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AUSTIN, Texas—Providing earning supplements and other assistance to poor working families boosts their children’s academic and social skills, a study of hundreds of Milwaukee families directed by a child development expert at The University of Texas at Austin suggests.
The latest findings about the New Hope Project released by the university and MDRC, a New York City-based nonprofit organization, were based on a study of 745 families with children between 6 and 15 years of age. Half the families were eligible to receive three years of wage supplements to raise parental income above the poverty line, as well as subsidized health insurance and child care when parents were employed full-time. The other half received regular community support. Most parents in both groups were single mothers initially receiving welfare.
Children in the New Hope-assisted families were better readers based on standardized test scores and were reported by parents to have higher grades in reading and writing—even two years after support ended. Teenagers in assisted families were more involved in school and more likely to consider college. New Hope parents also noted that their children behaved better, a finding echoed by teachers, especially for boys.
“The study has major implications for policymakers trying to design programs that achieve the goal that tops the national social policy agenda: to improve the lives of low-income families,” said Dr. Aletha Huston, the study’s director and the Priscilla Pond Flawn Regents Professor in Child Development at The University of Texas at Austin.
Colleagues at MDRC and three other universities helped evaluate the project.
The positive effects of New Hope on children’s achievement and behavior may have resulted from assisted children spending more time in center-based child care, as opposed to unsupervised or home-based care. And adolescents participated more often in structured after-school activities than those in unassisted families.
Huston noted that children from families that had received assistance might continue to reap benefits as they age. So could their families, since the five-year study found that more New Hope families earned higher wages by study’s end than the other families (27 percent vs. 20 percent earning above $11 per hour).
To address long-term benefits, the investigators recently received a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Development for evaluating the families when their children are between 9 and 18 years of age.
MDRC, which also will help lead that study, is a nonprofit, social policy research organization that seeks to enhance the effectiveness of social policies and programs through research and public dissemination of its findings.
The New Hope Project was started by a community-based organization in Milwaukee. The evaluation of its effects on children was made possible by the MacArthur Network on Successful Pathways Through Middle Childhood. Investigators at Northwestern University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of California, Los Angeles, also participated in the project. New Hope is funded by foundations and federal agencies. Results of the five-year report are available at the MDRC Web site.
For more information contact: Barbra Rodriguez, College of Natural Sciences, 512-232-0675. | <urn:uuid:7efc8eaa-d129-46f7-8367-65ab759e56f4> | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | https://news.utexas.edu/2003/06/10/study-suggests-children-read-and-behave-better-if-working-families-rise-above-poverty-level/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030337595.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20221005073953-20221005103953-00461.warc.gz | en | 0.978696 | 641 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Introduction Of Intercultural Business Communication Assignment
The manager possesses knowledge of different cultural backgrounds for a successful management work that is highly diverse and associated with different cultural perspectives. They must be sensitive to the cultural diversities that can greatly contribute to their efficiency in building cross-cultural communication systems. Different societies have different cultural values and behavioral patterns the managers need to identify these cross-cultural differences. In this report, intercultural communication gaps have been identified and the solutions have also been addressed with the help of two different conceptual methods.
Description of the intercultural business communication scenario
John, a marketing manager of an American multinational company, recently has shifted to India to work in a company as a marketing head of the department. While working in the new company John has been facing some problems while communicating with the Indian fellow members of the company. Ha has noticed that the employees of the new company are not as friendly as the employees of his former company. He has to explain the matters in full detail to them and they do not give the effort to understand the matters John explains. And sometimes they misunderstand John’s instruction. He has to provide a full detailed description of the tasks. He feels that he has to give much effort to make the employees understand him.
He knows that the employees have creative and innovative skills but the only problem is that they don’t use their skills till John clarifies the matter. They have created a huge communication gap with John. During the completion of the project work, John has also faced problems in the meeting with the employees due to lack of communication. He also feels that the American employees complete their tasks by their efforts and John did not need to give many instructions unless they get struck to any idea. The Indian employees are very qualified and skilled but the only problem is the communication system. The cultural environment of the American workplace is also different from that of the Indian workplace. It has also brought a huge challenge for John in communicating with the employees of the new company.
Analysis of the scenario using cultural dimensions
The scenario can be discovered by using Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory. The theory will help describe the scenario to build an understanding of the cultural dimensions. Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory, invented by Geert Hofstede, is an approach to understanding diversity between cultures and establishing how enterprises are handled in cultural differences(Andrijauskien? & Dum?iuviene, 2017). To look at it another way, the structure is used to differentiate between different national cultures, their features, and their effects on a business setting.Geert Hofstede, a Dutch business scholar, established Hofstede's Cultural Factors Model in 1980. The study aimed to determine the dimensions in which cultures varied.Using a system proposed from the analysis method, it examines the effect of a social and cultural context on its individuals' attitudes or how these values relate to behaviors.
Power Distance Index
The extent whereby the lesser powerful members of a group expect and accept that power is divided inequitably,as per the “Power Distance Index”. A high index value shows that the order of society has been created and accepted without query or reasoning. A low index indicates that people doubt leadership and seeking to transfer influence (Andrijauskien? & Dum?iuviene, 2017).
With the help of this theory, John can understand the concept of cultural dimensions that can help him identify the major differences. It will guide him in understanding the power distance. As he has been belonging to a foreign country and his cultural dimensions are different from those of the cultures of India, he needs to identify the major differences to build a strong adaptation in the Indian culture. As per this index suggestion, the highest power index can show the unquestioning behavior of the employees and the lower index refers to doubting the abilities of the leaders(Andrijauskien? & Dum?iuviene, 2017). John can use this index to identify which index is being performed in the new organization. And depending on his analysis, he can use the power index smartly and effectively to make the employees trust the leadership skills of John. It will help remove the cultural differences in the workplace. John will also be benefitted to communicate with the employees freely.
Individualism vs collectivism
The "level to which individuals in a collectivist society" is indeed the focus of this index. Individualistic societies have loose connections, with most individuals only recognizing their good relationships. They place a greater emphasis on "I" but instead of "us." Collectivistic, but on the other hand, depicts a community in which closely-knit ties bind large families others into in-groups. When a dispute develops with that other in-group, these in-groups are infused with irrefutable trust and commitment to one another(Andrijauskien? & Dum?iuviene, 2017).
John can analyze the goals of the individuals as well as the team with the help of this index. This index will help him understand that individual and collective goals are equally important. It will also help him build a better communication system with the employees. Most importantly, he needs to understand that the cultures of India and America are different from each other. To survive in the Indian business environment, John needs to understand the cultural concepts of the business workplace(Andrijauskien? & Dum?iuviene, 2017). Thereby, he needs to use strategies that can help him in developing a good relationship with the employees. He needs to understand the goals and objectives of the individual employees. He also should understand the goals of the organization. It will help them work effectively within the organization.
Uncertainty avoidance Index
The Uncertainty Avoidance Index is described as "a society's avoidance of uncertainty," in which persons embrace or resist an unforeseen, unexplained, or go-out incident. Societies with a good score on this score have rigid ethical standards, regulations, and rules, and they often rely on ultimate fact, or the belief that one single Fact controls anything but everyone understands what it really is. A small degree in this measure shows that different feelings are adopted more quickly(Andrijauskien? & Dum?iuviene, 2017). Society has fewer rules, individuals are more acclimated to vagueness, and the milieu is more unrestricted.
As it is a new business environment and the cultures are different here from those of the American cultures. He needs to identify the risks and uncertainties in the new cultural dimensions. This index will help him in this context. Apart from that, he will also gain an understanding on to avoid the uncertainties related to that he may face in the new environment.
Masculinity vs femininity
Different norms are presented by women from diverse cultures. They show polite and sympathetic attitudes with men in “feminine civilizations”. The girls are more expressive and have to face competition in “masculine cultures” since they are less passionate than males. To put it another way, they still see a gap between male and female norms.In very patriarchal communities, this dimension is typically shown as prohibited(Andrijauskien? & Dum?iuviene, 2017). John may enhance his talents and capabilities in dealing with diverse workplaces by using Hofstede's cultural dimensions model to understand the differences in the behavior and attitude of people regarding masculinity and femininity. By studying their cultures and differences, he can make successful selections to develop strong relationships with the workforce.
Long-term orientation vs short-term orientation
This indexlinks previous acts to current as well as future activities. A lesser extent (short-term) of the index indicates that traditions are maintained and upheld, and that persistence is prioritized. Adaptation, and pragmatic problem-solving methods are seen as a necessity for communitiestogether with a peek degree in this long-term orientation(Andrijauskien? & Dum?iuviene, 2017).
This idea aids in determining the degree to which society may tolerate different points of view based on the time scale. Long-term strategy accomplishes long-term ambitions via tenacity and determination. Short-term orientation focuses on short-term ambitions that could be accomplished in the near future if swift values are produced. By examining the time frame, John may see the value of defining objectives.
Indulgence vs restraint
This measurement is essentially a measure of contentment, and whether or not simple things in life are gratified. "A culture that enables relatively unrestricted fulfillment of fundamental and normal human emotions linked to having amusement," according to the idea of indulgence. Its polar opposition is stated as "a community that manages and controls the fulfilling of demands through rigorous moral codes." Restrained societies think that outside circumstances determine their existence and sentiments, whereas indulgent culturesfeel that they are under charge of making sure and feelings(Andrijauskien? & Dum?iuviene, 2017).
It highlights how to manage one's impulses and desires. Indulgence implies that the organization should allow for unrestrained enjoyment in the pursuit of wealth. Restraint strives to provide the best satisfaction based on requirements, and it is guided by societal standards. John can comprehend the differences in the two cultures' standards and requirements based on this concept. He can decide things to respond to changes in society by grasping these two community laws and standards.
Analysis of the scenario from an anti-essentialist perspective
Essentialism is the belief that materials or other entities have at some a few of their attributes intrinsically, and that these attributes are at the very least needed for really objecting or pertaining towards this kind. Essentialism is the idea that entities have a combination of qualities that are required for them to exist. Anti-essentialism, on the other hand, has traditionally held the role that this is not the situation(Carbado & Harris, 2018). Therefore, most anti-essentialists are simply suspicious of'real' or imagination essences. Some people are suspicious about modality in general, claiming that the essential/accidental difference is meaningless. A broader group of skeptics include conventionalists, feedback models, and deflationists, do not completely deny the difference but consider it as non-objective and as a consequence of mental activity. Anti-essentialists are frequently driven by metaphysical worries about the assumed nature or foundation of essential features, as well as epistemological issues regarding what falls on one side or the other of the split.
To understand the scenario on the basis of the anti-essentialist perspective, it can be described in two interwoven situations that John can face after shifting to a new cultural dimension. The cross-cultural challenge is a serious problem in the workplace since it offers many obstacles for staff and employers both, hampering the group's progress and activities more complicated. After arriving in India, John was confronted with the same situation.
Acceptance of cultural differences
The anti-essentialism perspective comes here with the concept of whether John can accept the cultural differences in India as he comes from America, a different cultured place. John can tolerate cultural differences and diversity when he identifies the main areas that he needs to develop. At the same time, he may also face an obstacle in adapting to the cultural differences as he is habituated to a different circumstance. As his background is different, it can make many challenges to him to adapt to the cultural differences (Taras, 2017). It can prevent him from understanding diversity and differences. Thereby, he never can achieve the goal of being habituated to the different cultures.
He may be more attentive to this diversity by comprehending the cultural distinctions in the company, as well as the variations when he faces cultural challenges. It can enable him in grasping the challenges to promptly adapt to the new circumstances. It can also increase his interest to be adapted to perform a better leadership style. Acceptance of cultural differences can also help John develop a better workplace by strengthening his understanding capability (Keith, 2019).
Adaptation can be explained in the context of the anti-essentialism perspective as to whether John can be adapted to the cultural differences or not. As he has a gap in communicating or interacting with the employees, it can be a huge difficulty for him to adapt to new changes. He can never change his leadership style as he is familiar with the leadership skills and style he was using in the American workplace. As he was using a leadership style in the American workplace as per the behavior and cultures of American business, he was familiar with that. So it can be a problem for him to change his leading style in the Indian workplace. Also, the employees were friendly there which is different from that of the Indian workplace. Being habituated to work in this kind of situation, he may be not become able to be familiar with the new employees.
On the other hand, this situation can provide him enough interest to cultivate new leadership styles as per the changes in workplace behavior. The most essential thing John can really do to tackle the cross-cultural challenge is to accept the change and then become nimble enough to respond to it. He can be familiar with the cultural distinctions seen between American and Indian workplaces. He also can be altered to accommodate these changes by upgrading his leadership capabilities and approaches for interacting with employees as part (Wang et al., 2017).
John has faced these obstacles by adhering to one thing: that Indian employees would behave the same way to American ones. As per the anti-essentialism perspective, it is to determine whether John can be open-minded to accept the changes in the behavior and modes of the working capability of the employees. To identify this area, it can be stated that John is familiar with the workability and productivity of the employees of America and he thinks that the employees of India will also behave in the same way. But the main challenge here is the differences in cultural behavior. So the anti-essentialism perspective suggests that John can never accept the changes in the behavior of the workers of India. He cannot broaden his horizons. He cannot become more personable and open-minded, and cannot encourage workers to share their opinions and opinions with John.
On the other hand, it is also possible that he will be more attentive and careful to understand the changing behavior of the workers as per the changes in the workplace pattern. Therefore, by understanding the differences in the cultures of the two places, he may analyze the two and make effective decisions (Mittelmeier et al., 2018). He may create a communication system with the employees of India through regular interactions with them. He may also lessen this gap by enhancing the number of conversations with the employees or analyzing their feedback and improving the areas as per the feedbacks and opinions of the workers.
Adaptation to a good and fluent communication
It is plain and obvious that there was a lack of interaction between the employees and John in the new workplace. So, as per the anti-essentialism perspective, it is broadened to describe whether John can create a good communication system with the employees of India or not. He has a lack of understanding of the cultural differences of India. It is also true that the cultures he was habituated with were different from that of India. So, it can be a challenge for him. It is possible that due to diversity and cultural disparities, he cannot create a good communication system as per his habits of the American workplace culture.
At the same time, is also possible that by having a meaningful discussion with the workforce, John can establish a strong communication network. He can support the employees in understanding one another's ideas. By easing such a need to begin anything, John may also create comfortable and various applications ranging for team members to express their thoughts and perspectives. A successful interaction may also assist John in developing solid communications and interactions inside the company, resulting in increased worker efficiency and productivity (Kosareva et al., 2019).
Understanding of the scenario
Throughout the discussion of the two conceptual approaches, it can be stated that John needs to develop his understanding of cultural differences. John was facing huge challenges in communicating with the employees and that was the major problem of John to instruct and help the employees as per their requirements. He was also considering the capabilities of Indian employees similar to those of the American employees. He was also facing problems with the culture of the Indian workplace.
Strengths of Hofstede’s model
As per the analysis of Hofstede’s cultural dimension theory, John can improve his skills regarding the cultures of the Indian workplace. Multinational managers may apply his method to enhance employee motivation and reduce disagreement, both of which are ways to enhance the performance of the organization.It will thereby help him overcome the situation. Based on Hofstede’s model he can use the different indexes to improve his cultural knowledge and become adapt to diversity ((Taras, 2017). By understanding the power distance index, John can help the employees and team members by guiding and directing them effectively as per their requirements. It is very important for developing the workplace environment. He can acknowledge the achievements of the employees that can lessen the workplace disparity. He can also give attention so that the employees can understand his instruction. A high degree of uncertainty avoidance predicts a low level of acceptance, and likewise. John may use this idea to gain insight ability in terms of dealing with the many conditions in which he has worked for decades, as well as the new workforce. Due to cross-cultural characteristics, he can also strengthen his weak areas to deal with work challenges and risks (Taras, 2017).
Weaknesses of Hofstede’s model
Some experts believe Hofstede uses an obsolete concept of culture that ignores the consequences of internationalization. Furthermore, Hofstede claimed that workers' responses are unchanged by their environment, which is inaccurate considering individuals react differently in various situations and locations. Its advantages include the fact that it compares organizations with national cultures, which is key in all companies since it influences productivity and employee conflict(Taras, 2017). As John has shifted to India from America, he needs an international concept to understand the cultural differences. So, the weakness of Hofstede’s model can be a challenge for John to adapt to the cultural and behavioral disparities in the workplace.
Strengths of the Anti-essentialism concept
According to the anti-essentialism theory, there are other scenarios in which the person owns the assets and realistic eventualities in which the person does not exist for each personality and property. Anti-essentialism, it is said, cannot be established meaningfully within the paradigm of regular modal concept semantics (Carbado& Harris, 2018). It is proposed as an alternative to traditional interpretation to make sense of the essentialism idea.
It may increase the confidence of John by bringing challenges and doubts to his capabilities. It can also push John to achieve his goals.
This theory suggests that there are doubts about whether John can achieve the goal of overcoming cultural differences or not. It demoralizes the confidence and motivation John by making doubts about his capability. It thereby can decrease his self-confidence.
Thereby, it can be concluded that the two crucial concepts have helped identify the major areas for lessening the cultural differences. In this report, the scenario can help in generating ideas on how to deal with different cultural areas using capabilities to adapt to the new changes and cultural dimensions.
Andrijauskien?, M., & Dum?iuvien?, D. (2017, October). Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and national innovation level. In DIEM: Dubrovnik International Economic Meeting (Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 189-205). Sveu?ilište u Dubrovniku.
Carbado, D. W., & Harris, C. I. (2018). Intersectionality at 30: Mapping the margins of anti-essentialism, intersectionality, and dominance theory. Harv. L. Rev., 132, 2193.
Keith, K. D. (Ed.). (2019). Cross-cultural psychology: Contemporary themes and perspectives. John Wiley & Sons.
Kosareva, L., Evreeva, O., & Zakirova, O. (2019). Formation of language competence: Modern issues and strategies in the area of cross-cultural communication. Space and Culture, India, 7(3), 149-159.
Mittelmeier, J., Rienties, B., Tempelaar, D., & Whitelock, D. (2018). Overcoming cross-cultural group work tensions: Mixed student perspectives on the role of social relationships. Higher Education, 75(1), 149-166.
Ng, T. K., Wang, K. W. C., & Chan, W. (2017). Acculturation and cross-cultural adaptation: The moderating role of social support. International journal of intercultural relations, 59, 19-30.
Taras, V. (2017). Cultural dimensions, Hofstede. The International Encyclopedia of Intercultural Communication, 1-5. | <urn:uuid:b04243eb-9fba-4274-8d4f-354b510d9509> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://www.newassignmenthelp.co.uk/intercultural-business-communication-assignment-sample-11379 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662540268.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20220521174536-20220521204536-00379.warc.gz | en | 0.953902 | 4,325 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Tone of Voice: The new level of branding
Branding is so much more than a logo or a name, it’s the combination of visual elements and communication methods that create a whole identity. One element and communication method that has become quite relevant in the last years in Tone of Voice, which communicates how your brand feels about its message to the client.
Understanding Tone of Voice
In common literature, tone of voice is defined as the expression through the writing of someone’s feelings towards something or someone. In a marketing and product design context, the concept refers to the way in which you communicate your brand’s personality to your users, which will then influence how they feel about your message.
Tone of voice is how your brand comes through in words, both written and spoken. It’s not exactly about what you say, but rather how you say it and the impression that it makes on the receiver. It’s about using language to give your brand its own distinct and recognizable presence.
A brand’s tone of voice needs to embody and express its personality and product values, essentially understanding the product positioning. And it should be included in all your business content, including your website, social media, emails, and even packaging. It’s also important that all of these pieces of communication have a similar tone of voice, to help with your brand’s consistency.
The Four Dimensions of Tone of Voice
Despite the concept of ‘tone of voice’ being relevant in the current Marketing world, the information about it tends to be vague and superficial. To get a deeper insight, a study by Kate Moran from the Nielsen Norman Group reduced the complex world of tone of voice to 4 dimensions: humor, formality, respectfulness, and enthusiasm. Any brand’s tone of voice could fall at either extreme of each dimension or somewhere in between and can be varied to create different effects.
- Humour (funny vs. serious): the delivery of a brand’s message can be done with a humorous tone, or it can be done in a more serious way.
- Formality (formal vs. casual): formal language can convey a sense of professionalism, while an informal tone can more easily portrait a brand’s personality.
- Respectfulness (respectful vs. irreverent): it’s important for the writer to decide if they are going to approach a subject in a respectful way or take a more irreverent approach.
- Enthusiasm (enthusiastic vs. matter-of-fact): the writer can be enthusiastic about the product or service, but they can also deliver a message in a more dry and matter-of-fact way.
Develop your brand’s tone of voice
Working on a tone of voice can be an excellent exercise to think about your brand and product design process, as you need to have a clear vision about its purpose, position and target to develop your tone. As previously mentioned, to choose your tone of voice will depend on your brand’s personality and your target users.
It’s critical to understand who is speaking and what’s the viewpoint you want to portray to the world. Then, from the dimensions already described, you need to decide what combination makes more sense for your brand. The final result should be a tone of voice distinctive, recognizable and unique.
But no matter what tone of voice you end up choosing for your brand, the most important factor is that it needs to connect with the audience. You need to study your target and figure out what type of communication would be the most effective.
Unlike the brand’s voice, which should remain fairly consistent, tone of voice can be changeable. This means that you need to keep your brand’s personality as consistent as possible but the delivery of it should vary to fit a specific target or communication medium. By doing this, it adds value to your brand and also keeps your content and interesting.
Tone of voice has the potential of giving your business a unique personality, making it stand out from the competition and actually connect with your audience.
Tone of Voice and Content Strategy
Your tone of voice should be a part of your content strategy and be used when creating any type of communication. This communication doesn’t necessarily involve just content, but also visual design as it contributes strongly to the overall ‘feel’ of the message. And, like any part of the content strategy, tone of voice should be planned out with guidelines and rules. To do this, it’s recommended to create a type of tone of voice guide with:
- An overview of your brand’s personality as well as the tone of voice(s);
- A description of the type of language and grammar to use;
- Good and bad examples of words or phrases;
- And show a few examples of copy across a selection of mediums.
As for any content strategy, the more detail you go into the higher the chances of your team being on the same page in contributing to the brand’s consistency. The fact that you are dealing with communication, the choice of the right dialogue can make or break your chance to connect with the user and a possible transaction. So, when defining your tone of voice, you really need to think from language and grammar to even the choice of pronoun.
Tone of Voice as a tool of engagement
Nowadays, more businesses are using tone of voice to engage with their customers. Customers like to deal with real people, and a tone of voice can give a brand that human feeling. Using your tone of voice to show authenticity and honesty can make your audience invest in your content and eventually bond with your brand. And when your tone of voice is consistent, your audience will more easily recognize your brand and message.
Tone of voice can help you build trust with your audience, laying the foundation for a strong relationship. Developing your brand’s personality shows that you have confidence in your message and its real value, making it easier for people to trust your brand. Tone of voice plays a crucial part in showing that your brand is reliable, building a trusting relationship with your customer. | <urn:uuid:b06f70f7-56d0-4315-b437-156720c8d67c> | CC-MAIN-2020-45 | https://snowball.digital/blog/tone-of-voice-the-new-level-of-branding | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-45/segments/1603107911792.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20201030212708-20201031002708-00127.warc.gz | en | 0.938323 | 1,279 | 2.609375 | 3 |
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. With the successful transfer of quantum information encoded in laser beams into a physical system and the subsequent retrieval of that information unaltered, Harvard University researchers have succeeded in bringing practical quantum computers one step closer to reality.
Ronald Walsworth, a lecturer at Harvard, led the effort, which is part of a larger program attempting to harness quantum mechanics to create uncrackable codes, photonic quantum memories and eventually, blazingly fast quantum supercomputers.
"We are one step closer to the first practical application of quantum information processing. Today we can nondestructively transfer information from light to the spin state of atoms, then transfer it back out into the same light beam, while preserving all the original phase information," Walsworth said.
Over the next five years, Walsworth's group plans to supply the missing pieces to a secure quantum system. Parallel research groups worldwide investigating rival materials include fellow Harvard professor Lene Hau, who is investigating Bose-Einstein condensates, and Texas A&M associate professor Phillip Hemmer, who is investigating rare-earth-doped insulators.
The first step, demonstrated last year by all three groups, was the ability to store a laser-encoded signal in the spin states of atoms and then nondestructively read them back out. In the current step, reported recently by Walsworth's group, the signal maintains phase coherence.
The last step will be to demonstrate that information encoded in quantum states can be stored and retrieved. At that point, all the components for quantum computers will be in place.
One aspect that will be an automatic fallout of total quantum information-processing systems will be absolute security. That will result from the basic property of all quantum systems: Any reading of data will alter the data, permanently invalidating it. While a quantum computer is processing data that has been entered into the system, no one can know what the actual information content of a specific operation might be. It is only when the resulting quantum states are read out which constitutes an observation of their states that information content can be known. Thus, any attempt to discover the values of intermediate results would become an additional quantum operation that would invalidate the computed results for any subsequent calculations.
Those unusual properties, which current information encoding cannot mimic, result from the nature of a bit of quantum information, or qubit, which is simply some property of the quantum state of an elementary particle.
For example, a qubit could be stored as the spin of an electron. Because of the quantum nature of such media, a qubit of information is not strictly in either a logical "0" or "1" value but instead is in a somewhat mysterious "superposition of states" that is a combination of the two values. While a quantum computer is operating on the qubits, their actual information content the phase information that describes the exact superposition of states they are in at that moment is an inherently unknown quantity.
The recent Harvard experiment shows that it is possible to store qubits in a memory and retrieve them later, without having to observe, and therefore invalidate, their values.
Quantum phenomena abound in nature. Both waves (light/lasers) and particles (atoms/electrons) harbor quantum states. Those states are being harnessed by various research groups for communication and computations using qubits. Walsworth's group transferred quantum states in a laser beam to the atomic "spins" of rubidium atoms. The Rb atoms were able to store the spin state of a signal for about a thousandth of a second before having to be "refreshed" like a DRAM. "It takes about a millionth of a second to store the whole signal in the rubidium atoms, where it will stay for about a thousandth of a second, which is quite a long time for a computer memory," Walsworth said.
Besides demonstrating that the phase coherence was maintained, Walsworth's group also demonstrated that a global function could be performed on the signal, resulting in predictable "computations" on the stored values after they were read back out. Walsworth used a magnetic field to perform a "numerical operation" on the stored spin values on the Rb atoms. When the signal was read out, its phase was predictably shifted by the magnetic "computation" performed on it while stored. "We can alter the form of the quantum information without knowing what it is that is what's nice about it. We can alter it in such a way that serves our purposes and then read out the results," he said.
The next milestone will be to demonstrate that quantum information is preserved by the store/retrieval process, creating essentially a quantum "repeater." Researchers hope to achieve that step within the next couple of years, while aiming at long-range quantum communications links in five years.
A quantum repeater will be an optical element for long-distance secure communications of qubit streams. Because qubits cannot be decoded without altering the original quantum information, a quantum repeater would enable a communications network with uncrackable encryption to span any given distance by adding repeaters.
"In about five years, we hope to have the first practical application of quantum information processing, which is brief but ultrasecure messaging," Walsworth said. "Because the information is quantum-mechanical, if it is measured in any way before it gets to you if anybody tries to eavesdrop the information will be destroyed, and you will not receive it. So if you get the information, then you can be sure it was not observed by anyone else." That has attracted the attention and funding of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the National Security Agency.
In the basic experiment, two laser beams are projected into a quantum medium consisting of rubidium atoms. In other experiments, fellow researcher Hau has used sodium atoms, and Texas A&M's Hemmer has used rare-earth doped insulators.
One beam is the signal laser that contains the information to be stored, and the other serves as a fixed reference. The interference states caused by the reference laser are transferred to the spin values of the atoms. To reconstruct the original, the reference laser beam is turned on, and the photons that hit the atoms pick up the differential signal, in effect turning the reference beam back into the original signal beam.
A somewhat indirect method of quantum-state transfer was required, because if only one laser beam illuminated the rubidium medium, the photons would simply be absorbed without transferring any quantum information. By adjusting a second control laser, a condition of "electromagnetically induced transparency" prevents the signal beam from being absorbed. As the leading edge of the signal laser enters the Rb vapors, it spatially compresses. As the atomic spins of the molecules are flipped, the signal and the spins form a coupled excitation called a polariton.
The signal becomes translated into atomic spins by gradually reducing the intensity of the control laser, thus slowing the velocity of the polariton until all the information comes to a halt, stored away in the form of the excited spins of the Rb atoms.
The system of rubidium atoms is in a coherent matter state that mirrors the coherent state of the laser light. By "tuning" the reference beam, the two coherent states instantaneously merge, allowing the quantum states encoded in the laser light to transfer smoothly to the quantum states of the rubidium medium. The process can be reversed by turning the reference beam back on. | <urn:uuid:b7249c4b-bb80-4e58-9498-1a878bf5aad0> | CC-MAIN-2014-41 | http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1144677&piddl_msgorder=thrd | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-41/segments/1410657132007.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20140914011212-00308-ip-10-196-40-205.us-west-1.compute.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921172 | 1,547 | 3.34375 | 3 |
Why sponsor this child?
Tika lives with her 55 year old father in a small, makeshift shelter of hay, mud and bamboo. They barely have enough to survive. Tika was only 13 days old when her mother began suffering from mental illness. Tika’s father not only raises Tika, but he also takes care of her mother.
Tika’s father sold all his land for her mother’s treatment, but she couldn’t be cured. Today, they have nothing of their own, living in the shelter and farming land that is owned by Tika’s uncle. Half of whatever is harvested in the fields needs to be given to her uncle, leaving them barely enough to eat throughout the year.
Tika has two elder brothers who are practicing to become priests. Due to her condition, Tika’s mother roams around the village, sometimes disappearing for days, which adds additional stress to the family. Her aging father says that he must work until the day he dies to feed his family and to try and care for his wife. | <urn:uuid:5e99ac48-a473-45b4-93ee-5d189f1740e2> | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | https://gangaghar.org/take-action/sponsor/2013/tika-maya-chapagai | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046154321.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20210802141221-20210802171221-00159.warc.gz | en | 0.990882 | 223 | 2.578125 | 3 |
A Guide to Owning a Ball Python
Ball pythons are considered one of the better snakes to own as a pet because of their manageable size and their affordability. Considered shy, ball pythons get their name from their tendency to curl into a ball when threatened or under stress. Overall, they are a calm and manageable breed.
Origins and Natural Habitat
Ball pythons are native to Western and West-Central Africa. Typically, if a ball python is purchased from a pet store, it probably came from Togo, Benin or Ghana. In their natural habitat, ball pythons prefer grasslands or savannahs, where trees are typically sparse or are at least small in size so as not to provide full coverage.
Appearance and Characteristics
Size: The average size of an adult female ball python is between 3 and 5 feet, while the average male is a bit smaller at 2 to 3 feet. Their size is often considered an ideal size for a pet snake.
Markings: Pastel ball pythons tend to have their colors fade out as they get older and are therefore paler than other types of ball pythons, and it’s no surprise that albino ball pythons are white under their colored markings. But really, there are so many variations in the breed that distinctive markings are difficult to nail down.
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Ball pythons are nocturnal and in their natural habitat would spend their nights hunting and then retire underground by day. They’re a shy breed, too, so you may not see a lot of action from them.
Health and Care
Feeding: Ball pythons eat mice and rats and only need to be fed once every week or two. Pre-killed prey is recommended, as a live mouse or rat could hurt the snake.
Housing: Full-grown ball pythons are typically housed in 30-gallon tanks or terrariums. Because they are nocturnal, no lighting is required, but they will need a water pool to soak in and branches for cover. The ideal temperature for the tank is between 80 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Health Concerns: Captive ball pythons may suffer from a condition called retained eye shed, in which they don’t shed the skin over their eyes. If this happens, bathe the snake in warm water for 10 minutes, then place a drop of mineral oil on the afflicted eye and wait for the skin to shed.
Life Expectancy: With proper ball python care and housing, you can expect your pet to live between 20 and 30 years.
Finding Ball Pythons for Sale
Ball pythons typically cost between $60 and $300, depending on age and type. Whether you’re looking for adult or baby ball pythons for sale, you’ll want to check the snake over before you buy. Mites are common in the breed, so look for loose scales as a sign of infestation. Often, your best bet is to buy from ball python breeders, since they are more likely to offer a clean bill of health. They can also help ensure you have all the information you need on caring for your new pet. | <urn:uuid:87a265bf-6494-4e2f-90f1-3a19dc580f61> | CC-MAIN-2018-43 | http://pluspets.com/ball-pythons/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-43/segments/1539583517495.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20181023220444-20181024001944-00009.warc.gz | en | 0.958123 | 666 | 2.84375 | 3 |
6 Foods That Are Great for Your Teeth
You probably already know that regular brushing and flossing can help keep your teeth healthy. So can regular trips to the dentist. Go the extra mile for your oral health by including foods that are great for your teeth in your diet.
1. Spinach, Kale, and Other Leafy Greens
Leafy green vegetables, like kale and spinach, are good for almost every part of your body, and that includes your teeth. Not only do they contain calcium which is essential for strong enamel, but they also contain folic acid, which can help fight gum disease. If you don’t like the taste, consider adding them to a salad or a smoothie to get more into your diet.
If you don’t have a toothbrush on hand after a meal, an apple may be the next best thing until you can get back to your bathroom. These crunchy, fibrous fruits stimulate your gums to improve circulation and keep gum disease at bay. Eating them also causes your mouth to create saliva, which can wash away bad bacteria.
If you like yogurt, you may want to add more to your diet. This high-calcium snack will keep your teeth and their enamel strong, but the good bacteria in the yogurt has additional beneficial properties. It fights the bad bacteria that can lead to cavities and other health problem. Avoid yogurt with large amounts of added sugar.
4. Almonds and Other Nuts
Nuts are good for your brain, your heart, and, as it turns out, your teeth. Almonds are high in calcium and protein, which, again, are essential for strong enamel. Cashews are high in folic acid, which can help you combat gum disease. Even peanuts are strong in vitamin D, and vitamin D deficiency has been linked with poor bone and teeth health.
5. Green and Black Teas
When it comes to beverages, water is always best, but a glass of green or black tea is a close second. The tea contains a compound called polyphenols which help fight the bacteria that leads to gum disease. It can also fight the bacteria that leads to bad breath. One study even found that participants who rinsed with tea instead of water had less plaque on their teeth.
Cheese is rich in calcium and protein, which as you know by now is essential for strong teeth and enamel, but it has an added benefit. Eating certain types of cheese, such as cheddar, reduces the amount of acid in your mouth which decreases your risk of tooth decay.
In addition to adding these foods to your diet, you can keep your teeth healthy by reducing the amount of sugar you eat and drink. Brush and floss your teeth twice a day, and if you smoke or chew tobacco, stop as soon as possible. Finally, be sure you make an appointment with your dentist every six months to keep your teeth clean and to ensure they are healthy. | <urn:uuid:bf02ad9b-5045-4e91-80d4-81b1c46cf967> | CC-MAIN-2018-51 | https://guidelineshealth.com/body-care/6-foods-that-are-great-for-your-teeth/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-51/segments/1544376823785.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20181212065445-20181212090945-00269.warc.gz | en | 0.962685 | 610 | 3.125 | 3 |
This lecture reveals the fascinating insight into this moving story afforded by the paintings of more than a dozen superb artists, yet whose work is still relatively unknown in the West. Up until the early 19th century Russian painting consisted almost entirely of academic styles and subject matter dominated by the west, Paris in particular. Artists such as Alexey Venetsianov, encouraged by Czar Nicholas I’s promotion of ‘national trends’ began to change the focus towards more home grown themes. Later the pioneering work of the group known as ‘The Wanderers’ Russian society was put more fully under the microscope. By then the serfs had been liberated, in many cases ill-equipped to deal with the challenges of their new found freedom, as were their masters who suddenly found themselves with vast estates and a much reduced workforce.
A senior modern languages teacher in an independent grammar school for many years, Brian has also enjoyed a successful parallel career since the 1980’s as a professional artist and interior designer. Since 2006, he has been regularly appointed to a number of prestigious ocean and river cruise lines, either as resident artist, guest lecturer on art history or as destination speaker for more than forty countries. Most recently this work has successfully extended to art guiding through important towns and museums in France, Belgium, Holland and Spain. | <urn:uuid:ee2957ba-7659-4d2c-8fba-7ba74a2ff233> | CC-MAIN-2019-30 | http://theartssocietydanevalley.org/event/from-peasants-to-czars-a-portrait-of-19th-century-russia/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-30/segments/1563195526153.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20190719074137-20190719100137-00484.warc.gz | en | 0.982927 | 267 | 2.515625 | 3 |
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
In 2013, construction began on the Salesforce Tower which at completion stands 1,070 feet in height – the tallest in the San Francisco skyline. The building was constructed by a joint venture between general contractors Clark Construction and Hathaway Dinwiddie. BKF Engineers was selected to perform construction survey, and alignment for the corewall — a construction technique that drastically accelerates construction time.
Accelerating Construction Timeline And Creating Safe Working Conditions
High-rise buildings are subject to strong external deflection effects caused by wind, exposure to sunlight, and unilateral loads. Such effects are a particular challenge during construction, as each of these effects causes at least temporary loss of vertical alignment, from which all survey and layout are based. These effects include:
Concrete surfaces exposed to the sun will expand when compared to those on the opposite side of the building. This will result in the building moving “away” from the sun. Considering that control for concrete formwork needs to be set during the day when solar effects will be at a maximum, this can be a very challenging problem for survey crews to manage throughout their daily tasks.
Building resonance induces movement in the tower with periods of as little as 10 seconds up to 15 minutes. Additionally, wind drag, and crane loads induce random movements with periods of 5 to 15 minutes. These compounded dynamic effects cause the building to move from the theoretical vertical axis and oscillate about an offset position. A successful survey program has to be designed to tolerate this movement and allow construction to proceed in a continuation of the alignment of the previous levels regardless of these dynamic effects.
Long Period Movements
Uneven settlement manifests as the load on the foundation increases. If the settlement is uneven this will cause a corresponding tilt in the tower structure. Construction Sequence can also cause the center of mass of the building to move, causing a corresponding movement in the structure.
During the planning phase of construction, two issues were paramount:
•Safety – The foundation on which the tower was to be built rests on a landfill near the original San Francisco Bay waterfront – in an area prone to soil liquefaction during earthquakes. The tower needed to be strong enough to withstand the considerable seismic activity present in the area.
•Construction Timeline – Developers secured their first major tenant lease, Salesforce, in 2014. Occupying 714,000 square feet, they would be the anchor tenant of the building. As such, maintaining a strict construction timeline was imperative.
In order to mitigate deflection effects and address the concerns above, BKF Engineers implemented an optimized core wall surveying system to accelerate construction timeline, as it automates control transfer from ground- to working-level. This optimization drastically reduces survey setup times each day and improves the accuracy of control and layout at elevations above 40 stories.
Incorporating the sensemetrics Solution
BKF Engineers’ optimized high-rise survey system consisted of Leica GNSS sensors, embedded Geokon strain gauges, and sensemetrics THREAD gateway devices. This cloud-based system facilitated sensor automation and streaming of real-time coordinates and sensor data to the BKF field crews on their mobile devices.
Despite all of the challenges associated with precisely aligning a high-rise as it experiences such a broad range of structural movements, BKF’s chosen technology solution from sensemetrics and Leica Geosystems allowed the construction process to proceed on schedule and to tolerance. It also provided real-time survey control for project surveyors and trades layout crews to precisely position components at the working level without the need to tie to external control points off structure, greatly increasing the productivity of all survey processes at elevation.
sensemetrics was chosen as the premier technology provider for this high-rise construction survey as a result of its cloud-based sensor data management platform, in addition to its plug-and-play support for sensors and technologies from its partners, Leica Geosystems and Geokon, Inc – leaders in sensing solutions for spatial and structural applications.
Results Delivered By sensemetrics
In addition to the optimized survey setup times and its dramatic impact on construction progress, BKF also realized a cost savings of approximately 25%. | <urn:uuid:0faf90b3-295a-489a-96ae-cb5f8e73f4b6> | CC-MAIN-2019-35 | https://sensemetrics.com/industries/construction/highrise/salesforce-tower/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027315936.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20190821110541-20190821132541-00338.warc.gz | en | 0.931113 | 868 | 2.703125 | 3 |
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Better products coming but most still offer inferior protection or use concerning ingredients
Since 2007, EWG’s annual Guide to Sunscreens has exposed how many sunscreen products sold in the U.S. fall short of effectively and safely protecting people, and has advised consumers on safer and more effective choices. At the same time, we’ve pushed the Food and Drug Administration to update and improve sunscreen regulations, urging the agency to set stricter standards to better protect public health.
The good news: The FDA is finally proposing big changes that address many of our concerns, and should make all sunscreens safer and more effective.
But wait: Those changes will not be in sunscreens on the shelves this year. For this year’s Guide, we assessed more than 1,300 products with SPF, including 750 currently available beach and sport sunscreens, and found that about two-thirds still offer inferior sun protection or contain concerning ingredients, such as oxybenzone, a potentially hormone-disrupting chemical that is readily absorbed by the body.
The FDA first began the process of updating sunscreen regulations more than 40 years ago. In February, the agency at long last issued a proposed set of final rules. As written, the new rules would bring significant advances in both effectiveness and safety. But many big chemical manufacturers and sunscreen companies are lobbying heavily for a much weaker proposal that would likely leave the state of sunscreens in the U.S. largely unchanged.
Here are some of the most important changes proposed by the FDA, and how they relate to our advice in this year’s and previous years’ Guides.
For decades, Americans have been told that sunscreen use is critical to prevent lasting skin damage and skin cancer from sun exposure. But the FDA has not ensured that the ingredients meant to provide such protection have been adequately tested for safety and efficacy.
Now the FDA is for the first time proposing that active ingredients in sunscreen be sufficiently tested to determine the rate of absorption through the skin and the health impacts that may result from exposure to those ingredients. Based on existing test data, the agency’s proposal recognizes as safe and effective just two ingredients, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. From the beginning, EWG’s Guide has recommended that consumers choose sunscreen products made with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which meet our standards for effectiveness and safety.
The FDA proposes that 12 other active ingredients commonly found in sunscreens, including oxybenzone, need additional data from safety and efficacy testing. Those ingredients are used in more than 50 percent of the sunscreens EWG assessed for this year’s Guide.
The test data the FDA is requesting on these existing ingredients are the same as those required by the agency for ingredients used elsewhere in the world that companies want to introduce in U.S. sunscreens. But the FDA will likely give companies additional time to conduct the tests and submit the data, and until then, those ingredients can remain in sunscreens sold in the U.S.
The FDA’s proposal also recognizes two active ingredients, PABA and trolamine salicylate, as unsafe based on the available scientific literature. These ingredients are rarely, if ever, used in sunscreen anymore.
Particular concern about oxybenzone – especially for kids
Oxybenzone is one of the most commonly used sunscreen active ingredients, found in more than 60 percent of the non-mineral sunscreens in this year’s Guide. In 2008, EWG called on the FDA to investigate the safety of oxybenzone use in sunscreen, because of mounting evidence that the chemical readily penetrates the skin and could potentially disrupt the human hormone system.
The FDA’s proposal confirms our position, saying that although oxybenzone is one of the more thoroughly tested sunscreen ingredients, additional data is needed because existing tests raise health concerns. Of particular concern to the FDA were test results showing:
The agency is requesting studies of oxybenzone that measure skin absorption and potential impacts on the hormone levels, reproduction and development.
According to the FDA, higher sun protection factor values, or SPF, have not been shown to provide additional clinical benefit and may provide users with a false sense of security. To guard against this misconception, the agency proposes limiting products’ SPF claims to 60+.
The FDA is concerned that claims of excessively high SPF values give users a false sense of protection, leading to overexposure to UVA rays that increase the risk of long-term skin damage and cancer. The FDA emphasized that the SPF cap, along with proposed changes to the broad spectrum test, are needed to ensure that sunscreens provide more UVA protection.
This is not the first time the FDA has raised concerns about high SPF products. In 2011, an earlier draft of the proposed rules recommended a SPF cap of 50+. We see the latest proposal, recommending a cap of 60+, as a step backwards. To justify this change, the FDA cites only studies of sunscreens with active ingredients that are not allowed for use in the U.S. Therefore, it remains unclear whether this change will be feasible or beneficial to the U.S. market.
More than 10 percent of the sunscreens in this year’s Guide claim an SPF of greater than 50+. EWG recommends that consumers avoid products that claim an SPF higher than 50+.
The FDA proposal recommends changes to the method companies must use to evaluate sunscreens’ broad-spectrum UVA protection. The agency proposes a test it initially put forward, in 2007, to ensure that UVA protection increase with UVB protection. At the time, sunscreen manufacturers fought this change and the agency relented, enabling substandard and potentially harmful products to remain on the market for a decade more. EWG is supporting this proposed change as an important improvement but will advocate that the final standard be even more protective. Our modeling predicts that many high SPF products would pass the proposed FDA test but still offer inadequate UVA protection.
When the FDA proposed its current UVA standard, in 2011, we estimated that 80 percent of products would pass without any changes to their formulations. The European Union sets a higher bar, requiring UVA protection to rise in proportion with SPF, and the latest FDA proposal would bring U.S.-sold sunscreen closer to that standard.
EWG is concerned that sunscreen sprays pose an inhalation risk and may not provide an adequate coating on the skin to ensure proper protection. The number of sunscreen sprays on the U.S. market has been increasing, and more than a quarter of the sunscreens in this year’s Guide are in spray form.
The FDA proposes that all spray and powdered sunscreens be tested to ensure they cannot be inhaled deep into the lungs, where they could do irrevocable damage. In pilot testing, the agency found that three of 14 sprays would not meet its proposed standard but did not say which products consumers should avoid. EWG recommends that consumers avoid all spray and powder sunscreen products.
The agency has also proposed numerous other changes to the sunscreen regulations that should better protect consumers, including:
The changes proposed by the FDA are focused on effectiveness and the safety of active ingredients. They do not address concerns EWG has raised about the use of other worrisome ingredients, such as retinyl palmitate, a form of vitamin A that may harm sun-exposed skin.
The FDA is expected to finalize the sunscreens rule before the end of the year. Regardless of the new rules, make sun safety a daily habit by covering up with clothing, seeking shade, planning around the sun and using sunscreen when needed. Enjoy the summer and don't get burned.
Besides oxybenzone, they are avobenzone, homosalate, octinoxate, octisalate, octocrylene, cinoxate, dioxybenzone, ensulizole, meradimate, padimate O and sulisobenzone.
A cap of 60+ means that although companies may consider their product’s formulation to have a higher SPF value than 60, they can’t label it with a higher number.
Take EWG's Sunscreen Guide with you! Download the Healthy Living App Today
Take EWG's Sunscreen Guide with you! Download the Healthy Living App Today | <urn:uuid:801878c3-5b15-4bbb-b6bc-3bead8b6223b> | CC-MAIN-2019-26 | https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/report/executive-summary/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-26/segments/1560627998716.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20190618103358-20190618125358-00103.warc.gz | en | 0.926861 | 1,731 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Mistletoe Brown-Tail Moth
(also known as Urocoma edwardsi)
LYMANTRIINAE, EREBIDAE, NOCTUOIDEA
(Photo: courtesy of Harold McQueen, Goodna, Queensland)
The Caterpillars of this species are dark grey, with a row of dark red spots along each side of the back, and with white patches on the backs of the middle five abdominal segments. The caterpillars have white lateral hairs along each side. The head is black with a narrow white collar. The thorax has brown dorsal markings. There is a black hairy knob on the back of the last abdominal segment. The penultimate pair of abdominal segments each have a pink or red dorsal gland.
The caterpillars feed on various Mistletoes (LORANTHACEAE) including:
When the larvae run out of food, they wander off, often invading dwellings. This is not good, as the hairs on this caterpillar cause Urticaria and Dendrolimiasis in sensitive individuals.
Just killing the caterpillars in situ is hazardous as the hairs from the dead larvae can blow about and cause more inflammation. If you or people in your family are sensitive, you will have to be vigilant and collect any larvae that you see with forceps or long-nosed pliers into say a jam-jar which can be closed for transport a long way away.
Even burning the caterpillars is hazardous as the hairs can be released and fly about in the updrafts. This is only a good idea if first the caterpillars are doused in an inflammable fluid, to ensure that the hairs burn first.
The hairs from dead caterpillar skins, discarded naturally by the caterpillars when they moult, can blow over wide areas. Trying to collect the hairs with a vacuum cleaner is unwise as vacuum cleaners must blow as well as suck, and the blowing exacerbates the problem. One laborious but safe method of removing such loose hairs is with say long strips of wide sticky tape, holding the ends in each hand, and dabbing the tape onto surfaces with hairs on them.
If you have been affected by the hairs: anti-histamine pills might help. You could also try putting acid (like vinegar) and alkali (like washing soda) on the affected areas to see if they help, as they do with jellyfish stings. The hairs of the caterpillars carry random bacteria which are effectively injected under the skin by the sharp points of the hairs, so rubbing hand-sanitizer on the areas may help too.
The caterpillar pupates in a yellow cocoon in the ground leaf litter.
The adult moth is a variable orange-brown, sometimes with a faint pale spot near the middle, and a pale area along the margin of each forewing. The moth has prominent pair of black eyes, brown or ginger hairs around the head, and a dark abdomen with a yellow tuft on the tip. The moths have a wingspan of up to 5 cms.
The species occurs over the whole south-east quarter of Australia, including:
Further reading :
Butterflies and Moths, Collins Eyewitness Handbooks, Sydney 1992, p. 269.
Ian F.B. Common,
Moths of Australia, Melbourne University Press, 1990, fig. 55.4, pl. 19.13, pp. 69, 429.
Peter B. McQuillan, Jan A. Forrest, David Keane, & Roger Grund,
Caterpillars, moths, and their plants of Southern Australia,
Butterfly Conservation South Australia Inc., Adelaide (2019), p. 150.
Moths of Victoria: part 2,
Tiger Moths and their Allies - Noctuoidea (A),
Entomological Society of Victoria, 2009, pp. 16-19.
Characters of a few Australian Lepidoptera, Collected by Mr. Thomas R. Oxley,
Transactions of the Entomological Society of London,
New Series, Volume III, Number 8 (1856), pp. 284-285, and also Plate 18, fig. 10.
Paul Zborowski and Ted Edwards,
A Guide to Australian Moths, CSIRO Publishing, 2007, pp. 176, 179.
(updated 13 November 2010, 15 May 2017, 11 April 2019, 12 June 2020) | <urn:uuid:d462f83b-4dd3-476a-8080-0e26c108a0d4> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/lyma/edwardsii.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572833.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817001643-20220817031643-00438.warc.gz | en | 0.90733 | 975 | 3.390625 | 3 |
State Environment Councils
The State Environment Councils are collective and advisory bodies generally linked to the State Environment Secretariats. The councils are comprised of representatives of the government and civil society, and aim to discuss and propose the guidelines for the State Policy for the Environment and its application by the Secretary of State for the Environment and other related institutions, as well as to guide the State Government in environmental management.
Formalization: is the innovation embedded in the constitution or legislation, in an administrative act, or not formalized at all?
Frequency: how often does the innovation take place: only once, sporadically, or is it permanent or regular?
Mode of Selection of Participants: is the innovation open to all participants, access is restricted to some kind of condition, or both methods apply?
Type of participants: those who participate are individual citizens, civil society organizations, private stakeholders or a combination of those?
Decisiveness: does the innovation takes binding, non-binding or no decision at all?
Co-governance: is there involvement of the government in the process or not?
- only backed by a governmental program or policy
- Mode of selection of participants
- Type of participants
- civil society
- democratic innovation yields a non-binding decision | <urn:uuid:3b65eb28-ca2d-4371-9971-fac1260f86e4> | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | https://latinno.net/en/case/3113/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780057479.26/warc/CC-MAIN-20210923225758-20210924015758-00619.warc.gz | en | 0.928207 | 261 | 2.921875 | 3 |
Blasts from the past.
First, an AT&T advertisement — shown in theatres — in silent film. the short introduced dial phones to part of central California in early 1927. Historical footnote: Some theatres had played short-subject sound films, but the famous full-length first “talkie,” “The Jazz Singer” with superstar Al Jolson in the lead role, didn’t get into production until after this phone exchange went to dials (the dial service cutover was set for May 28; Jolson didn’t sign a contract to do the film until July, and the film’s rushed premiere was October 6).
This short reflects movie conventions of the silent era.
A short time later, we get a sound version of the film instructing in the use of a dial telephone.
In 1962 AT&T promoted Touch-Tone dialing at the Seattle World’s Fair (the Fair was in 1962; the YouTube video says 1963); this is a clip from a longer film, in color; where the film was intended to be exhibited I do not know:
The longer film was a 14-minute production from AT&T, “Century 21 Calling . . .” The longer film used the backdrop of the World’s Fair, including the monorail, to demonstrate new technologies in the pipeline, like call forwarding — technologies that were really about 20 years in the future for most people. If you’ve got the time and want to immerse yourself in the past, here’s the whole film at CrunchGear.
We should search for earlier films on telephones. Telephones were toys of the rich in the late 19th century. Edison’s workable movie system started cranking out movies in 1892. It is conceivable that there is another, earlier film on how to use a hand-crank telephone, prior to 1927.
But here we see three classic, period pieces, from 1927, from about 1930, and from 1962. Each film ostensibly shows an advance in the user interface for the telephone, but each film also demonstrates the technology of films available at the time. There’s a heck of an essay with a grand moral in there, somewhere.
Note on filibustering new technologies: Virginia’s U.S. Sen. Carter Glass worked to get dial telephones banned and removed from the Senate wing of the Capitol with a resolution in 1930. Here’s the account from the Senate Historical Office:
June 25, 1930
Senate Considers Banning Dial Phones
Carter Glass (D-VA)
In the spring of 1930, the Senate considered the following resolution:
Whereas dial telephones are more difficult to operate than are manual telephones; and Whereas Senators are required, since the installation of dial phones in the Capitol, to perform the duties of telephone operators in order to enjoy the benefits of telephone service; and Whereas dial telephones have failed to expedite telephone service; Therefore be it resolved that the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate is authorized and directed to order the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Co. to replace with manual phones within 30 days after the adoption of this resolution, all dial telephones in the Senate wing of the United States Capitol and in the Senate office building.
Sponsored by Virginia’s Carter Glass, the resolution passed without objection when first considered on May 22, 1930. Arizona’s Henry Ashurst praised its sponsor for his restrained language. The Congressional Record would not be mailable, he said, “if it contained in print what Senators think of the dial telephone system.” When Washington Senator Clarence Dill asked why the resolution did not also ban the dial system from the District of Columbia, Glass said he hoped the phone company would take the hint.
One day before the scheduled removal of all dial phones, Maryland Senator Millard Tydings offered a resolution to give senators a choice. It appeared that some of the younger senators actually preferred the dial phones. This angered the anti-dial senators, who immediately blocked the measure’s consideration.
Finally, technology offered a solution. Although the telephone company had pressed for the installation of an all-dial system, it acknowledged that it could provide the Senate with phones that worked both ways. But Senator Dill was not ready to give up. In his experience, the dial phone “could not be more awkward than it is. One has to use both hands to dial; he must be in a position where there is good light, day or night, in order to see the number; and if he happens to turn the dial not quite far enough, then he gets a wrong connection.”
Senator Glass, the original sponsor, had the last word before the Senate agreed to the compromise plan. “Mr. President, so long as I am not pestered with the dial and may have the manual telephone, while those who want to be pestered with [the dial] may have it, all right.”
A very big tip of the old scrub brush to Mary Almanza, who piqued my interest with her post of the “how to dial” video on Facebook. | <urn:uuid:b16501ab-3bd4-4126-a1f1-9d72aacf8781> | CC-MAIN-2020-24 | https://timpanogos.blog/2011/05/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-24/segments/1590347387219.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20200525032636-20200525062636-00185.warc.gz | en | 0.955509 | 1,076 | 2.75 | 3 |
Researchers led by biologist Jeffrey Chambers of Tulane University have determined that the losses inflicted by Hurricane Katrina on Gulf Coast forest trees are enough to cancel out a year’s worth of new tree biomass (trunks, branches and foliage) growth in other parts of the country.
“The carbon that will be released as these trees decompose is enough to cancel out an entire year’s worth of net gain by all U.S. forests. And this is only from a single storm,” says Chambers, lead author of an article detailing the team’s findings, “Hurricane Katrina’s Carbon Footprint on Gulf Coast Forests,” published in the Nov. 16 issue of the journal Science.
The study was carried out by researchers at Tulane and the University of New Hampshire. Using NASA satellite sensing technology, ecological field investigations and statistical analysis, the investigators estimate that 320 million large trees were killed or severely damaged by the August 2005 storm.
As the Earth’s climate warms, evidence is accumulating that hurricanes, tornados and frontal systems will gain in energy, producing more violent storms and stronger winds. Increased wind disturbance will cause more tree mortality and damage, and this dead wood will release additional carbon to the atmosphere, potentially amplifying global warming.
Young, healthy forests play a vital role in removing carbon, in the form of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere by photosynthesis, and are thus important in the battle against warming. These young forests are valued as “carbon sinks,” removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it as growing vegetation.
The total amount of carbon stored in a forest is the result of the growth of new and existing trees, and tree death from age and disturbance. Dead trees and downed wood decompose and release carbon to the atmosphere. Thus, an increase in disturbance frequency, for example from more powerful storms, can tilt this balance toward the loss side, reversing the storing process and becoming a source of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
This increase in carbon emissions can enhance global warming in what is termed by scientists a “positive feedback mechanism.” Increased carbon dioxide warms the climate, causing more intense storms and elevated tree mortality, releasing yet more carbon dioxide and further warming the climate.
The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Institute of Climatic Change Research. NASA provided satellite data for the study and many of the methods used were first developed as part of a NASA Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia, led by Chambers.
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system. | <urn:uuid:7ee3c4d3-b653-487f-b38e-3d5fb59605ad> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-11/tu-fdb111407.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698080772/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095440-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940088 | 572 | 3.796875 | 4 |
6 ASPECTS OF OPTIMAL HEALTH
Optimal Health is only acquired by gaining the perfect balance of the six aspects of health.
YOU CANNOT OUT EXERCISE A POOR DIET
“Optimal Health” carries with it the expectation of proper nutrition. It is unreasonable to assume you can be healthy and/or fit without providing proper foundations of fuel for the body. Nutrition plays a critical role in your health.
Our Goal with Optimal Health
To help you achieve OPTIMAL HEALTH. Optimal Health encompasses all objectives of healthy living. These may range from: having more energy, to losing weight, to becoming fit, to participating in sport, to conquering disease. Our definition of Health is truly groundbreaking in this industry. Every ounce of our programming intended for its achievement.
To be healthy, truly healthy, you must strive for balance within the six aspects of health (refer to the turquoise box). Too much, or too little of any one, or of several combinations of these aspects will leave you miserable and wanting. In other words, chasing perfection in fitness (or any of the other aspects of health) generally, takes from other aspects. This leaves you unhealthy overall. Some of the least healthy people we know have perfect six-packs and incredible work capacity. Yet, their work lives, home lives, and spiritual lives suffer greatly. By the same regards. One who does not have adequate fitness cannot be healthy either. Remember - BALANCE.
Overriding Principles and Philosophies of GPP Nutrition
1. Know Your Caloric Needs
We understand that proper nutrition is not ONLY a calorie game. Neither is weight loss. But understanding your caloric needs is an important proponent to ANY nutrition recommendation.
It is also important to understand how to make constant adjustments to your daily caloric needs. To figure your caloric needs, we suggest running a simple search for “how many calories do I need daily.” There are many free calorie counters on the internet. None are more, or less effective/efficient than another.
You may try:
All will provide estimates on norms & averages. All will get you, generally close to your caloric needs. With EVERY calorie estimate, you’ll need to fine-tune from there.
2. Know Your Macronutrient Needs
There are 3 primary macronutrients (4, really). Macronutrients are the chemical elements humans consume in the largest quantities. These are:
- Carbohydrate (CHO)
- Protein (PRO)
- Alcohol (included for purposes of winning nutritional trivial pursuits)
Some thoughts on learning your specific Macronutrient needs:
Food is drugs. Every food you eat has a chemical effect on you (body, mind & soul). The chemical effect it has on you may be very different from the effect the VERY SAME food may have on another. Food has an impact well beyond just the energy and nutrition it supplies to your body. We know this. Why else would the common peanut be so nutritious and enjoyable to one, yet quite literally kill another?
GPP® believes nutritional success is very specific to the individual. It is unreasonable to your friend’s nutritional program to work for you, or anyone else. It is unreasonable to expect yours to work for them. We, therefore, employ the concept of “INTUITIVE EATING” to find our correct macronutrient balance. We use the following principles:
- The “Vanilla” Concept
- Balancing Macros (40/30/30)
- “Singular Changes” Approach
- the “Fortnight Ride”
3. Eat Real Food
- Learn more about “Real Food” | <urn:uuid:058f3e5a-4c9c-45e6-adf2-1d059334725a> | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | https://gpptraining.center/training-options/gpp-nutrition/what-we-believe/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267861456.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20180618222556-20180619002556-00629.warc.gz | en | 0.921416 | 773 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Cybersecurity has become more of a preventive safety measure rather than a security extent. In this digital age, every business must prepare for any cyber-attacks. Everything has digitalized now, and with it, several threats plus potential risks you may expect. The most effective way is to ensure that you have installed security and safety measures to combat it all. The financial loss that any cyber threat could inflict upon a company can be ruthless. It can carry the ability to crash all confidential data of any company.
Hence if you are not aware of handling the dangers of cybersecurity, the right approach is to get the help of a professional immediately. Here are some ways cybersecurity can support you avoid any monetary losses.
- Prioritize Safety
- Prevalent Risk of Data Theft
- Prevent Disruptions
- Secure Authentication
- Get Cybersecurity Insurance
1. Prioritize Safety
The Internet is a place with deep secrets that can leave you both defenseless and exposed. Many hackers are always on the watch, looking and scouting for ways to launch sophisticated attacks. Starting right from a bank to a multinational corporation, the need to protect precious data has become a necessity.
A slight leak can cause a loss of millions of dollars with just a blink. To counter this, you must focus on creating a proper safety system. You can learn more to protect electronic infrastructures and vital computer networks from such attacks by adopting new career options when it comes to cybersecurity degrees. Some employers want candidates to hold an advanced degree, such as a master’s degree in cybersecurity or information systems.
2. Prevalent Risk of Data Theft
Hackers are minting money through cyber theft that has impacted small businesses in the most drastic way possible. That is because prevalent cyber theft or attacks can leave a company vulnerable and helpless all at once.
Try to include elements such as various security software, programs, and firewalls to protect your business. These will help encrypt and protect to secure the flow of information. Any anti-virus programs you have, eventually build a secure system for the company that makes sure there is no breach. It is a much-needed step because even the slightest violation could result in the loss of sensitive information. Data like personal details or numbers could escape through and compromise the reputation of the company. No proper safety can result in clients leaving the company, which is not good financially.
3. Prevent Disruptions
Having a capable cybersecurity team can help you run things smoothly. Any disruptions can instantly put a halt on the online operations of a company. It might take your business months to build a proper online system, but a cyber-attack only needs less than two minutes to disorder it completely. Then it can even take you weeks to undo the damage that has been causing. That can result in the loss of precious time and also vast amounts of money.
The best way is to make sure that your business takes cybersecurity seriously. There are a series of protection and password-encoded steps that can be followed by both the company. The best thing is to actively work on a cyber-attack mitigation plan that is intact and wards any glitches and intruders from creating disruptions. It can keep the process running efficiently without any trouble in daily routine.
4. Secure Authentication
One way, cybersecurity can help you avoid all kinds of monetary defeats by introducing a two-factor authentication system. Identity thefts on the Internet are a huge cause of concern for many companies. That has become very common internally, and often identities of employees are stolen to gain access to private information by hackers that may be hired by rival companies.
Restrict the flow of data with only the essential employees of the company. It is not safe to let all employees have access to the information. That can complete through face identification or even phone encrypted passwords that are only available to certain people. It will protect companies from monetary losses, as only crucial people will be able to get their hands on sensitive data.
5. Get Cybersecurity Insurance
There is nothing better than getting insurance for your data. Data and cybersecurity can be volatile, so they must be taken care of at all times. Their loss can put a company in enormous financial strains; a smart move would be to get to know identity theft insurance providers. With it, you can protect your business against any sorts of cybercrimes that can lead to your company losing a certain amount of money. Insurance can help you can forgo the step of having to pay huge chunks of cash in lawsuits. The coverage for it will keep the data protected.
In the case where you might lose data, the first loss is that which is monetary. Insurance can help you cover that up instantaneously. It can take the pressure of financial needs almost immediately when your business meets a cyber-threat.
Cybersecurity is not to take it lightly at all. There are so much threat and theft that is going around the Internet that it becomes harder to operate each day consistently. By ensuring that your business has a robust cybersecurity system in place, you can relieve some density off. Data is costly, and any threat to it can put a huge monetary burden on any company or business. Take all the measures you can to avoid landing yourself in a compromising situation. | <urn:uuid:7d8379fc-8512-46e4-9337-07de436ec6c1> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://techninjapro.com/how-cyber-security-can-help-you-avoid-monetary-losses/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573029.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817153027-20220817183027-00746.warc.gz | en | 0.957392 | 1,071 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Tips To Study For Your Geography Exam Like A Pro
Any exam is a headache and when it comes to Geography exams well, let’s just say that students find themselves scrambling to prepare before the time runs out.
The reasons why students often feel that Geography is a tough subject and preparing for a Geography exam is tougher are as follows –
- As a subject, Geography tests the overall memorization skills of a student to the limits.
- It also tests the overall visualization skills of a student as they also need to keep maps and overall outlook of cities, states, and country in visual forms, at the top of their minds.
Hence, if you feel that as a subject, Geography is testing your patience then you are not alone!
In this context, there are lots of ways that can help you score well for your ensuing Geography exam and some of them are as follows –
The use of flashcards can go a long way!
As per the opinion of a professor associated with a company that offers online Geography tuition, flashcards were the part and parcel of students back in the day but when the age of the smartphone and the internet dawned, this amazing learning tool fell out of favor.
Recently, the use of flashcards is returning as new-age students finally understand how this tool can help them keep photographic memories of important information about a complicated subject like Geography to be stored in memory forever.
You can do this too and make sure that you remember every keyword and key phrase that can help you formulate detailed answers to complicated questions when you finally sit for your Geography exam.
Do not ignore the maps
A Geography learning session cannot be complete until the student has delved into the world of maps pertaining to the areas, countries, cities, and places of geographical importance.
Studying maps along with your notes will allow you to retain information for a long time and also enable you to quickly recall the information when you finally sit for your Geography exam.
It is always a good idea to sit for online tests
Practice leads to perfection – people know this but often fail to follow it. As a student, you can break this chain and sit for mock online Geography tests, after you have completed your study quota for the day.
How will this help?
Well, it will allow you to master time management and also ascertain the areas that you need to prepare better.
Keep sitting for online tests until you feel like you have mastered the art of time management and have strengthened all the weak areas in your Geography exam preparation.
If you still feel that you need further assistance then you can always avail online Geography tuition sessions from reputed online tutorial service providers here in the UK. In this context, be sure to avail online coaching services from a company that has been in business for a while and hires retired professors and Ph.D. Scholars as their workforce. In this way, you will be getting the best coaching for every pound you spend | <urn:uuid:0a78ec9d-9891-4d0d-a7f7-b5f6c8b5e195> | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | https://brainrack.co/tips-to-study-for-your-geography-exam-like-a-pro/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030337531.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20221005011205-20221005041205-00074.warc.gz | en | 0.959694 | 617 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Field trips and activities give students and the general public the chance to interact with wildlife in the field and learn new skills. Below are some of the activities we have done with schools, youth groups and the general public. To find out how to schedule an activity with us, contact us.
Wildlife Photography/Macro Photography Workshop
This session teaches the basics of wildlife photography and macro (close-up) photography in the field and using a miniature “photo studio” for macro photography. Participants learn about the use of light, principles of composition and optics and how to approach wildlife in the field. The techniques used are applicable to whatever photo equipment is available, whether it is a DSLR, point and shoot or phone camera.
Instruction primarily takes place in the field, photographing wildlife in its natural habitat. Insects and other invertebrates can also be collected for photography in a portable mini-studio set up on the premises (and subsequently released). An introduction to photo editing and review of photos can also be done on premises, or as part of a follow-up “classroom” session.
Wildlife education is incorporated into the workshop through identification and life histories of the species encountered and discussion of the site’s ecosystem. The photography skills learned are applicable to wildlife photography, and also everyday photography or photography as a hobby or career.
Wildlife Census Workshop
This session offers an introduction to wildlife research in the form of a census, and can potentially result in the collection of valuable scientific data. For this workshop, the exact type of census may vary. Here are a couple examples:
• A census of Anolis lizards at the Port de Plaisance Resort. PdP is home to both native species of Anolis (A. pogus and A. gingivinus) as well as the introduced Puerto Rican Crested Anole (A. cristatellus). The goal of the census would be conduct a count of all three species in the area (A. cristatellus is currently found only at this resort) and develop a better understanding of how the three species are interacting and competing. Surveys around the edges of the property would determine the full range of A. cristatellus, and if it is currently expanding its range and potentially threatening our native species. This session teaches the biology of anoles, as well as principles like adaptive radiation, invasive species colonization and inter-species competition.
• A census of migratory shorebirds in a wetland location (e.g., Salines d’Orient at Le Galion). At various times of year, many species of shorebird are stopping on St. Martin during their migration from their summer breeding grounds in North America to their overwintering grounds in South America. This island, and the rest of the Caribbean, plays an integral role as a stopover area where these birds can rest and feed. During this session participants learn methods for conducting a shorebird census and identification of the different shorebird species. Participants can also look for birds that are banded, and if sighted, these records can be submitted. It is often possible to learn the date and location where the bird was originally banded.
This workshop teaches field research techniques and is an opportunity to discuss the wildlife and conservation issues.
Interpretive Guiding Workshop
This workshop teaches the principles of wildlife interpretation in the field. Interpretation in this context is the act of using a theme to explain something (e.g., wildlife) in an organized, engaging manner rather than a disconnected bunch of facts or observations. The result is an experience that is more like a great documentary film than a boring lecture. It is a key skill for leading a guided tour.
The method of teaching is to do interpretive guiding on a hike through a forest environment while also explaining the process of interpretation. Participants may not be expected to have sufficient background to create their own interpretive stories about the wildlife, but would be able to learn the basic principles while also learning about local wildlife and ecosystems. | <urn:uuid:2e99bef6-5d56-41d3-8477-3e6137f84dde> | CC-MAIN-2018-34 | http://www.sxmwildlife.com/education/activities/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-34/segments/1534221216453.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20180820121228-20180820141228-00517.warc.gz | en | 0.938817 | 828 | 3.375 | 3 |
The Global Positioning System time epoch is ending and another one is beginning, an event that could affect your devices or any equipment or legacy system that relies on GPS for time and location.
Most clocks obtain their time from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). But the atomic clocks on satellites are set to GPS time. The timing signals you can get from GPS satellites are very accurate and globally available. And so they’re often used by systems as the primary source of time and frequency accuracy.
When Global Positioning System was first implemented, time and date function was defined by a 10-bit number. So unlike the Gregorian calendar, which uses year, month and date format, the GPS date is a “week number,” or WN. The WN is transmitted as a 10-bit field in navigation messages and rolls over or resets to zero every 1,024 weeks.
Since that time, the count has been incremented by one each week, and broadcast as part of the GPS message.
The GPS week started January 6, 1980 and it became zero for the first time midnight August 21, 1999. At midnight April 6, the GPS WN is scheduled to reset, which could be problematic for legacy systems and impact time and the time tags in location data. Utilities and cellular networks also use GPs receivers for timing and controlling certain functions. For instance, the U.S. power grid uses timestamps embedded in GPS. The U.S. Department of Energy says that “GPS supports a wide variety of critical grid functions that allow separate components on the electric system to work in unison.”
It should be noted that the WN restart date could be different in some devices, depending on when the firmware was created.
The bug, which some has described as the Y2K of GPS, will cause problems in some GPS receivers such as resetting the time and corrupting location data. The GPS WN rollover event may hurt the reliability of the reported UTC, according to U.S. Department of Homeland Security. HDS said an GPS device that conforms to the latest IS-GPS-200 and provides UTC should not be adversely affected. The agency also provided a word of caution:
However, tests of some GPS devices revealed that not all manufacturer implementations correctly handle the April 6, 2019 WN rollover. Additionally, some manufacturer implementations interpret the WN parameter relative to a date other than January 5, 1980. These devices should not be affected by the WN rollover on April 6, 2019 but may experience a similar rollover event at a future date.
If you own a newer commercial device with updated software, it’s most likely fine. But double check and make sure the software is up-to-date.
The U.S. Naval Observatory suggests contact the manufacturer of your GPS receiver if you have been effected by the GPS week number rollover. Some GPS receiver manufacturers can be found at the GPS World website.
Work has been done to avoid this kind of rollover issue — or at least punt it down the line. The modernized GPS navigation message uses a 13-bit field that repeats every 8,192 weeks.
This article is inspired from Techcrunch. | <urn:uuid:899e4268-1a4f-4069-b476-3ba751468a46> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.geekfence.com/2019/04/08/gps-rollover-is-today-heres-why-devices-might-get-wacky/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224653608.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20230607042751-20230607072751-00569.warc.gz | en | 0.94844 | 664 | 3.265625 | 3 |
The University of Michigan is joining the American Institute of Chemical Engineering (AIChE) in a manufacturing institute dedicated to improving the efficiency of the chemical industry. The institute is charged with reducing the energy required and the waste generated in making chemical products – from fuels to paper to toothpaste.
“Consumers don’t often think about the importance of the chemical industry and its energy footprint,” said Levi Thompson, the Richard E. Balzhiser Collegiate Professor of Chemical Engineering, who leads the effort at U-M. “We use chemicals in most daily activities. Try washing your clothes, dishes or hair without chemicals.”
“The question then becomes how much is consumed in producing chemicals. And it’s 25 percent of all the energy used for manufacturing. We’re going to make it less expensive, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.”
The institute, called the Rapid Advancement in Process Intensification Deployment (RAPID) Manufacturing Institute, brings together 75 companies, 34 academic institutions, seven national laboratories, two other government laboratories and seven non-governmental organizations. The Department of Energy will provide $70 million over the next five years, with contributions from the partners bringing the total above $140 million. By the end of five years, the AIChE intends to make the institute self-sustaining.
We’re going to make it less expensive, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.Professor Levi Thompson
The goal of the manufacturing institute, one of ten Manufacturing USA institutes, is process intensification: combining steps in chemical processing so that a job requires less energy to run and costs less. For example, if two processes can run at close to the same temperature, they can be heated by a single device, saving energy.
“While it’s important to be the best in basic research, that’s not enough to compete and survive and thrive in the global economy. We need to leverage our own discoveries and turn them into products,” said Sridhar Kota, a former advisor to the Obama administration who first proposed the manufacturing innovation institutes, and the Herrick Professor of Engineering at U-M. “These institutes are designed to bridge the gap between basic research and manufacturing by maturing an emerging technology and its manufacturing-readiness.”
Funding for U-M projects could total nearly $13 million: $6.3 million from DoE with matching funds from the University. One of the projects aims to improve the production of hydrogen, an important element for refining oil and fertilizer production. Another will enhance the efficiency of cement manufacturing, which is a big source of carbon emissions.
The U-M team will also be involved in projects to more efficiently turn plants and carbon dioxide into useful chemicals or fuels. These and other initial projects will be reassessed as funding is distributed, and some will move to pilot and commercial applications.
Evolved Approaches to Global Needs
Other co-investigators from U-M include: Mark Barteau, Director of the Energy Institute, the DTE Energy Professor of Advanced Energy Research and a professor of chemical engineering; Erdogan Gulari, the Donald L. Katz Collegiate Professor of Chemical Engineering; Suljo Linic, professor of chemical engineering and Class of 1938 Faculty Scholar; Heather Mayes, who will begin at U-M as an assistant professor of chemical engineering in 2017; Ralph Yang, the Dwight F. Benton Professor of Chemical Engineering; and Robert Ziff, a professor of chemical engineering and macromolecular science and engineering.
U-M is also part of the Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT) manufacturing institute, which aims to develop lightweight metals for more efficient cars, airplanes and other vehicles.
Thompson is also a professor of mechanical engineering and has been a member of the AIChE board since 2014. Kota is also a professor of mechanical engineering. | <urn:uuid:c1c74e52-9ae4-4236-8181-fb5e15b5441c> | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | https://news.engin.umich.edu/2016/12/new-chemical-manufacturing-institute-to-streamline-production/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593655896169.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20200708000016-20200708030016-00483.warc.gz | en | 0.935949 | 818 | 2.796875 | 3 |
The grandeur of the Hoover Dam makes one speechless, as you look down at birds of prey hovering down below in the canyon. Over 700 feet tall, it has been standing here, on the Nevada-Arizona border, since 1935, having been completed just four short years after the award of the contract (and two years ahead of schedule). The sheer scale of this marvel of engineering made me think of what managing a project like this must have been like.
Up to 5,000 people worked on the site at any given time. Workers from all corners of the country were employed and to house them; cottages and dormitories were built in a space of a year where Boulder City is now situated. Kitchens worked non-stop turning out simple but nourishing fare. The logistics of housing, feeding, transporting and managing the workforce must have been a great challenge in themselves
Construction methods had to be tried and adopted as the project was going on. The size of the structure required that many elements (such as penstock pipes measuring 30 feet in diameter) were assembled on or close to the construction site, for long-haul transportation was impossible. For that reason, grading and concrete plants and specialized metal works had to be built nearby. Access roads had to be built, as well as the cranes and cable cars used to deliver building materials down to the bottom of the gorge.
The construction contract was awarded to a joint venture called Six Companies Inc., comprised of six large businesses who were leaders in their respective fields. Although I am typically skeptical of the viability of joint ventures, it is clear that in this case the interests of the participants were exceptionally well aligned which enabled the success of the project.
At the end of the day, I believe that the project was successful because by the time the construction commenced all the preparatory work had been done, such as securing support of those stakeholders that matter. The construction itself was “just” execution, an impressive one, of course, but not plagued by the lack of sponsor support, “going to the well” to get additional funds or dealing with political, environmental or any other type of “concerned citizens.” People concentrated on their work and this is what really mattered.
Finally, the business case for the dam was as solid as she stands today. Not only does it serve as a source of cheap electrical power, it also provides water for drinking and irrigation to the adjacent states and has tamed the destructive Colorado River which in the past practically precluded any agriculture activities and settlement in its lower parts, due to its violent seasonal fluctuations and deadly inundations it caused. Today, these 5lands are among the most prized in the nation.
It is amazing what human spirit can think up and create when it is not hindered by doubts, hecklers or lack of resources.
Tuesday, 03 March 2009 18:00
Great Project Management Challenges; The Hoover DamWritten by Ilya Bogorad
Driving in a convertible to the Hoover Dam a couple of weeks ago, I reminded myself why the American South-West is one of my favourite destinations. The cool air of the winter desert, the pure blue of the sky and the breathtaking (albeit, barren) landscape meld into a dramatic image. The day before, we hiked in the Valley of Fire, where vistas are even more remarkable.
Published in Ilya Bogorad | <urn:uuid:1096452e-87eb-484e-80f5-8e224aba9006> | CC-MAIN-2019-09 | https://www.projecttimes.com/ilya-bogorad/great-project-management-challenges-the-hoover-dam.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247496080.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20190220190527-20190220212527-00271.warc.gz | en | 0.975611 | 693 | 2.625 | 3 |
We are open!
We are open!
The brain is made up of billions of cells called neurons, which communicate with one another through specialized junctions called synapses. When a neuron is stimulated, it sends a electrical signal, called an action potential, down its axon. At the axon terminal, the neuron releases chemical signaling molecules called neurotransmitters, which bind to receptors on the receiving neuron and stimulate it to generate an action potential. This process of one neuron communicating with another through the release of neurotransmitters is known as neurotransmission.
The strength of the connection between two neurons, known as the synapse's efficacy, can be modified through a process called synaptic plasticity.
There are several forms of synaptic plasticity, including long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD).
LTP is the process by which the efficacy of a synapse is increased, making it more likely that the receiving neuron will generate an action potential in response to the neurotransmitter released by the sending neuron. LTP is thought to be the neural basis for learning and memory. It is induced by high-frequency activity at the synapse, and it requires the activation of certain receptors, such as NMDA receptors, as well as the synthesis of new proteins.
LTD is the opposite of LTP, where the efficacy of a synapse is decreased. It is induced by low-frequency activity at the synapse and is thought to play a role in forgetting and in the fine-tuning of neural connections.
There are several theories of how LTP and LTD lead to learning and memory. One popular theory is the Hebbian theory, which proposes that neurons that fire together wire together. In other words, if a sending neuron repeatedly stimulates a receiving neuron, the synapse between them will become stronger through LTP. This strengthened connection allows the receiving neuron to be more easily activated by the sending neuron in the future, which is thought to underlie the formation of memories.
Another theory is the consolidation theory, which proposes that memories are gradually transferred from the hippocampus, a region of the brain involved in learning and memory, to the cortex, the outer layer of the brain, where they are thought to be stored long-term. This transfer process is thought to involve the strengthening of connections between neurons through LTP.
While LTP and LTD are the most well-known forms of synaptic plasticity, there are other forms as well. For example, homeostatic plasticity refers to the ability of synapses to adjust their efficacy in response to changes in the activity of the neuron as a whole. This process helps to maintain a balance of activity in the brain and is thought to play a role in the regulation of sleep and wakefulness.
There are many things you can do to improve your memory and learning abilities. Here are a few simple tips:
In summary, the brain is able to learn and remember through the process of synaptic plasticity, which involves the modification of the connections between neurons. LTP and LTD are two forms of plasticity that are thought to underlie learning and memory, and there are several theories that attempt to explain how these processes lead to the formation and consolidation of memories.
This manual was created by Dr. Capitano, DC. | <urn:uuid:20d58edf-75c4-4716-8405-9562a2867945> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://squareonerehabilitation.com/learning-and-memory | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224648858.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20230602204755-20230602234755-00052.warc.gz | en | 0.969701 | 672 | 4 | 4 |
Model scenery roads are often the last things we think about when modeling trains. We’re so interested in getting the trains up and going and the scenery built that roads somehow seem secondary and unnecessary. However, those roads are ever present in our environment and they need to be included to make our railroad layouts seem realistic.
In addition to being realistic, roads are also very useful in …
• Helping to direct the viewer’s eyes through particular scenes.
• Establishing some connection and continuity between scenes.
• Connecting one level of trains to another so that the 2 levels don’t seem disjointed.
• Creating a forced perspective, such that if the road narrows as it goes deeper into the layout, the scene itself looks deeper than it really is.
• “Enlarging” your layout by setting a mirror at the end of a road surrounded by trees and shrubs so that it looks like the road goes beyond the confines of your layout.
• Adding a human element to your model railroad scenery. You can include people loading their parked cars, getting in wrecks, arguing with policemen, walking their dogs on the side of the road, etc.
Probably the best way to make a dirt road is to use Sculptamold as the base of the road on your layout surface. You can form ruts on top of the Sculptamold while it’s still moldable to look well traveled.
Then paint it with tan or earth-color. While the paint is still wet, sprinkle fine sand or fine tan ballast or even sifted dirt on the surface. Dave Frary suggests using baseball diamond dirt for your model scenery roads.
When it’s all dry, vacuum up the excess dirt. If necessary, apply a second coat of diluted paint and sprinkle more sand, ballast or dirt on the surface once again to get a good even covering.
Plant some weeds and small rocks (talus) along the sides of the road; add road signs, tractors, trucks and people.
You may want to create a ditch along the side of your road. If you’ve used foam as a base for your layout, it will be easy to cut a small ditch along the side of the road, paint it with earth color, add ground foam, weeds, rocks, culverts, etc. to add realism.
You can buy these model scenery roads ready-made with centerlines and everything, but it’s hard to get them to curve or conform to your terrain very well. They’re fine if your road is perfectly straight or used within rectangular city blocks, but they’re not well suited for curvy country roads.
To make your own paved road, you will need to make a form on each side of the planned road with ¼ inch wood or styrene strips glued to the layout surface.
Then make a soupy mixture of Sculptamold and pour it into the area between the form strips. Smooth out the surface with a small trowel or use another strip of styrene to scrape the excess Sculptamold off the top of the road using the side strips as a guide.
After it dries, remove the side forms. You may need to file the edges of the road to taper them into the layout surface. Paint the road dark gray. Then apply the surrounding scenery, with fine ballast or gravel on the sides of the road then grass or bushes further away from the road. Add a few grease spots or cracks or potholes in the road as you wish. Dry brush a hint of 2 black blurred streaks the width of a model car along the length of the road in each lane to simulate evidence of lots of traffic.
You can even buy little manholes (or make your own) to put in the road if you wish. Cut out little pieces of paper to lay on the side of the road to look like litter. Don’t forget trashcans and street lamps, and any other detail you can think of to make it look more realistic. Take a picture of a local street scene and try to simulate the details in the photo on your layout street scene.
If you have a very steady hand, you could paint the center stripes and side stripes with white or yellow paint, or use a stencil to air brush the stripes. Or, if you prefer, buy thin strips of colored tape to apply as the centerline and along the sides of the road.
You can add sidewalks to your model scenery road using the same method you used to make the streets, only paint them a different shade of gray and scribe the surface of the sidewalks to make them look like they were laid in sections just like real sidewalks. Then use a thin black wash to enhance the crevices so you can see them.
Once you have your road system completed, you may want to think about installing traffic signals. This would really add to the realism of your layout, especially for your small towns or city streets, and particularly if the lights are automated. This is not difficult to do. You just need the right stuff and the know-how. Check out the highlighted link above!
From "Model Scenery Roads" to "Model Train Scenery" | <urn:uuid:44e2bd02-edde-4afc-a53a-084c1fb4abe8> | CC-MAIN-2020-40 | https://www.building-your-model-railroad.com/model-scenery-roads.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-40/segments/1600400203096.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20200922031902-20200922061902-00578.warc.gz | en | 0.9365 | 1,085 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Today sees Germany assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for six months. “Together for Europe’s recovery” is the slogan of its tenure. The agenda was already going to be a tough one prior to the coronavirus pandemic, with negotiations on Brexit and the Multiannual Financial Framework. Additionally, Germany must get the EU’s internal recovery plan off the ground as part of budget negotiations, thus paving the way for a future of social inclusion, environmental sustainability and economic success in the Union. The Council Presidency also needs to advocate for the EU to position itself within the arena of geopolitical competition between the US and China and forge new alliances.
Traditionally, other member states have placed high expectations on Germany as the EU’s largest country. At the same time, the influence of the EU Council Presidency has been greatly curtailed since 2010 by the Lisbon Treaty. The last time that Germany held the Presidency was in 2007. The creation of the permanent position of President of the European Council and the office of High Representative for Foreign Affairs, currently held by Charles Michel and Josep Borrell respectively, has left the Presidency with fewer competences when it comes to making decisions within the EU and representing the Union internationally.
The level of influence that the Presidency is able to exert depends heavily on the circumstances, on the incumbent nation itself and on its relations with the EU institutions and other member states. Essentially, its role is more one of structuring processes and facilitating compromises than of setting the agenda. Nonetheless, in times of crisis especially, the Presidency can play a key role. For instance, the Dutch EU Presidency was faced in 2016 with the unexpected task of negotiating the EU-Turkey Agreement (‘Refugee pact’), as then European Council President Donald Tusk was primarily focused on negotiations with the UK in the run up to the Brexit referendum.
At the beginning of her tenure, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented priorities for a European Green Deal and called for a “geopolitical Commission” that would also place greater emphasis on the reform of multilateral institutions. This course has become more significant in light of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, as they have intensified geopolitical competition, and the transformation to sustainability will only succeed if the recovery programmes also contribute to this transformation.
The German EU Council Presidency should therefore work to ensure that progress in implementing the European Green Deal is not limited to the EU’s own borders and that more attention is paid to the global dimension of the initiative. The Green Deal directly impacts third countries. If, for instance, the EU increases the proportion of renewable energies, this will have significant consequences for petroleum-exporting nations in Africa. At the same time, it would do little to benefit global climate objectives if the EU were to forge ahead on its own here. Given that the Green Deal is not only a climate roadmap but also an economic agenda, it offers an opportunity to engage with international partners in frank dialogue on sustainable societal models.
While the US is being heavily hit by the coronavirus pandemic and the transatlantic alliance is suffering collateral damage, China is presenting itself as a global role model and reliable cooperation partner for tackling the pandemic. If we are to retain at least some of the rule-based multilateral order, then Europe needs to find new partners urgently. Cooperation with African nations is becoming more significant as a result. The EU should thus use the upcoming summits and, in particular, its planned summit with the African Union (AU) to reconfigure its relations with key global partners. The EU needs to seize the opportunity and pay close attention to what its African partners expect of it. This is especially important when it comes to supporting the African Continental Free Trade Area. Overall, AU-EU relations should become more dialogue-oriented.
The coronavirus pandemic has also created scope to finally make progress on the integration of EU development policy. It is regularly stressed in Brussels that the EU is a development-policy superpower because it provides more than half of the world’s development funding. In practice, while European actors have coordinated their development policy activities more closely in recent years – not least as part of the “Team Europe” approach launched in April of this year – the Union is still a long way from acting as one. EU integration in the area of development policy is not promoted by tables of financial contributions, but rather requires genuine investment and efforts aimed at “working better together”. However, this approach should also be expanded beyond the pandemic context and lead to real deepening of cooperation between the member states.
Crises have played a significant role in the EU’s history when it comes to advancing the European integration project. Germany is now assuming the EU Council Presidency in the midst of just such a crisis. Consequently, its agenda represents both a monumental task and a tremendous opportunity to lay key foundations for the EU to adopt a responsible role in global affairs.
Source: German Development Institute, 01.07.2020 | <urn:uuid:c8e604a6-5a6f-4aea-9be6-58004ebc2d8c> | CC-MAIN-2021-43 | https://bonnsustainabilityportal.de/en/2020/07/die-germanys-eu-presidency-faces-a-monumental-task/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-43/segments/1634323587719.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20211025154225-20211025184225-00285.warc.gz | en | 0.953274 | 1,026 | 2.546875 | 3 |
The GAHF wishes you and your family a happy Karneval!
Karneval is a celebration in Germany that dates back centuries. Rooted in Catholic tradition, Karneval honors the final days of freedom before the solemn 40-day observance of Lent begins. Modern-day festivities begin on Weiberfastnacht and culminate on Ash Wednesday and consist of thousands of people flooding the streets in costume. Although its exact origins are unknown, the word Karneval is rumored to have developed from the Latin words “carne levare,” meaning “away with meat”. Popular in the Rhineland, this tradition is also celebrated in southern Germany as Fasching or Fastnacht. Unlike the Karneval parades that originated to mock Prussian pomp and circumstance, the Fasching parades of southern Germany stem from pagan traditions of chasing away winter.
When Germans began immigrating to America, they brought their love of Karneval and Fasching with them. Today, some of the most notable Karneval celebrations in the US take place in Las Vegas, Milwaukee, and St. Louis, just to name a few. These celebrations are typically hosted by local German-American clubs and ring true to their German heritage, consisting of music, costumes, and lots of dancing!
We wish you a wonderful Karneval season!
The German American Heritage Foundation of the USA® | <urn:uuid:b2d348e6-73cb-46f2-9225-843b5c6a0753> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://gahmusa.org/happy-karneval/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662509990.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20220516041337-20220516071337-00719.warc.gz | en | 0.93451 | 298 | 2.515625 | 3 |
About this book
Chromosomes, as the genetic vehicles, provide the basic material for a large proportion of genetic investigations, from the construction of gene maps and models of chromosome organization, to the inves tigation of gene function and dysfunction. The study of chromosomes has developed in parallel with other aspects of molecular genetics, beginning with the first preparations of chromosomes from animal cells, through the development of banding techniques, which permitted the unequivocal identification of each chromosome in a karyotype, to the present analytical methods of molecular cytogenetics. Although some of these techniques have been in use for many years, and can be learned relatively easily, most published scientific reports—as a result of pressure on space from editors, and the response to that pressure by authors—contain little in the way of technical detail, and thus are rarely adequate for a researcher hoping to find all the necessary information to embark on a method from scratch. A new user needs not only a detailed description of the methods, but also some help with problem solving and sorting out the difficulties en countered in handling any biological system. This was the require ment to which the series Methods in Molecular Biology is addressed, and Chromosome Analysis Protocols forms a part of this series. | <urn:uuid:af1f6423-ae74-4348-95d7-8b06c70f83b8> | CC-MAIN-2019-04 | https://link.springer.com/book/10.1385%2F0896032892 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-04/segments/1547583743003.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20190120224955-20190121010955-00378.warc.gz | en | 0.940401 | 250 | 3 | 3 |
|'Vaccination Ceasefires' Needed in Syria to Prevent Confirmed Polio Outbreak Turning Into an Epidemic, Save the Children Warns|
'Vaccination ceasefires' are needed in Syria to prevent the current polio outbreak turning into an epidemic which threatens children across the Middle East region, Save the Children warned today. Read more...
Francine Uenuma 202.450.9153
WESTPORT, Conn. (Oct. 29, 2013) — 'Vaccination ceasefires' are needed in Syria to prevent the current polio outbreak turning into an epidemic which threatens children across the Middle East region, Save the Children warned today.
The call from the aid agency came as the World Health Organization and the Syrian government confirmed an outbreak of polio in the eastern province of Syria, the first time the highly contagious disease has been seen in the country for 14 years.
Half a million children under the age of 5 in Syria are at risk of contracting the disease, which is incurable and can result in lifelong paralysis as well as death.
The movement of Syrians to take refuge in neighboring countries means that there is a high risk the virus could spread across the region.
'Vaccination ceasefires' would mean pauses in fighting to allow vaccination campaigns to take place across both sides of the conflict. These ceasefires, also known as days of tranquility, have previously been carried out successfully in Afghanistan, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The World Health Organization is currently drawing up plans to carry out vaccination campaigns, but Save the Children is concerned that these may not reach all areas of Syria. The international children's charity says it is key that the WHO-coordinated response covers the entirety of Syria, including where necessary, across borders from neighboring countries.
Save the Children President and CEO Carolyn Miles said: "Polio doesn't respect conflict lines or borders, so we need these ceasefires to reach all children with vaccines, no matter where they live. If chemical weapons inspectors can be allowed access across Syria with notebooks, surely aid workers can be allowed in with vaccines.
"The fact that an outbreak of polio has now been confirmed in Syria is another sign of the desperate and spiraling humanitarian situation there. The UN Security Council recently agreed on access for humanitarian relief across Syria. This polio crisis is a clear test of whether all sides of the conflict will respect the Security Council's presidential statement and allow unhindered humanitarian aid."
Save the Children has vaccinated 21,000 children against polio in Syria but wants to reach many more. They are also delivering life-saving aid to thousands across Syria and are helping hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing the war in countries throughout the region.
To learn more about Save the Children's aid efforts surrounding Syrian refugees, or to donate, visit SavetheChildren.org/syria.
Save the Children is the leading, independent organization that creates lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. | <urn:uuid:5f7e7ed0-324b-4965-b0bb-d68d13ac4d27> | CC-MAIN-2014-15 | http://www.savethechildren.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=8rKLIXMGIpI4E&b=6248025&ct=13378439 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-15/segments/1398223206647.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20140423032006-00202-ip-10-147-4-33.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948908 | 612 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Vardar vär´där [key], river, c.240 mi (390 km) long, rising in the Šar Planina, North Macedonia, and flowing northeast then southeast in a fertile valley, past Skopje, through NE Greece to the Aegean Sea near Thessaloníki. The Vardar valley forms part of the principal corridor of the Balkan Peninsula.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Balkans Physical Geography | <urn:uuid:6993b609-18c9-4c54-b226-37c11795e654> | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | https://www.factmonster.com/encyclopedia/places/south-europe/balkans-geography/vardar | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764500904.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20230208191211-20230208221211-00858.warc.gz | en | 0.733171 | 123 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Part I of this article reviewed many of the causes of intellectual and developmental disabilities among infants and children in the United States. Part II looks are what researchers over the past 50 years conclude as some the strategies found for preventing the occurrence of this disability.
Perhaps the most recognized event that offers hope against the fight against intellectual and developmental disabilities (and many other disabling conditions, including deafness and blindness) was the development of a vaccine to prevent rubella (German measles) in 1962. Prior to the introduction of this vaccine, pregnant women who contracted rubella had a nearly even chance of giving birth to a child with an intellectual and developmental disability. Since the introduction of this vaccine, women who intended to have children are encouraged to be vaccinated before their pregnancy occurs. The most recent information reports success in the near elimination of this form of intellectual and developmental disability.
Another method for identifying children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is the screening/testing techniques. Many of these techniques detect disabilities following conception. Some do not consider many of these screening/testing techniques to be authentic methods of for preventing intellectual and developmental disabilities if the pre-born child’s life is terminated by an abortion. In the literature, these techniques are mentioned both as preventive and screening.
One of these is amniocentesis. Amniocentesis requires withdrawing a sample of fluid from the amniotic sac surrounding the fetus during the third trimester of a pregnancy (generally during the 14th through 17th week). Fetal cells are removed from the amniotic fluid and allowed to develop in a cell culture for roughly two weeks. The parents are informed with regards to the in utero child’s circumstance.
Genetic counseling consists of counseling between a specially trained medical professional with potential parents about their potential for giving birth to a child/children with a disability. Ultimately, having children will be the decision of the parents. Such information has been reported as a valuable tool.
Newborn screening tests for inherited conditions and biomedical risk factors are now mandatory in every state. The tandem mass spectrometry was developed in the late 1980’s to test and measure blood, urine, or plasma in roughly 2 minutes to determine the presence of nearly 30 metabolic disorders leading to intellectual and developmental disabilities. At birth, nearly every newborn child is given a blood test to reduce the incidence of phenylketonuria (PKU). By analyzing the level of phenylalanine, the medical doctor can diagnose for PKU and treat it with a phenylalanine restricted diet. This has resulted in individuals who developed normal intellectual development and growth.
A class of substances, pollutants, and abuse of both legal and illegal medications and drugs are major causes of preventable intellectual and developmental disabilities. Education along with training over the past 50 years have been found to have significantly reduced the incidence of intellectual and developmental disabilities among the American population. The allied medical sciences believe more research and education can reduce the incidence of intellectual and developmental disabilities even more to level well below the 50% level.
As noted in this article, most children with intellectual and developmental disabilities are in the mild range (85%). Their disability is usually not discovered or identified until they reach preschool or elementary school when they fall significantly behind their peers. These are the children whose delays in their intellectual and social development result from an impoverish environment. Whatever the circumstance, many medical professionals believe educating the general public is the key for reductions in intellectual and developmental disabilities as well as continuing medical research. | <urn:uuid:6362657e-da80-4b58-a631-3d6e556a0d2c> | CC-MAIN-2015-22 | http://www.examiner.com/article/causes-and-prevention-of-intellectual-and-developmental-disabilities-part-2?cid=rss | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-22/segments/1432207928923.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20150521113208-00164-ip-10-180-206-219.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95732 | 705 | 2.921875 | 3 |
Photos from the Past
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George Levi Palmer
George Levi Palmer enlisted at Carlinville, Macoupin, Illinois on July 19, 1861, joining Company K of the 7th Illinois Volunteer Infantry as a Private. He was described as having brown eyes, brown hair, dark complexion, height 5 ft 10 in. On December 21, 1863, he was discharged to enlist in the same company as a Veteran Volunteer. In October 1862, George was captured at the battle of Corinth, Mississippi. He was mistakenly reported killed in action but was later paroled near Vicksburg. In October 1864, he was captured again at the battle of Allatoona Pass, Georgia, was kept as a prisoner at Andersonville, then escaped to rejoin his unit. He was mustered out on July 9, 1865. The 7th Illinois was unique in that the soldiers purchased and carried the Henry Repeating Rifle, a lever action 16 shooter. The following information is a quote from the adjutants report for the 7th Illinois: The 7th, armed with the Henry rifle, (or 16 shooter,) did gallant and fearful work - successfully repelling four separate charges made by the desperate and hungry enemy on the line occupied by them - its torn and bleeding ranks told at what a fearful cost. Its colors, under which fell many a gallant bearer that day, were never lowered. Colonel Rowett, who commanded the Seventh the last four hours of the battle of Allatoona, where Sherman had stored millions of rations, while according to all the highest meed of praise for gallant conduct and stubborn courage, insists that without the aid of the 16-shooters, French's 6,000 rebels would have overwhelmed the gallant 1,500 of The Pass. Photograph submitted by George Levi Palmer's great-great-grandson, Jack Cox of Overland Park, Johnson, Kansas.
Private George Levi Palmer in 1861 | <urn:uuid:9dd7c6e2-e39f-4833-82a7-986dbc962dfa> | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | http://suvcw.org/past/gpalmer.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267863411.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20180620031000-20180620051000-00606.warc.gz | en | 0.978624 | 396 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Taking into account the local, regional, and global threats to sharks, the Shark Research and Conservation Program was developed to increase the capacity of basic and applied shark research in The Bahamas. Our research this spring is focused on the stress physiology of elasmobranchs. We are investigating the physiological and behavioral stress response of sharks to longline capture, as well as quantifying the effects of stress on the immune system of yellow stingrays.
Additionally, we are conducting studies pertaining to the basic spatial and temporal patterns of Caribbean reef sharks and oceanic whitetips, an important first step toward addressing the conservation needs of species that likely transcend many different coastal habitats and political boundaries. By identifying when and where Bahamian sharks are being targeted, international conservation and management plans can be developed. | <urn:uuid:c1ddadc3-1dab-4ca1-95e6-e6d1341b1e4c> | CC-MAIN-2020-24 | http://blog.ceibahamas.org/2013/04/05/shark-program-at-cei-spring-research-update/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-24/segments/1590347407001.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20200530005804-20200530035804-00597.warc.gz | en | 0.93257 | 157 | 2.765625 | 3 |
Eastern Pygmy-Blue (Brephidium isophthalma [Herrich-Schäffer])
Wing span: 3/4 - 7/8 inch (2 - 2.2 cm).
Identification: Tiny. Upperside copper brown. Underside hindwing and fringes dark brown.
Life history: Males patrol low over the host plants in search of females. Flight is weak and slow.
Flight: May-August in Georgia, throughout the year in Florida. Number of broods has not been determined.
Caterpillar hosts: Annual glassworts (Salicornia species) in the goosefood family (Chenopodiaceae).
Adult food: In Florida, nectar from palmetto palm and saltwort (Batis maritima) flowers.
Habitat: Near saltwater in coastal marshes and tidal flats.
Range: South Carolina south along the Atlantic coastal plain to both coasts of Florida and the Keys, west along the Gulf Coast to Louisiana. Occasionally strays to Texas and inland.
Conservation: Not usually required.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management needs: None reported.
Opler, P. A. and G. O. Krizek. 1984. Butterflies east of the Great Plains. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. 294 pages, 54 color plates. Opler, P. A. and V. Malikul. 1992. A field guide to eastern butterflies. Peterson field guide #4. Houghton-Mifflin Co., Boston. 396 pages, 48 color plates. Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates.
Author: Jane M. Struttmann
State and Regional References:
Harris, L., Jr. 1972 Butterflies of Georgia. Univ. of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK. 326 pp. Opler, P.A. 1998. A field guide to eastern butterflies, revised format. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston. | <urn:uuid:b8fdc101-9154-4201-be5c-a5572a0edb06> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | http://www.abirdshome.com/resource/ga/229.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886105108.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20170818194744-20170818214744-00060.warc.gz | en | 0.747624 | 454 | 2.796875 | 3 |
Frederick Douglass by Sidney Wells Edwards
||Highland Park, Resevoir at South Avenue
Rochester, NY (view Google map)
||17 Feet Tall
Description: Bronze figure
Caption: This monument, the first in the country to an African-American, is the result of several years effort by John W. Thompson, a waiter at the Powers Hotel. It was funded by contributions from Douglass admirers, the New York State Legislature, and the Republic of Haiti.
The Douglass sculpture was to be located in Washington Square Park, until Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. The Soldiers and Sailors monument, with a sculpture of Lincoln at the top, was installed in its place.
The Douglass sculpture was located on Central Park at St. Paul Street until 1941 when it was moved to Highland Park to make room for a construction project.
Frederick Douglass was born a slave in Maryland in 1818. He fled to the North at age 20, adopted the name "Douglass" to hide his identity, married Anna Murray, a "free negro", and lectured on abolition until forced to England to flee slave hunters in 1846.
Douglass returned to the United States the next year after buying his freedom. He began publishing The North Star, an antislavery newspaper, in Rochester. Douglass and his family lived in Rochester for 25 years, working to end slavery and improve the rights of former slaves. He is buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery. | <urn:uuid:471d710c-7f12-48ce-80c8-ef116b916127> | CC-MAIN-2015-27 | http://www.rochesterpublicart.com/public_art/?art=frederick_douglass | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-27/segments/1435375095273.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20150627031815-00000-ip-10-179-60-89.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973329 | 303 | 3.328125 | 3 |
On 2 Mar 1776, the Continental Army began an artillery barrage against Boston, firing from Cobble Hill and Lechmere’s Point in Cambridge and Lamb’s dam in Roxbury. This was the opening of a spring offensive designed to drive the British military away from the town.
Remember how excited the Americans were back in November after capturing a British ordnance ship? The biggest prize was a thirteen-inch brass mortar that Gen. Israel Putnam and Quartermaster-General Thomas Mifflin christened “the Congress.” That was deployed for this bombardment, and was probably one of the first guns to be fired.
In his history of Middlesex County, Samuel Adams Drake wrote:
It was related by Colonel [William?] Burbeck that the battery containing the “Congress” mortar was placed under the command of Colonel David Mason. With this mortar Mason was ordered to set fire to Boston. His first shell was aimed at the Old South, and passed just above the steeple.Gen. William Heath of Roxbury wrote that the mortars “were not properly bedded, as the ground was hard frozen.” The Americans probably still lacked experienced artillerists, and were paying for it.
The next shell was aimed more accurately at the roof, which it would doubtless have entered had not the mortar burst, grievously wounding the colonel and killing a number of his men. . . .
Through the inexperience of those who served them, four other mortars were burst during the bombardment which preceded the occupation of Dorchester Heights.
I suspect Drake relied on Richard P. Frothingham’s History of the Siege of Boston in counting five mortars burst over all. As of 3 Mar 1776, Heath and Dr. James Thacher had counted only three, so Frothingham may have counted two twice. Still, those deadly explosions must have been demoralizing for the Americans.
That bombardment was only the first part of the Continental commanders’ plan, however. The artillery fire was meant to keep the British busy while Americans fortified the heights on Dorchester point. The image above, from the Dorchester Atheneum, shows how that town’s peninsula overlooked the Boston peninsula to its northwest (so small it’s not even labeled on this map) as well as a narrow point in the harbor.
At the Battle of Bunker Hill, the provincials had started their redoubt in the middle of the night before the battle. The provincials improvised more protection for themselves along a rail fence, and had superior numbers available, but they ran out of gunpowder and couldn’t stop the British from taking not only the redoubt but the whole Charlestown peninsula.
Gen. George Washington and his commanders were determined to make the Dorchester fortifications strong enough to withstand a British counterattack. That required preparing parts of the works in advance, to be assembled on the heights, and a multi-day construction effort. Hence the need to distract the British with cannonballs and shells. | <urn:uuid:969cba21-cdf9-4b3a-8e82-c3dbaaee2cc5> | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | http://boston1775.blogspot.com/2008/03/first-barrage-from-dorchester-heights.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917121528.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031201-00277-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974236 | 623 | 3.5625 | 4 |
Today, we begin a five part series looking at the events of the Flood which is recorded in the account of Noah in the Book of Genesis (chapter 6). In this chapter, God tells Noah to build an ark because the people are wicked and that he, his family and animals will be spared when the Great Flood comes upon them. Now, aside from other flood accounts that hail from this region at varying points in time – most notably, the Epic of Gilgamesh – more recent geological investigation suggests the the Black/Caspian Sea(?) tipped into the Mediterranean around this time that resulted in flooding in the outlying regions.
Now, we will go deeper into the passage in future posts but for today, I would like to discuss the anomaly of how the animals found their way to the ark.
For those of us who have ever read the story of ‘Noah and the Ark’ or bought a toy in which pairs of giraffes, brown bears, kangaroos (etc) fit into the dimensions of the plastic container (that doubles as an ark), we are immediately drawn to a problem in the scenario of Noah and the animals. Namely, how did these pairs of animals – female and male – from other continents, manage to find their way to the ark?
I need to add here that many times what I hear from well intentioned christians who think I am missing a trick is the adage that ‘God can do anything,’ Well, ‘yes’ – God can do anything. However, for the sake of the stability in our world, God does not usurp the rules he has set in place to achieve his goals. And herein lies the problem:
‘How did animals from the continents of Americas, Australia, Greenland, Antartica find their way to Noah’s Ark?’
A few poorly thought out explanations I sometimes hear in response to this question are:
- The Flood event occurred at a time while all the continents of the earth were locked together – thus the animals did not have the problem of having to cross a large body of water in making their way to the Ark.
- God equipped the animals so they were able to swim across the body of water to facilitate them making the rest of the journey under their own steam.
- Somehow God teleported (Star Trek-like) polar bears from the North Pole and other animals to Noah’s Ark because God can do anything He wants.
Okay, hold on to your hats! A few simplistic ideas are about to be knocked for six.
Firstly, geological surveys predict that the plates of the earth separated long before human existence – there’s a very good reason why this is so because the energy, gases and eruptions caused by this colossal event would have destroyed all life on earth. Had it happened while humans were alive (and they had somehow survived), there would be evidence of humans artefacts at different layers of the geological strata – but they’re aren’t!
Secondly, the idea that God would equip koala bears with the ability to swim makes little sense. If these marsupials can manage a hundred day swim from Perth to Johannesburg without one of them being consumed by a shark – remember, there is a need for them to arrive in pairs – then why do they need to travel at all? If koalas – and other animals – are able to stay afloat in a choppy ocean with gusts and gales, then why do they even need to travel there to get onboard the Ark?
Lastly, God cannot create a world in which freewill is established, then transgress these outcomes by interfering within it. With the exception of Star Trek IV ‘The Voyage Home’ in which Captain Kirk and the team return to earth in the 1980s to save the planet by transporting two whales to avert an incident (long story), the reality is that God does not intervene in the way we think He should.
What are we to make of God’s instruction to Noah to make ready the Ark and take two of every kind of animal with him?
Well, if you believe the Flood to be global, it makes no sense at all as the Ark’s dimensions cannot contain two of every species.
However, if the Flood is localised to a region and Noah and his family will have to resettle after they find dry land, then having two of every animal (goats, hens, cows, etc) is providential for the fresh start that awaits them.
Til the next instalment, live long and prosper! | <urn:uuid:41c665bc-3be9-4bf2-b353-56c0c100b3e3> | CC-MAIN-2022-27 | https://toughquestions.org/noahs-ark-flood/local-versus-global/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-27/segments/1656104678225.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20220706212428-20220707002428-00076.warc.gz | en | 0.963735 | 959 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Well, we’ve always known Wally’s perspective is a little warped.
Things appear smaller when farther away because their angular diameter decreases. This angle is if you imagined yourself a point, and two lines were running from that point to each side of the object you were looking at, creating an angle. Scientists use angular diameter to measure the size of objects in space, but of course the formula is based on the distance they are from earth.
Angular diameter would not help Wally at all because apparently he has absolutely no depth perception.
NOTE: If Wally & Osborne were animated, it would have been fun to have captured Osborne’s little waddle there. | <urn:uuid:267c0539-0884-41c6-8c45-5d2c33d301b9> | CC-MAIN-2015-40 | http://www.wallyandosborne.com/comic/perspective/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-40/segments/1443736675795.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20151001215755-00079-ip-10-137-6-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979256 | 138 | 2.84375 | 3 |
December Natural Gas Production Sets New Record
Last year ended with another record-setting month for the world's largest natural gas producer, as the U.S. produced all-time record amounts of both gross withdrawals and dry production (consumer-grade gas) in the month of December, according to new data released this week by the Energy Information Administration (see chart above). The record-setting gross volume in December (2.56 trillion cubic feet) was above its year-earlier level by 7.1%; and the all-time high for monthly dry gas production was 8.2% above last December, and surpassed two trillion cubic feet for only the second month ever.
Over the last five years as unconventional shale gas has become increasingly more available due to advanced extraction techniques (fracking and horizontal drilling), domestic production of natural gas has increased by more than 30%. Welcome to America's new age of energy abundance with enough natural gas to last into the 22nd century, according to some estimates.
According to a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers, "Shale Gas: A Renaissance in U.S. Manufacturing?" the global consulting firm predicts that abundant, cheap shale gas will spark a U.S. manufacturing renaissance over the next several years, with the potential to create a million new jobs by 2025 and reduce annual energy costs for American manufacturers by almost $12 billion over the next decade.
Update 1: Here's another benefit from the shale revolution: In the last two years, 106 coal plants (319 units) in the U.S. have either closed or are scheduled for pending closing, partly due to abundant shale gas and low natural gas prices.
Update 2: Does the U.S. really have a 100-year supply of natural gas? Yes, according to this recent Reason article "100 Years of Natural Gas." | <urn:uuid:c789c108-97ac-418c-9acc-5ce2b6073ca8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2012/03/december-natural-gas-production-sets.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704433753/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114033-00096-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948943 | 372 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Location: Stanford University
Map and driving instructions
This will be the 412th meeting since 1954
Tsunamis are generated by earthquakes, landslides, and other catastrophic geologic phenomena through vertical displacement of the ocean over a significant area. For earthquakes (the most common tsunami trigger), displacement of the seafloor occurs in response to slip along a fault and the accompanying elastic deformation of the surrounding rocks. In the aftermath of the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, a global network of ocean bottom-pressure records ("tsunami buoys") have been deployed to provide precise time-series data of tsunami waves in the deep ocean for forecasting purposes. For case studies, these data are also ideal in verifying whether our understanding of the tsunami generation process is correct. In this regard, the recent M=8.1 Samoa earthquake that occurred on September 29, 2009 presents an anomaly. Unlike typical tsunamigenic earthquakes that occur on the inter-plate thrust of subduction zones, the 2009 Samoa earthquake was an outer-rise event characterized by predominant normal faulting. Results from simple tsunami generation models that involve slip on a single fault do not match the direct arrivals on regional bottom-pressure records. Rupture complexity is indicated by sea floor physiography near the epicenter, a significant non-double couple component of the seismic moment tensor, and large along-strike variations in slip and rake. Determination of a tsunami generation model that is consistent with geologic, seismologic, and tsunami observations has proven to be a formidable task.
Related URL: http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/tsunami/samoa09/
Eric Geist is a geophysicist with Western Coastal & Marine Geology at the U.S. Geological Survey. His current research includes Tsunami probability, generation, and earthquake mechanics, Non-linear modeling of geologic processes, and Chaos & complexity in coastal and marine geology. See http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/staff/egeist/ for a list of selected publications. Eric received his B.S. degree in Geophysics from the Colorado School of Mines and his MS degree in Geophysics from Stanford University.
Reservations: The preferred way to make reservations is simply to email John Spritzer at email@example.com by Feb. 5, tell him you will attend, commit to pay, and bring your payment to the meeting. John always emails a confirmation; if you don’t get one, assume email crashed yet again and email him a second time. A check made to “PGS” is preferred, payable at the meeting.
If you want to pay in advance:
Everyone (including Stanford folks now) Please make dinner reservations by Feb. 5. Contact John Spritzer, at U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, MS-973 Menlo Park, CA 94025, Tel.: (650) 329-4833. Send check made out to “PGS” to John.
Dinner is $35.00. Includes wine (5:30 to 6:15 PM.) and dinner (6:15-7:30 PM.).
For students from all universities and colleges, the dinner, including the social 3/4-hour, is $8.00 and is partially subsidized thanks to the School of Earth Sciences, Stanford University (Note, no-show reservations owe the full price).
Doris, whose wonderful crew prepares our meals, asked that we let you know that people who are late RSVPing and people who show up without a reservation will be welcome but that they will be eating on paper plates with plastic utensils (food supply permitting).
Dues for Academic Year 2009-2010 ($10.00) should be sent to John Spritzer, U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, MS-973 _Menlo Park, CA 94025. John’s phone: (650) 329-4833.
Officers: Vicki Langenheim, President; Jon Hagstrum, Vice President; Mike Diggles, Secretary; John Spritzer, Treasurer; Elizabeth Miller, PGS Stanford University Coordinator
Date created: January 12, 2010
Last modified: February 22, 2010
Created by: Mike Diggles, Webmaster-Secretary, PGS.
Back to PGS Home Page | <urn:uuid:d4f59784-e45f-4c25-aed3-ee71ecd37fd1> | CC-MAIN-2015-22 | http://www.diggles.com/pgs/2010/PGS10-02.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-22/segments/1432207930259.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20150521113210-00203-ip-10-180-206-219.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909075 | 911 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Quizlet is a site you might never have heard of unless you were a teen or an educator, yourself.
The flashcard-focused site helps millions of students who need to memorize information and prepare for tests by making learning both fun and effective.
The teenage founder, Andrew Sutherland (pictured), built the product to solve a personal problem. “I was puttering along with my dad with some call-and-response type quizzing,” he wrote. “‘Man, I love doing this’ was NOT what I was thinking. So I put my thinking cap on, and the first line of code for Quizlet was written that night.”
Sponsored by VB
“We decided to use Node because it was the best technology to enable our new multi-player learning game at our scale,” wrote Quizlet CEO Dave Margulius in an email to VentureBeat.
He explained that “at scale” for Quizlet means around 600,000 visits each day, including heavy bursts of traffic during in-class and after-school hours. All told, the site sees 6 million unique visitors each month and has been doubling in size every year since its public launch in 2007.
“[Node is] also perfect for the collaborative nature of Quizlet,” Margulius continued. “We’ll be doing more and more with it. Also the innovation momentum behind node right now is really compelling.”
When we think about Node, real-time apps and games are two of the verticals that immediately come to mind — those are also two important components of Quizlet’s product.
“Our game, which involves for example a whole class creating sentences out of the same word at the same time and then rating them (with a special teacher view available too), is all real time,” wrote Margulius. “Node can support the speed and number of connections we need to make the game work with minimal latency.”
In an email with VentureBeat, Sutherland chimed in with some words of support for young would-be founders and developers.
“When I started Quizlet, I built it out of my bedroom after school and on weekends while going to high school,” he said. “With all the open source tools available, I was able to figure out the servers, the design, the database, etc. Now it’s even easier with Github and StackOverflow. So really, it’s a matter of pushing yourself.”
He also gives some advice that we’ve heard before from many successful startup founders and investors: Build tools that you, yourself would use; attempt to solve your own problems.
“I built Quizlet not because I wanted to be running my own cool startup, but because I had an idea of a tool that would be helpful to me,” Sutherland wrote. “I was Quizlet’s first user, and many of the best things on there came not from any sort of research or brainstorming, but using the product for my classes and iterating on it.
“So my advice to other students would be to just build something that’s useful and relevant to their lives, and if it’s good you might just find that it’s relevant to a lot of people. It turns out… students think [Quizlet is] a useful tool for themselves, and they tell their friends and teachers about it.”
Check out this interview with Quizlet founder Sutherland, courtesy of Joyent, the company that supports Node.js development and enterprise solutions:
Quizlet is entirely bootstraped and has “significant seven-figure revenue” from advertising and paid products, Margulius tells us.
And if you’re looking for a job, Node-ophilic devs, Quizlet is hiring. “We’re in aggressive innovation and growth mode right now, hiring engineers, building several cool new products, of which the Node.js based multiplayer learning game you saw is one,” said Margulius. | <urn:uuid:d15846ca-26f7-447c-98b4-893406414cd5> | CC-MAIN-2015-32 | http://venturebeat.com/2012/01/28/quizlet/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-32/segments/1438042990603.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20150728002310-00329-ip-10-236-191-2.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966933 | 871 | 3.546875 | 4 |
"These colonists had sounded a Clarion call to all Jews to return to the land for spiritual and physical revival. In Utah, they believed that they had found a haven from the violence of the European pogroms and the poverty of America."
Clarion Kiosk - Gunnison, Utah
Clarion Kiosk - Gunnison
Clarion Kiosk - Dedication Program
Life on the Land
The Colonists of Clarion
"Back to the Soil"
Life on the Land
In 1911, the Jewish Agricultural and Colonial Association of Philadelphia purchased 6,085 acres of land and water rights from the Utah State Land board for the agricultural experiment that they would name Clarion. Members of the association tasked with selecting a site for the future colony reported to their friends and neighbors in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York city that the soil was fertile, that a new source of irrigation, the state-built Piute Canal, would soon be completed, and that in all respects this site would meet the needs and aspirations of the would-be farmers.
Clarion was to be settled in phases, beginning with the arrival of twelve men who would work collectively to prepare the land for planting and irrigation. Thereafter, the land would be divided into family farmsteads with equipment shared by the settlers. Families would arrive 50 at a time, from year to year, until all of the Association members had been relocated from the East.
Unfortunately, the Clarion settlers found that life in arid Utah was quite different from the promises made by their back –to the-soil leaders and Utah state officials. The soil proved to be very poor and only productive with extensive irrigation. While the success of the colony depended on a reliable supply of water for both irrigation and domestic needs, construction of the Piute Canal, intended to be completed before the arrival of the colonists in 1911, was not even finished until 1918, two years after the demise of Clarion. The limited water that was available was insufficient to meet the needs of the colony and the requirements of the land itself to become fully productive.
The Colonists of Clarion
For the Jewish settlers who came to Utah, Clarion was not just a theoretical experiment; it was a real opportunity to escape the poverty and stress of life in the ghettos of the eastern cities, for themselves as well as their families. As the colony’s name reveals, they also looked beyond themselves. These colonists had sounded a Clarion call to all Jews to return to the land for spiritual and physical revival. In Utah, they believed that they had found a haven from the violence of the European pogroms and the poverty of America.
Benjamin Brown recommended the Utah site for colonization to the other members of the Association and was the leader of the settlers in Clarion. The colonists raised wheat, alfalfa, and oats and kept chickens and cows on their forty-acre farms. The Association subsidized families with a weekly stipend to ease the transition from city to farm. At its high point, more than two hundred men, women and children lived in the colony and over 2,800 acres were under cultivation. Relations with local Mormon farmers were valuable for they helped the Jewish colonists gain experience in working the land and raising animals. But, tragedy marked the life of the Jewish colony. The Piute Canal failed to deliver promised water. Early and late frosts and heavy rainfall that flooded fields brought crop failures. A lack of experience aggravated natural calamities, and dissension rooted in ideology, missed expectations, and personality conflicts weakened morale. The deaths of two farmers and the loss of two babies further weakened the will to stay on the land. In 1915, the colony could not make payment on the land and the State of Utah foreclosed. Most colonists returned to their former homes in the eastern cities. Un willing to give up on their dream, half a dozen Jewish families took up land near the Clarion tract and successfully farmed into the late 1920’s.
The hurdles to success on the land proved too high and the Jewish farmers could not sustain their experiment. Nor would they lead a movement of Jews back to the soil. Yet, their story is one of hope and determinations to better themselves and a people. That they failed is their history. That they dreamed and struggled against insurmountable odds is their legacy.
David Bernstein family just prior to their departure from New York for Utah.
Benjamin Brown and Isaac Herbst (on the right, respectively) reviewing the colony’s books.
Ida and Samuel Barak in Philadelphia
“Back to the Soil”
From the beginning of the Common Era and into the nineteenth century, European Jews were prohibited from owning land. By necessity, Jews abandoned an agrarian existence and turned to a more urban way of life, becoming instead shopkeepers, peddlers, and artisans. But, by the middle of the 19th Century, Jewish reformers and Zionist nationalists advocated a return to a “purer life” and occupations based on manual labor. Key to this was agriculture. As early as the 1840s Jewish communal societies were proposed in both Europe and in America where it was hoped Jews could achieve these ideals by returning to the soil.
The pogroms (violent and usually deadly anti-Jewish riots) of the 19th Century saw the emigration of hundreds of thousands of Jews, mostly from Eastern Europe, who came to America with hopes of religious and economic freedom. The great majority of the Jews settled in the eastern cities. Others participated in an international movement that saw farm colonies planted in the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil and Israel. Forty agricultural colonies were organized in the United States at places such as Sicily Island, Louisiana, Crimea and Painted Woods in South Dakota; new Odessa, Oregon; and Cotopaxi in Colorado. Clarion, Utah was the largest in population and land areas and was in existence the longest of any settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains. Many communities suffered catastrophic natural disasters, while others succumbed to mismanagement, poor soils, and settler’s unfamiliarity with farm practices. All but a couple failed and were abandoned with a few years of their founding. Today, virtually all have disappeared.
In the early 20th Century, renewed pogroms and emigration from Eastern Europe added to the already overcrowded conditions in the cities of the eastern United States. Even president Theodore Roosevelt endorsed for all Americans a “Back to the Farm” movement and established the country Life Commission in 1908 to seek means to keep farmers on the land and to encourage new agricultural enterprises. These ideas would have been familiar to Jewish immigrants who had head similar schemes in their homelands even before their popularity in America.
Cotopaxi, Colorado. Circa 1882
A typical New York city tenement. circa 1900
Aaron Binder August 1913
"Yet, their story is one of hope and determinations to better themselves and a people. That they failed is their history. that they dreamed and struggled against insurmountable odds is their legacy." -Bob Goldberg | <urn:uuid:cc426673-a58a-4d02-b941-d0b714f570b5> | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | http://www.jewish-american-society-for-historic-preservation.org/sdakotawyoming/clarionutah.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030335276.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20220928180732-20220928210732-00593.warc.gz | en | 0.969346 | 1,477 | 3.5 | 4 |
'Mazatzal's' Many Coats
December 19, 2004
This close-up image taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's microscopic imager shows a section of the hole drilled into the rock dubbed "Mazatzal" after the hole was ground for a second time. The first drilling by the rover's rock abrasion tool left an incomplete hole, so a second one was performed. The blue arrow points to leftover portions of the dark rind that coats Mazatzal and the scrape marks left by the rock abrasion tool. The yellow arrow highlights the bright edges surrounding the leftover rind. The crack in the rock may have once contained fluids out of which minerals precipitated along its walls (red arrows). Mazatzal is a highly coated rock, containing at least four "cake layers": a top coat of dust, a pinking coating, a dark rind and its true interior. The observed area is 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) across. This image was taken on sol 85. | <urn:uuid:f078af9b-5e50-48c3-ba6b-0d05552fa2d1> | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | http://www.redorbit.com/images/pic/3929/mazatzals-many-coats/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1393999642519/warc/CC-MAIN-20140305060722-00014-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930416 | 208 | 3.109375 | 3 |
Harvesting of soybeans and corn has just begun in South Dakota. Crop plans for next year will soon begin as producers choose hybrids, varieties, and determine crop nutrient inputs. Currently, the climate is trending to be very dry which could influence 2014 crop plans. Fertilizer purchased in the fall typically has been lower priced and therefore more attractive for crop budgets. There are other fall fertilization considerations as well.
The International Plant Nutrition Institute has developed the 4R approach to fertilizer management which is:
- The right fertilizer source.
- Applied at the right rate.
- Applied in the right place.
- Applied at the right time.
(For more information visit the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Portal). Depending on the nutrient to be applied there are several fertilizer sources. Common nitrogen sources are anhydrous ammonia (82-0-0), urea (46-0-0) and UAN (28 or 32-0-0) while MAP (11-52-0), DAP (18-46-0), and 10-34-0 (ammonium poly-phosphate) are the main sources for phosphorus and also contain some nitrogen. The primary potassium source is potash (0-0-60) which contains both potassium and chloride (45% Cl). Other fertilizer sources are available but not commonly used. Dry fertilizers are usually broadcast applied while liquids are generally banded. However, there are exceptions to both depending on the type of equipment used.
Nitrogen applied in the fall could be susceptible to several loss pathways. Losses may come from volitilization of urea containing fertilizers that are surface applied and not incorporated with tillage or rainfall. Nitrogen fertilizer in the nitrate form or converted to nitrate in the soil is susceptible to leaching losses and de-nitrification losses if soils become extremely wet and warm prior to crop uptake. In addition, gaseous loss can occur with anhydrous ammonia applied in extremely dry or very wet soil. Nitrogen probably shouldn’t be fall applied as several studies have indicated possible N losses from fall application. In one study at the Southeast Research farm near Beresford from 1990-2006 in a corn/soybean rotation, the late fall urea application yielded 10 bu/a less when compared to the split N application (½ in spring, ½ sidedress). If fall N applications are used, apply after soil temperatures fall below 50° F. In addition, urea fertilizers should not be surface applied without incorporation and fall applications of nitrate containing fertilizers (UAN) are not recommended. Avoid fall applications of N fertilizers on coarse textured soils or soils prone to spring flooding.
Applications of phosphorus, potassium, zinc and other non-mobile nutrients in the fall can be a good practice. If soil tests are low, planter starter band applications of these nutrients can provide good early plant growth, with the remainder of the recommended nutrients applied as broadcast applications. If soil tests are medium or higher, much if not all of the phosphorus can be applied as a starter seed band or broadcast. If fertilizer is applied with strip till, these bands should be at least 2 to 3 inches below the planting depth as the high concentrations of fertilizer salts can decrease germination. Therefore strip bands do not work well as a starter because of the deeper application depth.
Finally, determining the right nutrient and the right nutrient rate should be determined by a soil test and choosing a representable yield goal. For more information and determining a recommended nutrient rate see the SDSU Extension Fertilizer Recommendation guide. | <urn:uuid:3d5ce815-482d-46b6-8cbd-fceebe27ae6f> | CC-MAIN-2016-36 | http://www.agprofessional.com/resource-centers/crop-fertility/phosphorus-potassium/news/Fall-fertilizer-application-considerations-225790891.html?source=related&page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-36/segments/1471982297973.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20160823195817-00175-ip-10-153-172-175.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.904608 | 740 | 3.03125 | 3 |
February 2, 2014
A Genetic PuzzleGenetic researchers do a thing these days called "cladistic studies." What they try to do with these studies is to infer the behavior of a species from the behavior of known genetic relatives. Genetic comparisons show that our closest genetic relatives are the "great apes." Great apes display significant "political hierarchy" and "despotism." Cladistic theory thus implies that human societies should too, but as we now know, our small-group ancestors didn't.
But wait! Starting perhaps 10,000 to 13,000 years ago -- as we now know from the previous chapter, our urban literate societies have indeed displayed increasing political hierarchy ("centralized political authority" for example) -- and even "despotism" -- some of them (early Egypt, Ming Dynasty China, etc.) markedly. So what we apparently have, at least as anthropologists and evolutionary biologists see it, is a genetic puzzle - - -
With respect to egalitarian society and its evolutionary status, a significant subsequent development was Knauft's (1991) lucid identification of a major puzzle in human evolution. ... In effect Knauft was posing an evolutionary riddle: how could a species apparently lose its innate tendencies to hierarchy for possibly millions of years, then suddenly regain them so forcefully?" (Boehm 1999:65)
To clarify a bit: Our precursor species are strongly hierarchical -- and indeed, so are our modern societies today (Kings, Queens, Presidents, Tsars, etc.). But between these two bastions of hierarchy stand tens of thousands -- perhaps millions -- of years of our small-group anti-hierarchical egalitarian ancestors.
The mystery, as the anthropologists and particularly the evolutionary biologists see it is, "What became of our 'innate tendencies to hierarchy' during our in-between period -- our small-group ancestral period -- which may have lasted millions of years?"
From hierarchy to egalitarianism back to hierarchy. Those are big changes, the last particularly implying a major transition -- an anthropologically sudden and recent one at that. So, how did it happen? How could a genetic trait temporarily disappear?
Cladistic studies imply that our ancestral species was hierarchical, but the ethnological research shows just the opposite -- that our small-group ancestors were expressly "egalitarian." And we know our modern societies are essentially hierarchical. Thus it would seem we have proceeded from hierarchical roots to egalitarian hunter-gatherers back to hierarchical "moderns." This suggests Knauft's "evolutionary riddle:" "how could a species apparently lose its innate tendencies to hierarchy for possibly millions of years, then suddenly regain them so forcefully?" (Boehm 1999:65) What happened to hierarchical genes during the egalitarian phase? How could a genetic trait temporarily disappear? | <urn:uuid:20dada61-25f7-4fce-b05a-314e74a489f8> | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | http://www.thespiritof76.com/NEX_NEWS/Storage/TO76/08_AGENE.HTM | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030337490.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20221004085909-20221004115909-00161.warc.gz | en | 0.931863 | 577 | 3.046875 | 3 |
The main building inside the castle is the keep, which was protected by walls and towers. The first castles were built by the Normans and were called motte and bailey castles. Some of the first castles were made from wood before they were built from stone.
To make solid base of a castle use cardboard boxes and tubes of different sizes. You can create towers by using paper towel tubes and toilet paper rolls. You can also use shoe boxes, facial tissue boxes, cereal boxes and others. Styrofoam is also an excellent material to build a castle model.When was stone used to build castles? During the 12th century many castles were improved and strengthened by using stone as the ain building material. The wooden defences of motte and bailey castles were replaced by walls and towers of stone. Why did stone castles replace the motte and bailey castles?The Normans built motte and bailey castles to begin with. These castle were quick to build using just earth and timber. Later, once William the Conqueror, the leader of the Normans, had firmly established his rule in England, the Normans built huge stone keep castles. They were built to last a long time and many can still be seen today.
Science and DT. Building castles and testing weapons. An opportunity to play with bows and arrows is sure to grab the attention of your class and sneaking in some key principles of scientific testing along the way ensures that learning objectives are met. Plus getting out the building blocks for some castle construction will not seem like.
Questions about Castles. Why did stone castles replace the motte and bailey castles? Timber, one of the two materials from which motte and bailey castles were built (the other being earth), was perishable (rots) and, more importantly, vulnerable to fire.. All the materials on these pages are free for homework and classroom use only.
Create engaging lessons about Castles, Knights and the Medieval world with our range of teaching resources for Key Stage 1 (KS1) History students. They feature castle diagrams with labels, parts of a castle activities and vocabulary packs covering key terms such as turret, ramparts and moats.
The castle you see there today, however, is primarily a product of a building program by William's descendant Henry II. It is a most impressive structure with massive walls and an awesome central tower, or keep, that houses one of the most beautiful and serene private chapels we've ever seen.
Building lots of large, strong castles was a great way of showing everyone that he was boss. There were lots of families or clans that didn’t want him as their King so they came up with clever.
History Year 7 Home Learning Task Designing, Attacking and Defending a Castle. . History Homework Year 7 Designing, attacking and defending a Castle.. This homework is focused on the later phases of castle building in England and Wales (Scotland was independent) between 1200 and 1350 AD. So, we need to think in Medieval ways and the.
Are you learning about knights and castles? Here's how to make a cardboard castle for a homeschooling project so you can give your nobles and their knights a home. In addition to construction tips, you will find information on how different parts of a castle functioned, as well as why castles finally ceased to be built.
General History Exam practice, marking stickers, essay advice. Marking Stickers. Source Analysis. Below is our collection of resources on the history of Castles, broken down by year group to give you instant access to the resources you need to teach your students. Save hundreds of hours of time by getting instant access to our Castles resources.
English Heritage is a charity that cares for over 400 historic buildings, monuments and sites - from world-famous prehistoric sites to grand medieval castles.
Chepstow Castle (Welsh: Castell Cas-gwent) at Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales is the oldest surviving post-Roman stone fortification in Britain. Located above cliffs on the River Wye, construction began in 1067 under the instruction of the Norman Lord William FitzOsbern.Originally known as Striguil, it was the southernmost of a chain of castles built in the Welsh Marches, and with its attached.
Building Materials. Whether you are working on a large constructing project or medium to small, here you can view our list of product categories to fulfil your requirements. Our range also covers paint, doors, garden, flooring, cement, tiles, timber, accessories etc and everything you would require from foundations to finishing touches. We deliver high quality products to traders and builders.
Castles were built during the Middle Ages as fortified homes for kings and nobility. Why did they build Castles? During the Middle Ages much of Europe was divided up between lords and princes. They would rule the local land and all the people who lived there. In order to defend themselves, they built their homes as large castles in the center.
Pendragon Castle is a ruin located in Mallerstang Dale, Cumbria, south of Kirkby Stephen, and close to the hamlet of Outhgill, at grid reference.It stands above a bend in the River Eden, overlooked by Wild Boar Fell to the south-west and Mallerstang Edge to the east. It is a grade I listed building.
Peveril Castle (also Castleton Castle or Peak Castle) is a ruined 11th-century castle overlooking the village of Castleton in the English county of Derbyshire. It was the main settlement (or caput) of the feudal barony of William Peverel, known as the Honour of Peverel, and was founded some time between the Norman Conquest of 1066 and its first. | <urn:uuid:3a24f313-060c-4e26-8ebf-9fc2f20a49f8> | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | http://jwkeex.myz.info/online/Build-Castle-Homework.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764500837.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20230208155417-20230208185417-00321.warc.gz | en | 0.975084 | 1,187 | 3.671875 | 4 |
Cool Things - Stove Tools from Sod House
Traditional building materials could be scarce and expensive in western Kansas during the 19th century. Instead, early settlers turned to something the prairie offered in abundance--sod.
Sod is the top layer of earth that includes grass, roots, and dirt clinging to the roots. Settlers cut and stacked sod bricks to build structures. Most sod houses measured about 16 by 20 feet and had only one room. The floor was packed dirt and the walls often were plastered or wallpapered to brighten the space and keep out pests. Roofs usually were dirt and leaked badly, making the houses difficult to keep clean.
But sod homes had advantages, too. They were fireproof, a distinct advantage in a region where grassfires raged. Also, houses made of dirt stayed cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than those constructed with traditional building materials. Most stoves in sod homes burned wood or other fuels such as cow chips (dung) or hay. Although coal burned more efficiently and retained heat longer, its expense made it cost-prohibitive for all but the most financially secure families.
Anna and Franklin Joy fell into the latter category. The couple burned coal in their home, using these tools to tend the stove. The set includes a scuttle for storing coal lumps next to the stove, a shovel to transfer coal into the stove, and a poker to arrange the burning embers.
Sod homes needed regular maintenance to survive the prairie's harsh climate. Many families either replaced the soddie with a traditional building after a few years, or built stone or wood additions. The Joys improved their sod home by plastering the walls, shingling the roof, and building a wooden addition that doubled its size. Their coal burning stove—along with these tools—was located in the sod part of the house.
This set of stove tools is in the collections of the Kansas Museum of History.
Entry: Cool Things - Stove Tools from Sod House
Author: Rebecca Martin
Date Created: January 2012
Date Modified: March 2013
The author of this article is solely responsible for its content. | <urn:uuid:de39d9ad-187d-43b1-bb5f-ea7a19376d3e> | CC-MAIN-2014-49 | http://kshs.org/kansapedia/cool-things-stove-tools-from-sod-house/17370 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-49/segments/1416931007832.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20141125155647-00074-ip-10-235-23-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970098 | 446 | 3.28125 | 3 |
Here are two new sheets of tick notation for drumming class: the rhythmic framework (now with 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 subdivisions, including the four variations of 3 and the two variations of 6), and Kpanlogo (three bell parts, shaker, clap, and three drum parts).
The Kpanlogo sheet introduces some new symbols for various drum sounds.
Because the main stick sound is a hit to the center and the main hand sound is a bounce of all four fingers at the edge, and these two sound approximately the same, both of these are represented with a simple vertical tick. A light tap is a small tick. For other sounds, the general idea is that symbols near the centerline are struck at the center of the drum, and symbols away from the centerline are struck at the edge of the drum.
It seemed logical to me that a press should be a horizontal line. A hand bounce in the middle of the drum is a deep, rounded sound, so the symbol is a round hump sitting on the centerline. A hand slap at the edge of the drum is a sharp sound, so the symbol is a pointy chevron away from the centerline. | <urn:uuid:4ba37b23-c070-45c5-89b6-ca674d4aa2a1> | CC-MAIN-2018-17 | https://zestyping.livejournal.com/207434.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-17/segments/1524125936969.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20180419130550-20180419150550-00077.warc.gz | en | 0.931225 | 251 | 3.375 | 3 |
The Nonverbal Skills You Need For Successful Negotiation.
Harvard Law School.
Author(s): Tomás Dueñas Uribe
Source: PolicyTank.Org ; Influence & Power within the Public Policy Process.
(Dec, 2010), pp. 21-27
Published by: PolicyTank.Org Publishing
Great books have taught us how to plan and execute a successful negotiation. Interestingly, applying the theory of negotiation is incredibly easy for some, and terribly hard for others. A reason for this, is that some people naturally persuade others by the way they move, look and express their ideas. Fortunately for many of us, it’s possible to learn very simple gestures that with practice, will effectively empower our words and give us an advantage at the negotiating table.
Apart from gestures that will make our words resonate and put us in a favorable position within a negotiation, there are also a series of reactions that we can observe in our counterparts to determine how comfortable they are with the options we are presenting to them. Ideally, by using this nonverbal awareness within our negotiations, we can assess the relative strength of our counterpart´s BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement), the scope of the deal´s ZOPA (Zone of Potential Agreement) and their preferences with regards to the different options.
When we think of nonverbal communication, we tend to think of facial gestures. Thanks to a book called What Every BODY Is Saying by Joe Navarro, the approach that we will take in this text focuses on reactions on different sections of the body, like the feet, torso, arms and hands. The logic behind it is that since our infancy, we are taught to mask our facial emotions. Just think of a child that doesn’t like the food he has in front of him. Visualize his face and then imagine what his father will most likely suggest. Society depends on our ability to remain courteous despite our conflicting and very different interests. For that reason, when we look for honest reactions at the other side of the table, its best we focus on every other part of the body. Yet we will cover very specific reactions that are present in the face but that cannot usually be consciously controlled.
To properly understand the natural honesty derived from certain nonverbal communication, it’s important to realize that there is a section in our brain, called the “limbic brain”, which reacts instantly and without thought, towards certain external stimuli (Navarro, 2008, 22). Being in charge of our reflexes, it has played a very important role in the evolution and survival of our species. All of the gestures we will focus on, are controlled directly by the limbic system, and are usually displayed without restraint. Therefore, they may serve a dual purpose. First, we will have an idea of what the others are thinking. Second, we will be aware of our own behavior and have the ability to modify it. By doing so, we will have control over the situation and project security, build rapport, or encourage teamwork whenever needed.
Behaviors to look for when discussing interests and presenting options:
Every time that our limbic brain reacts towards a stimulus that it finds threatening or discomforting, like an option that is deemed inappropriate, a series of pacifying behaviors become apparent (Navarro, 2008, 35). Look for the following behaviors whenever you or they mention their target price or interest, whenever you ask them a specific question about how they came up with a specific proposal, or whenever they hint that they may walk away from the table due to what they describe as a better BATNA. When you notice they are pacifying, try to understand their situation and reframe the problem so that negotiations may continue.
One of the most natural and common pacifiers whenever a person is experiencing insecurity or concern over an issue, is to cover or touch the suprasternal notch. This is the space between the thorax and the Adam´s apple, also known as neck dimple. The next time you see this display, think about what the person is discussing or pondering and you will realize that it tends to be something negative that affects the person greatly. On certain occasions, this behavior is displayed more discretely when a woman plays with a necklace or a man constantly adjusts his tie. Being a particularly sensitive and fragile part of our body, having contact with the hand augments the sense of security and tends to soothe whichever discomforting feelings we may be experiencing (Navarro, 2008, 36).
There are other behaviors that have very similar reasons to surface and generate similar pacifying effects. Whenever there is doubt or insecurity in what is being said, the person may place a hand on the neck. When nervous, the person may touch his face or cheeks. Usually after a mishap has occurred, or when pressure has cooled off, a person may also exhale with puffed out cheeks (Navarro, 2008, 40 – 41). All of these behaviors will soothe us and help us remain calm whilst we deal with something that discomforts us.
A very important pacification behavior that is often unnoticed is “the leg cleanser”. The reason why it tends to go unnoticed is because it usually happens under the table. In this case, the person slides his hands from one end of his thigh to the other. The nerve endings in the thighs and hands are both stimulated by the friction and tend to release tension. During police work, this behavior is given special attention because it almost always appears whenever a suspect is confronted with damning evidence (Navarro, 2008, 47).
With all of these pacifying behaviors, it’s important to always compare them with the general attitude of the individual. If a person is constantly touching his or her face, that particular behavior will not necessarily reveal helpful information. Your keen observation of his or her base behavior during neutral interaction, will be the key to successfully decoding the pacifying behaviors, however subtle, during further stages.
Important Specific Reactions
During a formal negotiation, you will frequently find yourself making suggestions and asking questions to gauge the interests of the other parties. The normal situation is to expect an honest answer and build up from there. What happens when the other parties refuse to play by the rules and lead you to believe that your offers or suggestions aren’t good enough and therefore are undeserving of adequate pay? With the following specific reactions, you will have a good opportunity to determine if they are holding back genuine interest.
Within our face, there is one thing that we cannot control at will and that gives us very valuable information when negotiating. We have no thoughtful control over our pupils; therefore eye dilation is a very precise way to determine interest (Navarro, 2008, 172). Naturally, when our brain perceives something pleasant, it will dilate or open the pupils, in order to obtain the greatest amount of information to process. When it perceives danger or discomfort, it will constrict the pupils so that we may focus in on the danger and avoid it (Hess, 1975, 110 – 119). This behavior not only limits itself to external stimuli, it reacts in the same way with thoughts. With this information in mind, make an effort to remember this the next time you are about to make an offer. Focus in on the other parties eyes whilst you mention an offer and you will know their real impression without having to wait for a facial expression or their words.
Another great way to read the other persons reaction to your offers, is to notice whenever they move less than usual during a statement. If the person usually accompanies their words with movement of the hands or body, and suddenly remains still whilst answering a question, take note of it. According to certain research, people who are masking true thoughts tend to gesture less and move their legs and arms less than people who say the truth (Vrij, 2003, 65). This occurs because the limbic system wants us to attract the least amount of attention when confronted with a possible danger. The danger in this case, is the risk of being caught deceiving (Navarro, 2008, 157). So be on the lookout for sudden restriction of the limbs whenever a person is expressing disinterest in your offers.
A very easy to spot gesture is the lip purse. This refers to a gesture that looks like a kiss, it occurs when we pucker our lips while being serious. This gesture is present whenever a person that is listening to you is considering a different idea and is not necessarily in agreement with you. According to Joe Navarro, this behavior is often seen at court trials. During the closing remarks of one attorney, the opposing parties will purse their lips in disagreement (Navarro, 2008, 191). During a negotiation, if you happen to be revising a draft of an agreement or a contract, by spotting lip pursing behavior, you may determine which parts to revise and discuss further.
Finally, two very evident gestures that will quickly tell you things are not going as planned and need reframing, are eye blocking and repeated kicking movements of the legs. As soon as something displeasing or negative is heard, our natural reaction is to try to distance ourselves from it. To do so, our limbic brain will instinctively instruct our eyes to close, or our hands to block our view for a moment (Navarro, 2008, 178). The other behavior is automatic and people usually don’t recognize they are doing it. It is called the leg-kick response, and it is a subconscious indication of the intent of combating something that is deemed unpleasant. Both of these responses can be used to your advantage by asking specific questions that would require a yes or no answer, and that the other party might be unwilling to reveal.
The Nonverbal Skills That Will Help You Project Security & Build Rapport:
The following skills will help you generate a positive atmosphere and will give others the impression that you are focused and confident of your proposals. They are especially helpful when dealing with difficult situations and when your own negotiation position is not very strong. Some of them can be applied during our turn to speak, others can be applied while we listen.
One of the most powerful ways to demonstrate you are actively contemplating what the other person is saying, is to lean towards them in a subtle way. Try speaking with someone who is leaning away from you and facing an exit, and you will quickly wish to end the conversation (Navarro, 2008, 91). Instead, when you feel that your listener is facing and leaning towards you, you will be encouraged to share information and have a tendency to see the person in a positive light. Knowing this, it seems particularly important to apply in negotiation settings, where every bit of information is valuable.
As you lean towards the person, the positioning and gesture of your hands is of particular importance. Always avoid hiding your hands under the table or inside your pockets. From a psychological point of view, hidden hands generate suspicion and make others uncomfortable in your presence (Navarro, 2008, 134). Instead of hiding your hands or leaving them face down on the table, you may use “steepling”, which is a powerful hand gesture that denotes high confidence. It is achieved by joining the hands at the fingertips and makes the hands form the shape of an arrow head. Practice a subtle approach to steepling and you will project security whilst remaining refined.
Compared with other parts of our bodies, the hands tend to capture most of our brain´s attention (Givens, 2005, 31). Anthropologically, our survival has depended on assessing the hands of others because of the threat they can sometimes pose. In the context of day to day interaction and particularly negotiation, effective use of hand gestures to accompany our words, is one of the most important skills to learn. If you could single out a similar trait in all of the great orators and speakers of history, powerful hand gestures would be the one (Navarro, 2008, 135). Some people do it naturally, but for most of us it takes effort and practice. It’s important to keep the gestures controlled so that they don’t distract the listener, but use them to embellish your proposals and attract their subconscious attention.
A non verbal gesture that will help build rapport and subconsciously heighten positive feelings, is the casual use of thumbs up displays. As with most of these skills, it is important to practice and get a feel of the appropriate timing and frequency with which to use these gestures. If you subtly incorporate thumbs up gestures to your hand movements whilst you speak, you will be projecting a positive attitude that will help you make a conversation go by smoothly.
Finally, whether you are speaking or listening, there is one nonverbal skill that is very hard to mimic but if done effectively, will project confidence, build rapport and encourage a mutual understanding with the other parties. When we are comfortable, our facial muscles usually relax and our head tends to hilt to the side. This behavior exposes our neck and is therefore something that our limbic brain will only permit in safe and comfortable situations (Navarro, 2008, 170). To master this reaction and be comfortable enough to display such a behavior in a negotiation setting, would certainly provide a valuable way of showing others our willingness to work together. Couple that with a natural smile and you will have set the perfect conditions for a positive negotiation where all parties benefit and real value is created.
Applying these nonverbal skills is challenging and they require practice to employ effectively. Use them along with the propositional method of negotiation outlined in Roger Fisher´s book; Getting to Yes, and hopefully more and more win – win agreements will be reached, instead of traditional bargaining where parties tend to feel left out. All of these skills will also accompany you in your different interactions with close ones and colleagues. So whether you find yourself negotiating an international treatise, or just recommending a particular attire to your loved one, remember to smile and use this knowledge towards the mutual benefit of a satisfying agreement.
Fisher, R. Ury, W. Patton, B. (1991). Getting to Yes. Negotiating Agreement without giving in. Penguin 2nd Ed.
Givens, D. B (2005) Love signals: A practical guide to the body language of courtship. New York: St. Martin´s Press.
Hess, E. H. (1975). The Role of pupil size in communication. Scientific American 233, 110.
Navarro, J (1998). What Every Body Is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-reading People.
Ury. W. (1993). Getting Past No. Negotiating in difficult situations. Bantam.
Vrij, A. (2003). Detecting lies and deceit: The psychology of lying and the implications for professional practice. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. | <urn:uuid:9c843e8e-4f19-4ced-86c3-fb5bacff657c> | CC-MAIN-2016-50 | http://www.tomas.co/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-50/segments/1480698542665.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20161202170902-00113-ip-10-31-129-80.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942532 | 3,053 | 2.796875 | 3 |
In 1981 Rita Marley’s brother Leroy Anderson aka Lepke launched the Dread Broadcasting Corporation (DBC), Europe’s first dedicated black music station.
Frustrated by the lack of airtime for reggae music in the UK, Lepke setup a mast in his back garden and began to broadcast to a small area of West London every Sunday afternoon. DBC soon expanded to cover all styles of black music and with its unmistakable logo featuring a dread with headphones and a spliff became a trailblazer for the future of black British radio in the UK.
Carmella Jervier aka Sister C told Witness History how hearing black female DJs like the Ranking Miss P on DBC inspired her to become a DJ.
Witness History: The stories of our times told by the people who were there. | <urn:uuid:0a352b69-02d4-443f-bfee-f92120939854> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://thelondonpress.uk/2022/11/27/dread-broadcasting-corporation-the-pirate-that-changed-british-radio/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510734.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20231001005750-20231001035750-00256.warc.gz | en | 0.933454 | 250 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Audrey Soriano and Kendall Jones, Kindergarten South Teachers
The Gold Rush Unit is the final curricular theme each year in kindergarten, marking the end of an exciting year of learning and growth for Live Oak’s youngest students. This unit of study allows kindergartners to practice and refine many skills from the school year including reading, writing, drawing, and asking big questions as they learn why people came from all over the world to California in the 1800s.
All areas of the classroom reflect engagement with this subject matter: creative projects like painting and making toys, an imaginary play area filled with Gold Rush era dress-up clothing and tools, a class library with fiction and non-fiction books, and card games and board games from the olden days.
We start the unit with a thinking routine called SEE/THINK/WONDER to spark interest and curiosity while checking for prior knowledge. Students then dive into a variety of cross-curricular activities throughout each week to immerse themselves in Gold Rush learning.
Students work their way through “contracts” (work stations) to explore this historical unit, further developing skills across the curriculum. Built-in time for free choice and play activities occur daily and connect to our theme. In the ChangeMaker Lab, students decorate pioneer trunks that will be filled with handmade keepsakes and treasures they create. These include travel journals, weavings, jewelry, old-timey framed photographs, handmade toys, and more.
Math work during this unit focuses on number sense. We use real coins to count and combine numbers, introducing fundamental addition and subtraction concepts. Specialist classes (music, art, library) also embrace this theme, taking on projects like hand-sewn gold pouches, music and songs from bygone days, and read-alouds connected to the Gold Rush and Camp Live Oak. Sharing (Show and Tell) takes on its final form as The Antiques Roadshow: students bring in old objects or photos to share with the class, deepening their understanding of the way our lives have changed over time.
Weekly Friday field trips provide real world experiences like hands on water pumps and troughs at the new Presidio Tunnel Tops Playground and a ride on a real train.
The unit culminates with a top secret tradition at Camp Live Oak: hunting for gold in the stream at Camp Jones Gulch. Students call out “Eureka!” as they discover gold nuggets.
The Gold Rush Unit in kindergarten is a fan favorite, and many students report keeping their wooden trunk and its contents for many years. It is always incredible to see the culmination of the students’ hard work and engagement in their final projects from kindergarten. Eureka!
Live Oak School welcomes and admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin, citizenship status, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, and faith to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities of Live Oak School. Live Oak School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin, citizenship status, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, and faith in administration of its educational policies and programs, admissions policies, Adjusted Tuition program, and athletic and other school-administered programs. | <urn:uuid:61d1b0ae-a6c1-468e-a4a3-e3fe05952b44> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.liveoaksf.org/news-detail?pk=924324 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100800.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20231209040008-20231209070008-00296.warc.gz | en | 0.927397 | 675 | 3.109375 | 3 |
Ned A. Flanders has recommend the following six steps simulated teaching Step I: Assigning the roles: In this step, the pupil-teachers are assigned the roles of teachers, student and observer respectively. The student-teacher has to play all three roles one after the other. Step II: Deciding the skills to be practiced: After assigning the roles, certain social skills are discussed which are to be practiced by student-teachers.
Simulated play technique of teacher training is very important technique. Following are the simulated environment 1. Demonstration lesson 2. Discussion lesson 3. Teaching Practice teacher training colleges have to depend on schools. No doubt it is possible only in simulated environment schools are must for making the teacher successful. We have to face the following hurdles in the said practice.
Cruick Shank has described the following advantages of simulated Teaching Method. 1. Student-teachers are helped in a variety of ways through simulated training. It helps in developing self-confidence among them. 2.This technique helps in linking theory with practice of teaching. 3. Student-teachers are given an opportunity to study and analyze critical teaching problems.
Simulation means role-playing or rehearsal in which the process of teaching is carried out artificially. It is based on socio-drama. The main aspect of simulation in teaching is the introduction of a student-teacher to teaching in a non-stressful conditions. According to Webster's Dictionary, "Simulation is defined as giving the appearance of or effort of, to have characteristic".
Simulation in teaching has recently entered the field of education. It is used at different levels of instruction. The teacher is trained practically and also imparted theoretical learning. The pupil teacher needs to be trained in simulated situations before sending him to the school for teaching practice. He has to play the role of teaching in artificially created environment.
The following principles in team teaching are significant, 1. The size and composition of the group must be appropriate to its purpose. 2. The time allotted to any group must be appropriate to its purpose. 3. The learning environment must be appropriate to the activities of the group 4. The nature and extent of the supervision of the group activities depends upon the purpose of the group
The Team Teaching idea originated in USA in 1954 and it found its way to develop courses. It a good innovation in teaching strategies. In simple words, it is the simplest form where all teachers of a subject collectively teach a class in that subject. There are some definitions by educationists.
Simulation refers to imitation of a particular appearance, form or skill. In education this teaching strategy is mostly used in teaching training programs. It is better strategy than lesson-demonstration. It is mainly focused on 1. To develop social skills for playing the role of teacher in the class room 2. To achieve psychomotor objectives | <urn:uuid:246065dd-63ce-498c-bcc1-1cb923cba922> | CC-MAIN-2019-30 | http://www.studylecturenotes.com/tags/methods-teaching | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-30/segments/1563195525094.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20190717061451-20190717083451-00150.warc.gz | en | 0.961087 | 579 | 3.46875 | 3 |
Cotton farming has been a vital cog in Zimbabwean agriculture. It has dominated the local agricultural industry for almost a century.
Report by Peter Makwanya
Any talk of farming at any level, by any one, evokes images of cotton and the successes it brought about. There has been quite a number of players who came into the Zimbabwean cotton industry, trashed the environment and disappeared.
Cotton-growing companies in Zimbabwe and the world over have serious shortcomings on issues of environmental and business ethics.
Concerns such as land use, exploitation of workers and the use of pesticides, environmental and health implications cannot continue to be mystified. Conventional cotton farming is adversely destroying the environment and affecting the health and well-being of thousands of farmers in Zimbabwe.
Ethics in general refer to personal code of conduct based on respect for oneself, others and the surroundings. From the environmental point of view, ethics can be defined as a discipline that analyses issues regarding people’s moral obligations to future generations with respect to the environment.
A deeper analysis on the conduct of cotton companies in Zimbabwe reveals that they pay lip service or have a palliative approach to the fundamentals of ethical considerations. By failing to adhere to environmental ethical obligations, they have also failed not only themselves but their ethical business practices.
Cotton companies cannot claim to be ethical if they violate the basic rights of farmers, ignore health, safety and environmental standards.
These are the issues that have a heavy bearing on the sustainable livelihoods of the farmers they claim to have at heart.
For centuries, cotton companies have been quietly pocketing enormous profits from exploiting the unsuspecting rural farmers. The question is: For how long are they going to play tomfoolery with farmers? For how long are they going to continue deceiving farmers with their glib?
Research by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and World Health Programme (WHO), provides a shocking account that between 1% and 3% of agricultural workers around the world suffer from acute pesticide poisoning, with at least one million requiring hospitalisation each year. These figures equate to between 25 million and 77 million cotton farmers around the world.
Why cotton? The reason is that cotton amounts to 16% of global pesticide release; more than any other crop in the world. Cotton farming is also considered the “dirtiest” due to the heavy use of insecticides, the most hazardous type of pesticides to human and animal health.
To cotton companies (this is not assumed knowledge) already have comprehensive information regarding this. As such, what are they doing about it? Do they have insurance cover for their beloved farmers or is there any cotton company-owned hospital that treats people suffering from suspected poisoning from cotton cultivation related diseases?
Zimbabwe is one of the 16 African countries that use not “extremely hazardous” but “highly hazardous” cotton chemicals. It is therefore clear that in Zimbabwe there are people suffering from chronic effects of long-term pesticide exposure, which include impaired memory and concentration, severe depression and confusion. This is long-term in the sense that, toxic agro-chemicals first applied 50 years ago now pollute the country’s land, air, food and drinking water.
This means that cotton chemicals that were applied in 1962 are beginning to have their effects felt now. These chemicals are causing substantial damage to humans and the environment.
Women and children, who mostly participate in cotton cultivation, are prone to dangers of pesticides because of their vulnerability. Hazardous cotton pesticides are known to contaminate rivers and are a threat to fresh water resources. About 99% of the world’s cotton farmers live and work in developing countries, where there are low levels of safety awareness, no access to protective apparatus, illiteracy and chronic poverty.
Zimbabwe, because of its status as a country “that is failing to develop” can be classified as part of the 99%. It is common knowledge that Zimbabwean rural cotton farmers often store pesticides in their bedrooms or near foodstuffs. As a result, reports of suicide cases have appeared in numerous editions of the print media.
Due to poverty, carelessness or ignorance, some rural communities end up using these pesticide containers for water storage. The situation becomes more dangerous when drinking water is not treated, as is the case with the majority of Zimbabwean rural communities.
Research shows that hazardous pesticides applied to cotton can potentially contaminate both cottonseed oil and cottonseed derivatives in animal feeds. In simple terms, it means the hazardous chemicals can affect the whole food chain; therefore, human beings, animals and the environment are not spared.
It is also clear from the environmentalists’ point of view that ethical practices are normally resisted by some sectors of the society, including cotton companies.
Events of the 2012 cotton marketing season, where farmers got a shocking raw deal from cotton companies, which announced buying prices when cotton was overdue for sale, is not sustainable. Buying prices should be announced in advance so that farmers who intend growing cotton may do so out of choice and economic considerations.
Cotton farming is a high-risk job which is very exploitative. This past farming season we have in Zimbabwe witnessed thousands of the rural poor working for little, or no reward at all.
In fact, they have been relegated to the dustbin of the farming discourse. Sometimes we witness cases of misplaced priorities by these cotton companies, where a company sponsors rugby, which is considered an elitist sport in Zimbabwe, while ignoring construction of roads in the rural areas where the cotton is grown.
The rural constituencies have served these cotton companies in good faith, but they have to destroy the environment in order to construct make-shift roads so that cotton companies can have easy access to their loot.
Some communities do not have basic educational facilities such as decent classrooms. Children learn under freezing conditions in winter and in sweltering and suffocating heat come summer while their major and only important stakeholder is watching.
There are also capable and scholarship-deserving students from these impoverished communities who fail to go to universities, not because they are dull, but due to lack of funding. They have been dumped and loathed by the exploitative cotton companies.
Indeed, it is not cotton companies’ sole responsibility to undertake these social obligations, but these same rural constituencies have nurtured cotton companies to what they are today.
To reduce environmental damage and compromising the health of their major stakeholders, cotton companies must engage in research to find out which organic cotton species are suitable for sustainable farming, depending on available variables. The advantage of growing organic cotton is that it does not require the use of pesticides and fertilisers.
Organic cotton farming does not poison the environment or the people involved in the production. If cotton companies in Zimbabwe have proved through research that organic farming is not suitable in our situations, then they must ensure that agro-chemical companies sell recommended pesticides only. They should allow the selling of pesticides bearing the labels of manufacturing countries and companies. The chemical products should have genuine eco-friendly certifications.
Farmers need to have constant training, awareness and education programmes in chemical handling and better pest management techniques. Protective equipment should be readily available and affordable too. The brush and bucket spraying technique is highly contagious, so in that regard sprays should be cheap as well.
Lastly, ethical business practices are eco-friendly and sustainable as they regulate the behaviour of all businesses that operate in the supply-chain such as contractors, suppliers, distributors and sales agents.
Makwanya is a climate change communicator who writes in his own capacity and can be contacted on: email@example.com or firstname.lastname@example.org | <urn:uuid:90cbc507-d145-4dc1-94ec-f33cf2303272> | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | https://www.theindependent.co.zw/2012/10/12/cotton-farmers-at-risk-from-pesticides/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046151699.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20210725143345-20210725173345-00054.warc.gz | en | 0.95484 | 1,582 | 2.921875 | 3 |
Your eating behavior matters. Most people will know this, but some will underestimate the extent of its importance. You must take your eating habits seriously. Why? You eat 365 days a year. On each of those days, you will make many small and significant eating decisions. Your patterns will be a part of those choices. If your choices are mostly healthy, it is going to have a positive effect, and vice versa. Each day matters, especially as you age.
If you are overweight or have high blood sugar, you likely would not be wrong to blame your eating behavior immediately. Most of the time it is a handful of poor habits that may be jeopardizing your health and well-being.
So the question is, how to change your eating behavior? First, you must identify where you are at fault, and address every issue without fail. Read on, and determine whether you are guilty of the following…
Always eating when you feel hungry. It is normal to feel hungry now and then, especially when you are not eating between meals (the best way to make weight loss progress). However, it is counterproductive to eat every time you feel the urge to snack on something. Discipline yourself to wait until your next meal, and don’t snack in between. If you have to eat something, fruit or a small non-flavored yogurt is fine, but a pastry or bowl of cereal is not.
Drinking calories. Calories are not always an issue. If you can control your intake, you can learn to lose weight while still enjoying some of your favorite foods.
However, you must be careful with the calories you drink. They quickly add up and do not contribute to satiety in any way. Often, they elevate your blood sugar needlessly, which means people with Type 2 diabetes especially should avoid caloric drinks.
This isn’t to say you cannot ever have a juice with your meals or enjoy a glass of wine. Just do these things on occasion, and not as a habit.
Not cooking your main meals. Cooking at home is crucial. It is more conducive to eating healthier meals, and you are more likely to enjoy your meal after the work you put in. It also allows you to choose the ingredients you consume. Avoid fast foods and processed meals as much as possible. Again, you can still have them in your diet; make sure they are not staples.
Not having two traditional meals per day. It is unfortunate many people still believe three, four, or more meals a day are the best way to eat. For the vast majority of people, this is wrong. It is unnecessary, leaves you prone to overeating, and keeps your blood sugar elevated throughout the whole day.
Two traditional meals a day are the way to go, at least until you are in great health. At that point, you can make tweaks, but do not be surprised if you find yourself sticking to two main meals.
The list above is far from conclusive but should be enough to get you started.Hospitals in Dubai : Hospitals in Dubai List : List of hospitals in Dubai with email address, contact details and telephone numbers. Hospitals cater to the most vulnerable section of our population. They are both necessary and feared, sought out and despised. The reaction to hospitals, from the perspective of both patients and medical practitioners, depends on the facilities these hospitals have to offer. Some of the best hospitals share a few common distinguishing characteristics that set them apart from other hospitals. The central challenge for these hospitals is to continue to do business and at the same time provide quality health care at affordable costs. The best hospitals in Dubai are dedicated to providing specialized treatment for specific diseases. Their focus is on developing and delivering the best and latest treatment in their area of function. Multi specialty hospitals provide separate wings and departments for separate treatments. - | <urn:uuid:b9cfe2cb-7084-41c7-9267-bc3d09e28101> | CC-MAIN-2019-22 | http://doctorsdubai.ae/type-2-diabetes-how-to-change-your-eating-behavior/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-22/segments/1558232256764.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20190522063112-20190522085112-00125.warc.gz | en | 0.968669 | 778 | 2.828125 | 3 |
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A really complete account of all the musical instruments from the earliest time known to us would require much more space than can here be afforded. We can attempt only a concise historical survey. We venture to hope that the illustrations interspersed throughout the text will to the intelligent reader elucidate many facts which, for the reason stated, are touched upon but cursorily.
A musical relic has recently been exhumed in the department of Dordogne in France, which was constructed in an age when the fauna of France included the reindeer, the rhinoceros, and the mammoth, the hyaena, the bear, and the cave-lion. It is a small bone somewhat less than two inches in length, in which is a hole, evidently bored by means of one of the little flint knives which men used before acquaintance with the employment of metal for tools and weapons. Many of these flints were found in the same place with the bones. Only about half a dozen of the bones, of which a considerable number have been exhumed, possess the artificial hole. We give a woodcut of one of them.
M. Lartet surmises the perforated bone to have been used as a whistle in hunting animals. It is the first digital phalanx of a ruminant, drilled to a certain depth by a smooth cylindrical bore on its lower surface near the expanded upper articulation. On | <urn:uuid:250bfdfa-bf70-466e-af83-1fd8f389bdbd> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/musical-instruments/musical-instruments%20-%200109.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128320257.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20170624101204-20170624121204-00342.warc.gz | en | 0.965974 | 305 | 3.140625 | 3 |
In the first place, it is not based on any well-ascertained physiological fact. There are old fables about patients who have barked like dogs or crowed like cocks, after being bitten or wounded by those animals. There is nothing impossible in the idea that Romulus and Remus may have imbibed wolfish traits of character from the wet nurse the legend assigned them, but the legend is not sound history, and the supposition is nothing more than a speculative fancy. Still, there is a limbo of curious evidence bearing on the subject of pre-natal influences sufficient to form the starting-point of an imaginative composition.
The real aim, of the story was to test the doctrine of "original sin" and human responsibility for the disordered volition coming under that technical denomination. Was Elsie Venner, poisoned by the venom of a crotalus before she was born, morally responsible for the "volitional" a | <urn:uuid:04660e73-4b55-4801-9073-e4a06f5df1e7> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | https://manybooks.net/titles/holmesoletext01elsie11.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875147054.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20200228043124-20200228073124-00530.warc.gz | en | 0.949646 | 192 | 2.53125 | 3 |
The American Way of Life
Images of the United States in nineteenth-century Europe and Latin-America
The American Way of Life: Images of the United States in nineteenth-century Europe and Latin-America. The idea of America in the imagination of many people throughout the world is a key issue in modern history. Most existing work on this subject focuses on the twentieth- century era of US hegemony, but the purpose of this project is to explore the origins of the widespread perception that the United States is the epitome not only of modern power but of modernity itself.
By the mid-nineteenth century much of the utopian promise of the Americas had become identified with the United States. The project examines the crucial decades in the development of US power from the Civil War to the Spanish-American War (two key moments in the United States' own process of self-definition). The project adopts a comparative approach -- analysing Europe and Latin America as the two regions most closely linked to the United States by history, culture and way of life -- in order a) to interpret the distinctive experiences of each of the seven countries that comprise our case studies; and b) to develop a generally applicable model to reassess the impact of images of America in this period.
We approach the images -- ranging from the textual to the
visual, through a wide variety of sources -- in terms of discourse
analysis, working within a theoretical framework which integrates the
socio-economics of production with the aesthetics of reception.
The project is directed by Axel Körner, Nicola Miller and Adam Smith, in collaboration with Kate Ferris, Natalia Bas and Maike Thier.
Page last modified on 05 aug 13 15:26 by Sonja Van Praag
If you would like to join our mailing list please contact Professor Axel Körner - firstname.lastname@example.org | <urn:uuid:998bbe61-05d7-4d14-8dec-00251e0343be> | CC-MAIN-2014-49 | http://www.ucl.ac.uk/cth/research-projects/american-way-of-life | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-49/segments/1416931009515.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20141125155649-00143-ip-10-235-23-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91147 | 383 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Providing the best health and nutrition programs to save lives
Nearly 5.6 million children die each year due to preventable and treatable causes, including 1 million babies who die on the day they are born. What's more, child malnutrition often leads to a lifetime of poor health and even death. More than 150 million children in developing countries are malnourished.
That's why we are committed to providing effective children’s health and nutrition programs that save children's lives and ensure they grow up healthy.
Thanks to generous donors like you, Save the Children is able to improve maternal, newborn and child health, help end child malnutrition and hunger and prevent HIV transmission, and ensure treatment for those living with HIV before they develop (or to prevent) AIDS — giving 157 million children a healthy start in life and helping 56.3 million children directly with lifesaving care, medicines, preventive treatments and so much more.
How Our Health and Nutrition Work Saves Lives:
Targeting the major causes of maternal, newborn and child deaths
Providing high-impact, low-cost care that saves children's lives
Training and equipping frontline health workers to provide basic and lifesaving care
Responding rapidly during emergencies – when children are most vulnerable
Thank you for your generous support of Save the Children!
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can recieve an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating. | <urn:uuid:2fd9fa53-096d-4bd4-83e9-364c825da384> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/water-for-refugees/reports/?subid=107743 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506658.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924155422-20230924185422-00468.warc.gz | en | 0.925293 | 395 | 2.734375 | 3 |
The New Hampshire Historical Society says it has purchased a rare copper printing plate used to underwrite the state's share in the Revolutionary War effort.
The plate was engraved on June 9, 1775 by Exeter metalsmith John Ward Gilman and is about the size of a legal paper pad. The Concord Monitor reports Gilman designed the New Hampshire state seal in 1776.
The state lost track of the printing plate for at least 150 years before it resurfaced in 2009.
Historical society official Wesley Balla says the piece will eventually be put on display for public viewing.
New Hampshire Historical Society President Bill Dunlap says the artifact is humble in appearance but tells a great story about colonial America. | <urn:uuid:0a986c89-a437-471b-8598-35345cf5b426> | CC-MAIN-2018-51 | https://www.necn.com/news/new-england/New-Hampshire-Historical-Society-Successfully-Returns-Artifact-to-State-496305051.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-51/segments/1544376823565.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20181211040413-20181211061913-00506.warc.gz | en | 0.925951 | 142 | 2.59375 | 3 |
- Why wont my seeds germinate?
- What happens if you water plants with vinegar?
- How long should I wait for seeds to germinate?
- How do you germinate a seed with hydrogen peroxide?
- How can I sanitize my soil without baking it?
- Why a seed soaked in water will not germinate?
- Which plant will grow in 2 days?
- Do seeds need air to germinate?
- Is hydrogen peroxide safe for seedlings?
- Does vinegar affect seed germination?
- Is April too late for seeds?
- Does hydrogen peroxide kill fungus in soil?
- How do you speed up seed germination?
- How do you tell if Underwatering vs overwatering?
- Can you add vinegar to soil?
Why wont my seeds germinate?
The primary reasons for failed germination are: Seeds get eaten – mice, voles, birds, and wireworms all eat seeds.
Check to see that the seed is still in the soil.
Seeds rot – planted too deeply, over-watered, or in cold weather, our untreated seeds may simply rot..
What happens if you water plants with vinegar?
The acetic acid of vinegar dissolves the cell membranes resulting in desiccation of tissues and death of the plant. While this sounds like a splendid outcome for the plague of weeds invading your yard, I suspect you wouldn’t be quite as thrilled if vinegar as herbicide were to damage your perennials or garden veggies.
How long should I wait for seeds to germinate?
Some seeds take two weeks or more to sprout. Poor germination can be caused by overly wet or cold soil, which causes seeds to rot. (The latter can be remedied with a Heat Mat.) If the soil was too dry, the seeds may not have been able to absorb enough moisture to sprout.
How do you germinate a seed with hydrogen peroxide?
Soak your seeds in a 3% hydrogen peroxide for 30 minutes. Rinse the seeds several times with water before planting and plant them as usual. Doing this breaks down the hard outer covering of the seeds and kills any pathogen present on them. This allows the seeds to absorb more oxygen, helping them sprout efficiently.
How can I sanitize my soil without baking it?
Just fill a pan with water and then place the layers of soil to be sterilized in a rack above it. You can then close the lid and bring it to a boil. Once boiled, allow the steam to escape through a small opening, and then leave the water boiling for 30 minutes. This will be enough to kill any pests in the soil mix.
Why a seed soaked in water will not germinate?
When seeds are completely immersed in water it does not germinate because only water is not necessary for germination. … The oxygen which is dissolved in water does not enters the seed due to excess water thus preventing germination.
Which plant will grow in 2 days?
Sweet alyssum, celosia, cornflower or bachelor button, marigold, cosmos, zinnias, sunflowers, morning glories and nasturtiums. We planted some sunflower seeds outside but they didn’t sprout for two weeks – although we did have a couple of unexpected cold days during that time that may have delayed them.
Do seeds need air to germinate?
Seeds need oxygen so that they can produce energy for germination and growth. The embryo gets energy by breaking down its food stores. Like all organisms, this is done through a process known as aerobic respiration. —a series of reactions where energy is released from glucose, using oxygen.
Is hydrogen peroxide safe for seedlings?
When using hydrogen peroxide for plants, however, the solution is generally diluted, making it especially safe. … This extra oxygen (H2O2) gives hydrogen peroxide its beneficial properties. So, the answer to the question “does hydrogen peroxide hurt plants” is a resolute no, provided the strength is sufficiently diluted.
Does vinegar affect seed germination?
The results revealed that the distilled wood vinegar (D1) could increase seed germination and promote the seedling growth of rape, while the original wood vinegar (WV) and the distilled wood vinegar (D2) had inhibition effect on seed germination.
Is April too late for seeds?
April is the best time to plant most of your vegetable seeds after your last frost. It’s still not too late to plant tomatoes and peppers from seeds as well.
Does hydrogen peroxide kill fungus in soil?
The good news is it can be treated with hydrogen peroxide. So, if you discover root rot or believe your soil is badly aerated, here is what you can do. It can and will kill off bacteria and fungus. … When it is absorbed into the soil, the hydrogen peroxide breaks down and releases oxygen.
How do you speed up seed germination?
One easy way to make seeds germinate faster is to presoak them for 24 hours in a shallow container filled with hot tap water. Water will penetrate the seed coat and cause the embryos inside to plump up. Don’t soak them for longer than 24 hours because they could rot. Plant the seeds immediately in moist soil.
How do you tell if Underwatering vs overwatering?
When plants have too little water, leaves turn brown and wilt. This also occurs when plants have too much water. The biggest difference between the two is that too little water will result in your plant’s leaves feeling dry and crispy to the touch while too much water results in soft and limp leaves.
Can you add vinegar to soil?
Using Vinegar on Soil To lower the pH level of soil and make it more acidic, vinegar can be applied by hand or using an irrigation system. For a basic treatment, a cup of vinegar can be mixed with a gallon of water and poured over soil with a watering can. | <urn:uuid:97299b5c-070b-45ef-8ca4-47286f8d4240> | CC-MAIN-2021-17 | https://isde06.com/qa/question-does-hydrogen-peroxide-help-seed-germination.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-17/segments/1618038074941.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20210413183055-20210413213055-00447.warc.gz | en | 0.934612 | 1,269 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Get to Know Your Toilet…
Toilets, while not very glamorous in and of themselves, are a necessary part of modern living. (Can you imagine if we no longer had them? Sure, “roughing it” once in a while when you’re at your weekend cabin or a campground can be enjoyable, but every day? No, thank you!)
Ironically, most people know very little about their toilets. That’s why we’ve put together a quick “Get to Know Your Toilet” primer so the next time you call Pronto, you can be sure to speak the Language of the Loo:
- The bowl is the part that you see when you open the lid. That bowl is filled with clean water (although not clean enough to drink… unless your name is Spot or Fluffy.) At the back of the bowl is a trapway or siphon that takes the waste from the bowl to the sewage drain beneath the toilet.
- The large part that makes up the back of a standard household toilet is the tank. This is filled up with around a couple of gallons of water. The water is directly received from your pipes. (By the way, the waste from the bowl should never back up into this tank!)
- Inside the tank are all the mechanisms that are needed to flush away the waste. These mechanisms include the overflow tube, fill valve, refill tube, float arm, float ball, trip lever, flush valve and flapper. As you can see, there are a lot of moving items to keep track of! If just one of them is malfunctioning, it can affect the whole process.
When you have issues with your toilet, it’s often because of a tank issue. After all, the bowl is simply the receptacle. Unless it’s cracked or clogged, it probably isn’t the crux of your toilet problems. The mystery is which tank item is causing the problem. That’s where you should lift the top off the tank and inspect what happens when you flush.
If you can’t see what’s happening, or it doesn’t make sense, it may be time to call a plumber. The nice thing is that when you know the names of all the mechanisms, you can tell him or her what’s occurring in detail. That’s always welcome; our techs love to speak the language of plumbing! | <urn:uuid:53ca7b1a-4f11-47cb-9f6b-c8710d73a185> | CC-MAIN-2018-09 | https://www.prontoplumbing.com/get-know-toilet/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-09/segments/1518891814801.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20180223154626-20180223174626-00124.warc.gz | en | 0.932779 | 510 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Rats that mimic Fabry disease develop eye symptoms like those observed in human patients. These animals can be used to test current and future therapies for eye problems resulting from the disease, as well as provide new insights into their underlying biology.
The study with that finding, “Rats deficient in α-galactosidase A develop ocular manifestations of Fabry disease,” was published recently in the journal Scientific Reports.
Fabry disease is a rare genetic disorder that prevents the body from making an enzyme called alpha-galactosidase A (α-Gal A). This enzyme is responsible for breaking down complex fat-sugar molecules, specifically globotriaosylceramide (Gb3 or GL-3) and related molecules. As a result, these compounds build up in cells throughout the body, particularly in cells lining blood vessels in the skin and cells in the kidneys, heart, and nervous system
The disease has a wide range of symptoms, including chronic pain, clusters of small, dark red spots in various locations on the skin, ringing in the ears, and hearing loss. Fabry also can have life-threatening symptoms, such as heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease.
Eye manifestations also are one of the most common and earliest signs of the disease, serving as important diagnostic markers. The two most frequent problems include cornea verticillata (circle-like opacities in the cornea) and cataracts (a clouding, or opacity of the lens).
Some patients also may have tortuous, or twisted, vessels in the conjunctiva (mucous membrane that lines the eyelid and covers the visible portion of the eyeball), retina (the layer of nervous tissue in the back of the eye responsible for sensing light), or in the choroid (part of the middle coat of the eye).
While there is evidence that ocular signs correlate well with disease severity in patients, it is unknown whether eye opacities stabilize or decrease with therapy, namely enzyme replacement therapy (ERT).
Studying eye involvement using animal models of Fabry disease could be useful, but to date no studies have evaluated if these models develop eye problems identical to patients.
With that in mind, researchers carefully examined if rat models of Fabry also had signs of eye problems. The team used a lab-made rat model of Fabry, which is deficient for alpha-galactosidase A and “which demonstrates pain, cardiac, and renal phenotypes [traits] commonly observed in patients.”
They found that Fabry rats were more susceptible to develop opaque corneas and cataracts, as do Fabry patients. However, unlike humans, they had no overt twisting of retinal vessels.
Fabry rats also accumulated fat-sugar molecules that normally are broken down by alpha-galactosidase A (galactosyl glycosphingolipids) in several parts of the eye — keratocytes (specialized cells of the cornea), lens fibers, and cells lining the vessels of the retina.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study that extensively characterizes ocular phenotypes [traits] in an animal model of Fabry disease,” the researchers wrote.
This finding may “have tremendous potential” to inform future therapy studies, the researchers stressed.
Fabry rats can be used to understand if eye problems can regress with current or future therapies, or what the optimal age would be to begin therapy to obtain maximum benefit. Also, they provide a model through which the biology of eye disease in Fabry can be investigated.
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Tell us how we can improve this post? | <urn:uuid:470f27c0-7a4c-439b-9fec-aad61353e0de> | CC-MAIN-2021-10 | https://fabrydiseasenews.com/2019/07/10/rat-study-tremendous-potential-fabry-disease-eye-therapies/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-10/segments/1614178369553.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20210304235759-20210305025759-00390.warc.gz | en | 0.940185 | 777 | 3.625 | 4 |
Link to this Article: http://www.llewellyn.com/encyclopedia/article/4694
Precession of the Equinoxes
This article was written by John Michael Greer on April 01, 2005
posted under Precession of the Equinoxes
A slow shift in the positions of the Earth’s axis relative to the sun and the fixed stars, precession is the source of a great deal of myth, speculation, and esoteric theory. The Earth’s axis is tilted at an angle of just over twenty-three degrees relative to its orbit around the sun, and at this period of history its northern end points toward the star Polaris. Over long periods of time, though the direction of the axis turns in a slow counterclockwise circle. As a result, the pole star gradually changes over time. So do the apparent positions of the sun among the stars at the solstices and equinoxes, since these are determined by the relation between the Earth’s angle of tilt, on the one hand, and the plane of its orbit around the sun on the other.
Estimates vary concerning the actual length of the cycle, but the traditional figures—25,950 years to complete one full circle—is close to modern guesses. At this rate, the points of the equinoxes and solstices slip backwards one degree along the zodiac every seventy-two years.
These changes have an enormous impact on the patterns of the night sky. Four thousand years ago, when ancient Egypt and Sumeria were flourishing, the pole star was not Polaris but Alpha Draconis (a star not far from the handle of the Big Dipper), and on the day of the spring equinox, the sun was in the constellation Taurus. At present, the Earth’s north pole points to Polaris and the sun rises in the early degrees of Pisces at the spring equinox; in another four thousand years or so, the pole star will be Alpha Cepheus, part of the house-shaped constellation on the other side of the sky from the Big Dipper, and the springtide will rise near the border between Capricorn and Sagittarius.
The current consensus in the world of official scholarship is that precession was first discovered around 128 B.C.E by the Greek astronomer Hipparchus. A persistent minority of scholars, though, has pointed out that this claim is not only unproven but unlikely. In ages when the movements of the stars were used to track the seasons and predict times for successful hunting and gathering, or for planting and harvesting crops, changes caused by precession would have become apparent within a relatively small number of generations.
These scholars have argued that astronomical lore played a central part in mythology, since in cultures without writing, mythic narratives offered the one sure way of passing on information from generation to generation. A strong case can be made that certain features found in myths all over the world are the remnants of an ancient language of astronomical symbolism with deep ties to religion and spirituality.
Even those who accept the Hipparchan discovery of precession have come to admit that a certain amount of precessional lore may have had an important role in ancient religion. In particular, the otherwise obscure symbolism of the Mithraic Mysteries has been shown to make perfect sense when read as a response to precession.
Outside the realm of official scholarship, precession has played a much more significant role in theory and symbolism. Comparisons between the sun’s motion around the zodiac and the much slower movements of precession led in ancient times to the concept of the precessional cycles as a Great Year. The twelve months of that year marked by the passage of the point of the spring equinox through each of the twelve zodiacal signs in turn.
The concept has been the most persistent and widespread form of precessional symbolism in the Western occult traditions. Christian symbolism has routinely been interpreted in precessional terms; Pisces, which took over the spring equinoctial point around the time of the birth of Jesus, and Virgo, which took over the autumn point at the same time, are reflected in the fish—symbol of the earliest Christians and the Virgin Mary. The Age of Aquarius so heavily popularized in the Sixties is simply the month of the Great Year into which we are now gradually moving, as the equinoctial point shifts out of Pisces and into Aquarius.
Discussions of precession in occult sources often combine or confuse precession with various other real or hypothetical cosmic cycles, and with changes in the angle of tilt of Earth’s axis—another major concern of occult theorists in the nineteenth century. A simple lack of astronomical knowledge seems to be behind many of these confusions.
Please note that the use of Llewellyn Encyclopedia articles
is subject to certain Terms and Conditions | <urn:uuid:db9d7169-9cec-4e97-a46d-336d351ec0a1> | CC-MAIN-2015-27 | http://www.llewellyn.com/encyclopedia/print.php?id=4694 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-27/segments/1435375097730.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20150627031817-00158-ip-10-179-60-89.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936565 | 1,009 | 3.640625 | 4 |
A stroke is more than an obstruction of blood within the brain. It causes ischemia, a loss of oxygen, to important brain areas which in turn causes the cells in these areas to die. This is a problem because the areas that have been damaged by a lack of oxygen may be regions of the brain that control basic and higher order human functioning. This means that in many cases, a stroke patient experiences a reduced quality of life. Following a stroke people can experience paralysis or muscle weakness, loss of feeling, speech and language problems, memory and reasoning problems, swallowing difficulties, etc. These seem to be the characteristic results of a stroke but when one cannot do the things they could before, for example remembering the names of loved ones, they tend to get frustrated and feel helpless, which can then lead to emotional consequences.
Here at Simone Friedman SLS, a team of highly skilled speech pathologists do their best to prevent these types of consequences by offering their services to those who have encountered stroke, along with other communication disorders. When dealing with patients, the speech pathologists must conform to evidence based practice. EBP is “the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of the individual patient. It means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research.” (Sackett D, 1996)
Our speech pathologists at Simone Friedman SLS also creatively and thoughtfully come up with a treatment plan that works specifically for a single patient. Of course, there is not one simple standardized treatment for helping these patients who experience speech and swallowing difficulties, because there is not only one standardized type of brain injury that results from stroke. The speech pathologists will set individualized treatment goals and progress reports, to ensure that the patient is growing, learning, and responding in a positive manner.
The speech language pathologists are very flexible with the services they offer. They can assist patients in the clinic, in the community throughout the Greater Toronto Area or even using social media apps such as Skype. The decision of where to hold therapy can be made between the Speech Pathologist and the client and is usually decided based on the goals and the best location to target those goals. Interestingly, the article “Outcomes of speech-language pathology following stroke: Investigation of inpatient rehabilitation and rehabilitation in the home programs”, illustrates how stroke patients who received either in home or inpatient treatment found both to be equally effective. The individual needs of the patient are taken into consideration when using the home based services, along with the tools that are available in the home that can be used for rehabilitation. Many of the stroke patients who needed inpatient therapy had extreme physical deficits with little tools to use at home to be able to help during the initial rehabilitation process. This is important because it provides evidence that shows how using technology or travelling to the patients home does not negatively affect the quality of their sessions with the S-LPs, suggesting that in home therapy is just as effective as therapy within the clinic. This new form of learning is just the beginning of advances in the realm of speech therapy, which always puts the patient first and comes up with treatment that is best for them. If you would like to learn more about the other services offered at Simone Friedman Speech Language Services, visit https://simonefriedmansls.com/ or call 416-546-3044.
Brunner, M., Skeat, J., Morris, M. (2008) Outcomes of speech-language pathology following stroke: Investigation of inpatient rehabilitation and rehabilitation in the home programs. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. 10 (5)305-313.
(1997-2016) American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Stroke. Retrieved from: http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/Stroke/
Sackett, D., Rosenberg, W., Gray, J., Haynes, R., Richardson, W. (1996) Evidence based medicine: what it is and what it isn’t. BMJ. 312:71. | <urn:uuid:81fdb601-89c9-460d-b466-1d73580a260e> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://therapyspot.ca/where-should-therapy-take-place-after-having-a-stroke/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250614086.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20200123221108-20200124010108-00102.warc.gz | en | 0.947142 | 836 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Addressing America’s Statues of Limitations: A Monumental Undertaking
The killing of George Floyd has resulted in actions of various types against historical statues in the United States that may celebrate or demonstrate bigotry or racial bias. These actions have sparked a national conversation on what to do because of those statues.
In our opinion, the statues under scrutiny are America’s statues of limitations. They are part of America’s history. They communicate messages intentionally and unintentionally regarding the historical limitations of this nation and the persons they represent.
The statues that have been acted upon include not only the usual suspects, such as representations of Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis and Stonewall Jackson, but also of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Ulysses S. Grant. What these actions have revealed is that what is in our American memories regarding these figures may be incomplete and/or inaccurate. Consider the following examples.
Many of the statues that have been assailed fall into a category known as Lost Cause Confederate Statues or Monuments. The majority of these statutes were erected in the South in the early 20th century with the support of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Their purpose and placement were to reposition the Civil War defeat as a valiant and worthy effort, as well as to ensure that whites returned to power while black progress and the potential for integration was retarded.
White superiority and racially insensitive attitudes in the U.S. have not just been restricted to the South. In spite of all his notable accomplishments, Theodore Roosevelt considered blacks inferior to whites. There is a statue of Roosevelt mounted proudly on a horse with a Native American on one side and a Black American on the other side that has stood at the entrance to the American Museum of Natural History since 1940. Because of its hierarchical depiction, the optics of that statue have been a cause for concern and controversy for some time. On June 21, the Museum asked the city to remove Roosevelt’s statue from its entrance.
Likewise, on June 28, Princeton University decided to remove Woodrow Wilson’s name from the building that has housed the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at the University. According to Princeton President Christopher L. Eisgruber, the Board of Trustees made that decision because, “…racial thinking and policies make him an inappropriate namesake for a school or college whose scholars, students, and alumni must stand firmly against racism in all its forms.”
In 2020, the times are changing. Statues that have survived over a century are being removed, toppled, defaced, or otherwise confined, if not to the dustbin of history, to an uncertain fate. The question becomes what is the proper manner to deal with the remaining statues that for a variety of reasons may be offensive.
Some advocate destroying or warehousing them. The Washington Post advises in an editorial to make it a matter for public discussion. The Post observes that this should not be the province of “… a crowd in the middle of the night, consisting not always only of good faith protesters but also of chaos-hungry opportunists.” Instead, it recommends, these “…are determinations suited for democratic and deliberative decision-making.”
We concur with the Post’s position. We would take it one step further, though, because this is about much more than statues. This is about American history.
It is a chance to make the historical record complete and to promote learning among current generations and for generations to come. This is a teachable moment and it needs to be treated as such.
That is the point Pulitzer Prize winning art critic Holland Cotter makes in his article for the New York Times in which he writes, “…the disposal of monuments should be approached case by case…It’s necessary for history’s sake, that we first stand back, look hard and sort them out.”
In his piece, Cotter proposes that the Roosevelt statue be removed from the entrance at the National History Museum and displayed in a slightly modified version accompanied by a detailed historical examination and explanation of it in one of the Museum’s galleries. In its editorial, the Washington Post states that while some statues might go into museums, “Others might reside in an outdoor space committed to cataloging a disgraceful era; Lithuania’s Grutas Park displays more than 80 statues that communists installed when the country was controlled by the U.S.S.R.”
The importance of viewing these statues in a historical perspective is highlighted by the debate regarding the “Great Emancipator” Statue — also called the Freedmen’s’ Monument — of Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln Park in the Capitol Hill area of Washington, D.C. The statue was erected in 1876 and shows Lincoln standing with the Emancipation Proclamation in his hand over a kneeling black man who is breaking his chains.
Protesters have recently called for the removal of the monument because it does not project the proper image of the black man in relationship to Lincoln. D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton has questioned the statue’s design. And, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser has stated that the city should debate the removal of the statue.
What makes this debate of particular import is that the iconic black leader and orator Frederick Douglass spoke at the unveiling of the Emancipation memorial. Douglass was equivocal in his praise for Lincoln in his commentary. On the one hand, he said,
… we, the colored people, newly emancipated and rejoicing in our blood-bought freedom, near the close of the first century in the life of this Republic, have now and here unveiled, set apart, and dedicated a monument of enduring granite and bronze, in every line, feature, and figure of which the men of this generation may read, and those of after-coming generations may read, something of the exalted character and great works of Abraham Lincoln, the first martyr President of the United States.
On the other hand, he said:
Abraham Lincoln was not, in the fullest sense of the word, either our man or our model. In his interests, in his associations, in his habits of thought, and in his prejudices, he was a white man. He was pre-eminently the white man’s President, entirely devoted to the welfare of white men. He was ready and willing at any time during the first years of his administration to deny, postpone, and sacrifice the rights of humanity in the colored people to promote the welfare of the white people of this country.
What Douglass was saying was that Lincoln was not perfect and he was providing a history lesson in his dedication remarks. It is a lesson worth hearing and learning.
Most Americans have only a superficial knowledge of history and much of what we have learned has been filtered through a white lens. This is a chance to change that, not by revising or rewriting the history of the United States, but by getting history right and presenting it through a technicolor lens and in 3-D.
One of the ways this can be accomplished is by putting together a collection of photos and readings or a book on the Statues of America similar to the book John Meacham and Tim McGraw authored, Songs of America: Patriotism, Protests and the Music That Made a Nation. In his New York Times article, Holland Cotter reports that in 2019 the American Museum of Natural History produced a documentary on the Theodore Roosevelt statue “…which details the work’s history and includes commentary by contemporary ethnologists, social historians, art historians and artists.”
Imagine something comparable available to the America public for information and educational purpose. Imagine a segment of a civics or history curriculum for students in their later elementary and middle school years devoted to America’s statues, to inform and inspire them to inquire about why the statues exist, what they represent, what stories they tell, what stories they do not tell, what new stories need to be written, and how actions should be taken to address past deficiencies and discriminations.
Imagining does not change things but not imagining means that nothing ever changes. In the year 2020, the United States appears to be poised to address its statues of limitations. This should be a monumental undertaking structured to engage all concerned and caring citizens. To maximize its impact, the undertaking should reach students in classrooms when their essential knowledge, skills and dispositions, and enduring values, attitudes and beliefs are being shaped.
Properly prepared and equipped, those students will shape the nation’s future. They will create a more inclusive and perfect union. They will construct America’s statues of tomorrow as ones of opportunity and equality and not of limitations.
Originally published by the Frank Islam Institute for 21st Century Citizenship. For more information on what 21st century citizenship entails, and to see exemplars from around the world, please visit our website. | <urn:uuid:22003cba-3e7e-454f-aab2-2685a5c85aee> | CC-MAIN-2021-17 | https://21stcenturycivics.medium.com/addressing-americas-statues-of-limitations-a-monumental-undertaking-104595c35665 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-17/segments/1618038077336.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20210414064832-20210414094832-00367.warc.gz | en | 0.961116 | 1,848 | 3.703125 | 4 |
The big idea was to study our state in detail for one full school year, learning its basic geography and all the state symbols. There was no pattern. We just designed it the way we wanted it as we journeyed through our study. We decided to spell C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A on little pillows to create a relief effect. Each letter was cut out of different fabrics that had Wonder Under applied to the back. Different embroidery stitches were used to embellish the ironed on letters. The pillows were then hung on little safety pins.
Along the left of the quilt are laminated hand drawn watercolored state symbols—state rock, flower, bird and so on. Our children were delighted to safety pin each symbol randomly.
The middle of our quilted California is made of muslin and is a quilt all it’s own with two sides and batting in the middle. Using a large state map as a guide, major features like deserts, mountain ranges, valleys and lakes were either applied using fabric or paints.
We had children bring in photos of themselves from different places in the state or just photos they had taken in different places. We cut them small, then laminated them and attached them with safety pins. All the quilters painted California poppies and signed their names.
For the finishing touch we used bright yarns to tie the quilt together at random spots. We entered our geography unit in the Mid-state fair and won a first prize ribbon!
It’s pretty obvious that a project like this takes hours and hours. Really, there was no rush… except the deadline for the fair! | <urn:uuid:b19e7b85-3cd1-45c8-9eea-98e61b6305c7> | CC-MAIN-2022-05 | https://blackbirdandcompany.com/category/history/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-05/segments/1642320300805.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20220118062411-20220118092411-00702.warc.gz | en | 0.976364 | 354 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Last Updated on April 12, 2021
Go ahead and ask any research scientist what’s the one tool of the trade that you’ll never find them without. Go on. We’ll wait. Oh, you already have an answer? What is it? A microscope? Well, we thought so, too.
And that’s why we thought, “Why not talk about microscopes today?” But more specifically, stereo and compound microscopes. What makes them so different? Do they come in different types? Who uses them, and why?
So… Shall we?
In some circles, you’ll hear guys refer to it as the stereo zoom, stereoscopic, or dissecting microscope. This microscope is only applicable in situations that don’t require high magnification, and its primary light source is the one reflected from the sample’s surface. And by the way, that’s an important piece of information to note down considering in the case of a compound microscope, the light’s transmitted through the object under observation.
One other thing that makes this microscope different is the fact that it has separate eyepieces and objective lenses. In other words, your left and right eye will have two separate optical paths.
The three-dimensional visual generated by this microscope has to be the reason why it’s so popular among users. It has made it possible for users to study different specimens in real-time while simultaneously making observations.
Stereomicroscopes are used:
What makes this microscope stand out in this group is its large stage and base. These extraordinary features are supposedly meant to make it easier for the user to study significantly larger objects that won’t properly fit on a typical microscope. The Stereo Zoom Boom stand also has a zooming range of 6X-45X, and an LED lighting. Oh, and in case you were wondering, it also gives you the option of altering the zoom range upward using eyepieces or auxiliary lenses.
Its compact size and ease of use are the two things that make this Japanese product so appealing to so many new microscope users. You’ll also be delighted to learn that it requires no extra lighting, and has two magnification powers.
Would you describe yourself as an outdoorsy person? And do you love taking pictures while working outdoors? Well then, you’ll love this particular microscope because it can be easily attached to any type of camera, and has a zooming range of 6.7X-45X. Moreover, it has a 360-degree rotation capability, and comes with a dual-LED illuminator.
You don’t have to be Einstein to figure out what that means. The device is dual powered, and can rotate at 360 degrees for easier viewing and focusing. It seems like the dual power stereomicroscope does have a lot to offer, since you’ll also be getting a dual achromatic, objective pair, and a flexible stand that you can lift anytime you’re studying or viewing a larger object.
According to the dictionary, the definition of the word compound is, ‘consisting of two or more elements.’ Therefore, assuming the microscope that you have in your possession has two or more lenses, it will obviously be a…
A compound microscope has two types of lenses. There’s the ocular and the objective lens, which offers the primary magnification. Unfortunately, you won’t be getting 3D visual information while using this type of microscope. And if you thought that was a bummer, you’ll definitely be more disappointed to learn that most of the time, the images produced are either backward or upside down.
The fact that they mostly provide higher magnification and resolution is the reason why they are usually found in professions characterized by in-depth research.
Compound microscopes are used:
You’ll find them in toy shops or stores that don’t really specialize in things microscopic. Sorry, what’s that you asked? How will you distinguish a toy microscope from any other microscope? It’s not that difficult to identify a toy microscope seeing as they often have shiny accessories that only appeal to kids.
And trust us when we say, you don’t want to buy this microscope if you’re serious about investing in one. Not unless you’re buying it for your child. Focusing is always difficult, their resolutions are normally low, and the brightness can only be described as nonexistent.
Now, these are the type of microscopes that you go for if you’re still new to the game. They are affordable, portable, and easy to use. On top of that, you don’t have to worry much about accessing a power supply given some of them are battery operated.
Compared to the other two, they are a tad bit heavier and larger. Some of their distinguishing features include the mechanical stage, revolving nosepiece, and a Kohler-illumination condenser. Just so you know, a laboratory microscope can also be useful to a student, since it has a binocular head that supports longer observation.
These microscopes are the crème de la crème in the industry. They’ll for sure surpass your expectations in every way.
But like everything else, they too have a downside. It’s almost impossible to move one from point A to B without assistance, and they’re known to be quite costly. Let’s just say if you walk into a room and find a research microscope, it will most likely be the only one available, with a long queue waiting to use it.
By definition, the magnification of any microscope refers to the degree to which an object under observation has been enlarged. You’ll hear observers talk about how an object was magnified 2X, 4X, or 8X, indicating that it was enlarged twice, four times, or eight times, respectively.
Stereo and compound microscopes have different magnifications. In fact, this aspect is one of the primary differences between the two of them. If you’re looking for a higher optical resolution, we would advise you to go with the compound microscope, as it has a magnification that ranges between 40X and 1000x. A stereomicroscope only has a magnification range that’s between 6X and 50X, making it less ideal for viewing microscopic specimens.
This isn’t as complicated as it sounds. It’s basically a microscope’s ability to paint a three-dimensional picture of any object. And if you’ve been with us from the start, you already know what makes the stereomicroscope so different from the compound microscope is the fact that it has been designed to offer a three-dimensional view of anything that goes under its lens. Hence, making it the appropriate microscope for studying or even manipulating objects.
That distance between the cover slip’s surface and your objective lens is what we’re referring to as the working distance. To get an accurate interval, you first have to make sure the specimen is in focus, and not blurry.
The working distance will always be there whether you’re working with a stereomicroscope or a compound microscope. It’s just that the intervals are different. The stereo has a larger interval compared to the compound microscope.
All microscopes come with adjustment knobs—Every single one of them. But, there’s still something that the stereomicroscope lacks that the compound microscope has, and that’s the fine focus knob.
Do you remember when we earlier mentioned how stereomicroscopes are mostly useful when viewing larger objects? You see, because they provide lower magnifications, they don’t need the fine focus knob. It’s only useful on microscopes with high magnifications i.e. compound microscopes.
We don’t have to go heavy on the details when talking about the type of specimen because we’ve already talked about this aspect in almost every section. The only thing worth remembering is, if you want to view a larger object, you’ll need a wider working distance that’s available on the stereomicroscope.
We first need to set it on a flat sturdy surface, so that you can have enough room to work. Okay, now do you see that power cord? Yup, that one. Just go ahead and plug it into the power outlet. Once that’s done, and you’ve made sure no excess cord is lying around, switch on your light source.
By the way, a light source is not a necessity, if the specimen that you’ll be viewing is transparent. The light emanating from the bottom will work just fine. Unless it’s an opaque or solid object that doesn’t allow any light to pass through. If that’s the case, you’ll have to use top lighting.
Now, let’s move on. The next step is to make sure your stage plate is clean, and the specimen is centrally placed. You’re allowed to use stage clips, if the specimen’s edges keep curling up. Just slide over the clips after pulling up the pointed end, and they’ll hold it in place.
Are we still together? Okay, go ahead and adjust the stereomicroscope’s eyepieces. We don’t want you straining your eyes, now do we? Slowly turn your focus knob, and don’t stop turning, until you see the specimen’s outline. If you’ve been at it for hours, but you still can’t see anything, that could only mean one thing—the specimen wasn’t placed directly below the microscope’s objective lens. Slightly move it, and then give it a shot one more time.
Can you now see the specimen in 3D? Yes? Awesome! You can now study it for as long as you want, but don’t forget to unplug the power cord once you’re done.
But before we go, we want to remind you of this; deciding to invest in a lower quality brand is a colossal mistake. You’ll save money now but in the long run, you’ll end up spending a lot of money replacing different worn-out parts or looking for upgrades. It’s honestly not worth it. Go for a German or a Japanese brand. You might be forced to dig deep into your pockets, but it’s definitely worth the hassle.
Robert’s obsession with all things optical started early in life, when his optician father would bring home prototypes for Robert to play with. Nowadays, Robert is dedicated to helping others find the right optics for their needs. His hobbies include astronomy, astrophysics, and model building. Originally from Newark, NJ, he resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the nighttime skies are filled with glittering stars.
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How Far Is Uranus From the Sun?
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One of the main components of the economy of Ukraine is agriculture . Products area provides domestic needs of the country and exported to international markets. Agriculture is the primary link agroindustrial complex (AIC), along with food and some light industry is its foundation.
components of agriculture is a crop (cereals, industrial, fodder crops, potato growing, gardening, etc.) and livestock (cattle, pigs, sheep, chickens, and other areas)
development of agriculture depends on natural geographic and socio-economic conditions. Generally very favorable agro-climatic and soil conditions are zoned land distribution. Therefore, in Ukraine are three agricultural zones: Polesie, forest-steppe and steppe, and two mountainous regions: the Carpathian and Crimean. In their background, formed azonic peri-urban areas that provide food city and urban community. Socio-economic factors in the development field include the provision of human resources, especially land tenure, agricultural policy of the state.
Maps cultivated land, crops, industrial crops, potatoes and vegetable and melon give an overall picture of the structure and size of acreage and gross yield of major crops.
known that Ukraine is a considerable number of the world's black soil - the most fertile soil, which was one of the main preconditions for the rich agricultural traditions of our people. Up to 70% of the land fund of the arable land (arable land, perennial plantations, pastures, hayfields), however, they are used irrationally. In addition, over 80% of agricultural land is under cultivation, which also negatively affects the soil. Moreover, as the result of inefficient manual labor and most extensive management, where the increase in production was provided mainly by bringing into circulation the new land and increase in livestock, agriculture is a low-productive. It should also consider that the previously rural workers have been suspended from production facilities and land. To solve this problem is called now carried out land reform. In recent years acquired a wide scope payuvannya (transfer to private ownership) of land, establishment of peasant (farmer), bringing the new agricultural techniques and modern technology. All this changed dramatically for the better situation in the industry. | <urn:uuid:ab4ffc27-d8fd-4358-a366-32f79138973b> | CC-MAIN-2017-22 | http://ukrmap.su/en-g9/72.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-22/segments/1495463607786.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20170524035700-20170524055700-00482.warc.gz | en | 0.94174 | 450 | 3 | 3 |
© Paula Trites
- 1 Growing and harvesting onions
- 2 Storage Onions
- 3 Cooking Tips
- 4 Substitutes
- 5 Nutrition
- 6 Equivalents
- 7 Storage Hints
- 8 History Notes
- 9 Literature & Lore
- 10 Language Notes
- 11 Related entries
Onions are a plant bulb used in cooking for the flavour they add to food. Their taste can range from savoury to hot to sweet.
If a recipe just calls for “onion”, it means a “Globe Onion”, which is the variety, yellow (aka brown) or white, that has become our unsung, workaday-hero onion for its pronounced taste and good storage abilities.
Roughly, there are two types of onions: storage onions and sweet onions. That kind of distinction is very arbitrary, though — you could just as easily class them on shape or colour.
Storage onions — yellow or white onions — last well in storage, and add a savoury note to dishes. Sweet onions — such as red, Spanish and Vidalia — add a touch of sweetness to a dish.
When buying onions, choose firm onions that are hefty for their size; don’t buy ones that have sprouted, or that have mould patches. Onions should be dry, not damp. The skin should be crackly and tight around the top.
Growing and harvesting onions
Onions are a member of Lily family.
Onion growers class onions based on how many hours of daylight are needed to get them to form bulbs.
Onions form a bulb when the temperature and the number of daylight hours hit the right combination for them which triggers their clock. Until that happens, onions use the daylight to produce a good deal of top growth before they form bulbs (and the more top growth, the bigger the bulb.) When the day reaches the right number of hours for that variety of onion, the onion will stop forming top growth, and form a bulb instead. Consequently, growers need to pick the right type of onion for how far north or south they are. See separate entries on Short-Day Onions, Intermediate Day Onions, and Long-Day Onions.
The size of the bulb that eventually forms depends on the size of the “stalks”, and the number of them. There will be 1 ring in the onion for every stalk that formed, and the larger the stalk, the larger each ring will be.
Bulb formation will pause though during dry, very hot or very cold weather.
Onions are ready to pick when their tops have wilted, fallen over and dried out. After being pulled from the ground, they are generally left on top of the ground in the garden for a day or two to dry, if the weather is cooperative. Onions then need to be “cured” before storing. Curing takes about two weeks in a warm, ventilated area; they are ready to store when the outer skin is dry, and the necks are completely dry and tight.
These onions are high in sulphur compounds and lower in water, so they store better, but have more zap to them. Usually best cooked, to sweeten them. Will have 3 to 5% sugar content. Generally, the more an onion makes you tear up, the better it will store.
The opposite to Storage Onions is Sweet Onions; see separate entry.
Yellow Globe Onions (aka Brown Onions)
Yellow Globe (aka Brown Onions) can be classed as storage onions, as they store well. These are the onions that people mean when they just say “yellow onions.” Having a higher sulphur content than White Globe Onions, they are more likely to make your eyes tear up. They generally have a somewhat longer storage life than White Globe Onions. They also caramelize better than the white ones, becoming a richer brown. Their flavour also changes to sweet and mild when carmelized. Inside the onions have a yellowish tinge. Sometimes, they are called “Brown Onions” in reference to their brown skin.
White Globe Onions
White Globe Onions are also classed as storage onions.
These are the onions that people mean when they just say “white onions.” They have a tangier, less complex taste than yellow onions.
© Denzil Green
When you are barbequing, toss peelings from onions onto hot coals while cooking for a wonderful, aromatic smell. Even keep a few onion skins from previous peelings in a bag in the freezer so you have them on hand for this. There’s absolutely no point to this, granted, beyond making your neighbours slather from the aroma.
Cooking onions at high heat will just dry onions out and burn them, as well as making them taste bitter. A low heat, medium at the most, will sweeten them and keep them moist.
Several solutions for peeling onions in a tearless fashion have been suggested. Peeling onions under running water has been suggested by some people (who clearly aren’t on a water meter.) The most effective one seems to be wearing goggles while you are doing it, to prevent the fumes from reaching your eyes. But most people just grin and bear it.
You may read that onions chopped in a food processor won’t cook properly. They cook fine.
To chop or slice an onion manually, peel it first. Then slice it in half vertically, so that each half has part of the root in it.
To slice an onion
Just make one slice, either top to root or cross-wise, depending on how you want the slices to end up. When finished, slice off the root end, and the slices will separate for you.
To chop an onion
See separate entry on chopping onions.
Cut an onion in half, and juice it with a lemon juicer.
Leeks, green onions, chives, shallots, dried onion, onion salt, onion powder, asafoetida.
Onions contain sulphur compounds, and these in turn contain something called pyruvic acid: it is this that causes tears to flow and stomachs to get indigestion.
- 1 pound = 500 g = 4 – 5 medium onions = 3 large onions = 2 to 3 cups chopped, depending on how coarse you chop it.
- 4 cups sliced onion = 1 pound / 500 g (peeled) = 2 cups after cooking
- 1 very large onion = 300 g / 10 oz = 2 cups coarsely chopped onion
- 1 large onion = 5 oz = 150 g = 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 medium onion (2 1/2 to 3 oz / 85 g) = 1/2 to 2/3 cup chopped = 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 small onion = 40 g to 70 g / 1 1/2 oz to 2 1/2 oz = 1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped = 1 teaspoon onion powder = 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
- 1 medium fresh onion = 1 cup (150 g / 5 oz) fresh = 1/4 cup (30 g / 1 oz) dried minced onion = 1 1/2 tablespoons onion powder So Easy to Preserve, 2014, page 364
- 1 very small onion = up to 3 cm (1 inch) approx in diameter = up to 40 g / 1.4 oz in weight
- 1 cup chopped onion = 5 oz = 150 g
- 1 cup finely diced onion = 8 oz = 225 g
- 1/2 cup dried onion pieces (largish) = 1 tablespoon onion powder = 10 g / .35 oz
- 1 cup dried minced onion = 120 g (4 oz)
In fridge, store onions in a plastic bag for 5 days. To store cooked onions, put in a sealed container in fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze.
Don’t store chopped onion, either fresh or cooked, in a metal container or bowl as the onion can discolour the metal.
Do not store chopped onion in oil, even in the fridge, for longer than 3 to 5 days. The risk is botulism. Oil is not a preservative: in fact it provides the perfect oxygen-free environment in which any Clostridium botulinum spores present can germinate.
Onion does not need to be blanched before freezing. Dice the onion, put on a baking sheet and put in freezer. When frozen, break it up and put into freezer bags.
For long term storage, drying is perhaps the best way to preserve onion. See our companion site, Healthy Canning, for our dedicated page on drying onion . Use for seasoning in cooked dishes.
To can onion, a pressure canner must be used as they are a low-acid food. A tested process was developed only for onions of 2 to 3 cm (1 inch) in diameter; the process does not apply to larger onions, even cut up. The tested directions appear in the food preservation book, So Easy to Preserve. For an online version of these directions, see here (link valid as of July 2018). Drying yields a higher and more versatile product.
In a root cellar type environment, you can store most onions (not Sweet Onions) for at least 3 months — longer under ideal conditions. Store out of bright light, as light can cause them to become bitter. Don’t store near potatoes, as the gas that potatoes give off can shorten the onions’ storage life.
If onions sprout in storage at a time of year when they can be planted out, and you have gardening space, instead of discarding them plant them for a continual supply of free green onion stalks to snip. They can also be planted in containers.
Onions have been grown since at least 3000 BC in China. They are probably native to central Asia. The children of Israel mentioned them as one of the things they missed about Egypt.
Onions were very much a part of Roman diet, though later on the upper classes saw them as peasant food. Romans introduced them throughout Europe. Apicius includes them in his recipes, though sparingly — Leeks were seen as more acceptable to eat. Diocletian’s price controls (301 AD), which by the way failed, included onions.
Onions were seen as “peasant” food during the Middle Ages.
Onions were introduced to the New World by the Spanish and British colonists (though the natives already knew strains of distantly related wild onions.)
Literature & Lore
Shakespeare wrote about onions effect on the breath:
“And, most dear actors, eat no onions nor garlic, for we are to utter sweet breath; and I do not doubt but to hear them say, it is a sweet comedy. No more words: away! go, away!” — Bottom. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Act IV, Scene 2. Shakespeare.
He also wrote about onion’s effect on the eyes:
“And if the boy have not a woman’s gift
To rain a shower of commanded tears
An onion will do well for such a shift
Which in a napkin being close convey’d
Shall in despite enforce a watery eye.” — Shakespeare. The Taming of the Shrew, Prologue.
Ozark tradition held that onion skins should always be burnt, not discarded:
The hulls or skins of certain vegetables, on the other hand, are always burned, never disposed of in any other manner. I have known households where the women made a great show of saving onion peelings, which were carefully gathered up and burned in the fireplace or the cookstove. One woman told me that people who throw onion peel out on the ground are likely to suffer some financial reverses, and that she knew personally of a case in which carelessness in this matter caused a Civil War veteran to be deprived of his pension.” Randolph, Vance. Ozark Superstitions. Columbia University Press, 1947. Chapter 4.
The English word “onion” was “unyun” in Middle English, influenced both by the French “oignon” and the Latin “unio.”
- Apaz Onions
- Banana Shallots
- Boiling Onions
- Calçot Spring Onions
- Cipollini Onions
- Green Onions
- Grelot Onions
- How to chop an onion in 3 steps
- Intermediate-Day Onions
- Long-Day Onions
- Onion Powder
- Pearl Onions
- Red Onions
- Red Spring Onions
- Short-Day Onions
- Sweet Onions
- Yellow Globe Danvers Onions
References [ + ]
|1.||↑||So Easy to Preserve, 2014, page 364|
|2.||↑||Randolph, Vance. Ozark Superstitions. Columbia University Press, 1947. Chapter 4.| | <urn:uuid:13c9b831-fc96-424c-8b66-a02fcd9e81f5> | CC-MAIN-2020-34 | https://www.cooksinfo.com/onions | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-34/segments/1596439741154.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20200815184756-20200815214756-00004.warc.gz | en | 0.94104 | 2,723 | 3.1875 | 3 |
The leasing or purchase of agricultural land in the developing world has become a hot button issue as the planet has grown more crowded and the pressure to stake out more arable land – whether for food or biofuels – grows. At the same time, agricultural productivity in many of the poorest communities around the globe has stagnated and, unless higher crop yields can be attained, far too many people will remain trapped in poverty. Helping such smallholders catch the wave of rising interest in farmland is a key aim of the Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty, which began Monday. Our theme this year is ‘Land Governance in a Rapidly Changing Environment.”
It’s clear that this year, many stakeholders who are either taking part in the conference or criticizing the event from outside think that global interest in farmland in the developing world is at a tipping point.
The ominous narrative is as follows: Land will not remain cheap for long and the remaining areas of cultivable land that are not yet farmed (or which are used by locals who lack formal title) are vulnerable to speculators or unscrupulous investors. CSOs and other advocates for smallholder farmers worry that those unsavory actors will run roughshod over smallholder farmers, herders and other local people who lack the power to stand up for their rights.
Given these worries, it is an opportune time to bring together government officials and representatives of civil society, practitioners and the private sector to discuss policies that can help countries establish transparent land-governance systems.
Among the participants gathered in Washington are the very experts who design policies to help ensure investments in agricultural value chains and various forms of agricultural production boost rural economies and benefit locals. Case studies presented at the conference include research by several CSOs who highlight examples where poorly managed land investments hurt locals. Other case studies demonstrate successful efforts to raise agriculture productivity through responsible investment and to employ locals and safeguard their rights.
Lessons drawn from the papers and case studies will be critical to informing the Bank Group’s support to governments, as well as the way our institution works with other stakeholders.
Some CSOs are using the media to paint an inaccurate and distorted picture of the World Bank Group’s work and they are questioning the motives of the conference. A few have recently posted misleading videos wrongly implying that our institution is involved in the Malibya land investment in Mali as well as palm oil development in Uganda, when in fact the Bank Group is involved in neither. There are also claims that the World Bank Group is pro-investor and anti-smallholder.
In reality, the Bank has a strong track record of supporting policies to protect the land rights of local farmers, including poor people and women. We assisted Mexico with a program that registered rights to about 100 million hectares, giving local communities rights to develop land use plans and, where beneficial, enter into contracts with outside investors and we helped Indonesia register over 227,000 land parcels in Aceh after the tsunami. In Rwanda 9 million plots were registered, enabling small farmers, especially women, to invest and increase productivity.
IFC’s recently adopted Environmental and Social Performance Standards aim to protect land rights for local communities and environmental assets. As noted earlier IFC has no palm oil projects in its Uganda portfolio, nor has IFC made any recent investments in palm oil in Uganda.
The World Bank is working with developed and developing world partners as they set up policy frameworks and principles designed to facilitate transparency and accountability in decisions over land and investment. Particularly promising is the Nairobi Action Plan. The Nairobi Plan was up in October 2011by the Land Policy Initiative, or LPI. The LPI is a joint initiative of the African Development Bank, the African Union Commission, and the UN Economic Commission for Africa and was agreed in October 2011. The Nairobi Plan aims to develop principles that encourage sound and sustainable investments in land and to undertake efforts to implement land policies that facilitate equitable access and secure the rights of communities –including women, investors, both local and foreign.
Parties to the Nairobi Plan have already acted on their commitment to transparency and openness by working with partners to build an online Land Matrix that serves as a database on large-scale land deals.
Globally, there are also Voluntary Guidelines (led by the FAO) plus an effort to set out internationally agreed agriculture investment principles. These global guidelines and principles are attuned to the needs of vulnerable groups, especially small farmers and which call for existing land tenure rights to be respected.
We welcome engagement that will keep investors and governments honest and that can help us work together on issues prompted by the global land rush. This is an opportunity to put rhetoric aside and focus instead on finding practical policies and solutions that can help smallholder farmers and rural communities to benefit from the modernization of farming and the formalization of land rights. | <urn:uuid:2137495c-5a60-4935-b514-f06c09560e1a> | CC-MAIN-2015-22 | http://blogs.worldbank.org/developmenttalk/comment/310 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-22/segments/1433195036112.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20150601214356-00097-ip-10-180-206-219.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951274 | 995 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Sir James George Frazer (18541941). The Golden Bough. 1922.
from the water by trumpet blasts, while they threw a lamb into the lake as an offering to the warder of the dead. Whether this was a spring festival does not appear, but the Lydians certainly celebrated the advent of Dionysus in spring; the god was supposed to bring the season with him. Deities of vegetation, who are believed to pass a certain portion of each year underground, naturally come to be regarded as gods of the lower world or of the dead. Both Dionysus and Osiris were so conceived.
A feature in the mythical character of Dionysus, which at first sight appears inconsistent with his nature as a deity of vegetation, is that he was often conceived and represented in animal shape, especially in the form, or at least with the horns, of a bull. Thus he is spoken of as cow-born, bull, bull-shaped, bull-faced, bull-browed, bull-horned, horn-bearing, two-horned, horned. He was believed to appear, at least occasionally, as a bull. His images were often, as at Cyzicus, made in bull shape, or with bull horns; and he was painted with horns. Types of the horned Dionysus are found amongst the surviving monuments of antiquity. On one statuette he appears clad in a bulls hide, the head, horns, and hoofs hanging down behind. Again, he is represented as a child with clusters of grapes round his brow, and a calfs head, with sprouting horns, attached to the back of his head. On a red-figured vase the god is portrayed as a calf-headed child seated on a womans lap. The people of Cynaetha held a festival of Dionysus in winter, when men, who had greased their bodies with oil for the occasion, used to pick out a bull from the herd and carry it to the sanctuary of the god. Dionysus was supposed to inspire their choice of the particular bull, which probably represented the deity himself; for at his festivals he was believed to appear in bull form. The women of Elis hailed him as a bull, and prayed him to come with his bulls foot. They sang, Come hither, Dionysus, to thy holy temple by the sea; come with the Graces to thy temple, rushing with thy bulls foot, O goodly bull, O goodly bull! The Bacchanals of Thrace wore horns in imitation of their god. According to the myth, it was in the shape of a bull that he was torn to pieces by the Titans; and the Cretans, when they acted the sufferings and death of Dionysus, tore a live bull to pieces with their teeth. Indeed, the rending and devouring of live bulls and calves appear to have been a regular feature of the Dionysiac rites. When we consider the practice of portraying the god as a bull or with some of the features of the animal, the belief that he appeared in bull form to his worshippers at the sacred rites, and the legend that in bull form he had been torn in pieces, we cannot doubt that in rending and devouring a live bull at his festival the worshippers of Dionysus believed themselves to be killing the god, eating his flesh, and drinking his blood.
Another animal whose form Dionysus assumed was the goat. One of his names was Kid. At Athens and at Hermion he was worshipped under the title of the one of the Black Goatskin, and a | <urn:uuid:24dd3f29-16ec-471d-9bdf-3a329259cb71> | CC-MAIN-2016-30 | http://www.bartleby.com/196/pages/page390.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-30/segments/1469257823133.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20160723071023-00022-ip-10-185-27-174.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988681 | 747 | 3.1875 | 3 |
The Bird took off from an extended runway in Oakland on the morning of June 28, and soon after, most of its technology failed. Malfunction of the compass was followed by loss of the radio navigation signals from both California and Hawaii. Attempts to get a position via air-to-sea radio contact with a nearby Navy vessel were frustrated by poor reception. Maitland and Hegenberger navigated instead by plotting position lines from sun sightings, taking sextant fixes on stars, and observing the spume on the ocean below to estimate drift. They approached Hawaii in overcast conditions at 3:20 a.m., on the ragged edge of that four-degree margin of navigational error. They missed the Big Island entirely, and came dangerously close to bypassing the rest of the chain when the bright, flashing oil-vapor lamp of the Kilauea Lighthouse shone through the cloud cover. Maitland brought the Bird around and reversed course to Honolulu. While critical systems had failed, the flight of the Bird of Paradise is credited with revealing weak spots in navigation technology, leading to improvements that eventually established a regular air route to Hawaii. (Commercial airliners still included a sextant port in the cockpit as late as the 1960s.)
Later that same year, all functions at McCook were transferred to newly constructed Wright Field, east of Dayton, and McCook began the fade into obscurity. During its 10-year tenure as aviation’s R&D nerve center, a black sign with white letters large enough to read from considerable altitude had been mounted above the door of McCook’s main hangar: THIS FIELD IS SMALL—USE IT ALL. The first test pilots did—every inch of it.
Frequent contributor Stephen Joiner writes about aviation from his home in southern California. | <urn:uuid:28124839-9cf8-4344-977e-5bdaf45a2a93> | CC-MAIN-2015-18 | http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/the-first-test-pilots-7897494/?c=y&page=4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-18/segments/1430460381476.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20150501060621-00014-ip-10-235-10-82.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967513 | 371 | 3.34375 | 3 |
Vulcanodon karibaensis Raath 1972
Vulcanodon beds, Mashonaland North, Zimbabwe
Partial skeleton 6 meters long, missing neck and head
Estimated total length around 8 metres; Weight several tonnes
Lifestyle: Very large terrestrial herbivore
Vulcanodon is the most primitive known sauropod dinosaur, and retains a number of prosauropod features. Yet some of the characteristics of the skeleton, such as the pubis, are anatomically more advanced than in larger and later sauropods like Barapasaurus. This is a good example of what is called "mosaic" evolution, the presence of both primitive and advanced characteristics within transitional organisms (Archaeopteryx is a good example of this, displaying both theropod ("prmitive") and bird ('advanced") characteristics.)
Somewhat contradictory dates have been given for the "Vulcanodon Beds". Although reported from the earliest Jurassic, close to the Triassic boundary (i.e. early Hettangian), pollen analysis indicates a date no older than the Sinemurian, and possibly younger [Paul E. Olsen & H-D Sues, "The Triassic-Jurassic tetrapod transition", p.329 n.; in The Beginning of the Age of Dinosaurs, ed. K.Padian]. I have tentatively dated Vulcanodon as Sinemurian. In any case it seems that the Vulcanodontids and their descendents quickly supplanted the Plateosaurs as large terrestrial herbivores, althogh smaller prosauropods continued up until the Toarcian.
Kunmingosaurus wudingensis Zhao, 1985
nearly complete skeleton
Overall length: 6 metres
Chinshakiangosaurus zhongheensis Yeh, 1975
Overall length: ?12 - ?13 metres
Reference is made to a sauropod dinosaur from the Wudin basin in Yunnan, China. Although the horizon is thought equivalent to the adjacent famous prosauropod-dominated Lower Lufeng formation (Hettangian), there is no evidence for sauropods in the Lufeng beds [A.L.Sun and K.H.Cui, "The Lower Lufeng Saurischian fauna", p.278, and Peter M. Galton, "Herbivorous adaptions of dinosaurs, p.208; in The Beginning of the Age of Dinosaurs, ed. K.Padian] and it is likely that Kunmingosaurus and Chinshakiangosaurus comes from a later period, perhaps close in time to Vulcanodon. A Sinemurian age is tentatively suggested. (The Dinosauricon entry for Chinshakiangosaurus has the date as late Jurassic, but this is most probably an error.)
Damalosaurus spp. Zhao 1983
Yet another brief reference to a far-east Asian early Jurassic sauropod, this one from Tibet [Peter M. Galton, "Herbivorous adaptions of dinosaurs, p.208; in The Beginning of the Age of Dinosaurs, ed. K.Padian]. As the Sinemurian Scelidosaurus also has been supposedly reported from Tibet [unfortunately my only reference here is David Lambert's Field Guide to Dinosaurs], these two may possibly have been contemporary. Mike Keesey [Damalasaurus page] gives the age as Middle Jurassic, the locality as China (tsk tsk!), and suggests this genus may possibly be a Brachiosaur. Of course it might also be a distinct lineage of primitive sauropod.
D. laticostalis Zhao, 1985
Both these species are now considered invalid [nomen nudum].
Zizhongosaurus chuanchengensis Dong, Zhou, and Zhang 1983
Da'znzhai Formation, Sichuan, China
estimated length: 9 meters
The Dinosauria, p.78
Zizhongosaurus page [Dinosauricon]
Ohmdenosaurus liasicus Wild, 1978
Posidonienschiefer, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
Age: Middle Toarcian
Estimated overall length: 4 metres
This very small, primitive sauropod is known only from a single limb bone, once thought to belong to a plesiosaur. Although classified under the family Vulcanodontidae it may instead belong to a distinct group, which might be called family Ohmdenosauridae. It had no clear descendents, and may have been one of the many types of dinosaur that were wiped out by the terminal Toarcian extinction event.
Barapasaurus tagorei Jain, Kutty, Roy-Chowdhury, & Chatterjee,
Kota Formation, Andhra Pradesh, India
Length: 14.5 to 18 metres; Weight: 13 to 25 tonnes
Remains of 6 partial skeletons (missing skull & feet)
The first of the really big sauropods, Baraposaurus equalled in size the giants of the later Jurassic. In structure however it was much more primitive, resembling Vulcanodon in many features of the skeleton. As befits its transitional nature, it is sometimes included under the Vulcanodontidae, sometimes under the Cetiosauridae, and sometimes in its own family. Barapasaurus is another example of "mosaic evolution" among transitional forms. According to the Argentine palaeontologist Jose Bonaparte the dorsal vertebrae of Barapasaurus are of the standard Cetiosaur grade, with a tall neural arch and zygapophyses far above the neural canal; much more advanced the vertebrae of Vulcanodon.
Jose Bonaparte, 1986, "The early radiation and phylogenetic relationships of the Jurassic sauropod dinosaurs, based on vertebral anatomy", in The Beginning of the Age of Dinosaurs, ed. K.Padian]
Kotasaurus yamanpalliensis Yadagiri, 1988
Kota Formation, Andhra Pradesh, India
Length: 6 metres
back to Sauropoda
page historypage uploaded 22 November 1998 | <urn:uuid:4026db43-a299-4695-8087-17987a8163b2> | CC-MAIN-2014-49 | http://www.kheper.net/evolution/dinosauria/Vulcanodontia.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-49/segments/1416400379063.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20141119123259-00097-ip-10-235-23-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.887797 | 1,283 | 3.09375 | 3 |
Food waste is a huge problem all around the world, but the causes of spoilage are different depending on the region. In many developing countries like Nigeria, the primary cause of waste is not inefficient purchasing and cooking habits, but inadequate storage facilities to keep food fresh.
When radio journalist Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu saw the magnitude of food waste in the Farin Gada Market in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria, he envisioned an innovative new way for entire communities to boost their food resilience. Ikegwuonu came up with ColdHubs, a company that installs 100 percent solar-powered walk-in cold storage rooms at Nigerian markets to help farmers and vendors cut down on spoilage and boost profits.
Both fossil fuel-powered energy and food waste emit a high level of greenhouse gas emissions, so solar-powered fridges are a double win for the environment. So far, ColdHubs serves 3,517 users and their 24 Hubs have saved over 20,000 tons of food from spoilage. The Hubs have also increased vendor incomes and created 48 new jobs for women.
Seven years since launching his food-saving vision, Ikegwuonu has now been awarded the 2020 Waislitz Global Citizen Disruptor Award for his work which will allow him to further expand his services throughout the country.
In developing countries, approximately 50 percent of all horticultural products are lost or wasted before reaching the consumer, which exacerbates food insecurity and poverty. Saving this food has a direct impact on community wellbeing. According to Ikegwuonu, in Nigeria alone, a 35 percent reduction in post-harvest tomato loss would impact vitamin A deficiency for up to 1.1 million children per day.
These solar-powered fridges are not only cutting down on methane emissions from food waste using a renewable energy solution but also providing financial security for farmers and improved nutrition options for entire communities. We hope to see these green food fridges spread to markets all around the world! | <urn:uuid:a3f24af4-b7a4-45a1-994f-ad30f1df530f> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://www.optimistdaily.com/2020/08/these-solar-powered-fridges-are-reducing-food-waste-and-hunger-in-nigeria/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662556725.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20220523071517-20220523101517-00162.warc.gz | en | 0.951675 | 408 | 2.71875 | 3 |
Lake effect snow is highly localized snowfall, sometimes intense, that forms downwind of large bodies of water such as the Great Lakes. They usually take the shape of narrow bands and can produce significant snow accumulation within very short time periods. As shown on the map below, the Great Lakes have a tremendous influence on the amount of snowfall that falls downwind of their location. On the map below, 100 cm equals about 40 inches.
Lake effect snow actually requires a specific set of conditions involving the atmosphere, land, and water surface. There are 5 primary ingredients the play a role in the formation of lake effect snow.
1. Cold air over a relatively warmer body of water - this results in instability in the atmosphere, and creates a situation where heat and moisture is lifted from the water and transported by the wind downstream. The warm moist air rises and snow showers and squalls form. Typically a temperature difference of 13 degrees C or 24 degrees F between the lake water surface and the air at the 850 mb pressure level or roughly 4500 feet above the lake is needed to reach absolute instability where heat and moisture can be vigorously lifted from the water into the air. The relatively warmer air from the lake cools as it rises and condenses into clouds which produce snow.
2. A layer of cold air at the earth's surface that is sufficiently deep - For the Great Lakes Region, cold air masses originate in the high latitudes of North America and then "spill southward" with an upper level trough or buckle in the jet stream. The depth of the cold air is an important player in determining the intensity of the snowfall possible. Generally, an arctic air mass at least 3000 feet deep is needed to generate good lake effect snow development, and usually air masses greater than 7500 feet deep are associated with the strongest lake effect snowstorms.
The above satellite image shows the lake effect snow band streaming south across Lake Michigan into northwest Indiana on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at 9:46 am CST.
3. Fetch - Fetch here relates to the distance the air travels over the water. Greater fetches can produce heavier and more intense lake effect snow because of the opportunity for greater "heating" and "moistening" by the relatively warmer waters. In the Great Lakes, wind direction plays a key role in determining the fetch. Below are a few examples of wind direction and fetch.
4. Little if any wind shear (change in wind direction with height) through the layer of cold air - If there is little wind shear, this favors the type of convection necessary to produce intense and well organized lake effect snow bands. If the wind changes significantly with height through the cold layer (for example by 60 degrees in direction or more), the convection process that leads to lake effect snow is disrupted and diminished. This will typically result in only flurries rather than strong well organized lake effect bands, all other things being equal.
The above Doppler radar image shows an intense lake effect snow band impacting northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana on March 7 of 1996.
5. Upstream Moisture - How moist an air mass is before it even comes in contact with the lake has been shown to play a key role in determining how heavy snowfall can be. If an air mass has lower moisture, it is more difficult to get condensation, clouds, and snow. On the other hand, if an air mass has higher moisture content (relative humidity of 70 percent or greater), heavier snowfalls are possible. Upstream lakes can actually add to the amount of pre-existing moisture. For example, if an arctic air mass moving across Lake Michigan has also moved across Lake Superior, there has already been additional moistening of that air mass before it even gets to Lake Michigan! This can result in heavier snowfalls for areas downwind of Lake Michigan.
Lake Effect Snow Formation - The diagram below summarizes the key ingredients for lake effect snow. Arctic air with a temperature difference of at least 13 deg C or 24 deg F between the water and the air at about 4500 feet flows over the lake surface. The depth of the cold air (marked by the dashed line labeled "capping inversion") must be enough to support convection to develop as heat and moisture is transported from the water into the air. Greater snows can result if the fetch (distance the air travels across the water) is longer, wind shear minimal, and initial moisture content of the airmass greater. Rising air moving over the water condenses to form snow showers and squalls, and snow bands develop and extend inland downwind of the shoreline.
After looking at the numerous parameters the influence the creation of lake effect snow and modulate its intensity, and seeing the complex atmospheric circulations that exist and interact, it is easy to see why predicting lake effect storms is so challenging! | <urn:uuid:c3ea14a4-2b2c-40c4-996a-4d6fed341bb2> | CC-MAIN-2015-48 | http://www.crh.noaa.gov/news/display_cmsstory.php?wfo=lot&storyid=19444&source=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-48/segments/1448398461529.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20151124205421-00249-ip-10-71-132-137.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921589 | 991 | 4.34375 | 4 |
The development and application of biotechnology has the potential for far-reaching economic, social and environmental impacts. It is therefore important to outline a statistical framework to guide the measurement of biotechnology activity. This Framework is intended to provide the basis for statistical compilation work within OECD member countries and those non-member countries wishing
to adopt the standards.
The focus of the Framework is on biotechnology R&D and the application of biotechnology techniques to produce goods or services. For simplicity, these are referred to in this Framework as key biotechnology activities. End uses of biotechnology, for instance the use of products produced using biotechnology in manufacturing, agriculture or private consumption, are of increasing policy interest but are beyond the scope of this document. However, many of the statistical standards articulated here will be relevant to such uses. The Biotechnology Statistics Conceptual Model in Chapter 2 illustrates the distinction between key activities and end uses.
Under the auspices of the OECD’s National Experts on Science and Technology Indicators (NESTI) group, five Ad hoc Meetings on Biotechnology Statistics have been held to date. The Biotechnology Statistics Framework is based on the methodological work produced by these meetings (held from 2000 to 2004). It is hoped that publication of the Framework will encourage further statistical work in this field and stimulate debate leading to further improvements in biotechnology statistics.
The Biotechnology Statistics Framework includes the following components:
• Information on concepts, units and definitions for statistical purposes.
• An articulation of user needs and how these relate to the statistical material in the Framework.
• Guidelines for data collection
, including a model question on biotechnology R&D, a model survey of key biotechnology activities, and related methodological information.
• Classifications to support the definitions and/or describe statistical units and data.
• Links to other relevant manuals.
• A glossary of terms. | <urn:uuid:32bd1c1e-4aba-48ed-99d2-406bdd664414> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | https://unstats.un.org/unsd/EconStatKB/KnowledgebaseArticle10429.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549424931.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20170724222306-20170725002306-00077.warc.gz | en | 0.89708 | 385 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Gender Based Violence Bibliography
Browse the bibliography by category, or identify publications of interest by searching the documents for a specific phrase.
A core principle of public health, Prevention is the most desirable method of addressing any community health problem. By attempting to eliminate the economic and intangible human costs incurred by incidents of GBV, prevention is pragmatic and cost-effective. Approaches included in Prevention include prophylactic, protective, deterrence and other measures.
Encompasses interventions by States or UNHCR to ensure that the rights, security and welfare of refugees and IDPs are recognized and safeguarded in accordance with international standards.
- For a comprehensive background review of the role of international law in the struggle against GBV, you may also link to the RHR Consortium background paper The Role Of International Law In The Struggle Against Sex-Based And Gender-Based Violence Against Refugee Women
These include medical, legal, psychosocial and other assistance rendered directly to survivors, secondary survivors, or communities for both immediate needs as well as long-term development and empowerment. It is through direct services that most refugees and IDPs interact with the systems intended to meet their needs.
Monitoring & Evaluation
Sometimes called "quality control," these are the keys to effective programs. Assessment (measuring a problem or service), monitoring (keeping a check on ongoing activities) and evaluation (determining what works, what doesn't, and how to improve) are crucial to GBV efforts in any sector.
Continuity and the ability of programs and services to function in the long-term are essential to progress in GBV. For permanent change to take place, women must be able to rely on GBV programs and services from year to year. This section includes references on funding sources both within and outside of the UN system, as well as links to information on strengthening staff and other in-house resources.
Gender-based violence against refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) is best understood in the broader, historical perspective of refugee women's issues.
A wide array of research, academic, advocacy, media, and other organizations and websites exists for additional information or assistance on GBV in refugee and IDP settings. | <urn:uuid:5573e086-2649-4f97-a2d4-47236c456de8> | CC-MAIN-2014-52 | http://rhrc.org/resources/gbv/bib/index.cfm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-52/segments/1418802775392.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20141217075255-00043-ip-10-231-17-201.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934926 | 446 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Estuarine Mysids in Sri Lanka: Implications for Conservation
Mysids are important fauna in estuarine hyperbenthic communities and have been reported to
be an important component of the diet of many juvenile fish species in the estuarine waters.
There is limited of information on the distribution of this important fauna in Sri Lankan
estuarine waters and mysids are not included in biodiversity lists. Present study was
conducted to record the mysid species inhabit in the estuarine systems from western and
north-western region of Sri Lanka as a novel study. Surveys were undertaken from southwest
to north-west coastal region of Sri Lanka starting from March 2012 to July 2013. From
this study, four species of mysids were identified, i.e., Mesopodopsis zeylanica, M. orientalis,
possibly new Siriella sp. and Anisomysis sp. mysids were found only in western and northwestern
regions of Sri Lanka within nine major estuarine bodies. Number of species and their
abundance recorded vary with different estuarine waters. It was noted that mysid habitats are
very specific and they were absent from the sites where estuarine boundary without or limited
riparian vegetations. Future management measures will be required to protect this important
estuarine fauna in Sri Lanka.
Keywords: Riparian vegetation, Mysids, Estuarine fauna
- There are currently no refbacks.
Proceedings of International Forestry and Environment Symposium, Sri Lanka. Published by Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, University of Sri Jayewardenepura | <urn:uuid:f0c11ec5-f5fd-4d1a-8929-1ef81d75901d> | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | http://journals.sjp.ac.lk/index.php/fesympo/article/view/2524 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917121869.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031201-00474-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931985 | 349 | 3.25 | 3 |
Easily accessible tools for human resource professionals.
Job Competencies & Descriptions
It is important to have an accurate, updated job description in place before creating a job posting to fill a vacancy. A job description is an outline, which typically includes these basic elements:
- Job title
- Paragraph overview of the job
- List of primary duties and responsibilities
- Working conditions
An effective job description describes the skills expected of the applicant. Communicating clear job expectations at the onset increases the probability of finding the right person and the competencies can assist with this. The competencies are the roadmap for the entire recruitment process. Once the job description is created, the tasks and important information can be transferred to the job posting.
Our 400+ competency units provide a common language to describe the skills that industry needs from its workers and the skills that educators need to design curriculum to train the workers. A competency is a skill or ability to do something. The skills can be learned through training or experience and through a combination of practice and knowledge acquisition. | <urn:uuid:62b165b1-7684-468e-a642-e0450ad3375f> | CC-MAIN-2021-17 | https://fpsc-ctac.com/job-competencies-descriptions/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-17/segments/1618038066568.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20210412023359-20210412053359-00124.warc.gz | en | 0.93439 | 215 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Australia’s spider reputation is bigger than its bite, with close to 3,000 species crawling around the country. Considered one of the most spider-filled nations, Australia is home to an array of spiders coming in various shapes, sizes and colours, with some even listed as the most venomous in the world.
In what might be considered good news, the majority are harmless and not all bite. Unlike mosquitoes, bed bugs and fleas, spiders only bite as a defense mechanism. Minor symptoms of a spider bite can include itching and minor rashes.
However, some spider bites can cause serious harm and require immediate first aid, with some even needing emergency treatment and hospital observation.
If you have been bitten by a spider, please contact your closest medical professional
for the correct and most suitable treatment.
Australia’s top 6 most dangerous spiders:
Below is a list of the most dangerous spiders in Australia.
Funnel Web spider
Funnel web spiders can be quite aggressive when threatened. The Sydney Funnel Web Spider is one of the world’s most deadly spiders as they carry one of the most dangerous toxins. They burrow in humid sheltered places and are known to enter homes when looking for a mate.
Redback spiders hide in sheltered dry places such as mailboxes and garden sheds. Most serious bites come from the female species. As their name suggests, red back spiders can be identified by the red stripe located on the back of their black body.
White tail spider
White tail spiders are hunters and wander about at night and can be found in natural and urban areas, preferring cool moist locations like garden mulch. They are generally dark red or grey with dark orange banded legs.
Mouse spiders are usually found in burrows and near waterways. They are often mistaken for the Funnel Web Spider but can be distinguished by their pronounced compact, squat and huge fang sheaths at the front of the head area.
Mouse spiders are often active during the day time (not nocturnal like other spider species!)
Black house spider
The black house spider prefer dry areas such as window frames, eaves, gutters and sheds. They love electric lights as they attract their favourite foods such as mosquitoes and moths.
Wolf spiders are a shy species that hide in burrows and are definitely ground dwellers, often covered in leaf litter and garden areas.
Spider Prevention Tips
Whether you fear spiders or not, it’s always nice to avoid sharing your residence with them! Here are some prevention tips you can follow:
- Keep your home free of clutter and debris
- Avoid leaving boxes on the floor
- Regularly vacuum your home particularly in corners and crevices (remove webs!)
- Identify points of entry – any gaps around windows and doors
- Contact your professional pest controller to treat your home and ensure you have the ultimate level of protection | <urn:uuid:6a71bd3f-b757-403e-9d43-c339df6e6104> | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | https://www.rentokil.com/au/blog/dangerous-spiders-in-australia/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610703519984.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20210120085204-20210120115204-00742.warc.gz | en | 0.946526 | 591 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Standardizing Pellet Safety
Fires and explosions are an undesirable reality of the pellet industry, and can result in employee injury or death, economic loss, and facility damage. As global pellet production and consumption have soared over the past several years, the buzz surrounding safety and health issues in the manufacturing, handling and storage of wood pellets has become much louder. So loud, that the International Standards Organization has launched an effort, under the direction of Working Group 4 of ISO/TC238, to develop global standards for numerous components of commercial, industrial and small-scale applications. Topics to be addressed include not only prevention, detection, suppression and management of fires and explosions, but also safe handling and storage, analysis of spontaneous heat generation and analysis of off-gassing products.
While all issues up for discussion are essential, Chris Wiberg, manager at Biomass Energy Laboratory and participating member of the new working group, a spin-off of the ISO standards for solid biomass fuels initiative, says that in his opinion, self-heating and carbon monoxide (CO) are the most critical because of the dangers each presents. “For example, on vessels, whenever there is a large store of pellets, it has the natural ability to offgas carbon monoxide,” Wiberg explains. “So in confined spaces like the hull of a ship, pellets generate CO and it can build up in the ship, and there have been some deaths associated with it.”
When it comes down to documented instances, considering all of the circumstances, it’s debatable whether it was truly caused by pellet off-gassing, Wiberg admits. “However, the phenomena has been documented enough to show that it does occur, we just don’t understand exactly why. It has also been reported in small storage—residential home heating models with basement-type storage. Again, it’s confined, and if someone goes in there after off-gassing has occurred, it can create a very dangerous circumstance. Figuring out why this occurs and developing safe practices to eliminate these types of issues, is the key driver behind this initiative, and it’s one I personally take great interest in.”
For self-heating, which is the result of chemical reactions that produce heat at sufficient rates to raise the temperature of surrounding material in a stockpile, Wiberg says it’s the same scenario—why it occurs isn’t really known, but researchers are digging into to all potentials. “In the meantime, how do we keep the pellets from getting out of control thermally? When there’s a silo hot spot that grows out of control until it’s a smoldering fire, how do you put it out? You can’t pour water onto the pellets, as the first few inches will absorb the water so it cannot get it down deeper in the silo, so it’s a very difficult fire to fight and can persist for a very long time.”
Fires related to the pellet process potentially result in explosions, Wiberg adds, which serve as an interconnection to the issues of explosivity and safe handling of dust and materials. “All of the different topics are really important—it’s interesting that there is so much left to be understood and discovered.”
While the ISO standards will change safety and health protocol within the pellet industry in a very meaningful way, lots of work done by experts around the globe over the past several years has led up to this effort.
The Wood Pellet Association of Canada and the University of British Columbia have performed considerable work in the realm of pellet safety, drawing much attention to the topic, and, not directly related to the ISO group activities, a pellet safety workshop was held in Fügen, Austria, last year. It was expected that progress made since that meeting would be detailed at this year’s event in early May.
Christian Rakos, president of the European Pellet Council, says this year, self-heating is high on the agenda. The SafePellets project, which has been investigating mechanisms responsible for self-heating since early 2012, were to present research results for the first time. “Also, safety in the supply chain particularly in terminals, seems to be a topic that is going to draw attention because of large investments in terminals.”
Rakos says that while the EPC wanted to have this year’s workshop directly attached to the next meeting of the ISO group in early June to allow direct interaction, it wasn’t possible for organizational reasons. “But we will seek close interaction and flow of information,” he says.
Wiberg, who attended the Fügen work-shop last year, says he’d also like to see the groups cooperate to prevent redundancy, but it’s likely that individuals at Fügen will also be attending the ISO initiative, allowing a confluence of information between safety experts. Rakos says he believes last year’s meeting did just that. “Most of the benefits of these interactions are not directly visible, but I am sure they are there,” he says. “A lot of learning has been taking place, and will continue.”
The June ISO meeting follows the first meeting in October, which members from seven countries attended. Representing the U.S. was Scott Cedarquist of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, the standards development organization assigned by ANSI to oversee the activities of ISO TC 238, and the administrator of the U.S. technical advisory group. At the upcoming meeting, feedback on a base document that is considered the first draft of the standards will be discussed, and work for the next year will be plotted, according to Cedarquist.
Global interest in development of the ISO Standards has been healthy, but still has room to grow, he says. When initiatives first began, efforts were very European dominated, but that dynamic is changing. “The number of countries [involved] has really expanded—Korea and Thailand are starting to participate, and they [the group] have reached out to Russia and others that are big powerbrokers when it comes to woody biofuels. We’d like to see an expansion of participants as we’re trying to get a world view on this, but at least right now, we have Asia, North America and Europe.”
While all countries interested in the ISO work may not have physical representation at the meetings, participating nations may still vote and have committees developing that each respective nation’s position, Cedarquist says. In the U.S., interest has been satisfactory. “We’ve got a fairly large group, and it seems like we add a couple people every month, many who just want to know what’s going on, because they may just be interested in a small subset of the committee.”
Observing members may weigh in only on topics of great interest, rather than all topics under the working group, which includes pellet testing standards. “For example, a company that makes sampling equipment or chemical testing equipment may not care about all the other topics,” Cedarquist explains. “If you’re a company that makes fire suppression equipment, you’d certainly want to see the stuff that comes through on safe handling and storage, but maybe not sampling and things of that nature. We continue to reach out, and we haven’t yet set a limit on the number of people in the committee.”
So why has it been imperative for the U.S. to become involved in standardization efforts? There’s more to it than one might think. “In the context of current EN [testing] standards already published and being utilized in contracts, for the simplest of comparisons, in the U.S., the definition of fines is particles that will pass through a one-eighth-inch mesh screen, and the definition in Europe is 3.15-millimeter round hole. If it’s determined a 3.15-millimeter round-hole screen is needed, there aren’t any U.S. manufacturers that make such a screen. So in order to get appropriate testing equipment, we have to make an order from Europe, pay extra dollars because of shipping, the Euro exchange, and it takes time to get equipment from overseas. This results in equipment issues, time delays, and inconsistency in data comparability.”
Relating back to safety, similar issues are present. “We understand what our scenario is for pellets, how they’re produced and what safety issues there are. But if the issues there aren’t the same—and it’s likely they aren’t, because here the species prominent are hardwoods and southern yellow pine and in Europe it’s predominately spruce—there will be differences, such as the volatiles that might off-gas, or the behavior of dust.”
If standards are developed based on the European model and the U.S. isn’t at the table, it will not be able to provide its interpretation, making it difficult or impossible for U.S. producers to meet contract specifications. “Power companies or anyone purchasing pellets will cite the standards in their contracts, and if we aren’t there during their development to tell them ‘wait a second, this doesn’t apply to us,’ it will be written into the standard and a contractual requirement. We have to be on our toes and watch this very closely as it develops.”
The key to successful development of the standards is through means of a two-stage approach—creating safe practices, but also understanding why events occur, Wiberg says. “That’s why it’s been so difficult, up until now, to develop these standards, because it hasn’t been well understood.”
The nature of the pellet industry is that fires are a reality, he adds. “But it’s good we’re starting to collaborate at this level to help identify cause and effect, and change practice that will hopefully improve our industry’s safety record.”
Author: Anna Simet
Managing Editor, Biomass Magazine | <urn:uuid:e13e1216-a01a-4f18-bd31-e2e22a5ac695> | CC-MAIN-2016-18 | http://biomassmagazine.com/articles/10472/standardizing-pellet-safety | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-18/segments/1461860121534.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20160428161521-00094-ip-10-239-7-51.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960822 | 2,156 | 2.890625 | 3 |
2 PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW International Law consists of rules and principles which govern the relations and dealings of nations with each otherPUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAWPRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW(Conflict of Laws)SUPRANATIONAL LAW-rights between several nations or-nations and the citizens or subjects of other nations(sources: customary lawand conventional agreements – treaties, conventions…)-conflicts between private persons, natural or artificial, arising out of situations having relationship to more than one nation (sources: a branch of internal law – national and customary law)-the law of supranational organizations(European Union law - the first and only example of a supranational legal framework)
3 SUBJECTS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW IN THE PASTSTATE – the sole subject till the creation of the United Nations (international law only applied between states)1949- the International Court of Justice – confirmed that other entities could be subjects of international lawNOWADAYSStatesInter-governmental Organizations possess(constituted by States and have States as their rights andmembers and are based on constitutive treaty – duties on thee.g. the United Nations) international3) The Individual plane4) Multi-national Corporations
4 PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW or INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC LAW authority of international law is dependent upon the voluntary participation of states in its formulation, observance, and enforcement- involves e.g. the United Nations, maritime law, international criminal law and the Geneva conventionsit has increased in use and importance over the last century due toa) the increase in global trade,b) armed conflicts,c) worldwide environmental deterioration,d) awarenes of human rights violations,e) increases in international transportationf) boom in global communications
5 SOURCES OF PUBLIC INTERNATONAL LAW I Primary sources1) Customary law – states follow certain practices generally and consistently out of a sense of legal obligation2) Conventional Law – derives from national agreements- established byA) by the United Nations– advisory standards(the Universal Declaration ofHuman Rights)II Secondary source– general principles common to systems of national lawB) through international treaties e.g.- the Geneva Conventions on the conduct of war or armed conflict- The World Health Organisation- UNESCO- The World Trade Organisation- The International Monetary Fund etc.
6 CONCERNS OF PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW group rights,the treatment of aliens,the rights of refugees,international crimes,nationality problems, and human rights generallythe maintenance of international peace and securityarms control,the pacific settlement of disputes and the regulation of the use of force in international relationsglobal environment,world trade,global communications
7 ENFORCEMENT OF PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW no compulsory judicial systemjudicial tribunals in certain areas (e.g. trade, human rights) – the International Criminal Court (ICC)enforcement through the UN Security Council(violation of the Charter) – the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
8 PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW Look at the following legal areas and classify them into Public International Law or Private International Lawadoption arms control asylumcontractual relation divorce environmental issues human rights immigration international crime maritime law piracy war crimesPUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAWPRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAWenvironmental issuesadoption
9 Read the text and complete the following statements. In practice questions of international law are treated aslegal questions by________________and in thenational and international________.Legal forms and methods are also used in _________and in _________and____________ proceedings.
10 Answer the questions.Task 1 - Which characteristics of international law speak, according to some theorists against its legal character?Task 2 - What are, according to the author the only essential conditions for the existance of law? | <urn:uuid:dbe394c9-898f-4823-abcd-6f68edc54e23> | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | https://slideplayer.com/slide/5990429/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030337404.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20221003070342-20221003100342-00103.warc.gz | en | 0.834129 | 787 | 3.3125 | 3 |
Singles may tout the benefits of their lifestyle -- but longevity is probably not one of them, a new review of studies reveals.
Researchers from the University of Louisville in Kentucky analyzed 90 past studies on the subject, and found that men who stay single may die eight to 17 years before married men, while women who stay single may die seven to 15 years before married women, according to the study, first reported by MSNBC.
Researchers said this could be attributed to the fact that there is more social support and public assistance for married couples. For example, a recent study showed that married men manage to get to a hospital for a heart attack sooner than single men.
According to the new review, single men have a 32 percent higher risk of death over their lifetimes compared with married men, while single women have a 23 percent higher risk of death over their lifetimes than married women, the American Journal of Epidemiology study said.
However, it's important to note that the researchers looked at studies conducted on the subject that were published over the last 60 years. Plus, the analysis also doesn't take into account the impact of a bad marriage on longevity, MSNBC reported.
“I don’t think you need a study to tell people that a lousy marriage is going to be bad for someone’s health,” study researcher David Roelfs, an assistant professor of sociology, told MSNBC.
The review of studies also only defined married people as people who remained married throughout their lives, not divorced or widowed people who were at once married but then became single, MSNBC reported.
However, a study of 67,000 Americans from 2006 showed that single people still tend to die sooner than widowed, divorced and separated people, in addition to married people, San Diego 10News reported.
Past research also suggests poor health outcomes for people who live alone. A British study released in 2001 shows that middle-aged men who live alone have a 23 percent increased risk of dying earlier than their married counterparts, The Telegraph reported.
So what exactly can help extend your life? Exercising (as little as 15 minutes a day, less than the recommended amount), staying positive, eating more fiber and having a friendly workplace, research shows.
SUBSCRIBE AND FOLLOW
Get top stories and blog posts emailed to me each day. Newsletters may offer personalized content or advertisements.Learn more | <urn:uuid:952f0cab-1dba-47d4-82f4-63de74fdb963> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/18/single-death-early-married_n_930465.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393093.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00096-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977312 | 490 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Coping With Health Threats: The Costs and Benefits of Managing Emotions
Angela M. Smith et al.
Smith and colleagues examined how people coped with the health threat of COVID-19. They tracked two U.S. samples across 3 months and measured their emotions, reappraisal of emotions (i.e., changing the way they think about the threat to manage their emotions), health behaviors, and mental health. Compared with participants who reappraised less, participants who reappraised more subsequently reported less fear about the threat and better mental health. Reappraisal that led to more socially oriented emotions predicted both better mental health and health behaviors, whereas reappraisal that led to less negative emotions jeopardized the adoption of recommended health behaviors.
Beyond the Shape of Things: Infants Can Be Taught to Generalize Nouns by Objects’ Functions
Cecilia Zuniga-Montanez, Sotaro Kita, Suzanne Aussems, and Andrea Krott
Although infants spontaneously label novel objects by their shape (e.g., all kivs are round), this research suggests that they can be trained to use function instead (e.g., all kivs make noises), the method favored by adults. Zuniga-Montanez and colleagues taught 17-month-olds to focus on the functions of novel objects they were labeling. Compared with untaught infants, these infants became more likely to label objects by their function (function bias). These findings suggest that infants might show a spontaneous shape bias when learning words because shape is perceptually more accessible than function, but a function bias can be accelerated with training.
The Effects of Handwriting Experience on Literacy Learning
Robert W. Wiley and Brenda Rapp
Handwriting might lead to faster learning of new letters and greater generalization to untrained tasks than typing or visually learning (i.e., detecting and matching letters), this research suggests. Adults were trained to identify and learn Arabic letters by using either handwriting, typing, or visually matching. Later, they were tested in letter recognition, letter naming, letter writing, word spelling, word reading, and letter discrimination. All participants learned letter recognition, but those who learned by handwriting learned it fastest. This group’s knowledge of how to write the letter also strengthened their performance in the other tests, beyond reading and spelling letters and words.
Exploring the Facets of Emotional Episodic Memory: Remembering “What,” “When,” and “Which”
Daniela J. Palombo, Alessandra A. Te, Katherine J. Checknita, and Christopher R. Madan
How does emotion impact the memory of an event? Participants watched videos that included negative or neutral target images. Afterward, they responded whether they had seen each target image (“what”), at what point of the video the image had appeared (“when”), and which of the other five images appeared in the same video (“which”). Compared with neutral images, negative images enhanced participants’ memory for “what” but reduced their memory for “which.” Participants were also more accurate in estimating the “when” of negative images but tended to estimate that neutral images had appeared later than they actually appeared.
The Bilingual Advantage in Children’s Executive Functioning Is Not Related to Language Status: A Meta-Analytic Review
Cassandra J. Lowe, Isu Cho, Samantha F. Goldsmith, and J. Bruce Morton
Do bilingual children have better executive functioning than monolingual children? This meta-analysis suggests they do not. Lowe and colleagues synthesized data from studies that compared the performance of monolingual and bilingual participants between the ages of 3 and 17 years in executive-function domains such as decision-making and working memory (1,194 effect sizes). They found a small effect of bilingualism on participants’ executive functioning, which was largely explained by factors such as publication bias. After accounting for these factors, bilingualism’s effects were indistinguishable from zero, suggesting that bilingual and monolingual children perform at the same level in executive functioning.
Are Preschoolers’ Neurobiological Stress Systems Responsive to Culturally Relevant Contexts?
Ka I Ip et al.
Ip and colleagues examined changes in cortisol, an important stress-related hormone, among preschoolers living in China, Japan, and the United States. In each culture, preschoolers showed different reactivity to different stressors: An achievement-related stressor increased cortisol response among Chinese preschoolers, interpersonal-related stressors increased cortisol response among Japanese preschoolers, and only the anticipation of separation at the beginning of each session increased cortisol among U.S. preschoolers. These findings suggest that, from an early age, sociocultural variables appear to influence individuals’ responses to stress.
Parents Fine-Tune Their Speech to Children’s Vocabulary Knowledge
Ashley Leung, Alexandra Tunkel, and Daniel Yurovsky
Leung and colleagues explored how parents adjust their speech to match their children’s individual level of vocabulary. They asked parent-child pairs to play a game in which parents guided their child to select a target animal from a set. Parents produced more references for animals they thought their children did not know, indicating that parents fine-tuned their referring expressions to their children’s language knowledge. Parents also appeared to learn about their children’s knowledge throughout the game and adjusted their references accordingly. These findings suggest that child-directed speech supports children’s language learning because it is tuned to individual children.
Children With More Uncertainty in Their Intuitive Theories Seek Domain-Relevant Information
Jinjing (Jenny) Wang, Yang Yang, Carla Macias, and Elizabeth Bonawitz
Children appear to choose to learn more about something if they know just enough to find it interesting but not so much that it becomes boring. Wang and colleagues assessed preschoolers’ existing knowledge about three domains (e.g., biological transmission). Afterward, the children heard stories related to each of the domains (e.g., Jesse had a cold and played volleyball with Max) and decided whether they wanted to seek domain-relevant information (e.g., did Max get a cold?) or domain-irrelevant information (e.g., did Max make the volleyball team?). Children with immature knowledge (or at a middle stage of development) appeared to be more likely to seek domain-relevant information than children with more mature knowledge. | <urn:uuid:862188bb-3ad1-4ba7-9e55-2495981ccdd9> | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/new-research-in-psychological-science-2021-july-23.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030335350.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20220929100506-20220929130506-00037.warc.gz | en | 0.945346 | 1,358 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Getting a newborn to sleep through the night can be a difficult task for some parents. Not every infant has the same temperament, especially when it comes to sleeping. A baby loves to be held, but that is not possible to do every time he needs to sleep because Mom and Dad need to sleep sometimes, too. The trick is to make your baby feel warm, safe and protected sleeping in a crib.
Establish a bedtime routine to help your baby relax. Bathing, diapering, nursing, cuddling, rocking and singing are some of the ways to tell your baby that it's time to go to sleep before you lay him in his crib. Eventually, your baby learns to associate these things with falling asleep. Going through the same motions every night can help your baby feel safe and secure so that he falls asleep faster.
Be consistent in your routine for putting your baby to bed at night. Lay your infant in the crib each time you put him down to teach him that this is where he is supposed to sleep. Do not let your baby fall asleep in your arms at bedtime.
Put your baby to bed at the same time every night. It's better if your baby is drowsy when you put him down rather than already asleep, because you want him to learn to fall asleep on his own. Putting babies to bed when they are still awake works better for younger ones than it does once they get older and realize what is going on.
Position your baby on her back to sleep, not her stomach. Premature infants in particular should be put to sleep on their backs. The American Academy of Pediatrics warns parents of infants to keep pillows, blankets and plush toys that could cause suffocation out of the babies' cribs. Use a crib that meets current safety standards and has a tight-fitting mattress.
Place your baby on warm sheets. Flannel works great in cold weather. You can also warm a crib sheet with a hot water bottle. Just make sure that the sheet is not too hot and that you take the water bottle out of the crib before laying your baby down. Maintaining a nursery temperature of 70 degrees and a humidity level of about 50 percent can promote better sleep.
Keep the lights low during nighttime feedings and diaper changes. Do this to reinforce the fact that nighttime is for sleeping.
Allow your child to cry for brief periods. Go into the room to reassure your baby by quietly talking to him and patting his back, but do not pick him up and hold him in your arms or rock him. Leave the room again after just a few minutes. If your child continues to cry, allow him to cry a few minutes longer before going back into the room to reassure him. It may be difficult for a few nights, but eventually your child should learn to fall asleep on his own.
Be patient with your baby if he has periods of sleeplessness. Hold your baby more during the daytime hours. Babies who are held more in a parent's or other caregiver's arms during the day and spend less time in their cribs often sleep better at night. | <urn:uuid:774fceb0-9ec0-481f-87ee-58072db33a9b> | CC-MAIN-2017-09 | http://howtoadult.com/make-newborn-sleep-crib-5529728.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-09/segments/1487501171066.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20170219104611-00547-ip-10-171-10-108.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976422 | 635 | 2.96875 | 3 |
Understanding what is happening and being aware of your baby’s movements as it grows inside you is super important. One of the most amazing things you will feel is those first movements, that first little flutter. Some mothers describe those first feelings as butterflies in their tummy, which can occur anywhere between 16 and 22 weeks.
As your baby grows you will become more aware of the movements and will feel legs and arms moving as well as your baby rolling around. You may even feel when your baby has the hiccups.
How to sleep safely during pregnancy51120
How to sleep safely during pregnancy
Everyone is different
Each pregnancy, each mother and each baby is different. You cannot compare movements, as things will differ.
What is important is that you learn about your body and your baby for this pregnancy. You can understand your baby’s movements and by about 28 weeks there will be quite a recognisable pattern. You will probably notice movements at certain times each day, like when you settle down on the couch for the evening. This tends to be a time that baby likes to become active. But it is also when you quieten down that you may notice the movements more.
Babies do not move all the time. Think about a newborn and how much it sleeps. Babies will sleep in-utero too and it is OK for some quiet time.
A decrease in foetal movements may be a sign that there is a risk to your baby. It could mean that your baby is unwell and is conserving energy to stay alive – similar to someone that hasn’t eaten or had anything to drink … they become tired, lethargic and quiet.
Listen to your body and trust yourself. A mother’s instinct is always right!
If you are concerned about reduced movement at any time during your pregnancy contact your health care provider immediately. You are NEVER wasting our time. I’m on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year for this very reason.
By increasing awareness about the importance of decreased foetal movements we may be able to reduce stillbirth rates.
You are NEVER wasting anyone's time being cautious. Image: iStock.
What we will do
There are several tests that we will do if you are experiencing decreased foetal movements.
- Heart Rate Monitoring: This can be done with either a hand held Doppler or a CTG (cardiotocography). CTG monitoring is widely used to assess foetal wellbeing. We have the ability to take an electronic record of the baby’s heart rate via an ultrasound transducer which is placed on the mother’s abdomen•.
- Ultrasound: We may also complete an ultrasound which will give us further details on your baby. It can tell us about the activity and breathing of your baby and we can also measure, amniotic fluid, as well as foetal growth.
What is stillbirth?
Stillbirth is defined as the birth of a baby without signs of life after 20 weeks’ gestation. It affects approximately 2200 families in Australia each year and quite often it is preventable.
Whilst the major causes of stillbirth in Australia are maternal conditions, infection, hemorrhage and spontaneous preterm birth, approximately 25 percent of stillbirths remain unexplained.
Stillbirth is something we need to talk about. We need to raise awareness, talk more about it and need to make it OK to ask for help anytime we have concerns. Having these conversations, especially if you have ANY concerns about decreased movement will help us reduce stillbirth.
Dr Joseph Sgroi is an Obstetrician, Gynaecologist, Infertility & IVF Specialist. You can follow him on Facebook. | <urn:uuid:5748478a-b451-4bc9-a8a6-c88f23d5ef7e> | CC-MAIN-2019-30 | https://www.kidspot.com.au/birth/labour/preparing-for-labour/understanding-baby-foetal-movements/news-story/d7562faf19d065ff3e65e0cb189dfabb | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-30/segments/1563195526888.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20190721040545-20190721062545-00209.warc.gz | en | 0.961274 | 778 | 2.640625 | 3 |
For a long time now, public schools have fed children garbage and pretty much gotten away with it because parents have allowed it. Taken a look at your child’s lunch lately? It may not be quite as awful as when you were a kid, but it’s still pretty damn bad. National research agrees: Most school meals are high in fat, sodium, and high-calorie/low-nutrient desserts, and low on whole grain products and veggies. Fries are the preferred vegetable of choice, according to most school boards.
The good news is that educational institutions are starting to realize this. According to this report, fruit and whole grains have more appearances from 2006 to 2010 in cafeterias, while the number of salty snacks and baked goods offered has fallen over the same span. More political leaders are taking it upon themselves to offer their words, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture has recently proposed that calories and sodium levels be limited, while whole grains, fruits and vegetables are phased-in to augment nutrition. Now, how do we get kids to eat the good stuff?
About 40 percent of students buy at least one snack while at school, and about 70 percent buy at least one sugary drink, so regardless of whether they know what they’re eating isn’t good for them, the challenge is getting them to stop. Laws preventing high-calorie snacks and sodas would help prevent schools from being as plainly responsible as they have been in the past, and at that point it would be up to the discretion of the parent to pack their child a snack or soda for lunch.
Perhaps potential loss of profit is a detriment to the promotion of healthier lunches, as losing out on revenues gained from vending machines may further squeeze a school’s already dry budget? This study suggests that schools are more concerned with “doing the right thing” than helping the bottom line, but that creating access to healthier foods while eliminating bad foods would not hurt budgets either. Let’s hope this is the case. | <urn:uuid:a567a794-8967-448c-8e9d-a11e2b1f09f6> | CC-MAIN-2019-30 | http://vegonline.org/health-nutrition/finally-public-schools-improve-lunch-nutrition/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-30/segments/1563195524111.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20190715195204-20190715221204-00158.warc.gz | en | 0.975311 | 419 | 2.890625 | 3 |
IBM researchers have discovered a materials breakthrough that could lead to processors that use less power and operate the way a human brain does.
Silicon-based processors rely on electronics and voltage being ushered through a channel. These semiconductors, which power PCs, tablets and smartphones today, were thought under Moore's Law to double performance every two years with lower costs and size. However, new manufacturing techniques will be needed as Moore's Law hits physical limits.
IBM's discovery, published in the latest edition of Science, flips the current semiconductor manufacturing process. In a nutshell, IBM scientists found a way to power chips with ionic currents, streams of charged molecules that operate in an "event driven" way like the human brain. These processors would likely ride shotgun with silicon-based chips.
Dr. Stuart Parkin, a fellow at IBM Research, explained that his team's research replaced solid gate material in traditional chip processes with a family of liquids that hold its irregular shape at room temperature. "We think this could enable a new class of devices that operate on the flow of small ionic currents instead of electrons," he said. As a result, ionic current chips wouldn't have to be charged on and off like traditional silicon.
In IBM's research paper, the company's scientists explained the following process:
Researchers applied a positively charged ionic liquid electrolyte to an insulated oxide material and successfully converted the material to a conducting metal. The material held its metallic state until a negatively charged ionic liquid electrolyte was applied, to convert it back to its original, insulating state.
The research about metal to insulator transition materials has gone on for years, but IBM found that the removal and injection of oxygen molecules into metal oxides led to the state changes.
The IBM breakthrough wouldn't result in chips that would replace silicon, but create a new class of processors. "It's not a one to one comparison," said Parkin. New devices based on ionic currents would operate more slowly, but perform calculations with much more efficiency. Keep in mind the human brain doesn't run hot and ionic chips wouldn't either. "Our goal is to take inspiration from the human brain," said Parkin. | <urn:uuid:2cc204b6-6696-4662-9dc2-5385d9d837bc> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://www.zdnet.com/article/ibm-materials-breakthrough-could-lead-to-human-brain-like-chips/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370500426.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20200331084941-20200331114941-00358.warc.gz | en | 0.963201 | 449 | 3.96875 | 4 |
Audience: General Public
I highly recommend this excellent examination of what war in the Classical world was like for women. Due to some of the subject matter, it's likely suitable for high-school age and up. Well written and easy to digest, this book covers famous and not-so-famous women warriors, leaders, civilians, and casualties of war primarily in Greece and Rome. It's uniquely focused on a population mostly left out of war accounts, with fascinating stories behind famous women in history.
Classical history tends to focus on the big-ticket war stories: Hannibal crossing the Alps, Alexander conquering Persia, Achilles and Hector’s final epic battle at Troy or Caesar defeating the Gauls. War has historically been a man’s world in the retelling, regardless of the role women played. And yet, throughout Greek and Roman history women are an integral part of war: Atalanta, Penthesilea, Cassandra, Andromache, Hippolyta, Gorgo, Artemisia, Zenobia, and Boudica, to name a few. Politically astute leaders, valiant warriors, casualties, Queens, prophetesses: women’s stories are mostly told in the threads and anecdotes that fill the gaps in classical sources. Paul Chrystal explores every aspect of women’s roles in conflicts in the ancient Mediterranean, in great and occasionally uncomfortable detail, in Women at War in the Classical World.
He begins with women out of legend: the women of the Trojan War. Referencing multiple texts, Chrystal covers the expected accounts of Amazon warriors fighting on Troy’s behalf (and their ultimate defeat), but he goes much further. He provides a visceral scene of what spectators on the wall would see every day, where the women stood above the fight to watch it unfold. He shows clearly how the war outside the walls would have changed everyone’s daily perspective, especially the women whose vantage point on the wall not only gave them the sights, but also all the terrible sounds and scents of battle. In Chrystal's analysis, The Iliad's women were not delicate flowers who hid inside and waited wringing their hands: their men were out on that field, and they faced their fate.
Classical sources seem to categorize women in four ways regarding war: mythical or unwomanly fighters, political leaders actively causing or participating in conflicts, war prizes/rape victims, and challenges to be conquered. Women at War in the Classical World covers all these categories in depth, as well as the more peripheral ways women were involved in or affected by conflict. Of course, there is a comprehensive commentary on the most famous women warriors of history, including a full chapter on the Amazons and a detailed account of Artemisia’s exploits for Xerxes. Chrystal, however, doesn’t limit himself to the recognizable names; he provides the reader with excellent blurbs on women who may have only been mentioned once or twice in the texts. He does the same for women considered to be opponents/villains over the vast period covered, including Zenobia, Boudica, and others who actively led soldiers against Greece and Rome. Interestingly, he also details the political power of women behind conflicts, ensuring the reader sees how women were involved in every aspect of war. If it's true that women have mostly been erased from history, this book is a concerted effort to write some of them back in.
What makes this book both difficult to read and exceptional as a historical resource is the author’s treatment of the third category of women. Rape and sexual slavery are so often glossed over in history unless it is a specific impetus for action by (or directly against) a man. I appreciated that throughout the text Chrystal is unafraid to look directly at the realities of war for women whether they are combatants or not. He baldly states exactly what Andromache, Hecuba, and the other women of Troy would have faced during the sack of their city if they were lucky (or unlucky) enough to stay alive. He discusses the social ramifications to women in the classical world after being raped, since they don’t own their own bodies, and how they both feared and expected to be sold into sexual slavery if they survived. Understanding the cultural implications of sexual assault for women in the Classical environment gives the reader a wider perspective on what war was really like for women, even if they were not fighting.
The subject matter of Women at War in the Classical World does not always make for easy reading. It is uncomfortably direct and does not offer euphemisms for the harsh realities of war, whether the woman in question is a combatant, an antagonist, a heroine, or collateral damage. The text is well written and engaging, with a nice variety of in-depth analysis and quick referential blurbs. There is sufficient detail to use Women at War in the Classical World as a reference on its own, and the extensive notes and bibliography point interested researchers to additional sources. The tone of his writing and balanced breadth of subjects makes this work appropriate for both scholar and enthusiast. Ultimately, Chrystal’s book gives the most well-rounded, human depiction of what war was like for women that I have ever seen. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Greek and Roman history.
Cite This Work
Chrystal, P. (2018, October 08). Women at War in the Classical World. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/review/195/
Chrystal, Paul. "Women at War in the Classical World." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last modified October 08, 2018. https://www.ancient.eu/review/195/.
Chrystal, Paul. "Women at War in the Classical World." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 08 Oct 2018. Web. 25 Jan 2020. | <urn:uuid:8d131451-1510-450c-845d-00ce060a5a95> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://www.ancient.eu/review/195/women-at-war-in-the-classical-world/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579251672440.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20200125101544-20200125130544-00248.warc.gz | en | 0.953722 | 1,214 | 3.109375 | 3 |
A team of scientists from research centers stretching from Maine to South Carolina will develop and deploy high-tech tools to explore cyanobacteria in lakes across the East Coast.
The multi-year project will combine big data, artificial intelligence and robotics with new and time-tested techniques for lake sampling to understand where, when, and how cyanobacterial blooms develop.
The research team brings together experts in freshwater ecology, computer science, engineering and geospatial science from Bates College, Colby College, Dartmouth, the University of New Hampshire, the University of Rhode Island and the University of South Carolina.
"It is rare to have teams from so many different specialties converge to study a problem like this," said Alberto Quattrini Li, an assistant professor of computer science at Dartmouth and the overall project lead. "By working together, we can increase the amount of data that can be collected and increase prediction capabilities."
Freshwater lakes are responsible for a variety of human and ecological services, such as providing drinking water and producing food. But lakes across the country and world are increasingly threatened by an increase in the incidence of harmful cyanobacterial blooms.
Sometimes known as blue-green algae, blooms of cyanobacteria impact the quality of lake water and threaten human health through toxins that can damage multiple organ systems.
Scientists know that land-use changes and global climate change are the main drivers of cyanobacteria, but there is still much that is not known about what influences the timing and location of blooms in individual lakes. Researchers are also looking to understand how cyanobacteria are impacted by extreme precipitation events.
"We suspect that individual blooms result from a complicated interaction of conditions that include nutrient loading during the past spring, recent trends in temperature and precipitation, and current in-lake conditions," said Kathryn Cottingham, a professor of biology at Dartmouth. "Until now, we haven't had the tools or technologies to track conditions at the right spatial or temporal scales to understand those drivers."
The project will use robotic boats, buoys and camera-equipped drones to measure physical, chemical, and biological data in lakes where cyanobacteria are detected. When combined, the technology will generate large volumes of data related to the lakes and the development of the harmful blooms. The project will also build new algorithmic models to assess the findings.
Lakes in New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, and South Carolina will be studied as part of the project.
Information collected through the research could lead to better predictions of when and where cyanobacterial blooms take place. Those predictions might allow earlier actions to protect public health in recreational lakes and in lakes that supply drinking water.
With technology covering the water and air, researchers will also collect information on population and land use around the lakes to determine how those factors might impact bloom formation.
Project technology will be shared with lake managers and citizens so that community members can conduct their own monitoring. Local homeowners will form a corps of "citizen scientists" to support the project.
Undergraduate and graduate students will also participate with the project. Such interdisciplinary training is hoped to prepare the next generation of scientists to address societal issues.
This project is funded by a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The grant is part of the NSF's Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) designed to promote scientific progress nationwide. The grant will fund efforts in Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and South Carolina to attract investment, cultivate research talent and create new data science training programs.
Alberto Quattrini Li is the principal investigator for the project. The co-principal investigators are Annie Bourbonnais (University of South Carolina), Holly Ewing (Bates College), Ioannis Rekleitis (University of South Carolina) and Paolo Stegagno (University of Rhode Island). Denise Bruesewitz (Colby College) and Michael Palace (University of New Hampshire) will lead on the project for their respective institutions. | <urn:uuid:cdeaa3cc-9e61-4ba8-867d-71b09a2d2fbb> | CC-MAIN-2019-51 | https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-10/dc-bda101719.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-51/segments/1575540525781.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20191210013645-20191210041645-00068.warc.gz | en | 0.930245 | 822 | 3.34375 | 3 |
A survey conducted at a mid western university and involving 1,500 students found that 68% had taken out a student loan to help pay for the cost of their college education. A similar study at a southeastern university in which 2,000 students were surveyed found that 47% had taken out a student loan.
a. Develop and interpret a 95% confidence interval estimate for the difference in the proportions of students who have loans at these two universities.
b. Using an alpha level of 0.05, test the hypothesis that there is no difference in the proportions of students at these two universities who have loans. How does this test compare with the result you found in part a? | <urn:uuid:dc486c51-fe21-407c-9d80-4f004f04f00f> | CC-MAIN-2018-09 | http://homework-help-blog.com/2017/11/survey-conducted-mid-western-university-involving-1500/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-09/segments/1518891815560.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20180224112708-20180224132708-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.981755 | 136 | 2.671875 | 3 |
As a graduate using quotes in essays student in this program, you are exposed in course …. social social psychology assignments psychology, 12th edition. social psychology assignment. constitutional law in context d. 11 social psychology research how to format a business plan paper and all you need to know about this; what look forward booze from them; this down never goggles when can you use the same essay for different colleges abra; down conduit weird needs chicken program; hall switches social psychology assignments; social problem solving skills that blood; them on right psychology means what is a writing sample for internship you essay online writer like. apply writing a psychology paper social psychological theories and principles to your everyday behavior. start by interesting essay titles browsing the experiments discussed in your book 6. text the required text for the course is: mrs. 60 minutes “eyewitness testimony part 1 (piece about cross-racial social psychology assignments identification, memory internship application letter dysfunction, and eyewitness identification). a social circle is distinguished from a social pyramid in that there are two perspectives that can be used social psychology assignments to describe a social circle: assignment on pollution. | <urn:uuid:e1a99f1c-c04a-4d5f-900b-8760cf2fb30f> | CC-MAIN-2020-45 | https://essay-writing-service.org/2020/09/26/social-psychology-assignments_q0/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-45/segments/1603107892062.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20201026204531-20201026234531-00672.warc.gz | en | 0.880698 | 224 | 2.515625 | 3 |
By Hilary Harper on Life Matters
Along the east coast, communities in Northern New South Wales and South-East Queensland have been bracing for damaging weather.
Higher seas, heavy weather and a process known as 'headland bypassing' have seen erosion problems worsen on Byron Bay's main beach.
Is coastal erosion always more common during a La Niña? And what will changes to the coastline mean for those who call the area home?
Simon Richardson, Mayor, Byron Shire Council
Professor Andrew Short, Coastal Geomorphologist, University of Sydney | <urn:uuid:02d4d498-4846-4c18-8d78-68913d2ac308> | CC-MAIN-2021-10 | https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/disappearing-beaches/12982706 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-10/segments/1614178363211.17/warc/CC-MAIN-20210302003534-20210302033534-00567.warc.gz | en | 0.923623 | 113 | 2.625 | 3 |
The DICT Development Group
2 definitions found
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :
Squeeze \Squeeze\ (skw[=e]z), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Squeezed
(skw[=e]zd); p. pr. & vb. n. Squeezing.] [OE. queisen, AS.
cw[=e]san, cw[=y]san, cw[imac]san, of uncertain origin. The
s- was probably prefixed through the influence of squash,
1. To press between two bodies; to press together closely; to
compress; often, to compress so as to expel juice,
moisture, etc.; as, to squeeze an orange with the fingers;
to squeeze the hand in friendship.
2. Fig.: To oppress with hardships, burdens, or taxes; to
harass; to crush.
In a civil war, people must expect to be crushed and
squeezed toward the burden. --L'Estrange.
3. To force, or cause to pass, by compression; often with
out, through, etc.; as, to squeeze water through felt.
Syn: To compress; hug; pinch; gripe; crowd.
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :
46 Moby Thesaurus words for "squeezed":
badly off, clamped, compressed, concentrated, condensed,
consolidated, constricted, contracted, cramped, distressed,
down to bedrock, embarrassed, feeling the pinch, hard up, ill off,
impecunious, in Queer Street, in narrow circumstances,
in reduced circumstances, in straitened circumstances, knitted,
land-poor, narrow, nipped, on the edge, out of pocket, pinched,
pinched-in, poor, poorly off, puckered, pursed, reduced, short,
short of cash, short of funds, short of money, solidified,
straitened, strangled, strangulated, strapped, unmoneyed,
unprosperous, wasp-waisted, wrinkled
firstname.lastname@example.org Specification=RFC 2229 | <urn:uuid:f43b1f18-080c-42cf-9a17-31fd33f41069> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://dict.org/bin/Dict?Form=Dict2&Database=*&Query=Squeezed | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571987.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813202507-20220813232507-00065.warc.gz | en | 0.774346 | 535 | 2.875 | 3 |
This turquoise and black evening gown does two things at once: it references popular styles of the early 1910s and anticipates fashions of the later 1920s. From about 1911 through 1915, the tunic silhouette was very fashionable, appearing in both day and evening silhouettes. A c. 1912 tunic dress from our collection demonstrates how orientalist and classical elements were combined to create this consciously opulent silhouette. Like the dress pictured above, our c. 1912 tunic dress features a black and turquoise color scheme. Unlike the c. 1912 tunic dress, which features a high, defined waistline, this dress features a relatively undefined waistline made lower by the wide turquoise sash. As the 1920s progressed, a defined waistline disappeared almost entirely, though it was sometimes suggested by draped sashes. A 1919 report on Paris fashions proclaimed the importance of the waist sash in evening gowns: "They are used literally by the French to make a gown, for on the lines of the sash...depends the effect of the finished creation."1 One evening gown described in this article featured a wide gold sash, draped low around the hips, tied at one side and trailing nearly to the hem of the gown.
Like many evening dresses of the 1920s, this dress features beaded decoration on a lightweight net ground. Seed beads are arranged in a scrolling acanthus leaf pattern on both the bodice and skirt. The bead design is incorporated into the scalloped hem seen on both top and bottom. Many embellished garments from this era show considerable damage because lightweight ground fabrics can't support the weight of the applied decoration. If stored improperly (hanging!) the beading or other embellishment pulls, strains or rips the ground fabric. Judging by its excellent overall condition, this evening dress was stored laying flat and out of direct light.
The wearer of this dress had a secret weapon: a hidden bust improver. Visible under the black net is an attached cream silk charmeuse slip. Lining the bust of the slip are cotton tulle ruffles. Like today's Wonderbra, these ruffles created the illusion of a larger bust. Interior bust improvers are not at all uncommon in women's historic dress. As is the case here, bust improvers were often constructed from layers of ruffled fabric attached inside the bodice of a garment. As brassieres became more widely worn, additional padding became a feature of the bra itself, not the exterior garment.
1 "Midwinter Paris Fashions." New York Times 7 Dec. 1919: XX7. | <urn:uuid:83109957-1f69-43e8-bb93-8073d5d7ed97> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.fidmmuseum.org/museum/2011/08/evening-gown-1919-1920.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701638778/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105358-00084-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946776 | 539 | 2.6875 | 3 |
What Makes Flossie Fertile?
Reproductive physiologist Tom
Geary prepares to take a blood
sample from a cow to measure
her hormones. An ultrasound
monitor on the right indicates
this cow is 45 days pregnant.
According to Tom Geary—a reproductive physiologist at ARS' Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory in Miles City, Montana—only two out of three beef cows that are bred actually give birth. Identifying the most fertile cows could help producers achieve higher pregnancy rates in their herds and make their operations more efficient.
For several years, Geary has been collaborating with professor Michael F. Smith, a reproductive physiologist at the University of Missouri-Columbia. They have been looking for different physiological indicators of fertility in beef cows.
Now, George Perry—a graduate student of Smith's who's been working with Geary—may have discovered a new indicator of beef cow fertility, at least in some situations: the size of egg-bearing structures called follicles. Their studies may ultimately benefit producers who would like to artificially inseminate all their beef cows at the same time and rapidly improve the genetics of their herds.
Technician George Perry
conducts a radioimmunoassay
to measure progesterone
concentration in serum samples
from cows that ovulated
Inside the Cow's Reproductive System
A beef cow has a 21-day estrous cycle, the period from one estrus, or heat, to the next. The estrous cycle is largely controlled by structures called follicles on the cow's ovaries and the hormones these structures produce.
As a cow approaches estrus, a follicle containing an oocyte (egg) appears like a blister on an ovary. The follicle contains cells that produce estrogen. As the follicle grows, the estrogen eventually reaches a threshold level that causes the cow to be in heat. Shortly thereafter, the cow ovulates: the follicle ruptures and releases the egg into the uterus. Later, another hormone—progesterone—is produced. It prepares the uterus for pregnancy and helps maintain the pregnancy.
Geary says, "Many research projects have been conducted in which natural hormones are administered to beef cows to synchronize ovulation. But cows that are artificially inseminated after induced ovulation seem less fertile than cows inseminated after a natural heat."
Three-year-old cow with
newborn calf. Natural or
induced ovulation of a
large follicle results in
normal fertility and the
birth of a live calf.
|As part of his doctoral research, Perry wanted to figure out why this decrease in fertility occurs. Earlier studies had shown that when dairy cows are induced to ovulate, they exhibit a wide range of follicle sizes. Perry says, "We hypothesized that the synchronized beef cows would also ovulate a wide range of follicle sizes. This could affect estrogen and progesterone levels—and fertility."
To test this hypothesis, the researchers studied 45 cows at the University of Missouri in 2001. Perry measured their ovulating follicles when they were induced to ovulate, but before artificial insemination. Using an ultrasound machine, he classified each cow's ovulatory follicle as small (less than 12 millimeters), medium (12.5–16 mm), or large (more than16 mm). About 4 weeks after the cows were inseminated, he used ultrasound to determine whether they were pregnant.
The scientists found that 25 days after breeding, only about 57 percent of the cows with small follicles were pregnant, and by day 60, only 29 percent were still pregnant. Of the cows with large follicles, however, 67 percent were pregnant at day 25, and they all remained pregnant through day 60. Even more impressively, 78 percent of the cows with medium follicles were pregnant at day 25, and 71 percent were still pregnant at day 60.
These results convinced the scientists to repeat the study on a larger scale. In 2002, they began research on 273 cows at the Fort Keogh lab. Although the study had grown considerably, they noticed the same general trend of small-follicle cows having lower fertility.
Because there were more animals, the researchers could compare more specific follicle size groups. All embryonic deaths occurred in the synchronized cows with ovulatory follicles less than or equal to 11 mm.
Though their data reiterated the importance of follicle size, the scientists determined something else during the Fort Keogh study. Cows that expressed a natural heat also had ovulatory follicles of varying sizes. But regardless of whether the follicles were small, medium, or large, the cows' fertility rates were similar.
Natural Heat vs. Induced Ovulation
Cows in heat allow other cows to mount them, showing producers when to breed them. However, heat detection is unnecessary in cows that are induced to ovulate at a specific time.
Although the cows in the Fort Keogh study were all supposed to ovulate at the same time, not all did. To detect those that came into heat naturally, the researchers outfitted the entire herd with electronic transmitters. Geary explains, "The transmitters are glued to the tailhead of the cows and allow us to continuously monitor for mount activity. A computer records the time and duration of each mount."
Adds Perry, "We considered a cow to be in standing estrus, or heat, when she received three mounts lasting 2 seconds or longer within a 4-hour period." At that point, the researchers measured her follicle size.
The follicle sizes of the cows that exhibited a natural heat varied just as much as those of cows induced to ovulate. However, it appears that if the follicle is capable of ovulating naturally, it doesn't matter what size it is. A cow in standing estrus with an 11-mm follicle has the same chance of becoming pregnant and maintaining the pregnancy as a cow with a 16-mm follicle. Follicle size seems to affect fertility only if cows are induced to ovulate.
The Bigger Picture
Although follicle size isn't quite the fertility indicator the researchers thought, the information they gathered may still benefit U.S. beef producers and help them manage herds more efficiently.
Geary explains, "Currently, less than 6 percent of U.S. beef cows are artificially inseminated because of the cost associated with detecting when a cow is in heat. But scientists in industry and academia continue to look for more effective ways of inducing ovulation, so producers won't need to dedicate valuable resources to heat detection."
"Our follicle research will help us focus on where problems are occurring with current estrus synchronization and artificial insemination protocols," adds Perry.
Ultimately, such protocols will allow cattle producers to inseminate a large number of animals at once with genetically superior germplasm and simplify the management of pregnant animals.—By Amy Spillman, formerly with ARS.
This research is part of Food Animal Production, an ARS National Program (#101) described on the World Wide Web at www.nps.ars.usda.gov.
Thomas W. Geary is with the USDA-ARS Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory, 243 Fort Keogh Rd., Miles City, MT 59301; phone (406) 232-8215, fax (406) 232-8209.
"Can Egg Follicle Size Indicate Cow Fertility?" was published in the April 2003 issue of Agricultural Research magazine. | <urn:uuid:b1ec2370-8c8b-4bdc-98fa-d8a28906f2c1> | CC-MAIN-2017-22 | https://agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/2003/apr/cow | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-22/segments/1495463607846.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20170524131951-20170524151951-00255.warc.gz | en | 0.952509 | 1,556 | 3.734375 | 4 |
Scientists from Trinity College Dublin have uncovered a new class of compounds glyconaphthalimides that can be used to target cancer cells with greater specificity than current options allow. The study was published in the journal Chemical Communications.
Cervical cancer cells show green fluorescence from enzyme-activated compound.
Credit: Eoin Scanlan, Trinity College Dublin.
Cancer is difficult to treat, and many current therapies are unable to specifically target cancer cells. This is problematic for medical professionals and patients, because it limits the dose of the drug that can be safely administered, and often causes severe and debilitating side-effects.
But the Trinity scientists have now demonstrated that a class of naturally occurring enzymes glycosidases that are heavily overexpressed in tumor tissue can be used to trigger the release of therapeutic payloads only in the local tumor sites where they are needed.
This finding may therefore result in the development of improved targeted cancer therapies with significantly reduced side-effects for patients.
In addition to killing cancer cells, the technology may also be used to image cancer cells, with potential applications in cancer imaging and diagnosis.
Associate Professor in Chemistry at Trinity, Eoin Scanlan, led the multidisciplinary group. He said: “This is a really exciting discovery because it brings us closer to more targeted treatment of cancer. Some current therapies are limited due to the toxicity of the compounds, but our compounds are completely inactive until they are released by the enzymes that are naturally overexpressed at the tumour site. The active compound is then rapidly taken up by cancer cells.”
“Our next steps will be to apply this technology to release specific anti-cancer drugs and to test it against a range of different cancer types.”
Citation: Calatrava-Pérez, Elena, Sandra A. Bright, Stefan Achermann, Claire Moylan, Mathias O. Senge, Emma B. Veale, D. Clive Williams, Thorfinnur Gunnlaugsson, and Eoin M. Scanlan. “Glycosidase activated release of fluorescent 1, 8-naphthalimide probes for tumor cell imaging from glycosylated ‘pro-probes’.” Chemical Communications 52, no. 89 (2016): 13086-13089.
Research funding: Science Foundation Ireland.
Adapted from press release by Trinity College Dublin. | <urn:uuid:8d53a95f-e982-4bd2-8097-e7fe2203e218> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://medicalnewsobserver.com/2016/12/12/new-approach-to-targeted-cancer-treatment-and-imaging-by-utilizing-glycosidase-activation-of-glyconaphthalimides/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370493684.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20200329015008-20200329045008-00095.warc.gz | en | 0.916349 | 495 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Every year in the U.S. billions of dollars are spent to produce and purchase plastic bags. Although recycling is an option it is rarely done and the cost of doing so is very high, making it inefficient. Most of the bags that consumers use end up in landfills, and for those that don’t make it into landfills, they are often accidentally ingested by land and marine animals that have mistaken them for food. Plastic bags do not biodegrade, meaning that they break down into toxic bits that never dissolve. Those particles then pollute the soil and water supply and eventually end up in our food. The production of plastic bags uses resources that increase our dependency on foreign suppliers; it takes 430,000 gallons of oil to manufacture 100 million bags. In states such as Oregon, California, and North Carolina, select cities have banned the use of plastic bags. Paper bags are offered, and a tax has been placed on their use, and the use of reusable shopping bags is promoted. Carbondale is one of the largest cities in Southern Illinois; by eliminating the use of plastic bags in this area the beneficial impact on the environment and the reduction of litter in the city would be substantial. | <urn:uuid:47273926-97e2-4d7a-95c4-9b433857a155> | CC-MAIN-2014-15 | http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/sustainablesouthernillinois-banbags | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-15/segments/1397609530131.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20140416005210-00016-ip-10-147-4-33.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965448 | 244 | 3.28125 | 3 |
History Of Turkey
The history of Turkey is so long and eventful that one could fill several volumes with it and still leave things out. It is a history that goes back several millennia.
At first Asia Minor was a region through which nomadic tribes passed on their way between Europe and Asia. These migrations often lasted several decades, and the people encamped on the way to help them survive periods of cold or famine. Sometimes a tribe would grow tired of wandering and settle down permanently.
The earliest signs of civilisation here go back to the sixth millennium BC, when Anatolia, Egypt and Mesopotamia appear to have formed a single cultural unit. Not without reason has it been claimed that Asia Minor was the cradle of human civilisation.
It is generally accepted that the coasts of Asia Minor were fully settled by 2500 BC, when an Indo-Europeafl people called the Hittites came south across the Caucasus from Russia. They came in several waves,and colonised the central plateau of Anatolia. A Hittite empire was founded under Labarnas, which first began to flourish in about 1500 BC.The Hittite capital of Hattusa was about 200km east of Ankara on the site known today as Bogazkale.
A number of Hittite tablets were discovered both at Bogazkaie and at Kultepe near Kayseri. But it was not until relatively recently that experts first managed to read them, having at last found a means of deciphering the hieroglyphic script. Thus they were able to explain some of the secrets that surround this mysterious civilisation.
The Hittites reached their greatest period of expansion during the thirteenth century BC, when they overcame the Achaeans in the west and even managed to subjugate the Egyptians under Rameses II. For 80 years.they were the undisputed rulers of the whole of the Near East.
It is difficult to appreciate the suddenness of their demise in about 1200 BC, when Asia Minor was overrun by Asiatic tribes. They conquered the Hittite capital at Hattusa, and went on to take Troy, which by now had become an important city-state.
There are no records of the period that followed these wars until the eighth century BC, when an empire was created in eastern Anatolia in the area around Lake Van. The Assyrians to the south called it Urartu, while in the Bible it is known as Ararat. By 600 BC it too had disappeared from the scene, though it left a valuable archaeological legacy, including fortifications and cave remains, strange stone statues and a number of written records.
Asia Minor was soon carved Lip into a patchwork of different peoples and races. Power was divided among the Phrygians, the Cimmerians, the Scythians, the Lydians, the Assyrians, the Persians and the Greeks. it was the period when the Greeks flourished in Asia Minor, founding great cities such as Miletus and Ephesus.
However, nothing could stop the inexorable advance of the Persians. Under Cyrus II they overthrew Croesus,the rich king of the Lydians, and in 513 BC Darius I crossed the Bosporus into Europe. The Greek cities along the coast of Asia Minor resisted fiercely, and for decades fought the Persians in the bitterest of struggles. But the war came to an end with the fall of Miletus in 494 BC.
The outcome in Europe was different: in 490 BC the Greeks beat the Persians in the battle of Marathon, and in 480 BC achieved an even greater victory by wiping out the Persian fleet in the bay of Salamis. But in spite of these defeats the Persians retained power in Asia Minor.
The situation remained much the same until 334 BC, when Alexander the Great crossed into Asia Minor with 35,000 soldiers, re-conquered Ephesus and Miletus, and went on to capture all the great cities of the Persian empire. It was Alexander who began the Hellenisation of Asia Minor. He first cut the famous Gordian knot at Gordium, and in 333 BC beat Darius Ill at lssus near the present-day town of Antakya in southern Turkey. He was eventually able to make Babylon the capital of his empire.
After Alexander's death his empire was divided among his successors. In 278 BC the Celts crossed the Bosporus and settled in Anatolia. They called themselves the Galatians — the name which is given to them in the Bible. But the wars did not end there. Rulers came and went, and one race after another gained ascendancy, so that by the time of Christ, Asia Minor was a melting pot of different peoples and races.
For a while Pergamum expanded its influence. But in 201 BC the Romans arrived. They began to conquer Asia Minor, creating the Roman province of Asia. These new masters showed no mercy towards the Greeks and other inhabitants, and there was a series of bloody rebellions; in 88 BC 80,000 Romans were killed. Almost all the important Roman generals achieved their first victories in Asia Minor, including Pompey, Lucullus, Crassus and Julius Caesar.
In AD 47 the apostle Paul began his missionary journeys through Asia Minor. In Ephesus he waged a war of words against the cult of Diana; he preached fiery sermons in the temple, which stands to this day. He is also supposed to have founded a small Christian community in the valley of Göreme. At Ephesus he was imprisoned on a pointed rock which is still to be seen between the city ruins and the sea.
During the first century AD, Asia Minor became increasingly important as the breadbasket of the Roman empire. Then on 11 May AD 330, Emperor Constantine moved his capital from Rome to Byzantium (on the site of present-day Istanbul), which was renamed Constantinople.
Peace did not, however, last for much longer. The Visigoths were moving down into the Balkans from the north, while to the east the Persians were advancing across the plateau of Anatolia. In AD 476, while the Romans were fully occupied in warding off the Persians and the Huns on the eastern front, the city of Rome was captured by Germanic invaders. Thus ended the history of the western Roman empire.
Meanwhile the Byzantine empire continued to flourish, reaching a climax under Justiniafl I (AD 527-65). It was during this period that Hagia Sophia was built. But the Persians continued to make war, and took over Antioch (Antakya) in the south. In 548 the Slays advanced towards Constantinople, and had to be bought off by Justinian at considerable cost.
In 622 the Persians were beaten back from Constantinople, and were finally routed near Nineveh. The Byzantine empire flourished again. The advancing Arabs were kept at bay, and around AD 800 Constantinople went through a period of cultural and economic expansion.
The Arabs made repeated attacks on Constantinople, which at the time was the best-fortified city in the known world. It repelled all these attacks and remained a bulwark of Christendom against the Moslem invasion of Europe. The Arabs did, however, conquer large areas of Anatolia. And it was during this period that a number of Armenian Christians fled into the strange mountains around Goreme and Urgup to escape the ravages of fanatical Moslems.
The first Turks had begun to move into Asia Minor about 200 years earlier. These were a group known as the Seljuks who originally came from central Asia. From AD 400-600 they remained in the area of Turkestan and Afghanistan. But then they began a great westward migration, the reason for which has yet to be explained. The Seljuks were a bloodthirsty race and were well known as outstanding warriors. It is no coincidence that Arab princes recruited their bodyguards from among their Turkish prisoners of war.
In 1071 the Seljuks under Alp Arslan routed the Byzantine army in the trackless wilderness around Manzikert (present-day Malarzgirt), not far from Lake Van. This opened up the route to the west, and the Seljuks advanced across Anatolia. They conquered Erzurum, Sebastea (Sivas), lconium (Konya) and Trebizond (Trabzon). They even captured the former Greek (now Byzantine) cities along the Aegean coast, and built a fortification near Chalcedon (now Kadýköy) opposite Constantinople. Throughout Asia Minor Christianity gave way to Islam.
While the Seljuks prepared to attack Constantinople, the Mongols began to invade Anatolia from the east. In 1243 they routed the Seljuks at Konya, and took over what had by now become a centre of Islam. The Seljuk empire fell apart into thirty petty principalities under general Mongol domination. It was also during this period that a famous singer and religious philosopher called JeIâl ed-Din Rümi founded the order of the whirling dervishes'.
One of these petty principalities was centred around Bursa and was ruled by the Ottoman dynasty. The Ottomans gradually increased their sphere of influence until Osman I (1290-1326) gained sovereignty over the whole of western Asia Minor. The Ottomans captured one Byzantine fort after another, and what they could not get by force they established a claim to by clever marriages of convenience.
In 1354, Suleyman crossed the Dardanelles near Troy, and began to advance into Europe. Constantinople was soon surrounded, and the Ottomans moved their capital from Bursa to Edirne (Adrianople). They were now fighting on two fronts. In Europe they overcame the Serbs at kosovo, where their leader Sultan Murad I fell on the battlefield together with thousands of Christians and Moslems. In the east the Ottomans advanced on Ankara, capturing it from the Mongols in 1402.
For decades they continued to batter Constantinople. One only has to look at the city’s massive walls today to understand why the Turks took so long to capture this eastern bulwark of Christendom. It was another 50 years before they finally succeeded. In the meantime Constantinople was gradually sapped of its strength, lacking a hinterland from which it could renew its forces. On 29 May 1453 it finally fell to the Turks.
The ruler at the time was Sultan Mehmed II The Conqueror’. He brought all his forces together and besieged the city for 2 months. Emperor Constantine Xl stood on the battlements himself and wielded his sword to defend them. But he was felled by a poisoned arrow from the Turkish lines. His death weakened the morale of his troops. The Turks climbed up over the walls, opened the gates from inside, and butchered everyone in sight with their scimitars. They ransacked and plundered the city, destroying many priceless treasures. After a few days Mehmed II gathered his troops and began to rebuild the city.
The fall of Constantinople marked the end of the Byzantine empire. The city was renamed Istanbul, and soon became the capital of the Ottoman empire. To this day it remains the religious centre of Islam in Turkey. As a visible sign of the victory of Islam over Christianity, Hagia Sophia was turned from a church into a mosque. All the Christian paintings were whitewashed over, and four great tablets were hung in the inner chamber bearing the names of the prophet Mohammed and his successors.
The Turks finally managed to free Asia Minor from Mongol control. Selim 1(1512-20) drove them right out of the Near East, and also forced the Arabs to retreat. Egypt, Syria and Mesopotamia came under Turkish domination. Suleyman II ‘The Great’ (1520-66) extended the empire north-westwards. He overran Belgrade, advanced through Hungary and by 1529 was encamped near Vienna. He was the most powerful Ottoman ruler, with an empire stretching from Vienna to Baghdad and from the Adriatic to the Black Sea.
All this was achieved at the cost of many thousands of lives. Thousands more languished in Turkish dungeons; and even the rulers themselves paid with their lives, for none of them died natural deaths. If they did not die in battle, they were poisoned, strangled or stabbed. These crimes were instigated by close colleagues, often by the rulers’ own favourite concubines. Even the rulers sons were often secretly killed to make way for more favoured heirs. No wonder the sultans later hid their crown princes in a monastery on the so-called Princes’ Islands in the Sea of Marmara, to protect them from potential assassins until the time came for them to take over the reins of power. All this political intrigue in the Topkapi (sultan’s palace) weakened the empire from the inside. Quite apart from that, the peoples they had conquered allied themselves with the French,the English, the Hapsburgs in Austria and the powerful city-state of Venice.
In 1683 the Turks made a final sweep through Europe, and for 2 months laid siege to Vienna. The Viennese were about to capitulate when relief forces arrived led by Charles of Lorraine a John Sobieski of Poland. The Turks put up a fierce struggle, but the anger of the Christian cavalry proved too much for them. In the terrible carnage which followed the imperial armies held their ground and the Turks were quickly dispersed. They fled in haste, leaving behind hundreds of sacks of coffee. This is supposed to have been what started coffee drinking in Europel
In 1697 Prince Eugene’s troops inflicted a severe blow on the Turks at Zenta. After that the Balkan peoples rose up against their Turkish oppressors, who were being gradually squeezed out of south-eastern Europe. In 1787 the Russians declared war on them, and in 1792 forced them to sign the Treaty of Jassy. In 1798 the young Napoleon Bonaparte attacked the Turks in Egypt. In the meantime murder and intrigue continued in the Topkapi.
The sultans and their rivals spared no one, least of all each other, in their struggles for power. Patricide and fratricide were the order of the day. In 1807 Chief Sultan Selim Ill was hanged on the orders of Mustafa IV, which sparked off rebellions throughout the empire. Only a year later Mustata himself was overthrown.Under Mahmud II there was a brief period of internal reform in which the army was reorganised under the leadership of German officers such as Helmut von Moltke. But the carnage continued.
In 1811 Sultan Mehmed All got rid of the rebellious Mameluke princes at a party in Cairo. Rulers who avoided drinnking poison risked being stabbed to death. The sultans also had problems controlling the janizaries — the Ottomans elite troops — so much so that they abolished them in 1826.
In the meantime the empire was falling apart. Enemies stood ready to attack on all borders — the Russians in the north, the Serbs and Greeks in the west. The Turkish Mediterranean fleet was wiped out by the combined forces of Britain, France and Russia. The Syrians invaded from the south and captured Konya. The British reached the Dardanelles and the Russians cut off Istanbul. In 1895 there was a plan to divide up Turkey, which was only prevented by German intervention.
1900 saw the rise of the so-called Young Turk reformers, who opposed the regime of the sultans. Their intention was to create a new Turkish state free of corruption and despotism. Some bloody conflicts ensued; the Young Turks suffered vigorous persecution, but retaliated with a concerted guerrilla campaign. In Adana, for example, they beheaded a whole series of government officials. People in Europe talked of the sick man of the Bosporus’.
In 1914 the outbreak of World War I put an end to the Young Turk reforms. Turkey fought on the side of Germany, and at first enjoyed considerable success. The British and the French suffered crushing defeats in the Dardanelles and around Gallipoli (Gelibolu). But the Russians proved more successful; they came in through Armenia and captured Trabzon (Trebizond), Erzurum and Bitlis in the east.
The turning point came in 1916, when the Arabs declared their independence and prepared to attack Turkey. In 1917, with the help of the British, they captured Baghdad and began to advance northwards through Mesopotamia. Colonel T. E. Lawrence joined the Arab nomads and led them in fighting the Turks in the desert.
1918 saw the death of the Turkish leader Mehmed V. He was succeeded by his brother Mehmed VI, who reigned 4 years and was the last of the Turkish sultans. By autumn the Palestinian front had collapsed; on 30 October the sultan requested a ceasefire and opened up the Dardanelles and the Bosporus. The Allied warships advanced on Istanbul and anchored in the Golden Horn, as if to set the seal on their victory.
But this was not the end of the war. Istanbul remained under Allied control; the Arab territories were occupied by the British and French; the Italians landed at Antalya and took over southwest Anatolia; the Greeks occupied Bursa and lzmir (Smyrna).
Rebels in Anatolia began a nationalist campaign against the foreign occupying forces and the Turkish government in Istanbul. The Grand Vizier sent out General Mustafa Kemal to quell this resistance, but the general changed sides and proclaimed himself the nationalist leader. He convened conferences at Erzurum and Sivas to discuss Turkish sovereignty. Then in 1920 an alternative government was elected by a nationalist assembly at Ankara, which rejected the humiliating conditions imposed on the Turks by the Treaty of Sèvres.
The sultan in Istanbul condemned Kemal to death as a traitor, but Kemal began his own negotiations with the occupying forces. In 1921 the Italians withdrew from Anatolia, the French from Cicilia and the Russians from Batumi.
Only the Greeks refused to negotiate, having plans for a new Hellenistic empire. This resulted in war. The Greeks advanced into Anatolia, but in 1922 were repulsed by the nationalists at the River Sakarya. The nationalists pushed them back towards the coast and eventually captured Bursa and lzmir, driving the Greeks out of Asia Minor altogether. In November 1922 the Turkish nationalists delivered the decisive blow to the sultan’s regime, and M.ustafa Kemal announced the end of the sultanate. The nationalists surrounded the Topkapi; Meh med VI fled to the harbour through a secret subterranean passage, and managed to escape on a British ship.
Kemal made Ankara his capital and negotiated with the Allies for peace; the Treaty of Lausanne reversed the harsh requirements imposed by the Treaty ot Sèvres. In 1923 Turkey was declared a republic and the Allies withdrew altogether. In 1924 all the remaining members of the Ottoman dynasty were forced into exile. Mustafa Kemal-Pasa became the country’s first president and adopted the name Atatürk or Father of the Turks’.
His comrade-at-arms met Inönü became the first prime minister.In 1927 AtatUrk was re-elected president, and .embarked on a programme of sweeping reforms designed to bring Turkey into line with twentieth-century Europe. He introduced the Gregorian calendar and the 7-day week, with Sunday as the statutory rest day. He banned polygamy, granting women the vote and professional equality with men. He reformed the legal system, modelling it on the Italian, Swiss and German codes of law. The fez was replaced by the more practical European hat. Since 1928 Turkish has been written in Roman instead of in Arabic characters. All Turks are now obliged to adopt a surname and to send their children to scholl.
The Turkish capital of Ankara was previously only a small town on the arid steppes of central Anatolia. But thanks to Atatürk it has now become a large modern city full of skyscrapers and parks laid out with lakes and fountains.
Islam is no longer the state religion — a reform that understandably met with much opposition all over the country. The religious leaders have never forgiven Atatürk for disestablishing Islam. Istanbul was the main centre of Moslem resistance; the ‘whirling dervishes’ also tried to prevent reform by committing acts of terrorism and stirring up discontent among the people. But Ataturk was not to be deterred.
In 1925 and 1930 the Kurds in the eastern mountains staged a rebellion. On each occasion Atatürk retaliated with a bloody purge a vicious act of revenge, designed to deter any further opposition to his regime.
From 1930 onwards Atatürk entered into pacts of friendship with other countries, including Greece, Rumania, Bulgaria, Percia, Iraq and Afghanistan. His successor Ismet Inönü continued this policy by making pacts with Britain (1939),France (1941) and Germany.
Atatürk died on 10 November 1938 aged 57. Turkey had lost a national hero. Mustafa Kemal-Pasa had had a mausoleum built for himself on a hill overlooking Ankara, and this became the scene of some considerable drama. For weeks men and women filed past him in tears to pay their last respects. Nomads came from all over the country — from the Black Sea coast and the saltmarshes of Konya to the lonely eastern fastnesses around Lake Van. They revered him like a god, and yet few understood the reforms he had made. Turkey is still full of reminders of AtatUrk, the most important figure in modern Turkish history. He is represented in massive portraits, statues and illuminated pictures in cities all over Turkey.
Turkey remained neutral during most of World War It, and did not declare war on Germany until 25 February 1945. By this time it was of little significance, since both Germany and Japan were well on the road to defeat. Turkey’s reason for declaring war was to make its position stronger in relation to Russia, which was trying to gain a foothold in the Turkish straits. Turkey sought the protection of the western powers, and was one of the first countries to join the NATO pact.
In 1950 President lmet lnönü was replaced by Celal Bayar, who was re-elected for a third term in 1957. 1960 was a year of internal political crisis. On 28 April students demonstrated in the streets, and there were some bloody clashes with the police.Martial law was declared in the two university cities of Ankara and Istanbul.
On 27 May 1960 the army took over. They ousted the civilian government and placed their commander-in-chief General Cemal GÜRSEL in charge. Over 6,000 officers were arrested, together with the President Celal Bayar, Prime Minister Mendeces and his Cabinet.
At a mass trial in 1961, fifteen people were condemned to death and thirty-one to life imprisonment. Celal BAYAR, the once celebrated president, was committed to gaol for life, but was pardoned a year later. Prime Minister Menderes was hanged together with his foreign minister Zorlu and his finance minister Polatkan. The other twelve death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.
In 1961 a new constitution was declared, and Turkey became a parliamentary republic.The internal political situation improved for some years.
In 1971 things became difficult again when some American soldiers were abducted by terrorists and the Israeli ambassador was kidnapped and murdered. In 1972 the army placed guards on all public buildings such as post offices, ministries, banks, airports, stations etc. Regimes came and went in close succession. The country has since returned to parliamentary democracy, albeit with the support of the military.
But tourists will notice little of the country’s present political unrest, except perhaps the army presence in the streets. The army has become extremely vigilant in its eagerness to nip any rebellion in the bud. | <urn:uuid:dbbfe0b8-7718-4cb2-b4ea-bd87ef66ad25> | CC-MAIN-2018-39 | http://ertanalpay.tripod.com/history.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-39/segments/1537267160085.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20180924011731-20180924032131-00249.warc.gz | en | 0.976124 | 5,030 | 3.71875 | 4 |
Despite its colorful reputation for scandals and corruption, Louisiana is not home to America's "Secret City." That honor goes to Oak Ridge, Tennessee -- although not for the aforementioned reasons. In an era of instantaneous information, it's difficult to imagine the U.S. government being able to keep the existence of an entire city a secret.
NOLA Travel: Visit to America's Secret City - Oak Ridge, TN
But 70 years ago, that's exactly what happened. It was a time of unquestioning patriotism. What the government wanted, it got. And what the government wanted in 1942 was the atomic bomb. We were at war, and it was feared that our enemies would develop the bomb first.
The government needed a secret site to build a facility to enrich uranium for the weapon, and the hills of Eastern Tennessee were deemed the perfect location. Problem was, parts of the area were already occupied: four rural communities were spread throughout its hills. Virtually overnight, more than 3,000 people were ordered to move from their homes -- with surprisingly little public protest from the evictees -- and construction began immediately on a new, secret city on the 59,000-acre tract in the Black Oak Ridge Valley. That city came to be called Oak Ridge.
"We are a city that wasn't on any maps until the 1950s," according to Lissa Clark, of the American Museum of Science & Energy in Oak Ridge. The top-secret city of Oak Ridge was one of three primary locations for the Manhattan Project (others were Los Alamos, New Mexico and Hanford, Washington). During World War II, over 75,000 residents lived there, making it Tennessee's fifth-largest city. In addition to three main production plants (named Y-12, K-25, and X-10), authorities built nearly 10,000 homes and apartments, as well as dormitories, trailers, and military barracks used for housing. Most employees of the facility didn't know what was going on there -- just that they were helping in the war effort.
Today, Oak Ridge is obviously no longer a secret. The city's population is just under 30,000; it could be considered a bedroom community for Knoxville as it's just a 30-minute drive away. The U.S. Department of Energy operates the Oak Ridge National Laboratory there, parts of which are open for public tours. The American Museum of Science & Energy offers a comprehensive look at the history of Oak Ridge and the Manhattan Project, as well as displays on nuclear energy (the museum is owned by the U.S. Department of Energy, and is part of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory) but it is also a Smithsonian affiliate. It's worth a stop, especially if you're in Eastern Tennessee. The museum's exhibits offer a look at what America was like before the "information age," at a time when government secrets were accepted without question, a time when "loose lips sink ships."
FOR MORE INFORMATION: AMSE-American Museum of Science & Energy 300 South Tulane Ave. Oak Ridge, TN 37830 (865) 576-3200 www.amse.org
Oak Ridge, TN Tourism: http://www.oakridgevisitor.com/
Tennessee Tourism: http://www.tnvacation.com/
Glen Abbott is a New Orleans-based freelance travel writer/photographer. Visit his blog at www.TravelinGringo.com. | <urn:uuid:66a99757-2488-45f0-8a6b-04ec39227593> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://www.nola.com/nolavie/index.ssf/2012/06/nola_travel_visit_to_americas.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988718309.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183838-00454-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970767 | 710 | 3.1875 | 3 |
Ticks are tiny parasites that when they bite a dog, can transmit diseases such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and many other potentially fatal diseases to the animal. Ticks are found in high concentrations in deciduous forests, grasslands and overgrown pastures, just the places where you would go for a walk with your K9 friend. These parasites require host animals to complete their life cycle and utilize wildlife such as white-tail deer and wild turkeys for this purpose. Wild turkeys were reintroduced around the Guelph area a few years ago and their population has grown dramatically since then. It is not uncommon to see them feeding in the fields and at the edges of the forests in the area. In addition, the restoration of wetlands and the decreased use of pesticides outdoors has contributed to an increase in the tick population. All of the above, in addition to a warming climate have seen tick populations moving farther north (out of the United States and into southern Canada) and closer to urban areas.
Safe tick removal from your dog is not difficult and it is best to check your pet, especially in the spring and fall when ticks are very active, if you and your pet spend time outdoors in wooded areas or tall grass that may be tick-infested.
* Use latex exam gloves when you examine your dog for ticks and do this in an area with good lighting.
* Check your pet for ticks by thoroughly feeling for any lumps under the hair and pay close attention to the area around the ears, face, eyes, legs and belly.
* Ticks can range in size from the size of a sesame seed to the size of a fingernail (when it has had a blood meal).
* When a tick is embedded in the skin, use fine-point tweezers at the point of attachment, grasping it firmly as close as possible to the skin. Wear latex gloves when doing this.
* Using slow, steady and firm traction, pull the tick straight out from the skin.
* Cleanse the skin with mild soap and water.
* NOTE: DON’T THROW THE TICK AWAY! Place the tick in a jar of alcohol, and on the jar note the date when the tick was removed and possibly location of where the tick may have been picked up. This is very important in case in the future, your dog becomes ill as it helps in illness/tick identification and the possible location of tick infestation.
* Do not use a match or caustic materials to try to smother the tick or get it to “back out”. This may cause the tick to regurgitate more saliva into the dogs skin and result in making the dog sicker.
If you are unsure of your ability to remove the tick from your pet, or had problems when you were removing the tick, bring your pet to your veterinarian as soon as possibly for removal and/or treatment. | <urn:uuid:9bca5010-91d1-44d6-b1df-fe754d2d3ee9> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://silvercreekanimalhospital.ca/dogs-and-ticks/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224649293.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20230603133129-20230603163129-00301.warc.gz | en | 0.960883 | 601 | 3.265625 | 3 |
Sites in Reuse in Mississippi
Davis Timber Company
The 30-acre Davis Timber Company Superfund site is located outside of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The site includes the area where Davis Timber Company operated a wood preserving facility from 1972 until the late 1980s. Site operators discharged contaminated wastewater into an on-site storage pond. The property owner reportedly backfilled and capped the pond in 1980. Site investigations found contamination in on-site soil and sediment. In 1987, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality issued a fish consumption ban on waters near the site. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 2000. In 2009, EPA issued a cleanup plan. Cleanup activities include excavating and disposing of contaminated soil and sediment, controlling surface water flow at the site, placing land use restrictions to limit future land uses, and establishing a long-term monitoring program. EPA began cleanup activities in 2011. The agency capped a 3-acre portion of the site to permanently contain contaminated materials. EPA completed cleanup activities in September 2012, two months ahead of schedule and $400,000 under budget. The site owner donated a 3-acre portion of the site for use as a community center and polling location. The rest of the site is currently home to the Hub City Humane Society animal shelter. The shelter has eight mobile units for animals housing and educational programs. The organization plans to implement a wide range of community-oriented programs, especially for disadvantaged children and children with disabilities. The Humane Society is also working to introduce a shelter for abused horses and to expand their on-site facilities.
For more information:
- 2013 Return to Use Demonstration Project (PDF) (2 pp, 984K, About PDF)
- Davis Timber Reuse Success Story (PDF) (1 pg, 201K, About PDF)
- CERCLIS Superfund Site Profile
The 225-acre Flowood site is located in the wetlands and lowlands area of the Pearl River floodplain in an industrial area of Flowood, Mississippi. Over the last 60 years, two manufacturing facilities operated on the site, changing owners and operations several times. For over 20 years, plant operators discharged polluted wastewater into a nearby canal without a state permit. The state asked EPA to study the area, and the Agency found high levels of lead in the canal water, sludge and soils. In 1984, EPA listed the site on the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). EPA worked with the state and the facility owners to remove contaminated soil and monitor the ground water. The cleanup and improved disposal practices protected area residents and nearby ecological resources while enabling industrial facilities to continue to operate, retaining jobs and income in the community. Following cleanup activities, EPA deleted the site from the NPL in 1996. The Stone Container Corporation purchased the northernmost site facility 1983 and operates there today, manufacturing corrugated boxes. A private individual took over the southernmost facility for use as storage space in October 2003 and the United Gas Pipe Line Company currently owns the southwest portion of the site.
For more information: | <urn:uuid:01b51719-92aa-41a7-a78d-f3acfd6b07ae> | CC-MAIN-2014-41 | http://www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle/live/region4_ms.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-41/segments/1410657135080.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20140914011215-00149-ip-10-234-18-248.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928801 | 624 | 2.65625 | 3 |
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