Proteus
In Greek mythology, Proteus is an early sea-god, one of several deities whom Homer calls the "Old Man of the Sea", whose name suggests the "first", as protogonos is the "primordial" or the "firstborn". He became the son of Poseidon in the Olympian theogony, or of Nereus and Doris, or of Oceanus and a Naiad, and was made the herdsman of Poseidon's seals, the great bull seal at the center of the harem. He can foretell the future, but, in a mytheme familiar from several cultures, will change his shape to avoid having to; he will answer only to someone who is capable of capturing him. From this feature of Proteus comes the adjective protean, with the general meaning of "versatile", "mutable", "capable of assuming many forms": "Protean" has positive connotations of flexibility, versatility and adaptability.
Proteus syndrome is the name given to the deforming disease that afflicted Joseph Merrick, "The Elephant Man". Proteus syndrome causes an overgrowth of skin, bones, muscles, fatty tissues, and blood and lymphatic vessels.
Proteus syndrome is a progressive condition, wherein children are usually born without any obvious deformities. As they age, tumours as well as skin and bone growths appear. The severity and locations of these various asymmetrical growths vary greatly but typically the skull, one or more limbs and soles of the feet will be affected. There is a risk of premature death in affected individuals due to deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism caused by the vessel malformations that are associated with this disorder. Further risks may occur due to the mass of extra tissue - Merrick himself died when the weight of his head dislocated his neck while asleep.
The disorder itself does not directly cause learning impairments: the distribution of intelligence among sufferers of Proteus syndrome mirrors that of the general population. However, the growths may cause secondary damage to the nervous system leading to cognitive disability. In addition, the presence of visible deformity may have a negative effect on the social experiences of the sufferer, causing cognitive and social deficits.
Afflicted individuals are at increased risk for developing certain tumors including unilateral ovarian cystadenomas, testicular tumors, meningiomas and monomorphic adenomas of the parotid gland.
Proteus, a genus of trilobites. Different trilobites made their living in different ways. Some led a benthic life as predators, scavengers or filter feeders. Some swam (a pelagic lifestyle) and fed on plankton. Most life styles expected of modern marine arthropods are seen, except for parasitism. Some trilobites (particularly the family Olenida) are even thought to have evolved a symbiotic relationship with sulfur-eating bacteria from which they derived food.
Proteus is the second largest Neptunian moon, and Neptune’s largest inner satellite. It is the largest known non-spherical moon in the solar system.
Proteus, a cultivar of Clematis. The entire genus contains essential oils and compounds that are extremely irritating to the skin and mucous membranes. Unlike Black Pepper or Capsicum, however, the compounds in clematis cause internal bleeding of the digestive tract if ingested internally in large amounts. The plants are essentially toxic. Despite its toxicity, Native Americans used very small amounts of clematis as an effective treatment for migraine headaches and nervous disorders. It was also used as an effective treatment of skin infections.
Vanguard
Vanguard, the troops moving at the head of an army.
Vanguard, the forefront of an action or movement.
A vanguard is the forward element of an advancing military tactical formation.
Vanguard TV3, first satellite launch attempt in 1957. Vanguard TV3 was the first attempt of the United States to launch a satellite into orbit around the Earth. It was a small satellite designed to test the launch capabilities of the three-stage Vanguard rocket and study the effects of the environment on a satellite and its systems in Earth orbit. It was also to be used to obtain geodetic measurements through orbit analysis. At its launch attempt on December 6, 1957 at Cape Canaveral, the booster ignited and began to rise but about 2 seconds after liftoff, after rising about four feet (1.2 m), the rocket lost thrust and began to settle back down to the launch pad. As it settled against the launch pad the fuel tanks ruptured and exploded, destroying the rocket and severely damaging the launch pad. The Vanguard satellite was thrown clear and landed on the ground a short distance away with its transmitters still sending out a beacon signal.
Vanguard, the position of greatest advancement; the leading position in any movement or field.
The vanguard, a small troop of highly skilled soldiers, explores the terrain ahead of a large advancing army and plots a course for the army to follow.
Vanguard. Avant-garde in French means "advance guard" or "vanguard." The adjective form is used in English, to refer to people or works that are experimental, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics. This concept is applied to the work done by small collectives of intellectuals and artists as they open pathways through new cultural or political terrain for society to follow. The concept of avant-garde refers exclusively to marginalized artists, writers, composers and thinkers whose work is not only opposed to mainstream commercial values, but often has an abrasive social or political edge. Avant-garde creators have historically existed in a state of mutual antagonism towards both the public and tradition. Avant-gardes have shunned popularity, seeing those who are popular as producing complacent or compromised work. This is also why avant-gardes have abhorred fashion, judging it to deal in stereotypes, falsehoods and insincere sentiments. Their iconoclasm has witnessed avant-gardes taking positions against current trends; but as pioneers they will also adopt a strong ‘down-with-the-past’ attitude. Vanguardists are committed to new ideals, seeing traditions, institutions and orthodoxies as outmoded prisons of convention.
Taken together, these traits mean that avant-gardes are often estranged from society. This has taken several forms, as some creators were socially alienated. It has been common for avant-gardes to declare their opposition to the bourgeoisie class in particular.
Avant-garde represents a pushing of the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm or the status quo, primarily in the cultural realm.
Proteus Vanguard.
The group is always looking for passionate and dedicated potential members and/or collaborators. If anyone is at all interested in working with or being apart of The Proteus Vanguard, feel free to contact them through myspace, or through yahoo mail:
[email protected]
They are currently looking for like minded musicians who can offer any of the following: vocals, bass, keys, guitar, percussion, brass, strings (violin, cello, etc), and woodwinds. And visual artists (film, photography, painting, graffiti, etc.).
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