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Optical microscopes and its working
An optical microscope is basically optical equipment that helps us to have a close look at a sample through the magnification of a lens with visible light. This is the traditional form of microscopy, which was first invented before the 18th century and is still used today. Also commonly known as a light microscope, an optical microscope uses a combination of multiple lenses to magnify images of small size with visible light. The lens is placed between the specimen and the viewer’s eye to magnify the image so that it can be examined in greater detail.
Types of Optical microscopes-
There are different types of optical microscopes available in the market. They are capable enough to create a very basic design to high complexity that provides high resolution and contrast.
- Compound microscope- It consists of a combination of lenses that magnifies the sample image to a higher resolution. It is often used for modern research.
- Simple microscope- A single lens, similar to a magnifying glass, for magnifying the image of a specimen.
- Stereo microscope- It provides a stereoscopic image, which is useful for dissection.
- Digital microscope- It consists of compound or simple lenses but uses a computer to visualize the image without the need for an eyepiece to view the sample.
- Comparison microscope- It helps to get the simultaneous view of two different samples, one in each eye.
- Inverted microscope- In this, a sample is viewed from below, which is useful for examining liquid cell cultures.
There are some other types of optical microscopes available in the market which includes polarizing, epifluorescence, petrographic, phase contrast, and confocal microscopes.
An optical microscope can produce a micrograph using standard light-sensitive cameras. Photographic film was traditionally used to capture images. The development in the technologies has now allowed taking the digital images from the CMOS and charge-couple device (CCD) cameras for optical microscopes. In terms of results, the image projection can be done onto a computer screen in real-time for a sample to be examined with these digital microscopes. This tends to increase the convenience of use it prevents the use of eyepieces. The spherical optics company available in the market manufactures flat optics that are used in multiple fields, to know more about it visit pfg precision optics. The magnifying power of a combined optics microscope depends on the ocular and objective lens. | <urn:uuid:2579b19a-6ddd-4a2b-ade9-651a7db9117f> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://kopicvet.ru/optical-microscopes.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571538.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812014923-20220812044923-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.921666 | 509 | 3.84375 | 4 |
The people who started QE are now members of the committee criticizing QE
After the Economic Affairs Committee of the House of Lords issued a rather nasty report, the Bank of England will be a little angry this morning. From Valentina Rome, economic reporter of the Financial Times:
After an in-depth investigation into quantitative easing (the central bank’s attempt to stimulate spending by creating money and injecting it into the economy by purchasing assets), the House of Lords Committee on Economic Affairs stated that the Bank of England did not provide sufficient reasons for it. Flagship policy.
The committee’s report will sting Threadneedle Street because one of the authors is former Bank of England Governor Mervyn King, and the other is former Treasury Chief Economic Advisor and World Bank Chief Economist Nicholas Stern.
Yes, you are right. It was Mervyn who introduced controversial policies during his tenure at the bank and is now laying the groundwork for his successor. We want to know what Merv thinks of Lord Forsyth of Drumlean, Chairman of the Economic Affairs Committee, that the bank is “obsessed with” bond purchases. shocked……
The committee accused the bank of facing too few problems and acting too little to justify the use of quantitative easing, despite its “dazzling” scale. At the same time, we went back to the past press conferences from the time. The governor’s sharp rebuttal is almost unheard of. During his time at the helm, the bank was not known for its openness.
To be fair, we are now in a very different position than when banks first started buying bonds in November 2009. The £895 billion stock is also quite high. Most importantly, more than a decade after the introduction of quantitative easing in western developed economies, quantitative easing can no longer be regarded as a panacea for solving macroeconomic ills.
We think the central bank is right to use it. But there is no doubt that it has increased inequality by raising asset prices, while wage growth has been stagnant. We also believe that during events such as a pandemic, the reasons for using it as the main lever for economic decision-making are far less than when the world fell into a banking crisis. At the time, quantitative easing was essential to alleviate market tensions and keep lenders in business. This time, the banking system is in relatively good health.
However, we believe that no central bank governor claims that quantitative easing is a panacea. There is consensus that fiscal policy now needs to play a bigger role. The direct transfer from the state to the workers is indeed the main feature of economic policy in response to the pandemic. The question is more about whether quantitative easing can supplement these fiscal transfers and whether doing so poses the risk of jeopardizing the independence of the central bank from politics. In the end, they are fair. It doesn’t matter if the person who asked them played an important role in the beginning of the whole thing. | <urn:uuid:d2fa2789-bad8-47ea-a84a-7e8c51995430> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.justicenewsflash.com/2021/07/16/the-people-who-started-qe-are-now-members-of-the-committee-criticizing-qe_20210716153364.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.970556 | 608 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Facebook: Russia used us as 'information weapon' for US election
Some 80,000 posts made by Russian-based entities were seen by up to 126 million Facebook users ahead of the US election.
Tuesday 23 January 2018 10:46, UK
Facebook has admitted that social media can have a damaging impact on democracy.
In a blog post by the firm's global politics and government outreach director, the company admitted it was "too slow to recognise" alleged Russian attempts to interfere in the US presidential election.
Answering the "hard" question of "What effect does social media have on democracy?", Facebook's Samidh Chakrabarti said: "While I'm an optimist at heart, I'm not blind to the damage that the internet can do to even a well-functioning democracy.
"It's abhorrent to us that a nation-state used our platform to wage a cyberwar intended to divide society."
Mr Chakrabarti noted that "Russian entities set up and promoted fake Pages on Facebook to influence public sentiment - essentially using social media as an information weapon."
Facebook told a congressional inquiry that 80,000 posts made by Russian-based entities were seen by up to 126 million of its users ahead of the presidential election.
In the UK, Facebook has been criticised for not investigating whether accounts other than those identified to have attempted to influence the presidential election had attempted to interfere in the Brexit referendum.
In response to a parliamentary inquiry into the fake news phenomenon, Facebook claimed that only three Kremlin-linked accounts were found to have bought advertisements which could have influenced the Brexit vote.
These accounts spent $0.97 (72p) on advertisements, it said.
The company is now widening its probe to identify further accounts which could have been involved in interference.
To deal with fake news, Facebook has suggested surveying users to establish which news sources are trustworthy, although this seems obviously as vulnerable to organised manipulation as the existing situation.
Facebook and Twitter have both published images showing similar influence attempts, but no evidence revealing Russian state culpability for the social media campaigns has yet been published. | <urn:uuid:0484b731-2bfb-4edf-92e6-515870d82696> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://news.sky.com/story/facebook-russia-used-us-as-information-weapon-for-us-election-11219181 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.970936 | 432 | 2.015625 | 2 |
Legendary Carnegie Deli To Close After 79 Years
It's a sad day for pastrami lovers. The owner of New York's Carnegie Deli—a landmark of the city's dining scene—has announced that it will close up shop for good at the end of 2016. The spot, which is known for its cheesecakes and Jewish culinary staples, first opened in Midtown Manhattan in 1937 and has become a favorite of New Yorkers and out-of-towners alike.
In recent years, the deli has been the subject of a number of setbacks and scandals, the New York Post reports. Last year, the restaurant was shut down for nine months due to a gas hookup that didn't meet the city's standards, to be reopened later to much fanfare, which included lines around the block and a visit from Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Just two years prior, the owners had to pay $2.6 million in back wages to former employees who had brought a lawsuit against the business for unfair payment practices. In addition to the deli's financial and legal struggles, owner Marian Harper Levine and her now ex-husband, who goes by 'Sandy,' recently went through a messy public divorce– which included allegations that Sandy Levine funneled secret recipes to his mistress.
According to Harper Levine, who is 65, the decision to shutter the business was due to age and exhaustion. "At this stage in my life, the early mornings to late nights have taken a toll," she tells the Post.
And while news of the iconic deli's closure will certainly shock and sadden some corned beef devotees, signs of its downfall might have begun to show a few years ago when Levine was forced to reduce the size of the dining room after losing the lease for the space next door.
The silver lining on this sandwich of despair? Levine will continue licensing out Carnegie Delis in locations ranging from Pennyslvania to Las Vegas, so wherever you are, a big, steaming bowl of mahtzo ball soup might not be far. | <urn:uuid:05a8eaf4-6548-4572-8681-afb2fb83c107> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.foodandwine.com/news/legendary-carnegie-deli-close-after-79-years | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571538.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812014923-20220812044923-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.974335 | 418 | 1.617188 | 2 |
From the title most of you would have figured out that this article is about the great Indian epic, Mahabharata. Firstly, I feel a need to mention the fact that, despite my perfectly traditional Hindu name, I am a hard-core atheist and my article is not being used as a tool to advocate Hinduism or trying to promote it. Secondly, the reason why I chose to write about Mahabharata is because it taught me noir. I am unpleasable, an extremely harsh critic and I am, very rarely, impressed by a piece of art. But this book left me marvelled and a part of this article will tell you why. Thirdly, there are various mysteries surrounding this epic and some of them astonish us to a great extent. Their mere mention makes me question the bedtime stories that were told to me when I was a kid.
Introduction to Mahabharata: It is one of the two most important epics in ancient India, the other being Ramayana. The legend has it that Lord Ganesh wrote it as it was being dictated by Vyasa, the author of Mahabharata. Bhagavad Gita, the holy book of Hinduism, is a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna and is a part of Mahabharata. Everyone who has grown up in India, regardless of their religion, most probably, will know at least one story from Mahabharata. Due to this, many are under the impression that Mahabharata is a collection of independent short stories with a common mythological theme. But the truth is Mahabharata is a continuous story but the incidents are independent, don’t need a background story for understanding it, and hence, they are narrated as short stories.
Summary: It is said that the number of characters in Mahabharata are as many as the hair you have on your head (If you are bald, then you are an exception). Mahabharata has about 1.8 million words in total. Just the summary of Mahabharata will take up more than two pages. But in short, most of the story is about the conflicts, rivalry and later, war between two sets of parental cousins born to two brothers, Pandu and Dhritarashtra. The core story of Mahabharata is about the dynastic struggle for the throne of Hastinapura. Pandu’s sons were five in number who are referred to as Pandavas and Dhritarashtra had hundred sons who were called Kauravas. But the five Pandavas of Pandu were not his biologically sons. Kunti, wife of Pandu, used the boons given to her by the sage Durvasa to bear her three sons, Yudhishtira, Bhima and Arjuna and shared it with Madri, the other wife of Pandu, to help her bear the twins, Nakula and Sahadev.
Brief review of Mahabharata: Some see Mahabharata as a religious text. To others, it is a beautifully told tale with fabulous characterization and vivid imagination. Very often, a book that’s translated from the original language it was written in is said to lack the kind of impact and power that the original text had. Though Mahabharata was originally written in Sanskrit, even its translation in English will leave you with a feeling of horripilation.
The women in Mahabharata play very powerful roles in some parts. Like the stubborn river goddess, Ganga who didn’t want her activities questioned. Panchali, though she is cited as an example to prove that Mahabharata portrayed the dominance of men (because of her disrobing incident), was actually a character that wielded a lot of power if interpreted correctly. Panchali lived through an era in which it was believed that a woman’s duty was, primarily, to serve her husband and even during those days, she was unwavering and she is seen as an early feminist. Even as a child, she perceived things differently and she was very smart for a woman who was born during a time when women were majorly suppressed and were taught not to question or cross the line. Amba, the daughter of king Kashi, is another example. She fought fearlessly and tirelessly to kill Bhishma and in the end, she was actually the reason for his death. One of the most potent characters in Mahabharata being killed by a women definitely depicted their power. This proves that Mahabharata is not misogynistic.
Another wonderful aspect of this epic is how every character had a big personality and how beautifully this was articulated.
1. For instance, Dhuryodhana is perceived as the antagonist of Mahabharata by many. Despite his major flaws, he had good virtues like loyalty, respect for friendship and efficient governance.
2. Another example would be that of Krishna. Though Krishna plays a vital role in Mahabharata and is considered as “The God”, he has done some morally questionable activities.
• Karna, one of the greatest warriors (even better than Arjuna), is known for his benevolence. He cannot say no to anyone and he gives them whatever they ask for. Krishna orders Lord Indra to meet Karna in disguise and ask for two of his greatest possessions, golden armour and a pair of earrings, with which he was born and which protect him. Indra does as instructed and Karna, knowing that the person in disguise is Lord Indra and also his intentions, still gives him whatever he had asked for. Krishna, later, misuses his power by disguising himself as an old man and asks Karna to give him whatever he can. Karna replies that he has nothing at all to give. But the old man asks Karna to give him his “Punya”, the merit that a person accumulates through his good deeds and thoughts. By doing this, Krishna hits the weak point of Karna and makes him lose everything before the war knowing that he is, otherwise, impossible to defeat in the battlefield.
• Gandhari is the wife of blind King Dhritarashtra and she blindfolds herself because she doesn’t want to see the world her husband cant. Due to this noble deed of hers, she gains immense power from a sage who, also, mentions that she can transfer this power to only one of her sons and that son will be unbeatable in the battlefield. Gandhari decides to give it to Duryodhana, her oldest son, and she asks him to come naked to her room for this purpose. Krishna, on the way, spots Duryodhana and tells him that, though it’s his mother, he cannot meet her stark naked and asks him to wear a piece of cloth around his groin. Duryodhana does as instructed. Since there was a piece of cloth around his thigh during the time of transfer, the transmitted power did not accumulate in that area which in turn means that his thigh is still vulnerable to attacks. In the battlefield, Yudhisthira challenges Duryodhana to fight one-to-one against any one Pandava of his like. Duryodhana picks Bhima, his biggest rival. After a fierce battle that went on for many hours, Duryodhana starts to exhaust Bhima. Seeing that Bhima is losing his strength, Krishna signals Bhima to attack him on his thigh and this led to the death of Duryodhana. This is a clear case of battlefield misconduct.
3. Karna is another such character. He is regarded as the hidden hero of Mahabharata. He is said to be a gem of a person and the only mistake he did was ending up with bad company.
Such strong portrayal of characters that leave us awestruck can be found only in Mahabharata.
Enigma: The unanswered questions of Mahabharata.
• Many argue that Mahabharata is just a fictional story and the characters are just the author’s imagination. On the other hand, there are others who say that Mahabharata isn’t a myth and that it actually happened centuries ago.
• Many historians refuse to believe that the authorship of Mahabharata can be attributed to the great sage, Vyasa. They argue that the word “Vyasa”, which according to Mahabharata itself means “he one who arranges”, must be a title attached to a religious seat.
• Mahabharata states that Dhuryodhana attained heaven. Many argue that this is just Naradha’s illusion to test Yudhishtra.
These mysteries can never be solved and I think, the fact that no evidence, henceforth, can suffice to answer these questions just adds to the beauty of Mahabharata. | <urn:uuid:46e7b711-d17f-4fcc-b24f-f75bd1987c29> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://youthopia.in/mahabharata-story-war-peace/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571538.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812014923-20220812044923-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.983267 | 1,858 | 2.765625 | 3 |
3 October 1920, Dornach
Yesterday I tried to show the methods used by Eastern spirituality for approaching the super-sensible world. I pointed out how anybody who wished to follow this path into the super-sensible more or less dispensed with the bridge linking him with his fellows. He preferred to avoid the communication with other human beings that is established by speaking, thinking and ego-perception. I showed how the attempt was first of all made not to hear and understand through the word what another person wished to say, but actually to live in the words themselves. This process of living-in-the-word was enhanced by forming the words into certain aphorisms. One lived in these and repeated them, so that the soul forces acquired by thus living in the words were further strengthened by repetition.
I showed how in this way a soul-condition was attained that we might call a state of Inspiration, in the sense in which I have used the word. What distinguished the sages of the ancient Eastern world was that they were true to their race; conscious individuality was far less developed with them than it came to be in later stages of human evolution. This meant that their penetration of the spiritual world was a more or less instinctive process. Because the whole thing was instinctive and to some extent the product of a healthy human impulse, it could not in ancient times lead to the pathological disturbances of which we have also spoken. In later times steps were taken by the so-called Mystery centres to guard against such disturbances as I have tried to describe to you. What I said was that those in the West, who wish to come to grips with the spiritual world, must attempt things in a different way.
Mankind has progressed since the days of which I was speaking. Other soul forces have emerged, so that it is not simply a matter of breathing new life into the ancient Eastern way of spiritual development. A reactionary harking back to the spiritual life of prehistoric times or of man's early historical development is impossible. For the Western world, the way of initiation into the super-sensible world is through Imagination. But Imagination must be integrated organically with our spiritual life as a whole. This can come about in the most varied ways: as it did, after all, in the East. There, too, the way was not determined unequivocally in advance. To-day I should like to describe a way of initiation that conforms to the needs of Western civilisation and is particularly well suited to anyone who is immersed in the scientific life of the West.
In my book, Knowledge of the Higher Worlds, I have described a sure path to the super-sensible. But this book has a fairly general appeal and is not specially suited to the requirements of someone with a definite scientific training. The path of initiation which I wish to describe to-day is specifically designed for the scientist. All my experience tells me that for such a man the way of knowledge must be based on what I have set out in The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity. I will explain what I mean by this.
This book, The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity, was not written with the objects in mind that are customary when writing books to-day. Nowadays people write simply in order to inform the reader of the subject-matter of the book, so that he learns what the book contains in accordance with his education, his scientific training or the special knowledge he already possesses. This was not basically my intention in writing The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity. For this reason it will not be popular with those who read books only to acquire information. The purpose of the book is to make the reader use his own processes of thought on every page, In a sense the book is only a kind of musical score, to be read with inward thought-activity in order to be able of oneself to advance from one thought to the next. This book constantly expects the reader to co-operate by thinking for himself.
Moreover, what happens to the soul of the reader, when he makes this effort of co-operation in thought, is also to be considered. Anybody who works through this book and brings his thought-activity to bear on it will admit to gaining a measure of self-comprehension in an element of his soul-life where this had been lacking. If he cannot do this, he is not reading The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity in the right way. He should feel how he is being lifted out of his usual concepts into thoughts which are independent of his sense-life and in which his whole existence is merged. He should be able to feel how this kind of thinking has freed him from dependence on the bodily state. Anyone who denies experiencing this has fundamentally misunderstood the book. It should be more or less possible to say: “Now I know through what I have achieved in the thought-activity of my soul what true thinking really is.”
The strange thing is that most Western philosophers utterly deny the reality of the very thing that my Philosophy of Spiritual Activity seeks to awaken in the soul of the reader. Countless philosophers have expounded the view that pure thinking does not exist, but is bound to contain traces, however diluted, of sense-perception. A strong impression is left that philosophers who maintain this have never really studied mathematics, or gone into the difference between analytical and empirical mechanics. The degree of specialisation required to-day will alone account for the fact that a great deal of philosophising goes on nowadays without the remotest understanding of mathematical thinking. Philosophy is fundamentally impossible without a grasp of at least the spirit of mathematical thinking. Goethe's attitude to this has been noticed, even though he made no claim himself to any special training in mathematics. Many would deny the existence of the very faculty which I should like readers of The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity to acquire.
Let us imagine a reader who simply sets about working through The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity within the framework of his ordinary consciousness in the way I have just described. He will not of course be able to claim that he has been transported into a super-sensible world; for I intentionally wrote this book in the way I did so as to present people with a work of pure philosophy. Just consider what advantage it would have been to anthroposophically orientated science if I had written works of spiritual science from the start. They would of course have been disregarded by all trained philosophers as the amateurish efforts of a dilettante. To begin with I had to concentrate on pure philosophy: I had to present the world with something thought out in pure philosophical terms, even though it transcended the normal bounds of philosophy.
However, at some point the transition had to be made from pure philosophy and science to writing about spiritual science. This occurred at a time when I had been asked to write about Goethe's scientific works, and this was followed by an invitation to write one particular chapter in a German biography of Goethe that was about to appear. It was in the late 1890's and the chapter was to be concerned with Goethe's scientific works. I had actually written it and sent it to the publisher when another work of mine came out, called Mysticism at the Dawn of the Modern Age. This book was a link between pure philosophy and philosophy based on Anthroposophy. When this came out, my other manuscript was returned to me. Nothing was enclosed apart from my fee, the idea being that any claim I might make had thus been met. Among the learned pedants there obviously was no interest in anything written — not even a single chapter devoted to the development of Goethe's attitude to natural science — by one who had indulged in such mysticism.
I will now assume that The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity has already been studied with one's ordinary consciousness in the way I have suggested. We are now in the right frame of mind to guide our souls in the direction briefly indicated yesterday — along the first steps of the way leading to Imagination. It is possible to pursue this path in a form consonant with Western life if we simply try to surrender ourselves completely to the world of outer phenomena, so that we absorb them without thinking about them. In ordinary waking life, you will agree, we are constantly perceiving, but in the very act of doing so we are always permeating out perceptions with concepts. Scientific thinking involves a systematic interweaving of perceptions with concepts, building up systems of concepts and so on. In acquiring a capacity for the kind of thinking that gradually results from reading The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity, we become capable of such strong inner activity that we are able to perceive without conceptualising.
There is something further we can do to strengthen our soul-forces so that we are enabled to absorb perceptions in the way I have just described: that is, by refraining from elaborating them with concepts in the very act of absorbing them. We can call up symbolic or other kinds of images — visual images, sound images, images of warmth, taste, and so on. If we thus bring our activity of perception into a state of flux, as it were, and infuse it with life and movement, not in the way we follow when forming concepts, but by working on our perceptions in an artistic or symbolising manner, we shall develop much sooner the power of allowing the percepts to permeate us in their pure essence. Simply to train ourselves rigorously in what I have called phenomenalism — that is, in elaborating the phenomena — is an excellent preparation for this kind of cognition. If we have really striven to reach the material boundaries of cognition — if we have not lazily looked beyond the veil of sense for metaphysical explanations in terms of atoms and molecules, but have used concepts to set in order the phenomena and to follow them through to their archetypes — then we have already undergone a training which can enable us to keep all conceptional activity away from the phenomena. And if at the same time we turn the phenomena into symbols and images, we shall acquire such strength of soul as to be able, one might say, to absorb the outer world free from concepts.
Obviously we cannot expect to achieve this all at once. Spiritual research demands far more of us than research in a laboratory or observatory. Above all an intense effort of will is required. For a time we should strive to concentrate on a symbolic picture, and occupy ourselves with the images that arise, leaving them undisturbed by phenomena present in the soul. Otherwise they will disappear as we hurry through life from sensation to sensation and from experience to experience. We should accustom ourselves to contemplating at least one such image — whether of our own creation or suggested by somebody else — for longer and longer periods. We should penetrate to its very core, concentrating on it beyond the possibility of being influenced by mere memory. If we do all this, and keep repeating the process, we can strengthen our soul forces and finally become aware of an inner experience, of which formerly we had not the remotest inkling.
Finally — it is important not to misunderstand what I am going to say — it is possible to form a picture of something experienced only in our inner being, if we recall especially lively dream-pictures, so long as they derive from memories and do not relate directly to anything external, and are thus a sort of reaction stemming from within ourselves. If we experience these images in their fullest depth, we have a very real experience; and the point is reached when we meet within ourselves the spiritual element which actuates the processes of growth. We meet the power of growth itself. Contact is established with a part of our human make-up which we formerly experienced only unconsciously, but which is nevertheless active within us. What do I mean by “experienced unconsciously?”
Now I have told you how from birth until the change of teeth a spiritual soul force works on and through the human being; and after this it more or less detaches itself. Later, between the change of teeth and maturity, it immerses itself, so to speak, in the physical body, awakening the erotic impulse — and much else besides. All this happens unconsciously. But if we consciously use such soul-activities as I have described in order to observe how the qualities of soul and spirit can penetrate our physical make-up, we begin to see how these processes work in a human being, and how from the time of his birth he is given over to the external world. Nowadays this relation to the outer world is regarded as amounting to nothing more than abstract perception or abstract knowledge. This is not so. We are surrounded by a world of colour, sound and warmth and by all kinds of sensory impressions. As our thinking gets to work on them, our whole being receives yet further impressions. When unconscious experiences of childhood come to be experienced consciously, we even find that, while we were absorbing colour and sound impressions unconsciously, they were working spiritually upon us. When, between the change of teeth and maturity, erotic feelings make their first impact, they do not simply grow out of our constitution but come to meet us from the cosmos in rays of colour, sound and warmth.
But warmth, light and sound are not to be understood in a merely physical sense. Through our sensory impressions we are conscious only of what I might call outer sound and outer colour. And when we thus surrender ourselves to nature, we do not encounter the ether-waves, atoms and so on which are imagined by modern physics and physiology. Spiritual forces are at work in the physical world; forces which between birth and death fashion us into the human beings we are.
When once we tread the paths of knowledge which I have described, we become aware of the fact that it is the outer world which forms us. As we become clearly conscious of spirit in the outer world, we are able to experience consciously the living forces at work in our bodies. It is phenomenology itself that reveals to us so clearly the existence of spirit in the outer world. It is the observation of phenomena, and not abstract metaphysics, that brings the spiritual to our notice, if we make a point of observing consciously what we would otherwise tend to do unconsciously; if we notice how through the sense-world spiritual powers enter into our being and work formatively upon it.
Yesterday I pointed out to you that the Eastern sage virtually ignores the significance of speech, thought and ego-perception. His attitude towards these activities is different, for speech, perception of thoughts and ego-perception tend at first to lead us away from the spiritual world into social contact with other human beings. We buy our way into social life, as it were, by exposing our thoughts, our speech and our ego-perception and making them communicable. The Eastern sage lived in the word and resigned himself to the fact that it could not be communicated. He felt the same about his thoughts; he lived in his thinking, and so on. In the West we are more inclined to cast a backward glance at humanity as we follow the path into the super-sensible world.
At this point it is well to remember that man has a certain kind of sensory organisation within him. I have already described the three inner senses through which he becomes aware of his inner being, just as he perceives what goes on around him. We have a sense of balance, which tells us of the space we occupy as human beings and within whose limits our wills can function. We have a sense of movement, which tells us, even in the dark, that we are moving. This knowledge comes from within and is not derived from contact with outside objects that we may touch in passing. We have a “sense of life,” through which we are aware of our general state of health, or, one might say, of our constantly changing inward condition.
It is just in the first seven years of our life that these three inner senses work in conjunction with the will. We are guided by our sense of balance: and a being that, to begin with, cannot move about and later on can only crawl, is transformed into one that can stand upright and walk. When we learn to walk upright, we are coming to grips with the world. This is possible only because of our sense of balance. Similarly, our sense of movement and our sense of life contribute to our development as integrated human beings.
Anybody able to apply laboratory standards of objective observation to the study of man's development — spirit-soul as well as physical — will soon discover how those forces that form the human being and are especially active in the first seven years free themselves and begin to assume a different aspect from the time of the change of teeth. By this time a person is less intimately connected with his inner life than he was as a child. A child is closely bound up inwardly with human equilibrium, movement and processes of life. As emancipation from them gradually occurs, something else is developing. A certain adjustment is taking place to the three senses of smell, taste and touch.
A detailed observation of the way a child comes to grips with life is extraordinarily interesting. This can be seen most obviously, of course, in early life, but anybody trained to do so can see it clearly enough later on as well. I refer to the process of orientation made possible by the senses of smell, of taste and of touch. The child in a manner expels from himself the forces of equilibrium, movement and life and, while he is so doing, draws into him the qualitative senses of smell, taste and touch. Over a fairly long period the former are, so to speak, being breathed out and the latter breathed in; so that the two trinities encounter each other within our organism — the forces of equilibrium, movement and life pushing their way outward from within, while smell, taste and touch, which point us to qualities, are pressing inwards from without. These two trinities of sense interpenetrate each other; and it is through this interpenetration that the human being first comes to realise himself as a true self.
Now we are cut off from outer spirituality by speech and by our faculties of perceiving the thoughts and perceiving the egos of others — and rightly so, for if it were otherwise we could never in this physical life grow into social beings. [See previous lecture.] In precisely the same way, inasmuch as the qualities of smell, taste and touch wax counter to equilibrium, movement and life, we are inwardly cut off from the last three — which would otherwise disclose themselves to us directly. One could say that the sensations of smell, taste and touch form a barricade in front of the sensations of balance, movement and life and prevent our experiencing them.
What is the result of that development towards Imagination of which I spoke? It is this. The oriental stops short at speech in order to live in it; stops at thought in order to live in it; stops at ego-perception in order to live in it; and by these means makes his way outward into the spiritual world. We, as the result of developing Imagination, do something similar when we absorb the external percept without conceptualising it. But the direction we take in doing this is the opposite to the direction taken by an oriental who practises restraint in the matter of speech, thought-perception and ego-perception. He stays still in these. He lives his way into them. The aspirant to Imagination, on the other hand, worms his way inward through smell, taste and perception; he penetrates inward and, ignoring the importunities of his sensations of smell, taste and touch, makes contact with the experiences of equilibrium, movement and life.
It is a great moment when we have penetrated the sensory trinity, as I have called it, of taste, smell and touch, and we stand naked, as it were, before essential movement, equilibrium and life.
Having thus prepared the ground, it is interesting to study what it is that Western mysticism so often has to offer. Most certainly, I am very far from decrying the elements of poetry, beauty and imaginative expression in many mystical writings. Most certainly I admire what, for instance, St. Theresa, Mechthild of Magdeburg and others have to tell us, and indeed Meister Eckhardt and Johannes Tauler; but all this reveals itself also to the true spiritual scientist. It is what arises if one follows an inward path without penetrating through the domain of smell, taste and touch. Read what has been written by individuals who have described with particular clarity what they have experienced in this way. They speak of an inner sense of taste, experienced in connection with the soul-spiritual element in man's inner being. They refer also to smell and touch in a special way. Anybody, for instance, who reads Mechthild of Magdeburg or St. Theresa rightly will see that they follow this inward path, but never penetrate right through smell, taste and touch. They use beautiful poetic imagery for their descriptions, but they are speaking only of how one can smell, taste and touch oneself inwardly.
It is indeed less agreeable to see the true nature of reality with spiritually developed senses than to read the accounts given by a sensual mysticism — the only term for it — which fundamentally gratifies only a refined inward-looking egotism of soul. As I say, much as this mysticism is to be admired — and I do admire it — the true spiritual scientist has to realise that it stops half-way. What is manifest in the splendid poetic imagery of Mechthild of Magdeburg, St. Theresa and others is really only what is smelt, tasted and touched before attaining to true inwardness.
Truth can be unpleasant, perhaps even cruel, at times. But modern man has no business to become rickety in soul through following a vague incomplete mysticism. What is required to-day is to penetrate the true mysteries of man's inner nature with all our intellectual powers — with the same powers that we have disciplined in the cause of science and used to effect in the outer world. There is no mistaking what science is. It is respected for the very method and discipline it demands. It is when we have learnt to be scientific that we appreciate the achievements of a vague mysticism at their true worth but we also discover that they are not what spiritual science has to foster. On the contrary, the task of spiritual science is to reveal clearly the true nature of man's being. This in turn makes possible a sound understanding of the outer world.
Instead of speaking in this way, as the truth demands of me, I could be claiming the support of every vague, woolly mystic, who goes in for mysticism to satisfy the inward appetite of his soul. That is not our concern here, but rather the discovery of powers that can be used for living; spiritual powers that are capable of informing our scientific and social life.
When we have come to grips with the forces that dwell in our senses of balance, life and movement, then we have reached something that is first of all experienced through its transparency as man's essential inward being. The very nature of the thing shows us clearly that we cannot penetrate any deeper. What we do find is quite enough to be going on with, for what we discover is not the stuff of vague mystical dreams but a genuine organology. Above all, we find within ourselves the true nature of balance and movement, and of the stream of life. We find this within ourselves.
When this experience is complete, something unique has taken place. In due course we discover something. An essential prerequisite is, as I have said, to have worked carefully through The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity. The Philosophy is then left, so to speak, on one side, while we pursue the inward path of contemplation and meditation. We have advanced as far as balance, movement and life. We live in this life, balance and movement. Parallel with our pursuit of the way of contemplation and meditation, but without any other activity on our part, our thinking in connection with The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity has undergone a transformation. We have been able to experience as pure thought what a philosophy such as this has to offer; but now that we have worked upon ourselves in another sphere, our inner soul life; this has turned into something quite different. It has taken on new dimensions and is now much more full of meaning. While on the one hand we have been penetrating our inward being and have deepened our power of Imagination, we have also lifted out of the ordinary level of consciousness the fruits of our thinking on The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity. Thoughts which formerly had a more or less abstract existence in the realm of pure cerebration have now become significant forces. They are now alive in our consciousness, and what was once pure thinking has become Inspiration. We have developed Imagination; and thinking has been transformed into Inspiration.
What we have attained by these two methods in our progress along this road has to be clearly differentiated. On the one hand we have gained Inspiration from what was, to begin with, pure thought. On the other hand, there is the experience that comes to us through our senses of balance, movement and life. We are now in a position to unite the two forms of experience, the outer and the inner. The fusion of Inspiration and Imagination brings us to Intuition.
What have we accomplished now? I can answer this question by approaching it from the other side. First of all I must draw attention to the steps taken by the Oriental seer, who wishes to advance further after being trained in the mantras and experiencing the living word and language. He now learns to experience not only the rhythms of language but also, and in a sense consciously, the process of breathing. He has, as it were, to undergo an artificial kind of breathing by varying it in all kinds of ways. For him this is one step up; but this is not something to be taken over in its entirety by the West.
What does the Eastern student of yoga attain by consciously regulating his breathing in a variety of ways? He experiences something very remarkable when he breathes in. As he does so, he is brought into contact with a quality of air that is not to be found when we experience air as a purely physical substance, but only when we unite ourselves with the air and so experience it spiritually. A genuine student of yoga, as he breathes in, experiences something that works upon his whole being, an activity that is not completed in this life and does not end with death. The spiritual quality of the outer air enters our being and engenders in us something that goes with us through the gate of death. To experience the breathing process consciously means taking part in something that continues when we have laid aside our bodies. To experience consciously the process of breathing is to experience both the reaction of our inner being to the drawing in of breath and the activities of our soul-spiritual being before birth: or let us say rather that we experience our conception and the factors that contribute to our embryonic development and work on us further within our organism as children. Breathing consciously means realising our own identity on the far side of birth and death. Advancing from the experience of the word and of language to that of breathing means penetrating further into an inspired realisation of the eternal in man. We Westerners have to experience much the same — but in a different sphere.
What in fact is the process of perception? It is only a modification of the breathing process. As we breathe in, the air presses on our diaphragm and on our whole being. Brain fluid is driven up through our spinal column into our brain. This establishes a connection between breathing and cerebral activity. Breathing, in so far as it influences the brain, works upon our sense-activity in the form of perception. Drawing in breath has various sides to it, and one of these is perception.
How is it when we breathe out? Brain fluid descends and exerts pressure on the circulation of the blood. The descent of brain fluid is bound up with the activity of will and also with breathing out. Anybody who really makes a study of The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity will discover that when we attain to pure thinking, a fusion of thinking and willing takes place. Pure thinking is fundamentally an expression of will. So it comes about that what we have characterised as pure thinking is related to what the Easterner experiences in the process of breathing out.
Pure thinking is related to breathing out, just as perception is related to breathing in. We have to go through the same process as the yogi, but in a more inward form. Yoga depends on the regulation of breathing, both in and out, and in this way comes into contact with the eternal in man. What should Western man do? He can transform into soul-experience both perception on the one hand and thinking on the other. He can unite in his inner experience perception and thinking, which would otherwise only come quietly together in a formal abstract way, so that he has the same experience inwardly in his soul and spirit as he has physically in breathing in and out. Breathing in and out are physical experiences. When they are harmonised, we experience the eternal.
We experience thought-perception in our everyday lives. As we bring movement into our soul life, we become aware of rhythm, of the swing of the pendulum, of the constant movement to and fro of perception and thinking. Higher realities are experienced in the East by breathing in and out. The Westerner develops a kind of breathing process in his soul and spirit, in place of the physical breathing of yoga, when he develops within himself, through perception, the vital process of transformed in-breathing and, through thinking, that of out-breathing; and fuses concept, thought and perception into a harmonious whole. Gradually, with the beat of this rhythmical breathing process in perception and thinking, his development advances to true spiritual reality in the form of Imagination, Inspiration and Intuition.
In my Philosophy of Spiritual Activity I indicated as a philosophical fact that reality is the product of the interpenetration of perception and thinking. Since this book was designed to deal with man's soul activity, some indication should also be given of the training that Western man needs if he is to penetrate the spiritual world. The Easterner speaks of the systole and diastole, breathing in and out. In place of these terms Western man should put perception and thinking. Where the Oriental speaks of the development of physical breathing, we in the West say: development of soul-spiritual breathing in the course of cognition through perception and thinking.
All this should perhaps be contrasted with the kind of blind alley reached by Western spiritual development. Let me explain what I mean. In 1841 Michelet, the Berlin philosopher, published Hegel's posthumous works of natural philosophy. Hegel had worked at the end of the eighteenth century, together with Schelling, at laying the foundations of a system of natural philosophy. Schelling, with the enthusiasm of youth, had built his natural philosophy in a remarkable way on what he called intellectual contemplation. But he reached a point where he could make no further progress. His immersion in mysticism produced splendid results in his work, Bruno, or concerning the Divine and Natural Principle in Things, and that fine piece of writing, Human Freedom, or the Origin of Evil. But for all this he could make no progress and began to hold back from expressing himself at all. He kept promising to follow things up with a philosophy that would reveal the true nature of those hidden forces at which his earlier natural philosophy had only hinted.
When Hegel's natural philosophy appeared in 1841, through Michelet, the position was that Schelling's expected and oft-promised philosophical revelations had still not been vouchsafed to the public. He was summoned to Berlin. But what he had to offer contained no spiritual qualities to permeate the natural philosophy he had founded. He had struggled to create an intellectual picture of the world. He stood still at this point, because he was unable to use Imagination to enter the sphere of which I have been speaking to you to-day. So there he was at a dead end.
Hegel, who had a more rational intellect, had taken over Schelling's thoughts and carried them further by applying pure thinking to the observation of nature. That was the origin of Hegel's natural philosophy. So Schelling's promise to explain nature in spiritual terms was never fulfilled, and we got Hegel's natural philosophy which was to be discarded by science in the second half of the nineteenth century. It was not understood and was bound to remain so, for there was no connection between phenomenology, or the true observation of nature, and the ideas contained in Hegel's natural philosophy. It was a strange confrontation: Schelling travelling from Munich to Berlin, where something great was expected of him, and it turned out that he had nothing to say. This was a disappointment for all those who believed that through Hegel's natural philosophy revelations about nature would emerge from pure thinking. The historical fact is that Schelling reached the stage of intellectual contemplation but not that of genuine Imagination; while Hegel showed that if pure thinking does not lead on to Imagination, it cannot lead to Inspiration and to an understanding of nature's secrets. This line of Western development had terminated in a blind alley.
There was nothing — nothing permeated with the spirit — to set against Eastern teaching, which only engendered scepticism in the West. Anyone who has lovingly immersed himself in the true Schelling and Hegel, and has thus been able to see, with love in his heart, the limitations of Western philosophy, should turn his attention to Anthroposophy. He should work to bring about an anthroposophically orientated Spiritual Science for the West, so that we come to possess something of spiritual origin to compare with what the East has created through the interaction of systole and diastole.
For us in the West, there is the spiritual-soul rhythm of perception and thinking, through which we can rise to something more than a merely abstract science. It opens the way to a living science, which on that account enables us to live in harmony with truth. After all the misfires of the Kantian, Schellingian and Hegelian philosophies, we have come to the point where we need something that can show, by revealing the way of the spirit, how truth and science are related. The truth that dwells in a spiritualised science would be a healing power in the future development of mankind. | <urn:uuid:6fbc18cd-7904-4249-bbba-9d5fa3dd027e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA322/English/GB1962/19201003p02.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.973271 | 7,083 | 2.046875 | 2 |
The Spirit Of The Elder Tree
By Glennie Kindred
Published Samhain 1996
Of all the native trees of the British Isles, it is the elder tree which evokes my deepest affection. Of all the trees, I talk readily to the elder and feel the presence of its spirit in a tangible way. It is easy to be thankful for it for all its abundant herbal, magickal and culinary gifts, and easy to feel and honour the wise woman spirit of the elder - the Queen of Trees, Hylde-moðer, the Elder Tree Mother. The elder is the Old Crone aspect of the triple Goddess, a wise old energy at the end of the year's cycle.
The elder rules the 13th moon in the Ogham calendar, the ending of the old year and beginning of the new at Samhain. For this reason the Ogham meaning is to honour the beginning in every end and the end in every beginning. Each death, each end brings a new start, rebirth.
The elder grows rapidly from any part, and so speaks to us of regeneration and the power of the life force. It is a powerful symbol of life energy and creativity at a time of the year when everything must return, and elder is a reminder of the never ending cylce of life, death and rebirth, bringing power and hope at this dark time in the year's cycle.
The Elder is sometimes called the "death tree" because of this. Funerary flints found in megalithic long barrows were elder leaf shaped, suggesting this association goes back a long way. It is also called the "witch's tree" and certainly the village hedge-witch would have used the elder extensively, as herbally it is wonderfully rich and potent in all its parts - leaves, flowers, berries and bark. The presence of the Old Mother energy of the tree probably also accounts for this name. It is said in Irish folklore that it is the elder stick and not ashen ones which are used by witches for their magic horses, which makes me wonder whether the bark was pershaps used for inducing trance. Certainly it is a purgative and will induce vomiting and perspiration. Flutes made of elder were used to summon spirits, and elder was also a common wood of wands. Justice was often dispensed under an alder, so the hilt of a coven sword was often made of elder wood.
The earliest folk tales praise elder's ability to ward off evil or malevolent spirits, and to undo evil magic. Elder blossom was worn at Beltane to signify witchcraft and magic and elder twigs were woven into a head-dress at this time to enable the wearer to see spirits also undo evil magic. But there seems to be two very different tales of the elder and it seems that the elder was given a lot of bad press - that it was the tree itself which brought death, that a malevolent spirit dwelled within it, that it was the tree from which the cross was made and the tree from which Judas hanged himself. These are later tales, undoubtedly, growing out of fear of the Old Ways and the village hedgewitch, and going "all out" to shun the elder.
There are very strong superstitions about not cutting down the elder. Maybe a fear of releasing that malevolent spirit or maybe a deep respect for this tree, which gives so much by way of medicines, food and drink. Early European folk tales tell of a dryad, Hylde-moer, The Elder Tree Mother, who lives in the elder tree and watches over it. Should the tree be chopped down and furniture made of the wood, Hylde-moer would follow her property and haunt the owners. Similar tales tell that if a child's cradle were to be made of elder, Hylde-moer would pinch the child black and blue and give it no peace or rest. Thus it is considered unlucky to make a cradle out of elder wood - birch being the property wood for a cradle, signifying a new start or inception.
Much of the folklore around Elder suggests its ability to drive away evil spirits. As a protection against evil (and later against witchcraft) its branches were hung in doorways of houses, cowsheds, buried in graves and its twigs were carried. It can be used to bless a person, place or thing, by scattering leaves and berries to the four directions, and over the thing or person being blessed. The Elder is the Old Crone aspect of the Triple Goddess, and powerful indeed is her protection and blessing. She guards the entrance to the underworld and death, the threshold of consciousness and the dark inner mysteries, and represents change and transformation.
At Samhain, the last of the elderberries were picked with solemn rites. The wine made from these berries were considered the last sacred gift of the Earth Goddess, and was valued and drunk ritually to invoke prophecy, divination and hallucinations.
Elderberry wine has curative powers of established repute. Taken hot at night it will help in the early stages of a cold or 'flu, and is excellent for a sore throat and catarrh. This is due to the viburnic acid contained in the berries which induces perspiration and helps to "bring the cold out". It also had a reputation in the past as an excellent remedy for asthma.
Make it simply by stripping off the ripe berries with a fork until you have three gallons of berries. Pour over 2 gallons of boiling water, cover and leave in a warm place for 24 hours. Strain through muslin and press all the juice well out. Measure it and allow 3lbs (1.3kg) of sugar, half an ounce (14g) of ginger and quarter of an ounce (7g) of cloves to each gallon (approx 5 litres). Boil slowly for 20 minutes, strain into a bucket, adding the yeast when it is lukewarm. Pour into demijohns, standing them in a warm place while the yeast works through the sugar. Bottle when it stops. It's really best to leave it for at least a year, and 2 or 3 years is even better.
An old cure for colds and coughs, and especially bronchitis, was to make a "rob" (a vegetable juice thickened by heat) from elderberries. Use 5lbs of fresh ripe berries, crushed with 1lb of sugar and evaporate to the thickness of honey. One or two tablespoons mixed with hot water and taken at night will act as a demulcent to the chest and throat.
Relearning these age-old cures for common ailments connects me to the earth, its abundance and my power. I become a part of nature and I value and bless the plants and the trees for all their gifts to us. Medicines from the chemist invariably have all manner of unknown chemicals and are also very expensive. A wealth of cheap, effective, natural medicines is just waiting to be used, and none is richer than the elder.
The Elder has survived in the cities and towns, and even manages to find its way back out of cracks in concrete. It flourishes near abandoned dwellings, in churchyards, rabbit warrens and badger setts - in fact wherever the nitrogen content is high, where the soil has been broken down by organic matter such as dung, compost and refuse. It survives on the common lands, wastelands and along railway lines - so even if you live in the city it can still be found. Spot it in June when the abundance of its tiny white flowers can be seen clearly. Remember where it is so that you can return to it at other times of year when it may not be so recognisable. In the autumn it has dusters of dark purple berries and the leaves yellow and drop early.
It makes a fast growing hedge, which can be clipped to thicken it. Like willow, it can be planted easily by pushing the small young branches into the ground. It is a useful small tree for a garden, but best a back corner as not much will grow beneath it. There are so many things to use it for that it is a valuable tree to have near.
An infusion of the leaves, rubbed into the skin, will prevent mosquitoes, midges and flies settling on you. A spray of leaves worn in the hat also helps. The same mixture can also be sprayed onto plants to keep off aphids and other small insects. The leaves can also be made into an ointment as a remedy for bruises, swellings, sprains, chilblains and wounds, bringing a cooling effect. Take three parts fresh elder leaves, heat them up with 6 parts Vaseline until the leaves are crisp. Then strain and store.
The flowers, which are at their best at midsummer, also have many uses from eye bath to skin tonic, for colds and 'flu and catarrhal inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, such as hay fever and sinusitis. Gather the flowers on a dry day and dry them fast. They do discolour but are perfectly OK. I have found the best method is to hand the clusters upside down in paper bags in the sunshine. The bags catch the flowers as they dry and drop off. When completely dry, store them in dark screw-top jars.
A tea made of the fresh flowers makes an excellent spring/summer tonic, take fresh each morning to purify the blood. They can also be added to salads, cakes and made into wonderful summer drinks such as elderflower cordial and elderflower champagne.
The elderberries are used for rheumatism and, as already mentioned, are a fine preventative against colds, 'flu and sore throats, as well as being used to cool any swellings, such as piles. They can also be mixed with other seasonal fruits and used for pies, jams, vinegar, ketchup and chutney. Too numerous to go into here, but some excellent recipes can be found in old herbals such as Mrs Grieves Modern Herbal.
The use of the bark as a strong purgative dates back to Hippocrates, but is rarely used nowadays. The romans apparently used the elderberry juice to dye their hair black. Culpepper suggests boiling them in wine first. The bark of the older branches was used in the making of black dye and also the root. The leaves yield, with alum, a green dye and the berries dye blue and purple (with alum) and violet (with alum and salt).
The word "elder" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word "æld" meaning fire, probably due to the hollowed out stems being used to blow up the fire. Inside the stem is a thick soft pith which can easily be hollowed out, forming hollow tubes. These used to be used to make whistles and pipes, hence the elder's country name "pipe tree" or "bore tree" and "bour tree" as it is still called in Scotland. Other old names for Elder are Eldrun, Hyldor and Hyllantree in the 14th century. In Low Saxon the name appears to be Ellhorn.
The generic name of the Elder is Sambucus, this is apparently a musical instrument found in ancient Greece. It is said to be a harp, a stringed instrument, which I find hard to believe, when it naturally makes pipes. Many types of wind instruments have been made of the hollowed out stems of the Elder, including flutes, pan pipes and a surprisingly loud reeded whistle. Italian country folk still make a simple pipe called a sampogna out of Elder. Throughout Europe, generations of country children have made pop-guns and pea shooters from the hollowed out stems.
The wood is white to yellow, with a fine grain. It is a hard wood, but it cuts easily and it polishes up well. Perhaps because of the superstitions about not cutting it down, and because it is a fairly small tree, it has not been used for making large things; small pegs, skewers, spoons, small turned items, combs and children's toys. The hollowed out stems make natural beads, which are very easy and satisfying to make. Cut a young branch into bead-sized pieces with secateurs, then scrape off the bark and sand, first with a rough sandpaper and then with a finer one. Wear the beads for protection and as an allegiance to the Elder and nature spirits.
I find that the modern farmer and modern methods of hedge-cutting do not heed the old lore, and plenty of cut Elder is round along the hedgerows if you keep an eye open for it. It is best to use wood which is newly cut or 6 months to a year old. Do not use old wood. Many insects live inside the stems as the pith is so soft and easy to hollow out. Perhaps this is why it is not considered good to bring into your house to burn if it is full of ants and earwigs! I have heard that it is not a good burner anyway.
If you do need to cut yourself some wood from the tree, approach the tree with respect; ask first, and listen with an open heart. Don't cut if you get a strong intuition not to. Some people like to leave a small gift of some kind - something practical like untangling ivy, clearing up around the trunk, watering in dry weather or tidying up rubbish from around the tree. An attitude of gratitude and thanks to the tree is a positive act which all of nature responds well to. Others say it matters not to the tree, but the very act of thanking opens up something in us which is very healthy and necessary for our spirits. For this reason it is important to state your thanks simply, and from the heart, each time you take nature's gifts. I also find that it builds up a bond with a tree, a friendship of great power and wisdom. The Elder, of all the trees, has much to teach us, through direct contact, communication and reconnection to past uses and country lore. | <urn:uuid:ecbad8be-adff-4f98-9de2-036c30f0b834> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://whitedragon.org.uk/articles/elder.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.9687 | 2,911 | 2.296875 | 2 |
Multiplex is trialling an innovative process that turns waste timber into insulation materials that can be used in construction, after inoculating it with a fungus.
Multiplex has teamed up with biotechnology and advanced materials firm Mykor to send timber waste from its One Nine Elms project in London, where it is building separate 42-storey and a 56-storey towers, for upcycling.
Mykor inoculates pasteurised waste timber with mycelium (a network of fungal threads). The material is then bagged and goes through a two-week growth period at 25oC before it is placed in a mould to form a variety of different products, including cavity wall insulation, acoustic insulation and structural insulated panels (SIPS) for modular construction. It can also be used to 3D print homeware objects such as bowls and vases.
At the end of its life, the object can then be composted back into the soil.
The process sequesters carbon from the atmosphere and Multiplex says the products produced are therefore carbon negative.
Following the One Nine Elms trial, Multiplex says it is considering using the technology on other projects. A spokesperson for the business said: “Mykor’s unique ability to sequester carbon from the atmosphere means the material strongly aligns with our Net-Zero Carbon Pathway – One Decade to Act. At Multiplex, we have embedded a mature learning culture where lessons learned are shared and utilised to drive continuous improvement. We have various internal communication platforms that serve this very purpose.” | <urn:uuid:76eb8066-e028-4557-b6ac-a9d3d43e30c4> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://constructionmanagement.co.uk/multiplex-turns-waste-timber-into-insulation-with-fungus/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.939985 | 323 | 2.40625 | 2 |
In 1999 BustArt began his artistic career with classic Graffiti. Until 2005, he became deeply with the whole spectrum of Graffiti and reached a new level of identification with the various facets of the subculture.
In addition to the classic Graffiti works, he started to combine letters with cartoon based characters, leading his art to more figurative works. Stickers, stencils and posters on his travels through Europe inspired him for a further artistic development. BustArt adopted a new range of techniques and skills which were helping him to realise new motives, statements and street art experiments.
To communicate with the people through street art became a mission. A mission to surprise passers-by, encourage them to think and sharing the love for coloured urban space. Travelling and seeing the world was another motivation for BustArt. He left his marks all over the world: New York, Berlin, Mumbai, London, Paris, Dubai, Cairo, Marseille, Amsterdam and many more.
The first years after this artistic opening were marked by a broad technical and motivic repertoire: installations, political stencils and wild city-penguins. Graffiti was the undisputed first love of BustArt, which he never gave up. His skills were going through an evolution when self-created cartoon characters joined the letter styles and soon became more important than the letters them-self. This process laid the foundation for subsequent artistic developments.
In 2008 BustArt began to focus on intensive elaborated stencil work. He sprayed these works mostly on posters and pasted them on his travels through the world. In 2011, BustArt moved to Amsterdam. This enabled him focussing totally on his art. In the first year, BustArt painted over 200 pictures and stencils in the Netherlands. The time out Amsterdam magazine has honoured his tireless work and mentioned him as one of 50 personalties that define Amsterdam in 2011.
In 2013, BustArt realised with his partner Zaira the "City" project. Together they cut over 250 individual stencils. With this method they created over 30 individual, imaginative cities. Every house, every car and every person was an individual cut with a 4-6 layer. The final works consisted in an average of 100-200 individually sprayed layer.New creations and technical combinations such as cut and paste images were the product of constant inspiration and artistic development. Various motives combined in collage style, which designed a new artistic image consequently a new statement.
This cut and paste evolution paved the way for BustArts new style since 2014: the Graffiti pop. Combining pop art, classical Graffiti, cartoon characters and colour effects made emerge BustArts own compositions, which made him reaching a new level in his artistic evolution. Constant companions on BustArts way are combined techniques, styles and designs. This enabled him practising a wide range of skills and evolving constantly his style in their own forms and variations.Graffiti pop has its roots in the classic Graffiti mixed with cartoons and pop art, which regularly appear in BustArts works since 2005 until now.
BustArt replenishes his life through his Graffiti pop works on one hand by skilful self-taught techniques and on the other hand in the use of cartoon characters as well as influences from his childhood.BustArt is a neo - pop artist who feels entitled to tear characters and icons from their contexts to provide them a broader sense through new compositions.
The road of BustArt consists in adapting, in learning new techniques and in applying them for further artistic progress. This process will inevitably lead to new creations. Furthermore, the street still is the most important medium for BustArt. It makes communication possible with all passers-by. This continues to be the greatest motivation of his art. There is still much to discover and to create. The big walls are waiting.
There are no products to list in this category. | <urn:uuid:4c588b14-dc74-479b-990e-62561bfb5425> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.bcommunity-hk.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=285_290 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571210.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810191850-20220810221850-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.972255 | 793 | 1.53125 | 2 |
A Rush to Protect Patients, Then Bloody Chaos
JOPLIN, Mo. — When the warning — “Execute Condition Gray!” — blared through the halls of St. John’s Regional Medical Center, nurses began rolling patients’ beds into the hallways, as they had been trained to do time and again in this tornado-prone region.
But just as workers were completing the precautionary steps Sunday night, the entire nine-story building was pummeled by a tornado. Glass shards exploded from every window, doors blew open, and even patients’ IV-lines were ripped from their arms.
By the time the three-quarter-mile-wide tornado — among the deadliest in the nation’s history — moved on, the hospital was a scene of stunned chaos. Nearly every patient was splashed or covered with blood from all the glass, and people in the emergency room on the first floor were sucked out of windows into the parking lot. Even a backup generator failed, leaving ventilators and other medical equipment without power in dark rooms.
One panicked nurse, who had been in the intensive care unit, pleaded for help when machines stopped pumping air into the lungs of critically ill patients. “I’ve got patients dying up there!” Robert Kuhn, a hospital worker, recalled the nurse calling out. The doctors told him to go back and pump the air manually.
“You were on your own,” Mr. Kuhn explained.
At least 116 people were killed and hundreds more injured, city officials said Monday, as hundreds of emergency workers searched for others beneath the rubble that blanketed this southwest Missouri city. Leaders said they expected the death count to continue to rise.
The tornado, which struck around dinner time, crushed nearly a third of the city. It pounded about 2,000 buildings, knocked out power and cellphone service for many, and damaged water treatment and sewage plants. The tangled remains of cars and trucks were overturned and thrown against buildings and trees. Some blocks were jagged mounds of debris, while others were stripped to utter emptiness: just foundations of homes and tree trunks — no leaves, no branches, no bark.
The tornado did catastrophic damage to a Wal-Mart, a high school and a nursing home apartment building, and ripped through the places that exist to respond to emergencies, like a fire station, where a brick wall was crumbled over a fire truck, and the hospital, whose sign was reported to have been spotted miles from Joplin.
It was the deadliest single tornado in more than half a century, and it adds to a season of particularly deadly tornadoes. Storms in the Midwest and South have killed hundreds of people in the last two months, and left millions of dollars of damage behind.
The latest tornado was part of a weather system in which cold and warm fronts crashed together throughout the middle of the country, creating conditions that can spawn “supercell” thunderstorms like the one here.
From a state trip to Europe, President Obama issued condolences, saying the families of Joplin were in his thoughts and prayers, and sent emergency management officials to Missouri to assist.
“At my direction, FEMA is working with the affected areas’ state and local officials to support response and recovery efforts, and the federal government stands ready to help our fellow Americans as needed,” a statement from the White House said.
In Joplin, along with the hundreds of state and federal workers, ordinary people, exhausted and ragged from their own struggles overnight and armed with tools from their own garages, spent much of the day Monday searching for friends, relatives, even strangers. About 49,000 people live here, and few lives were untouched.
Cheyanna Padilla, 19, said she had lived through the storm by clinging to a urinal inside the Wal-Mart store. She prayed, she said, as the roof crumpled on top of her, then she climbed out wondering how many might be dead beneath her.
The search, which continued into Monday evening, was complicated by bouts of pounding rain, thunderstorms and bursts of hail, along with constant worries that another twister would sweep up what was left of the community.
Gov. Jay Nixon said rescuers had found at least five families still alive under the rubble.
But many had far grimmer tales. Mark Stepp, whose house was destroyed, spent the day digging out homes. Beneath one, he said, he found the body of a young girl — a discovery that left him vomiting at the street’s edge. “I found a little girl,” he said, pacing and frantically puffing on a cigarette. “I’m so freaked out.”
Of the 183 patients at St. John’s on Sunday night, five died as a result of the tornado, a hospital official said. All had been in critical condition before the storm, he said.
The rest — some of them injured in the storm, adding to the problems that put them in the hospital in the first place — were sent to other hospitals in three states. In the confusion of the day, some patients’ family members found themselves driving from hospital to hospital, looking and worrying.
“Do they have a list? Do they have a list?” Kimberly Cain called out, as she and her son arrived at an emergency command post. She was searching for her husband, who had been on the fifth floor of St. John’s when she last heard from him. There were no lists, she was told, or at least none that anyone knew of. There had not been time.
A tornado warning was issued in Joplin a relatively lengthy 24 minutes before the tornado struck, officials say, though workers at St. John’s said the warning system in their building had given far less time. From the moment that alarm went off, though, they worked through the procedures designed to protect patients and themselves. But they were quickly overwhelmed by the force of the tornado.
“We practice and practice this stuff, but this hit us so hard and so fast it was just gut reaction,” said Gary Pulsipher, the president and chief executive of the hospital, which is a level-two trauma center.
Even as the nurses and doctors were finishing moving furniture, closing blinds and bringing patients into the hallways, the tornado struck. Tracy Merrill, a hospital worker, said he had dived onto an elderly cancer patient to protect her as glass flew through the hallway and walls began to cave in.
Tim Randolph, 48, was in the emergency room for treatment of a broken rib when the ceiling started shaking, the windows shattered, and the tornado raced inside. “It sucked the wind out of me,” said Mr. Randolph, who would later learn that he had three broken ribs, not just the one.
“The whole building was shaking,” said Misty Hicks, a nurse, who felt pressure in her ears, the roar of the tornado, and then saw a patient flipped over and pinned by the hospital bed against a wall. “That’s the scariest thing I’ve ever had to endure,” she said.
Suddenly, the rooms went dark. Staff members and patients were scattered across the floor, and IV tubes, medicine and glass shards were everywhere. “Everyone was bloody,” Ms. Hicks said, remembering walking patient to patient with her flashlight.
Cellphones did not work, nor did land lines, and the hospital’s radios were down. People carried patients outside; those who could walk did, sometimes in bare feet over glass. Someone with a broken hip gave up his wheelchair to transport sicker patients.
Out in the parking lot, as night fell, hospital workers used any method they could to get patients care. Some worked despite bloody cuts and gashes of their own; others stepped away in shock. A city school bus and the beds of some pickup trucks were used to rush patients to other hospitals.
“It was mass chaos trying to get patients out,” said Sgt. Rodney Rodebush, a National Guard soldier who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and found himself outside St. John’s.
Sergeant Rodebush said he had carried about 25 patients out. He also found a dead woman dressed in her pajamas outside the hospital entrance.
On Monday morning, the hospital temporarily became a shelter again, this time for rescuers concerned that another tornado was approaching. In the middle of the lobby under an atrium, they found a few survivors: fish in an unbroken tank, swimming through the water. | <urn:uuid:50b162da-58e2-4f34-9d7c-9cdb51a30954> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/news/2011/05/24/a-rush-to-protect-patients-then-bloody-chaos/28378663007/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.982622 | 1,800 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Choosing the right career path is one of the trickiest tasks for high school graduates.
There are so many options, but the right one is hard to find. You have to make sure your career choice reflects your personality.
Choose a track that makes you feel good and passionate about your work, and never follow the norms prevailing in society. They will mess up your mind, and you will end up choosing the wrong career path.
Life has several hurdles, and you wouldn’t want your professional life to be drastic.
Hence, choose the best field to pursue higher education. If you look around, several diverse fields can offer a wide array of opportunities.
What are your interests?
Once you answer this question, the right career field will be in front of you.
The medical field is among the most diverse fields. The options can satisfy any personality, and you can also stay in touch with humanity.
Nonetheless, choosing a career path in the medical field isn’t a piece of cake either.
Are you worrying about acquiring a degree in the medical field?
Don’t worry because you will read some effective tips to pursue a career in the medical field once you scroll down.
Give these tips a thorough read and think about your career in this diverse field.
1. Identify Your Skills And Interests
Self-contemplation is pivotal when making career choices. It allows you to know yourself better and what do you want in life.
According to experts, people who pursue careers against their interests and skillset are less productive than the ones pursuing interests and skills as their career.
For example, if you are interested in laboratory sciences, pursue a degree for medical laboratory scientist rather than becoming a neurosurgeon.
2. Your Motivation For This Field
The medical field has a lot of stereotypes associated with it. Several students choose this field to make their way in a social group.
It is not their interests that motivate them, but the social norms that provoke them. Be sure that you are not among such students.
Find the right motivation for becoming a medical professional. Maybe helping the poor or giving your compassionate nature some space is the right motivation.
3. Learn About The Options Available
Once you have acted upon the above two tricks, it is time that you do a little research about this field.
You will come across several colleges, degree programs, and opportunities the field has to offer.
Through this research, you will also find out the best methods of acquiring the skills needed for your interests. Moreover, you may also find the finest colleges that offer the degree you are searching for.
4. The Ideal Role For You
What do you want to be in the medical field? This is a million-dollar question that serves as the foundation of your career.
Some individuals are fascinated by surgeons, while some are interested in becoming an assistant to senior doctors. You may be determined to be a nurse. Identify the role you find best for your personality and wellbeing.
5. Do You Have The Courage To Pursue Your Interests?
Another million-dollar question is, do you have the courage to pursue your interests?
Without courage, confidence, and strength, you cannot excel in this field.
Reaching the highest levels of excellence is possible if you have all of these attributes in your personality. It takes a lot of struggle and enthusiasm to pursue what you find best.
6. Choose Your Workplace
After answering all the important questions, it is time to decide on the workplace. Not every medical student works at the hospital. There are clinics, healthcare organizations, not-for-profit organizations, and several other places that need healthcare specialists.
It is better that you decide before it gets too late. Your workplace influences your productivity, and it is always good to work where you have always wanted.
7. Choose A Degree
All of the above tips narrow down to one basic but important aspect, the degree. Until now, you know how to analyze your skills and field that can be the right choice for you.
Now, you should search for the programs that can fulfill your wish. Also, make sure you search for the finest institutes for the desired degree.
8. Work Hard And Achieve Your Goal
Have you chosen the degree and the institute?
Well done! Now focus on your studies and make sure you don’t lose concentration.
You will be serving humanity, and your perfection is the utmost need of the medical field. With due attention, you can achieve your goal with excellence.
Your hard work will pay off when you step into the workplace to serve someone in need.
9. Don’t Forget To Train Yourself
Do you think a degree without practice is worth it?
No, because every profession demands practice. When it comes to the medical industry, the demand for practice is severe.
You are responsible for treating humans. It cannot be done without control, perfection, and continuous practice.
Never miss any house job opportunities during your academic life. It is a great way of gaining work experience.
10. Work-Life And Professional Life Equilibrium
Before you step into this noble field, be sure if you can manage your work life and personal life efficiently.
Healthcare specialists are always in need, and you never know when an emergency may stop you from going home.
You should have the courage and strength to maintain an equilibrium between work and home.
Are You Ready To Be A Medical Professional?
The right career choice is important for a well-settled and prosperous life. One wrong choice can turn out to be the worst decision of your life.
Before your career becomes a nightmare, take out some time and think about your interests.
For the right career choice, you must pursue your passion. Work-life would not be so boring when you pursue your interests.
Becoming a medical professional is the dream of a majority of students, but not everyone is capable of pursuing a career in this field.
From the tips discussed above, you can easily identify your interests, skills, and if you are the right candidate or not. Take a decision wisely so that you don’t suffer in the long run.
About The Author:
Ethan Lark is a Business, Finance, and Technology blogger who spends his entire day writing quality blogs. He is a passionate reader and loves to share quality content prevalent on the web with his friends and followers and keep a keen eye on the latest trends and news in those industries. | <urn:uuid:43ef7696-6f58-4cd9-949c-b4014ea78efb> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.safeandhealthylife.com/10-tips-to-pursue-career-in-the-medical-field/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.948689 | 1,343 | 2.75 | 3 |
Many people who begin their weight loss journey wonder if there are ways to speed up the process, and guess what?
There is. Achieving your weight loss goals doesn’t have to be a struggle. Losing weight and building muscle can be made easier by eating the proper foods and adding a burn fat build muscle supplement to your diet.
High Protein Foods:
Did you know there are foods that are scientifically proven to aid in muscle gain? Here’s a list of high protein foods that can help you build lean muscle:
- Eggs: Rich in vitamins, healthy fats, antioxidants, and nutrients. Poach or boil one egg with a side of greens, salsa, or wholegrain toast.
- Oats: Loaded with fiber, magnesium, and vitamin B1. When making oats for breakfast or lunch, the recommended serving size is a half-cup. Add berries or honey for additional flavor.
- Broccoli: Provides more protein than other vegetables and is packed with Vitamin K, Vitamin C, and Potassium. One cup of fresh, steamed, or raw broccoli can be served on its own or as a healthy side.
- Salmon: Contains Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, and protective antioxidants. Stick to no more than 3 to 4 ounces of baked, poached, or broiled salmon.
- Chicken Breast: Low in fat and rich in vitamins and minerals. Similar to the serving suggestion for salmon, 3 to 4 ounces of chicken breast is best, roasted in the oven, or grilled to perfection.
- Almonds: Rich in healthy fats, vitamin E, and magnesium. one handful or about 23 almonds is the recommended portion. Try adding some plain Greek yogurt for versatility.
- Artichokes: Versatile and high in fiber. Artichokes can be blended into a hearty spinach dip and eaten with your favorite whole-grain crackers or roasted in the oven with a touch of olive oil and sea salt.
- Avocado: Provides protein, healthy fats, and fiber. Mash 50 grams or 1/3 of an avocado and spread it over a whole grain slice of toast with a few flakes of cayenne pepper to taste.
- Greek Yogurt: Packed with protein and healthy bacteria. Stick to plain, unflavored yogurt to limit sugar intake. Keep your serving size down to 1 cup or 8 ounces. Add organic honey or fruit to sweeten.
Superfoods can help speed up metabolism, control your appetite, and increase weight loss, as well as build muscle. You’ll be sure to burn fat faster and easier when incorporating these foods into your diet:
- Sweet Potatoes: This slow-burning carbohydrate can keep you feeling fuller for longer. The suggested serving size is one medium-sized sweet potato, which is about 4.6 ounces. Bake in the oven, slice open and add a smudge of salted butter and cinnamon for more flavor.
- Black Beans: Produces a chemical known as butyrate, which triggers the body to burn fat as fuel. Steam a half cup of black beans on the stove and add them to brown rice or a salad for a dose of protein.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: A source of acetic acid, an ingredient shown to overpower the body’s ability to build fat. Mix two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with an 8-ounce glass of water. Drink this before or after each meal to reap the benefits.
- Quinoa: Healthy starch. Rich in insoluble fiber, which keeps you full and helps prevent you from overeating.
- Bananas: Packed with potassium which can help reduce and prevent bloating. Dice up one peeled large banana and add it to a bowl of oats for breakfast, or eat it plain for a nutritious snack.
- Grapefruit: Loaded with water and fiber which can promote the feeling of fullness. Peel one large grapefruit, cut it in half (saving one half for later), dice it up, and add sugar-free sweetener to taste.
- Garlic: Appetite suppressant and energy booster. The great thing about Garlic is that it can be added to just about any savory dish. Mince your garlic in advance and store it in your refrigerator to use as seasoning.
- Green Tea: Contains antioxidants and caffeine which help improve metabolism. Studies show that Green Tea Extract is proven to aid in weight loss. Treat yourself to one hot cup of green tea each morning or evening and add honey to sweeten.
- Ginger: An anti-inflammatory that helps aid in healthy digestion. Shaved or minced ginger can be added to tea or soup for additional flavor.
Tips For Weight Loss and Muscle Gain:
In addition to incorporating protein-rich foods, superfoods, and weight loss supplements into your diet, it’s important to maintain a sustainable exercise routine. For best results, this should include both cardio and weight training.
Jogging, running, or cycling for thirty minutes, three times per week, can not only help you reach your weight loss goals faster but has great health benefits as well.
Including cardio in your workout routine is known to lower your risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. Some more popular cardiovascular activities include jump roping, swimming, and kickboxing.
- Weight Training
Weight training ensures that your body burns fat instead of muscle. Building muscle can also increase your body’s ability to burn calories at rest.
Equipment such as dumbbells, resistance belts, and kettlebells can be purchased conveniently online so that you can work out in the comfort of your own home.
Some more tips to help you achieve your goals successfully include setting realistic goals for yourself, meal planning/prepping, and finding a workout buddy.
Losing weight and gaining muscle can be attained by making healthy lifestyle changes. Diet and exercise are essential components in reaching your goals.
Including a wide variety of superfoods, foods high in protein, vitamins, and supplements can not only speed up your weight loss progress but greatly improve your overall health as well.
Remember to be patient and remain positive in your journey. Keep in mind that this is a process, and you won’t see results happen overnight.
Staying consistent and following the tips listed above will surely help you achieve the body you deserve.
About The Author:
Kevin Slater is a successful blogger who often writes articles on health and wellness, self-improvement, and parenthood. Kevin is known to write informative, and witty content on his blog, and other online platforms. When not busy writing, Kevin often spends his time with his family, and pets at home. | <urn:uuid:c32d1af3-f9ee-4543-a46e-f611a4a5d220> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.safeandhealthylife.com/what-you-should-eat-to-lose-weight-and-build-muscle/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.927409 | 1,386 | 1.804688 | 2 |
R.P.D.2, Columbiaville, Michigan
Four score years ago, Harry Bahel was a Sawyer, tending the
great white cork pine logs as they were sliced into lumber by the
whining circular saw in an Arcadin Township Mill in Lapeer County
Suddenly something went wrong. The feed bar tripped and threw
the carriage into gear. Poor Harry was wedged between the log and
the whirling saw. It cut him almost in two and a day later he
This young man, who was brave and true, passed on to his Great
Reward at the age of 19 years.
The Lumberjacks talked about the horrible accident for many
years, then the victim’s brother Charles put the words into
Ballad form and it was sung by many a Lumberjack in the Lumber
Camps in Lapeer County, Michigan, in the eighteenth century.
I would like to dedicate the words of this old song to all ALBUM
readers who own and operate Saw Mills.
THE SONG OF HARRY BAHEL
(Tune of The Flat River Girl)
Come all kind friends and parents,
Come brothers, young and old,
A Song I will relate to you,
It will make your blood run cold.
It’s about a poor unfortunate youth
Who’s known both far and near.
His parents reared him so tenderly
Not many miles from here.
In the Township of Arcadie,
In the County of Lapeer,
There stood a little Shingle Mill
That ran about one year.
T’was there this fatal deed was done
That caused many to weep and to wail.
T’was there this young man lost his life,
Whose name was Harry Bahel.
It appeared his occupation
Was a Sawyer in the Mill.
He followed it successfully
Two years, six months, until
The time had come for him to go
And leave this world of care.
No one will know how soon it will be our
To follow poor Harry up There! (last
On the Twenty-Ninth of April,
In the Year of Eighteen Seventy-Nine,
He went to work as usual,
A-fearing no design.
In lowering of the feed bar
Which threw the carriage into gear,
It threw poor Harry out upon the saw,
Which did cut him so severe.
It cut him through the shoulder blade
And half way down the back.
It threw his mangled body out upon the
As the carriage it did run back, (floor
He started for the shanty,
But his strength did fail him fast.
He said, ‘Oh boys, I’m wounded,
And I fear it is my Last.’
His dear brothers, they were sent for,
Likewise his sisters, too.
The Doctor came and dressed his cruel
But alas it proved too true! (wounds,
And when those cruel wounds were
Young Harry seemed to say, (dressed
‘I fear it is my Last, brave boys,
I soon shall pass away.’
Now poor Harry had no kind and loving
To soothe his aching brow. (mother
No father to weep nor to wail.
He lingered on one day and night
Till death did ease his pain.
And now he’s passed over
And never shall speak again.
They put him in his coffin
And started for the grave,
While brothers and sisters mourned the
Of a brother so young and brave. (loss
They took him to the Church Yard
And laid him there to rest.
His body now is sleeping
And now his spirit’s with the Blessed.
He was cut down in manly beauty,
His life had just begun,
His love was yet untasted,
His laurels yet unknown.
He was a jovial fellow
As one would wish to know,
But he faded like the flowers
For it was his time to go.
Now Spring Time has returned again
To wake the bleak domain.
The little birds in the leafy flowers
Sing sweetly once more again.
And Harry’s friends and relations
Will repay the love he fondly gave
By placing wreaths of flowers
All ’round young Harry’s grave! | <urn:uuid:4dd566e1-2334-4b9e-bc35-21aa017f07ee> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.farmcollector.com/steam-traction/story-of-harry-bahel/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.970266 | 948 | 1.953125 | 2 |
Welcome back to the STEAM Corner, a blog series featuring Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math projects to do at home. Today, we are going to harness our crafting skills to transform home into a paradise of math games.
Stay home. Stay safe. Stay STEAM-y.
Want to show off your project? Share your pictures and videos on social media and tag the Library!
Game #1: Dice Time!
This DIY multiplication game is easy to make and works as a fantastic boredom buster. Adults: this one is fun with or without the kids.
- Dice (4 per player, each set a different color)
- Paper or Paper grocery bag
- Round things to trace
- Thick book
To make your game board, either tape together a few sheets of paper or dismantle a paper grocery bag to use as a surface. Create a bullseye and extra targets by tracing round things you find at home. Label multipliers as shown. Place a thick book on one end as a dice launching platform.
Note on dice: Make sure each player has a set of 4 matching dice. If you do not have dice in different colors, apply marker until the situation is remedied.
Number of Players: 2+
How to Play
- Each player flicks one die off of the launching platform onto the board.
- Repeat until all dice are flicked. (Yes, you CAN bump another player’s dice!)
- To score the round, multiply the value of each die times the value of its board area. Then add the products.
Play one round or keep a running score over multiple rounds. Highest score wins.
Game #2: Phalanges
This next game requires no materials and no setup. Named for the little bones in your fingers, Phalanges is the “Rock, Paper, Scissors” of math.
Number of Players: 2
How to Play (multiplication version)
- Players chant: “Ready, set, phalanges!”
- On “phalanges,” each player holds out 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 fingers.
- The player who calls out the correct product first wins.
- Instead of multiplication, play with addition or subtraction.
- If players use two hands instead of one (0-10 fingers), the game becomes Super Phalanges. Adjust the chant to match.
- If you add a third player, the game becomes Triple Phalanges.
If you need more math activities in your life, check out one of these ebooks on Hoopla using your library card:
- Eat Your Math Homework by Ann McCallum
- Math Lab for Kids by Rebecca Rapoport
- Math Games & Activities From Around the World by Claudia Zaslavksy
Jess Alexander is a Youth Services Librarian at Morton Grove Public Library. | <urn:uuid:47c95396-c929-4816-a2ae-2fb18895a4a5> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.mgpl.org/blog/steam-corner-math-games-are-best-games | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.893446 | 620 | 2.921875 | 3 |
The other night I read Alma 25 with my kids, a strange chapter about the gruesome fate of an apostate group called the Amulonites on the one hand and the exemplary growth of a pacifist group called the Anti-Nephi-Lehies on the other. The chapter concludes incongruously with Mormon glossing the events in what seems like the most reductive possible way, wrapping everything with a tidy bow: the conversion of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies had been foretold to the missionaries who introduced them to Christianity, and thus all these events merely show that the Lord "had also verified his word unto them in every particular" (Alma 25:17). The human suffering implied in the appalling demise of the Amulonites, the radical meaning of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies' pacifism, none of this seems to matter to Mormon as much as the fact that the Lord's word had been "verified."
The word "verify" seemed so strange and unscriptural that I searched for it electronically at lds.org to find all its occurrences. It shows up seven times in the Book of Mormon, and only four times in all other books of scripture combined. This isn't surprising, given Mormon's obsession with prophets, prophecy, and the fulfillment of prophecy, of which the development of Nephite Christianity and its culmination in the appearance of the resurrected Christ are exhibit A. Indeed, all instances of "verify" in the Book of Mormon (including two in Alma 25) occurs as part of Mormon's strenuously ideological interpretation of Nephite history to show that the Lord's word in scripture is always, without exception, proved to be true in the end.
There's a straightforward reading of this, which is simply to take Mormon at his word. God speaks directly to prophets, prophets record the word in scripture; scripture will be empirically verified in the end by the providential unfolding of knowledge and history. This is certainly a coherent idea, amply attested in scripture, and one that I find deeply compelling in theory. It's an idea that most modern believers have ignored or attenuated, however, in an effort to preserve the relevance of scripture in the present day. It turns out that it's not so easy to verify scripture, in the empirical sense Mormon seems to have in mind.
Rather than abandoning scripture altogether as unverifiable ancient relics incompatible with modern ways of knowing, we find new ways of reading. Theologians work out sophisticated theories of scripture, emphasizing metaphor or narrative or ethics or history; I love them all. Rank-and-file believers work out practical theories of scripture, emphasizing personal relevance and devotion; I love these too. But none of these, when applied to the Book of Mormon, seem to be able to account for its explicit and central language of verification. All of them somehow seem to dodge Mormon's repeated and emphatic assertion that the Book of Mormon's sweeping claims about hemispheric history, ethnic identity, and the destiny of Christianity will be verified.
Allow me to suggest an alternate reading of "verify," one that is a bit of a dodge itself but that at least has the advantage of grappling with the scriptural language as it presents itself. Abandon the notion of "verification" as our passive recognition that the scriptures are true, as the unfolding of irrefutable evidence that obviates our doubt, that compels us to accept scriptural claims. Instead read "verify" as an active transitive verb, like "beautify" or "electrify": one does not simply judge an object to be beautiful or electric, one must actively make the object beautiful, make it hum with electricity. To verify scripture, one does not simply find it to be true, based on the evidence; one must actively make it true. When Mormon tells us that the Lord's word was "verified" in the events of Alma 25, we can read this as the Anti-Nephi-Lehies' active living out of the Lord's word. Scripture became true because the scriptural actors verified it, made it true, in their lives and their hearts. In the same way, we can "verify the Lord's word" as we actively infuse it with truth, taking it in to our hearts and minds and breathing it out, verified, in our lives and choices.
Okay, but is this what Mormon really meant to convey in his language of verification? My reading may be clever (or it may simply be strained), but does it really get at what the Book of Mormon authors intended? Honestly, I don't think it does. I think Mormon had a much more literal, empirical notion of verification in mind. I was trained to do historically-correct readings of texts, and I'm the first to admit that in a lot of ways my little reading is completely unjustified. The only justification for ahistorical interpretation, perhaps, is that it makes the text relevant in the present day; it saves scripture for modernity, so that scripture can in turn save us. A mutually redemptive relationship to scripture—we redeem it for today, it redeems us for eternity—is something to be verified, indeed.
10/4/2012 4:00:00 AM | <urn:uuid:0b559b1c-4e6e-4d33-a5d3-b17e0f02ff27> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.patheos.com/latter-day-saint/verifying-scripture-rosalynde-welch-10-05-2012 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.961934 | 1,081 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Clinical Testing for Delayed-Onset Food Sensitivities
Immediate Food Allergy vs. Delayed Food Sensitivities
We live in a world swarming with not only airborne allergens but food allergens. Food and environmental allergens have been implicated in a wide range of medical conditions affecting virtually every part of the body from mildly uncomfortable symptoms such as indigestion and gastritis, to severe illnesses such as celiac disease, arthritis and chronic infection.
A hypersensitive response to food may be the culprit lurking behind a “mysterious” set of symptoms which are not readily diagnosable using conventional methods of testing. Testing of food allergens can reveal unsuspected food sensitivities and is one of the ways to uncover foundation causes of illness. Food hypersensitivities can be divided into two major categories: immediate (allergy) and delayed (sensitivity).
Immediate food reaction is a fixed food allergy. The food to which you are allergic will almost always provoke and immune reaction when ingested which makes it easier to identify than a delayed reaction. The body overproduces Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies in an immediate reaction. When immediate food reaction occurs, sufferers may experience symptoms within hours of having ingested the food. Onset of symptoms are rapid and may include tingling of extremities, wheezing, coughing, tightening of the throat, nausea, abdominal cramps, diarrhea and in some cases anaphylaxis can occur.
Symptoms of a delayed food reactions are better known as food sensitivities and can take up to 72 hours to appear. This type of immune response is mediated by the Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody, which is the largest circulation antibody in our immune system and can cross the placenta. IgG antibodies are the most common form of immunologic mediated food responses. Identifying the offending food can be difficult since we ingest so many foods that go through different processes and have many ingredients. Unidentified food sensitivities can contribute to multiple chronic health conditions including: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Headaches, Migraines, ADD/ADHD, Autism, Eczema, Chronic ear infections, Malabsorption, Insomnia and many others.
Elimination of the offending foods can improve many health problems and lead to a better quality of life. A simple blood test is utilized to identify specific food allergies. The IgE or immediate food allergy test is the conventional test ordered by allopathic physicians but the IgG or delayed food sensitivities test is not. If you would like to make an appointment to pinpoint your IgG or delayed food sensitivities and learn about a rotation diet and nutritional treatment plans for food allergies, please call our office at (704) 333-0550 for an appointment. | <urn:uuid:49999a47-217d-4e41-8ed0-87bfb8e4338d> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://yeagerchiropractic.com/food-sensitivity-testing/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.940051 | 585 | 3.359375 | 3 |
Ahsoka Tano, once a loyal Jedi apprenticed to Anakin Skywalker, planned to spend the rest of her life serving the Jedi Order. But after a heartbreaking betrayal, she left the Order and forged her own path. Anakin and the other Jedi were still there for her, though, whenever she needed them—or they needed her.
Then the Emperor took over the galaxy, and the Jedi were ruthlessly murdered. Now Ahsoka is truly on her own, unsure she can be part of something larger ever again. She takes refuge on a remote farming planet, where she befriends a young woman named Kaeden and begins to carve out a simple life for herself. But Ahsoka cannot escape her past, or the reach of the Empire. When Imperial forces occupy the planet, she must decide whether to become involved—even if it means exposing her identity. Her choices with have devastating effects for those around he…and lead her to a new hope for the galaxy.
Star Wars: Ahsoka by E. K. Johnston follows the titular character and former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano, a popular character from the Star Wars animated series The Clone Wars and later Rebels. This is a novel that exists specifically to fill a gap, as she is a character that disappeared from the storyline before the ending of the former series, only to appear again in the latter, much more grown and experienced. I was interested in reading this as a fan of the series, wanting to know more about an impactful character who unfortunately was not originally conjured as part of the prequel trilogy of films.Read More » | <urn:uuid:2d57f1a1-75c4-484c-acdb-e1c0d708534f> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://musewithmeblog.com/2017/12/02/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.973845 | 334 | 1.539063 | 2 |
While the transition to the Biden administration is finally underway, President Donald Trump’s legal grounds for trying to reverse the outcome of the election are disappearing one by one, leaving just one avenue to pursue where he’s had some success: undermining confidence in the electoral process.
That’s the case in Wisconsin, where the Trump campaign is paying for a recount in just two areas, heavily Democratic Milwaukee and Dane counties, which gave President-elect Joe Biden an overwhelming 364,000 margin of victory in a state where he won by just over 20,500 votes.
By asserting that the vote was rigged for Biden through massive fraud facilitated by the institutions designed to uphold fair and secure elections, Trump is trying to “sow doubt and confusion” about the underpinnings of democracy. This comes from Jeffrey Mandell, an attorney and founder of Law Forward, a nonpartisan law firm that fights for open government and progressive legal change in Wisconsin.
As the recount began last week, several hundred Trump supporters rallied on cue in a Milwaukee suburb at a protest over alleged voter fraud that featured former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke and heavily-armed members of the far-right Proud Boys.
After five days, the recount has only come up with a net gain of just under 60 votes for Trump. But the recount is just a precursor to more legal action challenging the integrity of the election.
Unlike in previous Wisconsin recounts, which have identified individual ballots that were miscounted, the Trump campaign wants the courts to throw out tens of thousands of legally cast absentee votes by overturning guidelines set by the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) before the election.
Their legal petition objects to:
- Absentee ballots sent by what are known as “indefinitely confined individuals,” who cannot leave their homes because of age, illness, or disability. In March, the Wisconsin Election Commission issued guidance to officials across the state that voters could self-certify that they were “indefinitely confined” because of fear of COVID-19 and could vote absentee. “During the current public health crisis, many voters of a certain age or in at-risk populations may meet that standard of indefinitely confined until the crisis abates,” the commission wrote. As a result, the number of absentee ballots returned by these voters rose to 215,713, up from 56,978 in 2016. Unlike in-person Wisconsin voters, these voters do not have to show ID, which the Trump campaign claims is just a smokescreen for fraud.
- Absentee ballots that were submitted without a record of having filed a written application. This category consisted of around 60,000 absentee votes cast in-person in Dane County (which actually does not require a written application,) as well as online requests. The online absentee ballot request system generates a record of an application, which the WEC said meets statutory requirements.
- Absentee ballots on which it appeared the clerk had added or corrected a witness address. Witness addresses have been required on absentee ballot envelopes in Wisconsin since 2016, when the WEC issued a memo to municipal clerks recommending that they contact voters or add in the information themselves if they encountered a problem with the address.
Jim Troupis, a former judge in Dane County and counsel for Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, released a statement on November 20 claiming that the WEC “disenfranchised voters and undermined the integrity of this election.”
“Our democracy depends on fair and impartial elections that fully adhere to the Constitution and state statute. By staging a last minute attempt to change the rules, and by providing unlawful advice before then, the Wisconsin Elections Commission has repeatedly failed to follow the law,” it said.
“I am shocked and offended that you have implied in any way that clerks in Madison and Milwaukee have sent out thousands of unrequested ballots. I think that’s absurd, I think it’s factually bizarre.”
Oddly enough, by his own legal arguments, Troupis voted illegally, and so did his wife. They voted absentee in-person before Election Day, and their names appeared on exhibits Troupis submitted to the Dane County Board of Canvassers, which rejected his claim of fraud.
WEC Public Information Officer Reid Magney said there was “no evidence” to support Troupis’s claims about the commission’s actions.
Jay Heck, director of Common Cause in Wisconsin, called the statement an “absolutely outlandish charge” that accused the WEC of undermining the integrity of elections “without any foundation.”
“They don’t like that the staff of the commission doesn’t do exactly what they want, which is to favor their candidate,” Heck said. “I don’t know where they come up with this stuff other than they’re just trying to undermine citizen confidence in the Wisconsin Elections Commission.”
The Trump campaign’s claims have roiled the WEC itself.
During an almost six-hour meeting of the WEC’s six commissioners on November 18, Republican Commissioner Robert Spindell echoed one of Trump’s false allegations about voter fraud — that thousands of absentee ballots were sent to voters who didn’t request them, prompting a rebuke from other commissioners.
“I am shocked and offended that you have implied in any way that clerks in Madison and Milwaukee have sent out thousands of unrequested ballots. I think that’s absurd, I think it’s factually bizarre,” Chairwoman Ann Jacobs said in response to Spindell. “The issue is not some vague, paranoid conspiracy, but you have been on this commission and you have been on the [City of Milwaukee Election Commission], and you knew darn well that neither entity is causing the issuance of thousands of unrequested ballots through some sort of weird nefarious write-in campaign.”
Jacobs went on to excoriate Spindell for repeating the unfounded claims of others. “So the fact that you’re saying, ‘people are saying this,’ what I would suggest is you not say it, because it’s not true,” she said. “So that’s the problem I’m having with this discussion, is we’re implying that there are these thieves, these criminals in charge of elections in our two largest counties. And what I think we ought not be doing is watering that plant of baloney, and instead what we should be doing is talking about the fact that that didn’t happen.”
Heck said that Spindell and another Republican commissioner, Dean Knudson, were raising the specter of voter fraud “so they could raise doubts about what the commission was doing” and to show Trump they were “good, loyal Republicans.” Heck added, “Elections shouldn’t be decided on who you’re loyal to. It should be decided by the law.”
Separately, voting-rights activists questioned the legality of the Trump campaign’s decision to target the state’s two most liberal and populous counties while ignoring the many Wisconsinites in the other 70 counties who voted using the very same methods they disputed.
If any of the ballots in the two counties are thrown out, Mandell said it could be a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment because “you can’t count the ballots by one set of rules in some counties” and “a different set in the rest of the counties.”
But Mandell said it is unlikely that any of the contested ballots will be thrown out by the courts.
“There’s no space in the system for fraud. They’re just yelling and screaming and throwing it at the wall to see if anything sticks,” he said of the Trump campaign. “These are voters who did nothing wrong. They followed the guidance of election officials in good faith.”
The recount will involve reconciling the number of ballots issued with the number of voters listed in poll books, reviewing the absentee ballot log and poll book, and re-reviewing rejected ballots. Votes will then be canvassed multiple times at the municipal, county, and state levels “with a fine-toothed comb,” Mandell said, and the canvassing boards will hold public meetings. Past recounts in Wisconsin have only changed a few hundred votes, and that precedent will likely hold true this time as well.
There will also be audits to determine if anyone voted who was dead on election day, voted twice, also voted in another state, or voted as a convicted felon and somehow didn’t get screened out. Magney said that historically “the numbers are relatively small” — around 100-200 cases out of 3.2 million votes.
The result that the recount will end up showing, Mandell predicts, is that Wisconsin’s elections are honest and secure.
“It’s almost like looking for change within the couch cushions. You might find a little bit, but you’re not going to find this huge score between the cushions,” Mandell said. “If anything, this checking and rechecking of the recount should only redouble public confidence … because our process works really, really well.”
For more of WhoWhatWhy’s work on Protecting Our Vote, see our Student Voter Guide and our series America Decides 2020. You can also find out the darker secrets behind our voting systems in our recently published e-book Is This Any Way to Vote?: Vulnerable Voting Machines and the Mysterious Industry Behind Them by Celeste Katz Marston and Gabriella Novello, available on Amazon now.
Have a tip for our election integrity news desk about voting issues? Send us an email here: Election Integrity Desk. | <urn:uuid:39abbc5d-12af-45cc-8dbe-0f10b387b815> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://whowhatwhy.org/politics/elections/trump-campaign-presses-on-in-wisconsin/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571538.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812014923-20220812044923-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.964541 | 2,075 | 1.640625 | 2 |
The Effects of Statutory Rape Laws on Nonmarital Teenage Childbearing
17 Pages Posted: 30 May 2006
Many policy makers view the enforcement of statutory rape laws as a way to reduce teenage childbirths. This article considers whether unmarried teenage girls covered by a state statutory rape law are less likely to give birth than girls who are not covered by a statutory rape law. The presence of statutory rape laws is negatively correlated with nonmarital birthrates for white females but is not a significant predictor for black or Hispanic females. In contrast, the enforcement of statutory rape laws has a deterrent effect on teen childbearing for blacks and Hispanics but not for whites.
JEL Classification: J13, K14
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation | <urn:uuid:7dbdea2b-5933-43d4-87fa-1cdd83749f93> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=904942 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.894549 | 151 | 2 | 2 |
African penguins are in serious trouble.
Their numbers have plummeted over the past century due to the destruction of nesting sites, egg poaching, oil spills, global climate change, and competition for food resources with commercial fishing. There is hope to save this iconic species, through the
African Penguin Nest Project.
These new nests give penguin families a chance to succeed for many years to come, pulling the species back from the brink of extinction.You can sponsor an individual nest, or a group of them through a class or company project. It's a great way to be hands-on about a project to help save a species.
While African penguins may not live in your back yard, you can make choices to save penguins no matter where you live. Sponsoring a nest is a start, but this is just one of the ways you can help save these birds. Each choice we make can lead to a healthier future for penguins.
This project is unique because it developed nests to meet the specific needs of African penguins. Guano nests provided a very precise environment, and matching that was a challenge. The nests were painstakingly designed and tested to ensure they meet the penguins' every need for the successful incubation of eggs and rearing of chicks.
Conservation agencies, accredited zoological parks and individuals around the world are working together to save the African penguin from extinction. This unique group of scientists and experts has developed a scientifically researched artificial nest to provide safe places for these seabirds to raise chicks.
NEWS AND UPDATES
Too Hot to Handle
During recent work in the penguin colonies a testing procedure used was thermal imaging. Penguins nesting in exposed surface nests were measured with temperatures on their backs exceeding 145 degrees, while those in nests just a couple of feet away were measured at about 80 degrees. That is an absolutely massive difference for the birds.
Penguins Get Homes
Hundreds of nests were deployed this spring on Bird Island, off the coast of South Africa in SANParks' Addo Elephant National Park. The penguins took to the nests quickly, moving in as fast as they were installed. One bird laid an egg in a nest just four hours after it was put out! And in just four days, penguin families had occupied 98% of the nests.
With well over a thousand nests already in five of the penguin colonies we've been anxiously awaiting breeding season to see the results of all the work. While the global pandemic has reduced the amount of nest monitoring possible, for those areas that are being checked we're seeing very high usage rates and a significant number of penguin chicks. | <urn:uuid:dad44701-4ce7-4ebf-ae1c-9eca76ba9a2d> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.savingpenguins.org/home | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573172.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818063910-20220818093910-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.960793 | 544 | 3.515625 | 4 |
Understanding the Comorbidities: Psoriasis and Metabolic Syndrome - Episode 8
Experts delve into their treatment plan based on additional comorbidities patients may have.
Peter L. Salgo, MD: What about comorbidities here? Do the patients with comorbidities actually require more intensive care early on? Is that an obvious fact? Am I asking a silly question?
Joel Gelfand, MD, MSCE, FAAD: Well, I think that when they have more health problems, that’s one of the challenges for payers, as well. We know that comorbidity in general in the United States is a major problem. People don’t have 1 chronic condition but 2 or 3 chronic conditions, and that ends up increasing cost dramatically. Psoriasis patients often have other psychiatric comorbidities—anxiety, depression—that comingle with the disease as you can imagine. Those are also things that end up being costly to the healthcare system.
Peter Dehnel, MD: Just 1 question, and I don’t know this information. Say somebody comes in with a significant outbreak of psoriasis and they have metabolic syndrome, if you aggressively treat the psoriasis, will it also positively impact their metabolic syndrome?
Peter L. Salgo, MD: I was going to ask that next, darn it! I’m glad you did.
Peter Dehnel, MD: Pete or Peter, you take your pick.
Steven Feldman, MD, PhD: We need somebody to devote their life to that. Oh, we have somebody.
Joel Gelfand, MD, MSCE, FAAD: Yes. Well, I think that certainly, in the cardiovascular field, inflammation as a causal risk factor for cardiovascular events has been a matter of intense study. Recently, Paul Ridker MD, MPH, had a seminal finding showing that a biologic that targets interleukin-1-beta, called canakinumab, can lower the risk of major cardiovascular events in patients who already have coronary disease. We now know that it’s targeting certain immune pathways, and people at high risk for cardiovascular disease can causally lower risks of events. In psoriasis, it’s more challenging to figure out because you’d have to do a randomized controlled trial in 10,000 people and follow them for 5 years. We just don’t have that type of data. What we know so far is that, from observational data with TNF [tumor necrosis factor] inhibitors, which have been around for 20 years now, that patients who go on TNF inhibitors tend to have lower rates of major cardiovascular events over time compared to patients treated with other agents. It will take longer term for that same data to emerge with therapies like IL-17 [interleukin-17] inhibitors, IL-23 inhibitors, IL-12/23 inhibitors, looking at these events.
Peter L. Salgo, MD: So the short answer of: “Do you take into consideration metabolic syndrome when dealing with psoriasis?” is yes?
Joel Gelfand, MD, MSCE, FAAD: Absolutely, particularly when it relates to other therapies. Methotrexate is often more complicated to use in people who are overweight or have metabolic syndrome. They get into more trouble with the liver function issues.
Peter L. Salgo, MD: From your perspective, do people with comorbidities fit into a different strata in terms of their reimbursement plan? Do you carve out for them differently?
Peter Dehnel, MD: I don’t think most of the time we get that kind of data, nor do most of the, if you will, medical policies account for this. For example, if you’re looking at the treatment options for psoriasis, I don’t remember seeing that there’s a significant pathway down if they have metabolic syndrome, that you’re going to consider them in a different bucket, if you will.
Peter L. Salgo, MD: OK, does that surprise you?
Steven Feldman, MD, PhD: No. Very little surprises me. You know, I have a questioning attitude about things, even with the improvement you see with TNF inhibitors, or those associated with TNF inhibitors. TNF inhibitors, at least 1 of them, are thought to worsen congestive heart failure. Is it possible that the observational data are a little biased by physicians being afraid to put the patients who are at high risk of cardiovascular disease on a TNF inhibitor, so that when you look at the final results, you have the CAR [cardiovascular risk] TNF group performing better?
Joel Gelfand, MD, MSCE, FAAD: Right. And I think it’s a very possible issue going on, especially due to the fact we have an enormous amount of undertreatment of psoriasis in the broader population. And so there may be some strong selection pressure. Really, only the healthy patients—the compliant or adherent patients, well educated, motivated patients—are getting these therapies. To some extent, these data have been shown in rheumatoid arthritis [RA] as well. Maybe that might be a little bit more reassuring, where the use of biologics is much higher in the patient population, and you see the same cardioprotective effects in RA that you see in psoriasis.
Peter L. Salgo, MD: So boots on the ground here. In the office, patients coming in, what are the challenges that healthcare providers face when they’re dealing with these 2 comorbidities, psoriasis and metabolic syndrome?
Joel Gelfand, MD, MSCE, FAAD: Well, I think the biggest challenge is really thinking about how well we can manage both. How we can help a patient changes their health behavior, while working with their primary care team to be as healthy as possible, then have the best outcomes related to their psoriasis. When people are heavy, they don’t respond as well to systemic agents, they tend to lose response more quickly over time. They may do well but then have to cycle through multiple biologics. I often talk to my patients about weight loss. I’ve had some patients who have BMI [body mass index] over 40, and we see a fair number of those in our practice, and go with bariatric surgery. And it tends to be life changing for them, and oftentimes will modulate their psoriasis down.
There have been a couple of really fascinating reports out there of patients experiencing big improvements in their psoriasis when they go through bariatric surgery. There’s one study from Denmark showing that patients who had bariatric surgery had a lower frequency in developing psoriasis in the future. As we’re knowing that weight loss in people who were obese lowers the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, it also probably benefits them with inflammatory skin disease.
Peter L. Salgo, MD: Now, you just said something really interesting, and I’m not going to let this slide by. We were talking about the chicken and the egg philosophy earlier. And we weren’t really sure whether metabolic syndrome predisposes you to psoriasis or vice-versa. But you just said that obese patients who have bariatric surgery have a smaller chance of having psoriasis.
Joel Gelfand, MD, MSCE, FAAD: In the future, yes.
Peter L. Salgo, MD: So didn’t you just answer my question?
Joel Gelfand, MD, MSCE, FAAD: Well the chicken and the egg are walking in the room at the same time.
Peter L. Salgo, MD: But in this case I got an egg and you operated on it, and that chicken never showed up.
Joel Gelfand, MD, MSCE, FAAD: That’s exactly right. But I think both sides of the coin can be going on, both issues can be at play.
Peter L. Salgo, MD: If you perform bariatric surgery so that they lose weight, and then psoriasis doesn’t show up as frequently, doesn’t that imply causation?
Joel Gelfand, MD, MSCE, FAAD: Well, yes. I think that there’s a lot of evidence to suggest that obesity is an important risk factor in developing psoriasis. But there are also data suggesting that when you have psoriasis, you develop complications related to metabolic disease, diabetes, things of that nature.
Steven Feldman, MD, PhD: I think the evidence would be strong if you randomized the patients to get the bariatric surgery or not.
Joel Gelfand, MD, MSCE, FAAD: Exactly.
Peter L. Salgo, MD: OK.
Steven Feldman, MD, PhD: If you didn’t randomize, then you have the issue of whether there is anything different about the people that you operate on. Now, I don’t operate on people for bariatric surgery. But I’ve talked to surgeons and they tell me they’re very particular about who they operate on.
Peter L. Salgo, MD: Sure they are. That’s why I brought it up; I didn’t want this issue to slide by here.
Joel Gelfand, MD, MSCE, FAAD: Right. But the point is, when patients who have multiple comorbid states are often overwhelmed by the healthcare system, they may not know what things are available to help them in these conditions. And so the goal is to make sure the patients get access to evidence-based interventions that can better fit their overall health. And so we know bariatric surgery will be helpful to people with a BMI over 40—there are good data on that.
Steven Feldman, MD, PhD: And they don’t have to have psoriasis to recommend it.
Joel Gelfand, MD, MSCE, FAAD: That’s true, that’s exactly right. | <urn:uuid:1b3f2aa2-5ad4-4c75-a252-07a3131d741e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.ajmc.com/view/comorbidities-and-changes-in-treatment-plan | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.94999 | 2,141 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Doctors have to face challenges every day: They have to balance patient care by providing best practices, work on policies to safeguard and support their staff, and deal with a host of other issues.
The COVID-19 pandemic has given new challenges to telehealth, but it has also given the chance to grab the spotlight. The advantages of telehealth are undeniable, giving hospitals the chance to position themselves as technologically cutting-edge and inventive. While the pandemic has accelerated the development of telehealth, its capacity to deliver superior medical care in a variety of fields will make it a tenet of healthcare.
Telemedicine is geared up steering to run the healthcare industry. Telemedicine is a natural evolution of healthcare.
Doctors experience stress, depression, and irritation due to long working hours and negative patient results, and Adverse doctor-Patient Interactions.
For all such problems, Q UP has come up with a solution for doctors and for patients as well.
The Doctor’s Own Brand App is a software application designed to help patients and doctors manage and schedule visits, video calls, or choose real-time chats.
An increasing number of patients are now searching for healthcare services that provide digital capabilities such as -
A doctor’s own brand app is important for any patient when choosing a healthcare provider.
It provides flexibility, convenience, and transparency to both the doctor and the patient.
Patients can book appointments from anywhere, anytime. Doctors and patients can easily cancel and reschedule their appointments. Doctors can estimate their daily schedule and plan accordingly.
Patients' and doctors' profiles will be created on the APP with medical history to ease checkups. Once created, it will stay on the app for further consultations.
Doctors can send prescriptions digitally. Without much human interaction, patients will pay consultation fees online. In this way, an app will manage billing.
The doctor and patient get alerts about their appointments, cancellations, and reschedules.
Patients can opt for an online consultation. Video, audio, or text can all be used as mediums.
Doctors can educate their patients via the app. Doctors can upload healthcare content to inform their patients of prevention, advice, and tips.
Q UP creates APPs for doctors where their patients can easily book appointments. Doctors' own brand APP manages and systemizes booking systems. Q UP is the perfect destination for all doctors' needs. We have made it extremely easy for a doctor to transition from a traditional practice to a fully digital clinic. We create applications that make it easy to digitize your practice and improve the quality of patient care.
So doctors, what are you waiting for?
Connect with us and launch your Doctor's own Brand app. | <urn:uuid:77c3e12a-e7d9-438f-bf1e-f8ab996ae16e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.qupapp.com/the-doctors-own-brand-app-will-ease-life.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571210.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810191850-20220810221850-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.941985 | 561 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Higher traffic injury data spurs influenced drivers initiative
Though Illinois legalized recreational marijuana for adults 21 years of age and older, there are still many regulations and restrictions on it. Alongside alcohol, authorities must adapt to the potential risks of a new, legal drug affecting drivers.
According to Fox 32 in Chicago, a new study has law enforcement considering more traffic enforcement for distracted and influenced drivers.
State-to-state traffic data
The study recently compared data between states where pot is legal versus states where it is not. It found that injury crashes in legal states increased by 5.8% and highway fatalities rose by around 4.1%, comparatively.
The study does not point to cannabis as the direct cause. It mentions that other changes may affect crash risk as well.
A critic of the study pointed out that around 600,000 New Jersey residents used marijuana each month before Illinois legalized it.
Despite the precedence, Illinois State Police recently announced a period of traffic enforcement designed to look for drivers who seem distracted or under the influence.
Marijuana and traffic stops
As law enforcement is on the lookout for distracted driving, it is important for drivers stopped by them to understand their rights and the law’s limitations.
Illinois residents may possess up to 30 grams of marijuana on their person. Out-of-state visitors may possess half that.
As marijuana remains in the body for up to 30 days, it is difficult to say whether detecting it shortly after an accident is proof of influence.
For those facing allegations of driving under the influence of marijuana, it is important to remain calm, quiet and prepared to defend against said charges. | <urn:uuid:8bc87101-e64e-43bd-9e62-4656edb5ab66> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.ilcriminallawfirm.com/blog/2022/08/higher-traffic-injury-data-spurs-influenced-drivers-initiative/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.961323 | 333 | 1.960938 | 2 |
Friday, December 30, 2011
The Top Posts Of Web20Classroom For 2011
Another year has come and gone and like several of my good blogging friends have done I wanted to recap the Top 5 Posts from this year. I am sorta surprised at the mix but there are some, if I do say so myself, good posts.
Quick List Of iPad Resources For The Classroom-This was my top post of the year. It contains several of my favorite sites and collections of using not just iPads but mobile devices in general in the classroom.
Twitter In Schools-A Getting Started Guide-In this post I lay out things to consider when starting a class/school/district Twitter account. There's more to it than just signing up.Who will manage? What will you tweet? Even what should your name be? There are all sorts of questions to ask when getting started.
Twitter Series-A New Kind Of PD- Back at the beginning of this school year I did a series of posts related to using Twitter as an individual. In this post I address Professional Development when it comes to teaching about Twitter and how I radically changed the way I do it. Is it possible to use Twitter without being a member? Sure. And for some that's all they need.
Twitter Series-Super Secret Tips And Tricks- Another post from my Twitter series, in this one I give you everything you need to know to get more out of Twitter and to find more good information.
Taking Care Of Your Digital Self- Cultivating a digital footprint is important and in this age it begins even before birth. What can you do to begin taking control and getting a positive message out there? And what can you do to protect yourself at the same time.
Here's to another great year of blogging, learning, reflecting and growing, together!
Image under CC License from Sunkato | <urn:uuid:089887ff-67fd-458b-a9e1-cd229b893c6b> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://blog.web20classroom.org/2011/12/top-posts-of-web20classroom-for-2011.html?m=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571538.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812014923-20220812044923-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.933532 | 388 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Special Honorary Achievement
Margaret was born in Tallmadge, Ohio on May 19, 1912. With four brothers, she was quite active. Her father died suddenly when she was ten and the family worked hard to stay together. Although money was scarce, when she finished school, Margaret was determined to attend Kent State University. She chose her second love, HPE, because it was affordable. Her first love, music, would be her avocation. She helped pay her own way by cleaning houses and waiting tables. College activities outside of classes included Women’s Athletic Association and being President of PE Honorary. She earned certifications to teach HPE, French and English.
Unable to get a teaching position due to the depression, her first jobs were social work and house cleaning, followed by teaching in Tallmadge, then in Pittsburgh, PA. No one had money for gym shoes, so she taught students to make their own from old inner tubes.
Margaret moved to Ravenna, married Chester Dunlavy, raised five children and taught elementary school and high school. In 1954, she initiated the first elementary physical education program and continued to grow the successful program. She taught track and field, ran eliminations and pioneered the first annual all-city elementary track meets. She promoted wellness and lifelong physical activity, encouraged independence, achievement and self-confidence for thousands of elementary students.
Margaret was a perpetual continuing education student in HPE and active in the American Association for Health, Physical Education, Ohio AHPE, NEA, OEA, NEOTA and REA. She was involved in Childhood Guidance Club (which started kindergarten in Ravenna), Fine Arts, Girl Scout leader (Margaret took her troops to Canada, New Orleans, Washington D.C. and Colorado), directed Camp Jesse Mae Fageol (Girl Scout Day Camp for Ravenna girls), and taught Red Cross swimming classes.
For fun, Margaret sang in the church choir, played the piano, traveled, family camped, square danced, crafted and stayed mentally and physically agile.
Margaret Ellen Acken Dunlavy proudly taught in Ravenna until she was 72 years of age. | <urn:uuid:1451d26f-e682-49b9-8ede-85fab0ac2ec8> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.ravennaschools.us/halloffame/margaret-dunlavy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570977.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809124724-20220809154724-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.982355 | 443 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Over the past few months, the entire world has been plagued by the pandemic. Covid-19 truly does appear to be more dangerous than was originally thought. Of course, there are those people who claim that the entire idea of the pandemic is nothing more than a hoax. However, we see people dying every single day and we know for a fact that this is a problem.
A New Era Is Starting
This new coronavirus is going to change our lives completely. People are going to start working remotely from now on. We will see a massive change in the labour market. A lot of people will lose your job, different types of jobs are going to appear and there will be an increasing need to upgrade your skills and competencies in order for you to be able to survive in the world after the virus.
However, people are not currently really concerned about what’s going to happen after. What they are concerned about is what is happening right now. They are afraid, they do not want to leave their houses because they know that, the coronavirus is out there and if they do get infected there is a pretty good chance that they might die. However, some people are really taking things one step further.
Can You Calculate The Risk?
It is true that the coronavirus is very difficult to deal with however, that does not necessarily mean that every person who is going to get infected by the virus is going to die. On the contrary there are a few different ways for someone to be able to calculate the mortality of a person from the coronavirus based on their age, gender and of course, prior diseases.
For example, if you were to check out this Proviser Risk Calculator for Covid-19 then you would find yourselves arriving at a very decent option when it comes to an online tool help you to try and determine whether you are in mortal danger from coronavirus. In particular, you can estimate your risk of dying if you are unfortunately infected with the virus. This calculator estimates your risk based on your age and your gender and can really clear things up for you.
You should always be careful not to get infected not so much because you might die but because you might infect others who could be in danger of dying. If you are a young healthy person you are a danger to all the people around your house and your life. Always be careful of the coronavirus. | <urn:uuid:1a4040fd-348f-4f79-bda8-e524f733cc8c> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://natural-health.co.uk/tag/coronavirus/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.980462 | 495 | 2.4375 | 2 |
When something is difficult to understand, the easy way out is to shove it aside and take on another task. But doing this over and over again puts you in a situation where you don’t learn anything new.
It is essential not to take these challenges lightly. They may be challenging to start, and they will remain like that unless you give it a try. You may have a bad habit of passing on hard tasks to others or ignoring them altogether.
However, is this wise?
Of course not.
Just saying that you’re going to change yourself and your mindset is not enough. You have to take action. Decide to take on difficult tasks and actually do so.
Instead of focusing on how difficult they are, focus on what you can learn from each one. After all, it is the learning that genuinely makes the task worthwhile, not success or failure.
How do you push yourself to do what you consider difficult?
When you include difficult tasks as part of your daily schedule, you would be mentally obliged to do them, unless you want it to be the only task on your list that’s left unticked.
For example, you want to start exercising. You consider exercising hard to do because it puts your body under a lot of pressure. However, you know you have to do it because it’s good for you, so include it in your schedule.
Block off a specific time every day and tell others what that time is for. When the people you live with know that you need to train during that time, not only will they give you space to do it, but they might help remind you.
How much space do you need to accomplish your task? When you have a designated spot where you intend to do the exercise routines, it will be much easier to get it over and done. In the long run, you will not only exercise because you have to. You will learn to love it because it has become a massive part of who you are. When you move to that spot each day, you will feel that it has become your very own training space.
Now is the time when you set your intentions on how to take on the task. Instead of rushing to complete it, you should put your intentions into writing. How do you plan to finish it? Why do you want to do it in the first place? Remember that the goal is not about getting things done. Instead, it is about getting yourself to start doing.
You may want to stop and pause for a moment to think about ways you can get the task done. Work on it with devotion. Mindfully do the exercise routines and feel every moment you spend doing it. At the end of the workday, you will be even more fulfilled because you have completed what you wanted to with enthusiasm.
How many times have you put off the task because you thought it was too difficult to do? How many times have you told yourself you’ll start exercising tomorrow, but never did? Choose to do this for yourself. Let it be a work to help you accomplish more than what you thought you would.
For example, you are making an exercise routine, not for anyone else, but yourself. Although your doctor will be happy to know that you followed his advice, it is really you who will reap the benefits. Even though it will be difficult, it will be worth it. When you keep your body healthy, you can live longer and be more than you first thought you could be.
When it seems that the task at hand is difficult to do, all you need is a short but meaningful burst of courage to make things happen. You could even look up “courage message” online and see what you find. Whether this reinforcement comes from another person, from yourself, or the universe, this motivation will push you forward.
But how do you get the task accomplished, especially if you think it’s boring? Here are some tips to make it happen:
If it seems as if the difficult task is demanding too much of your attention, then combining it with other responsibilities will help it feel more manageable. This could mean doing both at the same time or one after another. When it seems as if the difficult task is breaking your spirit, take a break, and work on a simpler task as a form of rest. This way, you will be able to target two tasks at the same time without losing your mind.
No matter how seemingly mundane the job is, remember that everything can be a learning experience. You need to turn your attention to what you can get out of it. Are there new skills you could learn? Does it open doors for new opportunities? There are plenty of things that you can do to find joy in your responsibilities. Keep it interesting, and you’ll see how your attitude changes when the next difficult task comes to mind.
This is certainly easier said than done. However, when you feel threatened because the task seems too difficult to do, then go ahead and work on it anyway. Rather than wasting your time dreading it or procrastinating, just do it. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you’ll get it done and how free you feel once it’s been accomplished.
Don’t let difficult tasks take the fun out of learning. Allow yourself to take on the challenge and see how much you’ll grow.
In late 2019, Spirit Science launched a one-of-a-kind educational platform ~ Spirit Mysteries ~ as an online space for self-mastery. It has grown rapidly, and now contains hundreds of hours of courses and thousands of students from across the world.
If you are ready to take your spirituality to the next level, click below to get started.
You are invited to come and participate in a space of elevated consciousenss.
Click the link below to get access to the school today! | <urn:uuid:dcd4211a-cc17-4edf-aa3e-7f3d71537d83> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.spiritsciencecentral.com/blog/finding-joy-in-doing-difficult-tasks | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.969702 | 1,214 | 2.34375 | 2 |
Video: Mammoet’s approach to sustainability in lifting and transport
By KHL editorial staff05 August 2021
Interview with Erica Gray, global sustainability manager at Mammoet, the world’s largest heavy lifting and transport specialist.
Over the last three years Mammoet’s focus on sustainability has seen it implement an umbrella approach to tackle the subject strategically.
After analysing what others in the industry and in the wider business environment were doing on sustainability, plus what customers were doing and what they wanted, Mammoet put together its ‘sustainability roadmap’. Hear from Erica Gray, Mammoet global sustainability manager, how the global giant is working to minimise negative environmental impact. | <urn:uuid:0b110d04-227e-4519-b9d2-08c5bbd86f74> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.newpowerprogress.com/video/Video-Mammoet-s-approach-to-sustainability-in-lifting-and-transport/8014013.article | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.908223 | 148 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Surf fishing at night provides an exhilarating experience and offers you an opportunity to catch more fish. Areas with little to no fish could be teeming with many fish in the cover of darkness. If you’ve developed an interest in surf fishing at night, you are not alone, as more people are waking up to its benefits. So, how do you go about it?
Surf fishing at night is all about understanding the surf, getting the right tools, and taking all the essential precautions to stay safe during each session. You have a higher chance of catching big (often predatory) fish that come near the shore at night, but you still need proper planning.
The rest of this article will provide a deep dive into everything you need to know about surf fishing at night, including the benefits, the legality of it all, and how to prepare properly. There’s also a section on safety tips.
What Is Surf Fishing?
Surf fishing refers to the process of catching fish while standing on the shoreline of an ocean or sea.
Surf anglers mostly go out to saltwater bodies and can use artificial lures and live baits in the process.
Generally, surf fishing lovers engage in it only during the day.
However, more people have realized that big fishes venture towards the shore at night, a lot more than in the day time.
This is why surf fishing at night is growing in popularity.
Is Surf Fishing at Night Legal?
The lawfulness of surf fishing at night will depend on your location. You need to check your state and local regulations to see what they say about this. In some cases, you’ll be required to get a permit.
Even when the state and local laws allow surf fishing at night, the caretakers of the beach you intend to fish from may have other rules.
You’ll also need to confirm that the beach will stay open at night.
There may also be restrictions on what type of fish you can catch or the quantity you can take for a specific species.
On top of the surf fishing permit, you’ll need a wider fishing license. All anglers in most US states are required to have one.
The license fee can be as low as $8 for residents, and as high as $50, it varies every state for non-residents. You’ll need to carry the license with you on every surf-fishing session.
What Are the Advantages of Surf Fishing at Night?
There are many benefits to surf fishing at night. Some of them are covered below.
You’ll Get Better Results.
Surf fishing at night is richly rewarding because more fish will travel closer to the shore under cover of the dark, most times to feed on leftovers from human or animal activity during the day.
With the higher number of fish congregated along the shorelines, your chances of landing more catch increase a great deal.
Another reason your success rate will increase in the dark is that the fish will be easier to trick with lures and baits. They’ll find it more difficult to make out your line and hook.
You Don’t Have to Worry About Sunburn or Heat Exhaustion.
In hot temperatures, surf fishing during the day will test your resilience. Standing out in the sun for long will expose you to the risk of deep sunburns and heat exhaustion.
Surf fishing at night, on the other hand, can help you to avoid this problem.
Instead of spending half the time worrying about the sun and upping your sunscreen, you can focus on fishing.
When you aren’t getting too tired due to the heat, your overall effectiveness will also increase a great deal.
You Won’t Have to Worry About Crowds.
If you are thinking of fishing as a pastime to wind down, you’ll love the opportunity to fish in peace and tranquility as offered by surf fishing at night.
You are almost guaranteed to have far fewer people out on the beach at night. You are most likely to be the only one at that time.
This ensures you can focus entirely on fishing and not worry about swimmers and surfers spooking any fish that may have been headed for your hook.
There’s Little to No Competition From Other Fishermen
Just like you don’t have to worry about crowds spooking your potential catch, surf fishing at night also ensures you don’t have to worry about sharing the “loot” with other fishermen.
The more the share of the shoreline you have to yourself, the higher the chances of success.
Although it can be fun to have many other anglers nearby, it is still nice to not worry about having too much crowd, to the point of fishing lines crossing.
However, finding other anglers surf fishing at night with you in the same place is an excellent way to make friends that are highly dedicated to their fishing.
You Won’t Face Seasickness.
Even while surf fishing, it is possible to suffer from seasickness. This is especially true while fishing from atop a fishing pier.
The oceans’ heavy movements during the day can leave some people feeling dizzy, even while they are not on a boat.
Do you get this type of seasickness? You’ll love surf fishing at night since the water is usually calmer then, compared to the peak of the day.
What Are the Disadvantages of Surf Fishing at Night?
There are two main downsides to surf fishing at night. They are discussed below.
You Have to Deal With Reduced Visibility
The darkness that makes surf fishing at night a rewarding experience also makes it very difficult. You’ll have to rely on guesswork and intuition instead of using your eyes.
Things like changing your plug will be more challenging, and you won’t be able to see where your line or lure has landed after casting it.
You’ll need to give your eyes some time to adapt to the low-light environment before you start fishing.
You’ll also need to find a way to quickly light up your supplies or your immediate environment when necessary.
However, you have to ensure the light isn’t too bright as it could scare away the fish around the area, forcing you to move to a different part of the shoreline.
The Waves Can Be Challenging
Even when the water is calm, you’ll still have waves crashing onto the shore. Depending on the strength, each wave could destabilize you, especially when you’ve caught fish on your line.
In your first rodeo, this could be a big challenge that may lead to losing your catch. However, with more practice, you’ll get the hang of it.
As you acquire more experience with surf fishing in the dark, these problems will no longer be an issue for you.
Top Tips for Surf Fishing at Night Successfully
If you plan to enjoy success in your night surf fishing sessions, there are a few things you have to do. All the important ones are discussed below.
Plan Your Trip Carefully
Planning your night surf fishing trip properly is very important for your safety and the peace of mind of your loved ones at home.
Regardless of how confident you are in your abilities, there’s no telling what will happen while you are out at the beach at night.
You should come up with a plan and leave a copy with someone at home or anyone you trust.
The plan should contain check-in periods and include details on your arrival spot, where you have your fishing gear, contact details, medical conditions, and other such information.
You’ll also need to keep your phone protected from moisture so you don’t trigger any false alarms just because you can’t be reached on your damaged phone.
Get the Right Equipment
You need to gather all the fishing equipment you’ll need for the surf fishing trip. From fish finder rigs to rods, you need to be sure you have all the necessary surf fishing equipment.
Make a list of what you’ll need and buy or rent any options you don’t have. You don’t want to discover that you’ve not packed a critical item when you are already out on the beach.
Find the Perfect Location and Get Familiar
You don’t want to arrive at an unfamiliar terrain at night for your surf fishing expedition.
This is why you should scout the shoreline for your fishing during the day to find the best spot.
Don’t forget to take notes of the directions or find any obvious marks to guide you back to the place at night. A map can also help.
Use the low tide to look for areas with hollows, sandbanks, dips, or any other structures where fish might congregate to feed or hang out when the high tide returns.
Other things you should check out in low tides include the access and safety of the position, location of sandbanks, and casting distances to rocks.
Get Help From the Locals
Is there a thriving community near the spot you’d like to fish in? Going into any shop that sells fishing gear could be all you need to do to find the perfect spot to fish.
Talk to employees and other customers you can find. They’ll tell you where to find a rip in the shoals and other little details that can make all the difference.
Pay Attention to the Tides
As an angler, you need to understand the water body’s tides in focus when thinking about surf fishing. You only need to get a simple tide chart for the area.
You should try to fix your fishing so that it coincides with the high tide. The big fishes are more likely to get drawn to the shoreline at this time.
You should avoid slack tides as this is when the fishes are least likely to be near the shoreline.
For the best results, try to arrive at your designated fishing spot a couple of hours before high tide, and then continue fishing another four consecutive hours.
By the end of the six hours, you should have all the catch you can realistically get from that spot.
Watching the tides also ensures you don’t go fishing when the tides are rough. Accidents are likelier in such tides.
Pay Attention to the Weather
You can’t ignore atmospheric conditions if you intend to go surf fishing at night.
Apart from the fact that it is doubly difficult to fish on a night when it is raining, high winds and rough surf reduces your chances of catching any fish at all.
Your standard weather app is all you need to know the forecast for the day.
Learn How to Set Your Fishing Rig
Knowing how to set your fishing rig is an essential part of the surf fishing process.
Successful fishing depends on what kind of rigs you are going to be using. Also, prepare at least 2- to 4 pre-tide rigs just if you got snagged and lost your rig.
Use a leader wallet and organize your rig so that you can easily reach the sinkers, hooks, and leader materials when you need them.
Remember, low visibility makes things a bit more difficult.
Carry Decent Light
You most definitely need decent light when you are surf fishing at night.
The best option is a headlamp that you can quickly turn on when necessary, as it enables you to keep your hands free when you have to handle your bait, unhook your fish, or do anything else.
To avoid disrupting your night vision, you need red light headlamps like Ultra Bright CREE LED. They ensure you don’t need to spend time readjusting your eyes from bright light to darkness.
Also, even the brightest red lights will not spook fish in the way standard white lights would.
If you find that wearing a headlamp gives you a headache, you can wear it around your neck, only moving it to your head when you need to use it the most.
This is not to say you don’t need bright lights at all. You should have a bright, normal flashlight in your bag as you’ll need it when it’s time to unhook any fish or when you have to head back to where you parked your car.
Prepare for Bugs
You should know that shorelines are crawling with insects, and they come out in force at night.
When you are alone on the shore for miles, and you’ve got your headlight shining, you will most likely attract many of them.
This is why its ideal to wear protective clothing and also hold a bug spray in your bag.
Go With the Appropriate Live Bait
The appropriate live bait to go with when surf fishing at night depends on the type of fish in the area or what you expect to catch.
Some of the best examples of live baits include shrimps, bloodworms, ragworms, sandworms, squids, mullet, and shell crabs.
This is another point where you should talk to other people with some fishing experience in the area. They’ll tell you what type of bait works best for the fish there.
Go With a Fishing Buddy
Depending on your level of expertise, you might need someone to help you set up the rig. You’ll also need all the help you can get when your line draws in a large fish.
If you can’t find an experienced fishing buddy to go with, it is still always a great idea to go with someone. It’s an excellent way to ensure accidents don’t happen. It doesn’t hurt to have a second pair of eyes.
Don’t Go Into the Big Surf.
Unless you are highly experienced, going into the big surf at night is not a good idea. The large waves can come in quickly, and you’ll be knocked over before you know what’s happening.
Always take precautions and think of all the things that could go wrong if you get knocked into the water. You’ll probably lose your phone, headlights, and anything else you’ve got in your pocket.
Go With Multiple Rods
It’s never a great idea to go fishing with only one rod, especially at night. You need multiple surf rods as you never really know what will happen.
If you have a few rods, you can set up multiple rigs and fish with multiple baits. Also, if you somehow run out of baits, you can use an extra rod for fishing for bait.
The best set up you can go with includes a spinning reel with bait runners. This ensures you don’t have to worry about a potential catch drawing your entire setup into the water.
Some examples of spinning reels you should consider include KastKing Summer and Centron and the Pflueger President XT. You can also consider the spinning reel and rod combos offered by brands like PLUSINNO and BlueFire.
California Department of Fish And Wildlife recommends (CDFW) a 10-12 ft rod, and it must be rated to 2-8 oz casting, partner it with a spinning reel or conventional reels.
The reels must be capable of holding 150 up to 250 yards of 20 to 30 lbs test braid line if you are into heavy fishing or plugging.
They also recommend a 7-9 ft rod for light bait fishing or using lures like swimbait and grub. Either use a spinning reel or bait casting reel, with a 6- to 12 lb test line.
A 1-oz sinker is ideal depending on the condition of the surf; if too rough, then you can go up to meet your needs.
This is the guide that I’ve followed when I was starting to surf fishing, and it works well for me. It’s important to know what fishing techniques and fish species you’re trying to catch when surf fishing at night.
Additional Safety Tips for Surf Fishing at Night
You’ve already seen some tips that will ensure your safety while surf-fishing above, but there’s more:
- Always avoid undertows as much as waves, as they always pose a threat to your safety.
- If you must wear waders while surf fishing at night, go for options with wader belts built-in. This will help keep water out even when you fall accidentally. Some quality wader options you can go with include the Fly Fishing Hero, Piscifun Breathable, and Dark Lightning Fly.
- If you don’t want to buy waders, you should go with a wet suit. The increased buoyancy can keep you safe even if you get knocked into the surf accidentally.
- Make sure you land and unhook your catches in a stable position to avoid falling into the water.
- Avoid littering your space on the shore, neat and tidy. Lures, baits, and hooks lying around will cause injury if they come in contact with any part of your skin.
- Keep your spare flashlight close by just in case you lose your headlamp, or it stops working suddenly.
- Don’t take unnecessary risks. Stick to spots you have already scouted under better light conditions. If you find yourself going further into the water than you originally bargained for, retrace your steps as quickly as possible.
Make sure you have some fishing knife and any other sizable weapon. They could come in handy when dealing with some big predatory fish or even water snakes.
Don’t go with only one as you’d be stranded if it breaks. Go with a first aid box that has some methylated spirit to clean any cuts, cotton wool, and bandages.
Should You Use Lures While Surf-Fishing at Night?
As you’ve seen above, it’s perfectly normal to use fishing lures for night surf fishing. Whether it will work or not depends on a variety of factors, including the type of lures you are using and the force of the waves.
You should choose lures that are not too heavy for the best results but are still very durable. Here are some of the best you should consider:
Acme Kastmaster: This is a highly durable fishing lure that is also resistant to corrosion. It is made from brass and comes in different shapes and sizes. You should choose based on the size of the fish you are targeting.
Kikitoy: This is a good fishing lure to go with when targeting big and middle-sized fish. The size means the fish won’t miss it. The lures come in a range of colors and are made from high carbon steel.
Alwonder Bucktail Jig: The Bucktail lure comes with 3D bulging eyes to grab the fish’s attention. It is also corrosion-resistant.
Transcend 4.7: This fishing lure is another great option to go with when targeting predators that fishes like. The lifelike appearance of the lure makes it a hot target for any hungry fish.
Aorace 3D: This is another magnificently designed fish lure for saltwater. It is made of durable material and comes in a variety of colors. The steel ball inside ensures it can be cast far into the water.
All the above options are great for surf fishing at night. You only need to ensure you have picked the right option for the fish you are looking to catch.
Don’t make your judgment based on the colors alone. This is because most fish don’t care as long as they can see the bait. Darker colors, however, will ensure the lure blends into the fish’s surroundings and won’t spook it.
Should You Use Glow-in-the-Dark Lures for Surf Fishing?
Unless you can’t find any other option, you should stay away from glowing lures while surf fishing at night. Even the faintest of light emitted from the lure is enough to spook the fish you are targeting and make them move further away.
This is not to say that you won’t catch any fish with lures that glow in the dark, but it will reduce your chances of success a great deal. Always use standard lures if you have them.
Will Live Baits Work While Surf Fishing at Night?
Live baits work all the time, even when you are surf fishing at night. Your success or failure will come down to the type of fish you are after, as well as the kind of live baits you can find.
As you’ve seen earlier, shrimps, mole crabs, sandworms, and bloodworms are always excellent bait for most saltwater fishes.
If you are uncertain of anything, don’t hesitate to talk with the bait shop staff. You can trust their expertise to help you in the bait selection process.
Surf fishing at night is an amazing and adventurous activity to engage in. If you’d like to see what it looks like, here’s a video. However, don’t get carried away. Remember that it requires more skill and a bit more planning than surf fishing during the day.
However, if you play it right, you will come home with more catch than you’d get from daytime surf fishing. Don’t forget to pay attention to all the safety recommendations above, especially going with someone else. | <urn:uuid:40f0ac0a-27d6-4051-b6a4-c6139a6dc8f4> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://surfcastingrepublic.com/surf-fishing-at-night-guide-and-tips/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.941655 | 4,501 | 1.6875 | 2 |
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A programming world where coding and the related aspects are easier, faster and smoother – smarter and bug-free – we have all wanted something like this to happen at least once. The latest batch of sophisticated programming languages is expected to be in line with these needs of consumers. This is happening and will soon become a constant monotony. We are working on innovative ideas that will blow life into a stable practice across the genre of coding to make it easier and smoother. The growing needs are such that we cannot do without these innovative ideas.
The focus of the developers of these newly invented and under construction programming languages is to implement a lot more automation that will output code on a smarter, bug-free and faster basis. We can expect a new framework where there would be more scope for -abstraction and structuring. This will introduce a seamless integration of user expectation that will be detected by the programming language’s intuition and reproduced as excellent user experience (UX). Once a lot of aspects become automated, the programmer has sufficient time to focus on other vital aspects. These automated strategies bring across prospects fused in with assured competency and equivalent output offering enhanced performance while eliminating any existing contingencies of errors.
Though some of the programming languages have managed to achieve these abilities up to some extent, others have not. So, there is little agreement on the benefits that we discussed a while ago. Some of the programming languages help in bringing about a modernization effect across the traditional languages. There are even pre-processors, not even fully developed languages – which bring about changes in how we write code while founding a base for coding that will be used in future.
Yes, but these kinds of languages do exist as we all know very well. And, here we are sharing a few of these languages that will redefine the way we have been processing commands to machines on how and what has to be done. You might be aware of some of these programming languages, while you might have heard of others, but still waiting to experience the difference.
We are all familiar with Java – of course, nothing new. Being used as the mode of articulation for assembly programmes in computers, Java is just like a family member. You have used almost a billion JAR files that are around us. Java 8 differs from this. But, this new version introduces numerous functional techniques that will help in unveiling the kind of similarities within your code. If you are really unsure how it works, you need not bother; you can always return to the comfort zone of your own Java. But, with Java 8, you are opening up newer opportunities for helping the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) to further strategize the execution process. The best part of it is that you can write fast, clear, precise and bug-free code with the latest version. It provides you with the facility to utilize concurrent code and expressions in Lambda.
The programmers have always tried to bring out smart ideas every time they design a new language. But, a collation of these ideas is nowhere to be found. This is when Google decided to design a new form of language that would fuel its server repositories. So, it collated all the brilliant ideas that were found in the other languages implemented by the other programmers. They were quoted saying, “as simple as that could be held within the head of a programmer.” Metaprogramming comes with some of the simplest abstractions – you can find the most simple features that are structured in an understandable syntax matrix. It is intended to make things much easier for everyone across a team. Every aspect stays undisturbed when someone on the team tries to put up a new idea.
There are many programmers who love the simple word and the simplicity that “C” offers. “C” offers a very clean and optimized structure and minimized syntax that can be easily mapped on to the CPU. This is why it might be referred to as Portable Assembly. But, haven’t you felt at some point in time that C is taking away from you the advantage of the features that are available in the latest languages. This is one of the reasons that gave rise to “D”. It comprises the combined features and logic of both C and C++ along with the latest sophistication, including type inferences, bound checking and memory management.
Now, you can enjoy all the features in one place.
There was a time when the mathematicians and scientists, as well as researchers and analysts, were on the lookout for a hard-core programming language that would suffice their need to manipulate the complexity of intricate mathematical problems and help them find solutions to these. MATLAB was an answer to all their mathematical queries. Now, this MATLAB has been enhanced even more as developers are moving toward adopting a more complicated mathematical and statistical analytic structure. Mathematicians have been pulling across to test the core of it to ensure that it would provide precise and simpler solutions to help regular and daily users. It provides stable and faster solutions for complex math problems.
The power of video cards is being utilized on a large scale. But, when the people happen to encounter a far complicated shooter game that operates on a first-person basis, they start thinking about the extricate details that sum up the particular video that they have been operating across. If this falls into the hands of an appropriate programmer, they will utilize the underlying power to fire up the process. Here is the best way to fuel the Nvidia to get to their graphics processing units (GPUs). Then, you will realize that this can be used for doing things apart from working like robots or attacking zombies, etc. But, when you start using CUDA, you might encounter issues if you are not well versed with the equivalent areas of your algorithm. And, once you get to know about these, you are in possession of CUDA code that will empower you to get to know the inlying power of those video cards. Bitcoins and similar activities would seem to be much easier than ever before, through molecular dynamics might be challenging than expected. A lot of scientists have been using CUDA to resolve simulations in multi-dimensions.
Haskell has a huge fan following just like Scala. Yes, you read it right. If you are planning to start your journey through any of the functional languages, then, this is it. Start from here. Some companies, such as Facebook, are already utilizing its powers for good. So, Haskell is an excellent place to invest. You can unlock real performances across real projects – apart from the regular old school coding that you have been used to and bored with.
There was a lot of hullabaloo over the coding inconsistencies that resulted from writing codes in the Objective C programming language. Apple decided it was the right time to take advantage and fix the issue. And, thus Swift happened. This was Apple’s newly introduced replacement for Objective C when writing code for iPhone or the MAC. The realization that manipulative pointers and the header files to be outdated began. Swift intelligently hid all this extraneous information and made it more clear than writing using some of the modern programming languages, including Java. It is nonetheless different from what the modern code offers us with. It offers us with wider opportunities, wherein the syntax is a lot more developed and precise than Objective C. The features are so many in number that it would be difficult to remember all these. In situations, when programmers will have to go through others code, Swift might seem to be a difficult option. But, except for that, iPhone coders can now turn around and transform code at a faster rate than others. And, the coding part is very clean and perfect – you are saved from manipulative pointers.
Remember the good old days when we struggled with XML – when it was in the big data format. Oh yes, we were implementing something like a functional language known as XSLT, a tool that was rather insignificant in handling the huge datasets formerly coded in XML. But, this has been replaced with JSON – the latest in the bandwagon. It has led to the introduction of Jolt, which helps in dealing with the JSON data and migrating it. Here is an opportunity to write snippets that are simple in nature and have the ability to abstract parameters. JOLT helps in retrieving these and transforming as per your desire.
R is familiar as a regular programming language to people, but there are not many who are aware of its abilities to make use of statistics that will further help in unlocking patterns across huge chunks of data. Designed by scientists and statisticians, the idea is to simplify the process. One would be easily able to identify and relate to the standard functions that can be used for data analysis. Some of these are easily available as the most helpful algorithms in statistics and you can pick these from the libraries that are distributed for free. Data scientists love it for the data-backed support that it provides. A lot of people are using R within IDEs in the form of highly powered scratchpads that help in retrieving, modifying, analyzing or deleting data. With little help from the front ends, including R Commander and R Studio, you can load your data and amend it as per your requirements. It provides a higher level of interactivity rather than the usual compile and executes mode.
Functional programming is a domain hat programmers are too fond of and Scala falls into this section of the programming language. The idea behind functional programming is that each of the functional aspects will have a well-defined input and output with no intention to trouble the surrounding variables. Of course, apart from Scala, you might have come across a variety of programming languages. But, here we are discussing Scala as it is one of the widely and popularly known programming languages with a huge fan base following.
Anything that you run on Scala is capable of running on JVM as it was designed to run on it just like Java. You can build a stronger code base, which is easier to optimize with functional programming. Also, this will save you from the effort to get rid of the annoying bugs. This functional and flexible functional programming language can be used with JVM to make things easier and flexible.
The Internet of things (IoT) has already changed a lot and is set to bring about further changes as well. There are a number of devices that have been embedded with chips that take instructions on what has to be done. It can be considered as a programming language that is capable of providing the functionalities of C and C++ combined. The remaining is taken care of by the compiler. Programmers are perceiving most of these functions as a blessing in disguise – and specifically, those programmers benefit who are into developing user interfaces for machines. It helps with checking the status of pins on the boards, controlling how LEDs flash up to send messages who stare at the device and read voltages.
Less.js acts like a pre-processor for your files making it much easier to collate or accommodate CSS files. If you have worked with building layout rules for websites, you might be aware of the repetition that would be involved while using CSS. But, this is where Less.js enters the scenario and saves you from the effort of working with repetitions. The repetitions are collated in the form of variables, basic constructs in programming and looping. It offers a variety of elaborated constructs, including nested rules that will facilitate you to design standard layout commands in blocks, which can be introduced across any number of CSS classes as you wish. You can introduce a new rule according to the need of the hour and with a little help from Less.js, you can see your dreams unfolding before your eyes.
You get the advantage of clean code – a code that everyone can understand and benefit from.
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Watcombe hasn’t changed much since Isambard Kingdom Brunel fell in love with it 170 years ago. The little crescent of red sand framing a disc of turquoise sea is still backed by steep cliffs, with patches of rust-coloured rock poking through thick deciduous woods.
There are no modern tourist facilities and barely a building in sight from the challenging footpath down to the beach.
This is what Brunel’s generation dubbed ‘the English Riviera’, so I roll up my trousers for a quick paddle.
Enchanting: The harbour at Brixham as the sun begins to set. The once shabby fishing port has reinvented itself as a seafood capital
Torbay’s many sheltered south and east-facing beaches were the ingredients that first attracted 19th-century visitors, re-routed from the French equivalent by continental wars.
Rival resorts such as Bournemouth, Brighton and Weston-super-Mare offer one long beach; Torbay has more than 20.
They vary from little coves like Watcombe to classic wide sands such as Goodrington, packed with watersports opportunities, and Torre Abbey Sands in Torquay itself, once judged to have the UK’s best sand for making castles.
Brunel’s railway helped speed visitors to this 22-mile coastline in South Devon. The GWR reached Torquay in 1848, and there were soon two stations to cope with demand. While surveying for the rail route, Brunel was beguiled by a plum spot above Watcombe.
Figures from Tripadvisor confirm that the English Riviera is all the rage once more. They show searches for Torquay, pictured, leaping ahead of all UK rivals
A Devon cream tea, which visitors to Oddicombe can enjoy with views across the bay
He decided to build his dream retirement home there and asked William Burn to design a glorious parkland estate. Brunel died just before it was finished.
Brunel Manor, latterly a Christian conference centre, was sold earlier this year but neighbouring Orestone Manor, where Brunel once posed for a portrait by its owner John Callcott Horsley, is a hotel and restaurant.
Lunching on its terrace, eating Brixham seafood and gazing at the view over Watcombe Woods to the sea, offers a glimpse of what seduced Brunel.
Figures from Tripadvisor confirm that the Riviera is all the rage once more. They show searches for Torquay leaping ahead of all UK rivals, including the Lake District and Newquay.
I settle into a water’s-edge room at another pretty cove a short walk along the coastpath. My glass-sided cabin at the Cary Arms Hotel is a few feet from the waves.
I sample the free decanter of home-made gin and watch seabirds swooping around the hotel’s yacht moored offshore.
The next day, I explore Oddicombe, another beach just round the headland.
Simon explored Oddicombe – a beach on the headland. He took a rattling funicular to the cliff-top gardens
A rattling funicular carries me up to cliff-top gardens and cafes serving cream teas with views across the glistening bay.
The heart of the Riviera is still around Torquay’s busy harbours and marinas, where palm trees line a promenade with a Mediterranean ambience, its cliffs dotted with whitewashed Victorian villas.
The kiss-me-quick atmosphere has been brushed discreetly behind the old candyfloss kiosks, replaced by stylish, wooden-floored cafes and opportunities for culture, such as the Pre-Raphaelite Burne-Jones Gallery at Torre Abbey.
Brixham, once a shabby fishing port, has reinvented itself as a seafood capital.
Strolls on the breakwater are punctuated by offers of boat trips to mussel farms, and ‘catch-and-cooks’, where you barbecue what you hook. There are dolphin safaris, too.
I opt for a takeaway on the Blue Flag-rated Breakwater Beach.
In today’s chic new Riviera you need not settle for cod; new offerings include gurnard and monkfish curry. But, best of all, cuttlefish and chips. | <urn:uuid:34d6eb12-6195-449d-98d7-216842c630e9> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.thegirlsun.com/exploring-the-english-riviera-discovering-that-kiss-me-quick-torbay-is-a-thing-of-the-past/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.941277 | 937 | 2.109375 | 2 |
WHAT WE BELIEVE
The world is more connected than ever before. At the same time, fear and misunderstanding continue to cause harm—in our own region and across the globe. But we believe there are solutions.
We believe that deeper global understanding is essential to a more peaceful world.
We believe that cross-cultural learning propels us towards a more innovative future.
We believe that Oregon can be the hub where world-changing connections begin and thrive!
Our mission is to broaden and deepen public awareness and understanding of international affairs, engaging Oregonians with the world—and with each other. WorldOregon programs keep Oregonians connected to the people, places, and ideas that are shaping our shared global future.
The World Affairs Council of Oregon was founded in 1950 when an informal group of Reed College professors and friends came together to discuss international issues. After World War II, isolationist sentiments were taking hold across the United States. The group wanted to preserve a platform for deeper understanding of world affairs. They worked to ensure that Oregonians resisted isolationist trends, providing resources for internationally-focused engagement for residents in our region.
Under the leadership of Dr. Frank Munk, in 1953 the World Affairs Council of Oregon officially received its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. We joined the World Affairs Council of America network of over 90 nonprofit, nonpartisan councils focused on public programs and education located in 40 states. We also joined the Global Ties U.S. network of about 90 community-based members focused on hosting international visitors in 43 states. We are the only such member of either network serving the State of Oregon.
In 2017, we changed our name to WorldOregon with a new vision for the future. We look forward to continuously evolving to meet the needs of the community we serve as we work to prepare the next generation of informed global citizens.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION | <urn:uuid:ba52e6bc-0c42-479a-b690-0cd8c4b95158> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.worldoregon.org/our_story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.943418 | 395 | 1.664063 | 2 |
- Shipping rates are at multi-year highs, but have not reached the bull cycle peaks of the past, said Rashpal Bhatti, vice president of maritime and supply chain excellence at mining giant BHP.
- Prices are being driven by a commodity boom, high demand for shipping and congestions at ports as parts of the world economy recover from the pandemic.
- But if inflation becomes a problem, governments could raise interest rates and that could turn the business cycle and shipping cycle around, one analyst said.
Shipping rates may be rising, but they are "not super yet," according to one analyst.
Dry bulk shipping rates surged this year as the global economy bounced back and commodity demand recovered, but some market watchers say the industry may not be headed for a sustained period of robust growth just yet.
"Is it a supercycle? Well, I would say not yet, but it has the potential to become one," said Mark Williams, managing director of Shipping Strategy, a maritime consultancy.
A so-called supercycle refers to a sustained period of high and increasing prices, typically driven by strong demand and low supply.
He said rates for capesize vessels — the largest category of ships that carry dry cargo and raw materials such as grain, iron ore and coal — are around the levels seen in mid-2019. Reuters reported on Tuesday that average daily earnings for capesizes were $31,880 — a jump of more than 10 times the figure of about $3,000 in February last year.
The Baltic Dry Index, which tracks rates for vessels that carry dry bulk commodities, gained about 74% from the start of the year to July 3.
"It's good — (but) really, it's not super yet," he said during a panel discussion at TradeWinds' Shipowners Forum Singapore 2021 earlier this month.
The vice president of maritime and supply chain excellence at mining giant BHP agreed.
"We're seeing rates at multi-year highs, but we don't see them reaching the bull cycle peaks that we've seen previously," Rashpal Bhatti said at the same session.
The last major shipping boom ended in 2008 as a result of the global financial crisis.
Analysts are wary of factors that could derail prices, but see freight rates staying high, at least in the second half of 2021 and possibly beyond.
Several factors have supported freight rates, including a commodities boom that's boosting demand for transportation and economic recovery as parts of the world bounce back from the pandemic.
But government policy and macroeconomics are at the core of the "very strong" markets, said Williams.
Authorities are pumping cash into the system through stimulus measures — and that's been a "key lever" to fuel economic growth, he said.
"This supercharged GDP growth is driving commodity demand, and that's the basis of the strong markets we enjoy today," Williams said.
James Marshall, CEO and founder of shipping company Berge Bulk, said he expects more iron ore supply from Brazil and stronger coal demand from China in the second half of the year, and that's going to be "very positive" for freight rates.
Inefficiencies and port congestion could also contribute to increasing shipping costs, he added.
"Our ships are still getting held up by severe … Covid quarantines," he said during the Shipowners Forum, which was part of Singapore International Ferrous Week.
"If anything, we see that congestion (getting) worse with the delta variant and more problems with … Covid infections," he said. It could lead to "a significant tightening of the market in the second half of the year," he added.
Fleet sizes will not grow significantly in the next few years as there hasn't been a big rush to order new bulk carriers, Williams said.
Discipline in not ordering new ships and the phasing out of certain older vessels will also help keep rates higher, he added.
"It's difficult to see the fleet grow very rapidly anytime next couple of years. And that supply side discipline may be what turns what I'm calling the 'mother of all recoveries' into the supercycle," he said.
Shipbuilding capacity is also in short supply when it comes to bulk carriers, Williams added, predicting no more than 3% fleet growth for the next three years.
"If you have demand growth running above fleet growth in any of those three years, you're going to have a firm freight market rate," he said.
Williams said he expects a "really firm market" in 2022 and sees a "very strong chance" of it continuing into 2023. Still, he reiterated his stance that the industry is not yet in a supercycle.
"What we're in is a disruptive global economic situation brought about by the pandemic, and this freight market is being driven by a construction boom, which is a government policy response to that pandemic," he said.
Government policy could just as easily stop costs from rising further, Williams said.
He said that if macroeconomic conditions remain strong in 2023, the world could be in a "dangerous position" with regard to inflation.
"At that point we're going to see a rise in interest rates from central banks that will inevitably slow down economic growth, and then this business cycle will flip over … and it will take the shipping cycle with it," he said.
On the supply side, Bhatti from BHP said an improving pandemic situation could moderate price surges.
When Covid restraints are eased, congestion at ports will be reduced and free up shipping capacity.
"As that capacity comes back into the market, that will of course dampen some of the … spikes that we've seen," he said. | <urn:uuid:35d5e334-5872-438f-bd5a-fdfaae2dbef3> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/28/shipping-prices-to-continue-rising-but-not-a-supercycle-yet-analysts.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.975276 | 1,182 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Outstanding Contributions to Community/Public Health Nursing Education
Dr. Gary Glauberman, PhD, RN, PHNA-BC, NHDP-BC, assistant professor and director of the Master’s degree in Advanced Population Health Nursing program, was selected for the 2021 “Outstanding Contributions to Community/Public Health Nursing Education” award by the Association of Community Health Nursing Educators (ACHNE).
The ACHNE Award Committee selected Glauberman for his endeavors in contributing to advancing population health nursing education before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was specifically recognized for the creation of multiple learning experiences for students of all levels of nursing education, and for serving as a mentor for all students in the Master’s Advanced Population Health Nursing program. “I was surprised and honored to receive this national recognition,” Glauberman said. “My selection as an award recipient is a true reflection of the efforts of our school to improve population health in our state.”
Glauberman has been a member of the ACHNE since 2016 and serves on the organization’s Board of Directors Nominating Committee. Established in 1978, the ACHNE provides a meeting ground for those committed to excellence in community and public health nursing education, research, and practice.
Junior Investigator of the Year 2021
Glauberman was also selected as the “Junior Investigator of the Year 2021” by the American Public Health Association’s Public Health Nursing Section (APHA-PHN). The APHA-PHN Research Committee selected Glauberman for his research abstract entitled: “The lived experience of Hawaii families with young children during the COVID-19 pandemic: A phenomenological study.” The Junior Investigator Award honors an early-career PHN Section member’s work since completing a doctoral education.
Glauberman explained that there is a growing movement in nursing research and education that emphasizes taking a broader view on health, and believes his being selected as an awardee signals this trend. “It is of growing importance for nurses to understand how to address the social determinants of health impacting patients and communities. We can expand our perspectives in order to address health inequities present among different groups of people, and take on a population health approach to providing care.”
The UHM Master’s of Science Advanced Population Health Nursing (APHN) Program is a distance-based master’s degree for registered nurses who wish to practice in Hawaii, the U.S. mainland or in an international setting. Advanced population health nurses practice using outcome-driven strategies to manage health for groups of individuals. The program is currently accepting applications. | <urn:uuid:3061dd32-9ecd-4428-abc4-3cb1832ef4a6> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://nursing.hawaii.edu/gary-glauberman-receives-two-national-awards-for-public-health-nursing-education-and-research/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571538.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812014923-20220812044923-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.953182 | 554 | 1.664063 | 2 |
OR WAIT null SECS
Pharmaceutical Technology Europe discusses some of the innovations in drug delivery that could shape the future of the pharma market.
Shrinking global capital markets, new healthcare policies, ageing populations, the growth of emerging economies, technological advances and the advent of regenerative and biological medicines are just some of the factors expected to shape the future drug delivery device market, according to a report from consultancy firm Cambridge Consultants (UK).1
The report, which was based on the findings of a panel of industry experts from the UK and US, highlighted a growing market potential for the integration of electronic functionality into systemic drug delivery devices, constituting a key growth opportunity for innovative firms. The severe shortage in investment capital, however, is having a significant impact on R&D, particularly for many small- and medium-sized companies, which is expected to hamper entrepreneurship and the introduction of advanced technologies.
Image source: Cambridge Consultants
Notwithstanding this, the overall reduction in R&D spend across the pharmaceutical industry and the increasing threat of generic competition is causing traditional pharma to look towards novel innovations to boost the appeal of marketed therapeutics. This change in dynamics across the entire industry has revitalized the drug delivery market and, as such, this sector is set to make a significant contribution to innovation and growth in the global pharmaceutical market. The market will soon become highly competitive and lucrative, so those companies that recognize the importance of drug delivery device innovation today are sure to reap the rewards in the near future.
Pharmaceutical Technology Europe (PTE) spoke with Andrew Diston, Head of Global Medical Technology Practice at Cambridge Consultants, to find out more.
How has the drug delivery device sector altered in recent years?
The loss of revenue from patentprotected drugs has given rise to a large market for generic drugs. Pharma companies are now looking to devices as a means of differentiating themselves.
Has the current economic crisis affected the sector?
The lack of capital has affected the growth rate of innovative startup companies; some have fallen by the wayside whereas others are getting swallowed up by Big Pharma companies. There is still a good deal of opportunities available for innovative products.
What are the primary factors that will drive the drug delivery device market during the next decade?
First, pharma companies need to demonstrate the economic benefit of new drugs and new devices; linking improved clinical outcomes to better and easier to use devices through improved compliance will be key. Second, the continued rise of generic drugs will require product differentiation and 'consumerism', and new market channels will develop for generic drugs through major retailers. GlaxoSmithKline, for example, has taken advantage of this opportunity, having formed a partnership with WalMart in 2009 to provide a $9 private label brand of a Ventolin inhaler. Finally, biologics need special injection systems, which are inherently either difficult to use or expensive to develop. Electronics offer potential solutions to this challenge.
Are there any gaps in the market that are not being exploited to their full potential?
There is always plenty of activity in the white space. Regulators need to be open to bringing new technology in from other industries, and see that the consumer benefit outweighs the risk of slow, conservative decisionmaking. We will see pseudomedical devices in personal health lead the way in making the regulator confident that electronics and wireless connectivity is safe for use in drug delivery devices.
What challenges and opportunities do emerging markets present to manufacturers of drug delivery devices?
Emerging markets present the same opportunities for delivery device manufacturers, as they do for all other businesses. Drug delivery devices are expensive and the emerging countries do not spend as heavily as established markets. They are large and growing markets, however, so they are important and represent manufacturers with key growth opportunities. IP protection, product authentication and cGMP manufacturing are all issues that companies in the emerging markets need to understand.
There has been much talk about the development of needleless devices for injectable drugs. What are the challenges presented by such devices?
There are technical challenges associated with needleless devices, which are well documented. The energy needed to deliver drug without a needle is substantial and requires large springs or highstored energy. It is also not necessarily true that needle-free means painfree, and so these devices are more beneficial for eliminating the hassle of needles (e.g., vaccination) rather than for needlephobic patients. Furthermore, skin is a highly variable medium; whereas a needle can be guaranteed to reach its delivery point, the same cannot be said of a highspeed stream of liquid.
What growth opportunities exist in the inhalable drug delivery market?
The market remembers Exubera (inhaled insulin) and is affected by it — not necessarily for the right reasons. Developers are keen to exploit the lung as a way of delivering many therapies; however, usability, efficacy and safety remain obvious issues. Devices need to offer something other than simply being needle-free; they must be convenient to use.
There is growing concern about the environment. Are there any differences between European and the US attitudes towards this issue?
There is a small, but noticeable, difference between the Europeans and the Americans — the former being more cognisant of the market's need for environmentally friendly products. This may lead to the development of more devices that have durable and disposable content, but ease of use/safety considerations often challenge this paradigm. In particular, legislation for device recycling and collection will have a negative impact on the inclusion of electronics within disposable devices. The debate will continue and the environmental legislation (in Europe at least) will influence the devices developed.
What are the key differences between the European and US markets for drug delivery?
The market is global and as such there is not a huge difference between the ways that market leaders approach the market. Differences that are notable, however, include the US market being more receptive to using advanced technology (e.g., electronics) in drug delivery devices, such as transdermal, inhalation and injection devices. Electronic Medical Records are also more advanced in the US and companies are looking at devices that will better interact with modern data management systems.
Do you think drug delivery devices will become simpler or will they incorporate more advanced and complicated technologies?
They will become simpler to use as a result of the application of more advanced and complicated technologies.
1. 2020: a new drug delivery landscape (Cambridge Consultants, Cambridge, London, UK, September 2009). | <urn:uuid:bb9275db-dbbf-42a2-9ac8-54dd0a595c70> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.pharmtech.com/view/future-drug-delivery | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.953791 | 1,324 | 1.96875 | 2 |
Nebraska Bill Introduced to Senate
The bill was reported to the main body of the Senate on January 4, 1854.
The bill had been significantly modified by Douglas, who had also authored the New Mexico and Utah territorial acts, to mirror the language from the Compromise of 1850. In the new bill the territory of Nebraska was extended north all the way to the forty-ninth parallel, and any decisions on slavery were to be made "when admitted as a state or states, the said territory, or any portion of the same, shall be received into the Union, with or without slavery, as their constitution may prescribe at the time of their admission." In a report accompanying the bill, Douglas’s committee wrote that the intent of the Utah and New Mexico acts:
...were intended to have a far more comprehensive and enduring effect than the mere adjustment of the difficulties arising out of the recent acquisition of Mexican territory. They were designed to establish certain great principles, which would not only furnish adequate remedies for existing evils, but, in all time to come, avoid the perils of a similar agitation, by withdrawing the question of slavery from the halls of Congress and the political arena, and committing it to the arbitrament of those who were immediately interested in, and alone responsible for its consequences.
The report compared the situation in New Mexico and Utah with the situation in Nebraska. In the first instance, many had argued that slavery had previously been prohibited under Mexican law just as it was prohibited in Nebraska under the Missouri Compromise. Just as the creation of New Mexico and Utah territories had not ruled on the validity of Mexican law on the acquired territory, the Nebraska bill was neither "affirming or repealing ... the Missouri act." In other words, popular sovereignty was being established by ignoring, rather than addressing, the problem presented by the Missouri Compromise.
Douglas’ attempt to finesse his way around the Missouri Compromise did not work. Archibald Dixon, a Kentucky Whig, believed that unless the Missouri Compromise was explicitly repealed, slaveholders would be reluctant to move to the new territory until slavery was actually approved by the settlers -- settlers who would most likely hold free-soil views. On January 16 Dixon surprised Douglas by introducing an amendment that would repeal the section of the Missouri Compromise prohibiting slavery above the 36°30' parallel. Douglas met privately with Dixon and in the end, despite his misgivings on northern reaction, agreed to accept Dixon’s arguments. From a political standpoint, the Whig Party had been in decline in the South because of the effectiveness with which the Democrats had hammered southern Whigs over slavery issues. The Whigs hoped that by seizing the initiative on this issue that they would be identified as the strongest defender of slavery.
Charles Sumner on Douglas -- "Alas! too often those principles which give consistency, individuality, and form to the Northern character, which render it staunch, strong, and seaworthy, which bind it together as with iron, are drawn out, one by one, like the bolts of the ill-fitted vessel, and from the miserable, loosened fragments is formed that human anomaly -- a Northern man with Southern principles. Sir, no such man can speak for the North."
A similar amendment was offered in the House by Philip Phillips of Alabama. With the encouragement of the "F Street Mess", Douglas met with them and Phillips to ensure that the momentum for passing the bill remained with the Democratic Party. Towards this end, they arranged to meet with President Franklin Pierce to ensure that the issue would be declared a test of party loyalty within the Democratic Party.
SLAVERY EXTENSION. The Nebraska Bill In Congress.
Address to the People
WASHINGTON, Thursday Jan. 19, 1854.
FELLOW-CITIZENS: As Senators and Representatives in Congress of the United States, it is our duty to warn our constituencies whenever imminent danger menaces the Freedom of our Institution or the Permanency of our Union.
Such danger, as we firmly believe, now impends, and we earnestly solicit your prompt attention to it.
At the last session of Congress, a bill for the organization of the Territory of Nebraska passed the House of Representatives, with an overwhelming majority. That bill was based on the principle of excluding slavery from the new territory. It was not taken up for consideration in the Senate, and consequently failed to become a law.
The great principle of self government is at stake, and surely the people of this country are never going to decide that the principle upon which our whole republican system rests is vicious and wrong.”— Stephen A. Douglas | <urn:uuid:3c114dc5-2f7a-44de-8193-73e35a69ccc8> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://worldhistoryproject.org/1854/1/4/nebraska-bill-introduced-to-senate | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.972064 | 954 | 4 | 4 |
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Obtaining data -- Randomness tests -- Extraction and correction
Random numbers are useful for many things, including numerical integration and cryptography. The simplest way of obtaining suitable numbers are pseudo-random-number generators – most operating systems provide one, and the numerics literature documents a range of algorithms.
But genuine non-deterministic random numbers are surprisingly easy to obtain too – look no further than your sound card. The analog input of today's typical sound card is digitised with enough bits that the least significant bits are just noise. If you have an audio application with a level meter (VU meter), you can observe this – the fluctuating input level displayed when you supply no signal input is the noise level. A VU meter usually displays the signal level (i.e., the squared amplitude) in dB. This means that 6 dB amount to one (amplitude) bit.
[Aside: This page describes a way to obtain random numbers from audio inputs without administrator privileges. To increase the random number output of your own box, there are a number of ready-made Linux packages that provide true randomness via the kernel's random device: haveged uses the internal state of modern processors, the audio entropy daemon uses audio noise, and the video entropy daemon noise from a camera.]
To get at the noise bits, you simply record from the sound card in question. It is not necessary to connect a signal source, though it should not do any harm either. How you record sound will differ on your operating system and personal preference. On my Linux box, I use the command-line program arecord.
To obtain the noisy least significant bits, you have to record with the maximum bit width which the sound card provides. Otherwise the least significant bits will be cut off. If in doubt, record with 32 bits and look at the data afterwards to see which bits vary. For some sound cards, the digitised bit width is less than the nominal maximum bit width – for example, the Intel HDA implementation in the ICH7 chipset provides 20 significant bits but up to 32 can be recorded (with the least significant always being zero).
To be able to process the recorded data further, you should also have some basic knowledge of the audio format you record in. It should record the samples from the sound card without modification, which rules out non-linear sample encodings such as μ-law, which some formats support, let alone lossy compression such as MP3. In the following I will assume that your format stores sample values in a whole number of bytes each, like for example the common WAVE file format. You also need to know the header size of your format, in order to be able to skip it. A hexadecimal editor can be very useful to locate those bytes containing the noise bits.
Before using your audio noise bits for anything serious, you will want to be reasonably sure that they are indeed random. This is easier said than done. There is no such thing as a "proof of randomness". A number series containing a long stretch of constant numbers may result from a random process, and one that never contains such stretches definitely is not random. Testing for randomness amounts to testing for properties of random numbers which methods requiring them rely on. If you have a specific application in mind, you may have a criterion that is especially important to you, and should test for it. I have programmed a few general-purpose tests that you can download in this archive.
All the test programs below share the same syntax:
<program> <file> <skip>[.<bit>] <stride> [<channels>]
The first argument is the input file, the second gives the number of header bytes to skip and the bit to use. <stride> is the offset in bytes between successive values to extract bits from. The last, optional, argument, allows to process interleaved series of data such as stereo recordings.
This test, implemented in bit0stat.c, counts the number of samples in which a given bit (bit 0 by default) is 0 or 1. It outputs:
The result is a number between -1 and 1, and a positive result means an excess of 1 bits and vice versa. A zero result would indicate a perfectly uniform distribution.
Interestingly, the bit balance seems to serve as an indicator of sound card quality too. My good sound card from Echoaudio has half the imbalance (on average) as the Intel HDA sound on my mainboard.
The test program 5bitstat.c outputs a histogram of values made up of the lower 5 bits of each sample by default. If the <bit> argument is given, bits 0 to <bit>-1 are used. The program also outputs the quotient of the RMS deviation and mean of the histogram (not the values) as a measure of how flat the histogram is.
The results of this test help decide whether you can use values composed of the noise bits as they are. (That the default number of bits is 5 is just because that is the number of noise bits of one of my sound cards, and this can be changed in the source code.)
The next test program, bitcorr.c, computes the autocorrelation of the bit stream consisting of a given bit of each sample word. It outputs the autocorrelation values up to an offset of 1024 (can be changed in the source code). A value of 1 indicates perfect correlation (repetitive pattern), a value of -1 perfect anticorrelation. The RMS and absolute minimum and maximum of the correlation values is also output for a quick overview.
This and the following test make use of the ability of the human eye to spot patterns in images. The program bits2points.c composes bits from the audio file into coordinates in an image and marks the corresponding points. Points which are hit once are coloured light grey, twice dark grey, and three or more times black.
This test uses only a predefined share of the sample values, which results from the image size and a density defined in the source code. It outputs the offset of the first unused value in the audio file to allow continuing there.
This test does not provide a numerical result but requires you to decide whether the resulting image looks random. If you want a supplementary numerical measure, you can use an image processing program to compute the image histogram. (For example, use identify -verbose from the ImageMagick package.) Contrary to naive intuition, the share of points hit twice and more times are not powers of the share of points hit once. Rather, these fractions (probabilities) are:
where N is the number of pixels in the image (by default 220) and n the number of coordinate pairs extracted (by default N/64). The key to this counting problem is to start from the coordinate pairs, which are statistically independent and therefore have to be treated as drawings with repetition. The expected proportion of points being hit once is the same as the probability of hitting a given, fixed point once. For p1 we need exactly one coordinate pair to hit that point, which happens with probability 1/N, and all the other (n-1) to avoid it, which gives ((N-1)/N)(n-1). For p2 two coordinate pairs have to match, and the other (n-2) have to miss. It remains to explain the binomial coefficients (n for p1) in front. Clearly they come from some kind of drawing without repetition, but not of coordinate pairs, but of the random value(s) containing the matching pair(s). The matching coordinates may occur at any point in the sequence of n random coordinate pairs, so the probabilities have to be multiplied by the corresponding multiplicities.
Like the previous test, the program bits2bitmap.c converts the noise bits to an image in which one can try to see regularities. Each bit represents one black or white pixel. Only a fixed number of sample values are used, as needed for the image size. The offset of the first unused value is output to the terminal.
My package of programs also contains a program getbit.c which extracts a given bit from all audio samples and writes them to a file. Its command-line syntax is the same as for the test programs.
If your sound card noise has a statistical bias, that can be corrected. One option is to use the same methods as for turning uniformly-distributed numbers into a different distribution, such as selection or function application. Both will require modelling the bias.
An easier way is to combine the random numbers with the output of a pseudo-random number generator, for example with a bitwise exclusive-or operation. The result retains both the statistical properties of the pseudo-random numbers and the non-determinism of the genuine random numbers, the best of both worlds. Combining genuine with pseudo-random numbers is free of the dangers of combining the output of two pseudo-random-number generators (the result may end up less random than either), so you might apply it as a precautionary measure in any case. The program xor.c in my source package can be used to do that when you have written the pseudo-random numbers to a file.
TOS / Impressum | <urn:uuid:5c197928-834a-4ada-9968-61b0a0935c4b> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.volkerschatz.com/science/audiorng.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.900246 | 1,927 | 3.375 | 3 |
Department of Health and Social Care
False fears preventing smokers from using e-cigarettes to quit
Over half of smokers believe nicotine vaping products are equally or more harmful than smoking despite US vaping deaths being caused by substances banned in UK.
Public Health England’s (PHE) sixth independent e-cigarette report, commissioned from researchers at King’s College London, is published today (Wednesday 4 March 2020) alongside new PHE advice on vaping in NHS mental health trusts.
The report provides an update on the use of nicotine vaping products among young people and adults, and public perceptions of the harmfulness of vaping. It also takes an in depth look at the evidence on e-cigarette use in people with mental health conditions and pregnant women.
Current vaping use has remained stable in adults and young people since the last report. Of concern is the increasing number of smokers that now believe vaping is more harmful than smoking. This is out of line with expert reviews from the UK and US concluding that using regulated nicotine vaping products is far less harmful than smoking.
PHE’s advice remains that smokers should switch to e-cigarettes to help them quit smoking, but non-smokers should not take up vaping.
E-cigarettes are much less harmful than tobacco but are not completely safe. They contain significantly less harmful chemicals which cause diseases related to smoking but the long-term impact of using e-cigarettes will remain unknown for some time.
The mistaken belief that e-cigarettes are more harmful than smoking increased rapidly among UK smokers following the US lung injury outbreak in autumn 2019. US authorities have now confirmed that vitamin E acetate, a thickening agent added to cannabis vaping products, was a primary cause of the US outbreak. This substance is banned from UK-regulated nicotine vaping products.
The report identifies a need for continued monitoring of public perceptions, as the researchers fear that smokers are being deterred by safety fears from using e-cigarettes to quit, which will ultimately cost lives. The report also warns that a ban on flavoured liquids could also deter some smokers from switching to e-cigarettes completely.
Smokers should continue to be encouraged to try regulated nicotine vaping products along with other stop smoking aids and behavioural support, to increase their chances of successfully stopping smoking.
The report also reviews the evidence on vaping among people with mental health conditions and pregnant women, two of the groups among whom the government is focusing its efforts to reduce smoking rates, as set out in the Tobacco Control Plan for England.
The researchers reviewed the literature on vaping among people with mental health conditions and found a small amount of research showing vaping products may reduce smoking, though further research is needed.
They also found health professionals need better information and training to support people with mental health conditions to use e-cigarettes to quit smoking. PHE has today published advice on vaping in NHS mental health trusts. To promote consistency in smokefree policy and practice across such trusts, the advice recommends being clear about where people can and cannot vape in hospital grounds and buildings.
The researchers also reviewed the available literature on vaping among pregnant women and found that more research is needed to understand the prevalence, safety and effectiveness of using e-cigarettes in pregnancy. In the meantime, health professionals should use the currently available advice on using e-cigarettes during pregnancy.
The report recommends that:
- proof of age at sale of vaping products needs to be better enforced to protect young people
- health professionals should use advice on using e-cigarettes during pregnancy
- more research is needed into vaping among smokers with mental health conditions and pregnant smokers
- more research is needed into e-cigarette flavour preferences among young people
Professor John Newton, Director of Health Improvement at Public Health England, commented on the review:
It is concerning to see how much the US lung disease outbreak has affected smokers’ views on e-cigarettes here in the UK. Safety fears may well be deterring many smokers from switching, leaving them on a path to years of ill health and an early death due to their smoking. The US authorities have now confirmed that vitamin E acetate, a thickening agent added to cannabis vaping liquid, was a primary cause of the US outbreak. This substance is banned in UK-regulated nicotine vaping products.
E-cigarettes are far less harmful than smoking, which causes 220 premature deaths a day in England. Our advice remains that for anyone who smokes tobacco, the most important thing is to stop smoking altogether and e-cigarettes can be an effective way to help smokers do that.
Our new advice on vaping in mental health trusts is an important step forward in empowering healthcare professionals to talk more confidently with their patients about the benefits of using e-cigarettes to stop smoking. This advice is another step towards the overall goal of a smokefree generation.
Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Chris Whitty said:
The best thing a smoker can do for their health is stop smoking completely. Electronic cigarettes can help some people quit smoking and are a safer alternative.
This report is a further welcome contribution to building the evidence around an important area of public policy and highlights the challenge of maximising the opportunities e-cigarettes present while managing the risks associated with nicotine.
Professor Ann McNeill, Professor of Tobacco Addiction at King’s College London, and lead author of the report said:
It is currently very hard for smokers to make sense of the many contradictory reports on the impacts of vaping and smoking. In our review we present evidence that suggests in England, vaping has not undermined declines in adult smoking, and for youth, vaping is mainly concentrated in those who were already dabbling in cigarette smoking. However, we need to remain vigilant and ensure that vaping products, alongside regular cigarettes, are not easily accessible to young people.
PHE has commissioned a full review of the evidence on the safety of e-cigarettes, which will be published in 2022. King’s College London will work with a number of different researchers from the UK and US (including some who contributed to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s e-cigarette report in in 2018) to conduct this review.
Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) said:
There are over 6 million smokers in England and smoking is still the leading cause of premature death and disease particularly among the most disadvantaged in our society. Helping more smokers quit is vital if we’re to achieve the government’s vision of a smokefree society by 2030, and vaping has a role to play. Vaping has helped many thousands of smokers quit to date. But many thousands more could benefit if they were not put off by the persistent, worsening and inaccurate beliefs the public hold about vaping. Smokers should be reassured by today’s authoritative and detailed report which shows that the UK’s e-cigarette regulations are effective and vaping remains a safer alternative to smoking. I urge smokers to have confidence in our regulatory system and not be put off by alarmist headlines about the risk of vaping which are not backed up by the evidence.
George Butterworth, Cancer Research UK’s Senior Policy Manager, said:
E-cigarettes are a relatively new product, they aren’t risk free and we don’t yet know their long-term impact. So we strongly discourage non-smokers from using them. But research so far shows that vaping is less harmful than smoking tobacco and can help people to stop smoking. This report gives further reassurance to smokers about the relative harms of e-cigarettes compared to smoking tobacco, and also shows the UK is not seeing a rapid uptake in vaping among non-smokers and children, which is good news.
- Link to full report
- Smoking Toolkit Study
- Towards a Smokefree Generation: A Tobacco Control Plan for England Department of Health, July 2017
- NHS Digital, Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England 2018
- NHS Digital, Statistics on Smoking: England, 2019
- US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (January 2018) Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes
- Royal College of Physicians, Nicotine without smoke: tobacco harm reduction (April 2016)
- A. McNeill et al, E-cigarettes: an evidence update. A report commissioned by Public Health England (August 2015)
- Progress towards smokefree mental health services, ASH 2019
- NHS Long Term Plan
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The government has published the first ever Women's Health Strategy for England to tackle the gender health gap. | <urn:uuid:6036087c-339f-4212-a90e-57895800e339> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.wired-gov.net/wg/news.nsf/articles/False+fears+preventing+smokers+from+using+ecigarettes+to+quit+04032020132000?open | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.942409 | 2,146 | 3.015625 | 3 |
ROME (Sputnik) – Vatican welcomes the UN Security Council’s resolution calling for a 30-day ceasefire in Syria to allow for delivery of emergency aid to the Middle Eastern Nation, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said Sunday.
On Saturday, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2401 that urges all parties to the conflict in Syria to immediately stop all clashes and adhere to the long-term humanitarian pause on the entire territory of the country. The aim is to ensure the safe and unhindered supply of humanitarian aid as well as medical evacuation of those injured.
“We support the humanitarian truce in Syria, demanded by the United Nations. It is necessary to stop violence, ensure access to humanitarian aid, and a decision on negotiations,” Parolin said as quoted by the TGcom 24 TV channel.
Parolin also stressed Pope Francis was concerned about the “dramatic situation in Eastern Ghouta” and other areas, including Afrin.
Violence has escalated in Eastern Ghouta, lying on the edge of Damascus, in recent days. The UN estimates that almost 400,000 people have been trapped in the area besieged by government troops, while Russia argues that the capital has been attacked by militants controlling the enclave.
0.00 (0%) 0 votes | <urn:uuid:760687ff-7ea0-4b3e-8558-340864cc75eb> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://supernetnews.org/world/vatican-supports-un-humanitarian-truce-in-syria/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.939192 | 279 | 2.140625 | 2 |
I am in the USA, originally from India, and my wife is American. My native language is Hindi. My wife knows only a little bit of Hindi. It hasn't been a problem because we usually talk in English anyway.
We are expecting our first baby soon and we want her to grow up knowing both Hindi and English. Most of the resources I have found about raising bilingual children are for parents when both the parents know the two languages, or when both the parents speak one language, but are immersed in another language.
The main "problem" I anticipate is that we can try "one parent, one language" system (I speak only Hindi and my speaks only English while talking to our daughter), but since my wife and I always talk to each other in English, it will not be "symmetric". Given that we are in America, it will be hard to give enough Hindi exposure to our daughter.
Are there any strategies to cope with this? | <urn:uuid:e7c01420-d362-4826-ad78-12e66f41d06d> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://parenting.stackexchange.com/questions/2994/raising-a-bilingual-child-when-one-parent-knows-both-languages-while-the-other-d/2999 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.971876 | 196 | 1.789063 | 2 |
BACK TO THE MOON
A static test launch in preparation for the Moon…and beyond
It’s been nearly 50 years since the last time a human being visited the Moon; on December 1972, NASA astronauts on the Apollo 17 mission conducted geological surveys and sampling of the Moon’s surface features and materials. The crew also performed experiments both in-flight and during EVAs (Extravehicular Activity). Despite the mission’s success, the remaining Apollo missions were cancelled due to budgetary constraints and NASA’s shift of focus to other missions and spacecraft. The Moon has remained untouched by humans since then, but it won’t be for long. Rest assured, “We are going to the Moon,” in the confident words of NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine.
Following the Space Shuttle program, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) has been in development since 2011; its purpose is to provide a vehicle for NASA’s deep space exploration missions, which include flights to the Moon and Mars. Eventually, as humans develop plans for the exploration and development of space, SLS will evolve to fulfill the growing need for more powerful and capable configurations. Currently, SLS has has three variants—Block 1, Block 1B, and Block 2—that can be used in several configurations to accommodate the rocket’s payload and the thrust required for the mission.
NASA’s announcement of a static fire test, scheduled for Wednesday, September 2, is welcome news amid serious delays and setbacks that have plagued the development of the rocket platform. The test will take place at Northrop Grumman’s facilities in Utah, United States and “will help teams evaluate potential new materials, processes, and improvements for the boosters that will power deep space missions beyond Artemis III,” according to NASA. Artemis III will be the third flight of NASA’s Orion spacecraft launched on SLS and will be their first crewed lunar landing since 1972 and—perhaps even more importantly—the first mission where a woman will set foot on the Moon.
The Artemis III crew will be testing lunar water ice, a follow-up to experiments conducted during the Apollo 17 mission, where astronauts collected nearly 260 pounds of samples of lunar surface material. These “Moon rocks,” as they’re called, are not to be confused with lunar meteorites, which arrive on Earth after being catapulted into space from the Moon’s surface by some sort of collision. As many meteorite collectors know, it’s very illegal to own or sell Apollo return samples, though it’s thanks to these “Moon rocks” that we can positively identify lunar meteorites found on Earth. Not only that, but petrological analyses of the Apollo return samples and positively identified lunar meteorites can give us an idea of where on the Moon these meteorites may have originated.
The Apollo missions and upcoming Orion missions illustrate how meteorites impact academia and scientific research; studies of oriented meteorites aerodynamics even reveal how similar these rocks’ nosecones are to those we see on aircraft and rockets, like SLS. With the rapid advances the scientific community is making in technology, we can expect to learn a lot more about meteorites, asteroids, and our place in our universe.
Image Credit: NASA/MSFC
RECENT BLOG POSTS | <urn:uuid:2a90fdc5-03c4-47e7-a978-15f239c39ead> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://aerolite.org/nasa-meteorites/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.923626 | 773 | 3.484375 | 3 |
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Let’s discuss “Fairness.” Equity, or appreciation, is the distinction between what your house is worth and what you owe to the bank. So should you owe $one hundred,000 and your home is worth $300,000, then you may have $200,000 of Fairness in your house.
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In recent years, the concept of inequality of opportunity, rather than inequality of achieved states, has received growing attention in the economic literature. The simple advocacy of equal health, for example, fails to hold individuals accountable for their choices. This can be seen as significant limitation.
Equality of opportunity co-opts one of the sharpest ideas in the antiegalitarian arsenal: The notion of responsibility. By compensating for the impact of circumstances beyond individual control, yet holding individuals responsible for the consequences of their choices, equality of opportunity is an appealing compromise between strict equality of health and mere equity of formal rights. It has thus been increasingly advocated by policy makers, as is made clear in World Bank (2005) which focuses on the inequality issue.
This theoretical evolution reflects a number of recent developments in political philosophy, arguably prompted by the seminal work of John Rawls and Amartya Sen. Both Rawls’ equality of social primary goods and Sen’s proposed equality of capabilities move away from the social goal of equalizing subjective welfare. They propose that, once primary goods or capabilities are equally distributed, any residual inequality should be deemed a legitimate consequence of individual choice, hence of individual responsibility. Ronald Dworkin advanced this proposal by arguing that equality of welfare cannot be a valid equity criterion for it fails to make individuals accountable for their preferences , namely, those preferences they are happy to have. The problem thus becomes one of finding the distribution of resources that appropriately compensates individuals for their dissimilar endowments (physical resources, talents, and handicaps), while making them responsible for their preferences . This rationale leads Dworkin to propose the criterion of equality of resources, which attracted important criticisms, such as those raised by Richard Arneson and Gerald Cohen. Cohen shows that Dworkin’s separation between preferences and resources can be intractable in practice: Should one be made responsible for childhood preferences that are chiefly instilled by one’s social environment? This debate has prompted key progresses in social choice theory, which have rendered these new ideas operational within an analytical framework known as the equal-opportunity approach.
The Roemer Model Of Equality Of Opportunity
Equality of opportunity has been given different formal expressions in the social choice literature, such as in early proposals by Marc Fleurbaey and Walter Bossert. A related strand of research focuses on measuring opportunity sets, taking into account the intrinsic value of individual freedom in the ranking of social states. Despite the theoretical appeal of these contributions, they have proved too abstract to prompt related empirical work. Largely for this reason, the workhorse of the applied literature on inequality of opportunity in health has been the model proposed by Roemer (1998, 2002).
The Roemer model sorts all factors influencing individual attainment between a category of effort factors, for which individuals should be held responsible and a category of circumstance factors, which, being beyond individual control, are the source of illegitimate differences in outcomes. It should be noted that, in this framework, effort is not limited to human exertion and comprises all the determinants of health outcomes over which individuals have control. Also, the classification of the determinant of human achievement as either circumstances or effort is partly normative and partly informed by available empirical evidence. In the case of health, we may think of the outcome of interest as health as an adult (H) and define a health production function, H(C,E(C)) where C denotes individual circumstances and E denotes effort. Circumstances affect the health outcomes of individuals and social groups, directly and through their influence on effort factors.
The recent medical and economic evidence on the early determinants of health has emphasized the importance of a number of circumstantial factors. The fetal origin hypothesis stresses the role of parental socioeconomic characteristics as key determinants of in utero fetal growth which, in turn, condition long-term health. The life course models, which emphasize the impact of deprivation in childhood on adult health and longevity, and the pathways models, suggest that health in early life is important mainly because it will condition the socioeconomic position in early adulthood, which explains disease risk later in life. There is also evidence on determinants of health that, although affected by circumstances, are, at least partially, within individual control and therefore constitute effort factors in the context of the Roemer model. Lifestyles such as diet and physical exercise are good examples of such factors.
The Roemer model defines social types consisting of the individuals who share exposure to identical circumstances. Types can thus be defined using the set of observed individual circumstances in the data. In practice, it is up to the researcher to identify circumstances that lead to a meaningful partition of the population of interest. Factors such as parental socioeconomic background and region of birth have often been used by applied economists to partition the population, but other variables such as inborn cognitive ability and childhood health have also been used. It is assumed that the society has a finite number of T types and that, within each type, there is a continuum of individuals. A fundamental aspect in this setting is the fact that the distribution of effort within each type (Ft) is itself a characteristic of that type (t); because this is beyond individual control, it constitutes a circumstance.
In general, it is not possible to compare directly the levels of effort expended by individuals from different types because circumstances partly determine outcomes. For example, the number of times per week one does physical exercise is partly determined by individual choice (effort) and also influenced by parental background, social milieu, and peer pressure (circumstances). Thus, two individuals who exercise exactly the same number of times per week, may be interpreted as exerting very different levels of effort, depending on their circumstances. To make the degree of effort expended by individuals of different types comparable, Roemer proposes the definition of quantiles of the within-type effort distribution (e.g., the distribution of weekly frequency of physical exercise within each type): Two individuals from different types are deemed to have exerted the same degree of effort if they sit at the same quantile (π) of their type’s distribution of effort. When effort is observed, this definition is directly applicable. However, if effort is unobservable, an additional assumption is required: By assuming that the average outcome, health in this case, is monotonically increasing in effort, i.e., that healthy lifestyles are a positive contribution to the health stock, effort becomes the residual determinant of health once types are fixed; therefore, those who sit at the πth quantile of the outcome distribution also sit, on average, at the πth quantile of the distribution of effort within this type.
How is the equality-of-opportunity policy characterized in this framework? Ideally, this policy should ensure identical health across types at identical levels of effort. Let us assume that, given our health production function, the highest health level attainable by type (t) given quantile level of effort (π) and policy (φ) is given by the indirect outcome function vt(π, φ). In this setting, the equality-of-opportunity policy pth equalizes the highest attainable health level across types for identical values of p, i.e., vt (π,φE-opp)=vt`(π,φE-opp).
In addition, because the resources available for policy interventions are generally finite, one also needs to ensure that φE-opp is feasible. However, this poses a problem: As shown in Roemer (2002), it will not be possible, in general, to find an equality-of-opportunity policy that simultaneously satisfies the feasibility requirement. Thus, in practice, instead of literally equalizing v between types at each π, one maximizes the minimum value of v across types at each π.
But we are not finished yet. In general one is not interested in finding the equality of opportunity for a sole particular value of π: Healthcare policy does not usually apply only to those at say, the qth quantile of weekly frequency of physical exercise. The problem is that there are different optimal policies for different values of π, even if interest in the subset of efficient policies is restricted. So how is the equality-of-opportunity policy found? A number of compromise solutions have been suggested in the literature. The most widely used in practice (proposed by Roemer (2002)), consists of aggregating over all policies (each defined for a particular value of π) and giving each of them the same weight.
Ex Ante And Ex Post Inequality
So far, this account of inequality of opportunity has focused on inequalities between groups of individuals, called types, who share exposure to identical circumstances. This approach is the most prevalent in applied work and is known as the ex-ante approach. The term ex ante refers to the fact that this approach can be used in cases where circumstances are known, but effort has not (yet) been exerted by the individuals.
There is, however, an alternative approach to the concept of equality of opportunity. Assume that effort is observed. The population of interest can thus be split into groups, known as tranches, which correspond to levels of exerted effort (e.g., number of times per week one does physical exercise). In this setting, inequality of opportunity corresponds to differences in outcomes within each tranche, i.e., amongst individual who have exerted the same level of effort. The source of unjust inequalities is still the variation across individual circumstances, but this line of research is known as the ex post approach, because it requires information on the level of effort already exerted by individuals.
An important question is the extent to which the ex-ante and the ex post approaches are similar. Although they share points in common, they are fundamentally different. As mentioned earlier, equality of opportunity requires the elimination of differences in outcomes that are due to circumstances but not to effort. This is known as the principle of compensation. It should however be noticed that this principle of compensation leads to different compensatory policies according to whether one takes the ex ante or the ex post approach. In the ex ante case, compensation requires transferring resources from individuals in the most advantaged types to people in least advantaged ones. But in the ex post approach, the required transfers are within-tranche transfers, amongst individuals who exert the same level of effort. Thus, ex ante and ex post compensation are generally incompatible.
Another important aspect concerns the definition of fair rewards to effort. Individuals with the same circumstances are considered. The theory of equality of opportunity described so far is silent regarding the fair way of rewarding different levels of effort amongst such individuals. There is at present an intense debate on the way to combine the compensation principle with a suitable reward principle, but a definite solution has not yet been reached. Fleurbaey and Schokkaert (2012) describe a number of possible avenues for achieving this within the framework of equality of oportunity, although J. Roemer has recently argued that the definition of what constitutes fair rewards to effort should instead come from an ancillary theory, which limits the degree of inequality that is acceptable. In addition, Fleurbaey and Peragine have shown that the available options for combining the principles of compensation and reward depend vitally on whether the researcher adopts the ex ante or the ex post approach. Although, in general, the principles of compensation and reward are theoretically incompatible, this conflict can be avoided when one adopts the ex ante approach (but not the ex post one).
Partial Orderings And Inequality Measures
How can inequality of opportunity be identified in practice? A number of different approaches have been proposed, based on partial equality-of-opportunity orderings. The most widely used in applied work defines equality of opportunity based on stochastic dominance conditions. The rationale is the following. Denoting by F(.) the cumulative distribution function of health (CFD), a literal translation of the idea of equality of opportunity would correspond to the situation in which the distribution of health outcomes does not depend on social types, i.e., F(·|t)=F(·|t`). This condition is, however, unlikely to hold in any society and hence is too stringent to be applied to real data. Instead one could assume that the data be deemed consistent with the existence of inequality of opportunity when the social advantage provided by different circumstances can be unequivocally ranked by stochastic dominance criteria, i.e., F(·|t)>SDF(·|t`). First-order stochastic dominance (FSD) holds for the whole class of increasing utility functions; thus if the distribution of health outcomes of type t FSD dominates that of type t’, this means that all individuals with an utility function that is increasing in health (i.e., who prefer better health to worse health) would prefer the outcomes of type t to those of type t’. Although one may extend this partial ordering to second- and even third-order stochastic dominance criteria, most of the applied literature has been focused on first-order comparisons. These are better suited for the ordinal outcomes that are often used in health economics, such as self-assessed health. Moreover, in addition to their clear meaning in terms of welfare and preferences , these conditions have an important attractive feature: They are statistically testable in practice.
Partial orderings are useful but often inconclusive, hence complete orderings have been proposed to measure inequality of opportunity. In this literature, an analysis of inequality of opportunity in Brazil carried out by Bourguignon et al. (2007) prompted a number of methods collectively known as the parametric approach to the measurement of inequality of opporunity. The idea is intuitive. Earlier, the definition of the health production function of individual health outcomes, H = f(C,E(C)) was given. The same specification applies to the health outcomes of social groups. Thus, a parametric regression model can be used to estimate the counterfactual distribution of outcomes that would be brought about by assigning the same circumstances to all the individuals, i.e., H=f(C,E(C)). Inequality of opportunity can then be measured by an index Г= 1- H/H.
A different approach, known as nonparametric supposes that one replaces each individual outcome in H by one’s type-specific mean (μt), obtaining the smoothed distribution of outcomes HC. This eliminates, by construction, all within-type inequality, hence a relative inequality index I(HC) measures exclusively between-types disparities, which constitute inequality of opportunity. Alternatively, one may replace the outcome of each individual i outcome (hi) by μ/μ` hj, where μ is the mean in the population of interest, obtaining the standardized distribution HE. In this case, all the between-types inequality is eliminated, leaving solely within-type inequality. As a result, inequality of opportunity corresponds to the difference between the total inequality in health outcomes, I(H), and the inequality measured by I(HE).
Two important practical issues arise in this context. The first concerns the choice of an appropriate inequality index I, given that, in general, the smoothing and standardizing approaches lead to different results. There is a class of measures (known as path-independent decomposable measures, for which these two approaches lead to the same result. Amongst this family of measures, the mean-log deviation has been very widely used in applied work. The second issue of interest is that of choosing between the parametric and the nonparametric approaches. Nonparametric methods are, in general, more robust in the sense that they do not depend on parametric assumptions. They are, however, more data-hungry: When the information on the circumstances set is rich the number of types increases, leading to data insufficiency. This is less of a problem for the parametric approach, which, in addition, allows the estimation of partial effects, namely, circumstance-specific inequality shares. Nonetheless, this comes at the expense of an increased reliance on structural assumptions.
Another index that has been increasingly used in applied work is the Gini-opportunity index proposed by Lefranc et al. (2009). This is a modified Gini coefficient that quantifies the inequality between the different types’ opportunity sets. The area underneath a type’s generalized Lorenz curve, and hence the value of its Sen evaluation function Aj = μj (1-Gj) constitutes a cardinal measure of this type’s opportunity set (Gj denotes the Gini coefficient and mj the average outcome within that social type). Thus, in the context of inequality of opportunity, one may rank types (not individuals) according to their respective values of the Sen evaluation. For any pair of types, denoted i and j, and starting from the one with the smallest value of the Sen evaluation function, the Gini-Opportunity index across types i to k is defined as: G -Opp =1/μ∑ki ∑i<j[pipj(Aj-Ai)]. This index gives the weighted average of the differences between the types’ opportunity sets in which the weights (p) are the sample weights of the different types. The value of all these indices is highly sensitive to the number of types; this can be a problem because, as seen before, the number of types is, in practice, defined subjectively by the researcher.
It should finally be noted that a good measure of inequality of opportunity in health should be able to bring together multiple circumstances and, given that health is an inherently multidimensional concept, multiple dimensions of health outcomes. This also applies to the case of inequality of opportunity in healthcare, which incorporates a number of different dimensions, such as general practitioner visits and specialist visits. Rosa Dias and Yalonetzky (2013) have recently addressed this issue by drawing on the segregation literature and proposing new measures that are applicable when health (or healthcare) is proxied by a finite number of ordinal indicators.
Inequality Of Opportunity In Health Economics: Theoretical Contributions And Empirical Evidence
Theoretical Contributions In Health Economics
It is possible to argue that inequality of opportunity is already the implicit equity concept in some earlier contributions in health economics, such as Alan Williams’ fair innings argument and the Rawlsian approach to the measurement of health inequalities proposed in Bommier and Stecklov (2002). Yet, although the volume of applied research on inequality of opportunity in health has grown rapidly over the past few years, the amount of theoretical work, has been comparatively smaller.
Fleurbaey and Schokkaert (2009) make an important contribution toward incorporating the analysis of inequality of opportunity in health in the broader framework of responsibility-sensitive egalitarianism. They propose analyzing inequality of opportunity in health within the framework of a complex structural model that encompasses simultaneously the demand for health, lifestyle and healthcare, labor supply, and income distribution. In this model, the health stock depends on a range of factors, encompassing the consumption of healthcare and other goods, job characteristics, socioeconomic background, genes, and unanticipated health shocks. Labor income is endogenous and depends on various factors including individual ability. The demand for healthcare also depends on multiple factors, including supply-side variables and individual demand for supplementary health insurance.
This model can be solved in two stages. First, individuals decide on their desired level of supplementary health insurance. Second, for that level of insurance coverage, they maximize utility subject to income constraints, time constraints, and to the supply of healthcare constraints. This allows for the joint determination of the demand for health care, consumption goods, and individual labor supply. Finally, armed with the optimal values for these, the optimal levels of health, income, and utility are endogenously determined by the model.
This complex structural model is the most encompassing framework proposed for the analysis of unfair health inequalities (including inequality of opportunity). However, the multiple and reciprocal causal relationships that it embodies poses serious operational challenges to the empirical identification of the model.
Another aspect that has received attention in the health economics literature relates to the fact that, in practice, it is often not possible to observe the full set of relevant circumstances influencing health outcomes. Fleurbaey has shown that this issue, known as the partial-circumstance problem, may bias the measurement of inequality of opportunity in health. At present, there has not yet been found a reliable way to derive theoretical bounds for this bias. Rosa Dias (2010) examines the practical relevance of this matter by proposing a simple behavioral model of inequality of opportunity in health that integrates Roemer’s framework of inequality of opportunity with the Grossman model of health capital and demand for health. The model generates a recursive system of equations for the health stock and each of a series of effort factors such as the weekly consumption of calorific food, alcohol, and the weekly frequency of physical exercise. To take into account the role of unobserved heterogeneity, the system is then jointly estimated by full information maximum likelihood with freely correlated errors. The results suggest that, when unobserved heterogeneity in the set of circumstances is taken into account, the estimates of the recursive relationship between circumstances, effort, and health outcomes change considerably, thereby corroborating the empirical relevance of the partial-circumstance problem. Garc´ıa-Gomez et al. (2012) use an analogous estimation strategy to implement the framework of Fleurbaey and Schokkaert (2009), thereby modeling the channels through which circumstances affect health outcomes in adulthood. Armed with this behavioral model, Garc´ıa-Gomez et al. (2012) showed that distinguishing between these different channels is useful not only as a means of avoiding the partial-circumstances problem, but also in order to perform a sensitivity analysis of the results with respect to different normative positions regarding the factors that should be considered, i.e., circumstances and effort.
A different, although related, issue concerns the correct way to treat the partial correlations between circumstances and effort. Jusot et al. (2013) examine the practical relevance of this issue for the measurement of inequality of opportunity in health by applying a reduced-form approach to data from a large French survey. Interestingly, their results suggest that adopting fundamentally different normative approaches to this matter makes little difference, in practice, for the measurement of health inequalities.
In recent years the number of applications of the inequalityof-opportunity framework to health has grown rapidly. Rosa Dias (2009) and Trannoy et al. (2010) examine the existence and magnitude of inequality of opportunity in health using, respectively, data from the UK and France. Employing the stochastic dominance testable conditions proposed by Lefranc et al. (2009), they find that, in both countries, there is clear inequality of opportunity in self-reported health between individuals of different parental background (defined according to the father or male head of household’s occupation). Furthermore, these empirical applications show that shifting the focus from inequality in health to inequality of opportunity changes the results significantly: For example, in the case of the UK, Rosa Dias (2009) shows that an unusually rich set of circumstances that include parental background, childhood health, ability, and social development account for just approximately one-fourth of the total inequality in health.
These articles also show that inequality of opportunity in health is substantial in the countries studied: Trannoy et al. (2010) show that a hypothetical complete nullification of the influence of observed circumstances on health would, in the case of France, leads to a 57% points reduction in the selfreported Gini coefficient. Jusot et al. (2010) pursue this line of research further by using data from the 2004 Survey on Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe to compare the extent of inequality of opportunity in health across 10 European countries. Their results suggest that the magnitude of this type of inequality is markedly different between blocks of countries: Inequality of opportunity in self-assessed health is systematically higher in Southern Europe than in Northern European countries. In addition, this article makes clear that there are also differences regarding the most important circumstances in each of the countries.
Another important aspect concerns the evolution of inequality of opportunity in health over the lifecycle: Do circumstances affect health outcomes more heavily in the early years of life, young adulthood, or in old age? Rosa Dias (2009) provides some empirical evidence on this issue, using data from a UK cohort study; results from this study show that the influence of circumstances on self-reported health at 23, 33, 42, and 46 years of age is remarkably constant. This issue has been reexamined in greater depth by Bricard et al. (2012). This article proposes two alternative strategies for quantifying inequality of opportunity in health over the lifecycle. From an ex ante perspective, an aggregate measure of the lifetime health stock is estimated for each individual; inequality of opportunity in this aggregate health is then measured between individuals or groups. Alternatively, from an ex post perspective, health inequalities are measured across individuals at each stage of their lifecycle, before aggregating inequalities over the lifetime. Bricard et al. (2012) show that these two perspectives are grounded on different normative principles, and that they lead to different results when applied to real data.
Finally, an area that is, at present, receiving growing attention is the application of the inequality-of-opportunity framework to the normative evaluation of concrete policy interventions. Figheroa et al. (2012) propose a methodology to evaluate social projects from an equality-of-opportunity perspective by looking at their effect on the distribution of outcomes conditional on observable covariates. They apply this approach to the evaluation of the short-term effects of Mexico’s well-known Oportunidades program on children’s health outcomes. Jones et al. (2012) also proposes a normative framework, but designed for the evaluation of complementary policy interventions such as the health effects of educational interventions. This article grounds this proposal on Roemer’s (2002) model of inequality of opportunity, and applies it to data from a large-scale UK educational reform. Although Figheroa et al. (2012) focus on the evaluation of short-run policy effects, Jones et al. (2012) center on their long-run impact on health and lifestyle.
Although considerable evidence on inequality of opportunity in health has been amassed, there are still important unanswered questions in this field. First, virtually all the available evidence relates to developed countries. It would be interesting to know more about the magnitude, causes, and the channels of influence of inequality of opportunity also in developing countries. Second, further research is needed on the impact of health policy on inequality of opportunity in health. Although over the past years much has been learnt about the size and evolution of this type of inequality, little is still known about the ways to tackle it effectively.
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- Garc´ıa-Gomez, P., Schokkaert, E., Van Ourti, T. and Bago D’Uva, T. (2012). Inequality in the face of death. CORE Working Paper 2012/24. (in press).
- Jones, A. M., Roemer, J. E. and Rosa Dias, P. (2012). Equalising opportunity in health through educational policy. Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Paper. Chicago, USA: The University of Chicago Press.
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- Jusot, F., Tubeuf, S. and Trannoy, A. (2013). Circumstances and effort: How important is their correlation for the measurement of inequality of opportunity in health? Health Economics. doi: 10.1002/hec.2896.
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- Van de Gaer, D., Vandenbossche, J. and Figueroa, J. L. (2012). Children’s health opportunities and project evaluation: Mexico’s Oportunidades program. World Bank Economic Review (forthcoming).
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- Ferreira, F. and Gignoux, J. (2011). The measurement of inequality of opportunity: Theory and an application to Latin America. Review of Income and Wealth 57(4), 622–657.
- Fleurbaey, M. (2008). Fairness, responsibility and welfare. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
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- Sen, A. (1980). Equality of what? In McMurrin, S. (ed.) The tanner lectures on human values 1. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press. | <urn:uuid:f8d592cf-b8d3-4d6f-b700-f497e34a0c7e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://health.iresearchnet.com/health-economics/efficiency-and-equity/equality-of-opportunity-in-health/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.9267 | 6,870 | 2.859375 | 3 |
What is the best Practices for Cleaning Optical Fiber
December 17, 2015 / General, 101 learning, Installation and testing, Upgrading and troubleshooting, Best Practices
While it seems we can’t drive the point home enough that the number one cause of fiber network issues and failures is contaminated connectors, we hope by now that all fiber technicians at least know that they are SUPPOSED to clean and inspect every fiber end face before making that final connection.
But are you cleaning those fiber end faces correctly? Let’s take a look at some best practices.
Get the Right Tool for the Job
If you’ve ever seen a technician using canned air or dusters for cleaning fiber end-faces, you’ve witnessed a very ineffective practice. Not only do canned air and dusters just succeed in blowing particles around, they are not all adequate for cleaning oils, residues, or small charged dust particles. Instead, use fabric and composite wipes made of lint-free material that provide the absorbency to remove contaminants from the end-face. But please remember to discard wipes after it’s been used up—a dirty wipe is the next dirty end face.
Yet beware of using wipes alone—often referred to as “dry cleaning”—as this can leave a static charge on the fiber end face that actually attracts statically charged dust particles. A combination of composite wipes and solvent is really the way to go—solvents boost the cleaning ability of the wipe while eliminating the issue of static charge.
And yes, even the use of solvents have a best practice when it comes to fiber cleaning. First of all, don’t use too much as it can leave behind a film, and if you do, make sure to use a new dry wipe to get rid of the excess (but not too much dry cleaning or we’re back to the static charge issue). And don’t just use any old solvent. Isopropyl alcohol can leave behind a difficult-to-remove “halo” as it dries, causing attenuation. The difference between specialized fiber cleaning solvents and what you buy at CVS is easy to see.
Specialized solvents (left) vs. isopropyl alcohol (right)
Did you know that for cleaning fiber end-faces inside ports or equipment, Fluke Networks’ offers lint-free mechanical port cleaning devices called IBC Cleaners in their fiber optic cleaning kit? They come in three different sizes for cleaning 1.5 mm, 2.5 mm and MPO style connectors. Speaking of MPO style connectors…
Beware of the Multifiber Array
Consider a multi-fiber MPO interface with an array that features a much larger surface area than a single fiber connector. Unfortunately, this larger areas makes it easier to move contaminants from one fiber to another within the same array.
And the larger the array, the higher the risk. With 24-, 48- and 72-fiber MPOs used in high-density fiber interconnects, the greater number of fibers are more difficult to control and not all the fibers always protrude at the same height. Height variances across the fibers can increase the risk of not every fiber being properly and equally cleaned.
When cleaning an MPO connector, make sure the entire end face surface touches the wipe. Apply medium pressure and wipe in a direction perpendicular to the array.
Back to Basics
While some of these may seem like the “duh” aspects of fiber cleaning, no blog on fiber cleaning best practices would be complete without these reminders.
- Never touch the fiber connector end face with your oily fingers
- Never touch the clean area of the wipe, cleaning fabric or swab
- Never touch the solvent dispensing tip
- Always were the appropriate safety glasses
- Always keep protective caps on unplugged fiber connectors
- Always store unused protective caps in a sealed connector
- Always discard used wipes immediately (can’t hurt to say that one again, can it?)
- Always follow the golden rule of cleaning
The Golden Rule?
Don’t know the golden rule of fiber cleaning? With the act of cleaning itself a potential source of contamination, the golden rule is to ALWAYS inspect, clean and inspect again. Even if you think you have properly cleaned the fiber end face, you still need to follow it.
And if you have to clean after the re-inspection; guess what? You need to inspect again. | <urn:uuid:ed3dc51d-b1f7-4bce-ab0c-5b2e5c48f492> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://de.flukenetworks.com/blog/cabling-chronicles/best-practices-cleaning-your-fiber-cleaning | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571210.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810191850-20220810221850-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.918784 | 933 | 1.914063 | 2 |
Connecticut Is the First State in the U.S. to Offer the Full Suite of Google Career Certificates to Their Entire Community College and State University System
(MIDDLETOWN, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont, Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) President Terrence Cheng, and Alphabet’s Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat today announced that Connecticut has become the first state in the nation to offer the full suite of Google Career Certificates across its state colleges and universities system, and that the program is now available to all community colleges and career and technical education (CTE) high schools across the nation to onboard.
Part of the Grow with Google economic opportunity initiative, the certificates are available on the online learning platform Coursera. The program equips people with skills for in-demand jobs within three to six months – with no degree or experience required – at a time when employers in information technology related sectors have reported a skills gap in the U.S. workforce.
“This is exactly what workforce development is all about,” Governor Lamont said. “We have employers that are looking to hire individuals with these digital skills, and our community college system responded quickly by entering into a partnership with Google to ensure our colleges are ready to start equipping students with these skills so they can enter these in-demand careers that pay over $60,000.”
Following an agreement between Google, the Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy, and CSCU, Google and Coursera will provide a diverse population of Connecticut residents with the training to fill positions in data analytics, IT support, project management, and UX design fields that are projected to grow in the next 10 years, with an average starting salary of $69,000. After completing the program, graduates can share their resume with an employer consortium of more than 150 companies – including Infosys, Verizon, Walmart, Wayfair, and Google. Infosys has already pledged to hire 250 program graduates at its Hartford location.
“We are excited about this expansion of our Grow with Google Certificates program and the opportunity to partner with academic institutions across the U.S., including community colleges, which are critical to workforce development and economic mobility,” Porat said. “We believe that to have sustainable economic growth, we must have inclusive growth, and we are committed to continuing to help people develop the digital skills they need to participate in this economy.”
“Starting in early 2022, community colleges in all corners of Connecticut will offer Google’s IT Support Certificate, with other certificates rolling out throughout the spring and summer,” CSCU President Terrence Cheng said. “Our public colleges and universities offer the highest quality education and cutting-edge training opportunities. We are thrilled to be the first in the nation to offer all Google Career Certificates on a statewide basis – it is a testament to Governor Lamont’s laser focus on workforce development.”
Building on Google’s initiative with Jobs for the Future to offer its first certificate in IT support to more than 100 community colleges, the company’s new partnerships aim to help individuals bridge the skills gap by gaining the skills needed to take advantage of job openings. These institutions play an essential role in workforce training with 44% of all U.S. undergraduates attending community colleges, and 7.5 million high school students enrolled in CTE programs.
Through the College of Technology, all Connecticut community colleges will offer credit courses that will include Google Career Certificate courses beginning in spring 2022. Non-credit courses will also be offered regionally using the community colleges’ workforce development offices, with the roll out of the Google IT Support certificate in spring 2022. CSCU will partner with the Office of Workforce Strategy to help initially subsidize these programs for students and job seekers.
The Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) was recruited by the National Association of State Workforce Agencies to be one of five states administering up to 100 Grow with Google scholarships for veterans and their spouses. The scholarships will be distributed through the American Job Center by CTDOL’s Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program specialists who work directly with veterans to meet their employment training needs.
“The Connecticut Department of Labor is proud to be one of only five states with Grow with Google scholarships for veterans and their spouses,” Connecticut Labor Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo said. “With certificate programs in technology, analytics, and project management, we can prepare the workforce of the future and help Connecticut’s veterans by providing free access to certifications that will help them prepare for, find, and retain good-paying jobs in growing industries.”
The Google Career Certificates have a track record of helping people rapidly skill and obtain in-demand jobs. Fifty-three percent of graduates identify as Black, Latino, female, or veteran, and 82 percent of graduates report a positive career impact within six months of completion, such as a raise, promotion, or new job. | <urn:uuid:0e77da3d-42ab-4409-9cc2-80da4d106aeb> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://tunxis.edu/news/governor-lamont-connecticut-state-colleges-and-universities-and-google-announce-google-career-certificates-are-now-available-across-the-entire-cscu-system/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.946008 | 1,040 | 1.625 | 2 |
In a previous life, when I had a small step-son, he asked his mother if she was “happy at him.” This prompted a grammar discussion that confused him because sometimes she was “mad at him” so why was “happy at him” wrong? It stuck with me as one of those out of the mouths of babes views of life.
It prompts a bit of thought about which emotions go with which propositions. We’re happy with, but mad at. On the other hand, we can be angry with or angry at someone, but only pleased with them.
We can also be happy, glad, angry, pleased, mad, or sad, about someone.
A few weeks ago a friend loaned me The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016), by Mark Manson. I just finished it, and — while I’m not a big fan of self-help books — I give this one an Ah! rating. Manson’s approach, contrary to our modern norm, is not about finding happiness, but about choosing the pain worth seeking (and letting the happiness come through our fulfillment).
The subtle part is that not giving a f*ck doesn’t mean one stops caring. The subtle part is learning to be selective about what matters to us.
The counterintuitive part is that chasing happiness leads to misery. | <urn:uuid:80c491a1-8ce2-4099-afaa-fcc697f5c106> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://logosconcarne.com/tag/happiness/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.973019 | 294 | 1.882813 | 2 |
Zero FIR is the kind of First Information Report that can be filed in any police station regardless of the existing jurisdiction of that police station or the place of such an incident. Once investigation is conducted with respect to such an FIR, the same is then transferred to that police station having the required or which has the competent jurisdiction. Every FIR is registered using a serial number in a police station but as far as zero FIR is concerned, although it is registered, it is not numbered. The police station of competent jurisdiction where the case is transferred then numbers it and further acts upon it. Before transferring the FIR to the concerned Police station, it is mandatory on the Police station where the Zero FIR is filed to indulge in some prelude investigation into the case before leading it to the competent Police Station.
Section 460 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), 1973 states that if any Magistrate not empowered by laws to call for cognizance of an offence positioned in section 190 (a) or (b) erroneously but in good faith does take cognizance, the proceeding minutes will not be set aside merely on the grounds of not being empowered for same. The provision of Zero FIR had come up as a recommendation in Justice Verma Committee Report in the new Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, which was formulated after the Nirbhaya rape case in 2012. If while filing an FIR, it becomes apparent that the Police Station does not have the required jurisdiction, then the Police must be appropriately ordered to register a Zero FIR. A failure in complying with the instruction of FIR registration after acknowledgment of information about the offence, would result in prosecution of the concerned Police officer under Section 166A which provides for rigorous punishment of six months be extended to two years.
Keeping this mind, The Delhi High Court directed the Commission of Police, Delhi to take action against the police officers who refused to register ‘Zero FIR’ for their inaction as per law and further directed the Commissioner of Police to issue a circular to all the police stations regarding the mandate to file register such a Zero FIR in case of incompetent jurisdiction. In the case of Kirti Vashisht v. State and ors, the Complainant had to go to four police stations as the rest of the three refused to file an FIR due to lack of jurisdiction. The Petitioner submitted that the harassment meted out to the Petitioner at the hands Senior Inspector of Kapashera (one of the police stations) and other swere duly reported to the Commissioner of Police but not action was taken. While taking cognizance of the issue, the Single bench of the Delhi High Court held that,
“Accordingly, I hereby direct the Commissioner of Police, Delhi to issue circular/ Standing order to all the Police Stations in NCT of Delhi and all concerned that if complaint of cognizable offence is received in a Police Station, and offence occurred in jurisdiction of other Police Station, in that case, the Zero FIR shall be lodged by the Police Station which has received the complaint and thereafter shall be transferred to the concerned Police Station.”
The concept of Zero FIR is the need of the hour, especially in crimes which endanger or directly impact the life and limb of the people. The Police Stations need to be made aware of such a provision and the procedure therein.
Image link –
Judgment link – | <urn:uuid:58f2258e-8501-4ef2-bda8-6894c7906ae5> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.reddyandreddy.org/registration-of-zero-fir-mandatory-when-a-crime-committed-outside-of-jurisdiction-reported-delhi-hc/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.962831 | 695 | 2.578125 | 3 |
SAN DIEGO — Social distancing measures and bans on large gatherings make it unlikely that people will be spending the weeks before Christmas in crowded shopping malls, at friends’ parties, or at the sort of holiday events that tend to fill their calendars at this time of year.
But, for Catholics, there may be a silver lining to this: While 2020 has taken a lot from us, it seems to have provided an opportunity to rediscover the spirit of Advent, the four-week period of joyful expectation and preparation that precedes Christmas. This year, Advent begins during the Nov. 28-29 weekend and concludes on Dec. 24.
In a typical year, Advent is often eclipsed by the pressure to get a jumpstart on the Christmas festivities. Decorations go up, carols start playing on the radio, and a frantic quest to buy the best Christmas gifts for loved ones begins, practically before Thanksgiving left-overs have even gotten cold.
Gerardo Rojas, director of the Diocesan Institute, said consumerism and a focus on material goods can not only “take away the sense of joy, and hope, and peace that the birth of Christ is tied to, but it does the opposite,” making our lives more stressful and hectic.
But because of the pandemic, he said, “We’re not going to be able to do the things that we were used to doing, and that might be a good thing.”
Patrick Rivera, director of the diocesan Office for Young Adult Ministry, can see how COVID-19 might give Catholics a different perspective on Advent. Already, the pandemic has “slowed us down so much” and “allowed us to become more reflective and more appreciative of the simple things in life.”
With many people experiencing financial difficulties because of the lockdowns, he said, this might be “less of a purchasing year for some people.”
“It allows us to once again recognize that God is offering Himself to us,” Rivera said, “and I think the pandemic will allow us to see that a little more clearly.”
Like Lent before Easter, Advent is a season of preparation. Despite their similarities, including the fact that priests wear purple vestments during both seasons, Advent and Lent are markedly different in tone. Advent is observed as a time of joyful expectation in contrast to the more sacrificial quality of Lent.
While Catholics seem to have a good grasp of how to celebrate Lent, like giving up chocolate and participating in devotions like the Stations of the Cross, they seem far less clear about what it means to do Advent well.
Noreen McInnes, director of the diocesan Office for Liturgy and Spirituality, said this is despite Advent having a host of rich traditions, including Advent wreaths, Advent calendars, and Nativity scenes.
Because different cultures celebrate it differently, it’s hard to say of one particular approach “this is the right way to do” Advent, Rojas said. What’s most important, he said, is “to focus our attention and our hearts on the coming of Christ.”
Among other things, he urges Catholics to go to Mass and to confession if they are able to do so, and to “find something to do at home with your family. It doesn’t have to be a crazy, elaborate thing,” but perhaps simply a prayer that can be recited together daily or weekly.
John Prust, director of the diocesan Office for Family Life and Spirituality, and Associate Director Ricardo Márquez recommend finding ways to get away from the “noise” that inundates the period surrounding Christmas.
Márquez describes Advent as a time to “go to the silent place” where you can hear God’s voice.
Prust suggests that one way to rediscover Advent might be for families to find ways to better celebrate the entirety of the Christmas season, which lasts from Christmas Day until the feast of the Baptism of the Lord (celebrated in 2021 on Jan. 10), thereby freeing up Advent to be something other than simply an early Christmas celebration.
But, he said, “I don’t think people need to throw out the baby with the bathwater and toss out all their (Christmas-themed) rituals during the Advent season.”
Rather, he recommends simply trying to infuse more of an Advent mentality into their current traditions. For example, families that like to put up their Christmas trees shortly after Thanksgiving could consider adopting the tradition of the Jesse Tree, adding one ornament each week that symbolizes some-thing from the Old Testament that prefigured the coming of Christ.
McInnes encourages Catholics to “be intentional about our Advent rituals.”
“Placing an Advent wreath in the center of our dinner table symbolizes placing Christ in the center of our family,” McInnes said, offering an example. “Lighting the successive candles each week is not just marking time but symbolizing Christ, our light, who shines brighter as we draw closer to Him, dispelling the darkness.”
She also recommended making time for family prayer, including the rosary, as a way of embracing the spirit of the season and preparing oneself to receive Jesus and to bring Him to others.
Meanwhile, Rivera recommends a practice that has served him well in his own spiritual life: reflecting on the Mass readings. He suggested that Catholics either join an Advent Bible study or reflect on the readings on their own every day or a few times each week.
He said perhaps the best thing that we could say by the close of Advent is that we were able to “live in the moment,” even if that was for as little as 10 to 30 minutes each day.
Maria Olivia “Marioly” Galván, chancellor of the Diocese of San Diego, expressed hope that Catholic families might make Advent a time “to be present” to one another.
“That’s the best ‘present’ that they can give,” she said, intending the pun.
But in addition to prayer, Galván suggests that Catholics look for ways to put their faith into action this Advent. This might include preparing care packages for families that are struggling to make ends meet, or looking for ways to help your parish.
“The opportunity to really live out our faith in concrete ways is also a wonderful way to live our Advent,” she said.
A good example is the annual ministry that Patrick Rivera and his family lead every November at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Lakeside.
The Rivera family oversees the assembly and distribution of Thanksgiving food baskets for almost 100 local families in need. Each basket contains everything required to prepare a full Thanksgiving dinner, including a frozen turkey.
“When we took over the Thanksgiving basket drive at OLPH,” Rivera recalled, “we found that our children enjoyed the outreach tremendously to the point that they ask us when we will begin the baskets. … Our children have a tangible way to give back and serve, and it is a way for them to see that we are all in this together, and that Christ’s coming calls us to be the hope that enlightens.”
McInnes noted that Advent is not only about a past event — the anticipation of Christ’s birth 2,000 years ago — but also about a future one: His second coming. The latter generates thoughts about the end times and about our own mortality.
She suggested that the pandemic also reminds us of our mortality and that of our loved ones, perhaps inspiring us to “treasure our relationships more” this Advent. | <urn:uuid:087b46b5-8fd6-476f-adff-82d50aebba18> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.thesoutherncross.org/family/pandemic-presents-opportunity-for-a-more-intentional-advent/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.956117 | 1,626 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Despite the fact that they both infect the liver, the hepatitis A and hepatitis C viruses actually have very little in common. The two are far apart genetically, are transmitted differently, and produce very different diseases. Hepatitis A spreads through the consumption of fecal particles from an infected person (in pollution-contaminated food or water, for example), but hepatitis C is generally transmitted only by direct contact with infected blood. Hepatitis A produces fever, nausea and abdominal pain that can last for weeks, but rarely lead to death; hepatitis C, by contrast, often spends decades quietly damaging the liver, until a victim’s only hope for survival is an organ transplant.
According to researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB), though, these two otherwise unrelated liver viruses have one important thing in common: a trick for avoiding destruction by the immune system. Both dodge immune attacks by attacking the same protein — an essential link in a chain of molecular signals that triggers antiviral responses.
"With 30,000-plus proteins in the cell, it’s really remarkable that these two very different viruses have chosen to strike at the same one," said Dr. Stanley Lemon, director of UTMB’s Institute for Human Infections and Immunity and National Institutes of Health-funded Hepatitis C Research Center. Lemon is senior author of a paper on the research appearing online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "This identifies the protein — called MAVS, for mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein — as extremely important for the survival of any virus in the liver."
MAVS proteins project from tiny structures called mitochondria, which are found in large numbers in each liver cell. When specialized receptor molecules detect viruses in the cell, they dock with the MAVS proteins, thereby triggering a sequence of signals ending with the production of interferon beta— a potent inhibitor of virus replication. Recent research has shown that hepatitis C generates a protein called NS3/4A that chops up MAVS, interfering with immune signaling and possibly providing the cover the virus needs to survive so long in the liver. Now, Lemon and his group have demonstrated that hepatitis A does the same thing with a different protein, known as 3ABC.
"Hepatitis A never manages to establish a long-term infection like hepatitis C even though it also destroys MAVS," Lemon said. "This suggests that the degradation of this cell protein is not the main reason that hepatitis C becomes persistent. These results thus provide a new perspective on the chronicity of hepatitis C, which is a highly relevant virus clinically."
Hepatitis C has received far more research attention than hepatitis A in recent years, according to Lemon, largely because of hepatitis C’s chronic nature and the lack of a vaccine against it. But while better sanitation has driven a decline in hepatitis A cases in the United States, Lemon said, "It’s a significant risk for many people traveling overseas, because they fail to receive the vaccine." Hepatitis A has also been the cause of large food-borne outbreaks in the U.S. in recent years, including one in Pennsylvania that caused three deaths in otherwise healthy adults. | <urn:uuid:7f3261fd-5efb-49e0-ac74-c5fe6d4ffa46> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.science20.com/news/researchers_find_hepatitis_a_and_hepatitis_c_attack_same_protein_to_block_immune_defenses | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571538.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812014923-20220812044923-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.951417 | 655 | 4.0625 | 4 |
Once a year in Southern California, the masses of people, 70,000 approximately, converge upon the Anaheim Convention Center to buy and sell natural foods at the NPEW or Natural Products Expo West. I had the opportunity to report on the show as a host of the Weekly Women GMO Free News Show.
You have never seen so many Non GMO Project Verified and USDA Organic seals in one place. You have never seen so many delightful, happy people talking about how their products are GMO free, organic and Gluten free! As a mother of children with multiple allergies, this is a thrilling development. Trying to find all three, GMO free, organic and Gluten free is like trying to find a needle in a hay stack even in a health food store even in one of the most affluent areas of America. Most products are either gluten free or organic, not both. Or they are Non GMO Project verified but not gluten free or organic.
Why is it so hard to find these foods?
Or more importantly why do we even need gluten free, non GMO and organic?
Is it just a trend or marketing ploy?
When I asked the food manufacturers, many of them said “Organic is the future.” I was surprised that they did not elaborate, talk about pesticides, glyphosate or GMOs. Some like “Good Boy Organics” are fully aware and are actively supporting the grassroots movements. They even go a step further and have BioDynamic pasta sauce! Check it out!
But many others, I suspect, do not know why the trifecta: non GMO,organic and gluten free is so crucial to moms.
1 out of 2 American children now has some form of chronic illness such as asthma, allergies, auto immune disorders, autism, diabetes or obesity. If you do the math, based on past diagnosis, 1 out if 2 children will have autism in the next 20 years. This is a crisis. This is urgent. Moms across America are struggling daily with health and behavioral issues and we want solutions.
Many of us now believe we know those solutions, and the winning food trifecta is a key role.
In addition to the over 1300 studies showing GMO harm, found on www.GMOfreeUSA.com, the recent evidence from the *Samsel and Seneff paper shows a very strong correlation between glyphosate, the active chemical ingredient in RoundUp and these skyrocketing children’s health issues, (the most widely used pesticide/herbicide in the world) especially autism. Most GMOs are genetically engineered to withstand Roundup, are sprayed repeatedly during growing and these chemical does not wash off. A new Soybean paper showed GMO soy with drastically higher levels of glyphosate, proving it does not evaporate in the sun either. Soil testing has shown glyphosate to still be active a year after use.
The gut bacteria are the stronghold of 70% of our immune system. If you destroy the gut bacteria, which is likely what is happening when you eat the America diet which is 85% GMO and contaminated with glyphosate, your body’s gut bacteria can no longer produce Tryptophan*.
Without Tryptophan your body cannot produce Seratonin or Melatonin*. Seratonin makes it possible for the body to regulate insulin, so without healthy gut bacteria we are more likely to develop diabetes. We know that diabetes has increased so much in America that in 13 years we will have no money left in the federal budget for anything except diabetes.
Melatonin influences sleep, happiness, satiation when eating, impulse control, bi-polar behavior and even acts of violence. Obesity now impacts 40% of Americans, our kids are three times more likely to be drugged for mental illness than kids in other countries, and on average, there has been a school shooting in America every other day this year. Violence and mental illness is beyond control. Something is impacting the health of America. The USA is the #1 country in the world in expenditures for health and last on the list of the top 17 most developed country in actual health results.
Organic means Non GMO seeds. It also means toxic pesticide free and glyphosate free.
Non organic is not just a more affordable chice, there is a cost: glyphosate is allowed to be sprayed on the soil before planting non organic crops and directly on many staple crops at harvest as a drying agent. They spray it directly on the non organic food crops we eat! We have recetly learned that the EPA has allowable levels of glyphosate on over 160 foods at hundreds of times higher than has been destroy gut bacteria. See the full list here.Sweet potatoes glyphosatelevels are 3ppm, Potatoes, 5ppm, tea 7ppm, corn 13ppm, and our live stock eats grains at 400 ppm. Glyphosate collects in the tissue of meat, making organic meat a very important choice.
People with gluten sensitivity report irritability when they consume gluten/wheat. Huge numbers of children with autism have shown dramatically better behavior when gluten is removed from their diets. Many are also reporting autism symptoms dissapear when they eat completely organic. Moms Across America has over a hundred testimonials, many of them about autism.
Glyphosate is sprayed on wheat as a drying agent. Wheat is one of the number one foods of the American diet, in cereals, sandwich breads, pasta, commonly eaten at every meal. Gluten intolerance and Celiac’s disease now affects 18 million Americans. Reports by Samsel and Seneffs show that is most likely not just the highly refined processing of wheat/gluten, that is impacting health, but the glyphosate. This is why the trifecta of Non GMO,organic and gluten free is so important, and why the companies who choose to make these foods, that are ALL THREE, despite the difficulties, are not a trend or duping me with a marketing ploy. They are the winners.
Here is a big winner in our house: Mary's Gone Cracker's GF, organic and Non GMO Project Verified Double Chocolate Cookies
The additional good news, is that in the process, you avoid other toxic chemicals of which we still do not know the effects. Non organic apples are sprayed with 21 different pesticides, strawberries 184, and coffee has tested positive for hundreds of toxic chemicals, more thanany other crop.
So when I find a food company that is Non GMO, organic gluten free and excuse me if I am chirpy, super excited and highlighting them like they are heros of the universe. Because considering that my children are my universe, they are.
Here is OH Yes! Pizza that is Gluten Free and Organic (and therefore GMO Free).
Here are some great finds at the NPEW:
Next blog will be about the other heros of food, the makers of probiotics, raw organic fermented veges, kombucha and keifer. We CAN heal our guts and heal from multiple allergies. Find our more about cultured foods in our next blog.
Here's too good healthy eating!
Mamás en toda América | <urn:uuid:1cf1a7db-f257-4039-9598-ed52bb244121> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://es.momsacrossamerica.com/the_food_trifecta_at_natural_products_expo_west | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570977.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809124724-20220809154724-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.947693 | 1,472 | 1.8125 | 2 |
A more contagious variant of the Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) — a virus that impairs a bee’s ability to fly — is concerning beekeepers around the world.
Researchers have found that the DWV-B variant has overtaken the original DWV-A variant as the dominant strain around the world.
Professor Leonard Foster, senior academic bee researcher at the University of British Columbia’s BeeHIVE research cluster, explained some of the consequences of this new variant.
“Most of the infections, above anything that’s very mild, lead to bees that aren’t able to fly and if enough bees in a colony are not able to fly then obviously a colony isn’t going to be able to feed itself,” said Foster.
This new variant has been found to potentially make colony loss much worse.
More precise details are needed to find the origin of the virus. However, researchers say it’s possible it originated in the native range of the mellifera bee which is found in West Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
Bill Cavers, membership secretary at the Capital Region Beekeepers Association, described the kind of role that bees play in society and how important it is to make sure they are healthy.
“If we did not have honeybees, we would lose about 30 per cent of the world’s crops right now in terms of grains, nuts, fruits, berries, and Beans,” said Cavers
Cavers suggests local beekeepers to not combat this alone, and stay connected with other local beekeepers in their respective communities to collaborate on ways to mitigate the spread. | <urn:uuid:5dc71059-00dc-4b96-abbd-404251b1fae0> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.cheknews.ca/researchers-find-new-variant-of-bee-virus-that-deforms-wings-1047760/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571210.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810191850-20220810221850-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.95004 | 342 | 3.375 | 3 |
Broncos Rally Brings Out Enormous Crowd
How much does a city love its professional sports teams? Seeing the turnout in Denver for the Broncos Super Bowl victory parade and rally is a good indication of what a team can mean to a community. An estimated 1 million fans lined the streets of downtown and the city’s Civic Center Park for the festivities, a number that far surpassed the estimated 650,000 that attended similar proceedings when the team won its first Super Bowl in 1998. Perhaps it’s not too much of a surprise, though, considering the team has had more than 350 consecutive sell-outs at its home stadium dating back to 1970, even with teams that didn’t make the playoffs. To put the rally turnout into some perspective: If the team had held it at Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium, whose seating capacity is 76,125, it would have needed 13 stadiums to seat everyone.
While the rally was peaceful (Denver police reported only one arrest), the effort to get downtown was anything but, and a good reminder for sports-event organizers to think ahead in all aspects of planning, including transportation. City officials—anticipating big crowds as they factored in the long wait between Super Bowl titles for the team (17 years) and unusually warm February weather (in the 50s)—encouraged fans to take public transportation. But the city’s light-rail system became overwhelmed quickly and left hundreds if not thousands of spectators stranded on platforms miles away from the action, unable to board trains. What was supposed to be extra service became hardly any service as trains were delayed and the few that came filled to capacity. It was an unfortunate circumstance that had fans filling trains going away from downtown so they could get to the first stops on the lines—their only real hope of boarding a train headed back to downtown.
Nonetheless, the rally itself and the turnout served as a useful reminder of the power that sports can play in uniting a community. And it served as a good reminder for all involved—organizers and attendees—to plan for all contingencies as far ahead as possible. | <urn:uuid:83ca827b-2436-4184-95b6-71f811065e93> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.sportstravelmagazine.com/broncos-rally-brings-out-enormous-crowd/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.976388 | 431 | 1.664063 | 2 |
TECnology Hall of Fame founder George Petersen and the NAMM TEC Committee have announced seven audio products and innovations as the newest entrants to the TECnology Hall of Fame (TECHOF). The designations, which were voted on by a panel of audio experts, including authors, educators, engineers and other professionals, honors audio products and innovations that have made a contribution to the advancement of audio technology and production.
Joining the 160 previous honorees at the TECnology Hall of Fame, the seven inductees for 2020 are:
Multichannel Film Sound for Fantasia (Walt Disney Productions - 1940)
UREI Cooper Time Cube (Duane Cooper/Bill Putnam - 1971)
Roland TR-808 Drum Machine (Roland – 1980)
Scholz Research & Development Rockman (Tom Scholz - 1982)
Neutrik Combo XLR-1/4" connector (Neutrik – 1992)
2002 Crane Song Phoenix Plug-in (Dave Hill - 2002)
QSC K-Series Speakers (QSC – 2010).
The TECnology Hall of Fame also celebrates the work of individual inventors, such as Boston band founder Tom Scholz’s 1980 Rockman guitar processor. He developed this barely larger than a cigarette pack studio-in-a-box from a need to create consistent, high-quality electric guitar tones for use onstage or in a recording studio and that sound found its way onto countless hit records, not only for Boston but other artists as well.
Inductees to the TECnology Hall of Fame are selected by nearly 50 audio experts and will be officially inducted Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. in the NAMM Member Center inside the Anaheim Convention Center. Past honorees have ranged from the early Edison cylinder recorders, to microphone and sound system designs; from groundbreaking tape recording devices, to products tied to key developments in digital audio workstations and software plug-ins.
1940 Multichannel Film for “Fantasia” (Walt Disney Productions)
Today, some 80 years later, Walt Disney’s Fantasia (1940) is still regarded as a cinematic masterpiece for its breathtaking animation. But the film was historic in other ways, as well, being the first film to be released with a four-channel soundtrack.
In the days long before multi-tracking, Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra’s performances were recorded onto nine separate synchronized optical 35mm film recorders using a collaborative Disney Productions/Bell Labs/RCA technology later referred to as “Fantasound.” The tracks were then mixed to four optical channels for theatrical release using newly developed “panpots” that would feed left, center, and right speakers behind the screen and 65 small speakers surrounding the audience.
The film was released in 1940 to critical acclaim at the Broadway Theater in New York City. Due to the costs/complexity of the playback system (and the outbreak of World War II), Fantasia was only shown in this format in a dozen other cities. It was later reissued as a mono version in 1940 and was revived as a stereo release with magnetic sound-on-film soundtrack in 1956, the eventual precursor to today’s Dolby stereo film formats.
1971 UREI Cooper Time Cube (Duane Cooper/Bill Putnam)
In the days before digital, achieving delay effects either required “bucket brigade” analog circuits, tape delay or simply sending audio down a long pathway (hallway, stairwell, etc.) and capturing the result with a microphone at the other end.
Seeking an alternative, in 1971 Bill Putman of Universal Audio/UREI and Duane Cooper collaborated to create the first mechanical delay device which routed audio down a garden hose housed in an enclosure with microphones placed at different points, yielding a choice of 14, 16 or 30 milliseconds of delay time.
The device had its own unique delay and doubling effects and sound and found its way onto many hit songs, including “Tell Me Something Good” by Rufus and War’s “Low Rider.” Few units were made (and fewer exist today), yet its classic sound lives on as the “Cooper Time Cube Mk II,” a Universal Audio software plug-in version that updates the original with modern features like tempo sync, pan, and EQ.
1980 Roland TR 808 Drum Machine
It’s hard to believe that a 40-year-old drum machine continues to have a profound impact on the sound of modern music, but the 1980’s Roland TR-808 is such a device. One of the first drum boxes that allowed users to create and store beats and patterns, the TR-808 found a receptive audience, especially with its intuitive, easy to use onboard sequencer. Unfortunately, as drum samples became affordable and more “realistic,” the TR-808, with its analog-synthesized percussion sounds was discontinued.
However, the TR808 remained popular with a core audience — particularly in the hip-hop, techno, and R&B genres and was prominent in hits such as Marvin Gaye’s 1982 “Sexual Healing” but has remained so over the years. Today, that classic TR-808 kick drum (widely sampled and available everywhere) and other TR-808 sounds are a mainstay on hits by RUN DMC, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Kanye West, and countless other artists.
1982 Scholz Research & Development Rockman (Tom Scholz)
Long before the term “project studio” was coined, Tom Scholz (founder of the band Boston) built a basement studio to record his own music, including his band’s debut album. An engineer with a master’s degree from MIT, he created much of his own gear, including what was to become the Scholz Rockman, a pocket-sized box that offered compression, distortion, stereo chorus and delay effects for guitar — effectively becoming a complete studio or pedalboard in a miniature package.
Scholz founded Scholz Research & Development to manufacture and market his inventions, including the Power Soak amplifier attenuator, which allowed the recording of amps at lower volumes, along with the popular Rockman, X100, Soloist, Guitar Ace and Bass Ace. With the Rockman’s headphone amp output, the unit could smoothly function as a direct box, providing players with a great sound that was consistent and simple to achieve — laying down the foundation for a revolution in the way guitarists make music, both live and in the studio.
1992 Neutrik Combo XLR-1/4" Connector
One would hardly expect that the design of an audio connector would have a profound impact on the audio and music production industry, but the Neutrik Combo is exactly that.
Debuting in 1992, this was the first hybrid panel-mount connector combining a 3- pole XLR receptacle and mono or stereo ¼" phone jack in one XLR housing. A perfect example of "why-didn't-I-think-of-that-first," Combo saves valuable real estate on today's I/O-packed gear, simplifies hookups in this pro/semipro world and can significantly reduce manufacturing costs — without compromising quality. Also, the Combo connector’s timing was ideal, launching exactly when an explosion of low-cost project studio and live performance consoles and speakers were hitting the market.
Today, the Neutrik Combo is just as popular as it was nearly 30 years ago. It is available in non-switching and normalling versions, with horizontal or vertical PCB mount or soldering terminations.
2002 Crane Song Phoenix Plug-in (Dave Hill)
Even in the pro audio world, Crane Song founder Dave Hill is hardly a household name. But starting back in the 1980s, his designs were the driving force behind many of Summit Audio’s most successful studio products, including the EQP-200 Dual Program Equalizer and the DCL-200 Dual Tube Compressor. Later setting out on his own, he founded Crane Song to create pristine-quality electronics for recording, mastering, and live sound engineers.
First shown in 2002, Phoenix was Dave Hill’s first foray into creating plug-ins. A TDM plug-in suite for Pro Tools HD, Phoenix is designed to put analog color into the digital domain by increasing apparent loudness without increasing gain (e.g., by modeling analog tape compression). The five different "flavors" of Phoenix can result in a much more musical sound and can add effects similar to gentle tape saturation — and is ideal for giving digital systems an analog sound — either in the studio or for live front of house or monitor mixing. Phoenix II, a newer version, runs both native and DSP on Avid’s AAX platform.
2010 QSC K-Series Speakers
When a company known for its roadworthy amplifiers comes out with a self-powered speaker line, the industry takes notice. While QSC’s K-Series was not its first venture into the powered speaker market, the line has gone on to become its most successful speaker offerings and a decade later, is well into its second generation, the K.2.
The original K-Series had three DSP-driven, two-way systems with 8, 10 or 12-inch woofers, 1.75-inch compression drivers on axisymmetrical waveguides and 500+500 watts of Class-D amplification, along with a compact, optional dual-12 KSub subwoofer. Offering rugged cabinets, tough steel grills, fly points, onboard DSP and great sound in affordable packages, the K-Series took off like a shot and continue to be a solid seller that’s popular with both pro and M.I. users alike. | <urn:uuid:2603ebbf-2cd8-45bc-904d-bb190f111c63> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.musicconnection.com/namm-tecnology-hall-fame-announces-seven-new-inductees/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571538.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812014923-20220812044923-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.944643 | 2,084 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Georg Schlegel is expanding its portfolio by an illuminated emergency-stop. The actuator improves the safety in connection with mobile control stations like pluggable programming devices or wireless handhelds as well as modular plant parts. The functional principle: If control stations or plant parts are connected to the overall system the active condition of the emergency-stop is signalled by the red illuminated mushroom head.
In case there is no connection available the mushroom head is not illuminated and thus has a grey transparent colour which indicates that the emergency-stop is inactive. The aim is to avoid confusion upon shutdown of the control station or the plant part and to ensure that no inactive emergency-stop is being operated and thus to provide safety at work. The new emergency-stop is in accordance with ISO 13850:2015(E) and will be certified acc. to the coming EN ISO 13850:2016. | <urn:uuid:f85ab0db-82b9-4b05-ab2d-f3fb99b55c6a> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.ien.eu/article/illuminated-emergency-stop-button/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.956832 | 178 | 1.796875 | 2 |
During your senior’s entire experience with dementia, there have probably been moments that scared both you and your aging adult.
In the later stages of dementia, however, there are likely to be behaviors your senior exhibits that she’s not aware of at all. This can make caregiving that much more difficult.
If your elderly family member doesn’t understand what’s going on around her, she might experience some justifiable fear. She might display this in an aggressive manner, which is then easy for you to misinterpret as well. Learning what triggers your senior’s aggressive behavior can help you to avoid it.
Agitation and Sundowning Behaviors
Later in the day, it’s easy for aging adults with dementia to become confused and more agitated than usual. They might become more fearful at this time, too. Because this is happening as the sun goes down, this is typically called sundowning. You can usually find some ways to help your senior to deal better with this time of day, which can help to soothe those agitated feelings.
One of the ways that your elderly family member might soothe herself is with repetitive movements. She might pace or wring her hands, depending on how mobile she is able to be. Increasing your aging family member’s activity level in a healthy manner can help with this at times. Often this happens because your elderly family member might be nervous or uncomfortable.
Periods of No Movement
For some aging family members in the later stages of dementia, the excessive or repetitive movement isn’t the problem. They might instead become primarily motionless and stop responding at all to you or to anyone else. This can be upsetting and frustrating for you as her caregiver, especially if you’re not able to get her to eat or to drink.
If your elderly family member sees, hears, or even feels things that aren’t there, she’s experiencing hallucinations. This can be common in the later stages of dementia, but they can be upsetting to witness. Some people get relief from hallucinations with the assistance of some medications, so be sure to mention them to your senior’s doctor.
During the later stages of dementia, having hospice care providers on hand can help you to understand what is going on. They can also help you to develop strategies and processes that help you to do the best that you can for your elderly family member at this point. | <urn:uuid:47646b4e-d65c-4088-b788-5a2ca0ca895f> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://serenityhospicenj.com/hospice-care-toms-river-nj-dementia-behaviors/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.972138 | 518 | 2.3125 | 2 |
We’ve all heard the saying, “Where words fail, music speaks” – and now, there’s a study to prove it.
New research from Harvard University shows that music carries a set of unique codes and patterns, which are in fact universally understood.
Conducted by the university’s science department, the aim of the study – titled Universality and Diversity in Human Song – was to explore whether or not music from different cultures share certain qualities.
In the abstract, it explains: “Music is often assumed to be a human universal, emerging from an evolutionary adaptation specific to music and/or a by-product of adaptations for affect, language, motor control, and auditory perception.
“But universality has never actually been systematically demonstrated, and it is challenged by the vast diversity of music across cultures.”
To carry out the research, the team examined ethnographic data and gathered over a century’s worth of music from across 315 different cultures – surely, therefore, a milestone in helping us understand our relationship with sound.
“Music is in fact universal,” the study concludes. “It exists in every society (both with and without words), varies more within than between societies, regularly supports certain types of behaviour, and has acoustic features that are systematically related to the goals and responses of singers and listeners.
“But music is not a fixed biological response with a single prototypical adaptive function: It is produced worldwide in diverse behavioural contexts that vary in formality, arousal, and religiosity.”
“Music does appear to be tied to specific perceptual, cognitive, and affective faculties, including language (all societies put words to their songs), motor control (people in all societies dance), auditory analysis (all musical systems have signatures of tonality), and aesthetics (their melodies and rhythms are balanced between monotony and chaos).”
The team behind the study said: “We propose that the music of a society is not a fixed inventory of cultural behaviours, but rather the product of underlying psychological faculties that make certain kinds of sound feel appropriate to certain social and emotional circumstances.”
Published last November, the study was led by Samuel Mehr, a fellow of the Harvard Data Science Initiative and research associate in psychology, Manvir Singh, a graduate student in Harvard’s department of Human Evolutionary Biology, and Luke Glowacki, a former Harvard graduate, now professor of anthropology at Pennsylvania State University.
Meanwhile, another study led by Alan Cowen at the University of California, Berkeley, investigated how many emotional experiences music could evoke in 1,591 participants from the United States and China, by making them listen to 2,168 musical samples.
Researchers found that both cultures recognised 13 different categories of emotions – including amusing, annoying, anxious or tense, beautiful, calm or relaxing or serene, dreamy, energising, erotic or desirous, indignant or defiant, joyful or cheerful, sad or depressing, scary or fearful, and triumphant or heroic.
Cowen said: “Music is a universal language, but we don’t always pay enough attention to what it’s saying and how it’s being understood.
“We wanted to take an important first step toward solving the mystery of how music can evoke so many nuanced emotions.”
In future, the researchers hope that their work will complement traditional medicine by helping psychologists and psychiatrists to develop better therapies using the power of music. | <urn:uuid:48ca84cb-e729-4566-a7e6-baa63df4cd6b> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://medimusic.co/blog/2021/03/02/music-is-a-universal-language-new-harvard-university-study-proves/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.931234 | 722 | 3.453125 | 3 |
As scores of researchers across the world scramble to develop vaccines for the novel coronavirus, a World Health Organization envoy is cautioning that one may never appear at all, according to a new report.
Dr. David Nabarro, who also serves as a professor of global health at Imperial College London, raised the possibility in a new interview with CNN.
“There are some viruses that we still do not have vaccines against,” Nabarro told the outlet. “We can’t make an absolute assumption that a vaccine will appear at all, or if it does appear, whether it will pass all the tests of efficacy and safety.”
In that case, according to the report, treatments may be developed, but the world could still see yearly coronavirus outbreaks — with deaths — and lockdowns will need to be periodically strengthened and loosened.
“It’s absolutely essential that all societies everywhere get themselves into a position where they are able to defend against the coronavirus as a constant threat, and to be able to go about social life and economic activity with the virus in our midst,” he added.
It’s been a challenge to develop vaccines for common rhinoviruses and adenoviruses, which, similar to the coronavirus, can cause cold symptoms, according to Nabarro.
Only one vaccine prevents two strains of adenovirus, and it’s not commercially available, he told CNN.
“You have high hopes, and then your hopes are dashed,” Nabarro said. “We’re dealing with biological systems, we’re not dealing with mechanical systems. It really depends so much on how the body reacts.”
Most experts are hopeful that a COVID-19 vaccine will eventually emerge — in part because the deadly bug does not mutate rapidly, according to the report.
During a televised town hall Sunday, President Trump predicted that a vaccine would be ready by the end of 2020.
White House coronavirus task force expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said last month he thought it was within the “realm of possibility” that millions of vaccines could be ready by January. Experts previously estimated that a vaccine could take 18 months, if not longer.
But some others say that bringing a vaccine to fruition in any of those time frames is unheard of.
“We’ve never accelerated a vaccine in a year to 18 months,” Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, told CNN. “It doesn’t mean it’s impossible, but it will be quite a heroic achievement.”
“We need plan A, and a plan B,” he added.
More than 90 COVID-19 vaccines are underway, in various stages, by research teams in companies and universities worldwide, Nature.com reported last week.
Human trials have begun for an Oxford University-developed vaccine that has protected six rhesus macaque monkeys from “heavy quantities” of the pathogen.
Those trials have also begun for a different vaccine, produced by the Massachusetts biotech firm Moderna. | <urn:uuid:efa7f399-dcae-466b-a4e5-a358271d5170> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://nypost.com/2020/05/04/who-envoy-warns-coronavirus-vaccine-may-never-be-developed/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571538.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812014923-20220812044923-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.937835 | 669 | 3 | 3 |
Near Nelson a bunch of cavers have been busy – they’ve discovered the deepest cave in New Zealand and in the Southern Hemisphere.
The passage is about 10kms long and drops around 1200m down below the earth’s surface. Th discovery was made when a link between two previously known cave systems, called Stormy Pot and Nettlebed, was found. There was a problem however – the link had previously been used as a toilet for cavers exploring the area – yuk! The link was full of rubble, which took the cavers 2 days to remove.
They plan to return to the cave systems soon and explore the area completely. More information here.
New Zealand is full of caves, there are many places underground to explore. Find out more about caving in these books: | <urn:uuid:2a6923e9-b09e-40ab-b627-85fe73fc7516> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.wcl.govt.nz/blogs/kids/index.php/2014/02/07/odd-stuff-deepest-nz-cave-found/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571210.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810191850-20220810221850-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.983059 | 165 | 2.53125 | 3 |
What Is Woodworking?
Woodworking suggests a lot of points, however right here’s fairly dull meaning I came up with that most enthusiasts will possibly agree with
Woodworking is an efficient craft that includes cutting, shaping, and also joining timber to produce ornamental and/or beneficial woodworking project paper plan to build moonshine still shadow things.
There is absolutely nothing literally demanding concerning woodworking as well as you can develop at your own speed. The standard concepts are easy to discover, yet it’s a pastime that will certainly always remain fresh and also challenging as your skills progress. If you like analytical, you will like woodworking. I’ve been at this for over 40 years and encounter brand-new difficulties with every task I construct.
It’s part of the procedure. It’s also rewarding to create really great things for your home utilizing your hands and also mind. In general, woodworking is a very solitary experience: if you are a little bit introverted and also love tackling tasks throughout, you will certainly love woodworking.
That Are Woodworkers?
There utilized to be 2 stereotypes of woodworkers. The cranky shop educator that instructed a truly uninteresting class to kids who really did not want to be there, and the retired grandpa that puttered about in his garage with a great deal of time to develop an occasional birdhouse.
Luckily, those stereotypes are no longer true. There is even more diversity in woodworking now than ever before, thanks to on-line areas and also the price of devices and products.
In the past ten years there has actually been a big increase in two groups of people making woodworking a leisure activity. Initially, ladies. It had not been that long ago when a women woodworker was uncommon. Today, women woodworkers are widespread. There is nothing regarding woodworking that anyone can not do.
The second big market spike has been amongst millennials, individuals in their 20s as well as 30s. I learn through individuals all the time who operate in silicon valley or just have some kind of workplace work as well as feel the need to make things with their hands.
What’s The Distinction Between A “Manufacturer” As Well As A “WoodWorker”?
A maker is a reasonably new term that has turned up in the past years or two. It’s a comprehensive term for people who like to dabble in different crafts. This can suggest a little woodworking, metalworking, epoxying, concreting, computer system programs, electronics, 3D printing, cooking, embroidery, knitting, precious jewelry production, sculpting, porcelains, robotics, also having fun with Legos. So generally, we are all manufacturers.
A woodworker is a maker who is primarily thinking about finding out as well as fine-tuning the craft of producing points out of timber. Sometimes we bring other products into our jobs, however the emphasis gets on the wood. It’s an economical, classic material that’s very easy to construct with.
Ted’s 16,000 Woodworking Plans
I’ve had my eye on Ted’s 16,000 woodworking plans for a long time.
It seemed too great to be true. Although I’m not a serious woodworker, I figured if I made one or a few of the tasks from the set it would be cash well spent.
My curiosity obtained the best of me. I bit the bullet and also bought it. They supply a reimbursement so I figured if it was entirely pointless I could ask for my cash back.
Is is as well good to be real?
Not really. It’s respectable. It’s not perfect, yet it’s great.
A few of the plans are so bad however are included just to boost the sales pitch of “16,000” plans.
And then some of the plans are great. Some are all right. I’m not surprised it’s not excellent. It’s an enormous collection and also combination of different prepare for all type of items.
Right here’s the frame of mind you should have if you purchase Ted’s Woodworking. Accept the fact you will not like every plan. In fact, accept you will probably refrain from doing 90% or even more of them for any kind of number of reasons such as the strategies are bad and/or they aren’t projects you desire to build.
BUT, the few plans that you simulate and that are respectable high quality, if you develop them, will certainly be make the expense of this electronic collection of woodworking strategies worth it.
That should purchase Ted’s Woodworking?
This is for individuals that such as do it yourself jobs. Most of the strategies are labeled “newbie”, “intermediate” or “sophisticated” which is helpful.
Even if you’ve never built anything or done any kind of woodworking, this is a pretty good set of strategies to start with since there are beginner tasks consisted of.
You can build all type of things for your residence. See the checklist of strategy categories listed below.
At the end of the day, if you do the weird DIY job or meddle woodworking, this is a suitable collection of plans to have in your supply.
Concerning the Item
I haven’t counted to see if there are 16,000 strategies, yet I verify there are a great deal of them.
Thankfully they are well organized so you can find precisely what you’re trying to find.
Ted’s Woodworking is delivered as a PDF download. It’s really a collection of PDF downloads (see plan categories above).
Nonetheless, you can additionally get the DVD version yet it sets you back an added $19.95 (I really did not pay $19.95 for the DVD variation).
Some wonderful woodworking plans: Clearly if a strategy is something you intend to construct as well as the strategy is described sufficient to ensure that you can complete the project it’s great.
Nonetheless, some of the jobs are old and the strategies are poor high quality … so poor you’ll most likely just ignore them.
On the PLUS side, there are many excellent tasks worth building. For instance, the loft space bed plan over is outstanding (among several).
Well Organized: I was soothed after acquiring Ted’s Woodworking that I really did not have to sift via hundreds of PDF pages. Instead, Ted at the very least put some initiative into arranging the plans in lots of groups. This made discovering some suitable plans very simple.
In fact, the members’ area is truly easy to use and also well arranged.
Good value for cash: One or two completed tasks from this item makes it worth the money. I have no doubt I’ll obtain my cash’s well worth over time and I have actually yet to check out each and every single plan included. I’ve discovered enough quality tasks that I’m satisfied with the item value provided it’s relatively inexpensive.
Price: It’s not extremely pricey. Given that it’s an electronic download, you do not have to pay for an expensive publication, which is great.
Ideas: One advantage of there being many strategies is just by brushing through the strategies I developed new project ideas I hadn’t thought of previously.
Some awful strategies: Sadly some of the plans are dreadful which suggests you have to invest time filtering through the bad plans. I would certainly favor an item with fewer strategies with every one be excellent quality.
Woodworking Videos: These are a joke. Luckily it’s just a bonus so I really did not care. I think these compromise the item. The video clips are mostly from YouTube. Ted simply brushed through YouTube seeking woodworking video clips and also put them in the members’ location. I checked out a few of the videos as well as they weren’t worth viewing.
Generally, I’m satisfied. I discovered a number of jobs worth doing as well as the plans were sufficiently described that I would certainly be able to build them.
It’s a terrific stock to carry hand even though I have no immediate need. If ever I wish to construct something, I have a great set of strategies to check out. | <urn:uuid:4439e197-9ce7-4be6-b629-f7419994766d> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.engagement-group.com/woodworking-project-paper-plan-to-build-moonshine-still-shadow/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.962853 | 1,776 | 2.796875 | 3 |
One of the best things about the HDMI standard is the Consumer Electronics Control (HDMI-CEC), which lets different devices control each other. This can be as simple as having a TV turn on with your Blu-ray player and set itself to the right channel, or using HDMI Arc to send sound from the TV to a soundbar. As good as it sounds, if you have a problem with HDMI ARC and CEC not working, then you’ve come to the right place. Here’s what you need to know.
First, it’s worth explaining that all HDMI-CEC is a standard of sorts, manufacturers have implemented it in slightly different ways. The system is also very finicky about which devices are connected first, and in which order they’re connected in. If you’re having trouble getting all of the features working, we’ll show you what to do – including getting CEC to work – so that your TV will turn on and off automatically, and troubleshooting HDMI ARC to make it work all of the time.
What we used
We tested these steps on multiple TVs and soundbars, including the Sonos Arc.
The short version
- Turn on HDMI-CEC
- Replug everything
- Fix HDMI ARC
- Check the audio formats you’re using
- Reboot if you’re not getting the right sound
Turn on HDMI-CEC
HDMI-CEC has to be enabled on all devices. What makes this harder is that devices all call this something slightly different. For example, Sky Q calls the setting HDMI control, LG calls it Simplink, Samsung calls it Anynet+, Sony calls it Bravia Sync, and Panasonic calls it VIERA Link or EZ-Sync.
That makes things a little more complicated, but you just need to look in the settings menu for the HDMI options and you should find the right control. It’s important to enable HDMI-CEC for all devices, including soundbars, TVs, set-top boxes and Blu-ray players.
If you had HDMI-CEC disabled on any devices, then this could be your problem. However, if the setting was enabled on everything (or you enabled the settings) and HDMI-CEC isn’t working, then you need to jump to step 2.
HDMI-CEC is really finicky about the order that devices are plugged in, as this affects the handshake that makes the system work. Where HDMI-CEC isn’t working properly, you need to turn everything off at the plug and remove all HDMI cables from your TV.
Next, turn your TV on first. Then, if you have any external sound devices (soundbar or AV amp), you need to plug these into an HDMI port on your TV first, and then power them on. Next, plug in a set-top box, such as Sky Q, via HDMI and power it on. Finally, follow up with media players and Blu-ray players.
This should make HDMI-CEC work properly, so turning on Sky Q, for example, will turn on the TV and set it to the right channel. However, don’t be surprised if turning off a set-top box leaves the TV on, as this is often the case.
Fix HDMI ARC
The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) is a subset of the HDMI-CEC standard, and lets the TV send audio over an HDMI cable to a soundbar or AV receiver. If you’re not getting any sound this way, then you should, first of all, follow step two above. Next, you need to set your TV to use HDMI arc, which will automatically send audio to your soundbar.
Check the audio formats you’re using
If you still don’t get sound, or sound is intermittent, then you could have a problem with audio formats not being supported. For example, you can set Sky Q to use Dolby Digital Plus, but if your soundbar and TV don’t support this format, you won’t get any audio. So, you need to check the sound outputs of each device and make sure that they’re set to something compatible. Sky Q gives you normal (stereo), Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus, for example, which you can try in turn.
For Blu-ray players where you get no sound, try going into the settings menu and selecting PCM as the output, which will limit you to stereo sound on TVs that have HDMI ARC, but you can get full surround sound from TVs with HDMI eARC.
Reboot if you’re not getting the right sound
It’s worth checking if you’re getting the sound format that you expect. Soundbars and amps with a screen will usually tell you what format they’re playing, but there’s often an on-screen menu that you can use. For Sonos systems, you can use the app to see.
We’d had problems with our set-up not passing on the Dolby Atmos signal. Our way to fix this is to reboot the player we’re using by taking the power out, waiting 10 seconds and then reconnecting power. If that doesn’t work, then rebooting the TV by removing power, and waiting 10 seconds usually does work.
Optical is good, although it is low bandwidth so doesn’t support the latest sound formats such as Dolby Atmos.
It’s all about the handshake, and sometimes devices get confused and can’t see what they’re supposed to be communicating with, which requires a reboot to force redetection. | <urn:uuid:6c81dc04-266c-486c-96f3-f87e54e27890> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://twelve27shop.com/hdmi-arc-and-cec-not-working-try-these-fixes/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.906637 | 1,227 | 1.867188 | 2 |
A humanoid skull found in Borkou is more than 3 million years old. Because in ancient times the Saharan area was not totally arid, Chad's population was more evenly distributed than it is today. For example, 7,000 years ago, the north central basin, now in the Sahara, was still filled with water, and people lived and farmed around its shores. The cliff paintings in Borkou and Ennedi depict elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffes, cattle, and camels; only camels survive there today. The region was known to traders and geographers from the late Middle Ages. Since then, Chad has served as a crossroads for the Muslim peoples of the desert and savanna regions, and the animist Bantu tribes of the tropical forests.
Sao people lived along the Chari River for thousands of years, but their relatively weak chiefdoms were overtaken by the powerful chiefs of what were to become the Kanem-Bornu and Baguirmi kingdoms. At their peak, these two kingdoms and the kingdom of Ouaddai controlled a good part of what is now Chad, as well as parts of Nigeria and Sudan. From 1500 to 1900, Arab slave raids were widespread.
The French first penetrated Chad in 1891, establishing their authority through military expeditions primarily against the Muslim kingdoms. The decisive colonial battle for Chad was fought on April 22, 1900 at Kousseri (in today's Cameroon between the French Major Lamy and the African leader Rabah Zobeir, both of whom were killed in the battle. Although the French were victorious, they did not declare the territory pacified until 1911, and armed resistance continued for many years thereafter.
In 1905, administrative responsibility for Chad was placed under a governor-general stationed at Brazzaville in what is now the Republic of the Congo. Although Chad joined the French colonies of Gabon, Oubangui-Chari, and Middle Congo to form the federation of French Equatorial Africa (AEF) in 1910, it did not have colonial status until 1920. The northern region of Chad was occupied by the French in 1914.
During World War II, Chad was the first French colony to join the Allies (August 26, 1940), under the administration of Félix Éboué, France's first black colonial governor. After a referendum on territorial autonomy (28 September 1958), French Equatorial Africa was dissolved, and its four constituent states – Gabon, Congo (Brazzaville), the Central African Republic, and Chad became autonomous members of the French Community (28 November 1958). On August 11, 1960, Chad became an independent nation under its first president, François (Ngarta) Tombalbaye.
A long civil war began as a tax revolt in 1965 and soon set the Muslim north and east against the southern-led government. Even with the help of French combat forces, the Tombalbaye government was never able to quell the insurgency. Tombalbaye's rule became more irrational and brutal, leading the military to carry out a coup in 1975 and to install Gen. Felix Malloum, a southerner, as head of state. In 1978, Malloum's government was broadened to include more northerners. Internal dissent within the government led the northern prime minister, Hissenè Habré, to send his forces against the national army in the capital city of N'Djamena in February 1979. The resulting civil war amongst the 11 emergent factions was so widespread that it rendered the central government largely irrelevant. At that point, other African governments decided to intervene.
A series of four international conferences held first under Nigerian and then Organization of African Unity (OAU) sponsorship attempted to bring the Chadian factions together. At the fourth conference, held in Lagos, Nigeria, in August 1979, the Lagos accord was signed. This accord established a transitional government pending national elections. In November 1979, the National Union Transition Government (GUNT) was created with a mandate to govern for 18 months. Goukouni Oueddei, a northerner, was named President; Colonel Kamougue, a southerner, Vice President; and Habre, Minister of Defense. This coalition proved fragile; in January 1980, fighting broke out again between Goukouni's and Habre's forces. With assistance from Libya, Goukouni regained control of the capital and other urban centers by year’s end. However, Goukouni’s January 1981 statement that Chad and Libya had agreed to work for the realization of complete unity between the two countries generated intense international pressure and Goukouni’s subsequent call for the complete withdrawal of external forces. Libya’s partial withdrawal to the Aozou Strip in northern Chad cleared the way for Habre’s forces to enter N’Djamena in June. French troops and an OAU peacekeeping force of 3,500 Nigerian, Senegalese, and Zairian troops (partially funded by the United States) remained neutral during the conflict.
Habre continued to face armed opposition on various fronts, and was brutal in his repression of suspected opponents, massacring and torturing many during his rule. In the summer of 1983, GUNT forces launched an offensive against government positions in northern and eastern Chad with Libyan support. In response to Libya's direct intervention, French and Zairian forces intervened to defend Habre, pushing Libyan and rebel forces north of the 16th parallel. In September 1984, the French and the Libyan governments announced an agreement for the mutual withdrawal of their forces from Chad. By the end of the year, all French and Zairian troops were withdrawn. Libya did not honor the withdrawal accord, and its forces continued to occupy the northern third of Chad.
Southern rebel commando groups (CODO) in southern Chad were broken up by government massacres in 1984. In 1985 Habre briefly reconciled with some of his most powerful opponents including the Chadian Democratic Front and the Coordinating Action Committee of the Democratic Revolutionary Council. Goukouni also began to rally toward Habre, and with his support Habre successfully expelled Libyan forces from most of Chadian territory. A cease-fire between Chad and Libya held from 1987 to 1988, and negotiations over the next several years led to the 1994 International Court of Justice decision granting Chad sovereignty over the Aouzou strip, effectively ending Libyan occupation.
However, rivalry between Hadjerai, Zaghawa and Gorane groups within the government grew in the late 1980s. In April 1989, Idriss Deby, one of Habre's leading generals and a Zaghawa, defected and fled to Darfur in Sudan, from which he mounted a Zaghawa-supported series of attacks on Habre (a Gorane). In December 1990, with Libyan assistance and no opposition from French troops stationed in Chad, Deby’s forces successfully marched on N’Djamena. After 3 months of provisional government, Deby’s Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) approved a national charter on February 28, 1991, with Deby as president.
In the next 2 years, Deby faced at least two coup attempts. Government forces clashed violently with rebel forces (including the Movement for Democracy and Development, MDD, National Revival Committee for Peace and Democracy (CSNPD), Chadian national Front (FNT) and the Western Armed Forces, FAO) near Lake Chad and in southern regions of the country. Earlier French demands for the country to hold a National Conference resulted in the gathering of 750 delegates representing political parties (legalized in 1992), the government, trade unions and the army to discuss creation of a pluralist democratic regime.
However unrest continued, sparked in part by large-scale killings of civilians in southern Chad. The CSNPD, led by Kette Moise and other southern groups entered into a peace agreement with government forces in 1994, which later broke down. Two new groups, the Armed Forces for a Federal Republic (FARF) led by former Kette ally Laokein Barde and the Democratic Front for Renewal (FDR), and a reformulated MDD clashed with government forces 1994-95.
Talks with political opponents in early 1996 did not go well, but Deby announced his intent to hold presidential elections in June. Deby won the country’s first multi-party presidential elections with support in the second round from opposition leader Kebzabo, defeating General Kamougue (leader of the 1975 coup against Tombalbaye). Deby’s MPS party won 63 of 125 seats in the January 1997 legislative elections. International observers noted numerous serious irregularities in presidential and legislative election proceedings.
By mid-1997 the government signed peace deals with FARF and the MDD leadership and succeeded in cutting off the groups from their rear bases in the Central African Republic and Cameroon. Agreements also were struck with rebels from the National Front of Chad (FNT) and Movement for Social Justice and Democracy in October 1997. However, peace was short-lived, as FARF rebels clashed with government soldiers, finally surrendering to government forces in May 1998. Barde was killed in the fighting, as were hundreds of other southerners, most civilians.
Since October 1998 Chadian Movement for Justice and Democracy (MDJT) rebels, led by Youssuf Togoimi, have skirmished with government troops in the Tibesti region, resulting in hundreds of civilian, government, and rebel casualties, but little ground won or lost. No active armed opposition has emerged in other parts of Chad, although Kette Moise, following senior postings at the Ministry of Interior, mounted a smallscale local operation near Moundou which was quickly and violently suppressed by government forces in late 2000.
Deby, in the mid-1990s, gradually restored basic functions of government and entered into agreements with the World Bank and IMF to carry out substantial economic reforms. Oil exploitation in the southern Doba region began in June 2000, with World Bank Board approval to finance a small portion of a project aimed at transport of Chadian crude through a 1000-km. buried pipeline through Cameroon to the Gulf of Guinea. The project establishes unique mechanisms for World Bank, private sector, government, and civil society collaboration to guarantee that future oil revenues benefit local populations and result in poverty alleviation. Success of the project will depend on intensive monitoring efforts to ensure that all parties keep their commitments. Debt relief was accorded to Chad in May 2001.
Deby won a flawed 63% first-round victory in May 2001 presidential elections after legislative elections were postponed until spring 2002. Six opposition leaders were arrested (twice) and one opposition party activist was killed following the announcement of election results. However, despite claims of government corruption, favoritism of Zaghawas, and security forces abuses, opposition party and labor union calls for general strikes and more active demonstrations against the government have been unsuccessful. Despite movement toward democratic reform, power remains in the hands of a northern ethnic oligarchy. | <urn:uuid:90f29ae4-3ceb-4764-a27a-575edd3bd5d1> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://www.fact-index.com/h/hi/history_of_chad.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.970739 | 2,284 | 3.890625 | 4 |
At our UK headquarters this morning, we ran a competition asking the question “It is estimated that by 2050, population growth will increase the demand for water by ??%”. Fifty five colleagues tried their luck by guessing the correct answer. PCB Assembly and Test team Leader Ryan was the winner with the answer of 55%. Ryan received a £25 Amazon Gift Card.
World Water Day
With UN World Water Day taking place globally today, we wanted to make our colleagues aware of the water and climate change issues facing the global population. Mini-Cam’s part in this is that we provide systems that allow network operators to keep waste water networks flowing freely, and dispersing foul water and ground water efficiently, minimising potential for flooding events. | <urn:uuid:22139707-531b-481b-947c-e79ce959ff48> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.minicam.us/world-water-day/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570767.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808061828-20220808091828-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.960376 | 157 | 1.898438 | 2 |
This study on lifelong guidance (LLG) policy and practice in the EU focuses on trends, challenges and opportunities. Lifelong guidance aims to provide career development support for individuals of all ages, at all career stages. It includes careers information, advice, counselling, assessment of skills and mentoring. The report was published in February 2020.
Barnes, S-A., Bimrose, J., Brown, A., Kettunen, J., & Vuorinen, R. (2020). Lifelong guidance policy and practice in the EU: trends, challenges and opportunities. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. ISBN 978-92-76-17340-3. | <urn:uuid:56bf24f6-b45c-4674-a426-2d7b1e1cea1b> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://dmhassociates.org/lifelong-guidance-policy-and-practice-in-the-eutrends-challenges-and-opportunities | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.865291 | 139 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Snoring is a condition that is caused by the vibration of soft tissues and muscles of the throat and behind the tongue. This can result in disturbed sleep, irritability, tiredness and other medical complications. Experts explain the benefits of using anti snoring appliances in resolving snoring and sleep apnoea. These appliances can reposition your lower jaw and open the airway, to enable breathing.
Our easy-to-use devices are custom-made and an effective way to resolve your snoring and sleep apnoea.
Reserve your consultation at Dental square, and our experts will present you with your treatment options immediately.
Sports players with an active lifestyle are recommended to wear sports guard appliances to protect themselves. The appliances can minimise the risk of injures to lips, tongue, cheeks, soft tissues and prevents fracture /chipping of your teeth.
Sports guard appliances are soft, plastic, well fitted intra oral appliances, that covers all surface of the teeth. These are custom made and available in variety of colours and designs. | <urn:uuid:48c38245-c7a2-4417-9658-24fb7627a78b> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.mydentalsquare.com/dental-appliances-treatment-in-mulanthuruthy.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.935235 | 213 | 1.734375 | 2 |
The Olympia-Wafula Foundation has a dedicated team of people working hard to raise money and support for people in need.
Anne Wafula Strike MBE – Founder and Manager
Anne Wafula Strike provides a personal example of courage, commitment and determination that challenges misconceptions about disability.
Athlete, author, and sporting ambassador, Anne inspires achievement and excellence across a broad range of life situations through motivational talks and appearances that encourage others to overcome difficulties and maximise potential.
She has also been awarded an MBE for her services to disability sport and charity work.
You can find out more about Anne Wafula Strikes by visiting her website: www.annestrike.org
Lord Petre, Lord Lieutenant of Essex – Patron
“The positive effect that the success of the Paralympic Games has had on the public perception of the often neglected potential of people with disabilities has been widely recognised. It is a principal aim of the Foundation to take advantage of that wave of good-will to enhance ever further opportunities for people with disabilities to play their full part in the community for the common good.
I wish them every success in their efforts, not only in the U.K. but also in Africa and the Caribbean where the problems of ostracism are far worse.”
To Make a donation please click here | <urn:uuid:019249bc-9014-4664-833a-485b3cf4cf09> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://www.olympia-wafulafoundation.org/team/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572212.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815205848-20220815235848-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.956999 | 273 | 1.507813 | 2 |
HOT AIR BALLOON WRITING PAGE
World Balloon | Amazing Balloon Flights in Albuquerque for over
Fact: World Balloon has an impeccable safety record. Fact: World Balloon does NOT operate the largest fleet of hot air balloons, but we do operate the newest and best balloon equipment available. Fact: World Balloon is a zero tolerance workplace. All of our pilots, crew and office staff are subject to random drug screenings.
Hot Air Balloon Class Birthday Display | Primary Resources - Twinkl
If you are looking for a class birthday display, then look no further than this fabulous resource. It's perfect to make a bright and colourful birthday display board for your classroom wall wonderful class birthday display enables you to create a beautiful scene of hot air balloons floating through the clouds. First, you can download and print fluffy white clouds, each one
Montgolfier brothers - Wikipedia
Hot air balloon experiments, 1782 Of the two brothers, it was Joseph who was first interested in aeronautics; as early as 1775 he built parachutes, and once jumped from the family house. Joseph recruited his brother to balloon building by writing, "Get in a supply of taffeta and of cordage, quickly, and you will see one of the most
Tom Sawyer Abroad - Wikipedia
Plot. In the story, Tom, Huck, and Jim travel to Africa in a futuristic hot air balloon, where they survive encounters with lions, robbers, and fleas to see some of the world's greatest wonders, including the Pyramids and the Sphinx Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, Detective, the story is told using the first-person narrative voice of Huck Finn.
Weather science: How to make a cloud in a jar (2 different
Apr 20, 2016With this next step, the goal is to change the air pressure in the jar by gently pushing and releasing the balloon. Be gentle as you do this to ensure that the balloon does not come off the top of the jar. With your finger, gently push the balloon into the jar a little bit to increase the air pressure in the jar. Then release.
Balloon Bouquets & Balloon Centerpieces | Party City
Air Filled (106) Selecting a value will reload the page Bouquets (142) Hot Wheels (1) Selecting a value will reload the page JoJo Siwa (1) Balloon(s) can be inflated by going to the purchasing store with a receipt; Includes Giant Magical Unicorn Balloon: 33" W x 29" L, 2 Magical Unicorn Balloons: 18" diameter each, and 2 pink star
Pokémon Go: Cliff, Sierra, Arlo, and Giovanni best counters - iMore
Jul 08, 2022Jesse and James in their Meowth hot air balloon are no longer appearing, but should they return, they give you the chance to earn two Mysterious Components for the one balloon. Casian Holly has been writing about gaming at iMore since 2019, but their real passion is Pokémon. From the games to the anime, cards and toys, they eat, sleep, and
Search | Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Official website of Edinburgh Festival Fringe, one of the greatest celebrations of arts and culture in the world. Find everything you need, whether you want to take part or book tickets.
Quad Cities Balloon Fest August 12-13 at Rhythm City Casino
Aug 03, 2022This year’s Quad Cities Hot Air Balloon Festival takes place on Friday, August 12 and Saturday, August 13 at Rhythm City Casino in Davenport. Gates open at 4 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Aerospace Programs | Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters
(See CAPR 39-2, Civil Air Patrol Membership, for more information.) The CAPF 13, CAP Aerospace Education Membership Application, is used to enroll into the AEM category. AEMs promote aerospace education to their students, peers and the general public. (Specific information for the potential AEM is found on the Educators Page.) 2. | <urn:uuid:e7d70910-ebf3-4542-ab1f-ebf10b0a9dd2> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://app-wiringdiagram.herokuapp.com/post/hot-air-balloon-writing-page | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.90961 | 828 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Random photos from an old HP 9836A that I used to have. Display screen shows a date of 1982.
I always wanted an injection molding machine, but even the small machines have significant setup costs and space requirements. There’s also quite a learning curve on mold-making and materials handling. I stumbled across the book Secrets of Building a Plastic Injection Molding Machine by Vincent Gingery. This looked like a good project to play around with injection molding, without the huge investment.
David J. Gingery Publishing has long been know as a source for information on industrial arts like metal working, foundrywork, and more. I remember it being a big source of DIY info for Makers, before YouTube was even a thing.
In any event, I went through the book and learned a lot. I was happy with the way it turned out.
I made a mold for the plastic knob, used to raise and lower the machine’s table. This is described in the book. To test it, I melted some 20oz. plastic soda bottles, and made a few different-colored knobs:
I cut the electrical covers out of some thin sheet metal. The outlines for the shapes can be found here: | <urn:uuid:2b0ba91e-5d82-409c-99d5-381a029864e8> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://therustyfox.com/author/admin-rlfoxcom/page/5/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.951167 | 254 | 2.046875 | 2 |
As indexed and passive investment funds continue to grow assets under their management, they frequently appear among the largest investors on a public company’s roster of owners. These investment vehicles often own stocks only as a result of their inclusion in an index, and rarely apply any qualitative overlay. Buy and sell decisions are simply mechanical. These large investors thus are prone to take a hands-off approach when it comes to evaluating a company’s management and governance practices.
Corporate leadership is aware of the increasing numbers of these “silent owners” and the decrease in active institutional ownership. Consequently, there appears to be a growing lack of accountability by directors to active shareholders. Board directorships are very lucrative positions, offering both cash and stock compensation. Some in these positions may be tempted to act out of self-interest rather than in in the best interest of shareholders, resulting in needless underperformance of the company’s common stock.
As elected representatives of shareholders, corporate boards of directors have a legal fiduciary obligation to act in the best interests of their constituents. Their primary responsibility is to hire and provide oversight to executive management, ensuring strategic and financial objectives are achieved. Ideally, this oversight results in long-term shareholder value creation. What happens when boards fail in their primary duties?
Here is where operational activists come in. Operational activists are the guardians of shareholder rights. Operational activism fills a critical gap between passive shareholders and those charged with creating value for shareholders. They are becoming an increasingly important force, holding corporate officers and directors accountable to the rightful owners of the business, the common shareholders.
While traditional activists tend to demand or facilitate a company sale through go-private transactions or consolidation strategies designed to realize a quick profit, operational activists understand that a company’s share price is depressed because of the problems created by poor management and board oversight. Operational activists see opportunity in fixing the business, recognizing share gains through the stock market’s revaluation of the business as a result of its improved performance.
Operational activists bring vital leadership and expertise necessary to strengthen board and executive functions, which frequently requires the replacement of directors or management.
Leading indications that operational activism is warranted:
- Lack of board turnover
- Company CEO acts also as chairman
- Weak board governance practices
- Lack of open market stock purchase by officers and directors
- Incentive compensation misaligned with shareholder value creation
- Poor corporate capital allocation
- Ill-conceived acquisitions resulting in large write downs and impairment charges
- Lack of strategic plan by board and management
Insider share ownership and open market transactions are good indicators of alignment of the interests of management, directors, and shareholders. Far too often, large stock awards to executives are followed by the sale of that stock – hardly a reassuring signal to shareholders. Nothing speaks as loudly as management and directors digging into their own pockets to buy shares in open market transactions.
Through interaction with company management and examining public filings, investors can arm themselves with valuable details about the way a company is managed. Stock price underperformance can be an indicator that problems already exist.
Activism is a specialty and has high costs. Many proxy contests involve substantial commitments of time and money. Legal counsel is almost always required when approaching a company to demand change, and a vast array of other professional services (proxy solicitors, investment bankers, etc.) can be retained on a situational basis. The great irony in these situations is those who are being challenged have the company’s resources at their disposal – they can spend freely from the company’s cash and liquid assets to defend themselves from the very problems they’ve created and from the people they represent.
Operational activists seek to provide checks and balances at public companies, giving stockholders a united voice by demanding accountability from company boards and executives. It is rare for an operational activist to show up at a well-managed company that consistently creates shareholder value, but they are invaluable when poor governance and oversight begin to erode shareholder value.
Diligent investors and fund managers without the temperament to challenge companies or demand board representation should remain alert to the activities of operational activists, who may be willing to co-invest in a situation and intervene on behalf of all shareholders. Our market-based system allows for and rewards such constructive initiatives. | <urn:uuid:c33f48f4-5c4f-4ad6-ab42-a7d9c554c149> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://gvi-corp.com/why-operational-activism-is-here-to-stay/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571538.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812014923-20220812044923-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.956173 | 878 | 1.523438 | 2 |
With 2021 coming to a close, many Americans are still feeling the financial strain of the pandemic.
Many states are taking it upon themselves to provide financial relief to those who have suffered.
This comes after the federal government sent three stimulus checks since the start of the pandemic.
The following states have, or will be, sending out stimulus payments to their residents
Arizona is paying their residents who choose to return to work.
If you return full time, you’re eligible for $2,000. If you return part time it’s $1,000.
California is preparing to finish the disbursement of their Golden State Stimulus II checks this month.
To be eligible, you must be a resident of California, filed your taxes by Oct. 15, and make between $30,000 to $75,000. The checks are worth $600 to $1,100.
Connecticut has its own back to work program as well.
It started May 30, 2021 and will end Dec. 31.
Anyone returning could be eligible for $1,000 payments depending on when they filed for unemployment and how long they were on it for.
Florida and Georgia plan to give their teachers and principals that worked during the pandemic $1,000 bonuses.
Half a million residents in Idaho could be eligible for a one time tax refund worth an average of $248.
Maryland residents who filed for the Earned Income Tax Credit on their taxes were eligible for stimulus checks worth $300-$500.
Michigan teachers are deemed eligible for hazard pay bonuses worth $500.
Families of three in New Hampshire with no income can get a stimulus check worth $1,086.
Residents of New Mexico are allowed to apply to the state’s second round of relief benefits if they were ineligible in Aug. for the first round.
Those checks were worth $750.
Students in Ohio can benefit from grant money set aside worth $46 million dollars.
$13 million has been set aside in Oklahoma in an effort to pay student teachers.
Tennessee teachers can earn a $1,000 bonus if they work full time, or $500 if they work part time.
Finally, Vermont is willing to cover up to $7,500 in moving expenses for anyone relocating due to employment in the hospitality or construction industry. | <urn:uuid:0b9b5e62-9b85-44c6-9c56-5f26a06e123d> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.fingerlakes1.com/2021/12/15/surprise-stimulus-checks-going-out-this-december-heres-who-can-get-them/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.959608 | 495 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Here at Redcat Digital, we live and breathe technology. Our consultants are deeply embedded in the digital industries they serve and – except for helping clients and candidates find their best resourcing solution – there’s nothing we like more than finding out what’s now, new and next in the world of technology.
With that in mind, a previous post in this blog looked through some of the major developments of the last decade in terms of how we as consumers interact with technology, as well as the ways in which the market has changed. Companies that once led the field – typically companies that specialised in commercial hardware and software – have now fallen behind somewhat as the social media, e-commerce and consumer gadget giants have taken over.
Not only that, the pace of change means that national governments and the various international institutions the world over have struggled to keep up. Challenges around privacy, use of data and misinformation mean that many people now question whether the rise of technology superpowers is a good thing.
That being said, it’s unlikely that the constant march of technology business, driven both by enormous companies in Silicon Valley, to tiny startups from London to Bangalore, to everything in between, will slow any time soon. So it’s worth considering what the major changes will be in 2020, and what both consumers and businesses can expect to witness.
There is a caveat, though. For as long as people have been predicting what will happen next – in technology, science, politics, finance, sport or any other topic – there have also been people taking great joy in pointing out where those predictions have gone wrong. The errors seem particularly obvious in the world of science and technology – perhaps because of the unpredictable and technical nature of the discipline.
CNN points out, for instance, that experts had suggested a few years back that we should have landed on Pluto and robots would be doing our laundry by now – alongside predicting that we’d all be living to 150. CNN marks a few notable areas where experts have missed the mark – citing robotics, food and space travel as areas where technologists made particular gaffes in their predictions. But it is, of course, still worth taking an educated guess.
The big stuff
According to Inc, there are 25 big technology predictions we ought to look out for. Some of these predictions illustrate the way in which big changes in technology are causing big changes in the way our societies function. It’s especially notable that big tech companies have now abandoned their “move fast and break things” mantra as regulators and governments push back and demand greater protections.
There are various AI-related predictions that make Inc’s list that are worth mentioning. The publication suggests that the “voice assistant revolution” will make its way from the home into the car, for example. One prediction also suggests that neural interfaces will change the way we think and another – in a less positive prediction – argues that deep fakes will have an effect on elections in 2020.
On top of Inc’s technology predictions list, and certainly notable for the year, is the continuing evolution of privacy laws. Europe saw the GDPR come in in May 2018, and 2019 saw regulators start to enforce those laws, though many expect more against the big tech companies. Across the pond, the same revolution is happening: the California Consumer Privacy Act has come into force, and it is expected to have the same game-changing effects as the GDPR.
For consumers, the devices we use are still our primary and most important interaction with the world of technology, and technology companies. The smartphone is still dominant, of course, alongside tablets and even the relatively old-hat laptop. People are now fairly accustomed to smartwatches and many accept that internet-enabled intelligent cars are a major new frontier for consumer technology.
For technology publication ZDNet, some of the smaller, more granular-level gadgets are the ones that will be making waves in 2020 – particularly those that can make our busy lives easier. It points to a “tank” power bank that can charge several devices at once – including laptops – as well as high-quality, long-lasting over-ear headphones and even the Tile range, that helps keep track of your wallet and keys.
This is for those developments that will affect IT professionals. ITProPortal argues that there are five big changes coming your way, and it starts with a bubble-burster: ending the SD-WAN “hyperbole”. Taking a software-defined (SD) approach to the wide-area network (WAN), the publication says, does have some good applications – but most of the hype is just marketing. “With people misinformed and wasting thousands of pounds, it’s about time that the hype behind SD-WAN gets exposed so everyone can start making the right decisions,” ITProPortal says.
There will also be a shake-up in the cloud industry, it says, as companies come to realise that the way they have jumped into digital transformation projects may not have given them the best results. In particular, companies should take a step back and assess whether they should be with just one cloud provider, or if a mixture could provide the best results.
Plenty to think about, then. As ever, all we can rely on is that nothing will stay the same. 2020 will be an interesting year and hopefully a good one for the technology industry. | <urn:uuid:398d2969-bac4-4e03-af46-e25d7f2ece6d> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.redcat-digital.com/technology-predictions-2020.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571210.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810191850-20220810221850-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.960874 | 1,127 | 2.203125 | 2 |
If English is not your first language, you may need to improve your English skills when you come to Alberta. You will want to read, write, listen, and speak English so other people can understand you. One way to do this is to practise English with family and friends. You can also take English language classes.
You can find classes at:
- Agencies for newcomers
- Community and religious groups
Some classes are supported by the Alberta or Canadian government. These government classes are free. You may need to pay for other classes. Before you register, ask if you must pay a fee.
How good is your English?
“Learn as much English as you can. When you understand, everything comes easily. You need the language to understand the information. I know a computer programmer who wanted to do upgrading, but what he really needed was language training. He found work cleaning office buildings. That was OK for a while. But once he improved his English language skills, he was able to get a job in his field.” —Ed, an immigrant from Nicaragua
If you want to work in Alberta, you should find out how much English you need to know for your job. You can take a test to assess how much English you know. Then you will also know if you need to improve and learn more English. Some tests have resources you can use to prepare for the test. These are some of the common ones:
- Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) will tell you your level of ability in reading, writing, speaking, and listening to English. You can use the free CLB Online Self Assessment to see what level you have. Most jobs in Alberta need a CLB level between 5 and 8.
- The Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program is for permanent resident and citizenship applications through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. It is also accepted for professional designations.
- If you want to study at a college or university in Alberta, the Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) test helps you know if you have the right language skills.
- The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) helps you assess your reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. You can find a place to take the IELTS test near you in Alberta.
- The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) has 2 types of tests. One tests academic communication skills. The other tests English language essentials.
- You can use the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) to assess your English language skills for the workplace. There are 3 tests:
- For speaking and writing
- For listening and reading
- For learning your level in beginner or intermediate English
Which test to choose?
Different jobs need different language levels. They can use different tests. To find out which level of English and which test you’ll need, you can:
- Contact the employer you want to work for.
- Find out if your occupation is regulated in Alberta. If so, you can contact your professional regulatory organization or professional association. These groups help people who work in certain occupations.
- Check Tradesecrets for information about working as a tradesperson.
Find the right English class for you
Once you know the level of your English skills, you can take different kinds of English language training classes.
- English as a Second Language (ESL) classes are for people whose first language isn’t English. You can find ESL classes online, at most post-secondary schools, and at settlement agencies. These classes often teach more than just the language. They also help you learn how to adjust to your new life in Alberta.
- If you are a permanent resident or citizen of Canada, you can take Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) classes at no cost. Many settlement agencies and post-secondary schools offer LINC programs.
You can use online resources on your own to improve your skills.
Meeting employer expectations
“The 9 skills for success really capture what’s needed in the workplace. For example, employers tell us that adaptability is one of the key things they look for in employees. They also want people who can ask questions, who speak up, and who understand directions. Solid English language skills are key to all of these, and to understanding the workplace culture.” —Lisa Rochman, Associate Dean, Faculty of Skills and Foundational Learning, NorQuest College
Skills for Success Videos
The 9 Skills for Success are a set of core skills that everyone needs to be successful in learning, work and life. The Government of Canada created these videos to show the benefits of developing the 9 skills and explain how each can be used in the workplace.
Employers want their workers to know how to communicate—speak, listen, read, and write—in English. These are among the 9 skills for success that will help you reach your goals. They are part of the skills you need to do well at work, in school, and in everyday life in Alberta. They help you adapt to change, solve problems, and keep learning.
You may already be good at many of these 9 skills. But if you can’t find the right English words to describe your skills, employers and other people won’t understand what you have to offer.
Tips for learning the terms used in your job
Your occupation may also have certain words. These are called technical terms. Some jobs have manuals or codes you must understand. For example, architects have to understand building codes and technical drawings. Licensed practical nurses must use medical terms. Check with your professional regulatory organization or professional association to find out what you need to know.
Improving your English skills can be fun
Try to speak English as often as you can. Every time you talk to someone, you improve your language skills. Remember that our conversations with friends are different from how we talk in a business setting or at a job where people use technical terms. But the more you practise, the more comfortable you’ll be speaking different styles of English.
Listen to English every day. Podcasts, radio, tv, movies – these are all forms of entertainment, but they’ll help you improve your English. You can take out audio books, videos, and CDs from your local public library.
Read in English. Browse English websites or take out English books, newspapers, and magazines from the library. Try reading out loud to yourself or to family or friends.
Keep a journal in English. Try to write in it every day. You can write whatever you want. Describe what you did that day, what you learned, the lyrics to a song you like, or something funny you heard.
Once you’ve researched the English language skills you need for the job you want, tested your English levels, and practised as much as you can, you may be surprised to learn you’re closer to your goal than you think. | <urn:uuid:80f078f1-6604-469b-87c3-9da8725f6c7e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://alis.alberta.ca/explore-education-and-training/additional-resources-for-specific-audiences/for-newcomers/build-english-language-skills-as-a-newcomer/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572212.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815205848-20220815235848-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.954704 | 1,444 | 2.421875 | 2 |
Resilience is the capacity to bounce back that is dependent on having invested in one’s fitness over an extended period. Here, world-renown Yoga teacher of teachers shares what resilience means to her, and how we may develop a resilience as we face difficult times.
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20 Tips – Learning How To Cue Effectively in Teaching Yoga | <urn:uuid:d1b075cc-ca15-4828-940e-c86e641ed2df> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://yogateachertraining.nz/tag/resilience/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.899932 | 99 | 1.609375 | 2 |
The Food and Drug Administration issued a Class I recall for GE Healthcare Giraffe Infant Warmers and Panda i-Res Infant Warmers due to the latches breaking and posing a serious injury hazard to an infant occupant.
The Food and Drug Administration reported there have been 338 complaints related to the panels and latches of the bedside warmer. There have been no deaths reported, but there have been two infants who fell and fractured their skulls.
The problem is the bedside panels and latch areas can break or crack if the unit is moved using the bedside panels instead of the front and rear maneuvering handles. The panel can disengage and open, no longer protecting the infant from falling. (See diagram below)
The warmers have a front and rear handle to move the device. However, healthcare workers were accidentally grabbing onto the panel itself to move the device. This was leading to cracks or breaks in the latch area.
There have been 25,204 of the devices recalled from the consumer market. They were manufactured and distributed anywhere between October 1, 2007 and February 28, 2019.
Giraffe Infant Warmers and Panda i-Res Infant Warmers
Lot Numbers: All lots are involved.
Model Numbers: 2063568-001-XXXXXX, 2063570-001-XXXXXX, M1112198-XXXXXX, M1118179-XXXXXX .
Manufacturing Dates: October 1, 2007 to February 28, 2019.
Distribution Dates: October 1, 2007 to February 28, 2019.
Date Initiated by Firm: March 15, 2019
Infant warmers are used to provide infrared heat to infants that are unable to maintain proper body temperature on their own. These devices are typically only used in hospital settings, such as labor and delivery areas or neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).
On March 15, 2019, GE Healthcare (GEHC) sent an Urgent Medical Device Correction notification to consumers. Later on June 14, 2019, the company posted a press release along with an updated letter outlining safety actions for customers to take action:
- Inspect the bedside panels of the warmers, including the latch areas and the areas connecting the panel to the bed, for any cracks or damages. If any portion of the bedside panels or latches are cracked or broken, stop using the warmer. If the warmer bedside panels have no cracks or damage, you may continue to use the warmer.
- Apply the newly provided Safety Labels to the bedside panels of each warmer. These Safety Labels include:
- Labels that warn users of the incorrect and the correct ways to move the warmer.
- Labels that warn users to make sure the bedside panels are latched and secure.
- Provide instructional posters to staff so that they can be posted. The posters include pictures of broken and unbroken latches showing how to check the bedside panels for any damage.
- Review the Addendum to the Warmer Operation and Maintenance Manual sent with the June 14, 2019 notification letter.
The instructional labels mentioned in the release will be posted on the device itself, indicating both correct and incorrect ways to move the warmer.
Previous Complications with the Giraffe and Panda Warmers
In 2014, the FDA issued a Class I designation for the same warmers due to components that were installed backwards on the device. This involved errors delivering inaccurate levels of oxygen that could lead to injury or even death. Those devices were manufactured between April 2007 and October 2013.
Prior to that, the devices were subjected to another Class 1 recall of upgrade kits for the warmers due to mislabeling. This, again, could lead to inaccurate oxygen levels.
GE issued a warning in April 2013 for certain Giraffe and OmniBeds because the machines contained an error that could cause the machine not to revert to previous settings when switched on or off.
Do you have an infant warmer lawsuit?
The last thing any parent or caregiver wants to experience is their infant being injured or harmed by a device meant to keep them safe. If you or a loved one has a child that was injured from one of these recalled bedside warmers, you should speak with the lawyers at Johnson // Becker. You may be entitled to financial compensation by filing a lawsuit against the manufacturer.
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In 2015, Revive & Restore launched the Woolly Mammoth Revival Project with a goal of engineering a creature with genes from the woolly mammoth and introducing it back into the tundra to combat climate change. Revive & Restore is a nonprofit in California that uses genome editing technologies to enhance conservation efforts in sometimes controversial ways.
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Second journey to Leipzig. Half way stop at Schloss Seehof in Memmelsdorf. Finest square architecture. Splendid water cascade.
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Reducing output size
Use loss compression for images
By default, QuestPDF uses a lossless compression algorithm. If your document contains a lot of images, the output file size can become bigger than expected. Please consider using the loss compression. It is done by changing the
DocumentMetadata.ImageQuality property. The precise instruction how this property works can be found in this section.
Perform manual font subsetting
QuestPDF is a layout engine that uses the SkiaSharp library to render final PDF file. Therefore, it derives some limitations. One of them is how fonts are handled. By default, SkiaSharp embeds all fonts within the PDF document. Each font may consist of thousands of glyphs, with style and weight variations. Therefore, using even a single font may increase the output size to over 1,5MB.
When designing the document, please try to limit number of fonts used.
Consider performing a manual font sub-setting. This is a process where you alter the font file by removing all unnecessary glyphs. For example, if your document uses only english characters, there is no reason to embed Chinese glyphs. They are just taking space. By predicting which characters will appear in your document, you can easily optimize fonts.
Current discussion about font-subsetting can be found in this GitHub issue. Moreover, Pietervdw (thank you for your help!) created a detailed instruction showing how to perform manual font-subsetting.
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How Companies Can Be Legal, But Unethical
Booth’s latest A Meeting of the Minds event explored how Delaware, developing markets, and loopholes foster an unethical corporate environment.
- June 24, 2022
If something is legal, is it also ethical? Many ask this question when they hear about corporations that find legal loopholes and tax havens.
Chicago Booth hosted an event at Gleacher Center titled Corporations, Secrecy, and Ethics, the latest in the school’s A Meeting of the Minds series, cosponsored by the Institute on the Formation of Knowledge at the University of Chicago. Two panelists—authors of books that delve into the questions of ethics and legality—spoke of offshore deals, money moving in secret, and legal systems built for corporate desires.
“The language that the participants in my book use was ‘legal but morally reprehensible,’” said Kimberly Kay Hoang, associate professor of sociology and the college and director of global studies at UChicago. She’s also the author of the forthcoming book Spiderweb Capitalism: How Global Elites Exploit Frontier Markets (2022).
Hal Weitzman, adjunct associate professor of behavioral science at Booth and author of What’s the Matter with Delaware?: How the First State Has Favored the Rich, Powerful, and Criminal―and How It Costs Us All (2022), said that it’s no longer surprising that corporations hire some of the world’s smartest to find loopholes.
“Many of our brightest people in our society spend their time finding ways for companies to dodge taxes,” Weitzman said. “That’s a little depressing. In classical times, there were people like Pythagoras doing amazing things. And now, Pythagoras is working at a consulting firm, dodging tax.”
At the event—the first in person at Gleacher Center in two years—Hoang and Weitzman discussed unethical corporate behavior and how companies could be made to improve.
Austan Goolsbee: Good evening. Thank you, everyone here in the audience and at home, for joining us for the spring 2022 Meeting of the Minds event. This event series is a collaboration between Chicago Booth and the Institute on the Formation of Knowledge. We bring together faculty to explore how the commonalities and differences between business and the humanities can lead us to a richer grasp of the economic human being. Tonight, we have a virtual audience, a large one, turning in from around the world, and we are pleased to welcome a special group of alumni, students, and friends here, in person, at the Gleacher Center for the first time in two years.
Tonight’s topic is entitled Corporations, Secrecy, and Ethics. The discussion will focus on the power of corporations and their influence over public policy. How do they influence what is declared legal or illegal? What are the true ethics of corporations? How important is transparency? And things like that.
We have the privilege of listening to this discussion from some of Chicago’s esteemed professionals in their field who have explored this. First, we have Hal Weitzman, who is an adjunct associate professor of behavioral science at Chicago Booth. He is the editor in chief of our Chicago Booth Review. He is the host of The Big Question, which is Booth’s video panel discussion series. He was reporter and editor at the Financial Times from 2000 to 2012. His new book, What’s the Matter with Delaware?—don’t tell the president—it explores that state’s outsize role in the US corporate landscape.
Next, Kimberly Kay Hoang is an associate professor of sociology and the director of global studies at the University of Chicago. Her books and articles have been awarded over 18 prizes from several different professional associations. Her forthcoming book, Spiderweb Capitalism: How Global Elites Exploit Frontier Markets, explores the old Panama Papers and the behavior of large companies in emerging market economies.
Tonight’s conversation will be moderated by none other than Bethany McLean herself, contributing editor at Vanity Fair, columnist for Yahoo Finance, contributor for CNBC, and author of several of the classic books about corporate corruption, corporate influence, including books on Enron, on the financial crisis, on the mortgage finance industry. She serves as the cohost of the podcast Capitalisn’t, the collaboration between Chicago Booth Review and the Stigler Center at Booth, where she is also a board member. She is currently working on a book about the economic consequences of the pandemic.
Our speakers will discuss and debate these topics of corporate ethics for about an hour. Then at 7:30, we’re going to open it up to a half hour of questions from the audience. For those of you, almost 800 of which are joining virtually, please submit your questions using the Q&A module that you see on your screen. For those of us in the room tonight, please scan the QR code on your name badge, whoa, and follow the prompts to submit your questions. On behalf of the Institute on the Formation of Knowledge and the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, we are thrilled to have you joining us this evening. Now, I will turn it over to the one and only Bethany McLean.
Bethany McLean: Thank you, Austan. Welcome everyone. I’m thrilled to be here with all of you, those of you who are here in person, and those of you who are joining us virtually, and I’m really excited to be here with Hal and Kimberly. Both of whose work, I think, gets at, in different ways, subterranean structures—things that aren’t really visible or obvious to the naked eye, but that influence our world in ways big and small and particularly the financial world. Kimberly, I wanted to start with you. Your first book was called Dealing in Desire, and on the surface, there wasn’t an obvious connection to markets. You worked in four different hostess bars, but you explored the intersections between intimacy and high finance. I’d like for you to elaborate on that a little bit and tell us how that led you to this next book about spiderweb capitalism.
Kimberly Kay Hoang: Yeah, that’s a big question. Thank you. The first book, it was an ethnography of the sex industry in Vietnam, and I worked as a hostess and bartender in four different bars that catered to male patrons of these bars. I was a gender globalization scholar, really interested in looking at these different niche markets. But what turned out, at the time there was the 2008 financial crisis, and I was bored in these bars, as you could imagine, and I learned a lot about the financial crisis because it turned out that many of the clients, particularly the Western businessmen, had lost their jobs ... they were former Lehman Brothers folks, and so I learned a lot about mortgage-backed securities and credit default swaps.
But then what I was seeing was that a lot of the deals that were being done at the time were not with Western businessmen, which was surprising to me. It was primarily with businessmen from East and Southeast Asia, so Hong Kong, China, Taiwan. And I started to see this connection between the sex industry and foreign direct investment. Because in a country where people don’t have faith in rule of law, trust is brokered oftentimes in hostess bars through handshakes.
Bethany McLean: Fascinating.
Kimberly Kay Hoang: And so that led me, I mean, the second project, I started with a pretty small question. I was really interested in how do foreign investors navigate these markets that are highly corrupt, where corruption is kind of widespread and par for the course. And particularly, how do Western investors and East Asian investors navigate this terrain when Western investors are constrained by the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and East and Southeast Asian investors are not? And so I thought, oh, go to Vietnam and go back to the place that I started and interview people coming from different places. And what I uncovered in the process was a story of offshoring, which I wasn’t really looking for, which is that most of these investments were managed by sort of offshore structures in Hong Kong and Singapore. And so I went to Hong Kong and Singapore and realized that those were just subsidiaries of much wider sort of structures. And so that’s sort of how ... I kind of fell into Spiderweb Capitalism and started theorizing it. Yeah, I think that’s the story.
Bethany McLean: That’s fascinating. I love that there’s an element of serendipity to this too, so we can add serendipity to subterranean. Hal, on the surface, your book is much … Delaware is a little bit more prosaic than a sex bar in Vietnam. Yet Delaware is in plain sight, but it’s also hiding. All of these companies, like Amazon and Google, that we think of as being California companies or Washington State companies are actually registered in Delaware. What made you start asking these questions? What made you interested in Delaware?
Hal Weitzman: Yeah. Well, thanks for the question. I said to Kimberly last time we met that when she was writing her book, she got to go to Myanmar, to Hong Kong, to Vietnam, and I got to go to Wilmington. Yeah, but I thought Wilmington was fascinating. It is a story hiding in plain sight. My book is not a book of investigative journalism. It’s just a book of piecing the different parts together that haven’t really been strung together. Like you say, Delaware is, I say in the book, Delaware is everywhere. It’s obviously a very specific place, a very small state, the second smallest state in the union. It has a tiny population about the size of the Grand Rapids or Tucson metro area, so fewer than a million residents, but has 1.6 million companies registered there, including the companies you talked about, Google, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etcetera.
More than two-thirds of the biggest companies in the United States are registered there, and what that means is that each of us interacts with a Delaware company multiple times a day. So Delaware is really everywhere. At the same time, Delaware is kind of anywhere. There’s nothing specific about Delaware, necessarily, as a place; it’s sort of Anywhere USA, and I think that’s enabled it to fly under the radar. I don’t know if you remember in Wayne’s World, the movie, there’s a scene where Wayne and Garth find themselves, does anyone remember? In front of a green screen? And they go to Texas and they’re cowboys, and then they go to California and they’re surfing, and then Delaware pops up and they freeze and sort of say, hi, I’m in Delaware. Because there’s no association. It’s kind of Everywhere and Anywhere USA, and I think that makes it possible for Delaware to kind of fly under the radar.
Bethany McLean: You’ve noted in your book that Delaware has more registered businesses than residents. It’s a pretty stunning fact. You’ve also said in various places that the answer to this is more complex than we might think, but can you give us a basic sketch of what the answer to that is?
Hal Weitzman: Of why there’s so many corporations in Delaware?
Bethany McLean: Why there’s so many corporations there?
Hal Weitzman: If you ask people why Delaware, they’ll tend to give you one answer; people are very confident. If you ask a lawyer, they’ll say it’s because they have a chancery court—a court that handles business cases. If you ask the secretary of state’s office in Delaware, they’ll tell you it’s because they’re so efficient and fast at processing the registration, so we could set up a company—in fact, we could set up multiple companies, not at the same time—before the end of this event. It takes minutes. This, in fact, I learned recently—officially, it takes half an hour to set up a company, but I learned recently, somebody told me from Delaware, if you call the right person, it actually takes 10 minutes.
We could set up a company there. It is almost easier to set up a company in Delaware than it is to ask a question at this event. We don’t need to scan any fancy QR code. We just can go online. We don’t need to enter any identification. We don’t need to identify ourselves. We don’t need to have any kind of documentation, and we can do it almost in the middle of the night. The office stays open till midnight to accommodate requests. So there’s a great ease of doing business there.
Then if you ask transparency campaigners, they’d say it’s because of this anonymity, because you can hide in Delaware. If you ask tax campaigners, they’ll say it’s because there’s a kind of a tax dodge, which perhaps we can talk about, to do with Delaware.
Then there’s a lot of, just, nothing succeeds like success. There’s a lot of, well, you go to Delaware because you go to Delaware. If you are a foreign startup and you want to incorporate in the United States, to have a subsidiary in the United States, you cannot get funding, really, unless you are in Delaware. There’s kind of, just, lawyers know Delaware. There’s just a kind of almost a network effect that just makes Delaware, Delaware. People tend to give one of these responses, and actually, I think they’re all valid. If there are 1.6 million companies in Delaware, compared to fewer than a million residents, like you say, they range from Google and Tesla to Joe Schmo LLC. Well, there is no way that they have the same motivations to go to Delaware. Joe Schmo is never going to IPO.
I’m talking about a single person, almost a single-use LLC that might be used for a transaction and then is no longer in good standing, is not kept up. They don’t pay the annual fees. There are many, many, all these motivations are right, and they fit depending on the particular motivation, but it doesn’t take a lot of imagination .. given that this is a very efficient system, it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see that it can be used, these company structures can be used, for nefarious ends. And of course they enjoy all the legal protections of the United States.
Bethany McLean: We’ll come back to that. I wonder if that multiplicity of reasons is both a competitive advantage of Delaware in an obvious way—it offers all of these things—but also a competitive advantage in a darker way, in the sense that it’s much harder to fix, right? It makes the problem much more diffused. Kimberly, if Hal’s book is very specific in place, is yours, are there geographic centers where we can look to?
Kimberly Kay Hoang: That’s such a great question, and I would say the answer is no. I’m an ethnographer, and so I go to specific places, and ethnography is about embedding yourself in one city or country or space and interviewing a ton of people. And I really had to innovate on the methods because for this book, I traveled over 350,000 miles interviewing over 300 people, so high-net-worth individuals and the financial professionals who manage their money.
I think what’s really interesting is that in the book, I really talk about this divide that we imagine between the first world and the third world, or developed economies, emerging markets. One which is clean and the other which is characterized by widespread corruption.
What’s interesting is that, as I was uncovering the ways in which the investments that I studied on the ground were subsidiaries of other entities in Hong Kong or Singapore, which were subsidiaries of entities in Seychelles, BVI, Panama, whatever, I was interviewing people who set up all of these, so lawyers, company secretaries, accountants—they always pointed back to Delaware. And they always said, the biggest gangsters on the block are Delaware. We learned it from Delaware, and it’s the United States. I never had the audacity to say that in my book, because I felt like I didn’t have the empirical data to back it up ... I mean, people just pointed me there, but I couldn’t crack it.
When I discovered Hal’s book, I just thought that’s so ... I mean, he says it, it’s all there, there’s the data. And it’s the kind of sister book to where I think my book ended and couldn’t pick up. And so in some ways, part of the argument for spiderweb capitalism is that it illicit, licit, first world, third world, they’re all interconnected in these webs now, and ultimately, they do lead to Delaware. And so that’s what I think is really interesting: How do we think of the United States, then, as a Western transparent democratic society, if all roads lead to Delaware in some sense.
Bethany McLean: That’s really interesting, the way in which roads lead into Delaware and roads lead out of Delaware. I wanted to pause on that a little bit more with you. How did your work about what was happening in emerging markets shed light on what was happening in more developed markets?
Kimberly Kay Hoang: I think what I uncovered serendipitously was that after the 2008 financial crisis, there was such an appetite for going into emerging markets. Vietnam in particular was one, and Myanmar at the time were two places where everybody wanted to get access to, because they felt like the time had passed in China and people were... There was such a rich appetite. What I realized from sitting in Vietnam is that investors had really no idea what was happening in Vietnam. There were accountants and fund managers that I was interviewing who would say, Yeah, they come in, they want to say that they have exposure to these new emerging frontier markets, but they’re betting on the development of the country. They’re being sold a story of the dynamism of the country.
There was a lot that happened there, which were tied to developed economies. The idea is that less-developed emerging economies would come in and kind of be the initial stage of investment for state-owned enterprises or small family-run businesses. They would put them through a process of professionalization, and then, their exit ultimately were Japanese or Western investors, right? It just, it kept going, and that was what was surprising to me, that they weren’t separate entities, or people that were making investments in mature economies were also making investments in emerging markets and corrupt economies. They just use these holding companies and special-purpose vehicles, and vintage companies, as Hal says, to transact.
One of the big mistakes that I made in my first book was I was looking at foreign direct investment from country A to country B, thinking, oh, the story there was that most of the investment was coming primarily from East and Southeast Asian countries. But if you go back, there’s a mistake in that book, which I correct in my second book, which is that 30 percent of those investments are coming through Hong Kong, Singapore, and BVI, which means that US investments are masked primarily through Singaporean vehicles, and investments coming in from China are masked through Hong Kong vehicles, which are also subsidiaries of others. And so there’s no real way of calculating or measuring FDI from country A to country B.
Bethany McLean: That’s fascinating. Hal, you wrote in your book or in one of the articles about it, that because of its outsize influence on corporate America, the second-smallest state in the United States also writes the rules for much of the world. When I mentioned that Delaware also goes, what happens in Delaware, also all roads lead out of Delaware, give some of the examples of why that’s the case. How does our problem create problems for everybody else?
Hal Weitzman: OK. Well, so I think it relates actually to what Kimberly was just talking about. An example is that Delaware will say … and I encourage everybody watching and everybody here to go and have a look at how they present it. Because I present my version and they have their own version of events, which is on the secretary of state’s website. For example, they have a Q&A section where they’ll say, Delaware’s a tax haven, isn’t it? And they’ll respond, obviously, saying, no, it isn’t a tax haven. But the language is very precisely written because Delaware clearly is a tax haven. It’s a domestic tax haven. In other words, it enables companies to save paying corporate income tax in one state by funneling so-called intangible profits, like money that they pay to trademarks, to another state. The particular rules that are written in Delaware are the rules of the corporate code, which spell out what are the responsibilities of CEOs to their shareholders.
And that sets the standard for everywhere else. Not only because so many companies are registered in Delaware, but because other states lack the expertise that Delaware has. But Delaware also sets the standard for the world in the fiduciary responsibilities of CEOs. But Delaware is connected to this system that Kimberly talked about. If you take the issue of tax, Delaware will say, we’re definitely not an international tax haven in the same sense that British Virgin Islands is. One of the things that we’ve talked about is when you think about things like secrecy havens, you think of the British Virgin Islands, you think of Cyprus, you think of Panama, but always places that are over there. It’s far away. It’s often exotic. Another movie reference, if you remember, like in The Firm, Tom Cruise, he goes to Cayman Islands, right?
Imagine if he’d gone to Delaware, The Firm would not have been such an exciting movie, perhaps, if he ended up in Dover. But actually in my book, I talk about how one example is Chevron has used transfer pricing, which is a pretty standard way of avoiding taxes. Basically, one unit of the company pays another or lends money to another unit of the company and fiddles with the numbers to make sure that taxes are avoided, and they got caught doing that. Chevron got caught doing that with an Australian unit, but the US unit was based in Delaware. It is not actually clear at all that this is not an international tax haven. Economists who work on this will tell you that Delaware should be considered part of that system. So they do write the rules. As Kimberly said, other places look to Delaware as kind of an example of what can be done. At one time, Singapore tried to brand itself as the Delaware of the East.
Bethany McLean: Really? That’s fascinating.
Hal Weitzman: It doesn’t sound so glamorous here, but to them, perhaps if you’re in Singapore, it sounds very glamorous to be in Delaware.
Bethany McLean: It sounds glamorous if you’re a certain sort of person, right? If you’re a certain sort of corporation or you’re looking for something, then it sounds like very good branding indeed.
Hal Weitzman: I think it goes to the question of legitimacy and illegitimacy. If I can set up that company by the end of this event in Delaware without any identification and completely anonymous for really like $1,000. It’s so easy to do it. I can then say to another investor, but I’m a Delaware corporation, same as Google. It gives me this massive legitimacy. It puts a suit and tie on whatever I’m doing. That could be as true for foreign corporations as for local ones. Just one more point on this.
Bethany McLean: Please.
Hal Weitzman: Sometimes when you’re writing a story, you’re writing a piece of writing and you can’t quite believe that something’s true and all the sources are kind of biased in one way or another. And so I just wanted to check that I was right in saying that Delaware didn’t really know who was registering companies. So I just said to the secretary of state’s office, please just tell me what proportion of the 1.6 million companies registered in Delaware are foreign owned, are owned by non-US owners, and what proportion are registered by US residents. And they said, we do not know, and there is no way of knowing.
So they have this don’t ask, don’t tell type policy, which means they don’t even have the information, even if they wanted to get it. In cases like when we try to clamp down on Russian oligarchs, we don’t even have the data that we need to do that, because we don’t know who is using that and using that legitimacy. So it’s certainly part of a global system. The rules that we set here help determine what happens in the rest of the world.
Bethany McLean: Was the lack of transparency in what is supposed to be a regulated system astonishing to you?
Hal Weitzman: Yes, because it has … so to go into how these rules are being made, which is something I don’t think anybody’s really written about, although it’s not a secret. Essentially, who writes this corporate code is a group of 27 lawyers in Delaware who sit in a private committee, write the changes to the corporate code every year, submit those changes to the Delaware legislature for scrutiny, for approval. Now, the Delaware legislature is a part-time legislature. They pay the lawmakers about $40,000 a year. There are four lawyers in that legislature—they’re not big corporate lawyers—so I think it’s fair to say that this is not a body that’s well placed to scrutinize changes to the corporate code, which are technical arcane-type rules. In fact, according to Pew, this is the least-educated legislature in America, which is giving oversight to the corporate code for the world.
Now, the lawyers from the Delaware Bar who write these rules don’t give any justification for why the rules are necessary. They certainly don’t appear in the committee. And they just give the rule, the changes they want, the rule is essentially rubber-stamped, because there’s no ability even to ask the questions that would help us to understand what the hell is going on. Then they go to the governor, and having spoken to one of the previous governors, I can tell you the governors aren’t that interested either, because we have experts writing the rules. Why do we need to challenge the experts?
I’ll just tell you one story that I thought was amazing, which is that there’s a legislator in Delaware who put forward a proposal. The proposal was to add to the corporate code a requirement that registering agents—who, by the way, could be big companies or it could be a mom-and-pop shop—that they should check the name of the company against a list that is kept by the Treasury, by the Department of the Treasury, called OFAC, which basically is a list of people who we consider to be, we, not me but the US government, considers to be terrorists or money launderers or whatever, drug traffickers.
He was asking that they change the code to require the agents to check against that list. Very noncontroversial. In fact, so noncontroversial that they actually introduced that a year later. But when he made this proposal in the Delaware legislature, he was asked in the judiciary committee, “Did you make this proposal? Or has it come through the process?” He said, “What’s the process?” They said, “Well, this has to come from the Delaware Bar.” He said, “Well, I’m a lawmaker. I’m proposing it.” They said, “No, no. All the proposals, all the changes to the corporate code have to come from the Delaware Bar.” In other words, an elected lawmaker has no power to change the law. Only this unelected group of lawyers in Delaware has the power.
So there’s a form of oversight, but it’s totally insubstantial, and that to me was quite worrying. When I’ve mentioned to legal experts, doesn’t this look like the fox guarding the henhouse, because those lawyers appear in court under the rules that they themselves have written. I mean, talk about Stigler. This is the perfection of regulatory capture. It’s institutionalizing regulatory capture. They control the whole process. They don’t even have to lobby anymore. They just write the rules themselves, and then they argue under the rules that they themselves have written. That was quite shocking to me. When I asked people, I got responses like, “Well, it’s very technical.”
I mean, there’s lots of lawmaking that’s very technical, but we don’t just sort of brush it away. They would say, “Well, people aren’t agitating on the streets about this.” Well, of course they don’t. Most people in Delaware have no idea what the hell is going on. Just like most people in Chicago have no idea what futures and options are, but we still trade. We’re still the world headquarters for trading those things. So that is not a measure of whether we should have scrutiny or not. I never got a satisfactory answer. Or people would say, “How do you think law gets made elsewhere?” All these answers seemed quite lame to me, so that was a surprise.
Bethany McLean: It ranks up there—"It’s very technical” might rank up there with “We guard our intellectual property,” as the Theranos answer, right? Run. I’m always fascinated by the ways in which a world that’s supposedly awash in information, the things that you most need to know are actually not … the information is not available at all. So Kimberly, tell me about how that affected your book. You’ve talked a little bit about foreign direct investment and how it turns out it’s actually impossible to track. What else surprised you in terms of the lack of transparency?
Kimberly Kay Hoang: I think what was really surprising to me, and this piggybacks off of some of the things that Hal said, was that under the Obama administration, there was all of this talk about cracking down on the anonymity of offshoring. Everyone kept saying, if you go into banks, if you go into company secretary offices in Hong Kong or Singapore, there’s KYC, like know your client. You have to know who the ultimate beneficiary is behind these shell companies. And certainly, there’s a game of designating nominees and having a paper owner and then you quickly legally transfer that paper ownership. But what was surprising to me in Hong Kong, Singapore, and even Switzerland was that if you hold a US passport, it was actually very difficult to open a bank account in any of these places. And because they’d been fined so heavily for all of this secrecy and money laundering.
Then if you want to open a company, like an LLC, it’s actually, I think, harder for a US citizen to register, unless you have a vintage company that’s been locked in for a long time, to register if you have a US passport. And so, what was surprising to me was when all roads led to Delaware, that Delaware had even higher secrecy practices than these other places that were now starting to self-regulate as a result of all of these fines that’ve been levied on them.
I never had the courage to do what Hal did. I study real, live people, right? And so, people that are... It’s not doc, I mean, so I think there’s a difference in terms of the research methods of our books, but I think the Trump administration really kind of saw this come to light, and a lot of the stuff that’s coming out around Jared Kushner now shows the ways in which the political and economic spheres, even in the United States, that are supposed to be separate are not. They’re so deeply intertwined. I think that’s been really surprising to me.
Bethany McLean: One of the concepts I’ve always been interested in is what I came to call legal fraud, which is the idea of things that are perfectly legal, but nonetheless corrupt or not in the public interest. And I’d love for you to talk a little bit about that. What to you is the bigger issue—that which is explicitly illegal, or that which is perfectly legal yet corrupt, immoral, secretive, etcetera?
Kimberly Kay Hoang: The language that the participants in my book used was illegal or illicit, or no, sorry, legal but morally reprehensible. That was the language that they kept using over and over. Part of the reason why people were willing to talk to me was that no one saw what they were doing as illegal or criminal, but they would say, “It’s legal. Remember, it’s legal. Everything I’m doing is fairly legal,” and they would go through this whole process. “But yeah, it’s morally reprehensible.” As a sociologist, I started to return back to the people in terms of, I mean, I was always interested in how do people at a basic level, how do people make money and move money? And what kinds of relationships facilitate this movement of money?
And so what’s the relationship between lawyers, bankers, company secretaries, accountants, financiers? But what I had to return to in this morally reprehensible was how do people make sense of the kinds of activities that they themselves believe to be morally reprehensible? And so the book goes into the sort of, it starts with this macro story, but it goes into how people make sense of this and how they draw boundaries around what is acceptable to them, or what’s not; how that changes across geographic space, but it’s certainly something people reflected a lot on, themselves. Particularly when it came to instances of theft and fraud and things that were outright egregious, but also the sort of sex stuff came back in my book in a way that I thought, oh, I finished that with my first book. I don’t want to go back to it.
But even sort of the dynamics of deal brokering that requires sort of the labor of women’s bodies in hostess bars to help facilitate deals was something people talked a lot about—drinking, drugs, sex—because what it does is it creates a relationship of mutual hostage. Actually, we saw this under the Trump administration with everything that came out about Jeffrey Epstein. And so in some ways, as I was uncovering this there thinking, oh, it’s something that happens over there in these less-developed economies, in a parallel way, I was also seeing glimpses of this in a very developed, clear, transparent state.
Bethany McLean: Can you give us a story about how people do make sense of that? I’m always fascinated by that question.
Kimberly Kay Hoang: I mean, I think that there are some people that see this as sort of the ultimate family sacrifice—that what they’re doing is securing wealth for future generations, and this is sort of what they have to do to secure that. I think other people draw hard lines and say, I just don’t participate in that. And so, they create markets where markets don’t exist, so they steer away from the kinds of business transactions that are tied to the state, like natural resources, and rather than doing something like that, they go into tech, where everything is just set up offshore to begin with. I mean, the offshore both sort of conceals, but it also enables, in that, by getting around the state, you’re cutting out a lot of these kinds of shady styles of deal-brokering too, and that is also a part of the story in the book.
Bethany McLean: Hal, it sounds like what you’re describing is a system of using the legal system both as a weapon and as a shield. Is that fair? How much of what you write about do you think is actually illegal, and how much of it is this stuff that is actually perfectly legal, yet not in all of our interests?
Hal Weitzman: Yes. I mean, it’s much like the stuff that you’ve written about over the years, because a lot of the stuff that you’ve written about, Bethany, some of it is outright illegal and fraud, and some of it is pretty gray, right? Even in the case of like Enron, some of it is very much fraud, and some of it is not so clear. It’s funny, when I was a financial journalist, if somebody said to me, “It’s perfectly legal,” my ears immediately pricked up because I knew there was a story there, because that’s a terrible justification. We saw that, if you remember the Panama Papers, which were the first—since then we’ve had an even bigger leak, the Pandora Papers, which funnily enough was a bit of a damp squib maybe because everyone’s kind of already bored and knows that people are hiding money everywhere—but the Panama Papers was a big hit.
If you remember, there was a big political fallout from that. I think the Icelandic prime minister had to resign, which is an example of, not because he was doing anything illegal. In fact, Mossack Fonseca, the company behind the Panama Papers, was there to help people do legal things. There’s all these legal companies that help, there’s all these law firms that help wealthy, usually ultra-high-net-worth individuals—the really mega rich—to defend their wealth, which basically means avoid paying taxes. And they do so. I mean, they’re law firms, so they’re hired to help them do so in a legal way. The question is when that gets out, are they going to stand up and say, yes, not only is it legal, but I’m perfectly happy to say that’s the way that I’m doing it? Your book raises exactly that question, about somebody distinguishes between what I should be doing and what I’m allowed to do.
There was a case recently in the UK that made me think of this, I’m British, Rishi Sunak, who is the chancellor, like the finance minister of the UK. His wife is a very wealthy Indian heiress, and she was found to have what’s called nondomiciled status, which essentially means she’s paid £30,000 to avoid ... Is that right? Don’t quote me on that. She paid a sum, which was relatively small, in order to avoid paying a bigger sum, which is the actual taxes that she owed. When this information came out, she recanted and said, I will now pay the taxes that I was supposed to be paying all along. Legality is an interesting concept, but it gets more murky, I think, in the case of Delaware, because as I say, who’s writing the laws in the first place?
To go back to your Capitalisn’t work, which is a fantastic podcast. If you haven’t heard it, it’s the Stigler Center, so it’s all about regulatory capture. It’s all about this very University of Chicago idea that the regulators would essentially become lobbyists for the industries that they are overseeing because of the flow of information back and forth. There are many examples of that in Washington, but this system is perfecting that because as I say, they just write the rules themselves. It’s as if the farm lobby didn’t lobby, they just wrote the rules for the farm subsidies. In some cases, you could argue that we do have that system in the United States—for example, our policy towards Cuba, which has been written by a very small group of people—but it’s not a satisfactory way of doing it. You wouldn’t say that’s ideal. So there’s a huge gap between what is legal and what is ideal. And we all know that the rules of the game are shaped by lots of different interests, and often those interests do not have the broader public interest at heart.
Bethany McLean: What I found chilling about your book, actually, was both the lack of transparency and the lack of transparency in what the policy is, because the policy is determined not by policymaking in the light of day, but rather by more shadowy means. Did you find that true too, Kimberly, in your research? Did you find that people were not only benefiting from this gray area between what’s legal and what’s illegal, but also helping themselves to establish what that gray area is?
Kimberly Kay Hoang: Yeah, I mean, actually the original title of the book was Playing in the Gray, and the only reason why that’s not the title is because gray is spelled differently in the US and the UK. But the structure is spiderweb capitalism, and the answer to that structure, the way that structure gets built, is by playing in the gray. And so many of the quotes—and this is something I also wasn’t looking for but that just keep coming up over and over again in the interviews—was just that, in these kinds of emerging markets, there’s no data, you can’t develop these fancy models to predict risk, to predict return; the returns are all about playing in the gray.
It’s about a gut feeling. It’s about the relationships. It’s about having proprietary relationships. I think that what relates back to Hal’s work, in some ways of what Hal was just saying that I thought was really surprising was because ... And the book really gets at the friction between what’s legal, illegal, licit, illicit, is in many ways people... The book ends, and when I’ve given talks on the book or formal talks on the book, people always ask, well, what do we do? The answer I say, and I think it goes back to what Hal just said, is that it’s like asking the regulators to regulate themselves.
In emerging markets, literally there would be a panel of investors or potential investors, and in the audience, it would be state officials saying like, tell us what we can do to help encourage investment. And lawyers in the audience, and they were basically writing law, and I thought, oh, this is emerging markets, this is just how it’s done in emerging markets, and it turns out that actually, that’s how it’s done here too. That was really surprising to me.
Hal Weitzman: I think if I can just add one thing.
Bethany McLean: Yeah, please.
Hal Weitzman: One thing I found fascinating about Kimberly’s book is this playing in the gray thing is getting ahead of rules being written.
Kimberly Kay Hoang: Yes.
Hal Weitzman: Right. It’s very much like, I know the rules are about to be written, so either I can make a bit of cash quickly and get out, or I can help them be written; shape how they get written. In Delaware, the rules are written. There’s no gray in that sense, right? You’re not getting ahead of anything that’s about to catch up. It’s like they’re written, and it’s not a secret. It’s just that it sort of appears to be sort of boring or technical or that’s just the way it works, and nobody bothers to dig into it. In a way it’s much less exciting, but to me much more outrageous. It’s not a Wild West. It’s a very, very well-developed, crafted, beautiful office space that nobody would question.
Bethany McLean: Yeah. It’s a fascinating difference between your books and the difference in kind of secrets, right? They can be hidden in plain sight behind boring technical language, and they can be hidden because they’re actually hidden in dark shadowy places. It’s an interesting question as to which is more pernicious.
Another one of my pet topics is this idea of capitalism in theory is supposed to be a race to the top. People are supposed to compete to make the best product that does the best thing for consumers that helps create the most efficient markets. Yet, and tell me if this is right, you both may react negatively to this, the systems that both of you describe are not races to the top—they’re races to the bottom, where the actors that can create the most secrecy, shield themselves the most, are the ones who win. Is that fair? And does that tell us something more broadly about capitalism and about markets? Kimberly, I’ll start with you.
Kimberly Kay Hoang: I think that’s such an interesting question and one that I thought a lot about while I was in Southeast Asia and the time that I also spent in China, because I kept thinking about how is it that you’re seeing this rapid economic development and this super dynamic economy and a market that everybody wants to have some access to, with this widespread corruption. And the way in which people sold the market was that they were selling the story of the country. They were selling the story of Vietnam. They were selling the story of Myanmar. They were selling the story of rapid economic development that everybody wants to have access to. But they were also selling exclusive access. Access to inside deals that weren’t open to the public, that they had unique access to. And sometimes when I traveled with people, as they were kind of making pitches in Newport Beach and Seattle and Vancouver, it was like they were showing photos of themselves, displaying sort of their political ties, and saying, we have unique access to these deals that you can only get by partnering with us.
And so that was in some ways, but however, I say that to say that people who play totally to the bottom also lose out on bigger deals to come. So I think there’s some balance here of both the inside access while also being profitable, and everybody’s looking for that sweet spot in those economies and possibly even in the US. It’s not an area that I studied, but it was always about sort of how much can you siphon off the top through kickbacks. What’s that percentage while still being profitable and generating returns to the investors?
What was interesting on the sort of limited partners and general partners who were investors from outside was that they kind of understood that there was this baseline of activity that happened that was sort of set aside in a different vehicle that handled those bribes or whatever. But as long as they were generating returns, didn’t care about that. So that was the kind of sweet spot that they were all looking for. I think that was the part that was most interesting.
Bethany McLean: That’s fascinating. Hal, do you think Delaware fosters a race to the top, a race to the bottom, or both?
Hal Weitzman: I think it’s both. I actually think what you just said hits exactly on it. I’ve always thought, I mean, there is a big academic literature in law, in legal scholarship, about whether there’s a race to the top or bottom. I’m no expert on that. But I think what Kimberly said captures it perfectly. It’s both, because they measure different things. The race to the top typically measures what are the returns, and the race to the bottom typically measures what are the standards? Those are two different things. In fact, I could have poorer standards and that will enable me to pay shareholders better dividends, right? I mean, there was some scholarship about the Delaware effect, the Delaware dividend, and you can pay, I mean, if you think about it from a very basic level, the less that you bother management and let it get on with its stuff, and the less scrutiny there is, the more opportunity there is to return capital to shareholders, because you’re not going to get tied up in explaining to the legislature what the hell the corporate code is all about.
It certainly makes it more efficient, and efficiency is great for shareholders, but it’s not great for governance because you don’t have any oversight. For example, one thing I talk about is companies tell us they want to have a social purpose. Let’s go back to Delaware, to this corporation council of the Delaware Bar, the 27 lawyers who write the rules, who are the 27 lawyers? Well, one of them is a professor at the University of Delaware, so let’s park him to one side, but the 26 working lawyers either work for companies or they work for shareholders, for activists.
So we’re assuming that this is a binary system. You’re either an activist or you’re a shareholder, but nowadays there are stakeholders. Where do stakeholders fit in? Where do the workers fit in? Where does the environment fit in? Where does society in general fit in? Well, they are not represented. They are not part of the rules. So the companies on the one hand tell us they want to have a social purpose; they want to be measured on their social purpose. But they don’t incorporate that into the legal infrastructure that they set up by which we can judge corporations. In fact, they don’t even allow those lawyers to come in and give any comment or observe or hear about what the rules are that are being written. So they enable a certain kind of standard to prevail. I don’t know if it’s a race to the bottom, but the governance is not as tight as it could be, obviously, because they cut out the political part, which is the most annoying part for them.
Actually, there is some interesting legal scholarship where they’ll be quite open and say, the reason that Delaware’s the best is because we don’t have any political uncertainty. I read that and think, political uncertainty, that means oversight. That’s just a byword for a company saying the SEC is going to regulate us. That’s political uncertainty, because we don’t know exactly what the SEC will say. Of course, when you cut that out, that’s better for shareholders. You have a race to the top because they get another two cents on their dividends. But it means that the governance standards deteriorate, so I think it’s both.
Bethany McLean: I also wonder if those negative possibilities ultimately converge in the sense that when you look at the mortgage crisis, what appeared to be a race to the top for shareholders, which was making more money by selling consumers’ terrible mortgages, was for a short term, but ended up being a race to the bottom, both for consumers and for the companies who were involved in this business. It’s an interesting question as to whether the race to the top only looks that way for the benefit of the bottom line until it doesn’t.
I wanted to talk a little bit about the external costs in all of this. Hal, you note in your book that revenues from Delaware’s business formation industry account for two-fifths of the state’s budget and have helped keep the tax burden on its residents among the lowest in the United States, so that looks great. What’s wrong with this system? I mean, Delaware people are doing great. Who absorbs the costs of this?
Hal Weitzman: Yeah, you’re right. Well, it is great. I was just going back and forth to someone on LinkedIn today who was saying, but my taxes are so high in Delaware because personal income taxes are high, but they don’t have any sales tax, and they have very low property taxes, so the overall effect is they’re pretty much the second-lowest tax burden in the US. They call it a … and let me get my colors right, they call it a blue spending state with red taxes. Every politician’s dream, right, Austan? Spend as much as you want and don’t tax people. That’s what every politician wants, and they’ve achieved that in Delaware. So it’s great for the residents of Delaware.
What are the costs? Well, there have been some horrific cases that have used Delaware companies: cases of money laundering, drug trafficking, kleptocracy, arms trafficking, child sex trafficking, most famously through Backpage, which if you remember was a classified-ads company that was basically enabling child sex trafficking. At one time, it was responsible for three-quarters of all the child trafficking in the United States—or not—wasn’t responsible, let me be careful, was enabling that by running ads, which they knew were from child trafficking and didn’t do anything about it. The company was closed down.
There’s a huge cost to that. I mean, I talk in the book about all these high-profile cases—dictators who’ve stolen money from their countries and have just laundered it through Delaware. We both discussed 1MDB, which is a famous case in Malaysia where billions of dollars was pilfered from public funds, ended up funding another movie, which I love, The Wolf of Wall Street, right? That was funded by money stolen from the Malaysian treasury. There’s a huge cost globally. This is a global story. There’s a huge global cost, which happens because of corporate anonymity, which is not just a Delaware problem, but is principally supported and aided and abetted by Delaware.
So that’s one big cost. There’s a cost to us, as I’m guessing that most people in the room and perhaps many people online are taxpayers in a state that is not Delaware. So if you’re a taxpayer in a state that’s not Delaware, there is a dodge called the Delaware loophole which enables companies that have locations in lots of places to funnel, to pay themselves for the use of their own trademarks. A famous example I talk about in the book is Home Depot. Home Depot transferred all its trademarks to a Delaware holding company, then paid that Delaware holding company for use of the trademarks—which, by the way, it had been using all along for free, but suddenly decided it had to pay itself—funneled billions of dollars a year through this company, which basically employed one person in Delaware and three assistants in Delaware.
So the rest of us, our states lose taxes, and that means that if you live in Illinois, you know that the state of Illinois is not doing too well in terms of collecting taxes. In fact, that is a national story in the US: the corporate state income tax revenue has collapsed over the past 50 years, largely because of dodges like this. So the rest of us, at one point, we’re going to end up paying for it.
I mean, that’s why people are leaving Illinois, partly, in droves, because at some point we are going to be responsible for a massive debt because we’re still paying out retirement to public servants. That’s another cost. And there’s a cost to oversight, like just the costs to our system. It undermines our democratic system that we don’t have any oversight of this aspect of our corporate sector. I mean, we still have, of course, the SEC, but this particular aspect of the fiduciary responsibilities of managers is the sole responsibility of Delaware, and if they’re not providing any oversight, that’s a cost to all of us.
Bethany McLean: Kimberly, the spiderweb enriches its participants. It makes people rich. What’s wrong with that?
Kimberly Kay Hoang: As Hal was talking, I was thinking about this question, because I think the cost ultimately is that there’s no ... I teach this class called States, Markets, and Bodies, and in the class we go through the 2008 financial crisis. And students walk through that and think, wow, that was really egregious. Then I teach the story of 1MDB right after, 10 years later, and ask the question of how is it that we witnessed this, the largest global heist that involved the most legitimate firms like Goldman Sachs and the prime minister of Malaysia and using all of these offshore entities? When I think about that, I kind of think … and so the story that I sort of tell in Spiderweb Capitalism is that it’s hard to identify one culprit, the way we did with the 2008 financial crisis, where you have the names of Wall Street executives that were kind of the villain of the story.
In this story, because it’s global and because it spans the whole web, it’s very hard to identify one culprit. In fact, after collecting all of this data, because I interviewed live, real people that are embedded in this system, I presented the early findings to a handful of closed-door sessions to some of the folks that I interviewed. I was nervous, because I thought, oh, maybe they’re going to help me find the piece of yarn that’s going to unravel, the thread that’s going to unravel the whole ball of yarn that’s going to make me go back and collect more data. The reaction that I got actually was surprising to me, which was, oh yeah, that’s very brave that you did this.
I never thought about it this way. I always thought about like this specialized thing that I did in my sphere. I never thought about how I was connected to all of these other people and entities. To me, that’s the scary part, which is that there’s no culprit. It’s systemic, and it’s a system. And I don’t know how you dismantle a system where both political and elites around the world and high-net-worth individuals are kind of embedded in the system and mutually profiting off of it together.
Bethany McLean: Which leads to a good final question for both of you before we open it up to lots of questions from the audience, which is a little bit of a spin on the theme for this event. But how did your reporting and thinking for this book change the way you thought about how corporations, but more in your case, financial interests, influence public policy?
Kimberly Kay Hoang: I wish that I didn’t say this, but when I talk about this with my students and when I teach about it, I feel very dystopic. I have a daughter who’s 19 months old, and I keep saying like, OK, I’m teaching you this. Now, you solve the problem. Help me fix this, help us fix these problems. But it feels very dystopic because it feels like it’s so hard to imagine a way out or a way to think about putting in better regulatory structures or systems of real governance or transparency. There’s just such a huge lack of transparency. And so I think that it’s made me far more cynical and dystopic than I could have ever imagined.
Bethany McLean: The lack of a villain is also a really interesting theme in your work, because when there’s a villain, then we know what to do.
Kimberly Kay Hoang: Yes.
Bethany McLean: That was one of the nice things, right, about the Enron story: there was a villain, even if that perhaps was a little too easy, but there was a villain. And when there’s not, in the stories both of you tell, it’s far more complex. What do you think, Hal? How did this book influence the way you thought about how corporations, the amount of control corporations have over public policy?
Hal Weitzman: I mean, they do; I don’t know that that’s a surprise. I mean, not to undermine the whole event, but I think that’s pretty well accepted. Actually, I feel like when you write these sorts of books, partly because of the success of your books, Bethany, people are not surprised. Like, oh, it’s another corporation that I deal with every day, that’s dodging taxes. It’s almost like who cares. It’s funny, 10 years ago now, I wrote a prior book about South America, where I was a correspondent. Again, there were some companies doing not very nice things there, and I don’t really blame the companies. I mean, the companies operate, and individuals operate, in the systems that they’re given. And any rules have loopholes, and lawyers are paid to find those loopholes.
It’s depressing that so many of our brightest minds—you asked about the costs? I mean, here’s a cost. So many of our brightest people in our society spend their time finding ways for companies to dodge taxes. That’s a little depressing. Like in classical times people were ... Pythagoras, whatever, doing amazing things. And now Pythagoras is working at a consulting firm, dodging tax. It’s a little depressing. But on the other hand, the companies respond to the environment that they’re given. To me, what was amazing about what I was researching was not that companies were doing things that were dodgy. It was that Delaware was kind of dodgy—that we had this system, and people were sort of shooing me away, saying that’s not a story, which again is like, ah, my ears pricked up.
The system is so taken for granted and is so weak in this particular aspect. That’s, to me, the most interesting part. I mean, it’s the most prosaic, most mundane, the most kind of Delaware of the stories that I tell in the book, because it’s just about a committee that meets in probably some windowless room in Wilmington, which is not a location for a movie yet, until they make a movie out of my book, which I’m interested in if anyone’s watching, but it is kind of mundane. There is a story I have, if I can just be very quick, about Mossack Fonseca, which again is the law firm that in Panama, its papers were leaked, how it was helping all these wealthy people around the world hide their money.
And so the story I have in the book is that in the ’80s, when Manuel Noriega was still the president of Panama, an American investigative journalist went down there to try and trace how offshore was being used in Panama. He was introduced to, at the time, a young lawyer called Ramón Fonseca—who, by the way, there’s a movie about this called The Laundromat, which I enjoyed, with Antonio Banderas plays Ramón Fonseca. He said, he had interviewed Ramón Fonseca about offshore finance, and then at the end of the interview, he said to him, “So you help wealthy people hide their money all over the world. Where do you keep your money?" And quick as a flash, Ramón Fonseca said, “In Delaware. They’ll never find it there.” You know what I mean? It’s like the system is so designed to hide stuff. I don’t really think it’s corporations doing terrible things or even wealthy individuals doing terrible things. I mean, my kids were very disappointed that—now I’ve forgotten the name of the actress, Hermione Granger from Harry Potter, Emma, I can’t remember her last name ...
Bethany McLean: Emma Watson.
Hal Weitzman: Watson. Thank you. My wife had told me off because I said to the kids, everyone’s doing it, Emma Watson’s doing it. They were horrified. Because of course my wife told me off afterwards and said, don’t say that to the kids, because it’s not Emma Watson doing it, it’s through an army of lawyers. She probably has no idea where her money is, right? There’s a whole industry of people who are set up to exploit this weakness in the system. I do think that there’s good reason to be optimistic. I think partly, unfortunately, because of Ukraine, there is a renewed effort to address these issues. I give credit to Janet Yellen and the administration in the US for trying to set a minimum corporate tax rate around the world to stop capital flight. So I think it’s moving in a positive direction.
Bethany McLean: That’s interesting. I was thinking when you were talking that we should update that old saying “the devil is in the details” and say, maybe there’s a better way to say this, but “the devil is in the accumulation of mundane details,” right? So I wanted to turn it to some questions from the audience. And so, as I read out these questions, why don’t both of you just look at me and tell me which one of you would like to start with them? But this is an interesting one, it’s from [unclear], and he asks, “What is the moral and ethical compass that drives corporations?” Do you think there is one?
Kimberly Kay Hoang: I really struggled with my book because I felt like it had no soul. When I finished my first book that was on sex workers, the sex workers were kind of the soul and heart of the book. I think this book took me two more years than I would’ve liked because I just couldn’t find it. And finally, one day somebody, one of my research subjects said to me, capital has no soul. There is no moral compass. I think that’s a bit extreme. I think there’s a lot of variation there, and the book tries to capture some of that, but I think that’s part of the story.
Hal Weitzman: I mean, I would be interested to hear your views on this, Bethany, because you’ve covered a lot of companies, and so maybe I can throw the question back to you. What would you say?
Bethany McLean: I think it depends on the company, and I think it depends on the leader. And I think unfortunately, it can change very rapidly with whoever is in charge. I think the company itself has no natural moral or ethical compass, but the leader can instill one. But unfortunately, or fortunately, when that leader changes, so can that compass, and it can change very, very quickly.
Hal Weitzman: I mean, the companies are telling us that they do have a moral purpose, so I didn’t make that up. Companies have been telling us, particularly in the past three or four years, they want to have a moral compass. They want to have purpose. They want to move from shareholder capitalism to stakeholder capitalism. I mean, in the past few months, in particular, there’s been a big backlash against that, but still, that’s the predominant thing. We want to have a moral purpose. The most obvious example of that, we were talking about before this event, is environmental stuff. The companies have just said, we don’t want to be big polluters anymore. They’re telling us they want to have, I don’t know if it’s moral, but they want to have some kind of purpose beyond just making money, just making cash for their investors.
A lot of companies that are being more friendly with the amount that they pay workers, with giving leave to workers and other kind of conditions, which has, what’s the word, accelerated because of the pandemic. The kind of paid time off or unlimited time off type rules. They’re telling us that they care more about workers. Of course, because of the Great Resignation, they have to tell us that. They’re telling us they care more about the environment. In some cases, they’re telling us they care more about society, because they’re putting Black Lives Matter on their Twitter feed and whatever else.
Now, there is a lot of research that shows that all of this is nonsense, that they’re not actually doing anything substantial beyond someone in the social media team posting something, but that’s what they’re telling us that their moral compass is. I’m just saying, is the system holding them accountable at all to that? I think there are very smart people working on things like measuring environmental impact, but we’re not quite there yet. I would say, we need to look to ourselves to sort of hold them to the standards that they have told us that they want to be held to.
Bethany McLean: I think it’s a question of measurement, in the sense that bottom-line profits are a very easy thing to measure, and all these other things that we’re talking about are not very easy to measure. And until we decide on a way to measure them, it is … the words are probably pretty meaningless, no matter how well intentioned the companies might be.
Hal Weitzman: Well, the SEC is working on that question right now—of how to measure environmental impact—so hopefully we’re moving in the right direction.
Bethany McLean: But I also think you’re right that as the ground rules change, as the moral code of the country changes, so do companies change with it. Here’s another interesting question that probably plays to some of your thinking—that many people are shocked to hear that corporations are legally persons. Despite its long history, should that designation be retained? Is corporate personhood a good idea? Was it ever?
Hal Weitzman: I’m not sure I’m an expert on particularly on what ... Yeah, I don’t think I know what the advantages would be if they weren’t considered people. I’m not sure.
Bethany McLean: OK.
Kimberly Kay Hoang: I don’t feel like I have any thoughts about that either.
Bethany McLean: OK. Let’s see. We will move on to … there was another question here. Aha. And this goes to the idea of any sort of, we’ve talked a little bit about this, but any sort of hope we have for change in the future. This is a question from Sue Klaus: “What is a realistic plan or goal for unwinding the fraud, greed, power, and corruption that has overtaken our society today, starting with corporations?”
Kimberly Kay Hoang: I think my students give me a lot of hope in this way, because when I think about regulatory capture, when I think about the ways in which these systems are in fact embedded, not just in developing economies but all around the world, public shame has done a lot. I think that’s come from a younger generation who are kind of fearless in this kind of public shaming of what they see as egregious. I think about all of the ways in which they’ve been disruptive to the current systems that are in place, and there are different ways that they’ve done this and different types of movements that have been mobilized around or through social media, and for better or for worse in some senses, but I do think that there’s a certain kind of accountability that we’re beginning to see, because this is all coming to the surface.
Hal Weitzman: Yeah. I mean, I can report on the corporate anonymity front, there is definitely some developments I can quickly update you on, which are that in 2020 Congress did pass a bill called the Corporate Transparency Bill, I guess, which then became the Corporate Transparency Act. It’s currently … the rules are being written, but it’s a big step forward in the sense that from now on, every company in the United States will have to identify its so-called beneficial owners, which means its true owners, to a unit of the treasury that’s called FinCEN, which is a financial crimes unit. So that’s good. I have a lot of problems with the legislation. For example, they’re going to create a registry that’s not going to be public, so we won’t be able to access it. We won’t be able to use all sorts of fancy gadgetry; it won’t be machine readable and available.
So that’s unfortunate. It’s also not completely … I’m going to chat with my friends in the Treasury in a couple of weeks. I want to be careful before I hear from them, but I’m not very confident that they will be able to process tens of millions of corporate registration documents, which they haven’t received up till now. If you know anything about the Treasury, Janet Yellen was recently in Congress talking about it. They are really under-resourced to deal with these kinds of issues. Of course, every agency in Washington wants more money. In this case, though, we are saying, you’ve got to do a lot more work, but very few extra resources, a little bit more, but not really enough. I think I read that America has about the same number of people in its financial crimes enforcement unit as Australia does. There’s a lot more companies in the United States, a lot more population, so it is not at all where it could be. Let’s put it that way.
So it’s kind of a small step forward. I’m not that confident that it’s going to make a big difference. I mean, in the UK, just to go to a different advanced economy, one that I know very well, they’ve long had a system of open corporate registration called Companies House, where any of us can go on the website and search. Unfortunately, a lot of the information is missing, which recently came to light because of the Ukraine issue, trying to combat Russian money. And so people have been buying yachts and property in London using corporate structures that have turned out to be anonymous, even though there is supposedly a registry. They are trying to beef that up.
There are some efforts in individual states. In New York State and in Alaska, there are proposals before the legislature. Unfortunately, the New York session just ended because they’re also part time, but there are proposals to improve transparency there and get all companies to register in addition to whatever they’re doing at the federal level. So there are efforts. They’re not very joined up. Just to give you an example, even once the US has worked out the rules and implemented the rules—which hopefully will be next year, but could be delayed—on corporate transparency, it will still be possible to register an anonymous Delaware corporation. It just requires you two weeks later to register it with the federal government. While I’m getting on a flight to Scotland tomorrow, it’s as if I got on the flight to Scotland, landed in Edinburgh, then two weeks later had to show my passport. I mean, it’s a huge burden to those that are legitimate. Many people will be very happy to give their documentation at the point of registration. That would be the best way of doing it. For some reason, we are establishing a bifurcated system.
The short answer is we are doing some things. I think the impulse is there. I think we’re doing it in a little bit of a cack-handed way. And partly that’s because of the power of Delaware to say, no, no, we’re not going to force our agents to just ask the question, can we get identification? It’s easier to set up a company in Delaware than it is to get a library card in Delaware. To get a library card, you have to show one form of ID. You don’t have to show anything to set up a corporation. Of course, you don’t have to be in Delaware or even visit Delaware or show anything. So that system remains. So I think there are some reasons to be optimistic about where things are going, but there’s a huge amount more work to be done.
Bethany McLean: The library card anecdote is fascinating, and that goes back to your point about Delaware’s power to both write the rules and then enforce the way they’re written.
Hal Weitzman: Just one more point in that. People might think, Delaware? I mean, Delaware has no power. Our then-senator Barack Obama sponsored legislation in the Senate to mandate corporate transparency. Carl Levin, the former senator from Michigan, pushed that legislation, and the secretary of state in Delaware, the current serving secretary of state, led a campaign to stop it and was able to do so. Barack Obama, as a senator at least, was not able to overcome the power of tiny Delaware.
Bethany McLean: Delaware.
Hal Weitzman: Yeah.
Bethany McLean: That’s fascinating. We have a bunch of questions along these lines, so I’m going to try to condense them, but here’s one that I think gets at it: “If certain policies and regulations are oftentimes seen as being in opposition to the bottom line, but for the greater good of public interest, what would make them more attractive? Is there really an opportunity that is being seized here? Is there no way out?” I guess the way I would expand on that question a little bit, and there are questions in here that expand on it, that basically say, well, what wins in the end? If you have this pressure to do things that are in the public interest, but not in a company’s bottom line, what’s going to win at the end of the day? And what should win?
Hal Weitzman: I would just go back to what companies tell us they want to do. Obviously, they want to return profits to their shareholders, and nobody would argue that’s not the duty of a company. The debate currently is about whether that is the sole duty of the company, as Milton Friedman may or may not have meant. That’s another debate that the Stigler Center has covered very well. But nobody would say companies shouldn’t be making a profit. There’s a famous story about Anita Roddick, if you remember her—the woman who started the Body Shop—and she was in one of the Body Shops, and she was talking to one of the employees, and they were saying, I love being here because of social impact.
She sort of stopped the woman and said, “Hang on a second. We’re here to make money; we’re a business.” That is perfectly legitimate. We want companies to be profitable, of course. I mean, I think it goes back to what we said earlier. They have to set the criteria by which they want us to judge them. But so far, it’s all been very smoke and mirrors, isn’t it? We believe in stakeholder capitalism, but they have not helped define what that is. But I mean, I think I am hopeful that at least in the environmental part of the ESG, I think it’s the most quantifiable area.
I obviously said a key word—ESG, and suddenly a horn goes off. But I think at least in that area, that we could quantify the impact. Whether they will then start including it in their annual reports, and saying, we are better because of this, I think they will, because what we’ve seen in the past few years is huge investor demand for this kind of offering. And so, currently the debate is about greenwashing. Are they pretending to do it, but not doing it? I am quite optimistic in the next few years, we will sort that out.
Bethany McLean: Kimberly, maybe the best way to filter this question for you is, are there things that would change those moral trade-offs that you talked about earlier, where people try to wrestle with this line between what’s illegal, what’s just wrong, but why they do it anyway? Can you see things that would change that calculation in their mind?
Kimberly Kay Hoang: I think it’s hard for me to answer that, in part because I feel like Hal’s the supreme optimist on the panel, and then I feel like I come off as the pessimist.
Bethany McLean: Don’t worry, I’m over here with you. It’s fine.
Kimberly Kay Hoang: But one of the things that I think a lot about, with what Hal was saying, and we’ve gone on a walk and debated this ourselves, is that, it used to be the case where the United States wrote the rules of the road for the rest of the world, and they don’t anymore. So I think what for me is challenging is that when people are making investments in emerging markets—and you’re talking about tax margins, where you’re converting what would otherwise be taxes into profits or return on investment in emerging markets, where rather than paying those taxes, you’re paying lower taxes or no taxes via bribes, it’s hard for me to imagine that balance. Because it assumes that we live in a world without geopolitical conflict—that Russia and China and the United States and all these Southeast Asian nations and other places are going to participate once these rules are written.
So while Delaware is one place where this is all happening, it could easily move, and I guess that’s the ... I don’t want to end with such a pessimistic view, but I mean, I’m like maybe Hal, you should end with something more optimistic, but I guess I just don’t have a lot of faith in the kind of rhetoric, because we see this a lot also with diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. It’s sort of like, OK, everyone says that they value diversity, they care about diversity, and what do they do? They bring in a diversity consultant, have a few workshops, read a few books, and then move on, but they’re not actually changing the inside of the company or the corporation. If they can’t even do that around diversity, how are they going to do that around issues that really affect the profit margins?
Bethany McLean: I guess if you were to be optimistic, you would say that the words have to change first and then the actions change next. And so maybe the fact that the words are changing, it’s not at all dispositive, but it’s at least a hopeful sign. But I do want to end on the note for possible optimism, which is, and this is a bit of a game show ending, but if you ruled the world for a day, what’s the thing you would change to fix the issues that you identify, or at least make them better, if not fix them? Is there something we could do if we had the motivation and the willpower to do it and the political power and the control over the world?
Kimberly Kay Hoang: I mean, I think that Hal kind of touched on this. If I could rule the world tomorrow, I would want my most talented undergraduate students to work on the side of regulators. To really develop strong systems in place that are holding firms and people who run these firms accountable. And I think we’ve lost a lot of that when the most talented people are very quickly recruited year one or two in their undergraduate career to very lucrative careers that are doing the opposite of that. And so I think that we just need to have talent going in this other direction, too.
Bethany McLean: Hal?
Hal Weitzman: Yeah. If I ruled the world, I wouldn’t change a thing because I would be able to use these anonymous structures to my own evil ends, of course. But if I had my druthers, as you say in the United States, I’d just end corporate anonymity. Transparency is not a liberal left-wing idea. Transparency aids capital formation; transparency aids price discovery, of course; it aids good supervision of markets, which is good for financial markets. It is good for capitalism. Better transparency would make the system work better. I also think it could improve trust in the system, which is a huge problem right now. So I think we should try to promote corporate transparency in as many places as possible, not worry about capital flight, because if we’re confident in the product and the laws and the surety that we provide in the United States and the UK and European Union, then people will come and do business there. And so I would end all corporate anonymity and make the information freely available and machine readable so people can spot patterns and find out what’s actually happening in the corporate world.
Bethany McLean: A quick closing note: Kimberly, it’s interesting that you mentioned regulators, because when I was a fellow at the Institute of Politics in the wake of the global financial crisis, I had Dan Mudd, the former CEO of Fannie Mae come in, and he looked around the room and he said, raise your hand, if you want to be a regulator. And the students looked at him, and of course nobody did. And that was his explanation for part of what had gone wrong. But I think one of my big takeaways from this is that we too often pretend there’s transparency when there really isn’t. And that, at least if we can start, as you two have done in your excellent books, by shining a light on the places in the world where there really isn’t transparency, I think that’s a huge starting point. Thank you both for being with us, and thank you all for listening and for being here, and let’s all have a lovely evening.
Kimberly Kay Hoang: Thank you.
Delaware Is Everywhere
In his book, Weitzman wrote about how Delaware, the US’s second smallest state, has fewer than 1 million residents but more than 1.6 million registered companies. Companies that have incorporated in Delaware include tech giants such as Google, Amazon, and Facebook, as well as subsidiaries for startups based outside of the United States.
“Each of us interacts with a Delaware company multiple times per day,” Weitzman said. “Delaware is everywhere.”
What explains this phenomenon? Some say that it’s because Delaware’s process is fast and efficient, Weitzman said—it can take less than half an hour to incorporate a company. Others say that it’s because taxes are lower there, while others say that Delaware is simply an established, unquestioned part of the corporate system.
Individuals who incorporate companies in Delaware can essentially remain anonymous, which has led to cases of money laundering, drug trafficking, and child sex trafficking, Weitzman said.
“It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see that these company structures can be used for nefarious ends,” he added. “And of course, they enjoy all the legal protections of the United States.”
Then there are the instances of using Delaware to dodge taxes. In one recent example, Weitzman said that Home Depot transferred its trademarks to a newly created Delaware holding company, then paid that company for the use of its trademarks. And that tells part of the tale of the cost to this process, Weitzman said—other states lose billions of dollars in taxes.
A False Division
Hoang traveled 350,000 miles and interviewed more than 300 people for her book, interviewing high-net-worth individuals and those who manage their money. She found it to be a misconception that developing markets are corrupt whereas developed economies are clean. Instead, she said, the line is blurry.
Many of the investments Hoang researched in countries such as Vietnam were subsidiaries of other entities in Hong Kong or Singapore, which were subsidiaries of entities in Panama or Seychelles, all of which seemed to point back to the United States—specifically, to companies incorporated in Delaware.
“Part of the argument for Spiderweb Capitalism is that illicit, licit, first world, third world—they’re all interconnected in these webs now,” Hoang said. “I think it’s really interesting how we think of the United States, then, as a Western, transparent, democratic society, but all roads lead to Delaware in some sense.”
“Transparency aids capital formation, transparency aids price discovery, and it aids good supervision of markets, which is good for financial markets.”
What Must Change?
Moderator Bethany McLean, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and cohost of Booth’s Capitalisn’t podcast, asked Hoang and Weitzman what they’d change about corporate ethics if they ruled the world for a day.
Hoang said that she’d want the most talented students to work on the side of regulators and help develop strong systems to hold firms accountable. Most people are recruited to lucrative careers doing the opposite of that. “We just need to have talent going in this other direction too,” Hoang said.
Weitzman said that he would end corporate anonymity. Congress took a step toward this in 2020 when it passed the Corporate Transparency Act, which means every company in the United States will eventually have to disclose its true owners to a financial crimes unit in the US Treasury. But the registry won’t be public, he said, and the unit itself is understaffed.
“Transparency aids capital formation, transparency aids price discovery, and it aids good supervision of markets, which is good for financial markets,” Weitzman said. “It’s good for capitalism. . . . I would end all corporate anonymity and make the information freely available and machine readable so people can spot patterns and find out what’s actually happening in the corporate world.”
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By Alex Liao
The recent legislative deliberations over the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) have ignited widespread protests and outrage over the role of government in policing Internet content. At one end of the spectrum, entertainment, music, and motion picture corporations are lining up to denounce the flagrant piracy that runs rampant, draining them of valuable revenue during a time where few can afford to lose profit. On the other end, Internet companies and consumers alike have pointed out the freedom of expression inherent in open access to the web. In particular, they take issue with planks of legislation that would remove any semblance of due process from Internet companies if they were found to have inadvertently distributed pirated content. The result would be an inevitable censorship of websites from the likes of Facebook to Reddit and Wikipedia.
However, the discussion over enforcement of procedures such as DNS-blocking appears to be headed in the wrong direction. Indeed, the Social Science Research Council released a report in 2011 where it signaled that “pricing problems,” rather than intellectual property enforcement, was the root cause of the piracy dilemma. “The structure of the licit media economy is almost never discussed. Instead, policy conversations focus on enforcement,” they note. In turn, this artificially constrained paradigm prevents forward progress on the issue, imposing “intellectual, policy, and ultimately social costs.” They cite the “little evidence…that enforcement efforts to date have had any impact whatsoever on the overall supply of pirated goods” and provide evidence that piracy has in fact increased, mostly due to pricing factors and amorphous cultural exigencies.
It is important to point out the significance of this paradigm. If true, then the United States – and a crucial section of its international trade policy – is pragmatically bankrupt. Instead of wasting resources on criminal penalties and punishments, shareholders in the intellectual property rights discussion should focus on the critical market dilemmas posed by low-cost pricing in developing nations and newfound competition in these economies. As the authors of the report summarize, money lost to piracy is not chalked up as a loss for a given nation’s economy; rather, the “consumer surplus” effect implies that the extra money saved will be spent on goods and services that buttress industry investments.
The choice is clear: dealing with imperfect economic realities and business management, or tying and clogging up the court systems with enforcement cases that rarely lead to a decrease in piracy anyways. In the U.S. Supreme Court case MGM Studios, Inc. v. Grokster, Ltd., the high court established new legal principles which actually increased the level of illegal peer-to-peer filesharing. The similarities to SOPA suggest that litigation and criminal punishments fail to deal with the realities of the situation. In response to the Grokster decision, developers simply created open-source software, highlighting the perpetual divide between legislation and the Internet community. SOPA’s broad provisions mirror the same kind of obstinacy in trying to tackle a problem which cannot be solved through the dualism of legal and legislative action. Of course, piracy is an enormous problem; nonetheless, caution must be taken especially when recent precedent has demonstrated the ruse of the proposed legislation. Kicking the can down the road with overly broad legislation will simply open more unresolvable debates about censorship and provide a disincentive for innovators to work without fear of punitive action.
On a broader level, the United States has always stood for democratic values – in stark contrast to China, which currently employs DNS blocking in its so-called Great Firewall. A salient fear is that enacting SOPA and PIPA legislation will dilute America’s voice in the international sphere. As a leading voice in intellectual property law, it must maintain a stream of continuity in its values. Utilizing the same tactics it criticizes, while standing in opposition to products of American entrepreneurship like Google, Twitter, and Facebook will devalue our position both at home and abroad. In an age of delicate sociopolitical values, the Obama Administration must stand in sharper support of its stated endorsement of Internet freedom. Reactionary statements to public outrage are insufficient. The White House should lead with policy and combat the ineffectual legislative standard being raised in Congress.
1 Karaganis, Joe. “Media Piracy in Emerging Economies,” Social Science Research Council, 2011.
2 Giblin, Rebecca. “How litigation only spurred on P2P file sharing,” IT News, 11 November 2011.
By Adam Smith
The recent plummet in support of the United Russia party may signal the beginning of the end of Vladimir Putin’s rule of Russia. In the latest parliamentary election polls, The United Russia party received less than half of the votes, a huge decline from previous elections.
Putin, who has served as Russia’s Prime Minister since 2008, previously acted as President from 2000-2008. Because he could only serve two consecutive terms, Putin was succeeded by Demitry Medvedev. Medvedev however, has recently announced that he plans to step down after his term concludes, which causes many to argue that Putin has been pulling the strings these past three years with Medvedev acting as a figurehead of sorts. Also, Medvedev’s presidency lasted only one term; many believe that the only reason for his presidency was for Putin to circumvent election procedures and serve additional terms. In 2012, Putin will be running for President yet again, which leads to the conclusion that the United Russia Party supported Medvedev because they knew that he would allow Putin to run after his term ends. By running for President in 2012, Putin is attempting to assert control over Russia that many would consider to be un-democratic.
Many Russian citizens may also be opposed to Putin’s re-election because of his past actions. Putin joined KGB immediately after graduating college, and was involved with the Soviet Union’s Communist spy organization from 1975 – 1992. Putin has also been linked to several instances of individuals mysteriously conducting radiation poisoning. In many cases, these individuals were speaking out against Putin or criticizing him in some way, which suggests that Putin organized these poisonings. As a result, some individuals do not want someone who grew up with an inarguably communist mindset to be leading them democratically.
The fact that the United Russia party has been performing so poorly in polls suggests that the Russian people no longer want Putin to run their nation. The United Russia’s party’s persistent efforts to place Putin in a position of power therefore demonstrates that the party is severely out of touch with what the people actually want from their government. Many Russians additionally seem to be put off by Putin’s “tough guy” persona, illustrated by the dangerous activities and sports he supposedly takes part in.
If these indications turn out to be true and the Russian people do not want Putin anymore, what will be the next step for Russia politically? The decrease in popularity shows the potential beginning of a transitional period for Russia. But when election time comes, do the votes of the people really matter? The United Russia party is the largest and most powerful party in the country, and if they want a certain individual in power, they can make it happen. They have in the past. But perhaps the most pressing question that Russia is currently facing is the reliability of their potential leader. They know about his past. Who knows what the future may hold for Russia? And can someone who was brought up with a communist outlook effectively lead a nation democratically? | <urn:uuid:aaa1012e-1fff-4a0b-8456-4b876efce3e4> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://www.ridgepoliticalreviews.com/all-articles/archives/01-2012 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.959695 | 1,580 | 2.03125 | 2 |
THE Alpine mountain chain is generally accepted to be the product of continent–continent collisions. In this belt the zone of recent tectonic activity is wide (up to 2,000 km in Tibet) and crustal thickness in places is 1.5–2 times the average continental crust, presumably due to the inability of light continental material to sink into the astheosphere. Under the Himalayas, for example, the crust is 70 km thick1. Furthermore, as indicated by seismicity, the active collision zone here includes not only the highly deformed Himalaya belt but also the entire Tibet plateau. Major wide mountain belts exist, morphologically similar to the Alpine belt, in regions which do not experience continental collision, such as western North America, Alaska, east Siberia and the Andes. The crustal thickness here can also be very great, up to 70 km in the Andes2. All are seismically active, wide, highly deformed and include high plateaus of various sizes. Many of these wide erogenic belts also exhibit great geological complexities which are not simply explained by the model of an oceanic lithosphere under-thrusting a continental lithosphere. We suggest, therefore, that the circum Pacific mountain belts may be the result of past continental collisions, similar to those associated with the Alpine belt. We summarise the evidence for the incorporation of past continental masses around the Pacific Ocean. Holmes3 has given a compelling case for large continental land masses during parts of late Palaeozoic to early Tertiary to the west of North America such as Cascadia and Llanoria4. The land includes conglomerates derived from crystalline sialic rocks which have since disappeared. Hamilton5 and Davis and Armstrong6 suggested that the Klamaths were originally some distance offshore to the west and that the Permo Triassic Sonoma Orogeny results from an arc continent collision.
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NUR, A., BEN-AVRAHAM, Z. Lost Pacifica continent. Nature 270, 41–43 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/270041a0
Nature Geoscience (2012)
Plant Systematics and Evolution (1995) | <urn:uuid:572f17e2-4f48-4aa7-b419-8c4ad8f3b85c> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.nature.com/articles/270041a0?error=cookies_not_supported&code=ef93033b-133d-4d69-a6cf-199161f29459 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.721629 | 1,688 | 3 | 3 |
Why Eat Pork?
Apart from the obvious pork products like Bacon, and ham, pork is not only “the other white meat” but a delicious and healthy meat, that can be substituted in any red meat or poultry recipe for a flavourful boost. I personally love using pork mince in my Bolognese for a beautiful rich flavour in my sauce, and one of my all-time favourite recipes would be Char siu or Chinese BBQ pork neck! If this wasn’t enough reason for you to “put some pork on your fork” here are some more pork facts.
A piece of pork, trimmed of fat is as lean as skinless chicken breast, and is a first class protein with many other nutritional benefits.
Pork contains a range of B group vitamins necessary for a healthy nervous system, and is particularly rich in the nutrient thiamin. Thiamin or B1 is involved in the metabolism of carbohydrate, fat and alcohol. Studies have shown that excessive alcohol consumption results in low levels of thiamin, effecting memory, and concentration. Regular drinkers, especially those who enjoy a couple of wines at dinner time will also feel calmer from increasing their intake of dietary thiamin. So pork and wine anyone?
Pork is a great source of zinc, essential for a strong immune system and it is a powerful antioxidant helping prevent cancer cells and helps maintain healthy hormone levels.
Add to that the powerful antioxidant selenium and Omega 3 fats there are plenty of reasons to enjoy pork in your diet.
The strict biosecurity protocols in place offer effective protection to Australian grown pigs and their handlers from all diseases.
Australian Pig Farmers
Australian pig farmers do farm free range pigs a little differently to other countries mainly because we enjoy a climate that allows us to keep our pigs outdoors all year round. Australian free range pork producers relish their clean green reputation and raising pigs on pasture is something this country does well.
Australian Free Range Pork definition: All pigs are born and raised outdoors and spend their life time free to explore open paddocks. They are kept at an intensity that will ensure access to forage and grazing.
The Australian pig herd is free from many serious viral and bacterial diseases afflicting other pork producing countries. This is why on-farm biosecurity and product integrity continues to be one of the most important aspects of Australian pork production. Australia’s pork industry is also leading the world to ensure its pork products are fully traced from paddock to plate.
For delicious recipes and to “Get Some Pork On Your Fork” follow the link below…
Want to learn how to smoke some delicious Australian Pork…follow the link below | <urn:uuid:dc69843f-b251-42fc-8074-40f604d3b0ad> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://australianflavours.com.au/foody-articles/australian-pork/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572212.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815205848-20220815235848-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.93677 | 556 | 2.375 | 2 |
Indian classical music has a very rich tradition. Many minds, many generations contributed in the evolution of music. Plurality of contemporary musical expressions in India reflects this journey of evolution. India has diverse and wide-ranging categories of musical expressions from dhrupad-khayal to Thumari and Tappa on the one hand and Bhajans-quawwali to film-music on the other. Contemporary Indian music is a confluence of influences from variety of musical aspirations, socio-political necessities, growth of science and technology and so on and so forth. Today, as a next-step-forward, advances in computers and new media technology, opened up new avenues for music making. Many musical minds are already exploring these advances and are looking forward for new horizons. Computers and technology is being used as we use microphones to enhance musical impact. Computers are also used in orchestral performances to assist in shaping up and generating musical ideas. Present research work is an effort to take these explorations one step ahead. It tries to explore the possibility of `computer created’ Indian music or computational Indian music using Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Dr. Vinod Vidwans, a professor of New Media, Creativity and Innovation, Pune, India has developed a Computational Theory of Indian Classical Music. To validate the theory he has developed a software system which generates a Bandish (a musical composition) in a given Raga and renders it in a traditional style. The creatively intelligent software system generates Bandish on its own without any human assistance. He has tested the software with number of Ragas such as Hamsadhwani, Dhanashri, Malkaunsa, Maru Bihag, Kalavati, Desha, Bilaskhani Todi, and Bhairavi and so on from both, Hindusthani as well as Carnatic music. The creative software system uses principles of artificial intelligence (AI). The system is an innovative application of Information Technology (IT).
Latest Compositions: RAGA Dhanashri | Raga Maru Bihag | Raga Malkaunsa | Raga Hamsadhwani| Raga Vibhas | Raga Bhairavi | Raag Adbhut Kalyan | Raga Malkauns2 Artificial Shahanaii | Raga Malkauns3 Artificial Shahanaii | Raga Maru Bihag on String like instrument | Raga MBihag Improved Meend Artificial Flute | <urn:uuid:043fc493-f681-469f-9ec2-21abd5a63494> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://computationalmusic.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.904365 | 512 | 3 | 3 |
Global engineering group Cavotec recently completed a series of at sea demonstrations (ASDs) of the innovative US Navy Advanced Mooring System (AMS) for novel ship-to-ship mooring applications. Following successful Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) at Cavotec USA in North Carolina, and System Integration Testing (SIT) at project partner Oceaneering’s facility in Maryland, the ASDs were conducted at US Naval Base Coronado in California. The system is now clear for the next phase of its development. We take a look at this exciting new evolution of a technology that promises a fundamental improvement in offshore mooring operations; one that has considerable potential for use in commercial applications.
A LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP
Cavotec began working with the US Navy on concepts and potential specifications for a ship-to-ship mooring technology in 2006 through principle contractor, Oceaneering International Inc. (OII), a leading subsea engineering and applied technology group…
To read the full article, download the PDF | <urn:uuid:15a89854-5ecf-40c9-aebb-6b9b7235bc41> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.porttechnology.org/technical-papers/ship_to_shore_automated_mooring_a_cavotec_first/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571210.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810191850-20220810221850-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.914774 | 221 | 1.539063 | 2 |
By Kristin Davisson
In the weeks following the inauguration of Donald Trump, many of us have struggled to manage our feelings of shock, outrage and fear while engaging in efforts of resistance and social action. Demonstrating, participating in local organizing and calling our representatives is crucial in opposing a demagogic political regime, but social action serves us psychologically as well, combating feelings of fatigue, depression and complacency with solidarity, liberation and endurance. Because the act of demonstrating is a visible act of protest (and one that is often exposing and dangerous), psychological experiences around demonstrating vary and typically, those making themselves the most visible are also the most vulnerable and least insulated by social and economic privilege.
The Women’s Marches on January 21 marked a shift in the level of engagement from a wider and more socially and economically privileged segment of the public. For me personally, this brought up thoughts and feelings I continue to grapple with around social action, privilege, powerlessness and self-care.
Prior to the Women’s March, a number of my patients mentioned they were planning on attending, particularly female patients who had been struggling with Trump’s overt misogynistic, dismissive and hostile attitude towards sexual assault and women’s rights. Many of them had expressed their explicit feelings of fear and shock that a presidential candidate could (or would) openly brag about assaulting women, have a number of serious allegations of sexual assault and misconduct leveled against him, and face essentially no consequences as he ascended to the highest elected office in our country. Several patients with trauma histories experienced a resurgence of symptoms, a sharp affectual reminder of what it felt like to be silenced or betrayed by bystanders, parents, or school officials that could (and should) have intervened on their behalf. They expressed concern that Title IX and other protections under the law would be stricken away and many remarked on a fear that Trump’s behavior normalizes and reinforces rape culture and behavior. A few queer identified patients and women of color expressed they felt particularly vulnerable, some not feeling safe or welcome enough to attend the march; they weren’t sure if the Women’s March embraced or accepted parts of their struggle or if their civil rights would be represented among the sea of pink “pussy” hats. Others didn’t mention the gathering and were focused on the difficulty of getting through parenting, work and financial stressors the days following the inauguration.
That Saturday, as I watched the Chicago streets fill with more and more people, I felt a range of emotions that I continued to process after the event:
Solidarity and hope – A movement that became the largest organized protest in America’s history was challenging the most regressive and openly hostile political regime I have ever witnessed in this country. The crowd, myself included, seemed relieved and ecstatic to voice our opposition. Pride flags, signs acknowledging immigrant rights, Black Lives Matter, and environmental dangers were scattered among other signs proclaiming women’s rights as human rights and opposing any limitation on access to health care. Other signs poked fun at Trump or mocked his assaultive language in a way to diminish his influence and empower those hurt by his words and actions. In cities across the US and on every continent, this protest was taking place with an unprecedented number of people responding to an unprecedented occurrence. We were not alone or isolated at a time when many of us questioned the values of our fellow citizens. We can be heard. We must be heard.
Ambivalence, guilt and need for change – Was this march as intersectional as I wanted it to be – as it could be? As a white, heterosexual, cisgender and able-bodied woman, how was my experience of the “openness” at this demonstration connected to the privileged statuses I embody? This was one of only a few protests I had attended in my lifetime and as I observed the crowd, you could almost draw a line between those with demonstration experience and those for whom this was relatively new. Police were conspicuously respectful and media covered “no arrests made” in many major cities. We have to contend and with and critique the most inspiring part of this particular movement: the vast number of people who came out to stand together in solidarity. Where have we been? What could we have accomplished (on November 8th and elsewhere) before today? Will we continue to stand together for the most vulnerable among us or will those of us with less to lose shrink back into our “safer” realities?
Fear- The day after the March, I read an article published in the Atlantic by Julia Iofee entitled “When Protest Fails.” The article acknowledged the incredible accomplishment and demonstration of the Women’s Marches across the globe, but asked the question, “now what?” The author made parallels to demonstrations in Bolotnaya, Moscow in December, 2011 in response to fraudulent parliamentary elections when a record turnout of protesters far surpassed expectations. Following demonstrations, protesters continued to organize until, according to reports, they bickered over organizing principles and lost hope. Putin responded by passing laws restricting freedoms to protest, express dissent or to freely express one’s sexuality. While Julia Iofee acknowledges in her piece that “the US is not Russia,” and certainly I know that to be true, these similarities send a true shiver of fear down my spine. In the first two weeks of Trump’s administration, we have seen unprecedented action against the most vulnerable members of our population. The civil rights of the LGBTQ community, Muslims, women, Native People and immigrants are all in peril. The attack on black and brown bodies in this country is continuing. If we don’t stand up for each other now, when will we?
Powerlessness- Returning to my private practice after the Women’s March, my feelings of hope and solidarity gave way to feelings of powerlessness. There is so much to address, to resist, to stand up for…. and in a sense, we are powerless. Each of us alone can do very little to change the current direction of our country. In speaking with a number of patients about their feelings, they too spoke about feelings of powerlessness and many expressed fatigue and burn out after several successive days of depressing and overwhelming news. We spoke about the importance of self-care – of finding a balance of social action with time living life. As psychologists, we are familiar with this phenomenon – we need moments to breathe, to lift our heads above the water and remember why we care so much about this- to feel and be mindful of what exactly is at stake. This too, the very ability to “take a break” is connected to privilege – having a “safe haven” to retire to. While I don’t have an answer for this necessarily, my own sense is that the solution isn’t to martyr ourselves (perhaps running out of steam and collapsing), but to meet this challenge with the acknowledgment of privilege where it exists. It is because others don’t have the ability to step away that I must keep showing up and speaking out. If we can spread out our efforts in this way, we can shoulder the burden together.
So many people have written eloquent and valid critiques of the Marches, spoken about the importance of intersectionality in feminism and made a clear case for why our demonstrations and actions are not futile. Together we are not powerless and the work we do, whether it is with those who are like or differently minded, is not meaningless. It is with this belief and with an attempt to hold and acknowledge these different feeling states that I continue on and will march again. | <urn:uuid:29246d9f-0115-436c-8a7e-7283795d75a9> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://psychoanalyticactivist.com/2017/02/22/why-i-march-social-action-ambivalence-and-powerlessness/?shared=email&msg=fail | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571538.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812014923-20220812044923-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.968696 | 1,574 | 1.898438 | 2 |
Cairn Energy takes on India’s government
A Scottish firm threatens to seize overseas assets of state-controlled Indian firms
FACED WITH recalcitrant sovereign counterparties, foreign investors and companies occasionally take drastic action. A picaresque example of the genre occurred in 2012, when Elliott Management, a buccaneering American hedge fund which held distressed Argentine bonds, seized a handsome tall ship belonging to Argentina’s navy. Elliott’s aggressive tactics ultimately paid off, and others have followed suit. In December a court in the British Virgin Islands ordered hotels in New York and Paris owned by Pakistan International Airlines to be used to settle a claim against Pakistan’s government by a Canadian-Chilean copper company. French courts have recently ruled that a stiffed creditor could seize a business jet belonging to the government of Congo-Brazzaville while it was being serviced at a French airport, as well as $30m from a bank account of the country’s state oil company.
The latest to contemplate such measures is Cairn Energy. The Scottish firm’s target is India. In 2004 it made a huge oil discovery in Rajasthan. Three years later it listed its Indian assets on the Mumbai stock exchange. Five years after that India passed a retroactive tax law and billed Cairn $1.6bn for the reorganisation tied to the flotation. The state then expropriated and liquidated Cairn’s remaining shares in the Indian entity. Distrusting Indian courts, Cairn lodged a complaint with an arbitration panel in The Hague, which in December awarded it $1.7bn in compensation (including costs and interest).
The Indian government has appealed against the ruling. Officials argue that tax levied by a sovereign power should not be subject to private arbitration. The dispute could drag on for years. In the meantime, therefore, Cairn has hired asset-tracing firms to investigate the overseas assets of Indian state-controlled companies.
Cairn will not say what it might go after. But it has plenty to choose from: Air India’s planes, vessels belonging to the Shipping Corporation of India, property owned by India’s state banks, to name a few. The company has also begun registering the arbitration award in America, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Singapore and Canada’s Quebec province, hoping to obtain legal judgments enabling assets there to be seized in lieu of payment.
The legal manoeuvres required of Cairn are formidable. Complex national laws and multilateral treaties govern when a foreign government can be sued and what counts as an asset linked to a state. In America and Britain, for example, courts require demonstration of a government’s “extensive control” over the asset owner’s operations. But what counts as “extensive” is not set in stone. Although France’s high court awarded Congo-Brazzaville’s creditor partial restitution it has denied some of the $1.2bn debt claim.
Some countries, notably China, shun commercial agreements that enable such litigation. India’s strategy has been to renounce them after the fact. It walked away from the investment treaty with Britain on the basis of which Cairn had filed its complaint in The Hague. Boris Johnson is planning to visit India this month to negotiate a new bilateral pact. Cairn hopes Britain’s prime minister will be “supportive of British industry” in the talks, says a person close to the company. He could urge his Indian counterpart to settle the dispute. If he does not—or if India demurs—those Indian ships and planes may need to ward off aggrieved raiders. ■
Correction (May 24th 2021): In an earlier version of this article we said that France's high court denied a creditor's $1.2bn debt claim against Congo-Brazzaville. The court denied only parts of that broader claim. Sorry.
This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline "Seize and insist"
Business April 10th 2021
From the April 10th 2021 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contentsExplore the edition
Workers for demonised firms are often proud to be on the payroll
WeChat, they snoop, no one wins
Many firms will not survive | <urn:uuid:e54839e0-bcb7-4e63-b352-ffee254fb617> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.economist.com/business/2021/04/10/cairn-energy-takes-on-indias-government | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.944222 | 907 | 1.976563 | 2 |
BBC brb is a data-enabled service that helps people to reduce their unbalanced use of digital media through insights into consumption patterns, adaptable tools, and support and goals.
4 Service Designers
The BBC is the world’s leading public service broadcaster. They’re impartial and independent, and every day they create distinctive, world-class programmes and content which inform, educate, and entertain millions of people in the UK and around the world.
Designing a new public service based on data. Exploring possible new BBC service offerings aimed at a mass market, with its core audience aged 16 to 34 years old, that are based on data, rather than manual content crafting.
As a group we quickly became interested in the BBC's role in digital media consumption.
The fast shift to being surrounded with multiple devices connected to the internet 24/7 has given us opportunities to communicate, work, and entertain ourselves wherever and whenever we want to. In our project we saw this topic of increasing device usage as an opportunity for exploration and wanted to dig deeper into how big of a problem overuse might be.
The Final Concept
A data-enabled service that helps people to reduce their unbalanced use of digital media through insights into consumption patterns, adaptable tools, and support and goals.
→ Digital device usage and media consumption
6 hours - The average person in the UK spends more than 6 hours a day online.
2,617 times - A 2016 study estimates that we tap, swipe, and click on our devices 2,617 times each day.
12 minutes - People in the UK check their phones every 12 minutes.
71% say they never turn off their phone, and 78% say they could not live without their phone.
Excessive use can affect our physical and mental health and cause symptoms like social isolation, anxiety or lack of sleep and posture problems.
(Source: Ofcom, 2018, https://www.itstimetologoff.com/digital-detox-facts/)
→ The Attention Economy
Business models of most media companies rely on gaining more attention from their users. The more attention they get, the more revenue they generate.
We looked into how the businesses are built. Popular media and social media companies have developed multiple methods and features with the aim of hooking users to their services to generate more clicks and likes with methods like: 'digital rabbit holes' and 'slot machine effects'.
To address the issues of media overconsumption, policies need to be put in place. To inform evidence-based policies, data and further research are needed.
→ Experiment 1 - Daily patterns
Understanding individual’s behaviour patterns of digital device usage and identifying potential moments of harmful use.
We had participants tracking their use of multiple digital devices over a period of 3 days using existing tools such as "Apple Screen Time" and applications such as "Quality Time". We then displayed the usage (see image) back to them and asked them to tell us more about their reaction of seeing the results, in particular, what they found interesting or shocking.
• Key findings:
(1) People have different digital rhythms.
(2) Participants were generally shocked at the amount of digital media they consume.
(3) Participants were quick to identify moments of overuse that they would like to address.
→ Experiment 2 - Phone Detox
Understanding where the dependencies on these devices lied, and those hidden behaviours that we didn't know we have.
We locked away 7 participants' smartphones for a period of between 1 hour and 3 days depending on how long they were willing to go without their phones. We asked them to capture their needs, thoughts, and emotions in a diary.
• Common responses:
- "Worried people might need me."
- "Thinking I have missed something."
- Not knowing what to do in empty moments.
- Fear of being forgotten.
- Reaching to the phone with no need.
- All participants described joy when reunited with their phones.
We conducted 3 rounds of interviews. The first focussed on the interviewee’s values and goals, the second narrowed down to their relationships with media and the final took an expert view.
Key findings from interviews
→ Values and goals
- Have more online than offline friendships.
- Like to be part of a group and not be forgotten.
- Looking for something to do outside of the digital world.
- Self-discipline is really hard, even if the reward is clear.
→ Relationships with media
- Media is essential but can get lost in it.
- Most used when bored.
- Attempts to reduce media consumption often failed in the long-term.
- Dislike for superficial internet identities.
- Time spent online affected offline relationships.
“From what I’ve experienced, there is a big lack of understanding how people function, everybody is looking for data to identify behaviours.”
(Media Strategist at MediaCom)
From our research we identified 5 consumption patterns among all our participants.
(1) Looping: going through a sequence of media and starting from the beginning in hope for new content.
(2) Breaks in concentration: often caused by notifications.
(3) Compulsive checking: high number of unprompted or unconscious screen unlocks throughout the day.
(4) Lack of presence: using several screens simultaneously not paying much attention to either, usually a laptop and phone.
(5) Bedtime scrolling: the blue light on screens affects our sleep when consuming digital media in bed, increasing the time taken to fall asleep or getting out of bed.
Many participants had attempted workarounds such as hiding their phone, giving it to a friend while watching a movie or stacking phones when meeting friends.
How might we increase digital wellness with a data-enabled service?
The Final Concept | <urn:uuid:200c1ec4-c882-4f04-a86b-4b52e12d0b2e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://sujeban.com/project/bbc-brb | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.930372 | 1,276 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Wine connoisseurs will know what separates a bottle of Beaujolais from a Zinfandel, but will they know the best way to enhance flavor and aroma? The way in which wine is served is a big deal when it comes to taste, but what is needed to get the most out of your vintage? Our personalized wine decanters are the solution, and below we explain how decanters work and their history.
A wine decanter is a great tool to have for serving wine at parties
or even if you’re just having a romantic dinner for two, but really what is a decanter? In it's simplest form, it is an open-mouthed drinking vessel or "vase". It is typically made of glass and holds a full wine bottle. What it does, is it gives the wine a little room to breathe increasing the aroma and flavor of the wine.
The History of Wine Decanters
Originally designed to help get rid of a small amount of sediment found in most wines, they allowed the wine to 'clear' in the decanter when poured in from a bottle or other vessel. Dating back hundreds of years, the wine decanter or carafe was traditionally a jug or other type of vessel. In Roman times, glass wine decanters were invented and used to serve and transport wine to the table. It wasn’t until the mid-18th century that stoppers were added to limit the amount of exposure of air to the wine. Since the 18th century, wine lovers all over the world have used decanters to aerate their wine unlocking the hidden flavors. | <urn:uuid:c4e889a6-43c2-4818-8d38-9ae6c6f029ee> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.homewetbar.com/glasses-drinkware/wine-decanters?new=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.965475 | 339 | 2.28125 | 2 |
THE Australian Jewish community “is the living bridge between our two countries”, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin told The AJN this week ahead of his visit.
Rivlin arrives in Australia on Friday as a guest of Governor-General David Hurley, the highest level of visit Australia affords foreign dignitaries.
In addition to a day of meetings in Canberra, he will be the guest of honour at UIA’s major campaign events in Sydney and Melbourne and will also visit Melbourne’s Mount Scopus Memorial College.
“It is a tremendous honour to be here,” Rivlin said, adding that despite the “enormous geographical distance, there are many things that connect us and create a relationship of true friendship”, including a shared commitment to democracy and equality.
“Our government-to-government relations are already strong, and I am sure that my meetings with the Governor-General, as well with leaders at federal and state levels, will allow us to explore further areas of cooperation.”
While in Australia, Rivlin will thank Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Governor-General for Australia’s support at the United Nations and other international forums.
Commenting on Australia’s recent submission to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which raises questions over its authority to prosecute Israel for alleged war crimes against the Palestinians, he remarked, “This is an attempt to turn the IDF, our children and our grandchildren, into war criminals.
“Today, the target is the State of Israel, but every country should know that it could be them tomorrow and speak out now, as Australia and many others have.”
— Reuven Rivlin (@PresidentRuvi) February 18, 2020
Rivlin will be joined in Australia by a senior business delegation from the Israel Export Institute and the Manufacturers’ Association of Israel. In conjunction with the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce, major trade events will take place in both Sydney and Melbourne.
“I have no doubt that they will develop further relations between our entrepreneurs and innovators, bringing benefits to our peoples and to the whole world,” Rivlin said.
He said the visit “will also be a wonderful opportunity to get to know the wonderful Jewish community better”.
On appearing for UIA in its centenary year, the President labelled it “one of the great institutions of the Jewish people which has made a major and sustained contribution to the establishment and success of the State of Israel over the last one hundred years”.
“Its mark is to be found in every town and village, every kibbutz and moshav in Israel.
“It is a great pleasure to be able to celebrate the centenary of Keren Hayesod here in Australia with so many of our dearest friends,” he said.
The President’s visit does come amid another setback in the Malka Leifer saga. He said everything possible was being done to expedite the case and he had been “fully briefed”.
“I understand how painful and difficult the case of Malka Leifer is for the Australian Jewish community and for Australians generally,” he said.
“The professional opinion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and the State Prosecutor’s Office is that the extradition should be carried out as soon as possible and are doing everything possible to expedite it.
“I am confident that Israel does not allow those who have committed crimes to avoid justice.”
Another of Rivlin’s engagements will be to meet with Rural Fire Service volunteers and thank them for their bravery.
“When I met with Governor-General Hurley in Jerusalem last month, the fires were still ablaze. I told him then that the people of Israel stood with all Australians and prayed that the fires would be brought under control,” he said, adding that he was delighted Israel was able to offer assistance.
And he had a hopeful message regarding the prospect of peace with the Palestinians.
“I truly believe that if we build confidence and trust between the peoples, we can resolve our differences. We were not doomed to live together, but destined to do so.” | <urn:uuid:3e4d9a5b-2e85-402b-a555-a81578eacb0c> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.australianjewishnews.com/one-on-one-with-reuven-rivlin/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.96015 | 887 | 1.59375 | 2 |
In an effort to empower artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), scientists at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have developed a new versatile robotic machine that can learn to pick up and move all kinds of objects, even those they’ve never seen before.
According to CSAIL, typical gripping robots rely mainly on estimating the position and orientation of an object, using geometry-based algorithms to grip them. They’re notorious for many limitations, especially when grabbing objects of completely different shapes and trying to put them down again with great precision.
A new approach to handling these devices is to focus on a set of key points which are interpreted as coordinates. As a demo, the company tested a mug, for which the system needs only three coordinates to lift, with the key point at the center of the side of the mug, below and next to the handle.
Keypoint Affordance Manipulation (KPAM) software is designed to provide greater flexibility for robots. Using a system of six key points, the scientists were able to make the robot match more than 20 different pairs of shoes, including everything from slippers to boots. And although there was an issue trying to pick up a pair of high-heeled shoes, the robot nevertheless quickly coped with the task.
As tests are going on, the team hopes to improve KPAM technology so that it can handle more general tasks such as arranging items in the dishwasher or cleaning kitchen tables. Moreover, the developers say that the robot is easy to learn at work, which means it can be used in large enterprises. | <urn:uuid:a52e60b8-a76c-4717-b51b-4495ba869435> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://softwarefocus.net/robotics/mit-scientists-presented-kpam-algorithm-that-recognizes-previously-unfamiliar-objects.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570767.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808061828-20220808091828-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.955696 | 331 | 3.296875 | 3 |
Love them or hate them, NFTs continue their foray into the mainstream undeterred. The latest firm looking for a piece of NFT action is popular bi-weekly news publication TIME.
TIME Magazine puts up three limited edition NFTs for auction
The TIME NFTs feature two iconic covers and one specifically made for the NFT auction. Consistent with the magazine’s M.O, all three covers provoke thought and controversy in parallel.
The “Is God Dead?” featured on the April 8, 1966, cover – a time when theology carried significantly more weight than today. As expected, maybe even hoped for, it stirred a rousing response from both ends of the belief spectrum.
“The cover inspired countless angry sermons, 3,421 letters from readers and a lively debate at a time when 97% of Americans told pollsters they believed in God.”
In a similar vein, TIME’s April 3, 2017 cover posed the question, “Is Truth Dead?” concerning Donald Trump’s first year of presidency. Trump’s tenure is dubbed the most polarizing in U.S. history.
“Is Fiat Dead?” maintains this theme with satisfying consistency. But this time applied to what is perhaps the most pressing question of these times. TIME Creative Director D.W. Pine commented on the duality it communicates, saying this is comparable to the controversy elicited by NFTs.
“I love the idea that it’s meaning isn’t clear to the casual viewer – much like the crazy, lucrative world of NFTs.”
The TIME NFTs are available to buy via the SuperRare platform. The virtual hammer will fall at 8ET on March 24. At the time of writing, “Is Fiat Dead?” leads the pack with a 20ETH (approximately $36k) bid, with the other two covers currently at 10 ETH a piece.
There’s no such thing as negative press
NFTs have existed for several years, but it wasn’t until recently that the world began to pay attention. The tipping point came after Beeple’s The First 5000 Days sold via Christie’s for an unbelievable $69.3mn earlier this month.
Beeple, AKA Mike Winkelmann, said digital art had been a thing for at least the last two decades. However, there was never a way to own and collect them before NFTs came along.
“With NFTs that has now changed. I believe we are witnessing the beginning of the next chapter in art history, digital art.”
By his admission, and perhaps in response to the staggering price achieved by The First 5000 Days, Winkelmann conceded that NFTs are in a bubble.
“I absolutely think it’s a bubble, to be quite honest. I go back to the analogy of the beginning of the internet. There was a bubble. And the bubble burst.”
The problem is, no-one knows when the bubble will pop. Considering the continuing general uptrend in NFT volume, NFT mania could still be here for some time yet.
Explore all NFT coins on CryptoSlate.
The post NFTs hit the mainstream with TIME Magazine’s limited edition covers appeared first on CryptoSlate. | <urn:uuid:6d48932f-6f98-4492-b195-a130b4206074> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://cryptonewspipe.com/nfts-hit-the-mainstream-with-time-magazines-limited-edition-covers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.945569 | 709 | 1.539063 | 2 |
STEAM for Infants and Toddlers: Facilitating Young Learner’s Natural Discoveries
What is STEAM all about for our youngest learners? Providers will learn to recognize what STEAM concepts look like in developmentally appropriate learning experiences for infants and toddlers. Participants will also review the role of the provider in facilitating these experiences in infant toddler environments with materials that stimulate children’s natural motivation to explore and discover. Participants will also engage in hands-on, interactive activities and discover ways to apply STEAM concepts to everyday caregiving through best practices.
2 Training Hours
Audience: All Providers Caring for Infants, Toddlers, and Twos
Level of Learning: Introductory
Presenter: Stephanie Budziak, 4-C Infant Toddler Child Care Specialist
Non 4-C Members: $10
4-C Members: free | <urn:uuid:f23e8997-5c7a-4c62-98ce-5a1686826380> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.four-c.org/event/steam-for-infants-and-toddlers-facilitating-young-learners-natural-discoveries-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.868535 | 183 | 2.5 | 2 |
With regards to motor vehicle coverage, there are various various factors which can have an affect on your premium. It is possible to lower your quality by driving securely and responsibly. Other variables to take into consideration when evaluating premiums involve your vehicle make and design, the worth of your vehicle, and how you utilize it. If you frequently travel long distances, you are more likely to be associated with mishaps. Ultimately, The easiest way to reduce your insurance coverage high quality is to find a coverage that matches your needs.
When it comes to insurance, the typical motor vehicle owner is answerable for paying anywhere from $1,a hundred to about $5,000 a yr. It is vital to realize that charges may vary widely from condition to state. In a few states, total coverage expenditures 2 times up to minimum amount protection. Stated below are some tips that will help you get the most effective price. A minimum amount liability Restrict is only essential in a few states, though whole coverage normally includes a $five hundred deductible.
Picking out the proper motor vehicle is essential since some cars and trucks are more expensive than Some others, causing increased insurance coverage rates. Moreover, some vehicles are more expensive to maintenance and substitute, so their insurance policies premiums tend to be better. Motorists using a clean driving historical past usually receive more affordable costs. Age and gender also play an element in pinpointing insurance coverage costs. More youthful motorists are commonly additional dangerous than older motorists. On top of that, some insurers use credit scores to determine insurance policies rates. Even so, some states have passed legal guidelines prohibiting these types of use.
There are six simple types of car insurance policies coverages. This protection allows you to customize your coverage to address a range of different scenarios. You may also want making sure that you may have liability coverage. Legal responsibility insurance policy is needed by legislation in most states, however you can pick a different sort of coverage when you’d prefer. Liability coverage addresses you just in case you’re at fault in a collision, but What’s more, it covers other drivers in your car. It can pay for Others’s damages or accidents, and it might also deal with health-related payments.
A regular coverage will have many forms of protection, such as legal responsibility, collision, extensive, uninsured/underinsured motorist, and medical payments. They are all important, and you should get sufficient of these. Some of these coverages might be necessary in certain states, while others may not. To find the finest motor vehicle insurance policy protection for your needs, check out a website including Freeway Insurance policy. You will discover numerous types of coverage selections and help save money and time.
Every state sets its very own minimal car coverage demands, and these laws are damaged down into three different numbers. In California, for instance, you happen to be required to carry at the very least fifteen/thirty/five in bodily injury legal responsibility protection, and thirty/50/five in house hurt legal responsibility. These quantities can differ greatly, so it’s best to check your point out’s prerequisites prior to driving. Although substitute coverage can be an alternative, it is not constantly a good idea.
The minimum amount protection expected by your condition is frequently liability coverage, but several lenders involve full coverage. Entire coverage refers to each collision and thorough insurance, and it may be demanded by your lender if you’re financing your automobile. Liability coverage handles damages to Other individuals’s home inside the celebration of an accident but not your personal vehicle or self. Bodily damage liability and assets injury liability insurance coverage might be mixed to give you the most beneficial coverage at an exceptionally reasonable cost.
No matter if you have got collision protection on your car insurance policies policy is determined by your situation. When you may not be required by regulation to obtain this protection, lenders will very likely have to have it if you intend on financing your automobile. Lenders may demand you to carry collision insurance plan When you have a personal loan, which suggests that you choose to need to acquire whole protection vehicle insurance. This coverage is often a requirement for most people who finance an automobile, no matter if new or applied.
Collision protection pays the complete worth of your vehicle while in the function of a mishap. When the insurance provider pays your complete cost of repairs, it is probably not plenty of to interchange the car if It truly is stolen or totaled. You may additionally must fork out some personalized revenue to replace the car. When you’ve got this kind of protection, ensure you realize the terms and conditions in advance of purchasing vehicle coverage. It’s also wise to realize the deductible, that’s individual within the collision deductible.
There are various aspects to think about when buying a car insurance policy bill. Some states involve minimal limitations on Property and Uninsured motorist coverage, which pays to the distinction between your expenditures plus the plan limit in the at-fault driver. Other states don’t need underinsured motorist coverage. Below are a few ideas to help you buy the right insurance policy coverage for your preferences. Ideally, these guidelines is likely to make the process somewhat a lot easier and conserve you funds.
Liability coverage for automobile insurance plan is critical in order to safeguard oneself along with your house in opposition to promises of damage or home hurt. This coverage can go over the price of defense or settlement do you have to be identified at fault for an accident. There are several sorts of protection, so it’s important to grasp the difference between them in order to avoid expensive surprises. Point out Farm provides ordinary costs for numerous amounts of coverage. Chances are you’ll locate it far more effective to choose a medium coverage amount.
For most states, you happen to be required to have legal responsibility coverage in your policy, which handles damages to Others’s property and accidents to Other individuals. Such a protection also safeguards you in the event you induce a collision with A different driver. This coverage will be the default coverage in the majority of states, and is recommended for motorists in several nations. Nevertheless, it is crucial to are aware that liability insurance plan limitations are very different in Just about every condition. Your legal responsibility Restrict will identify the amount you’ll have to pay to protect damages.
In almost each point out, it is illegal to drive devoid of legal responsibility protection, which incorporates residence hurt legal responsibility. When you result in damage to somebody else’s home, legal responsibility protection pays for repairs. Nonetheless, your car insurance coverage coverage isn’t going to protect your own car’s damages. Your condition may have distinctive least requirements for liability protection, so it is important to examine your policy before buying it. Residence coverage is usually essential for your personal economical security. It helps you keep away from getting left with large insurance expenditures should you induce a collision.
Your insurance plan coverage will need to have some kind of property hurt coverage to compensate you while in the function of a collision. This protection pays for virtually any damages you lead to to a different human being’s auto, which includes repairs. Additionally, it pays for the elimination of particles just after an accident. Property coverage is often published with three figures, together with bodily personal injury coverage per incident and home damage coverage for each accident. Higher restrictions, nevertheless, offer far more protection. You should definitely study your policy and check with your insurance coverage agent if there are any exclusions or limits.
In New York, it is possible to declare uninsured motorist protection if the opposite driver does not have adequate insurance plan to include the expense of your collision. This protection applies when one other driver just isn’t recognized in any way along with the incident is successful-and-run. The Insurance coverage Regulation SS 5217 specifies the uninsured motorist coverage must be acquired in almost any Bodily collision, but courts have interpreted this provision to only use in a Actual physical collision.
Underinsured and uninsured motorist coverage are optional in some states, but in other states, you needs to have them the two. Acquiring each coverages will present you with more coverage in the event you should shell out medical expenses or other bills. When the uninsured driver leaves you having a weakened automobile, the uninsured motorist protection can purchase the repairs. While this protection is not necessary, it could be a sensible strategy to hold no less than the least volume of legal responsibility protection.
Should you’ve in no way regarded it, car insurance policy special discounts are a terrific way to save money and keep inexperienced. Several new vehicles have safety characteristics including airbags and anti-lock brakes that should minimize your rates. You may also get additional special discounts for obtaining security features with your car or truck, such as daytime running lights or anti-theft alarms. Shelling out your high quality in full yearly may even take out payment anxieties for 12 months. The truth is, about fifty percent of insurers offer you a discount for this kind of payment.
You may also be qualified for discounts in case you’ve experienced your policy for various yrs. These special discounts differ depending on the amount of time you’ve got experienced your plan, but quite a few corporations offer you discounts for staying loyal to their consumers. You may well be eligible for a discount of approximately fifteen% if you purchase your policy no less than seven times in advance of your renewal date. Besides these discount rates, some organizations even present savings to These in selected occupations. Such as, lecturers acquire 10% off their premiums from Liberty Mutual. Navy staff get a 15% lower price from Geico.
Are you a youthful driver in search of auto insurance plan cheap estimates? Here are a few ideas it is possible to observe to save money on vehicle insurance coverage coverage: Elevating your deductibles, obtaining a no promises price reduction, and getting a policy which has a regional insurer. These tips could help you save many bucks yearly on the vehicle insurance plan plan. In addition they assist you get the bottom fees probable. Continue reading to discover a lot more. You can be glad you did!
Young drivers can get monetary savings on vehicle coverage by driving more securely, decreasing the number of miles they drive, and letting the insurance provider keep track of their driving behaviors. You can also decrease your rates by shopping about for automobile coverage. Numerous insurers cost a greater fee for young drivers, so it’s important to shop all over. Thankfully, you can find free on-line quotation comparison instruments that make this effortless. On top of that, you’ll be able to request a reduction In case you have multiple autos and have them insured by the same business.
When searching for a plan, make sure to Examine a number of offers and select the greatest worth and excellent. You may as well try to look for an insurance agent who will expand along with you, allowing you to create adjustments as your driving heritage adjustments. You should definitely Assess guidelines that supply comparable forms of coverage, as deductibles and limitations might make an enormous change. For anyone who is a younger driver, It’s also wise to get ample protection to stop economic catastrophe.
Acquiring a no statements discounted on automobile deal with is a great way to save cash on your own rates, and it may be worthy of inquiring your insurance company how to use it. Dependant upon the insurance company, the discount is often value between thirty% after a 12 months to as many as 65% after five years. Bear in mind Should you have an accident, you may drop two decades of no promises reward. Moreover, multiple claims will even wipe out all your no promises bonus. It is vital to notify your insurance company quickly of any mishaps that you have, as failing to take action could signify that future statements might be rejected.
Most insurers offer you no claims discounted protection for a payment of all-around PS25. It allows you to make a specific quantity of promises annually without stressing about your premiums heading up. It is usually probable so as to add it to a new plan When you’ve got a no claims reward. Moreover, you may transfer your no statements discounted to a different insurer if you want. To keep the no promises price reduction, you need to look at switching companies on a yearly basis or two.
When seeking a low-priced vehicle coverage estimate, increasing your deductibles is a great way to get lessen premiums. Some estimates say It can save you involving 15 and 30 percent with your quality by increasing your deductibles. These discounts could vary widely depending on your driving record, the kind of car you push, plus your point out’s rules. Raising your deductibles can also lower your yearly quality by around forty%.
Even though elevating your deductible isn’t the proper selection for everybody, it may help you preserve A huge number of bucks around the long run. Though the amount you select to raise your deductible will depend upon your money predicament, authorities advocate saving at the very least two months’ well worth of residing expenditures. Additionally, it can reduced your insurance policy expenditures each month. Additionally, you will help you save a big amount of money for those who at any time generate a assert.
Obtaining a plan using a regional insurance provider is usually useful for motorists with a bad credit rating background. It can save you income every month on your regular monthly insurance policies Monthly bill, and you’ll take advantage of bargains and exceptional customer service. Obtaining a plan which has a regional insurer is offered in all fifty states, and you can Review prices by point out to seek out the lowest premiums. On the other hand, it’s important to note that it might take a number of months to lift your credit score score, and several motorists having a lousy credit score record can wind up having to pay above $400 a year.
Erie Coverage is an additional regional insurance provider that provides affordable auto insurance policies. This firm is located in Pennsylvania, and has become in business enterprise considering the fact that 1925. Erie presents vehicle coverage, life, and residence insurance policies. Whilst Erie only offers coverage in particular states, it’s more than thirteen,000 unbiased insurance policies brokers through the United States. You can pick out an agent or a regional insurer As outlined by your needs. Nonetheless, it is usually recommended you read through all good print before making a call.
Should you be a substantial-danger driver, you need to Assess car or truck insurance offers and find the cheapest policy for your needs. You should also look into the amount coverage is obtainable in your area in order to decide if a decrease charge can be done. It’d be much more economical to get far more coverage When you’ve got lessen chance or if you settle for a greater deductible. It all relies on your preferences. The good thing is, there are many solutions accessible to you.
Should you are trying to find The most affordable automobile coverage quotation for prime-threat motorists, you will be in luck. You can certainly find a single using a number of clicks online. The world wide web can provide you with various quotations for coverage at a portion of the expense of common vehicle insurance. Not simply that, nonetheless it may also make signing up for insurance lots a lot easier. All You must do is fill out an easy on the net form, pay back your top quality, and you also’re performed! The insurance company will then print you a card as evidence within your insurance coverage protection and you will have a plan on the street.
Should you have a very poor credit rating heritage, you will be regarded as a superior-chance driver by several insurance coverage companies. It is because you usually tend to file an insurance coverage assert than a driver with excellent credit score. Your credit score can be a Consider how insurance firms look at you, in addition to a prior DUI/DWI will raise your quality by approximately 65%. This is often akin to an additional $477 with a 6-thirty day period policy. Yet another aspect that insurers contemplate is your driving history. A DUI/DWI can boost your premium by approximately $174, and also a dashing ticket can include up to about forty five%.
Should you have a DUI on the record, you are able to pick the cheapest vehicle coverage service provider. Businesses like Point out Farm, American Relatives, and Progressive have some fantastic possibilities that supply decrease premiums for prime-possibility motorists. Additionally they think about your credit score when determining your quality. Insurers think about these variables when determining the amount of you fork out for your coverage. A very poor credit score score could cause insurance costs to skyrocket, so It truly is critical to grasp your credit score rating prior to making a decision.
There are a variety of variables to think about when choosing The most affordable car insurance for youthful drivers. Your age and marital position Participate in a large function in your vehicle insurance policy costs. The kind of car you drive might also have an impact in your high quality. For illustration, substantial-efficiency cars are generally dearer to insure than low-overall performance motor vehicles. Therefore, step one to find The most affordable auto insurance plan for youthful drivers is to locate a car with various basic safety features.
A terrific way to decrease the price of auto insurance plan for young drivers should be to reduced the coverage you will need. Quite a few insurers supply bargains for anyone who is a great pupil, or if you are in driver schooling. Having said that, lowering your coverage could end in huge out-of-pocket fees When you’ve got a collision. Consequently, be sure to weigh the risks of this feature thoroughly, and often err to the aspect of obtaining better worth.
Adolescents have a challenging time securing low cost vehicle insurance policies. Even though the cost of a coverage for your 16-12 months-previous driver is way greater than that of the adult, it can be reduced by incorporating a teenager to an present policy. This selection increases costs by an average of $one,461 a yr, but is commonly cheaper than acquiring a individual policy. Also, if you’re a young driver, try to look for savings and also other strategies to save.
The expense of auto insurance plan may differ extensively depending on your profile, which can imply that you should store close to for the cheapest insurance coverage for minimal-danger motorists. Insurers take into account many variables when deciding on an coverage policy, which includes your driving report, demographics, and Total chance level. Outlined under tend to be the 5 most significant components to look at when evaluating coverage offers. Keep in mind that lower insurance coverage fees Will not indicate that you have to sacrifice excellent.
For starters, think about your zip code. Individuals in higher-crime regions will encounter better fees. Moreover, insurance coverage businesses get targeted visitors volume into account. Also, be certain you do not have any mishaps or promises on the history, as these will boost your premiums. And finally, Understand that you should Examine premiums each six months to stop shelling out a lot more than It’s important to. It’s also wise to take into account obtaining a multi-policy price reduction if you have more than one coverage with a particular insurer.
Even though credit score scores are not lawfully utilized by insurers in certain states, they’re nonetheless important considerations when evaluating automobile insurance policies premiums. In Hawaii, drivers with very poor credit score can pay 168% a lot more than similar clean motorists. In Massachusetts, significant-threat drivers pay 30% a lot more than cleanse motorists. For new drivers, a DUI, rushing ticket, and negative credit score will enhance fees in excess of Other individuals. Make sure you obtain a number of quotes before you make a choice.
The zip code you reside in is A significant Think about the price of coverage. If you live in a location with higher crime and accident fees, you may anticipate to pay much more for insurance policies rates. Furthermore, components like targeted visitors quantity and accident background can raise the price of insurance policies. Most coverage providers also take a look at a driver’s driving record to find out what level they need to charge for their policy. Usually, motorists by using a bad driving history pay far more for coverage than These using a clean driving history.
Auto insurance has risen by $fifty – $one hundred in the last 5 years, as overall health care expenses have already been growing. Motorists also are necessary to carry uninsured and PIP insurance plan, which are earlier mentioned-regular condition requirements. Quite a few states only require legal responsibility insurance, but Big apple calls for drivers to carry equally. These optional coverages increase the price of insurance policy, and may frequently raise the complete high quality. Lastly, drivers must Check out their protection limits, as some policies Have a very reduce minimum amount of protection than Other individuals.
In New York, the normal man or woman spends two.8 % in their cash flow on automobile insurance plan, which is somewhat higher compared to the national typical of 2.40 %. People within their 30s, 40s, and 50s pays slightly under the standard. The 70+ age group pays greater rates than drivers with fewer driving experience. Those who are married can pay marginally increased rates, but still lower than one persons.
Along with decrease rates, drivers also can just take defensive driving courses. These lessons are 320 minutes in size, and involve discussions of driver Mindset and site visitors rules. Additionally they instruct defensive driving techniques that could dramatically cut down the expense of insurance. They could also aid to enhance their driving file, so finishing a training course can reduce the cost of an auto insurance coverage quotation. Having said that, if you’re Uncertain about the exact protection you need, you are able to Examine Using the Insurance policy Information Institute.
While gasoline selling prices change by state, the cost of an auto insurance plan quotation in other states may very well be better or decreased than your very own. Some components may possibly account for this, such as The share of uninsured drivers, state insurance coverage regulations, and the speed of theft. Also, the incidence of bad climate can alter the expense of insurance policy in various states. The next desk exhibits common vehicle coverage premiums in numerous states. These estimates are determined by a comparison of condition insurance policy needs.
Missouri is The most cost effective point out for whole-protection automobile insurance coverage, paying just $944 under Louisiana. On top of that, this state has one among the lowest expenses per capita, which is ranked fifth in terms of cost of dwelling. In contrast, Texas motorists shell out quite possibly the most for his or her car insurance plan, paying up to 33% in their annual earnings in total. This disparity might be resulting from the fact that the point out has a superior quantity of uninsured drivers and a lot of lawsuits.
The nationwide normal for full coverage automobile insurance policy is $1,771 a year. The point out with the costliest coverage top quality is Louisiana, having a quality of $2,839, a 19% improve from 2020. Conversely, Maine’s common insurance policy premium is only $858. This is due to no-fault states have higher insurance premiums. The expense of a car or truck insurance policy plan in other states can differ significantly. There are various elements to look at, which include your condition’s legislation on insurance coverage.
If you are looking for superior-risk driver motor vehicle insurance policy in the vicinity of me, you could be wanting to know ways to get a small-Price coverage. Superior-chance motorists pay larger insurance policies rates than average motorists. It’s because they have a tendency to own much more incidents or violations on their own report. With regards to the state, the limit could possibly be a few years or 5 years. In some cases, you can find savings if you’re taking a driver basic safety class.
Even though the national averages for prime-possibility driver vehicle insurance policies around me are very regular, you’ll find that premiums range wildly from condition to condition. Some providers modify their charges to different states, so if you live in a specific state, you might see that a person insurance company gives you the most effective coverage to get a reduced value. The most cost effective superior-hazard driver car insurance in the vicinity of me originates from State Farm, which has an extended-standing reputation for giving excellent company.
The easiest way to find a large-hazard driver car insurance policies close to me is always to enter your ZIP code and Review quotations. The price of high-risk automobile insurance around me can differ from state to point out, but most significant insurers offer this sort of protection. Some firms specialize in higher-hazard coverage, including National Basic. You might even be capable of finding a cheaper policy Should you have fantastic grades along with a lower-danger vehicle.
There are numerous advantages of evaluating auto insurance plan organizations. On this page, We’re going to talk about a few of The most crucial options, including ratings, bargains, and customer service. Picking out the ideal plan is essential for your security and safety, so make an effort to match the several insurance policies from distinct companies. By the time you complete reading this informative article, you will have an notion of which insurance company gives the top coverage at the lowest Price. Here are a few suggestions to select the ideal a single in your case:
To obtain the ideal rate, you ought to compare motor vehicle insurance policies quotations from diverse corporations. Insurers use quite a few elements to ascertain the cost of insurance plan. It’s essential to identify your particular person desires and compare selling prices from a number of providers. As an example, athletics autos can Expense additional to insure than common automobiles. Furthermore, your locality and driving history could also impact the charges that you are quoted. Through the use of a comparison tool, you will find the lowest charge on exactly the same protection With all the same deductibles.
Insurance policies premiums can vary considerably, so it is actually important to understand how each coverage will work. Among the many components that influence premiums are driving background, age, and credit historical past. You may as well Look at the perks that each corporation provides, for instance roadside aid or accident forgiveness. Even though this will appear to be a frightening endeavor, it will help to check offers from various vendors and choose the ideal just one. Listed down below are some ideas to get you begun.
In regards to evaluating car insurance coverage providers, you might want to get started with the J.D. Electrical power car insurance company scores. These are according to buyer fulfillment surveys that survey thousands of car insurance buyers nationwide. The results are compiled into numerical scores that symbolize the companies’ ordinary client satisfaction rating. These rankings are published annually, and the ideal auto insurance plan businesses in Each individual category are awarded gold medals. But how Are you aware if the companies you are considering are any fantastic?
There are plenty of means to evaluate the monetary strength of car or truck insurance policies companies. For starters, you are able to check the AM Very best insurance company ranking, which presents money stability scores for car or truck insurance plan companies. If the vehicle insurance company has an A, B, C, or F score, it’s important to understand how stable it really is in advance of picking a policy. This is a crucial aspect of customer care, so be sure you examine the opinions and read the good print prior to making a decision.
Car or truck insurance coverage firms give a range of discount rates. Several of such discounts might not be available for Everybody, so it is vital to check the corporate Web-site to ensure that you qualify for the bargains that use for you. Some firms offer various discounts, and You may as well check with your coverage agent If they’re qualified for just about any individual discount. Nonetheless, the method is easy and sometimes normally takes a lot less than one hour. Down below are a few samples of achievable auto insurance special discounts.
Legacy Discounts: A car insurance provider may well give a reduction to new drivers who obtain their plan through their parents’ corporation. This price cut is normally all-around 10 p.c. This is often one way to thank your parents for your small business over time, and it can save you dollars on your automobile insurance coverage protection. Many providers present legacy special discounts to younger motorists, and It is really worth checking to see If the insurance company offers one particular. You can even explore procedures made available from American Loved ones, Farmers, or USAA.
Inside the insurance coverage marketplace, Here are a few corporations that consistently excel at customer care. Esurance, as an example, scored 4 out of 5 within the J.D. Power rankings for customer support, a significant mark for a corporation whose parent firm isn’t going to. The corporation scored better than its rivals in all other parts, including coverage offerings and costs, in addition to the top quality of support provided by its Speak to Heart Associates and website.(personalized services)
The most crucial factor of automobile insurance policy for most buyers is its coverage, but it is the customer care that matters most. Customers need to Get hold of their insurers and acquire prompt, courteous provider. Which means that they wish to get a reaction for their emails and cellphone phone calls promptly, and they want to speak with an agent who will listen to their issues and offer remedies. Whilst all vehicle insurance organizations may well offer outstanding customer service, some do accomplish better than Other people.(rideshare insurance policies)(just a few clicks)(insurance policies selections)
A variety of things have an impact on the rates of vehicle coverage companies. Driving historical past and age are two major things. A driver having a inadequate driving heritage or perhaps a inadequate credit rating will have bigger premiums. Also, the expense of living in your neighborhood will have an impact on the premiums. For that reason, it is vital to compare the premiums of several insurance coverage providers to find the just one that will suit your finances and also your driving patterns. There are several strategies to lower your rates, for instance slicing protection or getting a defensive driving class. You can even decide to pay for a full calendar year of coverage up front.(Monthly bill on-line)(personnel special discounts)(at fault incident)(lined incident)
Along with the above mentioned-pointed out things, a number of other items can raise your premium. For illustration, in case you’ve lately built a declare or logged a website traffic violation, your insurance supplier will reassess your premiums. Additionally, if you take a safe driving system, you could be suitable for a discount. Coverage companies are continually tweaking their types to find out the prices, and you could see a difference within your rates even if you’ve under no circumstances improved your driving history.(use based mostly insurance policies)(rental autos)(auto repairs)(Protected driver discount)
A car insurance policy Review is a great way to avoid disreputable insurance providers. For instance, small estimates from a certain insurance provider is usually deceptive In case the quotation excludes specified protection or would make inaccurate assumptions regarding your driving profile. By on the lookout up coverage providers’ scores as well as the A.M. Greatest rating, you can find The most affordable insurance coverage providers in your town. Examine this post to Learn the way car or truck insurance coverage compares can save you income. Then, Get the estimates through the top rated corporations and find out which a single is the best for yourself.(accident totally free)
Your credit rating-dependent insurance plan rating can be a beneficial indicator of just how much risk you’re very likely to pose, but you mustn’t Permit it dictate your fees. The federal federal government isn’t going to enable insurers to make use of your credit score heritage as the sole reason for a rise in your fees. Nevertheless, states such as California, Massachusetts, Oregon, Utah, and Vermont have guidelines set up that limit insurers from using credit history background to determine coverage charges.(could help save)(new automobile)(vehicle declare)
However, this type of insurance policies won’t utilize to each point out, so people haven’t any way to determine if a company is using your score to choose how much to demand them. Some states, for example California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Michigan, do ban credit history-based mostly insurance policies. Many other states even have constraints on using credit history-based coverage scores. In the long run, you will need to make your mind up for yourself if your credit-based insurance score is suitable for you.(bike insurance plan)(roadside aid coverage)(bundling car)(receive a car or truck insurance policies)(pet insurance policy)(precise dollars price)(excellent statements company)(yacht insurance policies)
A lot of elements influence the cost of vehicle coverage discount rates, including age. Age has an effect on your rate by in excess of thirty %, and in some states, a youthful driver can pay Just about four times about a thirty-calendar year-outdated. Inexperience is another main issue, as youthful teens usually tend to get into accidents. By comprehension what elements impact your rates, you may negotiate reduce costs on your own. Listed below are a number of the ways in which age has an effect on your car insurance plan.
On the whole, the more youthful you happen to be, the decreased your premiums is going to be. But if you are a person, age does affect the cost of vehicle insurance coverage. Though youthful male motorists spend a lot less than their more mature counterparts, premiums for drivers in their sixties and seventies skyrocket. Statistically, males are two and a fifty percent moments as likely to be linked to a car crash than women, Hence the gender gap decreases with age.(protection selections)(homeowners insurance policies)
The point that a man pays a higher quality for motor vehicle coverage than a woman isn’t completely surprising. A lot of men make bad choices while driving, causing much more accidents and promises. Nevertheless, There are some components which make Gentlemen dearer to insure. Here are several of the highest main reasons why. Please read on to discover more about the most popular factors that have an effect on vehicle insurance policy premiums by gender. And if you are still bewildered, take into account the following tips for reducing your rates.(car coverage procedures)(auto insurance quote)(car insurance policies charge)
The Oregon Division of economic Regulation has instructed vehicle insurers to accommodate people who Do not specify their gender. Discrimination from non-binary people today may be grounds for unfair discrimination fees, and insurers should file prices for anyone motorists starting in January 2019. These rates might be larger than These for male and feminine drivers. Providing they are not too much, Girls will be able to cut costs. Also, Don’t fret with regards to the “non-binary” charge for youthful drivers.(vehicle insurance policies declare)(gap insurance)(car plan) | <urn:uuid:63ae8ff1-e3a4-4f65-bde0-2e9ae9b7910d> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://antibioticpl.com/car-insurance-in-yorkville-oh/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.952166 | 7,206 | 1.875 | 2 |
Sri Lanka’s path to recovery won’t be easy
Ranil Wickremesinghe, a former six-time prime minister of Sri Lanka, was elected as the country’s new president on Wednesday (the 20th of July). His term will last until November 2024. His election came at a time when the country was in the midst of a terrible economic crisis and widespread public protests, which led to the resignation of the discredited prime minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Wickremesinghe will take over a country whose economy is in ruins, but he has pledged to turn the nation’s fortunes around. Since May, when he began his sixth term as Prime Minister, he has been instrumental in helping the financially troubled nation’s bailout negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
However, given the rapidly diminishing resources of the Central Bank and the widespread opposition to Wickremesinghe’s leadership, it is absolutely necessary to handle domestic instability in advance of any accord. Protesters have accused Wickremesinghe of making deals with the Rajapaksa family in order to obtain the parliamentary vote. They have also pledged to continue their struggle against the corruption that they identify with political elites.
In the immediate term, Wickremesinghe needs to manage the discontent of the public and restore some degree of political stability in order to provide room for discussions. In its absence, the national crisis will only become more severe as a result of skyrocketing food costs and a severe lack of fuel.
Wickremesinghe should unify his all-party government and harness prior negotiation expertise with the IMF to finalize a debt restructuring plan this August so that the country may move forward with an agreement to get a rescue from the IMF worth several billions of dollars.
It is imperative that the strategy give priority to the participation of major donors like Japan, China, and India so that Sri Lanka may obtain concrete financial assurances from its top creditors over the country’s ability to sustain its debt load.
This strategy is compatible with Wickremesinghe’s suggestion from June to organize a “donor conference” in order to get the essential backing that is required. It will also send an unmistakable signal to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) indicating that Sri Lanka has achieved some degree of cooperation from its creditors in order to support a bailout arrangement.
Delays in holding the donor conference could make it more difficult to manage the low foreign exchange reserves of the government, which would restrict merchants from importing food, fuel, and other necessary items.
To Sri Lanka’s credit, a number of its donors are prepared to provide short-term aid with relief efforts, and the country is in the process of arranging important credit lines with India, Japan, China, and Bangladesh at the present time. On July 18, the office of Prime Minister Wickremesinghe released a statement stating that “negotiations with the IMF were reaching conclusion, and conversations for help with foreign governments were also progressing.”
This positive momentum ought to culminate at Sri Lanka’s donor conference, with the goal of achieving an agreement on managing the country’s near-term debt liabilities and boosting the number of credit lines that are accessible to the country.
Wickremesinghe should make quiet public discontent an immediate priority, in addition to receiving financial aid, since it is the other immediate need that needs to be addressed.
A significant protest camp that was located outside of the presidential office in the capital was the target of an armed police and military attack not long after Wickremesinghe was sworn in as president. They attacked protesters and arrested around a dozen of them a few hours before the protesters were scheduled to leave the area.
The use of such force not only heightens opposition to Wickremesinghe’s presidency and endangers the continuation of rule in the country, but it also causes the international community to have doubts about Wickremesinghe’s dedication to the rule of law.
Therefore, Wickremesinghe ought to issue orders for the security forces to cease any crackdowns against citizens and instead begin dialogue with the leaders of protest groups. This not only enables Wickremesinghe to include their concerns and interests directly into the administration’s governance plan, but it also challenges the perception that Wickremesinghe’s cabinet – which is composed of some Rajapaksa supporters – is merely a continuation of the past.
Maintaining good relations with the population is absolutely necessary in order to move forward with IMF bailout talks. Recently, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, made it abundantly apparent that the IMF is happy to collaborate with any administration in Sri Lanka “as long as the next leader has support and has the longevity to lead the country.”
Even if the demonstrations were to stop and plans were made to engage all donors, Sri Lanka’s current economic problem would not be resolved any time soon. The conflict in Ukraine will continue to drive up the price of commodities, and Sri Lanka’s weak integration in the global supply chain adds additional barriers to the delivery of short-term relief.
Rising oil prices continue to put pressure on some of Sri Lanka’s most important contributors, which poses a challenge for the nation’s efforts to promptly acquire gasoline at a reasonable price. The governor of Sri Lanka’s Central Bank has previously issued a warning that the country’s liquid external resources are nearly “nonexistent,” and that all of the country’s available foreign exchange resources have been devoured by the cost of importing gas.
These worldwide pressures on food and fuel costs are beyond the authority of the newly elected government, which makes the road to recovery more difficult for Sri Lanka.
The most prudent action for Wickremesinghe to do at this point would be to back up negotiations with the IMF by securing favorable guarantees from its creditors. In addition, he ought to engage in conversation with the demonstrators in order to get Sri Lanka back on the path that leads to political stability. | <urn:uuid:dcc17b55-91af-46a7-a5d5-d5f7086cfb02> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://theworldreviews.com/sri-lankas-path-to-recovery-wont-be-easy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.964867 | 1,280 | 1.898438 | 2 |
Campaign will employ a pair of helicopters and rely on Perseverance.
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BEIJIG (Reuters) - The median incubation period of the new coronavirus is five to seven days and the maximum 14 days, Du Bin, Chairman of the Critical Care Medical Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, told a press event on Wednesday in Beijing.
Du also said that, while in Hubei province some individuals have tested positive for the virus even after being discharged from hospital, there is no data tracking such cases.
He said there was no evidence yet that such patients can transmit the virus to others.
Reporting by Josh Horwitz and Gabriel Crossley; Editing by Kevin Liffey
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | <urn:uuid:9829b54d-dc24-4e19-a2e5-dd3205882baa> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-china-idINKBN20R14D | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.935585 | 134 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Breeding Mezzoo Guarantees & Tests
Breeding MEZZOO guarantees and tests its Pembroke Welsh Corgi in order to promote and improve the breed. The concept of purebred is an important aspect to buying a puppy from us. It is a collective responsibility for conscientious BREEDERS. At MEZZOO, when you purchase a puppy, we provide you with a copy of the parent’s registration, their pedigree, their tests and their conformation championships, if applicable. We emphasize that it is in our best interest to sell high quality purebred dogs in North America, as the breeder’s name will appear on the dog registration certification drafted by the Canadian Kennel Club. The MEZZOO affix is a protected name registered with the CKC (Canadian Kennel Club) and OPIC (Canadian Intellectual Property Office). This affix is our seal of quality as a breeder and we respect it.
Parents Pembroke Welsh Corgi / TESTS
- Pembroke Welsh Corgi parents are X-rayed for hip and elbow dysplasia by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (O.F.A. or Pennhip).
- DNA test DEGENERATIVE MYELOPATHY done by; GENSOL DNA Veterinary OR Faculty of Medicine of Montreal CHUM (labgenvet) .
- DNA Test VON WILLEBRAND’S (VWD1) Clear by Parents.
- Parents Pembroke Welsh Corgi pass the COMPANION ANIMAL EYE REGISTRY (CAER) Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) test, certified by a veterinarian specialized in ophthalmology CHUM.
Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppy: written warranty
- Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppies are registered with the Canadian Kennel Club.
- Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppies are identified by a microchip.
- The Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppies received a full individual examination and the first vaccine at our veterinarian.
- At the time of the sale they will be accompanied by their health record (vaccines, deworming, etc.) and a contractual non-breeding agreement.
- Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppies have a 2-year written warranty against genetic defects. | <urn:uuid:e16a8689-823e-4010-9f89-13d206824b69> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://mezzoo.ca/english/garanties-and-test/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.894603 | 489 | 1.546875 | 2 |
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We provide innovative, online staff training pathways in mental health and wellbeing for schools and other organisations working with children and young people. Our flexible, modular training system allows both staff teams and organisations the freedom to tailor their curriculum pathways and learning to their needs. The Pastoral Development Programme is evidence based, affordable and engaging. Our accredited training system awards certification at three levels and supports leaners with robust, accessible locality support networks.
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The Pastoral Development Programme provides an accredited training pathway giving professionals a deeper understanding of mental health and wellbeing topics and access to practical intervention skills. Our Programme has been designed and written by experienced practitioners in the field of mental health and education. | <urn:uuid:2b57aed3-5431-447d-ae0a-878638469a92> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.positiveprogress.co.uk/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570977.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809124724-20220809154724-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.942208 | 262 | 1.742188 | 2 |
On Sunday, May 22 from 1 – 4 pm at Lotus of Life Chiropractic in Decatur, GA, I will be taking part – along with other alternative healthcare practitioners – in a wellness event to honor and remember the service and sacrifice of our veterans and military families.
The event is being organized by Sara P. Gartland, LMT to honor the memory of her brother, Capt. Dennis L. Pintor, who was killed in action in Baghdad, Iraq on October 12, 2004. I’m grateful that Sara has decided to put together this day to provide much-needed healing and support to people who have endured much on physical, emotional and spiritual levels as a result of their service to our country. My husband is a Desert Storm veteran (USMC) and I have a number of other family and friends who have served in the military. I know that those experiences do not leave the body and can linger for years after returning home.
I will offer 30 minute Reiki mini-sessions to help the body restore its natural balance. Reiki is a form of energy healing using hand placements lightly on or just above the body. Reiki treaments are very relaxing, and can help reduce stress, anxiety and alleviate discomfort or pain. As with many forms of Eastern medicine, the ultimate goal and benefits associated with Reiki are to feel healthier and happier and progress toward a state of greater self-awareness.
A number of alternative therapy services will be provided by licensed and certified professionals, including:
- Massage Therapy
- Healing Touch
A recent article in the L.A. Times highlights the epidemic of PTSD affecting our military veterans. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Department of Veterans Affairs failed to adequately care for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and that “treatment delays for PTSD and other combat-related mental illnesses are so “egregious” that they violate veterans’ constitutional rights and contribute to the despair behind many of the 6,500 suicides among veterans each year.” Hopefully, the VA will begin to make much-needed changes to their system to give our veterans the treatment and support they deserve. As bodyworkers and healers, we at least have the opportunity at this event to share our gifts and simply say thank you.
To register or for more information contact:
Sara P. Gartland, LMT
This event is open to veterans of all wars, Gold and Blue Star families. Advance registration recommended.
To learn more about Reiki and the work I do, please visit my site: Dragonfly Reiki
For more information on how Reiki is being used to help returning veterans cope with PTSD, anxiety and pain from injuries, see the article “Reiki for Veterans,” written by Eileen Day, M.A., RMT and Michael Emanuel, RMT.
(Image credit: Pam Roth (Bubbels on sxc.hu), www.creatingonline.com/) | <urn:uuid:bc957a06-b67b-466c-8f22-95c550c3f6e6> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://dana-young.com/2011/05/13/healing-and-remembrance-for-our-military-veterans/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.943853 | 646 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Throughout the production system, the majority of game development services and layouts take place. This is, however, usually the most crucial step of the game development process.
Act as a catalyst for game development services!
The majority of game development services and layouts take place throughout the production system. This is typically the most important stage of the game production process.
Below, you’ll also include the design and evaluation specifications.
Apart from the widespread presence of games in the experience of modern learners, game production technology has evolved and advanced.
However, some web resources and game engines can help in this case by improving the game-building process easier.
When you start working on a project, you must think about a lot of things.
In the field of game production, therefore, just having a good idea isn’t enough. The most effective and there are a lot of ideas out there that will most likely never see the light of day.
However, what you’ll really want is a detailed plan of action that takes into consideration all of the possible outcomes and obstacles that may arise during the course of the project.
Furthermore, creating this strategy may appear difficult at first, but with enough time, research, and planning, almost anything in the game environment can be accomplished.
The more information you have about your project, the easier it will be to choose your team. Consider the number of components you’ll need to generate and the amount of time you’ll have to complete them.
Great Team Approach
You may want to refine your idea after forming the team, but it’s generally better to approach potential team members with a firm idea and a plan of attack in place. Prepare to give your ideas careful thought.
However, this element helps in determining the size of your team. Plan to establish your ideas after setting up a team, but it’s generally better to have a realistic plan and a clear strategy before you start.
Even if your proposal is limited and doesn’t require a team, seeking comments and ideas from individuals who are knowledgeable about games or game modification is a smart idea.
Meanwhile, the game design industry is a dynamic one, with new games constantly attempting to outperform previous ones.
Although graphics have improved, they are still not always enough to entice customers. Regardless of the game’s visuals, you must find a way to make it enjoyable and useful.
Try to think of something unique that hasn’t been done before in a game, or, at the very least, put a new perspective on something familiar.
Game development Engine:
However, if you’re still unclear about which engine to choose, we recommend first determining the appropriate language for game development, which should help you limit your options.
Appingine defines game development services as well as the game engine in detail.
Each has its own set of strengths and flaws, but they’ve all endured the test of time and are still serious competitors for the strongest gaming engine in 2021.
Aside from that, you might need to study more about coding in general or look into programmer job prospects, both of which can be extremely helpful when making such a selection.
So, if you’re a game developer or a game fan who wants to learn more about game development services, explore new technologies, or show off your creativity in the form of a game,
What’s the difference between modelling and game development service features?
However, in real-world game development services, just implementing the software development life cycle (SDLC) is insufficient, as developers tackle several hurdles during their careers.
The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), often known as software process models, is a strategic plan that covers software development processes, methods, and tools.
In order to optimize your games by employing extra techniques, Google has been boosting performance and efficiency in game development tools. The following are some of the new features:
- Additive ADB
- Unity’s Google Package Registry.
- Resources for Playing Games — Buddies.
- CPU and GPU features are optimized.
AR and VR Game Development Overview
Virtual technology and augmented reality headsets are becoming increasingly popular.
As a result, the demand for VR and AR games is expanding and will continue to grow.
Virtual reality (VR) is a technology that allows you to engage yourself in a completely virtual world. Augmented reality (AR) is a type of software that superimposes virtual features on top of real-world objects.
However, we appreciate game developers that challenge us and then go where no other creator has gone before.
Developers have the advantage of allowing us to achieve things that were previously impossible due to technological advancements. | <urn:uuid:72ab8336-f44e-4308-8b98-bf4044db55f2> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://techtimesgazette.com/game-development-services-whats-the-difference-between-game-features-and-modelling/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572043.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814143522-20220814173522-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.958672 | 984 | 2.015625 | 2 |
Cheese is a dairy product made in endless variations around the world. Though trade is extensive, it is still regulated and sometimes forbidden from importation for medical and political reasons, and some kinds of cheese are best experienced locally.
Cheese can be eaten as is, or combined with more or less any kind of food or beverage. Bread and wine are among the classic complements to cheese. There are many regional savoury dishes that include cheese as a major ingredient, and a number of countries have styles of cheese cake.
|“||How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?||”|
—Charles de Gaulle, President of France 1959–1969
While some type of cheese is available in almost every supermarket, there are numerous types of cheese that are very much linked to a rather small geographical region of origin. While some of these cheeses have become "globalized" and they (or their cheap knock off second cousin thrice removed) are available almost everywhere, the vast majority is best consumed where they originate. The European Union has created the protected designation of origin (PDI; marked as AOP in Francophone countries), that applies for many types of cheese and stipulates that a certain product may only be produced in a certain region and according to certain laws and guidelines. Almost all well known European cheeses are protected in that way.
Mountainous slopes were used for dairy farming for centuries, as few other uses were practicable and the usually plentiful precipitation means grass grows well during the growing season. However, as mountains are by their nature hard to reach, the cheese had to be of a variety that stores well and can be collected for later sale. In the Alps in particular, there is a tradition of seasonal migration with the cows being moved to higher pastures at the begin of the warm season and back down at the end. This move is often accompanied by numerous festivities that used to be the only thing going for rural areas where most people lived in agriculture and continue to be put on as a show for tourists above all else.
Where to visit for cheese
|“||Gromit, that's it; cheese! We'll go somewhere where there's cheese!||”|
—Wallace and Gromit plan their Grand Day Out
- See also: Australian cuisine
All the cooler regions of the states of Australia have localised regional cheese areas based on the dairy industry. Australian cheeses are mostly cheddar cheeses, reflecting the country's British colonial heritage, though other cheeses are produced by artisanal cheesemakers across the country. Major cheesemaking regions are distributed across the relatively mild climes of the country's south and southeast, and include Gippsland in Victoria, the Murray River region in Victoria and New South Wales, and King Island off the coast of Tasmania.
For a good indicator of where the dairies and cheese varieties are, the Dairy Australia website is a good guide with a map and event diary as well.
Belgium is a small country that boasts a large and diverse range of cheeses.
Herve (AOP) is the best known Belgian cheese, a washed rind soft variety made from cow's milk.
- See also: Brazilian cuisine
The state of Minas Gerais has a tradition of cheesemaking which is more than 300 years old. In May 2008, the original firm, ripened "Minas cheese" was declared a Brazilian Immaterial Cultural Heritage by IPHAN, the Brazilian Institute for National Historic and Artistic Heritage.
Canada is known among North Americans for producing good extra sharp cheddar, though the varieties that are widely available in supermarkets are not comparable to the mature cheddars from England and Ireland. However, the cheese item that Canada is probably best known for is the cheese curd that is a necessary ingredient for poutine, the Québécois dish of french fries, brown gravy and cheese curds that is a staple of Canadian fast food.
- See also: Cuisine of Britain and Ireland
There are over 700 varieties of cheese produced in England. For a complete list of English cheeses and where they're made, consult the British Cheese Board website. Most traditional English cheeses are made with cow's milk, but the foodie revolution that has developed in England since the 1990s has increased the popularity of buffalo and goat's cheeses.
Everyone is aware of the cheddar you can buy from the supermarket almost anywhere in the world, but this is nothing like the real thing named after the village of Cheddar in Somerset. There are many excellent small cheese shops in south west England where you can purchase the biting taste of a real mature cheddar, and one of the dozens of other varieties made in the region. Somerset is also famous for its brie, which at least in some circles is counted on a par with the French original. Further west, Cornish yarg is wrapped in nettles to mature; the result is soft and creamy on the outside, and crumbly in the middle.
Do not miss the chance to try stilton, the so-called "king of (English) cheeses", which has a slightly sharp taste. Although named after a town in Cambridgeshire, it actually originates from Leicestershire; the town of Melton Mowbray is a good place to shop. Staying in the East Midlands, for a cheese of a different colour look out for sage Derby. The titular herb results in veins of green marbling and a very attractive, if unusual-looking, cheese.
Head to the Yorkshire Dales for Wallace and Gromit's favourite snack, wensleydale, which comes in several varieties. The original version is very pale, and can be made to contain cranberries or apricots. There are also mature, extra mature, oak-smoked and blue varieties.
Every English county has at least one local cheese, but some are much easier to locate than others. Whereas those mentioned above, plus double Gloucester, red Leicester, Cheshire and some others are readily available nationwide, many cheeses are sold only by specialist merchants in the areas they are made. Good places to look are delicatessens, farm shops and street markets. Cheese-lovers visiting London should check out Neal's Yard Dairy, who sell a huge variety of English farm cheeses from their shop in Covent Garden.
For dishes, a ploughman's lunch at a country pub with cheese, pickles and crusty bread is part of tasting rural English culture, and has been enjoyed since at least the 13th century. This is of course best consumed with a pint of the local tipple, usually cider in the Westcountry and beer elsewhere. A cheese board of different varieties of cheese served with crackers (biscuits made to accompany cheese) and grapes is also great as a snack, or as a course of a meal. You can expect at least two English cheeses, one of which will invariably be cheddar or stilton, and at least one foreign cheese, most likely French. Mac and cheese may have taken on decidedly American connotations, but the dish started life in England, and is still enjoyed today as macaroni cheese. Another common dish is cauliflower cheese, which is exactly what it sounds like. Visitors to the North East ought to look out for pan haggerty, a warming meal with a base of melted cheese, potatoes and onions which can contain almost any other ingredient from the soil or the sea.
- See also: Nordic cuisine
In Finland, cheese is usually something you eat on a slice of bread, with locally produced Swiss-style Emmental and mild Dutch-style Edam predominant. Probably the most common Finnish cheese is Oltermanni, a kind of tilsit cheese which is quite popular in Russia too. There are also two Finnish iconic spread cheeses: Viola and Koskenlaskija.
Aura cheese (aurajuusto) is a type of blue cheese, occasionally also used in cooking. "Aura" refers to the Aura river bisecting Turku. A specialty of Northern Finland and halfway down the west coast is leipäjuusto, a cheese made of rich milk from cows that have recently calved. The cheese is baked like a bread and usually eaten as a dessert with cloudberry jam.
- See also: French cuisine
If there are just three major cornerstones of French gastronomy, they are bread, wine and cheese, which pleasingly can be consumed together. Charles de Gaulle famously wondered how it is possible to "govern a country where there are 246 varieties of cheese"; in the 21st century, there are close to 400 different cheeses produced in France, almost all of them linked to a specific town, area or region. Some of the most popular nationally and abroad include bleu d'Auvergne, brie, camembert, comté, reblochon and Sainte-Maure. While you will easily find these and some others nationwide, you are best advised to sample the local speciality of the region you are visiting, especially if it has protected Appellation d'origine protégée (AOP) status.
To give you an idea of the variety on offer, the land of soft and smelly cheeses like Époisses and maroilles also excels in some hard cheeses like gruyère and mimolette. Most French cheeses are made out of cow's (vache), goat's (chèvre), or ewe's (brebis) milk.
Perhaps surprisingly for a country famed for its haute cuisine, a number of well-known brands of manufactured cheese have their origin in France, including Babybel, the Laughing Cow and sandwich-filler favourite St Môret.
Cheese is used in many savoury foods, including crêpes, onion soup and Provençal soupe de poisson (fish soup), all of which commonly use gruyère, and Auvergnat aligot (which combines mashed potato, tomme d'Auvergne cheese and garlic, to which sausage is usually added or accompanies).
Many French restaurants pride themselves on their affineur, who properly ages the restaurant's store of cheese in its cheese cellar and also normally determines which cheeses the restaurant purchases from which vendors. When eating a full-course French meal, it is common for a selection of cheeses to constitute one of the courses, either as a substitute for dessert or an additional course. Taking the advice of your waiter on which cheeses you should eat, and in what order, is a good idea in gastronomic restaurants; that way, you may be introduced to very high-quality examples of cheeses from the region you are in and other nearby areas of France.
- See also: German cuisine
- See also: Greek cuisine
Nothing nicer than some goat's cheese with a little olive oil and some fresh olives and a hot day. Feta cheese is commonly used in Greek salads and many other dishes; halloumi cheese is melted in a pan and combined with lemon juice to make an appetizer called saganaki. Graviera, kefalotyri, athotyros and tirozouli are hard cheeses, and can accompany pasta, fried potatoes, and stand alone as mezes. Mizithra and xinomizithra are soft cheeses. The first is sweet and the second is sour. They are used as filling in pastries (mizithropites), and in the dakos (in which case they can be substituted by feta). Cheeses very similar to feta are also traditionally made in neighboring Turkey and Bulgaria.
India, Bangladesh and Pakistan
- See also: South Asian cuisine
- Paneer: A fresh, mild cow cheese curd made by heating milk and curdling it with lemon juice or vinegar — is a common ingredient in North Indian cuisines, including those native to what's now Pakistan.
- Bandel Cheese: A cheese of Portuguese origin named after the former Portuguese colony of Bandel located near Kolkata, West Bengal. Ut is made out of cow milk. It was made by the Mog (Burmese) under Portuguese supervision. Today it is sold in a couple of shops in New Market, Kolkata.
- Surti Paneer: A cheese of Portuguese origin associated with the city of Surat, Gujarat. It is a made of buffalo milk.
- Dakhai Paneer: Different from normal paneer it has a Portuguese origin. It is widely available in old Dhaka, Bangladesh and is consumed with bakarkhani bread.
- See also: Italian cuisine
Every region of Italy has its own type of pecorino (sheep's cheese), and aside from numerous cow's cheeses, the European buffalo also features in mozzarella di bufala, an integral ingredient of pizza margherita. Cheeses are often used in pasta sauces, and there are Neapolitan and Sicilian varieties of cheesecake.
One of the most famous Italian cheeses is probably Parmigiano Reggiano (or Parmesan, as it is called elsewhere) that may (at least in Europe) only be sold under the aforementioned name if it comes from the region around Parma (for which it is named). It is a hard cheese with a rather savory taste and is traditionally and most commonly grated over pasta but also used in a wide variety of Italian dishes and condiments, such as pesto.
Another cheese that is better than its namesake in the supermarket elsewhere is Gouda (pronounced "KHOW-dah" in the Netherlands). Gouda cheese tastes great by itself or in a sandwich on high-quality Dutch bread with a bit of butter; such sandwiches, with either "old" (long-aged) or "young" Gouda, are widely available in bakeries.
The Netherlands are very much associated with cheese abroad and rightfully proud of their long cheese tradition. According to European law a number of types of cheese have to be produced in a defined area of the Netherlands if producers want to sell them under a certain name. As always the best fare stays in the country of origin, so try a cheese or a dozen while you are there.
New Zealand has a significant dairy industry, and also produces its fair share of artisanal cheeses. The most popular cheese in New Zealand is cheddar; a result of its British colonial heritage, though blue cheeses and other types of cheese are also available.
- See also: Nordic cuisine
Gjetost cheese, made from whey, cream and milk that is heated for caramelization, is a very good cheese. It's also known as brunost referring to its brown color or Gudbrandsdalsost referring to the region it comes from.
- See also: Spanish cuisine
Manchego is a well-known, savory hard cheese from Spain. Queso fresco is an unaged white cheese originating in Spain and now common in Mexico and other countries in the Americas. Many other cheeses are produced in this country.
- See also: Nordic cuisine
Hard cheese, ost, on bread is a staple food in Sweden. Svecia is the universal name for traditional Swedish hard cheese. Västerbottensost is a seasoned hard cheese made in Burträsk south-west of Skellefteå in Västerbotten County.
Ostkaka is Swedish cheesecake, made from cottage cheese.
Switzerland is known for Emmentaler (which is the origin of what is called "Swiss cheese" in some other countries), a medium-hard yellow cheese with holes that originates from the Emmental. Equally famous is Gruyère, named after the town of Gruyères, where it is still produced. Another popular cheese is Appenzeller, which gets its characteristic flavour from a herbal brine and which is produced in the Appenzell area. In each of these towns and regions, there are show dairies with insights into the production of the cheeses and usually also the opportunity to taste the cheese at different degrees of ripening.
While those three cheeses are probably the most famous ones abroad, they are far from the only ones produced: for example, Sbrinz is a very hard cheese and is often mentioned as the Swiss version of Parmesan, Tête de Moine (Monk's head) is eaten in thin shavings, and there's also the soft Tomme Vaudoise. There is also a long list of speciality cheeses such as the Blumenkäse, a strong hard cheese that includes wildflowers from the slopes of the Alps in the rind and sometimes throughout the cheese.
Many Swiss dishes contain cheese. The most famous is Fondue, a pot of molten cheese in which bread is dipped. Fondue is generally associated with the town of Fribourg, where it's served moitié-moitié (half-half) being half Vacherin and half Gruyère. Another popular cheese dish is Raclette, from the canton of Valais, which is prepared with a cheese of the same name.
- See also: American cuisine
The U.S. is known for putting bland processed cheese into everything, though you can also find some fairly good artisanal cheeses at some farmers' markets. Cheddar cheeses are the most common types of American artisanal cheese, reflecting the country's British colonial heritage. The states of Wisconsin and Vermont in particular are known for their high concentration of artisanal cheesemakers. See the web-sites of the Vermont Cheese Council and the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin for cheesemaker listings.
One of the most popular meals in the U.S. is macaroni and cheese ("Mac and cheese"). Fast food in North America is known for ladling cheese into everything from cheeseburgers to submarine sandwiches to pizza.
Oddly, the "Philadelphia Cream Cheese" brand is made just about anywhere but Philadelphia; the city was chosen just for the name.
A particular US invention (though your mileage as to taste may certainly vary) is "cheese in a can", a variety of cheese that comes in a spray can.
Wisconsin is famous for its cheese, so much so that fans of the Green Bay Packers (an American Football team) frequently wear hats shaped like a piece of cheese to games and are often called "cheese heads". Fried cheese curds are another favored snack in Wisconsin. Due to a history of Swiss immigration, Wisconsin is known for its Emmentaler-style cheeses, often known in the U.S. as just "Swiss cheese".
Beer cheese is a spread popular in Kentucky. In the general American south, Pimento cheese is a popular spreadable cheese.
For a complete list of Welsh cheeses and where they're made, consult the British Cheese Board website.
For a crumbly traditional white cow's milk cheese, try Caerphilly. This was originally made locally for hungry coal miners, but the postwar period saw production moved to an industrial scale in the English Westcountry, and nowadays most Caerphilly cheese is made in (the horror!) England. However, traditional Welsh Caerphilly (or Caerffili) has Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status, and must by European law be made in Wales from local milk.
The market town of Abergavenny is particularly important for the production of cheese. The range of Abergavenny goat's cheeses (also called pantysgawn) is Britain's most successful domestic goat's cheese and can be bought from Sainsbury's supermarkets all over the UK if you can't get to Abergavenny. This cheese is soft and creamy with a gentle, somewhat lemony, flavour. The town also produces a range of mature cheddars each paired with different herbs / spices; the signature is Y Fenni (the Welsh name of Abergavenny), and is made with mustard seeds and ale. The others are each inspired by a Welsh landmark; for instance, Tintern cheddar with chives and shallots takes its name from the nearby 12th century cistercian abbey, while Harlech cheddar with horseradish and parsley is named after the folk-song inspiring UNESCO-listed castle.
Welsh rarebit is a traditional dish of a melted cheese and mustard sauce (not dissimilar to fondue cheese) poured over toasted bread. Often, Welsh ale and / or other spices such as cayenne pepper are added for extra flavour.
There are some relevant taboos, such as in the case of kosher-observant Jews, who cannot consume dairy products with or shortly before or after eating meat. In addition, the rennet used to make the cheese must be from kosher-slaughtered or halal-slaughtered animals for Jews and Muslims respectively, and vegetarians may avoid cheese containing animal-derived rennet and select cheese with vegetarian rennet instead. Vegans avoid traditional cheese altogether, as it is an animal product, often substituting it with plant-based cheese analogues or by using nutritional yeast (known affectionately as nooch).
People concerned about their salt or fat intake for health reasons, including people with high blood pressure, should also consider limiting their consumption of cheese or carefully choosing which varieties they eat, as most types of cheese are high in fat and salt, though some are much more salty and fatty than others.
Some cheeses are unsuitable for people with lactose intolerance, but aged hard cheeses such as Parmigiano Reggiano are very low in lactose and therefore safe to eat. Unlike lactose-intolerant people, those with milk allergies must avoid all cheese and use dairy-free alternatives. | <urn:uuid:17f25f99-dac2-4c7c-b95d-fe711d8af9b3> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.travelzom.com/en/Cheese | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570977.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809124724-20220809154724-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.963509 | 4,580 | 2.71875 | 3 |
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