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We’ve decided to focus on themes in the Invincible City Developments office, and this month we highlight one of the most vital success skills – goal setting. And since many of us are soccer fans, we’ve agreed to work in as many soccer references as possible to help illustrate our points. Fun, right?
So, to get the goal-setting ball rolling, we start by writing out what we’d like to accomplish. The act of working through our thoughts and clarifying them enough to write them out communicates to our brains that this is something we take seriously. We instantly become more motivated and focused. Think of it as the way we get our heads in the game.
And in the same way that a child would work their way up from Pee-Wee League to become a World Cup player, we start our Invincible City Developments goals small and then think bigger. First, as new team members, we consider our careers in terms of what we can do in a day. Then, as we gain confidence and expertise, we focus on weeks, months, quarters, and finally years. Planning long-term requires the same kind of mental fitness and stamina that a celebrated athlete would train for as well.
Add in some visualization practice, persistence, plus a positive attitude, and you’re ready to take the field! Check out our Invincible City Developments Instagram feed to learn more about the success tips we use to up our games. | <urn:uuid:6b16b797-555b-4156-a233-0e73a1e190d3> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://invinciblecitydevelopments.com/how-to-score-more-think-like-a-soccer-pro/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572833.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817032054-20220817062054-00465.warc.gz | en | 0.966757 | 302 | 1.6875 | 2 |
HisVA: A Visual Analytics System for Learning History
IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Learning history involves many difficult tasks. Examples include searching for proper data in a large event space, understanding stories of historical events by time and space, and finding relationships among events that may not be apparent. Instructors who extensively use well-organized and well-argued materials (e.g., textbooks and online resources) can lead students to a narrow perspective in understanding history and prevent spontaneous investigation of historical events, with the students asking their own questions. In this work, we proposed HisVA, a visual analytics system that allows the efficient exploration of historical events from Wikipedia using three views: event, map, and resource. HisVA provides an effective event exploration space, where users can investigate relationships among historical events by reviewing and linking them in terms of space and time. To evaluate our system, we present two case studies, a user study with a qualitative analysis of user exploration strategies, and expert feedback with in-class deployment results.
D. Han, G. Parsad, H. Kim, J. Shim, O.‑S. Kwon, K. A. Son, J. Lee, I. Cho, and S. Ko, “Hisva: a visual analyticssystem for learning history,” IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 2021 | <urn:uuid:cc2ac0db-0b9a-41c6-a826-e316337f1ef7> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/computer_science_facpubs/26/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.863814 | 329 | 2.265625 | 2 |
If you're questioning what makes a relationship healthy, look at this. A healthy romantic relationship does not involve abusive habit or term calling. It takes both parties to respect every single other's needs and to make the decisions collectively. It is also respectful of time apart. While most problems in a marriage can be resolved, others might not be able to be fixed. Here are some indicators that a marriage is healthful: You respect your companion, you demonstrate interest in every other's lives, and you reverence your partners' decisions.
To begin with, a healthy romantic relationship is based on shared benefits, certainly not about who the other person is. This is because a healthy romantic relationship does not have one dominant personality. Instead, it is a partnership between two people with different goals and personalities. Additionally, a healthy relationship does not find identity inside the other person. This means equally people must be equal. They must be comfortable with each other and be able to share their particular needs and desires.
Each time a relationship is normally healthy, both equally partners should certainly respect every other's mental and physical boundaries. A healthy romance is one out of which the companions have split lives, and in addition they value each other's dreams and beliefs. They must not use all their period together because they are not suitable. They should be capable to communicate with each other and support each other's goals. They must likewise have mutual trust and support. When they don't feel secure with each other, they need to not use every minute alone.
A healthy relationship depends on the two partners' ability to interact. They must support each other peoples goals. A proper relationship should be honest. It should not require constant looking at in and out. It should be based on respect and trust. It must be a shared partnership. It must also support each other peoples goals. Both of them parties should not blame one another. If they can not work together, they must separate to avoid a detrimental conflict.
A proper relationship includes a common core of trust. A wholesome relationship is free of secrets and is situated. A healthy marriage does not need to always be secretive. Rather, it should be open up and genuine. A romantic relationship that is genuine will have no hidden causes. A mutual trust is crucial for a healthful relationship. Not necessarily the same in the event that one partner does not discuss the same ideals. Yet , both associates should be ready to listen to the other.
Last but not least, a healthy relationship lets each partner to talk about all their interests and hobbies. Additionally necessary to skimp on these types of. The two companions should be able to discuss their worries without judging each other. A healthy relationship Daniel Brides is available and genuine. The two companions should not be scared of the opposite individual's viewpoint. A proper relationship should allow for every single partner's specific needs. This is actually the key to a normal relationship. | <urn:uuid:41ce5a56-f271-46bb-847f-4d4d583a6779> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://geloradpcsetu.com/2021/03/01/the-actual-a-healthy-romantic-relationship/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.968428 | 587 | 1.867188 | 2 |
Vegan Scrambled Eggs? That isn’t a thing. Vegans don’t eat any animal products, so if you eat eggs, you are not a Vegan. You might be a vegetarian, but not a Vegan: “one thing all Vegans have in common is a plant-based diet avoiding all animal foods such as meat (including fish, shellfish and insects), dairy, eggs and honey — as well as products like leather and any tested on animals.” https://www.vegansociety.com/go-vegan/definition-veganism
This shows that Veganism is more of a religion than a diet, as this goes way beyond dietary requirements and into the tired philosophy that it is wrong to use animal products, or as they put it, “ A philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude — as far as is possible and practicable — all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose”.
If there is cruelty in the animal food chain, focus on eradicating the cruelty by requiring humane farming methods, not on giving up the use of animals altogether. In my experience Vegan food makes a good side-salad for a steak, but is not suitable as the whole food for humans. If you are eating scrambled eggs, you must have come to the same conclusion yourself. | <urn:uuid:6c20b291-9876-4ebe-984f-96a7b5f77cfe> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://abs4fr.medium.com/vegan-scrambled-eggs-9cd04e57ef82?source=post_page-----9cd04e57ef82----------------------------------- | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570793.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808092125-20220808122125-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.958152 | 284 | 1.9375 | 2 |
The judaic community established itself foremost in the surroundings of the synagogue in the highest part of the city. However, the dispersion of Jewish families through various streets, indicates the integration of christians and jewish inhabitants. The Judaic Tower denotes by its name the presence of jewish families next to this stretch of the city-wall which was erected in 1170 by Fernando II. From the eighteenth century, the medieval tower formed an integral part of the residential compound of the Blanco-Cicerón family who were important members of Tui’s noble class.
☚| PREVIOUS POINT | <urn:uuid:d9d79233-4f8e-4595-a820-ec5073e00a0f> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://rutajudia.turismotui.mobi/ibeakens/rjudia01/view | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.962118 | 124 | 2.28125 | 2 |
The most critical time for a temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical product during transport is at the airport when the pallet is being transferred from cold storage to the aircraft or vice versa. Often referred to as “tarmac time,” this process can take anywhere from 10 minutes to three hours, depending on the size and logistics of the airport, including customs procedures.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), 57% of all temperature excursions happen at the airport. And many shipments typically pass through multiple airports before the product reaches its destination.
Pharmaceutical companies must take steps to protect their products from these cold chain breaks during transport to ensure product potency and stability, and to maintain good distribution practice (GDP) compliance. Failure to do so can result in the invalidation of the license to sell the products, particularly vaccines and biological products.
Understanding the Impact of Solar Energy during Tarmac Time
A widely held misconception about temperature excursions during tarmac time is that the outside air temperature is what determines heat flow into the pallet. But the fact is that the outer surface temperature of the load is what really drives heat into the pallet.
So while it is clear that air temperatures on tarmacs in the Middle East and sub-tropical countries can often reach 40°C (104°F) or higher, what is even more important to consider is that the intense sunshine can raise the surface temperature of the load far above the surrounding air temperature very quickly, increasing heat flow into the load well beyond the expected rate. This also means that even in temperate regions where the air temperature may be a comfortable 20°C (68°F), strong sunshine can quickly raise the surface of the load to a much higher temperature, which can also be transmitted into the product and lead to an unexpected excursion.
There are two ways to reduce solar heating of cargo on the tarmac: insulation and reflection.
When sunlight hits a non-reflective surface, it is absorbed and that energy is converted to heat, raising the surface temperature. Insulation slows the movement of heat inward to help the inside stay cool. For the same type of insulation, a thicker layer is more effective.
In contrast, when sunlight hits a reflective surface, less energy is absorbed, the surface temperature stays low and inward heat flow is reduced. Reflective materials can be very thin and flexible while still providing better solar heat reduction than insulation.
It is important to note that when we refer to reflectivity here, we do not mean the same thing as “shiny” or “glossy.” A black object can appear shiny if you can see an image in its smooth surface; however, it is black because it absorbs most of the light that falls on it.
On the other hand, high reflectivity for visible light typically produces a white color, and the unique structure of Tyvek® gives it a brilliant white color because of its very high reflectivity. You don’t see an image in the surface of Tyvek® because the light is scattered back in random directions, but most of the light is still scattered back.
Scientific Solution for Tarmac Time—Tyvek® Cargo Covers
Tyvek® Cargo Covers are designed to reflect >90% of incoming solar energy. The contents of a load will eventually reach the outside air temperature given enough exposure time but the internal temperature will not see the rapid rise caused by the baking sun heating the surface far above the outside air temperature.
And, because Tyvek® is breathable, it allows faster recovery when the load is returned to cold storage. This breathability also permits the controlled escape of humidity, reducing the formation of condensation, which minimizes the risk of water damage to product, packaging and labels.
Unlike many competitive products that rely on a thick insulation layer, the fact that Tyvek® is reflective means that Tyvek® Cargo Covers can be thinner, flexible and lightweight. As a result, Tyvek® Cargo Covers are easier to install, saving warehouse space, time and money. Perhaps more importantly, ease of installation translates to streamlined operations and improved efficiency.
To learn more about how Tyvek® Cargo Covers—an exclusive technology patented by Blueye®—can protect your pharmaceutical products in transit and streamline your operations, visit Tyvek® Cargo Covers for Pharmaceuticals or contact your local DuPont representative. | <urn:uuid:f04c749a-f88b-429b-827e-918ba9e7b1f3> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.pp.dupont.com/knowledge/why-reflectivity-matters-for-cargo-covers.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.925019 | 913 | 2.90625 | 3 |
Unsurprisingly, it all began in the Brave New World café in Warsaw. The artist Anna Baumgart and the art historian Professor Andrzej Turowski, who specialises in Russian avant-garde, talked about the propaganda Moscow-Berlin train that in the 1920’s was supposed to ignite the revolutionary movements in Europe and support the revolution in Germany. The carriages were full of modern paintings and, most likely, also weaponry, which is something the painters had absolutely no idea about. Such artists as Malewicz, Kobro or Strzemiński hoped the revolutionary load of art would become the onset of the collection of the future Museum of Modern Art. The fate of the train and the Polish, German and Russian avant-garde artists involved is discussed in the common project by Turowski and Baumgart. He wrote a book under the title of Parowóz dziejów (The Locomotive of History), while she made a film entitled Zdobywcy słońca (Conquerors of the Sun). Sold as a pack, the book and the film perfectly complement one another. The book is a fast and interesting political, crime, artistic and detective story, which reads like a thriller.
The route of the train called ‘The Locomotive of History’ was stretched in time, hindered by the changing historical and political circumstances. Eventually, the train arrived in Berlin, but it was sent back on its return journey. In 1927 it is known to have been halted on the side track in Koluszki, where it was most likely blown up, since all traces of the train disappear there.
‘In my novel entitled Parowóz historii’, writes Turowski, ‘the madly speeding train was the lost truth of the history to come, once drifting among the dream islands, modern utopias. The Museum of Modern Art is a physical realisation of the dream that the international avant-garde artists had to give art a social role. Seen from the past, the history of the museum of modern times levitates around the wreckage of the incinerated train, the ruins of modernistic myths. Shaped in the past, the history of the museum involved a constructive force enabling the creation of the brave new world. And the history of the future in the museum believes in its deconstructive power, the critical potential of the word. There is, however, a black whole emerging from my story, somewhere between the future and the past. It’s a kind of lacking and a loss that cause both histories to be quite melancholic while facing the inexistence of the founding source and the final destination. In fact, it is lack of reality entangled in the game of fact and fiction.’
Andrzej Turowski’s Parowóz dziejów and Anna Baumgart’s Zdobywcy słońca were both published by Instytut Wydawniczy Książka i Prasa as part of the series of the Le Monde diplomatique.
The ehxibition Zdobywcy słońca by Anna Baumgart opens in the CSW Kronika in Bytom on the 23th of March 2013. | <urn:uuid:90cb5580-def4-4cde-be8f-e23cba7983bb> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://artinbrief.pl/2013/02/railway-revolution/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571911.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813081639-20220813111639-00465.warc.gz | en | 0.944206 | 695 | 2.46875 | 2 |
Remember the cool wet spring? The current heat wave has put that time of year well in the rearview mirror and dried out unirrigated grasses and shrubs, making them ready to burn. Wildfire season here in the North Sound is underway. Now is the time to be quite careful with any burning materials. North Sound counties have outdoor burn bans in place. Check with your local county or fire districts for the latest information.
If you have not established fire defensible space around your home or business, now is the time to do so. Visit https://www.dnr.wa.gov/firewise or the National Fire Protection Association for complete information on how you can better defend your home from wildfires. If you have landscape sprinkler systems, use them. Your water bill will be less than replacing your home and they also can reduce the temperature around your home. The best time to run them is after dark or late night when the temps start to drop.
Wildfires elsewhere in the country have burned homes and businesses, and it can happen here. Some simple steps to take include trimming up tree limbs to above your shoulder so any burning on the ground cannot climb into the trees. Also, clear gutters of debris and move firewood away from buildings.
On the road, avoid tossing any burning materials like cigarettes out the window. They can wind up in the road’s shoulder and start a roadside fire in dry grass. If towing a trailer, tighten up the tow chain so it does not drag on the pavement and create sparks.
In addition, this is no time to be playing with fireworks. So far this century, a number of fires have been started by fireworks in the North Sound.
Nature’s air conditioning from the Pacific Ocean is forecast to begin moderating temperatures by the end of this week and into next week. Yet, the dry conditions will continue and the region’s wildfire season is here until further notice. | <urn:uuid:cead56b0-54fb-4c73-b200-2f4e96826491> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.everettpost.com/press-releases/wildfire-season-is-here | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.935099 | 401 | 2.125 | 2 |
Are you prepared to publish economic liaisons?
Members of the Pharma Industry Finland (PIF) are required to disclose transfers of value to healthcare organisations, patient organisations and health care professionals starting from 2016.
As the disclosure of information is regarded as an industry-wide issue, non-members should also consider adopting the practice. The Finnish Medical Association is in favour of disclosure.
Publication of information takes place annually, and the reporting period is one full calendar year. The first reporting period is the calendar year 2015.
Check the following to be ready for the disclosure
1. Familiarize yourself with the precept and the disclosure forms.
2. Obtain the necessary consents for the disclosure of the information at individual level.
3. Ensure that FI translations of the relevant material are available for publication on the company’s website. | <urn:uuid:beb630e4-2fb3-4f2b-bb80-de9b6de5cfeb> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://dra.fi/are-you-prepared-to-publish-economic-liaisons/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570793.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808092125-20220808122125-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.911946 | 172 | 1.539063 | 2 |
- Elon Musk visited Richard Branson in his kitchen at 3 a.m. to wish him good luck on his spaceflight.
- Branson flew to the edge of space aboard a Virgin Galactic space plane on Sunday morning.
- He shared a photo of himself with a barefoot Musk – two billionaire spaceflight-company founders.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
The Virgin Group tycoon flew about 55 miles high – just skimming the edge of space – aboard a SpaceShipTwo rocket plane on Sunday morning. It was Virgin Galactic's first flight with a full crew, and it has positioned the company to fly its first paying tourists to the edge of space next year.
Ultimately, Branson has said, the company's aim is to make spaceflight accessible to everyone.
Musk founded the rocket company SpaceX with a different goal: reaching and populating Mars. But he still showed support for Branson's cause. Two hours before lifting off, Branson shared a photo on Twitter of himself in the kitchen with a barefoot Musk.
"Great to start the morning with a friend," he wrote.
The SpaceX founder visited Virgin Galactic's launch facilities in New Mexico to watch the flight. He was later photographed with the CEO of Virgin Orbit, Branson's other spaceflight company.
In a press conference after the flight, Branson specified that it was quite early in the morning: 3 a.m.
"It was great this morning to find Elon Musk in my kitchen at three o'clock, to come to wish us the best," he said.
"I'd already been to bed and he still hadn't gone to bed," Branson added with a laugh. "He's an all-nighter and our time clocks are completely different. But so nice of him to come all this way to wish us well."
Just a few hours later Branson lifted off, ferried by two pilots and accompanied by three other Virgin Galactic employees standing in as passengers. Along with Branson, these "mission specialists" were Beth Moses, the company's chief astronaut instructor; Colin Bennett, its lead operations engineer; and Sirisha Bandla, the vice president of government affairs and research.
A double-bodied "mothership" plane carried their spaceship nearly 10 miles above sea level, then dropped it into the open air. The pilots fired the SpaceShipTwo engines immediately, pointed upwards, and screamed towards space, climbing another 45 miles in just about two minutes.
Branson and his crewmates spent just about five minutes floating around the space plane's cabin and gazing at the Earth below before gravity began to pull them back down. The space plane fell back through Earth's atmosphere, then extended its wings to glide to a runway landing.
"Congratulations, beautiful flight!" Musk tweeted shortly after touchdown. | <urn:uuid:94fd3ca0-45a1-4447-b65c-a1f3ee5e44cc> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.businessinsider.nl/elon-musk-showed-up-in-richard-bransons-kitchen-at-3-a-m-to-wish-him-luck-flying-to-the-edge-of-space/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570793.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808092125-20220808122125-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.968424 | 577 | 1.875 | 2 |
Incident Management Process
Incident management processes address threats, ensure communication protocols, and return your business to operational normalcy.
Incident management refers to the process an organization uses to discover, assess, address, and report incidents. The nature of incidents can vary but in call cases, they involve the potential damage or disruption of an organization's critical assets and/or operations. Without rapid mitigation, incidents can escalate to become disastrous. The goal of any incident management process is to return the business to operational normalcy, repair any damage, and follow communication protocols internally and externally. You can read more on the topic on TechTarget.com.
An incident management system is vital to ensure that small problems don’t become large problems and that large problems don’t become catastrophes. Having a proper incident management process in place is vital for a business of any size. Errors happen, unforeseen problems arise, and people make mistakes. An incident management process is designed to prevent normal issues from having wide-ranging effects.
While often correlated with IT/ITIL, incident management and incident response processes are needed across an entire organization. Some examples of incidents requiring a coordinated, consistent, and rapid response include:
In all cases, there is an event trigger followed by a well-executed, cross-departmental incident management process that is handled by a formal or informal Incident Response Team. Each team member is responsible for a specific aspect of the incident mitigation activities as well as knowing how and when to escalate to another team or team member. An incident management system should be practiced with well-documented duties so that nothing falls through the cracks.
At the end of the incident management process, there is a response assessment that reviews what happened, response performance, and results against Service Level Objectives (SLOs). By recording and documenting each incident, the incident management process can be improved and lessons can be learned for future incident management situations.
For a visual example of laying out an incident response process, check out this guide from LucidChart.
Everyone has been part of a "fire drill" approach to handling an incident. In some cases individuals step up and guide the incident management response, acting as a traffic cop and doing their best to both communicate and manage activities. However, even in the best situation with the best traffic cops, the response tends to be slower and less effective than it should be. In some cases, these delays and missteps can cost an organization greatly both in terms of revenue and reputation.
What is the advantage of an automated incident management process in this case? Imagine that rather than leaving things to individual traffic cops, every driver on the road was getting personalized instructions for what they should be doing. You can imagine how much more quickly the incident would be resolved!
Incident management software that automates your incident response can seem like a no-brainer, with this in mind.
Automating the incident management process as much as possible will:
Having a centralized incident reporting system accessible to consistently log incidents and route them to trained personnel for the initial assessment is the first step. This alone could help ensure a rapid, more coordinated response to security incidents by providing checklists for actions to be performed and communicating status.
Once incidents are reported they can be prioritized based on reporting time or determining severity. While all incidents are logged and analyzed, “Critical” incidents might be routed immediately to the highest level remediation team and key executives. In addition, an alert might be sent back to the originator for immediate clarification and additional information. If a “Critical” incident has not had action taken on it within 5 minutes it could escalate to another team, fire off more alerts, etc.
Our customers have built incident management systems to handle a variety of incident response needs using our low-code workflow automation platform. The example below is from a Privacy Incident system that one of our customers developed to handle potential privacy breaches. Anyone in the organization can submit an incident report and the response workflow is immediately kicked off.
Note: We're only showing part of the system here to maintain anonymity. The complexity of the process is well beyond what you see here.
An incident response audit trail is critical to response process improvement and identifying bottlenecks, dropped hand-offs and turnaround time issues.
Best-practice audit trails include:
Audit trails, therefore, provide explicitly “who, what, when, where, how” information that can be used to either confirm that tasks were performed as expected or identify errors. Audit reports can show examples of areas for improvement in an incident management process. For instance, if there are frequent mistakes or delays unearthed by reviewing the data, workflow administrators can look for opportunities to improve forms, copy, routing, etc., and ensure a better end product.
Integrify provides incident management software that allows our customers to build customized, automated response processes based on any type of incident, whether it's a cyberattack, HR issue, or any other kind of incident in need of a coordinated, rapid response. Our software is proven in the field and has been used by some of the largest companies in the world, including GlaxoSmithKline, Sony, AT&T, and BP.
Our visual process designer interface lets you design custom access request workflows using drag and drop. Automatically assign tasks and route information based on your organization's unique workflow. Set alerts, reminders, and escalations to keep work moving forward.
Easily create responsive, Web-based forms to capture incident information. Include a wide variety of field types, form logic, templates, and layouts to ensure the correct data is captured and routed every time.
Provide a unified front-end experience that allows users to submit incident reports, complete reviews, and track incident status. Collaborate in real-time about work being performed. Provide visibility by role to see which tasks are completed, pending, or in progress for a great user experience.
Track and maintain an audit trail of all your incident response workflows, including incident form data, remediation activities, and resolutions. Follow team progress and use KPI scoreboards to track the overall efficiency and drive improvements. Build custom reports to analyze and share with stakeholders.
Create workflow applications with process integration into existing enterprise systems. Our open architecture and standalone web service allow other applications to initiate a workflow, complete a list of tasks, update process statuses, and conduct other bi-directional activities. Connect everything with Integrify.
We have a variety of resources to help you on your journey to an automated incident management workflow.
Copyright © 2022 Integrify All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:d473c6cf-6a7a-4128-9385-2b01c91e4ddf> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.integrify.com/incident-management/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571056.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809155137-20220809185137-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.943996 | 1,355 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Kristian Gustafson. Hostile Intent: U.S. Covert Operations in Chile, 1964-1974. Dulles: Potomac Books, 2007. xiv + 317 pp. $29.95 (cloth), ISBN 978-1-59797-097-6.
Reviewed by Marc Becker (Department of History, Truman State University)
Published on H-Peace (April, 2008)
Yet Another Book on the Chilean Coup
It is hard to tell what the purpose or audience is for this book. It is said that there are a thousand books on the events leading up to and surrounding the September 11, 1973 coup in Chile, one for every day that Salvador Allende was in office. Kristian Gustafson, a former Canadian army officer and now a lecturer at Brunel University's Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies in England, points to the best of this literature in a brief historiographic overview at the beginning of the book. Particularly notable are Peter Kornbluh's The Pinochet File (2003), Jonathan Haslam's The Nixon Administration and the Death of Allende's Chile (2005), and John Dinges's The Condor Years (2004). This book is a minor contribution to a crowded and well-studied field.
Gustafson challenges interpretations that the U.S. government played a key role in the overthrow of Allende's leftist government. This is not as innovative or heretical an argument as it may appear to some on the surface. In what I call an academic/activist divide, solidarity activists often denounce the U.S. government's role while academics tend to look at more factors in explaining the coup. In fact, only emphasizing U.S. government actions tends to disempower Latin Americans, ironically the reverse of what solidarity activists purport to do. Even Chile's nationalistic officer corps, as Gustafson notes, find the emphasis on the U.S. to be insulting to their own agency (p. 204). Instead, approaching the coup from the perspective of what was happening in Chile allows us to understand deep class conflicts in that society. Wealthy conservative Chilean elites would have opposed Allende's socialist reforms whether the United States existed or not. From this perspective, the U.S. government was not a hegemonic force but rather one controlled by elites who sought to build class alliances in other countries to benefit their imperial agenda. Recognizing these class conflicts in Chile leads to a more nuanced interpretation of the coup than simply blaming U.S. imperialism.
But Gustafson is not interested in this line of thought. His focus remains firmly planted on debates within the U.S. security apparatus and not on developments in Chile that led to a highly polarized situation. Instead, in a rather backhanded way, Gustafson seems to argue that the U.S. government should have been more engaged in determining the course of events in Chile. Studies stretching back to the early 1970s reveal just how little understanding the Nixon administration had of events in Chile. Gustafson includes Kissinger's famous quip that Chile was "a dagger pointed at the heart of Antarctica" (quoted, p.100). In The Pinochet File, Kornbluh cites internal documents from state department officials that argue that political developments in Chile had little importance for U.S. interests, and that intervention was unwarranted. Gustafson, instead, argues that the U.S. government made a mistake in continuing to support the centrist but leftward-drifting Christian Democrats when the conservative but drifting toward fascism National Party was closer to the Nixon administration's ideology.
This leads me to a second and more fundamental problem with this book. Gustafson complains that debates regarding U.S. government involvement in the coup split into a Left/Right divide over whether to place criminal blame on Nixon and Kissinger. "Like so much else in this world," Gustafson writes, "the truth is somewhere in the middle of these perspectives" (p. 2). He then proceeds to present his study as an objective centrist perspective. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. In his mind, Allende was a dangerous communist who needed to be removed and he never considers the advances his government made in social policy. Even as the vicious and repressive nature of the Pinochet government became apparent, the Nixon administration continued to favor a fascist military dictatorship rather than an elected, democratic, leftist government. Gustafson dismisses opponents of this policy (including Noam Chomsky) as conspiracy theorists (pp. 91, 203). Even though his focus is on U.S. policy, he fails to consider what it does to the moral authority of a government to employ the rhetoric of democracy but embrace dictatorial policies. Gustafson does his readers a disservice by presenting his argument as growing out of a neutral position, especially since his conservative and pro-imperialist perspective is blatant throughout the book.
And this leads me to my original question concerning the purpose and audience of this book. Those of us on the Left will not be convinced by Gustafson's argument that the Nixon administration should have taken even more aggressive imperialist stances in Chile. Those on the Right probably will find this book as preaching to the choir. Those looking for a good overview of events surrounding the Chilean coup would be better served by reading the books Gustafson points to in his historiographic overview. Those who have read many of the thousand books on the subject will find little new or of interest in this book.
If there is additional discussion of this review, you may access it through the network, at: https://networks.h-net.org/h-peace.
Marc Becker. Review of Gustafson, Kristian, Hostile Intent: U.S. Covert Operations in Chile, 1964-1974.
H-Peace, H-Net Reviews.
Copyright © 2008 by H-Net, all rights reserved. H-Net permits the redistribution and reprinting of this work for nonprofit, educational purposes, with full and accurate attribution to the author, web location, date of publication, originating list, and H-Net: Humanities & Social Sciences Online. For any other proposed use, contact the Reviews editorial staff at firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:b9d6a563-9a0f-4035-9f7c-87879d809217> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=14399 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570793.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808092125-20220808122125-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.948009 | 1,323 | 1.710938 | 2 |
For nearly 50 years straddling the turn of the 20th century, Luther Burbank’s experimental gardens in Santa Rosa stopped passersby in their tracks. Giant evening primroses, big as pocket handkerchiefs, filled the beds one season; another, Rainbow Swiss chard caused a line-up at the picket fence.
Burbank was known as the “plant wizard,” and today the famed horticulturist’s creations continue to fascinate visitors as they peer into his Victorian-style greenhouse and walk garden paths on the land where he perfected so many of his hybrids.
Before he died in 1926, some 800 Burbank-developed varieties had entered the botanical alphabet, from autilons to zauschnerias. The word “burbank” could be found in the dictionary as a verb, defined as “to clone” or “to change.”
It was in 1875 that the then 26-year-old Burbank set out for California in search of a horticultural Eden. He found what he was looking for in Sonoma County. “This is the chosen spot of all the earth as far is nature is concerned,” he wrote in a letter home.
My sentiment exactly. Travels take me to lovely parts of the world, some in spectacular settings. Yet I never come home without looking about and thinking, “Lucky me. This is the chosen spot of all the earth.” | <urn:uuid:4b7f6e7c-598c-43dd-8370-dd2001fafd7f> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://thetravelinggardener.com/2011/luther-burbank/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.969841 | 312 | 2.15625 | 2 |
In what should be a given —a mentally healthy workplace — this isn’t always the case as chaos can reign supreme, with many people struggling in silence. As we take a look at where we are as an industry, we question what can be done to improve the status quo.
In December last year, press releases were blasted out across trade press about a new Mentally Healthy study conducted by industry charity, UnLtd; national suicide prevention and mental health institute, Everymind; and creative agency, Never Not Creative.
While reports on the media, marketing and creative sector are nothing new, one that marked the first major study into the mental health in our industry was a standout.
The report, with research carried out by Dr Ross Tynan and Dr Renate Thienel, surveyed more than 1800 people, with the majority of respondents being women, nearly half were aged between 25 and 34, and worked in an organisation with 50 employees or more.
Concerning stats revealed that people within the media, marketing and creative industry showed greater signs of mental illness compared to the national average — a total of 56% of respondents showed mild to severe symptoms of depression compared to the national average of 36%.
The report also found that within the industry, creatives suffered a higher a rate of mental health symptoms: 61% showed signs of depression compared to 53% in marketing and 46% in media.
Determined for this not to be a flash–in–the–pan headline lost during the silly season of summer, AdNews wanted to re–highlight the ‘sad news’ (as per our cover by the Youngbloods) that is these results, and look at what issues still needed to be tackled and what has happened since these troubling results were identified.
UnLtd CEO Chris Freel described the reaction from adland as “phenomenal” and said from here, it’s about identifying the areas that need greater focus.
“Quite a lot of people had been in touch with us after the survey who wanted to get involved and share their stories,” he said.
“For us, it’s about more open and real conversations in the industry and creating an environment where it’s ok to not be ok, and to communicate that.
“That also comes down to leaders modelling an example.”
Mentally Healthy Report
Never not Creative and UnLtd are now forming a taskforce with people across creative and media agencies, media owners and tech companies who meet regularly.
“We want to come together so we can come up with a kind of manifesto for best practice for how we could be working together in the ecosystem we all live in,” Freel said.
Never Not Creative creator, Andy Wright, said job satisfaction surfaced as a major concern in the study’s findings, with it revealing a link between poor job satisfaction and poor mental health.
“Job satisfaction isn’t something that should be an awkward conversation,” he said.
“However, talking to someone about mental health is still — no matter what we try and do and no matter what we say about awareness — a very confronting and awkward conversation to have.”
Another challenge for Wright is finding those agencies that aren’t reaching out for help.
“There are probably businesses out there that assume they don’t have a problem when they probably do,” he said.
UnLtd and Never Not Creative are also gathering industry bodies together, such as AANA, IAB, and The Communications Council, to bring them on board.
“All the industry bodies endorsed the survey from the outset; they were all supportive of that and I do feel there is a collective enthusiasm for it to be addressed,” Freel said.
Wright added there needed to be more work done with the new generation in advertising, as it is older industry leaders who impose policies that often don’t go far enough, however, he commended the likes of MFA’s NGEN.
Still, industry leaders speaking out on the nature of mental health is important, with Freel noting IPG Mediabrands’ outgoing CEO, Danny Bass, and Spark CEO, Sue Squillace, as important figures in the conversation.
Mentally Healthy Study
“These people are really pushing these conversations and it’s important — we’re a people–based industry,” Freel said.
However, he added that it’s a conversation everyone needs to own.
“It’s each and every individual and organisation is responsible for looking after each other. There isn’t one organisation that should be leading this conversation, it just needs to be open,” Freel said.
“It feels like that’s starting to be embraced more across the industry. We love and care for this industry, we want to protect it.”
Drilling down into the issues
Industry marketing ANZ exec at Facebook Catherine Bowe argued the most important issue affecting the industry today is not metrics, creative placement or measurement, but mental health.
Backed up by the UnLtd study, Bowe said many people still believe there is a huge stigma in sharing when they are struggling, especially at work.
“Yet we spend more time at work than almost anywhere else,” she emphasised.
“So, when you feel like you can’t share something major that is affecting you with those people, it creates a major problem. It’s more important than ever we make these spaces to foster emotional openness and support.”
Adland veteran and CEO of BrainLight Wellness Mike Morrison left his full–time adland role in 2014 and now speaks publicly at conferences on his own battle with depression.
“Frankly, I wanted my suffering to mean something and I did not want this generation to suffer in silence in advertising the way I did,” he said.
The Sydney–based exec, who worked at Colenso BBDO in the 90s, clocked up more than 14 years at GPY&R (in its various company iterations) and was also MD of Innocean Worldwide Australia, said he has concerns for anyone working in agencies of any type.
“It is deeply troubling to listen to conversations — the real conversations — about the mental state of executives,” Morrison said.
“The agency environment contains elevated levels of stress via unreasonable work demands in terms of quantity, quality, deadlines and uncertainty of tenure.”
Personal impact alone, he said, does not include the home sacrifices made in the name of client service that severely diminish and can permanently damage critical relationships for an agency executive.
“Once a client presses ‘send’, even on the weekend or late at night, an agency executive’s cortisol increases. Most agency management is on a war footing, literally.”
Morrison believes that ad agencies, as in any service profession, do have very poor mental standards due to pressure, social stress and the unrealistic expectations of clients that “crush the agency culture”.
“Clients determine the culture in an agency — it’s always the biggest client that generally pollutes the best intentions of agency management,” he explained.
“And of that biggest client, it’s always the junior and middle level clients that exhibit the most appalling professional behaviour. Humans are not good with power, no matter how small.”
Morrison now consults to agencies and other companies about mentally healthy workplaces. He is also nearing completion of Flying High Feeling Low, a book detailing his life in advertising while managing and masking his condition.
Despite having concerns about anyone entering advertising as it is now, Morrison revealed he found it very hard to leave the sector permanently as “an unabashed agency fan”.
Introducing the mental health officer
Morrison said few agencies include mental health as part of the actual business plan for the agency and he’s not just talking about the people and culture execs.
“The creation of a mentally healthy workplace is a lot more than taking ties off, table tennis and free drinks on Friday,” he said.
“We are at a point where every agency office requires a mental health officer (MHO) — even at a C level, that can work alongside people and culture and corporate social responsibility.”
He said the MHO role is to raise awareness and reduce stigma about mental health, provide guidance about mental health and well–being programs at work, and to provide access to support services to workers with mental ill health or illness
Morrison explained how in white collar service roles there are more mental harm opportunities than there are physical harm opportunities, which is why the MHO is needed.
He also praises smaller shops such as Joy, Atlas, and Born & Raised for having great well–being cultures.
“It’s in their business plan and, unlike others I’ve worked for, these companies don’t pay lip service to ‘our people are our greatest assets’,” Morrison said.
Why the stigma?
Being open about mental health struggles means people become comfortable with exposing their feelings and being vulnerable, according to Bowe.
“You can’t open up and share about your mental health without being vulnerable. Therefore you require a safe space and support around you, and unfortunately the nature of many workplaces doesn’t allow for this,” she said.
“Our protective instincts put up a shield to protect us, but also stop us from being seen. I don’t believe this is abnormal or something that only those who are struggling with their mental health, like anxiety or depression, experience.
“I believe this is part of being human. It’s also the reason why those relationships where we feel connected, safe and heard are exceptional.”
Mentally Healthy Study
Bowe said stigma is the normalising of this silence and that often the problems causing anxiety, stress and other mental health conditions are deeply personal, and it is uncomfortable to talk about many of the topics, emotions, fears and anxieties that arise.
While there has been a lot of talk about mental health in recent years, Bowe said, we’ve made very little progress in actually reaching out to those suffering, who still often feel it is too hard to share.
She added that while almost everyone is aware of the issues, now it’s about arming people with the tools to change behaviours and practices, and give people the platforms to share their experiences safely.
No more lip service
Bowe said the more people share personal stories, the more people can understand, support, relate to and connect with each other.
While there’s no one right way to tell your story, Bowe said, be authentic and remain true to yourself; don’t worry about length, style or form. Tell your story in a way that expresses how you’ve approached your mental health or cultivated healthy habits.
She said share actions, explain what steps you are taking or have taken to care for yourself and find support, and lastly, to be an ally.
Talking about mental health and raising awareness of the issue is essential because we work in a mentally challenging business, according to Colenso BBDO creative director, Maria Devereux.
“We’re constantly under pressure to perform and to prove our worth, which means we often work long hours and make big sacrifices just to meet a deadline,” she explained.
“When we work long hours, our bodies feel it. Sore backs, migraines, adrenal fatigue, depression and anxiety are all rife within agencies.
“But, these ailments are actually a blessing. They are our bodies trying to tell us we’re not as invincible as we think, that we’re living in survival mode.”
Auckland–based Devereux said it’s increasingly important for agencies to be talking about mental health, but more importantly we need to reframe how we talk about it.
“When I hear buzzwords like ‘resilience’ and ‘stress management’ they just sound like hard work to me, especially if I’m already living in survival mode,” she said.
“Perhaps instead of talking about resilience and stress management in the workplace we need to be encouraging people to discover the things which help improve their own mental health and well–being.”
Devereux said Colenso has a culture of supporting each other to be the best versions of themselves, both professionally and personally. It also introduced new mental health initiatives, with her favourite being the weekly meditation session.
Support and new policies
Dr Matthew Cullen CEO of Tonic Health Media and a practicing psychiatrist, believes current health and wellbeing policies and initiatives should be updated regularly and communicated so employees are aware of the information and support available to them.
He also thinks businesses should consider adding health and wellbeing as a standing agenda item at every leadership meeting, and managers be encouraged to check in with their people, both at team meetings and individually, especially if they notice a change in a person’s behaviour that is out of character.
CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Australia Gai Le Roy told AdNews that being at the heart of the digital advertising community allowed them to see first–hand the great support and opportunities in the industry as well as the more challenging issues.
Gai Le Roy
“Redundancies, constant re–orgs, increased workloads and a lack of clarity around purpose are common themes [for industry concerns about mental health],” Le Roy said.
“We also have a lot of younger people being promoted into quite senior roles and, while they are often brilliant operators with fantastic fresh thinking, there can be a lack of training and support for these people as they step into leadership roles.
“This can have an impact on both them and their teams.”
While supporting the next generation to be strong, resilient leaders is a great starting point for our industry. Le Roy said mental health is an issue for all ages, but it is well documented that finding ways of managing mental health and finding strategies that work earlier, rather than later, is a huge advantage.
Le Roy said mental health is an incredibly important issue for her not just within the industry, but for very personal reasons.
“People close to me in the industry know that my daughter has struggled with severe mental health challenges since she was 13 and although it is really her story to tell at some point, this has had a huge impact on our whole family,” Le Roy revealed.
“As I have shared parts of our journey with people in the industry I have been surprised with how many are either battling with something themselves or within their families, and also frequently with people within their teams.
“As a data lover and someone with a research background, I have been amazed with how treatments and strategies for mental health are still so hit and miss.
“And, in my daughter’s case, we have been searching for effective treatment for five–plus years, unsuccessfully, even though we have been privileged enough to have the money and connections to try myriad traditional and alternative treatments. So much is still unknown and thus there is so much more we need to discover.”
Does work need to know?
Former Sydney–based Microsoft marketer Mitch Wallis left the industry in 2016 and launched the mental health service, Heart On My Sleeve. The aim was to transform the conversation into a more deliberate and healing one that authentically allows people to find their voice and tell their story.
Speaking to AdNews, Wallis said it is important to remember it’s not entirely the employer’s responsibility to completely fix or take away someone’s wellbeing issues.
“There are often decades’ worth of context that the workplace wasn’t even around or involved in that a person might be going through that they’re not accountable to solve,” Wallis said.
However, he emphasised that the workplace is accountable for not making you worse than you were before you joined it and to promote opportunities to improve welbeing.
“Understanding the boundaries of what the workplace should or shouldn’t be involved in is an artform, but authenticity and realness are the goal for both sides,” he said.
On the question of people concerned about workplace prejudice or fears about being treated differently, Wallis said there are laws around this and that a company must implement reasonable adjustments, which are essentially tweaks or changes to a person’s role for a certain amount of time to help them get through a period of ill health.
“We need to change behaviour and we change behaviour by modelling values, by actually putting this stuff into practice and showing people that they aren’t just parachutes around that no one is using, that people are actually pulling the ripcords and they’re doing so successfully. That will give people confidence,” Wallis said.
While many media businesses offer the Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), Wallis said they can have very low utilisation rates and are not adequate enough on their own, however, there are some great success stories.
Anyone affected by this story can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14
Advice from specialist charities on mental wellbeing:
Beyond Blue general manager for workplace, partnerships and engagement Patrice O’Brien: \
To create a mentally healthy workplace, all staff — from managers to employees — must play a sustained role, backed by a proper strategy and resources. Beyond Blue is developing a workplace mental health strategy as a how–to guide for organisations and providing practical advice on developing and implementing tailored mental health and wellbeing strategies for businesses. It also supports business leaders in driving internal cultural change towards positive mental health and wellbeing.
For more see: headsup.org.au
Everymind director Jaelea Skehan:
Stigma can be a barrier to talking about mental health in the workplace, so organisations need to consider the language they use and how adopting a unified approach can help employees to feel safe and supported. Everymind’s Life in Mind National Communications Charter provides a range of broad communication principles, key messages and guidance around how individuals and organisations should talk about mental health and wellbeing. The charter is about more than just the words we use, it’s about including people, valuing them and reducing the stigma surrounding mental health and suicide, encouraging people to take action, seek help or offer help to others.
For more see: lifeinmindaustralia.com.au/the-charter
R U OK? CEO Brendan Maher:
As employers or staff, we can all create a culture where people feel confident asking and answering the simple yet important question: “Are you ok?”. These conversations can make a real difference to staff going through a tough time. Visit the R U OK? website to access free, open source workplace resources to help your team ask the question in a safe and supportive way.
For more see: ruok.org.au/work
Batyr program manager Josh Wiseman:
Businesses need to assign mental health champions at every level of the organisation. These champions would lead by example to help create a safe, open and supportive culture around mental health and wellbeing. So what does this mean? Actively taking ‘mental health days’ if they need to, promoting the EAP at work, checking in with colleagues, not using stigmatising language (e.g. ‘he’s a bit OCD about that’), participating in mental health first aid training, practising self care and encouraging colleagues to do the same.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at firstname.lastname@example.org | <urn:uuid:5ed71d3d-9ee3-475b-8ef8-009e7094f5d0> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.adnews.com.au/news/reduce-stigma-and-provide-support-adland-s-mental-health-task | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570793.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808092125-20220808122125-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.960555 | 4,201 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Hershel "Woody" Williams Collection
Featured prominently in the Museum & Library's exhibit dedicated to the Medal of Honor, this collection includes a citation and authentic Navy Medal of Honor issued to former Marine Woody Williams, a veteran of the iconic Battle of Iwo Jima.
Hershel “Woody” Williams was born in 1923 and raised in West Virginia. After initially being rejected by the U.S. Marine Corps in 1943 for being too short, he was able to join the Marine Corps Reserve a few months later when the height requirement was reduced. On October 30, 1943, he joined the 32nd Replacement Battlion, which was sent to fight in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Williams fought in the Battle of Guadalcanal and in Guam before landing on Iwo Jima on February 21, 1945.
Two days later, on the day the flag was raised on Iwo Jima’s Mt. Suribachi, Williams’ unit was bogged down in a heavily fortified area. Williams, with the aid of cover fire from only four Marines, used a flamethrower to attack enemy machine gun pillboxes. After destroying several Japanese positions, he opened a gap in the Japanese defenses which enabled the Marines to move ahead. For his actions on February 23, Williams received the Medal of Honor on October 4, 1945, from President Truman. He was also awarded the Purple Heart after being wounded on March 6.
Following the war, Williams served in the Marine Corps Reserve and retired as a chief warrant officer in 1969. He became lay minister for his church and served as Chaplain Emeritus of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. He was also a Veteran Services Officer at the Veterans Administration for 33 years, until his retirement in 1978.
"This Medal really does not belong to me—I could not have received it without the assistance of other Marines. So when I wear this Medal, I don't wear it for what I did. I wear it in honor of two Marines—I don't know their names—who gave their lives protecting mine. It really belongs to them. I'm just a caretaker of it." -- Woody Williams | <urn:uuid:6bc3f31e-51f5-4b6e-ab0a-28a9a54731e3> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.pritzkermilitary.org/resources/collection-highlights/hershel-woody-williams-collection | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.985277 | 445 | 2.265625 | 2 |
Expires in 9 months
16 May 2022
In the primary three years of the venture, 19 exterior occasions have been delivered, reaching more than 2500 kids. An associated programme of periods has also been delivered in libraries in areas with excessive ranges of city and rural deprivation, with assist from an exterior funding grant. Kids collaborating in public occasions often report via anonymous written suggestions cards that they assume the sessions are “cool”, “awesome” and the perfect or their favourite part of the wider event. Teachers report multiple benefits, usually noting that concentration ranges are greater than they might sometimes count on, and that youngsters who would normally find it difficult to participate in classes are engaged and absorbed throughout. Kids additionally value reassurance and affirmation that potential obstacles to attending university or reaching academically can be overcome, and that science will be “for them”, with teachers noting that the strong illustration of feminine scientists on the crew “will hopefully inspire some of the girls too” and has prompted “several of our girls say that they now need to be scientists too and discover something new” (primary and secondary school teachers, verbal suggestions). Feedback has been overwhelmingly constructive; within the project’s first three years of faculty visits, all attending children reported that they enjoyed the session and could relay one thing that they had learnt.
There is house for sixteen children in the membership at any one time, with youngsters attending for so long as they want. Learning will be additional reinforced over time: leaving an exercise, corresponding to rising seeds in a transparent bag, which demonstrates germination after which plant development in a small house. Though Minecraft generally is a single-player game, many youngsters use shared digital worlds through which they work together and talk with each other. A model of Minecraft specifically designed for educational delivery is used, making certain children play in a secure atmosphere by preventing connections outdoors the classroom and restricting access to certain sport features that could interfere with the training experience (reminiscent of use of virtual objects that might injury others’ builds). Session employees help youngsters to make use of their imagination and creativity, exploring the ideas mentioned and growing their learning and understanding by creating associated builds in Minecraft. This allows children to check and discover ideas in a method that is not doable in reality and pursue their own interests by specializing in facets of the topic that they find most partaking. The primary and commonest manner is to create a LAN world.
They still discuss it now months afterwards which is a testomony to the way the session was delivered” and “They have remembered the expertise and subsequently have remembered the content” have been submitted by way of nameless online questionnaires that are sent to participating teachers every college year. A true GTA expertise. Student volunteers gain helpful abilities and expertise relevant to work in psychology, training, and interesting the general public with research, with some undertaking structured placements with the mission designed to reinforce their employability publish-graduation. Topics for delivery in one-off faculty and public event sessions are primarily based in Environmental Science; subjects covered include ‘Volcanoes’, ‘Food Security’, ‘Animal Habitats’, ‘Flowers’ and ‘Biomes’, which link each to areas of the National Curriculum in England and research experience at Lancaster Environment Centre. As kids attend a number of sessions, subjects change commonly and are wider ranging than those within the schools programme, from pollination and renewable power to neuroscience and digital reality expertise, to provide variety and keep away from repetition.
New matters are added yearly so as to add worth and variety to the schools programme, with some developed in direct collaboration with schools. These questionnaires have an average response rate of 50% and thus far, 100% of respondents have said that they would take part once more; faculties typically request repeat visits and the mission has supported several to arrange their very own Minecraft Clubs to construct on their participation in the challenge. From the start of the 2015-2016 college 12 months to the tip of the 2017-2018 academic 12 months, college sessions were delivered in over 100 main, secondary and specialist faculties throughout England, with more than 5000 child engagements protecting faculty years from Reception (starting age 4) to 12 months thirteen (ending age 18), spanning the complete vary of statutory training in the U.Ok. The success of the club for children with ASD has led to the initiation of two new Minecraft Clubs in the 2018-2019 academic yr. Mcnames established Science Hunters Minecraft Membership for kids with ASD has been running since 2015 and reaches round 30 youngsters per year.
My Website: https://mcnames.org/ | <urn:uuid:36bbdae4-06ea-4d67-8012-5c364bccc047> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://pastelink.net/fiwf576x | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.95983 | 957 | 2.328125 | 2 |
Maryland's paid leave law effective Sunday, but questions abound
ANNAPOLIS — Maryland's new paid leave law goes into effect Sunday, but legislators are still arguing about it.
And as employers try to figure out what their obligations are now, a last-ditch effort to delay the law to July 1 has been introduced in the House of Delegates, having won approval Thursday in the Senate.
But its chances going any further in the House appeared bleak as the week ended.
House Speaker Michael E. Busch has said that House members who fought for years to get the law passed didn't want to "reopen the issue." And House Economic Matters Committee Chairman Dereck Davis, whose committee would hear the bill, did not respond to Herald-Mail Media's request for comment.
In the meantime, employers are getting some preliminary guidance from the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation — but as yet there are no permanent regulations. And there likely won't be for several months.
Nobody in the state capital is arguing about whether workers deserve paid sick and safe leave.
The issue has turned, rather, on what form it should take, and the hardship mandated paid leave would place on small businesses.
Democrats pushed the Maryland Healthy Working Families Act last year to require employers with 15 employees or more to provide an hour of paid leave for every 30 hours eligible employees worked — and to require smaller employers to provide unpaid leave at the same rate.
Gov. Larry Hogan, who had submitted his own proposal to require employers with 50 or more workers to provide paid leave, vetoed the bill in May, citing the issues it would cause for small business. The bill's sponsors promptly vowed to bring it up for an override vote as soon as the General Assembly reconvened in January.
Accordingly, the override votes were finalized the first week of the legislative session, making the new law effective Sunday, 30 days later.
Employers, including nonprofits, local governments and other agencies as well as for-profit businesses are affected, although the law contains a long list of exemptions.
But after hearing from many of those employers, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Thomas "Mac" Middleton, D-Charles, proposed delaying the law for another 60 days. The committee then amended the bill to delay the law until July.
For one thing, it will be months until the Labor Department finalizes its regulations and is prepared to enforce it, Labor Secretary Kelly Schulz told the committee last month.
"There are challenges," she said, which include drafting regulations that then will go through an approval process. "We will not have finalized policy" by April, she added.
So what happens Sunday?
The Labor Department has issued a draft report outlining what the new law requires. According to the report, effective Sunday:
• Employers with 15 or more employees that do not currently offer at least one hour of paid leave for every 30 hours an employee works must establish a method to provide employees with sick and safe leave that is consistent with the law. Accrual begins Sunday.
• Eligible employees are those who regularly work more than 12 hours a week.
• Employers with an existing policy that provides leave in an amount equal to or greater than the amount provided for under the law do not have to provide additional leave.
• Employers with fewer than 15 employees who are employed must allow unpaid sick and safe leave.
• Both paid and unpaid leave will accrue at the rate of one hour of leave for every 30 hours worked.
• Employees employed for at least 106 days may use leave as it is accrued. Those employed less than 106 days on February 11, 2018, and new employees hired after Feb. 11, 2018, must wait 106 days from their hire date to begin using leave.
• An employer may elect to “front load” the leave at the beginning of the year. The leave would then be available for immediate use by employees, but employees would not be permitted to carry over any unused leave.
Some workers are not covered
Exemptions included in the law exclude an estimated 720,000 Maryland workers, according to an analysis by Hogan's Committee on Paid Leave Policy. The list is long, but it includes minors, independent contractors, construction workers covered under collective bargaining agreements, some agricultural workers, real estate brokers, and those who work on an as-needed basis in health or human services.
But all this has caused consternation and confusion, said Sen. Andrew Serafini, R-Washington, who voted against the law.
"I'm being contacted daily by businesses and nonprofits and even a church group just recently saying, 'Are we covered by this?' and 'What does this mean for us?' and 'How are we going to do this?'" Serafini said.
And problems remain in how it will affect local governments, school systems and nonprofits, he said. Preliminary numbers show the new law could cost Washington County government about $82,000 to implement, and the cost for Washington County Public Schools could be about $250,000, Serafini said.
"Now it is here, and it's coming too quickly in my opinion," he said, "and frankly, all the real problems are gonna start to manifest themselves."
The Washington County Chamber of Commerce has been trying to inform its members about the new law; its "Eggs and Issues" event to discuss it on Wednesday morning has sold out.
"We are telling our members that they should prepare to start tracking hours for their employees," Frey said this week. The Chamber also is directing members to the Labor Department's new Office of Small Business Regulatory Assistance, set up to help businesses comply.
Middleton he told Herald-Mail Media last week he had not given up on delaying the law, insisting the House still had time to act, if retroactively.
"It's not over till the fat lady sings," he said.
Kelly M. Schulz, secretary of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation, offered the following advice for businesses regarding the paid sick leave law:
On Feb. 11, 2018, the Maryland Healthy Working Families Act is scheduled to go into effect. The Department of Labor has made a draft sample employee notice poster for your place of business available on our website at www.dllr.maryland.gov/paidleave. The department is also developing sample policies that will be available on the department’s website in the near future.
To the extent that the Commissioner of Labor and Industry receives complaints immediately after the law goes into effect, the commissioner will work closely with employers and employees to make sure both parties understand the requirements and limitations of the law and resolve any issues as informally as possible. The commissioner will be working closely with all stakeholders to ensure fair and equitable implementation.
Gov. Larry Hogan issued Executive Order 01.01.2018.04 creating the Office of Small Business Regulatory Assistance to help small businesses in complying with House Bill 1. Questions can be sent to this office at firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:1a4aafb9-ee75-45cd-b66a-37ad0fe5d3cd> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.heraldmailmedia.com/story/news/local/2018/02/10/marylands-paid-leave-law-effective-sunday-but-questions-abound/44490111/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571056.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809155137-20220809185137-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.970172 | 1,446 | 1.523438 | 2 |
The United States is by a long chalk the most punitive democratic society. Two and a half million of its citizens are in jail – one in every 100 adults. The United Kingdom, no slouch in the punishment stakes and one of the most enthusiastic lockers-up in western Europe, has 84,000 prisoners. If the UK matched the US, its prison population would be 500,000. A hugely disproportionate number of American convicts are black, and incarceration is undermining fragile communities.
One of the engines that drives the US numbers is the sentence of ‘life without the possibility of parole’, handed down not just for heinous killings, but also under ‘three strikes and you’re out’ laws under which relatively small-time (usually very sad) young people, often involved in drugs, | <urn:uuid:e759fc23-43cd-4b5d-a901-43fcdffa0b8d> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://literaryreview.co.uk/jailhouse-blues | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.961449 | 165 | 2 | 2 |
The problems facing the United States under the Articles of Confederation provide a nullification lesson for today. When states refuse to cooperate, the central government can’t get a whole lot done.
Under the Articles of Confederation, the Congress could not compel the payment of taxes. It could only requisition the states and hope they paid up. In many cases they didn’t, This caused significant funding problems during the American Revolution and was one of the main factors driving the ratification of a new Constitution empowering the general government to levy taxes.
In order to fund the war effort, the Continental Congress issued paper money. As the Congress put more and more of the currency in circulation, it rapidly depreciated, making it increasingly difficult for the Continental Army to purchase supplies. In a letter to Thomas Jefferson dated May 22, 1779, William Fleming said there was between 130 and 140 millions continental dollars in circulation. In an effort to shore up it finances, Congress passed a requisition for $45 million from the states in hard money. Flemming called it “one bold effort to restore its sinking credit.”
In November of that same year, John Jay sent out a circular letter pleading for the states to make good on the requisition.
“It has been already observed that in order to prevent the further natural depreciation of our bills we have resolved to stop the press, and to call upon you for supplies by loans and taxes. you are in a capacity to afford them, and are bound by the strongest ties to do it.”
He want on to write that the remittance was “the price of liberty, the peace, and the safety of yourselves and posterity.”
“Let it never be said that America had no sooner become independent than she became insolvent, or that her infant glories and growing fame were obscured and tarnished by broken contracts and violated faith in the very hour when all nations of the earth were admitting and almost adoring the splendor of her rising.”
Historian Walter Stahr summed up the impact of the circular letter in his book on John Jay.
“But the letter, for all its eloquence, did nothing to stem the continued depreciation of the continental dollar. Within a little more than a year, the rate between the hard dollar and the continental dollar had reached one to one hundred.”
With nothing binding the states to pay their full share of the requisition, they didn’t.
Alexander Hamilton used this experience as a central argument for ratification of the Constitution in Federalist #16. He called the system of voluntary participation by states as “the parent of anarchy.”
“It has been seen that delinquencies in the members of the Union are its natural and necessary offspring; and that whenever they happen, the only constitutional remedy is force, and the immediate effect of the use of it, civil war.”
Hamilton argued that under the Articles of Confederation states needed to act in order for anything to get done. Congress could only make requests of funds to the states. It could not directly tax people, property or commerce. If the states refused to fulfill a requisition, Congress was essentially powerless to enforce its will.
“If the interposition of the State legislatures be necessary to give effect to a measure of the Union, they have only NOT TO ACT, or to ACT EVASIVELY, and the measure is defeated.”
This is exactly what happened in 1799. The states weren’t required to act and they didn’t. Their inaction thwarted the will of the central authority.
States find themselves in this exact same situation today.
Because of massive unconstitutional overreach, the federal government depends on state action to do almost everything it does. From prosecuting the drug war to enforcing federal gun control, it needs state resources and state personnel to enforce its laws and implement its programs. By simply doing nothing, states have the power to stop federal actions dead in their tracks.
And states do not have to act.
A well-established legal principle known as the anti-commandeering doctrine prohibits the federal government from compelling states to supply resources or personnel to further federal aims. The anti-commandeering doctrine rests primarily on five Supreme Court Cases dating back to 1842. The federal government can enforce its acts and implement its programs, but it cannot make the states help.
Basically, the lesson from the Articles of Confederation is that when states didn’t have to participate, they didn’t.
Today, they still don’t.
And they shouldn’t. | <urn:uuid:7a38858b-c64d-41ce-9186-f909f17246c5> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.michaelmaharrey.com/a-nullification-lesson-from-the-articles-of-confederation-3411/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571056.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809155137-20220809185137-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.960702 | 952 | 3.46875 | 3 |
- Slides: 11
Little Rock Describe what happened at Little Rock High School in 1957. Explain why the world was shocked by what happened to Elizabeth Eckford.
What happened at the Little Rock High School in the state of Arkansas in 1957? Southern states ignored the 1954 Supreme Court ruling that outlawed school segregation. Schools in the South which did try to desegregate were met by furious white racist mobs. The mobs along with KKK members attacked black students. Some schools were even blown up.
In 1957 the NAACP decided it would test the willingness of states in the South to desegregate. Little Rock High School was a very successful all white school. In 1955, the school board had agreed to start integration in the autumn of 1957. The NAACP selected 9 grade A students so that the school could have no complaints about the ability of new black students.
White racists in Little Rock claimed that black students trying to go to Little Rock High School would be risking their lives. Even the KKK promised to take action. The NAACP knew that the 9 black students due to attend school would be in danger. The students were telephoned and told not to attend. However, one student, Elizabeth Eckford did not have a phone so was not warned. The next day she turned up at school on her own to face a white mob. Elizabeth also had to face a line of soldiers blocking her path.
The governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus had ordered a line of troops from the National Guard to block the path to the school. Faubus tried to say that he had used the National Guard to keep the mob away from the black students. In effect, what the National Guard did was to form a human blockade preventing the black students getting to the school. The sight of National Guardsmen and screaming white crowds stopping an American child going to school made national news headlines. Soon afterwards the events at Little Rock became world news.
Why did events at Little Rock become a national and international issue? By the mid 1950 s, most US homes had television sets. For the first time, people could see what was happening in places like Little Rock. The world was shocked about the events at Little Rock. During the 1950 s the USA was involved in the Cold War with Russia. When film of Elizabeth Eckford being bullied and threatened was shown around the world, Russia used the images to show that USA was very far from being a land of the free. President Eisenhower was embarrassed. https: //www. youtube. com/wat ch? v=Qk 1 t. TCk 2 Kks
What did the president do to solve the crisis? �Eisenhower was no longer going to let individual states ignore federal law. �When Faubus removed the National Guardsmen, there was nothing to stop the mob from attacking any black student going to school in Little Rock. �Eisenhower sent 1000 US paratroopers to ‘invade’ Arkansas. �Armed soldiers carrying rifles with fixed bayonets surrounded the black students on their way to school. Students were also protected by troops in jeeps with machine guns. �The soldiers stayed in Little Rock for a year and even patrolled school corridors. �Tension died down but black students in Little Rock were still bullied. Ernest Green was the first black student to graduate from Little Rock High School in 1958.
In 1962, a black student , James Meredith, attempted to attend the University of Mississippi Law School. His admission was blocked and during the violence that followed, federal troops were once again used to restore order and enforce national law. Meredith was escorted to the university by 123 federal marshals, 316 border patrolmen and 97 federal prison guards. Facing Meredith and his protectors was a mob of over 2000 men and women. Riots broke out and two journalists were killed. President Kennedy had to send 16, 000 troops to protect Meredith and restore order at the university. 28 US marshals had been shot and another 160 law enforcers were injured. Federal troops remained at the university for over a year just to protect one black student. https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=M 8 Vv. Nk. TXVCM
Did the Civil Rights Act of 1957 make much of a difference? �On one hand it seemed to show that the federal government was no longer willing to allow the southern states to do as they pleased as far as race relations were concerned. �On the other hand, some civil rights campaigners were disappointed with the limited power of the act. By 1959 the new Civil Rights Act had not added a single southern black person’s name to the voting register.
Complete Activity 1 and 2 on page 62. | <urn:uuid:0c536cef-ed9b-456b-acd1-261710f83cb2> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://slidetodoc.com/little-rock-describe-what-happened-at-little-rock/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.981892 | 957 | 2.90625 | 3 |
Rafting Tour is adventurous sport activity where participants board the rubber inflatable raft and uses paddles to drive and turn a river or other body of water. This is habitually completed on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with jeopardy and the need of teamwork is often an ingredient of the experience. This tour is compartmentalized as an adventure sport and has become popular since the 1950’s. Sprouting from persons paddling 10 feet (3.0 m) to 14 feet (4.3 m) rafts with double-bladed paddles or oars to multi-person rafts forced by single-bladed paddles and wrestled by a person at the severe.
As far as rafting tour in Nepal is concerned, rivers from the breathtaking heights of the Himalayas the water crashes down through the foothills, fed by monsoon rains and melting snowfall, on their way to the Great Plains of the Ganges. Nepal has several rivers for you to survey: Trishuli River, Seti River, Bhote Koshi River, Kali Gandaki River, Marsyandi River, Sun Koshi River, Arun River, Karnali River, Tamur River. The water is welcoming and Nepal dwells the world’s most thrilling whitewater in a wide range of involvedness with bug free ecosystem for camping to top it off.
Nepal’s mountain, river and everything in sandwiched between creates a wealth of unlimited world class openings for great river rafting, kayaking, climbing, mountaineering, biking, hiking and the ever popular trekking adventures in Nepal. We are pompous to share our wonderful country, ethnicity and Nexus Travels & Tours’ many years of familiarity adventuring across Nepal with you. We tender exceptional opportunity to explore Nepal’s remote countryside from the river. The preeminent thing is, anyone will be able to do this activity — you don't have to be a professional to paddle in Nepal. With over 6000 rivers flowing through the country, there are plenty of choices. | <urn:uuid:9ea642b2-d97b-4d40-87f5-45f21941b9d9> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://nexustravelstours.com/activity/white-water-rafting/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571056.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809155137-20220809185137-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.934625 | 424 | 1.742188 | 2 |
There are lots of advertisements that become memorable due to many factors. There are viral ad campaigns that have taken place in the audiences’ hearts. However, not every ad or ad campaign meets such a fortunate fate.
The most effective way to create successful marketing or advertising strategy is research. Before launch, a pre-testing should happen to understand how successful this campaign or ad will be.
David Ogilvy – the wizard of the advertising world- considered research a vital part of any good advertisement. His quote defined the importance of advertising research – Advertisers who ignore research are as dangerous as generals who ignore the signs of the enemy.
The Use of Advertising Research
Advertising research is a descriptive examination and study of a topic that leads to a successful and effective campaign. The success of a campaign is also determined by assessing the influence on the target audience, according to the research.
What aids in the creation of an ad or a campaign? The research takes place before the campaign’s conception. With the use of research, one may look through ideas from a variety of perspectives and make further adjustments and revisions before launching.
Reasons behind doing the research before an ad campaign
> Enhancing Creativity
Once the research is done, all information, measurements, and data will be available for usage, allowing a well-informed plan to be developed based on the facts.
> Improvement of brand position
Advertising research allows a brand or a company to find a suitable time and ways to launch their products and services.
> Introduce the competition
Research demonstrates market rivalry and introduces an organization to various market characteristics. It assists a corporation in comprehending its competitors.
> Prediction becomes easy
Advertising research makes predicting market-problems easy for an organization.
> Tracking progress
It keeps track of your progress and assesses your company’s success.
> Scope of fewer fails
If the advertising study is extensive, there is a lower likelihood of failure. | <urn:uuid:b7e31747-7e62-4396-b5ea-64eda96cbf51> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.themarcomavenue.com/blog/significance-of-research-in-advertising/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.946374 | 403 | 2.5 | 2 |
New staff networks guidance is positive step for employers, unions and NHS says RCM
New guidance to help trade unions and employers work better with NHS staff networks has been published and is a positive step forwards says the Royal College of Midwives (RCM). The guidance has been produced by the NHS Staff Council’s Equality Diversity and Inclusion Group (EDIG) which is chaired by the RCM.
“The role of staff networks is rightly developing and growing, and this is a positive step. It will support a better NHS workplace for many groups and people who may feel that the specific challenges they face are not being addressed where they work, said RCM Employment Relations Advisor Alice Sorby who co-chairs EDIG.
“This guidance is really about changing cultures and how we as active trade unionists can support our Black and brown, LGBTQ+ and other members. It provides a firm base from which employers and networks can come together and work together to find solutions to local workplace issues.”
NHS staff networks are employee led and are set up to create a fairer and more diverse NHS workplace by tackling the issues faced by underrepresented and disadvantaged NHS staff groups and individuals. NHS trusts in England will have specific staff networks to address the problems facing these groups including Black and minority ethnic, disability and wellbeing, and carers networks. Others may cover LGBT+, support staff from overseas or carers.
NHS England and NHS Improvement has encouraged all NHS bodies in England to establish staff equality networks. The RCM will be raising awareness of the guidance with its workplace representatives. They will then in turn be able to support and engage with their local staff networks and help staff to develop new one when there are gap.
“This is ultimately not just about the wellbeing of staff but also of the people using our NHS. When staff feel supported and valued in their work, they are in a better place mentally and emotionally to do their job and deliver even better care,” added Alice Sorby.”
For more information on the guidance visit Improving staff equality networks through partnership working | NHS Employers.
For more information on staff networks see NHS England » Staff networks. | <urn:uuid:aa5851d6-ea7d-4662-96ce-b31aae515c8f> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://pre.rcm.org.uk/news-views/news/2021/november/new-staff-networks-guidance-is-positive-step-for-employers-unions-and-nhs-says-rcm/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571056.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809155137-20220809185137-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.967638 | 445 | 1.539063 | 2 |
It is difficult to determine the feed radiation center and F/D of the reflector impulse-radiating antenna (IRA) in frequencydomain, due to its ultra-wideband (UWB) property. This paper presents an efficient approach to design the reflector IRAs, via evaluating the transient radiation patterns (TRPs) of the feed for some given different radiation centers. Only one time-domain simulation for the feed is needed in this method. Comparing with the global optimization algorithms, our method is fast and reliable in the design of the reflector IRAs.
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32. Li, R., Li, R., L. Xu, X.-W. Shi, N. Zhang, and Z.-Q. Lv, \Improved, "Improved differential evolution strategy for antenna array pattern synthesis problems," Progress In Electromagnetics Research, Vol. 113, 429-441, 2011.
33. Chen, L.-L., , C. Liao, W. Lin, L. Chang, and X.-M. Zhong, "Hybrid-surrogate-model-based e±cient global optimization for high-dimensional antenna design," Progress In Electromagnetics Research, Vol. 124, 85-100, 2012. | <urn:uuid:d0156405-98b0-4d02-91fa-9409e9d01605> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://jpier.org/PIER/pier.php?paper=12111405 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571056.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809155137-20220809185137-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.693582 | 2,522 | 1.726563 | 2 |
MBA in Real Estate Salary and Career Outlook
| OnlineMBA.com Staff Updated on June 7, 2022
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that as of May 2019, real estate brokers and sales agents and property managers earned median annual salaries of $50,730 and $58,760, respectively. Many of these professionals obtain licenses without earning advanced degrees; however, pursuing an MBA in real estate cultivates the specialized skills and knowledge needed for advanced positions. Graduates can work in high-paying areas like portfolio management, industry analysis, and urban planning.
Given that median earnings for professionals with an MBA in real estate approach $100,000 annually, this advanced degree is a worthwhile investment.
Online MBA Programs for You
Grow your career, leadership, and business acumen with an accredited online MBA program.
What Is an MBA in Real Estate?
Typically serving experienced, ambitious real estate professionals seeking career advancement, online MBA in real estate programs focus on industry skills, including market and finance analysis, risk assessment, and real estate accounting. To perform well in MBA in real estate careers, students also need skills in collaboration, business communication, project management, and leadership.
Students interested in real estate finance can use the MBA to compete for high-paying positions, such as senior financial analyst, or executive roles, such as president or vice president of real estate acquisitions.
What Can You Do With an MBA in Real Estate?
Vice President, Real Estate Acquisitions
Real Estate Development Manager
Real Estate Appraiser
Senior Financial Analyst
Financial analysts help companies build wealth by guiding investments. These professionals conduct research, analyze multiple factors, such as market and microeconomic trends, and make recommendations based on their findings. Financial analysts usually possess a bachelor's or master's degree and skills in budgeting, financial forecasting, risk assessment, and financial analysis. Companies typically consult with financial analysts regarding decisions such as expansion, bond issuance, and wealth protection measures. Financial analysts need considerable knowledge of investments and their relationship to short- and long-term growth. PayScale reports that financial analysts make an average annual salary of $61,330.
Why Should You Get an Online MBA in Real Estate?
By enabling working real estate professionals to continue their education without relinquishing their day jobs, online MBA in real estate programs help professionals advance their careers affordably and conveniently. Unrestricted by geographical constraints, distance learners can apply to the best online programs in the nation.
Many online MBA in real estate programs allow students to specialize the degree through concentrations in areas such as real estate finance, construction management, international real estate, or real estate development.
MBA programs also provide leadership and networking opportunities as students work with experienced real estate peers and professors. Entrepreneurial real estate professionals often value the MBA for its diverse business administration curriculum, which builds skills in people management and strategic planning useful to new real estate ventures.
Other MBAs use the degree to qualify for career or salary advancement in their current company, industry, or sector. Many programs require students to build projects that apply new skills, knowledge, and talents at real-world sites, such as the student's current workplace.
MBA in real estate careers and salaries vary widely, but median salaries for the real estate professionals outlined above range from $60,000-$136,000.
Online MBA in Real Estate Salary
Many working professionals pursue MBA degrees for the purpose of salary advancement. PayScale salary data indicates that professionals with a bachelor of business administration in real estate make an annual salary averaging $67,200, while the average salary for MBAs in real estate reaches $99,760 annually.
Salaries for MBA in real estate careers also vary by experience. Entry-level real estate appraiser and financial analyst positions might pay $36,000-$46,000, while experienced professionals in the same roles may earn $80,000-$102,000, annually.
Graduates with requisite experience and skills can compete for higher-level MBA in real estate careers, such as real estate development manager or vice president of real estate acquisitions, which PayScale reports make average annual salaries of $96,390 and $139,120, respectively.
Comparison of Average Annual Salary by Occupation and Degree Type
Senior Financial Analyst (MBA)
Financial Analyst (Bachelor's)
FAQs About MBA in Real Estate Careers
What certification should I get in addition to an MBA in real estate?Many online schools and professional organizations offer professional certifications to augment academic credentials. Popular real estate certifications include certified residential specialist, quality service certification, and counselor of real estate. Advanced certifications include senior real estate specialist and graduate realtor institute certification.
What are the job opportunities for graduates with an MBA in real estate?MBA in real estate graduates may start out in jobs such as real estate appraiser, but many MBAs seek higher-paying positions, such as real estate or property manager, real estate development manager, or president or vice president of real estate acquisitions.
What does a real estate manager do?These professionals typically manage one or more multi-unit properties, attending to various daily operations. Related tasks include finding renters, collecting rent, managing facility maintenance, and evicting tenants when necessary. Real estate managers process client paperwork and financial information, ensure compliance, and supervise real estate staff.
Is an MBA in real estate worth it?An MBA in real estate provides advanced skills and knowledge that can translate into career and salary advancement. According to PayScale, real estate professionals with this degree earn $32,000 more per year than bachelor's degree-holders in the same field.
Professional Organizations for Real Estate
Real estate students and professionals benefit from joining professional organizations, which offer opportunities for continuing education, networking, and leadership. Many organizations also offer online courses, training, and professional certification programs designed to build skills and knowledge for specific real estate contexts. Some organizations offer discounted student memberships. The following list outlines several popular professional organizations for real estate professionals.
This international institute for asset and property managers provides current news, research, continuing education, and professional development opportunities. IREM also offers certifications for individuals, companies, and properties in addition to student, academic, and associate membership options.
Founded in 1947 and dedicated to equal opportunity in housing, NAREB performs political advocacy and conducts programs to improve homeownership and democratic housing conditions for African Americans. NAREB also offers news, publications, conferences, and scholarships.
Composed of real estate academics and practitioners, this association supports education, research, and knowledge exchange regarding real estate decision-making and markets. ARES publishes six journals and runs an annual conference.
AREAA, a nonprofit trade organization that supports homeownership by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, serves real estate professionals through political advocacy, national and chapter events, educational webinars, and publications.
Dedicated to advancing women's leadership in business, this network of realtors provides access to educational opportunities and networking events. Members can search for local networks and events through the WCR website's search tool.
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Find the right program to advance your career. | <urn:uuid:cfe7d596-70ec-48f1-9b31-ceb3cdcafffb> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.onlinemba.com/mba-careers/real-estate/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.931701 | 1,503 | 1.835938 | 2 |
The bizarre 'green glow' glasses that could mean the end of jetlag - and give you a good night's sleep
- Uses green light to control the body clock
- Inventors claim it could help shift workers - and even lazy teenagers
They are not the most stylish of eyewear, but Australian researchers say this strange device could mean the end of jetlag - and could even help teens get up in the morning.
Researchers have spent 25 years developing the £180 're-timer' glasses, which uses a green light that claims to be able to reset the body clock.
They say the gadget can help its wearer deal with working shifts, jetlag - and even just getting a good night's sleep.
Scroll down for video
Australian Researchers say this strange device could mean the end of jetlag - and could even help teens get up in the morning by using a green light to reset the body clock
Researchers have spent 25 years developing the 're-timer' glasses, and say the gadget can help its wearer deal with working shifts, jetlag - and even just getting a good night's sleep
HOW TO USE THEM
To advance the body clock (fall asleep earlier) the user wears Re-Timer for 50 minutes shortly after waking up.
To delay the body clock (fall asleep later) the user wears Re-Timer for 50 minutes before bed.
Typically, 3 – 4 days of use is required to realise the benefits of this light device.
Known as Re-Timer, the device is worn like a pair of sunglasses and emits a soft green light onto the eyes.
Professor Leon Lack, Chief Inventor, said 'The light from Re-Timer stimulates the part of the brain responsible for regulating the 24-hour body clock.
'Body clocks or circadian rhythms influence the timing of all our sleeping and waking patterns, alertness, performance levels and metabolism.'
Photoreceptors in our eyes detect sunlight, signal our brain to be awake and alert, and set our rhythms accordingly.
These rhythms vary regularly over a 24-hour cycle.
'However, this process is often impaired by staying indoors, travelling to other time zones, working irregular hours, or a lack of sunlight during winter months,' said Professor Lack.
Researchers say the glasses can be worn for 50 minutes while normal activities are carried out the 'reset' the body clock
Researchers have spent 25 years developing the glasses, which use a green 'glow' to reset the circadian rhythm of the wearer
'People who suffer from a mistimed body clock lie in bed for hours frustrated they cannot fall asleep. In the morning they wake fatigued which limits their performance during the day.'
Professor Lack recommends wearing the glasses for three days for 50 minutes each day after awakening in the morning to advance the body clock i.e. fall asleep and wake up earlier.
Or if falling asleep and waking up too early is the problem, wear them for 50 minutes before bed if you want to delay your body clock i.e. wake up later.
Four separate trials have been undertaken at Flinders University to assess the effectiveness of prototypes of Re-Timer.
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- Large explosions leave damage at Novofedorivka airbase in Crimea | <urn:uuid:5e455045-70b5-4f0f-bf0e-d24c598baf41> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2320151/The-bizarre-green-glow-glasses-mean-end-jetlag--good-nights-sleep.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.914187 | 828 | 2.0625 | 2 |
On September 13, the State of California and China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) signed a landmark memorandum of understanding committing to joint efforts to combat global climate change, promote clean and efficient energy, and support low carbon development.
California Governor Jerry Brown and NDRC Vice Chairman Xie Zhenhua—China’s lead international climate negotiator—signed the pact at a ceremony in San Francisco. This is the first such arrangement between China’s NDRC and a sub-national government to address climate change. California is a leader in low carbon efforts and this agreement sets a precedent for broader U.S.-China cooperation on climate change. The governor’s office expressed special thanks to Energy Foundation China and the Environmental Defense Fund for their contributions to this agreement.
Energy Foundation China and its grantees have been working closely on China’s low carbon development, focusing on emissions trading schemes design; allocation methodologies; and monitoring, reporting, and verification. The Low-carbon Development Paths and Environmental Management programs have helped facilitate exchanges between experts from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and other organizations in California and their Chinese counterparts. Energy Foundation China is now helping to develop programs to train officials and policy advisers from China’s seven emissions-trading pilots at CARB. Read more about the agreement here. | <urn:uuid:b4091a1c-0b56-4326-a578-f432a09f91b4> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.ef.org/2013/09/25/china-california-sign-climate-mou/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.926376 | 273 | 2.46875 | 2 |
The influence of improvisation activities on speaking confidence of EFL student teachers
Peer reviewed, Journal article
MetadataVis full innførsel
OriginalversjonNordisk tidsskrift for utdanning og praksis. 2020, 14 (2), 82-102. 10.23865/up.v14.1879
The purpose of the present study was to explore the application of improvisation activities in English teacher education, specifically to investigate their influence on the student teachers’ confidence when speaking English spontaneously. The improvisation activities consisted of storytelling, conversations and status expressions. Data were drawn from both pre- and post-questionnaires and retrospective texts. The statistical findings showed significant improvements in the student teachers’ level of speaking confidence and degree of relaxation while speaking English. The findings of the qualitative analysis confirmed this, and participants stated that the fun, collaboration and high degree of engagement had helped to increase their speaking confidence. The combination of the findings indicated that the improvisation activities had been a valuable method for increasing the speaking confidence of the EFL student teachers. The pedagogical implication is that teacher educators should consider including improvisation activities in their EFL courses. | <urn:uuid:1d3c6af4-7263-41af-b19c-a206dd3ad572> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://ntnuopen.ntnu.no/ntnu-xmlui/handle/11250/2680251 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.925523 | 280 | 2.640625 | 3 |
By Meta Mphahlele
The Treatment Action Campaign in Limpopo says there is an increase in teenage pregnancy in the Collins Chabane Municipality, which means a lot of young people engage in unprotected sex.
TAC provincial chairperson Daniel Mathebula says this might be associated with the high rate of new HIV and Aids infections cases.
Speaking at the 24th International Aids Conference in Canada, Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla said while the country had made remarkable progress against the virus, new infections remained high.
Phaahla says young women continue to account for most of new HIV infections in the country with over 150 girls and young women between the ages of 15 and 24 infected daily.
Mathebula says non-profit organisations and the department of health need to intensify awareness campaigns to teach young people about the dangers of having unprotected sex and teenage pregnancies. | <urn:uuid:d8cd8014-3ef8-4f65-a3a7-82877c40d479> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.capricornfm.co.za/teenage-pregnancy-and-hiv-infections-on-an-upward-trend-tac/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.94221 | 182 | 2.265625 | 2 |
Название: D-Day Ships. The Allied Invasion Fleet, June 1944 Автор: Yves Buffetaut Издательство: Naval Institute Press ISBN: 1557501521 Год: 1994 Формат: PDF Страниц: 172 Размер: 42,2 МБ Язык: Ангийский
The date 6 June 1994 marks the 50th anniversary of the Normandy invasion. This book covers all the vessels which were employed both in the landing and support roles. Detailed descriptions of all the ships, and of the artificial harbor, as well as an analysis of the ship-to-shore bombardment, giving the reader an appraisal of the central naval contribution to history's largest amphibious undertaking. | <urn:uuid:c35c9b14-ab14-4be5-8760-7ce6b96dfd97> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://mirknig.su/knigi/military_history/184356-d-day-ships-the-allied-invasion-fleet-june-1944.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571056.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809155137-20220809185137-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.797363 | 200 | 1.898438 | 2 |
LISBON Known by the city of the seven hills, Lisbon is a city full of stories to tell. Rich and multifaceted, it is very easy to find a reason to come back. It is the capital of fado and bearer of a mythical light. Affirmed as one of the oldest and most dynamic European capitals!
Jerónimos Monastery Declared a National Monument in 1907 and in 1984 was classified by UNESCO "Cultural Heritage of all humanity." In a word: unmissable!
Tower of Belém It was built in the Tagus River Estuary between 1515 and 1520, during the reign of King Manuel I. Elected as one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal.
Ajuda National Palace Built by Dom José I (1714-1777) at the top of the Ajuda hill. This building was constructed in wood to better withstand earthquakes and has replaced the Ribeira Palace that was destroyed in the earthquake that devastated Lisbon in November 1755.
Santa Justa ElevatorInaugurated on the July 10, 1902, it is the only vertical lift in Lisbon which does a public service. A work of the architect Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard, with a cast iron structure, enriched with filigree.
Bairro Alto & Chiado Bairro Alto and Chiado are two picturesque areas that take us back to other times. They are traditionally very bohemian places frequented by artists and writers.
São Jorge Castle The strongly fortified citadel dates from medieval period of Portuguese history, and is one of the main tourist sites of Lisbon.
Portas do Sol Another magnificent and imposing view of the city that allows us to observe the Church of Saint Vincent and all the Alfama district that extends for the winding streets to the river.
São Pedro de Alcântara Belvedere In this belvedere we are presented with one of the most complete and beautiful panoramic views of Lisbon.
Senhora do Monte Belvedere Adjacent to the small and old chapel of Nossa Senhora do Monte, founded in 1147 and dedicated to Saint Gens, the bishop who according to tradition was martyred here. It was also in this old hill of Saint Gens D. Afonso Henriques has installed the camp for the conquest of the city. | <urn:uuid:93de68b2-aa7d-4d2c-a2fe-db4995232d26> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.montemar.pt/en/Menu/Restaurants/Lisbon-Restaurant.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573744.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819161440-20220819191440-00465.warc.gz | en | 0.960528 | 489 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Q: Why braces?
A: Many people, including movie stars don’t have “straight” teeth. It is the small differences in each human being that makes us so unique. But for many of us, it really isn’t just about having “straight” teeth. It’s about having a “bad bite”. Advances in modern orthodontic medicine are letting people keep their natural teeth much longer.
Q: Why choose and orthodontist over a general orthodontist?
A: An orthodontist is a specialist in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of orthodontic and facial irregularities. They are uniquely qualified to treat “bad bites”. The American Dental Association requires orthodontist to have at least two years of post-doctoral, advanced specialty training in orthodontics in an accredited program, after graduation from orthodontic school.
Q: Will orthodontic treatment interfere with my life?
A: No, not really. You’ll be please to learn that braces really do work with your current lifestyle. You can do almost anything with braces as you did without, including: sing, play a musical instrument, sports, dine out, kiss, and even have your picture taken. Some adjustments will need to be made in the types of foods you eat such as: caramels, nuts and sticky or hard candy. But most patients adjust quickly. Today’s braces are much smaller, more streamline, and more comfortable than they used to be.
Q: Why are some children treated before all the permanent teeth erupt?
A: When early orthodontic treatment is recommended, the immediate objective will be one or more of the following:
-to correct jaw disproportions before aligning the teeth
-to prevent injury to protruded front teeth
-to manage crowding, preserve space for permanent teeth
-to eliminate harmful habits -to improve self esteem
Q: What are my options besides braces?
A: There are certainly other options available. One very popular option is Invisalign® . Invisalign® gradually moves your teeth through a series of custom-made, removable, nearly invisible aligners. | <urn:uuid:4f71947a-e3c6-453b-bcb8-8c4f1e3543e9> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.drcynthiawong.com/faqs | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.931054 | 471 | 2.171875 | 2 |
RKN Global on Twitter’s New ‘News Feature’
Twitter has come up with a new feature designed to make it easier to view newsworthy tweets. The social network will alert its users to live events and even present a curated list of tweets about them in their notifications area and at the top of their timeline.
Here’s what the feature is about
The new presentation, which could include live video, is designed to assist users in finding the most relevant and the best tweets for ongoing live events, such as breaking news about an earthquake or a big baseball game. If an event is happening that it believes the user will be interested in, Twitter may send the user a personalized push notification.
Twitter will put those events at the top of the main timeline along with text and pictures to encourage the user to tap in and explore. When users type something into search, the search function may feature large buttons pointing to the new views.
Twitter to prevent abuse and fake news through human moderators and algorithms
A Twitter official said that the idea of the new feature is to bring people a feature that power users already know how to do, which is ‘find the best tweets by following and searching the right accounts.’
Twitter intends to prevent abuse or fake news from appearing by using a mix of human curators and computer algorithms to choose the content of these new screens and decide whether the push alert should be sent to the user or not.
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- How Esports Teams Make Money - February 24, 2022 | <urn:uuid:65c9e505-4b5f-4f9f-b527-1b6076bd2cc2> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.rknglobal.info/rkn-global-on-twitters-new-news-feature/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.927477 | 444 | 1.75 | 2 |
A long-awaited NYPD body camera pilot program won't get off the ground for at least another six months because it's taking longer than expected to get the devices, newly filed court documents say.
A Manhattan federal court judge first ordered the NYPD in August 2013 to implement a one-year body camera pilot project to see whether the program helped decrease unconstitutional stop-and-frisks.
A federally appointed monitor and the NYPD have been working to launch a large-scale pilot — involving around 1,000 cameras, with around 50 cameras in 20 experimental precincts — but they haven't picked a supplier yet.
While they expect to pick a body camera supplier by mid-to-late August, the NYPD "estimates an additional four to six months before a contract is officially registered."
Delivery of the cameras "will not be instant" because the supplier has to prepare and deliver tailor-made cameras with NYPD-specific software.
On top of that delay, the NYPD will then have to come up with body cam policies, write training guides, and teach officers how to use the cameras.
The NYPD did conduct a separate pilot from December 2014 to March 2016, in which 54 officers voluntarily wore bodycams.
This pilot "was intended to test BWC equipment, enhance understand of the information technology infrastructure necessary to support BWCs, and gain some insight on matters of policy and practical implementation," court documents filed Tuesday also note.
The New York Civil Liberties Union said in a statement Tuesday that body cameras can help police community relations, but wants the NYPD's pilot program policies to "fulfill their intended purpose of increasing trust between police and the communities they are sworn to serve and protect."
The NYCLU wants the NYPD to discipline officers who don't turn on their cameras when they are supposed to do so — and contends that officers who repeatedly fail to turn them on "should be aware they could be terminated."
The civil liberties group wants the department to have a "clear and simple way for people to review the footage," and for it to be available to the public under state open records law. | <urn:uuid:6093f848-24de-45de-884a-81f899043e89> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nypd-body-camera-pilot-program-delayed-6-months-article-1.2744343 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570793.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808092125-20220808122125-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.960071 | 426 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Bonsais are often portrayed as difficult trees to grow, or merely reserved for the experts in the plant world. Apparently, they could die from practically anything, sunlight, water, soil, complicated trees all around. But, how much is real and how much is preconception? Are bonsai trees actually hard to grow?
The truth is, bonsai trees are hard to grow if you don’t have the proper knowledge on how to take care of them. If you are aware that they are normal trees, with normal requirements, you should be good to go. They, as many plants, need primarily attention and a minimum healthy degree of know-how, but other than that, they are as difficult to grow or maintain as practically any other plant.
This doesn’t mean that these are a breeze to grow. There are things you should know, rules you should follow, and we’ll cover them all in the following guide.
Is Growing a Bonsai Tree Hard?
From what we could tell, most people, beginners, amateurs and experts agree that growing a bonsai tree is not really hard. As long as you follow the bare fundamentals.
First, you need to understand that a bonsai tree is just a regular tree that has been planted in a small pot. This means that it has the same requirements as would any normal tree: water, soil (with nutrients) and sunlight. As long as you’re willing to try to reproduce the environment where it generally thrives, you should be good to go.
Second, you need to know which bonsai species you have. There are trees that thrive in colder environments, some other trees do well in warmer ones. Some with a lot of light, others with little. Same goes with water. You get the picture.
You need to absolutely get acquainted with the species of bonsai you have, in order to be able to give it proper care. Each tree comes with its benefits and complications and will react better or worse to where you live. So read up before, and learn what you need to learn to take proper care and your leafy friend will thank you.
The last of our bonsai fundamentals is to be consistent about your bonsai tree and its required care. This is where the maintenance comes in.
Are Bonsai Trees Hard to Maintain?
Are bonsai trees hard to care for? – this is an entirely different question to what we’ve seen before. We consider that what can make it hard to maintain or take care for, is the fact that people generally buy a house plant, and consider it to be a decoration more than a living being. We don’t mean to be overdramatic, but you can ask yourself the following question: how do you know when you should water your plants?
Most people will water plants either on a schedule, so every Monday for instance. Others will do it when they remember to do it, or others do it when they see the leaves have turned yellow or dry. The same behaviour generally happens with bonsai trees, which can definitely affect their overall health.
As a rule of thumb, we consider that as long as you consider your bonsai as a living thing and are willing to check up on it daily, for as little as a matter of seconds, you should be good to go. In Colombia we say these are “thankful plants”, as a little of attention can really go a long way.
Somewhat related to the previous point, one of the biggest issues with bonsai tree maintenance are the water requirements it has. We’ve built a pretty good guide around this topic, in case you want to check it out here. The main takeaway you should learn is that the size of the pot has an effect in the way that the bonsai can “drink” water.
It goes like this: the smaller the pot, the less soil it has. The less soil it has, the less water can be kept within it. The less water it can keep, the more attentive (in terms of water) you’ll need to be.
Thankfully that’s where the complications start and end. If you form a strong habit to regularly check up on your little tree, touch its soil and check on how moist it is, and react accordingly, that’s everything you need to do.
But of course, this is a generalization as well. As we’ve previously mentioned, some trees are harder than others, some trees are more accustomed to growing in certain habits than others, so there are more variables to take into account, but the previous advice are good rules to follow.
But let’s say this is your first rodeo. It’s the first plant you own, it’s the first tree you have. Beginners, listen up.
Best Easy Bonsais for Beginners
As we’ve made it clear in this article, growing a bonsai can indeed be a bit difficult, but you can make your life a hell of a lot easier if you make the right choices. For us at BigBoyPlants, we don’t believe in making things hard just for the sake of it – we want you to grow into yet another bonsai enthusiast and for that, you need to have had good experiences of your own.
This is why we recommend all bonsai beginners to start with a simple pre-grown tree. Why? Well, we understand the appeal of growing a tree from seed, but this can take around 2 years time. Will you have enough stamina and motivation to keep it alive till then? Maybe. But we would prefer if you get right into the exciting part right away.
But that still means you need to do your homework. You need to ask yourself two main questions:
- Does the bonsai species work well where you currently live?
- Will it be an indoor or an outdoor bonsai?
If you don’t know the answer to these questions, a good rule of thumb is to find an indigenous species – in other words, a species that naturally lives where you currently live.
Once you know these questions, we recommend you get one of the following (depending on where you will place it)
Outdoor Bonsais for Beginners
- Elm Bonsai
- Juniper Bonsai
Indoor Bonsai for Beginners
- Ficus Bonsai (there are over 800 varieties of Ficus so take your pick!)
- Jade Bonsai
These are all pretty sturdy, robust tree species that will be able to “forgive” beginners mistakes – including over or under watering and over or under pruning.
These are also pretty versatile in terms of temperature changes and humidity changes. Both hallmarks of easier-than-average bonsai tree species.
As we said, make your life easy. Get a simple bonsai to take care of. Get excited. Learn more. Then get yourself a harder bonsai tree type.
Why do people think growing a bonsai tree is hard?
Based on our research, most of the reasons we saw as to why people believe that growing a bonsai tree is hard were related to making assumptions about the tree.
What we mean by this, is that far too often people receive a bonsai tree and treat it as they would a regular house plant and expect everything to fall into place. It’s easy to forget that bonsai trees are just regular trees, treated with a special technique to keep them small, but that’s it.
This means that there are some species that are easier to take care of and some that are harder to take care of, but people tend to assume “it’s the same thing”, which is where the problem lies. With this train of thought, people assume and generalize every bonsai’s required care, and try a one-size-fits-all approach and make the whole experience hard on themselves.
Additionally, we think all bonsai experts, growers and enthusiasts can admit that there is a bit of status related to the culture around bonsais.
There is of course a great deal of joy and pride to be held if you are able to successfully grow a bonsai tree, as you should be with practically any plant. But, in our opinion, since bonsai’s take so long, so much patience and so much dedication to grow, that people can overemphasize how hard it can really be. Don’t get us wrong, it is hard (and bonsai tree cost can be high) but there might be a small degree of inflation as well. | <urn:uuid:25954c1f-9a7c-46e5-a0c7-f4d45ed1ba58> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://bigboyplants.com/bonsai-trees-hard-to-grow/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571056.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809155137-20220809185137-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.960778 | 1,831 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Newswise — It’s no secret that vitamin D is critical to balancing many areas of health. But from pediatric broken bones to cluster headaches, physicians and scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston) are still learning just how powerful the so-called “sunshine vitamin” is.
Vitamin D deficiency is already extremely common, affecting approximately 42% of the U.S. population, according to research published in the National Institutes of Health database. Because of this, some researchers across the globe have referred to vitamin D deficiency as an “invisible epidemic.”
Doctors ranging from orthopedic surgeons to family medicine practitioners are seeing an uptick in patients with vitamin D deficiency. More testing, people staying indoors because of skin cancer risk, or more recently, safety precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic, have been factors in the increase.
“The reason why we’re seeing an upward trend is because we’re checking for it,” said family physician Deepa Iyengar, MD, professor of family and community medicine and the Stanley G. Schultz, MD, Endowed Professor in Global Health with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. “Identifying vitamin D deficiency is such an important part of the family medicine genre because deficiency is seen across all ages.” Iyengar sees patients at UT Physicians, the clinical practice of McGovern Medical School.
Although most people have no symptoms, severe cases of vitamin D deficiency can lead to thin, brittle, or misshapen bones. Fortunately, the deficit is treatable, with doctors often prescribing over-the-counter vitamin D supplementation.
How vitamin D affects the body
Vitamin D is best known for promoting healthy bones and teeth. The human body can only absorb calcium, the primary component of bone, when vitamin D is present.
Accordingly, there is a well-documented relationship between vitamin D and orthopedic health, said pediatric orthopedic surgeon Alfred Mansour III, MD, clinical associate professor of orthopedic surgery with McGovern Medical School. His team at UT Physicians recently conducted a quality improvement project examining the link between low vitamin D levels and broken bones among pediatric patients sent to the emergency room at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.
“Everyone notices a fracture or a broken arm, but now we’re looking deeper and uncovering the ‘why’ behind it. Why did this kid break their arm compared to these thousands of other kids who also fell? Why did this kid get a stress fracture in their foot?” Mansour said. “I’ve had many patients who have struggled to improve from these injuries, and our group has found that vitamin D deficiency played a role in that.”
Of the pediatric patients studied by Mansour’s group who needed surgical treatment for their fracture or broken bone, 85% were found to be vitamin D deficient. The discovery has led his team to implement new protocols, including partnering with the pediatric emergency room at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital to test for the condition in admitted patients.
As noted by Iyengar, a person can experience vitamin D deficiency at any age, from birth to later in life. However, some factors put certain individuals at greater risk than others.
Infants who are being breastfed are among the high-risk groups, according to UT Physicians pediatrician Kenya Parks, MD, clinical associate professor of pediatrics with McGovern Medical School.
“We definitely want to promote breastfeeding, and breast milk is the best milk for babies, but it is very low in vitamin D,” Parks said. “Breastfeeding moms will want to make sure their infants get supplementation early on.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfed and partially breastfed infants be supplemented with 400 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day, beginning in the first few days of life. Some doctors advise breastfeeding mothers to purchase vitamin D drops, which are available at nearly any pharmacy or grocery store and should be given to breastfed babies on a daily basis. Babies can also get vitamin D through 10 to 15 minutes of sunlight exposure each day.
Parks said other patients who are vitamin D deficient include children and teens who are obese – a phenomenon at least partially attributed to distribution into a greater amount of body tissue – and children and teens who are on certain anti-convulsant and anti-fungal medications, which interfere with their body’s ability to absorb or convert vitamin D.
In children, extreme cases of vitamin D deficiency are manifested as rickets – a disease which results in soft bones and skeletal deformities. Rickets can also cause developmental delays, seizures, muscle spasms, and other abnormalities, Parks said.
“Vitamin D is both a vitamin and a hormone,” Parks said. “Kids have growing bones, so if they don’t get enough vitamin D, their bones aren’t fortified.”
Beyond children with these medical issues, however, vitamin D deficiency is high among Black individuals, whose darker skin has more melanin than lighter-skinned individuals, reducing their ability to synthesize vitamin D from the sun and resulting in lower vitamin D levels.
The deficiency is highest among people who are elderly, institutionalized, or hospitalized. In the U.S., according to a study published in Pharmacotherapy, 60% of nursing home residents were low in vitamin D, while according to research published in The New England Journal of Medicine, 57% of hospitalized patients were found to be vitamin D deficient.
“As you get older, bone resorption increases and bone formation decreases, so if you don’t substitute that loss with enough calcium, it causes a bone mass deficiency,” said Iyengar, who sees geriatric patients at UT Physicians. “Your body thinks you’re short of vitamin D, so it takes that vitamin from the bone and gives it to the blood, which puts people at major risk for osteoporosis.”
Vitamin D production in the skin from sunlight exposure also declines with advancing age, making elderly populations more dependent on the dietary supplements. Additionally, because vitamin D deficiency is also linked to parathyroid metabolism, women become especially prone as they go through menopause and lose estrogen, Iyengar said.
A woman’s ability to build bone peaks in her mid to late 20s, according to Pamela Berens, MD, the Dr. John T. Armstrong Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology with McGovern Medical School and an OB/GYN with UT Physicians. Therefore, as women enter their 30s, Berens advises her patients to simply work on maintaining their bone health.
“For post-menopausal women, it’s really important to know your bone density and vitamin D level. Having that knowledge gives you the power to fix it,” Berens said. “Younger women just need to think about what they can do to build healthy bones.”
Vitamin D also regulates many other cellular functions, with its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and neuroprotective properties supporting immune health, muscle function and brain cell activity.
Mark Burish, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery with McGovern Medical School and a neurologist and headache management specialist with UTHealth Neurosciences, has begun enrolling patients in a clinical trial to determine whether a multivitamin combined with high doses of Vitamin D3 supplements – similar to those prescribed to patients with multiple sclerosis and other diseases – could potentially serve as an effective treatment for excruciating cluster headaches.
Burish theorizes a few possible reasons why increased vitamin D intake might be able to treat cluster headache. One is that vitamin D appears to block a key pain-signaling molecule that is commonly activated during cluster headache. Another theory is that the headaches might be linked to circadian rhythms, a natural, internal process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours.
“Normally, people receive vitamin D through direct sunlight, and the most common time for a cluster headache attack, no matter where you live, is 2 a.m., when it’s still very dark outside,” said Burish, who is also with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. “Vitamin D may be able to help regulate the light-dark pattern that seems to be tied to these headaches.”
How to get enough of it
A person can get vitamin D in three ways: through the skin, from their diet, and from medically prescribed supplements.
Some time in the sun is recommended, but given that too much sun exposure can lead to skin cancer, food may be a better source. A few foods – including fatty fish, beef liver, cheese, mushrooms, and egg yolks – naturally carry the nutrient. It can also be found in fortified foods and beverages, such as milk, breakfast cereals, orange juice, yogurt, and soy drinks.
People also get vitamin D from multivitamins and supplements, which come in both pill and liquid form for infants.
According to the National Institutes of Health, the daily recommended amount of vitamin D is 400 IU for infants up to 12 months old, 600 IU for children and adults up to 70 years old as well as breastfeeding women, and 800 IU for adults who are at least 71 years old.
The standard treatment for vitamin D deficiency involves supplements. Depending on an individual’s condition, their health care provider will recommend how much they need to take, how often they need to take it, and how long they need to take it. | <urn:uuid:1418bc96-f203-4505-a552-83318f00f56c> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.newswise.com/articles/the-power-of-vitamin-d-what-experts-already-know-and-are-still-learning-about-the-sunshine-vitamin | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.951352 | 2,018 | 3.5 | 4 |
Although there is no precise information about the construction date, it is known that there was previously a chapel here. Chora (Kariye) church / kirke was constructed along with the monastery in about 536 during the reign of emperor Justinian I (527-565). the church got damaged in the Iconoclastic period (726-842) and was restored at different times. The removal of the imperial dynasty to Blachernae Palace in the reign of the Comnenus dynasty (1081-1185), and the performance of some religious ceremonies in Kariye church, which was close to the Palace, considerably increased significance of the church. As a result, the mother-in-law of the emperor Alexius I )1081-1118) Maria Doucina took the derelict church under her protection and had it renovated. However, the church was pillaged during the Latin Invasion (1204-1261) and witnessed great destruction.
The golden age of the museum was during the reign of emperor Andronicus II Palaceologus (1282-1328). A great statesman, politician, scholar and man of letters, Theodoro Metochites had the church restored considerably. A corridor was added to the northern wing of the church, consisting of narthex and main floor, as well as a parecclesion, a narrow and long single-naves chapel adjacent to the southern face, and an exterior narthex running along the western face. The mosaics ornamenting the inner and outer narthexes, and frescoes ornamenting the parecclesion, were also done in this period. The high-tamboured and windowed dome sits on four arches above the main floor, which ends with a semi rounded apse at the ester end. The ground is marbled and the walls are coated with marble plates. These marble plates are as priceless as mosaic decorations for they are both old and figured.
The richest mosaics and frescos of the late golden age of the Byzantine Empire can be seen in Kariya (Chora). The lives of the Virgin Marry and Jesus are depicted in mosaics decorating the walls, the arches, the vaults, and the domes on the interior and exterior narthexes. | <urn:uuid:6dae3355-b9f6-4783-9559-34a255236ad1> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.choramuseum.com/chora-details/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.974401 | 478 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Data Science is not about algorithms or metrics. It is irrelevant to the business if the way to get the answer to a question is a Monte Carlo simulation, a linear regression, a Random Forest classifier, or a Convolutional Neural Network. It is about solving business problems. But it does require some data.
"Data Science is not about algorithms or metrics. It is about solving business problems" - Francois Dion
If your business doesn't have any data relevant to the problem at hand, a boutique Data Science consultancy is a good partner to advise you on the acquisition of relevant data. Too many times, we've seen customers acquiring expensive third party data, especially for demographics, only to discover that the data didn't help any decision making, or worse, increased the errors of the prediction models they were using.
Sometimes, acquiring the right data can only be done through a survey. This requires preparing a protocol for the survey, designing a questionnaire, testing it, conducting the interviews, compiling the results and analyzing them. Dion Research can design and conduct these for you and provide you with the results. | <urn:uuid:ac9fd3e4-836a-42fe-a182-ef55e6650b60> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://survey.dionresearch.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.937207 | 222 | 1.90625 | 2 |
Business leaders around the world are increasingly embracing sustainability and are confident of their abilities to turn challenges into opportunities, according to a new report that also found Europe is lagging behind.
Whilst business leaders in China are the most optimistic, with 48% stating they can take advantage of sustainability opportunities, followed by India with 44%, Europeans are the most cautious with just 23% believing in development associated with sustainability.
The report, which has been launched by DNV GL, the UN Global Compact and Monday Morning Global Institute, is based on a survey and consultations with more than 6,000 public and private sector leaders in over 21 countries. It identifies and ranks 15 sustainability opportunities and highlights more than 120 readily available solutions to a wide range of challenges.
The study found that emerging economies are especially ready to pursue market opportunities associated with sustainability challenges. In terms of sectors, manufacturing and finance were the most confident in their ability to address barriers to deliver profits.
Business leaders see untapped and profitable opportunities in addressing water scarcity, and in particular water-efficient agriculture. Some 37% said this opportunity would have great benefits for society as well as their country having the capacity to address the issue.
Georg Kell, executive director of the UN Global Compact, said, ”Businesses across the planet are not shying away from global risks such as climate change, and increasingly recognise the positive benefits of seizing related opportunities.
“The report confirms that there has been a turning point, where private sectors are now a critical driver of sustainable development with emerging economies in the front seat.”
Whilst the public sector is expected to play an important role in realising sustainable opportunities and implementing regulation, many public sector respondents were less optimistic than their private sector counterparts. However, the report notes this could change as younger, female or emerging economy leaders begin to play a bigger role.
Henrik Madsen, group CEO and president of DNV GL, commented, “I believe that one of the most interesting findings is how young leaders under 30 years of age, people in emerging economic and also women embrace regulation as a strong tool for sustainable change. It is very likely that the decision makers of tomorrow will be found in these groups, and it gives us hope that we can see a stronger collaboration between the private and public sector in the future.”
Photo: Henk L via Freeimages
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Public lectures include the following:
The Roger Allan Moore Lecture on Values and Medicine: Ethical, Religious, and Cultural Perspectives
Hosted by the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine & the Center for the Study of Culture and Medicine, this annual lecture was initiated in 1992.
The W.H.R. Rivers Lecture
Presented in honor of W.H.R. Rivers, a founding figure in the history of medical anthropology, and made possible by the Michael Crichton Fund of the Department of Social Medicine, these lectures are offered biannually. They usually are combined with a one to two day workshop on a central topic in social medicine.
The John McGovern Lecture in the History of Medicine
These lectures bring to the University renowned scholars to address critical issues in the history of medicine. In 2000, Kenneth Ludmerer, MD, Washington University, addressed "The Coming of the Second Revolution in Medical Education" and in 2001 Evelyn Hammonds, PhD, MIT, spoke on "The Logic of Difference: Race, Gender and 19th Century Surgery." In 2011, Howard Markel, George E. Wantz Distinguished Professor and Director, Center for the History of Medicine, the University of Michigan, spoke on "An Anatomy of Addiction: Sigmund Freud, William Halsted, and the Miracle Drug, Cocaine."
The Department occasionally hosts open-to-the-public workshops and seminars related to training programs in medical anthropology.
About Roger Allan Moore
By the Right Reverend Richard F. Holloway, Bishop of Edinburgh
June 12, 1990
B. A. cum laude, Harvard College, 1953
J. D., Harvard Law School, 1956
Secretary to the Harvard Medical Center, 1976-1990
Clerk to the Risk Management Foundation
of the Harvard Medical Institutions Inc.
Attorney, Ropes & Gray, Boston
"I believe that Roger Allan Moore was a great man, an unusual man. Roger loved custom and ceremony and old traditions. He loved Harvard, its lore and rituals. Roger loved words, the cadences of great literature and oratory. He was himself a great orator, with a magnificent voice, deep, rich, resonant.
"Roger warred against time, not only in the sense that he wanted to fill every minute — though that was true — but in the profounder sense that it was time he mourned, time he sought, somehow, to arrest. And Roger was a great family man, formidable in his fathering, proud of the warm and lovely woman he was married to, devoted to his children and his children’s children.
"He was a player in history. He worked to preserve and adapt the traditions and institutions he loved by steering them through rough waters. He did this by reconciling factions, putting together deals and keeping people talking. He was a genius at fixing things. His genius was to help things work, even when they were breaking down. He was a strong and determined man who spent himself on making systems as good as they could be in our flawed world. Roger Moore was a great American."
Roger Allan Moore Lectures
2019: Warwick Anderson, Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser Visiting Professor of Australian Studies at Harvard University, The University of Sydney
Planetary Health History
2018: Stephen Breyer, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
The Work of the Supreme Court
2017: Kay Redfield Jamison, The Dalio Family Professor in Mood Disorders and Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Healing the Mind: Writing Takes the AChe Away
2016: James Ferguson, Susan S. and William H. Hindle Professor, Stanford University
Presence and Social Obligation: An Essay on the Share
2015: Vikram Patel, Professor of International Mental Health, Centre for Global Mental Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
Rethinking mental health care: bridging the credibility gap
2013: Amartya Sen, Lamont University Professor, Department of Philosophy, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Medical Needs and Social Priorities
2012: Didier Fassin, James D. Wolfensohn Professor, School of Social Science, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey
On Resentment and Ressentiment
2008: Thomas Pogge, Political Science, Columbia University; Australia National University, Center for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics; Oslo University Centre for the Study of Mind in Nature.
Rewarding Health Impact: A Complement to the Patent Regime
2006: Arjun Appadurai, The New School, New York
Amputation, Excision, Sacrifice: The Social Ambitions of Violence
2004: Gilles Bibeau, University of Montreal, Canada
The Quebec National Genome for Sale: Genotech companies under ethnographic surveillance
2003: Paul Appelbaum, President, American Psychiatric Association; Professor and Chair of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School.
International Approaches to Involuntary Civil Commitment
2002: Robert J. Barrett, University of Adelaide, Australia.
Journey into Madness: Cultural Themes and Psychosis among the Iban, a Former Headhunting People
2001: Theresa O’Nell, University of Oregon.
Culture and Pathology: Loneliness and Depression in American Indian Communities Revisited
Thomas Csordas, Case Western Reserve University.
Healing and the Human Condition: Scenes from the Present Moment in Navajoland
2000: William Styron
Darkness Visible: The Loss and Recovery of Self
1999: Leon Eisenberg, Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School.
Should the Right to Grow Old Be Rationed?
1998: Gerald Bruns, Department of English, University of Notre Dame.
On Ceasing to Be Human
1997: Shigehisa Kuriyama, International Research Center, Kyoto.
The Expressiveness of the Body and the Divergence of Greek and Chinese Medicine
1996: Jean Starobinski, Université de Genève
The Development of the Concept of Reaction: A Study in Historical Semantics and Cultural History
1995: William E. Connolly, The Johns Hopkins University
Suffering, Ethics, and the Politics of Becoming
1994: Judith P. Swazey, President, Acadia Institute
Integrity in Research and Scholarship: Reflections on Professional Responsibility and the Cultures of Science and Medicine
1993: Sherman James, School of Public Health, University of Michigan.
John Henryism and the Health of African Americans
1992: Margaret Lock, McGill University School of Medicine
Resisting Brain Death: Reflections on the Japanese Debate
The W.H.R. Rivers Distinguished Lectures in Social Medicine are presented in honor of W.H.R. Rivers and are made possible by the Michael Crichton Fund of the Department of Social Medicine. The Lectures are delivered biannually by an outstanding social scientist or physician who has made a substantial contribution to social medicine. They are presented in conjunction with a workshop on a related topic.
About W.H.R. Rivers
W.H.R. (William Halse Rivers) Rivers (1864-1922), anthropologist and psychologist, was one of the first ethnographers at the end of the 19th century to do anthropological field research. His ethnographic work yielded accounts of the Todas of South India and of Melanesian peoples that are regarded as classics to this day. His pursuits included experimental psychology, studies in kinship and social organization, and psychotherapy.
W.H.R. Rivers’s classic exploration of the concept of disease in traditional societies and of the relationship between culture and medicine was most powerfully expressed in his 1924 book,Medicine, Magic and Religion, the published version of his FitzPatrick Lectures, presented at the Royal College of Physicians in 1915 and 1916.
Today, Rivers is regarded as a distinguished forebear to the fields of medical anthropology, cultural psychiatry and social medicine.
Lectures and Symposia
1998 Renee Fox, Annenberg Professor of the Social Sciences, Department of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania. More Than Bioethics Alone: Critical Reflections on the Relationship between Medicine, Ethics and Social Science in the Education of Medical Students. Results of the workshop that followed have been published as an issue of Daedalus (2000), entitled Bioethics and Beyond.
2000 Amartya Sen, Thomas W. Lamont University Professor, Harvard University; recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to welfare economics. Health in the Perspective of Freedom. Workshop co-sponsored by the World Health Organization: Placing Mental Health on the International Health Agenda.
2002 Michael Crichton, novelist and filmmaker, Harvard College (Anthropology, 1964) and Harvard Medical School (1969) graduate. The Media and Medicine. See a report in the Harvard Gazette archives.
2004 Symposium: Social Policy and HIV/AIDS in China. Results of this workshop were published in 2006 by Harvard University Asia Center: AIDS and Social Policy in China, Joan Kaufman, Anthony Saich and Arthur Kleinman, eds.
2006 Finding Hope in Despair: Global and Personal Perspectives on Depression (symposium). Keynote speaker: Andrew Solomon, whose acclaimed book The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression won the National Book Award. Panelists included: Byron Good, Professor of Medical Anthropology, Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Steve Hyman, Provost, Harvard University; Dean Jamison, Professor of Education and of Public Health, University of California at Los Angeles; Ronald Kessler, Professor of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School; Arthur Kleinman, Esther and Sidney Rabb Professor, Department of Anthropology, Harvard University
2008 Exploring a Biosocial Framing: Pandemic Flu and Other Examples (symposium). This symposium followed a large international conference on Asian and Avian Flus, held at Harvard University in 2006 and resulting in two publications: (1) a special supplement in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, "Avian and Pandemic Influenza: A biosocial approach" : 15 February 2008, Volume 197, Supplement 1, pages S1-S40. A. Kleinman, Barry Bloom, Anthony Saich, Katherine Mason and Felicity Aulino, guest editors, and (2) an issue of Anthropology and Medicine: Volume 15, Number 1, April 2008. The issue is devoted to papers on Asian/Avian Flu that came out of the 2006 Workshop.
2011 Anthropology and Philosophy: Affinities and Antagonisms (symposium). This symposium explored relationships between philosophies and anthropology through presentations from practitioners of empirically-grounded ethnography who have found, either in the course of fieldwork or in questioning their own mode of relation to the world, that anthropological models and theories could not fully address their puzzles and who have engaged with philosophical traditions to illuminate their work. Sample topics: "Must we be Bad Epistemologists? Illusions of Transparency, the Opaque Other, Foibles of Interpretation;" "What is Subjectivity? William James, Psychiatry, and Anthropology;" "Human Becomings and Having an Idea in Anthropology Today;" "Ajala's Heads: Destiny and Decision in West African Thought;" "Philosophical Allegiances and Ethnographic Attentiveness;" "Yet I Exist: Moment and Flux in Everyday Life Existence;" "Speaking Universally: Tracks between Iqbal's Philosophy and Historical Anthropology." An edited volume has emerged from the workshop titled Anthropology and Philosophy: Affinities and Antagonisms (eds) Veena Das, Arthur Kleinman, Michael D. Jackson and Bhrigupati Singh. The volume is currently under review with Duke University Press.
Back to top | <urn:uuid:13a586d6-b8ee-4427-b630-6dd6d8cb4e30> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://ghsm.hms.harvard.edu/education/lectures-and-workshops | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571056.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809155137-20220809185137-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.902526 | 2,441 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Epidemiologists will examine whether medicinal cannabis users are vulnerable to further complications from COVID-19.
Researchers working at the University of Miami are launching a preliminary study examining the impact of the COVID-19 virus on medicinal cannabis patients.
The study will be used to strengthen epidemiologists understanding of the coronavirus outbreak and will employ patient data to examine their physical and mental health.
If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it is that population-based data is vital to make informed decisions. My team and I understand that the plural of anecdote is not data. So, we are combining our skills to do our part to provide that data. Lead Researcher and Epidemiologist, Denise C Vidot
The preliminary study will be led by Epidemiologist Denise C Vidot and will involve a group of doctors and experts from the School of Nursing and Health Studies, Office of Hemispheric and Global Affairs, and Miller School of Medicine's Department of Public Health Sciences.
The researchers will also be investigating whether the usage of inhalable cannabis form factors—such as vapes, bongs or joints—could be fuelling the spread of COVID-19.
The study's launch is particularly timely, as medical cannabis patients are considered to be a vulnerable group that may be impacted by the coronavirus crisis, potentially due to delays in fulfillment of prescriptions.
Additionally, they may exhibit further vulnerabilities to the coronavirus, such as a compromised immune system or other chronic health conditions.
"Our goal is to have cannabis users from every country complete this survey, so the data is more generalisable," Vidot said.
"The global qualifying conditions for medical cannabis, though not uniform, all include individuals with compromised immune systems and other chronic health conditions."
"Therefore, this is a population that we cannot forget about in our joint effort to 'flatten the curve'."
This pot stock could reach new heights in 2020 due to Coronavirus
The COVID-19 pandemic is showing no signs of slowing down, and as global markets enter meltdown many cannabis companies are feeling the effects of capital crunch.
While the market crash will continue for some time, it represents a golden opportunity for investors who are capable of riding out the volatility until share prices rally.
Luckily, one pot stock has developed antimicrobial drug that can already treat two superbugs while limiting their ability to develop antibiotic resistance.
Investors can also start picking up shares at rock bottom prices, as global investor sentiment continues to dampen thanks to COVID-19.
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marijuana enthusiasts and potential pot stock investors | <urn:uuid:ddaaa2ed-9520-4e6b-9198-5883ee5f6187> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://thegreenfund.com/university-of-miami-launches-study-into-impact-of-covid-19-on-cannabis-users | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.933499 | 556 | 2.234375 | 2 |
§ 3270.66. Toxics.
(a) Cleaning materials and other toxic materials shall be kept in an area or container that is locked or made inaccessible to children.
(b) Cleaning materials and other toxic materials shall be stored in an original labeled container or in a container that specifies the content. Toxics shall be stored away from food, food preparation areas and child care spaces.
(c) Cleaning materials and other toxic materials shall be used in a way that does not contaminate play surfaces, food, food preparation areas and does not constitute a hazard to the children.
(d) Toxic plants are not permitted in a child care space.
(e) Arts and crafts materials shall be nontoxic.
This section cited in 55 Pa. Code § 3270.13 (relating to waivers); and 55 Pa. Code § 3270.82 (relating to toilet areas).
No part of the information on this site may be reproduced for profit or sold for profit.
This material has been drawn directly from the official Pennsylvania Code full text database. Due to the limitations of HTML or differences in display capabilities of different browsers, this version may differ slightly from the official printed version. | <urn:uuid:16d098b2-2d30-4c96-8bb6-ab53d8959620> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?file=/secure/pacode/data/055/chapter3270/s3270.66.html&d=reduce | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571056.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809155137-20220809185137-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.84542 | 253 | 1.75 | 2 |
Albeit spectral-domain OCT (SDOCT) is now in clinical use for glaucoma management, published clinical trials relied on time-domain OCT (TDOCT) which is characterized by low signal-to-noise ratio, leading to low statistical power. For this reason, such trials require large numbers of patients observed over long intervals and become more costly. We propose a probabilistic ensemble model and a cycle-consistent perceptual loss for improving the statistical power of trials utilizing TDOCT. TDOCT are converted to synthesized SDOCT and segmented via Bayesian fusion of an ensemble of GANs. The final retinal nerve fibre layer segmentation is obtained automatically on an averaged synthesized image using label fusion. We benchmark different networks using i) GAN, ii) Wasserstein GAN (WGAN) (iii) GAN + perceptual loss and iv) WGAN + perceptual loss. For training and validation, an independent dataset is used, while testing is performed on the UK Glaucoma Treatment Study (UKGTS), i.e. a TDOCT-based trial. We quantify the statistical power of the measurements obtained with our method, as compared with those derived from the original TDOCT. The results provide new insights into the UKGTS, showing a significantly better separation between treatment arms, while improving the statistical power of TDOCT on par with visual field measurements.Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
About The Expert | <urn:uuid:93dc741a-6d48-4d5c-bae6-8d15e2ccef45> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.physiciansweekly.com/improving-statistical-power-of-glaucoma-clinical-trials-using-an-ensemble-of-cyclical-generative-adversarial-networks/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570793.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808092125-20220808122125-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.85826 | 341 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Internet cynics are eating their words over news that a viral stunt actually raised more than $200 million for medical research — and prompted a promising new treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.
The 2018 Ice Bucket Challenge — which actually launched in 2015 but took years to go viral — featured citizens and celebs alike enduring showers of ice on video in exchange for donations. Using the money raised, scientists recently developed a potentially breakthrough medication — sodium phenylbutyrate–taurursodiol — for ALS.
While the experimental therapy is not a cure, it would help slow the progression of ALS — a disease marked by the rapid deterioration of nerve cells, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Those who live with the disease suffer a gradual loss of the ability to control their muscles, impacting speech, diet and even breathing.
“Patients keep telling me their No. 1 goal is to be able to retain physical function for as long as possible,” said Dr. Sabrina Paganoni, the study’s lead author and a neuromuscular specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS. She told NBC News, “They want to be able to continue to walk and to use their hands.”
The rare disease, which effects some 20,000 Americans, according to the ALS Association, usually appears during middle age, between 40 and 70. Life expectancy upon diagnosis is just two to five years for most, although a few, including the late physicist Stephen Hawking, have lived more years, even decades, with the debilitating disease.
The new research study recruited 137 ALS patients who had to see symptoms only within the past 18 months. Approximately two-thirds (89 volunteers) received the new drug, while the rest were administered a placebo.
After a period of time, patients were surveyed on a scale of 0 to 48, denoting their degree of disability.
“By the time they entered the trial, on average, patients had already lost 12 points. Their baseline score was about 36, on average,” Paganoni said. “Each question addresses a specific domain of function and is scored on a scale from 0 to 4.”
During the six-month study, considered a “Phase 2” trial (out of three) by the Food and Drug Administration, researchers found that patients who received the tested medication lost 2.32 points less on average than those on the placebo. This suggests a 25% improved outcome for those on the new drug.
“A 2- to 3-point change can mean the difference between being able to do an activity independently or with an assistance device,” said Paganoni, who hopes the discovery could add to the myriad medications required to make ALS more manageable. Meanwhile, researchers will continue to track the progress of volunteers, some of whom have decided to continue or switch to the pilot treatment after the study results showed promise.
“The Ice Bucket Challenge was an important turning point in the fight against ALS,” Paganoni added. “It put ALS on the map and raised awareness of the disease and attracted more investigators and investment to the research.”
The ALS Association is now pushing for wider availability of the drug even before a final human trial, which would last much longer and enlist more participants before the Food and Drug Administration makes a call.
“It’s very unusual for an ALS clinical trial to hit its primary endpoint, so we’re very excited about it,” Neil Thakur, chief mission officer for the ALS Association, told NBC News. “It’s the difference between being able to feed oneself versus being fed or needing versus not needing a wheelchair.” | <urn:uuid:bac6d19d-6a26-4369-9ca2-7c6c5ab5a968> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://nypost.com/2020/09/03/ice-bucket-challenge-pays-off-in-promising-new-als-treatment/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.963135 | 778 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Enough is enough — we must defend the Uighurs
On Monday, March 22, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada coordinated with the European Union in sanctioning China over their treatment of Uighur Muslims in their country. This move begs the question: why did this policy take so long to be enacted?
The Uighurs are a minority Turkic-Muslim population located mainly in northwestern China who have recently become the target of Chinese monitoring and detention. Starting in 2016, the Chinese government was found to have been creating “re-education camps,” or facilities in which they captured and imprisoned the Uighurs. China spent a long time denying that their camps were actually being used for malice. Instead, China asserts that the prisoners were simply being re-educated because some had become “extremists,” although no such evidence exists. In 2018, the Chinese government finally acknowledged that these places existed and were not for re-education. They said they were imprisoning individuals for low-level crimes and vocational training. However, anecdotal accounts completely reject this notion.
In 2019, U.N. representatives sent a letter to the U.N. High Commissioner explaining their concern with the large number of Uighurs being imprisoned, and the fact that the Chinese government was violating human rights laws. During former President Donald Trump’s administration in September 2019, the U.S. finally spoke up and condemned China’s actions on an international scale. Critically, former President Trump himself said in the summer of 2020 that he had been holding off on sanctioning China over their treatment of the Uighurs for the past year to preserve trade talks. This leads us to the question of where we should morally draw a line between our economic prosperity and human rights abuses happening in other countries.
It is no secret that economics and global politics play a massive role in domestic politics, but this issue highlights how far will some countries, specifically the U.S., will go to protect trade talks and economic negotiations when human rights abuses are transpiring every day. The protection of human life and preservation of human rights must be the utmost priority.
One major goal of the Biden administration must be to build back the U.S.’s image on the international stage after world leaders both literally and figuratively laughed at Trump and the country. From Trump criticizing NATO to taking the U.S. out of the U.N. Human Rights Council, our international reputation has taken a hit.
While President Joe Biden did return the U.S. to the United Nations Human Rights Council, this is not enough. Taking a firm stance on human rights would set the ball in motion for the U.S. to come back as a key player in the international community. Joining in on these sanctions is a step in the right direction, but it would be even better if the U.S. decided to stop doing business with companies associated with Uighur labor, such as Nike, Amazon, Gap, Adidas and many more.
Biden should call on the U.S. Senate to fast-track and pass H.R.6210, the Uighur Forced Labor Prevention Act. This act, which passed the House of Representatives on a bipartisan 406-3 vote, ended up stalling in the Senate committees. If Biden is truly committed to ensuring Uighurs in China are treated fairly and better protected, he must use the bully pulpit of the presidency and place a magnifying glass on this issue for the world.
The time to favor economic benefits over the internment of hundreds of thousands of individuals and human rights abuses is over. We as a society need to recognize that our economy and individual monetary success pales in comparison to the livelihood of individuals we may not personally know. It is imperative that as we continue to pressure the Biden administration about the human rights of people of color in this country, we do not forget that his influence goes far beyond just these 50 states. If Biden takes a firm stance on defending the Uighurs, we can finally say our president is working for everyone. | <urn:uuid:c2d94980-6650-433d-8371-32fd6f0cc9b1> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://etgov-in-exile.org/enough-is-enough-we-must-defend-the-uighurs/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.969098 | 836 | 2.046875 | 2 |
Shattering the silence around mental health
Upon graduating high school, Martina Kelades received a scholarship and entered university. "I went because that's what you're supposed to do, but I had no idea what I was doing and I kept asking myself: 'what am I doing here?'"
The co-founder of Shattered Silence Mental Health — an online mental health support community — says she always knew that she wanted to work with and help people, but didn't quite know what that looked like. Although Martina completed her first year of university, she decided not to return. Instead, she began researching career avenues that were of interest to her and that she connected with on a personal level.
"I think that was the beginning of my own journey of personal development and growth."
On the recommendation of her aunt, Charlotte States, NSCC Employee Services Advisor, Martina applied for and was accepted into a forerunner of the Addictions Community Outreach and Mental Health Recovery & Promotion programs.
From practicum to career
"I loved it so much," says Martina about her studies. "I knew immediately that the counselling side of the program was for me. It gave me a great foundation to build my career on."
The Kingstec Campus grad says that it was during her program-required practicum, that she met her mentor and began to see how opening up and sharing your struggles with another person could make a meaningful difference.
"I shadowed Cynthia Kerr, a social worker at PeopleWorx," says Martina. "She often shared her own insecurities to connect with clients. It helped them see a way through. It was then that I realized that everyone has their own struggles. It inspired me to take a look at my own career choices, and focus on how I could make a difference."
In 2016, Martina re-connected with an acquaintance she'd not seen in years: Katelyn Whittaker. Diagnosed with anorexia, post-partum depression and anxiety during her life, Katelyn used Facebook to share her struggle with others.
"I reached out to Katelyn to tell her how courageous I thought she was for sharing her story in such a public way, and to send her well wishes," says Martina. "Katelyn wrote back."
From their conversation and shared experiences, emerged Shattered Silence: a largely online organization intended to help others realized that they weren’t alone. "We wanted to help bridge the gap between large mental health initiatives, wait times and mental health services and create a platform to facilitate conversations."
The organization uses its website and social media platforms to build community connections through the sharing stories and resources that focus on mental health supports, engagement and education.
Martina says that while their community initiatives have largely focused on the Halifax region, users of the site reach well beyond its borders. During its initial three years, Shattered Silence has connected users across the Atlantic Provinces, Canada, the UK and the United States.
"We're a peer support network. It may seem small — an initiative you wouldn't think could have a major impact — but the power of a personal narrative is incredible. It reaches people and encourages them in ways you wouldn't have imagined." | <urn:uuid:d363bb92-dc7f-4fd8-b5a3-deac91e47cc9> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.nscc.ca/about/news/stories/2018/shattering-the-silence-around-mental-health.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.984954 | 670 | 1.65625 | 2 |
The Hand & Wrist Center
3918 Long Beach Boulevard, Suite 100
Long Beach, CA 90807
Phone: (562) 424-9000
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
Tuesday, Thursday: 7:30 a.m.–6 p.m.
Anesthesia for Hand Surgery
The goal of anesthesia for procedures involving the upper extremity is to provide the most comfortable and safe experience for the patient during surgery. Various options are available, each of which have particular benefits and risks. The decision regarding which anesthetic technique is chosen is dependent upon various factors, including the extent, site, and expected duration of surgery; need for sedation; general medical health of the patient, and personal preference, among others. The following is a brief discussion of various anesthetic techniques commonly utilized when performing surgery on the hand and wrist.
- Local anesthesia. The simplest anesthetic technique is to inject medications (local anesthetics) directly into the site where a procedure will be performed. This is commonly used for simple, small operations, which can be performed quickly. Advantages of local anesthesia include quick onset, minimal expense, and simplicity. In addition, a local anesthetic is most commonly administered by the surgeon, and there is no need for the services of an anesthesiologist. Disadvantages of local anesthesia include inability to anesthetize a large area, distortion of tissues from the local anesthetic substance, and discomfort and pain associated with use of a tourniquet. For select patients, local anesthesia can be administered along with intravenous sedatives provided by an anesthesiologist. This technique is beneficial for those patients who require sedation due to anxiety or a potential need for more prolonged surgical time.
- Hematoma block. A useful technique in providing anesthesia for the manipulation of certain fractures is called a “hematoma block.” This technique involves injecting anesthesia directly into the fracture site, where blood and fluid has accumulated. The local anesthetic mixes with the fluid (fracture hematoma) and numbs the ends of the bone. This technique allows for fracture manipulation and reduction to take place with minimal discomfort. Similar to local anesthesia, this procedure can be performed without sedation in an office, clinic, or outpatient surgical setting. Hematoma blocks are most commonly utilized for distal radius fractures.
- Regional anesthesia (nerve) blocks. Regional anesthesia utilizes medications to selectively block the sensory function of specific nerves in the extremities. There are a variety of regional anesthetic techniques, including digital blocks, wrist blocks, intravenous regional anesthetic blocks, and Axillary blocks.
- Digital blocks are a simple and quick method to anesthetize individual fingers and the thumb for many small procedures. With this technique, a local anesthetic is injected at the site where the two digital nerves enter the digits. Digital blocks can provide rapid anesthesia to select digits, which is useful for many simple office and outpatient surgical procedures.
- Wrist blocks are based upon the anatomy of the three nerves at the wrist level. The palmar surface of the thumb, index, middle, and radial-half of the ring finger are supplied by the median nerve, which enters the wrist through the carpal tunnel. The Ulnar nerve passes through Guyon’s tunnel, which boundaries are formed by the Hook of Hamate and Pisiform, two carpal bones on the medial or ulnar side of the wrist. The ulnar nerve supplies the medial side of the ring finger, and the little finger. Lastly, the radial nerve passes through the wrist in the subcutaneous tissue over the radial styloid. The radial nerve supplies sensation to the dorsal (or top) of the thumb, index, and (occasionally) middle finger. Local blocks can be given at the site where these three nerves enter the wrist to provide anesthesia for specific procedures in the hand and digits.
- Intravenous (IV) regional anesthesia is a technique whereby local anesthesia medication is injected into a vein, and then infiltrates out into the soft tissue to provide anesthesia to the whole arm. First, a needle is placed into a vein, and then the blood is removed from the extremity by use of a rubber bandage wrapped from the fingers to the upper arm. A tourniquet on the upper arm is then inflated, which prevents blood from refilling the venous system. Local anesthetic medication is then injected through the previously positioned needle into the empty vein, and the tourniquet then prevents it from getting into the rest of the body. The venous system of the arm becomes filled with the local anesthetic, which then slowly leaks out and numbs the extremity. This is a commonly used technique which provides anesthesia to the entire upper extremity for one to two hours. Intravenous regional anesthesia is commonly preferred for routine hand and wrist surgeries because it is well tolerated, safe, reliable, and has a rapid onset.
- Axillary block anesthesia is a technique which can also provide anesthesia to the whole arm. After the nerves exit the spinal cord, they connect from the Axillary (armpit) and upper arm to the forearm and hand. In the axillary area, local anesthetic medication is injected adjacent to the nerves, which blocks nerve function to the lower arm. This technique may provide adequate anesthesia for the entire upper extremity for several hours – allowing many complex surgical procedures to be performed. Axillary blocks are commonly used in providing lasting pain relief for many hours following extensive surgical procedures.
- General anesthesia is also utilized for many hand surgical procedures. Contemporary techniques are used to safely put the patient “to sleep,” often on an outpatient basis. General anesthesia requires an anesthesiologist and monitoring, and must be performed in a surgery center or hospital setting. Certain medical conditions may preclude the use of general anesthesia. For many patients, a preoperative evaluation by an internist or family doctor is beneficial in determining whether there are any medical factors which may place the patient at increased risk for general anesthesia. | <urn:uuid:b1c24fb0-62eb-4d37-975f-76ffb3ae1aaf> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.handwristcenter.com/hand-wrist-conditions-treated/anesthesia-for-hand-surgery/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.926194 | 1,240 | 1.765625 | 2 |
It’s not a new finding — in general, more exams lead to better grades—but it’s always nice when research confirms some of our best practices in teaching.
In the educational assessment study referenced below, the students were enrolled in two sections of an introductory statistics course for sociology majors. Both sections had the same instructor, same text, and same material presented in class. Students enrolled in each were similar in terms of gender and year in school. In the control section, students took two midterm exams (one at the end of the sixth week, the other at the end of the 12th week) and a two-hour cumulative final. In the experimental section students took an exam every other week starting at the end of the second week, for a total of six exams, plus the same cumulative final. Students were given one-third the amount of time for each of the biweekly exams.
As for the better results, students given the biweekly exams scored, on average, about 10 percentage points, or one letter grade, higher on the exams taken during the semester. They scored about 15 percentage points higher on the final than those students who only took the two midterm exams.
Measuring the Impact of Testing Frequency on Student Performance
There were some other persuasive results related to the impact of testing frequency on student performance. More than 11 percent of the students in the control section withdrew from the course. Not one student in the experimental section did.
Moreover, students in the experimental section evaluated both the course and the instructor more highly. Seventy-one percent rated the instructor as “one of the best” compared with instructors of other courses they had taken. In the control section only 36 percent gave that rating to the instructor. In this case the same instructor taught both sections. Forty-nine percent in the section with the biweekly exam said that they would definitely recommend the course to friends, compared with 14 percent in the section with midterm exams.
The faculty researchers who completed this analysis suggest several reasons for these dramatic results. First, students had less material to learn for the biweekly exam, which made them less likely to cram for the exams. Second, they got feedback earlier and more often, which helped them adjust their study behaviors. Third, repeated experience taking the exams increased their feelings of competence and confidence, and that in turn increased their motivation to study and do well.
The results could be explained by any one of these reasons, or these explanations may well have had a cumulative effect. Whatever the cause, the fact that students do better when we test them more often has been confirmed yet again.
Reference: Myers, C.B., and Myers, S.M. (2007). Assessing assessments: The effects of two exam formats on course achievement and evaluation. Innovative Higher Education, 31, 227–236.
Excerpted from Frequent Exams: Better Results for Students, The Teaching Professor, June-July 2007. | <urn:uuid:f9055e45-0cf4-40c6-8f76-f36725f5d3eb> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/educational-assessment/teaching-strategies-frequent-exams-better-results-for-students/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.969447 | 602 | 3 | 3 |
Ethiopians in three regions where elections had been delayed have headed to the polls to vote for their representatives, with one area also voting on whether to form its own regional state.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed will form the next government regardless of the results from late voting on Thursday. His party already won 410 of the 436 parliamentary seats that were contested in the June vote.
Abiy is under increasing international pressure over the war in the northern region of Tigray, where elections did not take place.
Conflict broke out in November 2020, pitting federal and allied regional forces against forces aligned with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which clawed back control of Tigray after months of bloody battles in June.
The United Nations says parts of Tigray are experiencing famine.
Thursday’s vote takes place in the Somali region, where registration irregularities delayed voting and Harar, where registration issues and a legal dispute caused delays.
The other region going to the polls is the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR), where ballot and security issues delayed polls.
Voters will also decide on 108 regional council seats on Thursday.
Citizens in part of SNNPR are also voting in a referendum on whether to break away and form their own regional state, which would make it Ethiopia’s 11th. Residents in that part of SNNPR hope statehood could gain the region more autonomy and federal funding.
Ethiopia’s 1995 constitution enshrines the concept of ethnic federalism, which allows ethnic groups to seek autonomy. Such votes have only been allowed since Abiy came into office in 2018.
Government to be formed in October
Disputes over regional versus federal powers, ethnic groups and land frequently trigger violence in Ethiopia, a country of 110 million with more than 80 different ethnic groups.
Abiy is due to form his new government on October 4.
Ethiopia has 547 parliamentary seats in total. Forty-seven seats are being contested on Thursday. It is unclear when the delayed elections for the remaining seats, some of which are in Tigray, will take place.
Abiy came to power in 2018 on the back of several years of anti-government protests and promised to break from Ethiopia’s authoritarian past in part by holding the most democratic elections the country had ever seen.
The ruling coalition that preceded Abiy claimed staggering majorities in the two previous elections, which observers said fell far short of international standards for fairness.
This year some opposition parties, notably in Abiy’s native Oromia region, opted to boycott the polls, complaining that their candidates have been arrested and their offices vandalised.
The largest opposition party in the Somali region announced earlier this month that it was also pulling out, citing suspected irregularities in voter registration. | <urn:uuid:8f7273c6-7e87-4a01-8324-ce51e7df7dab> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/30/ethiopians-in-three-regions-vote-in-delayed-election | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.966536 | 583 | 1.914063 | 2 |
Operators: Industrial rigging, as well as dismantling operations, necessitate the use of at least one,…
When deciding on a heavy equipment training school, it is essential that a prospective operator ensures that the school chosen will have the training that will result in success. This may require a prospective operator to make a huge choice in life; “do I stay local or do I move to the best school for my career?” In many prospective heavy equipment operators’ lives, this may be the biggest decision he or she ever makes.
Many schools will offer the basic training that is required to get a job, but is this the best route that will lead to the job a hopeful operator is truly looking for? Is the school that fits the needs local or does a trainee need to move away to find the school that will help him or her reach his goals. Heavy equipment training schools can make or break an operator, when it comes down to making things work it is important that the heavy equipment training school has the courses that will enable an operator to reach his goals.
The heavy equipment training school that is chosen will make or break an operator. It is essential that the school meets the needs of the operator. Do they offer articulating crane training? Will the school assist the trainee in finding a job?
Choosing a heavy equipment training school is an important decision. Make certain that the decision is the correct one. This is a decision that can complete the career of a heavy equipment training school operator. | <urn:uuid:0b74d978-249c-4c61-b24b-db11e1564536> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://heavyequipmentschool.com/heavy-equipment-training-school-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.977989 | 307 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Aptamers are nucleic acids that bind with high specificity and high affinity to a target. The targets can be of various types : proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, toxins, viral particles... They can be considered as putative ligands for any molecule and can be used in basic research, in analysis tools, as sensors, and also as therapeutic tools. As aptamers are nucleic acids, there is no problem of reproducibility during their production compared to antibodies.
For your projects involving aptamer selection, identification, labeling and optimization, please contact us.
Aptamers, an alternative to antibodies
- Chemically synthesized: cheap and easy to produce
- No organisms involved: GMP easy
- Low/non-immunogenic targets can be addressed
- Can be selected under non-physiologic conditions
- Easily modified for chemical conjugation, labeling, other properties
- Small size: good transport, more moles/gram
- Stable: no cold chain required
What are Aptamers ?
Aptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA molecules that can bind to pre-selected targets including proteins and peptides with high affinity and specificity
These molecules can assume a variety of shapes due to their propensity to form helices and single-stranded loops, explaining their versatility in binding to diverse targets.
Contrary to the actual genetic material, their specificity and characteristics are not directly determined by their primary sequence, but instead by their tertiary structure.
Comparison Aptamers / Antibodies:
- Biosensors and novel assays
- Lateral flow assays
- Western blotting
- Flow cytometry
- Therapeutics and drug delivery including siRNA | <urn:uuid:b78ed31d-7a5b-4494-9a75-2fd423797eab> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.biotrend.com/en/read/aptamer-1094/aptamer-synthesis-1446.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570793.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808092125-20220808122125-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.914771 | 385 | 3.34375 | 3 |
When we think of 1970s fashion there are so many iconic looks that come to mind. Bell bottoms, flamestitch shirts, wide collars, and plenty of brown on nearly everything. It was in this decade that the concept of sportswear and casual wear really took off. Suddenly suits could be made in forgiving polyester instead of wool. Clothing for both men and women changed dramatically during this time.
It was the rise of the department store that also changed how we dressed. The popularity of these stores meant that a new era of celebrity clothing lines would soon take over the racks at these chains. One of the first celeb clothing lines was that of Johnny Carson.
The suits in the Johnny Carson Apparel line were made in wool, dacron, double knit, and polyester by Hart Schaffner & Marx (who are still in business today). The clothes were sold in 1,500 different outlets across the U.S. for between $110-115. The partnership started in 1969 and continued into the 1980s.
Beginning in the 1960s Carson was seen as a fashion plate for men, always so well-dressed in something uncomplicated, yet somehow still memorable. His fashion on The Tonight Show is what made him a fashion icon. By wearing some of his clothing items on the show he made sure that sales of his clothing line performed tremendously well since he was already famous for his effortless suits.
Carson modeled his clothing for the advertisements as well, despite arguments that he was not trained as a model. However, he had the trust of millions of Americans and according to those who knew him he put people at ease in a way few others could. All this actually made him an ideal model for the clothing range. The line was discontinued
Have a look at one of the commercials for Carson’s clothing line, featuring the main man himself, in the video below from 1973. | <urn:uuid:f9f4d6cc-ac09-4e64-b04e-4beb8cd121cd> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://thegoodolddays.club/johnny-carson-clothing-line/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.991334 | 391 | 1.945313 | 2 |
Three Americans win Nobel medicine prize for body rhythm work [But they failed to link Americanism to Creationism]
She returned to China after training in the United States of America, but is a good example of someone who appears to practice Americanism, which is an ideology that appears to be integrated into her research. I do not know what people in China refer to in the context of this ideology.
In the words of Theodore Roosevelt, “Americanism is a question of spirit, conviction, and purpose, not of creed or birthplace.”
After Ben Feringa (Chemistry/chirality) and Yoshinora Ohsumi (Physiology or Medicine/autophagy) won last year, I thought that all gene-centric nonsense would be eliminated. It became perfectly clear that energy-dependent changes in chirality must be linked to autophagy, which protects all organized genomes from the virus-driven degradation of messenger RNA.
Excerpt 1) The awardees’ work stems back to 1984, when Rosbash and Hall, who was then also at Brandeis, along with Young isolated the “period gene” in fruit flies. Hall and Rosbash found that a protein encoded by the gene accumulated during the night and degraded during daytime. A decade later, Young discovered another “clock gene.”
Excerpt 2) “The paradigm-shifting discoveries by the laureates established key mechanisms for the biological clock,” the Nobel Assembly said in its prize statement.
for their discoveries concerning organization and elicitation of individual and social behaviour patterns.
The organization and elicitation of individual social patterns of behavior is energy-dependent and it links what organisms eat to the metabolism that links the energy to the physiology of pheromone-controlled reproduction in species from microbes to humans.
Since 1973, and especially during the past 13 years, there has not been a gene-centric theory that has successful been linked to a paradigm shift. For example, all paradigm-shifting Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine during the past 13 years have linked the energy-dependent creation of ATP and the creation of messenger RNA to protection from the virus-driven energy theft that serious scientists have linked from the degradation of messenger RNA to all pathology.
See for examples:
2016: Yoshinori Ohsumi of Japan for his work on autophagy—a process whereby cells “eat themselves”—which when disrupted can cause Parkinson’s and diabetes.
2015: William Campbell (US citizen born in Ireland) and Satoshi Omura (Japan), Tu Youyou (China) for unlocking treatments for malaria and roundworm.
2014: John O’Keefe (Britain, US), Edvard I. Moser and May-Britt Moser (Norway) for discovering how the brain navigates with an “inner GPS”.
2013: Thomas C. Suedhof (US citizen born in Germany), James E. Rothman and Randy W. Schekman (US) for work on how the cell organises its transport system.
2012: Shinya Yamanaka (Japan) and John B. Gurdon (Britain) for discoveries showing how adult cells can be transformed back into stem cells.
2011: Bruce Beutler (US), Jules Hoffmann (French citizen born in Luxembourg) and Ralph Steinman (Canada) for work on the body’s immune system.
2010: Robert G. Edwards (Britain) for the development of in-vitro fertilisation.
2009: Elizabeth Blackburn (Australia-US), Carol Greider and Jack Szostak (US) for discovering how chromosomes are protected by telomeres, a key factor in the ageing process.
2008: Harald zur Hausen (Germany), Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier (France) for work on the viruses causing cervical cancer and AIDS.
2007 Mario R. Capecchi, Sir Martin J. Evans and Oliver Smithies for their discoveries of principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells.
2006 Andrew Z. Fire and Craig C. Mello for their discovery of RNA interference – gene silencing by double-stranded RNA.
2005 Barry J. Marshall and J. Robin Warren for their discovery of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease.
2004 Richard Axel (US) and Linda Buck (US) for their discoveries of “odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system.
Endogenous RNA interference is the energy-dependent epigenetic link from the physiology of pheromone-controlled reproduction to biophysically constrained viral latency. The stress-linked virus-driven degradation of messenger RNA has been linked to all pathology.
This morning I spoke with a 10-year veteran who had served in Iraq. He was not happy with the treatment for PTSD that he was receiving from the VA because he and his wife know he is getting worse (e.g., hyper-vigilance and more nightmares).
If you let our veterans, as individuals, continue to think they are less than human because a mutation or something else causes their failure to adapt to the challenges of life after returning from military service overseas, how will you convince yourself that you are not contributing to the death rate by suicide?
Other lawmakers woke up to the news and offered thoughts and prayers. Governor Brian Sandoval of Nevada called the shooting a “heinous act of violence.”
All heinous acts of violence are caused by the virus-driven degradation of messenger RNA, not by the natural selection for mutations as claimed in Mutation-Driven Evolution
(2) Natural selection is for saving advantageous mutations and eliminating harmful mutations. Selective advantage of the mutation is determined by the type of DNA change, and therefore natural selection is an evolutionary process initiated by mutation.
See for comparison: Nutrient-dependent/pheromone-controlled adaptive evolution: a model
…the model represented here is consistent with what is known about the epigenetic effects of ecologically important nutrients and pheromones on the adaptively evolved behavior of species from microbes to man. Minimally, this model can be compared to any other factual representations of epigenesis and epistasis for determination of the best scientific ‘fit’. | <urn:uuid:fa327e11-d24c-4a63-98fb-ef54ad239d1b> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://scentoferos.com/predicting-wins-2017-nobel-prizes-2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571056.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809155137-20220809185137-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.924452 | 1,328 | 1.90625 | 2 |
- Gita is a housewife while her husband Ramchandra Jha is a farmer
- Gita uses plastic waste like wrappers, polythene to make vases, baskets,
- Idea of using plastic litter to create beautiful products is amazing: PM
The prime minister not only acknowledged the “amazing” gift but saw a “vast potential of small scale industry” in her craft and also an effective tool for his government’s flagship ‘Swachh Bharat‘ project.
Fifty-year-old Gita uses plastic waste like wrappers and polythene to make vases, baskets and similar items.
Encouraged by her stepson Manoj Kumar Jha to gift a basket to Prime Minister Modi, she sent it to the prime minister’s office last month
But to the extreme amazement and delight of the family, the prime minister replied to her on May 23 praising her effort.
I am very happy that Modi ji has replied to me, she told PTI, hours after her family members read out the letter to her as she is unlettered.
The idea of using plastic litter to create beautiful products is amazing. This is not only useful for the ‘Swachh Bharat’ campaign but also has vast potential for small scale industry, Prime Minister Modi wrote to her.
Gita is a housewife while her husband Ramchandra Jha is a farmer with a small landholding.
Her skillful use of waste is limited to a hobby and she has never thought of selling her work.
Now that we have got encouragement from none other than the prime minister, we feel it can be done. But we lack money to do any business. May be if we get a loan, we can do this, her husband said. | <urn:uuid:41e4855a-4db4-45ad-b795-b7a27fc84432> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/housewife-gets-applause-prime-minister-narendra-modi-recycling-plastic-waste-7870/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.961944 | 381 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Waldorf, MD, February 2, 2012 – To encourage beautiful, sustainable landscapes in our community, beautification grants are awarded annually to non-profit organizations. Funding for the beautification grants comes from the Chaney Beautification Fund, a Field of Interest Fund held at the Community Foundation and provides a connection between Chaney Enterprises and the communities in which it operates. Funding is available in one or more of the following geographic focus areas: Charles, Calvert, St. Mary’s, Anne Arundel, Caroline or Southern Prince George’s Counties and must provide benefits to the residents within those areas.
More information on the grant program can be found in the Grant Program Guidelines of the Chaney Beautification Fund Grants Program at http://www.charlescommunityfoundation.org/grants.html. Applicants are advised to read these guidelines and ensure they can comply with them prior to submitting an application. We encourage applicants to submit projects that incorporate “green” gardening practices, such as water conservation measures, organic fertilizers and native plant species. Schools can use the grant to incorporate beautification projects into the curriculum.
The deadline for submission is March 2, 2012. Applicants must be an educational institution, governmental agency or a qualified non-profit organization to receive funds to be used for their projects. Grant awards will typically be $1,000 or less and will be announced during April. Grants require 100% match in either cash or in-kind goods and services. Organizations receiving funding must commit and expend the full amount of the grant money by no later than December 31, 2012. Only one application per applicant, please.
Applications are available online at http://www.charlescommunityfoundation.org/grants.html or for more information, please call the Community Foundation office at 301-885-0108. . Applications are due in the offices of the Community Foundation of Charles County, 3055 Old Washington Avenue, Waldorf, Maryland 20601, NO LATER THAN 5:00 PM on March 2, 2012. For questions or more information, contact Mrs. Gretchen Heinze Hardman, Executive Director, at 301.885.0108. | <urn:uuid:d2b6802c-8d02-45e1-a458-39848fe2bb93> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://cfsomd.org/request-for-proposals-chaney-beautification-grant-program-announces-funding-available/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.914831 | 446 | 1.523438 | 2 |
This part is the coding region for the protein transaldolase, making up the tal gene. Used within the plasmid BBa_K4047036, this plasmid aimed to induce over expression of transaldolase by inserting a copy of tal into neutral site 1. This plasmid contains the necessary promoters and terminators for successful expression of the gene.
This part was found to be functional in the experimental work of the MiamiU_OH 2021 team, with successful integration into the neutral site confirmed through PCR. The integrated sequence was confirmed to be the same one shown here through genetic sequencing, confirming no mutations occurred.
To our knowledge at the time of part registration, this is the first and only coding sequence for transaldolase in the iGEM parts registry.
See the design page for details on current homology (as of 2021), as this enzyme is not well characterized outside of Synechococcus species in the NCBI database.
Although proteomics had not yet been completed by the end of the competition timeframe, transformants did display different growth than wild type cells, indicating a successful shift in protein activity, as shown in the attached figure. Considering this gene is sourced from the chassis genome itself and maintained sequence faithfulness to the original source when integrated, we can safely conclude that the expressed proteins were functional transaldolase. We can also conclude that the differential protein activity was due to transaldolase overexpression, as this was the only change induced.
Usage and Biology
This coding region was sourced from the Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 Genbank genome sequence for transaldolase to maximize efficiency within the same organism as a chassis. This enzyme is natively expressed within the organism and plays a role in its central metabolism, catalyzing the reversible conversion of fructose-6-phosphate and erythrose-4-phosphate to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate and sedoheptulose-7-phosphate. This reaction is part of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle, making it relevant to future work altering photosynthetic reactions.
Sequence and Features
- 10COMPATIBLE WITH RFC
- 12Illegal NheI site found at 685
- 21COMPATIBLE WITH RFC
- 23COMPATIBLE WITH RFC
- 25Illegal NgoMIV site found at 520
- 1000Illegal BsaI site found at 1144 | <urn:uuid:ccd93a29-ed00-4d98-87c0-4216da437752> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://parts.igem.org/wiki/index.php?title=Part:BBa_K4047034 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.921456 | 544 | 2.234375 | 2 |
A new life for the Princess Elizabeth
The Princess Elizabeth is a paddle-steamer built between 1926-1927. It was named the Princess Elizabeth to celebrate the birth of the present queen.
In May 1940, it played a crucial part in Operation Dynamo. Accompanied by the flotilla of ‘Little Ships’ which sailed to Dunkirk to rescue the stranded soldiers, it saved 1673 Allied soldiers in 4 crossings.
Today, you can observe the majestic Princess Elizabeth at the Estacade quay, near the Pole Marine Shopping Centre in Dunkirk. Keeping history alive, the Princess Elizabeth perpetuates the ‘Dunkirk Spirit’ created by Churchill in 1940.
New life for the Princess Elizabeth
The city of Dunkirk decided to give to the Princess Elizabeth a new life. The paddle-streamer was converted in a gastronomic restaurant, whilst strictly maintaining the structure and spirit of the ship, so as to preserve its British character and authenticity. The menu combines refined local cuisine with a British touch. The upper deck has a capacity of 80 guests. | <urn:uuid:d640339d-dd88-4f3f-9c24-a68f7ae27493> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.dunkirk-tourism.com/things-to-do/dunkirk-1940-operation-dynamo/the-princess-elizabeth-little-ship/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.942337 | 222 | 2.5625 | 3 |
16 privacy steps every journalist should take to protect themselves and their sources https://comparite.ch/journalist-privacy
Kunda Dixit is Publisher and Editor of Nepali Times.
Nita Pandit is President of Sancharika Samuha.
Barsha Shah is a photo journalist working for the online media Deshanchar.
Lila Shrestha is a reporter at the Kantipur Post.
Dokumentarfilm om truet pressefrihed foræres væk Filmen ’Courage – journalism is not a crime’ fokuserer på truslen mod Read More
From Amnesty.org In Turkey today, it’s dangerous to speak your mind. As Turkey approaches two years of a Read More
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project is an investigative reporting platform formed by 40 non-profit investigative centers, scores Read More
“We are getting beaten up. We are getting arrested. We are getting thrown in prison.” Interview with Read More
For over a century Columbia Journalism School has led the way to journalism’s future, educating and training students Read More
Since January 2018: 12 journalists killed See the new 2018 Index from Reporters Without Borders here
“Investigative and critical journalism is targeted everywhere on the planet.” Reporters Without Borders / RSF is the world’s Read More | <urn:uuid:e9200f82-757b-4e4c-bf66-9660007746a3> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://www.courage-documentary.dk/author/tom/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.886269 | 294 | 1.875 | 2 |
Sam Feldman likes magic mushrooms. At least, he likes that they’re a good business opportunity.
Feldman is well-known in the Vancouver music industry. He’s a mogul who got his start promoting dances in high school. Over the years, S.L. Feldman & Associates represented Barenaked Ladies, Nelly Furtado, Bryan Adams, Diana Krall, and many other music legends.
Now Feldman is diving into another business.
He’s the chairman and founder of Kapoose Creek, a cutting-edge research company that is looking into how mushrooms can be turned into medicine.
Feldman has assembled a powerhouse team of scientists to study the area’s fungi in search of therapeutic compounds. The team includes CEO Dr. Eric Brown, a biochemist who heads up the Brown Lab at McMaster University. Dr. Joe Gabriele, a McMaster University neuroscientist, is the team’s chief science advisor.
The off-the-grid facility is based at a former surfing camp on the Hesquiat Peninsula between Nootka and Kyuquot Sound. The area is only accessible only by boat or floatplane. But they chose this remote coastal location for good reason.
“Kapoose Creek, located on the northwest Pacific Coast of Vancouver Island, was part of a rare ice-free corridor during the last ice age. As a result, this land has a rich ecosystem and unique mycological diversity,” according to the Kapoose Creek website.
The hype is big and the expectations are high.
There’s lots of research now to show that psilocybin from magic mushrooms can help with anxiety and depression. But mushrooms could treat other conditions, too.
The company references penicillin, which was discovered almost a century ago. Penicillin also came from fungus, and this medicine changed the world.
Kapoose Creek has a similarly lofty goal. “We aim to make our own mark on the course of history,” they state on their website.
An estimated 5 million fungal species live on the planet, each with 50 or so drug-like compounds. But more than 90 percent of them are still unknown to science.
In other words, when it comes to mushroom research, it’s game on. | <urn:uuid:fc07510f-e005-4205-8462-1a28c8815fca> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://northisle.news/theres-magic-in-those-woods/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.954897 | 483 | 1.945313 | 2 |
San Giovanni Rotondo, a small town in the province of Foggia, in southern Italy, is one of the most important centers of pilgrimage for Catholics.
Every year thousands of pilgrims from all over the world visit this town to witness its beautiful sanctuaries, architecture and to experience Saint Padre Pio’s life.
At Joe Walsh Tours, we would like to share some important shrines for you to see in San Giovanni Rotondo, exploring the places that make this town so special.
The Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie
One of the most beautiful shrines to see in San Giovanni Rotondo is the Old Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie or Our Lady of Grace, a small church where Padre Pio lived, heard confessions, prayed, and received the stigmata in 1918.
This beautiful church is the perfect place for pilgrims to find peace in prayer and explore the places connected to Padre Pio’s life, such as Padre Pio’s cell and the crypt where the Saint’s body used to rest before being transferred to the Church of St. Padre Pio di Pietrelcina.
Padre Pio’s Church
The Church of Padre Pio is a must-see visit during our pilgrimage to San Giovanni Rotondo.
This church is the newest and much larger sanctuary in San Giovanni with its construction being financed almost entirely by pilgrims.
It was designed by the Italian designer Renzo Piano.
Padre Pio’s Tomb
A fascinating place to visit when you go to San Giovanni Rotondo is the tomb of Padre Pio, located in the new sanctuary, where pilgrims and devotees will be able to find and honour the remains of the Saint as well as appreciate sacred art and beautiful mosaics.
Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza
In his life, the Saint of Pietrelcina gave special welcome to those people who, like him, were sick or experiencing any kind of suffering. He founded the hospital Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza in solidarity with them.
The hospital, also known as “Home for Relief of the Suffering”, now welcomes many patients, being one of the best health care centers in Italy.
Who was Padre Pio?
“For your daily transgressions, humble yourself, humble yourself,always humble yourself”- Padre Pio.
Francesco Forgione, known as Padre Pio was a priest born in the town of Pietrelcina, in the Italian province of Benevento, in 1887.
Due to his humility and love for religious life, he entered the Capuchin Order of the Friars Minor, being ordained later to the priesthood.
Padre Pio was known for his devotion to God and his amazing spiritual abilities and visions that were considered miraculous by those who witnessed them.
He lived in the monastery in San Giovanni Rotondo, where he would say Mass and hear confession. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002.
The Saint, who was afflicted with poor health conditions his entire life, also received a stigmata on September 20th 1918 and this mark would stay with him until his death in 1968.
We hope you enjoyed our suggestions for places to see in San Giovanni Rotondo.
San Giovanni Rotondo is one of the shrines visited on our Pilgrimage to Italy tours.
Contact our travel experts for advice to plan a group trip or to join one of our upcoming pilgrimage tours to Italy.Contact Us | <urn:uuid:fa69a858-fdb7-4ffe-a857-d75cc3fc811d> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://joewalshtours.ie/places-to-see-in-san-giovanni-rotondo/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.968356 | 746 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Are missing teeth keeping you from flashing your best smile? No one should feel embarrassed about their teeth. If you have issues with showing off your smile, then we want to see you at Emerald Coast Dentistry in Fort Walton Beach, FL, where Drs. Sutton and Hill can advise you and go over your options. Please contact us at 850-863-1722.
Dentures may be right for you. We are happy to be able to provide both full and partial dentures in Fort Walton Beach to replace missing teeth and meet your oral needs. Our dentists are eager to consult with you and evaluate what can be done to bring back that bright smile again! Contact us today and schedule your appointment with our doctors.
What are Dentures?
Dentures are customized oral appliances made to replace multiple missing teeth. They are removable and can be taken out nightly for cleaning. If you have several missing teeth, or have had all your teeth removed, dentures may be what you need to restore function, aesthetic beauty, and overall health. Currently, there are only two denture types: complete and partial.
Complete dentures are used when all natural teeth are missing and there is a need to restore the full dental arch. In this instance, we may recommend a complete denture that will replace all of the teeth in both arches or just one, depending on your individual needs. The use of a denture adhesive will also improve the stability of the dentures.
Partial dentures can be opted for in cases where you have multiple teeth missing but still have some natural teeth remaining that can be used to secure the appliance within the mouth. A partial denture most often includes a thin framework and clasps that secure it.
If you are missing multiple or all of your teeth, after an examination by our dentist, we may suggest complete or partial dentures to restore beauty and function to your smile. Dentures can improve your ability to properly speak, eat, and fill your natural facial volume. Your dentures will be custom made to fit your smile comfortably, aesthetically, and securely. So, don’t go without them any longer! We welcome your call or visit to our offices. Come and learn more about your options for an improved smile! | <urn:uuid:c3c08f43-3b0b-4b0e-be26-0599a38d5f56> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.emeraldcoastdentistry.com/procedures/dentures/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571056.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809155137-20220809185137-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.942259 | 463 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Why is my Mini Cooper Making a Rattling Noise?
Brian England, Thu, Apr 24, 2014
When it comes to rattling noises, we’ve gotten a few questions and comments from Mini Cooper owners like these:
- Why is my Mini Cooper making a rattling noise?
- My Mini sounds like a diesel it rattles so loudly. Any ideas?
- My Mini has developed a rattling noise from the front passenger side. Do you know what’s causing the noise?
- Will Mini pay for my timing chain replacement? I hear it is a common problem.
- What is a timing chain? I have heard of a timing belt. Will I have to change the timing chain at a certain mileage?
- My boyfriend is good at working on car and says he can replace the timing chain, but I am nervous. It seems like a complicated job.
Based on the questions we’ve grouped together most of you have probably guessed that the common rattling noise heard from the right hand side of the engine (that is normally worse upon starting) comes from a loose timing chain. The timing chain is what joins the camshafts to the crank shaft. The chain runs through guides, and a tensioner takes the slack out of the chain.
At the first sign of a rattling noise coming from the engine you should have an auto mechanic check out the noise, confirm the problem and recommend a solution. The solution usually involves replacing the parts shown in the photograph below.
It is wise to do have the rattling problem checked out and corrected as soon as possible because if the chain comes loose and jumps it will destroy the engine. The manufacturer has paid for this repair in certain circumstances, so if this should happen to you check with them first before taking your Mini the auto repair shop.
This repair can cost from $1700 to $2400 depending on local labor rates. This job requires a lot of skill and should only be done by someone who has done similar repairs. Additionally special tools are needed. Be sure to do as much research as possible before making up your mind to do the job yourself.
The timing chain can been seen in position here, in the bottom left hand corner of the photo below.
If you think you are experiencing a problem with your timing chain, or your Mini is making a rattling noise give us a call at 410.381.2700 or click on the link below to schedule an appointment. You may also want to check out the “Noise, Vibration, or Harshness” Diagnostic form. | <urn:uuid:bcd0f24d-44c5-4111-a292-7f7a9547b8f4> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://baautocare.com/2014/04/24/car-repair-education-and-info-bid-90071-why-is-my-mini-cooper-making-a-rattling-noise/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571056.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809155137-20220809185137-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.950507 | 533 | 1.617188 | 2 |
BIRDS OF PASSAGE (PÁJAROS DE VERANO)
2hr 5min, NR Drama/Subtitled
Synopsis: From the Oscar nominated team behind the genre-defying Embrace of the Serpent, comes an equally audacious saga centered on the Wayúu indigenous people during a crucial period in recent Colombian history. Torn between his desire to become a powerful man and his duty to uphold his culture’s values, Rapayet (José Acosta) enters the drug trafficking business in the 1970s and finds quick success despite his tribe’s matriarch Ursula’s (Carmiña Martínez) disapproval. Ignoring ancient omens, Rapayet and his family get caught up in a conflict where honor is the highest currency and debts are paid with blood. A sprawling epic about the erosion of tradition in pursuit of material wealth, Birds of Passage is a visually striking exploration of loyalty, greed, and the voracious nature of change.
In Spanish, Wayuuaiki, and English with English subtitles | <urn:uuid:95be2ed6-631e-4fac-96c6-89f78d4d5851> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://vickerstheatre.com/film/birds-of-passage/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571056.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809155137-20220809185137-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.912869 | 226 | 1.5625 | 2 |
If you own a company, you know how important it is to protect your details. However , how do you know in cases where your business is doing it is part? This post will discuss some ways to give protection to your data. It may seem difficult to pick the best software or service, although once you know selecting the best an individual for your organization, you’ll have a incredibly easier time selecting the best solution. Here are several things to seek out when picking which data safeguard software to use.
First, you should map the flow of your data. Security can be especially challenging pertaining to data in use, since applications are positively processing that. Encryption of information at rest is easier, but more secure than encrypting it utilized. The right application will also help you maintain compliance with SLAs and ensure that data secureness is consistent across distinct places. Finally, important computer data protection remedy should https://datafinest.pro/2021/12/29/using-the-finest-data-management-techniques-for-your-business/ help you control the assortment of workloads across multiple locations.
Second, you should set up security application on your device. These application can help secure your data from phishing websites and other cyberattacks. A good fire wall can also hold hackers out of your pc by preventing their access. Hackers work with random telephone calls which can be sent out to thousands of personal computers. By preventing your computer out of responding to these random telephone calls, you can secure your data from any hacker. This type of safeguards is especially important for those who employ high-speed internet cable connections. | <urn:uuid:e68eca15-896b-4289-9567-22968db5b645> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.chemrose.com.au/choosing-the-best-info-protection-computer-software-for-your-business/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570793.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808092125-20220808122125-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.932598 | 333 | 1.882813 | 2 |
Forgotten Women: The Artists
To say this series is "empowering" doesn't do it justice. Buy a copy for your daughters, sisters, mums, aunts and nieces - just make sure you buy a copy for your sons, brothers, dads, uncles and nephews, too.' - IndependentThe women who shaped and were erased from our history. Forgotten Women is a new series of books that uncover the lost herstories of influential women who have refused over hundreds of years to accept the hand they've been dealt and, as a result, have formed, shaped and changed the course of our futures.The Artists brings together the stories of 48* brilliant woman artists who made huge yet unacknowledged contributions to the history of art, including Camille Claudel, the extraordinarily talented sculptor who was always unfairly overshadowed by her lover, Rodin; Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven, who has been claimed as the true originator of Marcel Duchamp's Fountain; and Ana Mendieta, the Cuban refugee who approached violence against women through her performance art before her own untimely death. | <urn:uuid:ab78a8d1-39ce-4265-b474-86dc5304a2a4> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://pzwl.pl/Forgotten-Women-The-Artists,121674771,p.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.962785 | 233 | 1.914063 | 2 |
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has garnered a lot of attention lately. Most of us recognize AI as the technology behind the autonomous cars, facial recognition tools, chatbots, etc. We spoke to Babu Thiagarajan, Country General Manager and Head of Technology, Fidelity International, India to get you all the details that would help you to understand the AI risks and opportunities to distinguish between AI hype and reality.
Q: What does AI mean to you? What should business leaders, employees, individuals know about this technology?
AI is a means to significantly improve the experience for our customers and employees in whatever they do today. As it delivers on its promise, then it will also be about creating new experiences for our customers and employees, experiences that they have not had so far, or experiences they have not imagined yet.
If it does that, then for businesses, it removes bottlenecks and inefficiencies, shows resolution paths that weren’t visible before, and shows opportunities - business models and new products and service offerings that weren’t possible earlier. This eventually would result in higher customer satisfaction, better profits and quite simply, survival.
Lastly, individually it means I need to unlearn and learn new competencies. It is an opportunity to re-energize my career. And If I don’t seize this, someone else will.
Q: How is AI helping us? What are some AI capabilities that are impacting business productivity and profitability?
Artificial Intelligence is a collection of technologies that enable machines to sense, comprehend, act, and learn on their own or by augmenting human activities.
For instance, out of the five basic human senses: Sight (vision), hearing (audition), taste (gustation), smell (olfaction), and touch (somatosensorial), machines can already do Sight (image processing) & hearing/talking (natural language processing / generation) very well. This implies that machines can now recognize objects, navigate (e.g., a car), collaborate (e.g., translate between languages), analyze data, and recognize patterns (e.g., Detect crop diseases).
On a more tactical timeframe, AI will accelerate automation of residual manual processes and will make those processes to be more accurate and faster, and learn on its own to reduce human intervention for exception handling, etc.
All these tasks that humans used to do with primary human senses can now be done by machines with better accuracy, thereby improving customer satisfaction, team productivity, and consequently profitability from a company’s point of view.
Q: What are some AI tools and products used in organizations besides Chabot?
A chatbot is not a pure AI tool; it is an AI-powered communication tool. Some of the AI techniques used behind chatbots are Natural Language Processing, Natural Language Generation, Topic Mining, and Sentiment Analysis.
Organizations are applying all these along with other techniques like anomaly detection to detect frauds, predict server failures, forecasting methods to refine the plan for next cycle of processing, deep learning to understand the complex set of connected events, clustering to redefine the consumer segmentation & product offerings. These are some of the areas we at Fidelity International are looking to apply in our investment management and our operational processes.
Q: In what ways has AI impacted or is expected to influence the business?
In short, everything! Think of AI as the next leap of computerization. Today we don’t think of computerization as distinct from anything we do. It is ubiquitous and in fact, the absence is what bothers us in organizations and in our daily lives. AI will similarly be ubiquitous. But the difference is that it will be less visible physically, as its role is more behind the scenes to take current experience levels of computerization to a much higher level.
However, to suggest a few examples:
- Business productivity:
Many organizations will be able to serve a growing number of consumers, hence shifting the demand and supply equation in many industries that may lead to business consolidations to readjust the scale and spectrum of services.
- The day-to-day functioning of the organization:
Simply put, AI will improve the productivity of organizations. E.g., Decision support AI will increase accuracy, and hence productivity of teams. Interaction AI will improve customer and employee experience, as services will be delivered proactively, customized to the individual.
- Employees’ ways of working:
Chatbots and AI-powered workload planners are going to change the way employees interact with each other and with systems. This will also redefine the role of managers and supervisors.
- Organizational culture:
It has become the source of new enthusiasm and positive energy. It is giving a new career edge to otherwise data heavy careers. Forcing organizations to learn, access, and adopt at the same rate as universities.
- L&D programs:
It is helping in skill segmentation and creating effective learning paths.
- Recruitment / Hiring:
It is helping in screening and profiling.
Q: There is a lot of buzz or fear created by the arrival of AI. It is expected that AI will replace humans. How much do you agree with this statement?
“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” ~Albert Einstein
There is merit in the statement that AI might replace humans in some jobs, but humans will always have the ability to adapt on their side in this competition. It is our “survival instinct” that is our edge over machines. As the environment around humans changes, we will find ways to become better suited to the new environment. We have always done it, and we will continue to do it.
So rather than looking at AI as something to worry about, let’s see it as a challenge, an opportunity to become better.
Another way to look at it is to focus on the immense potential that can be harnessed for human betterment from this technology, before it can become a potential threat to human existence. E.g., these technologies can help the blind to navigate better, to identify cures that have proved elusive so far, and so on.
Q: Where does India stand in the globe regarding leveraging AI and creating an impact?
Learning and developing AI-based solution requires a knowledge and skill in foundational areas such as mathematics, data, programming, and functional knowledge. While India has traditionally been very strong in generating these foundational skills, we are only in the early stages of how to leverage these foundational skills into building an AI competence. A parallel - in the first couple of decades of the emergence of the offshore industry, we had millions of software engineers, but very few product innovations. That has changed in the past few years. Similarly, we have a lot of mathematicians, statisticians, programmers, etc., but we need to do more to join them all up to create an AI competence.
We, each Indian Tech or Services organization and university, have to carefully shift our skills from traditional software development to AI-enabled business solutions. The good thing is that we are already seeing the first steps of that building process.
The added advantage of the supply side dynamic that India offers is that we can create an AI competence at scale and at relatively low costs. This will help to reduce the cost barrier for adoption of this emerging competence globally across both developed and developing economies almost in parallel. Regulation permitting, we see this scaling dramatically in the next 18-36 months.
Q: How and in which processes is your organization leveraging AI? What’s the rationale behind using AI in the processes / tasks?
At Fidelity, we are leveraging AI in three broad areas:
First, creating better value and generating better alpha. If we deploy AI to assist our investment management process, we can significantly improve the value we have created for our customers.
Second, automating current manual processes with the intent to increase responsiveness to our customers, and to reduce costs. This will cover a broad spectrum - user journey analytics, last-mile automation using RPA, customer service workload prediction, sentiment analytics, candidate screening and so on.
Third, improve customer experience using Artificial intelligence. Chatbots are the kind of first AI implementations at most firms. But there is more to come by leveraging the entire suite of AI technologies - NLP / NLU, inference engines, video analytics, and so on.
Q: How ready are organizations to face the talent imperatives arising out of incorporating AI?
Many service / product companies, like Google, IBM, Microsoft, have started providing off-the-shelf AI-based solutions that can be easily incorporated into existing business solutions to increase productivity. This approach does not need a massive talent in AI. You need right people to be able to integrate the AI-based solutions. Most of the organizations are using or seriously considering this approach.
However, for competitive advantage, most of the organizations should develop this capability in-house as well. Defining an internal AI strategy or approach needs management attention as a priority. Execution aspects such as identifying focus areas, re-skilling / upskilling talent etc. will need to follow that strategy / approach. While many organizations are dabbling in AI, they are approaching it as a fashionable aspect as opposed to making it an integral part of their business strategy.
Lastly, and most critical, the success of AI depends on the data that is available to your organization. It will be easier to add or partner for the AI skill, but solving the data problem within organizations cannot be delegated. So that has to be a part of the competence creation process in organizations. | <urn:uuid:7031ed21-e631-421a-ac34-5871aeb3f032> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.peoplematters.in/article/technology/head-of-technology-india-fidelity-international-demystifies-ai-17900 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570793.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808092125-20220808122125-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.946827 | 1,978 | 2.375 | 2 |
Numbers still below prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in the United States, researcher says
TUESDAY, July 12, 2016 (HealthDay News) — More U.S. children are getting diagnosed and treated for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in states that require commercial health insurers to cover these services, according to research published online July 11 in JAMA Pediatrics.
David Mandell, Sc.D., of the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, and colleagues analyzed inpatient and outpatient health insurance claims from 2008 through 2012 for more than one million children aged 21 and younger. The patients were covered by United HealthCare, Aetna, and Humana, three of the largest U.S. health insurers.
Over the course of the study, 154,089 children were diagnosed with ASD. Overall, the mandates resulted in a 12.7 percent annual increase in diagnoses, the researchers said. The longer these laws were in place, the more children were identified, with an 18 percent jump noted in the final years of the study. In states with ASD mandates the rate of diagnosis was 1.8 per 1,000 children, compared to 1.6 per 1,000 children in states that lacked such requirements.
“We now know that more children are being served, but we are also acutely aware that these numbers are well below the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in our society, indicating that the mandates have not had the full effect that advocates desired,” Mandell said in a university news release. “This is merely a step in the right direction. These mandates represent a patch, not a panacea.”
Copyright © 2016 HealthDay. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:3dc4527b-bb15-48eb-82ba-a81403678406> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://www.ehealth-news.com/rates-of-asd-diagnosis-up-with-new-insurance-mandates/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573193.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818094131-20220818124131-00465.warc.gz | en | 0.964843 | 346 | 2.5 | 2 |
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina consumers who live in neighborhoods under homeowners associations (HOA) or those who serve on association boards may have questions about laws that apply to HOAs. The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA) has released new HOA education to help. Several resources have been created with consumers and associations in mind, including:
Top Five Questions about SCDCA and HOAs. This video explains SCDCA’s role in the HOA arena.
How Does a HOA Know What They Can and Cannot Do? This publication focuses on laws that may apply to HOAs and how to find out your rights and responsibilities.
HOA: Before You Buy. This publication focuses on what consumers should consider before they buy a home within an HOA.
All these publications and more are available on the new HOA Education webpage. A free webinar reviewing the webpage and topics covered in the printed materials will also be available for the public to watch on:
Wednesday, November 6, 2 p.m. Register here.
The education content is based on questions received by SCDCA staff from homeowners and associations, a review of education presented by various state and federal agencies as well as issues raised in complaints. SCDCA processes HOA complaints via voluntary mediation and is required to collect certain data from these complaints and report it annually. To file a complaint, visit our website and click “How Do I…” then the “File a Complaint?” option. To view the first HOA Complaint Report visit www.consumer.sc.gov and click on News, then Reports.
The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs aims to protect consumers from inequities in the marketplace through advocacy, complaint mediation, enforcement and education. To file a complaint or get information on consumer issues, visit www.consumer.sc.gov or call toll-free in SC: 1 (800) 922-1594.
SCBIZtv is part of the SC Biz News family, serving 100,000 high-level business execs throughout South Carolina. Click for more from SCBIZtv. | <urn:uuid:21f534a2-60be-428a-abe2-5ab56f2d809a> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://sodacitybizwire.com/homeowners-association-education-webinar-november-6th | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.944418 | 450 | 1.570313 | 2 |
ADDRESSING PARENT CHILD RELATIONSHIP & MENTAL HEALTH
BONG, CHIBBO & PUDUNG KALIMPONG
The pandemic that lasted for more than 24 months has had dramatic changes in the lives of families- parents and children alike. GFF Helps representatives felt the need for a session that would help promote healthy socialization as well as support effective behavior of children and families. Ms. Dechen Y. Bhutia, a psychologist at Army Public School Kalimpong facilitated the session. The main aim of the session was:
- to help parents understand their own roles and responsibilities
- to maximize positive outcome for children and their families
- to help parents understand their children’s individual needs and development
The target group for the session were parents of Bong, Chibbo and Pudung villages, that was held on the 13th of May, 19th of May and 20th of May respectively. The session was rewarding as many doubts were cleared and clarifications made.
‘I thought I could control my child in every way possible, but this session opened my eye. I am truly grateful for attending this session.’ | <urn:uuid:70c01e97-463e-4509-95e9-2c81b04c4234> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.gffhelps.org/elementor-2498/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570793.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808092125-20220808122125-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.977697 | 247 | 1.921875 | 2 |
Over at Sentient Developements, George P. Dvorsky offers up the following indictment of Star Trek’s vaunted Prime Directive:
“The [Prime Directive] is a science fictional projection of the naturalistic fallacy and injunctions against playing God. It’s also a disturbing application of social Darwinism. The underlying assumption of the PD is that a civilization must attain space faring capabilities and advanced technologies through their own means (civilizational uplift is not an option, I suppose). It’s survival of the fittest as decreed by the Federation, and those who cannot progress to an advanced developmental stage or who destroy themselves first simply didn’t deserve to be in the Federation in the first place.”
Mr. Dvorsky goes on to support his argument by citing the example of the Enterprise episode Dear Doctor. I’m going to overlook this fact, both because he’s citing a point in Star Trek continuity before the Prime Directive came about and because using any Enterprise episode to judge the whole of Star Trek is like judging the merits of the whole of television based on the works of Aaron Spelling. Also, I agree with him, the Prime Directive is stupid.
The Prime Directive is a plot device cooked up by a patently optimistic TV writer (either Trek producer Gene L. Coon or writer Theodore Sturgeon, depending on who you ask) in the mid-1960s. It’s a freshmen-year philosophy student’s reaction to the Cold War, when America and the Soviets were playing out their hostilities by proxy third-world conflicts. Effectively, they were interfering in the “development” of underprivileged countries to further their own ends with some awful immediate and long-term results. In Roddenberry’s vision, humanity had evolved beyond such puppeteering and become an ‘advanced’ race.
Besides, if you’ve got all this advanced knowledge and tech, how do you make episodes where the crew encounters less-developed alien societies interesting, when the Trekkers could simply overmatch them? Simple: You put a plot device in place that forces Starfleet not to use their technical advantages in the presence of beings that have not achieved such levels of advancement–effectively forcing the characters to fight with one arm tied behind their backs and think their way out of problems. That kind of thing is fun to watch (and fun to write), but that doesn’t make it the basis for a defensible ethical philosophy.
It is possible to openly interact with a primitive culture (primitive being a fairly condescending and relative term) without doing harm. There’s a difference between handing out first aid kits versus handing out blueprints to nuclear weapons. Ask any contemporary third-world country how upset they are at the World Health Organization providing free vaccinations, or at Peace Corps volunteers that teach modern sanitation techniques in those same countries. The day somebody explains to me how not dying of cholera or small pox is a bad thing is the day I consider the Prime Directive a cornerstone of ethical inter-cultural relations.
Care to disagree? | <urn:uuid:862df345-af13-4d38-ab92-870083f2b0eb> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.techrepublic.com/article/why-star-treks-prime-directive-is-stupid/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571056.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809155137-20220809185137-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.951969 | 646 | 1.898438 | 2 |
On the night of Wednesday, September fifteenth, historical past can be made as a crew of 4 industrial astronauts launch to orbit aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft Resilience. This flight can be operated by SpaceX, sponsored by Jared Isaacman (CEO of Shift4Payments) and represents the primary all-civilian spaceflight in historical past. The launch will happen tonight at 08:00 PM EDT (05:00 PM PDT) from NASA’s Kennedy Area Middle’s Launch Complicated 39A.
The aim of this mission is to lift consciousness and funds for St. Jude Kids’s Analysis Hospital, which specializes within the remedy of childhood cancers and pediatric illnesses. On the identical time, it demonstrates the accessibility of the fashionable area age, the place civilians (and never simply astronauts) can go to area. Universe Immediately’s personal Alex Brock was on the scene to seize the pre-flight pleasure, which was palatable!
Preparations for this mission reached the ultimate stage because the crew members arrived in Florida final week (Thurs. Sept. ninth), the place the spacecraft and rocket that may take them to area had been additionally present process their closing checks. The mission will launch from the historic Launch Complicated 39A, the place the Apollo and Area Shuttle missions additionally launched. The Resilience spacecraft additionally has a major historical past, being the identical car used for the NASA-SpaceX Crew-1 mission.
Launch Complicated 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Area Middle. Credit score: Alex Brock
That mission successfully restored home launch functionality to the US, one thing that it didn’t possess for the reason that retirement of the Area Shuttle. Again in April, SpaceX carried out a second crewed mission that delivered astronauts to the ISS (the Crew-2 mission), as soon as once more utilizing a Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft. Tonight, these launched-tested and crew-capable automobiles can be reaching one other milestone as they transport a crew of completely industrial astronauts to orbit.
This flight can also be the newest in a sequence of spaceflights which have seen civilians earn their wings by flying to area. This previous July, Richard Branson flew with a civilian crew aboard Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity to the sting of area, which was adopted 9 days later by Jeff Bezos and three mates flying aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard on its first crewed flight. Nonetheless, these missions concerned flights to the Kármán Line – 100 km (62 mi) above sea degree – which is the official boundary of “area.”
In distinction, the Inspiration4 crew will fly to an apogee of 575 km (357 mi), inserting them in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) the place they are going to spend the following three days. Through the flight, the crew will expertise breathtaking views of Earth from area due to the nose-mounted cupola. This was a particular addition for the Inspiration4 mission and was put in the place the capsule’s entrance airlock normally sits, which permits it to dock with the Worldwide Area Station (ISS).
The spacecraft may also carry scientific tools that may permit for microgravity analysis and experimentation whereas in orbit. After spending a complete of three days in area, the Resilience will re-enter Earth’s ambiance (scheduled to occur someday on Sept. nineteenth). The spacecraft and crew will then splash down within the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida, the place they are going to be retrieved by the GO Navigator restoration vessel.
The Falcon 9 rocket and Resilience spacecraft loaded on the launchpad (left), and a close-up of the Resilience spacecraft (proper). Credit score: Alex Brock
Along with Jared Isaacman, who’s the mission’s benefactor, different crewmembers embody Dr. Sian Proctor, a professor of geoscience, a science communicator, and analog astronaut; Hayley Arceneaux, a Physicians Assistant (PA) at St. Jude Kids’s Analysis Hospital; and Chris Sembroski, an aeronautical engineer and a retired officer with the US Air Pressure. Collectively, they signify the mission beliefs of Management, Prosperity, Hope, and Generosity, respectively.
All 4 crew members spent the previous six months present process a rigorous coaching program in preparation for this flight. This included flying collectively aboard a sequence of parabolic flights (aka. zero-g flights) to accustom them to the sensation of being weightless, altitude coaching and team-building workouts (each of which concerned climbing Mount Ranier), centrifuge coaching, Dragon simulations, observations of different launch operations, and extra classroom, simulation, and medical testing.
As anticipated, the build-up to launch has been a social media storm, the place the entire contributors, benefactors, and beneficiaries have been sharing their pleasure and well-wishes prematurely of the mission. “We’re preparing for elevate off alongside our pal @elonmusk who has modified his profile image to the crew members of @inspiration4x! How are you displaying your pleasure?” tweeted St. Jude’s hospital.
“I’ve been ready for this second all my life. Thanks for all of the properly needs & assist. Let’s do that!” tweeted Dr. Proctor. Along with being a well-respected educational and science communicator, Dr. Proctor’s father labored for NASA and he or she has accomplished 4 missions as an analog-astronaut, together with the all-female Sensoria Mars 2020 and the NASA-funded four-month Mars mission on the Hawai’i Area Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) habitat in Hawaii.
“I need to thank everybody for all of the assist, encouragement, and love. And thanks to @stjude for being the explanation I’m right here in the present day. That is for everybody who’s ever been via one thing troublesome, and I do know all of us have. Maintain onto hope as a result of there WILL be higher days,” tweeted Arceneaux. Arceneaux is a most cancers survivor who was identified with bone most cancers by the docs at St. Jude’s and recovered because of their remedy. Immediately, she is paying that ahead working as a PA on the identical hospital that oversaw her remedy!
Universe Immediately’s area photojournalist Alex Brock described (by way of phone) what it was like to face with the group that has descended on Launch Complicated 39A in anticipation of the mission’s launch:
“It was actually cool! I’ve shot a number of launches, just like the uncrewed Demo-1, which was a reasonably standard one by way of those that turned out. This one actually eclipses that. There are such a lot of folks on the market. There may be an unimaginable vitality, it’s virtually jovial, there’s a levity to it. It felt like a celebration of the mission and the trigger behind it.
“When it comes to spaceflight, lots of people have been speaking about how this open the door to broader entry to orbit. That’s actually true. Sending 4 civilians up there on a industrial spacecraft for 3 days, there’s actually one thing extra relatable to the broader inhabitants. They’re simply 4 on a regular basis People, versus army or science personnel
“Evidently this mission is way more relatable on a private degree. Personally, to me, it means quite a bit. It means a lot greater than I might ever describe. It’s actually cool to assume that this might result in extra on a regular basis folks gaining access to area.”
It’s an thrilling time to be alive! Non-public benefactors and CEOs are sponsoring civilian spaceflight whereas concurrently drawing consideration and elevating cash for charitable causes. However after all, the dream is to get to the purpose the place the price of going to area is low sufficient that anybody can afford to go to area. It’s for this objective that the heavy-hitters in in the present day’s industrial area trade had been based, and that dream is unfolded at a speedy tempo!
The launch can be stay broadcast as a part of a Netflix documentary sequence (“Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Area“). Try the trailer under, and make sure you set your reminders!
Additional Studying: Inspiration4 | <urn:uuid:b27e59bd-ec78-435e-9105-63f6b6ad1ae3> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://random-technologies-llc.com/index.php/2021/09/16/heres-how-to-watch-inspiration4-blast-off-on-wednesday/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570793.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808092125-20220808122125-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.943758 | 1,795 | 2.28125 | 2 |
Google announced the Google Chrome “Operating System” a few days ago, and the world I used to live in is abuzz with people talking about the earthquake this represents for the computing industry. TechCrunch says, “Google Drops a Nuclear Bomb on Microsoft.” Leo Babauta of Zen Habits has a more thoughtful response, but also subscribes to the “future of computing” theme: “Google is moving everything online, and I really believe this is the future of computing. The desktop model of computing — the Microsoft era — is coming to an end. It’ll take a few years, but it will happen.”
The basic idea is that the future is all about connectivity. All your data and apps will be in the sky (on servers that you can access from anywhere). And, according to Babauta, the way we use computers is also changing:
While the business world has long used Microsoft Word to create rich documents full of formatting and charts, the increasingly mobile world doesn’t care about any of that. We send emails and text messages and tweets and messages on Facebook and forums and other social media — with no formatting at all. We do blog posts that have bold and italics and links and photos and videos and not much more in terms of formatting text.
We don’t need feature-bloated Microsoft Word anymore. Nor Excel, with its 2 million features, nor PowerPoint (who likes to watch slides?). Sure, there are still some great desktop apps that people use, for photo and video editing and much more … but the majority of us don’t need those. We need to communicate simply and quickly, without hassle.
I’m sympathetic to this picture, in part because I work on several different computers at different times. I already store a lot of my information on the Internet (including all my law school notes, which are accessible to all my classmates); I use web apps where feasible, including Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs (for lightweight work), Google Reader, Google Sites, Flickr, this blog, and so on. But I think there are a couple of holes in this story.
The small hole is that Google Chrome OS just doesn’t add up for me (even though Google Chrome is my favorite browser). In the old parlance, it isn’t even an operating system; it’s what used to be called an “operating environment.” The OS is Linux; Google Chrome OS is just the layer on top that you can see and touch.
More importantly, Google Chrome OS looks to me like a crippled version of Ubuntu (a popular desktop flavor of Linux), which is also free and open source. I recently installed Ubuntu on an old laptop, and I mainly just use the browser (Firefox). But if I need or want to use other applications on the laptop itself, I can; for example, if I’m doing some blogging and I want to download some data into a spreadsheet, I can. (Don’t try telling me that Google Docs has a spreadsheet program that’s usable for anything other than adding and subtracting, at least not yet.) Or I can play MP3s via the MP3 player, instead of having to stream them from some web site. With Google Chrome OS, all I’ve got is the browser. The only compensating advantage I can think of is that it should start up faster than Ubuntu, but since Ubuntu rarely needs to be rebooted, that doesn’t matter much.
The big and more interesting hole is that all this “future of computing” talk should come with an asterisk, with a note saying: “Applies only to personal computing by consumers with limited needs.” The technology media tend to think that the state of computing is reflected in the tools that they use: netbooks, built-in 3G wireless, Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, eBay, etc. But I would submit that the computing that really matters is the kind that goes on inside companies.
Brad Delong recently cited Robert Allen on the central role of “productivity-raising machinery” in the transformation of the first industrial revolution into the second industrial revolution and a virtuous cycle of continuous improvement. Recently, people have talked about computer technology playing a similar role in boosting productivity across the economy, although on a smaller scale. But if computers are going to increase productivity and thereby our standards of living, it is not (or not primarily) because they make it easy to create and view pictures of cats with misspelled captions, entertaining though that is.
And there, where it really matters, at least from a macro-economic perspective, the future of computing is a long, long way off. If you hypothesize a uniform unit of “work” done by computers used in businesses – and I mean useful work accomplished, not calculations performed – all of my own observations indicate that the vast majority of this work is still being done by old-fashioned mainframe computers, and most of the rest is being done by those much-hated “client/server” systems.
I’m willing to allow the possibility that in some areas like manufacturing it’s possible that computers have made possible huge amounts of productivity-increasing automation. But in the mass services industries that I’m more familiar, like insurance, the efficiency gains provided by computers have been limited. Think about every time you have tried to do something simple at an airport – like change your frequent flyer number – and watched as the agent typed code after code after code. Or all the times your customer service representative couldn’t answer the simplest question on the phone. My company, which does something so boring no technology writer would ever dream of writing about it, has been pretty successful because we picked an industry that was vastly underutilizing or misusing technology, and we built systems that, while far better than anything our customers had before, are not at the bleeding edge of software.
The big problem in the way most large companies use computer technology is not the software per se; it’s the complexity of conceptualizing, designing, building, and testing huge applications involving millions of lines of code to manage business processes in new and better ways, when those new and better ways can only be dimly glimpsed from the perspective of the current situation. Planning and running these projects is something that most companies are admittedly bad at. The example closest to the usual themes of this blog would be the failure of the mortgage servicing companies to get their modification programs off the ground, in part because they can’t get the systems and processes in place quickly enough. But this happens over and over again in virtually all large companies.
And for me, this is actually a reason to be hopeful. The potential for information technology to improve productivity is still enormous, and we don’t need netbooks or cloud computing or new operating systems or quantum computers to get there. The hardware and software tools of today – or of five years ago – would work just fine, if companies could figure out how to apply and implement them successfully and repeatably. From the point of view of the economy, whether college students are using Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, or Google Chrome OS in five years really doesn’t matter.
I don’t think the people talking about Google Chrome OS would actually disagree with this; they’re just more interested in knowing what tools they will be using in the future. But given that our economy has to figure out some way to increase productivity growth for the long term, the important question is whether companies will figure out how to use existing technology more effectively. The information technology industry is very, very immature. It can improve a lot.
By James Kwak | <urn:uuid:e55dbc1f-d4a6-4e9a-9a7e-cc24c9a72809> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://baselinescenario.com/2009/07/10/the-future-of-computing/?shared=email&msg=fail | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.941955 | 1,616 | 2 | 2 |
The Christopher Columbus statue in the North End was vandalized yesterday — with red paint dumped on its head and “Black Lives Matter” emblazoned on its base — in a defacing that left one local leader frustrated the cherished site was used for protest.
“For someone who was in the neighborhood, I certainly sympathize with the ‘Black Lives Matter’ discussions,” said state Rep. Aaron Michlewitz. “But, I think there’s a better way to get your point across than to vandalize public property — even with the complexities that surround Christopher Columbus’ history.”
Daunasia Yancey, founder and lead organizer at Black Lives Matter Boston, said her group wasn’t behind it, but “we fully support it.”
The Boston Parks Department found the defaced statue early yesterday morning, and it was quickly cleaned up. | <urn:uuid:699236b8-ce6e-4d0b-865f-57c70418f427> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2015/07/01/pol-vandalism-no-way-to-make-point/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573744.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819161440-20220819191440-00465.warc.gz | en | 0.963237 | 189 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Basic Reading is a nine-level series designed to move young students of English from the learning-to-read stage to the reading-to-learn approach. Passages and activities in the series systematically reinforce high-frequency words and sentence structures while focusing learning on a precise number of new vocabulary items in each unit. This allows learners to comfortably develop reading fluency as they broaden their understanding of various English word forms, structures, and sentence patterns. All of the captivating stories feature detailed illustrations which aid in reading comprehension. Basic Reading prepares readers for the demands of academic material at higher levels.
Graded reading passages covering a broad range of topics
Color illustrations that aid in reading comprehension
Consistent and repeated use of prevalent sentence structures
Exercises and activities that use a four-strand approach to development of fluency in English
Repetition of high-frequency vocabulary
Two review units per book, with reviews in the first three books featuring original songs
MP3 CDs including Class Booster
Pull-out color workbook included with each book
Toàn bộ file nghe của bộ sách này TẠI ĐÂY ( có thể nghe trên mọi thiết bị có internet). | <urn:uuid:3f9dd09c-e9fd-491e-aada-c0846d7a3d83> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://sachtienganhhanoi.com/product-tag/sach-basic-reading-400-key-word/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.912729 | 277 | 3.53125 | 4 |
Boland College Application Form
Boland College History
In 1998, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) transformed the 15 existing colleges at the time into six mega Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges as part of its transformation policy for technical colleges in the Western Cape. Further Education and Training colleges have since been renamed as Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, under the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). Three of these colleges are based in the Cape Metropole and three are rural.
Applying at Boland College
This section provides a step-by-step guide of how to apply at Boland College.
Academic Application Form (Afrikaans)
Academic Application Form (English)
Residence Application Form | <urn:uuid:fd8e6ff5-f8da-4520-b3ea-486a487b94d6> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://onlineapplications.co.za/boland-college-application-form/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573744.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819161440-20220819191440-00465.warc.gz | en | 0.908363 | 167 | 1.585938 | 2 |
An e-mail doing the rounds in South Africa warns ATM users that organised criminals are installing equipment on the machines to steal both the ATM card number and its PIN.
The scam involves a square piece of equipment that is placed in front of the existing bank-card slot. It is disguised to look like normal ATM equipment.
The e-mail explains that the piece of equipment “reads the ATM card number and transmits it to the criminals sitting in a nearby car. At the same time, a wireless camera is disguised to look like a leaflet holder and is mounted in a position to view ATM PIN entries.”
A member of staff at Standard Bank, who did not wish to be identified, said this scam has been a constant threat for the past year, and the warning sent via e-mail is true.
Staff at Standard Bank and Absa all say they are occasionally told to be aware of such scams, and that there is nothing much more they can do.
The South African Police Service’s Superintendent Chris Wilken said: “There are discussions between all the banks and the police about these scams, so we do know about it.”
He didn’t know if there had been a case recently.
The last time this specific scam was reported in Johannesburg was at a FNB branch in Parkhurst about a year ago, said the Standard Bank staff member.
It is not the only ATM scam used by criminals. Another involves a plastic envelope inserted into the card slot so that the victim’s card becomes stuck in the slot. At the same time, criminals watch the victim type in the card’s PIN to use when they later retrieve the stuck card. | <urn:uuid:1b2216d7-bf20-434e-a155-6d502c95fe4a> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://mg.co.za/article/2005-11-10-banks-confirm-new-atm-scam-warning/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.967928 | 351 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Existing technologies for more efficient end-use can save three-fourths of U.S. electricity at an average cost of around 1 cent per kilowatt-hour–cheaper than running a coal or nuclear power plant, let alone building one. Scores of utilities have demonstrated and implemented at scale, rapid, large, predictable, and extremely cheap “negawatts” (saved electricity). California’s per-capita use of electricity has been flat for 30 years while per-capita real income rose 79 percent. Firms like DuPont, Dow, and IBM are saving billions of dollars by cutting energy intensity, sometimes as fast as 6-8 percent a year.
My household saves 90 percent of electricity and 99 percent of space and water heating energy with a 10-month payback using 1983 technology. My team’s redesign of some $30 billion worth of facilities in 29 sectors normally finds energy savings of 30-60 percent in retrofits (paying back in about 2-3 years) and 40-90 percent in new installations (typically with lower capital cost). A detailed road map for eliminating U.S. oil use by the 2040s, led by business for profit (“Winning the Oil Endgame”), shows how to save half of U.S. oil and gas at average costs one-fifth and one-eighth of current prices. Implementation is already underway. And each of the 60-80 known obstacles to implementing energy efficiency can be turned into a business opportunity.
On the supply side, “micropower”–small-scale generation that emits little or no carbon dioxide–provided one-sixth of the world’s electricity and one-third of its new electricity in 2005, meeting from one-sixth to more than one-half of all electrical needs in 13 industrial countries. The smaller of micropower’s components, distributed renewable sources of electricity, was a $56 billion global equipment market in 2006, while the larger, combined-heat-and-power, was probably even larger. Micropower added four times the electricity and 8-11 times the capacity that nuclear power added globally in 2005, now produces more electricity than nuclear power does, and is financed by private risk capital. Micropower plus “negawatts,” which are probably about as big, now provide more than half of the world’s new electrical services.
Nuclear power is unnecessary and uneconomic, so we needn’t debate its safety. As retirements of aging plants overwhelm construction, global capacity and output will decline (as they did slightly in 2006). Most independent analysts doubt the private capital market will finance any new nuclear plants. Even in the United States, where new subsidies would roughly repay the next six units’ entire capital cost, Standard & Poor’s said this wouldn’t materially improve the builders’ credit ratings. I expect this experiment will be like defibrillating a corpse: It’ll jump, but it won’t revive.
Nuclear power’s market meltdown is good for global development: Saving electricity needs around 1,000 times less capital and repays it about 10 times faster than supplying more electricity. Shifting capital to saving electricity can potentially turn the power sector (now gobbling one-fourth of global development capital) into a net funder of other development needs. Further, an efficient, diverse, dispersed, and renewable energy system can make major supply failures, whether caused by accident or malice, impossible by design rather than (as now) inevitable by design.
The nuclear phaseout will also speed climate protection, because buying negawatts and micropower instead will save 2-10 times more carbon per dollar, and will do so more quickly. And it can belatedly stem nuclear proliferation, too, by removing from commerce a vast flow of ingredients of do-it-yourself bomb kits in civilian disguise.
This would make bomb ingredients harder to get, more conspicuous to try to get, and far costlier politically if caught trying to get, because the motive for wanting them would be unmasked as unambiguously military. Focusing intelligence resources on needles, not haystacks, would also improve the odds of timely warning. All this wouldn’t make proliferation impossible, but it would make things far more difficult for both recipients and suppliers.
Thus, acknowledging and accepting the market collapse of nuclear power is an important step toward a fairer, richer, cooler, and safer world.
Amory B. Lovins is the Cofounder, Chairman and Chief Scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute. | <urn:uuid:80a632cf-6da5-4065-a474-08fd466eb16d> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.wagingpeace.org/nuclear-is-uneconomical/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573193.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818094131-20220818124131-00465.warc.gz | en | 0.934114 | 956 | 2.890625 | 3 |
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NUI Galway (online)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been at the forefront of computer science research for over 50 years. In recent years a confluence of breakthroughs in hardware capability and insights into algorithm design have made the early promise of intelligent machines a reality. AI is one of the fastest growing areas of ICT industry and research. It has the potential to positively transform every aspect of all our lives, from smart cities and autonomous vehicles, through to improved healthcare services and low-carbon economies.
This innovative online MSc. in Artificial Intelligence will equip the student with state of-the-art knowledge and practical skills that are increasingly sought after in industry today.
For more information visit https://www.ictskillnet.ie/training/msc-in-computer-science-artificial-intelligence/
The programme runs over 2 years with 5 teaching semesters and 1 research project semester and includes a Certificate in Artificial Intelligence awarded at level 8 of the National Framework of Qualifications at the end of the first semester.
One distinguishing quality of this programme is that each and every module delivered on this programme was designed specifically for this programme. ICT Skillnet and our industry board provided extensive input to ensure content is relevant to industry, and online delivery is at the core of the pedagogical approach. As a result, all modules are structured around a number of so-called E-tivities. These allow you to explore relevant subjects in a self-driven manner, with expert support from module leaders and moderators who guide students in smaller groups. This type of learning has been demonstrated to be an extremely efficient method of learning, and this is certainly been our experience also!
For more information visit https://www.ictskillnet.ie/training/national-msc-in-artificial-intelligence-online/
Online via Dublin City University
While Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a core area of investigation since the early days of Computer Science more than 50 years ago, recent years have witnessed an exponential growth in the application of AI in operational settings.
As a result, there is strong demand for graduates with the highly specialised multi-disciplinary skills that are required in AI, both as practitioners in the development of AI applications and as researchers into the advanced capabilities required for the creation of next-generation AI systems. This MSc in Computing (Artificial Intelligence) is designed to meet this training need, by providing a balanced programme of instruction across a range of relevant disciplines.
For more information visit https://www.ictskillnet.ie/training/msc-in-computing-artificial-intelligence-online/
Online via Dublin City University
Blockchain is a rapidly growing technology with the potential to disrupt traditional practices across a wide range of industries. The lack of technical Blockchain skills is of national and international concern as it is a significant inhibitor to Blockchain adoption in companies across key industries including manufacturing, supply-chain, health, food, finance and the public sector.
With its roots in Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, Blockchain technology provides a distributed non-repudiable ledger. It works on decentralised platforms and offers significant advantages for business operations in terms of transparency, elimination of third parties, cost reduction, micropayments, cryptographic security, and permanent transactions. Blockchain enhances the speed and transparency of transactions along complex supply chains while reducing costs. It optimises back and middle business processes and transactions, augmenting security, reporting and regulatory and compliance profiles.
IDA Ireland’s Blockchain strategy aims to promote Ireland as a European location for Blockchain developments and in 2018, the Minister for Finance published a discussion paper examining the potential of virtual currencies and Blockchain technology. Working with Blockchain Ireland, the Technology Ireland ICT Skillnet has identified the skills gap for software developers with the requisite Blockchain knowledge and development skills and is co-funding this new MSc as a direct response to this need.
For more information visit https://www.ictskillnet.ie/training/msc-in-blockchain/
The world we live in today and increasingly in the future is facing rapid technology change. This has been characterised as the 4th industrial revolution such is the scale of change.
Recently at the World Economic Forum 2020 summit in Davos, this challenge was characterised through the prism of the huge upskilling and reskilling challenge that is facing enterprises and employees.
Where a workforce is a key element for performance and innovation creation, the need to develop key experts (talent) for innovation and to keep pace with cutting edge competitiveness is critical.
For more information visit https://www.ictskillnet.ie/training/msc-in-innovation-in-fintech/
Digital Business Ireland’s Business Beyond Borders Expo will feature speakers from an array of global brands, such as Microsoft, Trustpilot hummgroup PLC, DocuSign and PUIG, and will include sessions led by some of Ireland’s most prominent business organisations such as Enterprise Ireland and the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland, among others. Many of the representative body’s extensive network of partners will also address attendees.
These include prominent facilitators of digital growth for businesses, such as Core Optimisation, Checkout.com, Milk Bottle Labs, .IE, Tap Retail, and digifly. Also set to speak are the winners of the national website of the year at this year’s National Digital Awards: An Post, as well as Jason Kiernan, senior digital communications manager at the Houses of the Oireachtas who leads the internal and social media communications for the Irish Parliament.
For more information visit https://beyondborders.ie/.
The Diploma in Global Business Services is an introductory professional development course which aims to develop the core knowledge, skills and competencies of the Global Business Services and Shared Services talent pool in Ireland based on internationally recognised best practice. The course has been developed through a unique collaboration of the Technological University Dublin (City Campus) and The Hackett Institute, the professional education arm of The Hackett Group, supported and funded by Skillnets Ireland, IDA Ireland, American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland, Technology Ireland and their member companies. Together they have crafted a rigorous globally unique course with an academic qualification which will be easy for individuals to access and which is based on cutting-edge insights and best practices.
The success of Global Business Services or Shared Services organisations depends in large part on the knowledge, skills and capabilities of their staff. With the emergence of multifunctional Global Business Services organisations in a knowledge-centric ecosystem, learning and development is imperative to create and motivate high-performing professionals and teams. This programme is a national level intervention to establish an accredited professional development pathway to support this important industry.
For more information visit https://www.ictskillnet.ie/training/gbs-skills-career-pathway-programme-2/
This innovative online MSc in Fintech Innovation will equip graduates with critical insights into Fintech across the key pillars of finance, technology and innovation. It meets the needs and contributes significantly to future proofing the financial operations across all domains including the financial services sector itself. Digital technologies and developments are continuing to influence transformation in business and operational models.
Knowing your customer (KYC) is central to these models, embracing key innovative tools such as data analytics, design thinking, sprints, development operations and UX. This has created a growing demand for talent with the ability to transcend knowledge domains in finance, innovation and technology. This flexibility is required to support inter-and multidisciplinary innovation teams to work with agility. This leads to the development of products and services for B2B, B2C or new hybrid products and services reaching the market.
Participants also have the opportunity to engage with and learn from our industry partners through our panel of Emerging Technology Series of Thought Leaders.
For more information visit https://www.ictskillnet.ie/training/msc-in-fintech-innovation/
The transformation of inside sales continues to grow apace and it is now the dominant sales model for reps in B2B, tech, SaaS, and a variety of B2C settings selling high value items. It routinely involves high-touch transactions using advanced digital modalities.
The Diploma in Inside Sales (Digital Sales) course will –
- Equip you with the knowledge, skill set and cutting-edge toolsets to operate in functional team settings in Inside Sales environments
- Lead to the award of a Diploma in Inside Sales from TU Dublin with 30 Level 8 ECTS credits
- Grant you a one-year membership of the AA-ISP (American Association of Inside Sales Professionals)
- The course is delivered mainly online as a joint venture between TU Dublin and the AA-ISP (American Association of Inside Sales Professionals) with financial support from Technology Ireland ICT Skillnet.
For more information visit https://www.ictskillnet.ie/training/inside-sales-programme/
UXDX EMEA helps companies shift from projects to product teams. We bring together Product, UX, Design and Dev to learn the latest practices, methods and tools for high-performing cross-functional product teams. We focus on t-shaped skills, actionable case studies and support using the UXDX Model because it takes a full team to build amazing products.
For more information visit https://uxdx.com/emea/2022
GamerFest, Ireland’s biggest gaming and esports festival, is returning to the RDS, Dublin this October 22nd & 23rd. The epic weekend celebration of gaming entertainment will include the latest games, VR gaming, esports and gaming challenges, a host of special guests including top Twitch and YouTube creators, and a variety of live stage content.
Fans of esports will witness a packed line-up of competitive action on the GamerFest Main Stage including an Official Partnership with Ubisoft and the launch of the GamerFest Rainbow Six Siege Ireland Open. This tournament offers an incredible opportunity for Irish teams to qualify for the UK Ireland Nationals (UKIN) and ultimately earn a professional spot in the Rainbow Six Northern Premier League.
Organisers have also confirmed a ground-breaking partnership with Legion Collegiate Esports, Ireland’s dedicated esports series for third-level students in Ireland, which will see some of the best student esports talent in the country go head to head across a range of titles including Rocket League, Apex Legends and FIFA.
Visitors to the event will have the opportunity to get hands on with HADO, the very latest in Augmented Reality (AR) gaming, where players do battle with virtual energy balls and shields on a real life court. HADO will also launch the first ever Irish HADO Championship at GamerFest which will see the winning team represent Ireland at the upcoming HADO European Championships in France.
For more information visit GamerFest.ie
The first edition of the international conference on Envision will work towards studying several aspect that influence the sustainable growth in creative industry by using sustainable development goals (SDG).
This multi-disciplinary conference aims to encourage ideas for sustainable development in the creative industry by emphasising the SDG, such as the SDG application in creative industries, the contributions of creative industry to achieve SDG, and the post-pandemic recovery strategies in this uncertain condition. It is expected that this conference will generate state-of-the-art insights to the creative industry players through exchange of knowledge with the experts in facing this uncertain condition.
For more information visit https://bit.ly/3n8DeYg | <urn:uuid:8b43cc1b-d078-40d6-a9f6-e10dd564f308> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.techcentral.ie/events/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571056.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809155137-20220809185137-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.919072 | 2,542 | 2.328125 | 2 |
Sec. Vascular Physiology
Obesity and Preeclampsia: Common Pathophysiological Mechanisms
- 1Clinic of Metabolic Syndrome, Prediabetes, and Diabetes, Research Department, FOSCAL, Floridablanca, Colombia
- 2Masira Institute, Medical School, Universidad de Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia
- 3Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud Eugenio Espejo, Universidad Tecnologica Equinoccial, Quito, Ecuador
- 4Obstetric Department, FOSCAL, Floridablanca, Colombia
Preeclampsia is a disorder specific of the human being that appears after 20 weeks of pregnancy, characterized by new onset of hypertension and proteinuria. Abnormal placentation and reduced placental perfusion associated to impaired trophoblast invasion and alteration in the compliance of uterine spiral arteries are the early pathological findings that are present before the clinical manifestations of preeclampsia. Later on, the endothelial and vascular dysfunction responsible of the characteristic vasoconstriction of preeclampsia appear. Different nutritional risk factors such as a maternal deficit in the intake of calcium, protein, vitamins and essential fatty acids, have been shown to play a role in the genesis of preeclampsia, but also an excess of weight gain during pregnancy or a pre-pregnancy state of obesity and overweight, which are associated to hyperinsulinism, insulin resistance and maternal systemic inflammation, are proposed as one of the mechanism that conduce to endothelial dysfunction, hypertension, proteinuria, thrombotic responses, multi-organ damage, and high maternal mortality and morbidity. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that pregnant women that suffer preeclampsia will have an increased risk of future cardiovascular disease and related mortality in their later life. In this article we will discuss the results of studies performed in different populations that have shown an interrelationship between obesity and overweight with the presence of preeclampsia. Moreover, we will review some of the common mechanisms that explain this interrelationship, particularly the alterations in the L-arginine/nitric oxide pathway as a crucial mechanism that is common to obesity, preeclampsia and cardiovascular diseases.
Obesity is considered a risk factor for preeclampsia and there are many common mechanisms that link obesity with a higher risk of developing preeclampsia (Spradley et al., 2015). Moreover, preeclampsia, similar to obesity, is associated with an increased risk of future cardiovascular diseases for the mother (Bellamy et al., 2007). Preeclampsia is a specific disease of the human being characterized by hypertension, edema of extremities, and proteinuria occurring after 20 weeks of gestation. It affects many organ systems and leads to high maternal mortality and morbidity worldwide (Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 2009). Hypertensive disorders are amongst the most common disorders that affect pregnant women and are major contributors to maternal deaths. In a systematic review conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO), 16% of maternal deaths in developed countries were attributed to hypertensive disorders, 9% in the regions of Africa and Asia, and as high as 25% in Latin America and the Caribbean (Khan et al., 2006). The WHO-review named hypertensive disorders during pregnancy the leading cause of maternal deaths in industrialized countries, responsible for 16% of maternal deaths. Regionally, hypertensive disorders are responsible of 25,000 maternal deaths in Africa, 22,000 in Asia, 3,800 in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 150 maternal deaths in industrialized countries (Khan et al., 2006). The two disorders most associated with hypertension during pregnancy are eclampsia and preeclampsia. Preeclampsia can be characterized by hypertension, proteinuria, edema of extremities, persistent severe headaches, visual disturbances, sudden onset of swelling of hands and feet, and hyperreflexia, amongst many more. It affects coagulation, the renal, respiratory, and central nervous system and can have detrimental consequences on the placenta and the baby (Duley, 2009). Most maternal hypertensive deaths are attributed to eclampsia as opposed to preeclampsia. Eclampsia occurs when preeclampsia goes untreated and the hypertensive mothers experience seizures. It is estimated that hypertensive disorders complicate 5–10% of all pregnancies and preeclampsia arises in 2–8% of them, although it is difficult to gather accurate data on the prevalence of preeclampsia worldwide because of differences in the definitions and in the symptoms that are used as diagnostic criteria (Khan et al., 2006). However, there are important variatons in the prevalence of preeclampsia between lower middle-income countries and high-income countries. For instance, preeclampsia is diagnosed in 3% of all pregnancies in the United States (Wallis et al., 2008), and 3.3% in New Zealand (Stone et al., 1995) while in Colombia it is present in 9% and in Haiti in 17% (Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 2005, 2007). In the United States, from 1987 to 2004 the average annual incidence rate of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension were 2.7 and 2.1% (Wallis et al., 2008). In the same 18-year period, the rate of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension has increased significantly. From 1987–1988 to 2003–2004, the age-adjusted rate of preeclampsia rose by 24.6%. Meanwhile, the rates for gestational hypertension increased by almost threefold from 1.07 to 3.6%. The rate for eclampsia during the same time decreased by 22% from 1.04 in 1987–1995 to 0.82 in 1996–2004, although this change was not significant. The risk of developing preeclampsia is highest amongst women <20 years of age, but women ≥35 years of age also have an increased risk of developing preeclampsia (Wallis et al., 2008).
Although the terminology and methods for classifying and diagnosing the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy differ from country to country and region to region, some common risk factors have been identified. These risk factors include, maternal age, pre-pregnancy overweight and obesity, sedentarism, insulin resistance and diabetes, subclinical infections and inflammation, and nutritional deficiencies during pregnancy as low intake of calcium and essential fatty acids (Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 1989; Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 1990b, 1997, 2005, 2008b, 2011; Lopez-Jaramillo, 1996; Otto et al., 1997, 1999; Herrera et al., 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007; Teran et al., 2001; Catov et al., 2007; García et al., 2007; Sierra-Laguado et al., 2007; Wang et al., 2008; Ramírez-Vélez et al., 2011; World Health Organization [WHO], 2011; Reyes et al., 2012,a,b).
Obesity, Preeclampsia and Cardiovascular Diseases
The relationship between preeclampsia and obesity has been greatly studied. Similar to how the trend of preeclampsia has increased over the past 25 years, obesity prevalence has also been on the uprise. Over the past 30 years, the percentage of overweight or obese women in the US has increased by 60% (Wang et al., 2008). The WHO estimates that the female prevalence of overweight and obesity is 77% in the United States, 73% in Mexico, 69% in South Africa, 37% in France, 32% in China and 18% in India, with a wide variation within each continent (World Health Organization [WHO], 2011). Numerous studies have shown that obesity is associated with many complications during pregnancy, including fetal overgrowth, fetal malformations, spontaneous miscarriage, gestational diabetes, thromboembolic complications, stillbirth, preterm deliveries, cesarean section, and hypertensive complications (Yogev and Catalano, 2009). A strong direct correlation was found between an increasing body mass index (BMI) and the risk of developing preeclampsia and pregnancy induced hypertension (Fernández Alba et al., 2018). The adjusted risk of developing preeclampsia doubled for overweight mothers with a BMI of 26 kg/m2, and almost tripled for obese mothers with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 (Bodnar et al., 2005). The increased risk was found to affect not only Caucasian and African American mothers (Bodnar et al., 2007), but also mother from other ethnics around the world (Hauger et al., 2008). Not only were the early or mild forms of preeclampsia found to augment with a raise in the BMI, but also the late and severe forms, which are associated with greater perinatal morbidity and mortality (Catov et al., 2007). Further contributing to the relationship between preeclampsia and obesity, a study found that weight loss reduces the risk of developing preeclampsia (Magdaleno et al., 2012). Despite the fact that weight loss is not recommended during pregnancy, studies have found that excessive maternal weight gain is correlated with an increased risk of preeclampsia (Fortner et al., 2009), thus weight loss is recommended in women with obesity or overweight that are planning to be pregnant (Yogev and Catalano, 2009).
The Mechanisms Linking Obesity and Preeclampsia
Metabolic Factors: Hyperinsulinemia and Insulin Resistance in Preeclampsia
Many different mechanisms have been proposed as explanations of the physiopathology of preeclampsia, at a point that it is called the “disease of the theories” (Widmer et al., 2007). Table 1 shows some of the characteristics that are common to obesity and preeclampsia.
The initial phase in the development of preeclampsia is an altered invasion of the cytotrophoblast cells of fetal origin into the uterus and the spiral arterioles, situation that results in a decreased remodeling of these arterioles with a consequent lower blood flow to the placenta (Soma et al., 1982). The placenta in hypoxic conditions releases different substances into the maternal circulation, these include anti-angiogenic soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) factors, and pro-inflammatory factors like tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) (Reyes et al., 2012), which are associated to maternal endothelial dysfunction (Roberts K.A. et al., 2011). As we have demonstrated, these factors are increased in the plasma of preeclamptic women (Teran et al., 2001; Reyes et al., 2012). This sequence of alterations is one of the proposed mechanisms linking obesity to the risk of preeclampsia (Kao et al., 2016), clinical and experimental evidence suggests that obesity may affect placental function and perfusion, through some of the metabolic alterations that are associated to obesity as hyperlipidemia, hyperinsulinemia, or hyperleptinemia; however, the exact mechanisms are not well-known (Hunkapiller et al., 2011). These metabolic markers are known to be elevated in plasma of obese pregnant women and even higher in women with preeclampsia. Moreover, it has been reported that the levels of total serum cholesterol in the first and second trimesters of gestation predict the onset of preeclampsia (Dey et al., 2013), and we have reported a lipid profile alterations consisting of increased levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDLs), low high-density lipoproteins levels (HDLs), and increased levels of triglycerides in women with preeclampsia (Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 1998; Reyes et al., 2012a,b). It has been reported that LDL reduces extravillous cytotrophoblast migration and promotes trophoblast apoptosis (Pavan et al., 2004). Also, high levels of triglycerides and free fatty acids, which are increased in obesity, increase the risk of preeclampsia and are elevated in preeclampsia (Hubel et al., 1996). These two conditions are known to stimulate the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ). PPAR-γ expression is increased in placentas from preeclamptic pregnancies, and increased levels of this receptor inhibit the invasiveness of trophoblast cells (Fabbrini et al., 2009; Holdsworth-Carson et al., 2010).
One of the most important characteristics of obesity is insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, and we have shown that hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance precede the clinic manifestation of preeclampsia (Sierra-Laguado et al., 2007). Experimental studies showed that hyperinsulinemia produces a shallower implantation site and an intrauterine growth restriction associated with an altered nitric oxide (NO) synthesis (Skarzinski et al., 2009). Moreover, the group of Granger and colleagues, reported that increasing insulin levels toward the end of pregnancy raises blood pressure in rats (Palei et al., 2013). Took together, these clinical and experimental data support the view of the crucial role played by insulin resistance as one of the common mechanisms linking obesity to preeclampsia (López-Jaramillo et al., 2006; Sierra-Laguado et al., 2007).
Role of Adiponectin, Leptin, and Proinflammatory Cytokines in Preeclampsia
We have determinated the levels of cytokines that are produced in the adipose tissue in patients with diseases as metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus, showing that plasma adiponectin levels are decreased, while proinflammatory cytokines as TNF-α and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are elevated, developing a proinflammatory state characterized by insulin resistance and endothelial dysfunction (Teran et al., 2001; Gómez-Arbeláez et al., 2013; Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 2014; Lopez-Jaramillo, 2016). In patients with severe coronary artery disease, in who we quantify a number of dysmetabolic and inflammatory markers and test of endothelial dysfunction, it was observed that the only differences between patients with and without abdominal obesity was a decrease in plasma concentrations of adiponectin and an increase in leptin plasma levels present in patients with abdominal obesity. Moreover, when we evaluated the vascular reactivity ex vivo in rings of the internal mammary artery, we observed a low vascular response to acetylcholine and a high vasoconstriction reaction to angiotensin II (Rueda-Clausen et al., 2010). Leptin and adiponectin are both produced by adipocytes, however, while adiponectin has an anti-inflammatory activity by down-regulating the expression and release of proinflammatory cytokines, leptin has a pro-inflammatory activity. Moreover, adiponectin acts improving the sensibility to insulin but in contrast leptin increases the resistance to the action of insulin. These results suggest that in obese people the increased production of leptin and the decreased production of adiponectin are associated with the systemic low-degree inflammation and insulin resistance, observed in preeclampsia, type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases, explaining the increased risk of developing these diseases present in people with obesity, particularly abdominal obesity.
In support of this proposal, it has been reported that pregnant obese women that develop preeclampsia have increased leptin levels in relation to healthy pregnant women (Hendler et al., 2005). Also, it has been described that leptin reduces cytotrophoblast proliferation (Liu et al., 2009), and as discussed above, an early alteration observed in preeclampsia is a poor cytotrophoblast proliferation, migration, and invasiveness of these cells into the uterus, it has been suggested that hyperleptinemia may play a role in placental ischemia and the consequent development of preeclampsia (Spradley et al., 2015), as shown by Mendieta Zerón et al. (2012). It was reported that chronic plasmatic leptin elevations in pregnant rats, increased blood pressure and placental factors that have a role in preeclampsia (Palei et al., 2015). Elevations in circulating leptin are associated to increased circulating levels of TNF-α in obese pregnant rats (Palei et al., 2015), and we have shown that women with preeclampsia have increased levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP) (Teran et al., 2001). Experimental and clinic reports have demonstrated that TNF-α is increased in response to placental ischemia and hypoxia (Benyo et al., 2001; Peltier et al., 2011). However, other sources must contribute to the increase of circulating levels of TNF-α during preeclampsia, as peripheral blood leukocytes (Chen et al., 1996). Moreover, TNF-α mRNA levels are greater in mononuclear cells from peripheral blood and placental macrophages withdrawn from obese pregnant women (Challier et al., 2008).
We have proposed that the systemic low-degree inflammation that is present in women with preeclampsia is associated to obesity and insulin resistance, and that this low-degree inflammation state is an important mechanism that alters the endothelial function, and that it is proposed as one of the basic mechanism that precede the clinical manifestation of the disease. This proposal is supported by the results of two nested case-control studies that included Colombian pregnant women with preclampsia, demonstrating increased levels of CRP and leukocytes, a state of insulin resistance established by the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA), and a decreased flow-mediated vasodilation, as early as in the first trimester of gestation (García et al., 2007; Sierra-Laguado et al., 2007).
The results of studies that have explored the levels of plasma adiponectin in preeclampsia has been inconsistent, showing increased, decreased or not difference in relation to the observed in healthy pregnancies (Ramsay et al., 2003; Suwaki et al., 2006). Adiponectin activates the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS); increasing the levels of the vasodilator NO (Zhu et al., 2008) and some cases of preeclampsia course with reduced levels of nitrite, the stable metabolite of NO (Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 2008a). In healthy pregnancies, a positive association between circulating adiponectin concentrations and nitrite levels has been reported, but in preeclampsia there are increased levels of adiponectin with reduced nitrite levels, suggesting that for some reason, not yet determinated, in preeclampsia adiponectin has no act in the eNOS (Eleuterio et al., 2013).
The Role of the Endothelial L-Arginine-Nitric Oxide Pathway in Obesity and Preeclampsia
Nitric oxide plays an important role in increasing blood flow by relaxing the smooth vascular muscle, it also reduces smooth muscle migration and growth, platelet aggregation and thrombosis, monocyte and macrophage adhesion, and inflammation (Caballero, 2003). Abdominal or central obesity leads to an imbalanced production of fat-derived metabolic products, hormones and adipokines that predispose to a state endothelial dysfunction (Accini et al., 2001). The different mechanisms by which obesity produces endothelial dysfunction have been studied and proven since some years ago by in vivo vascular function measurement in peripheral vessels of obese individuals (Toda and Okamura, 2013) showing that obesity reduces endothelium-dependent vasodilatation, eNOS protein expression and endothelial NO production, favoring a thicker media layer, enhancing vasoconstriction and drastically decreasing relaxation. Moreover, as discussed above, proinflammatory adipokines induces endothelial dysfunction. Recently, the Finnish Genetics of Pre-eclampsia Consortium (FINNPEC) cohort have confirmed the women that developed preeclampsia have increased pre-pregnancy BMI and altered inflammatory markers (Jääskeläinen et al., 2018). Leptin, another adipokine that is increased in obesity, induces activation of the NADPH oxidase, which impairs endothelium-dependent vasodilatation by increasing NO degradation (Fortuño et al., 2010). All this leads to a NO deficit which affects endothelial integrity and functioning, that by itself it is deleterious, but in association to pregnancy, where the endothelial function plays a fundamental role in the adequate remodeling of the uterine arteries, and in the hemodynamic adaptations, becomes determinant in the development of preeclampsia-eclampsia, diseases with a high rate of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality (Witcher, 2018).
During a healthy pregnancy there is an increase of plasma volume, heart rate, cardiac output and on the activity of the renin-angiotensin system (Moutquin et al., 1985), however the blood pressure is lower or similar to the observed in a no pregnancy state, situation that is related with the characteristic increase in the peripheral vasodilation that is observed in the pregnant women (Lopez-Jaramillo, 1996). Nowadays there is evidence that demonstrate that this peripheral vasodilation is product of an increase in the production of NO and prostacyclin in vascular endothelial cells (Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 2008a; Félix et al., 1991). In addition, these substances suppress the leukocyte and platelet migration and adhesion to the vascular wall (Moncada et al., 1991). The NO synthases (NOSs) are a family of specialized enzymes that synthesize NO from the amino acid L-arginine. The endothelial NOS (eNOS) depends on NADPH and calcium (Moncada et al., 1991), and we have proven the critical role of concentrations of extracellular calcium in the production of endothelial NO and in the control of vascular tone via the activation of cGMP (Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 1990a) Importantly, eNOS is expressed in the human placental syncytiotrophoblasts and in the extravillous trophoblasts, suggesting that the production of NO in the placenta play an important role in the vascular adaptations that are necessary to guarantee a normal blood flow (Sladek et al., 1997). The reports showing that NO is inactivated by superoxide (O-2) and that this free radical is increased in pregnancies complicated with subclinical infections or low degree inflammation, suggest that these risk factors for preeclampsia are associated to a lower activity of NO in response to an increase oxidative stress (Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 2008a). In reality, it is now well-accepted than the production of NO in the vascular endothelium of all vascular beds play an important role in the hemodynamic adaptations that are necessary to carry on a healthy pregnancy. On the other hand, a lower production and/or an increased inactivation of NO explain the generalized peripheral vasoconstriction, one of the most important characteristics of preeclampsia (Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 2008a). However, one of the problems to determinate the role of NO in pregnancy has been the methodological approaches to quantify the production and activity of NO. We and others groups have used the measurements of NO2/NO3 levels in plasma and serum of a small group of women with preeclampsia and compared them with the levels observed in unpregnant women and/or in women with healthy. These studies have used different methods to quantify NO2/NO3, and they have report elevated, decreased, or unchanged levels of NO2/NO3 in preeclamptic women in relation to controls (Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 2008a). Others reports measuring the levels of cGMP in plasma, urine, or platelets, demonstrated consistently that women with preeclampsia have lower levels of this mediator of the action of NO (Teran et al., 2004; Baksu et al., 2005; Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 2008a). A global analysis of these results suggests that some patients with preeclampsia have a decreased production of NO demonstrated by low levels of NO2/NO3 and cGMP, but in other cases there is a normal or increased production of NO, as demonstrated by the presence of similar or higher levels of NO2/NO3 in relation to women with healthy pregnancies, but in these cases they also presented with a decreased bioactivity of NO, demonstrated by the low levels of cGMP (Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 1996). Importantly, to support the role of NO in pregnancy, there are the consistent results reporting that low mediated dilation in women with healthy pregnancies have a higher vasodilation response to hyperemia that the one observed in women with preeclampsia, even before clinical manifestations appeared (Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 2008a). The analysis of the different reports of the L-arginine-NO pathway led us to the conclusion that in face of the multicausality of this disease, there are different mechanisms that can explain the alterations in the activity of the NO (Lopez-Jaramillo, 2000; Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 2001b). For instance, we understand that in the cases of preeclampsia with low NO production (low NO2/NO3 levels) the alterations are related with a deficiency in the substrate L-arginine, a deficit in the cofactors that are needed for a normal activity of the eNOS, such as ionic calcium and BH4, build-up of the endogenous inhibitor of eNOS, the asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), or by the presence of polymorphic alterations of the eNOS that result in a lower enzymatic activity (Serrano et al., 2004; Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 2008a). In the cases of preeclampsia that courses with normal or high production of NO but with a decreased NO bioactivity, there exists an increased inactivation of NO by an increased oxidative stress (Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 2008a) associated with the presence of antibodies antireceptors AT1 of angiotensin II, early abnormal placentation with placental ischemia and hypoxia, insulin resistance, subclinical infections, and overweight and obesity (Herrera et al., 2001; Herrera et al., 2007; Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 2008a). In any case, both alterations of NO explain the endothelial dysfunction observed in preeclampsia.
The presence of overweight and obesity before pregnancy, and an excessive weight gain during gestation, are causes of endothelial dysfunction and preeclampsia as demonstrated by Pardo et al reported that women with a gestational weight gain superior to 0.42 kg per week, had markers of a reduced eNOS activity and vasorelaxation in the rings of isolated umbilical veins (Pardo et al., 2015).
Role of Endothelin in the Pathophysiology of Preeclampsia
Other studies have proposed a role for endothelin (ET-1) in preeclampsia. ET-1 is a 21 amino acid active oligopeptide derived from a bigger precursor known as preproendothelin. This active peptide is a powerful vasoconstrictor that acts binding to the endothelin type A (ETA) receptor, located in vascular smooth muscle cells. Increased levels of ET-1 have been reported in women with preeclampsia, compared to the levels observed in a healthy pregnancy (Rust et al., 1997). Moreover, it looks like there is a correlation between the levels of ET-1 and the severity of the disease (Nova et al., 1991). It has been proposed that the reduced NO production that occurs in the placenta in conditions of hypoxia increases the production of ET-1. Some experimental evidences support this proposal, for instance it was reported that the administration of L-arginine reduces the levels of renal cortical preproET-1 mRNA expression in pregnant rats infused with sFlt-1 (Spradley et al., 2015). This result supports the view that NO regulates the synthesis of ET-1 in the kidney, and that when the production NO is decreased by an ischemic placenta, the synthesis of ET-1 increases with the consequent vasoconstrictor and hypertensive effects. Moreover, it has been reported that overweight and obese people with endothelial dysfunction have enhanced levels of ET-1 (Weil et al., 2011), and that an ETA receptor antagonist attenuated the hypertension observed in a experimental model of rats with obesity induced by a high fat diet, that also had increased leptin levels (da Silva et al., 2004). However, in the review of Spradley et al. (2015) they found only indirect evidence that ET-1 is higher in obese preeclamptic women.
Genetic and Epigenetic Factors Associated to Obesity and Preeclampsia
Obesity and preeclampsia are diseases that result from multiple genetic and environmental factors (Spradley et al., 2015). These two conditions share many pathophysiological mechanisms, however, only 10% of obese women will develop preeclampsia (Roberts J.M. et al., 2011). As reviewed above, the women that develop preeclampsia have different metabolic alterations that precede the appearance of clinical symptoms and that are associated with lifestyles and socio-economic status (Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 2005). We have proposed that the participation of the well-known risk factors for preeclampsia is different depending of the ethnicity and the socio-economic conditions of a specific community. The socio-economic status of communities and of individuals is determining t nutritional habits and the type and quality of the health system (World Health Organization [WHO], 1988; Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 2008a).
In the last decades, the population from low and medium incomes countries is experimenting important lifestyle changes as a result of a rapid and messy urbanization characterized by an increase in the intake of processed carbohydrates and a reduction of physical activity, conditions that have increased the prevalence of obesity and insulin resistance (Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 2001a). Moreover, ethnic differences have been reported in the prevalence of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome (Ford et al., 2002), differences that could be associated to genetic factors or socio-economic and environmental conditions. Regardless of the cause, the relationship between insulin resistance and preeclampsia is stronger in low and medium income countries. To support this proposal the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study have demonstrated a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus type 2 in people with lower BMI coming from low and medium income countries compared to the prevalence found in people from high-income countries (Dagenais et al., 2016).
The existence of a role of genetic factors is demonstrated by the observation that despite of the improvement of the environmental and socio-economic factors, there is still a percentage of women that develop preeclampsia. Moreover, there is evidence showing an association between preeclampsia and polymorphisms or mutations of genes related to hypertension (Ward et al., 1993; Grandone et al., 1997; Sohda et al., 1997; Kupferminc et al., 1999; Ford et al., 2002). However, it looks like environmental and socio-economic factors have a protagonic role. For instance, various studies originated in Europe have demonstrated that pregnant women with preeclampsia have increased levels of ADMA, which are associated with endothelial dysfunction (Fickling et al., 1993; Holden et al., 1998; Ellis et al., 2001; Savvidou et al., 2003). Early in our research, we showed no difference in ADMA plasma levels between a small sample of Andean women: 22 unpregnant women, 22 women with a normal pregnancy and 22 pre-eclmaptic women (Lopez-Jaramillo et al., 1996). This result was later confirmed in a study (Maas et al., 2004) that included a bigger sample of Colombian women (67 women with preeclampsia and 93 healthy controls). We have proposed some possible explanations for this unexpected finding, to finally conclude that the probable reason is that the excess of the other risk factors present in our population is more important than ADMA plasma levels in the development of preeclampsia, situation that differs from that observed in the European population, where risk factors such as nutritional deficiencies do not exist and others as subclinical infections are detected and treated early in pregnancy. In this way of reasoning it is possible that endothelial dysfunction is mainly related to nutritional deficiencies, subclinical infections, and metabolic disorders in women with preeclampsia from developing countries, while genetic and immunological alterations seem to be the principal determinants for the development of preeclampsia in developed countries (López-Jaramillo et al., 2006).
The Figure 1 resumes the proposed mechanisms that we believe are participating in the development of preeclampsia. The evidence reviewed in this article demonstrate that the process initiate with placental alterations. A decline in cytotrophoblast migration and remodeling of the uterine spiral artery conduce to placental ischemia. In this condition, soluble anti-angiogenic and inflammatory factors are released from the placenta into the maternal circulation, these factors affect the endothelial function, a critical event that conduce to the clinical manifestations of preeclampsia.
Figure 1. Mechanisms linking obesity to preeclampsia. Insulin resistance that results of pre-pregnancy obesity or by an excessive weight gain during gestation is associated with a reduced cytotrophoblast migration and uterine spiral artery remodeling, which in turn conduce to placental hypoxia and ischemia. In this condition the placenta release of soluble anti-angiogenic factors and inflammatory factors into the maternal circulation promoting the endothelial dysfunction, which is characterized by a decrease in the endothelial production of nitric oxide and an increase in the oxidative stress, that results in the characteristic symptoms of preeclampsia: hypertension, proteinuria, and edema.
Since in medium and low-income countries the prevalence of obesity is increasing, and by the fact that preeclampsia is a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality in these countries, it is of crucial importance to understand how obesity impacts the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.
PL-J reviewed and approved the final version. All the authors have made a substantial contribution to this manuscript and participated in the literature review, design and redaction of the manuscript.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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Keywords: preeclampsia, obesity, endothelial dysfunction, nitric oxide, cardiovascular risk
Citation: Lopez-Jaramillo P, Barajas J, Rueda-Quijano SM, Lopez-Lopez C and Felix C (2018) Obesity and Preeclampsia: Common Pathophysiological Mechanisms. Front. Physiol. 9:1838. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2018.01838
Received: 27 July 2018; Accepted: 06 December 2018;
Published: 19 December 2018.
Edited by:Carlos Alonso Escudero, University of the Bío Bío, Chile
Reviewed by:Nora Alicia Martínez, Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay (CONICET), Argentina
Philip Aaronson, King’s College London, United Kingdom
Copyright © 2018 Lopez-Jaramillo, Barajas, Rueda-Quijano, Lopez-Lopez and Felix. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. | <urn:uuid:7af4791f-1f12-4932-afc7-75f2a50ca206> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2018.01838/full | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.805009 | 15,875 | 1.601563 | 2 |
If ever there was a “What If?” capital of the pro sports nation, Cleveland would have to be in the running.
Perhaps no sports town anywhere in the civilized world can play the “What If” game better.
Strat-O-Matic plans to play that game for us.
What was once strictly a popular sports board game created 61 years ago has been available on the digital platform for about 30 years. Strat-O-Matic is well-known for its simulations that provides at least some answers to those “What If?” sports questions.
John Garcia, 32, has been Strat-O-Matic’s Chief Content Officer for 11 years. He’s played Strat-O-Matic all his life.
“It’s a game I love,” said Garcia in a phone interview. “It means so much to me. It’s not just a job for us. It’s much more than that. It’s our childhood.”
Garcia loves the simulation game, and takes it seriously.
“It’s the accuracy,” he said. “It’s what we pride ourselves on — having realistic ratings.”
It’s not all about statistics — be it baseball, football, basketball or hockey. According to Garcia, a lot of hours are put in reading content from various media outlets that cover each professional team for the most accurate grade for a player and team. Research also includes talking to beat writers and team scouts for trends, analytics and other factors.
Stat-O-Matic is a game company based in Glen Head, N.Y., that is best known for its baseball game. The first Stra-O-Matic baseball board game was created in 1961 by Hal Richman, a mathematics student in college. He created a football game in 1968, then an advanced baseball game in 1972, followed by a basketball game in 1973 and a hockey version in 1978.
Each season, player and team are given grades on cards based on stat research in an attempt to replicate those abilities and giving the gamer the ability to make in-game decisions with dice and printed charts and tables.
Strat-O-Matic has a die-hard fan base. Longtime broadcaster Bob Costas said he played the baseball game regularly as a youth, and that it helped him understand the game.
With the advent of the Strat-O-Matic computer game, game and season simulations that took a long time can now be done in minutes.
So years and years of playing the “What If?” game can somewhat be answered in a short amount of time for Cleveland pro sports fans. Garcia has been provided five Cleveland pro sports “What If?” scenarios. Strat-O-Matic will then provide at least one answer for readers.
There won’t be hundreds of simulations. Each week, there will be one simulation to these “What Ifs?” (in no particular order):
• What if the Browns had beaten the Broncos in the 1986 AFC Championship game and played the Giants in the Super Bowl?
• What if Brian Sipe and the Browns rallied to beat the Raiders in 1980 during an AFC Divisional playoff game and advanced to play the Chargers in the AFC title game?
• What if the Browns had beaten the Chiefs in an AFC Divisional playoff game in 2020 and played the Bills in the AFC championship?
• What if Michael Jordan missed “The Shot” in the Cavaliers’ first-round playoff series vs. the Bulls in 1989 and Cleveland played the Knicks in the next round?
• What if the 100-44 Indians of the strike-shortened 1995 season played 162 games? Would the major-league record of 116 wins been within reach?
Each week, simulations will be recapped in our print and online editions. Some might delight. Others might frustrate. Hopefully, all will be entertained as we ponder the question of “What If?” | <urn:uuid:33eace90-4039-4e1c-a2d0-3d8c4b957791> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.news-herald.com/2022/07/20/strat-o-matic-game-plays-cleveland-pro-sports-what-if-game/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.964216 | 846 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Lysis with mineral oil clarifies the partnership amongst liquid temperature and setup losses. Subsequently, a technique with forced convection is analyzed with water and kryo 51 oil. Within this case, a approach for estimating the heat transfer rate is proposed, which utilizes water as the calibration liquid and the temperature slope relative to time for you to estimate the HTR absorbed by the fluids.Sensors 2021, 21,three of2. Materials and Procedures two.1. FBG: Construction Aspects, Operation Principles, and Characterization For the experiments performed within this paper, one particular FBG was inscribed using a phase mask method, described in [29,30]. The inscription made use of a nanosecond-pulsed Nd:YAG laser LS-2137U, emitting at 266 nm, with an 8 ns pulse time (LOTIS TII, Minsk, Belarus) as a way to make IQP-0528 Description periodic modulation within the refractive index of your core of a photosensitive single-mode fiber GF1B (ThorLabs, Newton, NJ, USA). In an effort to defend the phase mask, 45 mm of the fiber protection (acrylate) was removed about the FBG area with the sensor, which had 10 mm of physical length. The Bragg wavelength was calculated as follows: B = 2ne f f , (1)where ne f f may be the helpful refractive index and may be the Bragg grating period . Effects of elongation and thermal expansion on the sensing region result in variations with the Bragg wavelength, which can be calculated by: B = 0 [(1 – P ) ( )T ], (2)where 0 may be the initial worth with the Bragg wavelength, P will be the efficient photoelastic continual, will be the strain applied towards the gratings, would be the thermal expansion coefficient in the fiber material, is definitely the thermo-optic coefficient, and T will be the temperature variation . For the characterization from the FBG relative to temperature, the immersion thermostat ECO RE 630S (LAUDA, Berlin, Germany) was configured to set the range of the liquid’s temperature at 20 0 , in 5 measures. Immediately after that, the FBG was meticulously fixed within the thermostat bath so as to mitigate the influence with the strain on the sensor response. The FBG was read by an optical interrogator, sm125 (Micron Optics, Atlanta, GA, USA)), whilst the reference temperature was collected by a temperature sensor, LRZ 918 Pt100/LiBus (LAUDA, Berlin, Germany), with a 0.02 resolution. The partnership involving wavelength shift and temperature variation was obtained by signifies of a linear regression in the collected data. 2.2. Analysis of Thermal Power Distribution and Stability As a result of the complexity of controlling the heat flow in experiments utilizing transient temperature, an evaluation from the interactions amongst the setup along with the external medium was conducted, which could supply critical info for example the minimum HTR needed to stabilize the thermal interactions within the systems. To demonstrate such a phenomenon, two experimental setups depicted in Figure 1a,b have been implemented. Both setups have been composed of a cylinder glass beaker with a 2.1 cm radius as well as a height of 6.five cm, which was heated with a Peltier heat sink TEC1-12706 (Hebei I.T., Shanghai, China) placed underneath. The heat flow in the Peltier was controlled having a DC power provide model 2231A-30-3 (Keithley, Solon, OH, USA) by switching the Peltier supply current. To carry out the experiments, a liquid (water or mineral oil) was employed to fill the beaker and an FBG was Compound 48/80 Data Sheet immersed inside the liquid to measure the temperature variation. The experiments presented in this section focused on assessing thermal interactions of fluids under all-natural convection in an effort to gradual. | <urn:uuid:f4901bc4-8c74-4dcf-988f-e22419fbe43d> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.bet-bromodomain.com/2022/07/26/8785/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571056.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809155137-20220809185137-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.926813 | 830 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Views: 165 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2022-07-24 Origin: Site
The DTH hammer bit is used in the drilling of coal, chemical industry, metallurgy, highway, railway, construction and other projects. It is an ideal rock drilling device.
Why is it environmentally friendly to use a DTH hammer bit?
What is the operation method of the DTH hammer bit?
What is the DTH hammer bit?
(1) DTH hammer bit is good for cuttings logging. When using the air DTH drilling process, the rock crushing mechanism mainly relies on high-frequency impact to form volume crushing, and the cuttings particles are large. Because the cuttings return speed is fast, the lateness time is extremely small, which is very conducive to cuttings logging.
(2) The DTH hammer bit has little pollution to the environment. No chemical reagents are added to the air or air foam. After the cuttings are returned to the surface, the solid phase, liquid phase and gas phase are rapidly separated, and there is basically no drilling fluid pollution.
(1) Keep the inner hole of the drilling tool clean to prevent the piston of the down-the-hole hammer from being stuck and unable to work, and to prevent the inner cylinder liner and piston from being worn too quickly.
(2) Supply air when the drilling tool is close to the bottom of the well for 0.3m. After the air returns to the wellhead, turn the DTH hammer bit and sweep it to the bottom of the well. After the DTH hammer works normally, it can be drilled according to normal parameters.
(3) When adding drill pipe, lift the drilling tool away from the bottom of the well. After the active drill pipe exits the wellhead, the wind can be stopped and the drill pipe can be added.
(4) After adding the drill pipe, first find out the sediment in the bottom of the well. If it exceeds 0.5m, air should be supplied to remove the slag, and then the drilling should be done normally.
(5) If the good depth is more than 100m and the hole diameter is more than 200mm, the slag should be cleaned at least once every 6-9m of footage. Observe the number of cuttings that come back, and make sure that all the rock powders are returned before the footage is taken to prevent too much storage on the good wall. cuttings, causing buried drilling accidents.
Down the hole (DTH)hammer bits are used with down the hole hammers of drilling holes through a wide range of rocks types.in conjunction with DTH hammers, drill hammer bits are designed with a splined drive for rotating the bit in the ground. Drill bits are available in different sizes and different styles so they can drill a wide range of hole sizes. Our variety of down the hole (DTH)bits are manufactured using high quality materials to provide you with a fine balance between penetration capability and bit life. We offer a comprehensive range of standard and made to order drill bits on an extensive selection of shanks with a wide variety of head designs to suit every project.
Zhuzhou Jinxin Group Cemented Carbide Co., Ltd. as a Chinese pioneer in DTH hammer bit, can ensure the quality and after-sales service of DTH hammer bit. | <urn:uuid:97c5e024-2608-40d8-a5e3-3d5e859dad16> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.jxdrillingtools.com/What-is-the-meaning-of-DTH-hammer-bit-id46830867.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.923066 | 711 | 2.6875 | 3 |
com/), a local technology consulting firm that provides intellectual property and technology transfer services, has announced that the firm has received a Distinguished Award from the Carolina Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) for its 2009 Accomplishment Report for NASA's Ames Research Center's Innovative Partnerships Program Office.
What does IPPO stand for?
IPPO stands for Innovative Partnerships Program Office (NASA)
This definition appears rarely and is found in the following Acronym Finder categories:
- Military and Government
- Science, medicine, engineering, etc.
See other definitions of IPPO
We have 1 other meaning of IPPO in our Acronym Attic
- Internet Public Policy Network (est 1999)
- Irish Primary Principals' Network (est. 2000; Cork, Ireland)
- International Philosophers for the Prevention of Nuclear Omnicide
- Ikatan Pelajar Putri Nahdlatul Ulama (Indonesian: Student Daughter to Training Pengoprasian)
- International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
- Independent Power Producers of New York, Inc.
- Iloilo Police Provincial Office (Iloilo City, Philippines)
- Iloilo Provincial Police Office (Iloilo City, Philippines)
- Independent Project Performance Office (Australia)
- Industrial Property Protection Office (Skopje, Macedonia)
- International Packaging Press Organisation
- Investment Promotion Programme Office (UN Industrial Development Organization)
- Instituto Penal Professor Olavo Oliveira (Portuguese: Professor Olavo Oliveira Crime Institute; prison)
- In-Line Power Patch Panel (Cisco systems)
- Infantile Perianal Pyramidal Protrusion (dermatology)
- Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention Program (US Department of Energy)
- Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology (UK)
- Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy (University of Maryland)
- Institutionalised Public-Private Partnerships (EU)
- Institutul Pentru Politici Publice (Romanian: Institute for Public Policy) | <urn:uuid:00dfaea1-7dbc-47f2-a75f-9d0e0a64723c> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.acronymfinder.com/Innovative-Partnerships-Program-Office-(NASA)-(IPPO).html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.826864 | 442 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Did you know that a brisk 20 minute walk each day could be enough to reduce your risk of early death? Physical inactivity is associated with an increased risk of early death, associated with a greater risk of diseases cancer and heart disease and may also contribute to obesity and an increased body mass index.
A new study just published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition observed 334,000 European men and women and learned that twice as many of the deaths may be attributable to lack of physical activity compared with the number of deaths attributable to obesity. The researchers say that just a modest increase in physical exercise could have significant health benefits.
With a goal of measuring the link between physical inactivity and premature death and its interaction with obesity, researchers studied data over 12 years from 334,161 men and women across Europe that participated in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Study. They measured weight, height, waist circumference and used self-assessment to measure levels of physical activity.
They learned that the greatest reduction in risk of premature death occurred in the comparison between inactive and moderately inactive groups. These were judged by combining activity at work with recreational activity.
7 percent of the participants were categorized as inactive and reported no recreational activity in combination with a sedentary occupation. They estimated that doing exercise equivalent to just a 20 minute brisk walk each day that burns between 90 and 110 calories would take an individual from the inactive to the moderately inactive group. It would also reduce their risk of premature death by 16 to 30 percent. The greatest impact was seen among the normal weight individuals and even those with higher BMI saw a benefit.
Three-hundred and thirty-seven thousand of the 9.2 million deaths amongst European men and women were attributable to obesity classed as a BMI greater than 30. Six-hundred and seventy-six thousand of these deaths could be attributed to physical inactivity.
This is a simple message: just a small amount of physical activity each day could have substantial health benefits for people who are physically inactive, says Professor Ulf Ekelund of the Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge. Although we found that just 20 minutes would make a difference, we should really be looking to do more than this physical activity has many proven health benefits and should be an important part of our daily life.
Helping people to lose weight can be a real challenge, added Professor Nick Wareham, MRC unit director. Whilst we should continue to aim at reducing population levels of obesity, public health interventions that encourage people to make small but achievable changes in physical activity can have significant health benefits and may be easier to achieve and maintain.
Subscribe to our Trusted Health Club newsletter for more information about natural living tips, natural health, oral health and skincare. If you are looking for more health resources check out the Trusted Health Resources list.
Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com. | <urn:uuid:b7b01a06-f1c9-4c51-843a-c31b9ee8fb89> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.trustedhealthproducts.com/fr/blogs/natural-health-news/lacking-physical-activity | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571056.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809155137-20220809185137-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.964459 | 719 | 3.296875 | 3 |
When you convert web page to PDF, you may need to set PDF producer. Under such circumstances, you can consider using the VeryPDF HTML Converter VeryPDF HTML Converter Command Line. You are allowed to use it free for 50 times. If you want to buy it, please click Purchase.application to help you solve the problem. VeryPDF HTML Converter has two versions: the GUI (Graphical User Interface) version and the version. Compared with the GUI version, the version can save more time. The VeryPDF HTML Converter command line version only requires four steps to set PDF producer and convert web page to PDF. But at first you should install this application in your computer. Please download it by clicking
The following will show you how to take four steps to set PDF producer and convert web page to PDF via command line.
1. Save the web page
If you are viewing a web page and want to convert the web page to PDF file, you can first save the web page as a format like HTML. For instance, if you are using Firefox to view the web page, you can do as follows: Click the “File” on the tool bar; > select “Save Page As” from the menu; > When the “Save as” dialog box pops out, you can select a directory in the list box; > enter the full file name, including the file extension like HTML in the as “File name”. > Click “Save” to save the web page on your computer. In this article, we save the web page on disk D and named it in.html.
2. Run the command prompt window
- Click “Start” in the lower-left corner of the screen to open up the “start” menu;
- Select “Run” from the menu to open the “Run” dialog box;
- Enter “cmd” in the “Run” dialog box.
- Click “OK” to run the command prompt window.
3. Type a command line
The command line you are going to type in the command prompt window should be composed of four essential items. Moreover, the items must be typed in order with a space between each other. The mentioned items are the directory of the executable file, the command which can be set PDF producer, the directory of the input file and the directory of the output file.
The command for PDF producer setting is -producer <string>. The angle brackets are often used to enclose essential contents. string refers to character string, which is always enclosed by quotation marks “” when appears in a command line.
The following is an example of command line that can be used to set PDF producer as “” and convert MHTML to PDF. You can replace all the directories and the character string in the command, according to your priorities.
D:\htmltools\htmltools.exe -producer "" D:\in.html C:\out.pdf
- D:\htmltools\htmltools.exe ----represents the executable file in the folder called htmltools on disk D.
- -producer "pdf producer" ---- the command that can be used to set "pdf producer" (without quotation marks) as the new created PDF’s producer.
- D:\in.html ---- represents the web page which has been saved as the format HTML and named in on disk D.
- C:\out.pdf ---- represents the PDF file named out on disk C.
4. Press “Enter”
When you press “Enter” on the keyboard, the computer will begin to convert web page to PDF and set PDF producer right off. When “result =OK” displayed in the command prompt window, that means the computer has accomplished conversion. Then you can find the producer information by right clicking the icon of the result PDF file. >Then, select “properties” from the drop down menu to open the “Properties” dialog box.>Click the tab “PDF” in the dialog box and you can find the PDF Producer information in the middle. | <urn:uuid:9dd6f91d-06a9-4187-8eff-5ce9a831e431> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.verypdf.com/wordpress/201112/set-pdf-producer-and-convert-web-page-to-pdf-17819.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571056.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809155137-20220809185137-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.865731 | 873 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Over the past decade, the British people’s attitude towards Australian wines has been swinging in favour of their premium wines, reflecting the more general trend of drinking less but drinking better.
This is music to the ears of the new generation of winemakers who are passionate about making wines with true regional distinction, using less human intervention than those mass produced by the huge ‘bulk wine’ conglomerates that still make up around 85% of what we consume as a nation, every year.
This week we take a trip ‘Down Under’ to find out more about this unique country and where to find outstanding value from some of the smaller producers.
Early Viticulture in Australia
It seems a little ironic that we refer to countries like Australia, South Africa and Chile as ‘New World’ wine producers when they each have a winemaking heritage that dates back to the 18th, 17th and 16th Centuries respectively. But in the context of European and Middle Eastern wine production that dates back around 8,000 years, one could accept that they are comparative newcomers to the wine scene.
Australia’s first European vines were introduced when the first British colony arrived in 1788 and were established across the area that’s now covered by Sydney. Over the next century, vineyards spread across the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, the Barossa Valley in South Australia and the Yarra Valley in Victoria.
This was further expedited by the influx of German and Italian immigrants, who primarily settled in the Barossa and Riverina regions of South Australia. Names like Wolf Blass, Johann Gramp (founder of Jacob’s Creek), Henschke and De Bortoli are some of the more famous family names/brands that should be familiar.
Moving from Fortified to Table Wines
Up until the 1950s, Australia was producing mainly fortified wines but this slowed significantly in favour of full-bodied reds as the demand for table wines took off. Like Britain, the Aussies also had a penchant for medium-sweet whites made from Riesling and Gewurztraminer as well as sparkling wines during the late 60s and 70s.
In the late 70s, tastes changed again and the demand moved towards dry white wines with Chardonnay, in particular, becoming the focus. Especially when treated like their heavy Cabernet’s and Shiraz’s, either fermented in or aged in oak.
At the same time, we started to see the rise of brands like Jacob’s Creek, Wolf Blass, Penfold’s, Hardy’s, Rosemount etc who were capable of churning out large volumes of consistently gluggable, varietally-labelled wines at a competitive price despite having to travel half-way around the globe. More recently, with Britain’s escalating tax system on duty, the only way these huge brands could remain viable was to ship the liquid in bulk and bottle at huge plants in this country, a practise now widely used by other major New World producers.
The ‘Craft’ Wine Movement
Over the past twenty years, a new generation of ‘boutique’ producers has spawned throughout the winegrowing areas of Australia, which has been driven not only by the rapid growth in the casual dining and wine bar scene in Europe and the US, but domestically too. The industry continues to become more polarised through the consolidation of the big brand names and the rise of the artisan, ‘craft’ winemakers.
What are the Key Winegrowing Regions of Australia?
The largest and most important winegrowing area is South Australia which includes sub-regional names like Barossa Valley, Eden Valley, McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek, Adelaide Hills and Coonawarra. It also includes the Riverland region which follows the huge Murray River that also links neighbouring Victoria and New South Wales. There’s a broad diversity of micro-climates, topography and therefore grape varieties that are produced across this region of which Shiraz is the most important, but more about that a bit later. Most of the iconic producers that will be most familiar to you originate from here.
New South Wales
The next largest region is New South Wales which includes sub-regions like the Hunter Valley, Mudgee and Riverina. Again, a lot of commercial Shiraz and Chardonnay was historically grown here, but the recent spate of droughts has caused growers to have a rethink. The trend now is favouring Mediterranean grape varieties that are drought resistant – again we’ll touch on this later when we explore grape varieties in more detail.
The third most significant region is Victoria and most of the commercial production centres on the Murray Darling sub-region that sits between Riverland and Riverina. There are plenty of more premium wines being produced across the state in cooler climate areas like Mornington Peninsula, Yarra Valley and Goulburn Valley and special mention should also be made of the famous ‘stickies’, the fortified sweet Muscats from Rutherglen.
Next in size comes Western Australia, one of the most isolated regions in the world. Sub-regions like Margaret River, Great Southern and Geographe are the most significant and you’ll find the wines are more European in style due to the cooling influences from the Pacific Ocean.
The final region worthy of mention is Tasmania. This large island off the south coast of Victoria makes some of the best traditional method fizz and cool-climate wines coming out of Australia although comparatively little of it is actually exported.
Australia’s Main Grape Varieties
Shiraz is by far the most important grape variety grown in Australia and accounts for around a quarter of the total crush. Most of this is destined for the everyday-drinking wines, however there’s plenty of quality ‘Old Vine’ Shiraz worth seeking out if you want to experience the best this varietal has to offer. Most of the oldest vines are to be found in the Barossa and McLaren Vale sub-regions but the Hunter Valley, Yarra Valley and Margaret River sub-regions also make outstanding examples that are generally more elegant.
Chardonnay is the second largest variety by quantity produced and accounts for around 20% of the total. Apart from the bulk-produced labels, there’s a growing trend towards cool-climate Chardonnay and there are some outstanding examples coming from Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania as well as areas within the Adelaide Hills and High Eden too.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the third largest variety, just behind Chardonnay, and is largely blended with Shiraz although it also makes some beautiful, single-varietal wines on the Limestone Coast of South Australia (which includes Coonawarra) and in Western Australia. If you’re looking for more opulent and masculine styles of Cabernet, try the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale.
The next half a dozen or so grape varieties are still important but are produced in much smaller quantities. Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Semillon, Pinot Gris and Riesling in that order make up the next tier.
Believe it or not, there are a further 150+ grape varieties planted commercially, including many from the Mediterranean like Nero d’Avola, Aglianico and Fiano, which are becoming more important as the climate becomes more extreme.
Outstanding Value Wines Not to be Missed
If you’re a fan of refreshingly dry yet fruity whites, you’ll love the Wild & Wilder ‘The Courtesan’ Riesling. This is a low-yielding, single-vineyard wine from the cooler Clare Valley to the north of Adelaide. Elevated between 400 and 500 metres above sea level, the combination of hot summer days and cool nights creates the ideal conditions for Riesling to ripen slowly. This wine has distinctive floral, lime and exotic fruit flavours balanced by juicy acidity. Enjoy well chilled with salads and Asian dishes, even those with a little heat.
Australian Chardonnay has changed dramatically from the buttery, over-oaked monsters of the 80s to the far more refined and balanced examples that we find today. The Berton Vineyard Reserve Eden Valley Chardonnay is a great example of cooler climate Chardonnay from this family estate that’s now celebrating its 25th anniversary. Fruit comes from several vineyards across the Eden Valley with a large proportion coming from their home plot in High Eden which sits around 500 metres above sea level. The aromas are varied and complex with some lifted floral notes along with nectarine, melon and hints of almonds. The wine has a creaminess and generosity in the mouth held together by fine acidity that makes it delicious with white meats and sea fish. Serve between fridge and room temperature.
One of our favourite reds at the moment is Larry Cherubino’s Ad Hoc ‘Middle of Everywhere’ Shiraz. Sourced from various sites in the Frankland River sub-region of Margaret River in Western Australia, the wine is fermented in small batches before being aged for 6-8 months in new and second-use oak barrels. The wine is brimming with juicy blueberry and black cherry flavours coupled with a gentle peppery spice that makes it very moreish. The tannins are fine-grained and silky and make this wine an absolute winner with slow-cooked beef or lamb. Best served between 10-12°C.
If you love Australian wines and want to experience more of what they have to offer, outside of the ubiquitous labels, please click here to see our full extensive range. | <urn:uuid:f0eeee0f-c262-41ea-8f73-1e1f864193ac> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://wharfsidewines.com/blogs/news/australian-wines-are-raising-the-bar | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570793.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808092125-20220808122125-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.953744 | 2,046 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Arab States Launch of the UNDP & UN Women COVID-19 Response Global Gender Tracker
Posted April 1, 2021
Date: Monday, 12 April 2021
Time: 16:30h -17:45h Amman time
Location: Virtual launch
UNDP and UN Women will discuss results of their COVID-19 Global Gender Response Tracker in the Arab States.
The COVID-19 Global Gender Response Tracker monitors policy measures enacted by national governments worldwide to tackle the COVID-19 crisis, and highlights responses that are gender-sensitive. It is a living database with measures regularly added and updated.
In the Arab States, the tracker currently analyzes 317 measures registered for 22 countries in response to COVID-19. 108 out of the 317 measures enacted by 20 countries were found to be gender sensitive across three key dimensions: violence against women and girls, unpaid care work and economic insecurity caused by large scale loss of jobs, incomes, and livelihoods. The tracker also includes data on women’s presence in COVID-19 response taskforces.
- Opening remarks by Ms. Sarah Poole, Deputy Regional Director, RBAS UNDP and Ms. Janneke van der Graaff-Kukler, Deputy Regional Director, ROAS, UN Women
- Presentation of the Global tracker by Ms. Raquel Lagunas, Head of Gender, UNDP and Ms. Silke Staab, Research Specialist, UN Women
- Presentation of the COVID-19 gender response analysis in the Arab States by Ms. Rania Tarazi, Gender Specialist, UNDP and Ms. Shatha Mahmoud, Economic Empowerment Specialist, UN Women
- Panel discussion on Covid-19 challenges and opportunities going forward
Moderated by: Ms. Ghida Anani, Founder and Director of Abaad -Resource Centre for Gender Equality and the key speakers:
o Dr. Salma Nims, Secretary General, Jordanian National Commission for Women
o Mr. Ziad Abdel Samad, Executive Director, Arab NGO Network for Development
o Mr. IHNACH Houssine, Head of the Social Policies Impact Department, Ministry of Economy and Finance in Morocco
The COVID-19 Global Gender Response Tracker can be found here
Register here to attend
To provide information on the national measures to be included in the tracker, please contact: email@example.com
Women in Lebanon redefining tech leadership
“The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector has been male-dominated for decades, and it is time we close this gap,” expressed Janeth Tawk, 31-year...
COVID-19 and gender in the Arab States
Using a human development lens to explore the gendered risks, outcomes and impacts of the pandemic on women’s health
The World Bank’s IDA Scales up its Support for Yemeni People
6 April 2022 – Sana’a, Yemen: US$108 million of additional finance from the World Bank’s International Development Association to step up social protection and su...
Hailah: 50 years of Love for Grape Farming
Hailah - and another 70 grape farmers like her – were provided with trellises and hand tillers to help improve their agricultural production and income. Trellises... | <urn:uuid:8a489183-44f2-4cd1-a741-904da875ed02> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.undp.org/arab-states/events/arab-states-launch-undp-un-women-covid-19-response-global-gender-tracker | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.883365 | 701 | 1.8125 | 2 |
How do you create a pool???
Maybe I'm just missing it but...
- Where on the palette is the Pool icon? I can't create a second pool...or a white box pool without a lane...or a black box pool.
- Shouldn't there be a Message connector or does one appear only when a second pool is created?
- When you drag over a new event, not all BPMN event types are represented. I'm assuming that the Modeler prevents you from doing anything "illegal" so that only the possible context event types for that situation are available...correct?
I'm certified by Bruce Silver himself...even took his Master Class so I'd love to see how you create Event Sub-Processes. Been drawing BPMN since 1.0 days...and before (remember ProVision from 2001?) I've used a ton of modelers but this will take a day or so to get used to, just for simple modeling. Let me know how to proceed. I'm sure I can figure a lot of this out.
PS: Working as the only process architect for a 750-person group at AT&T doing current to target then executable workflows. Think Bizagi can handle that??? | <urn:uuid:a87c3913-be02-44d8-87dd-9fb0c11cf8bb> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://feedback.bizagi.com/en/topic/how-do-you-create-a-pool | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.932937 | 253 | 1.515625 | 2 |
MATAMOROS, Mexico — The stench is overpowering. During the day, it seems to bake on the squalid concrete. At dawn, it seeps into the cool air — a suffocating mix of human waste and campfires.
Just steps from Brownsville, Texas, a makeshift tent city is growing next to the international bridge. More than 1,200 migrants — many from Mexico and Central America, others from Cuba — are waiting.
This year, the Trump administration enacted what it calls Migrant Protection Protocols, or MPP. Also known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy, it requires U.S. asylum-seekers to stay in that country while their claims are processed. Before MPP, families would be allowed to wait for their court hearings in the United States.
More than 55,000 migrants have been returned to Mexico under this policy, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said — and it’s become a bottleneck at the border.
“This is 100 percent a humanitarian crisis,” Jodi Goodwin, a Texas immigration attorney, said. “These policies are not implemented in a vacuum and there are very real human consequences.”
Carlos, from Honduras was among the migrants who spoke with NBC News and asked not to have his last name used for fear of reprisals. The 27-year-old said he’d been at the makeshift camp for four months with his 2-year-old epileptic son — and he’s struggled to find medical care.
“The most difficult part is when my son has convulsions and I’m alone in the tent,” he said. “It’s happened twice at night and I can’t do anything.”
"We're sending a message"
According to CBP, apprehensions at the Southwest border have plummeted from 144,116 in May to 45,250 in October. That’s a 68 percent drop.
“Migrants can no longer expect to be allowed into the interior of the United States based on fraudulent asylum claims,” Mark Morgan, the acting commissioner of CBP, said at a White House briefing last week. “We’re sending a message to their criminal organizations to stop exploiting these migrants.”
The Trump administration has argued the change is working because in essence, the Remain in Mexico policy has served as a deterrent for migrants as well as human smugglers.
But immigrants advocates argue that claim is dubious and has merely increased desperation and fear on the Mexican side of the border.
In Matamoros, the Mexican government recently opened a shelter about a 30 minute walk from the international bridge in response to the influx of migrants. But many of the families refuse to stay there because they fear a growing threat from the cartels.
One man, Josué, told NBC News his two young daughters were sexually assaulted by a man he believes was a cartel operative. The girls had been washing themselves in the Rio Grande when he touched them, Josué said. He showed NBC News a police report he’d filed.
“Matamoros is controlled by the cartels and the bad people,” he said. “When I got here, I was really scared.”
So volunteers are taking action. Every day, a group called “Team Brownsville” is among those who bring food and supplies across the border.
As the sun begins to set, migrant families line up for a meal.
“It breaks my heart to see the need here,” said Mary Vanderhoof, a volunteer from New Jersey. “There’s no reason that people should be living like this.”
Sergio Córdova, one of Team Brownsville's organizers, said he’s been coming here since the summer of 2018. What started as just a few migrants with donated cots has exploded into a full-blown tent city.
“How can you look away?” he asked. “Are we going to be a country that says ‘We looked away?’ Or did we do something?” | <urn:uuid:b37c605c-8bff-4af2-865f-7b1daff50588> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/asylum-seekers-wait-mexico-trump-admin-touts-drop-border-apprehensions-n1086291 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.964758 | 870 | 1.96875 | 2 |
In a preprint posted online Thursday night, researchers at Google in collaboration with physicists at Stanford, Princeton and other universities say that they have used Google’s quantum computer to demonstrate a genuine “time crystal.” In addition, a separate research group claimed earlier this month to have created a time crystal in a diamond.
A novel phase of matter that physicists have strived to realize for many years, a time crystal is an object whose parts move in a regular, repeating cycle, sustaining this constant change without burning any energy.
“The consequence is amazing: You evade the second law of thermodynamics,” said Roderich Moessner, director of the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems in Dresden, Germany, and a co-author on the Google paper. That’s the law that says disorder always increases.
Time crystals are also the first objects to spontaneously break “time-translation symmetry,” the usual rule that a stable object will remain the same throughout time. A time crystal is both stable and ever-changing, with special moments that come at periodic intervals in time.
The time crystal is a new category of phases of matter, expanding the definition of what a phase is. All other known phases, like water or ice, are in thermal equilibrium: Their constituent atoms have settled into the state with the lowest energy permitted by the ambient temperature, and their properties don’t change with time. The time crystal is the first “out-of-equilibrium” phase: It has order and perfect stability despite being in an excited and evolving state.
“This is just this completely new and exciting space that we’re working in now,” said Vedika Khemani, a condensed matter physicist now at Stanford who co-discovered the novel phase while she was a graduate student and co-authored the new paper with the Google team.
Khemani, Moessner, Shivaji Sondhi of Princeton and Achilleas Lazarides of Loughborough University in the United Kingdom discovered the possibility of the phase and described its key properties in 2015; a rival group of physicists led by Chetan Nayak of Microsoft Station Q and the University of California, Santa Barbara identified it as a time crystal soon after.
Researchers have raced to create a time crystal over the past five years, but previous demos, though successful on their own terms, have failed to satisfy all the criteria needed to establish the time crystal’s existence. “There are good reasons to think that none of those experiments completely succeeded, and a quantum computer like [Google’s] would be particularly well placed to do much better than those earlier experiments,” said John Chalker, a condensed matter physicist at the University of Oxford who wasn’t involved in the new work.
Google’s quantum computing team made headlines in 2019 when they performed the first-ever computation that ordinary computers weren’t thought to be able to do in a practical amount of time. Yet that task was contrived to show a speedup and was of no inherent interest. The new time crystal demo marks one of the first times a quantum computer has found gainful employment.
“It’s a fantastic use of [Google’s] processor,” Nayak said.
With yesterday’s preprint, which has been submitted for publication, and other recent results, researchers have fulfilled the original hope for quantum computers. In his 1982 paper proposing the devices, the physicist Richard Feynman argued that they could be used to simulate the particles of any imaginable quantum system.
A time crystal exemplifies that vision. It’s a quantum object that nature itself probably never creates, given its complex combination of delicate ingredients. Imaginations conjured the recipe, stirred by nature’s most baffling laws.
An Impossible Idea, Resurrected
The original notion of a time crystal had a fatal flaw.
The Nobel Prize-winning physicist Frank Wilczek conceived the idea in 2012, while teaching a class about ordinary (spatial) crystals. “If you think about crystals in space, it’s very natural also to think about the classification of crystalline behavior in time,” he told this magazine not long after.
Consider a diamond, a crystalline phase of a clump of carbon atoms. The clump is governed by the same equations everywhere in space, yet it takes a form that has periodic spatial variations, with atoms positioned at lattice points. Physicists say that it “spontaneously breaks space-translation symmetry.” Only minimum-energy equilibrium states spontaneously break spatial symmetries in this way.
Wilczek envisioned a multi-part object in equilibrium, much like a diamond. But this object breaks time-translation symmetry: It undergoes periodic motion, returning to its initial configuration at regular intervals.
Wilczek’s proposed time crystal was profoundly different from, say, a wall clock — an object that also undergoes periodic motion. Clock hands burn energy and stop when the battery runs out. A Wilczekian time crystal requires no input and continues indefinitely, since the system is in its ultra-stable equilibrium state.
If it sounds implausible, it is: After much thrill and controversy, a 2014 proof showed that Wilczek’s prescription fails, like all other perpetual-motion machines conceived throughout history.
That year, researchers at Princeton were thinking about something else. Khemani and her doctoral adviser, Sondhi, were studying many-body localization, an extension of Anderson localization, the Nobel Prize-winning 1958 discovery that an electron can get stuck in place, as if in a crevice in a rugged landscape.
An electron is best pictured as a wave, whose height in different places gives the probability of detecting the particle there. The wave naturally spreads out over time. But Philip Anderson discovered that randomness — such as the presence of random defects in a crystal lattice — can cause the electron’s wave to break up, destructively interfere with itself, and cancel out everywhere except in a small region. The particle localizes.
People thought for decades that interactions between multiple particles would destroy the interference effect. But in 2005, three physicists at Princeton and Columbia universities showed that a one-dimensional chain of quantum particles can experience many-body localization; that is, they all get stuck in a fixed state. This phenomenon would become the first ingredient of the time crystal.
Imagine a row of particles, each with a magnetic orientation (or “spin”) that points up, down, or some probability of both directions. Imagine that the first four spins initially point up, down, down and up. The spins will quantum mechanically fluctuate and quickly align, if they can. But random interference between them can cause the row of particles to get stuck in their particular configuration, unable to rearrange or settle into thermal equilibrium. They’ll point up, down, down and up indefinitely.
Sondhi and a collaborator had discovered that many-body localized systems can exhibit a special kind of order, which would become the second key ingredient of a time crystal: If you flip all the spins in the system (yielding down, up, up and down in our example), you get another stable, many-body localized state.
In the fall of 2014, Khemani joined Sondhi on sabbatical at the Max Planck Institute in Dresden. There, Moessner and Lazarides specialized in so-called Floquet systems: periodically driven systems, such as a crystal that’s being stimulated with a laser of a certain frequency. The laser’s intensity, and thus the strength of its effect on the system, periodically varies.
Moessner, Lazarides, Sondhi and Khemani studied what happens when a many-body localized system is periodically driven in this way. They found in calculations and simulations that when you tickle a localized chain of spins with a laser in a particular way, they’ll flip back and forth, moving between two different many-body localized states in a repeating cycle forever without absorbing any net energy from the laser.
They called their discovery a pi spin-glass phase (where the angle pi signifies a 180-degree flip). The group reported the concept of this new phase of matter — the first many-body, out-of-equilibrium phase ever identified — in a 2015 preprint, but the words “time crystal” didn’t appear anywhere in it. The authors added the term in an updated version, published in Physical Review Letters in June 2016, thanking a reviewer in the acknowledgments for making the connection between their pi spin-glass phase and time crystals.
Something else happened between the preprint’s appearance and its publication: Nayak, who is a former graduate student of Wilczek’s, and collaborators Dominic Else and Bela Bauer put out a preprint in March 2016 proposing the existence of objects called Floquet time crystals. They pointed to Khemani and company’s pi spin-glass phase as an example.
A Floquet time crystal exhibits the kind of behavior envisioned by Wilczek, but only while being periodically driven by an external energy source. This kind of time crystal circumvents the failure of Wilczek’s original idea by never professing to be in thermal equilibrium. Because it’s a many-body localized system, its spins or other parts are unable to settle into equilibrium; they’re stuck where they are. But the system doesn’t heat up either, despite being pumped by a laser or other driver. Instead, it cycles back and forth indefinitely between localized states.
Already, the laser will have broken the symmetry between all moments in time for the row of spins, imposing instead “discrete time-translation symmetry” — that is, identical conditions only after each periodic cycle of the laser. But then, through its back-and-forth flips, the row of spins further breaks the discrete time-translation symmetry imposed by the laser, since its own periodic cycles are multiples of the laser’s.
Khemani and co-authors had characterized this phase in detail, but Nayak’s group couched it in the language of time, symmetry and spontaneous symmetry-breaking — all fundamental concepts in physics. As well as offering sexier terminology, they provided new facets of understanding, and they slightly generalized the notion of a Floquet time crystal beyond the pi spin-glass phase (noting that a certain symmetry it has isn’t needed). Their paper was published in Physical Review Letters in August 2016, two months after Khemani and company published the theoretical discovery of the first example of the phase.
Both groups claim to have discovered the idea. Since then, the rival researchers and others have raced to create a time crystal in reality.
The Perfect Platform
Nayak’s crew teamed up with Chris Monroe at the University of Maryland, who uses electromagnetic fields to trap and control ions. Last month, the group reported in Science that they’d turned the trapped ions into an approximate, or “prethermal,” time crystal. Its cyclical variations (in this case, ions jumping between two states) are practically indistinguishable from those of a genuine time crystal. But unlike a diamond, this prethermal time crystal is not forever; if the experiment ran for long enough, the system would gradually equilibrate and the cyclical behavior would break down.
Khemani, Sondhi, Moessner and collaborators hitched their wagon elsewhere. In 2019, Google announced that its Sycamore quantum computer had completed a task in 200 seconds that would take a conventional computer 10,000 years. (Other researchers would later describe a way to greatly speed up the ordinary computer’s calculation.) In reading the announcement paper, Moessner said, he and his colleagues realized that “the Sycamore processor contains as its fundamental building blocks exactly the things we need to realize the Floquet time crystal.”
Serendipitously, Sycamore’s developers were also looking for something to do with their machine, which is too error-prone to run the cryptography and search algorithms designed for full-fledged quantum computers. When Khemani and colleagues reached out to Kostya Kechedzhi, a theorist at Google, he and his team quickly agreed to collaborate on the time crystal project. “My work, not only with discrete time crystals but other projects, is to try and use our processor as a scientific tool to study new physics or chemistry,” Kechedzhi said.
Quantum computers consist of “qubits” — essentially controllable quantum particles, each of which can maintain two possible states, labeled 0 and 1, at the same time. When qubits interact, they can collectively juggle an exponential number of simultaneous possibilities, enabling computing advantages.
Google’s qubits consist of superconducting aluminum strips. Each has two possible energy states, which can be programmed to represent spins pointing up or down. For the demo, Kechedzhi and collaborators used a chip with 20 qubits to serve as the time crystal.
Perhaps the main advantage of the machine over its competitors is its ability to tune the strengths of interactions between its qubits. This tunability is key to why the system could become a time crystal: The programmers could randomize the qubits’ interaction strengths, and this randomness created destructive interference between them that allowed the row of spins to achieve many-body localization. The qubits could lock into a set pattern of orientations rather than aligning.
The researchers gave the spins arbitrary initial configurations, such as: up, down, down, up, and so on. Pumping the system with microwaves flipped up-pointing spins to down and vice versa. By running tens of thousands of demos for each initial configuration and measuring the states of the qubits after different amounts of time in each run, the researchers could observe that the system of spins was flipping back and forth between two many-body localized states.
The hallmark of a phase is extreme stability. Ice stays as ice even if the temperature fluctuates. Indeed, the researchers found that microwave pulses only had to flip spins somewhere in the ballpark of 180 degrees, but not exactly that much, for the spins to return to their exact initial orientation after two pulses, like little boats righting themselves. Furthermore, the spins never absorbed or dissipated net energy from the microwave laser, leaving the disorder of the system unchanged.
On July 5, a team based at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands reported that they built a Floquet time crystal not in a quantum processor, but out of the nuclear spins of carbon atoms in a diamond. The Delft system is smaller and more limited than the time crystal realized in Google’s quantum processor.
It’s unclear whether a Floquet time crystal might have practical use. But its stability seems promising to Moessner. “Something that’s as stable as this is unusual, and special things become useful,” he said.
Or the state might be merely conceptually useful. It’s the first and simplest example of an out-of-equilibrium phase, but the researchers suspect that more such phases are physically possible.
Nayak argues that time crystals illuminate something profound about the nature of time. Normally in physics, he said, “however much you try to treat [time] as being just another dimension, it is always kind of an outlier.” Einstein made the best attempt at unification, weaving 3D space together with time into a four-dimensional fabric: space-time. But even in his theory, unidirectional time is unique. With time crystals, Nayak said, “this is the first case that I know of where all of a sudden time is just one of the gang.”
Chalker argues, though, that time remains an outlier. Wilczek’s time crystal would have been a true unification of time and space, he said. Spatial crystals are in equilibrium, and relatedly, they break continuous space-translation symmetry. The discovery that, in the case of time, only discrete time-translation symmetry may be broken by time crystals puts a new angle on the distinction between time and space.
These discussions will continue, driven by the possibility of exploration on quantum computers. Condensed matter physicists used to concern themselves with the phases of the natural world. “The focus moved from studying what nature gives us,” Chalker said, to dreaming up exotic forms of matter that quantum mechanics allows.
Update: July 30, 2021
Following the publication of this article, Quanta learned that a separate research group had, on July 5, posted a preprint claiming to have created a time crystal using nine carbon atoms in a diamond. We have updated the article to include this result. | <urn:uuid:12341366-d6d0-44a0-a226-dab48d07806a> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.quantamagazine.org/first-time-crystal-built-using-googles-quantum-computer-20210730?ref=refind | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570793.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808092125-20220808122125-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.941639 | 3,530 | 3.203125 | 3 |
By Jeremy Anderson
As this next summer of Alaska fishing gets closer to reality it’s time to think about what gear you need to have a great trout season. There is gear that helps you catch more fish and be more organized. There is also gear that helps you release trout back into the water safely and efficiently. It is our duty as trout fisherman on the Kenai River (and all other waters) to treat these trout with respect and to care for them properly.
There are several types of release tools that you can make or purchase. If you use a release tool for the fish you are not going to net then you literally do not have to touch the fish, which eliminates the opportunity for a human hand to pull the slime off the body of the trout. This is important for small fish to remain healthy so they can become big fish. If we catch 50 fish in a day trout fishing I use the release tool for about 40 of the fish and a rubber net for the other 10. That means that I only touched 20% of the fish that we caught that day. The fish never came out of the water. Email email@example.com for information on release tools.
Big Rubber Nets:
Having a large rubber net is very important for the rainbow trout to remain healthy while you are dealing with your fish. Having a big rubber net allows the rainbow trout to remain in the water without the fish wanting to swim out. Fisherman that use smaller rubber nets often lift the net mostly out of the water so the fish doesn’t jump out. They keep the fish in the net but the trout is then out of the water and probably not breathing correctly. Frabill and Ranger make the best large rubber nets. They have long handles, deep buckets and last a long time; these nets cost roughly $90 to $110 each.
Dun Rite Measuring Board:
A good measuring board is crucial for accurately measuring your fish quickly without taking it out of the water. The board opens up and can measure a fish up to 60 inches long. So for trout fishing it is perfect because when it is not open it is 30 inches long. You can easily slide the fish onto the measuring board and butt the nose of the fish in the board. Make sure the fish is flattened out (and still breathing in the water) and you have an instant measurement. Do not measure the fish out of the water. This board also floats so it is very easy to do it over the side of the boator when pull over to shore. Don’t go trout fishing without one of these boards if you want an accurate measurement with the least possible amount of fish-handling.
P-Line Hydro Float:
This product is critical if you are going to spin-fish for rainbow trout with a bobber. Float fishing, the type of fishing being described here, is one of the most deadly ways to catch rainbow trout on the middle and lower Kenai River. You use a slip bobber with a leader and dead-drift your fly or bead through the hole. To maximize your drift, it is important to have a floating line from the bobber to the reel so you can have proper line management. P-Line Hydro Float is the ticket. It is almost like a braided line, thin and strong, but has a coating on the line that makes it float. I recommend the 30-pound line for fishing the Kenai River.
As you embark on the sacred trout journey this summer and fall remember that the fishery really depends on the people fishing it to lead by example. More people have started trout fishing on the Kenai River in the past 10 years than ever before. The more people we get using these fishing products for rainbow trout fishing the healthier our Alaska fishery will be. The Kenai River is a thriving but extremely sensitive fishery. If we take care of the rainbow trout of the Kenai they will grow to be big, old fish and our kids will be able to experience the same fishing we have been able to enjoy.
Jeremy Anderson has guided on the Kenai for more than a decade. He lives in Sterling during the summer months, centrally located to some of the best trout- and salmon fishing waters in the world. During the long Alaska winter Jeremy lives in Girdwood where he works as Director for Challenge Alaska Adaptive Ski School . For more information, visit the Alaska Drift Away website at www.guidekenairiver.com. | <urn:uuid:c38ef3e3-d513-4088-b6ae-8fed14825af0> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.fishalaskamagazine.com/trout-gear-reviews-necessities/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.952581 | 917 | 1.5625 | 2 |
From Baby to Big Kid: Month 30
Having to deal with your child’s requests (or demands) for toys or treats when you are at the store can turn a quick shopping trip into one big, unpleasant power struggle. Browse the information and links below to see what your little one is experiencing and learning this month.
In this resource
What It’s Like for You
Kendra, mother to 30-month-old Marco, was out shopping for a gift when:
Marco picked up this stuffed pig and said, I buy dis. At first I thought it was cute and funny. I just threw it in the cart and figured I’d get it for him since it wasn’t expensive. But then I started to think about how this is probably going to start happening more and more… It’s not going to be as easy as it used to be when I could zip in and out of a store and Marco barely noticed what was on the shelves. I’m going to have to start saying No more often. I’m not looking forward to that.
Having to deal with your child’s requests (or demands) for toys or treats when you are at the store can turn a quick shopping trip into one big, unpleasant power struggle as your child seems to find something on every aisle that is a “must have.” But don’t dread these moments. They are actually great opportunities to teach your child to cope with frustration at not getting everything he wants. Consistent and clear expectations will be the key. You can start by reminding your child on the way to the store: Remember that today we will not be buying any toys. Then suggest he bring something from home to keep him occupied. On a trip to the supermarket, you might have him help you prepare a snack from home to eat while shopping or tell him he can choose one treat at the store. And on the day(s) you decide it is okay for him to get something, just let him know that he can choose a toy that day and why. It might be because he has been sick and needing to stay indoors a lot. Or simply that he hasn’t gotten a new toy in awhile. Learning to make choices and accept limits are skills children will use all their lives. It’s also important for children to, over time, learn to appreciate all they do have—and focus less on the “I Want’s.”
What It’s Like for Your Child
We went over to my cousin Anthony’s house and he has trains. I was so excited when I saw all of them! I sat down and took two train cars and tried to connect them. It didn’t work…I kept trying to stick them together but they wouldn’t stay! I looked at Daddy and asked him for help. Daddy said, Turn that train around and then try to hook them. I did what he said and—wow!—I did it! I made a big long train with sooo many cars and pushed them around the track. Then Anthony came over and he wanted to play too. Daddy said, Okay, now let’s give Anthony some train cars. I wasn’t happy about it, but I pulled a few trains off and gave them to Anthony. Then Anthony said, Wooo! Wooo! Let’s have a train parade! I said, Okay, how about our trains go to the park? Anthony and I pushed our trains around and around the track until dinnertime.
What Your Toddler Is Learning
- Persistence, when she sticks to the challenging task of trying to connect the trains
- How to ask for help when needed when she turns to a trusted adult (her Dad) for assistance
- Confidence and self-esteem when she finally succeeds at connecting the trains
- Cooperation, sharing, and friendship-building when she shares the train cars and plays with her cousin Anthony
Language and Thinking Skills:
- How to use language to ask for help and to discuss the plot of the pretend play storyline she is developing with her cousin
- Problem-solving skills when she works to connect the train cars
- Dramatic and pretend play skills when she and her cousin develop a story to act out with their trains
- Fine motor skills (using the muscles in her hands and fingers) when she connects the trains and pushes them around the track
What to Expect From Your Toddler’s Development
As you read the chart below, keep in mind that development is not a race and that every child grows at her own pace and in her own way. Your child may develop skills faster or slower than indicated below and still be on track. If you have questions or concerns, talk with your child’s health care provider or other trusted professional.
Your Child’s Development From 30 to 36 Months
|What Your Baby Can Do||What You Can Do to Connect With Your Baby|
My body lets me do “big kid” stuff now!
|I may be able to:
I use language to express my thoughts and feelings.
I am using my new thinking skills to solve problems.
I can do so many things by myself!
I am starting to notice similarities and differences in people.
My friends are very important to me.
Did You Know…
That your child is getting better at arguing with you? From age 1 ½ to age 3 ½, your child’s ability to question your rules gets better and more sophisticated. A small research study of 70 parent-child pairs found that as their children got older, parents more frequently found themselves bargaining, reprimanding, and providing explanations for the reason “why” behind rules or limits. And as the children grew, they were actually less likely to ignore parents and also less likely to directly defy parents. However, they were more likely to negotiate—which meant that parents found themselves reasoning with their toddlers much more.
What the Research Means for You
There may be days when you feel as if you should have gone to law school in order to deal with those master negotiators we call toddlers. Never fear, this is a very normal and actually, a very positive milestone in your child’s development. When your child is bargaining, he is showing you that he is a good thinker—solving the problem of how to get around your rules. When he comes up with his own suggestion for what the rule might be and a reason why it’s a good idea, he’s using his reasoning and creative thinking abilities, and his language skills too.
This doesn’t mean that you need to agree or give in. Here are some different ways to handle these “negotiations” while helping your child learn and respect rules and limits:
- Offer choices to sidestep power struggles. This approach works well for toddlers and teenagers, since both are dead set on asserting control. The idea is that you offer choices within limits. For example, your toddler wants to use the adult glass cup but you have a rule that he can’t—he needs to use a plastic cup. (This is the limit.) However, the color of the cup is up to your child (this is the choice). Another example is brushing teeth: Teeth have to be brushed to keep them healthy. (The limit.) Do you want to brush before we read books or after? (The choice.)
- Choose your battles. Decide how important the expectation is. Does it matter whether your child has a banana or a bagel for snack? Does it matter if her shirt and skirt doesn’t match? Decide what issues are most important to you, and why. Then explain these to your child and follow through consistently.
- Be consistent. If your child discovers that if he bargains long enough, you will give in, he has learned that this is an effective way of getting what he wants. If you have decided “the rule is the rule,” let him know you understand he is disappointed/angry/frustrated, but that the answer is no. Then move on with your day together. When you are clear and consistent your child will learn that this rule is “for real” and that bargaining doesn’t work.
- Explanations are important. Explaining your reason is not giving in. It’s helping your growing toddler become a logical thinker and learn how the world works. Explanations help children see the connections between events, learn cause and effect, and develop the ability to make logical predictions (if hitting is wrong, then kicking probably is too). Explanations build on children’s growing thinking skills and give them the information they need to really understand a rule…and follow it.
Spotlight on: Choosing Toys for Toddlers
Toddlers are little explorers who learn by doing. Play gives your child a great opportunity to develop and practice new skills at her own pace by following her unique interests. The toys and playthings your child has available to her can shape her development in important ways.
While it may seem like choosing toys for toddlers should be easy, as you walk into a toy store today, the only thing that’s easy is feeling overwhelmed. There is a huge array of toys that have been developed for the toddler market. How do you choose which are right for your child? How can you tell which are high quality and which will last? Which will engage your child’s interest for more than a few days or weeks? Below are some ideas for choosing toys that will grow with your child, offer challenges, and nurture skill development in all domains (including thinking, physical, language and social-emotional skills).
Guidelines for Choosing Toys for Toddlers
Choose toys that can be used in a variety of ways.
Toddlers love to take apart, put back together, pull out, put in, add on, and build up. Choose toys that are “open-ended” in the sense that your child can play many different games with them. For example, wooden blocks or chunky plastic interlocking blocks can be used to make a road, a zoo, a bridge, or a spaceship. Toys like this spark your child’s imagination and help him develop problem-solving and logical thinking skills.
Examples: Blocks, interlocking blocks, nesting blocks or cups, and toys for sand and water play
Look for toys that will grow with your child.
We all have had the experience of buying a toy that our child plays with for 2 days and never touches again. You can guard against that by looking for toys that can be fun at different developmental stages. For example, small plastic animals are fun for a young toddler who may make a shoebox house for them, while an older toddler can use them to act out a story she makes up. Examples: Plastic toy animals and action figures, toddler-friendly dollhouses, trains and dump trucks (and other vehicles), stuffed animals, and dolls
Select toys that encourage exploration and problem-solving.
Play gives children the chance to practice new skills over and over again. Toys that give kids a chance to figure something out on their own—or with a little coaching—build their logical thinking skills and help them become persistent problem-solvers. They also help children develop spatial relations skills (understanding how things fit together), hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills (using the small muscles in the hands and fingers). Examples: Puzzles, shape-sorters, blocks, nesting blocks or cups, art materials like clay, paint, crayons, or playdough
Look for toys that spark your child’s imagination.
During your child’s third year, her creativity is really taking off as he is now able to take on the role of someone else (like a king) and imagine that something (like a block) is actually something else (like a piece of cake). Look for toys that your child can use as he develops and acts out stories. Pretend play builds language and literacy skills, problem-solving skills, and the ability to sequence (put events in a logical order). Examples: Dress-up clothing, blocks, toy food and plastic plates, action figures, stuffed animals and dolls, trains and trucks, toddler-friendly dollhouses, toy tools, and “real-life” accessories such as a wrapping paper tube “fire hose” for your little fire fighter. The all-purpose large cardboard box is always a big hit for toddlers and is free. (Call an appliance store about picking up one of their refrigerator boxes.) Boxes become houses, pirate ships, barns, tunnels—anything your child’s imagination can come up with!
Give your child the chance to play with “real” stuff—or toys that look like the real thing.
Your toddler is getting good at figuring out how objects in her world work—like television remotes or light switches. She is also interested in playing with your “real” stuff, like your cell phone, because she is eager to be big and capable like you. Toys like this help children problem-solve, learn spatial relations (how things fit together), and develop fine motor skills (use of the small muscles in the hands and fingers). Examples: Plastic dishes and food, toy keys, toy phone, dress-up clothes, musical instruments, child-size brooms, mops, brushes, and dustpans
Toss in some “getting ready to read” toys.
Books, magnetic alphabet letters, and art supplies like markers, crayons, and fingerpaints help your child develop early writing and reading skills. “Real-life” props like take-out menus, catalogs, or magazines are fun for your child to look at and play with and also build familiarity with letters, text, and print.
Seek out toys that encourage your child to be active.
Toddlers are doing all kinds of physical tricks as they are stronger and more confident with their bodies. Your job is to be an appreciative audience for your little one’s newest playground achievement! Look for toys that help your child practice current physical skills and develop new ones. Examples: Balls of different shapes and sizes, tricycles or three-wheeled scooters (with appropriate protective gear), plastic bowling sets, child-size basketball hoop, pull-toys (e.g., toys that your child can pull on a string), wagon to fill and pull, gardening tools to dig and rake with, moving boxes (open at both ends) to make tunnels to crawl through
Look for toys that nurture cross-generational play.
While adults and children can play almost anything together, there are some toys that are designed for adult participation. As your child approaches age 3 and beyond, early board games—that involve using one’s memory or simple board games that do not require reading—are fun for all ages to play. Consider starting a “family game night” when all of you play together. Board games encourage counting, matching and memory skills, as well as listening skills and self-control (as children learn to follow the rules). They also nurture language and relationship-building skills. Another important benefit is teaching children to be gracious winners and how to cope with losing.
What are the benefits of sounds, lights, and music?
Many, many toys for toddlers are ablaze with buttons, levers, lights, music, etc. Often these toys are marketed as “developmental” because the toy has so many different functions. Unfortunately, this often has the opposite effect for the child. The more a toy does, the less your child has to do. If your child can sit and watch the toy “perform,” then it is likely more entertaining than educational. In addition, these toys can be confusing to a child who is learning cause and effect. If a toy randomly starts playing music, or it is unclear which button made the lights start flashing, then your child is not learning which of his actions (the cause) produced the lights and music (the effect). In short, the most useful toys are those that require the most action on the part of a young child. The more children have to use their minds and bodies to make something work, the more they learn.
Can toys actually “make my baby smarter,” as the packaging and advertisements often claim?
Proceed with caution. Most products that make these claims have not been proven to increase children’s intelligence. In fact, safe household items (plastic bowls for filling and dumping, pillows for climbing and piling up to make a cave, old clothing for dress-up) are often the best learning tools. Remember, the more your child has to use her mind and body to problem solve and develop her own ideas, the more she learns.
Let’s Play: Activities That Nurture Bonding and Learning
Big Words, Little Words
Help your child get ready to write by giving her the chance to play with markers and crayons. First, give her a few regular sized pieces of paper for writing. Then cut the paper in half to make smaller rectangles and give her these strips to write on. With larger pieces of paper, you will probably see your child making larger shapes—big circles and swirls and scribbles. When the paper is smaller, your child is challenged to control her hand movements in order to stay on the paper. This builds the muscles in her hands and fingers which prepares her for learning to write “for real” later on.
Fill ‘Er Up!
Give your child three plastic cups and some items that fit inside and underneath the cups, like small blocks or plastic animals. Fill and “pour” from the cups. Pretend to “drink” from the cups. Then turn each cup upside down and try hiding an object underneath one of the cups. See if your child can guess where it is. Give him a turn to hide the object and have you guess. Games like this build thinking and problem-solving skills and develop coordination and the muscles in the hands and fingers. They also teach turn-taking.
What’s on Your Mind?
1. I just had my second child. Ever since we brought her home, my 30-month-old, who had been talking in full sentences, is now only using baby talk. It’s really making me worried. What can I do?
Your concern is quite understandable. No matter how well we try to prepare the older siblings, most firstborns find having a new baby in the family stressful. They (like us) need some time to adjust to this big change in their lives. Children’s feelings can be expressed in many different ways—increased aggressive behavior, withdrawing, intense clinginess, or rejecting mom or dad. It is also not unusual for children to return to more “baby-like” behaviors, such as having potty accidents, waking more at night, or by talking like a baby.
Your son, like many firstborns, may be uncertain and seem jealous of the care and attention the baby receives. It is very common for children who are struggling with such feelings to start acting like a “baby” again because it’s a way to get the same kind of attention as their new sibling.
Another important factor in this transition is your child’s temperament. Children who have a harder time with change, and who are generally “big reactors,” often have a more difficult time than kids who are more laid back and flexible. Watch your child’s individual cues to get a sense for how he’s feeling and managing this change.
Here are some ways you can let you son know he is still loved and appreciated, and that he can get the attention he needs without having to talk like a baby:
- Validate his feelings. Let him know you understand how hard it can be to have a new baby at home and that it’s okay to feel angry (and/or the other feelings you think he might be experiencing). This will let him know he is being “heard” and that he doesn’t need to talk like a baby to get his message across.
- Make special time for him. As tough as it is to find the time and energy with a new baby in the house, it’s a good idea for you and your husband to carve out special one-on-one moments with your son. Take him on a grocery run with you, on a short walk, or just find some cuddle time in the middle of the day. Let him know how special he is to you, and shower him with as much nurturing and cuddling as you can.
- Help him feel in control. Give him choices within appropriate limits. Do you want to help mommy make dinner or play with trucks nearby while I cook?
- Show your son the benefits of being a big brother. For example, you might say, Sarah gives you the biggest smiles! You really know how to make her happy. Or, What a pretty dress you picked out for Sarah. It’s just the right thing to wear today. The more important and valuable he feels, the less he may see the baby as a rival.
- Include him (if he’s interested) in the care of the baby. Offer ways he can help (picking out the diaper, picking out the baby’s clothes). Give him choices about what he can do while you feed or diaper the baby, such as coloring next to you or turning the pages of a book that you read to him.
When he uses babytalk, keep talking to and interacting with him as if he were talking like a “big boy.” This lets him know that you accept him and will not “force” him to talk or punish him for talking like a baby—responses that tend to make children more likely to hold onto the behavior more fiercely. Another approach is to allow the babytalk within limits. For example, let him know he can use babytalk, except when you ask him to use his “big boy voice”—like when he is talking to his grandma on the phone so she can understand his words.
If your son doesn’t give up the babytalk within a month or so, consult a professional with expertise in early child development who can work with you and your child together to help him move forward.
2. My 2-year-old daughter’s preschool teacher tells me that she actively participates during the planned activities but often seems unhappy during free playtime. She tends to play alone. When she does interact with other kids, she tends to correct them when they misbehave. What should I do?
For many children, preschool poses some social challenges. There are separations from parents, negotiations over toys, conflicts to resolve, teachers and other children to get along with—it’s a lot to manage.
The teachers seem to see your daughter as thriving on structured experiences. Is this similar to how she behaves at home or in other social situations? When you watch her play with other children, does she also seem to prefer to play on her own or does she play more with peers? Sometimes the noise, activity level, and demands of being with other kids in a group can be quite overwhelming. Since most 2-year-olds don’t have the language skills to share these complex emotions, they try to control the situation through their behavior. They may cry or act out (hitting, biting, etc.), choose to play alone, or even fall asleep! Some take on an adult, disciplinarian role to try and control their peers’ behavior.
There are many ways to help your child cope with—and ultimately enjoy—playing with friends at school. Talk with your daughter’s teacher about what she has tried so far to help her play more interactively with other children. See if she can help your daughter engage with others, such as approaching another child or two and asking if she can join their play, or by helping her involved with other kids in more open-ended activities (e.g., playing with clay or at the sand table) that have no set rules.
Another good idea is to ask the teacher if there are one or two children whom she thinks may be a good “fit” for your daughter, who have similar interests and temperament. If so, maybe she can create opportunities for them to play one on one so that your preschooler can have a positive social experience in the classroom. Consider also spending part of the morning volunteering in your daughter’s classroom so that you can see how she interacts with other children. Peer interactions and group play are pretty tricky at 2 ½ and you want to make sure your daughter is getting the kind of support she needs in building these skills.
To support her at home, you might consider inviting a friend or two from school to your house to play. This allows your daughter to “practice” social skills in a safe, supportive environment before playing together at school. As in other areas of development, social skills develop at different rates and in different ways for young children. Giving your daughter the time to grow at her own speed, while offering her opportunities to enjoy time with peers, helps her build her first friendships.
- Terrie Rose, PhD, President and Founder, Baby’s Space
- Ross Thompson, PhD, Professor of Psychology, University of California at Davis
- Robert Weigand, MS, IMH-E, Director, Child Development Laboratory, Arizona State University
This ZERO TO THREE newsletter series was made possible by generous funding from the MetLife Foundation.
Read more about:
In this resource | <urn:uuid:15e06731-5c63-4497-9d69-ba259c3e37ee> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/1271-from-baby-to-big-kid-month-30 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.967441 | 5,446 | 1.515625 | 2 |
that Sterling silver jewelry has always been a precious metal popular in ancient legends and in the history of each country. While silver is used in many products, it is used as money and sterling silver jewelry is the source of its mystique and intrigue. There are many cinemas based on stealing sterling silver jewelry and looking for sterling silver jewelry lost with magical qualities. If you love sterling silver jewelry, you probably feel the same way every time you put your silver jewelry and go off on an adventure.
Sterling Silver Jewelry – Keep It Clean!
Sterling silver jewelry presents an extraordinary variety of styles and textures in its 4000 years of history. Have you ever noticed how your sterling silver jewelry sometimes catch your eye and cast a spell? It is not just your illusion. The hypnotic power of a sterling silver jewel flows from its highly glossy surface that reflects light in a way that no other jewel can do. Another finish applied to sterling silver jewelry is the rhodium that gives it a slightly darker finish. As you know, silver jewelery sterilizes. Keep a soft cloth and a shiny silver and handy to keep shiny Manuel Bozzi sterling silver jewelry .
Sterling Silver Jewelry – Why is the 92.5 percent silver?
The term “sterling silver jewelry” refers to the jewelry throw with 92.5 percent silver. This is because 100% pure silver jewels are a little soft and prone to bending and breaking. The 92.5 percent silver content creates sterling silver jewelery that is both elegant and durable. Reproductions of sterling silver jewelry worn by de and queens represent a romantic bond between today’s enamored people and ancient history. Browse sterling silver jewelry online for ancient and extraordinary jewelry that excite the soul.
Sterling silver jewelery – Tips on buying
When buying sterling silver jewelry on Net, keep in mind that most online stores are honest and they care about your satisfaction. Most offer a thirty day guarantee on sterling silver and the jewels | <urn:uuid:d768048e-a297-4515-befd-487227c63c9e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.yeezyzebrav2.us.com/jewelery-mystique-intrigue/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.913743 | 404 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Conserving and extending habitats now rare elsewhere in Canterbury is one of the main aims of restoration.
These dark hummocky bushes are among the last natural remnants of manuka on the Canterbury Plains. The younger plants are survivors from earlier restoration work. Many people think manuka is fit only for firewood, but its role as a major pioneer species was once vital. It colonised both wet and dry ground, forming a protective nurse for taller forest species. Manuka-shrub peatland also provides nectar for native butterflies and other insects. Restoring this habitat is made difficult by the manuka blight. This self-introduced scale insect and the associated sooty mould often kill manuka in eastern Canterbury.
Upright patches of the rare baumea sedge are a remnant vegetation type, now present in coastal Canterbury only in small threatened populations. This sedge stands tall among the flattened areas of introduced carnation sedge and soft rush near the manuka-shrub peatland.
Can you find this plant?
Can you see this bird ?
Sacred Kingfisher, Todiramphus sancta, Kotare
The Kingfisher would be one of New Zealands best known birds.
It is called “sacred” for it was said to be a holy bird for Polynesians, who believed it to have control over the waves.
Both sexes are similar, but females are usually more dull-colored. Juveniles have rusty-brown edges on the collar and underparts.
Kingfishers nest in burrows dug in clay banks or old dead trees. | <urn:uuid:0ae1c0c6-4cb5-4a96-ad33-d109f37b4cb9> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://traviswetland.org.nz/site-index/site-9-manuka/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571584.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812045352-20220812075352-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.945062 | 333 | 3.546875 | 4 |
50 Lb. Annual Ryegrass
Produces from one to three tons of forage per acre which can be used for grazing, hay or silage. Has a broad tender leaf stem. Exceptionally palatable. Good protein content. Rapid recovery after heavy grazing.
- Planting Date: October - March
- Planting Rate: Pasture - 20 to 25 pounds per *Planting Rate: Lawns - 10 pounds per 1000 sq. ft.
- Fertilization Requirements: Check with Fertilizer Dealer or County Agent. | <urn:uuid:fd5cf841-2b42-4366-93b5-7c10055d0e3f> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://arnallgrocery.com/products/50-lb-annual-ryegrass | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.809845 | 114 | 1.75 | 2 |
Robredo: ‘Why reject drug war probe if there are no rights violations?’
MANILA, Philippines — Why reject the call of United Nations rights experts for an independent probe of the Duterte administration’s drug war if there have been no rights violations in its conduct?
Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo posed this question on Sunday over the decision of Malacañan Palace to reject the call.
Robredo said the rejection would only raise suspicion that there were indeed violations in the conduct the drug war.
“Iyong sa atin lang, kung totoo na walang human rights violations dito, bakit sasalungatin natin iyong imbestigasyon? Kasi ‘di ba, mas mabuti ngang pinapakita natin na wala tayong tinatago kaysa haharangin natin?” Robredo said during her weekly radio program, “BISErbisyong LENI,” aired over AM radio station DZXL.
[Our part, if it’s true that there have been no human rights violation in its conduct, why oppose the investigation? Isn’t it better for us to show that we’re not hiding anything rathern that block it?]
“Kasi iyong sadya naman ng imbestigasyon para masigurong walang masamang nangyayari. Pero kapag hinaharang natin, hindi ba parang lalong nakakadagdag sa pagdududa? Bakit mo haharangin kung wala ka namang tinatago?” she added.
[The aim of the investigation is to make sure that nothing wrong is happening. But if we block it, wouldn’t to that add to the doubts? Why will you block it if you have nothing to hide?]
Robredo explained that the UN, as an “additional protector of humanity,” would intervene if any government should fail to protect the rights of its own citizens.
“Ito, itong United Nations na human rights experts, iyon iyong dahilan kung bakit nandiyan sila — dahil may mga gobyerno na hindi maayos iyong pagpo-protect sa human rights. Kaya kapag mayroong mga gobyernong ganoon, nagse-step in sila,” Robredo said.
[That’s the reason why these United Nations human rights experts are there — because there are government who don’t properly protect human rights. When you have a government like that, then that’s when they step in.]
“Ako naman, kung ako ang pamahalaan, kung wala naman akong tinatago, iwe-welcome ko iyon. Kasi kapag gumawa sila ng imbestigasyon at wala naman silang nakita, hindi ba parang affirmation iyon na tama iyong sinasabi natin?” she added.
[On my part, if I were the government, if I have nothing to hide, I would welcome it. If they do an investigation and they see nothing, then wouldn’t that be an affirmation that what we’ve been saying is the truth?]
Robredo underscored that the independent probe would be an opportunity for the administration to prove that the allegation of rights violations was not true.
“Pagkakataon para malinis iyong pangalan na hindi naman totoo iyong sinasabi, hindi totoo iyong haka-haka na maraming human rights violations dito. Kaya kung ako, papadaliin ko pa iyong trabaho nila. Tutulungan para, ‘di ba?” Robredo said.
[This is an opportunity to clear ourselves that what is being said is not true, that it‘s not true that there are many human rights violations here. So if it were up to me, I would make their work easier and help them.]
On Saturday, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo tagged the call of the UN human rights experts as “an outrageous interference [in] Philippine sovereignty” while insisting that the drug war had been following a strict protocol.
“The 11 UN special rapporteurs’ act of peddling a biased and absolutely false recital of facts, adulterated with malicious imputations against the constituted authorities smacks of unpardonable intrusions on our sovereignty,” Panelo said in a statement.
READ: Palace: Calls for UN probe of slays ‘intellectually challenged’
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) also rejected the call for a probe, saying that it was “being made in bad faith by parties who want to undermine domestic processes and spread disinformation, on the basis of one-sided reports coming from questionable sources.”
(Editor: Alexander T. Magno)
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|Photo by Michael Powers|
L.A. school officials have retreated from a bold school-conversion plan that was supposed to relieve a student-overcrowding crisis. Under the plan, the district would have converted middle schools to high schools, and elementary schools to middle schools. In four months, however, not one school has been firmly identified for conversion, as administrators have encountered either unremitting community hostility or disabling logistical problems.
“We cannot convert all of the middle schools to high schools, and all of the elementary to middle schools,” said interim Superintendent Ramon Cortines in an interview. “We cannot afford to.” And it’s not just money. Cortines also believes academic programs could suffer from students being assigned to unsuitable campuses: “I think I know about school buildings. There is no way.”
The remarks of Cortines, who took charge of the school system on January 18, underscore the magnitude of the overcrowding and its resistance to any quick fix. Cortines’ comments to the Weekly also are the first public acknowledgment from a top district official that a widespread school-conversion strategy, introduced with a flourish in November, simply isn’t going to work.
The pressure to find class seats increased further in January when the school board — acting on the recommendation of Chief Operating Officer Howard Miller — abandoned the half-finished, scandal-plagued Belmont Learning Complex, which sits on an old oil field. Miller concluded that he could produce the same 3,500 seats faster and cheaper at a site not plagued by oil-field con- tamination. At first, Cortines strongly supported the Miller recommendation. He later asked for further study instead, but was overridden by a board majority.
Now Miller and Cortines have to deliver. One potential escape hatch for Belmont-area students is the site of the shuttered Ambassador Hotel, where a deal for a school is in the works. But that project presents obstacles of its own, mainly from preservationists who want to save the historic property and City Councilman Nate Holden who doesn’t.
Los Angeles Unified, the nation’s second-largest school system with 711,000 students, needs well over 100 new campuses, an enormous undertaking by any standard, especially for a school system that hasn’t built a single comprehensive high school in nearly 30 years. Miller has inherited a discredited school-facilities division, one decimated by retirements, suspensions, transfers and demotions in the wake of critical internal audits last year.
Miller’s magic bullet — the conversion plan — was based on the reality that large parcels of unpolluted land are hard to find in urban Los Angeles, while smaller schools for younger children are simpler and cheaper to construct. So in November, Miller proposed building 150 new primary centers to serve children in their own neighborhoods through the second or third grades. Existing elementary schools, meanwhile, would take in grades three or four through eight, while current middle schools would become small high schools. While conceptually compelling, his plan looks increasingly less practicable.
Superintendent Cortines, to whom Miller reports, said it simply makes no sense to mix and match students and buildings as though they were all interchangeable variables. While South Gate Middle School would work well as a high school, he said, the displaced middle school students would not fare as well: “There is not an elementary school that can [house] that kind of industrial-arts program.” In addition, South Gate Middle School “has some of the best physical-education facilities. It has an outstanding library. There is no elementary library as large as that library.” Elementary school classrooms, he added, are not the right size for older students, and elementary campuses don’t have science labs. “For us to say, we will provide you equity someplace else — we can’t do it.”
Nor did Miller’s plan receive rousing support in South Gate. An estimated 1,200 residents gave Miller an earful at a January 25 community meeting at South Gate Park.
“The parents were furious. They absolutely hated the new plan,” said Lorena Padilla-Melendez, field deputy for Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, whose staff organized the gathering. Parents did not like the grouping of fourth graders with eighth graders, even though some schools have been successful with those age spans.
South Gate residents were bound to be distrustful, given that the school board — again at Miller’s urging — had just killed a long-awaited elementary school and high school project in that city because the construction site was polluted. The elementary school has been needed since the desertion of Tweedy Elementary School in 1987 due to its own toxic contamination problem. For 13 years, the Tweedy staff has operated out of temporary bungalows in a city park. In response to the community outrage, Miller and his staff have pledged to reconsider all options in South Gate.
Though residents were less hostile, the conversion idea also got flak at a community meeting hosted by Reed Middle School in North Hollywood. And in the east San Fernando Valley, the proposed conversion of Sun Valley Middle School has been shelved because the campus is adjacent to a landfill. New regulations on school construction near landfills would raise steep regulatory hurdles, according to district staff.
Though the conversion plan has stalled, the primary-center initiative got a boost last week from allies of Mayor Richard Riordan. Attorney O’Malley Miller, a partner in Munger, Tolles & Olson, proposed enlisting private developers, using pre-approved specifications, to build the primary centers. The developers would manage the entire project, including financing, then hand over the school, and their bill, to L.A. Unified.
Miller’s idea evolved from more than two years as chairman of the mayor’s Primary Center Task Force. This advisory group was established to help the district build 10 primary centers a year. “We gave it our best shot, and got four of them open in two and a half years,” said Miller. “But when that’s the best you can do, you have to try a better approach.” He added, “How many schools did the school district on its own start and open in that time? None, zero.”
The last straw, he said, was the misplacement of two additional primary centers. One of them occupies part of a public alley; another intrudes on private property. The school district’s full-time surveying staff, he added, is neither qualified nor properly certified.
“Through sheer bureaucratic ineptitude on a breathtaking scale, the school district has been unable to build enough schools so that children can be educated within a reasonable distance from their homes,” said Miller, who is not related to district COO Howard Miller.
At the moment, however, the O’Malley Miller plan is little more than a brainstorm. Noted Miller: “A reporter asked me if I could send him an outline of the proposal on paper. I told him, ‘It doesn’t exist.’”
In fact, much of the district’s facilities strategy is downright ephemeral. “It does seem a bit uncertain,” said one senior staffer, who requested anonymity. “We don’t know what it’s going to be like next week. I don’t think Howard Miller has any trouble making decisions. But the staff is having difficulty trying to obtain the information he wants and keep up with their other tasks. Mostly it’s a manpower issue.”
The last several months have seen the departures of the most senior district administrators with a say in facilities matters, but to some observers, Miller himself is part of the problem. “One of the historic sins of the school district has been a culture of withholding information with the idea that either people don’t need to know or that someone knows better,” said architect Michael Lehrer, vice chair of the local school-bond oversight committee. “In a public mission of this scale, transparency is of itself a huge achievement.”
Like other Miller initiatives, the conversion plan was presented “like a done deal,” said Lehrer. “The problem is that it’s completely dependent on our faith in the ability of one person, or a group of people, to propose a project of staggering complexity. Howard Miller is holding his cards so close to his chest, and I don’t understand why.”
Miller was not available for an interview, but has publicly outlined his general plans, and attended community meetings, as in South Gate. Miller does understand the importance of community buy-in, said East L.A. Community College President Ernest H. Moreno, who is teaming with L.A. Unified to build class space on his campus. It was at Miller’s behest that Moreno decided to consult again with faculty members over the joint venture.
School board member Caprice Young defended Miller’s ideas as holding great promise. “We’re still trying to get things done with a broken system,” said Young. “We have to fix the system and get things built at the same time.”
Inevitably, time is lost as Miller struggles to assemble a staff. The void is being filled in part by consultants and by business figures with ties to the mayor. The staff report on alternatives to Belmont is being assembled by Edwin Van Ginkel, of the Arthur Anderson consulting firm. Veteran developer and Riordan ally Stuart Ketchum has been sitting in on negotiations to acquire the Ambassador Hotel site. And O’Malley Miller has assembled a working group to pilot the private-development scenario. His team includes Anita Landecker, a business associate of Riordan friend Bill Siart, who has started a firm to develop public charter schools.
“Every time I meet a new consultant, I have some reservations as to why that person is here,” commented one staffer. “Are they necessary? What’s the real motive? Is their loyalty to the district or to their pocketbook?”
Some of the ideas — such as letting a developer finance a school — hearken back to strategies tried unsuccessfully at Belmont. “There was nothing wrong with the concept at Belmont,” said veteran developer Ketchum, “except that it was badly negotiated, managed and administered.”
O’Malley Miller will not hear of comparisons to Belmont, the $200 million school that sits half-finished atop an old oil field on the edge of downtown. “That project was totally wacko,” he said. “I’m suggesting something simple and straightforward.”
Canceling the Belmont project was a blow to students and parents who’ve watched the school rise for more than two years — and who were promised a new school as far back as the 1980s. Determined to offer a quick alternative, district officials have refocused on the Ambassador Hotel site, which has a longer history as a proposed school than even Belmont.
In the 1980s, the school district battled over the site with New York developer Donald Trump, who talked of erecting the world’s tallest building on the Wilshire Boulevard frontage. The school system had its own grand designs, plotting to use the 23.7 acres for both a high school and a shopping center, which would include its own high-rise. L.A. Unified used condemnation powers to claim the rear 17 acres just before the real estate market crashed, a critical misfortune in timing. In the ensuing litigation, Trump and fellow investors conceded that the school district had the right to take the property, but also contended that L.A. Unified was legally obligated to pay the market price at the time condemnation proceedings began. To avoid this financial obligation, the school district eventually abandoned the condemnation. Instead, district officials got state approval to transfer state money intended for the Ambassador’s purchase to the Belmont site. The district, however, continued to have a stake in the property, because its owners have never returned the school district’s $48 million deposit.
Of course, the Ambassador would still make an ideal school site. More than 2,000 high school students live within six blocks. According to district sources, the deal now under negotiation would include developers led by Magic Johnson’s business team, which would raise $20 million to $30 million to buy the front part. A high school would occupy the rear section, while Seventh Street would be extended through what is now the main hotel structure. The leftovers of the Trump team — Trump sold out in 1998 — would exit through foreclosure proceedings or become a party to the new development agreement.
But if L.A. Unified wants to build fast, it also may have to deal with preservationists from the Los Angeles Conservancy. In addition to being the site of Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination, the Ambassador played the role of both grand hotel and Hollywood nightspot, catalyzing the development of Wilshire Boulevard. Litigation from the Conservancy could delay demolition for a year or two. Instead, the conservancy is offering a fast-track compromise that would preserve the main hotel building, while also allowing some commercial development in front and a small high school in back. The old hotel could be re-used, for example, as the school-district headquarters, freeing the district’s downtown headquarters for conversion to a school, said Ken Bernstein, the Conservancy’s director of preservation issues. School-board member David Tokofsky, who chairs the district’s facilities committee, said the suggestion merits consideration.
District sources, however, report resistance from City Councilman Nate Holden to any high school. Holden could hold up commercial development, as well as any change to the city street grid. He did not return calls, but reportedly regards high school students as detrimental to business development on Wilshire.
“There is no clean, easy answer to any of these things, and there are an awful of moving parts right now,” said Ketchum. “The school district needs about 20 Howard Millers.”
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers. | <urn:uuid:84377840-a8a7-4896-8385-8a5b17f3f817> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.laweekly.com/spacing-schools/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570793.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808092125-20220808122125-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.97117 | 3,011 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Uzboi – shadow of bygone river
As can be seen flying in a plane over the deserts Transcaspia – sun-scorched land, gray- yellow sand dunes stretching to the horizon – and suddenly in the middle of nowhere there riverbed. Water in it, and before the eyes of the astonished traveler – deathly gray bottom, steep bend of the river , with high external and internal sloping shore. Uzboi famous and mysterious ” shadow bygone river” , the old channel of the Amu Darya , once a tributary of the Caspian Sea , and only then turned to the Aral Sea .
Famous wadis – dry riverbeds , filled with water only in the rainy season – were first described in the North African desert , and that’s why for them in the global geographical literature Arabic name stuck . The easiest way would be to assume that Uzboi also represents something similar. However, the scientists who conducted the research here , sure : Uzboi – this is a typical river valley formed by a long-acting and permanent river stream . Rapids land bed , swings with traces of former activity waterfalls, formed terraces with numerous remains of shells of freshwater mussels and organic remains of the former Flora – all this leaves no doubt that in the Trans-Caspian desert deep river once flowed .
Geological and human history
Today, most geographers of the opinion that Uzboi originates from the geological epoch, when the site of ancient Tethys Ocean – present territory of Turan – marine waters receded , and in their place new elements formed relief. At the same time , according to geologists , there was a vast Karakum plain, in the western part of which in the course of active tectonic processes having the Aral Sea Basin and Sarikamish Basin . It gradually filled by fresh water , and at some point the water flow over the edge , rushed to the Caspian Sea . The fact that this was exactly the Amu Darya , scientists have no doubt .
The origins of the Amu Darya – it glaciers on the tops of the Afghan Hindu Kush. Starting here swift and rapid mountain stream locals called Vachan-Darya . Further, he has become a small river , the river merges with the Pamir and receives a new name – Panj . First, it is the frontier river , which separates Afghanistan from three Central Asian countries. For here is so rapid , and the rocks on the banks so steep that the river is not only unsuitable for navigation but also for irrigation. Taking the waters of rivers Gunt Murghab Kyzylsu and Vakhsh and Panj affluent becomes calmer . Taking after merging with a new name Vakhsh – Amu Darya or river already carries more water than the famous Nile. Then she takes his last major tributary – Surkhandarya – and rushes to the west , where almost to the confluence of the Aral Sea area divides two deserts – the Kyzyl Kum and Kara . However, the Amu Darya and the plain , which is called also Dzheyhun , reveals its stormy . The river so wide that its opposite shore is lost in the haze , running oblique waves generated not by the wind, and the fast-flowing water to foam , whirlpools dragging debris boards and bundles of reeds, sometimes podmyta shores with cannon roar descend into the water blocks . The water here has always meant life, but it also brought untold misery – river flooding in the flood were a disaster . And the old men repeated if razolyut Tedjen and Syrdarya – it does not matter . But if you come from the banks Dzheyhun …
Already at its mouth Amu presents another surprise : she runs up to ten channels and forms one of the largest river deltas in the world – an area of more than eleven thousand square kilometers. Accurate map of the vast intricacies of channels , creeks , canals, islands and marsh reed jungle does not exist. As fickle river and then changes direction, some ducts dry , others previously dry, fill with water , changing contours of the islands , headlands and river bends .
Alas, much has been in the past: from the last century Central Asian rivers of water for irrigation mercilessly , and as a result there shoaling wells dried up channels once blooming coast turned into a desert. Now the water does not reach the Amu Darya to the Aral Sea .
Currently near the Amu Darya delta of the former Aral can easily find the point where it branches off from the already parched sleeve called Daryalik – this is the beginning Uzboi . He moves to the very Sarikamish depression , from which comes the two arms of a bygone river – Acts and Adzhaib . Former estuary Uzboi today is easy to see on the coast of the Caspian Sea Krasnovodsky Gulf .
But how and why Uzboi ceased to exist ?
Classical geology and ” folk geography ”
There are many versions and legends. Most Russian researchers western Turan believe Uzboi originated existed and stopped its flow in prehistoric times – that is that way for about 10,000 years. Expedition led by archaeologist SP Tolstova found that runoff Uzboi stopped at least 2-3 thousand years ago because , as they say geologists , with the transgression of the Caspian Sea and the decrease in the level of Lake Sarykamysh due to reduced inflow of water into it Amudarya .
However, to say that this version does not fit in geological history, to say nothing . Too detailed map of bygone river preserved in popular memory : the inhabitants of Central Asian deserts unmistakably indicate not only the bayou , but even existed in her skirts . The most amazing thing is that instead of Burgundy – Adzhikuinskih rapids near the mouth Uzboi , from the bottom of a dried-up river water are the huge run- stones . And even more difficult to imagine that on the banks of the dried Daryalyk – part Uzboi – already in the XIII century rise majestic fortress Ak -Kaya – ” White Rock .” On its shores you can see the graves and mausoleums of revered saints – shrines, and ruins of ancient cities and the remains of the caravan routes . Here are found the remains of an original irrigation system is a dense network of water conveyance channels , between which there were irrigated. All this, historians believe , simply could not exist if there was no water Uzboi or she appeared here occasionally.
Moreover, in its own, so to speak, ” the middle reaches ” Uzboi today gives the impression of a lively river with beaches, framed by thickets of tamarisk and reeds . Channel is filled with bright blue lakes salt brine . Valley Uzboi collects groundwater from all over the neighborhood, and salt lakes Uzboi long known for its healing powers of clay and salt water, drank it and bathed in it . Preserved here and freshwater lakes : Yaskhan , Togolok and Topiatan .
Put forward , however, and other versions , according to which the flow of water in Uzboi in historical times and was repeatedly interrupted. It is believed , for example, that until the XVI century, the Amu Darya has her mouth Aral Hlyboki known as Daryalik that Sarikamish and fed lake and Uzboi . Finally, in many historical documents can be found evidence that during those most turbulent spills water broke through in the Amudarya and Daryalik Sarykamysh . | <urn:uuid:029cc2e1-efe2-4a6b-9129-2955b819d2d5> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://deepworlds.net/uzboi-shadow-of-bygone-river/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571584.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812045352-20220812075352-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.952247 | 1,626 | 3.03125 | 3 |
Last week, on Saturday morning, I went along to Messy Café. Now, Messy Café is a type of house group, largely aimed at Messy Church families. It allows us to explore the Bible in more depth, just like we would at any other house group, but in very family friendly way (although it’s still fab if you don’t go with a family!).
I waddled in at 9am to the beautiful smell of bacon! There was a wonderful array of foods for breakfast, from crumpets with chocolate spread, marmite and more, toast and of course, bacon rolls with plenty of ketchup!
After plenty of time to chat to each other, grab a drink and gobble down as much bacon as possible, we dive into the Bible. We use the same bible passage that we used in the previous Messy Church, so this month it was the story of the Lost Son! We read through the passage three time, and asked questions such as: what surprises you in this passage? How do you think the characters felt? And what does this mean for us?
We then end with prayers, and this is the bit I really want to talk about! The way that we pray at Messy Café is slightly different to how I’ve ever seen praying done before. I’ve titled this blog, “Praying without praying” because this is kind of what it feels like – we are praying, communicating with God, without using the stereotypical hands together eyes closed method, or through one person praying for the group, or through a pre-written prayer.
The way that we pray at Messy Café is by looking through newspapers: local, national, diocesan, our church magazine; and picking out situations we see that we want to bring before God. So, how do we bring them before God? – we just speak them out into the group, giving them over to God.
Different people, reading different newspapers come up with a whole range of situations – from global news such as elections and disasters such as the Grenfell Tower fire, to events going on in local schools, to the families of those who have recently had funerals held at our church.
By speaking these out and handing them over, in our hearts, to God we are asking for his hand upon them and for him to help them achieve whatever it is they need. This is such a wonderful, laid back way of praying that allows people of all ages and backgrounds to engage with God in such a simple way.
But this isn’t just for Messy Café, this is such an uncomplicated way of praying situations into God’s hands, that we can do this anywhere! Whilst watching the news, whilst reading a newspaper, by taking time specifically to pray over newspapers and magazines, it can be done anytime, anywhere and by anyone. | <urn:uuid:54b62805-1816-4677-8f85-0a6d26aa9ffd> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://arnoldprays.co.uk/2017/07/04/praying-without-praying/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570793.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808092125-20220808122125-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.971179 | 593 | 1.546875 | 2 |
101st Airborne Deployed, Six Destroyers to Mediterranean, F-35 Squadrons to U.K.
In this outline we will update on the troop and military movements and then explain why the war with Russia is becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. In many ways this will be the “Climate Change War,” you will see why below.
First, the U.S. is moving troops from the 101st Airborne ‘screaming eagles’ into NATO allied countries on the western border of Ukraine. This is the first deployment of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to Europe in 80 years. As noted by base reporting, “Elements of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, and 101st Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 101st Airborne Division, have been assigned to carry out the mission.” [source]
“We’re going to check the Russian influence and we’re going to impact the Russians’ decision-making for probably the next 10-20 years,” said Col. John Lubas, deputy commanding officer for operations, 101st Airborne Division, in a pre-deployment briefing. “We’re going to do this with all our partners in NATO, the European Union and the West, and this is an incredibly important mission.”
Maj. Gen. JP McGee, commanding general, 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell, said the division has been in an increased readiness posture for several months and is just as prepared now as during World War II. | <urn:uuid:f90cc2fc-9d58-49c2-8689-9ee55f650883> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://iotwreport.com/biden-sends-more-u-s-troops-to-ukraine-border/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571222.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810222056-20220811012056-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.9512 | 334 | 2.015625 | 2 |
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