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All of the promise of May is answered by June's days. The blooms are a-flower, the sun, a-shining, the birds, a-singing, the bees, a-buzzing. It's getting hot out there, so gardeners don hats, get to work in the cool sunrise hours, and gather their best reward right before supper. Fresh flowers adorn the kitchen countertop, and fresh vegetables, the plate. It may still say Spring on the calendar but the tale is told at the table. Summer has arrived.
There through the long, long summer hours, the golden light should lie, and thick young herbs and groups of flowers, stand in their beauty by.--William Cullen Bryant, June
What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade.- Gertrude Jekyll, On Gardening
Be certain to stay safe--sunscreen, plenty of water, gloves, sleeves, and pant legs to protect against all manner of creatures that might show more than a comfortable interest in you. Enjoy the warmth of the sun on your slightly achy back, the hum and whir of cicadas, and, if you're lucky, a few fireflies at dusk. Summer has arrived.
Fertilize annuals with 1 cup of balanced fertilizer per 100 sq.ft. Rich compost, manure tea and fish emulsion are some organic options. Yellowing leaves near the tip of plant shoots indicate a lack of iron. Check soil pH and treat with an iron supplement, if needed. Feed roses and young fruit trees with a nitrogen fertilizer. Feed established annuals and perennials with a high nitrogen/low phosphorus fertilizer such as 15-5-10.
Water all planted areas deeply but infrequently during dry periods. Water outdoor potted plants daily.
In June, as many as a dozen species may burst their buds on a single day. No man can heed all of these anniversaries; no man can ignore all of them.- Aldo Leopold
Mow every 5-7 days, leaving the clippings on the lawn. Raise mower setting to reduce stress to turf in summer. Water during the cool of early morning. Avoid weed killers now that temperatures are above 85°.
Diseases/Pests To Look For:
Watch for chinch bugs in the sunny areas of your lawn, especially near streets and driveways. Call the Extension Service for recommended treatment. Webworms and other caterpillars can be treated with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). For scale insects, mealy bugs and spidermites use summer oil or horticultural oil.
In these divine pleasures permitted to me of walks in the June night under moon and stars, I can put my life as a fact before me and stand aloof from its honor and shame.- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Journals
Remove spent flowers from daisies, daylilies, cannas and other summer flowers. Remove fruiting canes from blackberries after harvest. Tip prune new canes at 4’ to promote branching. Prune dead and damaged wood from trees and shrubs as needed. Cut geraniums back and place in light shade. Do not prune oak trees at this time since the beetle that carries oak wilt is active now and may be attracted to any cuts you make.
|June, on the balconies of New Orleans|
ajuga, balsam, wax begonia, blue daze, boltonia, chocolate plant, chrysanthemum, cockscomb, copper plant, cosmos sulphureus, gomphrena, hibiscus, periwinkle, portulaca, purslane, gloriosa daisy, salvia, sedum, stokes' aster, wishbone flower, zinnia.
No price is set on the lavish summer; June may be had by the poorest comer.- James Russell Lowell, The Vision of Sir Launfal
balsam, blue lace flower, castor bean, celosia, cleome, cockscomb, coleus, cosmos, cypress vine, dahlia, feverfew, four o'clock, gaillardia, impatiens, marigold, moonflower, morning glory, periwinkle, portulaca, sunflower, tithonia, torenia, vinca, zinnia.
amaryllis, canna, crinum, ginger, daylily, liriope, monkey grass, rain lily.
|June lends its bounty to adorn the chicken yard.|
Malabar Spinach, Okra, Southern Pea, Sweet Potato, Peanut, Pumpkin.
Start transplants indoors for fall tomatoes, peppers and eggplants.
I used to visit and revisit it a dozen times a day, and stand in deep contemplation over my vegetable progeny with a love that nobody could share or conceive of who had never taken part in the process of creation. It was one of the most bewitching sights in the world to observe a hill of beans thrusting aside the soil, or a rose of early peas just peeping forth sufficiently to trace a line of delicate green.- Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mosses from an Old Manse
Other Things To Do:
Prepare fall garden beds. Remove old winter vegetables and strawberry plants from beds. Replenish mulch.
|June, on the doorsteps of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana|
Dealing with Mosquitoes-- how-tos for keeping mosquitoes at bay in the landscape with water features.
Organic Pest Control: What Works and What Doesn't from Mother Earth News.
from maggie's farm Pinterest board: Garden Decor: Upcycled
From Central Texas Gardener, courtesy of the Garden Guide for Austin & Vicinity, published by the Travis County Master Gardener Association, copyright 2000-2002.
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There’s a lot to learn in the IBBFA training manual. We learn about counting music, how to cue exercises, ballet terminology, as well as how and when to give students modifications and challenges.
Utilizing different learning styles is key to finding success as you go through your instructor training. There are seven different learning styles, they are: auditory, visual, tactile (kinesthetic), verbal, logical, social and solitary. So, what type of learner are you?
If you don’t already know your preferred learning style, take a short quiz online (we use this one) to discover your learning tendencies. Knowing what learning methods work best for you will help you make sense of what you are learning and help retain the material better.
Read each of the seven learning styles below to see which one(s*) is a good fit for you. *It’s possible more than one option applies to you!
You think the videos and lectures provided in the Barre Level 1 online course are super helpful!
Tips: To help guide you through the material, you may want to skim the written material first, watch all related videos second, and then closely read through the material again to catch things you missed before.
When teaching, it may be helpful to record your class and listen to the cues you provide. Make sure they are clear and audible trough the entire class.
The photographs in the manual help you make sense of it all.
Tips: Use the photographs in the Level 1 manual to help guide through the step-by-step instructions for each exercise.
When building a class outline, use visual cues like arrows or brackets to inform you how the class flow will go. Creating more of a flow chart than traditional outline may make it easier for you to keep track during your classes.
You can’t learn a new exercise without trying it out yourself.
Tips: When going through the learning materials in your instructor training, you may want to clear out some space to actually perform the exercises when learning how to set up, modify and correct errors.
This is also a helpful learning style as a student. Remember to take some time to allow students to feel and really notice the difference between correct and incorrect form.
Here’s an example an exercise to help student find proper alignment:
1. Have the student stand in a parallel position and arch their back so the tailbone reaches backwards.
2.Tuck the pelvis to reach the tailbone under the body and then forward.
3. Finally, have students find a middle ground where the tailbone is heavy to the floor and the spine is in a neutral position.
If you tried the exercise after reading, you are probably a tactile learner.
Are you reading this aloud or to a friend?
Tips: If you are a verbal learner, you may enjoy going through the program with another instructor. Discuss each chapter and ask questions along the way.
Since the IBBFA barre certification program is 100% online, you may find the support team to be beneficial. You can call or email them with any questions at: +1 (888)-215-0101 or firstname.lastname@example.org.
The anatomical explanations of the exercises and postures are your favorite part of the IBBFA manual.
Tips: Logical learners tend to find patterns or reason in what they are learning. Many instructor trainings simply provide choreography with no reason for why an exercise works targeted muscles. As a logical learner, be sure you understand why exercises are set up in certain ways. You will learn how to set up from the ground up. Perhaps flashcards with quick set-ups and targeted body parts will help you keep track of the many variations for each exercise.
Your class structure should have some reason and familiarity to it too. When you begin to design your classes, keep things consistent. Students will appreciate the ability to know what to expect in class.
You believe one of the best ways to train as instructor is to put yourself in the shoes of your students.
Tips: One of the final steps to becoming barre certified is to film yourself teaching a mock class with one student. Make this a fun event for the student you choose. Many people are nervous when teaching in front of a camera but use your student to provide feedback. Use someone you trust who will put energy into this experience. You only need to submit video footage of the actual exercises, but use the time with your student to test out different cues or phrases.
You can also take barre classes taught by other instructors. Stay after class to bounce ideas off one another and ask questions.
You appreciate IBBFA’s self-paced, online course.
Tips: You will appreciate the individualized feedback after you submit your practical video exam. If you’ve already completed the course, go back and look at the reviewer’s comments every once and while and see what you can apply to your class.
Trust your gut. Your attention to detail allows you to anticipate the needs of your students and provide modification options throughout class.
So what do you think? Let us know how your instructor training is going, and if knowing your learning style has helped you find success.
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1. Describe the changes that occur in the friendship between Cassius and Brutus.
2. The characters in this play are very concerned with what it was and is to be Roman. What role does tradition play in Julius Caesar?
3. Does Caesar have any real impact on the action of the play? Before his death? After his death?
4. What role does the supernatural play?
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Family: Ptilogonatidae, Silky Flycatchers view all from this family
Description Song includes warbles and some mimicry; call is an upslurred, liquid wu'ip.
Dimensions Length: 7-7 3/4" (18-20 cm)
Habitat Easy to see and identify.
Range California, Texas, Southwest
Voice Common in desert habitats in winter, riverside woodland in summer.
Discussion Distinctive bird, recognized by its slim body, long tail, and shaggy crest. Intriguingly, habitat and habits vary throughout year, reflecting seasonal availability of food: diet includes insects in summer, berries (particularly mistletoe) in winter. Usually rather solitary in winter desert haunts, but more gregarious in wooded habitat favored in summer. Sexes are dissimilar. ADULT MALE Unmistakable, with its glossy black plumage. Note the beady red eye. White wing flash (on primaries) is obvious only in flight. ADULT FEMALE Structurally similar to male, but plumage is buff-gray overall, with white margins to wing feathers and bluish gray tone to head; iris is red. JUVENILE Similar to adult female, but with warmer buff tone to plumage.
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The consortium for the FIBRA project consists of 16 partners and is coordinated by the Centre for Renewable Energy Sources (CRES) from Pikermi Attikis, Greece.
The main target of the FIBRA network is to link the research and development activities for fibre crop innovations carried out by universities and institutions in both the EU and China and to provide a long-term vision on future common research activities on fibre crops. The network will thus improve researchers’ training opportunities.
The expected impact of the FIBRA project is the establishment of an effective and wide coordination of the research activities on fibre crops in Europe and China in order to stimulate a broad stakeholders’ participation and generate common research programmes to fulfil the international EU policy targets.
The specific objectives of the project are:
- To develop a resource efficient system via optimisation of raw material from fibre crops for multiple uses (crops breeding, crops agronomy, logistics, integrated assessment);
- To support the biorefinery concept for processing fibre crops;
- To facilitate future collaborations between European and Chinese industries in the field of fibre crops and bio-based products;
- To ensure a wide-range networking of the relevant scientific communities and stakeholders and the systematic establishment of linkages such as broad networking twinning of large sets of research projects and consortia;
- Short exchange visits of researchers and summer schools;
- To improve training opportunities in the area of fibre crops to European and Chinese scientists;
- To provide a long-term vision on future common research activities that will contribute to the international policies of the EU;
- To disseminate the project results.
In this framework, the nova-Institute will develop and integrated assessment of the socio-economic and environmental implications of fibre crops.
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Copyright © University of Cambridge. All rights reserved.
Where can you put the mirror across the square so
that you can still 'see' the whole square?
How many different positions are possible?
How many lines of symmetry does a square have?
Can you reflect part of the square so that you can
see a smaller square?
A rectangle? A kite? A hexagon? An octagon?
What do all the shapes have in common?
This problem is taken from 'Starting from Mirrors' by David Fielker, published by BEAM Education. It can be purchased from the BEAM website.
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I am sure everyone would have seen this on their browser:
Usually, user will just click "I Understand the Risks" and move on. User education is a major part of security in an enterprise or as a matter of fact any organization. An organization can have the state of the art firewall and IPS/IDS but the users are always the weakest link for security. Nowadays, USB comes in 4G, 8G or 16G. Way back when most USB is 256 MB, hackers would put a 1G USB (with virus) on a cooperation's packing lot hoping some employee would pick that up and plug that onto their PC at work to checkout what is in the USB. It is very possible to gain access to a cooperation's network this way.
Anyways, back to the topic of this post. On a web browser when we are using https we are using a digital certificate to prove the identity of the web server. Digital certificate is usually generated in a Public Key Infrastructure(PKI). Since we get in touch with digital certificate on a daily basis I think it will be interesting to take a look PKI.
PKI is a big topic and I can only touch on the most important elements so we can have a general overview of what PKI is.
Wikipedia defines Digital Certificate as "an electronic document used to prove ownership of a public key. The certificate includes information about the key, information about its owner's identity, and the digital signature of an entity that has verified the certificate's contents are correct. If the signature is valid, and the person examining the certificate trusts the signer, then they know they can use that key to communicate with its owner."
Digital certificates are in the X.509 format where there is a data section and a signature section.
The above diagram breaks down the different sections of a digital certificate. For a more detailed description of digital certificate take a look at this IBM article.
One important information included in the certificate is the public key. When a certificate is generated a private key and a public is issued. The private key is keep by the owner of the certificate while the public key is included in the digital certificate and thus we have the name "Public Key" Infrastructure.
Online banking and eCommerce while being the most common use case for digital certificate, there are other use cases for digital certificates such as VPN (Virtual Private Network) that we can enable remote employees to gain access to the cooperate computer resources. Company issued digital certificates are installed on the remote employee's laptop. With a company issued/trusted certificate, the device is able to prove identity and gain access from home or from hotel securely over certificate based VPN. Even for SSL based VPN, certifcate are also used.
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
For banking and eCommerce, the digital certificates are bought from well know digital certificate vendors such as Verisign, GeoTrust or Thawte.
It is also common for organization to setup it own Public key Infrastructure for its internal use.
When we see the word "infrastructure", we will think of complicated system such as OpenStack as a cloud infrastructure. According to this article, PKI at its core is abut certificate:
- How they are created
- What information they contain
- How they are used
- What is the level of trust
- What to do when the certificate is lost
When we think of PKI we think of a PKI hierarchy. In a PKI hierarchy, there is the the concept of Root CA and the Issuing CA.
In the simplest form, PKI will have one server being the Certification Authority (CA) to generate and to revoke certificates. In a more complex environment, there is a Root CA and then there are subordinate CA This is useful for a big cooperation to configure subordinate CA to handle the certificate issue of a particular division.
This is the concept of CA tiering. In general there are 3 types of tiering design.
Single/One Tier Hierarchy
A single machine handles all the operations concerning certificate. As mentioned before in a PKI hierarchy there is the Root CA and there is the Issuing CA. In this case of a single machine, it performs both functions. While it is the simplest way, it is not a secure way. User will have to decide if this single tier hierarchy is sufficient to serve the organization.
image source: http://blogs.technet.com/blogfiles/askds/WindowsLiveWriter/DesigningandImplementingaPKIPartIDesigna_884F/image_2.png
Two Tier Hierarchy
In this model, the Root and Issuing CA are on a different machine. In this tier, the Root CA is put offline so as to protect the private key of the Root CA. In this model there can be multiple Issuing CAs and it can be distributed according to geographic or departmental need.
image source: http://blogs.technet.com/blogfiles/askds/WindowsLiveWriter/DesigningandImplementingaPKIPartIDesigna_884F/image_4.png
Three Tier Hierarchy
In this tier there is a new type of CA - Policy CA in between the Root CA and the Issuing CA. The purpose of the Policy CA is to issue certificate to the Issuing CA according to administrative boundary and restriction. Each Policy CA will have its own Issuing CA. Same as the Root CA, once the PKI is setup the Policy CA is put offline for security purpose.
Another advantage of this model is that if some certificate is compromised, user can only revoke the a single Policy CA's certificate without having to affect the other certificate under a different Policy CA. For example, if the Policy CA is configure for different remote offices based on it geographic location. If the certificate for Branch A is compromised, we just revoke the certificate of the Policy CA for Branch A. All other remote location are not affected.
image source: http://blogs.technet.com/blogfiles/askds/WindowsLiveWriter/DesigningandImplementingaPKIPartIDesigna_884F/image_6.png
There are a lot more to talk about PKI. As I am interested in security, I will blog about this subject again in the near future.
Information Security Basics Part 1: Security Models
Information Security Basics Part 2: Defense in Depth
Information Security Basics Part 3: Cryptography
"Public Key Certificate." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Nov. 2014. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
"Getting Started with Public Key Infrastructure." Networklore. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
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The subject of machine learning is one that practically every industry is thinking about.
Source: safaltaAll of the leading IT companies are currently hiring heavily in order to find those individuals with the specialized skills (machine learning engineers) who can create the ideal instrument.
It is common to draw comparisons between machine learning and conventional programming. Machine learning, however, is distinct from conventional programming in a number of respects. In conventional programming, a human labor inputs data into a computer and creates a program intended to transform that data into the desired output. Computer programming is a very human-centered process that is only as good as our ability to define and organize data.
Due to the recent exponential rise of machine learning, there is currently a need for machine learning specialists that can assist businesses across a range of industries in identifying appropriate possibilities for implementing the technology and the most efficient, lucrative ways to do so. Machine learning is becoming so crucial that many businesses are looking to hire people with backgrounds in or experience with the technology to cover a variety of IT positions.
The work of a machine learning engineer is similar to that of a computer programmer, with the exception that their primary goal is to write systems that enable machines to learn for themselves and act autonomously. Engineers that specialize in machine learning are swiftly rising to the top of the IT job market. Machine learning and other AI technologies are being adopted by more businesses, and many more aim to do so within the next five years. As a result, they will be looking to hire machine learning experts who can assist them in adjusting to the new technologies and integrating them more effectively into their business processes.
Your daily life as a machine learning engineer might be extremely interesting given how swiftly the field is developing. Aside from the models and algorithms you have to work on and develop as part of your role, you would be keeping up with some of the most exciting developments in the field of artificial intelligence, such as the numerous technologies being developed in the AI research company, OpenAI, or the UK-based firm DeepMind Technologies (acquired by Google in 2014), which has developed a neural network that can play video games like humans and is also heavily involved in the development of artificial intelligence.
- The basics of computer science, such as data structures, algorithms, computability and complexity, and computer architecture, should be understood and used.
- Utilizing mathematical expertise to carry out calculations and deal with the algorithms required for this type of programming
- generating project results and identifying problems that need to be fixed to improve the programs
- As previously noted, engineers will work with the data to construct data and model pipelines.
- managing the data pipelines and infrastructure required to get code into production
- demonstrating a complete comprehension of the applications that are being developed
- constructing scalable machine learning solutions in production and developing algorithms based on statistical modeling techniques
- Finding patterns and making predictions using data modeling and evaluation techniques
- Using libraries and algorithms for machine learning
How Companies Are Using AI in Digital Marketing
Machine Learning Salary: Trends Moving into 2022
All You Need to Know About Google Analytics Filters
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How To Organize Your Writing To Make It Epic
Organizing your thoughts and ideas is essential before writing. It is a skill that any writer can learn, but it takes work.
Often writers either have too many ideas and need help figuring out where to start, or they have too little and never finish what they’re working on.
It’s crucial to organize your thoughts and ideas in a way that allows you to express them clearly in writing. There are several methods for doing this.
Here are a few suggestions:
Begin by brainstorming.
- You can do this on paper, whichever is more convenient for you. Brainstorm as many ideas as possible about the topic you’re addressing. Be as creative as you can be.
- Don’t let your inhibitions against silly ideas stop you from writing them down. Also, don’t feel that each idea has to be original. In other words, I have yet to have a brand new idea or concept worth writing about. Sometimes, we need to write about the thoughts we’ve heard for years to clarify the issue.
Please write down your ideas,
- but wait to organize them. Just get them all down on paper or the computer. If you want to communicate with impact, clarity is critical. Make sure your writing is clear, engaging, and free of errors. Quickly improve any text with our plagiarism detection and grammar correction tools.
- After getting a good number of ideas on paper, take a step back from your writing. You’ll need to view your ideas as a whole at some point, so take a moment to look at your ideas. It doesn’t mean that you have to have everything perfectly organized or spelled out, but you’ll want to get a feel for your paper’s direction.
Organize your ideas into a rough outline for your paper.
- It would be best if you had a good idea of what you plan on saying, but this can be an excellent opportunity. To help pull your thoughts together and see how they fit together. It is essential to make your outline simple enough, however.
- While it is essential to have some order, you don’t want to get bogged down in all of the minutiae right now—you can worry about those details later.
- To ensure that everything you write comes across the way you intend, you must be clear and engaging. Make sure your writing is free of errors and engage your audience for the best results.
Use your outline to draft the first few paragraphs of your paper.
- After completing your outline, you will have a good idea of how you want to start your essay. Use that as a jumping-off point and write the first couple of paragraphs. It will help you get into the flow of writing and help you get that first sentence down on paper.
Edit as you go.
- As you write, keep an eye out for awkward sentences. Make sure that all of your sentences are relevant to your thesis statement. Be careful to use the exact words sparingly.
- Also, you don’t want your writing to feel choppy, so make sure you use transition words and phrases, especially in longer papers. Grammarly’s built-in editor works in real-time, underlines errors, and suggests better word choices. When I need to write a blog post for my business, I use Grammarly to help me make sure my writing is as clear, concise, and engaging as possible.
Revise and edit after writing your first draft.
- Many writers will tell you that editing is just as important as writing. Giving yourself time to look at your report and revise it will allow you to see your paper with fresh eyes, pointing out any mistakes or things that need to be changed.
Reread and proofread before submitting.
- It is an essential tip in terms of writing a paper. Rereading your work and checking it for spelling and grammar mistakes will help ensure that you give your reader the best possible product. Grammarly’s AI is smart enough to know when “good” is good enough. 💯
Read carefully and follow directions.
- The writing assignment prompt is usually particular in terms of formatting, length, etc. Be sure to meet all of these requirements before submitting your paper. The writing assignment prompt is usually particular in composition, length, etc.
- Are you looking to improve your writing and ensure everything you communicate comes across clearly and engagingly? Then you need to check out our new guide on how to write with impact! In it, we cover everything from choosing the right tone for your audience to eliminating common grammar errors.
Thanks for being part of the community!
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Hypertension or High Blood Pressure is the Long term and chronic medical condition affecting 80% population worldwide.
The condition where the blood pressure in arteries continuously rises up. In fact, Hypertension damages the Heart and arteries very gradually. Also, I can say this is the alarming situation for people not going for a healthy lifestyle as it is the intimation for various cardiac problems such as stroke, atherosclerosis, arterial fibrillation etc.
Hypertension is categorized as Diastolic and Systolic which means the Maximum and Minimum respectively. Normal BP is within the range of 120/80mm/Hg.
Lifestyle changes might help to overcome the situation such as physical exercise, food pattern changes, etc. But also people require to go for medications by consulting.
These are the following complications may occur if a person does not take the condition seriously and try to control over it
Damages to Heart
The heart is the organ supplying blood to the entire body and making the other organs to work efficiently. High BP affecting the Heart in various ways and create complications for other organs as well.
• Coronary Artery Disease
Affecting the artery supplying blood to Heart Muscle. The condition is if the blood does not flow freely and creating the pressure as narrowing of the arteries then the patient might get symptoms of stroke, chest pain or arrhythmias.
• Enlarged left Heart
High BP forces the heart to supply blood to the rest of the body making left ventricle thicken. This makes left ventricle disable to working normally leading to cardiac death, failure, etc.
• Heart Failure
More strain on Heart due to rising BP make heart weaken and work efficiently as a result heart attack or Heart fail may occur.
Damages to Brain
Just as the Heart our brain also need nourishing blood flow to do work properly and for survival.
But High BP damages the arteries throughout the body by creating clog and put you at higher risk for brain diseases as follows:
This I can categorise mainly in two types
Caused by blocked blood flow:
The clot in blood vessels restricted blood reaches to the brain as a result lack of oxygen cells start dying within minutes. The clot makes the artery narrower, harder due to fatty plaque deposition around its wall. The clot may either form in Blood vessels or anywhere in the body and reaches the brain which we can call as traveling clot. This may cause an irregular heartbeat called Arterial fibrillation.
Caused by Bleeding:
This is the deadlier situation than as clot formation as weak blood vessels and may get burst as of Aneurysm.
• Transient Ischemic Stroke
Also called ministroke and there is temporary blockage of blood flow due to clot but I can say this could be the alarming situation for a full-blown stroke.
This is the condition in which a person’s thinking, reasoning, vision ability may get impaired. Here also the same reason as above narrowing of blood vessels supplying blood to the brain and High BP might be the culprit behind this.
Damages to eyes
There are small, tiny blood vessels in the eyes supplying blood to the eyes. A person suffering from High BP faces a critical situation as high blood flow affects the eye in various ways:
I can also call it as Hypertensive Retinopathy. This is the eyesight disorder mainly damaging retina present at the back side of the eye. The condition occurs when blood flow is too high against the arterial wall. Makes the arteries to stretch, narrow and damaged and leads to the scary condition such as bleeding, blurred vision and loss of vision.
The condition is where fluid builds up under the retina as leaky blood vessels. Situation results in impaired /distorted vision.
• Optic Nerve Damage
The condition is where blocked blood flows damages the optic nerves and nerve cells and might causing bleeding and Vision Loss.
Damage to Kidneys
The kidney is the vital organ of the body requires to excrete body waste material but that all depends on healthy blood vessels. High BP injures the main artery leading to the kidney and also the tiny blood vessels inside the kidney called glomeruli.
Damaged blood vessels cause a scary situation and it the person is diabetic then could be the worst situation.
• Kidney Failure
Hypertension damages the blood vessels as high BP pushes the blood forcefully against the artery wall. So it is obvious that waste product can’t be filtered out and accumulated in kidney thus toxins are formed.
Kidney failure is the most common situation for High BP Patients.
Aneurysm means the bulge in the arteries and its potential reason is to be atherosclerosis which making the plaque around the arteries.
High BP pushes the blood and making the artery to enlarge and form a bulge. The bulge might get ruptured and causes internal bleeding.
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Section 4 - FOREIGN - Group 3
The rarest breed of domestic cat in the world – the Sokoke is a lean, medium sized, ticked modified classic tabby cat. It is found as a naturally occurring native breed inthe greater Arabuko-Sokoke Forest Preserve area in the coastal zone of Kenya, Africa. A peace-loving, keenly aware and intelligent shorthaired breed, the Sokoke is playful and family oriented, forming close bonds with both feline and human family members. The Sokoke is unique in that it has a see-through ticked tabby pattern, with ticking in both the ground color and pattern itself, even including the tail tip. This camouflaged pattern can also include outlining over the shoulders and below the spine. They have a tip-toe gait in the rear that becomes more pronounced when they are excited. Leggy, with large upright ears and lithe, graceful movements, they are moderately active and easy to keep.
The Sokoke gets its name from the Arabuko Sokoke rain forest in Kenya, very near to Mombassa. The local tribe called the cats Kadzonzo which means “looks like tree bark”, because of the distinctive ring patterns on the sides of the cats. This unique pattern has been naturally developed and is now being preserved by human intervention. The cats are almost extinct now in the wild.
In 1978 horse-breeder and wildlife artist Jeni Slater found a litter of these domestic type cats in her garden on her coconut plantation. She realised that they were unusual, so she took a pair from the litter and with the help of her staff she hand reared them. As the kittens grew they remained very different from other cats. She decided to take a pair to Europe and then she imported 3 more Sokokes forming the foundation of the breed outside Kenya. Additional cats were brought to Europe from Kenya in the early 1990s to strengthen the breed-lines.
Preliminary Recognition was granted by GCCF in 2015.
Appearance and Colours
The Sokoke is first and foremost a tabby cat. Most Sokokes are a modified Brown Tabby – with well defined classic tabby markings. The distinguishing feature of a Sokoke is that the tabby marking should be muted by ticking throughout the patterned areas. A few Snow Sokokes exist – which have a much paler body colour, with the darker markings restricted to their points, but still retaining clearly visible tabby markings throughout.
The head is a modified wedge, appearing small in relation to the body. The top of the head should be almost flat in profile, and the length of the head should be slightly longer than the width at the temples. The cheek bones should be high and well defined. The nose is broad with a relatively abrupt end to the tip. The profile shows a softly curved bridge with a straight nose of medium length. The whisker pads are well defined and not pinched. There may be more definition to the rear of the whisker pads, giving the frontal view a smooth look with gently rounded contours. The chin should be strong & broad, in line with the tip of the nose in profile. The ears are medium to moderately large. The eyes are moderately large, set wide apart, slightly slanted towards the base of the ears. Slightly almond in shape. Brilliant and expressive. The colour varies from greenish amber in the Sokoke to blue in the Snow Sokoke.
The body is medium long, slender, lithe and graceful, with well-developed chest, level back and rounded rib cage. The neck is slender, medium to slightly long in length, yet strong & muscular. These cats look fine and delicate, but, when lifted should be surprisingly solid and give the feel of strength. Males can be significantly larger than females.
The legs are long and slender with medium or fine boning. The position of the hind legs gives a “tip-toe” gait that is very characteristic of the breed. The feet are oval and medium to small in size. The tail is medium to long, and with a firm, muscular feel. Tapers, whip-like to a narrow pointed tip.
The coat is very short, close-lying and glossy, but not silky. There is little or no undercoat.
Sokokes do not show much personality change when entering a new home. They should adapt within a few days to their newliving space. They go out of their way to meet new people. Owners find it very cute that the cat will interrupt whatever it is doing to greet new visitors at the door. Owners that are looking for a best friend will love this breed. The Sokoke loves to spend all the time it can with its owner! Sokokes are good for homes with children, or for owners who already have a dog or two. Owners have said that their Sokoke will often comfort them after a bad day. They are extremely playful – and are ready to play at almost any moment in the day. Energy is not a problem for the Sokoke - at times it can appear to have an endless amount! Not many cats are as smart as this one. The Sokoke is one of the most intelligent cats in the world.
Sokokes are healthy cats, strong and athletic. ICC reports no known health problems with the breed.
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Stalking / Anti-Stalking: How to Protect Yourself from Harm
What is Stalking?
Stalking is defined as a repetitive pattern of unwanted, harassing or threatening behavior that is committed by one person against another. Acts that could be considered stalking include: being physically followed, harassment via telephone, receiving unwanted gifts, and other similar forms of intrusive behavior. Definitions of stalking found in state anti-stalking statutes typically define stalking as “the willful, malicious, and repeated following and harassing of another person that threatens his or her safety”.
Cyber-stalking is the use of the Internet or other electronic means to stalk someone.
Cyber-stalking has been defined as the use of information and communications technology, particularly the Internet, by an individual or group of individuals, to harass another individual, group of individuals, or organization.
Cyber-stalking behavior includes false accusations, monitoring, the transmission of threats, identity theft, damage to data or equipment, the solicitation of minors for sexual purposes, and gathering information for harassment purposes.
The harassment must be such that a reasonable person, in possession of the same information, would regard it as sufficient to cause another reasonable person distress.
Research shows that men are typically the stalkers and the stalking is typically committed between people who know each other. Only one in four cases of stalking are committed by a stranger. Most stalking cases involve a former intimate partner.
Teaching internet safety for children online and other email etiquette guidelines.
Suggestions for Dealing With a Stalker
- Gather as much evidence as possible to document the behavior of the stalker
- Examples of such evidence include: phone records, copies of letters, pictures of injuries, statements from witnesses corroborating the behavior
- Familiarize yourself with the anti-stalking statutes in your state
- Notify local law enforcement and provide them with any evidence you have gathered to help support your claim
- Consider contacting an attorney to discuss obtaining a restraining order against the stalker
- Consider contacting a state agency that provides support to stalking victims
- Develop a plan to keep yourself safe by informing your family members, friends, co-worker, and neighbors
- Have a safe place to go in case of emergency
- Consider changing your phone number to be unlisted to prevent future phone calls
- Program important emergency contact numbers into your cell phone or carry them with you
- Consider obtaining a personal protection device such as mace, pepper spray or a TASER®
Stalking / Anti-Stalking Websites
News Source: https://www.einvestigator.com/stalking-anti-stalking/
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March 27, 2009
In retrospect, we might discover that 1883 was a most significant year. We’re familiar with 1848 giving us The Communist Manifesto and 1859 giving us The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.
But 1883 gave us three portentous happenings, and these seemingly unrelated happenings turned history toward socialism:
1. Karl Marx died on March 14, 1883, and was buried in Highgate Cemetery in London, England. The assumption that Communism died with him was logical since only six people attended his funeral. But the truth is that it had not yet begun its murderous journey through the 20th century.
2. John Maynard Keynes was born on June 5, 1883, in Cambridge, England. His political, economic, and moral influence continues to affect every American.
3. The Fabian Socialist Society was an offshoot of The Fellowship of the New Life, which was born in October 1883 in London, England.
Today’s financial events illustrate that America is not exempt from being led toward socialism. Predictions differ, depending on one’s perspective, as to whether this will be a socialistic paradise or a socialistic hell. Time will tell. In the meantime, we’d do well to listen to warnings from the past.
Russian thinker and author Fyodor Dostoyevsky offered the following take on socialism:
“The future kingdom of socialism will be a terrible Tyranny of criminals and murderers. It will throw humanity into a true hell of spiritual suffering and poverty.”Socialist George Bernard Shaw added:
“You would be forcibly fed, clothed, lodged, taught, and employed whether you liked it or not. If it were discovered that you had not character and industry enough to be worth all this trouble, you might possibly be executed in a kindly manner.”That’s probably why Margaret Thatcher added that the “problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.”
Today, we can link the U. S. House of Representatives—and its radical, progressive, socialistic societies and caucuses— directly to Karl Marx through Keynes and the Fabians.
Before identifying many of the House members caught up in the socialist web, however, let’s first identify the major economic dogma of the early socialists.
Socialism is the economic system of both the Marxist-Leninist worldview and the Fabian Society worldview. John Maynard Keynes was a member of the British Fabian Society, whose American counterparts were the Intercollegiate Socialist Society and the League for Industrial Democracy. Their American voices were centered in the ideas of Norman Thomas and John Dewey among others. Dewey, you may remember, was an early signatory of The Humanist Manifesto (1933) and its atheistic, socialist gospel.
Socialists are united in their desire to see capitalism destroyed, either forcefully or gradually, and most would rejoice if Christianity were destroyed along with it. Socialists and liberals generally see in Christians “an infallible marker of mental retardation” (Claremont Review of Books, Winter 2008/09, p. 6).
The Christian worldview endorses sound or hard money, fiscal responsibility, saving for a rainy day, deferred gratification, paying off monthly credit card bills, living within one’s means, etc. Keynesian economics, by contrast, argues for consumption, extravagance, and not providing for the future, arguing that “the great vice is saving, thrift, and financial prudence” (Keynes At Harvard, p. 63). Keynesians love huge national spending, debt, and high inflation—anathema to Christians and conservatives.
Socialists see capitalism as an evil economic system founded on the concepts of profit, individualism, private property, private business, freedom to buy and sell products and services, etc. Indeed, a working definition of capitalism is “the peaceful and free exchange of goods and services without theft, fraud, and breech of contract.”
Capitalism is tailored to individual initiative rather than groupthink or community initiative. Nearly all inventions that have furthered the capitalistic enterprise and blessed humanity in the process have been the result of individual initiative rather than committee, group, or government activity (compare previous centuries to the accelerated rate of inventions since America gained its independence in 1776).
Marx advanced the socialist cause by calling for social or public ownership of property and the abolition of private property. He believed that people were best suited to work on state farms, public parks, nationalized banks, or the government bureaucracy rather than for private employers, who would certainly take advantage of their employees, causing them both social and economic harm. Marx was an economic leech on fellow communist Engels, who supported him with his capitalistic father’s monies.
George Bernard Shaw represented the Fabian point of view by calling for “the socialization of the means of production, distribution, and exchange” to bring about an equal distribution of goods and services to all members of society and to make the State “the ALL of social well-being.” The State “subsumes all economic life of the nation.”
In other words, socialism is an economic system that downplays the individual in favor of the group, social order, or the State. It is a system in which the State directs the economic activity of the social order through central planning and by placing economic activity under the jurisdiction of the State. Socialism is also known as collectivism or Statism and, to Marx, Communism.
Today, we call this economic system “interventionism” or Keynesism. Interventionism is a kind of socialism or communism, but without the destruction of the bourgeoisie (which were slaughtered in the millions by Soviet and Chinese communists).
Today’s Fabians/Progressives/Radicals allow their capitalist enemies to create wealth, but acquire it by taxing them instead of slaughtering them (Marx’s “reign of terrorism on the bourgeoisie”). They are then free to distribute the wealth among the economically disadvantaged, the intellectual elites, and the superior governing classes.
Such (re)distribution of wealth ensures the favorable vote of the masses being fed, entertained, housed (with sub-prime loans) and doctored. ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) and socialism fit hand-in-glove just as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac fit Barney Frank, Maxine Waters, and Chris Dodd to a “T.”
Most Americans are totally unaware that the U.S. House of Representatives crawls with a large, well-organized assembly of socialist organizations. These organizations are dedicated to (a) bringing about the destruction of the capitalist economic system (portrayed as greedy, conservative, religious, and/or filthy rich), and (b) slowly but surely bringing production, education, food, and health care under the complete control and regulation of the federal government [which is run by the elite ruling class; i.e., the international banking cabal - editor's note].
A prime example of this governmental takeover is the carbon tax currently under discussion. It would punish business and industry’s use of gas and oil products (which according to Al Gore will warm the planet by one degree over the next 100 years) by “allowing the federal government to ‘control every aspect of our economy,’ according to Christopher Horner of the Competitive Enterprise Institute” (The Weekly Standard, March 16, 2009, p. 17).
The legislators involved in this socialistic undertaking belong to one or more radical House organizations: the Progressive Democrats of America (6 House members), the Congressional Progressive Caucus (74 House members), the Congressional Black Caucus (43 House members), and the Democratic Socialists of America.
Incidentally, the Democratic Socialists of America do not identify their House members since they consider all members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus part of their membership due to the fact that “they both shared operative social democratic politics.” The most prominent national member of DSA is AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney, who could well be the most powerful influence in the House of Representatives. And for the record, the Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus is Congressional Progressive Caucus member Barbara Lee (CA-9). The interconnections between all these socialist-based organizations is staggering.
These organizations and their members quite literally comprise a Socialist Red Army within the very contours of the House of Representatives. According to the Wikipedia article on the organization:
“The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is the single largest partisan caucus in the United States House of Representatives and works together to advance progressive [socialist] issues and causes. The CPC was founded in 1991 by independent [socialist] Congressman Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who remains a member as Senator. [The CPC] represents about a third of the House Democratic Caucus. Of the twenty standing committees of the House, eleven are chaired by members of the CPC.”When the CPC claimed 64 members in 2006 (now 74 and gaining), the leftist publication The Nation boasted:
“The largest ideological caucus in the new House Democratic majority will be the Congressional Progressive Caucus, with a membership that includes New York’s Charles Rangel, Michigan’s John Conyers, Massachusetts’s Barney Frank, and at least half the incoming chairs of House standing committees” (The Nation, November 12,2006).These current eleven chairs are CPC members:
George Miller (CA-9)—Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee;As of February 20, 2009, the Co-Chairs of the CPC are Raul M. Grijalva (AZ-7) and Lynn Woolsey (CA-6). The Vice Chairs are Diane Watson (CA-33), Sheila Jackson-Lee (TX-18), Mazie Hirono (HI-2), and Dennis Kucinich (OH-10). Incidentally, the CPC website was “hosted by the Democratic Socialists of America” until 1999, a group affiliated with the Socialist International, which was founded by Karl Marx, Saint-Simon, and Fourier!
Henry Waxman (CA-30)—Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce;
Bob Filner (CA-51)—Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee;
Barney Frank (MA-4)—Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee;
John Conyers (MI-14)—Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee;
Bennie Thompson (MS-2)—Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee;
Nydia Velazquez (NY-12)—Chairwoman of the House Small Business Committee;
Charles Rangel (NY-15)—Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee;
Louise Slaughter (N Y-28)—Chairwoman of the House Rules Committee;
Bob Brady (PA-1)—Chairman of the House Administration Committee; and
Edward J. Markey (MA-7)—Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.
The Commission for a Sustainable World Society is one of the Socialist International’s sub-organizations. Until President Obama picked Carol M. Browner as his global warming czar, Browner was a member in good standing of the Socialist International. Upon her appointment, her name and biography were removed from its website, “though a photo of her speaking June 30 to the group’s congress in Greece was still available” (The Washington Times, January 12,2009, p. 1).
We can expect Browner to manipulate and push for every piece of socialist legislation to advance the defeat of capitalism and the imposition of more government on the American people. Oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear energy represent capitalism, and we can expect Congressional socialists to do everything in their legislative power to thwart their discovery, drilling, usage, and distribution. Socialists promote wind(mill) power because they know it alone cannot meet the energy needs of a capitalist economy and will, therefore, hasten the death of capitalism.
Browner will enjoy a great deal of support from the newly appointed Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, who is also a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. And when Browner needs further help, she can rely on the committee chairs, co-chairs, and vice chairs listed above to assist her in using the global warming/climate change scare to bring the United States of America into a socialistic world governing body. She can also count on former CPC member Nancy Pelosi (who is already manifesting dictatorial tendencies) to drive the socialist agenda as fast as humanly possible. Pelosi’s San Francisco district (CA-8) is synonymous with socialism / progressivism / collectivism / statism / leftism / radicalism that in turn are synonymous with scientific socialism / communism / Marxism / Leninism / Maoism.
We have yet to address the ideological role played by John Maynard Keynes in the demise of American capitalism and Christian influence. Anyone with a Christian, conservative-bent fears the reality that the United States is falling headlong off the cliff into socialism and all that this will entail.
It is no secret that the radical left is both anti-capitalist and anti-Christian. Marx would be ecstatic, no doubt, realizing that his life’s work of dethroning God and destroying capitalism are about to be accomplished.
Zygmund Dobbs conducted the research for Keynes at Harvard (KeynesatHarvard.org) and summarizes the political, moral, and economic slant of Keynes and his friends at Cambridge University:
“Singing the Red Flag, the highborn sons of the British upper-class lay on the carpeted floor spinning out socialist schemes in homosexual intermissions...The attitude in such gatherings was anti-establishmentarian. To them the older generation was horribly out of date, even superfluous. The capitalist system was declared obsolete and revolution was proclaimed as the only solution. Christianity was pronounced an enemy force, and the worst sort of depravities were eulogized as ‘that love which passes all Christian understanding.’ Chief of this ring of homosexual revolutionaries was John Maynard Keynes… Keynes was characterized by his male sweetheart, Lytton Strachey, as ‘a liberal and a sodomite, an atheist and a statistician.’ His particular depravity was the sexual abuse of little boys.”Keynes, like Marx, had a fixation that should have been a clue to his character. Marx practiced phrenology (the study of bumps on one’s head), and Keynes practiced chirognomy (the study of people’s hands). After studying the hands of Charles Darwin’s brother, Sir George, Keynes remarked, “His hands certainly looked as if they might be descended from an ape.”
Overall, Keynes despised free or private enterprise, considered homosexuality superior to heterosexuality, sought to replace the gold standard with fiat paper money which was more easily produced by government printing presses, did not believe in the family unit, despised “savings” as a stumbling block against the march of socialism, called on the state to control the number of children per family.
The Keynesian economic formula fits all totalitarianisms, including Fascism, Nazism and Communism. Sir Oswald Mosley, for example, was a Fascist leader and a member of the Fabian Society. Lauchlin Currie, a prominent Keynesian advocate, was a Soviet spy and an economic aide to F.D.R. Joan Robinson, a Marxist economist, assisted Keynes in some of his economic writings, arguing that “the differences between Marx and Keynes are only verbal” (Keynes At Harvard, p. 68; also see Mark Skousen, The Making of Modern Economics, p. 433).
Keynes also had a strong relationship with the notorious Soviet spy Harry Dexter White. Keynes considered White to be “the central figure in the Keynesian manipulations in the United States.” Harry Dexter White just happened to be the Assistant to the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury. Even after White was exposed as a Soviet spy, Keynesians to this day “see nothing wrong in White’s Soviet role,” a “typical . . . attitude of Fabian socialist elements toward the whole coterie of spies and Fifth Amendment communists in the United States” (Keynes At Harvard, p. 83).
It was Keynes himself who admitted that by “a continuous process of inflation, governments can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens. By this method, they not only confiscate, but confiscate arbitrarily: and while the process impoverishes many, it actually enriches some [e.g., Al Gore]. The process engages all of the hidden forces of economic law on the side of destruction, and does it in a manner that not one man in a million can diagnose.”
Thus it is astounding that Larry Summers, head of President Obama’s National Economic Council and former president of Harvard University, when asked by Charlie Rose “what idea, what person has most influenced your thinking on how to deal with this [financial] mess?” without hesitation answered “Keynes.”
Following the economic advice of Keynes (huge government spending, debt, and inflation) is kissing the American capitalist system goodnight! His advice is what every socialist would give, even though clear-thinking, common sense Americans know that excessive debt and excessive spending are the main ingredients that created this current financial mess (with the help of Congressional Progressives like Barney Frank hatching socialist schemes in the House of Representatives).
When Whittaker Chambers took up his sling and aimed his rock at Communism, he admitted that he hit “something else.” What he hit “was the forces of that great socialist revolution, which, in the name of liberalism, spasmodically, incompletely, somewhat formlessly, but always in the same direction, has been inching its ice cap over the nation for two decades.”
That inching is fast becoming a rout with national and international socialists alike thinking their best opportunity to strike a deathblow to the greatest, freest economic system in all of human history is now.
Because capitalism has raised more human beings out of poverty than all other economic systems combined, we should remember the wisdom of Robert Heilbroner, a former Marxist economist who changed his position before the fall of the Berlin Wall:
“The Soviet Union, China, and Eastern Europe have given us the clearest possible proof that capitalism organizes the material affairs of humankind more satisfactorily than socialism: that, however inequitably or irresponsibly the marketplace may distribute goods, it does so better than the queues of a planned economy; however mindless the culture of commercialism, it is more attractive than state moralism; and however deceptive the ideology of a business civilization, it is more believable than that of a socialist one.”Little wonder that Winston Churchill painted socialism as a philosophy of failure, a creed of ignorance, and a gospel of envy whose inherent virtue “is the equal sharing of misery.”
Dr. David Noebel is founder and president of Summit Ministries and a best-selling author. He is recognized as an expert on worldview analysis and the decline of morality and spirituality in Western Civilization.
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Practical, concise, and easy to use, Simon & Schuster's Guide to FossilsSimon & Schuster's Guide to Fossils contains everything the fossil enthusiast needs to know.
A thorough introduction discusses science, evolution, and history and describes the process of fossilization, how we trace evolution with fossils, how fossils are classified, where fossil organisms lived, and where fossils can be found today.
This indispensable guide includes 260 entries, including dinosaur fossils, all beautifully illustrated in color, and is complete with each fossil's classification, description, geographic distribution, and notes on the main areas where examples have been found.
Information on age, appearance, and environment is provided and highlighted with easy-to-read visual symbols.
Whether you are a serious collector or an absolute amateur, fervently hoping to trip over an ancient shell or bone, this incomparably stunning, authoritative reference is the most useful and valuable book on fossils you can own..
For more information about the title Simon & Schuster'S Guide To Fossils (Nature Guide Series), read the full description at Amazon.com, or see the following related books:
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White cardboard is generally divided into: blue and white single-sided double-sided copperplate paperboard, white copperplate paperboard, gray copper plate paperboard.
Single- or multi-layer bonded papers, which are made entirely with bleached chemical pulping and are fully sized, are suitable for printing and packaging of products, generally weighing more than 150 g/m2. The features of this paper jam are: high smoothness, good stiffness, clean appearance and good formation. Can be used for business cards, menus or similar products.
In the past, it was proposed to use quantitative as a benchmark to divide: paper, cardboard, and paperboard; white cardboard requires high whiteness, whiteness of A, etc. is not less than 92%, B, etc. is not less than 87%, and C, etc. is not lower than 82%.
White cardboard is a kind of white cardboard made from thick, solid and pure high-quality wood pulp. It is calendered or embossed and is mainly used for packaging and printing substrates. It is divided into A, B and C grades. At 210-400 g/m2. Mainly used for printing business cards, invitations, certificates, trademarks, and packaging and decoration.
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Exam Board: OCR
Why A level Computer Science?
A Level Computer Science helps students understand the core academic principles of computer science. Classroom learning is transferred into creating real-world systems through the creation of an independent programming project. Our A Level will develop the student’s technical understanding and their ability to analyse and solve problems using computational thinking.
What will you study?
During the A Level you will study 3 components covering different topics, with an examination in components 1 and 2 at the end of year 13. It will be expected that most project work and other units are completed outside of lesson.
Component 01: Computer systems (40%)
Students are introduced to the internal workings of the (CPU), data exchange, software development, data types and legal and ethical issues. The resulting knowledge and understanding will underpin their work in component 03. It covers:
· the characteristics of contemporary processors, input, output and storage devices
· types of software and the different methodologies used to develop software
· data exchange between different systems
· data types, data structures and algorithms
· legal, moral, cultural and ethical issues
Component 02: Computational thinking, algorithms and programming (40%)
This builds on component 01 to include computational thinking and problem-solving. It covers:
· what is meant by computational thinking (thinking abstractly, thinking ahead, thinking procedurally etc.)
·algorithms and how they can be used to describe and solve problems.
Component 03: Programming project (20%)
Students are expected to apply the principles of computational thinking to a practical coding programming project. They will analyse, design, develop, test, evaluate and document a program written in a suitable programming language. The project is designed to be independently chosen by the student and provides them with the flexibility to investigate projects within the diverse field of computer science. We support a wide and diverse range of languages.
University degrees that require or often prefer Computer Science include:
Students who have studied computer science at A Level have gone onto complete apprenticeships at well-known companies. It is a strong subject to include for any student wishing to study mathematics, computer science or physics at university.
Former students of Computer Science are now working in the games industry, in research and in the city as quantitative analysts. Opportunities after university for computer scientists and computer programmers are as great as is the penetration of computing technology into modern 21st century society.
Minimum grade 6 in Computer Science/Computing if studied at GCSE. We would also expect a grade 6 in GCSE Mathematics and any other science related subject.
'People always fear change. People feared electricity when it was invented, didn’t they? People feared coal, they feared gas-powered engines. There will always be ignorance, and ignorance leads to fear. But with time, people will come to accept their silicon masters.'
Bill Gates, CEO Microsoft
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Maybe the most divisive religious statements are the ones that make claims about how and where God can be found. Disagreements among people of faith today remind us that disputes over God's "accessibility" never go away. Jesus' conflicts with the authorities of his day remind us that such controversies are nothing new.
Jesus and the Temple
Most historians conclude that the execution of Jesus was a consequence of -- perhaps among other things -- words he spoke criticizing the Temple in Jerusalem and its leadership. It appears some sort of demonstration he performed in the temple precinct was also part of the equation.
There are persistent debates about why Jesus criticized the Temple system. The Gospels don't give a clear picture of his specific reasons or their validity. Most likely his dissatisfaction stemmed from corruption he perceived among the priestly elites, who held significant civil authority as Roman puppets, and whose hypocrisy and disregard for the poor struck a raw nerve in the zealous preacher from Galilee. The Gospels give no real evidence to conclude that Jesus rejected temples as a matter of principle, or that he regarded sacrificial practices as inappropriate.
He must have known, though, that temples are powerful things, because of the ideas they symbolize. Messing with them is usually dangerous.
The Jerusalem Temple was hardly one sacred site among many for those who worshiped there early in the first century. Here was the place, they believed, where God was most present. The Temple served as the focus of identity -- religious, national, social, you name it -- for many (but certainly not all) Jews of Jesus' time, especially those influenced by the elite members of Jerusalem society. For some, it stood as the architectural and symbolic centerpiece of their most important city -- a city that played a key role in their most cherished memories, and a location that would figure in a hoped-for future when God's promises would be fully realized.
The theological character of the place lent it incredible significance. That is, the Temple figured in discussions among Jesus' compatriots concerning where God is to be found and how God is to be known. This was true even for those who had turned their back on the physical temple. For example, the community that left the Dead Sea Scrolls (a group sharply critical of the Jerusalem Temple's leadership) organized itself and its functions to express its expectation that God would provide a new, authentic, pure temple.
So, when Jesus arrives in town and speaks of the Temple's impending destruction, the Gospels depict him trafficking in incredibly potent ideas. He offends powerful people, speaking to convictions deeply rooted in the cultural identities and religious values they affirm.
But What Did He Say?
Memories of Jesus' words about the Temple's destruction differ across the four Gospels. One reason for this has to do with how Jesus' followers remembered his views toward the Temple and deemed his attitudes significant as their world was changing around them.
By the time the Gospels were written, the Temple actually was in ruins, the climactic casualty of a devastating war between Rome and Jewish revolutionaries about 40 years after Jesus' death. The Gospels, therefore, attempt to help their earliest readers understand the relevance of memories about Jesus' outlook on the Temple. Of course, this relevance took on increased importance once the Romans reduced the temple to little more than rubble.
And so the particularities of the story about Jesus' "Temple act" in the Gospel according to John deserve special notice. Jesus disrupts commercial activity in the Temple compound, similar to accounts in the other Gospels. But then the Gospel author quickly interprets Jesus' words about the Temple's destruction:
"Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.'" (verse 19, NRSV)
"But he was speaking of the temple of his body." (verse 21, NRSV)
In John, then, Jesus doesn't necessarily call for the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple or imply it somehow would deserve its ruin. Rather, the author tells us, Jesus metaphorically refers to himself as a temple. Where will God be found? How will God be known? In a newly raised temple, Jesus promises: in his own resurrected body.
Is That Good News, Or Bad?
The Gospel author's interpretation suggests, then, that Jesus' raised body became a site (or did the author mean the site?) of God's presence -- a place where God is encountered in the world. Not confined to a single point on a map, Jesus serves as the "place" where God is accessible.
This interpretation would have been good news to the first readers of John's Gospel, who had embraced Jesus as God's Messiah and who might otherwise have been unnerved by the Jerusalem Temple's recent decimation. God remains within people's reach, just in a different place.
The interpretation also coheres well with the Gospel of John's understanding of Jesus' identity. He is "the Word" of God that "became flesh and lived among us" and "made God known" (John 1:14, 18, NRSV). Perhaps this is why John locates Jesus' "Temple act," not in the final week of Jesus' life (as the other Gospels do), but near the beginning of Jesus' public ministry: to illustrate what those preceding statements say about Jesus as the presence of God among us.
Christians need to tread very carefully here, for this understanding of Jesus as a new temple has led to grave problems in the history of Jewish-Christian relations. Christians have exploited the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in the year 70 as an excuse to denigrate or to issue a blanket condemnation of Judaism -- in both its ancient and its modern forms. The criticisms Jesus levels in the Gospels toward the Temple and its leadership give no warrant for such a move.
John's Gospel originated during a period of differing (and conflicting) interpretations about fundamental religious commitments. How does one commune with God when there is no Temple edifice? Christians understood Jesus as fulfilling the principal functions the Temple was once said to perform. Those who would come to establish rabbinic Judaism (the foundation of the Judaism practiced today) were moving in different directions. Many of them had been ambivalent about the Temple prior to its destruction, anyway. The point is: The destruction of the Temple hardly made it easier for people to find common ground about the questions of how and where God can be found.
How Public Is God?
For Christians, the idea of God becoming accessible through the resurrected Jesus has a powerful (and empowering) consequence: God's presence becomes pervasive and extremely public.
Many Christian traditions reject the notion of firm distinctions separating "sacred" and "secular" things. A hallowed temple is unnecessary, because God's presence, God's promises and our hopes for God's future aren't located in a specific site. Jesus, who now dwells among his people (and beyond), makes God accessible and extends God's presence into all aspects of our lives. Everything therefore has potential to be "sacred," meaning every dimension of daily living may become a place for encountering God.
No wonder, then, that some Christians want to be very public about their views concerning God's presence in life, including their political life.
Consider, for example, the ways in which religious faith has (again) become a divisive topic in the presidential election season. Part of this is just base pandering by politicians. But another part of it connects to this idea: If God permeates all aspects of my life, shouldn't my vote be informed by my understanding of who God is and how God matters?
Recent comments by some candidates have prompted a coalition of religious groups to issue a statement of principles. Their document entreats politicians to avoid appealing to voters along religious lines and to reject the inclination to use religious beliefs as a measure of any candidate's qualifications.
WATCH Statement of Principles:
For some Christians, the radical accessibility of God in all arenas of life is consistent with an expectation that politicians wear their religious commitments on their sleeves.
For other Christians, membership in a pluralistic society demands exercising more humility and tolerance. After all, too much confidence in delineating exactly where and how God can be known may quickly lead people into the kinds of abuses and hypocrisy Jesus decried in the ruling figures of his day.
Talking about how God is accessible to us may always be controversial. This doesn't mean we should never do it with those who may disagree with our views. But hostility, smugness and intimidation can't be part of the exchange.
Because I'm not sure that God intends to be found in those places.
Editor's Note: ON Scripture is a series of Christian scripture commentaries produced in collaboration with Odyssey Networks. Each week pastors from around the country will approach the lectionary text of the week through the lens of current events, providing a religious voice that is both pastoral and prophetic.
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- Data Note
- Open Access
The 3,000 rice genomes project
GigaScience volume 3, Article number: 7 (2014)
Rice, Oryza sativa L., is the staple food for half the world’s population. By 2030, the production of rice must increase by at least 25% in order to keep up with global population growth and demand. Accelerated genetic gains in rice improvement are needed to mitigate the effects of climate change and loss of arable land, as well as to ensure a stable global food supply.
We resequenced a core collection of 3,000 rice accessions from 89 countries. All 3,000 genomes had an average sequencing depth of 14×, with average genome coverages and mapping rates of 94.0% and 92.5%, respectively. From our sequencing efforts, approximately 18.9 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in rice were discovered when aligned to the reference genome of the temperate japonica variety, Nipponbare. Phylogenetic analyses based on SNP data confirmed differentiation of the O. sativa gene pool into 5 varietal groups – indica, aus/boro, basmati/sadri, tropical japonica and temperate japonica.
Here, we report an international resequencing effort of 3,000 rice genomes. This data serves as a foundation for large-scale discovery of novel alleles for important rice phenotypes using various bioinformatics and/or genetic approaches. It also serves to understand the genomic diversity within O. sativa at a higher level of detail. With the release of the sequencing data, the project calls for the global rice community to take advantage of this data as a foundation for establishing a global, public rice genetic/genomic database and information platform for advancing rice breeding technology for future rice improvement.
Purpose of data acquisition
For much of the world’s poor, rice (O. sativa L.) is the cereal that provides the majority of daily calories in their staple diet. Rice is also known for its tremendous within-species genetic diversity and varietal group differentiation [1, 2]. Rice productivity has more than doubled in recent decades, resulting primarily from the Green Revolution and continued breeding efforts since the 1960s. However, in order to meet the demands imposed by the projected increase in global population, the world’s rice production has to increase by 25% or more by 2030 . This increase has to be achieved under less land, less water and under more severe environmental stresses due to climate change. Thus, accelerated genetic gains are needed in the next few decades to improve yield potential and stability, and grain quality of rice. This requires more complete knowledge of the genetic diversity in the O. sativa gene pool, associations of diverse alleles with important rice traits, and systematic exploitation of this rich genetic diversity by integrating knowledge-based tools into rice improvement using innovative breeding strategies [4–6].
To date, a few studies on rice have been undertaken to discover allelic variants through next generation sequencing (NGS) [7–9]. Unfortunately, these studies have been unable to provide a complete picture of the total genetic diversity within the O. sativa gene pool, due to either the small sample size of sequenced accessions , or the low-coverage sequencing depth of the genomes [8, 9]. Here, we report an international effort to extend significantly our understanding of the total genetic diversity within the O. sativa gene pool by re-sequencing 3,000 O. sativa genomes using IIllumina-based NGS. Our ultimate goal is to establish, through collective efforts by the international scientific community, a public rice database containing genetic and genomic information suitable for advancing rice breeding technology.
Selection of germplasm
A total of 3,000 germplasm accessions were chosen for sequencing, including 2,466 accessions from the International Rice Genebank Collection (IRGC) at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), and 534 accessions from the China National Crop Gene Bank (CNCGB) in the Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS). The 2,466 accessions (in Additional file 1: Table S1A ) contributed by IRRI represent a panel that was randomly selected from a core collection of 12,000 O. sativa accessions that was established by a semi-stratified selection scheme from more than 101,000 rice accessions in the IRGC; taking into account factors, such as the country of origin, eco-cultural type and varietal grouping with even coverage of the name space while limiting potential duplicates from each country, and complemented by specific, nominated entries from IRRI and the Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad). The 534 accessions (in Additional file 1: Table S1B) contributed by CAAS included a mini-core collection of 246 accessions selected from a core collection of 932 accessions established in the same way from the 61,470 O. sativa accessions preserved in the CNCGB , plus 288 accessions selected based on their isozyme diversity , and used as parental lines in the international rice molecular breeding network . Together, the sampled 3,000 rice accessions came from 89 different countries/regions, 77.1% of which are from the centers of rice genetic diversity -Southeast Asia (33.9%), South Asia (25.6%) and China (17.6%) (Figure 1).
Genetic stocks derived from the O. sativa accessions were generated for each of the sampled 3,000 rice accessions by one or more cycles of single-seed descent purification under field or screen-house conditions. New accession numbers were assigned to seeds derived from one or more rounds of multiplication starting from a single plant of each source accession. As of March 2013, new accession numbers have been assigned to 1,958 of the IRRI accessions. Purified seeds of the sequenced accessions are (or will be available) from the IRGC or CNCGB as genetic stocks. Information on obtaining seeds from the IRGC can be found at and from the CNCGB at .
Genomic DNA was prepared from bulk harvested leaves of a single young plant for each sampled accession by a modified CTAB method either at IRRI or at CAAS. Genomic DNA samples were then shipped to BGI-Shenzhen and were used to construct Illumina index libraries following the manufacturer’s protocol. Following quality control, at least 3 μg genomic DNA of each sample was randomly fragmented by sonication and size-fractionated by electrophoresis, and DNA fragments of approximately 500 bp were purified. Purified 500 bp DNA fragments from each of the 24 accessions were labeled independently using distinct 6 bp nucleotide multiplex identifiers, followed by pooling prior to library construction for NGS. Each sequencing library was sequenced in six or more lanes on the HiSeq2000 platform and 90 bp paired-end reads were generated. Subsequently, the reads from each sample were extracted based on their unique nucleotide multiplex identifiers as 83 bp reads (90 – 6 – 1, where 1 is the ligation base “T”). To ensure high quality, raw data was filtered by deleting reads having adapter contamination or containing more than 50% low quality bases (quality value ≤ 5).
Data generation and analyses
Read alignment and variant identification
The clean reads were mapped to the temperate japonica Nipponbare reference genome – the unified-build release Os-Nipponbare-Reference-IRGSP-1.0 (IRGSP-1.0) , using the BWA software with default parameters except for “aln -m 10000 -o 1 -e 10 -t 4”. The alignment results were then merged and indexed as BAM files [14, 15]. SNP calling was based on alignment using the Genome Analysis Toolkit 2.0-35 (GATK) and Picard package V1.71 . To minimize the number of mismatched bases for SNP and InDel calling, all reads from each accession were further cleaned by:
deleting the reads that are unmapped to the reference in the alignment result;
deleting duplicate reads;
conducting alignment by the IndelRealigner package in GATK; and
recalibrating realignments using the BaseRecalibrator package in GATK.
SNP and InDel calling for each sample were performed independently using the UnifiedGenotyper package in GATK with a minimum phred-scaled confidence threshold of 50, and a minimum phred-scaled confidence threshold for emitting variants at 10. To ensure the quality of variant calling, the conditions for every site in a genome were set at >20 for mapping quality, >50 for variant quality and >2 for the number of supporting reads for every base.
SNP and InDel calling at the population level (i.e., for all sequenced genomes concurrently) was performed using the UnifiedGenotyper package in the GATK pipeline with 50 for the minimum phred-scaled confidence threshold for variant calling, 30 for the minimum phred-scaled confidence threshold for variant emitting, >20 for the mapping quality, MAF >0.001 for every SNP, and >2 sequence depth for genotypes in every sample. Five independent, randomly selected sets of 200,000 SNPs with minimum missing data were then selected for phylogenetic analysis.
For each of these five sets, distance matrices using the p-distances model were calculated, and Neighbor Joining trees were constructed with 1,000 bootstraps using the TreeBeST software . Consensus trees were exported as Newick format and imported into DarWIN v5.0.158 for topology visualization . For each of the five consensus trees, prior information on variety group designation (based on SSR or isozyme classification) was used to define assignment to one of the five groups – indica, aus/boro, basmati/sadri, japonica (tropical or temperate). Groupings assigned for each of the five trees were compared using a majority rule criterion (i.e., a minimum of three trees to support the assignment). Those accessions that failed this test were labeled as intermediate types.
Using IRGSP-1.0 as the reference, the 3,000 sequenced genomes had an average depth of ~14×, ranging from ~4× to greater than 60×, and yielded a combined total of approximately 17 TB of high quality sequence data. Of the 3,000 entries, 2,322 accessions had >10× sequence depths. When aligned with IRGSP-1.0 using the BWA software, the average genome coverage and mapping rate were 94.0% and 92.5%, respectively. BWA alignment followed by variant calling using GATK identified approximately 18.9 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (Table 1). The distribution of the identified SNPs across different chromosomes varies considerably, with chromosomes 4, 1 and 11 having the highest numbers of SNPs and chromosomes 9, 10 and 5 having the lowest. Most SNPs were detected in intergenic regions and introns, based on comparison with gene annotations provided by MSU v7 [13, 19]. Only 18.24% of the detected SNPs occur in exons, of which ~40% are synonymous.
The phylogenetic analyses revealed clear differentiation of the 3,000 accessions into two major groups – indica and japonica, two small varietal groups – the aus/boro and basmati/sadri types, plus a small group (134) of intermediate (admixed) types (Figure 2). The indica group represented the largest and most diverse group comprising 1,760 (58.2%) accessions in five major subgroups of diverse origins. The japonica group contains 843 (27.9%) accessions, which had two well-differentiated subgroups – 388 temperate japonicas and 455 tropical japonicas. The aus/boro group is composed of 215 accessions and is more closely related to indica, while the aromatic basmati/sadri group is more closely related to japonica and consists of 68 accessions primarily from South Asia.
Availability and requirements
The sequencing data of the 3,000 rice genomes project (3K RGP) is now deposited in the GigaScience database (GigaDB) and has a citable digital object identifier (DOI) . The dataset consists of separate directories for sequences from each of the 3,000 rice genomes. These directories are named by the DNA_UNIQUE_IDs given in Additional file 1: Tables S1A and S1B. If the DNA_UNIQUE_ID contains a space, the space is replaced by an underscore. Each directory contains from 12 to 40 Fastq (fq) files of trimmed, filtered reads that are compressed using GNU zip (gzip, .gz). The dataset consists of about 15.4 terabytes (Tb) of files. Individual data files can be downloaded using tools such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP). In order to obtain the complete dataset, use of FTP is not possible due to the time required for file transfer and bandwidth consumed; other tools will be needed.
Dataset name: The 3,000 rice genomes project data
Operating system: Platform-independent, UNIX/Linux preferred
License: Creative Commons 0 (CC0) public domain dedication (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0)
After download or acquiring, depending on the task, from 8 Gb (reference-guided alignment and variant calling) to 16 Gb (de novo genome assembly) or more main memory is needed and from 16 to 64 Gb or more swap space allocated for each pipeline; computation will require from 7 hours (alignment and calling) to 3 days (assembly) per core per pipeline.
This 3,000 rice genomes dataset provides an unprecedented resource for rice genomic research. With access to the genome sequences of the 3,000 accessions representing various varietal types of diverse origins and availability of additional high-quality rice reference genomes, further comparisons can be made among the 3,000 genomes and reference genomes of different rice types. These analyses are expected to uncover the within-species diversity and genome-level population structure of O. sativa in great detail. Thus, we hope that this data note will be the beginning of a new round of accelerated discoveries in rice science. Here, we would like to call for an international effort to analyze and mine the dataset. The expected information explosion from follow-up studies of the project will provide a foundation to revolutionize rice genetics and breeding research. Ultimately, this could lead to a more thorough understanding of the molecular, cellular and physiological machineries/networks responsible for the growth and development of rice plants and their responses to various abiotic and biotic stresses.
This data note is accompanied by a 'Commentary’ article, where the intent and plans for the projected uses of the 3,000 rice genomes dataset are further expanded . Through the public release of this dataset, we encourage the global science community to analyze the data and to contribute in building a public rice genetic/genomic database and information platform that will accelerate rice breeding.
Availability of supporting data
The data set supporting the results of this article is available in the GigaScience GigaDB Database . Information on SNP variants will be available on analysis of the population-level genome diversity of the 3,000 rice genomes. Raw sequence data is also available from the SRA at PRJEB6180.
The 3,000 rice genomes project: participants and affiliations
Participants by institute
Zhikang Li* Email: email@example.com or firstname.lastname@example.org
Bin-Ying Fu Email: email@example.com
Yong-Ming Gao Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Wen-Sheng Wang Email: email@example.com
Jian-Long Xu Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Fan Zhang Email: email@example.com
Xiu-Qing Zhao Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Tian-Qing Zheng Email: email@example.com
Yong-Li Zhou Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Gengyun Zhang* Email: email@example.com
Shuaishuai Tai Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Jiabao Xu Email: email@example.com
Wushu Hu Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Ming Yang Email: email@example.com
Yongchao Niu Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Miao Wang Email: email@example.com
Yanhong Li Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Lianle Bian Email: email@example.com
Xuelian Han Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Jun Li Email: email@example.com
Xin Liu Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Bo Wang Email: email@example.com
Kenneth L. McNally* Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Ma. Elizabeth B. Naredo Email: email@example.com
Sheila Mae Q. Mercado Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Myla Christy Rellosa Email: email@example.com
Renato A. Reaño Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Grace Lee S. Capilit Email: email@example.com
Flora C. de Guzman Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Jauhar Ali Email: email@example.com
Ruaraidh Sackville Hamilton Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Ramil P. Mauleon Email: email@example.com
Nickolai N. Alexandrov Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Hei Leung Email: email@example.com
- 3K RGP:
3,000 rice genomes project
Beijing Genomics Institute Shenzhen
Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement
China National Crop Gene Bank
Genome Analysis Toolkit
International Rice Genebank Collection
International Rice Research Institute
Next generation sequencing.
Li ZK, Rutger JN: Geographic distribution and multilocus organization of isozyme variation of rice (Oryza sativa L.). Theor Appl Genet. 2000, 101: 379-387. 10.1007/s001220051494.
Yu SB, Xu WJ, Vijayakumar CHM, Ali J, Fu BY, Xu JL, Marghirang R, Domingo J, Jiang YZ, Aquino C, Virmani SS, Li ZK: Molecular diversity and multilocus organization of the parental lines used in the International Rice Molecular Breeding Program. Theor Appl Genet. 2003, 108: 131-140. 10.1007/s00122-003-1400-3.
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Xu X, Liu X, Ge S, Jensen JD, Hu FY, Li X, Dong Y, Gutenkunst RN, Fang L, Huang L, Li JX, He WM, Zhang GJ, Zheng XM, Zhang FM, Li YR, Yu C, Kristiansen K, Zhang XQ, Wang J, Wright M, McCouch S, Nielsen R, Wang J, Wang W: Resequencing 50 accessions of cultivated and wild rice yields markers for identifying agronomically important genes. Nat Biotech. 2011, 30: 105-111. 10.1038/nbt.2050.
Huang X, Wei X, Sang T, Zhao Q, Feng Q, Zhao Y, Li C, Zhu C, Lu T, Zhang Z, Li M, Fan D, Guo Y, Wang A, Wang L, Deng L, Li W, Lu Y, Weng Q, Liu K, Huang T, Zhou T, Jing Y, Lin Z, Buckler ES, Qian Q, Zhang QF, Li J, Han B: Genome-wide association studies of 14 agronomic traits in rice landraces. Nat Genet. 2010, 42: 961-967. 10.1038/ng.695.
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McKenna A, Hanna M, Banks E, Sivachenko A, Cibulskis K, Kernytsky A, Garimella K, Altshuler D, Gabriel S, Daly M, DePristo MA: The Genome Analysis Toolkit: a MapReduce framework for analyzing next-generation DNA sequencing data. Genome Res. 2010, 20: 1297-1303. 10.1101/gr.107524.110.
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This project was supported by grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (GD1393) and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (#2012DFB32280) to ZKL. At IRRI, support for the purification of genetic stocks and genomic DNAs was provided by the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP) and for the multiplication of the genetic stocks by the Global Crop Diversity Trust. At CAAS, support for the purification of genetic stocks and genomic DNAs was provided by the CAAS Innovative team funding to ZKL. The IRRI team would like to thank B. Caspillo, J. Ramos, M. Rodriguez, J. Torres, and J. Victoria for assistance with the laboratory and field activities.
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
ZKL, GZ, KLM, and HL designed the project; KLM and NRSH selected the IRRI materials; KLM, MEBN, SMQM, RAR, MCR, GLSC, and FCG prepared and curated the IRRI materials; ZKL, WSW, YMG, TQZ, JLX, XQZ, FZ, YLZ and JA selected and prepared the CAAS materials; MEBN, SMQM and MCR prepared the IRRI DNAs; WSW, YLZ, BYF, TQZ prepared the CAAS DNAs; WH, MY, YN, MW, YH, LB, XL, BW, JL, JX, ST and XL performed the sequencing and NGS data analyses; SS and KLM performed the phylogenetic analyses; ZKL, GZ, KLM, NNA, RPM, HL and JA wrote the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Electronic supplementary material
Additional file 1: Table S1A: Information for the 2,466 rice accessions from the International Rice Genebank Collection at the International Rice Research Institute. Table S1B. Information for the 534 rice accessions from the China National Crop Genebank and the CAAS working collections. (XLSX 389 KB)
Authors’ original submitted files for images
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Open Access This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 ), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver ( https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ ) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
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The 3,000 rice genomes project. The 3,000 rice genomes project. GigaSci 3, 7 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1186/2047-217X-3-7
- Oryza sativa
- Genetic resources
- Genome diversity
- Sequence variants
- Next generation sequencing
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Something a little different for today.
The NACA the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics was a US government agency founded on 3 March 1915 to” undertake, promote, and institutionalize aeronautical research”. The NACA was dissolved and its assets and personnel were transferred to what we all know as NASA.
This archived footage comes from the Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center (formerly Dryden Flight Research Center) and was made available courtesy the US Department of Defense, NASAimages and the US National Archives. The film shows 1940′s experimental aircraft including the YB-49 flying wing and the X-1 and X-15 space plane.
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Herpes skin infections among wrestlers-called herpes gladiatorum-occur frequently among high school and college wrestlers nationwide. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. The risk is exacerbated by the occlusive uniforms worn by athletes, which maintain a high moisture content – creating an environment hospitable to the spread of viruses, explained Dr. The authors, led by Kazuo Yanagi of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo, believe the gladiatorum virus was transmitted by other wrestlers in the “stable” where they live and train together. Analysis of data from three outbreaks at a 28-d wrestling camp showed that most outbreaks (96%) occurred on the ventral surface of the body, with 71.9% on the head, face, and neck, areas in direct contact when wrestlers are engaged in the lock-up position. Among the 94 wrestlers, 28 (29.8%) had positive IgG anti-HSV-1 titers. This article presents herpes gladiatorum, which is a form of herpes infection that occurs on close contact, which is identified in a patient who is a wrestler, along with the relevant literature.
W.; Erice, A.; Osterholm, M. T. Goodman, JL, Holland, EJ, Andres, CW, Homann, SR, Mahanti, RL, Mizener, MW, Erice, A & Osterholm, MT 1990, ‘Herpes gladiatorum at a high school wrestling camp – Minnesota’ American Journal of Diseases of Children, vol 144, no. 5, pp. 530. Goodman, J. L., Holland, E.
J., Andres, C. W., Homann, S. R., Mahanti, R. L., Mizener, M. W., … Osterholm, M. T.
(1990). Herpes gladiatorum at a high school wrestling camp – Minnesota. American Journal of Diseases of Children, 144(5), 530. Goodman JL, Holland EJ, Andres CW, Homann SR, Mahanti RL, Mizener MW et al. Herpes gladiatorum at a high school wrestling camp – Minnesota. American Journal of Diseases of Children. 1990;144(5):530.
Goodman, J. L.; Holland, E. J.; Andres, C. W.; Homann, S. R.; Mahanti, R. L.; Mizener, M. W.; Erice, A.; Osterholm, M.
T. / Herpes gladiatorum at a high school wrestling camp – Minnesota.
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What you Should Expect From your Pediatrician?
Your child should have a primary care provider who can guide and support you through the process of finding the health care services that your child needs. This person should be a board-certified or board-eligible pediatrician or family medicine physician. Families of children with special health care needs benefit from pediatric care that has the following characteristics:
- It is accessible. Your physician should be in your community and easily accessible to you. He/She should accept whatever type of health insurance you have for your child.
- It is continuous. This means the same provider knows your child and follows your child over time. Your physician is active in your child's care during hospitalizations and after discharge.
- It is comprehensive. This means your child's physician addresses all areas of your child's care, including medical, educational, developmental, and other service needs.
- It is family-centered. Your physician respects your knowledge of your child, and a trust exists between your family and your physician in caring for your child.
- It is coordinated. Your child's physician and office staff should coordinate the services that you need for your child from various providers, agencies, and organizations to make sure all of your child's needs are met and to avoid duplication.
- It is compassionate and culturally effective. This means your physician tries to understand your and your child's perspectives and respects and values your family's cultural beliefs.
A physician practice that shares these characteristics is called a "medical home". A medical home provides the preventive care your child needs, and handles most medical situations that arise. When children receive care from this type of practice, they have fewer emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Care is less expensive and more effective. Your child stays healthier and your family receives the support it needs in caring for your child with special health care needs.
Back to Family Guide Home
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Siege of Leningrad
This article does not have any sources. (December 2017)
The Siege of Leningrad, also known as the Leningrad Blockade, was a siege in Leningrad during World War II. The siege started on 8 September 1941, when the last road to the city was severed. Although the Soviets managed to open a narrow path to the city on 18 January 1943, the siege was only stopped on 27 January 1944, 872 days after it began. It is thought of as one of the most destructive sieges ever to happen. It was possibly the heaviest in terms of casualties, killing over 1 million innocent people. Also, because of the siege, no food was allowed to enter Leningrad, leaving the residents to eat things such as:
- Wallpaper paste
- Human flesh (e.g babies)
- Anything that could be salvaged and was edible
Because of the German operations, no people or supply trucks were allowed to enter or leave the city, leaving the occupants without food often for weeks or months.
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With July 4th just around the corner, let’s talk parades! The Museum is lucky to have some great images of Peabody parades going back to the late 1800s.
From June 14th to 16th, 1919, the City of Peabody formally welcomed home its servicemen following the end of the war. 500 servicemen paraded through the main streets of Peabody.
Film is courtesy of the Peabody Institute Library.
Peabody celebrated 50 years as a city on October 8th, 1966. According to The Peabody Times, “More than 150,000 people lined the four miles of the parade route and stayed for more than six hours to witness the program…At the height of the parade, Peabody square was a sea of humanity with about 5,000 in that section alone to see the more than 40 bands and 50 floats that made this the most unusual and spectacular parade in Essex County history.”
Last, but not least, the Fourth of July Celebration in 1970 was filled with activities for everyone in the family!
These items were donated by Albert Cohen.
Do you have any photographs or home movies of Peabody parades? Do you have any memories from the “Golden Jubilee” or July 4th, 1970?
We’d love to hear from you!
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Australia has a beautiful mix of flora adapted to the varied ecosystems present. From hardy desert flora which can survive the most arid conditions to frost resistant shrubbery and tropical plants situated in the rain forests of Far North Queensland, you can find plants, trees and bushes which are capable of surviving and thriving in all conditions. Here are some of the most prevalent and unique Australian flora which captivates loves of all thing flora:
Eucalyptus Nicholii – Narrow-leafed Peppermint
A popular and most attractive ornamental eucalypt from the New England area of NSW that is grown extensively throughout Australia and overseas. The small thin grey-green foliage and the pendulous branches can make for a most handsome tree growing to around 20m high in good conditions. Nicholii is suited to most soil types including poor soils, adapts to most climates and is frost tolerant down to around -7°C. White flowers are seen in Autumn and the bark is a fibrous grey-brown. It’s one of the most popular and best known of Australia’s Eucalypts and has been grown as a garden specimen for decades. It’s also a good shade tree.
Melaleuca lateritia – Robin Redbreast Bush
This Melaleuca has orange-red bottlebrush like flowers seen in summer and at other times of the year. The flowers grow to around 8cm long. It’s a shrub to about 1.5 metres high and 1 metre wide that responds well to a light trim promoting bushiness. Melaleuca lateritia is a hardy plant in most soils and climates appreciating full sun and accepting of mild frosts. It originates in Western Australia but adapts well in Eastern Australia. It’s an attractive plant that will attract birds to the garden. We have found that it likes wet soil too.
Hakea Salicifolia – Willow Leaf Hakea
This is a fast growing shrub with white flowers along the stems in spring. Its a bushy shrub, ideal for screening reaching about 5 metres high. Leaves grow to about 12cm long and new growth has a pleasant rose colouring. Hakea salicifolia is a very hardy plant in most soils preferring full sun and accepting of part shade. Its native to NSW and Queensland but is easily grown all around Australia.
Philotheca myoporoides – Long-Leaf Wax Flower ( Syn Eriostemon myoporoides)
A wonderful small shrub with pink buds and white star flowers in winter or spring. Usually forms a rounded shrub of variable height and width from 1 to 2 metres suitable for informal hedges or low screens. This is a very hardy plant in reasonably well-drained soil thriving in full-sun but also accepting of some shade. Its tolerant of frost down to around zero degrees Celsius and suitable for coastal areas as well. The flowers and foliage are suitable for use in vases and floral arrangements.
Grevillea Flora Mason
This wonderful Grevillea produces masses of flowers coloured lemon, apricot and soft pink from late Autumn to Mid-Spring. It has fine pleasant foliage and grows to around 2 metres high and wide. It accepts a range of climates and soils including frost to -7oC, alkaline conditions, full sun and part shade, coastal sites, clay and sand. Flora Mason is a bushy shrub that can be trimmed to shape. The name comes from the late Flora Mason who was a very keen native plant grower and collector from South Australia.
Melaeuca nesophila – Showy Honey Nyrtle
This would have to be one of the nicest Melaleucas. The contrast and combination of the pinkish/purple flower heads, the deep green shiny foliage and the light coloured almost smooth paper-bark makes this an excellent plant for the garden. The beautiful flowers are borne terminally and are about 3cm in diameter. We’ve found that it grows very well near the coast and also well inland where we are. Nesophila performs well in both wet and well drained soils reaching around 3 to 4 metres high and 3m wide. It’s a suitably attractive shrub to use as a feature in the garden and is also a useful screening plant that grows quickly. It’s salt tolerant and frost resistant down to around -7oC. It originates in Western Australia adapting well in most areas including the tropics.
Kunzea baxteri – Scarlet Kunzea
This great Australian shrub has brilliant red, oval bottlebrush type flowers with gold tips that occur in spring and summer that are extremely attractive. The flowers and fruits are very popular with birds and especially parrots. The leaves are small, soft, fine and an attractive bright green which enhance the beauty of the plant. It’s an open spreading plant which will grow to around 3 metres tall and wide in good conditions and is one of the most floriferous of the Kunzea genus. It has proved very popular with gardeners over the years and is quite easy to grow. Originating in Western Australia, this is a hardy shrub that grows well in most areas preferring well-drained soil and full sun or some shade. It may take several years to flower but in that time will grow into a generous sized plant. Regular pruning will promote flowering and help to retain a desirable shape. It’s frost tolerant down to around -7oC. We have grown them here at Branxton with little effort and great results.
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Rapid urbanization has induced significant changes in the land use patterns causing problems of water scarcity and increased flood risks in present-day cities. The common issues related to urban flooding include economic loss, traffic disruptions and impacts on public health. The increased runoff quantity and pollutants it carries can have profound impacts on aquatic and riparian habitats in urban streams. Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), also known as low impact development (LID) is an emerging approach used for on-site management of stormwater runoff. Specific examples include rain gardens, infiltration trenches, green roofs, vegetated swales, permeable pavements, and vegetated filter strips. GSI is a potential technology for reducing the quantity and improving the quality of urban stormwater runoff, thereby reducing its adverse impacts. In this talk, the literature-based effectiveness of GSI for reducing the runoff quantity and various stormwater pollutants will be shared. In addition, the common barriers to GSI, especially in developing countries, and their possible solutions will be deliberated.
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Barriers to Indigenous Wealth
(Originally published Nov. 17, 2021) Learn about some of the barriers that have prevented many Native Americans and Indigenous people from thriving financially in the United States.
High income and wealth are difficult to achieve in the U.S. for many Native Americans. To find opportunities to advance racial equity for Native Americans, it's important to understand how big the income and wealth gaps are and learn about the history that led to those gaps.
What Data Says About Native American Income and Wealth
Consider these statistics:
- The median household income for Native Americans is $43,825 compared with $68,785 for white, non-Hispanic households — about 64% of white, non-Hispanic median household income.
- The average Native American household has 8 cents of wealth for every dollar of wealth for the average white American household.
- Native Americans have the highest national poverty rate at 25.4% compared with 8% for white Americans, according to the National Community Reinvestment Coalition..
- The homeownership rate was 51% among Native Americans, compared with 73% for white non-Hispanic Americans in 2019.
Even though the statistics describe financial health on average, Native Americans are not a monolithic group. There are hundreds of tribes, nations and bands, each with unique languages and cultures. We can look at the numbers in aggregate because of the shared history of trauma, oppression, displacement and cultural erasure in the U.S. that continues to block Native American financial growth and stability.
Here are some of the factors that have inhibited many Native Americans' access to building financial wealth and passing it on to future generations.
Systematic colonization began more than 500 years ago, with the arrival of European settlers who claimed land for themselves that had already been occupied by Indigenous people for centuries.
The settlers violently forced their way onto the land, displacing Indigenous people. The English claimed all the land east of the Mississippi after winning the French and Indian War of 1754-1763. Colonizers enslaved Native Americans who were allies of the losing side.
Colonizers also brought with them diseases for which Indigenous people had no immunity. By some estimates, illness killed as much as 90% of Native American populations.
That loss of life and land has been putting Native Americans at a severe financial disadvantage ever since colonizers arrived.
Forced Relocation and Genocide
As the United States government formed, the takeover of Native American lands continued. The settlers drew borders and developed land for individual economic gain, building financial wealth they could pass down to future generations of their own families.
Contrary to popular belief, Native Americans understood land ownership and owned land themselves, although there were, and in many ways still are, significant cultural differences between the Native American and settlers' approach, and among tribes in how land and resources were managed, how value was assigned, and whether the benefit was communal or for individuals.
Many white settlers believed they were entitled to the land, and the presence of Native Americans interfered with their plans. So, the settlers took the land, often violently, burning down houses and even committing mass murder. President Andrew Jackson referred to this as the "Indian Problem." To make room for the settlers, and their lucrative industries such as cotton farming, Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act in 1830 giving the federal government the authority to take Native American land in the east in exchange for land west of the Mississippi.
Native Americans from different tribes were marched thousands of miles, many in chains with little or no food, to what the federal government had designated "Indian Territory." About 3,000 Native Americans died of starvation and disease along what would become known as the Trail of Tears.
When colonization began, the North American Indigenous population was estimated at 5 million to 15 million. By 1900, about 400 years later, the population dropped to fewer than 238,000.
Reservations and Forced Assimilation
In 1851, the Indian Appropriations Act created the reservation system. Tribes were moved to land they were told they could farm, but it was often on unwanted land, where nothing could grow. Native communities struggled to maintain their culture. Tribes were forced to wear non-Native clothes, cut their hair, abandon their language and give up their spiritual beliefs.
The Dawes Act of 1887 further reduced the amount of land in Native American control. The law divided the tribes' land into tracts that would be allotted to individual Native Americans. Once the allotments were made to tribal members, the remaining land was sold to white Americans. As a result, Native Americans lost an estimated 86 million acres, or 62%, of their land.
Trust Land and Limited Property Rights
Native American reservations are sovereign nations that aren't subject to federal laws, but the federal government holds much of the tribal lands in trust, hampering the wealth-building potential of the land for the tribe and its members. In many cases, Native Americans can't build equity and pass it on to their children. They can't take loans against their property, sell it or develop it in the same way private property owners who hold the property title can.
There is debate about whether individual ownership or communal ownership would most benefit a tribe, but the existing system doesn't give tribes the choice, leaving many out of a common method of building wealth.
Lack of Access to Banking and Affordable Credit
An estimated 16.3% of Native American households are unbanked, meaning they don't use banks or credit unions, representing the lowest rate of banked households in the country, according to the National Indian Council on Aging.
Often, people are unbanked because of poor credit history or distrust of the banking system. Without a traditional bank, they must rely on non-traditional financial service providers to cash paychecks, take out money orders to pay bills, and borrow against upcoming paychecks. These services typically come with high fees and interest rates.
Native Americans who live on reservations often have the additional challenge of traveling long distances to financial institutions and ATMs, and spotty internet access that makes online banking difficult.
So how far is it? On average, it's 12.2 miles from the center of a Native American reservation to the nearest bank or credit union.
To fill the void left by traditional banks, Native Americans have built banks and credit unions to meet the needs of the communities they serve. According to the National Indian Council on Aging, there are 30 Native American and Alaska Native banks and credit unions in the U.S. working to provide financial assistance and banking services to communities and tribal-owned businesses.
The history of violence and stolen land set the starting line for building financial health and wealth farther away for many Native Americans. Colonizers and the federal government created mechanisms to give white Americans a head start in a world that was new to them and forcibly removed Indigenous people. By controlling the borders and holding land in trust, the federal government has retained control of Native American populations, despite their sovereign status.
How To Support Native and Indigenous Financial Health
First, understand the meaning of Indigenous wealth. According to the Native Governance Center, it's about decolonizing and revitalizing what it means to be healthy and live in abundance.
Consider these three ways to support Indigenous wealth:
If you're interested in supporting Indigenous wealth, a self-assessment is a great starting place. Look at what you're already doing. How are you contributing to or potentially harming the financial well-being of Indigenous people? Are you involved with efforts happening in your own community? The Native Governance Center put together a self-assessment as a reference for individuals and groups aiming towards working in solidarity with Native nations.
2. Take action.
Look for meaningful ways to listen and learn from Indigenous people. Can you advocate for or amplify Indigenous voices in your workplace? Your community?
- Sign up for a class. Look for classes that share information about tribal sovereignty, tribal history and governance. Local community colleges may offer classes on these topics.
- Vote. Voting is an important way to make your voice heard. Also try encouraging your friends and family to vote. You can make a difference on issues being voted on in local, state and tribal municipalities.
3. Consider donations.
If you're able, consider making donations to Indigenous wealth-building organizations. You can join BECU's Native Indigenous Peoples Employee Resource Group in contributing to causes they are working to advance: Chief Seattle Club, Duwamish River, Rise Above, Unkitawa and Whale Scout.
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Sétif, also called Stif, town, northeastern Algeria, near the Wadi Bou Sellam. As ancient Sitifis, it became important when the Roman emperor Nerva established a veterans’ colony there in AD 97. Sitifis became the chief town of the province of Mauretania Sitifensis (created AD 297) and remained so under Byzantine rule. The town declined until garrisoned by the French in 1838. In 1945 the Sétif town area was the site of a spontaneous outburst against French colonial rule, and more than 100 Europeans were killed. In retaliation, by Algerian count after the fact, between 6,000 and 8,000 Muslims were massacred. The area around Sétif was developed as a centre of cereal cultivation during the French colonial period, and wheat is processed in local factories to produce semolina, couscous (cracked wheat), and noodles.
Sétif, laid out in a grid pattern of wide streets by the French, is one of Algeria’s highest communities (elevation 3,596 feet [1,096 m]). The University of Sétif was founded in 1978. Remains of the great Byzantine fortress are to the north. In 1959 a Roman necropolis was discovered near the town centre. Pop. (1987 prelim.1998) 170211,182859.
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Dr. Candy Ho, Canada
UN International World Teachers' Day - 5 October SDGs/Global Goals 4 & 8
Updated: Jan 29, 2022
On October 5, United Nations UNESCO #WorldTeachers we celebrate the inspiring teachers in our lives. As each of us reflect on our own educational experience, we can likely identify exceptional teachers and the lifelong impact they have had on us (personally, I have my teachers to thank for my decision to become a post-secondary educator!)
Teachers, your superpowers are known and felt, especially during the last year and a half as you channel your #creativity, #adaptability, and #patience to ensure your students continue to persist and remain engaged. Thank you so much for all that you do day in and day out to inspire your students, and know that your influence continues beyond our time with you.
#NotAllHerosWearCapes #Teachers #CareerandLivelihood #Career #UnitedNations #UNDays
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New Technology Helps Research At Hovenweep
CORTEZ, Colo. (CBS4) – The ruins of Hovenweep lie along the Colorado-Utah border to the west of the more famous cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde.
There’s now a new visitor center that has been built at Hovenweep National Monument in recent years. The center is a great place to check for nature walks and other programs in the park year round.
CBS4 Colorado Getaways producer Doug Whitehead made a return trip to Hovenweep at the beginning of January.
“I’ve been going there for years and this latest visit only confirms why I have always considered this a special place,” Whitehead said.
Still standing more than eight centuries after they were built, the buildings represent the final chapter of an age-old occupation of this land.
“It wasn’t just what we see here today. We’re talking thousands of years of Puebloan life here,” Todd Overbye said.
Overbye is lead interpreter at Hovenweep. He says that nearly a quarter century of drought played a huge role in the demise of what had been a successful agrarian society.
“They could not survive here like they could in the past and so they all left. Was it en masse? We don’t know, but maybe in stages, but they did all leave by early 1300 and nobody’s occupied this area since,” Overbye said.
Ties to the region, however, remain to this day. Descendents of the ancestral Puebloans like modern Hopi and Zuni people call places like Hovenweep by names passed on through generations — names that echo from their ancient past.
“If you take the time to explore Hovenweep and just sit here and listen to the silence, you might be able to hear the bustling of the community used to be here,” Overbye said.
The term “Anasazi” refers to the people who lived in the four corners region. Today the term “ancestral Pueblo people” is thought to better describe the ancestors of modern Pueblo tribes. Researchers have begun to consult with those tribes more closely in recent years because of the ancient knowledge they possess.
The technology of research has improved a lot. There is GPS, ground penetrating radar and all kinds of tools to look underground without disturbing much of the ruins themselves. 3-D pictures were developed through the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Cortez. They’re based on information gathered with the new methods to give a better understanding of how the communities existed on the landscape. Find out more about the new research at Crow Canyon Archaeological Center website.
Reach Hovenweep by taking U.S. Highway 160 from Durango to Cortez. Just south of town follow signs west on McElmo Canyon Road into Utah and the visitor center. Several sites lie back across the border in Colorado. For more information call them at (970) 562-4282 or visit a special section of the nps.gov website.
Photo Gallery: Hovenweep National Monument
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St. John's Wort
St. John's Wort family (Hypericaceae)
Description: This shrubby perennial wildflower is abundantly branched and 2-4' tall. The lower stems are woody with shredded gray-brown bark, while the upper stems are green and slightly winged on opposite sides. The opposite leaves are up to 3" and ¾" across (usually about one-half this size); they are linear-oblong to oblong-elliptic in shape, smooth along their margins, and hairless. The upper surfaces of the leaves are medium green, while their lower surfaces are pale green; they are sessile or taper to short petioles. The upper stems terminates in small clusters of 3-7 flowers; additional clusters of flowers may appear along the 2 upper pairs of opposite leaves. Each flower is ¾–1" across, consisting of 5 yellow petals, 5 green sepals, a pistil with 3 united styles, and abundant stamens. The petals are much larger than the sepals.
The blooming period occurs during the summer and lasts about 2 months. Each flower is replaced by an ovoid-lanceoloid seed capsule about 1/3–1/2" (8-12 mm.) in length. At the apex of each seed capsule, the tips of the 3 styles persist and become separated. Each seed capsule is divided into 3 cells and divides into 3 parts at maturity to release the seeds. The small seeds are narrowly oblongoid, flattened, and black. The root system is woody and branching.
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun, moist to dry-mesic conditions, and somewhat barren rocky ground. This shrubby wildflower is readily cultivated in gardens.
Range & Habitat: The native Shrubby St. John's Wort is occasional in the southern half of Illinois and largely absent in the northern half of the state (see Distribution Map). Habitats include upland prairies, upland rocky woodlands and bluffs, rocky stream banks, edges of swamps, abandoned fields, pastures, and roadside embankments. Some local populations near urban areas may be escaped cultivated plants.
Faunal Associations: The flowers are cross-pollinated primarily by bumblebees, which collect pollen for their larvae. Other insect visitors that seek pollen from the flowers include Syrphid flies and Halictid bees, but they are less effective at cross-pollination. Sometimes butterflies and wasps land on the flowers, but they are vainly seeking nectar -- the flowers offer only pollen from the abundant stamens as a floral reward. Insects that feed on Shrubby St. John's Wort and other Hypericum spp. include the aphid Brachysiphum hyperici, several leaf beetles, the caterpillars of the butterfly Strymon melinus (Gray Hairstreak), and the caterpillars of several moths. The Insect Table lists many of these species. Most mammalian herbivores avoid consumption of Hypericum spp. because their foliage contains varying amounts of the phototoxic chemical, hypericin. In the presence of light, this chemical can cause rashes to develop on light-skinned animals and it can irritate the gastrointestinal tract.
Photographic Location: A flower garden at the Arboretum of the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: Shrubby St. John's Wort has attractive flowers and foliage. It differs from many other Hypericum spp. by its woody lower stems. It is easy to confuse this species with the woody Hypericum kalmianum (Kalm's St. John's Wort), which is restricted to sandy areas near the Great Lakes (including Lake Michigan in NE Illinois). This latter species has 5-celled seed capsules with 5 style-tips, while Shrubby St. John's Wort has 3-celled seed capsules with 3 style-tips. There are also species of St. John's Wort that have 1-celled seed capsules with singular style-tips; some of these may be slightly woody at the base. A widely cultivated woody species, Hypericum frondosum (Golden St. John' Wort), has larger flowers (greater than 1" across) and wider leaves (greater than ¾" across) than Shrubby St. John's Wort. Golden St. John's Wort is native to the southeastern states, but not Illinois. Another scientific name of Shrubby St. John's Wort is Hypericum spathulatum.
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January 1957 Popular Electronics
Table of Contents
Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics. See articles
published October 1954 - April 1985. All copyrights are hereby acknowledged.
According to a 2001 paper published by the
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, formerly National Bureau of Standards, NBS), "The end of the era of quartz
frequency standards began in 1949 with the development at NBS of the world’s first atomic frequency
standard based on an ammonia absorption line at 23.87 GHz." Further, "The Bureau supported work
on both technologies for the next decade, but the rapid advances in the accuracy of atomic frequency
standards could not be matched by quartz devices, and the work on quartz frequency standards was stopped
in 1959." This article from a 1957 edition of Popular Electronics claims that the "master of
all master-clocks" resided at the U.S. Naval Observatory at the time - not quite accurate from what
my research indicates. Still, it is a good introduction to crystal growth and processing for use as
After Class: Special Information on Radio, TV, Radar, and Nucleonics
Some Facts on Quartz Crystals
In the U. S. Naval Observatory at Arlington, Va., is the master of all master-clocks. The primary
standard for all the timepieces of the nation, this clock is never fast or slow by more than a few seconds
in one-hundred million. If you were to measure the distance between New York and Miami, Florida, with
this kind of accuracy, the results would not be in error by more than the length of one standard cigarette!
Such fabulous micro-precision, matched only by the earth itself as it spins on its axis, is keyed
to a tiny slab of crystalline quartz held under rigid temperature control in a special oven. Although
it may soon be supplanted by an even more precise time standard (resonance of cesium atoms), the quartz
crystal still remains the most important frequency-controlling device in existence today.
How They Are Cut.
Oscillating crystals are cut from so-called mother stones by high-speed carborundum wheels. Although
most finished plates come from natural quartz prisms, modern techniques for growing mother stones in
the laboratory have been perfected to the degree where our dependence upon nature soon will be unnecessary.
Synthetic crystals are often superior to natural ones since the conditions during synthesis are held
under rigid laboratory control.
Synthetic quartz mother stone was grown in a laboratory.
Bell Telephone labs.
A crystal exhibits piezoelectric activity. This means that it develops electric charges on its faces
when compressed or otherwise distorted in shape. When connected in the grid circuit of a vacuum tube,
sustained oscillations of one particular frequency are produced. Since the thickness of the crystal
plate is an important factor in determining the frequency of oscillation, the cut blank is ground and
polished until its mechanical resonant frequency arrives at the desired value; the thinner the crystal,
the higher its resonant frequency.
Thin wafers are cut from large mother stones by multiple saw. Wafers must then be ground and polished.
James Knights Co.
At one time, only X-cut and Y-cut crystals were available. These terms indicate that the crystal
slices are taken from the mother stone at right angles to the X and Y axes. The X-axis is a line joining
two opposite corners of the hexagonal prism and the Y-axis is a, line joining the mid-points of the
two opposite faces. (See Fig. 1.) Both of these cuts are subject to temperature effects, changing frequency
over relatively wide ranges as the temperature varies.
Fig. 1. Axes of mother stone and orientation planes of X-cut and Y-cut crystal blanks. A hexagonal
prism has six X and six Y axes.
Crystal blanks are being loaded into a planetary type of lapping machine prior to final polishing.
Between 1934 and 1949, vastly improved cuts were discovered by scientists connected with Bell Telephone
Laboratories and RCA. Labeled AT, BT, V, CT, and DT, these crystals were ground from blanks oriented
at complex angles with the axes of the mother stone. Finally, in 1940, the most stable quartz crystal
ever devised was announced by W. P. Mason. Known as the GT-cut, this crystal shows no appreciable change
in frequency from -25° C to +75° C; the cut remains virtually "on-frequency" over a range of
Disassembled military type FT-243 (7620-kc.) pressure-sandwich type of crystal holder used extensively
in communications equipment.
The kind of cut you might use depends upon the depth of your purse and its contents. X- and Y-cuts
are quite inexpensive while a GT-cut for a specific frequency is still prohibitive in cost to experimenters
of average means.
Characteristics. The most important single crystal parameter is its temperature coefficient. Since
the frequency of a Y-cut crystal rises with temperature, it is said to have a positive coefficient;
conversely, the coefficient of an X-cut crystal is negative because frequency drops with rising temperature.
For example, the temperature coefficient of a certain Y-cut crystal is given as +75 p/m/C°. This
is read as "plus 75 parts per million per °C." It means that for every degree rise in temperature,
the crystal frequency rises 75 cps for each megacycle of its basic frequency. Thus, if you assume that
the temperature of this Y-cut crystal ground for 3 mc. at 0° C goes up 10° C, the change in
frequency will be: 75 cps X 3 mc. X 10° = 2250 cps = .00225 mc. Adding this to the basic frequency
gives 3.00225 mc. On the surface, this does not appear to be a serious deviation, but it is a change
of 750 parts per million for only 10° of temperature variation. The GT-cut, on the other hand, varies
only one part per million over a 100° C range (180° F).
For any given cut at a specified temperature, the frequency of oscillation is determined by the
thickness of the blank. As a crystal is ground thinner and thinner, its natural frequency rises. In
the early days of crystal control, it was virtually impossible to grind the quartz slabs thin enough
to exceed 20 mc. without having them fracture during operation. Since some cuts are worse than others
in this respect, the thickness-frequency specification for each is given in terms of the frequency factor.
This parameter is defined by the simple equation: k: = F X t; where F is the fundamental frequency of
the crystal in mc., t is the thickness in thousandths of an inch, and k is the frequency factor of the
For example, the X-cut has a frequency factor of approximately 112 while the
Y-cut is rated at 77. Suppose that one of each of these were to be ground to oscillate at 4 mc. Their
respective thicknesses would be:
X-cut: t = k/F = 112/4 = .0028"
Y-cut: t = k/F = 77/4 =
From this it is evident that the larger the frequency factor of a crystal, the thicker
it may be for a given frequency. The AT-cut, with a frequency factor of about 66, is just about the
thinnest of all plates.
Overtone Crystals. An overtone or harmonic quartz crystal is one that has been specially ground or
otherwise treated by the manufacturer so that it vibrates in two or more parts rather than as a whole.
Essentially, this process is very similar to overtone production in musical instruments where the sounding
body vibrates in parts showing nodes and loops along its length (Fig. 2). If a crystal were to vibrate
in two equal parts, the output would be exactly double the fundamental or "one-part" frequency. In practice,
this is seldom the case, because overtone crystals do not "break up" into equal sections as they oscillate.
Fig. 2. Analogy showing relation of overtones to fundamental: (A) a string producing its fundamental
tone by vibrating in one part; (B) first overtone or second harmonic of the string; (C) second overtone
or third harmonic.
If, for example, an AT-cut crystal is treated to produce third harmonic output at 21 mc., it might
be marked "7-mc. fundamental" This means that its harmonic frequency is approximately three times its
fundamental; its output may differ from the true third harmonic by several megacycles. When such crystals
are purchased for transmitter control, the buyer should know the harmonic output rather than the fundamental
Overtone crystals are almost always used in special oscillator circuits in which the crystal responds
at its series resonant frequency. Standard oscillators operate at their parallel resonant frequencies.
Mounting. The development of better crystal holders has kept pace with improvements in the fabrication
of finished quartz plates. These holders are designed to avoid interference with the piezoelectric vibrations
of the crystal and to provide protection against mechanical shock. In the pressure-sandwich type of
holder, the crystal is supported between two electrodes which are in intimate contact with a pair of
flat metal plates to insure good electrical connection. Spring loading and the use of fiber and neoprene
make for firm support, excellent protection, and hermetic sealing. This type of holder typifies medium-frequency
mounting techniques; at the higher frequencies, particularly when overtone crystals are employed, other
kinds of holders are favored.
For extra-precise control of frequency, crystal holders are often enclosed in thermostatically controlled
ovens which maintain the frequency constant over extremely wide variations in ambient temperature. Such
holders are very compact and weigh only a few ounces.
Four types of mountings. At left is a 110-kc. X-cut crystal in a military type HC-13/U holder which
produces very little damping and some mechanical resonance in wires supporting the crystal. Next is
a GT-cut in a special holder; the crystal is first plated with gold, then placed in evacuated glass
holder, and is supported by eight wires soldered to plating. In cutaway view, a circular, silver-plated
AT-cut in a glass holder is mounted inside temperature-controlled oven for greater stability. At right
is a close-up view of an NT-cut in a miniature glass holder supported by four wires.
Posted April 3, 2013
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What’s going on geologically in Billings’ stunning but fracturing Rimrocks is really pretty simple, a Billings geologist said Tuesday.
“Mother Nature always wants to flatten the Earth, to put it in layman’s terms,” said Jay Gunderson, a research geologist with the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology’s Billings office. “Erosion always takes over.”
Under the sweeping cliff faces are huge fractures that Gunderson said extend “tens of meters” into the subsurface rock. After a storm, moisture creeps down and loosens the dirt, eroding the soil “that holds things in place,” he said.
The sandstone that makes up the Rims is about 80 million years old. They’re the result of the Yellowstone River cutting through rock and clay, which is “why we have the cliffs we do today,” he said.
Beneath the relatively soft sandstone face is what’s geologically referred to as the Telegraph Creek Form. It's shale, said Larry Smith, a member of the geological engineering faculty at Montana Tech in Butte. Because the shale is not well exposed, water doesn’t easily penetrate it. Water passing through the sandstone instead pools on the shale, and that pooling increases pressure on rock pores and decreases rock strength, he said.
“Water is a pretty important factor,” Smith said. “It wouldn’t surprise me that this wet winter has increased loading or decreased the strength of the rock” near the point of contact between the two rock types.
The freeze/thaw cycle, especially during the spring, helps pry the rock away from the Rims. Water freezes at night, then thaws the next day. Since ice is thicker than water, it can slowly separate soft rock.
“It is an occasional thing that happens, and it’s hard to predict,” Gunderson said. “This could continue for a while, or it could be 10, 20 or 100 years before we see it happen again. It’s kind of like predicting an earthquake.”
“It is so hard to study those things,” Smith added. “It happens infrequently but catastrophically. Setting up a monitoring system over the long term is probably the way to go.”
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Make your data come to life with attractive, interactive reports in Power BI. In this course, you’ll learn how to use Power BI’s analytics tools to transform your data into dazzling dashboards, reports, and visualisations to understand key business insights at a glance.
This course is for those who are interested in learning how to use Microsoft’s Power BI software to reveal compelling and powerful stories from their data.
Awarded 20 CPD points upon successful completion
Power BI is a data visualisation tool that allows us to see and understand data more deeply. In this course, you’ll explore essential types of analysis and data visualisation used to convey insights from data.
You’ll learn how to prepare and clean your data before you work with it, and you’ll learn step by step how to use your data to build reports in Power BI Desktop and publish them to the cloud service where you can create and share your personalised dashboards.
You’ll also learn how to create, customise, and format your dashboard in Power BI and add interactivity to your data visualisations.
By the end of the course, you will be equipped with powerful data visualisation skills to help your organisation get the meaningful answers you and your colleagues need to make informed decisions for your business.
Module 1: What is Power BI?
Module 2: Getting Started with Power BI
Module 3: Data & Modeling
Module 4: Working with DAX (Power BI’s formula language)
Module 5: Exploring Visuals
The aim of the course is to introduce you to key concepts relating to storytelling with your data and to help you develop your skills using Power BI to create rich and meaningful visualisations of your data.
No pre-requisites are required for this course
If you’re working toward a career in data science, having a strong command of a data visualisation tool, such as Power BI, will be an essential part of your toolkit.
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| 0.878364 | 424 | 3.28125 | 3 |
Public transportation is definitely a green way to commute. However, buses in particular aren’t exactly that eco friendly as they can be if this Dwarf minibus concept goes into production. Conceptualized by Dakoda Reid, this green beauty is made to run on electricity harvested by onboard solar panels.
Featuring an electric motor in each of its four wheels, the electric bus can be operated in any direction for tight turns or congested parallel parking. To keep things light in weight, the designer has integrated lightweight reinforced polymers and composites for all the body work.
The all-electric bus carries a large battery pack on its floor, which not only stores the energy harvested by the solar roof, but can also be recharged by the conventional wall socket. The futuristic concept has been designed with omni-directional wheels that allow the bus to turn 360 degrees with ease in tight spaces. Though, the designer hasn’t revealed details regarding the expected operating range and top speed, the large battery packs and continuous solar charging, makes us believe that the vehicle should be good enough for at least a hundred miles.
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Tango no Sekku is celebrated on May 5th. In Japan, this day is called Boys’ Festival. It’s been celebrated for over a millennium. Originally it was celebrated in the houses of warriors. It celebrated boys’ courage and determination. Many of the symbols of this day are about having the character of a warrior. Eventually this day became important to all households in Japan with boys.
After WWII, Boys’ Day became toned down. This holiday officially became known as Children’s Day or Kodomo no hi. It’s supposed to be a day to celebrate the health and happiness of all children. But many people still see it as Boys’ Festival.
Large carp windsocks, called koinobori, are displayed outside houses of families with boys. There’s one windsock for each boy in the house. The largest windsock is for the oldest son of the house.
The carp is a symbol of Tango no Sekku, because carp are considered strong and determined. They’re able to swim upstream against the flow of the water. This is a day for families to celebrate their sons’ strength and character.
Warrior dolls and helmets, armor and swords are also displayed in houses with boys.
The symbolic flower of Tango no Sekku is a type of iris called shobu. The shobu has long leaves that resemble swords. Boys traditionally take shobu leaf baths on this day. The shobu is so important on this day that sometimes the festival is called Shobu no Sekku or Iris Festival.
One traditional food eaten on this day is kashiwa mochi. It’s a rice cake steamed with sweet beans and wrapped in an oak leaf. Another traditional food is chimaki, which is rice wrapped in bamboo leaves.
Here’s a traditional song for Tango no Sekku called Koinoburi or Carp Windsocks…
Yane yori takai koinobori.
Okii magoi wa otoosan.
Chisai higoi wa kodomotachi.
Omoshiro soni oyideru.
Carp windsocks are above the roof.
The biggest carp is the father,
The smaller carp are children,
They’re enjoying swimming in the sky.
I welcome any midis or mp3’s of Koinobori, the Japanese text and also any comments about the traditions of this day.
Come visit the Mama Lisa’s World Japan Page for more Songs from Japan!
This article was posted on Wednesday, May 3rd, 2006 at 4:14 pm and is filed under Children's Day, Countries & Cultures, Holidays Around the World, Japan, Japanese, Japanese Kids Songs, Kodomo no hi - Japanese Children's Day, Koinobori, Koinobori - Carp Windsocks, Languages, Shobu no Sekku or Iris Festival, Tango no Sekku - Japanese Boys' Festival, Tango no Sekku - Japanese Boys' Festival Songs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
13 Responses to “The Japanese Boys’ Festival called “Tango no Sekku”, plus a Song for the Holiday called “Koinobori””
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Censorship is a very controversial issue: the freedom of ideas and speech is something many people have died fighting for over the centuries and the notion that ideas and information should be controlled by governments or society as a whole, is very divisive one. So what are the pros and cons of censorship in modern society?
The definition of censorship is the control of ideas, speech, and freedom of information, in much the same way as George Orwell wrote about in his iconic book, “1984”. But whilst the fictionalized account of “big brother is watching you” was truly very disturbing, on a smaller scale, most of us experience some level of censorship in our everyday lives, from the DVDs deemed unsuitable for younger viewers to the banning of certain images before the 9pm watershed on television. However, in modern times, censorship has largely become unenforceable with the rise of the Internet, so what are the pros and cons of censorship and is censorship a good or a bad thing?
What are the pros of censorship?
- Censorship controls the types of images and material that might be available to children, from pornography to violence, and whilst it is often extremely difficult to police what appears on the Internet, some level of censorship is essential to prevent the corruption of young and vulnerable minds.
- Censorship can help to prevent unnecessary religious conflict by thwarting a possible avenue for those trying to incite religious violence.
- Politically motivated propaganda is a dangerous tool for individuals and political figures to try and garner the support of the masses for their potentially dangerous ideas: censorship helps to prevent such ideas from finding a fertile breeding ground.
- Censoring sensitive information can stop unsuitable people gaining access to potentially harmful information.
- Censorship protects the privacy of certain individuals who might otherwise be subjected to unwelcome attention.
What are the cons of censorship?
- Censorship stifles the freedom of the media and press, which is not in the spirit of democracy.
- Unscrupulous governments and individuals are apt to take advantage of censorship and use it to hide their own misdeeds from scrutiny of the world.
Censorship has often been used by dictators to prevent the media reporting unsavoury events in war torn and politically unstable countries.
- There is a very fine line between censorship and protectiveness—removing some types of information from the eyes and ears of children can lead to a lack of informative information on vital subjects like sex, drugs, and alcohol.
- Censorship not only stifles freedom of ideas, it also gags creativity.
- People should have the freedom to choose the type of information and ideas they wish to be exposed to rather than be told what they can and cannot do by a higher body.
- Censorship can be used to prevent the public finding out what immoral and illegal activities certain individuals have been up to in their private lives—information that the public has a right to know.
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Two of the most important organs in the body, the heart and lungs, are protected by a bony cage created by the ribs and attached muscles. The rib cage comprises 12 ribs on each hemithorax: seven ribs attached to the midline sternum, three ribs attached to the sternum through costal cartilage, and two floating ribs. The attached muscle layers protect the heart and lungs but also aid in the ever-important task of breathing.
Identifying rib fractures
Rib fractures can be classified as single, multiple, displaced, or non-displaced. A flail segment by definition is a chest wall deformity that contains at least two fractures per rib in at least two consecutive ribs. The most common mechanism causing a rib fracture or a break in the cage is a direct blow to the rib from blunt trauma. Of the patients admitted to the hospital with blunt chest trauma, approximately 10 percent will have at least one rib fracture.1 The fourth through 10th ribs are the most commonly fractured, while a fracture of ribs one through three is often associated with a high-energy mechanism of injury.2
Rib fractures may be diagnosed from the physical exam findings of bruising, abrasions, or seat belt signs on inspection; however, on palpation, one may find crepitus, point tenderness, or elicit pain with inspiration or coughing. A chest X ray can identify approximately 50 percent of rib fractures, whereas a computed tomography (CT) scan is much more sensitive in diagnosing fractures. A CT scan has the added advantage of imaging potential secondary injuries caused by the broken rib.1,2 Additional traumatic findings associated with rib fractures include: pneumothorax, hemothorax, pulmonary contusion, or laceration of the spleen or liver.
Frequency and complications
To examine the occurrence of patients with rib fractures in the National Trauma Data Bank® (NTDB®) admission year 2016, medical records were searched using the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision Clinical Modification codes. Specifically searched were records that contained a diagnosis code of either S22.3 (fracture of one rib), S22.4 (multiple fractures of ribs), or S22.5 (flail chest). A total of 123,491 records were found, of which 111,418 contained a discharge status, including 71,032 patients discharged to home, 19,471 to acute care/rehab, and 14,866 to skilled nursing facilities; 6,049 died (see Figure 1). Of these patients, 67 percent were male, an average of 58.8 years old, had an average hospital length of stay of 7.7 days, an intensive care unit length of stay of 6.7 days, an average injury severity score of 16.7, and were on the ventilator for an average of 7.8 days. Of the patients tested, 29 percent (19,720 out of 68,812) tested positive for alcohol.
As one might expect, thoracic trauma, including rib fractures, is associated with several complications. According to a 2012 NTDB study, as the number of ribs fractured increased, so did the risk for pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, pneumothorax, increased hospital length of stay, and mortality.3 The risk factors for mortality in thoracic trauma are age greater than 65, greater than three rib fractures, and premorbid cardiopulmonary disease.4 Breaking the cage should not be taken lightly.
Throughout the year, NTDB data are highlighted through brief monthly reports in the Bulletin. The NTDB Annual Report can be found on the American College of Surgeons website as a PDF file. In addition, the website contains information about how to obtain NTDB data for more detailed study. To submit your trauma center’s data, contact Melanie L. Neal, Manager, NTDB, at firstname.lastname@example.org.
Statistical support for this column was provided by Ryan Murphy, Data Analyst, NTDB.
- Serfin JA, Guo WA. Rib fractures. Available at: aast.org/rib-fractures. Accessed June 16, 2018.
- Kang O, Knipe H. Rib fractures. Available at: https://radiopaedia.org/articles/rib-fractures. Accessed July 1, 2018.
- Flagel BT, Luchette FA, Reed RL, et al. Half-a-dozen ribs: The breakpoint for mortality. Surgery. 2005;138(4):717-723.
- Battle CE, Hutchings H, Evans PA. Risk factors that predict mortality in patients with blunt chest wall trauma: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Injury. 2012;43(1):8-17.
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Shigellosis is an infection caused by Shigella bacteria. Infection may occur after ingesting fecally-contaminated food, beverages or recreational water, from sexual contact with an infected person and from contact with contaminated surfaces. Only a small number of bacteria are needed to make people ill. Symptoms can include diarrhea, stomach pain and fever. Young children, travellers to developing countries and men who have sex with men are at higher risk for shigellosis.
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Suffering is not eliminated through the expert gaze of the law or of medicine. Putting something under the microscope for inspection does not change it. It reifies it and keeps it the same. It makes a changing story (verb) into a noun (object, no change).
Equal partnerships are required for real change to occur. People must have a forum in which they can trust and believe in each other and simply talk about what troubles them and what they desire.
The narrative movement provides a bridge between European philosophy and concepts and the indigenous worldview and indigenous concepts of story, and how story becomes us and we become story and story is all there is.
Our work is to render all people nondefective; to celebrate each person’s unique resources, talents and skills.
Indigenous views of worth revolve around what we do within the relationships that we have.
Dominant culture constructions of social relationships render some people inferior and ashamed. Our dominant culture thrives on large classes of people feeling that way (ethnic minorities, women, gays and lesbians, and so on). Lack of skill in negotiating within the dominant culture is turned into feelinss of personal inferiority and self-defectiveness.
I remember my young male clients in Saskatchewan who joined Indian gangs. Tony, for example, had nothing. He lived in a two-bedroom house on a rural reserve with eighteen other people, who slept in shifts to accommodate the low ratio of beds per person. His parents were alcoholics, as were his grandparents.
Being in the gang gave him a sense of pride. He described it like being a war party in a more ancient time. The “braves” could raid “enemy camps” (other gangs) and count coup on those gang members as a way of gaining status.
The sense of trust that his gang members would protect his back was incredibly comforting to Tony, for no one had protected him before.
Only through traditional healing could Tony find that same sense of community and camaraderie that he had found in the gang.
It also provide him with a healing counter-narrative – story that could undermine the assumptions of a particular story. Within society, counter-narratives that rebel against destructive conventional concepts or constructions like racism or the oppression of women (and I would add conventional concepts of anxiety and depression) are agents of social evolution.
For Tony, the counter-narrative was that a sense of belongingness, meaning, and purpose was better found in traditional spirituality and ceremony than in the gang, especially because the risks of dying were so much less.’ Lewis Mehl-Madrona in Healing the Mind Through the Power of Story: The Promise of Narrative Psychiatry
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The history of laptops describes the efforts in the 1970s and 1980s to build small, portable personal computers that combine the components, inputs, outputs and capabilities of a desktop computer in a small chassis. Before laptop/notebook computers were technically feasible, similar ideas had been proposed, most notably Alan Kay‘s Dynabook concept, developed at Xerox PARC in the early 1970s. One of the first reasonably portable computers was the Xerox NoteTaker, again developed at Xerox PARC, in 1976. However, only 10 prototypes were built.
Portal R2E CCMC
The portable micro computer the “Portal” of the French company R2E Micral CCMC officially appeared in September 1980 at the Sicob show in Paris. The Portal was a portable microcomputer designed and marketed by the studies and developments department of the French firm R2E Micral in 1980 at the request of the company CCMC specializing in payroll and accounting. It was based on an Intel 8085 processor, 8-bit, clocked at 2 MHz. It was equipped with a central 64K byte Ram, a keyboard with 58 alpha numeric keys and 11 numeric keys (separate blocks), a 32-character screen, a floppy disk: capacity = 140 000 characters, of a thermal printer: speed = 28 characters / second, an asynchronous channel, a synchronous channel, a 220 V power supply. Designed for an operating temperature of 15–35 ° C, it weighed 12 kg and its dimensions were 45 × 45 × 15 cm. It provided total mobility. Its operating system was Prologue.
The Osborne 1 is considered the first true mobile computer by most historians. Adam Osborne founded Osborne Computer and formed the Osborne 1 in 1981. The Osborne 1 had a five-inch screen, incorporating a modem port, two 5 1/4 floppy drives, a big collection of bundled software applications, and a battery pack. The computer company was a failure and did not last for very long. Although it was large and heavy compared to today’s laptops, with a tiny 5″ CRT monitor, it had a near-revolutionary impact on business, as professionals were able to take their computer and data with them for the first time. This and other “luggables” were inspired by what was probably the first portable computer, the Xerox NoteTaker. The Osborne was about the size of a portable sewing machine, and could be carried on commercial aircraft. The Osborne 1 weighed close to 11 kg and was priced at $1795.
Although it wasn’t released until 1985, well after the decline of CP/M as a major operating system, the Bondwell 2 is one of only a handful of CP/M laptops. It used a Z-80 CPU running at 4 MHz, had 64 KBs of RAM, and a 3.5″ floppy disk drive built in, which was unusual for CP/M laptops. The flip-up LCD display’s resolution was 640×200 pixels. Bondwell 2 also included MicroPro’s complete line of CP/M software, including WordStar. The Bondwell 2 was capable of displaying bitmapped graphics. The price of the Bondwell 2 was listed at $995.
The Compaq Portable was the first portable computer created in 1982 which one of the first 100% IBM PC compatible systems. The first shipment was in March 1983 and was priced at $2,995. The Compaq Portable folded up into a luggable case the size of a portable sewing machine. The third model of this development, Compaq Portable II, featured high resolution graphics on its tube display. It was the first portable computer ready to be used on the shop floor, and for CAD and diagram display. It established Compaq as a major brand on the market.
Another significant machine announced in 1981, although first sold widely in 1983, was the Epson HX-20. A simple handheld computer, it featured a full-transit 68-key keyboard, rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries, a small (120×32-pixel) dot-matrix LCD with 4 lines of text, 20 characters per line text mode, a 24 column dot matrix printer, a Microsoft BASIC interpreter, and 16 KB of RAM (expandable to 32 KB). Through at least the late 1980s Epson continued to release laptops such as the L3s.
The first laptop in the modern form was the Grid Compass 1101, designed by Bill Moggridge in 1979–80, and released in 1983. Enclosed in a magnesium case, it introduced the now familiar clamshell design, in which the flat display folded shut against the keyboard. The computer could be run from batteries, and was equipped with a 320×200-pixel electroluminescent display and 384 kilobyte bubble memory. It was not IBM-compatible, and its high price (US$8,000–10,000) limited it to specialized applications. However, it was used heavily by the U.S. military, and by NASA on the Space Shuttle during the 1980s. The GRiD’s manufacturer subsequently earned significant returns on its patent rights as its innovations became commonplace. GRiD Systems Corp. was later bought by the Tandy (now RadioShack) Corporation.
Another contender for the first true laptop was the Dulmont Magnum, designed Barry Wilkinson and Terry Crews Engineering Manager at Dulmison in 1982 and released in Australia in 1983 It included an 80×8 display in a lid that closed against the keyboard. It was based on the MS-DOS operating system and applications stored in ROM (A:) and also supported removable modules in expansion slots (B: and C:) that could be custom programmed EPROM or standard word processing and spreadsheet applications. However, the Magnum had no nonvolatile memory, but could suspend and retain memory in RAM, including a RAM Disk (D:). A separate expansion box provided dual 5.25-inch floppy or 10 MB hard disk storage. Dulmont was eventually taken over by Time Office Computers, who marketed the Magnum internationally in 16 and 25 line LCD versions, and also introduced the brandname Kookaburra to emphasize its Australian origins.
The Ampere, a laptop with a sleek clamshell design by Ryu Oosake, was made in 1983. It offered a MC68008 microprocessor dedicated to running an APL interpreter residing in ROM. It was released as the Ampere WS-1.
Tandy Model 100
The TRS-80 Model 100 was an early portable computer introduced in 1983. It was one of the first notebook-style computers, featuring a keyboard and LCD, battery-powered, in a package roughly the size and shape of a notepad or a large book.
It was made by Kyocera, and originally sold in Japan as the Kyotronic 85. Although a slow seller for Kyocera, the rights to the machine were purchased by Tandy Corporation, and the computer was sold through Radio Shack stores in the United States and Canada as well as affiliated dealers in other countries, becoming one of the company’s most popular models, with over 6,000,000 units sold worldwide. The Olivetti M-10 and the NEC PC-8201 and PC-8300 were also built on the same Kyocera platform.
Sharp and Gavilan
Two other noteworthy early laptops were the Sharp PC-5000 and the Gavilan SC, announced in 1983 but first sold in 1984. The Gavilan was notably the first computer to be marketed as a “laptop”. It was also equipped with a pioneering touchpad-like pointing device, installed on a panel above the keyboard. Like the GRiD Compass, the Gavilan and the Sharp were housed in clamshell cases, but they were partly IBM-compatible, although primarily running their own system software. Both had LCDs, and could connect to optional external printers. The Dulmont Magnum, launched internationally in 1984, was an Australian portable similar in layout to the Gavilan, which used the Intel 80186 processor.
The year 1983 also saw the launch of what was probably the biggest-selling early laptop, the Kyocera Kyotronic 85. Owing much to the design of the previous Epson HX-20, and although at first a slow seller in Japan, it was quickly licensed by Tandy Corporation, Olivetti, and NEC, who recognised its potential and marketed it respectively as the TRS-80 Model 100 line (or Tandy 100), Olivetti M-10, and NEC PC-8201. The machines ran on standard AA batteries. The Tandy’s built-in programs, including a BASIC interpreter, a text editor, and a terminal program, were supplied by Microsoft, and was written in part by Bill Gates himself. The computer was not a clamshell, but provided a tiltable 8 line × 40-character LCD screen above a full-travel keyboard. With its internal modem, it was a highly portable communications terminal. Due to its portability, good battery life (and ease of replacement), reliability (it had no moving parts), and low price (as little as US$300), the model was highly regarded, becoming a favorite among journalists. It weighed less than 2 kg with dimensions of 30×21.5×4.5 centimeters (12×8½×1¾ in). Initial specifications included 8 kilobytes of RAM (expandable to 24 KB) and a 3 MHz processor. The machine was in fact about the size of a paper notebook, but the term had yet to come into use and it was generally described as a “portable” computer.
The Commodore SX-64, also known as the Executive 64, or VIP-64 in Europe, was a portable, briefcase or suitcase-size “luggable” version of the popular Commodore 64 home computer, and was the first full-color portable computer.
The SX-64 featured a built-in five-inch composite monitor and a built-in 1541 floppy drive. It weighed 20 pounds. The machine was carried by its sturdy handle, which doubled as an adjustable stand. It was announced in January 1983 and released a year later, at $995 USD.
Possibly the first commercial IBM-compatible laptop was the Kaypro 2000, introduced in 1985. With its brushed aluminum clamshell case, it was remarkably similar in design to modern laptops. It featured a 25 line by 80 character LCD, a detachable keyboard, and a pop-up 90 mm (3.5-inch) floppy drive.
IBM PC Convertible
Also among the first commercial IBM-compatible laptops was the IBM PC Convertible, introduced in 1986. It had a CGA-compatible LCD and 2 floppy drives. It weighed 13 pounds (5.9 kg).
Toshiba T1100, T1000, and T1200
Toshiba launched the Toshiba T1100 in 1985, and has subsequently described it as “the world’s first mass-market laptop computer“. It did not have a hard drive, and ran entirely from floppy disks. The CPU was a 4.77 MHz Intel 80C88, a variation of the popular Intel 8088, and the display was a monochrome, text-only 640×200 LCD. It was followed in 1987 by the T1000 and T1200. Although limited floppy-based DOS machines, with the operating system stored in ROM, the Toshiba models were small and light enough to be carried in a backpack, and could be run from lead-acid batteries. They also introduced the now-standard “resume” feature to DOS-based machines: the computer could be paused between sessions without having to be restarted each time.
US Air Force
The first laptops successful on a large scale came in large part due to a Request For Proposal (RFP) by the U.S. Air Force in 1987. This contract would eventually lead to the purchase of over 200,000 laptops. Competition to supply this contract was fiercely contested and the major PC companies of the time; IBM Corporation, To shins, Compaq, NEC, and Zenith Data Systems (ZDS), rushed to develop laptops in an attempt to win this deal. ZDS, which had earlier won a landmark deal with the IRS for its Z-171, was awarded this contract for its SupersPort series. The SupersPort series was originally launched with an Intel 8086 processor, dual floppy disk drives, a backlit, blue and white STN LCD screen, and a NiCd battery pack. Later models featured an Intel 80286 processor and a 20 MB hard disk drive. On the strength of this deal, ZDS became the world’s largest laptop supplier in 1987 and 1988. ZDS partnered with Tottori Sanyo in the design and manufacturing of these laptops. This relationship is notable because it was the first deal between a major brand and an Asian original equipment manufacturer.
Hewlett-Packard Vectra Portable CS
In 1987, HP released a portable version of their Vectra CS computer. It had the classic laptop configuration (keyboard and monitor closes up clam-shell style in order to carry), however, it was very heavy and fairly large. It had a full-size keyboard (with separate numeric keypad) and a large amber LCD screen. While it was offered with dual 3.5-inch floppy disk drives, the most common configuration was a 20 MB hard drive and a single floppy drive. It was one of the first machines with a 1.44 MB density 3.5-inch disk drive.
Another notable computer was the Cambridge Z88, designed by Clive Sinclair, introduced in 1988. About the size of an A4 sheet of paper as well, it ran on standard batteries, and contained basic spreadsheet, word processing, and communications programs. It anticipated the future miniaturization of the portable computer, and as a ROM-based machine with a small display, can – like the TRS-80 Model 100 – also be seen as a forerunner of the personal digital assistant.
By the end of the 1980s, laptop computers were becoming popular among business people. The COMPAQ SLT/286 debuted in October 1988, being the first battery-powered laptop to support an internal hard disk drive and a VGA compatible LCD screen. It weighed 14 lbs.
The NEC UltraLite, released in mid-1989, was perhaps the first “notebook” computer, weighing just 2 kg (4.4 lbs). In lieu of a floppy or hard drive, it contained a 2 megabyte RAM drive, but this reduced its utility as well as its size. Although portable computers with clamshell LCD screens already existed before it, the Ultralite was the first computer in a notebook form-factor. It was significantly smaller than all portable computers that came before it. People can actually carry-it like a notebook and fold its clamshell LCD like a book cover over the rest of its body.
The first Apple Computer machine designed to be used on the go was the 1989 Macintosh Portable (although an LCD screen had been an option for the transportable Apple IIc in 1984). Unlike the Compaq LTE laptop released earlier in the year the Macintosh Portable was actually a “luggable” not a laptop, but the Mac Portable was praised for its clear active matrix display and long battery life, but was a poor seller due to its bulk. In the absence of a true Apple laptop, several compatible machines such as the Outbound Laptop were available for Mac users; however, for copyright reasons, the user had to supply a set of Mac ROMs, which usually meant having to buy a new or used Macintosh as well.
The Apple PowerBook series, introduced in October 1991, pioneered changes that are now de facto standards on laptops, such as room for a palm rest, and the inclusion of a pointing device (a trackball). The following year, IBM released its ThinkPad 700C, featuring a similar design (though with a distinctive red TrackPoint pointing device).
Later PowerBooks featured optional color displays (PowerBook 165c, 1993), and first true touchpad (PowerBook 500 series, 1994), first 16-bit stereo audio, and first built-in Ethernetnetwork adapter (PowerBook 500, 1994).
IBM RS/6000 N40
In 1994, IBM released the RS/6000 N40 laptop based on a PowerPC microprocessor running the AIX operating system, a variant of UNIX. It was manufactured by Tadpole Technology (now Tadpole Computer), who also manufactured laptops based on SPARC and Alpha microprocessors, the SPARCbook and ALPHAbook lines, respectively.
Windows 95 operating system
The summer of 1995 was a significant turning point in the history of notebook computing. In August of that year Microsoft introduced Windows 95. It was the first time that Microsoft had implemented the advanced power management specification with control in the operating system. Prior to this point each brand used custom BIOS, drivers and in some cases, ASICs, to optimize the battery life of its machines. This move by Microsoft was controversial in the eyes of notebook designers because it greatly reduced their ability to innovate; however, it did serve its role in simplifying and stabilizing certain aspects of notebook design.
Intel Pentium processor
Windows 95 also ushered in the importance of the CD-ROM drive in mobile computing, and initiated the shift to the Intel Pentium processor as the base platform for notebooks. The Gateway Solo was the first notebook introduced with a Pentium processor and a CD-ROM. Also featuring a removable hard disk drive and floppy drive, the Solo was the first three-spindle (optical, floppy, and hard disk drive) notebook computer, and was extremely successful within the consumer segment of the market. In roughly the same time period the Dell Latitude, Toshiba Satellite, and IBM ThinkPad were reaching great success with Pentium-based two-spindle (hard disk and floppy disk drive) systems directed toward the corporate market.
Early laptop displays were so primitive that PC Magazine in 1986 published an article discussing them with the headline “Is It On Yet?”. It said of the accompanying montage of nine portable computers, “Pictured at the right are two screens and seven elongated smudges”. The article stated that “LCD screens still look to many observers like Etch-a-Sketch toys, or gray chalk on a dirty blackboard”, and predicted that until displays improved, “laptops will continue to be a niche rather than a mainstream direction”. As technology improved during the 1990s, the usefulness and popularity of laptops increased. Correspondingly prices went down. Several developments specific to laptops were quickly implemented, improving usability and performance. Among them were:
- Improved battery technology. The heavy lead-acid batteries were replaced with lighter and more efficient technologies, first nickel cadmium or NiCd, then nickel metal hydride (NiMH) and then Lithium-ion battery and lithium polymer.
- Power-saving processors. While laptops in 1991 were limited to the 80286 processor because of the energy demands of the more powerful 80386, the introduction of the Intel 386SL processor, designed for the specific power needs of laptops, marked the point at which laptop needs were included in CPU design. The 386SL integrated a 386SX core with a memory controller and this was paired with an I/O chip to create the SL chipset. It was more integrated than any previous solution although its cost was higher. It was heavily adopted by the major notebook brands of the time. Intel followed this with the 486SLchipset which used the same architecture. However, Intel had to abandon this design approach as it introduced its Pentium series. Early versions of the mobile Pentium required TAB mounting (also used in LCD manufacturing) and this initially limited the number of companies capable of supplying notebooks. However, Intel did eventually migrate to more standard chip packaging. One limitation of notebooks has always been the difficulty in upgrading the processor which is a common attribute of desktops. Intel did try to solve this problem with the introduction of the MMC for mobile computing. The MMC was a standard module upon which the CPU and external cache memory could sit. It gave the notebook buyer the potential to upgrade his CPU at a later date, eased the manufacturing process somewhat, and was also used in some cases to skirt U.S. import duties as the CPU could be added to the chassis after it arrived in the U.S. Intel stuck with MMC for a few generations but ultimately could not maintain the appropriate speed and data integrity to the memory subsystem through the MMC connector. A more specialized power saving CPU variant for laptops is the PowerPC 603 family. Derived from IBM’s 601 series for laptops (while the 604 branch was for desktops), it found itself used on many low end Apple desktops before it was wildly used in laptops, starting with PowerBook models 5300, 2400, 500 upgrades. What started out as a laptop processor was eventually used across all platforms in its follow up, the PowerPC 750 AKA G3.
- Improved Liquid-crystal displays, in particular active-matrix TFT (Thin-film transistor) LCD technology. Early laptop screens were black and white, blue and white, or grayscale, STN (Super Twist Nematic) passive-matrix LCDs prone to heavy shadows, ghosting and blurry movement (some portable computer screens were sharper monochrome plasma displays, but these drew too much current to be powered by batteries). Color STN screens were used for some time although their viewing quality was poor. By about 1991, two new color LCD technologies hit the mainstream market in a big way; Dual STN and TFT. The Dual STN screens solved many of the viewing problems of STN at a very affordable price and the TFT screens offered excellent viewing quality although initially at a steep price. DSTN continued to offer a significant cost advantage over TFT until the mid-90s before the cost delta dropped to the point that DSTN was no longer used in notebooks. Improvements in production technology meant displays became larger, sharper, had higher native resolutions, faster response time and could display color with great accuracy, making them an acceptable substitute for a traditional CRT monitor.
- Improved storage technology. Early laptops and portables had only floppy disk drives. As thin, high-capacity hard disk drives with higher reliability and shock resistance and lower power consumption became available, users could store their work on laptop computers and take it with them. The 3.5″ HDD was created initially as a response to the needs of notebook designers that needed smaller, lower power consumption products. With continuing pressure to shrink the notebook size even further, the 2.5″ HDD was introduced. One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) and other new laptops use Flash RAM (non volatile, non mechanical memory device) instead of the mechanical hard disk.
- Improved connectivity. Internal modems and standard serial, parallel, and PS/2 ports on IBM PC-compatible laptops made it easier to work away from home; the addition of network adapters and, from 1997, USB, as well as, from 1999, Wi-Fi, made laptops as easy to use with peripherals as a desktop computer. Many newer laptops are also available with built-in 3G Broadband wireless modems.
- Other peripherals may include:
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Quarter days are the four days used to mark the four quarters of the year. Scottish quarter days, also known as term days, have always been different from English or Irish quarter days. They originally occurred on holy days, although they have now been fixed by the Term and Quarter Days (Scotland) Act 1990 on the 28th days of February, May, August and November.
Historically, the quarter days were used for hiring fairs (to hire farm servants), rental contracts, the payment dates for rent, loan interest and salaries and stipends. As such, their names appear in all sorts of historic records, in which the writers and the intended readers would know exactly what they meant. As a modern researcher, it’s therefore very useful to know what they were.
The four quarter days traditionally were:
Candlemas fell on February 2. It marked the Feast of the Presentation, marking the occasion when Mary and Joseph took the infant Jesus to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem 40 days after his birth. In pre-Reformation Scotland, the feast was marked by candlelit processions by mothers who had given birth the previous year. The term is still used today by among others the University of St Andrews, as the name of one of the semesters. It coincides with the Celtic celebration of Imbolc.
Whitsun fell on May 15 under the Gregorian Calendar (May 26 under the Julian Calendar before 1599). It commemorates the giving of the law to Moses at Sinai. In respect to genealogy, valuation rolls were in force from Whitsun to the day before the following Whitsun. Whitsun also often coincided with the celebration of the spring communion.
The name Lammas comes from the Anglo-Saxon half-mas, or loaf-mass. It is celebrated on August 1, and marks the first fruits of harvest. It coincides with the Gaelic festival of Lunastal, when in the Highlands it was traditional to make a special cake known as a lunastain. It appears in a celebrated ballad, The Battle of Otterburn, of which the opening verse is:
It fell about the Lammas tide,
The name is still used in the context of the Lammas Market, held in St Andrews in Fife in August every year, and purportedly the oldest surviving street market in Scotland.
Martinmas was November 11. It was originally the feast held to commemorate Martin of Tours, a celebrated 4th century bishop and hermit. St Ninian, an important figure in the Christianisation of Scotland often overshadowed by the better-known St Columba, studied at Marmoûtiers, St Martin’s monastery, and he dedicated one of the earliest churches in Scotland to St Martin. Martinmas is still used as the name of the winter semester at the University of St Andrews, and was historically used by the other ancient universities of Scotland (Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh). The date is of course now better known as Remembrance Day, marking the end of the First World War.
Genealogy and Family History - A mix of our news, curious and intriguing discoveries. Research hints and resources to grow your family tree in Scotland from our team.
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By Ida Soghomonian
Psychologist, The Resilience Centre
Extracts from bestselling author Jon Kabat-Zinn’s book ‘Full Catastrophe Living’
Part 1 – Nonjudging, Patience and Beginner’s Mind
For those who want to learn about mindfulness
Whether you are trying to learn patience, cope with pain, deal with stress and challenges, improve your relationships or free yourself from destructive emotions, thoughts and behaviours, you must remind yourself that you have deep inner resources to draw upon, the most important of which is the present moment itself.
In part your vision will be moulded by your unique life circumstances, by your personal beliefs and values. Another part will develop from your experiences, from letting everything become your teacher: your body, your attitudes, your mind, your pain, your joy, other people, our mistakes, your successes and nature. This lifelong commitment to continual inquiry and a willingness to modify your perspective as you acquire new knowledge and arrive at a new level of understanding and insight.
Awareness requires only that we pay attention and see things as they are. It doesn’t require that we change anything. Healing requires receptivity and acceptance, a tuning to connectedness and wholeness. None of this can be forced, just as you cannot force yourself to go to sleep. You must create the right condition for falling asleep and then you can let go. The same is true of mindfulness.
To cultivate the healing power of mindfulness requires much more than mechanically following a set of instructions. It is only when the mind is open and receptive that learning and seeing and change can occur. In practicing mindfulness, you will have to bring your whole being to the process.
Healing does not mean curing, although the two words are often used interchangeably. While it may not be possible for us to cure ourselves or to find someone who can, it is possible for us to heal ourselves. Healing implies the possibility for us to relate differently to illness, disability, even death, as we learn to see with eyes of wholeness. Healing is coming to terms with things as they are.
Mindfulness is cultivated by assuming the stance of an impartial witness to your own experience. To do this requires that you become aware of the constant stream of judging and reacting to inner and outer experiences that we are all normally caught up in and learn to step back from it. When we begin practicing paying attention to the activity of our mind, it is common to discover and to be surprised by the fact that we are constantly generating judgements about our experience.
The habit of categorizing our experience locks us into mechanical reactions that we are not even aware of and that often have no objective basis at all. These judgements tend to dominate our minds, making it difficult for us to find any peace within ourselves.
If we are to find a more effective way of handling the stress in our lives, the first thing we will need to do is to be aware of these automatic judgements so that we can see through our own prejudices and fears and liberate ourselves for their tyranny.
When practicing mindfulness, it is important to recognise this judging quality of mind when it appears and to intentionally assume the stance of an impartial witness by reminding yourself to just observe. When you find the mind judging, you don’t have to stop it from doing that. All that is required is to be aware of it happening. No need to judge the judging and make matters even more complicated for yourself.
Patience is a form of wisdom. It demonstrates that we understand and accept the fact that sometimes things must unfold in their own time. We must cultivate patience toward our own minds and bodies when practicing mindfulness. We intentionally remind ourselves that there is no need to be impatient with ourselves because we find the mind judging all the time. Patience can be a particularly helpful quality to invoke when the mind is agitated. It can help us accept this wondering tendency of the mind while reminding us that we don’t have to get caught up in its travels. Practicing patience reminds us that we don’t have to fill up our moments with activity and with more thinking in order for them to be rich. In fact it helps us to remember that quite the opposite is true. To be patient is simply to be completely open to each moment, accepting it is its fullness, knowing that like a butterfly, things can unfold only in their own time.
The richness of present moment experience is the richness of life itself. Too often we let our thinking and our beliefs about what we ‘know’ prevent us from seeing things as they really are. We tend to take the ordinary for granted and fail to grasp the extraordinariness of the ordinary. To see the richness of the present moment, we need to cultivate what has been called ‘beginner’s mind’, a mind that is willing to see everything as if for the first time. An open ‘beginner’s mind’ allows us to be receptive to new possibilities and prevents us from getting stuck in the rut of our own expertise, which often thinks it knows more than it does.
No moment is the same as any other. Each is unique and contains unique possibilities, beginner’s mind reminds us of this simple truth. The next time you see somebody who is familiar to you, ask yourself if you are seeing this person with fresh eyes, as he or she really is, or if you are seeing only the reflection of your own thoughts about this person.
It is impossible to become like somebody else. Your only hope is to become more fully yourself. Ultimately you must live your own life, every moment of it. In practicing mindfulness, you are practicing taking responsibility for yourself and learning to listen and trust your own being. The more you cultivate this trust in your own being, the easier you will find it will be to trust other people more and to see their goodness as well.
Just keep practicing…
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A cairn is a man-made pile or stack of stones, often used as a landmark or a memorial marker. Cairns have been constructed by various cultures throughout history and can be found in different landscapes, including mountains, deserts, and coastal areas. In ancient times, cairns were utilized for various purposes, such as indicating trails, marking burial sites, or serving as religious or ceremonial structures. They were particularly important in prehistoric societies, where they played a vital role in navigation and ritual practices. Cairns vary in size and complexity, from small single-stack markers to large and elaborate structures. In modern times, cairns continue to be used for navigation and as memorials or monuments, blending traditional and contemporary cultural significance. Cairns also hold ecological importance, as excessive or inappropriate construction can disturb the natural landscape and impact ecosystems. Properly understanding and respecting the cultural and environmental context of cairns is essential for preserving these significant human-made features across the world.
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Can we use AI to disentangle the inequalities that are linked to racial categories?
Racial categories are, by definition, unequal categories. They reflect not universal truths but historical processes that have linked racial status to economic, political, and social inequalities. So if artificial intelligence practitioners train models using these artificial categories, the categories will be reified and inequality will be reproduced.
But if AI practitioners do not pay attention to racial categories, they will still reproduce socially embedded inequality. So how can we design a more equal and just AI, one that recognizes people’s chosen identities while avoiding the re-creation of a “New Jim Code”?1
From data gathered about the ancestry, language, and phenotype—but not specifically race—of a population, artificial intelligence can identify the social attributes that drive segregation and then correct for them, all while holding identity in place.2
We argue that this would yield a more enlightened vision of our society by disentangling the dynamics of racial inequality. This broader vision could then be employed to build better systems to avoid reproducing inequality in employment, education, criminal justice, and other socially consequential domains.
American society is profoundly shaped by the 1790 Naturalization Act, which limited naturalization to immigrants classified as “free white person[s] … of good character.” Even after the official end of slavery in the United States, Jim Crow segregation ensured that whiteness would be imbued with social, economic, and even political clout. Whiteness, in fact, remained a criterion for citizenship until passage of the McCarran-Walter Act (Immigration and Nationality Act) of 1952. This legislation not only continued national-origins quotas created in 1924 but also created racial quotas for Asian nations. The idea that the United States is truly a nation of citizens of all races is less than 70 years old.
In the decades since the dismantling of Jim Crow segregation—via the Black Power and civil rights movements (as well as the American Indian Movement and other movements for equality)—US policy makers have struggled to design institutions that are more fair with respect to race. For example, mid-20th-century trade unions tried to change from overt discrimination against racial and immigrant groups to “race-neutral” policies. But these institutions discovered that race-neutral policies did not correct for racial discrimination and systemic segregation that continued in the workplace.3
In fact, if groups of Americans lack access to resources or face systemic discrimination in society at large, then a race-neutral policy will continue to exclude members of those groups on the basis of other, correlated facts about them (such as their wealth or social connections). Power tends to reproduce power, as Pierre Bourdieu suggests.
This is why many institutions, such as universities, that committed themselves to affirmative action programs have witnessed little change over the years. Nevertheless, these programs from the outset have been targeted by a white conservative political backlash, which claimed “reverse discrimination” as soon as civil rights legislation was enacted.
One problem with all these efforts is the idea of “race” itself. Originally thought to have a theological basis and later buttressed by social Darwinism and scientific racism,4 racial categories have no basis in biology (at best, they are weak proxies for genetic diversity). There are no “racial genes,” so genetic differences are not fixed along racial lines. Instead, racial classifications (like designating groups of people as “indigenous”) are political categories, ascribed to people based on their physical appearance (phenotype), ancestry (indigeneity or “race” origin in Africa, for example), language (culture), and socioeconomic class.
The boundaries of the political categories that artificially define racial groups and the symbolic meanings of these categories change over time. For example, the 1890 US Census recognized a category, “quadroon,” for persons of “one-fourth black blood.” The 1930 Census, however, solidified the “one-drop rule”: the principle that “one drop” of African blood made a person “black.” Interracial marriage was universally legalized only in 1967. Under political pressure from the parents of mixed-race children, the census added the option to declare “one or more” racial categories only in 2000. Although, historically, census takers decided how to classify a person’s race based on visual assessments, for the last six decades Americans have been allowed to select their own racial categories on census questionnaires.
As the conversation about race became muddled with notions of color blindness, with genotyping by commercial interests, and with a focus on individual identity and thus on racial classification as simply characteristic of individuals, the ascriptive nature of “official” racial classification of a group in society was obscured.
Yet, surely race is more than an identity one can decide for oneself. The way society continues to classify black people using the one-drop rule shows how race is embedded in a history of social and legal practice designed from the beginning to enforce social, economic, and political inequality; of course, those who are classified as “white” gain societal privileges.
For these reasons, we have concluded that racial categories are intrinsically hierarchical and unfair. This unfairness is at the root of why debates about affirmative action are so bitter and unreconciled: because even policies designed to promote racial inclusion depend on racial categories founded in exclusion.
Therefore, the challenge facing designers of new institutions—or institutions on the cusp of dramatic change, due to the introduction of artificial intelligence—is how to design a system that addresses the historical and ongoing inequality reflected in racial categorization, but without reproducing that inequality in AI.
Why worry about racial inequality within artificial intelligence? Because the locus of many important decisions about employment, education, criminal justice, and other socially consequential domains has, in many cases, already moved from human officials to automated AI systems.
This transition poses a serious risk: centralized automated decision making means that small design decisions can affect people in a large-scale way. Engineering decisions—even those made without political intent—can now have tremendous political consequences. This is why public interests have rightly awakened to the ethical and political effects of AI.
Yet, too often the ethical concerns with AI are framed in strong partisan terms, reflecting political position and rhetoric more than social scientific facts. On the one hand are industrial technologists, who see only the promising and socially beneficial uses of AI. On the other hand are an assortment of critics who are deeply skeptical of new technologies and their applications.
Unlike these different partisan camps, we see opportunity in automated decision making; we also believe that its benefits can only be realized with serious interdisciplinary work: that is, combining solid engineering with historically and empirically sound social science. Sincere collaboration between computer and social scientists can lead to system designs—and political outcomes—that could not have been imagined independently in either field.
Amid an ongoing series of scandals about discrimination by algorithms, a growing community of researchers and practitioners now studies fairness in applications of machine learning in such sensitive areas as credit reporting, employment, education, criminal justice, and advertising. This scholarship has been motivated by pragmatic concerns (about how machine learning produces group biases and how to comply with nondiscrimination law) as well as a general concern (about social fairness).
AI has created an opportunity to embed a deeper understanding of racial classification in large-scale systems.
While many of the controversies that have inspired this research have been about discriminatory impact on particular groups, such as black people or women, computer scientists have tended to treat group fairness abstractly, in terms of generic protected classes rather than specific status groups. This leads analysts to treat ranked racial and gender status categories—male and female, for example, or black and white—simply as nominal categories of personal identity (characteristics of the individual) in computational analysis, rather than as systems of hierarchical social status.
This misunderstanding of race in computer science—this conceptual limitation—reflects a naiveté about race in society at large. Understanding how racial categories have been formed historically and structure specific societies today is difficult for those trained in any discipline. Disagreements about the meaning and history of race lead to political divisions, not just in new automated decisions but also in human decision making all the time. Yet AI has raised the political stakes of decision-making procedures by increasing the scale and scope of their impact.
AI has also created an opportunity to embed a deeper understanding of racial classification in large-scale systems. We believe that critics of AI must remain open to new ideas and creative solutions; such critics might well see their concerns addressed by a closer and more sophisticated engagement with what AI could do for racial justice.
At the same time, we believe that engineers and data scientists must understand the socially embedded nature of racial classifications and the historical context that has imbued the topic of race with cultural, social, economic, and political significance. Engineers and data scientists—indeed, all of us—must keep in mind that “race is a modern social construction. … It is a particular way of viewing human difference that is a product of colonial encounters.”5
A thorough and focused understanding of the social construction of racial difference is crucial. But how can we apply computational thinking to disentangle the embedded disadvantage of racial hierarchy?6
Using scientific and mathematical concepts, we present “race” categories in a newly conceptualized way. We offer one possible approach to thinking about race difference that seeks to separate social inequality from social identity within the design of artificially intelligent systems.
Our proposal originates from computational thinking about the problem of racial categorization. We trace the problem to an ongoing historical process.
First, racial ascription assigns individual bodies to political categories of free and unfree. Second, these categories are sorted according to their group ascriptions in space and society. So sorted, these groups are finally treated disparately, leading to different outcomes. This bonds people together, linking their fates to their racial group.
Through this process, the racial ascriptions end up solidifying real differences in social status, education, wealth accumulation, and political access. In the last stage, the system reproduces itself: the real differences between social groups contribute to the formation of racial categories by imbuing them with meaning. These social and material differences are reified and used to justify the ascription of race to bodies. This cycle structurally embeds race differences.
To address the problem of racial inequality, institutions need to address this cycle of racial ascription, sorting, and segregation. Our recommendation: rather than using societally entrenched racial categories that are flawed, derive new analytical categories from demographic data based on observed patterns of segregation.
This proposal depends on an extensive data-collection effort. It assumes that institutions have access to detailed personal or even biometric data that is regularly updated and has information about each person’s appearance, ancestry, language, and social class. Critically, these data must not be framed in racial terms, but rather must capture the nuances of and differences between people in ways that racial categories never do. Facial analysis technologies could potentially read the requisite phenotypic features from a recent photograph, such as a driver license photo. Ancestry information could be drawn from a genealogical database. And so on.
Although many may balk at the collection of such granular data about people, it is well known that fairness requires more data, not less.7 In fact, color blindness does not lead to equality; it reproduces the inequality that it cannot see.
What we propose, therefore, is a proactive strategy, one designed to reduce inequality—which happens to require responsible use of more nuanced data. It is always possible for these data to be misused. But as many recent cases of AI use can attest, ignoring race difference is not the solution. Should the data be available, it will be possible to discover the dimensions of bodily difference that are correlated with how people are segregated in society and space.
A technology known as unsupervised machine learning is useful here. This technology can look at data and infer from indicators what causes the data to take the shape that they do. If there is systematic segregation on the basis of, for example, skin color and ancestry from a particular continent, unsupervised machine learning could discover that in the data set. Rather than taking racial categories for granted, this system would learn quasi-racial categories based on scientific facts about a population. This approach might identify disadvantaged populations irrespective of their collective affinities.
We propose using these quasi-racial categories (which capture the demographic dimensions of segregation and inequality) rather than traditional categories (which would only reify difference). This has a number of benefits.
First and foremost, such a system would address inequality stemming from the political construction of racial categories, but without using those racial categories directly. The system avoids the unfairness of the categories themselves.
Second, this loosens the connection between affirmative action policies dedicated to correcting historical injustices and the conceptually zero-sum stakes that divide our nation politically. Such a system aims for a socially integrated society, not a society where one or another group has dominance or advantage. By being responsive to changing demographic conditions, such a system would ease political tensions (surrounding concerns that policies may weigh unfairly in any direction).
Beyond the proposal for system and policy design, our work raises questions about how we think about race in society. We know that color blindness is not a solution to racism. But racial thinking remains problematic, even when it is employed in projects that aim for justice. Therefore, we argue for heightened awareness of personal differences and social history, and openness to how technology affords the possibility for future change.
- Ruha Benjamin, Race after Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code (Polity, 2019). ↩
- Sebastian Benthall and Bruce D. Haynes, “Racial Categories in Machine Learning,” in Proceedings of the Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (Association for Computing Machinery, 2019). ↩
- David R. Roediger, Working toward Whiteness: How America’s Immigrants Became White; The Strange Journey from Ellis Island to the Suburbs (Basic, 2005), pp. 2, 212. ↩
- See Stephen J. Gould, The Mismeasure of Man (Norton, 1996), p. 106. ↩
- Tanya Maria Golash-Boza, Race and Racisms: A Critical Approach, 2nd ed. (Oxford University Press, 2018), p. 2. ↩
- Jeannette M. Wing, “Computational Thinking,” Communications of the ACM, vol. 49, no.3 (2006). ↩
- Cynthia Dwork, Moritz Hardt, Toniann Pitassi, Omer Reingold, and Richard Zemel, “Fairness through Awareness,” in Proceedings of the Third Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ACM, 2012). ↩
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Commentary: America's "Bloody Sunday" 50 years on - racism is not yet defeated
Fifty years ago, police in Selma, a town in the southern United States, attacked a peaceful demonstration by roughly 600 activists, most of them Black. Officers used tear gas and truncheons, and images flew around the world of one of the organizers, Amelie Obynton, lying unconscious on the ground.
The demonstrators were peacefully marching to commemorate the death of activist Jimmie Lee Jackson, whom officers had shot during a previous non-violent protest. They were also demanding equal voting rights for Black Americans.
Fifty years ago, millions of Black Americans were still not permitted to vote. "Right now, in 2015, 50 years after Selma, there are laws across this country designed to make it harder for people to vote," said US President Barack Obama during the anniversary of the march (a transcript of his full speech is here).
"As we speak, more of such laws are being proposed," the president continued. He was referring to dozens of laws proposed at the level of the individual states of the USA making voter registration more difficult, restricting the amount of time during which a ballot can be cast, increasing fees for participation, and generally targeting the most impoverished voters and those who have difficulty getting their right to vote restored after serving prison sentences - primarily, African-Americans.
"We know the march is not yet over. We know the race is not yet won," President Obama said at the commemoration.
More Black prisoners than there were slaves
A symbol of the deteriorating situation of American Blacks has become the thesis that currently there are more Blacks in prison, on parole or on probation than there were Black slaves at the beginning of the Civil War in the mid-19th century. Another similarly strong claim is that there are more young Blacks in prison than studying at colleges.
Another such claim is that there is a higher percentage of Blacks in American prisons today than were imprisoned in the Republic of South Africa during the time of apartheid. These claims are truly strong, but understandably must be taken with a grain of salt so that as not to remain at the level of pure propaganda - after all, not only has the population of the USA multiplied exponentially since the 19th century, but the number of Black college students and members of the African-American middle class, the "Black elite", is constantly rising.
According to the Blackdemographics website, the number of Black college graduates, for example, has increased by almost one million during the last 15 years. Nevertheless, it is the case that the number of Black prisoners does not correspond to the proportion of Blacks in the US population and probably does not even reflect the supposition that Blacks must therefore be committing more crimes.
On the contrary: The courts and police treat Black people differently. According to one statistic, for example, roughly the same percentage of Blacks and whites use drugs, but Blacks are imprisoned 10 times more frequently for drug offenses.
The American vs. the Czech ghettos
Even though there is no point in one-sidedly emphasizing only negative news about the state of the Black community in the USA during past 15 years, it is the case that problems are beginning to intensify once again for them in a certain direction. The high number of Black prisoners means a high percentage of broken families, of children growing up without their parents, an intensifying degree of poverty among young Blacks, and rising unemployment.
Part of the Black community may have achieved the level of the middle class, but the degree of poverty among young Blacks is higher than it was in 1968. This is a vicious circle that we are familiar with, in a milder form, from the Czech ghettos.
The enthusiastic close of the 1960s, when Black Americans won not only equal voting rights, but when it also seemed they would achieve a genuinely equal position in society, belongs to the past. The fight against racism has evidently come up short in many respects - it has run into politics, poverty, prejudice and tradition.
This is despite enormous cultural, financial and media support, including various forms of "affirmative action" or "positive discrimination". After 50 years, the situation in the USA is better in some ways, worse in others, but the ideal state of affairs is still receding on the horizon.
This is rather gloomy news for the Czech Republic. Here no genuinely powerful, thorough campaign against racism and in favor of aiding the people from the ghettos has yet to even begin.
- Slovak NGOs demand crisis plan from Govt to prevent COVID-19 pandemic in Romani communities, ombudswoman supports them
- North Macedonia selects just Romani people crossing the border for quarantine in unhygienic conditions
- EUobserver on how anti-Roma racism is being exploited during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Romani activist will seek to become chair of Progressive Slovakia party
- Newsweek: Trump and other Western leaders are legitimizing Hungarian PM's anti-Roma campaign, according to human rights activists
- Director of EU FRA: Racism has no place in combating coronavirus, human rights limitations must be proportionate
- Author raising a Romani child says Czech Public Defender of Rights is racist and evil is slowly winning
- Czech court returns to case of hate speech online targeting non-"white" first-graders
- Regional coalition of Romani representatives calls on Czech ombudsman to apologize for his remarks about Romani people
- Newly-elected Slovak MP Jarmila Vaňová: I thank Romani voters for coming out and demanding change
- Germany: Xenophobic party apologizes for racist coloring book after sharp criticism
- Another victim of the German terrorist attack, a young man from Romania, is also from the Roma minority
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Enrollment in Arabic courses and interest in Arabic-focused study abroad programs has increased at many American colleges and universities. Not everyone who studies Arabic will make a career out of it, but even so it can be an invaluable tool for intercultural communication and understanding.
About the Program
Although not a major or minor, courses in Arabic count toward the concentration in Middle East and Islamic World Studies. Arabic is offered at Hamilton through the Department of German, Russian, Italian, and Arabic. Students might choose Arabic as part of their course of study or because they are interested in the people and cultures of the Arabic-speaking world. Arabic can be useful to students with a background in political science or international studies due to the demand for Arabic in contemporary world affairs. Some students take Arabic to help them get jobs with the U.S. government or non-government agencies operating in the Arab world. Students of Arab descent often take Arabic to better understand their heritage and to learn the language of a parent or grandparent. Muslim students often take Arabic to read the Qur’an and other religious texts. Learning Arabic provides access to a vast body of literature and art and fosters the ability to interact with other Arabic speakers.
About the Language
Arabic belongs to the Semitic family of languages that include Modern Hebrew, Amharic, Tigre, Tigrinya, Syriac, a few Aramaic dialects and Maltese. In the Arab world, 250 million speak Arabic as their native language. Worldwide, 1.2 billion Muslims use Arabic in their prayers and religious recitations. Arabic is also the liturgical language of many Eastern Christian churches.
For practical purposes, we might divide Arabic into three varieties:
Classical Arabic is the oldest type of Arabic that is studied widely. It is the language of the Qur’an and texts from the classical age of the Islamic empire.
Modern Standard Arabic or al-Fusha is a direct descendant of classical Arabic and is now the language of elevated discourse or correspondence, contemporary literature, and the mass media.
Colloquial Arabic, or caammiyya, refers to the regional dialects used in everyday discourse and popular culture.
Arabic is relatively difficult because it requires learning a new script, new consonant sounds, a different syntax and an extensive vocabulary with few cognates. However, the most useful tool for overcoming the inevitable challenges of learning Arabic is a deep and abiding interest in the language and culture. Arabic is not the exclusive realm of elite students or the linguistically gifted. Arabic can be an enjoyable challenge for any student.
Middle East and Islamic World Studies
As a minor, the program requires that students complete five courses in the areas of Arabic and Hebrew language and literature, religion, political science and history.
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How does Lymphatic drainage work?
Lymphatic drainage can assist by stimulating flow of the lymph which is a white fluid that carries white blood cells, oxygen and nutrients to tissues throughout the human body. When your body feels fatigue! By stimulating the lymphatic system, you help to support the body’s immune system, reduce full body chronic pain, heal the body from surgery and aid in the body’s natural waste removal or detoxification. Lymphatic Drainage is a gentle whole-body treatment that relaxes the nervous system and aids to increase the body’s immune system. The lymphatic system is located directly beneath the skin. When our lymphatic system is stimulated by massage, toxins are eliminated so our body works more efficiently, the immune system is boosted, and cells are supplied more readily with nutrients.
About Lymphatic drainage
- Weight loss with a reduction in adipose and cellulite tissue
- Reduced water retention
- Reduction or elimination of your chronic pain
- Reduction of your skin conditions and allergies
- Increased energy
- Increased metabolism
- Reduction of PMS symptoms
- Stronger immune system function and illness prevention
- Regeneration or youthfulness of skin tissue
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Children are competent, capable of complex thinking, curious and rich in potential. They grow up in families with diverse social, cultural and linguistic perspectives. Every child should feel that he or she belongs, is a valuable contributor to his or her surroundings, and deserves the opportunity to succeed.
When we recognize children as capable and curious, we are more likely to deliver programs and services that value and build their strengths and abilities (Reference: "How Does Learning Happen - Ontario Ministry of Education." Ministry of Education. Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2014).
As the Consolidated Municipal Service Manager, The City of Windsor Children's Services is committed to the inclusion of all children in early learning and care programs regardless of their diverse strengths and needs. Inclusion means that all children will learn together in environments that provide services and supports for all children as needed.
City of Windsor Children's Services requires all early learning and child care programs that have entered into a purchase of service agreement with the City of Windsor to have an inclusion, access and equity policy. The goal is to ensure that all children, regardless of their diverse strengths and needs, have access to an early learning and child care centre in their community.
Every licensed early learning and child care program in Windsor-Essex has access to a Resource Consultant for children with special needs, through Children First, who regularly visits and provides support, including:
- Early identification and intervention
- Individual and program consultation
- Training and coaching to Early Childhood Educators
- Consultative/intensive resource support, as required
- Program adaptations and modifications
- Service coordination, and more
There are a number of agencies in Windsor that provide support to families with children from birth to six who have special needs. These supports play an important role in a child's early learning and development.
Aboriginal EarlyON Programming is available at the Ska:Na Family Learning Centre
- Services offered at this location are for all EarlyON families who have a desire to learn along with their children a holistic way of life based on the Aboriginal cultures of North America.
- For more information, call (519) 948-8115, or visit their website at www.skanaflc.com.
Can-Am Indian Friendship Centre
The Can-Am Indian Friendship Centre is driven by the desire of Aboriginal peoples within the areas of Windsor and Essex County to become a self-sufficient, self-determining, self-governing community.
Historically, the Friendship Centre has been the focal point for Aboriginal peoples within the urban environment.
Aboriginal Child Resource Centre
Learn more about the Aboriginal Child Resource Centre.
French Language Programming
Francophone EarlyON programming is available at the Franco-Sol EarlyON Child and Family Centres:
- St. Edmond School in Windsor
- George P Vanier in Windsor
- Pavillon des Jeunes in Belle River
Families do not need to have French as a first language to participate, but the program is in French.
For more information, call (519) 948-4339 or visit the Franco-Sol website.
Best Start - Meilleur départ
Provides various resources for parents, available in both French and English.
Avez-vous des enfants âgés de 6 ans ou moins?
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE PUBLISHED FOR EVERYBODY ROUND THE EARTH
Exercise 1: The Irish Famine
Fill in this flow chart using keywords from the text to show the major characteristics of the Irish Famine:
1. Flow chart on the Irish famine by Florian Schäfer.
Exercise 2: The Bengal Famine
It's not only diseases which cause famine. The example of Bengal shows other important factors which may result in famine.
Using the information in the text, try to create an extended flow chart about the 1943 famine in Bengal.
What are the major differences to the Irish famine?
Exercise 3: Internet search
Use the internet to search for information about these two famines. Try to get more detailed information about their causes and the consequences of the famines. Compare the results: Which of the two is underrepresented on the internet and why?
Exercise 4: Future planning
You have read and found out about the consequences of these two famines and the affect of floods and droughts in the USA. What would happen if these events occurred in the future? What different measures are now in place to reduce or prevent such catastrophes?
Exercise 5: What has happened in your own country?
Have events like droughts, floods or diseases occurred in your own country or even in your local area? What were the consequences of these events?
Try and find information from different sources. Have a look on the internet, contact the Ministry of Agriculture, farmers or older people from where you live.
About this page:
author: Florian Schäfer - University of Nürnberg, Nürnberg, Germany
educational reviewers: Prof. Helmut Schrettenbrunner, Dr. Yvonne Schleicher and Julia Heres - University of Nürnberg, Nürnberg, Germany
last update: 2004-01-07
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London, Aug 4 (IANS) The UK has pledged 100 million pounds ($131 million) to the global fight against polio, in an attempt to eradicate the disease by 2020, the media reported.
The funding, to be announced by International Development Secretary Priti Patel on Friday, will fund the immunisation of 45 million children a year until 2020, reports the Guardian.
The last case of polio is likely to be announced in 2017 and there would then need to be three years without a single case to prove eradication.
Thirty years ago, more than 350,000 people a year were disabled by polio, with the highly contagious virus present in more than 125 countries, according to World Health Organisation figures.
Since then, polio has been reduced by more than 99.9 per cent.
However, it still exists in just three countries: Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. There have been eight new cases this year in total.
“Polio has no place in the 21st century,” the Guardian quoted Patel as saying.
“The UK has been at the forefront of fighting global health threats…The world is closer than it ever has been to eradicating polio for good, but as long as just one case exists in the world, children everywhere are still at risk. Now it is time for others to step up, follow Britain’s lead and make polio history.”
In June, at Rotary International’s annual convention in Atlanta, US, global leaders pledged $1.2 billion of the estimated $1.5 billion required to eradicate the disease.
Post Source: Ians feed
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The Belgian, Clydesdale, Percheron, Shire and Suffolk breeds are the primary draft horse breeds in the U.S. The breeds are named for their country or area of origin. The Belgians originated in the Belgium, the Clydesdales originated in the river Clyde district of Scotland, the Percherons originated in the Perche region of France, the Shires originated in the east of England and the Suffolk originated in the counties of Norwich and Suffolk in England. They were originally imported to the U.S. for true horsepower and are now very popular for shows, pulling competitions, parades and work. The commercials and advertising associated with the Clydesdales have made that breed one of the most recognized of the draft breeds.
Key Criteria for Raising and Using Draft Horses
Draft horses are large, heavy muscled animals that are relatively slow to mature and are metabolically very efficient. Mature horses will weigh anywhere from 1500 lbs to well over 2000 lbs. Hoof quality, bone strength, muscle development and hair coat are all key criteria that are important in raising and using draft horses. As draft horses perform work, energy requirements increase substantially.
Draft Horse Nutrition: Importance of Forages and Balanced Grain Mixtures
Good quality forages, grass or grass/legume mixtures, are an important part of the draft horse diet. Horses will consume 1.5-2.5% of bodyweight in forage. Properly balanced grain mixtures, pelleted or textured, may be used to provide the additional energy, amino acids, minerals, trace minerals and vitamins to balance the diets.
Addressing Hoof Quality and Growth in Draft Horses
Poor quality hoof growth can be a problem with draft horses. The use of feeds containing biotin, zinc and methionine may be beneficial for these horses.
Equine Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy Impacted by Draft Horse Nutrition
Draft horses may also be affected by Equine Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy, which used to be called Monday Morning Disease or Azoturia. This conditions results in the horse “tying up” with stiff muscles and reluctance to move. These horses may benefit from a diet that has controlled levels of non-structural carbohydrates or soluble carbohydrates (starches and sugars) and that contains added fat from vegetable oil as well as optimum selenium and vitamin E levels. Regular exercise and turn out are also important for these horses.
Preventing Developmental Orthopedic Disease in Growing Draft Horses
Growing draft horses may also develop Developmental Orthopedic Disease problems as a result of genetics, conformation, stress or improper nutrition. Feeding a balanced diet and avoiding excess body condition score may be beneficial in reducing the risk of these problems.
Essential Care: Salt and Water for Draft Horses in Heavy Work.
Be sure to provide free choice salt and access to fresh clean water for all your draft horses, especially those who are performing heavy work.
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The human body literally glows, emitting a visible light in extremely small quantities at levels that rise and fall with the day, scientists now reveal. In fact, virtually all living creatures emit very weak light, which is thought to be a byproduct of biochemical reactions involving free radicals. The researchers found the body glow rose and fell over the day, with its lowest point at 10 a.m. and its peak at 4 p.m., dropping gradually after that. These findings suggest there is light emission linked to our body clocks, most likely due to how our metabolic rhythms fluctuate over the course of the day.(via Geekologie)
I can't see auras but I can feel them as heat.
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The Unique Rodents of South America
Just as Australia has a number of rather unusual native animals, I was intrigued by those of South America. I have seen very few photos and even less information about some of these fascinating creatures. This article will focus on some of the rodents which are endemic to the continent.
In taxonomic terms, one of the orders in the class Mammalia is the Rodents. Further down the line, eighteen 'families' split into caviomorpha and phiomorpha. The former are mostly native to South America with a few found in North America while the latter belong to the Old World.Credit: Wikimedia
The most easily recognised rodent of the South American rodents (to a non-South American) is the cavy or guinea pig. The genus Cavia has a number of species only one of which is the domestic guinea pig, The guinea pig is an important meat animal in the various South American countries.
The capybara is the largest rodent in the world reaching a length of some 107 to 134 cm, a height of 50 to 64 cm and a weight of 35 to 66 kg. The semi-aquatic capybara is found throughout South America apart from the west coast areas. It has a single coat and the hindquarters are taller than the forequarters. The paws are slightly webbed.
The agouti species belong to the genus Dasyprocta and grows to a length of 51 cm and weighs around 4 kgs. The fur is a brown with lighter underparts. The coat is glossy with orange overtones and has given rise to 'agouti' becoming a term describing fur of similar colour on other animals such as the guinea pig.
The paca is sometimes classified with the agouti, depending on the authority consulted. It is considered a luxury food source by the people of Guyana and Mexico. In Trinidad, there is a high level of poaching with the flesh of the paca being sold at high prices. It was once to HRH Queen Elizabeth II thus resulting the nickname 'royal rat'. It is called majas in the Peruvian Amazon.
The acouchis is generally smaller than the common agouti and has a very short tail. It is sometimes called the tailed agouti. There are two species (some sites say there may be more) – the red and green, believe it or not. The colouration of the two differs, being brown or greenish with bright orange or red markings on the head. They are diurnal and feed on fruit.
The pacarana is large for a rodent and is also rare, slow-moving and nocturnal. It has a superficial similarity to the paca. It is a monotypic species being the only member of the family Dinomyidae. It has a chunky body and weighs up to 15 kg and is 79 cm in length. The thick, furry tail adds a few more centimetres.
The degu is endemic to central Chile. Its taxonomic name is Octodon degus and its common names include brush-tailed rat or common degu to distinguish it from other 'Octodons'. Octodons have cheek teeth which are shaped like figures-of-eight. It is a small rodent just 25 to 31 cm long and 170 to 300 grams in weight. The pelage is yellow-brown on the upper surfaces and more creamy underneath. There are yellow eye-rings and a pale band around the neck. The long thin tail has a black tuft at the end. The toes are pale and grey with the fifth toe on the forefoot having a nail rather than a claw. The hindfeet are bristled.
The tucotuco (Ctenomys spp) has short legs but is heavily built. The pelt is loose on the body. The forefeet are long for burrowing and the hind feet bristled for grooming. Small ears sit atop large heads. The tail is hairy. Size ranges from 15 to 25 cm in length and up to 700 grams in weight.
There are two species of mara, the Patagonian (Dolichotis patagonum) and the Chacoan (Dolichotis salinicola). They have stocky bodies with three toes on the hind feet and four on the forefeet. They resemble long-legged rabbits and can run at 29 kph. They weigh over 11 kg as adults. Most have brown heads and bodies, a dark rump with a white fringe round the base and a white stomach.
Most spiny rats resemble rats despite being closer to guinea pigs and chinchillas. They are found from central Central America through most of South America. Many of this genus can release their tails if they are attacked. This confuses the predator long enough for the rat to escape. However its tail does not regenerate. Most species are rare. There are arboreal and terrestrial species but nearly all are found near abundant water and are herbivorous.
Nutria or Coypu (above)
Also known as the river rat, this is a large, herbivorous, semi-aquatic rodent and a monotypic species. The coypu has been introduced to North America, Africa, Asia and Europe for commercial fur production. However, in most cases its feeding and burrowing behaviours have made it an invasive pest. Coypus waste 90% of the plant material they chew off.
Hutias inhabit the Caribbean Islands and have a length of 21 to 46 cm and a weight of 2.8 to 8.5 kg. There are a number of species, some of which have tails. These vary from vestigial to prehensile. The bodies are stout and the head large. They nest in trees or rock crevices. In Cuba, they are eaten by local people. All but two species are considered threatened. The Desmarest hutia has banana-shaped faeces leading to its common name of 'banana rat'.
Chinchillas are crepuscular and native to the Andes. They live at altitudes up to 15,000 feet. It is named after the Andean tribe, the Chincha, who used its dense, velvet-like fur for clothing. Most modern chinchilla fur is from farm-raised animals.
Viscachas look like rabbits with a nicely curled tail. There are five species. They have bushy tails and long, furry ears.
The Plains variety is distinguished by its black and grey moustache-like markings. It lives in large colonies but separated into family units. It is very vocal. Because it can strip grasslands which are intended for grazing, ranchers have long considered it a pest species.
The northern variety is grey or brown with lighter under parts. Its harsh, rocky environment has led to a very varied diet with the animal eating whatever it can find. The southern (mountain) viscacha is more red.
There are nine known species of chinchilla rat. Although they resemble chinchillas, they are more like a short-tailed rat. They have soft, silvery-grey fur. Stiff hairs cover the three middle digits of the rear paws. They have a massive skull which narrows down at the face.
Prehensile-tailed porcupine (above)
The prehensile-tailed porcupines are arboreal and have a prehensile tail which is devoid of spines. All four paws are modified for grasping, making them adept climbers. They feed on leaves, fruit bark, roots, buds and shoots. They are slow-moving and roll into a ball if threatened. The babies are born with soft hair which hardens to quills as they mature. There are only four toes on the hind paws which have a fleshy pad on the inner side. The pad acts as a hand as the animal can grasp objects between the pad and the toes.
Just as South America has a number of distinctive rodents, so it has a number of mammals, birds, insects and reptiles many of which are unique and equally fascinating.
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The Decade Volcanoes are 16 volcanoes identified by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI) as being worthy of particular study in light of their history of large, destructive eruptions and proximity to populated areas. The Decade Volcanoes project encourages studies and public-awareness activities at these volcanoes, with the aim of achieving a better understanding of the volcanoes and the dangers they present, and thus being able to reduce the severity of natural disasters.
They are named Decade Volcanoes because the project was initiated as part of theUnited Nations-sponsored International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction.
A volcano may be designated a Decade Volcano if it exhibits more than one volcanic hazard (people living near the Decade Volcanoes may experience tephra fall,pyroclastic flows, lava flows, lahars, volcanic edifice instability and lava domecollapse); shows recent geological activity; is located in a populated area (eruptions at any of the Decade Volcanoes may threaten tens or hundreds of thousands of people, and therefore mitigating eruption hazards at these volcanoes is crucial); is politically and physically accessible for study; and there is local support for the work.
Untitled (12), 2013, ink and watercolor on Khadi paper, 22” x 30”
Fly Geyser, Nevada (triggered by well drilling)
The Softest Thing, 2012, digital video, 3 mins 32 secs. ©Pearl C Hsiung
Las Brujas, 1987
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If you have ever had trouble sleeping, you probably know what it feels like to function on less than adequate sleep. Reaction time slows down, cognitive abilities are clouded and you can't seem to remember anything. Indeed, studies have long shown that poor sleep inhibits memory. But a new study took a look at how sleep affects a person's risk of forming false memories - recalling events that never actually happened - and found that sleep deprivation greatly increases the likelihood of this occurring.
For the study, researchers from the University of California, Irvine and Michigan State University performed three different experiments in an effort to test out real-life situations in which a person might have poor sleep and be asked to recall a specific event. Researchers were particularly interested in scenarios that mimicked the witnessing of a crime and how poor sleep might affect a person's chances of recalling the event incorrectly.
In the first phase of the study, lead researcher Steven J. Frenda of the Department of Psychology and Social Behavior at UCI and his team asked 193 participants if they had seen video footage of Flight 93 crashing in Pennsylvania on 9/11. Researchers told the participants that this footage had been circulated widely, even though no such footage actually exists. Participants who had been restricted to five hours of sleep or less the night before were more likely than those who had a regular night's sleep to claim they had seen the footage.
For the second study, the same participants were asked to keep a sleep diary for one week. At the end of the week, researchers showed the participants images of a crime in action - one of a man breaking into a parked car and another of a thief stealing a woman's wallet. They were then asked to read accounts of the incidents that included several misleading details. Again, the participants who recorded the least amount of sleep over the week were the most likely to incorporate the false details of the incidents into their memories of the photos.
In the final phase of the experiment, researchers randomly divided a group of 104 new participants at the lab into those who would be allowed to have a normal night's sleep and those who would not be allowed to sleep at all. Then they divided these two groups again into those who would be shown images from a crime the night they reported to the lab (well-rested) and those who were shown the images the next morning (after either a full night's rest or no sleep at all.) In the morning, the researchers conducted a misinformation experiment similar to that performed in phase two.
Not surprisingly, the participants who conducted all parts of this experiment while sleep deprived were the most likely to incorporate false details into their memories of the events. What is surprising is how closely this experiment simulates an actual interrogation of a person who has witnessed a crime and how easy it is for these witnesses - on less than adequate sleep - to incorrectly recall what happened, or to believe that they saw something or someone that they didn't.
Related posts on MNN:
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This Lesson Plan Template by Janet Benincosa includes drop-down lists to make selecting the required elements quick and easy for Florida Art K-6.
It includes the elements of universal design for learning required by Indiana with the following drop-down lists -
UDL Categories: Multiple Means of Representation, Multiple Means of Engagement, and Multiple Means of Expression
Florida Art Standards
Common Core Literacy/Visual Standards
Requires that Excel has been installed on the computer.
Want a plan customized to meet your district's requirements? Just email Janet at email@example.com
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A violin that the bandmaster played as the Titanic sank is due to go under the hammer today.
549 people from Southampton died in 1912 when the ship hit an iceberg and sank beneath the Atlantic. One of the most famous tales surrounding the Titanic is that the band leader played a violin as it sank. It is expected to fetch hundreds of thousands of pounds.
More top news
Theresa May will tell European counterparts their shared political legacies depend on agreeing a good Brexit deal.
What does Theresa May's request for a couple of years of "transition" to full Brexit mean for Britain the the EU?
Mexico's navy says there are no missing children at a collapsed school where rescuers have been hunting for a trapped girl.
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Reprocessing nuclear waste much simpler if we separate uranium via fluoride volatility, then use it in Molten Salt Reactors. The fission products would then be safe in few years.
Can Use LFTRs to Consume Nuclear Waste. Instead of Yucca Mountain storage, completely fission the radioactive materials in spent fuel rods, depleted uranium from fuel rod assembly, and nuclear weapons. LFTRs fission over 99% of their fuel.
LFTR – A Nuclear Reactor That Can’t Melt Down? No High-Pressure Coolant? Consumes Nuclear Waste? Yes!
We’ve been told nuclear power is great, and that it’s deadly. Few know that we’ve only been using one Type of nuclear reactor. We are using the type the fossil fuel industry wanted, not the type the nuclear engineers recommended. What are the safer, less expensive types of nuclear reactor, the Molten Salt Reactors?
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There are lots of ways to save sea otters. You can start by not polluting the oceans, or you can donate money to an aquarium, or the Marine Mammal Rescue Center.
An organization called SORAC helps and rescues otters. SORAC stands for Sea Otter Research And C onservation. Students from the Santa Cruz University have volunteered 15 to 20 hours to clean pools, prepare food, and take care of sea otters.
SORAC began in the mid1980’s for the few animals with health or attitude problems that haven’t fit in with the wild. This rehab program and facility were not designed for a long time living area, and the non-releasable animals were taking up the time and space for the stranded animals the program was designed to take care of. They also take in sick or abandon pups. The SORAC team raises the pups, and if the team thinks the pup can survive in the wild, then they release it back into the wild.
Until SORAC “donated” sea otters that were well enough to go to a new “habitat”. (Which is the Northern American Aquariums), the aquariums usually got their sea otters by capturing them from the wild, which is illegal for the Southern Sea Otters. Unreleasable SORAC otters are living at SeaWorld San Diego, Colorado’s Ocean Journey, Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific, New York Aquarium, Oregon Zoo, Aquarium of the Americas, and the New England Aquarium.
The Marine Mammal Rescue Center rescues marine mammals and returns them to the wild. Their website contains information on the indivdual animals they have rescued, including sea otters and how they were returned to the wild.
Another way to help sea otters is to not pollute the ocean, so the sea otters will could have a healthy and clean place to swim and catch their food. Then sea otters won’t be forced to swim very far away, or swim in dirty or oily water. You can start by cleaning or adopting a part of a beach, and clean up the pollution in the town where you live.
Besides SORAC their are other private and government organizations that team up to save Sea Otters from extinction. Private organizations like the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Friends of the Sea Otter work together with California Department of Fish and Game, Western Ecological Research Center, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. See our links section.
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It had happened in several Grecian states that the governing oligarchies, either by quarrels among their own members or by the general bad condition of the people under their government, were deprived of that hold upon the public mind which was essential to their power.
Continuing Solon’s Early Greek Legislation,
our selection from History of Greece by George Grote published in 1846. For works benefiting from the latest research see the “More information” section at the bottom of these pages. The selection is presented in eighteen easy 5 minute installments.
Previously in Solon’s Early Greek Legislation.
Time: 594 BC
The manifold and long-continued suffering of the poor under this system, plunged into a state of debasement not more tolerable than that of the Gallic “plebs”–and the injustices of the rich, in whom all political power was then vested–are facts well attested by the poems of Solon himself, even in the short fragments preserved to us. It appears that immediately preceding the time of his archonship the evils had ripened to such a point, and the determination of the mass of sufferers to extort for themselves some mode of relief had become so pronounced, that the existing laws could no longer be enforced. According to the profound remark of Aristotle–that seditions are generated by great causes but out of small incidents–we may conceive that some recent events had occurred as immediate stimulants to the outbreak of the debtors, like those which lent so striking an interest to the early Roman annals, as the inflaming sparks of violent popular movements for which the train had long before been laid. Condemnations by the archons of insolvent debtors may have been unusually numerous; or the maltreatment of some particular debtor, once a respected freeman, in his condition of slavery, may have been brought to act vividly upon the public sympathies; like the case of the old plebeian centurion at Rome–first impoverished by the plunder of the enemy, then reduced to borrow, and lastly adjudged to his creditor as an insolvent–who claimed the protection of the people in the forum, rousing their feelings to the highest pitch by the marks of the slave-whip visible on his person. Some such incidents had probably happened, though we have no historians to recount them. Moreover, it is not unreasonable to imagine that that public mental affliction which the purifier Epimenides had been invoked to appease, as it sprung in part from pestilence, so it had its cause partly in years of sterility, which must of course have aggravated the distress of the small cultivators. However this may be, such was the condition of things in B.C. 594 through mutiny of the poor freemen and “Thetes”, and uneasiness of the middling citizens, that the governing oligarchy, unable either to enforce their private debts or to maintain their political power, were obliged to invoke the well-known wisdom and integrity of Solon. Though his vigorous protest–which doubtless rendered him acceptable to the mass of the people–against the iniquity of the existing system had already been proclaimed in his poems, they still hoped that he would serve as an auxiliary to help them over their difficulties. They therefore chose him, nominally as archon along with Philombrotus, but with power in substance dictatorial.
It had happened in several Grecian states that the governing oligarchies, either by quarrels among their own members or by the general bad condition of the people under their government, were deprived of that hold upon the public mind which was essential to their power. Sometimes–as in the case of Pittacus of Mitylene anterior to the archonship of Solon, and often in the factions of the Italian republics in the middle ages–the collision of opposing forces had rendered society intolerable, and driven all parties to acquiesce in the choice of some reforming dictator. Usually, however, in the early Greek oligarchies, this ultimate crisis was anticipated by some ambitious individual, who availed himself of the public discontent to overthrow the oligarchy and usurp the powers of a despot. And so probably it might have happened in Athens, had not the recent failure of Cylon, with all its miserable consequences, operated as a deterring motive. It is curious to read, in the words of Solon himself, the temper in which his appointment was construed by a large portion of the community, but more especially by his own friends: bearing in mind that at this early day, so far as our knowledge goes, democratical government was a thing unknown in Greece–all Grecian governments were either oligarchical or despotic–the mass of the freemen having not yet tasted of constitutional privilege. His own friends and supporters were the first to urge him, while redressing the prevalent discontents, to multiply partisans for himself personally, and seize the supreme power. They even “chid him as a mad-man, for declining to haul up the net when the fish were already enmeshed.” The mass of the people, in despair with their lot, would gladly have seconded him in such an attempt; while many even among the oligarchy might have acquiesced in his personal government, from the mere apprehension of something worse if they resisted it. That Solon might easily have made himself despot admits of little doubt. And though the position of a Greek despot was always perilous, he would have had greater facility for maintaining himself in it than Pisistratus possessed after him; so that nothing but the combination of prudence and virtue, which marks his lofty character, restricted him within the trust specially confided to him. To the surprise of every one–to the dissatisfaction of his own friends–under the complaints alike (as he says) of various extreme and dissentient parties, who required him to adopt measures fatal to the peace of society–he set himself honestly to solve the very difficult and critical problem submitted to him.
Of all grievances, the most urgent was the condition of the poorer class of debtors. To their relief Solon’s first measure, the memorable “Seisachtheia”, or shaking off of burdens, was directed. The relief which it afforded was complete and immediate. It cancelled at once all those contracts in which the debtor had borrowed on the security either of his person or of his land: it forbade all future loans or contracts in which the person of the debtor was pledged as security; it deprived the creditor in future of all power to imprison, or enslave, or extort work, from his debtor, and confined him to an effective judgment at law authorizing the seizure of the property of the latter.
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In a classroom located in a part of town where a stem of broccoli sells for $2.49 and a pizza costs only three bucks more, parents are trying their best.
They want to feed their kids healthier, home-cooked meals but have difficulty finding the time, money or resources to do so.
At Kaiser Permanente’s Rancho Cordova, Calif., medical offices, Dr. Catherine Vigran, a pediatrician, and Carrie Beale, a nurse practitioner, are hoping to change that.
“If you just fed your kids, and an hour later your son comes up to you and says, ‘I’m hungry,’ you can say, ‘I want you to have a glass of water,’ ” Beale tells the 20 or so parents, mostly mothers, sitting around a large table. As Beale continued giving tips for getting kids to eat less junk food, Vigran provided a Spanish translation.
“Things really transitioned over the last 15 years,” Beale said. “We’ve seen more kids that come in who are obese. Now we’re really focusing, right from the beginning, to avoid processed foods and push for fruits and vegetables.”
But Vigran and Beale know they can’t improve the eating habits of their community alone.
That’s where the summer nutrition and cooking program comes in. Sponsored by Kaiser Permanente’s community benefits division, Folsom Cordova Unified School District and AmeriCorps VISTA, the program aims to educate children and their parents about healthy eating habits.
“I think it’s a big problem that really encompasses almost every aspect of society,” Vigran said, adding that policies about food, outdoor space and school lunches likely do a lot more than counseling people individually.
Ramona Mosley, program director of the West Sacramento-based nonprofit Health Education Council, agreed.
“It’s a combination of many things, not just individual choices,” she said. “It involves the environment. If there are no supermarkets, farmers markets or retail markets around the community, how are people able to purchase those choices? You don’t even have the choice to be healthy.”
According to the National Health and Examination Survey, about one-third of U.S. adults (33.8 percent) are obese.
Approximately 17 percent (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years are obese.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2010, no state had a prevalence of obesity less than 20 percent. Thirty-six states had a prevalence of 25 percent or more; 12 of these states (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia) had a prevalence of 30 percent or more.
Organized by the Health Education Council, the campaigns in low-income areas of California advocate garden kits, nutrition and physical activity and decreasing individual soda consumption.
“What we try to do is provide education so people are better informed,” said Dawn Dunlap, a council staff member. “We want them to deal with issues coming up against them. We empower them to make better choices.”
She added, “The individual has to make that decision to go above and beyond to be healthier. Maybe it costs more to cook, but when it comes to feeding your family a healthy meal, it is cheaper than feeding them at a fast-food establishment.”
Dunlap cited Michael Pollan, a journalist specializing in the food industry, who wrote in “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”: “People say they don’t have time to cook, yet in the last few years we have found an extra two hours a day for the Internet.”
Ana Melara, 32, is onboard with healthier eating.
“I’ve seen it a lot. People go … to the junk-food restaurants and just take it home,” said the stay-at-home mother of four who attended a nutrition lecture at Cordova Villa Elementary School in Rancho Cordova. “But you can work things out. You only have to be willing.”
According to Gail Feenstra, food systems coordinator of the University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, the odds are stacked high against parents.
“The amount of money being spent to advertise unhealthy foods to children is huge,” she said, adding that government agencies like the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the California Department of Education spend millions of dollars advocating for healthy food policies, while the food industry spends billions on marketing. “This is not a level playing field here.”
Vigran feels the only thing she can offer is her expertise.
“There’s an old metaphorical story in public health about people who live by the river and see people drowning,” she said. The people try to help by calling rescue squads and fire brigades. “Finally they go, ‘Maybe we should go upstream and see who are pushing these people in?’ But we’re the people downstream. We’re just fishing people out of the river.”
STEPS TO HEALTHIER EATING
Nurse practitioner Carrie Beale’s tips for getting kids to eat healthier:
• Don’t let them eat in front of the TV. Sitting in a chair doing nothing burns eight to 10 calories. Sitting in front of the TV slows the metabolism and doesn’t burn nearly as much as at the dinner table.
• Set an example. Children notice a disconnect if you eat junk food but they can’t. Kids will eat what their parents eat, so eat your vegetables.
• Drink water and low-fat milk, not soda or juice. Liquid sugar doesn’t fill you up, and the extra calories will make you gain weight.
• Make sure they’re actually hungry. Oftentimes, people mistake hunger for boredom, thirst or the need to chew. If your kid wants a snack, offer a fruit or a vegetable. If they’re truly hungry, they’ll take it. If they get picky, think twice.
• Budget your time and get the family to help. Prepare meals on the weekend and freeze them for the rest of the week. Frozen fruits are just as nutritious. Also, buying ingredients during peak season saves money.
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The student inventors have described their device, called FastStitch, as a cross between a pliers and a hole-puncher. Although the device is still in the prototype stage, the FastStitch team has already received recognition and raised more than $80,000 this year in grant and prize money to move their project forward. Among their wins were first-place finishes in University of California, Irvine, and University of Maryland business plan competitions and in the ASME International Innovation Showcase.
The FastStitch device is needed, the students say, to improve the way up to 5 million open abdominal surgeries are conducted annually in the United States alone for treatment of cancer, liver problems and other common ailments. If incisions from those procedures are not closed properly, a patient can develop complications such as infection, herniation and evisceration, all of which require additional treatment and in some cases, more surgery. Just one of these complications --herniation, in which intestinal tissue can protrude through the abdominal wall after the muscle layer splits apart -- leads to $2.5 billion in additional costs annually in follow-up treatment and medical malpractice expenses, the students said.
Addressing this problem became a biomedical engineering course assignment for eight Johns Hopkins students over the past school year. They were asked to design and test a tool that that would improve the way surgeons stitch together the strongest part of the abdomen, the muscle layer called the fascia, which is located just below the patient's skin. "Doctors who have to suture the fascial layer say it can be like pushing a needle through the leather of your shoe," said team member Luis Hererra, a sophomore biomedical engineering major from Downey, Calif. "If the needle accidentally cuts into the bowel, it can lead to a sepsis infection that can be very dangerous."
To help prevent this, the students designed the FastStitch needle to remain housed within the jaws of the stitching tool. "You place the fascial layer between the top and bottom arms of the device," said Sohail Zahid, of Morris Plains, N.J., leader of the student team. "Then, as you close the arms, the spring-loaded clamp is strong enough to punch the needle through the fascial layer. When this happens, the needle moves from one arm of the tool to the other."The device also features a visual guide to help ensure that the stitches are placed evenly, located the proper distance away from the incision and apart from one another. This should also reduce postoperative complications, the students said. The hand-size pliers-like shape was chosen because it would feel familiar to surgeons and require less training. The prototype was constructed mostly of ABS plastic, so that the instrument can be inexpensive and discarded after one use.
Physician Hien Nguyen, an assistant professor of surgery in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, served as the students' clinical advisor during the development of FastStitch. "Just about every major operation in the chest and abdomen requires a large cut to be made through the muscle layers," he said. "If these layers are not brought back together evenly, complications can occur. This device allows the surgeon to bring the muscle layers back together evenly, safely and quickly, and this can lead to better outcomes and fewer complications."
Nguyen had discussed the need for a better suture tool with the undergraduate design team in a program offered by the Department of Biomedical Engineering, which is shared by the university's School of Medicine and its Whiting School of Engineering. The course is conducted within the Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design.
In addition to Zahid and Herrera, the other students who have participated in the FastStitch project are Andy Tu, Daniel Peng, Stephen Van Kootyen, Leslie Myint, Anvesh Annadanam and Haley Huang. Through the Johns Hopkins Technology Transfer office, the team members have obtained preliminary patent protection for their invention. All eight students are listed as co-inventors, along with Nguyen and Johns Hopkins graduate student Adam Clark.The students have formed a Baltimore-based company, Archon Medical Technologies, to conduct further research and development of FastStitch. The company is being supported by grant funding and by most of the prize money won in the student invention and business plan contests earlier this year. Animal testing of the device is under way, and further testing with human cadavers is expected to begin later this year.
Penn first in world to treat patient with new radiation technology
22.09.2017 | University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Skin patch dissolves 'love handles' in mice
18.09.2017 | Columbia University Medical Center
A warming planet
19.09.2017 | Event News
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22.09.2017 | Life Sciences
22.09.2017 | Medical Engineering
22.09.2017 | Physics and Astronomy
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The consumption of sugary beverages is associated with the development of cardiometabolic diseases. In regions with large numbers of Catholic people, such as Latin America, interventions carried out in the context of Catholic masses could be an effective means of reducing the consumption of sugary drinks.
To evaluate the impact of a sermon on health protection delivered by priests at a Catholic Mass on the congregation’s decision to choose to consume soft drinks after the Mass.
The study was carried out at 12 Catholic parishes located in Chimbote, Ancash, Peru. These parishes were randomized into two groups. In the intervention group, the priests offered a sermon on the importance of protecting one’s health and the harm sugary drinks could cause. In the control group, no sermon related to this topic was given. All evaluations in this experiment were conducted at the first Sunday Mass of each church. A total of four assessments were conducted in this study: formative, baseline, week 1 after baseline, and week 3 after baseline assessments. The priest’s message intervention was only delivered once, at 1 week after the baseline assessment; thus, its immediate effect was evaluated in the same day. The short-term effects of the intervention were evaluated 3 weeks after the baseline.
A single, short, low-intensity sermon given by a priest during a Catholic mass has an immediate effect, reducing consumption of sugary beverages over water. The intervention also has a weak short-term effect.
J. Jaime Miranda MD, MsC, PhD
Center for Advanced Hindsight, Duke University and Universidad Católica Los Ángeles de Chimbote
March 2017 a June 2017
Jaime Miranda, MD, MSc, PhD. CRONICAS, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia.
Dan Ariely PhD. Center for Advanced Hindsight, Duke University.
Antonio Bernabé-Ortiz MD, MsC. CRONICAS, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia.
Janina Bazalar- Palacios BSN. CRONICAS, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia.
Alvaro Taype-Rondan MD, MsC. CRONICAS, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia.
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Posted: 25th August 2021
Welcome to part five of ‘North Lincolnshire on the Home Front in World War Two’ focussing on Barton upon Humber. This blog series will focus on how different towns and villages of North Lincolnshire operated on the Home Front of the Second World War.
We would like to thank the source providers and individuals who have shared their stories on the Home Front. Without them, the experiences of the Home Front would not have been possible to share with North Lincolnshire and its citizens.
As with all major counties and villages in England, Lincolnshire was heavily involved in the War, especially North Lincolnshire. Lincolnshire itself contained plenty of military and naval targets so air defence measures were immediately put into effect. Many North Lincolnshire villages contributed: Scunthorpe, Brigg, Southend, Barton upon Humber are just a few examples of involved communities.
However, most of these villages each had something which made them unique to others. While Scunthorpe was prime for its defences, Brigg was more well known for its Prisoner of War camp and Barton Upon Stather specialised in making tanks!
Burton upon Stather
Burton upon Stather was very different compared to the places we’ve looked at in this series. Instead of specialising in home defences or holding POW’s, Burton upon Stather was a base for top secret military planning. They performed various operations mainly focusing on new vehicles to use on the battlefield. One of its most famous operations was the secret construction of tanks it had performed at the River Trent. Known as the ‘Tank Ramp’, it was constructed in May 1944 by the 79th Armoured Division and continued to operate until 1948.
The main purpose of the ‘Tank Ramp’ was testing the Duplex Drive Amphibious Tank, a tank capable of traversing across rivers and water alongside with amphibious craft and associated equipment.
The curator of Fritton Lake, Stuart Burgess, quotes that ‘Burton Upon Stather is definitely a significant and unique site. The military spent much time carefully choosing a suitable site that resembled areas of the Rhine which could enable them to perfect river crossing techniques’ (Burton Stather Heritage Group, 2021).
Burton Stather Heritage Group. (2021). The Tank Ramp. Received from: http://burtonstatherheritage.org/tank-ramp
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The increase in environmental incidents in the last year resulted in devastating impacts on the environment bringing into question the environmental compliance profile of the sources of these problems.
These require a cohesive and complex government intervention to effectively address them.
“It is against this background that an ideal opportunity exists to extend the government response to innovative and effective strategies to address activities causing harm to the environment,” says the Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms. Makhotso Sotyu. “This includes looking at designing an “all of government enforcement model” informed by lessons learnt from past experiences which considers resources available within all government institutions to simultaneously deal with different, but mutually beneficial end points”.
Thus, the importance of the 9th Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Lekgotla being held in Gauteng from 14 to 17 November 2022 under the theme Facing uncharted waters: new challenges and solutions for the Green Scorpions.
This year represents a significant milestone for environmental compliance and enforcement in South Africa. It marks seventeen years since an amendment to National Environmental Management Act created the Environmental Management Inspectorate, commonly known as the Green Scorpions, in our statute books. This legislative development pulled together existing efforts in the green, brown and blue subsectors into a single, cohesive and effective compliance and enforcement framework.
Referring to the World Economic Forum’s 2022 Global Risks Report, the Deputy Minister pointed out that over a 10-year horizon, the health of the planet dominates concerns and that environmental risks are perceived to be the five most critical long-term threats, with “climate action failure”, “extreme weather”, and “biodiversity loss” ranking as the top three most severe risks. Their projected effects are extensive, and include intensified rates of involuntary migration, natural resource crises, pollution harms to health, geopolitical resource contestation, social security collapse and livelihood and debt crises.
South Africa has, over the past two years, already begun to feel the devastating impacts of these risks. For example, heavy downpours in KwaZulu-Natal over only a two-day period in April 2022 caused South Africa’s worst and most deadly natural disaster to date: a flash flood so rare and devastating it has a one in 300-year probability of recurring. The dire situation in this province was exacerbated by the extensive environmental damage caused by the hazardous chemical spill resulting from social unrest at the UPL facility as well as widespread pollution resulting from non-functional waste-water treatment infrastructure.
In addition to the apparent adverse health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has also had significant impacts on the state of the environment, with a decrease in certain types of environmental non-compliances, balanced by a significant increase in others, including unlawful land occupation in and around protected areas/state forests.
Despite these challenges, the Green Scorpions are still expected to give effect to Section 24 of the Constitution by protecting the environment in a manner that it is not detrimental to the health and well-being of the country’s citizens. This will require a level of adaptability from the Inspectorate to meet these unexpected challenges and still execute its Constitutional imperative.
The findings of the 2021/22 National Environmental Compliance&Enforcement Report (NECER) provide a contrast between increases in compliance and enforcement activities while there has also been a decrease in the number of Green Scorpions working countrywide.
Operating at national, provincial and local levels, the Green Scorpions execute compliance and enforcement activities in responses to non-compliances in the brown, green and blue environmental sub-sectors. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment seeks to coordinate and support the efforts of all spheres of government involved in environmental compliance and enforcement; and facilitate collaboration with other regulatory authorities and key stakeholders. Brown issues relate to air, waste and pollution, EIA, emergency situations, incidents, and developments. Blue issues are linked to the management and protection of the coastal environment and; the Green issues are those related to the protection and sustainable utilization of biodiversity, biosecurity and the management of protected areas.
The report, released at the Lekgotla, shows a decrease of more than five percent in the number of national and provincial Environmental Management Inspectors (EMIs) from 3 158 in the 2020/21 financial year to 2995 in the year under review. This is largely attributed to natural attrition, and steps are being taken to, not only to fill vacant positions, but also to increase the number of Green Scorpions across the country.
Criminal investigation of environmental crimes has increased by 7.6% in the year under review, with 952 criminal dockets registered. A total of 1 091 admission of guilt fines to the value of R408 730.00 were paid – an increase of 6.6% — while 838 people were arrested. There was an increase of 262.5% in the number of convictions for environmental crimes, showing a hike from 16 to 58 in the past financial year. Six plea agreements were entered into and 129 warning letters were issued. The total Rand amount of Section 24G administrative fines related to the commencement of an unlawful activity decreased to R11 274 319 from R18 154 666 in the previous year.
In 2021/22, 4 171 facilities were inspected as part of the compliance monitoring function of the Green Scorpions. Of the 4 171 inspections, 2 918 were to check compliance with environmental authorisations and/or permits, strategic and routine inspections, and 1 253 were reactive probes triggered by complaints. A total of 1 123 inspections related to Section 30 incidents, including toxic spills and illegal dumping.
For the brown sub-sector, the unlawful commencement of environmental impact assessment listed activities continues to be the most common non-compliance, while in the green sub-sector, illegal hunting and illegal entry into protected areas continues to be the predominant environmental crimes.
There has been a fluctuation in the reporting of certain types of incidents, with a significant increase in reports on poaching (mostly related to abalone) from three (3) in 2020/21 to 297 in 2021/22 with the opening up of the Environmental Crime Hotline to marine-related incidents. This was followed by a significant increase in air pollution complaints to 297 as compared to 115 complaints in the previous year.
The number of complaints and incidents referred to the various spheres of government remained relatively stable, with those falling within the mandate of DFFE totalling 502 in 2021/22. There was a slight decrease in provincial-related complaints from 359 to 312 year-on-year.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic Of South Africa: Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.
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The museum in the Bauakademie (School of Architecture)
The Schinkel Museum in the Bauakademie was opened in 1844 and remained largely unchanged until the early 1870s. As was customary for collections of works on paper at the time, most drawings and sketches were stored in portfolios and presented to visitors upon request. In addition, a representative selection of approximately 120 [core] works by Schinkel was exhibited as a permanent museum presentation, with others displayed on a temporary basis. A so-called "glass stand" was specially constructed to house the latter, and probably took the form of a showcase or a revolving stand with mounted frames. The exhibition spanned the three studies in Schinkel's former residence: the "Red Room" with antechamber, the "Plaster Room", containing Schinkel's collection of casts after predominantly ancient sculptures, and the "Green Room" at the end of the wing, which housed the glass stand.
» Red Room and antechamber
The Red Room and antechamber formed the prelude to the Schinkel Museum. The antechamber, probably a small anteroom or vestibule, contained one of Schinkel's landscape paintings, a capriccio featuring Genoese coastal motifs with the ruins of an abbey and funerary monuments. The Schinkel Museum's most distinguished works were displayed in the adjoining Red Room. These included paintings by Schinkel, the majority dating to around 1810, the designs for the mausoleum for the Queen consort of Prussia, Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and the late, very personal allegorical watercolours, which Schinkel gave to his friend Peter Beuth as birthday presents during the 1830s
The Plaster Room was the second room in the Schinkel Museum after the Red Room, and was located on the Kupfergraben side of the Building Academy. The adjacent plaster room also faced the Kupfergraben side of the Bauakademie. It contained Schinkel's collection plaster casts after ancient models, which were exhibited on half-size wall racks. The collection included 35 busts and statues, some of the latter in scaled-down versions. They were joined by a very high-quality plaster cast of a ceremonial sword designed by Schinkel, which hung to the right of the door to the Green Room and is well-preserved with its original sheath. Schinkel's collection of ancient plaster casts however was lost without a trace as early as the 1870s. In addition to the sword, works by Schinkel included views of several of his Berlin buildings, and, above all, works dating back to the Napoleonic occupation and the Wars of Liberation, from the famous lithograph "A Gothic Cathedral Behind Trees" (1810) and pair of drawings "Morning" and "Evening" to patriotic works from 1814, such as "Armament for the Wars of Liberation" and "Triumphant Homecoming and Victory Celebration".
» Schinkel's plaster cast collection
According to the Schinkel Museum’s inventories and catalogue, Schinkel's collection of plaster casts after ancient sculptures amounted to just under three dozen works. The majority of the collection was displayed on half-size, circumferential wall racks in the Plaster Room, constructed specifically for this purpose. In all probability, the two photographs of the exhibition dating back to approximately 1870 show the display as it was in the 1830s. The exhibition was complemented by works such as the colossal head of the "Juno Ludovisi", which were mounted on plinths.
Schinkel's collection of plaster casts and sculptures is now lost, although individual pieces may well be preserved in other collections, such as the collection of plaster casts in Berlin's Antikensammlung (Collection of Antiquities). It is likely that Schinkel also owned contemporary sculptural works. Thus the equestrian statuette displayed below the Ildefonso Group, is likely to be a work by a sculptor from the Berlin school.
The works are named here as they appear on the two surviving photographs of the Plaster Room. The 1864 catalogue of the Schinkel Museum, in which the plaster casts are listed in blocks in accordance with the order in which they appear on the photographs, was consulted for comparative purposes.
» Green Room
The Schinkel Museum's Green Room contained six drafts of the wall paintings for the Altes Museum (Old Museum) and works created by Schinkel for the theatre. These were complemented by Franz Krüger's portrait of Schinkel, purchased from his [the latter’s] descendants in 1858, taking the amount of coloured works, mostly gouaches, exhibited permanently in the Green Room to 74. The glass stand for rotating displays was also used. The exhibits were supplemented by three volumes containing a total of 150 photographs of Schinkel's drawings taken and subsequently sold by Berlin photographer Laura Bette between 1858-60 (lost in 1945; a complete series of these rare photographs is kept by the University Library at the Technical University Berlin, Sign. Rara 4 Ba 4528). The architectural models previously exhibited in the Green Room are also missing, namely the wooden model of Castle Kurnik south-east of Posnan by Kallenbach and the cork model of the Friedrichswerdersche Kirche (Friedrichswerder Church) by Friedrich Schilling.
» Designs for the murals in the entrance hall of the Old Museum in the Lustgarten
Schinkel always intended to decorate the upper level of the Old Museum's lobby with murals. These are implied in a view of the museum dating back to 1823 but were not fully developed until the construction process progressed. In October 1828, Schinkel presented his design for »Jupiter und die neue Götterwelt« ("Jupiter and the new Pantheon") on the left-hand side of the entrance hall. In January 1831, after the museum's opening, he submitted a design for a wall painting on the right-hand wall, entitled »Entwicklung des Lebens auf der Erde vom Morgen zum Abend«. ("The Development of Life on Earth from Morning to Evening"). Schinkel created the designs for the murals on the shorter lateral walls of the hall, »Uranus und der Tanz der Gestirne« ("Uranus and the Dance of the Stars") and »Trauer am Tumulus« ("Sadness on the Tumulus"), by November 1831 and January 1832 respectively. By June 1833 and April 1834, he had presented his designs on the themes of »Naturgewalt« ("Forces of Nature") and »Kriegsgewalt ("Forces of War"), destined for two panels on the staircase. These were entitled the »Aufopferung für Andere bei gefahrenvollem Naturereignis« ("Sacrifice for Others during a Natural Disaster") and »Aufopferung für Andere in Abwehr menschlicher Rohheit« ("Sacrifice for Others in Defence of Human Barbarism"). Schinkel also planned frescoes on the themes of “Art” and “Science”. However,these never materialized. The cycle of murals in the entrance hall was completed between 1840 and 1847 by various painters under the direction of Peter von Cornelius, while those in the upper staircase gallery were not finished until after 1860. They have now disappeared in almost their entirety,with only some scant remains surviving.
» Stage designs
Struggling to find work as an architect, Schinkel in 1813 hoped to be awarded the post of the late stage designer Bartolomeo Verona. However, only when the direction of the Royal Theatre changed in 1815, and August Wilhelm Iffland was succeeded by Count Karl von Brühl, did Schinkel get the opportunity to work in this area, drawing on the experience gained during his work on the diorama for Wilhelm Gropius. Berlin's theatrical scene, both opera and acting, experienced a golden age under the aegis of Count Brühl, a period of prosperity to which Schinkel contributed considerably. Schinkel created stage settings for approximately 40 operas and plays until around 1829. The designs for around 100 stage designs have been preserved.
Other than in the Schinkel Museum catalogue of 1864, Schinkel's stage creations are listed chronologically below.
» Mozart, "The Magic Flute", 1816
The designs for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute" were Schinkel's first and most successful stage works. He created all twelve sets, of which eleven were exhibited in the Schinkel Museum, personally. The 6th set, "Forecourt of the Temple of Ordeal" had already gone missing by 1862. The premiere of "The Magic Flute" using Schinkel's stage sets took place on 18th January 1816 on the occasion of the Coronation and Peace Celebrations in the Opera House on Unter den Linden. Schinkel's "Magic Flute" stage sets were used repeatedly thereafter, since 1994 again by the Berlin State Opera on Unter den Linden
» Méhul, "Ariodant", 1816
Schinkel designed three stage designs for the Berlin premiere of Etienne Nicolas Méhul's heroic opera "Ariodant", which made its début in Paris in 1799. The opera, which enjoyed little success, was discontinued immediately after the premiere on 1st June 1816. The piece of scenery for a "Large Hall" (3rd set) was consequently re-used in 1817 for Adolf Müllner's play "King Yngurd" (see below). The first stage setting, described as "A gallery transecting the entire theatre" or "Porticus" was also used in other productions, as indicated by a memorandum by Schinkel on the design - "Architecture for plays set around the 8th century".
» E. T. A. Hoffmann, "Undine", 1816
Schinkel created seven stage designs for the world premiere of E. T. A. Hoffmann's magical opera "Undine" on 3rd August 1816, the birthday of King Frederick William III, which was staged in the former National Theatre designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans, located in Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt square. Five designs have survived. Three further sets from the props collection were used for the opera, whose libretto was written by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué, who reworked his 1811 tale of the same name according to a sketch by Hoffmann. "Undine", Germany's first Romantic opera, was Hoffmann's greatest operatic success and made his name as an opera composer.
» Kleist, "Käthchen of Heilbronn", around 1816
Schinkel created a stage set for the premiere of Kleist's "Käthchen of Heilbronn". It is likely that the design was created for a premiere of the play initially planned for 1816. It was published in 1819 and may have been used during the Berlin premiere in 1824. The stage set had probably been in the props collection for a relatively long period, and had been used in other plays.
» Poißl, "Athalia", 1817
The Berlin premiere of Johann Nepomuk von Poißl's now obsolete opera took place on 25th February 1817 (libretto by Gottfried Wohlbrück, free interpretation of Racine's 1691 play "Athalie"). Schinkel created three stage sets for the performance, while two others were taken from the props collection.
» Oehlenschläger, »Axel und Walburg«, 1817
The Berlin premiere for Adam Oehlenschläger's tragedy »Axel und Walburg« took place on 28 April 1817. The play requires only one stage setting, which was designed by Schinkel.
» Müllner, "King Yngurd", 1817
Adolph Müllner's four-act tragedy celebrated its premiere on 7th June 1817. Carl Maria von Weber composed the score. Schinkel created all the designs for the performance, although the first stage setting, for a "Large Hall", had been built the year before for Etienne Nicolas Méhul's heroic opera "Ariodan". After Méhul's opera was cancelled after just one performance, the set was re-used in "King Yngurd".
» Gluck, "Alceste", 1817
After initial performances of the Italian version of Christoph Willibald Gluck's tragédie lyrique "Alceste" in Berlin in 1796, the French version, which had been altered musically and lyrically by the composer, premiered on 15th October 1817, the birthday of Crown Prince Frederick Wilhelm (IV) (German text by Carl Alexander Herklots). Schinkel created two new stage sets for this performance. The remaining three were taken from the props collection.
» Schiller, "The Maid of Orleans", 1817/18
Schinkel created three stage sets for the new production of Schiller's tragedy "The Maid of Orleans" in 1817/18. The remaining seven sets were taken from the props collection. The play's premiere using Schinkel's stage sets took place on the occasion of the Prussian Coronation Day on 18th January 1818. The premiere was performed in the Opera House after the National Theatre in Gendarmenmarkt square was destroyed by fire on 29th July 1817.
» Kotzebue, "Count Benjowsky", 1818
Kotzebue's five-act play, "Count Benjowsky or the Conspiracy on Kamschatka", which was published in 1795, premiered in Berlin in 1798. 50 further performances followed until early 1818. Schinkel possibly created a new stage set in the summer of that year. It is doubtful whether this was ever used.
» Cherubini, "Lodoiska", 1818
Luigi Cherubini's heroic three-act opera "Lodoiska", with a libretto by Charles Françoise Filette-Loraux, had been part of the Berlin repertoire since 1797 and was performed using an adaptation by Carl Alexander Herklots. It was performed once more on 3rd August 1818, the birthday of Frederick William III. Schinkel probably only created one stage set for this performance, of which no visual record remains.
» Spontini, "La vestale", 1818
Schinkel provided three stage set designs for the reworking of what was probably Gaspare Spontini's greatest operatic success, the tragédie lyrique "La vestale" ("The Vestal Virgin") in 1818. A fourth set was taken from the props collection.
» Spontini, "Fernand Cortez", 1818/24
Schinkel created a total of five sets for the new productions of Gaspare Spontini's opera "Fernand Cortez" in 1818 and 1824, of which three have survived to this day. The designs for the third set (1818) and the fourth (1824), which became necessary after Spontini re-worked the third act, are missing, and no visual records remain. After Frederick William III watched Spontini's great operas in Paris in 1814, particularly "La vestale", the performance of "Fernand Cortez" resulted in the latter's appointment to the post of General Musical Director at Berlin's Court Opera.
» Schiller, "Don Carlos", 1819
Schinkel created four designs for the new production of Schiller's "Don Carlos" on 6th January 1819, of which two have survived.
» Kotzebue, "Herrmann and Thusnelda", 1819
Schinkel created five designs for the Berlin premiere of Kotzebue's play "Herrmann and Thusnelda" on 29th March 1819, of which three have survived. Less than a week before the performance, Kotzebue, who had a reputation for being conservative and reactionary, was murdered by radical Jena student Karl Ludwig Sand. In the light of these events, the performance of "Herrmann and Thusnelda" was met with displeasure by Berlin's liberal circles.
» Schiller, "The Bride of Messina", 1819
Schiller's tragedy was performed in Berlin in June 1803, shortly after its Weimar premiere, and proved extremely popular. Schinkel created a new stage set for the performance on 14th May 1819, which was used in the first and last scenes.
» Levezow, "Ratibor and Wanda", 1819
Schinkel created three designs for the premiere of Jakob Andreas Konrad Levezow's play "Ratibor and Wanda". A further design was submitted by Wilhelm Gropius, while a fourth set was taken from the props collection. Levezow was a Berlin-based antiquarian and connoisseur of classical as well as local antiquities. He was also an occasional poet and, as in the case of "Ratibor and Wanda", a playwright.
» Gluck, "Armide", 1820
Schinkel created four designs for the new production of Christoph Willibald Gluck's "Armide", three for stage settings and one for a backdrop arch. The "South Horizon", assigned by Alfred von Wolzogen to "Armide" in the Schinkel Museum catalogue, was probably built as early as 1816. The set's extremely generalised geography allowed it to be used in various productions, probably including the new production of Gluck's "Armide" in 1820.
» Goethe, scenes from "Faust", 1820
Several scenes from Goethe's "Faust, Part One", including both “study scenes” and some “Gretchen scenes”, were performed on 24th May 1820 in the theatre hall at Monbijou Palace. Prince Anton von Radziwill, who had composed scores for "Faust" as early as 1811 and presented these to Goethe in 1814, instigated the performance. This took place in the presence of the King and part of the court, and was repeated on 7th June in honour of the arrival of Berlin's new General Musical Director.
» Raupach, "The Princes Chawansky", 1820
Schinkel created two designs for Ernst Raupach's tragedy "The Princes Chawansky", the one on display and another for the Princes' mausoleum. The play did not meet with great success. It premiered in Vienna in 1819 and was probably only repeated in Berlin, where it was performed 11 times until 1832.
» Berton, "Aline", 1820
Henri Montan Berton's opera "Aline, Queen of Golkonda" had long been part of the Berlin repertoire. A new production was staged as part of the birthday celebrations for Frederick William III on 3rd August 1820. Schinkel created a design for the occasion, but there is no record of its use.
» Spontini, "Olimpie", 1821
Schinkel probably created designs for all five stage sets used in the premiere of Gaspare Spontini's opera "Olimpie" on 14th May 1821, completing the work between September 1820 and May 1821. Both this, and Frederick William III's repeated attendance at rehearsals, exemplifies the importance attached to opera in Berlin at that time. The opera was sung in German, as was usual for the period. E. T. A. Hoffmann was responsible for the translation of the French text.
» Goethe, "Iphigenia in Tauris", 1821
The opening of Schinkel's Playhouse in Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt square was celebrated with a ballet and a scene from Goethe's "Iphigenia in Tauris" on 26th May 1821. The performance was preceded by a prologue composed by Goethe especially for the occasion, which was delivered in front of Schinkel's famous backdrop with a view of the Playhouse, between the domes of the German and French Cathedrals. It was followed by a scene from Goethe's play, for which Schinkel created the stage designs, and the ballet.
» Stage set design for general use, 1821
According to Wolzogen, this design for a stage backdrop was intended for general use and created without concrete references to a particular work. This was usual theatrical practice and probably also applies to the "South Horizon" set, which Wolzogen allocated to Gluck's "Armide" in the Schinkel Museum's catalogue. However, the present design may well refer to a specific setting. The two columns showing Saints Mark (represented by his symbolic animal) and Theodore, the patron saints of Venice, point to Giacomo Rossini's opera "Othello, the Moor of Venice", which premiered in Berlin on 16th January 1821.
» Schneider, "Aucassin and Ricolette", 1822
Schinkel created three designs for two stage sets for the premiere of Georg Abraham Schneider's romantic opera "Aucassin and Ricolette", with a libretto by Johann Ferdinand Koreff, on 26th February 1822. Only the design for the fifth set has survived.
» Spontini, "Nurmahal", 1822
The premiere of Gaspare Spontini's opera "Nurmahal or the Rose Festival of Kashmir" took place on the occasion of the wedding between Princess Alexandrine of Prussia and Hereditary Grand Duke Paul Frederick of Mecklenburg-Schwerin on 27th May 1822. The story, based on Thomas Moore's epic poem "Lalla Rookh", proved extremely popular at the Prussian court, having already formed the theme for a court party the previous year. Spontini also composed the music accompanying the party, held in the State Rooms of the Berlin palace, while Schinkel arranged the tableaux vivants. Schinkel designed all four stage sets for the 1822 opera.
» Spontini, "Alcidor", 1825
Schinkel created four designs for three stage sets for the premiere of Gaspare Spontini's magical opera "Alcidor" on 23rd May 1825, on the occasion of the wedding between Louise, the youngest daughter of Frederick William III, and Prince Frederick of the Netherlands. These were supplemented by five other stage sets, designed and built by Wilhelm Gropius and theatre painters Johann Karl Jakob Gerst and Friedrich Wilhelm Köhler.
» Uechtritz, "Alexander and Darius", 1826
According to the play bill, Schinkel created all stage designs for Friedrich von Uechtritz' tragedy "Alexander and Darius". However, because only one known design exists, the accuracy of this information must be questioned. The premiere took place on 3rd March 1826, and was followed by just three further performances until 1830.
» Spontini, "Agnes von Hohenstaufen", 1827/29
The premiere of the first act of Gaspare Spontini's opera "Agnes von Hohenstaufen" took place in 1827 on the occasion of the wedding between Prince Charles of Prussia and Princess Marie of Saxe-Weimar, while the complete, three-act opera was performed two years later during the wedding celebrations of Crown Prince William of Prussia (later Wilhelm I, German Emperor) and Augusta, the younger sister of Marie of Saxe-Weimar. Schinkel created the designs for the first three sets and the seventh set in 1827, and those for the fifth and sixth sets in 1829. The fourth was taken from the props collection.
» The "glass stand"
In addition to the museum's permanent exhibition, around 170 drawings by Schinkel were placed in a glass stand, which was probably located in the Green Room, and rotated at regular intervals. This presentation method was based on similar displays in London's National Gallery. The drawings were numbered according to the catalogue and given titles. In the majority of cases, both classifications are preserved on the mounting boards.
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What Are the Different Types of Caller ID Services?
Caller ID services or (CID), also known as Calling Line Identification services (CLID), are services provided by the telephone companies that enable the recipient of a telephone call to identify the party calling them, either by name or by telephone number. The different types of caller ID services available are analog, digital, Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) caller ID, Automatic Number Identification (ANI), and call waiting ID. Each type has different benefits and disadvantages.
Basic types of caller ID services such as Calling Number Identification (CNID)identify the party who is calling by looking up the billing information associated with the telephone number. Available for both analog and digital telephone, if the call comes from a standard loop telephone line, called a POTS exchange, the local switch of the service provider provides the identification details. The actual connection is made only when the recipient answers the phone, so the caller cannot alter this type of caller identification, although it is possible to block it.
ANI is the identification of callers based on their phone numbers. This type of telephone service is a very basic form of caller number identification, which was first created for internal testing purposes by telephone maintenance workers and later used by AT&T for long distance billing. The calling phone numbers are captured by the destination telephone company and can be accessed by the recipient of the call even if regular caller ID services are blocked.
The use of caller ID services in the VOIP environment is unregulated and easy to fake, such as configuring false phone numbers in order to avoid long distance charges. VOIP is the delivery of phone services across the Internet. This means callers and recipients can use devices other than telephones to chat, and programs available for VOIP telephone calls include Skype and MSN. For this reason, caller identification of VOIP calls may be fake and is not reliable.
Call waiting ID services, otherwise known as Type II caller ID services, date back to 1995 when it became possible for the telephone service provider to transmit the identification details of the caller after the user was already on the telephone. This works by combining call waiting services with caller ID services, and usually has an option for the recipient to select whether or not to answer the call, toggle between the current call and the waiting call, forward the new call to voice mail, or disconnect it entirely.
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In 1982, Sally Fox was working for a cotton breeder in California when she came across a bag of brown cotton seeds. The breeder was considering studying the insect-resistant properties of brown cotton. Fox was inspired to grow some brown cotton of her own, so she obtained some seeds and planted them in her mother's backyard. During 1982 and 1983, Sally Fox grew cotton in pots on the back porch of a rented apartment. She began crossbreeding the brown cotton and eventually planted the seeds in a friend's garden. In 1985, Fox leased a small plot of land and continued to cultivate her cotton. Eventually, some of the plants growing from cross-pollinated seeds produced green cotton as well as brown cotton. After ten years of hard work, Sally Fox's dream became a $5 million business. "I never really planned to be an inventor, but my attitude toward life has always been inventive," she says.
On November 14, 1997, Sally Fox spoke with students from Jefferson Junior High School in Washington, D.C., Ormond Stone Middle School in Centreville, Va., and Thoreau Middle School in Vienna, Va., as part of the Lemelson Center's Innovative Lives series. She was accompanied by her niece, Abby Person, who also has applied for a patent related to naturally colored cotton. (While still in high school, Abby discovered a way to alter and expand the range of natural cotton colors without using tints or dyes.) Sally Fox used slides and a video to explain selective crossbreeding, shared her plant data cards with the students, and hand-spun cotton on a spinning wheel as she answered questions and talked about science and invention. After meeting Fox, the students toured the Museum's Agriculture Hall, the "Engines of Change" exhibit, which features a section on 19th-century textile workers, and the Hands On History Room, where they learned more about cotton gins, spinning machines, and Navajo weavers.
An Innovative Lifeby Martha Davidson
Two strong threads of interest weave through Sally Fox's life as an innovator: a passion for natural fibers and textiles, and an equally passionate commitment to protecting and preserving the environment. It was the coming together of these two interests that led her to develop Fox Fibre®, the first commercially spinnable, naturally colored cotton. Her work in cotton breeding, beginning with a handful of seeds in 1982, has grown into a prize-winning, forty-acre enterprise, Natural Cotton Colors, Inc., that has been featured in Forbes and Entrepreneur magazines and, more importantly, expanded the range of natural cotton clothing and home products available in the United States and abroad.
As a child growing up in the San Francisco Bay area, Sally was fascinated by spinning and weaving. She saved her baby-sitting money to buy her first spindle -- a drop spindle that she purchased at a Renaissance Fair -- and would spin any fibers she could find, from the fur shed by the family's Samoyed dogs to the cotton balls used to pack medicine bottles. "In those days -- this was 1969 -- they weren't selling spinning supplies, and I was in an urban area," where it wasn't easy to find natural materials, she explains. So devoted was she to this hobby that her parents presented her with a floor-model spinning wheel for her thirteenth birthday. As she developed into one of the top hand-spinners in the country, she fantasized about having her own hand-spinning business one day.
Yet there was another strong influence in her life that changed her direction. It was the period of the Vietnam War, and the terrible effects of Agent Orange were making headlines. Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, an exposé of the damaging effects of pesticides, had recently been published. Sally read it, and at the age of twelve decided she wanted to dedicate her life to reducing or eliminating the use of pesticides. While retaining her interest in textiles and still enjoying spinning as a hobby, she turned to the study of science, getting a B.S. degree in biology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, in 1979, and an M.S. in entomology, specializing in integrated pest management, from the University of California, Riverside, in 1981.
She was working as a pollinator for a plant breeder who was developing insect-resistant cotton when she first came across colored cotton seeds in 1982. Because of her background in spinning and her interest in textiles, she was immediately intrigued by their possibilities.
Naturally colored cottons have always existed, and they were cultivated in the Americas long before Europeans settled here. The development of the textile industry helped develop a preference for white cotton. Although colored cottons, which come from a wilder background, are more pest-resistant than white cottons, which have been carefully bred for hundreds of years, they also tend to have shorter fibers. It is the length of the fiber that determines whether cotton can be spun on commercial machines. The fibers of most colored cottons can be hand-spun, but in their original, natural state they are not long enough for industrial spinners, and thus cannot be used for mass-produced textiles.
"People didn't think it was possible to improve the quality of the brown and green cotton so that it could be spun. So because they thought it was impossible, they didn't really work on it," Sally says. "When I started my work, I was an entomologist, and I hadn't read all the plant books saying you couldn't do it. So I was blessed with ignorance, and thus went on. I also loved to spin those cottons!"
In the eighteenth-century, when the industrial revolution began, there was tremendous interest in fabric dyes, and people were more excited about printing and dyeing white cotton than about weaving cotton in natural colors. Later it became apparent that many substances used in dyeing were highly toxic. Sally herself had a friend whose daughter, a teacher of textile dyeing, lost most of her brain function and was hospitalized for life as a result of exposure to too many dyes, which had seeped into her skin and poisoned her. This painful experience made Sally scared to work with dyes and strengthened her determination to develop naturally colored cottons with fibers long enough for commercial spinners.
She started with just a few seeds, which she planted in her mother's backyard. The next crop was planted in flower pots on the back porch of a rented apartment. "The first three years, I grew my plants in pots as I moved around the state of California. Everywhere I went, the plants went with me," she recalls. She began a program of crossbreeding and progressed to a plot in a friend's garden. In 1985, she was able to lease a small field to expand her breeding program.
Using classical breeding practices, Sally aimed to develop varieties of cotton with longer fibers and to increase the richness and range of colors available. At first, the seeds she planted yielded rows of cotton with diverse colors and characteristics. "It took me eight years of hard work to get to the point where there is a field of [cotton plants] that are all the same color of brown, and all the same height, and farmable (sic)...I started with plants that were all different heights...So a lot of what I breed is not just color, but farmability (sic)."
The work is tedious, hot, and repetitive. California cotton farmers did not want colored cotton grown near their crops of white plants, because of an ungrounded fear of cross-pollination (cotton self-pollinates). So Sally Fox moved her breeding experiments to areas of Texas, New Mexico, and her present base of operations in Wickenburg, Arizona. The length and strength of cotton fiber varies from region to region, because it is related to the length of the growing season. Cotton thrives in areas with long periods of very warm or hot weather -- miserable conditions for humans, but heaven for these plants.
On her forty-acre farm, Sally raises hundreds of thousands of plants, carefully cross-pollinating them by hand. "Every year I do more cross pollinations, hundreds of them," she says, "because you constantly have to introduce new diversity from which to select." The varieties are planted in distinct plots, interspersed with beans to nurture the soil and sorghum to keep the cotton plots visibly separate. Each growing season, Sally inspects over 250,000 plants, noting the length of the fiber and other individual characteristics on record cards to determine whether or not to save the seeds.
It takes three months every fall to walk through the plots and inspect each plant. During the winter, Sally analyzes the data, examines the spun fiber, and makes decisions. "Out of 250,000 plants I go through," she reports, "I save about 2,000 or 3,000. On these I take meticulous notes on the structure of the plant and the structure of the boll, and I also spin a small amount of the fiber and process it to see whether the color will increase or change in washing it. Some get darker and some get lighter. I only bring into production the ones that get darker."
It takes seven to ten years of selective crossbreeding before a new variety develops. (A variety is a line of plants whose seeds always produce plants identical to the parent but distinctly different from others of the same species.) Since her initial experiments in the early 1980s, Sally Fox has been successful in increasing the average length of colored cotton fibers from about one-half inch to over one inch long, more than adequate for commercial spinning. She holds four plant variety protection certificates (the equivalent of patents for open-pollinated plant varieties) for types of naturally colored cotton, which she grows under the registered trade name Fox Fibre® in six distinct shades: Coyote and New Brown, both of which are reddish browns, milk-chocolate-colored Buffalo, sage-colored Palo Verde, Green Fox Fibre®, and a dark forest New Green.
Sally also has received a utility patent for the flame resistant properties she discovered and bred in Coyote and Buffalo Fox Fibre®. The discovery came about simply by observing what happened when the discarded cotton plants--the "weeds" of different colors that were pulled out of otherwise homogenous plots--were burned: the brown cotton did not burn easily, but seemed to be innately fire resistant. The possibility of producing a safe cotton for children's sleepwear that did not require treatment by chemicals inspired Sally to pursue this discovery. She has been selectively breeding for fire resistance and continues to observe carefully for other advantages colored cotton may offer.
Throughout the years she was developing her breeding program, Sally Fox supported herself and her research by holding a variety of full-time or part-time jobs. In 1989, she founded Natural Cotton Colours, Inc., which developed into a multi-million dollar business. Never losing her interest in textiles and spinning, Sally created samples of yarn from her cotton, and she gave the raw cotton to other hand spinners for testing and experimentation. She listens to and learns from her colleagues, and continues to design yarns and fabrics, which are often adopted by manufacturers of textiles and household goods. Fox Fibre® clothing and other products are now marketed internationally by companies such as L.L. Bean, Eileen Fisher, and Fieldcrest. Fox Fibre® can be found in products ranging from underwear and bed sheets to luxurious cotton velvet upholstery fabric.
Natural Cotton Colours, Inc., now has two full-time employees, two part-time workers, several full-time farm dogs ( two of them named Eli and Whitney), and contracts with other farmers to grow Fox Fibre® cotton. Yet staying in business is always a struggle. "Sometimes I make good money, and that's what I use my money for, the breeding program. And at other times we have a very hard time...It's often very difficult for a scientist/inventor to have good business skills. And I have some business skills, but it never seems like it's enough. It's a challenge."
While pursuing her crossbreeding experiments and running her business, Sally has never lost sight of her life-long goal: to protect and preserve the environment. She has been a pioneer and proponent of organic farming methods for cotton, and her influence has been considerable. In 1988, there was only one acre of organically grown cotton in this country; today there are over 20,000 acres of organic cotton. Sally's remarkable achievements have been recognized by numerous environmental organizations. Awards and honors she has received include, among many others, the 1993 United Nations Environmental Programme Award for the Environment (for "leadership in protecting the earth" and "acro-ecology innovation"), the Discover Magazine 1994 Discover Award for Technological Innovation - Environmental Category, and Good Housekeeping's Green Housekeeping Award for Environmental Leadership. Sally Fox was also a "spotlighted candidate" in the 1995 Lemelson-MIT Prize program, administered by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Sally did not come from a family of inventors, and she learned about plant breeding, plant variety protector certificates, and patents largely by asking a lot of questions. To be an inventor, one must have an inherent interest in problem solving, discovery, and understanding how things work. Observation, openness to the ideas and suggestions of others, and continual questioning are essential, she believes: "What is critical is to retain an openness and a questioning approach to life in general...I never really planned to be an inventor, but my attitude toward life has always been inventive."
Teachers, explore the history of women inventors further with
your students with our "She's Got It: Women Inventors and Their Inspirations"
All text and images © Smithsonian Institution. Updated 3 March 2005.
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NUS researchers uncover how fish get their shape
Researchers from NUS Mechanobiology Institute found that the formation of the ‘V’ patterns – also known as chevron patterns – in the swimming muscles of fish do not simply arise from genetic instruction or biochemical pathways but actually require physical forces to correctly develop.
The diverse colours, shapes and patterns of fish are captivating. Despite such diversity, a general feature that we can observe in fish such as salmon or tuna once they are served in a dish like sushi, is the distinct ‘V’ patterns in their meat. While this appears to be genetically observed in the muscle arrangement of most fish species, how such a generic ‘V’ pattern arises is puzzling.
A team of researchers from NUS Mechanobiology Institute (MBI) investigated the science behind the formation of the ‘V’ patterns — also known as chevron patterns — in the swimming muscles of fish. The study focused on the myotome (a group of muscles served by a spinal nerve root) that makes up most of the fish body. These fish muscles power the fish’s side-to-side swimming motion and the chevron pattern is thought to increase swimming efficiency. Above is a microscope image of chevron patterns in zebrafish myotome.
The research team found that these patterns do not simply arise from genetic instruction or biochemical pathways but actually require physical forces to correctly develop. The findings of the study were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on 26 November 2019.
Friction and stress combine to shape patterns in fish muscle
The chevron pattern is not unique to salmon and tuna; it is also present in other fish species such as the zebrafish, as well as in some amphibian species like salamanders and frogs during development. The ‘V’ shape first appears in the somites — the precursor building blocks of the myotome, which forms the skeletal muscles. The somites typically form during the first few days of fish development or morphogenesis.
A team of scientists led by MBI Postdoctoral Fellow Dr Sham Tlili and Principal Investigator Assistant Professor Timothy Saunders studied chevron formation in the myotome of zebrafish embryos. Initially, each future developing myotome segment is cuboidal in shape. However, over the course of five hours, it deforms into a pointed ‘V’ shape. To find out how this deformation actually takes place, the team adopted a combination of different techniques — imaging of the developing zebrafish myotome at single cell resolution; quantitative analysis of the imaging data; and fitting the quantitative data into biophysical models.
Based on findings from their experimental as well as theoretical studies, the MBI scientists identified certain physical mechanisms that they thought might be guiding chevron formation during fish development.
Firstly, the developing myotomes are physically connected to other embryonic tissues such as the neural tube, notochord, skin and ventral tissues. The strength of their connection to these different tissues varies at different time points of myotome formation, and accordingly, different amounts of friction are generated across the tissue. Effectively, the side regions of the developing myotome are under greater friction than the central region. As new segments push the myotome forward, this leads to the formation of a shallow ‘U’ shape in the myotome tissue.
Secondly, cells within the future myotome begin to elongate as they form muscle fibres. The research team revealed that this transformation process generates an active, non-uniform force along certain directions within the somite tissue, which results in the ‘U’ shape sharpening into the characteristic ‘V’-shaped chevron. Lastly, orientated cell rearrangements within the future myotome help to stabilise the newly acquired chevron shape.
Deciphering the patterns guiding organ formation
Asst Prof Saunders, a theoretical physicist who applies physical principles to characterise biological processes that take place during development, said, “This work reveals how a carefully balanced interplay between cell morphology and mechanical interactions can drive the emergence of complex shapes during development. We are excited to see if the principles we have revealed are also acting in the shaping of other organs.”
It is common to attribute anything ‘appearance-related’ to the genetics of an organism. Through this study, the MBI scientists show how temporally and spatially varying biophysical forces play a role in determining the form of an organism.
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Recently, scientists were able to discover on the island in the Pacific ocean Robinson Crusoe-special spiders.
Spiders ghosts received the name for its light weight enabling them to fly.
New ability to travel by air appeared in arthropods on the island of Robinson Crusoe. For flying spiders use their webs, which at the time of Aeronautics performs the role of a kite or a parachute that can move them over long distances.
Darko Kocoras, a researcher from the California Academy of Sciences (USA) reported that animals that live on this island, change their usual environment and is able to change the normal behavior for their species. In his opinion, does the animal feel freer, because there is no competition, and begin to show hidden features.
Arachnologist Martin Ramirez with a team of researchers studied spiders on the island since 2011. They managed to find four new species of unigenito, and three of them have already studied, but the names are not assigned.
© 2016, z-news.link. All rights reserved.
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Diatomaceous earth, generally called diatomite is a desiccant dust made of silica-based skeletons of microorganisms called diatoms. The compound structure of DE is roughly 90% silica, 4% alumina and 2% iron oxide.
The EPA endorsed name DE is a characteristic non-substance bug control treatment. The minor diatoms in the powder adhere to the outside of the creepy crawly's exoskeleton and scratch it off until it dries out and bites the dust.
This is a simple viable and long haul leftover treatment for blood suckers. It is protected to disperse the powder around the edges of the sleeping pad, underneath the baseboard and inside the case spring and creases of furniture.
The diatomaceous earth silica helps to kills the insect whenever it crawls on the dust. Be that as it may, it is not a quick murdering treatment like others. It does the occupation continuously. The treatment works best in low damp environment and is sheltered to join it with other bug spray cleans. The mineral is a decent distinct option for synthetic medicines, particularly with pets and kids around. It is protected to utilize and can be connected to numerous surfaces where bug spray cleans can't. DE utilized for swimming pool channels is harmful to people and pets and not suggested for kissing bug control. DE brands publicized as bug spray contain synthetic added substances like pyrethrum and piperonyl butoxide.
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The “Internet of Things” is becoming a growing topic. What exactly is the “Internet of Things” and does it have any impact on your life?
Today everybody and his brother can connect to the internet. The cost of WiFi is decreasing and becoming super affordable (especially in South Africa). There are WiFi spots at the bus stop, in restaurants, in hotels. You name it, it is everywhere you turn. Smartphones are penetrating the world like the Coronavirus and technology is everywhere.
So simply put, “the Internet of Things” is the concept of connecting any device with an on and off switch to the internet or each other. This includes phones, washing machines, coffee makers, headphones, lamps, and the list continues. The analyst firm Gartner says that by 2020 there will be over 26 billion connected devices.
Why on earth would you want so many devices connected and talking to each other? Say, for example, you are on your way to a meeting: your car could have access to your calendar and already know the best route to take. If the traffic is heavy your car might send a text to the other party notifying them that you will be late. What if your alarm clock wakes you up at 6 a.m. and then notifies your coffee maker to start brewing coffee for you? What if your office equipment knew when it was running low on supplies and automatically re-ordered more?
It can be applied to things like transportation and “smart cities” which can help us reduce waste and improve efficiency. It allows for virtually endless opportunities in the future many of which we can’t even comprehend.
There is also a downside to this… Security. How do we know all our information is safe? Like the recent WhatsApp fiasco. Will someone be able to hack into your toaster and get a hold of all your secret information?
So what can we do about all of this? Educate yourself and be aware of what is going on around you. Not everything in life is black and white and you need to be fully educated before allowing anything in your life.
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Effective and Inertial Masses of a Photon Near a Black Hole for a Family of Envelope Orbits
Photons move along geodesic paths, which are bent in a gravitational field. This allows one to assume that the photon has a finite inertial mass. This Demonstration shows how the effective and inertial masses change as functions of the distance to the center of gravity and the motion constant for the photon's orbits near a black hole with minimum radius . The unit of distance is chosen as the Schwarzschild radius, such that .
The normalized effective mass of a photon can be defined by the proportionality between the canonical momentum and the four-velocity , such that . In a central gravitational field, the normalized inertial mass is found from , where is the radial component of the canonical force vector. The relation between and is obtained from the condition , leading to the constant of motion .
The decrease of the coordinate velocity in most of its trajectory in the gravitational field is known as the Shapiro time-delay effect. It can be pictured as a negative inertial mass for the photon. By contrast, a positive mass particle accelerates as it approaches the center of gravity.
For further technical details, please refer to W. Belayev, "Application of Lagrange Mechanics for Analysis of the Light-Like Particle Motion in Pseudo-Riemann Space," 2009, http://arxiv.org/abs/0911.0614.
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Last week I wrote about the United Nations Report on organic farming and food security in Africa. The data uncovered by the Study showed that organic agriculture can increase agricultural yields and can raise incomes by employing low-cost, locally available appropriate technologies. This demolishes the popular myth that organic agriculture cannot raise farm productivity. In opposition to claims made in the Abstracts of more than one of the presenters scheduled to speak at the Pontifical Academy’s Study Week, the research found that “organic agriculture is not directly and specifically supported by agricultural policy in most African countries; indeed, it is sometimes actively hindered by policies advocating the use of high-input farming management practices…. If organic agriculture and its associated positive side-effects are to be scaled up, any enabling policy environment is critical.”
The Study makes a point which I became very aware of when working with the T’boli people in the 1980s that much more is known about intensive, high-input farming systems, than is known about sustainable organic systems. Agricultural professionals who worked with us had to unlearn many of the things they had been told at the Agriculture Department in the University and relearn the fact that organic agriculture is knowledge-intensive. Support for organic farming must include both formal education centres in which it is taught and better linkages between farmers, scientists and agricultural workers. In the Philippines such a coalition of interests between scientists and farmers called MASIPAG has existed since 1987. It has assisted farmers in developing of new rice and corn varieties that produce better yields with minimum pest infestation. The practical work of MASIPAG proves that even without the use of GMOs, farmers can produce safe, clean and nutritious food in a profitable manner.
The centrality of organic farming in meeting the food security needs of Africa and other countries as well was also confirmed in the second study published by the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) in April 2008.
Unlike the heavy North American bias of the Pontifical Academy’s speakers, this study drew on the expertise of over 4000 agricultural and development experts drawn from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Global Environment Facility (GEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the World Bank (WB) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). Experts from government ministries, universities and civil society organizations (CSOs) were also involved in this multidisciplinary approach to agriculture. In this study farming is not seen merely as a way to produce food. It has multiple functions such as providing food and fodder, social security and ecosystem services while also having a landscape value. Furthermore, the study attempted to recognize the rights and needs of small, subsistence farmers and women farmers. Both groups are often overlooked in the agricultural policies and programmes of governments, universities and agribusiness corporations. It recommended that food producers ought to try to use “natural processes” such as crop rotation and organic fertilizers, rather than synthetic processes.
The Study found that progress in agriculture, especially in the petro-chemically intensive phase, had delivered unequal benefits and come at high social and environmental costs. There is little support for GM crops in the IAASTD report. Robert Watson, the director of the IAASTD, and chief scientist at the UK Department of Environment, Food, Rural Affairs, was asked a question from a Daily Mail reporter– Are GM crops the simple answer to hunger and poverty? His reply was, I would argue, no. The report concludes that; Assessment of the technology lags behind its development, information is anecdotal and contradictory, and uncertainty about possible benefits and damage is unavoidable.
Initially biotech companies such as Syngenta and Monsanto took part in this study. However, they resigned before it was published. Many commentators believe that the reason they resigned is because they were not getting their way on GM crops. These crops would make billions of dollars for them if they were an essential ingredient in tackling world hunger. This was bad news for the Corporations’ bottom line. Since the publication of the IAASTD Report the publicity machines of the corporations have been attempting to undermine the document’s conclusions and recommendations. Once again, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences would be better employed promoting the ideas contained in this seminal document rather than furthering the interests of big business.. If the IAASTD findings on small scale, low-input agriculture were implemented it would change current agricultural policies which favour chemically-intensive agriculture and provide food and food security for the poor.
“Organic Agriculture and Food Security in Africa,” United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, United Nations Environmental Programme, New York, Geneva, 2008, page x.
John Vidal, “Change in Farming Can Feed the World”, The Guardian, April 16th 2008.
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chop (verb, noun) /tʃɑp/ LISTEN
Most commonly, to chop means ‘to cut something with quick and sharp blows,’ ‘to hit with a heavy and sharp stroke,’ or ‘to cut into smaller pieces’; in this latter sense, it is often followed by up. Figuratively, chop means ‘to reduce something severely.’ A chop is not only the act of chopping, but also a thick individual piece of meat, usually including a rib. In North America, chop is also an uncountable noun and means ground grains used as animal food.
- Eugene has been chopping wood all afternoon.
- The karate black belt chopped the bricks in two with a blow of her hand.
- Would you mind chopping up those onions? They make me cry.
- Our budget has been chopped again this year; I don't know how we'll manage.
- A single chop split the log in two.
- I'm going to the butcher's to buy a lamb chop for dinner.
- The farmer fed his animals some chop.
Words often used with chop
the chop (UK): dismissal from a job. Example: “Wendy had only had her job for two months when she got the chop.”
chop and change (UK): change your mind frequently. Example: “I don’t know what George wants; I’ve asked him, but he keeps chopping and changing!”
chop shop: a place where people take stolen cars to sell their parts. “My car was stolen two days ago. I’m sure it’s in the chop shop by now.”
In pop culture
Listen to Alice Cooper singing “Chop. Chop. Chop.”
Did you know?
In the plural, chops can also mean ‘the jaw’ or ‘the area around the mouth,’ and it has several figurative meanings. For instance, you might say a person or animal who is eagerly anticipating food is licking his/her chops. Example: “Bella starts licking her chops when she hears me opening the dog food can.” Mainly in US English, the expression bust your chops means ‘to work very hard.’ Example: “We’ve been busting our chops all week and the work still isn’t finished!” If you bust someone else’s chops (again, mainly US English), that means you give that person a hard time. Example: “The boss has been busting my chops for months now about my sales targets, but I just can’t do any better.”
Chop, meaning ‘to cut with a quick strike,’ dates back to the mid-14th century, in the form of the Middle English verb choppen or chappen. Its exact origin is uncertain, but some linguists think it evolved from an unrecorded Old English verb that could possibly be ceappina or cieppan, from the Proto-Germanic root kapp– (to chop, cut or split). If this is the origin, chop is related to the Frisian kappe or kapje (to hack, chop or lop off), the Dutch kappen (to chop, cut or hew), Middle Low German koppen (to cut off, lop or poll), the Low German kappen (to cut off or clip), the German kappen (to cut or clip), the Danish kappe (to cut, lop off or poll), the Swedish kapa (to cut), the Albanian copë (piece or chunk), and the English word chip. Other linguists have suggested that it came into English from the North French choper (or the Old French coper), meaning ‘to cut or cut off.’ If that is the case, it can be traced back to the Vulgar Latin cuppare (to behead), influenced (in Old French) by the similar verb couper (to strike). It’s possible the Latin borrowed the word, or at least the root, from a Germanic language, so it can be traced back to the same origin as the competing theory. If chop came into English from Old French, it is related to the French couper, and the English word coup. The noun, meaning ‘the act of chopping with a quick strike,’ also dates back to the mid-14th century, and comes from the verb. The sense ‘a piece cut off from something’ was first used in the mid-16th century, and specifically used to refer to a slice of meat since the early 17th century. The sense ‘a blow or strike’ dates back to the mid-16th century.
Word of the Day is released Monday through Friday.
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[vc_row enable_arrows_animation=”no”][vc_column][vc_column_text]With only about a month or so to go before our APA Spring Music Recital, all of our students are working hard to get the performance of their song ready. Our music teachers are helping students take their pieces beyond the basic level of playing or singing correct notes and rhythms and working toward creating a piece with expression and feeling. Students and teachers are working together to prepare wonderful music to showcase to all of our APA music families and friends. It is a lot of work, but so important for the growth of all of our musicians.
One big question I receive every year from some music parents is: How can I help my child prepare for the recital when I know nothing about music? For all of you parents out there who are looking for guidance in how to best help your musician, here are several ways in which YOU, yes YOU, can help 😊…
- Provide an audience for your musician when they are practicing their piece.
Most of us experience some sort of performance anxiety before a recital because we want to do well and we care what the audience thinks. It is a natural response to the excitement of the event, and it is important for students to acknowledge it and not let it affect them in a negative way. One of the best ways to do this is to get a ton of practice playing in front of an audience before the actual performance. The more you do it, the easier it gets to realize that the anxiety is natural and can be used to enhance performance. Parents can be that audience for their child, and also gather friends and family (virtually if needed!) to be an audience as well.
- Give performance feedback on the non-music-related recital details.
Before each performance, music students must walk up to a microphone and clearly announce their name and song title. They perform and then acknowledge the applause of the audience with a bow or curtsy before walking off stage. It is amazing how much easier it is to do this successfully when you have practiced this procedure multiple times before a performance. Parents can be hugely helpful in providing their child with tips on how to speak clearly and confidently, how to walk with confidence, how to smile (this is a big one as just going through the motion of a smile can make a child relax a little before a performance), and how to remember to acknowledge an audience with a bow or curtsy before they leave the stage.
- Help your musician select an appropriate performance outfit.
This may seem silly, but having the right performance outfit can be very helpful to a musician. You obviously want your musician to dress formally for their recital event, but you also want them to be comfortable so they can perform their music without any unnecessary restriction. For example, if your pianist is using the pedal with their song, they want to make sure to wear shoes that will allow them to press it down with ease and without a lot of extra effort. Something like flip flops (even if they are a more formal pair) will make this more difficult for them. If your child is a vocalist and only practices their song with flats on, they should make sure to perform at the recital with dress flats so their shoes do not affect their balance and posture. What we wear isn’t usually something we think would affect our performance, but it truly does!
- Make sure your musician knows that you will be proud of them no matter what happens at the recital.
This is hands down the most important thing you can do for your musician. The number 1 fear of most musicians before a performance is that they will make a mistake. They need to know that mistakes are okay and very normal in a live performance. The more they practice performing through mistakes instead of stopping and starting anytime one is made, the better they will be at not letting them negatively affect their performance. If they know that you are not judging them based on mistakes and that you just want them to have fun and enjoy their performance, this will help ease some of their anxiety. Even though I know parents already feel this way, it is so important for our students to hear it from their parents/guardians directly.
No matter if you are a parent with a music background or without one, all of the above is helpful for recital preparation. As always, if you have any further questions on how to best help your child to prepare, seek the guidance of your child’s music teacher. They work one on one with your child and can provide very specific insight on what will work best for your musician.
APA Music Director and Instructor
Looking to sign your child up for group or private music lessons, taught by highly-trained educators?
Visit APA’s list of currently available music classes, and register today! See our full music catalog here.
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(Investigator 102, 2005 May)
Are "magic numbers" either
The following is a so-called "Magic Square":
The sum to which the rows, columns and diagonals each add up, is said to be the "magic number". In the example above the magic number is 15.
Magic squares originated in India or China thousands of years ago. Emperor Yu of China is said to have discovered the various patterns of the 3 x 3 square near BC 2200.
Magic squares reached Europe via the Muslims and were constructed in Europe by the 14th century.
To work out the "magic number" quickly, use the formula
(N2 + N) / 2L
where N is the total number of "cells" and L is the number of cells in one row or column. (Note there is actually no 2 x 2 magic square although the formula gives a magic number "5".)
Long ago magic squares acquired the "magical" description and many people believe that "magic numbers" had magic powers. They, therefore, wore magic numbers or magic squares on a chain around their neck.
American statesman and
Franklin (1706-1790) amused himself, when he became a clerk in 1736 for
the Pennsylvania General Assembly, by making up magic squares. He later
There are, however, systematic procedures to work out what numbers go in what cells. For Franklin to fill in magic squares quickly he must have known about such procedures. Frenchman Antoine de la Loubere visited Siam in 1687-1688 and there learned a method for filling out magic squares that have an odd number of cells. It’s described in the book by David Stern and I won’t repeat it here.
Another method starts by
working out all
the ways or combinations that get us the "magic number". For the 3 x 3
square, where the magic number is 15, the different combinations are:
Note the number "5" occurs four times. Therefore "5" must be positioned in the only cell used on four occasions – i.e. the second row and second column and both diagonals. So, "5" goes in the centre.
Corner cells are used on three occasions that is in one column, one row and one diagonal. Therefore, in the four corners we put the numbers used on three occasions, these being "2", "4", "6" and "8". The rest is easy.
(Investigator 103, 2005 July)
As a child I spent many hours playing around with magic squares. There were several formulae I used to know for constructing them.
There was one square I loved because it arrived at the number 78 (allegedly a Moorish Musselman's mystic number) in twenty three different combinations.
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Changing and improving our attitude can help us change the way we see and do things. I have learned that a positive mental attitude is far more important than aptitude to succeed in life. I also learned that it is not easy at first because we all have been conditioned since we were born to see and do things and in many cases to think a certain way. But with practice we can improve our attitude.
Here are my top ten tips to build and maintain a positive mental attitude:
1. Stay away from negative and pessimistic people.
2. Do not complain and blame others for your mistakes, problems, misfortunes and setbacks. You are responsible for your actions and consequences, you are responsible for your life and circumstances.
3. Be more in touch with your thoughts and feelings, but do not get carried away by your worries. No matter what, make the conscious decision to start your day, everyday, in a positive and optimistic way.
4. Always work on maintaining a positive attitude about things. We all know that we can not always control what happens in our lives, but we can always control how we react to what happens in our lives. This will help you build the courage, confidence and motivation to change, improve and find a solution to your problem.
5. Learn to adapt. Things change, circumstances change. Adjust yourself and your efforts to what it is presented to you so you can respond accordingly. Never see change as a threat, because it can be an opportunity to learn, to grow, evolve and become a better person.
6. Face your reality with courage. Take a good and careful look at your situation and allow yourself time to think. See where you are now and decide what you want and where you want to be. Make up your mind, build the enthusiasm, and go for it. Realize that you have the ability and the potential to change yourself and to change things.
7. Concentrate on the beautiful things in your life. Never compare yourself with others. You are unique; there is nobody else like you and you are capable of doing great and wonderful things with you life.
8. Look for better or different ways to do things. Allow yourself to see beyond what others think is possible, wise or practical. Be proactive and be part of a solution, not part of a problem.
9. Be in charge of your life. Do not think and assume that what happens to you is your destiny. It is not! If you think that way you will give a message to your brain to stop looking for ideas or solutions to your problems. Do not make excuses to relieve yourself from your responsibilities. Keep in mind, if you do not control your life and future somebody else will, whether you like it or not.
10. Work on your attitude and learn to control it. Always remember, if you are not careful, your attitude will control you.
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Comedy in Love or Love in Comedy: “As You Like It” by W. Shakespeare The theme of love mostly dominates the whole play “As You Like It” by W. Shakespeare in spite of all the threatening aspects of the play. The play begins with conflict of the two brothers, jealousy of court and murder plan. These obviously don’t give the audience any scope to think about love. They are kept in anxious about the future of the play_ what is going to happen? But as soon as the play moves towards the Forest of Arden, the audience can see the ray of hope that something good is going to happen. Love at first sight is one of the characteristics of pastoral romance tradition. So, we can see that all characters were affected by this cardinal aspect of love. Nonetheless, each love affair is different form others and gives the dramatist an opportunity to analyse love with its various dimensions. Therefore, like the other romantic comedies, this play also ends with marriage and happiness. In fact the romantic love in the play begins with the encounter of Rosalind and Orlando in the wrestling match. The innocence and immaturity of Orlando touch the heart of Rosalind and she fells in love after the glorious victory of Orlando. It was her generosity that she gave him her necklace as a token of love, though there was a fear of her uncle. Rosalind shows her witticism in her love expression. In fact she is passionately in love with Orlando but never express it. Rather, she keep continues to test the boy, playing love game one after another. Orlando expresses his love in verse_ Form east to western Ind No jewel is like Rosalind. In spite of her manly disguise, Rosalind’s passion becomes unbound when Orlando is late at the appointed time. She becomes excessively delighted when she comes to know that none but Orlando is the composer of the verse on the tree which is addressed to Rosalind. When Orlando became “sick”, Ganimed that is, Rosalind came forward to “cure” his love sickness. All these are peculiar indeed. However, here follows the romantic verse by Rosalind for the lovers. No, no Orlando, men are April when they Woo, December when they wed! Maids are May when they are maids but sky changes when They are wives. As a romantic lover Orlando also plays his role as typical country lover. He claims that he will simply die if he is rejected by Rosalind. But this is also criticized by Rosalind. Another love affair between Touchstone and Audrey is quite different from the previous love affair. Audrey, the country shepherdess is addressed as an ugly, uneducated. She becomes agree to marry Touchstone as soon as he proposes. In fact, she does not love Touchstone but his courtly status. On the contrary, Touchstone is moving by his utmost sexual desire. He does not want waste his time by wooing someone but marry. He also prefers someone who did not waste her youth in wooing. This kind of love is earthly most. Here love is not that love which one is believed by Rosalind and Orlando. The love affair between Phebe and Silvious is mostly mocked by Shakespeare rather than celebrated. Phebe, the shepherdess of Forest of Arden is attracted by Silvious, another shepherd. But Phebe does not love Silvious because she is continuously wooing to Ganemade that is, Rosalind in disguise. The more Rosalind wants to push her towards Silvious, the more she becomes affectionate by Rosalind. However, at the end of the play Phebe accept Silvious, though it seems artificial to the audience. Another love relationship between Celia and Oliver is a hasty one. As soon as they saw each other, they fall in love. Oliver, the brother of Orlando who at previous want to kill his brother, now being in love wants to give all his property to Orlando and wants to be a shepherd in the Forest of Arden. The love between Adam and Orlando is an innocence one. Adam, the lifetime servant of Rawlan De Boys and his son Orlando is a pious and lovable man. He loves Orlando very much and wants to gives all his earned property to Orlando at the time of Orlando’s escaping to Forest of Arden. In fact, Adam saves the life of Orlando. The innocence sisterly love between Celia-Rosalind is remarkable. Their love surpasses the ordinary sisterly love of the world as one follows other like shadow. Their life in court, their escape to Forest of Arden shows the pure sisterly love for each other. We can see that love, the commonplace theme of authors is skillfully handled by Shakespeare in this play. Unlike, the modern love stories there are no social and family barriers in love. So, love and its effects on human personality is the main concern of the dramatist in the play, “As You Like It. It also shows how love for property and authority brings destruction where mere love for human heart brings about regeneration. Like all others his great episodes of love, Shakespeare tries to show that there is a feeling of pity in love. A sense of pity arouses love. So, also happens to it in the play, As you Like It. Rosalind falls in love with Orlando because she felt pity for his innocence and unprofessional manner as a wrestler.
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| 0.974861 | 1,125 | 2.75 | 3 |
According to a new study, vigorous physical activity triggers the human body to release endocannabinoids, which are naturally occurring, lipid-based neurotransmitters. These are very similar and in some instances the same as the cannabinoids found in cannabis. These substances help reduce inflammation and could potentially treat arthritis, heart disease, and perhaps cancer as well.
Literally runner’s high
Scientists have known for some time that exercising reduces inflammation, but little is still known about how exactly this happens. British researchers at the University of Nottingham are filling the gaps with a new study that involved 78 patients with arthritis. Half of the participants had to perform 15 minutes of muscle-strengthening exercises daily for six weeks while the other half didn’t exercise at all.
The researchers led by Professor Ana Valdes from the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham found that the patients who exercised reported less pain and had more microbes in their guts that produce anti-inflammatory compounds. They also had lower levels of cytokines, which are molecules that allow your cells to talk to each other, and are crucial for healthy immune system function. Cytokines are often responsible for triggering inflammation in the body, which can be critical to our survival when the body is infected but can cause a ‘pointless’ kind of inflammation when they go overboard.
Exercise also increased the levels of endocannabinoids, which was strongly associated with the changes in the beneficial gut microbes and the anti-inflammatory substances they produce. According to the study published in the journal Gut Microbes, at least a third of the anti-inflammatory effects of the gut microbes were due to endocannabinoids.
“Our study clearly shows that exercise increases the body’s own cannabis-type substances. Which can have a positive impact on many conditions. As interest in cannabidiol oil and other supplements increases, it is important to know that simple lifestyle interventions like exercise can modulate endocannabinoids,” Vijay said in a statement.
Both marijuana and exercise are known to elicit a feeling of euphoria. In the case of the latter, the feeling is often referred to as a “runner’s high” and a body of evidence points to endocannabinoids as the culprit.
The role of endocannabinoids has been widely documented in modulating inflammation, muscle strength, and energy metabolism. Other studies have shown that the gut microbiome and exercise are interconnected to regulate metabolism and homeostasis, independent of diet. With this latest study, scientists have connected the dots showing how endocannabinoids and gut microbes are connected and synergistically act to reduce inflammation in the body.
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Soil Phosphorus Fractions Change in Winter in a Corn-Soybean Rotation with Tillage and Phosphorus Fertilization.
Shi, Y., Ziadi, N., Messiga, A.J., Lalande, R., and Hu, Z.Y. (2015). "Soil Phosphorus Fractions Change in Winter in a Corn-Soybean Rotation with Tillage and Phosphorus Fertilization.", Pedosphere, 25(1), pp. 1-11. doi : 10.1016/S1002-0160(14)60071-0 Access to full text
Determining how agricultural management practices affect soil phosphorus (P) over the winter may further our understanding of the soil P cycle under specific environmental conditions in eastern Canada. This study assessed changes over winter for soil P fractions and other selected chemical properties as affected by tillage and P fertilization. In 1992, a long-term corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max L.) rotational experiment was established in the province of Quebec, Canada. Soil samples (0 - 15 cm) were collected in fall 2001 and 2007 after a soybean harvest, and in the following spring 2002 and 2008 before corn seeding, in main plots under moldboard plow (MP) and no till (NT) management and selected subplots fertilized with 0, 17.5, or 35 kg P ha-1 and 160 kg N ha-1. Soil samples were analyzed for P fractions and other chemical properties to assess changes over winter for 2001–2002 and 2007–2008. Changes over winter of all soil P fractions were significant for the two periods indicating the occurrence of soil P transformation and movement over winter. The Mehlich-3 extractable Fe, Al, Ca, and Mg decreased during the two studied periods. Tillage had no significant effect on all soil P fractions. Resin-P in 2001–2002 and NaHCO3-Pi and NaOH-Po fractions during the two winters were significantly increased under P fertilized treatments. This study demonstrated that in cultivated soils, P changes during winter as a result of changes in labile P fractions possibly due to the solubilisation of residual fertilizer P combined with environmental factors.
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This receiver printed the dots and dashes of morse code onto paper tape. The telegraph's electric current would energise the receiver's twin electromagnets, which in turn attracted an iron bar that operated a system of levers. It was these levers which forced the paper tape against an inking wheel, thus producing the code. A small flow of current made a short line - or 'dot'; a current three times as long made the 'dash'. However, the machine needed trained people to decode the mesages.
© Science Museum / Science & Society Picture Library
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| | Other topics
News articles on big cats
Mongabay.com news articles on big cats in blog format. Updated regularly.
(07/09/2014) While there has been a surge of recovery and reintroduction programs to combat predator decline, human population growth and limited protected areas have led to increased rates of human-wildlife conflicts in many regions of the world. A study published recently tested the ability of trained guarding dogs to protect livestock in South Africa and found it to be highly effective, protecting humans and predators alike.
Deforestation drives tigers into contact, conflict with humans
(06/20/2014) Conflicts between tigers and humans will continue to increase unless the destruction and loss of Sumatra's forests is halted, warns Dr. Erni Suyanti Musabine, a wildlife conservation veterinarian with Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry. According to Yanti, the critically endangered Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) traditionally lived deep in the forest, but habitat loss forces them closer to human habitation where they are at risk of being hunted or contracting diseases, and are increasingly becoming a nuisance or threat to humans.
Chinese fishermen get the ultimate phone video: a swimming tiger
(06/19/2014) Two Chinese fishermen got the catch of their lives...on mobile phone this week. While fishing in the Ussuri River, which acts as a border between Russia and China, the fishermen were approached by a swimming Siberian tiger. These tigers, also known as Amur tigers, are down to around 350-500 animals.
Camera trap captures first ever video of rarely-seen bird in the Amazon...and much more
(06/17/2014) A camera trap program in Ecuador's embattled Yasuni National Program has struck gold, taking what researchers believe is the first ever film of a wild nocturnal curassow (Nothocrax urumutum). In addition, the program has captured video of other rarely-seen animals, including the short-eared dog and the giant armadillo.
Bears, cats, and mystery mammals: camera traps in 'paper park' prove its worth protecting
(06/09/2014) Can a single photograph change the fate of a park? A new conservation group, HabitatID, believes so, and is putting this belief into action. Setting up camera traps in Cambodia's Virachey National Park, the group hopes that photos of charismatic and endangered species will help reinvigorate protection for a park that has been abandoned by conservation groups and underfunded by the government.
Four donors pledge $80 million for big cats
(06/03/2014) Four donors from around the world have pledged $80 million to cat conservation group, Panthera. The money will fund projects working to preserve tigers, lions, jaguars, cheetahs, leopards, snow leopards, and cougars over ten years.
Kala: the face of tigers in peril
(03/27/2014) In 1864, Walter Campbell was an officer in the British Army, stationed in India when he penned these words in his journal: "Never attack a tiger on foot—if you can help it. There are cases in which you must do so. Then face him like a Briton, and kill him if you can; for if you fail to kill him, he will certainly kill you." In a stroke of good fortune for the tiger, perceptions in India have changed drastically since Campbell's time. Tiger hunting is now banned and conservationists are usually able to rescue the big cats if they become stranded while navigating increasingly human-occupied areas. But is this enough to save the tiger?
Featured video: camera traps catch jaguars, anteaters, and a sloth eating clay in the Amazon rainforest
(02/13/2014) These are sights that have rarely been seen by human eyes: a stealthy jaguar, a bustling giant armadillo, and, most amazingly, a sloth slurping up clay from the ground. A new compilation of camera trap videos from Yasuni National Park in the Ecuadorean Amazon shows a staggering array of species, many cryptic and rare.
Proposed rail and road projects could devastate Nepal's tigers and rhinos
(02/06/2014) Chitwan National Park is a conservation success story. Since its establishment in 1973 the park's populations of both Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) and one-horned rhinos (Rhinoceros unicornis) have quintupled, a success achieved during a time when both species have been under siege globally by poachers. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the park is also a vital economic resource for locals: last year the park admitted over 150,000 tourists who brought in nearly $2 million in entry fees alone. But all this is imperiled by government plans for a new railway that would cut the park in half and a slew of new roads, according to a group of international conservationists known as the Alliance of Leading Environmental Researchers and Thinkers (ALERT).
Endangered tiger killed in Sumatra
(02/01/2014) A young Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) was shot and killed by a coffee farmer in Jambi Province. With an estimated 400 individuals left in the wild, the species is Critically Endangered, while habitat loss increasingly forces them into populated areas to search for food.
Predator appreciation: how saving lions, tigers, and polar bears could rescue ourselves
(01/29/2014) In the new book, In Predatory Light: Lions and Tigers and Polar Bears, authors Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, Sy Montgomery, and John Houston, and photographers Cyril Christo and Marie Wilkinson share with us an impassioned and detailed appeal to appreciate three of the world's biggest predators: lions, tigers, and polar bears. Through lengthy discussions, combining themes from scientific conservation to local community folklore, In Predatory Light takes us step by step deeper into the wild world of these awe-inspiring carnivores and their varied plight as they facedown extinction.
Feral crèches: parenting in wild India
(01/28/2014) The Wildlife Conservation Society-India has been camera trapping wild animals for over 20 years in the Western Ghats. The results reveal the most intimate, fascinating and sometimes comical insights into animal behavior and ecology. These mammals generally become secretive and protective during parenting, and therefore we seldom get to see little ones in the wild. But discretely placed camera traps have not only caught glimpses of these adorable wild babies, but also produced wonderful family albums!
Snow leopards and other mammals caught on camera trap in Uzbekistan (photos)
(01/16/2014) Scientists knew that snow leopards (Panthera uncia) still survived in the Central Asian country of Uzbekistan, but late last year they captured the first ever photos. Camera traps in the Gissar Nature Reserve took photos of the big cats, along with bear, lynx, ibex, wild boar, and other mammals. The camera trap program was led by biologists Bakhtiyor Aromov and Yelizaveta Protas working with Panthera, WWF's Central Asia Program, and Uzbekistan's Biocontrol Agency.
German government gives tigers $27 million
(01/14/2014) At a summit in 2010, the world's 13 tiger range states pledged to double the number of tigers (Panthera tigris) in the wild by 2020. Today, non-tiger state Germany announced its assistance toward that end. Through its KfW Development Bank, the German government has pledged around $27 million (20 million Euro) to a new program run by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Lions face extinction in West Africa: less than 250 survive
(01/08/2014) The lions of West Africa, which may represent a distinct subspecies, are on the precipice of extinction. A sober new study in PLOS ONE reports that less than 250 mature lions survive in the region. Scientists have long known that West Africa's lions were in trouble, but no one expected the situation to be as dire as it was. In fact, in 2012 scientists estimated the population at over 500. But looking at 21 parks, scientists were shocked to find lions persisted in just four with only one population containing more than 50 individuals.
Curious bears take 'selfies' with camera traps
(12/26/2013) "Selfies" are all the rage this year, and even bears have jumped on the trend. Especially the shaggy-coated, termite-loving sloth bears (Melursus ursinus), who seem particularly fascinated by the cameras that scientists have put up in forests to secretly capture their stealthy moves.
Jaguars in Argentine Chaco on verge of local extinction
(12/23/2013) The majestic jaguar (Panthera onca), the largest of the New World cats, is found as far north as the southern states of the US, and as far south as northern Argentina. In the past jaguars ranged 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) further south, but their range has shrunk as habitat loss and human disturbance have increased. Overall, jaguars are classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN, but the level of risk facing jaguars varies by region. Populations in Argentina, at the present-day southern range limit, have previously been identified as some of the most threatened of them all.
Unraveling the secrets of one of the world's most mysterious big cats
(12/22/2013) The Sunda clouded leopard has always been shrouded in mystery. Only declared a separate species from its mainland cousin, the Borneo clouded leopard, in 2006, the IUCN lists the cat as Endangered. The distinction between the Borneo clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulas) and the Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi) was made by ground-breaking molecular coding technologies and anatomy studies of the two species. Although it is Borneo's largest predator, very little is known about the Sunda leopard. As a medium-sized, well-camouflaged and mostly nocturnal animal, the leopard has evaded researchers since its discovery eight years ago.
86 percent of big animals in the Sahara Desert are extinct or endangered
(12/03/2013) Bigger than all of Brazil, among the harshest ecosystems on Earth, and largely undeveloped, one would expect that the Sahara desert would be a haven for desert wildlife. One would anticipate that big African animals—which are facing poaching and habitat loss in other parts of the world—would thrive in this vast wilderness. But a new landmark study in Diversity and Distributions finds that the megafauna of the Sahara desert are on the verge of total collapse.
Little dude takes the prize: rare dormouse wins BBC camera trap contest (photos)
(12/02/2013) The image of a rare dormouse has won the fourth annual BBC Wildlife Camera-Trap Photo of the Year award. Photographed in Turkey, the Roach's mouse-tailed dormouse (Myomimus roachi) is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List with its habitat rapidly disappearing for agriculture. The photo took the grand prize out of 850 entries from around world in a contest that takes into account the scientific importance of submitted photos.
Camera traps reveal Amur leopards are breeding in China (photos)
(11/26/2013) Good news today about one of the world's rarest mammals: camera traps in China's Wangqing Nature Reserve have captured the first proof of breeding Amur leopards in the country, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). The photos show a mother Amur leopard with two cubs. A recent survey by WWF-Russia estimated the total wild population of Amur leopards at just 50 individuals, but that's a population on the rise (from a possible nadir of 25) and expanding into long-unused territory.
Bangladesh plans massive coal plant in world's biggest mangrove forest
(11/11/2013) On October 22nd Bangladeshi and Indian officials were supposed to hold a ceremony laying the foundation stone for the Rampal power plant, a massive new coal-fired plant that will sit on the edge of the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest. However, the governments suddenly cancelled the ceremony, instead announcing that the project had already been inaugurated in early October by the countries' heads of state via a less-ornate Skype call. While the governments say the change was made because of busy schedules, activists contend the sudden scuttling of the ceremony was more likely due to rising pressure against the coal plant, including a five-day march in September that attracted thousands.
Could camera trap videos galvanize the world to protect Yasuni from oil drilling?
(11/07/2013) Even ten years ago it would have been impossible to imagine: clear-as-day footage of a jaguar plodding through the impenetrable Amazon, or a bicolored-spined porcupine balancing on a branch, or a troop of spider monkeys feeding at a clay lick, or a band of little coatis racing one-by-one from the dense foliage. These are things that even researchers who have spent a lifetime in the Amazon may never see. Now anyone can: scientists at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station in Ecuador's Yasuní National Park have recently begun using camera trap videos to take movies of animals few will ever view in their lifetimes. The videos—following years of photo camera trapping—provide an intimate view of a world increasingly threatened by the oil industry.
Central Park Zoo debuts baby snow leopard twins (photos)
(11/06/2013) The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Central Park Zoo is debuting a pair of snow leopard cubs that were born this past summer.
Camera-traps reveal surprising mammals at remote site in Honduras (photos)
(09/30/2013) A camera trap survey along the Sikre River in Honduras has discovered that the region is home to a menagerie of rare mammals, including giant anteaters. The survey, published in mongabay.com's open access journal, Tropical Conservation Science, recorded five cat species in 70 square kilometers.
Samburu's lions: how the big cats could make a comeback in Kenya
(09/30/2013) In 2009 conservationists estimated that less than 2,000 lions survive in Kenya, a drop of 26 percent in just seven years. In addition, the East Africa country continues to hemorrhage lions: around a hundred a year. Poaching, poisoning, and large-scale habitat loss has put lions on the defensive across Africa, but even countries once thought lion strongholds--like Kenya--have seen populations harried to devastation and in some cases local extinction. Shivani Bhalla, a fourth-generation Kenyan, is working to turnaround this trend in Samburu National Reserve.
Lions rising: community conservation making a difference for Africa's kings in Mozambique
(09/17/2013) Everyone knows that tigers, pandas, and blue whales are threatened with extinction—but lions!? Researchers were shocked to recently discover that lion populations have fallen precipitously: down to around 30,000 animals across the African continent. While 30,000 may sound like a lot, this is a nearly 70 percent decline since 1960. In addition, lion populations are increasingly fragmented with a number of populations having vanished altogether. However, there is hope: one place where lion populations are actually on the rise is Niassa National Reserve in Mozambique. Here, lion populations have risen by around 60 percent in just seven years. In part this is due to the effort of Colleen and Keith Begg.
Protecting predators in the wildest landscape you've never heard of
(09/10/2013) The Serengeti, the Congo, the Okavango Delta: many of Africa's great wildernesses are household names, however on a continent that never fails to surprise remain vast wild lands practically unknown to the global public. One of these is the Ruaha landscape: covering 51,800 square kilometers (20,000 square miles) of southern Tanzania's woodlands and savannah, Ruaha contains the largest population of elephants in East Africa, over 500 bird species, and a wealth of iconic top predators, including cheetah, hyena, wild dogs, leopard, and—the jewel in its crown—10 percent of the world's lions. But that's not all, one of Africa's least-known and secretive tribal groups, the Barabaig, also calls Ruaha home.
Featured video: how tigers could save human civilization
(08/29/2013) In the video below, John Vaillant, author of the The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival, tells an audience at TEDxYYC about the similarities between tigers and human beings. Given these similarities—big mammals, apex predator, highly adaptable, intelligent, and stunningly 'superior'—John Vaillant asks an illuminating question: what can we learn from the tiger? It turns out learning from tigers could help conserve the human race.
Nepal's tigers on the rebound
(07/30/2013) Nearly two hundred tigers roam the lowland forests of Nepal, according to a new survey. This is a 63 percent increase in the country's tiger population since 2009, and rare good news for global efforts to save the tiger from extinction.
Scientists: lions need funding not fences
(07/15/2013) Fences are not the answer to the decline in Africa's lions, according to a new paper in Ecology Letters. The new research directly counters an earlier controversial study that argued keeping lions fenced-in would be cheaper and more effective in saving the big cats. African lion (Panthera leo) populations across the continent have fallen dramatically: it's estimated that the current population is around 15,000-35,000 lions, down from 100,000 just 50 years ago. The animal kings are suffering from booming human populations, habitat loss and fragmentation, prey decline, trophy hunting, and human-lion conflict.
60 big cats killed in Brazilian parks in last two years
(06/24/2013) At least 60 big cats have been killed within national protected areas in Brazil during the past two years according to a recent survey published in mongabay.com's open access journal Tropical Conservation Science. The report, which focuses on jaguar (Panthera onca) and puma (Puma concolor) populations, within Brazilian protected areas shows that reserve management and use restrictions impact the level of big cat hunting.
Local people provide wildlife and forest data in park plagued by conflict
(06/24/2013) There are often many obstacles for scientists when gauging wildlife decline and forest loss, and one of the most difficult is civil conflict, like the situation in the Similipal Tiger Reserve in India. But a new study in mongabay.com's open access journal Tropical Conservation Science (TCS) finds that local communities may be used to gauge forest loss and wildlife decline for baseline data when conflicts or other obstacle prevent long-term research and monitoring.
Tigers, orangutans, rhinos: Sumatra's big mammals on the edge of extinction
(06/12/2013) Karman Lubis's body was found near where he had been working on a Sumatran rubber plantation. His head was found several days later a mile away and they still haven't found his right hand. He had been mauled by a Sumatran tiger that has been living in Batang Gadis National Park and he was one of five people killed there by tigers in the last five years.
Tibetan monks partner with conservationists to protect the snow leopard
(06/10/2013) Tibetan monks could be the key to safeguarding the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) from extinction, according to an innovative program by big cat NGO Panthera which is partnering with Buddhist monasteries deep in leopard territory. Listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List, snow leopard populations have dropped by a fifth in the last 16 years or so. Large, beautiful, and almost never-seen, snow leopards are the apex predators of the high plateaus and mountains of central Asia, but their survival like so many big predators is in jeopardy.
Snowy tigers and giant owls: conservation against the odds in Russia's Far East
(05/28/2013) The Russian Far East is one of the wildest places on Earth: where giant tigers roam snow-covered forests and the world's biggest owls stalk frozen rivers. Bordering northern China and North Korea, the forests of Primorye are known for the diversity of habitats, including coastal forests along the Sea of Japan, vast coniferous forests in the Sikhote-Alin mountains, and even steppe. These diverse ecosystems also makes the forests a hotspot for endangered species, including Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica), Blakiston's fish owls (Bubo blakistoni), and one of the world's rarest big cats, Amur leopards (Panthera pardus orientalis), which number only 30-50 animals.
Prince Charles: take the war to the poachers
(05/22/2013) Prince Charles has warned that criminal gangs are turning to animal poaching, an unprecedented slaughter of species that can only be stopped by waging war on the perpetrators, in the latest of a series of increasingly outspoken speeches about the environment. Addressing a conference of conservationists at St James's Palace in London, the Prince of Wales announced a meeting of heads of state to take place this autumn in London under government auspices to combat what he described as an emerging, militarized crisis.
Scientists capture one of the world's rarest big cats on film (photos)
(05/21/2013) Less than a hundred kilometers from the bustling metropolis of Jakarta, scientists have captured incredible photos of one of the world's most endangered big cats: the Javan leopard (Panthera pardus melas). Taken by a research project in Gunung Halimun-Salak National Park, the photos show the magnificent animal relaxing in dense primary rainforest. Scientists believe that fewer than 250 mature Javan leopard survive, and the population may be down to 100.
Crazy cat numbers: unusually high jaguar densities discovered in the Amazon rainforest
(05/16/2013) Jaguars (Panthera onca) are the biggest cat in the Americas and the only member of the Panthera genus in the New World; an animal most people recognize, the jaguar is also the third largest cat in the world with an intoxicatingly dangerous beauty. The feline ranges from the harsh deserts of southern Arizona to the lush rainforests of Central America, and from the Pantanal wetlands all the way down to northern Argentina. These mega-predators stalk prey quietly through the grasses of Venezuelan savannas, prowl the Atlantic forests of eastern Brazil, hunt along the river of the Amazon, and even venture into lower parts of the Andes.
Endangered primates and cats may be hiding out in swamps and mangrove forests
(05/02/2013) What happens to animals when their forest is cut down? If they can, they migrate to different forests. But in an age when forests are falling far and fast, many species may have to shift to entirely different environments. A new paper in Folia Primatologica theorizes that some 60 primate species and 20 wild cat species in Asia and Africa may be relying more on less-impacted environments such as swamp forests, mangroves, and peat forests.
Lions for sale: big game hunting combines with lion bone trade to threaten endangered cats
(04/18/2013) Koos Hermanus would rather not give names to the lions he breeds. So here, behind a 2.4-meter high electric fence, is 1R, a three-and-a-half-year-old male, who consumes 5kg of meat a day and weighs almost 200kg. It will only leave its enclosure once it has been "booked"' by a hunter, most of whom are from the United States. At that point the big cat will be set loose in the wild for the first time in its life, 96 hours before the hunt begins. It usually takes about four days to track down the prey, with the trophy hunter following its trail on foot, accompanied by big-game professionals including Hermanus. He currently has 14 lions at his property near Groot Marico, about two and a half hours by road west of Johannesburg.
Amur leopard population rises to 50 animals, but at risk from tigers, poachers
(04/09/2013) In the remote Russian far east, amid pine forests and long winters, a great cat may be beginning to make a recovery. A new survey estimates that the Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) population has risen to as many as 50 individuals. While this may not sound like much, it's a far cry from the a population that may have fallen to just 25 animals. Sporting the heaviest coat of any leopard, the Amur leopard largely hunts hoofed animals, such as deer and boar, in a forest still ruled by the Siberian tiger.
Male lions require dense vegetation for successful ambush hunting
(03/20/2013) For a long time male lions were derided as the lazy ones in the pride, depending on females for the bulk of hunting and not pulling their weight. Much of this was based on field observations—female lions hunt cooperatively, often in open savannah, and therefore are easier to track at night. But new research in Animal Behaviour is showing that males are adroit hunters in their own right, except prickly males hunt alone and use dense vegetation as cover; instead of social hunting in open savannah, they depend on ambushing unsuspecting prey.
Forgotten lions: shedding light on the fate of lions in unprotected areas
(03/18/2013) African lions (Panthera leo) living outside of protected areas like national parks or reserves also happen to be studied much less than those residing within protected areas, to the detriment of lion conservation initiatives. In response to this trend, a group of researchers surveyed an understudied, unprotected region in northwestern Mozambique called the Tete Province, whose geography and proximity to two national parks suggests a presence of lions.
Conservationists: ban the wild cheetah pet trade
(03/08/2013) A group of prominent conservation groups have joined an alliance of African states in calling on CITES to ban the trade in wild cheetah for the pet trade.
The end of wild Africa?: lions may need fences to survive
(03/06/2013) In order for dwindling lion populations to survive in Africa, large-scale fencing projects may be required according to new research in Ecology Letters. Recent estimates have put lion populations down to 15,000-35,000, a massive drop from a population that was thought to be around 100,000 in 1960. The worsening plight of lions have pushed the researchers to suggest what is likely to be a controversial proposal: fence the top predators in.
Chinese government creating secret demand for tiger trade alleges NGO (warning: graphic images)
(02/26/2013) The number of tigers being captive bred in China for consumption exceed those surviving in the wild—across 13 countries—by over a third, according to a new report by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). The report, Hidden in Plain Sight, alleges that while the Chinese government has been taking a tough stance on tiger conservation abroad, at home it has been secretly creating demand for the internationally-banned trade. Few animals in the world have garnered as much conservation attention at the tiger (Panthera tigirs), including an international summit in 2010 that raised hundreds of millions of dollars for the vanishing wild cats.
Asiatic cheetahs: on the road to extinction?
(02/26/2013) Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) are unique among large cats. They have a highly specialized body, a mild temperament, and are the fastest living animals on land. Acinonyx jubatus venaticus, the Asiatic subspecies, is unique among cheetahs and the only member of five currently living subspecies to occur outside of Africa. Listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List—with a population of between 70 and 100 individuals—the Asiatic cheetah is one of the rarest felines on the planet. But new proposed road through one of its last habitat strongholds may threaten the cat even further.
Jaguars, tapirs, oh my!: Amazon explorer films shocking wildlife bonanza in threatened forest
(02/19/2013) Watching a new video by Amazon explorer, Paul Rosolie, one feels transported into a hidden world of stalking jaguars, heavyweight tapirs, and daylight-wandering giant armadillos. This is the Amazon as one imagines it as a child: still full of wild things. In just four weeks at a single colpa (or clay lick where mammals and birds gather) on the lower Las Piedras River, Rosolie and his team captured 30 Amazonian species on video, including seven imperiled species. However, the very spot Rosolie and his team filmed is under threat: the lower Las Piedras River is being infiltrated by loggers, miners, and farmers following the construction of the Trans-Amazon highway.
Chasing down 'quest species': new book travels the world in search of rarity in nature
(02/13/2013) In his new book, The Kingdom of Rarities, Eric Dinerstein chases after rare animals around the world, from the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) in Brazil to the golden langur (Trachypithecus geei) in Bhutan to Kirtland's warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii) in the forests of Michigan. Throughout his journeys, he tackles the concept of rarity in nature head-on. Contrary to popular belief, rarity is actually the norm in the wildlife world.
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Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHEE)
PSHEE encompasses all areas designed to promote children’s personal, social, health and economic development. At Fitzmaurice, PSHEE aims to develop skills and attributes such as resilience, self-esteem, risk-management, team working and critical thinking in the context of learning grouped into three core themes: health and wellbeing, relationships and living in the wider world (including economic wellbeing and aspects of careers education).
At Fitzmaurice we follow the SCARF PSHEE program, which is a whole school approach that provides a scheme of learning from the Foundation Stage through to Key Stage 2. SCARF, standing for Safety, Caring, Achievement, Resilience and Friendship is centred on a values based, ‘Growth Mindset’ approach and is divided into six units. The units are tailored to each year group under the following themes:
- Being My Best
- Me and My Relationships
- Keeping Myself Safe
- Valuing Difference
- Growing and Changing
- Rights and Responsibilities
PSHEE is taught each morning, with circle time, debate and discussion all strategies used to deliver lessons. During the daily PSHEE lesson children and staff are able to consider the schools behaviour blueprint and how our relationships impact on each other, our own mindset and our achievements. We have visitors to enhance children’s learning when appropriate.
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Date: November 10, 1915
Creator: United States. Bureau of Soils.
Description: Map displays soil types along with bayous, canals, creeks, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, dams, swamps, towns, roads, ferries, railroads, oil reservoirs, refineries, pumping stations, and ranches. Includes legend, symbols, and soil profiles.
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Gertrude Bell was one of the most influential women in modern history — but most people don’t know that. The documentary Letters From Baghdad, however, goes a long way in proving this point.
Like her more well-known contemporary T. E. Lawrence (a.k.a. Lawrence of Arabia), Bell spent much of her life on location in early 20th century Arabia, where she met and built friendships with both nomadic and established tribes alike.
Although the intrepid, gender-defying explorer was recently the main subject of a narrative feature film, Werner Herzog’s Queen of the Desert (2015), which starred Nicole Kidman in the lead role, it’s in Letters From Baghdad that her important life’s work is more fully fleshed out.
Bell was many things: a writer, a world traveler, a likely British spy. But most importantly, she was an archaeologist who walked the walk and excavated ancient sites when the Arab sands were still virgin. In addition to her work mapping, excavating and preserving lost Arabian cities, she was also an instrumental figure in the formation of the Baghdad Archaeological Museum (since renamed the Iraqi Museum), and the right wing of the museum was even named in her honor shortly after her death.
Her extensive travels in Persia, Mesopotamia and Greater Syria resulted in several books and maps that were instrumental in dividing up the region into what is now Iran, Iraq, Syria and Jordan. The ultimate tragedy, however, was Bell’s part in drawing the borders of what is now Iraq at the end of WWI, as her altruistic stance was ultimately defeated by corporate interest.
Bell, along with T. E. Lawrence, supported Arab independence. But British colonialism — plus the desire to control the oil reserves of the area — put a dent in those plans. The effects of the British empire’s fateful decisions in this area are unfortunately still being felt to this day.
A famous photo from the era, that shows just how important and valued Bell was as a political agent of the British empire during her time spent in Arabia, shows a group of people on horses underneath The Sphinx in Cairo, Egypt. Under the head of The Sphinx, like three ducks sitting in a row, are Winston Churchill, Bell and Lawrence.
Much of the novelty of Letters From Baghdad comes from the substantial achievement of period re-creation through existing film shot during the era. The grainy black-and-white images show village life, life along rivers and desert views that are among archetypal images of such places.
The voice of Bell in the documentary is spoken by Tilda Swinton, and the text is taken from official records and personal writings and letters. Other participants in Bell’s life are dramatized by actors portraying people such as Lawrence; the wife of a diplomat; or even British officials who were complicit in undermining Bell’s efforts to unify the existing territories.
Bell died in Baghdad in 1926 at the age of 58 and remains buried there to this day. The museum she basically created — the same museum that was looted during the 2003 invasion of Iraq — housed many of the antiquities she helped discover.
The images of life in a simpler time, that were captured over a hundred years ago by film cameras, give Letters From Baghdad the requisite credibility to be a must-see on your film to-do list.
Letters From Baghdad unwinds exclusively at the River Oaks Theatre starting this weekend.
Letters From Baghdad This was reposted for my personal reading use
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Posted on September 17, 2017 by Matt Pressman
Germany's top automakers have been plagued by an unprecedented crisis related to cartels and collusion surrounding their beloved diesel engine technology. Now, having turned their backs on electric vehicles for years, they're facing another existential challenge. Der Spiegel* reports, "The biggest cause for concern in the German auto industry is an American rival, Tesla. Founded in 2003, it has achieved what the German manufacturers failed to do for years: build an electric car that many customers want."
Above: The Tesla Model S and Model X (Instagram: cargy)
Tesla’s Model S outsells Mercedes S-Class, Porsche Panamera, and BMW 6/7 Series combined in the US. And even on their home turf, the German auto giants are facing increased pressure from this Silicon Valley rival. It's reported that Tesla: "has more than doubled its German sales in the first half of 2017, for a total of 2,000 vehicles. This is an impressive number for Germany, which lags behind other developed nations when it comes to electric cars."
However, there's an inherent problem when trying to fight Tesla, "unlike the German automakers, Tesla does not have to worry about a massive existing [internal combustion engine] car business. This helps explain Tesla's aggressive approach to marketing, which makes it seem like the company is less interested in selling cars than in changing the way the world uses energy.... [Tesla's] message sounds more convincing than that of the German auto industry, which constantly fluctuates between commitments to electromobility and statements of loyalty to the internal combustion engine."
Above: BMW's latest concept car is supposed to showcase its bold, albeit distant, all-electric future (Image: Der Spiegel*)
Klaus Fröhlich, BMW's head of development describes Germany as a country "where they like to talk about e-mobility" but where "relatively little is being done." He blames policymakers, pointing out that Munich, for example, currently has only 50 charging stations. Der Spiegel adds that, "some of the [German auto] companies' efforts to prepare for the future seem half-hearted. In late 2016, Daimler, Ford, BMW and VW announced a joint initiative for rapid-charging stations. The project was scheduled to begin in 2017, with about 400 locations across Europe planned in the first phase."
So what's happened beyond the much-hyped press release? "Nine months have passed since the announcement and the current number of charging stations is still zero. The first charging station is expected to open this year, allegedly with charging technology superior to Tesla's. By comparison, Tesla has already installed more than 6,300 of its so-called Superchargers worldwide. It aims [to] increase that number to 10,000 by the end of the year."
Above: A Tesla Model S and BMW i3 both charging at a public charger in Europe (Image: Drivezing)
Regardless, in an exclusive interview with Der Spiegel, BMW's Fröhlich claims he "actually wants to talk about BMW and his planned electric strategy, not about the competition. But he keeps coming back to the company's California rival. The BMW executive mentions the word 'Tesla' 16 times within 60 minutes. He sees BMW as being 'neck and neck' with Tesla, but plans to have trumped his US rival in no more than three years." He joins an ever-growing chorus of industry executives who've downplayed any threat from Tesla.
Not all industry execs have taken this posture. Karl-Thomas Neumann, head of German carmaker Opel before it was sold to GM's French rival PSA, has a somewhat different point of view. While German automakers drag their feet on vehicle electrification efforts, Neumann believes, "Tesla now has a cult status that other brands can only dream of."
Above: Another look at Tesla's Model S and X (Instagram: cargy)
With international rivals like BYD and Tesla, Neumann feels that the German auto industry, "runs the risk of being outpaced by new competitors from China and the United States." He believes the Germans need to "accept that diesel is gradually going extinct." In turn, he recommends Germany's car companies use the money they save to invest heavily in electromobility.
But change is difficult. Germany's top automakers have moved slowly to match the furious pace of progress Tesla has achieved (and plans for) in areas like electric vehicle battery development and its forthcoming Tesla Network ride-sharing platform. Meanwhile, Der Spiegel reminds us, "The [German auto] industry spent decades resisting overly substantial changes. Anyone who talked about electromobility or car sharing in the 1990s was immediately mocked." That legacy of resisting the future just might leave Germany's automakers in the past.
*Source: Der Spiegel
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Research Presented at American Urological Association Annual Meeting
Newswise — New Brunswick, NJ – According to the Environmental Protection Agency, parents are responsible for 90 percent of children’s exposure to environmental (second-hand) tobacco smoke. Children with mothers who smoke are at even higher-risk for developing health disorders. In a presentation at the American Urological Association Annual Meeting, physicians at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital showed that second-hand cigarette smoke was associated with moderate to severe irritative bladder symptoms in children.
“Our research shows that exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke increases the risk of severe urinary disorders in children, that may otherwise be reduced or even prevented,” said Joseph G. Barone, MD, an expert pediatric urologist, associate professor of surgery at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and surgeon-in-chief of Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. “Our results emphasize the importance of smoking cessation for parents. Pediatricians and family physicians are urged to discuss with parents opportunities that are available to quit smoking.”
The study included children aged 4 through 17 who sought care of a pediatric urologist for irritative bladder storage symptoms including urinary urgency, increased urinary frequency and incontinence. 28 percent of children in the study were exposed to environmental tobacco smoke. More than half of the children in the study had moderate to severe symptoms, 50 percent of which were exposed to cigarette smoke within a car and 23 percent of which had mothers who smoked. The presentation noted that symptom severity increased with greater exposure to second-hand smoke; in children aged 4 through 10, the increase in severe urinary symptoms was significant.
“Cigarette smoke is an environmental toxin and dangerous to children’s health – particularly hazardous to very young and pre-pubescent children,” said Dr. Barone. “Parents should make a concerted effort to reduce their child’s exposure to smoke in confined places, especially in the home and in cars. Quitting smoking is the healthiest option for children.”
The pediatric urology program, overseen by Dr. Barone, at the Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital was ranked 35th in the nation in the 2012-13 U.S. News & World Report ranking of America's Best Children’s Hospitals released on June 5.
The research was presented by Kelly Johnson, MD, chief resident of urology at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. The data is considered preliminary and awaiting publication.
About UMDNJ-ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON MEDICAL SCHOOL
As one of the nation’s leading comprehensive medical schools, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, health care delivery, and the promotion of community health. In cooperation with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the medical school’s principal affiliate, they comprise one of the nation's premier academic medical centers. In addition, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has 34 other hospital affiliates and ambulatory care sites throughout the region.
As one of the eight schools of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey with 2,800 full-time and volunteer faculty, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School encompasses 22 basic science and clinical departments, hosts centers and institutes including The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, and the Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey. The medical school maintains educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels for more than 1,500 students on its campuses in New Brunswick, Piscataway, and Camden, and provides continuing education courses for health care professionals and community education programs. To learn more about UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, log on to rwjms.umdnj.edu. Find us online at www.Facebook.com/RWJMS and www.twitter.com/UMDNJ_RWJMS.
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Touch screens existed in science fiction long before they entered the real-world. Star-Trek: The Next Generation made extensive use of what today are modern touch screens decades before they became common.
Johnson described the touch screen in a seminal paper. Johnson himself never actually created nor patented a touch-screen. Sam Hurst at the U. of KY developed a touch screen sensor in 1971 though it was not see-through until 1974.
The first real touch-screen, with a screen visible behind the touch, was used on Bitzer’s PLATO system, deployed in 1972. PLATO used infrared beams and detected when they were broken rather than more modern systems that detect a screen touch.
In 1983, HP released the HP-150, the first touchscreen computer. BellSouth released the first touchscreen phone, the Simon Personal Communicator, in 1993. By the mid 2000s touchscreens were becoming more mainstream. Finally, with the introduction of Apple’s iPhone in 2007, touchscreens started on the path towards commonplace tech.
Hurst, the early touchscreen pioneer, went on to found a successful touchscreen company, Elographics (now Elo Touch).
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Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is a condition that can occur over time when leg arteries are damaged. It is a severe form of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). PAD is caused when leg arteries are narrowed, reducing blood flow. If blood flow to the toe, foot, or leg is completely blocked, the tissue begins to die (gangrene). If this happens, you need medical care right away to restore blood flow and possibly save the leg.
Critical limb ischemia can worsen and cause an urgent problem. For example, if you have a wound, it may not heal. This can lead to gangrene. Call your doctor or go to the emergency room right away if you have any of the following symptoms:
You have a cut or ulcer that does not heal.
You have foot or leg pain that develops with walking but goes away with rest. This may be a sign of developing blockages.
You have a wound that is foul smelling, draining pus, or discolored.
You have severe pain of the foot or leg that occurs suddenly without injury, especially if the foot or leg is cold or numb.
Certain tests may be done to determine if you have critical limb ischemia. Common tests include:
Ankle-brachial index (ABI): The blood pressure in the ankle is compared to the blood pressure in the arm.
Duplex ultrasound: Harmless sound waves are used to create images of blood flow in the legs.
Arteriography: Contrast medium (X-ray dye) is injected into the artery using a catheter (thin, flexible tube). This allows blood vessels to show up when X-rays are taken.
Possible treatments for critical limb ischemia include:
Dissolving or removing a blood clot: A catheter may be inserted into an artery in the groin to dissolve the clot. The catheter is then used to deliver “clot-busting” medication, which dissolves the clot. Or surgery may be done to remove the clot. An incision is made in the artery at the blocked area. The clot is then removed.
Angioplasty: A tiny, uninflated balloon is delivered to the narrowed area by catheter. It is then inflated to widen the artery. Finally, the balloon is deflated and withdrawn.
Stenting: After angioplasty, a stent (tiny wire mesh tube) may be placed in the artery to help hold it open. The stent is also delivered by a catheter.
Endarterectomy: An incision is made in the artery at the blocked area. The material that blocks the artery is then removed from artery walls.
Peripheral bypass surgery: A natural or artificial graft is used to bypass the blocked area.
Amputation: If left untreated, critical limb ischemia may lead to amputation of the affected area.
Know the signs and symptoms of a leg artery emergency. If you have diabetes or poor circulation, check your feet daily for wounds, sores, blisters, and color changes. If you smoke, stop smoking.
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Tarry Vines were plants universally feared by the inhabitants of the Deepwoods. These sinister vines formed symbiotic relationships with the giant, flesh-eating Bloodoak trees, which they helped to ensnare prey. They then fed on the victim's blood while their host gorged on the flesh. If a vine was ever severed, three new vines grew in its place. This could be prevented by cauterizing the stump with a flame.
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| 0.977672 | 89 | 2.515625 | 3 |
A Chemical Approach to Nanomaterials
Geoffrey A Ozin (Author), André Arsenault (Author), Ludovico Cademartiri (Author)
Edition Number: 2
International interest in nanoscience research has flourished in recent years, as it becomes an integral part in the development of future technologies. The diverse, interdisciplinary nature of nanoscience means effective communication between disciplines is pivotal in the successful utilization of the science. Nanochemistry: A Chemical Approach to Nanomaterials is the first textbook for teaching nanochemistry and adopts an interdisciplinary and comprehensive approach to the subject. It presents a basic chemical strategy for making nanomaterials and describes some of the principles of materials self-assembly over 'all' scales. It demonstrates how nanometre and micrometre scale building blocks (with a wide range of shapes, compositions and surface functionalities) can be coerced through chemistry to organize spontaneously into unprecedented structures, which can serve as tailored functional materials. Suggestions of new ways to tackle research problems and speculations on how to think about assembling the future of nanotechnology are given. Primarily designed for teaching, this book will appeal to graduate and advanced undergraduate students. It is well illustrated with graphical representations of the structure and form of nanomaterials and contains problem sets as well as other pedagogical features such as further reading, case studies and a comprehensive bibliography.
I have used your Nanochemistry book as my textbook for agraduate level ChE course introducing material self-assembly. Studentsliked the topic and the book a lot. I followed your book and the courseevaluation is excellent (4.8/5.0). I will teach the same class inSpring'08 semester and will use the same book as the textbook. Thanks forproviding such a great book for the society. - Peng Jiang
...to this wonderful book written....insightful perspective on nanochemistry.Strongly recommend this book (only 39.95 for a hardcover copy!) to every student and researcher on materials chemistry, physics, materials science, engineering and biology.
A gem in the scientific literature...a beautifully written and richly illustrated book that is unlike any other.Ozin and Arsenault should be congratulated for their groundbreaking book. Reading it will reward students in chemistry and materials science as well as researchers from many different disciplines.
Well-written and informative introductions to all aspects of the field that have a major chemistry component.This book can be highly recommended to develop and accompany courses for chemistry students
Nanochemistry will be an invaluable reference book for undergraduate and graduate students looking for an easy way to educate themselves with the up-to-date advances made in chemical patterning, self-assembly, and nanomaterial synthesis....a superb textbook.
An invaluable reference book for undergraduate and graduate students. As a superb textbook for teaching of materials chemistry and nanotechnology.
This book is well worth buying. It is a kaleidoscopic compendium of the achievements of chemists working with materials scientists and physicists.
Excellent features of the book make it a useful, practical tool for teachers of materials chemistry, to this reviewer's joy.As materials chemistry spreads through every domain of modern chemical research and into all sectors of the industry, chemistry practitioners would do well to find the time to read this seminal book.
The book succeeds in its goal of presenting concepts useful to create functional solid-state nanostructures that will likely be helpful for applications in several fields of modern science such as electronics, photonics, batteries, solar cells, fuel cells, and chemical storage and release.
"A text that covers all the basic concepts of nanoscale chemistry and materials science, and sets them in their historical context, has been long overdue. But here it is - not just a comprehensive guide to the field, but a recipe book for the future. Nanoengineers, start here!"
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to Ford Library and Museum homepage
an Empire: U. S. Relations with China
was a new nation when Captain John Green sailed from New York in his merchant
ship the Empress of China. Her hull was stuffed with lead, lumber, and ginseng,
and her investors were eager to fill markets and coffers left empty by a
post-war depression. The Empress weighed anchor in February 1784 to the
cheers of those crowding the harbor. She would be the first ship to show
the young country’s flag in Canton, then one of China’s few
international ports. When she returned in triumph fifteen months later,
laden with exotic teas, silks, and porcelain, her success caught the nation’s
attention and stoked the imaginations of those who pondered this new but
ancient and mysterious trading partner.
(206 BC-AD 220)
to the world’s newest nation, China was indeed an old country. It
was, in fact, the oldest of countries. From one ruling dynasty to the next,
China could trace back a social structure whose endurance and scope eclipsed
all others. Before there was Greece, there was China. The great civilizations
of Babylon, Assyria, Persia, Judea, Athens, Rome, Venice, and Spain came
and went, and still there was China.
the Door (1844-1911)
Period of Revolution (1912-1949)
the Bamboo Curtain (1972-1979)
little was known about so old a land. And this was what the Chinese intended.
To them the Emperor’s realm was “Under the Heavens” (Tienhua),
and his land was known as “The Middle Kingdom” (Zhongguo). Each
term sustained the belief that rather than seeking out the rest of the world,
the rest of the world would come to China.
the Next Millennium (1979-)
were so impressed with the kingdom that they did come, just as European
traders had been coming to China’s ports for over a century and as
Asian traders had been traveling China’s Silk Road for almost two
thousand years. American sailors returned to the states with glowing reports
about economic opportunities. Still, events would conspire over the next
two hundred years, both within China and the United States, causing this
relationship to be less than the “increasing and profitable branch
of our commerce” that Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton and others
hoped it would become in the closing years of the 18th century.
An Empire explores China’s
role in the world, its cultural depths, dynastic traditions, and its reemergence
onto the world stage. China had proclaimed itself to be the center of
the world, yet for so long it chose to remain mysterious, even hidden,
to so much of that world. At times China would be conquered by the military
might of foreign powers, yet such was its cultural strength that in time
the conquerors would become like the conquered. When in the nineteenth
and twentieth centuries it appeared China was collapsing in the face of
Western might and Japanese aggression, it instead turned insular and drew
upon its great reserves to rebuild itself. Afterward, when the moment
was right, this ancient empire seized upon the invitation of the United
States to rejoin the community of nations, emerging as a global force.
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Over the last two years QR Codes have become more main stream. The TSA has QR Codes to provide helpful travel information, an increasing number of grocery items have them for additional product information, and one can not flip through a magazine without seeing a QR Code.
Their usefulness has also found its way into the classroom. I can't take credit for this idea; I think I first discovered this idea by reading it on Twitter. Whether your kiddos are reading text books, paperbacks, copied books, or handmade books QR Codes are a great way to enrich their reading experiences.
One year my kiddos were deep into an investigation about animal adaptations and had access to an array of Reading A-Z leveled readers about plants, animals, adaptations, and ecosystems. I also had a bevy of videos on the same topics. I decided to combine the two. Having already had the A to Z booklets printed out from the previous year, I only needed to create QR Codes for the videos.
- Use a QR Code creator (my favorite is SnapVu) by pasting the link for the video into the creator.
- Download an image of the code to your computer.
- Once the codes are saved (sometimes I do it as I save the images) create a sticker sheet in Publisher. To do this I insert a 4 x 5 table and arrange the table so that it fills the sheet with 1/2" margins.
- Paste the image of the QR code into one of the table's cells. Be sure to include a title of what the code links to.
- Repeat until all of the QR Codes you are creating are done and print.
Once printed, I stick the codes into the book; directly onto the page that is most relevant to the video. Sometimes I keep the title of the video on the sticker, but sometimes I cut the title off so that it becomes a reading gift. There's nothing like reading, clicking a QR Code, and being surprised at what is behind the code. That is a lot of the fun with them!
Not only is this a favorite way of mine to use QR Codes in the classroom, but it also meets the need of the Common Core. The Common Core wants kiddos getting information from multiple sources and multi-media sources. Also, most of the videos available range from 30 seconds to 3 minutes. This is a perfect amount of time to digest extraneous information.
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Effective Communication Is A Key Skill In The Nursing Profession
Pegasus skilled in-home caregivers in Thousand Oaks and elsewhere use vocabulary that their patients can understand. They replace “medicalese” with everyday terminology whenever possible. Career home health care nurses know that effective communication is a key skill in the nursing profession.
Communication is the exchange of ideas, thoughts, or information. You accomplish it in several ways, including texts, email, or mail, among other methods. As a home care nurse, you’ll most likely communicate via in-person interactions.
Effective communication starts with expressing yourself using what some call the 5 Cs. These include speaking:
- Clearly – before you say anything, know what you want your patient to understand or what information you want from the patient.
- Correctly – you may need to question your patient before you can convey accurate information.
- Completely – depending on your patient’s cognitive ability, you may have to impart one piece of information in several short sentences.
- Concisely – keep to the point and focus on the information you want to convey or learn.
- Compassionately – gain an understanding of what your patient needs rather than relying on your assumptions.
Knowing your audience is essential for effective communication. Consider your patient’s age, education, culture, and knowledge when choosing appropriate words. Learn whether your patient prefers “Just the facts, ma’am,” or whether they like lots of details and supplementary information.
Listening Is An Essential Part Of Effective Communication
Effective communication includes comprehension of what the other person says. That happens when you truly listen. Authentic listening is more than just hearing spoken words.
When you’re listening, you may pick up little inflections in your patient’s speech. Those can enlighten you as to what they’re really feeling or thinking. Consider the following to improve your listening skills:
- Be aware of what your patient’s body language is conveying. Additionally, keep your body language open to show that you’re listening.
- Concentrate on what the speaker is saying rather than planning your reply or thinking of other things. You’ll miss subtleties of what your patient is expressing when your mind is elsewhere.
- Don’t interrupt. You may have to exercise judgment here. Your patient may be lonely and ramble on and on to a captive audience. Gently redirect them to talk about their health. Avoid making the conversation about you unless a personal anecdote will draw out reliable information from them.
- Incline your head slightly so that you’re hearing with your right ear. That’s because the left side of your brain processes speech and emotions. The right side of your body connects to the left side of your brain. Listening with your right ear means you hear nuances that are otherwise undetectable.
- Maintain interest in what they’re saying. Show your interest with smiles, leaning in, or brief verbal encouragement. You may sometimes need to ask questions for clarity.
Listening attentively helps avoid misunderstandings.
Patient Care Includes Communicating Effectively With Families
Many of the skills and tips described above can be applied to interactions with family caregivers. Because they provide care when you aren’t there, it’s essential that they grasp the instructions you may give them. You must also clearly understand any information they provide about their loved one.
It may appear that the patient or family member comprehends your explanation. But selective hearing is part of human nature.
Some individuals hear only what they want to hear. Others may “spin” what you tell them so that it matches their preferences. Either way can be detrimental to their health.
“Teach-back” is feedback that alleviates misunderstandings. Ask your patient to tell you in their own words what you’ve just told them. That provides an opportunity to remedy any misconceptions.
Keep in mind that teach-back isn’t a test of the patient’s ability to understand. It’s an evaluation of your ability to communicate effectively. Learn from it to improve your skills.
Learn To Communicate Effectively With Other Professionals
You must also be able to communicate effectively, often via the written word, with other professionals. That includes specialists that are part of your Pegasus team as well as others. You’ll need to consult with physicians, administrators, and your colleagues.
Communicating effectively in writing uses some of the skills you developed for in-person interactions. Additionally, strive for grammatical accuracy and correct spelling. Whether speaking or writing, avoid jargon and obscure terminology.
When you communicate effectively with individuals, you form a connection with them. You and they fully understand what each means. It builds trust in your professional relationships.
You have invested money and time into your nursing education. But your medical training and expertise may not advance your career as quickly as you would like. You may need to take additional steps to improve your communication skills.
You often employ different techniques with colleagues than with patients. But whether speaking with patients or professionals, effective communication is essential. Your skill helps ensure patient safety and well-being as they receive the care they require.
Pegasus is a licensed Home Care Organization and a Joint Commission Accredited Home Health Care organization. Our in-home caregivers in Thousand Oaks and our other locations know that effective communication is a key skill. We provide the training and support our career home health care nurses desire to advance in their profession.
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What is the purpose of your business?
Even if you’re the most hard-nosed, profit-oriented person around, the answer will probably involve the question of business ethics.
For example, let’s say that you answer:
“My only purpose is to make as much money as possible.”
It’s still true, however, that you can only make that money by serving customers, and that your company must exist within a broader social framework. You’ll need to decide how you treat those customers, how you treat your employees, and what contribution your company will make to the society in which it exists. All of those are ethical questions.
In this article, we’ll start with a simple business ethics definition. Then we’ll look at the importance of business ethics and show how thinking about issues like corporate social responsibility can help you run a better business. Finally, we’ll put it all into practice with some ideas on how you can incorporate ethical practices into your business.
What Is Business Ethics?
Let’s start by examining what we mean by business ethics. Cambridge Dictionary defines business ethics as:
“rules, principles, and standards for deciding what is morally right or wrong when doing business”
Some ethical principles enjoy widespread acceptance. For example, once-common business practices like slavery and child labour are now universally seen as unethical. These widely accepted ethical norms are usually also enshrined in law. So, the most basic form of business ethics involves simply following the law.
However, business ethics can also involve much more than this. Remember that the business ethics definition above also mentioned “deciding what's morally right or wrong when doing business.” It’s an active process, then, in which company owners and employees grapple with ethical dilemmas in business and decide which business practices they will and won’t engage in.
For example, if you could get legal permission to dump toxic chemicals in a pristine lake, would you do it? If you could make extra profit by treating your employees badly, would you do it?
Or let’s say that you run a store. Would you sell any or all of the following?
- products that were tested on animals
- clothes made in factories with poor working conditions
- products with a very high carbon footprint
- food made with palm oil from cleared rainforests
- alcohol, tobacco, or gambling products
- products made in zones of conflict or under regimes that violate human rights
Some people will answer “Yes, of course” to all of these, some will give a resounding “No”, and others will answer “Yes” to some and “No” to others. I could extend the list to include dozens of ethical issues in business, and your list of responses would probably be different from mine and from those of other readers.
The point is that where the law is silent, business owners have to come up with their own business ethics definition of what's right and wrong. Look at your personal values and those of your business and then, in collaboration with your staff, decide what you believe in and how you want to act out those beliefs in your business practices.
For more help on doing that, read the following tutorials:
- ValuesWhat Are Your Personal Values? How to Define & Live by ThemAndrew Blackman
- BrandingHow to Define Your Core Brand Values (And Why You Should)Julia Melymbrose
- ValuesWhat Is Integrity? +7 Reasons Why It’s So Important in BusinessAndrew Blackman
The Importance of Business Ethics
So why should you care about business ethics? Here are four good reasons.
1. Trust and Reputation
As billionaire investor Warren Buffett once said:
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently.”
Some of the biggest tech firms in the world have been discovering that recently, as privacy and data-handling revelations have hit customers’ levels of trust.
For example, a 2018 HarrisX survey conducted just after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s Congressional testimony found that only 33% of people agreed that Facebook cared about privacy, while 44% of people disagreed.
The survey also revealed serious concerns about the tech sector’s role in disseminating fake news, spying on people, discrimination, threats to personal freedom, and more. And a majority of people support heavier regulation of social media firms.
This illustrates the importance of business ethics. Essentially, the survey reveals that large numbers of people are questioning the ethics of large tech firms. That affects those companies’ reputations and damages trust, which is at the core of good business relationships.
2. The Power of Ethical Consumption
But do ethical considerations really hit the bottom line? A Morgan Stanley survey suggests that they do:
“When choosing among apparel retailers, 51% of respondents said that ethical credentials were somewhat or very important, compared to just 13% who said they were somewhat unimportant or not at all important.”
Overall, the survey found, 62% of consumers used good ethics as “part of their shopping criteria” in 2016, up from 53% in 2010. And ethics were more important to younger respondents, suggesting the trend is likely to continue.
In other words, the majority of customers will spend more money with you if they perceive that you've got good ethics, and that effect is getting stronger all the time. That’s a pretty clear bottom-line impact.
3. Financial Outperformance
Some studies have also found that ethical firms outperform their competitors. For example, a study by Ethisphere analysed the performance of companies on its list of “the World’s Most Ethical Companies.” The results:
“Year after year, we’ve found that publicly traded companies on that list consistently outperform the markets, with firms in last year’s edition outperforming the S&P 500 by 3.3 percent.”
Some other long-term studies of Socially Responsible Investment funds have also found that they outperform, although others have found the difference wasn't statistically significant.
4. Employee Satisfaction
People want to work for a company that does the right thing. Numerous studies have found that employee engagement is higher at firms that prioritise corporate social responsibility (CSR). With surveys showing that only around one in ten employees are engaged at work, that’s an important benefit.
For example, BMW places a high priority on corporate responsibility, working to reduce emissions, investing €350 million a year in further education and training, prioritising employee health and safety, and more. The company also has high employee satisfaction, with 81% of employees saying they would recommend working there to a friend.
How to Put Ethics Into Practice in Your Business
Here are six great ways to put business ethics into practice in your business.
1. Set Up Ethical Guidelines
Start by getting clear on what you'll do and making a commitment to do it. For example, will you make commitments on environmental sustainability and set targets for reducing pollution or energy usage? How about examining your supply chain and ensuring workers are protected not only at your company, but also with your suppliers?
This may involve some consultation within the company to establish exactly what the company’s most important values are and how the firm should act in a way that’s consistent with those values. Then put it all together into a code of ethics, so that all employees are aware of what the company’s targets are.
To get you started, here’s a sample corporate and social responsibility policy provided by ECTA, the European Chemical Transport Association. It can easily be adapted to other industries and types of company.
2. Protect Whistleblowers
Setting policies from the top of the organisation is one thing, but it’s your employees who are on the front lines and see what happens on a day-to-day basis. So, you should encourage them to speak up when they see something they believe is unethical.
According to the 2018 IBE Ethics at Work Survey, about a quarter of respondents in the UK have been aware of misconduct in the workplace, and around two-thirds of those people spoke up about their concerns. For people who didn’t speak up, the two main reasons were:
- “I felt I might jeopardise my job.”
- “I did not believe that corrective action would be taken.”
It’s important to set up clear guidelines and processes for employees who come across ethical issues in business. Show your staff that you'll investigate ethical breaches, take them seriously, and protect the people who report them. Provide trusted contacts whom people can talk to confidentially about their concerns and explain how the issue can be escalated and dealt with if those concerns are substantiated.
3. Improve Corporate Governance
An essential element of ethical business practice is corporate governance, i.e. how the company is run. Here are some questions to ask:
- Is the decision-making process fair and transparent?
- Does it allow all stakeholders to have their say?
- Is there a code of conduct for the leadership team, and are they held to the same or, hopefully, more stringent ethical standards than other employees?
- How are leaders held accountable?
- Is there a process for judging the performance of top managers and disciplining or replacing them if they behave unethically?
When you’ve answered those questions and consulted with managers and staff, revamp your corporate governance and make sure everyone understands it. That can go a long way towards creating ethical decision-making and leadership. For more, see:
4. Be Environmentally Responsible
From climate change to air pollution and from plastic-choked oceans to disappearing forests, the world’s environmental problems can seem overwhelming at times. What’s your company’s ethical stance on environmental issues? Are you going to be part of the solution or part of the problem?
For example, the auto industry has historically been a very environmentally damaging one, but carmaker Volvo announced in 2017 that every car it launches from 2019 would have an electric motor. It said:
“The announcement underlines Volvo Cars’ commitment to minimising its environmental impact and making the cities of the future cleaner ... It aims to have climate neutral manufacturing operations by 2025.”
If having a liveable environment is important to you and your business, what commitments will you make to contribute to that? Learn more here:
5. Make Social Contributions
A company exists within a broader society, and it can have a positive impact. A small business can sponsor local charities, help to clean up local parks, invest in education or the arts, or get involved in other community projects.
Larger firms can have an impact across a broader area. Ice-cream maker Ben & Jerry’s, for example, set up a foundation with a mission to:
“engage Ben & Jerry's employees in philanthropy and social change work; to give back to our Vermont communities; and to support grassroots activism and community organizing for social and environmental justice around the country.”
The foundation involves employees in its philanthropy by having them serve on committees that review grant applications, establishing a clear link between staff and the wider society.
Similarly, Envato recently announced a new foundation focused on indigenous education and skills in Australia, providing grants totalling $630,000 across the next three to six years.
6. Consider Alternative Structures
If you want to make your ethical commitments official, you could consider moving to a new legal structure for your business.
Under most corporate structures, a company’s main duty is to its owners and shareholders, which can lead to a strong emphasis on profit. A benefit corporation, on the other hand, is a for-profit company that's dedicated to pursuing other goals as well. Instead of just being accountable to shareholders, the managers and directors have to consider the impact of their decisions on employees, customers and other stakeholders.
An alternative is to become a B Corp, a private certification that shows the company is committed to a social and environmental mission and meets certain ethical standards.
Consider the Importance Business Ethics
In this tutorial, you’ve learned all about ethical issues in business. We started by answering the question “What is business ethics?” Then, we looked at the importance of business ethics, and we finished by examining what steps you can take to embed ethics in your own company. Along the way, we also looked at some practical business ethics examples.
What do you plan to do next? What does business ethics mean to you, and how will you incorporate ethical considerations into your business practices?
Envato Tuts+ tutorials are translated into other languages by our community members—you can be involved too!Translate this post
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This question has been answered · 3 replies
Forums · General English Grammar & Vocabulary, Listening & Speaking · General English Grammar Questions
Anonymous:i. Mary has three children
ii. Mary has exactly three children
What are the above sentences cases of: entailment or presupposition? Please explain thank you
Approved answer (verified by Mister Micawber)
Anonymous:so what you are saying is, it is both entailment and presupposition, as i'm aware this is possible for a sentence to be both.
Anonymousso what you are saying is, it is both entailment and presupposition, as i'm aware this is possible for a sentence to be both.Generally speaking:
A presupposition may be contained within a single sentence.
Entailment is a relationship between two sentences.
People are waiting to help.
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Fresh, running water is a precious commodity and its generation requires a great deal of energy. Each station obtains its water by different means.
Casey and Mawson pump water from a melt lake behind the station and store it in a heated tank house.
Davis draws water from a local tarn which is processed by a Reverse Osmosis System which produces about 18,000 litres each 24 hours. The average station demand is around 10,000 – 14,000 litres a day.
Macquarie Island draws water from a dam located about 3 km from the station on the plateau. 200 metres above sea level. The water is pumped to two holding tanks.
Water saving appliances are installed wherever possible, but each person on station is asked to use as little water as possible.
You may be asked to restrict your shower to 3 minutes, and when water is short, to shower every second or third day.
Save your washing to do one big load rather than several smaller ones
Turn off the tap when cleaning your teeth.
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As of 2014, Unicef has updated their strategic plan to cater to the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which will be finalised on September 2015.
During the Rio+20 conference in June 2012, member states agreed upon a new set of Sustainable Development Goals which will build upon the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and converge with the post-2015 development agenda, which is currently being defined by the United Nations. The MDG’s were first addressed in September 2000 which outline eight development targets to be achieved by 2015. The MDG’s set out to:
- Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
- Achieve universal primary education
- Promote gender equality and women’s empowerment
- Reduce child mortality
- Improve maternal health
- Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
- Ensure environmental sustainability
- Develop a global partnership in development
The new SDG’s will be launched at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit between September 25 – 27 2015 in New York, where world leaders will congregate to establish an “inclusive and transparent intergovernmental process open to all stakeholders, with a view to developing global sustainable development goals to be agreed by the General Assembly“.
This year, Unicef has the opportunity to contribute to the new set of SDG’s by making the end of violence against children a global priority for the first time. In this new global partnership, Unicef seeks to end violence, abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and torture against children to ensure the SDG’s enables very child to grow in a health, safe, and happy environment.
You can read the latest policy paper on the partnership to protect children here, published by the NYU Center on International Cooperation in partnership with Unicef UK.
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CC-MAIN-2020-29
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https://nextgenlondon.com/priorities-for-children/
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| 0.927223 | 369 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Rockefeller family Net Worth: $10 Billion
Standard Oil, Rockefeller’s flagship company, was broken up in 1911 by the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. But the man’s greatest legacy, his family, lives on, spanning more than 200 people. According to Forbes’ list of America’s wealthiest families, they possess a collective net worth of around $10 billion.
The impact of the Rockefeller family is very much visible. The University of Chicago was founded by the legend himself. His son John D. Rockefeller Jr. built the Rockefeller Center, an expanse of 19 commercial skyscrapers in Midtown Manhattan. Many members of the Rockefeller family preside over the Rockefeller Foundation, the family’s philanthropic flagship which commands more than $3.5 billion.
When Standard Oil was broken up by the federal government, its spin-offs became today’s powerful oil companies like Exxon-Mobil, British Petroleum, Chevron and ConocoPhillips.
John D. Rockefeller became the world’s first billionaire in 1916. One billion in 1916 is approximately equal to $30 billion today, after adjusting for inflation. However, this underestimates the oil scion’s wealth.
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CC-MAIN-2020-05
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http://www.richestlifestyle.com/networth/rockefeller-family-net-worth/
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en
| 0.942166 | 249 | 2.625 | 3 |
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