text stringlengths 160 608k | id stringlengths 47 47 | dump stringclasses 2
values | url stringlengths 13 2.97k | file_path stringlengths 125 140 | language stringclasses 1
value | language_score float64 0.65 1 | token_count int64 48 145k | score float64 1.5 5 | int_score int64 2 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Our Mission Statement:
The United Way of Beaver County is a centralized, non-profit fundraising organization allocating resources, primarily through its member agencies which provide for the human needs of the community.
The Symbol Says it All
You’ve seen this symbol around–at health agencies, day care facilities, neighborhood centers and, of course on all United Way posters and publications. But did you know the symbol’s very simple, yet universal, message?
At the bottom is a helping hand. The hand symbolizes the services and programs supported by the United Way that in turn support the people in our community. The image in the center, based on the universal symbol of mankind, is cradled by the helping hand. It shows that all people are supported and uplifted by United Way efforts. And a rainbow springs from the helping hand, representing the hope of a better life possible through the United Way.
In these simple figures is the sum total of the United Way philosophy: to promote voluntarism and to support voluntary organizations in their efforts to provide a better life for us all. | <urn:uuid:037f5bcd-3e75-4e35-af93-59fb9e39ae78> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.unitedwaybeaver.org/?page_id=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.950117 | 223 | 1.796875 | 2 |
July 23, 2015 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s rebased national accounts estimates, which takes 2010 as base year, against 2002 shows the Islands economy five percent bigger.
“The structural composition of the economy has changed after the rebasing due to revision of the reference year and other improvements made to the system in the rebasing process,” the census and statistics department said.
“The GDP that measures the size of Sri Lankan economy in the new series stood at 2,740,980 million rupees level in the first quarter of 2015 while the same recorded 2,607,045 million rupees in the old series,”
“Accordingly, the size of Sri Lankan economy has expanded by 5.1 percent.”
The most significant implication, the department said is the reduction of the contribution of agricultural activities to the total GDP from 2010.
“In the old series, agricultural, industrial and services activities contributed 13.3 percent, 32.6 percent and 54.1 percent to the GDP at current prices for the first quarter of 2015.”
However in the new series the contribution of agricultural and industrial activities decreased to 7.8 percent and 28.7 percent respectively.
The services activities increased up to 56.5 percent in the new series representing the trend towards services dominant economy.
Under the old series Agricultural, Industrial and Services activities contributes to the overall growth rate of 6.4 percent 1.3 percent, 33.3 percent and 65.4 percent respectively.
But in the new series, industrial activities contributed negatively to the overall growth rate in the first quarter of 2015. | <urn:uuid:2d7dc082-ceaa-445e-b0f6-ed1d988e6258> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.lankabusinessonline.com/sri-lankan-economy-expands-5-1-pct-after-rebasing/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.937419 | 337 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Ghandi Mallak, himself a refugee who lived in Ireland since 2002 but was only granted citizenship after a protracted legal battle in 2012, referred to the 160,000 refugees Europe has pledged to relocate as a “drop in the ocean”. Comparing this number to the two million refugees Syria took in as a result of displacement caused by the Iraq War, Mallak suggested that European citizens need to “raise expectations of their politicians”.
Maria Hennessy of the Irish Refugee Council Law centre, pointed out that the 4,000 refugees Ireland has agreed to take in is small compared to the 2,000 refugees arriving on one of the Greek islands per day.
Susan McMonagle of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, noted that while there are 59.2 million people displaced around the world, there are only approximately 429,000 seeking asylum in Europe.
McMonagle also stressed the need for an EU wide policy approach, while Hennessy alluded to a lack of solidarity between European nations in dealing with the crisis; specifically in relation to the possible use of the Dublin III regulation to relocate asylum seekers back to Greece after they had already arrived in Ireland.
The Dublin III Regulation allows for EU member states to request that applications for asylum be taken charge of by other member states or that applications made in other member states be enforced and the asylum seeker be relocated to the country where the application was made.
All speakers pressed for more legal avenues to facilitate the travel of asylum seekers and avoid smuggling and other dangerous modes of travel to Europe. Suggestions included a greater ease of access to student and work visas, alongside a wider use of the family reunification program.
Ghandi Mallak pointed to his attempt at using the family reunification process to secure a visa for his father. The process took 23 months and his father passed away in Syria while the process was underway. Mallak called for the introduction of a special office in the department of justice responsible for dealing with visa applications in order to streamline the process.
Other issues discussed included an emphasis on the need for rights to be respected irrespective of legal status. Maria Hennessy expressed concern over the possibility of creating of “hierarchy of refugees” where those fleeing the Syrian conflict who have applied for asylum are flagged for relocation, while methods of dealing with other refugees center on return to home countries, regardless of circumstance.
Susan McMonagle highlighted the importance of this issue as refugees arriving in Italy alone are coming from 65 different countries and many have been displaced a number of times as a result of increasingly worsening circumstances for refugees in host countries outside of Europe such as increasing difficulty of renewal of residency, a loss of hope in ever returning to respective homelands, perceived lack of safety, limited access to the labour market, limited access to education, and high costs of living compounded by aid shortfalls. | <urn:uuid:7cdf3c28-8cd0-4a68-a4cc-90577cdf22ec> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://trinitynews.ie/2015/10/trinity-panel-calls-for-raised-expectations-of-politicians-in-response-to-the-refugee-crisis/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572833.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817001643-20220817031643-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.967212 | 584 | 2.375 | 2 |
127 Progressive MS Patients Finish Treatment in Phase 2 Study of Ibudilast, MediciNova Reports
MediciNova recently reported that half of the 255 patients enrolled in a Phase 2b clinical trial (SPRINT-MS) exploring MN-166 (ibudilast) in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) had completed the 96-week-long treatment.
Interim data will be analyzed by the trial’s external Data Safety Monitoring Board later this year, with results forming the basis of recommendations to the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke (NINDS) regarding the treatment’s demonstrated safety, tolerability, and efficacy.
NINDS’s Network for Excellence in Neuroscience Clinical Trials, or NeuroNEXT, aims to conduct trials of new treatment approaches for neurological disease through collaborations between academic researchers, private foundations, and the pharmaceutical industry.
Ibudilast — a drug MediciNova licensed from Kyorin Pharmaceutical — has been used in Japan and Korea to treat complications following stroke and for bronchial asthma since 1989. MediciNova is now developing the drug as a potential treatment for progressive MS.
The drug acts at numerous sites in the brain, blocking enzymes known as PDEs (phosphodiesterases), specifically targeting PDE4 and 10. Early studies also showed that ibudilast blocks a factor called MIF — preventing immune cells called macrophages from migrating. This, in turn, suppresses the formation of pro-inflammatory molecules called cytokines and promotes the production of brain growth factors.
It also has demonstrated an ability to prevent glial cells — major players in the brain’s immune system — from activating. Glial cells are increasingly recognized as contributing to neurological conditions such as MS.
Read more about Ibudilast (MN-166) for Multiple Sclerosis.
The ongoing SPRINT-MS trial, involving 28 study centers across the U.S., compares ibudilast to placebo in either primary or secondary progressive MS patients. Since primary progressive patients were allowed to continue using glatiramer acetate or interferon-beta as their main medication, patients in treated and control groups were matched according to type of MS and the presence of other treatment.
Such matching procedures are common in clinical trials, and allows researchers to interpret study findings without the risk that other contributing factors influence the results.
As the study’s main outcome measure, researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to analyze if the rates of brain tissue breakdown were changed by the treatment. In addition to other imaging measurements, the study analyzes changes in disability, cognitive impairment, quality of life, and neuropathic pain in the patients. As in all clinical trials, researchers also assess the safety of the treatment.
“We are very pleased to have reached the 50 percent completion milestone in this important study. The unmet medical need for progressive MS patients is extremely high as there is no treatment approved for long-term use for these patients. We look forward to providing further updates as we receive results of the interim analysis,” Yuichi Iwaki, president and chief executive officer of MediciNova, said in a news release.
In addition to testing the drug as a progressive MS treatment, MediciNova is exploring its potential in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), chronic neuropathic pain, and substance abuse or addiction.
Multiple Sclerosis News Today previously reported that ibudilast has been awarded fast-track status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a label allowing swifter development and review of drugs with a potential to cover unmet medical needs in serious or life-threatening diseases. | <urn:uuid:3ac95615-5139-4247-8746-d97673688433> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com/news-posts/2016/07/19/progressive-ms-patients-finish-treatment-in-phase-2-study-of-ibudilast/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.937832 | 764 | 1.851563 | 2 |
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) recently reported that it recognized a record 814 new startups in May 2019 only, indicating that the startup ecosystem has been growing exponentially in India.
The working-age demographic has started to overlook traditional employment opportunities and there is an increasing push towards generating their own employment.
This shift has created an immediate necessity to reform the archaic education system to accommodate the changing needs of the student population in India.
With a view of bringing the curriculum on par with the needs of the present economic paradigm, the Delhi govt has announced to introduce “Entrepreneurship Mindset Curriculum”, a compulsory subject for the students of class 9-12 studying in government-run schools.
The program will be introduced across 1,024 schools, as a compulsory non-graded subject, comprising of a daily 40-minute class. The Delhi govt, of its budget for 2019-20, has allocated around Rs 40-50 crore to execute the project.
Students will be provided Rs 1,000 each to work on case studies and develop a feasible business model and will be allowed to keep the returns.
There will not be any graded exams or specific textbooks rather the program will work with the holistic view of enlightening these teenagers about the spirit and character traits of successful entrepreneurs.
The program was designed by a committee comprising SCERT, NCERT teachers and experts like Abhishek Gupta who have worked in the field of entrepreneurial education. The project was launched in February this year with endorsements from famous entrepreneurs like Binny Bansal, Dharampal Gulati, and Krishna Yadav.
The new curriculum was passed after carrying out a pilot project across 24 schools in Delhi from 1 April to 10 May to gather feedback. other than the business aspects of entrepreneurship.
For the successful implementation of the program the 3000 teachers per day are going through a week-long training program and have been provided with a manual having 15 chapters or units including ‘Dream Big’, ‘Recognize Opportunity’, planning, listening, collaboration, ‘Bounce Back From Failures’, etc.
However, the program will not be without its inherent limitations as Project director Sapna Yadav identifies, being a non-graded subject it will be an uphill task to make the students focus during the 40 minute long lectures on the subject.
With large classroom sizes ranging between 40-50 students each, paying the attention needed by each individual student will not be easy and would add additional pressure on the already overburdened students as well as teachers.
Even with its own challenges and implementation problems, this program is certainly a step in the right direction as there is imminent need to overhaul the education system in India. | <urn:uuid:b7774ad6-428a-4881-a34b-f54838d4adf7> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://entrackr.com/2019/06/delhi-govt-introduce-student-entrepreneurship/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.956595 | 564 | 2.21875 | 2 |
Education & Help
Uniform tire quality grading
1 min read time
Learn what tire quality grading is and why it matters to you.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) established a rating system known as Uniform Tire Quality Grading to provide consumers with useful information to help them purchase tires. It's made up of three components:
- Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled conditions on a specified government test track. A tire graded 200 would wear twice as long on the government test course under specified test conditions as one graded 100. Tread wear grades cannot be used to project tire mileage, because a number of variables affect wear, including driving habits, service practices, differences in road characteristics and climate.
Traction grades — AA, A, B and C — go from highest to lowest. They represent the tires’ ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled conditions on specified government test surfaces of asphalt and concrete. The testing does not take into account cornering, hydroplaning or acceleration.
Temperature grades — A, B and C — go from highest to lowest and represent the tires’ resistance to heat generation.
While the ratings are established by NHTSA, tire manufacturers and independent testing companies perform the validation testing, meaning there can be inconsistencies in testing and results. | <urn:uuid:85ace7fe-b2db-4b32-9bd2-49409584bcc9> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.quicklane.com/en-us/services/education/tires/uniform-tire-quality-grading/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573172.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818063910-20220818093910-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.937606 | 298 | 3.28125 | 3 |
Swine IL-10 ELISA Assay
The Swine IL-10 ELISA Assay is For Research Use Only
Size: 1×96 wells
Sensitivity: 7 pg/mL
Dynamic Range: 15.625 – 1000 pg/ml
Incubation Time: 3 hours
Sample Type: Serum, Plasma, Cell Culture
Sample Size: 100 µl
Alternative Names: Porcine Interleukin 10, Porcine IL-10, Swine Interleukin 10, Cytokine Synthesis Inhibitory Factor, CSIF
Interleukin 10, also known as cytokine synthesis inhibitory factor (CSIF), is the charter member of the IL-10 cytokine family. This family currently comprises IL-10, IL-19, IL-20, IL-22, IL-24, and IL-26/AK155. All IL-10 family members are secreted α-helical proteins. Porcine IL-10 is a secreted, possibly glycosylated, polypeptide with an 18 kDa molecular weight. Based on human studies, porcine IL-10 is likely to circulate as a nondisulfide-linked homodimer. Porcine IL-10 is synthesized as a 175 amino acid (aa) precursor with an 18 aa signal sequence and a 157 aa mature form. The mature segment has one potential N-linked glycosylation site plus four cysteines which form two intrachain disulfide bridges. Mature porcine IL-10 shows 71%, 70%, 76%, 75%, 77%, and 71% aa sequence identity to rat, mouse, human, guinea pig, canine, and cotton rat IL-10, respectively. Upon activation, mammalian cells known to secrete IL-10 include NK cells, cytotoxic CD8+ T cells secreting Th2-like cytokines, CD4+CD45RA- (memory) Th1 and Th2 cells, macrophages, monocytes, CD5+ and CD5- B cells, dendritic cells, hepatic stellate (Ito cells), keratinocytes, melanoma cells, mast cells, placental cytotrophoblasts, and fetal erythroblasts.
The functional receptor for IL-10 (IL-10 R) in pigs has not been reported. By analogy to human, it would be expected to be composed of two 110 kDa a-chains (or IL-10 R1) and two 75 kDa b-chains (or IL-10 R2). The a-chain binds IL-10 and transduces a signal in the presence of a b-chain complex. Both receptors are members of the class II cytokine receptor family (CRF2) that is characterized by the presence of type III fibronectin domains and conserved tryptophans. This class does not possess the WSXWS motif characteristic of the class I CRF. There is no significant aa sequence identity (< 30%) between human IL-10 R1 and IL-10 R2. IL-10 has myriad effects on a variety of cell types. On activated B cells, IL-10 can induce plasma cell formation (32) and the secretion of either IgG or IgA (in the presence of TGF-b1 and/or IL-4). In the presence of IL-2, CD56+ NK cells will respond to IL-10 with increased proliferation plus IFN-g and TNF-a secretion. Conversely, on macrophages, IL-10 is known to downregulate IL-1, TNF-a, and IL-6 production . On dendritic cells, IL-10 has been shown to interfere with antigen-presenting cell function by downmodulating stimulatory and co-stimulatory molecules. On monocytes, IL-10 is reported to direct monocyte differentiation into cytotoxic CD16+ macrophages rather than antigen-presenting dendritic cells. | <urn:uuid:7a26a0d2-3de6-4afe-b579-35c76cdde5eb> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://eaglebio.com/product/swine-il-10-elisa-assay/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572833.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817001643-20220817031643-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.875824 | 841 | 1.851563 | 2 |
SMERA Sustainability Assessment
India's first ESG & Sustainability Assessment for SMEs
The pandemic has made companies realise that the realities in which they operate have changed, while stakeholders are increasingly demanding transparency on corporate actions to mitigate impacts and risks. Sustainability reporting helps companies future-proof and prepare for what comes next. SMEs view sustainability as an opportunity to grow and thrive in the competitive market place.
SMERA supports SMEs to showcase and maintain a track record of their sustainability efforts through our sustainability assessment which includes-
Our assessment framework weights sustainability performance on a 5-star rating scale wherein 5 stars indicate companies with robust sustainability risk management framework, while 1 star indicates poor performance. SMERA’s sustainability score will provide a summary of a company’s sustainability strategy, programs/initiatives and results across 6 themes covering Environmental Impact of Operations, Sustainability Initiatives, Business Ethics, Community, Labour & Human Rights Management, Consumer & Product Responsibility and Transparency in ESG Reporting. | <urn:uuid:b72cd2f5-65a0-4cce-9f60-8a5fd14753a4> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.smeraonline.com/newweb/index.php/sme-esg/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573172.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818063910-20220818093910-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.899277 | 216 | 1.5 | 2 |
This article appeared online at TheNewAmerican.com on Monday, September 18, 2017:
If by “snowflake” one can accept the definition of Francis Dickinson, a Green Party activist, then snowflakes at the dormitory that houses La Associacion Latina (LAL) on the Cornell University campus had a meltdown last week. Dickinson defines a “snowflake” as “an insult, short for ‘special snowflake’ [which includes] all young liberals [who] think they are special and precious and unique and the world should revolve around them. And they will melt into a puddle when anything goes wrong.”
At 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 6, something went wrong, and the folks in the dorm melted into a puddle. Several of the LAL students claimed that they heard voices coming from the Zeta Psi fraternity next door chanting, “Build a wall! Build a wall!” The offense occurred the day after President Trump announced his pushback against DACA, and so the LAL students were on high alert for anything that might injure their tender sensibilities.
The LAL students issued a statement over the offense:
Cornell as an institution cannot truly say … that it supports students of marginalized communities and backgrounds [that would be the LAL students, presumably] when this sort of behavior runs rampant. These communities [that would be those LAL students, again presumably], time and time again, have come up against an innumerable amount of acts rooted in bigotry and discrimination.
These incidents are not isolated but are structural in that individuals [those unnamed voices next door doing the chanting, again presumably] hold harmful ideals … and Cornell … allows them to go unchecked.
Cornell’s vice president for students & campus life, Ryan Lombardi, leapt to action, confirming that the complaint had made it to his desk and acting to soothe the tender egos so egregiously damaged by one single individual at Zeta Psi:
While I appreciate that an individual [from the fraternity] has come forward to accept responsibility and apologize for [his] actions, and I recognize the rights of open expression, I am concerned by what is a continued pattern of the marginalization of many members of the Cornell community.
At a time when our nation is struggling with issues of division and polarization, I urge us, as a campus community to lean into [progressive code word for support] one another for strength. Let’s model a way forward [another progressive phrase] grounded in dialogue, respect and civil engagement.
The only thing missing from Lombardi’s condescending apology was an announcement that there would be a gathering at Willard Straight Hall in the morning where all those wounded would hold hands and sing Kumbaya.
Others took grievous affront and demanded retribution against the wayward fraternity brother exercising his First Amendment rights. Mayra Valdez, a freshman who calls herself an “undesignated at-large representative” of the Latino community on campus, insisted that there should be punishment for the doer of the misdeed: “It’s disgusting that hate speech like this is not followed up with repercussions.”
Cornell’s president was apparently caught off guard with the demand that sanctions should be applied to this excessive expression guaranteed by the First Amendment. Said Cornell President Martha Pollack: “I don’t have a response yet about what we are going to do and what we are not going to do, but we are looking into options.” Would they include nuclear retribution? After all those tender souls inhabiting the dorm next to Zeta Psi need protecting and the miscreant at Zeta Psi and all of his brothers who, also presumably, share the same view, need to be taught a lesson.
Pollack then referred back to Cornell’s “founding principles” that were violated by this outburst of alleged racism. In an e-mail to students, she said, “I strongly condemn behavior that is antithetical to our proud history of inclusion, and it is incumbent upon all of us to uphold Cornell’s founding principles.”
And just what were those “founding principles,” President Pollack? In his address to students at the University’s opening on October 7, 1868, Ezra Cornell put them well:
I hope we have laid the foundation of an institution which shall combine practical with liberal education, which shall fit the youth of our country for the professions, the farms, the mines, the manufactories, for the investigations of science, and for mastering all the practical questions of life with success and honor.
One wonders just how Cornell would react when learning about the supposed blatant discrimination voiced by a single fraternity brother, and the campus eruption of outrage that followed — especially when he might then also learn that the miscreant, the single fraternity brother at Zeta Psi, was himself a Latino, and that he was “just joking around and making fun of [President] Trump” according to an anonymous but reliable source that informed the Campus Reform newspaper. Cornell might just wonder what has happened to his precious university. | <urn:uuid:40e681e0-9c34-428a-879d-08df24033c58> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://lightfromtheright.com/2017/09/19/liberal-snowflakes-cornell-suffer-meltdown-chanting-trumps-wall/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571909.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813051311-20220813081311-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.965495 | 1,078 | 1.53125 | 2 |
The Catholic Union has warned that the two-child cap on the childcare element of Universal Credit and Tax Credits is contributing to food poverty.
In a letter to food charity, Fair Share, the Catholic Union has called for a focus on addressing the underlying causes of poverty and inconsistencies in support offered to people out of work or on low wages.
Fair Share is one of the groups behind the new Child Food Poverty Taskforce.
Whilst the Task Force is primarily focused on getting food to children in poverty and advocating the recommendations of the National Food Strategy, the Catholic Union has highlighted problems caused by the “family tax”.
The policy, introduced in 2017, limits the childcare element of Universal Credit and Tax Credits to two children per household. The move was widely criticised by faith groups and child poverty campaigners at the time, on the grounds that it discriminates against larger families.
The Catholic Union is committed to seeing the policy reversed. | <urn:uuid:5873f4b2-54d4-4be7-aee6-aaebb842eb50> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://catholicunion.org.uk/2020/12/family-tax-adding-to-food-poverty-warns-catholic-union/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.959128 | 190 | 2.09375 | 2 |
September 3, 2010
Capitol Ohio : 104 - Statehouse Museum
The Statehouse Museum is an interactive place for learning about Ohio government, providing stronger and more diverse orientation and education about Ohio government and history.
The Museum includes audio-visual, hands-on exhibits that challenge visitors' knowledge about Ohio history and the workings of state government.
The Museum offers exhibits that encourage visitors to participate in the government process. A focus on relevant and contemporary issues enables visitors to better relate to the governing process. | <urn:uuid:f4d5f871-d69c-4f65-8076-2d811a8e77e6> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://ohiostatehouse.org/galleries/media/capitol-ohio-104-statehouse-museum-126923 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573172.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818063910-20220818093910-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.907395 | 102 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
A voice cries:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
LINK to Christmas Songs page; new songs added daily!
Advent reading from Meet Him At The Manger: Seeing Jesus’ Glory
For me, it’s easy to consider Jesus’ glory as He is seated at the right hand of the Father, surrounded by heavenly beings…or as He emerges from the tomb, alive…but as a weak and helpless baby in a barn? I have more trouble equating that scene with His glory. Until I think, “This is the Creator of everything that exists…this is the One who keeps the planets rotating and revolving, and the seas from overflowing their shores, and the clouds from crashing down over us…in a baby, but an infant that is the em-BODY-ment of all that gloriousness!” and then it makes sense on some level. “It is God in Christ, God as man, and nobody else…who has something to offer to our world.“ | <urn:uuid:933628e3-9107-4c59-9675-5f049edf990f> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://chia.owly.net/advent-2021-discovering-love-dec-21/?replytocom=1859 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572833.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817001643-20220817031643-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.946109 | 362 | 1.65625 | 2 |
PenFed Credit Union launches Financial Education Resource Center
New educational offering empowers consumers to make safe, smart and informed financial decisions
TYSONS, VA (November 1, 2018) — Today PenFed announced the launch of its Financial Education Resource Center providing consumers a robust, online learning experience with the latest in financial literacy tools and resources.
The resource center includes a library of financial education modules and tools. The first two modules focus on mortgages and how to prepare financially before buying a home as well as managing finances as a home owner. Additional modules will be added to the platform and focus on other areas of personal finance.
“Buying a home is potentially the largest purchase a person will make in their lifetime and we want to provide our members with the resources they need to make informed decisions,” said Winston Wilkinson, PenFed Executive Vice President and President of Mortgage Banking. “A mortgage is a long-term relationship and at PenFed we are committed to servicing all of our loans and providing our members with the best experience.”
Findings from a recent PenFed Credit Union National Mortgage Survey conducted by nationally recognized market research firm, McLaughlin & Associates, reveal the importance of further consumer education around the mortgage process. The survey found that 37 percent of adults and 52 percent of millennials are looking to purchase a home in the next two years.
Additionally, two-thirds (65 percent) of homeowners didn’t shop around for a mortgage, despite most likely being the biggest purchase a person can make. The results also identified common misconceptions around mortgages including:
- The plurality (44 percent) believes the best mortgage is the one with the lowest rate. The lowest rate mortgage isn’t always best and consumers should consider additional factors including the total closing costs and the broader annual percentage rate. It’s also important to choose a company you trust and consider one that you already have accounts with since it can simplify payments.
- The majority (58 percent) think an Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) are for risk takers. An adjustable rate mortgage is perfect for those staying in their home for less than 5 years. A 5/5 ARM product has a fixed rate for the first five years and is likely to have a lower payment than a 30-year fixed-rate.
- About half (48 percent) say being pre-qualified is not the same thing as being pre-approved, but a slight majority either says it’s true (30 percent) or they are unsure (22 percent). Being pre-qualified may give you an idea of what you can afford, but it doesn’t mean you are pre-approved for a loan, which entails a more comprehensive process and makes you a more qualified buyer.
Visit PenFed’s Financial Education Mortgage Resource Center to learn more about the mortgage process. For more on PenFed’s mortgage financing programs, visit the PenFed Mortgage Center.
About PenFed Credit Union
Established in 1935, Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed) is America’s second-largest federal credit union, serving 2.6 million members worldwide with $32.5 billion in assets. PenFed Credit Union offers market-leading certificates, checking, credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, auto loans, student loans, and a wide range of other financial services. Our mission is to empower members of our community to achieve their financial well-being. PenFed Credit Union is federally insured by the NCUA and is an Equal Housing Lender. To learn more about PenFed Credit Union, visit PenFed.org, like us on Facebook and follow us @PenFed on Twitter. Interested in working for PenFed? Check us out on LinkedIn. We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. | <urn:uuid:b9c9771a-46ef-4d83-ada1-0f4bc8f98bd2> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.cuinsight.com/press-release/penfed-credit-union-launches-financial-education-resource-center/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572833.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817001643-20220817031643-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.951306 | 771 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Retaining Walls are the types of walls that are rigidly designed and constructed to serve the function of supporting soil vertically so that it can be retained at different levels. Retaining Walls can effectively retain and support sloping soil that otherwise would not be able to naturally stay in that position. Retaining Walls help shape and keep terrain from spreading over areas like roadway overpasses or hillsides. Retaining Walls are also used to shape any terrain within the site of a building. The different types of Retaining Walls include gravity walls, cantilevered walls, diaphragm walls, bored piles, and anchored walls. | <urn:uuid:cc0d3a35-0f05-458a-a230-90d6cfd1c0b9> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.dimensions.com/collection/retaining-walls | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.955807 | 128 | 3.265625 | 3 |
According to science, this is everything that happens to your body when you drink one beer — or one too many — every night. A police officer may ask you to take a breathalyzer test if you are suspected of drunk driving. If you refuse to take a breathalyzer, or think the test wasn’t accurate, you may ask for or be asked to take a blood alcohol test. A health care professional will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm, using a small needle.
What’s a hot-selling drink now may not fly out the door in six months. You need to keep a close eye on what’s selling and what’s not. You should also keep a close eye on your inventory throughout the life of your business. You don’t want to buy too much, or you’ll be wasting your money. You also don’t want to buy too little, because then your customers may not get what they order. Walking the tightrope is the name of the game when it comes to inventory in the food and beverage industries.
The License and Registration Unit also provides online verification of licenses and permits. Groups began by promoting temperance – the moderate use of alcohol. They then pressed for the complete and total prohibition of beverage alcohol. The negative effects of the epidemic may have been exaggerated.107Nevertheless, Parliament passed legislation in 1736 to discourage consumption. It prohibited the sale of gin in quantities of less than two gallons and raised the tax on it dramatically.
- “It’s fascinating, because as our understanding of how alcohol affects the body in general improves, we’re just learning more about the various ways that exposure to alcohol contributes to the misery the next day,” he says.
- With lockdown orders in place across the country, an uptick of to-go orders and grocery store purchases is notable.
- The reigning belief is that beer is a “softer” drink that can’t cause drunkenness as quickly as, say, shots of vodka.
- What will happen if I refuse to allow officers or agents to inspect?
- But the 3.2 percent number came from brewers, who, in 1933, hired a University of Chicago physiologist named Anton Carlson to study it.
- Alcohol is first absorbed by the stomach and small intestine, then, incorporated into the bloodstream.
- He also wakes up with bruises bc the alcohol makes him bruise easily, another thing it is made with everclear and a whole bunch of garbage ingredients as additives.
- Be sure to get regular exercise and eat a well-rounded diet full of vegetables.
- Transitional rituals serve to delineate the boundaries between different stages of life, to mark the end of one phase and the beginning of the next.
- When alcohol-contaminated blood reaches the lungs, a small percentage of the alcohol dissolves into the gas, and you will expel it through the air.
- Some alcohol is allowed to be sold in grocery stores in some counties.
AdjunctAny unmalted grain or other fermentable ingredient used in the brewing process. Adjuncts used are typically either rice or corn, and can also include honey, syrups, and numerous other sources of fermentable carbohydrates. They Vegan CBD gummies review are common in mass produced light American lager-style beers. Make happy hour even happier with our selection of award-winning wine and beer from around the world. We offer a variety of wine including red, white, sparkling, and rosé.
Need Something To Help You Bounce Back After Drinking?*
Generally speaking, the longer a drink is distilled, the lower the amount of congeners it contains. Try having a glass of water instead of a beer on every other round. You’re far less likely to suffer a hangover the morning after.
For those of you have have had a few too many to drink and end up making friends with the toilet, you know first hand that alcohol is a poison to the body. Harvard University explains how exactly heavy drinking can take a toll on your body. Alcohol can increase high density lipoprotein cholesterol which is the “healthy type” because it removes “bad” cholesterol from tissue and helps bring out of your body. The review also found a favorable potassium to sodium ratio.
liquor Before Beer, Youre In The Clear Beer Before Liquor, Never Sicker Right?
While enjoying a so-called “nightcap” may help you fall asleep more quickly, it actually interferes with the quality of the sleep that you get. You won’t spend enough time in the deepest cycle of sleep, called the REM cycle, and since you sleep much more lightly, you will probably wake up earlier, and not quite as rested. While drinking beer before liquor or the other way around won’t guarantee you a better or worse hangover, there are certainly things you can do to try and avoid that dreadful “day after” as much as possible.
Best Cheap Grill Sales And Deals For 2021
IT’S expensive as hell and not everyone has your euros and your pounds to afford it we have cheap ass American currency here which while isn’t a bad currency it’s not what it used to be. I personally get pretty hammered after having two whole cans of this shit and when you think about it you don’t pay a whole lot. The only deals I’ve seen better are a small bottle of heaven hills whiskey, taste like shit but it’s under $5 and it’s a fairly strong 80 proof which gets you quite drunk after only a fourth or a fifth of it for most people.
Know About Michelob Ultra Calories And Alcohol Content In It
Unexpected prosperity for wine-grape growers was not the only unintended consequence of National Prohibition. Before reviewing other unexpected outcomes, however, it is important to list the ways in which National Prohibition did fulfill prohibitionists’ expectations. The liquor industry was virtually destroyed, and this created an historic opportunity to socialize rising generations in a lifestyle in which alcohol had no place. To some degree, such socialization did take place, and the lessened consumption of the Prohibition Era reflects that. The brewers were probably not the only Americans to be surprised at the severity of the regime thus created.
“We didn’t find any truth in the idea that drinking beer before wine gives you a milder hangover than the other way around,” lead study author Jöran Köchling, of Witten/Herdecke University in Germany, said in a statement. “The truth is that drinking too much of any alcoholic drink is likely to result in a hangover.” While they do not limit the ABV of beer, grocery chains are only allowed 2 liquor licenses for the entire state.
How Do I Know If Its Okay To Drink?
Experts say that the optimum temperature for premium vodka is around 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Going lower than that with cheaper vodkas can produce a smoother drink and reduce some of the burn. Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks. Mandatory fines, license suspension/revocation, jail sentences, and/or community service upon conviction for drunk driving. Beyond the ethanol that triggers intoxication, the other key ingredients that affect hangovers are what the beverage industry calls congeners. These are the other substances produced during fermentation, such as acetone, acetaldehyde, fusel oil and the best-known, tannins, which give darker drinks their colour and part of their flavour.
Head RetentionThe foam stability of a beer as measured, in seconds, by time required for a 1-inch foam collar to collapse. GruitAn old-fashioned herb mixture used for bittering and flavoring beer, popular before the extensive use of hops. Gruit or grut ale may also refer to the beverage produced using gruit.
Brewpub Beer/Wine license application requires a notice be posted in the local newspaper and a filing fee of $300. Oregon has a Liquor License Commission which processes applications for state liquor licenses. Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission regulates liquor licenses, which can be submitted online, by mail, or in-person in their Oklahoma City office. Retail alcohol license fees vary by county and type of license. Connecticut has more than 20 types of liquor license permits that can be obtained through the Department of Consumer Protection. Now that you have a good idea of what type of license your business will need, your next step is to research exactly what you’ll need to do to get it.
Thus, although most of the empirical literature supports the conclusion that excise tax increases tend to curtail alcohol consumption and heavy drinking by underage youths and young adults, more research on this important issue is necessary. Using the estimates derived from models accounting for addiction, Grossman and colleagues predicted the effects of changes in beer taxes on consumption. For example, the investigators examined the effects of a tax increase that would have matched the taxes on the alcohol in beer to those on the alcohol in distilled spirits in 1951 and then accounted for the rate of inflation since 1951. Such an increase was estimated to have reduced average consumption by more than 40 percent in 1982 and 1983 .
By far the most important thing that determines what impact drinking has on you, is how much alcohol you’ve drunk. Proponents of having liquor first argue that this makes sense, because of the bubbles in beer. Those bubbles help the alcohol to enter your system more quickly. A night out for me is usually four halves of craft beer,I then have a small whiskey nightcap to take as a bedtime drink. Beer on whisky, very risky.” I’m 66 and been drinking a looong time. However, the amount of alcohol consumed per drink has decreased by 30-35%.
I get really nervous for interviews so I take beta-blockers. I take one in the morning as the interview day starts and one an hour before the interview itself . All it does is reduce your physical symptoms of stress, such as reducing your heart rate and preventing your hands from shaking. If you only take 10mg you will be quite relaxed but still have a bit of a nervous edge so that you can act ‘on’ during the interview. Make sure you try it before hand though to see how you react to it.
The bottom line is how much alcohol you drink that makes you sick and not how many you mixed. Drinking, then waking up sick is never anyone’s plan. As a way of avoiding being sick, you will listen to all kinds of advice, including “beer before liquor.” However, even following this order does not guarantee you a typical day after heavy drinking. Following the hangover influencers above, you might be lucky enough to drink and not get a hangover ever again. I was sure that it was better if I drank only one type of alcohol. And mixing many different drinks would cause a worse hangover.
Prior to the work by Becker and Murphy , economic models of addiction assumed myopic behavior in which consumers ignore the future consequences of their current actions. Becker and Murphy developed a theoretical model that extends the utility-maximizing approach of economics to addictive substances. The consumption of these substances is influenced not only by their utility and the satisfaction they provide but also by acquired tolerance, reinforcement, and withdrawal. The main element of this and other models of addiction is the assumption that an increase in the past consumption of an addictive substance raises the current consumption of that substance. Unlike previous models of addiction, the Becker-Murphy model treats addicts as “farsighted” in the sense that they consider, at least to some extent, the future consequences of their consumption decisions. This assumption implies that a person’s current consumption decisions will respond to changes in the expected future costs of consumption, such as an anticipated increase in price or new information about the health consequences of consumption.
Beer Before Liquor, Never Sicker: Wise Words Or Mad Math?
The Ebla tablets, discovered in 1974 in Ebla, Syria, show that beer was produced in the city in 2500 BC. A fermented drink using rice and fruit was made in China around 7000 BC. Unlike sake, mold was not used to saccharify the rice ; the rice was probably prepared for fermentation by chewing or malting.
You should see activity within hours as CO2 begins to escape the airlock. It will take from one to two weeks for the fermentation to complete, during which time you should do nothing to disturb the process. There are advantages and disadvantages to using either dry yeast or liquid yeast. Dry yeast has a long shelf life and requires minimal preparation to use.
Beer giant AB InBev, which owns Golden Road, has even set a goal to have at least 20 percent of its global beer volume be no- or low-alcohol by 2025. Not long ago, there were just a couple of nonalcoholic beer brands on the market, none of which offered much in the way What delta 8 brands are safe? of flavor or style diversity. Now, big-box brands and craft breweries are getting into the game, pumping out NA options including lagers, IPAs and stouts. The beer is packed with the bitterness and citrus that you’d expect from any full alcohol version you can find.
Vintage Mustang Premium Malt Liquor Beer 12oz Can Straight Steel Pittsburgh Pa
However, the liver can only metabolize a small amount of alcohol at a time, leaving the excess alcohol to circulate throughout the body. yoursite.com The intensity of the effect of alcohol on the body is directly related to the amount consumed. Ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, is an intoxicating ingredient found in beer, wine, and liquor. Alcohol is produced by the fermentation of yeast, sugars, and starches. Alcohol has both positive and negative effects on humans.
The following are the most common taxpayer errors made with regard to the collection, reporting and payment of liquor excise taxes. Investing of money, directly or indirectly, in a retail store. Persons desiring a permissible person permit must apply to the Department with form LT 19. Permits are issued on a fiscal year basis and are renewed upon written request.
Manage Your Business
Let’s look at the steps involved and discuss the ins and outs of your restaurant liquor license. The general consensus among experts is that when it comes to consuming marijuana or alcohol, moderation is key. If a person consumes these substances on a regular basis already, then pouring one out or rolling one up on the day of your vaccination, is probably fine. As for marijuana, it depends on the form of consumption. Marijuana can be consumed in a variety of ways from foods, to vapor, to smoke and more.
And yet, for over 80 years , if you wanted to sell beer in certain states, you’d have to make it weaker. Malt Beverage Labels – TTB brochure providing explanations of the what information must be provided to the public on a malt beverage label. The desirable cholesterol level in the blood is total cholesterol reading less than 200 mg/dL. If the reading indicates a level more than 240 mg/dL, the patient is warned of a high risk of heart diseases, stroke and artery blockage. Such individuals should avoid consuming saturated or trans-fats and shift to polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats to reduce the risk factor. With tight profit margins, liquor stores may be some of the least profitable businesses.
That will provide about 170 mOsm from urea and other obligatory solutes from cellular catabolism will add about 75 mOsm to a total of about 245 mOsm. Consuming a 24 pack of 12-ounce beer cans/day with each about 14 mg Na will give 336 mg, which is 14 mOsm Na (336/23). Similar 24 pack beer will give 2304 mg potassium which will provide 59 mOsm (2304/39). So only about 73 mOsm will be added by daily alcohol, leading to total daily solute excretion of 318 mOsm (245 + 73).
How Much Time Am I Willing To Spend Obtaining My License?
Data are presented as medians and quartiles using Tukey box plots; to compare intraindividual differences of AHS ratings Welch’s two-sample t-test was used at a 5% significance level. If the alcohol content of the final product is equal to or less than one-half of one percent of alcohol by volume (.50% ABV), the product is considered “nonalcoholic” and may be treated as such. This means no license from the ISPABC is needed to make it, distribute it, or sell it. If the non-beverage food product exceeds one-half of one percent alcohol by volume (.50% ABV), a liquor, beer or wine license is required to manufacture, distribute, or sell at retail.
These are the high-priced brands that aren’t ordered as frequently as the call brands. Premium and superpremium liquors will have an even higher price than call brands and should always be placed prominently on a shelf in the back bar. Once you have your equipment in place and you’re just about ready to open your new bar, you can start working with suppliers to get your startup inventory. That means it’s time to finalize your drink and food menus. In the book Start Your Own Bar and Club, the staff of Entrepreneur Media, Inc. and writer Liane Cassavoy explain how you can launch a profitable bar or club, whether you want to start a nightclub, neighborhood pub, wine bar or more. In this edited excerpt, the authors offers some words of advice on stocking your bar with the liquor your customers will be drinking.
I find it best to start out with the drinks that have the highest alcohol content, and then work my way down. Personally, I never consume the two on the same night, no matter what the order. I will drink whiskey and then a couple beers afterward.
See Alcoholic Beverages Article and Criminal Law CL10-114. Exemptions Alcohol cannot be shipped to you, except nationally sold wine whereby you must make arrangements to ship the wine to you through a Maryland wholesaler, using a Direct Wine Sellers Permit. Internationally, no alcohol may be shipped to you, including wine. The License and Registration Unit issues licenses and permits, maintains automated credit control information for the alcohol industry, and promotes fair trade practices in accordance with the law.
Look for a low calorie or zero calorie Gatorade, or even Pedialyte. #4) Make sure you eat BEFORE you go out – you need that food in your system before the alcohol if it’s going to help you at all later on. Yes, lower in calories and lower in carbs, but beer is created from grain and it’s easy to consume LOTS of these very quickly. Not a terrible option, but not nearly as many of the health benefits you get with red. Before I tell you WHAT to drink, let’s give a quick education on what is considered a “drink” and how the liquor measurement system works.
Gin and vodka have the least congeners while bourbon and scotch have the most, says Rohsenow, and dark liquors have more than clear ones in general. But that doesn’t mean you can go to town on gin and tonics and come away unscathed. “We found that the biggest determinant of getting hung-over was the alcohol intoxication itself,” says Dr. Rohsenow. While alcohol tolerance varies from person How many Vegan CBD Gummies should I eat? to person, the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recommends no more than one drink per day for women and two for men. Gin and vodka have the least congeners while bourbon and scotch have the most, says Dr. Rohsenow, and dark liquors have more than clear ones in general. With me if I mix spirits, beer and wine it can make me sick.So there might be some truth in it.
After a day of drinking, it is common for people to blame it on the last drink they drank. Drinking alcohol in excess can lead to devastating effects on the brain, including brain shrinkage and damage. However, low to moderate alcohol consumption can WHAT ARE FULL SPECTRUM CBD Oil? actually benefit the brain. However, you should take this with a grain of salt because, according to the publication, “it is difficult to know whether the beneficial effects are due to alcohol or other factors, such as lifestyle, education, or diet.”
Each delivers about 12 to 14 grams of alcohol on average, but there is a wider range now that microbrews and wine are being produced with higher alcohol content. Alcohol’s two-faced nature shouldn’t come as a surprise. The active ingredient in alcoholic beverages, a simple molecule called ethanol, affects the body in many different ways. It directly influences the stomach, brain, heart, gallbladder, and liver. It affects levels of lipids and insulin in the blood, as well as inflammation and coagulation. It also alters mood, concentration, and coordination. | <urn:uuid:62a58dd8-9020-4fba-b6b7-bf746903256e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.badulakebilbao.com/how-to-get-a-beer-liquor-license-in-kentucky/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572833.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817001643-20220817031643-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.947922 | 4,435 | 2.4375 | 2 |
Chapter 4: Partial Differentiation
Section 4.10: Optimization on Closed Domains
Find the extreme values of the function fx,y=x y+1/2 on the domain R consisting of the interior and boundary of the triangle whose sides are the x- and y-axes, and the line x+y=1.
Figure 4.10.1(a) shows that part of the surface defined by f for which the support is the domain R.
The unconstrained extrema, obtained by solving the equations fx=fy=0, is f0,0=1/2.
Taking the constraints one at a time requires solving three constrained optimization problems, with each side of the triangle being the constraint in each of the three problems.
Figure 4.10.1(b), a graph of f0,y=1/2, confirms that along the y-axis the function f is constant.
Figure 4.10.1(c), a graph of fx,0=1/2, confirms that along the x-axis the function f is also constant.
Figure 4.10.1(d), a graph of fx,1−x=x−x2+1/2, suggests that there is a maximum along this edge. In fact, elementary calculus finds this maximum to be f1/2,1/2=3/4.
Taking the constraints two at a time requires finding the values of f at the intersection of the edges of the triangle, that is, at the vertices. These values are all 1/2, so the absolute maximum for this constrained optimization problem is f1/2.1/2=3/4.
use plots in
p1:=plot3d(f,x=0..1,y=0..1-x, style = patchcontour, contours=20):
Figure 4.10.1(a) The surface over the triangle R
plot(1/2, y = 0 .. 1, labels = [y, f], tickmarks = [2, [.25, .5, .75]], view = [0 .. 1, 0 .. .75]);
Figure 4.10.1(b) Along x=0
plot(1/2, x = 0 .. 1, labels = [x, f], tickmarks = [2, [0, .25, .5, .75]]);
Figure 4.10.1(c) Along y=0
plot(x*(1-x)+1/2, x = 0 .. 1, labels = [x, f], tickmarks = [3, [0, .5, .75]], view = [0 .. 1, 0 .. .75]);
Figure 4.10.1(d) Along x+y=1
Each of the three constrained optimization problems obtained when applying the constraints one at a time is a candidate for the Lagrange multiplier method. However, in this example, the simplicity of the three optimization problems that result does not warrant the more elaborate machinery of the Lagrange multiplier approach.
Maple Solution - Interactive
Context Panel: Assign Function
fx,y=x y+1/2→assign as functionf
Solve the unconstrained problem
Calculus palette: Partial-derivative operator
Context Panel: Solve≻Solve
∂∂ x fx,y=0,∂∂ y fx,y=0
Context Panel: Evaluate and Display Inline
f0,0 = 12
Apply the constraints one at a time
Along x=0 (the y-axis)
f0,y = 12
Along y=0 (the x-axis)
fx,0 = 12
Along x+y=1: Press the Enter key.
Context Panel: Differentiate≻With Respect To≻x
→differentiate w.r.t. x
f1/2,1−1/2 = 34
Take the constraints two at a time, that is, evaluate f at the vertices of the triangle
f0,1 = 12
f1,0 = 12
Maple Solution - Coded
Define the objective function f.
Solve the unconstrained optimization problem
Apply the diff command to form the equations fx=fy=0, and the solve command to obtain their solution.
Evaluate f at the critical point.
Along x=0 (the y-axis).
Along y=0 (the x-axis).
Apply the diff and solve commands to obtain the critical number along this edge.
solvedifffx,1− x,x = 12
Apply the constraints two at a time
<< Chapter Overview Section 4.10
Next Example >>
© Maplesoft, a division of Waterloo Maple Inc., 2021. All rights reserved. This product is protected by copyright and distributed under licenses restricting its use, copying, distribution, and decompilation.
For more information on Maplesoft products and services, visit www.maplesoft.com
Download Help Document
What kind of issue would you like to report? (Optional) | <urn:uuid:520852e9-592a-4252-9c21-6fb19650b533> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://jp.maplesoft.com/support/help/view.aspx?path=StudyGuides%2FMultivariateCalculus%2FChapter4%2FExamples%2FSection4-10%2FExample4-10-1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.795518 | 1,325 | 2.78125 | 3 |
The other day John Bolton, our former ambassador to the United Nations, was the guest on FOX’s noontime program, “Outnumbered.” There had been another scandal in the Clinton camp (I’m losing track of them), so Ambassador Bolton suggested that Hillary adopt as her campaign slogan, “Not Indicted Yet.” I laughed out loud. And it reminded me of my favorite campaign slogan of all time, “He Did It for a Friend.”
In the first years of the 20th century, 29-year-old James Michael Curley of Boston was an ambitious politico, a rising star in the Democrats’ machine. Although young, he was already a master of ward politics: Curley knew how to find constituents a job, a doctor, or a lawyer; he made certain that indigent voters had coal in winter and food all year round. And he did favors.
In 1903 Curley was running for the Board of Aldermen. Two young men, newly arrived from Ireland, asked for his help. They wanted jobs in the post office, but they doubted that they could pass the post office’s written exam. Curley and a friend, Thomas Curley (no relation), offered to take the exam for the newcomers. On the day of the test, the Curleys presented themselves as the two would-be postal employees, but by bad luck they were recognized by a government employee who happened to be at the test site that day.
The two Curleys were arrested and hauled into court where they were found guilty of “combining, conspiring, confederating, and agreeing together to defraud the United States.” The sentence: two months in the Charles Street Jail—not the best location from which to run a political campaign. James Curley’s attorney filed an appeal and Curley made bail. Now that he was out, he kicked off the most audacious campaign in American political history.
Curley didn’t apologize for his crime. He didn’t try to minimize it. He didn’t even try to tap dance around it. Curley owned up to it. He crowed about it. And he put it to his overwhelmingly Irish immigrant constituency in a way that he knew would appeal to them: what he had done, “he had done for a friend.” That bold assertion was modified to the punchier “He Did It for A Friend,” which became the slogan for Curley’s bid for the office of alderman. And it worked. By the time Curley had to appear again in court for sentencing, he was well into his first year as alderman. The judge, a Boston Brahmin named James Cabot Lowell, was livid that Curley hadn’t shown a shred of remorse, and that he, Lowell, had set such a light sentence. Nonetheless, Judge Lowell packed Curley off to the Charles Street Jail where for two months the alderman received an endless stream of visitors, many of whom brought him gifts — books or baskets of fresh fruit, Curley’s favorite items. After he served his two months, an even larger crowd turned out to welcome him home.
James Michael Curley was a scoundrel, and scoundrels have always been with us, going back to Cain who, trying to dodge a direct question concerning the whereabouts of his brother Abel, trotted out a question of his own, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Cain was cagey. Curley was lovable. And daring. And roguish. I think I’d admire Hillary if she became a bit of a rogue, and sly enough to adopt the slogan, “Not Indicted Yet.” | <urn:uuid:23a6f471-bd7f-445b-9160-217219786986> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://spectator.org/sometimes-a-great-slogan/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572833.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817001643-20220817031643-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.986839 | 789 | 1.835938 | 2 |
The DICT Development Group
4 definitions found
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :
Thing \Thing\ (th[i^]ng), n. [AS. [thorn]ing a thing, cause,
assembly, judicial assembly; akin to [thorn]ingan to
negotiate, [thorn]ingian to reconcile, conciliate, D. ding a
thing, OS. thing thing, assembly, judicial assembly, G. ding
a thing, formerly also, an assembly, court, Icel. [thorn]ing
a thing, assembly, court, Sw. & Dan. ting; perhaps originally
used of the transaction of or before a popular assembly, or
the time appointed for such an assembly; cf. G. dingen to
bargain, hire, MHG. dingen to hold court, speak before a
court, negotiate, Goth. [thorn]eihs time, perhaps akin to L.
tempus time. Cf. Hustings, and Temporal of time.]
1. Whatever exists, or is conceived to exist, as a separate
entity, whether animate or inanimate; any separable or
distinguishable object of thought.
God made . . . every thing that creepeth upon the
earth after his kind. --Gen. i. 25.
He sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the
good things of Egypt. --Gen. xiv.
A thing of beauty is a joy forever. --Keats.
2. An inanimate object, in distinction from a living being;
any lifeless material.
Ye meads and groves, unconscious things! --Cowper.
3. A transaction or occurrence; an event; a deed.
[And Jacob said] All these things are against me.
Which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by
what authority I do these things. --Matt. xxi.
4. A portion or part; something.
Wicked men who understand any thing of wisdom.
5. A diminutive or slighted object; any object viewed as
merely existing; -- often used in pity or contempt.
See, sons, what things you are! --Shak.
The poor thing sighed, and . . . turned from me.
I'll be this abject thing no more. --Granville.
I have a thing in prose. --Swift.
6. pl. Clothes; furniture; appurtenances; luggage; as, to
pack or store one's things. [Colloq.]
Note: Formerly, the singular was sometimes used in a plural
or collective sense.
And them she gave her moebles and her thing.
Note: Thing was used in a very general sense in Old English,
and is still heard colloquially where some more
definite term would be used in careful composition.
In the garden [he] walketh to and fro,
And hath his things [i. e., prayers, devotions]
said full courteously. --Chaucer.
Hearkening his minstrels their things play.
7. (Law) Whatever may be possessed or owned; a property; --
distinguished from person.
8. [In this sense pronounced t[i^]ng.] In Scandinavian
countries, a legislative or judicial assembly.
Things personal. (Law) Same as Personal property, under
Things real. Same as Real property, under Real.
[1913 Webster] Thing
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :
Thing \Thing\, Ting \Ting\, n. [Dan. thing, ting, Norw. ting, or
In Scandinavian countries, a legislative or judicial
assembly; -- used, esp. in composition, in titles of such
bodies. See Legislature, Norway.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) :
n 1: a special situation; "this thing has got to end"; "it is a
2: an action; "how could you do such a thing?"
3: a special abstraction; "a thing of the spirit"; "things of
4: an artifact; "how does this thing work?"
5: an event; "a funny thing happened on the way to the..."
6: a vaguely specified concern; "several matters to attend to";
"it is none of your affair"; "things are going well" [syn:
matter, affair, thing]
7: a statement regarded as an object; "to say the same thing in
other terms"; "how can you say such a thing?"
8: an entity that is not named specifically; "I couldn't tell
what the thing was"
9: any attribute or quality considered as having its own
existence; "the thing I like about her is ..."
10: a special objective; "the thing is to stay in bounds"
11: a persistent illogical feeling of desire or aversion; "he
has a thing about seafood"; "she has a thing about him"
12: a separate and self-contained entity
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :
285 Moby Thesaurus words for "thing":
accomplished fact, accomplishment, achievement, act, acta, action,
activities, activity, adventure, affair, affairs, affection,
affinity, an existence, apparatus, apparel, area, article,
artifact, aspect, attire, attitude, aversion, bag, baggage, being,
belongings, bent, bias, blow, body, business, case, chance,
chattels, chore, chosen kind, circumstance, circumstances, clobber,
clothes, clothing, commerce, concern, concernment, concerns,
constituent, contrivance, count, coup, crap, craze, creature,
critter, cry, cup of tea, datum, dealings, deed, detail,
detestation, device, dingus, dislike, dofunny, dohickey, doing,
doings, dojigger, dojiggy, domajig, domajigger, doodad, dowhacky,
dress, druthers, duds, effects, effort, element, employ,
employment, endeavor, entelechy, enterprise, entity, episode,
eppes, equipment, etwas, event, events, existence, existent,
exploit, facet, fact, factor, fad, fait accompli, fancy, fashion,
favor, fear, feat, feature, feeling, fetish, field, fixation,
flumadiddle, forte, function, furore, gadget, gear, gest,
gigamaree, gimmick, gizmo, go, goods, habiliments, hand, handiwork,
hang-up, happening, happenings, hickey, hootenanny, hootmalalie,
horror, idee fixe, impedimenta, implements, incident, incidental,
inclination, individual, instance, instrument, interest, item,
jigger, job, junk, labor, lares and penates, leaning, life, liking,
line, loathing, long suit, lookout, love, luggage, main interest,
maneuver, mania, manner, material, material thing, matter, matters,
measure, mechanism, metier, minor detail, minutia, minutiae, mode,
monad, movables, move, object, obsession, occasion, occupation,
operation, opportunity, organism, overt act, paraphernalia,
partiality, particular, particular choice, passage, passion,
performance, person, persona, personal choice, personality,
pet subject, phobia, point, possession, possessions, possibility,
predilection, predisposition, preference, prejudice, preoccupation,
prepossession, proceeding, proclivity, production, pursuit,
quelque chose, quirk, rage, raiment, reaction, regard, res gestae,
respect, responsibility, right, rightfulness, rightness, sentiment,
service, shit, something, soul, specialism, speciality,
specialization, specialty, step, stroke, strong point, stuff,
stunt, style, subject, substance, task, taste, technicality,
tendency, terror, the last word, the latest thing,
the latest wrinkle, the proper thing, the rage, the seemly,
the thing, thing done, things, thingum, thingumabob, thingumadad,
thingumadoodle, thingumajig, thingumajigger, thingumaree,
thingummy, togs, tools, tour de force, transaction, traps, trend,
tricks, turn, type, undertaking, unit, utensil, utensils, vocation,
vogue, way, weakness, what is done, what is right, what should be,
whatchy, widget, work, works
firstname.lastname@example.org Specification=RFC 2229 | <urn:uuid:f206fbb4-6fa7-4162-ba61-825b1d25441f> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://dict.org/bin/Dict?Form=Dict2&Database=*&Query=Thing | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572833.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817001643-20220817031643-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.82082 | 2,194 | 2.703125 | 3 |
You can now use your Mobile as a wireless remote mouse or keyboard on Windows 7 , 8.1 & Windows 10 by this awesome app called as Remote Mouse. Remote mouse allows you to connect your mobile to your Computer / Laptop over WiFi so that you can use your mobile touchscreen as mouse, trackpad and even as a wireless keyboard. You can even use your mobile Gyroscope & motion sensor to control the mouse pointer on your Windows . Check out the below tutorial on How to use Android & iPhone as remote mouse in Windows 7/8.1/10 –
Method to Use iPhone or Android phones as Remote Wireless Mouse or Keyboard in Windows 10 / 7 / 8.1 –
- Remote Mouse Server app should be installed on your Windows Operating System –
Click here to Download Remote Mouse app for Windows 7 / 8.1 / 10.
- Download & Install the Remote Server app on your Mobile device too –
Click here to Download Remote Mouse app for Android from Google Play Store.
Click here to Download Remote Mouse app for iPhone from iOS App Store.
- Both your Windows machine or Laptop and Mobile device should be connected to the same WiFi Network (You can connect them both to a common WiFi router, or use one as a hotspot and connect the other device to it).
Procedure to use Mobile as a remote Trackpad –
- First of all install the Remote mouse program on Windows and launch the app on the Windows machine (Make sure you are connected to the same WiFi as that of the mobile device). Once your Remote Mouse server starts running it will be minimized to the system tray icon.
- Now, Open the Remote Mouse app on your Mobile device , it will now start scanning for server’s on the currently connected WiFi network. It will show a list of all devices on the network as shown in the below image –
Here simply tap on the device name, it will be connected to the same network server.
- Now, Start moving your finger on your mobile’s touchscreen your mouse pointer too will start to move! . You can even single tap on screen for left click, two finger tap for right click.
- Besides, this you can even use your phone’s motion sensor to move your pointer, as well as use the Mobile Keyboard as a wireless keyboard input device as shown in the image below –
- Enjoy ! the Geeky stuff you just implemented by showing off to your friends!
I personally liked this method as it will not only help you to control mouse pointer, but it will also allow you to use your iPhone (iOS) or Android device as wireless presenter to control powerpoint presentations too! | <urn:uuid:ea7a97a6-b877-42e1-99f4-94496b5f0c4c> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.technorange.com/2015/12/how-to-use-android-iphone-as-mouse-in-windows-78-110-works-on-windows-10/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573172.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818063910-20220818093910-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.898926 | 550 | 1.851563 | 2 |
Someone asked us at a recent AKC dog event why they can’t just use Vaseline on their dog’s paw pads and nose instead of Paw Balm or Nose Balm? We get this question a lot and thought an explanation would be helpful.
What is Petroleum Jelly?
In the mid-1800s, a substance called “rod wax” would coat and foul oil rigs. In 1859, Robert Cheesburg took this rod wax and through a process of distillation and filtration, created a product and company called “Vaseline”.
Today, you can look in almost any medicine cabinet and see a container of petroleum jelly, or as most people call it, Vaseline.
Why is Petroleum Jelly Potentially Harmful?
According to dermatologist Dr. Alan Dattner, the founder of HolisticDermatology.com, the components of oil removed during the making of petroleum jelly are, in some cases, canceer causing. While Vaseline itself, is highly refined and purified and classified as non – carcinogenic, the same is not known about all other brands. Dr. Dattner states: “Vaseline supposedly has all of these compounds removed, but there are probably plenty of imitators and one doesn’t know the extent that they’re removed.”
A study by a German watchdog group in 2015 found high levels of Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons (MOHAs) in cosmetics that contained mineral oil, with Vaseline containing the highest levels of MOHA of all products tested. The European Commission lists MOHAs as potentially genotoxic and carcinogenic.
Effects on Skin
Petroleum jelly provides an occlusive barrier that will seal in moisture already in the skin, but adds no moisture and does not allow moisture or oxygen to be absorbed from the atmosphere, essentially making skin drier over time. When applied to your dog’s paw pads or nose, it does not allow the skin to breathe. This can prevent healing and encourage an environment that encourages the growth of harmful fungi.
What Should I Use?
Our recommendation is to find a balm containing natural and non – toxic ingredients. Some of the more popular paw waxes make the claim of being natural and safe, but do not list their ingredients. It’s important to find one that does list their ingredients.
Do Our Balms Work?
This is an email we received this morning:
“I received my order and thank you so much for throwing in a gift! My poor German Shepherd pup, Chief, gets really itchy in the winter and chewed his paw raw. I’ve been using the paw balm on him and noticed an improvement in only a couple of days!! This stuff is amazing. I’ve tried numerous other products that haven’t worked nearly as well. I will definitely be purchasing from you again and will recommend you to friends and family.”
Thank you again, | <urn:uuid:8992d1ef-4baf-4336-930e-cac144dad80e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.thenaturalhound.com/why-petroleum-jelly-is-a-no-no-for-dogs/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.952858 | 624 | 2.515625 | 3 |
The trend, as I’ve seen it for certain medical devices, is toward more flexible pouch packaging versus tray packaging where practical, depending on product mass and geometry. Flexible packaging can be easier for hospitals to dispose of versus tray packaging (less volumetric waste and fewer material recycling streams) and does not require dedicated tooling for tray placement and lid sealing.
Flexible packaging by itself, however, does not stabilize the product within the pouch unless external support is provided by foam inserts or paperboard trays and dividers. This has to be carefully applied so abrasion, pouch folding/wrinkling, or sharp edges do not compromise the pouch sterile barrier. An excellent method to stabilize product within the pouch is the application of vacuum packaging in combination with a paperboard tray or insert for stabilization within an outer carton.
Vacuum packaging is very versatile and can accommodate many product sizes and configurations, from long tubular bent parts to flat and contoured plates to screws. Vacuum packaging can include gas purging for oxygen-sensitive product, and several different machine configurations are available. The best machine to use depends on product volume and variety. The machine manufacturer selected should be reputable and well-established and have excellent service and parts support for reliable operations, especially for multi-shift and 24/7 production where the equipment is continually utilized and stressed. For a high-mix/low-volume product environment, single- and double-chamber machines seem well-suited for ease of operation, load/unload characteristics, and equipment footprint. For controlled-environment room operation, it is advisable to locate any vacuum pumps, chillers, and purge gas storage outside of the room for easier maintenance and to maintain room particulate levels within ISO classification standards.
Testing needs to be performed to determine the optimum vacuum level for various products and geometries. Worst-case products need to be selected, such as shortest/longest, smallest/largest, and some interim sizes, so the range of appropriate vacuum levels can be determined. Interim sizes should especially be tested since the packaging volume can significantly change from largest to smallest product and several different vacuum levels could be required within a product family. The proper vacuum level can be determined by visual examination and an informal pouch “shake” test to determine if the product moves excessively.
Visual examination should ensure proper product encapsulation without excessive pouch wrinkling or folding around the product, which can cause stress cracking and splitting of the film material. Sharp or protruding product features should be closely examined and, if necessary, extra protection used to protect the film from cuts or punctures. Options include tip guards or TPE/TPU sleeves. Photographs are excellent for documenting the effects of various vacuum levels and product geometry. Once initial vacuum levels have been determined, transit and shelf-life testing should be performed to confirm that the packaging design and process meet all required specifications.
Another important aspect of vacuum packaging is software validation. Some machines have custom programming and features, store many recipes, and can require extensive software validation. Software compliance analysis, user requirement specifications, hardware qualification, compliance plans, compliance testing, and system management plans (SMPs provide equipment disaster recovery, back-up, and retirement plans) are becoming more complicated and detailed and require more training and assistance to properly perform and manage.
To properly and efficiently validate vacuum packaging processes, it is critical to have an experienced team of experts and mentors to consult and work with during the process. From packaging system designers, equipment suppliers, facilities engineers, maintenance technicians, calibration technicians, packaging process engineers, validation quality engineers, computer system validation engineers, packaging transit testing, and shelf life testing experts, all will play important roles in successfully implementing and maintaining a new packaging process.
I know now how to validate vacuum packaging processes through years of on-the-job training. I wish I had known earlier in my packaging career the advantages of vacuum packaging, since it is a versatile and capable packaging process for many different products employing flexible packaging.
About the Author: Glenn Whiteside, CPP, MSIE is a Packaging/Manufacturing Engineer in the Sterile Pack Department at DePuy Synthes USA. For more information on IoPP, visit www.iopp.org. | <urn:uuid:9f45e7e1-8874-4441-8f6a-1da31fcda026> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.packworld.com/design/materials-containers/blog/13367207/wish-i-had-known-earlier-vacuum-packagings-versatility | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573172.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818063910-20220818093910-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.925772 | 869 | 1.890625 | 2 |
National Reset Day
By: Mike Walton (blackeagle)
Posted On: 2019-05-20
Harvest Grove UMC image
If Donald J. Trump desires to make a positive, an undeniable significant mark on his tour as the President of the United States of America, he should declare the 23rd day of May as "National Reset Day." He should convince and influence every single American citizen, business, organization and indeed his entire federal government to take part in this single day event. This should be a day of no work -- but a paid workday on this day. Stores, shops, restaurants and businesses of all types would close on this day, and the employees and management would all meet and talk with each other instead of about what it means to be an American.
No celebrations. No parades, no star-studded specials on TV. More importantly, this should be a day in which television -- all television, not just the cable stations which lean one way or the other -- would show programming aimed at reminding us of our combined unique heritage. The entire "Roots" series -- all nine or eleven or whatever number of hours it was -- would be shown. "North and South" and it's follow up would be shown on this day. Episodes of television dramas -- from the past and the present -- with a united American theme would be displayed. Family dramas -- the ones which generations of families grew up watching would be shown.
The Waltons would be on television again for this one day.
Starbucks has a great idea: they are closing all of their stores and providing training -- awareness training -- on how to work with, deal with and understand our fellow Americans. Of bringing home the idea that a couple of Black guys sitting in one of their places, enjoying their favorite brand of coffee and talking between themselves -- is a GOOD THING for business and the community. It would NOT be a pretext for them to break out in rhyme, yelling lyrics suitable for that "Parental Advisory" label to be slapped across their mouths, or anything violent. That you and me have nothing to fear from a pair of Black men -- or Latino or Asian men, or men from the planet Zeon; or women, or trans folk, or those displaying more body jewelry than the average person would on a good day -- sitting and enjoying some tall Mochas and a cheese danish.
The President would kick it off, of course, with a Tweet to the American people, shared by the nation's media and electronic outlets. He would simply say that American values are not for sale, not for negotiation, and not to be taken for granted. He should say that Americans should use the day to rediscover what it is to be an American (I can hear Lee Greenwood singing now..."Proud to be an American..." *smiling*) living in the best nation (and yeah he can say "his nation" as long as we can lay claim to the same) in the world.
Morning television would emphasize positive news -- that anything partisan, no matter how terrible or great it is, would have to wait until the next day. Positive news from the standpoint that it affects Americans positively. Newscasts would be encouraged to find people learning about their fellow Americans. Food festivals would be held. All of those people who have said in the past "we need a new national discussion about race in America" now would be a part of such discussions this day. Not just about racial divisions and concerns as Starbucks will attempt to inject into their employees and management -- but discussions about class, about culture, about "Southern Pride" and the need for White Americans (however one defines it) to feel that this nation isn't being taken over by those of color but that now everyone gets to stand together in pride for the South, the West, the Midwest, even New York City, and LA.
Billy Joel would perform a special daylight concert in the park; other entertainers would go to cities and hang out in parks, near megachurches, and at arenas and just sign autographs and take selfies with fans while sharing their ideas on a stronger, prouder and more harmonious America.
As our police, fire, emergency management, and military personnel won't get this day off; events would be held to honor ALL of them on this day. We have separate days to honor them -- but this day -- a day of reset -- we Americans would acknowledge and thank all of them collectively for their fidelity and service to all of us around our nation.
The day would be capped with fireworks displays all over the nation...starting in Maine and ending in Alaska and Hawaii. Every state would have at least one fireworks show.
Some of you are probably saying "Don't we do this when we celebrate Independence Day -- the 4th of July -- yearly?" No. That's a day of celebrating our nation's birthday -- not a day to stop and reset what it IS to be an American, living in America (I can hear James Brown singing now... *smiling*).
So how about it. A National Day of Reset. 23 May 2019. Of course, it would need more than just our national leaders to say "yeah, okay, a national day of reset, uh. " It would take you and me to reach out to other Americans on this day and simply ask one question of another -- it's not hard, and you would be surprised to hear the answer.
The question: "Talk with me about you -- your family, your heritage, your reason for declaring yourself an American."
If we all asked that question of each other, and actually LISTEN to the answers, it would go a long way in understanding why Starbucks' shutting down of all of their stores for a day to conduct "racial and ethnic impact training" is something ALL of us would need. | <urn:uuid:d1c34580-a296-4771-adb2-4020d328a927> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://insanescouter.org/blog/889/National_Reset_Day.htmlr=other_blinks | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.966599 | 1,199 | 1.539063 | 2 |
An iceberg, one of the 10 largest known to science, is about to break away from Antarctica. The Larsen C ice shelf has been breaking away from the southern continent for some time now, but an enormous crack is threatening to calve off a 5,000-square-kilometer (1,931 square miles) segment of it.
The canyon has been around for some time, but in the last month or so, it has proliferated at a breakneck pace. In the second half of December 2016, it grew by a whopping 18 kilometers (11.2 miles). Now, a massive piece of ice is being held back by just a 20-kilometer-long (12.4 miles) stretch of ice.
The entire Larsen C ice shelf – one about twice the size of Hawaii – is not due to collapse, but this crack will cleave off about 10 percent of it. Scientists are concerned that this will make the surviving parts of Larsen C incredibly unstable and highly prone to collapse within the next decade or so.
Larsen C is the most significant ice shelf in northern Antarctica. It’s already floating on the ocean, so its destruction won’t directly contribute to sea level rise itself. However, it is holding back a lot of land-based glaciers.
When Larsen C completely disintegrates, the floodgates will open, and this ice will inexorably tumble into the sea and increase global sea levels by about 10 centimeters (3.9 inches). That may not sound like too much, but consider the fact that the global sea level rise over the last 20 years has been about 6.6 centimeters (2.6 inches).
Combined with the sea level rise being generated as a result of man-made climate change, Larsen C’s contribution is certainly nothing but significant.
Mapping the calving of Larsen C's iceberg. MIDAS/Swansea University/Aberystwyth University
Although the increasingly rapid warming of the region has likely accelerated the progression of the gigantic crevasse cleaving parts of Larsen C away from Antarctica, there is no direct evidence to support this just yet. There is, however, plenty of evidence linking warmer atmospheric and ocean temperatures to ice shrinkage elsewhere on the continent.
Researchers from Swansea University, who’ve been using satellite data to monitor its demise, note that this particular calving is an inevitable event due to the unique geography of the region.
“If it doesn't go in the next few months, I'll be amazed,” project leader Adrian Luckman, a professor of geography at Swansea University, told BBC News.
The Antarctic Peninsula used to house a network of ice shelves under the Larsen name. Larsen A collapsed in 1995, and Larsen B crumbled quite dramatically back in 2002. In fact, there are plenty of ice shelves all over Antarctica that are on the edge of disaster right now, but it’s now certain that Larsen C, the last of its namesake, will go first.
The Larsen C rift, pictured in the latter half of December 2016. John Sonntag/NASA
[H/T: BBC News] | <urn:uuid:23699150-b979-4ebd-b981-5fb2cb841f1a> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://iflscience.com/worlds-largest-icebergs-break-antarctica-39709 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573172.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818063910-20220818093910-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.924884 | 659 | 3.671875 | 4 |
How to save on home improvement and building costs
Most of us see plenty of dollar signs when we think about building or renovating our homes. And why wouldn’t we? Home construction costs are up as much as 3 percent nationally from 2017, relators and contractors say.
There are so many projects to choose from as we imagine our dream homes. Every single one has different prices. Kitchens, baths, painting, roofing, siding, HVAC, plumbing, dry wall and crown moldings are only a few. Many people take on a combination of needs, so they need to make sure their budgets are in place.
Fortunately, there are ways to save money on every type of home improvement project, even when you hire a contractor to avoid the headaches of a do-it-yourself project. Here are a handful:
- Limit the size of your project. Does your kitchen or bathroom simply need a new look instead of a complete overhaul? Hire a contractor to replace cabinetry or flooring instead of gutting the entire room. That will save thousands and the area will still look fresh and new to you and guests.
- Do prep work yourself. It will help your contractor out and save you some serious cash. Rip up old carpet yourself. Take off cabinet doors or remove tile. Talk to the staff at your local hardware store or do a Google search for tips. There is a lot you can do on your own before your contractor comes in to do the heavy lifting.
- Pay cash. Save the money for your project instead of taking out a loan or line of credit. It could save you a lot in interest that will build up if you pay over time.
- Reuse materials. You can save a lot by using existing cabinets, appliances or other materials. A cabinet reface is much less expensive than installing new cabinetry.
- Use mid-level materials. Many are just as beautiful and have the same quality as expensive high-end materials. Talk to your contractor about your options and go over every detail. As they say, the devil is in the details. Pay attention.
Meet with at least three contractors to evaluate the fairest bid. Explain that you are trying to keep costs low and receive the highest quality work possible. Ask each potential candidate if they complete projects on time. Pay attention to how they describe what they do. Get all estimates in writing and trust your instincts. But keep in mind, cheapest isn’t necessarily best. In some cases, you get what you pay for.
With some research, attention to detail and open communication with your contractor, you can lower some of the costs of your home renovation. That will also save you time and stress throughout the course of your project.
Good luck – and happy building!
About Contractor Scan
Looking for a place to start? Contractor Scan can help. All you have to do is give us a few details of your project and enter your information. We’ll send you estimates from reputable, professional contractors in your area who are the right fit for you and your home. Contractor Scan takes the guesswork out of finding the best in the industry to complete your project. We search and screen trusted, talented and reliable contractors for you, saving you time and moneyScan Local Pros Now | <urn:uuid:75474bdc-c34a-48a1-a95b-8fed3ed97986> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://www.contractorscan.com/how-to-save-on-home-improvement-and-building-costs/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570767.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808061828-20220808091828-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.951391 | 676 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Isle of Wight. We have a mission: to follow the route of an old 1940s board game around Great Britain, sticking to the instructions as closely as we possibly can. Along the way we will look at the history of the places we visit, with a particular focus on how things have changed since the tour was created around 70 years ago.
Our last stop on the tour was square 9, Bournemouth, and the game instructions for that square directed us to “miss a turn whilst you take a sea trip round the Isle of Wight”. Although the Isle of Wight isn’t actually illustrated on the board itself we thought it would be nice to interpret these instructions by having a week’s holiday there. Our interpretation had to be quite creative. Due to a combination of circumstances our ferry crossing had to serve as the “sea trip”. In fact, we were lucky to get to the island this year at all. We had booked our holiday just a couple of weeks before the Covid-19 lockdown hit the UK, and then had to play a waiting game as to whether we would be allowed to go or not. Fortunately, by the time of our holiday at the beginning of August the government had allowed holiday parks to reopen, so we were able to enjoy our week away. I realise we have been very lucky there. Anyone who booked a holiday earlier in the year was not so fortunate.
We decided to photograph the game board at “The Needles”, probably the most recognisable landmark on the island. This was at the opposite end of the island from St Helens, where we were staying, and it took about an hour to cross the island by car, so that’s about the longest journey it’s possible to take on the Isle of Wight, which is about 22 miles across (the roads through the middle do not go in a straight line!). Most places we decided to visit took us about half an hour at most. The Needles are at the south-eastern tip of the island and are chalk stacks that stick out from the cliffs into the sea. They don’t look much like needles, but that’s because there was originally a fourth, needle-shaped stack, which was taken by a storm in 1764, so the name doesn’t make much sense any more but has stuck over the years. When our game board was made, the Needles were still the site of an artillery battery which had been there since the 1860s, but it was decommissioned in 1954. In 1973 a chairlift was opened, so the whole area looks quite different to the appearance it would have presented to a visitor at the time the board game was made. There is a pleasure park at the top of the cliff, and try as I might I haven’t been about to find out when that was opened originally, so if anyone knows I would be grateful for any information – please use the comments section and then I can update this article, as I am curious to know exactly what a visitor to the Needles would have found there in the year 1948, which is the approximate date of the game.
Throughout the week we visited a variety of locations on the island, the highlights being the beautiful cliff walk at Shanklin Chine, Butterfly World at Wootton Bridge, the Donkey Sanctuary near Wroxall and of course some of the huge choice of beaches. But I like to focus on history for these articles, so my favourite location was Appuldurcombe House, also near Wroxall. Once the site of a priory and then a convent, the current building was constructed in the 18th Century, beginning in 1702. The ornamental grounds were designed by the famous Capability Brown. During the Second World War the house was bombed, so a visitor to the house in 1948 would have already seen the ruin that remains today. It was nearly demolished but was saved by the Ministry of Public Building and Works in 1952. It is now looked after by the English Heritage Trust. We were surprised to find that it is entirely free to visit. You don’t even have to pay for the car parking. The building presents a strange sight. From the front it is intact, with even the roof remaining on that part of the building, and you can look through the windows to see a couple of portraits on the walls, but once you walk around the side it presents a different picture altogether. You can walk inside the ruins, and even walk up one of the staircases, although of course it leads to nothing but a dead end because the upper floors are gone. The grounds are a lovely place to take a walk. The children had fun running around, and we enjoyed a picnic there.
Our next leg on the tour will be Exeter. To read previous articles in this series please follow the links below.
The photos that accompany this post were taken during our visit. Please do not reuse them without permission. RP | <urn:uuid:32e827df-13b5-4184-8b16-ee4cc0ae0feb> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://junkyard.blog/2020/08/09/board-game-tour-of-britain-isle-of-wight/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.985788 | 1,024 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Part of the UNDERFOOT- PREHISTORIC BABIES exhibit features one of the original dinosaur egg incubators from Jurassic Park 3. I found it in a warehouse in Florida. It was oozing with potential, excited for the outcome, we started the restoration of this famous movie prop.
In the original movie the dinosaur egg incubator was made to look abandoned, as the dinosaurs had destroyed the laboratory and the jungle was taking over the facility. So what you see here is what it was originally made to look like. The neighbors dog, Ol' Strap, would visit my studio often to watch the progress.
It has now been restored to factory fresh condition, complete with working monitors and special effects. All the original components were reused, but we added a special monitor to add scientific intrigue. | <urn:uuid:e5ebead0-5e18-4e28-9695-58a584f5f788> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://www.lostworldstudios.com/eggincubator.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570767.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808061828-20220808091828-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.977334 | 164 | 1.8125 | 2 |
For me, there are not many things I despise on this beautiful and bewildering planet of ours, however, mosquitoes certainly fall into this category for me. In fact, they are the only thing I’ll kill. Killing a mosquito that’s trapped in mosquito netting or in the car with me and finding no blood inside is always a celebratory moment that deserves a little dance.
I live in Nigeria, so the fear of mosquito born illnesses such as Malaria, Dengue, Zika Virus and West Nile Virus are a daily worry for myself, and millions of people across the globe. Not only this, but whenever I get bitten the bites swell up so I look like I’ve been pelted with golf balls!!
Today, I am going to share a few facts and maybe bust a few myths about mosquitoes and the risks of Malaria as well as adding a few bite prevention tips.
**Did You Know?**
Whilst Mosquitoes don’t live long, they are considered the world’s deadliest animal. They infect around 250 million people each year worldwide with Malaria and other diseases which kill roughly 1 million people; mostly children in Africa.
Only female mosquitoes bite as they need a blood meal before laying eggs. Male Mosquitoes survive on plant nectar.
There are over 3000 different species of Mosquito throughout the world.
Mosquitoes are very old! As old as the Dinosaurs infact, with evidence of these biting insects dating back to the Triassic Period!
Why Are Mosquitoes Attracted To Me?
I don’t know about you, but if I’m out with friends, most of them can relax easy knowing I’m around as Mosquitoes generally flock in my direction. I believe I am in the 20% of people that are particularity irresistible to Mosquitoes. Below are a few attractive attributes that attract the nasty hunters to you.
Mosquitoes are highly visual and use their eyes to track down humans.
They can see a human from between 5 and 15 metres away!
Research shows that wearing darker colours such as black, green & red makes you easier to spot. So either run for the hills or change your clothing!
What blood type are you? If like me you have Type O blood, research studies have found that you are twice as likely to be bitten than those with Type A blood.
Type B are in the middle.
Mosquitoes can sense Carbon Dioxide from a significant distance, so when you exhale, they can track you down.
Larger people exhale more often making them more prone to bites.
Ever heard the awful buzz of a Mosquito around your head at night? Well, as we exhale through our noses and mouths, Mosquitoes are attracted to our heads.
As well as CO2, it seems those pesky Mosquitoes can also hunt us down through lactic acid, ammonia, and other compounds emitted in sweat.
If you’re not much into exercise, take a sigh of relief. Mosquitoes are attracted to hot, sweaty humans as strenuous exercise increases the buildup of lactic acid and heat in your body. Ewwwww.
Research has shown that different type of bacteria on our skin can make you more attractive to these vile creatures.
The microscopic life which lives on our skin, mixed with our sweat, gives us all a distinct scent, some of which of more attractive to Mosquitoes.
Much like us humans, it also appears like Mosquitoes love a good brew. So if you enjoy a beer, be sure to take extra preventatives as the Mozzies will be coming for you.
Studies have shown that mosquitoes landed on study participants after drinking a 12-ounce beer, more than before, however, the reasons as to why are not fully known.
Ladies in late pregnancy exhale around 21% greater volumes of breath rather than non pregnant women.
The abdomen of pregnant women is approximately 0.7°C hotter than other women.
The added heat and Co2 makes pregnant women prime candidates for a Mosquito snack.
When it comes to Mosquitoes, taking preventative measures is always better than taking the risk and seeking medical attention later. The below are a few tips on how you can try to deter the pesky little blood suckers.
Remove any standing water from around your home as Mosquitoes come to lay their eggs in shallow water or damp soil.
The best time to avoid mosquitoes is in the afternoon, when temperatures are hottest and the insects rest in cooler spots.
If you are a travelling to a Malaria infected area it is advised to take antimalarial drugs because if you are bitten, these will help prevent the infection of Malaria. Always speak with your Doctor first to find the one best suited to you.
If natural home solutions is more you thing, then the following list of plants are said to deter Mosquitoes, I definitely have a few scattered about the place! Lavender, Marigolds, Citronella Grass, Catnip, Rosemary, Basil, Scented Geraniums, Bee Balm, Mint, Floss Flower, Sage and Allium, will not only deter pesky Mosquitoes but other insects as well such as ants. They are also pretty easy to grow.
The Centers for Disease Control and Preventionlists only 4 chemicals as being effective for repelling mosquitoes: DEET, Picaridin, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (or its synthetic version, called PMD) and IR3535. Go for higher DEET content, it’ll give you better protection.
If you find Mosquitoes in your home you can also buy DEET plugins to deter them as well as Mosquito Zappers. Please always read directions and effects prior to purchasing.
Although not everyone’s favourite deterrent, Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN’s) last for a few years and reduce the risk of malaria in pregnant women and children by around 50%!
Mosquitoes love to bite around the ankles, so instead of wearing these bands on my wrist, I normally just wear it like a tag around my ankle!
Special clothing can be purchased that has been especially woven to stop the Mosquito’s nozzle penetrate through to your skin! I particularity recommend this is trekking in the jungle. The few items below are not an extensive list, you can anything and everything from short sleeves to long sleeves, dresses, beach wear, hats, scarves. You name it, they have it.
Of course, if you do get bitten and react badly as I do you can of course take antihistamines and apply antihistamine bite cream
I hope the above shed some light into Mosquitoes and how they select their victims and how to take preventative measures. As we speak I am sat on a lovely beach front getting absolutely savaged by them! I hope you are more lucky than I.
No matter where I travel there are a few things I always pack….my camera, phone, tripod for both, spare lens, spare battery and my trusty little lensballs.
I love taking photos and I’m always on the hunt for the “perfect” shot but sometimes it’s cool just to have a little fun with it too. Which for me, is where the lensball comes in.
Using a lensball is an example of refraction photography. Refraction is somewhat of a magical phenomenon which occurs when a wave such as sound, water or in this case light, is deflected through a denser mass such as water or glass.
As the light hits the lensball, light is bent which causes a distortion and due to the lensball being a transparent spherical object, this causes the image in the ball to appear inverted. It feels like somewhat of a magic trick and on more than one occasion I have had people watching me use this gadget and asking about it.
Therefore, I thought I would share a few tips on using the lensball.
Before you begin make sure the lensball is clean, they are prone to picking up finger prints and specks of dust so give it a good wipe each time before you start.
Make sure the lensball is inline with your subject. This will help to minimise distortion. There are a few exceptions to this such as placing the ball in a puddle or like the image below to capture the dessert sand.
Make sure your subject fills the ball. This will sometimes mean having to get closer to whatever it is you’re taking a photo of.
Take a few different photos of the same image, some getting close to the ball and some where you capture more of the background. Stepping back a little to get more of the background creates a greater depth of field and can add a little extra to the photo.
Play around with angles, sometimes having the lensball off centre will yield better results.
Play around with the aperture of your camera to get the image that best suits you. Do you want to image on the lensball to be focused or a focused background with a blurry lensball image?
Pick a camera lens that will work for you. Using a macro lens will work well as it will allow you to get very close to the lensball. Mobile phones are excellent for this, infact, all the images on this article were taken with a mobile phone. You can also use a wider angled lens should the scene (such as landscape) allow.
Get to grips with editing. Your image will always appear inverted in the lensball and sometimes you’re going to want to flip it just like in the images below. A quick and easy phone app to do this in is Snapseed.
Sometimes, if you keep the background image in shot you might just want to keep the lensball image inverted. Always have a play around to see what works best for you and your image.
Many lensballs will come with a mount to stand it on, however, sometimes you might want to try embedding the lensball more into the natural environment to make the image flow with its surroundings.
When finding your ideal location to place the lensball, please do keep an eye on it especially if you’re at a height. The balls are solid glass and therefore quite heavy. You don’t want to risk it rolling off and landing on someone’s head!
When storing your lensball, do not leave it in direct sunlight. They act as a magnifier and will cause fires.🔥
The above also goes for when taking photos, if someone holds the lensball for you in direct sunlight, it can cause them to burn. As can placing your ball on an object to take a photo. Dry leaves and magnified sunlight = fire 🔥 so please PLEASE always choose your location wisely and keep an eye on the sunlight and your lensball. See the image above of the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, you can see the sun shining straight through.
Pack your lensball carefully, speaking from experience, just chucking the lensball into your bag can result in chips and scratches with can ruin the photo.
What to Buy
Lensball come in a variety of sizes and can all vary greatly in price. Remember that although the bigger the ball the bigger the image, the bigger the ball the greater the weight. Here are a few that I would recommend.
This is the one I currently have, it’s 80mm, so a decent size and it comes in a gift box with a cleaning cloth and pouch.
The below three options are slightly pricier but well worth it as they come with a storage bag. They come in 60mm, 90mm and 110mm (and probably a few more sizes in between) and have a microfiber cloth. This will be something I look for on my next purchase as the bag alone will stop me having to buy new lensballs when I damage mine!
Now this is one I have never seen before but looks very cool and I have just added it on my list to buy! It’s used to create a rainbow effect amongst many others and also comes with a cleaning cloth.
So there you have it, the photographic lensball in a nutshell. Remember although we all strive for that perfect photo, have fun with it and get sharing those images!
As always, any questions please do leave a comment on here or message me directly.
When I found out that I’d be moving to Nigeria, I thought I would be saying goodbye to the beautiful greenery, rolling hills and wildlife of Yorkshire and hello to the smoggy heat and grey bustling city life of Lagos.
How wrong could I be?
I never expected to find conservation centres home to Gorillas, Elephants, Monkeys, Crocodiles, Antelope and least of all Pangolins.
I didn’t even know Pangolins were native to Nigeria and I certainly wasn’t expecting to see any in the flesh in my life.
Pangolins are ant eating mammals covered in protective keratin scales and the only mammal known to have this feature. They are nocturnal creatures who spend most of their days curled up in tiny little balls sleeping; something they also do when feeling threatened, curling into a ball to expose their scales whilst using the sharp scales on their tails to lash out.
There are 8 different types of Pangolin, 4 listed as critically endangered and 4 listed as vulnerable and unfortunately, Pangolins are one of the most smuggled mammals in the world due to their meat being seen as a delicacy in China as well as their scales being used for medicinal purposes there.
For all the bad that happens to Pangolins, this is a story of 2 very lucky Pangolins, whom I like to call Mr & Mrs Pangolin.
Two friends and I were exploring a local market here in Nigeria. We had just come out of a Chinese market and my friend spotted what he thought was an Armadillo and some Turtles. After closer inspection I realised that we weren’t dealing with an Armadillo, the animal was a Pangolin.
As they were outside a Chinese market and given what we knew, the fate of the Pangolin was not going to be a good one.
My friend stealthily took a quick photo of the animals and we got out of there.
As soon as we got into the car, I got on the phone to start calling around organisations who could possibly go and rescue Mr Pangolin and the Turtles. My friend was on Google lining up the numbers whilst I kept hitting dead ends.
I remembered reading a BBC article before I came to Nigeria about a man who rescued animals. I knew he was the guy to call but for the life of me I couldn’t remember his name (this bit becomes relevant further on in the story.)
Eventually the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) enquiries team picked up the phone. I explained the situation and they were ready to help. Shortly afterwards, I was able to speak with Joseph Onoja, the Director of Technical Programmes of the NCF who assembled a rescue team straight away.
An hour and a half later a full rescue had been completed. And even better than we thought, there was a Mrs Pangolin as well as a Mr and a total of 8 Turtles. 😍
The rate this team were able to assist was incredible to say the least. I wanted to know more about the team and what their capabilities were so I requested to meet up with them and watch the Pangolins and Turtles be set free- a moment I will never forget.
After a weekend of recuperation with the vet, Dr Mark Ofua, it was time for the animals to be released.
Dr Mark Ofua Pangolin (as he is now known) arrived at the conservation centre with the animals and what a happy sight it was to see them.
I swear I recognised Dr Ofua but just couldn’t place him (again, this will become relevant later.)
As soon as Mr Pangolin woke up and saw the forest around him, I think he knew what was going on. He seemed to get so excited like he knew he was going to be released.
Mrs Pangolin having a quick bath and drink before her release.
After introductions, it was time for the release; we headed for a quiet spot in the bush and first up was Mr Pangolin.
What an incredible moment, seeing this little guy climb his way to freedom. It took all I had not to cry! But that wasn’t the end of it, next up was Mrs Pangolin.
Mrs Pangolin was a little more shy than her other half so we decided to give her some space, release the Turtles and come back to check on her. So next up… the Turtles!
It was decided that 4 would be released at Lekki Conservation Centre and the other 4 at a nearby lake. This way the Turtle population could grow in 2 separate locations.
On the way back over to check on Mrs Pangolin, I had the chance to speak properly with Dr Mark Ofua. It turned out this wasn’t his first Pangolin rescue. He had returned around 20 back into the wild not to mention numerous snakes and other animals local to Nigeria.
Fairly recently he had even rescued a little black cat which was going to be used for ritual purposes. This is one of his few rescues that I think will end up permanently living with him.
I asked Dr Mark Ofua if he checked up on the animals he had released and whether he could track them. After a release, Dr Ofua goes back to site to check on the animals however, unfortunately the funding isn’t there in order for him to attach trackers to the animals.
Tracking is not only important for research into these animals but it also aids their protection. This is where you and I can help. I have set up a justgiving page to raise money for this crucial equipment.
If you can help, no matter how big or small please do so to help Dr Ofua in the amazing work that he does and to help the protection of these animals.
Not only is Dr Ofua a vetenarian who helps to save animals in his spare time, he also tries to educate local kids about animal rights 👌🏻👌🏻. What a guy. You can check him out on Instagram by clicking on this link.
Right… back to Mrs Pangolin. We headed back over to the bush to make sure she was ok and to our delight, we got back to where she was released just in time to see her clambering up a tree 😍.
Shortly after the seeing Mrs Pangolin make her break for freedom, Dr Ofua had a call about another animal in need of his assistance. This time it was a Python.
We swiftly made our way to the entrance of the Conservation Centre where the snake was waiting for him. The poor little guy was tangled up in a fishing line.
Dr Ofua quickly set to work, he made a secure bag to place the snake in (just out of what he could find) and slowly cut the snake free.
After the snake was securely in the bag I jokingly said, “you’ve done that before” to which Dr Ofua replied, ” I’m the snake man of Lagos, you can Google me!”
The penny suddenly dropped! This was the guy I had previously read about and been searching for on the internet when I was scrambling around to find someone to save the Pangolins! You can check out the BBC article about the Lagos Snake Man, here.
This truly was a humbling day. Seeing the work Dr Ofua and the NCF do is incredible and being witness to these endangered, beautiful animals being released back into the wild into a safe place was out of this world.
If you too enjoy seeing wildlife in it’s natural habitat and have a genuine interest in conservation then you should check out Lekki Conservation Centre, either for a visit or as a volunteer.
Please also check out their website. Here you can enquire on how to become a volunteer or even donate to aid the good work they do.
The NCF who run Lekki Conservation Centre, was founded in 1980 by the late Chief S. L. Edu and it 1982 it was registered as a charitable trust.
The foundation has a vision of “a Nigeria where people prosper while living in harmony with nature.” After speaking with Adedamola Ogunsesan, a conservationist at the centre, it became apparent that this vision is as alive now as it was back in 1980.
For more photographs of the centre and some its inhabitants, please see the bottom of the article.
**Top Tips for visiting Lekki Conservation Centre**
Please be respectful. This is a conservation centre so please put all your litter in the bins provided.
Use reusable plastic bottle and straws. Not only will this help reduce rubbish at the centre but it will help reduce plastic in the Lagos area and on a wider scale.
Keep noise to a minimum. This area is home to many animals, it is not your home. Besides, the quieter you are, the better chance you have of spotting something in the wild.
I would advise going earlier in the day to beat the crowds…. and the traffic.
Please do all you can to help this precious planet and its inhabitants. We only get one shot! For those of you that have donated or given up your time to volunteer with the NCF, from the bottom of my heart, thank you ❤.
See you there.
P.S. Please leave your comments at the bottom of the post or contact me directly for more details. Please help to share this article using the buttons at the bottom of this post, this will help to raise awareness and much needed cash for the trackers! Xx
Nestled inbetween counties torn apart by war and political unrest, Jordan truly is a jewel within a crown of thorns with its rich history, culture, dramatic yet beautiful landscapes and some of the friendliest and welcoming people you’ll ever meet.
If you enjoy a fast paced holiday, want to see ancient ruins whilst learning the history of the land, eat amazing food until you’re fit to burst, then hike wonders of the world and stunning landscapes, then Jordan is the place for you.
Now, before I go on, I want to share my number 1 tip for Jordan… get the Jordan pass before you go. It costs 70JD which is around £77 and gives you access to most of Jordan’s top attractions including entry into Petra which alone is 50JD. The pass also covers your visa fee when entering the country. You can pay a little extra for the pass which gives you a 2 day pass to Petra. Petra is such a huge site so if you have the time I would advise doing this. I’m a keen hiker so can get around pretty quick but 1 day for me wasn’t enough. There are also options to add on entry to Bethany which I would advise doing if you’re planning a trip there. You can find the Jordan pass on the link below.
Aqaba in the south of Jordan is perfect for those of you that want to relax and catch a few sun rays. The beautiful beaches overlook the Red Sea with views of Egypt and Israel. As well as relaxing on the beach, many of the resorts offer water sports including scuba diving around the coral reef. I didn’t have time to dive but managed to take a glass bottom boat tour, where I really enjoyed seeing the coral but it made me feel sad at the amount of litter thrown in there.
**Top Tip** if you want to sunbathe, I would advise doing so in one of the resorts. Although Jordan is pretty westernised, you should still be respectful of the local community if you want to lay around in swimwear.
For the shopaholics out there, you’ll be pleased to know there will be ample opportunities to shop with quirky bustling markets and boutiques dotted around the place. I explored a market in Aqaba and particularly enjoyed the spice stalls where I picked up some lemon salt and Jordanian tea (a must try). There are plenty of places to pick up souvenirs from your trip but animal lovers be warned.., you will see animals waiting to be slaughtered as well as slaughtered animals. I know not everyone wants to read that but I personally found that quite hard to see so thought it only right to share my full experience.
**Top Tip** Try the spices in the market before you buy, they are so delicious! Also go in there prepared to haggle and you’ll grab yourself a bargain.
For the wannabe historian/archaeologists or for those interested in seeing/learning about ancient history you have the Greek and Roman remains of Pella, Umm Qais and Jerash. Not to mention the Nabataean Kingdom of Petra, one of the wonders of the world and an absolute must see whilst in Jordan.
Whether you are religious or not, it’s very interesting learning about Biblical times and seeing some of the places referred to in the bible as well as seeing views over the Holy Land. You can also visit Bethany which is the claimed baptism site of Jesus.
**Top Tips** take appropriate clothing. Walking boots or at a minimum trainers are required as there will be a lot of walking in gravely and sandy areas. I’d also recommend taking a backpack and layers. I visited in February and had beautiful sunshine, rain and even snow so its good to be prepared.
Visiting Wadi Rum (Valley of the Moon) for me, was the best part of my tour around Jordan. If you want to follow in the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia, enjoy being outdoors and taking a jeep safari through the sand dunes, or simply just be, and watch the beautiful sunset behind the dramatic landscapes or taking a camel trek to watch the sunrise, then Wadi Rum is the place for you.
For the more adventurous or people wanting to connect with the nature around them, you can even stay overnight in a Bedouin Camp at Wadi Rum. Enjoy a traditional evening meal and dancing followed by camp fire stories and gazing at the infinite, beautiful stars. Just unreal 😍
**Top Tip** the desert gets cold at night so take layers. I shared my hand warmers when sat around the camp fire to other members of the group, it really does get cold! See the link at the bottom of this page for my preferred choice.
I would also have your sunglasses to hand regardless of the sun. When the wind picks up it blows the sand around and you want to avoid getting it in your eyes.
After a few days of exploring, why not take yourself off to the Dead Sea for a mud treatment and let the tranquility take over you by floating weightlessly on the water. This is a truly unique experience and another must do when in Jordan.
**Top Tip** Take some beach shoes that you can wear in the sea. The sea bed is made of very hard and scratchy salt so if you don’t want to cut your feet up, wear the shoes!
Another way to relax after walking all day is to visit one of the Turkish spas. There is one on the same road as the entrance to Petra so after walking for miles I took myself off here with a couple of gal pals.
**Top Tip** The massages can be pretty handsy so if you don’t like bein nude in front of other people and being massaged pretty much all over then this is probably not for you.
Now for the foodies out there, trust me, you’ll be in heaven in Jordan as the food is just amazing. You can find the usual takeaways, even a KFC here and there but dining out in Jordan is very much a social event and sampling a local Jordanian restaurant is a must. There is food to cater for meat eaters and vegetarians and no matter what you order, you’ll always seem to get a traditional starter of pitta breads, hummus, multiple salads and dips. The fresh fruit drinks are also to die for. I found the food here very reasonably priced considering you always get a Mezze starter (which always filled me up.) The most I paid was 13JD which equates to about £13. For lunch I had falafel wraps with a drink and fruit and that was around 5JD.
Alcohol is also served in Jordan. It isn’t served in every restaurant BUT there are liquor stores wherever you go.
**Top Tip** seriously get stuck into some traditional food, it’s some of the best I’ve ever eaten. With things like Mansaf, Maqluba, fresh fish of the day and a sharing Mezze to name just a few, trust me, there’s bound to be something on the menu that you’ll love.
I’ll be honest, I’m not really one for a package holiday, however, as much as I wanted to explore Jordan, I did have my reservations given its geographical location but how wrong could I be?! I always felt safe here, even when alone or getting taxis. The below is the itinerary I covered, I will cover each thing in more details in future posts.
Day 1: Fly to Aqaba followed by a traditional evening meal.
Day 2: Exploring the coastline of the Red Sea before driving up the Wadi Arabia road to Amman.
Day 3: A day of ruins with a morning visit to Pella, one of the most ancient towns in the world followed by an afternoon visit to Umm Qais, a member of the Decapolis and the centre of Greek culture in the region.
Day 4: A morning visit to Jerash, The Jewel of the North and one of the most preserved sites of Roman architecture in the world outside if Italy. In the afternoon we headed over to Bethany followed by the Dead Sea.
Day 5: A beautiful drive along the 2000 year old Kings Highway took us firstly to Madaba,’The City of Mosaics’ before proceeding to Mount Nebu known as the burial place of the Prophet Moses. We then stopped at Kerak to explore the spectacular Crusader Castle built in the 12th century AD and situated 1000 meters above sea level.
Day 6: The one we were all waiting for, a full day in The Rose Red City of Petra. The ancient Nabatean city is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and an absolute must see whilst in Jordan.
Day 7: Enroute to Wadi Rum we took a stop at Little Petra, which was the entry and exit point for the trade routes followed by a stop at the Seven Pillars of Arabia which is where Lawrence of Arabia was filmed. Last stop was Wadi Rum which is home to several Bedouin tribes and was a perfect last night under the stars in Jordan.
Day 8: A sunrise camel trek in the desert before heading back to Aqaba to take a glass bottom boat tour to see the Coral Reef followed by some last minute shopping in the markets.
I felt very lucky actually as my tour guide for the week, Eddie, had an in depth knowledge about the history of Jordan as well as where to go for food/shopping. He gave us all some very useful tips. Here are just a couple:
Don’t talk about religion or politics
Do talk about the water shortage, the deficit and Azuz (a small child that is the butt of many jokes.)
I took the below picture of Eddie in Wadi Rum. He loved it so much I traded my lens ball with him for a beer!
Things To Pack
Clothing for every type of weather. It’s better to pack layers so you can add or remove as necessary.
Sensible walking boots as you’ll probably cover every terrain imaginable.
Camera and equipment. I always carry mine on me as you just never know when the perfect picture opportunity will arise.
Hand/foot warmers. TRUST ME, these are a godsend as the desert gets freezing at night. These particular ones are tried and tested by myself and literally last all night.
Beach wear with suitable shoes for the Dead Sea. I would recommend wet shoes with a rubber sole and NOT flip flops.
A sun hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. As well as the cold, it will also get very hot. The sunglasses will also help keep the sand out of your eyes in the desert.
A power bank to charge your phone. If you have a similar itinerary to mine and use your phone to take photos, then you’ll probably need a recharge at some point. I use the one below which gives me about 5 charges.
A sturdy rucksack to put your water bottle/flask in plus all over the above! I use the one below as it comes with a detachable day bag. I always take my stainless steel cutlery set as shown below, you never know when you’ll need them. The set does come with a set of straws but again it cant hurt to take some extra with you in case you can’t wash them. These ones are stainless steel so reusable and more environmentally friendly. When you’re off the beaten track and buy a drink, it’s more hygienic to drink from one of your own straws rather than the can/bottle.
I truly loved this country and the time I spent there. I really hope to go back to explore further but until then, Jordan, keep shining.
P.S. Sign up to my blog for more in depth details about all the excursions I went on and please drop me a message for any questions about this amazing place!
One of the reasons I love living in my home town of Sheffield, UK, is because it has a bustling city centre full of trendy bars, pubs and restaurants as well as some beautiful architecture. If you take a 10 minute drive out of the city you are out in the Peak District where you can hike, climb and cave to your hearts content.
I think this is one of the reasons I feel so at home in Iceland. Staying in its capital, Reykjavik, you have all the shops, bars and restaurants you could possibly need and with only a small population in the city of 123,000, it is a very peaceful place.
To take in the stunning views of Reykjavik, all you have to do is take a step out of your front door.
Iceland, to me, is a home away from home. I feel so at peace there. There always seems to be a mysterious magic in the air which I find enchanting and this is before you start to read and listen to the local Icelandic folktales, such as the story of the terrifying Christmas Cat or Yule Cat.
At Christmas time in Iceland, families give warm clothing to each member of their household.
According to legend, there is a frightening Christmas Cat who stalks the snowy countryside and gobbles up anyone not equipped for the cold and wintery weather.
Families in Iceland work together to ensure nobody will “go to the Christmas Cat”.
Anyway, then you have the absolute beauty of the country, the stunning scenery carved out by the volcanic activity (something I’ve always been obsessed with) and moving tectonic plates. Not to mention waterfalls in abundance and the breathtaking glaciers and glacier lagoons.
Now, you can hire a car in Iceland. The roads are pretty quiet, especially after you’ve left the city and there is one main road that circuits the whole island. Many of the roads have underground geothermal heating which helps the ice and snow melt so driving conditions aren’t too bad. Myself, I took tour buses so that I could relax and meet people along the way.
So far, I’ve only managed to scratch the surface of the Southwest coast but these are some of my favourite things to do and recommendations.
Take a walk around the city, it is small enough to see everything by foot. The Cathedral, Hallgrímskirkja costs 1000ISK to go up the tower but it offers panoramic views over the city.
I particularly enjoy walking along the marina to take in the panoramic views over the mountains. At the end of the marina is Harpa, a relatively new concert hall which has some beautiful architecture, just make sure you look up when you go inside.
After a bit of walking you might want to check out one of the many coffee shops dotted about the city, where there isn’t a Starbucks or Costa in sight! Te og Kaffi is Iceland’s biggest coffee shop chain but it’s always good to check out the independent stores as well. Most stores have free samples of teas or coffees!
**Top tips** try out the local cuisine. I had it on good authority from a local Icelander to try Icelandic lamb as apparently it’s like no lamb you’ve ever tasted before. I’m not a big meat eater but when I’m away I do try and sample local delicacies.
Having done so, I can confirm the lamb is truly delicious and as promised, like no other lamb I had tried before. Whilst over there you must also try the local hot dogs (also made of lamb.)
My most favourite meal I ate whilst in Reykjavik, was the home made soup. There is normally a meat or a veggie option, all made freshly and served inside a giant bread bowl. It’s honestly the best soup I’ve ever eaten and the cute little cafe, Svarta Kaffid serving it did say it was the best soup in Reykjavik! I can’t say how welcome the cosy little cafe was whilst the wind howled and snow fell outside with the beautiful soup warming our souls.
The final thing to try whilst you’re out and about is the local ice cream. Come rain, shine or blizzard, Icelanders love their Ice cream. I’ll be honest, I thought people were bonkers eating ice cream in the winter even if you do eat it indoors (advised) but on my last day I thought, when in Rome…. I tried the smoked lava salted chocolate ice cream… heaven!
Another fantastic thing to go to in Reykjavik is Perlan. Perlan is a bunch of large hot water tanks and sitting on top of them on the forth floor is a large observation deck which offers panoramic views over the city.
Admission to the observation deck is 490ISK however, one of the hot water tanks has been converted into a museum called Wonders of Iceland. The museum has exhibitions about volcanoes, glaciers and geothermal marvels not to mention the museum’s very own ice cave and Planetarium! The cost for the museum is 3,900ISk which also includes admission to the observation deck.
One of my favourite things to do on holiday, is find a good observation deck and go up the tower just before sunset. That way, I get the view in the day time, during a (hopefully) stunning sunset and of the city all lit up at night.
**Top tip** there is a free shuttle bus to and from Perlan which leaves from Harpa. The shuttle bus runs every half an hour.
3. The Golden Circle Tour
A good way to see a lot of the more popular tourist attractions is to go on the Golden Circle Tour. The tour guides offer a history and geology of each spectacular site. On the tour you will get to walk in the footsteps of Jon Snow and the Wildlings by walking between the tectonic rift at Thingvellir National Park. Here, the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet or rather move away from each other and you can walk in between them. For the very brave, you can throw on a wet suit and swim between the plates!
The tour also offers a trip to the awe inspiring Gullfoss waterfall. If you go in the winter, the waterfall will be perfectly frozen and glistening in the sun.
**Please take heed!!!** It can be incredibly windy here! I’ve seen many people blow over so be sure to wrap up warm and hold on for your life!!! This is a video of my best friend and I trying to stay on our feet…
I think my favourite part of the tour (also very windy and cold) is the Stokkur hot springs and Geysers. Stokkur is the most reliable geyser on site launching scolding hot water up to 40 metres into the air every 6 to 10 minutes!
**top tips** (literally) try not to stand down wind. The water is very hot and you will get soaked!!!
I would advise you to take snacks and water (or a nice flask of hot tea) with you on the trip. There is a cafe at Stokkur where the bus will stop for lunch.
I promised waterfalls in abundance and here are 2 more! Whilst making our way to Black Sand Beach we stopped at 2 waterfall sites, the first one being Seljalandsfoss.
This is the waterfall that you are able to walk behind to see the waterfall’s force up close and personal. Unfortunately, due to freezing conditions, this was closed off when we visited. Still though, how beautiful is this?!
Just to the left of this waterfall is a viewing tower which gives you a beautiful side view of the falls. This can also be closed in winter as the spray from the falls often freezes making it too dangerous to go up.. not that that stopped some people.
This is generally a nice area to hike so we took a stroll just to the left of the falls to stretch our legs and take in some of that fresh Icelandic air.
About a 15 minute drive from Seljalandsfoss you are greeted by the almighty Skógafoss.
Cascading from a height of 60 metres and at 25 metres wide, Skógafoss is one of Iceland’s largest waterfalls.
Trying to take these pictures on a cold, wintry day was pretty difficult. The spray from the falls had frozen on the ground so I was like Bambi on ice trying to get up close. Everyone was waddling round like penguins trying not to slip.
Icelandic folktale says there is a chest of treasure at the bottom of these falls, put there by Þrasi Þórólfsson, the first settler of Skógar. He was said to be a great warrior, well informed and with supernatural skills.
Þrasi was a wealthy man and in his later years, he decided that upon death, he did not want to share his wealth so locked away gold and treasures into a chest and dropped it into the darkest depths of the Skógafoss plunge pool.
Over many years, people have tried to find the chest with only one group of men coming close. They managed to get their rope through a ring on the chest however, after they started to raise the chest, the ring broke off allowing the chest to fall back into the depths. The men were left with only the ring.
Skógar used to have a church where the ring was fitted to the church door. In 1890 the church was demolished so the ring found its way to Eyvindarhólar and was fitted to the church door there.
In 1960 the church was demolished and the ring can now be seen in the Skógar Folk Museum.
**top tip** tread carefully, the spray from the waterfalls freezes on the ground and it really is treacherous to walk on. Also dress appropriately, it can be freezing and the falls kick out a lot of spray.
5. Black Sand Beach
Although one of the most exotic and famous beaches in the world, this is also one of the most dangerous. It has crazy undercurrents and HUGE waves as there is no land mass between Antarctica and here so the waves have thousands of kilometres to build. Even on a calm day sneaker waves can appear when least expected and if any of the waves knocks you off your feet you’ve had it.
Beautiful scenery though with the huge rocky sea stacks just off the coast. According to local Icelandic folklore, these large basalt columns (in the above picture) were once trolls trying to pull ships from the ocean to shore. However, these trolls were dim and went out too late in the night; dawn broke on the horizon, turning the trolls into solid stone. – everyone knows trolls turn to stone in daylight!
**top tip** and one definitely not to be ignored. These waves truly are ferocious and absolutely massive. If you think you are far enough back from the waves…. you are not, take a few more steps back. Also… NEVER turn your back on the waves. It takes just a second for the waves to hurtle onto the shore and knock you off your feet. If this happens… you’re a goner. I heard a local say the only way people escape this situation is by digging their hands into the sand. A lady on the beach at the same time as us didn’t listen to the warnings and went into a cave… A huge wave then filled the cave and swept her and her friend out. They really are lucky to be alive.
6. Diamond Beach
Diamond Beach is a strip of black sand belonging to the greater Breiðamerkursandur glacial plain. As the beach is located next to the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, the icebergs which fill the lagoon wash up on the shore which against the dark contrast of the black sand, look like huge sparkling diamonds.
**top tip** calling all you nature and wildlife lovers!! Not only is this beach stunning, it is also called home by many seals. It is also the best place on the Island to see the orcas from the shore!
7. Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
This is the first place in Iceland that blew my mind! The still water in the lagoon is situated within the Vatnajökull National Park and is truly stunning. The perfectly blue icebergs bob around in the water, some flowing down a short waterway into the Atlantic Ocean, hence the chunks of ice on Diamond Beach.
Chunks of ice also flowed up the waterway into glacier lagoon at such a speed it sounded like thunder as the icebergs collided.
During the winter, the lagoon is full of fish so hundreds of seals live here.
Honestly, I could have spent hours here, listening to the glacier collide as well as the ice crackling and popping in the icy water.
This brings me on to my next **top tip**. Take your time here. Take a seat on the rocks, enjoy the peacefulness and completely stunning scenery. It’s not often you get to witness mother nature at its best so take a deep breath and just let it all in.
8. Skaftafell National Park Glacier Hike
I honestly, don’t have the words to describe the beauty of the Icelandic glaciers. 11% of Iceland is covered in the stunning glaciers and whilst visiting, I cannot recommend enough that you take a hike on a glacier (with an expert glacier guide of course.)
This by far, was my favourite excursion (the glacier lagoon a close second.) Not only do you get to hike on the blue ice, you get to explore inside the glacier in one of its many ice caves.
After getting off the bus, we got all our safety gear on and then took about a 30 minute walk over what I can only describe as moonscape. You’re carefully walking and all of a sudden there it is, Skaftafellsjökull Glacier, looking like a giant frozen river over the moonscape.
You know when you’ve played a repetitive computer game like Tetris or Candy Crush and everytime you blink all you can see are the little screen shots of colour in your head? Well, after seeing the scenery in the below picture, that’s all I could see for days whenever I blinked or shut my eyes. I’ve never had that happen before but it clearly had an impact on me.
I was actually stopped in my tracks by the sheer beauty, I very nearly cried. No time for tears though, it was time to put my nerves and excitement to one side and get to the glacier.
Once arriving at the glacier, the group took 10 minutes to get acquainted with our crampons and take a few more pictures.
It was time to hit the ice and go in search of an ice cave. It was almost difficult to keep an eye on my footing because with every step the scenery changed and I just wanted to take it all in!
After hiking over the meandering, jolty ice for a while (successfully without falling down a crevasse) we came across the entrance to our ice cave.
Carved out by the underground glacial rivers, I can only describe the cave as the most perfect, bluest, frozen wave you’ve ever seen.
The tour group that followed us into the cave had a young gentleman that proposed to his now fiance! Who could say no in such a romantic setting?!
After heading out of the cave, the tour guide had another surprise for us, a crevasse which the tour company had made safe for us to enter.
I actually didn’t think the day could get any better but then…
It’s hard to see from the pictures but this is probably the most perfectly carved blue ice tunnel anyone could see. Although slightly scary as it led to an abyss, it was even more beautiful.
Sadly, it was time to hike back to the bus but the views back were equally as stunning.
**top tips** always listen to your glacier guide and trust in your crampons! They will stop you from slipping and be your best friend on the ice if you listen to the advice of the guide. Also… Once again, take in every second of this once in a lifetime excursion.
Everything from Skógafoss, Seljalandsfoss, Black Sand Beach, Diamond Beach, Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, ice hiking and caving on Skaftafellsjökull, was a 2 day excursion out of Reyjavik with a company called Troll Expeditions. This included an overnight stay with breakfast. The tour guide also keeps you up to date as to your chances of seeing the Northern Lights and where best to stand.
9. Northern Light Tour
No trip to Iceland would be complete without an expedition out into the dark night on a quest to find the illusive Northern Lights.
On my first trip to Iceland, we could see every star in the sky but alas, the sky was just not dancing for us. This time, however….
The sky danced the night away! This was truly the perfect ending to one of the best days of my life. Glacier hiking topped off with Northen Lights. 😍😍
I was supposed to go hunting for the Northern Lights with my best friend, Lauren. Unfortunately, she was taken ill that evening so couldn’t make it.
In the queue for the bus, I met another solo female traveller and we got chatting. It turned out her friend was also supposed to come on the trip with her and coincidentally, her friend was also called Lauren! I took this as a sign that we were going to see the lights.
**top tips** If you take a tour bus to see the lights, try and go at the start of your holiday. If you don’t see the lights, the tour company will take you out each night until you (hopefully) see them, therefore you’ll maximise your chance of seeing them. This is the same with other tours such as Whale watching. When taking photos of the lights, remember to turn off your flash, have your ISO setting high and shutter speed on slow to take the best pictures (the tour guide can help with this) sometimes you can only see the lights through your photos and this gives you the best shot of doing so.
10. Blue Lagoon
To me, there was no better way of finishing off this holiday than to visit the Blue Lagoon on our last day.
Here you get to bask in the geothermal water whilst indulging in a complimentary face mask and drink at the poolside bar. You are given a handy wristband that calculates your bar tab meaning you don’t have to get out of the steaming hot water every time you want a drink! What’s not to love?!
It was a very odd sensation being in 40°C water whilst having ours heads sticking out in a blizzard!
Blizzard or no blizzard, this was the most chilled out I’d been all holiday and soaked my aching legs from the days of hiking.
**tip tips** you can hire a bathrobe for a little extra however, there really isn’t any point as you can enter the lagoon from inside the centre. Once you leave the lagoon there are plenty of towels to grab. Also.. for all you photographers out there, you can take a waterproof case for your phone/camera or even buy one for your phone at the bar there.👍🏻
One last tip, it can be pricey here. My friends and I hired a very reasonable and beautiful apartment in the heart of the city and our host had all the charms of Iceland. This way, we were able to do our shopping at a supermarket to save on cash. If you chose to do this, use the Bonus Supermarkets as they are by far the cheapest. Just bear in mind they close quite early so check the timings online before you leave. The water here is also some of the freshest in the world so do not waste your money on buying bottled water. You can drink the tap water and water from most lakes, rivers and springs as long as it runs clear!
Sadly, this was the end of the trip. I wish I could have stayed forever and I cannot wait to return to explore more of this beautiful country.
Iceland, I love you!
P.s. Take a look below for a list of recommended items to take with you!
Essential Items to Pack
A sturdy rucksack. You’ll want to take snacks, water, cameras, first aid kit etc with you so this is a must have.
Photography gear. You cannot visit this beautiful country without taking any pictures.
Thermal underlayers. I’d advise getting some merino layers to help keep the wind out!
Waterproof outer layers. You don’t want your trips ruined by being wet and cold especially as some of the trips last all day.
Waterproof, thermal coat. Don’t spend your holiday shivering!
Thermal hat and gloves. My gloves were waterproof and I was very grateful for them!
Sensible hiking boots. I’d recommend boots that at least cover your ankle to help keep the snow and cold out!
Insulated hiking socks to go with the above .
A water bottle. It’s expensive to buy bottled water in Iceland even though all they do is fill it from a regular tap as all the water is fresh glacier water. Same some money by filling up your own bottle!
Flask. I enjoyed making myself a brew every morning to take out with me for the cold day ahead.
Hand and foot warmers. For those of you that are especially nesh like me, these were a godsend
First aid kit. I always take this with me- you just never know when you might need it.
Hi there 👋🏻 Brief introductions first. I am Dave, co-founder of Wanderlust, Worrying and the World, also 32, also a frustrated office worker, also a music fan and travel enthusiast. Where Cat provides the musical talent and business nous, I provide the passion for writing, craft beer and a debilitating case of FOMO (fear of missing out).
There’s a few reasons I’ve chosen Paris as the focus for my first blog for W,W & the World.
Firstly, as well as two thoroughly enjoyable weekends away with my long suffering wife Laura, I had the pleasure of working there for 6 weeks in 2015. Long nights and weekends on my own in a foreign country coupled with my tendency to wander on foot for miles, a lack of regard for my own safety and a deep curiosity ensured I came away with at least a rudimentary knowledge of most ‘arrondissements’ (administrative districts) of the French capital.
The second reason relates directly to the origins of this website. I consider myself a confident traveller, I don’t think I’ve ever said no to a potential trip whether work based or for pleasure and I like to think I’d happily go anywhere for the experience without worrying too much about it. However, this is not to say I don’t get anxious on my travels. The first anxiety that I encountered and that lives with me to this day is that of the language barrier. In my mind, I have the potential to end up as a seemingly willing volunteer on a merchant navy ship when all I set out to do was get some croissants and a coffee from the local corner shop. In no other city does this fear manifest itself as starkly as in Paris. Ah yes, Paris, with its romance, beauty, fashion and cuisine. However, it also seems to inspire a certain amount of anxiety in first time travellers – the stereotype of expensive restaurants, snooty waiters and rude locals combine to leave potential visitor fearing the worst. Finally, Paris is usually one of the first foreign cities to be explored by young brits due to its proximity to our rainy isle.
So let me set out my stall here; I declare that the French capital is actually one of the most diverse, friendly and accessible cities in the world. You just have to know how to negotiate it.
And now please roll up for my top 5 pointers to make your Parisian excursion a relaxing, affordable, fun and authentic one:
1) Do Not Fear the Language
Ahhh the language. No matter how good your GCSE French appears to be, Parisians seem to have their very own, judgemental form of French that comes into a league of its own when faced with a Brit babbling and pointing desperately at a baffling array of pastries . However, this is a misconception. Parisians just demand a certain amount of effort in their own tongue before they are willing to blossom into their natural friendly selves. It’s a secret code. So learn 3 or 4 introductory phrases and boom them out confidently. The very act of trying, in French, no matter how bad, will endear you to the Parisians and you will see their amiable side emerge, beautiful like a butterfly. Even the most cold hearted Parisian will bend over backwards for you if you are willing to humiliate yourself with some terrible French first. My go to phrases were: ‘je suis desole, je ne par parlez vous francais’ (I’m sorry I don’t speak very good French) which ironically made several people think I spoke very good French and ‘bonjour, un croissant jambon a emporter s’il vois plait’ (hi, a ham croissant to take away please). Memorise these two, give it a bash and you won’t go far wrong. Well, at least you won’t starve.
2) Use the Metro
Nothing complicated about this tip. The Paris metro is one of the quickest and easiest to navigate in the world. Paris is exceedingly pretty to walk around but also exceedingly large. Give your converse a rest and let the underground train take the strain as a ‘Carnet’ of 10 single tickets will set you back only €14. Every metro station has an electronic ticket machine with an English option to select a ‘Carnet’ of 10 single metro journeys and even if this fails all you need to do is approach a manned ticket desk, look mildly confused and say ‘Oone Car-nayyyyy’? and all Parisian metro employees will know what you mean. It’s quick, it’s cheap, it’s easy, it’s fairly clean – use it.
It will enable you to explore the far more interesting outer arrondissements of Paris and still make it back to the Eiffel Tower for the hourly light show at night (incidentally this is best viewed from the Trocadero metro stop). Make the most of your time in Paris, use the metro to explore.
3) Spend an Evening at the Bassin de la Vilette
So, you find yourself in Paris, looking for a few evening drinks and some local atmosphere, but don’t want to be charged €14 for a medium glass of Beaujolais near the Louvre? Look no further than the Bassin de la Vilette.
Yes, it’s a 15 minute metro ride from the centre (Metro stop Laumiere) but the rewards are plentiful.
The haunt of young Parisian locals, this aesthetically pleasing canal basin offers several alternative night time options all within 500 yards and with a beautifully lit up backdrop from the local media centre. It is also a rather brilliant option for a sunny afternoon with ample opportunity for sitting on the edge of the canal and dipping your toes in the water whilst sharing a picnic. In terms of places to drink, Bar Ourcq is a student hang out that offers cheap (but good) wine and the option to play Boule/Petanque on the gravel outside the bar. If you don’t play, at least observe the locals and enjoy the intensity of the games. Further along is the Paname Brewery Company with its canal views, craft beers and funky food. A slightly busier crowd awaits you here but the atmosphere and location is not to be missed. Beer lovers will find plenty to sample here but the food is also good and the view back down the length of the canal is stunning. Finally another 500 yards up the canal is L’Atalante bar. A perfect fusion of British and European craft beer and Parisian chic in a laid back and functional setting.
For a more real, picturesque and cheap night out, make that trip out to the Bassin de la Villete and experience the more laid back and authentic Paris.
4) Stock Up at the Supermarche
As previously established, Paris has some of the finest food the world can offer. Also some of the most expensive. Coupled with the aforementioned language barrier and snootiness, dining out can be a risky minefield. However, this high quality translates down the food chain into the local supermarkets as well. I can’t tell you how many hours I have wiled away in a local Franprix or Carrefour feeling the baguettes , smelling the cheeses and caressing the charcuterie (honestly, observe any French boulangerie for 2 minutes and the locals will feel and squeeze several baguettes before settling on the perfect match).
Especially if the weather is good, you can dine like a king in Paris at a fraction of the price by making use of the astounding cheeses, meats, salads, pastries and booze on offer at any boulangerie, supermarket or patisserie that you care to lay your eyes on. No matter what time of day or what area I was in, all I had to do was walk into the nearest shop with 10 euros and I could be feasting upon mysterious oozing soft cheeses, dark, salty slices of cured meat, the freshest, crunchiest yet softest baguettes and all washed down with an astounding red wine and eaten on a bench in front of Notre Dame cathedral, sat on the banks of the seine or in one of Paris’ many leafy parks (see tip 3 above for another recommended picnic spot). A sub tip that fits in this area is that most decent Parisian bars will do a ‘plat’ or ‘grande planche’ this is essentially a wooden board with a spread of local cheeses and cold meats on accompanies by fresh baguette and will set you back around 5 euros depending on the area. This was one of my absolute favourite pastimes in Paris. To sum up, grabbing a discounted pasty and a mars bar from 24 hour petrol station this is not. Make full use of the rather brilliant array of affordable picnic food on offer and your wallet and stomach will thank you.
5) Lively Lessons in the Latin Quarter
Finally, another area to be explored if you want a range of food and drink options, a more affordable afternoon or evening out and a more authentic experience. Paris is famous for its grand boulevards and rightly so. A wander down the Champs-Elysees or Boulevard Hausmann is a must. However, in the 5th Arrondissement, the Latin quarter, there is an unfamiliar look to the streets. All narrow back alleys, rustic stone and student hangouts, the Latin quarter is a refreshing change to the sheer Frenchness of the rest of Paris. There are numerous universities and colleges in the area that lend it a slightly younger, exciting outlook, with most streets fanning out from the very impressive and imposing Pantheon building. If in a hurry I would focus your attention on the Rue Pot De Fer. A long, snaking street full of wine bars, restaurants and hole in the wall establishments serving French or Turkish street food, if you can’t find something here to satisfy you I would question your suitability for foreign travel.
Particular highlights in my eyes are Brewberry for drinks, with some of the finest craft beers on the continent and some rather wonderful chips and mayo and Bar de Fer for affordable yet exquisite wine with excellent live music. If you’re a fan of Britney Spears played on acoustic guitar and sung in a dubious French accent this is the place for you. This area, coupled with the Basin De Valette, will ensure you leave Paris with memories of friendly locals, affordable wine and food and memorable nights.
So there you have it, my top 5 tips for making your trip to Paris a little easier on the anxious mind and the wallet. This barely scratches the surface so if anybody has any specific questions I would be more than happy to answer them. I will also be doing more specific blogs, not only on Paris, in the near future. Paris is one of the most beautiful cities on earth for a reason, so go, and enjoy! | <urn:uuid:0c3aeebc-20f7-4541-acbf-253d417c5008> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://resfeberandi.com/category/tips/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573172.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818063910-20220818093910-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.961336 | 14,106 | 2.328125 | 2 |
Dr. John Tucker and Dr. Patricia Baer are to be congratulated on arranging for Guðrún Ingimundardóttir (Rúna) to give a Richard and Beck Lecture on Oct. 17 at the University of Victoria. Guðrun´s lecture and demonstration was on Icelandic traditional music.
Guðrun is the Chair of Rima, a traditional folk singers group in Iceland. She founded Stemma. This is a traditional folk music association. She is the first person to teach Icelandic traditional singing (kvesðkapur) “in an official music school in Iceland (Tónskóli Fjallabyggðar).”
It would be easy to deliver a lecture on a poetic form from the 1400s to the early 1900s and make it so dull that the audience falls asleep. Gúdrun did just the opposite. She electrified the audience. Not only was she able to tell the audience about the history of rímur and its importance for a country with a small population living on isolated farms, she was able to sing the examples of the various kinds of rímur.
The kveðskapur traveled from farm to farm like itinerant troubadors. This was before radio, telephones, film, TV, or the internet. In the evenings, after the day´s farm work was complete, people sat around the baðstofa, the main room of the farmhouse, and knitted or did various tasks such as mending horse bridals or clothes. To keep people awake and entertained, stories were read or told. If a storyteller came to a farm with new stories, he might stay for weeks or months. Many of the rímur were very long and might provide entertainment over the entire winter.
Eventually rímur were written down but for centuries they were oral poems, told and retold, changing with the different tellings and the different tellers. Many, probably most of the rímur, were based on classic stories such as the sagas and skaldic verse. Ironically, it is the survival of rímur that provides proof of the existence of sagas that have been lost.
As well, there are indications in some rímur that they were accompanied with dance. Guðrun mentioned that these might have been similar dances to those of the Faroese. I know from my own research that the Icelandic bishops were violently against dancing of any kind and, with Iceland having such a small population, they were able to supress dancing even in private homes and isolated farms. The result is that evidence of dancing has to be searched for in other activities such as the singing/chanting of rímur.
A particular treat during the lecture was when Guðrun´s husband, Gustaf Danielsson, joined her to sing a ríma.
Among many other things that Guðrun mentioned was that kennings became part of ríma. As with everything, she provided us with examples of the kennings and their meanings. Kennings alone could be the basis for a number of lectures. On my first trip to Iceland, my host was the National Librarian, Finboggi Gudmundson and I still remember his shock when he realized that I didn´t know what a kenning was. They are poetic metaphors that often make poetry so obscure as to not be understandable. For example, instead of saying blood, a poet might say battle sweat. Or so I say and Guðrun seemed to agree, although that didn´t seem to dampen her enthusiasm for them.
Time and again, as Gúðrun went through a list of rímur with their known authors and more recent tellers, she sang for us. She even gave us an example of how and why the tellers/singers chose the voice they chose. When a lecturer can perform what she is lecturing about what a difference it makes!
One surprise was that in the list of ríma writers was Hallgrimur Pétursson, the famous writer of The Passion Hymns. He lived from 1614-74. There are modern advocates such as Steindór Andersen who is “the leading rímur singer in Iceland: he often collaborates with the band Sigur Rós and has also contributed to some of Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson’s works.”
The hour and a half went by so fast for both Guðrun and the audience that it seemed impossible that the lecture was over. Because the Richard and Margaret Beck Trust were fortunate enough to hear that Guðrun was going to be in Victoria and was able to arrange for her to give a lecture, we all benefited, hearing an Icelandic expert on a topic those of us involved in Icelandic culture would normally have to go to Iceland to hear.
To make the experience even more enjoyable, I had the opportunity to have lunch with Guðrun´s husband´s Canadian relatives and hear something of their family´s early years of homesteading in British Columbia. Virginia Guenther came from Sidney, Valerie and Shannon Brickley from 100 Mile House, Victor Lindal and Sherry Thorsteinson from Victoria. The history of Icelandic immigrants in BC is not well known so this Beck lecture didn‘t just educate us about an ancient Icelandic poetic form but brought about a sharing of our local history. | <urn:uuid:90f9d713-66c4-422f-8406-ed6a6b15c89b> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://wdvalgardsonkaffihus.com/blog/tag/badstofa/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.981564 | 1,122 | 2.34375 | 2 |
Biome Bioplastics is a leading developer of highly-functional, naturally-based plastics. The company’s mission is to produce bioplastics that challenge the dominance of oil-based polymers, and ultimately replace them completely.
Building on 20 years of development activity, Biome Bioplastics produces a range of high-performance, plant-based bioplastics that are biodegradable and compostable. Our biopolymers are suitable for both short-life and disposable products, as well as long-life, durable applications.
A bioplastic is a plastic that is made partly or wholly from materials derived from biological sources, such as sugarcane, potato starch or the cellulose from trees and straw. Bioplastics are often designed so that they biodegrade or compost at the end of their useful life, aided by fungi, bacteria and enzymes.
Bioplastics can generally be directly substituted for their oil-based equivalents. They can also be made to be chemically identical to standard industrial plastics.
Bioplastics provide a more sustainable alternative to purely oil-based products. As consumers are increasingly seeking more environmentally-friendly solutions, they are looking to brands to demonstrate their sustainability credentials. Bioplastics are based on organic materials, absorbing carbon as they grow. Since the production process of bioplastics is very energy efficient, the overall carbon footprint of the products is low.
Moreover, bioplastics have a managed end-of-life as they can biodegrade or compost. With their additional intelligent benefits, bioplastics can even be engineered to have characteristics such as vapour control.
We produce an impressive range of high-performance bioplastics that meet our customers’ demands for both environmental and end-of-life performance. Based on renewable, natural resources, they are biodegradable and compostable. They are also suitable for the wide array of plastic processing methods, including injection moulding, sheet extrusion for thermoforming and vacuum forming, blown film, lamination, extrusion coating and monofilaments.
The range, capabilities and possible applications of our products are constantly expanding. In the next decade, we will see bioplastics become part of our everyday lives. | <urn:uuid:beae2544-f2e1-42bd-80eb-145449091fbf> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://biometechnologiesplc.com/biome-bioplastics/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.952742 | 476 | 2.1875 | 2 |
A smartphone application SoilWeb, developed by the UC Davis California Soil Resource Lab, is providing people in the field with up-to-date information about soil. Whether you are a farmer, a researcher, an engineer, an ecologist, a gardener or you are simply curious about this ubiquitous yet underrated resource called soil, upon which all human life depends, then this app is for you.
Some of the information provided includes for example: soil classification, chemical composition, suitability for various uses as well as erosion rates. The app relies on data produced by the National Cooperative Soil Survey and while it can only currently relay US soil data, the potential of a similar app in other parts of the world is huge.
Climatic and ecosystem conditions, geomorphology, chemical composition of soils, land use changes, the type of crops being cultivated are all elements that affect the health and fertility of soils and can, for example, seriously challenge the long-term sustainability of farm activities.
A technology that provides up-to-date information about the state of soils can empower farmers to make informed land management decisions that support soil conservation, promoting farm sustainability and farmers’ livelihoods in the process.
As the International Year of Soils unfolds, and with a Global Soil Week conference currently in full swing in Berlin, the importance of soils is being brought to the fore. The hope is that enough momentum will be generated to encourage governments to direct greater resources towards research and development of accessible, sustainable and long-term solutions that can ultimately support soils and support us.
It may be “literally and metaphorically beneath us”- as Monbiot commented – but soil still matters in the digital world. | <urn:uuid:54923117-8cb9-416f-ae1c-04ea0b86e84a> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://en.reset.org/soil-matters-digital-world-04212015/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.937903 | 349 | 3.53125 | 4 |
Prices in Flux
These are exciting times. Prices are in flux. Many companies are raising prices, some easily, others not so much, and still others find price increases unattainable. How to make sense of all this? Or, more precisely, what should a pricer do?
As with every pricing decision, it is a strategic issue as much, if not more, than a cost issue. Strategic decisions are dependent upon economics of the environment as well as competitive opportunities. Many of the price changes in 2008 have been directly driven by changes in the global economic environment.
The economy of 2008 is unlike any we have seen in the past 40 years, globally and locally.
In the US, the richest 1% reported 22% of the national total adjusted gross income in 2006, the highest percentage since 1929. This implies that the rich are increasingly able to buy high-end and luxury goods while the rest of consumers are facing more challenging economic situations. Middle and low income Americans are suffering from volatile and decreasing home prices. In May, home prices fell 17% compared to the same month a year prior, increasing the total decline to 23% from peak housing prices in July 2006. All Americans are adjusting to higher fuel prices at the pump, though again this affects the middle and lower income more than the higher income market segments. For most Americans, stagnant wages, losses in the major savings vehicle (the home), and a higher core cost of living (transportation and food) encourages a psychological environment of high uncertainty and frugality. From this perspective, it can be expected that most Americans will restrain their spending on all but the most necessary or individually valuable items. Most, but not all.
Globally, developing nations are swelling with pockets of newly rich able to purchase previously unattainable goals. At the same time, most are dealing with higher cereal prices eating into their already meager incomes. (Cereal price increases are largely driven by the increased costs of oil coupled with increases in demand as China and much of Africa urbanizes and the new middle class begins to eat cereals rather than greens and root vegetables.) Again, this too will drive a restraint in spending by most global consumers, but not all.
We see these effects directly in the fortunes of companies serving the higher end of the economic spectrum. Luxury goods makers are reporting strong earnings and gaining high stock valuations.
- Hermes International SA, maker of men’s fashion, reported 10% increase in sales between April and June in the Americas.
- Compagnie Financier Richemont SA, maker of Cartier and Montblanc, reported 6% sales increase in the Americas for the same period.
- Burberry Group PLC’s sales in the Americas climbed 27%.
- Patek Phillepe SA, maker of luxury watches, is on track to sell out its entire inventory.
Similar corporate buoyancy is reported in Europe and in fast-growing emerging markets where the ranks of the newly rich are growing.
Even manufacturers of somewhat tangible goods for the masses are making moves to capture the upper end of the market. For instance, Nokia unveiled two high-end mobile phones, the N79 and N85, although this may also be mostly fueled by the desire to directly compete with Apple’s iPhone.
All of these price actions by luxury goods makers are directly related to the new or sustained riches of the rich. But for firms serving the common consumer, where most of the economic adjustments come in the form of pain, price changes are far more challenging.
Driving Price Increases to Match Cost Increases
Consumer goods manufacturers focusing on the masses have had to face the prospect of pushing through price increases that match cost increases related to commodity prices and energy costs. Here we see that companies with strong brands and serving middle income consumers have been able to weather the fluctuations in the economic environment far better than those with weaker brands.
On the positive side, we find:
- Hersey Co. increased prices on chocolate bars 13% in January and second quarter revenue increased to $1.11 billion aided by the price increase as well as growth. Concurrent to the price increase, Hershey increased promotional spending.
- Kraft executed a 7% increase in prices with only a 1% volume decrease, posting a 3.5% net income increase for the second quarter, partly due to the price increase and expansion.
- Wrigley’s second quarter net increased by 14%, attributed to higher North American prices despite 5% lower volumes, and also favorable foreign exchange rates on international sales.
Not all price increases were direct. Some came from reducing the product size or otherwise cutting corners in terms of the value of the product.
- General Mills Inc.’s Cheerios price increased to $2.98 from $2.86 while the product size decreasing from 10 oz to 8.9 oz.
- Hershey Co. is substituting vegetable oil for a portion of the cocoa butter in some of its chocolates.
- McCormick & Co. is supplying food companies with cheaper spices and new flavor bends.
- General Mills is reducing the number of spice and ingredient pouches in boxes of Hamburger Helper.
Other firms, specifically companies with weaker brands or those dealing in meat where costs have increased from the increasing costs of grains and feed, have not been so fortunate.
- Sara Lee has weathered the recent commodity costs increases poorer than its rivals with a profit margin of only 7.7% in the recent quarter, after executing 4 price increases. Compared to 17.5% for General Mills Inc. and 15.5% for Heinz, this is partly due to holding a weaker brand position.
- Tyson hasn’t yet been able to pass on the high chicken feed costs to consumers, resulting in a plunging net income of only $9 million. CEO Dick Bond anticipates price increases on the horizon.
- CEO Clint Rivers of Pilgrim’s Pride encourages Americans to “brace themselves for sticker shock in the meat case over the next 12 months” as he prepares for price increases on chicken. (Read: concurrent price signaling.)
Outside of the food industry, many firms have seen stagnant prices with declining volumes. For instance, Barnes & Noble Inc. reported sliding sales of 1.6% over the year prior. This outcome and others like it can largely be attributed to declining disposable incomes as consumers focus on getting to work and buying food rather than improving their homes and taking care of creature comforts.
Business Marketers Are Also Affected
The price changes expand beyond the consumer market area. Manufacturers of equipment and supplies that serve the farms that make the food are also seeing a healthy market. Farmers, reaping windfall profits from a global increase in cereal consumption and a misguided corn to ethanol policy, have recently found their pockets lined and are prepared to make new investments. Companies serving these farmers are capturing this demand and enjoying the profits.
- Genetically modified seed maker Monsanto Co., fertilizer maker Mosaic Co., and farm equipment maker Deere & Co., are all seeing rising sales and climbing stock values.
- Deere & Co. in particular anticipates further price rises for 2009 of 7% on tractors, 9% to 10.5% on combines, and 4% to 9% on construction and forestry equipment, while its customers, farmers, enjoy a two-year grain-price rally.
Strategic Marketing Issue
What are all of these price changes telling us? Much.
First, the moves by luxury goods makers and companies supplying farmers highlight the fact that pricing power is strongly affected by the economic situation of the target market. Unfortunately, the economic situation of a target market fluctuates constantly and somewhat unpredictably. Thus, pricing power and volume are strongly influenced by chance. Being in the right place at the right time enables some companies to “outperform” while others linger on. (As one mentor told me, being in the game is half of winning.) Making the most of these opportunities is the key management challenge for these fortunate firms.
Second, the moves by consumer food makers demonstrate that pricing power is correlated in an economically significant manner with differentiation and branding. Firms with stronger brand and more differentiated products have fared the current economic turbulence far better than those in weaker positions. Unfortunately, true differentiation requires investment in uncovering non-obvious customer needs and developing new products that meet those needs. Furthermore, branding isn’t a one-shot effort. It takes time. Sara Lee investors hopefully understand this and CEO Brenda Barnes needs to take further action on this front.
And third, companies in industries that fail to respond to costs increases with price increases suffer. Both Pilgrims Pride and Tyson need to further communicate the need to raise prices and then back it up with execution. Time is not on their side, action will be.
For the pricer, these facts indicate that current price moves must be done with respect to the entire marketing mix. Not just external factors such as industry health, economic changes, and competitive moves, but also strategic issues under the companies control such as promotion, distribution, and product quality.
Prices are in flux. Many will fail to make the transition and show their ability to only execute against managerial dictates and no-longer-relevant historic patterns. But the best of us will create new solutions based upon sound strategic thinking and will continue improving with the new opportunities that change brings.
- Jargon, Julie, “Hershey Posts Higher Profit as Costs Rise”, Wall Street Journal, July 24, 2008, p. B10.
- Drucker, Jesse, “Richest Americans See Their Income Share Grow”, Wall Street Journal, July 23, 2008, p. A3.
- Jargon, Julie, “High Costs Put Sara Lee CEO in a Bind”, Wall Street Journal, July 23, 2008, p. B1.
- Jargon, Julie, Lauren Etter, “Passing Along Rising Costs Lifts Kraft, Wrigley, Meat Glut Chops Tyson’s Earnings”, Wall Street Journal, July 29, 2008, p. B1.
- Passariello, Christina, Rachel Dodes, “Luxury Goods Weathering Economic Woes in U.S.”, Wall Street Journal, July 26, 2008, p. A1.
- Kilman, Scott, “Food Giants Race to Pass Rising Costs to Shoppers”, Wall Street Journal, August 8, 2008, p. A1.
- Brat, Ilan, Doug Cameron, “Deere Net Gets Boost From Grain Rally”, Wall Street Journal, August 14, 2008, p. B4.
- Kardos, Donna, Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg, “Barnes & Noble Profit Declines 15%”, Wall Street Journal, August 22, 2008, p. B5.
- “Nokia Introduces High-End Cellphones”, Wall Street Journal, August 27, 2008, p. B11.
- Jargon, Julie, “Food Makers Scrimp on Ingredients In an Effort to Fatten Their Profits”, Wall Street Journal, August 23, 2008, p. A1. | <urn:uuid:eb101005-778b-4d23-b410-744a64ea052d> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://wiglafjournal.com/prices-in-flux/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573172.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818063910-20220818093910-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.934838 | 2,338 | 2.125 | 2 |
int execute_command(string command, object origin, object player)
Low-level access to the command parser: take the <command>, parse it
into verb and argument and call the appropriate action added to
<origin> (read: <origin> is the object 'issuing' the command).
For the execution of the function(s), this_player() is set to
player. The function also sets results of query_command() and
query_verb() to match the given <command>.
The result is non-0 if the command was found and execute, and 0
The efun raises a privilege violation ("execute_command",
this_object(), origin, command).
Note that this function does not use the H_MODIFY_COMMAND
and H_NOTIFY_FAIL hooks; the notify_fail() efun is can be used,
but must be evaluated by the caller.
Introduced in LDMud 3.2.7.
hooks(C), match_command(E), command(E), notify_fail(E), | <urn:uuid:fd87f9d0-1cff-4e56-b249-ec015cec6c37> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://wl.mud.de/mud/doc/efun/execute_command.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.784817 | 255 | 2.203125 | 2 |
The traditional ethanologenic yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cannot metabolize xylose, which is an abundant sugar in non-crop plants. Engineering this yeast for a practicable fermentation of xylose will therefore improve the economics of bioconversion for the production of fuels and chemicals such as ethanol. One of the most widely employed strategies is to express XYL1, XYL2, and XYL3 genes derived from Scheffersomyces stipitis (formerly Pichia stiptis) in S. cerevisiae. However, the resulting engineered strains have been reported to exhibit large variations in xylitol accumulation and ethanol yields, generating many hypotheses and arguments for elucidating these phenomena. Here we demonstrate that low expression levels of the XYL2 gene, coding for xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH), is a major bottleneck in efficient xylose fermentation. Through an inverse metabolic engineering approach using a genomic library of S. cerevisiae, XYL2 was identified as an overexpression target for improving xylose metabolism. Specifically, we performed serial subculture experiments after transforming a genomic library of wild type S. cerevisiae into an engineered strain harboring integrated copies of XYL1, XYL2 and XYL3. Interestingly, the isolated plasmids from efficient xylose-fermenting transformants contained XYL2. This suggests that the integrated XYL2 migrated into a multi-copy plasmid through homologous recombination. It was also found that additional overexpression of XYL2 under the control of strong constitutive promoters in a xylose-fermenting strain not only reduced xylitol accumulation, but also increased ethanol yields. As the expression levels of XYL2 increased, the ethanol yields gradually improved from 0.1 to 0.3. g ethanol/g xylose, while the xylitol yields significantly decreased from 0.4 to 0.1. g xylitol/g xylose. These results suggest that strong expression of XYL2 is a necessary condition for developing efficient xylose-fermenting strains.
- Xylitol dehydrogenase
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology | <urn:uuid:bd592d63-45b5-435a-82fb-0da9e3f30ea7> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://experts.illinois.edu/en/publications/high-expression-of-xyl2-coding-for-xylitol-dehydrogenase-is-neces | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573172.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818063910-20220818093910-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.887782 | 497 | 1.953125 | 2 |
Post-traumatic stress disorder, commonly referred to as PTSD, affects 6-7 million people in the United States. While occurring mostly in the adult population, and often associated with veterans, this mental health condition does not discriminate by age, career, or any other factor. Anyone who has experienced trauma or a life-threatening event can develop PTSD.
Medical professionals know much more about this anxiety disorder than they did in the past. In fact, post-traumatic stress disorder was not officially recognized by the American Psychological Association until 1980. The public is learning more, too. The stigma surrounding mental health is declining, and more people are seeking PTSD counseling and treatment.
We talked to Brenda Shook, a neuroscientist and associate professor at National University, about the role of PTSD counseling.
Symptoms of PTSD
Shook, who clarifies she’s not speaking as a clinical psychologist, explains that PTSD is a complex and complicated area and that symptoms present themselves in many different ways.
“Some people have nightmares that won’t stop, and others will completely block all of it out, but it’s still there,” she says.
Someone might experience a combination of emotional, relational, and physical symptoms. It’s important to note that many physical and mental health conditions have similar symptoms, which is why only a skilled medical professional can make a diagnosis.
Emotional effects include:
- Misplaced guilt.
- Lower-than-usual self-worth.
- Panic/intense distress.
- Lack of emotion.
- Inability to remember or speak about the trauma.
Relational indicators include:
- Feeling emotionally detached from friends and family members.
- Loss of interest in activities once found enjoyable.
- Lack of sex drive.
- Substance abuse.
- Divorce or separation.
- Domestic abuse.
Physical symptoms can manifest as:
- Chronic pain with no explanation.
- Chronic fatigue.
- Heart problems.
- Asthma or breathing issues.
- Eating disorders.
- Digestion issues.
- Severe headaches.
- Sleep issues.
In addition, many who experience this condition have re-experience symptoms, which can include flashbacks, nightmares, and frightening thoughts.
As you can see, the stress and anxiety that come with PTSD can lead to physical health issues. This explains why sometimes PTSD isn’t diagnosed, let alone considered, right away. Typically, to be diagnosed with PTSD, someone must experience their symptoms for at least one month after the traumatic event. It can take many years after a trauma, however, for someone to develop PTSD.
An Overview: PTSD Treatment and PTSD Therapy
Mental health professionals, often referred by someone’s primary care physician, can provide PTSD treatment and therapy in a variety of forms. Most commonly, these methods either fall under psychotherapy or medication.
Psychotherapy for PTSD counseling includes several approaches:
- Cognitive behavior therapy.
- Exposure therapy.
- Eye movement desensitization and processing (EDMR).
- Stress inoculation training.
- Group therapy.
Shook says that, especially if depression is involved, cognitive behavior therapy is often the preferred technique. With this type of therapy, a psychologist may show a patient how to use their support systems.
“Many people develop an exaggerated fear response and want to isolate themselves from friends and family. And that can further exacerbate their situation,” she says. “So a therapist may help a client reestablish or build relationships with their primary support groups.”
Behavior therapy takes work, though, and not everyone may be ready for that. Shook says some cases of PTSD are so severe that the individual is not able to engage in the work of therapy.
“In those cases, the psychologist can make a medical referral,” Shook explains. Beginning a new medication can often help someone get where they need to be “to re-engage with therapy.” PTSD patients are typically prescribed SSRIs — or, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors — such as fluoxetine, paroxetine, or sertraline. (Common brand names of those, in order, include Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft.)
Adding medication to a care plan illustrates that many people need a combination of PTSD treatments and care from both a mental health professional and their primary care physician.
Many people look to alternative approaches for PTSD treatment, either instead of or in addition to their other therapies. Among these alternative options are yoga, meditation, and acupuncture. Shook adds that animal companions are rising in popularity as a PTSD therapy option.
Who Can Provide PTSD Therapy or PTSD Treatment?
After experiencing PTSD symptoms, a person might first visit their family doctor. Then, they might see one of a variety of mental healthcare professionals:
- Social workers.
- Master’s level clinicians.
- Psychiatric nurses.
- Veterans’ counselors
Psychologists and psychiatrists often have private practices, but mental health professionals are available in many places, including hospitals, community clinics, college campuses, family health centers, residential rehabilitation centers, and government agencies. In a time of crisis, someone might receive PTSD treatment at an emergency room or shelter.
How Do You Get Into PTSD Counseling?
To work as a behavioral mental health counselor, you’ll at last need a bachelor’s degree. A major in psychology, human services, or criminal justice could lead to entry-level work within an agency as a caseworker. Higher-level positions, such as a licensed professional counselor, that allow you to work more closely with clients or even start your own practice will require additional education and training.
Most states, in fact, require a graduate degree in health care, and licensure or certification to practice as a clinical counselor. The Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology program at National University, for instance, is designed to meet the California Board of Behavioral Health standards for a licensed professional clinical counselor. Since PTSD is prevalent among veterans, former military servicemembers are often drawn to enter PTSD counseling roles. In these cases, an online degree from a military-friendly college, such as National University, could be an especially appealing option.
You can explore the many options for psychology education at National University by visiting our program page. | <urn:uuid:ae147684-72b8-4e42-a3e5-57092bb1ccc9> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.nu.edu/blog/psychology-and-ptsd-counseling/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572198.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815175725-20220815205725-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.944294 | 1,356 | 3.296875 | 3 |
Standalone Autoguiding for Webcams
I've been trying my hand at film-based astrophotography for a couple of years now. Like most people I started off doing widefield imaging and had some early successes. But once I moved in to prime-focus photography, I quickly realized that I needed an autoguiding setup. Spending hours hunched over a reticle eyepiece in the cold did not appeal to me. Since I had a long-exposure modified webcam, I started searching the web for some suitable guiding software. What I found was either no support for the LX modification, support for a very specific mount, or integration into a complete and sometimes complicated webcam imaging platform. What I really wanted was a standalone program, dedicated to autoguding, useful for film photography, and something that was easy to use.
So I started writing some code! I wrote the software to control my 10" LX200, but made a conscious decision to try and make the software as generic as possible. By writing the code to use the ASCOM standard for telescopes, I didn't lock myself into a particular mount or telescope. I also used the Video for Windows interface for camera control. So any camera that has a VFW driver, and can get a star to display on the screen, should be able to guide a scope.
Now that the code is working well for me, I've decided to release it to the astronomical community in hopes that others will find it useful as well. Theoretically the software should work with any mount which supports the ASCOM PulseGuide() method. This should include any of the the Meade LX series, Meade Autostar based scopes, Celestron GPS and Nexstar i models, and many other scopes/mounts.
I wrote this software for myself, using my camera, and my scope. It may very well work for you, but then again it may not. Try it and see! I will make an effort to correct bugs found in the code, but don't have the time or resources to troubleshoot problems with various mounts, and cameras. This software is Free for your own personal use. You may not distribute it in any way, but may link to my website if you like. The software is provided "AS-IS" with no warranty or guarantee. The author is not responsible/liable for any damage resulting from the use of this software.
Click the button below to go to the installation page for GuideDog.GuideDog Installation
All content, including software and images on this Website are the property of Steve Barkes and may not be used without his permission.
©Steve Barkes 2003-2022 | <urn:uuid:8c8e42b1-8e37-434f-ab52-1e5e36248cfd> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://www.barkosoftware.com/GuideDog/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572833.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817001643-20220817031643-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.961046 | 555 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Skip to main content
From the Editor
The term artificial intelligence (AI) has started to become commonplace in Japanese print media and TV. However, since many people are still largely unfamiliar with what the term actually means, my office receives questions about AI and requests for presentations about it on a daily basis.
AI has certainly been covered in a large number of books and other media, however only certain aspects of it tend to be presented. As the term AI is currently trending, some of the coverage has started to exploit the trend by interpreting it in a broad sense, giving people the wrong impression.
Another problem is that the latest developments in AI are taking place at centers of corporate activity, so they are restricted by corporate confidentiality, making mass media exposure difficult. At the same time, only the technologies that can be shown to the general public, such as web-based image recognition, are being covered as examples of AI, creating a poor balance of coverage.
This feature issue attempts to go beyond the current coverage to present a total picture of the many different aspects of AI. The first half contains several views of AI presented by National Institute of Informatics professor, Noriko Arai, and Yahoo Japan Corporation Chief Strategy Officer, Kazuto Ataka. The second half looks at the breadth of AI applications and depth of the technology involved, along with the innovations that are making them possible using the same general-purpose AI. There is information on AI applications and technology that have expanded into industries such as finance, railway, distribution, water and manufacturing.
Many readers will doubtlessly view a collection of corporate articles like this one as a form of corporate PR. However, while this issue uses Hitachi examples to describe AI, it is designed as a special feature that will satisfy the interests of many readers who are eager to learn about the current state of AI. We have aimed to make this issue something that busy business people will be willing to pay to read. Whether we have succeeded in this aim will be up to our readers to determine.
This April, Hitachi strengthened its front-office organization, making a fresh start with a new organization for creating innovations in collaboration with customers. We are showcasing AI as the core technology for this new approach.
Japan is now at the turning point of a shift from a manufacturing-based economy to an economy based more on value generated from services. However, there is a need to survive this age of innovation as the effects of never-ending global economic changes and conflicts extend to each and every one of us. I think that AI provides hope for survival in this unpredictable age. I hope this issue will help readers take advantage of this new ray of hope.
Kazuo Yano, Dr. Eng.
Corporate Officer Corporate Chief Scientist,
Research & Development Group, Hitachi, Ltd. | <urn:uuid:8ee06054-bb1f-4626-a2ac-64a062d5d47f> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.hitachi.com/rev/archive/2016/r2016_06/editor/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.964187 | 572 | 2.390625 | 2 |
It is often said that Real estate is not a “get-rich quick” scheme. Whilst we agree with that, it surely is a “get-rich consistently” scheme. What do we mean by that? Well, consistently investing in Real estate can produce some stellar effects. It takes times to build the momentum but once the flywheel is up and running, it sure as heck runs! And if one is smart about it, one can program the flywheel to keep on running without putting in a lot of effort or even no effort.
It is illustrative to look at some numbers. The attached spreadsheet walks through one hypothetical 10 year investment horizon and showcases the power of real estate investing. First, some assumptions: We assume that every year we initiate a fresh investment amount of 50k, a cash on cash yield of 8% on any investment and a 16% annualized return realized at exit. Please note that these numbers are very typical of the offerings we bring to our investors.
Monthly cash flow is calculated as an 8% yield on the cumulative investment (net worth) in any given year. For instance, in the first year one starts with 50k leading to an annual cash flow of 4k (50k*8%) and a monthly cash flow of $333.33. As time passes and as one’s investment amounts grow, the monthly cash flow and the net worth grows. For instance, in year 6 the monthly cash flows stands at $2333.30 and the net worth at 300k. Here is where the magic happens now!. Come end of year 6, the investment we made in year 0 matures and so does our net-worth. In year 7, we invest 50k as usual but we get a 100k bump from that exit leading to a cash flow of $3000 and a net-worth of 400k. This repeats in the subsequent years as we reap the fruits of our investments. By the time year 10 ends, we stand at a monthly cash flow of $5000 and a net-worth of 800k!
In the same phenomenon, If you invest 100k per year instead of 50k, at the end of Year 10, you will get 10k per month of cash flow and Net worth of $1.6 MM.
Now, that is some snowballing! The question is if you are ready to take that first step. We cannot wait!
Take the calculator for a spin and give us feedback.
To your Wealth!
- Zovest Team
We now know why expected returns is only half of the story and its crucial to incorporate risk in the investment a.k.a. Sharpe ratio. Armed with our new knowledge of bench-marking investments on the basis of the their Sharpe ratio, we can find out which investments are truly the outperforming ones. The data is clear, Real estate (esp yield producing Real estate) was the best performing asset class over the past two decades. This may come as a surprise to many and it was clearly to us as well.
Perhaps a picture is worth a thousand words. The plot below shows the annual return on the y axis and annualized standard deviation on the x-axis for a variety of asset classes such as stocks (large cap, small cap), commodities, bonds etc. NPI is an index that tracks “operating” private commercial real estate properties held for investment purposes only. Its an index that is managed by NAREIT (National associated of Real Estate Investment Trusts). Whilst NPI includes most yield producing real estate such as office buildings and retail, multifamily apartments are a significant portion of the constitution of the index.
Its interesting to see that NPI outperforms all the other asset classes. NPI index has a stock like return with a bond like risk characteristic. It is even more interesting that NPI handily beats down listed REIT’s. We will expound on the reasons in a later blog post, so stay tuned. Overall, this is great validation for us as acquirers of yield producing assets.
This is part 1 of a series of blogs on measuring risk adjusted return of a Real Estate portfolio. In this blog, we will focus on a fundamental concept around adjusting for risk to measure the performance of an asset – The Sharpe Ratio.
What is Sharpe Ratio:
As investors, obviously we care about expected return on say a given asset or across a given portfolio. Keeping everything else constant, higher expected return is better than lower, for instance. But just looking at the expected returns masks an important fundamental concept around the risk that we take to sustain that return. One way to measure the risk is to measure the standard deviation of the expected return. Without going into too much detail in this post, one measure of risk is the standard deviation of the return. An asset with a lower standard deviation has a more consistent return than the one with a higher standard deviation. A question arises, whether an investment in an asset with a expected return of 20% and a standard deviation of 10% is better than an investment with 30% expected return and 30% standard deviation. The second investment has a higher expected return but also a much higher standard deviation. This is where the notion of Sharpe comes in.
Developed in 1966 by Nobel prize winner William Forsyth Sharpe, the Sharpe ratio measures the expected return of an asset relative to its risk.
where E(r) = asset expected return, rf is the risk free rate and σf is the standard deviation of the excess return. As we can see expected return increases the Sharpe but standard deviation reduces it. In our contrived example, option one is a better investment despite having a lower expected return. This is due to the lower standard deviation of option one.
Limitations of Sharpe Ratio:
The benefits of Sharpe ratio are obvious. Its a dimensionless way to compare asset returns paying regard to their risk. It establishes a benchmark across different assets and facilitates an objected comparison of return adjusted for risk. As it turns out, there are some limitations as well. One of the biggest limitations of the Sharpe ratio is that it assumes “normality”. Without going into too much detail this means that the return distribution is expected to follow a normal or a “bell-curve” distribution. While this is practically not true (asset returns need not be normal), it still isn’t too much of a limitation. There are other limitations of the Sharpe ratio as well related to the time-structure of the returns. We will not go in too much detail on those for the sake of simplicity.
Suffices to that the Sharpe ratio is a great tool for the modern Real Estate investor to compare the relative performance across different investments properly accounting for the underlying risk and penalizing riskier investments versus lower risk ones and favoring investments with a higher expected return over the ones with a lower value.
1. Taxes will increase after stimulus bills.
During the last two months, Congress has passed more than $4 trillion in stimulus spending, with more probably on the way. Taxpayers will end up paying for this at some point. Medicare, the health insurance program for seniors, could run short of money in 2023 or sooner, as the payroll taxes that finance the program plunge amid record unemployment. Also the future retirement benefits people receive might shrink.
Apartment investment is one great way to get long term tax free income and also help in offsetting your current income with the depreciation (Check with your CPA before taking tax decisions).
2. People will move from primary to secondary markets due to de-urbanization
In view of future pandemics, due to social distancing requirements, cost of living de-urbanization from the high population density might happen even though its too early to predict. If you see current number of covid infected cities, they all are high population density metros/ cities.
3. Apartments fared better than other asset classes
As per latest article from NMHC (National Multifamily Housing Council) the rent collections for Apartments in April are at 92% by April 26th. So Apartments which come under basic necessities fared better than other asset classes like Retail, Hotel and office which suffered really bad.
4. Stock market will have long period of volatility and low returns
Top wall street forecasters predict that stock markets will deliver lackluster results because of prolonged volatility for a long time due to uncertainties.
5. Less people buying homes
Because of strict criteria by banks like 700 credit score and 20% downpayment recently by Chase and other banks it will be difficult for a lot of people to buy homes. People want to have mobility due to employment shifts. New single family home constructions will slow down and other macro trends will shift people mindset to rent more. The demand for Apartments will increase a lot in future.
6. All time Low Interest rate environment
Interest rates will be low for a foreseeable future which enables to get good cash flow from the apartment investments.
We are carefully observing deal flow and capital markets and we hope there will be many deals that we can present to our investors. Please click on the button to view our investment opportunities so we can reach out to you and know each other and your investment criteria.
Note: I will expand and keep refining this post on a periodic basis so it's up to date
1) Low Income and Bad Demographics Mix
2) High Crime
3) Rent Roll Occupancy and Physical Occupancy don't match
4) Income in T12 and Actual Bank statements don't match
5) Flat Roofs
6) Window ACs or lack of Central HVAC
7) Wood construction issues like wood rot, decks not in good condition, WDO (Wood Destroying Organisms), Termite Damage, Stucco/ Siding issues. Overall be really careful with old wood construction. Prefer concrete block or masonry structures.
8) Water Damage inside units (Use Infrared Cameras to find out during unit walks)
9) Foundation Issues
10) Polybutylene Piping
11) Cast Iron Sewer Lines
12) Water leaks (See Pattern of water bills from past few months/ years)
13) Old Electrical Panels
14) Ignoring age of Water Heaters/ HVAC's/ Roofs while computing CapEx
15) Radon Gas
16) Retaining Walls
17) Water Intrusion
20) Asbestos and Lead Based Paint
21) Gutters, Down sprouts
22) Tree Trimming
23) They just fill in with people by giving concessions before selling. Tenants are not vetted properly and bad quality. See if there are many leases in last 3 months.
24) Always ask for seller story (We passed on several deals just because the story is not right)
25) Get Insurance Loss Runs to see any recent claims
26) Never assume existing LLC - Always do new entity
27) Go to FEMA website and verify if the property is in Flood Zone
28) Self direct IRA investments take time. So work on them first and get funds 2 weeks before closing
CBRE Research did an extensive study on Short Term Rentals and it's impact on traditional Hotels. Also, STR is also getting into MultiFamily space as apartment owners are experimenting by renting 5 to 10% of the units to STR's and getting their NOI maximized ! So lets get into some things in this space and also how Zovest is trying to capture this phenomenon in MF.
1) Why guests chose Short Term Rentals (STRs)
The main reasons guests chose STR vs Hotels is, the home feeling, kitchen, family setting, experience meeting new people and main factor is price.
2) Not just Airbnb
First STR doesn't mean only Airbnb. There are so many other providers like VRBO, Home Away, Flipkey, Trip Advisor and also traditional corporate housing.
3) Know the local laws
Laws are changing every year regarding the STR industry. It will be really difficult for operators of the STR if they only rely on STR income and underwrite the deals. What if the law changes against you and you will be in huge trouble with your money.
Here is the grading that's given by Airdna and Roomscore on the markets that are best and worst in running STRs. But you need to keep upkeep on how legislature is changing. Like what happened to Newark, NJ Airbnb law that the city is trying to pass. All those people who bought the properties with high prices assuming that they can make a killing in STR are really worried.
“We don’t make enough money to pay double insurance and to pay extra taxes. We don’t make that kind of money,” said Airbnb host Deborah King. “It’s going to hit us hard.”
4) Exponential Growth and eating Hotel Lunch
CBRE Research estimated STR's are eating 12% of Branded hotel lunch. This is huge. STR's grown 500% in last 7 years !
5) Types of properties
There are different types of properties that you can do STR like Entire House, Entire Apartments, Private Room, Shared Room etc. The most popular is entire house or apartments.
6) STR and MultiFamily
Doing STR in some of the units in MultiFamily is highly lucrative proposition that lot of operators are doing these days. For that
See the STR Market penetration.
Zovest is already experimenting Airbnb and STR in our Cleveland Apartment Properties and we will expand to other markets and also we will build new product and carve-out few units for STR to maximize NOI.
Please reach out to me for further questions.
Everyone wants to do value-add deals in Multi-Family. In my opinion these are 3 types of value-add in Multi-Family or Commercial Real Estate in general.
1) Cookie cutter value-add
This is the most common one where there is some deferred maintenance but mostly interior unit renovations that lot of the times proven by the seller. The reason lot of people get into this because of the predictability of the deal. In this climate of low interest rates, so much capital chasing deals and extended economic expansion cycle, lot of people wants to do typical and safe value-add. These deals getting skinnier day by day. The cap rate are compressing, people are overpaying and it usually end up as very thin deal unless its executed perfectly. There is no margin of error in these deals. That's why sponsors are taking 15%, 18% and giving most to investors as deals are not penciling out.
2) Deep value-add
Properties that are not renovated for so long time, high mismanagement, high vacancy, lot of down units, huge deferred maintenance like roofs are bad, sewer lines to be replaced, foundation issues etc where there is a lot of meat on the bone/ reward but at same time it's high risk. In most of the cases, people take bridge loans, refinance cash-out and move to long term loan. In this process they can return lot of their initial capital to investors and still keep them in deal for long term but with lower ownership for investors.
3) New construction
New construction is really big value-add where you are developing from raw land to great product. Its high risk but high reward to investors and sponsorship team alike. There are lot of unknows and risk but with right structuring lot of risks can be mitigated to investors. And when you are there in all the phases of rezoning, horizontal development and vertical development, sell or lease up and manage the property you will be adding most value and pass on the value to investors.
For Zovest #1 is bread and butter, but we are mostly going towards #2 and #3 these days. Please reach out to me at email@example.com for further questions, comments, feedback and ideas on what kind of value-add you typically execute or like to invest.
Have a great year ahead!
A typical syndicated deal for an Apartment is for a specific property. We as sponsors, identify a property (or even multiple properties) and get it under contract, do inspection, get financing and then once all the risks are removed, we raise funds from investors to close the deal and give distributions, add-value and sell at appropriate time and exit the syndication.
It's a lot of work involved and so many moving parts. Instead, we can even create a fund structure which is a blind pool, where sponsors can buy, renovate, sell properties on a periodic basis. This will help sponsors to focus on assets and not to worry too much about how to get the equity money to purchase assets.
Lot of people shy away from the fund structure as investors cannot pick and choose markets/ properties to invest on.
Zovest will be launching real estate fund which will largely focus on Small to Medium MultiFamily (30 to 70 units) which are ignored by large REIT's, Syndicators, Pension Funds and really a lot of work to buy, rehab, either keep for really long term or sell.
If you have suggestions or interest in funds, please reach out to me at firstname.lastname@example.org.
Last month we discussed about different loan products to acquire MultiFamily Apartments which constitutes 80%+ of the volume. There are FHA (Federal Housing Administration) loans done by HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) Apartments Loans which have completely different set of loan terms which are not compared to any loan products out there. For example you can get up to 40 years amortization and 40 year loan term on a loan which is virtually unheard of in typical mortgage markets. If you are doing a substantial redevelopment or a brand new construction or a typical cookie cutter value-add apartment you can tap in to HUD loans. But caution, these loans are not for every one. These loans will take anywhere between 9 to 12 months and its a long and painful process. But if you get one you will be really pleased with the terms. Lets dig in more.
1) FHA/ HUD 221(d)(4) - New Construction and Substantial Rehabilitation of Apartments
Substantial Rehabilitation Definition:
Construction work on an existing facility is generally considered “substantial rehab” when more than $35,000 per unit in work is being completed, or two or more major building systems (plumbing, electrical, mechanical, building envelope, structural) are being replaced. The latter is determined as part of initial due diligence.
In this scenario of new apartment construction or substantial rehab projects which have more than 35k per door work, you can qualify for 40 year loan term, 40 year fixed, 40 year amortized, 85% to 90% LTC (Loan to Cost), Non-recourse loan. This is extra-ordinary leverage that you cannot get anywhere in the world. Construction Interest is also capitalized in the mortgage. The permanent 40 year fixed rate term and loan amortization does not start until
construction completion. The interest rate is locked prior to closing. (Current rates are low to mid 3% !!). HUD Loans are always assumable.
Zovest Properties is working with our HUD Lending partners and we will be using this program in near future.
Caution: These loans take anywhere between 250 to 350 days (Close to an year) and these are expensive loans.
2) FHA/ HUD 223(f) financing for typical cookie cutter value-add Apartments
You can use this program to get typical value-add Apartments as well. Since the loan process takes so long, people opt for Bridge-to-HUD programs where they take bridge loan first and then exit to HUD in 12 to 18 months to hold for really long term.
This program has upto 35 years term, upto 35 years amortization, fixed rate, 85% to 90% LTV, Non-recourse, assumable. Cash-out is also available upto 80% LTV. You can get upto 35k per door in rehab money as well included into the loan.
Caution: These loans take anywhere between 250 to 350 days (Close to an year) and these are expensive loans.
There are other creative ways to get 100% financing using HUD and LIHTC (Low Income Housing Tax Credits) Tax credits if you build affordable housing as per AMI (Average Median Income) rules.
Also, HUD has really good green program (energy efficient building construction) which will provide you another 30 to 40 basis points reduction in interest rate.
Please reach out to me at email@example.com so i can refer you really good providers for FHA/ HUD programs. | <urn:uuid:5c31ce12-6825-4fae-9650-6eacf04f1df6> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.zovest.com/blog/category/all/2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572833.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817001643-20220817031643-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.945494 | 4,394 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Accessibility in communications: We can and need to do better
I recently had the privilege and honour to attend and speak at the 2022 International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) World Conference. My session, "Putting the 'A' in IDEA," was focused on the role accessibility plays in professional communications while providing easy tips and tricks that attendees could start applying right away.
However, my presentation was on the last day. So, I had the opportunity to hear from other professional communicators, their best practices, and how they strategized and created diversity, inclusion and equity-related campaigns and employee culture. Yet, during the two full days of incredible sessions and idea sharing, something that was consistently missing was the role of accessibility and the disability community.
Realizing we aren't where we need to be
Now, I admit, whenever I attend conferences, I'm always curious about how others in my field view and embrace accessibility in their work. So, I ask questions like:
- How do you and your team ensure your campaigns are accessible to everyone?
- When creating your internal communications strategies, how do you ensure your staff with disabilities are included in the conversations and access the content/campaigns you produce?
- How do you weave accessibility into your diversity, inclusion and equity (DE&I) initiatives?
Sadly, more often than not, I get the response, "We haven't thought about or considered accessibility in what we do."
While I've somewhat become used to this response, I've also looked at it as an opportunity to educate and promote the importance and benefits of creating accessible content.
But, something stood out at this conference and left me feeling disheartened. During a plenary session at the end of Day 1, the three panellists, which included a former lawyer, were talking about the communications profession in 2030. With a packed room hanging on their every word, I took this as an opportunity to ask a question:
How do accessible content and accessibility legislation play a role in the comms initiatives/campaigns as we move forward? Is this an area communications professionals need to embrace more, just like diversity, equity and inclusion?
I was hopeful these panellists, a couple I've looked up to, would provide new insights and a voice for accessibility for everyone in the room. But instead, I was shocked and in disbelief by their answers - they didn't have one. Instead, they chose to remain silent. They didn't even take the opportunity to show vulnerability by saying something like, "You know what, I don't know. Accessibility in communications is something we should be considering, but it's not something I've done myself yet."
That was when I realized we, as professional communicators, have much work to do. Thinking about the sessions, except for mine, only one other presenter found a way to have live captions (thank you, PowerPoint). Documents uploaded to the app, like presentations and handouts, were inaccessible. Presenters used images to share stories, but most weren't describing them.
With all of this, I wasn't mad. I wasn't angry. Instead, I was asking how we can improve this experience next time? How can we make sure that we take steps to make this conference more accessible, even if it's implementing just one more accessible tactic than the previous year?
Changing the narrative around accessibility in communications
How can we say we're inclusive if we're not being accessible?
In my last blog, I talked about the need to change the terminology we use from DE&I to IDEA, otherwise known as inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility. Thinking about IDEA versus just DE&I, we would be a way to ensure that accessibility is always top of mind when working on any project.
But more importantly, I believe the most significant issue around accessibility in professional communications is a simple one - we don't know what we don't know. And a part of that is being afraid to ask.
Progress over perfection
There's this preconceived notion that we need to be perfect at everything we do right from the start, and this is particularly true when it comes to accessibility. I've heard people say they think it needs to be all or nothing because there's a fear of litigation or, perhaps worse, the potential backlash at attempting to be accessible but doing something.
I'm here to say we must stop being fearful of asking questions and trying things. Instead, we should focus on progress over perfection regarding accessibility. Meryl Evans has a great post on her website entitled, "Accessibility: Why You Need to Work Toward Progress Over Perfection," where she talks about how we need to focus on progress, making those small steps to accessibility, versus thinking we need to be perfect at accessibility right away.
Accessibility is a journey with stepping stones and key milestones that help us achieve our overall goals. Baby steps are a good thing. I like to think of the accessibility journey using the 1% marginal gains theory. As Forbes describes this as the "notion that small, incremental improvements in a business process, when added together, can make a significant improvement."
So why don't we embrace this theory and apply it to accessibility in communications?
Ideas for your first 1%
If you're looking for ways to start implementing accessibility in your communications, here are some quick wins:
- Add alt-text to all the images you share on social media.
- Add captions to your videos.
- Use camel case when writing multi-word hashtags, like #SomethingLikeThis.
- Write in plain language.
- Check the colour contrast in your images and text.
Of course, there are always things like ensuring your website is accessible and usable or your documents are fully accessible. These may take a bit more time, energy or investment, but these should also be on your digital accessibility journey.
And don't forget, if you're unsure how to do something in an accessible way, ask for help. Whether you're asking me (you can email me at firstname.lastname@example.org) or the accessibility community, we're always here and happy to help you learn.
As professional communicators, we're the gatekeepers to content creation and promotion. We have the power to make everything we do inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible.
So let's work together to make this happen!
You may also be interested in:
AbleDocs is the only company in the world to guarantee the compliance of every document they produce and back it with a $10,000,000 liability guarantee. Current offerings include ADService, ADGateway, ADScan, ADStream, ADLegacy, ADForms, ADTraining, ADWeb, axesWord and axesPDF. | <urn:uuid:52d6507e-8e89-4e28-b2df-79ea04055c2e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://blog.abledocs.com/accessibility-in-communications-we-can-and-need-to-do-better/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570767.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808061828-20220808091828-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.963308 | 1,398 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Text is an English translation by Swami Jagadiswarananda of the Devi-mahatmya or Durga-Saptasati popularly known as Chandi. The original text has been printed in Devanagari type with running lucid English translation. Footnotes have been added wherever necessary.
The Chandi is divided into 13 chapters and consists of 700 mantras and hence it is called the Saptasati. Three aspects of the Divine Mother have been depicted in the book and they are (1) Mahakali (Chapter I) (2) Mahalaksmi (Chapters II to IV) and (3)Mahasarasvati (Chapters V to XIII) and meditation on each of them has been added with English translation.
The whole of Devi-Mahatmyam is chanted on sacred occasions especially during the Durga-Puja (Navaratri).
1 in stock
- Standard Delivery in 5-8 days.
- Expedited Delivery in 3-6 days. | <urn:uuid:09f8454a-7c40-4d2c-918d-bb62a3a31448> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.eganesha.in/product/devi-mahatmyam/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.943617 | 218 | 1.5625 | 2 |
The world’s largest cryptocurrency has fallen by about 50% since the beginning of 2021.
CFOTO | Future Publishing | Getty pictures
Bitcoin broke the $ 23,000 threshold for the first time in more than a month, when hopes of an interest rate hike that was less aggressive than feared by the Federal Reserve triggered a easing in cryptocurrencies.
The world’s largest cryptocurrency rose as high as $ 23,800 on Wednesday, up 8% in 24 hours and traded at levels not seen since mid-June. It was last traded at a price of $ 23,330.80, according to Coin Metrics data.
Traders consoled themselves with the prospect of softer political action from the Fed at its next interest rate meeting.
The effects of tighter monetary policy from the US Federal Reserve have weighed heavily on risky assets such as equities and crypto.
Bitcoin is still down by about 50% since the beginning of 2021.
“This is not necessarily the end of the cryptocurrency market, but a relief rally for Bitcoin is long overdue,” said Antoni Trenchev, CEO of cryptocurrency lender Nexo.
“Bitcoin is starting to find its feet after a shaky month, and the next week will show,” Trenchev said.
The US Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates again at its next board meeting, but economists predict a less aggressive increase this time of 75 basis points instead of 100.
Cryptocurrencies were identified as a source of value uncorrelated with traditional financial markets. But as institutional capital flowed into digital assets, this thesis failed to materialize when the Fed began to raise interest rates and traders fled stocks.
A rally above $ 22,700 means that the cryptocurrency has now regained its 200-week moving average, and lays the technical foundation for a “trend reversal”, according to Yuya Hasegawa, crypto market analyst at the Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Bitbank.
“The market needs a little more security to slow down the rate of increase in interest rates from the Fed,” he said. “Still, a short-term outlook for bitcoin is bullish and it could go as high as around $ 29k this week.”
Meanwhile, traders are betting that the worst of an intense market contagion caused by liquidity problems at some large crypto companies has probably subsided.
Digital currencies have been under enormous sales pressure in the last few months, as the collapse of some notable businesses caused ripple effects in the market. Terra, a so-called algorithmic stablecoin, plunged to near zero in May, launching a chain of events that eventually led to the bankruptcies of crypto firms Celsius, Three Arrows Capital and Voyager.
Elsewhere in crypto, ether climbed more than 1% to $ 1,543.76, while other so-called “altcoins” were also higher.
The second largest token has increased by more than 40% in the last seven days, driven by optimism over a long-awaited upgrade of the network known as “Merge”.
Developers now expect the update, which will move ethereum away from environmentally questionable crypto mining operations to a more energy-efficient system, to be completed by 19 September.
“Cryptography has been widely criticized for contributing to climate change due to its energy-intensive nature, and as forest fires are raging across Europe and the United States, the promise that Ether transactions may be less harmful to the environment has caused a surge of interest,” said Susannah. Streeter, senior investment and market analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown. | <urn:uuid:34db0355-03a7-4c65-84f5-44557be5a9eb> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://counttutu.com/bitcoin-btc-climbs-over-23000/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573172.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818063910-20220818093910-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.964672 | 750 | 1.539063 | 2 |
The world is attempting to move towards a more ‘green’ environment to avoid catastrophic climate change. And while this effort has resulted in energy-producing technologies that are more efficient and ‘cleaner’, it has yet to unearth a green energy source (or sources) that can completely fulfil the world’s ever-increasing energy demand.
Despite the negative sentiment against fossil fuels (coal, oil, shale and natural gas), these fuels played a key role in the western world’s industrial development and modernisation. Today, the developing nations of Asia and elsewhere are following the model of Western capitalism and free market economies. The creation of new jobs, wealth and a growing middle class in these regions is creating an exponential increase in energy demand.1 Many of these nations are endowed with indigenous coal resources and are forced to use these resources to meet their energy demands. Unfortunately, most of those opposing the use of these energy sources are merely discussing the problem and its ramifications while an economical solution has yet to emerge.
Even if it were possible, the immediate and complete abolition of fossil fuel use would wreak havoc around the world. Without an immediate source of alternate energy that’s cost-competitive with fossil fuels, baseload electricity and heating costs would skyrocket and millions would remain without power. Electricity supply would be subject to brown outs and power shortages.
Is it is possible to strike a compromise between two contradictory objectives: supplying low-cost energy via fossil fuels, while minimising greenhouse gases (GHG) and other emissions? The answer is a resounding “yes” and has been in development and testing from US-based Clean Coal Technologies Inc. (CCTI). Following several years of research and development, CCTI is preparing to commercialise its Pristine-M™ technology. This new patented technology will enable coal to provide an economical and environmentally ‘cleaner energy bridge’ to the future until alternate energy sources are available to economically satisfy the global demand.
CCTI’s process concepts are built on refining coal before use. Unlike, crude oil or natural gas, coal is used without refining. Refining removes certain inherent pollutants from fossil fuels to produce lower emissions. Crude oil is refined through distillation and fractionation into cleaner-burning products, such as gasoline, diesel, aviation fuels and furnace oils. Natural gas from the wellhead is purified to separate out unwanted hydrocarbons, water vapour, hydrogen sulfide and other gases to produce ‘pipeline quality’ natural gas used by consumers. Typically, however, coal is used as mined, except for washing in a preparation plant – a process that only removes rocks, mineral matter and middlings, but none of coal’s inherent elements, such as organic sulfur, mercury and organic compounds. These elements are converted into hazardous oxides in coal-fired combustors, diluted with large amounts of fluegas. The capture of these dilute pollutants is acostly add-on for coal use.
CCTI’s Pristine-M technology strives to refine coal by removing pollutants from coal before use. Doing so enables pollutants to be captured in their pure, undiluted state and in much smaller volumes for disposal or re-use elsewhere. The Pristine-M technology will eliminate costly post-combustion pollutant removal technologies (such as fluegas scrubbers) and scrubber waste and reduce carbon emissions/MWh. In addition, the technology may be readily modified for other applications, such as biomass torrefaction, gasification feedstocks and coal-to-liquids (CTL) applications. These are described in more detail in the ensuing sections.
Upgrading low rank coals
The bulk of the world’s coal reserves are low rank or sub-bituminous coal.2 Their use has increased over the past few decades owing to their low sulfur content that reduces sulfur gas emissions after combustion. However, their low sulfur content is accompanied by high moisture contents and organically bound metallic elements that produce toxic vapours after combustion, and low heating values compared with bituminous coals. CCTI’s patented Pristine-M process reduces the moisture content of low-rank coals, while also stabilising and sealing the treated coals to prevent moisture re-absorptions and spontaneous combustion. The process also increases the heating value of low-rank coals to values comparable with bituminous coals.
Carbon emissions reduction
In a typical coal boiler, 18 – 20% of the coal’s volatile matter is sufficient to sustain combustion. With coals containing mid to high volatile matter, the excess volatile matter is combusted in the different combustion zones in the boiler to ensure conversion into carbon dioxide and other products of combustion. With coal treated by the Pristine-M process, the volatile matter content in coal is reduced to a level just sufficient to sustain combustion. This results in lower carbon dioxide emissions along with near-zero emissions of other pollutants.
Clean feedstocks for coal gasification and CTL
Coal gasification is an innovative method to convert coal into electricity, hydrogen and other valuable products. Even within a single geological formation, coal differs in its inherent characteristics, i.e. moisture, ash, sulfur, carbon content, etc. Gasification costs are influenced by the variability of the coal, its moisture content and inherent pollutants that require both the drying of the coal before the gasifier inlet and the cleanup of the syngas after the gasifier outlet. The Pristine-M process may be modified to produce the ‘ideal’ coal feedstock to a gasifier that promises minimum variations in coal quality with near zero levels of moisture and pollutants. The costly operations of coal drying and syngas cleanup in coal gasification are thereby avoided. This in turn simplifies the design, footprint, operation and cost of coal gasifiers and the subsequent production of liquids from coal.
Coal fines utilisation
All coal preparation plants must discard coal below a certain size – termed coal fines. These fines often contain high heating values with low ash contents, but their top size and size distribution prevents their use in coal sales to utilities. Consequently, they are discarded into tailing ponds where they become contaminated with fine ash from preparation plants and flyash from combustors. According to studies at the US National Energy Technology Laboratory, over 2 billion short t of coal fines lie in tailing ponds east of the Mississippi River.3 In addition, about 50 million short tpy are produced from coal preparation plants. These fines are considered a sociological, ecological and environmental hazard.
Several methodologies have been proposed for the recovery of coal fines.4 However, none to date has attracted much commercial interest, likely due to factors associated with fine coal use, including storage, handling and transport. In addition costs are associated with moisture removal and the potential need to briquette fine coal in order to produce a coal suitable for handling and transport with existing coal handling systems. The Pristine-M technology may be used to convert these fines at a coal preparation plant (before being discarded into tailing ponds) into value-added products, instead of a waste-stream. These value-added products include feedstocks for pulverised coal injection in the iron and steel industry, in electric arc furnaces and for activated carbon manufacture.5
Co-firing biomass with coal is a potential pathway for coal-fired power plants to reduce carbon emissions but, due to limitations in existing boiler designs (heat transfer patterns, combustion air requirements), the amount of biomass that can be co-fired with coal is around 15%. Technologies are under development to convert biomass into a high-density fuel to offset the limitations of biomass combustion and co-firing with coal. At present, torrefaction is one of the technologies that appear commercially viable where biomass is heated to around 550°F in a near-inert atmosphere for 30 – 60 min. The Pristine process may be used to torrify biomass, but with significantly lower process times. The resulting product is biomass fuel with properties similar to coal and significantly higher energy densities than the original biomass, making it a potential fuel for co-firing with higher blend levels.
Some test results are shown on Table 1 to depict the type of moisture and volatile matter reductions and increase in heating values that may be obtained by the process.
These results are provided primarily for guidance and information and should not be construed as definite, due to the variability of the feed coal samples used in the process. End results displayed by the product coals can be adjusted to suit the requirements of individual customers by changing process parameters. CCTI plans to conduct extended tests (12 – 16 hr duration) to obtain several samples of data under similar conditions for statistical evaluation and validation. Along with these tests are tests for the optimisation of the various operating parameters pertaining to the process.
Pristine™ process description
CCTI’s Pristine™ process extracts moisture and volatile matter from coal through staged heating in specially designed heating chambers. The heating chambers are infused with inert gases, primarily fluegases, nitrogen and steam to keep oxygen levels below 5% to avoid coal combustion. Non-condensable gases are recovered and combusted to produce process heat, while condensable gases are recovered as light oils and heavy tars.
Three major challenges are associated with drying low rank coal:
- The tendency of the dried coal to re-absorb moisture.
- The tendency of the dried coal to become friable, resulting in excessive fines production during the transport and handling of the dried coal.
- The coal becomes prone to spontaneous combustion.
CCTI has succeeded in all three areas. The feed coal, which requires no pulverisation, retains most of its initial size distribution, and, consequently, the final product requires no briquetting or pelletising.
CCTI’s Pristine-M process is a continuous process comprised of three separate stages. This is depicted in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Process flow of the Pristine-M™ Process.
The first stage comprises a dryer using a technology to maintain optimal heat exchange with a minimal footprint. Drying takes place at a temperature calibrated to remove moisture from the feed coal to the desired level – usually 10%. When excessive fines (i.e., coal particles with mean particle size < ¼ in.), are present in the feed coal, the fines may be processed separately or combusted to provide process heat, whichever option proves to be economically most feasible for the specific application.
In the second stage of the process, a slipstream of the demoisturised coal from the dryer is (usually 5 – 10%) removed from the main flow and sent to a devolatiser. The devolatiser operates at 750 – 850°F to devolatise the slipstream of coal. All evolved gases are sent to the third stage (the stabiliser), while all non-condensable gases are combusted for process heat. The process is optimised to produce only enough gases and vapours for process heat and for stabilising the demoisturised coal. The product from the devolatiser may be blended back with the demoisturised and stabilised coal, if desired.
In the third stage, the volatile matter is fed into a specially designed vessel that allows the volatile matter to be absorbed and adsorbed into the pores of demoisturised coal from the first stage. Volatile vapours penetrate into coal pores voided by the loss of moisture, as well as coat the surface of the coal. This action seals the surface of the coal, thereby preventing any moisture reabsorption, spontaneous combustion and any tendency to disintegrate. Tests conducted indicate that coal samples treated by the Pristine process have survived for over six months outdoors, unsheltered, without reabsorption of moisture or any spontaneous combustion. This is sufficient to indicate that the treated coals can sustain typical ocean or surface transportation and storage periods in coal yards.
Pilot unit design, construction and testing
Following several years of R&D, CCTI contracted with a leading US Fortune500 company to design, build and test a prototype of their process at approximately 1/10th commercial scale. The commercial design is centred on the use of 30 short t/hr modules that operate continuously at atmospheric pressure. They are configured to operate independently and in parallel to each other, thereby allowing individual modules to be taken offline for scheduled/unscheduled maintenance or unplanned breakdowns without interruption to the other modules. Additional capacity, as and when required, is provided through additional modules. By incorporating commercially available off-the-shelf components, the design avoids the need for custom-built equipment that adds to the capital cost of the plant.
“CCTI recently completed the construction of its second pilot facility located in Shady Point, Oklahoma, US. Figures 2, 3, and 4 show different views of the pilot plant together with personnel to show its relative size. The plant is controlled and operated through a sophisticated process control system that adjusts plant parameters in real time to accommodate varying feed coal quality and optimise production.
Figure 2. Moisture removed from coal released as steam in CCTI’s pilot plant.
Figure 3. Clean upgraded low-rank coal discharged from a conveyor belt.
Figure 4. The east end view of CCTI’s pilot plant.
Tests are being conducted with a coal from the Powder River Basin. Once sufficient data has been collected on this facility, its design will be reviewed, updated and scaled up to a 30 short t/hr commercial module. The commercial module will be replicated in a commercial facility to accommodate higher throughputs.
The pilot facility will be kept operational for quick tests on new coals to determine operating parameters for the commercial module(s).References
- 'Energy Issues in Asia and the Pacific', Asian Development Bank.
- 'Annual Coal Report', The US Energy Information Administration, Washington, D.C. USA., (23 March 2016).
- HARRISON, C.D. and AKERS, D. J., 'Coal Fines: Resource of the Future', The National Energy Technology Laboratory, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
- 'Opportunities for Fine Coal Utilization, Profiles' IEA Clean Coal Center, No. 11/7 (September 2011).
- The Coal Resource, The World Coal Association.
About the author: Robin Eves is President and CEO of Clean Coal Technologies Inc.
Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/special-reports/08062016/clean-green-and-pristine-clean-coal-technologies-robin-eves-2016-918/ | <urn:uuid:0e3ac564-bb5b-4c67-8f2a-6673ba88f3a4> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.worldcoal.com/special-reports/08062016/clean-green-and-pristine-clean-coal-technologies-robin-eves-2016-918/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.921974 | 3,069 | 3.4375 | 3 |
Tree planting and care
How to grow healthy, beautiful trees
Many people think that trees will grow and be healthy without our help, but for trees to thrive, we must care for them. Read thoroughly these tree planting and care instructions below, and watch our Urban Forestry team’s video “How To Properly Plant A Tree” on YouTube. And before planting, check out our Urban Tree Species Guide, a handbook for choosing the right tree for the right place.
Whenever possible, schedule your planting during the dormant season, when trees are not actively growing. Dormancy is from the time trees shed their leaves in fall until new growth appears in spring. Fall planting is best since the roots have more time to become established before leaves emerge. Planting may be extended through spring if trees are watered regularly. Current techniques for tree planting require preparation of a large planting bed with favorable conditions for root growth. Using a shovel or tiller, loosen the soil to a depth of 12 inches in an area three times the diameter of the root ball. Organic matter such as compost or peat moss may be mixed throughout the planting bed at this time, if needed.
Dig a shallow hole in the middle of the bed so that the top of the root ball will sit level with or slightly higher than the surrounding ground. Remove wires and ropes from balled and burlapped trees, and also the “fabric” if it is made from a material that will not decay. Lift containerized plants from the pot, then cut any circling roots by making four or five vertical slits along the sides of the rootball. Be careful to keep roots from drying out.
Place the tree in the shallow hole. Backfill with soil from the planting area, watering and firming to settle air pockets. Mulch with bark, leaves, wood chips or pine straw 3 to 4 inches deep to conserve moisture and reduce weed growth. Be sure that the mulch does not touch the tree trunk.
Organic fertilizers, such as cow manure, or fertilizers with little or no nitrogen may be used at planting, but those with a significant nitrogen content should not be used until one year after planting. Chicken manure is also quite high in nitrogen and may damage the tree.
Do not prune except to remove dead or broken branches. Staking is only necessary if the tree starts to lean or is subject to high winds. Stake with soft, flexible ties but not so tightly that the tree cannot bend with the wind. Be sure to remove the ties at the end of one growing season.
The limiting factor for tree growth is often lack of adequate water. Water newly planted trees every week to ten days, unless there is sufficient rainfall, during the first two growing seasons. Established trees should be watered at the first sign of wilting or when the top 12″ of soil is dry.
A good slow soaking over several hours is best, and may be done with an oscillating sprinkler or a soaker hose, starting at the trunk and extending beyond the furthest branch spread. Don’t overwater – too much water can kill a tree by eliminating the air from the soil. The soil should not stay saturated, but have time to dry out between waterings.
Fertilization aids in maintaining tree vigor, promoting new growth, and overcoming insect, disease, or wound problems. Small, yellow-green leaves, sparse foliage, or leaves dropping early may be indicators of the need for fertilization. Fertilization is not a “cure-all” for declining trees, but may be used to complement other tree maintenance activities.
The ideal time to fertilize is late winter or early spring just before the leaves begin expanding. Fertilization may continue until mid-July. Avoid fertilization late in the growing season which may stimulate a flush of new growth that would be susceptible to damage by an early frost. Fertilizer should always be applied to moist soil to improve uptake and to reduce the chance of root injury. If soil is dry, irrigate prior to fertilization.
A soil test is best for determining the amount of fertilizer to apply, especially in coastal areas where soils may be high in phosphorus. For most areas, the following guidelines based on the distance to the edge of the branches may be used for fertilizing established trees.
Step 1 – Measure the distance from the trunk to the edge of the branch spread; this is the crown radius.
Step 2 – Use the table below to determine the amount of fertilizer to apply. Find the crown radius in the left column, then look in the appropriate column for the type of fertilizer that you are using to determine how many pounds of the fertilizer to apply. An 18-5-11 type fertilizer would have the best ratio of Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potassium, 16-4-8 is considered good, and 12-6-6 is acceptable.
If the area under the branches is restricted by sidewalks or driveways, or the root system has been damaged by construction, the rate should be reduced by an equal percentage to avoid damage to the tree.
Table 1. Fertilizer application rate
|Crown Radius (feet)||Best|
Pounds 18-5-11 to apply
Pounds 16-4-8 to apply
Pounds 12-6-6 to apply
Apply fertilizer to the soil surface, starting 2 to 3 feet from the trunk and extending several feet beyond the furthest branch tip. If the soil is compacted or grass is present, drill holes in the soil to apply the fertilizer.
The drill hole method requires that holes be dug in a 2 foot by 2 foot grid pattern starting 2 to 3 feet from the trunk and extending slightly beyond the edge of the branches. Holes should be 8-12″ deep and 1 -2″ in diameter, and may be made with a fertilizing auger, pipe, broom handle or tire tool. To avoid damaging the roots, mix fertilizer with an equal amount of peat or other organic material and stay at least 6″ from small plants. The total amount of fertilizer should be divided evenly among the holes. The increased amount of air available to the roots is often as beneficial as the fertilizer.
Use of lawn fertilizers which contain herbicides for broadleaf weed control will cause tree damage or mortality. Do not use herbicide-type fertilizers or soil sterilants in the area beneath the branches of trees.
Arborists frequently apply liquid fertilizer through a probe into the soil which results in faster uptake by the trees, and a more visible response. Injecting or implanting fertilizer into the trunk is useful for specific nutrient deficiencies or where root area is limited. Since injection and implants require holes to be drilled into the tree, their use should be limited to special applications.
Pruning is probably the most neglected tree maintenance practice, yet it’s vital to tree health. Pruning adds strength, beauty and value to trees. Avoid the need for excessive pruning by planting the right species. Begin to prune while the tree is young, removing problems while they are small. Pruning of large trees which requires climbing or the removal of heavy limbs should be left to skilled arborists.
- What to prune:
- Dead, diseased, or broken branches are hosts for decay organisms and should be removed promptly. When pruning diseased branches, dip the pruners in household bleach or rubbing alcohol before storing or making the next cut.
- Double leaders or branches that fork at a narrow angle are more likely to split. Ideally, the branch angle should be at 10 or 2 o’clock. When pruning, leave branches with wide angles.
- Reduce the weight of long, heavy horizontal branches which are more likely to break, especially those over your home or where property damage or personal injury is likely to occur.
- Remove nuisance growth. Prune to remove low limbs over sidewalks and roads which limit their use or present a safety hazard. Remove branches that may interfere with utility lines in the future.
- Remove sprouts and suckers at the base of the tree or inside the crown that are upright and grow rapidly.
- When to prune:
The best time to prune live limbs is during late winter or early spring before leaves emerge. Avoid pruning when leaves are expanding since this is more likely to cause heavy bleeding. Prune dead and dying limbs as soon as you notice them; prompt pruning prevents the spread of decay and cavity development.Flowering and fruiting can be encouraged through pruning. Trees that bloom in spring (dogwood and flowering fruit trees) should be pruned when flowers fade. Trees that bloom in summer (crape myrtle) should be pruned during the winter.
- How to prune:
Step 1 – Cut the branch from underneath about a foot from the trunk to prevent stripping or peeling the bark off.
Step 2 – A couple inches further from the main trunk, make the cut from the top down to remove the branch.
Step 3 – Locate the branch collar, a layer of wrinkled bark where the branch attaches to the trunk. Make the final cut just outside of the branch collar, at a slight downward and outward angle. Do not cut into the collar or leave a stub.When shortening a small branch, prune just outside of a bud or another branch that faces the direction of desired growth, usually towards the outside of the crown. One-handed pruning shears with curved blades work best on small limbs; use a saw for larger ones.Avoid making a cut that leaves a wound over 4″ in diameter since these take longer to callus over. Do not paint the pruning cut. Research shows that wound dressings are not effective in preventing decay or rot.Never remove over one-third of the crown at one time. This ensures that the tree always has enough leaves to manufacture its food.
Don’t top trees. “Topping” is the reduction in size of a tree by severely cutting back the crown. Topping results in weakly attached branches and large wounds. Instead of topping, begin to prune while the tree is young, and make all pruning cuts where branches fork.
Wounds, cavities, cables and bracing
Wounds are openings in the bark that expose trees to insect and disease attack. Be careful not to wound trees with lawn mowers, string-type weed trimmers, vehicles or heavy equipment, improper pruning, or any other cause. If trees are wounded, remove all loose bark and cut off any wood protruding from the wound. As when pruning, there is no need to paint the wound, since this has not been proven to prevent decay. Stimulate tree growth by fertilizing, watering, and pruning – this will help the wound to callus rapidly.
Prevent cavities from developing by pruning out dead, diseased or broken limbs. Filling cavities will not stop decay from spreading, or strengthen a tree. Filling a cavity may provide support for callus tissue so it will not “roll” inward. Generally, it’s best to leave cavity work to trained arborists. If a cavity has structurally weakened a tree, support from cables or mechanical rods may be needed. Branches with cavities should be removed if the natural shape of the tree can be maintained.
Cable bracing is the use of flexible steel support cables in or between trees to prevent breakage of branches weakened by decay, narrow forks, large, heavy limbs or breakage during high winds. Avoid the need for cable bracing by pruning as the tree grows. Rod bracing should be used where decay has developed, where a fork has split, or to hold rubbing branches together or apart. Cable and rod bracing are recommended for high value trees where personal injury or property damage is likely, and should be left to professionals.
Insect and Disease Pests
Insect and disease pests often attack trees which are already under stress or weakened. Drought, improper planting, and disturbance of the root system through digging or addition of soil to the root area can make trees more susceptible to attack. Find out why the tree is weak and treat the primary cause of stress.
Examine your trees regularly, looking for anything out of the ordinary: sap coming out of the bark, bark falling off, decaying wood, holes in the bark or leaves, leaves changing color early, and swellings or sunken areas on branches or the trunk. Mushrooms at the base of a tree can indicate root rot. Try to identify the cause of the symptom. Not all pests require control measures, and some have no practical control.
Always identify the pest before applying “sprays” to control it. A good fungicide will never control an insect population. If you cannot diagnose a problem, get professional assistance from a local nurseryman, professional arborist, the SC Forestry Commission, or Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service. | <urn:uuid:949c3341-f65a-4485-8d7f-2c4ab8c307c2> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.scfc.gov/management/urban-forestry/urban-tree-care-resources/tree-planting-and-care/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.920216 | 2,837 | 3.375 | 3 |
All box turtles get their names from their ability to wholly enfold themselves into their shell, with a hinged section closing in front to safeguard their defenseless head.
This one of the species that is very difficult to keep as a pet, as compared to others. We would instead not recommend it to ‘newbie' pet keepers. However, they are stunning and tempting to take home as a pet, "from experience they are best for photography only, and to be left right where they were found," advises Reptile Magazine
Physical description and appearance
Eastern box turtle has a high-domed, rounded carapace (hard upper shell). It also has a hinged plastron (underside of the shell) that enables it to close the carapace fully. Typically, this reptile is black or brown with streaks or spots of red, yellow, orange white. This distinguishes it from other box turtles.
According to the National Zoo website, “its distinct coloring camouflages it among the damp earth, fallen leaves and other debris found on the floor of moderately moist forests.”
The exact skin color usually varies from one turtle to another. “In certain isolated populations, male turtles may sport blue patches on their cheeks, throat and front legs” notes Boxturtles.com.
Also, it has resolute legs with five toes in their front feet but has four toes in the hind feet (or, atypically, three toes) – this is another factor that distinguishes these subspecies from other box turtles. Their feet are to some extent webbed.
Also, they have a sharp-horned beak and a hooked upper jaw.
Averagely, they grow to 4.5 to 6 inches. However, specimens over 7 inches have been met. They are larger than other turtle boxes.
Sexing eastern box turtle
Conferring with thesprucepets.com, “it can be difficult to sex box turtles unless comparing males and females side by side.”
Generally, males are larger with shorter, thicker tails than females. Males possess short, thick, curved hind claws while the females have long, straight and thin rear nails.
Again, the plastron is somewhat concave in males and flatter in females. However, the carapace tends to be more arched in females than in males. Also, the males tend to possess more multi-colored patterns on the forelegs.
Reproduction and development
Customarily, these turtles take a longer time to mature. Many mature from the age of 5 to 6 years. The females can store sperms in the oviducts for four years, and thus, single mating enables the females to produce viable eggs for several years.
Habitually, the male and female will mate between May and October. The eggs are laid in a hole about 4 inches deep, and females dig these flask-shaped holes in warm places exposed to the sun.
Their reproduction cycle is somehow slow since they lay 2 to 6 eggs, and only a few will hatch and among the hatchlings, only a few will survive to maturity. Predators such as raccoons, snakes, skunks, and other medium-sized mammals will usually prey on the eggs.
To protect their eggs, after laying them in a hole, they then cover them with hutches and even soft sands. Usually, the incubation period ranges from two to three weeks.
Eastern turtle lifespan
These turtles usually live between 40 to 60 years. However, those that have a lifespan exceeding 100 years have been encountered in the wild. Honestly, if eastern box turtles are not afforded good care, food, and habitat, they will die much younger than 40 years!
Distribution, habitat, and dangers
They are often found in the eastern United States from Maine to Florida, Great Lakes region and Texas. Other places include eastern Kansas, Oklahoma and around the Atlantic Ocean, all in the eastern United States.
They are predominantly terrestrial and live in a variety of vegetative areas. These include shrubby grasslands, marshy meadows, open woodlands, and field forest edges. Most of the time, you will find them near ponds, streams or areas with heavy rainfall.
When the weather changes, i.e. when the temperature rises, they will cool off by bathing in puddles and shallow streams. They could also burrow in mud for some days to avoid the heat.
According to The Nature Conservancy, “although this species is found throughout much of the eastern part of the U.S., the population is in steady decline due to habitat destruction and fragmentation, and the species is listed under special concern in many states.”
The species also decline due to road mortality, exhaustive recreational activities, and being picked as pets. Many states have strengthened their wildlife laws to help stop people from collecting wild turtles for a pet.
Behaviors and hibernation
These sensitive reptiles will retract in their shells as the first sign of danger. They would do that until they start to feel safe.
They usually have a home range equivalent to two football fields. This often changes frequently depending on the population and how favorable the habitat is. They live together and show no conflict with each other.
Although bellicosity between individuals is exceptional, contending males will fight each other as they bite each other’s shells.
According to Pennsylvania State University, their directionality movement is ‘one way’ and quite energetically directional! Therefore, if you rescue a box turtle crossing a road, please put it over on the side to which it was heading!
During summers, these animals are most active early in the morning or after rainfalls. When the temperature rises, they will shelter themselves in cool areas such as under logs, leave piles, mud, loose soil or uninhibited mammal holes.
During spring, these turtles will be an active day long and usually would bask in the sun to warm themselves.
Those in the southern region will be active throughout the winter. However, in the northern area where the temperature could be too cold, they would find hibernaculum (places where they can insulate). They will become lethargic and enter brumation or hibernation.
The period usually begins in October or November and stops in April when they surface again. “As temperatures fall in the autumn, eastern box turtles enter into hibernation (usually starting in October or November),” confirms the Pennsylvania State University
Eastern box turtle diet
These are wily omnivores that feed on various plants, fruits, vegetables, earthworms, mushrooms, berries, spiders, frogs, snails, lizards, insects, fish, small amphibians and animal carrion among others.
“Younger box turtles grow rapidly and tend to be preferentially carnivorous (for the needed energy), “ notes the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. The young ones will spend most of them in water since it is easier to hunt here.
They will finally move to land between five and six years when they mature and shift to more herbivores diet.
Some of the mushrooms they feed on are very toxic, and anyone who will eat a turtle who has just eaten these mushrooms is exposed to the health risks.
Eastern box turtle pet care and housing
As much as you may love to keep it as a pet, you must review the wildlife laws in your state since, catching, buying or keeping turtles found in the wild could be illegal in your area.
They are flexible and adaptable reptiles, but this does not mean that they are easy to keep in captivity. For proper eastern box turtle care, explore the following insights:
Typically, they should be kept outdoors. However, large indoor areas will as well be satisfactory if it will get sufficient light, artificial UVA and UVB light using Zoo Med Aquatic Turtle UVB Heat Lighting Kit or any other efficient brand. They require full-spectrum light for the production of Vitamin D3.
Box turtles should also be allowed to adjust their body temperature of their own. They can achieve this by moving to various parts of the enclosure.
In the enclosure, a sunny area (with a temperature range of 29-30° C) should be combined with a cooler shaded area (with a temperature range of 24-26° C) for temperature regulation.
The cooler area should have a moist area where the animals can submerge to cool themselves. The trick here is to try to mimic the natural environment.
Feeding the turtle
They prefer a natural diet for your pet. Try to provide her with similar when in captivity. Plants, insects, fruits, mushrooms, etc. will still do well. However, more importantly, provide your pet with a diet rich in 50% protein, 40% vegetables and fruits, and 10% dark leafy greens.
Don’t forget, clean water for drinking should always be available for the turtles. If you are uncertain about the appropriate diet, you can contact a vet or professionals from a nearby local turtle store.
Health problems in captivity
Usually, when in captivity, they are often disposed to respiratory problems due to changes in the environment. Symptoms including runny or blocked nose labored breathing, and foams are appearing around mouth and nostrils is an indication of a too dry environment.
However, proper and continued eastern box care will improve the conditions of our pets within days. You can seek medical assistance from your veterinarian in case of severe or prolonged health symptoms in your pet. | <urn:uuid:6b9f9a30-a056-4735-9501-2770f6ce9616> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.officialgoldenretriever.com/wp-content/cache/wp-rocket/www.officialgoldenretriever.com/blog/turtle/eastern-box-turtle-distribution-habitat-diet-and-pet/index.html_gzip | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.959474 | 1,976 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Below’s What Nobody Tells You Around Staircase Lift.
A staircase lift is essentially a movable mechanical device, typically those made for helping physically disabled individuals, to move up and down stairs. Usually for staircases that go to least four trips high, there is a barrier affixed to them. There may additionally be handrails which are for maintaining the wheelchair user’s feet under the railing. Around five trips high, the stairway lifts have grab bars. One or more ramps can be fitted on the stair situations. For suitably wide staircases, there is normally a handrail affixed to both the treads and the railing.
For suitably big stairways, there is frequently a handrail connected to both the rail and the hand rails. The handrail is placed before and also somewhat below the seat on the staircase lift. This permits the person using the stairway lift to securely sit while on the lift. A hand rails and a railing enable the stair lift individual to sit upright, while balancing on the handrail. Sometimes, the hand rails can likewise keep the barrier when the customer is out the chair. stair lift seat
Many stair lifts are powered either by electrical energy or by mechanical means. Those designed for use by wheelchair customers are controlled either by the wheelchair itself or by an operator or guide who can be hired or purchased. Sometimes chairs are contributed to all-time low of the staircase raises to make them extra mobile. There are separate controls for the lift for the person, the chair and also occasionally the person strolling along the barrier with the wheelchair is called for to run the control from either end.
Straight and also bent staircase lift styles for property usage vary in the extent of their wheelchair. The straight models are the most preferred. In these kinds, the whole stairs is enclosed, which indicates that not only do they give a degree of safety for those in wheelchairs, however they likewise prevent traffic from encountering angles or spins in the stairways themselves. These types of stair lifts are frequently offered in right, normal, curved as well as at times also leaf models.
Bent mobility device lifts are developed to fit seamlessly with the stairs in addition to with the bordering residence setting. They are one of the most adaptable alternative readily available in regards to style, although they need even more upkeep than straight versions. When buying rounded stair lift designs for your home, remember that they can be installed in any kind of direction, either up, down or sideways. The seat will certainly curve a little to accommodate the wheelchair occupant.
If you have a straight stairway lift yet wish to have even more adaptability with the positioning of the lift as well as the range it can go up and down the staircases, you might think about installing a seat lift. Seat lifts are easy to mount and set you back significantly less than the various other alternatives. In lots of models, the guest sits in a reclined setting. Nonetheless, if your stairs are not at a low sufficient grade to conveniently fit a chair lift, you can install them with a foot rest for additional assistance and comfort. levator youtube stair lift
Safety and security functions can consist of railing that assistance protect against a person from slipping off and ending up being stuck, safety and security sensing units and also the ability to increase or decrease the lift at your own discernment. For individuals that might not be as mobile as others, using a hands-on elevator is extremely recommended. These lifts are generally powered by electric motors that need you to push a button to rise or descend a set of stairs and also for some models, there is an option to enter or leave the lift with using a button. For disabled people who find themselves alone, it is often best to select a staircase lift that includes its own lift chair, permitting them to securely go up or down the lift on their own.
Keep in mind that the cost of a stair lift will depend heavily on the producer as well as the kind you acquire. If you are planning on installing it yourself, you should understand that the typical expense of installation will certainly range from a couple hundred dollars to well over a thousand. However, because this is one of one of the most technologically sophisticated tools for stairway lifts, several producers offer assured installation for their products. Furthermore, particular models come with a service warranty that allows you to return the thing if it is not working appropriately. Ultimately, it will certainly help you exceptionally if you can get a recommendation or 2 from close friends or household who have set up stairway lifts prior to.
A staircase lift is primarily a device for relocating people, usually those with mobility handicaps, up and down stairs. Normally, for staircases that are at least 3 flights high (the staircases are usually more than the step), there is a rail affixed to each walk. The rail overlaps the complete length of the staircases and also is raised either by machinery or by a person. Generally, a wheelchair or other training device is attached to the bottom rail. Stairway lifts can be either motorized or hands-on.
To operate a stairway lift, the individual using it pushes the chair or balancing system against the stairway lift rail. The chair will then move up and down the rail on its own power, thanks to foot pedals or engine power. The speed of the chair will rely on the force applied by the customer. This force can be modified with the use of hand controls or by drawing a cable. An individual can likewise move the chair up and down using power instead of his feet.
Hands-on staircase lifts can be classified into 2 main kinds: straight rail as well as inclined rails. The straight rail system is normally installed on the wall in front of the staircase lift, while the inclined system can be set up inside the house or any other framework. In straight rail systems, the rails are laid flat. The rounded side rails are placed at normal intervals to ensure that the lift does not obtain hung up or misaligned. attery replacement stair lift
Another kind of stairlift is the portable stair lift, which is essentially a ladder with a track for the stairlift to run upon. This kind of stairlift can be put into a number of different settings. Many are put on wheels to enable simple placement around numerous corners as well as stairs. A few even come geared up with a swivel chair that can turn 180 levels, making it much easier to go from one side of a room to one more. These types of lifts, nevertheless, are not as comfortable as the others. | <urn:uuid:9a57f621-6746-4bf2-89f1-3f101c2aff56> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.linkrunway.com/2021/08/31/belows-what-nobody-tells-you-around-staircase-lift/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.962017 | 1,335 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Our Education Materials
Science, technology, engineering, art, and math work together to make learning fun in these STEAM lessons!
Perfect for Makerspace!
This second grade teacher resource book includes:
- A year’s worth of teacher lesson plans
- STEAM design challenges that turn elementary students into inventors
- Easy-to-follow lesson format (with standards identified for each lesson)
- Classroom-tested lessons
The STEAM Design Challenges in this book follow engineering practices to teach students in Grade 2 to solve a problem by designing, creating, and justifying their designs. They also allow art to support and enhance the learning of science and math while the engineering process is followed. | <urn:uuid:5a013807-b5dd-4616-a840-9e15675afc51> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.steamdreamers.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572833.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817001643-20220817031643-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.935078 | 144 | 4.15625 | 4 |
MBG Madagascar’s Chris Birkinshaw and Dinasoa Tahirinirainy describe exciting, preliminary results from a forest restoration experiment in highland Madagascar.
A small number of forest restoration projects in Madagascar routinely inoculate the tree seedlings in their nurseries with a homemade mycorrhizal inoculum. While the nurserymen are convinced that this technique promotes growth and survival of tree seedlings, there seems to be no published data objectively demonstrating these positive outcomes. In an effort to provide the evidence to justify investment in this technique, we designed a simple experiment that will compare the survival and growth under four treatments of young plants of six native trees planted in grassland adjacent to the Ankafobe Forest on the central Malagasy highlands.
Table – Four experimental treatments to test the effects of mulch and mycorrhizal inoculum on native tree seedling growth in highland Madagascar
|Mulched||Treatment 1||Treatment 2|
|Not mulched||Treatment 3||Treatment 4 (control)|
In our experiment, fifteen seedlings of each of six native tree species will be grown under each of the four treatments listed above. The mycorrhizal inoculum was made by filling a pit (150 cm long × 50 cm wide × 30 cm deep) lined with sacks with topsoil collected from around the roots of three native tree species, then growing maize and beans in this soil for three months before cutting these plants down and letting the substrate dry out for two weeks. The substrate remaining in the pit is the inoculum and was used by adding one tablespoon to each seedling container.
The tree seedlings that received mycorrhizal enrichment were inoculated in November 2017, and all of the seedlings were otherwise grown under the same conditions in the nursery until January 2018 when they were planted out into an experimental plot at Ankafobe. Half of the tree seedlings were surrounded by a thick layer of grass-based mulch (~30-cm deep). The comparison of seedling performance with and without the addition of mulch is interesting because of the possibility that mulch helps to maintain a relatively cool and moist environment in which the mycorrhizae can flourish.
Table – Mean difference in tree seedling height (cm) between seedlings inoculated versus not inoculated with homemade mycorrhizae, after two months in the nursery (N = 30 seedlings per species).
|Species||Inoculated seedling height||Non-inoculated seedling height||t||p1|
|Aphloia theiformis||29.5 ± 10.2||33.4 ± 6.5||-1.75||1.0000|
|Baronia tarantana||18.1 ± 6.1||11.4 ± 3.5||5.21||<0.0001|
|Brachylaena ramiflora||27.2 ± 6.0||31.8 ± 6.5||-2.87||1.0000|
|Craspidospermum verticillatum||43.0 ± 5.9||42.6 ± 3.7||0.37||1.0000|
|Macaranga alnifolia||34.8 ± 8.6||39.2 ± 5.2||-2.43||1.0000|
|Uapaca densifolia||23.0 ± 7.9||11.5 ± 2.6||7.58||<0.0001|
1 t and p values are from a one-tailed student’s t-test asking whether inoculated seedling height was greater than non-inoculated seedling height. P values are adjusted for multiple comparisons with Bonferroni correction.
Although we plan to measure seedling survival and growth 12 months from the time when they were planted (i.e., in January 2019), we were interested to see that for two of the species the height of inoculated seedlings was significantly greater than the height of non-inoculated seedlings after a mere two months in the nursery. On average, inoculated seedlings of Baronia tarantana are 1.6× taller than non-inoculated seedlings; while the seedlings of Uapaca densifolia are a full 2× taller. For the other species there was no significant difference between the height of the inoculated and non-inoculated plants. | <urn:uuid:d56f8ca0-5832-47ff-9bd6-3690a2fc7f5e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://mbgecologicalrestoration.wordpress.com/2018/02/27/homemade-mycorrhizal-inoculum-improves-seedling-growth-for-some-native-malagasy-trees/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.930517 | 940 | 3.5 | 4 |
It turns out that the widely-reported news story about those three missing Ukrainian military dolphins (you know, the ones “trained to attack enemy combat swimmers using special knives or pistols fixed to their heads“) was actually a hoax. I had my doubts about this story from the start — for one thing, why would enemy combat swimmers have special dolphin-friendly weapons attached to their heads? And wouldn’t a dolphin’s lack of hands make it difficult to fire a gun?
Unfortunately, the only part of the story that was a hoax was the part about the dolphins escaping — there actually is a Ukrainian program to arm dolphins and train them to attack. This is terrible. Have these people never seen a 1970s-era science fiction movie? Even if you ignore all the ethical considerations, teaching other species to kill us is not a good idea.
Speaking of other species trying to kill us, there’s been another armed-dog attack in Florida. I know, I know — this hardly seems newsworthy; dogs shoot people in Florida all the time. But these incidents seem to be escalating. In 2004, a puppy shot a man in Pensacola — but the man was shooting puppies at the time, so it was self-defense. Then in 2011, a 78-year-old Tampa hunter was shot by his dog in what appears to have been an impulsive, spur-of-the-moment attack (witnesses said that the dog was “overly excited”). This latest case, however, must have been premeditated. A dog in central Florida shot his owner with a gun that the man thought was unloaded. This can only mean one thing: the dog planned the attack in advance and loaded the gun when the man wasn’t looking.
One thing I really like about my cats is that they’ve never tried to kill me. This week, they participated in a science experiment — someone on YouTube noticed that his cat reacted to an optical illusion and wondered whether other people’s cats did as well. Here’s that original video:
If you click through to YouTube, there’s also a questionnaire to fill out if you try it with your own cat.
I made two videos in response: this one shows that Seffie probably doesn’t see the illusion, since she ignores it in favor of another picture:
This one proves conclusively that my cats are adorable:
I’ve decided to move this blog back to wordpress.com. That means that the blog will be down briefly this weekend, and if you’re getting blog posts by email, you may get an email invitation that you’ll need to click on in order to resubscribe (or you can just go to unlikelyexplanations.com after the move and subscribe there). Sorry for the inconvenience, but moving back will mean I can spend more time writing posts and less time managing the blog. | <urn:uuid:9f34603a-2bc6-4321-857e-20b3fefe697f> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://unlikelyexplanations.com/2013/03/14/good-news-heavily-armed-killer-dolphins-are-not-out-to-get-you-yet/?replytocom=13160 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571198.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810161541-20220810191541-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.970425 | 613 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Q.R. — A mob of angry residents threatened to set fire to a house where a group of vandals were hiding. It took the intervention of the National Guard to calm the group.
The incident was reported in the Mayan community of Tepich. Area residents say they are tired of the crime and lack of police support to stop it. Taking matters into their own hands, they closed the main roadway to flush out the group of known troublemakers.
The group of youths then fled inside a house, which is when residents threatened to set it on fire in an attempt to deal with the criminals themselves. Neighbors told elements of the National Guard that the group, who call themselves the Sur 13 gang, are known criminals in the area.
On the night of the incident, they are said to have shot up the outside of one business, looted another and threw rocks at a taxi, causing damage to that as well. When police failed to respond, the group were chased by locals and the National Guard called in to intervein.
Police did eventually arrive to arrest those responsible. | <urn:uuid:be6021aa-13f1-4757-ad35-d2268c2d6da5> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.riviera-maya-news.com/residents-threaten-to-burn-house-after-group-of-known-vandals-attempt-to-hide/2022.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572833.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817001643-20220817031643-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.984153 | 228 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Berry Gardens, the UK’s leading berry and stone fruit production and marketing group, has partnered with sustainable packaging manufacturer Coveris to launch a new printed lidding film containing over 30% post-consumer recyclate (PCR).
The first-to-market, food safe PCR film is now available nationwide across all major multiple Berry Gardens lines including strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and other stone fruit.
Marking a major step forward for the fresh produce packaging sector, the new recycled film reduces carbon impact by significantly offsetting the requirement for virgin polymer, removing around 53,000 kilos from the supply-chain annually. The film also supports the 30% recycled content requirement for the 2022 plastics packaging tax with the option of up to 50% recyclate available.
Offering like-for-like performance in-line and on-shelf, the new rPET film is sealed to the existing rPET tray to offer a fully recycled plastic solution with peelable functionality for reuse and improved storage.
Seamlessly working in combination with Coveris’ award-winning Freshlife® perforation technology, the sustainable packs work to maintain +4 days shelf-life via improved moisture management in-pack. Integral anti-mist properties also offer added clarity and optimal performance.
As the first major retail launch of a PCR lidding film for direct food contact, Berry Gardens have been responsible for driving a step change in the market through the application of recycled content in every-day products.
Commenting on the development, Siobhan Parks Berry Gardens’ Head of Packaging who has led the project says: “As a business we are working with partners like Coveris to help us reduce our reliance on virgin plastics and establish more responsible business practices.
“Moving to the rPET film on our punnets will allow us to have the same transparency and technical properties as virgin material, but with reduced carbon impact and significant plastic reduction from the supply chain. This is just one example of how we are leading the way in packaging for the UK soft fruit sector by creating stable end markets for recycled content in packaging.”
Supporting Coveris’ own NO WASTE sustainability vision, this project marks the start of the manufacturer’s breakthrough into recycled films for direct food contact. Eric Valette, Innovation Director for Coveris’ Flexibles business commented “having had award winning success with the application of recycled content into our non-food products, this latest development secures Coveris’ position at the forefront of the sustainable material innovation with the advancement of recycled materials into food. Launching any packaging into a sensitive product category like berries presents unique technical challenges regardless of material, so to maintain shelf-life and packing performance via a recycled alternative goes one step further.”
For more information:
Tel.: +44 7554 45 47 56 | <urn:uuid:3cbacbef-c3be-47e1-851d-065d5ca30ecf> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://greenhouse.news/coveris-and-berry-gardens-launch-recycled-lidding-film-with-over-30-pcr-content/packaging-system/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.899395 | 611 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Join Jesmyn Ward, two-time National Book Award winner, as part of UBC’s 2020 Phil Lind Initiative on “Thinking While Black.”
Tuesday, Nov. 10th – 3-4:30PM – Click here for more details
UBC’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs is proud to host Jesmyn Ward, MacArthur Genius and two-time National Book Award winner, as part of the 2020 Phil Lind Initiative series on “Thinking While Black.”
This event will be moderated by Canisia Lubrin, a writer, editor, critic and teacher.
Reserve your ticket today for this free public event. The webinar link and passcode will be shared with registrants prior to the event.
Learn more about the 2020 Thinking While Black series here.
Blackness as a form, concept and experience, has fundamentally shaped American iconographies, language, media, and cultural productions. This series invites us to consider Blackness as both a culture and a mode of thinking. This series will meditate on the structures of race in North America and will spotlight the seemingly disconnected forms of racial violence that hide in plain sight. How, despite shifts in rhetoric and political policy, have so many forms of racial violence persisted? How, we ask, can we rethink ourselves by understanding our relations to blackness?
Bio: MacArthur Genius and two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward has been hailed as the standout writer of her generation, proving her “fearless and toughly lyrical” voice in novels, memoir, and nonfiction. Betsy Burton of the American Booksellers Association has called her “the new Toni Morrison.” In 2017, she became the first woman and the first person of color to win two National Book Awards for Fiction—joining the ranks of William Faulkner, Saul Bellow, John Cheever, Philip Roth, and John Updike. Ward’s stories are largely set on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, where she grew up and still lives. When Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, Ward was forced to evacuate her rapidly flooding home. Her writing is deeply informed by the trauma of Katrina, not to mention its unimaginable social and economic repercussions. Her novel Salvage the Bones, winner of the 2011 National Book Award, is a troubling but ultimately empowering tale of familial bonds set amid the chaos of the hurricane. Likewise, Ward’s debut novel, Where the Line Bleeds, depicts what Publishers Weekly calls “a world full of despair but not devoid of hope” in the aftermath of natural disaster.Ward’s memoir, Men We Reaped, delves into the five years of Ward’s life in which she lost five young men—to drugs, accidents, suicide, and the bad luck that follows poor people and people of color. Lauded by Kirkus Reviews as a “modern rejoinder to Black Like Me [and] Beloved,” Men We Reaped is a beautiful and painful homage to Ward’s ghosts and the haunted yet hopeful place she calls home. Men We Reaped won the Heartland Prize and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.Ward is the also the editor of the critically acclaimed anthology The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks about Race, which NPR named one of the Best Books of 2016. Taking James Baldwin’s 1963 examination of race in America, The Fire Next Time, as a jumping-off point, this groundbreaking collection features essays and poems about race from the most important voices of our time—including Edwidge Danticat, Natasha Trethewey, Isabel Wilkerson, Mitchell S. Jackson, Kiese Laymon, and Claudia Rankine.
Subscribe to our Phil Lind Initiative Newsletter for updates regarding future Phil Lind Initiative events.
Disclaimer: Please note that by using this service, your information will be stored on the Eventbrite server, which is located outside Canada. If you do not wish to use this service, please email email@example.com directly to register. Thank you.
Artwork Credit: Sandra Brewster | <urn:uuid:8f5713f8-9849-4693-be04-79ab6f987f96> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://blacknla.com/2020/08/23/nov-10th-the-phil-lind-initiative-presents-jesmyn-ward/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570767.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808061828-20220808091828-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.934391 | 864 | 1.515625 | 2 |
If you feel self-conscious about your acne, you’re not alone: 96% of those with acne report feeling depressed about their skin at some point in their lives, and 85% of all people have had acne at some point. Everyone’s acne is different, though, and an acne treatment that works for one person may not work for another. A great (and fun) way to take care of your skin is by visiting a licensed aesthetician. Unlike a dermatologist, an aesthetician is generally focused on the cosmetic side of skincare. With that said, aestheticians are trained in the health and structure of the skin, and medical aestheticians often work with dermatologists to reverse discoloration, aging, and acne. Here are four treatments to try with an aesthetician.
Microdermabrasion is often thought of as a medical aesthetic procedure, but it can be performed by an aesthetician. It entails the use of fine crystals to gently exfoliate the skin. Many people say that it feels like using a powerful face scrub to clear out the pores. While this won’t necessarily work for extreme acne, those with moderate acne, blackheads, and whiteheads should see some difference after a few treatments.
As the name suggests, extraction is the process of extracting gunk that has been building up in your pores. After your face has been washed and dried, an aesthetician will typically warm your face with a hot towel and perform a facial to cause you to sweat out whatever is in the pores. Some aesthetician services may include the use of a sterile lancet to remove any blemishes from the skin, but not all states allow this. It’s perfectly okay to ask your aesthetician what the process will entail before you get started.
Facials can be as varied as we are, so be sure to ask for one that is geared toward healing and anti-acne treatment. In general, facials and facial massage stimulate blood flow, clean the face, and use high quality products to nourish the skin. Anti-acne facials will often include anti-inflammatories and anti-bacterials to make sure that bacteria doesn’t build up in the skin. More intense treatments, like a glycolic peel, may literally use a mild acid to wipe away damaged skin.
Aesthetician services should always include product recommendations to keep your skin looking its best. Your aesthetician will have gone to school and licensed in your state and has in-depth knowledge of skincare. They will also be able to recommend some lifestyle changes (such as diet, exercise, pillow cleaning, etc.) that may be able to help clear up your acne.
Acne is a normal part of life, but aesthetician services can do a lot to clear up any imperfections on your skin. Be sure to seek out a medical aesthetician or one with experience working with acne treatment before you set your first appointment, or look for an aesthetician that works in a dermatology center. A few treatments are often all you need to see a tangible difference. | <urn:uuid:f35add61-f28b-419e-972e-84d69209d699> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://healthandfitnesstips.net/four-ways-that-an-aesthetician-can-help-treat-acne/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.964147 | 654 | 1.53125 | 2 |
The Director General of the International Organization of the Francophonie, OIF, Mr. Clément Duhaime, paid a visit on the morning of Friday the 22nd February to the Heritage Garden and Sanctuary at Roche Caiman both run by Nature Seychelles. He was accompanied by Mr. Eric Weber also from the OIF.
Mr. Duhaime was conducted around both facilities by Nature Seychelles staff who included Kerstin Henri, Director, Martin Varley, Projects Coordinator, and Robin Hanson, Green Health Coordinator.
Mr. Duhaime was particularly delighted by his visit to the Heritage Garden, which showcases plants important to Seychelles, its culture and traditions. Nature Seychelles’ staff who helped shape the garden to what it is today had a lively discussion with the director general about the garden, its purpose and the different plants found there.
The garden is a demonstration of medicinal, herbal, food and endemic plants that are important to Seychelles, but are in danger of disappearing. It has inspired other gardens in local schools and in the community. Various local and international organisations, businesses, government, foreign delegations, and people from all segments of society have visited, with staff serving as guides.
The aromatic and medicinal plants were of great interest to the visitors as were local fruits used in local cuisine. Mr. Duhaime was shown the endemic plants of Seychelles such as Koko Maron (Curculigo sechellensis) which was used to make ropes and brooms.
It was explained that the garden is one hundred percent organic and no chemicals are used either for growing or to control pests.
At the Sanctuary at Roche Caiman, Ms. Kerstin Henri related the history of this man-made urban wetland in the proximity of Victoria. The wetland resulted from reclamation work done in the East Coast of Mahe in the 1980s. Lagoons at the site became an important site for birds, especially waders, soon after their creation.
Nature Seychelles started managing the site in 2002 and has developed it into a learning area by restoring and creating new habitats. It created features like open water areas, improved and created new ditches and wader pools for birds. A boardwalk and a bird hide made from recycled Coca Cola bottles was also built so all visitors could have an enjoyable visit to this unique little wetland.
The wetland as well as offering a natural retreat, is also now an area for restoring health and well-being through the Green Health programme. This involves a weekly programme of yoga and green exercise for participants, particularly those who are most vulnerable in society.
An area of the Sanctuary where local species of mangroves grow is being enhanced, Mr. Duhame heard. Mangroves are essential coastal habitats for building natural resistance to climate change. This area will be used as a demonstration site to explain how mangroves work. | <urn:uuid:3cf55d18-24a5-460f-baf0-272d14229341> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://natureseychelles.org/knowledge-centre/news-and-stories/490-francophonie-director-general-visits-nature-seychelles- | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.968027 | 607 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Guest post by Katie Hentschel
We all want our furry best friend to have a happy and healthy life. To do so, there are certain preventive care measures owners must undertake. From staying up to date on vaccines to watching its weight, there are several components to maintaining a dog’s wellness. Here is a brief look into the top health concerns for dogs and how to prevent them.
What is the main health issue affecting dogs? Obesity. In fact, one in three dogs is estimated to be overweight in the United States. Just like humans, pets need to exercise and eat well to maintain a healthy weight. Exercising is an excellent way to provide mental stimulation and relieve a young pup of excess energy. It is also vital for pets’ longevity and quality of life, as it keeps their bones, muscles and heart strong.
Another prominent health issue for dogs is poor oral health. In the U.S., 85% of adult dogs show signs of dental disease. The most common dental disease in dogs is periodontal disease. This term is used to describe the infection and associated inflammation of the tissues surrounding the teeth. Such diseases spread deep into the tooth socket and destroy the bone when left untreated. As a result, the tooth decays, loosens and may fall out over time.
Lastly is the importance of annual veterinarian visits and vaccinations. At the visit, a vet will perform routine blood tests and health screenings as well as look at the condition of your dog’s eyes, teeth and ears. Furthermore, the vet will immunize your pooch against infectious diseases and may provide preventive treatments for parasites. Following a dedicated wellness plan such as this could do wonders for your canine companion’s health in the long run.
Being proactive about your dog’s health is essential. Not only to prolong its life but to promptly address any problems. Because your pup cannot tell us something is wrong, waiting until there are symptoms could lead to a progressed illness and prolonged suffering. The best approach to stay ahead of such ailments is to commit to routine health care, grooming, exercise and a well-balanced diet.
For further information and preventive health tips for your pooch, please see the resource below:Graphic created by Recherche Kennels - Cavs. | <urn:uuid:e5ea8c5d-b82c-4d7d-b2d0-9270cc4eb040> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.dog-breeds-expert.com/dog-health.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.957478 | 464 | 3.046875 | 3 |
Play-Based Learning Continuum
What is The Play-Based Learning Continuum?
In Ontario, teacher views regarding if and when they should intervene during play continue to be diverse, and some teachers almost exclusively demonstrate one type of play in their classrooms: free play. The continuum outlines five distinct categories of play: learning through games, playful learning, collaboratively created play, inquiry play, and free play. All five categories of play present important opportunities for personal, social, and academic growth, while incorporating various levels of adult involvement. This continuum, with a broader and more concrete definition of play-based learning, will help to enhance the practice of play-based learning pedagogies for kindergarten teachers.
Child-Centered vs. Child-Directed
Child-centeredness emphasizes honouring children and their developmental needs, whereas child-directedness emphasizes the level of control of the child. The play-based continuum is entirely child-centered, emphasizing the importance of teaching academic concepts in an engaging and developmentally appropriate manner, expanding on children’s interests, and utilizing play-based strategies that match children’s abilities. However, not all types of play on the continuum are child-directed, and a distinction needs to be made between these two concepts. An activity that contains teacher-directed elements can be child-centered in nature.
Play-Based Learning vs. Play
The purpose of play-based learning is inherent in its title: to learn while at play. The purpose of play, on the other hand, is far more open-ended and frequently the topic of debate. Learning does not need to occur in order for an activity to be seen as play, hence play-based learning and play are distinct constructs. When play and learning become two separate concepts, learning is restricted to small and large group direct instruction and play is limited to child-directed free play. The continuum creates a more broadened definition of play-based learning, and moves us beyond the strict distinction between play and learning. | <urn:uuid:c2cfd3c3-f459-4658-97c1-c8cd42d4bcfc> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.playlearninglab.ca/about-the-play-continuum | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572198.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815175725-20220815205725-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.948506 | 407 | 4.03125 | 4 |
CO-RAKSHAK IS A FREE SAFETY TRAINING APP FOR ESSENTIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS
Utter App, in collaboration with Wadhwani Foundation, today announced the launch of India’s first safety training app for ‘Essential Service Providers’ to protect them against COVID-19 at their workplace and in their daily work routines.
About Co-Rakshak, a Contextualised Safety Training for Essential Service Providers
- Co-Rakshak is a multilingual chat-based app combining text, video and audio content to build user awareness and training for essential service providers about the Coronavirus and seek help from the right authorities in times of distress.
- The app offers best practices and standard safety protocols to be undertaken at their workplace and at home.
- Co-Rakshak offers contextualised safety training for 9 job roles in 5 languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, English, and Kannada.
- In the second phase, the app will cover over 40 job roles and make it available in 9 Indian languages.
- The content has been created in accordance with guidelines issued by WHO, CDC, FSSAI, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, amongst others.
- One of the biggest and most neglected challenges presented by COVID has been the Information Disconnect between governments, employers, health experts and essential service providers.
- The information disconnect is especially pronounced amongst the economically disadvantaged sections of the society.
- Post-lockdown, essential service providers and blue-collar workers have been forced to come out of their houses to serve the nation and feed their families – leading to a second wave of COVID infections.
- It is critical that these workers are adequately aware and trained for self-care while operating in their workplaces and congested living conditions.
- Unfortunately, most of the information currently available is too generic and tends to focus on the lifestyles of the privileged sections of society.
- This can only be achieved if the information is contextualized to their daily lives and routines and transformed into actionable inputs that are relevant and implementable.
More details can be accessed at our website www.corakshak.in
Announcing the launch of Co-Rakshak Ninad Vengurlekar, CEO, Utter App said, “Utter is an early-stage startup focusing on functional English and currently fundraising for growth. When Coronavirus struck, we realized that information disconnect with regards to safety at the workplace has been an unaddressed area in the pandemic. So, we decided to use the Utter platform to build Co-Rakshak app to train the blue collar and essential services professionals in safety training related to COVID – in the context of their day to day jobs. We are glad Wadhwani Foundation came on board to help us reach millions of users through Co-Rakshak app.”
Ratna Mehta, Executive Vice President, Wadhwani Catalyst Fund at Wadhwani Foundation said, “Wadhwani Foundation is keen to back entrepreneurs who are innovating to help fight the pandemic and improve the overall healthcare ecosystem. Co-Rakshak is a great medium to create health related awareness focused on job roles and train people as they go back to their jobs. We are excited about partnering with Utter and are looking forward to amplifying impact together.”
Co-Rakshak Provides Safety Training to 9 Key Job Roles
- Delivery Personnel, Shopkeepers, Facility Management personnel like security guards, Home Staff like maids, caretakers, cooks, etc., Police, transportation workers like drivers, mechanics, etc., Hospitality personnel like housekeepers, Government personnel and Health professionals like doctors, nurses, etc.
- At the end of the program, there is a short test to assess the understanding of the learners.
Co-Rakshak: A Joint Initiative by Utter App and Wadhwani Foundation
The entire cost of development of the app has been funded by Wadhwani Foundation, while Utter App has donated its professional resources and platform for the cause.
About Utter App
Utter App has been founded by Edtech entrepreneurs Ninad Vengurlekar and Amit Bhadbhade. Utter app combines live video and chat to deliver English fluency programs to young professionals in India. Utter app has over 5M registered users and over 125,000 paid users. Co-Rakshak is an impact initiative of the Utter team to contribute their time and efforts for an Atmanirbhar Bharat. For more information, please visit: www.utter.in
About Wadhwani Foundation
Wadhwani Foundation was founded in 2000 by Dr. Romesh Wadhwani, with the primary mission of accelerating job creation in India and other emerging economies through large-scale initiatives in entrepreneurship, small business growth, innovation, and skilling. The Wadhwani Foundation operates in 20 countries, including India, South East Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines), East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda), Southern Africa (South Africa, Botswana, Namibia), West Africa (Nigeria, Ghana), Egypt, and Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile). The Wadhwani Foundation works in partnership with governments, foundations, corporations, and educational institutes. For more details on Wadhwani Foundation, please visit https://www.wfglobal.org/ | <urn:uuid:ce83727f-0bd7-4609-b345-2d6f644ac76e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://startuppr.in/utter-announces-the-launch-of-co-rakshak-app/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572198.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815175725-20220815205725-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.936 | 1,161 | 1.5 | 2 |
In an increasingly safety-conscious environment, operators must protect their workers from the risk of explosion, where there is a known risk of their equipment becoming an ignition source.
Strictly regulated and enforced, IS applies wherever volatile or flammable substances, such as fuel, gas, or flammable dusts are present. With their potential to generate heat or sparking, hand-held radios use a number of methods to meet safety standards.
An Intrinsically safe portable radio designed to the standard can provide all the features and performance of a non-IS model. It will also have a number of enhancements and methods of protection to prevent explosions. These include:
- Full encapsulation of battery circuitry to prevent electrolyte ingress in the unlikely event of a cell rupture,
- use of anti-static material for the battery case,
- stored energy limitation in the radio circuit,
- prevention of internal sparking or overheating,
- component and conductor spacing to prevent short circuit caused by dust or atmospheric contamination. The IEC 60079-11 standard covers both the radio and battery and, if the battery is to be removable in a hazardous environment, it must be completely intrinsically safe in its own right. Not every radio brand has this degree of battery protection – check with your supplier.
Here’s how Intrinsically Safe protection is achieved
At the heart of the battery is a Lithium-Ion cell pack, with thermal cut-outs, and a cell condition monitor to prevent it being overcharged, or discharged too much. An IS charge contact isolator ensures that no energy can appear at the exposed charge contacts in normal use. Supply is fed to the radio via an IS current limiter and IS surge clamp. This will prevent arcing, should the battery terminal be shorted or the battery disconnected from the radio while it is in operation.
All IS circuit blocks are multiple-redundant, and the entire circuit is encapsulated, to exclude atmospheric contamination and electrolyte ingress, should a cell leak.
The radio power input also has an IS surge clamp. An IS power limiter divides power between the high-current transmitter power amplifier and an IS step-down voltage regulator that supplies the rest of the radio. All IS blocks are multiply-redundant.
The transmit power limiter ensures that the transmitted RF power cannot exceed the value specified in the standard for the particular rated Gas Group. The RF output is via an IS transmit/receive switch with redundancy to protect the receiver in the event of switch failure.
The IS step-down voltage regulator has two main outputs. The first is for the processor and receiver and, because it is limited to very low power, the complex circuits it supplies use standard printed circuit rules without the risk of hot-spots. The second regulator output is limited in current to a level appropriate to the audio amplifier and loudspeaker requirements. This limiter also has redundancy and the audio amplifier is strictly rated to ensure that speaker power is within the limit for the rated Gas Group.
For information about Intrinsically Safe portables from Tait you can read the press release on the website, or read the TP8100 IS Specification sheet for information regarding FM-approval for IS radio models.
This article is taken from Connection Magazine, Issue 5. Connection is a collection of educational and thought-leading articles focusing on critical communications, wireless and radio technology.
Share your views, comments and suggestions in the Tait Connection Magazine LinkedIn group. | <urn:uuid:2dabc2a5-5258-44b8-a028-9bf47bb39f9f> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://blog.taitcommunications.com/2014/10/02/how-do-intrinsically-safe-portable-radios-work/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.904328 | 723 | 2.6875 | 3 |
Degrees and Certifications:
Bachelor of Science in Education from Baylor University Elementary Education Certification Grades 1-8 English as a Second Language Certification Early Childhood Certification
Mrs. Carol Rodgers
Welcome to ESL!
This year I am excited to teach English as a Second Language to students at McCall Elementary and Annetta Elementary. I have been an educator for 27 years, first teaching in La Vega ISD and Kennedale ISD, with the past 19 years proudly teaching Bearcats in Aledo ISD. Originally from West Virginia, I moved to Texas to attend Baylor University and have been a transplant Texan ever since. I am blessed to be married to my best friend, Craig, and we have two wonderful sons. Our older son Alex graduated from Aledo High School and is a junior at the University of Central Arkansas, and our younger son Brennan is an eighth grader at Aledo Middle School. We enjoy spending time together as a family, playing baseball, watching movies, and doing church mission work.
Over the years I have had the privilege of teaching first, third, and fourth grades. This is my fifth year as an ESL teacher, and I enjoy working with students from kindergarten through fifth grade. It is a wonderful journey to watch students acquire the English language as we work on their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Teaching is a ministry, and my students are blessings to me. I want my students to know that I will be their advocate both in and out of the classrooom, and that they can achieve anything that they put their minds to.
This is going to be a fantastic year!
Feel free to contact me at firstname.lastname@example.org or 817-441-4500 (McCall) or 817-207-3405 (Annetta). | <urn:uuid:f57e8905-d991-49d5-93d2-7562f6eebc82> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://tx02205721.schoolwires.net/domain/1797 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573172.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818063910-20220818093910-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.960353 | 386 | 1.539063 | 2 |
The monkeypox virus strain that has emerged across the world in recent weeks may be evolving at an abnormally fast rate - making it more infectious than previous versions of the virus.
This means that the virus, which is generally believed to spread by physical touch, contaminated surfaces or very close bodily contact could be able to spread in ways atypical to the tropical viruses normal patterns.
It would explain the recent global monkeypox update, where 201 cases have been detected across 25 U.S. states and Washington D.C., with over 3,500 cases detected worldwide in countries where the virus is not endemic.
Researchers, whose findings are pending official publishing in Nature Medicine, collected and studied 15 samples of the monkeypox virus for the study.
The research team restructured the viruses genetic information to find the number of changes the virus had undergone since this strain began its circulation.
While the virus was detected recently in human populations, experts believe this strain of West African monkeypox first began its movement through the world in 2018.
DNA viruses like monkeypox generally do not rapidly mutate like COVID-19 does.
The nature of the virus allows it to fix errors that emerge when it replicates, leaving much lower room for mutations to form - and in effect limiting the number of variants.
When researchers did investigate this strain of the virus, they found that it had mutated between six to 12 times the generally believed rate for the virus.
Why exactly this is cannot be determined, though the experts believe that this could be playing a role in how the virus has managed to storm the world this year. | <urn:uuid:6fbe8725-049b-4106-b03e-299541d5421d> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://ex.chinadaily.com.cn/exchange/partners/82/rss/channel/language/columns/v0m20b/stories/WS62bb960ba310fd2b29e6924d.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572833.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817001643-20220817031643-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.671413 | 1,604 | 3.71875 | 4 |
I've argued several times (see for example here) that global state in a library should not be truly global, i.e. stored in C-style global variables, rather an instance of the "global" state should be created upon user request. The reason is that if the two modules within a process used the same low-level library, they would step on each other's toes:
Imagine the library C has a global variable foo and setfoo() and getfoo() functions to access it. Now imagine the following sequence of events:
While the rule of thumb still holds for libraries in general — instead of having a single global state, let each module create its own state — I believe that application of the rule in ZeroMQ was a mistake. ZeroMQ is a communication library and, as such, it is an exception to the rule. Communication means sharing of data and thus, communication library's task is to make modules visible each to another, rather than separating them into impervious compartments.
Let's have a look at a concrete example. Imagine that the main program creates a logger object (a PULL socket that writes all received messages to the disk) and wants all the modules loaded into the process to report errors to the logger. As the communication happens within a single process, INPROC transport should be used to convey the log records from individual modules to the logger. However, according to the reasoning above, each module has it's own instance of global state (i.e. its own ZeroMQ context) and the INPROC transport in ZeroMQ doesn't allow for transferring messages between different contexts.
The problem could be solved by using IPC or TCP transport instead, however, that opens a security hole: What if attacker connected to the logger from outside and either posted false records or DoS'ed the system with a flood of log requests?
So, alternatively, the main program can create the ZeroMQ context and share it with individual modules. That would work as expected, however, there are several problems with the approach:
Given the above, I believe that I've made a mistake by introducing contexts into ZeroMQ. Contexts are designed for strict separation between modules which is not a desirable feature in a communication library.
Thus, in nanomsg I've got rid of contexts. User creates sockets and that's it. You don't need to create a context beforehand.
At the same time INPROC addresses are visible within the process as a whole, rather than being restricted only to the local module/context. This way it is easy to create a communication channel between modules inside a process.
Additional benefit of the change is the simplification of the API. Compare the following two snippets of code. First one opens a connection a sends a message in ZeroMQ:
void *ctx = zmq_ctx_new (); void *s = zmq_socket (ctx, ZMQ_PUSH); zmq_connect (s, "tcp://192.168.0.111:5555"); zmq_send (s, "ABC", 3, 0); zmq_close (s); zmq_ctx_destroy (ctx);
And here's the same code for nanomsg:
int s = nn_socket (AF_SP, NN_PUSH); nn_connect (s, "tcp://192.168.0.111:5555"); nn_send (s, "ABC", 3, 0); nn_close (s);
Of course, removing the contexts has some repercussions on the semantics of the system. For example, nn_close() becomes a blocking function. It may wait for "linger" period to send any pending outbound data before closing the socket. In ZeroMQ, zmq_close() is completed immediately and waiting is postponed to zmq_ctx_destroy() function which, given the removal of contexts, has no equivalent in nanomsg.
While that may be considered a drawback in some ways, in other ways it is a desirable behaviour. For example, after socket is closed, the system resources allocated by the socket — such as TCP port or IPC file — are guaranteed to be released and thus ready to be re-used. However, that's a topic for another blog post.
May 14th, 2013 | <urn:uuid:c2a723b3-0b6f-4f2f-abfb-c787874b783d> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://250bpm.com/blog:23/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.929963 | 907 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Medical Diagnostic Laboratories, Hamilton, NJ, has expanded its covid-19 testing menu to include an antibody detection assay for SARS-CoV-2 in human serum. The new immunological assay joins the lab’s molecular diagnostic, released in March to detect SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in respiratory swab specimens.
“Our laboratory has always directed our resources into research by developing and enhancing tests in collaboration with our national and international clinician clients,” says Eli Mordechai, PhD, chief executive officer of Medical Diagnostic Laboratories. “We are committed to leading the way in clinical diagnostics and partnering with healthcare providers to help Americans identify and mitigate any risks to their health, protect their families, and halt the advance of this newly discovered disease.”
For more information, visit Medical Diagnostic Laboratories. | <urn:uuid:7f8ae3fd-12ce-4443-8f7b-d16776591e57> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://clpmag.com/uncategorized/medical-diagnostic-laboratories-launches-serological-test-for-covid-19/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.941923 | 174 | 1.65625 | 2 |
On July 18, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Education (HEW) convened a hearing entitled “ESSA Implementation: Exploring State and Local Reform Efforts.” The hearing focused on what states have done so far to develop their consolidated state accountability plans for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and whether the federal government and the Department of Education (ED) need to do more or less to assist in their development and review.
A recurring theme of the hearing was the pending appropriations debate that would potentially shortchange a number of ESSA and education related programs. The hearing also included a robust conversation on supporting students through afterschool and summer learning programs, and Dr. Gail Pletnick, president of the State Superintendents Association (AASA), emphasized the point that afterschool programs are key investments in supporting student attendance and achievement and engaging students and parents in education.
Locally-driven solutions to education issues
Opening the hearing, Education Committee Chairwoman Foxx (R-N.C.) called ESSA a milestone for K-12 policy, as it establishes a proper balance of autonomy and accountability for states. She walked through the main changes of the law and noted that ESSA strips powers from the Secretary of Education to ensure there no longer is a top down approach to federal K-12 education policy.
“This law has the ability to empower state and local leaders to change K-12 education for the better, and that is why it is of utmost importance to this committee,” Foxx concluded.
Ranking Member Scott (D-Va.) spent his opening statement making clear that he believes ED has a role in reviewing and approving state plans according to the law and its requirements concerning equity. He went on to slam both the president’s budget proposal and the draft House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education FY 2018 Appropriations bill, both of which propose eliminating Title II funding for teacher and school leader professional development and undercut funding for Title I and Title IV Part B (21st CCLC) of ESSA.
“How effective can [ESSA] implementation be, without funding?” Scott asked the committee.
Afterschool fits with ESSA for student success
During the hearing, House Afterschool Caucus co-chair Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Penn.) highlighted how afterschool programs, like the SHINE afterschool program in his district in northeast Pennsylvania, are contributing to student success, and questioned how state ESSA plans can incorporate afterschool opportunities.
“We know that chronic absenteeism negatively affects student success, and that this has led some states to propose absenteeism as an additional accountability measure in their state ESSA plans,” Barletta said. “We also know there is evidence that quality afterschool and summer learning programs are cost-effective strategies in increasing student attendance at all grade levels. I’ve seen this first-hand through an afterschool organization in my district – the SHINE program.”
Barletta questioned Dr. Gail Pletnick, superintendent of Dysart Unified School District in Surprise, Arizona, about how state ESSA plans help leverage Title I and Title IV dollars to encourage student engagement through afterschool and summer learning opportunities. Pletnick said that her district utilizes Title I funds to support afterschool programs.
“With our underserved populations especially, having those afterschool opportunities serves many purposes, but certainly engages students in their learning,” Pletnick said. “We have opportunities to have coding, to have STEM – those really critical skills that students enjoy being a part of. What we have also seen through those programs is increased parent involvement because they are able to engage with their students in those activities. Those types of programs are having a positive impact academically.”
Written witness testimony and an archived webcast of the hearing can be accessed here.
Central to implementation of ESSA is funding for all the titles and programs authorized by the bill. The full House Appropriations Committee is met this week to mark up the FY2018 education-spending bill, the next step in process appropriations process.
Reach out to your members of Congress today in support of funding for afterschool and summer learning programs. | <urn:uuid:63db6291-6df0-4480-b8db-9d40ab699be3> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://coloradoafterschoolpartnership.org/afterschool-shines-in-essa-implementation-hearing/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.954538 | 873 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Reactions to Skill Assessment: The Forgotten Factor in Explaining Motivation to Learn
MetadataShow full item record
Bell, Bradford S.; Ford, J. Kevin
This study examined the effects of trainees’ reactions to skill assessment on their motivation to learn. A model was developed that suggests that two dimensions of trainees’ assessment reactions – distributive justice and utility – influence training motivation and overall training effectiveness. The model was tested using a sample of individuals (N = 113) enrolled in a truck driving training program. Results revealed that trainees’ who perceived higher levels of distributive justice and utility had higher motivation to learn. Training motivation was found to significantly predict several measures of training effectiveness. Trainees’ performance on the pre-training assessment and trait goal orientation exhibited direct and interactive effects on their reactions to the skill assessment. Implications of these findings for future research on reactions to skill assessments are identified along with the practical implications for the design and conduct of training needs assessment.
skill assessment; motivation; training; effectiveness; goal orientation
Required Publisher Statement: Copyright by Wiley-Blackwell. Final version published as: Bell, B. S., & Ford, J. K. (2007). Reactions to skill assessment: The forgotten factor in explaining motivation to learn. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 18(1), 33-62. | <urn:uuid:5f557944-c529-4c84-a365-7d34149a3fbb> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/76003 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.928617 | 348 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Discover how to support your students to recover academic gaps in math and reading. You will learn how to build student accountability and empower students to track their own learning progress that is differentiated to their specific instructional needs.
Alek Turner is the marketing coordinator for Education Galaxy, and was an educator for 9 years. She is always looking for creative solutions to make a positive difference in the lives of students by enhancing the quality of learning through instructional technology. She taught ESL (K-6) in Crandall ISD for 6 years, and was an instructional coach for 3 years in all content areas (PK-6). She enjoys supporting schools and districts across the United States to enhance instruction for their students.
ExPLorations are Micro Professional Learning courses for educators. Select what you want to explore. | <urn:uuid:d6311e7b-9f62-4271-94d3-d7b58f328415> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://edcuration.com/explore_preview/-Identifying-Academic-Gaps-to-Reclaim-Learning-Loss/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.973672 | 160 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Broader use of standardized psychological testing for applicants submitting disability claims to the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) should improve the accuracy and consistency of disability determinations, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. Some proponents of mandatory psychological testing, in particular validity testing, for SSA disability applicants argue that it would result in a significant reduction of individuals allowed onto the benefits rolls and a substantial cost savings. The committee that conducted the study and wrote the report said the data necessary to accurately assess the effects on the rolls or calculate financial costs and benefits are limited, and estimates based on available data are subject to considerable error. However, the report provides a framework for evaluating the financial impact of implementing the committee's recommendations.
In 2012, SSA provided benefits to nearly 15 million disabled adults and children. Under SSA, state agencies determine disability based on medical and other evidence considered relevant in an applicant's case record, which may include standardized psychological tests. Cognitive psychological tests are performance-based and have people answer questions and solve problems as well as they possibly can. Non-cognitive psychological tests are measures of typical behavior -- such as personality, interests, values, and attitudes. Validity tests can be used in conjunction with these standardized psychological tests to assess whether a test-taker is exerting sufficient effort to perform well, responding to the best of his or her capability, or providing an accurate report of his or her symptoms. SSA recognizes that some psychological tests are valid and reliable and provide useful data, but it does not require psychological testing in cases involving mental disorders other than intellectual disability. In addition, SSA policy precludes the purchase of validity tests as part of a consultative examination to supplement an applicant's case record. However, applicants and their representatives sometimes submit validity test results in support of their claims, and there are different opinions in the use and value of validity tests for work disability evaluations. In this context, the SSA asked IOM to carry out its study.
The committee recommended that under specified conditions, SSA should require standardized, non-cognitive psychological testing for all applicants whose allegation of non-cognitive functional impairment relates to a mental disorder unaccompanied by cognitive complaints or to a disorder with physical symptoms that are disproportionate to the medical findings. Testing should be required when the allegation is based primarily on the applicant's self-reporting of symptoms and is not accompanied by objective medical evidence or longitudinal medical records sufficient to make a disability determination. In addition, the SSA should require standardized cognitive testing be included in the case record for all applicants whose allegation of cognitive impairment is not accompanied by objective medical evidence. All non-cognitive and cognitive psychological testing should include a statement of evidence asserting the validity of the results. Assessment of validity, including the use of validity tests, helps the evaluator interpret the accuracy of an individual's non-cognitive and cognitive test results. Therefore it is an important addition to the case record, the committee said. However, validity tests do not provide information about whether an individual is disabled, and a determination that the validity testing alone was not proved valid is insufficient grounds for denying a disability claim. For cases in which validation is not achieved, SSA should pursue additional evidence of the applicant's allegation.
One of the main purported benefits of mandatory psychological testing, specifically validity testing, is the potential to generate substantial savings for the SSA disability programs. The committee found that potential cost savings associated with testing vary considerably based on the assumptions about the groups to whom it is applied and how many false claims it detects, and thus rejects. A full financial cost-benefit analysis of psychological testing will require SSA to collect additional data both before and after the implementation of the report's recommendations.
National Academy of Sciences | <urn:uuid:6679b19e-d11e-4555-be34-ab4c2e55f714> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.news-medical.net/news/20150413/Broader-use-of-psychological-testing-may-improve-process-for-social-security-disability-determination.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573172.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818063910-20220818093910-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.938838 | 759 | 1.992188 | 2 |
Feeding your lawn is important when you want it to look good. By using lawn fertilisers, you can give the grass the nutrients it needs to grow.
Learning how to feed a lawn properly is crucial to its health since it can be harmful to the grass if you do it incorrectly. To help you avoid such issues, we’ve put together this short step-by-step guide that explains grass growth and how soil nutrients will enable you to get the most from your fertilising routine.
How to Feed Your Lawn the Correct Way
If you wish to get the most out of using your lawn fertiliser, you will need to follow these steps in order. Make sure that you read through all the information and note the important points.
Step 1: Check Soil Temperature
The first step to any lawn care involving fertiliser is to check the soil temperature. Soil temperature tells you when you can begin using fertiliser after the colder months of the year when grass plants go dormant.
Take the temperature of the soil and not the air. You should use a soil thermometer for accuracy. The turf will usually reach the right temperatures sometime in April weather in the UK. You’ll want to see a temperature of around 13 degrees Celsius.
Step 2: Buy Fertiliser
Make sure that you buy the right fertiliser. It means that it contains the correct balance of nutrients and comes in an easy-to-apply form.
Different lawn products for fertilising all feature three numbers – the first is for nitrogen, the second is phosphorus, and the third is potassium. Some may include other things, such as sulphate, weed killer, or moss killer. If you are new to fertilisers, stick with a normal blend of the three main nutrients.
The nitrogen content is the most important. It helps the grass to grow. If you have too much nitrogen for your type of grass, it will only result in wild growth that requires more frequent mowing and care.
When buying fertiliser, always buy slow-release lawn feeds. These products will allow you to go longer between feedings. Also, choose granules. Professional companies often use liquid fertilisers, but that is harder to apply. Granules allow you to see application areas and ensure a consistent and even grass feed.
My neighbor, out walking, noticing that I’m putting weed and feed on my lawn:
“You know, that stuff just makes it grow quicker and you’ll have to cut it more.”
— Ed Miller (@PhillyEdMiller) April 25, 2021
Step 3: Apply the Fertiliser
When to apply is essential when doing lawn care in the UK. You will first feed your lawn in spring. The spring lawn feed helps with establishing root growth and overall grass condition. You will continue feeding into October.
While you will do regular feedings in spring and summer, it is the fall feed that is most important. The feed gives your lawn what it needs to grow strong roots that will allow it to survive the winter.
After your first feeding, you will do it again in four weeks for the first summer lawn feed. Following this, you can apply every six to eight weeks as needed. If your grass is bright green and growing well, you probably do not need to fertilise at that time.
You should make sure you have the right weather conditions in which to apply your fertiliser as well. Avoid applying before it begins to rain, as it will wash it away. You also do not want to apply on a sunny and hot day as it could scorch your lawn.
You will want to use a spreader. Using a broadcast spreader will disperse the feed in wide sprays and help you to maintain an even application on every part.
Walk at a consistent pace and remain steady as you work. The best application process is to do half a bag on the whole lawn, moving horizontally and then the other half on the lawn walking vertically.
View this post on Instagram
Step 4: Clean Up
Once you finish, you should clean up any granules on the sidewalks, driveways, or other areas. You do not want it to get on the turf and cause burn spots or have it running off into waterways.
Put any remaining granules in your spreader back in the bag. Store it in a cool and dry place.
Step 5: Water
You should water sparingly and make sure to follow the directions on the package. Some may require watering earlier in the process. Also, watch for rain in the forecast, which can change the needs of your lawn.
Quick Care Tips
The following information on how to feed your lawn can help ensure you have the best overall experience and get good results.
Garden coming back to life. Will be a busy out there this weekend. Baskets to be started in the shed, lawn to feed & Tidying. House is full of Cuttings & Plug plants growing on. Time to send some out into big wide world. Hope it's nice enough to sit out with a Glass too. pic.twitter.com/4Qk6SXxdGr
— YouriLeGod (@YouriLeGod) April 29, 2021
When applying lawn fertiliser, you need to time it right. Fertilising too often can lead to weed overgrowth and a lawn that is out of control. It can also kill the grass. We suggest only doing it about four times a year. You want to do it in spring, summer, and then a couple of times in the fall.
Always use a low rate of application. Less is better when it comes to lawn treatments. You want to avoid overapplying at any site.
The best way to get good fertiliser results is to know your soil by testing it first. You should collect samples from around your lawn and mix them. Just get the turf and no plants or roots for a good sample.
Growing a Lush Lawn
Now that you know how to feed a lawn, you’ll have a better chance of seeing healthy grass growth. We hope that these lawn care tips focusing on how and when to feed lawn will help you get the garden you desire.
Do you have any other lawn maintenance suggestions? Let us know in the comments below.
- How to Move a Garden Shed
- When to Use Weed Killer
- How to Use a Strimmer
- What Is a Chiminea
- What Does a Lawn Scarifier Do
Paul is the type of person who never met a problem he couldn’t fix. He can always be found tinkering with something in his house, even if it isn’t broken! His tips and tricks are often shared on our site. He’s the one you call when something breaks because he has been known to improvise fixes for everything from leaky faucets to malfunctioning dryers. | <urn:uuid:f14bf739-80c4-46a0-a9dd-6ef6cbb1c0c0> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://homesguide.co.uk/how-to-feed-a-lawn/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.934297 | 1,457 | 2.53125 | 3 |
US biotech firm Novavax started shipping their Novaxovid COVID-19 vaccines to EU member states on Wednesday (23 February). The first protein-based vaccine available in Europe is expected to raise vaccination rates, but its efficiency against omicron is yet to be determined.
Nuvaxovid is the fifth vaccine, and the first protein-based vaccine, authorised in the European Union.
The first doses, coming from a manufacturing site in India, left the distribution facility in the Netherlands on Wednesday and are on their way to Germany, Austria and France. Additional markets, such as Italy and Spain should be added over the following days.
Novavax agreed to deliver 69 million doses of vaccine to the EU in the second quarter, “and that’s exactly what we’re doing”, Silvia Taylor, senior vice president of global corporate affairs for Novavax, told a press briefing on Wednesday.
“This is extremely exciting for us, it’s exciting for the people of Europe, who are waiting for an additional option in the fight against COVID-19,” Taylor said.
She added that “we have an expectation that we’ll continue to get additional orders as the year goes on.”
As the protein-based vaccine platform has been known for around three decades, it is hoped that this will encourage those who are hesitant about the newer mRNA and vector vaccine platforms to get a jab.
Vaccine for the hesitant ones
German EU lawmaker from the centre-right EPP group, Peter Liese, said that he “got a lot of emails during the last month that people are desperately waiting for this vaccine.”
He highlighted that all vaccines authorised by Europe’s medicines agency EMA are safe but those people who did not trust new vaccine platforms “now have access to a good product”.
Novavax’s Taylor was also upbeat: “We believe that our protein-based option with its efficacy and safety profile will be an option that those who for example, are vaccine-hesitant, or haven’t wanted to take one of the other options”.
But Novavax is targeting not only primary vaccination. It is to be used as a booster, as well as a paediatric vaccine, as “vaccination rates lag” in the paediatric market, in comparison to adult vaccination. Taylor expressed hopes it could apply for marketing authorisation for adolescence “very soon”.
Another benefit is that the vaccine is “refrigerator stable” – “it does not require being frozen, which has benefits in terms of the distribution of our vaccine,” Taylor explained.
Efficiency against omicron is not known yet
Novavax’s capacity at the moment reaches two billion doses in 2022 alone.
The vaccine showed promising results from two main clinical trials that also included variants of concern, such as Alpha and Beta, where it reached 90% efficiency at preventing COVID-19 in people over 18 years of age.
“In fact, we’ve never seen a single case of severe disease or hospitalisation in the vaccine group,” said Filip Dubovsky, chief medical officer at Novavax.
The efficiency of this vaccine is yet unknown when it comes to the currently dominant COVID variant – omicron – but Liese said that “if the vaccine works against Alpha and Beta, there’s no reason to believe that it doesn’t work at all against Omicron”.
Dubovsky said data on efficience “will likely be gathered as an effectiveness study, so postmarketing, and real-world evidence to show the vaccine works against Omicron”. He added that “those studies are planned as part of our post-licensing commitments“.
In the meantime, Novavax is “working on an omicron variant product”. “It may or may not be required,” Dubovsky said, adding that it should be known “in due course”. “All of us agreed to have one ready and we talked to the EMA they’re supportive of such an approach as well,” he said.
When it comes to adjusting the vaccine to new strains, Dubovsky stressed that the manufacturing process is going to be exactly the same and this will be similar to flu vaccination.
“We’re going to be in a good position to really leverage the last year’s worth of work we’ve done and move through a strain change process just like flu does every year to move to Omicron if needed,” he said.
With conditional market authorisation, Novavax can deliver up to 100 million of their COVID-19 vaccines to the EU starting in the first quarter of 2022. The contract allows member states to purchase an additional 100 million doses throughout 2022 and 2023.
Nuvaxovid is given as two injections, three weeks apart. Side effects reported in the studies were usually mild or moderate and cleared within a couple of days. Tenderness or pain at the injection site, tiredness, and muscle pain were among those most commonly reported. | <urn:uuid:c81c90ea-f320-495d-87c5-50ec2d9bf814> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://activenews.co.uk/novavax-starts-delivering-covid-vaccines-to-eu/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570767.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808061828-20220808091828-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.959951 | 1,101 | 1.953125 | 2 |
Congress is looking to restore some fiscal restraint. It could do so by reigning in spending, but let’s be practical—they’re going to raise taxes. Congress is trying to drink your milkshake.
The American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010 (which is currently working its way through Congress) has a provision that subjects all profit in a professional S corporation to self employment tax of 15.3%. Examples of professional services include accounting, legal, architectural, consulting, engineering, etc.
Here’s the kicker—the tax applies only to professional S corps that are based principally on the reputation and skill of three or fewer employees. So the business can have more than three employees and still be subject to the full self employment tax, as long as three or fewer employees are the firm’s principal asset. Thus, each year the business must assess (through valuation?) whether the principal asset of the firm is three or fewer key employees.
Example: Timmy and Jimmy have a law firm that is a professional corporation. They have filed an S corporation election and are therefore taxed as an S corporation. The corporation has $200,000 in profit before officer salaries. Timmy and Jimmy each take a $60,000 salary, so the remaining profit is $80,000. Under current law, Timmy and Jimmy pay their share of FICA taxes of $4,590 ($60,000 * 7.65%) and the corporation matches their FICA contributions of $4,590 each. This is the rough equivalent of each owner paying self employment tax of 15.3% (7.65% * 2). The remaining profit of $80,000 is exempt from self employment tax (assuming Timmy and Jimmy are paid a reasonable salary).
Under the new law, the $80,000 remaining profit is also subject to self employment tax of $12,240 ($80,000 * 15.3%).
What if the corporation hires a receptionist and a couple paralegals so it has more than three employees? The result will not change because the principal asset of the firm is based on two employees—Timmy and Jimmy.
THIS LAW HAS NOT YET PASSED. IT IS VERY UNPOPULAR, BUT WHEN HAS THAT STOPPED CONGRESS?
The IRS already has power to challenge unreasonably low compensation of S corporation owners, can reclassify profit distributions as wages, and collect FICA taxes on them.
If passed, this new law will dramatically increase the tax burden on small businesses by increasing their taxes and imposing the new requirement to perform a quasi-valuation each year to determine if three or fewer employees are the business’ principal asset. This will harm their ability to grow their businesses and create new jobs.
…I’m Finished (spoiler alert)… | <urn:uuid:c40d66b3-c5f6-4ad5-a61f-95fc2b1691d9> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://curcurucpa.com/blog/2010/06/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570767.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808061828-20220808091828-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.956105 | 584 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Trans Pride: A Coloring Book
Trans rights are human rights!
This fun and beautifully illustrated coloring book is perfect for inspiring children aged 5+ to explore their creative expression and learn about the beauty and diversity of trans lives. With over 100 pages of positive transgender and non-binary representation, the book includes illustrations of key figures in trans history, gender flags, key terms, empowering statements, awareness days and humorous drawings of tigers, seahorses, bunnies and so much more!
Designed by award-winning campaigner and artist, Fox Fisher, this book is a celebration of gender diversity and fluidity and will empower all children to be true to themselves, stand up for trans rights and let their imagination run wild!
What you will find inside this book:
· Black and white designs
· Child-friendly with bold, age-appropriate pictures
· Suitable for children aged 5+
· Designs in various skill levels
· A nice large format easy for children to use | <urn:uuid:384f87d6-819f-4c65-9cdb-178699396535> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.ftmessentials.com/collections/miscellaneous/products/trans-pride-a-coloring-book | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.904247 | 206 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Q1 2022 - Security of supply - expansion of hydropower in Switzerland
The central topic of the forum held by the Swiss Federal Electricity Commission (ElCom) in early November 2021 was once again Switzerland's security of supply with electrical energy.
As is well known, electricity generation in winter is subject to a certain degree of uncertainty. For one thing, renewable energies are not constant and dependence on imports entails risks. In addition, integration into the European electricity market is not foreseeable following the failure of negotiations on a framework agreement. On the other hand, the phase-out of domestic nuclear energy production and the uncertain timing of this pose additional challenges. In addition, the expansion of electricity production in the Swiss energy industry, especially renewable energy plants, has mainly taken place abroad.
Nevertheless, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by Switzerland and the so-called Penta countries Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Austria at the beginning of December 2021 is intended to pave the way for further cooperation in electricity crisis preparedness. The MoU "on risk pre-paredness in the electricity sector" is intended, among other things, to facilitate the development of solidarity-based measures that could be deployed regionally in the event of a crisis. In this context, a regional crisis is understood to mean that an electricity shortage affects at least two of the penta-countries. However, the concrete cooperation of the penta-countries in this regard has yet to be negotiated. Moreover, even this cooperation does not provide a solution to prevent power shortages in the first place and to ensure security of supply.
Negotiations are also underway at home, and in mid-December 2021, for example, the Round Table on Hydropower adopted a joint declaration.
Round Table on Hydropower
At the invitation of the Swiss Federal Council, the last of three Round Tables on Hydropower was held on December 13, 2021. The participants consisted of representatives of the cantons, the energy sector, environmental and landscape protection, water management, fisheries, etc. They adopted a declaration that identifies 15 hydropower storage projects that are the most promising in terms of energy and at the same time can be implemented with the least possible impact on biodiversity and landscape. Their realization would enable an additional controllable winter production in the amount of about 2 TWh until the year 2040.
In particular, these are the following 15 projects: Chummensee, Gorner'9, Gougra, Griesssee, Lac d'Emosson, Lac des Toules, Mattmarksee, Oberaletsch klein (all in the Canton of Valais), Curnera-Nalps, Lai da Marmorera (Canton of Grisons), Grimselsee, Oberaarsee, Trift (Canton of Bern), Lago deI Sambuco (Canton of Ticino) and Reusskaskade (Canton of Uri). Since the declaration and the projects selected therein are only indicative, they are not intended to prejudice any approval procedures or curtail any rights of appeal. Whether the selected projects will ever be realised remains uncertain.
Subsidies for hydropower
For large hydropower plants, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) has selected three projects from the applications received and awarded investment grants totalling 45.4 million Swiss francs in 2021. Allegedly, however, the available funds are not exhausted.
The subsidy of the market premium for Swiss large hydropower plants was extended until the end of 2030 (see ELQ 3/2021). The market premium is intended for the electricity produced, which the large hydropower plants had to sell on the market below the cost price. According to the SFOE, the market premiums 2021 (for the fiscal year 2020) of about 155 million francs will be paid to 30 recipients. This means that the funds available for the market premium have been fully utilized in 2021. In 2020, around 84 million Swiss francs were paid out to 23 recipients for fiscal 2019.
Bottleneck: further measures
Since bottlenecks are already to be feared in the medium term and the hydropower projects necessary from the point of view of security of supply will hardly have been realized by then, the need for action is indicated in the sense of the precautionary principle. At the aforementioned ElCom Forum 2021, it was announced that ElCom would draw up a concept for gas-fired peak-load power plants and submit it to the Federal Council (at that time: end of November 2021). Apparently, this also involves clarifying possible locations for such gas-fired power plants, the capacity to be provided and the possible technologies and fuels. There is also the question of who would have to assume responsibility for operating them. As a bottleneck solution, a gas-fired power plant should basically only be used as a reserve and not be in continuous operation.
Despite uncertain supply forecasts, we wish you good prospects with lots of light for the New Year 2022! | <urn:uuid:421f6e5a-6f89-40a0-996e-4b8f2c903695> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.ghr.ch/en/Newsroom/147/174/582/?oid=421&lang=en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573172.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818063910-20220818093910-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.940242 | 1,040 | 1.835938 | 2 |
This article does not cite any sources. (December 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
A manual is a musical keyboard designed to be played with the hands, on an instrument such as a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. The term "manual" is used with regard to any hand keyboard on these instruments to distinguish it from the pedalboard, which is a keyboard that the organist plays with his or her feet. It is proper to use "manual" rather than "keyboard," then, when referring to the hand keyboards on any instrument that has a pedalboard.
Organs and synthesizers can, and usually do, have more than one manual; most home instruments have two manuals, while most larger organs have two or three. Elaborate pipe and theater organs can have four or more manuals. The manuals are set into the organ console (or "keydesk").
The layout of a manual is roughly the same as a piano keyboard, with long, usually ivory or light-colored keys for the natural notes of the Western musical scale, and shorter, usually ebony or dark-colored keys for the five sharps and flats. A typical, full-size organ manual consists of five octaves, or 61 keys. (Piano keyboards, by contrast, normally have 88 keys.) Some smaller electronic organs may have manuals of four octaves or less (49, 44, or even 37 keys). Changes in registration through use of drawknobs, stop tabs, or other mechanisms to control organ stops allow such instruments to achieve an aggregate range well in excess of pianos and other keyboard instruments even with manuals of shorter size.
On smaller electronic organs and synthesizers, the manuals may span fewer octaves, and they may also be offset, with the lower one an octave to the left of the upper one. This arrangement encourages the organist to play the melody line on the upper manual as he plays the harmony line or chords on the lower manual.
On pipe organs each manual plays a specific subset of the organ's stops, and electronic organs can emulate this style of play. Synthesizers can program separate manuals to emulate sounds of various orchestral sections or instruments. On such instruments a performer can produce the sounds of an entire orchestra through his or her use of all available manuals in conjunction with the pedalboard and the various registration controls.
Organ manuals vs. piano keyboards
Despite the superficial resemblance to piano keyboards, organ manuals require a very different style of playing. Organ keys often require less force to depress than piano keys. When depressed, an organ key continues to sound its note at the same volume until the organist releases the key, unlike a piano key, whose note gradually fades away. On the other hand, while the pianist may allow the piano notes to continue to sound for a few moments after he lifts his hands from the keys by depressing the sustain pedal, organs have no corresponding control; the note invariably ceases when the organist releases the key (except on some modern electronic instruments and relatively contemporary upgrades to theatre pipe organ consoles). Another difference is that of dynamic control. Unlike the case of piano keys, the force with which the organist depresses the key has no relation to the note’s resonance; instead, the organist controls the volume through use of the expression pedals. While the piano note, then, can only decay, the organ note may increase in volume or undergo other dynamic changes. (Some modern electronic instruments allow for volume to vary with the force applied to the key and permit the organist to sustain the note and alter both its attack and decay in a variety of ways.) All of these variables mean that both the technique of organ playing and the resulting music are quite different from those of the piano. Nevertheless, the trained pianist may play a basic organ repertoire with little difficulty, although more advanced organ music will require specialized training and practice.
Common names of manuals on pipe organs include Great, Choir, Swell, Solo and Echo in English; Grand Orgue, Positif, Récit and Echo in French; Hauptwerk, Rückpositiv, Brustwerk and Oberwerk in German; and Hoofdwerk, Rugwerk, Borstwerk and Bovenwerk in Dutch. Theatre pipe organs use the nomenclature Great, Accompaniment, Solo, Bombarde, and Orchestral.
Various other controls, such as stops, pistons, and registration presets are usually located adjacent to the manuals to allow the organist ready access to them as he or she plays; this further increases the instrument’s versatility. Devices known as couplers are sometimes available to link the manuals, so that the stops normally played on one can be played from another. | <urn:uuid:8cf1d8f6-5971-4a57-8d9a-6888d39b4ec8> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://infogalactic.com/info/Manual_(music) | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.934137 | 1,005 | 3.75 | 4 |
Living in a comfortable environment (amenities), and having heartwarming human relationships (hospitality), are wishes of all human beings. In order to realize communities with comforts and a heartwarming environment, Miyagi University explores the conditions and meanings of “hospitality” and “amenity”. Accordingly, MYU promotes education and research based on “advanced practical science”, integrating and unifying various disciplines and technologies in order to respond to demands of society.
Miyagi University offers an education providing an opportunity to acquire “affluent humanity”, “advanced expertise”, and “reliable practical ability” based on advanced practical sciences. Based on these three elements, MYU expects students and graduates to use their global perspectives to contribute the development of society and communities. MYU promotes both academic and cultural progress, as well as encouraging construction of enriched and active local communities.
“Affluent humanity” is the ability to respect the thoughts and values of predecessors and others. Another aspect is being a good citizen by nurturing intelligence and sensibility.
“Advanced expertise” is the ability to overcome one’s own limitations through intellectual curiosity about various disciplines and technologies. It also incorporates ability to respond flexibly to the rapidly and unexpectedly changing society.
“Reliable practical ability” is the ability to use one’s own agency to think about problems based on a global perspective on the one hand and local communal attachment on the other, and then to materialize these ideas through strong will.
April 1997 Founding of Miyagi University School of Nursing and School of Project Design
April 2001 Establishment of Graduate School of Nursing and Graduate School of Project Design.
April 2005 Establishment of School of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
April 2009 Establishment of Graduate School of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
The MYU Department of Nursing provides practical education designed for students to acquire essential basic skills and training in order to work as nursing professionals. Through their coursework, students develop not only the skills and knowledge of health care specialists, but equally important also develop high ethical standards and a rich humanity, displayed in the empathy and consideration of nursing professionals. The department also has two unique programs: International Nursing and Disaster Response Nursing to address recent social needs. Graduating students demonstrate leadership with systematically developed skills and critical thinking, contributing to the nursing and health care fields.
The MYU School of Project Design has three departments: The Department of Business Planning, the Department of Regional Sciences, and the Department of Value-Creating Design.
In a contemporary society where people's demands are diverse and rapidly changing, what kind of strategies do successful companies pursue? How do they manage and run their businesses? The Department of Business Planning focuses on investigating business logic and business thinking through case study analyses. Students obtain practical knowledge and analytical skills necessary to contribute to the business world and address social needs.
Nearly every local community in Japan is experiencing population decline, earthquakes, or other issues. The Department of Regional Sciences focusses on application of methods like local policy-making, cooperative community development, and community business to resolve such regional issues. The location of MYU in the heart of northeastern Japan with its chronic population problem and ongoing recovery from the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake, provides an important environment for understanding both theory and reality of regional sciences. Through coursework, students attain techniques to identify local needs and develop feasible plans. Graduating students are expected to show leadership in the revitalization of local communities.
The Department of Value-Creating Design seeks to invent new values for society through designing information and environments. Based on observations of changing sociocultural conditions, students examine designs in social contexts to address issues at both local and global levels. Through coursework, students develop critical thinking and logical expression by learning cutting-edge technologies and appreciating traditional skills.
The MYU School of Food Industrial Sciences has two departments, the Department of Integrative Studies of Plant and Animal Production and the Department of Food Science and Business.
Today, the agricultural industry is facing a revolutionary moment. As Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) become central in society, agriculture, the most essential industry for our lives and directly related to the environment, is getting more attention throughout the world. Responding to social demands, the Department of Integrative Studies of Plants and Animal Production offers various classes related to bioscience, agriculture, aquaculture, animal production science, informatics of cultivation environment utilizing IoT and AI, as well as food production business. Studying food production and developing a broad knowledge of these various critical fields, students will develop strong abilities to innovate in agriculture and food business. The uniqueness of the department lies in the comprehensive yet flexible curricula that meet today's rapidly changing social demands: engaging in interdisciplinary studies and research, as well as producing food materials for the societies of today and tomorrow. In addition to classes on food production and industry, students will be given chances to experience cutting-edge information technologies, fundamental sciences, and further subjects in business fields to revolutionize our food cultures.
“Eating” is closely related not only to the maintenance of human life but also to enhancement of life. The two courses of study in this department offer systematic education related to the production and processing of food (Food Science Course) or to the business side of food science (Food Business Course). The course in Food Science examines the practical science behind food production and processing, for example, the microbiology involved in the production of sake, miso, natto and other food products. The Food Business Course explores the equally important utilization of this knowledge through logistics, marketing, and corporate strategy.
“PUSH”, “PULL” and “GROW” are our three essential tactics to promote global connection for both MYU-students and faculty. As an institution, we seek to provide a “PUSH” and send students and/or faculty abroad. Equally important for CIEOS is the “PULL,” inviting international students and scholars to our campus and encouraging our students to bring back overseas experiences into the university. These are just part of effort to “GROW,” to develop international understandings and cultural sensitivity for all MYU-community members.
CIEOS designs overseas programs for a variety of students in order to provide the best opportunities for personal growth and academic development. The center also facilitates MYU-faculty members’ efforts to share their research activities overseas and to insure the successful completion of their research projects involving international collaboration.
This program is a relatively long-term study abroad program, lasting from one semester to a full academic year. CIEOS provides either upper-level credits or professional program credits with our partner universities such as University of Arkansas-Fort Smith in the US and Turku University of Applied Sciences in Finland. Students can transfer credits back to MYU with your academic adviser’s agreement. The best part of the program, though, is the chance to stretch your limits by living in a new culture and gaining new perspectives on your academic discipline!!
Where will you go? CIEOS offers a two-week educational program in Australia with the cooperation of Southern Cross University. Learning 全民赢三张下载安装 and experiencing Australian life are the essential elements of this program. Students also visit local businesses and practice problem-solving skills using the 全民赢三张下载安装 language.
Environment is a priority at Miyagi University. We believe that healthy minds, creative thought and the ability to turn those thoughts into positive action are nurtured by one's environment; thus our two campuses have been designed to meet this end. Within walking distance from the Miyagi Prefectural Public Library, Taiwa Campus is an aesthetic fusion of a wooded natural environment and sophisticated contemporary architecture. To the south is Taihaku Campus which harmonizes rural landscape with cutting edge academic facilities. Both campuses are strategically located within urban center limits yet easily accessible to surrounding rural communities so as to ensure that students and staff are connected to both urban and rural communities throughout Miyagi.
School of Nursing
School of Project Design
Graduate School of Nursing
Graduate School of Project Design
Miyagi University 1 Gakuen, Taiwa-cho, Kurokawagun Miyagi Prefecture, Japan 981-3298
School of Food Industrial Sciences
About the Graduate School of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Miyagi University 2-2-1 Hatatate, Taihaku-ku, Sendai City Miyagi Prefecture, Japan Miyagi Prefecture, Japan 982-0215 | <urn:uuid:5bf6970d-fdb9-42ad-821e-9e9aaf61daed> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://jyjinzhong.com/english/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572033.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814113403-20220814143403-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.932463 | 1,796 | 1.992188 | 2 |
Members of POWER (People Organizing for Women's Empowerment and Rights) House stood on the steps of the Alabama State House on Thursday morning to protest HB314, a bill that amounts to a near total ban on abortions. As lawmakers showed up to vote, the women held up signs that read, “Abortion Is A Human Right,” NBC News reports.
Under the Alabama legislation, doctors could face up to 99 years in prison for performing an abortion procedure. In the version passed by the state House, the only exception would be regarding the mother's health. A Senate committee added an exception for rape, but the Senate suddenly tabled the exemptions for rape and incest Thursday.
“If you get rid of abortions, essentially, it's not going to go away, it's just going to get more dangerous,” said Bianca Cameron-Schwiesow, a clinic escort for POWER House.
The volunteers at POWER House say there is already only a single clinic between Tampa, Florida, and Jackson, Mississippi.“In the late 90s, we had over 20 clinics in the state. And now, in 2019, we have three for the whole state,” said Mia Raven, founder and director of POWER House. | <urn:uuid:93ebb3b3-87a9-4029-9e13-2c277252f818> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/abortion-clinics-disappeared-alabama-advocates-fighting/86102/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573172.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818063910-20220818093910-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.952994 | 256 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder characterized by social/communication deficits and repetitive behaviours. It is very heterogeneous, with over 250 genes implicated, but is highly heritable. The current therapeutic approach is frequently ineffective partly because often a single treatment is given to a heterogeneous patient population. This project will address the lack of individualized treatment in autism through a parallel co-clinical trial of promising autism treatments in mice and humans. Treatments will be oxytocin, a drug associated with increased social behaviours, and Tideglusib, a drug that acts on a protein downstream of the most common single gene cause of an autism-related disorder. Both humans (phase II clinical trial) and mice will be treated with promising drugs, and analyzed and compared on behavioural, genomic, and advanced, high-resolution imaging measures. Ms. Lindenmaier hypothesizes that this will allow the identification of both genetic and phenotypic information that can be used to stratify individuals with autism into responders and non-responders for specific treatment options. Ultimately, she hopes to make the first steps towards a personalized medicine approach in autism in which there are defined effective therapies for subpopulations of the disorder. | <urn:uuid:37f5f144-da9d-4e65-bf45-eab70e05ecc1> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://braincanada.ca/funded_grants/co-clinical-trials-of-autism-in-mice-and-humans/?is_search_fundedgrants_form=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.935582 | 244 | 2.90625 | 3 |
The first recorded case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in Nigeria was reported on 27 February. Since then 29 other cases have been reported bringing the recorded cases in less than four weeks to 30 persons. Increase in the number of confirmed cases has been at geometric progression in recent days.
Most of the confirmed cases are travelers that came in through Muritala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), exposing the failure of the Federal Government and Lagos State Government to make necessary arrangements for testing and quarantine for travelers particularly from the most hit countries.
But, at the heart of this outbreak in Nigeria and globally is the nature and dynamics of the capitalist system, which puts profits first over and above any concern for the lives of the working people. Over the last few decades of neoliberalism which started as structural adjustment programmes in several countries, social services such as healthcare delivery have been privatized. And what is left of the public health sector has been underfunded.
Considering the severe lack of crisis preparedness in Nigeria due to gross underfunding of public healthcare over the years, and the lack of seriousness of the government in taking measures to prevent the spread of the pandemic into the country, it can be very well assumed that the number of persons infected in the country much higher than the number of reported cases.
There are only 5 testing centres in a nation of 36 states with over 200 million people. The testing will not just inaccessible, it is also unaffordable to millions of persons in a case of an outbreak in the country.
It was gathered that a lady who returned from the United Kingdom on 13 March felt she was symptomatic and asked to be tested. The Infectious Disease Hospital informed her she would be approached for testing soon. For a couple of days, she was not contacted.
It was her friend that eventually took drew case to the attention of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Lagos state government via a Twitter thread which went viral. She was subsequently attended to and the result confirmed that she is indeed infected. With the rate at which new cases are springing up, many will not be able to get tested in the coming days especially in the remote areas of the country if the status quo is maintained.
The current situation of the pandemic is very serious. And it can get even worsen in the coming days, as we move into the cold and wet raining season, if no serious measures are put in place. With hospitals across the country ill-equipped and understaffed it will be impossible to control spread of infection in the event of an things continuing to spiral.
If there is any lesson we can draw from countries that have record high cases -such as Spain which recently requisitioned private hospitals- it is that only radical programs and policies that put collective wants over the interest of a few profiteers can be effective in combating the pandemic. Based on this, we urge the labour movement; NLC, TUC, ULC, FIWON, JAF, CORE and other workers’ organizations in Nigeria to begin mobilization in earnest and put forward demands such as:
- Increase the number of test centres across the states of the federation, make adequate provision for test kits to be fully available and make testing for Covid-19 free of charge.
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) should be made available to safeguard the health of all health workers on the frontline of the COVID-19 response.
- There are hundreds of thousands of unoccupied buildings across the nations. The internally displaced people (IDP) and homeless people should be resettled in these buildings.
- The prisons and detention centres must be decongested, all the cases that have been abandoned must be hurriedly addressed and justice settled for the detainees who are largely innocent of the crimes alleged against them.
- The government through the Ministry of Labour and Employment must ensure that no worker in the public, organised private or informal sector loses her/his job or remuneration through this period.
- The government should prepare for a lockdown and that a commensurate intervention fund is immediately set aside to cater for the rents and general upkeep of all working masses, youth and other vulnerable segments of the society that would be affected by such a necessary step. These include formal and informal workers, pensioners, students and people with disabilities.
This period demands the unity of working-class people for action. We must all lend our support in every means possible to each other, particularly to the health workers, nurses, caregivers, teachers, janitors, cleaners and retail shop workers who are on the frontline of combating this pandemic.
This moment also shows the need to do away with capitalism. At moments of crisis, as we can now see, it is not the billionaires with their wealth which comes from our labour and the exploitation of nature that save society. It is we the workers, who are exploited and oppressed by the capitalists.
As we battle to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, we must equally stand to fight to build a new society built on the basis of democracy from below by we, working-class people. Only in such a society, a socialist society, where health is indeed a right for everybody and not just for a few rich people, can necessary measures be put in place to avoid the kind of catastrophe we are now immersed in.
We shall win! | <urn:uuid:1f430a79-a813-458d-bb76-41caeba72c54> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://socialistworkersleague.org/2020/03/23/covid-19-in-nigeria-swl-calls-for-collective-action-to-combat-the-pandemic/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.961928 | 1,114 | 1.546875 | 2 |
As with the university, Quebecor Media quickly yielded to a mob of critics and removed Provost’s remarks. Journal de Québec Editor-in-Chief Sébastien Ménard said that Provost’s points “were inaccurate or could mislead the public.” Notably, Ménard did not seem compelled to address the alleged inaccuracies in the comments or Provost’s basis for raising his concerns.
Ménard did not seem to entertain the possibility that the media can be a place for the exchange of such ideas, including a rigorous debate challenging Provost’s assertions. Instead, the solution, once again, was censorship.
Most of Provost’s colleagues have said nothing in defense of an academic being denied the very freedom that defines and sustains our profession. One exception is Douglas Farrow, a professor of theology and ethics at McGill University in Montreal, who denounced the suspension as “A Repressive Political Act” in a Substack article.
To its credit, the Université Laval faculty union has filed a grievance on Provost’s behalf.
I recently wrote a column on our own struggle with cancel culture in George Washington University in the effort to bar Justice Clarence Thomas from teaching. To its credit, the university sided with academic freedom. However, as the column noted, most people do not have a seat on the Supreme Court to reinforce their academic positions.
Last week, my study on the decline of free speech at universities was published by the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. The article entitled “Harm and Hegemony: The Decline of Free Speech in the United States,” explores the anti-free speech movement in the United States and the increasingly common claim that free speech itself is harmful. This is another example of that trend in Canada. It is part of an existential struggle for all faculty and students over the purpose and future of higher education in both countries. | <urn:uuid:c0f94661-a2fb-4cd5-99fd-08bbededc127> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://jonathanturley.org/2022/07/10/laval-university-professor-suspended-for-questioning-covid-vaccines-for-children/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573172.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818063910-20220818093910-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.958217 | 402 | 1.898438 | 2 |
Eleven-year-old Sebastian keeps a secret diary which details his adventures as The Brain, leader of a group of superheroes. His gang includes Barbara (Action-Bärbel), who is hyperactive and refuses to take her medication, Martin (The Chameleon) who is so unnoticeable as to be completely invisible, and Martin’s invisible friend Dieter, who is only allowed half a vote at meetings due to his imaginary status and his cowardice.
In the tradition of Roald Dahl, Sebastian records the heroic activities of ‘The Amazing Three and a Half’, as they defend their beloved class teacher, Ms Daffodil, from the plots of Mr Knarz, the Physics teacher, and the children in his class who are without exception both stupid and mean. Every page brings on new hilarity and crackpot schemes as The Three and a Half set in motion a series of daring plans, each more outrageous and ill-considered than the previous, including the spray-painting of the class hamster and a brave attempt to climb the ropes of the gymnasium dressed in a giraffe costume.
This fast-paced and utterly original novel will delight younger readers with its highly visual portrayal of fantastical villains and a gang of heroic outcasts. | <urn:uuid:ddf5b0a4-37f5-4737-91f8-20c015eece9e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.new-books-in-german.com/recommendations/villains-everywhere/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572833.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817001643-20220817031643-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.957313 | 266 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Female to Female Sexual Transmission of HIV
Let me tell you a story of a lady. Let’s call her Ms. T.
Ms. T was 46 years old. She has not had a heterosexual relationship in the past 10 years. In the past 5 years, she has had 3 female sexual partners. She does not do drugs, no tattoos, never been for acupuncture and has never had the need for blood transfusions or organ transplants.
Ms. T was not too well to do so she supplemented her income by selling blood to the local blood bank. In March 2012, she donated blood again and was told everything was fine. Most importantly, her HIV test was clear.
10 days after donating blood, she developed a sore throat, fever, vomiting, diarrhea and muscle cramps. She was seen at the emergency department and again tested negative for HIV. She was given some antibiotics and discharged.
18 days later, Ms. T again went to try to sell blood. This time, she was told her blood could not be accepted because she tested positive for HIV. On 5th July 2012, repeat HIV tests were positive and she was confirmed to be infected with HIV.
She revealed that her current 43 years old female sex partner was diagnosed with HIV in 2008. She had been on anti-retroviral medication but stopped since 2010.
They have been having unprotected sex with oral and vaginal contact and sharing insertive sex toys. They described their sexual contact as at times rough to the point of causing bleeding. They also have had unprotected sex during their menses.
Genetic studies found that the HIV that infected both women was 98% identical in genetic sequence. Furthermore, Ms. T reported no other sexual partners in the 6 months leading up to her diagnosis of HIV. The conclusion was therefore it was extremely likely that Ms. T was infected with HIV from her female sexual partner.
This was an actual case that happened in Texas in 2012. It was reported in the US CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Vol. 63 No. 10 dated 14th March 2014.
This is not the first time HIV transmission between women who have sex with women (WSW) has been reported. However, it is the first time the evidence has been so compelling.
In many previous studies, there were other risk factors for the infected women such as injection drug abuse or having male sexual partners at the same time. In fact, there was a study that followed 18 sero-discordant WSWs for 6 months and found not HIV transmission.
However, the evidence from this case is compelling enough for us to conclude that although rare, female-to-female sexual transmission of HIV can occur. The risk is presumably higher when there is exposure to menstrual blood or blood from trauma during rough sex. The risk is lowered if the HIV +ve partner is under medication and the HIV viral load is controlled.
About Dr. Tan
Dr. Tan graduated from the National University of Singapore in 2001. His residency was in the two largest public hospitals in Singapore; Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Singapore General Hospital.
Learn more about Lesbian and Bisexual Women Health – here
Need more advice?
- Robertson Walk (Anonymous HIV Clinic) (+65 6238 7810)
- DUO Galleria (Bugis MRT) (+65 6976 5023)
- Novena Medical Centre (+65 6397 2095)
- Somerset – Orchard Building (+65 6262 0762)
- Raffles Place – PLUS (+65 6962 7144)
- Holland V (+65 6235 1339)
- Siglap (East Coast Road) (+65 6962 2144)
Where to find us – here
Selected clinics are open on Saturday and Sunday.
For lady patients who prefer female doctors, we have professional certified female Doctors to attend to your medical needs. | <urn:uuid:af6e6ec0-0b2c-4faa-a5ff-74b43530ac71> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.drtanandpartners.com/female-to-female-sexual-transmission-of-hiv/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.979503 | 816 | 2.390625 | 2 |
If you’re planning to invest in the stock market for the first time, here are some tips to help you get started. Learn how to choose stocks, understand your risk appetite, and build a diversified portfolio. If you’re young, start with small amounts and slowly build your way up to the big companies. As with any investment, the first impression is important. It’s also helpful to hold some cash. You never know when the market will go up or down, so invest only what you can afford to lose.
Investing at an early age
Investing at an early age has many benefits. Firstly, it allows you to save a lot more money than you would if you were investing later on in life. Young people have lots of expenses to cover, so putting aside 10 to 20 percent of your income for investments is difficult. Secondly, investing early can enable you to benefit from compounding interest. By saving money early, you can avoid the trap of becoming a debtor and start building up your credit score.
Building a diversified portfolio
Investing is all about diversification. Diversification means that your money is not concentrated in one stock. For example, if you have 10% of your money in the banking sector, you should not only buy Bank of America stock but also invest in several other banks. This diversification will protect you in case one bank stock goes down. The same holds true for entire security types. However, diversification is not without risk.
Understanding your risk appetite
Investors must understand their risk appetite before they start investing. This means determining the maximum amount of risk they are willing to accept and what level of volatility they can tolerate. Risk appetite must be balanced against benefits and should be based on an investor’s time horizon. For example, if you are planning to retire in ten years, your risk appetite should be lower than someone who is approaching retirement. For younger investors, the opposite is true.
Choosing stocks for the first time when investing can be challenging, but there are many steps to take. A good rule of thumb is to avoid companies with a high P/E ratio. Companies with cash on hand are better than those with debt. As with any investment, it’s important to diversify your portfolio across various sectors of the economy. You can also consider performing a technical analysis of the companies’ financial statements, which is much more complicated than a basic P/E ratio.
Finding a brokerage account
For a first-time investor, opening a brokerage account can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. While there are many types of brokerages available, finding the right one can make the process as easy as possible. Look for brokerages with easy-to-use apps and educational resources, and attainable minimums. In addition, look for a brokerage that offers low fees and commission-free trades.
Did you miss our previous article… | <urn:uuid:8246cef9-3147-48e8-a659-c9d2746b9be9> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://balancedlifenews.com/investing-for-the-first-time/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.956589 | 630 | 2.421875 | 2 |
A flint flake from the Middle Paleolithic of Crimea was likely engraved symbolically by a skilled Neanderthal hand, according to a study published by Ana Majkic from the University of Bordeaux, France and colleagues.
The authors have developed a detailed framework for interpreting engravings on stone artefacts.
Engraved stone artefacts are important clues to the history of human culture and cognition. Incisions on the cortex (soft outer layer) of flint or chert flakes are known from Middle and Lower Paleolithic sites across Europe and the Middle East. However, it can be difficult to determine the action that created an incision: was it an accidental scrape or purposeful engraving?
To address this issue, Majkic and colleagues created an interpretive framework that allows researchers to classify the structure and patterns of engraved cortexes and cross-check these attributes with a list of possible causal actions.
They tested this methodology with an engraved flake from the cave site of Kiik-Koba in Crimea. The many stone artefacts at the site are associated with Neanderthal remains and date to around 35,000 years ago.
Following microscopic examination of the grooved lines on the flint cortex, the researchers concluded that the incisions represent deliberate engravings that would have required fine motor skills and attention to detail. These engravings appear to have been made with symbolic or communicative intent.
If this interpretation is correct, this engraved flake would join a growing list of signs that Neanderthals engaged in symbolic activities, along with evidence of intentional burial, personal ornaments, and other decorated objects.
This has implications for the question of when and how many times this sort of cultural expression has evolved among hominin populations. The researchers hope to hone their framework further for use with artefacts of varying ages and cultural contexts.
Header Image: The engraved flint flake from Kiik-Koba layer IV. CREDIT Majki et al (2018) | <urn:uuid:b5f3cabd-b5c3-4c63-94fc-07ce87f18a58> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.heritagedaily.com/2018/05/engraved-crimean-stone-artifact-may-demonstrate-neanderthal-symbolism/119134 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.931461 | 403 | 3.71875 | 4 |
Local Motion: The Nature Connection joins up with the Western Slope Conservation Center to help support the Backcountry Youth Trail CrewToday on Local Motion we take a look at a collaborative effort between the Nature Connection and the Western Slope Conservation Center to sponsor a Youth Trail Crew, young people who spend their summers maintaining the trail systems throughout the West Elks and Raggeds Wilderness. Taya Jae is joined by the young people on this crew and by Ben Grave of the Nature Connection, and Ben Katz of the Western Slope Conservation who join her to talk about the collaborative efforts behind this program – and what they believe is the importance of facilitating this type of work. Stay Tuned.
KVNF freelance reporter Lisa Young takes us to the dry adobe hills near the base of Grand Mesa in Delta where nutrient-rich composting material is being created. Tina Peters raises funds and requests a recount of the June primary elections. Peters and another GOP candidate are raising unfounded claims of voter fraud. Plus, the Ute Games returned to Southwest Colorado this week after a pandemic hiatus.
Aridification in the West is putting pressure on drinking water supplies. Add in a water main break and the situation can be catastrophic. Caitlin Tan reports for the Mountain West News Bureau on one area that’s already under water restrictions. And Justin Higgenbottom from Moab about why The U.S. Department of Energy is building up the country's strategic uranium reserve.
Rocky Mountain Community Radio, Aspen Public Radio’s Halle Zander reports on a house roundup in northwest Colorado. The BLM recently started rounding up wild horses on land between Rangely and Meeker. The ongoing round-up, or what the BLM calls a gather, was originally set for September. But BLM officials announced in June they were moving the event up two months. The BLM cited the poor condition of the wild horses, and the high numbers of horses roaming in the 190-thousand-acre Piceance-East Douglas Herd Management Area. The federal agency is seeking to remove 1,050 wild horses from the area. But wild horse advocates say the horses are not in poor condition, and that cattle are causing more problems on the range than the horses. The Mountain West News Bureau's Emma Gibson reports on climate change and cannabis.
Mountain West News Bureau's Emma Gibson reports from New Mexico on recently celebrated the purchase of 54-thousand acres to create its largest state-owned recreation area. The deal carries special meaning for tribes in the area. And it’s one of the biggest public land acquisitions in the U-S this year. And the state of Colorado launches a grant program that will award $1.8 million to help get youth from underserved communities outdoors.
Capitol overage reporter Scott Franz reports on a mountaineering accident in Rocky Mountain National Park involving the head of Colorado’s energy office, Will Toor. We revisit an interview former news director Gavin Dahl had with Toor in January about electric vehicles. Plus, reporters from the Mountain West News Bureau report on increased child care funds and ranger shortages around the country's national parks.
Latest NPR News
- Author Celia Pérez on challenging assumptions about what it means to grow up Latino
- New emergency system will alert Washington state to locate missing Indigenous people
- Academy apologizes to Sacheen Littlefeather for mistreatment over 1973 Oscar protest
- Arizona, Nevada and Mexico see water usage cuts as Colorado River shortage deepens
- Hearing aids could be available over the counter as soon as October
- The unspoken role of race in the Jan. 6 riot
- Postpartum care falls short for Black women. One mother is trying to fix that
- The doctor to detect the monkeypox outbreak tried to warn about how it was spreading
The KVNF Board of Directors is
seeking potential new members
seeking potential new members
Music Director's Favorite New Release
This Week's New Releases
of KVNF's locally-produced music programs. Miss your favorite show? Want to hear one again? Find it on-demand here! | <urn:uuid:29f2a12f-4b4c-4f9b-ab89-cbe343e86d42> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.kvnf.org/?00000178-44f9-d3e7-af7d-f4fd2dea0002-p=2&00000178-44f9-d3e7-af7d-f4fd36250003-p=3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572833.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817001643-20220817031643-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.933774 | 860 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Considering over 30,000 suicides in Japan
Author: Setsuo Ide
Ide Paediatrics, Kagoshima Prefecture
Editor: Chiharu Kawasaki
School of Medicine, Teikyo University
This article is a translation of Japanese MRIC published on December 29, 2021
● Suicidal ideation
Attempts to choose death to escape illness, relationships, financial problems, etc., are called suicidal thoughts.
A vague wish to die without a concrete reason is called 'suicidal ideation.'
I experienced suicidal ideation after taking the SSRI (serotonin reuptake inhibitor) Paxil for just three days. It was something similar to 'the elation of death being a comfort' From my experience, I feel that 'suicidal ideation' can best be described as being obsessed with the feeling of 'okay, I'm going to die
Suicide in depression is characterized by the fact that it often occurs during the recovery period from depression. Suicide is less common in depression because the depressed person has no energy to do anything at all.
However, suicide can occur because the depression improves and the person has the energy to act where they are on the mend, making the illness ephemeral.
I was reminded of SSRIs at the end of December 2012. In September of that year, I had a sudden hearing loss and had to be hospitalized for a week.
I couldn't stay out of the clinic forever, and after a week or so, I was discharged from the hospital and started practicing, but my hearing loss in my left ear made it difficult for me to hear speech, and the sound echoed in my healthy right ear, which increased my irritable mood.
At the end of the year, the number of flu cases increased, and my busy schedule made me even more irritable.
At that time, I remembered something I had seen on T.V. about Happy Drugs. An NHK program reported SSRIs, which were not yet in use in Japan at the time, as happy drugs.
Remembering the happy drug, I contacted a pharmaceutical wholesaler and ordered 10 mg of Paxil, an SSRI.
On the 28th, 29th, and 30th of December 2012, I took one 10 mg tablet of Paxil every morning. I stopped taking it three days after my son, a pharmacology student, warned me about the dangers of SSRIs. Although I had only been taking it for three days, I was haunted by a suicidal thoughts like 'the elation that death is a comfort.'
I was in a daze for a few days. I took it for only three days, but I thought about death a lot for some reason. It was a strange experience: "If I put a string on the handle of a chest of drawers, I could die, and my wife would have to die with me." I had no fear of death, no sense of reality at all, and felt that death was right there and that it was something completely casual.
But in the meantime, the feeling of being obsessed with death somehow disappeared.
It was around April after the new year when I had the opportunity to look into ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) in children. I was looking at treatments and things like that and noticed things like drug-induced aggression.
I remembered that the 1999 Columbine High School shooter, who shot and killed 12 students, seriously injured 24 others, and two high school students committed suicide, was taking medication. When I looked into it, I learned that the shooter was taking SSRIs.
So I researched SSRIs and discovered that SSRIs have a tremendous side effect called Activation Syndrome. "Anxiety, agitation, hostility, impulsivity, panic attacks, and worse, suicidal behavior," it said.
In searching the internet for information about SSRIs, I noticed a post by what appeared to be a psychiatrist that said, "Patients on SSRIs can commit suicide very quickly.
As someone who experienced near-suicidal thoughts of death being close by after taking just 10 milliliters of Paxil once a day for three days, I was struck by the horror of SSRIs.
It is said that in the case of suicides by people who take SSRIs, there is often a "lack of consideration for being out of sight," but this is not a question of "consideration for being out of sight." It is a question of the person committing suicide believing that "death (suicide) is not a shocking thing, but something that is not at all easy to handle." This is not a matter of "consideration for the public eye" but because the person who commits suicide is caught up in the thought that "death (suicide) is not a shocking thing, but something completely easy."
This is why outsiders see suicide as an easy way to kill oneself, even if there is no good reason.
The fact that the Activation Syndrome, which causes suicide attempts, occurs within a concise period of time, within two weeks of starting medication, is also frightening.
● Thinking about the more than 30,000 suicides in Japan.
I began to wonder if SSRIs had anything to do with the "more than 30,000 suicides in Japan" that started in 1999, based on my own experience of suicidal thoughts and a post by a supposed psychiatrist saying that "patients taking SSRIs commit suicide very easily."
Yearly changes in the number of suicides
The number of suicides in the 22,000 range from 1991 to 1994 suddenly rose to the 30,000 range in 1998 (Heisei 10) and has not decreased since then.
The number of suicides, which was in the 24 000 range in 1997 (Heisei 9), suddenly rose to the 30 000 range in 1998 (Heisei 10) and remained in the 30 000 range for 15 years.
The increase in suicides is no wonder, as the post-bubble recession worsened with the bankruptcy of Yamaichi Securities in November 1997, the fraud at the Naga Bank, and the banks' reluctance to lend money.
It is often said that the cause of over 30,000 suicides in Japan is the recession caused by the burst of the bubble economy, but first of all, suicide as a social phenomenon occurs during boom times, as described as 'anomic suicide.' The bursting of the bubble economy indeed had a significant economic impact. However, the economic impact of the bubble burst does not last for more than a decade.
The use of SSRIs in Japan began in May 1999 with the sale of Meiji Seika Pharma's Depromer and Fujisawa Pharmaceutical's Luvox. GlaxoSmithKline's Paxil was launched in November 2000.
And with the launch of SSRIs, the number of patients with depression increased, and sales of antidepressants, which were around 17 billion yen in 1998, reached 100 billion yen within ten years of the launch.
Over 30,000 suicides in Japan began with the bubble bursting in 1998. However, it continued for the next 15 years, and it was not until 2014 (Heisei 24), following the declaration by the Psychiatric Association in 2012 (Heisei 24) that the drugs were not practical "for mild depression," that the number dropped below 30,000.
In an abstract in Clinical Pharmacology, Vol. 11, No. 10, Professor Yoshinori Cho of Teikyo University stated that akathisia and Activation Syndrome could occur as side effects (behavioral toxicity) of SSRIs and other antidepressants, and these can be linked to suicide-related events. The frequency of suicide-related events thought to be caused by antidepressants is up to 5-6%. A simple calculation here is that about 2.6 million people in Japan take SSRIs annually; 5% of 2.6 million people is 130,000. That would mean 130,000 people per year experience an event leading to suicide.
In the case of suicide, suicide attempts are said to be ten times more common than suicides. One hundred thirty thousand people experience a suicidal event annually; if 1/10th of these are suicides, that would be 13,000. The number of suicides in Japan has been increasing.
The merits and demerits of antidepressants (SSRI controversy and litigation)
"The merits and demerits of antidepressants (SSRI controversy and litigation)" is a book by British psychiatrist Professor David Healey.
Originally titled "Let Them Eat Prozac," it concerned suicides caused by the US Eli Lilly and Company antidepressant Prozac (SSRI fluoxetine hydrochloride).
Professor David Healy is a psychiatrist and psychopharmacologist who was also Secretary-General of the British Psychopharmacological Society.
"The merits and demerits of antidepressants (SSRI controversy and litigation)" focuses on the side effects of the antidepressant SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), which increase suicidal impulses in depressed patients.
Suicide by antidepressant SSRIs
Eli Lilly and Company launched the antidepressant Prozac in the USA in 1988. Two years later, in February 1990, researchers at Harvard University reported that SSRIs cause suicidal tendencies, and the first paper was published in the Journal of the American Psychiatric Association.
However, for 14 years, the dangers of SSRIs were virtually silenced by related industries across the industry, government, and academia until after 2004, when the U.S., U.K., and E.U. Medicines Regulatory Agency began to take action, for example, by issuing warnings on SSRIs products.
Professor David Healey's book "The merits and demerits of antidepressants (SSRI controversy and litigation)," first published in August 2005, resulted from five years of intensive research into Prozac.
(1) That Prozac and other SSRIs have the potential to induce suicide and violence, that the companies that manufacture them know this, and that the system that allows this to happen could soon cause a drug or medical disaster that would make even the thalidomide incident seem small scale.
And Eli Lilly and Company has persisted in its claim about the risk of suicide in the antidepressant Prozac (SSRI), saying that suicide is not caused by Prozac but by the disease of depression.
(2) That because the disease of depression cannot be clearly defined, it is a manageable disease to create. Because anyone can easily be made depressed and the drug market is enormous, pharmaceutical companies may be keener to extract profits from health than to contribute to it.
(3) The way pharmaceutical companies market their products, and the number of new breakthrough drugs increasing suggests that they are now better at selling drugs than making them.
"The merits and demerits of antidepressants (SSRI controversy and court battles)" states that "SSRIs could cause a drug disaster that would make even the thalidomide case seem small-scale."
Thalidomide was launched in West Germany in 1958 as a sleeping pill under the trade name Contergan.
Afterward, reports of the development of 'congenital disabilities' began to appear here and there. The West German pediatrician W. Lenz pointed out that taking thalidomide in early pregnancy could result in congenital disabilities such as congenital disabilities.'
In November 1961, a meeting between W. Lenz and Grünenthal was held, and, due to media pressure, six days later, Grünenthal decided to stop the production and marketing of Contergan.
The thalidomide case, known as 'seal limb disease' because the hands of thalidomide children looked like seals, was a shocking drug case with around 10 000 victims worldwide. The thalidomide case has been called the worst drug case in history.
Professor David Healey's words that "the use of SSRIs will lead to a drug disaster that will make even the Thalidomide case seem small-scale" was a severe warning, meaning the tragedy of increased suicide among SSRI users.
● The increase in the number of depressed people in Japan
Professor David Healey's statement that "depression is a disease that has no clear definition, so people who are not depressed can be made depressed" took the form of "the launch of SSRIs and the increase in depressed patients" in Japan.
In fact, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the number of patients with depression in Japan rose from 440,000 in 1999 to 1.04 million in 2008, just ten years later, and sales of antidepressants, which were only 10 billion yen per year, reached 100 billion yen. This is known as the SSRI phenomenon in Japan.
Sales of SSRIs proliferated under the enthusiastic promotion of the disease by pharmaceutical companies and doctors and with catchphrases such as 'depression is a common cold of the mind.'
SSRIs were also promoted to general physicians other than psychiatrists under the indication of 'social anxiety disorder.
The number of patients with depression increased here and there, and the number of civil servants who took medical leave because of depression increased, and for a time in the mid-2000s, the media was abuzz with the news.
● Disease Mongers
Disease Mongers is a term that appeared in the review of Lynn Payer's book, 'Disease Mongers: How Doctors, Pharmaceutical Companies and Insurance Companies Make You Feel Sick,' by British Medical Association Journal in 1993.
The catchphrase' mental cold,' describing mild depression, was used in the marketing strategy of the American pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline K.K. to sell the antidepressant Paxil from around 2000.
Barry Brand, product manager for Paxil, said, "It's every marketing guy's dream to uncover and expand a customer market that no one has noticed yet. That's what we're doing with Social Anxiety Disorder. It was a clever market strategy to "create a new indication, social anxiety disorder, and turn healthy people into sick people."
The fact that "depression itself is a disease that cannot be clearly defined, so it is easy to create, and anyone can be made to suffer from depression, so the market for drugs is large" means that sales of antidepressants in Japan, which were only around 10 billion yen when SSRIs were launched, jumped to 100 billion yen within ten years when SSRIs were first marketed. The fact that "the market for antidepressants is large because they are easy to use for depression" explains the situation where sales of antidepressants in Japan jumped from around 10 billion yen to 100 billion yen in less than ten years when SSRIs were launched.
●The effects of SSRIs are no different from flour.
The book "Medicines are meaningless for 80% of depression" is a book by Dr. Yutaka Ihara, Professor of the Department of Mental Health at Dokkyo Medical University Koshigaya Hospital, published in 2015. In that book, he states that "the effects of SSRIs are no different from flour."
It states that the papers by Kirsch of the University of Hull, UK, in 2008 and Fornia of the University of Pennsylvania, USA, in 2010, based on an analysis of a vast amount of data on SSRIs, announced that the effects of SSRIs were either none or minimal.
The publication of the Kirsch paper in 2008 and the Fornia paper in 2010 led to the removal of antidepressants as first-line treatment for mild depression by societies worldwide.
In 2012, the Japanese Society for Depression Research also withdrew its drumbeat that drugs work for depression. It declared that for 'mild depression, which accounts for the majority of depression, 'there are few treatments that show reliable efficacy against placebo.'
Here, the SSRI whirlwind with the catchphrase "depression is a common cold of the mind" came to a halt. At the same time, the number of suicides in Japan also decreased: in 2014, the number finally fell below 30,000.
Before this, SSRI prescriptions in the E.U. and the USA had been drastically reduced since around 2004, after the media had raised the issue of SSRIs several times.
However, between 2004 and 2012, the 'SSRI whirlwind' blew over in Japan, and SSRIs continued to be the most prescribed drugs in the world. Remarkably, the use of SSRIs in Japan was twice as high as in the USA and twice as high as in the E.U.
In Japan, SSRIs were marketed not only to psychiatrists but also to general physicians, and at their peak, SSRIs were prescribed to 2.6 million patients yearly.
SSRIs were easily prescribed to patients with minor mood swings under the invented indication of "social anxiety disorder." They were also aggressively prescribed for panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and PTSD.
● Doctors who were considered experts were those in the industry.
In 2010, Dr. Tatsuichiro Tomitaka, head of the mental health department at the Panasonic Health Insurance Union, wrote a book entitled "Why the number of people with depression has increased." It is about the increase in patients with depression due to pharmaceutical company commercials and disease awareness raising saying that "depression is a common cold of the mind," as I learned in the book, "drugs cause 80% of depression". Why are more people suffering from depression?
The book 'Why the number of people with depression has increased' methodically discusses the significance of the increase in depression from 440,000 in 1999 to 1,040,000 in 2008, as well as questions about SSRIs.
Dr. Tomitaka did not discuss this at the conference but published the book out of the blue and directly questioned public opinion, which caused a sensation and was also criticized. The criticism was, "Shouldn't the experts have discussed this among themselves before asking the public opinion?"
Dr. Tomitaka responded that 'experts are in the industry, so it may be difficult to discuss issues that concern the interests of the industry.'
This reply by Dr. Tomitaka can mean that the words imply severe pharmaceutical money contamination of doctors in expert and leadership positions who also condone disease busting.
Of course, the doctors considered experts and leaders in leadership positions were aware of the danger of increased suicides caused by SSRIs.
The 'over 30,000 suicides in Japan' due to SSRIs is the kind of drug disaster that makes the thalidomide case seem small-scale.
However, SSRIs are still used in 30% of patients with depression and are prescribed to many patients with PTSD, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
My drug trial with Eli Lilly was motivated by my grief at Eli Lilly's insistence in Professor David Healy's book that suicide is not caused by Prozac but by the disease of depression. | <urn:uuid:b9de92d8-95fd-48e1-a9e3-f6393eccb79e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.mricg.info/single-post/considering-over-30-000-suicides-in-japan | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572033.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814113403-20220814143403-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.971247 | 3,947 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Over 40 community organizations, Indigenous rights holders and partners, education partners and students participated in the third Minister’s Community Roundtable on Anti-Racism in Education.
The partners met to discuss and address racism in the education system and to provide final feedback to inform the provincial K-12 anti-racism action plan.
“Working together, we are making progress in dismantling subtle and overt forms of racism,” said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Education and Child Care. “Through the Community Roundtable on Anti-Racism, everyone has the opportunity to participate and learn from stories, personal reflections and ideas. We can’t change the past, but by recognizing, learning, and teaching historical and current injustices and inequalities, we can make change together to create an anti-racist future. We are grateful to each participant whose voice has shaped and informed our multi-year anti-racism strategy to create a culture of belonging for all students, staff, parents and families.
The roundtable included breakout sessions and group discussions for participants to provide feedback. The agenda included a student-led presentation on the discussions and recommendations made during the Ministerial Youth Dialogue Series held earlier this year between students from across the province and Whiteside.
“Our institutions, including schools, are rooted in colonial biases that still harm Indigenous, Black and people of color today,” said Rachna Singh, BC Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives. “Through the Community Roundtable on Racism, we can break down the barriers that have held people back for generations and build a better anti-racism province for our children and future generations.
Over the past two years, the Department of Education and Child Care has made ongoing commitments and announced initiatives to address racism. This includes hosting community roundtables on anti-racism, supporting the Team Up Against Racism partnership with the BC Lions, and developing a guide for educators to support teaching about racism. anti-racism and the various cultural histories, as well as the organization of the series of dialogues with young people.
In 2020 and 2021, British Columbians have lived through significant events of intolerance, inequality and racism. All have been highlighted by various protests and increased acts of discrimination and hatred in Canada and around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic has deepened the vulnerabilities and inequalities faced by racialized communities in British Columbia and across Canada.
By teaching young people about the impacts of discrimination in B.C. and helping them develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to respond to racism, the government and its partners are creating a generation of future leaders to stand up for the inclusion and acceptance of people of all ethnicities, as everyone works together to prevent and stop racism.
Silvia Mangue Alene, President, BC Black History Awareness Society –
“Through the Anti-Racism Community Roundtable, I welcome the opportunity to make and embrace changes to eliminate racism in K-12 education. from raising awareness of the struggles of racialized communities to celebrating and teaching students about the contributions of Black Canadians, we can show compassion for inequalities and educate about our collective history. I look forward to seeing our engagements contribute to the development of an anti-racism plan to further strengthen diversity, inclusion and equality among students, teachers and school staff.
Tyrone McNeil, Chair, First Nations Education Steering Committee –
“First Nations learners continue to face discrimination and racism in BC public schools, including the racism of low expectations. The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act came into force in November 2019 and includes an article that states that indigenous people, especially children, are entitled to all levels and forms of state education without discrimination. It will take a major and coordinated effort across the education system to achieve the goal of eradicating racism.
Nola, student, member of the Youth Dialogue series –
“Being part of this series of dialogues with young people has inspired and motivated me in many ways; it made me feel like part of a community of like-minded people working to change our school system. Working Together, Listening and Uplifting proves how change is possible when we work together and speak out what needs to be changed.
Darren Danyluk, President, BC Principals’ and Vice Principals’ Association –
“Anti-racism work goes beyond teaching and promoting tolerance for diversity. Key to this work is the action taken to identify and oppose racist policies where they exist. New steps to enact anti-racism policies are essential to achieving equity, not just in our schools, but in society as a whole. Through true collaboration and focused effort among BC education partners, an effective plan will be created and implemented through action. BC principals and vice-principals are committed to engaging alongside our partners in the work of building welcoming and inclusive schools for our students, staff, and communities.
- All of BC’s 60 school districts and independent schools have Safe School Coordinators and codes of conduct or policies in place that align with the BC Human Rights Code.
- These codes and policies are designed to ensure that schools remain free from discrimination against any person based on race, color, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. , or the age of that person or class of persons.
- British Columbia’s Erase (expect respect and a safe education) strategy addresses the fight against bullying, racism, discrimination and other harmful behaviors in many ways, including an anonymous online reporting tool to report incidents. In 2021, the Erase website was expanded to provide more information for K-12 students, educators, parents, and families on how to identify racism. Updates include links to book lists and resources for adults and children of all ages.
Erase Racism: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/erase/racism
Anti-Racism Data Act: https://engage.gov.bc.ca/antiracism
A backgrounder follows. | <urn:uuid:4428a4a1-2275-4242-98d8-cd23925add4e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://confesercentipartner.com/anti-racism-roundtable-amplifies-voices-for-action-plan/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.94541 | 1,277 | 2.765625 | 3 |
COOKING YOUR PASTA
- Bring 4 to 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil, season with salt to taste, and set aside.
- Fill a pot halfway with boiling water and add the contents of the packet.
- Bring the water back to a boil. For real ‘al dente’ pasta, boil it uncovered for 12 minutes, stirring periodically.
- Remove the pan from the heat
- Serve right away with your favorite Barilla sauce, and enjoy!
- 1 How long do you cook fettuccine?
- 2 How long to cook pasta noodles?
- 3 How do you boil fettuccine noodles?
- 4 How much water do you put in fettuccine noodles?
- 5 How do I know when fettuccine noodles are done?
- 6 How long do you cook fresh fettuccine for?
- 7 How do you boil the perfect fettuccine pasta?
- 8 Can you over cook fettuccine?
- 9 How long should pasta boil?
- 10 How do you know when noodles are al dente?
- 11 How thick should fettuccine be?
- 12 How do you cook frozen fettuccine Alfredo?
- 13 Can fresh pasta be al dente?
- 14 Do you rinse fettuccine noodles?
- 15 How long do you cook elbow macaroni al dente?
- 16 Why are my fettuccine noodles hard?
- 17 Why are my noodles gummy?
- 18 Is al dente undercooked?
How long do you cook fettuccine?
In a separate bowl, combine the fettuccine and toss until the noodles are well covered.Close up the saucepan and boil the noodles for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on how thick you want your noodles.Keep an eye on the noodles and stir the pot every few minutes to prevent them from sticking.Remove soft noodles from the pot and taste them frequently while you cook.When the pasta has reached the correct texture, turn off the heat and set it aside.
How long to cook pasta noodles?
Making the Noodles from scratch.Stir the noodles immediately and again within the first few minutes of cooking; pasta noodles release starches on the top of the water during this time period and will stay together if they are not stirred often during this time period.Boil the pasta for 1 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, for fresh pasta.Cooking dry pasta al dente may take 10 to 13 minutes depending on the type of pasta.
How do you boil fettuccine noodles?
Make sure to adjust the amount of water you use to the amount of fettuccine noodles you are making.For 1 pound of pasta, use a big 8-quart pot and fill it roughly 3/4 of the way with water, then set aside.Bring the water to a boil, then add 2 teaspoons of salt to the water and cook until the salt dissolves.In a separate bowl, combine the fettuccine and toss until the noodles are well covered.
How much water do you put in fettuccine noodles?
Make sure to adjust the amount of water you use to the amount of fettuccine noodles you are making. For 1 pound of pasta, use a big 8-quart pot and fill it roughly 3/4 of the way with water, then set aside. Bring the water to a boil, then add 2 teaspoons of salt to the water and cook until the salt dissolves.
How do I know when fettuccine noodles are done?
The only way to tell if it’s done is to try it out yourself! When you bite into it, it should be crunchy and solid to the bite. The longer pasta cooks, the gummier it becomes; therefore, if the spaghetti adheres to the wall, it is most likely overcooked. After cooking and draining the pasta, rinse it thoroughly.
How long do you cook fresh fettuccine for?
Depending on the breadth of the spaghetti, cook for 30–90 seconds at a time.
- Capellini (around 30–35 seconds)
- Cook the tagliatini and linguine for 50–60 seconds.
- Fettuccine (60–70 seconds)
- (70–90 seconds)
- Pappardelle (70–90 seconds)
How do you boil the perfect fettuccine pasta?
Fill a large saucepan halfway with water and bring it to a boil. After you’ve added the salt, you may add the dry pasta. Served with a sauce or kept cold for later
- The cooking time should be reduced by one minute compared to the package recommendations.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool quickly, but do not rinse. Toss in a little olive oil
- When you’re ready to use it, add it to a hot sauce and continue cooking it, or refrigerate it.
Can you over cook fettuccine?
Overcooking occurs when the food is soft and mushy after it is removed from the oven. So, perfectly cooked pasta will be soft on the inside but will still be firm to the bite when it is done to perfection. If you underknead your fresh pasta, it might turn out chewy as well as dry.
How long should pasta boil?
The following is a basic pasta recipe: In a large saucepan, bring the water (along with salt and/or olive oil) to a boil. Once the water has been brought to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8-12 minutes, depending on the form (see above). Drain the pasta and set it aside to steam dry for a few minutes, or until the surface of the spaghetti has become matte.
How do you know when noodles are al dente?
In order to determine whether pasta is al dente, it is recommended to bite into it. Make an inspection of the pasta two minutes before the time specified on the package directions expires and taste it. A piece of pasta that is soft enough to eat but still has a little of bite to it has achieved the al dente stage.
How thick should fettuccine be?
To create fettuccine, I recommend rolling the pasta in a setting that is three settings below the final setting (often designated ″6″). If you’re making ravioli, you’ll want to make the dough a little thinner since stacking two sheets of pasta will make the edges twice as thick—I make the dough one setting thinner.
How do you cook frozen fettuccine Alfredo?
Instructions for a Conventional Oven
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Do not remove the film from the tray.
- Place the tray on a baking sheet in the center of the oven. 50 minutes of cooking time
- Remove the cover, mix, and replace the cover. Continue to cook for a further 15 minutes if necessary.
- Take the baking sheet out of the oven. Allow for 5 minutes of resting time.
- (Total cooking time in the oven: 65 minutes)*
Can fresh pasta be al dente?
Fresh pasta, on the other hand, isn’t meant to be prepared al dente in the traditional sense. Instead, this pasta should be cooked until it is delicate and nearly velvety to the touch and to the teeth, around 15 minutes.
Do you rinse fettuccine noodles?
Whatever your meal is, whether it’s going to be served hot or cold, don’t rinse your pasta before you start cooking it! Consequently, your finished meal will be even more delectable, and you will not be erasing the tastes and textures that you have worked so hard to create throughout the cooking process.
How long do you cook elbow macaroni al dente?
7 minutes, uncovered, stirring periodically, is the time required for real ″al dente″ pasta. Boil the pasta for an extra 1 minute if you want it more soft.
Why are my fettuccine noodles hard?
What is causing my fettuccine noodles to be so hard? When you bite into the pasta, it should be firm and crispy, indicating that it is undercooked. Continue to cook it for another 30 minutes, tasting it every 30 seconds, until it is done. When the pasta is delicate to the bite yet firm to the touch, it has reached its last stage of cooking (al dente).
Why are my noodles gummy?
As previously stated, if pasta is allowed to stay in water that is not sufficiently heated, it will turn gummy and sticky. Make sure the water is boiling quickly before you pour in the spaghetti. Once the pasta has been added, the temperature of the water will begin to reduce. Allow the pasta to cook for a few minutes while the water returns to a full boil.
Is al dente undercooked?
In contemporary Italian cookery, the word refers to the optimal consistency for pasta that requires only a short amount of time to prepare. Molto al dente is a culinary phrase that refers to pasta that has been slightly undercooked. When a pasta dish is going to be prepared twice, undercooking the pasta is employed in the first round of cooking. | <urn:uuid:c8e47c43-75cd-41eb-823c-f7309c2b933a> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://goszechuanhouse.com/chinese-food/how-long-do-you-cook-fettuccine-noodles-for.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571909.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813051311-20220813081311-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.901564 | 1,960 | 1.617188 | 2 |
I recently had the honor of sitting down with Gene Luen Yang, author of the graphic novels American Born Chinese and Avatar: The Last Airbender, among other works. In his own words, he is a high school computer science teacher by day and a Taiwanese-Chinese-American cartoonist by night. Gene is currently the Director of Information Services and a part of the Low-Residency Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults (MFAC) program.
I first heard of Gene in my Asian Americans in Media course at the University of California, Berkeley, where his work, American Born Chinese, was featured in our course reader. It wasn’t until a student group event on campus did I finally get to meet Gene, and then again at a comic book signing event where he was a featured guest. His fascinating life story as a computer-scientist-turned-cartoonist paired with his easy-going, enthusiastic personality made him an engaging and entertaining presenter.
I wanted to learn more about Gene’s experiences, so I invited him to chat with me further and to share his story and the inspiration for his work with the audience of TaiwaneseAmerican.org.
In this interview, I asked Gene about his path towards the comic industry and what it is like to be an Asian American in this field. He also talked about parental influence, expectations, and/or pressures on this journey, and his reflection on it all, now that he has kids of his own.
On a whim, I also asked him to produce a quick sketch of the two of us. As I watched his cartoon take shape, I felt compelled to sketch one myself. It was… well, you’ll see.
Watch and enjoy our video interview below!
For more information about Gene and to follow his work, visit his website at http://geneluenyang.com/. Also follow him on: | <urn:uuid:99018292-19fc-4ab1-9594-eb8e2feb53f1> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.taiwaneseamerican.org/2013/06/life-sketch-gene-luen-yang/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.97835 | 421 | 1.96875 | 2 |
Exploring Hedera With Dr Leemon Baird: Chief Scientist & Co-Founder
In this episode, Kevin and Ben sit down with Dr Leemon Baird, co-founder of Hedera and creator of the Hashgraph Consensus Algorithm, to talk about Hedera’s success, the origin of the Hashgraph algorithm and what drives Dr Baird’s passion for this new ledger technology
Who Is Dr Leemon Baird?
Dr Leemon Baird is the inventor of the Hashgraph distributed consensus algorithm, and is the Co-founder and CTO of Hedera Hashgraph and Swirlds Inc. With over 20 years of technology and start-up experience, he has held positions as a Professor of Computer Science at the Air Force Academy and as a senior scientist in several labs.
He has been the co-founder of several start-ups, including two identity-related starts-ups, which were acquired. He received his PhD in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University and has multiple patents and publications in peer-reviewed journals and conferences in computer security, machine learning, and mathematics.
Ways to connect with Hedera
Ways to connect with Cryptopulse
Ways to connect with Kevin and Ben
Thanks for listening and don’t forget to subscribe so you can be notified when we release a new episode.
Downloaded & listened to in over 100 countries. Cryptopulse is here to guide you through the crypto universe with thought-provoking topics, in-depth knowledge & information to help you make informed decisions. | <urn:uuid:ebd00f84-0299-41c5-ba0b-fefd2ce7c606> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.cryptopulse.co.uk/exploring-hedera-dr-leemon-baird/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573172.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818063910-20220818093910-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.931749 | 432 | 1.734375 | 2 |
- Adrian Ghenie
- The Hunted
- signed and dated 2010 on the reverse
- oil on canvas
- 203 by 171 cm. 80 by 67 1/4 in.
Private Collection, USA
Haunch of Venison, London
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2011
London, Haunch of Venison, Adrian Ghenie, September - October 2011
Florence, Centre for Contemporary Culture Strozzina, Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, Francis Bacon and the Existential Condition in Contemporary Art, October 2012 - January 2013
Juerg Judin, Ed., Adrian Ghenie, Ostfildern 2014, p. 105, illustrated in colour
The bricolage appearance of The Hunted bespeaks extraordinary painterly skill. The form of the baboon is almost diagrammatical and cut-out. At once evoking Francis Bacon's 1950s portraits of apes and monkeys, the blurred photographic countenance of Ghenie's baboon is contra to the overpainted viscous layers that appear to practically peel away from the canvas surface. These pastose layers work to dispel the primary illusion of a forest setting and instead affirm the claustrophobic environs of a bunker-like room. In this painting incongruences work together in dream-like collusion: the Scandanavian forest mutates into a dark wooden-clad interior, the moth specimen appears far too large for the desk upon which it awaits examination, while the defensive and yet aggressive baboon is at once hunter and hunted. Indeed, correspondingly elusive is the answer to who The Hunted really is.
When considering the symbolic value of both the baboon and the moth, one of Ghenie’s key conceptual dialogues is brought to the fore: the connection between Charles Darwin and the controversial off-shoot of Darwinian thought that is Eugenics. Darwin’s discovery of the human race’s evolution from ape-like ancestors via natural selection opened the door to a whole field of genetic study that would become central to the fundaments of modern biology. Furthermore, serving as landmark evidence in the plight of evolutionism vs. creationism, the case of the peppered moth indefatigably proved the validity of ‘survival of the fittest’ owing to genetic mutation. Into the Twentieth Century, the research of Eugenics proposed the introduction of selective genetic manipulation into human breeding. Thereafter, this theory of an engineered human gene pool by both positive and negative eugenics (the propagation of ideal traits versus their elimination) was not only wholeheartedly embraced by the Nazi party but, in their endeavour to build a master race, was actively put into practice. Ghenie’s fascination with Darwin, Hitler, the Degenerate Art Exhibition of 1937, the Nazi book burnings, and other twentieth-century despots such as Stalin and Lenin, feeds directly from this dialogue between enlightenment progress and its often troubling consequences.
Given the emblematic congruence of both content and title, The Hunted evokes the mass exodus of Nazi war criminals after fall of the Third Reich, many of whom fled to South America via secret ‘ratlines’ to escape arrest. Though some were successfully captured (including Adolf Eichmann and the notorious concentration camp commander Franz Stangl), fewer were prosecuted and many successfully evaded arrest altogether, living out their finals days with relative impunity. Indeed, having been hunted for years, figures such as Dr. Josef Mengele – the infamous Auschwitz physician and vital proponent of Nazi Eugenics – died without passing through the International Criminal Court. With the years inevitably passing and the Nazi populace ageing, this ‘hunt’ has almost reached its end. | <urn:uuid:91d1f1c4-707f-4266-b4d9-b05d00758a20> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2016/contemporary-art-evening-l16022/lot.12.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.928662 | 800 | 2.140625 | 2 |
Women make choices every day that can impact their health. Even small choices can have a big impact on daily health. Choosing to drink water over a sugary drink can reduce calories. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator can burn calories and increase heart health. Being smokefree is one of the best choices for living a healthy lifestyle. Smoking is the most preventable cause of disease, disability and death in Missouri.
There are many health differences between men and women. Many conditions are more common in women, such as breast cancer, osteoporosis and depression. Signs and symptoms for serious health conditions may be different for women. Women and men often have very different warning signs for heart attacks. Being well informed about warning signs could be the difference between seeking immediate care versus overlooking unclear symptoms. For further information about a variety of women’s health topics, click here.
Women have preventive screening needs that differ from men. Women may also need specific immunizations. Consult with your health care provider to determine what screenings and vaccinations are right for you. | <urn:uuid:2f975826-dd0b-4474-8696-181c9181a873> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://health.mo.gov/living/families/womenshealth/index.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573172.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818063910-20220818093910-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.959204 | 219 | 2.1875 | 2 |
To mark the 50th anniversary of the New Jersey Historical Commission (NJHC) and emphasize the significant work of history organizations and programs across the state, we asked our FY2017 and FY2018 grant recipients to submit a short narrative and photos describing the impact of NJHC funding. Each week until the end of our fiscal year in June, we will post a spotlight featuring the responses of our grant recipients. Whether NJHC support contributed to general operating, a brand new exhibit, an engaging education program or the restoration of a historic object, it’s truly amazing to see what New Jersey history organizations, libraries, and individuals have to offer.
This week we spotlight the Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center!
Funding from the New Jersey Historical Commission enables Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center (WheatonArts) to introduce NJ history to broad audiences through an extraordinary variety of educational and interpretive programs. Core NJ History programs originate from: the AAM-Accredited Museum of American Glass, housing the largest collection of American (and NJ) glass on display in the United States; the Down Jersey Folklife Program, presenting programs based on research of the rich cultural diversity in southern New Jersey; the WheatonArts Glass Studio, a replica of the original T.C. Wheaton Glass Factory, offering glassmaking demonstrations and hands-on education programs; and Craft Studios that feature programs in ceramics and other crafts accompanied by exhibits that provide technical and historical information. New Jersey history-related programs include museum exhibits, docent tours, narrated demonstrations, on-site school programs, outreach programs, workshops, performances, seminars, and hands-on craft opportunities for daily visitors. The history of New Jersey is presented as a reflection of the cultural, economic and industrial development of the region.
For questions about NJHC Grantee Spotlights, please contact Greer Luce, Communications Officer, at 609-633-0776 or email@example.com.
The New Jersey Historical Commission (NJHC) is a state agency dedicated to the advancement of public knowledge and preservation of New Jersey history. Established by law in 1967, its work is founded on the fundamental belief that an understanding of our shared heritage is essential to sustaining a cohesive and robust democracy. | <urn:uuid:0829add3-ec54-448f-950b-9a937e2a29a8> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://discovernjhistory.org/new-jersey-historical-commission-njhc-grantee-spotlight-wheaton-arts-and-cultural-center/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572198.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815175725-20220815205725-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.906837 | 466 | 2.046875 | 2 |
It is normal for everyone to feel tired sometimes and it is part of our day to day lives.Stroke survivors and people who are recovering from serious medical illnesses like Cancer and such would feel like they are lacking energy and strength.
Some stroke survivors define this as tiredness or fatigue.
And it’s very confusing at first because you feel very sleepy however you were not engaged in any physical activities, therefore, you’d say you’re tired and needed some quality sleep.
Tiredness and fatigue are two different things.Tiredness is the result of your daily physical activities or lifestyle causes. Like, you haven’t got enough sleep during the previous nights and didn’t get enough rest.While fatigue is related to medical illnesses because your body is recovering, like Stroke or Cancer.
What is Post -Stroke Fatigue?
The study reveals that more than half of the stroke survivors experience fatigue during the early days or months of recovery and even years.It’s a constant concern.
Both physical and emotional triggers this, and has a very disappointing side effect and makes you feel that you have completely drained all your strength.It’s the unexplainable feeling of exhaustion.Daily activities such as walking or dressing require more energy, compare it during the days prior to your stroke attack. Anything that is related to physical movements requires more energy.
Causes of Post-Stroke Fatigue
Insomnia or Sleep apnea, which affects the quality of your sleep during night thus makes you feel sleepy during the day after your Stroke.
You may also consider the medication that you are taking which could have potential side effects and your doctor could check this.
Fatigue is linked to medical illnesses where your body is recovering from it, and not related to any previous activity and how busy or active you were. No matter how mild or severe the stroke was.
Depression after stroke is very common to survivors which require energy.
The fear of having another stroke which makes you feel a bit uneasy and concern.
Unfortunately, sleeping or hours of rest won’t make you feel better nor improve fatigue, because it is not similar to being tired (feeling tired)and resting is not a solution to regain your strength.
Why do you feel so sleepy?
If you feel sleepy during the day, don’t worry because it’s completely normal. You need to understand that your brain suffered a serious injury and it needs a complete rest to heal.
Drowsy days or sleepiness during the day is a sign of Depression, where your emotion is involved.
Having a Sleep disorder like insomnia could be the culprit of why you feel so sleepy.
Listen to your body and sleep if it dictates you, don’t ignore it.
Your health status is no longer the same as before.
Jill Bolte Taylor
Fatigue can decrease you to perform exercises and requires more energy to complete which makes you feel that your strength was completely drained.
Treatment for Post-Stroke Fatigue
There is no available treatment for Post -Stroke Treatment however proper management can help you lift it.
Whenever your body tells you to rest like sleeping. Don’t ignore it, listen to it. Sleeping will help you rewire your brain.
Regular exercise like a treadmill can help you improve fatigue. Perform some small physical activities on a daily basis although it’s difficult but take it from there, slowly.
Consult your doctor to identify if some of your medications are the culprit of your fatigue.
https://www.stroke.org.uk/what-is-stroke/effects-of-stroke/tiredness-and-fatigue#What is post-stroke fatigue | <urn:uuid:8517138f-7e35-4801-8799-4af833d43f16> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://stroke-free.com/fatigue-and-too-much-sleep-after-stroke/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.945101 | 893 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Beit Shearim: They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak. (2 Samuel 2:32)
Day Time Hours
Small Entrance Fee
Many Christian pilgrims are interested in visiting the catacombs. A series of catacombs was unearthed on a hillside in Beit Shearim (Besara). Beit Shearim was a Roman and Hellenistic city known for its necropolis, large man made tunnels and caves made to hold coffins. The coffins date back from 2nd to 5th century AD.
The tombs within these catacombs were of rich Jewish people from all around Israel. It was their desire to be buried near Rabbi Yehuda Hannasi, whose tomb is within the catacombs at Beit Shearim.
Tivon, a city on the road from Haifa to Nazareth, contains the ruins of the village. There are two parts of Beit Shearim: the ruins of the Roman city on the top side and the catacombs, which are on the hillside below. The catacombs are secured behind gates and are within a national park. Christians and Jews alike can only be visited during daytime hours.
One of the caves has a small museum. The cave reused as a glass factory. This underground museum is decorated with huge arches and stone doors that look like wood and turn on an axis. They are made to look like gates, because Beit Shearim means “house of gates.” The museum has glass cups and coins on display. It also has a set of tin coffins, models of the mausoleum and other artifacts in its collection. Behind a central display, visitors are treated to a video presentation.
Places to Go
Behind the doors, pilgrims walk through halls of tunnels dug out of the limestone. In each tunnel and hall are dozens of coffins made from rock. There can be over 130 in one cluster o f tombs. Many of the coffins within the catacombs are decorated with lions, Menorahs and other important symbols.
The entrance of the catacombs of the Yehuda Hanassi is designed very similarly to the main hall of catacombs. On the wall of this particular cave are several inscriptions with Yehuda’s sons’ names. There were all buried in grooved on the ground. It was his will that they not be buried in coffins.
The base of the mausoleum was built by a rich individual. The walls are ornately decorated with animal scenes. A model of this structure is seen in the museum. Pilgrims can also walk around the hillside of the catacombs to see over a dozen clustered tombs. Each cluster was purchased by a revered Rabbi or wealthy family. There are many clusters of tombs ye t to be excavated awaiting both Jewish and Christian visitors.
The supreme judicial body in Jerusalem during the Second Temple period was the Sanhedrin. Yehuda Hannasi was the leader of the Sanhedrin and lived in Beit Shearim. He collected and compiled the six parts of the Mishna, based on the oral traditions and customs of the Jews. This compilation was his most important work. The Mishna was as important to the Jews as the Bible was to the Christians. It provided guidance for daily life. After his death, Yehuda Hannasi was buried beside his family in cave #14.
Beit Shearim then became famous. Rabbis and wealthy people all wanted to be buried in the necropolis to be near Yehuda Hannasi. For the Jews living outside Israel, it is considered a great honor to be buried in the Holy Land, especially near important people. | <urn:uuid:2dfc0788-e352-4457-9cdb-528a25f6ef93> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.iholyland.com/catacombs-at-beit-shearim/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.977077 | 807 | 2.75 | 3 |
Sarajevo, June 19, 2020 – The BH Journalists Association and the organization Medicus Mundi Mediterania signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Agency for Gender Equality of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the field of prevention of gender-based violence and promotion of gender equality in the Sarajevo Canton.
The memorandum was signed within the project “Building a fairer, more equal and integrated society that guarantees women’s personal integrity and the right to life without gender-based violence”, implemented by the BHJA in cooperation with Medicus Mundi Mediterania from Barcelona.
Among the main goals of the project are the eradication of gender-based violence as one of the goals of political and social activities in Sarajevo Canton, improving media coverage of gender-based violence through organized trainings for journalists, analysis of services offered by the institutions in cases of gender-based violence and creation and implementation of a media campaign with the aim of sensitizing the citizens of Sarajevo Canton on these topics.
During the implementation of the project, which will last until February 2021, a public campaign is planned to advocate increasing the budget of cantonal institutions for victims of gender-based violence, holding educational workshops in high schools and conducting a competition for students on this topic, as well as showing a documentary “Woman” at festivals, with a special focus on Sarajevo Film Festival.
One of the key activities of BH Journalists and Medicus Mundi Mediterania is joint cooperation with the Agency for Gender Equality of BiH, ie the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees, as one of the most important institutions dealing with monitoring the implementation of the BiH Law on Gender Equality, implementing strategies to promote gender equality and the reduction of gender-based violence. | <urn:uuid:7e3da3f1-f193-486b-9254-3b141b0310b8> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://bhnovinari.ba/en/2020/06/19/bh-journalists-signed-a-memorandum-of-cooperation-with-the-agency-for-gender-equality-of-bih/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570767.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808061828-20220808091828-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.938855 | 375 | 1.539063 | 2 |
When a man tells me he never worries, I am inclined to think that he is either deceiving himself or trying to deceive me. The great roots of worry are conscience, fear, and regret. Undoubtedly we ought to be conscientious and we ought to fear and regret evil. But if it is to be better than an impediment and a harm, our worry must be largely unconscious, and intuitive. The moment we become conscious of worry we are undone. Fortunately, or unfortunately, we cannot leave conscience to its own devices unless our lives are big enough and fine enough to warrant such a course. The remedy for the mental unrest, which is in itself an illness, lies not in an enlightened knowledge of the harmfulness and ineffectiveness of worry, not even in the acquirement of an unconscious conscience, but in the living of a life so full and good that worry cannot find place in it. That idea of worry and conscience, that definition of serenity, simplifies life immensely. To overcome worry by substituting development and growth need never be dull work. To know life in its farther reaches, life in its better applications, is the final remedy—the great undertaking—it is life. We must warn ourselves, not infrequently, that the larger life is to be pursued for its own glorious self and not for the sake of peace. Peace may come, a peace so sure that death itself cannot shake it, but we must not expect all our affairs to run smoothly. As a matter of fact they may run badly enough; we shall have our ups and downs, we shall sin and repent, and sin again, but if in the end we live according to our best intuitions, we shall be justified, and we need not worry about the outcome. To put it another way, if we would have the untroubled mind, we must transfer our conscientious efforts from the small details of life—from the worry and fret of common things—into another and a higher atmosphere. We must transfigure common life, dignify it and ennoble it; then, although the old causes of worry may continue, we shall have gained a stature that will make us unconscious masters of the little troubles and in a great degree equal to the larger requirements. Life will be easier, not because we make less effort, but because we are working from another and a better level.
If such a change, and it would be a change for most of us, could come about instantly, in a flash of revelation, that would be ideal, but it would not be life. We must return again and again to the old uninspired state wherein | <urn:uuid:f1199272-2549-4ea3-8da2-a5f976f171be> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://freeditorial.com/en/books/the-untroubled-mind | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572833.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817001643-20220817031643-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.961342 | 532 | 2.109375 | 2 |
Professor John Lennox, a Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at the University of Oxford, once opined that one of the fundamental responsibilities assigned to man by God is the responsibility of naming things.
Interestingly, that is one thing that man has excelled at. Discoveries in the sciences and the arts have largely been man naming things that already existed. (Meanwhile, innovations deal with combinations and or reconfiguration of those things).
**I have previously written about this business of naming things before, so I won’t go into that again. I will however tow a similar line in this post, from the angle of society and societal definitions.**
Society has a very peculiar and somewhat unspoken responsibility in the life of an individual. It plays an important delineating what is acceptable and what is not. It is a reflection of the collective position of a people on certain matters, even if there may be varying views on individual levels.
Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that society is always right. In fact, it usually is not, since it’s a mere reflection of the collective conscience and not based on anything foundational. This means it changes as the individuals evolve in their dispositions.
Why is this important?
Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and demanded who he was, and what he had done.Acts 21:33-34 (KJV)
And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude: and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle.
Every now and then certain issues come up in our society that stir up emotions, thoughts and perspectives – invariably, some will cry one thing, others will cry another, the result being that we never know the certainty of those issues.
You see, certainty can’t be found in and with the public. Yes, Society will churn out opinions, and others things, but never certainty. If we desire to know the certainty of issues, we must go to our private spaces. We must turn to another source.
Certainty, therefore, is a function of its source; a source that can be assessed by everyone in their personal spaces, one that does not change based on the whims and caprices of societal pressures. A source that transcends time and yet must be relevant to time, in time to all and sundry.
Such a source, ladies and gentlemen, is the inspired Word of God.
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.2 Peter 1:20-21 (KJV)
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
When we investigate this Source, we will find that it meets all requirements and fulfils all demands. On all issues of life, the requisite level of certainty is met by this Source beyond controversy.
All it demands is that we come with open and sincere minds and allow ourselves be guided by the supervising author of Scriptures; the Spirit of Truth.
Our definitions must be outsourced – literally, from a Source without. | <urn:uuid:e53f78b0-43cf-4ad3-be90-b0db1dd7b904> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://abaykells.wordpress.com/2022/04/25/voices-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570767.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808061828-20220808091828-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.955922 | 676 | 2.078125 | 2 |
An objective and appropriate methodology for assessment improves decision making, reduces risk and increases confidence in the selection process.
We have been using various forms of psychological assessments to support clients for more than 30 years.
Assessments carried out by our chartered psychologists are instrumental at every stage in an employee’s life cycle: selection, development, promotion, and departure.
Psychological assessments use systematic and standardised tools to measure differences in individual characteristics such as intelligence and personality. They provide a greater understanding of potential and current employees. They help to predict, objectively and fairly, how successful they will be in a job. They are used in some form by 70% of employers. There is a huge range of tests on the market.
Testing falls into two principal categories: ability (where there is a right answer) and personality (no right answer). Some personality tests are not suitable for recruitment but are used for coaching. Some assess motivation and values.
Assessments can provide information on:
- intellectual functioning
- personality and vocational interests
- managerial aptitude, such as decision making, numerical ability, leadership and skills in communication
- developmental needs.
We offer group assessments as part of the recruitment process or to help clients measure the progress of their graduate trainees. See our client story on the successful application of psychological assessments.
Our success is measured by yours
We look beyond the data. Beyond your culture. Every recommendation is based on a holistic view of your business. And we’ll help you implement the changes you need to grow.
Telephone: +44 161 703 5600 | <urn:uuid:761d6d0a-7550-45eb-9f7c-25231e92932a> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://collinsongrant.com/our-expertise/human-resources/psychological-assessments/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.941251 | 333 | 1.773438 | 2 |
The final stop on The Chieftains: The Irish Goodbye tour is Mason’s Center for the Arts on March 19 at 8:00 p.m. In a lively evening of music, stories, and dance, The Chieftains will share the stage with the Mason University Singers, dancers from the O’Neill James School of Irish Dance, and the Northern Virginia Firefighters’ Emerald Society Pipe Band.
Also joining the Chieftains in their final The Irish Goodbye tour performance is retired NASA astronaut and flutist Catherine “Cady” Coleman, who famously traveled to the International Space Station with a pennywhistle and Irish flute from The Chieftains’ Paddy Moloney and Matt Molloy. Coleman is a veteran of two Space Shuttle missions and has logged 159 days in space.
Bringing together the community to celebrate Irish heritage is the goal of their “The Irish Goodbye” tour. Band leader Paddy Malone, the top traditional folk musician in Ireland and around the world, explains that “in each city, we perform with local Pipe and Drum bands, Irish Dance schools, choirs, and special guests—the whole shebang! It’s always fun to showcase local talent to their hometown crowds.” The Northern Virginia Firefighters’ Emerald Society Pipe Band will open the evening with a rousing march to welcome the audience and The Chieftains, and the Mason University Singers will join in on the fun for several numbers, including crowd favorite “Shenandoah.”
Just what is an Irish Goodbye? Some say it’s an abrupt departure from a party without telling anyone, and others say it’s a lengthy farewell ceremony that includes prolonged conversations, plentiful sing-alongs, and keening sendoffs because an Irish person cannot be the last to leave a party without telling anyone. As for which meaning The Chieftains intend for their tour, they are not saying.
The Chieftains joined the traditional music party nearly six decades ago in 1962. Since then, they have won six Grammy Awards and are highly recognized for reinventing traditional Irish music on a contemporary and international scale, and their music remains as fresh and relevant as when they first began.
The Chieftains: The Irish Goodbye:
Thursday, March 19 at 8:00 p.m. at Center for the Arts | <urn:uuid:a30b7c66-0457-4251-b184-6acf5a0989e4> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://cfa.gmu.edu/news/2020-02/community-guests-join-chieftains-irish-goodbye-center-arts | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570767.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808061828-20220808091828-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.93581 | 489 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Meeting abstract. No PDF available.
Auditory cortex displays remarkable
plasticity, but how such plasticity relates to human perceptual learning remains unclear. Here, we present a neural network model that attempts to link the two. The model consists of an encoding layer, a decoding/decision layer, and an interneuron that receives both top-down regulation and bottom-up stimulation. The interneuron, once activated, implements a neural learning mechanism such as reorganization of the tonotopic map or lateral inhibition. During active training, top-down regulation sensitizes the interneuron and initiates the learning process. Depending on the relative influence of top-down regulation and bottom-up stimulation, learning ranges from partially to completely stimulus specific, consistent with empirical observations. For stimulus-specific learning, we have recently shown that passive exposure to an untrained frequency after, but not before active training induces transfer to that frequency. The model displays similar behaviors regardless of the specific neural learning mechanism (remapping or inhibition) implemented. Overall, the simulation results indicate that auditory cortical plasticity is subject to top-down regulation and that the plasticity, once unlocked, can afford perceptual learning with bottom-up stimulation only.
- © 2016 Acoustical Society of America.
Web of Science
Please Note: The number of views represents the full text views from December 2016 to date. Article views prior to December 2016 are not included. | <urn:uuid:3a0d1de0-9e27-47ce-9d21-2914df53e4ba> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://asa.scitation.org/doi/10.1121/1.4970388 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570767.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808061828-20220808091828-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.895369 | 320 | 1.976563 | 2 |
Donald Maclean (1913-83) was a British diplomat, Soviet agent and defector. Born in London, Maclean was the son of a British Member of Parliament and Leader of the Opposition. The young Maclean was therefore raised in a political environment and given a liberal education. In 1931 he enrolled at Cambridge University to study languages. Inspired by the Great Depression and the Russian Revolution, Maclean became an outspoken communist, writing essays and editorials for left-wing publications. He was also introduced to future members of the Cambridge Five spy ring. In 1934, the year of his graduation, Maclean was recruited into the Soviet secret service. After leaving Cambridge he joined the British Foreign Office, where he began passing information and documents to Soviet agents. In the late 1930s, he spent two years working in Paris.
In 1944 Maclean was promoted and posted to the British embassy in Washington. While there he sat on a multilateral committee on nuclear energy, so was privy to information about the development of atomic weapons. Maclean passed much of this information to his Soviet handlers, providing Moscow with insight into nuclear weapons levels. In 1948 Maclean was posted to Cairo, Egypt, where he was responsible for British military strategy in the Middle East. His life as a double agent took its toll on Maclean, who drank heavily, behaved erratically and suffered from marital problems. He returned to London and in 1951 was appointed the head of American affairs at the Foreign Office. Around this time MI5 agents working on the VENONA Project deduced that Maclean was a Soviet spy. Maclean, accompanied by Guy Burgess, fled to the Soviet Union before he could be arrested and interrogated.
Maclean adapted to life in Moscow, obtaining Soviet citizenship and working for the KGB as a foreign policy advisor. His wife Melinda, who had been aware of his double life, and the Macleans’ three children joined him in the Soviet Union in 1953. Donald Maclean died in Moscow in March 1983.
This page was written by Jennifer Llewellyn and Steve Thompson. To reference this page, use the following citation:
J. Llewellyn & S. Thompson, “Donald Maclean”, Alpha History, accessed [today’s date], https://alphahistory.com/coldwar/donald-maclean/. | <urn:uuid:344c5f3b-2f1e-4586-8f1c-62af4fab4c09> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://alphahistory.com/coldwar/donald-maclean/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.97328 | 515 | 3.171875 | 3 |
Filippo Grandi, the United Nation's top refugee official, has warned America about its treatment of Haitian migrants at the southern border. Grandi has encouraged the Biden Administration to scale back health-related immigration restrictions such as Title 42 that were implemented in March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. As he explained, Title 42 denies "most people arriving at the southwest U.S. land border any opportunity to request asylum.”
“The summary, mass expulsions of individuals currently underway under the Title 42 authority, without screening for protection needs, is inconsistent with international norms and may constitute refoulement,” Grandi said in a statement obtained by Reuters.
Grandi's comments come less than 48 hours after millions of Americans witnessed images of horse-riding border patrol agents chasing Haitian migrants while using long "reins" in the process. When asked about the White House's response to these images, Press Secretary Jen Psaki characterized the photos as "horrific."
"What I saw depicted, those individuals on horseback treating human beings the way they were was horrible," Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters on Tuesday, according to The Hill.
"I fully support what is happening right now, which is a thorough investigation into what is going on there. But human beings should never be treated that way, and I’m deeply troubled about it."
Despite the Vice President being "deeply troubled" by the actions of border patrol officers, the Biden administration has continued to deport migrants back to a country that has been ravaged by natural disasters and political strife.
“If Biden continues with these deportations, he’s no better than Trump,” Haitian migrant Johnson Bordes told The Washington Post after being deported.
"This is an injustice. I don’t even know where we are going to sleep tonight.” | <urn:uuid:0e499807-1b6e-4595-baed-23e67b627b23> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.binnews.com/content/2021-09-22-un-official-warns-us-about-mistreatment-of-haitian-migrants/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.961341 | 388 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Contact: Nancy Stimson, 307 467 5283
Devils Tower, WY – Rene Ohms, chief of resource management at Devils Tower National Monument, is the recipient of the 2013 Department of the Interior Environmental Achievement Award in the "Sustainability Hero" category. Ohms, a member of the monument staff since 2013, was honored for her superior achievements in engaging park staff in sustainability and energy conservation efforts in her previous National Park Service assignment at nearby Jewell Cave National Monument in South Dakota.
Most notably, Ohms led the effort to complete an environmental management system and a "Climate Friendly Parks" plan while at Jewel Cave as a physical science technician. Because of her efforts, the park was able to complete greenhouse gas inventories. Ohms also shared her lessons learned with other parks in the Black Hills area by coordinating and leading two workshops to help those parks work toward "climate-friendly" status.
"Rene is a wonderful asset to the management team at Devils Tower," said Superintendent Reed Robinson. "Through her low-key and consistent approach, she has emerged as an agent of change to inspire and motivate her co-workers to help meet Interior and Park Service goals to address climate change and sustainability."
To learn more about Devils Tower National Monument, contact a park ranger at 307-467-5283, or go to our Facebook page at Devils-Tower-National-Monument-Official-NPS-Site.
Last updated: February 24, 2015 | <urn:uuid:11a1fdb8-c94e-49a2-8a5e-e3a6b2675b43> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.nps.gov/deto/learn/news/sustainability-hero.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573172.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818063910-20220818093910-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.942354 | 306 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Environmentally sustainable post-COVID-19 spending in Latin America and the Caribbean lags behind the rest of the world, according to a new platform co-developed by the University of Oxford that showcases real-time data from 33 countries.
The tool’s 2020 data showed 0.5 percent of total spending and 2.2 percent of long-term recovery spending in the region was environmentally friendly, compared with a global spend of 2.8 percent and 19.2 percent respectively.
The platform is based on the Global Recovery Observatory, an initiative led by the Oxford University Economic Recovery Project (OUERP), and supported by UNEP, the International Monetary Fund and GIZ through the Green Fiscal Policy Network (GFPN).
It revealed that only six of the region’s 33 countries dedicated more than 0.1 per cent of their GDP to recovery spending; a similarly small number allocated a significant proportion of their budgets to post-COVID-19 efforts, including Chile (14.9 percent), Saint Kitts and Nevis (13.3 percent), Saint Lucia (11.3 percent), Bolivia (10.5 percent) and Brazil (9.26 percent).
However, to date a higher proportion of the region’s recovery budget has been spent on unsustainable sectors ($7.4 billion) than on environmentally sustainable initiatives ($1.5 billion). Around 74 percent of environmentally negative spending has been directed to fossil energy infrastructure, and 13 percent to unsustainable port and airport infrastructure, which is expected to lead to an increase in carbon emissions.
Brian O’Callaghan, lead researcher at the Oxford University Economic Recovery Project, said: ‘The region has reached an economic crossroads. Either governments continue to support the old, dying industries of the past or invest in sustainable industries which will drive future prosperity. The new economic opportunities for the region are monumental and wise leaders will embrace them.’
Furthermore, the examination of over 1,100 policies showed that approximately 77 percent of the region’s total spending of $318 billion was allocated to rescue measures addressing short-term threats and saving lives, while only 16.1 percent has focused so far on long-term recovery plans to revitalize the economy, given the limited financial resources of many of the region's countries. On average, Latin America and the Caribbean has allocated $490 per capita expenditure to post-COVID-19 recovery, compared with $650 in emerging markets and developing economies, and $12,700 in advanced economies.
The region has been severely affected by COVID-19. Home to 8 percent of the world’s population, Latin America and the Caribbean has reported some 29 percent of deaths from the pandemic, while it is estimated that in 2020 the region had a GDP contraction of 7 percent.
Piedad Martin, Acting Director of UNEP’s Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, said: ‘I applaud the initiative of Latin American and Caribbean ministers to track their progress towards greener recoveries. Our Tracker shows that overall, the region’s green spending does not yet match the severity of the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
‘In order to transition to more sustainable and inclusive economies, nations in the region must build from this good start of tracking to further align their development priorities with green recovery.’
Costa Rica’s Minister of the Environment and Energy Andrea Meza, who will chair the XXIII meeting of the regional Forum of Ministers of the Environment in 2022, said: ‘The situation of the region is dire, the response to the pandemic is leading us to an increase in debt, limiting our capacity to direct investments to environmental sustainability. Yet, placing climate action as the engine of recovery has never been as important. Our survival and the competitiveness of the region is at stake due to climate change.
‘I call on governments, the international community and the private sector to support Latin America and the Caribbean in responding to this crisis through investments that allow us to meet the Paris Agreement.’
High-impact chances for the region are numerous and require a mix of policy measures. Key opportunities await in sustainable energy, in particular non-conventional renewable energy and energy efficiency; investments in zero-emission transport with a special focus on public transport; and investments in nature-based solutions to ensure adaptation in key sectors, such as agriculture, and urban centres, where most of the population lives. | <urn:uuid:9dd49f2a-8c21-412d-a01c-7e8dd0299b2e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2021-09-02-latin-america-and-caribbean-failing-invest-sustainable-post-covid-19-recovery | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573699.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819131019-20220819161019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.935987 | 914 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.