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Scientists agree that over last century the earth has become warmer. But do we really know why this has happened? This book explains, an interplay of the clouds, the Sun and cosmic rays - sub-atomic particles from exploded stars - which seems to have more effect on the climate than manmade carbon dioxide.
- Limba : Engleza
- Data Publicarii : 15 Feb 2007
- Format : Paperback
- Numar pagini : 272
- ISBN : 9781840468151
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In November 1788, he married fellow émigré Janet Barker at St. Peter's Episcopal church. Beginning a few months after the wedding, the first of their children were christened at the Albany Presbyterian church.
For the next quarter century, these Barkleys were Albany mainstays. Census returns in 1790, 1800, and 1810 chart the growth of their small family. Assessment rolls valued their second ward house and personal property modestly. In 1813, and until his death, James Barkley was listed in the city directory at 59 Chapel Street
In 1788 and in 1791, he was listed among the first ward firemen. In 1813, he was identified as the "City Superintendent" and as a member of the city Council.
In December 1811, an Albany newspaper reported that a "spaniel dog, belonging to James Barclay, was taken out of a room in an uninhabited house in Albany where he was accidentally confined for 42 days without food or drink. Dog was alive, though too weak to stand. He was recovered."
James Barkley died in January 1814 at the age of sixty-two and was buried in the Presbyterian cemetery plot. His will passed probate in November. Widow Janet carried on in their 59 Chapel Street home until her passing in 1818.
Sources: The life of James Barkley is CAP biography number 7208. This sketch is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources.
first posted: 1/20/08
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In 18 years, I have come to believe that there are three definite points to leading a happy and productive life. These are 1) balance is key, 2) keeping an open mind is a necessity, and 3) life is too short to be an ass. While I believe that there are more truths of a good life out there, there are no others that I have honestly been able to assign to fact in my mind in the 18 years I have had on Earth. Aside from these notions, I have come to believe a number of other things, though I leave these open to change as I experience new things acquire new information. Among these, I believe that ideas, principles, and systems should always been looked upon as works in progress, as complacency never seems to accomplish anything. This ties into what I see increasingly as the failed American dream, as once a comfort level is reached, whether it be in one’s education, work, relationships, and particularly aspirations and dreams, the attempt towards progress and improvement are halted. I believe that adaptation and a willingness to change are important, and that as we live and learn, we should adjust ourselves accordingly.
If you enjoyed this essay, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to This I Believe, Inc.
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Colombia mine explosion kills 5, traps 70June 17th, 2010 - 8:11 pm ICT by BNO News
AMAGA, COLOMBIA (BNO NEWS) — At least five miners were killed and 70 others remain trapped after a large gas explosion ripped through a coal mine in northwest Colombia on Thursday, officials said.
The blast happened around 1 a.m. local time at the San Fernando mine in Amaga, a town in the country’s Antioquia Department. John Fredy Rendon, director of the Antioquia Disaster Prevention and Attention System, confirmed at least five people had been killed.
Seventy others are believed to remain trapped. Their conditions were not immediately known.
Around 150 people were inside the mine when the explosion happened, but at least 80 of them were rescued several hours after the accident. Rendon said there was a shift change at the time of the explosion, which means there were more employees in the mine than normally.
The San Fernando mine is one of the largest coal mines in Colombia.
- 8 dead, 70 trapped in Colombia mine explosion - Jun 17, 2010
- 16 killed in Colombia coal mine explosion (Lead) - Jun 17, 2010
- Five dead, dozens trapped after blast at coal mine in northeastern Colombia - Jan 26, 2011
- Eight miners rescued from gold mine in Colombia - Mar 29, 2010
- Toll in Colombia coal mine blast reaches 73 - Jun 25, 2010
- 72 feared dead in Colombia mining disaster - Jun 18, 2010
- 20 killed in Colombia mine blast - Jan 27, 2011
- 53 rescuers pulled out of southwest China mine, 5 workers trapped - Jul 29, 2012
- Six killed in China mine blast - Feb 15, 2012
- Dozens feared killed after coal mine blasts in western Pakistan - Mar 20, 2011
- Five sacked over China coal mine blast - Oct 22, 2011
- Four dead in China mine gas blast - Aug 28, 2012
- China: 11 workers confirmed dead in Changzhi mine accident - Apr 17, 2012
- At least 11 dead, 66 missing after explosions at Russia's largest coal mine - May 09, 2010
- Shaft collapses at coal mine in southwest China, killing 5 - Sep 25, 2011
Tags: amaga, antioquia department, attention system, bno, coal mine, coal mines, colombia, disaster prevention, explosion ripped through, gas explosion, local time, mine explosion, miners, northwest, shift change, traps
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The original Philco Predicta was an iconic futurist design—an early, ambitious attempt at a flat-screen TV that looked nothing like the big cabinet sets of its day. It was produced from 1958 to 1960 and sold by the Philco corporation, otherwise known for their console design work with NASA and line of other consumer electronics.
This new tribute to the old set is a little ... smaller, sitting at just two-inches wide. The casing is made of a 3D-printed resin, while the television screen is a modern LCD.
It can't receive television signals—you have to use on-board memory to store video files. But hey, it sure looks neat.
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Williamsburg, PA is a borough in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. Williamsburg is located along Pennsylvania Route 866, approximately fifteen miles from Altoona to the west and thirteen miles from Huntingdon to the east.
Williamsburg Borough, one of the oldest boroughs in Blair County, was founded in 1790 by Jacob Ake. Williamsburg was originally called Aketown after it's founder Jacob Ake. Jacob Ake established the first free school in the area. He donated the land, erected the building, hired the teachers and when the neighborhood children failed to attend school, he acted as a truant officer. In 1810, the town became named Williamsburg in honor of Jacob Ake's son, William. By 1810, 34 houses stood within Williamsburg. In 1820 an inn and distillery owned by, John Martin, were added to the town. Mr. Martin owned one slave. This is the only record of slavery for Williamsburg, PA. On November 28, 1832 the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Canal in Williamsburg, PA opened when the packetboat "John Blair" left Huntingdon, for the west. The Blair County Children's Home, established in 1902, was located in Williamsburg, PA for many years until it was destroyed by fire on Aug. 2, 1975.
Today, the borough consists of approximately 30 blocks, centered on High and Second Streets. As of the census of 2010, there were 4,185 people, 1,610 households, and 1,129 families residing within the borough.
Williamsburg, PA has a mayor and 7 member council form of government. The borough office is located at 305 E. Second Street Williamsburg, PA 16693 (814) 832-2051. Office Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Williamsburg Public Library opened on January 28, 1950. The library is currently located at 511 West 2nd Street Williamsburg, PA 16693 (814) 832-3367
Williamsburg Area Volunteer Fire Company Station 90 was established in 1900. The fire company started with a Chief, several hosemen, and a fire cart. In 1981 The Fire Department and Ambulance Service moved to its current location of 305 East 2nd Street Williamsburg, PA 16693 Non-Emergency;814-832-3338 and Emergency: 911
Some recreation areas in or near Williamsburg, PA are;
The Lower Trail, which is part of the Rails to Trails runs along the Juniata River.
The historic Royer Mansion, located 5 miles south of Williamsburg, PA along Rt 866.
Etna Furnace, located just north of Williamsburg in Catherine Township.
If you are approaching Williamsburg on Route 866 from the west, once you cross the Juniata River (Frankstown Branch) two natural landmarks can be seen on the left side of the road. One locally named, Indian Rocks, is a series of exposed ridges of tall chimney like stone formations. The other landmark is a flat rock outcropping locally named, Table Rock. A hiker standing on top of Table Rock has a spectacular view over the entire town of Williamsburg, PA. Native American legends are associated with these rock formations.
On the south side of Williamsburg is a large natural spring locally named, The Big Spring. This Spring is the reason Charles Schwab, the steel tycoon, built a paper mill in Williamsburg, PA. The Big Spring is a favorite photography location for many wedding parties.
Notable people of Williamsburg, PA.
Charles Schwab was born on Feb. 18, 1862 in Williamsburg, PA. At the age of 39 he became president of the US Steel Corporation. Near the turn of the 20th century, he was asked to assist with bringing manufacturing jobs to the borough of Williamsburg. He helped fund a paper mill that was built just outside Williamsburg, PA in 1903. The paper mill's final owner was Westvaco (West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company). It was closed in the 1970s and later demolished. Mr. Schwab also helped make the borough larger by building houses for some of the mill workers. This section of Williamsburg was called Schwabtown for some time.
Wilmer Stultz, a famous aviator, was born on April 11, 1900 at a farm along Piney Creek Road south of Williamsburg, PA. Wilmer, age 14, and his mother moved to Spring Street in Williamsburg after his father passed away. Mr. Stultz piloted Amelia Earhart across the Atlantic as a passenger, making her the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. In July 1928, Amelia Earhart accompanied Wilmer to Williamsburg, PA where they and Lou Gordon rode through the town of Williamsburg in a convertible with state police as escorts, and ending the event with a huge town welcoming celebration. Mr. Stultz died on July 1, 1929, in an airplane accident while stunt flying in Long Island, New York. Amelia Earhart attended Wilmer's Funeral in Williamsburg, PA. Wilmer Stultz is buried, with his wife, in the Presbyterian Cemetery near The Big Spring in Williamsburg, PA.
External Links for Williamsburg, PA:
Williamsburg Library -http://www.williamsburgpl.net/
Williamsburg Fire Department - http://www.wfdstation90.com/index.html
Williamsburg Borough Office - https://sites.google.com/site/williamsburgpennsylvania/home
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Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2003 October 5
Explanation: Apollo 12 was the second mission to land humans on the Moon. The landing site was picked to be near the location of Surveyor 3, a robot spacecraft that had landed on the Moon three years earlier. In the above photograph, taken by lunar module pilot Alan Bean, mission commander Pete Conrad jiggles the Surveyor spacecraft to see how firmly it is situated. The lunar module is visible in the distance. Apollo 12 brought back many photographs and moon rocks. Among the milestones achieved by Apollo 12 was the deployment of the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package, which carried out many experiments including one that measured the solar wind.
Authors & editors:
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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Biography > Hills Electrical > Memories of Work
Back in the 1970's and 80's construction had a wry sense of humour. Photocopied jokes and notes were handed around.
Here are a couple that I've kept.
CONTRACTOR A gambler who never gets to shuffle, cut or deal.
BID A wild guess carried out to two decimal places.
SUCCESSFUL LOW BIDDER A contractor who is wonderingwhat he left out.
HOME OFFICE ESTIMATE The cost of construction in heaven.
PROJECT MANAGER The conductor of an orchestra In which every musician is playing a different tune.
CONSTRUCTION CLAIM The contractor's guess at the amount of money needed to transform a net loss into a gross profit.
CRITICAL PATH METHOD A management technique for losing your shirt under perfect control.
DELAYED PAYMENT A tourniquet applied at the pockets.
COMPLETION DATE A point at which liquidateddamages begin.
LIQUIDATED DAMAGES A penalty for failing to achieve the impossible.
AUDITORS People who go in after the battle is lost and bayonet the wounded.
LAWYERS People who go in after the auditors and strip the-bodies.
Extra Notice To Contractors
1) The work we want done is clearly shown on the attached plans and specifications. Our engineer who has had plenty of college education spent one hell of a lot of time when he drew up these plans and specifications. But nobody can think of everything. Once your bid is in, that’s it brother. From then on anything wanted by our engineer or any of his friends or anybody else, except the contractor shall be considered as shown specified or implied. and shall be provided by the contractor without expense to anybody except himself.
2 If the work is done with no extra expense to the contractor then the work will be taken down and done again until the extra expense to the contractor is satisfactory to our engineer.
3 Our engineers plans are right as drawn. If something is drawn wrong it shall be discovered by the contractor corrected and done right with no extra expense to us. It doesn’t cut any ice with us or our engineer if you point out any mistakes our engineer has drawn. If you do it will be one hell of a long time before you do anymore work for us.
4 The contractor is not supposed to make fun of our engineer his plans or the kind of work we’re having done. If he does it’s just too bad for him.
5 Any contractor walking around the job with a smile on his face is subject to the review of his bid.
6 If the contractor doesn’t find all of our engineers mistakes before he bids this job or if the contractor hasn’t got enough sense to know that engineer is going to think up a bunch of new stuff that's going to have to be done before the job is completely done then it's just too bad for him.
7 The contractor must use all of the good stuff on this job none of this crap from Japan (well this was the 1970’s)
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Maybe I should blame myself for eating too much chocolates when I was younger, and hating every dentist visit. You would agree with me if I say having such a nice teeth and smile would make someone more beautiful, the same way that a crooked teeth would break someone's look and confidence. Another fact, tooth decay, although preventable, is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world. Most of those who are affected are kids, 6 years of age and below.
In this line, the Philippine Dental Association (PDA) and Unilever partnered together, not just to fight cavities, but also to create awareness regarding the intensive oral health and personal hygiene dubbed as Batang May K. I was lucky and thankful to be invited to the press conference of Batang May K (Phase II) last Wednesday (May 8th) at the PICC.
Batang May K is just one of the projects regarding oral health improvements under the "Live. Learn. Laugh." program taking place around the world initiated by Unilever and the FDI World Dental Federation. The first phase of Batang May K was introduced in Batangas in 2007. It seeks to improve young children's oral health and overall readiness for school. The project was introduced to the media, and distinguished guests by a video presentation. It was nice to see that this program not only stresses the importance of brushing one's teeth day and night, but also eating healthy food and washing hands; as well as waste segregation and bi-annual de-worming.
|Cute brushing kids!|
The event was graced by top names in the dental groups, Dr. Robert Tajonera, President of the Philippine Dental Association shared interesting facts about campaigns. I was surprised to know that February is not just for Valentines Day as it is also the National Dental Health Month; and 3rd week of June is the Oral Cancer Awareness Week. I was even amazed to know that there is already a law passed regarding dental health care. For kids, Jollibee and Grimace mascots are not the only reason to be excited about; as PDA also has its very own mascot called Captain D (Dentist).
Dr. Tajonera finished his talk with the message - "Oral Health is part of the healthy body system.. It equates to good quality of life."
|Dr. Robert Tajonera shared that as dentists, they should take it|
upon themselves to promote oral health care.
If a good quality of life means securing your job and keeping those confidence, and probably seeing places and smiling at people - I agree to that. How many of us have given up the dream of being a flight attendant, a model and a front liner just because we don't have a good set of teeth?
The second speaker, Mr. Fernando Fernandez, Chairman and CEO of Unilever Philippines shared why Pepsodent teamed up with PDA in this campaign - "Pepsodent is an affordable, healthy family brand.. to improve the quality of mouth and life". True to that advocacy, the Batang May K gave away set of toothbrush, mug and toothpaste to the school children of Batangas to promote the awareness.
In this campaign, the saying Prevention is Better than Cure once again stands out.
|Dr. Robert Vianna, President of FDI World Dental Federation is proud of the|
Philippine Dental Associate-Pepsodent partnership to reach over 22,000 pre-school children
|Dr. Analia Mendez, Global Personal Healthcare and Home Hygiene|
Partnership Director of Unilver stresses ".. small everyday action can make a big difference.."
The event ended with the finger printing on the "It Takes Two" Commitment Wall and I also took part on it!
|There goes my fingerprints! Thick and wet - means passion and commitment!|
The talented kids of Batangas shared their wonderful art pieces depicting what good oral health is with the movers and shakers of this campaign.
It is truly an inspiring event and advocacy. I am happy that eventhough I no longer belong to that age bracket of 6 years and below, I was able to hear the inspirations behind the Batang May K Campaign directly from the people behind it. And although I do not have the perfect set of teeth (yet), I have every reason to smile when I left the venue.
|There is more to Peace to the World, there is It Takes Two to inspire people.|
Please share the love and awareness, and let's support the PDA and Pepsodent in this campaign, please share this post. It only takes a few clicks! ;)
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- This article is about the magic arte from Tales of Graces. For other artes that share the name, see Dragon Slayer (disambiguation).
Arte Description and History
The user summons a red sword in the sky, which shoots down to pierce its target. While the first sword pins the target, eight crests then form around the origin, each spawning its own sword. These swords then swoop down and strike the original enemy before swarming the rest of the battlefield.
- Tales of Graces - Malik Caesar
- Tales of Graces ƒ - Malik Caesar, Lambda Angelus, Lambda Theos (Dragon Slayer)
In-Game Descriptions and Battle Quotes
Tales of Graces
User: Malik Caesar
Localized Quote: "O sacred sword, thine is the light that severs the gloom. Pierce the dragon and deliver victory! Dragon Slayer!"
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United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that Syria’s conflict is deepening and attacks on civilian areas show no sign of abating, despite the government’s claim that it is withdrawing troops before an April 10 UN deadline to end the violence.
“Cities, towns and villages have been turned into war zones. The sources of violence are proliferating,” Ban told the UN General Assembly on Thursday.
“The human rights of the Syrian people continue to be violated. … Humanitarian needs are growing dramatically.”
Valerie Amos, the United Nations’ under-secretary for humanitarian affairs, also told Al Jazeera that the humanitarian situation in Syria was deteriorating. The UN estimates that at least 9,000 people have died in the year-long uprising.
“We estimate around a million people need help with healthcare and access to food. Even though food is available, getting access to [it] is a problem,” said Amos.
Battles raged on Friday between army deserters and forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, activists said, amid calls for massive protests in support of arming the rebellion.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that fierce battles were taking place in the villages of al-Tiba, al-Qabu and Shniyeh in central Homs province.
The fighting broke out after armed groups loyal to Assad opened fire on a group of seven women, killing two and wounding four, the UK-based rights group said in a statement.
It said regime forces were attacking districts of Homs city and that the encircled town of Rastan to the north was being bombarded with mortar rounds and heavy machine-gun fire.
Syrian forces also broadened an offensive against opposition fighters in three Damascus suburbs on Friday in an apparent attempt to crush pockets of rebellion near the capital.
Troops conducted raids in the suburbs of Saqba and Douma following overnight clashes with army defectors in Saqba and the nearby suburb of Arbeen, said the SOHR.
The group said three members of the military were killed.
Tanks patrolled deserted streets in the sprawling Douma district, about 12 kilometres outside Damascus, with snipers setting up positions atop a 12-storey medical building.
‘Silence the tanks’
Kofi Annan, the UN-Arab League envoy trying to end the conflict, said Syria has informed him of partial withdrawals from three locations – Idlib, Zabadani and Daraa – “but it is clear that more far-reaching action is urgently required”.
“We must silence the tanks, helicopters, mortars and guns, and stop all other forms of violence too: sexual abuse, torture, executions, abductions, destruction of homes, forced displacement, and other such abuses, including on children,” he said, addressing the General Assembly from Geneva by video conference.
Annan and Ban spoke to the assembly minutes after the UN Security Council called on Syria to “urgently and visibly” fulfill its pledge to halt the use of troops and weapons by April 10.
It called on the government and opposition to stop all violence within 48 hours if Syria met the pullout deadline.
UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos
The presidential statement, read out by Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the UN, whose country holds the Council’s presidency for the month of April, raised the possibility of “further steps” if Syria failed to implement the six-point Annan plan, which Assad agreed to on March 25.
The statement called on all parties, including the opposition, to stop armed violence in all forms in 48 hours after the Syrian government fully fulfills the measures.
“The Security Council requests the envoy to update the Council on the cessation of violence in accordance with the above timeline, and progress towards implementation of his six-point proposal in its entirety. In the light of these reports, the Security Council will consider further steps as appropriate,” it said.
Ban said the situation on the ground in Syria was continuing to deteriorate in remarks that were highly critical of the Assad government for unleashing attacks in response to what he said were “the legitimate demands of the Syrian people – the same demands that people across the Arab world have been making for more than a year now”.
Calling for all parties to honour the ceasefire agreement, he said: “I urge the government and opposition commanders to issue clear instructions so that the message reaches across the country, down to the fighter and soldier at the local level.”
A UN team arrived in Damascus on Thursday to start technical preparations for the possible deployment of UN monitors for any ceasefire between Syrian troops and rebel forces.
Annan’s spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said the UN was looking for a team of 200 to 250 soldiers to monitor a ceasefire.
The deployment of UN monitors would first have to be authorised by the 15-nation Security Council.
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New York City and the Department of Justice settled a 2012 class action lawsuit this week brought by the Legal Aid Society (Nunez v City of New York), alleging rampant inmate abuse on Rikers Island. The Nunez lawsuit is just one of many to have detailed the horrific conditions facing inmates in NYC jails and underscores the pervasive brutality and impunity with which the city’s corrections officers have traditionally operated.
In December of last year, Mayor Bill De Blasio’s Rikers Island task force introduced a collection of proposals he argued would make the city a progressive leader in criminal justice reform. Those proposals included ending solitary confinement for inmates under 21 (contingent on funding and programming by 2016), curbing punitive segregation for inmates with a history of mental illness, implementing thousands of surveillance cameras, rekindling the Department of Correction’s (DOC) long-dormant recruitment program and beefing up oversight and investigative measures aimed at policing the behavior of guards. At the beginning of this year, the city also implemented a multi-million dollar super-solitary unit known as the Enhanced Supervision Housing Unit (ESHU) and announced plans to restrict inmate visitation, which were met with vehement protest from the community.
The majority of the terms of the settlement mirror proposals from the De Blasio task force. And while some of these reforms would qualify as improvements of the status quo, I believe the package will ultimately fall far short of the city’s goal of ending the abusive environment on Rikers and achieving one of those most progressive criminal justice systems in the country. The reforms are largely empty gestures towards law enforcement accountability we see taking place elsewhere in the country, or represent policies and procedures that should shock each and every one of us for not having existed before; their implementation should not impress us now. Really, this situation should lead us to question whether the department can be trusted to play a constructive role in the city’s justice apparatus.
The following analysis is based on the summary of the agreement made available on the Department of Justice website.
Monitor: Steve J. Martin
The agreement calls for the establishment of an independent Monitor to oversee the implementation of the terms of the settlement. According to the NY Law Journal, Steve J. Martin is a former corrections officer and “prison reform expert” out of Oklahoma who has been involved in lawsuits out of NYC jails for over two decades.
It is worth noting that Martin’s selection as Monitor was praised by the president of the powerful Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association Norman Seabrook, who believes “Martin will treat his roughly 9,200 members even-handedly—and conclude that the vast majority of guards are not responsible for excessive violence that has been the target of critics.”
Wishful thinking or not, Seabrook is not the only person quoted in the article who believes Martin will be “balanced” in his oversight of guard-on-inmate brutality.
Use of Force & Officer Oversight
The Department of Corrections will be required to create a new Use of Force policy that will “set forth explicit prohibitions regarding the use of certain categories of force, and provide correction officers with clear direction on when and how force may be used.”
Officers will be required to report use of force incidents, and DOC investigations into those reports will be “thorough, timely and objective.” DOC will “take all necessary steps to impose appropriate and meaningful discipline, up to and including termination,” for officers found to be in violation of the policy.
An “early warning system” will be devised to identify and discipline officers “whose conduct may warrant corrective actions,” as well as analyze data to help pinpoint “staff members who are at risk of engaging in serious misconduct absent appropriate intervention or services by DOC.” It is unclear what this system will look like or how it will work.
However welcome these changes may be, they are far from new or innovative. NYC jails have always had Use of Force policies and reporting requirements. The problem is they’ve rarely been enforced. It is unclear how the mere existence of these policies will force the cultural shift necessary for accountability to take place in the DOC — especially when there are still leaders within the department who were promoted after allegedly suppressing numbers on violent incidents involving inmates.
The Department of Corrections will also be required to beef up the presence of video recording technology throughout the facility. DOC will be expected to install at least 7,800 additional cameras on a rolling basis — at least 25% of which must be installed by July 1, 2016. At minimum, 75% of these thousands of cameras must be installed one year from now, and DOC will prioritize placement in facilities with “the most significant levels of violence.” It will preserve video footage of use of force incidents and inmate-on-inmate violence for four years.
Jumping on the growing bandwagon taking place in police departments around the country including the NYPD, DOC will be testing body cameras for use “by certain corrections officers.” This program will be evaluated in one year to determine if it should be expanded.
DOC will also force staff to use handheld video cameras to “record, among other things, responses to use of force incidents, cell extractions, and most living quarter searches, except when safety or security concerns require an immediate response that would preclude waiting for the recording requirement.” It will require recordings to be made in full and “any break in the recording be explained.”
Finally, the city will be required to introduce “enhanced computerized tracking systems” to monitor all the data on use of force incidents, investigations and disciplinary actions. The hope is that analyzing this data will help identify patterns that can inform inmate supervision and the oversight of officers. The goal is to set up a comprehensive system by the end of next year that will “track data relating to incidents involving correction officers in a centralized manner.”
While more cameras can be a good thing, they are far from a silver bullet. There are well-documented problems with relying on body cameras and other surveillance technology in law enforcement. For example, officers can simply turn their cameras off, or say they forgot to turn them on in the first place. In more than a few cases, the presence of video evidence doesn’t even change the outcome of proceedings.
Recruitment & Training
Perhaps one of the most shocking and embarrassing aspects of the DOC to be uncovered in investigations over the past two years has been that the department has had virtually no recruitment program and was not conducting background checks on new-hires for nearly a decade. DOC hires were found to have criminal ties, sometimes with people being held on Rikers Island. Others were found to have failed psychological exams and flunked the NYPD test, only to find employment in the city’s jails. Several have been found smuggling contraband to inmates while still others have been charged with extreme brutality against and deadly indifference toward inmates.
To this end, the DOC will develop a “comprehensive staff recruitment program to attract well-qualified applicants and will employ an objective process to select and hire staff.” This includes actually performing background checks for things as basic as making sure new hires aren’t known gang members or have relationships with prisoners on Rikers. The DOC will be made to exercise extra precaution when hiring supervisors and staff for special units like the ESHU and mental health segregation — including an analysis of prior use of force incidents. DOC will also implement additional and more-focused trainings on issues like use of force, crisis intervention and defensive tactics.
Finally, the settlement creates some space for whistleblowers at the DOC. It calls for the establishment of an “anonymous reporting system” to report use of force violations, and the DOC is instructed to “promptly notifty” the US Attorney’s Office of “any use of force incident where correction staff conduct appears to be criminal in nature.”
It’s great to see support for the development of a whistleblower culture at the DOC. But as anyone who has followed whistleblowing cases for the past few years likely knows, the existence of so-called “proper channels” does not preclude the bureaucratic indifference or threat of retaliation that often keeps dissidents quiet.
The agreement also calls for additional reforms aimed at juvenile prisoners. They include specialized programming “to minimize idleness,” capping inmate-to-staff ratios, conducting daily inspections of youth housing, and developing an “age-appropriate classification system” for inmates under the age of 18.
It also calls for moving young inmates to “secure alternative housing” if they express concerns for their safety. It requires the adoption of the Direct Supervision Model, in which staff frequently and informally engage inmates in conversation and intervene in incidents early on to avoid escalation. There will be at least 32 hours of training involved in this program.
The DOC will be required to “timely report and thoroughly investigate all allegations of sexual assault involving young inmates” and train officers in youth housing in conflict resolution and crisis intervention — especially with regards to inmates suffering from mental illness.
With regards to the use of solitary confinement against children, the settlement seems not to acknowledge efforts by the Board of Correction to eliminate isolation among inmates aged 16-21, focusing instead on those under 18. While inmates under 18 will not be placed in solitary, inmates that are 18-years-old will be given “a continuum of alternatives.” DOC will not be permitted to use isolation against “any 18-year-old inmate with a serious mental illness,” placing them in solitary only after “a mental health care professional determines that confinement does not present a substantial risk of serious harm to the inmate.” The department will also be made to monitor the physical and mental health of any 18-year-old in solitary. DOC will maintain an “outside consultant” to independently review DOC infraction processes and procedures concerning minors.
Perhaps the most interesting item in the agreement is the plan to develop an “alternative housing site” for young inmates that “will make best efforts to identify an alternative site not located on Rikers Island.” The idea is to create housing that will be easier for family members to visit, increase safety and provide more adequate recreation and programing.
The handling of the youth prisoner dilemma on Rikers Island is perfectly emblamatic of how this “reform program” completely misses the mark. Rather than invest in the institutionalization and refinment of caging children, why not spend that money on developing programs and interventions in their communities instead? Why remove them from their communities at all? The acknowledgement that personal connection is important (made by plans to relocate youth inmates to housing more easily visited and outside of the jail atmosphere) shows that city leaders know jailing kids isn’t working, but lack the resolve to take that extra step and end youth detention altogether.
NYC: Latest Experiment in Carceral Liberalism
After months of platitudes on justice and transparency and accountability from the highest levels of city and federal government, after numerous packed and boisterous board meetings and reports and lawsuits, after promises to make New York City a pillar of progressive criminal justice, what we have been left with is the latest installment of the toxic “carceral Liberalism” sweeping the nation — that is, the drive to try to make prisons more “comfortable” and humane, and less offensive to the sensibilities of the public, instead of looking beyond their use completely.
The absolute madness of this is already becoming apparent. One Rikers reform involved giving mental health workers a greater role in decisions regarding the placement of an inmate in solitary confinement. City officials believed that jail guards had too much power to determine who could and could not be isolated, which they abused, and that placing a health professional in the equation would divert many inmates from the hole. But a recently released report actually argues that having medical staff make any such decision on punitive segregation is a natural violation of their Hippocratic oath to “do no harm.”
Just before that report, an investigation into the first few months of the ESHU found that officers failed to keep complete records and medical staff were delivering inadequate medical care. Despite a new facility, reformed protocols and newly trained staff, it was the same old problems at the same old DOC. Why should we trust the department to behave any differently now?
If NYC really wanted to take the lead in progressive criminal justice reform, it would have invested all of this time, energy and resources into looking beyond jails. The city has the opportunity now to devised new ways to enforce laws and pursue accountability by giving communities the resources and autonomy they need instead of coercing them and tearing them apart. Right now, it is ignoring that opportunity in what seems to be an effort to put this all behind them as quickly as possible.
At bare minimum, the city could have ended youth detention and the isolation of all inmates, but instead it has chosen to move youth detention and refine the use of isolation. It has asked for time and patience for the reforms to take hold, but NYC inmates (or those that have survived the clutches of Rikers) have waited far, far too long already. This is not just an unacceptable strategy; it’s an insult to the dignity and intelligence of all New Yorkers.
Rikers needs a wrecking ball, not a wrench; the place should be shuttered, not renovated. Until the city abandons its quest to fix its jails in favor of an effort to replace them with institutions focused on reducing — and not producing — harm, my guess is we will be left to “wait and see” until the next round of horrific reports are released, followed by more task forces, investigations and piecemeal reforms, ad infinitum.
Latest posts by Brian Sonenstein (see all)
- Prison Protest Is Now Part Of Shadowproof - August 30, 2015
- New York City Council Proposes Taxpayers Bail Some Inmates Out of Jails - June 26, 2015
- New York City Enters Settlement With Feds Over Rikers Island Brutality - June 25, 2015
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On January 31, LaLiga President Javier Tebas appeared at a Europa Press event attended by LaLiga clubs, leading figures in Spanish sports, presidents of several sports federations, as well as a large media contingent. During the session, Tebas presented a global update on LaLiga’s growth, illustrating why it has emerged as a major player in the worldwide leisure and entertainment industry.
Economic impact: Producing 1.37% of Spanish GDP
Since the 2012/13 season, professional football’s impact on the Spanish economy has evolved significantly. LaLiga now has a turnover equivalent to 1.37% of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product), according to the latest Economic Impact Report published by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
This report also reveals that professional football employs 0.98% of the working population in Spain. "Any decision we make at LaLiga requires a great deal of prior consideration, since many jobs depend on it," explained Javier Tebas.
In addition, professional football clubs have seen their contribution to the Spanish treasury in recent seasons surge from €876.1 million in the 2014/15 season to €1.314 billion in the 2018/19 season, with the figure of €1.478 billion forecast to be reached in the 2019/20 season, between corporate and workers' taxes (IRPF).
Out of all of its exported industries, football is Spain’s biggest net contributor through its television broadcasting rights revenues. For the next five years, it is estimated that LaLiga will contribute more than 95% of Spain’s net exports. Furthermore, the value of the international sponsorship for LaLiga, clubs and players is estimated to exceed €300 million per season.
"Only 42 Spanish companies contribute similar amounts to the state treasury. We’re an industry, we symbolize growth and we help cities grow. Which is why we need to take good care of our product," Tebas continued.
Another indicator of LaLiga’s commitment to Spanish sport is the contribution it makes to both the Spanish Football Federation and other sports, an amount which exceeded €80 million last season.
Global growth: television audience of 3 billion
Spanish professional football has grown around the world in recent years, particularly by drawing in new fans from outside of Spain. As Tebas said: "The fans are the people who go to the stadium, but they’re also the people who watch the game from anywhere around the world. They pay too, and as a result they form a key part of our industry."
The President went on to reveal that worldwide television audiences for LaLiga have grown from 1.2 billion in 2014/15 to 3 billion in the 2017/18 season. "Any potential changes could alter the pace and the trajectory in which we are heading and have detrimental effects on the projects we have in place. Decision making requires a great deal of prior consideration as these have a direct impact on many jobs," he remarked.
It should be noted that LaLiga’s offering is not restricted to football. Since 2015, through its LaLigaSports initiative, it has invested a huge amount of effort into raising the visibility of and giving greater exposure to other 'minority' sports from within Spain. "The successful model of competition management serves as an example for many governments and institutions interested in our collective economic approach," Tebas said.
Broadcasting: The rise of OTT
LaLiga’s support of non-majority sports will benefit from exposure through an over-the-top (OTT) Platform, LaLigaSports TV, with which, according to Tebas: "Sports federations can enjoy greater visibility thanks to a unique platform that will allow them to change the traditional model of sports sponsorship."
"By using audio and video broadcasting, as well as providing other content, federations will get a better understanding of their fans. All the data that OTT generates will be theirs and as a result, they’ll be able to use it for their benefit,” he continued.
The emergence of OTT content providers presents a transformation of the audio-visual market, which Tebas believes will create significant challenges for TV rights models. With specialized operators now entering the world of sports broadcasting, the game has seen a rise of free-to-platforms looking to partner with telecommunications giants and the trend is expected to continue.
Tebas added that all leagues should be aware of OTT’s rise in order to not put existing TV rights deals at risk. He commented: "Any competition that’s not prepared for this challenge may suffer a significant drop in the value of their rights. You have to be careful with the decisions that are made. We have to send out these warnings because we know where we’ve come from to get to this point."
The presentation concluded with a discussion of the wider challenges that the sports industry will need to face at national, European and institutional sports level. In the short to medium term this includes the modification of the Sports Law 10/1990, the regulation of the advertising of online gaming in sporting events, the regulation of advertising of low-alcohol content beverages at sporting events and the law on recruitment of individuals younger than 16.
Tebas reserved his final comments for the ongoing Coordination Agreement with the Spanish football federation (RFEF) and the resolution of naming rights discussions. The President advised that outcome of these issues could have an impact on the value of the industry, concluding: “The RFEF has a scope above LaLiga, but that doesn’t mean that the competitions become linked. You have to respect the rules and follow the law."
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Focusing on the stories of rebels from around the world and throughout history, Hedges investigates what it takes to be a rebel in modern times. Utilizing the work of Reinhold Niebuhr, Hedges describes the motivation that guides the actions of rebels as “sublime madness” — the state of passion that causes the rebel to engage in an unavailing fight against overwhelmingly powerful and oppressive forces. For Hedges, resistance is carried out not for its success, but as a moral imperative that affirms life. Those who rise up against the odds will be those endowed with this “sublime madness.”
From South African activists who dedicated their lives to ending apartheid, to contemporary anti-fracking protests in Alberta, Canada, to whistleblowers in pursuit of transparency, Wages of Rebellion shows the cost of a life committed to speaking the truth and demanding justice. Hedges has penned an indispensable guide to rebellion.
Wednesday, May 13 2015
Centretown United Church
507 Bank St. Ottawa
This event is sponsored by Centretown United Church, the Council of Canadians, Public Service Alliance of Canada - National Capital Region, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, rabble.ca, Students Against Israeli Apartheid , Solidarity against Austerity, National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) and Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
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All parents have dreams for their children. I am no different. We dream that our children will be successful and happy. Some of us have specific dreams for their career, their salary, who they will marry, or what part of town they’ll live in.
Being the father of twins my number one dream, far and away, is that my kids will grow up to be best friends. I have had this dream since we found out we were having twins and I still dream about it today.
If in twenty years my kids see one another not just as a brother or a sister but as a true friend and companion with whom they can share their deepest troubles and their most profound joy, then I know I will be able to sit back and say I did something right.
Our kids spent the first three weeks of their lives in the NICU. In the NICU, each child has his or her own cubicle with any necessary equipment to help them grow and mature. By their ninth day on earth, our kids were mostly free of the wires and other monitoring devices that helped to keep them alive.
My wife and I went for one of our half dozen daily visits and when we got to their usual spots on the near wall, we noticed that our son’s cubicle was open and he was not in it. We assumed one of the nurses had taken him somewhere to do a test or bathe him.
But then we looked in our daughter’s cubicle and instead of one tiny baby we saw two tiny babies snuggled up against each other face to face sleeping. Our son in his blue outfit and cap and our daughter in her matching yellow.
The sight of our two kids sleeping so close together immediately brought tears of joy to our eyes. To this day, that is one of the happiest moments of my life. These words I’m writing here don’t do it justice.
From the time we found out we were having twins I had pictured this day in my head. And now, nine days after their birth, they were finally mature enough to be without the wires that had isolated them from one another in their separate cubicles.
The doctor walked over to us and she smiled. She was looking in on our two babies—brother and sister, best friends. She asked if we had any questions, meaning medical questions I’m sure, and my wife and I both said together with urgency and excitement, “How do you get this darn cubicle open? We need some pictures.”
She obliged us with a laugh, and we snapped away. Of the thousands of pictures we have of our twins those pictures of them together for the first time are my most treasured. We took pictures with the speed of the paparazzi on the red carpet.
Although I have no psychological or medical knowledge to support this, I had worried that because they were forced to be in their separate cubicles, they wouldn’t be able to fully bond, and every day they were not together—after spending 34 weeks together in the womb—was a day of best friendship lost.
Of course I was wrong. Two plus years later and our kids get along wonderfully for the most part and there is a special bond that I, not being a twin, will never fully understand or be able to adequately explain.
They shared a crib until they were five months old, and they have slept in the same room at night until just recently. We had to separate them because they started waking each other up in the night.
It has worked out well and they don’t seem to mind too much. I wonder though if their sleeping in separate rooms will erode the bond that they are building. They are becoming more aware of each other, and as their language and cognitive skills continue to develop they interact with each other much more regularly.
Will this crucial bonding time of chatting before they drift off to sleep and of looking over at one another first thing in the morning be lost? Will it diminish the likelihood of them becoming best friends?
I don’t know if it will. My wife thinks I’m over thinking it and perhaps I am. I know that there are dozens of routines that we have in place to create, maintain and develop a close friendship for the two of them. Yet, I still worry about this room separation.
And perhaps it will only be temporary. Maybe when they’re older and they have more control over their sleeping patterns they can move back in together. Roommates once again—this time with a closer bond and a greater understanding of one another. I don’t know when or if this will happen.
And perhaps I’m not giving them enough credit. After all, I’ve been best friends with my best friend for 27 years, and we never once shared a bedroom. Maybe my dream is still alive. I hope so.
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Question: How did you come to write “The House of Sand and Fog”?
Andre Dubus III: It began with a newspaper article of a woman who was evicted from her house for failure to pay back taxes she said she didn't owe. The house was repossessed. They evicted her, sold it off and then discovered they had the wrong house. This happens a lot. It was a computer snafu. Yet, the man who bought it in a fair and square legal auction was under no legal pressure to buy it back, or to sell it back, and he wasn't sure he wanted to in this real article. And I saw that the man's name was Arabic and it wasn't Persian, but earlier in my life I'd known a Persian man who was a colonel in the Shah's air force who found himself in the United States working 16 hour days in menial jobs. He was working at a gas station for the first eight hours and then in a shoe factory. And he said to me once, you know, that he used to work with kings and queens and presidents and vice-presidents of entire countries by himself and now he serves candy and cigarettes to kids who "don't even know who I am," he said. And I never forgot it. And so when I saw that Middle Eastern name in that newspaper article about that woman's house, I began to wonder well, what if my colonel bought that house and that began the book. You see, I mean, the whole fuel for writing fiction is curiosity. It's not what I know, but what I don't know. And that's what actually drives-- it doesn't drive me-- it actually pulls me into story writing.
Questions: Did you realize immediately that you would write about this story?
Andre Dubus III: No, you know what? It was actually, it was the first writing class I'd ever taught, I didn't even have a writing degree and I was trying to get 22 18-year-olds started and I said, "Hey, look in the newspaper, there's some good stuff in here." And I pointed to that story and read it aloud, and said, "One of you guys should write about this." But no one took me upon it, thank God, because I cut it out and I did it.
Questions: What do you hope readers take as the central theme?
Andre Dubus III: I try not to think too much in the first draft of writing a novel. I try to do what the writer Richard Bausch encouraged. Richard Bausch had a great line, he said that if you think that you are thinking when you're writing, think again. You're much closer to the dreaming side of your brain. So I try to dream it through and I try to write as truly as I possibly can. And I found over the years that if you just do that, you'll end up saying something that you didn't know you were trying to say or that the novel or the story was trying to say. One of the things that I came away with from writing House of Sand and Fog is that it's so easy to misbehave in this world. You know. It's so-- when we're up against it, it's really hard to do the right thing. I really think maybe the saints among us are the ones who are suffering in some way financially, health-wise, whatever, and yet they're still loving people. I think a lot of us tend to be, when we're up against it, not as loving as we could be. In fact, I think we misbehave quite a bit. Another thing that I think is in that novel House of Sand and Fog is this notion that it's awfully easy to assume we know the other, when we don't. And I think that assumption, that pre-judging, leads to all sorts of conflict.
Questions: How was the process of turning the book into a movie?
Andre Dubus III: Well, that novel, House of Sand and Fog, got a lot of calls from the film world. My agent got over 140 calls in a year and a half and every now and then he would forward to me somebody he thought might have a shot at making the movie and anyway, all those conversations ended the same way. They would say some nice things about the drama, blah, blah, blah, and then they would say but, we have to soften the ending, and they almost always used that verb. And I said, "What do you mean, 'soften,' the ending?" "Well, you know, it's a downer." I said, "Yeah, it's a tragedy. They're downers." And I would politely hang up and then one day I got a call from this Ukrainian man Vadim Perlman who hadn't made a feature film but he had some backing and my agent had a feeling about him. We had a really good talk and towards the end of it, he said, you know, some big Hollywood person may give you a lot of money and make your book into a film, but this-- and these are the exact words, "But they're going to take your baby, they're going to chain it to the radiator and they're going to rape and kill it." and I said, "Well, what are you going to do?" He said, "I’m not going to hurt your baby, you wrote a dark book, I'm going to make a dark film, it will be in art houses and no one's going to go see it." I said, "You're my man." I gave him the option that day. So he kept me in the loop more than fiction writers are normally kept in the loop, and I'm ultimately very pleased with what he did. I think it's very loyal to the feeling of the book. I was particularly pleased to see that he was really respectful of the Iranian family. As you know, this has been changing in the last 10 or 15 years, but Middle Eastern people tend to be put in two or three types and he didn't do that, which was gratifying to me to see.
Recorded on: 6/11/08
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Copper peptides have been studied since the 1970s and been in skincare products for past 20 years and, still today they are regarded as one of the most potent skin regeneration actives. As the Cleveland Clinic points out, studies have shown that copper peptide promotes collagen and elastin production, and also acts as an antioxidant. It also promotes production of glycosaminoglycans. Clinical studies have found that copper peptides also remove damaged collagen and elastin from the skin and scar tissue because they activate the skin’s system responsible for those functions.
The father of copper peptides is Dr Loren Pickart, who founded Skin Biology, makers of the Folligen product for thinning hair and Super Cop 2X. Dr Pickart made the original discovery that the tripeptide GHK, a specific copper peptide, could “remodel” human tissue. He recently sent me an article of his that was published in the 2009 American Academy Of Anti-aging Medicine’ Anti-Aging Therapeutics Vol Xl. I now have a better understanding of how copper peptides work on wrinkles and thinning hair, brows and lashes.
Copper is something that exists naturally in our tissues. Depletion of it has for a long time been correlated with many degenerative diseases (is that why my grandmother wore a copper bracelet to fend of rheumatic pain?). One of the main roles of copper is anti-inflammatory – it works by suppressing inflammatory cytokines - and there is a growing school of thought that increased inflammation brings about aging. According to Dr P, the processes that cause chronic inflammation as we age could be the same as those in wounds. There is a 60% drop in our bodies’ own GHK between the ages of 20 and 60.
The reason why Dr P insists on the GHK tripeptide is because the molecules are really small and can bind to receptors more easily than larger ones and it works like an intercellular pack mule, transporting copper into and from cells. Numerous studies have shown it helps the healing of all sorts of things from infected wounds to ulcers. And there are studies, such as one conducted in Korea, that demonstrated that copper encouraged collagen synthesis.
There have also been several studies on wrinkle repair. An independent 2002 study on 20 women showed that it increased collagen in 70% of those treated with GHK, compared to 50% for vitamin C and 40% for retinoic acid. I was particularly interested to read that combining GHK with red LED lights (get out those Baby Quasars) has been shown to increase collagen production by fibroblasts.
This is not to say that GHK is the only form of copper that is effective. Copper pca or copper chloride work too. A study on copper tripeptide (from amino acids) showed that it may help against inflammatory diseases when used topically.
Copper’s ability to assist in hair growth was discovered when it was noticed that the hair follicles around treated wounds were exceptionally large. It seems to work on the follicle in two ways: increasing follicle cell proliferation; and copper also decreases programmed follicle cell death, which results in smaller follicles. In a study on rat hair, researchers noted an increase in follicle size and concluded that copper works on hair growth in a similar way to minoxidil.
Why GHKs should be so important and successful is a question that takes us to barnacles – and other primitive forms of marine invertebrate. The theory is that GHK originated in the ancient (barnacles date back 400 million years) marine protective systems
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Aldershot, Ashgate, 2011, ISBN: 9781409417941; 312pp.; Price: £65.00
History of Parliament
Date accessed: 18 January, 2017
If British governments in the later 20th century have often been ambivalent or hostile towards electoral reform, the same could not be said of their 19th–century predecessors. As Robert Saunders shows in this new book, which builds on a series of important articles, the 1867 Representation of the People Act (also known as the Second Reform Act) was the culmination of a 20-year debate during which Liberal and Conservative governments proposed various measures to extend the franchise and reform the representative system.(1)
The Second Reform Act essentially enacted household male suffrage for parliamentary elections in urban areas in England and Wales, and is an important landmark in British political and constitutional development (Acts for Ireland and Scotland were passed in 1868). It has, however, received less attention than the First (or Great) Reform Act of 1832, which disenfranchised rotten boroughs, enfranchised new industrial towns and altered the franchise.(2) The two classic studies of the passing of the Second Reform Act, by Barry Smith and Maurice Cowling, were published over 40 years ago.(3) Since then, although the issue of parliamentary reform has loomed large in studies of popular liberalism by Eugenio Biagini and Patrick Joyce among others, the only further book-length study has been Defining the Victorian Nation by Catherine Hall, Keith McClelland and Jane Rendell.(4) Hall et al argued that the debates surrounding the question of reform in the mid-1860s were heavily shaped by class, race and gender. The respectable working man was admitted into the political nation, but this was set against the exclusion of ‘the Other’, whether women, the Irish and colonial peoples or other working men deemed unfit to possess the franchise. In his critique, Saunders notes that Hall et al do not link these cultural and social ideas to the parliamentary debates, and tend to assume that the former shaped the latter (pp. 19–21). Furthermore, although the moral character of working men was a persistent theme of the reform debates, both inside and outside Parliament, it was far from being the only, or even predominant, element of a complex debate.
The Second Reform Act is therefore a topic ripe for historical reappraisal. Saunders offers a new narrative, which is essentially organised chronologically. He focuses mainly on the parliamentary arena and gives particular weight to the actions and ideas of the leading politicians on the question of reform and democracy. The book is punctuated by short, valuable and incisive discussions of the ideas of Lord John Russell (pp. 38–48), Benjamin Disraeli (pp. 68–73) and William Gladstone (pp. 173–84), among others. The research draws on parliamentary debates and the private correspondence of these politicians, as well as the metropolitan press, periodical and pamphlet literature and contemporary books. The value of this narrative, chronological approach is that it places the debates of 1867 in a much longer context, and shows the importance of reform in politics throughout the period. It also helps to provide an accessible account of the issue for non-specialists and students baffled by the spate of reform bills in the period and the often very technical discussions surrounding the franchise.
Saunders’s central argument is, to this reviewer’s mind, a convincing one. Throughout the period covered by this book there were numerous attempts to extend the franchise for parliamentary elections and alter the representative system through redistribution (disenfranchising and enfranchising constituencies). Liberal governments introduced bills in 1852, 1854, 1860 and 1866, and the Conservatives in 1859 and 1867. Radical MPs, including John Bright, regularly proposed their own schemes of reform, and in articles, pamphlets and books numerous other ideas were floated. Why then was no measure passed until 1867? The answer, Saunders argues, is that MPs and party leaders could not agree on the nature and extent of reform (p. 9). Unlike in 1831–2 there was no significant body of opinion entirely opposed to political change. The difficulty was that different schemes of reform could produce very different electorates and representative systems, and, consequently, very different political outcomes. In part, these differences of opinion were motivated by party considerations. For example, Liberal MPs opposed the Conservative reform bill of 1859, partly because it would have disenfranchised urban freeholders from the county electorate. It was generally assumed that this would have strengthened the Conservatives in the counties at the expense of the Liberals.
However, as Saunders makes clear, just as important in holding up the passage of reform were the philosophical objections of MPs. Although there was no great opposition to extending the franchise, politicians did not see reform as the first instalment of democracy. The question was how to ‘popularise’ the constitution (p. 13) without producing a democratic system, which would destroy the representative character of English parliamentary government, which was generally thought to be the envy of the world. This sense was only reinforced by contemporary comparisons with democratic political systems such as the USA and France, as an intriguing discussion in chapter six shows (pp. 131–59). As one Liberal MP breezily put it in 1866 ‘all, then, that was proposed was to admit a few of the best of the working men, and thereby to place our representative system on a broader basis and surer foundation’.(5)
Any extension of the franchise needed to be accompanied by safeguards to reassure MPs. Liberals, in particular, were keen to preserve a balance in the representation. They feared that too great and indiscriminate addition of working men to the electorate would swamp other interests and classes and produce a political system dominated by a single class (pp. 168–9, 198–200). This explains the contemporary interest in various schemes, such as plural voting and proportional representation, to secure minority representation, which were proposed at the time by the Liberal intellectual John Stuart Mill (who was also MP for Westminster 1865–8) and others (pp. 170–3). A second major concern was to secure a ‘resting place’ for the franchise. That is, MPs wanted any extension to be based upon a justifiable principle which could be defended against calls for further extensions in the future. Reform was therefore envisaged as a way of preventing, rather than a first step to, democracy.
Russell and Gladstone’s bill of 1866 paid insufficient attention to these concerns, which accounted for its failure. Gladstone saw extending the franchise and bringing working men within the ‘pale of the constitution’ as a way of dissolving class, and so was largely deaf to the anxieties of those Liberals who sought to maintain a balance of classes in the representation (pp. 182, 208–9). The result was that a faction of dissident Liberals (the Adullamites), helped to defeat the bill of their own government, which resigned and was replaced by the Conservatives. The Conservative bill of 1867 sought to provide a resting place by making the borough franchise dependent upon the personal payment of local rates. Compounders, those who paid rates through their landlords, were to be excluded. As Gladstone showed in debate, such a distinction was unworkable, arbitrary and in many cases illusory, but to MPs and contemporary opinion the difference was between the moral character of personal ratepayers and compounders (pp. 244–7). The former were deemed to be independent, frugal and financially responsible and so deserving of the franchise, while the latter were not (p. 249).
Although compounders were eventually included, Saunders still sees the Second Reform Act as something of a triumph for Disraeli, who piloted it through the Commons. Although he denies that Disraeli was simply motivated by opportunism, Saunders recognises that the Conservative leader’s flexibility was an asset (p. 273). Disraeli seized the chance to reposition the Conservatives as the national and popular party after a long period during which they had either been in opposition or (briefly) in office as minority governments (pp. 271–8). In doing so, Saunders follows other historians such as Angus Hawkins and Geoff Hicks who have sought to rehabilitate the leadership of the mid-Victorian Conservative party and rescue them from the relative neglect they have suffered in comparison with their counterparts in the early and late Victorian periods and their Liberal rivals.(6)
While Saunders offers an authoritative narrative and analysis of high politics, the book could have perhaps made more connections between parliamentary and popular and electoral politics. Given that the 1860s was the golden age of the provincial press, the opinions of the leading newspapers outside of London also might have received more consideration. To be fair, Saunders anticipates such criticisms in the introduction (pp. 22-3), and argues that as this issue was essentially determined in the parliamentary arena, he understandably focuses his attention there. Such a view has much to commend it, but he might have made more of the contrast with the 1832 Reform Act, which, Philip Salmon has recently suggested, was the product of a negotiated and consultative process between centre and locality, Parliament and the public.(7) Why was this not the case in the 1860s? What was different? Having said all this, Saunders provides a useful survey of parliamentary candidates’ views on reform at the 1859 and 1865 general elections (pp. 117–8, 184–7) and also touches upon the extra-parliamentary agitation for reform (pp. 226–9). He argues that the campaign of the working-class Reform League and others helped to keep reform on the agenda in 1867 and meant that it could not be delayed any longer. However, it did not determine the nature and extent of the measure, which was ultimately decided by Parliament (p. 229). The book therefore offers a valuable starting point, but not the last word, upon the popular and electoral dimensions of reform in this period, which other historians will no doubt pursue.
Much of the analysis of parliamentary politics is seen through the prism of party and the positioning of the party leaders. However, MPs not only represented their party, but also their constituencies, electors and non-electors, as well as other interests. Saunders is extremely good on the views of the leading protagonists, including the Adullamites, but it would have added another layer of sophistication to the analysis to have subjected some backbench and middle-ranking MPs to a similar treatment. Without going too far down the route of the quantitative analysis of parliamentary divisions (pioneered by American political scientists like William Aydelotte and Cheryl Schonhardt-Bailey) it would have been illuminating to have some sense of the other factors which shaped MPs attitudes on the issue. How far was party the main determinant of one’s position? To what extent did other factors, such as social, economic and family background, religion, and the type of constituency, region and nation they represented, influence MPs, if at all? Why did members of some Whig dynasties become Adullamites but not others? To give another example, during the debates on the English reform bills, Scottish and Irish MPs did, at times, pursue a distinctive agenda, pressing for increased representation for their nations at the expense of English small boroughs.
The Conservatives’ adoption of reform for essentially tactical reasons in the late 1850s, and their successful passing of the 1867 bill are the subject of considerable reflection throughout the book, particularly in the concluding chapter. Derby and Disraeli are given credit for being able to seize their opportunity to pass a measure of reform by keeping their party united and their opponents divided. As a minority government they had no choice but to compromise on many points, but they were willing to do so to keep overall control of the process and claim credit for the reform (pp. 272–3). Disraeli may have been motivated by a desire to effectively rebrand the party as a national and popular party, as Saunders argues in the conclusion, but whether he succeeded, in the short term at least, is debatable. In the first parliamentary elections under the new system in 1868 the Liberals won a decisive majority.
Like other recent work which seeks to rehabilitate the mid-Victorian Conservative party, Saunders focuses on its parliamentary leadership. It is worth pointing out that a different perspective would be opened up by studying the issue from the constituency level. It is notable that from the late 1850s many Conservative candidates, often styling themselves as ‘Liberal Conservatives’, sought to impress electors with their moderation and progressive credentials. In part this was a cynical attempt to blur party labels and appeal to disgruntled Liberals. However, these Conservatives were also attempting to detoxify their party’s brand and shake off its protectionist image which had proved to be such an electoral millstone in urban areas. Declaring support for parliamentary reform and denying the Liberals exclusive ownership of the issue, was an essential factor in establishing a new urban, forward-looking Conservatism in the 1860s. To some extent, then, the Conservatives’ gradual shift from hostility to reform in the early 1850s to passing the 1867 bill reflected changes within the party’s grassroots as well as the tactics and strategy of its leadership.
Saunders’s well-written and accessible book will be essential reading for scholars and students of mid-Victorian politics. Given its coverage of the Liberal and Conservative parties, leading politicians and Parliament, it will surely find a place on many undergraduate and postgraduate reading lists. Saunders’s attention to the ideas of politicians and to the wider intellectual debate, and the comparisons with America and France, will ensure this book is highly relevant to scholars of political and constitutional thought in the long 19th century. Historians of popular and electoral politics will also find much to build on.
- R. Saunders, ‘Lord John Russell and parliamentary reform, 1848-67’, English Historical Review, 120 (2005), 1289-1315; idem, ‘The politics of reform and the making of the Second Reform Act, 1848-1867’, Historical Journal, 50 (2007), 571-91; idem, ‘Chartism from above: British elites and the interpretation of Chartism’, Historical Research, 81 (2008), 463-84.Back to (1)
- M. Brock, The Great Reform Act (London, 1973); N. LoPatin, Political Unions, Popular Politics and the Great Reform Act of 1832 (Basingstoke, 1999); E. Pearce, Reform! The Fight for the 1832 Reform Act (2003); P. Salmon, ‘The English Reform Legislation, 1831-1832’, in D.R. Fisher (ed.), The History of Parliament: The House of Commons, 1820-1832 (7 vols., Cambridge, 2009), i, pp. 374-412.Back to (2)
- F.B. Smith, The Making of the Second Reform Bill (Cambridge, 1966); M. Cowling, 1867: Disraeli, Gladstone and Revolution: The Passing of the Second Reform Bill (Cambridge, 1967).Back to (3)
- E.F. Biagini, Liberty, Retrenchment and Reform: Popular Liberalism in the Age of Gladstone, 1860-1880 (Cambridge, 1992), pp. 257-77; P. Joyce, Visions of the People: Industrial England and the Question of Class, 1848-1914 (Cambridge, 1991), pp. 47-55; C. Hall, K. McClelland and J. Rendell, Defining the Victorian Nation: Class, Race and Gender and the British Reform Act of 1867 (Cambridge, 2000).Back to (4)
- Hansard, 26 Apr. 1866, vol. 182, c. 2135.Back to (5)
- A. Hawkins, The Forgotten Prime Minister: the 14th Earl of Derby, (2 vols., Oxford, 2007-8); G. Hicks, Peace, War and Party Politics: The Conservatives and Europe, 1846-59 (Manchester, 2007).Back to (6)
- Salmon, ‘English Reform Legislation’, p. 411.Back to (7)
I am very grateful to Dr Miller for his thorough and fair-minded review. I do not propose to take issue with any of his judgements. Instead, I want to reflect briefly on three topics to which he draws attention: the comparison between the First and Second Reform Acts; the interaction between ‘high’ and ‘low’ politics; and the purposes of the book, in relation to a wider historiography.
As Dr Miller notes, the First (or ‘Great’) Reform Act has recently been the subject of an important essay by Philip Salmon.(1) Writing for the new History of Parliament, Salmon presents the Great Reform Act as a ‘negotiated settlement’. For all the talk of ‘the Bill, the whole Bill and nothing but the Bill’, reform emerged from a ‘consultative process between centre and locality’, in which both the substance and detail of the measure were recast. ‘Why’, asks Dr Miller, ‘was this not the case in the 1860s?’
The first difference was the comparative importance of redistribution. In 1831–2, reformers set out consciously to redraw the electoral map. The original reform bill listed 107 English constituencies that were to lose one or both of their Members, triggering an earthquake beneath the structure of political patronage. Patrons, Members and, in some cases, the endangered electorates naturally sprang to the defence of these places, impelled by local pride, family honour and the stupendous sums of money at stake. Constituencies were an important economic asset, and patrons had often paid eye-watering sums for the right of nomination. Lord Hertford had bought Aldeburgh in 1822 for 50,000 guineas, while £75,000 secured Westbury for Sir Manasseh Masseh Lopes.
If this gave the localities cause to intervene, fate also supplied them with a mechanism. The plan of redistribution rested on crude calculations of population and property, often based on outdated or unreliable information. That opened up enormous scope for special pleading and, crucially, for the deployment of local expertise as a weapon against government. Every endangered constituency had at least one MP able to speak on its behalf, and every disfranchisement was susceptible to parliamentary scrutiny. Supplied with means, motive and opportunity, local champions secured considerable changes to the bill. Boundaries were redrawn, schedules recast and changes made to the regional balance. Of the 107 boroughs earmarked for full or partial disfranchisement, almost a third secured some form of reprieve.
The memory of these negotiations exerted a powerful influence on the second reform debates. As Russell noted grimly, the allocation of seats had been ‘the great source of difficulty’ in 1832, and he had no wish to provoke such a conflict again.(2) In consequence, redistribution loomed much less large in subsequent reform proposals. Though redistribution could not wholly be neglected in 1867, it was kept to a bare minimum. It was brought before Parliament only when the shape of the measure was broadly set, and at a time when MPs were already sick of the subject. The key points of controversy in 1867 – the scale of enfranchisement, the rights of compound householders and the menace of democracy – were national in application, providing less scope either for special pleading or for the detailed constituency negotiations that marked the first reform debates.
Just as importantly, there was no general election in 1866 or 1867. The dissolution of Parliament in 1831 was one of the crucial moments in the first reform crisis. It placed the destiny of the reform bill in the hands of the electorate, and triggered mass mobilisation in the constituencies both for and against the measure. While there was also significant popular protest in 1866–7, the fate of the bill never spilt out of Parliament into a general election. That allowed the actual shaping of the measure to be contained, to a much greater extent than in 1831–2, within the House of Commons.
The second issue raised by Dr Miller also concerns the relationship between Westminster and the constituencies. In my book, I explore the use of reform as a tool of party realignment, especially by the Conservative leadership. Disraeli was not a reformer by conviction, but he recognised that the Tories’ behaviour in 1832 had branded the party as distrustful of the people, allowing the Whigs to project themselves as the friends of popular government. A second Liberal reform act, he understood, would entrench that perception; but a Tory reform bill, going beyond the Whigs in the extension of popular privileges, would rebrand the Conservative party and allow it to reclaim the mantle of progressive politics. Where I focused on the party leadership, Dr Miller notes a similar process within the constituencies. Conservative candidates, he observes, ‘were also attempting to detoxify their party’s brand and shake off its protectionist image … Declaring support for parliamentary reform and denying the Liberals exclusive ownership of the issue, was an essential factor in establishing a new urban, forward-looking Conservatism in the 1860s’.
This is an important point well made, and the next instalment of the History of Parliament, to which Dr Miller is a contributor, will provide important materials for such an analysis. I am probably guilty of underplaying this element in my book; but it is worth sounding a note of caution. As I argue in the book, ‘reform’ had no definite meaning. It simply implied ‘change’; and Tories had no difficulty imagining changes that would work to their advantage. After 1832, there was no longer a traditionary argument for opposing reform in principle, and very few candidates or MPs styled themselves as ‘anti-reformers’. ‘Finality’, insofar as it existed, was a Whig doctrine and not a Tory one: the Tories had not made the 1832 settlement, they had not benefited from it and they had no intrinsic objection to amending it. In consequence, it was easy for Tory candidates to declare for ‘reform’ in the abstract – even while opposing all and any of the reforms that were actually put forward. The most reactionary candidate could cheerfully promise ‘due consideration’ for ‘judicious’ ‘well matured’, or ‘thoroughly English’ reform; but such commitments, like earlier endorsements of ‘the reform of proven abuses’, were milk-and-water productions almost wholly devoid of meaning. They should not be taken too literally, and do not seem to have exerted any appreciable pressure on the leadership. MPs knew, as well as their leaders, that the consequences of reform in party terms would depend on its provisions; and that they would be unable to control those details as long as the Liberal party remained united. More telling, perhaps, is the large number of Conservatives who declared against a lowering of the borough qualification. This had become an important dividing line by the 1860s, and most Tory candidates continued to express hostility to such a change.
More important, perhaps, were the commitments made by Liberal candidates. Such candidates were more likely to pledge themselves not just to reform, but to a lowering of the borough qualification. By 1866, those commitments were becoming a serious embarrassment. Liberal governments had been in power for most of the previous 20 years; they had expelled a Conservative government on the grounds that its reform bill did not go far enough, then failed to pass any kind of reform in its place. That made reform – and the Liberals’ alleged breach of trust – an electoral weapon for the Conservatives. It steeled Gladstone’s determination that MPs must be forced to a decision upon the subject; and it made Liberals reluctant, in 1867, to repeat the experience of 1859, by voting out a Tory government while its reform bill was still under discussion.
The final point I wish to address is the place of my book within a larger historiography. Dr Miller notes an emphasis on the ‘narrative and analysis of high politics’ and locates my work alongside ‘other historians … who have sought to rehabilitate the leadership of the mid-Victorian Conservative party’. This was not, in fact, my intention; though that has no necessary bearing on its outcome. What readers take from a book is always more important than what an author intended to put in. Nonetheless, it may be useful to state briefly my purposes in writing the book.
As Dr Miller observes, the account I give of 1867 does not focus exclusively on Parliament. Among the subjects addressed are responses to the 1848 revolutions; literary and journalistic representations of France and America; intellectual responses to democracy; fears of trade unionism; and changing understandings of class. Nonetheless, Dr Miller is right to say that I view Parliament as the locus of decision-making; the node, on which other forces had to operate. Unlike Maurice Cowling, however, I do not view Parliament as a ‘closed world’.(3) On the contrary, as I state in the introduction,
Victorian parliaments were fundamentally outward-looking, open to public opinion, to international comparisons and to the press. Their members were drawn from a range of local and associational networks, from which they drew their ideas, their preconceptions and the categories into which they divided their society. It was a world whose members were constantly talking, thinking and reading (p. 23).
Cowling’s approach, for all its intellectual brilliance, took too little account of these forces; and in this respect, I am sympathetic to the cultural history of politics endorsed by more recent writers on the subject. My criticism of these writers – though it seeks rather to extend their work than to overturn it – is that they rarely show any direct connection between political culture and the precise mechanism of political decision-making. My book was an attempt to bridge the two: showing how the parliamentary struggle was shaped, not simply by the ‘great game’ between the two front benches, but by a much larger body of ideas, values and understandings, of which the most important was the determination to achieve ‘reform’ without ‘democracy’. In this respect, it is a study of ‘ideas in politics’.
The Conservative party naturally looms large in this account, for it formed three governments and tabled two reform bills. Though much of the intellectual energy for the reform debate came from the Liberal party, it was the Conservatives who ultimately passed a Reform Act, extending the right to vote far beyond anything Gladstone or Russell had ever contemplated. The Conservative party between 1846 and 1874 has traditionally been a neglected subject, though the important work of Angus Hawkins, Geoff Hicks and others has done much to redress this imbalance. I would be glad if my book assisted in that process, but I would be reluctant to see myself as ‘rehabilitating’ the Conservative leadership in this period. I do not consider Derby a particularly effective leader, and I am sceptical of some of the claims made for his importance as a statesman. I consider Disraeli the more creative politician of the two, and view 1867 more as his triumph than as Derby’s. Yet Disraeli himself never fully understood the complexities of the reform debate. He spent much of 1867 defending a measure that was intellectually untenable and that would have proven inoperative in practice. He was relaxed about ‘the beer barrel influence’ and lied routinely both to his colleagues and to Parliament. In this respect, Disraeli emerges as ‘successful’ rather than ‘great’.
I concur with Dr Miller that there is more to say on the Second Reform Act, with a number of avenues that I lacked space to explore. In addition to the local and biographical studies he recommends, we need to know more about the role of religion in the debates preceding the Act, and the question of why democratic ideas remained so gendered. I see my book as supplementing, not supplanting, existing work on the subject, and I hope that it will be joined by further studies. I have no doubt that I will learn a great deal from their findings. In the meantime, may I thank Dr Miller again very sincerely for the care and trouble he has taken in his review.
- P. Salmon, ‘The English reform legislation, 1831-1832’, in D.R. Fisher (ed.), The House of Commons, 1820-1832, (7 volumes, History of Parliament: London, 2009), i. pp. 374-412. My review of these volumes, including a detailed discussion of this chapter, is forthcoming in the English Historical Review.Back to (1)
- Russell to Palmerston, 24 October 1849, University of Southampton, Palmerston Papers, GC/RU/298.Back to (2)
- M. Cowling, 1867. Disraeli, Gladstone and Revolution: the Passing of the Second Reform Bill (Cambridge, 1967), p. 340.Back to (3)
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1885 – Thompson Memorial Home for Incurables, Lisburn, Co. Antrim
This fine building was erected in 1885 as “Thompson House for the Incurables”, named after a local surgeon (William Thompson MD) who had tragically died three years earlier. Endowments kept the home free for ‘inmates’ until 1930, when a small fee was introduced. The home passed into state hands in 1963, to what was then the “County Antrim Health Committee”. After a period of closure and major renovations, it reopened as “Thompson House” in 1967.
As published in The Building News, April 18th 1884: This building. the plans and perspective view which we illustrate this week. is at present being erected to the memory of the late Dr Thompson FRCSI MD. It is situated on a rising ground overlooking tho town of Lisburn, County Antrim and commands a fine view of the surrounding country. The building is to accommodate 62 patients, and is so arranged to admit of easy extension. A corridor 10ft wide, runs the entire length of the building from east to west, and is divided into three parts glass screens, which separate the male side at west, and the female side at the east, from administrative in the centre. The wards are on the first floor and face the south, except cancer ward, which is necessarily isolated. The ground floor contains recreation rooms, dining rooms, matron’s apartments, stores, &c. The kitchen and offices are in a separate block, separated from principal staircase, which entirely of oak by a well ventilated passage. An arcade supported on Irish marble shafts and Portland stone carved capitals divides the staircase from main corridor. Ihe servants and nurses rooms are in the attic of centre portion. Tho wc`s, bath rooms, lavatories, and kitchens are in buildings by themselves, separated by ventilated lobbies from the main corridors. The entrances at either end of corridor have inclined planes and will enable the patients to wheel themselves to the grounds. The verendahs facing the south are reached from the recreation rooms through casement windows.
Belfast red perforated bricks and Dumfries are red sandstone being used for outside walls. An hydraulic lift will be supplied to work from ground to attic floor and is being supplied by Messrs Waygood of Falmouth Road S E. The building when completed will be probably lit by the electric light.
The laundry and washhouses, out houses &c will be built parallel with the back wall of kitchen and will form one boundary to the yard. The ground on which the building stands nine acres, and will be planted and laid out in garden and walks. The home is expected to be opened in the autumn of this year. The work is being carried out by Mr Robert Corry from the plans and under the superintendence of Mr Godfrey W Ferguson of Belfast. Mr Peter Butler of Monkstown is the clerk of works. Our photo-lithograph is taken from a drawing was exhibited in the Cork Exhibition last year.
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BEIJING – The number of students at the Japanese school in Beijing is expected to drop by 50 in the new academic year starting in April apparently due to serious air pollution in the city and its vicinity, a faculty member said.
The move would reduce the total enrollment at the school for elementary and junior high school students to fewer than 600 for the first time in three years, the member said Wednesday.
As air pollution becomes more serious, an increasing number of Japanese company employees stationed in Beijing have sent their families home, while those to be posted to Beijing from April — the start of fiscal 2013 — appear to have opted to leave their families behind.
Concern about the safety of children stemming from anti-Japan sentiment in China is also making parents hesitant about sending their children to schools in the world’s second-largest economy, the member said.
In the wake of major anti-Japan demonstrations in China last September over the disputed Senkaku Islands, some of which turned violent, the number of Japanese visitors to China has seen a sharp decline.
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Let’s get straight to the point. You want to create an AMCAS essay that makes you look good…really good. But you’re not a writer – you’re a premed, science-y person. So how are you going to compose a masterpiece of an essay without spending hours and days trying to figure out WHAT to write about and HOW to write it well?
Simple! You’re going to follow the straightforward advice that we provide in this blog post. Are you ready to rock your AMCAS essay? Read on!
Who should write your essays?
The obvious answer here is that YOU should (and if anyone else does for you, then you can expect to be found out and rejected). But there’s a bigger question here – Which YOU will be writing your essay?
I’d like to present two important principles here:
Principle #1: To thine own self be true
One of the purposes of the AMCAS essay is to provide a snapshot – a quick and accurate introduction – of yourself to the med school admissions board. If the application were to ask you to attach a photo, you wouldn’t include a picture of someone else, and I hope that you wouldn’t Photoshop or alter your photo to create an image of who you WISH you were, rather than of who you actually ARE.
Your essays should serve that same purpose. The stories that you tell in your AMCAS essay should be authentic and honest so that the YOU in your essay would be recognizable to anyone who actually knows you.
Principle #2: Put your best foot forward
While you want to be as authentic as possible, you also want to be sure that you’re not:
a) offering too much personal or private information
b) dwelling on your weaknesses.
Yes, you want to portray your true self (Principle #1), but you don’t want to needlessly air your dirty laundry. Nobody wants to read about your most recent breakup or how devastated you were when you woke up with a huge zit on the day of your high school prom. Furthermore, if you have difficulty juggling tasks or following directions, don’t be “too honest” and rant and complain about how you have so much trouble getting things done. Of course you should never ever EVER lie, but you also don’t need to volunteer irrelevant or inappropriate information or details that will make you look unqualified.
What should you include in your essay?
As we discussed, your AMCAS essay serves as your introduction to the med school admissions board. In this way, your essay much more resembles a human interest story than it resembles a report. As a “science person,” you may be more familiar with factual, data-driven, analytical writing, with reports that are based on facts, figures, and statistics. In your application, all of this data will be included in your score reports and your resume… not in your essay.
Your AMCAS essay, your own personal human interest story, needs to be anecdotal and emotional. This is your opportunity to reveal your passion, your humor, your drive, and, in short, your unique personality. Remember, the admissions members reading your essays are human beings. Their job is to wade through a mountain of boring, trite, monotonous essays in search of that compelling gem of a story – the one that you’re going to write.
For that gem to gel, you will need to choose meaningful experiences that show your strength of character, integrity, individuality, and most importantly, your non-academic qualifications and motivation for pursuing medical school and a career as a physician.
Which would be a more interesting essay – one in which you speak generally about how you volunteered in a volunteer setting, or one in which you talk specifically about your experience working in Uganda with Doctors without Borders? Obviously the latter – an experience shared only by a handful, if any, of your competitors, will stand out more than an essay in which you talk about a vague experience that every other applicant shares.
But what if you haven’t worked in Uganda or climbed Mt. Everest or discovered a cure for cancer while a freshman? What if your most notable achievements are a little more pedestrian? Specifics and stories will still make them stand out. Furthermore, if you include in your essays your distinctive motivations, take-aways, and insights from those critical events that are important enough to you to include in your AMCAS essay, you will have a killer essay.
When you choose your essay topic, ask yourself the following questions:
1. Will this topic authentically introduce me to the reader?
2. Is this topic distinctive, or is it just going to come across as one more essay about how a grandparent’s illness directed the author at the age of 10 to medicine?
3. Does this essay reflect positively on my fitness for a career as a physician?
5 effective techniques to improve your writing
So far we’ve talked about the WHO, WHY, WHAT, and HOW of creating an exemplary AMCAS essay. Now we’re going to offer some bonus tips that will help elevate your essay so it’s not just covering the right material in the correct order, but it’s actually written WELL.
1. Use active, lively, vivid verbs. You can “go” somewhere, or you can “meander,” “wander,” “race,” “rush,” etc. Variety enhances your verbiage!
2. Use metaphors and images to enliven your writing. This will help your reader jump into your experience.
3. Avoid clichés. Saying that you “think out of the box” isn’t really the most creative way of stating that you are creative. It’s just too overused.
4. Use suspense and irony. These elements show depth to your writing and to your personality.
5. Be succinct.
How should you structure your essay?
In this post we’re not going to talk about the actual writing and editing (we’ll save those technical elements for another time), but we are going to suggest HOW to structure your essay. After you choose your topic, you will need to sit down and make an outline that highlights the structure that your essay will take.
A successful essay structure usually looks like this:
1. Lead or hook
As a personal interest piece, you want your reader to read your essay out of interest, not obligation. The best way to do this is to draw your reader in with some captivating, spellbinding opening. “Hi, my name is…” or “I was born in…” or “I want to be a doctor because…” certainly won’t cut it! Stay away from the common and ordinary. Start with a catchy anecdote, question, bit of dialogue, or description that you think will capture your reader’s attention. Put your reader in the middle of whatever story you plan to tell.
Your thesis acts as the core idea of the essay. While a successful essay doesn’t necessarily need to spell out a main topic (for example, you don’t need to say “the purpose of this essay is…”), it should somehow be present in your essay – both as a guiding light to make sure that you don’t get lost in your writing and ramble on about a million different topics, and so that your reader remains focused and attentive to the point that you’re trying to convey.
The body of your essay is the longest section. In the body you’ll present evidence (specifics that add interest and credibility to your essay and distinguish you from your competition) to support your thesis. In this section of your AMCAS essay, you’ll want to order your points (and sub-points if you have them) either chronologically, logically, or thematically. You should always put your most interesting points earlier in the essay.
Your essay’s conclusion should restate your main idea or theme. You shouldn’t parrot what you introduced earlier in the essay, but you should find a way to include it and also relate an implication or two, for example, why this theme or story is important or revealing. Also, if you asked a question at the beginning of your essay, make sure you’ve answered it by the end.
Why do we have personal statements?
Do the essays in your med school applications serve as mere padding for the rest of your application? Or do they have some higher purpose?
I’d like to propose three important reasons WHY the med schools request essays in addition to all the stats and data that you provide in other sections of your application.
The purpose of the AMCAS essay is to…
1. Provide a window into who you are.
Not just into your grades and scores and impressive awards and experiences, but into the real you. Your AMCAS essay gives you an opportunity for the admissions community to meet you beyond the hard facts. This is your chance to introduce yourself.
2. Add insight and value to your application.
Your AMCAS essay will allow you to delve deeper into specific experiences and to discuss your motivation and the lessons you learned. Be careful not to merely repeat info found on other parts of your application; instead, build and add to it with an insightful essay.
3. Demonstrate writing ability.
Strong writing skills are indicative of strong communication skills, which are critical in the medical world. Let the adcom readers see that you know how to get your point across.
To sum up, your essays shouldn’t pad your application with meaningless filler material, but should serve as a different kind of PAD – Provide a window, Add value, and Demonstrate writing skills. Include these elements in your AMCAS essay, and you’ll be one step closer to creating a captivating piece of writing and capturing a spot in your dream med school!
For individualized assistance, check out Accepted’s AMCAS Application Advising and Editing Packages get matched with an expert med school advisor who will help you highlight your competitive advantage and get ACCEPTED!
By Linda Abraham, president and founder of Accepted. Linda earned her bachelors and MBA at UCLA, and has been advising applicants since 1994 when she founded Accepted. Linda is the co-founder and first president of AIGAC. She has written or co-authored 13 e-books on the admissions process, and has been quoted by The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News, Poets & Quants, Bloomberg Businessweek, CBS News, and others. Linda is the host of Admissions Straight Talk, a podcast for graduate school applicants. Want an admissions expert to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!
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During the winter of 2019, ONUG established a collaborative with Cigna, FedEx and Raytheon Technologies as its founding members. Shortly after, JPMC, Pfizer, Kaiser Permanente, UBS, PNC and others joined. The collaborative created a working group to focus on Automated Cloud Governance.
Why focus on governance?
Governance gets in the way of all digital transformation projects and is usually the root cause of failure, thanks to a lack of control of information and data. Governance is manual today, and in the large enterprise, you need to automate cloud governance to be digital.
The ONUG Collaborative calls for a new social compact or industry contract between buyers and sellers organized around Open State Data.
What is Open State Data?
When you consume an application on your smartphone or laptop, that application depends on a range of products and services to deliver its value. We call this an application dependency map, but simply, it’s the IT supply chain into the large enterprise.
An application may depend upon Wi-Fi, switches, routers, load balancers, firewalls, internet service providers, service providers, cloud providers, servers, storage and myriad other software infrastructure, including hypervisors, containers and more.
All of these machines communicate their state: Am I on or off? Is my CPU or memory utilization too high? Is a link up or down? There could be thousands of state metrics.
The industry has been organized such that every machine (both hardware and software) that a vendor supplies to the enterprise has its own way to define and communicate its state. They may also have their own way of changing, or configuring, its state. There is no consistent form of machine state data.
As a result, large enterprises have staffed IT into silos to understand the language of a vendor’s machine, resulting in operational bloat. These management systems do not communicate with one another, nor do they conform to a standard way of expressing the same state metrics. Put simply, the current state of the industry has forced enterprises into manual governance and operational bloat.
Is this a bad thing?
Yes, it is. The current industry model has forced buyers into overspending on operational staff and limiting their ability to enter and compete in the digital economy.
Automating cloud governance will accelerate cloud consumption and compliance at the speed and scale of DevOps. It will also reconfigure the IT supply chain into the digital enterprise and enable one of the largest IT organizational transformations to occur in over three decades.
How Open State Data works
What if the vendors that supplied an application’s dependency map agreed to open up their state data and use standard definitions or meanings of common states? This does not change or alter a vendor’s products or services. Vendors continue to innovate and differentiate via their core value, and supporting Open State Data enables a vendor to be a strategic partner with its enterprise customers.
If we have Open State Data, then enterprises can code to state data and automate governance and policy across an application’s dependency map. An IT supplier then becomes a strategic partner integrated into the governance of its customer’s core digital business.
Open State Data also is the basis for AI overlays that automate operations to emerge. AI is like wine: to make great wine, you need great grapes. To deliver effective and useful AI, you need good data.
“AI is like wine: to make great wine, you need great grapes. To deliver effective and useful AI, you need good data.”-Nick Lippis
Open State Data will provide a picture of the past and present state of an application and its dependencies, which AI algorithms can consume and correlate to understand root causality of problems. This reduces mean time to detect and repair issues, which increases uptime.
As a result, there would be no need for silos of operational teams. IT organizations can focus on application development. DevOps would transform into DevAIOps.
Open State Data is a force of change on how IT suppliers deliver their products to the large enterprise, as well as how large enterprises automate governance such that they may accelerate their digital journeys and transform their IT operations.
The time is now
Over the past few months, many things have changed. One key change is behavior and attitude toward digital transformation from executive management. There are no longer any naysayers. Corporations realize that being digital is critical to survival and not a new way to sell existing products and services. This enlightenment has shifted influence toward buyers of IT products and services. Enterprises need to use the expanded influence they now have to advocate to all vendors to support Open State Data.
Open State Data may emerge as an open source project; a consortium of vendors and startups that take unstructured machine data and normalize it into structured data; a standards organization project; or something else. IT business leaders need to encourage and advocate for all of these options because the road to digital transformation and corporate survival is through Open State Data so that cloud governance can be automated.
At ONUG Digital Live, May 6-7, 2020, the ONUG Collaborative starts an industry conversation on a new social compact and industry contract that starts with Open State Data. Hope to see you there – it’s virtual and free.
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What are the main factors responsible 4 the evolution of world war ?
For 2nd ww sink of ship clolmbus (of usa) is responsible
The main factors which are responsible for world wars are :-
IMPERIALISM:- it means the expansion of territories to excess the amount of goods in a territory.
MAKING ALLIES:- usually we have seen that the countries make groups with other powerful country. Like pakistan is with china , India is with USA etc. This was one of the most imp. reason for world war I.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS:-sometimes not having a good international relationship may cause a war. And with making allies it may lead to a world war.
About Which world war u want ?
World war's happens because of only politicals
World wars usually take place due to regaining or achieving territory. ..at times it cud also be due to political instability and revenge against opponents.....social situations are also a widescale cause for the same....and even wars take place for regaining independance.....
A world war occur to take revange or to get control over the required thing ...due to which war occured by showing their power of modern tecnology....
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Getting a mammogram is a regular part of women's health care in the United States. Doctors rely on the X-ray image to detect the suspicious anomalies that are the markers of breast cancer.
But many doctors consider the standard two-dimensional X-rays to be a poor screening device. Dr. Negar Golesorkhi, a breast surgeon who practices in Virginia, says finding a tumor with standard mammography is like "finding a polar bear in the snow."
Until recently, that was the best diagnostic tool doctors had.
A few years ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved 3-D technology for mammograms. Dr. Sarah Friedewald at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois, has just completed a study of 450,000 women who had both 2-D and 3-D mammograms.
She found the differences astounding. Tumors that are difficult to spot on a standard mammogram are easy to see on 3-D images.
"We found invasive cancers ... the ones that potentially kill people more frequently in women who had a 3-D mammogram versus the women who had a 2-D mammogram," Dr. Friedewald said.
At the same time, she said the 3-D mammogram produced fewer false positives, so fewer women had to return for further testing or painful, unnecessary biopsies than those who had standard mammograms.
At least one other recent study shows nearly identical results. The 3-D mammograms found close to 30 percent more cancerous tumors than standard mammography, and with 3-D technology, there was slightly more than a 40 percent increase in the finding invasive cancers.
Three-dimensional mammograms are so much better at finding cancerous breast tumors that Dr. Friedewald told VOA she expects the technology to eventually replace the standard 2-D mammogram most women receive.
Her study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association
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For the first time in our history, we Americans have learned what it is like to be the targets of irrational, international hatred. We have learned what is it like to be attacked without provocation. Most of all, we now know how it feels to be accused of being an aggressor when we simply act in self-defense.
Of course, these are things that the Jews have known for millennia. And this puts America and the Jews in a strange but shared category.
When other world nations are subjected to brutal and unmotivated attack, they are usually granted the world's sympathies. Not so with the Jews. Not so with America. The reaction of the world to September 11th was a few moments of shocked silence and then an immediate onslaught of, "I told you so's" and "what do you expect when you throw your weight around with such arrogance?"
Most Americans are rightly outraged as to how our preemptive actions of self-defense are interpreted as unprovoked American aggression. But for the Jews this is just so ho-hum. Israel has, of course, observed this phenomenon for decades. When Israel takes action against terrorists that wreak havoc with suicide bombing after suicide bombing, they are condemned as merciless aggressors. Throughout Europe, Israel is reviled as a state that tramples on Palestinian rights. China has virtually ceased reporting on Palestinian suicide bombings, choosing instead to report only on Israel's response.
How do we explain such patent absurdity (after all, Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein are the manifestly evil ones, right?) unless we see it in the larger context of America experiencing something akin to anti-Semitism?
And the clincher of how America has now become the world's Jews was the recent comparison, by the German "Justice" minister Herta Daeubler-Gmelin, of President George W. Bush to Adolph Hitler. The irony of comparing the leader of the democracy that liberated Germany from Hitler to the dictator himself is matched only by the constant comparisons of Israel, the country that was built by the survivors of Hitler's genocide, to the Nazi beasts who tried to extinguish them.
Now, these contemporary comparisons between the United States and world Jewry can be treated as a mere coincidence. Or else we can make the most of the hand the world has dealt us. I propose that this series of factors suggest a political and practical application. Now that the Americans have become the Jews of the world, I propose to formalize the arrangement by making Israel the 51st state in the Union.
Forming an alliance--officially--between Israel and the U.S. would indeed produce a mutually beneficial situation. Right now Israel is caught between a rock and a terrifying cliff. Israeli civilians are blown up and murdered with weekly and sometimes daily regularity. They cannot ride a bus in peace. They cannot feel comfortable eating pizza. And yet they cannot do what would be necessary to actually eliminate terrorism because of external pressure. To be sure, Israel easily has the military and economic resources to destroy the Palestinian terrorist infrastructure and exile the uber terrorist Yasser Arafat. But international pressures, exercised by the world through the medium of the United States, paralyze Israel. So Israel is prevented from acting firmly and resolutely--as the United States did in Afghanistan.
But what if Israel were actually an American state? Any attack against Israeli civilians would be an attack against Americans. Then it would be absurd for President Bush to be pressured by other world leaders to curb the military response. Israel-turned-American commando units would finally go in and remove Arafat's terror regime once and for all, just as the United States changed regimes in Afghanistan.
The strategic benefits to the United States are also considerable. To those Americans who will surely say, "Why would we want to adopt Israel which is always under attack," I say: Wake up, America. You're under attack anyway and making Israel into the 51st state would decrease, rather than increase terror.
What America most desperately needs in the post-9/11 world is a permanent presence in the region of the world that spawns all the terror. The only way to guarantee American safety in the long term is to have a permanent presence in the Middle East that can be used as a launching pad to eradicate terrorism. Right now, American B-2 bombers need to fly all the way from the United States in bombing sorties against Afghanistan, and America is practically begging the Saudis to allow us to use our bases there in a war against Iraq. For permanent military instillations we've been reduced to aligning ourselves with Qatar, a country that purports to be an American ally while simultaneously operating the worldwide Al Jazeera television network, a major source of anti-American propaganda throughout the Arab world.
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ET gathers that it was indicated so to stakeholder ministries and departments at a high-level meeting during the national conference on drug trafficking last week.
Given the current menace of drug consumption and drug trafficking, a ‘decriminalisation’ approach cannot be adopted, MHA is learned to have said at the July 30 National Conference on Drug Trafficking and National Security attended by chief ministers, representatives of several Union ministries, chief secretaries of northern states, representatives of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and officials of the Narcotics Control Bureau.
At the keynote address in Chandigarh, home minister Amit Shah also emphasized that there would be ‘zero tolerance against drugs’ to rid the country of the menace and achieve the vision of the PM of a Drug Free India by 2047.
“The message from the home ministry was quite clear. There cannot be any decriminalization of drug consumption given its dangerous impact on youngsters and society at large. It was also discussed that some provisions of the NDPS Act may be made more stringent,” an official who attended the meeting said.
Several western nations have decriminalized drug consumption, but a similar move to liberalize the Narcotic, Drugs & Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, looks unlikely after the ministry’s stand.
The issue also sparked a public debate amid Aryan Khan’s arrest in Mumbai under the law.
Section 27 of the NDPS Act, 1985, makes drug consumption a punishable offense that can attract a fine of Rs 10,000 and imprisonment of six months or both. Bail provisions are also quite stringent.
Inter-ministerial consultation on possible amendments was initiated in 2021 and a debate was generated. The social justice ministry pitched for decriminalization of personal consumption of drugs and treating addicts as ‘victims’ rather than culprits. The primary motive to amend the Act came after a verdict of the Tripura High Court.
The Prime Minister’s Office had earlier proposed amendments and asked for all issues on the law to be discussed before introducing the bill in Parliament.
Despite discussion of the draft amendments with state governments, MHA could not reach a consensus on the decriminalization of addicts. ET had on July 7 reported that the decriminalization plan had hit a wall- after several state governments and central ministries opposing it on logistical grounds, doubts on the rehabilitation capacity and capability of governmental machinery.
There is agreement on the need to do away with imprisonment and fines/penalties for personal consumption of drugs and introduce rehabilitation and de addiction programs to wean away drug users. However, implementation issues remain.
“Several states favor decriminalization, but do not have a roadmap on how to rehabilitate those found indulging in consuming drugs…,” a senior official who was part of the deliberations had earlier told ET.
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A map of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Northern South America region. South America is found in the western hemisphere. Most of the continent is in the southern hemisphere, although some parts of the northern part of the continent fall in the northern hemisphere. The section in the northern hemisphere includes Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname, parts of Brazil, parts of Ecuador, and nearly all of Colombia. The Isthmus of Panama separates North American.
The Americas (also collectively called America) comprise the totality of the continents of North and South America. Together, they make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.. Along with their associated islands, they cover 8% of Earth's total surface area and 28.4% of its land area. The topography is dominated by the American Cordillera, a long chain of.
Map of northern south america. Futuristic Theme Building with a restaurant, LA International Airport, Los Angels – CA. North America North America Maps Maps Steamy forests, snaking rivers and ice-clad volcanoes: it’s no surprise that outsiders have long been drawn to South America. This is a land of rich treasures, stretching from the frozen glaciers of Patagonia, through dense equatorial jungle and up into the northern hemisphere. Our map of South America will help you get your bearings. Political Map of North America: This is a political map of North America which shows the countries of North America along with capital cities, major cities, islands, oceans, seas, and gulfs. The map is a portion of a larger world map created by the Central Intelligence Agency using Robinson Projection.
Political Map of South America: This is a political map of South America which shows the countries of South America along with capital cities, major cities, islands, oceans, seas, and gulfs. The map is a portion of a larger world map created by the Central Intelligence Agency using Robinson Projection. Stretching from Panama to northern Canada, North and Central America is the only continent where you can find every climate type. It is also home to over 500 million people in 24 countries. Use this online map quiz to illustrate these points along with other information from the North and Central American geography unit. Map of South America and travel information about South America brought to you by Lonely Planet. Search Lonely Planet. Search. Video. Best in Travel 2020. Featured. Adventure travel. Art and culture. Beaches, coasts and islands. Explore every day. Food and drink.
Map of North and South America Click to see large. Description: This map shows governmental boundaries of countries in North and South America. Countries of North and South America: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Uruguay,. A map showing the physical features of South America. The Andes mountain range dominates South America’s landscape. As the world’s longest mountain range, the Andes stretch from the northern part of the continent, where they begin in Venezuela and Colombia, to the southern tip of Chile and Argentina. South America is also home to the Atacama Desert, the driest desert in the world. This icon serves as a link to download the eSSENTIAL Accessibility assistive technology app for individuals with physical disabilities. It is featured as part of our commitment to diversity and.
New Map For 2019 North America Map. We have an updated map of North America for 2019. Nothing has really changed in 2018 or 2019. Mexico is still south of the USA and Canada is still to the north. This map is pretty big simple map of North America. We will be adding more detailed map in the not to distant future. About South America South America is a continent that comprises the southern half of the American landmass, it is connected to North America by the Isthmus of Panama.The continent is located almost entirely in the Southern Hemisphere, bordered in west by the Humboldt (Peru) Current of the Pacific Ocean, in east by the Brazil Current of the South Atlantic Ocean, and in north by the Caribbean Sea. Map of South America with countries and capitals Click to see large. Description: This map shows governmental boundaries, countries and their capitals in South America. Go back to see more maps of South America. Europe Map; Asia Map; Africa Map; North America Map; South America Map; Oceania Map; Advertising. Popular maps.
Welcome to google satellite maps South America locations list, welcome to the place where google maps sightseeing make sense! With comprehensive gazetteer for countries in South America, maplandia.com enables to explore South America through detailed satellite imagery — fast and easy as never before. Northern South America; Southern South America; More. The Map Room (Samples) U.S. & Canada Radar + World Earthquakes; World Volcanoes; World Weather Layers; World Wind Direction Animation; World Traffic Congestion; World Latitude/Longitude Finder; World Geography & Street Map Map Demos; Open Street Map – Map Demo; OpenLayers – Map Demo. South America is a continent in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere.It may also be considered a subcontinent of the Americas, which is how it is viewed in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking regions of the Americas. The reference to South America instead of other regions (like Latin America or the Southern Cone) has.
Study area. A: Map of northern South America showing the main. South America Map of North America at 1648AD | TimeMaps Area Code 206 Map Stuttgart U Bahn Map Maps Of Rhode Island Geographical Map Of Great Britain Map Of All Illinois Cities Detailed Map Of Florida Google Maps London Airports Blank Map Of Germany. The vast majority of North America is on the North American Plate. Parts of California and western Mexico form the partial edge of the Pacific Plate, with the two plates meeting along the San Andreas fault. The continent can be divided into four great regions (each of which contains many sub-regions): the Great Plains stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian Arctic; the geologically.
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A while back I posted an ASK FATHER Question Box query about the rising of used altar linens by a priest before the linens are sent to be laundered. It is a good question, because it touches on our sense of the sacred.
A canonist friend sent the following pertinent information:
I had some time to look into the issue of washing altar linens.
Among the information I found out is that, lay brothers of the Order of Friars Minor who were entrusted with the charge of the sacristy, by papal privilege, could handle the sacred vessels and perform the first washing of the corporals and purificators. In addition, the privilege of doing these first washings were usually granted to brothers and sisters of religious institutes that follow the Rule of St. Francis who serve as sacristans in their chapels.
Then, with the momentous motu proprio, Pastorale munus, Paul VI, in 1963, granted a whole bunch of faculties to diocesan bishops. One of those faculties (#28) was,
“Permittendi clericis minoribus, religiosis laicis, necnon piis mulieribus ut pallas, corporalia et purificatoria prima quoque ablutione extergere possint.”
It seems that non-religious laymen and impious women are still prohibited from doing the first washing.
The drama builds.
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Home / Pet Library / Medical Articles
Exotic pets can be a delightful addition to your household. However, it is necessary to research the needs of any animal that will be under your care. Some exotic animals are not suitable as pets due to extensive husbandry requirements, which may include the need for live food or extremes of temperature and humidity. Many reptiles fall into this category.
Below are a few articles on disease conditions and husbandry in commonly kept exotic pets. Please note that these are for informational purposes only and are not a substitute for examination by your veterinarian.
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Volunteers are the heart and hands of Extension, helping extend our educational programs and reach more people. It is important for us to interpret to key stakeholders how we utilize a volunteer workforce to help achieve our agency’s mission…improving lives, improving Texas.
Data are gathered from each county on an annual basis in order to prepare an updated and accurate report of the number of volunteers that contribute to Extension programs. This report is typically completed at the end of each calendar year.
Upon completion of the volunteer survey, counties are encouraged to share the results with stakeholders, including volunteers. Each county may access a two-page report that provides a summary of volunteers and a “check” indicating the value of the volunteers and the time they contributed to Extension programs.
Volunteer Survey User’s Guide – This guide provides step-by-step instructions for county Extension agents to follow in completing the Volunteer Survey.
The Volunteer Survey can be accessed at: http://volunteerreport.tamu.edu
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The Pelješac Bridge, the most important infrastructure project in Croatia, has entered its final year of construction this year. The pillars above the sea surface outline the route of the future road, which could be completed by the end of 2021, and by the tourist season of 2022, it will be possible to travel on it.
Today follows an important step towards connecting the Croatian south with the rest of the country. The pillar of the Pelješac Bridge on land connects with the first one that springs from the sea. The assembly is on the connection of the span structure between the first two pillars on the land side, which will be connected by an element 52 meters long and weighing 587 tons.
The assembly and welding of the segments of the steel span structure continues. So far, 27 percent of the segments have been erected and installed, 44 out of a total of 165. The construction of access roads is also progressing. The 499-meter-long Kamenica tunnel was breached, and work is underway on the 488-meter-long Dumanja Jaruga I bridge. The longest tunnel in the entire project, Debeli Brijeg, 2.4 kilometers long, was also breached. Access roads should be completed by July 2022, so the interval between their opening to traffic and the complete completion of the Pelješac Bridge could be 6 months.
Although the bridge is still called the Pelješac Bridge, it is not certain that it will be named after it when it is finished. Among the various suggestions is to name it after the musical legend Oliver Dragojević.
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alh1020: This is a 'heads-up' for those of you who have been prescribed to use Simvastatin (Zocor) to manage your cholesterol levels. This might warrant a visit to your doctor to review your medications. Just a thought.
The cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin can cause severe muscle damage and should not be prescribed in high doses to patients who have taken it for less than a year or in any dose to people taking certain drugs, health officials said Tuesday.
Simvastatin is the second-most-prescribed drug in the USA. It is sold by itself as Zocor and in combination with another cholesterol-lowering drug, ezetimibe, as Vytorin.
Last year, doctors wrote 94 million prescriptions for the two brand-name drugs, according to IMS Health, which tracks the medical marketplace. Millions more people take generic versions of the drug, says Michael Rosenblatt, chief medical officer of Merck & Co. Inc., the company that developed simvastatin.
Rosenblatt says it is crucial to alert people taking the drug to the link between simvastatin and muscle damage, which was bolstered by a Food and Drug Administration review announced last March.
Research has shown that the highest dose of simvastatin, 80 milligrams, causes muscle damage in 61 of every 1,000 patients, far higher than the eight-per-10,000 rate in patients taking a 40-milligram dose, Rosenblatt says.
About 12% of people taking Merck's simvastatin, or 1.2 million people, are taking the 80-milligram dose. "We really want to get the word out," he says.
The FDA said any patient now taking the 80-milligram dose of simvastatin who has been on it less than a year should be switched to a different cholesterol-lowering statin of equal potency. Patients taking any dose of simvastatin who are also taking certain anti-fungal drugs, antibiotics or protease inhibitors for treating HIV should also be switched to other statins.
Patients taking certain heart drugs should be switched to a lower dose.
"We don't want patients stopping their medicine on their own. We want them to call their doctors," Rosenblatt says. "They're on this medicine because their high cholesterol puts them at high risk of cardiac events."
All of the statins have been linked with muscle injury and rare cases of muscle breakdown, a condition called rhabdomyolysis, which occurs in about five of every 100,000 patients taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs.
A decade after simvastatin was approved as Zocor in 1991, Merck added a warning about muscle injury to its label, Rosenblatt says. In 2004, the biggest study of high-dose statin therapy raised new concerns.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that high-dose simvastatin was associated with an "unusually high rate of muscle damage."
For every three patients protected from cardiac events by the drug, one patient suffered muscle damage, says Steven Nissen, chief of cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic.
Nissen calls the FDA labeling change "seven years late."
Merck has established a website with patient information at simvastatininfocenter.com.
Simvastatin can damage muscles in high doses - USATODAY.com
Life is like a camera……..Focus on what’s important, Capture the good times, Develop from the negatives, and if things don’t work out, Take Another Shot.
And my doctor wonders why I am not eager to take cholesterol lowering drugs for my "high normal range" cholesterol levels.
Pop: I haven't talked to Tim in about 6 or 7 years. If I did, he wouldn't listen to me anyway. It says that he's mean and rude!
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To become an expert in an activity, it's estimated that you need to spend at least 10,000 hours dedicated solely to that one activity. Does that sound like a long time? If you've seen the film Groundhog Day, in which Bill Murray endlessly repeats the same day, you'll know he becomes an expert in French poetry, ice sculpting and playing the piano. Someone has worked out that to have spent the necessary pursuing these disciplines to become an expert, Murray spent almost 34 years experiencing the same day over and over again.
Naturally, as time is money, to become proficient in something takes both, and a lot of both. If you have the time, but not the money, then your options are limited. You're not going to be beating Tiger Woods any day soon, for example. But there are ways you can enhance your learning without depleting your checking account.
One of the greatest ways you can train your brain is to learn a different language. Unfortunately, it can be tough to learn a whole new vocabulary, especially if your thirtieth birthday is but a distant memory. There are plenty of free online courses available if you fancy learning Spanish, or Portuguese, or even Japanese. It's best to begin with a free course to see if language-learning is for you before punching in your credit card numbers for a paid course.
There's a real buzz about online poker at the moment. It's a great game to play, as long as you play sensibly and within your limits. The problem with poker is if you sit down at a money table you'll be up against people who have been playing for years, so if you don't know what you're doing, then you're going to get stung. Full Tilt has a great app which teaches you the basics of the game for free. You can also play on their 'play money' tables to see if you've the makings of a poker fiend before you try the real money online casino.
One of the great things to do in life is to learn to play an instrument. Most of us experience learning to play an instrument at school but it tends to get dropped one more academic studies start to take preference. Why not blow the dust off that guitar, clarinet or tuba and see how much you can recall? If you're re-bitten by the musical bug there are plenty of sites where you can take free, basic lessons before you move on to the more advanced (and costly) stuff. Just don't forget to warn your neighbors about the terrible din they'll be hearing for a few weeks. Or maybe even months!
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In today’s world, we don’t exactly know how the food has traveled and landed on our plate. Sometimes the shiny round tomatoes are genetically modified to look more round with an appealing shade of red, the cucumbers injected with hormones to make them grow even quicker. All this to satisfy the human idea of consuming food at a faster pace with no consideration to the process of its growth of treatment.
We can avoid buying some of these 9 food items and prepare them by yourself at home. Trust us, you’ll only savor this as a lifelong idea.
The Arabic side for a grill dish, hummus, is easy-to-make & can be stored for a quite a few days. The key ingredient for this dish is the chickpeas. You add the thaini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin & salt. You can store this by adding olive oil on top so it doesn’t run dry. Preparing hummus is really simple once you decide to give it a try. So ditch this item from your grocery list and DIY!
Click here to purchase this product (Kabuli Chana)
- Peanut Butter
A spread so easy to make, shouldn’t ever make it to the list of essentials while shopping for groceries. Peanut butter from the stores is loaded with fats and unwanted sugars. This can be avoided altogether by preparing this butter at home.
All you need is to blend peanuts and salt as per your taste in a blender. The oil in the peanut, itself, will give it a smooth texture. Store this in an airtight container and use it as frequently as you wish to.
Click here to purchase this product (Peanuts)
Like fresh coconut chutney in any South Indian household, mayonnaise can be prepared as a dip at any point of time. All you need is to blend these items at the right time. Staining with eggs, then vinegar, mustard, and salt. Whilst you are mixing these ingredients in the blender, you can slowly pour the oil to get the right texture. Save yourself from unwanted preservatives and sugars by preparing this Mayonnaise dip at home.
Click here to purchase this product (white vinegar)
Ghee in ayurveda is of high importance. There are several treatments which emphasize the use of ghee to clean and lubricate the digestive tract. It enhances digestion and keeps the body feeling lighter unlike the slothy feeling after consuming corn or sunflower oil. To prepare ghee, you need to heat unsalted butter on a saucepan until white froth develops. Collect the settled milk-butter at the bottom of the pan and filter it with a cloth.
You can store this in a jar and use it when needed.
Click here to purchase this product (Margarine butter)
The current Nutella available in the market has over-the-top sugars and is not a healthy option for your child. With the right ingredients at home you can not only save your family from high sugar and insulin problems but also protect the environment. The ‘Wild Life’ protagonists have slammed the ‘Ferrero Rocher’ company for the use of excessive palm oil which has increasingly cost wildlife animals, like orangutans, to go extinct. You can easily prepare Nutella by roasting hazelnuts, removing the skin and blending it into a paste in a blender. Adding chocolate and sugar if needed. Homemade Nutella is fresh and has less sugars and additives!
Click here to purchase this product (Hazelnuts)
- Mozzarella Cheese
You will need mozzarella cheese for various preparations from pizza to lasagna. It is easy to prepare at home and can be easily and permanently removed from the grocery list. Also mozzarella cheese is expensive and the ready-to-use grated cheese is even more costly than the block or sliced cheese. You can simply take milk and add slight citric acid to it while heating. Once the milk curdles you can strain it to a bowl with the help of a cloth strainer. Heat the curd in the microwave until it forms a smooth texture. You can then let it cool down and knead it to a smooth dough. You can store this cheese with sprinkled salt and roll it into a ball and use it as and when you need it!
Click here to purchase this product (Citric acid)
- Tomato Ketchup
Tomato ketchup is one of the most common dips on a table: be it at the restaurant, or at home, everyone loves to pick a bottle of tomato ketchup while purchasing groceries. But you can change that by preparing healthy fresh ketchup at home! Cooking a few tomatoes with garlic, blending the tomatoes with garam masala, salt vinegar, and chili powder. Heat the blended puree. Once done you can let the mixture cool and add sodium benzoate to preserve it for longer duration.
Click here to purchase this product (Tomatoes)
Pickle is prepared across India. It is a kitchen staple served with lunch meals like curries, rice, dals etc. Pickles are still prepared at home in many rural areas. Due to the fast-paced life in cities, many people opt for ready-made pickles that come in attractive bottles in the stores. But these pickles are loaded with excess salts and sugars and other industrial preservatives. You can easily make pickles at home from raw mangoes, garlic, olives, brinjal and mixed pickles as well!
Click here to purchase this product (Pickle Masala Powder)
Similar to Nutella, jam is also loaded with artificial flavors. Fruit jams barely have any fruits in it. They’re mostly loaded with fruit essence and not the actual fruits. The jams which contain actual fruits are in a high price range. You don’t need to fall for any of these marketing gimmicks and prepare your own homemade jam. All you need is fresh fruits for your jam. Heat them on gas until they form a smooth texture. Take this mixture on a pan and mix it with sugar. Keep adding sugar slowly as the mixture turns cold making it into a smooth paste. You can then store it in a glass jar.
Click here to purchase this product (Organic Sugar)
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SREB Early Childhood Commission
The SREB Early Childhood Commission calls for states to raise the
quality of early education programs and ensure they are
well-coordinated across different agencies and budgets.
The recommendations in Building a Strong Foundation: State Policy for Early Childhood Education cover wider access and accountability for results. The report also sheds light on the need for a statewide policy framework to bring together public and private funding currently spread across agencies and budgets. The central goal: high-quality programs with teachers trained specifically to work with young children.
Provide incentives to improve quality in early childhood development programs.
Develop and sustain a high-quality early childhood program workforce that has the competencies to foster the social, emotional and cognitive development of young children.
Enact state accountability systems that assess program performance and reward quality.
Provide high-quality early learning services to the groups of young children most likely to benefit from interventions.
Establish a comprehensive and integrated framework of policies and programs to support early childhood development in the state
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On paper, the press in the United States is remarkably free. Thanks to our Constitution's "freedom of the press" protection, American journalists have a license to speak truth to power.
Unfortunately, with the current refusal of American media to so speak, the freedom that so many of the world's journalists could only dream of enjoying is squandered by newspapers and broadcast outlets that practice the stenography to power more commonly seen in countries that end up on US State Department watch lists because of their disdain for open and honest communication.
The most talked about documentary on American television in recent months was an examination of the miserable condition of media in America produced by the nation's most unfettered broadcaster, public television's Bill Moyers.
It focused, appropriately, on the failure of our free press to expose the manipulation of intelligence by a president and vice president who were determined to lead the country to war in Iraq, and on the media's "Mission Accomplished" cheerleading for that war after it began.
Moyers was not the first frustrated observer of American media to ask with regard to the media coverage of the run-up to the invasion of Iraq: "How did the mainstream press get it so wrong?"
The man who has been a White House press secretary, newspaper publisher, author and television news program host was not alone in wondering: "How did the evidence disputing (Bush administration claims and intimations regarding) the existence of weapons of mass destruction and the link between Saddam Hussein to 9-11 continue to go largely unreported?"
But Moyers did something that most American media analysts have not had the time, the resources or the contacts to do, and that is answer the fundamental questions about the failure of print, broadcast and cable news outlets to cut through the spin and give the American people the truth about the Bush administration's unwarranted rush to war.
"What the conservative media did was easy to fathom; they had been cheerleaders for the White House from the beginning and were simply continuing to rally the public behind the President -- no questions asked," explained Moyers. "How mainstream journalists suspended skepticism and scrutiny remains an issue of significance that the media has not satisfactorily explored. How the administration marketed the war to the American people has been well covered, but critical questions remain: How and why did the press buy it, and what does it say about the role of journalists in helping the public sort out fact from propaganda?"
These were the premises and purposes of Moyers' remarkable 9O-minute documentary, "Buying the War," which explored the role of the press in the lead-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The broadcast of "Buying the War," which aired on public broadcasting stations nationwide April 25, marked the return of Moyers as a regular program host on PBS, where he was resident for a number of years as the host of "NOW with Bill Moyers." And, just as he did before leaving "NOW" several years ago, at a time when President Bush's allies and appointees were attacking him for giving air time to administration critics - including Republicans such as Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel - Moyers is still practicing the lonely craft of journalism in the manner intended by the rebels against empire who wrote a "freedom of the press" protection into America's founding document.
In other words, he is refusing to be a stenographer for the powerful.
"Buying the War" highlighted that refusal.
In the documentary, Moyers interviewed former CBS news anchor Dan Rather, NBC's "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert, former CNN president Walter Isaacson, and many of the top American print and broadcast reporters. He challenged them. He pressed them. He got them to acknowledge not just the drastic flaws in the reporting before and immediately after the invasion of Iraq but also the extent to which those flaws illustrate the deeper crisis of today's "on-bended-knee" media.
The veteran CBS Middle East correspondent, Bob Simon, summed up that crisis when he refers to the Washington press corps as operating "in a bubble" shaped by the Bush administration
"Buying the War" was not a polemic. Rather, it was an aggressively and thoroughly reported critique of pre-war media coverage, which celebrated the handful of journalists - particularly those with the old Knight-Ridder Washington bureau -- who asked the right questions, while solemnly detailing the reality that most media merely repeated administration claims as if they were truths that could not be debated.
Remarkably, and importantly, Moyers got journalists who are still in the game to explain where things went wrong. For instance, Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz noted on screen that, "From August 2002 until the war was launched in March of 2003 there were about 140 front page pieces in the Washington Post making the administration's case for war. But there was only a handful of stories that ran on the front page that made the opposite case. Or, if not making the opposite case, raised questions."
What Moyers has produced is a chilling account of what happens in a republic where the media, for the most part, becomes a mouthpiece for the government. As Walter Pincus, one of the last of the great Washington reporters, explained to Moyers, "More and more the media become, I think, common carriers of administration statements and critics of the administration. We've sort of given up being independent on our own."
That surrender of independence destroys the whole matter of a free press, just as it prevents citizens from gaining the information and insight needed to be functional players in America's democratic experiment. It is encouraging that Moyers is back on the air, and that he is using his forum to expose what has gone so horribly wrong with American media. But do not think that any corners have been turned. Moyers is still the voice in the wilderness, preaching the founding gospel of the country, and reminding Americans that freedom of the press means very little when it is not used to challenge unethical presidents and to prevent unnecessary wars.
As it happens, the people are listening. Public anger at the dysfunctional press has never been more intense or more widespread. Unfortunately, the reporters in Washington are always the last to know.
For other articles in our World Press Freedom Day series click here.
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If you’re looking to advance your HR career, it’s important to keep in mind that there are a lot of different ways to do so. And while some paths might be more traditional than others, all can lead to success if pursued with the right mindset and level of dedication. In this article, we’ll explore six such paths – pursuing additional education, networking, seeking out new challenges, and more – and provide some useful tips on how to make the most of each.
One great way to set yourself up for success in HR is to pursue additional education, whether that means going back to school for a degree or taking some extra courses to brush up on your skills. You can look for Masters in Human Resources online degree or even certification programs that can help you learn more about the field and gain the knowledge and credentials you need to move up. Not only will pursuing additional education give you a chance to learn more about the field of HR, but it can also help you network with other professionals and build up your resume. When it comes to finding a job or getting promoted, these things can make all the difference.
For example, if you’re looking to move into a management position, having a Master’s degree can give you the edge over other candidates who may only have a Bachelor’s. And if you’re hoping to transition into a different area of HR, such as employee relations or benefits administration, taking some extra courses in those subjects can show potential employers that you’re serious about making the switch.
Another great way to advance your HR career is to network with other professionals in the field. This can be done in a number of ways, such as attending industry events, joining professional organizations, or connecting with people you know on LinkedIn.
Networking can help you meet new people and learn about different job opportunities that might be a good fit for you. It can also help you build relationships with people who can give you advice and mentorship as you move up in your career.
And if you’re looking to make a switch to a different area of HR, networking can be a great way to learn about new opportunities and make the right connections.
Another great way to advance your HR career is to seek out new challenges. This could mean taking on more responsibility at work, looking for a new job that offers more challenges, or even starting your own business.
Taking on new challenges can help you learn new skills and gain new experiences that will be valuable in your career. It can also show potential employers that you’re willing to step out of your comfort zone and take on new challenges, which can make you a more attractive candidate for promotions or new jobs.
For example, if you’re looking to move into a management position, taking on more responsibility at work or volunteering for leadership roles in professional organizations can show that you have the potential to be a successful manager. And if you’re hoping to transition into a different area of HR, such as employee relations or benefits administration, taking on a new job in those fields can give you the experience and knowledge you need to make the switch.
No matter which path you decide to take, be sure to do some research before making any decisions. Talk to professionals in the field, read articles and books about HR, and look for job postings that align with your goals.
By doing your research, you’ll be able to make the best decision for your career and set yourself up for success. For example, if you’re considering going back to school for a degree, look into different programs and find one that fits your needs and goals. And if you’re thinking about taking on a new job, research the company and the position to make sure it’s a good fit for you.
Also, don’t forget to research the salary ranges for different positions, so you can make sure you’re getting paid what you’re worth.
One of the best ways to advance your HR career is to find a mentor. A mentor is someone who has been successful in the field and can offer guidance and advice as you move up in your career.
Mentors can help you learn about different opportunities, navigate the job market, and develop the skills you need to be successful. And if you’re looking to make a switch into a different area of HR, a mentor can help you learn about the necessary steps to make the transition.
So if you’re serious about advancing your HR career, find a mentor and start building a relationship. You’ll be glad you did.
Another important way to advance your HR career is to keep up with industry trends. This means staying up-to-date on new laws and regulations, changes in the job market, and new technologies.
By staying up-to-date on industry trends, you’ll be able to identify new opportunities and make sure you’re ahead of the curve. For example, if you’re looking to move into a management position, keeping up with industry trends will help you learn about new management styles and best practices. And if you’re hoping to transition into a different area of HR, such as employee relations or benefits administration, staying up-to-date on industry trends will help you understand the changing landscape of those fields.
So, if you’re looking to advance your HR career, these are some things you can do to help make that happen. Keep in mind that it takes hard work and dedication, but following these guidelines will put you on the right path. And don’t forget to stay up-to-date on industry trends, so you can always be ahead of the curve. So get started today and see where it takes you!
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Last fall, the New England Compounding Center (NECC) in Massachusetts made thousands of tainted vials that killed 50 people and sickened more with the deadly spinal meningitis virus.
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight will hear from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg on April 16 to examine whether the agency has the tools it needs to regulate the growing industry.
“The evidence so far demonstrates the NECC should have been shut down long before 50 people tragically lost their lives from contaminated injections,” said Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.), the chairman of the subcommittee that will hold the hearing. “With many more still sick, we will continue investigating the breakdown at the FDA so a public health disaster like this one never happens again.”
More than 700 individuals have been sickened from the NECC contamination, and various other safety issues were found at compounding pharmacies in at least six other states, not including another in Massachusetts that prompted recalls of products.
There have been 44 federal investigations into compounding pharmacies nationwide since January. The FDA has released 31 reports that claim a host of violations.
Officials from the FDA have acknowledged the gray area surrounding specialty pharmacy rules but also say there’s more they could have done to prevent deaths and illness stemming from tainted medications.
The regulator has been able to step in at compounding pharmacies suspected to be producing products en masse or ones that consumers have complained about. Still, officials say their ability to unilaterally act on inspecting the estimated 28,000 pharmacies is limited, at best.
“This is no way to regulate an industry,” said Janet Woodcock, the leader of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). “Sure, we could have gone out and done more inspections like this and battled each one in court. But there’s 28,000 compounding pharmacies of any type and we don’t know who’s who, because they don’t send us anything or tell us.”
Woodcock and Howard Sklamberg, the head of CDER's Office of Compliance, spoke to the publication Pharmalot on Tuesday about the rising number of investigations and the curtailed authority to oversee the products.
“How would we regulate that industry when we go there and have to get a warrant from a judge to walk in the door? You could say we could battle in court and get in the firm,” Woodcock continued, but what about the other 27,999? We have to have a scheme — these firms we regulate or we don’t.”
In the midst of the public outcry last month, a pharmacy trade group pushed back against calls to give the FDA more power.
The head of the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) said there are already enough state-level rules governing the business and argued that NECC acted as a “rogue entity.”
“As a country, we must strike the right balance to go after rogue entities like NECC while preserving patients’ access to the safe and essential compounded medications that their physicians prescribe,” said B. Douglas Hoey, the chief executive of the NCPA, pledging that the organization would “continue to work with health officials” on the issue.
“The FDA owes the American public the peace of mind that it will do all it can to protect the integrity of the nation's drug supply chain, and the goal of our investigation is to ensure that happens,” Murphy said.
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The breed is critically endangered of extinction with latest estimated of total population of about 1000 heads (Rege, 1999).
Confined to the Singida region of central Tanzania.
The Small East African Zebu are believed to have descended from the recent introductions of zebu into Africa from Asia, and some may have ancestral linkages with cattle of the Large East African Zebu group. The breeds or strains that belong to Tanganyika Zebu have broad genetic and phenotypic diversity, and are dispersed throughout mainland Tanzania, but mainly in the Dodomo area of central Tanzania. They are named after tribal groups or locations (Rege and Tawah, 1999).
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Printers are very handy and still in use by most households. Whether it’s flight tickets or the occasional letter, they’re there and ready whenever we need them.
Unless of course if they are used too infrequently and the print heads can become blocked with dried ink.
You may have left your printer for months only to find that when you try and print something, the paper comes out with a patchy print or the black is missing completely
If you have checked the cartridges and they still have ink, then it’s most likely that they need a head clean. Usually, all printers have a head cleaning function built-in, sometimes you need to run this cleaning process 3 or 4 times to get things working. If you’ve run it 5 times and the nozzle check print is still patchy, that’s probably as good as it’s going to get and it may be time for a new printer.
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Ontario Heritage Foundation celebrates King Edward Hotel's 100th anniversary with provincial plaque
May 08, 2003
For immediate release
TORONTO - One of the city's landmark hotels was honoured today as it celebrated its 100th anniversary. In the Vanity Fair Ballroom of Le Royal Meridien King Edward, Ontario Heritage Foundation Chairman Allan Gotlieb, Le Royal Meridien King Edward General Manager Tony Cousens and other dignitaries unveiled a provincial plaque commemorating the hotel affectionately known as the "King Eddy."
"Today is a significant event," said the Honourable David H. Tsubouchi, Minister of Culture. "The King Edward Hotel has been a central part of Toronto's city life for 100 years."
Allan Gotlieb acknowledged the importance of provincial plaques. "They tell the story of the special places and events in Ontario's history, to be enjoyed now and by future generations", he said. "The King Edward Hotel is one of those special places."
When it opened in 1903, the hotel was immediately embraced by the city. The fireproof, eight-storey building - designed by eminent Chicago architect Henry Ives Cobb and prominent Toronto architect E.J. Lennox - provided luxury and service in dramatic settings. The 18-storey tower, with its top-floor Crystal Ballroom, was added in 1920-21.
"As we celebrate 100 years of service excellence," said Tony Cousens, "it is appropriate to reflect upon our past and celebrate the visionaries who built the hotel. I also want to recognize the support of past patrons and the many employees - including prior General Managers - that have contributed to the hotel's success. As we move into the hotel's second century, the King Edward takes pride in 'Respecting the Tradition and Embracing the Future.'"
On its 100th anniversary, the King Edward Hotel remains a vibrant and elegant meeting place for local and international visitors.
This plaque unveiling is part of the Ontario Heritage Foundation's special provincial plaque program. Our distinctive blue and gold plaques commemorate more than 1,100 significant people, places and events in Ontario's history.
As part of the celebrations, a special 100th Anniversary Mother's Day Brunch will be held at the hotel on May 11, 2003. Le Royal Meridien King Edward is pleased to donate a portion of the proceeds from its 100th Anniversary Celebrations to the Ontario Heritage Foundation to support heritage in the province.
The Ontario Heritage Foundation is a not-for-profit agency of the Government of Ontario, dedicated to preserving, protecting and promoting Ontario's heritage for all of us to enjoy now and for others to experience in the future.
For further information on The King Edward's 100th anniversary celebrations, visit www.lemeridien-kingedward.com/anniversary.
- 30 -
For more information, contact:
Ontario Heritage Foundation
Marketing and Communications Coordinator
Le Royal Meridien King Edward
Director of Communications
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Crypto. Alien Implant Removals: Before and After Effects - MUFON. The Science of Consciousness and Extraordinary Experiences. Phil Schneider murdered for speaking out. (17) Pinterest. Planet Hunters. Aliens Tell Abductee When the World Will End. Watch: 'Time Traveler' Reveals Plant from the Future. Self-Healing Metals. When graduate student Guoqiang Xu and assistant professor of materials science and engineering Michael Demkowicz, SM ’04, PhD ’05, first saw the result, they thought it must be a mistake.
Under certain conditions, they found, putting a cracked piece of metal under tension—that is, exerting a force that would be expected to pull it apart—had the reverse effect, causing the crack to close and its edges to fuse together. The finding, they say, could lead to self-healing materials that repair incipient damage before it has a chance to spread. They “had to go back and check,” Demkowicz says, when “instead of extending, [the crack] was closing up.
EXTRAORDINARY BELIEFS. Square-Shaped UFO Photographed Near Charlotte. Alien Species Active in Earth Evolution – всё о пришельцах. Theancientaliens. Famous paintings depicting UFOs. The Beginning: UFO Encounters over Washington D.C. - Open Minds Magazine. The Battle of Los Angeles - The TRUE STORY of the 1942 UFO battle over Los Angeles CA. Ancient Sanskrit writings: UFO's vsited our planet 6.000 years ago. Did you know that Ancient India has one of the most extensive histories in the world?
Their greatest ancient texts are called the “Vedas” and these writings talk about “flying ships” that visited their continent over 6000 years ago. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. So, why has mainstream history ignored these ancient texts? Unsolved UFO case in Houston bewilders former police officer. The Mutual UFO Network in Houston reports about 80 suspected UFO sightings a year.
That's not including the ones that are seen but not reported. One top UFO expert, Fletcher Gray, explains why so many of the sightings aren't UFOs. But, he also says there is one case that he still can't figure out. Just above the Katy area an orange light is spotted, seen floating around. Down below, sightseers are convinced it's a UFO. Gray went back to Katy with Eyewitness News to investigate. "It's flickering as it moves through the night sky," Gray says. He says if it was a true UFO, the light would not be flickering. "It's probably going to be some type of aircraft or a lantern," he says. PHOTOS: UFO sightings in TexasIf you're viewing on our ABC13 news app, tap on the photo above to see more images. WHY IS THE KATY FREEWAY ATTRACTING UFOs? Gray shows us another reported sighting, this photo taken from a building in downtown Houston. Is that light a UFO or something else? The Black Vault.
ALIEN ABDUCTION CAUGHT ON CAMERA! Online Courses - Anytime, Anywhere. John Kwortnik. Chuck S. - Houston MUFON Meetup Group (Houston, TX) Top 9 places to see UFOs in the Houston area. Is E.T. house shopping in Katy?
The Mutual UFO Network's 'Stalker' map shows an incredible trend in sightings since 2007 along the Katy Freeway corridor, heading east into downtown Houston. See the top nine places to see a UFO in Houston below... PHOTOS: UFO sightings in Texas. TexasUFOs - Latest UFO Sightings and News in the World. The Alien Intervention in the World Today - Begin to Explore the New Message. An [Alien] Intervention is what is happening.
It is a reality of life. If you can face it, then love will become stronger. If you deny it, then fear will become stronger. God can only speak to that part of you that is capable of real love. SETI Institute. NASA Office of Planetary Protection. Alien Earths: why life on other worlds would be far weirder than us - The Verge. Last month, the American Astronomical Society's 223rd meeting featured the announcement of a few breakthroughs: Using the Kepler space observatory, researchers had discovered a planet roughly the mass of Earth orbiting a star beyond our solar system, and with the Hubble telescope they had provided the first detailed look at the weather of a "super Earth" — a planet larger than ours but smaller than Neptune — in our galactic neighborhood.
Astronomers found that GJ 1214b, like much of the Earth on any given day, is cloudy. These similarities to Earth are tantalizing. But despite them, these planets' respective solar systems look nothing like our own. Rather than circling a big, hot, yellow sun like ours, they spin around small, cool, red stars called red dwarfs. Ghost Adventures: Stardust Ranch. 7 new Earth-like exoplanets discovered, NASA announces. Talk about lucky number seven.
Astronomers have discovered not one, not two, but seven Earth-sized planets orbiting a star called TRAPPIST-1. What’s more, three of them are in the habitable zone— the happy place where liquid water can exist on the surface of rocky planets, as it’s not too hot or cold. (Although liquid water could potentially exist on any of the seven, NASA said, it likes the odds on those three best.) The space agency calls the discovery of the fascinating solar system record-breaking. Divine Cosmos. UFO SIGHTINGS DAILY. The 37th Parallel a UFO Highway? Opemmindstv explains, “Ex-Deputy Sherriff Chuck Zukoswki has spent 25 years investigating mysterious phenomena across America.
UFO's? Man Says He's Got Recorded Proof. Untitled. ULTIMATE PROOF!! TR3-B HIT AREA 51? UFO ATTACK!? INTERNET Cover-Up SHARE THIS! 8/1/2016. "Unexplained" Mystery Object Beyond Neptune, Detroit UFO Lights & More! 8/12/16. We Knew It! NASA Admits Hidden Portals Opening Above Earth! 7/18/16. Maar. Daily Alien News & Encounters. Alien Abduction Case Files-UFO Casebook Files. International Center for Abduction Research. Alien Abduction Experience and Research (AAER) at www.abduct.com.
Houston Paranormal and UFO Discussion Group (Houston, TX) UFO Filmed At The Moon For Over 1 Minute. НЛО В небе над Японией/ UFO in Japan/ July 2015. Hub of the ET Contact Movement. Welcome to Pegasus Research Consortium. EXTRAORDINARY BELIEFS.
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African diversity is being celebrated at the ELRC – and no, not just with the Ethiopian coffee in the tea room. This year’s new batch of Master’s students hail from countries throughout Africa including: Tanzania, Namibia, Togo, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Full-time Master’s candidates who are working from the ELRC, are already making it a rich environment in which to conduct research, share ideas and inspire change.
Not only do the students reflect impressive cultural diversity, but they also represent a range of professional backgrounds. From educators to policy makers to cartographers, their skills and qualifications are many and sundried.
Charles Phiri, from Zambia, has worked with WWF, coordinating projects in communities around natural resource management. Though his educational background is in science, his work has focused largely on its social implications. “My work has been to transfer skills through informal education to help communities learn to monitor what they are doing in their livelihood practices,” says Charles, “However, implementation is very slow,” he adds. Charles recognises that there are a host of cultural and social factors that can postpone or prevent positive change. Therefore Charles’ decision to pursue a Master’s in Environmental Education was a response to the challenges he encountered through his work. “I want to have a more holistic picture of communities,” he says, “by understanding all of their influencing factors, I can hopefully be more effective.”
For students like Sirkka Tshiningayamwe, the choice to undertake a Master’s expresses a desire to see classroom principles translate into real-world practice. As a high school Biology and Geography teacher in Namibia, Sirkka has seen Environmental Education become integrated into the classroom, but not necessarily into common practice. She struggles to watch as water is wasted, litter is discarded and electricity is used unnecessarily. While she is passionate about teaching EE, she recognises gaps in the curriculum and its implementation. “People look at environmental education as an add-on. I believe it should be taught from pre-primary school. It represents a basic need.”
In addition to doing Master’s research, each student will also take on a community project, which will be on display in the environmental commons at the centre. The hope is that this project will help strengthen the student’s research, while making a contribution to the broader community. After all, this is a dynamic environment where students will share knowledge, engage in conversation and generally be stimulated by each other's company – not to mention the Ethiopian coffee.
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Portland, Oregon: Brewpub HeavenSubmitted by SharpMan Editorial Team on Wednesday 13th October 2010
- What’s going on in Oregon?
- Beer tasting 101.
- Looking for Mr. Good Brew.
- What’s Going on in Oregon?
Everyone knows that if you want great coffee, Seattle’s the place to go. For world class wines, it’s the Napa and Sonoma valleys in California. But for good beer, pick another stop on U.S. Interstate 5: Portland, Oregon, where you’re never further than 15 minutes from a good brewpub.
Why Oregon? The Willamette River Valley in western Oregon has been a center of hop growing and beer brewing since pioneer days. So when the micro-brew revolution began, the history–and the hops–were already there, not to mention the mountain spring water, the grain and the fruit for summer beers. As a result, regional brewers and microbrewers sprung up like mushrooms after a Northwest winter rain.
It didn’t take long for the brewpub to follow. These beers were not just for washing down popcorn and pretzels (although they do a great job of both, if that’s your crunch of choice). The carefully hand-crafted beers of are also fine accompaniments to food and can even be used in cooking, just like wine. In Portland’s brewpubs, beer forms the base for salad dressings, spices up the marinades for meats and chicken, sweetens the desserts and livens up the chilis and soups. In other words, these brewpubs go way beyond beer-batter fish and chips.
Beer Tasting 101
Most brewpubs offer a sampler tray of the brewer’s art: a beer tasting. Think of it as just like wine tasting, but without the snooty wine steward. You sip small amounts of a selection of brews to see what the brewmaster can do — from the light and hoppy to the dark and sweet.
To make your beer tasting more interesting, show up with a few definitions and a heads-up on what to expect with these handy definitions:
Beer: A beverage brewed from grain (usually malted barley, but sometimes wheat or oats), yeast and water. Flavored with hops, a bitter tasting flower that balances the sweetness of the malt, and other flavorings–sugar, rice, corn, chocolate, ginger, vanilla, molasses, fruits, you name it.
Lager: The lightest beer.
Pale ale: Beer cooked at a higher temperature to deepen the toasted flavor of the brew.
Hefeweizen: Wheat beer which, because it is unfiltered, is cloudy.
Stout and porter: Heavier, darker cousins of ales and lagers.
Brewpub: A restaurant and brewery where more than 50 percent of the beer served is brewed onsite.
Microbrew: A beer produced in quantities fewer than 15,000 barrels a year.
Craft brewed: Malt and specialty beers brewed in small batches.
What to Expect from Portland Brew Pubs
- A good head on the beer. The head ensures you get a strong whiff of the brew, so pour it into your glass carefully.
- Always a glass. A clean glass. A very clean glass. In many brew establishments, the glasses are hand washed and air dried to make sure there isn’t a single speck of grease to deflate the head and leave big, soapy looking bubbles.
- Discovering that the English are right. Refrigerated beer is too cold to appreciate the taste. So in brewpubs, beer is served at a temperature that is cool but not cold. The iced glasses are saved for martinis.
- A new vocabulary. Beer has "mouth-feel" which describes the brew’s body — light, medium or full. The color of the brew can be misleading; light colored brews can be full bodied. Other characteristics of beer: hoppy (more bitter), fruity (yeast or a flavoring such as raspberries), sweet (malt), chocolatey (some stouts and porters).
Want to learn more? Go to www.bierland.org.
Looking for Mr. Good Brew
Now, where to practice these tasting skills? In a city known as "Munich on the Willamette," it’s not hard to find a good brewpub. All you have to do is walk a block in any direction or ask a local resident; they’re all-too-willing to tout their favorites. Here are a few to get you started:
The Legendary McMenamins White Eagle Cafe, Saloon and Rock and Roll Hotel (836 N. Russell;503-282-6810; www.mcmenamins.com)
The McMenamins are a brewpub industry of their own. Brothers who share a love for good beer and funky old buildings, the McMenamins have bought, rehabbed and opened brewpubs in a county poor farm (McMenamins Edgefield), an elementary school (Kennedy School) and an old hotel in a quiet Portland suburb (The Grand Lodge in Forest Grove), just to name a few.
The White Eagle is one of their best. Beginning as a turn-of-the-century bar and pool hall, the White Eagle has been, in turn, a brothel and site of bloody brawls, an ice cream parlor with hidden booze shop (during Prohibition) and, in the 70s and 80s, a place where local musicians like Robert Cray, Paul DeLay and The Holy Modal Rounders played. Now an atmospheric bar with separate hotel, the McMenamins brews keep the spirit of the White Eagle alive.
Two of the most well known of the McMenamins brews are Hammerhead Ale, a nice, hoppy brew, and Terminator Stout, rich, dark and creamy. You can also get salad dressed with a raspberry-flavored Ruby Ale, chicken tenders accompanied by a barbecue dipping sauce flavored with Hammerhead Ale and a Terminator bratwurst.
The McMenamins Web site gives much, much more information, such as their many locations, schedules for special events, the movies playing at their theater/brewpubs and the newest seasonal brew. It’s all there.
Widmer Brothers Gasthaus (929 N. Russell; 503-281-2437; www.widmer.com)
The other set of Portland Brews Brothers are the Widmers–Kurt and Rob. They run a traditional German type gasthaus (i.e., guesthouse or small inn) where they sell their brews along with schnitzel and steak, Bourbon Bock Barbecued wings, bier cheese soup and lots of sausage. To accompany the food is a selection of beers ranging from Sweet Betty Blond Ale, a lighter, flavorful brew, to Hefeweizen, the unfiltered wheat beer, and Widberry, a wheat beer with a touch of blackberry flavor.
Across the street from the brewpub is a regional brewery where Widmer beer is bottled for local grocery stores — a great way to stock up on your new love. Both the gasthaus and the brewery are in an industrial part of Portland, giving the place a slightly seedy feel that adds to the experience.
The Widmer Web site introduces the brothers’ brews and even includes a virtual tour of the gasthaus.
Laurelwood Public House and Brewery (40th and Sandy Blvd.; 503-282-0622; www.laurelwoodbrewpub.com)
Truly a neighborhood brewpub, Laurelwood Public House is in a commercial district on the edge of an upscale residential neighborhood. During the week, the pub is full of young professionals and families looking for a good meal after a busy day. On the weekends, it’s more of a couples and singles crowd with sports on the television sets in the bar.
Laurelwood is the "Little Brewery That Could" — working hard to raise the profile of its beers, "free range organic ales." Free Range Red is their recent release, but two English style ales, a German altbier, a stout and a porter are available year round.
There are also occasional "meet the brewer" nights at Laurelwood, when patrons can learn more about the art and craft of beer making. And they brew their own root beer, too.
Food is standard pub grub: hearty chili and sandwiches, beer-battered onion rings to accompany burgers and brew. There are also salmon and chicken entrees. The complete menu is available on their Web site.
Bridgeport Brewing Company (1313 NW Marshall St.; 503-241-3612; www.bridgeportbrew.com)
One of the oldest craft brewers in Portland, Bridgeport pioneered the idea of pairing food and good brews with a pizza/beer place that has been a hophead gathering spot for years. It’s still a great place to grab a beer and a bite.
The beers Bridgeport pours include Blue Heron Pale Ale, a great India Pale Ale (IPA) and a decent Bridgeport Amber. Their new offering is BridgePort Streetcar Ale, named after the new Portland trolley car.
Bridgeport also offers one of the best brewery tours around. Available every day, the tours give a complete behind-the-scenes look at craft brewing at its best.
Portland Brewing Company (2730 NW 31st; 503-228-5269; www.portlandbrew.com)
The beer is great. MacTarnahan’s Amber Ale, Zig-Zag River Lager, Haystack Black Porter and Oregon Honey Beer: the names reflect both the local geography and ingredients. The Portland Brew Co. beer is available on tap at the brewpub and in local grocery stores. In town for the weekend? Try Portland Brewing Company’s brewery tour to learn more about craft brewing.
Bell Tower Brewhouse (707 S.E. 164th; Vancouver, WA; 360-944-7800; www.thebelltower.com)
OK, this one isn’t a Portland brewpub, strictly speaking. But it’s worth the 15-minute trip across the Columbia River to Vancouver, Washington to taste the beer and see the building. The Bell Tower is attached to an old church now converted into a brew pub. Complete with sports bar and a balcony with big, overstuffed chairs in which to sit and sip, the Bell Tower pours an IPA, an amber lager and a dark porter among its offerings.
Oregon Brewer’s Festival (www.oregonbrewfest.com)
Can’t decide which pub to visit? Which brew to taste? Come to Portland the last full weekend in July and you can find them all in one place. That’s the weekend of the Oregon Brewer’s Festival, the oldest and the biggest in the state. Featuring 72 beers and a variety of food to go with them, the festival is the place to go if you can’t get to Munich for Oktoberfest. Information on the festival is available at www.oregonbrewfest.com .
In fact, if you’re a microbrew fan, the only reason to put off a visit to Portland is that the longer you wait, the more brewpubs will open for you to visit.This article last updated on Wednesday 13th October 2010
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> Opera and Oratorio
Les Amants Trahis
Guilmette; Sly; Clavecin en Concert; Beauséjour, harpsichord, conductor. Texts and translations online only. Analekta 2 9991 8.572027
This worthwhile recording from October 2012 presents four pleasant and varied secular cantatas by Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683–1764): Les Amants Trahis, Aquilon et Orithie, Thétis and Le Berger Fidèle. ...
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Posted by Bill Sandweg on 02 April 2018.
You don’t need me to tell you we have an opioid crisis in this country. Men and women of all ages, income levels and education levels are dying from overdoses. Not only are there illegal opiates, such as heroin, entering the country, we are awash in legally manufactured pills. Drug companies produce far more pills than can be justified by reasonable pain prescriptions. Many of these pills end up in the hands of addicts.
Until recently, many well-meaning doctors prescribed opioids for pain relief, even when the pain was not terribly severe. They had been told by the drug manufactures that people in pain needed opioids, that they were safe to prescribe and that there was little risk of addiction. Now we know that none of that is true. People can and should get by on non-narcotic pain medications or on the lowest effective dose of an opiate. Prescribing narcotic pain medications either in large doses or over a long period of time is an almost sure ticket to addiction.
Now we find that not all those doctors prescribing opiates are well-meaning. First, there are the doctors who run what are called “pill mills.” These doctors will write a prescription for anyone who comes in the door and says that their back hurts. Sometimes, they get a kickback from the pharmacy. Sometimes they get a kickback from the patient. Sometimes, they take some of the pills they have prescribed and sell them on the black market. Sometimes, they are just cheating Medicare through unnecessary billings.
Second, are the doctors who accept money from the drug manufacturers. CNN recently reported on an investigation into payments to doctors by the companies that manufacture opiates. In what may be just a giant coincidence, the doctors who prescribe the most narcotic pain pills get paid the most by the companies that make the pills. Some of those who are heavy prescribers receive very large amounts of money from the manufacturers. The more you prescribe, the more you receive from the drug manufacturers.
To be sure, drug manufacturers pay doctors for a variety of services, including consulting and speaking. The money being paid to those who prescribe pain pills may have nothing to do with how much they prescribe but it sure looks like it does. In general, there is a lot of truth to the adage that if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is probably a duck.
We as patients want to believe that our doctor has our best interests at heart when making medical decisions, including prescription decisions. The figures uncovered by CNN show that, while we may want to believe that, we cannot forget to protect ourselves. We need to be vigilant not to let a doctor accidentally addict us to painkillers. We need to try and get by without narcotic painkillers, if possible. If we need them, we need to take the smallest dose which addresses our pain issues. We need to stop taking the pain pills as soon as we no longer need them. Lastly, we need to dispose of the remaining pills in a responsible manner so that they do not end up in the hands of someone who is addicted. If we do our part, we can help by protecting ourselves and keeping at least some pain pills out of circulation.
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It’s all there in green and white
The roots of the name “greenback” reach back to the American Civil War. A little-known fact is that the anti-counterfeiting ink that inspired the nickname was invented in Canada.
What’s in a name?
In Raymond Chandler’s 1953 novel The Long Goodbye, private detective Philip Marlowe receives a letter with “…a portrait of Madison in it.” Huh? Marlowe is referring to the $5,000 bill featuring an engraving of former US President James Madison.
The American vernacular of Chandler’s day was full of nicknames for paper currency, such as “folding money,” “c-notes,” “centuries,” “sawbucks,” “bills,” “Benjamins,” “Jacksons” or “Lincolns.” The most enduring of these terms is “greenbacks.” The roots of that name reach back to the American Civil War, when the US government issued notes that carried a large, complex, green geometric pattern on the back—hence, “greenback.” A little-known fact is that the anti-counterfeiting ink that inspired the nickname was invented in Canada.
A photo opportunity for a counterfeiter
Bank notes of the early to mid-19th century were generally printed with black ink. Successfully counterfeiting a bank note in those days required an engraver with reasonably high talent and very low ethics.
But the invention of photographic printing changed that—at least the bit about talent. With a camera, counterfeiters could quite easily reproduce a convincing bank note without the effort of engraving printing plates.
Recently several attempts to counterfeit bank notes by means of photography have been successful; and this fraud has not been confined to bank notes—other valuable documents having been copied in a similar manner.
The Photographic News, October 22, 1858
Security printers responded by adding coloured inks to their notes. Counterfeiters then removed the coloured ink, photographed the remaining black portions and used a secondary process to reprint the coloured areas. The security printers’ next move was to look for a coloured ink that was difficult, if not impossible, to remove from a legitimate bank note. And that sought-after ink came from Canada.
Dr. Thomas Sterry Hunt invented the ink while teaching at Laval University in Québec in 1857. It was developed in response to an appeal by the President of the Montreal City Bank, whose notes were being counterfeited. Called “Canada Bank Note Tint,” the ink was an “anhydrous sesquioxide of chromium.” For those of us without a PhD in chemistry, this means that chromium was super-heated in a near oxygen-free environment, where it would decompose. The resulting material was then mixed with linseed oil to make ink in a green shade similar to oxidized copper. This ink turned out to be extremely resistant to almost any attempt to chemically or physically remove it from paper. Because Hunt wasn’t a British subject, he wasn’t allowed to patent the ink. George Matthews, a chemist with the Montreal City Bank, filed the patent on Hunt’s behalf and forwarded him the royalties.
An indestructible ink?
An anti-counterfeiting organization had the ink tested by a number of well-known chemists. John Torrey, a Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, certified that, “The green compound is insoluble and indestructible by all chemical agents, except such as will destroy the paper itself.” Chemist Wolcott Gibbs of the Free Academy of New York discovered that the ink could be removed by boiling the note in concentrated oil of vitriol—better known as sulphuric acid. Finally, chemist Charles T. Carney discovered a way to remove the green ink while leaving the rest of the note untouched.
So, in August 1857, the Executive Committee of the Association of Banks for the Suppression of Counterfeiting voted, unanimously, that the Executive Committee cannot recommend to the associated banks the Patent Green Ink.
Still, US bank note printers were sufficiently impressed with the ink to use it on the US government’s Civil War bank notes—most notably on the back.
The birth of the greenback
These notes, soon christened as “greenbacks,” were created to help fund the Union effort in the American Civil War. Like today’s bank notes, greenbacks were fiat money and not exchangeable for gold at a bank. They were, however, legal tender that could be used to buy everyday goods, pay debts or taxes and buy government bonds. During the war, greenbacks displaced most of the state-bank notes, which had dominated the economy until then. And “greenback” proved to be a sticky name, eventually referring to any American bank note.
Ever since then, the back of most US government bank notes has been printed in green. Even on today’s more colourful series, the vignettes on the back of US bank notes are still that familiar colour of long tradition. They’re just not printed with “Canada Bank Note Tint.”
So, the next time you are in the United States and pull out a greenback, take a look at the illustration of the great American icon on the back and remember that, in spirit at least, you’re looking at a tiny bit of Canada.
Ever wondered who decides what goes on Canadian coins or bank notes? Or why our coins have certain names and our notes are different colours? Use this guide to help answer some of your money-related questions!
Authentic, teachable moments show students how the Bank of Canada is helping the economy navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
The men on the back of this bill were part of a small community of families, a summer hunting camp called Aulatsiivik on Baffin Island.
When the Barenaked Ladies released “If I Had a $1,000,000,” they could have considered themselves reasonably rich. And today? Well, there’s this inflation thing…
Johnson’s entire family, two girls and five boys, was involved in the counterfeiting operation: dad made the plates, the daughters forged the signatures and the boys were learning to be engravers.
Among 1975 $50 bill’s various design proposals were three images, three thematic colours and even three printing methods.
Using a Bank of Canada Museum lesson plan, nearly 200 students told us who they thought should be the bank NOTE-able Canadian on our new $5 bill.
Reid was on the verge of ruin, yet insisted on continuing railway construction. Suffering huge losses, and with no credit or cash resources, Reid issued wage notes to pay his employees.
In January 2021, 17 of our old bank notes will lose their legal tender status—what does that mean?
There’s little doubt that the BCP45 is lovingly preserved today partly thanks to being immortalized on this beautiful blue five-dollar bill.
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The boot device is specified by the setting of an OpenBoot configuration variable called boot-device. The default setting of this variable is disk net. Because of this setting, the firmware first attempts to boot from the system hard drive, and if that fails, from the on-board NET0 Gigabit Ethernet interface.
This procedure assumes that you are familiar with the OpenBoot firmware and that you know how to enter the OpenBoot environment. For more information, see the Sun SPARC Enterprise T5140 and T5240 Servers Administration Guide.
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Planned Parenthood’s political arm made its first-ever presidential primary endorsement on Thursday, pledging its ample financial and advocacy backing to vocal supporter Hillary Clinton.
“Hillary Clinton holds the strongest record on reproductive rights of all presidential contenders in not just this election, but in American history,” the organization said in a statement. Clinton will accept the nonprofit’s endorsement on at a New Hampshire rally on Sunday.
Just today, Obama vetoed the latest in a string of recent Congressional attempts to block federal funding for Planned Parenthood. The organization’s unprecedented endorsement reveals a sound recognition of the urgency of its mission in a year that’s seen a systematic rollback of reproductive rights and a spate of violence against abortion providers.
It’s also an acknowledgement of Clinton’s stanch support for reproductive rights throughout her political career. Some of Clinton’s most famous public statements, including her oft-celebrated 1995 “women’s rights are human rights” speech, have centered on women’s health and reproductive justice.
One of her best and most impassioned came at a Congressional hearing in April 2009, when Rep. Christopher Smith of New Jersey questioned the then–Secretary of State about the Obama administration’s support for organizations—the United Nations, the African Union, and NGOs like Planned Parenthood—that oppose anti-choice laws in developing countries.
“Does the United States’ definition of the term reproductive health, or reproductive services, or reproductive rights include abortion?” Smith asked.
“I deeply respect your passionate concern and views,” Clinton responded. “We obviously have a profound disagreement.” She went on:
When I think about the suffering that I have seen of women around the world—I’ve been in hospitals in Brazil where half the women were enthusiastically and joyfully greeting new babies, and the other half were fighting for their lives against botched abortions. I’ve been in African countries where 12- and 13-year-old girls are bearing children. I have been in Asian countries where the denial of family planning consigns women to lives of oppression and hardship. … Family planning is an important part of women’s health. And reproductive health includes access to abortion.
Clearly exasperated with Smith’s line of questioning, Clinton continued with a tidy explanation of one of the most egregious right-wing hypocrisies around reproductive rights: that the abstinence-only education and reduced access to contraception championed by the Bush administration actually increased rates of abortion and teen pregnancy. Clinton schooled the representative with rising, barely-concealed rage. “We disagree,” she concluded, “and we are now an administration that will protect the rights of women, including their rights to reproductive healthcare.” Then she lowered her eyes and leaned against the table like she couldn’t believe what ignoramuses she was forced to address. For a decent case for Planned Parenthood’s endorsement, watch the full video.
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Each of these women, each in their own way, faced oppression and injustice and took whatever steps they could, whenever they could and however the could to liberate and uplift others, changing American history in the process.
The appointed collect on this “Feast Day for Elizabeth, Amelia, Sojourner and Harriet” is truly a prayer for our time:
O God, whose Spirit guides us into all truth and makes us free: Strengthen and sustain us as you did your servants Elizabeth, Amelia, Sojourner, and Harriet. Give us vision and courage to stand against oppression and injustice and all that works against the glorious liberty to which you call all your children; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The writers of the Book of Common Prayer in their wisdom set aside a specific set of readings for this most secular of holidays, the fire-cracking, rocket-glaring, star-spangled Fourth of July! The appointed Gospel lesson for Independence Day comes from Matthew, and includes the essential admonition from Jesus to “love your enemies; pray for those who persecute you.” (Mt. 5:43-48)
On this 246th birthday of our nation, we Americans — especially those of us who claim to be Jesus-followers — have never been more in need of paying heed to this command so central to Jesus’ teachings and ministry. All four Gospels make inescapably clear that for Jesus this notion of loving enemies was not a quaint suggestion, but indeed a COMMAND — and there was nothing quaint about it. I confess that I often find that little fact horribly inconvenient, and to make matters worse, I’ve come to find that this command to love our enemies is far from impossible because it has very little to do with feelings beyond my control, and a lot to do with how we — how I — choose to act and respond and DO to others with whom I vehemently disagree.
That is especially hard, but especially good, for me to hear on THIS Independence Day.
Usually by mid-morning on Independence Day, I have wiped away more than a few tears of amazement and joy from my annual rereading and rehearing of Jefferson’s immortal words from 246 years ago that, quite literally, changed the world forever. The Declaration of Independence is, for me, the single most important political document ever composed — and the best damn “legal brief” I’ve ever read!
But I must confess that on this July 4, in the Year of our Lord 2022, my heart is much more laden with sad despair for this nation I love than bursting with hopeful joy.
This year, it has been hard for me to stir up great pride for an America that, far from being “one nation under God” is acting like a divided nation under a vocal minority making up rules on behalf of God.
It is quite true that America has always been a “republic” and not a true democracy. It is equally true, however, that our founders envisioned a republic as a need to protect against “the tyranny of the majority” not to establish an authoritarian “tyranny of the minority.”
For the short-term, if not the foreseeable long-term, the outlook for America looks even more fraught with despotic peril, not less. In short, it seems America has become much less American, especially in the last few weeks.
Make no mistake, America is today very much under MINORITY RULE. Consider that just forty U.S. Senators, representing barely more than one-third of all Americans, can — and often do — stop almost any legislation from becoming law, no matter how popular or needed it is. Five of the nine current Supreme Court Justices were nominated by a Presidents that failed to win the popular vote, and the last three given lifetime appointments by a razor-thin majority of Senators representing far less than a majority of Americans.
And so, I’m brought back to our appointed Gospel for this Independence Day, and the Jesus way of moving forward, i.e. the command (there’s that damn pesky word again) to “love your enemies, pray for those that persecute you.”
And so, yes, I will be praying A LOT for those whom I find disagreeable. And I will pray for grace to listen and learn from them. I want — I need — to find out why these fellow citizens and fellow Christians seem to want an America where it is far easier for a troubled teenager to obtain a high-volume assault weapon than it is for a competent adult woman to obtain reproductive health care. Persons of good will can certainly disagree on proper policy, but we should all agree to look honestly at what these current policies in fact are, and the consequences they cause.
Fortunately, the Collect appointed in our Prayer Book for this Independence Day indeed asks for that grace I so desperately need right now. It’s a good place to start:
Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn: Grant that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain our liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. <<
God bless America. We need those blessings now more than ever.
Originally posted on Pentecost Sunday, May 23, 2021
Today is the feast of Pentecost.
While it does not get anywhere near the secular attention that Christmas or Easter garner, Pentecost is still a “biggie“ in the Christian tradition. That’s because it’s the big celebration of “The Holy Spirit” — that most mysterious portion of our mysterious and unfathomable triune God.
It is often called the “birthday of the Church,” and commemorates the very strange appearance of the HS coming upon the disciples of first century Palestine, very soon after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Nobody knows exactly what happened on that particular morning, but the writer of Acts says it was “like the rush of a violent wind” with something like “tongues of fire that separated and rested on each one of them.” (Acts 2:1-4). Because of the day’s significance, a reciting of the “Renewal of the Baptismal Covenant” is often part of the Pentecost worship service.
As I’ve written before in this blog, this fairly modern liturgy of Baptismal renewal goes through a series of eight questions, the first three being corporate “we” affirmations of doctrinal beliefs expressed in the Nicene Creed. The last five though are individual and specific, compelling the personal commitment of each believer and the promise of “I will, with God’s help.”
Four of those five specific questions have been covered in previous posts:
This last one, for my money at least, is the sine qua non of them all:
Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
It seems to me that this one personal commitment is the one that matters most, the one without which the other four really wouldn’t matter all that much. The depth of this question, if taken seriously, both expands the world view of a “Jesus follower” and compels a believer to bring it down to the most intimate and microcosmic view.
I believe that it is no accident that the writers of this liturgy purposely chose the term “Christ” as opposed to “Jesus.” Of course, the central tenet of the Christian faith is to believe that “Jesus is the Christ”inextricably intertwined.
But they are not synonymous.
Jesus is the human, the carpenter’s son turned itinerant preacher. Christ is the title, the fulfillment, the hope of humankind — as old as humankind itself — that God the Creator would be made manifest in humanity, thereby drawing all creation to its Self in unity with the Divine.
The first seven words of this question presume an astounding truth. That is, the assurance Christ is woven within every human being, without exception, and without regard to race or age or gender or nationality or status or for that matter one’s personal religion or faith. Paul spoke this Truth to the early church in Galatia that “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:28) Likewise, John writes the nascent churches in Asia that, far from being some stern celestial grandfather or vengeful prison warden, “God is love and whoever abides in love abides in god, and God abides in them. God is love and all who live in love live in God and God abides in them.” (1 Jn. 4:16)
Maybe the simple, sweet words of that old hymn say it best and make this truth plain:
In Christ there is no east or west, in Him no south or north; but one great fellowship of Love throughout the whole wide earth.
Such a truth, seems to me, leads then inevitably to the commitment encapsulated in the last five words of this quintessential question in the Baptismal Covenant, about ”loving your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus told a profound story once about being a “neighbor” that may be the best known of all his parables. I confess to taking some misguided and ill-advised pride that it was a lawyer that led to Jesus sharing his story of the “Good Samaritan.” (Lk. 10:25-37) After correctly reciting the letter of the law to “love your neighbor as yourself,” this smart-ass barrister proves to Jesus he really doesn’t understand it. He attempts to slice and dice and parse the commandment, and asks Jesus a smart-ass technical question about the definition of “neighbor.”
“Yeah, but Teacher Jesus, really now…just who exactly qualifies as my ‘neighbor’?”
Of course, like the most evasive of witnesses, Jesus never really answers the lawyer’s question but rather tells the timeless story of a Jew being helped by a lowly Samaritan. There are hundreds of modern-day equivalents, whether someone in a BLM t-shirt being rescued by someone in a MAGA hat, to a Tar Heel picked up from a broken down car on 15-501 by a Duke fan.
Jesus is never interested in legal technicalities or strict definitions. Rather, we are led to a broad all-inclusive embrace that my “neighbor” comes to me in the form of whoever darkens my doorstep or crosses my path.
One last point about this most essential part of Baptismal Covenant. I often overlook the fact that Jesus’ command to “love your neighbor as yourself” pretty much requires that I have to find a way to love myself, too — not at all an easy thing for me to do sometimes. There are things that I say to myself, with such vitriol and venom, that I would never say to any other human. Ever. Thus, this question in the Baptismal Covenant reminds me to ease up on myself, to cut myself as much slack as I would readily give to the guy in the apartment upstairs making a little noise, or a colleague or client missing a deadline, or a fellow parishioner for taking up that last space in the parking lot.
That’s why THIS part of the Baptismal Covenant, more than any other I think, merits the most earnest and hearty response: “I will, with God’s help.”
(AUTHOR’S NOTE: Originally posted on May 31, 2014. Reposting for Memorial Day 2022, during a time of immense grief in America over the shooting deaths of 19 children in a south Texas elementary school. It is hard to imagine that any of the revered dead we honor on this Memorial Day weekend sacrificed their lives for the right of Americans to own weapons that can kill numerous other Americans very efficiently and effectively, in a short amount of time.Much easier to imagine that Wherever they are, they are grieving over our inability to do anything about it.)
Summer is here. Well maybe not officially in schools yet, but the dreaded slow “Summer Schedule” has taken over in most churches. While the old adage ithat “God never takes a vacation” is of course true (to which I can only quickly reply “Thank God!”), the plain fact is that God’s people do. And when they do, they tend not to attend church.
Yesterday’s attendance at my parish on Memorial Day Weekend Sunday was sparse to say the least. And that’s a pity, because those absent would have heard an exquisitely poignant collect to commemorate the actual and original intent of this holiday. I asked the Celebrant afterwards about it, and she gave me her xeroxed copy. It’s not in the Book of Common Prayer, but rather from a book of collects for various occasions.
Now, I am not one to look down my nose at NASCAR and Indy races, beach trips and lake outings, or even a good retail “SALE!” or two. (Frankly, I wish I made more time to enjoy those distractions.) But it IS important, vital really, to indeed REMEMBER on Memorial Day, and to hold especially close in our hearts those men and women upon whose sacrifices we can enjoy such things.
Herewith then, the prayer yesterday that caught my breath so:
Almighty God, by whose grace thy people gain courage through looking unto the heroes of faith: We lift our hearts in gratitude to thee for all who have lived valiantly and died bravely that there might be truth, liberty and righteousness in our land. Help us to prize highly and guard carefully the gifts which their loyalty and devotions have bestowed upon us. Grant us the joy of a living and vigorous faith, that we may be true as they were true, loyal as they were loyal, and serve thee and our country selflessly all the days of our life, and at last receive the victor’s crown, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Today is the Fourth Sunday of Easter, traditionally known as “Good Shepherd Sunday,” a day when the Church recognizes and rejoices, through scripture and hymns and prayers, the special guidance, sure protection, relentless pursuit and loving care of God and Christ as a “good shepherd.” It is a metaphor that runs through both the Old and New Testaments.
It doesn’t happen often (Easter being a movable feast after all) but it does happen, when “Easter 4” falls on an early Sunday in May. For those special years, a marvelous combination of traditions occurs, when much of secular society celebrates “Mother’s Day.” It is a time of giving thanks and paying tribute to those special women in our lives who have supplied those same traits of a “good shepherd” — guiding, protecting and caring for each of us in unique, and uniquely needed, ways.
The psalm appointed for today is probably the best known of all psalms, the 23rd, proclaiming “The Lord is my Shepherd,” and praising a protective, attentive God providing all our real needs. The appointed Gospel speaks of Jesus as a shepherd who calls each of us his sheep by name, and whose voice we know. (John 10:22-30)
Even for those who — for any one of an infinite number of reasons — were not fortunate enough to have an earthly mother able to nurture them, many have been blessed with some motherly figure (sometimes more than one) who “shepherded” us through much of the “valleys” and “shadows of death” in our lives. It makes Mother’s Day a time of special significance.
It is an unusual joy, then, when church and secular calendars align just right, and we are called to focus an “attitude of gratitude” not just for our earthly moms but also our Heavenly Creator God. This awesome God (whom our patriarchal tradition often calls “Father” but Who of course transcends beyond all gender) so frequently reminds me of certain things, I think, if I could only be more open to them. Despite my cynical lawyer’s streak, I am coming to believe more and more that we are indeed creatures of Love, created for Love by a Creator Who is Love, and Who wraps perfectly loving arms around each precious creature…just like the Best. Mom. Ever!
Growing up, somehow I could pick out my mom’s voice over all other voices whenever she cried out to me, especially when calling me by name. (If ever my middle name was included, I knew I had better come running!) I suspect I am not alone in having such precious memories. So it is not surprising that today’s collect for this Good Shepherd Sunday, with its special timing this year honoring all moms, earthly and heavenly, bears special resonance.
“O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”
(Originally published for Holy Saturday, April 2014.)
The collect from the very sparse Holy Saturday liturgy says a lot about this “in between” day...
O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The rubrics of the Prayer Book are very clear. No Eucharist today. There is to be one and only one service before tonight’s Easter Vigil, with a worrisome Gospel reading from Matthew 27 that speaks of Jesus’ dead body being moved into the borrowed tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, and Pilate sending soldiers going to seal the stone that covered it and to “make it as secure as you can.” And Matthew also writes “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb” (Matt 27:61).
In the face of death, that’s often the only human thing we can do — sit in grief-stricken paralysis, in awe and uncertainty.
One spring morning many years ago, I was at the breakfast table sipping my coffee as my then-young son munched his cereal in his high chair. I opened the paper to see that a local judge had died the day before, after a long and painful battle with cancer. Instinctively, I moaned “oh” and my son looked up to inquire, “What wrong, daddy?” As best I remember, I think I tried to explain to him how daddy knew this lady who had been very sick, and died, and had gone to heaven, but daddy was still sad because he would miss his friend.
Mainly, what I recall is muttering some miserable mess trying to clarify to a child something no adult can truly understand.
Even so, my 4-year old took all this in and seemed to be satisfied and took another scoop of his cereal. After a few seconds, though, he looked up and asked, “Daddy, does she feel better?” In an instant, my muddled confusion was wiped away and replaced with an absolute rock-solid answer I could give him with unquestioned certainty, albeit now with a flushed face and choked voice: “Yeah big guy… She feels better.”
There is an awful lot that my lawyer’s brain can’t wrap around during these mysterious high Holy Days leading up to Easter. But here is what I can grasp — something (or Something or Some One?) has grabbed hold of me. And despite my very best (or worst) rebellious stubborn efforts sometimes, this Mystery does NOT let go.
Lord knows (literally?) that I have more than a few doubts about the nature of God (“My ways are not your ways, sayeth The Lord…“). But here is what I do know, if for no other reason that I have felt it and experienced it so deeply in my life: Whatever God is, God IS… and He/She/They/It is relentless.
For reasons far beyond my understanding tears well up while I write such things. They are tears of hope, regret, sorrow, wonder, joy. Perhaps most of all, they are tears reflecting a desperate need and deep desire for it all to be indeed true.
So, not unlike the women sitting across from the tomb, I too wait and wonder what comes next, and just how God is going to act in my life and in this broken world. And I wonder even more how I might respond, not yet understanding just how near Our Lord of Resurrection might be.
(Originally posted in April 2014. Updated, edited and reposted for the Feast of the Annunciation, 2022.)
Today, March 25, the church celebrates the Feast of the Annunciation, a fact that normally escapes my attention most every March 25th, and it most certainly did in 2014. (After all, there’s not much need for me to note “Just nine more shopping months ’til Christmas!”) But 3/25 on the 2014 calendar “just happened” to come on a Tuesday, and on that particular Tuesday I “just happened” to make it to the small Tuesday evening Eucharist celebrated each week in my home parish. The Celebrant, The Rev. Lisa Saunders, “just happened” to inform the dozen or so assembled faithful about that day’s significance.
Gabriel delivers a “perplexing” proposal to a young girl… with a lot riding on her answer.
That particular Lent, Mary was on my mind – a lot.
Maybe I was just taken by the Gospel reading about Gabriel’s surprise visit to this young Nazarene girl. Standing before an Archangel, I’m not t all sure I would react with Mary’s sanguine aplomb at some other-worldly being suddenly appearing before me with a hearty, “Greetings, favored one!”
Being “perplexed” would be the least of my reactions. Call me faithless and crazy but I’m thinking Gabe’s reassurance that “The Lord is with you” would somehow strike me as less than reassuring.
Whatever the reason, the term “…born of the Virgin Mary” has now become one of those phrases that just seems to jump out during the liturgy. It is important to note that the term which is often translated to “virgin” in English simply connotes a young unmarried woman of child-bearing age. Most scholars agree that the term in original scripture says more to being a “maiden” than any statement about sexual “purity.” Regardless, it is her obedience, her surrender, her willingness to walk the unknowable path of the Unknown that has taken more and more of a focus this particular Lent.
As she stood there pondering this sudden proposal from some strange messenger claiming to speak for the Omnipotent Creator, Mary could never have known what all was to come. Indeed, if we as God’s children truly do have God’s awful gift of free will, I wonder sometimes if God actually knew what all was to come?
I love Frederick Buechner’s take on Gabriel’s task in selling Mary on the whole idea…
“(Mary) struck the angel as hardly old enough to have a child at all, let alone this child. But he’d been entrusted with a message to give her, and he gave it…
As he said it, he only hoped she wouldn’t notice that beneath the great, golden wings he himself was trembling with fear to think that the whole future of creation hung now on the answer of a girl.”
— from Peculiar Treasures
I can never know the anguish, angst and anxiety that a mother feels watching her son take a fearful path. I have witnessed it, though, in my own mother, in the lives of some women I’ve been blessed to know in my life, and in the mother of my own son. It may not be the pain of nails that pierce flesh and bone, but it is searing pain nonetheless and it deeply pierces the human heart.
Jesus’ decision to go to the cross was a sacrifice willingly made, thanks be to God. Mary’s unspeakable sorrow and suffering, watching her child endure that cross, was not.
(Originally written last year, February 2021. Updated to reflect changes in Covid status and the current war in Ukraine.)
Ash Wednesday is not a day for high self-esteem.
In the centuries-old tradition of Lent, we strange Christians begin this forty-day season of penitence, preparing for the joy of Easter by submitting – however hesitantly – to the uncomfortable but undeniable fact that we, ALL of us, are really just passing through.
“You are dust,” the priest reminds each one of the assembled, one by one. And just to make the point clear, ashen dust is smeared on each forehead in the sign of a cross. “…And to dust you shall return.”
That’s in normal times, of course, not Covid times. Last year, that little uplifting ritual was self-imposed. As the priests marked each others’ foreheads above masked-faces, virtual worshippers in countless scattered ceremonies worldwide were encouraged to mark and remind themselves and, all those loved ones who may have been worshipping with them, from whence they came and their inevitable destination. This year, 2022, the outlook pandemic-wise may have lightened a little — at least enough for in-person services with actual cold dead ashes on actual live warm foreheads — but the world outlook is FAR from improved as Russian troops bear down on Ukraine.
This dismal exercise is meant to set the stage for a reflective, more intentional and “penitent” Lent. Today’s virtual service began — like any other year — with no introductory fanfare of any kind, no processional music, no opening acclamation or liturgical response; just a silent slow procession through the (for now empty) church sanctuary.
For me, the opening collect of Ash Wednesday paints a distressing portrait of humankind’s depraved state and utter need for redemption:
Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who ae penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Before we are smudged with ashes and once again given our yearly instruction regarding our dusty ancestry and legacy, the Ash Wednesday liturgy calls for the Celebrant to pray with words lifted from Psalm 51, beseeching God to “create and make in us new and contrite hearts” while we go about “worthily lamenting our sins” and “acknowledging our wretchedness.”
And yet, amidst all this lamentation, there are reminders not just of our desperate need for redemption, but thankfully God’s eager yearning to offer it.
Thus, for all its solemnity and breast-beating, Ash Wednesday’s liturgy is an invitation, and a glorious one at that.
If I can somehow focus my feeble five-second attention with a faithful more-focused intention for the next forty days (thankfully we get Sundays off), then such a Lenten journey just might crack open a mysterious door a little wider. Lord knows what is on the other side of that door. On this side is the fervent hope of a “perfect remission and forgiveness” from an “Almighty and Everlasting God” who indeed “hates NOTHING”…not even a frenetic and distracted and sometimes disillusioned cynical lawyer who too-often seems more concerned with finding answers instead of just accepting gifts.
Did it know it was being noticed? Regarded? Admired? Worshipped for the Spirit that was within it and flowing from it?
I can’t imagine so. It was a tree after all. Who knows what a tree knows?
But I knew. For I was the one who had noticed, regarded, admired and worshiped the tallest of the tall oak trees, now completely bare and leafless in the midwinter cold, lining Providence Road outside Christ Church this past Sunday evening. I was sitting in the back pew at the 5pm evening Eucharist. Being late as usual, I had just sheepishly parked my walker/rollator out of the traffic pattern of the side aisle and surreptitiously slid into the vacant row. There was a smattering of worshippers spread out in the pews before me. Our deacon Emily was preaching, and I began listening.
She reflected on Paul’s metaphor in the appointed New Testament scripture for that Third Sunday after Epiphany (1 Cor. 12:21-31a), about how the different parts of our physical bodies are like the different members of the church, and how all of those members are part of one spiritual body in Christ.
As she spoke, I glanced outside, and began to take notice of how the shadow of the church sanctuary was slowly creeping up the main trunk of this magnificent oak. I thought about how long this tallest tree has been growing in that same spot, and suspect it must be significantly longer than the 80-year-old parish it now keeps company and watches over.
As I gazed, hundreds of the smallest branches extended to its outmost perimeter, all connected to dozens of not-so-small branches; all connected to a score or more of larger and thicker branches; all connected to the five or six huge and strong main branches which shot out at different heights and angles from its massive trunk. That trunk, of course, became even thicker as it extended into the ground where, unseen but so essential, silently grew equally large and deep roots. Over those roots cars now traveled, each with oblivious drivers and headlights beginning to come on.
Meanwhile, Emily the Deacon was reminding us scattered worshippers present how Paul wrote to the Corinthians, reminding them that “Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ…If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.” (1 Cor. 12:12,25)
Two millennia after Paul wrote these words, this one tree in that one moment gave me a gift of a great epiphany during this Epiphany season, one that I suspect will stay with me for a long time. It stood silent, proclaiming loudly and proudly to me that it was a pretty good metaphor for the Body of Christ, too.
It was later when I received a second gift, a bit of icing to go along with the delicious cake that this tree had served me. Just in case the Almighty wasn’t clear enough for my thick cynical lawyer-brain to get the message of the importance of paying attention, I noticed that night that the church bulletin for the evening service contained the appointed collect for the Third Sunday after Epiphany:
Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
One of the greatest gifts of liturgy, much like a powerful poem or memorable speech, is the way a simple succinct phrase within it can sometimes reveal a depth of experience or emotion that is almost beyond words to truly capture. Just a few words, expressed in just the right way at just the right time in just the right circumstances, can express an intimate knowledge and awareness that says to the hearer “I think I know some of what you are feeling, what you are going through…I’ve been there.”
One such phrase comes within one of the “Additional Prayers” that appear toward to the end of the pastoral service for the The Burial of the Dead:
Father of all, we pray to you for those we love, but see no longer: Grant them your peace; let light perpetual shine upon them; and, in your loving wisdom and almighty power, work in them the good purpose of your perfect will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Those eight words “for those we love, but see no longer” capture for me all the tender and bittersweet emotions for those persons especially dear who have ended their time on this planet, and yet still very much alive in my heart. Those eight words speak of special loved ones never again to be gazed upon this side of paradise, except in the mind’s eye and perhaps glimpsed in the most fortunate and happiest dreams.
Earlier this week, on November 1, many liturgical churches celebrated the “Feast of All Saints” most often referred to as “All Saints Day.” It is considered one of the high holy days of the Anglican tradition and is a time to pause and pay special attention to that “great cloud of witnesses” that have come and gone before us on this earthly journey. Often in the All Saints Day service, the names of all the parishioners who have died in the previous year are read aloud, one by one, as a way of remembrance.
The next day, November 2, is the companion feast of “All Souls Day” or the “Feast of the Faithful Departed.” It is more widely recognized in Latin America than the United States. Whereas All Saints Day is more corporate and global and historical, celebrating “that vast multitude that no one can number,” the emphasis during All Souls Day is more personal, intended to honor a particular loved one or small set of intimate loved ones. The Feast of the Faithful Departed is celebrated with such things as listening to music they especially liked, or preparing and enjoying the food they found especially satisfying, or wearing an article of their clothing or carrying a personal item they treasured. It is a common practice to place a picture of the departed by a candle for the day.
Most often in most Episcopal churches in the U.S., the two days are celebrated as one on “All Saints Sunday” — which happens to be today. It seems an especially appropriate time then to embrace such a prayer as the one above, and indeed, to let it embrace us.
As both a courtroom advocate and civil mediator, I have learned through the years that there are few “declarative” statements more powerful than a tough honest question.
An entire trial can turn on the right question being asked of the right witness at the right time. Likewise, the most intransient “dug in“ positions of the most hostile opponents can be altered by a skilled mediator asking a probing question that has yet to be fully considered.
It so happens that this past Sunday, many worshipers in many congregations worldwide heard one of the most important and insightful questions Jesus ever asked. The appointed Gospel for this week was taken from the most earthy and direct of the four Gospels, Mark. In its 10th chapter, the writer of Mark tells the story of Jesus leaving the ancient revered city of Jericho, where a few centuries earlier the city walls came a-tumbling down. Jesus and the large crowd that followed him come upon a person who – before this episode – the world held in a little account, a “blind beggar” named Bartimaeus.
As the crowd comes closer, this sightless destitute begins shouting at Jesus, calling him by name and the messianic title “Son of David” and beseeching Jesus to “Have mercy on me!” At first, the crowd tries to shut him up, but old “Blind Bart” yells all the more loudly, “SON OF DAVID! HAVE MERCY ON ME!!!” Jesus stops and tells the crowd to call him forward. Bartimaeus immediately, springs forward, casting aside his cloak and somehow makes his way to Jesus.
It is at that moment that Jesus asks him the question. On one level it seems absurd, maybe even a little mocking or cruel. In reality, it reveals layer upon layer of insight, probing the depths of not only human nature but into the nature and mystery of Jesus himself.
“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asks the blind beggar.
This question would be a lot easier for me and my cynical trial lawyer self if I could keep it at arm’s length, a rhetorical question asked to a different person in different circumstances “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.” But there is something nagging and gnawing, Some Thing beckoning within that will not let me escape the terrifying liberation of knowing that question is not just for Blind Bart. It is for ME. It is not only for me of course, but for anyone willing to listen and dare be so bold to answer. Regardless, I can’t answer it for anyone else, and no one else can answer it for me.
“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asks. For Bartimaeus, the answer was “I want to see again,” which I do not think for a minute he meant to be limited to the repairing of his optic nerves. What we do know is that Bart was in fact healed, probably had 20-20 vision (spiritual as well as physical) without benefit of Lasik surgery, and “followed Jesus along the way.” This blind beggar of little account became so important to the early believers that his story is included not only in Mark (10:46-52) but also later in Matthew (20:29-34) and Luke (18:35-43).
“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asks. I don’t have my answer yet. Sometimes, I know my answer (at least in attitude, even if too fearful to express it otherwise) is to just leave me alone.
That’s the one request Jesus seems to have no interest in granting.
It is often said that the opposite of faith is doubt. When I look at the world today, and especially when I observe many self-proclaimed “Christians” in the news, the “evidence” points me to a different “verdict.”
The opposite of faith is not doubt; it is certainty.
Many “Christians” on podcasts and TV and talk radio, particularly those that proclaim their Christianity the loudest, don’t remind me a whole lot of Jesus. They seem absolutely sure it is “God’s Will” — just to cite a few examples — that requiring a young student to wear a mask in school is “child abuse,” or that homosexuality is “an abomination,” or that government should force every woman to carry an unintended and unwanted pregnancy to term. It is one thing to sincerely have and prayerfully be led to those beliefs. It is quite another to be so cock-sure certain that your beliefs are in lock-step with the Almighty in every situation and for all time, and to impose those beliefs upon all of society. When that happens — and I wish it were not so often — it is not their faith that I see in action; it is their certainty.
That is not to say certainty is all bad. Indeed, certainty has a place in faith no doubt (pun intended). It is just of a different variety.
In one of the most moving prayers in the entire lexicon within The Book of Common Prayer, we Episcopalians express a form of certainty at the grave, as we fully “commit” and “commend” our dearest loved ones — and ourselves — to God’s never-failing care. These final words from “The Committal” liturgy never fail to take my breath away:
In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, we commend to Almighty God our brother/sister N., and we commit his/her body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The Lord bless him/her and keep him/her, the Lord make his face to shine upon him/her and be gracious to him/her, the Lord lift up his countenance upon him/her and give him/her peace. Amen.
It may seem paradoxical that “hope” can somehow still be “sure” and “certain.” The older I get though, the more I find great truths in paradox.
There is no way to know the exact percentage, but Woody Allen was probably pretty close when he said “Eighty percent of life is just showing up.”
It was the fall just before Covid, two years ago. Another very normal Tuesday evening, after another excruciatingly normal day. I had talked with clients, staff and insurance adjusters, and communed (a lot) with my computer. One thing that was not normal was my decision to break out of my office early and make my way to the quiet 6 o’clock Eucharist that my parish offered on Tuesday evenings pre-pandemic in its small side chapel.
On a lot of Tuesdays (truth be told, MOST Tuesdays) I’d just think about it: “I’d love to get there, but way too much to do… Next week will better.” And I’m sure my life would have been fine had I defaulted to that choice. But it also would have been immeasurably impoverished.
Instead, I “just showed up” and was blessed when it “just so happened” the opening collect that evening was one of the most moving and meaningful prayers I had ever heard in our liturgy. To say it “spoke to me” would be an understatement.
Almighty and merciful God, it is only by your gift that your faithful people offer you true and laudable service: Grant that we may run without stumbling to obtain your heavenly promises; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
For most of my adult life I’ve had to deal with having multiple sclerosis, especially in the last decade or so. Stumbling has been a way of life.
There have been dozens of times in my life where I have — quite literally — fallen flat. As often as not, when my feet do not respond to the neural messages sent from my brain, I can find myself in an instant violently thrown to the floor, with whatever that was in my hands scattered in all directions. A room will fall deathly quiet in a heartbeat, all eyes on the poor decrepit fool who can’t even manage to keep his damn feet under him. (I know that no one in the room has the critical sentiment I just expressed; just me.)
As bitter and as embarrassing as those episodes have been, I know in my heart of my hearts that my worst stumbles have had nothing to do with MS. Maybe that’s why this prayer, randomly heard on a random Tuesday evening long ago, still resonates with me.
Though he may stumble, he will not fall; for the Lord upholds him with his hand. So says the Psalmist (37:24) about those who “delight in him.”
Somewhere along the line, years ago, I came across an acronym that is one of those almost-too-quaint, homespun little morsels that is both silly and profound: “OFIFOTO! (One Foot In Front Of The Other).” Silly as it might be, it seems to be a pretty damn good guide to a pretty damn good way to live most days.
Just for some people it is more literal than for others.
Sitting in a dimly lit kitchen at 3:40 a.m. The silence is deafening. The stillness roars like a roller coaster.
Earlier, I turned over – again – in bed to see the alarm clock flash its low red signal, now 2:19, and then 2:47, and then 3:14. And now I’m now vertical, at the kitchen island, feeling very tired. But not a bit sleepy.
Insomnia can be doubly frustrating when there doesn’t seem to be any reason for it.
Oh, I have had PLENTY of reasons in my life not to sleep, and no doubt will have plenty more in the future. Most of the time, a death is somehow involved. A death of a loved one or a relationship or a job or a trial. Or, just as often, it can be just the fear of losing those things.
But on this night, there is no such anxiety, no identifiable reason to be so “Sleepless in Charlotte.” There was no caffeine before bed (not even chocolate), no screen time, no spicy dinner. I even remembered to take my usual one tablet of Tylenol PM.
But finally at 4:05 a.m., I finally do have an explanation I can understand why now I’m too anxious to sleep, too frustrated and fixated to even think of going back to my pillow. It is my growing anger over the fact that I cannot sleep.
Spiraling down further and further in a combination of self-pity, self-doubt and self-disdain, I finally do what I often do when I run out of options. I pray.
Funny how prayer for me is so often the last resort, and rarely the first option. Truth be told, I don’t feel like I’m that good at praying, especially at night. I might mumble a few quiet incoherent thoughts, “Lord, let me sleep please,” as if the Almighty is purposely just poking me in the ribs or stealing my covers. Most of the time, I need help to pray, so like any good Whiskeypalian, I look in the “Prayuh Book.” I search for the service of Compline.
Compline is an ancient liturgy for corporate worship at the very end of the day when the faith community is ready to surrender to sleep. It is perhaps the most contemplative liturgical practice, peaceful and gentle, calming and restful and restorative.
There in the final prayers of Compline, I find a prayer that (to borrow that hackneyed phrase)“soothes my soul.”
Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love’s sake. Amen.
I can’t explain it. But it does soothe my soul. I read it again it, and then whisper it slowly aloud.
Keep watch... (God is watching. The Lord does not slumber or sleep, so the Psalmist tells us.)
…with those who work or watch or weep this night (I am not the only one up right now. I think of them, and the different reasons they have to also be sleepless.)
…and give your angels charge over those who sleep. (I am too much a cynical trial lawyer to really know if that’s true, if Angels really do exist, and really do keep charge of us as we slumber. But I do know this — I want it to be true. And in the pitch darkness on this night that is enough.
I crawl back to bed, and whisper the prayer once more.
The Book of Common Prayer includes a specific collect for the celebration of Independence Day in the United States:
Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn: Grant, we beseech thee, that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain these liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Interestingly, today’s collect for “Proper 9” in Pentecost, even though not specifically written for the Fourth of July, works just as well,…especially for America in 2021:
O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
In his song “Coming to America,” Neil Diamond has a line about immigrants and how they “are traveling light today…in the eye of the storm, in the eye of the storm.”
May it be so with us as well, both as proud patriots and struggling followers of Jesus, that we being “united to one another in pure affection” might indeed “travel light” in the midst of all our current storms.
Every several years or so, I seem to get reminded from Lord knows where (a phrase that uncomfortably seems more literal sometimes than just a figure of speech) that March 25 is the Feast of the Annunciation.
It always occurs exactly nine months before the ”Feast of the Nativity” a/k/a Christmas Day. (Go figure.)
The day celebrates the account in Luke’s Gospel of the young maiden Mary, and her surprising visit by the angel Gabriel…and his even more surprising message that she had been appointed to offer human birth to the son of God.
It usually comes in the middle of Lent, a few days or weeks before Easter. It is a time (as said so wonderfully by Canon Rose Duncan at the Washington National Cathedral this morning) of “wombs and tombs, beginnings and endings, births and deaths.”
Regardless of what faith we might profess, or if we follow no organized religion at all, it seems that in every life it is inevitable to face times of real decision, of moving one way or the other, of following a path pointed this uncertain way or that, or maybe just staying put – frozen and hesitant – and making the decision of no decision. And in that sense, the story of Mary and her annunciation is, in absolute fact, a universal human story.
A few years back, I was also totally surprised by the Feast of the Annunciation one March 25. It led me (as these things tend to do) to pour a nice single malt and start writing, and wondering how that same God who beckoned a young girl to change the world forever might also be beckoning me.
(For the five weeks of Lent 2021, special focus will be given to each of the five individual questions in “The Renewal of the Baptismal Covenant”)
Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?
Generally speaking, we Episcopalians are not particularly known for our proclamations. Near the top of my list of favorite oxymorons (slightly ahead of “corporate culture” and “military intelligence,” but behind “Justice Thomas”) is “Episcopal evangelism.” It’s typically just not our style, which makes this third question of the Baptismal Covenant a bit problematic for many of us, at least for me.
I’m not at all sure why that is exactly, but a story by southern novelist Clyde Edgerton that he read here in Charlotte a few years back from one of his books offers a humorous clue. The scene was about an old man and a boy one Sunday morning on the front porch of a general store in Macon, Georgia. The old man is rocking while reading the Sunday paper, as the boy plays with baseball cards on the steps and a church bell rings out to signal the end of the service of the church across the street. “Look at them Episcopalians there, boy,” says the old man looking up from his paper and taking his reading specs off to watch the acolytes take the cross and candles around back to the sacristy and the priest in his vestments greet the parishioners recessing out into the humid air. “You know, there ain’t nothin‘ Episcopalians wouldn’t do for the love of God,” the man tells the boy, “…exceptin’ if it was tacky.”
That story is funny because in so many ways — at least in regards to this Episcopalian — it is so true. Why else, if not for fear of my being “tacky” would I feel the least twinge about the commitment to “proclaim…the good news”? It’s not that I am a particularly shy person, Lord knows. Indeed, family and friends would “proclaim” that I am most assuredly not. Nor am I all that shy about claiming to be Christian; I write this blog on the liturgy after all, and am a licensed lay preacher in the Diocese of North Carolina.
Why so shy?
The hesitancy, the twinge, the “shyness” (such that it is) in my proclaiming anything about Christianity is mainly because, I confess, I just don’t want to be associated with “those” kind of Christians…you know, the ones with a lot of hairspray.
I try not to look down my nose at those good church-going folks who fill big NBA-sized arenas to hear the word of ”JEE-YAH-UH-ZUSS” shouted at them with all the cock-sure certainty of used car dealers whose sole task and desire is “closing the sale.” I try, I really do. Those mega-churches do fill an obvious need for those that flock to them. Even so, I fail miserably most of the time.
And then there are the “Christians” for whom the term “tacky” seems for me far too benign. These are the folks who seem hellbent (an adjective chosen with care) on making sure that the “club“ of Christianity remains exclusive. You are either “in“ (i.e., you have at some point repeated a magic prayer and have been “saved“), or you have not and are therefore “out.” They seem not the least bit shy in proclaiming loudly their “Christian” views of what the Almighty most certainly dictated about a number of current issues — abortion, guns, welfare, the border, school prayer, child adoption by LGBTQ parents and a heavenly host of other matters not really mentioned specifically in Scripture. The absence of specific, literal guidance does not at all prevent these “Christians” from offering specific and literal guidance as to what beyond all doubt and discussion Jesus wants. The problem is, most of the time, those views do not sound a whole lot like the Jesus I read in the Gospels.
If “proclaiming by word and example the good news of God in Christ” means being associated with those “Christians,” I just as soon take a pass on that part of the Baptismal Covenant.
The problem is…
There is a significant drawback to my timidity, though, besides the obvious flaws that it is snobbish and snooty, and well, timid, in a time when I believe our faith calls for boldness. That huge flaw is the inescapable fact that being a true follower of Jesus, by today’s earthly standards anyway, is pretty damn nutty. Let’s leave aside for a second the whole Nativity legend of virgin birth and heavenly beings appearing to Joseph (in one Gospel, but none of the others) and to Mary and Shepherds (in another Gospel, but none of the others). Let’s not even dwell on the main point of the Baby Jesus legend — the Omnipotent Yahweh of Creation, now appearing as a helpless bastard infant born to a poor oppressed girl with confused boyfriend in a Bethlehem stable.
Instead, let’s just look on the central message of the adult Jesus. His word and example was — and to believers very much IS — a loud proclamation that God’s overwhelming healing Love for each of us is lavish, undeserved, illogical and radical. And Jesus’ primary command to us — to love God and neighbor — means that followers who take him seriously must forgive attacks on them over and over and over again, and actually do good to any and all folks who abuse us. We are instructed to pray to God like a neighbor banging on your door late at night wanting some beer and snacks for some friends who dropped by. To “proclaim the Good News” we are told both requires and leads us to care about and show love for our most hateful enemies. In a world of self-esteem, self-image and self-actualization, we are told we must lose ourselves in order to save ourselves.
Such counter-cultural thinking is not always appreciated in pop culture, high society or the academic towers. So yeah, there’s a real risk of Christians in general and Lord forbid Episcopalians in particular of being seen as kind of weird, a little crazy, and even <gasp > tacky. Episcopalians need to get over it. To be more precise, I need to get over it.
Getting over it.
Ever so slowly, and with a lot of fake-it-til-you-make practice, I‘m finding my lawyer-brained, bet-hedging self more and more able to share in my crazy and tacky beliefs. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry – Biblical scholar and firebrand preacher all rolled into one — is helping me “get over it” when he writes a book he unapologetically entitles, “Crazy Christians.” He helps me further with his latest book (written just before the latest pandemic and racial upheaval and civil unrest, and released during the midst of them) that is premised on the ”crazy” but somehow absolutely true — and even empirically logical — notion that “Love Is The Only Way.”
Regardless of all the twists and turns and causes along the journey, I find myself more able — sometimes even willing and eager — to proclaim (even if more by word than example for now) that I have had these grand moments along the way, from “Lord knows” where. And those moments have been so grand and have given a small glimpse of a Divine Goodness beyond all human goodness, a Universal Beauty beyond all earthly beauty, and most of all an Infinite Unfathomable Love far beyond my ability to comprehend, or to resist. What small comprehension I can manage, though, inevitably leads me to person of Jesus of Nazareth as human embodiment of that Goodness, that Beauty, that Love. And who even now — two millennia later and with countless generous of “Christians” who have done their damnedest to muck things up — remains still Jesus the Christ, the Unifier and Healer of all living things.
Just this morning, after most of the above had been written, I happened to see an online sermon from one of my favorite priests preaching about today’s Gospel (John 3:14-21) for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, focusing on what it means to live as a Jesus-follower “in the light” versus trying to be a Christian hidden “in the dark.” He posed a question that his been gnawing at me all day, and seemed as good as any way to conclude: “Who is protected by keeping your faith a private affair?”
Regardless of my constant misgivings of doubts, uncertainties and silly concerns, I would do well to ask, whenever I hedge or hesitate to “…proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ,“ … Who indeed am I trying to protect? If I’m honest, I’ll have to admit it is probably me.
(AUTHOR’S NOTE: For the five weeks of Lent 2021, special focus will be given to each of the five individual questions in “The Renewal of the Baptismal Covenant”)
Will you persevere in resisting evil, and when you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?
Rather than the five word response written in the Prayer Book, “I will, with God’s help,” I sometimes want to respond with another (lawyer-like) five words: “Depends on what you mean.”
After all, this second individual question in the Renewal of the Baptismal Covenant is filled with rich and powerful words, capable of all manner of subtle nuances and deep complex meaning…a veritable paradise for anyone sporting a Juris Doctorate on their wall. It is impossible to consume it all in one quick reading or hearing (or even in one blogpost) when it is placed, as it is, being just one in a repetitive litany of questions. Each phrase is power-packed with a verb or noun layered with an almost endless variety of meanings and insights:
Persevere. Resist. Evil. Fall. Sin. Repent. Return.
In a way, this question is reminiscent of one of those “Recycling” posters, with big arrows flowing in a continuing clockwise circle. Note that the question does not ask whether each of us will resist evil; the writers knew better. Rather, the liturgy calls for a individual commitment to persist in efforts of resistance. The question presumes human frailty, not asking “if you fall into sin” but “when.” And then there’s the use of the term “fall” as if my “falling” into sin is like my tripping by accident over an unseen branch on a dark walk outside, as opposed to my willfully choosing to flop headlong into the deep end of a pool. The cycle continues by the commitment to “repent and return to the Lord.” The stage is then set for the endless battle of our “persistence and resistance” to begin anew.
Of all these words, though, “evil” is the one that probably gets the most attention, at least it gets mine. It is one of two “E-words” that in my experience tend to make us Whiskeypalians really uncomfortable. (“Evangelism“ is the other one, if you are wondering, and I’m not sure which one ”wins” the top prize. Mention either during the Sunday coffee hour, and you’ll likely begin to see folks start looking at their watches.)
Most Christians in most mainline Protestant churches shy away from the topic of evil. It tends to conjure up images of street corner preachers shouting about the “evil” practices of things they don’t like and/or don’t understand, or “The Church Lady” character years ago on SNL (“Hmmmm. Could it be…SAAAAY-TIN?”). There can be other comic extremes of spooky talk surrounding nasty looking gremlin-like figures who melt when shown a crucifix, or holy water is sprinkled on them.
All these images miss the mark, I think, and distract me with comedy and comfort from a plain truth that, even if I don’t like to consider it, I ignore at my extreme peril. Evil exists. Evil is real. And evil thrives most when ignored and left alone, unnamed for what it is
In his 1983 book, “People of the Lie: The Hope for Healing Human Evil,” author and psychiatrist Scott Peck defined evil as “that which kills or suppresses life or the life force,” and noted that it often disguises itself in a “mask of self-righteousness,” a narcissistic self-image that denies and refuses to acknowledge any personal flaws, instead manipulating or “scapegoating” others. Unlike mere mental health disorders in which a person has a disease of the brain which makes a person less able to recognize their own personal fault, evil according to Peck is a non-biological disorder of the mind. The evil person not only is able to recognize the harm being inflicted and his/her part in it, but justifies it and at some level enjoys it. Although mental illness is certainly involved, an evil personality has different deeper qualities and other characteristics.
The central tool of human evil is “the lie,” the ability to deceive others and one’s self into believing an alternate reality. The biggest lie of evil is the willing and willful deception of self, in which the evil person chooses to believe he/she is not wrong nor really is capable of wrong, and rejects and even attacks any evidence suggesting it. Interestingly, our Lenten liturgy in Morning Prayer confronts that lie head-on, reminding us of John’s words in his first letter: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 Jn. 1:8)
Regardless of whether one accepts Peck’s theories and conclusions, the good news is that the Lenten liturgy also asks us to ponder the verse that immediately follows John’s warning. Yes, we deceive ourselves whenever we think we are not fully capable of doing horrendous evil given the right circumstances, “But if we confess (acknowledge) our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
When I was in law school, I had the opportunity to spend a week with Peck at Kanuga Center in Hendersonville, NC. (I later learned this happened while he was writing “People of the Lie.”) He lectured one evening on his psychiatric observation of evil. I remember being disturbed by his conviction, coming from someone as rational and logical and fact-driven as anyone I’ve ever met, that a true malevolent force outside of science is actively working in humanity. Ultimately though I was comforted by his even stronger conviction – also driven by rational logic and facts as he saw them – that a real force of Love (which he saw especially through the life and ministry of Jesus and “Christ crucified”) had forever conquered it.
“The War against Evil has been won,” he told us. “We are just in a mopping up operation.” We just need to be persistent about it.
Ash Wednesday was a week ago. The Ash Wednesday liturgy, unlike Pentecost or the service of Baptism or a few other major dates in the church calendar year, does not include the litany for a “Renewal of Our Baptismal Covenant.” I’m thinking maybe it should.
As I’ve written before in another blogpiece on this WithGladness.org site, the reciting of the “Baptismal Covenant” is our liturgy’s way of focusing particular attention on what it means to “practice” Christianity, to put it in motion, to DO something rather than study or contemplate or believe something. This litany of renewal asks eight things of the congregation, and although the first three questions are indeed big and broad “creedal” belief statements, the last five…oh yes, those last five…are personal, individual, me-and-God questions. They cut right to the heart of what each individual Christian should do, how to “walk the walk” and not just “talk the talk.”
Suffice it to say, I “don’t” more than I “do.” I “talk” more than I “walk.” But maybe that’s kind of what Lent is all about, I’m thinking.
This season of Lent, of course, is a “penitential” season. To repent, in the original Greek (metanoia) meaning of the term, has more to do with a sense of rethinking things, of turning or readjusting, rather than eating dirt and worms and beating a Bible shouting how sinful everyone is. In that sense, penitence is a synonym for renewal.
Thus, it seems that Lent is the perfect time to focus more intently on those five personal questions posed while renewing our baptismal covenant. And, as it so happens, those five questions fall quite nicely, thank you, within the five full weeks of Lent between Ash Wednesday and Passion Sunday, leading to Holy Week and Easter.
Many years ago, my home parish (Christ Church Charlotte) had a series of five Wednesday dinners, with each dinner focusing on one of the five personal questions in the Baptismal Covenant. (I have to pause here…Just the mere notion of folks gathering together in one large space for a simple meal, six to eight at a table in close unmasked conversations discussing an evening lecture, seems so foreign during this time of Covid, a vague nostalgic recollection of a distant forgotten past.) I can’t say that I remember anything in particular about any of those dinner speakers, but I do remember that just the exercise of focus, that attention to intention, was a good thing.
So maybe it’s also a good thing – and a good time – to bring it back. If somehow I can mind my “intention” during this Covid-Lent with any sort of decent “attention” to this goal, we will see what musings develop.
Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?
This first personal question in the Baptismal Covenant liturgy is presumptive, and that’s a bit comforting. The “Will you continue…” presumes that I have been doing any of these things in the first place. The reality is I start and stop. A wonderful friend recently reminded me that when it comes to actually practicing such practices contemplated here, I’m probably in the same camp as 99.99% of Christians. That is, almost all of us do try, now and then, to follow these good spiritual habits, more or less. But very few might venture to say their efforts are near enough.
At times, I can be a pretty close follower of Paul’s letters and Peter’s preaching and even John’s poetic ramblings, especially if those times happen to be full of desperation and crisis. (It ain’t for nothing that Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”) Most of the the time though, I am not in a depraved or desperate crisis — or maybe just not self-aware enough to recognize it — and so most of the time, I “follow” those practices…but at a safe distance.
After all, cautious southern privileged white-guy lawyers tend to like safe distances. That is especially true when that white-guy lawyer feels he might be getting “too close” to God, and maybe even more true if that guy is a life-long Episcopalian. We of that “frozen chosen” tribe can often make a habit of keeping a close-but-cautious distance, getting really good at practicing that faithful-but-safe stuff.
Lent just may be that time to venture — at least with a big toe if not a full headlong plunge — into the less safe. Perhaps intentionally living into this first covenant question and “testing the waters” of these faithful practices might even lead to a state of creative and fully-alive tension, what Frederick Buechner has called “holy recklessness.”
To devote one’s self to the habits suggested in that first personal question, to “continue” engaging the lessons of scripture, fellowship in the church, the breaking of bread secular and sacred, and in praying “the prayers” both corporate and public as well as personal and private… Well, that is probably a good place to start.
(An earlier version of this post was written in Advent 2014, but has been significantly revised and reposted here in Advent 2020 to ask whether we can “Rejoice, always!” even in the time of Covid.)
Two days ago was “Stir-up” Sunday — an irreverent nickname some of us “Whiskeypalians” give the Third Sunday of Advent, based on the (pun intended) “stirring” words of the opening collect:
Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
The more traditional name given “3 Advent” is Gaudete Sunday, from the first word of the introit of the Latin mass: “Gaudete Domino semper, iterum dico, Gaudete!…” or “Rejoice in The Lord always! Again, I will say, REJOICE!” That line comes from Paul’s letter to the Philippians (Phil. 4:4), a young church he seemed to have particularly loved on the east coast of Greece. (The ALL CAPS are mine…not sure whether his shaky pen writing ancient Greek on papyrus did the same.)
Writing from a Roman prison, a remarkably emancipated Paul suggested to this fledgling flock of new believers, and maybe to all of us in 2020, that we should “Rejoice, always. Again I say, rejoice! …The Lord is at hand.” And in the same breath, he speaks of a “Peace of God that passes all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). On the one hand, it can be seen as an utterly absurd notion, especially in times like these. But for generations of Christians ever since, it has proven to be more than a notion and somehow utterly true.
The Third Sunday of Advent also traditionally recognizes and celebrates Mary and her deep joy, hence the rose-colored candle on the Advent wreath now illumined in her honor. And so the question is posed: on this Gaudete Sunday or “Rose Sunday” or “Stir-up” Sunday in 2020, is it possible to “rejoice in the Lord, always”? How can we follow, in such a year of turmoil and disease and death, Paul’s admonition to embrace an ineffable Peace and the “bountiful mercy and grace” of a “stirred-up” Lord?
At the beginning of Advent, I would likely have seen such a call as too much. And still it may be.
Indeed, just this week our nation passed 300,000 dead from this ravenous virus. Three hundred thousand chairs at last year’s Christmas tables will now be as empty as the hearts of those loved ones having to stare at them. And yet, also this week, nearing the end of this loooooooong and dismal year, there seems to be actual news about which we can in fact rejoice.
Thanks be to God – and thousands of researchers, scientists, healthcare workers and tens of thousands of volunteers willing to be guinea pigs in dozens of studies worldwide — vaccines are here! There’s a long way to go of course, but now the hope that seemed so far off is (as Paul reminded the Philippians about The Lord) “at hand.” That glimmer of light at the end of the proverbial Covid tunnel does not appear to be a train coming in the opposite direction.
For sure, we have this year been “sorely hindered” as the collect says, “by our sins” of neglect or ignorance or arrogance or all of the above — and more. Especially when looking at this nation, I confess that a daily dose of 9/11-sized deaths has, I greatly fear, made me numb, asleep to something too horrible to contemplate. To truly fathom the ongoing loss is crippling, and so out of a survival protection mode, I change the channel or click the next link. I suspect I’m not alone.
The power of powerful prayers like Sunday’s “Stir up” collect can bring me back, though, as can hearing once again the paradoxical Truth of a real Peace that does in fact simply pass human understanding. My lawyer-brain’s inability to make sense of it fails to make the Reality of It any less true. To delve into such Mystery behind a stirred-up, Rose-colored Gaudete Sunday is to be able to withstand the pain of knowing that much of 2021 will be too much like 2020, especially in the beginning. Throughout it all, though, the “Gaudete Sunday” of 3 Advent bids us look for, and indeed rejoice in, the “bountiful grace and mercy” to “speedily help and deliver us,” from a “stirred-up” Lord that indeed is close “at hand.”
Today marks the last Sunday of the traditional church calendar year. Mainline liturgical churches start all over again next Sunday with the First Sunday of Advent (moving from “Year A” in the Common Lectionary into “Year B” for those keeping score). Traditionally this last Sunday After Pentecost is known as “Christ the King” Sunday, and indeed it is a time for reflecting on the passage of time, and a time to imagine the end of time, and how Christ Jesus is to establish his reign for all time.
In 2020, the concept of “king-ly” power on earth has become anachronistic at best. In America especially, the notion of a God-appointed monarchy and ruler (despite what might be suggested in some circles, thankfully isolated) is a particularly prickly subject. After all, our nation was founded by getting rid of a king’s power over our “free and independent states.”
Maybe that is one reason I find it difficult to wrap my heart and soul around the moniker “Christ The King.” Not only that, but beyond my contemptuous aversion against authoritarian monarchs of any stripe, the discussion of “Christ the King” is often presented as an apocalyptic story of that one cataclysmic day when suddenly “the Rhapsody will cometh” with lots of horsemen on fiery chariots and cherubim and seraphim singing endlessly to “the Lamb upon the throne.” Such an existence, regardless of all the “green screen” special effects that might have to come with it to keep up with the book of Revelation, might well be infinitely better in so many ways than our current state of being in 2020. Even so, my sardonic and distrustful lawyer-brain cannot come close to believing in a “second coming” that is somehow filled with the literal emptying of graves, accompanied with clouds of fire and the sun turning to black and seven angels with seven trumpets pouring out seven bowls of God’s wrath.
The older I get, the more I’m thinking that maybe the “second coming” of Christ, the establishment of “Christ’s Kingdom” has very little to do with what the world might look like when God tries to out-do the latest CGI and VFX in the next Avengers release. Rather, I am more and more drawn to a cock-eyed notion that the true “second coming” of Jesus has much more to do with what the world might be like powered by the force of Love.
When I get all worked up, as I often do, over the world’s absurdities and cruelties (especially these days with the inability or unwillingness of so many people accepting or even acknowledging facts that they might find unpleasant or inconvenient to their myopic selfishness), it comes to me as sheer Grace to be reminded of the kingdom that Jesus conveyed to his disciples and followers over and over again. Even standing condemned before Pilate, knowing surely that crucifixion lay ahead with the answer he was about to give, Jesus quietly and simply but defiantly replied to Pilate (and to the millenia of generations to follow) regarding the question of whether in fact he felt he was a king…
“My kingdom,” he said, “is not of this world.”
And so it is that followers of Jesus in this world, the only one we really know and are forced to walk around each day, are left to ponder what to do with this world. Can it be that THIS world – here and now – is the one that is to be built into the “Kingdom of Heaven” that Jesus spoke about so much while walking in this world?
I have heard it said that the term often translated in English Bibles as “Kingdom of Heaven” in the New Testament can also be translated as “Realm of Love.” If indeed that is the case, then THAT is something even my lawyer brain can not only accept, but fervently yearn will bring about an everlasting reign for “Christ the King,” a veritable “second coming” of tough, powerful, radical and relentless love.
An obscure verse from the traditional iconic hymn for this Sunday says it well, I think:
Crown Him the Lord of peace, Whose power a scepter sways From pole to pole, that wars may cease, And all be prayer and praise. His reign shall know no end, And round His pierced feet Fair flowers of glory now extend Their fragrance ever sweet.
In the appointed collect for today the worldwide Anglican Communion beseeched (don’t you just love that word?) God to “make us love what You command.”
>> Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. <<
One of the things that I’ve always admired in our collects is the sense of immediacy and intimacy in most of them. In that sense, they tend to model The Lord’s Prayer, in that there’s not a “Please” or request to “help us to…” to be found. Rather the best collects — just like the prayer that Jesus recited when his followers asked him how to best pray — is filled with imperatives to a Loving Omnipotent God. These urgent urgings to our Divine Creator have a power implied in them that we are, somehow, worthy to lay such demands before The Almighty. Even more than that though, there is also a sense that we dare speak to The Source of All Caring with a faith that our God is not just able to do such good things for us, but is also eager to do them, and eager for us to ask for such bold and audacious things.
But just like the Pharisees and lawyer in today’s Gospel (Matt. 22:34-46), so too am I tempted to ask the evasive, miss-the-big-point, follow-up question: “Yeah, Lord, but what — exactly — fits in that category of ‘what You command’ that we are supposed to love”? (At this point, I can only imagine collective “shaking their heads” among the Heavenly Hosts.). Fortunately, especially for those “cut to the chase” types like myself, Jesus tells us with in essence a one-word answer, LOVE.
Love God. Love your neighbor. That’s pretty much it.
A transformative light-switch was turned on for me a few years ago. I confess to being an unapologetic Anglophile, with a deep affection for words. More particularly, I am enthralled and passionate about “the right word” that makes all the difference, as Mark Twain once quipped between “lightning, and a lighting bug.” Such a difference comes with the different meanings assigned to the same word – that poor, overburdened, little four letter English word, LOVE. So often, especially in modern American culture, “love” is a noun, describing a feeling of attachment or affection. But in the Jesus Movement, I have grown persuaded that “love” is a VERB.
Not sure about anyone else, but for me at least, when I began to fathom that for Jesus, love is about ACTION, things became much more fathomable. That is the only way that the clear command to “love your enemies” makes sense and becomes real. Warm fuzzy feelings have next to nothing to do with it. Even though I might be disgusted by, and pissed off at, someone (often myself), I am still able to love them, to ACT lovingly toward them.
Mama Gump told Forrest over and over, “Stupid is, as stupid does.” She might well have added the additional wise words that “Love is, as love does.”
Sometimes simple things are all I can handle. LOVE. That’s it. Love what God loves, and remember love is a verb.
The Common Lectionary can sometimes be uncanny in its timing. Even my most skeptical and cynical lawyer-self occasionally has difficulty not at least considering that some Graceful Hand may have played a part, especially when pre-determined readings “just happen” to appear just at the right moment. It may well just be our human tendency to see into things those things we most want to see, but at times the Sunday readings and prayers, scheduled long ago, can speak with such force and relevance to contemporary events that they seem to have been chosen just the day before.
This past Sunday (August 23) was “Proper 16 of Ordinary Time” in “Year A” of the Liturgical Calendar. It was just another Sunday in the long stretch of “ordinary time” after Easter in the spring, and continuing until the arrival of Advent in late fall. And yet, the collect for this “ordinary” day could hardly have been more timely for the profoundly extra- ordinary times in which we find ourselves:
>> Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. <<
At first blush, the timing of this appointed prayer might seem silly right now, or even cruel. After all, the only physical “gathering” most churches are doing these days are through pre-recorded videos, Zoom chats or YouTube channels.
But if there is anything that the Liturgy is constantly urging me to do, it is to get beyond the mere physical, and I have to confess that is not often easy, and usually I have to drag along my attorney-brain kicking and screaming. I am way too wedded most of the time a sort of a “human chauvinism” believing that our five human senses can eventually lead us to all knowledge and wisdom. That is, if it cannot be seen, heard, smelled, tasted or touched, it simply cannot be, and therefore not worth the time or effort. But the beauty of this collect, likes so many liturgical gifts, is how this prayer itself leads me to consider beyond the physical, to give eyes perhaps to glimpse a little of the Unseen. What last Sunday’s collect urges is that our gatherings be “in unity by your Holy Spirit.” Being seated neatly in a church pew is not a prerequisite (or as we lawyers say, a “condition precedent”). In fact, one might argue it has next to nothing to do with it.
Many years ago, I was blessed to hear a lecture from writer and theologian Frederick Buechner. He spoke openly and vulnerably about the times he attended “Al-Anon” trying to deal with his alcoholic father’s suicide years after the fact. He noted how it and other 12-step groups were far from perfect, but offered immense help and healing from very few resources and very sparse operations.
They have no offerings really, he said, except maybe a basket by the coffee urn for those who care to contribute what they can. There are no vestments, no buildings, no vestries, no capital campaigns or every member canvasses. No altar guilds, no grounds committees, no retreat planning commissions. The souls that gather there have nothing but each other and their stories and their honesty with themselves, their support for one another, and their belief that whatever demons or challenges they are facing they cannot handle them all by themselves.
But it is what Buechner said next that has stuck with me the most. “And I cannot help but think,” I recall him saying, “that these groups may be closer to what Jesus had in mind for his church than many of the structures we have today. And I cannot help but wonder if maybe the best thing that could happen to a lot of churches is that they be torn down so that all that they had left was The Holy Spirit and each other to lean on.”
I am not sure I agree with all of that, but the sentiment behind it seems well worth thinking about, especially when physical structures are being in effect dismantled by a virus.
The challenges of these present days, posed by self-quarantines and closed sanctuaries, might well turn out to be great gifts. That is particularly true, I think, if somehow we can manage to follow the lead of this wonderful prayer from this past Sunday, and see that being “gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit” is not really about a assembling in a building, but the building of a kingdom.
By focusing on THAT kind of unity the Church may yet indeed, as this timely collect implores, “show forth God’s power among all peoples.”
One small voice, belonging to a 12-year old boy, begins to sing…
Once in royal David’s city
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her Baby
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little Child.
Other young boys join in, followed by the full choir, followed by the congregation, as the throng of Choristers and Acolytes and Priests make their way forward…
The place is Kings College Chapel, in Cambridge, England. The time is a minute or two after 3 p.m. London time on Christmas Eve. The occasion is“A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.” And for this crusty curmudgeon, it is, quite simply, the best worship service on the planet. Continue reading →
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David Laws and the 50% tax rate: worse than calling a cop a pleb?
In her Guardian article today, Polly Toynbee quotes David Laws, now back in government, as saying:
As a liberal, I feel uncomfortable at the idea of the state taking half or more of anyone’s income.
This is obviously meant to justify the acquiescence of the LibDem members of the coalition in the decision last March to reduce the 50% highest marginal rate of tax, instituted by the Labour government in April 2010, to 45%. Laws’s remark however seems calculated to perpetuate the myth that a taxpayer paying the 50% tax rate is paying half of his total income to the state. This widespread misconception results from a misunderstanding of the concept of a “marginal” tax rate. The highest marginal rate of tax, whether 50% or 45%, applies only to that part of the taxpayer’s taxable income which exceeds £150,000 a year. If your total taxable income in the year (i.e. your income after deduction of various allowances) is £149,999, not a penny of it is taxed at 45% or 50%. If it’s £150,010, only the last £10 is taxed at 50% (soon to be 45%). Everything up to £149,999 plus allowances is taxed at exactly the same rates as those paid by someone earning, say, £34,371, the amount at which the rate of 40% begins to apply (check rates for new card applications).
David Laws, as a former LibDem Chief Secretary to the Treasury (admittedly for only 17 days) ought to be able to grasp the meaning of a marginal rate of tax. Son of a banker, educated at fee-paying schools and with a double first in economics at King’s College Cambridge, for five years a senior investment banker, including a spell as a managing director at Barclays de Zoete Wedd, he’s no financially illiterate pleb. It’s a reasonable inference that he knows that a marginal tax rate of 50% starting at £150,000 of taxable income can’t mean “the state taking half or more of anyone’s income” (that sly insertion of “or more” making the innuendo even more untruthful). Either Mr Laws, a LibDem minister in the coalition government, didn’t know that his remarks were seriously misleading, in which case he was wasting his time as an investment banker and senior Treasury minister; or he did know, in which case….
It’s time that Labour nailed this damaging misunderstanding every time it surfaces. The case for the very rich to pay substantially more tax as part of their contribution to deficit reduction is unanswerable. This is one way to raise taxes without squeezing aggregate demand in the economy as a whole, since those earning — or at any rate receiving — more than £150,000 a year (plus tax allowances) have a very low marginal propensity to spend: almost every additional pound of their income goes into savings, often in off-shore accounts. That the coalition chose to reduce the highest rate of tax on the very rich while actually increasing the tax paid by even the poorest people in the country, VAT, thus significantly reducing aggregate spending power when lack of demand is at the root of the country’s disastrous economic problems, tells us all we need to know about the coalition’s priorities, demonstrating whose interests the Conservative-LibDem government is most anxious to promote. By comparison with such knowingly misleading spin, calling a copper a pleb is very small beer. Right, Mr Laws?
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Composer Michiaki Watanabe (also known as Chumei Watanabe) died due to In the heart failed in a Tokyo hospital on June 23. He was 96 years old.
Watanabe was born in 1925. He studied psychology at the prestigious University of Tokyo under the direction of composers Ikuma Dan and Saburo Moroi. He made his debut as a composer for a radio play produced by the Central Japan Broadcasting Corporation in the 1950s. For the next 20 years, Watanabe worked with TOHO regularly on film soundtracks while improving his craft under the likes of jazz musician Sadao Watanabe. This had a strong effect on Watanabe’s compositions. He introduced brass instruments when he created “Z theme” for Mazinger-Z, also using an analog synthesizer. The combination was considered unique to the ears of 1970s listeners.
He composed the music for the animated series Mazinger-Z, Godannar, Getter Robo Goand Transformers: Victory, among others. He also composed the music for the first two Kikaider live action series, Inazumanthe first six Super Sentai series (and contributed to the later Super Sentai series as recently as last year Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger), and the first five Metal Heroes series beginning with Gavan Space Sheriff.
Update: Corrected date of death. Thank you, Damien Salazar.
Image source: Studio21
Source: Kyodo News
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First Produced By: Richard Evans
Aliases: T+ Albino
First Produced In: Unknown
Last Updated: 2022-02-15
Do you have any suggestions or corrections for this article?
Click here to contribute feedback
Despite the name, Evans Hypo is actually another form of T+ Albino.
Evans Hypo is a recessive mutation that reduces the dark coloration of the Western Hognose.
No history yet.
“Pure” versions of the morph (ones that have not been crossed with other color lines like extreme red or purple) are quite similar to Toffee Belly, but are lower contrast and typically have wider, more diffused saddles.
Areas that would normally be black, now present with a purplish or gray hue. Best seen with the belly pattern. Both Dutch and Evans Hypo are not hypomelanistic. They are a form of Albino that still retains dark pigmentation.
The “pure” version of these animals have a golden-brown color for the large body spots. The bellies are pink and white with a hint of lavender. The tongue and pupils are bright purple in colour. Even if they have some similarities with Toffee Belly, the Evans Hypos are low contrast, compared to Toffee and have lighter colours. They are not compatible genetically.
They look to have an overall more red or pink hue than Toffee Belly, which is why they look so good when crossed into red or purple lines.
This color mutation was discovered by the American “hognose pioneer” Richard Evans and unfortunately he called it “Hypo”. There is now a growing conviction that this morph is in fact a form of tyrosine positive albinism. However, the designation “Hypo” was so well established that the “Evans” was added.
No known proven lines.
Evans Hypo is not compatible with other T+ Albinos, but is compatible with T- Albinos.
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What’s Favorable For Raganuga-bhakti?
- Category: 2010
- Wednesday, 07 July 2010
- Last Updated: Monday, 04 October 2010
- Views: 5332
Mathura, India: 1991
[Respected Harikatha Readers,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga.
Part 8 assumes that you have read the first 7 parts. For those of you who have not have done so, or those of you who would like a reminder, we have put in "fill-ins" from the English translation of Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja's Hindi translation of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura's Raga-vartma-candrika book in the indented paragraphs. This will tie together any possible loose ends.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: First I explained abhista-bhava-mayi, which may be in an unripe or ripe stage. In the stage of sadhana it is the absorption that "We are gopis;" and in the siddha stage we will actually become gopis. In both cases, it is abhista-bhava-mayi.
Next is bhava-sambandhi upadhana-karana. These are activities we must perform, like hearing and remembering. These practices must not be neglected for any reason. Regarding nimitta-karana practices, if we cannot follow them under certain circumstances, it is not harmful; therefore it is considered secondary.
Vamsidasa Babaji Maharaja and Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami were fully absorbed in Krsna-lila for so many days, and Ekadasi came and left during that time of absorption. For them there was no harm. On the other hand, if there are occasions that we do not follow, this is harmful for us. That is why nimitta-karana is called secondary.
Which of the sixty-four limbs of bhakti are to be practiced in raganuga-bhakti? How many types of practices are there? What are their characteristics?
Which are essential, and which are to be disregarded? To answer these questions, sastra sets down five types of devotional practices:
- abhista-bhava-mayi – saturated with one's cherished mood
- abhista-bhava-sambandhi – related to one's cherished mood
- abhista-bhava-anukula – favorable to one's cherished mood
- abhista-bhava-aviruddha – neutral to one's cherished mood
- abhista-bhava -viruddha – detrimental to one's cherished mood.
Here, svabhista means the mood that a sadhaka aspires to attain. Some of these five categories are both the sadhana and sadhya. (That is, the nature of the practices never changes; the only difference is that in the stage of sadhana they are in an unripe state, while in the stage of sadhya they are ripe.) To achieve the goal of prema, some are direct, or ingredient, causes (upadana-karana) and others are indirect, or instrumental, causes (nimitta-karana); some are signs of bhajana (such as tilaka, tulasi-mala, dress meant for the different asramas, and so on); some are helpful; some are neutral; and some are harmful. All of these classifications will be explained.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Kartika-vrata may fall in the category of either upadhana-karana or nimitta-karana. When it is followed in accordance with the rules of renunciation, avoiding certain foods and activities, then it is in the category of nimitta-karana. When it is followed in accordance with the principles of hearing and chanting the names and glories of Srimati Radhika and Sri Krsna, then it is in the category of upadana-karana and is bhava-sambandhi. If vairagya is observed during Kartika, that is good, but sravanam-kirtanam during Kartika must not be neglected.
Actually, every vrata (vow) is of two kinds: upadhana-karana and nimitta-karana. When it is upadana-karana it cannot be missed; while if under certain circumstances, if we fail to practice this or other limbs of nimitta-karana, there is no harm.
For example, I once went to Sri Govindaji Mandira in Jaipur during Kartika month. When the pujaris requested me to take maha-prasadam, I told them, "I am so lucky that you are giving me this maha-prasadam of Sri Sri Radha-Govinda," after which they brought me rice, lauki (bottle-gourd), and eggplant. Devotees are not supposed to take lauki or eggplant during Kartika, but I accepted them as maha-prasada, placing them upon my head with great honor. At that time I was thinking, "Sri Govindaji is the established Deity of Srila Rupa Gosvami. To respect His maha-prasada is upadana-karana," so I respected it. On the other hand, here in our mandira, we tell the devotees not to prepare lauki, eggplant, and all other foodstuffs which are restricted during Kartika.
Applying gopi-candana-tilaka and nama-mudra (stamping the names of Krsna on one's body with tilaka), which are nimitta-karana, are in the category of bhava-anukula.
Burijana dasa: Anukula?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Yes, this is the third. First is bhava-mayi, second is bhava-sambandhi, and now, third, is bhava-anukula.
Anukula means 'favorable.' Practices in the category of bhava-anukula begin with worship of Tulasi devi by offering her obeisances, watering her, and so on; and parikrama (circumambulation of Tulasi, the Deities, and the holy dhamas). These practices are favorable, and should therefore be performed.
Other practices include worship of cows, dhatri (myrobalan) trees, asvattha (pipal, or banyan) trees, and offering respect to brahmanas. *[See endnote 1] Do you understand? These are among sixty-four kinds of bhakti listed in Bhakti-Rasamrta-Sindhu and are somewhat favorable.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: Somewhat favorable.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: They are somewhat favorable and beneficial (upakari). We follow the instructions of Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami in his Sri Mana-siksa: "Sujane bhusura-gane." Bhusura refers to respecting the brahmanas. At the same time, if a raganuga Vaisnava has no time for these practices, there is no harm, because they are nimitta-karana and beneficial.
So these are bhava-anukula; they are favorable. Do you understand?
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: Favorable, but not essential.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Yes, not essential.
Accepting tulasi, sandalpaste, perfume, garlands and garments which have been offered to Bhagavan is bhava-sambandhi.
Wearing a tulasi-wood mala (neck-beads) and adorning the body with Vaisnava signs such as tilaka, stamps of the holy name and of the Lord's footprints marked in gopi-candana, and so on are bhava-anukula, or favorable to the development of one's desired mood. Serving Tulasi, doing parikrama and offering pranama are also bhava-anukula.
Next is bhava-avirudha – not unfavorable, and not favorable.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: Which things? Those you have already mentioned?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: I will mention them now.
Burijana dasa: Now comes the fourth category.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Avirudha means...
Burijana dasa: Unfavorable.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Not unfavorable, yet not necessarily favorable.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura gives an example: Krsna wanted to drink milk from the breast of Yasoda, and at the same time the milk she had kept on the fire was going...
Sripad Madhava Maharaja: Overflowing.
Sripad Dhanudhara Maharaja: Boiling over.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Yasoda forcibly put Krsna down in order to attend the milk. Although Krsna was weeping and very angry, she went to protect the milk on the stove. This indicates that we should protect the things that Krsna likes even more than protecting Krsna Himself. We should favor these things more than Krsna – because they will be used in His service.
Now the first chapter (First Illumination) will be completed.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: How many chapters are there?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: There are two chapters. The first was long, and the second can be completed in one day's discussion.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says that for the raganuga-bhakta, although sravanam, kirtanam, and smaranam are superior, the management of kirtana is not less important.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: Can you explain that again please?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: For example, I may say to someone, "Oh, come here; play the mrdanga;" And to someone else I may say, "Oh, you should come and do kirtana." One person may be making arrangements and managing in preparation for the kirtana performance, and another may be doing pracara (preaching) in order to enthuse others to attend. This is not less than that.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: Not less than...?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Not less than sravanam and kirtanam.
Burijana dasa: It supports.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: At first sravanam and kirtanam are superior to managing, but ultimately management will be transferred into sravanam and kirtanam.
Burijana dasa: You mentioned preaching. Does that preaching refer to preaching about raganuga-bhakti, or any kind? Does it refer even to vaidhi-bhakti preaching?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: That devotee should have raganuga-bhakti in his heart, but he can do any kind of preaching in support of sankirtana, meaning sravanam, kirtanam, and smaranam.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: Does management come in the category of...?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: For example, you are preaching, managing, and holding meetings; you are going here and there in order to promote nama-sankirtana. There is no alternative – you must perform these duties. At the same time, it is essential to internally maintain a certain mood while engaging in these activities. When that mood is present; there is no harm in such activities; they are favorable.
The fifth category for the raganuga-sadhakas is bhava-virudha. These are the activities they reject: Ahangrahopasana (considering oneself to be non-different from the object of worship), nyasa mudras (various procedures of intertwining the fingers during worship), Dvaraka and mahisi-dhyana (meditation on Sri Krsna's Dvaraka pastimes and worship of His queens). The previously-mentioned practices, those in the category of bhava-avirudha, may be helpful, but these are directly harmful and should be rejected.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: So you are saying that the arrangement, management, and preaching for the purpose of kirtana are not less important?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: And also the preparing and sewing of Krsna's clothes.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: These are not less than kirtana or smarana?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Yes. This is because they will be transferred further into that. [This is because their beautiful arrangement will prompt glorification of the Deities. -ed]
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: What does 'transferred further' mean?
Sripad Madhava Maharaja: It means 'in the future.'
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: In the future it will turn into kirtana and smarana.
One must respect all the limbs of bhakti, beginning with sravanam kirtanam visnu-smaranam; but among all the limbs, smaranam (rememberance, or meditation) of Krsna is superior.
It was mentioned earlier that smarana is the primary limb of raganuga-bhakti. But one should understand that smarana is dependent on kirtana. In the present age of Kali, it is the practice of kirtana that grants the eligibility to enter into bhajana, because as all the sastras proclaim, kirtana has monarchy over all the other limbs of bhakti and bestows the highest result.
Asakti (attachment) is of two kinds: asakti for the limbs of sadhana (devotional practices leading to the goal) and asakti for Krsna and His associates. Both are good, but later on asakti in sravanam, kirtanam, and all such practices of sadhana-bhakti will transfer into asakti in remembering Krsna and His associates.
In this way, asakti begins as bhava-anukula (activities that are favorable for raganuga-bhakti) and later on becomes bhava-mayi (complete absorption in one's cherished goal).
Burijana dasa: What is the difference between practices that are neutral (bhava-avirudha, practices that are neither favorable nor unfavorable for raganuga-bhakti) and nimitta (practices that are supportive and beneficial, but not essential)?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: You should read about this, and then we will discuss.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: Yes, we need to see this typed out. We need to read it, because if we read it again we will be very clear. We need to see the categories.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has explained what I have just related to you, and when you attain siddha-sarira (your spiritual body) you will realize all these truths. In the preliminary stage you cannot have an exact idea.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti concludes this section by saying, "I am explaining these truths to you, and if you have not understood properly, it is my fault that I could not make you understand. May God and the suddha-bhaktas (pure devotees) forgive me for this."
We will complete Raga-vartma-candrika after one more day's discussion.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: I have just one or two practical questions – quick questions. I asked you this once before, but I again want to make sure.
This has happened two times in different places, regarding the small vigraha (Deity) in our temple. Normally the small murti (Deity) should be made from asta-dhatu (eight precious metals) or some brass. But the Deity we installed is made of marble. What if one of the Deities breaks?
When I asked you this before, you said to replace it; but the other one has not yet broken. So the small marble Krsna murti broke, but the Radharani marble one did not break. So, you said "Okay, you can replace the Krsna murti." Then I said, "What about Radharani?" So you said, "She is not broken."
But the problem is that because She is made of marble, we fear that fifty or a hundred years from now it may again happen. So, we are thinking that both should be replaced with brass murtis so that they will always be safe.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: But They have had prana-pratistha (the Vedic installation ceremony). So you should have the Krsna murti replaced with marble stone and again the installation, and then give Them to any disciple or keep Them as a vigraha (Deity in the temple).
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: Give which one?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Radha and Krsna who were there originally.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: And give them to someone?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Yes.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: But it is not so easy to worship Radha and Krsna at home; maybe no one will do that.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: If our father is dead and our mother is alive, should we also leave our mother and tell her, "You should go"?
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: You told me that last time also. You gave the same answer – but I have a question. Because it is in the temple, bhoga is offered five times every day, and so many other things are being offered. So if we give the Deity to someone in their home, must they continue the same worship?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Two times will do, or as the devotee can do.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: So for the temple, both Radha and Krsna can be replaced with brass Deities, and the marble ones can be given to someone who is at home?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Yes, to a home, or to any existing mandira (temple), or to a new mandira.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: Then the same problem may come with breaking; better in the home, I think.
I have one other question: On a piece of property that we have in Vrndavana there is an old drumstick tree.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Kadamba?
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: No, a vegetable (sabji) tree.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Sajana?
Sripad Madhava Maharaja: Sajana.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: It is only giving a few sabjis, and it is a very old tree. If we want to make any building, it is in the way. But it is in Vrndavana, so can it be cut down or not?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Is it alive?
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: It is alive.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Is it old? If they take it from there and plant it in another place, will it not remain alive?
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: No. It has to be cut down.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: You should act according to your idea.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: Oh, I cannot take the responsibility for that decision; therefore I am asking you. This tree is right on the property, and it means the building cannot... and I mean, it is not a Kadamba tree; it is not... People say that the sabji tree is not very useful.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: On the other hand, we see that all things of Vrndavana are cinmaya (transcendental, spiritual). They want to do bhajana, and in fact they are doing bhajana.
It may be cut down only for building a temple.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: But if it is for somebody's residence?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: You should, and they should...
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: Think about it?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Think about it. Don't ask me.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: Actually, this was not my idea. They suggested this to me and I at once thought that we do not have the right to cut down anything growing in Vrndavana. After so many thousands and millions of lives this tree has taken birth here, so we don't have the right. So I wanted to ask you, but they said, "No, this tree is not so useful." I thought, "It is not correct."
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: You should think about it. I will not order that you should cut it or not cut it.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: No, I will not take that responsibility.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Yes, we should not take the responsibility. Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was in the midst of constructing Krsna-kunda (next to Radha-kunda). He was planning to cut down the trees that were standing on the bank of Syama-kunda as he was constructing its shape, but those trees appeared to him in his dream and told him, "Please don't cut us down. We are doing bhajana here" After receiving that dream, he considered, "Krsna is crooked, He is tri-bhanga (bent in three places); He doesn't want to be straight. Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami had constructed Radha-kunda in a square-shape, but decided to leave Krsna-kunda in a 'crooked' shape by retaining the land around those sacred trees; he did not cut them. Now, however, after five-hundred years, we see that some of them are going away by themselves.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: Cutting down?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Not cutting.
Burijana dasa: Leaving.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: Oh, the trees are leaving.
Sripad Dhanurdhara Svami: I have one short question. Do the husbands of the manjaris come from Javat?
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: His question is that Javat is the home of Srimati Radhika's in-laws – Abhimanyu (Radhika's so-called husband), Jatila (Her mother-in-law), etc. When we went there, you told us that the other friends of Radhika reside with Her there. So his question is this: does this mean that their so-called husbands also live in Javat?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: It may be, or may not be. For example Visakha, comes from Kamai, but she has relations in that village.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: In Javat?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: In Javat, and also in the house of...
Sripad Madhava Maharaja: Jatila.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Jatila also. Visakha is related to Jatila and Kutila and so many others. Javat is a big village, and therefore so many relations of the gopis live there. By making any excuse, or by cheating, they tell their husbands, "I am going to see my sister," or "I am going to my..." – any relation – or, "I am going to such and such place." By telling such things, they come and serve Srimati Radhika. Somehow or other they serve Srimati Radhika.
Sripad Dhanurdhara Svami: Somehow they are there.
Sripad Giriraja Svami: You gave the example of the milk. You said that if somebody wants milk, then he will learn that he has to get a cow with a calf and do so many things. But the real purpose is that he wants the milk. In that regard, some years ago I made the resolution that I would do whatever I have to do, whatever is necessary, to get the association of Guru Maharaja (Srila Prabhupada Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja) again. What category does that come in?
In other words, for the last so many years we have been doing so many services. But we are not doing those things because of the injunctions of the scriptures which say that if we don't do them we will go to hell or something like that. We were doing those things with the idea that if we follow, we will get the association of Guru Maharaja again. So, is that comparable to greed in raganuga-bhakti?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: It is in the category of vaidhi-bhakti, because he was expressing everything to you according to the orders of sastra (the Vedic scriptures). He was not instructing you in the matter of developing greed, because he didn't want to tell these superlative subjects to ordinary persons. He was preaching to create faith in the principles of vaidhi-bhakti. This is called pracara (preaching and giving instructions according to sastra). Raganuga-bhakti cannot be preached; it is vyakti-gata, meaning...
Sripad Madhava Maharaja: Individual.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: His question was a little different.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: "Is to obey and have the association of your Gurudeva raganuga or vaidhi?" Is this your question?
Sripad Giriraja Svami: Not exactly.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Then what is it?
Sripad Giriraja Svami: If someone follows the injunctions of the sastra, and is convinced on the basis of the sastra, that is vaidhi-bhakti. But if somebody has greed to obtain some object...
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: What object?
Sripad Giriraja Svami: Well, that person wants to have love for Krsna in the mood of one of His associates.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: There are only three kinds of moods for which one may have greed in raganuga-bhakti [sakhya-rasa (the mood of Krsna's cowherd friend), vatsalya-rasa (the mood of Krsna's parent), and madhurya-rasa (the mood of Krsna's beloved, more specifically the service of Srimati Radhika)]. Any other greed will not be accepted as raganuga.
Sripad Giriraja Svami: I will give another example to explain the question. In the beginning, one has asakti (attachment) for sravanam, kirtanam, and smaranam. Then later, that asakti becomes transferred to Krsna and His eternal associates; but both are asakti. So in the beginning we have the desire to have the association of our Guru Maharaja, but we are thinking of him as we knew him here in this world. Now it seems that the same desire can be transformed when the idea of Guru Maharaja's identity becomes more clear – his eternal identity in Krsna's service.
Burijana dasa: He is asking this: if we are thinking of Guru Maharaja as a manjari for instance, and we desire...
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: How will he understand when he is doing nothing and knows nothing about all the facts regarding the performance of raganuga-bhakti. It will not be raganuga.
Sripad Dhanurdhara Svami: What if one has greed to have darsana of his guru again? Is that the question?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: If one has truly received diksa, and he has had sufficient connection with his Gurudeva in his past lives and in this life, and he has sufficient samskaras (past impressions on the heart), then it may be said that he has greed. But we must consider whether or not that greed is genuine.
If you are serving and hearing from your Gurudeva and doing vaidhi-bhakti, then, after that, by your Gurudeva's or any rasika Vaisnava's association you may gradually come to raganuga-bhakti. However, if we see someone who, without any help, without taking proper diksa, has that greed – like...
Burijana dasa: Raya Ramananda.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Well, Raya Ramananda is Visakha devi.
Sripad Giriraja Svami: Haridas Thakura.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Srila Haridas Thakura or, more so, Bilvamangala; then we should know it is real greed and that devotee is raganuga. By one's actions and thinking we will know whether or not a person is raganuga. We should know that one's bhakti will be vaidhi at first, and after that, by hearing from Gurudeva or a rasika Vaisnava, greed can come.
Sripad Dhanurdhara Svami: But Giriraja Maharaja's greed is not out of fear of the sastras. He has so much love for Prabhupada that he will do anything to get his darsana again. He will manage; he will go to any place in the world; he will do sravanam, kirtanam. He will go to all our programs. So he is asking, "What is that greed?"
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: That sort of greed is in vaidhi-bhakti. And, by guru's mercy, if guru creates that greed, then it will become raganuga.
Sripad Dhanurdhara Svami: But that greed is out of love; it is not because "I am fearful because the sastra says," it is out of...
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: If you truly know that your Gurudeva is Vinoda Manjari, or any manjari, and if you have genuine greed to serve him in that form, then it will be raganuga, or, more specifically, rupanuga. On the other hand, if you have greed to serve him with knowledge only of the form you have seen, his form as a sadhaka, it is not raganuga; it is vaidhi-sadhana. Is this clear?
Sripad Dhanurdhara Svami: It is very clear. Perfect.
Burijana dasa: You did answer it before, though.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: You should know all these truths; but you don't have that book, Raga-vartma-candrika, so I am explaining it to you in brief.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: But your instruction to do japa while meditating on Krsna's pastimes was so effective; it is so much effective.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: You are so lucky that in a short time you know the effect and have realized it.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: It is due to coming in your association.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: So, now we have discussed abhista-bhava-mayi, abhista-bhava-sambandhi, abhista-bhava-anukula, abhista-bhava aviruddha, and abhista-bhava-viruddha.
Absorption in dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhurya are called abhista-bhava-mayi (saturated with one's cherished mood). Hearing about, glorifying and performing other limbs of bhajana in these moods nourish the sadhaka's creeper of prema. Thus, these activities are called bhava-mayi-sadhana. Upon the manifestation of prema, such sravana, kirtana, and so on is called bhava-mayi-sadhya. Hence, these practices of bhajana are both the means and the goal.
The practices of bhajana, beginning with taking shelter of Sri Guru and including mantra-japa, meditation, and so on, are upadana-karana, the ingredient, or material, cause for attaining the goal of prema, and are called bhava-sambandhi (related to one's desired feeling or mood). Sastra enjoins a perpetual duty in the phrase "Japen nityam ananya-dhih – one must do japa every day with one-pointed attention."
Ganoddesa Dipika states that it is one's duty to chant the krsna-nama maha-mantra which is associated with one's desired relationship with Krsna. The japa or kirtana of sri krsna-nama that specifically alludes to those whom one follows in siddha-rupa should be understood to be bhava-sambandhi, because it is upadana-karana, the ingredient cause of bhava....continuous engagement in bhava-sambandhi sadhana is obligatory...
Raganuga-sadhakas are advised not to practice ahan-grahopasana (considering oneself as non-different from the object of worship), nyasa (various elaborate practices for chanting mantras and doing arcana), meditation on the moods of Dvaraka, and worship of Rukmini and other queens, even though these are included in the limb of arcana and are mentioned in Tantra sastra.
We have discussed all these topics. Do you remember them?
Sripad Giriraja Svami: I remember that we discussed them.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Now we are beginning the Second Illumination of Raga-vartma-candrika. Here, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura is expressing a concern: One may think that "Krsna is always engaged in vilasa (amorous pastimes) with the gopis, performing rasa-lila with them and sporting with them. He has forgotten everything else – His house and His duties. He is not aware of whether or not any danger or any enemy is approaching. He knows no fear and has no 'chinta's..."
Burijana dasa: No anxiety.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: No thoughts about this?
Burijana dasa: No worries.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Yes. "He has no worries. He doesn't know at that time what is victory or defeat. He is simply engaged in relishing His loving pastimes in the association of the gopis. He is always engaged in trying to please the gopis, and the gopis are always thinking, 'How can we make Krsna happy?'"
He remains completely unaware of anything else – any kind of loss, lamentation, household duties, calamity, fear, anxiety, defeat at the hands of His enemies, or anyone else.
So one may ask, "When Krsna has forgotten everything, who will hear the prayers of His raganuga-bhaktas? Who will give them consolation and blessings? Who will fulfill their objectives?"
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says that some persons propose that Paramatma, the partial expansion of Krsna (as the Supersoul in the hearts of all living entities), will hear the raganuga-bhakta's prayers, because He comes in the form of witness in the heart of every jiva soul.
But Srila Cakravarti Thakura says that no raganuga-bhaktas will be satisfied with Paramatma, because Paramatma is unaware of the raganuga-bhakta's mood. Paramatma is not sufficient for them.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: Why is Paramatma not sufficient?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: He is not rasika. He is only the witness of the jiva's activities, and He gives the fruits of the jiva's karma. He is bound in His duty. The raganuga-bhaktas will not be satisfied even by Narayana. They will not be satisfied even by Ramacandra and Dvarakadhisa, what to speak of Their partial expansions?
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says that Sri Krsna – Vrajendra-nandana-Syamasundara, Gopikanta – will hear. But how? He is engaged in the enchantment of the gopis' love and has forgotten everything else, so how will He hear? The answer is that there are two special qualities in Krsna; sarvajnata and mugdhata.
Sripad Madhava Maharaja: Charmed.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: Mugdhata.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Mugdha means that by the power of Sri Krsna's prema, He is like an innocent and ignorant child.
For example when Krsna was in Dvaraka, He called Uddhava and told him that there were two very important works to be done. One would be to kill Jarasandha, and the other would be to accept the Pandavas' invitation to come and join the rajasuya-yajna. Krsna told Uddhava, "Both are equally important. What should I do?"
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says that if Krsna were only sarvajna, omniscient, knowing everything past, future, and present, why did He seek Uddhava's advice? We can say that maybe Krsna was pretending to be ignorant, but from the subject it is seen that He was not pretending.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: It was too grave. The subject was too serious.
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Uddhava replied, "You called me over and, just like an ordinary, simple-minded person, You asked me, 'O Uddhava, what is My duty in this situation?' Although You are full of unlimited, eternal knowledge that is undivided and unimpeded by time and space, still You questioned me, just as an innocent person approaches someone wise for advice about some weighty matter.
In order to render service, Uddhava continued, "My dear Lord, first of all I think that You should immediately go there to help the King in this great venture. At the same time, it is Your duty to give protection to the surrendered souls. Both purposes can be served if we understand the whole situation. Unless one is victorious over all kings, one cannot perform this Rajasuya sacrifice. In other words, King Yudhisthira cannot perform this great sacrifice without gaining victory over the King Jarasandha. We must first kill Jarasandha, and then all our purposes will automatically be served."
Appreciating Uddhava's solution, Krsna replied, "Uddhava, you are certainly very intelligent. I will do as you advise."
We see that sarvajnata and mugdhata co-exist in each and every one of Bhagavan's pastimes. Therefore, we must accept this as being accomplished by His inconceivable potency.
Another example: Kunti prayed to Krsna, "I remember the pastime when Yasoda was going to bind Your waist. You were crying bitterly, and that crying was not imitation. So I am astonished. Fear personified fears You, yet You were afraid of the stick in the hands of Yasoda."
This is called mugdhata, knowing nothing – like a very innocent child knows nothing. This mugdhata occurs by the influence of Yogamaya.
If a person is overpowered by the illusory material maya of Krsna, he feels happiness and suffering for many births under that illusory energy. His happiness and sufferings are all the work of maya, meaning 'forgetfulness of Krsna.' Are Krsna's mugdhata and sarva-jnata the fruits of this maya? No. Krsna is not under the influence of Brahma-maya, or even Balarama's maya. Rather, His illusion is the result of His prema, His bhakta-vatsalya (His desire to please His devotees). He loves His devotees so much that in their association He knows nothing; that is, He forgets everything else.
Someone may propose: "One should understand that sarvajnata (omniscience) here indicates an abundance of maha-aisvarya (great opulence) devoid of madhurya (sweetness), while madhurya is simply the mugdhata (bewilderment) that results from completely setting aside aisvarya and imitating nara-lila, human-like behavior," but only dull-headed people will speak like this.
Therefore, the conclusion regarding madhurya and related topics is that whether maha-aisvarya is exhibited or not, if the mood of human-like pastimes is not transgressed even slightly, then it is called madhurya. For example, when Sri Krsna killed the demoness Putana, He enacted the pastime of sucking her breast, behaving just like an ordinary human child. While breaking the terrifying and hard-hearted cart demon (Sakatasura) with His extremely tender lotus feet, Sri Krsna maintained His human-like behavior as a small baby of only three months, lying flat on His back...
Moreover, even though aisvarya is present when Krsna is seen performing the pastimes of stealing milk and yogurt and acting with transcendental amorous affection towards the gopa-ramanis (the enchanting young cowherd maidens), that aisvarya is not apparent. If mugdhata were to be called madhurya simply because without displaying any aisvarya, it corresponds to human activities, then the mugdhata shown by a restless and playful mundane child would also have to be called madhurya. Therefore, it is completely wrong to explain madhurya in this way.
Sripad Tamal Krsna Gosvami: It's not by Yogamaya? It's by prema?
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Yes, prema; and that prema is Yogamaya. Yogamaya is nothing other than the personification of Krsna's prema. There are so many functions of prema, such as Yogamaya, atmamaya (internal potency), Srimati Radhika, and hladini-sakti (internal pleasure potency). All these are specific manifestations of prema.
Due to prema, Krsna becomes sarvajna and mugdha at the same time. Thus, when He is engaged with the gopis in rasa-lila and other loving pastimes, if any raganuga-bhakta in this world worships Him and the gopis and prays to them, then, even though Krsna is mugdha in rasa-lila, He is sarvajna and will fulfill the desire of that raganuga-bhakta. For him, He hears everything.
[To be continued...]
[* Endnote 1, from Jaiva-dharma
Vijaya: Why do the dhatri, myrobalan tree, and the pipal tree, etc., have a special worshipable status, as stated in the tenth limb of the sixty-four limbs of bhakti?
Raghunatha dasa Babaji: "The Skanda Purana states:
pujitah pranata-dhyatah ksapayanti nrnam agham
"All of one's sins are absolved, if one worships, offers obeisances to, and meditates upon the sacred pipal, banyan, tulasi, and dhatri trees, and the cow, brahmanas, and Vaisnavas."
As a part of maintaining household life within the varnasrama social system, the vaidhi-bhakti devotee must worship, respect, and meditate upon the banyan, pipal and other shade-giving trees; the dhatri (myrobalan) and other fruit-bearing trees; tulasi and other plants inspiring devotion; the cow and other universally beneficial animals; the brahmanas, who teach religion and maintain religious principles; and the Vaisnavas, the devotees of the Lord who purify the whole world.]
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People trained to experience an overlap in senses also receive IQ boost
Tasting lemons when they see a number seven, regarding a certain letter as being yellow in color. Not a great deal is known about why some people experience an overlapping of the senses, a phenomena known as synesthesia. But a new study conducted at the University of Sussex has suggested that specific training of the mind can induce the effects of the condition. The study even suggests that such training can boost a person's IQ.
It is believed that around one in 23 people experience synesthesia. One of the big question marks surrounding the neurological condition is whether it is a result of our genes, or induced through behavior, such as the use of those colored magnetic letters found on fridges around the globe.
Psychologists at the University of Sussex's Sackler Center for Consciousness Science subjected a group of 14 adults to a nine week program designed to incite traits of synesthesia. They found that by the project's end, the participants had strong enough letter-to-color associations to pass standard testing for synesthesia. The majority also reported the letters themselves seeming "colored" and possessing certain personalities, such as "x" being boring and "w" being calm, for example.
Even more remarkably, the participants also experienced a boost in IQ by an average of 12 points, compared to a control group that wasn't subjected to the training.
"The cognitive boost, although provisional, may eventually lead to clinical cognitive training tools to support mental function in vulnerable groups, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity (ADHD) children, or adults starting to suffer from dementia,” says Dr Daniel Bor, one of the study's co-authors.
Though the findings suggest that synesthesia can be developed through behavior or training, the scientists say the two aren't mutually exclusive and this doesn't rule out the possibility that the condition has a genetic component.
“It should be emphasized that we are not claiming to have trained non-synesthetes to become genuine synesthetes," says Dr Nicolas Rothen, the study's other co-author. "When we retested our participants three months after training, they had largely lost the experience of seeing colors when thinking about the letters. But it does show that synesthesia is likely to have a major developmental component, starting for many people in childhood.”
The research was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Source: University of Sussex
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Optimally prepared for the DSH exam with Dr. Juno
You would like to study abroad at a German university and have already received an offer? You would like to learn German but are still looking for suitable DSH courses near the TU Dortmund? Dr. Juno supports you on your way to prepare you comprehensively for the DSH exam at a renowned language school in Dortmund. Our German courses are your ticket for studying abroad successfully in Germany.
Targeted contents relevant to the exam, valuable knowledge from former DSH examiners – the instructors at the language school Dr. Juno will teach you everything you need to know to successfully pass the exam. We make you completely fit for the exam by exercising all parts of the exam. Based on the sample exams, all the exam contents will be discussed, analyzed as well as trained.
What is the DSH exam?
The German Language Test for University Admission (Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang), also known as DSH, is aimed at the university applicants from foreign countries. Many universities require the German of their applicants who plan to study in Germany at B2 or C1 level. Thus, , the DSH exam is the entrance ticket for their studies in Germany.
This does not apply to the prospective students who can prove their proficient German competence with a graduation certificate or a language diploma, for example the diploma of German major in their home country, which ensures that they can both understand the essential content and converse effortlessly with lecturers and fellow students in their studies.
Listening to important content and expressing your own opinions about academic topics are the skills your need to handle for studying in Germany. Therefore, these skills are also part of the DSH examination.
How is the exam structured?
The exam consists of a written exam and an oral exam, aimed to evaluate whether you have sufficient German knowledge to support your study in Germany. However, you do not need specific expertise to take the DSH.
The written examination lasts four to six hours on average, including listening, reading and writing in accordance with a graph.
The oral exam usually lasts about 20 minutes and consists of an interview. The time for preparation is 15-20 minutes. The thematic focus here is to judge whether the examinees can deal with scientific topics and comment on them with oral German. The form of the oral exam (individual interviews or with 2-3 participants) depends on respective universities.
Frequently asked questions
Dr. Juno makes you prepare for the exam in a comprehensive way through the DSH intensive course at the level C1. We will simulate the exam room and train you with the DSH sample exams. Therefore, you will be exercised under the simulation of the exam, in this way, you will be mentally-prepared for the exam.
Our lecturers know what they should tell you: Many of them worked as DSH examiners for years and now delivery their knowledge and experience to university applicants during the process of the preparation for DSH in Dortmund.
The exam is held at the respective universities in Germany. If you plan to study at the TU Dortmund, the DSH will also be held in Dortmund.
The cost of the exam is determined by the respective universities and varies. It is better for you to inquire about the examination fee at your desired university.
DSH Preparation Course
VAT exempt according to §4 No.21a bb) UStG
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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Some 46,000 Iraqi refugees returned to their war-torn country last month, a sign of hope that the massive population flight since the 2003 U.S. invasion could be reversed, an Iraqi commander said Wednesday.
Iraqi refugees line up at the Iraq-Syria border in September.
Brig. Gen. Qassim Atta said he attributed the return to an improved security situation in Baghdad, where a crackdown has been in place since February.
"We are simply living in a better and obvious security situation," he said, citing the return of families to several Baghdad neighborhoods.
About 10,000 internally displaced families have gone back to their homes in the Iraqi capital, said Sattar Nawruz, spokesman for Iraq's Ministry of Displacement and Migration, also pointing to better security.
The Iraqi officials' assessments contrast with gloomy findings from the U.N. refugee agency and Iraqi Red Crescent Organization documenting an increase in displaced populations in recent months. The latter counted nearly 2.3 million internally displaced people in Iraq during September, a figure that has grown steadily this year.
In addition to the thousands of internally displaced people, more than 2.2 million Iraqis have fled to neighboring countries, mostly to Syria and Jordan, the U.N. refugee agency said. Those countries' social service agencies have been stretched by the presence of the refugees, and they have adopted tougher rules on the refugee flow.
Nawruz, who cited statistics that don't include the Kurdish region, said the number of Iraqi families internally displaced since February 2006 stands at 140,000, which amounts to at least 700,000 people since Iraqi families often average five to six people.
He said "accurate data" indicates that forcible displacement in Baghdad has stopped in the past three months and ministry data indicates that 10,000 families have returned to their homes in the city since the start of the security plan in February.
A U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees official said the agency is checking the ministry's figures.
Nawruz said Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered a grant of 1 million Iraqi dinars, about $700, to families returning to their homes. He said 3,231 families have received the money and more than 6,000 have applied for the funds.
The ministry on Tuesday started paying displaced families $120 per month for six months.
Nawruz attributes the differences in numbers between the Iraqi Red Crescent Organization and his ministry to dissimilar methods of data collection.
Iraqi Red Crescent President Said Ismail Hakki agreed the organizations' methods of data collection are different but stood by his group's figures.
In a report issued Sunday, Hakki's organization said that nearly 2.3 million people had been displaced by the end of September, a sharp increase from the August figure of 1.93 million and part of a steady rise this year.
"Children less than 12 years [old] comprised more than 65 percent of the total number. The majority of the displaced people [63.6 percent] were in Baghdad governorate," the report said.
The percentage of displaced people who are children has risen from 51.3 percent in August, the Iraqi Red Crescent Organization said.
Hakki attributed the increase to a "lack of services, lack of jobs and despair among the Iraqi people of the whole overall what's happening in Iraq." He said the displacement problem has persisted over the years but spiked with the February 2006 bombing of Al-Askariya Mosque in Samarra.
Baghdad and the Kurdish region were among the worst-hit areas, Hakki said, citing the deterioration of families and suffering of children, whose mothers have abandoned them in some cases "because they're becoming a liability."
He said he believes the "security situation in Iraq is improving at a very good speed" but adds that the lack of social services and jobs are factors in the displacement of people.
He said the increase in the number of displaced children presents new challenges for his organization, including problems of education and the trafficking of girls and boys alike.
"It's a social-economic problem. People are in despair now," Hakki said, adding that he hopes the Iraqi government will make improvements in jobs and social services to reverse the instability. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Jomana Karadsheh, Jennifer Deaton and Saad Abedine contributed to this report.
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One ot the most beautiful parts of winter — foodwise — is the stunning citrus.
The aroma is such that even walking through the produce aisle is practically a transcendent experience. But not as a much as cutting into a rosy-hued grapefruit or a sunset-colored Cara Cara orange. To me, though, the queen of all citrus is the blood orange. Available perhaps three months a year, its ruby sections are something I anticipate with almost as much enthusiasm as my first vine ripened tomato.
I like to make the Serious Eats recipe for fresh tomato sauce and freeze it. Few things are more satisfying as a cook and gardener than to take a bite of that sauce and be transported to a hot morning in my summer garden picking tomatoes. Similarly, I thought it would be lovely to have a bit of blood orange to savor all year long. Marmalade seemed the way to go. Taking on that project was also a great thing to do with Carol O'Meara, a friend, and the Camera's gardening columnist. About once a month, we get together to make something we haven't made before. This activity usually includes some wine consumption, or in this case, a midafternoon Grand Marnier toast, since we were using it in the marmalade.
I wanted to try a traditional Sicilian recipe from a Food 52 recipe that called for piercing the oranges and soaking them in water for four days. However, I didn't quite get things together to acquire the oranges in time, so we went with a recipe from foodinjars.com, with a couple of our own twists added. A note of caution here: In general, you do not want to tamper with a recipe for a home-canned product, because you can end up with something dangerous. However, the biggest danger is botulism, which grows in low acid foods in an anerobic environment. The amount of citrus, even with the rinds, provided enough acidity to keep the food safe.
When I arrived at Carol's house, she had a line planned: "I knew you'd come with blood orange on your hands," she said.
Funny, no one had ever said that to me before.
We got down to business as the smell of oranges and boiling sugar filled the house.
The previous night, I had sliced all 6 pounds of blood oranges and soaked them with the pith and seeds. The pith and the peels are supposed to include enough pectin to make the marmalade jell. We couldn't get our large batch to come up to the 220 degrees called for in the recipe. Score 1, altitude. But the addition of pectin solved this problem, and the processing with the water bath canner would make the marmalade safe to eat after being processed.
Our additions to the recipe were to add a bit of salt, which brightened the flavor and to add some Grand Marnier, which brought a jolt of concentrated orange to the proceedings.
Twenty-seven half-pints later — I've scaled the recipe down for a yield of nine — we drank our toast. We won't be lacking a spread for biscuits or scones.
Our big hope, though, is that on a sweaty day in summer, a taste of blood orange will transport us to a sunny, snow-covered day in February with a blue, blue sky.
Blood Orange Marmalade
2 pounds blood oranges
5 cups sugar
6 cups water
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
1/4 heaping teaspoon salt
1 envelope pectin
Directions: Wash oranges well with soapy water and rinse very well to remove any soap residue. Slice oranges in half from from pole to pole. Remove seeds and white pith and place in cheesecloth. Tie up cheesecloth with pith and seeds inside.
Slice orange halves thinly, then slice the half slices in half again to make quarters.
Place oranges and any accumulated juices in a non-reactive bowl or pan. Put cheesecloth bag in the middle and add water. (I used the filtered water from my fridge) Cover with plastic wrap or lid and refrigerate overnight.
Discard bag of pith and place oranges and liquid in a stainless steel pan large enough to accommodate orange mixture boiling at a vigorous clip. (Do not use an aluminum pan; it will react with the acid in the oranges.)
Sterilize canning jars, rings and canning funnel in the dishwasher. Wash off lids. Note that newer lids should not be boiled as they were previously; the lids will not seal if you heat them.
Bring orange mixture up to a boil and have a candy thermometer ready.
Meanwhile, fill water bath canner so that water will cover jars and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and keep hot, so it can be brought to a boil quickly.
Continue boiling oranges until mixture reaches 220 degrees and reduces by roughly half. It will take longer than you think. If mixture does not reach temperature — which can happen at altitude — and/or does not thicken (jell) sufficiently, add pectin. Just as it begins to jell, add Grand Marnier and salt.
Bring water in canner back to a full, rolling boil.
Remove jars from dishwasher. Ladle jelly into hot jars, wipe rims with a clean towel and place lids on top. Screw on rings. When jars are filled, submerse in canner and process 15 minutes. (This time is adjusted for 5,000 feet of altitude. If you live at higher elevation, add 1 minute in processing time per 1,000 feet of altitude.)
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You are here
As Japan eyes nuclear restarts, renewables get shut out of grid
[Tokyo] Japan's biggest utilities are blocking most new solar and other renewable energy from transmission grids, stirring concern among green power advocates that Japan favours restarting idled nuclear plants at the expense of other fossil-free supply.
Seven out of Japan's 10 regional power monopolies have blocked further grid access for renewables, saying new supplies would strain distribution systems, and that solar and wind energy are not reliable enough for uninterrupted power flows.
The action compounds concerns about the prospects for renewables since it also comes as Japan's Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (METI) has cut incentives for solar projects, despite Tokyo's pledge to maximise green power to curb fossil fuel imports after the Fukushima crisis shut the nuclear sector.
METI has formed a working group that is meeting for the first time this week to investigate the action by utilities, but the ministry has not escaped criticism from renewables advocates. "A combination of METI and the nuclear lobby is trying to kill the solar power industry," said Seth Sulkin, President and CEO of Pacifica Capital KK, a Tokyo-based solar power and commercial real estate developer.
The ministry denies this, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a policy speech last month said Japan's goal was still to use renewable energy sources to the "greatest extent possible".
Oil, coal and gas imports have cost Japanese utilities an extra US$28 billion a year since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that set off the world's worst nuclear disaster in 25 years, eventually prompting the shutdown of all of Japan's reactors.
Japan in 2012 proposed increased reliance on renewables as a way to cut the added costs, but while some reactors are likely to come back onstream next year, new renewable projects are getting shut out.
Tokyo Electric Power Co and Kansai Electric Power Co, Japan's two biggest regional utilities, said they had cut access to those power sources on parts of their grids due to a lack of capacity.
Other utilities, including Kyushu Electric Power Co , have stopped accepting new supplies, except for household solar. "If the entire renewables amount already applied for was connected it would cause power production to surpass what our customers use," said Yuka Otsubo, a spokeswoman for Kyushu Electric, which also said it was concerned that fluctuating solar supplies could cause blackouts.
A METI renewables official said the working group looking at the barring of renewables from power grids needed to promptly check and confirm what the electricity firms were saying.
Industry sources say Japan's grid could handle renewable input of up to 10 per cent, although utilities have not said publicly how much they can take.
In 2012, Japan introduced a feed-in-tariff (FIT) scheme requiring utilities to purchase all electricity generated from renewables at guaranteed rates for set periods.
The rates promised were among the highest in the world for renewables, and this led to a rush of proposals. By April 30 this year, the government had approved 71 gigawatts of capacity under the scheme, according to METI's latest data, more than 95 per cent from solar projects.
Only about 14 per cent of the approvals have been connected to utility grids, but that has been enough to raise renewable supplies - excluding hydroelectric - to almost 3 per cent of power output from 1 per cent before the Fukushima disaster.
But the high number of solar projects has alarmed the government about the extra cost to power bills, especially in rural areas that are support bases for the ruling party, according to a source who was briefed on the matter by an aide to Prime Minister Abe this month.
Solar power can cost up to 38 yen (US$0.36) per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to produce, more than three times the cost of nuclear power at about 9 yen per kWh, according to a METI study in 2011.
If all the proposed renewables projects were hooked up, about US$25 billion a year would be added to power bills, according to one estimate.
Despite this, public opposition to nuclear restarts and support for renewable tariffs remain high, according to opinion polls.
METI has cut the guaranteed fees for solar supplies each year since green power incentives were introduced in 2012 and this month moved to tighten rules on guaranteed payments for larger solar projects, according to local media.
The FIT scheme faces a three-year review starting this month, and some people in the industry are expecting further moves by METI to curtail solar power, even possibly abolishing the guaranteed feed-in rates for sun-powered projects. "The operation of nuclear power is fine, but as a result I worry that renewable energy will be restricted," Kenji Araki, an executive at solar developer West Holdings, said in an email. REUTERS
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Pilot studies show that low cost sensors fitted with regulatory grade monitors worked more efficiently than expected
Amidst the increasing impact of pollution in the country, there is a great need to expand the necessary network to monitor its levels across India. For this there is a big hurdle in the form of huge investment. In such a situation, low cost indigenous sensing devices (sensors) raise a new hope.
The results of a seven-month pilot study conducted by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K) and Bloomberg Philantrophies suggest that low-cost sensors developed by local startups The devices (sensors) worked 85-90 percent efficiency compared to regulatory grade monitoring equipment. These findings are very encouraging as well as lay new ground for envisaging a wider network of Pollution Monitoring Centers in future. Four different startups developed 40 affordable sensors for this study. The results of the study showed that the sensors developed by the three startups had deviations (error thar) from uncalibrated values (in terms of actual parameters as measured by Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations ‘CAAQMS’) by 25 per cent. After calibration, this error reduced to less than 15 percent in three types of sensors, while this error was 20 percent in the fourth type of sensor. The study was conducted between November 2020 and May 2021. For this, 40 low cost monitoring sensors were installed along with 15 CAQMS of MPCB currently installed. Of these, 10 sensors were installed in Mumbai and one each in Navi Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Vasai-Virar, Zion, Borivali, Airport, Powai and Dombivli. The sensors, developed by startups Respiror Living Sciences, Airveda Technologies, Personal Air Quality Systems (PQS) and Oizom Instruments, were fitted with MPCB’s regulatory grade air quality BAM (SONA Attenuation Monitoring). These low-cost indigenous air quality monitoring sensors can generate one minute data on PM2.5 (particulate matter with a size of less than 2.5 microns) and PM10 (particulate matter with a size of less than 10 microns). These solar powered sensors are equipped with the feature of real time communication for data transmission. The findings of this study were presented in a webinar held on Friday. Representatives of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ministry of Urban Development, Central and State Pollution Control Boards, technical experts, media and members of civil society also participated in this webinar. The purpose of organizing this webinar is to deliberate on the measures to be implemented under the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) plan for expansion of Air Quality Monitoring Centers in the country. Dr. SN, Head of the Department of Civil Engineering at IIT-K and National Coordinator of the National Knowledge Network of the National Clean Air Programme. Tripathi said, “The future of air quality monitoring lies in a hybrid approach combining regulatory grade monitors and sensors to provide highly localized data at high temporal frequency. It is clear from the results of the Mumbai sensor experiment that indigenous sensor technology is ready to be deployed on a large scale for air quality monitoring in the country. Referring to the technical assessment of the low-cost sensor-based pollution monitoring network in Maharashtra, he said that a large amount of data was collected during this period. During this, the sensor worked well even in difficult times like lockdown without any special human support. During this time the error percentage in the sensor data of the two startups fell below 15 and the sensors showed a strong correlation with the CAQMS after calibration. Sudhir Srivastava, President, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board said that we have many challenges related to the environment, in which air pollution is the most prominent. Each of us breathes 11000 liters of oxygen every day. We can buy water bottles but we cannot imagine buying an oxygen bottle. He said that when it comes to air pollution, the biggest problem is how to measure the problem. CPCB has started National Air Monitoring Programme. We have about 100 stations established in Maharashtra. If we talk about monitoring air quality in a more meaningful way from a local perspective, then we have to increase the network of air quality monitoring on a very large scale. Very dense monitoring network will be needed. To solve the financial constraints in this, we will need low cost sensors. For this, we have to install sensors that give cheap and almost accurate results. I am glad that even small startups have started working towards solving the problem of air pollution by providing low cost sensors. Entrepreneurs trying to capture data through cost-effective sensors can have great data. I am glad that this report has brought out these findings and has given new hope for the intensification of Air Quality Monitoring Centres. Dr VM Motghare, Joint Director, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board said that Maharashtra has the maximum number of 18 non-maintenance cities. These cost-effective sensors made by startups for monitoring required under the National Clean Air Program will prove to be very helpful in hotspot technology. One drawback is that these sensors cannot function as a single unit without a traditional monitoring center. Clearly need to be considered. This pilot study conducted in Maharashtra also reflects the increased uptime that the monitoring system can get through the sensors. The low-cost sensors developed by all the four startups had an uptime of over 95%. Month-to-month differences have been found in averages calculated by a sensor-based network installed to measure PM 2.5 concentration at each location in the Mumbai metropolitan area. For example, in Vile Parle it was 80 ug/m3 in November which decreased to 26 ug/m3 in May. Some coastal places like Colaba also recorded high pollution levels in the winter months of December with PM2.5 concentration of 56 ug/m3. Kalyan had the highest monthly average of 124 ug/m3 in the month of January.
The results of this study have opened the doors of possibilities for further expansion of the air quality monitoring network in the country at a low cost. While the cost of regulatory category monitors is Rs 20 lakhs, the cost of small sensors made by startups is around Rs 60 thousand. According to an estimate, 4,000 continuous monitoring stations are needed to monitor PM2.5 pollution spatially, temporally and statistically in urban and rural areas of India. Presently there are 286 Continuous Regulatory Grade Monitors and 818 Manual Monitoring Stations located in the country. Priya Shankar, Director (India) of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Climate and Environment Program, said, “Air pollution is affecting public health, economic productivity and the environment. Measuring and understanding the levels of air pollution is essential to improve and better manage air quality. The effectiveness of the new and unique sensor technology used in this first of its kind pilot experiment in India is encouraging. These have enormous potential, and when combined with traditional methods, they provide much better data to help us tackle air pollution.” He said that according to the statistics of the World Health Organization, 90% of the world’s people are forced to breathe poisonous air. The emphasis is on increasing the number of monitors under the NCAP program in India. These cost-effective sensors are still in their early stages, but they can provide better data about pollution levels at a lower cost. Smaller sensors have full potential to complement regulated centres. The webinar was moderated by Aarti Khosla, Director, Climate Trends. The webinar included Eliot Treharne, Joint Assistant Director, Energy and Environment, Greater London Authority, Kunal Kumar, Director of the Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Ronak Sutaria of Respirer Living Science, Namita Gupta of Airveda Technology, A. Vaidyanathan and Ayyan Karmakar of Oizom Instruments also participated.
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Many steps are necessary to manufacture a product. If you take the time to develop prototypes and assure that the individual parts fit together properly, you can start a production run to make hundreds or even thousands of units as needed.
Create blueprints. You will need them to manufacture parts in a CNC machine or create molds for plastic pieces. You can use a 3D CAM program. CAM, which stands for computer-aided manufacturing, will help you make accurate prints for machinists and engineers to make metal and plastic parts.
Manufacture a prototype of each part needed for your product. Although this can be costly, it is important to see, touch and use your product before manufacturing multiple units for sale. Many revisions are made after a prototype is finished, so this step is one of the most important in the manufacturing process.
Make revisions in your CAM program after living with the prototype for some time. Analyze the prototype for any flaws or design changes that can improve the product and note any faults in the changes. Date and sign off on them as they occur.
Take pictures of the final prototype for operators and machinists as well as plastic injection technicians so they know what each piece and the final product should look like. They'll need to know what the final versions of individual parts look like so that they can compare the parts coming out of their CNC or plastic injection molding machine for accuracy.
Have a supervisor inspect pieces coming off the line during production. Operators often do not have the correct information or knowledge to know if a part is correct, so make sure a manager checks each station periodically. Often, machinists can use measuring tools like calipers and gauges to make sure the final dimensions are correct. They can alter tool offsets or change programming to compensate for discrepancies.
Assemble the various finished parts to create the product. Make sure the assembly crew knows how to put all the parts together. Package the product as soon as possible to ensure it is fresh, clean and ready for sale.
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TI-36 X Pro Calculator is nominated as one of the most ideal calculators that can be used where graphing calculators are not permitted. The MultiViewTM display on the calculator makes it easier for the user to view multiple calculations on the screen, simultaneously. Another spectacular feature of MathViewTM is capable of displaying multiple forms of mathematic expressions, stacked fractions, and symbols in a similar fashion as they appear in notebooks. TI-36 X Pro Calculators have been recognized to be ideal for their use during high school till college, in courses such as Geometry, Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus, Statistics, etc. There are functions that are capable of converting decimals, fractions, and other terms inclusive of Pi, into an alternation interpretation/representation. There is also an option for users to use functions of radians, degrees, fix, and floating number format modes.
The features of the calculator are divided into different features, with their respective functionality for each keystroke. The keyboard functions for the TI-36 X Pro Calculator are expressed as follows,
Switching On and Off
- The ON key turns the calculator on.
- The combination of the 2ND and OFF keys pressed simultaneously turns the calculator off.
- The off function only turns the display off but does not affect history, settings, and memory.
- Automatic Power Down (APDTM) turns the calculator off after 5 minutes, in case of no activity.
- Turning the calculator back on by pressing the ON key after the APD function will turn the calculator back on while retaining the settings, memory, and pending operation.
Brightness and Contrast Settings
The adjustments for brightness and contrast are dependent on the brightness in the room, the angle from which it is currently being viewed, and the amount of battery in the calculator. To adjust these settings, the following keys can be used
Holding down and releasing the 2ND key will bring up the settings for contrast.
Holding down the “+” key will darken the current display while holding down the “–“key will lighten the screen up.
Display – Home Screen
The display screen dimensions add up to 83.3 mm wide, 171.5 mm long and 15 mm in height.
The home screen display enables the user to enter functions and mathematical expressions, in addition to the instructions.
The answers to equations are displayed on the home screen.
The TI-36 X Pro is capable of displaying a total of four lines, and a total of 16 characters on the screen. For entries that exceed the normal limit of 16 characters, the user can press the “<” and “>” keys to navigate through the screen.
The MathPrintTM mode is capable of letting the user enter a total of four levels of functions, nested together along with various expressions. These expressions are inclusive of square roots, fractions, and exponents having ^, x√y, ex, and nx.
Calculations on the home screen, depending on the user inserted space, will present the answers either to the right side from the entry or will be on the right side in the next line.
Several special Indicators or cursors will be shown on the home screen, to assist in providing additional information about functions and results to the user. These special indicators consist of,
The keypad is consist of 41 keys, along with the D-Pad.
2nd Key Functionality
The 2nd key can be used to perform multiple functions. Most of the primary functions for the keys are mentioned on them. Their secondary functions are mentioned right above it. Pressing the 2nd key will permit the user to access the secondary function for that key.
The indication of the 2nd key will be shown on the screen as “2ND”, however, in case of removing it, pressing it again will disable this feature. This can be exemplified through the example of 2ND, [√], 25, and pressing [enter] right after will provide the result of 5.
Keypad – Modes
The use of [mode] allows one to choose between a variety of modes. Keys will allow you to navigate and choose the mode of choice. Pressing the [enter] key will select it.
Pressing 2nd and [quit] or [clear] will return the user to the home screen with the selected mode setting.
Examples of these modes are as follows,
Keypad – Storing Operations
Storing operations in the TI-36 X Pro calculator is quite simple and can be achieved through the use of,
2nd [op] and 2nd [set op]
The use of 2nd [set op] allows the user to store a sequence of user-defined operations.
The use of 2nd [op] recalls and utilizes the operation.
To store a user-defined operation, the user needs to make use of the following steps,
Pressing 2nd [set op]
Provide an input compromised of different numerical expressions, operators, or values. These can range up to 44 characters at most.
Press [enter] will store the given operation.
Pressing 2nd [op] will bring back the stored operation, to be used to be applied with the current answer or a previous answer.
Applying 2nd [op] to another 2nd [op] result will modify and increment the counter with n=1.
In a situation with the linear function as y = 5x -2, calculate y for the values of x: -5, -1
Stored Variables and Memory
In the TI-36 X Pro Calculator, there are a total of 8 variables for the purpose of storage, namely a, b, c, d, x, y, z, and t. These memory slots are capable of storing any simple or complex number or result of an expression in them. These features that are directly used by the calculator to input variables, will make use of the stored values.
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Text messaging is growing into a serious hazard for young people, ABC reports. A new study showed that teens are texting at rates that border on addiction—some sending thousands of messages a month. Most alarmingly, however, a full 28% of teens admitted to texting while driving, a dangerous practice that distracts inexperienced motorists.
Five 17- and 18-year-old girls were killed in a crash in upstate New York last month that police say may have been caused by texting from behind the wheel. Lawmakers are starting to take action: Washington State has passed the first law banning texting from the road and New Jersey is expected to follow.
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By Apollo Mubiru
UK Equalities Minister and Champion for Tackling Violence against Women and Girls Overseas, Lynne Featherstone visited a women’s protection centre for victims of domestic violence in Mubende District.
Featherstone said: “Denying women the power and means to control the number and timing of children has health implications and restricts women’s life opportunities. The UK government is investing money to empower Ugandan girls and women to govern their own lives, which will make communities and societies stronger.”
The centre, managed by ActionAid, is one of several protection centres funded by the UK Government through the Department for International Development (DFID) to offer legal aid, counseling, personal safety planning, accommodation and treatment of gender based violence survivors.
Speaking after the visit, Lynne Featherstone said: “Today I witnessed the great work ActionAid is doing to improve the lives of women and girls in Uganda. I met courageous women who have said ‘enough is enough’ and found shelter to rebuild their lives and seek justice. It is shocking that for millions of the world’s poorest people, their gender is the biggest barrier to a healthy and secure life. That is why the UK Government puts girls and women at the heart of all our development efforts and I am delighted to be supporting this initiative”.
The Head of Action Aid Uganda, Arthur Larok said gender based Violence in Uganda should be approached as a public health and human rights crisis which must be tackled by community members, health providers, law makers and law implementers.
The Coalition against GBV in Mubende has enhanced this collective responsibility through the contribution of its members to the function of the protection centre.
With support from the UK Government more women and girls will benefit from the expansion of the facilities across the country.
While in Mubende, the Minister also had the opportunity to see first -hand the work that the UK Government is supporting to improve women’s choices in family planning.
The family planning outreach programme at government health centres is jointly funded by the UK Department for International Development and USAID.
The programme holds camps regularly across the country to provide counselling and contraceptive commodities to poor, rural women, in partnership with the Ministry of Health.
Over the next four years, the UK Government is committed to empowering girls and women and this is expected to have strong multiplier effects on economic growth and achieving the millennium development goals.
UK support across the globe is helping to: tackle the unmet need in family planning which sees 215 million women unable to access contraception; ensure that as many girls as possible get into school; enable more women to have access to justice and security; and make certain that women have a voice in their communities.
In Uganda, DFID is working with the Government of Uganda and other partners to help avert unintended pregnancies, assist women gain access to modern contraception, ensure births are attended by skilled attendants and that more girls complete their secondary education.
Statistics show that up to 68% of Uganda women have experienced violence of some kind.
UK minister pledges support to Ugandan domestic violence survivors
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Arnold Schwarzenegger’s chest workouts
Schwarzenegger is famous for having an excellent physique and an unquestionable work ethic. One of his best body parts is his chest, so throughout this article we’re going to tell you about his chest workout. You’ll learn about the techniques that he used to develop his chest and how you can use these very same techniques to get results in the gym.
A Quick Anatomy Lesson
You might have seen some people in the gym trying to build their “inner chest”, most people assume that this muscle can be worked by doing cable flyes or similar exercises. However, this isn’t a muscle at all. By learning basic anatomy, you’re going to have a much better time in the gym because you’ll understand why you’re doing what you’re doing.
The chest is comprised of 2 muscles:
Pectoralis Major – this muscle has two “heads” (you can think of these as sections), the clavicular head (upper chest), and the sternocostal head (lower chest).
Pectoralis Minor – this muscle is actually underneath the pectoralis major and its main use is to keep the scapula steady.
To conclude this section, there is no “inner chest”, only upper and lower. The pectoralis minor is worked alongside the pectoralis major in most chest exercises, so don’t worry about that.
Sets, Reps, and Rest Periods
Schwarzenegger’s routine focused on bodybuilding, so you’ll find that there will be a moderate amount of sets, a moderate amount of reps, and relatively short rest periods.
When it comes to bodybuilding, a general rule of thumb for exercises is 3 sets of 8-12 reps. Schwarzenegger had a very similar approach and you’ll notice that in the next section.
With regards to rest periods, you should rest until you are comfortable with doing another set, but make sure you don’t wait too long. Anywhere from 60-90 seconds after each set is good.
Before you get started with Schwarzenegger’s chest workout, make sure that you properly warm-up first. We recommend a few warm-up sets on the bench press; start with the bar, and then progressively add heavier weight until you reach your working set.
Here is Schwarzenegger’s chest workout:
Bench Press – 3 sets of 8-12 reps with ideal weight, 1 set of 6-8 reps with heavy weight
Incline Bench Press – 2 sets of 8-12 reps with ideal weight, 2 sets of 6-8 reps with heavy weight
Chest Dips – 1 set of 6-10 reps with weight, 3 sets of 8-12 reps with bodyweight
Dumbbell Flyes – 3 sets of 8-12 reps with ideal weight, 1 set of 12-15 reps with light weight
Progression is something that you definitely don’t want to forget about; if you want to see results in the gym, you have to think about progression. This means that you should always try to increase the amount of reps that you do, or the amount of weight that you lift.
If you managed to do 8 reps on the bench press, then try to get 10 reps next week. Once you get a full 12 reps then increase the weight and try to hit 8 reps (this is because the exercise is 8-12 reps).
So, if you lift 65kg/135lbs for 3 sets of 12 reps on the bench press one week, try to lift 67.5kg/140lbs for 3 sets of 8 reps next week.
As you can see, Schwarzenegger relied on the basics when he wanted to build his chest, and that’s exactly what you should be doing! There is no need to incorporate all of these fancy exercises into your workouts, instead you should be focusing on results.
The chest workout outlined above is a great workout to get started with; as you get more experienced in the gym, you might even want to adjust the workout the better meet your body type and your goals.
Sources: http://teachmeanatomy.info/upper-limb/muscles/pectoral-region/
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Our country has more people sharing time, money, reputation, skills, and resources than any other in the world. By introducing shared processes, technology, and data and lifting designers focused on shared value, ServeFully optimizes the ecosystem for everyone, especially volunteers seeking to empower their own education and careers.
Community service plays a vital role in education and workforce development. Preparing youth for the uncertain future of work and jobs that don't exist yet is a challenge all communities face. Embedding vital information into scalable projects led by or serving our youth will facilitate the social shift towards durable skills and lifelong learning.
Data collaboration will help nonprofits keep grantmakers and donors informed, make it easier to scale successful models, and form learning communities to test new ones. Reducing friction helps service learning professors, skills based volunteers, and CSR managers launch projects that maximize their social impact and grow their reputations.
By making it easier to launch cross-sector collaborations designed to move fast, learn as they scale, pivot as needed, and attract an array of funding, ServeFully will empower a new generation of leaders who are uniquely qualified to harness the power of the shared audience, data, processes, and technology to create shared value.
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So what is the definition of Secretary?
Secretary is an administrative assistant who perform several office tasks within one job in Business Office Administration.
Oops, don’t be wrong. Secretary is also appertain into the following types :
Real Estate Secretary
Church Secretary, etc
1. Administrative Secretary
A variety of clerical and administrative duties are performed by administrative secretaries to run an organization proficiently. The tasks of administrative secretaries include planning and scheduling appointments and meetings, managing projects, organizing and maintaining paper and electronics files, conducting research and distribute information by using mail services, telephone, e-mail, web sites.
They serve as a communication and information managers for an office and may handle travel and guests arrangements also.
Generally administrative secretaries work in hospitals, schools, government agencies, corporate settings or medical and legal offices. Their job generally involves sitting for long periods.
2. Executive Secretary
The executive secretary also called administrative associate or assistant has to perform numerous administrative duties. Generally, the duties of an executive secretary are associated to correspondence, such as the typing out of letters.
An executive secretary of the city is liable for handling information flow through department and ensuring completion by providing all material to the correct person.
Many of the executive secretaries directly work for mayor, city manager, department manager, or other officials in the city government structure. Also they are responsible for representing the officials at events or meetings.
The skills required for the job of an executive secretary are the person should be very organized and logical, he should possess excellent communications skills both verbally and written form should be able to perform multiple tasks.
3. Legal Secretary
A legal secretary is an individual who works in the legal profession specially for helping lawyers. They are also called as executive assistants or administrative assistants. Their tasks are to perform daily clerical functions necessary for the efficient operation of a legal office. Apart from the typical filing, dictation, typing and phone answering responsibilities, a legal secretary should possess specialized skills unique to the legal profession.
Most of the legal secretaries get opportunities in law firms. However, the government, corporate legal departments, the judiciary and public interest firms also employ legal secretaries.
4. Office Secretary
Office secretaries use various office equipments like photocopiers, fax machines, videoconferencing, scanners and telephone systems. In addition to these they also use computers to perform certain tasks that are previously handled by managers and professionals like manage database, compose correspondence, and create spreadsheets, reports, documents and presentations using digital graphics and desktop publishing software.
Also they have to examine and maintain leased equipments, retrieve data from various sources, purchase supplies, negotiate with vendors and manage areas such as corporate libraries or stockrooms.
Now, most of the office secretaries provide orientation and training for new staff, operate and troubleshoot new office technologies and conduct research on the Internet.
5. School Secretary
At most of the schools, secretary plays a key role in communicating with community members and parents about what is happening at school. It’s a duty of a school secretary to provide administrative support in school.
Some of the duties of the school secretary include taking care of administrative details, handling school communication, and scheduling appointments on a day to day basis. This makes the secretary an excellent source of information for parents.
As a school secretary, you would come into contact with variety of people including pupils, teachers, parents, school governors, social workers, careers and education welfare officers. If the school is smaller a secretary has to perform some extra school business management duties like responsibility for finance.
6. Litigation Secretary
Litigation secretary works in various office environments such as government agencies, legal firms, real estate companies, courts, and legal aid departments. As a litigation secretary you will be expected to communicate with judges, court administrators, clients, judicial workers, law firm partners and other law firm staff.
The secretary of litigation must be articulate, organized and a master of time management. The duties performed by litigation secretary include answering phone calls, typing, working with briefs, filing, setting up appointments, and motions and pleadings. Also the secretary must be familiar with various aspects of the law.
7. Medical Secretary
A medical secretary is a person who generally works in a medical office or hospital and is responsible for doing highly specialized secretarial responsibilities such as billing patients, scheduling appointments, handling correspondence, and compiling medical charts and reports.
Also they help doctors in writing speeches, reports and articles, insurance company billings, arraigning for patients hospitalization and ordering supplies. Thus to serve as a medical secretary you just not only possess large amount of skills but you must have talent for detail work and you should be a good communicator.
8. Real Estate Secretary
Real estate secretary can get opportunities to work in the real estate division of investment banks. An administrative support is provided by a real estate secretary to attorneys and other legal professionals.
You have to perform certain duties when you become a real estate secretary. The duties include are processing expense reports, arranging meetings, coordinating travel itineraries, and making, drafting and editing several real estate documents such as sales documents, purchase and sale contracts, letter of intent, leases, exhibits and closings.
Before applying for the post of real estate secretary just check out whether you posses all the soft skills required for this position. The soft skills required include ability to communicate well, well organized and having an eye for detail.
9. Unit Secretary
Unit secretaries can get job opportunities in hospitals, clinics, mental health institutions, schools, dentists and doctor’s offices. A unit secretary must have excellent secretarial skills with some basic medical knowledge and good public relations skills.
A unit secretary has to deal directly with the patients therefore he or she must be able to answer questions, resolve problems, schedule appointments, discuss billing, and direct referrals.
The example of unit secretary resume will help you to build your own resume. Write your resume in a well organized format.
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Launched in 2007, Hyatt Hotels Corporation-owned lifestyle hotel brand, Andaz Hotels has grown rapidly across leisure destinations worldwide.
A total of 17 properties across Asia, Europe and America, each premise has been inspired by the cultural and social life of the locale it is based in. The hotel promises to welcome guests ‘to create inspiring experiences through a kaleidoscope of local culture’.
Eric Brun, Senior Vice President Brands and Marketing at Hyatt, based in Zurich, responsible for developing and managing the regional brand and marketing strategy in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South West Asia says for the One Planet Rating.
OPR: What about other environmental factors? In 2014, Hyatt committed to measurable and actionable use of resources across its properties (Hyatt Vision 2020). How can we see this adopted in Andaz hotels today?
Eric: At Hyatt, our purpose is to care for people so that they can be their best. Our purpose inspires how we engage with our guests, colleagues, owners and communities, and makes a definitive statement about the difference we are trying to make in the world. Our Hyatt Vision 2020 – our set of environmental goals for the year 2020 – is a significant aspect of this.
“We aim to implement this environmental vision across all Hyatt hotels, including the Andaz brand. To give just two examples within the Andaz hotels themselves: Andaz London recently entered into a collaboration with Quimera Energy (QE) by utilizing QE’s Monitor & Save service. This aims to significantly cut energy and gas expenditure, by monitoring and managing hotel consumption in real time. Our Andaz hotel in Amsterdam has likewise been awarded a Green Globe certification for its efforts to reduce energy and water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste sent to landfills.”
For full article please visit: https://www.oneplanetrating.com/single-post/andaz-hotels-hyatt
About Quimera Energy Efficiency
Quimera Energy Efficiency (www.quimeraee.com) is an international company based in London, UK that adopts a retro commissioning approach to energy efficiency, focusing on generating energy savings and minimizing emissions and carbon footprint by implementing IoT related solutions under performance-based scheme.
QEE’s proven methodology in reducing energy consumption has been recognized by the biggest players of the global hospitality industry and is rapidly gaining popularity in the United States, Caribbean area, as well as all around the Europe, India, United Arab Emirates and China.
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IT has already been seen, in the first chapters of this work, how hard the Great Synagogue had struggled from its earliest days in order to prevent the establishment in London of any other place of worship following the same rite. The Takkanoth of 1722, possibly following in this the earlier set of regulations of 1690, had banned any rival synagogue within a radius of ten miles: a bye-law subscribed to by each member in 1704 had been directed to the same end: and the Hambro' Synagogue was instituted in 1706, and the New Synagogue in 1761, in the teeth of the most determined opposition. But, once they had become established, the new bodies themselves adopted much the same attitude. It was not mere prejudice or obscurantism, but arose from the fear that secession would weaken them and make them less able to support their burdens.
From the beginning of the reign of Queen Victoria, a fresh element was introduced into the problem. The distribution of London Jewry had changed. The days were passing when the City merchant or broker lived above his shop or counting-house. There was a continual stream of migration to the more desirable areas of residence newly built all round the City: and the wealthier members of the community above all were tending to remove to the fashionable new thoroughfares in the neighbourhood of Westminster and Hyde Park. In view of the fact that the observant Jew would not ride to service on Sabbaths and Holydays, a serious difficulty was thus constituted. The only provision that existed for them within easier (though in most cases not easy) reach were the two small synagogues in the Haymarket (The Western Synagogue) and Maiden Lane. Yet, for all this, the City congregations - Sephardi and Ashkenazi alike - refused to countenance the formation of any fresh place of worship outside the traditional area. The reason was plain. It was not only a question of dignity and jealousy, but also of economics. The older bodies were situated in the centre of the neighbourhood of close Jewish settlement. They had on their shoulders the support of the poor and of multifarious charitable organisations. Were the wealthier members living further west to secede and form their own religious organisation, the burden on those who remained would have been overwhelming.
The question entered a new phase with the beginning of the Reform Movement. One of the reasons for this had been (as we have seen) the absence of religious provision and synagogal accommodation outside the City. When in 1842 the West London Synagogue of British Jews was opened in Burton Street, it became obvious that action would have to be taken soon, for otherwise the élite of the older congregations would become attached, notwithstanding their own inclination, to the solitary place of worship within easy reach of their own homes. Alternatively, they might break away from their present allegiance and establish their own congregation, with results which might prove fatal to the economy of the parent body. Clearly, there was only one solution--the establishment under the auspices of the Great Synagogue itself of a chapel-of-ease more conveniently situated, which would satisfy the religious requirements of those who lived in the vicinity without modifying their relations to the original community. Accordingly, at a meeting on November 7th, 1848, the Committee of the Great Synagogue adopted a resolution to the effect
Matters moved slowly in those days. In the following January a sub-committee was appointed to report on the subject, but ten months passed before their report was submitted, and only in January 1850 was it approved at a special meeting of the Vestry. On February 24th, 1850, the Committee decided that the proposed new Synagogue should be within quarter of a mile west of what was then known as Regent Circus, and the sum of £6,000 was voted for the construction of the building. Since the matter did not concern the Great Synagogue only, all other City congregations, regardless of rite, were asked to collaborate. The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue duly appointed delegates to attend a conjoint meeting to consider the question, but the difference of Minhag proved an insuperable difficulty, and in the end they set up in 1853 their own Branch Synagogue in Wigmore Street - the forerunner of that at present situated in Lauderdale Road. The Hambro' and New Synagogue on the other hand fully approved the proposals, on condition that the new place of worship should be a branch of all three Ashkenazi synagogues in the City, and not the Great Synagogue alone. The authorities of this body were perfectly prepared to concur, on the not unnatural understanding that the expenses should be shared in what was the usual proportion for other purposes--one half, that is, being contributed by the two smaller bodies between them. But, though convinced that the establishment of a West End branch in connexion with one only of the City synagogues would endanger the others both from a pecuniary and from a spiritual point of view, the latter were not prepared to shoulder any part of the burden involved, and the Great Synagogue had to go forward in the enterprise alone.
Further delays now resulted by reason of certain mild reforms in the service, nowadays regarded almost as commonplace (such as the division of the Sabbath morning service into two portions, and the curtailment of the Mi sheBirach) which were discussed in a series of negotiations with the Chief Rabbi, occupying more than twelve months. The Western Synagogue then interposed, pointing out that, as they had upwards of 120 vacant seats, there was clearly no lack of synagogal accommodation in the West End, and that the opening of a new place of worship would prove extremely prejudicial to their interests. The Great Synagogue authorities, perhaps mindful of the independent action of this congregation at the time of the Reform controversy a few years before, refused to discuss the matter. The Maiden Lane Synagogue, nervous now that it might be entirely swamped, proposed amalgamation, but the discussions on the subject led to no result.
There was now no further excuse for delay, and the Vestry was showing signs of restiveness at the continual procrastinations. At last, in the summer of 1853, the lease of a warehouse in Portland Street was taken for the purpose of a temporary synagogue, and shortly afterwards building operations were started to adapt it for its new purpose. On March 29th, 1855 (six and a half years from the date when the proposals had first been formally approved, and on the sixty-fifth Hebrew anniversary of the consecration of the Great Synagogue itself) the new place of worship was inaugurated in the presence of a large and distinguished congregation. Simon Ascher, Reader of the Great Synagogue, conducted the service, and the sermon was delivered by the Chief Rabbi. In 1870 this was superseded by the beautiful building in which the congregation now worships: the Central Synagogue, Great Portland Street, the foundation stone of which had been laid by Baron Lionel de Rothschild a year before. Before the consecration service of the original building began, a proclamation was made from the Reading-desk to the following effect:
This was by no means a merely formal declaration. What had been established was not a new congregation, but only a new synagogue, at which services were to be held for the convenience of those who lived in the vicinity. No weddings were solemnised within its walls. It was not allowed to have separate officers or committee. Its affairs were controlled by a subcommittee appointed in Duke's Place: and though those who worshipped there were allowed a voice in electing the officers who were to manage the interests of the two synagogues, the ballot-boxes were carried to the City for counting. But before long the Branch Synagogue of the Great Synagogue in Portland Street was no longer sufficient to meet all requirements. The westward drift from the City continued: and quite a large Jewish settlement, comprising members of all three City synagogues, was growing up also in what was then the new suburb of Bayswater. Here local enthusiasm took the lead. On July 11th, 1860, a meeting of residents in the district was held, and an agreement reached as to the desirability of establishing a new congregation in the neighbourhood. There was general reluctance to setting up an independent body, and negotiations were accordingly opened with the Great and New Synagogues with a view to making the new place of worship a branch of both those communities, in the same manner as the Great Portland Street Synagogue was of the former alone. After several meetings and conferences, it was resolved that "a Synagogue be established, and that it be a branch of the Great and New Synagogues under the religious direction of the Chief Rabbi." £7,000 towards the cost was raised locally (£4,000 more than had been promised), and each of the two parent-bodies contributed in addition £1,500 towards the cost. On July 10th, 1862, the foundation stone was laid: the building (still in use) was consecrated on July 30th, 1863. In view of the fact that there were in this case two sponsoring bodies instead of one, it proved impossible to adopt the same system of administration as at the Portland Street Synagogue, and local honorary officers and committee, with limited powers, were elected. Similarly, it was impracticable to keep weddings under equally strict control, and, after consulting the Attorney General on the subject, the City synagogues were finally compelled to permit the daughter body to appoint its own Marriage Secretary and conduct ceremonies under its own auspices.1 Thus in the third quarter of the nineteenth century, the status of the Great Synagogue was profoundly altered. It ceased to be a localised place of worship, with activities restricted to the historic Duke's Place and the East End. It was now a community, spread throughout the Metropolis, and maintaining (in one instance, in conjunction with a sister-body) three widely-separated houses of prayer. It was a complicated arrangement, and one which could in no circumstances have continued indefinitely. In the event, it lasted for only a few years.
Great Synagogue home page on JCR-UK
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Bodegas Juan Carlos Sancha is a winery located in Rioja Alta, one of the best-known wine-producing regions of Spain. This winery, operated in the town of Baños de Río Tobía (Rioja Alta) by Juan Carlos Sancha, a professor of enology at the University of La Rioja, is situated on five hectares of land along the border of D.O.Ca. Rioja, and in the coldest zone of this wine denomination.
This cooler location, in Baños de Río Tobía (Rioja Alta) in the Najerilla Valley, contributes to the high quality of their wines. Juan Carlos Sancha’s winery also has vines of minority varieties such as Tempranillo Blanco, Maturana Tinta, Maturana Blanca, varieties that he and his university colleague Fernando Martinez de Toda discovered, rescued from extinction, and developed. Professor Sancha then went on to found the first Rioja winery employing these minority varieties in commercialized wines.
Bodegas Juan Carlos Sancha specializes in the production of artisan organic wines elaborated from these minority varieties, offering three fine wines: Ad Libitum Maturana Tinta, Ad Libitum Tempranillo Blanco, and Peña El Gato. Ad Libitum Maturana Tinta comes from an old minority Navarrateña variety of Maturana Tinta. Tempranillo Blanco is made from Tempranillo Blanco grapes, a mutation from the traditional, better-known red Tempranillo grapes. Peña El Gato derives its name from the idea that the 95-year-old Garnacha grapevines, from which this wine come, are located so high up the mountains that even cats won’t dare to go there.
Professor Sancha chose the name ‘Ad Libitum’ for its meaning: “Free to do what you wish.”
Good wines come from good grapes. The wines of Bodegas Juan Carlos Sancha are the result of the vineyards’ cool, high location; their very densely planting (5,000 vines per hectare); and the poor calcareous soils of these vineyards. These factors make the vines “suffer,” producing fewer grapes with higher juice concentration—qualities which contribute importantly to the Bodega’s complex, high-quality wines. Tempranillo Blanco and Maturana Tinta grapes grow at 565 meters (….feet) altitude, and the old Garnacha vines from which Peña El Gato wine comes, grow at 650 meters (…. feet) altitude. Also contributing to the quality of the grapes are the location of the vineyards on south-facing hillsides, enabling both good solar radiation and air flow and reducing vine disease susceptibility.
Indeed, because of all these contributing factors, these three fine wines from Bodegas Juan Carlos Sancha—Ad Libitum Maturana Tinta, Ad Libitum Tempranillo Blanco, and Peña El Gato—are sure to please the most discriminating palate.
Ad Libitum means ‘free to do as you wish.’
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6. In the following reaction, identify the oxidizing and reducing agents.
3Ca + VO3 --> 3CaO + V
a. Ca+2 is the reducing agent, VO3 is the oxidizing agent
b. Ca is the oxidizing agent, VO3 is the reducing agent
c. Ca is the reducing agent, V is the oxidizing agent
d. Ca is the reducing agent, O-2 is the oxidizing agent
e. Ca is the reducing agent, VO3 is the oxidizing agent
In this question one must first recognize it as a redox type question, the easiest way to go about this is to assign oxidation numbers to each of the individual elements. The rules for assigning oxidation number are simple, use what you know to assign what you do not know. When you have neutral complexes the sums of the oxidation states should equal 0, and the values for some elements are somewhat constant throughout (with exceptions, as always).
The general trend is about differing electronegativities, the higher the electronegativity value elements will have negative ...
Redox chemistry is one more step in the stiochiometry section of complexity. Balancing not only for mass, and composition, but also for electrons and charges. Follow the electrons.
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DETROIT - Google's self-driving car project will open a technology development center in Novi, John Krafcik, who heads the technology giant's autonomous vehicle program, announced on social media Wednesday.
Krafcik said Google's self-driving car program has already had team members working in the greater Detroit area, and that "it's time to lay down roots."
"Many of our current partners are based here, so having a local facility will help us collaborate more easily and access Michigan's top talent in vehicle development and engineering," Krafcik added.
He said the 53,000-square-foot development center will first be tasked with equipping the self-driving Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivans it's getting as part of a partnership with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Citing an anonymous source, Crain's Detroit Business reports that Google's self-driving tech center will be at 46555 Magellan Dr. near Interstate 96 and Beck Road.
The company plans to hire more positions for the center, but would not say how many. Google has more than 500 employees working in Ann Arbor and Birmingham.
Google and FCA announced their partnership earlier this month, and at the time said the companies will co-locate part of their engineering team to a site in southeast Michigan as part of the collaboration.
FCA will design and engineer about 100 minivans specifically for Google's self-driving technology, essentially doubling Google's fleet of such vehicles.
The collaboration marks the first time Google is working directly with an automaker on its seven-year-old self-driving car program.
Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed, and there is no licensing agreement preventing either company from working with someone else, the Associated Press reported.
The minivans will first be built at FCA's Windsor Assembly Plant, where the Pacifica Hybrid will launch in the fourth quarter of this year, and Google will outfit them with its technology in Michigan.
Google has been testing its self-driving cars in four U.S. cities in California, Texas, Washington and Arizona.
Google said its self-driving car program aims to bring mobility to the millions of people who cannot drive. The company also sees it as a potentially life-saving development that could help prevent some of the some 33,000 traffic deaths that occur each year in the U.S.
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Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,
Today I love to share another wonderful haiku written/composed by Lolly (penname of Laura Williams), but before I share that beauty I love to tell you a little bit more about Lolly, in fact she has done that her self.
Sometime in 2010 - 2011 she discovered two haiku anthologies at a thrift store. One was The Haiku Anthology by Cor van den Heuvel and the other was Haiku Moment by Bruce Ross. Both books offered her a first glimpse at high quality, uncounted haiku. There was something about the tiny three lined poem and all that blank space surrounding it. The minimalism of it. The simplicity. The beauty! This wasn't your typical western, overwrought, esoteric poetry. It was accessible!
These two books were the impetus of her haiku journey.
She had heard of haiku in school. She saw it again on the website Tiny Words back in the early 2000s, but it wasn't until she started doing web searches to find out more that she discovered Fiona Robyn's website called "Writing Our Way Home." Robyn would host an annual month-long writing challenge in January in which participants would write a "small stone" or haiku or poem-ish thought and post it to a designated website to share.
The Small Stone challenges eventually ended around 2012 which is probably what lead Laura to Carpe Diem although she can't remember exactly. She found Carpe Diem around the time it began in the fall of 2012.
|Laura "Lolly" Williams|
already a field mouse pokes
around its fly
lost his battle with the storm
in the field
pieces of old clothes and paper
birth of scarecrow
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Inuit side with Idle No More, say movement an opportunity to honour land claims
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Ahead of a meeting between the Prime Minister and the Assembly of First Nations to discuss issues at the heart of Idle No More, Friday, Inuit groups urged the federal government to live up to its modern treaty obligations.
"A lot of advancements have been made with modern land claims," said Terry Audla , president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. "We do have a lot of say in how Inuit can capitalize on our land's resources. The tools are in place, it's a matter of how the federal government fulfills their obligation."
In 2006, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI), which oversees economic and social well-being through the implementation of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, launched a lawsuit against the Crown for what they say is a failure to live up to the obligations of the deal struck in 1993. In June, a judge with the Nunavut Court of Justice, ordered the federal government to pay $14.8 million in damages for failing to create a general monitoring plan required under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.
Wednesday night, Inuit leaders from NTI met with Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence to show their support for her hunger strike, which has prompted a groundswell of support from frustrated aboriginal groups across the country. Those frustrations will be aired at the Friday meeting with the Prime Minister, as First Nations groups present Stephen Harper with a concrete list of demands.
"It was important to meet with Chief Spence to express our support and our commonalities in the failure of the government to live up to obligations under land claims," said Cathy Towtongie, president of NTI.
In their list of demands for the Prime Minister outlined Thursday, the AFN put resource revenue sharing front and centre, next to brokering modern treaties.
Audla said that resource revenue sharing is working under projects such as the Meliadine and Meadowbank gold mines operated by Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd., which is said to be one of the largest gold deposits in Canada. "Inuit recieve royalties," said Audla. "That's divvied up between communities in an open manner."
Still, resource revenue sharing hasn't dramatically improved conditions in Inuit communities, said Towtongie. "In Nunavut, the government of Canada has failed to implement our modern day agreements in many respects."
"We need trained civil bureaucrats to take on administration of the government," she said. "Right now it costs the government in $200 million range to fly employees into Nunavut, leaving the Inuit uneducated and untrained."
Correction: This article originally stated incorrectly that Inuit receive royalties from north-western Quebec's LaRonde gold mine.
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You will learn practical skills that can be applied to your own work using cutting-edge software
In this first course of the specialization GIS, Mapping, and Spatial Analysis,
You'll learn about what a GIS is, how to get started with the software yourself, how things we find in the real world can be represented on a map, how we record locations using coordinates, and how we can make a two-dimensional map from a three-dimensional Earth.
In the course project, you will create your own GIS data by tracing geographic features from a satellite image for a location and theme of your choice.
This course will give you a strong foundation in mapping and GIS that will give you the understanding you need to start working with GIS, and to succeed in the other courses in this specialization.
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BURLINGAME, Calif. Intel Corp. is still exploring the future use of 3-D devices based on through-silicon vias (TSVs), but the company said that it has still not found the right application or "product intercept" for the technology.
Right now, chip makers are shipping limited 3-D devices based on TSVs, mainly CMOS image sensors, MEMS, and, to some degree, power amplifiers. But for years, IBM, Intel and others have been looking at stacking microprocessors, memory and other functions using TSV technology.
Experts define a true 3-D package as one that stacks various chips vertically and then connects them by deploying TSVs. The aim is to shorten the interconnections between the chips, reduce die sizes and boost device bandwidths.
But in processor designs, there are several stumbling blocks for TSVs, including cost, heat dissipation, standards, lack of EDA tools and others.
There are also economic issues: It is a challenge to develop a TSV-based chip that will meet market requirements for OEMs and will actually make money for chip makers themselves.
This is especially true for processor chip giant Intel, which can't afford to develop a technology for technology's sake. Like others, Intel must devise a product that can realize a return-on-investment.
Intel is still in search of the right 3-D chip application. "3-D is attractive if we can find the right product intercept," said Jerry Bautista, director of technology management at Intel (Santa Clara, Calif.), at the 3-D Architectures for Semiconductor Integration and Packaging event here. "We are still looking at the right product intercept."
For years, Intel has been looking at 3-D chip technology. In this arena, it has been exploring various 3-D stacking technologies, such as TSVs, silicon interposers and wafer bumping.
What's driving 3-D chip designs? The shift towards higher bandwidth systems will require new packaging technology, possibly including TSVs, Bautista said. At present, systems are seeing memory bandwidths between 25-to-40 GB/second.
Due to a new class of applications, memory bandwidths will need to grow tenfold beyond 2011, Bautista said. "This is a motivation why we want die stacking" based on 3-D technology, he added.
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3.A.2 The H+- or Na+-translocating F-type, V-type and A-type ATPase (F-ATPase) Superfamily
F-type ATPases are found in eukaryotic mitochondria and chloroplasts as well as in bacteria. V-type ATPases are found in vacuoles of eukaryotes and in bacteria. A-type ATPases are found in archaea. All such systems are multisubunit complexes with at least 3 dissimilar subunits embedded as a complex in the membrane (F0, a:b:c = 1:2:~12) and (usually) at least 5 dissimilar subunits attached to F0 (F1, α:β:γ:δ:ε = 3:3:1:1:1 for F-type ATPases). The eukaryotic proteins are more complicated than the bacterial enzyme complexes. The a, b, δ and F1 hexamer (α3β3) comprise the stator. The rotor (which consists of the c, ε and γ subunits) is believed to rotate relative to the stator in response to either ATP hydrolysis by F1 or proton transport through F0. H+ transport and ATP synthesis may therefore be coupled mechanically. The F1 portion of the bovine mitochondrial F-type ATPase has been solved to 2.8 Å resolution. Cross-linking studies suggest that the H+ channel consists of a and c subunits where the external aqueous access channel is located to the inside of the a-subunit 4-helix bundle (Schwem and Fillingame, 2006). Minimal requirements for proton translocation by the ATP synthase include a positive charge in subunit a and a weak interface between subunit a and oligomeric subunit c (Ishmukhametov et al., 2007). These enzymes can pump H+ or Na+. A Na+ A-type ATPase from Pyrococcus furiosus has been described (Pisa et al., 2007b). ATP binding to the ε-subunit plays a regulatory role; ATP binding may stabilize the ATPase-active form by fixing the ε-subunit into the folded conformation (Kato et al., 2007). Mechanisms of coupling H+ movement to ATP synthesis, based on structural data for the a and c subunits, have been proposed (Allegretti et al. 2015). The asymmetric features of the a subunit make it the master regulator determining which of the two functions, ATP production or ATP dissipation, will be performed (Nesci et al. 2015). The structure of the a subunit (5ARA) reveals an unusual two transmembrane α-helices at a 70° angle to the plane of the membrane (Tsirigos et al. 2017). The 3.6 Å structure of the yeast Fo domain has been solved by cryoEM, revealing how the protons travel through the complex, how the complex dimerizes, and how the dimers bend the membrane to produce cristae (Guo et al. 2017). The crystal structure of the S. cerevisiae c-subunit ring with bound oligomycin revealed the inhibitor docked on the outer face of the proton-binding sites, deep in the transmembrane region (Zhou and Faraldo-Gómez 2018). A torque-coupled thermodynamic model of the F--ATPase has been proposed (Ai et al. 2017). Electron cryomicroscopy structures of mitochondrial, chloroplast, and bacterial ATP synthases have revealed the architecture of the FO region, helping to explain the mechanisms of proton translocation, dimerization of the enzyme in mitochondria, and cristae formation. These structures also show that ATP synthases exist in different conformational states, illustrating the flexibility and dynamics of these complexex (Guo and Rubinstein 2018). Zancani et al. 2020 compared the structural and functional properties of F-ATP synthases in plant mitochondria with those of yeast and mammals.
All eukaryotic F-type ATPases pump 3-4 H+ out of mitochondria, or into thylakoids of chloroplasts, per ATP hydrolyzed. ATP-driven stepwise rotation of FoF1-ATP synthase has been defined (Ueno et al. 2005). Bacterial F-type ATPases pump 3-4 H+ and/or Na+ (depending on the system) out of the cell per ATP hydrolyzed. These enzymes also operate in the opposite direction, synthesizing ATP when protons or Na+ flow through the 'ATP synthase' down the proton electrochemical gradient (the 'proton motive force' or pmf) (Ferguson et al., 2006). V-type ATPases may pump 2-3 H+ per ATP hydrolyzed, and these enzymes cannot catalyze pmf-driven ATP synthesis. It has been proposed that this difference between F-type and V-type ATPases is due to a 'proton slip' that results from an altered structure in the membrane sector of V-type ATPases (Perzov et al., 2001). This probably results from duplication (intragenic and/or intergenic) of the proteolipid (c) subunit. Several intact F-type ATPase complexes have been purified from different fungal species and analyzed for their properties and subunit comopositions after solubilization with various detergents (Liu et al. 2015). Purified mitochondrial F-ATP synthase forms a Ca2+-dependent high-conductance channel matching the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (Urbani et al. 2019). However, the ATP synthase may not be required for formation of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (Walker et al. 2020). pH-dependent 11 degrees F1FO ATP synthase sub-steps reveal aspects of the FO torque generating mechanism (Yanagisawa and Frasch 2021). ATP synthases found in the thylakoid membranes of photosynthetic organisms have some unique features not present in bacterial and mitochondrial systems. Among these is a larger-than-average transmembrane rotor ring and a redox-regulated switch capable of inhibiting ATP hydrolysis activity in the dark by uniquely adapted rotor subunit modifications. Cheuk and Meier 2021 reviewed the structures and mechanisms of ATP synthases specifically involved in photosynthesis.
The structure of the membrane integral rotor ring of the proton translocating F(1)F(0)-ATPase synthase from spinach chloroplasts was determined to 3.8 A resolution by X-ray crystallography (Vollmar et al., 2009). The rotor ring consists of 14 identical protomers which are symmetrically arranged around a central pore, but rings having anywhere from 8 protomers to 15 protomers have been reported (Watt et al., 2010). Comparisons to the c(11)-rotor ring of the sodium translocating ATPase from Ilyobacter tartaricus show that the conserved carboxylates involved in proton or sodium transport, respectively, are 10.6-10.8 A apart in both c-ring rotors. This finding suggests that both ATPases have the same gear distance despite their different stoichiometries. The putative proton binding site at the conserved carboxylate E61 in the chloroplast ATP synthase differs from the sodium binding site in Ilyobacter. Residues adjacent to the conserved carboxylate show increased hydrophobicity and reduced hydrogen bonding. The crystal structure reflects the protonated form of the chloroplast c-ring rotor. Vollmar et al., 2009 proposed that upon deprotonation, the conformation of E61 is changed to another rotamer and becomes fully exposed to the periphery of the ring. Reprotonation of E61 by a conserved arginine in the adjacent a subunit returns the carboxylate to its initial conformation. The structure of the c-ring has been examined in different lipid bilayers (Kang et al. 2018). F-type ATPases can be inhibited by ADP (Lapashina and Feniouk 2018). Amino acids in the FO sector that influence H+ translocation have been identified (Trombetti et al. 2019).
Phylogenetic clustering of the integral membrane constituents of F-type ATPases generally corresponds to the phylogenies of the organisms of origin, and consequently the systems in different organisms are probably orthologues. The a subunit of F0 (one copy per complex) spans the membrane five or six times. The b subunits (2 copies per complex; heterodimeric in plant chloroplasts and blue green bacteria) span the membrane once; and the c subunits (called DCCD-binding lipoproteins; reportedly 10, 11, 12, or 14 copies per complex depending on the system) span the membrane two times. Some F-type ATPases such as the Na+-translocating ATPase of Acetobacterium woodii probably contains 3 dissimilar but homologous c-subunit proteolipids of 8 and 18 kDa. The V-type ATPase of S. cerevisiae also has 3 dissimilar c-subunits as mentioned in the next paragraph. While c-subunits in the E. coli F-ATPase have 2 TMSs (one acive site asp per subunit and 12 copies per complex), V-type ATPases have 4 TMSs (one active site glu per subunit and 6 copies per complex), and an archaeal A-ATPase has 6 TMSs (2 active site glus per subunit and 4 subunits per complex).
The α, β and c-subunits of F-type ATPases are homologues to the B, A and c- (or K-) subunits of V-type and A-type ATPases, respectively. Other subunits in these protein complexes are probably homologous to each other, but this fact cannot always be demonstrated by statistical analyses of the sequences. Thus, for the A-type ATPase of Methanosarcina mazei, the V-type ATPase of yeast, and the F-type ATPase of E. coli, respectively, the following subunit equivalences have been suggested: A = Vma1 (A) = β; B = Vma2 (B) = α; C = Vma6 (d) = no E. coli F-type ATPase equivalent; Vma8 (D) = γ; Vma4 (E) = δ; F = Vma7 (F) = ε; I = Vphl/stvl = a+b ?, and K = Vma3 (c) = c. Additionally, the yeast V-type ATPase has 3 dissimilar c-subunits: Vma3(c), Vmal1(c') and Vma6(c''), and three subunits, Vma13(H), Vma5(c) and Vma10(G) which are not found in either the A- or F-type ATPases. All of the yeast vacuolar ATPase subunits have an equivalent subunit in the V-type ATPases of clathrin-coated vesicles of higher eukaryotes.
Eukaryotic V-type ATPases acidify Golgi-derived vesicles, clathrin-coated vesicles, synaptic vesicles, liposomes, and plant vacuoles and function in protein trafficking, receptor-mediated endocytosis, neurotransmitter release, pH regulation, waste management, pro-hormone processing, protein degradation, etc (Kane, 2006). They also function in the entry of various pathogenic agents, including many envelope viruses, like influenza virus, and toxins, like anthrax toxin. Plasma membrane V-ATPases function in renal pH homeostasis, bone resorption and sperm maturation, and various disease processes, including renal tubular acidosis, osteopetrosis, and tumor metastasis (Toei et al., 2010). There are 13 subunits, 8 (A-H) in V1 and 5 (a, c, c', c'', d and e). The c-subunits are arranged in a ring with the a-subunit on the outside of the ring. The proton channel may be at the a/c interface, and c rotates relative to a when ATP is hydrolyzed and H+ is translocated. Rotation of V-type ATPases has been demonstrated (Imamura et al., 2003). Two important mechanisms of regulating V-ATPase activity in vivo are reversible dissociation of the V1 and V0 domains and changes in coupling efficiency of proton transport and ATP hydrolysis (Cipriano et al. 2008). V-type ATPase proteolipids can form symmetrical 6-membered rings as is true for gap junction sheets from Nephrops norvegicus which are formed by a protein identical to the 4 TMS V-ATPase c-subunit. A 14th subunit, Ac45, associated with V0, is found in some mammalian tissues. The crystal structure of the central axis DF complex of a prokaryotic V-ATPase has been solved (Saijo et al., 2011). A 2.7-A cryo-EM structure of the yeast Vo proton channel revealed the location of ordered water molecules along the proton path, details of specific protein-lipid interactions, and the architecture of the membrane scaffold protein (Roh et al. 2020) and a state of Vo shows the c-ring rotated by ~14 degrees . Two rotary states are in thermal equilibrium and depict how the protonation state of essential glutamic acid residues couples water-mediated proton transfer with c-ring rotation. Resuts rationalize a mechanism for inhibition of passive proton transport as observed for free Vo that is generated as a result of V-ATPase regulation by reversible disassembly in vivo (Roh et al. 2020). High glucose disrupts the autophagy lysosomal pathway in gingival epithelial cells via the ATP6V0 C subunit (Huang et al. 2020).
By altering the pH of intracellular compartments, V-ATPases dictate enzyme activities, govern the dissociation of ligands from receptors and promote the coupled transport of substrates across membranes. In tissues where V-ATPases are expressed at the plasma membrane, they can serve to acidify the extracellular microenvironment. Additional roles that seem independent of H+ translocation include fusogenicity, cytoskeletal tethering and metabolic sensing (Maxson and Grinstein 2014). CryoEM studies have revealed conformational heterogeneity and characteristic TMSs that are highly tilted with respect to the membrane (Mazhab-Jafari and Rubinstein 2016). An oscillating electric (AC) field has been used to measure the biochemical activity of a rotary enzyme such as a vacuolar proton-ATPase (V-ATPase), specificallly to directly measure its mean rate of rotation in its native membrane environment (Ferencz et al. 2017). Cryo-EM structures of the intact V-ATPase from bovine brain have been solved with all the subunits including the subunit H, which is essential for ATPase activity. Two type-I transmembrane proteins, Ac45 and (pro)renin receptor, along with subunit c', constitute the core of the c-ring (Wang et al. 2020). Three different conformations of A/B heterodimers suggest a mechanism for ATP hydrolysis that triggers a rotation of subunits DF, inducing spinning of subunit d with respect to the entire c-ring. Many lipid molecules are in the Vo domain to mediate the interactions between subunits c, c', (pro)renin receptor, and Ac45 (Wang et al. 2020). The involvement of V-ATPases in cell physiology and disease has been reviewed (Eaton et al. 2021).
V-ATPase is a ~1 MDa membrane protein complex that functions in the acidification of endosomal/lysosomal compartments and hence in transport, recycling and degradative pathways. The complex, assembled from up to 30 individual polypeptides, operates as a molecular motor with rotary mechanics. Structural inferences about the eukaryotic V-ATPase and its subunits have been made by comparison to the structures of bacterial homologues. However, cryo-EM has revealed more about the catalytic mechanism of this proton pump and how its activity might be regulated in response to cellular signals (Harrison and Muench 2018). V-ATPase inhibitors, concanamycin and indole pentadiene, insert into lipid membranes and can inhibit the enzyme from a membrane location (Páli et al. 2004).
In mammalian cells, most of the V-ATPase subunits exist in multiple isoforms which are often expressed in a tissue specific manner. Isoforms of one of the V(0) subunits (subunit a) have been shown to possess information that targets the V-ATPase to distinct cellular destinations. Mutations in isoforms of subunit a lead to the human diseases osteopetrosis and renal tubular acidosis. The Vesicular proton pump (V-ATPase) in nerve terminals following exocytosis continues to pump, promoting neurotransmitter uptake via endocytosis (Tabares and Betz, 2010). A number of mechanisms are employed to regulate V-ATPase activity in vivo, including reversible dissociation of the V(1) and V(0) domains, control of the tightness of coupling of proton transport and ATP hydrolysis, and selective targeting of V-ATPases to distinct cellular membranes. Isoforms of subunit a are involved in regulation both via the control of coupling and via selective targeting (Toei et al., 2010).
The V-ATPase ring contains three different subunits, c, c' and c'' and is therefore probably asymmetric if two or all three are present. In the yeast vacuolar ATPase, C (VMA3p) and C' (VMA11p) are 4 TMS proteins with N- and C-termini in the vacuolar lumen, but C'' (VMA16p) is a 5 TMS protein with N-terminus in the cytosol and the C-terminus in the lumen (Flannery et al., 2004). Althought TMHMM predicts 7TMSs for the a subunit (P32563) of the yeast (S. cerevisiae) V-type ATPase, Wang et al (2008) provide evidence for an eight transmembrane helix model in which the C-terminus is located on the cytoplasmic side of the membrane. By angular reconstitution from electron microscopic images, a 21 Å resolution structure shows an asymmetric protein ring with two small openings on the lumenal side and one large opening on the cytoplasmic side. The central hole on the lumenal side is covered by a globular protein while the cytoplasmic opening is covered by two elongated proteins (Wilkens and Forgac, 2001). Evolution of the hexameric transmembrane ring of the eukaryotic V-ATPase proton pump has been investigated (Finnigan et al., 2012).
Vacuolar H+-ATPases (V-ATPases) are large, multisubunit proton pumps that acidify the lumen of organelles in virtually every eukaryotic cell, and in specialized acid-secreting animal cells, the enzyme pumps protons into the extracellular space. In higher organisms, most of the subunits are expressed as multiple isoforms, with some enriched in specific compartments or tissues and others expressed ubiquitously. In mammals, subunit a is expressed as four isoforms (a1-4) that target the enzyme to distinct biological membranes. Mutations in a isoforms are known to give rise to tissue-specific diseases (Oot et al. 2021). Exogenous expression of the a4 subunit in HEK293F cells permits assembly of a functional V-ATPase by incorporation of endogenous subunits. The ATPase activity of the preparation is >95% sensitive to concanamycin A, indicating that the lipid nanodisc-reconstituted enzyme is functionally coupled.
In the reversible coupled rotatory mechanism for ATP-hydrolysis driven H+ transport, the coupling scheme is now basically complete. During rotation of single molecules of F1, phosphate release drives the last 40° of the 120° step, and the 40° rotation accompanies reduction of the affinity for phosphate. Moreover, the affinity for ADP decreases with rotation, and thus, ADP release contributes part of energy for rotation (Adachi et al., 2007; Senior, 2007). Surprisingly, Uchihashi et al. (2011), using high speed atomic force microscopy, have shown that the F1 ATPase exhibits rotary catalysis in the absence of the rotor. Post-translational modifications modulate both the F0 and F1 proteins, affecting the ATPase activity in response to different stimuli (Nesci et al. 2017). The cryoEM structure of the ATP synthase from Mycobacterium smegmatis provides targets for treating tuberculosis (Montgomery et al. 2021).
The rotary proton- and sodium-translocating ATPases are reversible molecular machines present in all cellular life forms that couple ion movement across membranes with ATP hydrolysis or synthesis. Sequence and structural comparisons of F- and V-type ATPases have revealed homology between their catalytic and membrane subunits, but not between the subunits of the central stalk that connects the catalytic and membrane components. It has been proposed that these ATPases originated from membrane protein translocases which evolved from RNA translocases (Mulkidjanian et al., 2007). The Na+-pumping ATP synthase of Acetobacterium woodii has an unusual feature: its membrane-embedded rotor is a hybrid made of F and V-like subunits in a stoichiometry of 9:1, apparently not variable with the growth conditions (Schmidt et al., 2009). The diversity of rotary ion-translocating ATPases from different organisms (F- V- and A-types) has been reviewed (Zubareva et al. 2020).
Bacterial operons for F(1)F(0)-ATP synthase typically include an uncI gene encodes a small hydrophobic protein. When Suzuki et al. (2007) expressed a hybrid F(1)F(0) (F(1) from thermophilic Bacillus PS3 and Na+-translocating F(0) from Propionigenium modestum) in E. coli cells, they found that uncI derived from P. modestum was indispensable to produce active enzyme; without uncI, c-subunits in F(1)F(0) existed as monomers but not as a functional c(11)-ring. A plasmid containing only uncI and the c-subunit gene produced c(11)-ring, but a plasmid containing only the c-subunit gene did not. Direct interaction of the UncI protein with c-subunits was demonstrated. Na+ induced dissociation of His-tagged UncI protein from the c(11)-ring but not from c-monomers. Thus, UncI is a chaperone-like protein that assists the c(11)-ring assembly from the c-monomers in the membrane (Suzuki et al., 2007). Ozaki et al., (2008) have confirmed these observations. The halotolerant cyanobacterium, Aphanothece halophytica, contains an Na+-dependent F1F0-ATP synthase with a potential role in salt-stress tolerance (Soontharapirakkul et al., 2011).
The prokaryotic V-ATPase of Enterococcus hirae, closely related to the eukaryotic enzymes, provides a unique opportunity to study ion translocation by V-ATPases because it transports Na+ ions, which are easier to detect by x-ray crystallography and radioisotope experiments (Murata et al., 2008). The purified rotor ring (K-ring) of the E. hirae V-ATPase binds one Na+ ion per K-monomer with high affinity, which is competitively inhibited by Li+ or H+. The K-ring structure was determined at 2.8 A in the presence of Li+. Association and dissociation rates of the Na+ to and from the purified K-ring were extremely slow compared with the Na+ translocation rate estimated from the enzymatic activity, suggesting that interaction with the stator subunit (I-subunit) is essential for Na+ binding to and release from the K-ring.
Subunit a of the vacuolar H+-ATPases is an integral membrane 100kDa subunit, thought to contribute to and leave buried carboxyl groups on the proteolipid subunits (c, c' and c'') during proton translocation. Subunit a contains a large N-terminal cytoplasmic domain followed by a C-terminal domain containing eight transmembrane (TM) helices. TM7 contains a buried arginine residue (Arg-735) that is essential for proton transport and is located on a helical face that interacts with the proteolipid ring (Toei et al., 2011). Residues important for proton transport are located on the cytoplasmic half of TM7 and TM8 and the luminal half of TM3, TM4 and TM7. The cytoplasmic hemi-channel is located at the interface of TM7 and TM8 of subunit a and the proteolipid ring, whereas the luminal hemi-channel is located within subunit a at the interface of TM3, TM4 and TM7.
Rotary ATPases/synthases from Thermus thermophilus and Enterococcus hirae are maintained intact with membrane and soluble subunit interactions preserved in vacuum. Mass spectra reveal subunit stoichiometries and the identity of tightly bound lipids within the membrane rotors. Moreover, subcomplexes formed in solution and gas phases reveal the regulatory effects of nucleotide binding on both ATP hydrolysis and proton translocation. Consequently, specific lipid and nucleotide binding can be linked with distinct regulatory roles (Zhou et al., 2011).
Rotations of F1-ATPase occurs reversibly in discrete 120° steps by precisely controlling both the external torque and the chemical potential of ATP hydrolysis. Toyabe et al. (2011) found that the maximal work performed by F1-ATPase per 120° step is nearly equal to the thermodynamic maximal work that can be extracted from a single ATP hydrolysis event under a broad range of conditions. Their results support a nearly 100% free-energy transduction efficiency and a tight mechanochemical coupling.
The ability of c-rings to rotate within the F(o) complex derives from the interplay between the ion-binding sites and their nonhomogenous microenvironment (Pogoryelov et al., 2010). Pogoryelov et al. (2010) demonstrated how the thermodynamic stability of the so-called proton-locked state is maximized by the lipid membrane. By contrast, a hydrophilic environment at the a-subunit-c-ring interface appears to unlock the binding-site conformation and promotes proton exchange with the surrounding solution. Rotation thus occurs as c-subunits stochastically alternate between these environments, directionally biased by the electrochemical transmembrane gradient. Intrinsic features of the annular arrangement of c subunits, the c-ring, provides the core of the membrane-embedded FO domain. The c-ring constitution is linked to the number of ions, H+ or Na+, channeled across the membrane during the dissipation of the transmembrane electrochemical gradient, which in turn determines the species-specific bioenergetic cost of ATP, the 'molecular currency unit' of energy transfer (Nesci et al. 2016).
Allegretti et al. 2015 reported the structure of a native, active mitochondrial ATP synthase dimer, determined by single- particle electron cryomicroscopy at 6.2 Å resolution. The structure showed four long, horizontal membrane-intrinsic α-helices in the a-subunit, arranged in two hairpins at an angle of approximately 70 degrees relative to the c-ring helices. It had been proposed that a strictly conserved membrane-embedded arginine in the a-subunit couples proton translocation to c-ring rotation. A fit of the conserved carboxy-terminal a-subunit sequence places the conserved arginine next to a proton-binding c-subunit glutamate. The map shows a slanting solvent-accessible channel that extends from the mitochondrial matrix to the conserved arginine. Another hydrophilic cavity on the lumenal membrane surface defines a direct route for the protons to an essential histidine-glutamate pair. The results explain how ATP production is coupled to proton translocation (Allegretti et al. 2015).
The molecular structure of the transmembrane domain of ATP synthases is responsible for inner mitochondrial membrane bending. According to a hypothesized mechanism, ATP synthase dissociation from dimers to monomers, triggered by Ca2+ binding to F1, allows mitochondrial permeability transition pore formation at the interface between the detached monomers (Nesci 2018).
Bedaquiline (BDQ, trade name Sirturo) for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis disease, targets the membrane-bound F1Fo-ATP synthase and is a respiratory 'uncoupler', disrupting transmembrane electrochemical gradients, in addition to binding to enzyme targets. Hards and Cook 2018 summarized the role of bioenergetic systems in mycobacterial persistence and discuss the multi-targeting nature of uncouplers and the place these molecules may have in future drug development.
An arginine residue (Arg-735) in transmembrane helix 7 (TM7) of subunit a of the yeast ATPase is known to be essential for proton translocation. Arginine residues are usually assumed to 'snorkel' toward the protein surface when exposed to a hydrophobic environment. However, Hohlweg et al. 2018 obtained evidence for the formation of a transient, membrane-embedded cation-π interaction in TM7 between Arg-735 and two highly conserved nearby aromatic residues, Tyr-733 and Trp-737. They proposed a mechanism by which the transient, membrane-embedded cation-π complex provides the necessary energy to keep the charged side chain of Arg-735 within the hydrophobic membrane. Such cation-π interactions may define a general mechanism to retain charged amino acids in a hydrophobic membrane environment (Hohlweg et al. 2018).
The strictly anaerobic rumen bacterium Pseudobutyrivibrio ruminis possesses 2 ATP synthases and 2 distinct respiratory enzymes, the ferredoxin oxidoreductase (Rnf complex, TC# 3.D.6) and the energy-converting hydrogenase (Ech complex, TC# 3.D.1.4.2) (Schoelmerich et al. 2020). In silico analyses revealed that one ATP synthase is H+-dependent, and the other is Na+-dependent. Growth of P. ruminis was greatly stimulated by Na+, and a 2-component ion circuit for H+ bioenergetics and a second 2-component ion circuit for Na+ bioenergetics was demonstrated. These 2 circuits are prevalent in a number of other strictly anaerobic microorganisms (Schoelmerich et al. 2020).
The mitochondrial F1-F0-ATPase in the presence of Mg2+ can both synthesize ATP and hydrolyze ATP to pump H+. Mg2+ can be replaced by Ca2+ , but only to sustain ATP hydrolysis, not ATP synthesis. When Ca2+ inserts into F1, the torque generation built by the chemomechanical coupling between F1 and the rotating central stalk is unable to drive the transmembrane H+ flux within F0. The structural F1-F0-ATPase distortion driven by ATP hydrolysis, sustained by Ca2+, is consistent with the permeability transition pore signal propagation pathway. Ca2+-activated F1-F0-ATPase, by forming the pore, may contribute to dissipation of the transmembrane H+ gradient created by the same enzyme complex (Nesci and Pagliarani 2020).
The generalized transport reaction for F-type, V-type and A-type ATPases is:
nH+ (in) [or nNa+ (in)] + ATP nH+ (out) [or nNa+ (out)] + ADP + Pi
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More than any other country in the world, Japan is a case study in the triumphs of human engineering. Every Japanese manufacturer prides itself on energy efficiency and zero-landfill waste policies. The train and subway stations are models of precision and the application of information technology. Late last week, I visited Toyota's astonishing Tsutsumi auto plant, near the car company's headquarters in Toyoda City. With a capacity of 400,000 vehicles per year—this is where the Prius is made—it's clean, bright, full of erector-set conveyer belts, and thinly staffed. The welding shop is like a scene from The Terminator—a thicket of robots extend their arms, moving large pieces of metal and blasting them with shots of heat. (The section where robots stamp "Obama '08" and "NPR" bumper stickers on the hybrid vehicles must have been around the corner.) On Monday, I visited a small company in Osaka that hopes its cardboard, female-shaped robot will garner a share of the mannequin market. The engineers also demonstrated a robot that can dance and act and a third that can identify whether people are men or women ("You are a beautiful lady!") and guess their ages (inaccurately, it turns out).
And yet, while traveling around Japan with a group of journalists, I've also continually encountered what seem to be exquisitely engineered inefficiencies. There are a large number of people whose jobs seem to be standing around and calling out greetings and gesturing the way to enter stores, restaurants, hotels, and office buildings. Walk into a midrange hotel, and a swarm of bellmen and desk clerks worthy of a Four Seasons springs into action. At the Takashimiya department stores, two women flank each bank of four elevators, pushing the call button. Parking garages in Tokyo feature a half-dozen uniformed parking attendants who call out greetings and farewells. When we visited the Japan Iron and Steel Federation, we saw three women on their hands and knees working on stains. (What, there's no robot that specializes in stain removal?)
Everywhere you go, there seem to be human redundancies, people spending valuable time doing things that don't need to be done or that could easily be done by a single person. At a luncheon for about 20 at the Nippon Press Center, we were waited on by a half-dozen waiters, as if we were aristocrats. Even rarely visited government agencies have multiple press officers. Visit a company or a government agency in the United States, and you're likely to get key data and presentations on memory sticks or CDs. Here, we've been buried in paper everywhere we've gone—laboriously printed out and handed out with great ceremony. When I went to a police station (a lost passport scare; don't ask), it took 30 minutes to impart a small amount of information, which the officer dutifully wrote down on a sheet of paper. There was no computer in sight.
A lot of the human inefficiencies have to do with Japan's high regard for politesse and manners. Social and business transactions take time because of the need for extensive greetings and farewells. Technology here seems to be for moving people, goods, and information—not for completing human transactions. And with universal health insurance and a national pension program, there's a dignity to low-level service jobs in Japan. It could be that the inefficiencies have something to do with a societal desire for full employment. Japan would prefer to have its citizens in make-work jobs than not working at all. For much of the postwar glory years, Japan's unemployment rate was in the 2 percent range. Even now, amid a deep global recession, it's at about 5 percent.
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(na)No Luck A story of dust, prejudice and nanotechnology By Adelina Mihaela Halchin The sun gleamed joyfully above Great Britain when Dunst was brought into our world. He was a particle of dirt, forged in the heart of the ancient, continuouslyeroding mountains of Scotland. Though hardly visible for the human eye, Dunst gained a reputation among other dust particles for having the great ambition of settling for the rest of his life on the newest building in the country. So once he caught a gale of wind, on he went on his journey. He travelled fast, passing in his gallop by other particles of dirt. He heard all kinds of stories about grime which deposited on the surfaces of architectural masterpieces, or on the edge of the skyscrapers` roofs, thus living in serendipity among others of their kin. But existing on a normal surface was not mighty enough for Dunst! He wanted, by contaminating the most recent building in the country, to laugh in humanity`s face that no matter how advanced the technology is, nothing could possibly beat nature. There were times in his journey when he and his dust pals gathered to tell horror stories, of rumours about fantastic materials which did not allow dirt to stick to them after being splashed with water. There was a word that everybody feared to say, a word that made their light bodies shiver with panic: nanotechnology. This strange entity was said to make buildings so super hydrophobic that not even water particles adhered to them, and all the specs of dust were to roll into oblivion along with rainwater. Of course, for Dunst, these were all figments of the imaginations of the storytellers, as he chose not to believe in such absurd fables. Little did he know that the unfathomable hell for all dust particles was in reality extensively used all around the world and inspired by Mother Nature, since in Great Britain lotuses were not particularly widespread. The flowers made a name for themselves as a symbol of purity due to their leaves, naturally coated with nanoparticles of wax. Dunst was about to discover how humanity learnt from the water repellency of the lotuses when he reached his destination. As the wind carried him above London, a futuristic-looking building had just had its inauguration, thus ideal for demonstrating his idea, though Dunst. He hit one of the perfectly cleaned windows, and he marveled at the fact that he was the only dust particle on it! His joy was momentary and fragile, however. Heavy clouds quickly gathered and cold droplets of water started falling all around him, but he thought of himself as immune. He only panicking when he noticed that rainwater did not splash the glass as he expected it to do, but instead it rolled in well-defined spheres. He looked up and saw a large sphere heading towards him and, trembling, tried to move away from it. But the water drop caught him and spun him along the windows and the walls of the building all the way to the pavement, where he joined other dirt specks, only to be further carried in the sewage system. What an unfortunate end for the mighty Dunst. His incredulousness in the intelligence of the people of the 21st century turned him into sewage material, everything because of nanotechnology. Selfcleaning surfaces may have been the end of Dunst, but they were certainly the beginning of the new era of the nano! The End!
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After 12 years of war, the beginning of an end
The recent announcement that the United States government is seeking to engage in a process of negotiation with the Taliban suggests that we are now entering the final phase of the latest war in Afghanistan. This announcement is full of implications for the United States, its Western allies and for the future of Afghanistan, coming as it does on top of the decision to terminate Western combat operations by the end of 2014.
Any negotiation with the Taliban represents an admission of one indisputable fact. That fact is that after 12 years of counter-insurgency operations the United States and its allies have failed to achieve their principal military objective, which was the defeat and elimination of the Taliban as a military and political force in Afghanistan.
Although the Taliban are somewhat bruised and battered, they are still standing and continue to pose a threat to the security and stability of the state that the Western powers have sought to establish in Afghanistan. There is no victory, there will be no victory, and there will certainly be no victory parades.
The inconclusive end to this war will undoubtedly give rise to a lot of questions in Western countries, most notably the United States. Why were the Western armies, with their vastly superior training, equipment and firepower, unable to defeat the Taliban? Was the whole long enterprise really worth the large number of lives lost and the hundreds of billions of dollars expended? Were the Western political leaders who decided to stay the course in Afghanistan deluded, incompetent or both?
These and other questions will undermine the willingness of Western publics and the ability of Western governments to engage in future foreign military operations when the need arises. They will also foster doubts about the effectiveness and usefulness of NATO, and may well lead to dissension within the ranks of the Alliance.
For the people of Afghanistan, the initiation of negotiations with the Taliban gives rise to one overriding question: what are the likely outcomes of those negotiations? Even an entirely successful process of negotiations leading to a ceasefire agreement will not necessarily mean the end of the insurgency in Afghanistan. The Taliban is not a homogeneous movement and some of its commanders may well decide not to abide by whatever is decided by its leaders.
Nor is the Taliban the only insurgent movement in Afghanistan. There is the Pakistan-based Haqqani network, which has been responsible for some of the bloodiest attacks in Afghanistan. There is also the Hezb-I-Islami group led by Gulbaddin Hekmatyar, which has been in the field for more than 20 years. Neither of these latter two will consider themselves bound by the results of a negotiation in which they were not involved, and may well decide to keep on fighting.
On the political front, the negotiations are also fraught with problems. If successful they will no doubt lead to the entry into the Afghan government of members of the Taliban. Ministers drawn from the ranks of the Taliban may well agree to abide by the provisions of the Afghan constitution and to cooperate with other, more secular, members of the government. But for how long? They will almost certainly be on the lookout for every opportunity to advance their basic objective of creating an Islamic state in Afghanistan.
They will have every reason to foster or exploit dissension within the government in pursuit of what they regard as a higher good. This in itself is hardly a recipe for political stability. (To further complicate matters, there is the short-term question of what sort of presidential elections will be held in 2014 and who will succeed President Hamid Karzai.)
The entry of members of the Taliban into the government will also provoke profound resentment on the part of some of Afghanistan’s major ethnic groups. The Taliban are primarily Pashtuns, and their accession to office will be seen as yet another attempt to affirm Pashtun supremacy in the country. The Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazzaras, who together represent a majority of Afghanistan’s population, regard the Taliban as enemies on both ethnic and ideological grounds.
Some may express their discontent by withdrawing from the government, while others may seek to foment secessionist movements in the regions they control. And in those regions they still have well-armed militias and tribal groupings to challenge the writ of the government.
Whatever the outcome of negotiations between the United States and the Taliban, or between the Afghan government and the Taliban, it would be unwise to discount the role of external actors in determining the future of the country. There are at least seven regional countries that feel that they have a direct interest in what happens in Afghanistan. These are India, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Each of these countries is, to a greater or lesser extent, pursuing its interests and playing its own “funny games” in Afghanistan. Their involvement is unlikely to cease simply because a ceasefire agreement may be reached with the Taliban.
The complexities of the Afghan situation mean that an end to hostilities with the Taliban and the withdrawal of Western combat forces will by no means guarantee a peaceful future for the country. On the contrary, predictions for that future are more often than not quite dire.
Some foresee a complete breakdown of the Afghan national army and national police along ethnic lines. Others predict a return to widespread civil war and the overthrow of the government in Kabul. Yet others, such as the distinguished Indian strategic thinker Brahma Chellany, think it likely that Afghanistan will break up completely and be divided into several ethnically based states, with all of the implications that would have for regional stability. In short, the travails of the long suffering Afghan people are still probably far from over.
Louis A. Delvoie is a Fellow at Queen's University's Centre for International and Defence Policy and Former Canadian Ambassador to Algeria and High Commissioner to Pakistan.
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How To locate Drawing Ideas
Artist’s block is common and it can strike anytime. The fine side is that there are some things that you can get to get drawing ideas. Here are some of the things that you can do:
You could be lacking drawing ideas but in a genuine wisdom the ideas might be just there in the past your eyes. If you are sitting in a room, you isolated compulsion to look something like the room and you will locate something that you want to draw.
Some of the things that you can find in your room can be a table, chair, television or whatever that might acquire your fancy.
As an performer you probably know that the shades and textures that you put on the paper are the ones that determine the atmosphere of your drawing and not the objects that you have drawn; therefore, it doesn’t concern what you have drawn as long as your drawing is of tall quality.
It has been shown that portraits tend to have enough money you fast inspiration and drawing ideas. One of the easiest portraits that you magnetism is yours. Here you deserted dependence to find a mirror and draw your portrait.
The good side as soon as drawing your portrait is that you are always present next drawing; therefore, you are always available as the subject. If you are gone a friend, you can ask him/her to let you draw a portrait of him/her.
Take a walk
Staying in one place for a long times is usually allied in the manner of dearth of ideas. If you locate that you are handing out out of drawing ideas, it’s recommended that you resign yourself to a walk or just sit uncovered for some time.
When external you should be cautious of all that you can see. This can be light, sounds, smells, colors, temperature, trees, buildings, people, and all else. By conveniently observing what nature has to offer, you will most likely locate something that you might be eager in drawing.
Once you find something that gets your fancy you should start drawing sharply – this is to ensure that you don’t forget what you were supposed to draw.
Take a see at what supplementary artists have done
Looking at what further artists have done is bound to offer you some ideas. Here you need to visit your local gallery or art museum. You can as well as go to the library and peruse the various art books. considering the deposit of technology, you can moreover locate many resources online.
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how to draw a wolf cute easy pictures to draw this is a drawing of a wolf its one of the many animals i ve been goin over how to draw its one of the many animals i ve been goin over how to draw category how to draw wolf simple step by step tutorial in this art video i show you how to draw a cute wolf cub baby wolf leave a comment if you have questions and requests don t forget to subscribe for more category education show more show less how to draw a cartoon wolf easy learn how to draw this cute cartoon wolf step by step easy perfect follow along art lesson for kids of all ages how to draw cute animals https www yo how to draw a baby wolf howling cute easy pictures to draw how to draw a baby wolf howling cute easy pictures to draw this is a drawing of a wolf its one of the many animals i ve been goin over how to draw its a followup to how to draw a wolf i go how to draw a wolf howling cartoon how to draw a husky puppy easy duration 10 36 draw so cute 1 056 091 views 10 36 how to draw a cartoon horse duration 10 12 art for kids hub 1 943 220 views 10 12 11 weird ways to how to draw a cartoon wolf easy step cute easy drawings this is a cute little wolf standing like a human it pretends to have terrible expressions and movements as if to want to scare us away step by step tutorial teach you how to draw this cartoon wolf very simple if kids like it follow how to draw a roaring wolf step by step for kids cute this is a beautiful wolf as if it is roaring to announce its territory to other wolves the wolf is alert suspicious good at running strong endurance step by step tutorial on how to draw the wolf for children is very simple if you lik how to draw a cute wolf step by step drawing guide by description i have two more tutorials today that will be a part of the cute series and for starters i will submit a lesson that will show you how to draw a cute wolf step by step wolves are always fun to draw because they are just plain out awesome n how to draw a cartoon wolf draw animals cute art fun2draw i hope this drawing tutorial makes it easier in how to draw a cartoon wolf drawing wolves can be fun you can draw a wolf howling at the moon in a few minutes with this art lesson video how to draw a wolf easy step by step drawing guides good cheap paper to draw on or a sketch pad to take with you on your travels bright easy to blend colored pencils or cheaper oil pastels pencil set to practice drawing and shading together with a vinyl or kneaded eraser and a sharpener if you draw a lot with pencils you could even get yourself an electric sharpener
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Generations of readers have enjoyed the ingenuous triumphs and feckless mishaps of boyhood days on the Mississippi. This classic of American wit and storytelling introduced Tom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher, Aunt Polly, the Widow Douglas, and many other characters to the world, of course, the boy who was cordially hated and dreaded by all the mothers of the town, because he was idle and lawless and vulgar and bad - and because all their children admired him so, Huckleberry Finn.
Trouble's a-brewin'! For Tom Sawyer and his friends, every day is filled with adventure and mayhem. With murder mysteries to solve, pirate islands and robbers' dens to explore, and mischief to make, the quiet town of St. Petersburg doesn't remain sleepy for long! Readers around the world love this tale of suspense and comedy.
This is the version for younger readers as an introduction to Mark Twain
Made less satirical than Mark Twain's classic and simplified for younger readers, this retelling is still a lively romp. A beggar and a prince look so alike that they change places but then cannot immediately switch back. Mayer's (The Unicorn and the Lake) adaptation is serviceable if not sparkling; she retains all the key scenes of the story but flattens Twain's archaisms. While some of the original's sophisticated humor gets lost in the translation, much of it remains. For example, when Edward, the prince, tries telling pauper Tom's parents that he is really the Prince of Wales, Tom's mother responds, Oh, poor Tom, it's all those books you read that's done this to you. And in court, when Tom is given a finger bowl, he drinks from it, announcing, This is a very flavorless soup. Lippincott (Bruce Coville's Magic Shop series) vibrantly renders the ragged features of the paupers, and his tableaux are full of life. His palace scenes are ornate, light-filled watercolors of splendor in which the boys' homely, toothy faces seem like the only real and honest things. For readers not yet ready for Twain, this version, like its model, will make them think about their places in the world.
Amazon Best of the Month, October 2009: Jonathan Lethem, the home-grown frontrunner of a generation of Brooklyn writers, crosses the bridge to Manhattan in Chronic City, a smart, unsettling, and meticulously hilarious novel of friendship and real estate among the rich and the rent-controlled. Lethem's story centers around two unlikely friends, Chase Insteadman, a genial nonentity who was once a child sitcom star and now is best known as the loyal fiancé of a space-stranded astronaut, and Perkus Tooth, a skinny, moody, underemployed cultural critic. Chase and Perkus are free-floating, dope-dependent bohemians in a borough built on ambition, living on its margins but with surprising access to its centers of power, even to the city's billionaire mayor. Paranoiac Perkus sees urgent plots everywhere–in the font of The New Yorker, in an old VHS copy of Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid–but Chronic City, despite the presence of death, politics, and a mysterious, marauding tiger, is itself light on plot. Eschewing dramatic staples like romance and artistic creation for the more meandering passions of friendship and observation, Chronic City thrives instead on the brilliance of Lethem's ear and eye. Every page is a pleasure of pitch-perfect banter and spot-on cultural satire, cut sharply with the melancholic sense that being able to explain your city doesn't make you any more capable of living in it. –Tom Nissley
At the age of ten, shy, vulnerable Fanny Price leaves behind her impoverished family in Portsmouth to go and live with her rich relatives at Mansfield Park.
Growing up with her cousins Tom, Edmund, Maria and Julia, she is aware that she is different from them and that her place in society cannot be taken for granted, although she is not treated unkindly. A dashing couple from London, Mary Crawford and her brother Henry, enter this stable, rural world. They succeed in dazzling everyone ant Mansfield Park, except for Fanny, who sees through their shallow veneer. Throughout the dramatic events that follow it is she who is able the bring back some stability to the ruptured lives of those around her.
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On 15th October 2011 the Occupy Wall Street protests went global with over 1,000 protests around the world. In the UK occupations occured in a number of towns and cities. In London, activists tried to occupy Paternoster Square in front of the London Stock Exchange & Goldman Sachs. Police removed them, but they reconverged outside St Pauls Cathedral, where they remained for 4 months until they were evicted on 28th Feb 2012. Clergy at St Pauls in media interviews validated the views of the Occupy movement & Occupy’s critique of the current financial system. Occupy London continues to organise events all the time, including Occupy Democracy.
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Wholesale Spray Carnations
Spray carnations enjoy great popularity among carnation lovers and other consumer groups. Small, colourful and highly versatile, spray carnations prove that even in selecting flowers, size really does not matter.
Spray carnations are also known as miniature carnations. This is because they are smaller than standard carnations, with a flower size that only reaches up to 2 inches in diameter. Like their larger relatives, they possess ruffled petals and are available throughout the year. They are usually grown in greenhouses.
Spray carnations are so named because they have multiple flowers in every stem. Because of this, it is to be expected that within a single bunch, you would find branches with several blooms in them. Pink spray carnations are perhaps the most popular, but this variety comes in a wide spectrum of hues that makes them ideal for a great range of events and occasions.
Spray carnations, with their small flowers, can be used as supplements for any bouquet or vase arrangement. Being small, they are great at emphasizing the bigger flowers in the arrangement. As a bunch, you can use them as the centrepiece especially in small bouquets, much like their even smaller relative, the Baby’s Breath.
You can find spray carnations in Floraco, Western Australia’s leading source of fresh cut flowers. Our flowers are grown using the best process, imbuing them with superior quality and vase life.
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When are the prayer times today in Lalmonirhat?
Salah (or Salat), the second pillar of Islam, consists of five daily prayers. These prayers are Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha. It is important to know the Islamic prayers times in Lalmonirhat because they must be done according to the exact position of the sun in the sky. As a result, these times will vary from day to day.
Today, islamic prayers in Lalmonirhat happen at the following times (according to University of Islamic Sciences, Karachi calculation method):
- Fajr (dawn prayer): 04:09
- Dhuhr (noon prayer): 12:08
- Asr (afternoon prayer): 15:38
- Maghrib (dusk prayer): 18:43
- Isha (sunset prayer): 20:06
Salah is sometimes referred to as Namaz and the times of Namaz in Lalmonirhat are listed below. For times of prayer for tomorrow and next days please refer to the timetable below.
Azan prayers timing
The Azan is a signal inviting worshipers to attend the prayer. It is given five times per day prior to each prayer. The call is delivered by the Muezzin.
Listed below are the Lalmonirhat Salah times for the next 30 days. Please check these times daily for the most up-to-date time.
The times listed below have been determined by the University of Islamic Sciences, Karachi calculation method.
|Aug 9, 2022||04:09||05:32||12:08||15:38||18:43||20:06|
|Aug 10, 2022||04:10||05:33||12:08||15:38||18:42||20:05|
|Aug 11, 2022||04:10||05:33||12:07||15:38||18:42||20:04|
|Aug 12, 2022||04:11||05:33||12:07||15:38||18:41||20:03|
|Aug 13, 2022||04:12||05:34||12:07||15:38||18:40||20:02|
|Aug 14, 2022||04:12||05:34||12:07||15:37||18:39||20:01|
|Aug 15, 2022||04:13||05:35||12:07||15:37||18:38||20:00|
|Aug 16, 2022||04:14||05:35||12:07||15:37||18:37||19:59|
|Aug 17, 2022||04:14||05:36||12:06||15:37||18:37||19:58|
|Aug 18, 2022||04:15||05:36||12:06||15:37||18:36||19:57|
|Aug 19, 2022||04:16||05:37||12:06||15:37||18:35||19:56|
|Aug 20, 2022||04:16||05:37||12:06||15:36||18:34||19:55|
|Aug 21, 2022||04:17||05:38||12:05||15:36||18:33||19:54|
|Aug 22, 2022||04:17||05:38||12:05||15:36||18:32||19:52|
|Aug 23, 2022||04:18||05:38||12:05||15:36||18:31||19:51|
|Aug 24, 2022||04:19||05:39||12:05||15:35||18:30||19:50|
|Aug 25, 2022||04:19||05:39||12:04||15:35||18:29||19:49|
|Aug 26, 2022||04:20||05:40||12:04||15:35||18:28||19:48|
|Aug 27, 2022||04:20||05:40||12:04||15:35||18:27||19:47|
|Aug 28, 2022||04:21||05:41||12:04||15:34||18:26||19:46|
|Aug 29, 2022||04:22||05:41||12:03||15:34||18:25||19:44|
|Aug 30, 2022||04:22||05:41||12:03||15:34||18:24||19:43|
|Aug 31, 2022||04:23||05:42||12:03||15:33||18:23||19:42|
|Sep 1, 2022||04:23||05:42||12:02||15:33||18:22||19:41|
|Sep 2, 2022||04:24||05:43||12:02||15:32||18:21||19:40|
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How are prayer times calculated for Lalmonirhat?
The prayer times of each of the five prayers are determined by the specific position of the sun in the sky. The Lalmonirhat Salah times typically change daily, the prayer times will be different on each day. Usually, the time only varies by a minute per day but some days will have the same time for multiple days consecutively. Because of the changing times, it is important to check the prayer schedule each day.
Why is it important to know exact prayer times in Lalmonirhat?
Since prayer times are dictated by the position of the sun, the precise times must be adhered to. A prayer must never be performed earlier than the set time. Each prayer is directed to be performed at a certain, specific, exact time.
Cities near Lalmonirhat
- Lhamoy Zingkha Gewog
- Joypur Hāt
Prayer times in other cities of Bangladesh
- Cox’s Bāzār
- Pār Naogaon
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This work will develop algorithms for a novel materials transport and manipulation system which will have applications ranging from flexible manufacturing to package handling. This new system, termed the Modular Distributed Manipulator System (MDMS), comprises an array of actuators each of which is capable of inducing a directed force to an object resting on it. Each cell has its own microprocessor allowing for completely distributed control via a network that allows neighboring cells to communicate.
The MDMS combines the benefits of conveyor and robotic transfer system technologies because it can both transport large heavy objects for long distances and precisely position and orient them. Since sensing and manipulation are distributed, each of many parcels can be manipulated independently, appearing as if each parcel were carried by a separate vehicle.
Current micro-electromechanical distributed manipulation algorithms are insufficient for the MDMS because the latter operates at a macroscopic scale where consideration of mass and friction are critical. Previous MEMS manipulation research has not explicitly dealt with these issues because the approaches were geared towards microscopic applications. The proposed work not only incorporates mass and friction --- it exploits them.
Initially, the proposed algorithms will be tested on an existing eighteen cell prototype at Carnegie Mellon. However, this system will not adequately demonstrate the new theory because it does not have ample cells nor the appropriate suspension to effect all motions and manipulations. Furthermore, the computers in each cell are burdened with too much low level control, and thus auxiliary circuitry must be added to free the computer to perform higher-level tasks. A new prototype will be developed to address these drawbacks. Finally, a web-based interface will be developed to demonstrate the proposed algorithms and to enable other researchers to use the MDMS.
|The Robotics Institute is part of the School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University.|
Contact Us | Update Instructions
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We offer the widest product range of low-flow mass flow meters on the market. Numerous styles of both standard and bespoke instruments can be offered for applications in laboratory, machinery, industry and hazardous areas.
Customer satisfaction, innovation and quality of product and service have been the cornerstones of Bronkhorst's success. Based on our experience, innovation and sense of responsibility, a relationship with Bronkhorst assures Performance for Life.
Bronkhorst instruments are used for numerous applications in many different markets. In this section you will find an overview of the main markets for our equipment, illustrated with some typical examples of applications.
Are you looking for technical documentation, are you interested to learn more about the measuring principles of Bronkhorst products, or you do want to get in contact with a Bronkhorst Service Engineer? This section will guide you to the relevant service & support topics.
Bronkhorst High-Tech BV the leaders in Mass Flow Meter / Mass Flow Controller technology for gases and liquids, Pressure Controllers and Evaporation Systems.
Besides plasma as a natural phenomenon, this fascinating physical effect also takes place in manufacturing processes of products that we use in our daily lives. Such as: mobile phones, computers, solar panels and glass windows.
In plasma processes, plasma reactors are used. In plasma reactors gas flow, vapour flow and pressure play an important role. The flow- and pressure control of these gases into the reactor are regulated by flow controllers and pressure controllers. Flow controllers control the gas flow to the reactor chamber, where the gases are ignited into a plasma, and the pressure controller diverts the excess gas out of the reactor chamber, while maintaining the pressure.
As product manager of MEMS-based instruments at Bronkhorst, I recognize the importance of these products within plasma applications. The fact that I often get questions about plasma applications, inspired me to write this blog.
According to the Cambridge dictionary ‘plasma’ in physics is: "a highly ionised gas consisting of positive ions and free electrons". Because ionization and recombination of ions and electrons takes place continuously, the plasma emits a beautiful light. Plasma is therefore also called the fourth state of matter, next to solid, liquid and gas.
Examples of naturally occurring plasmas are: lightning, the northern lights and the nuclear activity in the sun and other stars. Man has learned from the natural occurrence of plasma and has turned it into technology that is used today for many technological processes.
Man-made examples are: plasma lamps, nuclear fusion reactors and ordinary fluorescent lamps. Last but not least, plasma reactors should be mentioned.
Plasma enables applying coatings onto surfaces of silicon chips, glass and metal pieces. For instance, a thin coating on a chip can be structured by an etching process involving plasma. It can also clean and activate a surface to enhance a bonding process between two pieces of material before gluing them together.
The gases introduced into a reactor form an ionized plasma by applying electrical power. A well-balanced adjustment of different gas flows, reactor pressure, temperature and electrical power turn the gases into a nice colourful light that spreads its magic on the materials inside the reactor, an ionized plasma. These balanced settings of gas flows and reactor pressure are obtained by mass flow controllers and electronic pressure controllers.
CVD, PVD, ALD, RIE, IBE, SAB are abbreviations for manufacturing processes in the semiconductor, solar and other industries that involve surface treatment. These processes are often performed in plasma reactors, using a plasma of gas mixtures or vapour.
These vapour and layer desposition processes are designed to apply a really thin coating with thicknesses in order of nanometres to micrometres. Most glass windows have a thin anti-reflection coating applied by physical vapour deposition - PVD.
Your computer monitor, you are now probably looking at, contains millions of pixels made by chemical vapour deposition - CVD.
You can read more about these surface treatment techniques on our website.
In cooperation with system builders, Bronkhorst serves end-users by supplying complete flow & pressure control systems. A possible construction of a flow & pressure control system for plasma processes is shown in the flow diagram.
Flow controllers add gases to the reactor chamber, where the gases are ignited into a plasma and used in the desired reaction with the inserted material. The pressure regulator plays an important role. It diverts the excess gases out of the reactor chamber, while maintaining an optimal process pressure.
In this setup of an evaporating system - Controlled Evaporator Module (CEM) - in combination with liquid flow controller and gas flow controller, supplies a vapour to a plasma reactor. Together with the gas flow controller below the CEM, which can add an extra gas, they create the perfect process conditions for the reactor chamber where the gases are ignited form a plasma.
The lower gas flow controller is used for the purge gas, usually nitrogen, which is used to flush out any unwanted gases from the reactor chamber after the process. An electronic pressure regulator directs the excess gas mixture away from the reactor chamber while maintaining the pressure in the process.
Controlled Evaporation and Mixing system for hydrophobic coating. Read more about how you can make fabrics and textiles hydrophobic with flow controllers.
When you install a flow meter you want the best performance right away. Check out our top 10 tips for installing your flow meter.
For a lot of people the difference between Calibration and Adjustment is confusing. Our Calibration Centre Manager will clarify these concepts.
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The FDA approved Medtronic’s IN.PACT Admiral drug-coated balloon Sept. 13 to treat in-stent restenosis in patients with peripheral artery disease.
Medtronic said in a news release that the IN.PACT Admiral was the first drug-coated balloon that the FDA approved to treat in-stent restenosis, which the company said occurs in nearly 40 percent of stents placed in the superficial femoral artery.
The approval was based on results of real-world data from the IN.PACT global study. The one-year primary patency rate for patients with complex in-stent restenosis was 88.7 percent, while the clinically driven target revascularization rate was 7.3 percent. The mean length of lesions was 17.2 cm, and 34 percent were occluded in-stent restenosis lesions.
The FDA approved the IN.PACT Admiral in December 2014 to treat peripheral artery disease. In July, the FDA expanded the drug-coated balloon’s indication to include longer, 150 mm lengths and in four, five and six mm diameters.
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You are here
DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Oreo cookies are taking on the universe with Oreo Skies, a new star chart messaging application (app). The classic cookie brand teamed with Nokia to develop a smartphone app that connects people in a way that has never been done before: through the stars, according to Mondelez International Inc.
Oreo Skies, available exclusively on Nokia Lumia Windows smartphones, lets users write messages and attach them to actual constellations revealed in the app. They can point their devices at the sky at any time in the day or night to explore a map of stars and constellations. When they touch a star that is part of a constellation, it will twist open like an Oreo cookie to show a message left for one or more friends. Users can search the Oreo Skies universe for specific stars, and friends can retrieve their messages by following a compass located in the upper-right corner of the display.
Users can also uncover messages from the Oreo brand in the form of shooting stars that periodically cross the screen. These stars contain special offers, recipes and incentives. Celestial facts and video content from astrophysicist Dr. Robert Kirshner, Clowes Professor of Science at Harvard University, is also available.
The person who sends the most messages during a lunar cycle, or every 30 days, will "own the moon" for the next lunar cycle and can place a special message on the moon that all Oreo Skies users will see. A real-time leaderboard will track users.
Additionally, Oreo fans without smartphones won't be left out -- mobile and desktop versions of the app are available on Facebook, along with the leaderboard.
"The Mondelez International Mobile Innovation Lab with Nokia is a key component of our mobile strategy, together with our incubation program, Mobile Futures," said Bonin Bough, vice president for global media and consumer engagement at Mondelez International. "It is meant to be an experimentation lab aimed at pushing the envelope of technology and reinventing mobile experiences. Over the past year, we've been exploring different brands and platforms, and we're excited to launch the Oreo Skies app into the marketplace as a result of the partnership."
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How can I help? That's a question Long Islanders continue to ask as recovery from superstorm Sandy soldiers on. While donations -- money, food, household supplies -- are still needed, many relief organizations are seeking volunteers who can donate their time and energy. Needs vary from boxing up and delivering donated items to more physical manual labor at construction sites. If you're able to pitch in, call or email ahead to coordinate when and where your efforts are most needed.
INFO 631-873-4775, firstname.lastname@example.org
WHAT'S NEEDED Volunteers to bag and distribute food
"In the aftermath of Sandy, Island Harvest has transitioned into emergency response mode, distributing food, water and personal-care items to thousands," says Nicole Kowaleski, vice president of development. Help is needed to sort through the items that are coming in -- volunteers with gas in their vehicles also are needed to deliver goods to distribution sites.
INFO 631-582-3663, ext. 109, licares.org
WHAT'S NEEDED People to answer phones and do data entry. Also, volunteers to sort and repack donated items (must be 16 or older)
Development and communications director Robin Amato says the organization is getting "tons" of donations that need to be sorted -- and it's being "flooded with calls from those needing help." Volunteers should register in advance.
Suffolk County SPCA
WHEN|WHERE Daily, 725 Veterans Memorial Hwy., building 16, Hauppauge
INFO 631-382-7722, suffolkspca.org
WHAT'S NEEDED Volunteers to assist in delivering pet food, help with administrative duties at the main office in Hauppauge.
The SPCA -- which until Sunday was operating a temporary mobile pet shelter in Farmingville for owners utilizing the Red Cross shelter at Sachem High School East -- says it is now turning its focus to getting donations of pet food distributed to areas hit hardest by the storm. Its main office in Hauppauge also needs volunteer manpower for office work ranging from answering phones to handling food donations and filing paperwork.
ALSO Nassau SPCA is assisting in running the county's pet-friendly shelter. "We need help with the animals and people to drop off supplies," says staffer Gary Rogers (516-272-0017, nassaucountyspca.org).
WHEN|WHERE 8:45 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday at various locations
INFO 631-422-4828, email@example.com
WHAT'S NEEDED Volunteers to help with construction of homes.
"We have four or five houses under construction," says Les Scheinfeld, director of development. Volunteer groups scheduled to help at job sites before the storm have had to cancel, leaving the organization in a bit of a lurch to keep progress going. Volunteers don't need to have any special skills but must be 16 or older to work at a construction site.
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Winning Strategies 6: Benefits of Managing Resources and Adjusting Treatment Planning with Dr. Jeff Lineberry.
Manage episode 318699954 series 2903789
Cosmetic Dentist, educator, and American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) accredited member Dr. Jeffery W. Lineberry joins Laura Kelly for the sixth installment of the Smiles Matter's "Winning Strategies" podcast. Dr. Lineberry and Laura discuss how learning to manage, assess and redirect resources to new areas has proven to be key strategies to support the success of a dental practice. Dr. Jeff Lineberry also provides insight into trends he has experienced in recent times— and how adjusting treatment planning protocols can help clinicians meet patients' needs in our current environment.
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The Criminal Court Process
The District Attorney’s Office and law enforcement decide if there is sufficient evidence to proceed with criminal charges based upon the evidence discovered through the investigation. If there is insufficient evidence, or if the victim is not in a position to continue with the court process, a decision may be made not to go forward with the criminal charges. This does not mean that the case could not be revisited in the future if the circumstances change.
Should the District Attorney’s Office decide to go forward with prosecution there are two separate options available: the District Court or the Superior Court. The following are some terms and information that will help you as your child’s case moves through the legal system.
The District Court deals with all misdemeanors and a few felonies. A misdemeanor is a criminal offense that may include the possibility of a fine or House of Correction sentence.
The Superior Court may hear any case, but mostly deals with felonies, cases where the potential penalty includes the possibility of incarceration in State Prison. The Grand Jury is the way that most cases come to be heard in Superior Court.
The Grand Jury is a group of 23 citizens who hear evidence from the Commonwealth. An Assistant District Attorney will present evidence primarily through questioning witnesses. If 12 grand jury members believe a crime was committed by the defendant, the accused will be indicted and arraigned in Superior Court. Witnesses may be asked to testify before the Grand Jury.
The person formally charged with a crime.
The court hearing in which the defendant is formally charged with a crime and enters a plea of guilty or not guilty
An amount of money that is sometimes imposed by the Court to ensure the defendant’s appearance at future court hearings. A Judge will consider several factors that may include the defendant’s prior criminal history, nature and circumstances of the charges, ties to the community and prior failure to appear in a court proceeding in determining whether or not bail is appropriate. A defendant held on bail is required to pay the amount of bail money imposed in order to be released. Not all persons charged with a crime are held on bail. Certain “Conditions of Release” may be imposed upon the defendant at arraignment. One example is to stay away and have no contact with a victim/victim’s family.
This is a hearing in which the prosecutor and the defense report the status of the case to the Court.
A series of court dates where both the prosecutor and defense attorney exchange information about the case with each other. Under Commonwealth v. Dwyer, a defendant may have access to a victim’s privileged counseling and medical records.
Requests to the Judge to hear and decide legal questions
There are two different types of trials. The first is a jury trial where randomly selected members of the community will hear the facts of the case and decide whether or not there is enough evidence to convict the defendant of a crime. The second is a bench trial where the Judge hears the facts of the case without a jury and decides whether or not there is enough evidence to convict the defendant of a crime.
After a guilty verdict or a plea of guilty, the Judge will sentence the defendant. The Judge considers the evidence and recommendations of the prosecutor and defense attorney. The Judge also must stay within the limits set by the Legislature for that particular crime.
Getting Ready for Court
If there is a trial, your Victim/Witness Advocate and Prosecutor will help your child prepare for Court. This may include a visit to the courtroom and talking about what to expect. Some important things to remember if the case goes to trial:
- During the trial, the offender will be in the courtroom at all stages, including your child’s testimony. Your child will be reassured that the abuser cannot hurt them or talk to them, and that there are Court Officers in the courtroom to prevent such things from happening.
- If you are a witness, you will not be allowed in the courtroom while your child is testifying. In some cases, it might be easier for your child not to have you there. However, your child should never be in the courtroom without a trusting friendly face, so make sure your Victim/Witness Advocate, a good friend or a trusted relative stays with your child at all times.
Being a Witness
Some helpful reminders about the importance of being a witness:
- You are sworn to tell the truth.
Always be honest when testifying. Telling the truth requires that a witness testify accurately about what he or she knows. As a witness in a case, it is your responsibility to tell the truth.
- Do not guess.
If you honestly do not know the answer to a question, please state so.
- Understand the question.
If you do not understand a question that is posed to you, please ask the attorney to repeat it or to clarify it for you.
- Take your time.
Give the questions the thought they require.
- Only answer the question that is asked.
Do not volunteer information.
- Speak in a loud voice.
What you have to say is very important. The jury needs to hear you. Keep in mind, most microphones in the courtroom are for recording purposes only, they will not amplify your voice.
- Give audible answers.
The court reporter needs to accurately record your answers. Do not nod your head.
- If an objection is raised.
Remain silent; the Judge must make a ruling of law. If the Judge deems the question admissible, you will be instructed to answer.
- Dress appropriately.
The courtroom is a formal setting and it is important for all witnesses to dress neatly and appropriately.
- Stay calm and be courteous.
Do not lose your temper, fence or argue with either attorney. Answer all questions, whether they are posed by the Commonwealth or the defense politely, and to the best of your recollection.
Victim Impact Statements
What is a Victim Impact Statement?
Victims of crime and their families have the right to participate, and to be heard in the criminal justice system through the use of Victim Impact Statements. A Victim Impact Statement, which can be written or oral, provides the victim with an opportunity to address the court prior to sentencing.
A Victim Impact Statement is a resource that provides the Court with essential data that leads to appropriate sentences and suitable restitution. This opportunity also allows victims to personalize the crime and express the physical, emotional and financial impact the crime has had on them and their families. It grants the victim not only an opportunity to provide information for the Judge to consider at sentencing, but also allows the victim to articulate the pain, anguish and financial devastation the crime has caused.
You should know that even if you choose not to make a victim impact statement the Assistant District Attorney handling the case will make a sentencing recommendation. They will consider amongst other things, your feelings about the case. For that reason, the Assistant District Attorney or Victim/Witness Advocate will be contacting you about your feelings regarding the pending case. It is important to make your Victim/Witness Advocate aware of any changes in your address and telephone number so that you may be updated throughout the court process.
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I am writing in regards to this years’ Canada Day celebration and parade. Apparently, Burns Lake village council is considering sheducling the Canada Day parade on June 21, 2017.
This year will mark Canada’s 150th year as a country, and the event will be widely celebrated throughout the nation on July 1. Why would a large portion of this monumental anniversary be celebrated on June 21 in Burns Lake?
Also, June 21 is Aboriginal Day in Canada, a day when Canadians honour our First Nation brothers and sisters for their contributions to our great society. Hosting Canada Day celebrations on Aboriginal Day undermines the importance of our First Nations heritage, and gives little credence to sincerity of these celebrations.
Lastly, as June 21 is a non-statutory holiday, how can Burns Lake council expect business owners and the general public to participate in this parade? School will be in session and many businesses cannot afford to participate during business hours. I know that my family will not be able to attend for start.
Hence, it is my hope that Burns Lake council will abandon this divisive notion and host the Canada Day parade on July 1.
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Unprecedented staffing shortages have plagued schools nationwide all year—and these issues haven’t spared after-school programs.
Roughly three-quarters of after-school program providers who answered a recent survey from Edge Research for the Afterschool Alliance said they’re struggling to hire or retain staff. Suburban program providers were more likely to report staff shortage troubles than urban and rural providers.
Reduced staffing for after-school programs mean some services had to shut down entirely, or reduce the number of students who can attend. That means fewer students are getting crucial opportunities for social-emotional support and homework help, and more kids may be ending up without proper supervision after school with family members still at work.
Slightly more than half of the1,049 after-school providers who answered the survey, conducted in November and December, said they were “extremely concerned” last fall about staff shortages. Eighty-seven percent said they were at least “somewhat concerned.”
For after-school programs, having an insufficient number of people to lead programs adds another headache to what is already a stressful and draining job.
“If I had a quarter for every time I looked at a child and said you need to mask up over your mouth, I could retire,” said Angela Todriff, a senior child-care director for the YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties in Washington state.
Todriff runs before- and after-school programs for three school districts. At its peak, her team can run 30-student programs at 14 different school sites. Each one needs two workers to meet the state-mandated ratio of one adult for every 15 children.
Since December, though, the team has only had enough staff to maintain six 30-student programs.
The YMCA typically finds luck employing college students, who are comfortable with the unconventional business hours, and paraprofessionals, who are already in the building during the school day.
But the districts, like so many others this year, are running short on qualified paraprofessionals, which means the after-school programs feel the spillover effects. College students, too, haven’t been turning out when new positions open up.
These positions pay between $15 and $18 an hour for 30 to 40 hours of work per week. Todriff is looking for ways to make the job more appealing, including offering a higher salary.
“We’re just literally not getting applications,” she said.
Increasing salaries is the most common approach after-school providers are taking to stem the tide of staffing shortages, with more than half trying it out, according to the survey. Roughly a third said they’re expanding professional development opportunities; 18 percent said they’re offering free child care for staff; and 15 percent said they’re adding sign-on bonuses to entice new workers.
Some programs are also raising prices for students to pay for increased wages for staff. Others are supplementing their budgets with federal pandemic relief aid. After-school programs that received federal relief funds were more likely to take steps to attract staff, according to the survey results. The majority of survey respondents, though, didn’t receive those dollars.
In Contra Costa, Calif., after-school program providers started getting interest last fall from potential employees, but when they scheduled interviews, the candidates sometimes wouldn’t show up. Some candidates even got through the process to the point of sharing proof that they passed a required state exam only to disappear.
“Most of our workforce works less than 20 hours a week with only a handful of staff making over $20 an hour—which is horrible when you think of everything we have been asking staff to do,” said Kasey Blackburn-Jiron, an expanded-learning coordinator for the West Contra Costa district.
Among those asks, she said: “Be amazing youth development practitioners. Teach our children new skills. Support social and emotional development, all while we are struggling through a pandemic that has ravaged our communities.”
Blackburn-Jiron’s team contracts with nonprofit organizations that hire employees to craft after-school programs. The vast majority of those providers are struggling to fill positions, she said. Love.Learn.Success, one of the only providers in the district to get federal relief aid, has been the most successful recruiter among programs that serve the district, Blackburn-Jiron said. The organization used its $800,000 in federal relief funds to maintain health insurance benefits and raise wages for staff, and to hire enrichment specialists who lead dance workshops and nature walks, said Ann Ngo, CEO of Love.Learn.Success.
The state recently bumped up the district’s after-school program funding allocation, but Blackburn-Jiron won’t be able to distribute the money until the school year’s almost over.
She worries about finding enough people to run summer programming and about the working families who depend on after-school programs to help make ends meet. “It’s heartbreaking to admit that we have kids on waitlists,” she said.
Fifty-four percent of survey respondents also said they have waitlists for student attendance.
Even programs that haven’t experienced painful staff shortages have seen the pandemic affect their operations. The after-school program known as Catamount Community Hours, or “CatCH,” at the public St. Johnsbury School in Vermont managed to overstaff its programs before the school year started, anticipating that some people might have to be out due to COVID-19 exposure.
Christine Owens, who directs the CatCH middle school program, has filled in for program staff on several occasions, cutting into her regular administrative duties, including interacting with parents.
“That does add a layer of stress to everything,” Owens said. “Overall, we’ve been very lucky that we haven’t had to close our program.”
The pandemic has crashed against the after-school programming in other ways, too. Many Kitsap County school buildings now use the rooms that previously housed after-school programs as overflow space for social distancing purposes, forcing Todriff’s programs to relocate.
Some students who previously could have taken the bus from one school building to another for an after-school program have now lost that option because districts consolidated routes.
Todriff worries about the students who are missing out on crucial emotional support because their typical after-school program isn’t running. Children who might not have family members at home right after school no longer have the lifeline in the school building that they once had.
Still, she’s among the 74 percent of survey respondents who are optimistic about the future of their after-school program. Hiring has started to pick up a bit as mask mandates wind down and COVID-19 cases fall. The pandemic has also forced her team to rethink some of its curriculum, putting a stronger emphasis on social-emotional support.
“When we can’t run a program it’s not because we don’t want to,” Todriff said. “Right now we don’t have the means to do it. We want to get back to that.”
Coverage of afterschool learning opportunities is supported in part by a grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, at www.mott.org. Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.
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There are some people who stay in shape over the course of many years. No matter what, they find time to exercise, and they possess the discipline to control their eating habits. Then there are the rest of us, who are a little less consistent. We struggle to master our cravings and make ourselves get off the couch and get moving each day. Those of us who stay focused for a week or two and then fall off the bandwagon can mimic the habits of consistent people to stay healthier and to increase our levels of fitness.
Staying hydrated is key to keeping your weight low. When you are even slightly dehydrated, your body clings to every gram of water it can, making you feel bloated and look pudgy. Don’t sip on sodas, even diet ones, or sweetened beverages all day long. Grab a large, refillable water bottle, and make it a habit to sip water all day long.
For most of us, the word diet means “restrictive eating.” Fit people know that the key to staying in shape is to develop a life-long habit of healthy eating that is not dependent on the latest fad diet. Whether your body does better on Atkins, Paleo, a Vegan diet, or something else, stick to it as a permanent lifestyle change, rather than a temporary trend.
Active, fit, and healthy people know that they will have more energy for each day when they are well-rested. Being well-rested means that you will have more stamina at the gym and you will have more control over your food cravings. Science has proven that when people don’t get enough sleep, they struggle with weight loss and carb cravings. Get some zzz’s to make sure you stay fit and trim.
Those who manage a long-term fitness know that it is okay to indulge yourself in moderation. So don’t be surprised if you see your super-fit friend cut herself a wedge of cake. It’s probably the only indulgence she will splurge on that week, but she knows that she can enjoy life and stay fit because she’s earned an occasional treat.
Those who stay fit long-term enjoy moving their bodies. They are the ones who take the stairs at work, pace the hallways while on the phone, and don’t mind parking far from the store. They include physical activity in just about every part of their lives.
Those who stay in shape for years don’t make the way that other people look the focus of their fitness goals. They are able to celebrate their own milestones, and they realize that no one has the perfect body. Comparing yourself to others will only discourage you, so don’t make the way that other people look and act your yard-stick for good health.
While you probably don’t want to dump your good friends who are unhealthy, finding friends who share an enthusiasm for eating correctly and exercising helps maintain motivation for staying fit. It’s really hard to stay in shape when everyone you know is sitting on the couch eating pizza. Finding a fitness buddy who understands the struggles and will encourage you in your goals can make a huge difference in your fitness level.
Healthy, fit people don’t just eat “good” food and avoid “bad” foods. They actually understand the difference that clean eating makes in the way that they feel and the way that they perform at the gym. It makes it a whole lot easier to turn down a fast food meal when you remember how gross you will feel later and how you will be sluggish and tired in your evening exercise class.
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Use this animation to experiment with lotteries. Choose how many
balls to match, how many are in the carousel, and how many draws to
make at once.
This interactivity invites you to make conjectures and explore
probabilities of outcomes related to two independent events.
A simple spinner that is equally likely to land on Red or Black. Useful if tossing a coin, dropping it, and rummaging about on the floor have lost their appeal. Needs a modern browser; if IE then at. . . .
Is this a fair game? How many ways are there of creating a fair
game by adding odd and even numbers?
Can you beat Piggy in this simple dice game? Can you figure out
Piggy's strategy, and is there a better one?
The aim of the game is to slide the green square from the top right
hand corner to the bottom left hand corner in the least number of
Can you make a right-angled triangle on this peg-board by joining
up three points round the edge?
Use Excel to investigate the effect of translations around a number
7 balls are shaken in a container. You win if the two blue balls
touch. What is the probability of winning?
Use Excel to explore multiplication of fractions.
Players take it in turns to choose a dot on the grid. The winner is the first to have four dots that can be joined to form a square.
Help the bee to build a stack of blocks far enough to save his
friend trapped in the tower.
A collection of resources to support work on Factors and Multiples at Secondary level.
An Excel spreadsheet with an investigation.
Given the nets of 4 cubes with the faces coloured in 4 colours, build a tower so that on each vertical wall no colour is repeated, that is all 4 colours appear.
Can you put the 25 coloured tiles into the 5 x 5 square so that no column, no row and no diagonal line have tiles of the same colour in them?
Use an Excel spreadsheet to explore long multiplication.
Use an interactive Excel spreadsheet to explore number in this
Use an interactive Excel spreadsheet to investigate factors and
Start with any number of counters in any number of piles. 2 players
take it in turns to remove any number of counters from a single
pile. The winner is the player to take the last counter.
Use Excel to practise adding and subtracting fractions.
An environment that enables you to investigate tessellations of
A simple file for the Interactive whiteboard or PC screen,
demonstrating equivalent fractions.
Can you beat the computer in the challenging strategy game?
A collection of our favourite pictorial problems, one for each day
Here is a chance to play a fractions version of the classic
Can you work out which spinners were used to generate the frequency charts?
A tool for generating random integers.
This game challenges you to locate hidden triangles in The White
Box by firing rays and observing where the rays exit the Box.
Use an Excel to investigate division. Explore the relationships
between the process elements using an interactive spreadsheet.
Square It game for an adult and child. Can you come up with a way of always winning this game?
The classic vector racing game brought to a screen near you.
Match the cards of the same value.
Match pairs of cards so that they have equivalent ratios.
A metal puzzle which led to some mathematical questions.
Use the interactivity or play this dice game yourself. How could
you make it fair?
Six balls of various colours are randomly shaken into a trianglular
arrangement. What is the probability of having at least one red in
Can you set the logic gates so that the number of bulbs which are on is the same as the number of switches which are on?
Try out the lottery that is played in a far-away land. What is the
chance of winning?
Cellular is an animation that helps you make geometric sequences composed of square cells.
Can you be the first to complete a row of three?
Identical discs are flipped in the air. You win if all of the faces
show the same colour. Can you calculate the probability of winning
with n discs?
Can you discover whether this is a fair game?
These formulae are often quoted, but rarely proved. In this article, we derive the formulae for the volumes of a square-based pyramid and a cone, using relatively simple mathematical concepts.
Practise your diamond mining skills and your x,y coordination in this homage to Pacman.
A and B are two interlocking cogwheels having p teeth and q teeth respectively. One tooth on B is painted red. Find the values of p and q for which the red tooth on B contacts every gap on the. . . .
What is the relationship between the angle at the centre and the
angles at the circumference, for angles which stand on the same
arc? Can you prove it?
Learn how to use the Shuffles interactivity by running through these tutorial demonstrations.
A tilted square is a square with no horizontal sides. Can you
devise a general instruction for the construction of a square when
you are given just one of its sides?
Can you locate the lost giraffe? Input coordinates to help you
search and find the giraffe in the fewest guesses.
|
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Latest Neurology News
FRIDAY, Aug. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Concussion patients have irregular brain activity within the first 24 hours after their injury but increased levels of brain activity a few weeks later, which suggests that the brain may compensate for the injury during recovery, a new study reports.
Researchers used functional MRI to study the recovery of 12 high school football players with concussion and compared them to 12 uninjured teammates. The concussed players underwent brain scans at 13 hours and again seven weeks after their head injury, and the uninjured players had brain scans at the same time.
At 13 hours, the concussed athletes had typical symptoms such as decreased reaction time and reduced mental abilities. Their brain scans revealed decreased activity in certain areas of the right hemisphere of the brain. This suggests that their reduced mental abilities may be related to underactivation of attentional brain circuits, according to the researchers.
At seven weeks, the concussed players showed improvement in their mental abilities and normal reaction time. Brain scans at that time revealed that the concussed athletes had more activation in the brain's attentional circuits than the uninjured players.
"This hyperactivation may represent a compensatory brain response that mediates recovery," study lead author Thomas Hammeke, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin, said in a college news release. "This is the first study to demonstrate that reversal in activation patterns, and that reversal matches the progression of symptoms from the time of the injury through clinical recovery."
The study appears in the September issue of the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.
"Deciding when a concussed player should return to the playing field is currently an inexact science," study senior author Dr. Stephen Rao, director of the Schey Center for Cognitive Neuroimaging at the Cleveland Clinic, said in the news release. "Measuring changes in brain activity during the acute recovery period can provide a scientific basis for making this critical decision."
-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Health Solutions From Our Sponsors
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Woody Allen has some interesting thoughts on love. He says....
"To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering, one must not love. But then, one suffers from not loving. Therefore, to love is to suffer; not to love is to suffer; to suffer is to suffer. To be
happy is to love. To be happy, then, is to suffer, but suffering
makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be happy, one must love or love
to suffer or suffer from too much happiness."
Sure, this is funny as hell. But I am here to remind you -- your "love life"
does NOT have to be your "suffering life."
I received an extreme amount of private emails in response to an article I wrote
a few months ago on Huffington Post about how to break free from dating
Prince and/or Princess Harmings.
I'm intuiting there's a book on this topic, and so I've been researching -
and discovered the brilliant Dr. Paul Dobransky, who theorizes on how we
fall in love -- and how best to stay in a lasting, lusting relationship.
According to Dr. D our human brain has 3 parts -- ALL of which
need to be satisfied to feel love towards our partners.
1. Our Reptilian Brain - which is all about animal attraction -
feeling that sexual chemistry - also famed for the animal
instinct of fight or flight
2. Our Mammalian Brain - which is all about emotional connection
- feeling a friendship bond.
3. Our Higher Brain - which is all about the exchange of mature
thinking and a high level of conscious processing of emotion.
Some people don't think and act from their higher brain when
experiencing anxiety and anger.
Instead people react to anger and anxiety from their lowest brain
-- their reptilian brain -- by engaging in fight or flight -
going towards addiction, stonewalling, screaming, acting
impulsively/destructively, or turning the anger inward towards
If you and/or your partner are unable to properly process the
inevitable anger and anxiety which sneak into relationships, well,
then you will have an unhealthy, bad relationship!
THE CLIFF NOTES FOR THE ABOVE: Anger/anxiety will ruin your
relationship if you and/or your partner do not learn how to best
process them with your highest level of brain activity - your
maturest level of brainwaves.
Dr. D offers up a simple description for love which explains
why "improperly processed anger and anxiety" are the mighty
enemies of love.
HEALTHY LOVE = the exchange of positive emotions.
ANGER AND ANXIETY = the exchange of negative emotions.
Hence, healthy love has a hard time co-existing around
For this reason, Dr. D warns against getting involved with people
who you up front recognize as being consistently negative, angry, anxious,
bitter, resentful - regularly reacting to life with tantrums,
addictions, and/or stonewalling.
Dr. D suggests "courage" is the number one quality which both
you and your partner need to share in common to experience
He describes "courage" specifically as "the decision to speak,
act, empathise, and operate from your highest self -- no matter
the anxiety and anger you are feeling."
YOUR ASSIGNMENT: If you want to make sure you and your partner
find more of this needed "courage," seek the safety of a
journal to express your anger and anxiety. Let your pen release
your pain. Let your pen be your mighty sword to slash away all
those bad feelings -- so you go at it alone on paper -- and not
with the one you love.
Dr. D also advises that if the exchange of emotions between you
and your partner becomes incredibly negative, then you might
need to tap into the courage to walk away from what is not
working -- knowing that Woody Allen's love advice is wrong. Love
is not about suffering.
Oh...and Woody Allen's also wrong about his cooking methods.
Woody instructs: "Who bothers to cook TV dinners? I suck
If you're going through a difficult break up, you can find tips for
bouncing back by clicking here ...
And for more happiness tips, visit www.notsalmon.com.
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What are dark circles?
Dark circles under the eyes are common in both men in women, and in this article, we will learn what they are exactly. Dark circles are among the top concerns and queries we get from our client in Montreal. The nature of the sensitive and thinner skin under the eyes makes it easy to spot imperfections and discolorations. The undereye area is heavily composed of blood vessels and tissue. Since blood is dark red, these colours can reflect through the thin overlying skin. Hence, when we get tired, lack vitamins and hydration or are under stress, the eyes’ indentations start to become visible.
What causes dark circles under the eyes:
- Eye Strain
- Sun exposure
How to get rid of dark circles and bags under the eyes?
Bags under the eyes and dark circles are infamous skin conditions and hard to deal with. Most beauty clinics are not equipped with the skills or knowledge to treat them. Montreal’s beauty salons are also simply not qualified to apply specific treatments such as dermal fillers, lymphatic drainage, or micro-needling. Our skincare clinics in Montreal have helped people rid of their dark circles for years, and we are proud to promote less invasive and less expensive solutions to reduce dark circles and puffy eyes.
Dark circle treatments include:
- Lymphatic drainage
- Facial massage
- Chemical peel
- Dermal fillers
- Led light therapy
Lymphatic drainage for dark circles
A lymphatic drainage is a form of massage that stimulates the delicate lymph glands along the face, head, and body structures. Working our way down from the forehead, manual hand massage techniques during a facial skin treatment will help release built-up lymph fluid and other toxins stuck in the face. These toxins and fluids will lead to blood vessels and puffiness in the face and eyes. Lymphatic facial massages can dramatically improve your look by decongesting the facial and relieve tension in the area.
Dermal fillers and injectable treatments that doctors, dermatologists, and supervised nurses can fill the void under your eyes cause dark circles. This method is temporary as the filler will be digested and eliminated from your body within a couple of months to a couple of years. Although this treatment provides instant and satisfactory results, it can be expensive and invasive as needles are used inside the skin.
Micro-needling is a collagen therapy that uses electric needle devices to repair the skin. This treatment can increase the skin’s thickness as micro-injuries from the needles are filled with collagen and fibre cells. The microscopic thickness added from micro-needling therapies is enough to reduce the visibility of undereye bags. Find out how micro-needling can improve your skin.
How to reduce dark circles naturally at home
If you have tried all the natural home solutions we are about to include below and still can’t remove your under eye circles, our professional estheticians will be happy to assist in answering all your skincare questions and recommend an advanced skin treatment for you. For now, let’s see how you can reduce remove dark circles with the following recommendations:
- Sleep more: Sleep deprivation can cause you to look paler, increasing the visibility of blemishes.
- Apply cold tea bags on your eyes: this relaxing option infuses antioxidants for tea and stimulates blood flow.
- Apply a cold compress or ice on the eyes: this will reduce inflammation and visible blood vessels’ size.
- Use mineral makeup to hide the dark areas under your eyes: this only temporary while working on the steps above.
We hope this article on dark circles and options to remove them has added value to your research. If you are looking for a skincare clinic in Montreal or Laval with high hygiene levels and a pleasant customer experience, contact us for an appointment. Our skincare treatments are highly rated because we can treat many skin concerns with fast results, a safe environment and with prices that will not break the bank for you. Book a free consultation.
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The objective of the FEEDIN-project is to develop systematic processes, work methods and management practices so as to better organise feedback loops that can strengthen capability in managing production innovation projects. It is a two-year project that will run to July 2018, driven in collaboration by Mälardalen University, Volvo Construction Equipment and Bombardier Transportation. The project will develop knowledge to systematically collect and organise experience feedback within operations between: phases of industrialisation process, projects, departments and factories. This can help with managing newness in a wide range of industrialisation projects.
The project employs an interactive research approach to generate knowledge that has both scientific and practical impact. The project will conduct a mixed-methods study, eliciting qualitative data via surveys, workshops, focus groups, and subsequent multiple case studies.
The project strengthens the on-going research work in IPR in the fields of production system development, process innovation, and knowledge management. In addition, the topic of experience feedback loops, by linking organizational theories of production system development, and project-based learning, will increase the breadth of the IPR research profile.
|First Name||Last Name||Title|
Managing Product Introduction Projects in Operations: Key challenges in heavy-duty vehicle industry (Jan 2018) Koteshwar Chirumalla Journal of Modern Project Management (JMPM)
Challenges in managing new product introduction projects: An explorative case study (Aug 2017) Koteshwar Chirumalla 21st International Conference on Engineering Design (ICED17)
Experience Feedback Loops in the New Product Introduction Process (Jul 2017) Koteshwar Chirumalla 24th International Conference on Production Research (ICPR'17)
Clarifying the Feedback Loops Concept for Innovation Capability: A Literature Review (Jun 2017) Koteshwar Chirumalla XXVIII ISPIM Innovation Conference (ISPIM 2017)
Development projects, stage-gate models, and degree of newness: Examining the correlation from a production perspective (Jun 2016) Koteshwar Chirumalla, Joel Schedin, Mats Jackson 23rd EurOMA conference (EUROMA 2016)
Social media engagement strategy: Investigation of marketing and R&D interfaces in manufacturing industry Koteshwar Chirumalla Industrial Marketing Management (IMM)
|
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