Candle Research Articles

:Iron Curtain: From Stage to Cold War

It is rare to find a historian willing to explore, in any systematic way, the relationship between politics and language. After all, the popularity of political history owes much to the easy complicity with which we accept the conventional modes of human communication, leaving terminological issues to the philosophers, or to occasional scolds like George Orwell. But Orwell is long gone and the philosophers today seem rather disinterested. Individual words often carry a lot of dangerous freight. Mischievous hybrids (“Islamo-fascism” would surely be one current example) flourish provocatively in the media. And academic as well as public discourse is littered with emotion-laden images and truth-obscuring metaphors. All credit then to Patrick Wright for inquiring into the origins of the “iron curtain,” a ubiquitous metaphor of the Cold War era. The term is indelibly associated with Winston Churchill, who made it the central image of his famous speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, on March 5, 1946, sounding the alarm about Soviet postwar expansionist ambitions in and around Europe. Churchill was perfectly happy to leave undisturbed the general impression that this was yet another of his imaginative coinages. Actually, Joseph Goebbels, similarly drawing attention to the Soviet threat, had used the phrase earlier in 1944. Now Wright takes us further back to the aptly named “iron curtain” devised in the nineteenth century to provide some metallic security against the many deadly infernos caused in London theaters by the use of candles, oil lamps, lighted chandeliers, and highly inflammable special effects, including fireworks. The iron curtain protected the audience, if not the less-enraptured actors and stage hands on the other side. The transition to political imagery was made, appropriately, by the playwright and pacifist/internationalist Vernon Lee. Shocked by the advent and experience of world war in 1914, she lamented “the moment when war's cruelties and recrimination, war's monstrous iron curtain, cut us off so utterly from one another” (p. 80).

Skin contact transfer of three fragrance residues from candles to human hands

The dermal hand transfer of three fragrance materials (cinnamic aldehyde, d-limonene and eugenol) from scented candles was determined in 10 subjects (i.e., 20 hands) after grasping scented candles for 5 consecutive 20 s exposures/grasps. The fragrance materials from each subject’s hands were recovered by isopropyl alcohol wipes and subsequent extractions. Removal efficiencies for both cinnamic aldehyde and eugenol placed directly on the hands were not concentration dependent and ranged from 103% to 106%. The removal efficiency of d-limonene showed an inverse relation with 74.3% removed at the low concentration of 50 μg and 63.8% removed at the high concentration of 500 μg. The residue/transfer of d-limonene from the candles to the hands was below the limit of detection of 50 μg. The residue/transfer of cinnamic aldehyde and eugenol to each subject’s hands was consistent between subjects as well as between each exposure/grasp. The total mean residues of cinnamic aldehyde and eugenol transferred per grasp from the candles to the hands were 0.255 μg/cm 2 and 0.279 μg/cm 2, respectively.

Tractarian Poetry: Introduction

In Practice of Everyday Life, Michel de Certeau defines belief, as object of believing (a dogma, a program, etc.) but as subject's investment in a proposition, act of saying it and considering it as true-in other words, a modality of assertion and not its (1) We might consider field of Tractarian poetics in light of such a statement, one in which catholic Anglicans sought to propose and enact their belief in manner they knew would have greatest impact: by writing poetry. While content was far from secondary, since Tractarian poetry was reliant on aesthetic expression and exegesis of doctrinal law, its form loudly announced belief-system in whose service it had been composed. This system was primarily outlined in a series of ninety pamphlets written between 1833 and 1841 and published under collective title Tracts for Times. (2) John Keble, John Henry Newman, Isaac Williams, J. A. Froude, and E. B. Pusey were amongst various contributors, many of them poets as well as intellectual clergy concerned with reviving use of traditional catholic doctrines within Church of England. Tractarians, or Movement, as group became known, sought to reintroduce to Anglican worship centrality of Eucharist, daily prayers, feasts and fasts, Apostolic succession, confession, sisterhoods, and also ritual as it was performed through use of candles, crucifixes, high altars, and incense. Moreover, movement placed a significant emphasis upon private devotion, personal holiness, and disciplined, restrained way in which such faith might be practiced and communicated. best, most oblique and sacred manner of expression available to believer, according to its adherents, was poetry. Poetry and religion had long been interconnected, but eighteenth century in particular had witnessed a surge of interest in their relations, notably through popularity of Methodist hymn and biblical paraphrase and also due to Robert Lowth's Oxford Lectures on Sacred Poetry of Hebrews (1753). Lowth argued that poetry proceeds from divine inspiration, able to communicate virtue and piety through its rhythm, modulation, and meter. The language of he claimed, is the effect of mental emotion, vehement and temperate alike and able to invoke passionate belief while disciplining experience such faith delivers: It is office of poetry to incite, to direct, to temper passions, and not to extinguish them, Lowth declared. (3) John Keble's own Oxford Lectures on Poetry (1832-41) echo Lowth's focus on emotional impact religious poetry can effect on believing reader, underlining supernatural, sacramental element within poetry as a spontaneous overflow of spiritual feeling. mode in which such an overflow aesthetically communicated beliefs of Oxford Movement was a subject with which Keble became preoccupied in his critical prose and volume of poetry, Christian Year (1827). That these preoccupations resulted in a movement we might now label Tractarian poetics is significant not only for immense popularity poetry written in this mode secured in Victorian period but also for equally profound distaste of later scholars for its lyrical Christian content. This distaste meant that G. B. Tennyson's Victorian Devotional Poetry: Tractarian Mode was a landmark publication for modern critics searching for a balanced, insightful commentary on Tractarian poetics when it appeared twenty-five years ago in 1981. (4) Certainly striking critical renaissance of recent scholarship addressing Victorian religion and poetry owes a considerable debt to Tennyson. recent flurry of work on women's poetry, poetic theory, affect, and belief has clearly been encouraged by his important book. Victorian studies has always recognized influence of Tractarianism on Tennyson, Arnold, Clough, Christina Rossetti, and Gerard Manley Hopkins, but few critics (the rare exceptions being Rodney Stenning Edgecombe and Margaret Johnson) have sought to unpack carefully extent to which Tractarian ideas of poetics addressed contemporary concerns. …

Iconography, Shields around the Candle: Symbolism of an Institutional Seal

Iconography, Shields around the Candle: Symbolism of an Institutional Seal

Wood of the Gods: The Ritual Use of Pine (Pinusspp.) by the Ancient Lowland Maya

AbstractThe recovery of pine (Pinus spp.) charcoal remains from ceremonial contexts at sites in the Maya Lowlands suggests that pine had a significant role in ancient Maya ritual activities. Data collected by the authors reveal that pine remains are a regular component of archaeobotanical assemblages from caves, sites that were used almost exclusively for ritual purposes, and that pine is often the dominant taxon of wood charcoal recovered. Comparisons with archaeobotanical data from surface sites likewise reveals that pine is common in ceremonial deposits. The authors propose that the appearance of pine remains in ceremonial contexts indicates pine was a valued element of Maya ritual paraphernalia. By basing interpretations with analogous information from ethnography, ethnohistory, iconography, and epigraphy, the use of pine during rituals is argued to be have been linked with a symbolic complex of ritual burning and offering “food” sacrifices to deities. The possibility is raised that burning pine, perhaps as torches, during some ancient rituals was similar to the modern use of candles. The diversity of ceremonial contexts yielding pine suggests that burning pine may have been a basic element of ritual activities that was essential to establish the legitimacy of ritual performances.

The birth of fiberoptics from "light guiding".

VISUAL EXAMINATION OF AND INTERVENTION IN the urinary crannies, crevices, and cavities constitute the cornerstones of endourology. In this endeavor, adequate light transfer for proper visibility has been a perennial hurdle. From the early attempts at reflecting sunlight onto head mirrors to the use of candles and oil wick lamps to incandescent light bulbs, it has been an uphill journey until the advent of rod lenses and fiberoptic light transmission. Thanks to the fiberoptic principles, we now have near-natural quality and quantity of illumination for our endoscopic examinations. Yet this monumental invention began as a mere eye-catching gimmick or parlor trick more than 160 years ago.1 It was 1841. Daniel Colladon, a young professor of physics at the University of Geneva, was to demonstrate fluid flow through various holes of a cistern as part of his lecture on fluid dynamics. However, the lighting in the 19th Century lecture hall was inadequate for such demonstration. Colladon decided to illuminate his display by focusing sunlight with a lens onto the water tank. To his surprise, and the amusement of the assembled, the light spectacularly illuminated the water jets squirting out through the holes of the tank. The light rays trapped in the fluid by total internal reflection traveled along the curving arc of the water until the jets broke up in sparkles of light. It was thus demonstrated that light, which was believed to travel only in a straight line, could be made to follow a curve. The show was impressive, “one of the most beautiful and most curious experiments that one can perform in a course on optics,” wrote Colladon, who coined the term “light guiding” for the physical phenomenon.2 Enamored of and amused by the display, Colladon popularized his show as part of his lecturing repertoire to the intelligentia. The light source was modified into an electric arc light instead of the sun by his contemporary August de la Rive. To establish his claim as the originator of “light guiding,” Colladon submitted a report to Comptes Rendu, the official journal of the French Academy of Sciences. Francois Arago, the editor of the journal, recalled a recent demonstration of a similar phenomenon by Jacque Babinet in Paris and invited him also to write a report. Colladon and Babinet’s separate papers were published in the same issue of Comptes Rendu.2,3 Colladon happened to be a more eager promoter than Babinet, who was already an established academician and not so hungry for publicity. Babinet specialized in optics and extended the phenomenon of guiding light along bent glass rods. He mentioned in passing that the idea works well with glass shafts curved in whatever manner and could be used to illuminate the inside of the mouth, thereby hinting at what would evolve as fiberoptics.3 Although Babinet did not pursue light guiding experiments any further, Colladon’s interest showed sporadic sparks of practical application of his trick. In 1853, he used light guiding as

The nose knows: new product development at Yankee Candle Company

How does a small company selling premium-priced, scented candles and accessories in the hypercompetitive, forever-fickle consumer giftware industry stay competitive? Does marketing work alone to complete this Herculean task? No! Almost everyone at Yankee Candle Company (YCC) is attuned to sniffing out new product opportunities to offer a constant stream of new items that provide value to the target market. To successfully maintain the new product stream, cross-functional activity among Yankee Candle employees is imperative.

Four Poems: Rebecca and Esau; Dinah's Candle; Lullaby for Moses; From Me, Leah, to You, Rachel

Four Poems: Rebecca and Esau; Dinah's Candle; Lullaby for Moses; From Me, Leah, to You, Rachel

Study of Traditional Japanese Candle

Study of Traditional Japanese Candle

Out, out, brief candle?

Out, out, brief candle?

Determination of perfume oil in household products by headspace solid-phase microextraction and fast capillary gas chromatography

Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) has been successfully applied to the determination of perfume components in scented candle wax, liquid laundry detergent, and fabric softener. Different fiber coatings (100 μm polydimethylsiloxane, 50/30 μm divinylbenzene/Carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane, 70 μm Carbowax/divinylbenzene, and 85 μm polyacrylate) were tested and the extraction conditions were optimized. For most compounds extraction efficiency, reproducibility, and long-term stability were highest for polydimethylsiloxane. The compatibility of SPME with fast gas chromatographic separation was investigated. The speed of conventional gas chromatography was increased by a factor of 2.5, without loss of separation efficiency, simply by reducing the column length and inner diameter and adjusting the separation conditions by use of method translation software. It was demonstrated that SPME is a suitable sample-introduction technique for fast GC if split injection is used.

St. Lucy of the Eyes and Candles

St. Lucy of the Eyes and Candles

Twixt candle and lamp: the contribution of Elizabeth Fry and the Institution of Nursing Sisters to Nursing Reform

La contribution importante d'Elizabeth Fry a la profession d'infirmiere a, par le passe, souvent ete l'objet d'une attention particuliere. Consideree comme une pionniere dans la profession a l'epoque, son apport semble avoir ete quelque peu occulte dans les recherches recentes. L'auteur vise a analyser et evaluer la validite de ces hommages et tente de comprendre les raisons de cet oubli.

"Candle in the Wind 1997" as an Antidote to the Social Erasure of the Public

"Candle in the Wind 1997" as an Antidote to the Social Erasure of the Public

Candles in jar

First Page

Lead in Candle Wicks

Lead in Candle Wicks

Emission testing and inhalational exposure-based risk assessment for candles having Pb metal wick cores

Segments of seven candles with wicks having a Pb metal core have been tested in a purpose-built combustion chamber to assess air Pb emissions. Emissions were collected on glass fibre filters that have been digested in concentrated HNO 3 and analysed by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS). Despite an indication of a bimodal distribution in Pb emission rates, and a range from 450 to 1130 μg Pb/h, the mean rate from the seven candles was 770 μg Pb/h. The 38-cm long candles are, on average, capable of emitting 104 000 μg of Pb into the air over ∼127 h. A mean value of 20% of the Pb metal in the wick consumed by the candle is emitted into the air, the remainder appears to accumulate at the base of a molten wax-pool adjacent to the wick. Individual Pb-bearing particles from the combustion of candles were observed in a field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) to have a diameter of 1 μm or less. The emission from the candles has been analysed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and identified as Sodium Lead Carbonate Hydroxide [NaPb 2(CO 3) 2OH]. This compound, being a Pb carbonate, is likely to be easily absorbed in the lungs and gastrointestinal tract. Risks associated with inhalational exposure have been assessed after determining indoor lead in air (PbA) concentrations. Given a lack of information on the duration of use of candles, a range of scenarios from worst possible case to daily and weekly burning regimes are evaluated. Detailed evaluations of PbA are based on the emission from a single candle at rates of 500 and 1000 μg Pb/h, room volumes of 25 and 50 m 3, durations of emission of 1.5, 3 and 6 h and air infiltration rates of 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 air volume changes per hour (ACH). A candle burnt for 3 h at 1000 μg/h in a 50 m 3 room having poor ventilation at 0.25 ACH is estimated to yield a 24-h average lead in air concentration of 9.9 μg/m 3 with a peak PbA value of 42.1 μg/m 3. Daily exposure to such candle burning where children spend 80% of their time indoors is likely to elevate PbB in children by a minimum of 24 to 40 μg/dl, according to the PbB:PbA relationship of Brunekreef, 1984 (The relationship between air lead and blood lead in children: a critical review). Estimating child Pb uptake from first principles using a range of exposure factors, a child would obtain some 85 to 127% of the provisional tolerable weekly Pb intake (PTWI) from such daily exposure. Child blood lead levels could readily exceed levels of 10 μg/dl, largely due to exposure to emissions from burning Pb wick core candles for several hours once per week. The regular burning of multiple candles in small, poorly ventilated spaces could readily be associated with clinical Pb poisonings and death. High levels of exposure could occur with Pb metal core wick candles in less developed countries where candles are used on a daily basis for indoor lighting purposes in small dwellings. Prolonged burning of candles may occur in religious and in ceremonial circumstances or restaurants where they may be of particular concern. On the basis of the limited investigation carried out, candles having a wick with a Pb metal core have the potential to present highly unacceptable and avoidable risks to human health.

Two Women, Two Songs: The Subversive Iconography of "Candle in the Wind"

Two Women, Two Songs: The Subversive Iconography of "Candle in the Wind"

Exodus and Easter Vigil in the Ashburnham Pentateuch

The illustrations of Exodus scenes in the late sixth-century Ashburnham Pentateuch include pictorial elements that refer to specific liturgical ceremonies and typological teachings of the early medieval church. By the use of visual substitutions such as a paschal candle for the pillar of fire and cloud in the Crossing of the Red Sea, Jewish history is reinterpreted and transformed into Christian history. Pictorial motifs derived from Italian, and in particular Roman, rites suggest that an Italian origin should be considered for the manuscript.

The Candles She Lit: The Legacy of Eleanor Roosevelt

"The Candles She Lit: The Legacy of Eleanor Roosevelt." History: Reviews of New Books, 22(3), pp. 104–105