Search

The so-called “initatory scenario”, a traditional pattern that underlies transculturally the rites of initiation, comprises three phases: separation from the community, voyage into the space of the Sacred, and rebirth. The pattern was exploited as a literary framework in ancient epic narratives, from the Babylonian “Epic of Gilgamesh” to the “Odyssey”, works structured around the central experience of descent to the netherworld. Above all, two literary genres make the richest and most consistent use of the initiatory scenario. One one hand, Aristophanic comedies (“Frogs”, “Peace”, “Birds”) involve voyages into otherworlds and supernatural ordeals for the acquisition of a hidden power. On the other hand, the Greco-Roman novels organise the characters’ adventures according to the phases of an initiation and incorporate many incidents which reflect the ordeals of mystic rituals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Curare is the property of VWB Verlag Wissenschaft Bldg and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper proposes an engineering approach at the microstructural scale to the problem of fatigue crack initiation. Initiation of an engineering fatigue crack approximately 0.2–0.4 mm in size is broken down into the separate processes of nucleation of a small facet, and subsequent short crack growth of the facet to an engineering crack. Engineering fatigue models frequently don't consider these processes separately and have difficulty predicting the total initiation life as the distributions of the separate processes are not known. A fundamental approach to modelling initiation life that tries to address these issues has been developed. A combination of crystal plasticity and the extended finite element method are used to model nucleation followed by short crack growth. The crack growth rate is calculated using the local stored energy at the crack tip, crack growth occurs on the crystallographic plane with the largest accumulated slip, thus allowing crack tortuosity to be modelled. A grain boundary hardening model has been developed which reduces the local stored energy available for growth at grain boundaries resulting in growth retardation. The levels of retardation experienced are in agreement with published data for a range of materials. The method has been successfully correlated with fatigue data for coarse grain RR1000. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An interview with RW Bro. Jerry W. Kopp. Grand Secretary of The Grand Lodge of Alberta Ancient, Free & Accepted Masons. He discusses: the incorporation of symbols into initiations and rituals; Mason Higher Education Bursary Fund, and the philanthropy's fulfillment for individuals and lodges of freemasonry; attributes of the Grand Architect of the Universe of the Supreme Being; alignment of freemasons with The Grand Architect of the Universe or Supreme Being; and the near and far future for the 5,000,000 active freemasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]