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Lawrence Kupferman was born in the Boston area, and he became one of the most important abstract artists to emerge from there in the early 1940s. Kupferman worked as an artist for the WPA in the 1930s, developing a strictly realist style that depicted Victorian houses and other detailed architectural images. Around 1943 Kupferman began to integrate more expressionistic forms into his works. He soon moved completely away from recognizable subject matter and definitively became an abstract painter. In 1946 he studied with the influential German-born artist Karl Zerbe at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Kupferman later attended the Massachusetts College of Art, where he would become a professor and retire as its Head of Painting in 1969. His focus, as it would remain until the late 1960s, was on abstract, marinelike amoeboid forms—intimated, rather than strictly described.
Kupferman was an active participant in a huge thrust in Boston art in the 1940s to create a vibrant art scene that rivaled New York. He has been appropriately credited with bringing Abstract Expressionism to Boston, serving as a critical artistic conduit to New York painters such as Mark Rothko and Hans Hofmann, contacts he made in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where he spent his summers beginning in 1946. Kupferman’s unique brand of abstraction integrated with the already burgeoning figurative expressionism in Boston, and he showed at the Boris Mirksi Gallery, arguably the most important Boston gallery at the time. He served as the Chair of the Modern Artists Group and is considered one of the major Boston artists whose numerous exhibitions throughout the world helped establish that city as a vital art scene. | <urn:uuid:a7cb52c6-eb13-4d0d-9c13-93ddb4bc44c5> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://www.weinstein.com/artists/46-lawrence-kupferman/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296949035.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20230329213541-20230330003541-00409.warc.gz | en | 0.979469 | 352 | 2.53125 | 3 |
ABCDEFGHI can be used to guide a systematic interpretation of chest x-rays.
Assessment of quality
The quality of the image can be assessed using the mnemonic PIER:
- position: is this a supine AP file? PA? Lateral?
- inspiration: count the posterior ribs. You should see 10 to 11 ribs with a good inspiratory effect
- exposure: well-exposed films have good lung detail and an outline of the spinal column
- rotation: the space between the medial clavicle and the margin of the adjacent vertebrae should be roughly equal on each other; look for indwelling lines or objects
Bones and soft tissues
Scan the bones for symmetry, fractures,osteoporosis, or metastatic lesions. Evaluate the soft tissures forforeign bodies, edema, or subcutaneous air.
Evaluate the heart size: the heart should be <50% of thechest diameter on PA films and <60% on AP films. Check for heartshape, calcifications, and prosthetic valves.
Check diaphragms for position (the right is slightly higher than the left due to the liver) and shape (may be flat in asthma or COPD). Look below the diaphragms for free air.
Pleural effusions may be large and obvious or small and subtle. Always check the costophrenic angles for sharpness (blunted angles may indicate small effusions). Check a lateral film for small posterior effusions.
Fields and fissures
Check lung fields for infiltrates (interstitial vs.alveolar), masses, consolidation, air bronchograms, pneumothoraces,and vascular markings. Vessels should taper and should be almost invisible at the lung periphery.
Evaluate the major and minor fissures for thickening or fluid.
Check aortic size and shape and the outlines of pulmonary vessels. The aortic knob should be clearly seen.
Hila and mediastinum
Evaluate the hila for lymphadenopathy,calcifications, and masses. The left hilum is normally higher than the right. Check for widening of the mediastinum (which may indicate aortic dissection) and tracheal deviation (which may indicate a mass effect or tension pneumothorax). In children, be careful not to mistake the thymus for a mass!
In most cases an impression is worth while as it not only forces you to synthesise all the findings together but acts as double check.
Synonyms & Alternative Spellings
|Synonyms or Alternative Spelling||Include in Listings?|
|ABCDEFGHI: The way to interpret chest X-Rays||✗| | <urn:uuid:72e857bb-f222-401e-9146-6b9254b84963> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://radiopaedia.org/articles/chest-radiograph-assessment-using-abcdefghi | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702452567/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110732-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.817888 | 578 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Looking at food waste through the lens of climate change
Just sharing my recent overview article looking at food waste through the lens of climate change and the role of waste reduction in sustainable food systems: Can Waste Reduction Move the Needle on Food Sustainability?
Some interesting stats from my analysis (all based on 2009 data, which I had used in my research in 2011-2012):
- Total estimate of avoidable food waste in the United States is 55.41 MMT/yr, which amounts to 28.7% of total annual production by weight. This translates to 180 kg/yr of total avoidable waste on a per-capita basis, of which 110 kg represents consumer waste.
- The total GHG emissions from the production, processing, packaging, distribution, retail, and disposal of the avoidable food waste in the U.S. amounts to 112.9 MMT CO2e per year - equivalent to about 2% of national emissions (this is more of a conservative lower bound).
- Avoidable consumer waste costs a typical U.S. famiy of four approximately US$1600 per year. | <urn:uuid:24647582-7d84-4614-9159-936e642e7afc> | CC-MAIN-2017-51 | https://climatex.mit.edu/looking-food-waste-through-lens-climate-change | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948515165.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20171212041010-20171212061010-00001.warc.gz | en | 0.921169 | 229 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Monarchist Profile: General Thomas Gage
th Foot after the regimental commander was killed. General Braddock himself was killed and in the effort to assign blame the aide-de-camp of the late general pointed the finger at Gage which robbed him of the post of permanent commander of the 44th. George Washington also later joined the chorus against Gage but simply because he resented British officers having greater authority than colonial leaders like himself.
Gage helped organize the first British light infantry while serving in America and was recommended for promotion to full colonel. In 1758, in Albany, New York, he married Margaret Kemble, a New Jersey-born young lady of famous beauty. Later Gage led the vanguard in the British army that attacked Fort Carillon, a disaster for the British and probably the most stunning French victory of the war in which less than 4,000 French troops defeated a British army of 16,000, inflicting heavy casualties. Gage was again wounded in the attack and despite the defeat was commended for his bravery and, partly thanks to his brother Viscount Gage, was promoted to brigadier general and placed in command of Albany under Lord Amherst. However, his decision not to move against a particular French fort as ordered angered his superiors and Gage was more or less sidelined for the rest of the conflict. Once the war was over and Canada was in British hands, Gage was made military governor of Montreal. His wife joined him and their first two of their seven children were born there. As an administrator he received mostly good marks though he found it hard to get along with the French lords and Catholic clergy who were at the top of the social hierarchy.
Once back in America, after an initial warm reception, Gage began to draw criticism from both sides. The colonial “Patriot” groups despised him as the enforcer of unpopular British laws while many in London felt he was not being tough enough and allowed too many groups (most famously the Sons of Liberty) to carry on in spite of being flagrantly treasonous. Gage paid little mind to such groups. He was convinced that democracy was the real problem and that it was the local elected assemblies which were the breeding ground for sedition. He was content to see these dissolved while letting the rebel mobs vent their anger but at the same time he took measures to confiscate weapons and war materials that could potentially be used against Crown forces. Gage desperately wanted to avoid an all-out conflict, his years of service in North America having taught him that if it were to come to that, it would take a massive British army, a great deal of blood and treasure, to subdue the whole continent and that was a price he doubted that his fellow countrymen back in Britain were willing to pay. In that regard, Gage was ultimately proven correct, but it would take some time before the government in London came to the same conclusion.
An elaborate plan was hatched but the rebels found out about it and moved in first, occupying, among other strategic points, Breed’s Hill. Gage launched an offensive against the position which became known in history as the battle of Bunker Hill. The British forces took heavy casualties and were repulsed more than once. But, their superior discipline and stoic courage won the day and finally, as they advanced again, the colonials broke into a panic and retreated. It had been a costly victory and did not change the overall strategic situation. London was not pleased and the battle was thrown onto the scales along with all the other complaints the national leadership had with Gage. He had won the battle but most, like General Clinton, recognized that Britain simply did not have the manpower to win such costly victories with frontal assaults. Gage was relieved of his command and replaced by General Sir William Howe, a great battlefield tactician but a man lacking in ‘killer instincts’.
General Gage, quite obviously, did not dislike the Americans and he correctly realized that they had been given far too much autonomy in their local assemblies for far too long. As a result, they resented any interference from London. Unfortunately, by the time Gage came along this situation had existed for too long to be overturned without provoking a full blown rebellion. Gage also realized, from his rather rough experience in the French and Indian War, that Britain would have to commit massive amounts of soldiers, hire foreign mercenaries and maintain a naval blockade of the entire continent to win an all-out war. In provoking him to action, London was effectively ordering him to start a war he did not have the tools to win. In the end, Boston had to be abandoned before the government realized that Gage had been correct and sent over the largest expeditionary force Britain had ever dispatched up to that time, complete with hired Hessians and a naval blockade. General Gage will certainly not be listed among the great captains of British military history but, he is nonetheless underrated. | <urn:uuid:cab9edb1-dd83-47ed-8d2a-a2c7dcd3f898> | CC-MAIN-2015-14 | http://madmonarchist.blogspot.com/2012/07/monarchist-profile-general-thomas-gage.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-14/segments/1427131297172.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20150323172137-00185-ip-10-168-14-71.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.990176 | 1,018 | 2.84375 | 3 |
This is the most common reason I hear from people who otherwise might take my advice, dust off their bikes, and go for a spin.
While it might seem dangerous — being on the road next to the 2,000-lb behemoths that can crush us like a bug on tile — in fact, the opposite is true. Cycling is *so* safe that the average cyclist actually lives several years longer than a non-cyclist.
Let me repeat that, with flair: Cycling is so safe that the average cyclist lives several years longer than a non-cyclist.
Sure, lots of cyclists (in this country, at least) wear those silly foam hats, and talk about all of their close calls with motorists, potholes and dogs, but these should be viewed for what they are — campfire goosebump stories. The fact that the cyclist in question is around to tell the story should give you a clue that perhaps, just perhaps, the danger value has been cranked up a notch or two.
So let’s look at some cold, hard (and rather pleasant) facts about cycling:
- According to several studies, cyclists live longer than non-cyclists; in one study, the cycling lifespan advantage was almost 10 years.
- Motorists are *far* more likely than cyclists to suffer from serious head injuries.
- Cycling is safer than: Fishing, horseback riding, swimming, athletic training, football and tennis.
- Cycling is safer than riding in an automobile.
Let’s compare lifetime risks. Your risk of dying from:
- Heart disease 1 in 5
- Automobile accident 1 in 84
- Pedestrian accident 1 in 626
- Bicycle accident 1 in 4,919
The simple fact is this: Cycling is a very safe activity. It is safer than every other form of transportation except flying, and orders of magnitude safer than riding in a car.
The problem with cycling safety is one of perception, not reality, so fear not, hop on your freedom machine and roll down the road.
Don’t forget to wave at the folks in the gas station. I always do.
Dr. Avery Jenkins is a chiropractic physician specializing in the treatment of people with chronic disorders. He can be reached at email@example.com or by calling 860-567-5727. | <urn:uuid:6b34f172-8b39-4ed7-9c94-9a04b53b11a4> | CC-MAIN-2015-06 | http://www.averyjenkins.com/?p=671 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-06/segments/1422122059136.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20150124175419-00236-ip-10-180-212-252.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958576 | 493 | 2.5625 | 3 |
From the sundial to the Apple Watch, via Renaissance automaton clocks
Timekeepers can tell us much about developments in art and engineering
A GILDED bronze sculpture presents Bacchus as a chubby, mischievous and determined baby. The god of wine’s curls are ringed with grape-heavy vines, he holds a bottle—not meant for milk—and straddles a wine barrel with a silver clock face. On the hour, the tyke opens his mouth and lifts his bottle to it. This automaton clock, a princely treasure and princely toy, was made in Augsburg, south Germany around 1615. It would have been kept in a Kunstkammer, a room dedicated to the display of the very latest and best in scientific discoveries and works of art. As an example of both, it is dazzling evidence of the revolution in timekeeping then underway.
For millennia sundials, water clocks, hour glasses and ringing bells marked divisions in the day. Centuries of experimentation led to the weight-driven clock of the Middle Ages. Then, in the late 15th century during Europe’s Renaissance, the first spring-driven timekeeper was invented. Efforts to miniaturise the clockworks followed, and soon succeeded with the result that the portable, mechanical clock became a reality. It was a tremendous technological breakthrough; people could know the hour whether on land or sea, indoors or out, day or night, whatever the weather. For the first time, it was possible for many people to tell time as we think of it: in discrete hours, minutes and seconds. It soon followed that individuals could both use and be governed by time; punctuality, for example, became a practical possibility. D.S. Landes, in his eye-opening book “Revolution in Time”, calls the invention of the mechanical clock “one of the great inventions in the history of mankind”. Small, portable mechanisms that told time 24 hours a day gave rise to “a civilisation attentive to the passage of time, hence to productivity and performance.”
Engineers began to experiment with the new technology. From Hero of Alexandria in antiquity to the Al-Jazari in the Middle Ages, imaginative engineers crafted large, three-dimensional creatures with moving parts to mystify and entertain. In the Renaissance, designers of automatons created miniature creatures based on nature and myth, and used them to embellish portable clocks. Naturally, these designs were very rare and very expensive.
“A Mechanical Bestiary: Automaton Clocks of the Renaissance” at Galerie J. Kugel in Paris is a splendid, unprecedented offering of 29 examples by a variety of master craftsmen then gathered in south Germany, all in working order and all for sale. (Prices start at €100,000 and rise into seven figures.) Baby Bacchus is among them. So too is a far larger, more elaborate clock with a very different version of the god of wine. Here Bacchus is a big bellied, veteran imbiber. Seated on an ornate chariot topped by cupid and drawn by two elephants, he isaccompanied by howling dogs and dancing bears which, like him, go into action when the hour strikes.
Some may dismiss these opulent beauties as historical curiosities. Others, however, see them as exceptional artworks and embodiments of the creative exuberance that occurred as timekeeping was revolutionised. Interest in them is lively and international. At the Kugel gallery, connoisseurs started buying these wonders on the morning of the exhibition preview. One of the gallery’s most endearing offerings is a gilded, short muzzled, floppy eared dog with a clock face between its front paws. His big black eyes move back and forth in time with the ticktocking: on the hour his mouth opens as he wags his tail. It was one of three Renaissance automaton clocks in Christie’s 2009 Paris sale of Yves Saint Laurent’s collection, famed as a reflection of the designer’s exquisite taste. Elsewhere, auction houses report that modern-day princes from America to China bid when rare survivals appear. In 2014, a spectacular Renaissance automaton clock in the form of a unicorn achieved £722,500 ($965,000) at Sotheby’s in London. This week at Frieze Masters, Kunstkammer specialist Georg Laue is offering a late 17th century gilded bronze example that formerly belonged to the King of Sweden. A figure looks up at a globe; on the hour the monkey at his feet spins and a little dog jumps. The price is €160,000 ($179,966).
Automaton clocks continued to be produced after the Renaissance but it was then, when the excitement about the invention of portable clocks was at its height, that they reached their artistic peak. Afterwards, the desire to push the boundaries of what portable timekeepers could do turned to greater miniaturisation and precision. (The Renaissance models do not all strike the hour in unison.) The desire to include “complications”—horologists’ jargon for additional features—carries on in today’s smartphones, wearable computers and robotic pets. They are not as enchanting as a golden unicorn that opens its mouth at the chiming of twelve, but they do cost a lot less.
“A Mechanical Bestiary: Automaton Clocks of the Renaissance” is showing at the Galerie J. Kugel until November 5th 2016 | <urn:uuid:39a25d1c-2f66-487f-987d-5d3582d21a2f> | CC-MAIN-2022-27 | https://www.economist.com/prospero/2016/10/06/from-the-sundial-to-the-apple-watch-via-renaissance-automaton-clocks | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-27/segments/1656103037089.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20220626040948-20220626070948-00749.warc.gz | en | 0.952205 | 1,158 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Móyshe Shagál (the Hebrew name of Marc Chagall) was born on July 7, 1887 in Liozno, near Vitebsk, Russia (now Belarus). As a child, he showed promise as an artist and in 1907, after moving to St. Petersburg, he studied at the Imperial School of Fine Arts, and privately under Russian artist Léon Bakst at the Zvantseva School of Drawing and Painting.
After gaining some success in St. Petersburg, Chagall moved to Paris in 1910 and would spend most of his life there. During his first years, he met members of the avant-garde such as Modigliani, Delaunay, Leger and others working in the cubist style. Chagall was influenced by Fauvism, Cubism, and the Paris School, however his art was a blend of his own style of fantasy and his unique way of depicting events and separating them by time and space in a single composition. Chagall painted his memories of his life in Russia and Jewish folklore, biblical stories, and the circus were often themes in his artwork. He had his first solo exhibition at the Galerie Der Sturm in Berlin in 1914.
Chagall returned to Vitebsk in 1914, and a year later he married Bella Rosenfeld. The outbreak of World War I kept the Chagalls in Russia and in 1916, Bella gave birth to their daughter Ida. An active participant in the Russian Revolution of 1917, Chagall was Commissar of Art for the Vitebsk region and founded the Vitebsk Museum of Modern Art and an art school. However, life under the Soviet system where Jews were considered non-persons was difficult for the Chagalls. He and Bella moved back to Paris in 1922.
In 1941, with the Nazi occupation of France, the Chagalls escaped Paris to the United States where Bella died in 1944. In 1945, he began a relationship with his housekeeper Virginia Haggard McNeil, with whom he had a son, David. They returned to France in 1948 but separated in 1952, and Chagall married Valentina Brodsky.
Chagall was a pioneer of modernism and was as popular during his lifetime as he is today. A versatile artist, Chagall also produced drawings, prints, etchings, ceramics, book illustrations, stage designs and was a major artist in stained glass. In his later years, he received numerous commissions for murals and decorative projects that made him a celebrity around the world.
Chagall had a long, prolific career and when he died of a heart attack on March 28, 1985 at the age of 97, the front-page headline in The New York Times declared him to be “One of Modern Art’s Giants.” | <urn:uuid:1cc0671a-ca50-41d2-8945-cf81e359cddb> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | http://www.dailyartfixx.com/2016/07/07/marc-chagall/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886110578.17/warc/CC-MAIN-20170822104509-20170822124509-00668.warc.gz | en | 0.990953 | 582 | 2.734375 | 3 |
This painting along with others in the collection was purchased in the 1970s during the oil boom. Because of the subsequent Cultural Revolution that took place in Iran in 1979, Mural on Indian Red Ground was stored in the basement and was not put on display for 30 years.
It was, however, very carefully preserved, and looked after.
Possibly Pollock's greatest work was at last put out for public viewing in 2005. In 2016 it is rightly considered to be the Museum of Art's most treasured piece.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Jackson Pollock, the painting was loaned to Japan in 2012. It was put on display in the modern art museum in Tokyo.
When it came back, it was confiscated by Iran's customs service. This was said to have been done because of money owed by the country's Ministry of Culture, which owned the museum. The painting was finally given back after two weeks and put back on display.
The unique style of Jackson Pollock was an inspiration to a new generation of expressionist painters and art lovers. His style of drip painting earned him the nickname of Jack the Dripper.
Though not initially received with enthusiasm, over the years the style has been acknowledged, and Mural on Indian Red Ground is not only one of his best-known works but typifies what the painter was trying to express. | <urn:uuid:9a9e1f5a-5af6-4fbc-b025-a2dc5edfd6a9> | CC-MAIN-2018-43 | http://pollockprints.org/mural-on-indian-red-ground/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-43/segments/1539583510867.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20181016201314-20181016222814-00384.warc.gz | en | 0.989131 | 281 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Right now, we are exiting the eye of the giant financial hurricane that we entered in 2007, and going into its trailing edge. It’s going to be much more severe, different, and longer lasting than what we saw in 2008 and 2009.
In a desperate attempt to stave off a day of financial reckoning during the 2008 financial crisis, global central banks began printing trillions of new currency units. The printing continues to this day – and it’s not just the Federal Reserve that’s printing – the Fed is just the leader of the pack. The U.S., Japan, Europe, China – all major central banks – are participating in the biggest increase in global monetary units in history.
- These reckless policies have produced not just billions but trillions in mal-investment that will inevitably be liquidated.
- This will lead us to an economic disaster that will, in many ways, dwarf the Great Depression of 1929–1946.
- Paper currencies will fall apart, as they have many times throughout history. This isn’t some vague prediction about the future. It’s happening right now.
- The Canadian dollar has lost 25% of its value since 2013.
- The Australian dollar has lost 30% of its value during the same time.
- The Japanese yen and the euro have crashed in value and
- the U.S. dollar is currently just the healthiest horse on its way to the glue factory.
These are gigantic losses for major currencies. After all, we’re not talking about small volatile stocks. We’re talking about the value of money in peoples’ bank accounts. These moves show we’re in the early stages of a currency crisis.
At this point, it’s a lock cinch that the world’s premier paper currency – the U.S. dollar – will lose nearly all its value. I just don’t see any realistic way around it. Since the financial crisis began nine years ago, the U.S. government has
- created 3.5 trillion new dollars..[and]
- borrowed $9 trillion – as much as it has borrowed in the previous 232-year history of the United States.
Though politicians would like us to believe otherwise, actions have consequences. You simply cannot quadruple the money supply and double the national debt in eight years without catastrophic results.
As this unfolds, your biggest risk isn’t [going to be] the crashing stock market or the crashing bond market. Your biggest problem, and also the one most people just won’t see, is political. Your government is by far the most serious threat to your money and wellbeing.
Why do I say that? Like any organism, the prime directive of a government is to survive. When faced with a threat to its survival, a broke government will do anything it can to stay alive. President Roosevelt confiscated Americans’ gold in 1933 and, in just the last few years, we’ve seen broke governments raid private pensions and confiscate cash directly from people’s bank accounts.
As we head into a currency crisis for the record books, I think currency controls are a lock…A country debases its currency, raises taxes beyond a certain level, and makes regulations too onerous. Naturally, productive people react by getting their capital, and then themselves, out of Dodge but the government can’t have that, so it puts on currency controls that prevent people from moving assets outside the country. In effect, currency controls force people to stay with a sinking ship.
I’ll be genuinely surprised if some form of currency controls isn’t instituted within year or two. If you don’t get significant assets out of your home country now, you may soon find it costly and very difficult to do so.
I’ve written many times about the importance of internationalizing your assets, your mode of living, and your way of thinking. I suspect most readers have treated those articles as a travelogue to some distant and exotic land: interesting fodder for cocktail party chatter but basically academic and of little immediate personal relevance. I hope…[my] book Casey Research’s Handbook for Surviving the Coming Financial Crisis will shake you out of that mindset…
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Get engaged: Have your say regarding the above article in the Comment section at the bottom of the page. | <urn:uuid:387b44bb-adc6-4678-a5e6-5268a2f9d912> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | http://www.munknee.com/coming-financial-hurricane-will-be-more-severe-last-longer-than-that-of-2008-9/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549424287.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20170723062646-20170723082646-00623.warc.gz | en | 0.935725 | 949 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Now that the 8th grade science CMAS testing is almost over, 8th graders can take a deep breath and start their inquiry projects on building water bottle rockets. This is great opportunity for open inquiry as ample time can be given for students to research, design, test, redesign, retest, and reflect on their rockets. While doing this, students develop an understanding for Newton’s laws of motion as well as the different forces acting upon their rocket.
Inquiry has a positive impact as students develop their own understandings at their own pace. Students are engaged, they collaborate, they make mistakes and learn from them, misbehaviors all but seem to vanish. Students hopefully not only develop more long-term understandings of the content, but also know how physical science can apply to their lives.
The drawback to open inquiry is time. With the demands of the CMAS test covering random material from grades 6-8, there is no time for open inquiry until this time of year. I still struggle with student accountability with inquiry projects. I often feel the need to still guide them to learning that still needs to take place. | <urn:uuid:b0650fb7-014a-4a56-9920-ce7ef5fa76a8> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | http://visiblethinkingroutines.blogspot.com/2015/04/april-post_24.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128320201.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20170623220935-20170624000935-00455.warc.gz | en | 0.973811 | 233 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Vaccines and Immunizations
Children’s immune systems are not fully developed until they are about 2 years old, which is why it is so important to get your child vaccinated at the right time. Without the proper vaccinations, you and your family may be at risk for getting a serious illness or potentially life-threatening disease that could have been prevented.
FamilyCare of Kent nurse practitioners follow the CDC-recommended immunization schedule. It is arranged by vaccine, with age-specific guidelines for each.
Recommended Immunization Schedule for Children & Adults
Infants should receive the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine at birth, followed by 2 booster shots around 1-2 months and 6-18 months. Three doses of the hepatitis B vaccine may be recommended for unvaccinated adults.
There are two versions of this immunization. RV1 (Rotarix) requires 2 doses at 2 months and 4 months old, while RV5 (RotaTeq) requires a third dose at 6 months old.
These vaccines are typically given as a combination shot in a series of 5 boosters: 3 boosters given at 2, 4, and 6 months old; a fourth booster given between 15 and 18 months old, and a fifth booster given again between 4 and 6 years of age.
Children younger than 5 years of age are at greatest risk for Hib disease. There are several Hib vaccines. With one of them the 6-month dose is not needed. Hib is administered in 3 or 4 doses at 2 months, 4 months, (6 months), and 12-15 months. The Hib vaccine may also be needed for adults if not received in childhood.
This vaccine is administered in 4 doses: at ages 2, 4, and 6 months, and at 12-15 months. A pneumococcal booster may be recommended for some adults over 18 and all adults over 65.
The polio vaccine is administered in 4 doses: at 2 months, 4 months, 6-18 months, and 4-6 years of age. An additional dose may be recommended for adults traveling to certain countries.
The flu shot can be given annually to kids as young as 6 months.
The MMR vaccine is given in two doses: the first at 12 to 15 months old, the second at 4 to 6 years old. Any infants aged 6-11 months traveling abroad should receive one dose of the vaccine prior to travel, followed by the normal 2-dose vaccine. The CDC recommends one or two MMR shots for adults between 18 and 55 if they were not vaccinated as children.
The chicken pox vaccine can be given to kids who are 12 to 15 months and again at 4 to 6 years old. If not vaccinated as a child, an adult should receive two doses of the varicella vaccine during their life.
Two doses of the hepatitis A vaccine are needed for optimal protection, ideally, before the child’s 2nd birthday. The first dose should be given between 12-15 months of age, and the second dose should be given 6 to 18 months later. Adults may need two doses of the hepatitis A vaccine if not vaccinated as a child.
This vaccine should be administered in two doses, the first between 11- 12 years old, and a booster dose at 16 years old. The meningococcal vaccine may also be recommended for adults over 18. People who live in college dorms or military barracks are at high risk.
The CDC recommends this HPV vaccine for boys AND girls who are 11 years or older. It is given as a series of three doses throughout the year. The second dose should be administered 1 to 2 months after the first dose and the third dose at least 16 weeks after the second dose.
For adults who were not vaccinated as children, the HPV vaccine should be given in three doses to women 19 to 26 years old and up to six doses for men of the same age.
All adolescents 11 to 12 years old should receive one dose of Tdap vaccine. Adults should receive one dose of Tdap at 19-21 years old, followed by a Td booster every 10 years.
The shingles vaccine is for older adults. A single dose is needed for those who are 60 or older.
For more information or updates, check out http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/
Who Makes the Immunization Schedule?
The recommended immunization schedule is made by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Three times a year, a group of vaccine experts, scientists, doctors, and public health professionals come together to discuss vaccines and immunizations for children, adolescents, and adults. When creating their recommendation for each vaccine and age group, the ACIP considers:
- Safety and effectiveness of the vaccine for specific ages
- Severity of the disease prevented by the vaccine
- Incidence of the disease without the vaccine
- Vaccine’s ability to boost immunity to the disease
In addition to the CDC approval, the recommendations of the ACIP are also approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American College of Physicians (ACP), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM).
FamilyCare of Kent is 100% Pro-Vaccine
Diseases like measles, mumps, chickenpox, whooping cough, polio, and rubella are spread through air, causing serious problems like pneumonia, meningitis, deafness, paralysis, and death. These diseases can be prevented by vaccinating your child. We strongly encourage parents to give their children ALL recommended vaccines.
FamilyCare of Kent is here to answer your questions regarding the safety or side effects of vaccines, or the immunization schedule above. If you or your child needs to catch up on vaccines, we’ll be happy to get you up to date.
For an appointment, call us or submit an online appointment request form. | <urn:uuid:8d784a9d-bf32-4522-bac9-91ad2a38a88a> | CC-MAIN-2021-17 | https://www.familycareofkent.com/family-centered-primary-care/vaccines-and-immunizations/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-17/segments/1618039379601.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20210420060507-20210420090507-00329.warc.gz | en | 0.934777 | 1,233 | 3.15625 | 3 |
The white Bird of Paradise is also known as the crane flower or the Nicolai. The Bird of Paradise flower comes in many colors and looks like a bird in flight, thus the name. They grow well outdoors in the warmer climates of California and Florida, but make a lovely indoor houseplant as well. They do not tolerate temperatures below 24 F. This plant will grow to heights of 3 to 5 feet.
Plant your white Bird of Paradise in fertile soil and allow for good drainage. The upper portion of the root ball should be even with the soil line in the pot.
The white Bird of Paradise needs partial sun for full blooms and a good height. Although they will grow in full sun, the blooms and plant will be smaller.
During the first six months, the soil needs proper moisture--do not allow it to become too dry or too soggy. During the warm summer months, water it regularly. During the winter months, allow the soil to become almost dry between watering.
Fertilize the white Bird of Paradise every three months during the warm growing season. Organic fertilizers or commercial products can be used. The plant will not bloom until it is a few years old, but a healthy older plant can have many blooming each year and the blooms, when cut for floral arrangements, last up to two weeks.
Avoid letting dead leaves and blooms stay on the plant. Remove them to discourage growth of fungus and to keep the beautiful appearance of this tropical plant.
Pests and Disease
Pests are usually not a problem with the white Bird of Paradise plant. If you do encounter problems with caterpillars, aphids, scales or leaf spot disease, commercial products will easily rid the plant of the problems. | <urn:uuid:51d65dd5-45ce-485f-bfd9-0d299a59c5bd> | CC-MAIN-2017-51 | https://www.ehow.com/way_5880577_white-bird-paradise-plant-care.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948588294.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20171216162441-20171216184441-00129.warc.gz | en | 0.932457 | 357 | 2.671875 | 3 |
AI in Warehouse Management
Learn how Artificial Intelligence is changing the way modern warehouses conduct their business and how it can be used by online retailers.
Alexa, please automate my warehouse!
If automating the warehouse were that easy, how convenient would that be? The warehouse needs a brain to process all the information it receives and initiate automatic responses to manage a range of scenarios and arrive at a similar future. Artificial intelligence, or AI, is the name for that brain.
AI has moved beyond the cinema and into everyday life, from our homes, transportation, and mobile devices to ground-breaking developments in business and Industry 4.0. Warehouse management and supply chain logistics are being transformed by artificial intelligence and machine learning, quickly altering how we think about the industry.
Modern warehouses as we know them today have developed thanks to various artificial intelligence solutions. With the help of these tools, businesses can meet the demands of always-on eCommerce, the need to manage a sizable number of SKUs with fewer mistakes, and the need for quicker response times. Here is how artificial intelligence in the warehouse is progressing, both in the past few years and in the future.
Value of AI in Warehouse
AI in warehouse generates value through various sub-technology, including machine learning, natural language processing, robotics, and computer vision. Here's how each one works.
Machine learning employs algorithms to "learn from experience" and make practical warehouse decisions. It detects sensor data patterns and recommends faster replenishment of nearly out-of-stock items, shorter walking routes, and better inventory positioning.
Some AI features make warehouse wearable technology possible. Natural language processing enables voice-picking, allowing workers to work hands-free and more safely. Smart glasses have cameras that use computer vision to recognize barcodes automatically. Cameras strategically placed throughout the warehouse also use computer vision to enable end-to-end product tracking.
Finally, robotics gives AI a physical presence, spatial awareness, and the ability to move in the real world. The capabilities of AI robots can range from loading or unloading a pallet to moving cargo around the warehouse and performing picking operations.
8 Ways AI is Transforming Warehouse Management
Consider traveling back to a large warehousing facility in the 1980s or 1990s. It would bring to light today's warehouse technological advances if you could. Consider what a warehouse might look like in 2050 or later. Probably very different from today.
Mentioning AI may elicit strange looks in some warehouses. However, many employees and even managers are unaware they are already utilizing AI solutions. Even if they aren't, their competitors most likely are. Here are eight ways AI is reshaping warehouse management.
Increase the efficiency of pick-and-pack processes.
Processes are transformed and streamlined because of ML enabling managers to leverage the efficiency of the most productive pickers to develop a fully integrated system-directed solution. Slotting software already includes an interface with operating rules to be implemented in the smart warehouse and a recommended SKU strategy based on sales histories and forecasts. While humans still use personal knowledge and experience to adjust slotting strategies, this will be phased out in favor of ML algorithms.
Automated systems that use AI and machine learning algorithms can communicate at a rate that is exponentially faster than human operators.
Many warehouse-related activities are already automated, but incorporating IoT-enabled devices into these processes will significantly improve both speed and accuracy. Wireless cloud data communications allow all elements of your system to participate in a conversation that includes system monitoring and control.
Additionally, deep learning techniques enable computers to continuously analyze the data streams generated by these parts, allowing them to make adjustments and advancements in an integrated WMS (Warehouse Management System) in real-time.
Payroll expenses will be reduced, offset initially by the required technological investment.
The most contentious way AI will transform warehouse management is in labor costs. At this stage of development, robot assistance has only a marginal impact on existing operations. Still, AI has the potential - and will have the potential - to improve machine handling capabilities, with 30% of UK warehousing jobs becoming fully automated by 2030.
Data collection, processing, and predictable physical activities are the most likely sectors for automation. Established eCommerce enterprises claim that increasing automation will create jobs by increasing the overall scale of their business activities, but this will be determined as time goes on.
Reduced operator error and processing times can increase overall efficiency and productivity.
Another way AI will transform warehouse management is through logistics optimization. Consider calculating the number of pallets that need to be moved on any given day, the amount of equipment required to handle that movement, and the corresponding labor requirement. Previously, such calculations relied on operator skill level and SKU (stock-keeping units). Now, ML algorithms allow for detailed stock movement forecasting and management to fine-tune material handling.
Robots can pick up and redistribute goods in a fraction of the time that human operatives do.
Based on the size, number, weight, and product type, ML algorithms can assist warehousing bots in determining the most efficient picking and slotting routes and the best packaging. Some machines can now pack their products, using AI to optimize space and materials.
End-to-end visibility across many supply chains is provided for the first time by combining machine learning with advanced analytics, IoT sensors, and real-time monitoring.
Many supply chains today require an entirely new operating platform or architecture based on real-time data enriched with patterns and insights not visible with previous analytics tools. Machine learning will be a critical component of future supply chain platforms, revolutionizing every aspect of supply chain management.
Machine learning is becoming more widely used in Logistics Control Tower operations to provide new insights into improving every aspect of supply chain management, collaboration, logistics, and warehouse management. Machine learning excels at visual pattern recognition, which opens up a wide range of potential physical asset inspection and maintenance applications across an entire supply chain network.
AI and ML enable the discovery of patterns in supply chain data by creating and interpreting algorithms that quickly identify the most influential factors in the success of a supply network while constantly learning in the process. This practice of discovering new patterns in supply chain data can transform any business.
Free up resources previously spent on inventory control for other areas of business growth.
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) replaces paper trails and barcode scanners for inventory organization and control, tracking products with digital tags and enabling more precise and accurate inventory control. Because the system uses radio waves to transfer data, RFID scanners do not require direct line-of-sight control; instead, they are pointed in the general direction of a product to identify it and direct its movement into, out of, and around the warehouse.
Companies Using AI in Warehouse
Let's look at a few cases of businesses that have successfully implemented AI in warehousing and logistics:
Amazon, the most valuable brand in the world, uses robots and AI technology in its warehouses to improve productivity, build platforms for the warehouse and online store, and foresee and avoid problems that might arise during the customer journey.
AI is used by Lineage Logistics, a business that specializes in keeping food cold for stores and restaurants, in examining the flow of its orders. So that workers can place the pallets in the proper location, AI algorithms can predict when orders will enter and exit a warehouse. Items that move quickly and will not be in the warehouse for long are placed closer to the front, while items that will be in the warehouse for a longer period of time are set further back. Since implementing AI-based smart placement, Lineage has seen a 20% increase in efficiency.
By creating and designing AI-powered robots, Symbotic aims to strengthen a company's supply chain by offering universal manual or fully automated solutions based on its products, operational flow, and customer needs. In order to significantly increase warehouse and supply chain efficiency and lower costs, the company's next-generation technology reimagines warehouse automation tools by combining hardware and software.
DataArt assists its clients in increasing operational effectiveness, forecasting consumer behavior, and engaging customers through AI and ML. Additionally, the company provides synchronized logistics processes and real-time analysis of supply chain data. The DataArt team consists of highly qualified engineers with extensive knowledge of the industry sectors to assist clients in developing custom software that enhances operations and expands markets.
For supply chain solutions, Alloy.ai uses AI to close the gap between planning and execution. The business provides manufacturers with a sales and supply chain platform with a real-time control tower. Customers can plan more effectively and carry out those plans more quickly thanks to Alloy.ai's solution, which connects sell-through data from retail and e-commerce with internal inventory and supply chain data. It also offers an executive overview, plan modifications, and real-time inventory management with collaboration.
Impact of AI on Warehouse Management
Intelligent, autonomous warehouses technology has already had a significant impact on warehouses all over the world. It has been predicted that by 2030, fully automated systems will replace humans in 30% of UK warehouse jobs. These systems can more easily process information and accurately forecast patterns, allowing businesses to manage their inventory better. Manual database updates will no longer be necessary, and errors will significantly decrease.
By enhancing handling systems and conveyors, AI will alter how materials are transported. Utilizing the enormous data sets gathered, the facility, the doors, ramps, and elevators will collect data. Here are a few ways that AI will transform the modern warehouse.
Forklifts and other human-driven vehicles will make way for automated vehicles like small carts with 3PL systems, warehouse management software, or smart trucks that can help with parcel management surveillance.
AI can assist in forecasting the amount of labor you will need at various warehouses, the types of transport necessary, and the available routes.
Products can be automatically stacked and stored in a facility using warehouse automation robots. Depending on the popularity of each product, placement can be determined algorithmically so that frequently purchased items are close by and infrequently purchased things are farther away.
Intelligent systems can validate product orders automatically and assist with product dispatch, shipment tracking, and customer feedback collection.
Unpredictable situations will inevitably arise in your warehouse. Because AI is so good at spotting patterns, it can help you plan for these scenarios by providing suggestions for handling your inventory and warehouse operations under pressure.
Benefits of AI in Warehouse
AI is, without a doubt, a revolutionary technology. However, believing that only blue-chip corporations and major international tech companies can benefit from AI would be incorrect. In the end, artificial intelligence will change every industry and business.
If AI is not currently used in your warehouse, it may be time to start. Here are some immediate and long-term ways artificial intelligence can enhance your business operations:
Warehouses depend on a steady flow of data. However, human error can lead to inefficiencies and expensive mistakes. These errors can be removed by AI, which can also provide accurate data on demand.
Although there will always be a need for human labor, there are some tasks that warehouse automation robots can perform more quickly and accurately.
You can ditch complicated formulas and spreadsheets. Your company can better understand its current situation, spot patterns, and develop strategic plans with the algorithmic analysis provided by AI.
AI tools can continuously monitor the environment and activities in a warehouse. They can evaluate activities and assign them a risk score. High-risk tasks can be delegated to robots, leaving humans to handle safer duties.
Simpler Inventory Management
AI can assist your warehouse in determining market conditions, allowing you to manage your inventory better.
Adopting AI solutions can reduce costs for your company by fostering efficiencies and reducing warehouse overhead.
More Effective Contingency Planning
Warehouse challenges that could not have been anticipated are frequently encountered without sophisticated systems. By predicting patterns and enabling businesses to manage their inventory and operations during shifting circumstances, AI helps companies increase their preparedness for various contingencies.
AI is a cutting-edge technology that will undoubtedly alter warehouse operations. The accuracy of processes and current productivity levels must be increased through technology. AI improves safety standards in buildings and lowers operational costs.
There are countless potential applications of AI in warehouse automation. Companies must investigate ways to incorporate and use them in their daily operations.
Get ready to automate: Examine your warehouse's performance compared to industry standards, and plan for the digital warehouse transformation. | <urn:uuid:32bb6984-a41e-480f-be70-fc26709f657d> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://firstbridge.io/blog/artificial-intelligence/ai-in-warehouse-management | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296945473.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20230326142035-20230326172035-00566.warc.gz | en | 0.932489 | 2,605 | 2.84375 | 3 |
What is Colors in Hawaiian?
Colors keiki (children’s) tee identifies the colors as taught in the Hawaiian color song: Ula’ula – Red. Melemele – Yellow. Poni – Purple. Polu – Blue.
What does Akala mean in Hawaiian?
Akala (ā-kă’-la), n. — Parker, Haw to Eng / ā-kă’-la /, 1. A species of raspberry (Rubus macraei).
What does Akala mean in Yoruba?
(Yoruba) 883 up 719 down. n. a carnivorous bird; vulture.
What does orange mean in Hawaiian?
A stone is used as her element. Orange is for Pele whose attributes are focus and energy. Her element is fire. The color yellow is for the element of wind and is for the Goddess Hi’iaka. Green is for the element of plants and for the Goddess Laka who symbolizes love and compassion.
What is the color green and Hawaiian?
Colors in Hawaiian
What does Akala mean in Arabic?
The Arabic verb for eat is written ﺃَﻛَﻞَ and pronunced ‘akala in its basic form (past tense masculinum singular).
How do you spell Akala?
a Hawaiian shrub or climber, Rubus macraei, bearing a large, red, edible raspberry.
Is Green a Hawaiian color?
Omao is short for Omaomao, which is the color green. The people of Hawaii are not only surrounded by greenery while living on an island, but aqua as well. Polu is a general word for blue, the color of the ocean.
What is Oahu color?
Eight Major Islands
|Island Colors & Flowers|
|Hawaii Island||Red Lehua Ohia island color Red|
|Oahu||Ilima island color Yellow|
|Kauai||Mokihana (Green Berry) island color Purple|
|Niihau||Pupu Shell island color White|
What is the flower of Kauai?
Mokihana – Kauai’s official designated “flower” and “official lei material” is that of the Mokihana, a green berry grown only on the second wettest place on earth, Mount Waialeale. Traditionally woven into Maile leaf, these berries are strung like beads and smell similar to fennel.
What is the verb for Akalain?
akalain [verb] to think something; to mistakenly think something; to assume something; to take something into consideration; to conceive something Verb conjugations of akalain: Focus: Object Root: akala Conjugation Type: -In Verb
Is Redken hair color alkaline or acidic?
Professional Redken hair colorists only apply alkaline hair color on zone one and use acidic hair color on the other two zones in order to maximize color results while minimizing stress on the hair.
What is the colour of concentrated solution of alkaline earth metals?
Like alkali metals, Alkaline earth metals also form ammonia solvated cation and electrons. The solution is electrically conductive, reductive and paramagnetic. The solvated electrons absorb in the visible region and the solution turns blue in colour. The concentrated solution is bronze in colour.
Why is acidity and alkalinity important for hair color?
There is more to haircolor than picking a shade. The concept of acidity and alkalinity is essential when it comes to haircolor and hair strength. Redken Artist George Garcia explains why acidic haircolor specifically is essential to your best hair. Why Is Acidity and pH Level Important For My Hair? | <urn:uuid:ac03813f-4117-4281-81f7-b2d4c89215ac> | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | https://hostforstudent.com/what-is-colors-in-hawaiian/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030337537.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20221005042446-20221005072446-00200.warc.gz | en | 0.86414 | 869 | 3.34375 | 3 |
Yes, any animal that gets bitten by another rabid animal can get rabies. Baby skunks are not the exception, but due to their fragile nature, they might not even live long for people to notice. Rabies is a condition that affects the nervous system and muscles. It can impair thinking, cause disorientation, foaming, aggressiveness, and other types of behavior that are dangerous to the safety of people. When you do come across a skunk that has rabies and displays any of the above signs, make sure you stay at a considerable distance at all times and warn a professional wildlife control service. Wildlife professionals have the tools and the knowledge to deal with rabid animals. Most skunks that are rabid might not be even aggressive and might even be very tame and approach you. For skunks, this is a concerning sign as skunks want to stay away from any type of human interaction possible.
When you have suspect any skunk activity taking place in your backyard, it is best to consult a professional wildlife technician to take care of the presence. Skunks can be incredibly destructive creatures that can wreak havoc in any environment it is in. They cause property damage that can cost homeowners up to thousands of dollars of restoration and repair costs. Skunks can be incredibly frustrating wildlife animals to deal with because they also cause damage to the appearance of the backyard by digging holes all over your property in search of small worms or grub. The skunk has excellent digging abilities and will use those skills to its full advantage. It will stop and nothing and nobody. One of the complaints that homeowners have is that they often have to deal with the smell that skunks release when they feel threatened. The smell that they release is a mix of a few naturally occurring chemical compounds released from the scent glands. One of the compounds is sulfur which gives it its distinctive sour smell that people sometimes mistake for marijuana.
Professionals get can rid of skunks once and for all through all the experience and skill they have accumulated over the years. Skunks often house themselves in burrows. These burrows can be compared to tunnels or ditches that the skunk digs. These skunk burrows are often 3-4 inches deep and are often found underneath man-made structures such as decks, sheds, and porches. Skunks can also be problematic for other things. Skunks prefer to answer nature’s call in a separate space called latrines. Latrines are essentially outdoor toilets separate from the sunk burrow and can be incredibly toxic. This latrine can be a reason on its own to call the technicians to have it removed. To have skunks and or latrines removed call the wildlife technicians from Skunk Control at 647-496-4484. | <urn:uuid:faeda3ae-80be-4be4-a55e-1736563b1c36> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://www.skunkcontrol.ca/blog/can-baby-skunks-have-rabies/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510238.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20230927003313-20230927033313-00840.warc.gz | en | 0.966831 | 560 | 2.546875 | 3 |
On a jungle beach near the border between Panama and Costa Rica in 1996, Benjamin Radford found this strange animal that had obviously washed up. It was headless and mostly hairless except for a patch on its chest; it had four limbs, what seemed to be a stubby tail, and large claws at the end of each arm. The legs were spindly compared to the arms. Monster? A close inspection of the bizarre creature's paws revealed a clue. The three white claws were long and distinctive. Radford realized the monster had once been a regular sloth, turned into a monster by decay and predation.
Credit: Benjamin Radford
The so-called "Montauk Monster" was a strange creature that supposedly washed ashore on a beach in Montauk, New York, in July 2008.
A photo of the odd animal circulated around the Web and became the subject of national media interest. Some say it is a hoax; others believe that the photo depicts a known animal. Some believe it looks like a pig, while others vaguely and cryptically suggest that the animal is somehow a result of "biological warfare."
This week, reports of another Montauk Monster are circulating the web.
In both cases, real animals are viable possibilities. In previous columns I have discussed how animal diseases such as sarcoptic mange can create apparent monsters, for example transforming sick dogs or coyotes into the dreaded (and likely mythical) blood-sucking chupacabra. The same process occurs with decaying animals that have been misshapen by bloating, predation, and decay.
Some other examples:
Sea monster carcass
In April 1977, a Japanese fishing vessel was trawling off the coast of New Zealand when it pulled up a large, mysterious animal carcass. According to fishermen on the boat, it weighed about 4,000 pounds and no one could positively identify the massive, stinking corpse. It seemed to have flippers and a long neck and tail. All the organs were gone, but some of the flesh and fat were intact. Several photos of the strange catch were taken and have appeared in books on mysterious creatures as evidence that perhaps the boat had caught a sea monster or a recently-living dinosaur. Eventually the creature was identified as the corpse of a basking shark.
Many monster enthusiasts believe that huge, unidentified masses that occasionally wash up on beaches throughout the world are sea monsters. These finds, often called globsters, are obviously flesh, yet have decayed so badly that they lack bones or distinguishing features. One classic globster washed ashore in 1896, when giant waves tossed a massive fleshy corpse on a beach at St. Augustine, Florida. The rubbery, six-foot-high blob was examined by a local naturalist, who initially speculated that it was likely from a giant octopus far larger than any previously seen. Many other such blobs have washed ashore, including one in Chile in July 2003 and another in Newfoundland in 2001. In 2004, scientists examined all available globster specimens using electron microscopes, and applied biochemical, molecular, and DNA analysis. The conclusion: the globsters were simply decayed whales.
In 1996, I found and photographed my own version of the Montauk Monster on a jungle beach near the border between Panama and Costa Rica. It was a strange animal that had obviously washed up from the ocean and was baking in the tropical sun. It was headless and mostly hairless except for a patch on its chest; it had four limbs, what seemed to be a stubby tail, and large claws at the end of each arm. The legs were spindly compared to the arms, and it was like nothing I or my companions had ever seen before. (See photo.) A close inspection of the bizarre creature's paws revealed a clue to the "monster's" identity. The three white claws were long and distinctive. I realized that the monster had once been a normal, recognizable animal of the Bradypodidae family, but decay and predation had turned a sloth into a monster.
So what is the Montauk monster?
The scientific consensus is ... a raccoon. Darren Naish, a British paleontologist, examined photos of the animal and concludes it is a raccoon:
"The Montauk monster... owes its bizarre appearance to partial decomposition," Naish said. "The tendency for the soft tissues of the snout to be lost early on in decomposition immediately indicates that the 'beak' is just a defleshed snout region: we're actually seeing the naked premaxillary bones. The match for a raccoon is perfect once we compare the dentition and proportions. The Montauk animal has lost its upper canines and incisors (you can even see the empty sockets), and raccoons are actually surprisingly leggy (claims that the limb proportions of the Montauk carcass are unlike those of raccoons are not correct)."
The supposed monster this year may well be a raccoon, too, or some other normal creature. It is not surprising that people could not identify what they saw, as science shows that ordinary decay can create extraordinary monsters.
- Our 10 Favorite Monsters
- Rumor or Reality: The Creatures of Cryptozoology
- 100-Foot 'Borneo Monster' Said Photographed
Benjamin Radford is managing editor of the Skeptical Inquirer science magazine. His books, films, and other projects can be found on his website. His Bad Science column appears regularly on LiveScience. | <urn:uuid:72da847a-4893-434c-a5e0-828b5cbec421> | CC-MAIN-2016-07 | http://www.livescience.com/3602-return-montauk-monster-ol-myth.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-07/segments/1454701962902.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20160205195242-00265-ip-10-236-182-209.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965904 | 1,140 | 2.953125 | 3 |
This project involves the analysis of a new data set for manure characteristics from open lot beef systems demonstrating both average characteristics and factors contribution to variability in manure characteristics among these systems. Defining the characteristics and quantities of harvested manure and runoff from open earthen lot animal systems is critical to planning storage requirements, land requirements for nutrient utilization, land application rates, and logistical issues, such as equipment and labor requirements. Accuracy of these estimates are critical to planning processes required by federal and state permitting programs. Poor estimates can lead to discharges that result in court action and fines, neighbor nuisance complaints, and surface and ground water degradation. Planning procedures have historically relied upon standard values published by NRCS (Stettler et al., 2008), MWPS (Lorimor et al., 2000), and ASABE (2014) for average characteristics.
What Did We Do?
A large data set of analyses from manure samples collected over a 15-year period from 444 independent cattle feedlot pens at a single eastern Nebraska research facility was reviewed to provide insight to the degree of variability in observed manure characteristics and to investigate the factors influencing this variability. No previous efforts to define these characteristics have included data gathered over such a wide range of dietary strategies and weather conditions. This exclusive research data set is expected to provide new insights regarding influential factors affecting characteristics of manure and runoff harvested from open lot beef systems. The objective of this paper is to share a preliminary summary of findings based upon a review of this data set.
What Have We Learned?
A review of this unique data set reveals several important preliminary observations. Standard values reported by ASABE and MWPS for beef manure characteristics in open lot systems are relatively poor indicators of the significant variability that is observed within open lot feeding systems. Our data set reveals significant differences between manure characteristics as a function of feeding period (Table 1) and substantial variability within feeding period, as illustrated by the large coefficients of variation for individual characteristics. Differences in winter and summer conditions influence the characteristics and quantities of solids, organic matter, and nutrients in the harvested manure. The timing of the feeding period has substantial influence on observed differences in nitrogen loss and nitrogen in manure (Figure 1). Nitrogen recovery for the warmer summer feeding periods averaged 51 and 6 grams/head/day in the manure and runoff, respectively, with losses estimated to be 155 grams/head/day. Similarly, nitrogen recovery in manure and runoff for the winter feeding period was 90 and 4 grams/head/day, respectively, with losses estimated at 92 grams/head/day (Figure 1 and Koelsch, et al., 2018). In addition, differences in weather and pen conditions during and following winter and summer feeding periods impact manure moisture content and the mixing of inorganics with manure (Table 1).
|Table 1. Characteristics of manure collected from 216 and 228 cattle feedlot pens during Summer and Winter feeding periods, respectively1.|
|University of Nebraska Feedlot in East Central Nebraska||Standard Values|
|Total Manure (wet basis), kg/hd/d||9.3||99%||13.1||43%||7.5||7.9|
|OM %||24%||28%||25.3%||41%||30%||is not||50%|
|DM = dry matter; OM = organic matter (or volatile solids)
1 Summer = April to October feeding period, Winter = November to May feeding period
2 Coefficient of variation, %
3 Unsurfaced lot in dry climate with annual manure removal.
Dietary concentration of nutrients was observed to influence the harvested manure P content (Figure 2) but produce minimal impact on harvested manure N content (not shown). Diet was an important predictor in observed N losses, especially during the summer feeding period. However, its limited value for predicting harvested manure N and moderate value for predicting harvesting manure P suggests that other factors such as weather and management may be influential in determining N and P recovered (Koelsch, et al., 2018).
Significant variability exists in the quantity of total solids of manure harvested with a factor of 10 difference between the observed low and high values when compared on a mass per finished head basis (note large CVs in Table 1). This variability has significant influence on quality of the manure collected as represented by organic matter, ash content, and moisture content.
Although individual experimental trials comparing practices to increase organic matter on the feedlot surface have demonstrated some benefit to reducing nitrogen losses, the overall data set does not demonstrate value from higher pen surface organic matter for conservation of N in the manure (Koelsch, et al., 2018). However, higher organic matter manure is correlated to improved nitrogen concentration in the manure suggesting a higher value for the manure (Figure 3).
It is typically recommended that manure management planning should be based upon unique analysis for manure characteristics representative of the manure being applied. The large variability in harvested manure from open lot beef systems observed in this study further confirms the importance of this recommendation. The influence of weather on the manure and the management challenges of collecting manure from these systems adds to the complexity of predicting manure characteristics. In addition, standard reporting methods such as ASABE should consider reporting of separate standard values based upon time of the year feeding and/or manure collection period. This review of beef manure characteristics over a 15 year period further documents the challenge of planning based upon typical or standard value for open lot beef manure.
The compilation and analysis of the manure and runoff data from these 444 independent measure of feedlot manure characteristics is a part of an undergraduate student research experience. Final review and analysis of this data will be completed by summer 2019 with the data published at a later time. The authors will explore the value of this data for adjusting beef manure characteristics for ASABE’s Standard (ASABE, 2014).
ASABE. 2014. ASAE D384.2 MAR2005 (R2014): Manure Production and Characteristics. ASABE, St. Joseph, Ml. 32 pages.
Koelsch, R. , G. Erickson2, M. Homolka2, M. Luebbe. 2018. redicting Manure Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Carbon Characteristics of Beef Open Lot Systems. Presented at the 2018 ASABE Annual International Meeting. 15 pages.
Lorimor, J., W. Powers, and A. Sutton. 2000. Manure characteristics. Manure Management Systems Series MWPS-18. Midwest Plan Service. Ames Iowa: Iowa State University.
Stettler, D., C. Zuller, D. Hickman. 2008. Agricultural Waste Characteristics. Chapter 4 of Part 651, NRCS Agricultural Waste Management Field Handbook. pages 4-1 to 4-32.
Richard (Rick) Koelsch, Professor of Biological Systems Engineering and Animal Science, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Megan Homolka, student, and Galen Erickson Professor of Animal Science, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Koelsch, R. , G. Erickson2, M. Homolka2, M. Luebbe. 2018. Predicting Manure Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Carbon Characteristics of Beef Open Lot Systems. Presented at the 2018 ASABE Annual International Meeting. 15 pages.
The authors are solely responsible for the content of these proceedings. The technical information does not necessarily reflect the official position of the sponsoring agencies or institutions represented by planning committee members, and inclusion and distribution herein does not constitute an endorsement of views expressed by the same. Printed materials included herein are not refereed publications. Citations should appear as follows. EXAMPLE: Authors. 2019. Title of presentation. Waste to Worth. Minneapolis, MN. April 22-26, 2019. URL of this page. Accessed on: today’s date. | <urn:uuid:85526981-0714-4933-8053-165573f5aceb> | CC-MAIN-2021-10 | https://lpelc.org/predicting-manure-nitrogen-and-phosphorus-characteristics-of-beef-open-lot-systems/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-10/segments/1614178381803.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20210308021603-20210308051603-00615.warc.gz | en | 0.882906 | 1,612 | 2.9375 | 3 |
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FOUNDATIONAL THEMES OF SOCIAL ORGANIZATION, kinship, native cosmologies (including eschatology, death, predation, and cannibalism), history, sociocultural change, the environment, and indigenismo (emphasizing the relationship of ethnology and practical questions facing indigenous peoples) continue to direct much of the ethnological literature on Lowland South America. Given the constraints of space and the continued expansion of serious anthropological and ethnohistorical research in the area, this section inescapably fails to reflect the dauntingly rich and diverse nature of ethnological scholarship devoted to the massive region dubbed Lowland South America. Omission of various important contributions to the field is seemingly inevitable. For instance, mention of all contributions in edited volumes, symposium, and conference proceedings (many of which attest to increasing international collaboration) would greatly swell the number of annotations. Similarly, individual mention of the burgeoning literature produced by and for indigenous peoples of Lowland South America would simply overwhelm this section.
There is an emerging consensus among ethnographers that gone are the romantic days of portraying Amazonian communities as "populations" (rather than as culturally distinctive peoples) isolated from complex and contradictory forces of global capitalism, national politics, environmental degradation, and the often times violent and tumultuous socioeconomic changes associated with "modernity" and all of its real or illusory trappings. Indeed, in the not too distant past there was little regard for historical context or "native" voice in the ethnographic record, a trend that is happily no longer regnant in the ethnology of Lowland South America. There is a growing corpus of ethnological works written by indigenous peoples themselves, covering crucial issues such as linguistic activism, health, natural resource management, cultural revalorization efforts, and human rights. Perhaps not surprisingly, among the fastest growing areas of research in the ethnology of Lowland South America are indigenous social movements, the politics of identity, and the responses of indigenous peoples to ongoing change. A good example of the shift in anthropological sensibilities is the Yanomami affair, which has polarized ethnologists and has pushed South American anthropology into the headlines, adding to the controversy over the ethical nature of anthropological fieldwork among indigenous communities (among others, see items #bi2003000009#, #bi 99009178#, and #bi2001003224#).
Nevertheless, many ethnographers of one of indigenous South America's most enduring cultural legacies—mythology—continue to show little desire in placing their studies into analytical frameworks that might account for ongoing social-suffering associated with poverty, marginalization, and civil strife. Despite this ahistorical impulse, exceptional ethnography continues to be written on this region. Much of this literature concentrates on cosmology, shamanism, relations of power, and sociocultural change, particularly those transformations associated with environmental issues, struggles over territorial sovereignty, intercultural education, and cultural survival. Of particular note are the studies of Baniwa religion by Wright (see HLAS 59:965), Aikman's comprehensive ethnography of intercultural education among the Arakmbut of Peru (item #bi2004002844#), Conklin's masterful account of Wari' mortuary rites (item #bi2004002837#), and Vaquero Rojo's monograph on Warao spirituality (item #bi2001003360#). Historical accounts, such as García Jordan's pathbreaking portrayal of national incorporation of the lowlands of Bolivia and Peru (1820–40) (item #bi2004002834#), and Garfield's work on the Xavante during the military dictatorship in Brazil (item #bi2001003883#), both demonstrate the critical importance of providing a historical context for understanding the nature and consequences of sociocultural transformations in the region.
Current ethnographic research is shedding new light on a number of long-held assumptions regarding indigenous notions of gender, personhood, political power, material culture, shamanism, and the very nature of Amazonian sociality. McCallum (item #bi2004002828#), Muratorio (see HLAS 59:1144), and Gregor and Tuzin (item #bi2004002831#) are prime examples of the innovative approaches to understanding the gendered aspects of Amazonian sociality. A growing debate over Amazonian indigenous societies is fueled, on one side, by scholars who emphasize the convivial nature of social life and, on the other side, by those who insist that indigenous cultural issues must be historically contextualized in terms of the violence of colonial and postcolonial encounters.
Squeezed by economic aggression, and threatened by dominant groups' intolerance to their distinctive ways of life, many indigenous peoples are now caught in the crossfire between military forces, drug traffickers, rebels, and extractive entrepreneurs seeking a foothold in their territories. This is particularly evident in Western Amazonia, now haunted by the violent shadow of drug traffickers, paramilitaries, armed insurgents (such as the FARC, MRTA, and Sendero Luminoso), and agents of the state. The anthropological imperative is to humanize social suffering. We must not only bear witness, but as critically engaged ethnographers we are compelled to resocialize and de-exoticize violence.
Perhaps as a reactive move to postmodernism and cultural studies' obsession with signs, sounds, and text, often at the expense of paying attention to social suffering and the structural conditions that underpin the violence of poverty and cultural marginalization, the possibilities of practical action and anthropological advocacy are returning to the forefront of a discipline now engaged with issues of "relevance." The growing acknowledgment of group rights, acceptance of the benefits of cultural pluralism, and an increasing recognition of the plight of subaltern peoples has provided the stimulus for the re-imagination of how indigenous peoples are portrayed in both ethnographic and popular accounts. 1
Scholars, such as Hernán Ibarra (item #bi 00004949#), MacDonald (item #bi2001003219#), and the late Andrew Gray (item #bi 98013526#) have all recognized the vital importance of giving indigenous peoples a real voice as formidable stakeholders in determining their own futures and the shape of their cultural survival. [BD]ARGENTINA, BOLIVIA, AND PARAGUAY
Ethnological work on lowland Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay shows a continued and growing interest in politics, indigenous political participation, and the conflictive relationship of indigenous peoples with the state. The publication of articles on indigenous peoples of Argentina in scholarly journals in English marks the beginning of a growing interest in the subject, as well as the emerging presence of a heretofore practically unexplored area of study. Gordillo and Hirsch organized a panel on indigenous peoples at the 2000 American Anthropological Association meeting. This was the first time a panel was organized on indigenous peoples of Argentina at a North American anthropology conference; the result was a journal issue which gives greater visibility to the research conducted in the area.
The majority of the items reviewed for HLAS 61 are on indigenous peoples of Argentina, perhaps reflecting the greater number of anthropologists conducting research in the country, although it also reflects the difficulty of accessing materials produced in Paraguay and Bolivia. There has been an increase in book publication compared to the numbers published in previous years; this may also reflect a greater interest by publishers and the public in the culture and situation of indigenous peoples.
The process of political mobilization and participation and the growing presence of indigenous organizations are reflected in several works. Hirsch and Gordillo (item #bi2004002592#), Trinchero (item #bi2004002819#), and Carrasco (item #bi2004002847#) examine how the Argentine state developed a discourse, policy, and legislation that attempted to efface indigenous peoples and that only recently has the state changed to give greater agency to indigenous groups. However, these articles and others (items #bi2004002589#, #bi2004002845#, and #bi2004002849#) show how resilient and savvy indigenous peoples are at developing alternative political and religious strategies. Two works on indigenous peoples in Paraguay (items #bi2004002590# and #bi2003005807#) focus on similar issues and examine the government-sponsored discourse of integration and a contradictory policy towards the indigenous population. These works also examine the important presence of the Catholic Church and NGOs as intermediaries and supporters of the indigenous groups.
The publication of ethnographies and brief studies on smaller indigenous groups, such as the Tapiete (items #bi2004002593# and #bi2004002878#) and Nivacle (item #bi2004002879#), is a continuing trend that sheds light on the complex process of change and adaptation of hunter and gathering groups.
The study of shamanism and religion continues to grow, but shows a different turn. Gordillo's work constitutes an important contribution to the theoretical discussion on shamans, political power, resistance and domination. Several works provide detailed descriptions of ritual cycles (item #bi2002006994#) and cosmology (items #bi2004002879# and #bi2002007003#), and seek to provide in-depth data into these areas.
Kinship and gender have long been studied by ethnologists, but are understudied topics for this region. Two works reviewed this biennium do address these topics and provide new and more elaborate data on social structure and kinship systems (items #bi2004002587# and #bi2003005805#).
The books by Tamagno (item #bi2004002818#) and Ros Izquierdo (item #bi2004002586#) explore the process of migration and urbanization and the emergence of different forms of ethnic identity and political organization, and thus reflect a growing area of interest already present in previous HLAS volumes.
The work by Arenas is an outstanding contribution by a botanist to the ethnobotany, ecology, and nutritional knowledge and practices of indigenous peoples (item #bi2004002817#). In spite of this work, there continues to be a dearth of research in the areas of medical anthropology and ecology. [SH] | <urn:uuid:c3b8e139-771f-4fd7-8e5d-368aa6e9ce77> | CC-MAIN-2016-36 | http://lcweb2.loc.gov/hlas/ss61anthro-hirsch.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-36/segments/1471982957972.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20160823200917-00286-ip-10-153-172-175.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.908134 | 2,153 | 2.78125 | 3 |
A well-maintained septic tank can reduce the need to make costly repairs. The tank is constantly being cleaned by bacteria that breaks down solid waste. It is a good idea if it is not cleaned every three years. This will ensure that it functions properly. It is best to get it checked by a professional contractor at least once a year.
There are many things you could do to keep your tank clean. You should use less water than you normally do. The more water in a tank, the more difficult it becomes for wastes to be reduced. Water-efficient toilets and showerheads can help reduce water consumption. You can also save water by not running your faucet while you brush or wash dishes.
When wastewater from your home is discharged into the septic tanks, it separates into three layers. The solids settle to bottom of the tank and the oils, grease, and other substances rise to the top. The septic tank’s bacteria breaks down some of the waste and distributes it to the leach fields. The tank will need to be pumped when the sludge has reached the bottom.
Depending on the size of your home, you should have a septic tank that will handle the amount of water you use. American adults consume between 80 to 100 gallons of drinking water each day. This is equivalent to 90 gallons worth of solid waste per year. Generally speaking, the standard performance of a septic tank is 50 percent reduction of solids.
A chemical additive in your septic tanks will not improve its functionality. In fact, they could cause more harm than good. For example, sodium hydroxide could cause more harm than good.
Septic tanks are very easy to maintain. However, they need to be pumped frequently to remove solid waste that can’t flow into the leach fields. Unless there is significant sludge buildup, most septic tank do not need to be pumped. It is important to immediately notify your local health department if you suspect a problem.
The septic company will pump your septic tank and also do a short inspection of the tank. These inspections will alert you to any potential problems. A septic tank inspection is possible on a one-time or a permanent basis. These inspections are typically included in the repair costs and cost between $100 and $300.
The size and number of people living in your house will affect how often you pump your septic tanks. The EPA recommends you pump your tank once every three-five years. Your situation may require you to pump your tank more frequently than this. A single person may only need to pump their 1,000-gallon tank every nine to twelve years, while a family of five may need to pump every two to three.
If you’re building a new house, you should consider building a septic tank on the site before laying the foundation of the house. This way, contractors won’t be able to drive over the tank site while they’re building the house. This could cause delays in the construction process. It will stop people from driving over the septic tank if it is located in an area that supplies are delivered. So, you may have to wait until the building process is almost complete before you can get it installed.
It can be difficult to calculate the cost of septic tank cleaning. Calling three local companies is the best way of estimating the cost. You should receive a detailed cost breakdown from the companies. This way, you won’t have to make a decision based on guesswork. Septic tanks are necessary but expensive. | <urn:uuid:7a53328c-264e-4c16-accd-462bb432352b> | CC-MAIN-2022-49 | https://www.oaklandscf.org/when-to-pump-second-septic-tank/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446711394.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20221209080025-20221209110025-00027.warc.gz | en | 0.964756 | 734 | 2.671875 | 3 |
|4584802||Protective structure for the floor of a concrete enclosure having to contain a high temperature fluid||1986-04-29||Casselman et al.||220/565|
|3404500||Segmented metal lined liquid storing underground tank||1968-10-08||Akita et al.||220/565|
This invention relates generally as indicated to a cathodic protection system and method of installing the same for above ground storage tank bottoms.
Above-ground storage tanks are those which are supported on the ground rather than buried or supported in elevated position. Such tanks can be of substantial size and volume and may range to a football field in diameter or more.
New and rebuilt ground storage tanks use an environmental safety secondary containment liner in the form of a plastic membrane. The liner or membrane is usually spaced a short distance beneath the metal bottom which is supported on compacted earth above and below the liner. The membrane is designed to contain leaks to prevent ground contamination.
Unfortunately, because of the dielectric properties of the secondary containment liner, conventional and widely accepted cathodic protection methods such as those using deep anodes or distributed anodes is no longer applicable. Such systems usually use large anodes which, in any event, would not normally fit in the relatively narrow envelope between the liner and the tank bottom. The dielectric liner effectively blocks the required current flow from such anodes to the tank bottom. Accordingly, to be effective, an anode system has to be placed in the relatively narrow envelope between the liner and the tank bottom.
Many operators have chosen galvanic cathodic protection systems which use zinc or magnesium ribbon anodes. These galvanic anodes ribbon systems are typically installed in parallel lengths between the membrane and the tank bottom floor. This method of cathodic protection can be an effective means of tank bottom corrosion control. However, because of the large volume of anode material required to protect fully the tank bottom, these systems have proven to be quite costly, or are in a reduced configuration which is not capable of providing effective corrosion protection. In addition, the life of galvanic anode systems is limited and usually not commensurate with the design life of the tank.
Also, because most ground storage tanks use complex and highly sensitive leak detectors, it is important that the compacted medium between the liner and tank bottom not be comprised of hydrocarbons or not be carbonaceous. Experiments have shown that conventional electronic conductive carbonaceous backfills, which are widely used with existing impressed current systems, set off such leak detectors or otherwise render them useless. The backfill must not be an electronic conductor to avoid shorting between the anode and bottom, and yet must be capable of being compacted and supporting uniformly high compressive loads. The backfill material, however, must be an electrolytic or ionic conductor.
It is also important that the anode be generally uniformly spaced from the tank bottom and not touch the bottom. If it touches, a short occurs and the system malfunctions, or if it is not substantially uniformly spaced from the tank bottom a near short occurs resulting in non-uniform distribution of the protective current. The area beneath a large ground storage tank is hardly accessible, and convenient repairs are virtually impossible. It is, therefore, important to use as anode materials, components which don't themselves substantially corrode, or which don't form current blocking oxidation layers. Further, the anode and the connections to the anode should provide a thin or low profile and should also be such that the system provides a minimal cathodic protection current substantially uniformly to the entire tank bottom.
Most new above-ground storage tank have a metal bottom with a leak containing dielectric safety membrane spaced a short distance below, and extending beneath and parallel to the tank bottom forming a relatively narrow envelope. Compacted electrolytic backfill is positioned between the membrane and the tank bottom supporting the tank bottom. A horizontally disposed cathodic protection anode is positioned between the membrane and the tank bottom, the anode being in the form of a matrix or grid of electrically interconnected titanium bars and coated ribbons which may be solid or mesh. In lieu of the preferred titanium, other suitable valve metals may be used such as aluminum, tantalum, zirconium or niobium, and alloys thereof. In one form of the invention a reticulate dielectric insulator may be embedded in the electrolytic backfill and positioned above the anode or between the anode and the tank bottom. Such insulator is operable to keep any portion of the anode from contacting the tank bottom and to maintain a generally uniform spacing between the anode and the tank bottom.
In one form of the invention, the ribbons may form a coated titanium matrix. The ribbons extend transversely of the bars and are spot welded on uniform centers to bars on diameters or major chords of a circular tank bottom. Bars where they cross may also welded to each other. The ribbons also may cross the bars as concentric circles, radii, or spirals. A low profile connection is provided between the bars and rectifier, and for large tank bottoms, a multiplicity of such connections strategically spaced are provided. Similarly, a plurality of reference cells, both in location and kind, may be provided, so there are redundant power feeds and reference cells. The anode is constructed by uncoiling, arranging and connecting the bars and ribbons on a compacted layer of electrolytic backfill on the liner. After the conductors are attached and routed to the external rectifier, the reticulate or mesh insulator may be placed above the anode grid. The reference cells may be positioned before or after placement of the insulator and the remainder of the envelope is filled with an electrolytic conductor such as sand, pea gravel, bentonite clay, or other earthen or synthetic material which is compacted and leveled to form a surface on which the tank bottom is constructed. The compacted electrolytic backfill fills the openings in the insulator to provide a path for current flow. The insulator provides substantially uniform spacing of the anode and, importantly, prevents shorting contact of the anode with the tank bottom during or after construction.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.
In said annexed drawings:
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary vertical section of a cathodic protection system in accordance with the present invention for a new tank bottom;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of one form of insulator which may be used with the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section of a cathodic protection system in accordance with the present invention for a double bottom or rebuilt tank;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to FIG. 2 of another form of reticulate insulator which may be used with the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the circular anode grid for one size of round tank bottom illustrating the location of the power feed connections and the reference cells;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged top plan view of a conductor bar, the transversely extending ribbons connected to the bar, and a power feed connected to the bar;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged vertical section through the conductor bar;
FIG. 8 is an enlarged horizontal section through the power feed connection to the bar;
FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 5 of a larger tank bottom;
FIG. 10 is a similar top plan view of a much larger tank bottom with the location of the power feed connections and reference cells illustrated;
FIG. 11 is a similar view of a smaller grid anode for smaller tank bottoms and with the location of the power feed connections and reference cells illustrated;
FIG. 12 is a top plan view of a grid anode in accordance with the present invention utilizing mesh as the ribbon;
FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the mesh-bar connection;
FIG. 14 is a horizontal section of a power feed-bar connection for the embodiment of FIGS. 12 and 13;
FIG. 15 is a top plan view of an anode wherein the ribbon is arranged as concentric rings secured to the chordal or diametric conductor bars;
FIG. 16 is a similar view with the ribbons arranged as radii and secured to the conductor bars; and,
FIG. 17 is a similar view with the ribbon arranged as a spiral and secured to the conductor bars.
Referring first to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a cathodic protection system for a new tank bottom which is indicated at 20. The metal tank bottom 20 extends inwardly from tank wall 21 which is positioned over reinforced concrete ring wall or footer 22. Extending along the inside of the ring wall and beneath the bottom wall 20 parallel to the bottom wall is a secondary containment liner 25 which is in the form of a plastic membrane or sheet. The liner is supported on compacted earth 26 within the ring wall. Such tanks are normally circular and very wide in diameter. It is not uncommon for a storage tank to have a diameter approaching that of a football field. However, the vertical distance between the secondary containment liner 25 and the tank bottom 20 is usually a little more than a foot, for example. Thus, the liner forms an envelope with the tank bottom which is significant in horizontal extent or area and yet which is relatively short in height. It is within this envelope that the anode of the cathodic protection system must be constructed and yet be spaced away from the tank bottom.
As seen in FIG. 1, the envelope between the secondary containment liner 25 and the tank bottom 20 is filled with compacted electrolytic backfill indicated at 28. Embedded within the compacted electrolytic backfill is a horizontally extending grid or matrix anode at 30 which is constructed of titanium conductor bars 31 and transversely extending coated titanium ribbons 32, as hereinafter more fully described. The conductor bars 30 are provided with a number of power feed connections shown generally at 34, by which power leads 35 are connected to the anode. The power feed leads extend through conduit 37 through the ring wall to junction box 38. The junction box is electrically connected through conduit 40 to rectifier 42, which is above grade 44. The rectifier, conventionally, is connected to a power source, not shown. A ground lead to the tank extends through conduit 46 from the junction box.
Positioned immediately above the grid anode 30 may be a reticulate or mesh plastic insulator 48, the openings 49 of which in the illustrated embodiment are diamonds or squares approximately 2"×2". The compacted electrolytic backfill fills the openings as indicated at 51. A plurality of reference cells indicated at 54 are provided within the compacted electrolytic backfill, either above or below the anode 30. Such cells are connected through leads 55 through the conduit 37 to terminals in the junction box 38. Compacted electrolytic backfill 28 completely fills the envelope between the secondary containment liner and the tank bottom and affords a working surface on which to construct the tank bottom and which will support the significant compressive loads required.
In FIG. 3 there is illustrated a cathodic protection system for a reconstructed or double-bottom tank. The original tank bottom is indicated at 58 while the tank wall is shown at 59. A secondary containment liner or membrane 60 may extend across the old bottom and along the lower inside of the side wall as indicated at 61. The containment liner is filled with compacted electrolytic backfill indicated at 64 on which the new tank bottom 66 is constructed. The anode 30 may be the same as the anode in FIG. 1 formed of the conductor bars 31 and ribbons 32 in grid fashion and power feed connections 34 being provided between the bars and power leads 35.
The power leads extend through grommet 68 and relatively short conduit 69 to junction box 38 positioned outside of the tank wall 59. The junction box is connected through conduit 40 to rectifier 42. A ground lead is provided through conduit 46 from the junction box to the tank.
Positioned within the compacted electrolytic backfill envelope may be a plastic mesh insulator shown generally at 72 positioned directly above the anode. The plastic mesh insulator 72 may be of slightly different construction than the insulator 48 seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. In any event, the plastic mesh insulator is provided with interstices or openings 73 which may be in the shape of squares or diamonds approximately 2"×2", and at least 1" square. The compacted electrolytic backfill fills such interstices 73 as indicated at 74. Reference cells 54 may be provided as illustrated connected to the junction box by leads 55. As seen in FIG. 3, a new tank bottom may rather conveniently be constructed inside an old tank bottom while nonetheless providing the secondary containment liner 60 and a long lived cathodic protection system for the new tank bottom 66.
With references to FIGS. 2 and 4, it will be appreciated that either type of plastic mesh reticulate insulator may be used with any installation. The mesh of FIG. 4 may, for example, be made of polyethylene plastic forming a 2"×2" diamond and be formed by 5/16" nominal strands which are heat welded to each other at the junctions providing a 3/8" nominal vertical dimension at such junctions.
The mesh of FIG. 2 may be plastic composite with synthetic geo-textiles and may be the type of material utilized to control earthen embankments and soil erosion. In any event, it is important that the openings provided by the mesh not be so large as to permit bars or ribbons of the grid anode to project through and contact the tank bottom. The openings also should not be so small that won't fill with electrolytic backfill to be compacted.
Referring now to FIG. 5, there is illustrated a typical grid anode layout for a relatively small circular tank bottom 76. The grid includes bars 31 positioned along symmetrical major chords indicated at 77 and 78 which are interconnected by distributor bar 79 on a diameter. The ribbons 32 extend at right angles to the bars 31 on the symmetrical major chords and are spaced on 5 ft. centers. As illustrated, there are two power feed connections 34, one to each of the major bars near the intersection with the distributor bar. The layout of FIG. 5 also includes five zinc, copper sulfate or other reference cells positioned in the symmetrical arrangement as illustrated at 82, 83, 84, 85 and in the center 86. For the outermost ribbon strip, current distributor bars 88 and 89 are provided connecting the ribbon to the nearest ribbon which is, in turn, connected to the conductor bars on the major chords. Each bar/bar ribbon/bar intersection is electrically connected.
Referring now to FIG. 6, there is illustrated a conductor bar 31 and the right angle ribbons 32. A resistance or spot weld is provided at each intersections as seen at 92. FIG. 6 also illustrates the power feed 35 and the connection 34 to the conductor bar 31. Such connection is shown in greater detail in FIG. 8. As seen in such figure, the power feed 35 may be a number eight insulated conductor. The exposed copper strands 94 may be secured by hydraulic compression splicing sleeve 95 to titanium conductor rod 96 which is in turn welded to the flat side of a rectangular conductor plate 97. The rod 96 is parallel to the major flat side of the plate 97. A heat shrink sleeve may be provided at 98. The entire joint may be provided with a mastic sealant half lapped over the splice and the entire splice may be encapsulated in epoxy as indicated at 99. The connection to the bar 31 is provided by spot welding the plate 97 to the bar 31 at the specified location as seen at 100. As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 3, the connection provides an extremely low profile and does not interfere with the placement of the mesh insulator on top of the anode grid.
Referring now additionally to FIG. 7, there is illustrated a cross section of the bar 31. The ribbon, of course, would be similar but smaller. Both the ribbon and bar have a titanium substrate 102 and may have a coating 103 of either one of the noble metals or of mixed metal oxides. For both the ribbon and the bar, the composition of the substrate is preferably ASTM 265; titanium grade 1. The ribbon is preferably 0.25" in width, 0.025" in thickness, have a weight of 6 lbs. per 500 feet and has a resistance of 0.042 ohms per ft. An anode ribbon with a titanium substrate and with TIR 2000 mixed metal oxide coating, is supplied by Materials Protection Company of Houston, Texas. The ribbons come in 500 ft. reels.
The conductor bar may be of the same substrate. The conductor bars are used to form the grid pattern and thereby reduce the voltage drop along the ribbons. The conductors are preferably 0.5" in width, 0.040" in thickness, has a weight of 10 lbs. per 250 ft., and have a resistance of 0.013 ohms per ft. Such conductor bars are available in 250 ft. coils.
Reference may be had to prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,519,886 or 4,331,528, or U.K. publication 896912, published May 23, 1962, all of which show titanium anodes with either mixed metal oxide coatings or noble metal coatings which may be used with the present invention.
For the permanent reference cells, it is preferred to use two types of reference cells. One type is a zinc reference cell which may be a 1.4"×1.4"×9" electrode, pre-packaged in quick wetting backfill. The zinc alloy of the electrode should conform to ASTM B-418-80 Type II.
The other type of reference cell preferred is a copper/copper sulfate reference cell which is constructed of a 2" diameter by 8" long schedule 80 PVC pipe with an ion trap on one end to prevent contamination. The electrode has a long design life and a stability of+or-5 millivolts under a 3.0 microamp. It It is shipped with a cloth sack with special backfill. The leads 55 to the permanent reference electrode are insulated with a high molecular weight polyethylene insulation and the leads should be of sufficient length to extend to the junction box 38 without splicing.
Referring now additionally to FIG. 9, there is illustrated a grid layout for a somewhat larger tank 105 than that shown in FIG. 5. The anode ribbons 32 extend at right angles to conductor bars 31 which are positioned on a major chord indicated at 106, a diameter indicated at 107, and a symmetrical major chord 108. The three major conductor bars are interconnected by a conductor bar 109. Two power feed connections are provided near the centers of the major chord conductor bars 106 and 108, while five permanent reference electrodes are provided as indicated by the triangular symbols. For illustration purposes, the tank bottom of FIG. 5 may be approximately 60 ft. in diameter while the tank bottom of FIG. 9 is approximately 121 ft. in diameter.
In FIG. 10, there is illustrated a tank bottom which is approximately 283 ft. in diameter. In FIG. 9 the ribbons may be on a 6 ft. centers along the conductor bars while in FIGS. 5 and 10 the spacing may be 5 ft. center to center. In any event, the large tank 120 of FIG. 10 is provided with a grid anode formed by the ribbons 32 extending normal to the conductor bars 31 which are on chords of the circle of the bottom. Typically, the major conductor bars may be spaced 25 ft. apart and each of the conductor bars is connected diametrically by conductor bar 22. The circular dots seen at 123, 124, 125, 126 and 127 illustrate points of connection of the power feeds. The triangular symbols 130 illustrate the positions of the permanent reference cells. As illustrated, such positions are arranged generally symmetrically about a center reference cell 131.
FIG. 11 illustrates an anode grid for a storage tank which may be only approximately 25 ft. in diameter. The tank 136 is provided with a single diametral conductor bar 31 and transversely extending ribbons 32 on typical 5 ft. centers. Again, two power feed connections may be provided as indicated at 137 and 138 and the position of the permanent reference cells is shown by the triangular symbols. In any event, the bars are typically arranged to form diameters or major chords of the circular tank bottom with the ribbons extending normal or perpendicular to the conductor bars on the required centers. A plurality of power feed connections as well as permanent reference cells is provided to create desired redundancy.
Referring now to FIG. 12, there is illustrated a somewhat modified form of the present invention. A circular tank 140 utilizes an anode grid formed of chordal conductor bar 141, diametral conductor bar 142 and symmetrically disposed chordal conductor bar 143. Extending normal to such conductor bars on approximately 4 ft. centers are anode mesh strips indicated at 145. The mesh strips are fabricated from 0.025" thick high purity titanium sheet expanded to provided total anode surface area of approximately 1.90 sq. ft. per each sq. ft. of expanded strip. The expanded strip is then coated or catalyzed with a precious metal oxide coating. The mesh strips or ribbons are approximately 1.25" wide. As seen more clearly in FIG. 13, the mesh ribbons are secured to the conductor or distributor bars 143 by three spot welds indicated at 146. The conductor bars to which the mesh ribbons are welded may be of the same material as in the prior embodiment, but a preferred dimension is 0.05" thick by 0.075" wide. Reverting to FIG. 12, three permanent copper sulfate reference electrodes may be provided as indicated at 148, 149 and 150. Also, relatively short current distributor bars may be provided for the shortest mesh ribbons 152 as seen at 153 and 154. Also, there is provided four power lead connections seen at 156, 157, 158 and 159.
Such connections are slightly different than the connections seen in FIG. 8. As illustrated in FIG. 14, the insulated power feed 162 had the strands 163 of the cable connected to titanium rod 164 by a hydraulically compressed butt crimp connector 165. The entire connection is encapsulated in heat shrink tubing with an adhesive sealant as seen at 167. The rod 164 is then welded as indicated at 168 to the flat top side of the conductor bar 143. This connection thus forms the low profile connections 156 through 159.
Referring now to FIGS. 15-17, there is illustrated some embodiments of the present invention where the ribbon is arranged in a variety of patterns on the conductor bar.
In FIG. 15, the ribbon is arranged in three concentric rings 170, 171 and 172, welded, where they cross such as indicated at 173, to the three conductor bars 174, 175 and 176. The ribbon as described above is sufficiently flexible that it can be laid out on a curvature to form the ring with the leading end simply welded to the trailing end to form a continuous conducting ring. It is noted that the spacing between the rings decreases as the circumference increases to achieve substantially uniform distribution. This change of spacing is applicable to larger tank bottoms. Also, as illustrated, there are three power feed connections 179, 180 and 181 through the junction box 182 as well as the five somewhat symmetrically arranged reference electrodes shown by the triangular symbols.
In FIG. 16, there are illustrated three ribbons equally circumferentially spaced, shown at 184, 185 and 186 which intersect each other at the center of the tank bottom as indicated at 187, forming six radii. The ribbons may be welded together at the center and to the diametral conductor bar 188. As illustrated, there are four chordal conductor bars 189, 190, 191 and 192, each welded to each intersecting bar and ribbon at such intersection. The arrangement of FIG. 16 includes four power feed connections and three reference electrodes, all through the junction box 194.
In FIG. 17, there is shown a single anode ribbon 196 which is in the form of a spiral. The anode of FIG. 17 includes two right angle diametrical electrically connected conductor bars 197 and 198 intersecting at the tank bottom center 199, which is also the location of one end of the spiral ribbon 196. The opposite end is shown at 201. The ribbon is electrically secured to each bar at the points of intersection, such as shown at 202. As with the concentric ring embodiment, the change of radius, as the radius increases, may diminish, from one point on the spiral to the next. As shown, there are two power feed connections and four reference electrodes in the embodiment of FIG. 17, all wired through junction box 203.
The cathodic protection system is installed after the tank erection contractor has constructed the ring wall in the case of a new tank in FIG. 1, and in any event, placed the secondary containment liner in position, either within the ring wall or within the old tank bottom, and compacted 1 to 4 inches of electrolytic backfill above the liner. The top of the 1 to 4 inch layer of compacted electrolytic backfill provides a working surface on which to construct the anode grid.
Initially, the anode ribbon is unrolled from the spools at the spacing shown or specified. The ribbon may be pulled through straightener roll sets or may be held in any event in place with electrolytic backfill bags as required to keep the ribbon from rising above the compacted electrolytic backfill. When the ribbons are in place in the proper uniform parallelism, the conductor bar may be uncoiled and positioned in the proper locations at right angles to the ribbon. Each ribbon and conductor bar intersection is then resistance welded. Also, any intersection of conductor bar is also spot welded and each weld should be checked carefully to insure that it is proper and secure providing a good electrical connection between the intersecting parts.
The power feed connectors may be prefabricated and they are connected to the conductor bar at the locations specified. Each power feed conductor is routed through the conduit in the ring wall or the grommet in the rebuilt tank as the case may be.
After the anode grid is constructed on the intermediate layer of compacted electrolytic backfill, the mesh or reticulate plastic insulator may be installed directly above the entire anode grid. Again, electrolytic backfill bags or weights may be employed to keep the plastic mesh and anode grid from rising above the compacted electrolytic backfill.
The permanent reference cells may be installed at the desired locations. The cloth sack containing the reference cell should be soaked in the container of water for 15-20 minutes and the reference cell may be placed in a hole in the electrolytic backfill surface and the cell is simply backfilled with additional electrolytic backfill to prevent drying. Again, the leads to the reference cells are routed through the ring wall or tank wall to the junction box. The backfilling of additional electrolytic backfill above the mesh insulator may be accomplished in stages to locate the reference cells where desired, or the reference cells may be positioned beneath the anode grid before the mesh insulator is put in place on the anode grid.
In any event, the backfilling operation within the ring wall or the old tank is performed by the tank erection contractor and a small track dozer may be employed for placing the electrolytic backfill in the required lifts above the anode ribbon, conductor bars and reference cells. The dozer should have preferably no cleats or if it does have cleats, the cleats should not be greater than 2.5". Great care should be exercised during the backfill operation to avoid damage to the anode grid and wiring. In any event, electrolytic backfill is placed over the reticulate insulator and is compacted and leveled. The compacting not only assures proper compressive loads, but also insures that the electrolytic backfill will fill the openings or interstices in the plastic mesh insulator when employed. Electrical testing should be conducted during the final stages of tank pad construction and if problems occur, remedial action should be taken.
Resistance measurements between the power feed should be monitored during the placement of the electrolytic backfill above the cathodic protection anode grid and reference cells. These measurements should be supplemented by additional resistance and/or potential readings between the reference cells and power feeds. Abrupt increases in resistance indicate damage to the system components during pad construction. At that point repair should be undertaken immediately. In any event, when the pad of compacted electrolytic backfill is completed and leveled, the construction of the tank bottom may commence.
The system may be commissioned by taking native state tank-to-soil measurements to be recorded. The rectifier unit then will be energized and sufficient time for polarization of the tank bottom will be allowed. Final adjustments to the system will be made when the tank is at least partially filled with product. The criterion for adjustment may be a 100 millivolt polarization shift, or other recognized standard.
It should be noted that the system avoids utilization of highly conductive carbonaceous backfill materials which are employed normally to cause most conventional cathodic protection anodes to function properly. The cathodic protection system of the present invention with its redundant power feeds and reference cells provides a long service life at reasonable cost. | <urn:uuid:af66a13f-22b7-436b-80d2-7e9644942639> | CC-MAIN-2016-07 | http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5065893.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-07/segments/1454701165378.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20160205193925-00065-ip-10-236-182-209.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928774 | 6,183 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Faces of Public Health: Susan Yee
A community needs assessment of a Chinese-American community in New York City several years ago found multiple barriers to physical activity for children and teens including parents unable to supervise kids at play because of long work hours, unsafe neighborhoods, limited knowledge or access to existing programs, financial hardship, inadequate support for physical activity in schools, limited time due to competing priorities such as academics, and too much time in front of video games, computer screens and television. To increase exercise time and options and help to reduce obesity rates among Chinese-American youth, public health professionals from the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center sought out funding from the New York State Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to create the Chinatown JUMP (Joining Urban Partners for More Physical Activity) program.
>>Read more on New York's Health Improvement Plan, which sets out a plan for similar community health assessments and cross-sectoral collaborations in response to these findings.
Chinatown JUMP currently works with eight afterschool programs to incorporate daily physical activity into the curriculum of these academic programs, blending activity with learning. Program goals include:
- Promote healthier and fit children by educating them and their families about the correlation between exercise and staying healthy.
- Increase staff capacity to support students’ healthier lifestyle through training and technical assistance.
- Establish an afterschool culture that supports physical activity as well as academic achievement.
The program works hard to incorporate parents’ support and involvement as well. Participating students in iMove receive a community resource guide with information about free and low-cost recreational centers and public spaces in the neighborhood to share with their parents. Parents are also invited to workshops on the importance of physical activity and healthy eating habits.
NewPublicHealth recently spoke with Susan Yee, Associate Director of Programs at the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, about Chinatown JUMP.
NewPublicHealth: What is the Chinatown JUMP program and what do you think sets it apart from other programs with similar goals?
Susan Yee: Chinatown JUMP’s goal is to try to improve opportunities for more physical activity in the Manhattan Chinatown area in order to create sustainable changes within the community.
What I think sets us apart is that in the city many kids are very, very busy as are the parents or grandparents who take care of them. The kids have a lot of competing priorities during school hours, after school and on weekends. Asian parents also tend to emphasize academics over sports or recreation. Many students go to Chinese cultural schools during the weekends, so there really wasn't much time to fit in physical activity.
We looked at what the kids were already doing during their day to see how we could fit and integrate our programs into their existing schedule.
NewPublicHealth: What strategies did you use?
Susan Yee: Since this was a community grant, we had to focus on out of school time. We looked at afterschool programs and created a program called “iMove.” It’s a structured program of ten minutes of physical activity that we integrated into the afterschool curriculum many of the children were engaged in, which was focused on academics and tutoring. By integration we mean that once parents signed up for the afterschool program, it also included the iMove component. That let us capture the volume of children that we thought was important to make the changes that we wanted. We work with eight afterschool programs, reaching about 1,500 children and we've been running that for the last three years.
We also wanted to integrate into the existing infrastructure, so we looked at some of the partner agencies that we historically have strong relationships with. One was a mentorship organization that serves a couple of thousand kids in New York City, largely in the Asian-American community. It’s a mentorship/academic program where they match students with adult professionals in the work world. We felt that this was a good opportunity to introduce physical activity. So along with the academics and mentorship that they provided to the children, we have a basketball clinic that they run every Saturday. The kids have two hours of academics and two hours of a physical activity program, which has been in place for the last two years.
What we were able to do, serving as a liaison between these mentorship programs and the principals that we have relationships with through our iMove program, was to get space for the basketball clinics.
NPH: How were you able to convince the parents?
Susan Yee: Many of the parents allowed the kids to sign up for more practical reasons—some were working and not able to watch over the kids so they put them in these afterschool programs. They were also concerned about children doing well in school we were able to share with them studies from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the positive connection between physical activity and academic performance. So we used that to our advantage when we tried to integrate our programs into the school as well as the mentorship program. We made sure that we let the parents know the reason why we're doing it, and so there was a lot of acceptance.
We haven’t done any long-term research on the impact of physical activity initiatives on the academic performance of our target population. However, in focus groups and the one-on-one interviews with some of the directors from the afterschool programs, the teachers who are running these programs, as well as the students who've participated in these programs have indicated the positive results of our initiatives. Some of the teachers have indicated that a lot of the children participating in the programs can concentrate a lot better. For example, they’ll have the afterschool program where they have some of the tutoring and the academic component and then they give a ten to fifteen minute break where they engage in physical activity, and they were able to come back and concentrate a little bit better. Previously, it was very hard to hold their attention for the three hours of the academic afterschool program.
NPH: What models did you have in setting up the programs?
Susan Yee: We actually had a lot of support from our funder and they had this model that was developed by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in collaboration with the New York City Department of Education called Move-to-Improve, which incorporated structured fitness breaks into class time.
One key thing different about the Move to Improve program is that they used their physical activity lessons to align more with physical activity learning standards. Ours had more of an academic component aimed largely at getting buy-in from the parents. For example, in the first grade or kindergarten they're learning about communities, so we hired a consultant to create our physical activity components that align with what they were learning about communities. So, for example, what does a policeman do? And if they thought a policeman protects the community, the kids do a physical activity, such as ten jumping jacks. Their answers have to be aligned with a certain movement so that they were constantly moving and learning at the same time. So I think the parents responded very well to that, knowing that the kids were not just "playing" and wasting their time, which was I think a lot of the parents' concern initially.
NPH: Who were your partners and how did you make the case to them for the program?
Susan Yee: The partners were afterschool programs that had a good reputation in the community, one of which is the Chinese American Planning Council, a not-for-profit social service organization the Chinese community was very familiar with. It was important that the partners we were going to work with had a stake in the community already and a good reputation with the community.
The other one that we had a little bit more of a challenge working with, and over the last three years we were able to overcome that hurdle, was the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation. The Asian community did not have the closest ties there, specifically in Chinatown. Parks and Recreation had a facility that was situated on the outskirts of Chinatown and historically there was racial tension between the Asian community and the African-American and Hispanic communities. We had to convince the Asian community that they were welcome at that recreation center and that some of the tensions and fear are no longer a concern. We worked closely with the Parks Department to help welcome the Asian community.
And we did a lot of interviews with the community in focus groups to make sure that whatever we were creating was responsive to what their needs are rather than interjecting ourselves and plopping down a program or a model that did not resonate with them. | <urn:uuid:ab75d95f-d874-4f75-8197-d59a9ef33b34> | CC-MAIN-2014-52 | http://www.rwjf.org/en/blogs/new-public-health/2013/05/faces_of_public_heal0.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-52/segments/1418802770071.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20141217075250-00147-ip-10-231-17-201.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982728 | 1,771 | 2.640625 | 3 |
France vs. England
Age of Absolutism
The Age of Exploration led to the Age of Absolutism. During the Age of Exploration the wealth in the countries went to the nobles and created a gap between the rich and the poor. The wealth came from mercantilism and the colonies. In the 16 and 1700’s the Age of Absolutism started. This was a time that the king had complete control over his government and kingdom. Absolutism is having no restriction to your government. This means the king does not have to listen to anyone or do anything that he doesn’t want to do. However, at this time some kingdoms started to create a balance of power, which means there was power spread throughout the government. During the Age of Absolutism England and France were different politically, but the same religiously and economically.
During the Age of Absolutism France kept a strong monarchy, but England established a strong parliament. France’s king knew how to keep complete control over his empire and keep his people happy. This was unlike England’s king, who was not able to handle his empire, so they started to have a balance of power. In England the people established the Bill of Rights, which was a document showing how parliament had more power than the monarchy (page 521). In France, Louis XIV gained power by attending government affairs and appointing intendants(page 512). Intendants are royal officials that collect taxes for the king. This made the people think they were important in the government. Also in England constitutional government, government limited by laws, came to power (page 522). This power was spread out between three groups: prime minister, political parties and the cabinet. These examples show that the English government had formed into a parliament, while France’s king still has absolute power.
In the Age of Absolutism, England and France both had unsteady religions and strived for divine right. England and France’s rulers wanted...
Please join StudyMode to read the full document | <urn:uuid:f6280c52-265b-49a9-9b78-0321d0c28fdc> | CC-MAIN-2019-30 | https://www.studymode.com/essays/France-Vs-England-47310837.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-30/segments/1563195526489.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20190720070937-20190720092937-00552.warc.gz | en | 0.978815 | 426 | 3.859375 | 4 |
Estimating yield losses in drought-damaged corn
Given current daily heat unit accumulation, much of the corn crop is likely to achieve black layer (physiological maturity) before the end of August. A continuation of high temperatures will promote rapid grain drydown and the potential for an early harvest. In upcoming weeks, corn growers with drought damaged fields may want to estimate grain yields prior to harvest in order to help with marketing and harvest plans.
Two procedures that are widely used for estimating corn grain yields prior to harvest are the yield component method (also referred to as the "slide rule" or corn yield calculator) and the ear weight method. Each method will often produce yield estimates that are within 20 bu/ac of actual yield. Such estimates can be helpful for general planning purposes.
The yield component method was developed by the Agricultural Engineering Department at the University of Illinois. The principle advantage to this method is that it can be used as early as the milk stage of kernel development, a stage many Ohio corn fields have probably achieved. The yield component method involves use of a numerical constant for kernel weight which is figured into an equation in order to calculate grain yield. This numerical constant is sometimes referred to as a "fudge‑factor" since it is based on a predetermined average kernel weight. Since weight per kernel will vary depending on hybrid and environment, the yield component method should be used only to estimate relative grain yields, i.e. "ballpark" grain yields. When below normal rainfall occurs during grain fill (resulting in low kernel weights), the yield component method will overestimate yields. In a year with good grain fill conditions (resulting in high kernel weights) the method will underestimate grain yields.
In the past, the yield component method equation used a "fudge factor" of 90 (as the average value for kernel weight, expressed as 90,000 kernels per 56 lb bushel), but kernel size has increased as hybrids have improved over the years. Dr. Bob Nielsen at Purdue University suggests that a "fudge factor" of 80 to 85 (85,000 kernels per 56 lb bushel) is a more realistic value to use in the yield estimation equation today http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/news/timeless/YldEstMethod.html.
Emerson Nafziger, Ph.D., the University of Illinois notes that under current drought stress “….If there's a fair amount of green leaf area and kernels have already reached dough stage, using 90 [as the “fudge-factor “] might be reasonable. It typically doesn't help much to try to estimate depth of kernels at dough stage, when kernel depth is typically rather shallow anyway, especially if there are 16 or more kernel rows on the ear. If green leaf area is mostly gone, however, and kernels look like they may be starting to shrink a little, kernels may end up very light, and using 120 or even 140 [as the “fudge-factor”] might be more accurate”. http://bulletin.ipm.illinois.edu/article.php?id=1695.
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- How much corn can the ethanol industry use?
- Economist: Taxing P could reduce risk of algal blooms
- Commentary: Government wants farmers to quit farming
- What is the relationship between maturity group, yield?
- Commentary: Ambulance-chaser lawyers take on Syngenta
- Berman: Camouflaged activists threaten agriculture | <urn:uuid:e5abf7ce-d060-4e0f-927b-fb48d517ed73> | CC-MAIN-2014-42 | http://www.agprofessional.com/news/Estimating-yield-losses-in-drought-damaged-corn--164620516.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-42/segments/1413507452492.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20141017005732-00238-ip-10-16-133-185.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926464 | 788 | 3.359375 | 3 |
Economic stimulus of oil and gas
Shale gas and advances in oil and natural gas extraction technologies over the last five years have provided a large economic stimulus for the United States. That is the conclusion of new research from the American Clean Skies Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing America's energy independence and a cleaner, low-carbon environment through the expanded use of natural gas, renewables and efficiency.
GDP and employment impacts from expanded production View the full-size graphic. Credit: Business Wire
The research is based on data and analysis by ICF International and estimates that technology-driven changes in oil and gas production since 2007 will lead to 835,000 to 1.6 million new U.S. jobs by 2017 and increase the country's gross domestic product by $167 billion to $245 billion on a net basis.
For example, the report estimates that for every billion cubic feet of additional gas demand per day, there are 13,000 additional direct drilling and pipeline jobs, plus thousands more related to new chemical plants and other gas-using facilities. In turn, these jobs generate a further 10,000 to 30,000 induced indirect jobs in the manufacturing, retail and service sectors.
"The report gives us considerable confidence that the economic benefits we are seeing today will last well into the next decade given the large available resource base opened up by technological advances and the extensive business plans in place for its production and use," said Harry Vidas, Vice President of the Oil and Gas Division at ICF.
- see the report | <urn:uuid:43a1d049-402c-42ed-8bd2-340a5f228949> | CC-MAIN-2015-35 | http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/economic-stimulus-oil-and-gas/2012-11-06 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-35/segments/1440644066275.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20150827025426-00001-ip-10-171-96-226.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939314 | 314 | 2.6875 | 3 |
CONSTRUCTION OF CHEMICAL FORMULAS AND EFFECT OF PHYSICAL ELEMENTS IN CASTING CHILLED WORK.
Chemistry has proved of greater benefit in making mixtures for chilled castings than in any other line. When the progressive founder thinks back to the days when the chill roll, car wheel, and other manufacturers were guided wholly by judgment of fracture in selecting their pig metal to make a mixture, he is not at a loss to comprehend why such bad results in castings were then obtained, accompanied by heavy financial losses.
In making grey iron castings, there is a much greater margin for a divergency from the best point to be reached as regards the 'i grade '' desired than with chilled work. 'In many cases where soft work is wanted it ma}T be found very hard and still be passed, or do no injury other than cause extra labor in finishing the castings, etc.; but as a general thing if chilled mixtures diverge much from the best point to be attained, the castings will prove worthless by reason of " chill cracks " or the " chill " not be of the depth or quality of hardness desired. It is true that most chilled work founders would take "chill tests " of their mixture after they had melted their irons. Thisesented, there are cases where one may utilize different percentages of silicon, sulphur, etc., by mere mental calculation, after the ideas seen on page 141, that may answer all practical purposes. While the rules of Tables 39 to 42 may appear, at first, complicated, to those unaccustomed to such computations, they would, with a little practice, soon find the methods very simple.ABLE 39. | <urn:uuid:e14bd489-3087-4c55-8645-f2697b57558f> | CC-MAIN-2015-11 | http://www.archive.org/stream/MetallurgyOfCastIron/TXT/00000277.txt | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-11/segments/1424936465693.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20150226074105-00084-ip-10-28-5-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957633 | 349 | 3 | 3 |
- 1 Which emperor made Christianity the official religion of Rome and outlawed others?
- 2 Which emperor made the Christianity the official religion in the Roman Empire?
- 3 Which Roman emperor converted to Christianity and stopped the persecution of Christians in the empire?
- 4 Which Roman emperor changed the status of Christianity within the Roman Empire?
- 5 Why did Christianity appeal to Romans?
- 6 Why did Rome accept Christianity?
- 7 Which Roman emperor Killed Jesus?
- 8 Who was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity?
- 9 Did Christianity Cause the fall of Rome?
- 10 When did Christianity become the religion of Rome?
- 11 Did Constantine put the Bible together?
- 12 Did Constantine start the Catholic Church?
- 13 What did the word Catholic mean to the Romans?
- 14 Who was the last Roman emperor?
- 15 What Temple was generally considered the most important in Rome?
Which emperor made Christianity the official religion of Rome and outlawed others?
On February 27, 380, in Thessaloniki, the Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius I (347 – 395) signed a decree in the presence of the Western Roman Emperor Valentinian II (371 – 392) that made Christianity the religion of the state and punished the practice of pagan rituals.
Which emperor made the Christianity the official religion in the Roman Empire?
Who was Constantine? Constantine made Christianity the main religion of Rome, and created Constantinople, which became the most powerful city in the world. Emperor Constantine (ca A.D. 280– 337) reigned over a major transition in the Roman Empire —and much more.
Which Roman emperor converted to Christianity and stopped the persecution of Christians in the empire?
After his father’s death, Constantine fought to take power. He became the Western emperor in 312 and the sole Roman emperor in 324. Constantine was also the first emperor to adhere to Christianity. He issued an edict that protected Christians in the empire and converted to Christianity on his deathbed in 337.
Which Roman emperor changed the status of Christianity within the Roman Empire?
During the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great (AD 306–337), Christianity began to transition to the dominant religion of the Roman Empire.
Why did Christianity appeal to Romans?
Ehrman attributes the rapid spread of Christianity to five factors: (1) the promise of salvation and eternal life for everyone was an attractive alternative to Roman religions; (2) stories of miracles and healings purportedly showed that the one Christian God was more powerful than the many Roman gods; (3) Christianity
Why did Rome accept Christianity?
8) The Roman Empire converted to Christianity because Constantine was converted and he was ruler at the time. But the next guy Theodosius made it the religion of the region. This is important in history because Christianity influenced their culture of how they acted, thought and believed.
Which Roman emperor Killed Jesus?
Pontius Pilate, Latin in full Marcus Pontius Pilatus, (died after 36 ce), Roman prefect (governor) of Judaea (26–36 ce) under the emperor Tiberius who presided at the trial of Jesus and gave the order for his crucifixion.
Who was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity?
Constantine I, byname Constantine the Great, Latin in full Flavius Valerius Constantinus, (born February 27, after 280 ce?, Naissus, Moesia [now Niš, Serbia]—died May 22, 337, Ancyrona, near Nicomedia, Bithynia [now İzmit, Turkey]), first Roman emperor to profess Christianity.
Did Christianity Cause the fall of Rome?
7. Christianity and the loss of traditional values. The decline of Rome dovetailed with the spread of Christianity, and some have argued that the rise of a new faith helped contribute to the empire’s fall. The Edict of Milan legalized Christianity in 313, and it later became the state religion in 380.
When did Christianity become the religion of Rome?
In 313 AD, the Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which accepted Christianity: 10 years later, it had become the official religion of the Roman Empire.
Did Constantine put the Bible together?
The Fifty Bibles of Constantine were Bibles in the original Greek language commissioned in 331 by Constantine I and prepared by Eusebius of Caesarea. They were made for the use of the Bishop of Constantinople in the growing number of churches in that very new city.
Did Constantine start the Catholic Church?
Emperor Constantine I established the rights of the Church in the year 315.
What did the word Catholic mean to the Romans?
The use of ” Roman “, “Holy”, and “Apostolic” are accepted by the Church as descriptive names. At the time of the 16th-century Reformation, the Church itself “claimed the word catholic as its title over Protestant or Reformed churches”. It believes that it is the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
Who was the last Roman emperor?
Romulus Augustus, the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is deposed by Odoacer, a German barbarian who proclaims himself king of Italy. Odoacer was a mercenary leader in the Roman imperial army when he launched his mutiny against the young emperor.
What Temple was generally considered the most important in Rome?
The best known is the Pantheon, Rome, which, however, is highly untypical, being a very large circular temple with a magnificent concrete roof, behind a conventional portico front. | <urn:uuid:6eed0410-356b-4812-8a56-61dd30105cd4> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://www.paramountchristian.org/christianity-around-the-world/which-roman-emperor-made-christianity-the-empires-official-religion-decline-of-rome.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662539131.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20220521143241-20220521173241-00433.warc.gz | en | 0.956122 | 1,175 | 3.15625 | 3 |
Photography helped the identification of birds a lot. When two species are very similar it often used to be impossible to identify them in the field, especially when not given very good views. With digital photography this all changed. Where birders only had brief glimpses of certain birds, they now could take a picture and could have a good look at home at what they had seen. And when the equipment improved and became more affordable (or people were willing to spent more money…) the pictures improved as well and even more was possible.
This picture shows two species of prion, the Antarctic Prion on the left and the Slender-billed Prion on the right. Differences are tiny, the left bird has a little bit more black on the tail, is a little darker and has a little different facial pattern. All things that are very difficult to see when the birds are flying next to the boat, but on a picture like this are clearly visible. | <urn:uuid:ab86ec9a-f0f0-4c20-a9ef-5d9277a8140a> | CC-MAIN-2018-09 | https://natureview.blog/2016/11/22/identification-troubles/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-09/segments/1518891812938.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20180220110011-20180220130011-00357.warc.gz | en | 0.982538 | 193 | 3.046875 | 3 |
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via "natural" ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results for targeted keywords. In this article find out how to do basic SEO, code search engine friendly pages and how to do a basic promotion of your site.
For this I will use one of sites I’ve made, it is AdSense site and it follows SEO rules and it is good example what to do and what not to do. This site is http://www.aboutdoghealth.org/ so let’s start from the top.
Things to do
- Keywords in URL
For example http://www.aboutdoghealth.org/ use whole words – keywords to best describe your site. Don’t rely on this if you don’t have keywords in other parts of your site.
- Keywords in <title> tag
This shows search results as your page title, so this is one of the most important things and it shouldn’t be long 5-6 words max, and use keyword at the beginning.
- Keywords in anchor texts
Also very important, especially for the anchor text, because if you have the keyword in the anchor text in a link from another site, this is regarded as getting a vote from this site not only about your site in general, but about the keyword in particular.
- Keywords in headings (<H1>, <H2>, etc. tags)
One more place where keywords count a lot. But beware that your page has actual text about the particular keyword.
- Keywords in the beginning of a document
While coding your page put your main content before side bar. Because this also counts, though not as much as anchor text, title tag or headings
- Keywords in <alt> tags
Spiders don't read images but they do read their textual descriptions in the <alt> tag, so if you have images on your page, fill in the <alt> tag with some keywords about them.
- Anchor text of inbound links
This is one of the most important factors for good rankings. It is best if you have a keyword in the anchor text but even if you don't, it is still OK.
- Origin of inbound links
It is important if the site that links to you is a reputable one or not. Generally sites with greater Google PR are considered reputable and the .edu and .gov sites are the most reputable
- Links from similar sites
Having links from similar sites is very, very useful. It indicates that the competition is voting for you and you are popular within your topical community.
Metatags are becoming less and less important but if there are metatags that still matter, these are the <description> and <keywords> ones.
- Unique content
Having more content (relevant content, which is different from the content on other sites both in wording and topics) is a real boost for your site's rankings.
- Frequency of content change
Frequent changes are favored. It is great when you constantly add new content but it is not so great when you only make small updates to existing content.
- Site Accessibility
Another fundamental issue, which that is often neglected. If the site (or separate pages) is unaccessible because of broken links, 404 errors, password-protected areas and other similar reasons, then the site simply can't be indexed.
It is great to have a complete and up-to-date sitemap, spiders love it, no matter if it is a plain old HTML sitemap or the special Google sitemap format.
Things not to do
- Keyword stuffing
Any artificially inflated keyword density (10% and over) is keyword stuffing and you risk getting banned from search engines.
- Keyword dilution
When you are optimizing for an excessive amount of keywords, especially unrelated ones, this will affect the performance of all your keywords and even the major ones will be lost (diluted) in the text.
- Single pixel links
when you have a link that is a pixel or so wide it is invisible for humans, so nobody will click on it and it is obvious that this link is an attempt to manipulate search engines.
Crosslinking occurs when site A links to site B, site B links to site C and site C links back to site A
- Duplicate content
When you have the same content on several pages on the site, this will not make your site look larger because the duplicate content penalty kicks in. To a lesser degree duplicate content applies to pages that reside on other sites but obviously these cases are not always banned
- Doorway pages
Creating pages that aim to trick spiders that your site is a highly-relevant one when it is not, is another way to get the kick from search engines.
Cloaking is another illegal technique, which partially involves content separation because spiders see one page (highly-optimized, of course), and everybody else is presented with another version of the same page.
- Invisible text
This is a black hat SEO practice and when spiders discover that you have text specially for them but not for humans, don't be surprised by the penalty.
- Illegal Content
Using other people's copyrighted content without their permission or using content that promotes legal violations can get you kicked out of search engines.
Spiders don't index the content of Flash movies, so if you use Flash on your site, don't forget to give it an alternative textual description. And also don’t have just flash home page without HTML one.
Frames are very bad for SEO. Avoid using them unless really necessary.
- Redirects (301 and 302)
When not applied properly, redirects can hurt a lot – the target page might not open, or worse – a redirect can be regarded as a black hat technique, when the visitor is immediately taken to a different page.
- Bans in robots.txt
If indexing of a considerable portion of the site is banned, this is likely to affect the nonbanned part as well because spiders will come less frequently to a “noindex” site.
- Session IDs
This is even worse than dynamic URLs. Don't use session IDs for information that you'd like to be indexed by spiders.
Submit your site
- To Google
- To Yahoo!
- To MSN
- To FastSubmit
- To SubmitExpress
- To dmoz
And also a good and easy way to promote your site is to submit it to inspiration galleries, you can see most of them here | <urn:uuid:0caed278-5d3a-4dfd-b9b8-fc0d7f98f95d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://stylizedweb.com/2008/01/24/learn-seo-basics/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698238192/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095718-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.888136 | 1,379 | 2.515625 | 3 |
“Have you ever wondered what the cultural norms are 6,700 miles away? These cultural norms are systems of beliefs groups follow in order to maintain well-being. These sets of beliefs keep a society on one page and functional. Different cultural norms are also modified by the economy, integration, etc. Even though America and Japan are both first world countries, their values developed differently.”
Have you ever wondered what the cultural norms are 6,700 miles away? These cultural norms are systems of beliefs groups follow in order to maintain well-being. These sets of beliefs keep a society on one page and functional. Different cultural norms are also modified by the economy, integration, etc. Even though America and Japan are both first world countries, their values developed differently. Japan was secluded from the world for 220 years, but was heavily influenced by the outside world after WWII. Japan adjusted many parts of its culture, but it also kept most of its values. America, on the other hand, won WWII and was powerful. Instead of taking over the world, America chose to help out struggling countries. The culture also became prideful. People started becoming more independent and thinking outside of what the government wanted people to think. Under the laws created by the government itself, this type of thinking isn’t criticized. The two countries model themselves on a system that runs on values that are almost the opposite of each other. America values pride and individual rights, while Japan values conformism and respect.
Japan’s values, conformism and respect, emerged from being isolated from the world for centuries and the loss of WWII. In 1633, Japan closed itself off to the world with the exception of trade with the Dutch. No Japanese person was allowed to exit the country, and anyone living outside of the country also could not enter. This caused the Japanese to develop similar ideas, because they had no influences on their ideas from foreign countries. Also, the Japanese government implanted strict rules during this period, which made the Japanese people used to following orders without questioning them. Even after Japan opened up to the world, this culture still lived on. Many years later, Japan was in a similar situation. When Japan was fighting WWII, the government propagated propaganda, so the Japanese population, this time, was scared of the outside world. Japan’s hate towards the world quickly disappeared after the loss of WWII. Japan’s citizens realized that their country was very far behind and subsequently fell in love with foreign countries, especially the United States. Japan rebuilt its cities, but left a few reminders of war, like a building in Hiroshima, to never forget the horrors of war. This was not in any way directed against the US. Japan completely overturned its political views, but its thinking processes remained. Japan has still been obsessed with foreign countries, especially America, to this day.
However, America had external influences for its whole history. In 1787, the Philadelphia Convention wrote the Constitution, which by today’s standard, is still very democratic. America also evolved the way it did because of immigrant populations. America won the war and felt good about itself, because it was helping different countries recover. America’s people gained pride. However, America is very ignorant now, most likely due to the poor education system. America has the biggest economy in the world, but its education is the 14th best. America has a big culture which believes that America is always the best. All this contributes to America valuing individual and unalienable rights.
Japan and America’s values approach the task of keeping a community functional differently. Japan’s societal model has everyone working together and most people benefiting equally. This works perfectly in theory, but since everyone is expected to be similar, people who are any different, not necessarily worse than the expectation, are treated badly. There is even a saying in Japanese that translates to “the nail that sticks out gets hammered.” In America, people will undermine others to get ahead. Also, because of this, children are taught that being unique is always a good thing. They are also taught that everyone is unique. This creates a tendency for people to feel proud without work. However, this helps people’s unique strengths to be recognized. Japan’s values helps processes work smoother and more efficiently, because everyone always follows rules. An example of this is how in Japan, straight lines are formed to board the trains.
Values impact the way a civilization functions. Japan and America are two technologically developed first world countries with extremely different sets of values. It is important to know about these countries’ values because they are two countries which approach the task of forming a successful civilization from completely different angles through these two sets of values. By comparing these societies, one can gain knowledge about sociology. | <urn:uuid:4ff5be7c-53a2-4bf8-bd9c-225c0560b6a6> | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | http://www.theellipsis.org/ignorance-and-apathy-an-analysis-of-japan-and-americas-values/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764499946.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20230201144459-20230201174459-00445.warc.gz | en | 0.974988 | 979 | 3.84375 | 4 |
Dehydrating food is one of the oldest techniques of storing food hence, food dehydrators are known to be preferable means of storing foods as it enhances the taste of food more. Food dehydrators are a good way of storing products that are brought from the market. Food dehydrators are also used for various other activities, such as making herbs at home. Food dehydration, in another word, helps in the preservation of foods and has been in practice for ages.
How do food dehydrators work?
The most commonly used food dehydrators are basic ovens that help dry moisture from fruits, vegetables, and other foods as the water content in food is generally very high. It also has various health benefits since the lack of water prevents bacteria from growing in it. Food dehydrators amazingly reduce the volume of the food and make it more convenient for storage. They preserve food for a longer time as the shelf life of the stored food increases through this process. In this process, food dehydrators require heat sources such as solar energy, biofuel, electric power, etc. This is done on a large scale, such as commercial food dehydrators, and on small scales, such as doing it at home. This process is continued until the quantity of water present in food goes below 20%. To make food dehydration more efficient, a constant temperature and adequate airflow need to be applied, or else, inadequate temperature could result in food getting spoiled.
Types of food dehydrators
One of the widely known and practiced methods of food dehydration is a solar food dehydrator. Solar food dryer is almost the same as the antique method of drying food under the sun. Still, it is different as they can attain high food drying temperatures, making food dehydration more efficient while maintaining the quality of the food. Solar food dehydration is a popular, effective, and applicable technique practiced mostly in densely populated places of the world. Food dehydration is a tried, tested and trustable method of preserving food.
Know more about food dehydrators by looking over the web and get that additional information. | <urn:uuid:8192b9e1-a6bd-4594-8baf-feb80550622d> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | http://www.salon755.com/2021/food-dehydrators-preserving-taste-and-good-health/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679101282.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20231210060949-20231210090949-00208.warc.gz | en | 0.967606 | 413 | 3.28125 | 3 |
"Wymysiöejer fibl" is our second book of the series „Ynzer kyndyn”, dedicated to young readers. Although a growing children’s literature fills a large gap in the Wilamowicean writing tradition, “Wymysiöejer fibl” attempts to reach a wider audience as well. The illustrations, which depict everyday life of the Wilamowicean people, their traditional clothes, celebrations and landscapes, allow the reader to immerse himself in the Wilamowicean culture. The pictures were made by a Vilamovian- Justyna Majerska. This example breaks another stereotype about Wymysorys- that people from Wilamowicean community do not engage in the revitalization of their language.
Tymoteusz Król has been teaching Wymysorys since July 2011. He has also gathered extensive language documentation (more than 500 hours of recording featuring nicknames, folk tales, family stories, personal accounts, biographies, 40 songs, folk dress descriptions, genealogy, everyday talks, town history, customs and traditions). | <urn:uuid:0ac59fb5-f42c-4153-a659-a0c9ea87bb73> | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | http://revitalization.al.uw.edu.pl/eng/Wymysorys/72/education | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780060201.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20210928032425-20210928062425-00290.warc.gz | en | 0.928644 | 240 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Brunei’s microbial diversity is largely untapped, but has the potential to support the economic diversification of the country.
That was the key message emanating from a high level symposium, in Brunei Dar us salam [November 27] where CABI scientists outlined the important role that any new Biological Resource Centre would play in managing the Brunei’s genetic microbial resources.
Biological Resource Centres are key to preserving and conserving the worlds’ microorganisms. These reference centres collect, maintain, characterize and advise on the availability of microorganisms, preserving authentic materials for the future. Brunei, currently doesn't have one.
According to Dr Bridge, “the country has a diverse range of terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Improved coordination and management of this resource has the potential to deliver commercial benefits across a range of sectors including agriculture, and the food industry to pharmaceutical.”
The CABI team, consisting of Drs David Smith, Paul Bridge and Keng-Yeang Lum, had the opportunity to interact with the Minister of Industry and Primary Resources individually, where they were able to articulate the current status of Brunei’s microbial resource collections and how, with CABI expertise, the initiative to develop and fund a Biological Resource Centre would help to underpin the bioeconomy.
Brunei is a longstanding and important member country for CABI. In recent years, CABI has worked alongside the Government and Department of Agriculture of Brunei Darussalam to strengthened local capacity across a range of disciplines. Along with the development of a Biological Resource Centre, focus areas of collaboration have included integrated pest and disease management both in crop production and postharvest and the introduction of phytosanitary measures to promote and protect agricultural trade. | <urn:uuid:a22a8b3d-0c50-403d-b4fd-861af93f4243> | CC-MAIN-2018-51 | https://www.cabi.org/membership/news/symposium-highlights-benefits-of-microbes/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-51/segments/1544376825495.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20181214070839-20181214092339-00089.warc.gz | en | 0.935952 | 359 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Green politics (also known as ecopolitics) is a political ideology that aims to create an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, nonviolence, social justice and grassroots democracy. It began taking shape in the western world in the 1970s and since then Green parties have developed and established themselves in many countries around the globe and have achieved some electoral success.
The political term Green was used initially in relation to die Grünen (German for "the Greens"), a Green party formed in the late 1970s. The term "political ecology" is sometimes used in academic circles, but in the latter has come to represent an interdisciplinary field of study, as the academic discipline offers wide-ranging studies integrating ecological social sciences with political economy in topics such as degradation and marginalization, environmental conflict, conservation and control and environmental identities and social movements.
Supporters of green politics share many ideas with the ecology, conservation, environmentalism, feminism and peace movements. In addition to democracy and ecological issues, green politics is concerned with civil liberties, social justice, nonviolence, sometimes variants of localism and tends to support social progressivism. The party's platform is largely considered left in the political spectrum.
The Green ideology has connections with various other ecocentric political ideologies, including ecosocialism, ecoanarchism and ecofeminism, but to what extent these can be seen as forms of Green politics is a matter of debate.
As the left-wing Green (i.e. capital 'G'[clarification needed]) political philosophy developed, there also came into separate existence unrelated and polar opposite movements on the right that include ecological components such as green conservatism and eco-capitalism.
Adherents to green politics tend to consider it to be part of a 'higher' worldview and not simply a political ideology. Green politics draws its ethical stance from a variety of sources, from the values of indigenous peoples, to the ethics of Gandhi, Spinoza and Uexküll. These people influenced green thought in their advocacy of long-term "seventh generation" foresight, and on the personal responsibility of every individual to make moral choices.
Of course, unease about adverse consequences of human actions on nature predates the modern concept of “environmentalism". Social commentators as far apart as ancient Rome and China complained of air, water and noise pollution.
The philosophical roots of environmentalism can be traced back to enlightenment thinkers such as Rousseau in France and, later, the author and naturalist Thoreau in America. Organised environmentalism began in late 19th Century Europe and the United States as a reaction to the Industrial Revolution with its emphasis on unbridled economic expansion.
“Green politics” first began as conservation and preservation movements, such as the Sierra Club, founded in San Francisco in 1892.
Left-green platforms of the form that make up the green parties today draw terminology from the science of ecology, and policy from environmentalism, deep ecology, feminism, pacifism, anarchism, libertarian socialism, social democracy, eco-socialism, and/or social ecology. In the 1970s, as these movements grew in influence, green politics arose as a new philosophy which synthesized their goals. The Green Party political movement is not to be confused with the unrelated fact that in some far-right and fascist parties, nationalism has on occasion been tied into a sort of green politics which promotes environmentalism as a form of pride in the "motherland" according to a minority of authors.
In June 1970 in the Netherlands a group called Kabouters won 5 of the 45 seats on the Amsterdam Gemeenteraad (City Council), as well as two seats each on councils in The Hague and Leeuwarden and one seat apiece in Arnhem, Alkmaar and Leiden. The Kabouters were an outgrowth of Provo’s environmental White Plans and they proposed “Groene Plannen” (“Green Plans”).
The first political party to be created with its basis in environmental issues was the United Tasmania Group, founded in Australia in March 1972 to fight against deforestation and the creation of a dam that would damage Lake Pedder; whilst it only gained three percent in state elections, it had, according to Derek Wall, "inspired the creation of Green parties all over the world." In May 1972, a meeting at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, launched the Values Party, the world's first countrywide green party to contest Parliamentary seats nationally. In November 1972, Europe's first green party, PEOPLE in the UK came into existence.
The German Green Party was not the first Green Party in Europe to have members elected nationally but the impression was created that they had been, because they attracted the most media attention: The German Greens, contended in their first national election in 1980. They started as a provisional coalition of civic groups and political campaigns which, together, felt their interests were not expressed by the conventional parties. After contesting the 1979 Euro elections they held a conference which identified Four Pillars of the Green Party which all groups in the original alliance could agree as the basis of a common Party platform: welding these groups together as a single Party. This statement of principles has since been utilised by many Green Parties around the world. It was this party that first coined the term "Green" ("Grün" in German) and adopted the sunflower symbol. The term "Green" was coined by one of the founders of the German Green Party, Petra Kelly, after she visited Australia and saw the actions of the Builders Labourers Federation and their green ban actions. In the 1983 federal election, the Greens won 27 seats in the Bundestag.
The first Canadian foray into green politics took place in the Maritimes when 11 independent candidates (including one in Montreal and one in Toronto) ran in the 1980 federal election under the banner of the Small Party. Inspired by Schumacher's Small is Beautiful, the Small Party candidates ran for the expressed purpose of putting forward an anti-nuclear platform in that election. It was not registered as an official party, but some participants in that effort went on to form the Green Party of Canada in 1983 (the Ontario Greens and British Columbia Greens were also formed that year). Current Green Party of Canada leader Elizabeth May was the instigator and one of the candidates of the Small Party and she was eventually elected as a member of the Green Party in 2011 Canadian federal election.
In Finland, in 1995, the Green League became the first European Green Party to form part of a state-level Cabinet. The German Greens followed, forming a government with the Social Democratic Party of Germany (the "Red-Green Alliance") from 1998 to 2005. In 2001, they reached an agreement to end reliance on nuclear power in Germany, and agreed to remain in coalition and support the German government of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in the 2001 Afghan War. This put them at odds with many Greens worldwide, but demonstrated that they were capable of difficult political tradeoffs.
In Latvia, Indulis Emsis, leader of the Green Party and part of the Union of Greens and Farmers, an alliance of a Nordic agrarian party and the Green Party, was Prime Minister of Latvia for ten months in 2004, making him the first Green politician to lead a country in the history of the world. In 2015, Emsis' party colleague, Raimonds Vējonis, was elected President of Latvia by the Latvian parliament. Vējonis became the first green head of state worldwide.
In the German state of Baden-Württenburg, the Green Party became the leader of the coalition with the Social Democrats after finishing second in the Baden-Württemberg state election, 2011. In the following state election, 2016, the Green Party became the strongest party for the first time in a German Landtag.
In 2016, the former leader of the Austrian green party (1997-2008), Alexander Van der Bellen, officially running as an independent, won the Austrian presidential election, 2016, making him the second green head of state worldwide, the first directly elected by popular vote. Van der Bellen became second in the election's first round with 21.3% of the votes, the best result for the Austrian greens in their history. He won the second round run-off against the far-right Freedom party's Norbert Hofer with 53.8% of the votes, making him the first President of Austria who was not backed by either the People's or the Social Democratic party.
In 1984, the Green Committees of Correspondence in the United States expanded the Four Pillars into Ten Key Values which, in addition to the Four Pillars mentioned above, include:
- Community-based economics
- Post-patriarchal values (later translated to feminism)
- Respect for diversity
- Global responsibility
- Future focus
- Ecological wisdom
- Social justice
- Participatory democracy
- Respect for diversity
Green economics focuses on the importance of the health of the biosphere to human well-being. Consequently, most Greens distrust conventional capitalism, as it tends to emphasize economic growth while ignoring ecological health; the "full cost" of economic growth often includes damage to the biosphere, which is unacceptable according to green politics. Green economics considers such growth to be "uneconomic growth"— material increase that nonetheless lowers overall quality of life. Green economics inherently takes a longer term perspective than conventional economics, because such loss in quality of life is often delayed. According to green economics, the present generation should not borrow from future generations, but rather attempt to achieve what Tim Jackson calls "prosperity without growth".
Some Greens refer to productivism, consumerism and scientism as "grey", as contrasted with "green", economic views. "Grey" implies age, concrete, and lifelessness. This is a Quality image. Click here for more information. This is a valued image. Click here for more information.
Therefore, adherents to green politics advocate economic policies designed to safeguard the environment. Greens want governments to stop subsidizing companies that waste resources or pollute the natural world, subsidies that Greens refer to as "dirty subsidies". Some currents of green politics place automobile and agribusiness subsidies in this category, as they may harm human health. On the contrary, Greens look to a green tax shift that are seen to encourage both producers and consumers to make ecologically friendly choices.
Many aspects of green economics could be considered anti-globalist. According to many left-wing greens, economic globalization is considered a threat to well-being, which will replace natural environments and local cultures with a single trade economy, termed the global economic monoculture. This is not a universal policy of greens, as green liberals and green conservatives support a regulated free market economy with additional measures to advance sustainable development
Since green economics emphasizes biospheric health and biodiversity, an issue outside the traditional left-right spectrum, different currents within green politics incorporate ideas from socialism and capitalism. Greens on the Left are often identified as Eco-socialists, who merge ecology and environmentalism with socialism and Marxism and blame the capitalist system for environmental degradation, social injustice, inequality and conflict. Eco-capitalists, on the other hand, believe that the free market system, with some modification, is capable of addressing ecological problems. This belief is documented in the business experiences of eco-capitalists in the book, The Gort Cloud that describes the gort cloud as the green community that supports eco-friendly businesses.
Since the beginning, green politics has emphasized local, grassroots-level political activity and decision-making. According to its adherents, it is crucial that citizens play a direct role in the decisions that influence their lives and their environment. Therefore, green politics seeks to increase the role of deliberative democracy, based on direct citizen involvement and consensus decision making, wherever it is feasible.
Green politics also encourages political action on the individual level, such as ethical consumerism, or buying things that are made according to environmentally ethical standards. Indeed, many green parties emphasize individual and grassroots action at the local and regional levels over electoral politics. Historically, green parties have grown at the local level, gradually gaining influence and spreading to regional or provincial politics, only entering the national arena when there is a strong network of local support.
In addition, many Greens believe that governments should not levy taxes against strictly local production and trade. Some Greens advocate new ways of organizing authority to increase local control, including urban secession, bioregional democracy, and co-operative / local stakeholder ownership.
Although Greens in the United States "call for an end to the 'War on Drugs'" and "for decriminalization of victimless crimes", they also call for developing "a firm approach to law enforcement that directly addresses violent crime, including trafficking in hard drugs".
In Europe, Green parties tend to support the creation of a democratic federal Europe.
In the spirit of nonviolence, Green politics opposes the War on Terrorism and the curtailment of civil rights, focusing instead on nurturing deliberative democracy in war-torn regions and the construction of a civil society with an increased role for women.
In keeping with their commitment to the preservation of diversity, greens are often committed to the maintenance and protection of indigenous communities, languages, and traditions. An example of this is the Irish Green Party's commitment to the preservation of the Irish Language. Some of the green movement has focused on divesting in fossil fuels. Academics Stand Against Poverty states "it is paradoxical for universities to remain invested in fossil fuel companies". Thomas Pogge says that the fossil fuel divestment movement can increase political pressure at events like the international climate change conference (COP). Alex Epstein of Forbes notes that it is hypocritical to ask for divestment without a boycott and that a boycott would be more effective. Some institutions that are leading by example in the academic area are Stanford University, Syracuse University, Sterling College and over 20 more. A number of cities, counties and religious institutions have also joined the movement to divest.
Green politics mostly opposes nuclear fusion power and the buildup of persistent organic pollutants, supporting adherence to the precautionary principle, by which technologies are rejected unless they can be proven to not cause significant harm to the health of living things or the biosphere.
Green ideology emphasizes participatory democracy and the principle of "thinking globally, acting locally". As such, the ideal Green Party is thought to grow from the bottom up, from neighborhood to municipal to (eco-)regional to national levels. The goal is to rule by a consensus decision making process.
Strong local coalitions are considered a prerequisite to higher-level electoral breakthroughs. Historically, the growth of Green parties has been sparked by a single issue where Greens can appeal to ordinary citizens' concerns. In Germany, for example, the Greens' early opposition to nuclear power won them their first successes in the federal elections.
There is a growing level of global cooperation between Green parties. Global gatherings of Green Parties now happen. The first Planetary Meeting of Greens was held 30–31 May 1992, in Rio de Janeiro, immediately preceding the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held there. More than 200 Greens from 28 nations attended. The first formal Global Greens Gathering took place in Canberra, in 2001, with more than 800 Greens from 72 countries in attendance. The second Global Green Congress was held in São Paulo, Brazil, in May 2008, when 75 parties were represented.
Global Green networking dates back to 1990. Following the Planetary Meeting of Greens in Rio de Janeiro, a Global Green Steering Committee was created, consisting of two seats for each continent. In 1993 this Global Steering Committee met in Mexico City and authorized the creation of a Global Green Network including a Global Green Calendar, Global Green Bulletin, and Global Green Directory. The Directory was issued in several editions in the next years. In 1996, 69 Green Parties from around the world signed a common declaration opposing French nuclear testing in the South Pacific, the first statement of global greens on a current issue. A second statement was issued in December 1997, concerning the Kyoto climate change treaty.
At the 2001 Canberra Global Gathering delegates for Green Parties from 72 countries decided upon a Global Greens Charter which proposes six key principles. Over time, each Green Party can discuss this and organize itself to approve it, some by using it in the local press, some by translating it for their web site, some by incorporating it into their manifesto, some by incorporating it into their constitution. This process is taking place gradually, with online dialogue enabling parties to say where they are up to with this process.
The Gatherings also agree on organizational matters. The first Gathering voted unanimously to set up the Global Green Network (GGN). The GGN is composed of three representatives from each Green Party. A companion organization was set up by the same resolution: Global Green Coordination (GGC). This is composed of three representatives from each Federation (Africa, Europe, The Americas, Asia/Pacific, see below). Discussion of the planned organization took place in several Green Parties prior to the Canberra meeting. The GGC communicates chiefly by email. Any agreement by it has to be by unanimity of its members. It may identify possible global campaigns to propose to Green Parties worldwide. The GGC may endorse statements by individual Green Parties. For example, it endorsed a statement by the US Green Party on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Thirdly, Global Green Gatherings are an opportunity for informal networking, from which joint campaigning may arise. For example, a campaign to protect the New Caledonian coral reef, by getting it nominated for World Heritage Status: a joint campaign by the New Caledonia Green Party, New Caledonian indigenous leaders, the French Green Party, and the Australian Greens. Another example concerns Ingrid Betancourt, the leader of the Green Party in Colombia, the Green Oxygen Party (Partido Verde Oxigeno). Ingrid Betancourt and the party's Campaign Manager, Claire Rojas, were kidnapped by a hard-line faction of FARC on 7 March 2002, while travelling in FARC-controlled territory. Betancourt had spoken at the Canberra Gathering, making many friends. As a result, Green Parties all over the world have organized, pressing their governments to bring pressure to bear. For example, Green Parties in African countries, Austria, Canada, Brazil, Peru, Mexico, France, Scotland, Sweden and other countries have launched campaigns calling for Betancourt's release. Bob Brown, the leader of the Australian Greens, went to Colombia, as did an envoy from the European Federation, Alain Lipietz, who issued a report. The four Federations of Green Parties issued a message to FARC. Ingrid Betancourt was rescued by the Colombian military in Operation Jaque in 2008.
Global Green meetingsEdit
Separately from the Global Green Gatherings, Global Green Meetings take place. For instance, one took place on the fringe of the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. Green Parties attended from Australia, Taiwan, Korea, South Africa, Mauritius, Uganda, Cameroon, Republic of Cyprus, Italy, France, Belgium, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Norway, the USA, Mexico and Chile.
The Global Green Meeting discussed the situation of Green Parties on the African continent; heard a report from Mike Feinstein, former Mayor of Santa Monica, about setting up a web site of the GGN; discussed procedures for the better working of the GGC; and decided two topics on which the Global Greens could issue statements in the near future: Iraq and the 2003 WTO meeting in Cancun.
- Federation of Green Parties of Africa
- Federation of the Green Parties of the Americas / Federación de los Partidos Verdes de las Américas
- Asia-Pacific Green Network
- European Green Party
The European Federation of Green Parties formed itself as the European Green Party on 22 February 2004, in the run-up to European Parliament elections in June 2004, a further step in trans-national integration.
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Green politics is usually said to include the green anarchism, eco-anarchism, green libertarianism, green liberalism, anti-nuclear movements, and peace movements, although these often claim not to be aligned with any party. Some claim it also includes feminism, pacifism and the animal rights movements. Some Greens support policy measures to empower women, especially mothers, great ape personhood; to oppose war, to de-escalate conflicts, and to stop proliferating technologies useful in conflict or likely to lead to conflict.
Greens on the Left adhere to eco-socialism, an ideology that combines ecology, environmentalism, socialism, and Marxism to criticize the capitalist system as the cause of ecological crises, social exclusion, inequality, and conflict. Green parties are not eco-socialist, but some Green parties around the world have or have had a significant eco-socialist membership.
Despite this stereotype, some centrist Greens may subscribe to a more classical liberal Georgist or geolibertarian philosophy emphasizing individual property rights and free-market environmentalism – and shifting taxes away from value created by labor or service and charging instead for human consumption of the wealth created by the natural world (see land value tax and ecotax).
Greens may view the processes by which living beings compete for mates, homes, and food, ecology, and the cognitive and political sciences very differently. These differences tend to drive debate on ethics, formation of policy, and the public resolution of these differences in leadership races. There is no single "Green Ethic".
- Outline of green politics (list of related articles, organized for easy browsing)
- Peter Reed; David Rothenberg (1993). Wisdom in the Open Air: The Norwegian Roots of Deep Ecology. University of Minnesota Press. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-8166-2182-8.
- Wall 2010. p. 12-13.
- Derek Wall (2010). The No-nonsense Guide to Green Politics. New Internationalist. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-906523-39-8.
- Jon Burchell (2002). The Evolution of Green Politics: Development and Change Within European Green Parties. Earthscan. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-85383-751-7.
- Playing by the Rules: The Impact of Electoral Systems on Emerging Green Parties. ProQuest. 2007. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-549-13249-3.
- Peet and Watts, 1996, p.6.
- Robbins, 2012.
- Dustin Mulvaney (2011). Green Politics, An A-to-Z Guide. SAGE publications. p. 394.
- Wall 2010. p. 47-66.
- Keys, David (December 2003). "How Rome polluted the world". Geographical. 75 (12).
- McCormick, John. The Global Environmental Movement (London: John Wiley, 1995).
- Staudenmaier, Peter. "Fascist Ecology: The 'Green Wing' of the Nazi Party and its Historical Antecedents". Archived from the original on 13 March 2008. Retrieved 24 March 2008.
- Biehl, Janet; Staudenmaier, Peter (1995). ""Ecology" and the Modernization of Fascism in the German Ultra-Right". Ecofascism: Lessons from the German Experience. AK Press. ISBN 978-1873176733.
- Uekötter, Frank (2006). The green and the brown: a history of conservation in Nazi Germany. Cambridge University Press. p. 202. ISBN 9780521612777.
- Kempton, Richard. "Amsterdam's Anarchist Revolt" (PDF). The Provos.
- Wall 2010. p. 14.
- "The History of The Green Party". Greens.org.nz. Archived from the original on 10 October 2008. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- "Green History UK-Who Was First?". Green-History.uk. 28 August 2017. Archived from the original on 11 September 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
- Humphries, David (31 March 2012). "Newsmaker: Green bans". Sydney Morning Herald.
- "The Green Movement". Green Party of Canada. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
- "Thousands march against nuclear power in Tokyo". USA Today. September 2011.
- David H. Slater (Nov 9, 2011). "Fukushima women against nuclear power: finding a voice from Tohoku". The Asia-Pacific Journal.
- "Green Party of the United States platform: Criminal Justice". Green Party. 2004. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
- "Green Party Irish Language Policy" (PDF). the Green Party of Ireland. 2014. Archived from the original (pdf) on 2 July 2014.
- Howard, Emma. "Top academics ask world's universities to divest from fossil fuels". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- Epstein, Alex. "The Moral Case For Investing, Not Divesting, In Fossil Fuels". Forbes. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- "Divestment Commitments". FossilFree.org. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- "Syracuse University to divest fossil fuel investments". Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- Roussopoulos, Dimitrios (1993). Political ecology: beyond environmentalism. Montreal: Black Rose Books. p. 114. ISBN 1-895431-80-8.
Not surprisingly the colours green and yellow are used widely in the symbols of ecologists, the former evoking vegetation and the latter the sun. The sunflower, a popular symbol, embodies both colours, and turns towards the sun, the source of renewable energy. The bicycle is another important icon as bicycle transportation is regarded as one of the means to re-humanise society.
- John Rensenbrink (August 2003). "Global Greens Network - a brief history up to 2003". Global Greens.
- "Canadian Greens / Green Party of Canada Constitution". green party of canada. Archived from the original on 18 February 2004.
- "iG - Notícias, Vídeos, Famosos, Esportes, Bate Papo, Infográficos". Greenparties.hpg.ig.com.br. 17 September 2013. Archived from the original on 2 April 2003. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- "Global Network of Green Parties". Australian Greens. Archived from the original on 1 March 2003.
- "Statement of the Global Green Coordination on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict". Green Party US. Archived from the original on 18 February 2003.
- "Spinifex 4, Newsletter of the 2001 Global Greens Congress" (pdf). Consensus Productions.
- "Alain LIPIETZ à BOGOTA du 3 au 5 mars 2002". Providence College: Tony Affigne: Green parties of the world declare: "Free Ingrid Betancourt and Clara Rojas!" (in French). Archived from the original on 16 February 2004.
- "Green Parties of the World Call for Ingrid Betancout's Freedom". Green Parties world wide. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008.
- Dobson, Andrew (2007). Green Political Thought. 4. Edition (1. Edition 1980), London/ New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-40351-0 (Hardcover)
- Gilk, Paul (2009). "Green Politics is Eutopian". The Lutterworth Press.
- Spretnak, Charlene (1986). The Spiritual Dimension of Green Politics. Santa Fe, N.M.: Bear & Co. 95 p. ISBN 0-939680-29-7 | <urn:uuid:7475bde6-54c9-4423-8fc2-cf0ca145c4b1> | CC-MAIN-2019-04 | https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_politics | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-04/segments/1547584518983.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20190124035411-20190124061411-00356.warc.gz | en | 0.926103 | 5,756 | 3.21875 | 3 |
- Lower School
- Portfolio Course
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Film Studies provides students with the exciting opportunity to sample a vast array of films from around the world, from Hollywood classics to British independent films, European cinema and global films from Turkey, Mali, Cameroon and Hong Kong. The course provides learning across a broad range of texts in many genres and styles, including silent film and documentary. Students deepen their understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of cinema by exploring the language of film through its constituent parts such as cinematography, lighting, mise-en-scène, sound, and editing. Film Studies is also a subject that by its nature requires students to consider the ethical, social, and cultural issues expressed in film.
The course encourages students to develop strong skills of critical analysis and personal reflection as well as developing their creativity and practical skills. In particular the course explores the relationship between the film and the spectator by exploring how films create meanings and produce emotional responses. Additionally, the aesthetic qualities of film are emphasised as integral to a study of the interaction between films and spectators. Students discuss issues such as censorship and the portrayal of gender, nationality, ethnicity and class stereotypes.
For coursework students have the option of making their own short films, or writing screenplays accompanied by digital images in the form of a storyboard.
The course content is divided into three units:
Component 1: Varieties of film
Component 2: Global filmmaking perspectives
Component 3: Production
This is the practical coursework component and requires candidates to produce one 4-5 minute film OR a screenoplay and digital storyboard (1600 – 1800 words). Both options also require a 1600 – 1800 word evaluative analysis of the product.
Assessment involves both coursework (30%) and two written examinations of two and a half hours each (35% each). Students have an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of both theory and practical skills. Students are expected to apply a range of critical approaches such as ideological critical studies, auteur critical approaches and filmmakers’ theories (for documentary). Core study areas for all films include an understanding of the key elements of film form (cinematography, lighting, mise-en-scene, editing and sound), issues of representation and film contexts, including institutional production.
|FM 1. Exploring Film Form||20% of total A-Level|
|FM 2. British and American Film||30% of total A-Level|
|FM 3. Film Research and Creative Projects||25% of total A-Level|
|FM 4. Varieties of Film Experience: Issues and Debates||25% of total A-Level|
Hampstead Fine Arts College is one of the foremost Arts colleges in London. learn more about us, our staff and where our students fit in. | <urn:uuid:2705184a-605a-414b-947a-bfd50423dd64> | CC-MAIN-2019-18 | http://www.hampsteadfinearts.com/subject/film-studies-a-level/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-18/segments/1555578602767.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20190423114901-20190423140901-00468.warc.gz | en | 0.927528 | 575 | 3.03125 | 3 |
You may accept – as nearly every other person – that the @ sign is an innovation of the “Web period”, an image uncommonly made to shape email addresses. Not with standing, its history is substantially more old and its root backpedals to Latin. The Arabs had utilized it for a considerable length of time, and the mariners utilized it chronically when enumerating the substance of the holds of their boats. We reveal to you the narrative of “@”, a standout amongst the most utilized images today, and in the meantime one of the slightest known.
In the event that you are perusing this article on a PC associated with the web, you most likely have an email address and utilize the “@” image a few times each day as a component of the email locations of your companions or customers. Be that as it may, most Internet clients are ignorant of the inception – and now and then even the significance – of this uncommon however omnipresent character. Given its present utilize, which is quite often connected to the space of PCs or electronic mail, one may feel that it is an image uncommonly intended for that utilization, close to two or three decades old.
Yet, in all actuality it is an old image, known and utilized as a part of the Middle Ages, over 500 years prior.
Most history specialists acknowledge that the source of “arroba” (@) originates from the Arabic dialect, solidly from the expression “ar-rob”, that implies fourth or fourth part. With respect to the image itself, this sort of “a” encased by a circle, has its starting points in a typical practice among those in charge of replicating books in Latin, by hand, back in the Middle Ages.
These copyists utilized “@”, consolidating the letters “a” and “d” to shape the Latin relational word “ad”, which signifies “to” . It appears to be very sensible: in the event that you need to duplicate many circumstances several pages by hand, odds are you are searching for all conceivable approaches to spare work. The relational word “ad” seemed all the time in these writings, and it bodes well that it has been supplanted by a solitary image. Little by little, the “@” ended up plainly prominent in different zones, and started to show up – for instance – in authority letters written in Latin before the name of its recipient.
Here is what Wikipedia says about Arroba (@)
One of the most seasoned reports known to contain a printed “@” dates from the year 1536, and it is a letter sent by an Italian dealer from Seville to Rome. The letter points of interest the landing of three boats from America, stacked with fortunes. You can read sections like “Subsequently, a wine, which is 1/13 of a barrel, is 70 or 80 ducats …” In that specific circumstance, the arroba spoke to a unit of measure utilized by Greeks and Romans that was comparable to “a fourth Of amphora. “Confounded, correct? Be that as it may, that is nothing: it could (and in a few places still can) be utilized as a measure of limit or volume, with an esteem that differed by the item being exchanged. For instance, on the off chance that it was fluids, “an arroba of oil” was proportional to around 12 and a half liters, yet in the event that it was consulting with wines, its esteem was something more than 16 liters.
It was likewise utilized as a measure of mass. Truth be told, the “@” speaks to a mass equal to a fourth of a “quintal.” The quintal is an old unit of mass and limit utilized as a part of Spain and in Latin America – in Argentina it is basic to tune in to the elderly, in The field, talk about “quintals of wheat per hectare” – which meets precisely 46.0093 kg. A “@”, in this way, at that point, adds up to a little more than 11 kilograms and a half.
In spite of the antiquity of that document, some historians – like the Aragonese Jorge Romance – assure that the symbol of the arroba was already used in the year 1448, in the detail of a shipment of wheat from Castile towards the Kingdom of Aragon. But with the passage of time, and except for very specific regions, the “@” stopped being used. It only remained more or less alive in the United States, where it was used in accounting records, establishing the unit price of a product in an invoice.
It could appear in the middle of the description of an operation, something like “15 boxes @ 5 dollars each,” indicating that the value of each box invoiced was five dollars. It also makes a lot of sense, since in English “@” is said “at”, which means “to” (and also “en”, “de” and “towards”). This made when the typewriter was invented, at the end of century XIX, the symbol of the arroba was included in its keyboard. And, as the computer keyboard is an evolution of those machines, the at sign is also in them.
But the relationship of the “@” with the email is much after all this. When engineer Ray Tomlinson, who created the e-mail in 1971, was looking for a symbol to identify e-mail addresses, one of the few available on keyboards was just the arroba. “It would have been easier to use a bracket, a parenthesis or even a comma, but these symbols were already used for other purposes, and the symbols were left free, the @ was the best,” explained a few years ago Tomlinson. “Another point in favor of this symbol is that when translated as at in English it gave a feeling of localization,” he added. The first e-mail address of the story was “tomlinson @ bbn-tenexa” This address, and according to the use that this engineer gave him at the computer, can be interpreted as “Tomlinson in the (@) bbn-tenex machine “. In this way, a character invented by medieval scribes as a way to simplify their work became the symbol of email. Is not that amazing? | <urn:uuid:33b1a65a-b602-4471-9daa-0afeab461154> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://delhitrainingcourses.com/blog/history-arroba-everything-needs-know-about/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296946535.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20230326204136-20230326234136-00334.warc.gz | en | 0.979364 | 1,378 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Malian political leader and notable Muslim scholar, was the political head of the Timbuktu-area lineage, the Kunta confederation, during the years 1847–1865. He inherited this role from his brother, Sidi al-Mukhtar al-Saghir bin Sidi Muhammad (d. 1847), who had assumed the position from his father in 1824, himself heritor of the influence of the family’s patriarch, his father, Sidi al-Mukhtar al-Kunti (d. 1811). His education in the Azaouad region of Timbuktu encompassed the Islamic disciplines including Arabic language, jurisprudence, and theology. The database of West African writings, West African Manuscripts, provides us with a sense of his intellectual literary productivity: in a sample of 180 manuscript titles there are 47 poems or collections, 41 devotional writings, 33 letters of political polemics, 15 works on Sufism, mainly attacking the Tijaniyya, and 10 juridical decisions. At some point, probably in the late 1820s or early 1830s we know he ...
Charles C. Stewart
Islamic scholar and historian from present-day Mauritania. His name is also spelled Sidi Ahmed ould al-Amin al-Shinqiti. The nisba (name extension indicating place of origin) al-Shinqiti does not refer to the town Chinguetti (Shinqit), but was given to him during his stay in the Arab world. All bidan (Moors) going abroad to the Arab world have the nisba al-Shiniqiti added to their names, no matter from which region or town of the so-called Bilad Shinqit (“The lands of Chinguetti”; present-day Mauritania, Western Sahara, and the Azawad region in northern Mali) they come from. In the Arab world they are generally called shanaqita and their country is known as Bilad Shinqit, even if locally different names were circulating in precolonial times.
Ahmad was born around 1863 64 in the Gibla region of what is today southwestern Mauritania Trarza and belonged to a scholarly family He was from one of the Idaw ...
Islamic religious scholar, was born Muhammad Ben Muhammad Ben Habib Allah in Khuru Mbacke, near the village of Mbacke Bawol in west- central Senegal in the early 1850s (1853 is the most commonly cited date). Bamba originated from a family of Fulbe ancestry with a long tradition of Islamic learning. The Mbacke clan left their ancestral land of Futa Tooro in northern Senegal and settled in the kingdom of Jolof among the Wolof (the majority ethnic group in Senegal) sometime in the second half of the seventeenth century. This migration affected the family in two major ways: first, the Mbacke gradually abandoned the nomadic lifestyle of Fulbe herders for that of sedentary Wolof farmers; second, they showed greater inclination toward Islamic learning and increasing assimilation to Wolof culture.
Amadu Bamba was the fourth child of Momar Anta Sali Mbacke and the second son of his mother Jaara Buso He ...
the most prominent female Muslim scholar of the Sokoto caliphate in West Africa was born a twin to a learned Fulani family in what is now northern Nigeria Her full name was Nana Asma u bint Shehu Uthman Dan Fodio At the time of her birth her father a Qadiriyya Sufi scholar and preacher was undergoing deep spiritual experiences It is said that these conditions led him to give his twin infants names other than the traditional gender appropriate versions of Hassan and Hussein after the twin grandsons of the Prophet Muhammad Instead Asma u s name harkens back to Asma the daughter of the first caliph the Prophet s close friend Abubakar To many in the nineteenth century Asma u s name was a clear indication that the Shehu anticipated his daughter s adult role to be as important in promoting the cause of a just Islam in the ...
Beth Ann Buggenhagen
In his lifetime Ahmadou Bamba acquired a following of disciples who would become known after his death as the Muridiyya, a Muslim Sufi way. Sufism is an esoteric dimension of Muslim practice and thought in which disciples seek the path to divine union in this life. The Senegalese historian Cheikh Anta Babou suggests that at the time of Bamba’s death in 1927, estimates of Murid disciples totaled about 100,000. The Murid path is founded on the teachings of Bamba, who is said to have produced over seven tons of scholarship, which is now housed in the Murid library in Tuba, Senegal. During his lifetime Bamba demonstrated qualities of waliyat (saintliness) and developed considerable spiritual authority. Bamba was a student of the Qur’anic sciences, which he studied with his maternal uncles. Local qadis (Qur’anic scholars) recognized that he was a master scholar. Bamba’s biography, Les Bienfaits de l'eternal ...
Islamic mystic and scholar, and the most outstanding poetess in Chimini, the Bantu vernacular of Brava, was born in Brava, a coastal city of southern Somalia, in the second decade of the nineteenth century. Her full name was Mana Sitti Habib Jamaladdin, but she was affectionately called Dada Masiti (Grandmother Masiti) by her fellow citizens. Her family, both on the paternal and maternal side, belonged to the Mahadali Ashraf. However, through her mother’s maternal grandfather, Dada Masiti was also related to the Ali Naziri Ashraf, who were locally more numerous and influential. Both groups, who traced their lineage to the Prophet Muhammad, had settled in Brava in the early seventeenth century.
The events that marked Dada Masiti s early years and had a crucial bearing on her subsequent spiritual development are known only through different oral traditions The most widespread version would have her kidnapped as a child of six ...
Tanzanian poet and scholar, was born around 1850 on Pemba Island. His father, grandfather, and great grandfather were also poets and scholars. He lived much of his life in Tanga, in what is now Tanzania. He was married to Mwanasia Suwaka, and both were buried near a mosque built by their son Hemedi Ali el-Buhriy.
Hemedi Abdallah wrote both religious and secular poetry. His published poetry was originally written in the Swahili utenzi (“narrative”) genre and in Arabic script. His most well-known poem is Utenzi wa Vita vya Wadachi Kutamalaki Mrima. This poem describes the 1888–1889 war waged by coastal peoples against the Germans Unlike other narrative poems about the conquest that were solicited by the Germans this poem openly praises the consultative leadership of Abushiri bin Salim who led the struggle and is harshly critical of the German invaders who are described as uncivilized drunken infidels The poem ...
Ibn Khaldoun (1332–1407), a prominent Arab scholar of the medieval period, is best known for the Muqaddima, the introduction to his universal history, which contains one of the world’s earliest expositions of the historical craft. During his life, Ibn Khaldoun served various rulers of North Africa and Egypt as political adviser, teacher, and magistrate. His career was marred by his involvement in a number of political intrigues. While some modern scholars regard Ibn Khaldoun as a political opportunist, others see him as a selfless man who sought a philosopher-king capable of resurrecting the fortunes of the Islamic world, which had been weakened as a result of its division among a number of tribally based dynasties, an Islamic world too long dominated by its tribes.
Ibn Khaldoun was born to an old Yemeni family that had migrated to Seville during the Muslim conquest of Spain in the ...
A skilled military leader and devout Muslim, Sheikh Ma al-Ainin led a popular resistance movement against European imperialism in northern Mauritania, Western Sahara, and southern Morocco. Born in southeastern Mauritania, Ma al-Ainin attended school in Morocco and spent much of his early life engaged in commerce and religious scholarship. In the early 1890s, however, Ma al-Ainin abandoned his business activities to fight the encroaching presence of Europeans in northwestern Africa. Ma al-Ainin’s first target was the Spanish campaign to colonize the Western Sahara. Supported by various princes and sultans, Ma al-Ainin built an army of almost 10,000 followers and launched several short campaigns into the Western Sahara from southern Morocco. He then turned his attention to French incursions into Mauritania. He redoubled these efforts in 1902 after the French colonialist Xavier Coppolani forged alliances with several major religious leaders in southern Mauritania Moving his forces into ...
Charles C. Stewart
was born in 1776 CE/AH 1190 into one of the lesser fractions (the Ntishaiʾi) of a southwest Saharan clerical (or zawiya) clan, the Awlad Abyiri. His full name was Sidiyya al-Kabir (“the elder”) b. al-Mukhtar b. al-Hayba al-Ntishai’i.
Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the region now known as Mauritania was governed by a loose balance of two types of lineage groups, one that lived largely as predators and another that subsisted as pastoralists. Within the latter group were found nomadic schools in the Islamic disciplines where, judging by the texts studied and written locally, a talented student might advance to levels on a par with advanced education in places like Fez or Cairo.
Sidiyya’s early schooling, consisting initially of his memorization of the entire Qurʾan, would have been conducted under the supervision of his father and uncles, common for youth in the tradition of zawiya tribes like ...
religious and political leader in the Gambia, was born in Gunjur in the kingdom of the Kombo. Sillah was a Fula who was originally known as Ibrahim Touray (or Ture); his family originated from the Futa Toro in what is now Northern Senegal; his father, Maley Burama Touray (who died when Sillah was about age twelve) was a Muslim cleric, while his mother, Mbesine Njai, was from Sine in Senegal. Sillah is sometimes called Fode Ibrahim Touray or Kombo Sillah (or slightly different versions of these).
Sillah’s early years were spent studying the Qurʾan in Gunjur and at Pakao in the Casamance in Senegal. He returned to Gunjur around 1850 to work as a Muslim teacher and proselyte, rising to become “amir” (caliph) of Kombo in 1864 which made him the commander of the Marabout forces fighting the traditional ruling class the Soninke When the fighting between the Marabouts ...
Egyptian scholar, reformer, and educator, was born in Tahta in Upper Egypt, to which his surname (nisba) refers. His male forebears were prominent ulama (Islamic religious and legal scholars). Following in their footsteps, Tahtawi received a traditional qurʾanic elementary education and then in 1817, at the age of sixteen, went to Cairo and enrolled in the ancient and venerable mosque-university of Al-Azhar. There he came under the influence of Shaykh Hasan al-ʿAttar (1766–1834), who acquainted him with some secular subjects outside the traditional curriculum, and with certain aspects of European thought. In 1822 Tahtawi himself became a teacher there.
Two years later, in 1824, he was appointed as a waʿiz (preacher, mentor) and imam of one of the regiments of the new Egyptian army of the ruler, Muhammad ʿAli. In 1826 Tahtawi was selected as one of four imams to accompany a military educational mission ... | <urn:uuid:f599b3b4-2f15-4c6f-8694-3ba892f3d2b4> | CC-MAIN-2020-34 | https://oxfordaasc.com/browse?btog=chap&pageSize=20&sort=titlesort&t=AASC_Occupations%3A296&t0=AASC_Eras%3A5 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-34/segments/1596439738819.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20200811180239-20200811210239-00439.warc.gz | en | 0.977926 | 2,588 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Chemists are working to develop new, longer-lasting catalysts to ensure industrial processes are cleaner, greener and more efficient
- A selection of important reactions reveals the scope of modern catalysis and how crucial it will be for chemists to achieve their environmental objectives
The chemical industry has always exploited catalysts to do reactions as near to ambient temperature as is practical, thus keeping energy usage and costs down. Today industry faces additional pressure to be cleaner and greener, which will require the development of new catalysts.
The focus of catalyst research is now on finding catalysts that will enable industrial processes to be less polluting, operate with better atom economy, produce purer products and last longer. Although we may think of the catalyst as lasting for ever, this is never the case - all industrial catalysts have a finite lifetime, which makes the search for longer lasting catalysts high on industry's list of priorities.
How catalysts work
In general catalysts are described as substances capable of speeding up a chemical reaction, but there are some reactions that do not proceed at all unless a catalyst is present. These reactions may be thermodynamically feasible but their kinetics are so unfavourable that no reaction occurs.
For chemical reactions to take place the reactant molecules must collide with sufficient energy, the activation energy, to form the activated or transition state complex. Once formed, this transition state will either break down into reactants or into products. A catalyst provides an alternative reaction pathway with a lower activation energy than the uncatalysed reaction. The catalysed reaction can involve several intermediates and transition state complexes, quite different from the one-step mechanism for the reaction in the absence of a catalyst (see Fig 1).
It is important to note that while the catalyst provides an easier path for reactant molecules to form a transition state, the catalyst also provides an easier path for the reverse reaction in which product molecules return via the transition state to reactant molecules. In this way the catalyst speeds up both forward and reverse reactions to the same extent and so the equilibrium constant remains the same as dictated by the thermodynamics.
Many reactions are multi-step processes of which one will be the slow rate-controlling step, and it is this reaction that the catalyst must be active for, ie provide the alternative pathway. Additionally, many reactions are accompanied by the formation of side products, which may be useful but nevertheless need to be separated and therefore add to the costs of the process. Thus industrial chemists are always looking for catalysts that will provide maximum selectivity to ensure the highest purity of product. Two types of catalyst dominate in the chemical industry: heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts.
Heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts
Heterogeneous catalysts are solids that catalyse the reactions between liquid or gaseous reactants. (Note that the reaction itself usually occurs at the surface of the catalyst.) The catalytically active solid is typically coated onto a high surface area support to ensure the maximum exposure to the gas or liquid reaction mixture. These catalysts, usually transition metals and their compounds, are used in ca 85 per cent of industrial processes because they are easy to separate from the products at the end of the reaction. Examples include the Haber-Bosch process for the production of NH3, catalytic cracking, and the hydrogenation of vegetable oils.
A heterogeneous catalyst provides a lower energy path via a sequence that involves adsorption of reactant molecules upon an active site in the surface. The molecules become chemisorbed on the active site, their bonds are disrupted and rearrangements take place to form the activated complex; desorption then follows to release the product molecule(s) into the gas, or liquid, phase. The active site is once again vacant to repeat the process. Figure 2 shows adsorbed ethene and adsorbed hydrogen upon the active sites of a nickel catalyst. Following adsorption and reaction, the product ethane desorbs back into the gas phase, leaving the active site vacant for the next reactant molecules. This reaction is the basis of the hydrogenation of unsaturated vegetable oils in the manufacture of margarine.
Clearly the adsorption is an important step and the precise structure of the surface is vital in providing the active site. Defects in the solid surface will create different types of site, which may have different or no catalytic properties. The active sites are characterised by having a critical geometry associated with the compounds that adsorb onto the catalyst surface. The geometry of an active site may also be determined by the structure of the underlying support. Thus changing the support can have a profound affect upon activity and may even redirect the course of a reaction.
An active site may be made more active by introducing other atoms or compounds. These are known as promoters, which alone are relatively inactive. For example, if a small amount of cobalt is added to the desulfurisation catalyst molybdenum disulfide there is a marked increase in activity. Poisons have the counter effect and build up on the catalyst surface during its life and often mark the end of the catalyst's life. A platinum hydrogenation catalyst, for example, is poisoned by sulfur-containing compounds.
The understanding of surface structure therefore plays a big role in the development of new catalysts and so it is here that much of the research effort is directed. Where only a small amount of a catalyst surface is productive there is clearly scope for improvement.
Several industrial processes use homogeneous catalysts, which are in the same phase (liquid or gas) as the reactants and products. Although more difficult to separate at the end of a reaction, homogeneous catalysts are often more active and selective than heterogeneous catalysts and tend to work at lower temperatures. This is because all the metal ions of a dissolved catalyst are potentially active sites for the reaction, whereas in a solid only those atoms at the surface are accessible to the reactant molecules. Examples include the acid catalysed esterification of carboxylic acids and alcohols and the gas-phase catalysed reaction of ozone destruction in the stratosphere in which chlorine free radicals, from CFCs, act as catalysts for the reaction.
Important catalytic reactions
Today, the industrial world relies upon an enormous number of chemical reactions and an even greater number of catalysts. A selection of important reactions reveals the scope of modern catalysis and demonstrates how crucial it will be for chemists to achieve their environmental objectives.
A sacrifice: worst case catalyst
A sacrificial, or stoichiometric, catalyst is used once and discarded. The amount of waste produced is not insignificant since these catalysts are used in stoichiometric amounts. For example, the catalyst may typically be in a 1:1 mole ratio with the main reactant.
In the manufacture of anthraquinone for the dyestuffs industry, for example, aluminium chloride is the sacrificial catalyst in the initial step, the acylation of benzene, see equation (i). This is a type of Friedel-Crafts reaction 1 in which the spent catalyst is discarded along with waste from the process. Fresh catalyst is required for the next batch of reactants. The problem is that the aluminium chloride complexes strongly with the products, ie Cl-, forming [AlCl4]- and cannot be economically recycled, resulting in large quantities of corrosive waste.
New catalysts, with better environmental credentials, are now being tried out. Compounds, such as the highly acidic dysprosium(III) triflate (trifluoromethane sulfonate, 1) offer the possibility of breaking away from the sacrificial catalyst by enabling the catalyst to be recycled.
Low sulfur fuels: desulfurisation catalysis
Petroleum-derived fuels contain a small amount of sulfur. Unless removed this sulfur persists throughout the refining processes and ends up in the petrol or diesel. Pressure to reduce atmospheric sulfur has driven the development of catalytic desulfurisation. One of the problems was that much of the sulfur present was in compounds such as the thiophenes, which are stable and resistant to breakdown.
The catalyst molybdenum disulfide coated on an alumina support provided one solution. Cobalt is added as a promoter, suggesting that the active site is a molybdenum-cobalt sulfide arrangement. In the catalytic reaction (see Scheme 1), which is essentially a hydrogenation sequence, the adsorbed thiophene molecule is hydrogenated and its aromatic stability destroyed. This enables the C-S bond to break and release the sulfur as hydrogen sulfide. This is an interesting example of a catalyst performing different types of reactions: hydrogenation, elimination and isomerisation.
Current research in this area is directed at increasing catalyst life and improving activity.
Fuel cells: electrocatalysis
In theory, the fuel cell is promising in terms of efficient electricity generation - chemical energy in the fuel is converted directly into electrical energy. Unlike other methods of generating electricity from fuels there is no intermediate thermal stage with attendant energy losses. In practice, however, there is a significant amount of energy consumed in the ancillary equipment, limiting its efficiency.
Like other electrochemical cells,2 the fuel cell is a redox system. The hydrogen fuel cell, for example, comprises an anode catalyst and cathode catalyst separated by a proton exchange membrane. The latter is a polymer that behaves as an electrolyte and allows protons to pass through. Overall the reaction is the oxidation of hydrogen to form water, which takes place in stages: at the anode, hydrogen is oxidised to give electrons and protons. The electrons pass to the external circuit and the protons pass through the proton exchange membrane to the cathode. At the cathode oxygen from the air reacts with the protons emerging from the membrane and simultaneously takes electrons arriving from the external circuit.
H2(g) → 2H+ + 2e-
O2(g) + 4e- → 2O2-
O2- + 2H+ → H2O
The electrode catalysts are platinum, which is expensive and so research is aimed at finding alternatives. Of the metals being tested an alloy of copper and platinum is showing promise.3 The platinum is alloyed with copper followed by de-alloying of the surface, leaving a modified platinum surface with improved activity.
Left-handed catalysts: pharmaceuticals
In many therapeutic drugs the active component is a single enantiomer. Generally, chemical reactions give enantiomeric mixtures as the product. Subsequent purification, for example, by fractional crystallisation, to isolate the active enantiomer is an extra process that adds to production costs.
By using chiral catalysts - or asymmetric catalysts - the single active enantiomer can be produced. William Knowles in the 1970s found that rhodium bonded to chiral phosphine ligands (2) could perform asymmetric catalytic hydrogenation. The method was soon developed for the commercial production of the anti-Parkinson drug, l-dopa (Scheme 2). In 2001 Knowles shared the Noble Prize in chemistry with Ryoji Noyori and K. Barry Sharpless for their research on asymmetric catalysis. Today, with the huge expansion of the pharmaceutical industry, there is demand for chiral compounds and other chiral catalysts are now being developed.4
Costs less, wastes less: ethanoic acid catalyst
Ethanoic acid is an important industrial chemical with an annual world demand of about six million tonnes. It is used in the synthesis of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is used for soft drinks bottles, in the production of photographic film and in the synthesis of synthetic fibres and fabrics, for example. There have been several methods used in its production, including the distillation of soured wine in which the ethanol was oxidised by bacteria to form ethanoic acid. This method, however, could not supply the needs of industry and so synthetic methods were developed. Today, the carbonylation of methanol, which uses a rhodium compound as a homogeneous catalyst, is the major production method. One of the problems with this reaction is that the selectivity is compromised by a side reaction in which propanoic acid is formed. In 1996 BP Chemicals introduced a catalyst - the Cativa catalyst (3) - based upon iridium in place of rhodium.5
Scheme 3 shows the reaction sequence. This homogeneous catalyst, when combined with a small amount of ruthenium as a promoter, shows higher activity and suffers less from the propanoic acid side reaction, leading to lower costs and less waste. Furthermore, the iridium catalyst is cheaper than the rhodium catalyst.
Catalysis has come a long way and has served industry well in enabling many reactions to be done which, otherwise, would have been uneconomic or even impossible. Today chemists are faced with new challenges as concerns for the environment and scarcity of resources motivates them to look for greener processes.
Tony Hargreaves is a science writer and part-time lecturer in applied chemistry at Calderdale College of Further Education, Halifax.
- E. Lewis and M. Berry, A-level chemistry. Harlow: Longmans, 2000.
- T. Hargreaves, Educ. Chem., 2008, 45 (2), 48.
- J. M. Crow, Chem. World, 2007, 4 (12), 31.
- J. Halpern and B. M. Trost, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A, April 13, 2004.
- 5. J. H. Jones, Platinum Metals Rev., 2000, 44, 3. | <urn:uuid:d47bb998-dd47-41e8-bb52-c1204d30ccd6> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://edu.rsc.org/feature/catalysts-for-a-green-industry/2020110.article | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250607596.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20200122221541-20200123010541-00016.warc.gz | en | 0.935766 | 2,844 | 3.703125 | 4 |
When teaching mathematics in schools, there can be a tendency to focus on procedures rather than concepts, problem solving, and modeling. We realize that mathematics is much more than a collection of skills that students learn or apply. Instead, mathematics embodies the exploration and conjecturing of patterns and relationships. With the increased importance of promoting the Common Core mathematical practices in the teaching and learning of mathematics, the mission of the Central Ohio Math Circle for Teachers is threefold:
1) The Circle will serve as a collaborative and supportive environment where teachers can work with mathematicians to develop the habit of doing mathematics. Such experiences will enrich and deepen teachers’ view of mathematics as well as their content knowledge.
2) Part of each meeting of the Circle will address how a similar learning experience could be implemented in the teacher’s classroom. This will enable the teachers to bring these experiences to their students. It is our hope that the habit of “doing mathematics” will become infectious and will permeate all levels of learning and teaching mathematics.
3) By collaboratively working on and developing rich mathematical tasks, we hope for teachers from different schools to forge new relationships with other teachers and mathematicians alike. This discourse, between teachers and mathematicians, is critical for fostering a habit of doing mathematics.Currently, there are complementary programs in place in Central Ohio that will align well with the goals of our Math Circle, though, many of these activities are student-centered rather than focused on teachers. | <urn:uuid:48f968dd-18b8-4c15-8e10-8ddc0bc168d0> | CC-MAIN-2017-43 | https://columbusmathcircle.wordpress.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-43/segments/1508187823605.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20171020010834-20171020030834-00517.warc.gz | en | 0.957383 | 298 | 2.96875 | 3 |
- Adel, IA. Exact location still to be determined.
- $16 per person for a training manual.
To register, please contact:
Community health center staff, rural health clinic staff, local public health staff (primary care and support staff).
Recognize the potential risk factors and warning signs for a range of mental health problems, including: depression, anxiety/trauma, psychosis and psychotic disorders, substance use disorders, and self-injury.
Use a 5-step action plan to help an individual in crisis connect with appropriate professional help.
Interpret the prevalence of various mental health disorders in the U.S. and the need for reduced negative attitudes in their communities.
Apply knowledge of the appropriate professional, peer, social, and self-help resources available to help someone with a mental health problem treat and manage the problem and achieve recovery.
Assess your own views and feelings about mental health problems and disorders.
Provide evidence based curriculum to improve skills and increase confidence in identifying and helping someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis; and, to decrease stigmatizing attitudes, with the end goal of improving patient outcomes.
What is MHFA?
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an 8 hour training designed to provide the key skills to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. Just as CPR helps a layperson assist an individual following a heart attack, MHFA help a layperson assist someone experiencing a mental health crisis. The training teaches participants to recognize risk factors and warning signs for a range of mental health problems; and, use a 5 step action plan to help an individual in crisis.
The evidence behind MHFA demonstrates it makes people feel more comfortable managing a crisis situation and builds mental health literacy – helping the public identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness. Specifically, studies found that those trained in MHFA have greater confidence in providing help to others, greater likelihood of advising people to seek professional help, improved concordance with health professionals about treatments, and decreased stigmatizing attitudes.
Mental Health First Aid was originally created in Australia in 2001 under the auspices of the University of Melbourne, and is now international with programs in countries such as the United Kingdom, China, Canada, Finland and Singapore. The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare – a national trade group with 1,300 member organizations serve six million Americans nationwide – brought Mental Health First Aid to the United States in 2008 with the goal of making it as common in 10 years as traditional First Aid and CPR are today. The National Council originally selected the program because of its rigorous research backing. Mental Health First Aid has strong evidence backing it. Three quantitative and one qualitative studies have shown that the program:
- improves people’s mental health
- increases understanding of mental health issues and treatments
- connects more people with care
- reduces stigma
Mental Health First Aid is an international program with proven effectiveness. Five published studies in Australia show that the program saves lives, improves the mental health of the individual administering care and the one receiving it, expands knowledge of mental illnesses and their treatments, increases the services provided and reduces overall stigma by improving mental health “literacy”. Mental health literacy is defined as empowering the public to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness. Studies also found the program reduces overall stigma of mental health and even improves the mental health of program participants. A list of relevant international studies can be found at https://www.mhfa.com.au/cms/evaluationpublications/.
Gaps and areas identified for improvement in this curriculum include: identification of early signs of mental health problems; confidence in ability to manage a mental health crisis situation; ability to effectively provide help and/or refer to other professionals/support services; attitude – increase understanding of patient experience and decrease stigma.
- What is MHFA
- MHFA Problems in the US
- MHFA Action Plan
- Understanding Depression
- Understanding Anxiety Disorders
|10 am ||Break|
- Crisis First Aid for Suicidal Behavior and Depressive Symptoms
- What is Non-suicidal Self Injury?
- Non-Crisis First Aid for Depression and Anxiety
- Crisis First Aid for Panic Attacks
- Crisis First Aid for Traumatic Events
- Understanding Disorders in Which Psychosis May Occur
- Crisis First Aid for Acute Psychosis
- Understanding SA Disorder
- Crisis First Aid for Overdose
- Crisis First Aid for Withdrawal
- Using MHFA
|5 pm ||Adjourn|
- Peggy Stecklein LISW
Program Manager, Iowa Primary Care Association; Certified MHFA Instructor
- Sandy Sheehy
Public Health Analyst, HRSA; Certified MHFA Instructor
Relevant to the content of this educational activity, the speakers indiciated they have no conflict of interests to disclose.
Note regarding MHFA Instructor Credentialing: The National Council, which oversees Mental Health First Aid nationally, credentials instructors to ensure the U.S. program continues to have a strong empirically-backing by ongoing evaluation in this country. Instructors are required to complete a rigorous week long training. Both a presentation of the course content and a written exam are required.
Continuing Education Credit
- MD: This activity has been planned and implement in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Iowa Medical Society (IMS) through the joint providership of Des Moines University (DMU) and the Iowa Primary Care Association. DMU is accredited by IMS to provide continuing medical education for physicians. DMU designates this live activity for a maximum of 8.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
- DO: This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the standards and policies of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) through the joint sponsorship of Des Moines University (DMU) and the Iowa Primary Care Association. DMU is accredited by the AOA and approves this live activity for a maximum of 8.0 hours of AOA Category 2-A CME credits.
- Nursing: Des Moines University continuing education (provider #112) is approved by the Iowa Board of Nursing as an accredited provider. This live activity has been reviewed and approved for 9.6 continuing education contact hours. No partial credit awarded.
- Other: This live activity is designated for 8.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
Educational grants are not being accepted for this activity.
Des Moines University (DMU) prohibits discrimination in a person’s race, color, national origin, ethnicity, creed, religion, age, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, veteran status, genetic information and other characteristics protected by law (“protected class”). The University also affirms its commitment to providing equal opportunities and equal access to University facilities. Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend DMU sponsored activities. You are able to access DMUs legal information here. If you have questions/concerns, please contact the DMU CME office at 515-271-1596 or email@example.com. | <urn:uuid:a33e0231-c0c6-4590-8573-c6b16f25a8e2> | CC-MAIN-2015-14 | https://cme.dmu.edu/MHFAAdel | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-14/segments/1427131302428.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20150323172142-00030-ip-10-168-14-71.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917761 | 1,491 | 3.15625 | 3 |
An Indispensable Truth: How Fusion Power Can Save the Planet
Recent books have raised the public consciousness about the dangers of global warming and climate change. This book is intended to convey the message that there is a solution. The solution is the rapid development of hydrogen fusion energy. This energy source is inexhaustible and, although achieving fusion energy is difficult, the progress made in the past two decades has been remarkable. The physics issues are now understood well enough that serious engineering can begin.The book starts with a summary of climate change and energy sources, trying to give a concise, clear, impartial picture of the facts, separate from conjecture and sensationalism. Controlled fusion -- the difficult problems and ingenious solutions -- is then explained using many new concepts.The bottom line -- what has yet to be done, how long it will take, and how much it will cost -- may surprise you.
Francis F. Chen's career in plasma has extended over five decades. His textbook Introduction to Plasma Physics has been used worldwide continuously since 1974. He is the only physicist who has published significantly in both experiment and theory and on both magnetic fusion and laser fusion. As an outdoorsman and runner, he is deeply concerned about the environment. Currently he enjoys bird photography and is a member of the Audubon Society.
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SQL Injection Attacks (SQLi) and How to Prevent It
Advance technology led to the development of CGI and server-side languages like PHP, ASP, and JSP. Innovated websites started to store user credentials and site content in databases. Therefore, it is easy to calculate that every popular server-side scripting language added support for SQL databases.
What is an SQL injection attack?
An SQL injection is also known as SQLI, is one of the most dangerous issues for data confidentiality and security in web applications. It includes the insertion of an SQL query through input data from the client to the application available on the internet.
It is a technique of code injection, which is used to attach data-driven applications. In it, malicious SQL statements are injected into an entry field for injection. A successful SQLI attack can provide access data to sensitive data, such as credit or debit card details, user passwords, or personal user information.
Many high-profile data breaches in recent times have been the result of SQL injection attacks. It leads to reputational damage and regulatory fines on the company.
3 Types of SQL Injections Attacks
Basically, SQL injection types fall under the three categories, which also include sub-categories. We can also categorize SQL injection types based on the methods they used to access data and their damage potential.
1. In-band SQLI
An attacker always uses the same channel to communicate to inject an attack and to gather the result. It is the simplest and efficient way of SQL injection. There are two subcategories of this method:
- Union-Based SQLI
- Error-Based SQLI
This technique enjoys the advantage of the UNION SQL operator, which fuses many select statements produced by the database to get an HTTP response. This response may contain confidential data that can be leveraged by the attacker.
This SQL, attacker carries out actions that cause the database to produce error messages. These error messages provide information about the structure of the database to the attacker.
It is also known as Blind SQLI, as the data is not transferred from the database to the attacker, and he is unable to see the information. He sends data payloads to the server of a web-based application. He observes the behavior and response of the server to learn about its structure.
These injections depend on the response and behavioral pattern of the server. They are slower to implement but can be harmful to the website. There are two types of Blind SQLI:
An attacker sends an SQL query to the server prompting the application to return a result. The true or false query can produce varying results. The attacker will work out if the message generated a true or false result.
Hacker sends a query to the server, which makes the database wait before it can react. Whether a query is true or false, the attacker can see the time the database takes to respond. Based on the result, an HTTP response will be generated after a period of time. Then, the hacker can work out if the message returned true or false.
3. Out-of-Band SQLI
The hacker can only implement this form of attack when specific features are enabled on the database. This attack is mostly used as an alternative to the in-band and inferential SQLI techniques.
This attack is performed when the hacker is unable to use the same channel to implement the attack and gather information. These techniques depend on the capacity of the server to produce DNS or HTTP requests to transfer data to the hacker.
How to Prevent SQL Injection Attacks?
There are various effective ways to prevent SQLI attacks and to get protection against them. The initial step is input validation, which is a process of writing code that can identify unauthorized user inputs.
Input validation is known as the best practice, but it is not a foolproof solution to the threat. Because most of the time, it cannot map out all illegal and legal inputs.
For effective protection against SQL and other threats, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) is commonly used by professionals. It consists of a large updated list of meticulously crafted signatures that allows it to knock out malicious SQL queries.
cWatch comes under the most reputable companies that watch the security of web-based applications and also act as malware removal. | <urn:uuid:290e2289-9813-4a9f-b4a9-b23956bb22d3> | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | https://cwatch.comodo.com/what-is/sql-injection.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030333541.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20220924213650-20220925003650-00789.warc.gz | en | 0.928106 | 960 | 3.390625 | 3 |
Terra Nova - Ships of the Polar Explorers
The British Antarctic Expedition 1910-13 or Terra Nova expedition as it became known was a far reaching and ambitious programme of scientific research and discovery best known for the ultimately fatal attempt to reach the south pole by Scott, Bowers, Evans, Oates and Wilson.
Built originally for the Dundee whaling and sealing fleet.
Barque / 1 funnel, 3 masts / L,B,D 187' x 31.4' x 19' - 57m x 9.6m x 5.8m / 744 tons / Hull: wooden / Compliment: 65 / Engine: 140 nhp, 1 screw / Built: Alexander Stephan & Sons Ltd. Dundee, Scotland, 1884.
1903, sailing with fellow Dundee whaler "Morning" to relieve and help free the Discovery from McMurdo Sound.
1905 - rescue ship for US Arctic Fiala-Ziegler Polar Expedition 1903-05, rescued the crew from Franz Josef Land after their ship America was crushed by the ice
Fate after the expeditions
On her return from the Antarctic in 1913, the Terra Nova was re-purchased by her former owners, Messrs. C. T. Bowring and Company to return to work in the Newfoundland seal fishery.
She met her end on September 13th 1943 when she sprang a leak and foundered off Greenland, the crew all being saved by the coastguard.
The Terra Nova (Newfoundland in Latin) had worked the arctic and sub-arctic seas proving her worth for many years before she was called upon for expedition work.
She was purchased for the British National Antarctic Expedition in 1910 for £12,000 a second choice after Captain Scott was unable to obtain the Discovery built especially for his earlier 1901-1904 Antarctic Expedition and now owned by and working for the Hudson Bay Company. The Terra Nova however was a bargain particularly compared to the £50,000 that the Discovery had cost ten years earlier.
The Terra Nova was well suited to this work being reinforced from bow to stern with seven feet of oak to protect her against the Arctic ice. Scott said of her:
"a wonderfully fine ice ship.... As she bumped the floes with mighty shocks, crushing and grinding a way through some, twisting and turning to avoid others, she seemed like a living thing fighting a great fight."
She was however 25 years old by 1910 and had a tendency to take on water above and below the waterline. Time spent at the bilge pumps was a constant necessity for the crew throughout the voyage. Leakage through the supposedly caulked main deck during rain or rough weather continually dripped on those below, the worst position in this regard being for those under the stables.
The final port of call for the Terra Nova before setting off for Antarctica was Lyttleton in New Zealand. Here she was placed in dry dock to find a leak that kept the crew and bilge pumps in almost constant motion since leaving Britain. Once afloat again, amongst other stores, 19 Manchurian ponies a token dog pack of 33 animals and three expensive motor sledges were loaded aboard.
She was dangerously overloaded when she sailed for Antarctica and indeed came close to being lost in a storm at latitude 52° South. Great seas washed again and again across the ship's deck loosening sacks of coal and crates of petrol for the tractors. The crew repeatedly waded across the deck to retrieve and make fast the moving cargo that was battering around causing more damage as it did so. Many sacks of coal were simply thrown overboard.
One of the dogs (Osman) was washed overboard only to have the next wave wash him back again, another poor animal was not so lucky.
The water washing across the decks found its way into the engine room and coal bunkers, the fires were put out in the engine room and coal dust was washed into the bilges. Here it mixed with oil from an earlier spill and formed a thick slurry that clogged the bilge pumps. Access to the bilge pump intake was through the main hold, but had the hatch been opened in the storm, the ship would surely have sunk through the water taken on. While all hands bailed, the engineers pierced two bulkheads, one wooden, one iron, to reach the bilge intakes.
Bowers entered the hold and diving through water and muck, managed to clear the valves, those on deck at the pump handles cheering when the outflow pipe spewed forth the bilge contents once again.
This expedition of the Terra Nova is notable also for the fact that it is so well documented due to the presence on board of two men:
Apsley Cherry-Garrard. A friend of Wilson, the expeditions Zoologist who had paid £1000 by contribution to join. "Cherry" as he was known was a young recent graduate, and at 24 the expeditions youngest member not really qualified for anything - though he became an invaluable expedition member. His book "The Worst Journey in the World" has been widely acclaimed and regarded by some as the finest travel story ever written it has been in continuous print since 1922.
Herbert Ponting. The expedition camera man and photographer. Ponting was a highly skilled and accomplished photographer and artist, some of his pictures and his film are still regarded as classics today.
The Terra Nova entered the pack on December the 9th 1910, progress was slow as the ice was heavy, much valuable coal was consumed in forcing a passage through it.
"The Terra Nova proved a wonderfully fine ice ship. Bower's middle watch especially became famous for the way in which he put the ship at the ice, and more than once Scott was alarmed by the great shock and collisions which were the result ............ But Bowers never hurt the ship, and she gallantly responded to all calls made on her".
The ship behaved splendidly - no other ship, not even the Discovery, would have come through so well. Certainly the Nimrod would never have reached the south water had she been caught in such pack".
Eventually the Terra Nova reached McMurdo Sound but couldn't get as far south as the Discovery had due the heaviness of the pack ice. She stopped near a place re-named Cape Evans (formerly the "skuarry" after the birds that nested there) to unload and establish camp. Even here she had to be unloaded over a mile off shore and all the supplies dragged across the ice. It was during this unloading that one of the motor sledges broke through the ice and sank, lost to the expedition forever.
In early February the Terra Nova steamed into the Bay of Whales on a last exploratory mission before returning to New Zealand for the winter. Here she met two dog teams of Amundsen 's expedition who were out for the day unloading cargo from the Fram. Three from the Terra Nova went to the Norwegians camp , Framheim for breakfast and later in the day, the Norwegians lunched aboard the Terra Nova. After dropping supplies off back at Cape Evans and unloading two ponies (that had to swim ashore) the Terra Nova left for New Zealand.
The next time the Terra Nova sailed into McMurdo Sound in 1912 to re-supply the expedition, Scott and four others would be away on their attempt at reaching the South Pole.
In 1913 when she arrived to bring the explorers back, the landfall was traumatic in a way that had never been anticipated. The wardroom table on Terra Nova was set for a celebration reunion dinner.
The ship was spotted from the shore and the usual maritime greeting "Are you all well" went out, the shouted response delivered the dreadful information.
Two days later Cape Evans had been abandoned and all were on board and heading back to New Zealand. | <urn:uuid:c7a1ea38-cb1e-4701-9ab2-5462d9357487> | CC-MAIN-2017-09 | http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/History/antarctic_ships/terra_nova.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-09/segments/1487501171232.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20170219104611-00040-ip-10-171-10-108.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979627 | 1,613 | 3.1875 | 3 |
PORTLAND, Ore. — The FDA will consider emergency use authorization of COVID-19 vaccines next month from several companies.
Dr. Gaurav Sahay is an associate professor at Oregon State University's School of Pharmacy. He's optimistic about a coronavirus vaccine.
"The beginning of the end of the pandemic," Sahay put it.
Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna both report having vaccines that could be about 95% effective against the virus.
"Those are very high efficacies," Dr. Jan Medlock said.
Medlock is also an associate professor at OSU, within the department of biomedical science. His research from 2009 about flu and H1N1 is getting new attention during COVID-19.
Some of Medlock's findings highlighted vaccine distribution and priority for different groups.
He noted during the early days of H1N1, vaccines were less effective and difficult to access. Vulnerable communities received priority to help reduce their risk of severe illness.
However, Medlock said the dynamics during COVID-19 could be different with more widespread infection compared to H1N1 and a larger projected supply of vaccines.
"When you get more vaccine, we saw it was better to actually vaccinate the people who do all the transmitting," Medlock said.
With potential COVID-19 vaccines being more effective, Medlock explained younger people who are now spreading the virus at higher rates will need the vaccine, too.
"Indirectly protect the people who are more at risk of severe disease and death," Medlock said.
Medlock said medical workers and first responders also need priority.
Both Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines use messenger RNA technology (MRNA). Instead of containing real particles of the COVID-19 virus, MRNA vaccines contain proteins that act as codes.
"The virus ... think of it as an intruder who has a key in hand that can unlock a gate and make copies of itself," Sahay explained. "This technology is telling the immune system, this is how that key looks like of this intruder, so if you see someone with this key, act."
The synthetic code is supposed to trigger an immune response to the real virus.
MRNA vaccines have been under development since the 1990s, but have never received FDA approval.
"This timeline is, I think, unprecedented," Sahay said. "Vaccines and vaccine development generally takes 20 to 30 years."
However, Sahay emphasized risks taken early during development will likely not be passed on to people who get an approved vaccine.
"Safety has not been compromised," he explained. "Yes, long-term effects and things like that always takes a couple of years to follow up with those patients, but it's not as if a step was missed ... I will definitely be getting one."
Vaccine side effects and availability are still not clear yet.
In the big picture, Sahay and other researchers said development of an MRNA vaccine for COVID-19 could open doors to treating and preventing other diseases down the line.
"As much as it is a hard time right now, I think science has come through," Sahay added. "And things will get better." | <urn:uuid:d81a88c8-c481-489f-a951-6c7ea888f440> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.9news.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/osu-researchers-explain-covid-flu-h1n1-vaccine-development-distribution-priority/283-c82c53ab-e2bc-4215-ae3a-06f57a116657 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570651.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20220807150925-20220807180925-00550.warc.gz | en | 0.973926 | 666 | 3.03125 | 3 |
Lifting the Veil (Quiz)
Tales of immortality, artificial life, transmutation, and other unexplained phenomena shroud the study of alchemy in mystery. Can creating synthetic life forms such as homunculi be achieved? What goes into the creation of the Philosopher’s Stone? In Year Six of this course, we will be addressing these mysteries and whether or not they are true to the study of alchemy in the wizarding world. We will also be discussing other traditions and organizations that have influenced alchemy and vice versa. | <urn:uuid:c643c07f-4b86-4533-b256-9bd9e26e3933> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://www.hogwartsishere.com/courses/ALCH-601/lesson/888/2203/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510387.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20230928095004-20230928125004-00512.warc.gz | en | 0.897841 | 129 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Grasstree (xanthorrhoea preissii) recovery after fire in two seasons and habitats
Korczynskyj, D., & Lamont, B. B. (2005). Grasstree (Xanthorrhoea preissii) recovery after fire in two seasons and habitats. Australian Journal of Botany, 53(6), 509-515. doi:10.1071/BT05006
To distinguish fire-stimulated growth from the underlying growth patterns imposed by season, we measured leaf production of Xanthorrhoea preissii Endl. (Xanthorrhoeaceae). We compared unburnt with spring- and autumn-burnt sites in forest and woodland habitats. Following fire, X. preissii responded with accelerated leaf production, regardless of season. Rapid leaf production during the initial flush of growth was partly at the expense of starch reserves in the stem, at least after autumn fire. Although this initial flush was relatively short-lived after fire in both seasons (12–32 weeks), the effect of fire on leaf production was sustained for up to 20 months, accompanied by a significant reduction in leaf longevity. Mean maximum leaf production rate was higher for spring-burnt grasstrees (up to 6.1 leaves day–1) than those burnt in autumn (up to 4.5 leaves day–1), associated with seasonally optimal growing conditions in late spring–early summer. Similarly, the timing of autumn burns in relation to declining temperature with the approach of winter appeared to dictate how rapidly grasstrees recovered. The consequences of fire season could have implications for the reproductive success of X. preissii. | <urn:uuid:3fee4a73-c30d-45ae-ad93-d7589fb7f6c8> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/sci__article/1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560279169.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095119-00386-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933946 | 348 | 2.84375 | 3 |
The government shutdown didn’t just affect government employees. It also affected squirrels.
These particular squirrels belong to Hannah Carey, a professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Wisconsin.
Carey, who focuses on comparative biosciences, studies squirrels to uncover insights about how mammals work. In theory, her work could allow humans to achieve things we so far have only seen in movies.
She examines the hibernation of ground squirrels and how their biological mechanisms could be mimicked in ways therapeutic for humans. Specifically, Carey looks at the gastrointestinal tracts of squirrel for hibernation patterns that can help humans survive severe states such as trauma and extreme hypothermia.
Like a lot of research at UW, Carey’s is funded in part by the federal government. Twenty-nine percent of the UW’s annual funding comes from federal financial aid and federal grants.
“Most of this [federal funding] is competitively awarded to UW for specific research projects and supports salaries for faculty, staff and students, and funds research facilities,” UW Chancellor Rebecca Blank wrote in the annual budget report.
Carey’s grant from the National Science Foundation — which comes early in the calendar year — allows her and her team to study these squirrels in the winter months.
For Carey and many other scientists, who rely on federal agencies and grant money to carry out their experiments, the government shutdown meant years worth of research was jeopardized.
THE ‘PERFECT STORM’
The government shut down Dec. 22 after President Donald Trump failed to reach an agreement with Congress over an appropriations bill that did not include $5 billion for his proposed wall along the southern border.
Not every aspect of the government was shut down, as Congress failed in passing legislative measures to fund just nine government agencies. What ensued was the longest government shutdown in history, resulting in some 800,000 federal employees on furlough or working without pay.
More than a month later, Trump signed an appropriations bill to fund the government until Feb. 15.
Wisconsin’s 2nd congressional district, home to Madison and the surrounding area, has about 6,000 federal employees — “more than any other Congressional district in Wisconsin,” Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, said.
WIC food program at risk of losing funding amidst government shutdownAs the government shutdown persists, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, a food program funded by Read…
Around 3,600 Wisconsin workers, he added, were directly impacted by the federal government shutdown.
For some, like Transport Security Administration workers, it meant having to go to work without pay during the shutdown. For others, this meant not being able to work at all.
For new businesses, it meant they wouldn’t be able to file taxes with the Internal Revenue Service.
For researchers like Carey, the shutdown came at the worst possible time, which she described as a “perfect storm.”
For those studying hibernation, the winter months are the most vital because it’s when the animals are metabolically shut down. At the same time, Carey was expecting her next installment of grants from the NSF to arrive around the first week of January, just as the government was shutting its doors.
“We work very hard to plan these experiments out ahead of time,” Carey said. “If we don’t stick closely to the biological rhythm of these animals, we are going to be doing experiments that aren’t relevant to the biology that we are trying to understand.”
As of Feb. 6, Carey still hasn’t received her federal funding. To mitigate potential funding problems, UW will pay for the research needs of faculty who have ongoing, federally-funded projects in the event of emergencies like a government shutdown.
This emergency funding from the university and state treasury paid for Carey’s expenses and allowed her research to continue in the interim.
This means her trainees and lab workers, as well as other researchers, will also be paid even if the federal agencies that fund their programs are closed. Carey realizes, however, that others might not have been as fortunate.
“I’m just one person who’s in this situation, and so … it’s likely others across our campus and across the system … [experienced] interference with what they’re doing,” Carey said. “You just don’t expect that political maneuvering is such that it would just shut things down. And if we weren’t supported by being at a university like [UW] it would be a travesty, it would be a shame … we just can’t do these experiments in other parts of the year.”
Others in the Madison community weren’t as lucky.
Pocan said federal employees who were impacted by the shutdown weren’t legally allowed to check their work emails. And if they did, they could be fined. This meant those who wished to work without pay weren’t even legally able to do so.
But for some, like TSA workers, it meant they had to show up to work without pay.
“Median salary is around $37,000 for TSA workers — many of them have second jobs just to get by,” Pocan said. “An air traffic controller told me he knows people who had to sell cars for equity so they would have money for bills. A person I talked to myself canceled their cable because he had to get rid of expenses that weren’t absolutely necessary during the shutdown.”
Pocan said he was impressed and surprised by how positive the workers he talked to were, considering they were approaching their second missed paycheck.
For others in Madison, the government shutdown was an opportunity to give back. As the shutdown affected Wisconsin and Madison families and individuals, the community sprung into action. Numerous organizations, businesses and individuals all opened their arms to give back throughout the month-long impasse.
UW students, researchers to be minimally affected by government shutdownThe government shut down early Saturday morning after Senate Democrats and Republicans were unable to reach an agreement about the Read…
Christy McKenzie, owner of Pasture and Plenty, a locally-sourced restaurant on Madison’s near west side, saw the shutdown as an opportunity to contribute to the community and to look after others.
“I think as a civil society we have a duty to think about how we take care of others and use the gifts and resources we have in order to support a healthier community,” McKenzie said.
During the last week of the shutdown, Pasture and Plenty announced they would be offering free meals to any furloughed workers and contractors. In that week alone, Pasture and Plenty served 16 impacted families or individuals.
“[We know] the challenges of not having paychecks come in means food [in]security,” McKenzie said. “It was a place we could provide the message that we don’t agree with what’s happening … it’s something we can do to support people who are being put in that position.”
When the government re-opened Jan. 25, Pasture and Plenty kept the meals coming for another week.
“We had a lot of our regular customers reach out to us to say, ‘We are so grateful that you’re doing this, how can we help?’” McKenzie said. “It was really interesting to see how others in the community who weren’t directly impacted were [affected] by what we had decided to share.”
For others in the community, giving back meant helping people where the shutdown hurts the most — their bank accounts.
Masood Akhtar is the founder of We Are Many – United Against Hate, an organization founded in 2016 that focuses on education and non-partisan policies to help unite people against bigotry.
To Akhtar, the shutdown was a way to help workers out when times were tough. With help from the Madison Muslim community, Akhtar helped raise more than $80,000 to give as interest-free loans to people in need — ideally targeting people who are paying between 18 and 20 percent interest on their credit cards.
By eliminating the bank from the equation, Akhtar believed he could facilitate growth within the community. Those who were interested could set up flexible payback opportunities by email, providing affected members of the community with more options to get back on their feet.
For Akhtar, organizing the effort was an easy decision.
“These people are just like our people,” Akhtar said. “Some of them are even protecting our lives, like the TSA at the airport. They are saving our lives and yet these people are not paid.”
Akhtar said that providing interest-free loans gives him the opportunity to travel and talk to people. Engaging with the community, he added, will help make Madison more inclusive, which he hopes cities nationwide will look to as an example.
“We, as Muslims, believe that all Wisconsinites are like one body,” Akhtar said. “If one part of the body aches, the rest of the body feels pain. We just want to make sure that these employees know that we are feeling their pain as well, and we will help them out as much as possible in these tough times.”
While financial obligations are a concern for many, so is unwinding from the stress of daily life.
WUD organizations host student debate on government shutdown as tactic for DemocratsWisconsin Union Directorate organizations, Global Connections and Society and Politics, held a meeting open to students Wednesday night to discuss Read…
Ahead of their Jan. 25 concert, the Madison Chamber Orchestra announced they would be offering free tickets to any furloughed government worker. About 20 people called in to claim the tickets, Sue Ellen Maguire, chief operating officer at the Orchestra, said.
“We are not just here to put on concerts,” Maguire said. “We are really here to build community and make Madison a better place. We saw people going through a tough time and wanted to spark a little joy in their lives.”
While the tough times are tentatively over for government employees, the approved interim funding is scheduled to run out Feb. 15.
Trump has already backtracked on his claim of needing funding for the wall and has nominally denounced his urge for building one at all. This is promising for the future of federal funding but falls short of ruling another government shutdown an absolute impossibility.
Pocan, however, is optimistic that Congress and Trump will be able to reach an agreement.
“I think it is unlikely we will have [another] shutdown,” Pocan said. “Even the president, for all his bravado, you have to look at the raw facts of what he did to the economy and that he didn’t get his wall. I think it would be hard for him to do something as irresponsible as shutting us down again.”
For people like McKenzie, another shutdown would mean a renewed opportunity to give back. She said Pasture and Plenty would give out free meals again if the government shuts down come Feb. 15.
As for Carey, another shutdown would mean a serious consideration of how long UW would be able to continue funding her research.
“The idea that [the government shutdown] would go longer than it did or even start up again is just frustrating, it is disheartening as a citizen and as a scientist,” Carey said.
While the immediate future of federal funding hangs in limbo, research will go on.
In the meantime, Carey will be in her lab studying her hibernating squirrels, using each day of funded research to get closer to unlocking their biological secrets.
Note: The print version of this article incorrectly identified Haidee Chu as the author of this piece. The Badger Herald regrets this error. The correct author is identified at the top of this story. | <urn:uuid:c14c65ab-4cb2-4061-abd8-6cedc862c59d> | CC-MAIN-2019-13 | https://badgerherald.com/features/2019/02/12/federal-government-shutdown-sends-madisonians-scrambling-for-innovative-community-based-solutions/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912203462.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20190324145706-20190324171706-00169.warc.gz | en | 0.974646 | 2,522 | 2.6875 | 3 |
Drunk driving is a problem throughout the United States. Florida is no exception to this national trend. In fact, Florida arrested some 31,000 drunk drivers during 2014, according to published by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Drunk driving puts not only the driver's life at risk, but it also increases the risk of injury or death to other nearby drivers.
Motorcyclists are at an even greater risk of injury or death when drunk driving is involved. Recent statistics published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that drunk driving deaths involving motorcycles are on the rise. Motorcyclists have the highest percentage of alcohol-related deaths; a 2 (27%) of motorcyclists killed in driving accidents had a blood alcohol content (BAC) greater than the nationally-adopted limit of .08. That means that more than one-quarter of all motorcyclists, whether drivers or passengers, died in an automotive accident involving alcohol.
Why Do Motorcycles Pose Such a Risk?
When analyzing the number of fatalities involving drunk motorcyclists, it is not unreasonable to inquire as to the causes of deaths, especially whenever alcohol is involved. However, a quick look beyond the statistics provides some insight. A variety factors such as a motorcycle's design, the manner of operation, and a lack of preventative laws that may factor into Florida's relatively high number of motorcycle fatalities.
A motorcycle, by design, is much more dangerous than that of a car, truck, or other enclosed motor vehicle. Motorcycles generally feature an open, in-line design where the driver is seated between two wheels. The lack of an enclosure exposes the motorcyclist to the elements. The motorcycle's design does not protect the motorcyclist's body in an accident. A motorcyclist may be thrown from the motorcycle, may strike the ground or another object when crashing, or may be directly struck by another vehicle during an accident. These collisions can result in serious physical harm or even death. Motorcyclists who survive should expect sizeable medical bills and additional expenses in connection with serious injuries. Those who are fatally injured often create financial complications for their survivors.
Motorcyclists who drive drunk are at higher risk of injury or death because of how they may operate the motorcycle. Alcohol affects an individual's motor skills, vision and perception, and reaction time. As a result, drunk drivers are more likely to engage in compromising behavior such as driving at rapidly varying speeds, driving aggressively, or driving erratically. These behaviors can increase the risk of an accident, whether involving a single vehicle or several. This reckless driving also places other drivers at greater risk of being seriously injured in an accident. Drunk drivers can create dangerous situations whenever they swerve across lanes, drive at varying speeds, or whenever their delayed reaction time keeps them from avoiding potential hazards.
Although motorcyclists who drive drunk are a serious problem which needs addressing, Florida's inaction on helmets causes additional problems. Florida does not require those operating a motorcycle to wear a helmet. Motorcyclists electing to operate a motorcycle without wearing a helmet suffer no legal consequences, but they do run the risk of suffering serious injury in the event of an accident. The NHTSA's recent figures estimate that approximately 40% of motorcyclists in driving accidents died because they did not wear a helmet. Wearing a helmet may have saved some 700 lives. Failing to wear a helmet can be fatal. If the individual failing to wear a helmet survives, he or she may develop traumatic brain injury -- a condition which can have serious, lasting consequences for the rider and his or her family.
Other Potential Consequences from Drunk Driving
Drunk driving motorcycle accidents may cause personal property damage in addition to serious physical injuries. Drunk motorcyclists may lose control of their vehicle and collide with another's property. These collisions may cause significant damage despite a motorcycle's smaller size. As with personal injury matters, a drunk motorcyclist may be liable repay any damages he or she causes to another's property.
Contact a Clearwater Motorcycle Accident Lawyer at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA Today
Drunk driving is no joke. Call the of St. Petersburg, FL today if either you or a loved one has been injured by a drunk motorcyclist. Our team of skilled and learned attorneys will advocate on your behalf so that you may recover the financial compensation you deserve. Schedule your free consultation by calling 727-451-6900 today. | <urn:uuid:68a96277-b639-4952-b7bb-dee9196facb8> | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | https://www.dolmanlaw.com/blog/motorcyclists-avoid-drunk-driving/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764500813.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20230208123621-20230208153621-00284.warc.gz | en | 0.960472 | 904 | 2.8125 | 3 |
How to change/convert absolute reference to relative reference in Excel?
Normally there are several types of cell references you can use in a formula, and each type of cell references can help you achieve different purposes in the formula. You can have the following types of cell references, such as absolute cell reference, relative cell reference, relative row reference absolute column reference and absolute row reference and relative column reference. But sometimes you may need to change the using of the formula purpose by changing the cell references in the formula. The following tricky methods will you tell how to change absolute reference to relative in Excel.
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With the shortcut key F4, we can easily toggle the absolute reference to relative reference, please do as the following steps:
Put the cursor behind $A$1, then press F4 three times, it will become A$1, $A1, A1 successively. See screenshot:
According to this step, put the cursor behind $B$1 to get B1.
And this cell reference will become a relative reference from absolute reference.
If there are multiple formulas’ cell references need to be changed, this way will be tedious and time-consuming.
With VBA code, you can quickly change a range of formulae cell references from absolute references to relative references at a time.
1. Select the range that you want to change.
2. Click Developer > Visual Basic or you can press Alt + F11, a new Microsoft Visual Basic for applications window will be displayed, click Insert > Module, and input the following code into the Module:
VBA: Convert absolute to relative reference.
Sub ConverFormulaReferences() 'Updateby20140603 Dim Rng As Range Dim WorkRng As Range Dim xName As Name Dim xIndex As Integer On Error Resume Next xTitleId = "KutoolsforExcel" Set WorkRng = Application.Selection Set WorkRng = Application.InputBox("Range", xTitleId, WorkRng.Address, Type:=8) Set WorkRng = WorkRng.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeFormulas) xIndex = Application.InputBox("Change formulas to?" & Chr(13) & Chr(13) _ & "Absolute = 1" & Chr(13) _ & "Row absolute = 2" & Chr(13) _ & "Column absolute = 3" & Chr(13) _ & "Relative = 4", xTitleId, 1, Type:=1) For Each Rng In WorkRng Rng.Formula = Application.ConvertFormula(Rng.Formula, XlReferenceStyle.xlA1, XlReferenceStyle.xlA1, xIndex) Next End Sub
3. Then click button to run the code, and a prompt box will pop out for selecting a range to convert, then click OK and another dialog displays to prompt you which type you want to use. Then you can choose the right type you need. For this example, I will insert 4. See screenshots:
4. Then click OK. All of the absolute references in selection have been changed to relative references in the formula.
This is a multifunction VBA code, with this code; you can also change relative to absolute reference, change absolute row or change absolute column.
Kutools for Excel let you change absolute to relative reference or vice versa quickly and easily. Please do as follows:
Step 1. Go to select the range that contains formulas you want to change cell references in worksheet.
Step 2. Click Kutools > Convert Refers. It will display Convert Formula References dialog box. See screenshot:
Step 3. Check To relative and click Ok or Apply in the Convert Formula Reference dialog. It will change the absolute reference to relative reference.
If you would like to change the cell references to column absolute or row absolute, please check To column absolute option or To row absolute option.
For more detailed information about Convert Reference, please visit Convert Reference feature description.
Relative article:Change relative reference to absolute reference
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To post as a guest, your comment is unpublished.· 1 years agoWao Excellent teh VBA Code Works Perfect, Thank You very Much
To post as a guest, your comment is unpublished.· 3 years agoExcel 2010. I clicked on cancel when the prompt comes up, but excel still ran the script and it froze my computer for several hours.
I only had 1 cell highlighted anyway, so even if the script did run, why did it take so long to run? [i realize now that despite pressing cancel, the code ran and made every cell in the worksheet relative ! :( ]
I was assigning it to a form button vs pressing play within VBA window.
I've used other scripts from KuTools and never experienced this nonsense.
To post as a guest, your comment is unpublished.· 6 years agoThe F4 toggle works in all versions. but you MUST be in edit mode first.
I always press F2 (puts you into edit mode) then F4 to toggle between the four options.
To post as a guest, your comment is unpublished.· 7 years agoWith the shortcut key F4, we can easily toggle the absolute reference to relative reference, please do //as// the following steps.
Forgot to mention F4 didn't work with my excel (windows 7) but your macro and invite to Kutools is great. Sorry about repeat sends, I thought the code wasn't working.
To post as a guest, your comment is unpublished.· 7 years agoThank you very much. Descriptive, easy to follow information.
To post as a guest, your comment is unpublished.· 7 years agoThank you very much, descriptive, easy to follow information. | <urn:uuid:3e335522-cc19-4dbc-a76b-7bb473c3dd4f> | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | https://www.extendoffice.com/documents/excel/675-excel-change-absolute-reference-to-relative-reference.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610703509104.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20210117020341-20210117050341-00725.warc.gz | en | 0.836926 | 1,450 | 2.96875 | 3 |
In Moby-Dick Ishmael often reminds us that Christians do not always abide by what they preach. With a passing reference to Adam and Eve, “the two orchard thieves,” in the first chapter of the book, he avows that ever since the Garden of Eden humankind has been attempting to “pay off” an ever-lurking debt to God that has evolved into an installment payment and continuous burden for humankind.
On the one hand, Ishmael freely states that payment is one of the attractions of going to sea in someone’s employ, “always […] as a sailor” rather than as a mere passenger, “because they make a point of paying me for my trouble, whereas they never pay passengers a single penny that I ever heard of. On the contrary, passengers themselves must pay. And there is all the difference in the world between paying and being paid.” On the other hand, many biblical scriptures may well taunt him, especially those from the New Testament. Recall Jesus’s well known analogy for the opposite aims of wealth and eternal peace from Matthew 19:24: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” Or Matthew 6:19, which Captain Bildad is quoting under his breath when Ishmael’s share of the Pequod’s profits is being decided: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal…” This latter quotation is illuminative of the reference to the “orchard thieves” from “Loomings.” Later scripture defines thievery, the act of someone taking property from another and converting it to his or her own use, as a corrupt practice unique to earthly existence; however, in the early chapters of Genesis, as Ishmael reminds us, the thievery of Adam and Eve was of a more complicated sort for occurring while they lived a paradisal, divinely-sanctioned state.
There is no doubt about their crime, just the inherent earthliness of the act. Adam and Eve stole the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in order to convert it to their own uses. Never more godlike, humankind then wanted to be more like God. Though they lived in Paradise, their greed made them desire wealth and power. In Ishmael’s view the idea of payment is one that tracks through the entire Bible and is not to be localized in those well-known verses from Matthew. The whole of Holy Scripture is a running commentary on the idea of earthly payment as it is caught up in a complex web of free will, grace, and potential salvation, ever since the fall in the Garden of Eden. Ishmael contains the idea of payment, any payment, in a larger question of whether or not humankind can recover what was lost by Adam and Eve.
The act of paying is perhaps the most uncomfortable infliction that the two orchard thieves entailed upon us. But being paid—what will compare with it? The urbane activity with which a man receives money is really marvelous, considering that we so earnestly believe money to be the root of all earthly ills, and that on no account can a monied man enter heaven. Ah! how cheerfully we consign ourselves to perdition!
Melville reveals an ironic truth in Ishmael’s interpretation of payment. Money is the root of all earthly ills, and yet money is necessary to live. We work to earn money, earnestly believing that money cannot buy salvation. We desire earthly success, knowing it is fleeting. This logic seems a bit “twiske-tee be-twisk,” like Ahab’s, in his monomaniac fixation on revenging himself upon Moby Dick. In the same, mildly abstract way humankind may be understood as trying to revenge itself upon on Adam and Eve for forever making us indebted to God. Of course, there’s a larger irony afoot. Ishmael identifies “the act of paying” as “the most uncomfortable infliction” of human kind, but revels in the incomparable, “marvelous” feelings that follow upon being paid. The irony being: who can be paid without someone, somewhere enduring the infliction of paying? | <urn:uuid:d3d74c3f-9304-4dbd-946e-acefdac82843> | CC-MAIN-2021-21 | https://chasingflukes.com/reading_guide-overview/glossary-contents/1orchard-thieves/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-21/segments/1620243988986.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20210509122756-20210509152756-00589.warc.gz | en | 0.961275 | 928 | 3.203125 | 3 |
10 Preventive Health Screenings for Female Patients
Routine preventive health screenings are a critical component of women’s health, because specific screening tests by nurses and other medical professionals can often provide insight into habits that can be changed to maximize health and wellbeing. Women’s health nurse practitioners are generally responsible for administering the following preventive health screenings, and educating their female patients on why each test may be necessary.
An annual visit to a women’s health nurse practitioner or physician is highly recommended to maintain overall health and wellness. During these visits—which are generally not the result of an immediate medical need— women have the opportunity to discuss any concerns they may have, any symptoms they may be experiencing, and be assessed for any potential risk or future problems.
Gestational diabetes screening
Gestational diabetes is a condition that may begin during pregnancy. It can result in serious health risks for the pregnant woman and her child. Gestational diabetes means there is generally a greater chance of complications occurring during the pregnancy, labor, or the delivery process. Also, children may be born at a larger-than-normal size, with potentially dangerously low blood sugar levels. Screening for the disease uses an oral glucose tolerance test, and is recommended for every woman between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy.
Blood pressure screening
Women’s health nurse practitioners should recommend that patients have their blood pressure checked at least every two to five years. The purpose is to measure how much strain is being placed on the heart and blood vessels. If recurring unsafe blood pressure levels are discovered, patients should be advised to have their pressure checked yearly. If unchecked and left to spiral out of control, heightened blood pressure can place patients at a significantly higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and other adverse health conditions.
Though high cholesterol on its own isn’t always a sign of negative health, a complete cholesterol test can determine whether a patient is at risk of developing heart disease. If normal cholesterol levels are consistently discovered, testing need only be performed every five years for women, unless they undergo significant lifestyle changes, such as extensive weight gain.
Breast cancer screenings
Breast cancer self-exams and professionally administered mammograms can save a woman’s life, especially if the patient has specific risk factors, such as a family history of breast cancer diagnoses. Women’s health nurse practitioners should teach their patients to perform a breast self-exam, and suggest that women perform them regularly, preferably on a monthly basis. Patients should also be advised that more comprehensive professional preventive screening options exist for breast cancer, like breast ultrasound, MRI scans, and mammograms.
Cervical cancer screenings
The pelvic exam and Pap smear are two methods currently used by women’s health nurse practitioners and physicians to detect cervical cancer in female patients. Patients should be advised to undergo these procedures beginning at age 21 to most reliably detect cervical cancer before it becomes unmanageable.
To prevent bones from becoming weak and brittle, women beyond the age of 65 should be screened for osteoporosis, as should younger women who have a similar fracture risk (within 10 years or so) to 65-year-old women. Offering female patients these preventive screenings allows educated nurses to prescribe treatment strategies and medication to prevent bone breakage and deterioration.
Screenings for sexually transmitted diseases
Women’s health nurse practitioners must provide preventive education to help women avoid infections that are transmitted through sexual contact. During regular pelvic exams, women should at least be tested for the most common sexually transmitted diseases, like chlamydia and gonorrhea.
Breastfeeding support, supplies and counseling
After giving birth, women sometimes struggle to find adequate support in selecting the most appropriate breastfeeding supplies, and developing a lactation schedule that works best for them and their newborn/s. Women’s health nurse practitioners can be an invaluable resource for their patients by consulting them on the most practical breastfeeding solutions, and educating them on any potential obstacles they may encounter.
Interfamily and domestic violence screening and counseling
Unfortunately, some women are victimized by their spouses or other family members. Women’s health nurse practitioners are often trained to identify the signs of interfamily violence and domestic spousal abuse. Counseling the victims is one strategy that can work to prevent further instances of harm.
Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), approximately 9.5 million women received affordable health insurance, and approximately 55 million women gained no-cost access to critical preventive medical care. If the act is repealed, many women, especially those of low-income, will likely be forced to live without health insurance; limiting their access to birth control, maternity care, and other preventive services. Regardless of any legislative changes, certified nurse practitioners who have a Master of Science in Nursing are essential to the process of ensuring that as many women as possible have access to life-saving preventive medical care.
Across the country, a national shortage of primary care providers has set the stage for RNs to advance. As more states certify nurse practitioners as primary care providers, you can pursue a new avenue of nursing to fill meaningful voids in today’s health systems. At Regis College, you can earn an online post-master’s certificate to not just prepare for advancement in nursing, but to also expand services as a primary care provider.
1. U.S. National Library of Medicine
3. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
4. Health Resources & Services Administration
5. The Affordable Care Act & Women’s Health
6. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
7. Mayo Clinic
8. American Family Physician
10. Huff Post
11. Center for American Progress | <urn:uuid:d740ce8d-a68c-43b4-a0a6-bdca72c52679> | CC-MAIN-2018-34 | https://online.regiscollege.edu/blog/10-preventive-health-screenings-female-patients/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-34/segments/1534221209585.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20180814205439-20180814225439-00264.warc.gz | en | 0.94585 | 1,170 | 2.921875 | 3 |
The Yarlung Tsangpo is the part of Brahmaputra River that flows through Tibet, known by its Tibetan name. It originates at Angsi Glacier in western Tibet southeast of Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar. It later forms the South Tibet Valley and Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon before passing through the state of Arunachal Pradesh, India, where it is known as Siang.It is sometimes called Yarlung Zangbo or Yarlung Zangbo Jiang . The part Tsangpo denotes a river flowing from or through Tsang, meaning Tibet west of Lhasa.
Downstream from Arunachal Pradesh the river becomes wider and at this point is called the Siang. After reaching Assam, the river is known as Brahmaputra. From Assam, the river enters Bangladesh at Ramnabazar. From there until about 200 years ago it used to flow eastward and joined the Meghna River near Bhairab Upazila. This old channel has been gradually dying now. At present the main channel of the river is called Jamuna River, which flows southward to meet Ganges, which in Bangladesh is called the Padma.
When leaving the Tibetan Plateau, the Yarlung River flows in the world’s largest and deepest canyon, Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon. The gorge has been described as “the highest river in the world” by the organizers of a kayaking expedition, although it’s not clear from their press release what definition was used.
The Yarlung Tsangpo River is the highest major river in the world. Its longest tributary is the Nyang River. In Tibet the river flows through the South Tibet Valley, which is approximately 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) long and 300 kilometres (190 mi) wide. The valley descends from 4,500 metres (14,800 ft) above sea level to 3,000 metres (9,800 ft). As it descends, the surrounding vegetation changes from cold desert to arid steppe to deciduous scrub vegetation. It ultimately changes into a conifer and rhododendron forest. The tree line is approximately 3,200 metres (10,500 ft).Sedimentary sandstone rocks found near the Tibetan capital of Lhasa contain grains of magnetic minerals that record the Earth’s alternating magnetic field current.
The basin of the Yarlung River, bounded by the Himalayas in the south and Kang Rinpoche and Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains in the north, has less severe climate than the more northern (and higher-elevation) parts of Tibet, and is home to most of the Autonomous Region’s population (Lhasa City, Shigatse, Lhoka, and Nyingchi Prefectures).
The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, formed by a horse-shoe bend in the river where it leaves the Tibetan Plateau and flows around Namcha Barwa, is the deepest, and possibly longest canyon in the world. The river has been a challenge to whitewater kayakers because of the extreme conditions of the river.
The Yarlung Tsangpo River has three major waterfalls. The largest waterfall of the river, the “Hidden Falls”, was not publicized in the West until 1998, when its sighting by Westerners was briefly hailed as a “discovery.” They were even portrayed as the discovery of the great falls which had been the topic of stories told to early Westerners by Tibetan hunters and Buddhist monks, but which had never been found by Western explorers at the time. Chinese authorities protested, however, saying that Chinese geographers, who had explored the gorge since 1973, had already taken pictures of the falls in 1987 from a helicopter.
Note : The above story is based on materials provided by Wikipedia | <urn:uuid:c0323541-e878-4981-9d0b-b31893221d6a> | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | https://www.geologypage.com/2014/11/yarlung-tsangpo-river.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780053759.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20210916204111-20210916234111-00336.warc.gz | en | 0.967363 | 808 | 3.484375 | 3 |
For every "a-ha!" moment in science, there are more than a few "hmmms."
The thrill of discovery is invariably preceded by periods of perplexity, when experiments yield confusing or contradictory results, a new approach becomes a dead end, or number-crunching leaves researchers numb.
Science is often portrayed as a dispassionate search for truth, which overlooks the passion that so many researchers bring to their work. What attracted many of them to the field, after all, is the opportunity to find new answers to knotty questions.
If the bench work of science rests on the methodical performance of well-defined procedures, the essence of scientific thinking is precisely that it is not routine, but often requires intuitive or logical leaps. The solution to a problem may lie in finding a new use for old technology, in viewing discrepancies from a different angle, or framing a question in a novel way.
At Dana-Farber, where cancer research and care are deeply entwined, the motivation for solving scientific puzzles is never purely intellectual, regardless of the modern focus on molecular networks and the genetic eccentricities of cells. The following stories help illustrate the stumbling blocks basic researchers often face, and the skills they use to overcome them.
Nature's knack for packaging DNA in ultra-tight bundles within the cell nucleus poses a challenge for scientists like Dana-Farber's Brendan Price, PhD, who studies how cells repair breaks in their DNA.
Rather than jamming genetic material haphazardly into the nucleus, the cell neatly packs the molecular equivalent of a household's worth of clothing into a single suitcase. As part of this process, the cell wraps DNA around clusters of protein molecules called histones, forming a bead-like string of structures called nucleosomes.
The arrangement is so efficient that the DNA within it takes up about 250 times less space than if it were loose. Such compactness enables the cell to store six feet of DNA in a nucleus .0002 inches in diameter.
When a section of DNA breaks – as a result of exposure to radiation or chemicals, or through mistakes in cell division – cancer can result. In response, the cell dispatches several crews of proteins to fix it. The proteins thread their way through the nucleosomes, gently loosening them to clear a path to the broken section. Once there, they summon other proteins to piece the strands of DNA back together.
Ideally, researchers would mimic nature's own techniques for DNA repair. It isn't possible to replicate in a laboratory, however, a process that took thousands of years to evolve and involves dozens of different proteins – not all of which are known.
The question of how to locate the damaged regions where the nucleosomes have been unpacked absorbed scientists for years. At first, Price and his colleagues tried making artificial histones and tagging them with fluorescent tracers, hoping damaged cells would take in the fabricated histones and splice them into the damaged section of their DNA. All such attempts failed.
Then, inspiration struck. "I've always found it useful to go back and read the original studies to understand what investigators back then were doing," says Price. "It's a way of coming to the field fresh, without any preconceptions."
While perusing scientific articles from 30 and 40 years earlier, Price read that the strength of the DNA-histone bond varies with the level of salt in the surrounding fluid. By increasing the salt concentration, Price and his colleagues were able to weaken the DNA "wrapping" at the sites of damage, allowing them to remove the histones and DNA-repair proteins and giving them easy access to the damaged DNA. The technique proved so useful it has since been adopted by scientists around the world.
The inventor who realized that microwaves – originally used in radar and long-distance telephone communication – could be harnessed to cook food has something in common with Dana-Farber's Kimberly Stegmaier, MD.
Stegmaier and her colleagues have developed powerful tools for cancer drug discovery using techniques borrowed from other areas of biological research. Her area of interest lies deep within the cell's machinery for converting genetic information – stored in DNA – into proteins that carry out the cell's business.
Malfunctions in this machinery can give rise to a variety of cancers. Sometimes, researchers are able to identify the individual protein cogs at fault and block them with targeted drugs. In other cases, the guilty proteins are unknown, and even if they were known, they may be impossible to reach with current drugs – hence their reputation as "the undruggables."
Stegmaier devised a solution. "We asked ourselves, 'Are there technologies available now, which were not available 10 years ago, that could be used to screen large numbers of chemicals as potential cancer drugs?'" she remarks. "We realized that microarrays – DNA chips that genetically 'fingerprint' cells by charting the activity or inactivity of thousands of genes at a time – would fit the bill."
The Dana-Farber team used microarray technology to compare the genetic fingerprints of normal, mature cells with those of cancer cells. They then screened entire "libraries" of drugs to find which ones converted the cancer cells' fingerprint to normal.
At this point, however, another challenge loomed: While microarrays could be used to define genetic fingerprints, they weren't a practical way of screening many thousands of molecules at a reasonable price.
Again, the solution was the novel use of an existing technology – in this case, one that uses fluorescent beads to indirectly measure minute amounts of RNA, a courier of genetic information and an indicator of the activity level of specific genes. The technology meshed perfectly with the format used in drug screening.
Since then, Stegmaier's group has identified several compounds with promise for treating acute myeloid leukemia and other cancers. "Bringing these two technologies together was like pointing spotlights from two different angles on the problem," she remarks. "The intersection was the key to narrowing our search for drug candidates."
Matthew Freedman, MD, and his colleagues had assembled a tidy case against a section of chromosome 24 as a co-conspirator in several kinds of cancer including colon, breast, and prostate.
The site, just a few units of DNA long, is located in what is known as a "gene desert," a region of chromosome devoid of genes that hold the code for making proteins. Without protein blueprints of its own, the site is thought to be involved in gene regulation – cranking the activity of nearby genes up or down to produce the proper amount of certain proteins.
Studies have shown that subtle variations at the site – changes in the placement of a handful of letters of the genetic code – are associated with many types of cancer. The question for scientists has been: Which gene or genes does the risk-increasing site regulate, and how?
Freedman and his associates thought they had the perfect candidate. The gene closest to the risk site is Myc (pronounced "mick"), one of the most notorious cancer-causing genes. The proximity suggested that the site interacts with Myc, and that changes in that interaction could have a role in cancer. Researchers needed only to show that variations in the risk site were linked to changes in Myc's activity, and the case would be solved.
However, Freedman's experiments found that the three major variations at the risk site produced no differences in Myc activity. "On paper and in theory, the connection seemed obvious, but we weren't able to prove it," Freedman relates. "We had to find another technique that would implicate Myc."
The alternative turned out to be chromosome conformational capture, a process that enables researchers to study how different parts of the genome interact in three dimensions. With this technique, Freedman discovered that the risk site has a "long-range loop" of DNA fiber that links to Myc like a molecular lasso.
"We demonstrated that these two regions are indeed co-localized [meaning they occupy the same space] and communicate with each other," Freedman says.
"Knowing that the risk site and Myc are in contact presents us with an attractive target for devising new cancer therapies."
Paths of Progress Spring/Summer 2012 Table of Contents
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 | Call us toll-free: | <urn:uuid:895159b9-3a4d-445b-8b55-e376b7f6b57b> | CC-MAIN-2016-18 | http://www.dana-farber.org/Newsroom/Publications/How-Scientists-Solve-Research-Riddles.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-18/segments/1461861700326.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20160428164140-00219-ip-10-239-7-51.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958071 | 1,730 | 3.25 | 3 |
Mind numbing drama on pre-civil war American slavery
12 Years a Slave, directed by Steve McQueen, explores the horrors of slavery in a pre-civil war America. An intense drama based on true events and set in the 19th century, it follows a free man Solomon Northup's (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor) life, who is abducted and forced into slavery for 12 years.
The movie is based on a book, A Memoir - 12 years a Slave, by Solomon Northup and explores major events during a 12 year period of forced slavery in Solomon's life.
The movie begins with a simple day in Solomon's life. Solomon, a family man and musician by profession bids farewell to his wife and children for 3 weeks without realising that he may not see them for the next 12 years. His major downfall is his tendency to believe everyone around him and not suspect treason in any act or deed. On the pretext of some easy money and work, he follows 2 men into a trap of slavery. The movie traverses a 12 year period post his abduction, where he is auctioned away and spends the precious years of life in between tyrannical masters, horrendous punishments, unfathomable horrors and unjust torture. The circumstances force Solomon to adopt a new identity and hide the fact that he can read and write.
Although the movie is set to span 12 years, it only revolves around the 3 or 4 major events during those 12 years. Each of those events portrays painful scenes as it explores the inhuman treatment of the slaves, and the punishments inflicted upon them by their masters. The movie is no doubt difficult to watch without being overwhelmed by the tragedy. The script highlights the highs and lows of Solomon's 12 years. His first master, Ford, (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) gifts him a violin but is incapable of protecting him from the racist carpenter who hangs him from a noose all day. The noose is just long enough for his toes to touch the ground, as if teaching him a very tough lesson. This scene is particularly intriguing as it shows Solomon hanging from the tree while the other slaves continue to work as if he didn't exist there. After this incident, Solomon is sold off to Epps, a cotton plantation owner.
Michael Fassbender (Master Epps) plays a brutal and insensitive master who has no mercy for this slaves. His wife (played by Sarah Paulson) also enjoys watching him punish the slaves and is outraged by his infatuation for Patsey (Lupita Nyong'o).
Lupita's performance is praiseworthy. She is subjected to humiliation, rape and hatred despite being the most hardworking slave on the farm, picking 3 times as much cotton as the others. Sadly, because of the Epps' soft corner for Patsey, her life on the cotton farm is agonising.
Many of the scenes are rather difficult to watch. Lupita is subject to violence both by her master and mistress. The movie leaves a lasting impression on the viewer's mind and in most cases a painful one.
Brad Pitt (as Bass) plays a cameo towards the end of the movie.
The movie has been nominated under 9 categories at the Academy Awards and has already taken the top award of Best Motion Picture (Drama) at the Golden Globe.
The movie releases across Australian screens on Jan 30, 2014. Dendy Cinemas is also holding special advance screenings this Australia Day weekend. | <urn:uuid:e8c96518-c23d-47b0-a556-b0d7e268e8c1> | CC-MAIN-2018-13 | https://www.weekendnotes.com/12-years-a-slave-film-review/61263/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-13/segments/1521257647706.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20180321215410-20180321235410-00499.warc.gz | en | 0.973292 | 709 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Mortgage amortization methods and tables are well known to accountants, real estate professionals, and other financial professionals. CPAs learn how to develop and use mortgage amortizations in introductory accounting classes. Traditionally, beginning accounting students calculate period interest expense by multiplying the effective period interest rate by the outstanding loan balance, calculate period principal paid by subtracting the period interest expense from the total period payment, and then calculate the new remaining mortgage balance. In the past, when the author used the above-described method, rounding errors inevitably crept into the calculations. This article proposes a different method to develop an amortization schedule that minimizes or eliminates rounding errors.
A Proposed Alternative
The author proposes that, instead of beginning the amortization schedule by calculating interest expense, a user begins by calculating the remaining mortgage principal balance. But how one can know the remaining principal balance before computing a period’s interest expense and principal payment? Because a mortgage is a kind of ordinary annuity, a user can calculate the present value of the annuity or, equivalently, the remaining mortgage balance by using a present value of an annuity formula. The author uses a 36-month mortgage to demonstrate the above method and compares the proposed method with the more traditional method. The proposed method is easily expandable to longer time periods; however, the author uses 36 months for ease of presentation. Prior to computing the amortization schedule, the author derives a monthly mortgage payment for an arbitrary example.
Exhibit 1 shows the details of the mortgage and the calculated monthly mortgage payment: $9,816.49, calculated by the Excel PMT function. The mortgage payment is also calculated by manipulating the present value (PV) of an ordinary annuity formula to solve for the monthly payment. Using a monthly interest rate of 0.375% and 36 total payments, the pres ent value of an ordinary annuity formula calculates the present value of $1.00 to be received for 36 months as $33.6169, usually shown as a present value factor (PVF) without the dollar sign. Dividing the 33.6169 PVF into the starting mortgage amount of $330,000 derives the monthly payment of $9,816.49. The formula entered into Excel is shown on line 11 of Exhibit 1. (See the Sidebar for the derivation of the present value of an ordinary annuity.) The author used a two–decimal place ROUND function to conform to the usual monthly payments used for mortgages. Since the mortgage payment is made monthly, the formula requires the monthly interest rate of 0.3750% to be used, and the rate must be entered into the formula in its decimal form of 0.00375.
Fortunately, the same calculation can also be made with the Excel PMT function, as also shown in Exhibit 1.Notice that PMT places a negative sign in front of the monthly payment and does not automatically round to two decimal places as required for mortgage calculations. PMT also requires an entry for the ending future value (FV) of the mortgage, which is zero for this example. The entry for the mortgage payment type is zero, to indicate that payment is due at the end of the period, which is the end of the month for this example.
Having computed the monthly mortgage payment, a user can then calculate the desired mortgage amortization schedule. A traditional amortization schedule is shown in Exhibit 2. Note that there is a rounding error of $0.18 at the end of 36 months; thus, interest expense is underreported by $0.18, and the principal paid is overreported by $0.18. The author’s proposed amortization schedule fixes this rounding error as shown in the following steps illustrated by Exhibit 3.
Step 1 is to calculate the remaining principal due after each monthly payment. For January 2017 in this example, this is equivalent to calculating the present value of an ordinary annuity with 35 remaining payments. The calculation requires using the monthly mortgage payment, the monthly interest rate, and the remaining number of payments to calculate the present value of the mortgage at the end of each month. For example, the present value of the mortgage balance at the end of the first month is calculated (with the actual values displayed) as: ROUND(((1-1 / (1 + 0 . 0 0 3 7 5) ^ (3 6 – 1))/(.00375))*9,816.49,2)=321,421.18. The resulting remaining principal balance is shown in cell F9.
Exhibit 4 shows how to more simply obtain the same present value of an ordinary annuity by using the Microsoft Excel PV function, shown in columns G and H. Column F, calculated using the formula described above, and Column H, calculated using the PV function should be identical; note again that the PV function places a negative sign in front of the remaining principal balance calculation and does not round the output. The author used the ROUND function for two decimal places and entered a negative sign in front of the PV formula to achieve the desired decimal output and convert the output to a positive number, as shown in column H.
Derivation of the Present Value of an Ordinary Annuity
The derivation of the present value of an ordinary annuity uses a method of sums. For an ordinary annuity, payments are made at the end of the period (the end of the month in this example). The derivation here is made using numbers related to the example, but can easily be expanded to a general case.
The PVF is the sum (S) of the present values of the periodic payments of $1.00.
- Sum (S) = 1/(1+0.00375)1 + 1/(1+0.00375)2 +…+ 1/(1+0.00375)(36-1) + 1/(1+.00375)36
- Multiply (S) by (1 + interest rate) = (1+0.00375) S = 1 + 1/(1+0.00375)1 +…+ 1/(1+0.00375)(36-1)
- Subtract equation 1 from equation 2: (1+0.00375) S – S = 1 − 1/(1+.00375)36
The present value of $1.00 paid by the buyer or received by the seller using the numbers in the example is equal to $33.6169. The monthly payment is derived by dividing the original mortgage balance by the calculated PVF of the ordinary annuity of 33.6169, for a result of $9,816.49 (rounded to two decimal places).
Step 2 is to subtract cell F9 from cell C9 to derive cell E9, which is the principal paid for the current period. For January 2017, the calculation is: $330,000.00 − $321,421.18 = $8,578.82.
Step 3 is to subtract the principal paid for the current period from the monthly payment and enter the result in cell D9. For January 2017, the calculation is: $9,816.49 − $8,578.82 = $1,237.67.
Step 4 is to continue the process of steps 2 and 3 to the completion of the amortization schedule.
Avoiding Rounding Errors
Based on the results the author has experienced—and demonstrated here—it may be worth considering the proposed approach to mortgage amortization described above as an alternative to the traditional calculation. While the rounding errors may not be large using the traditional approach, rounding errors are annoying and can be eliminated using the author’s proposed method. | <urn:uuid:7b835b38-980f-49cc-81a1-59ecc45187f0> | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | https://www.cpajournal.com/2018/11/21/mortgage-amortization-revisited/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593655880616.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20200706104839-20200706134839-00558.warc.gz | en | 0.920764 | 1,595 | 2.96875 | 3 |
Your sewer line carries wastewater away from the washing machine, dishwasher, Bathroom sinks, toilets, tubs and showers, and floor drains of your home. It travels underneath your yard to the street, where it connects to the municipal sewer. If you don’t have a municipal sewer it goes to your septic tanks and field.
Because of what the sewer is disposing of, when problems do occur, the result is usually a very unsavory situation.
A sewer line problem usually causes stuff that you don’t want to keep to come back to your home through toilets, tubs, floor drains. It’s more than unpleasant.
We can solve your problems
At Yes! Plumbing we have specialized equipment that allow us to actually see into your buried sewer lines. The old saying “a picture paints a thousand words” comes alive for our clients when they can actually see what has caused their problem.
Since 1993, YES! Plumbing has prided ourselves on building a tradition of service and value for the many thousands of family members we have serviced in the Illiana area.
Common causes of a sewer line clog
Let’s see if we can figure out what it is that makes a sewer line plug and back up. Then we can see if there is a way to prevent a sewer clog or cure the problem.
Root infiltration is by far the most common cause of clogs in sewers in the home. The sewer or septic line runs underground once it exits your home. Trees, bushes, or shrubs are a potential danger to the line.
If your sewer line develops any kind of breech then the roots from these plants will sense the moisture and “fertilizer”. When that happens they head directly for the source and infiltrate the sewer by growing very fine “hair” roots that protrude through the hole in the sewer to absorb water and nutrition.
As the roots grow, they not only start filling the inside of the sewer, but they expand with such force that they can actually burst the sewer pipe to allow even more roots to infiltrate. At this point it is just a matter of time before the roots start catching flushed debris, resulting in a sewer clog.
How can you prevent tree roots from entering the sewer?
- If you plant trees or shrubs plant at least 10” away from the sewer.
- There are tree services who can move existing trees to another location.
- Try to plant trees that are slower growing and have a root spread radius of the smallest size (check with your local arborist). Most tree root systems will extend to the edge of the tree branches so that’s a good rule of thumb to determine where to plant.
- Once you determine you have a root problem, the sewer can be treated with a foaming herbicide every so often to eliminate the roots without killing the tree.
- In the worst case the sewer will have to be excavated and repaired.
Kitchen waste and “flushable” wipes— the biggest culprits
Pouring grease or that water from the pot in which you just boiled fatty meats in down the sink or disposer should be a huge no-no in your home.
Of these, grease is the worst possible thing to dump in the sink. When grease runs through the pipes, it begins to cool.
As it cools, the saturated fats (think bacon grease, butter) begins to solidify with the temperature change. This stuff sticks to the pipe and begins to build up like plaque in a blood vessel. Eventually, it’s sticky, gooey mess and the pipe will no longer carry even water down the drain.
Grease isn’t the only problem. There are a few classes of foods you will want to avoid in the disposer on the kitchen sink.
First is any food that may expand once it comes in contact with water. The best examples are rice and flour.
Next avoid greasy foods and food products like bacon, fat cutoffs from dinner plates and the like.
We’d like to give a caveat that a food disposer is actually good for your kitchen drain line if used properly. It’s also good for the environment as it reduces the amount of solid waste placed in landfills and actually provides a food source for the beneficial bacteria which break down the other organic wastes in the sanitary sewage system.
Just because something is labeled as flushable doesn’t mean that it should be.
A good rule of thumb is that if it’s not easily dissolved in water quickly, then don’t flush it.
Things like human hair, tampons and pads, or flushable wipes. In our experience flushable wipes (definitely not flushable) are the worst possible thing to flush down the drain. They are almost 100% guaranteed to hang up on any defect or sticky spot in the drain line and allow water to seep through but solids do not.
So more and more build up over time until you have a massive clog of wipes. We’ve seen cases where literally hundred of wipes piled up before the homeowners recognized a problem.
In the worst cases it is less expensive to excavate the sewer than spend days trying to get them out of the sewer.
Even though your sewer was correctly installed when new a couple of conditions can cause the pipe to form a belly or sag in the line.
There could have been ground movement which caused a small leak at a joint which allows the supporting ground to soften up and the extremely heavy weight of the soil above presses the sewer line into the surrounding softened soil base. When there is a belly some of the sewage, usually solids, settle into that point and eventually cause a clog.
The sewer can be cleaned out via water jetting or mechanical rodding.
The best way to diagnose sewer line clogs, leaks, and other issues is by using a sewer camera. Yes! Plumbing has cameras and locators available for all trucks that are able to diagnose whatever problem is encountered.
If you have reason to believe that your sewer line is experiencing issues, a sewer line inspection is the next step. Talk to your local plumbing professional about scheduling a camera inspection.
Here’s how you know
Single drain clogs like toilets and sinks where you only have one drain clogged require small cleaning equipment and are relatively easy to treat.
On the other hand if all the drain lines are clogged, you most likely have a main drain clog problem.
Stop using water and call us immediately as sewage may start coming up in the lower drains in your home and cause serious contamination and damage.
Some clogs will give you a little warning before you get a complete clog.
Our advice: Pay attention and take action if you are lucky enough to get this warning. Early action can save you a lot of damages and sewage cleanup.
Symptoms include gurgling sounds in toilets and drains, water stains around floor drains in basements and crawlspaces, toilets that fill up with water to a higher level than normal when flushing, or toilets that have almost no water in the bowl a short time after being flushed.
If you see any of these call us immediately to schedule a licensed plumber to come out and diagnose the issue and take care of it for you. We also provide emergency plumbing service!
As always, you will get a live operator 24/7 when you call Yes! Plumbing from Northwest Indiana or Illinois.
Give us a call! (708) 847-7045 Yes! Plumbing. We Can Do That! | <urn:uuid:91f0f151-d130-4fde-ac38-37d8cdfcc42b> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.yesplumbing.net/blog/2020/september/what-causes-a-sewer-drain-to-clog-/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224648850.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20230602172755-20230602202755-00015.warc.gz | en | 0.934415 | 1,619 | 2.703125 | 3 |
What is screening?
Screening means testing for a disease when a person doesn’t have any symptoms.
Screening is different to diagnostic testing. Diagnostic testing is used to confirm the disease when a person already has symptoms.
Screening can be population-based or individual:
- population-based screening is when everyone in a certain group – such as all women over 50 or all newborn babies – is offered screening as part of an organised program
- individual screening is when your health professional recommends a test at one of your routine appointments – such as a blood test to check cholesterol.
Why cancer screening is important
Some types of cancer can be detected before any symptoms appear. Cancer can take a long time to develop, and screening can find cancer while it is still in its early stages. It can also find changes to cells before they become cancer, or identify infections that may cause cancer in the future.
By finding cancer at an early stage, there is a better chance that treatment will work and the person will survive.
Regular screening is important. This is because no screening test is 100% accurate and your body changes over time.
If you are worried that you might have symptoms of the disease, see your doctor, even if you have recently had a screening test.
If you know you have a higher risk of getting a disease, see your doctor – don’t wait until you are eligible for the population-based screening program.
What cancer screening is available
There are 3 population-based cancer screening programs in Australia:
- BreastScreen Australia Program
- National Bowel Cancer Screening Program
- National Cervical Screening Program
How we decide what to screen for
Our screening programs are based on the Population-based Screening Framework. This framework helps us decide whether the benefits of screening will outweigh the risks. It is based on principles developed by the World Health Organization.
Under the framework, we consider who will benefit and whether:
- the condition has a pre-symptomatic stage that can be found by screening
- there is a suitable test to identify the condition
- there is a suitable treatment for people who are diagnosed through screening
- there are facilities available for testing and treatment.
National Cancer Screening Register
We record and report cancer screening results for both the bowel and cervical screening programs in our National Cancer Screening Register. This helps us remind participants when their next screening test is due.
Other cancer screening
Prostate cancer and skin cancer are important health conditions for Australians, but we do not yet have population-based screening programs for these conditions.
The former Standing Committee on Screening provides advice about possible new cancer screening programs in Australia. The committee has written statements to explain these decisions:
Lung cancer screening
The Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) supported an application for a targeted lung cancer screening program for those most at risk, including smokers and former smokers. The Public Summary Document outlining the MSAC appraisal was released on 13 October 2022 and is available on the below website.
Following consideration of the MSAC advice and recommendations, the Government is implementing the National Lung Cancer Screening Program to support the early detection of lung cancer through two -yearly low dose computed tomography scans for asymptomatic high risk individuals, for commencement from July 2025. | <urn:uuid:7e853fc0-bdc6-4fd0-bd28-990fc24d7420> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://www.health.gov.au/topics/cancer/screening-for-cancer?language=ar | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510697.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20230930145921-20230930175921-00034.warc.gz | en | 0.950446 | 677 | 3.546875 | 4 |
It's hard to imagine that uncoordinated, perpetually drowsy newborns understand much about their existence. But researchers are realizing that even brand-new babies exhibit a sense of self-awareness that may be critical for development.
According to NBC News, scientists at the University of London tested 40 newborns between 12 hours and four days old. Experimenters held the babies on their laps in front of a computer screen. The infants were shown a baby's face (either upside down or right side up) being stroked with a paintbrush, while another experimenter actually stroked the baby's face either in sync with the video or offset by five seconds.
The researchers carefully measured the amount of time each infant looked at the screen. That's the standard way to gauge infant reaction, since babies can't give verbal or gesture responses to questions. In this experiment, a longer looking time may indicate a greater sense of body awareness.
Results showed that babies in this experiment looked longest at the screen where the visual cues matched what they felt on their own faces. Infants didn't seem to associate upside down images with their bodies, nor did they respond favorably to the delayed stroking.
Researchers concluded that multiple senses (in this case, sight and touch) are important for building awareness, and babies seem to come with the basic mechanisms already in place. The findings have interesting implications for how body perception is tied to development.
This research doesn't surprise me. Even babies in the womb can indicate some measure of awareness. They can respond to different voices, show preferences for specific sounds, and even react to light and movement patterns. I think the rudiments of awareness begin long before birth.
It makes sense. In terms of evolution, our species' survival has always depended on accurate, rapid processing of sensory input from the world around us. That sort of fine-tuned ability doesn't happen overnight.
And when that sense of self-awareness goes awry, it's tough to exist. My oldest daughter has suffered with symptoms of Sensory Integration Dysfunction, a condition in which the brain can't correctly process sensory information. The result? My daughter walks into walls, trips over her own feet, and struggles to relate to other people. She has only limited awareness of her own body (called proprioception), let alone being able to empathize with kids her age.
I'm glad to see research like this, probing into the beginnings of sensory development and how it progresses. Perhaps fewer children in the future will have to suffer with disorders that might be treated from birth, or even prevented in the womb.
What do you think of this research? Have any of your children struggled with issues of awareness? Share thoughts below!
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
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A bad habit nipped, so to speak, in the bud.
Afflicted with a bad case of shyness on his first day of school, little Billy Goat—prompted by helpful classmate Ducky—tries to join Bunny, Piggy and Lambkin in play. When his whispered requests don’t get their attention, he resorts to sharper measures…and then again when Piggy objects to his pushy behavior. Once everybody’s crying, Ducky rushes over to demonstrate a more sharing way to play, finally getting all to agree that “Teeth are for biting food, not for biting friends.” Williams suspends stubby-limbed nestlings, depicted with broad crayon and brushstrokes, in white space, and though Billy and Bunny sport similarly rabbitlike ears, the playmates are easy enough to tell apart. Along with Ford’s explanations of what’s going down (“Billy was getting frustrated. So he bit Lambkin on her chubby little arm, really hard”), the range of postures and expressions provide clear cues to the incident’s emotional highs and lows.
The morsels of behavioral insight, along with Ducky’s peacemaking, give this as much instructional value for adults as it does for little diaper-wearing beasties. (Picture book. 3-5) | <urn:uuid:5aa6fcc2-e54c-46c7-9169-a3ba695e2c05> | CC-MAIN-2019-26 | https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/bernette-ford/no-more-biting-billy-goat/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-26/segments/1560627998605.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20190618023245-20190618045245-00222.warc.gz | en | 0.947271 | 285 | 2.921875 | 3 |
THE VILLAGE OF QUNU was situated in a narrow, grassy valley crisscrossed by clear streams, and overlooked by green hills. It consisted of no more than a few hundred people who lived in huts, known as rondavels, which were beehive-shaped structures of mud walls, with a wooden pole in the center holding up a peaked, grass roof. The floor was made of crushed ant-heap, the hard dome of excavated earth above an ant colony, and was kept smooth by smearing it regularly with fresh cow dung. The smoke from the hearth escaped through the roof, and the only opening was a low doorway one had to stoop to walk through. The rondavels were generally grouped together in a residential area that was some distance away from the maize fields. There were no roads, only paths through the grass worn away by barefooted boys and women. The women and children of the village wore blankets dyed in ocher; only the few Christians in the village wore Western-style clothing. Cattle, sheep, goats, and horses grazed together in common pastures. The land around Qunu was mostly treeless except for a cluster of poplars on a hill overlooking the village. The land itself was owned by the state. With very few exceptions, Africans at the time did not enjoy private title to land in South Africa but were tenants paying rent annually to the government. In the area, there were two small primary schools, a general store, and a dipping tank to rid the cattle of ticks and diseases.
Maize (what we called mealies and people in the West call corn), sorghum, beans, and pumpkins formed the largest portion of our diet, not because of any inherent preference for these foods, but because the people could not afford anything richer. The wealthier families in our village supplemented their diets with tea, coffee, and sugar, but for most people in Qunu these were exotic luxuries far beyond their means. The water used for farming, cooking, and washing had to be fetched in buckets from streams and springs. This was woman's work, and indeed, Qunu was a village of women and children: most of the men spent the greater part of the year working on remote farms or in the mines along the Reef, the great ridge of gold-bearing rock and shale that forms the southern boundary of Johannesburg. They returned perhaps twice a year, mainly to plow their fields. The hoeing, weeding, and harvesting were left to the women and children. Few if any of the people in the village knew how to read or write, and the concept of education was still a foreign one to many.
My mother presided over three rondavels at Qunu which, as I remember, were always filled with the babies and children of my relations. In fact, I hardly recall any occasion as a child when I was alone. In African culture, the sons and daughters of one's aunts or uncles are considered brothers and sisters, not cousins. We do not make the same distinctions among relations practiced by Europeans. We have no half brothers or half sisters. My mother's sister is my mother; my uncle's son is my brother; my brother's child is my son, my daughter.
Of my mother's three huts, one was used for cooking, one for sleeping, and one for storage. In the hut in which we slept, there was no furniture in the Western sense. We slept on mats and sat on the ground. I did not discover pillows until I went away to school. The stove on which my mother cooked was a three-legged iron pot that rested on a grate over a hole in the ground. Everything we ate we grew and made ourselves. My mother planted and harvested her own mealies. After harvesting the mealies, the women ground the kernels between two stones. A portion of this was made into bread, while the rest was dried and stored in pots. Unlike mealies, which were sometimes in short supply, milk from our cows and goats was always plentiful.
From an early age, I spent most of my free time in the veld playing and fighting with the other boys of the village. A boy who remained at home tied to his mother's apron strings was regarded as a sissy. At night, I shared my food and blanket with these same boys. I was no more than five when I became a herd-boy, looking after sheep and calves in the fields. I discovered the almost mystical attachment that the Xhosa have for cattle, not only as a source of food and wealth, but as a blessing from God and a source of happiness. It was in the fields that I learned how to knock birds out of the sky with a slingshot, to gather wild honey and fruits and edible roots, to drink warm, sweet milk straight from the udder of a cow, to swim in the clear, cold streams, and to catch fish with twine and sharpened bits of wire. I learned to stick-fight--essential knowledge to any rural African boy--and became adept at its various techniques, parrying blows, feinting in one direction and striking in another, breaking away from an opponent with quick footwork. From these days I date my love of the veld, of open spaces, the simple beauties of nature, the clean line of the horizon.
As boys, we were mostly left to our own devices. We played with toys we made ourselves. We molded animals and birds out of clay. We made ox-drawn sleighs out of tree branches. Nature was our playground. The hills above Qunu were dotted with large smooth rocks which we transformed into our own roller coaster. We sat on flat stones and slid down the face of the large rocks. We did this until our backsides were so sore we could hardly sit down. I learned to ride by sitting atop weaned calves--after being thrown to the ground several times, one got the hang of it.
I learned my lesson one day from an unruly donkey. We had been taking turns climbing up and down its back and when my chance came I jumped on and the donkey bolted into a nearby thornbush. It bent its head, trying to unseat me, which it did, but not before the thorns had pricked and scratched my face, embarrassing me in front of my friends. Like the people of the East, Africans have a highly developed sense of dignity, or what the Chinese call "face". I had lost face among my friends. Even though it was a donkey that unseated me, I learned that to humiliate another person is to make him suffer an unnecessarily cruel fate. Even as a boy, I defeated my opponents without dishonoring them.
Usually the boys played among themselves, but we sometimes allowed our sisters to join us. Boys and girls would play games like ndize (hide-and-seek) and icekwa (touch-and-run). But the game I most enjoyed playing with the girls was what we called khetha, or choose-the-one-you-like. This was not so much an organized game, but a spur-of-the-moment sport that took place when we accosted a group of girls our own age and demanded that each select the boy she loved. Our rules dictated that the girl's choice be respected and once she had chosen her favorite, she was free to continue on her journey escorted by the lucky boy she loved. But the girls were nimble-witted--far cleverer than we doltish lads--and would often confer among themselves and choose one boy, usually the plainest fellow, and then tease him all the way home.
The most popular game for boys was thinti, and like most boys' games it was a youthful approximation of war. Two sticks, used as targets, would be driven firmly into the ground in an upright position about one hundred feet apart. The goal of the game was for each team to hurl sticks at the opposing target and knock it down. We each defended our own target and attempted to prevent the other side from retrieving the sticks that had been thrown over. As we grew older, we organized matches against boys from neighboring villages, and those who distinguished themselves in these fraternal battles were greatly admired, as generals who achieve great victories in war are justly celebrated.
After games such as these, I would return to my mother's kraal where she was preparing supper. Whereas my father once told stories of historic battles and heroic Xhosa warriors, my mother would enchant us with Xhosa legends and fables that had come down from numberless generations. These tales stimulated my childish imagination, and usually contained some moral lesson. I recall one story my mother told us about a traveler who was approached by an old woman with terrible cataracts on her eyes. The woman asked the traveler for help, and the man averted his eyes. Then another man came along and was approached by the old woman. She asked him to clean her eyes, and even though he found the task unpleasant, he did as she asked. Then, miraculously, the scales fell from the old woman's eyes and she became young and beautiful. The man married her and became wealthy and prosperous. It is a simple tale, but its message is an enduring one: virtue and generosity will be rewarded in ways that one cannot know.
Like all Xhosa children, I acquired knowledge mainly through observation. We were meant to learn through imitation and emulation, not through questions. When I first visited the homes of whites, I was often dumbfounded by the number and nature of questions that children asked of their parents--and their parents' unfailing willingness to answer them. In my household, questions were considered a nuisance; adults imparted information as they considered necessary.
My life, and that of most Xhosas at the time, was shaped by custom, ritual, and taboo. This was the alpha and omega of our existence, and went unquestioned. Men followed the path laid out for them by their fathers; women led the same lives as their mothers had before them. Without being told, I soon assimilated the elaborate rules that governed the relations between men and women. I discovered that a man may not enter a house where a woman has recently given birth, and that a newly married woman may not enter the kraal of her new home without her husband's permission. I also learned that to neglect one's ancestors would bring ill-fortune and failure in life. If you dishonored your ancestors in some fashion, the only way to atone for that lapse was to consult with a traditional healer or tribal elder, who communicated with the ancestors and conveyed profound apologies. All of these beliefs seemed perfectly natural to me.
I came across few whites as a boy at Qunu. The local magistrate, of course, was white, as was the nearest shopkeeper. Occasionally white travelers or policemen passed through our area. These whites appeared as grand as gods to me, and I was aware that they were to be treated with a mixture of fear and respect. But their role in my life was a distant one, and I thought little if at all about the white man in general or relations between my own people and these curious and remote figures.
The only rivalry between different clans or tribes in our small world at Qunu was that between the Xhosas and the Mfengu, a small number of whom lived in our village. The Mfengu arrived on the eastern Cape after fleeing from Shaka Zulu's armies in a period known as the Mfecane, the great wave of battles and migrations between 1820 and 1840 set in motion by the rise of Shaka and the Zulu state, during which the Zulu warrior sought to conquer and then unite all the tribes under military rule. The Mfengu, who were not originally Xhosa-speakers, were refugees from the Mfecane and were forced to do jobs that no other African would do. They worked on white farms and in white businesses, something that was looked down upon by the more established Xhosa tribes. But the Mfengu were an industrious people, and because of their contact with Europeans, they were often more educated and "Western" than other Africans.
When I was a boy, the Mfengu were the most advanced section of the community and furnished our clergymen, policemen, teachers, clerks, and interpreters. They were also amongst the first to become Christians, to build better houses, and to use scientific methods of agriculture, and they were wealthier than their Xhosa compatriots. They confirmed the missionaries' axiom, that to be Christian was to be civilized, and to be civilized was to be Christian. There still existed some hostility toward the Mfengu, but in retrospect, I would attribute this more to jealousy than tribal animosity. This local form of tribalism that I observed as a boy was relatively harmless. At that stage, I did not witness nor even suspect the violent tribal rivalries that would subsequently be promoted by the white rulers of South Africa.
My father did not subscribe to local prejudice toward the Mfengu and befriended two Mfengu brothers, George and Ben Mbekela. The brothers were an exception in Qunu: they were educated and Christian. George, the older of the two, was a retired teacher and Ben was a police sergeant. Despite the proselytizing of the Mbekela brothers, my father remained aloof from Christianity and instead reserved his own faith for the great spirit of the Xhosas, Qamata, the God of his fathers. My father was an unofficial priest and presided over ritual slaughtering of goats and calves and officiated at local traditional rites concerning planting, harvest, birth, marriage, initiation ceremonies, and funerals. He did not need to be ordained, for the traditional religion of the Xhosas is characterized by a cosmic wholeness, so that there is little distinction between the sacred and the secular, between the natural and the supernatural.
While the faith of the Mbekela brothers did not rub off on my father, it did inspire my mother, who became a Christian. In fact, Fanny was literally her Christian name, for she had been given it in church. It was due to the influence of the Mbekela brothers that I myself was baptized into the Methodist, or Wesleyan Church as it was then known, and sent to school. The brothers would often see me playing or minding sheep and come over to talk to me. One day, George Mbekela paid a visit to my mother. "Your son is a clever young fellow," he said. "He should go to school." My mother remained silent. No one in my family had ever attended school and my mother was unprepared for Mbekela's suggestion. But she did relay it to my father, who despite--or perhaps because of--his own lack of education immediately decided that his youngest son should go to school.
The schoolhouse consisted of a single room, with a Western-style roof, on the other side of the hill from Qunu. I was seven years old, and on the day before I was to begin, my father took me aside and told me that I must be dressed properly for school. Until that time, I, like all the other boys in Qunu, had worn only a blanket, which was wrapped around one shoulder and pinned at the waist. My father took a pair of his trousers and cut them at the knee. He told me to put them on, which I did, and they were roughly the correct length, although the waist was far too large. My father then took a piece of string and cinched the trousers at the waist. I must have been a comical sight, but I have never owned a suit I was prouder to wear than my father's cut-off pants.
On the first day of school, my teacher, Miss Mdingane, gave each of us an English name and said that from thenceforth that was the name we would answer to in school. This was the custom among Africans in those days and was undoubtedly due to the British bias of our education. The education I received was a British education, in which British ideas, British culture, British institutions, were automatically assumed to be superior. There was no such thing as African culture.
Africans of my generation--and even today--generally have both an English and an African name. Whites were either unable or unwilling to pronounce an African name, and considered it uncivilized to have one. That day, Miss Mdingane told me that my new name was Nelson. Why she bestowed this particular name upon me I have no idea. Perhaps it had something to do with the great British sea captain Lord Nelson, but that would be only a guess.
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This document was last modified 15 January 1996.If you have any comments or suggestions, please e-mail them to email@example.com. | <urn:uuid:d625b85d-1439-4f4b-8e9a-aa8eff3ba673> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | http://archives.obs-us.com/obs/english/books/Mandela/achap02.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549426133.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20170726102230-20170726122230-00329.warc.gz | en | 0.988558 | 3,541 | 3.390625 | 3 |
On August 6 and 9, 1945, the US dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively, killing between 129,000 – 226,000 people by the end of the year. Many suffer from debilitating diseases and stigmatization to this day. As of 2018, the average age of hibakusha – or atomic bomb survivors – is 81.41. Soon, we will no longer be able to hear first hand accounts of this human atrocity.
1945 is a documentary project addressing atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Participants are asked to provide a testimony about their experiences and to write a handwritten letter addressing future generations, all of which are translated into English over at 1945project.com. What began as a simple portrait series evolved into a web project with in-depth testimonies, audio files, a historical timeline and resources to honor a rapidly aging hibakusha community. | <urn:uuid:2cabe07c-f137-4356-b83b-920d88e7dbf4> | CC-MAIN-2018-30 | http://www.thestoryinstitute.com/1945 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-30/segments/1531676590362.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20180718232717-20180719012717-00444.warc.gz | en | 0.932168 | 179 | 3.1875 | 3 |
We at McDonald’s recognise our responsibility to protect and preserve the environment for future generations. All of our activities are centred around reducing our impact on the environment. Every day we serve over 150,000 customers in Ireland and our actions can be really positive. Our goals are to minimise water and energy consumption, continuously increase recycling rates and work in our local communities to have a positive effect on the environment.
One of the most important initiatives launched by McDonald’s Ireland in recent years is our Planet Champion programme. We have selected one person from each restaurant who has been trained in ways to reduce the impact of their restaurant on the environment.
Keeping the restaurants’ surroundings tidy has been a key priority for McDonald’s Ireland since we first opened in 1977. McDonald’s restaurants operate as part of their local community and take pride in the appearance of our local environment. Our restaurants are involved in litter patrols, providing litter bins on all sites, while many of our stores also have close links with local community groups and Tidy Towns committees.
Recycling Projects and Reducing Waste
Corrugated cardboard is the largest paper mass that our restaurants collect and recycle. Each year over 700 tonnes of outer cardboard packaging are collected for recycling centrally by our distributor, Martin Brower.
Waste cooking oil is collected from our restaurants by our distributor Martin Brower, where the used oil is put through a careful filtering process. It is then mixed with methanol and methylate, washed and purified to yield biodiesel. The current mix used to fuel our delivery truck fleet is 30% biodiesel and 70% standard diesel.
This project was trialled in our restaurants throughout 2012 and 2013 and was recently launched across the Irish market. All clean plastics from our kitchens are now segregated and sent for recycling. This will potentially divert over 500 tonnes of waste from landfill each year.
At McDonald’s we work continuously to become more energy efficient through staff training, replacing old equipment with more energy efficient versions and also by purchasing 100% renewable energy each year. We also have a range of energy saving measures such as replacing light bulbs with LED bulbs that can help to decrease the overall amount of energy needed by restaurants. | <urn:uuid:08395f2c-6cc4-425b-8298-c864d2eabf88> | CC-MAIN-2019-04 | http://www.mcdonalds.ie/iehome/our_story/environment.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-04/segments/1547583879117.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20190123003356-20190123025356-00195.warc.gz | en | 0.947809 | 450 | 2.75 | 3 |
What is Taekwondo?
Tae Kwon Do (also known as Taekwondo) is the art of self defense that originated in Korea. It is recognised as one of the oldest forms of martial arts in the world, reaching back over 2,000 years. The name was selected for its appropriate description of the art: Tae (foot), Kwon (hand), Do (art).
Who Can Learn Taekwondo?
Family Taekwondo is non-contact. Taekwondo is regarded as one of the most dynamic and effective Arts of self-defense. During training all techniques delivered by all parts of the body are properly executed and well controlled. This means that there is no injury as a result of uncontrolled blows during training but you will also learn how to deliver full-powered blows in defense of yourself or your family.
History of Taekwondo
One of the earliest clues of Tae Kwon Do’s existence is a mural painted on the wall of a tomb that was built in the Korean kingdom of Koguryo, between 37 BC and 66 AD. The drawing shows two unarmed figures facing each other in a Tae Kwon Do style stance. Additional drawings in the tomb show figures performing blocks and wearing uniforms similar to those used in modern day Tae Kwon Do training.
The advancement of Tae Kwon Do and its techniques developed as the country of Korea developed. There are examples and history of Tae Kwon Do training in virtually all the records of the different kingdoms that existed within the country throughout the centuries.
The highest form of the ancient art was achieved in the kingdom of Silla. This tiny kingdom constantly faced attacks and opposition from larger and stronger areas. As a result the ruler of the kingdom, King Jin Heung, established an elite group of warriors called the “Hwarang” or “Flower of Youth”.
The Hwarang consisted of the sons of nobles within the kingdom. They were carefully selected and formally trained in all aspects of military skills including unarmed combat, which at the time was known as Tae Kyon. It is significant that the Hwarang were taught not only the importance of developing their bodies, but their minds and spirits as well. The Hwarang gained skills not only for battle, but for daily life. This relates directly to modern Tae Kwon Do training, which provides self defense skills as well as improved character, self-discipline, and confidence that can be applied to any task. | <urn:uuid:69ae4556-14ce-4212-8d39-7fb3cfad02fe> | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | https://www.familytaekwondo.com.au/about-taekwondo/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780057158.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20210921041059-20210921071059-00340.warc.gz | en | 0.975552 | 519 | 2.984375 | 3 |
It has only two major phases, which are Route Discovery and Route Maintenance.
Route Reply would only be generated if the message has reached the intended destination node (route record which is initially contained in Route Request would be inserted into the Route Reply).
Dynamic Source Routing (DSR) is a routing protocol for wireless mesh networks.
It is similar to AODV in that it forms a route on-demand when a transmitting node requests one.
However, it uses source routing instead of relying on the routing table at each intermediate device.
Determining source routes requires accumulating the address of each device between the source and destination during route discovery.
Otherwise, the node will reverse the route based on the route record in the Route Request message header (this requires that all links are symmetric).
In the event of fatal transmission, the Route Maintenance Phase is initiated whereby the Route Error packets are generated at a node. | <urn:uuid:6e9ea4df-8f90-4b10-8375-e74af55d84a4> | CC-MAIN-2019-39 | http://terrem43.ru/distributed-cache-updating-for-the-dynamic-source-routing-pr-20627.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-39/segments/1568514575076.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20190922032904-20190922054904-00519.warc.gz | en | 0.940681 | 187 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Capture classrooms moments using the photo or video tool. 1. Tap the add button. 2. Take a photo or video of a student in action. 3. Tap the check to add to a child's journal.
Taking a photo or video of a student as they work is a great way to capture student learning and growth over time. It’s also a great way to build community between home and school because families can refer to the photo to continue the conversation at home with their child. Before students complete this activity, teach them how to log in, post to the journal, and respond to activities. We have 4 quick lessons to teach students these essential skills at web.seesaw.me/get-students-started-kit. Give the lessons in person or virtually via video conferencing. Then, assign this activity to teach students how to use Learning Tools. To do this activity … 1. Like ♡ then share this activity by tapping the Share button. 2. Return to your class feed and tap the Activities tab. 3. Find the activity and tap “Add a student response”. | <urn:uuid:bc279446-1052-408f-b7a5-2f8b026024c4> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://app.seesaw.me/activities/2zgp39/activity-1-classroom-moments | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662515501.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20220517031843-20220517061843-00465.warc.gz | en | 0.917374 | 231 | 2.890625 | 3 |
A plant community is an assemblage of plant species growing together in a particular habitat. It is recognizable by its assemblage of plant species that interact with each other as well as with the elements of their environment and is distinct from adjacent assemblages.
Plant communities can vary in size from a small ephemeral wetland to a forest. In short, a plant community is the floral component of an ecosystem.
There are many kinds of plant community in New Zealand from kauri forests to coastal foredunes:
- Bare ground
- Scrub and shrublands
Plant communities are not static entities: rather they may vary in appearance and species composition from location to location and also over time. What makes each of these communities distinguishable is its general physiognomy or physical structure. This overall appearance is created by the particular species present, as well as their size, abundance, and distribution relative to one another.
Dominant species, those whose presence most influences the community environment and composition, are often the largest or the most abundant and may be a single species or several co-dominant species. Dominance may also be sociologic, expressed in the form of allelopathogens, chemical compounds manufactured by some plants that inhibit the growth and development of other species and/or seedlings of the same species within a certain distance. Community structure and distribution are dictated by the balance of environmental factors: soils, climate, topography, geography, fire, time, and humans and other living beings.
For more information about New Zealand plant communities see*:
- Wardle, P. 1991. Vegetation of New Zealand. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
- Newsome, P.F.J. 1987. The Vegetative Cover of New Zealand. National Water and Soil; Conservation Authority, Ministry of Works and Development, Wellington
*The Network is not responsible for the content of external internet sites | <urn:uuid:3eb6104a-5451-4e94-8eaf-01dfa3212b4c> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/ecosystems/plant-communities/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141176049.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20201124082900-20201124112900-00163.warc.gz | en | 0.941768 | 392 | 3.40625 | 3 |
RDF and Metadata
This article has now been updated to incorporate changes in the RDF spec and the growth of the RDF community. You can find a newer version here: What is RDF?.
The Right Way to Find Things
RDF stands for Resource Description Framework. RDF is built for the Web, but let's leave Web-land behind for a few minutes and think about how we find things in the real world.
Scenario 1: The Library
You're in a library to find books on raising donkeys as pets. In most libraries these days you'd use the computer lookup system, basically an electronic version of the old card file. This system allows you to list books by author, title, call-number, and subject. The list includes the date, author, title, and lots of other useful information, including (most important of all) where each book is.
Scenario 2: The Video Store
You're in a video store and you want a movie by John Huston. A large modern video store offers a lookup facility that's similar to the library's. Of course, the things you can search on are different (director, actors, and so on) but the results are more or less the same.
Scenario 3: The Phone Book
You're working late at a customer's office in South Denver, and it seems that a pizza is essential if work is to continue. Fortunately, every office comes equipped with a set of Yellow Pages that, properly used, can lead to quick pizza delivery.
The Common Thread
What do all these situations have in common, and what differences lie behind the scenes? First of all, each of these systems is based on metadata, or information about information. In each case, you need a piece of information (the book's location, the video's name, the pizza joint's phone number). In each case, you use metadata (information about information) to get it.
We're all used to this stuff; the usual setup is that metadata comes in named chunks (subject, director, business category) that associate lookup information ("donkeys", "John Huston", "Pizza, South Side") with the real info that you're after.
Here's a subtle but important point: in theory, metadata is not really necessary. In principle, you could go through the library one book at a time looking for donkey books; or through the video store shelves until you found your movie; or call all the numbers in your area code until you find pizza delivery. But that would be very wasteful -- in fact, downright stupid. Metadata is the way to go.
It's All Different Behind the Scenes
In each of our scenarios, we used metadata, and used it in a remarkably similar way. Does this mean that the library, the video store, and the phone company all use the same metadata setup? Of course not -- to start with, every library has a choice among at least two systems for organizing their books, and among many vendors who will sell them software to do the looking-up. The same is true, obviously, for video stores and phone companies.
In fact, most such products define their own system of metadata and their own facilities for storing and managing it; they typically do not offer any facilities for sharing or interchanging it. This doesn't cause too much of a problem, assuming they do a decent job with the user interface. We are comfortable enough with the general process we call "looking things up" (really, searching via metadata) that we are able to adapt and use all these different systems.
Not Just For Searching
The most common day-to-day use of metadata is to help us find things. But there are lots of other uses going on behind the scenes: the library and video store are both keeping other metadata that you don't see, concerning how often the books and videos are being used, how much it cost to buy them, where to go for a replacement; running a library or a video store would be unthinkable without metadata. Similarly, the phone company, of course, uses its metadata, most obviously to print the Yellow Pages, but for many other internal management and administration tasks.
What About the Web?
The Web is a lot like a really REALLY big library, in that there are millions of things out there, and if you know the URL (in effect an electronic "call number") you can get them. Since the Web has books, movies, and pizza joints, the number of things that you might need to look things up by includes all the things a library uses, plus all the things the video store uses, plus all the things the Yellow Pages use, and lots more.
The problem at the moment is that there is hardly any metadata on the Web. So how do we find things? Mostly, using dumb brute-force techniques. The dumb brute force is supplied by the Web robots of search engine sites like Altavista, Infoseek, and Excite. These sites do the equivalent of going through the library, reading every book, and allowing us to look things up based on the words in the text. It's not surprising that people complain about search results, or that the robots are always way behind the growth and change of the Web.
In fact, there is one metadata-based general purpose lookup facility: Yahoo!, which is the most visited Web site of all. Yahoo doesn't use a robot. When you search through Yahoo, you're searching through human-generated subject categories and site labels. Compared to the amount of metadata that a library maintains for its books, Yahoo! is pitiful; but its popularity is clear evidence of the power of (even limited) metadata.
Divine Metadata for the Web
People who have thought about these problems, and including many of the world's librarians and webmasters, generally agree that the Web urgently needs metadata. What would it look like? If the Web had an all-powerful Grand Organizing Directorate (at www.GOD.org), they would think up a set of lookup fields such as Author, Title, Date, Subject, and so on. The Directorate, being, after all, GOD, would simply decree that all Web pages start using this divine Metadata, and that would be that. Of course there would be some details such as how the Web sites ought to package up and interchange the metadata, and we all know that the Devil is in the details, but GOD can lick the Devil any day.
In fact, there is no www.GOD.org. For this reason, there is no chance that everyone will agree to start using the same metadata facilities. If libraries, which have been existence for thousands of years, can't agree on a single standard, there's not much chance that the Web will.
Does this mean that there is no chance for metadata? That everyone is going to have to build their own lookup keys and values and software, and that we're going to be stuck using dumb brute-force robots forever?
No -- because as we observed with our three search scenarios, metadata operations have an awful lot in common, even when the metadata is different. RDF is an effort to identify these common threads and provide a way for Web architects to use them to provide useful Web metadata without divine intervention.
Resource Description Framework, as its name implies, is a framework for describing and interchanging metadata. It is built on the following rules:
- A Resource is anything that can have a URI; this includes all the world's Web pages, as well as individual elements of an XML document. An example of a resource is a draft of the document you are now reading and its URL is http://www.textuality.com/RDF/Why.html
- A PropertyType is a Resource that has a name and can be used as a
property, for example
Title. In many cases, all we really care about is the name; but a PropertyType needs to be a resource so that it can have its own properties.
- A Property is the combination of a Resource, a PropertyType, and a value. An example would be: "The Author of http://www.textuality.com/RDF/Why.html is Tim Bray." The Value can just be a string, for example "Tim Bray" in the previous example, or it can be another resource, for example "The Home-Page of http://www.textuality.com/RDF/Why.html is http://www.textuality.com."
- There is a straightforward method for expressing these abstract Properties in XML, for example:
<RDF:Description href='http://www.textuality.com/RDF/Why-RDF.html'> <Author>Tim Bray</Author> <Home-Page RDF:href='http://www.textuality.com' /> </RDF:Description>
RDF is carefully designed to have the following characteristics:
- Since a PropertyType is a resource, any independent organization (or even person) can invent them. I can invent one called Author, and you can invent one called Director (which would only apply to resources that are associated with movies), and someone else can invent one called Restaurant-Category. This is necessary since we don't have www.GOD.org to take care of it for us.
- Since RDF Properties can be converted into XML, they are easy for us to interchange. This would probably be necessary even if we did have www.GOD.org.
- RDF properties are simple three-part records (Resource, PropertyType, Value), so they are easy to handle and look things up by, even in large numbers. The Web is already big and getting bigger, and we are probably going to have (literally) billions of these floating around (millions even for a big Intranet), so this is important.
- PropertyTypes are Resources
- This means that they can have their own properties and can be found and manipulated like any other Resource. This is important because there are going to be lots of them; too many to look at one by one. For example, I might want to know if anyone out there has defined a PropertyType that describes the genre of a movie, with values like Comedy, Horror, Romance, and Thriller. I'll need metadata to help with that.
- Values Can Be Resources
- For example, most Web pages will have a property named Home-Page which points at the home page of their site. So the values of properties, which obviously have to include things like title and author's name, also have to include Resources.
- Properties Can Be Resources
- So they can have properties too. Since there's no www.GOD.org to provide useful assertions for all the resources, and since the Web is way too big for us to provide our own, we're going to need to do lookups based on other people's metadata (as we do today with Yahoo!). This means that we'll want, given any Property such as "The Subject of this Page is Donkeys", to be able to ask "Who said so? And When?" One useful way to do this would be with metadata; so Properties will need to have Properties.
Why Not Just Use XML?
XML allows you to invent tags, and for the tags to contain both text data
and other tags.
Also, XML has a built-in distinction between element types, for example
IMG element type in HTML, and elements, for example an
<IMG SRC='Madonna.jpg'>; this corresponds naturally
to the distinction between PropertyTypes and Properties.
So it seems as though XML documents should be a natural vehicle for exchanging
general purpose metadata.
XML, however, falls apart on the Scalability design goal. There are two problems:
- The order in which elements appear in an XML document is significant and often very meaningful. This seems highly unnatural in the metadata world. Who cares whether a movie's Director or Title is listed first, as long as both are available for lookups? Furthermore, maintaining the correct order of millions of data items is expensive and difficult, in practice.
- XML allows constructions like this:
<Description>The value of this property contains some text, mixed up with child properties such as its temperature (<Temp>48</Temp>) and longitude (<Longt>101</Longt>). [&Disclaimer;]</Description>
- When you represent general XML documents in computer memory, you get weird data
structures that mix trees, graphs, and character strings.
In general, these are hard to handle in even moderate amounts, let alone
by the billion.
On the other hand, something like XML is an absolutely necessary part of the solution to RDF's Interchange design goal. XML is unequalled as an exchange format on the Web; but by itself, it doesn't provide what you need in a metadata framework.
The Devil is in the Details
The four general rules given above define the central ideas of RDF. It turns out that it takes quite a lot of abstract terminology and XML syntax to define them precisely enough that people can write computer programs to process them. In particular, turning Properties into Resources is quite tricky. Also, it turns out that in a (very) few cases, you do need to order your properties, and this requires quite a bit of syntax.
This article is not going to try to explain all these details; there are a variety of excellent resources to be found at http://www.w3.org/RDF that are designed to do just that.
RDF, as we've seen, provides a model for metadata, and a syntax so that independent parties can exchange it and use it. What it doesn't provide though, is any PropertyTypes of its own. That is to say, RDF doesn't define Author or Title or Director or Business-Category. That would be a job for www.GOD.org, if there were one. Since there isn't, it's a job for everyone.
It seems unlikely that one PropertyType standing by itself is apt to be very useful. It is expected that these will come in packages; for example, a set of basic bibliographic PropertyTypes like Author, Title, Date, and so on. Then a more elaborate set from OCLC, and a competing one from the Library of Congress. These packages are called Vocabularies; it's easy to imagine PropertyType vocabularies describing books, videos, pizza joints, fine wines, mutual funds, and many other species of Web wildlife.
What RDF Might Mean
The Web is too big for anyone person to stay on top of. In fact, it contains information about a huge number of subjects, and for most of those subjects (such as fine wines, home improvement, and cancer therapy), the Web has too much information for any one person to stay on top of and also have a real job.
This means that opinions, pointers, indexes, and anything that helps people "look things up" are going to be commodities of very high value. That is to say, vocabularies. Nobody thinks that everyone will use the same vocabulary (nor should they), but with RDF we can have a marketplace in vocabularies. Anyone can invent them, advertise them, and sell them. The good (or best-marketed) ones will survive and prosper. Probably, most niches of information will come to be dominated by a small number of vocabularies, the way that library catalogues are today.
And even among people who are sharing the use of metadata vocabularies, there's no need to share the same software. RDF makes it possible to use multiple different pieces of software to process the same metadata, and to use a single piece of software to process (at least in part) many different metadata vocabularies.
With any luck, this should make the Web more like a library, or a video store, or a phone book, than it is today.W3C+Standards template=.stdlist.def::> | <urn:uuid:4384710a-0014-4dd3-abef-da4485f1a6cc> | CC-MAIN-2015-06 | http://www.xml.com/pub/a/98/06/rdf.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-06/segments/1422122691893.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20150124180451-00163-ip-10-180-212-252.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948393 | 3,342 | 3.09375 | 3 |
Or ringworm Ringworm
Dermatomycoses represent the infectious nature of the disease caused by pathogenic fungi.
In these diseases affect the skin, and its derivatives: Mine and hairline. One of the most common breed of cat dermatomikozov at if are:
1. Microscopy – the most popular;
2. trihoftiya – meets a little less frequently;
3. scab or favuse – the most rare of this trinity.
From dermatomikozov suffer not only many of the animals, the disease poses a danger to humans.
ringworm virus enters the body through the skin. Particularly fertile ground for the entry of the infection in the animal body are all sorts of scrapes, abrasions, cracks or cuts. The infection process is as follows: fungus spores enter the skin and begin the process of reproduction, thus penetrating into the hair follicles, where it is especially beneficial for soil amphimixis. As a result of this fungus begins to produce toxins and enzymes, which are the cause of inflammation of the skin, skin walls become thicker, whereby the mouth of the follicle becomes broad and then begins to accumulate therein pus. Follicles are located on the surface of the hair in these areas to become brittle, and on the surface of the skin and there are many crusts scales.
The causes of ringworm in cats
The most dangerous are the source of sick animals, especially when it comes to stray cats that endanger people, especially children and pets. You can become infected by direct contact with an infected animal or by touching the subject to which he also touched.
As for the symptoms, the incubation period can last for about a month, while the disease takes from three to nine weeks, and even more.
In the event that the animal suffers microscopy, that stains her appear limited, peeling – with crusts. Especially in this kind of dermatomycosis suffer body parts in the muzzle, legs and torso. Places affected by viruses typically have thin and broken hair. Distinguish focal and disseminated, t. E. Scattered.
Also distinguish atypical course of the disease, in which there is absolutely bald patches on the body of an animal or a small number of foci with wool.
However, these symptoms usually have little kittens. With regard to adult cats, they are typically exposed to a latent form of the disease. In other words, the external signs that an adult cat is infected, are not observed, and if there are affected areas, they are in the head and torso, and not as pronounced as in children.
Diagnosis Ringworm is accomplished by bright marked clinical signs, taking into account the results of microscopy. Affected skin irradiated with ultraviolet rays (usually used lamp type TSR-200 and TSR-400 with Wood’s filter): If there is a virus fungus Mi-crosporum, then the affected areas turns green emerald hue. However, such a feature is not observed in trihoftii. Well scab cats determined by means of laboratory tests, although this occurs in animals ringworm is quite rare.
Treatment of ringworm in cats
The most popular method of treatment, until recently, was the application of ointments and medicines that have the most minimal cauterizing and irritating. These drugs include: ointment Vaganova, SC-9 (chlorinated camphene), the drug “Rojek,” ointment “Yam”, ointment or liniment juglone and others. These drugs are used to treat the disease with a small area of infection. But if the area is large, to combat ringworm used Gries ofulvin and ketoconazole.
Modern same treatments involve the use of drugs that do not just remove the irritation and cure the animal, but will be an excellent prevention of disease. < br /> In addition to this, there is still prevention, sanitation, animals should be kept in suitable conditions, to limit their contact with stray cats and dogs. Furthermore, it should constantly monitor the Skin your cat (or cat), check it, ensure that pupils have not had any scratches and abrasions. In that case, if the animal is still infected, it should be treated in a veterinary clinic. Also there is a special vaccine against ringworm. | <urn:uuid:331b7030-5fa6-4d4e-a480-4d7114fa7a24> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://allcatsnames.com/or-ringworm-ringworm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560284411.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095124-00038-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946999 | 901 | 2.859375 | 3 |
1. a mark (¸) placed under a consonant letter, as under c in French, in Portuguese, and formerly in Spanish, to indicate that it is pronounced (s), under c and s in Turkish to indicate that they are pronounced, respectively, (ch) and (sh), or under t and s in Romanian to indicate that they are pronounced, respectively, (ts) and (sh).
2. this mark used as a diacritic of arbitrary value in transliteration of words from non-Roman into Roman alphabetic characters.
"How is it that hardly any major religion has looked at science and concluded, 'This is better than we thought! The Universe is much bigger than our prophets said, grander, more subtle, more elegant. God must be even greater than we dreamed'? Instead they say, 'No, no, no! My god is a little god, and I want him to stay that way.'" - Carl Sagan
"To doubt everything or to believe everything are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the necessity of reflection." - Henri Poincaré | <urn:uuid:8aa7e72e-716c-4b0d-a982-545af0ea10d1> | CC-MAIN-2014-49 | http://venganza.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=13763&start=4470 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-49/segments/1416931007324.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20141125155647-00116-ip-10-235-23-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959027 | 227 | 3.09375 | 3 |
In primary care, it will always be important to address the socio-demographic causes of disease and comorbidity.
- Dr Oliver van Hecke, DPhil Student and Oxfordshire-based GP
Genes play a key role in determining whether someone experiences multiple chronic diseases, according to new research from the Universities of Dundee and Oxford with Kings College, London.
Chronic pain, depression and heart disease are three of the commonest causes of disability, and are becoming more prevalent. People are also increasingly likely to suffer from more than one chronic disease, resulting in greater disability.
While age, gender, social circumstances and lifestyle are known to increase susceptibility to multiple causes of disability, the exact reason why some people suffer from several chronic diseases and others don’t is unknown. A new study, however, has found that genetics are also a key determinant.
Researchers examined two major existing population cohorts (Generation Scotland and TwinsUK), for the co-occurrence of chronic pain, depression and heart disease in both individuals and in their siblings. People who had one of these illnesses were found to be much more likely to have one or both of the others. Additionally, the brothers or sisters of people with one of these illnesses were much more likely to have one of the others, even after allowing for known social and demographic factors.
“These results have the potential to lead to a new model of chronic disease,” said Blair Smith, Professor of Population Science at Dundee’s School of Medicine. “They demonstrate, for the first time, that genes are important in determining the risk both of chronic disease itself, and of co-occurrence of disabilities.
“Our results strongly suggest that these chronic diseases, and potentially others, have shared common biological causes, in addition to known social and demographic factors. Further research is required to identify these causes, including the genes involved, in order that we can cut them off at an early stage.”
The findings may have implications for the early recognition of conditions in primary care.
“In primary care, it will always be important to address the socio-demographic causes of disability and comorbidity,” said the study’s lead author Dr Oliver van Hecke, DPhil student in Oxford University’s Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences and part-time Oxfordshire GP. “It is possible that a better understanding of the shared genetics of comorbidities may in the future allow for early recognition of conditions, preventative therapy, and the potential to target the underlying causes (such as stress or health inequalities) rather than the visible symptoms of the condition itself.”
The researchers found that people with depression were two and half times more likely to experience chronic pain, while people with both depression and heart disease were nine times more likely to do so. Siblings of people with heart disease were twice as likely to have chronic pain, while siblings of those with depression were twice as likely to suffer from heart disease.
Detailed modelling of data confirmed a genetic contribution to the co-occurrence of chronic widespread pain and heart disease in twins, in addition to important environmental contributions.
The results of the study are published today in the journal PLOS ONE and can be found at http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0170653. | <urn:uuid:3c8f6383-e6c4-4097-a805-617e6f5295f3> | CC-MAIN-2018-09 | https://www.phc.ox.ac.uk/news/research-suggests-a-new-model-of-chronic-disease | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-09/segments/1518891814393.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20180223035527-20180223055527-00316.warc.gz | en | 0.966084 | 706 | 2.53125 | 3 |
"…something must be done. We've got to turn this into some kind of victory, some kind of constructive action."
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2015 there were 121 recorded work fatalities in the U.S. resulting from fire or explosion. As disturbing as that statistic is, even more people, 146 to be exact, died in a single day at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City in March, 1911. The fire was the deadliest workplace tragedy in NYC's history until the terrorist attacks on September 11th that occurred 90 years later. At the Triangle factory, workers were trapped as the building’s one fire escape collapsed, exit doors were locked and many other hazards prevented their escape.
A witness to the event, Frances Perkins, was quoted as saying "…something must be done. We've got to turn this into some kind of victory, some kind of constructive action," and went on to devote her career to making workplaces “as safe as science and law can make them.” At Day & Zimmermann, two of our core company values are safety and diversity, and that’s why I find Perkins’ remarkable story one to share as we recognize Women’s History Month. Following the Triangle fire, Perkins and other leaders led a committee to investigate and recommend practices to prevent similar tragedies. Her leadership galvanized the commission to create the most comprehensive set of state laws governing workplace safety, and these laws became a model for other states and the federal government. Perkins went on to become Secretary of Labor under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the first woman to serve as a member of the Cabinet. In that role, she created the Bureau of Labor Standards, the first permanent federal agency established primarily to promote safety for working men and women. The Department’s activities later moved into the then newly created Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Through her passion and relentless drive, Perkins undoubtedly saved countless lives. Her commitment to improving workplace safety mirrors D&Z’s commitment to safety as a core value. Frances Perkins also forged a path for women and challenged the social norms of the time by attending college, pursuing a career in government and positioning herself as an advocate for workplace safety.
Perkins’ story is one of many that demonstrates that women’s voices have a powerful impact on shaping society and in making a difference in the daily lives of others, even when faced with unlikely odds. Her passion for safety and her commitment to do what was right made a difference for many workers over the years. Her story is emblematic of how diversity and safety can truly make a difference, and I’m proud to be a part of a company that values these and strives to make a difference in these areas as well. | <urn:uuid:c3efed0d-b3fa-4733-a89f-6130b6f2baea> | CC-MAIN-2021-49 | https://www.dayzim.com/blog/womens-history-month-making-a-lasting-impact-on-diversity-and-safety | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-49/segments/1637964362287.26/warc/CC-MAIN-20211202175510-20211202205510-00014.warc.gz | en | 0.975078 | 574 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Lebanon’s Khalil Gibran wrote: “In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans.” What is found today in one drop of water in Lebanon may be toxic: a threat to the health of citizens, marine life and the Mediterranean.
On April 22, Earth Day, a group of activists in Lebanon blocked access to the Costa Brava landfill for garbage trucks, in a protest against environmental pollution. It granted but brief relief to the grim sight of unprocessed trash being pushed into the Mediterranean. The symbolic rally was designed to raise awareness of the dangers of the unsanitary landfills around Beirut, the capital.
Lebanon’s fraught relationship with waste disposal is well known. In 2015, the YouStink protest movement coalesced around the collective outrage over trash being left in the streets of Beirut to rot after the main landfill was closed, as well as political corruption and incompetence. It grew to such a size that it threatened the political stability of the country. But while the trash was in the end removed from the streets to placate citizens, the cure may have been worse than the illness.
The two landfills, Costa Brava and Bourj Hammoud, are both located on the sea’s edge, and despite concrete barriers, leachates – noxious liquids that drain from a landfill – are flowing into the Mediterranean. Perhaps more worrying is that the contractors operating the civil war-era Bourj Hammoud landfill – known as Garbage Mountain by locals – are dumping untreated waste directly into the sea as part of the land reclamation process. News of this was greeted with a shrug of the shoulders by Lebanon’s Minister of the Environment, Tarek Khatib.
It remains unknown how these measures will affect the natural environment of Lebanon and that of its Mediterranean neighbours. Fishermen have complained of nets filled with trash rather than fish, while fish have washed up dead. Other sea life is also suffering: when a photographer for zenith visited the area around the Bourj Hammoud landfill, a dead sea turtle floated in the shallow waters. Beaches have sections of sand completely covered in plastic trash, as well as submerged garbage floating in the warm water. But landfills aren’t the only worry: untreated sewage from the city’s poorly functioning reticulation system also flows into the sea, such as on Ramlet el Baida, the last public beach in Beirut.
Polluting a lake
There is an element of incredulity among some Lebanese that such events are taking place. “We are polluting all the Mediterranean – it’s a lake,” says Wadih al-Asmar, a social activist and organiser of YouStink. “We are the only country in the world that builds a dump site, Costa Brava, near an airport! We have created a ‘restaurant’ for the migratory birds to come and feed, causing a real threat to the engines and safety of the aircraft nearby.”
Feeding birds aren’t the only threat to passing airplanes. Organic waste is sent directly to landfills, instead of being sorted and composted. In landfills it undergoes anaerobic decomposition, producing methane, a combustible gas. Planes flying over the Costa Brava landfill are at risk of exploding if there is an electrical short on their surface, says Hussein Hassan, Professor of Food Safety at the Department of Natural Sciences at the Lebanese American University (LAU). Efforts to close down the dump have been blocked by the courts. Experts warn of dire effects on people and the environment. “If the situation is not addressed properly, Lebanon will face long-term and short-term consequences for the health of its citizens,” says Hassan.
But quite what those consequences may be, no one is yet in a position to say, with no comprehensive report on the level of water pollution presently completed, especially with respect to the two active dumps on the shoreline, says Hassan. Outbreaks of gastroenteritis and typhoid have been reported, but the more serious threats are the long-term effects caused by contamination of water with heavy metals such as lead, arsenic and cadmium, as well as other carcinogens, which may cause cancer and other serious human health issues.
An Italian sailboat, the Mediterranea, has been collecting samples of plankton along the Mediterranean coastline for two years, to measure the health of the sea. In April this year, it took samples en route from Cyprus to Lebanon (but outside official Lebanese waters) to be examined by experts at European universities. Samples from the coastlines off the Greek islands of Zakynthos and Elafonissos had already been tested, revealing the presence of micro plastics and the need for environmental attention.
Serious pollution in the water is never contained: the Mediterranean Sea is interconnected, and what happens in one country eventually affects neighbouring coastlines, says Dr Priscilla Licandro, the lead researcher for the project, initially carried out with the Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS) in the UK. The collection of plankton samples by the Mediterranea is one way to monitor the state of health and biodiversity of its coastlines. Measuring biodiversity is vital to establish the condition of the sea, and it influences maritime policies at EU level. The samples collected near the Lebanese coastline still need to be examined, and the American University of Beirut (AUB) is also conducting studies to monitor and assess the levels of water pollution in the country, says al-Asmar.
Meanwhile, the dumps in Beirut are by no means the only water problem facing Lebanon. The country is building a $300m dam north of the capital on ground that experts have warned is too porous to retain much water; and the Litani River and dam area is highly polluted. In Beirut, the implementation of the sewage waste plan would also help lower water pollution levels. Unfortunately, the plan is not yet operational due to a lack of funds and of taxation on sewage waste treatment plants, says Bassam Kantar, a journalist and civil activist.
There are some areas of improvement: at the height of the garbage crisis in the summer of 2015, there were roughly 400 hazardous wastes sites operating across Lebanon. Today, according to al-Asmar, the figure is closer to 200. There are also some positive examples of measures implemented to treat waste in some municipalities, but too few of them, he says.
One positive outcome from Lebanon’s perpetual waste crisis has been the strengthening of civil society. Civic movements have emerged, determined to take an active role in monitoring the situation and safeguarding citizens’ most basic civic and health interests. Kantar says the 2015 crisis “helped shape a strong civil society movement in the country”, though he sees some limitations. “On the one hand, Lebanese civil society is proposing sustainable environmental solutions to manage solid waste, such as sorting or recycling.” At the same time, however, civil society is also having a negative impact by applying a ‘not in my backyard’ attitude.
Civil society has been monitoring and pressing the government for transparency in its waste treatment solutions, including research and impact studies. One of the missing scientific tools needed to build a holistic plan for the entire country is a comprehensive assessment of water pollution throughout Lebanon. On a more local level, entire neighbourhoods have launched initiatives or organised and volunteered to clear trash from beaches and the countryside. In response to more and more trash floating ashore, NGOs have begun to raise awareness of the problem by organising clean-ups that engage local communities.
‘Everything is polluted’
While various groups may have different ideas about precisely how to tackle the problem, they all share a common objective and concern: the need to find solutions to the waste crisis. “We are still a civil war country, and 50 to 60 per cent of our garbage is organic waste,” says YouStink’s al-Asmar. He is in favour of a decentralised system where municipalities take the lead and are made responsible for the garbage. The government should have oversight, and should put in place guidelines for municipalities and ensure they are respected. Transparency and responsibility are a requirement. Meanwhile, proper sorting has to be implemented if incinerators are to be used effectively, says al-Asmar. He believes the EU has to put pressure on the government to ensure that sorting is done. “[The government] just wants to incinerate everything without sorting first,” he exclaims.
LAU’s Hassan sees a similar picture. “To deal with waste effectively, there needs to be reduction at the source, recycling (including composting), incineration and landfills. The problem in Lebanon is that the waste is sent to the incinerators without being treated first.” If it were, the amount of waste reaching the landfills would be significantly reduced, he believes. It is also vital to eliminate landfills that go directly into the sea and waterways, says Hassan. Polluted internal waterways used by farmers to irrigate crops create further health issues.
There have been some positive measures implemented by municipal authorities, for example establishing sorting at the source and composting in the Beit Mery municipality east of Beirut and in Bikfaya in the Mount Lebanon district. But there are too few sorting plants, says al-Asmar. He believes that just 10 to 20 municipalities across Lebanon (the country has over a thousand) have implemented positive measures. Overall, the problem remains vastly unaddressed. In particular, what is still lacking is a clear governmental strategy to resolve the issue for the entire country, he believes.
Nothing better illustrates the failure of governance than the Costa Brava and Bourj Hammoud landfills, and the flow of waste into the sea. These two sites continue to galvanise activists. A pending court case could see Costa Brava closed, but – as seen in 2015 – without a real solution from the government and authorities, the problems remain. At stake is the fate of an entire country’s waste management policy, the future of its environment and the health of its people. Al-Asmar says the government could and should be doing a lot more to preserve the environment. “Everything is polluted in this country. There is a prevalent ‘end of era’ attitude that prevails in our governing class.”
A Brief History of Waste in Lebanon
The issue of waste management in Lebanon is not new. Before the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), the municipalities were in charge of the garbage collection. It was their responsibility to treat and collect waste. Yet even then it was not well coordinated, and was far from satisfactory. The civil war was the defining event for modern Lebanon, but also for its waste collection industry. During the chaos of war, many countries – including Italy, Germany and Belgium – exported toxic waste to Lebanon, sometimes selling it to unscrupulous businessmen who simply dumped the waste without treatment in informal dumpsites, including Bourj Hammoud.
This practice was banned once Lebanon became signatory to the Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-Boundary Movements of Wastes and their Disposal (1989), an international treaty designed to reduce the movement of toxic waste from developed countries to less developed nations. But still today, there is no knowledge of what waste actually lies buried in the dump site. Walid Al Asmar believes that even toxic nuclear waste may still be stored in Bourj Hammoud. After the war, part of the waste treatment process underwent privatisation, but plans to recycle the waste were implemented to only a very modest extent. | <urn:uuid:e47ca11f-c18d-4f7f-94c1-7d1b905edd4d> | CC-MAIN-2018-13 | https://magazine.zenith.me/en/politics/lebanon%E2%80%99s-latest-waste-crisis | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-13/segments/1521257651780.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20180325025050-20180325045050-00392.warc.gz | en | 0.954855 | 2,414 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Light Up the Darkness | Living with the Rebbe | A Slice of Life | What's New
The Rebbe Writes | Customs | A Word from the Director | Thoughts that Count
It Once Happened | Moshiach Matters
In the "olden days," there were no electric street lights. There were kerosene lanterns on every corner whose light shined forth and made going through the streets less threatening. Lamplighters trudged from lamp to lamp with a torch, kindling its flame.
Even in the cold and the dark, these lone figures would make their way through the night, leaving a path of light behind them.
We are all lamplighters, charged with the mission of illuminating the world with the light of the Torah and its mitzvos. While this theme is always relevant, at certain times its importance resonates more forcefully than others.
Chanuka is one of those times. As we put our menoras near the doors or windows of our homes with the intent that they shine light into the darkness, we convey a message to the world: "Darkness is temporary. With a little bit of light it can be banished."
The Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe would tell his chasidim, "We must listen carefully to what the Chanuka candles are saying." For the light of the Chanuka candles points us toward many important goals.
Firstly, the Chanuka lights should be kindled after sunset and must burn into the night.
The Chanuka candles teach us not to accept darkness as reality, but instead to kindle light. Moreover, we place the candles at our doorways or in our windows, indicating that we should not remain content with lighting up our own homes. Instead, we must reach out and spread light as far as we possibly can, lighting up the public domain.
Going further: On each night of Chanuka, we add to the number of candles lit on the previous night. Implied is that we can't sit still and rest on our laurels. Instead, we must increase our endeavors every day to spread light throughout the world. Though we illuminated our environment on the previous night, we cannot remain content, but instead must strive to make a further and greater contribution.
Chanuka is celebrated for eight days, a number that our Sages associate with the era of the Redemption. What is unique about eight? The natural order is structured in sets of seven: there are seven days in a week; seven years in the agricultural cycle observed in the Land of Israel. Eight represents a step above that cycle. In the motif of "eight," the transcendent oneness of G-d that surpasses nature's set of seven becomes revealed.
Though connected with oneness, eight is not one. The idea is not that infinity will be revealed in a manner that obscures entirely the material framework in which we presently live. Instead, 8 is 7+1, i.e., His oneness will permeate seven, the set of nature. We will appreciate how the truth of our own existence is G-dliness. The transcendent will be enclothed within the framework of our worldly sphere.
This message is illuminated by the light of the Chanuka candles. They recall the miraculous burning of the menora in the Temple and imbue us with the awareness that the Menora will soon be kindled again, spreading G-dly light openly throughout the world.
From Keeping In Touch by Rabbi Eliyahu Touger, published by Sichos In English
This week's Torah portion, Miketz, contains an interesting exchange between Pharaoh, King of Egypt, and our Patriarch Jacob. When Joseph brought his elderly father to Pharaoh to introduce him, Pharaoh asked, "How old are you?" Jacob responded: "The years of my travails are 130. The days of the years of my life have been few and hard, and they have not reached those of my ancestors in their journeys."
What an odd answer to Pharaoh's question! Why did Jacob find it necessary to offer all this information, when Pharaoh had only asked him his age? Furthermore, how could he have described his years as being "few"? His lifetime was already longer than the 120 years allotted to mankind after the great Flood of Noah's generation. In fact, Pharaoh had only posed the question because of Jacob's ancient appearance.
In the literal sense, it could certainly be said that Jacob had not reached the years of his ancestors, for Abraham lived till the age of 175, and Isaac until 180. Relatively speaking, Jacob was still young. Yet according to the commentator Rashi, Jacob was speaking qualitatively about his life; in contrast to his forefathers, his years were short and his lifetime was difficult.
From this perspective, since Jacob's years were "hard," fraught as they were with difficulty, they were also "few," for they were not filled with the inner spiritual service he desired. Because his life was hard, Jacob did not reach the inner spiritual fulfillment with which Abraham and Isaac had endowed their years.
Of course, this lack of fulfillment is relative to the unique level which Jacob saw as his potential. Our Sages relate that Jacob's true desire was to live to his fullest capacity, in the perfect goodness and prosperity of the Era of the Redemption. Since this potential was not realized during his lifetime, Jacob considered his life as lacking.
Jacob felt it necessary to communicate this message, both to Pharaoh, and to his descendants. He wanted his children to know that even while they dwelt in "the finest place in the land of Egypt," and were being given "the fat of the land," they should be ever aware that their lives were not complete.
This is particularly relevant to us, the last generation of the exile and the first generation of the Redemption. We must feel that until the Redemption becomes manifest, our lives are lacking. This perception will lead to an increased desire and yearning for the Redemption, and also an increase in our performance of those activities which will bring Moshiach and usher in the Messianic Era.
Adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe
How hard could it be to find Hanukkah candles in the land of plenty?
by Julie Subrin
Granted, this was last Friday afternoon - that is to say, a few hours before the first night of Hanukkah. But I wasn't worried. I live in New York City, home to nearly a million Jews, and I work in a downtown Manhattan neighborhood that's filled with stores that cater to your every domestic need and desire. All I wanted was a box of Hanukkah candles - or so I thought.
First stop: Dean & DeLuca, a gourmet grocery shop with a kitchenwares section at the back. Feeling confident, I squeezed past the line of exhausted shoppers at the café, patiently waiting to pay too much for double espressos, chocolate-chip brownies, granola - whatever it took to fuel one more hour of frenzied gift-buying. I figured this place was likely to have something overpriced but serviceable. I was right about the first part. Their "Hanukkah candles" cost just under $20. Made of beeswax, they came in a pale earth tone - very tasteful, but to my mind they belonged on a bedside table in a country house, not in a menorah. I passed.
Next stop, Crate & Barrel, where the section dedicated to "the holidays"-barrels (of course) overflowing with Christmas tree ornaments, stacks of plates decorated with plump snowmen, wreathes made of sage with artificial beads of dew-threatened to overtake the entire store. Surely, in the midst of this holiday excess, there'd be a nod to Hanukkah. I approached a bustling, apron-clad employee.
"Do you have Hanukkah candles?"
Almost before the words were out of my mouth, they felt wrong, out of place, and I was too, amidst all the red, green, silver and gold.
"Yeah, over here," the salesperson responded eagerly, "but I think we're out of the holders."
Holders? He led me away from the hordes to an easily missed area just to the left of the store entrance. There on a display shelf were boxes of candles, and you could choose - white or blue.
That's when I first realized I had a problem. I wanted real Hanukkah candles, the ones with the spiraling ridges, in the sky-blue box imprinted with Hebrew lettering and the stylized image of a gold menorah, the candles in all sorts of colors, one sometimes bleeding into another. When my sisters and I were little, we used to argue over who got to pick the colors each night. Perhaps, at this late date, I'd settle for unridged candles in a generic box. But white or blue only? No way.
Next stop, Pier 1 Imports. I know what you're thinking: "Honey, you're barking up the wrong tree. Go back to Brooklyn." But I was starting to feel belligerent. I mean, this town is full of Jews. We spend as much cash as the next person in the big home accessory chains. Did none of the drones in corporate headquarters think to requisition us some festive-looking candles when they put in their orders for nine thousand different variations on the Christmas tree ornament? No, Hanukkah candles are not ornaments. But that doesn't mean they're meant to be blank, void of all association, de-racinated.
"Hi, do you guys sell Hanukkah candles?" I asked the Pier 1 employee, a reed-thin guy, no apron but wearing a headset.
"Yeah, hang on." He walked away, and came back a moment later with a cellophane pouch of candles in hand. White. Every single one of them.
"Just white?" I asked, in a slightly hostile tone. "No thanks." I turned abruptly and left, as if to say, "You ought to be ashamed of yourself." Of course I was the one who should have been ashamed, shopping for Hanukkah candles at Pier 1 Imports a few hours before the holiday's start.
Next, I made a quick inquiry at a Duane Reade pharmacy at the corner. I was almost relieved when the indifferent cashier gave me a flat-out "no." No token gestures of diversity here.
Last stop, just because it was there: Sur la Table, an upscale kitchen supply store. I'd already determined that this project was a failure. At this point, it seemed, the search had become a form of self-punishment.
I made my way to the back without even a cursory investigation of the large area set aside for "holiday" items. There, I found a tall, beefy sales clerk, maybe in his mid 30s, wearing, of course, the requisite apron over his white shirt and khakis.
"Hi," I said half-heartedly. "Do you guys happen to sell Hanukkah candles?"
He looked at me strangely. My question, it seemed, had affected him somehow. Is he Jewish? I thought. A philo-Semite? An anti-Semite?
"Yes, you've come to the right place," he told me, his composure recovered, and led me to a menorah bearing nine white (of course) candles. I prepared myself to break it to him gently - I don't want white - but then I saw that he was looking at the shelf below, where the boxes of candles should have been. It was completely bare. "Hmmm..." he said. He seemed to be weighing something. "Hang on a sec." Hurrying off, he gestured for me to wait. I was suddenly very tired. I should just go, I thought. Instead, I aimlessly picked up and put down some brightly colored spatulas.
When he reappeared a minute later, he was holding a navy backpack. "You know, I'm embarrassed to say this, but I'm a really bad Jew." Uh oh. Where's he going with this? "I didn't have any Hanukkah candles either. But the other day, I saw those Lubavitcher guys walking down the street, you know how they do that, they go around giving out Hanukkah candles and tell you to light the candles and all that?"
"Usually I cross the street, but this time I chased after them and they gave me candles - two boxes, actually. You can have one if you want."
"Really?" Maybe it was low blood sugar - I should have joined the masses in line at Dean & DeLuca - but I almost started to cry.
He unzipped the backpack and rummaged around.
"Here you go," he said, handing me a glossy black cardboard box with a somber picture of burning (white!) candles on the front, and a red plastic dreidel. "They gave me that, too."
"Thank you so much," I said, turning over the little dreidel. "This is - I can't even tell you...." "No problem," he said. "Enjoy."
Out on the street, I took a deep breath, and then opened the box. There they were, rows of candles - red, yellow, blue, orange, white. They weren't the ones we had growing up, the pale ones in the blue box. But they weren't so dissimilar, either, and there was no denying it-they were Hanukkah candles.
- (Back to text) This year the first night of Chanuka is Tuesday evening.
The corps of emissaries of the Lubavitcher Rebbe continues to grow. Four young couples recently accepted posts throughout the world, some establishing new centers, others bolstering the work of the Rebbe's emissaries currently in place. Rabbi Leibel and Nechamie Fajnland recently opened a new Chabad House in Herndon, Virginia, serving the Jewish community in Reston and Herndon. Rabbi Zalman and Chanie Friedman are now serving as Youth and Teen Directors of Chabad Jewish Center of Mission Viejo, California. Rabbi Shai and Chani Vaknin are the new youth directors for Chabad of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Rabbi Osher and Mussy Litzman will be arriving soon in Seoul, South Korea, to open the first Chabad House in that country.
Chanukah, 5733
I duly received your letter...and may G-d grant that all the matters about which you write should get ever brighter, in keeping with the spirit of Chanukah Lights increasing in number and brightness from day to day.
As has been often said before, all matters of Torah are an inexhaustible source of lessons and inspiration for our daily life, especially when they take the form of practical Mitzvoth [commandments], since the Torah and Mitzvoth are infinite, being derived from the Infinite [Ein Sof]. I mention this here apropos of the Mitzvah of the Ner Chanukah [Chanukah Lights], specifically in relation to one particular aspect which, at first, appears quite puzzling.
I am referring to the fact that although Chanukah recalls many miracles and wonders, the main event for which Chanukah was instituted was the miracle of the cruse of oil, the one and only that was found in the Beth Hamikdosh [Holy Temple], that was intact and undefiled by the enemy, which was then kindled and which lasted for eight days, until new, pure and holy oil could be prepared.
What is puzzling about it is that the oil was not required for human consumption, nor for the consumption of the Mizbe'ach (Altar), but for fuel in the Menorah to be burnt in the process of giving light. It would seem, at first glance, of no consequence, insofar as the light is concerned, whether or not the oil had been touched and defiled, for, surely, the quality and intensity of the light could hardly be affected by the touch?
Yet, when the Talmud defined the essence of the Chanuka festival, the Sages declared that the crucial aspect was the miracle with oil. Not that they belittled or ignored the great miracles on the battlefields, when G-d delivered the "mighty" and "many" into the hands of the "weak" and "few," for these miracles are also emphasized in the prayer of "V'al Hanissim." Nevertheless, it was the miracle of being able to light the Menorah with pure, holy oil, without any touch of uncleanliness, which gave rise to the Festival of Lights.
The obvious lesson is that in the realm of the spirit, of Torah and Mitzvoth, as symbolized by the Chanukah Lights, there must be absolute purity and holiness. It is not for the human mind to reason why, and what difference it makes, etc.
Much more could be said on the subject, but it will suffice to lend further weight to our conversation during your visit here, when the point was made how most vital it is that the right person should head the institution which Divine Providence has privileged you to establish in the Holy Land, and even holier City of Jerusalem, as a center for the dissemination of Yiddishkeit [Judaism] in its purity. The purity and holiness of the oil must be ensured.
To carry the analogy further, it is the purpose of the central Beth Hamikdosh to illuminate and bring holiness and purity into the individual "Beth Hamikdosh" - i.e. every Jewish home and every Jewish person, which is also the obligation of every Jew towards his fellow Jew, in accordance with the Mitzvah of "v'ohavto lre'acho komoicho [love your fellow as yourself]." But special precautions are necessary that the Beth Hamikdosh itself be illuminated with the purest, sanctified oil, so that even the Kohen Godol [High Priest], if he should happen to be tomeh [impure] could not enter the Beth Hamikdosh, much less kindle the Menorah.
May G-d grant you Hatzlocho [success] in establishing the set institution in fullest accord with G-d's will, in the spirit outlined above, truly reflecting the spirit of the Chanukah lights, lighting ever more candles and increasing their glow from day to day.
With prayerful wishes for the utmost Hatzlocho in all above, and
P.S.... Inasmuch as we are now in the auspicious days of Chanukah, I want to send you and yours my greetings and good wishes for a growing measure of brightness in all your affairs, including, above all, your participation in the cause of Chinuch Al Taharas Hakodesh [a pure Jewish education]. One of the essential messages of Chanukah is the need to preserve the purity of the Torah and Mitzvoth, especially in the education of our children, for the miracle of Chanukah occurred with the cruse of pure and undefiled oil.
Why is it customary to eat dairy foods on Chanuka?
Eating dairy foods reminds us of the miracles performed through Yehudit, daughter of Yochanan the High Priest. After serving the Syrian General Holefernes salty cheese, she plied him with wine. when we was in a drunken stupor she killed him, smuggled his head out of the enermy camp and into the city where it was hung on the wall. When the Syrian army saw this they fled.
Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
During these days of Chanuka we emphasize the miracles that G-d wrought for our ancestors, "In those days, in our times." The first miracle was the victory of the small Jewish army over the vastly superior and more numerous Greek army. The second miracle, and this is the miracle which we symbolically celebrate each time we kindle the Chanuka menora, is the miracle of the one small cruse of pure olive oil which lasted for eight days rather than the one day for which it was intended.
That G-d was and is willing to perform miracles for His people shows His tremendous love for us. But, G-d's expression of love for us depends on our expression of love for each other. Thus, in addition to the love we should show a fellow Jew because he is our brother, we must show him additional love because G-d loves him. The importance of loving our fellow Jews is emphasized by the fact that this course of conduct will enable each person, his family, and the entire Jewish people, and ultimately the whole world, to leave the exile in the immediate future.
The Chanuka lights that we kindle in our home on each night of Chanuka are a symbol of G-d's love for the Jewish people. They have their source in G-d's light, in the light of the miracle of Chanuka, a miraculous light. As we kindle the Chanuka lights on the remaining nights of Chanuka, let us remember the miracles they represent, the Source of the miracles, and why G-d performed those miracles for us. And let these thoughts spur us on toward greater love of our fellow Jew, especially including, of course, those closest to us.
May we merit not only the lights of Chanuka this year, but also the Great Light of the Final Redemption, through the revelation of Moshiach, NOW.
And Pharoah called Joseph, Tzafnat Paneiach (Genesis 41:45)
Pharoah changed Joseph's name because he didn't want his viceroy to have a Jewish sounding name. However, he continued to be called by the name Josef, as it is written in the next verse: "And Josef went out from Pharoah's presence."
Joseph recognized his brothers, but they recognized him not (Gen. 42:8)
Joseph's brothers never expected that a man as involved in worldly affairs as the viceroy of Egypt could be their brother. In their world view, the only way to serve G-d properly was to divorce oneself from worldly matters and pursue a life of spiritual contemplation, much as they were able to do in their chosen profession of shepherding. Joseph, however, was on a higher level of spirituality, able to maintain his attachment to G-d even while involved in the day-to-day affairs of state.
When Joseph's brothers came under his power he recognized them as his brothers - he acted compassionately as a brother should. But when Joseph fell into their hands they did not recognize their brotherly obligations, and they sold him.
Your G-d, and the G-d of your fathers, has given you a treasure...and he brought Shimon out to them (Gen. 43:32)
This verse alludes to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who would one day reveal the treasures hidden within the Torah in his holy book, the Zohar.
(Ma'ayana Shel Torah)
Pesachya could never get used to it. Every year, he would go to the shelf, take down the family Menora, and place it carefully in his suitcase. Then, with a bitter sigh, he would say to his wife,"So I won't be with you and the children for Chanuka once again this year. What can I do. I must be in the forests to supervise the wood-cutting."
"Maybe this year will be different," his wife had said, for this past summer Pesachya had received a special blessing. It had been quite unexpected. Pesachya was paying his yearly visit to Rabbi Sholom Dov Ber of Lubavitch.
"Pesachya," the Rebbe had said quietly, "no doubt it is hard for you to be away from home at Chanuka time.
"This year, be sure to take along a supply of big candles. May the Al-mighty bless you with a bright Chanuka, and give you much success in the business too." Pesachya was astonished, speechless. It was as if the Rebbe had looked into the hidden areas of his heart to discover that old pain.
The Rebbe had spoken very naturally, but his words were puzzling. As Pesachya dutifully went to purchase "the big candles," he wondered what the Rebbe really had in mind.
When Chanuka came, Pesachya remembered the Rebbe's instructions. Every morning he rose early to study and pray. Then, before leaving the cabin, he would check to make sure that he had the right number of candles with him to light that evening.
One morning, Pesachya awoke a little later than usual. Hurriedly he bundled himself up, and ran down the forest path. Suddenly he realized that he had forgotten the Chanuka candles. Another delay, he thought. Maybe he should leave them until later. No. Better go back and get them after all.
Despite the late start, the day turned out well. Finally, as it grew dark, Pesachya dismissed his workers and began to trudge toward his lonely cabin.
"Stop Jew!" said a gruff voice, sending a chill of fear down his spine. Pesachya looked up, as a rough band of woodsmen laid hold of him, the tallest brandishing a large axe.
"Robbers! Help!" he cried, but no one heard a sound. One grabbed him from behind. Another stunned him with a blow. "Don't fight or we'll kill you!" they said.
Roughly they search him, taking his jacket and his money belt. Then with a shove, they threw him down on the icy dark road.
Pesachya's head pounded as he heard a voice say, "Hold him steady. Let's get it over with."
"Wait, wait!" cried Pesachya desperately. "Don't kill me, Please. Spare my life. I beg you. I have a wife, children. Mercy!"
"Quiet!" a voice growled. "You can forget about them."
"Master of the World," said Pesachya to himself, and cried out the Shema Yisrael prayer.
Suddenly he remembered the candles. "Wait, listen," he begged. "If these are my last minutes, let me at least light the candles for the holiday of Chanuka."
"All right, if that's your last wish. But make it quick," the robbers said.
With trembling fingers, Pesachya took out the candles and stuck them in a mound of snow by the roadside. With tears streaming down his face, he recited the blessings, and kindled the tall candles.
As he watched them he thought of his family, his poor children, so many miles away. The he remembered the way the Rebbe had looked at him that last summer, and his mind was full of the vision of his holy face.
Suddenly he heard a shout. "Stop where you are, all of you." The forest was bristling with armed men. "You're all under arrest."
The Duke's private soldiers rushed forward, grabbing the robbers, and holding them at gunpoint.
"At last we'll make these woods safe," said a man dressed in warm furs, whom Pesachya recognized as the wealthy Duke, owner of the forest.
"You...you saved my life," cried Pesachya. "How did you find me?"
"Why, your candles," said the Duke. "We noticed them from the main road as we rode by. They led us right to you.
"They're for your holiday, aren't they?" the Duke said curiously. "It just shows, a bit of religion never hurts, does it?"
Pesachya smiled gratefully. "I..I can never thank you enough."
And as he spoke, his eyes filled with a look of wonder, as he realized at last what the Rebbe had meant.
Reprinted from The Moshiach Times magazine.
King David writes in Psalms (132:17): "I have kindled a light for My anointed - Orachti ner liMshichi." This refers to the kindling of the Chanuka lights, which is a preparation for the revelation of Moshiach.
(Rabbi Nochum of Tchernobel in Me'or Einayim) | <urn:uuid:95d3665c-655b-41d7-a04d-2b9ca6b1330d> | CC-MAIN-2022-27 | http://www.lchaimweekly.org/lchaim/5768/998.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-27/segments/1656104364750.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220704080332-20220704110332-00543.warc.gz | en | 0.976949 | 6,029 | 2.875 | 3 |
- opposing or intended to restrain trusts, monopolies, or other large combinations of business and capital, especially with a view to maintaining and promoting competition: antitrust legislation.
Origin of antitrust
Examples from the Web for antitrust
Contemporary Examples of antitrust
This is naïve: what the owners feared was losing their exemption from antitrust laws.
The report had one definite effect: rumblings about the antitrust exemption ceased.
[M]ost fail to mention that antitrust, the law of competitive marketplaces, is the first area where Bork left his mark.
In the 1950s, antitrust law was a sleepy domain filled with rigid rules and nonsensical results.
As a result, countless millions of Americans and American businesses benefited from a more enlightened approach to antitrust law.
Historical Examples of antitrust
Relief of the railroads from certain restrictions of the antitrust law have been urged by my predecessor and will be urged by me.
In my message of a year ago I commented on the necessity of congressional inquiry into the economic action of the antitrust laws.State of the Union Addresses of Herbert Hoover
The appropriation of sufficient funds to permit proper enforcement of the present antitrust laws is essential.State of the Union Addresses of Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
The Congress has not heretofore made any appropriation for the better enforcement of the antitrust law as it now stands.
The antitrust law should not be repealed; but it should be made both more efficient and more in harmony with actual conditions.
- (modifier) mainly US regulating or opposing trusts, monopolies, cartels, or similar organizations, esp in order to prevent unfair competition | <urn:uuid:8eee18fb-c4a5-4da1-bd60-0d93d904301a> | CC-MAIN-2018-51 | https://www.dictionary.com/browse/antitrust | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-51/segments/1544376824180.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20181212225044-20181213010544-00624.warc.gz | en | 0.911168 | 334 | 2.671875 | 3 |
I use this worksheet to give my drawing students some practice with making value scales. ("Value scale" might also go by the name "luminosity scale," or "tone scale.")
This worksheet asks them to use three different types of shading to complete the value scales: Blended Shading, parallel hatching, and stippling. I have a PowerPoint presentation on value and shading that I will post here soon.
There's examples of each type of shading on the worksheet. The art on the worksheet was created by me or is being reused according to the terms set by its creators. Art credits are in the lower left corner of the page.
The download includes an example of a completed worksheet. | <urn:uuid:1258d325-e64e-4133-a8b7-e12c146fd158> | CC-MAIN-2018-05 | https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Value-Scales-Practice-Blended-Shading-Parallel-Hatching-and-Stippling-1273366 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-05/segments/1516084887024.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20180117232418-20180118012418-00615.warc.gz | en | 0.945888 | 148 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Millions of people are admitted into hospitals each year, yet many of them obtain additional infections while in-hospital. These type of infections that are obtained within a hospital or other type of healthcare facility are referred to as nosocomial infections. Data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that around 25% of daily hospital patients has one or more infections obtained from a healthcare facility. The data also reports that the most common areas of infection that occurs from acute care hospitals in the United States are related to pneumonia, gastrointestinal illnesses, urinary tract infections and bloodstream infections. In the year 2011, an estimated amount of 721,800 infections were caused by healthcare facilities within acute care hospitals in the country.
Types of Nosocomial Infections
There are different types of nosocomial infections that patients can acquire while at a healthcare facility or hospital. The most common kinds of infections include urinary tract infections, usually due to catheters. Surgery Supplements report that around 20% of all reported nosocomial infections account for infections in the surgical site, following a surgical procedure. They also report that pressure ulcers and lung infections have been observed as well.
Tips for Minimizing Your Health Risk
When it comes to nosocomial infections, it is important to do all in your power to avoid obtaining such an infection. Right Diagnosis report that there are around 80,000 deaths each year as a result of nosocomial infections. This accounts for as much as 9 deaths per hour caused by infections that were obtained while the patient was hospitalized or treated at a specific healthcare site. To help you reduce your risk of obtaining one (or more) of these dangerous infections, we have prepared a list of useful tips for you.
Read Also – World Hand Hygiene Day
Medical staff move from patient to patient, thus they are at risk of being a pathogen for spreading these infections. For this reason, it is important to ensure the medical staff attending to you have properly sanitized their hands. You should ask them to wash their hands with a sanitizing soap before they attend to you – or even ask them to wear a new pair of gloves if that makes you more comfortable. Health Line report that as much as 40% of nosocomial infections are caused by inadequate hand sanitization by medical staff – thus the infection is spread from one patient to another.
Prepare for Hospitalization
Patients who know they are going to be admitted to a hospital should do some initial preparation in order to ensure their bodies will be able to heal properly and to ensure their immune systems are strong enough to fight off infections. Here are a couple of tips to help you prepare:
- If you are a smoker, you should quit smoking a few days before going to the hospital and (optionally) resume after you have been released from the hospital. Data published by the University of Oklahoma Health Center reports that smoking can delay the body’s healing process, especially in the case of skin wounds obtained from surgery.
- If you are ill or was recently ill before being admitted to the hospital, be sure to mention this to the doctor. Even a slight cold could increase your risk of obtaining an infection in your chest and lungs.
- If a have diabetes, then you should ensure you eat an adjusted diet for a few days before you are admitted to the hospital. This will help keep your blood sugar levels balanced and reduce your risk of obtaining an infection. Verywell reports that patients with diabetes are more prone to develop infections as high levels of blood sugar causes the patient’s immune system to become weaker.
While you are in-hospital, there are numerous ways to reduce your risk of obtaining a nosocomial infection. First of all, make sure you take a disinfectant with you to the hospital and disinfect any object you come in contact with – before you make contact. If there are patients who are constantly coughing around you, ask a family member to buy a germ-filtering mask at the local pharmacy – place this over your mouth in order to avoid obtaining germs and bacteria that may be spread through the area.
Better Health also recommends asking visitors who are unwell to delay their visits until they are better. While hospitalized, your immune system may be weaker than normal, thus you are at higher risk of obtaining an infection when people around you are infected. They also recommend washing your hands with a disinfectant hand wash after using the toilet in the hospital and to let a nurse know if there are anything bothering you – such as dressings that are unclean and areas around needles that appears to be unclean.
Nosocomial infections account for as much as 80,000 deaths per year, which can be prevented in a large number of cases by simply observing the level of hygiene in the area around you and to act upon the spaces that is not hygienic. These tips we have shared with you will help you minimize the risk of obtaining such an infection while visiting a healthcare facility or while in-hospital. | <urn:uuid:10e6efc9-782b-4a7e-a42a-56b71e91ea28> | CC-MAIN-2019-51 | https://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/health-conditions/nosocomial-infections.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-51/segments/1575540508599.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20191208095535-20191208123535-00529.warc.gz | en | 0.970969 | 1,018 | 3.0625 | 3 |
OverviewA person with type 2 diabetes can use exercise to help control their blood sugar levels and provide energy their muscles need to function throughout the day. By maintaining a healthy diet and sufficient exercise, a person with type 2 diabetes may be able to keep their blood sugar in the normal non-diabetic range without medication.
Update Date 7/24/2015
Updated by: Brent Wisse, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology & Nutrition, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. | <urn:uuid:aba08c5a-ccb1-4890-9632-027d8d1bc312> | CC-MAIN-2016-40 | https://medlineplus.gov/ency/imagepages/19811.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-40/segments/1474738661449.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20160924173741-00020-ip-10-143-35-109.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917478 | 143 | 2.90625 | 3 |
Origins of Virginia Colonists
A comprehensive database listing of the first colonists who came to Virginia, including information concerning voyages and supply vessels from England, merchant ships, privateers, estates mentioned in 17th century correspondence and Virginia county records. Discoveries include occupations, names of heirs and marriages, origin, travels and trade in the West Indies governing the English Laws and regulations concerning the economic industry in the colony. It mentions the names of both colonists and their European factors and some correspondence with the Virginia Company of London. An excellent place to search for hard-to-find adventurers and ancestors in the early days. Sources are varied and not those usually found by genealogists and researchers. | <urn:uuid:014e33f0-0a37-42ec-8aeb-80ef450ecd3b> | CC-MAIN-2018-51 | https://virginiapioneers.net/content/vaorigins.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-51/segments/1544376826686.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20181215014028-20181215040028-00543.warc.gz | en | 0.943752 | 138 | 2.953125 | 3 |
The “original sin” of air quality regulations is keeping communities polluted. But that’s changing.
Tackling cumulative exposures, rather than one pollutant at a time, is key to correcting environmental injustice, experts say. But progress remains too slow in the most affected neighborhoods.
DETROIT—Theresa Landrum still has an emergency kit the Wayne County Department of Homeland Security gave her years ago when she asked the agency to help her community, which is surrounded by heavy industry, create an evacuation plan in the event of a chemical emergency.
"They gave us a little can, the size that tennis balls come in, and we thought it was a joke," said Landrum at a recent meeting at Detroit's New Mount Hermon Missionary Baptist Church. "They gave us a whistle, a bottle of water and a Band-Aid and a tiny, little flashlight."
"County and city officials advised the community to 'stay in place, take duct tape and plastic, and cover up every opening,'" Landrum continued.
Landrum, a cancer survivor whose parents died of lung cancer, has cause for concern. More than two dozen major industrial facilities surround her neighborhood, known by its now infamous zip code 48217.
A sprawling oil refinery that processes dirty Canadian tar sands, two aging steel plants, a coke battery plant that converts coal into fuel for steel furnaces, and a coal burning power plant are among the facilities that belch a daily stew of toxic air pollutants into the air that Landrum's community breathes. Major chemical release incidents have already occurred and continue to occur, yet the community still has no evacuation plan.
Pushing for that plan is one of many battles for residents of 48217. The community, in southwest Detroit, is 82 percent Black and has a median household income of $24,000, which is 35 percent lower than the state of Michigan's average. Roughly 44 percent of people live below the poverty line in 48217, according to the latest U.S. Census data, compared to 14 percent for the state of Michigan.
Residents suffer from high rates of asthma, cancer and respiratory illnesses, and a constant encroachment by industry that's left elementary schools and senior centers on the oil refinery's fence line. "Our health is being diminished; our property values are going down. We are casualties of America's greed," Landrum said.
Sulfur dioxide, benzene and chromium are among the contaminants spewed regularly in Landrum's neighborhood — and it's this toxic cocktail that's concerning. Scientists are still teasing out how these multiple exposures affect people's health; meanwhile most federal and state regulations fail communities of color like 48217 because they simply weren't designed to account for multiple pollutant exposures. However, some experts see signs of progress. States like California and Minnesota are beginning to tackle the challenge of cumulative exposure with screening tools and proactive regulations.
But when will these potentially lifesaving changes reach Landrum's neighborhood and others like it?
"Communities have been asking for this for the last four decades," Robert Bullard, professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University and a prolific author on environmental justice, told EHN.
"The more exposure the greater the risk"
Theresa Landrum (Credit: Rochelle Riley)
"One of the original sins of our air quality regulation is that it regulates pollutant by pollutant and facility by facility, and it rarely goes outside of those parameters," Nick Leonard, executive director of the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center, told EHN. "That doesn't adequately address these unique issues of having a cluster of major sources of pollution in a highly concentrated area."
Neither the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), nor Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) require cumulative assessment of exposures, even though experts agree that's exactly what's needed.
"Any one chemical can do multiple things and any two chemicals or any thousands of chemicals can interact in ways that make it very difficult to understand how you go from exposure to specific disease," David Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University of Albany, told EHN.
However, Carpenter's health studies of multiple exposures at hazardous waste sites have found significant increases in hospitalization rates for diseases including strokes, leukemia, asthma and other respiratory diseases.
"People in these communities that have multiple exposures are going to have greater risk of multiple diseases, and the more exposure the greater the risk," he said.
Chemical by chemical vs. cumulative
Marathon Oil in 48217. (Credit: Rochelle Riley)
Southwest Detroit's billowing smokestacks, fiery-orange gas flares, petroleum coke piles and heavy truck traffic dominate the landscape and fill the air with an acrid stench. The 10 largest facilities within a three-mile radius of 48217 released a combined 1,353,532 pounds of air toxics in 2017, according to the EPA's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI).
But determining air quality depends on whether you take a chemical-by-chemical or a cumulative approach.
Susan Kilmer, environmental manager at MDEQ's Air Monitoring Division, told EHN that air pollution in 48217 is "fairly typical for urban ambient air pretty much throughout southeast Michigan."
The neighborhood falls within a non-attainment area for both sulfur dioxide and ozone, Kilmer said, meaning that air pollution levels exceed the national standard and the state must get the area back into attainment—which it's doing.
Both pollutants are associated with asthma and other respiratory and cardiac diseases, which are huge concerns in the community.
"Some families have four or five children born with asthma," Landrum said. Asthma prevalence among Detroit children was 11.3 percent, or 14 percent higher than in Michigan as a whole from 2012 to 2014.
A 2010 risk assessment of air toxics found nine pollutants and diesel particulates in the Detroit area exceeding the state's health-based cancer risk of one in one million. Cancer risk reached as high as 10 to 100 in one million for benzene and formaldehyde during 2006 and 2007.
An evaluation in 2017 with a new community air monitoring station in 48217 confirmed exceedances of sulfur dioxide and also found naphthalene, arsenic and hexavalent chromium at levels of concern for cancer risk, though lower than previously measured in the 2000s.
Despite these findings, progress has been slow. But if 48217 was in California it would be immediately targeted for pollution reduction.
California's environmental justice screening tool, CalEnviroScreen, considers 20 indicators of pollution burden, population characteristics (e.g., poverty level, income, education level), and health conditions, like low-birth weight, that increase a population's vulnerability to pollution. Its model derives a single score by census tract, ranking overall pollution burden and vulnerability for that land tract. The higher the score, the higher the burden.
Shankar Prasad, toxicologist at CalEPA's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, used CalEnviroScreen to rank all of Michigan's census tracts, using EPA data. Prasad told EHN that the 13 census tracts within 48217 scored in the 87th percentile for overall pollution burden and vulnerability, meaning that the cumulative exposure for 48217 was 87 percent higher than the rest of Michigan's communities.
In California, scoring above the 75th percentile marks a community for investments to reduce pollution —such as public transit, renewable energy and clean vehicle initiatives—with funding from California Climate Investments.
CalEnviroScreen was developed in response to a law passed in 2012 (Senate Bill 535), directing 25 percent of the funds collected through the state's Cap-and-Trade program to be invested in disadvantaged communities to reduce their pollution burden.
Screening tools as solutions?
(Credit: Adam Reinhardt)
California isn't alone. Minnesota also has an environmental justice screening tool, as does the EPA. But California's is considered the gold standard by Bullard and others because it's geared toward pollution reduction and financed with money from the Cap-and-Trade Program.
California's AB 617 law, for example, requires reductions in air pollution in disadvantaged communities and sets up a process whereby community organizations work with the state's air districts to create plans for monitoring and reducing air pollution that go beyond existing programs. Those plans are due next year.
Another law, the Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Act, combines greenhouse gas reductions with public health improvements and economic development in disadvantaged communities. "No one experiences pollution or poverty in one single way. It all intersects," Tiffany Eng, program manager at California Environmental Justice Alliance, told EHN, explaining the law's significance.
Map created by 48217 activists marking the industrial facilities surrounding their community. 48217 is outlined in red. (Credit: Meg Wilcox)
Cities scoring high on CalEnviroScreen are eligible for TCC funds to create community development plans to reduce pollution and boost economic opportunity. Fresno, for example, received $70 million for a plan focused on issues such as workforce training; affordable, energy efficient housing; food deserts and access to public transportation.
Then there's AB 673 law, which requires the state to look at cumulative impact and factor in the CalEnviroScreen score when permitting hazardous waste facilities. "It's a major, fundamental change in the permitting process," Bonnie A. Holmes-Gen, a senior environmental scientist at California's Department of Toxic Substances, told EHN.
Recent victories in California include a groundbreaking local ordinance passed in the City of Arvin requiring a 300 foot buffer between oil and gas drilling operations and sensitive places like homes, schools and senior centers. Activists also convinced the Fresno City Council to require a meat-rendering plant that emitted a stench and spilled foul liquids and animal wastes from trucks to relocate to an area that would not harm the public's health.
"The [CalEnviroScreen] tool has been really instrumental in these local groups being able to advocate for their needs on the ground," Eng said.
Minnesota's screening tool is based on race and income because the state has found those two indicators often predict pollution burdens throughout the state, Ned Brooks, environmental justice coordinator at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), told EHN. MPCA uses a separate tool to evaluate pollution burden in a community once it's identified as an environmental justice priority, and it proceeds more cautiously with permitting or compliance matters in those communities.
Recently, for example, MPCA settled a compliance issue in a way to benefit an impacted community. The company, Northern Metal Recycling, agreed to relocate to another area and pay $600,000 to support community lead reduction programs.
Minnesota also mandates the assessment of cumulative exposure at sites with high environmental justice scores, but only in one part of Minneapolis. Facilities seeking permits there are required to model not only their own emissions, but the emissions of surrounding facilities, Brooks said.
EPA's EJSCREEN, in contrast, doesn't have regulatory teeth behind it. The tool combines environmental data (e.g. traffic proximity, criteria air pollutant data, cancer risk assessment) with population characteristics (e.g. race, ethnicity, income) and produces individual scores for 11 environmental indicators at the census tract level. There's no cumulative score.
EJSCREEN was intended to provide information to communities about their pollution burden, and it does that well, Bullard, of Texas Southern University, said. In fact, arming communities with the data they need to convince policy makers to respond to their demands, is one of the most powerful aspects of environmental justice screening tools.
Not waiting for regulations
Delores Leonard holding up the analysis the community did with the TRI data and community monitoring station. (Credit: Adam Reinhardt)
Earlier this year, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder's environmental justice task force issued 33 recommendations, including the development of a state environmental justice screen, cumulative exposure assessment and community air monitoring. Since then it's acted on two of those recommendations, establishing a state ombudsman and an environmental justice interagency working group. The recently sworn-in Governor Gretchen Whitmer is expected to keep the ball moving forward.
Developing an environmental justice screen shouldn't be all that hard for Michigan or other states, Paul Mohai, professor at the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment, told EHN. "California put in so much time and effort; they subsidized the work for us," he said. Of course, there are many design questions to consider, and data quality, particularly at the community level, is an issue any state must grapple with.
But the thorniest challenges are political.
Ultimately states need to decide: What levels of pollution trigger action? What regulatory or rule changes are needed to ensure action? And how will pollution reduction efforts be funded?
Residents of 48217 aren't holding their breath.
Rhonda Anderson of the Sierra Club. (Credit: Meg Wilcox)
Already they fought long and hard to get the community air monitoring station set up at the New Mount Hermon Baptist Church. Now they're leading efforts to develop their own emergency evacuation plan that they'll submit to the state for funding, according to Landrum. And they're also evaluating their cumulative exposure, using data from the EPA's TRI database.
Working with Mohai, community activist Delores Leonard and Rhonda Anderson of the Sierra Club took TRI data from the facilities in their neighborhood and compiled it by chemical to get the sum of their exposure. While the group is not ready to release the data, Landrum said, "We feel that the data does show we've been overexposed, and it's a serious health risk for vulnerable populations who've been living here for 30, 40, 60, 70 years."
Mohai agrees. "In my opinion, if you look at a community and there's a lot of pollution there, and you do a health survey and see respiratory and cardiovascular disease and cancer, and you have information that identifies things in the environment that cause those conditions, prudence should be: what can we do to minimize those exposures, not that you have to prove cause and effect."
Environmental justice screening tools take that progressive approach. That's why Mohai, Bullard and others view them as a positive advancement, a starting point for communities and a means to begin transforming the regulatory process.
"If we took a commonsense approach, used the precautionary principle, we would flip the dominant environmental protection paradigm on its head," Bullard said. | <urn:uuid:27d6441b-ed90-437c-a0be-7615c572c6ce> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://www.ehn.org/detroit-environmental-justice-toxic-48217-2624940172.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510924.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20231001173415-20231001203415-00613.warc.gz | en | 0.950883 | 2,999 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Where you live might play a bigger role in your risk for heart disease than your ethnicity or race. New research reveals that rural residents were more knowledgeable about healthy eating and heart disease risk than urban residents, but that urban residents were more motivated and optimistic about getting healthy. And further, these differences persisted when the researchers compared rural Caucasians to urban Caucasians. The findings could help healthcare professionals better target heart disease prevention programs.
Carol Homko, Ph.D., researcher and assistant professor at Temple University School of Medicine, suggests that the differences are partly due to lifestyle. Fresh fruits and vegetables are more plentiful and less costly in rural areas, where it's also easier and safer to exercise outside. Urban areas often lack good grocery stores, forcing residents to rely on corner stores that don't have many fresh food selections at reasonable prices.
Homko and her fellow researchers presented their findings at the American Heart Association's Cardiovascular Disease and Epidemiology meeting in Orlando, Fla. (Feb. 28 March 3), and the American College of Cardiology meeting in New Orleans (March 24 27).
"We found that urban Caucasians had a lifestyle more similar to urban minorities than rural Caucasians," said Steve Domsky, M.D., and Abul Kashem, M.D., Ph.D., study authors. "Urban Caucasians, like urban minorities, were younger and had a higher rate of smoking, a higher incidence of diabetes, larger waist size and higher levels of C-reactive protein, an indicator of heart disease risk." Urban Caucasians' socioeconomic status fell between that of urban minorities and rural Caucasians.
The data come from a clinical trial investigating whether Internet-based telemedicine can decrease cardiovascular disease risk in underserved inner-city and rural populations. The final results of the study, which is being conducted at Temple Uni
Contact: Eryn Jelesiewicz | <urn:uuid:20b33c46-9dee-4b98-927e-8896d28e76c4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news-3/Place-more-than-race-tied-to-heart-disease-risk-1388-1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710299158/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131819-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95101 | 382 | 2.796875 | 3 |
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Many students constantly ask ‘what are we doing next?’, 'when are we doing __?' Having a visual schedule ensures children will know what things are happening and when throughout the day. There are many benefits to having a visual timetable but here are our Top 5:
1 Allow kids to understand the plan. A visual schedule is like a kid friendly calendar and provides them with a visual reminder, no matter who is in the room. Often, we can talk quickly and let’s be honest… sometimes they just aren’t paying attention! Verbal instructions can be gone in a moment and a schedule is there to remind kids if they forget. Students can also struggle with the concept of now, later, after. A visual timetable can help students comprehend when certain events happen during the day.
2 Relieve anxiety. Imagine if I took your calendar/diary away from you? I *have* to know what’s coming up and not knowing would cause me stress and anxiety. It can be the same for your students! A visual schedule increases predictability and helps student’s feelings of security. Also when regular routine changes it helps them deal with what is next.
3 Help kids transition more easily. Students can know what to expect before it happens. They have time to process and plan for what is next. Sometimes when kids are not aware of what is next it can result in some challenging behaviour. If students are aware of what is happening next it can make transitions so much easier.
4 Sets up independence. When a child sees what comes next, it can help them understand and cooperate more. It reinforces memory, independence, and mental organisation of what’s to come. If you have a schedule, students can know what is happening and where they need to be without you constantly having to tell them.
5 Pre-Literacy skills. Using words and pairing them with pictures can help their understanding that symbols and words represent meaning. This is an important concept for future literacy skills!
Try a visual schedule and see what impact it has in your classroom!
Check out our range of visual timetables below! | <urn:uuid:ab17847e-e45e-427a-b934-2720a56f2067> | CC-MAIN-2020-40 | https://www.topteacher.com.au/how-can-a-visual-schedule-help-your-students | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-40/segments/1600400209665.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20200923015227-20200923045227-00361.warc.gz | en | 0.9439 | 450 | 3.390625 | 3 |
A single 30-day span begat much of modern biology
The year 1859 ended with two big scientific bangs. On Thursday, November 24th, the first edition of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection was published by John Murray in London. Fifteen days later and across the English Channel, on the evening of Monday, December 9th, Louis Pasteur presented to the Chemical Society of Paris his first experimental results attacking the doctrines of spontaneous generation. Two such monumental discoveries would have made it a good month in any branch of science. Although it was not obvious at the time, Darwin and Pasteur were laying out the foundations of contemporary biology.
The story we often hear about Pasteur falls into the “we once were blind, but now we see” narrative. In this version, superstition and ignorance reigned before Pasteur; light and reason ruled thereafter. Until Pasteur, we are taught, we did not understand that only life begets life. After his observations and experiments (so the story goes), we did. The real events, however, are far more interesting—and complex. Pasteur waded into a controversy that had been ongoing since the time of the ancient Greeks, and had become an enormously active area of investigation and speculation from the 18th century onward. Natural scientists and philosophers sought to understand the relationships between chemistry and biology. The emergence of microscopy—and with it the realization that living beings were everywhere, even beyond the reach of the human eye—made the question more urgent: Where was all of this life springing from?
Scientists, as well as vintners, brewers and butchers, well knew that virtually all food or drink left unattended would soon teem with life. In retrospect, the observation that a nutrient broth (like bouillon) left unrefrigerated would quickly be swimming with organisms seems to us self-evident. The prevailing notion, however, that this outcome depended on some feature of the air—some principle or property that gave rise to life in a previously lifeless fluid—seems almost incomprehensible to us today. But at the beginning of the 19th century, the vertiginous rise of chemistry had introduced beguiling notions of crystallization, explosion and spontaneous reaction into the scientific vocabulary. It did not seem that farfetched to imagine that organic molecules could similarly organize, crystallize and react to give rise to living organisms.
Yet several experiments, well known to working scientists in Pasteur’s time, had already been performed in an effort to demystify what appeared to be the spontaneous emergence of life. As early as 1668, Francesco Redi demonstrated that the flies that appeared in decaying meat necessarily came from the eggs laid by earlier flies that had had access to the meat. Definitive as that demonstration appeared, however, its results were contradicted by many other experiments. Most notable were those of John Needham, the 18th-century cleric and scientist whose experiments and theories supported spontaneous generation. He observed that blighted wheat seeds gave rise to “tiny eels,” and that these eels appeared viviparous and hence could not be the result of eggs being laid on the seeds. In collaboration with an eminent naturalist, Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, he also boiled mutton broth in a sealed flask, only to find that the broth still became cloudy with organisms. Needham went on to propose a “universal vegetative force,” which, in an “exalted state,” could account for the emergence of life in broths, flour and water mixtures, and blighted seeds.
Needham’s ideas did not receive an enthusiastic response. No less caustic and influential a skeptic than Voltaire dissected Needham with his wit, and no less august a scientist than Lazzaro Spallanzani spent a decade contradicting Needham’s experiments. Experimental and philosophical objections to the Needham-Buffon worldview accumulated. The experimentalists soon showed that the extent to which broths were boiled mattered. They suggested that Needham and Buffon had simply not managed to get rid of preexisting life in the flasks—and hence had not really demonstrated spontaneous generation. But criticism also came from those, Voltaire included, who feared that theories of spontaneous generation foreshadowed an ever-smaller role for God as the source of life. If, after all, life emerged as the result of some inherent properties of matter, what role did theistic explanation have to play?
By the mid-19th century, the debate around spontaneous generation had moved to a more empirical and material plane. Increasingly sophisticated experiments involving the boiling of nutritive broths in sealed flasks were now underway. In part, these more advanced experiments addressed the objections raised by the spontaneists that the air in the flask had been corrupted by virtue of the heat generated by boiling and had thus lost its vegetative force. New experimental designs allowed new air into the sealed flasks after heating. Furthermore, this new air could be filtered, heated, or passed through sulfuric acid or charcoal prior to its introduction into the flasks, thus ridding it of living contaminants. These experiments pointed to the conclusion that any combination of treatments that would destroy germs in the broth (boiling) and in the incoming air (filtering) would result in a lifeless solution.
Still, old theories die hard. Inconsistencies in the experimental outcomes and confusion in the interpretations lingered. In frustration, the French Academy of Sciences threw down the gauntlet, offering the Alhumbert prize to anyone who “would, by virtue of well-conceived experiments, bring about a new day on questions of so-called spontaneous generation.” The prize committee was chaired by Geoffroy St.-Hilaire, an eminent French anatomist who would soon, interestingly, become a ferocious critic of Darwin.
But as far as the controversy with spontaneous generation was concerned, Pasteur was a reluctant theorist. He entered the fray primarily because he thought it might help him strengthen his conclusions about the nature of fermentation. His friends warned him to tread carefully and to set a time limit to his involvement in what appeared to be a potentially unsolvable controversy. But Pasteur could not resist; he was a superb experimentalist and a committed empiricist, and he developed a series of ingenious swan-necked flasks that proved crucial to his demonstrations. This part of the story, along with the flasks themselves, has by now achieved mythical status in biology.
What is less acknowledged, however, is Pasteur’s ecological thinking. He understood that any argument that invoked existing organisms to account for the colonization of sterilized broth depended on the demonstration that organisms existed in the air, and in sufficient numbers to explain the results. Intellectually subtle, Pasteur understood that the concentration of bacteria (or spores, cysts or any other airborne colonist) would likely vary from environment to environment. He undertook experiments to prove just that point. In elegant 19th-century prose, he describes how air drawn in from “a quiet street in Paris, at a height of 3 to 4 meters” (the Rue d’Ulm, as it turns out) after several beautiful summer days, contained “thousands of organized corpuscles.” But, he argued:
… this result will vary depending on the state of the atmosphere, if we are working before or after a rain, in quiet or agitated atmospheric conditions, during the day or at night, and near or far from the ground…. Imagine the thousand and one causes that might increase or reduce the number of solid particles that we have all seen floating in a beam of light that penetrates a dark room … we must [thus] expect differences in our experimental outcomes.
Pasteur would go on to repeat his experiments drawing air into sterilized broths at different times, in varying weather, at varying altitudes, in cities and in towns, in the countryside and on glaciers. And every time, his experiments demonstrated consistent results, which he would summarize in 1862, upon receiving the Alhumbert prize: “Spontaneous generation is a chimera.”
The First Case
Pasteur, of course, was right, but with one major exception. If we think of contemporary organisms in the present, life begets life, and like begets like. But if we look into the past, we quickly realize that there must have been at least one time when Pasteur’s dictum did not hold. Some 3.8 to 4 billion years ago, life on Earth emerged from nonlife. Astonishingly early in the history of this planet, its abiotic chemistry assembled into the rudiments of living systems. Those early systems, capable of organizing their chemical reactions, defining an inside and an outside, storing information, encoding their own history and, crucially, evolving, would irreversibly alter Earth’s surface and history.
The origin of life is a crucial question for modern biology. It is also a material question to be addressed with material explanations. I am certain that biology, together with chemistry and information theory, will unravel the question of how life may have originated. As scientists, however, we are not equipped to explain what the origin of life “means” or what its “purpose” is. Instead we are taking on the challenge of understanding how organized chemistry emerges from spontaneous chemistry, and how transient organization becomes transmitted information—in short, how nonlife becomes life.
We are making progress, and have over the past decade come to understand that early in the history of life (unlike the current state of affairs), function and information may have been deeply and sloppily intertwined. But to make things more complicated, the line between the living and the nonliving is not as sharp as we once thought. Gone are the days when we spoke of élan vital or of exalted vegetative forces, but we are not quite sure what to claim in their place as the exclusive hallmarks of living systems.
The rise of a new field in biology, synthetic biology, may shed light on these issues. The goal of this emerging subfield is to show that a working organism, one that has never before existed, can be assembled in the lab. The genomes of these new creatures are under construction—they are being assembled in numerous labs by stitching together selected genes from a variety of existing organisms. The comparisons to Dr. Frankenstein’s creation are tempting, but this is an altogether less sinister undertaking. At its core, the justification for this effort is utterly pragmatic: to custom-design organisms (bacteria, primarily) that exhibit features we deem desirable. We can easily imagine the benefits of a bacterium that readily transforms cellulose into ethanol, or one that takes toxic chemicals and breaks them down into less harmful products. And we now believe we can custom-build the organisms we need. Much like that fateful winter in 1859, a new discovery in synthetic biology might soon alter the path of scientific research and discovery in many disciplines for many years to come.
These efforts to assemble a completely new organism in the lab are, in unexpected ways, tests both of Pasteur’s and of Darwin’s rules. If we succeed in building a new organism from the genes of existing organisms—or from modified versions of those genes—we will in effect be building life from life, and in so doing, remaining faithful to Pasteur’s tenets. We are betting, of course, that genes that work well in the organism in which they evolved will also function in a completely different context—and function in the ways we want them to. This conception of genes as self-contained and context-independent units of information remains to be fully tested.
But let me be clear: There are no metaphysics here. I am not arguing that genomes are endowed with some ineffable and untestable quality. Instead, the question we are asking is whether real genomes are more than the sum of their gene parts. Genes in existing organisms, after all, have traveled together in a genome for millions of generations. We will soon find out whether the evolution of genomes involves a subtle, or perhaps a not-so-subtle, ongoing conversation among the genes that compose a genome. Take the genes entirely out of context, pair them with other genes evolved in wholly different settings, and something important may be lost.
Evolving to Evolve
Of course, the entire biotechnology revolution provides a partial answer to the question raised above—yes, certain genes can function independently of their genome. I can clone the gene for human growth hormone into a bacterium and that bacterium will still produce working human growth hormone for me. However, taking one gene out of context and cloning it into an existing genome is different from knitting genes from different organisms together and expecting them to produce an organism that works.
I suspect that the ambitious agenda of synthetic biology will lead to powerful insights about the nature and origin of living systems. I am convinced that we will learn a great deal about the modularity of genes, and about the interactions among genes that make life possible. I predict that these synthetic organisms may actually be capable of surviving, and perhaps even of reproducing under the tightly controlled conditions of the laboratory. But what remains to be seen is whether these living forms we create in the lab will be capable of evolution. If we are to call them truly alive, our synthetic organisms will have to exhibit the capacity to adapt in response to changing conditions.
Existing organisms have in effect evolved to evolve, balancing their mutation rates to the vagaries of the environment and the costs and benefits of the accurate copying of genetic information. Synthetic organisms, if they reproduce and vary, will indeed necessarily evolve. But we may well find that their patchwork genomes will not yet have developed the subtle diplomacy that allows them to keep up with a changing world. Their lives on this Earth will thus be decidedly short by evolutionary standards. Yet much like copernicium or ununquadium, newcomer elements in the periodic table whose half-lives are measured in seconds (or even in milliseconds), the scientific value of synthetic organisms will not depend on their longevity. It will depend on their having lived at all. | <urn:uuid:a4edacaf-af94-4f05-87e2-1ef44ddf2c9b> | CC-MAIN-2014-15 | http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/id.9803,y.2010,no.4,content.true,page.1,css.print/issue.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-15/segments/1397609530895.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20140416005210-00411-ip-10-147-4-33.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963047 | 2,942 | 3.359375 | 3 |
Feral cats should be declawedPublished 12:45pm Tuesday, July 9, 2013
I am a retired zoologist. I spent five years teaching at Montevallo from 1962-1967 prior to relocating to Auburn. While at Montevallo, the late Dr. E. B. Sledge was a contemporary of mine who shared my appreciation for birds.
When Dr. Sledge told me that Montevallo had enacted a cat “leash law” I was immensely pleased and mentioned it in columns I wrote in local papers. I suggested that other municipalities enact similar ordinances. A friend wrote and informed me that Montevallo had been awarded a grant “to help free roaming and feral cats.” The cats would be trapped, vaccinated, neutered, and released to go about their way, as alien predators, killing birds and small mammals. Needless to say I was sorely disappointed. I wonder if the felinophiles, or cat lovers, are aware that research conducted by the Smithsonian Biological Institute and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service revealed that cats are responsible for the deaths of an estimated 2.4 billion birds and 12.3 billion small mammals, mostly natives, annually in the United States, “making house cats one of the most serious threats to the nation’s wildlife,” according to the New York Times. The felinophiles should consider declawing the trapped cats prior to their release, which would make them substantially less harmful and would be greatly appreciated by ornithophiles, or bird lovers. | <urn:uuid:7c73989b-0485-4482-9303-7dbd04ec4cda> | CC-MAIN-2015-27 | http://www.shelbycountyreporter.com/2013/07/09/feral-cats-should-be-declawed/comment-page-1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-27/segments/1435375096209.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20150627031816-00004-ip-10-179-60-89.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961056 | 319 | 2.546875 | 3 |
It really comes down to knowing what to look out for so that you can avoid suspect foods unless you have verified with the manufacturer that the food in question is in fact gluten-free (or not). This article contains some guidelines.
The Codex alimentarius is an international guideline that, amongst other things, indicates when a food should be specifically labeled “gluten free”. Because it is a set of guidelines, compliance is voluntary so you can not depend on appropriate gluten free labeling.
Gluten is an unexpected addition to foods for reasons that have everything to do with processing and marketing, and nothing to do with nutrition or traditional recipes.
For example, some flavors contain gluten, believe it or not. Gluten is also used as a food stabilizer and may be included in some processed foods without being listed in the ingredients.
This is crazy, but as gluten intolerance and gluten allergies become more widely recognized as a significant problem, labeling laws will change, but this will take time, and will come sooner in some countries, and later in others.
In the mean time, you must be vigilant.
Gluten Hazards to Watch Out For
Here is a list of some gluten-containing foods to watch out for. You must call the manufacturer and carefully explain your need for a gluten free diet, and find out if they can guarantee their product to be gluten-free. If they can not guarantee this, or you are not convinced they understand the their own product properly, do not eat the food.
- Some natural and artificial flavors
- Ice cream
- Salad dressing
This is not a complete list. It will expand as new information comes my way.
If you know of other foods that may contain gluten without it being listed, please leave a comment. | <urn:uuid:3e45f2ec-0754-48a2-8340-604a6e32c40d> | CC-MAIN-2020-24 | http://www.allergy-details.com/gluten-free-diet/avoid-gluten/hidden-gluten/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-24/segments/1590347411862.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20200531053947-20200531083947-00014.warc.gz | en | 0.94669 | 362 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Normal Spine Anatomy
The spine, also called the back bone, is designed to give us stability, smooth movement, as well as providing a corridor of protection for the delicate spinal cord. It is made up of bony segments called vertebrae and fibrous tissue called intervertebral discs. The vertebrae and discs form a column from your head to your pelvis providing symmetry and support to the body.
The spine can be divided into 4 parts. The uppermost is the cervical region, consisting of 7 small vertebrae that form the neck. As we move down the body, the next 12 vertebrae make up the thoracic region or mid back from which the ribs are hinged. The 5 lumbar vertebrae are the largest of the mobile vertebrae and supports 2/3 of the body’s weight. The lowest region of the spine is the sacrum and coccyx. The sacrum is a triangular plate made up of 5 fused vertebral segments while the 4 coccyxes terminate the bony spine.
A single vertebra is made up of two parts; the front portion is called the body, cylindrical in shape, and is strong and stable. The back portion of the vertebra is referred to as the vertebral or neural arch and is made up of many parts. The strong 2 pedicles join the vertebral arch to the front body.
The laminae form the arch itself while the transverse process spread out from the side of the pedicles like wings to help anchor the vertebral arch to surrounding muscle. The spinous process forms a steeple at the apex of the laminae, and is the part of our spine that is felt directly under the skin.
The laminae of the vertebra can be described as a pair of flat arched bones that form a component of the vertebral arch.
This canal is formed by the placement of single vertebral foramina, one on top of the other, to form a canal. The purpose of the canal is to create a bony casing from the head to the lower back through which the spinal cord passes.
Pars Inter Articularis
Known as the Pars, it is the part of the vertebral arch where the pedicle, transverse process, and articular process transect.
The intervertebral disc sits between the weight bearing vertebral bodies, servicing the spine as shock absorbers. The disc has fibrous outer rings called the annulus fibrosus with a watery jelly filled nucleus called the Nucleus Pulposis.
The spinal cord is the means by which the nervous system communicates the electrical signals between the brain and the body. It begins at the brain stem and is held within the spinal canal until it reaches the beginning of the lumbar vertebrae. At L1 the spinal cord resolves down to a grouping of nerves that supply the lower body.
Facets joints are the paired articular processes of the vertebral arch. These synovial joints give the spine it’s flexibility by sliding on the articular processes of the vertebrae below.
What is Sciatica?
Sciatica is a painful condition caused by the irritation of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in our bodies. It begins in the lower back and extends through the buttocks down the back of each leg to the thighs and feet. Sciatica can be acute (short term) lasting a few weeks, or chronic (long term) persisting for more than 3 months.
It is important to understand that most Sciatica will resolve itself within a few weeks or months and rarely causes permanent nerve damage.
The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body. Starting in the pelvic area and continuing through the buttock and hip areas down the back of the legs, the sciatic nerve enables you to feel sensation in your lower extremities. It is also responsible for the control of muscle movement in both legs.
Risk Factors for Sciatica
Anyone can develop sciatica at some point in their lives; however there are certain risk factors that may predispose you to developing sciatica. These include the following:
- Age: Increasing age causing degenerative changes in the spine is the most common risk factor for sciatica. These changes can cause pressure on the sciatic nerve.
- Physical Fitness: Inactive lifestyle and lack of exercise can lead to weight problems and obesity causing stress on the spine. People who sit for long periods of time or lead a sedentary lifestyle are at increased risk of developing sciatica.
- Occupational Risks: If you are working in a job that involves heavy lifting, frequent twisting of the body, or long periods of driving a vehicle, you are at higher risk for developing sciatica.
- Genetics can play a role in back problems. Research has identified two genes that may predispose some people to disc problems.
- Diet: An unhealthy diet high in fat and calories can lead to overweight or obesity increasing your risk of living a sedentary lifestyle, a factor in sciatica development.
- Medical Factors: Certain medical conditions such as diabetes or cancer that has metastasized to the spine can cause sciatica.
- Smoking: Although smoking is not a direct cause of sciatica, smoking decreases circulation which can affect the delivery of nutrients to the discs. Smokers also don’t heal as well as non-smokers which can prolong pain after back injury or surgery.
Causes of Sciatica
It is important to know Sciatica is a symptom not a medical diagnosis. Some medical conditions that can cause Sciatica include:
- Herniated Discs in the low back area are the most common cause of Sciatica. A herniated disc is a condition caused by a tear in a disc allowing the disc contents to bulge outside of the disc. Sciatica occurs when the disc contents put pressure on the sciatic nerve. Symptoms related to herniated discs in the lumbar region include sharp, continuous back pain, weakness in the legs, and some loss of sensation to the leg and foot.
- Lumbar Spinal Stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal as we age, most commonly due to degenerative arthritis. This narrowing can cause pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots. If stenosis is in the lumbar area, the lower back, sciatica can occur.
- Piriformis Syndrome:The Piriformis muscle lies over the sciatic nerve, originating in the lumbar region and ending in the back of the thighs. Common in female runners, Piriformis Syndrome occurs when the Piriformis muscle in the buttocks spasms putting pressure on the sciatic nerve. Other causes of this condition include prolonged sitting, auto accidents, and falls.
- Spondylolisthesis: A condition in which one vertebra has slipped out of place onto the vertebra below it. If this occurs in the lumbar area, the sciatic nerve may be compressed causing Sciatica.
- Degenerative Disc Disease: A condition caused by wear and tear on the discs between the vertebrae causing them to lose their cushioning ability and can cause pressure on the sciatic nerve.
- Diabetes are at increased risk of nerve damage, including the sciatic nerve.
- Tumors: Although spinal tumors are rare, cancer can spread from other parts of the body to the spine. Tumors that are pressing on the spinal cord or nerve roots can cause sciatic pain.
- Trauma: Injury to the sciatic nerve can occur from an injection, car accidents, gunshot wounds, or fall.
The most common symptom of Sciatica is pain. The pain can vary by patient, from mild to debilitating, depending on the degree of pressure to the sciatic nerve.
Common symptoms of Sciatica include:
- Pain in the buttock area and leg
- Sharp, intense, shooting pain down the leg
- Numbness, burning or tingling to the leg or foot
- Weakness of the leg or foot
- Low back pain that radiates down to the buttock and leg
- Pain increases with coughing, sneezing, or straining
- Pain increases with bending backward
- Pain intensifies with prolonged sitting or standing
If you are experiencing progressive weakness in the legs or loss of bowel or bladder function, seek immediate medical attention. This may be symptoms of Cauda Equine Syndrome, a medical emergency.
Evaluating the source of Sciatic pain is important in determining your treatment options for relief of the pain. Dr Hsu will perform the following:
Physical Examination with special attention on assessing neuromuscular function in the lower extremities.
Dr Hsu or Dr Singh may order medical tests to determine the cause of your sciatica depending on the results of the history and physical, how long you have had the pain, the severity of the pain, or if you have other serious illnesses such as cancer.
Diagnostic Studies may include:
- X-rays: a form of electromagnetic radiation that is used to take pictures of bones.
- MRI: magnetic and radio waves are used to create a computer image of soft tissue such as nerves and ligaments.
- CT scan: This test creates 3D images from multiple x-rays and shows your physician spinal structures not seen on regular x-ray.
- CT scan with myelogram: a type of medical imaging which is done by injecting contrast medium into the affected area of the spine followed by CT scan of the area that creates 3D images from multiple x-rays.
- Electromyogram (EMG): a test involving the placement of small needles into the muscles to monitor electrical activity. This test is used to detect the level of nerve root damage related to chronic pain.
- Nerve Conduction Tests: A non-invasive test to assess the speed of conduction in a nerve. Electrodes are placed on the skin and nerves are stimulated with a weak electrical impulse.
Treatment for Sciatica will depend on the cause of the pain and whether the pain is acute (short term) or chronic (long term). The goal of treatment is to alleviate pain and improve mobility. Acute Sciatic pain will usually get better on its own. Treatment guidelines for acute Sciatic pain include:
- Physical Activity: Continue your normal daily activities as much as possible, avoiding any activities that worsen the pain. Bed rest is not recommended and in fact can make your pain worse.
- Over the counter drugs: NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, can help ease the pain until it resolves.
- Ice or heat packs is often used for 20 minute intervals and repeated every 2 hours. Some patients find alternating between heat and ice is helpful.
- Exercise: Dr Hsu or Dr Singh may refer you to a Physiotherapist to instruct you on exercises to strengthen your trunk and back muscles. Stretching exercises done passively without jerking movements can also be helpful.
- Prescription Medications: Dr Hsu or Dr Singh may prescribe anti-inflammatory medications such as steroids. For severe pain, you may be prescribed narcotic pain medications, or muscle relaxants.
- Epidural Steroid Injections: Injections administered into the spine to deliver anti-inflammatory medications directly to the painful area around the nerve.
- Therapeutic Massage by a trained therapist can decrease muscle spasms
- Manual Manipulation: Spinal adjustments to straighten the spine can be performed by Chiropractors, Osteopathic Physicians, and appropriated trained Physiotherapists.
Dr Hsu or Dr Singh may consider surgical intervention if:
- Your sciatic pain persists for more than a few months
- Your pain is severe and interferes with your sleep and daily activities
- Your pain does not respond to conservative treatment measures as described previously.
Some of the medical diagnoses that may need surgical intervention for sciatic pain include:
- Herniated discs
- Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
- Degenerative Disc Disease
Dr Hsu or Dr Singh will discuss which options are best for you depending on your specific circumstances.
After surgery, you will be instructed on how to use proper body mechanics to turn in bed, reposition, and stand up, sit, and walk while the incision is healing.
- You will be given oral and/or intravenous pain medications for the discomfort.
- You will be encouraged to walk as much as tolerated and avoid prolonged sitting.
- Avoid pulling, pushing, or lifting.
- A postoperative Rehabilitation program will be prescribed by Dr Hsu.
- Keeping the incision area clean and dry and report any signs or symptoms of infection to Dr Hsu such as redness, swelling, increased pain, excess drainage, odorous drainage, fever, or chills.
Risks and complications
- As with any major surgery there are potential risks involved. The decision to proceed with the surgery is made because the advantages of surgery outweigh the potential disadvantages.
- It is important that you are informed of these risks before the surgery takes place.
Complications can be medical (general) or specific to spinal surgery.
Medical complications include those of the anesthetic and your general well being. Almost any medical condition can occur so this list is not complete. Complications can include;
- Allergic reactions to medications
- Blood loss requiring transfusion with its low risk of disease transmission
- Heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, pneumonia, bladder infections
- Complications from nerve blocks such as infection or nerve damage
- Serious medical problems can lead to ongoing health concerns, prolonged hospitalization, or rarely death.
Specific complications of Back Surgery include:
- Skin infection at the incision line
- Spinal fluid leak
- Spinal instability
- Nerve root injury/damage
- Failure to improve
- Discitis, a rare occurrence involving infection of the disc. | <urn:uuid:8de56e38-e9d1-44ec-a434-f167df3193ff> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | http://www.brianhsu.com.au/sciatica.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875147116.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20200228073640-20200228103640-00258.warc.gz | en | 0.929273 | 2,928 | 4.28125 | 4 |
Does cigarette smoke harm your pet?
We all know that smoking harms your health, but how about your pet? Will cigarette smoke harm your pet? Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemical compounds and some of these are chemicals commonly used as ingredients in mothballs, floor cleaners, pesticides and paint strippers. While many studies have shown that exposure to these chemicals can increase humans' chances of heart disease, lung cancer and other cancers, some recent animal studies have shown that exposure to these chemicals can also increase the risk of these diseases in pets.
Dogs with long noses are at an even greater risk of developing certain nasal and sinus cancers, as they expose more tissue to the carcinogens when they inhale. Following known exposure, chemicals from cigarette smoke can be found in animals' bodies for a long period of time. In fact, measurable levels of carcinogens can be found in dogs' hair and urine for several months after exposure.
Cats exposed to secondhand smoke have an increased chance of developing squamous cell carcinoma, a type of oral cancer commonly found in humans that smoke tobacco, possibly because the carcinogens in tobacco smoke can settle on a cat's fur and be ingested when the cat grooms itself.
Pets can also have strong reactions to smoke particles in the air. Just like members of their human families, pets can develop respiratory infections, lung inflammation and asthma when exposed to secondhand smoke.
Source: www.drugs.health.gov.au and AAHA healthypet. | <urn:uuid:ccb26ef5-83c0-436d-a832-512ea8e81994> | CC-MAIN-2019-22 | https://northwestanimalhospital.com.au/pet-library/does-cigarette-smoke-harm-your-pet | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-22/segments/1558232260658.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20190527025527-20190527051527-00397.warc.gz | en | 0.953514 | 309 | 3.125 | 3 |
NewsfeedThe Big Picture
1.3 Million Homeless Students: New Federal Data Show a 70 Percent Jump in K-12 Homelessness Over Past Decade, With Big Implications for Academic Performance
This is the latest article in The 74’s ongoing ‘Big Picture’ series, bringing American education into sharper focus through new research and data. Go Deeper: Get our newest numbers and our latest coverage of America’s 74 million children delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for The 74 Newsletter
Student homelessness has hit an all-time high following a significant spike over the past three years, with 20 states experiencing a surge of 10 percent or more, new federal data released last week indicate. The data also found that students who experience homelessness are significantly less likely to graduate from high school.
More than 1.3 million public school students experienced homelessness during the 2016-17 school year, a 7 percent increase over three years ago and the largest number ever recorded. Over the past decade, the population of students experiencing homelessness has spiked by a startling 70 percent.
Several factors might have contributed to the growth in student homelessness. Among them are lingering effects of the recession, local economic issues, natural disasters, and the opioid epidemic, said Barbara Duffield, executive director of the nonprofit SchoolHouse Connection, which works to address homelessness through education.
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“Homelessness is complex is the bottom line. Lots of different things go into it, and so there are both economic issues and issues around addiction and mental health challenges and domestic violence,” she said.
But the larger numbers, she cautioned, could be due in part to better identification. An increase from better tracking could be positive, Duffield said, “because we have to know who they are in order to help.”
“These children don’t announce themselves,” she said. “They don’t come up and say ‘Hi, I’m homeless, help me.’”
Under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, children are considered homeless if they lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. That includes children who reside in shelters, cars, or campgrounds because they lack alternatives. It also includes families who double up with others due to economic hardship or loss of housing. Doubling up accounted for 76 percent of student homelessness in 2016-17.
Meanwhile, 14 percent of homeless youth resided in shelters, 6 percent lived in hotels or motels, and 4 percent were identified as unsheltered. The unsheltered category saw the most growth, increasing by 27 percent over the three-year period.
Homelessness has significant academic ramifications. Utilizing data from 44 states, the report shows that students who experienced homelessness during the 2016-17 school year had a graduation rate of 64 percent — compared with a 77.6 percent graduation rate among other low-income students, and a national average of 84.1 percent.
Among students who experienced homelessness in 2016-17, about 30 percent were proficient in reading and 25 percent were proficient in mathematics.
When the Education Department releases data on the 2017-18 school year, it will include graduation data from all states, as required by the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. That new data, Duffield said, will provide “a better understanding that students who experience homelessness have challenges over and above simply being poor.”
“There’s this misperception that homelessness is just a poor child without a house temporarily,” she said. “But there’s a lot more that goes with it.”
If they’re interested in improving graduation rates for all students, schools need to hone in on the performance of homeless students, Duffield said.
Coinciding with the new federal data, a separate report offering a snapshot of student homelessness across the 50 states was released by the Education Leads Home campaign, a partnership between SchoolHouse Connection, Civic, America’s Promise Alliance, and the Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness. The report includes state-level data on student homelessness, showing that New York has the highest rate of student homelessness nationally.
The campaign, which aims to improve the graduation rates of homeless students, notes that children without stable living conditions are 87 percent more likely to drop out of school and, without a diploma, more than four times as likely to become homeless as young adults.
Duffield said she’s worried that the growth in student homelessness “reflects communities not understanding the needs of families and youth, and not really stepping up when it comes to providing shelter and services.”
Go Deeper: This is the latest article in The 74’s ongoing ‘Big Picture’ series, bringing American education into sharper focus through coverage of the latest data and research. Get new additions delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for The 74 Newsletter; here are a few notable recent dispatches:
- Student Engagement: Bored in class — A national survey finds nearly 1 in 3 teens are bored ‘most or all of the time’ in school, and a majority report high levels of stress
- School Choice: New Florida study shows students using state’s tax credit scholarship program more likely to attend and graduate college
- Academics: Is homework too easy? With half of parents expressing concerns, new study says students’ assignments lack rigor, favor lower-level skills
- Trauma: Despite prevalent trauma, from school shootings to the opioid epidemic, few states have policies to fully address student needs, study finds | <urn:uuid:f96c3b83-0ed2-48d7-b2ab-dd8e71b584d4> | CC-MAIN-2021-43 | https://www.the74million.org/1-3-million-homeless-students-new-federal-data-show-a-70-percent-jump-in-k-12-homelessness-over-past-decade-with-big-implications-for-academic-performance/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-43/segments/1634323587608.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20211024235512-20211025025512-00093.warc.gz | en | 0.954924 | 1,184 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Gold could be used in cancer treatment, researchers say
A team of scientists at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Zaragoza found that a tiny medical device containing gold specks could boost the effects of lung cancer medication and reduce its harm.
The group, led by Dr. Asier Unciti-Broceta from the Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, worked on encasing gold nanoparticles in a chemical device to control their highly-specific reactions in exact locations.
Those nanoparticles activated anti-cancer medicines that had been applied to lung cancer cells in a dish, increasing the drugs’ effectiveness.
The small fragments in the device also catalysed a directed chemical reaction when implanted in the brain of zebrafish, so the researchers are hopeful the technique could be used to develop human treatments.
These findings were published in the journal Angewandte Chemie. In their study, the experts state that gold is a safe chemical element that has the ability to accelerate – or catalyse – chemical reactions, which means that it could be used to target diseased cells without damaging healthy tissue. Current chemotherapy treatments have serious side effects for patients.
“There is still work to do before we can use this on patients, but this study is a step forward. We hope that a similar device in humans could one day be implanted by surgeons to activate chemotherapy directly in tumours and reduce harmful effects to healthy organs,” Unciti-Broceta said in a press release. | <urn:uuid:9b271ca6-5254-4df4-99d6-60416d363eeb> | CC-MAIN-2018-30 | http://www.mining.com/gold-used-cancer-treatment-researchers-say/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-30/segments/1531676594886.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20180723032237-20180723052237-00289.warc.gz | en | 0.950408 | 302 | 3.609375 | 4 |
Arthritis is a prevalent chronic health problem in Canada, with around 6 million Canadians currently suffering from this condition. It’s been estimated that by 2040, 24 percent of Canada’s population will have arthritis. It doesn’t target a specific age group, but your chances of getting the disease increases as you grow older.
There are over 100 known types of arthritis today. All of them cause joint inflammation and stiffness which can lead to permanent damage if left untreated for too long. What makes this disease highly problematic is that once you have it, it stays with you for the rest of your life.
Other kinds of arthritis can even cause problems to the eyes, heart, or lungs. One of these more dangerous types is Ankylosing Spondylitis.
What is Ankylosing Spondylitis?
Ankylosing Spondylitis or AS mainly affects the spine. Given enough time, it will slowly fuse parts of the vertebrae together until you are hunched. It’s not unusual for the pelvis to be affected as well. In more severe cases, this disease can also spread to the shoulders, ribs and other joints in the body.
Some of AS’ symptoms are as follows:
- Pain and stiffness in the lower back, pelvis, legs, or shoulders
- Increased pain in the morning or after being inactive for long periods of time
- Chronic fatigue
- Blurry vision and heightened sensitivity to light
AS can lead to other complications, such as
- Inflammation in the eyes
- Restricts breathing
- Increased likeliness of cancer
- Heart impairment
It is a rare condition that is more likely to occur in men. Unlike most forms of arthritis which are more commonplace in older people, young adults are more susceptible to this disease.
But like most other arthritis types, Ankylosing Spondylitis doesn’t have a known cure yet. However, there are medications that you can take to prevent its symptoms from getting worse or at least slow its progress down.
If you’re looking for something else aside from opioids and other pharmaceuticals, one of the most popular natural options is CBD hemp oil.
How CBD Hemp Oil Can Help With AS
In recent years, CBD oil use has become commonplace among Canadians looking for an alternative to medical cannabis. This is because CBD & CBD hemp products don’t induce the psychoactive effects that cannabis does, thanks to the lack of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC.
CBD’s Health Benefits
The benefits of CBD may include:
- Pain relief
- Reduces stress and anxiety
- Treats epilepsy symptoms
CBD’s famous pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties have made it attractive to people who need help with pain management.
CBD and the ECS
To understand how CBD, or cannabidiol, can relieve arthritis pain, we must first know about the endocannabinoid system or ECS, which we are all born with.
CBD helps your body by interacting with your ECS, which has receptors that receive chemical signals and assist your cells in responding to different stimuli in the body. While the ECS can send pain-relieving signals without the help of CBD, the substance enhances the effects that it has on you.
CBD’s Special Anti-Inflammatory Effect
For a long time, it was assumed that CBD’s effectiveness at reducing inflammation was thanks to its interactions with the ECS receptors. However, there’s a recent study by the Brain and Spine Institute in France that reveals that CBD didn’t need the receptors. The chemical already has inherent antioxidant properties and suppresses an enzyme that stimulates inflammation in the body.
For people with Ankylosing Spondylitis, which has severe inflammations, this property is immensely helpful in slowing down its symptoms.
Consult a Physician First
If you are interested in CBD oil for relieving your Ankylosing Spondylitis symptoms, it’s safer to consult a trusted physician first on proper dosages and to make sure that it is not conflicting with any ongoing medications and treatments you have. Your healthcare provider should always be updated on your progress and any side effects you may be feeling. If you don’t have a doctor that can help you, Apollo’s Cannabis Clinic physicians are here, 7 days a week.
To get safe and high-quality CBD, be sure to buy tested and certified products from trusted sources. Book an appointment with our dedicated doctors today and find out more about how Apollo can help. | <urn:uuid:d275dc6d-7d72-4d39-8705-898d5e4d3c9c> | CC-MAIN-2021-21 | https://apollocannabis.ca/blog/cbd-hemp-oil-for-ankylosing-spondylitis/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-21/segments/1620243988796.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20210507150814-20210507180814-00125.warc.gz | en | 0.937872 | 960 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Eating foods with a high glycemic index (GI) can make your blood sugar rise higher and faster after eating. Theoretically, that could cause unhealthy levels of hormones like insulin, which seem to promote development of some cancers, including breast.
However, research suggests that glycemic index by itself has little to no relation to breast cancer risk.
An analysis of 19 studies found no link between breast cancer risk and diets high in GI beyond what could occur by chance. Even glycemic load (GL), which takes portion size of foods into account, showed no significant link to breast cancer risk. The links were not consistent and could reflect other qualities of those diets. Another analysis that included only studies with a stronger design that follows people over time (called prospective cohort studies) found a weak five to six percent increase in breast cancer risk when comparing diets at the very highest to the very lowest glycemic index or glycemic load, respectively. Read more… “Do foods high in glycemic index increase breast cancer risk?”
Diets high in fruits, vegetables and other foods with fewer calories per bite may lower an older women’s risk of breast cancer compared to women who eat lots of high calorie-dense foods, suggests a new study. The findings suggest the link is independent of overweight and obesity, a risk factor for postmenopausal breast cancer.
In this study researchers looked at energy density, the amount of calories in a certain weight of food, typically a gram. Cakes, ice cream and other foods heavy in oils and added sugars are high in energy density. Low energy-dense foods are higher in water and fiber, making these foods generally lower in calories for every gram. Vegetables, fruits and many unprocessed grains are generally low in energy-density.
Right now, the research does not show any strong link between eggs and ovarian cancer risk. There have been a few studies that have found a modest increased risk of ovarian cancer among women with the highest weekly egg consumption compared to those who don’t eat eggs. However, the studies that show a link are usually the study types more likely to have problems accurately estimating egg consumption and controlling for other potential influences on risk.
And many studies examining this link have not adjusted for being overweight, which increases ovarian cancer risk. A recent analysis of the global research on eggs and ovarian cancer risk by the American Institute for Cancer Research found that current evidence is too limited to support any conclusion. More research is needed.
Theoretically, high consumption of eggs’ cholesterol could lead to formation of compounds that pose risk. Yet it’s also possible that eggs’ rich content of choline (an essential nutrient) could play a role in maintaining healthy DNA to reduce cancer risk. Read more… “Health Talk: Do eggs increase ovarian cancer risk?”
We fund cutting-edge research and give people practical tools and information to help them prevent–and survive–cancer.
American Institute for Cancer Research
1759 R Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009
P: (800) 843-8114 | (202) 328-7744 in D.C.
Fax: (202) 328-7226 | Email: email@example.com | <urn:uuid:ed7f2861-38f9-4ec6-a9ff-1f5e1a42dbef> | CC-MAIN-2017-13 | http://blog.aicr.org/category/cancer-sites/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-13/segments/1490218199514.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20170322212959-00560-ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94877 | 668 | 3 | 3 |
n Learning that is situated around an event, case, problem, or scenario.
Five Strategies for Using PBL
1. The Problem as a Guide: the problem is presented in order to gain attention prior to presenting the lesson.
2. The Problem as an Integrator or Test: the problem is presented after readings are completed and/or discussed -- these are used to check for understanding.
3. The Problem as an Example: the problem is integrated into the material in order to illustrate a particular principle, concept or procedure.
4. The Problem as a Vehicle for Process: the problem is used to promote critical thinking whereby the analysis of how to solve it becomes a lesson in itself.
5. The Problem as a Stimulus for Authentic Activity: the problem is used to develop skills necessary to solve it and other problems -- skills can include physical skills, recall of prior knowledge, and metacognitive skills related to the problem solving process. A form of authentic assessment of the skills and activity necessary in the content domain.
Design PBL Instruction:
- Task Analysis: analysis must take place not only within the content domain but should also determine the actual setting where the learning will be authentic.
- Problem Generation: The problems must be constructed so they include the concepts and principles that are relevant and they must be set in a real context.
- Collaborative Analysis session where groups work together to solve the problem.
- Self-directed Learning where the students identify the information and resources that are necessary to solve the problem.
n The instructor in PBL only acts as a facilitator to learning, instead of a transmitter of the necessary information.
n Assessment: assessment of learning must occur within the context of the problems and should be in the form of both self assessment and peer assessment.
Cognitive apprenticeships are situated within the social constructivist paradigm. They suggest students work in teams on projects or problems with close scaffolding of the instructor. Cognitive apprenticeships are representative of Vygotskian "zones of proximal development" in which student tasks are slightly more difficult than students can manage independently, requiring the aid of their peers and instructor to succeed.
• Scaffolding refers to the role played by parents, teachers and others by which children acquire their knowledge and skills (Wood et al, 1976).
• As a task becomes more familiar to the child and more within its competence, so those who provide the scaffold leave more and more for the child to do until it can perform the task successfully.
• In this way, the developing thinker does not have to create cognition ‘from scratch’: there are others available who have already ‘served’ their apprenticeship.
Zone of Proximal Development
The theory of the "Zone of Proximal Development" (ZPD) is a term coined by Vygotsky to refer to the:
‘level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers…..What children can do with the assistance of others might be in some sense even more indicative of their mental development than what they can do alone’ (Vygotsky, 1978).
• "Proximal" simply means "next". He observed that when children were tested on tasks on their own, they rarely did as well as when they were working in collaboration with an adult. It was by no means always the case that the adult was teaching them how to perform the task, but that the process of engagement with the adult enabled them to refine their thinking or their performance to make it more effective. Hence, for him, the development of language and articulation of ideas was central to learning and development. The common-sense idea which fits most closely with this model is that of "stretching" learners. | <urn:uuid:96a50e33-7515-471e-994f-96890ad4c95b> | CC-MAIN-2019-26 | http://psychologicalresources.blogspot.com/2014_12_21_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-26/segments/1560627998755.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20190618143417-20190618165417-00236.warc.gz | en | 0.961367 | 777 | 3.875 | 4 |
s you approach Coventry Cathedral, you are overlooked by the rather imposing bronze statues of St. Michael and the Devil on the southern end of the east wall. (Ecclesiastically speaking, the west end of the south wall.) It was sculpted by Sir Jacob Epstein, who, sadly, died in 1959, and therefore didn't live to see his masterpiece mounted on the cathedral wall a year later.
The choice of Epstein for the work initially troubled various members of the cathedral's Reconstruction Committee. The phrase "But he is a Jew", plus the controversial nature of some of his previous work, were among the reasons put forward against his selection for the sculpting of St. Michael, the cathedral's patron saint. "So was Jesus Christ" was the simple retort from Basil Spence to the first accusation!
A visit to see Jacob Epstein by Spence and the Provost soon set things in motion - Howard was won over immediately by Epstein's charm and spiritual awareness - and by the time the head and shoulders had been sensitively moulded in clay some months later, all doubts had melted away, and soon, Epstein, whom Spence regarded as the greatest sculptor of the 20th century, had won over all who set eyes upon the huge group of St. Michael and the Devil.
Entrance to the cathedral is through the "Screen of Saints and Angels" directly opposite the steps that lead up to the old cathedral ruins, which are clearly visible in the reflection from the window. My photograph hardly does this magnificent creation justice.... it is actually 70 feet high and 45 feet wide and is supported by a bronze framework hung by wires from the roof for added strength.
This unique screen formed part of Sir Basil Spence's first 'vision' for the new cathedral. As he stared out from the ruins of the bombed cathedral, he saw the shape for the new church through a screen of saints. This transparent wall would link the old and new - making each mutually visible from within each other. Provost Howard set out to draw up a scheme consisting of all the saints who were responsible for the bringing of Christianity to Britain. As John Hutton began to make initial designs, he soon realised that row upon row of saints would need to be "broken up in some way", and suggested that angels be inserted between the saints. A short discussion with Bishop Gorton solidified this idea, and so the work began.
As with most great works, the design of Coventry's new cathedral evolved slightly as it moved towards completion. One such example of change is this giant screen, the original plan for which being a smaller screen that could be lowered into a slot in the ground, thereby enabling direct contact between the altar and the people of Coventry. Eventually, the present screen was decided upon, giving more space for Hutton's magnificent engravings.
Something which isn't necessarily apparent as you stare at this screen is the vivid reflection of the old ruins in the glass, especially on a sunny day.
The photo on the left demonstrates just how remarkable and clear the ruins are reflected in the new cathedral west window, echoing Sir Basil Spence's thoughts that the new building should be incomplete without the old. | <urn:uuid:4acfe593-ba4c-4837-95a8-cb65c1306502> | CC-MAIN-2017-51 | http://www.historiccoventry.co.uk/cathedrals/newcathedral.php?pg=st-michael-devil | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948563083.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20171215021156-20171215041156-00277.warc.gz | en | 0.974814 | 649 | 2.625 | 3 |
Like humans, plants have strong preferences when it comes to the company they keep. Plants try to fight off invaders they don’t get along with, and try to encourage their buddies to live nearby. Farmers have been taking advantage of these behaviors for thousands of years to enhance their yields and prevent pest infestations, creating a rich agricultural tradition.
When we started gardening 5 years ago, my friends and I wanted to tap into this long tradition of agriculture. Since then, we’ve grown thousands of pounds of organic vegetables and blogged about the community benefits of gardening, lawns, and the romance of gardening. However, we haven’t provided much information about how we garden. Since there are an abundance gardening resources out there, I want to highlight two techniques with strong scientific backing that encompass this agricultural tradition: companion planting and crop rotation. While research has not yet fully elucidated the mechanisms behind these practices, they have been consistently shown to increase yield. In this post, I will quickly flesh out each technique and provide links to more in depth sources should you wish to delve deeper.
Companion planting is simple: plant crops together that like to live next to each other. One of the most famous examples of companion planting is the Three Sisters, which has been used in the Americas for thousands of years. The Three Sisters are beans, squash, and maize. These plants were grown together partially because they provide most of the essential vitamins and nutrients for humans, but their growth, nutrient uptake, and physical defense interact in complementary ways, including:
- The strong stalk of maize provides structure for the beans to climb on.
- Beans fix nitrogen, which is a vital nutrient for the squash and maize
- Squash provides ground cover, which prevents the loss of moisture, out-competes weeds, and protects against pests.
Another key component of companion planting is allelopathy, which is basically the plant version of chemical warfare. Plants release chemicals that kill or inhibit the organisms they don’t like while not harming (or even helping) the ones they do. For example, barley produces hordenine, a chemical that inhibits some seeds from germinating and deters grasshoppers from eating the barley.
One of the first described cases of allelopathy was in black walnut trees. Black walnuts cause “soil sickness”, inhibiting nearly all other plants from growing near them by producing a toxic chemical called juglone.
Thus, plants can produce natural herbicides and pesticides, protecting friends and harming foes. Plants can also stimulate the growth of their buddies; the roots of peas and hairy vetch allow barley and oats to increase photosynthesis and absorb phosphorus more efficiently.
Pest resistance is one of the many benefits of crop rotation, and I’ll illustrate how it works with analogy. Say you like to fish, and are looking for good fishing spots. Over a summer, you try out 15 spots, and find that one spot consistently has the most fish. The next summer, that same spot is again the best, so you decide to rent a house to take advantage of that fantastic fishing. In future summers, where would you go to fish? Obviously, that same spot!
Garden pests behave the same way. My neighbor has planted her tomatoes in the same place since at least 2010. Every year, a fungus attacks her tomato plants, causing their leaves to curl and making them more vulnerable to pests. Over time, this has gotten worse. Why? Because the bugs that eat my neighbor’s tomatoes lay eggs nearby, and the fungal spores stick around in that soil. It’s a good strategy for them, because they always have something to eat. The same holds true for weeds; if they grow well next to a certain type of plant, they’ll be harder to get rid of if you keep planting that crop in the same spot. If my neighbor planted her tomatoes in a different spot (or didn’t grow tomatoes at all for a year), the number of tomato pests in her primary spot would likely decrease.
Crop rotation has many other benefits as well, like reducing the number of weeds and improving soil structure and fertility. Planting carrots or other root vegetables one year loosens up the soil, making it easier for plants with large root structures – like tomatoes – to make strong root systems the following year. As I mentioned earlier, beans and other legumes fix nitrogen in the soil and don’t need an abundance of nutrients to thrive. Planting legumes after a round nightshades or other crops that deplete nitrogen prepares the soil for future nitrogen-hungry plants.
As you can tell, these two strategies complement each other wonderfully. Companion planting lessens the need for pesticides through allelopathy and improves plant health. Crop rotation prevents pests from finding a reliable niche and improves the nutrient balance in the soil. These techniques will keep your garden healthy and your gardening neighbors happy (I’m still hoping my neighbors will plant their tomatoes in a different spot!). In these days of increased resistance to pesticides, we prefer to keep our garden a place of relaxation and growth, rather than one of conflict and frustration.
For more information on early farming practices in the Americas, I highly suggest 1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus, by Charles Mann.
Chou, Chang-Hung. “Roles of allelopathy in plant biodiversity and sustainable agriculture.” Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences 18.5 (1999): 609-636. link
Liu, De Li, and J. V. Lovett. “Biologically active secondary metabolites of barley. II. Phytotoxicity of barley allelochemicals.” Journal of Chemical Ecology 19.10 (1993): 2231-2244. DOI
Harley, K. L. S., and A. J. Thorsteinson. “The influence of plant chemicals on the feeding behavior, development, and survival of the two-striped grasshopper, Melanoplus bivittatus (Say), Acrididae: Orthoptera.” Canadian Journal of Zoology 45.3 (1967): 305-319. DOI
Jose, Shibu, and Andrew R. Gillespie. “Allelopathy in black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) alley cropping. I. Spatio-temporal variation in soil juglone in a black walnut–corn (Zea maysL.) alley cropping system in the midwestern USA.” Plant and Soil 203.2 (1998): 191-197. link
Liebman, Matt, and Elizabeth Dyck. “Crop rotation and intercropping strategies for weed management.” Ecological applications (1993): 92-122. link | <urn:uuid:4ce2aa2c-e1c8-4f97-92b2-7c7183fd5768> | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | https://www.thoughtandawe.net/biology/simple-uses-of-plant-preferences/?shared=email&msg=fail | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780053657.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20210916145123-20210916175123-00670.warc.gz | en | 0.920948 | 1,404 | 3.390625 | 3 |
This question forgets how systemic racism is in America. At its foundation, we are a nation that was established by white men drafting rules and laws from their point of view. The mistreatment of people of color has never been an isolated incident. It's a continuum of purposeful, often legal, actions to keep people of color in a constant state of second-class citizenship. As noted by Ta-Nehisi Coates in his article "The Case for Reparations," America's history includes 250 years of legally justified slavery, followed by 90 or so years of lightly challenged Jim Crow polices, overlapped and followed by 60 or so years of separate-but-equal doctrines, and followed by almost 40 years of state-sanctioned economic policies that control where or if black people could own homes. Today, thanks to the effects of the so-called war on drugs, we're living in a new era of Jim Crow. Although rates of drug use are comparable across racial lines, police and prosecutors disproportionately target people of color for arrest and prosecution. The U.S. jails a higher percentage of its black population than did South Africa at the height of apartheid, according to Michelle Alexander in her devastating book, "The New Jim Crow."
"Once you're labeled a felon," Alexander writes, "the old forms of discrimination — employment discrimination, housing discrimination, denial of the right to vote, denial of educational opportunity, denial of food stamps and other public benefits, and exclusion from jury service — are suddenly legal. As a criminal you have scarcely more rights, and arguably less respect, than a black man living in Alabama at the height of Jim Crow."
Thursday, December 11, 2014
White racism in the real world
Sam O'Bryant describes the current state of white racism well in A racist system Arkansas Times 12/11/2014: | <urn:uuid:7ea81b36-5bb2-42cd-a157-6b64e1b75d92> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | https://oldhickorysweblog.blogspot.com/2014/12/white-racism-in-real-world.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281331.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00461-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961602 | 376 | 2.84375 | 3 |
The Brazilian flag is a flag with a green field with in the center an emblem. The used colors in the flag are blue, green, yellow, white. The proportion of the Brazilian flag is 7:10. The Flag of Brazil was adopted in 1992. The first use of the current flag design was in 1889. The last change to the current Brazilian flag design was in 1992.
The Brazilian flag is the flag of the country named Brazil. Brazil is located in continental South America. Brazil has 10 neighbouring countries. The total length of land borders of Brazil is 9 129 mi/ 14 691 km. Brazil border neighbours and border lengths are: Argentina: 1 224 km, Bolivia: 3 400 km, Colombia: 1 643 km, French Guiana (France): 673 km, Guyana: 1 119 km, Paraguay: 1 290 km, Peru: 1 560 km, Suriname: 597 km, Uruguay: 985 km, Venezuela: 2 200 km.
205 338 000 people are living in Brazil, a country stretching over 3 287 956 sq mi/ 8 515 767 km² (0.65% water). The population density in Brazil is of 62 per sq mi/ 24 people per km². The official language of Brazil is Portuguese. The capital city of Brazil is Brasília. Brazil is a Federal presidential constitutional republic.
The currency in Brazil is the Brazilian real R$ (BRL). UTC (standard time) in Brazil is UTC−02:00 to UTC−05:00 and UTC−02:00 to UTC−05:00 in summer. Brazil has the unique two-letter country code, BR (also Internet top-level domain), its three-letter country code is BRA, and its three-digit country code is 076. The calling code for Brazil is +55.
|CET:||UTC−02:00 to −05:00|
|CEST:||UTC−02:00 to −05:00|
|Three-letter country code:||BRA|
|Three-digit country code:||076| | <urn:uuid:c8a83c23-4aca-44fb-8520-55b6ff603f1f> | CC-MAIN-2019-26 | https://www.countryflags.com/en/flag-of-brazil.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-26/segments/1560628000613.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20190627035307-20190627061307-00246.warc.gz | en | 0.873813 | 433 | 3.15625 | 3 |
The rich variety of flora on The Ridgeway includes common and rare species, with something of interest throughout the summer along the whole length of the route. On chalk grassland, plants have to be well-adapted to their environment to survive. Continuous grazing by sheep and other animals in the past meant that plants had to have strategies to avoid being eaten, such as leaves pressed down to form a rosette on the surface of the soil, and buds produced near soil level out of harm’s way, but the flowers must be raised well above the ground to attract pollinators. Competition on grassland is fierce, with little room in the crowded turf for new plants to establish, so most species are perennials, the few annuals appearing in very small areas such as hoof prints and old cowpats.
Rare downland plants to be found include Orchids (Common Spotted, Pyramidal, Fragrant, Bee Orchid), Small Scabious, Chalk Milkwort, Autumn Gentian and Clustered Bellflower.
The more common and obvious flowering plants include:
Greater Stitchwort, Common Mouse-ear, Common Chickweed, Cow Parsley, Mayweeds, Bladder Campion, White Campion, White Clover, Hogweed, Wild Carrot, Upright Hedge-parsley, Hedge Bindweed, Field Bindweed (white & pink flowers), Hedge Bedstraw, Yarrow, Oxeye Daisy.
Lesser Celandine, Creeping Cinquefoil, Black Medick, Cowslip, Primrose, Coltsfoot, Dandelion, Buttercup, Weld, Wild Mignonette, Agrimony, Silverweed, Ribbed Melilot, Meadow Vetchling, Bird’s-foot-trefoil, Black Medick, St John’s Wort, Common Rock-rose, Wild Parsnip, Lady’s Bedstraw, Common Toadflax, Goat’s-beard, Hawkweed, Sow Thistle, Ragwort.
BLUE OR VIOLET FLOWERS:
Violet, Ground Ivy, Speedwell, Meadow Crane’s-bill, Selfheal, Field Scabious, Harebell, Bluebell, Vetches (Bush, Tufted, Kidney, Horseshoe), Wild Thyme.
Dog’s Mercury, Traveller’s-joy, Salad Burnet, White Bryony, Mugwort, Plantain.
RED, PINK OR PURPLE FLOWERS:
Red Campion, Common Vetch, Dovesfoot Cranesbill, Herb Robert, Salad Burnet, Clover, Common Mallow, Rosebay Willowherb, Scarlet Pimpernel, Hedge Woundwort, Bittersweet, Red Bartsia, Knapweed, Burdock, Poppy, Thistle. | <urn:uuid:b45d5bc8-e558-4f84-9127-7907002bc1dd> | CC-MAIN-2021-43 | https://ridgewayfriends.org.uk/the-trail/natural-history/wild-flowers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-43/segments/1634323585178.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20211017144318-20211017174318-00420.warc.gz | en | 0.879533 | 605 | 3.171875 | 3 |
Over the past quarter-century, little has changed business, or the global economy, more than the rise of supply chains as the core organizing principle for production and distribution of everyday products.
It is likely that in the next 25 years, fundamental changes in consumer expectations, natural resource constraints, and technology advances will remake every aspect of business, not least for supply chain models.
One approach for staying ahead of these changes is circular economy thinking. The circular economy holds the potential to revolutionize the production model the world relies upon. This is no small thing: CDP, for example, estimates that 50 percent of the average company’s carbon emissions are embedded in its supply chain.
What, then, are some examples of what can—and should—change?
Four core steps can lead to circular supply chain models that drive sustainability progress.
The first step requires a change in thinking. Circular economy principles envision a departure from the traditional “take-make-dispose” model in favor of a system that radically reduces—or eliminates—waste. As is so often the case, it is as much the “software” of our thinking as the “hardware” of our practices that drives or prevents change.
Second, circular supply chains require changes in product design. Everything from automobile components to athletic footwear can be re-imagined to ensure that components have fewer toxic elements and can be easily reused or recycled.
Third, circular supply chains require radical collaboration. Too often, production capacity is used inefficiently. Competitors share facilities but in many cases fail to coordinate production, resulting in excess—or strained—capacity. Companies are increasingly looking to manage their costs, and connected machines drive greater efficiencies. The obvious competitive issues that prevent optimizing capacity may be a luxury that companies can no longer afford.
Finally, the reverse cycle to reclaim materials is a fundamental element of the circular production model. The creation of reverse logistics not only reduces or eliminates waste, but also brings economic opportunities from the repurposing of scarce natural resources, which can generate new enterprises, as well as additional employment for people populating these efforts.
One thing to note is that, on its own, this model may not address ongoing issues regarding supply chain labor practices. That said, greater coordination among buyers could result in more concerted efforts to ensure the fair treatment of workers, as well as a material reduction of the production spikes that cause overwork in export facilities.
Circular economy principles have always made sense in terms of wise use of natural resources, and this remains true, now more than ever. And with increasing imperatives to reduce waste, more openness for collaboration among buyers, and growing ambition regarding companies’ climate pledges, the time is right to use circular economy principles to redefine supply chains for the next quarter-century.
BSR is increasing its focus on circular economy, working with our member companies to help them integrate circular economy into their strategies. We have also established a partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to maximize the impact of these efforts and draw on the important research undertaken by the Foundation. Additionally, BSR is an institutional partner of the Sustainable Innovation Forum (SIF15), the largest business-focused event taking place during COP21, which will feature a keynote session on this topic. | <urn:uuid:84fb1c3c-9f3d-46a7-a5bf-c474616183dd> | CC-MAIN-2019-22 | https://www.bsr.org/en/our-insights/blog-view/the-circular-economy-unlocking-new-potential-for-supply-chains | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-22/segments/1558232257361.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20190523184048-20190523210048-00075.warc.gz | en | 0.941797 | 671 | 3.265625 | 3 |
What causes unsteady gait? 21 possible conditions
Walking is typically a smooth motion created by putting one foot in front of the other. Unless you’re walking on an uneven surface, your walking pattern should feel steady and even. However, your walking pattern is no longer smooth if you have an unsteady... Read more
Walking is typically a smooth motion created by putting one foot in front of the other. Unless you’re walking on an uneven surface, your walking pattern should feel steady and even. However, your walking pattern is no longer smooth if you have an unsteady gait. It may be shuffling, uneven, or feel otherwise unstable.
An “unsteady gait” has many potential causes that range from temporary to long term. An unsteady gait can increase your risk for falls and injury, so it’s important to seek medical help for more serious causes of this symptom.
Doctors may also describe an unsteady gait as an “ataxic” gait. This means the person is walking in an abnormal, uncoordinated, or unsteady manner.
An unsteady gait can encompass several different symptoms. Examples include:
- dizziness or vertigo when walking
- shuffling when walking
- instability, or lacking balance
People with a chronically unsteady gait often have a wide stance when walking. They may walk slowly and exhibit caution when walking, and may even stumble.
Many disorders and contributing factors cause an unsteady gait. According to the Cleveland Clinic, there are often multiple causes of an unsteady gait. These include:
- alcohol intoxication
- cardiac arrhythmia
- cervical spondylosis
- congestive heart failure
- coronary artery disease
- diabetes mellitus
- foot disorders
- hearing impairment
- hepatic encephalopathy
- human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated neuropathy
- lumbar spinal stenosis
- multiple sclerosis
- muscle weakness or atrophy
- orthostatic hypotension
- Parkinson’s disease
- peripheral arterial disease (PAD)
- peripheral neuropathy
- sleep disorders
- substance abuse
- thromboembolic disease
- vestibular disorders
- visual impairment
- vitamin B12 deficiency
Taking four or more medications at a time is also associated with increased risk for an unsteady gait. Prescription medications such as these are also associated with increased risk for an unsteady gait:
Seek immediate medical attention if you suddenly experience an unsteady gait coupled with any of the following symptoms:
- a fall with injuries or a fall on your head
- cannot speak clearly
- difficulty breathing
- drooping on one side of the face
- loss of bladder or bowel control
- occurs after a head injury
- severe, throbbing headache
- sudden confusion
- sudden numbness in one or more body parts
Make an appointment to see your doctor if you have recently experienced a fall or your unsteady gait makes you feel as if you may fall. Taking action is vital to keeping you safe and reducing the risk of future injury.
Your doctor will first take a medical history and ask you about what medications you are taking. It’s also important to report if you have a history of falls or near falls, as well as any alcohol consumption history or use of recreational drugs.
Your doctor will also evaluate your gait to view how you are walking. He or she may ask you to walk toe to heel. Other considerations are stance, step length, and if you need help when walking.
Your doctor may classify your gait using a scale known as the Functional Ambulation Classification Scale. This scale rates your gait on a zero to five scale, with five being a person who can walk independently and without assistance from others.
A doctor will then consider if you have related symptoms that may require additional tests. These can include:
- blood pressure checks in a lying, seated, and standing position
- blood testing for hemoglobin levels, thyroid function, electrolytes, blood glucose, and vitamin B12 tests
- cognitive function testing
- depression screening
- hearing tests
- vision tests
Testing and diagnostic methods vary because there can be many causes of an unsteady gait.
Treatments for an unsteady gait depend upon its causes. A doctor may prescribe medications to reduce an unsteady gait if you have the following conditions:
- orthostatic hypertension
- Parkinson disease
- rhythm disorders
- vitamin B12 deficiency
Some conditions may require surgery to correct the unsteady gait cause. These include spinal conditions, such as lumbar spinal stenosis.
Other treatments can include hearing aids for hearing problems, canes or walkers to aid in walking, and vision correction through glasses or a new glasses prescription. Some people may even benefit from physical therapy services that help them learn how to walk with a foot problem, such as foot numbness.
Because an unsteady gait increases your risk for falls, it’s important to evaluate your home. Here are some steps you can take:
- Take care to remove all objects from walkways. Examples include shoes, books, clothing, and papers.
- Make sure your walkways are well lit. You may wish to place nightlights in wall outlets to ensure that your path is visible.
- Place nonslip mats on your bathtub floor as well as where you step outside the tub. You can also place nonskid, adhesive strips on the tub floor.
- Always wear nonskid shoes when walking inside your house to reduce your fall risk.
- Keep a flashlight at your bedside and use it if you need to get up at night.
- Gait abnormalities. (2015). Retrieved from http://stanfordmedicine25.stanford.edu/the25/gait.html
- Mayo Clinic Staff. (2014, May 28). Parkinson’s disease. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/parkinsons-disease/basics/definition/con-20028488
- Preventing falls among older adults. (2013, September 23). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/features/olderamericans/
- Salzman, B. (2010, July 1). Gait and balance disorders in older adults. American Family Physician, 82(1), 61-68. Retrieved from http://www.aafp.org/afp/2010/0701/p61.html
- Watson, S. (2012, July 23). A sluggish, unsteady walk might signal memory problems. Retrieved from http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/a-sluggish-unsteady-walk-might-signal-memory-problems-201207235047
- What is ataxia? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology_neurosurgery/centers_clinics/movement_disorders/ataxia/conditions/
See a list of possible causes in order from the most common to the least.
Click to add a symptom to your list
- Top Symptoms | <urn:uuid:330880de-7331-4a73-abd9-cb6fc3dcc573> | CC-MAIN-2017-22 | http://www.healthline.com/symptom/unsteady-gait | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-22/segments/1495463608984.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20170527171852-20170527191852-00125.warc.gz | en | 0.882446 | 1,544 | 3.40625 | 3 |
An active shooter is an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and other populated area. In most cases, active shooters use firearms and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims. Active shooter situations are unpredictable and evolve quickly.
All employees can help prevent and prepare for potential active shooter situations. This course provides guidance to individuals, including managers and employees, so that they can prepare to respond to an active shooter situation.
This course is not written for law enforcement officers, but for non-law enforcement employees. The material may provide law enforcement officers information on recommended actions for non-law enforcement employees to take should they be confronted with an active shooter situation.https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-907 | <urn:uuid:04efaa0f-78a7-4ebc-b1c5-3fa12848b9bc> | CC-MAIN-2022-27 | https://falkenct.com | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-27/segments/1656104364750.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20220704080332-20220704110332-00247.warc.gz | en | 0.923151 | 163 | 3.125 | 3 |
Head and neck cancers constitute a very wide spectrum;
Cancers of the lips, tongue, tonsils, palate and floor of the mouth, which we call the oral cavity,
Cancers originating from the inside of the nose and the skin of the nose,
Paranasal sinus cancers that develop from the air-filled spaces we call sinuses in the facial bones,
Throat cancers (nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal cancers)
Cancers in the initial part of the esophagus (hypopharyngeal cancers)
Throat (larynx) cancers,
salivary gland cancers,
thyroid gland cancers,
Neck cancers are included in this scope.
Head and neck cancers are more common in men over 50 years of age. It is among the types of cancer that can be treated if detected early.
Smoking and alcohol consumption, poor diet, poor oral hygiene, some viruses, especially human papillomavirus (HPV), exposure to long-term sunlight and some chemicals are the main causes of head and neck cancers.
Swelling in any part of the head and neck, non-healing sores in the mouth, tongue or lips, numbness in the mouth, difficulty in chewing and swallowing, hoarseness or change in voice, difficulty breathing, nasal congestion or nosebleeds, swelling around the eyes or double vision, ear pain, tinnitus, hearing loss, and neck swelling.
A detailed otorhinolaryngological examination, radiological examinations (ultrasonography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography), a part of the suspicious area for pathological examination is taken for a definitive diagnosis.
Treatment of head and neck cancers usually requires multidisciplinary work. Collaboration with otolaryngologist, radiation oncologist, medical oncologist, radiologist, if possible, psychologist is required. In cases where reconstruction is required, a plastic jaw surgeon and a plastic surgeon should also be present.
Surgical treatments are the first choice for head and neck cancers. However, radiation therapy (radiotherapy) is also a very effective option for many head and neck cancers. The role of radiation therapy is increasing day by day, especially in the treatment of early laryngeal cancers and nasopharyngeal cancers.
While sometimes a single treatment method (surgical treatment, radiation therapy or drug treatment) is sufficient for head and neck cancers, sometimes these treatment options are used together.
The treatment protocol may vary for each patient. The stage of the cancer, the type of cancer, the age of the patient, the occupation of the patient, and the socioeconomic status of the patient are important in determining the treatment protocol. | <urn:uuid:10adf27f-127a-4ea6-8f14-492477ffe9d2> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://fahrettinyilmaz.com/en/head-and-neck-cancers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679103810.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20231211080606-20231211110606-00500.warc.gz | en | 0.910898 | 570 | 3.140625 | 3 |
New Thinking About Children
In a world of modern, involved, caring parents, why are so many kids aggressive and cruel? Where is intelligence hidden in the brain, and why does that matter? Why do cross-racial friendships decrease in schools that are more integrated? If 98% of kids think lying is morally wrong, then why do 98% of kids lie? What's the single most important thing that helps infants learn language?
NurtureShock is a groundbreaking collaboration between award-winning science journalists
Nothing like a parenting manual, the authors' work is an insightful exploration of themes and issues that transcend children's (and adults') lives.
- Grand Central Publishing, September 2009
- Download options:
- EPUB 2 (Adobe DRM)
You can read this item using any of the following Kobo apps and devices: | <urn:uuid:96c5069c-fbdd-48eb-8458-c802fbd53579> | CC-MAIN-2016-22 | https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/nurtureshock | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-22/segments/1464049275437.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20160524002115-00104-ip-10-185-217-139.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.853883 | 171 | 2.84375 | 3 |
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