Co-founder of ReEnergize Texas, Trevor Lovell, says, The hotter and drier it is the less reliable fossil fuel energy will be and the more necessary renew-able energy will be, so I also believe we will have new cleaner sources of energy.A lot have money has gone into researching new forms of energy. Increasing production of renewable energy will help the world wean off fossil fuel energy. Earth has a finite amount of fossil fuels and its being used up at a breakneck pace. The EPA says it will be difficult for economically advanced countries like the U.S. because the way the country runs is intertwined with its use of fossil fuels. One of the most heard of sources of alterna-tive energy is solar energy. According to National Geographic, Every hour the sun beams onto Earth more than enough energy to satisfy global energy needs for an entire year. As you can see a lot of power can be harvested from the sun. Even though a lot of power is available it doesnt mean that we actually harvest that much. National Geo-graphic states that Today, [solar power] produces less than one tenth of one percent of global energy demand. Solar energy is one of those things that we will never run out of, it is inexhaustible. Experts say there are some disadvantages to solar energy though. As stated by National Geographic, solar energy doesnt work at night without a stor-age device such as a battery, and cloudy weather can make the technology unreliable during the day. Everything has its pros and cons, but so does everything. The next alternative energy source that we have at our disposal is Biofuels. Biofuels are closely related to fossil fuels. The difference is that as National Geographic puts it is, [fossil fuels]made from decomposed plants and animals that have been buried in the ground for millions of years. Biofuels are similar, except that theyre made from plants grown today. Fossil fuels take millions of years to make, but biofuels can be fairly quickly made. Even though biofuels still produce carbon dioxide since they are made from plants the carbon dioxide used by the crops

The hotter and drier it is the less reliable fos-

sil fuel energy will be and the more necessary

renewable energy will be, so I also believe we

will have new cleaner sources of energy.biofuels should use about as much carbon dioxide as what comes out of a car that is using these biofuels. Hydroelectricity is the nect alternative energy source on our list. Na-tional Geographic defines hydroelectricity as, electricity generated using the energy of moving water. The earths surface is approximately 70% wa-ter. Hydroelectricity can be made almost everywhere. National Geograph-ic calls hydroelectricity the cheapest form of alternative energy. Unlike solar power, energy can be made on command night or day through the use of turbines that control water flow. Our next alternative energy source that is available to us is Geothermal energy. Wells that are sometimes a mile deep are drilled to tap steam and hot water that will turn a turbine that is connected to electricity genera-tors. There are three types of geothermal power plants, dry steam, flash and binary. National Geographic states that, Dry steam, the oldest geothermal technology, takes steam out of fractures in the ground and uses it to directly drive a turbine. Flash plants pull deep, high-pressure hot water into cooler, low-pressure water. The steam that results from this pro-cess is used to drive the turbine. In binary plants, the hot water is passed by a secondary fluid with a much lower boiling point than water. This causes the secondary fluid to turn to vapor, which then drives a turbine. Geothermal energy is also always available to use since the earths thermal energy isnt going away anytime soon. Last but not least is Wind power. As long as the sun shines there will be wind power to harness. Wind is defined as, the movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure, by National Geographic. Most wind energy is caught by using turbines. The blades on the turbine are spun by the wind which turn a shaft connected to a generator that produces electricity. Wind power is one of the cleanest alternative energy source. It produces absolutely no air or water pollution, National geo-graphic says. The worlds fossil fuel resources are being exhausted at an alarming rate. There are many believers that the future holds nothing but death and sorrow if fossils fuels are used to the extent they are today, but they also believe that new sources of energy may solve the worlds energy problems.

From Allenergies

The Alternative to Alternative?

As far as personal health goes, you have two main options: take a quick trip to the doc-tor or pharmacy for standard cures, or the alternative: alternative medicine that is. Ever since eastern and western cultures began to converge, there has been a long standing feud between alternative and modern medicine, also called allopathic medi-cine. Now, when I am to say modern medicine Im referring to mainly western medicine, that has fairly recently taken over the the fields of health and medi-cine. However, when I refer to alternative medicine, I am referring to a vast net of different practices, all the way from mashed crocodile tongue and virgins blood, to balneotherapy, to sipping a tea of pepper-mint and licorice root. Personally, I view this argument as futile. You sim-ply cannot argue that modern medicine is some-how superior to alternative medicine, especially since alternative medicine birthed modern medicine. For example, the plant, Aloe Vera, has traditionally been used orally as a laxative, as well as topically as a healer for burns and abrasions. Today, the plant has been regu-lated by the FDA as an oral over-the-counter (OTC) laxative due to the fact that Aloe latex (the green layer of the leaf that surrounds the gel) contains strong laxative compounds, such as aloin, aloe-emodin, and barbaloin, as stated by the National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). Yet people will say that alternative medicine has little to no scientific backing, thus is invalid. What? Where do these people think we get cures for our petty ailments from, really? However, holding true to the term alternative is important as well. As stat-ed by Professor Herbert Benson of the Mind/Body Medical Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center alternative medicine is generally not proven or it would not be alternative. This may seem like a contradictory statement to some, but isnt. Ben-son is correct, alternative medicine is generally not

proven scientifically. However, the medicine does come from somewhere, and that somewhere is gen-erally some plant or possibly mineral or compound. There are millions of different types of plants on our planet, and many still have yet to be discovered and tested. Alternative medicine takes use of these plants and compounds and minerals, and utilizes them in its vast network of practices. Some uses may be a bit more risqu or questionable than others, such as Vietnamese ru rn, or snake wine as a panacea, or Belladonna, a plant containing the hallucinatory toxin, solanine, used to dilate womens pupils (for cosmetic reasons) during the Italian renaissance, but many have potential. I do not mean to deride modern medicine, I per-sonally think that its certainly a highly important ad-

vancement for humanity, but I do not think that its the only way. Alternative medicine and mod-ern medicine are really closely related, the only difference is that modern medicine has been backed by science. Alternative medicine is re-ally just modern medicine lacking the proof it needs to grow up and revel in the beliefs of stout-minded, atheistic, old science men.

I practice forms of alternative medicine, dai-ly, not only to keep my body healthy, but also

to keep my mind healthy as well. I dont know about you, but I rather like waking up to the

scent of ylang-ylang and geranium, rather than the musty smell of my old house. I feel that it helps me put my day off to a good start. And sometimes thats all you need, even if whatever youre doing doesnt ac-tually have any proven effects: a placebo. Personally, between alternative and modern practices, I would lean toward the alternative medicine for minor ail-ments and general well being, but toward modern medicine for more serious matters that need more specialized care and treatment. But at the end of the day, Im just glad that Im feeling better on Benadryl, and sipping my herbal tea.

by Chle Fackler

Art by LekiLuvLavandula angustifoliaSPECTRUM page 10

The Particle Physics of Politics Alex Denko

Rupert Murdoch- The Higgs Boson: He provides much of the ideological strength of the Republican Party, but is far from the public eye.

Barack Obama- W.I.M.P.: He doesnt do very much, despite the fact that he has a tremendous amount of weight to throw around.

Mitt Romney - Neutrino: He oscillates between devout Christian, business-man, and populist so fast that you cant easily tell what he is at any given point.

Rick Perry- Quark: You wont see him unless the base gets really angry, and when they come to their senses, hell rapidly get drawn back down again.

Bernie Sanders- Tachyon: An avowed socialist, his very existence in congress seems to be in defiance of fundamental limitations on American rationality.

Arlen Specter- Neutron: While his career was stable within the Republican party, without its support, he failed to be reelected.

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Paleocon

PNeocon

NFascist

F

Libertar-ian

LAnarcho-Capitalist

CaReligious Right

Ch

New Deal Coalition

NdNeolib-eral

NeGreen

G

Antiwar

AnFree Speech Move-ment

FsCentrists

Ce

C

Commu-nist

S

Socialist

A

Anarchist

Sl

Social-Democrat

The Grassroots of Capitalism

Free market systems unquestionably enjoy widespread support in America: according to a 2010 gallup poll, , approximately 85% of Americans hold positive views of free enterprise. With a majority of Americans making below average income, this response is entirely irrational: equitable distribution of wealth would be beneficial to the majority of people. Why then, would they support a system that impoverishes them.

Some might argue that while most individuals exist below the average income in a capitalist society, allowing unfettered ownership of industries creates greater wealth than would otherwise exist, rais-ing the standard of living of all. On the con-trary, at the times when the rich have been most heavily taxed, which, according to taxpolicy center.org was from 1950-63, and with a top tax rate of over 90%, the country experienced an growth rate around 10% annually, vastly outstrip-ping any recent growth. Economic growth is clearly not prevented by redistribution of wealth to a degree that approaches socialism. Thus, rational self-interest is clearly not a valid reason for the poor and middle class to support capitalist economics.

I find it vastly more likely that support for such systems among individuals who are disempow-ered by them is the result of hundreds of years of concerted propaganda. From the earliest origins of collectivist ideologies, the ruling elite has sought to destroy them. Prior to relatively recent times, the preferred method has been force: the Paris Com-mune was put down by the french military and the Pullman Strike was forcibly put down by the U.S. Army, to name two prominent examples. In more recent times, however, the necessities of maintaining public opinion has made such policies impossible. Instead, indoctrination has taken the primary role in maintaining the status of the ruling class.

In what is now known as the first Red Scare, The government arrested proponents of collectivism, such as Eugene Debbs, and demonized their ideolo-gies. The media was harnessed as nothing more than another engine of the state, driving the public headlong into xenophobia. The socialist party went from receiving 8% of the vote in national elections to virtually none. In the cold war, events progressed similarly, with the whole of society devolving into paranoia. The Un-American Activities Committee further fanned the flames, coercing the media into blacklisting a number of prominent writers. In all of

these cases, it is the government, the established ruling class, that drives the extinction of

these groups, and that twists public opin-ion against them.

It is propaganda and lack of informa-tion that creates public opposition to socialism. As within a capitalist society, any media organizations with the clout to significantly influence public opinion are going to be privately owned and highly profitable, it is obvious that their

influence will always work in the favor of their wealthy owners, and thus in opposi-

tion to any sort of socialist ideology. The enormous persuasiveness of a society saturated

with messages about one particular topic to the majority of people makes it so that ideologies that represent a threat to the status quo will never gain a majority following so long as society remains stable. It is for this reason that dramatic change will only occur in times of extreme duress. With regards to social progress, Chernyshevskys phrase The worse the better certainly holds true.

Art and story byAlex Denko

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9p10.8

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The Shwe Zi Gon Pagoda in Austin. This pagoda is a replica of another in Myanmar but is three times smaller. Construction is expected to end this summer, and there will be an inauguration ceremony in October.

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Building Up TrustThe United States prides itself on its religious freedom. However, in a land with so many diverse people, not everyone gets along. Most people dont think to ask why, but for some, its not just a question of curiosity, its a question of cooperation.

Story and Photos by Brooks Perkins-Jechow

ohamed-Umer Esmail is garbed in long, flowing white robes that give him the appearance of a wise and scholarly man, accented by his circular

glasses and earnest expression. He is gentle in his movements and speech, and his words are governed by experience. It is hard to believe that any human could hate someone like this, and yet, because Imam Esmail is a Muslim, he knows of hatred of the most repugnant kind: that born of ignorance.America has long been a land of religious freedom. Reli-gious freedom is one of the main reasons why America was founded in the first place, and since then religious people who were persecuted or denied safety have fled to America to practice how they want. Members of every major religion in the world - Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism - can be found in America, not to mention a num-ber of smaller religions. Over the years, America has become a melting pot, with hundreds of thousands of ingredients mixing together to create new and creative dishes.But these ingredients havent always mixed well. There are thousands of incidents throughout Americas history where people have enslaved, attacked, persecuted, or discrimi-nated against others because they follow a different religion.

Its happening right now, though not to the extent that it has happened in the past. Instead of burning and torturing the de-filers or destroying monuments, people now insult them, pre-vent them from building temples or threaten them. However, as bad as this discrimination may seem, it hasnt discouraged people from practicing their religion the way they want. Indeed, a few religions have had few or no problems with discrimination or violence. Aung Moe is a Theravada Buddhist at the Sitagu Vihara in Austin, a place hidden in the shrubs and trees of the Austin hill country. On first appear-ance, he portrays a very casual image; he wears jeans, a long-sleeved yellow shirt, glasses, and sneakers, and he cuts his hair close. Hes the IT guy in charge, so he works to make it possible to stream videos from other Buddhist temples around the world and, as he jokingly says, I guess you could also say Im the unofficial tour guide. Ever since the Sitagu Vihara began to re-create a Burman pagoda that, when finished, will be the largest Buddhist structure in America, the place has been getting a lot of publicity, including an article in the Austin-American Statesman. When my mother and I visited to get the interview, Mr. Moe gave us the tour and afterward treated us to lunch.

M

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Over steaming bowls of Chinese and Burmese dishes I asked him some questions about his life and then inquired about the situation of Buddhism in the United States. According to Moe , Americans have always been very tolerant of Buddhists and that people often encounter Bud-dhist ideas without even realizing it. In fact, many people have found that using Buddhist meditation techniques have helped them focus their thoughts and lead better lives, no matter what religion they follow. Teachings such as the Eightfold path, the core of Buddhist teachings, preach ideas such as always being mindful of people, never trying to harm others, and acting and thinking in unbiased and thoughtful ways. Many people in the U.S. find that these ideas are simi-lar to the ideas of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, and so feel very comfortable in using them as a guide to their own life. Hinduism also fares well in America. Like the Sitagu Vihara, the Buddhist Temple of Austin is a ways off of any main roads, surrounded by rugged countryside, which gives it a very peaceful feeling. Alongside the typical sweet scent of the brush, there lingers a hint of even sweeter in-cense. The temple is a low building with an intricate pyramid structure on one end, and to the right is the main building, also stout. A modest courtyard is hidden behind the main temple, and colorful drawings can be seen on the walkways. Inside the main building it is very spacious and light. There is a raised platform, or dais, against one wall with four colored flags hung in a pinwheel shape on the wall. Across from the entrance are statues, all of which are lavishly decorated, colored, and lit. Two sets of doors flank the dais, leading to an unknown room. Priest Kamesh was dressed simply in orange robes, with a couple of silver chains strung around his neck and thick white lines painted on his forehead, which symbol-izes his devotion to Siva, who in Hinduism is known as the Destroyer and is an essential part of the cycle of the universe. He seemed very at peace in the temple, as if he was meant

to be here. Born and raised as a Hindu in India, he moved to America to teach at temples around the country. He remarked that there is no [religious] difference between America and India, and that everybody always respects others religions and beliefs. Though some consider America a Christian country, he asserts, This is a democratic country, right? In a democrat-ic country, people have rights to believe in their own gods. In a democratic country, a lot of beliefs can be, should be, done. However, Hindus and Buddhists together make up only a small portion of the population, and otherwise are not often in the public eye, unlike Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This can be both a blessing and a curse. For Christianity, it would definitely be considered a blessing. It is hard to understate the impact that Christian-ity has had on American society. More than 75 percent of the population follows some form of Christianity, and its ideals and laws have shaped much of how America thinks and acts. This history has greatly influenced the way that people in this country think about other religions and people, not to mention the impact it has had on other countries views of America. However, the history between Christianity and certain reli-gions, such as Islam, has sown seeds of distrust between the followers, and some people are not easily swayed into accept-ing or trusting the others.That is not to say that all Christians or Muslims dislike each other. Many, such as Pastor Jim Rigby, the pastor at St. An-drews Presbyterian Church, have ignored this history and have tried to reach out to people of those differing groups. For example, Pastor Rigbys church did a Field of Hope for AIDS victims, and along with crosses they put crescent moons and Stars of David. Pastor Rigbys reasoning for doing this comes from years of helping people in church and in hate crime legis-lation. These experiences have given him an extensive view of

This man is shaping a statue of Buddha. There will be twenty-four of these statues, each of which represents a time and place where Bud-

dhism has spread.

The Austin Hindu Temple. The building itself is complete, but it has yet to be filled.Facing: One of the many deities inside the main building.

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the reasoning behind the conflict, and he has gained a lot of insight into human nature because of it. This insight has in turn guided him to try and help people no matter their religion.Along with his other understandings of human nature, he has also come to realize that people react harshly to other religions, and really to different people, because they are intolerant of them, and that, as he says, the essence of intolerance is to think you are the template of the world. To illustrate his point, he recalls a time when, a couple of years back, he saw a woman holding a sign that said, Jesus Christ is the only way. He asks, What kind of tolerance is that? However, behind this intolerance, behind this template that we create, there lies another culprit. Pastor Rigby sums it up by saying probably 95 percent of the people have never read another religious scripture. Even an atheist has this very narrow American view of religion, this little sliver of possibilities.Rabbi Folberg, an energetic, humorous man who serves as the rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel, also recognizes this culprit. Judaism, having been in the U.S. for more than a hundred years, is not incredibly discriminated against, but there are still those who will tease or hurt Jews. He thinks that its not so much about prejudice, but more about an absence, and adds, Where theres lack of knowledge, theres fertile ground for prejudice. However, there is a large difference between teas-ing and threatening, and an even larger difference be-tween threatening and carrying that threat out. Not many religions in American can say they have been discriminated against as much as Islam. Even Sikhs, who are not actu-ally Muslims but are often thought to be so, have suffered for their appearance. Imam Esmail has heard of incidents

where four or five Sikhs were killed because they were understood to be Muslims. Many political figures speak out against Sharia, which is the moral and religious law of Islam, and yet, according to Imam Esmail, no Muslim in America does, or can, follow it one hundred percent, because Sharia does not allow Muslims in non-Muslim countries to completely follow it. As with almost all prejudices, this discrimination is driven by peoples ignorance of actual Islamic ideas and customs. Peoples anger against Muslims is, of course, not unfounded. People are still enraged by the events of 9/11, and there have been many instances of attacks against countries by Islamist terror-ist groups.However, the mistake that people make when thinking of these groups is that all Muslims are like this. In fact, In some Muslim countries, if I was walking around like this, Imam Esmail says, indicating his clothing, they would send their police behind me and make sure I didnt do anything because they would think I was a radical. As with America, there are differing religions and sects, and groups such as al Qaeda are only one of the many. They are just the ones who have taken it to an extreme. Imam Esmail realizes that people have overlooked these differ-ences and that the best way to deal with this is to teach people about how those groups are not the norm. We have our radicals, our one percent, he says, Im not denying that, but as a community we can tackle that together. It is the 99 percent that should be understood.Despite all of this prejudice, Imam Esmail and the Islamic center have worked hard to create a more positive image of Muslims and to create a lasting relationship with the Austin community. They are part of IACT, or the Interfaith Action of Central Texas, an organiza-tion which works to foster greater understanding between religious communities. They often take part in banquets and meetings with the group. Additionally, about half of the staff at their 12-grade school is not Islamic, but all of the staff members are great friends. This posi-tive atmosphere has made Imam Esmail feel very at home in Austin, and it shows him how the Islamic situation in America has improved. This view is becoming more common across America. Imam Esmail talks about a poll taken of minorities that asked how they felt about their future in America, and that, Of all of the minorities in Ameri-ca, Muslims are the most optimistic about their future.

The Islamic Center of Austin. The bottom floor contains a mosque, while the top is a school.

Getting in Touch with Learning

Think of a time when you forgot your home-work at home. Were you able to retrieve it? Most of the time its no. How many times does a teacher have to print a single page for their students? Many times. How about losing your text-book and having to share with someone else? With tablets many of the problems that plague schools can be resolved. Many people think that tablets in school would be detrimental to childrens learning because they will be distracted and not do their work but I think that it will improve the way young minds learn and how schools manage education. In high school, where many assignments are done by groups, tablets can be extremely helpful in com-municating and sharing between group members. Tablets can also help the school in saving money. Money wont have to be spent on paper and pencils and new textbooks. In middle school I lost assign-ments and left them at home, but when tasks were done on services like google docs, items were never lost. It is easy to get disorganized in school, espe-cially when it seems that you teachers act like they are the only teachers you have so they pile on mas-sive amounts of homework without considering other teachers work you have to complete that eve-ning. Tablets would allow students to stop worrying about losing assignments and more on keeping their good grades. A study commissioned by the Milken Exchange on Education Technology and recently re-leased by Columbia University discovered that West Virginias use of educational technology led directly to significant gains in K-6 students reading, math, and language skills. According to AISD, AISD will be facing ma-jor budget challenges in 2011-2012. While I was in middle school we could already feel the effects of this. Our school started limiting the amount of paper a teacher could use for things like class and homework. School districts across Texas are having to make budget cuts, NY Times says. By introduc-ing tablets in schools, less money would be spent on

school supplies that are not needed. Schools would have more money to focus on education that will benefit the students further. For example, replac-ing a schools computers with tablets that can do whatever a computer can plus more is much cheaper than buying new computers. Students would be able to use these devices from class to class and be able to transfer work from to another seamlessly. For those people that think that tablets cant replace the old pencil and paper supplies that are used the most at school, I would just like to say that you are wrong. Take into consideration the iPad. It has a calculator app to do math calculations on. It also has a notepad app for students to take notes. There are many applications that can be downloaded to provide much more. There is also desktop software that is really expensive that is sold much cheaper on other platforms. Solidworks and Photshop, two very expensive pieces of software that are used in middle school and high school classes, can be downloaded onto an iPad, and the installation is as easy as press-ing download! As time changes, societies change and I think its time to change how we teach the future leaders of this brave new world.

by Danny Perez

Asus eee Pad Transformer PrimeFrom Digital Trends

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Archery. When its said, many people think medieval knights or native americans and tribal war-riors, not an Olympic sport. But despite that, Archery is a mod-ern Olympic sport. It is tolling, as well as invigorating to the body and mind just like any of the oth-ers. It is both ancient and recent, and has changed a lot over the past thousands of years. But the basics behind it are still there, even if the method of shooting has changed. To be an archer is to be obsessed. Obsessed enough to shoot over 300 arrows a day. Obsessed enough to keep going, even when you feel as though you cant. Thats what it takes to prog-ress; thats what it takes to get to the Olympics.

Keeping the& Straight Arrow

Khatuna Lorig, a 4 time Georgian and American Olympian. Photograph by USA Archery.

By Chle Fackler

run

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How you shoot is a reflection of who you are, and if you know how to see that it can be very powerful and enlightening.

Today is the day. Youre standing out in the sun, baking, with a full quiver and bow in hand. Youve spent the last decade of your life sweating and slaving for this moment. You know

your shot. You know your form. You just have to

do it. You just have to get that ten, and then the the

Gold is yours. You step up to the line. You hear the

faint click, as you nock your arrow onto the string.

Stance is right. Pressure is right. Hooking is right.

You address the target, and it glares back at you with

sheen from the sun. You take your final breath, and

you raise your bow arm, gracefully arcing across the

the bale, onto the target, into the gold. The sight ap-

erture hovers, but you pay it no heed. You do what

you must, focusing on that little patch of sinuous

flesh, just above the elbow. The tension builds within

you. You know the feeling of a perfect shot. Youve

practiced it meticulously over the years. You know

what you need to do. Calm. Stay calm. Just focus and

expand. Focus. Click. Your clicker snaps shut and

your arrow is off, a black blade slicing through the

layers of air. Your arm snaps down, your bow swings

back in its sling with a certain satisfying grace. Its

faint, but you hear a dull thud. You rest your bow

down, and peer through your scope. You smile.

Thus goes the way of Olympic target archery. It is

a sport of few participants, but among them, there

is a great dedication, a great passion. Obsession,

said Alex Meyer, a Level 4 JDT, JOAD, and Colle-

giate Coach, would be a good word to describe it.

Modern archery is a solitary sport. The athletes will

often spend hours shooting alone in a field, cycling

through shooting, and walking to the target bale to

collect arrows, then shooting again. It is a sport of

endurance, having to shoot hundreds of arrows daily, prac-

ticing in the exact same way as the last 10,000 arrows be-

fore. It is a sport of grace, muscles and bones and ligaments,

all working together in harmony to produce a single beau-

tiful shot. In short, it is a sport that tests both the mind and

the body to the peak of human capabilities.

Archery isnt just words though. There are inner work-

ings behind it that make it all possible. The physics of

archery isnt terribly complex; you let fly the arrow, akin

to springing a trap, which propels it through the air. But,

while shooting, you do not actually aim at the center of the

target to hit it. You must aim off. This phenomenon is called

the Archers Paradox. This is due to the fact that in order

for the arrow to hit the center, it must bend, or oscillate

around the bow, due to the force thrust into it. This is simi-

lar to hitting a nail with a hammer, and feeling it vibrate.

However using modern equipment, the archer can allevi-

ate some of the accuracy issues cause by this. A cushion

plunger is a small spring-loaded device that dampens and

absorbs some of the shock from the oscillating arrow, thus

causing it to fly in a straighter path. Then, with the addition

of a sight to peer through while shooting, the arrow will

be able to fly to the center, all while aiming consistently in

the center through the sight aperture. Modern arrows also

will be crafted to have varying levels of stiffness or spine,

depending on the weight of the bow. This ensures that they

arent too weak or too stiff to bend around the bow.

In accordance with the physics of arrow flight, the arrow

has to fly somehow. There has to be that force that makes

it go. And in modern Olympic target archery, that force

is found within the powerful muscles of the back. Proper

form, as its called, is a newer concept. Traditionally, dat-

ing back even five years ago, everyone did their own thing.

It was a very solitary sport, even more-so than today. In

SPECTRUM page 21

years past everyone had their own way, and it was a

secret, said Alex. That was frustrating as an athlete

since no one shared information and I kinda got

burned out from trying so hard to be the best and

having to figure it out on my own without knowing

if I was doing it right or not. This scenario was not

unique. Many practicing archers would quit out of

sheer frustration. I would experiment with differ-

ent form changes and sometimes it worked but its a

process that is like banging your head up against a

wall, and you have no idea what will break first, the

wall or you, he said.

But, out of the dark ages and into the light, the

current United States Archery Team Head Coach,

Kisik Lee began teaching his bio-mechanically

correct form, that he calls the B.E.S.T Method.

Originally, this method was used by compound

shooters, in order to draw back higher poundage

bows, without any physical harm on their bodies.

However, Coach Lee took this form and adapted

it for recurve archers. In concept, its simple, but

it takes years to fully master it. The form har-

nesses the powerful muscles of the back to draw

the bow, rather than the lesser muscles of the arms

and shoulders. This leads to better holding, which

leads to better accuracy due to more control and

consistency of the shot. It uses the concept of an-

gular motion to achieve proper interactions with

the back muscles. Coach Lee instilled this form

in his archers when he took the position of head

coach. Many embraced it, but there are still those

who continue to shoot in their own way. How

you shoot is a reflection of who you are, and if you

know how to see that it can be very powerful and

enlightening. said Alex. He was one of those who

embraced Coach Lees new style of shooting, and

still holds it in high regard. However, his feelings

for archery go far back to his childhood. My rela-

tionship with archery has always been complicated.

Its meaning has changed over the past twenty years

and has always has been there as a part of my life.

What has remand consistent is that it is always an

expression of who I am. I would use my emotions

to my advantage, or at least try to, but I would al-

ways leave practice that day feeling like I could go

back to my life and be able to handle anything.

And that, that is archery.

Its like saying to some-one, here is something you love to do, now go out and figure out how to do it without any guidance or help.

Photo by USA Archery

Bringing Back the Woolly Mammoth

10,000 years ago, the Woolly Mammoth, a grand and mythic animal, roamed the frozen Earth. It was unparalleled in its might, and no animal dared attack a healthy and strong specimen. That is, until humans, with their spears and daggers, ar-rived. These new and cunning hunters, along with a change in climate, were enough to wipe out this species. 10,000 years later, we consider it an icon of the Ice Age, and many people, if given the chance, would be delighted to get a glimpse of a living one. That may be possible now. Russian and Japanese scientists believe that, using DNA from a well-pre-served mammoth thigh bone, they can impregnate a female elephant and cause her to give birth to a real mammoth, or at least a hybrid. This news has rocked the scientific community and the world. Many consider this a great leap forward in science, and even go so far as to say that, us-ing this technology, they could bring back other animals that humans have killed off. Some compare it to Jurassic Park, albeit in the real world. But is this as really great as some people think it is? Consider: the world is drastically different from 10,000 years ago. If we were to accomplish bringing a mammoth back to life, how would it react to this new environment? We could keep it in Siberia, but the ironic thing is, the very thing that allowed us to bring it back, global warming, is the very thing that could kill it again. Not to mention the impact on the already-existing ecosystem. How would todays animals react to a completely new creature suddenly invading their home? It could possibly unsettle the entire ecologi-cal order of the area. There is no point in bringing back an animal that would probably die when we

introduce it to the wild. The Japanese scientists heading this venture, Akira Iritani, a professor at Kyoto University, says that once they succeed in bringing back the mam-moth, they will examine its ecology and genes to understand why the species became extinct and other factors. That begets the question of whether it will act as it once did if they accomplish this. In a totally new environment such as present-day Earth, it seems unlikely it will respond in the same way it did thousands of years ago. If you consider that one factor, that puts the entire operation into question. This is assuming that the project actually works. Scientists have been able to clone mice that were frozen for sixteen years, but there is an obviously

drastic difference between sixteen and ten thousand. The Roslin Institute, which is

well known for cloning the first sheep, has voiced its opinions on the idea. They say that it is highly unlikely the scientists will succeed, predicting a 1-5% chance of the experiment working. Thats not to say that this technology

cant be useful. If we were able to bring back, say, the passenger pigeon, then we would have

undone an awful mistake. We could clone endan-gered animals and help to renew their dying popula-tions. There are a lot of great things we could do with this, but theres also a lot of ethical and moral things that are wrong with this. I think that this is more of a curiosity-for-curiositys sake problem, and that curiosity is not a good enough reason for unearthing the deceased. We should quell our desire for knowledge this one time, and let the dead rest in peace.

by Brooks Perkins-Jechow

SPECTRUM page 22

Drawing by MiloOryx

SPECTRUM page 23

A History of Video Game Consoles

1970 AD

Emqui ut derio cuptaecto iducit-year

1978

Magnavox Odyssey 2

Magnavox Odyssey

1979

Mattel Intellivision

Atari 2600

From MyRemoteRadio

1972

1975

1977

Atari 5200

1982

By Danny Perez

SNK Neo Geo

Sony PlayStation

Sega Dreamcast

Sega Saturn

Nintendo 64

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

1990

1991

1994

1998

1996

1994

SPECTRUM Page 24

Sega SG-1000

Sega Master System

Sega Genesis

Casio PV-1000

Atari 7800

1983

1983

1985

Nintendo NES

1988

1986

1983

SPECTRUM page 25

SPECTRUM Page 26

Nintendo Gamecube

Microsoft Xbox 360

Nintendo Wii

Microsoft Xbox

Sony PlayStation 3

Sony PlayStation 2

2000

2001

2005

2006

2006

2001

Nintendo Wii U

2012

2010 AD

SPECTRUM page 27

The middle ages are traditionally seen as a period of stagnation and consistency for Eu-rope, but elsewhere, on the eastern fringes of the Roman world, they brought rapid change. Within a few short centuries, the Byzantine Empire would be brought to its knees, ending a thousand year rule over the eastern Mediterranean. On the surface, it would seem impossible that such a strong nation would be destroyed by nomadic horse archers, but the Empire had long since been rotting from within.

During its long decline, the Byzantine Empire repre-sented the last vestiges of the classical era in Europe, hugely influencing trade and politics as a result of its sheer power, and the claim of the Byzantine Patriar-chy to the leadership of Christianity had far reaching effects in the eventual Reformation. Their decline also set the stage for the holy wars and crusades that would dominate the middle east for hundreds of years, starkly dividing the Mediterranean between Islam and Christianity. It is through these conflicts that much of the history of the middle ages came to be, and their tremendous effect can still be felt today. The Byzantine Emperors had long aspired to re-cover the lands lost during the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, but for much of their history strug-gled with overextension in the lands they still held. Under Justinian, reigning from 527 to 565, former Roman lands in Italy, North Africa, and southern

Painting by Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant,1876

by Alex Denko

SPECTRUM page 28

Spain were reconquered, expanding the Empire to its maximum extent. Border territories fluctu-ated between the Byzantines and their militant neighbors frequently, but the empire gradually lost control over lands outside of Anatolia and the Balkans. From time to time the Byzantines would resurge, but their history up until the High Middle Ages is primarily a slow decline. Despite the enormous power of the Byzantine Empire at the end of Justinians golden age, it suf-fered tremendous losses during the onset of the dark ages. The Sassanid Persians, who had mostly been held at bay during the reign of Justinian and his direct successors, seized upon a military coup as an opportunity to invade the Byzantines in a moment of instability, and successfully seized much of the easternmost territory of the empire, as well as the tremendously rich lands of Egypt. These gains were only temporary, but the conflict weakened both sides sufficiently to allow tremen-dous conquests by the first Caliphate shortly after. After the death of Muhammad, the Caliphate in Arabia rapidly spread outwards, taking advantage of the weakened state of the Romans to conquer large swaths of territory that had only recently been recaptured from Persia, as well as the Ex-archate of Africa. While the Byzantines endured, the Sassanids were eventually conquered, and the primary threat to the empire in the east became

the various Muslim rulers who would establish them-selves over the next few hundred years. The Byzantines also faced threats from various groups in the Balkans attempting to take advantage of the wars in the east, but the majority of Byzantine lands in Europe were retained for many hundreds of years after. Italy, however, once the center of the Roman world, was now dominated by various Germanic tribes that had ar-rived during the fall of the Western empire. Following the conquests of the Muslim Caliphates, the core of the empire was reduced to Anatolia and the Balkans, with some holdings in southern Italy. No longer was Constan-tinople the unchallenged superpower of Europe, and it began a slow decline as the Middle Ages ensued. The Seljuk turks were among the first harbingers of Constantinoples final fall. They were dominated in their homelands in Central Asia by more powerful groups. As a result, according to Maricruz Aguayo, a World History teacher at LASA, they fled further west, and when they did, they realized that they were stronger than the Turkic groups that were already in the area. And so they just grabbed a foothold and kept pushing forwards. The first major success of the Seljuk advance was the conquest of the Ghaznavids, who controlled much of Persia at the time. It was from this base that the first expeditions into Byzantine territory were made. The Seljuk invasions were immediately preceded by considerable losses in the western territories of the empire. Southern Italy had been lost to Robert Guiscard

The extent of the Byzantine Empire in 1180 CE, near the end of the Komnenos restoration. The Empire would never again grow larger than it was at this point.

from Wikipedia, public domain

SPECTRUM page 29

and his Norman mercenaries only a short time before, providing clear proof that the Byzantines were simply not able to maintain control of the full extent of their empire. Additionally, Ms. Aguayo said, you have all of these other groups that are beginning to spread and assert themselves in Europe, and in the Balkans The Byzantine military was not capable of rapidly adapting to the situation at hand, and was rapidly growing ineffec-tive in an era of changing warfare in the east. The weakened state of the army allowed Alp Arslan, leader of the Seljuk Turks, to win a crush-ing victory at Manzikert in 1071. What ends up happening, according to Ms. Aguayo is you have some Byzantine soldiers who have experi-ence seeing the Turks fight, and were propos-ing a certain avenue of defense or offense and it wasnt taken...you get that split in the Byzantine military.... Ultimately, much of the Byzantine mercenary force defected, and a large number of professional soldiers deserted with the general Andronicus Doukas prior to the battle. As a result, the remnants of the Byzantine army were routed and the Emperor was captured. Manzikert marks a point of no return for the Byzantines. From then on, most of Anatolia, once the very core of the empire, was permanently lost, and despite the brief bright spot of the Komnenos dynasty, the influence and power of the empire was rapidly dwindling. However, not all the problems the empire faced during its decline were military in nature. Earlier efforts to promote religious unity, in theory stabilizing the country, served only to promote unrest. ...the Islamic empire, especially at that time, says Aguayo, was very inclusive, religiously...so the holy land ended up pretty much adopting and assimilating to at least the admin-istrative part of the Islamic empire. In lands that had never been assimilated to Greek culture in the first place, the relatively light rule of the Turks and Islamic caliphates removed any incentive to return to the Byzantines. The administrative structure of the Byzan-tines also presented issues. While the extremely centralized nature of the government could be

put to good use; The bottom line, especially at this period in history, is that ,Ms. Aguayo said, when you have somebody who is charismatic and can command people and knows a little bit about military strategy youre all of sudden going to have a much stronger empire or kingdom than you had before. However, In general we see less efficient, less capable Emperors over the course of that really slow decline of the Byzantine Empire. The empire lacked the decentralization and delega-tion of power necessary to ensure that a single incompetent individual could not cause disaster. The inherent risk of instability, combined with the rapid spread of Islam made for a dangerous combination.The Great Schism between the Orthodox and Catholic churches in 1054 isolated the Byzantines even further, angering the Catholic rulers who would otherwise have been their allies against the continued incursions of Muslim forces. After the final decline of the empire began, the Byzantine Emperors began trying to gain western aid to retake their lands. The call for crusade went out, and, according to Ms. Aguayo, The pope thought if we send people, if we help them out, maybe we could get this[undoing the schism between catho-lic and orthodox christianity] done. The Byzantine emperor said maybe but that was never his goal. His goal was military defense. It doesnt end up happening, and eventually the popes realize its not going to happen. While the initial crusades had some limited success, religious tensions re-sulting from the Great Schism meant that the pri-mary focus was never on reconquering Anatolia, and the Byzantine Empire slowly withered away. As the coast of Anatolia and the remaining Bal-kan territories were slowly stripped of them, the Byzantines became merely one of many compet-ing states in the region. The tremendous defences and wealth of Constantinople itself, however, allowed them to hold out as the states around them rose and fell. In 1453, the defences of the city finally fell to the Ottomans, one of the many Turkic successors to the Seljuks, and the last frag-ment of Rome was extinguished.

TheGreatestMilitary

Failuresof All Time

Battle of Salamis, 480 BCEA Greek fleet of about 300 triremes faced a Per-

sian fleet of 1,200 triremes. The Greeks, knowing they were outnumbered, lured the Persians into a narrow strait and then ambushed them. The Per-sians were unable to move and so were decisively

defeated.

Battle of Chibi (Battle of the Red Cliffs), 208 CEA famous battle in Chinese history, the naval Battle of Chibi was fought between the northern warlord Cao Cao and the alliance of the southern warlords Sun Quan and Liu Bei. One of Sun Quans generals sent Cao Cao a fake letter of submission, but instead of going over to Cao Cao the general sent fire ships loaded with straw and wax that set Cao Caos fleet ablaze, effectively routing his army.

The Battle of Cannae, 216 CEA Roman alliance of two consuls with 86,000

men fought against Hannibal, who had roughly 45,000 men. Using his cavalry, Hannibal deci-

mated the Roman wings and encircled the center, killing 80% of the Roman army and

capturing one of the consuls.

The Battle of Achelous, 917 CEThe Byzantine army, which hugely outnumbered the Bulgarian army, was decisively defeated by its

smaller foe. The commander of the Bulgarians hid behind a hill with his cavalry and let the Byzantines

attack and chase his smaller army. Then, when the Byzantine formations had dissolved in the chase, he

led the cavalry in a charge against them and thor-oughly slaughtered the huge army, killing 70,000.

By Brooks Perkins-Jechow

Battle of Agincourt, 1415In one of the greatest archery successes of time, the British army, outnumbered in melee terms, used its longbowmen to mow down the French, who had stupidly attacked right after it rained. The French forces became so crushed together that there were four men every square meter.

Any March into Russia, 1708-9, 1812, and 1941-1944.Seriously? Three guys tried this. Every one of them failed. First, and least known, is Charles XII, leader of the Sweden Empire. A hundred years later, Napo-leon came, and then, in WW2, it was Hitlers turn. People just dont learn. World War 1, 1914-1918

Needless to say, this was the most pointless war in human history. It all started with an assassination,

and then, pretty soon, everybody was fighting. The bad thing is, defensive technology was a lot better than offensive. One of the only things it really did

was set the stage for Hitler.

Battle of Singapore, 1942Nicknamed the Gibraltar of the East, the fortress of Singapore, with a force of 80,000, surrendered to a Japanese army half its size. It is the largest British capitulation in history.

Tet Offensive, 1968The Tet offensive was the largest offensive in the

Vietnam war up to that point, and though it was a military defeat for the North Vietnamese, it shocked the American army and public because they did not

think they were able to launch such an offensive.

Battle of Longewala, 1971The turning point of the Indo-Pakistani War, the battle was a poorly planned attack on the Indian base of Longewala, which was under the command of Major Chandpuri. The Pakistani attack force, with a huge number of vehicles, attacked during a full-moon night and was held off for six hours. In the morning, the IAF sent air strikes on the attacking force and made them retreat. The casualties of the battle were 200 infantry, 22 tanks, and 100 other vehicles lost on the Pakistani side, and 2 infantry lost on the Indian side.

SPECTRUM page 30

Water HemlockAlso known as Cowbane, it is a common perrenial weed found in the temperate regions of Europe and North America. It is a member of the family Apiaceae, which also in-cludes carrots, parsly, and celery. The primary working toxin is cicutoxin, a neurotoxin that kills by disrupting the nervous system, leading to tremors and seizures. The heart rate will also reduce or speed up, and breathing will slow down. Death will occur from only a few hours after ingestion, up to 2 days.

Castor BeanNative to the Mediterranean region, this showy ornamental bush has been used for thousands of years as castor oil, for cooking, for cosmetics, for lubircants. However, the seed, and ultimatly the oil contains one of Earths deadliest and most feared toxins: Ricin. Ricin kills within 2-5 days by inhibit-ing the creation of proteins within the body. Long term organ damage is com-mon among survivors. However, Ricin is digestable, just rather resistant.

OleanderIn the dogbane family, every bit of this evergreen shrub is toxic. A single blossom is enough to kill an adult human. The primary toxins, oleandrin and oleandrigenin, are cardiac glycosides, meaning that they work to shut down the cardiovascular and nervous systems, re-sulting in death. Oleander is a very common ornamental plant, found in public parks, schools, yards and freeway medians of the middle and southern United States.

Cyanide, Solanine, and Aconitine, Oh My!The 10 most toxic plants you my find in your own backyard.

Plants. You find them everywhere. You eat them, you admire them, you wear them, you use them.

Our planet would be a sorry place without them. But plants are not just there for us to use. They

use us sometimes too. We plant their seeds, we care for them and protect them. But sometimes,

just sometimes, plants will kill us. This is a guide comprised of 10 of the worlds most deadly plants

that could potentially grow in your own yard.

By nipplerings72

ByGardenally

By ainsworthindiana

SPECTRUM page 32

By Chle Fackler

White SnakerootOf the family Asteraceae, relating it to sunflowers, asters and daisies, White Snakeroot is found in the woods and marshes of eastern North America. It may be most notorious for causing the death of Abraham Lincolins mother. She died of milk sickness, caused by the toxin tremetol. Milk sickness was commonly caused by drinking the milk of a dairy animal who fed on White Snakeroot. Its symptoms include violent vomiting, tremors, delirium, ending with death.

Deadly NightshadeAlso known as Belladonna, of the family Solanaceae, which also includes other toxic plants like datura, mandrake, tobacco and [parts of] potatoes. The foliage and fruit are highly toxic, taking less than 15 berries to kill a healthy adult human. The primary working toxins, scopolamine and hyoscyamine, are potent neurotoxins that work by disrupting the nervous systems ability to regulate involuntary actions, such as heart rate. Other symptoms are delirium and hallucinations, dialated pupils, photosensitivity, headache, convulsions and slurred speech.

Rosary PeaAlso known as Jequirity, it is a twining pinnate legume, with bright decorative seeds. The seeds contain Abrin, a cousin of the toxin Ricin. Abrin also works by inhibiting the creation of proteins, and caused severe respriatory and digestive distress. Within 1-3 days, the kidneys, liver, and spleen could stop working, resulting in death. However, the Abrin in the seeds can be dena-tured by boiling them.

AconiteAlso known as Monkshood or Wolfsbane, this relative of the buttercup contains a toxin sometimes known as the Queen of Poisons: Aconitine. In handling the plant, one must wear gloves since the toxin can be absorbed through the skin. This toxin works quickly, causing death within a few hours. Upon inges-tion, gastrointestinal distress will set in, followed by numbing and tingling of the mouth and face (or points of absorbtion). This is the poison stopping the nervous system, which ultimatly ends in death when the heart muscle stops.

By Gertrude K.

By yGoy

By Eric Giguere

By zingertalesandmore

SPECTRUM Page 33

FoxgloveFoxglove is a perennial wildflower commonly found growing in the prai-ries and fields of Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. The working toxin called digoxin, is a cardiac glycoside, just like those in Oleander. Just a nibble on a leaf or stem can result in death. Symptoms include hyposalivation, convulsions, delirium and visual disturbances, change in heart rate and rhythem, and higher acute senses. Death follows soon after.

MoonflowerAlso known as Jimson Weed or Thorn Apple, this relative of the deadly nightshade is a member of the genus Datura, all of which contain three tropane alkaloids: atropine, scopolamine and hyoscyamine. Daturas are potent and deadly hallucinogens, having been grown for 1000s of years as a psychoactive drug, as well as a poison. The effects of Datura poison-ing include amnesia, photophobia, inability to differentiate reality from fantasy, hyperthermia, accelerated heartrate and dialated pupils.

Spurge LaurelThe spurge laurel is neither part of the laurel or spurge genuses, but is in its own unique family. It contains a skin irritant toxin in the bark and sap called mezerein, as well as another toxin called daphnin in the bark, sap, and berries. Together, these toxins can cause skin and eye irritation (possibly to the point of temporary blindness), inflammation, headache, and delirium. The ingestion of 6-12 leaves often proves fatal in adult humans.

These were ten of many thousands of poisonous plants on our planet. However, just be-

cause the plants are toxic doesnt mean that they shouldnt be appreciated. They still are

lovely, and some contain compounds or parts that could potentially be helpful to people.

Ultimatly, plants coexist with us, wether we like it or not, so we should make the best of it.

By marthamegenta

By Wikimedia

By Fotopedia

SPECTRUM page 34

FIN.