text stringlengths 222 548k | id stringlengths 47 47 | dump stringclasses 95 values | url stringlengths 14 1.08k | file_path stringlengths 110 155 | language stringclasses 1 value | language_score float64 0.65 1 | token_count int64 53 113k | score float64 2.52 5.03 | int_score int64 3 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MONDAY, Dec. 28, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- There's the old joke that some people can't walk and chew gum at the same time. But for many, walking while texting or talking is a dangerous practice.
Distracted walking puts an increasing number of Americans at risk for injury, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
"Today, the dangers of the 'digital deadwalker' are growing with more and more pedestrians falling down stairs, tripping over curbs, bumping into other walkers, or stepping into traffic, causing a rising number of injuries -- from scrapes and bruises to sprains and fractures," said academy spokesman Dr. Alan Hilibrand. He is an orthopedic surgeon with Jefferson University Hospitals in the Philadelphia area.
An academy survey conducted recently of thousands of people nationwide found that nearly 40 percent said they have seen a distracted walking incident. A little more than one-quarter said they had been in an incident themselves.
Women 55 and older are most likely to suffer serious injuries because of distracted walking, the survey found. Those aged 18 to 34 are less likely to be injured, even though they reported higher rates of distracted walking incidents.
These younger adults are more likely to text, listen to music or talk on the phone while traveling on foot, the survey found.
"The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons urges pedestrians to avoid musculoskeletal and other injuries by engaging with their surroundings -- drivers, bikers, other walkers and obstacles," Hilibrand said in an academy news release.
Overall, 78 percent of respondents said distracted walking is a serous issue.
But usually it's someone's else's problem. While about three-quarters of respondents said other people are usually or always walking while distracted, only 29 percent said the same about themselves.
So why do pedestrians multitask in the first place? Nearly half of survey participants said they don't think about it. Twenty-eight percent said they believe they can walk and do other things at the same time, and 22 percent said they are busy and want to use their time productively.
"Many of us simply need to force ourselves to set down our devices and focus on what's in front of and around us. This will ensure that we safely arrive at our destination, during this busy holiday season and throughout the year," Hilibrand said.
Between 2004 and 2010, emergency department visits for injuries involving distracted pedestrians using cell phones more than doubled, according to a 2013 study published in the journal Accident, Analysis & Prevention.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about pedestrian safety. | <urn:uuid:a2fcb34c-48d2-4703-a186-0d79e0624cef> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://consumer.healthday.com/health-technology-information-18/cellphone-health-news-729/watch-out-for-distracted-walkers-705832.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510941.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20231001205332-20231001235332-00533.warc.gz | en | 0.961832 | 551 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Sélecteur de langues
Brussels, 28 October 2009
A better functioning food supply chain in Europe
What is the objective?
In this Communication, the European Commission proposes concrete actions at Member States and Community levels aiming at improving the functioning of the food supply chain in Europe.
The central objective is to ensure that consumers pay the right price for food and that actors in the chain – be they farmers, food producers and distributors, get the right compensation for their activity.
Why is this important?
How the food supply chain works is important for all European citizens since it impacts the safety, quality and price of food products. On average, European households spend 16% of their budget on food, making it one of their biggest expenditures.
The food supply chain is also important for the European economy since it connects three large sectors – agricultural, food processing industry and distribution – that together make more than 7% of European employment.
Improving the functioning of the food supply chain can thus have positive consequences for citizens, through better food at cheaper prices, and for companies active in this field, through higher growth and employment.
What is the problem today?
At present, food prices for consumers react only partially to changes in prices of agricultural products. A good example is that prices of food have remained rather high over the past year while at the same time the prices of agricultural products were plummeting.
To some extent, it is normal that food prices for consumers and agricultural products do not evolve exactly in the same ways because there is a lot more in a food product than just the raw agricultural commodity (such as the costs of energy to transport it to shops or costs of labour to transform it into ready-to-eat food).
However, since 2007 the situation has worsened because food consumer prices appeared to increase when agricultural commodity prices increase but not to decrease as much when commodity prices decrease.
Another important problem in the food supply chain is that relationships between the different actors are sometimes conflicting. A specificity of the food supply in Europe is that it includes very different economic actors: farmers, either independent or in cooperatives, food producers, either SMEs or large international groups and distributors, either small cornershops or supermarkets chains.
This means that very often, when doing business and signing a contract, there is an asymmetry of bargaining power between the actors: for one actor, it is just another contract, for the other it is a very important contract. The most powerful actor will thus be in a good position to ask for ever better prices and conditions. If this is 'business-as-usual' in most cases, it can also lead to unfair practices, such as late payments, unilateral changes in delivery date and quantity or unilateral changes in prices. If such practices occur too frequently, this can negatively affect the long term performance of all actors of the chain.
What are the actions?
The Commission considers that improving the relationships between the actors of the chain will contribute to a better functioning food supply chain.
Freedom of contracts is a very important principle of the EU internal market; so the Commission is not looking at intervening directly in the contractual relations between two economic actors.
However, it will work with Member States to better identify unfair contractual practices in order to better understand the problem. It also proposes, together with the Member States, to launch awareness campaigns to better inform the economic actors on the unfair contractual practices. Too often, the smallest actors don't know their rights. Last, a very important point is to help actors report potential abuses. It is often difficult for an actor with little bargaining power to complain about a contract because he fears he will lose it altogether.
The Commission also proposes to draft standard contracts with stakeholders from the different sectors. These contracts will serve as reference points, and would be used on a voluntary basis.
The Commission will also contribute to increase the transparency on prices in the food supply chain. It has set up a , available to the public, which will enable to follow price developments of food at each step of the chain. It will then be easier to identify, for example, when the food consumer prices do not decrease fast enough.
Another important action proposed by the Commission is to develop services for comparing prices between the different retail outlets. This can be very useful for European citizens since it can help them to better identify the price differences between retailers and to better choose where they want to shop. The Commission has proposed that all Member States have such price comparison services.
The Commission also plans to increase the oversight of agricultural commodity derivatives markets. This will contribute to contain speculation and volatility in these markets and ultimately benefit all actors of the chain.
Last the Commission will work to further facilitate cross-border trade of food products. This is important because it will increase competition within the European internal market, ultimately leading to better prices and wider choice of food products for the European citizens.
What are the next steps?
Issues affecting the food supply chain are incredibly complex and wide-ranging. The Commission will need the support of Member States and of all the actors of the chain in order to put forward its proposals.
This is why the Commission will broaden the membership of the existing High Level Group on the competitiveness of the agro-food industry to create a forum including all stakeholders of the chain in order to discuss how these proposals can be implemented.
The full text of the Communication is available at: | <urn:uuid:a46c1183-4064-467a-a4c1-ab6e0bb22890> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-09-483_en.htm?locale=fr | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701370254/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104930-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954909 | 1,098 | 2.875 | 3 |
Soy isoflavones and peptides may inhibit the growth of microbial pathogens that cause food-borne illnesses, according to a new study from University of Guelph researchers.
Soybean derivatives are already a mainstay in food products, such as cooking oils, cheeses, ice cream, margarine, food spreads, canned foods and baked goods.
The use of soy isoflavones and peptides to reduce microbial contamination could benefit the food industry, which currently uses synthetic additives to protect foods, says engineering professor Suresh Neethirajan, director of the BioNano Laboratory.
U of G researchers used microfluidics and high-throughput screening to run millions of tests in a short period.
They found that soy can be a more effective antimicrobial agent than the current roster of synthetic chemicals.
The study is set to be published in the journal Biochemistry and Biophysics Reports this summer and is available online now.
“Heavy use of chemical antimicrobial agents has caused some strains of bacteria to become very resistant to them, rendering them ineffective for the most part,” said Neethirajan.
“Soy peptides and isoflavones are biodegradable, environmentally friendly and non-toxic. The demand for new ways to combat microbes is huge, and our study suggests soy-based isoflavones and peptides could be part of the solution.”
Neethirajan and his team found soy peptides and isoflavones limited growth of some bacteria, including Listeria and Pseudomonas pathogens.
“The really exciting thing about this study is that it shows promise in overcoming the issue of current antibiotics killing bacteria indiscriminately, whether they are pathogenic or beneficial. You need beneficial bacteria in your intestines to be able to properly process food,” he said.
Peptides are part of proteins, and can act as hormones, hormone producers or neurotransmitters. Isoflavones act as hormones and control much of the biological activity on the cellular level.
North America has one of the safest food sources in the world, said Neethirajan, but the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 48 million people in the U.S. suffer from some sort of food-borne illness every year.
“In addition, some people are worried about the potential for long-term illnesses resulting from the use of synthetic chemicals,” Neethirajan said.
“The use of soy peptides and isoflavones could combat bacteria and reduce these concerns.”
The next step is for researchers to conduct large-scale tests, Neethirajan said.
“We’ve created a recipe for this to go ahead. This could be very beneficial to food processors, as well as the farmers who grow soybeans.” | <urn:uuid:a7094322-c361-41ce-9fe5-33355c2de72c> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://news.uoguelph.ca/2016/04/soy-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662545548.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20220522125835-20220522155835-00577.warc.gz | en | 0.934063 | 602 | 3.296875 | 3 |
To have a clear answer to what is DNSSEC and why it is important, let’s define its core meaning.
The Domain Name System Security Extensions, also known as DNSSEC or DNS Security Extensions, is a particular set of Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) specifications for protecting and securing specified types of information provided by Domain Name System (DNS) employed on Internet Protocol (IP) networks.
DNSSEC was designed to protect Internet resolvers (clients) from forged DNS data. It will provide origin authentication of DNS data, authenticated denial of existence and data integrity.
Generally speaking, the DNSSEC authenticates DNS by using specific digital signatures on public-key cryptography. Implementing DNSSEC makes it possible to sign the DNS data itself by its owner, rather than singing the DNS queries and responses. DNSSEC responses are authenticated, not encrypted.
To have a clear understanding of “what is DNSSEC and why it is important,” it is necessary to be more familiar with DNS.
What Is DNS?
The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical and decentralized naming system for various resources (services, computers) connected to the Internet. DNS is directly related to domain names and translates human-readable domain names (like arvancloud.com) to the numerical IP addresses to locate and identify services/devices with the network protocols.
DNS is responsible for the authoritative name servers of domains and can assign and map them to IP addresses. DNS will create a distributed and vital service that is not centrally hosted. DNS has also been used for the specification of data structures and data exchanges in DNS protocols.
Read also: What is DNS? How does it work?
How Does DNS Work?
Internet activities are depending on DNS functioning correctly. DNS will translate the domain names to IP addresses used by servers, routers, and any other network devices.
When a user/visitor enters a domain name, for example, arvancloud.com in the browser, it will use the stub resolver, an essential part of the operating system, to translate the domain name into a specific IP address. Stub resolver relays many requests for DNS data to the more complex recursive resolver used by many networks.
Now that the recursive resolver has the request, it will send its DNS request to various authoritative name servers. The domain’s DNS data is stored on name servers on the Internet. It is more common to outsource this task to a third-party like a web hosting company, cloud hosting organization, or Internet service provider.
DNS hierarchical architecture contains many different zones. Each of these zones is responsible for a specific area in the DNS namespace. A determined administrator manages these zones. DNS zones have control over DNS components. In fact, the domain namespace contains a DNS root domain that manages all the existing DNS zones. Each zone starts at this structure and can extend into subdomains. DNS zones can be associated with more than one domain name, DNS server, and subdomains.
The specific records stored in the DNS database are commonly the Start of Authority (SOA), IP addresses, SMTP mail exchanges (MX), name servers, pointers for reverse DNS lookup (PTR), and domain name aliases (ANAME).
What Is DNSSEC?
DNSSEC is a set of special protocols that add a security layer to the Domain Name System (DNS) lookup and exchange processes. It becomes integral in accessing websites on the Internet. DNSSEC is not capable of protecting how data is distributed or who accesses it. DNSSEC authenticates the origin of data sent from a DNS server, verifies its integrity, and evaluates nonexistent DNS data.
Why IS DNSSEC Important?
DNS is considered an Internet phone book, and it will tell the computer where to send or receive data. DNS cannot authenticate and evaluate the addresses, and that means weakness for cyber attacks.
When a recursive resolver sends a request to a name server, the resolver can only check if the response comes from the same IP address as the original request. Since the IP can be forged/spoofed, this authentication method is faulty. It will make it possible for attackers to redirect users away from their intended destination without them knowing.
When the recursive resolvers cache DNS data, it already has the data cached/saved, and the resolution will speed up. The requests won’t be sent to the name server. But the problem here is that if attackers forge DNS responses, which are also acceptable by the recursive resolver, the situation is called DNS Cache Poisoning. Therefore, any user interacting with that resolver will be sent fraudulent DNS data until the TTL (time-to-live) expires. DNSSEC is a try of adding an additional security layer to DNS.
DNSSEC Resource Key Components
Before highlighting how DNSSEC works, it is important to know about the DNS resource records types implemented for DNSSEC usage:
RRSIG: Resource record signature includes the DNSSEC signature for a record set. The signature will be verified by a DNS resolver using a public key stored in the DNSKEY record.
DNSKEY: It contains the public key.
DS: Delegation signer has the name of a delegated zone. It references a DNSKEY record in the sub-delegated zone.
NSEC: Next secure record includes a line to the next record name in the zone. DNS resolver uses NSEC records to verify the non-existence of a record name.
NSEC3: NeXt secure record version 3 contains links to the next record name in the zone (in hash naming order) and lists the record types.
NSEC3PARAM: Next secure record version 3 parameters are used by Authoritative DNS servers to determine which NSEC3 records must be included in the responses to DNSSEC requests for non-existing names/types.
How Does DNSSEC Work?
While using a DNSSEC, each answer to a DNS request contains an RRSIG record and record type. This digital signature will be verified by locating the correct public key. The NSEC and NSEC3 will then provide cryptographic evidence of the non-existence of any request and robust resistance against spoofing. (Authenticated Denial of Existence) the DS uses a chain of thrust to authenticate the DNSKEY.
To be more specific, the domain owners create their own public/private key pair and upload them using their DNS control panel. It will push the keys with secDNS to the zone operator, sign and publish them in the DNS. This will prevent any caching forged/manipulated DNS data and cache poisoning.
To top it all, DNSSEC offers two security layer for DNS:
Data Origin Authentication: This will make it possible for resolvers to verify data from the zone requested cryptographically.
Data Integrity Protection: This will allow a resolver to specify that the data hasn’t been modified and signed by the zone owner’s private key.
DNSSEC’s mission is to strengthen trust in the Internet, protecting users from redirection to fraudulent websites and unintended addresses. It will prevent malicious activities like cache poisoning, pharming, and man-in-the-middle attacks.
DNSSEC will prevent cyber threats of DNS spoofing, which will redirect users to other destinations.
DNSSEC will offer additional security for text records (TXT) and mail records.
DNSSEC is used to bootstrap cybersecurity systems such as certificate records, SSH fingerprints, IPSec public key, and TLS trust anchors.
DNSSEC will prevent third-parties from forge records and authenticate the domain’s identity by preventing DNS cache poisoning and false zones.
DNSSEC will protect a brand and its customers.
DNSSEC will help mitigate risks.
DNSSEC brings Internet trust and loyalty to customers.
DNSSEC will attract and retain security-focused customers.
DNSSEC will enhance the trust and reputation of a brand/business.
In this article, we discussed what is DNSSEC? Why is DNSSEC important? And how does DNSSEC work?
As stated, DNSSEC is an essential part of Intent security, which needs to be implemented by recursive resolvers and domain name owners. DNSSEC is there to ensure that they will be directed to the exact destinations when users type a domain name.
If you are a newly startup owner or a reputed business/brand employing a trustworthy DNS Hosting solution such as ArvanCloud Cloud DNS Hosting will help you build and robust your reputation and authority by being at the forefront of Internet security and care about protecting your customers. | <urn:uuid:bcf62359-d9ed-409b-975c-9af79bc4b358> | CC-MAIN-2021-17 | https://www.arvancloud.com/blog/en/what-is-dnssec-why-is-dnssec-important/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-17/segments/1618038076454.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20210414004149-20210414034149-00436.warc.gz | en | 0.891137 | 1,811 | 3.6875 | 4 |
The costs from a dirty condenser coil go far beyond the inevitable repair bill. Since a building’s heating and cooling systems can account for 70% of its total energy use, the utility costs of a dirty condenser coil can be considerable, as are the costs of replacement for a broken, end-of-its-working life unit.
The Ins and Outs of Condenser Coils
An air conditioner doesn’t produce cold air in the same way a furnace produces heat. An A/C unit uses a refrigerant or coolant to absorb heat and then carry that heat outside. The cool comfort you feel is, in effect, the by-product of effective heat transfer.
That’s why, when Willis Carrier designed the first the AC unit in 1906 he didn’t call his invention an air cooler. He called it an air conditioner. His goal wasn’t to cool the interior of the printing factory where he installed his first system, he wanted to reduce the indoor humidity. But his process to condense humidity from the air also extracted heat energy, and cooling was a very pleasant side effect.
Two of the main components of a cooling system are the evaporator coil, which will pick up the heat, and the condenser coil, that releases the heat outside. The condenser coil performs its part of the job by converting refrigerant vapor to liquid. Once the proper temperature has been reached, and the refrigerant has reached 100% saturated vapor, condensation takes place–changing the vapor to liquid–as more heat is removed. But in order for the condenser coils to perform as intended, with optimal energy efficiency, they need to be kept clean.
Prevent a Dirty Condenser Coil
Even the best HVAC systems won’t deliver ideal performance without proper maintenance. Dirt and dust acts as an insulator, keeping the heat trapped inside, hindering heat transfer. The system will then need to run longer and harder to do its job (if it even can do its job). The temperature coming out of the dirty condenser coil will also be a higher temperature, lowering the net refrigeration effect. The result of all these issues: elevated cooling costs, equipment breakdown and a reduced lifespan for the equipment. Repairs can run in the thousands of dollars, and new equipment can run in the tens of thousands of dollars.
Even a fine layer of dust on the condenser coil reduces its efficiency. As we reported in an earlier article, an EPA study showed that as little as 0.042″ of dirt on condensing coils will cause a 21% drop in efficiency, and can increase refrigeration energy use by 35%. That’s a shocking amount of inefficiency and cost from a relatively minor amount of dirt accumulation.
Keeping the condenser coils running smoothly may also be complicated by their location: outside. Exposed to unfiltered outdoor air, often on the roof of a building, the condenser can accumulate debris including leaves and dirt. These obstacles necessitate frequent cleanings, especially during seasons where debris may be of greater quantities such as cottonwood season.
Condensers require regular and often frequent cleaning due to environmental factors like dirt, dust and debris. But due to their rooftop locations, cleaning coils can be difficult. Even getting water on the roof can be a chore considering the gallons upon gallons of high pressure water needed to do the job. Assuming you can hurdle those obstacles, here are the recommended steps you should take when cleaning a dirty condenser coil:
- Shut the system down.
- Make sure there is access to water and power.
- Avoid high pressure cleaning systems that can damage fins. Consider a cleaning system that produces 400 psi at around 3 gal/min in order to flush out dirt and debris.
- Apply noncaustic, nonfuming coil-cleaning chemicals and let them sit for a few minutes to penetrate. Pay close attention to the instructions on the coil cleaner.
- Flush coils with water, working opposite the airflow to push dirt out the way it came in.
- Power the unit back up.
How Air Intake Filters Help
Cleaning is just one of the proactive steps you need to take to keep your equipment running well. Smart building managers know it’s important to install a washable electrostatic air intake filter, such as our powerful PreVent® System Filter Screens.
Our custom-sized PreVent screens protect the coils and can adhere to the outside of metal air intake louvers with powerful earth magnets which require no special tools or training to install. The filters keep debris away, reducing the frequency of cleanings. When dirty they can be brushed off, in place, or easily removed and hosed down, with minimal effort.
A condenser failure is a common and costly result of a dirty condenser coil. But by maintaining them and keeping them clean, the unit should last for years, even decades, with minimal issues. In other words, many of the high costs of a dirty condenser coil can be avoided with the low cost of a quality filter screen. | <urn:uuid:02f451a4-76c6-4709-92f6-738a21e737fa> | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | https://permatron.com/filter-screen/the-hidden-cost-of-a-dirty-condenser-coil | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030335190.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20220928082743-20220928112743-00031.warc.gz | en | 0.940076 | 1,054 | 2.859375 | 3 |
“If unresolved anger is a toxin to the spirit, forgiveness is the antidote,” wrote Brian Luke Seaward in his book, Stand Like Mountain, Flow Like Water: Reflections on Stress and Human Spirituality.
When you feel hurt, you may react with resentment, anger, rage, even hatred. While those reactions may seem justified given the circumstances, holding on to them can actually be even more detrimental to you physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Nurturing old wounds and resentments is like tending weeds in a garden. The more care and attention you give them, the more they take over until there’s no room for healthy, uplifting feelings that could nourish you.
Forgiveness doesn’t mean condoning inappropriate behavior and excusing personal violations. It doesn’t mean giving up, hiding or denying what was done. To forgive doesn’t mean you forget that you were harmed. Or that you felt the way you did as a result. Nor is it an open invitation for the offender to do it again.
In The Process of Forgiveness (1996), William A. Meninger writes:
“When we forgive someone we say: ‘You are no longer to be allowed to govern my life. Henceforth I will be responsible for what I do—not as reactions to your infliction but from my own free decisions.’ Forgiveness is the decision that we have done enough futile hiding, suffering, hating, and fantasizing revenge. It is an awareness that the things we have done to ourselves do not affect our offenders, and that we are through hurting ourselves.”
Forgiveness is about detaching from inviting past events to continue to have any negative hold over you.
Forgiveness involves letting go of the feelings of anger or resentment, so that you can get on with your life. Forgiving is a process—sometimes slow—that heals wounds and returns our power to us. When you resist forgiving, you give control of your life to those who have hurt you.
When you detach from the self-destructive impact of shame and blame by embracing the constructive energy of forgiveness, you liberate and empower yourself instead.
The Journey of Forgiveness
It’s not as though you can simply decide to forgive someone and it is done. Forgiving is an active process. Getting from here to there is a journey.
- Acknowledge all of your feelings. Though anger and resentment might be on top, beneath may lie feelings of hurt, betrayal, loss and grief. Uncovering these more tender emotions may be painful, but, like curves in the road, they are essential elements of the journey.
- Stop blaming. So long as you hold someone else responsible for your feelings or circumstances, you don’t own your own life. You stop blaming by accepting total responsibility for your life and the choices you made.
- Release any desire for revenge. The wish to inflict suffering or pain on the person who hurt us imprisons you in a place of suffering and pain. You cannot experience the freedom of forgiveness until you are willing to move away from the need to punish.
- Learn to accept. While it may seem nearly impossible, the more you can quiet the judgmental voice in your head, the easier it will be to accept what has been and reclaim your power to move on. Author Wayne Dyer describes acceptance as forgiveness in action.
- Decide to confront or not. Talking with the person who has harmed you may or may not be the best action to take. Professional coaching or counseling can help you make this decision.
- Let go completely. Unconditional forgiveness means releasing all feelings of anger, resentment or animosity. “Sweet forgiveness cannot hold any taste of bitterness,” says Brian Luke Seaward. “When feelings of anger are released, the spirit once held captive by the encumbrance of anger is free to journey again.”
Forgiveness is not just an outward expression toward others. Turning the liberating energy of forgiveness inward is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself. When you forgive yourself, you accept responsibility for your choices, acknowledge your human limitations, practice self-acceptance and resolve to choose more constructively in the future. These actions are essential for a life of flow filled with faith, hope, prosperity, peace and joy.
Through action or inaction, out of fear, pain or confusion, you may injure yourself or others. But when you refuse to forgive, you sentence yourself to an existence weighted down by shame and blame. In that state, you’re no good to yourself or anybody else.
Learning to fuel yourself with constructive core energy grounded in love, respect, curiosity, compassion and gratitude will enhance your life choices. And, for those times when you feel you’ve drifted off the path, make self-forgiveness easier.
The formula for making them a way of life is simple to explain. In every situation, love yourself enough to pay attention to every aspect of your life. Respect everything you are experiencing—what you are thinking, feeling, deciding, saying and doing. Determine whether the energy underneath is love or fear. If it’s love, you are probably on your authentic path. If it’s fear, demonstrate compassion for yourself. Foster gratitude by reminding yourself that everything is an opportunity. Then further neutralize the fear by bringing curiosity to bear. Explore every aspect of the situation, especially your internal landscape, and identify all of the opportunities available to you through this unique experience. As with any new skill, practice will help this way of being become a healthy new habit—your automatic response to every situation.
Forgiveness cannot be forced. Sometimes, it won’t come easily. Like many other skills we benefit from learning, self-forgiveness takes practice. When you find you are unable to immediately release the past and move on, embrace it as an opportunity to be forgiving of yourself and continue to practice the art of forgiveness.
Author’s content adapted under license, © 2008 Claire Communications
FREE Coaching Opportunity
If someone offered you a precious gift for an hour of your time, would you be interested? That’s what I offer with a Complimentary Coaching Session. A comp session isn’t a brief demo or sample. It’s a full 45-minute coaching session focused on current real life challenges of your choosing plus 15 minutes to discuss your experience and any questions you may have about my approach to coaching.
There is no expectation or pressure to hire me as your ongoing coach. Providing meaningful, substantive comp sessions with no obligation is one of the ways I demonstrate gratitude and give back to the Universe a small portion of the abundance and opportunity it bestows on me daily.
The real value of a comp session? PRICELESS!
Those who have experienced comp sessions will tell you, when you come to your session open to the possibilities for transformation and fully committed to your own growth, big breakthroughs can happen!
What clients say about
the power of coaching with Deborah
“I knew Deborah before she became a Professional Life Coach. I’ve been amazed at how she has changed her life. When I decided it was time to begin making decisions about the next phase of my life, I knew immediately that Deborah was the person I wanted to work with. Her personal and professional experiences help her guide clients through coaching in a way that is individualized and delightfully eye-opening. Her warmth and sensitivity are immediately apparent, even over the phone. With gentle encouragement and permission, she will guide you through an examination of your life, including difficult experiences. She will help you gain insight from your past choices and then explore possibilities for moving forward in less encumbered ways. When you work with Deborah, your life will take on new meaning and your potential will be limitless!” Chris
“The work I did with Deborah continues to change my life. While I have learned many valuable lessons from her, the greatest was the deep insight that is available to me when I listen to and learn from my own inner wisdom. Her intuition, discernment and encouragement have taught me to trust my own intuition—creating new paths and possibilities for my life. One of Deborah’s great gifts is helping others respect and connect with their inner guidance and through that connection, to form a deeper, more meaningful bond with the collective wisdom and energy of all.” Ryan
What readers say about
the impact of Deborah’s book
“With the same energy and determination she applied in the professional world, Deborah has taken her considerable expertise in human potential and has now set her sights on the largest co-op in the world, humanity. ‘Choose Your Energy, Change Your Life!’ tackles what I believe are the most important questions we each must ask: who am I, where did I come from, why am I here, and what’s love got to do with it (cue Tina Turner)? These are not trivial or philosophical questions for the answers change what we do, why we do it, who and what we love. I am grateful for the opportunity to walk with Deborah on this critical journey.” JD Messenger, Award Winning Author of “11 Days in May: The Conversation That Will Change Your Life”
“To me the great thing about Deborah’s book is how ‘accessible’ she makes the ideas. The Oxygen Mask is probably the single best example. As with so many of the ideas in the book, she explains the principle in such a simple way that it’s got universal application to virtually any reader. I can imagine people having multiple moments of ‘Oh….I get it!’ throughout the book. The stories from her own life as well as stories of her clients’ experiences become stories about all of us—stories about which the reader will think, ‘I am living my own version of this.’ Well done—bravo!” Joe Calloway, Author of “Be The Best At What Matters Most” | <urn:uuid:3aa355a1-a748-4656-9856-bb3168245b11> | CC-MAIN-2018-22 | https://djwlifecoach.blog/2016/09/30/the-liberation-of-letting-go/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-22/segments/1526794864405.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20180521142238-20180521162238-00607.warc.gz | en | 0.944343 | 2,092 | 2.625 | 3 |
We talked about the importance of omega-3 essential fatty acids to general health in the early weeks. It’s worth revisiting now because omega-3 is particularly important for pregnant women in the third trimester, and for women who are breastfeeding. These are the times when the baby’s brain is developing at an amazing rate. Babies deficient in omega-3 may have a greater risk of autism, attention deficit disorder, and depression, or adult degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
You can find omega-3 in these foods:
- Oily, cold-water fish, such as salmon and sardines. This is probably the very best source of omega-3. Try to get a couple of servings a week. Our Wild Salmon Burger recipe (http://www.mothering.com/recipes/wild-salmon-burgers) is a delicious way to start incorporating omega-3 into your diet.
- Canola oil
- Flax seeds and flax seed oil: this is particularly good for non-meat eaters. Grind up flax seeds and sprinkle them on salads or vegetables, or bake them in muffins. Try to have a couple of tablespoons per day.
- Walnuts and walnut oil
- Pumpkin seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Purslane, a lesser-known leafy vegetable used more commonly in the Mediterranean and in Mexico
- Dark leafy green vegetables
- Fortified eggs: hens are fed a diet that contains omega-3. You can now find these in many grocery stores as well as in health food stores. | <urn:uuid:8df20142-d669-4187-847a-c8259248ce30> | CC-MAIN-2017-43 | http://www.mothering.com/articles/nourish-yourself-omega-3-essential-fatty-acids/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-43/segments/1508187821088.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20171017110249-20171017130249-00641.warc.gz | en | 0.925053 | 339 | 2.828125 | 3 |
Lethal Acrodermatitis (LAD) is a disease characterized by growth retardation, skin disease of the face and feet, diarrhea, pneumonia, eating difficulties and increased susceptibility to microbial infections. It is a rare inherited disorder of Bull Terriers caused by zinc deficiency and characterized by progressive inflammation of the skin and is always fatal. It resembles acrodermatitis enteropathica in humans, but cannot be treated with zinc supplement therapy.
Most commonly seen clinical signs include:
- Growth retardation
- Chronic bacterial skin inflammation marked by pus-filled lesions (pyoderma)
- Inflammation of the foot pad tissues and nails usually accompanied by yeast and fungal infection and pus formation (paronychia)
- Tail chasing behavior
Although some of these signs are characteristic of zinc deficiency which is not related to LAD, the combination of the above signs in young Bull Terrier puppies should strongly indicate that they suffer from LAD. Affected puppies are lighter in color, and, usually by 1 to 3 months of age, the skin on their feet is red, covered with cracks and crust.
There is no treatment for this skin disease. Affected puppies become passive, and usually die or are euthanized before the age of 6 or 7 months because of generalized untreatable infections. Lethal Acrodermatitis is a rare inherited disorder of Bull Terriers | <urn:uuid:740f7211-e8f6-4087-b97d-434695d33834> | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | http://www.gopetsamerica.com/dog-health/acrodermatitis.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917121893.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031201-00575-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934891 | 284 | 2.65625 | 3 |
NASA scrubs shuttle launch on gaseous hydrogen leak
Cape Canaveral (FL) - NASA has postponed the planned launch of the space shuttle Discovery until at least March 15 (Sunday) due to "a leak associated with the gaseous hydrogen venting system outside the external fuel tank." The system is used to channel excess hydrogen gas safely away from the launch platform. The launch was originally planned for this evening at 9:20pm EDT after having already postponed it previously to inspect possible control valve cracks that were seen on last November's launch of Discovery's sister ship, Endeavour.
Liftoff is now scheduled for Sunday, March 15 at 7:43pm EDT, though the exact date and time "is dependent on the work necessary to repair the problem." NASA managers plan to meet tomorrow at 4pm EDT to further troubleshoot the cause of the leak and, if possible, solidify a revised liftoff schedule. Due to the rotation of the Earth, position of the International Space Station and the flight path required to get there, a consideration
According to NASA:
"Discovery's STS-119 flight is delivering the space station's fourth and final set of solar array wings, completing the station's truss, or backbone. The arrays will provide the electricity to fully power science experiments and support the station's expanded crew of six in May. The 14-day mission will feature four spacewalks to help install the S6 truss segment to the starboard, or right, side of the station and the deployment of its solar arrays. The flight also will replace a failed unit for a system that converts urine to potable water.
"Commander Lee Archambault is joined on STS-119 by Pilot Tony Antonelli and Mission Specialists Joseph Acaba, Steve Swanson, Richard Arnold, John Phillips and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata will replace space station crew member Sandra Magnus, who has been aboard the station for more than four months. He will return to Earth during the next station shuttle mission, STS-127, targeted to launch in June 2009."
NASA is currently planning to retire the shuttle fleet in 2010. NASA will not have a shuttle-like vehicle in service again until 2015 to 2018 when the planned Ares I light and Ares V heavy-lift rockets are completed and scheduled to enter service.
The space shuttle's main engines are environmentally friendly. They burn hydrogen and oxygen in a controlled explosion which provides propulsion. The shuttle's two solid rocket boosters (SRB), however, operate on a solid propellant commonly referred to as Ammonium Perchlorate Composite Propellant, or APCP. It is comprised by weight of 69.6% ammonium perchlorate, 16% aluminum, 0.4% iron oxide, 12.04% polymer and a 1.96% epoxy curing agent. Aluminum is the primary fuel chosen because of its energy density (31.0Mj/kg). While the SRBs produce 1.8x the thrust of the liquid fuel Saturn V heavy lift rockets used to take man to the moon, they are responsible for leaving the huge trails of smoke seen when the shuttle launches. There is much debate over the extent of damage caused to the atmosphere by the shuttle's launches.
See NASA's shuttle website. | <urn:uuid:ec6ea0f7-902a-401d-b359-469842d0ef44> | CC-MAIN-2015-18 | http://www.tgdaily.com/science/41699-nasa-scrubs-shuttle-launch-on-gaseous-hydrogen-leak | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-18/segments/1429246638820.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20150417045718-00012-ip-10-235-10-82.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937826 | 678 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Taoism, also known as Daoism (because it sounds more like the Chinese pronunciation of the word), originated in China 2000 years ago and is a tradition of philosophy, ethical, and religious beliefs rooted in Chinese customs, principles and views.1
Taoism is very much focused on the Tao, which means “the Way”. It is not God, and is not worshipped, although there are many deities that are worshipped in Taoist temples. Taoism reflects the idea that all things are unified and connected, and the world is filled with opposites – that is, complementary forces: action and non-action, light and dark, hot and cold, and so on, otherwise known as Yin and Yang.1
Taoism promotes harmony with nature, the pursuit of spiritual immortality, being virtuous, self-development, spontaneity, simplicity, detachment from desires, and non-action/non-doing. Taoists practice meditation, feng shui, fortune telling, and reading and chanting scriptures.1
Taoists also practice internal and external “alchemy”, such as breathing exercises, massage, martial arts, and yoga, as well as diets involving minerals, and herbs to promote long life, which are designed to make them more harmonious with the Tao, mentally and physically.1
A unique aspect of Taoism is Talismans – objects that are thought to have power to bring good luck and also to keep away evil spirits. These Talismans are strips of paper, which are written on by qualified and pure people who have undergone long training.1 The Talismans contain words of power and religious symbols, which through the help of positive spirit energy, purify, heal the sick and drive away demons.
1. BBC. (2009) Taoism at a glance. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/taoism/ataglance/glance.shtml | <urn:uuid:912384a5-69a9-4d83-9c29-1068b43145f2> | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | https://brainmass.com/religious-studies/taoism | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267863489.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20180620065936-20180620085936-00637.warc.gz | en | 0.963832 | 406 | 3.109375 | 3 |
Thanks to this project, about 400 girls of the Mutito Girls’ Secondary School in Kenya will have increased access to clean water. Rain-water will be collected in tanks so the girls don’t have walk 7 kilometres to fetch water from during the dry season. The girls will have more time for their work at school and it will improve their results.
The SI Taunus club has been supporting girls’ schools since 2008 with great success. In recent years the club financed, in close cooperation with the charity BASE, water tanks with a total volume of 100,000 litres of drinking water, scholarships for 30 girls and a school garden where the students can grow fruits and vegetables for their own consumption.
The success is already evident: three of the students are now studying at the Universities of Nairobi and another began vocational training.
Club: SI Taunus, PFR: 24556
- Again, Soroptimists have long been passionate for increasing access to safe, clean water for women and girls. We know just how much of a barrier physical environments can be to educational attainment. Overcoming this barrier by purchasing tanks for rain water harvesting is a proven way to have a lasting impact on many young women.
- Rain-water harvesting also underscores the importance of sustainable solutions to access to clean water.
- This project is another fantastic example of partnerships and learning between clubs in the Global North and clubs in the Global South. Soroptimist International prides itself on being built on a foundation of partnerships and linkages across the globe.
*This was our International Programme Directors’ winning project. They say:
This project provides access to one of life’s necessities to women and girls – safe, clean water. By eliminating the need to walk 7 kilometres to fetch water during the dry season, the girls have more time for education.The partnership between Germany and Kenya in this project, demonstrates the impact of being part of an international organization can have in the world”. | <urn:uuid:6aba79bb-8ecb-4831-b623-0ecc027bf158> | CC-MAIN-2017-43 | http://impact2013.soroptimistinternational.org/water-for-st-mary-mutito-girls-school-germanykenya/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-43/segments/1508187822480.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20171017181947-20171017201947-00631.warc.gz | en | 0.950821 | 406 | 2.5625 | 3 |
An exit route might seem like one of the simplest parts of a workplace. Just look for the exit sign and head for the door, right? In theory that may be true, but technically speaking, exit routes must have specific features and meet detailed OSHA requirements.
OSHA has begun focusing more attention on emergency exit route compliance in recent years, as seen in a memo to the agency’s personnel. Workplace fires in other countries where employees were killed because they couldn’t escape a building have made the news, and OSHA’s director of enforcement programs called specific attention to a fire and explosion at a poultry processing plant in China where over 100 workers died because exits were locked or obstructed. U.S. authorities want to prevent those types of accidents in this country.
Examples of Exit Route Citations
The types of citations OSHA issues related to exit routes can usually be fixed by simple changes, but in many cases those changes are overlooked.
Free PPE Guide: Get To Know The Gear That Keeps You Safe
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is paramount to proper safety techniques in manufacturing, construction, or industrial facilities. This PPE guide illustrates PPE symbols and requirements. Make sure all employees are familiar with required PPE in their areas.
In 2010, for example, the Home Goods retail chain was fined over $200,000 for repeatedly not complying with regulations for exit routes. At a store in New York, inspectors found the exit routes were blocked by merchandise and equipment, one route was too narrow and an exit sign was missing.
A similar citation was issued to Big Lots Stores Inc. in New York in 2013 because merchandise and pallets blocked exit routes. The store also failed to label exit routes and mark doors that could have been mistaken for exits.
OSHA issued another serious citation to Gateway Cold Storage in Illinois when inspectors found that exit doors in a food warehouse could not be opened from the inside. The company also didn’t keep exit routes clear of obstacles or maintain working exit lighting.
In these cases no one was injured, but had an emergency occurred the employees at these companies could have been in serious danger. Consequently, it’s important to maintain proper exit routes in workplaces in all industries to avoid fines and to keep workers safe.
Exit Route – Definition
OSHA defines an exit route as “a continuous and unobstructed path of exit travel from any point within a workplace to a place of safety.” An exit route consists of exit access (the space that leads to an exit), the exit itself (which is separated from other areas so it protects people using the exit) and the exit discharge (which leads to the street, open space or a refuge area).
Exit routes are sometimes referred to as “means of egress” and are covered under OSHA standards 1910.36 (“Design and construction requirements for exit routes”) and 1910.37 (“Maintenance, safeguards, and operational features for exit routes).
While employers and safety managers will want to consult the regulations to make sure their facilities are completely compliant, the following lists of general rules of exit routes will help explain the basics. Many workplaces may already follow these requirements, especially those related to construction, but let’s take a brief look at construction requirements for exit routes. Then we’ll take a look at maintenance and safety features of exit routes that are necessary to achieve compliance.
Construction and Design Requirements for Exit Routes (1910.36)
First of all, exits must be designed for easy access. Keep the following rules for the construction and design of exit routes in mind:
- Exit routes must be permanent.
- There must be enough exit routes. – Usually this means two exits that are far enough from each other that both won’t be blocked by a fire or other hazard. Sometimes one exit is adequate or three or more exits are needed depending on the occupancy of the building.
- Exits must lead to a street, refuge area, open space or other area with access to the outdoors.
- Openings to exits must be protected by self-closing fire doors (to ensure those using the exit stay safe).
- Exit doors must be unlocked so they can be opened from the inside.
- Any room connected to an exit route must have a side-hinged door that swings outward (if more than 50 people occupy the room).
- An exit access must be at least 28 inches wide.
- An exit must be 7.5 feet high.
- Fire-resistant materials should protect exits – If the exit connects one, two or three stories, these materials should have a one-hour fire-resistance rating. If the exit connects more than three stories, a two-hour resistance rating is required.
Employers who own buildings must ensure these construction and design requirements are met. Employers who rent space in commercial buildings are still required to maintain a work environment with proper exit routes, though, and they should consult with building owners to make structural changes if necessary.
Maintenance and Safety Features of Exit Routes (1910.37)
Once proper exits are in place, it’s easy to think nothing else needs to be done to stay OSHA compliant. Like most parts of a workplace, however, exit routes require proper maintenance. They also need to have certain safety features. The following rules apply to exit routes:
- Flammable furnishings and décor should be kept away from exit routes.
- Exit routes should be unobstructed.
- Exit routes should be well lit.
- Door areas should be kept unobstructed (Consider a door swing floor label)
- Exit doors shouldn’t be obscured by decorations.
- Doors that are not exits but are located near exit access points should be labeled “Not an Exit” or labeled with their use (for example, “To Basement” or “Closet”).
- Signs should be posted directing people to exits.
- “EXIT” signs must be placed at exits.
- Routes must be maintained during any construction or repair work that occurs at the workplace.
- An emergency alarm system must be present and operational.
Keep in mind that OSHA frequently issues citations for exit route problems that fall under the construction category of rules and the maintenance/safety features category, so employers should understand both sections of the regulations.
A Few More Exit Route Tips
To help workplaces understand exit route requirements, OSHA offers an eTool for Evacuation Plans and Procedures. The organization’s Exit Route Demonstrations are particularly useful because they provide visuals of various types of violations so users can test their knowledge of exit route requirements.
NFPA guidelines for exit routes (NFPA 101 – Life Safety Code) also offer useful information that employers can consider. For example, the organization explains what types of illumination are acceptable for exit signs: external illumination sources, internal illumination and photo luminescent signs. OSHA considered NFPA requirements when designing its regulations, so those who follow NFPA guidelines will be in compliance with OSHA.
Employers and safety managers can also consider whether signs and labels marking exit routes will help increase the safety of the facility and keep the workplace OSHA compliant. When an exit isn’t easily visible from a particular location, adding a simple sign with a directional arrow can clear up confusion.
Finally, glow-in-the-dark floor tape placed along exit routes can help employees find their way out during a power outage.
- Mining Safety: What You Need to Know
- DIY Workplace Labels – Make These 8 Types Yourself
- Would Emergency Responders Be Safe in Your Facility?
- 6 Reasons to Invest in a Visual Workplace
- Emergency Eyewash Stations in 10 Steps
- Visual Communication 101
- The Possibilities of LabelTac Tape
- Flame-Resistant Clothing
- Social Distancing Tools: Wall And Floor Signs– creativesafetysupply.com
- What is HAZCOM? (Hazard Communication Definition + OSHA Standards)– creativesafetysupply.com
- Safe and Effective Evacuation– blog.creativesafetysupply.com
- OSHA Floor Marking Standards– floor-marking-tape.com
- OSHA’s Standards for Floor Marking– floor-tape.com
- Glow-in-the-Dark Floor Marking– facilityfloormarking.com
- Using aisle marking tape to comply with OSHA standards– aislemarking.com
- Emergency Egress– blog.5stoday.com
- New OSHA Injury Reporting & Recordkeeping Rules– safetyblognews.com | <urn:uuid:612de1e3-bae2-40ef-85b0-4c03ae790b70> | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | https://www.creativesafetypublishing.com/rules-for-exit-routes-osha-standards-1910-36-and-1910-37/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610703529331.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20210122113332-20210122143332-00535.warc.gz | en | 0.93967 | 1,812 | 2.65625 | 3 |
European Union: Unemployment and Poverty
The number of people that are unemployed in the European union as a whole stood at over 18 million in 1994, almost 11% of the workforce and, though the prospects over the next year or two are for some increase in the growth of employment, the number of unemployed seems unlikely to decline very rapidly in the near future. Unemployment therefore remains the major economic and social problem confronting the European Union. While countries inthe Union face a common problem, however, its scale and characteristics vary a good deal between countries, and between regions within countries.
Recent Changes in Employment
The recent recession had a severe impact on employment in most member states. The numbers employed in the European Union as a whole declined by 4% in the three years 1991 to 1994, twice as much as any previous fall over a comparable period since World War II. As a result, 6 million jobs were effectively lost over this period.
A rough measure of success of economies in providing jobs for their citizens is the ratio of employment to population of
working age, the employment rate. Across the Union as a whole, the employment rate peaked at 62% in 1992 and fell to under 60% in 1994, after 8 years of continuous increase. This compares with rates of 70% in the US and 78% in Japan.
Recent Changes in Unemployment
The widespread fall in employment led to a steep rise in unemployment. After falling to 7,5% in 1990 from a peak of just under 10% in 1985, the average rate rose to a new peak of just over 11% in 1994. By contrast in the US, unemployment fell to under 6,5% in 1994 and in Japan, it remained below 3%.
The increase in unemployment was particularly pronounced in Finland and Sweden, the rate rising from 3,5% to 18,5% in Finland, and from under 2% to almost 10% in Sweden, in both cases after many years of unemployment below the European average.
In the former East Germany, unemployment rose from under 11% in 1991 to almost 16% in 1994. In Spain the rate rose from just over 16% to over 24%, still the highest in Europe.
Since the peak rate reached in the Spring of 1994, unemployment in the Union has come down, but only very slowly. Although growth of GDP in the Union seems to have resumed in mid–1993, this as yet has had a minimal impact on the number of people out of work.
Employment of Men and Women
A long term trend has been for the number of men in employment to decline and for the number of women to increase. In the ten years before 1985, the number of men employed fell by 4%, while the number of women expanded by 10%. In the years of high job growth at the end of the 1980s, the trend decline in male employment was halted and the number with work went up by 4,5%. Since 1990, however, the long–term trend has resumed and the number of men in employment has fallen markedly. While the employment of women has also fallen, the decline has been very much less.
The main cause for this is the decrease of jobs in industries where men account for 75% of the workforce.
Unemployment of Men and Women
Despite the larger job losses suffered by men, the rate of unemployment among women remains higher (averaging around 12,5%) than for men (averaging just over 9,5%). The only member states where the reverse is the case are Finland, Sweden and the UK. Since the peak unemployment rate in 1994, the rate for men has fallen slightly more than that for women, in the European Union.
Labour Force Growth
The numbers in the labour force, which expanded by almost 1% a year in the second half of the 1980s as employment increased, contracted during the recession years between 1990 and 1994. The lack of job opportunities led men in particular to either withdraw from the labour force or to delay entry. At the same time the upward trend in the proportion of women looking for work slowed appreciably during the last four years. These developments had a marked effect in preventing unemployment rising even more than it did.
It also indicates that there is a substantial amount of people who do not appear in the unemployment figures but who, nevertheless, would like to work if only jobs were available.
Re–employment: The Strategy of the European Union
Five key areas of policy were emphasised by the European Council as being of major importance for tackling the Union’s employment problems:
* improve employment opportunities for the labour force by promoting investment in vocational training. There is a strong long–term shift in the structure of jobs from less skilled to more skilled.
* increasing the employment intensity of growth, in particular by
- a more flexible organisation of work time and hours of work
- a moderate wage policy (below increases in productivity)
- the promotion of initiatives, particularly at regional and local level, that create jobs which take account of new requirements, e.g. in the environmental and social service spheres.
* reducing non–wage labour costs
* introducing incentives to the individual to continue seeking employment; move from a passive to an active labour market policy
* implementing particular measures to help school leavers who have virtually no qualifications, by offering them either employment or training.
Equal Opportunities for Women?
Women for the past 20 years or more have accounted for the entire growth of the Union’s work force. The Union advocates that women have equal access to education and training.
In 1994, 14,5% of women with no qualifications beyond basic schooling were unemployed (men 12%), and just over 7,5% of the women with university degrees or the equivalent were unemployed (men 5,5%).
Education therefore is not sufficient to overcome apparent discrimination. Prospects for women’s employment in relatively low skilled activities such as sales and general services are, in fact, better than for men, but while growth in these areas may help to absorb the large numbers of women unemployed, whether openly or hidden, there is also a need to increase the opportunities for women in middle and higher level jobs.
In 1994 only 5% of women in employment were classified as managers, as opposed to 8,5% of men. Just under 16% of women worked as tecnicians as against just under 12% of men, and a slightly higher proportion of women than men were classed as professionals.
Overall, therefore, proportionately more women than men are in jobs likely to require relatively high skills. At the same time more detailed studies suggest that a much smaller proportion of these women than men work in private business as opposed to the public sector –in education, for example– and that, in general, their level of authority and responsibility tends to be lower than that of men.
In almost all countries of the Union participation rates of women of 15 to 24 in education and training are similar to those of men, though fewer study science, engineering and technology–related subjects. But equality in education does not automatically mean equality in access to jobs commensurate with their skills. Women who leave the labour market when they have children face particular problems when they return.
A savings bank in Denmark in which 57% of staff were women, but only 5% of whom held serious managerial posts as against 93% who were secretaries, introduced training courses for women wanting to become managers. The aim was to overcme perceptions of career advancement being an "all or nothing process" and to help women define a long term career plan, combining the company’s needs with their personal circumstances. In a few years, the number of women managers has increased to 20%.
Reduced Working Time as a Means of Increasing Employment
A widespread, though very gradual trend is towards greater flexibility in working time arrangements. This has been accompanied by a growth of part–time working, a reduction in the standard full–time week and (in some countries) the introduction of career break options.
Though the precise impact on jobs is hard to estimate, average hours have tended to decline over the long–term in the Union and this has contributed to increasing or maintaining the total number of people in employment. Between 1985 and 1990 average hours worked declined from just under 40 per week to 39. In the years of recession from 1990 to 1994 the rate of reduction was less.
In many countries there has been an increased focus on part–time working. While in many cases basic conditions of employment may not be greatly inferior to those for full–time workers, it is, nevertheless, the case that part–time employees may be penalised in a number of ways, such as in terms of their career prospects or exercising their trade union rights.
The occurence of part–time work differs per country: 36,5% in the Netherlands, whereas in Spain, Italy and Portugal it still represents under 8% of employment.
The growth of part–time working raises a number of issues to do not only with reductions in working time and work–sharing, but also with the terms and conditions of employment attached to such jobs and the status of the people taking them. From one perspective, part–time jobs are a means of enabling women especially but also some men to more easily reconcile family responsibilities with working careers. From another perspective, they represent inferior jobs with limited career prospects which are taken up o nly because those concerned have no alternative option. In 1994, two–thirds of all women working part–time were doing so because they did not want a full–time job, though only one–third of men.
Unemployment of Young People
Despite the efforts made in the last decade, the rate of youth unemployment in the Union was in 1995 not much different, at over 20% for both men and women, from the level reached in the mid–80s. Rates in Spain (42%) and Italy (34%) remain extremely high, as they do in Finland, France and Greece (all over 25%).
There remains a serious problem of youth unemployment in the Union, and in most countries it relates to the 20 to 24 age group.
The scale of long–term unemployment has not changed greatly overthe past decade. In 1994, almost half (48%) of those unemployed had been out of work for a year or more, and more than half of these for two years or more.
Apart from Italy and Greece, more than elsewhere, it is particularly a problem of the young, long–term unemployment affects older members of the labour force more than younger ones. Of the unemployed in the Union aged between 55 and 59 in 1994, 55% had been so for a year or more, and almost two–thirds of them had been looking for a job for at least two years.
Poverty and Social Exclusion
Data on poverty and social exclusion are in many cases not available or of only limited comparability. In 1989 the Council of Ministers adopted a resolution on combating social exclusion. An "Observatory on National Policies to combat social exclusion" was created by the European Commission, and an annual report is produced by independant experts, to study the efforts of Member States.
In the second annual report, social exclusion is defined in relation to social rights of citizens. "Within the countries of the EU, it is generally taken for granted that each citizen has the right to a certain basic standard of living and to participate in the major social and occupational institutions of the society. This right may or may not be expressed in legal terms; it may or may not be rooted in custom and tradition; and it may be precise or only vague in its formulation."
Social rights are not the same across the member states. Nor do rights remain the same over time. During recent years many governments have changed social security legislation and increased the use of means–tested benefits, carrying the risk of stigma, and discretionary benefits, where the element of rights is much weaker.
The estimate is that across the European Union more than 52 million people (15%) people live in poverty. In 1989 the European Council defined poor people as "those whose resources (material, cultural and social) are so low that they are excluded from the minimum acceptable ways of life in the Member State where they live".
In 1995 the European Commission in its report on the Poverty 3 programme referred to estimates of poverty in the member states around the year 1988, based on research done by the Erasmus University Rotterdam. The research estimates how many households live under the threshold of 50% of the average income. It is stressed that the information was prepared before the unification of Germany, and for years in which there was economic growth and jobs were created. Since this date, poverty has certainly increased.
|Country||Year||% of households under 50% of average income|
* Before the unification
The Second Annual report of the Observatory on National Policies to combat social exclusion examines among other things the risk for social exclusion of specific population categories.
The report says that there is good evidence that because of improvements in occupational and state pension schemes the elderly form a declining proportion of the low income population in most EC countries. Despite this general improvement, some older people remain relatively neglected by the existing welfare systems. This is true in particular of women. However, the pattern of neglect varies significantly between countries.
The report points at two developments which could increase the risk of neglect faced by elderly people at the hands of welfare systems. First, the high unemployment of the 1980s is likely to produce a new generation of pensioners among whom significant numbers will have incomplete insurance contribution records. In their retirement, the long–term unemployed of today will continue to be disadvantaged relative to their contemporaries.
Second, the ageing of the elderly population will become even more pronounced over the next 20 years or so. This has two consequences: growing pension costs, and increasing numbers of old people requiring long–term social care, which in many countries is underdeveloped.
People With Disabilities
Detailed information about people with disabilities varies greatly between countries.
People with disabilities are at considerable risk of becoming socially excluded: in part because of inadequacies in social care services, in part because of barriers to labour market participation.
Some countries stipulate quota of jobs which are reserved for (partially) disabled people. In others the emphasis is upon employers to take people with disabilities into ordinary jobs. In general these schemes seem to be ineffective.
Women tend to be confined within low paid jobs; and most of them enjoy less social protection than men. They are more likely to be confined at home, caring for the very young and the very old, especially as policies for the elderly increasingly stress the role of "community care" and take for granted that the burden of this can fall on those with informal carers, mostly women.
These disadvantages must be understood as being in part the result of the major social, fiscal and employment policies in these fields. In some countries the tax system discriminates against earnings by married women; and the social welfare system can also create disincentives for married women to work. So can childcare costs, and the non–availability of childcare facilities.
Women are over represented among single parents, a population group at considerable risk of being on low incomes.
Migrants and Ethnics Minorities
Migrant workers and their families within the EU countries enjoy rights –or suffer from a lack of rights– depending primarily upon their nationality. EU nationals will increasingly enjoy the same formal rights as citizens of the host country; legal immigrants from outside the EU have much more restricted rights; clandestine immigrants have the fewest. Corresponding to this graduation of rights, such migrants and their families will be –and are– exposed to insecurity in the whole range of social policies.
The second annual report on social exclusion in 1992 mentions some examples of discrimination and disadvantage:
* In Italy, immigrants are excluded from public housing, although some regions include them if they have been legally resident in Italy for at least one year; in Rome almost one fifth of immigrants are homeless. Many are not registered for health care and end up using hospital emergency services.
* In the UK, unemployment rates for minority ethnic workers in 1990 were higher than those for whites, although they had been falling at a faster rate since 1986. Unemployment among West Indian or Guyanese men, for example, fell from 26% in 1986 to 13% in 1990; but it remained nearly double the rate for all men, which was 7%.
Clandestine immigrants are, almost by definition, excluded socially and in many other ways. Without social security and concentrated in the black economy, these people have fewest prospects within the host country. During the 1990s policy debates in relation to migration are likely to be dominated by concern over clandestine immigration from poorer countries outside the European Union. For some in the European Union this is seen as a threat to the existing are "social order", and xenophobic attitudes become more common.
In the beginning of the 90s national policies in some countries appeared to oscillate between repression and amnesty. There are also now more active deportation procedures in some countries, with little right to appeal.
With substantial increases in the numbers of people seeking asylum, new measures to control asylum have been introduced by governments and new controls on fraud have been proposed and adopted in several countries. | <urn:uuid:998ef906-e030-4061-b15f-14aed2697e30> | CC-MAIN-2015-35 | http://www.socialwatch.org/node/11330 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-35/segments/1440645191214.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20150827031311-00062-ip-10-171-96-226.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968712 | 3,525 | 2.96875 | 3 |
Historically, Ceylon cinnamon has been one of the most precious export items since early evolution of spice trade in the world. There are records of trade in Ceylon cinnamon as far back as ancient Egyptian, Babylonian, Arabian, Venice, Greek and Roman times. It was particularly prized for its health in the Middle East. Ancient Egyptians used it as long ago as 2000 BCE and even the Bible makes mention of Cinnamon.
The source of cinnamon was kept as a secret form the Mediterranean and Western world for centuries by the Arabs who controlled cinnamon trade to protect their monopoly. But today it is well known that Cinnamon came from the tiny Island of Sri Lanka located at the tip of India. This is the true home of Cinnamon. At one time, cinnamon was considered more valuable than gold. In fact, it was the quest for Spices that led to exploration of the world in the 15thcentury and cinnamon was the most important spice that attracted the Westerners to Ceylon. | <urn:uuid:b8e7c0a0-719d-4ec1-826e-d10e5d94f7dd> | CC-MAIN-2018-09 | http://tupikceylon.com/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-09/segments/1518891812259.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20180218212626-20180218232626-00239.warc.gz | en | 0.977277 | 195 | 3.375 | 3 |
Curriculum – Patterning
For students to explore, recognize, describe, and create patterns, using a variety of materials in different contexts.
Students begin by sitting on the carpet in a circle.
- Whiteboard or chalkboard
- Whiteboard markers or chalk
- Put a simple pattern on the board and ask students if they can identify or extend the pattern.
- After each extension or suggestion of the pattern, ask students how they know and have them explain their reasoning to the class.
- Put a different pattern on the board and repeat the steps above.
- Put a pattern up with a missing piece in the middle.
- Ask students what piece fits and ask them to explain their reasoning.
- In collaboration with the students, identify the features that define a pattern. | <urn:uuid:3be8527a-65c0-4dbd-b335-e265125ddeda> | CC-MAIN-2019-47 | https://wordpress.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/portfolio-item/introduction-to-patterning/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-47/segments/1573496670821.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20191121125509-20191121153509-00146.warc.gz | en | 0.87861 | 162 | 4.40625 | 4 |
What to Expect When You Call 9-1-1
9-1-1 telecommunicators are trained to get the most important information as quickly as possible in order to get help to the scene in the timeliest manner. Do your best to stay calm and answer all questions.
Allow the telecommunicator to ask you all the questions they need before you hang up or leave the phone. Your answers will help the call taker understand your situation, and telecommunicators can assist you with your emergency until the appropriate police, fire, or medical units arrive.
First Question: What is the location of the emergency?
Please provide an address, intersection, mile marker or, in the case of a wilderness or park area, the name of a trail or a landmark nearby.
A growing number of people use cell phones instead of traditional land line phones when calling 9-1-1. Telecommunicators are unable to receive a specific location from a cell phone call. It is important to know your location during an emergency so that you can provide that detail to emergency services.
Second Question: What is your emergency?
Telecommunicators will want to know if the emergency requires police, fire, or medical response.
If your emergency requires police response, you may be asked:
- Is anyone intoxicated or under the influence of drugs?
- Can you provide a description of suspects and/or a vehicle involved?
- Describe a person or suspect starting from the top of the head: skin color, gender, height, hair color, eye color, facial hair, physical build; color and type of jacket or coat, shirt, belt, pants, shoes, etc.
- Describe a vehicle by color; year; make; body style; other identifying features such as dents, scratches, stickers, spoilers, ski racks, etc; and license plate information
- Does anyone have any weapons? If so, what are they and where are they?
If your emergency requires medical response, you may be asked:
- What is the problem and what exactly happened? The answer to this question will determine what type of medical problem is happening.
- The age of the person having the problem and their status (i.e. conscious and breathing)
- Depending on the problem, you will be asked questions that provide additional information for the responding medical personnel.
If your emergency requires fire department response, you may be asked:
- Are smoke or flames visible?
- If flames are visible, are any structures threatened?
- If there are flames, smoke or odors within a structure, has it been evacuated?
- Do you know the source of the smoke or fire?
- If it is a business or a garage, what types of chemicals are in the building?
Always Follow Telecommunicator Directions
All 9-1-1 telecommunicators have been trained to provide instructions during child birth, CPR, Heimlich Maneuver and other instructions that can aid in saving someone's life. In other emergency situations, telecommunicators may ask that you stay on the line or they may tell you to leave the residence.
Calling 9-1-1 for a Mental Health Crisis
If you have a loved one with a serious mental health condition, there may be times when they become a danger to themselves or to others. Though it can be a difficult decision for you, police intervention may become necessary for the safety of all involved. Our officers and fire personnel have been trained to properly respond to mental health situations and are able to provide you with support throughout the event as well as after.
Calling 9-1-1 By Mistake
If you call 9-1-1- by mistake, please do not hang up. If you happen to call 9-1-1 by mistake, remain on the line, state there is no emergency, and provide any requested information. This saves valuable time for the Center in having to call back and confirm there is not an emergency.
9-1-1 Practice for Kids
We are more than happy to assist you in teaching your children the proper way to call 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency. They should practice learning and saying their address, phone number, and parents' names. If you wish for them to make a practice call, please call JPD Community Services Sergeant at 910-938-6406 for permission to set up the practice call. You never know when an emergency will arise and a call to 9-1-1 is needed. | <urn:uuid:a5314bed-804e-4c3c-97dd-7451aef10c0f> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://www.jacksonvillenc.gov/718/What-to-Expect-When-You-Call-9-1-1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250594662.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20200119151736-20200119175736-00093.warc.gz | en | 0.939286 | 928 | 2.90625 | 3 |
Primary education consists of 5 year levels (P1–P5) for 6 to 10-year-olds. Students study the following subjects, with an emphasis on the first 3:
- Native language or first language (L1)
- First foreign language (L2)
- Physical Education
- Discovery of the World
- Ethics or Religion
In P3–P5 ‘European Hours’ are part of the curriculum, allowing children from all nationalities (and language sections) to get to know each other through a range of activities.
After successful completion of primary education at the European School, in the year that students turn 11, they enter secondary education. | <urn:uuid:dc98bcd5-3eb1-48a1-9c53-3123f2883371> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://www.nuffic.nl/en/education-systems/european-baccalaureate/primary-education | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510387.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20230928095004-20230928125004-00404.warc.gz | en | 0.933672 | 151 | 3.5 | 4 |
Aspergillus ear rot in corn fields has been reported by Iowa State University Extension field crop specialists in southeast and south central Iowa. The concern with this disease is the production of aflatoxins, which are extremely toxic chemicals produced by two molds Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus flavus. Aflatoxin accumulation is usually associated with poor storage conditions. However, hot, dry conditions during grain fill increase the risk of Aspergillus infection and aflatoxin contamination in the field.
Disease cycle and aflatoxin formation
Aspergillus fungi survive in plant residues. Numerous spores are produced in hot, humid conditions and carried by wind throughout the field. Infection occurs through corn silks, when they are yellow-brown and still moist, or in association with insect or bird damage to the developing kernels. High temperatures (80--100 °F) and high relative humidity (85%) favor the growth of Aspergillus in the field. Ear rot symptoms on corn ears can be recognized as gray-green or yellow-green powdery mold growth on and between the corn kernels (see photo).
Although the presence of Aspergillus mold does not necessarily indicate aflatoxin contamination, there is certainly an increased risk. Aflatoxins are produced under certain conditions, which include temperatures from 55--104 °F (optimum 81--86 °F), and 17--18 percent and higher moisture content. In addition, aflatoxin contamination does not occur uniformly from kernel to kernel.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates aflatoxin levels in food and livestock feed. An "action level" of 20 parts per billion (ppb) for aflatoxins in corn has been established for interstate commerce. Since this appears to be a high risk year in southeast and south central Iowa for aflatoxin contamination, it is likely that aflatoxin screening will be done at local elevators.
There is little that can be done this late in the season to reduce the risk of Aspergillus preharvest aflatoxin contamination. However, postharvest aflatoxin contamination can be reduced. Corn in high risk areas should be scouted at, or just prior to, black layer (physiological maturity), and again two weeks prior to harvest. If greater than 10 to 15 percent of the ears show extensive mold growth, a sample should be collected for aflatoxin analysis.
Contaminated fields should be harvested as soon as possible after the field matures. Adjust the combine to reduce kernel damage and reduce the amount of lightweight infested grain being harvested. Ensure storage bins are clean of debris from the previous season. Shelled corn should be dried to 15 percent moisture or less within 24 to 48 hours of harvest, and cooled to 35--40 °F for the duration of winter to reduce fungal growth and aflatoxin production.
Uses for aflatoxin-contaminated grain
Corn that is contaminated with aflatoxin at levels greater than 20 ppb may not be sold for interstate commerce, but it does have uses. Since aflatoxin levels are usually highest in damaged kernels, cleaning the grain using a rotary screen or gravity table may reduce their levels. However, this is expensive and not always successful since aflatoxin levels also can be high in undamaged kernels.
Contaminated grain may be used for feed using the guidelines in Table 1. This is probably the best use of contaminated grain available. Obviously, it is vital that a good estimate of aflatoxin concentration is obtained so that an educated decision can be made.
Table 1. FDA guidelines for acceptable aflatoxin levels in corn based on intended use
|Intended Use||Alfatoxin Level (ppb)|
|Corn of unknown destination||< 20|
|Corn for young animals||< 20|
|Corn for dairy cattle||< 20|
|Corn for breeding meat |
cattle, swine, mature poultry
|Corn for finishing swine||< 200|
|Corn for finishing cattle||< 300|
Source: PM 1800, Aflatoxins in Corn
Blending aflatoxin-contaminated corn is not legal except for on-farm use. Ensiling will not reduce aflatoxin concentrations, although if the silage is properly managed, concentrations will not increase. Ethanol production is an option for aflatoxin-contaminated grain; however, accumulation of the aflatoxin in the distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS) will occur. If the grain is to be used on-farm, anhydrous ammonia can be used to reduce aflatoxin contaminations.
Fusarium ear rot and fumonisin contamination
In addition to Aspergillus ear rot, there also have been reports of Fusarium ear rot. The pathogen that causes this disease, Fusarium verticilliodes, produces the mycotoxin fumonisin, to which swine are particularly susceptible. Similar to Aspergillus, the Fusarium fungus infects kernels via the corn silk or in association with insect damage. Symptoms of Fusarium ear rot are a white-to-pink mold on scattered kernels about the ear.
Much of this information and more on aflatoxins and fumonisins in corn can be found in the Iowa State University Extension publications, PM 1800, Aflatoxins in Corn , and PM 1698, Corn Ear Rots, Storage Molds, Mycotoxins, and Animal Health, and also the University of Kentucky publication, ID-59 Aflatoxins in Corn .
This article originally appeared on pages 185-186 of the IC-494(23) -- September 19, 2005 issue. | <urn:uuid:e0e6d3ce-4bb0-4911-9cc9-28ff9739fa72> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/icm/node/182/print | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280774.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00197-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.919055 | 1,188 | 3.3125 | 3 |
Many people assume that the primary focus of Chiropractic care benefits only those people who suffer from back and neck pain. This misconception takes root through word of mouth, past experiences, and even false information. The truth powerfully attests to a much greater purpose for Chiropractic care. The spine shares an intimate connection to all functions in the body through the wiring of the nervous system.
Chiropractic adjustments improve so many aspects of health and performance for children of all ages. The functional capacity of the body extends far beyond the limits that people tend to set for this powerful creation. Tiny misalignments in the nervous system lead to health malfunctions. Vertebral misalignments (known as subluxations) tend to be pain-free in their onset. They operate like high blood pressure and cavities by manifesting long after damage exists. As subluxations accumulate in the spine and nervous system, the fight or flight part of the nervous system (sympathetic nervous system) becomes dominant. As the sympathetic nervous system tone remains increased over a period of time, the risk of chronic visceral disease increases.
Setting The Tone
Specific testing locates and detects vertebral misalignments. Chiropractors assess and correct subluxations to allow the body to heal and improve performance. This in turn decreases the tone of the sympathetic (fight or flight) part of the nervous system and increases the tone of the parasympathetic (calming) part of the nervous system. It is interesting to note that the parasympathetic part of the nervous system does not start to develop until after the 30th week of gestation. When a mother gives birth before the full 41 weeks of gestation, the parasympathetic part of the nervous system is not fully developed, starting the baby off in fight or flight. Research shows the majority of children are born before full-term and 40% are born via traumatic C-section. Fast-forward now to that child being unable to focus and perform in school and the parents being told they need to put their child on medications for ADD/ADHD, further driving that problem deeper into the nervous system.
Did you know that Chiropractic adjustments have been proven to:
- Calm the nervous system
- Increase concentration
- Improve immunity
- Balance hormones
- Increase short-term memory
- Increase growth hormone
- Decrease blood glucose and insulin resistance
Chiropractic adjustments increase the calming (parasympathetic) part of the nervous system while decreasing the fight or flight (sympathetic) part of the nervous system. Almost every child labeled as ADD/ADHD has a fight or flight dominated nervous system.
The benefits listed above would profoundly impact young students and their parents. As parents, one of our biggest desires is for our children to be happy. And obviously, good health is one of the largest contributors to that happiness.
Chiropractic does not focus on treating particular diseases, conditions, or symptoms. Chiropractic adjustments serve a singular purpose to optimize function of the body and central nervous system communication through better spinal alignment and mobility. The delicacy of the spine suffers from the physical stressors of life. Interference occurs when the body loses the ability to keep vertebrae aligned and moving correctly. Imbalance in the nervous system usually leads to symptoms, both physical and hormonal which lead families to seek assistance through drugs and pills that do not fix the source of the problem. A chiropractic adjustment improves function of the entire body by releasing stress from the central nervous system. Chiropractic adjustments now serve as one of the most important health interventions which anyone can implement into their routine. Chiropractic serves as a pain-free, drug-free intervention that maximizes health and function by utilizing the healing power within the body.
Optimizing spinal health and nervous system function provides greater health potential for every member of the family. | <urn:uuid:0421a277-c46c-4929-8f90-bfd3e3d229fa> | CC-MAIN-2019-47 | https://www.peppernaturalhealth.com/the-key-to-unlocking-a-childs-potential/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-47/segments/1573496669795.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20191118131311-20191118155311-00004.warc.gz | en | 0.938481 | 802 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Serious Business and just Plane Fun
ADVANCED TAILWHEEL TRAINING
THE FAA in their Advisory Circular AC61.67C paragraph 107 describe spins as “A spin in a small airplane or glider is a controlled (recoverable) or uncontrolled (possibly unrecoverable) maneuver in which the airplane or glider descends in a helical path while flying at an AOA greater than the critical AOA. Spins result from aggravated stalls in either a slip or a skid ( see this interesting video http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/exclusivevids/ExclusiveVideo_AviationSafety_Cirrus_StallAccident_Dissected_201722-1.html ). If a stall does not occur, a spin cannot occur. In a stall, one wing will often drop before the other and the nose will yaw in the direction of the low wing.”
CLEAR as mud, right? I won’t go into all the aerodynamics involved in a spin as there are numerous books and articles (including the FAA publication The Airplane Flying Handbook) that are readily available for the detail oriented. Suffice it to say that in order to have a spin, you must have a stall with yaw. The yaw causes one wing to produce more lift than the other which causes a rotation around the COG with the wing producing the least lift on the low side.
THERE are four distinct phases of flight associated with a spin;
The entry, the pilot stalls the plane while in uncoordinated flight.
Incipient, the rotation starts.
Developed, the aircraft’s rotation rate, airspeed, and vertical speed are stabilized.
Recovery, when the pilot inputs the recommended control inputs from the POH.
NASA has published a generic spin recovery procedure if there is not specific guidance in the POH. The procedure is;
Power, reduce power to idle.
Ailerons, neutralize the ailerons.
Rudder, full rudder opposite the rotation and held.
Elevator, add forward pressure to the elevator control through neutral.
Now, recover from the resulting dive.
OK, so much for the theory, from now on I will refer specifically to the Citabria and the procedures we will be using when we fly it.
The entry into a spin in the Citabria is nothing more than a power off stall and at the moment of stall, add full rudder in the direction in which you want to spin.
As the airplane stalls, the wing on the side of full rudder input starts to drop in a leisurely manner, and as it drops through about 60 degrees, the nose falls and a rapid rotation begins.
After approximately 1 full turn, the rotation and nose down attitude stabilizes with the airspeed indicator reading near zero. This is where most people doing their first spin become disoriented. The spinning earth fills the windscreen and the mind just goes blank. It takes 2 or 3 different spins before everything starts to make sense and the eyes can follow landmarks on the ground.
Recovery consists of ensuring the throttle is to idle, ailerons are neutral (stick in the center). Add full rudder opposite the direction of rotation and relax the back pressure on the elevator control through neutral (stick forward). The spin will stop within ¼ turn and you will find yourself in what seems like a vertical dive.
Start the recovery from the resulting dive as soon as possible to restrict the airspeed build up by adding aft stick shooting for around 3 G’s in the recovery. Continue the recovery right into a climb attitude and as the speed falls back towards the climb speed add power to climb to recover the lost altitude.
INADVERTENT spins are scary and dangerous things. A NASA study in the 1970’s showed that a Piper Arrow took approximately 1200 feet to recover from a spin while a FAA Small Airplane Directorate study done later found that of 1700 stall/spin accidents dating from 1973, 93% started at or below pattern altitude. Generally, pattern altitude minus 1200’ is below ground level. As you would expect, most of these were fatal.
INTENTIONAL spins are scary things initially, but are not dangerous and quickly become routine (and even fun) when done with proper instruction at the proper altitude. The forces acting on the airplane during a spin are negligible with the most active forces coming during recovery from the dive.
SPIN training is an eye opening experience and when done in the proper spirit and mind set can be fun and exciting. It may even save your life someday.
Someone smarter than I once said, "When confronted with a crisis, you will not rise to the occasion; You will sink to the level of your training". | <urn:uuid:6b2170bb-ca76-4ff5-aeef-254a0834ccda> | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | http://www.advancedtailwheeltraining.com/spins | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1393999645491/warc/CC-MAIN-20140305060725-00096-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928634 | 992 | 2.703125 | 3 |
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), for the first time, will experiment on how fires grow in space by firing the unmanned cargo ship from the International Space Station. It will be the first of three planned NASA experiments on testing the spread of flames on microgravity.
NASA billed the biggest intentionally bright blaze in space in an Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo ship, which got released from the station early Tuesday. This experiment was done to understand how flame propagates in weightlessness.
During the NASA TV interview, David Urban said, “For many years we have tried to find a vehicle as well circumstances where it could work, but initially all the reaction were ‘not in my spacecraft’, but now it does look like its going somewhere.”
The test craft called the Spacecraft Fire Experiment or Saffire is a solar powered cargo ship, which had 4,087 pounds of trash loaded in it. The module contained a 38-inch by 19-inch (97 cm by 49 cm) cotton and fiberglass material sample, and the fire was remotely ignited by using a hot wire.
The Scientists made sure that the module was a safe distance from the International Space Station and finally on Tuesday, it released the capsule into the Earth orbit. The craft is scheduled to remain in the Earth orbit until June 22 to ensure that data was collected before it disintegrates while falling to Earth over the Pacific Ocean. This final moment of Saffire will get recorded by sensors designed to document how the spacecraft breaks apart.
NASA had also previously conducted some experiments on fire, but it was only limited to samples which were no bigger than an index card. In the coming times, NASA has planned two more Saffire experiments about future Cygnus spacecraft. | <urn:uuid:ef279317-f4c1-4b3c-9fd2-456250e26029> | CC-MAIN-2017-51 | https://pc-tablet.com/nasa-set-stage-trash-cargo-fire-experiment-space/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948588072.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20171216123525-20171216145525-00418.warc.gz | en | 0.971967 | 360 | 3.578125 | 4 |
Seizure Risk Rises With MMRV Vaccine
Febrile Seizures Nearly Double With Measles-Mumps-Rubella-Chickenpox Vaccine, but Risk Still Slight, Study Says
WebMD News Archive
Vaccines and Seizures Data
In the newly published report, Klein and her team looked at reports of seizures and fevers among more than 376,000 infants given the vaccines in two injections and more than 83,000 given the four-in-one.
Seizures and fever clustered around 7 to 10 days after all measles vaccines, but the risk during that time was higher for the four-in-one than for the two injections.
"There is a doubling of risk with MMRV, but it's [still] slight," she tells WebMD. "There is a low risk overall."
About Febrile Seizures
About one in 25 infants has one or more febrile seizures, defined as convulsions brought on by high fever, says Randy Bergen, MD, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Kaiser Permanente in Walnut Creek, Calif.
"They are very scary to observe," he says. Most last only 30 seconds to 2 minutes or so, he says. The child may stiffen and roll his eyes. "From a medical point of view, febrile seizures are not in any way considered dangerous," Bergen says. Children who have the seizures don't have a greater chance of getting epilepsy or brain damage.
Comparing Vaccines: Second Opinion
''This is a confirmatory study, this is not new information," says John Bradley, MD, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Infectious Diseases and director of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Rady Children's Hospital of San Diego, who reviewed the study for WebMD.
"For probably two years we have been aware that if you give MMRV you get a higher fever and more febrile seizures than if you give them separately," he says.
Still, the information is important for parents to know, he says, even though the increased risk with the 4-in-1 is slight compared to giving MMR and varicella separately.
Bradley says the information only applies to the first dose of vaccine, not the second, given around kindergarten age. "This phenomenon of febrile seizures only occurs in the infants," he says, because of brain immaturity. Peak age is 14 to 18 months, according to the CDC, and that overlaps with when the first doses of measles and chickenpox vaccines are recommended.
The stance of the AAP committee, Bradley says, is that both vaccines are acceptable but that parents need the information about seizure risks to make an informed decision, weighing the lower seizure risk with the need for another injection for the first dose. (The combination is generally preferred for the second dose, according to the ACIP guidelines.) | <urn:uuid:150aa406-b704-4d39-bcdd-797fa09b8b4d> | CC-MAIN-2015-06 | http://www.webmd.com/children/vaccines/news/20100628/seizure-risk-rises-with-4in1-vaccine?page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-06/segments/1422115855561.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20150124161055-00115-ip-10-180-212-252.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9425 | 606 | 2.828125 | 3 |
“Race film” is a designation applied to films produced for African-American audiences, between about 1910 and 1950. As we explain in our expanded definition, the borders of the race-film industry are complicated and porous, but race filmmakers nevertheless constituted a distinct community of practice.
Very few of these early films survive, so evidence of this community of filmmakers has to be drawn from the other paraphernalia generated by the industry: posters, newspaper advertisements, theater programs, and, in some cases, only the handwritten notes of these filmmakers’ contemporaries. Nevertheless, in the last 40 years, historians have painstakingly pieced together a thriving community of practice, and our work is greatly indebted to theirs.
The works scholars have generally designated “race films” emerged during the early years of the twentieth century. These first race films, many of them produced by the Hampton and Tuskegee Institutes, were closely aligned with the African-American “uplift” movement and its most prominent exponent, Booker T. Washington. A Trip to Tuskegee (1909), John Henry at Hampton (1913), and A Day at Tuskegee (1913) are all products of this historical moment. Many of these early uplift films were “actualities”: forerunners to today’s documentaries which showed audiences notable events of the day.1
Simultaneously with the Hampton/Tuskegee films, a group of entrepreneurial-minded African-American filmmakers began specializing in films designed with African-American audiences in mind. The Foster Photoplay Company, founded in 1913 by the journalist and filmmaker William Foster (also known as Juli Jones), was among the first of these companies. Foster’s films themselves draw on the uplift movement, telling the story, for example, of a Pullman Porter (The Railroad Porter, 1913), an esteemed position in the African-American community.2
Other production companies, such as the Afro-American Film Company, the Hunter C. Haynes Photoplay Company, and the Peter P. Jones Photoplay Company also specialized in these audiences in the first few years of the second decade of the twentieth century. African-Americans, like everyone else, were avid filmgoers, and since movie theaters were segregated during this period, there were different exhibition circuits for African-American and white audiences. Some production companies were able to capitalize on this separate circuit, marketing films directly to the owners of African-American theaters.
D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation (1915) galvanized African-American writers, thinkers, and filmmakers. The film, a box office record-breaker, is also hugely racist, a Civil War story that casts African-Americans as rapists and the Ku Klux Klan as heroes. Widely protested by African-American audiences, Birth of a Nation sparked a number of filmic responses — most obviously Birth of a Race (1918), a famously troubled production conceived as a direct response to Griffith’s film — but also, indirectly, a number of other thinkers and filmmakers.3
Birth of a Nation helped give a shared (though certainly not unified) purpose to a growing number of production companies that saw themselves as recuperating African-Americans’ onscreen image, even as they were determined to turn a profit. Among these were the Lincoln Motion Picture Company (founded 1916), and — most famous of all race film companies — the Micheaux Film Corporation, founded in 1918 by author and filmmaker Oscar Micheaux.
Oscar Micheaux’s films, beginning with The Homesteader (1918), were some of the most commercially successful race films of the era. Audiences looked forward to the release of these films, with their “all-star colored casts,” and Within Our Gates (1919) is one of the few examples of a “race” film that garnered some attention — and an audience — from the white press.
While Micheaux and Lincoln films found receptive audiences, race films also faced enormous obstacles that were specific to African-American films. While better-funded, white-oriented production companies could send one film out for distribution while simultaneously filming the next, Micheaux and Johnson had to devote their attention and resources to one film at a time. As George P. Johnson, who worked for the Lincoln Motion Picture Company, recalled,
Now, we had to make a picture and then we had to close down everything and take the same man we made the picture with and go out and spend money traveling all over the United States, trying to get money enough to make another picture. But we were out of business all that time.4
Moreover, race films only rarely received meaningful attention from the “mainstream” press. The widespread segregation of the motion-picture industry also meant that many funding channels, exhibition venues, and business opportunities were closed to African-American filmmakers. “Unequal development is a major factor in the construction and development of Black cinema,” writes Clyde R. Taylor: “as much of an invisible hand in the making of the movie as any force of capitalism functioning silently in the marketplace.”5
Despite these and many other challenges, race films articulated narratives of African-American identity that moved audiences then, just as they continue to resonate with audiences now. In the films that survive, such as Micheaux’s Within Our Gates, African-American life in the early part of the 20th century emerges as complex, contested, and fully realized. Rather than the “pickaninnies” and watermelons that populate films designed for white audiences, we see African-American characters deeply engaged in the political and intellectual life of the day, debating racial uplift and waging philanthropic campaigns even as they wrestle with the romantic torments typical of melodramas of the period.
Oscar Micheaux (1884-1951)
What happened to race filmmaking? Our data ends with the development of sound film in 1930, but race filmmaking, as a distinct enterprise, continued until around 1950, when many of the production companies went out of business. With the advent of sound, filmmaking became more technically complex and expensive, and companies, like Lincoln, that always existed on the margins, were increasingly edged out. The fact that so few of these films survive is also partly a function of these companies’ scant funding. Fewer prints existed in the first place, and those that did were heavily screened and circulated, often wearing out or vanishing in the process.
The result of this scarcity of films, combined with a consistent underfunding of African-American film production, is that many people simply don’t know about the existence of race films. In fact, as these early films demonstrate, African-American filmmakers have been practicing the craft since the beginning of the medium. | <urn:uuid:06ea4869-bade-4a36-b438-fc950e342ff4> | CC-MAIN-2018-47 | http://dhbasecamp.humanities.ucla.edu/afamfilm/whatis/history/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-47/segments/1542039743351.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20181117082141-20181117104141-00334.warc.gz | en | 0.970987 | 1,406 | 3.453125 | 3 |
The FOX television series Cosmos has once again gotten itself into a strange scientific controversy. However this time it is not over global warming, the Big Bang or even evolution. This go-round, it is about comets. The most recent episode explained what comets are and also what they are not. Before science, stated Cosmos host Neil deGrasse Tyson; it was believed that comets were warnings of doom over many different cultures. He also explained that the actual word disaster means “bad star” in the Greek language.
The show proceeded to show some science history and explained Edmund Halley’s life story. He was the one who figured out how comets work and the comet which now has his name comes back by the Earth about every 75 years. It came by here in 1986 and is scheduled again in 2061. Halley was the individual that encouraged Sir Isaac Newton to publish what is thought to possibly be the most important science book ever, the Principia Mathematica.
How did all this make creationists angry? That was due to anyone who is a young Earth creationist not only not believing in evolution; he or she also denies any type of science that even remotely suggests that anything on the Earth or anywhere else out in the universe is over 6,000 years old. This includes comets, most of which are not young.
On the most recent episode, Tyson stated that several comets arrive from the Oort Cloud, which is an extremely far off region of icy figures that lay very far outside of Pluto, yet still orbit the sun. There could be over two trillion of these ice-covered objects, and sometimes, one of them gets knocked from its regular trek and instead takes a very long travel time to the inner portion of the solar system. As that object gets closer to the sun and starts to warm, the transferal of gas and ice provides it with a tail, and if it comes near Earth, than humans may get to view a comet.
However, creationists have a big problem here NASA states that the objects in the cloud region are believed to be left over from when the solar system was first formed about 4.6 billion years ago. They are also so far away that it takes these comets extremely long periods of time to get to the inner solar system. Because of this, they have the name of “long-period comets”.
The problem should now be obvious. There is no way comets can exist that are much older than creationists think the entire age of creation to be. They think the Oort region was just imagined up by scientist to give a birthplace for comets, since they have not existed as long as astronomers say they have. Therefore the Oort area is just fiction. The big problem creationists have is the idea that comets are prehistoric and have traveled enormous distances.
Science says the Earth is old and that the Oort Cloud exists. That does not mean any creationist is going to have his or her mind changed due to Cosmos being on the airwaves. That is really sad too because the awesome, amazing and wonderful Neil deGrasse Tyson has ended up making science cool, and not just for those of us who loved the topic in the first place. He has actually made it fun for everyone in the family to watch, so too bad for creationists and their closed minds. They cannot get any type of enjoyment out of a show that is smart and really fun at the same time. They will just continue to go on wasting their lives denying reality because they feel reality has to bend to what they believe. It cannot go the other way and that is sad. That makes God very tiny and small is something that He is not.
The FOX television series Cosmos almost seems to like getting itself into all kinds of strange scientific controversies.
By Kimberly Ruble | <urn:uuid:e1ee0bf6-b439-40b6-bd4f-f6b95f5b92ca> | CC-MAIN-2017-43 | http://guardianlv.com/2014/03/fox-television-series-cosmos-once-again-gotten-into-strange-controversy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-43/segments/1508187822851.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20171018085500-20171018105500-00368.warc.gz | en | 0.979151 | 785 | 3.140625 | 3 |
The story of the Raphael Cartoons
Discover the fascinating story of how the cartoons were created and how they have survived to today
The Raphael Cartoons are a set of seven full-scale designs for tapestry painted by Raphael (1483 – 1520), and are considered one of the greatest treasures of the Renaissance. They were commissioned in 1515 by Pope Leo X for the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel and depict the lives of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul – Fathers of the Christian church. The Cartoons have been on loan to the V&A from Her Majesty The Queen since 1865.
Find inspiration in our incredible range of exclusive gifts, jewellery, books, fashion, prints & posters and much more... | <urn:uuid:61118c34-9a43-496b-8115-7ba34ec96a60> | CC-MAIN-2018-34 | https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/raphael-cartoons | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-34/segments/1534221217970.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20180821053629-20180821073629-00059.warc.gz | en | 0.965559 | 148 | 3.140625 | 3 |
How to plan an essay using a mind map mind maps are a fun and useful tool that you can use to stimulate both sides of your brain, regardless. Ideas generated on your mind map these relationships may be important in you understanding new information or in constructing a structured essay plan by. Boston university is a leading private research institution with two primary campuses in the heart of boston and programs around the world.
Mindmanager – essay planning how do i use mindmanager to help write my essay mind mapping is a common technique, usually involving a large sheet of .
Check here to know how to write an essay by mind maps at second-level branches, you should plan how many main ideas you would like to. Mind mapping is an effective means to take notes and brainstorm essay topics a planning the early stages of an essay by visualising all the aspects of the. In this example the use of graphics and colours helps clarify the mind map here is an example of how you might structure a mind map for an essay topic.
Planning and structuring your essay (study guide) your initial thoughts about the question - a spider diagram or mind map is good for this. Build your plans around the essay structure using spider-grams, linear notes, sticky notes watch this short video for a student's perspective on 'mind mapping'.
Academic support study tip studyresources structuring an essay – mind map. Mind-mapping is a powerful way to get started on your essay mind-mapping is one of the absolute best ways to plan a project or writing task. About us our world university rankings faculties and schools centres and institutes campus locations maps and locations.
22 using a mind map to identify key themes last week you learned that the next step in writing an essay is to use the questions identified when analysing the. Learning development tutor transcript - mind mapping and visual thinking video keywords: mind mapping, mindmapping, essay planning,.Download | <urn:uuid:6e20ddb9-d238-4ebd-bfd4-a489d22f256f> | CC-MAIN-2018-39 | http://pmessayimak.epitaphs.us/mind-maps-for-planning-essays.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-39/segments/1537267165261.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20180926140948-20180926161348-00070.warc.gz | en | 0.873 | 390 | 2.859375 | 3 |
- Paper Plate
- Yellow Paint
- Paint Brush
- Black construction paper
- Multiple colors of construction paper
- Black marker
- Cut the plate in half.
- Paint one half yellow.
- Let the plate dry.
- Cut strips of paper. (Cut out as many as the number of days untill school!)
- Link the strips of paper and attach them to the painted plate.
- Cut out shapes.
- Glue the shapes on the plate to create the bus.
- Cut the wheels and glue on the bus. | <urn:uuid:95cdd62e-b02d-428b-872a-217de7977015> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | https://mrmarksclassroom.com/countdown-to-pre-k-bus/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875146123.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20200225141345-20200225171345-00151.warc.gz | en | 0.844171 | 116 | 3 | 3 |
Regardless of whether you are an incoming high school freshmen or a seasoned grad student, crafting credible research papers/reports are germane to your success in the sciences, and beyond. This all starts by collecting and compiling the appropriate references to be incorporated within your paper(s). So how do you accomplish this? Glad you asked.
First, after you are given a topic by your teacher or professor, find information relating to it in your science book. Next, you can attain more background information in the form of database banks such as Encyclopedia Britannica and Wikipedia.
Ode to Wikipedia
You have probably heard the negativity relating Wikipedia on how individuals can manipulate posts at will (although many are corrected within hours) and thus why you should avoid Wikipedia altogether. The truth is that you can still rely on Wikipedia for researching your topic. The key is to check the citations for lines of information you intend to use. Here is an example:
Let’s say you are given the topic of “the evolution of polar bears”. You go to Wikipedia ad search “polar bears”. The screen will show you this:
You scroll down the page and see the following statement you want to use in your report: The oldest known polar bear fossil is a 130,000 to 110,000-year-old jaw bone, found on Prince Charles Foreland in 2004.
However, you’re unsure on whether this statement is factual or fiction. To settle this dilemma, click the at the end of the sentence. This will automatically scroll your page to the list of all citations.
There, you will see the 15th citation (where the statement comes from) as well as the link to the original text. Click on the first link and you will be redirected to this page.
You are now viewing the actual scientific article the statement arose from. Scientific articles like this are scrutinized for months (even years) for reliability and validity before they are published. While not perfect, the information in these papers is as accurate as one can expect.
Scrolling down, you will see several sentences on the bottom half of the left side of the page that supports the entry from the polar bear Wikipedia.
The main takeaway from here is that you can use information collected on Wikipedia for your paper/report provided that you check their original citations. Finally, always make sure to cite the actual article(s) in your paper, and NOT Wikipedia itself.
In the next part, I will expand more about scientific articles/research papers and where you can access them for free. | <urn:uuid:0cbd867f-7350-431c-9586-da48de320591> | CC-MAIN-2019-09 | http://sciencehelpme.com/scientific-writing-a-helpful-guide-for-researching-a-topic-pt-1?replytocom=4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00003.warc.gz | en | 0.917845 | 526 | 3.8125 | 4 |
Within the context of African American literature, there is a common portrayal of a self-conscious narrator who takes on a quest for his or her own self-definition. This portrayal is frequently led by the so-called mulatto, a character of mixed background who is passing and has this ability to be able to cross over the coloured line to the white side. However, this white passing comes with a heavy internal conflict and this struggle for self-identity is captured in The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. James Weldon Johnson epitomizes the struggles that a mixed-race protagonist would experience as he crosses the social boundary from the coloured side to the white side. Through this portrayal of a mixed race coloured man, Johnson is able to portray two well established literary troupes within African American literature: the tragic mulatto and the ex-slave narrative.
In the reading Just Walk on By by Brent Staples, the topic of racial stereotypes surfaces from the man who gets racially profiled quite often as he explains his personal experiences. The author bluntly tries to pass the message that racially judging people is wrong and explaining how it makes the other party ,african americans, feel. When analyzing Staples’ message his rhetorical strategies play a huge role into how his message is perceived. He uses influential diction allowing each word to give an impact unmatched by any white man who tried to convey a black man’s thought process. Staples also appeals to his credibility with the obvious observation that he is a black man talking about his real life experiences.
The most accurate representation that we can draw between the paternal influence upon Huck is how he comes to view Jim. Huck was a young boy growing up in a predominately racist environment, so he was largely destined to view African Americans as less than human. Although there was an overwhelming cultural burden placed upon him, Huck managed to see through the racial stigmas. One particularly important part of the book was after Huck and Jim had been separated by the fog on their way to Cairo. Huck had played a mean joke upon Jim claiming that the entire incident was actually just a dream.
John Howard Griffin gives us insight into what it's like to be a black man during a time of racial segregation in his book “Black Like Me.” Black people were treated like tenth class citizens as Griffin put it. He stepped into the life of a middle-aged black man and showed us what life was truly like to be an African-American. Furthermore, John Howard Griffin had wanted to know what it was like to be a Negro during times of segregation so he had medically changed his pigments to turn his skin from white to a lighter shade of black. It only took a short time for him to morph into the Negro life, he had met up with a black man who entered Griffin into the black status by saying “‘We’ form and to discuss ‘our situation.’
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass tells the remarkable story of Frederick Douglass as he witnesses the dehumanizing effects of slavery on both slaves and their masters and works to be acknowledged as a human being. Douglass not only documents his journey from childhood to manhood, but also documents the mental and emotional the highs and lows of his emotions as he bounces between slavery and what he believes to be freedom. In the passage about his escape and arrival in New York, Douglass’ emotions regress from feelings of joy to feelings of emptiness. In the excerpt, Frederick Douglass recounts his transition from feelings of excitement to feelings of fear and loneliness during his escape and his arrival in New York using figurative language, diction, and repetition.
By using phrases such as these, Capote creates an unfavorable impression of Dick and and a biased tone. The same cannot be said for Perry as Capote produces an almost benevolent tone toward him with the help of pathos, “the most powerful appeal” (Noel, 2011). There are several ways in which Capote makes his favoritism of Perry evident. One of which being
The identity of African American was constantly messed up, because of their oppressors making them seem like vulgar, troublemakers. The African American artists were making choices in communicating ideals to their audience and how African American are portrayed. African American artists created work that celebrated their culture and what they achieved despite the continuous
Huck shows individualism as he is a person, who is out of the norm, and cares to free his African American friend Jim. He shows the first signs of abolition and shows how he as an individual is different compared to others. He may show a hatred to African Americans on the outside, but on the
Gene is freed of the hatred and jealously that plagued him when Finny was alive. With his new viewpoint on life Gene states, “I was ready for the war, now that I no longer had any hatred to contribute to it. My fury was gone, I felt it gone, dried up at the source, withered and lifeless. Phineas had absorbed it and taken it with him, and I was rid of it forever” (Knowles 203).
The Power Behind “Just Walk on By” In Brent Staples article “Just Walk on By”, Staples shares his thoughts on the way marginalized groups interact. He uses his own experiences as a young African American man to shed light on how people can have implied biases that affect the way they treat other people. Staples does this to demonstrate how society develops preconceived notions in the minds of individuals about marginalized groups, primarily African American men, which are often a flawed representation of the people within these groups. The rhetoric he uses is key to developing an understanding persona and an emotional appeal that exposes the implied biases of people without alienating or offending the audience, to whom-- among others-- he attributes these biases.
Dylan Frank 9/30/16 ANT 190 FSEM Professor Knauft Existing Outside of the Racial Binary The way an individual perceives his or her own personal identity can differ greatly from how he or she is seen by society. Although race is a social construct, its impact has been profound.
I found this quote that I think supports what I’m saying: “…but I assure you, as I survey this globe or globule, I think that God has abandoned it to some evil spirit---all of it except Eldorado.” (Chapter 20 pg. 458). When I read Voltaire and I read about all the criticisms. I start to notice how not all of them make sense. The anonymous review that I read was on the nose when it said: “Voltaire seems indeed to have understood the opinion, which he has endeavored to ridicule, and the arguments by which it is supported in a very imperfect and confusing manner?”
The reasons that we should still read Shakespeare today is because his literature permits the present day to perceive life from the past, his work still affects people and peoples opinions today, and his work is a strong basis of what other literate professionals reference from. The claims may be supported throughout the text of "Why Read Shakespeare?" by Michael Mack, "Why Shakespeare?", a film by Lawrence Bridges, and "Shakespeare In Our Time" by National Endowment of The Arts. I 'm The first claim is how Shakespeare permits us to view life from his time. In the film "Shakespeare in Our Time" by National Endowment of The Arts, Dana Gioia states "National Endowment of The Arts is trying to spread understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare
King and Hansberry presented the racial tensions between the influence and the authority mainstream to expose the limits of an unequal and racist American society. It is proven in both texts that inequality and discrimination that African Americans face, negatively impacts their thoughts, feelings, and domestic relationships with one another. Finally, King and Hansberry reveal that it is human to dream. The influences that the African American community struggle with daily, such racial discrimination, hinders the ability to fulfill their dreams.
The author uses a variety of other works to support this analysis of dynamics of race, masculinity and power. However, in referencing newspaper articles, the author admits that these tactics effectively shifted the conversation of the female involvement in civil rights activities and addresses how the bias | <urn:uuid:93e34f6b-3bc6-4477-812b-20dda59f444a> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://www.ipl.org/essay/The-Other-Wes-Moores-Self-Identity-PKVH6B7ESCFR | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662522284.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20220518151003-20220518181003-00445.warc.gz | en | 0.978068 | 1,694 | 3.578125 | 4 |
On-line version ISSN 2071-0763
Print version ISSN 0258-5200
SA j. ind. Psychol. vol.35 n.1 Cape Town Jan. 2009
François de Kock; Anton Schlechter
Department of Industrial Psychology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Pilot selection is a form of high-stakes selection due to the massive costs of training, high trainee ability requirements and costly repercussions of poor selection decisions. This criterion-related validation study investigated the predictive ability of fluid intelligence and spatial reasoning in predicting three criteria of pilot training performance, using an accumulated sample of South African Air Force pilots (N = 108). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses with training grade achieved as criterion were performed for each of the phases of training, namely practical flight training, ground school training, and officers' formative training. Multiple correlations of 0.35 (p < 0.01), 0.20 (p > 0.05) and 0.23 (p > 0.05) were obtained for flight, ground school and formative training results, respectively. Spatial ability had incremental validity over fluid intelligence for predicting flight training performance.
Keywords: pilot selection; flight training; intelligence; spatial ability; incremental validity
Military pilot selection has traditionally been heavily researched, in part because pilots play a key role in modern warfare and training them is costly in terms of both finances and time (Hunter & Burke, 1994). In the United Kingdom, the estimated unit cost of training a fast-jet pilot is more than £3.7 million. One fighter pilot in the South African Air Force (SAAF) takes at least 5 years to train, which makes training failures costly. Dropout rates are high in the United States Air Force (20%) and Australian and Canadian programmes (30%) (Bourn, 2000). Aircraft accidents are also expensive in human, financial and psychological terms. Since choosing pilots represents such a high-stakes selection scenario, the military continues to research effective pilot selection measures.
Two issues seem to dominate current pilot selection research. Firstly, the fact that Spearman's general cognitive ability (g) plays such a central role in predicting pilot success has raised the question of whether it really makes sense to also assess specific intelligences (Carretta & Ree, 1989; Ree & Carretta, 1996; 2002). Proponents of this argument argue that most specific intelligences are so saturated with g that it rarely adds any incremental validity to batteries already containing measures of g. This argument would make sense, assuming Carroll's (1993) model of cognitive ability of a hierarchy of factors with g at its apex and group factors at successively lower levels to be true. For purposes of this paper, fluid intelligence and g were assumed to be theoretically congruent (for a summary, see Alderton & Larson, 1990) and, therefore, are used interchangeably as in other cited literature. The second issue relates to the so-called criterion problem. Most validity studies cite the lack of meaningful, quality criteria to validate predictors against a weakness (Hunter & Burke, 1994; Hunter & Schmidt, 1990). This problem is especially prominent in pilot selection research (Damos, 1996). Gaining a better exposition of the performance domain takes us some way towards a better understanding of ability-performance linkages (Schmitt & Chan, 1998). The present study sought to address both of these issues by assessing both measures of g and specific intelligences, and examining how well this combination predicts multiple criteria of pilot training performance. It also reports on the incremental validity of measures of specific intelligence over and above fluid intelligence, which remains a contested topic in pilot selection research.
The validation of selection procedures is necessary for various reasons. The pragmatic perspective views human resources, where the individual and his/her output is key, as critical to success in any organisation. Gatewood and Feild (1998, p. 3) state that '...the performance of employees is a major determinant of how successful an organisation is in reaching its strategic goals and developing a competitive advantage of rival firms'. Selecting people that are likely to perform effectively is a key responsibility of the human resource function, which by implication includes developing and validating effective selection procedures (Campbell, McCloy, Oppler & Sager, 1993; Milkovich & Boudreau, 1997).
The selection process must be reliable and it needs to make valid claims. According to internationally accepted principles and guidelines (American Psychological Association, 2003; United States Department of Labor, 1978) a sound selection procedure is one that allows valid inferences to be made regarding future job behaviour from available measure scores. Likewise, the Guidelines for the Validation and Use of Assessment Procedures for the Workplace (Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 1998, p. 1) concur by stating that the evaluation of any assessment procedure should be 'based on the fact that sufficient proof can be found that the procedures used are indeed relevant to the position or work concerned'.
The 'proof' referred to above can be termed 'validity', and it refers to the '...degree to which accumulated evidence and theory support specific interpretations of test scores entailed by proposed uses of a test' (American Educational Research Association, APA & National Council for Measurement inEducation, 1999, p. 184). Validation, therefore, involves the accumulation of evidence - content, criterion or construct-related - to provide a sound scientific basis for the proposed score interpretations (APA, 2003).
From a legal perspective, validation is required by law in South Africa, as stipulated in the Employment Equity Act (RSA, 1998, p. 10): Psychological testing and other similar assessments of any employee are prohibited unless the test or assessment being used has been scientifically shown to be valid, reliable; can be applied fairly to all employees; and is not biased against any employee or group.
During the selection process a choice is made about desired qualities and traits. This choice rests upon a predictive hypothesis that is formulated after considering the demands and context of the job (Guion, 1965). The focus of selection research is then to test the predictive hypotheses that certain qualities and traits predict certain desirable behaviour. In this sense, validation is seen as a process of traditional hypothesis testing (Binning & Barrett, 1989; Landy, 1986).
Traditionally, validation research has received considerable attention in the military (Cook, 1999; Rumsey, Walker & Harris, 1994; Schmitt & Borman, 1993). A survey of contemporary literature (e.g., Hilton & Dolgin, 1991; Hunter & Burke, 1994) reveals a thorough understanding of the link between tasks, demands and knowledge-skills-abilities (KSAs) for the job of the military pilot, which is simulated fairly well in the training task.
Determinants of pilot training success
There is general consensus that the determinants of pilot success resort in three main domains, namely intelligence and aptitude, psychomotor coordination and personality (Carretta & Ree, 1989). A broad summary of research on each predictor area is provided next, even though not all of these were assessed in this study.
Intelligence and aptitude
Hilton and Dolgin (1991, p. 94) remark that '...there is little doubt that above average intelligence is necessary to master military pilot training.' They also characterise intelligence as the best and most stable predictor of flight training success, in their summary of pilot selection research during the last century.
Intelligence is a broad concept, and is sometimes defined more specifically. For instance, Ree and Carretta (1996) make a useful distinction between two types of intelligence. They use Spearman's (1904) two-factor theory of cognitive ability and argue that intelligence can be seen as general cognitive ability (g) on the one hand, or in terms of specific abilities (sn) on the other. The factor g is a general factor that is obtained through factor analysis and is thought to underlie most of the other intellectual abilities (Plug, Meyer, Louw & Gouws, 1989). The construct g is synonymous with fluid intelligence.
The predictive validity of these types of intelligence appears to differ. Hunter and Burke (1994), in their meta-analysis of predictors of pilot success, found that general intelligence was not generalisable across studies as a predictor; at most it had an influence moderated by other variables. However, general cognitive ability has consistently been shown to predict pilot training success, showing average statistically significant correlations of 0.33 (Ree & Carretta, 1996).
General intelligence in other guises has also been shown to predict pilot training success. Cattell's concept of fluid intelligence (Cattell, 1987; Raven & Court, 1998) is defined as intellectual abilities that are determined primarily by genetic factors, as opposed to cultural or environmental factors (Plug et al., 1989). Some evidence has been found that information processing capability, an important indicator of fluid intelligence, predicts pilot training success (Damos, 1996). A more recent South African study found that pilots could be differentiated from non-pilots on the grounds of rate of information processing (Barkhuizen, Schepers & Coetzee, 2002). It can be argued that fluid intelligence and information processing capability are two factors of intelligence that drive transfer and automatisation of learning during the flight training task. With regard to specific intelligence (s n), a multitude of abilities have been found to predict pilot training success, among others verbal, quantitative, spatial, and mathematical ability, as well as perceptual speed and instrument comprehension (Burke, Hobson & Linsky, 1997; Carretta & Ree, 1996).
The relative importance of g and s n in predicting pilot training success remains a controversial issue. On the one hand, some authors (e.g., Burke, Hobson & Linsky, 1997; Carretta, Perry & Ree, 1996; Ree & Carretta, 2002) maintain that g remains a better predictor of pilot success than specific abilities. Other authors (e.g., Hunter & Burke, 1994; Martinussen, 1996) come to different conclusions and report - as a result of their meta-analyses - that measures of general intelligence had low mean validities compared to more specific measures of intelligence.
Carretta, Perry & Ree (1996) shed light on this apparent contradiction with their view that the inclusion of specific abilities (s n) adds little to the ability to predict criteria (see also Ree & Carretta, 1996), since many of the additional measures that are used are saturated with g and do not represent unique abilities. Some authors (e.g., Martinussen, 1996) disagree and demonstrate that the inclusion of specific abilities indeed had incremental validity over and above measures of g. Clearly, the debate on the role of intelligence and aptitude in the prediction of pilot training success is still very active and can be interpreted as an attestation of its dominance in pilot selection batteries.
Psychomotor skills research has a long history in pilot selection (Griffin & Koonce, 1996). The term 'psychomotor' denotes a combination of physical and psychological activities (Plug et al., 1989). Measures of psychomotor coordination or hand-eye coordination as it is sometimes referred to are commonly included in selection batteries for two apparent reasons, being (a) they have an obvious relation to the task and (b) the results of validation research support their inclusion in selection batteries (Hilton & Dolgin, 1991).
In their study, (Burke, Hobson & Linsky, 1997) found that psychomotor tests were predictive of pilot training success and that its validity generalised across samples. They used Validity Generalisation Analysis (VGA) with three samples from different national air forces, with a large sample (N = 1760). A continuation of these authors' findings is the fact that various studies report that measures of psychomotor abilities were able to increase predictive validity of a battery already measuring g (Ree & Carretta, 1996). For instance, in one study when psychomotor tasks were added to a USAF selection battery already including the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) scores, the predictive validity of the battery increased from 0.168 to 0.207 (Damos, 1996).
New developments in psychomotor predictors also abound. Various studies have illustrated the role of situational awareness in pilot functioning (Carretta et al., 1996). Therefore, it can be expected that this construct might prove useful in future pilot selection batteries.
Personality can be defined as those aspects of individuals that make predictions about their behaviour in specific situations possible (Plug et al., 1989). Contrary to expectation, most studies report that personality adds little to the prediction of pilot success (Carretta, Perry & Ree, 1996; Hunter & Burke, 1994; Retzlaff & Gibertini, 1987; Turnbull, 1992). However, some studies did in fact report that certain aspects of personality had incremental predictive validity in traditional batteries, for instance attitude to risk (Ree & Carretta, 1996). In another study, Carretta (2000) found that a measure of conscientiousness incremented the multiple correlation coefficient of a battery measuring general mental ability from 0.51 to 0.60.
Despite the generally weak ability of personality to predict pilot training success, it is often used in pilot selection. For instance, certain militaries use personality as a screening variable to identify clinical dysfunction and other undesirable traits. It also appears that personality is receiving increased attention in the important areas of stress tolerance and motivation (Hilton & Dolgin, 1991).
A study that compared the personality profiles of pilots to those of college students through cluster analysis, found that pilots had distinct personalities that distinguished them from non-pilots (Retzlaff & Gibertini, 1987). A similar finding was obtained by a study comparing the personality profiles of student naval pilots with normative data (Lambirth, Dolgin, Rentmeister-Bryant & Moore, 2003). Ashman and Telfer (1983) found pilots to be more achievement oriented, outgoing, active, competitive, dominant and less introspective, emotional, sensitive and self-effacing than a sample of non-pilots.
In another study, pilot trainees completed a personality inventory measuring five dimensions thought to be associated with flight training performance. After their training was completed, three of the measures were in fact related significantly to training outcome, namely hostility, self-confidence and values flexibility. Disappointingly, incremental validity analysis did not indicate that the inventory could enhance a selection model already containing traditional aptitude scores (Siem, 1992).
Meta-analyses of predictors of pilot training performance
The meta-analysis of Hunter and Burke (1994) of 68 published studies, with a total of 437 258 combined cases using the method proposed by Hunter and Schmidt (1990), concludes that not one predictor conclusively generalised in terms of predictive validity across samples. However, a number of variables had generalisable validity moderated by various factors, including decade of the particular study, aircraft type, arm of service and nationality. The variables that had generalisable validity (with mean sample-weighted correlations indicated) included job sample (0.34), gross dexterity (0.32), mechanical ability (0.29), reaction time (0.28), biodata inventory (0.27), aviation and general information (0.22), perceptual speed (0.20), spatial ability (0.19) and quantitative ability (0.11). Validities that could not be generalised across samples were verbal ability (0.12), fine dexterity (0.10), age (-0.10), education (0.06) and personality (0.10).
Similar results are reported by Martinussen (1996) in a meta-analysis of 66 independent samples from 50 studies (combined N = 17900) from 11 nations, also using the Hunter and Schmidt (1990) meta-analysis method. She found the best predictors of pilot performance to be - with mean corrected validities indicated - a combination of cognitive and psychomotor tests (0.37), previous training experience (0.30), cognitive abilities (0.24), psychomotor/information-processing abilities (0.24), aviation information (0.24) and biographical inventories (0.23). Similar to the findings of Hunter and Burke (1994), certain factors were found to have low mean validities, including personality (0.14), intelligence or g (0.16) and academic tests (0.15).
In a smaller follow-up meta-analysis of four studies (combined N = 973), again using the Hunter and Schmidt (1990) method, Martinussen and Torjussen (1998) found that the best predictors of success in pilot training were instrument comprehension (0.29), mechanical principles (0.23) and aviation information (0.22).
Clearly, predictors vary across time frames, technology and development in the nature of the task of the military pilot. This underscores the importance of validation within the particular context of use of a selection battery. As Huysamen (1994, p. 31) caveats, 'it is therefore more appropriate to refer to the validity of a test for a particular application than to speak of the validity of a test.'
There is general consensus that the ability to predict pilot training success is inadequate. Obtained multiple correlations are still low (Damos, 1996), largely because of the choice of criterion and unique problems associated with pilot selection research, such as small selection ratios and severe restriction of range (Burke, Hobson & Linsky, 1997; Carretta, 1992a; Hilton & Dolgin, 1991). More recently, it has been proposed that more valid and reliable criterion measures be developed and that research into new models of personality be conducted (Damos, 1996).
The SAAF, like other military and civilian organisations utilising pilots in their service, continuously attempts to improve its ability to predict successful pilot training performance (Aspeling, 1980; Croucamp & Bolton, 2002; Smit & Bielfeld, 2001). If so much rests upon the quality of decisions made in pilot selection, it is critical that the relationship between the constructs measured by the assessment battery and different criteria of flight training performance be investigated. Moreover, the additional gain in predictiveness from measures of special intelligence should be investigated.
In light of the above, the objectives and hypotheses of this study were formulated. In the first instance, to establish the extent to which the predictors in this study relate to pilot training performance, it was hypothesised that statistically significant relationships would exist between predictors and criteria of pilot training success. Secondly, in order to establish the extent to which a battery consisting of fluid intelligence and spatial ability is a valid predictor of multiple criteria of flight training performance, it was hypothesised that the pilot training performance of SAAF pilots could be predicted from a battery consisting of measures of fluid intelligence and spatial ability. Thirdly, to establish if adding a measure of specific intelligence to a battery already containing a measure of g, improves the ability to predict pilot flight training performance, it was hypothesised that spatial ability would have incremental validity over and above fluid intelligence for predicting pilot training performance.
A predictive criterion-related validity design was used to investigate the relationship between predictors and identified criteria (Schmitt & Chan, 1998). The adoption of quantitative methods and the use of statistical analyses allowed the researchers to compare results with earlier research findings.
The sample consisted of five full annual intakes of SAAF pilots (N = 108) who successfully completed officer's formative training, ground school training and practical flight training. In order to control for possible differences in training and evaluation content across training cycles, the researchers extracted data for the total population of pilots who qualified from 1997 to 2001, since training and evaluation was held constant in this period. Since foreign instructors were used to train and evaluate pilot trainees in training cycles after this period, the researchers decided to limit the analyses only to these comparable groups (i.e., 1997-2001). The annual intake sizes were relatively well distributed (e.g., 24.1%, 24.1%, 23.1%, 13% and 15.7%, from 1997 to 2001, respectively). The ranks of participants upon entering training ranged from candidate-officer to major, where most (85.1%) resorted in the former category. In terms of gender, 101 of the pilots were men and six were women. The pilots were all under the age of 25 upon entering the training programme. All pilots had completed at least Grade 12. The distribution of the gender and ethnic groups in the sample is shown in Table 1.
The criterion for this study was subjects' performance during the total pilot training process. Therefore, instructors' ratings of practical flight performance, training grades for ground school flight training and scores on officers' formative training were considered as measures of the dependent variable. Evidence of construct validity of the three measures of training performance was found in the present study and is reported later. The reliability of the criterion measures could not be investigated, which is a common weakness of pilot validation studies (Hunter & Burke, 1994; Martinussen, 1996). One Norwegian study estimated the reliability of its criteria (theoretical tests and pass/fail measures of training success) to be 0.90 (Martinussen & Torjussen, 1998).
The predictor measures used in this study were selected from a larger set of assessment instruments that are used by the SAAF for selection of military pilots. Due to the fact that the composition of selection batteries varied over the five-year period of this study, only the predictors included in all cycles were studied.
Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices
The Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM) is a nonverbal measure of general cognitive ability or g (Alderton & Larson, 1990; Jensen, 1998), as well as fluid intelligence (Cattell, 1987; Raven & Court, 1998). The APM was designed to differentiate between people of superior intellectual ability, such as students for advanced scientific or technical studies (Raven & Court, 1998). Various authors (e.g., Alderton & Larson, 1990; Arthur & Woehr, 1993) have confirmed that the APM measures g as a unidimensional construct. Reliability, construct and predictive validity of the instrument have been established in numerous studies (e.g., Bors & Stokes, 1998; Martinussen & Torjussen, 1998; Rushton, Skuy & Fridjhon, 2003).
Blox Test of Spatial Ability
The Blox Test (Lombard, 1980) is a test of spatial relations, orientation and visualisation, or spatial ability as it is commonly referred to in literature. This test assesses the ability to recognise three-dimensional objects which have been rotated in space and which are represented two-dimensionally, as in technical drawings. The Blox Test has been shown to yield acceptable reliability estimates of scores for various South African cultural groups, namely for Black Xhosa men (KR-20 = 0.89), Coloured Afrikaans Men (KR20 = 0.82), Indian Males (KR21 = 0.79) and Black Zulu Males (KR21 = 0.77). Studies in the engineering and trade environment illustrate adequate construct and predictive validity (Lombard, 1980). For instance, Van der Merwe (2002) showed that the Blox Test predicts success in skilled, technical jobs.
The psychometric test scores of all participants were collected during their selection for the pilot training programme and combined with the training evaluation scores achieved after completion of training and subsequently screened for inadequate data. Cases with missing data on the primary criterion of flight training evaluation scores were excluded from the study. The validation design took the form of a predictive criterion-related validation study (Schmitt & Chan, 1998). In order to control for possible multi-year effects in criterion performance, the researchers compared the annual cycles in terms of the most important criterion measure for this study, namely flight training performance. An analysis of variance showed that the effect of year group was non-significant, F(4, 95) = 2.03, p = .096. Considering the minimum (65.9) and maximum (90.1) scores obtained on this criterion measure, the annual means ranged between 77.63 and 80.5. The Levene test for equality of variances between these groups was not significant for year group (p = .208). In addition to the fact that the content and method of flight training and evaluation remained constant, these results support the use of multi-year data in the subsequent analyses, since there is no indication of annual differences in average pilot flight training performance.
The statistical techniques included descriptive statistics, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Analysis and Hierarchical (Sequential) Multiple Regression Analysis (Tabachnick & Fidell, 2001). Correlation analysis was used to determine individual ability-performance relationships. Hierarchical Regression was used to determine if the addition of information regarding specific abilities such as spatial ability, improved prediction of criteria of pilot training success beyond that afforded by variance in fluid intelligence. Analyses were performed using SPSS REGRESSION and SPSS FREQUENCIES, by the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), for evaluation of assumptions (SPSS, 2006). An alpha level of 0.05 was used for the determination of significance levels for all tests, unless stated otherwise. Using the tables of Cohen (1988), statistical power for this study was estimated at 0.87 (N = 108; estimated effect size d = 0.30).
Analyses were performed using SPSS REGRESSION, SPSS DESCRIPTIVES and SPSS FREQUENCIES were used for the evaluation of assumptions underlying the statistical techniques employed. These results led to transformations of the variables to reduce skewness and improve normality, linearity, and homoscedasticity of residuals. Inverse square root transformations were used on spatial ability, fluid intelligence and ground school performance scores. In most cases skewness was reduced with transformation, but normality was not significantly improved as judged by the respective Kolmogorov-Smirnov test statistics, which tests the hypothesis that a sample comes from a normal distribution. Therefore, transformations were not retained due to the consequent complication of interpretability of results and the fact that multiple regression analysis is believed to be fairly robust against moderate violations of the assumption of normality resulting from skewness (Tabachnick & Fidell, 2001). With the use of a p < 0.05 criterion for Mahalanobis distance, no outliers among the cases were identified. A few cases had missing data, which were deleted pairwise, N = 108.
Correlations between predictor and criterion measures (Hypothesis 1)
Table 2 depicts correlations (Pearson) between the scores on predictor measures and the three measures of pilot training success. Based on the survey of literature and reasoning followed, it was expected that the first hypothesis would be supported, i.e. intercorrelations between predictors and criteria would be statistically significant (p < 0.05).
The results show that the intercorrelation between the two predictors, namely fluid intelligence and spatial ability, was moderate, positive and highly statistically significant (r = 0.415; p < 0.001).
Fluid intelligence was positively associated with two (of three) criteria for pilot training performance, namely with flight and formative training performance (r = 0.248; r = 0.216 respectively; p < 0.05). On the other hand, spatial ability was positively associated with flight training performance (r = 0.336; p < 0.001), but not with ground school training performance (r = 0.138; p > 0.05) and officers' formative training (r = 0.033; p > 0.05). Judging by these correlations, the first hypothesis regarding predictor-criterion relationships was supported for fluid intelligence as a predictor of two of the three criteria of flight training performance, but for spatial ability, only in the case of actual flight training performance as a criterion.
Hierarchical Multiple Regression results (Hypotheses 2 and 3)
To determine the validity of the battery to predict pilot training success, the regression of the various measures of pilot training success on the scores on the psychometric instruments was computed. Hierarchical Regression Analysis was performed for each criterion, since they represent distinctly different aspects of the training process that were of interest to the researchers. Since theory suggests that general cognitive ability underlies measures of specific intelligence, fluid intelligence was entered into the equation first, followed by spatial ability (Carretta, Perry & Ree, 1996). Table 3 displays the correlations between the variables, the unstandardised regression coefficients (B) and intercept, the standardised regression coefficients (β), the semipartial correlations (sri2), and R, R2, and adjusted R2 after entry of both IVs.
For flight training performance, R was significantly different from zero at the end of each step. After step 2, with both predictors in the equation, R = 0.354, F (2, 93) = 6.66, p < 0.01. After step 1, with fluid intelligence in the equation, R2 = 0.061, Finc (1, 93) = 6.143, p < 0.05. After step 2, with spatial ability added to the prediction of flight training, R2 = 0.125 (adjusted R2 = 0.106), Finc (1, 93) = 6.799, p < 0.05. The addition of spatial ability to the equation with fluid intelligence resulted in a significant increment in R2. Collinearity diagnostics did not provide conclusive evidence of collinearity. Using the criteria for multicollinearity suggested by Belsley, Kuh and Welsch (1980), no roots had conditioning indices greater than 0.30 for a given dimension, although some dimensions had more than one variance proportion greater than 0.50. None of the tolerances (1 - SMC) approached zero. Coupled with low variance inflation factors (VIF), it indicated no serious cause for concern regarding multicollinearity (Tabachnick & Fidell, 2001).
For the other two criteria of pilot training performance, R was not significantly different from zero. For brevity's sake, their results will not be reported in separate tables but only in the text. For ground school training performance it was found that, with both IVs in the equation, R = 0.196, F (2, 93) = 1.855, p > 0.05. After step 1, with fluid intelligence in the equation, R2 = 0.038, Finc (1, 93) = 3.731, p < 0.05 (obtained p was marginal at 0.056). After step 2, with spatial ability added to the prediction of ground school training, R2 = 0.038 (adjusted R2 = 0.018), Finc (1, 93) = 0.019, p > 0.05. The addition of spatial ability to the equation with fluid intelligence did not result in a significant increment in R2. Similar results were found for officers' formative training performance, where R was significantly different from zero only after step 1, with fluid intelligence in the equation, R2 = 0.047, Finc (1, 88) = 4.327, p < 0.05. After step 2, with spatial ability added to the prediction, R2 = 0.054 (adjusted R2 = 0.032), Finc (1, 87) = 0.627, p > 0.05. With both IVs in the equation, R = 0.232, F (2, 87) = 2.468, p > 0.05. Although officers' formative training could be predicted from fluid intelligence, the addition of spatial ability to the equation did not result in a significant increment in R2. The results indicate that the second hypothesis was supported in the case of flight training performance, but not for the other criterion measures. Similarly, the third hypothesis - that spatial ability has incremental validity over and above g - was supported only in the case of the prediction of flight training performance.
As is common in most pilot selection validation studies, due to range restriction (Thorndike, 1949), obtained correlations or validities will tend to underestimate the true validities of predictors in the battery simply because the full range of ability is not present in the validation sample (Hunter & Schmidt, 1990). Since selection data for the unselected group were not available, corrections for multivariate restriction of range and unreliability in the criteria could not be computed (Guilford, 1954).
Using the Cattin (1990) formula to estimate population cross-validity, which is the value one could expect if an infinite number of samples were available upon which to estimate cross-validity and one computed the average value of cross-validity across these samples for flight training performance, population cross-validity is estimated at 0.32 (Schmitt & Chan, 1998).
The relationship between the various criterion measures is depicted in Table 2. Criterion convergence is apparent in these correlations, since pilot flight training and ground school training were strongly correlated and highly statistically significant (r = 0.424; p < 0.001), which serves as evidence of construct validity of the criterion. On its part, officers' formative training was not related to the other two criteria, thereby indicating that it measures aspects of training performance that are not necessarily related to the flying task.
The primary aim of this study was to determine the regression of pilot training performance during flight, ground school and officers' formative training on the scores on the psychometric instruments. The researchers expected that individuals with higher levels of fluid intelligence and spatial ability would achieve better training scores in pilot training. It was hypothesised that a significant relationship exists between pilot training performance, fluid intelligence and spatial ability. Furthermore, it was expected that spatial ability would add incremental validity to fluid intelligence in predicting pilot training performance. Partial support was found for these hypotheses.
Two (of three) criteria of pilot training performance were significantly (positively) associated with fluid intelligence, in line with earlier research on the prominent role of general cognitive ability (g) in predicting pilot training performance (Damos, 1996; Hilton & Dolgin, 1991; Ree & Carretta, 1996). Assuming that g and fluid intelligence are theoretically congruent, an explanation for this finding can be taken from Thorndike (1949, 1986) and Schmidt and Hunter (1998), who stated that g is central in predicting training and job success across hundreds of occupations.
The association between spatial ability and flight training performance mirrored the results of Carretta, Perry & Ree (1996), which confirms that spatial relations and orientation play an important part in the actual task of flying an aircraft. Spatial ability was not related to ground school and officers' formative training; there is also no apparent theoretical link to be made between these constructs.
In general, the results of this study are consistent with previous research on the prediction of pilot training success in two ways: (a) fluid intelligence remains one of the best predictors of flight training performance, and (b) the obtained correlations between predictors and criteria are still only moderate at best (Burke, Hobson & Linsky, 1997; Carretta, Perry & Ree, 1996; Damos, 1996; Hilton & Dolgin, 1991; Hunter & Burke, 1994).
A unique finding of this study was that spatial ability could indeed add incremental predictive validity to a battery already containing a measure of fluid intelligence (or g), contrary to the results of previous studies (e.g., Carretta, Perry & Ree, 1996; Ree & Earles, 1991). Although not a unique finding (see Martinussen, 1996), it is generally believed that little value is gained from measuring anything else but g in pilot selection, which is obviously not a generalisable conclusion. Even though our data support the view of Carretta, Perry and Ree (1996) that specific abilities (e.g., spatial ability) are saturated with g, this study shows that in some cases measures of specific forms of intelligence (sn) could significantly improve the ability to explain variance in pilot training success.
Conclusion and recommendations
Since we have shown that sometimes special intelligence (sn) has incremental validity over g, the implication is that, practically, such an (small) increase in predictive validity translates into significant utility yields when considering the low selection ratios, high costs associated with training and low base rates typical in pilot selection (Murphy & Davidshofer, 2005). Moreover, selection decision-errors in pilot selection can be catastrophic and therefore these can be minimised by using more accurate selection procedures that capture more of the factors that 'cause' performance in the cockpit.
One explanation for the imperfect prediction of criteria relates to the so-called criterion problem. Criteria in validation studies often do not receive the same attention as predictors, especially with regard to adequate choice, reliability and construct validity (Burke, Hobson & Linsky, 1997). Poor reliability of selection instruments affects predictive validity (Huysamen, 1996). Some American pilot selection studies (e.g., Carretta, 1989; 1992b) show that using computerised psychometric testing tends to increase reliability and validity.
There were limitations to this study. For one, the absence of psychometric data from non-successful applicants makes estimates of the population statistics impossible, which is a requirement for the computation of adjustments to the validity coefficients for restriction of range and unreliability in the variables. Most pilot selection studies, such as that of Burke, Hobson and Linsky (1997), report substantial improvements in validity coefficients when adjusted for restriction of range and unreliability of criteria. Secondly, the psychometric characteristics of the criterion measures could not be investigated, apart from some evidence of convergent validity in this study. It is suggested that future studies provide a detailed analysis of the reliability of instructors' ratings, training score results and cockpit ratings of flying performance. Thirdly, a reviewer of this paper suggested the possibility that a method effect, caused by similarity in presentation of stimuli in both predictor measures, may have confounded the results under review. Although this remains a possible explanation for the research findings, the fact that spatial ability could explain additional variance in flight training performance suggests that the measures did indeed measure distinct constructs. However, future studies should consider the possible confounding influence of method effects in predictor measure choice.
These shortcomings highlight the fact that selection programmes should include validation considerations such initiatives. Validation is research and should not be seen as a statistical post-mortem, but rather as an integral part of any personnel selection project.
Suggestions for further research
The results of a local validation study should be interpreted with caution, as validity coefficients can fluctuate from one sample to the next, especially where sample sizes are small (APA, 2003). Therefore, the results of this study should be cross-validated in a future study. Since sufficiently-sized validation samples in the SAAF must accumulate with time to allow for appropriate statistical analyses, collaboration with similar institutions in the private and non-governmental sectors should allow sharing of data for validation purposes (Sackett & Arvey, 1993).
However, a stamp-collecting approach to validation that exaggerates emphasis on statistical validities obtained is also undesirable (Landy, 1986). Unfortunately, most selection procedures involve small N-settings, which mean that a reliance on empirical results is not always an option when deciding on the suitability of a predictor measure. Sometimes, professional judgement should serve as sufficient evidence for a predictor's inclusion in a selection procedure, followed by a long-term effort aimed at subsequent empirical investigation (Schmitt & Chan, 1998).
An analysis of the criteria in pilot training selection in terms of relevancy, deficiency and contamination is essential to future pilot selection studies. It is clear that the current battery is deficient in the sense that it does not include personality, as suggested by the literature study. A promising research avenue is an investigation of the incremental validity of measures of personality in pilot selection, such as the five-factor model of personality (Costa & McCrae, 2003), since dimensions such as conscientiousness could be expected to relate to success in pilot training. Whether personality would help to explain pilot performance better than measures of g already do, is surely an important question to consider.
In summary, this research confirms the widely-held belief that measures of general cognitive ability remain as stalwarts in any selection programme for military pilots. The unique contribution of this study to aviation psychology in South Africa is twofold. Firstly, it was shown that spatial ability can significantly enhance the ability to predict pilot flight training success. Measures of specific forms of intelligence (sn) such as spatial ability could have incremental validity over g and should therefore not be discarded in favour of measures of general cognitive ability or fluid intelligence. Other measures of sn should be investigated in terms of their possible incremental validity. Moreover, it was shown that the use of multiple criteria of performance has value since it provides broader evidence of criterion construct validity and it facilitates a more complete understanding of ability-performance relationships (Schmitt & Chan, 1998).
Alderton, D.L., & Larson, G.E. (1990). Dimensionality of Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices items. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 50(4), 887-900. [ Links ]
American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, & National Council for Measurement in Education. (1999). Standards for educational and psychological testing. New York: McGraw Hill. [ Links ]
American Psychological Association. (2003). Principles for the validation and use of personnel selection procedures (4th edn.). New York: APA. [ Links ]
Arthur, W., & Woehr, D.J. (1993). A confirmatory factor analytic study examining the dimensionality of the Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 53(2), 471-478. [ Links ]
Ashman, A., & Telfer, R. (1983). Personality profiles of pilots. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 54(10), 940-343. [ Links ]
Aspeling, E.G. (1980). Vlieënierskeuringstrategie vir die jare 1980 tot 1990 (Special Report U/Pers 109). Braamfontein: Nasionale Instituut vir Personeelnavorsing (WNNR). [ Links ]
Barkhuizen, W., Schepers, J.M., & Coetzee, J. (2002). Rate of information processing and reaction time of aircraft pilots and non-pilots. Journal of Industrial Psychology, 28(2), 67-76. [ Links ]
Belsley, D.A., Kuh, E., & Welsch, R.E. (1980). Regression diagnostics: Identifying influential data and sources of collinearity. New York: John Wiley & Sons. [ Links ]
Binning, J.F., & Barrett, G.V. (1989). Validity of personnel decisions: A conceptual analysis of the inferential and evidential bases. Journal of Applied Psychology, 74(3), 478-494. [ Links ]
Bors, D.A., & Stokes, T.L. (1998). Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices: Norms for first year university students. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 58(3), 382-398. [ Links ]
Bourn, J. (2000). Training new pilots, report HC 880 session 1999-2000. London: National Audit Office, UK Ministry of Defence. [ Links ]
Burke, E., Hobson, C., & Linsky, C. (1997). Large sample validations of three general predictors of pilot training success. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 7(3), 225-234. [ Links ]
Campbell, J.P., McCloy, R.A., Oppler, S.H., & Sager, C.E. (1993). A theory of performance. In N. Schmitt & W.C. Borman (Eds.), Personnel selection in organizations (pp. 35-70). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. [ Links ]
Carretta, T.R. (1989). USAF pilot selection and classification systems. Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine, 60(1), 46-49. [ Links ]
Carretta, T.R. (1992a). Understanding the relations between selection factors and pilot training performance: Does the criterion make a difference? International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 2(2), 95-106. [ Links ]
Carretta, T.R. (1992b). Recent developments in U.S. Air Force pilot candidate selection and classification. Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine, 63(12), 1112-4. [ Links ]
Carretta, T.R. (2000). U.S. Air Force pilot selection and training methods. Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine, 71(9), 950-956. [ Links ]
Carretta, T.R., & Ree, M.J. (1989). Pilot-candidate selection method: Sources of validity. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 4(2), 103-117. [ Links ]
Carretta, T.R., & Ree, M.J. (1996). U.S. Air Force pilot selection tests: What is measured and what is predictive? Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine, 67(3), 279-283. [ Links ]
Carretta, T.R., Perry, D., & Ree, M.J. (1996). Prediction of situational awareness in F-15 pilots. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 6(1), 21-41. [ Links ]
Carroll, J.B. (1993). Human Cognitive Abilities. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [ Links ]
Cascio, W.F. (1993). Assessing the utility of selection decisions: Theoretical and practical considerations. In N. Schmitt & W.C. Borman (Eds.), Personnel selection in organizations (pp. 310-340). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. [ Links ]
Cattell, R.B. (1987). Intelligence: Its structure, growth, and action. New York: Elsevier. [ Links ]
Cattin, P. (1980). Estimation of the predictive power of a regression model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 65, 407-414. [ Links ]
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. (2nd edn.). Hillsdale: Erlbaum. [ Links ]
Cook, M. (1999). Personnel selection. (3rd edn.). Chichester: Wiley. [ Links ]
Costa, P.T., & McCrae, R.M. (2003). A comprehensive and detailed assessment of adult personality based on the Five-Factor Model: NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO PI-R). Lutz: Psychological Assessment Resources. [ Links ]
Croucamp, Y., & Bolton, S. (2002). Pilot selection, statistical report. Pretoria: Department of Defence (RSA), Military Psychological Institute. [ Links ]
Damos, D.L. (1996). Pilot selection batteries: Shortcomings and perspectives. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 6(2), 199-209. [ Links ]
Employment Equity Act of the Republic of South Africa. (1998). Government Gazette (No. 28858). [ Links ]
Gatewood, R.D., & Field, H.S. (1998). Human resource selection. (4th edn.). Orlando: Harcourt Brace. [ Links ]
Griffin, G.R., & Koonce, J.M. (1996). Review of psychomotor skills in pilot selection research of the U.S. military services. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 6(2), 125-147. [ Links ]
Guilford, J.P. (1954). Psychometric methods. New York: McGraw-Hill. [ Links ]
Guion, R.M. (1965). Personnel testing. New York: McGraw-Hill. [ Links ]
Hilton, T.F., & Dolgin, D.L. (1991). Pilot selection in the military of the free world. In R. Gal & A.D. Mangelsdorff (Eds.), Handbook of military psychology (pp. 81-101). New York: Wiley. [ Links ]
Hunter, D.R., & Burke, E.F. (1994). Predicting aircraft pilot training success: A meta-analysis of published research. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 4(4), 297-313. [ Links ]
Hunter, J.E., & Schmidt, F.L. (1990). Meta-analysis: Cumulating research findings across studies. Beverly Hills: Sage. [ Links ]
Huysamen, G.K. (1994). Methodology for the social and behavioural sciences. Halfway House: Southern. [ Links ]
Huysamen, G.K. (1996). Psychological measurement. (3rd edn.). Pretoria: Academic. [ Links ]
Jensen, A.R. (1998). The g factor. Westport: Praeger. [ Links ]
Lambirth, T.T., Dolgin, D.L., Rentmeister-Bryant, H.K., & Moore, J.L. (2003). Selected personality characteristics of student naval aviators and student naval flight officers. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 13(4), 415-427. [ Links ]
Landy, F.J. (1986). Stamp collecting versus science: Validation as hypothesis testing. American Psychologist, 41(11), 1183-1192. [ Links ]
Lombard, R.B. (1980). BLOX test administrator's manual (A/80). Pretoria: CSIR. [ Links ]
Martinussen, M. (1996). Psychological measures as predictors of pilot performance: A meta-analysis. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 6(1), 1-20. [ Links ]
Martinussen, M., & Torjussen, T. (1998). Pilot selection in the Norwegian Air Force: A validation and meta-analysis of the test battery. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 8(1), 33-45. [ Links ]
Milkovich, G.T., & Boudreau, J.W. (1997). Human resource management. (8th edn.). Chicago: Irwin. [ Links ]
Murphy, K.R., & Davidshofer, C.O. (1988). Psychological testing: Principles and applications. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall. [ Links ]
Plug, C., Meyer, W.F., Louw, D.A., & Gouws, L.A. (1989). Psigologie woordeboek. Johannesburg: Lexicon. [ Links ]
Raven, J.C., & Court, J.H. (1998). Manual for the Ravens Advanced Progressive Matrices. London: H.K. Kewis. [ Links ]
Ree, M.J., & Carretta, T.R. (1996). Central role of g in military pilot selection. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 6(2), 111-123. [ Links ]
Ree, M.J., & Carretta, T.R. (2002). g2K. Human Performance, 15(1), 3-23. [ Links ]
Ree, M.J., & Earles, J.A. (1991). Predicting training success: Not much more than g. Personnel Psychology, 44(2), 321-332. [ Links ]
Retzlaff, P.D., & Gibertini, M. (1987). Air force pilot personality: Hard data on the "right stuff". Multivariate Behavioral Research, 22(4), 383-399. [ Links ]
Rumsey, M.G., Walker, C.B., & Harris, J.H. (Eds.). (1994). Personnel selection and classification. Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum. [ Links ]
Rushton, J.P., Skuy, M., & Fridjhon, P. (2003). Performance on Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices by African, East Indian, and White engineering students in South Africa. Intelligence, 31(2), 123-137. [ Links ]
Sackett, P.R., & Arvey, R.D. (1993). Selection in small N settings. In N. Schmitt & W.C. Borman (Eds.). Personnel selection in organizations (pp. 418-447). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. [ Links ]
Schmidt, F.L., & Hunter, J.E. (1998). The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology: Practical and theoretical implications of 85 years of research findings. Psychological Bulletin, 124(2), 262-274. [ Links ]
Schmitt, N., & Borman, W.C. (Eds.). (1993). Personnel selection in organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. [ Links ]
Schmitt, N., & Chan, D. (1998). Personnel selection: A theoretical approach. Thousand Oaks: Sage. [ Links ]
Siem, F.M. (1992). Predictive validity of an automated personality inventory for air force pilot selection. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 2(4), 261-270. [ Links ]
Smit, C., & Bielfeld, R. (2001). Progress report of pilot selection data. Pretoria: Department of Defence, Military Psychological Institute. [ Links ]
Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology of South Africa. (1998). Guidelines for the validation and use of assessment procedures for the workplace. Auckland Park: SIOPSA. [ Links ]
Spearman, C. (1904). 'General intelligence' objectively determined and measured. American Journal of Psychology, 15, 201-293. [ Links ]
SPSS Inc. (2006). Base 15.0 applications guide. Chicago: SPSS. [ Links ]
Tabachnick, B.G., & Fidell, L.S. (2001). Using multivariate statistics. (4th edn.). Needham Heights: Allyn & Bacon. [ Links ]
Thorndike, R.L. (1949). Personnel selection: Test and measurement techniques. New York: Wiley. [ Links ]
Thorndike, R.L. (1986). The role of general ability in prediction. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 29(3), 332-339. [ Links ]
Turnbull, G. (1992). A review of military pilot selection. Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine, 63(9), 825-830. [ Links ]
United States Department of Labor. (1978). Uniform guidelines on employee selection procedures. Washington, DC: US Department of Labor. [ Links ]
Van der Merwe, R.P. (2002). Psychometric testing and human resource management. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 28(2), 77-86. [ Links ]
François de Kock
Postal address: Department of Industrial Psychology, University of Stellenbosch
Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602
Received: 25 July 2008
Accepted: 02 Oct. 2008
Published: 30 Apr. 2009
This article is available at: http://www.sajip.co.za
© 2009. The Authors. Licensee: OpenJournals Publishing. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License. | <urn:uuid:cbabeda7-9c4c-4f3d-8b05-96a4f7e39066> | CC-MAIN-2017-09 | http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2071-07632009000100004&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-09/segments/1487501171162.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20170219104611-00188-ip-10-171-10-108.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9118 | 11,623 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Here are your homework challenges. you can choose to do as many or as few as you wish, but to gain the rewards, please complete at least 3 of the tasks.
How can grown-ups help?
Spellings to learn will be given on a Monday, to be tested on the following Monday. A homework outline is linked to this page so that your child can choose the activities they would like to complete and how they would like to present them.
In addition, please read a minimum of three times a week. Please initial the reading diary when your child has read and sign and comment when the book has been completed. This includes books which have been read online using Bug Club. We will monitor the reading diaries and show your child's progress on our reading track in the classroom.
Thank you for your support. | <urn:uuid:82dc240d-36b5-4e33-a05b-3862b89e35a6> | CC-MAIN-2018-39 | http://www.williamgladstonecofe.com/homework-6/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-39/segments/1537267161350.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20180925083639-20180925104039-00503.warc.gz | en | 0.979178 | 168 | 2.703125 | 3 |
The race is on to see which will freeze first: the northeastern offshoot of Lake Huron—Georgian Bay—or Lake Erie. These images of the five Great Lakes—(left to right) Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario—show ice beginning to build up around the shores of each of the lakes, with snow on the ground across virtually the entire scene.
This image is made from observations by the Terra MODIS instrument on January 27, 2005. A false-color image of the same scene is available on the Rapid Response System.
Note: Often times, due to the size, browsers have a difficult time opening and displaying images. If you experiece an error when clicking on an image link, please try directly downloading the image (using a right click, save as method) to view it locally. | <urn:uuid:15eae951-5a3d-402a-b37c-967edf8658e3> | CC-MAIN-2016-07 | http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view.php?id=72662 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-07/segments/1454701151880.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20160205193911-00328-ip-10-236-182-209.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.912357 | 170 | 2.90625 | 3 |
IPCC climate report sounds humanitarian ‘clarion call’
(This article was first published by the Thomson Reuters Foundation)
The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), published today, is not just another scientific assessment. Its careful wording reflects an increased emphasis on risk: the risks we face today and our choices about the ones we face in the future. From the IPCC’s sober scientific assessment, several stark humanitarian messages emerge.
The first is the strong confirmation that risks have been rising in recent decades. It is a message that has long been clear to millions of Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers around the world on the front line of the changing climate, assisting the most vulnerable people.
Smallholder farmers in Africa worrying about when to sow their seeds in barren fields. The sick and elderly suffering in deadly heat waves, which have propelled some European countries into the most serious annual disasters worldwide several times over the past decade. Or even more recently the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, which – like Hurricane Sandy a year earlier – had a much bigger impact due to sea levels that have risen substantially over the past few decades.
Climate change poses formidable challenges to the humanitarian community. It increases disaster risk for millions of the world’s most vulnerable people and compromises people’s ability to sustain their sources of livelihood, especially in poor and under-developed countries. It may also trigger events of unprecedented magnitude that can render current humanitarian response capacity ineffective, with dramatic consequences for those affected.
However the second message emerging from the report is more positive: immense capacities exist to address rising risks – capacities that can be even more effective when applied with greater awareness and investment ahead of potential problems. Again the report is only an echo of what we are already experiencing around the world.
First line of defence
Through our experience working within and alongside communities, we find that the first line of defence for vulnerable communities in many risk-prone countries is preparedness and greater resilience.
There is a greater need now to bridge the gap between climate information providers and users. Scientists and meteorologists need to provide more user-friendly, sector-specific, action-oriented climate and weather information so that vulnerable communities can take timely actions to prepare for climate.
The involvement of local communities is essential in ensuring the effectiveness of climate change adaptation and mitigation. The combined effects of their actions in different areas can make a difference to the way we live and how we relate to the planet that we are all sharing.
Efforts must also focus on strategies for developing effective early warning systems, promoting the wide use of safety nets, women’s empowerment, improved access to markets and management of ecosystems and natural resources.
For example, over many years in Togo, local Red Cross volunteers have been monitoring color-coded poles that warn them of impending floods. That community-based early warning system is now coupled to climate science and linked up across a river basin. Further, some humanitarian support to these communities is now coupled to international forecast-based financing and triggered by scientific warnings of increased risk.
In Guatemala, the Red Cross is working with environmental partners and local government to reforest degraded hillsides. And even during the intense response operations for Typhoon Haiyan, the Philippine Red Cross was making sure changing risks were taken into account in efforts to help communities both recover and reduce the impacts of the inevitable next typhoon.
Choosing our future
The third message in the report is about our choices for the future. Past greenhouse gas emissions have already committed us to rising risks for several decades to come. This report shows that we can largely handle those now-inevitable changes. For the second half of the century, however, we face a bigger choice – one that needs to be made now.
If, and only if, we cut greenhouse gas emissions drastically and soon, we will continue to be able to manage the impacts. If, on the other hand, we continue emitting greenhouse gases as we do today, we will be reaching the limits of adaptation in more and more places, and the humanitarian consequences will be dire.
We, all of us – individuals, communities, governments, humanitarian organisations, NGOs, the corporate sector – need to raise our level of ambition and substantially scale up action to mitigate climate change and help people adapt to its consequences.
And these choices bring us to a fourth humanitarian message, one that is much less explicit in the report: now that the IPCC has spoken, many others have to take this information into the world, to a wide range of places, sectors and people.
We must ensure that information on risk finds its way to those who need it most, especially vulnerable groups directly affected, so local knowledge is combined with the best available science. And we must also ensure that an even wider audience is aware of the big choices ahead – about how we address risks that are rising now, and the even bigger risks we can still avoid.
For this reason, we will need to communicate in simpler and clearer terms. Not only to scientists and global policy makers, but in businesses, in schools, in the smallest villages, all over the world; through hard data and facts, but also storytelling, animations and even games.
Everyone should appreciate the risks we are facing and may be leaving behind for our children and grandchildren, and hope that the clarion call will be heard by elected officials making the policy that will determine the humanitarian landscape of the future.
IFRC President Tadateru Konoe visiting a Senegalese Red Cross warehouse containing relief supplies for people affected by floods in 2012. (Library photo: IFRC) | <urn:uuid:b68f4ee4-eccb-4cc0-af5b-b11ecedaad41> | CC-MAIN-2021-43 | https://www.climatecentre.org/1987/ipcc-climate-report-sounds-humanitarian-clarion-call/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-43/segments/1634323585450.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20211022021705-20211022051705-00568.warc.gz | en | 0.945762 | 1,145 | 2.515625 | 3 |
A CONTEXT FOR UNDERSTANDING IDLEWILDS PAST
The community of Idlewild continues to be recognized as one of the oldest, most famous, and most memorable African American resort communities in contemporary United States history. Idlewild was founded over eighty nine years ago in 1912. Recognized as an intellectual center for African Americans, Idlewild was and continues to be an oasis for black economic success and community development. During the second decade of the Twentieth Century, a small yet clearly distinguishable African American middle class largely composed of professionals and small businessmen and women had been established in several urban centers. Like many urbanites, they wanted the opportunity for recreational pursuits in a setting removed far from racism and discrimination in the cities. Because Northwest Michigan represented a likely location to establish a resort for African Americans, four white land developers and their wives organized the Idlewild Resort Company (IRC). Erastus Branch and his wife, Flora, and Adelbert Branch and his wife, Isabelle, from White Cloud, Michigan, and Wilbur M. Lemon and his wife, Mayme, and A.E. Wright and his wife, Modolin, of Chicago, organized IRC during the pre-World War I era. To secure land rights, E.G. Branch built a cabin, homesteaded the island for three years, and eventually obtained the title to the island, which became the central focus of the resort community.
The island was connected to the mainland by footbridges. No one knows who designated the name of the community; however, one folk saying suggests it refers to Idle men and wild women. Whatever the circumstances, IRC organized its first excursion to attract middle class African American professionals from Detroit, Chicago, Indiana, and other Midwestern cities to tour the rustic community. During their visit lots were sold. One prominent personality to relocate to Idlewild was Dr. Daniel Hale Williams who, in 1893 became the first surgeon in the United States to perform open-heart surgery. Dr. Dan, as he was to be later called in Idlewild, Herman O. and Lela G. Wilson of Chicago, three of Dr. Dans associates from Chicago and Cleveland, and twenty others were among the first group of African American professionals to join IRCs excursion. Later, tours were conducted from Chicago, Indiana, Detroit, Grand Rapids, St. Louis, and other cities by train. A 1919 pamphlet used to promote the community, which was produced and distributed by IRC, entitled "Beautiful Idlewild," describes Idlewild as "the hunters paradise," as a place renowned "for its beautiful lakes of pure spring water" and "its myriads of game fish."
IRC had acquired over 2,700 acres of land. The company sold a good deal of that land, and then turned the island over to Dr. Dan and Louis B. Anderson of Chicago, and Robert Riffe and William Green of Cleveland, who collaboratively formed the Idlewild Improvement Association (IIA) and helped build the clubhouse. IIA sold property to such notables as NAACP co-founder, Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois, cosmetic entrepreneur Madame C. J. Walker, Lemuel L. Foster, president of Fisk University, and the famous African-American novelist Charles Waddell Chesnutt. IIA was also responsible for recruiting other middle-class professionals such as William Pickens, field secretary of the NAACP, the Reverend H. Franklin Bray, a missionary and early settler in the community, along with his wife, Virginia Bray, who together founded the first formal church in Idlewild, and the Reverend Robert L. Bradby, Sr. of Second Baptist Church of Detroit, who was instructional in significantly contributing to the development of the Idlewild Lot Owners Association. IIA encouraged this new influx of community leaders to foster racial pride, economic development, decency, and respect to Idlewild. One activity that garnered much respect from outsiders, including Michigan Republican Governor Fred Greene, was the annual Idlewild Chautauqua organized by Reverend Bradby. These Chautauqua events, which lasted for one week, added a unique intellectual favor to the recreational life in the community. People came from everywhere to participate in the event.
Idlewild, by then known throughout the United States as the Black Eden of Michigan, had become one of the few places middle class African Americans could find peace of mind, and could escape systematic practices of racism and discrimination in North America. As this new black intelligentsia began to settle in the community, some relocated as activists and members of Marcus Mosiah Garveys Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), some as followers of Du Bois National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), others as believers of the late Booker T. Washingtons political machine, and others as potential investors. However, for the majority of these professionals who brought their families, the idea of land ownership conveyed black social status and membership in this community.
Idlewild quickly became the intellectual center for economic development and community progress in Black America during the Pre World War II era. The ILOA, for example, had become a national organization with members from over thirty-four states in the country. In addition, the Purple Palace, Paradise Clubhouse and the Idlewild Clubhouse, Rosanna Tavern, and Pearls Bar provided summer entertainment for tourists and employment opportunities for seasonal and year round residents in the community. The Idlewild Fire Department was established, and a host of new entrepreneurs began entering the community. Paradise Palace became McKnights Convalescent Home.
Idlewild during the Post World War II era attracted what some sociologists have labeled the new African American "working" middle class. With the construction of a few paved roads in Idlewild, a reinvestment in the townships only post office on the island, and greater availability of electricity, a new generation of Black entrepreneurs began to invest in Idlewild. Phil Giles, Arthur "Big Daddy" Braggs, and a host of other African American businessmen and women took advantage of the market by purchasing property on Williams Island and Paradise Gardens, and began developing these areas into an elaborate nightspot and business center. The face of both nightspots, The Flamingo and Paradise Clubs, featured well-known entertainers, who when they performed elsewhere were forced to submit to segregation. Della Reese, Al Hibbler, Bill Doggett, Jackie Wilson, T-Bone Walker, George Kirby, The Four Tops, Roy Hamilton, Brook Benton, Choker Campbell, Lottie "the Body" Graves, the Rhythm Kings, the Harlem Brothers, and many other performers, entertained thousands of Idlewilders and white citizens in neighboring Lake County townships throughout the 1950s and early 1960s. The names Phil Giles and Arthur Braggs became synonymous with Idlewild. Braggs produced singers, dancers, showgirls, and entertainers, which helped Idlewild to become the Summer Apollo of Michigan. Phil Giles, on the other day, was a respected businessman in the community, and eventually became mayor of Idlewild.
With the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the many rebellions that followed in 1968, the Vietnam War and national recession in the early 1970s, not to mention the availability of the credit card and the inability of seasonal business owners in Idlewild to be competitive with other vacation outlets in the United States, the community suffered a significant social and economic loss. The children of many of the old families who were born in the community were now forced to relocate to other cities in Michigan and elsewhere to find suitable employment to care for their families.
As the community underwent a significant population decline, Idlewild became a lesser-known family vacation and retirement community. The community began to take on a new identity. An increasing number of new retirees, many who visited the area during its prime, relocated to the community and launched an intensive revitalization effort. Blight, trash, and junk cars were concerns that demanded the immediate attention of citizens in the township. With these changes and other community concerns, Township officials organized a planning commission, zoning board, and other in-group initiatives as a way to encourage community input and to offer specific practical solutions to improve the community. Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) was obtained for demolition, additional roadwork, and other structural changes, which resulted in a complete, make over of the island. By 1977, under the leadership of Harry Solomon, Yates Township Supervisor at the time, the community formally renamed "The Island" to "Williams Island" as a tribute in honor of Dr. Daniel Hale Williams.
While the Yates Township population began to slowly increase, it continued to do so through a disproportionate number of retirees. However, the projected growth in business and employment opportunities that would serve the needs of these new residents was not occurring. A heavy burden was placed on seasonal residents to pay for community facilities and services for year around homeowners with limited incomes. By the early 1990s, federal and state funding was becoming scarce. The communitys attention was turned away from building projects and turned toward the renovation of existing township properties. Continued clean up of the community and community pride among all citizens were high priorities for the township government. Although these pragmatic developments were taking place, the community continued to suffer from a poor economy. Then under the leadership of the Clinton-Gore Administration came a pilot rural policy initiative, which followed a pilot urban policy development that fostered collaborative partnerships between business, government, grassroots organizations, and organized community agencies. Community participation in Idlewild and Lake County, Michigan resulted in a vision for social change. This vision was partially fulfilled when the federal government designated Lake County, Michigan, as an Enterprising Community, a designation, which encouraged two important major economic development projects, a sewer system and natural gas. Today, Idlewild, like most of Lake County, is well on its way to revitalizing community life for its residents. Some residents view it as an eden community, some embrace this designation and want it to be a retirement and family community, while others seek to revitalize it and make it a new black resort community in post-modern North American history. By either account, Idlewild is on the comeback.
OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK
The thematic focus of my book, Idlewild: Black Eden of Michigan (Arcadia Publishers, 2001), explores the communitys history as an intellectual and recreational haven for African American families. Chapter one highlights the founding years of the communitys development and the contributions of the IRC, not to mention the role of the founding families and early black settlers. Chapter two traces the achievements of Dr. Daniel Hale Williams and his Idlewild Improvement Association on Williams Island. Chapter three summarizes the contributions of the ILOA to the communitys development, documenting its origins, its purpose, its leaders, and their achievements. Chapter four highlights the role of various religious institutions that have been instrumental to the communitys development, including the first church, The Peoples Community Tabernacle Church. Chapter five details the legacy of the Wilsons and Paradise Path, including the building of the famous Paradise Club, Paradise Hotel, Wilsons Grocery, Township Governance, and the Garden Club.
Chapter six explores the history of radicalism in Idlewild, beginning with the Great Depression era, President Roosevelts Civilian Conservation Corp, and the history of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League in the community. Chapter seven focuses on the heyday entertainment era in Idlewild, including the popularity of Phil Giles famous Flamingo Club and Arthur Braggs Idlewild Revue at the Paradise Club. The fabulous costumes wore by the Fiesta Dolls and the showgirls, and the shows performed by Della Reese, Jackie Wilson, the Four Tops, Bill Doggett, and the Braggetts are illustrated. Chapter eight outlines the establishment of and continued presence of the National Idlewilders Club, Inc., particularly the musical and narrative traditions it celebrates annually. Chapter nine focuses on year round community life in Idlewild. Chapter ten traces rebirth in the community, including the contributions of FiveCAP, Inc. Michigan State University Extension, the Lake County Enterprise Zone Board, and other organizations, such as the Idlewild Historical Museum and Cultural Center. The book will be available for interested readers this summer in July. Look for it in your local bookstore.
Although Idlewilds tourism has significantly declined from what it use to be, African Americans throughout the United States still maintain strong ties to the community through frequent visits and their involvement in the National Idlewilders Club annual celebrations. The National Idlewilders consists of local chapters in six cities. In addition, the National Lot Owners Association with local chapters in eight cities contributes to the communitys significance. Finally, the memories and activism of year-round, seasonal, and former Idlewild residents and visitors who now live throughout the United States and abroad are evidence of the continuing significance of the community. | <urn:uuid:c5b68e3e-0a82-4fef-8a7a-83a538e4d0a1> | CC-MAIN-2015-35 | http://www.iaacc.com/letters/idlewild.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-35/segments/1440645167576.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20150827031247-00342-ip-10-171-96-226.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962273 | 2,643 | 3.453125 | 3 |
Editor's Note: Later this summer, Pope Francis will release his encyclical on the environment and human ecology. The highly anticipated teaching document will be the first from a pope to focus specifically on creation and human relationship with it.
In the two years since his papacy began, Francis -- like his predecessors Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II -- has spoken regularly on environmental issues, such as protecting creation, climate change, environmental degradation and natural disasters, water, food and sustainability. As part of the lead-up to the papal encyclical, Eco Catholic will revisit key speeches, addresses and messages from Francis on environmental topics.
Nov. 25, 2014, address to the European Parliament:
[Graphic: Mick Forgey; Photo: CNS/Chaz Muth]
"Education cannot be limited to providing technical expertise alone. Rather, it should encourage the more complex process of assisting the human person to grow in his or her totality. Young people today are asking for a suitable and complete education which can enable them to look to the future with hope instead of disenchantment. There is so much creative potential in Europe in the various fields of scientific research, some of which have yet to be fully explored. We need only think, for example, of alternative sources of energy, the development of which will assist in the protection of the environment.
Europe has always been in the vanguard of efforts to promote ecology. Our earth needs constant concern and attention. Each of us has a personal responsibility to care for creation, this precious gift which God has entrusted to us. This means, on the one hand, that nature is at our disposal, to enjoy and use properly. Yet it also means that we are not its masters. Stewards, but not masters. We need to love and respect nature, but “instead we are often guided by the pride of dominating, possessing, manipulating, exploiting; we do not ‘preserve’ the earth, we do not respect it, we do not consider it as a freely-given gift to look after”. Respect for the environment, however, means more than not destroying it; it also means using it for good purposes. I am thinking above all of the agricultural sector, which provides sustenance and nourishment to our human family. It is intolerable that millions of people around the world are dying of hunger while tons of food are discarded each day from our tables. Respect for nature also calls for recognizing that man himself is a fundamental part of it. Along with an environmental ecology, there is also need of that human ecology which consists in respect for the person, which I have wanted to emphasize in addressing you today."
Want more stories from Eco Catholic? We can send you an email alert once a week with the latest. Just go to this page and follow directions: Email alert sign-up. | <urn:uuid:94b08833-bb41-4ed0-b320-c4587ac6ec6c> | CC-MAIN-2022-49 | https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/earthbeat/eco-catholic/popes-eco-quotes-alternative-energy-sources | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446710734.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20221130092453-20221130122453-00242.warc.gz | en | 0.965906 | 581 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.
According to the majority of Americans, women are every bit as capable of being good political leaders as men. The same can be said of their ability to dominate the corporate boardroom. And according to a new Pew Research Center survey on women and leadership, most Americans find women indistinguishable from men on key leadership traits such as intelligence and capacity for innovation, with many saying they're stronger than men in terms of being passionate and organized leaders.
So why, then, are women in short supply at the top of government and business in the United States? According to the public, at least, it's not that they lack toughness, management talent or proper skill sets.
It’s also not all about work-life balance. Although economic research and previous survey findings have shown that career interruptions related to motherhood may make it harder for women to advance in their careers and compete for top executive jobs, relatively few adults in the recent survey point to this as a key barrier for women seeking leadership roles. Only about one-in-five say women's family responsibilities are a major reason why there aren't more females in top leadership positions in business and politics.
Instead, topping the list of reasons, about four-in-ten Americans point to a double standard for women seeking to climb to the highest levels of either politics or business, where they have to do more than their male counterparts to prove themselves. Similar shares say the electorate （选民）and corporate America are just not ready to put more women in top leadership positions.
As a result, the public is divided about whether the imbalance in corporate America will change in the foreseeable future, even though women have made major advances in the workplace. While 53% believe men will continue to hold more top executive positions in business in the future, 44% say it's only a matter of time before as many women are in top executive positions as men. Americans are less doubtful when it comes to politics: 73% expect to see a female president in their lifetime.
46.What do most Americans think of women leaders according to a new Pew Research Center survey?
A) They have to do more to distinguish themselves.
B) They have to strive harder to win their positions.
C) They are stronger than men in terms of willpower.
D) They are just as intelligent and innovative as men.
47.What do we learn from previous survey findings about women seeking leadership roles?
A) They have unconquerable difficulties on their way to success.
B) They are lacking in confidence when competing with men.
C) Their failures may have something to do with family duties.
D) Relatively few are hindered in their career advancement.
48.What is the primary factor keeping women from taking top leadership positions according to the recent survey?
A) Personality traits.
B) Gender bias.
C) Family responsibilities.
D) Lack of vacancies.
49.What does the passage say about corporate America in the near future?
A) More and more women will sit in the boardroom.
B) Gender imbalance in leadership is likely to change.
C) The public is undecided about whether women will make good leaders.
D) People have opposing opinions as to whether it will have more women leaders.
50.What do most Americans expect to see soon on America's political stage?
A) A woman in the highest position of government.
B) More and more women actively engaged in politics.
C) A majority of women voting for a female president.
D) As many women in top government positions as men. | <urn:uuid:951e9042-f862-4070-bf48-9a2742f56423> | CC-MAIN-2022-27 | http://www.appowertech.com/cet4/201912/601445.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-27/segments/1656103033816.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20220624213908-20220625003908-00545.warc.gz | en | 0.959911 | 756 | 2.921875 | 3 |
Definition of: DemocracyEdit
There are two types of democracy, Direct and representative. Democracy basically just means the people of the country are able to equally (sometimes unequally) can vote who they want to represent them in government. It can be to independant representatives to political parties, democracy also allows for the parliament to be kept in check so that also democratically laws can be passed by legal restraint to ensure no inappropiate legislation (law or regulation) is passed. That is representative democracy however, Direct Democracy is when the people gather during a schedueled event can decide directly what policies should be introduced as opposing to have representatives carry that out for them.
Suffrage is a term used for the enablement of voting, universal male suffrage just means that all males can vote, universal sex suffrage is when all genders can vote. Normally when Republics start out with a fundamental build to democracy it is republic governments that will introduce suffrage through parliament. They can determine the age when a voter can vote at and what gender they have to be to vote, even what class they must be and social status for that matter. Democracy can be manipulated to a degree of having a form of sinister control over a populace, this can be called an elitists autocracy. | <urn:uuid:b942f08f-5a72-4c2f-a660-3a8be64d340f> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | http://asteron-roleplay-minecraft.wikia.com/wiki/Democracy | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549436330.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20170728042439-20170728062439-00453.warc.gz | en | 0.955087 | 258 | 3.796875 | 4 |
More recently, having moved close to its present position, Britain has been subjected to repeated ice ages divided by warm periods when sea levels fluctuated. The warm periods saw hippopotamus munching on abundant vegetation. During the cold periods, whilst most of the rest of the country was locked in ice, Torbay would have experienced tundra conditions
Relatively high sea levels at this time cut the high level marine platform of Berry Head, whilst freshwater streams carved out caves in the limestone. Several caves in the district are famous for their rich deposits of ice age and interglacial mammal bones including mammoth, straight tusked elephant, narrow nosed rhinoceros, woolly rhinoceros, hyena, cave lion, European sabre toothed tiger, cave bear, bison, hippopotamus, horse, reindeer and some human remains as well as tools dating back nearly 450,000 years.
William Pengelly extensively excavated the caves between 1865 and 1880. His excavation of Kent's Cavern set new standards in archaeological recording and proved that man had lived with animals that were now extinct. In the late 19th century this conclusion was not widely accepted but the detail of his work proved conclusive.
On the coast raised beaches are locally well developed, formed during periods of high sea level during interglacial periods, including at Hope's Nose and Thatcher Rock, Torquay. Elsewhere, cold stage deposits include periglacial loess and head (soil and stones transported down-slope due to soil movements).
Rising sea levels after the end of the last ice age drowned parts of coastal woodlands, the remains of which can occasionally be seen at low tide on certain beaches. | <urn:uuid:41b0e1fe-13b9-4232-a780-731270c4c6ea> | CC-MAIN-2017-47 | http://www.englishrivierageopark.org.uk/section_sub.cfm?section=16&sub=46 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-47/segments/1510934803906.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20171117185611-20171117205611-00145.warc.gz | en | 0.96725 | 350 | 3.515625 | 4 |
Here in Western Australia, we’re blessed with some of the most beautiful weather in the world. But spending time in the sunshine without the proper protection can be dangerous to our health. So we’ve got some handy info on how you can be SunSmart at the beach.
What is skin cancer?
Skin cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the skin, usually caused by skin cell damage. Skin cancer can either affect only the skin’s top layer or can spread deeply into the skin and to other parts of the body.
Types of skin cancer
There are three main types of skin cancer:
- Basal cell carcinoma – is the most common form of skin cancer. It can grow deep into the skin and damage nearby tissue, making it more difficult to treat.
- Squamous cell carcinoma – makes up on third of all skin cancers and has the potential to spread to other parts of the body.
- Melanoma – is the least common type of skin cancer, but it is the most serious. Left untreated, a melanoma can spread deeper into the skin where cancer cells can escape and be carried in lymph vessels or blood vessels to other parts of the body.
The sun and tanning
Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and other sources, such as solariums, is the major cause of skin cancer. Australia has some of the highest UV levels in the world – in fact, the UV radiation in Australia is strong enough to cause sunburn in just 10 minutes.
Each time your unprotected skin is exposed to UV radiation, it changes the structure of the DNA in the skin cells. Overexposure to UV radiation permanently damages the skin and the damage gets worse with each exposure to UV radiation.
A tan is when the skin cells in the epidermis (the top layer of the skin) produce a pigment called melanin, which gives skin its colour. When skin is exposed to UV radiation more melanin is produced, causing the skin to darken or ‘tan’.
Having a tan is a sign that the skin has been overexposed to UV radiation and damage has occurred, putting you at an increased risk of developing skin cancer. Even a light tan shows that the skin has been damaged. Too much UV radiation also makes you look old before your time – making your skin look saggy, wrinkly and leathery. Some people think it’s safe to tan, as long as they don’t burn. This is not true – there is no such thing as a healthy or safe tan.
The sun’s UV radiation is the major cause of skin cancer, but is also the best source of Vitamin D. Too much exposure to UV radiation can cause sunburn, skin damage and skin cancer; however too little UV exposure can lead to vitamin D deficiency. So how do you protect yourself from skin cancer but also get enough vitamin D? Watch the UV index – it’s safe to get sun when the UV index is under 3.
The UV Index is an international standard scale developed by the World Health Organization which measures the amount of UV radiation reaching the Earth’s surface. Put simply, the UV Index measures the sun’s UV intensity and tells you when it is safe to be in the sun unprotected. Sun protection is generally not needed when the UV Index is under 3.
How to protect yourself
Two in three Australians diagnosed with some form of skin cancer before the age of 70. You can protect yourself in the following ways:
- SLIP on some clothing – Wear clothes that cover your skin as much as possible. Sun protective fabric with an Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) rating of 50+ blocks more than 97.5% of UVA and UVB radiation and provides the highest level of protection.
- SLOP on sunscreen – Slop on SPF30 or higher sunscreen. Make sure it is broad spectrum and water resistant. Apply over all areas of exposed skin 20 minutes before sun exposure and reapply every two hours or more regularly if you have been swimming or sweating.
- SLAP on a hat – Choose a hat with a brim to provide protection for your face, back of the neck, eyes and ears – the most common areas affected by skin cancer. Caps are not SunSmart, as they do not keep enough sun off your head.
- SLIDE on some sunglasses – Long-term exposure to UV radiation can cause cataracts and cancers of the eye and surrounding skin. Always wear sunglasses that meet the Australian Standard.
- SEEK some shade – The sun’s UV rays are normally strongest in the middle of the day. Aim to seek shade whenever the UV index is 3 or higher. If you can’t stay in the shade, make sure your skin is protected in other ways. | <urn:uuid:8120ea81-00ba-4a0d-8199-39e2ff484694> | CC-MAIN-2019-22 | https://www.mybeach.com.au/safety-rescue-services/beach-safety/be-sunsmart-at-the-beach/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-22/segments/1558232257845.26/warc/CC-MAIN-20190525004721-20190525030721-00427.warc.gz | en | 0.94111 | 995 | 3.296875 | 3 |
Plutarch (Plutarchus), ca. 45–120 CE, was born at Chaeronea in Boeotia in central Greece, studied philosophy at Athens, and, after coming to Rome as a teacher in philosophy, was given consular rank by the emperor Trajan and a procuratorship in Greece by Hadrian. He was married and the father of one daughter and four sons. He appears as a man of kindly character and independent thought, studious and learned.
Plutarch wrote on many subjects. Most popular have always been the 46 Parallel Lives, biographies planned to be ethical examples in pairs (in each pair, one Greek figure and one similar Roman), though the last four lives are single. All are invaluable sources of our knowledge of the lives and characters of Greek and Roman statesmen, soldiers and orators. Plutarch's many other varied extant works, about 60 in number, are known as Moralia or Moral Essays. They are of high literary value, besides being of great use to people interested in philosophy, ethics and religion.
The Loeb Classical Library edition of the Moralia is in fifteen volumes, volume XIII having two parts.
What people are saying - Write a review
LibraryThing ReviewUser Review - tungsten_peerts - LibraryThing
When I first received this volume of the Moralia from my local library and looked at the contents, I groaned a little, inwardly, because it sounded dull. It isn't. Most of these "sayings" of famous ... Read full review
LibraryThing ReviewUser Review - gmicksmith - LibraryThing
Roman Questions. Greek Questions. Greek and Roman Parallel Stories. On the Fortune of the Romans. On the Fortune or the Virtue of Alexander. Were the Athenians More Famous in War or in Wisdom? This ... Read full review | <urn:uuid:36cfd1dc-1b08-4549-9ee9-6c9f122773cf> | CC-MAIN-2018-22 | https://books.google.com/books/about/Plutarch_s_Moralia.html?id=4ofWAAAAMAAJ&hl=en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-22/segments/1526794867841.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20180526170654-20180526190654-00114.warc.gz | en | 0.957991 | 384 | 2.953125 | 3 |
At the Center for Science & Culture’s Facebook page, a commenter asks how we would respond to a graphic that is making the Internet rounds, humorously imagining a dialogue between God and an angel. It’s a conversation about “intelligent design,” with the angel playing the role of the skeptic and challenging God to explain some puzzling human anatomical features. The short dialogue includes this exchange:
Angel: What about this weird bag thing?
God: That’s the appendix.
Angel: What does it do?
God: It explodes.
Angel: Really? That’s all?
God: Pretty much.
This is the stuff that urban legends are made of. The human appendix’s job isn’t to “explode.” In fact, it performs important immune functions. We’ve discussed this many times before here on ENV (see here, here, here, or here), but to reiterate, a 2007 news article stated:
The appendix “acts as a good safe house for bacteria,” said Duke surgery professor Bill Parker, a study co-author. Its location — just below the normal one-way flow of food and germs in the large intestine in a sort of gut cul-de-sac — helps support the theory, he said. Also, the worm-shaped organ outgrowth acts like a bacteria factory, cultivating the good germs, Parker said.
Additionally, Loren G. Martin, professor of physiology at Oklahoma State University, lists various likely functions for the appendix. Writing on Scientific American‘s website, he includes these examples:
- being “involved primarily in immune functions”
- “function[ing] as a lymphoid organ, assisting with the maturation of B lymphocytes (one variety of white blood cell) and in the production of the class of antibodies known as immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies.
- helping with “the production of molecules that help to direct the movement of lymphocytes to various other locations in the body”
- “suppress[ing] potentially destructive humoral (blood- and lymph-borne) antibody responses while promoting local immunity”
Read the Full Article Here: http://www.evolutionnews.org/2012/06/the_useless_app_1060521.html | <urn:uuid:7eb100fd-f46b-4d1e-b3bd-2b415d11ae23> | CC-MAIN-2017-13 | http://healthimpactnews.com/2012/the-useless-appendix-and-other-darwinian-myths/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-13/segments/1490218189127.26/warc/CC-MAIN-20170322212949-00628-ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.910881 | 495 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Do you know why individuals are on the lookout for acne prevention tips?
Well you might be unaware but around 50 million people are suffering from acne breakouts in the United States with most of them being teens going through puberty. Doctors have revealed the fact that acne eruptions are caused by skin’s secretion of extra amounts of sebum oil. But what actually causes this surplus secretion is not completely understood. Supposedly it is caused due to body’s hormonal imbalances.
In this article, causes behind the outbreak of acne and certain tips for preventing it are being discussed
Sebum oil, Bacteria and Dead skin are the three factors responsible for the outbreak of acne. When the excess amount of sebum is secreted by skin, this oil clumps with the withered and dead skin of your face. These clusters of dead skin subsequently block the pores of the skin entrapping bacteria within the pores. After that the bacteria starts growing and is eventually attacked by the immune system that causes inflammation or acne.
So the question is how to put an end to the formation of acne!!!!!
Adhere to these tips so as to get maximum benefits and keep acne off your face. | <urn:uuid:ba2a1559-c380-4042-b8f4-9e50d1e690a1> | CC-MAIN-2022-05 | https://healamed.com/beauty/skincare/271-remove-the-mask-of-acne-from-your-visage.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-05/segments/1642320300624.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20220117212242-20220118002242-00225.warc.gz | en | 0.959637 | 244 | 2.546875 | 3 |
More than 400 icebergs have drifted into the North Atlantic shipping lanes over the past week in an unusually large swarm for this early in the season, forcing vessels to slow to a crawl or take detours of hundreds of miles.
Experts are attributing it to uncommonly strong counter-clockwise winds that are drawing the icebergs south, and perhaps also global warming, which is accelerating the process by which chunks of the Greenland ice sheet break off and float away.
As of Monday, there were about 450 icebergs near the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, up from 37 a week earlier, according to the U.S. Coast Guard's International Ice Patrol in New London, Connecticut.
Those kinds of numbers are usually not seen until late May or early June.
The average for this time of year is about 80.
In the waters close to where the Titanic went down in 1912, the icebergs are forcing ships to take precautions.
Instead of cutting straight across the ocean, trans-Atlantic vessels are taking detours that can add around 400 miles to the trip.
That's a day and a half of added travel time for many large cargo ships.
Close to the Newfoundland coast, cargo ships owned by Oceanex are throttling way back to 3 or 4 knots as they make their way to their homeport in St. John's, which can add up to a day to the trip, said executive chairman, Capt. Sid Hynes.
One ship was pulled out of service for repairs after hitting a chunk of ice, he said.
"It makes everything more expensive," Hynes said Wednesday.
"You're burning more fuel, it's taking a longer time, and it's hard on the equipment."
He called it a "very unusual year."
Coast Guard Cmdr. Gabrielle McGrath, who leads the ice patrol, said she has never seen such a drastic increase in such a short time.
Adding to the danger, three icebergs were discovered outside the boundaries of the area the Coast Guard had advised mariners to avoid, she said.
McGrath is predicting a fourth consecutive "extreme ice season" with more than 600 icebergs in the shipping lanes.
Most icebergs entering the North Atlantic have "calved" off the Greenland ice sheet.
Michael Mann, director of the Earth System Science Center at Pennsylvania State University, said it is possible climate change is leading to more icebergs in the shipping lanes, but wind patterns are also important.
In 2014, there were 1,546 icebergs in the shipping lanes - the sixth most severe season on record since 1900, according to the patrol.
There were 1,165 icebergs in 2015 and 687 in 2016.
The International Ice Patrol was formed after the sinking of the Titanic to monitor iceberg danger in the North Atlantic and warn ships.
It conducts reconnaissance flights that are used to produce charts.
In 104 years, no ship that has heeded the warnings has struck an iceberg, according to the ice patrol. | <urn:uuid:2702a163-918d-496c-952c-4b02bce5ebad> | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | https://www.thebigwobble.org/2017/04/climate-change-and-uncommonly-strong.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593657129257.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20200711224142-20200712014142-00199.warc.gz | en | 0.972031 | 615 | 2.890625 | 3 |
These gentle giants are enormous turtles. They have a twelve foot diameter shell. Both the shell and the rubbery skin of the creature are blue (with a white underbelly). An anarian sea turtle typically weighs about four tons. The heavily armored shell protects the sea turtle from predators. They have existed for millions of years. Live to be about 600 years old.
The anarian sea is a non-aggressive creature that relies on its heavily armored shell, great size and powerful flippers to protect itself from larger predators. Anarian sea turtles are remarkably resistant to spells and magic. Many directional spells will reflect off of their shell.
The only time an anarian sea turtle will become aggressive is during mating season when males will attack boats as rival turtles. Female turtles will attack if they feel their young are threatened.
The Anarian Sea Turtle is found primarily in the Sea of Anar, but can be found throughout the northern seas and oceans of the world. Anarian sea turtles feed on seaweed, plankton and small fish.
Females lay a clutch of eggs on sandy beaches on the coast of northwestern Aggradar and will defend the eggs from predators until they hatch. Young stay with the female for about a year until their shells have hardened and they have gained sufficient size to survive on their own.
Due to their genetic makeup, these turtles have a remarkably high resistance to the Drellisian radiation. This could make them very valuable to a research into the Drellis effects and aberration in general. They are rare and difficult to find. Some mages believe the sea turtle has ceased evoloving and is perfectly adapted to its environment. They believe it is immuned to natural mutation. The meat of this great sea turtle is very tasty. It is considered a delicacy among Sybrenar nobles and anarian turtle steaks are very expensive in Damogoth.
This website was last updated August 30, 2018. Copyright 1990-2018 David M. Roomes. | <urn:uuid:f502474a-fd72-4d41-aa2b-476573283c47> | CC-MAIN-2018-39 | http://khoras.net/Khoras/Faunflor/Fauna/Aquatic/Anarian%20Sea%20Turtle/Anarian%20Sea%20Turtle.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-39/segments/1537267155814.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20180919004724-20180919024724-00545.warc.gz | en | 0.94503 | 405 | 2.84375 | 3 |
תרומה –תצוה (Exodus 25- 30:10) T'rumah and T'tzaveh-- And you shall be a blessing....
February is Jewish Disability Awareness month. Awareness itself is an interesting term to wrap your mind around, it makes me ask: how are we building “awareness” and about what specifically? Are we being ‘aware’ just by engaging in conversations about disabilities? How do we talk about disability, in what context, and what actions are we taking in our society to help those who may have different physical or mental challenges. I took this week to reflect on what it means to be able-bodied, the ways in which each person is a gift, and the varying individual tools each person has at his/her disposal. Many organizations in the Jewish world are doing work to think through how to integrate Jewish Disability Awareness month within their own communities.
When it comes to talking about disabilities I am always struck by the importance of language. Have you ever thought about the negative association formed with words used to describe several handicaps? The implications from these words such as handicap, disabled, wheelchair bound, amputee, retard, etc, are all negative. Language is important, especially when it affects how we view people. One way to combat negative connotations of language is to state the person first rather than the handicap. For example the man who is blind vs. the blind man. This shows that it is only one aspect of his identity rather than the defining factor. Given that every person is differently able, and we each have different strengths and weakness it seems unfair to label someone who only has one arm, or will never surpass a third grade reading level as disabled, why not label each person as unique? Idealistic, I know, but I still feel there is a better way to describe people then by pointing out their limitations first. Instead of the girl with brown hair it becomes the deaf girl. When we talk about disabilities there is a certain amount of sorrow or unspoken pity for those who can’t do certain tasks. Take a minute to think of how exceptional those who are disabled would feel if we took the time to ask questions about their challenges and how they can accomplish something instead of making our own assumptions about their capabilities.
Elyssa Cohen is a Jewish social justice activist who discusses current issues through the lens of Torah wisdom at Tackling Torah.
How to cite this page
Cohen, Elyssa. "תרומה –תצוה (Exodus 25- 30:10) T'rumah and T'tzaveh-- And you shall be a blessing....." 25 February 2011. Jewish Women's Archive. (Viewed on October 23, 2017) <https://jwa.org/blog/And-you-shall-be-a-blessing>. | <urn:uuid:262d8769-0519-4198-8107-4085ffbd8641> | CC-MAIN-2017-43 | https://jwa.org/blog/And-you-shall-be-a-blessing | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-43/segments/1508187825812.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20171023073607-20171023093607-00832.warc.gz | en | 0.954691 | 594 | 3.203125 | 3 |
Vitamin B12: A Powerhouse Supplement to Optimal Health
Vitamin B12 is a powerhouse. It helps make DNA, nerve and blood cells, and is crucial for a healthy brain and immune system. Your metabolism wouldn’t run smoothly without it. But B12 isn’t like other vitamins. It’s only found in animal products like eggs, meat, shellfish, and dairy. Up to 15% of people don’t get enough B12, and they’re more likely to be vegetarians, have celiac disease or other digestive issues, or be an adult over 50. The signs of vitamin B12 deficiency include exhaustion, rapid heartbeat, brain fog, and other symptoms.
Vegetarians and vegans are at risk
Vitamin B12 occurs naturally in animal products. So if your diet largely consists of plant-based foods such as fruits, veggies, beans, and soy, you’re at risk for deficiency. “Vegetarians who consume eggs and dairy should aim to include at least one source a day from both of these food groups,” Stephanie Middleberg, RD, nutritionist at Middleberg Nutrition in New York City.
Vegans—who by definition consume no animal products—need to take a supplement or consume vitamin B12–fortified foods, such as breakfast cereal and grains. Other foods fortified with B12 include nondairy milks and meat substitutes. But not all of these foods are fortified, so check the label first to make sure.
Adults over 50 are also at risk
As you age, your stomach produces less acid, and stomach acid is key for B12 absorption, says Middleberg. About one in 31 adults over 50 are deficient, estimates the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Older individuals also often have poorer appetites and food intakes, and they may be on medications (such as heartburn meds) that can further reduce stomach acid levels,” she says. In fact, some seniors actually lose the ability to absorb vitamin B12 from food completely, and they must get it via supplements or, if the deficiency is severe, injections.
Early symptoms include weakness and fatigue
B12 isn’t nicknamed the energy vitamin for nothing. Inadequate B12 intake makes a dent in red blood cell production, and some of the earliest signs of a deficiency include feeling dragged, confused, and weak. Problem is, says Middleberg, these clues are so vague, and not everyone experiences them the same way. And since they can be attributed to so many other possible triggers, most people don’t think to be tested. If these symptoms hit and stick around for weeks, it’s best to consult your doctor and rule out other causes, she says. Similar tip-offs include dizziness, impaired thinking, and confusion.
Heartburn drugs can cause B12 Deficiency
Some prescription heartburn drugs suppress the production of stomach acid, which is needed to absorb vitamin B12. A study from JAMA backs this up. Researchers found that taking meds called proton pump inhibitors (like Prilosec and Nexium) for more than two years was linked to a 65% higher risk of vitamin B12 deficiency. And two years or more using H2 receptor blocker drugs (such as Pepcid and Zantac) is associated with a 25% boost in deficiency odds. A If you take these regularly, talk to your doctor about steps you can take to protect yourself.
It can be mistaken for dementia
“Symptoms of a deficiency often mimic those of dementia, such as memory loss, disorientation, and difficulty thinking and reasoning,” says Middleberg. It can be hard distinguishing deficiency from dementia, especially since older folks are at risk for both. And the two conditions often overlap: 75% to 90% of B12 deficient people also have neurological complications such as dementia, says Moon. But even when a B12 shortage strikes younger people, it still typically resembles dementia. Experts aren’t exactly sure of the relationship between the two, but patients with unexplained cognitive decline should be tested for B12 deficiency, suggests Moon.
Taking birth control pills sets you up for it
“Women who have been on oral contraceptives for extended periods of time tend to have issues absorbing vitamin B12,” says Middleberg. “Studies show that pills that are higher in estrogen are more strongly associated with B12 and folate (folic acid, or vitamin B6) deficiencies, leading to the assumption that the estrogen in the pill is the reason for this impaired absorption.” If you’re on the pill, talk to your doctor about the risks, and if you should take B12 supplements as a backup.
The best sources are meat and fish
Beef liver and clams are tops in B12, according to the National Institutes of Health. If you’re not a fan of either, plenty of good options abound. Ground beef, oysters, trout, and salmon are B12 superstars; a serving of each delivers close to or more than 100% of your RDA (2.4 micrograms for men and women over 14, going up to 2.6 and 2.8 for pregnant and breastfeeding women respectively, says Moon). Eggs (0.6 micrograms per egg, 10% of daily value) and milk (1.2 micrograms per cup of low-fat, 18% of daily value) are also solid sources.
Fortified foods and supplements can help
Both can help vegans, vegetarians, older adults, and others who are unable to absorb naturally occurring B12, says Moon. When absorption is an issue, “simply loading up on foods naturally high in B12 may not solve the problem,” she says. “The synthetic form of B12 is more readily absorbed.” Best places to find it in food: fortified cereals, many of which have 100% of your RDA.
Heavy drinking increases your odds
More than a few drinks on average each day can cause gastritis, or irritation of the stomach lining, and this can lead to low stomach acid and reduced B12 absorption, says Middleberg. Alcohol plays a role in deficiency in another way, too. B12 is stored in the liver, and alcohol consumption can impair liver function and deplete B12 stores or make it harder for the liver to use it.
It can trigger a false positive on a Pap test
Vitamin B12 deficiency even affects the Pap test you get at your regular gyno checkup to screen for cervical cancer. Low B12 levels can change the way some cervical cells look, potentially triggering a false positive, according to the National Institutes of Health. Yet another reason to shore up your intake of the nutrient.
It’s linked to pernicious anemia
There’s a specific type of anemia that’s triggered by a B12 deficiency. Called pernicious (which means “dangerous,” because it was potentially life-threatening in the past) anemia, it is a red blood cell deficiency that happens when the stomach doesn’t make enough of a protein called intrinsic factor, which helps the intestine absorb B12, says Moon. Pernicious anemia can be the result of an autoimmune issue, a problem with the stomach lining, or even a congenital condition passed down through families. Treatment usually involves B12 shots, possibly combined with supplements.
It can be hard to recognize a deficiency
“Because the body can store B12 for three to five years, early symptoms of a deficiency usually appear gradually, so you’re unlikely to notice them,” says Middleberg. After initial clues like fatigue, weakness, and brain fog set in, says Middleberg, more advanced tip-offs show up, such as numbness and tingling of the limbs, depression, and paranoia, even hallucinations. The signs are so varied and they don’t strike everyone, so it’s tough to diagnose even at a later stage. “Which symptoms hit when depends also on what caused the deficiency—malabsorption, which could mean they are absorbing some B12 and the deficiency is occurring more slowly, or total lack of animal products, which would likely cause the deficiency to develop more quickly,” says Middleberg.
A blood test is the only way to confirm it
Blood levels of vitamin B12 less than 160 pg/mL (picograms/milliliter) are a sign of a possible deficiency, according to the National Library of Medicine. “Blood tests are generally accurate, but a false positive is possible related to certain cancers, oral contraceptives, folate (folic acid) deficiency, and pregnancy,” says Moon. “False negatives are also possible, as sometimes seen in people with liver disease, poorly functioning kidneys, or certain blood cell disorders.” Your GP or primary care physician can take care of testing you.
It’s linked to immune system issues
“B12 plays an important role in white blood cell production, and white blood cells are essential for proper immune system functioning,” says Middleberg. Not only can a lack of B12 lower your immunity, some immune system disorders can increase your likelihood of becoming deficient. Graves’ disease, for example, an autoimmune condition of the thyroid causing hyperthyroidism, is a risk factor for developing pernicious anemia, which in turn leads to B12 deficiency.
Digestive problems can cause it
People who deal with GI issues are at a higher risk of a B12 shortage because digestive problems can make absorbing the nutrient more difficult, says Middleberg. “Those with gut issues, such as colitis, Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and leaky gut syndrome are at a higher risk,” she says. Celiac disease sufferers can also have problems with absorption. If you have any of these, talk to your doctor about supplements or B12 shots, since all the B12-rich food in the world won’t help your body shore up its reserves if it can’t be absorbed by the GI tract.
It can happen after weight loss surgery
“Some surgeries that affect the GI tract, like gastric bypass surgery, make it hard to absorb B12,” says Moon. One reason has to do with the decrease in the body’s ability to digest food; it’s also the result of iffy levels of intrinsic factor, a protein that helps the body absorb B12. The absorption problem could be a permanent one, and people who undergo gastric bypass may need to take vitamin B12 supplements for the rest of their life or risk a shortage.
It can cause tingling, weakness, and balance issues
Depletion of your vitamin B12 stores leads to nerve damage. No wonder pins and needles in your hands and feet, shaky body movements, and trouble walking are all consequences of long-term B12 deficiency, says Middleberg. Like so many other B12 deficiency signs, these can be attributed to other causes, including old age. The only way to know for sure is to see your doctor for a test.
Babies can get it, too
In infants, vitamin B12 deficiency is serious—it can lead to symptoms such as anemia, problems with movement, difficulty reaching developmental milestones, and failure to thrive, which may be fatal. Low B12 levels are rare in infants but it can happen if a baby is fed a strict diet free of any animal products, or if a breastfeeding mom is a vegan who doesn’t take vitamin B12 supplements (and breast milk is the only source of nutrition.) Based on evidence that B12 supplementation can reverse the course, the American Academy of Family Physicians says women at high risk or known deficiency should take taking supplements with B12 during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
Visible signs include pale skin, a sore tongue, and mouth ulcers
Pale skin, mouth sores, a red, swollen, beefy tongue—these are some of the visible signs of a B12 shortage. Caused by deficiency-related changes in blood flow, these signs can show up years after the depletion sets in, says Middleberg. A rapid heartbeat or heart palpitations is another blood flow-related sign, and sometimes bruising easily is also a result of a longstanding deficiency. But these seemingly unrelated signs don’t show in all B12 deficient people, or they come on so slowly, it’s hard to notice them, says Middleberg.
It might cause permanent damage
Vitamin B12 deficiency that persists for years can cause severe, irreversible neurologic damage—think memory loss, disorientation, and an inability to concentrate. Other permanent side effects include nerve damage, insomnia, erectile dysfunction, even difficulty with bowel and bladder control, says Moon. The upside: “Many symptoms can be reversed if caught early and treated with B12,” she adds.
It’s hard to overdo vitamin B12
Unlike fat-soluble vitamins that accumulate in your body and can have side effects in excess, B12 is a water-soluble vitamin, meaning your body only absorbs a small amount and the rest is excreted through urine, says Middleberg. That’s good news if you need to refill your stores of this nutrient but worry about taking too much. But keep in mind that large amounts of B12 at one time may cause diarrhea and all-over itchiness, she adds. If your doctor recommends B12 supplement, take only the amount recommended by your MD.
To learn more about B12 and other Wellness Therapies,
See Us at www.renewfx.com | <urn:uuid:91c3875b-a0e8-49a0-b72c-3b63b7cda2ae> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.renewfx.com/b12-a-powerhouse-supplement-to-optimal-health/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224652207.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20230606013819-20230606043819-00690.warc.gz | en | 0.936181 | 2,853 | 2.703125 | 3 |
And the cats want Fancy Feast to be much fancier.
Dear Word Detective: Way back in elementary school, there was one creature abhorred more than any other–the “D-er.” This despicable person would cut in front of another in one of the many lines we always seemed to find ourselves in. This was called “ditching,” shortened often to “d-ing.” I have asked the Internets, but they remain stubbornly quiescent on the matter, as did several dictionaries. Perhaps the word is limited to Central Ohio school systems? You’re my last hope, O Mighty Word Detective! — Not a D-er in Ohio.
At last, my genius is acknowledged! By the way, you can call me Obi Word. OK, here’s the plan: abolish all organized sports and outlaw TV, movies, and internet video. Force people to read again. Then make teaching the highest-paid profession and college education free and mandatory. Conduct driver’s license exams in Latin and set a national speed limit of 40 mph. Make all cell phones coin-operated and text-messaging a felony. Make bottled-water companies say what’s in the stuff, and allow claiming cats as dependents for tax purposes. Have I left anything out?
OK, back to the real world. “Ditch” is based on the Old English “dic,” which also gave us “dike.” From the beginning, “ditch” meant “a long and narrow excavation in the ground, especially one designed to carry water, as for drainage,” but early on “ditch” also meant the long mound of dirt excavated to make that trench, i.e., a “dike.” So for most of the 16th and 17th centuries, “ditch” and “dike” were vaguely synonymous.
“Ditch” became a verb in the 14th century meaning “to dig a ditch, especially to surround with a ditch as a means of fortification or marking boundaries” (“The several parcels of land … shall be inclosed, hedged, ditched, or fenced,” 1788). In the early 19th century, “to ditch” began being used to mean “throw into or as into a ditch” (Oxford English Dictionary). “Ditch” in a figurative sense meaning “to discard, jilt, abandon or defeat” followed soon after, and by the time of World War II, “to ditch” had become Royal Air Force slang for “to attempt an emergency landing in the sea.” This use was no doubt influenced by the earlier use of “ditch” as a noun to mean the sea in general and the English Channel in particular.
People have probably been standing in lines since the first mastodon roast, but only with the advent of the industrial revolution and urban congestion did we start inventing terms for the practice of not waiting your fair turn. “Queue jumping,” “cutting in line,” and “butting/barging/budging in line” are all fairly well-know terms for the practice. “Ditch the line,” however, is rarely heard outside the US Midwest, and has occasioned several discussions in recent years on the American Dialect Society email list (ADS-L).
It turns out, and I was quite surprised by this, that “to ditch the line” is used almost exclusively in Central Ohio, particularly in Columbus and surrounding areas of Franklin County (which is where my wife Kathy grew up and quite close to where we live now). Steven H. Keiser of the Department of Linguistics at Ohio State University in Columbus has been researching use of the phrase for several years, and has discovered several interesting angles to use of this “ditch,” including one that may help explain its origin.
The question, of course, is how “to ditch,” even in its slang sense of “jilt, abandon, discard,” could come to mean “butt into line.” It might be simply a greatly extended use of the “discard” sense to mean “blithely disregard the rights of other people in line,” but that seems a stretch. Some have suggested that a queue-jumper metaphorically “digs a ditch” in the middle of the line and steps in, but that seems even more elaborate and unlikely.
It has also been suggested that this “ditch” actually has no connection to the “trench” sort of ditch but is actually a modified form of the 18th century English slang term “to dish,” meaning “to ruin, defeat, circumvent” (from the sense of food being done and “dished,” i.e., put on plates). The same “dish” is found in the slang phrase “dish it out” and its modern relative, “dish the dirt” meaning “tell gossip.” Interestingly, and perhaps significantly, Steven Keiser at OSU spent some time asking people in and around Columbus about “ditch,” and discovered that people over the age of 40 (in 2001) tended to remember using the term “dish” to mean “cut in line,” while young children used, as you note, simply “D.” While not conclusive, the use of “dish” in this sense by the older generation may well indicate that “dish” is indeed the source of this sense of “ditch.”
You’re a bigger one.
Dear Word Detective: This being silly season (come to think of it, haven’t the entire last ten years been silly season?), there has been an awful lot of media attention on wingnuts. Can you tell us anything about when the term “wingnut” started to refer to … well … what else could I call them? … wingnuts? — Dawn.
This is an interesting question. Unfortunately, what makes it particularly interesting are some areas of uncertainty, but we’ll do our best to make it all make sense. Just keep in mind that this is a topic in which “making sense” itself does not play a large role.
“Wingnut” is a pejorative term commonly used by political bloggers of a left bent to describe fervid exponents of right-wing (often extreme right-wing) political opinions and causes. (I’m going to avoid the use of terms such as “conservative,” “liberal,” “libertarian” and “progressive” here because I have no interest in debating political theology at the moment. “Left” and right” will have to do.) This current sense of “wingnut” dates back to the late 1990s, but it only really became popular with the rise of political blogging in the early years of the 21st century.
In a literal sense, “wingnut,” which first appeared as “wing nut” around 1900, means a kind of mechanical “nut” (paired with a bolt) having “wings,” or flat projections, allowing it to be easily tightened using only one’s fingers. Handy things, those wing nuts. The existence of that sense of “wingnut” contributed to, but is not directly connected to, the modern political “wingnut,” which is simply a shortened form of “right-wing nut,” a phrase dating to the early 1960s (“‘You one of these right-wing nut outfits?’ inquired the diplomatic Metzger,” The Crying of Lot 49, Thomas Pynchon, 1966). “Nut” here is, of course a slang term meaning “crazy person,” derived from the very old use of “nut” to mean “head.”
Interestingly, however, “wingnut” had a low-key presence in the culture back in the 1980s as a simple, non-political synonym for “eccentric person” or “crackpot,” a use clearly not derived from a shortening of “right-wing nut.” It seems to have been especially popular in Canada, applied to everything from bad drivers (“Our most vociferous broadside against wingnut drivers,” Toronto Star, 1987) to the late Michael Jackson (“Moonwalk is less an autobiography than a printed response. [Michael Jackson] feels we have got him wrong. That we have misunderstood his idiosyncrasies and unfairly branded him a celebrity wingnut,” The Gazette, Montreal, 1988). My guess is that this use of “wingnut” is a simple elaboration of “nut” in the “crackpot” sense, perhaps invoking the “wings” of a mechanical wingnut to suggest flights of fantasy or the like. This non-political “wingnut” surely contributed to the current political “nutcase” use of the word.
“Wingnut” was also used to mean a fan of the NBC show The West Wing (1999-2007) about a fictional Democratic president and his administration.
Speaking of wings, the equivalent epithet commonly applied by right-wing bloggers and commentators to “wingnuts” of the left is “moonbat,” introduced (according to the late William Safire, a masterful chronicler of such things) in 1999 by Perry de Haviland, proprietor of the “Samizdata” blog. De Haviland has said that when he coined the term (as “barking moonbat”) he meant it to apply to crazies of both the Right and Left, but today it is deployed exclusively by the Right at the Left. Safire theorized that the existing epithet “Loony Left” (“loony” being rooted in “luna,” moon) may have bolstered the appeal of “moonbat” to the Right. The source of “moonbat” is uncertain, but the term does occur in two stories from the 1940s by science-fiction writer Robert Heinlein.
Or possibly from the French for “Remember me.”
Dear Word Detective: A coworker suggested that another, who was showing signs of a cold, go home so that he didn’t “give us all his cooties.” More commonly, of course, even in this era of fear of bedbugs, we all know that “cooties” are that thing the opposite sex has when you’re a kid. But why? I was surprised not to find this in the archives of your website; perhaps the answer is unprintable? — A in Berkeley.
Eek, bedbugs! Actually I think I’ve discovered another benefit of living in the middle of nowhere. Our old farmhouse may have mice in the walls, possums in the cellar, squirrels in the attic, and venomous spiders in every nook and cranny (not to mention coyotes that come right up on the front porch looking for lunch), but so far (knock wood) no bedbugs.
A discussion of “cootie” is definitely not unprintable today, although it probably would have been back in the 1950s. In the literal sense, a “cootie” is a body louse, a nasty little biting creature that afflicts people who don’t have access, for whatever reason, to clean laundry and facilities for maintaining proper personal hygiene. The term “cootie” apparently entered the mainstream US lexicon in the wake of World War I, in which months spent in the trenches of Europe gave soldiers a regrettable familiarity with lice (“‘Does the straw bother you, mate? It’s worked through my uniform and I can’t sleep.’ In a sleepy voice he answered, ‘That ain’t straw, them’s cooties,'” 1917).
The origins of “cootie” are a bit murky. The most likely source is the Malay word for louse, “kutu,” but how the word made the leap to soldiers in Europe is unclear. Michael Quinion of World Wide Words (www.worldwidewords.org) suggests that a related word may exist in Tagalog (the language of the Philippines) and was picked up by US soldiers stationed there, which seems very reasonable to me. Quinion also notes that the word “cootie” has remained US-centric and is virtually unknown in Britain.
Interestingly, “cootie” is rarely used in this literal sense today; perhaps the intractable problem of head lice in US schoolchildren has taken the sting of scandal out of the word “lice.” But the use of “cooties” is alive and well, especially among children, in the sense of, as the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) puts it, “an imaginary germ with which a socially undesirable person, or one of the opposite sex, is said to be infected.” The first citation for this use in the OED is from 1967, but since it’s from a Beverly Cleary young adult novel (“Quit breathing on it… We don’t want any of your cooties in the pudding,” Mitch and Amy), we can assume the term was in use among children for at least a few years before that appearance.
The use of “cooties” to mean “real germs or microbes of an unidentified sort,” as in your example, is interesting for two reasons. First, it seems pretty clearly to be a simple extension of the child-vernacular “cooties” into the adult world, where it is used in a new literal, if usually jocular, sense, usually among friends. (I have it on good authority that the CDC does not, for instance, issue directives employing the term “cooties.”) So there may be some evidence of the creeping infantilization of US culture there (as if we needed more). Secondly, the perpetuation of a concern about undifferentiated “cooties” dovetails nicely with accelerating germophobia in the US, as evidenced by anti-microbial wipes at the entrance of nearly every store and the impregnation of nearly every product with germ-killing agents. As someone who discovered last week that he had unwittingly bought a kitty-litter pan infused with an anti-microbial agent, I think we’ve gone a bit over the edge. A few cooties are good for you, boys and girls. | <urn:uuid:76ad9d8b-e606-4512-8ec3-89fcc1440ee3> | CC-MAIN-2016-22 | http://www.word-detective.com/category/columns/march-2011/page/3/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-22/segments/1464051165777.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20160524005245-00218-ip-10-185-217-139.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968205 | 3,210 | 2.78125 | 3 |
As vehicle engines become old, or improperly maintained, internal engine component failure can occur. While some vehicle owners may choose to simply buy a new car, there are many people that want to repair their engines so that they do not have to take on a car payment for a new car. Especially in this economy, it is understandable how people want to stretch their money as far as it can go. In many cases, rebuilding a damaged engine is more cost effective then buying a new car in the long run.
When an engine has failed, a skilled automotive technician will remove it from the vehicle. This is a laborious process and can often cost around seven hundred dollars to remove and reinstall automotive engines. Once the engine is out of the vehicle, it normally is given to a skilled engine builder for further assessment.
Once the engine builder has the engine, it will be carefully disassembled. Notes will be taken during this process to document the damage found. Once the engine is completely disassembled, all of the components are chemically cleaned to remove the oil, carbon and any contaminates. At this point, the engine builder can use specialized measuring tools to determine whether or not the internal engine parts are within acceptable tolerances. After a full assessment is made, the engine builder will then quote out the parts and labor necessary to repair the engine.
The labor to repair an engine is the largest component of the overall engine repair bill. In many cases the cylinder block must be bored, new pistons installed on the connecting rods and the cylinder heads reconditioned. Another labor intensive process is repairing the crankshaft.
When you hear people saying that their engine has a “spun bearing,” this simply means that one of their crankshaft bearings has failed. Bearing and crankshaft failure, by most accounts, are the leading cause of failed engines being removed from vehicles. When the crankshaft must be reconditioned, the process is completed in a crankshaft grinding machine. The equipment to perform this task can cost well over $50,000, which is why repairing crankshafts is not inexpensive.
After all of the engine components have been repaired or replaced, an engine builder will thoroughly clean all of the components before assembly. This is needed to remove any contaminates from the internal engine parts. With clean parts in hand, the engine builder may assemble the engine in a clean environment so that it is ready for the automotive technician to install.
After the automotive technician has installed the rebuilt engine, in most cases they will offer a limited warranty of one to three years. This warranty assures vehicle owners that the investment they made in repairing their engine is protected by a contract. With a typical car payment being $300 or more each month, vehicle owners can often save nearly $10,000 when they repair a failed engine instead of buying new. In these tight economic times, those savings can allow consumers the opportunity to save a significant amount of money over just a few years. | <urn:uuid:36381535-b3ac-45ab-bb0f-be10113b8aee> | CC-MAIN-2019-22 | http://lstgb.eu.org/automotive-engine-repair-process/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-22/segments/1558232257497.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20190524024253-20190524050253-00443.warc.gz | en | 0.966918 | 612 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Samples of rock drilled from depths of the Pacific seafloor have revealed the tremendous release of tectonic pressure that occurred during the 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake. The findings could have important implications for the understanding of fault boundaries and tsunami risk near New Zealand, says a Kiwi geologist involved the research.
The new study, published today in the journal Science, found nearly all the stress built up at the plate boundary near the epicenter was released in the tsunami-generating magnitude 9.0 quake.
Researchers on board the scientific drilling vessel Chikyu drilled boreholes into the fault zone, 850 meters below the sea floor and almost seven kilometers underwater (video of scientists aboard the Chikyu identifying the fault zone in drill core samples can be seen to the right). The stress rock samples were under at various parts of the earth’s crust was measured using electrical currents to detect the extent of fracturing.
The results of the study indicated a nearly complete drop in stress following the earthquake. Such a large release is unusual, according to University of Otago geologist Dr Virginia Toy, who was aboard the Chikyu representing an Australia-New Zealand International Ocean Drilling Consortium (IODP) consortium.
“This is significant because most earthquake faults only release a small portion (typically 10%) of the stress in the crust around them, not nearly 100% as in this case,” she said in a media release from the University of Otago.
“Also, such a high proportion of stress was probably released because the fault materials were particularly frictionally weak or slippery.”
She adds that the results suggest that subduction zone faults in other locations, including around New Zealand, need to be more carefully examined. New Zealand has “so much of its coastline exposed to the Pacific Ocean, which is ringed by subduction zones, for example in Tonga-Kermadec, Hikurangi and Chile.”
“If the materials in the fault planes are similar to those in the Japan Trench, it is likely they will also be very frictionally weak and therefore that we can also expect very large seafloor displacements when they slip,”
“It means that we should be prepared for other similar subduction zones to generate very large tsunami.”
The study has been widely covered in the media. Examples include:
Radio New Zealand: Scientists discover why Japan quake so big
NBC Science: Japan earthquake unleashed surprising torrent of energy
Popular Mechanics: How the Tsunami-Causing Quake Transformed Japan’s Fault
PhysOrg: New report illuminates stress change during the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake
LiveScience: Japan Earthquake Unleashed Surprising Torrent of Energy | <urn:uuid:0608cc46-0383-4cee-81cb-81070870e4cd> | CC-MAIN-2015-27 | http://www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2013/02/08/japan-quake-released-immense-stress/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-27/segments/1435375094501.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20150627031814-00264-ip-10-179-60-89.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954468 | 568 | 3.640625 | 4 |
Bo'ness, properly Borrowstounness, is a town in the Falkirk council area of Scotland, lying on a hillside on the south bank of the Firth of Forth. Prior to 1975 it was in the former county of West Lothian: the postal address, however, is still BO'NESS, West Lothian. Formerly a centre of heavy industry and a major port, it is now primarily a commuter town.
In the Roman period, it lay at the eastern end of the Antonine Wall. The end of the wall probably lay in modern Carriden, the eastern part of the town, where Roman inscriptions have been found. It appears that the fort there was named Veluniate. Other Roman sites have been identified at Muirhouses (pronounced "Murrays") and Kinglass on the south-east side of the town. Kinneil, in the western part of Bo'ness, was mentioned by Bede, who wrote that it was named Pennfahel ("Wall's end") in Pictish and Penneltun in Old English . It was also Pengwawl in old Welsh. The Antonine Wall was named as an extension to the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site by UNESCO in July 2007. A Roman fortlet can be seen at Kinneil Estate.
The town was a recognised port from the 16th century; a harbour was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1707. The harbour, constructed progressively during the 18th century, was extended and complemented by a dry dock in 1881 (works designed by civil engineers Thomas Meik and Patrick Meik). The commercial port (heavily used for the transport of coal and pit props) eventually closed in 1959, badly affected by silting and the gradual downturn of the Scottish coal mining industry. Plans exist to reopen the port.
Bo'ness was a site for coal mining from medieval times. Clay mining was carried out on a smaller scale. The shore was the site of industrial salt making, evaporating sea water over coal fires. The town was home to several sizable potteries , one product being the black wally dogs which sat in pairs over many fireplaces.
Present-day attractions in the town include the Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway and the Birkhill Fireclay Mine. Kinneil House, built by the powerful Hamilton family in the 15th century, lies on the west edge of the town. In the grounds are a cottage where James Watt worked on his experimental steam engine and the steam cylinder of a Newcomen engine. The remains of an engine house are located in Kinningars Park, off Harbour Road.
Bo'ness has a single secondary school, Bo'ness Academy, and five primary schools, from west to east, Deanburn (previously burnt to the ground, then rebuilt), Kinneil, Bo'ness Public School, St Mary's, and the Grange School. There are a number of churches, including Bo'ness Old Kirk, Carriden, St Andrew's Parish Church, Craigmailen UFC, St. Catharine's Episcopal Church, Bo'ness Apostolic Church, Bo'ness Baptist Church, The Bo'ness Salvation Army and St. Mary's RC, a modernist design of 1962 by Gillespie, Kidd & Coia.
Bo'ness is set for major regeneration with the announcement in November 2004 of a £150m investment by Dutch company ING to transform the harbour, docks and foreshore with a marina, shopping and housing development. The town centre is also set for a 're-vamp' through the THI (Townscape Heritage Initiative) with a £5m investment funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Falkirk Council, Scottish Enterprise Forth Valley together with Euro funding. The plans have also been given a boost through independent research by the National Economic Foundation which showed Bo'ness in third place in a "top 10" of towns which had managed to retain their individual character. Only Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire and Peebles in the Scottish Borders were ahead of Bo'ness in the table. The Hippodrome Cinema, Bo'ness in the town centre is undergoing renovation and refurbishment and is due to open in mid/late 2008.
qualifying round Bell Cup: Linlithgow Academy U.18 1st XV 35 - 5 Bo'ness Academy/Grangemouth U.16
Boness Academy 25 - 5 Larbert High
Boness Academy 35 - 10 Denny High | <urn:uuid:aa376b74-aaa8-4085-afdd-ba9bd3fc6a05> | CC-MAIN-2014-35 | http://www.reference.com/browse/Strengthful*ness | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-35/segments/1409535924501.17/warc/CC-MAIN-20140909013107-00233-ip-10-180-136-8.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974715 | 927 | 2.609375 | 3 |
On June 26, communities all over the world, including in Liberia, mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Created by the United Nations on December 7, 1987, this day, also called World Drug Day, provides an opportunity to increase awareness about the negative impact of illicit drugs.
U.S. President Joseph R. Biden has made clear that addressing addiction is an urgent priority for his administration and underscored the “heartbreaking toll” that addiction can have on individuals, families, and communities.
The theme of World Drug Day 2021 is “Share Facts on Drugs, Save Lives.” The problem of drug abuse and addiction, which can be linked to genetic predisposition, mental health circumstances, and environmental issues, is compounded by misinformation of many kinds. This year’s theme encourages the public to turn to reliable sources, such as the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), to learn more about health risks, drug policies, and evidence-based approaches to preventing and combating addiction.
U.S. Embassy Monrovia salutes Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) Director General Marcus Zehyoue, who assumed the mantle of Director General last year after the sad passing of Marcus Soko. During his tenure so far, Director General Zehyoue has followed in the footsteps of his mentor by leading efforts to reduce illicit drug trafficking in Liberia and to strengthen Liberia’s Drug Law.
The LDEA and its Liberian security partners have made tremendous strides to reduce the trafficking of narcotics in Liberia. The LDEA continues to seize and destroy illicit drugs that enter Liberia through its borders and international ports, reducing the negative impact of these drugs on the lives of Liberians. We encourage the LDEA and Liberian security institutions to continue to work together to combat illicit drug trafficking.
The primary duty of every government is to protect its citizens from threats, which include drug abuse and illicit trafficking. But it is also the responsibility of ordinary citizens to support efforts to educate Liberian youth about the dangers of drug abuse.
The United States is pleased to provide support for this year’s International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking commemoration. U.S. Embassy Monrovia’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) office will continue to work closely with the LDEA and other law enforcement agencies and the Ministry of Justice. Together, we can reduce drug abuse and illicit trafficking. | <urn:uuid:ccbd66e7-28c8-4217-a92d-9bfaa957f242> | CC-MAIN-2022-05 | https://lr.usembassy.gov/international-day-against-drug-abuse-and-illicit-trafficking-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-05/segments/1642320299852.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20220116093137-20220116123137-00016.warc.gz | en | 0.940153 | 508 | 2.75 | 3 |
Lets chat about the cultivation and harvesting of olives.
There are at least 50 different varieties of olive, each with its own distinct characteristics. Some olives, such as the Spanish Picual, are particularly suited to the production of oil, others like the French Lucque make better table olives. Some, like the Italian Frantoio, produce a hot peppery oil, while the Italian Taggiasca gives a much softer and sweeter oil.
Most olive-growing areas have their own particular varieties of olive, some of which so not grow outside that area, very often the oils are produced from a random mix of these varieties. However some of the more sophisticated growers deal with their olives in much the same say as they treat their vines. These people grow the different varieties in separate olive groves, the press an bottle the separately. Alternatively the may bend the different oils to produce a consistent flavour each year.
Everything that happens to the olive tree from pruning in spring through lowering, fruiting an harvesting will have a bearing on the quality of the fruit and thus on the product it will yield . in many areas the methods used are traditional to that region.
The harvest is an extremely critical time as far as ripeness is concerned. Most growers want to produce as much good-quality oil as possible and this means optimum ripeness, but if the olives are left on the trees for too long they will over ripen and oxidize as soon as they are picked producing unpleasant oil.
Freshly picked olives seem quite robust and hard but in fact they are very easily damaged so they must be handled with great care. In the wealthier groves they are harvested by hand. The pickers climb ladd4ers and comb th olives from the trees with rakes. Nets are stretched just above the ground to catch the olives as they fall.
In hot climates olives will start to oxidize as soon as they are picked.
In cooler climates the problem is less acute. Growers may deliberately leave their olives to stand for a day or two outside the mill. The olives start to heat up a little and so produce more oil. If this is carefully don’t it does not affect the quality of the oil.
A good deal of the olive crop in each producing country goes to large cooperatives or industrial plants to be processed into olive oil of various grades an into table olives. Some of these establishments have built up a name for good-quality produce.
The rest of the olives are pressed or processed on farms or at small local cooperatives. The quantities may be such that the oil is simply used by the grower, his family and friends, and perhaps his neighbors.
Other farms and estates produce somewhat larger quantities of oil which they press and bottle on the premises and sell as ‘single-estate’ oils. In recent years these producers have been able to establish a reputation for very high quality which allows them to charge top prices for their oils. As more people come to appreciate the virtues of first-class olive oil single-estate oils are finding a growing market and are increasing in number.
Because there is such a close affinity between vines an olive trees and between wine and oil, a good may of single-estate oils come from farms and estates which also produce wine. This is particularly noticeable in central Italy and increasing in California.
Olive oil is unique among vegetable oils in that it is produced, by purely mechanical means, from the fresh flesh of the fruits. In many places the simple process of grinding or milling the olives and then pressing them has changed very little since Roman times – the equipment has simply become more sophisticated. | <urn:uuid:980ba81f-183a-4b81-9f7b-ca693bd6d1bf> | CC-MAIN-2019-09 | https://derustica.co.za/learn-cultivation-harvesting-olives/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247484928.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20190218094308-20190218120308-00269.warc.gz | en | 0.975245 | 756 | 2.78125 | 3 |
[transitive, intransitive] study (for something) to spend time learning about a subject by reading, going to college, etc. study (something) How long have you been studying English? Don't disturb Jane, she's studying for her exams. study (something) at… My brother studied at the Royal College of Art. study (something) under… a composer who studied under Nadia Boulanger (= was taught by Nadia Boulanger) study to do/be something Nina is studying to be an architect. | <urn:uuid:d92f086c-e9cb-4654-b779-769d1fe30c39> | CC-MAIN-2017-09 | http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/topic/teaching_and_learning/study_5 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-09/segments/1487501171163.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20170219104611-00437-ip-10-171-10-108.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9755 | 109 | 2.75 | 3 |
Nutritionists, sometimes referred to as dietitians, educate people on healthy eating, often with customized programs for specific needs. Focusing specifically on nutrition education, however, narrows the career field somewhat and might increase the educational requirements. Dietitians and nutritionists earned an average annual salary of $53,250 in May 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Jobs in the field are expected to grow 20 percent between 2010 and 2020, faster than average for all occupations.
Nutritionists typically have a bachelor's degree in dietetics, foods and nutrition, food service systems management or a related field, the BLS says. Some nutrition workers and dieticians have also gone through a supervised program or internship. Additionally, most states have certification and licensing requirements. If you become a Registered Dietician through the Commission on Dietetic Registration, it will take care of any licensing requirements in your state. Additional schooling may be required for some nutrition education careers.
If you want to teach nutrition at any level, you will need to start with a Bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition or a related field. If you a degree in a different area than nutrition, you might need to go back and take nutrition courses if you lack relevant work experience to qualify as a nutrition educator. Most states also require a teaching certificate for secondary schools. Teaching at the college level will likely require an advanced degree – at least a Master’s and in some cases, a Doctorate. Other testing requirements vary from state to state.
Proper nutrition education is essential for many medical patients, including those with diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and weight management. In these cases, nutritionists educate patients on how to develop low-fat, low-sodium diets to help them manage their conditions. People with food allergies need to be taught how to check ingredients in processed foods. They must also learn how to subsitute staples they might be allergic to, such as wheat or dairy, with suitable and healthy alternatives. Many clinics and hospitals have nutrition educators on staff to serve medical patiets. Alternatively, you can consider a career as a private nutrition education consultant.
Local, state, and federal government agencies employ nutritionists to help educate the public on healthy eating. For example, the Food and Nutrition Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, hires nutritionists at the federal and state levels as part of its Women, Infants, and Children program. Nutritionists there provide nutrition education in conjunction with its food packages. Many public school systems also hire nutrition educators to guide or supervise food service staff on meal planning.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Dietitians and Nutritionists
- The American Dietetic Association: What You Can Do with a College Degree in Nutrition, Werner, Denise.
- USC Certification Map: How to Become a Teacher
- USDA Natural Agricultural Library: Nutrition Education
- USDA Food and Nutrition Service: Women, Infants, and Children
- USD Food and Nutrition Service: Team Nutrition
- Washington Hospital Healthcare System: Nutrition Education and Therapy Help You Discover a Healthier You
- Jupiterimages/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images | <urn:uuid:711f830c-8d65-4990-b56a-982487b02874> | CC-MAIN-2019-22 | https://work.chron.com/nutrition-education-careers-5906.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-22/segments/1558232258003.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20190525104725-20190525130725-00000.warc.gz | en | 0.939173 | 642 | 3.34375 | 3 |
Regulation of gene expression
Gene modulation redirects here. For information on therapeutic regulation of gene expression, see therapeutic gene modulation.
- For vocabulary, see Glossary of gene expression terms
Regulation of gene expression (or gene regulation) refers to the cellular control of the amount and timing of changes to the appearance of the functional product of a gene. Although a functional gene product may be an RNA or a protein, the majority of the known mechanisms regulate the expression of protein coding genes. Any step of the gene's expression may be modulated, from DNA-RNA transcription to the post-translational modification of a protein. Gene regulation gives the cell control over its structure and function, and is the basis for cellular differentiation, morphogenesis and the versatility and adaptability of any organism.
Regulated stages of gene expression
Any step of gene expression may be modulated, from the DNA-RNA transcription step to post-translational modification of a protein. The following is a list of stages where gene expression is regulated:
- Chemical and structural modification of DNA or chromatin
- Post-transcriptional modification
- RNA transport
- mRNA degradation
- Post-translational modifications
Modification of DNA.
Methylation of DNA is a common method of gene silencing. DNA is typically methylated by methyltransferase enzymes on cytosine nucleotides in a CpG dinucleotide sequence (also called "CpG islands" when densely clustered). Analysis of the pattern of methylation in a given region of DNA (which can be a promoter) can be achieved through a method called bisulfite mapping. Methylated cytosine residues are unchanged by the treatment, whereas unmethylated ones are changed to uracil. The differences are analyzed by DNA sequencing or by methods developed to quantify SNPs, such as Pyrosequencing (Biotage) or MassArray (Sequenom), measuring the relative amounts of C/T at the CG dinucleotide. Abnormal methylation patterns are thought to be involved in carcinogenesis.
Transcription of DNA is dictated by its structure. In general, the density of its packing is indicative of the frequency of transcription. Octameric protein complexes called histones are responsible for the amount of supercoiling of DNA, and these complexes can be temporarily modified by processes such as phosphorylation or more permanently modified by processes such as methylation. Such modifications are considered to be responsible for more or less permanent changes in gene expression levels.
Histone acetylation is also an important process in transcription. Histone acetyltransferase enzymes (HATs) such as CREB-binding protein also dissociate the DNA from the histone complex, allowing transcription to proceed. Often, DNA methylation and histone acetylation work together in gene silencing. The combination of the two seems to be a signal for DNA to be packed more densely, lowering gene expression.
Regulation of transcription
Regulation of transcription controls when transcription occurs and how much RNA is created. Transcription of a gene by RNA polymerase can be regulated by at least five mechanisms:
- Specificity factors alter the specificity of RNA polymerase for a given promoter or set of promoters, making it more or less likely to bind to them (i.e. sigma factors used in prokaryotic transcription).
- Repressors bind to non-coding sequences on the DNA strand that are close to or overlapping the promoter region, impeding RNA polymerase's progress along the strand, thus impeding the expression of the gene.
- General transcription factors These transcription factors position RNA polymerase at the start of a protein-coding sequence and then release the polymerase to transcribe the mRNA.
- Activators enhance the interaction between RNA polymerase and a particular promoter, encouraging the expression of the gene. Activators do this by increasing the attraction of RNA polymerase for the promoter, through interactions with subunits of the RNA polymerase or indirectly by changing the structure of the DNA.
- Enhancers are sites on the DNA helix that are bound to by activators in order to loop the DNA bringing a specific promoter to the initiation complex.
Regulatory protein is a term used in genetics to describe a protein involved in regulating gene expression. It is usually bound to a regulatory binding site which is sometimes located near the promotor although this is not always the case. Regulatory proteins are often needed to be bound to a regulatory binding site to switch a gene on (activator) or to shut off a gene (repressor). Generally, as the organism grows more sophisticated, their cellular protein regulation becomes more complicated and indeed some human genes can be controlled by many activators and repressors working together.
Prokaryotes vs. eukaryotes
In prokaryotes, regulation of transcription is needed for the cell to quickly adapt to the ever changing outer environment. The presence of the quantity and type of nutrients determines which genes are expressed; in order to do that, genes must be regulated in some fashion. In prokaryotes, repressors bind to regions called operators that are generally located downstream from and near the promoter (normally part of the transcript). Activators bind to the upstream portion of the promoter, such as the CAP region (completely upstream from the transcript). A combination of activators, repressors and rarely enhancers (in prokaryotes) determines whether a gene is transcribed.
In eukaryotes, transcriptional regulation tends to involve combinatorial interactions between several transcription factors, which allow for a sophisticated response to multiple conditions in the environment. This permits spatial and temporal differences in gene expression. Eukaryotes also make use of enhancers, distant regions of DNA that can loop back to the promoter. A major difference between eukaryotes and prokaryotes is the fact the eukaryotes have a nuclear envelope, which prevents simultaneous transcription and translation. RNA interference also regulate gene expression in most eukaryotes, both by epigenetic modification of promoters and by breaking down mRNA.
- When E. coli bacteria are subjected to heat stress, the σ32 subunit of its RNA polymerase changes such that the enzyme binds to a specialized set of promoters that precede genes for heat-shock response proteins.
- When a cell contains a surplus amount of the amino acid tryptophan, the acid binds to a specialized repressor protein (tryptophan repressor). The binding changes the structural conformity of the repressor such that it binds to the operator region for the operon that synthesizes tryptophan, preventing their expression and thus suspending production. This is a form of negative feedback.
- In bacteria, the lac repressor protein blocks the synthesis of enzymes that digest lactose when there is no lactose to feed on. When lactose is present, it binds to the repressor, causing it to detach from the DNA strand.
Inducible vs. repressible systems
Gene Regulation can be summarized as how they respond:
- Inducible systems - An inducible system is off unless there is the presence of some molecule (called an inducer) that allows for gene expression. The molecule is said to "induce expression". The manner in which this happens is dependent on the control mechanisms as well as differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
- Repressible systems - A repressible system is on except in the presence of some molecule (called a corepressor) that suppresses gene expression. The molecule is said to "repress expression". The manner in which this happens is dependent on the control mechanisms as well as differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
Regulation of transcription machinery
In order for a gene to be expressed, several things must happen. First, there needs to be an initiating signal. This is achieved through the binding of some ligand to a receptor. Activation of g-protein-coupled receptors can have this effect; as can the binding of hormones to intra- or extracellular receptors.
This signal gives rise to the activation of a protein called a transcription factor, and recruits other members of the "transcription machine." Transcription factors generally simultaneously bind DNA as well as an RNA polymerase, as well as other agents necessary for the transcription process (HATs, scaffolding proteins, etc.). Transcription factors, and their cofactors, can be regulated through reversible structural alterations such as phosphorylation or inactivated through such mechanisms as proteolysis.
Transcription is initiated at the promoter site, as an increase in the amount of an active transcription factor binds a target DNA sequence. Other proteins, known as "scaffolding proteins" bind other cofactors and hold them in place. DNA sequences far from the point of initiation, known as enhancers, can aid in the assembly of this "transcription machinery." Histone arms are acetylated, and DNA is transcribed into RNA.
Frequently, extracellular signals induce the expression of immediate early genes (IEGs) such as c-fos, c-jun, or AP-1. These are in and of themselves transcription factors or components thereof, and can further influence gene expression.
After the DNA is transcribed and mRNA is formed there must be some sort of regulation on how much the mRNA is translated into Proteins. Cells do this by Capping, Splicing, and the addition of a Poly(A) Tail. These processes occur in eukaryotes but not in prokaryotes.
- Capping changes the five prime end of the mRNA to a three prime end by 5'-5' linkage, which protects the mRNA from 5' exonuclease, which degrades foreign RNA. The cap also helps in ribosomal binding.
- Splicing removes the introns, noncoding regions that are transcribed into RNA, in order to make the mRNA able to create proteins. Cells do this by spliceosome's binding on either side of an intron, looping the intron into a circle and then cleaving it off. The two ends of the exons are then joined together.
- Addition of poly(A) tail otherwise known as poly-adenylation. Junk RNA is added to the 3' end, and acts as a buffer to the 3' exonuclease in order to increase the half life of mRNA.
Up-regulation and down-regulation
Up-regulation is a process which occurs within a cell triggered by a signal (originating internal or external to the cell) which results in increased expression of one or more genes and as a result the protein(s) encoded by those genes. Conversely down-regulation is a process resulting in decreased gene and corresponding protein expression.
- Up-regulation occurs for example when a cell is deficient in some kind of receptor. In this case, more receptor protein is synthesized and transported to the membrane of the cell and thus the sensitivity of the cell is brought back to normal reestablishing homeostasis.
- Down-regulation occurs for example when a cell is overly stimulated by a neurotransmitter, hormone, or drug for a prolonged period of time and the expression of the receptor protein is decreased in order to protect the cell (see also tachyphylaxis).
Examples of gene regulation
- Enzyme induction is a process in which a molecule (e.g. a drug) induces (i.e. initiates or enhances) the expression of an enzyme.
- The induction of heat shock proteins in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.
- The Lac operon is an interesting example of how gene expression can be regulated.
- Choudhuri S (2004). "Gene Regulation and Molecular Toxicology". Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods 15 (1): 1-23.
- MeSH Regulation of Gene Expression
- Genevestigator - an online resource to study how genes are regulated by different internal or external factors (e.g. anatomy part, developmental stage, stimuli, drugs, diseases, or genetic modifications). | <urn:uuid:f4b9783d-c284-460d-bac2-bf9e30008c68> | CC-MAIN-2016-30 | http://www.wikidoc.org/index.php/Regulation_of_gene_expression | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-30/segments/1469257826759.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20160723071026-00279-ip-10-185-27-174.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925676 | 2,502 | 3.484375 | 3 |
We are in the middle of a world climate crisis. We are destroying our own planet and soon the damage we cause will be irreversible. CO2 emissions and single-use plastic are the biggest sources of pollution.
Fortunately, you can help the cause by making small changes in your lifestyle and save the environment by reducing waste in your household. The changes we would like to introduce you to are budget-friendly and will enable you to save on your bills over time. Here are the top five eco-friendly tips for your household.
Recycle as Much as You Can
Recycling is truly the basics of eco-friendly living, giving ordinary objects a second life and limiting the number of plastic, paper and glass items in use reducing waste. It is helpful to purchase and create space for recycling and compost bins. When you own such bins, you’ll be more conscious of recycling. A compost bin, on the other hand, will help you get rid of leftovers and turn them into free fertilizer that you can use for your plants. In many areas, recycling should also lower your waste collection bill, you can also profit from recycling metal and selling it at scrap metal pick up.
Plant Your Own Herbs
At a grocery store, most herbs are wrapped in plastic packaging that you then put in a plastic bag and take home. You can, however, make use of the fertilizer you created with food scraps and plant your own herb garden. It doesn’t take much effort, is quite inexpensive, and will result in fresh, aromatic herbs that will complement almost any dish that you prepare in your kitchen.
Purchase a Water Filter
The amount of money and plastic wasted by buying water bottles is enormous. You have to remember about buying it every so often, you must carry the heavy load from the store to your house and the amount of plastic you are left with once you have drunk all your water is simply unbelievable. The solution to this problem is quite simple: purchase and install a water filter in your house, and make your tap water perfect for drinking.
Wash Your Clothes in Colder Water
Around 90% of the energy that a washing machine uses goes toward heating up the water. Washing your clothes in colder water is a simple trick that will help you reduce the energy this particular appliance uses per single run and lower your electricity bills as a result. It shouldn’t affect the quality of the washing and your clothes will be properly cleaned, yet you will contribute to a more eco-friendly world.
Invest in a Smart Thermostat
One device that will save you a lot of trouble when it comes to energy-efficiency is the smart thermostat. When you have both heating and air-conditioning, you must know how much energy there is required to heat or cool your house. There is no need to have a heater or an air-conditioner running 24/7. A smart thermostat will monitor the conditions inside your home and adjust the temperature when needed.
Making your household a more eco-friendly place is something that you should most definitely consider. If not for your planet, then at least to lower your bills in the long term. Make small changes and see how big of a difference it makes. | <urn:uuid:de3d437a-32dd-4085-b915-004bf2da45af> | CC-MAIN-2020-45 | https://www.residencestyle.com/5-eco-friendly-tips-for-your-household/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-45/segments/1603107909746.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20201030063319-20201030093319-00229.warc.gz | en | 0.945787 | 661 | 2.921875 | 3 |
5¢ Flag of France
Overrun Countries Series
Issue Date: September 28, 1943
City: Washington, D.C.
Printed by: American Bank Note Company
Printing Method: Flat-Plate
Color: Blue violet, deep blue, dark rose, and black
U.S. #915 is part of the Overrun Countries Series, which honors each of the nations invaded by Axis powers during World War II. It pictures the flag of France, which features red, white, and blue vertical bars. Red and blue are the traditional colors of Paris, and white, the “ancient French colour,” was added to make it a tricolor. The flag was adopted in 1794.
France – History
In the century before Christ, France was known as Gaul. Julius Caesar invaded Gaul around 53 B.C. The Franks were among the Germanic tribes who began invading in the second century, taking power from the Romans. Charlemagne (Charles the Great) was a powerful Frankish king who was crowned Emperor in 800 A.D. Many ruling dynasties have come and gone during the centuries that followed.
After the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte became dictator and then Emperor of France. He did much to modernize it by centralizing the government and reforming the tax and civil laws.
During World War I, a small part of northern France was taken over by Germany. France mobilized its small army after World War II began and Poland was invaded. For eight months nothing happened. Inactivity led to boredom, and when the Germans did invade, the collapse of France was swift. This resulted in a divided France – consisting of a German-occupied zone in the North and a French “free-zone” in the South, which collaborated with Germany in some respects. After the war, France was unable to keep its dominating political status but did enjoy great economic growth.
These Stamps Brought Hope to Overrun Countries of WW II
After receiving several designs from artists who felt the current U.S. postage stamps were unattractive, President Franklin Roosevelt began to consider the types of stamps he wanted to issue. He sought to show the world that America was in this war to achieve world peace, not military dominance. With this in mind, the President suggested the U.S. issue a series of stamps picturing the flags of all the overrun nations in Europe.
In the border surrounding each flag, Roosevelt suggested picturing the Phoenix – an ancient symbol of rebirth. He believed “It might tell those suffering victims in Europe that we are struggling for their own regeneration.” The other side of each flag pictured a kneeling woman “breaking the shackles of oppression.”
When the time came to print the stamps, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing was unable to print the multiple colors needed for each flag, so the American Bank Note Company received a special contract for this series.
Additionally, a 5¢ denomination – the foreign rate for first class postage – was chosen so the stamps could be used on overseas mail. The stamps were printed in relatively small quantities and were in high demand as soon as they were issued, with stocks across the country running out almost as soon as they were released.
FDR – The Stamp-Collecting President
President Franklin Roosevelt was instrumental in the design and issuance of U.S. #915. Introduced to stamp collecting at a young age by his mother, Franklin Delano Roosevelt turned to his collection throughout his life to relax and unwind.
Elected President four times, Roosevelt served in the nation’s highest office longer than any other chief executive – 12 years. During those 12 years, Roosevelt shared his love of stamps with the nation, personally approving each of more than 200 stamp designs. He suggested topics, rejected others, and even designed some himself. It was his aim to use stamps not just to send mail but also to educate Americans about our history. And as he reluctantly entered America into World War II, he saw these stamps as an outlet to raise spirits and bring hope. | <urn:uuid:0203918e-4d54-451e-aa90-ca0952142026> | CC-MAIN-2019-13 | https://www.mysticstamp.com/Products/United-States/915/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912202188.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20190320004046-20190320030046-00361.warc.gz | en | 0.979405 | 835 | 3.140625 | 3 |
Click on the image to download the pdf
Annually, we sell and buy two billion t-shirts globally, but how and where is the average t-shirt made, and what is its environmental impact?
Read and check you understand this before you read and listen to the article:
item: an individual object or unit
to sow (sowed, sown): to plant the seeds of plants or crops (see below)
bales: when cotton or hay is collected, it is put together in a bale
crop: a cultivated plant that is grown commercially
to ship: to transport goods and products
to dip: to put something into a liquid for a short time
harmful: something that causes damage or injury
to boost: to amplify, increase or improve
Consider the classic white t-shirt. Clothing items can vary a lot, but a typical t-shirt begins its life on a farm in America, China, or India, where cotton seeds are sown, irrigated and grown and then harvested by self-driving machines. Finally the cotton is pressed into 225-kilogram bales.
The cotton plants require a huge quantity of water and pesticides. Two thousand seven hundred litres of water are needed to produce the average t-shirt, enough to fill more than 30 bathtubs.
Meanwhile, cotton uses more insecticides and pesticides than any other crop in the world. These pollutants can be carcinogenic, harm the health of field workers and damage surrounding ecosystems. Some t-shirts are made of organic cotton grown without pesticides and insecticides, but organic cotton makes up less than 1% of cotton produced worldwide.
The cotton bales are then shipped to a spinning facility, usually in China or India, where high-tech machines eventually turn the cotton into sheets of rough greyish fabric that are treated with heat and chemicals until they become soft and white. This fabric is dipped into commercial bleaches and dyes, which unfortunately contain cancer-causing cadmium, lead, chromium, and mercury. Other harmful compounds and chemicals can cause pollution when released as toxic waste water in rivers and oceans.
Technologies are now so advanced in some countries that the entire process of growing and producing fabric barely touches a human hand. But after, the finished cloth travels to factories, often in Bangladesh, China, India, or Turkey, where human labour is still required to stitch them up into t-shirts. Bangladesh, for example, employs 4.5 million people in the t-shirt industry, but they typically face poor conditions and low wages.
After manufacture, all those t-shirts travel by ship, train, and truck to be sold in high-income countries, a process that gives cotton an enormous carbon footprint. Apparel production accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions. From 1994 to 2014, cheaper prices boosted production by 400% to around 80 billion garments each year.
Finally, in a consumer’s home, the t-shirt goes through one of the most resource-intensive phases of its lifetime. In America, for instance, the average household does nearly 400 loads of laundry per year each using about 150,000 litres of water (per year in older, less-efficient machines). Washing machines and dryers both use energy, with dryers requiring five to six times more than washers. All in all, fashion has become the second largest polluter in the world after oil.
But there are things we can do: consider shopping second-hand, try to look for textiles made from recycled or organic fabrics, wash clothes less and line dry to save resources, and at the end of their life, donate, recycle, or reuse clothes. Finally, you might ask yourself, how many t-shirts and articles of clothing do you and your family really need?
“Let’s chat about that!”
Write your answers and send them by email to your ECP coach. Why not record your voice too? Listen to yourself speak and identify what you have to improve on ????
Give reasons for your answers.
- How many t-shirts do you have? And trousers, shoes etc?
- Think about all your clothes. How many of them have you NOT used in the last 12 months? What could you get rid of?
- Do you know where all your clothes were made?
- Do you have a clothes dryer? If not, would you like one?
adapted from: TED-Ed – Lessons Worth Sharing | <urn:uuid:1f35179c-e6d2-4bfa-b210-26c5995c35e7> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://ecp.coop/presente-simple-ejercicios-vitoria/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224654031.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20230608003500-20230608033500-00176.warc.gz | en | 0.94298 | 924 | 3.34375 | 3 |
10 things you really need to know about READING ON SCREEN for effective online design
1. Self-illuminated v reflected
Screens are backlit or the source of their own illumination, print relies wholly on reflected light. This is an important difference, in that self-lit screens can be seen and read in any light conditions and their brightness adjusted (manually or more commonly these days by sensor-based software). Screens, however, seem to allow the brain to spot non-proximate elements when you read and these can distract.
2. Screens vary in size
With responsive systems, online learning can be delivered on everything from a high definition desktop screen to all sorts of sizes on laptops, tablets and mobiles; whereas print tends to be designed for one format only – a book page, newspaper page or journal page. Be aware that you are publishing on screen for a huge variety of shapes and sizes, as the size and format of the text will change. This is why chunking matters. Chunk text down for screen and use more headings than with print.
3. Screens landscape, paper portrait
As a follow on point, most books, newspapers and journals are portrait, not landscape, whereas many screens (apart from mobiles) are landscape (tablets optional). This means that line length will vary enormously on screens but not on paper. The line length really can vary enormously from a few words on a mobile to overlong lines stretched across the whole of a landscape screen. You have to be aware of this elasticity in line length, as it affects readability and pushes you towards more highly edited text.
4. Scrolling is a feature of screens not print
When we access, say Wikipedia or most web pages for news and other information, we commonly scroll down the page. Much online learning restricts you to a non-scrollable page but increasingly it is becoming the norm, with authoring tools such as Adapt. You need to be aware of whether this functionality is present or not.
5. Navigation is different
Holding a book, newspaper or journal gives you a feel for where you are in terms of pages and the navigation is easy - turn the page, forwards or back. On screen you need to provide some sort of sense of where you are and progress in the text, whether it’s a progress bar or page x/y numbers. This is a design feature that you need to consider. Icons leading you forward and back may also be necessary.
6. Search possible on screen
Search is possible on screens, often used by users on computers but impossible in print, unless you count the clumsy mechanism of an index. This is a significant advantage, not only in finding text resources but also in finding an item within a text resource.
7. Hyperlinking is possible on screen
The humble hyperlink is something that paper does not have and can be used to good effect, for links out to more detail, glossary definitions or other navigational functions. Wikipedia is a good example of a text resource where the hyperlink is of significant advantage in vectoring through a subject or finding additional resources.
8. Paper usually professionally published
Books, newspapers, articles and academic papers are usually professionally published, with good layouts, use of fonts and therefore good readability. On screen text is more difficult to layout and polish, so often appears in layouts, formats and fonts that make them slightly more difficult to read. That is why you must pay attention to the rules that print publishing follow but also edit down to keep readability high. Layout, font choice, colour, sentence length may all need attention.
9. Paper has less distractions
Printed resources, at least most books, have only text on a page, screens often have a lot more items, as the text is embedded in a browser, word processor or web page where there’s lots of distractive navigational items and within the content more imagery in terms of images and video. The fact that more distractions are there means keeping the text clear and simple with lots of white space to aid isolation and readability.
10. Browse more on screen
We browse more on screens, in the sense that we skim and dart around looking for the pertinent cues. It’s almost like non-linear reading. This leads to the conclusion that you must avoid unnecessary distractions in terms of graphic elements, animation or audio, when you expect a learner to read. Unfortunately, many designers do the opposite and feel that the more movement and imagery you have the better, Media rich does not mean mind rich. It also important to realize that sentence length should be shorter and cues for important points given more emphasis, such as bold, italic and so on.
One last thing, when it comes to reading fatigue, research shows that it is the same on screen as on paper. Text is a great medium on both print and screen. Just be aware of the differences. The same is true, of course with graphics, photographs and video.
And there's more...
10 challenging ways to get the best from your SMEs
10 ways to make badass INTROs in online learning
10 bloody good reasons for using much-maligned TEXT in online learning
10 text layout FAILS in online learning
10 essential online learning WRITING TIPS in online learning
10 stupid mistakes in design of MULTIPLE CHOICE questions
10 essential points on use of (recall not recognition) OPEN RESPONSE questions
10 sound pieces of advice on use of AUDIO in online learning
10 ways based on research to use VIDEO in online learning
10 ideas on use of much maligned TALKING HEAD videos in online learning
10 ways to design challenging SCENARIOS
10 ways to design challenging SCENARIOS
10 unusual ways to make SPACED PRACTICE happen in online learning | <urn:uuid:8f7a4b55-7e6c-485c-bfc1-5d23f163015d> | CC-MAIN-2016-40 | http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com/2016/01/10-key-things-you-need-to-know-about.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-40/segments/1474738660864.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20160924173740-00199-ip-10-143-35-109.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925469 | 1,208 | 2.765625 | 3 |
Image Gallery: Crystal shapes
Minerals can be identified by the shape of their crystals or crystallography. The shapes of crystals are determined by a number of factors such as the size and length of their surfaces (known as 'faces') and edges, as well as the angles between these. These shapes are named after their geometry - for example, crystals based on cubes belong to the 'cubic or isometric' crystal group. There are seven main crystal groups or systems, as shown here. | <urn:uuid:1e8b2485-590c-450f-9f26-4c8c07f6e7c4> | CC-MAIN-2018-30 | https://australianmuseum.net.au/crystal-shapes | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-30/segments/1531676590866.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20180719105750-20180719125750-00373.warc.gz | en | 0.972021 | 101 | 3.875 | 4 |
This comprehensive textbook provides a broad and in-depth overview of embedded systems architecture for engineering students and embedded systems professionals. The book is well suited for undergraduate embedded systems courses in electronics/electrical engineering and engineering technology (EET) departments in universities and colleges, as well as for corporate training of employees.
The book is a readable and practical guide covering embedded hardware, firmware, and applications. It clarifies all concepts with references to current embedded technology as it exists in the industry today, including many diagrams and applicable computer code. Among the topics covered in detail are:
· hardware components, including processors, memory, buses, and I/O
· system software, including device drivers and operating systems
· use of assembly language and high-level languages such as C and Java
· interfacing and networking
· case studies of real-world embedded designs
· applicable standards grouped by system application
Without a doubt the most accessible, comprehensive yet comprehensible book on embedded systems ever written!
Leading companies and universities have been involved in the development of the content
* An instant classic! | <urn:uuid:984551fa-3fde-4a1e-abf0-f13b363d8e49> | CC-MAIN-2015-48 | http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780750677929.do | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-48/segments/1448398452385.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20151124205412-00166-ip-10-71-132-137.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928554 | 221 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Lime infection: why is it dangerous to treat the skin yourself?
Sore spots on the skin or scaly bubbles may be deprived. This skin disease can be of several types, but today let’s talk about the infectious nature of lichen. The source of infection can be not only a sick person, but also an animal, the soil on which the causative agents of the disease have fallen. In summer, the risk of picking up the lichen increases, so it is important to know the “enemy by sight”.
How to understand what it is exactly?
It is impossible to give a 100% correct diagnosis to yourself, you are not a dermatologist and you hardly have a laboratory at your place to conduct research and analyzes. Therefore, the worst thing that can be done in the case of any skin disease is to self-medicate. However, a number of symptoms that are characteristic of depriving you will help to suspect an infectious skin disease: so you can take a number of measures so as not to infect others or get infected yourself, noticing someone has the following symptoms:
The appearance of dark or light spots throughout the body
Peeling, inflammation and itching of such spots, while the general state of health does not worsen
Red or pink spots, or a ring on the scalp, neck or face (ringworm).
Depending on the type of disease, the appearance of skin lesions and their location will differ. For example, with shingles, painful blisters appear in the areas of passage of nerve trunks, often between the ribs. This type of lichen is caused by the herpes virus, which already lives in the human body. With a number of factors, such as stress, reduced immunity, etc., the disease takes on a skin form. Non-infectious deprivation is psoriasis: it most often affects the elbows, knees and other large joints and is not contagious.
How can you get infectious lichen
Most often, zoster is caused by micro-fungi, which also have several species and live in the soil, on human skin and / or animal hair. Symptoms of this disease appear quite quickly. Unlike viral lichen. Viruses can be in the body for years and with a weakening of the immunity to make itself felt (the same shingles or lichen rosacea).
Deprive, caused by fungi (ringworm, scaly) easily picked up when in contact with an infected animal or person. Therefore, ironing and touching homeless animals on the street is dangerous: most of all the kids are trying to contact the animals. Washing hands with soap will help in such cases also will not become infected with worms, microorganisms, and not just fungi. But the homeless, and even more wild animals and birds – squirrels, pigeons, hedgehogs, etc. no need to touch at all. You can also pick up a fungal infection on the beach or in the shower, using someone else’s towels, shoes – the same rubber slippers, etc.
Treatment and prevention of herpes
To avoid infection with the fungal lichen, you should try not to contact the source of the infection. In order for pink or shingles not to appear, it is important to have a strong immunity, to treat emerging diseases in a timely manner, to adhere to a healthy lifestyle and good nutrition. His treatment will also depend on the type of herring: it is possible to remove the lesions from the skin with timely access to a dermatologist within 1-3 weeks.
The more neglected the condition, the longer the treatment. The danger of depriving another is that a bacterial infection can join the affected skin area, then the treatment will last for months. Basically ointments are used topically, vitamins are prescribed to strengthen the body’s defenses. It is also important to pay more attention to hygiene, to strictly follow the instructions of the doctor and not to stop treatment. | <urn:uuid:ab38304b-f951-435f-aa51-81bc5dfcf752> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | http://dengeliyasam.net/post51 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250611127.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20200123160903-20200123185903-00220.warc.gz | en | 0.950285 | 818 | 3.296875 | 3 |
Aerial view of Deansgate from the Beetham Tower
|Length||1.0 mi (1.6 km)|
|North end||Victoria Street|
|Known for||Shopping, Kendals, the Great Northern Warehouse, the John Rylands Library, Beetham Tower, Manchester Cathedral|
Deansgate is a main road (part of the A56) through the city centre of Manchester, England. It runs roughly north–south in a near straight route through the western part of the city centre and is the longest road in the city centre at over one mile long.
Deansgate is one of the city's oldest thoroughfares. In Roman times its route passed close to the Roman fort of Mamucium and led from the River Medlock where there was a ford and the road to Deva (Chester). Along its length were several civilian buildings and a mansio in the vicinity of the Hilton Hotel. Part of it was called Aldport Lane from Saxon times. (Aldport was the Saxon name for Castlefield.) Until the 1730s the area was rural but became built up after the development of a quay on the river.
The road is named after the lost River Dene, which may have flowed along the Hanging Ditch connecting the River Irk to the River Irwell, at the street's northern end. ("Gate" derives from the Norse gata, meaning way).
By the late 19th century Deansgate was an area of varied uses: its northern end had shopping and substantial office buildings while further south were slums and a working class area around St John's Church (St John Street remaining upper middle class). The Wood Street Mission began to address the social problems in 1869 and its work continues in a very different form. From Peter Street southwards the eastern side was dominated by the viaducts of the Great Northern and Manchester South Junction Railways, while the Rochdale Canal crossed below Deansgate to connect with the other waterways beyond. In the late 20th century Deansgate was home to the head office of the Manchester Evening News newspaper, now replaced by part of the Spinningfields development.
Deansgate begins at Victoria Street, a 19th-century creation. Its east side was occupied by the Victoria Buildings built on a triangular site by Manchester Corporation in 1876 but demolished in a bomb raid in the Manchester Blitz in December 1940. A statue of Oliver Cromwell at the northern corner commemorated Manchester's support for Parliament in the English Civil War. The statue was a gift to the city by Mrs Abel Heywood in memory of her first husband, Thomas Goadsby and was the first large statue of Cromwell to be raised in the open anywhere in England.
At the northern end of Deansgate is Victoria Street, on which lies Manchester Cathedral, and at the southern end is Deansgate railway station. At this point Deansgate connects with Bridgewater Viaduct and Chester Road (Whitworth Street West meets it at this point). The section to the south of Peter Street was known as Aldport Street until the end of the 18th century.
The street contains many shops including a House of Fraser department store known as Kendals from the 1830s until 2005, and Waterstones along with many public houses and bars including The Moon Under Water, formerly the Deansgate Cinema (or ABC Deansgate). At 820 square metres (8,800 sq ft), able to accommodate 1,700 customers, and employing 60 staff, it has been listed in The Guinness Book of Records as the largest public house in Britain. Elliot House was the Manchester Registry Office and before that the offices of the corporation's Education Department.
The northern end of the street adjoined the Shambles and was badly damaged in the 1996 Manchester City Centre bombing. The area was redeveloped and houses several new buildings, including No. 1 Deansgate and the Manchester branch of Harvey Nichols. Other buildings in the Deansgate area include the Royal Bank of Scotland, the Beetham Tower, and the redeveloped Great Northern Warehouse. Historic buildings include the John Rylands Library and the Barton Arcade shopping mall. The disused Manchester and Salford Junction canal runs directly underneath Deansgate below the Great Northern Warehouse.
Today, the main transport links on Deansgate are the National Rail and Manchester Metrolink stations and a number of bus routes, including the Metroshuttle services. Deansgate Station station was opened at Knott Mill on 20 July 1849 by the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway. It is linked to Deansgate-Castlefield Metrolink station on the Metrolink system.
In the first half of the 20th century Deansgate was a route for trams operated by Manchester Corporation Tramways, and subsequently carried numerous bus services. During the 1970s many bus routes were diverted or separated into two services terminating in the city centre and adjoining streets such as King Street were pedestrianised.
In 2009 there were calls for traffic to be banned on Deansgate and for it to be pedestrianised. The calls were triggered in response to road works that closed parts of Deansgate. Some argued that the disablement of a major traffic route in the city centre could have a damaging economic effect while others argued a that a vehicle-free Deansgate would attract more shoppers.
Deansgate is a long straight street which has provided a venue for sporting events in the city centre. In 2006 A1 Racing cars visited the city to launch A1 Grand Prix, and used Deansgate as part of the route. In August 2011 thousands packed the street as Jenson Button drove a McLaren MP4-23 along Deansgate as part of the Vodafone Vip Live Manchester festival.
In 2009 the inaugural Great City Games took place on Deansgate, which featured a 150-metre sprinting track. The event has become an annual fixture on the Great Manchester Run weekend during mid-May. Usain Bolt set a world record for the 150 m straight in 2009 and Tyson Gay ran the 200 m straight in record time in 2010.
- "Manchester Deansgate Bars", manchesterbars.com, retrieved 4 August 2011, "Located at the top end of Deansgate, the mile long road that runs through the city centre"
- When Manchester was Mamucium, Manchester Council, retrieved 25 April 2012
- Deansgate/Peter Street Conservation Area, Manchester Council, retrieved 25 April 2012
- Cooper 2003, p. 52
- Heaton 1995, p. ?
- There were 31 shops on the ground floor of Victoria Buildings and many offices on the floors above. Victoria Arcade ran through the block and at the northern end was the Victoria Hotel with 100 rooms.
- Hardy, Clive (2000) Francis Frith's Greater Manchester. Salisbury: Francis Frith Collection; pp. 67–69, 71
- Laurent (1793) "Plan of Manchester and Salford illustrated", in: Bradshaw (1985), p. 20
- Parkinson-Bailey 2000, p. 287
- "Should traffic be banned from Deansgate?", Manchester Evening News, 24 August 2009
- Thompson, Dan (25 August 2009), "Deansgate car ban `could kill city centre'", Manchester Evening News
- Scheerhout, John (14 August 2006), "Race cars roar down city streets", Manchester Evening News, retrieved 22 August 2011
- Bolt runs 14.35 sec for 150m; covers 50m-150m in 8.70 sec!, IAAF, 17 May 2009, retrieved 14 September 2011
- "Tyson Gay breaks Tommie Smith's 200m mark in Manchester", BBC Sport, 16 May 2010, retrieved 17 September 2011
- Atkins, Philip (1976). Guide Across Manchester. Manchester: Civic Trust for the North West. ISBN 0-901347-29-9.
- Bradshaw, L. D. (1985). Origins of Street Names in the City of Manchester. Radcliffe: Neil Richardson. ISBN 0-907511-87-2.
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Deansgate, Manchester.| | <urn:uuid:f4d9477d-7700-470d-89e3-a77bab7b71c6> | CC-MAIN-2014-35 | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deansgate | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-35/segments/1408500832155.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20140820021352-00129-ip-10-180-136-8.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947329 | 1,686 | 2.8125 | 3 |
TODAY’s story honors Hanukkah, the festival of light that begins Sunday evening. The celebration recalls a milestone in religious liberty thousands of years ago.
Today we’re moving Hanukkah’s timeless lessons into the modern era of another dire threat to the Jewish people: the Holocaust. We’ll let the authors — the Kansas City Star’s longtime religion writer Bill Tammeus and his colleague Rabbi Jacques Cukierkorn — tell their own story and make their own connections.
But first, A PREVIEW: Stay tuned to ReadTheSpirit in coming days for a lot more on Hanukkah and Christmas. For example, on Monday, we’re pleased to share a “Conversation With” the wise and widely read author Rabbi Harold Schulweis. We’ll also hear from the popular Jewish memoirist Judy Gruen. And we’ve got a multi-part Christmas story on tap, as well.
Looking even further ahead: January is the 2nd Annual Interfaith Heroes Month and you will meet a whole host of men and women from around the world in January through our online magazine. Most of the stories will be focused around the site, http://www.InterfaithHeroes.info/ — but heroic stories also will spill into the main ReadTheSpirit pages in January. You’re getting a preview of one of those stories today. Irena Sendler, who is included in this story, is one of the heroes we are honoring in January.
So, think of us as a fresh and inspirational part of your holiday season this year. There’ll always be something waiting for you — right here — to light up your day! And now …
WHAT WE CAN LEARN
OUR STORIES OF SURVIVAL
By Bill Tammeus (next photo)
And Rabbi Jacques Cukierkorn (second photo)
The stories still stir us, no matter how many years have passed.
Among the Holocaust survival stories we have uncovered is one about Maria Devinki, a Kansas City woman who during the war years in Europe survived for more than two years under the floors of barns.
We documented the story of a Philadelphia-area man, Felix Zandman, founder of Vishay Intertechnology. Felix hid with his uncle and several other people for 17 months in a pit dug under the bedroom of the small home of a woman — who once was helped by Zandman’s grandmother.
On one level these are stories of survival. At its core, Hanukkah celebrates Jewish survival in the face of improbable odds, something Jews have confronted many times since then. Working together, we’ve written about exactly that kind of unlikely survival in a book that will be out next year from the University of Missouri Press.
“They Were Just People: Stories of Rescue in Poland During the Holocaust” tells remarkable and uplifting stories of Jews in Poland who survived the Shoah with help from non-Jews. In most cases, these stories are based on interviews — in the United States and in Poland — both with survivors and with members of the families who helped them survive.
The unspeakable suffering in the Holocaust was so overwhelmingly evil and cruel that attempts to infuse it with redemptive meaning inevitably fail. But with the benefit of hindsight, there are, nonetheless, lessons to be drawn from that era. The primary lesson highlighted in our book is that even in an atmosphere of malevolence, individuals can decide to act in civilized ways. People who hid Jews in the Holocaust showed that is possible.
A related lesson — more difficult to describe but nonetheless worthy of attention — is that sometimes good results can come from even mixed motives. For instance, a few Jews survived the Holocaust even though some of the non-Jews who were willing to hide them would do it only for a price. Others helped for pure motives and still others were given money without asking for it. There was, in other words, a complex mix of motives.
Yet another important lesson is that those who survived generally were friends or business associates of the non-Jews who helped them. So, by implication, all of us would do well to have friends from religious, racial, ethnic, cultural and economic groups other than our own so that in times of trouble we can come to each other’s aid.
We began work on this book after Rabbi Cukierkorn — a native of Brazil but from a long line of Polish rabbis — returned from a 2004 visit to Poland, where he was privileged to meet Irena Sendler, much honored for her work in helping to save some 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto. Sendler died in May at age 98.
Inspired by her story, and knowing that many stories of other rescuers will be lost if they are not recorded, he called Bill Tammeus, a Kansas City Star columnist who had interviewed him several times. Cukierkorn asked Tammeus to help him write about others who had risked their lives to save Jews in Poland, where more Jews lived at the start of World War II than in any other country.
After establishing a research fund through a local Holocaust-related nonprofit agency, the two of us began looking for survivors who were from Poland and who had help from non-Jews.
Each story we turned up seemed more remarkable than the last.
In the Detroit area, we found Zygie Allweiss and learned about his story — along with his now-deceased brother Sol. The brothers found shelter with a non-Jewish family by the name of Dudzik with whom they lost contact after the war. A member of the Dudzik family located Sol through an Internet search in 1999, and now Zygie maintains regular contact with Dudzik family members in both the United States and Poland, and he helped the Dudziks to be honored for their rescue work.
We tell about 20 stories of Jewish survival in the book, and any proceeds we earn from it will be donated to Holocaust-related charities.
It’s been a remarkable journey for us, one on which we have met people who have lived through awesome darkness — though not alone. We did not do this project to find a silver lining to the Holocaust because we know there is none. Rather, we hoped to capture some important stories of Jewish survival and stories of a willingness to help on the part of some rare non-Jews.
One of the most enlightening experiences for us came when we did two interviews that will not be part of the book. We first interviewed a survivor who preferred that we not get in touch with a man who was a member of the family that rescued her. The survivor asked us not to reach this man, because she feared he would come after her for money.
Indeed, she insisted that if we ever did talk to him we could not tell him she was alive. Curious to hear his side of the story, we found the man in Poland and interviewed him, but we honored the survivor’s privacy request. The man turned out to be terribly difficult — well, a jerk! In the end, he was unwilling for us even to take his photograph.
As we left that interview, the two of us talked about what had just happened. Rabbi Cukierkorn insisted that this may have been the best interview of all. Tammeus was surprised and asked why.
“Because,” the rabbi explained, “talking to this man showed that to be a rescuer did not require one to be a saint. Rather, rescuers were just ordinary people who elected to take actions that stood opposed to the German policy of genocide.”
And if the rescuers were just ordinary people, what of the people they saved? One of the rescuers we spoke to drew a parallel between rescuers and those they saved by describing the survivors exactly as we have described the rescuers: “They were just people.”
Yes, just people.
But like the Jews in the Hanukkah story, who kept light shining in the darkness, they are survivors with heart-stopping stories that bring much-needed light into the world. | <urn:uuid:2e36021d-0177-4ed1-b924-68d2ba69cf8c> | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | https://readthespirit.com/explore/324-remembering-heroes-by-uncovering-long-overlooked-stories/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764495001.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20230127164242-20230127194242-00770.warc.gz | en | 0.973659 | 1,708 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Although I was trained in science, I never really made much of a scientist. All that sitting around in the lab, mucking out petri dishes and gathering data, well, I just really couldn’t stand it. What I wanted was to be out in the field, observing nature. And perhaps that’s why I wound up here on the ranch, watching plants and animals and looking at soil every day.
Recently I got to look at an interesting phenomenon involving soil and weather. The photos below are from the back forty at our little ranch. You don’t need to be much of a scientist to see what the effect of extreme heat and drought is on bare ground vs. ground with modest plant cover.
We use small, portable tanks to serve our cow herds; you can see one in the background of the first photo below.
The foreground in the first shot shows a spot where the water tank overflowed and the cows mucked up the wet ground around the tank. The overflow event occurred back in June, at the beginning of our drought. If you look closely, you will see a small oval of plant life in the center (the spot where the tank was), surrounded by a larger circle of bare ground, the area the cows pugged.
The next shots show tremendous cracks in the bare ground at the site, compared to much smaller cracks in the soil directly adjacent, and also in the soil that was directly under the tank.
Apparently, even a modest amount of shade and cover and functional roots can provide enough difference to prevent massive cracking.
Does having cracks big enough to slip your entire hand into mean anything? I don’t know. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? I don’t know. Did it make me wince when I saw it? Yes.
A note to the scientist-types out there: Yes, I know. There may be other factors here that influence the degree of soil cracking. Maybe compaction? Maybe something else? Please respond in the comment section with your own hypothesis.
In looking at background for this piece, Kathy found a May 2012 article from the University of New South Wales. It seems that when we over-saturate soils, and then they dry out, they cracks. They remain open, even after the cracks have visually closed, and they become “preferential pathways” through which water flows away from the surface at a rapid rate, taking with it nutrients and pesticides. Researchers are using this information to develop irrigation guidelines that prevent these cracking in the first place.
John will be speaking with Kathy and two other On Pasture authors, Meg Grzeskiewicz and Jenn Colby, at the upcoming National Grazing Lands conference. We hope you’ll join us! Or visit the On Pasture booth just to say hi! | <urn:uuid:d4a840b9-f80c-4c96-a791-f14fee5ed83c> | CC-MAIN-2019-22 | https://onpasture.com/2018/11/26/you-cant-grow-beans-from-cracks-in-the-ground/?shared=email&msg=fail | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-22/segments/1558232256100.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20190520182057-20190520204057-00188.warc.gz | en | 0.957709 | 583 | 3.125 | 3 |
The orbital motions of planets and comets, as depicted here, are governed by the laws of mechanics.
Click on image for full size
Windows to the Universe original artwork by Randy Russell.
Mechanics is the term used to refer to one of the main branches of the science
of physics. Mechanics deals with the motion of and the forces that act upon
We need precise terminology to describe the way objects move. Kinematics is
the sub-field within mechanics that supplies this lingo in the form of concepts
like position, velocity, acceleration, and rotation rates. Forces and the motions
they produce, as specified by Newton's Laws of Motion, are within the realm
of the closely related discipline of kinetics.
The abstract concept of energy also plays an important role in the study of
mechanics. We speak of potential energy in situations such as a ball at rest
at the top of a hill, and kinetic energy when that ball is rapidly rolling
along after descending the hill. Conversion of energy from one form to another
is constrained by the Law of Energy Conservation.
The mechanics of individual, solid objects are the simplest to understand,
but mechanics also deals with the more complex motions of loosely linked collections
of particles. Fluid mechanics describes the motions and forces associated with
traditional liquids, such as water. It also delves into the behaviors of other
including gases such as air and the plasma that makes up the atmosphere of
Complex behaviors also arise when objects start spinning or moving along curved
paths instead of along straight lines. Earth orbits the Sun along a nearly
circular path while spinning upon its axis once each day. Rapidly rotating
stabilize satellites, while electrons and protons spiral downward along Earth's
magnetic field lines to create auroras.
Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store!
Our online store
on science education, classroom activities in The Earth Scientist
specimens, and educational games
You might also be interested in:
What types of instructional experiences help K-8 students learn science with understanding? What do science educators teachers, teacher leaders, science specialists, professional development staff, curriculum designers, school administrators need to know to create and support such experiences?...more
Isaac Newton was an English scientist and mathematician who lived between 1642-1727. He had one of the most brilliant minds the world has ever known. Legend has it that seeing an apple fall gave Newton...more
The short answer is that a fluid is a gas, a liquid or a plasma. More technically, a fluid is something which can't support a shear stress. This sounds more complicated than it is. A shear stress is when...more
Liquid is one of the four common states of matter. The three others are gas, solid, and plasma. There are also some other exotic states of matter that have been discovered in recent years. A liquid does...more
Gas is one of the four common states of matter. The three others are liquid, solid, and plasma. There are also some other exotic states of matter that have been discovered in recent years. The air in Earth's...more
Earth has a magnetic field. If you pretended that Earth had a gigantic bar magnet inside of it (it doesn't really, of course), you would have a pretty good idea about the approximate shape of Earth's magnetic...more
The polar aurora is formed when Field-Aligned currents (FAC's) short-circuit through the atmosphere. Particles from the Sun traveling along magnetic field lines collide with particles in the atmosphere....more
When you inflate a balloon or a tire, you are increasing the pressure on the inside of the object in order to "blow it up". Pressure is a scientific concept that applies to gases and liquids. Pressure...more | <urn:uuid:d8d4ae54-76ff-436f-bce1-e377535985d5> | CC-MAIN-2019-35 | https://windows2universe.org/physical_science/physics/mechanics/sw_mechanics.html&edu=high | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027319915.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20190824063359-20190824085359-00544.warc.gz | en | 0.941886 | 781 | 3.484375 | 3 |
Source: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
PARKIN, Sir GEORGE ROBERT, educator, imperialist, and author; b. 8 Feb. 1846 near Salisbury, N.B., youngest of the 13 children of John Parkin and Elizabeth McLean; m. 9 July 1878, in Fredericton, Annie Connell Fisher (1858-1931), granddaughter of Peter Fisher*, and they had six daughters, two of whom died in infancy, and one son; d. 25 June 1922 in London, England.
George R. Parkin's father was a Yorkshire farmer who had immigrated in 1817; his mother was a Nova Scotian of loyalist descent. In later years Parkin recalled the family's hard struggle on their farm with "little music, few books, [and] not much polished society." Yet his mother gave him a love of literature and he attended school whenever time could be "snatched from the hoeing of potatoes, making hay, [or] chopping wood." These early glimmers of a distant world of learning awakened "a burning desire to know and a longing to see with my own eyes the places one read about - to meet men who wrote books or did things - to get in touch with the world of which the faint echoes only came to one's country life." Parkin followed this desire first to the Normal School at Saint John in 1862 and then to positions in primary schools at Buctouche and on Campobello Island. By 1864 he had saved enough to enrol at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, where he imbibed the gospel of mid-Victorian liberalism and progress. He was accepted into Fredericton's polite society, thereby acquiring the social skills he would need in later life. Upon graduating magna cum laude, he taught at the Bathurst Grammar School (1867-71) before his appointment in 1872 as headmaster of the Fredericton Collegiate School, a position he would retain until 1889.
Parkin formed in these years his lifelong conviction that "the degree of civilization attained by any nation" is a direct result of its standard of education and that the teacher has enormous power by forming "the morals and manners of those . . . whose influence for good or bad will be extensively felt." This belief would underpin his later career, not only his work in education but also his public campaigns for imperial unity, social regeneration, and Christian responsibility. During this period as well he perfected his public-speaking techniques in a series of local lectures on history, education, democracy, temperance, and imperial unity. Yet these were also troubled years for Parkin. His careful reading of Thomas Carlyle challenged the liberal notions of his university days and his close friendship with John Medley*, the high-church Anglican bishop of Fredericton, undermined the individualistic, evangelical, Baptist faith of his youth and promoted a more learned, liturgical, and holistic approach to religion. Not knowing which way to turn to reconcile his liberalism and conservatism, or his evangelicalism and Anglicanism, he experienced a nervous breakdown. Medley stepped in and sponsored Parkin for a year at the University of Oxford in 1873-74.
This year set the direction for Parkin's life. As an older student with considerable experience in public speaking, he was a great success at the renowned Oxford Union Society, and he was accorded the unusual honour for a non-degree freshman of being elected its secretary. In a famous debate he defeated the future British prime minister Herbert Henry Asquith, of Balliol College, on the issue of the desirability of imperial unity, Parkin arguing for the affirmative despite the widespread Little Englandism of the time. The attention he received fixed his earlier belief in a united British empire as a force for good in the world. During his Oxford year he also was deeply impressed by Edward Thring, the reforming headmaster of Uppingham School, and saw in Thring's ideals a necessary corrective to the lower standards of pioneer schools in Canada. Thring was equally charmed and, after many years of friendship, assigned Parkin the task of writing his biography. Through Thring, as well as through personal contacts with the brilliant circle at Balliol and through John Ruskin, Parkin was attracted to the idealism that animated much late-19th-century British and Canadian life. Like many of his contemporaries, he accepted idealism as a practical creed rather than a philosophical system, a belief that a moral community in the world would result from the ethical character of citizens moved by a sense of public service rather than by a desire for material gain or individual glory. The creed attracted both liberals and conservatives. Thus in idealism Parkin found a resolution of his earlier struggles. His evangelical energy would now be rechannelled into a lifelong mission to promote the central tenets of Christian idealism in empire, school, church, and society.
Parkin spent the next 15 years teaching in Fredericton. He tried in his own school and in a connected residence he founded to implement Thring's concept of building citizenship through the regimen of residential life and classical education under a committed headmaster. These initial residential experiments were not successful: there were few paying students and the cost of supplies was high. While disappointed, Parkin remained a master teacher. His imaginative classroom methods have been credited with nurturing in these years the Fredericton school of poets led by William Bliss Carman and Charles George Douglas Roberts*. In a more opportune setting as headmaster of Toronto's Upper Canada College from 1895 to 1902, Parkin took a moribund institution and, explicitly following Thring's methods, succeeded in making it the premier private school in Canada. He ably raised money, added buildings, hired better masters, and reformed the curriculum, but his core aim was the production of Christian gentlemen. He poured his energy into the headmaster's Sunday evening addresses to the boys and remained convinced that "nothing stamps a school as really great save the power of turning out men of high and noble character."
Parkin's main avenue for the realization of Christian idealism was not the school, however, but the British empire. Throughout his life, but especially during the years 1889-95, he was the leading spokesperson for imperial unity. His campaigns through thousands of speeches and interviews, scores of articles, and several books were very wide-ranging. In the employ of the Imperial Federation League, founded in London in 1884, he left Fredericton to stump across New Zealand and Australia throughout 1889. Bolstered by the reputation he gained there, he settled with his family in England to undertake five years of freelance lecturing and writing for the imperial cause all across Britain, his activities sometimes sponsored by the League, often based on his own personal contacts. His principal manifesto appeared in 1892 as Imperial federation, the problem of national unity. That year as well he brought out a school textbook, Round the empire, which would sell 200,000 copies and go through four editions by 1919. He also published, in 1893, a large wall map for schools that illustrated the unity of Britain's oceanic empire. He had visited Canada in 1892 to lecture extensively there, and began then his long affiliation with the London Times, writing a series of reports on Canadian history and geography (published together as The great dominion in 1895).
These were difficult campaigns for Parkin - quite aside from the inadequate financial base on which he operated. Though imperial federation had significant support in Canada, from such advocates as George Taylor Denison and George Monro Grant*, many imperialists there were wary of being too closely tied to, or taxed for, a formally federated British empire, where Britain by force of numbers would dominate. Many British imperialists, on the other hand, felt that the colonies were not paying their fair share of imperial defence and other burdens, and they wanted closer ties and more tax revenues. Parkin tried to bridge these two positions, but controversy arose. There were celebrated disputes with the veteran Canadian politician and high commissioner in Britain, Sir Charles Tupper*, which forced the dissolution of the Imperial Federation League in 1893, and a series of extended attacks on Goldwin Smith*'s anti-imperialism and North American continentalism.
Despite the spiritual motivation of Parkin's imperialism, he did not ignore the practical arguments favouring unity. Influenced by the writings of historian John Robert Seeley and naval theorist Alfred Thayer Mahan, Parkin stressed to the British that, with their oceanic empire, their world position rested on sea power. Given the realities of distance and the dependence of steamships on coal supplies and coaling bases guarded by fortified naval stations, the empire needed to retain, for commerce or defence, the quadrilateral of Australasia, South Africa, Canada, and the United Kingdom, and all the connecting islands and waterways. Without this geopolitical configuration, he presciently forecast, Britain would sink within 50 years into the ranks of the second-class powers before the rising land-based empires of Russia and the United States. To Canadians and Australians, Parkin pointed out that, without the empire, the individual dominions would be battered on the world stage by aggressive superpowers. Self-interest, then, required unity - and the communications revolution of fast steamships, the telegraph, underseas cables, and connecting railways and canals across an "all-red route" ably defended, combined with a common language, literature, and culture, made unity possible.
Parkin never lost his Canadian orientation, and he naturally articulated at some length Canada's position in a united empire. He sought to enhance his native country's imperial place, especially in the face of an aggressive United States, then perceived to wish for hemispheric economic leadership at least, and perhaps political integration as well. For Parkin, imperial unity did not mean subsuming Canada's interests under those of the British colonial administration; rather it would provide a chance for Canada's fledgling national ambitions to have reasonable scope internationally. Indeed, as the senior dominion, as the geopolitical linchpin in the all-red route, as a nation built on loyalty to the empire, with vast open spaces for immigrants, bountiful natural resources, and a wellspring of racial vigour engendered by a northern climate, Canada was positioned to be the "keystone" of empire. He urged the country to accept its destiny and transform itself from weak colony into strong imperial partner. In Canada he promoted the imperial projects of Sir Sandford Fleming* and others, effectively lobbying for such practical measures to unite the empire as all-red-route telegraph cables, imperial penny postage, productive colonial conferences, and imperial trade preferences. He was especially vocal in pressing in 1899-1902 for the formation of Canadian contingents to fight in the South African War.
The pan-Britannic union that Parkin advocated was not an end in itself, or a means for jingoism, militarism, or financial gain. He viewed it rather as a vehicle for the realization of idealist principles. With imperial power came moral responsibility. In an entirely characteristic speech he noted in 1894 that the Anglo-Saxon race "has temptations of an exceptional kind to yield itself to mere materialism, to forget that the things of the spirit are what endure and conquer in the end." Anglo-Saxons must not "lose the great moral purposes of life in the race for gain." Rather they must view the empire as a means of spiritual regeneration: "The more clearly we realize the growing power, the ever widening influence, the increasing prestige of the empire, the more surely will the thought turn us to self-examination and self-improvement." A strong, united empire would be a stimulant to moral reform of the rulers in Britain and the dominions, then threatened by growing materialism and social declension, and equally to the improvement of subject peoples abroad. In a telling phrase, he saw himself as "a wandering Evangelist of Empire."
Parkin's imperial campaigns eventually won his family moderate prosperity and social respectability. He himself became the confidant of prominent figures both in his native land and abroad. In Canada he had the ear of governors general Lord Aberdeen [Hamilton-Gordon*], Lord Minto [Elliot*], and Lord Grey*; he played a role in the policy decisions of Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier*, and was an adviser as well to other cabinet ministers and to leading journalists. In England he personally influenced the imperial ideas of Asquith, Lord Rosebery, Lord Milner, Winston Churchill, and Leopold Charles Maurice Stennett Amery, and moved tens of thousands of others to cheering support. His name was coupled by contemporaries with those of Seeley, Rudyard Kipling, and Cecil John Rhodes as the leading advocates of the "new imperialism," and many commentators assigned to him the key role in swaying public opinion to the imperial cause.
Because of his long educational and imperial experience, Parkin was invited by the Rhodes Trust in 1902 to be the first organizing secretary of its scholarship program. Travelling all over the empire and the United States several times before his retirement in 1920, he established the Rhodes scholarships on a permanent and prestigious basis. His English home at Goring became a meeting place for current and former scholars as well as for a host of empire-wide visitors. From this position he continued his speaking and writing on imperial matters, publishing biographies of Sir John A. Macdonald* (1908) and, within a larger account of the scholarships, of Rhodes (1912), both of which not surprisingly emphasized their subjects' imperial virtues. He campaigned vigorously during World War I to keep idealism's lessons front and centre and to build on the imperial unity being demonstrated by the dominions on the battlefields. In 1917-18 the British government asked him to use his contacts from the Rhodes scholarships to lecture all over the United States and attempt to counter anti-British or neutralist sentiment there. After the war he accepted the new definitions of dominion autonomy which evolved from the Paris Peace Conference, for his imperialism had always focused on the moral and spiritual unity of empire, displayed so clearly in the war, rather than on any particular constitutional formula. At the end of his life he devoted more time to the reform of the Church of England, in which he was a prominent lay leader. Many honours came his way: honorary doctorates from several universities, including his beloved Oxford, a cmg in 1898, and a kcmg in 1920.
Parkin's life was significant on several levels. His educational accomplishments, especially at Upper Canada College and with the Rhodes scholarships, have lasted a century. His many imperial campaigns and writings in the pre-1914 period were an important stimulus to the popularity of the new imperialism, which had vast consequences. His view of British imperialism and Canadian nationalism as complementary forces was influential, and his Christian idealism was illustrative of a powerful motivating force for many social and spiritual reforms in the pre-war years. Yet his empire was really a white empire of the mother country and the old dominions and, even within them, of the Anglo-Saxon race. French Canadians, Afrikaners, and the growing number of European immigrants in the dominions, let alone the non-white majorities in the newer colonies of Asia and Africa, could never accept Parkin's racial and cultural formulations. Critics further argued that the empire was a rather incongruous means, with its entrepreneurs and jingoists, to achieve Christian idealist ends. Idealism itself did not long survive the upheavals of the early 20th century.
Although the specific programs Parkin supported have long vanished, the Canadian conservative tradition of which he is part proved more durable. Conservatives of this approach - respectful of history, valuing unity under the crown and service to nation before self, promoting British and Commonwealth ties, wary of American economic integration and popular culture, and shunning materialism and individualism for a sense of community and tradition - have included Parkin's sons-in-law Charles Vincent Massey* and William Lawson Grant*, and his grandson George Parkin Grant*. The latter's Lament for a nation: the defeat of Canadian nationalism (Toronto, 1965) explicitly bemoans the passing of his grandfather's vision in the face of American dominance in Canadian culture. Vestiges of Grant's lament (and thus of Parkin's ideal) are still heard in the rhetoric of the federal Conservative and New Democratic parties.
[Sir George Robert Parkin's publications include Imperial federation, the problem of national unity (London and New York, 1892); Round the empire; for the use of schools (London, 1892); The great dominion: studies of Canada (London and New York, 1895); Edward Thring, headmaster of Uppingham School: life, diary and letters (2v., London and New York, 1898); Sir John A. Macdonald (Toronto, 1908); and The Rhodes scholarships (Toronto, 1912). A comprehensive bibliography of his works and of the archival sources relevant to his life appears in the author's doctoral dissertation, "'Apostle of empire': Sir George Parkin and imperial federation" (phd thesis, Queen's Univ., Kingston, Ont., 1977). A selection of the major manuscript collections is listed below. t.c.]
Bodleian Library, Univ. of Oxford, Eng., Viscount Alfred Milner papers (mfm. at LAC, MG 27, II, A3). Durham Univ. Library, Arch. and Special Coll. (Durham, Eng.), GB-0033-GRE (Earl Grey papers), sect.4. LAC, MG 27, II, B1; MG 29, B1; D46; E29; MG 30, D44; D59; D77; MG 32, A1. QUA, Lorne and Edith Pierce coll., Bliss Carman papers. Rhodes House Library, Univ. of Oxford, Rhodes Scholarship Trust, corr. (mfm. at LAC, MG 28, I, 58). Upper Canada College (Toronto), Board of governors and board of trustees, minutes. Carl Berger, The sense of power; studies in the ideas of Canadian imperialism, 1867-1914 (Toronto and Buffalo, N.Y., 1970). D. L. Cole, "Canada's 'nationalistic' imperialists," Journal of Canadian Studies (Peterborough, Ont.), 5 (1970), no.3: 44-49. Terry Cook, "George R. Parkin and the concept of Britannic Idealism," Journal of Canadian Studies, 10 (1975), no.3: 15-31; "A reconstruction of the world: George R. Parkin's British empire map of 1893," Cartographica (Toronto), 21 (1984), no.4: 53-65. DNB. R. B. Howard, Upper Canada College, 1829-1979: Colborne's legacy (Toronto, 1979). John Willison, Sir George Parkin: a biography (London, 1929). | <urn:uuid:3afc1796-98b1-4929-9997-d17816249d3c> | CC-MAIN-2014-49 | http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/parkin_george_robert_15E.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-49/segments/1416400379555.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20141119123259-00174-ip-10-235-23-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967421 | 3,909 | 2.5625 | 3 |
A biographer’s task is to present a person’s life in the most engaging means possible. To create an effective biography, pupils require to know what to include and how to organize it. This guide will help pupils to make the process easier. In this short article, you’ll learn exactly how to write a bio. There are also tips on just how to structure your biography, consisting of just how to present the bottom lines and styles of the story.
When writing a bio, make certain to include background details such as the topic’s childhood years and family members. The writer’s heritage should be discovered. Incorporating dialogue as well as quotes can add shade to the biography. Research your resource product thoroughly. You can locate hidden treasures that will certainly improve your story. As you review and also evaluate resources, ask yourself concerns that will certainly fuel your research study as well as give your biography an instructions. On top of that, attempt to check out motifs.
A biography should be unbiased. It needs to be true, yet it may comprise realities and miss out on some important information. A great biographer should have the ability to clarify the subject’s life without making the reader feel uneasy. Nevertheless, an excellent biographer needs to be able to depict the topic’s personality without being subjective. Consequently, he or she might comprise occasions or miss out on essential details. A bio is composed from the author’s viewpoint, class, gender, and also time. It is likewise written from a subject’s perspective, and the writer will certainly be affected by this perspective.
A great biography must consist of individual details, such as childhood years and also household information, and tradition details. A biographer needs to consist of dialogue as well as quotes, as well as this must help them recognize the subject better. When researching, pupils will utilize print and also on the internet sources. Some trainees will make use of interviews with individuals who understood the subject directly. Most of their research study will certainly be done online, so make certain to guide them in the security of the internet as well as examining the source’s authenticity.
While biographers aim to level, in some cases they miss some realities or compose the whole story. A biographer must be unbiased and write in the first individual, yet he or she need to not be prejudiced. The author must be a legitimate source of info. They must likewise be impartial, yet it is necessary to be objective. The very best biographer needs to have a strong grasp of the subject. When she or he understands the subject well, he or she will certainly have a more clear picture of what the topic is about.
When creating a bio, students will investigate using print and also online sources. They will certainly likewise talk to people that recognized the subject. In a biographer’s initial draft, they should consist of notes on their notes. After composing their first draft, they will certainly modify their writing. Once they’ve ended up, educators should note the first draft as well as go over just how to boost it. It’s important to give adequate room for students to ask questions and also make notes.
When writing a biography, pupils must include the information of the topic’s life. For instance, a biographer can describe a person’s youth, his or her family members, and his/her tradition. They should additionally consist of quotes and also dialogue from people that knew the topic. Throughout the study procedure, the student must search for a covert prize. By doing so, he or she can add a personal touch to the bio.
When creating a bio, trainees should consist of details from the subject’s childhood, household, and also tradition. Throughout the study procedure, they need to make notes and take notes about the topic’s life. Throughout the creating process, they must likewise include information on the topic’s life. In addition, it is important to include discussions and also quotes from sources that give insight right into the individual’s life. If you’re writing a biography, you need to make use of all the resources offered to you.
Styles prevail to all biographies. The writer needs to recreate the topic’s world as well as function in it. The biographer ought to answer all questions regarding the topic’s life as well as the means she or he managed adversity. In other words, she or he have to provide a clear account of the individual’s life. So, he or she need to answer inquiries about the topic’s achievements and exactly how they influenced their society.
Generally, memoirs are composed by the person who created them. They are often self-written as well as cover their whole life. Saint Augustine, for instance, composed an autobiography regarding his life around 400 AD. Many people are more curious about autobiographies than they are in general. Actually, some people compose autobiographies just for fun. This is a great way to be familiar with a person without reading their background.
In addition to the timeless form of biography, autobiographies can likewise be written by teams of individuals. Saint Augustine created a memoir in 400 ADVERTISEMENT. In contrast, a literary memoir concentrates on the topic’s life. In this case, the writer attempts to recreate the subject’s atmosphere, explain his or her function in it, and also address concerns related to the individual’s life. It’s important to acknowledge the writer’s duty in a person’s life.
A biography is a book of a genuine individual’s life. It can be blogged about someone living today, an individual who lived centuries ago, or an unique group of people. A biography will consist of the facts of an individual’s life from birth to death. It commonly emphasizes essential moments in the subject’s life. The author frequently explains a child’s birth and also the coming-of-age events in the topic’s life. Go to this website
While a bio is a publication regarding a single individual, a bio can additionally be discussed a group. For example, Captain Charles Johnson composed a memoir about the pirates of his time. The book became a traditional as well as established the stereotypes of pirates in popular culture. However, a biography can be covered a group of individuals in a bigger and extra intimate means. Both genres share the same attribute: the subject can be a team of individuals. | <urn:uuid:c87aa9ad-3959-4293-a0c9-f6c3f66d8362> | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | https://wittgallery.com/2022/04/01/you-will-certainly-never-ever-believe-these-strange-fact-of-bio/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030334644.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20220926020051-20220926050051-00123.warc.gz | en | 0.967261 | 1,343 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Periodic Table -> Carbon
Carbon DetailsCarbon Symbol:
CCarbon Atomic Number:
6Carbon Atomic Weight:
12.01115What is Carbon?
Carbon (atomic number 6, symbol C)
is a chemical element, which is tetravalent and nonmetallic. It is among the few elements that have been known to people since antiquity. Carbon has several allotropes, among which are amorphous carbon, diamond, and graphite. Depending on the allotropic form, carbon's physical properties can vary widely. Graphite, for instance, is black and opaque, while diamond is very transparent. Graphite is so soft that it can produce a streak on paper while diamond is one of the hardest materials. Graphite has good conductor properties, and diamond has poor electrical conductivity. At the same time, it has higher thermal conductivity than other materials under normal conditions.
Graphite is mostly used as a lubricant and is a form of carbon. While it occurs naturally, graphite is also made when petroleum coke is treated in an oxygen-free oven. In nature, graphite is found in its alpha and beta forms. Their properties are identical, but the alpha and beta have different crystal structure. The graphite, which is produced commercially, is an alpha type. Apart from being used as a lubricant, graphite is used in the production of steel in large amounts when in the form of coke. Coke is produced when soft coal is heated in an oven, not allowing oxygen to mix with it. When used in pencils, the black material is often called lead, which is actually graphite.
Amorphous carbon is produced by burning material which contains carbon without allowing oxygen to fully burn it. Lampblack, known as carbon black, channel black, and gas black is black soot. It is used to produce rubber, paints, and inks. Black soot can be made into shapes, forming the core of many dry cell batteries.
Carbon is an element with key importance to all living systems and life, in its present form, would not exist without it. Carbon has commercial importance as well. It is used as hydrocarbons, particularly crude oil and fossil fuel methane, with crude oil being used to produce kerosene and gasoline through distillation. Cellulose is a carbon-containing, natural polymer that plants produce in the form of hemp, linen, and cotton. Some carbon polymers are commercially valuable and of animal origin, including cashmere, wool, and silk. Plastics are produced from polymers with synthetic carbon origin, oftentimes with nitrogen and oxygen atoms included in the major chain. For a variety of such synthetic resources, the raw material is crude oil.
The uses of carbon compounds and carbon itself are quite varied. With iron, it forms alloys, of which carbon steel is the most common. In combination with clays, graphite forms the material to be used in pencils for drawing and writing. Carbon is also used as a molding material to manufacture glass, as a pigment, in electroforming and electroplating, in dry battery electrodes, and in brushes for electric motors. In addition, carbon is used in nuclear reactors as a neutron moderator.
Charcoal is used for grilling, as a drawing material, for iron smelting, and a variety of other processes. Oil, coal, and wood are used as fuel when space heating and energy are produced. Industrial diamonds are employed in polishing, cutting, and drilling tools for machining stone and metals. Diamonds of gem quality are used to make jewelry pieces.
You can link to this page
, using the code below:
© ElementsDatabase.com 2015 | Privacy | About | Contact | <urn:uuid:3705c632-5330-4297-8da5-6ecf56ff534e> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | http://elementsdatabase.com/Carbon-C-6-element/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250619323.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20200124100832-20200124125832-00043.warc.gz | en | 0.958007 | 769 | 3.515625 | 4 |
traditional ecological knowledge
Planet Forward Senior Correspondent | University of Georgia
Milpa is a type of sustainable farming historically practiced by the Maya in the Yucatán and other parts of Mesoamerica. The milpas, planted with numerous crops for local consumption, are facing challenges from climate change.
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Is agriculture inherently exploitative and destructive, or can we learn a new way from the traditional ecological knowledge of indigenous cultures? | <urn:uuid:2f07ce00-2375-47bc-a522-1f5bdd35c075> | CC-MAIN-2021-25 | https://www.planetforward.org/tags/traditional-ecological-knowledge | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-25/segments/1623487662882.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20210620114611-20210620144611-00082.warc.gz | en | 0.892873 | 96 | 2.90625 | 3 |
A major and pressing problem is to understand how, and how fast, the Earth’s climate has changed in the past, with and without human influences on the global carbon cycle. Magnetic, remanence-acquiring, minerals, mostly iron oxides and sulphides, occur ubiquitously in sediments. They can act as sensitive recorders of past climates, because as climate has varied (from glacial to interglacial, for example), the mineralogy, magnetic domain state, composition and source of these minerals has varied. Here, the magnetic properties of windblown dust and interbedded soil layers of the Chinese Loess Plateau are used to calculate rainfall for the last million years, identifying the waxing and waning of the southeast Asian summer monsoon. Comparison of our magnetic rainfall record on land with environmental records from the deep-sea shows that summer monsoon intensity is linked with growth and decay of continental-sized ice sheets, in turn reflecting changes in the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. | <urn:uuid:c9854cc9-8173-4cdf-b60c-fe30f044fa0c> | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | http://www.research.lancs.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/environmental-magnetism-and-climate-change(742afd02-d141-4924-bd2a-60cac0c708a5).html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1394011168572/warc/CC-MAIN-20140305091928-00080-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935097 | 206 | 3.59375 | 4 |
Sense and Nonsense: Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Behaviour
New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. 384 pages.
In Sense and Nonsense, Laland and Brown seek to introduce the ideas, methods, and results of the five main approaches of applying evolutionary theory to human behavior: sociobiology, human behavioral ecology, evolutionary psychology, memetics, and gene–culture evolution. Henry Plotkin (the author of Evolution in Mind: An Introduction to Evolutionary Psychology) writes, "Laland and Brown have written an up to date, blessedly balanced and refreshingly critical review of the application of evolutionary theory to the human sciences based upon the single, and surely correct, view that human behaviour is multiply determined." Laland and Brown are both researchers in the Department of Zoology at Cambridge University. | <urn:uuid:d2c07418-897f-4b32-b0ed-e3b4f6641dad> | CC-MAIN-2016-40 | https://ncseweb.org/store/title/sense-nonsense-evolutionary-perspectives-human-behaviour-0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-40/segments/1474738661087.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20160924173741-00242-ip-10-143-35-109.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.863205 | 166 | 2.59375 | 3 |
We assume you have some familiarity with computer terminals and how to use them, Getting Started with Unix.
Some prerequisites about terminals and typing:
The Unix system is full duplex: the characters you type on the keyboards are sent to the system, which sends them back the terminal to be printed on the screen. Normally, this echo process copies the characters directly to the screen, so you can see what you are typing, but sometimes, such as when you are typing a secret password, the echo is turned off so that characters do not appear on the screen.
|ls||List name of all files in the current directory|
|ls filename||List only the named files|
|ls -t||List in time order, most recent first|
|ls -l||List long: more information; also ls -lt|
|ls -u||A list by time last used; also ls -lu, ls -lut|
|ls -r||List in reverse order; also –rt, -rlt, etc|
|ed filename||Edit named file|
|cp file1 file2||Copy file1 to file2, overwrite old file2 if it exists|
|mv file1 file2||move file1 to file2, overwrite old file2 if it exists|
|rm filenames||Remove named files, irrevocably|
|cat filenames||Print contents of named files|
|pr filenames||Print contents with header, 66 lines per page|
|pr –n filenames||Print in n columns|
|pr –m filenames||Print named files side by side (multiple columns)|
|wc filename||Count lines, words and characters for each files|
|wc –l filenames||Count lines for each file|
|grep pattern filenames||Print lines matching patterns|
|grep –v patterns files||Print lines not matching patters|
|sort filename||Sort file alphabetically by line|
|tail filename||Print last 10 lines of file|
|tail –n filename||Print last n lines of file|
|tail +n filename||Start printing file at line n|
|cmp file1 file2||Print location of first difference|
|diff file1 file2||Print all differences between files|
When the system prints the prompt $ and you type commands that get executed, it’s not the kernel that is taking to you, but a go-between called the command interpreter or shell. The Shell is just an ordinary program like a date or who, although it can do some remarkable things. The fact that the shell sits between you and the facilities of the kernel has real benefits, some of which we’ll talk about here. There are three main ones:
- Filename shorthands: you can pick up a whole set of filenames as arguments to a program by specifying a pattern for the names – the shell will find the filenames that match your pattern.
- Input-output redirection: you can arrange for the output of any program to go into a file instead of onto the terminal, and for the input to come from a file instead of the terminal. Input and output can even be connected to other programs.
- Personalizing the environment: you can define your own commands and shorthands. | <urn:uuid:2588897a-4b8c-494e-8ef4-d37b589c037f> | CC-MAIN-2019-18 | https://sysadminxpert.com/getting-started-with-unix/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-18/segments/1555578528702.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20190420060931-20190420082931-00212.warc.gz | en | 0.853653 | 702 | 3.25 | 3 |
The auspicious occasion of the birth of Lord Ganesh a is celebrated as the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi all over the world. People from the Hindu religion celebrate it as a ten days long celebration and the entire environment of the celebrations is filled with enthusiasm and happiness of the festivity. It is majorly celebrated in the state of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. As per the Hindu calendar the day falls in the lunar month by the name Bhadrapada. Lord Ganesh a who is considered to be the son of Goddess Parvati and lord Shiva was during the waxing moon on the fourth day. If the dates as per Gregorian calendar are concerned the day falls between august 20th to September 15th each year. Ganesh Chaturthi history came into light by Ganesh Chaturthi story.
As per the stores in the Hindu mythology Lord Ganesh a was born in a very unusual manner. It was the time when Lord Shiva was not in kailasha
The entire world was scared with her words and they ran to persuade Lord Shiva to bring Ganesh a back to life. Shiva asked his followers to bring the head of a child whose mother might not notice the dead due to negligence. His followers found the head of an elephant and gave it to Shiva. He fixed the head onto his son’s body and brought him back to life. Parvati was over whelmed and named him Ganesh a which meant the lord of all Ganas or followers.
The history of Ganesh Chaturthi is well known to all by the Ganesh Chaturthi story. Initially the festival was a personal family affair limited to worshipping. It was in the year 1893 a freedom fighter by the name Lokmanya Tilak reshaped the occasion and made it a community festival on a large scale. He used the day to bridge the difference between the Brahmin community and the non Brahmin community. He said that Ganesh a is the LORD OF EVERY MAN. Therefore people should rejoice and celebrate together on his birthday. Since then all people come together and celebrate the day with joy and pleasure. | <urn:uuid:7c747ae5-5e08-4bee-8284-d7d2db00e82f> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://www.trendslr.com/ganesh-chaturthi-history-information-in-english.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296944996.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20230323034459-20230323064459-00188.warc.gz | en | 0.979378 | 440 | 2.546875 | 3 |
In each minute of stroke, your brain loses an estimated 1.9 million cells. Each hour a stroke goes untreated ages your brain the equivalent of three and a half years. The longer a stroke lasts or a patient doesn’t receive treatment, the greater chance of lingering speech difficulties, memory loss, or behavioral changes. The earlier a stroke is caught, the better the treatment options, which can minimize damage and improve the odds of a fuller recovery.
There are two kinds of stroke. An ischemic stroke means blocked blood vessels cause a reduction in blood flow in the brain. A hemorrhagic stroke means a ruptured blood vessel is leaking blood in the brain. Symptoms for both kinds of stroke can be the same.
Here we shall see some early symptoms of stroke that make us cautious,
Your vision shows you double signs
Vision problems like seeing double, blurriness, or loss of sight in one eye can be a sign of a stroke, but many people blame this on old age or tiredness. “Seeing two images is very unusual for just being tired or reading too much. A blocked blood vessel can reduce the amount of oxygen getting to the eye, which causes vision issues that may not be accompanied by any other signs of stroke.
If you wake up from sleep and your arm or leg is numb, it is easy to assume its due to over compressed nerve. But the real reason is decreased blood flow through the arteries that run up your spine to the back of your head causes numbness or weakness on one side of the body.
Some people often chalk up with speech, normally it doesn’t occur. So if there is some notable difference in your speech, it really needs some attention.
Alcohol always may not be the reason for your imbalance. If suddenly you start to stumble, can’t walk straight. Then you should really need to check with stroke causes.
Struggle in finding words
When you have trouble thinking of the right words or lose their train of thought, and feel tired or foggy. You might struggle to think of a word every once in awhile, but there shouldn’t be a long period of time where you can’t think of anything to say or be unable to speak.
A heavy headache
It might just be a migraine, but if you’re not prone to them, it could be a stroke. So if you are often having a heavy unbearable headache, and it is not migraine then you really need to check with stroke symptoms. | <urn:uuid:53b02668-b07b-4d3e-a2b5-b0157eca381f> | CC-MAIN-2019-35 | http://everydayliked.com/early-signs-stroke-shouldnt-ignoring/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027313501.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20190817222907-20190818004907-00207.warc.gz | en | 0.942007 | 515 | 2.984375 | 3 |
The Denver Zoo started in 1896 when an orphaned black bear named Billy Bryan was donated by the Mayor of Denver. It currently occupies 80 acres very close to the Denver City Park. Early on the Denver Zoo was involved in efforts to save the American bison from extinction.
According to the zoo's website "Currently the Zoo houses 3,500 animals, representing over 650 different species. Of those 188 zoo species are considered threatened or endangered, and three species are actually extinct in the wild. The Denver Zoo focuses on education to teach the appreciation of wildlife and conservation of our threatened natural resources." What a diversity of animals!
It is only 5 minutes from downtown Denver at 2300 Steele Street, Denver, CO 80205 Are you looking for "things to do in Denver"? Looking for a fine family adventure? This is the solution - grab the sunscreen and come on out.
I live in Denver and have visited the zoo and have taken many photos there. I am including a sample here of some Zazzle products that I created from my photos. Hope you like them. | <urn:uuid:c3309e0a-9aec-4a4a-abae-19fe31f099b6> | CC-MAIN-2018-39 | https://wizzley.com/denver-zoo/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-39/segments/1537267160142.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20180924031344-20180924051744-00286.warc.gz | en | 0.96414 | 216 | 2.75 | 3 |
COVID-19 clinical presentations: the modern mimic of other conditions
The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has placed enormous challenges on the health sector. Diagnosis is one of these challenges, where a clinical presentation may suggest a disease other than COVID-19. In this review we describe many presentations unrelated to the respiratory system. The ACE2 receptor is present in a wide variety of body tissues and it appears that this may be a link with the clinical pathology. To find these data we searched the major academic research engines, Google Scholar, and Pubmed, as well as the most recent case reports and original research published in specialized journals.
An awareness of these uncommon presentations helps health workers to recognize and treat the disease early and appropriately.
Keywords: COVID-19, coronavirus, pandemic, ACE2, unusual symptoms, review
The symptoms of high fever and cough were recognised in Wuhan City (China) in December 2019 and were identified as caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic and recommended many precautionary measures to counter the disease. According to WHO in November 2020 the number of confirmed cases worldwide was54,400,000 and deaths 1,320,000. The threat to health services is immense and is exemplified by the experience in Italy where services struggled to cope.
Unusual clinical presentations, other than those related to the respiratory system, of COVID-19 challenges the skills of the healthcare professional. These presenting features may be related to almost any system of the human body. In this review we describe this wide variety of presentations system by system with the aim of alerting clinicians of these important factors.
Central nervous system (CNS) and psychiatry
Neurological symptoms may be manifestations of the COVID-19. In one report, a 35-year-old female complained of a severe occipital headache radiating to the neck and accompanied by convulsions. After T2 Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery magnetic resonance imaging had been carried out, the initial diagnosis was as a glioma, then surgically treated after the failure of anti-epileptic drugs. A left anterior temporal lobectomy was performed, without postoperative complications. The histological study proved it was a case of encephalitis. Also, the result of PCR for COVID-19 was positive. Other symptoms may suggest a stroke.[3,4]
A relapse of a pre-existing disease may occur as in a reported case of myasthenia gravis where the patient suffered from dysphagia, exacerbated ptosis and with respiratory symptoms like exertional dyspnoea.
Psychological and psychiatric symptoms may also result from COVID-19: depression, insomnia, memory problems, delirium, psychosis and mania have been recorded. A case of Guillain Barré syndrome associated with COVID-19 infection was reported by Sedaghat and Karimi.
Loss of the sense of smell and taste are early symptoms of COVID-19. Based on a study involving 141 patients in Qatar the prevalence was 11.35%, 4.96%, and 8.51% of ageusia, anosmia or both respectively. It is likely that the mechanism is not related to nasal congestion or rhinitis, but chemosensory dysfunction.[8,9]
COVID-19 can affect the eyes. A case has been reported of redness and pain in the right eye with watery discharge. Nasopharyngeal and eye swabs were positive for corona virus, and the final diagnosis was keratoconjunctivitis due to COVID-19. We have not found a significant case of COVID-19 with hearing involvement.
COVID-19 may affect the cardiovascular system. A male patient complained of sticky sputum and dyspnoea on effort. He had elevated cardiac and inflammatory markers, sinus tachycardia and ST segment elevation on ECG. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed “severe global left ventricular systolic dysfunction, right ventricular (RV) enlargement, RV systolic dysfunction. A moderate-to-large pericardial effusion was noted anterior to the RV with organizing material”.
Many COVID-19 patients have diarrhoea, vomiting or abdominal pain sometimes preceded by fever, cough and chest pain. Haemorrhagic colitis, peritonitis and an acute hepatitis-like syndrome have been reported.[13-15]
Acute kidney injury has been noted. Renal biopsy has shown focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and acute tubular damage. According to one study 75.4% of the hospitalized cases with SARS-CoV-2 had haematuria, proteinuria or acute kidney injury.
Dermatologists analyzed data of confirmed COVID-19 cases and found 18 with skin eruption. Eight of them showed skin symptoms from the beginning, while the rest showed them after hospital admission. These features included erythematous rash, an eruption resembling chickenpox and urticaria. The distribution was mostly in the central region, and itching was the most prominent symptom.
There is a case report of a patient with an itchy, erythematous rash and yellowish papules on the heels with itchy erythematous plaques all over the face and peripheries and diffuse joint pains without swelling.
Studies suggest that ACE2 receptors may be involved with the access of SARS-CoV-2 into body tissues.
The virus has been found in brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid and hence it is not surprising to observe psychological and neurological symptoms.
ACE2 receptors are found in the nasal mucosa and so may mediate the mechanism for anosmia via bradykinin and other inflammatory proteins. The olfactory pathway is within the central nervous system so coronavirus may directly harm one of the structures of that pathway e.g., olfactory bulb.
This coronavirus induces a cytokine storm, the most prominent involving interleukin-6, which can harm neurons.
ACE2 receptors are present in specialized cells in the glossal taste buds and hence may play a key role in changing the taste sensation.
The taste buds have receptors for sialic acid which protect glycoprotein molecules from enzyme degradation. The coronavirus has the ability to compete with that acid and link to those receptors with loss of taste.
ACE2 receptors are widespread and much more work is needed to understand their significance and mechanism in relation to coronavirus infection and the clinical pathology.
It is essential that those caring for COVID-19 patients are aware of clinical signs and symptoms that mimic other disease processes. Lack of such awareness has serious implications for the management of patients who are not at first suspected as having the coronavirus infection and for the wider spread of the virus.
This review provides a resource for healthcare professionals alerting them to these unusual presentations and so enhancing patient care and reduction of virus spread. Our knowledge about COVID-19 is progressing rapidly and it is difficult to keep up with the pace of publications. This review is therefore unlikely to be complete but it is intended to be an alert. It shows that there is still much more to learn.
Competing interests: none
- World Health Organization. Coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID-19): situation report, 88. In Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): situation report, 88 2020.
- Tin SS, Wiwanitkit V. Uncommon Atypical Presentations of COVID-19: Important and Should Not be Under Recognized!. Journal of Health Science and Medical Research. 2020;38(2):153-158.
- Efe IE, Aydin OU, Alabulut A, Celik O, Aydin K. COVID-19-associated encephalitis mimicking glial tumor: a case report. World Neurosurgery. 2020; 140: 46-48.
- Mahboob S, Boppana SH, Rose NB, Beutler BD, Tabaac BJ. Large vessel stroke and COVID-19: Case report and literature review. Eneurologicalsci. 2020;20: 100250.
- Singh S, Govindarajan R. COVID-19 and generalized Myasthenia Gravis exacerbation: A case report. Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery. 2020;196.
- Rogers JP, Chesney E, Oliver D, Pollak TA, McGuire P, Fusar-Poli P, et al. Psychiatric and neuropsychiatric presentations associated with severe coronavirus infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis with comparison to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lancet Psychiatry. 2020; 7(7): 611-627
- Sedaghat Z, Karimi N. Guillain Barre syndrome associated with COVID-19 infection: a case report. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience. 2020;76:233-235
- Al-Ani RM, Acharya D. Prevalence of anosmia and ageusia in patients with COVID-19 at a primary health center, Doha, Qatar. Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery. 2020; 19:1-7.
- Zubair AS, McAlpine LS, Gardin T, Farhadian S, Kuruvilla DE, Spudich S et al. Neuropathogenesis and Neurologic Manifestations of the Coronaviruses in the Age of Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Review. JAMA Neurology. 2020;77(8):1018-1027.
- Cheema M, Aghazadeh H, Nazarali S, Ting A, Hodges J, McFarlane A, et al. Keratoconjunctivitis as the initial medical presentation of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): A case report. Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology. 2020; 55(4): 125–129.
- Khatri A, Wallach F. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) presenting as purulent fulminant myopericarditis and cardiac tamponade: a case report and literature review. Heart & Lung. 2020;49(3):225–340
- Pan L, Mu M, Yang P, Sun Y, Wang R, Yan J, et al. Clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients with digestive symptoms in Hubei, China: a descriptive, cross-sectional, multicenter study. The American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2020;115(5):766–773
- Carvalho A, Alqusairi R, Adams A, Paul M, Kothari N, Peters S, et al. SARS-CoV-2 Gastrointestinal Infection Causing Hemorrhagic Colitis: Implications for Detection and Transmission of COVID-19 Disease. American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2020;115(6):942-946.
- Neto IJ, Viana KF, da Silva MB, da Silva LM, de Oliveira G, da Silva Cecchini AR, et al. Perforated acute abdomen in a patient with COVID-19: an atypical manifestation of the disease. Journal of Coloproctology. 2020; 40(3):269-272.
- Abd El Rhman MM, Shafik NS, Maher A, Hemdan SB, AbdElhamid RM. Liver Involvement in COVID-19 infected patients. Sohag Medical Journal. 2020;24(2):15-9.
- Magoon S, Bichu P, Malhotra V, Alhashimi F, Hu Y, Khanna S, et al. COVID-19–Related Glomerulopathy: A Report of 2 Cases of Collapsing Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis. Kidney Medicine. 2020; 2(4): 488-492.
- Pei G, Zhang Z, Peng J, Liu L, Zhang C, Yu C, et al. Renal involvement and early prognosis in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. 2020;31(6):1157-1165
- Recalcati S. Cutaneous manifestations in COVID-19: a first perspective. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. 2020; 34(5):212-213.
- Estébanez A, Pérez‐Santiago L, Silva E, Guillen-Climent S, García‐Vázquez A, Ramón MD. Cutaneous manifestations in COVID-19: a new contribution. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. 2020 Jun;34(6):e250-1.
- Zou X, Chen K, Zou J, Han P, Hao J, Han Z, et al. Single-cell RNA-seq data analysis on the receptor ACE2 expression reveals the potential risk of different human organs vulnerable to 2019-nCoV infection. Frontiers of Medicine. 2020;14(2):185-192.
- Ohkubo K, Lee CH, Baraniuk JN, Merida M, Hausfeld JN, Kaliner MA, et al. Angiotensin-converting enzyme in the human nasal mucosa. American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology. 1994;11(2):173-180.
- Berni A, Malandrino D, Parenti G, Maggi M, Poggesi L, Peri A, et al. Hyponatremia, IL-6, and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection: may all fit together?. Journal of Endocrinological Investigation. 2020; 43(8):1137-1139
- Vaira LA, Salzano G, Fois AG, Piombino P, De Riu G. Potential pathogenesis of ageusia and anosmia in COVID‐19 patients. International Forum of Allergy &Rhinology 2020;10(9):1103-1104 | <urn:uuid:d9af30c8-de84-4f76-a932-0ac66ea7d890> | CC-MAIN-2021-17 | http://www.southsudanmedicaljournal.com/archive/february-2021/covid-19-clinical-presentations-the-modern-mimic-of-other-conditions.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-17/segments/1618038060927.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20210411030031-20210411060031-00049.warc.gz | en | 0.854474 | 3,020 | 2.8125 | 3 |
THE slow pace of the American economic recovery seems likely to be a major issue in this year’s presidential election. But by the standards of other developed countries, the United States has done rather well since the credit crisis blossomed in 2008 and sent the world into recession.
The American economy, adjusted for inflation, was 1.2 percent larger in the first quarter of this year than it was in the peak quarter before the recession.
As the accompanying charts show, only Canada among the Group of 7 industrialized economies has done better. It has benefited from being an exporter of natural resources that China needs, but it also escaped the worst of the downturn because its banks, better regulated than those in this country, did not finance a real estate bubble during the boom.
Even Canada, however, had one quarter last year when its economy declined.
The charts show the performance of the Group of 7 nations, including three members of the euro zone, and that of seven other countries that use the euro. Of the 14, the United States is the only one to show consistent growth over the most recent four quarters. It has reported a growing economy for 11 consecutive quarters, even if the pace of growth has not been very fast.
At the bottom of the global recession, the American economy was 5.1 percent smaller than it had been at the peak and the recession ranked as the deepest since World War II. The only other recession since the Great Depression to shave as much as 3 percent from gross domestic product was the one in 1973 to 1975, brought on by the shock of higher oil prices. It took seven quarters for the American economy to regain all its losses during and after that downturn; this time it took twice as long.
When the American economy hit its low, it appeared that the United States ranked in the middle group of industrialized countries in terms of severity of recession. Portugal appeared to have escaped with a maximum decline of just 4.1 percent, and Spain with a loss of slightly less than 5 percent. But in the new downturn, Portugal now has a total decline of 5.2 percent, and Spain, buffeted by the need to bail out its banks, may be headed to a new low. Its economy has declined for two consecutive quarters. Italy, which like Spain is finding lenders hesitant to buy government bonds, has reported G.D.P. declines for the last three quarters.
Portugal, Ireland and Greece are the countries that were bailed out by Europe, but so far not one has shown much sign of recovery. Greece has now endured 13 consecutive quarters of decline, with no end in sight. Ireland for a time appeared to be a relative success story, as its G.D.P. grew at a rate of more than 4 percent in the first half of 2011. But it fell back later in the year.Continue reading the main story | <urn:uuid:f15e4e1e-a425-4c11-9609-b5ba8345af1a> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/16/business/economy/a-slow-recovery-but-its-all-relative.html?_r=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988725451.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183845-00054-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982749 | 580 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Do Unions Really Raise Wages?
It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth (Proverbs 20:14).
Once again, Hazlitt returned to the issue of government price fixing. In Chapters 13, 15, 16, and 18 price fixing was in the form of price floors. It is in this chapter, too.
This may not be seen initially as a case of government price-fixing. By the end of this chapter, I hope you will see that it is entirely a case of government price fixing. It is one more example of a price floor.
Another set of owners possess the ability to deliver labor services. These people are eligible to rent out these services.
A third set of owners will decide at some point whether to purchase goods and services that have been produced by a combination of business capital and labor services. They will determine retroactively which sellers prosper and which do not.
All participants possess the legal right to bid.
In this system, people who hire workers seek to locate people who rent out these services at some price. Economic exchange always depends on an agreed-upon price. Buyers compete against buyers. Sellers compete against sellers. Only in the final stage of the hiring process does face-to-face bargaining take place: would-be employer vs. would-be employee. The prospective employer does not know how little money the prospective employee will accept, and the prospective employee does not know how much money the prospective employer will pay. In this zone of ignorance, there may be negotiating. But probably not. Time is not a free resource. Employers usually make this offer: “Take it or leave it. I am too busy to negotiate.”
The employer acts as an economic agent of future customers. He will give them an opportunity to buy the output of his production process. The employer also acts as an economic agent of his employees. In order to earn money, employees must sell their services to customers. The employees do not know how to market their services directly to customers, but the employer believes that he does. So confident is the employer that he is willing to pay money to the employees to perform certain tasks, irrespective of the near-term decisions of customers. The business pays these employees until the lack of customers makes it evident to the employer that he has misjudged customer demand. Only then will he fire some or all of his employees.
The wage is a signal to other workers and other employers regarding the prevailing conditions of supply and demand. If this wage is a market-clearing wage, there will be no rival workers offering to work for a lower wage for the same job, and there will be no rival employers offering to pay more.
(For the rest of the chapter, click the link.) | <urn:uuid:485751fe-7114-401c-9b1c-69afddb82b2a> | CC-MAIN-2016-40 | http://teapartyeconomist.com/2015/08/08/christian-economics-in-one-lesson-ch-19/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-40/segments/1474738660602.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20160924173740-00133-ip-10-143-35-109.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969915 | 583 | 2.8125 | 3 |
There’s more to space utilization than how often a room is occupied. What happens inside an occupied room is just as important.
Photo courtesy Hanbury
Improving space utilization is increasingly a top priority at higher education institutions. Colleges and universities looking to reduce carbon footprints want to avoid new construction yet still provide top educational experiences. Financial constraints on state governments means limited or reduced funding for public institutions, so use of existing space becomes all the more important. Many studies have documented classroom use. We think there’s more to space utilization than how often a room is occupied. What happens inside an occupied room is just as important.
In a previous post, we talked about the growth of Scale-Up Classrooms. Scale-Up, or Student-Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-down Pedagogies, is in use at more than 250 higher education schools. The classrooms look like restaurants, with round tables for student seating. There’s no professor behind a podium at the front of the room, lecturing, while students sit side by side in chairs—a classroom design in place since medieval times. Indeed, there is no “front” of the classroom at all. In a Scale-Up, or active learning classroom, students work in small groups as teachers roam among them.
At face value, Scale-Up classrooms may not hold as many students as lecture halls, but as I found there is more to space utilization than just counting seats. This can be an issue for some schools.
To explore the issue of space and Scale-Up, I interviewed Robert Beichner, the physics professor who pioneered the Scale-Up classroom in the mid 1990s at NC State University. He brings new considerations to the space optimization equation. Here’s an edited transcript of our conversation.
Q: How is classroom space wasted in traditional lecture halls?
A: A lot of space in a lecture hall is reserved for the teacher. If people sit in the front row of student seating and count ceiling tiles, or something, they’ll realize that they’re sitting a quarter to a third of the way back in the room. Maybe there’s a whiteboard in the front of the room, space in front of that, a teacher table, and space in front of that. In Scale-Up, there is no reserved space like that. It is almost all student space.
Q: What about the cost of Scale-Up per square foot vs. a traditional classroom?
A: It’s not that much more expensive. It does depend on the technology you put in there. The furniture, the chairs, are about the same. Large screens and microphones add costs. In smaller spaces, you can get by with a lot less technology, less audio, fewer shared screens. You can just look across the room instead. But if you’ve got 100 students, you’d need microphones and shared screens.
Beichner recommends nine students seated at seven-foot round tables in groups of three with each group sharing a computer.
Q: Have you ever substituted Scale-Up for a regular classroom in the same space and accommodated the same number of students?
A: Yes, almost one-to-one. (https://www.ncsu.edu/PER/Articles/Chapter.pdf, page 24.)
In Phase 2 of the Scale-Up classroom development a 55-seat traditional classroom was renovated into a 54-seat Scale-Up classroom, providing a nearly one-to-one conversion.
Q: What space issues can’t you measure in Scale-Up?
A: You may have (more) seats in a lecture hall … but if 40 percent of them are empty and students aren’t showing up, that’s wasted space. It’ll all depend on whether attendance is required, whether there are tests and on how good the lectures are. In my Scale-Up classrooms, attendance over five years averaged 93 percent without attendance required. Typically, failure rates also drop from 30 percent to 10 percent with Scale-Up.
That’s a substantial number of students who won’t be taking a class two or three times, so what happens is, without adding a physical seat, you increase the capacity of the space. Plus, it’s really nice not to have to fail people.
Q: Does Scale-Up also work as lab space?
A: Scale-Up can replace both a lecture and a lab room and combine them into one. If that happens, you’ve gone from needing two rooms down to one. Equipment can be an issue. If you need to pipe gas, for instance, have fume hoods or sinks. In some Scale-Up rooms, that equipment will just be put off to the side (around the perimeter of the room) because you’re not using it everyday, things like expensive microscopes or even sinks on platforms.
During a previous site visit to meet with Professor Beichner in a Generation 4 Scale-Up classroom we noticed a mobile cabinet with sink, which he said is another option for lab demonstrations.
Q: With technology and computers, is there potential to displace some of this hands on?
A: That may be possible but I‘m not sure it’s a good idea. Simulation, no matter how good, is not the same as doing by hand. Even in a Scale-Up classroom, I wouldn’t suggest that simulations replace real world activities. However, it can supplement them.
Q: In the campus of the future, do you see the number of Scale-Up classrooms rising and taking up more of a school’s space?
A: Probably, especially as more online education becomes available. If it is cheaper and more convenient to take an online class, it’ll be hard to justify more lecture. There’s been a lot of study to show that online is at least as good as lecture. Lecture can’t compete with Scale-Up in terms of learning, to say nothing of the soft skills, like communication and teamsmanship, that students get with Scale-Up.
In the future, you’ll go from lectures at the low end to distance education. The next level up will be Scale-Up. Schools that really push the personal connections among students will be more able and willing to pay for Scale-Up.
Q: Are students fearful of this continual engagement in this kind of space?
A: We do explain what we’re doing and why. We are violating their expectations of what should happen in the classroom. I’m honest with them. I tell them, “if you don’t have the time or energy to devote to this, then you need to change classes because you’re going to have to work hard but it is worthwhile.” Then, they realize that this is a serious undertaking.
Q: If you could start from scratch, how would a new Scale-Up be different?
A: It would be square so that every student in the room could see every other student.
Currently, Beichner believes the ideal classroom geometry is non-directional so tables have the greatest equality possible from the professor podium (center) and perimeter wall (flat panel, writing surface), as well as sight lines from any point to any point.
Q: What are the biggest obstacles to adopting Scale-Up?
A: It takes a different philosophy. People who’ve been teaching a certain way for a long time don’t want to change. People don’t want to admit that what they’ve been doing for a long time isn’t very effective. It also requires a lot of competence and confidence on the part of instructors because students really test them with hard questions. That’s quite a bit different than delivering a planned lecture with little time for student questions.
Finding money for the space can be difficult, too, but it can also help. (To pull it off,) you need a team of people, faculty and administrators, getting together to talk about teaching and learning. That’s a good idea. If they spend money and effort on a space like this, they’re less likely to return to traditional instruction.
Q: Have you found any unexpected results from Scale-Up?
A: After activities, I ask students to hand their notebook to the student on the right and spend a couple minutes writing down what they think the take away was from the activity, and then hand the notebook back. First, I found the students wanted more time to write about science, which is pretty unusual. That indicated that they were taking it seriously.
The whole idea is to get students evaluating, presenting to the class and telling the class that what (other students) wrote is worthwhile. This kind of public validation really makes a difference in how the class feels. | <urn:uuid:c211b75b-8a18-486d-a02f-29a45b03480a> | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | https://www.bdcnetwork.com/blog/space-utilization-higher-education-more-sf-student | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267861456.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20180618222556-20180619002556-00269.warc.gz | en | 0.949784 | 1,851 | 3.046875 | 3 |
June 16, 2014
Extremely Cold Conditions Not Expected To Increase Due To Climate Change
redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports - Your Universe Online
Despite the fact that many parts of the United States experienced extremely cold conditions this past winter, the risk of such conditions increasing as a result of climate change is unlikely, according to research appearing in the latest edition of Nature Climate Change.Study author Dr. James Screen of the University of Exeter reports that the Arctic amplification phenomenon, which refers to the increased warming rate experienced in the Arctic in comparison to places located further south, has previously thought to be linked to the recent spike in severe cold spells.
However, despite the frigid conditions experienced throughout Europe and North America, his research demonstrates that Arctic amplification has actually reduced the potential risk of extreme cold throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere, calming fears that such conditions will become the rule and not the exception.
“Autumn and winter days are becoming warmer on average, and less variable from day-to-day. Both factors reduce the chance of extremely cold days,” Dr. Screen, who is a mathematics research fellow at the UK university as well as a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Research Fellow, said in a statement on Sunday.
In his research paper, Dr. Screen explained that there is “a common perception and growing concern” that climate change will result in an increased amount of “volatile and extreme” weather conditions. While some types of extreme weather have increased in frequency, severity or both, he noted that cold temperature variability is not one of them. In fact, he reports that it has decreased in the mid- to high-latitude Northern Hemisphere in recent decades.
The belief that there is a link between Arctic amplification and extreme weather conditions began to spread during the severe winter weather that impacted much of the US this past January. Previous research had suggested that the link between Arctic amplification and extreme weather was changes in atmospheric circulation.
As part of his research, Dr. Screen analyzed climate records to demonstrate that seasonal temperature variability in both autumn and winter has decreased significantly in these regions. The reason, he reported, it because northerly winds and the associated cold days are warming more rapidly than southerly winds and warmer days.
“Cold days tend to occur when the wind is blowing from the north, bringing Arctic air south into the mid-latitudes. Because the Arctic air is warming so rapidly these cold days are now less cold than they were in the past,” he said, adding that the latest mathematical climate models indicate that these changes will continue, with future decreases in temperature variability expected to occur in every season except for summer.
“Previous hypotheses linking Arctic amplification to increased weather extremes invoke dynamical changes in atmospheric circulation, which are hard to detect in present observations and highly uncertain in the future,” Dr. Screen wrote. “In contrast, decreases in subseasonal cold-season temperature variability… are detectable in the observational record and are highly robust in twenty-first-century climate model simulations.” | <urn:uuid:3986c64a-3d09-4340-bc13-affad9d71c38> | CC-MAIN-2017-51 | http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1113170314/warming-arctic-will-lead-to-fewer-cold-days-061614/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948530668.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20171213182224-20171213202224-00188.warc.gz | en | 0.96201 | 626 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Even the immediate aftermath of a devastating nuclear explosion can be beautiful if you're looking from the right angle.
The photo above is a stunning view of the mushroom cloud created by Test Baker, one of two nuclear test explosions set off by the United States at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands in 1946. The tests, collectively known as Operation Crossroads, were designed to observe how nuclear weapons affected naval vessels, but Baker is set apart because it was the first-ever nuclear explosion set off underwater. On July 25, 1946, the Baker nuclear device was suspended 90 feet underwater amid a fleet of target ships, then detonated. Because the explosion itself took place underwater, the blinding light of the blast was obscured, allowing photographers to get a clearer picture of the damage done.
As you might expect, the effect Baker had on the fleet of ships in its blast radius was devastating. The black spot on the right of the blast colum is the U.S. Navy battleship Arkansas being thrown into the air like a toy. Water pressure created by the blast severely damaged all of the ships in the target area, and all of them suffered major radiation contamination. Of course, the whole area where the blasts were set off was also contaminated, which proved an environmental nightmare, but since the late '90s the local government has declared the nearby islands safe to walk on, and today divers even enjoy exploring the sunken "ghost fleet" left behind by the Crossroads test.
Check out more photos from the Baker detonation, as well as video of the blast, below. | <urn:uuid:55d5ce8b-57da-40f5-a20c-0a4aed773ff4> | CC-MAIN-2019-26 | https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/see-stunning-hi-res-photos-of-the-first-underwater-nuclear-blast | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-26/segments/1560627998558.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20190617183209-20190617205209-00159.warc.gz | en | 0.967826 | 317 | 3.234375 | 3 |
Among the most challenging of catastrophic injuries are those involving traumatic injury to the brain. This most sophisticated human organ can sustain damage from a hard blow to the head that causes the brain to crash against the unyielding interior of the skull. Penetrating wounds from gunshots, shrapnel or other objects can damage the brain, too. The effects of a traumatic brain injury may last long after the initial incident occurred. The Mayo Clinic warns that “serious traumatic brain injury can result in bruising, torn tissues, bleeding and other physical damage.” The result can mean lasting medical issues or even death.
When you or someone you care about has suffered a brain injury, the world can suddenly become a confusing and upsetting place. You need a reliable and experienced traumatic brain injury attorney at your side to help you understand the decisions and choices you must make. Amicus Legal Group has the experience needed to rapidly assess your situation and to take action on your behalf. Our legal and medical know-how can mean the difference between facing a lifetime of disability complicated by financial hardship or having the kind of resources that empower you to get quality care for yourself and your family even in the darkest of circumstances.
Is the average person at risk for such an injury? Are not traumatic brain injuries something that happens infrequently? Unfortunately, such injuries are not uncommon. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that about 1.7 million Americans suffer severe brain injuries every year, and it labels traumatic brain injury a contributing factor in more than 30% of the deaths that result from accidents in the U.S. The CDC reports that more than a quarter of a million people a year need to be hospitalized because of brain injuries. Sadly, about 52,000 people will die from those injures.
Thanks to medical shows on television, most Americans have heard the term “mild concussion.” Indeed, brain injuries can be mild, resulting in a brief period of unconsciousness or other temporary change in mental status. But more severe injuries can have devastating consequences, causing changes in an individual’s ability to think, to remember, and to use reasoning capabilities. Further, traumatic brain injuries may affect your ability for sensory use, altering how you experience taste, touch and smell.
Because the brain is the center of our capacity to communicate, a traumatic injury can leave an individual unable to talk or to understand when others speak. It is not unusual for those who have had traumatic brain injuries to find that their emotions are affected. Some people experience personality changes. Or they may become anxious or depressed. Even formerly mild-mannered individuals can be transformed by a brain injury, becoming agitated, aggressive and acting inappropriately. It is easy to see why specialized care may be needed over a long period of time – perhaps permanently. That makes it vital that anyone who has suffered a debilitating traumatic brain injury seek experienced legal help to ensure that they receive the compensation they deserve.
The injury lawyers at Amicus Legal Group know that a settlement is no substitute for a loved one who has been lost or forever changed because of a traumatic brain injury. We also know that the pain and suffering of family members is every bit as real and disabling as the physical and other challenges a brain-injured individual faces. If this type of tragic event happens to you or someone you love, our firm will take decisive action immediately to protect your rights and to pursue the maximum compensation available to address your pain, to pay for your medical expenses, to make up for lost wages, and to provide for your long-term needs and the needs of those who depend on you.
Lawsuit against driver who cut off vehicle on freeway which caused client to careen into a ditch. Judgment obtained against driver for $600,000.00. (Tricia L.)
Husband and wife sued medical clinic for failing to monitor husband’s uncontrolled diabetes which led to partial amputation after infection in foot failed to heal properly. Settled claim at mediation for $627,500.00. (Richard and Glady P.)
Lawsuit against driver and company on behalf of husband and wife claiming emotional distress damages. Settled claim for $163,000.00, at mediation. (Dan R.)
Filed suit against landlord on behalf of family whose son suffered burn injury after smoke detector in apartment malfunctioned. Settled matter in litigation obtaining settlement that will pay Plaintiff $1.1 million through an annuity. (Christopher G.)
Lawsuitfiled by family of child who suffered fatal injuries after being hit by streetracer. Obtained judgment against driver for $1 million. (Jonathan O.) | <urn:uuid:1902994f-f74c-4ebd-985f-c2a53134a0db> | CC-MAIN-2018-17 | https://amicuslegalgroup.com/traumatic-brain-injury/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-17/segments/1524125937016.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20180419184909-20180419204909-00474.warc.gz | en | 0.96012 | 937 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Using High Engineering Technology to Resolve the Social Challenges Presented by Agriculture
The objective of the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) WISE Program is to foster PhD degree holders who will contribute to the creation of new industries through the collaboration of agriculture and engineering.As a growth industry, agriculture must be provided with a stronger foundation for innovation in the entire system for the distribution of agricultural products. This includes breeding and production to processing and distribution as well as household consumption and the restaurant industry.This Program not only leverages high engineering technology in the production of food but also introduces artificial intelligence, robotics and self-driving smart mobility technology to production and distribution to build a new, smart food supply chain as one model for the creation of new industries.All TUAT research fields in agriculture and engineering are eligible, including new materials, advanced measurement, energy control, biotechnology and the environment.
An educational system with the commitment of the industrial circle is indispensable for the realization of this graduate program. A Consortium for the Creation of New Industries is formed with the participation of businesses and other organizations as partner institutions, and leaders will be developed through the cooperation of government, industry and academia. At present, there are nine partner institutions, universities and others participating in the Consortium. | <urn:uuid:49a986b2-4a66-487e-bf82-ed3c1e944cd2> | CC-MAIN-2019-35 | http://www.wise.tuat.ac.jp/en/about/co-creation/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027315809.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20190821043107-20190821065107-00450.warc.gz | en | 0.926893 | 256 | 2.53125 | 3 |
"What is the difference between exegesis and eisegesis?"
Exegesis and eisegesis are two conflicting approaches in Bible study. Exegesis is the exposition or explanation of a text based on a careful, objective analysis. The word exegesis literally means “to lead out of.” That means that the interpreter is led to his conclusions by following the text.
The opposite approach to Scripture is eisegesis, which is the interpretation of a passage based on a subjective, non-analytical reading. The word eisegesis literally means “to lead into,” which means the interpreter injects his own ideas into the text, making it mean whatever he wants.
Obviously, only exegesis does justice to the text. Eisegesis is a mishandling of the text and often leads to a misinterpretation. Exegesis is concerned with discovering the true meaning of the text, respecting its grammar, syntax, and setting. Eisegesis is concerned only with making a point, even at the expense of the meaning of words.
Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/exegesis-eisegesis.html
Matt Chandler - God Is For God (The Bible is Not About You!)
Was this message directed at Steven Furtick? Many seem to think so. This is the sermon (the only one)
that was originally censored (or at least it seemed) by Elevation Church but then later released. | <urn:uuid:186ee51a-253d-49e2-9372-8ff797d63af1> | CC-MAIN-2017-39 | http://onewayjesus.weebly.com/blog/the-bible-is-not-about-you | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-39/segments/1505818694719.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20170926032806-20170926052806-00066.warc.gz | en | 0.962499 | 312 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Omedi Ochieng, Assistant Professor, Denison University
Themes and Context of African Rhetoric
African intellectual traditions have long generated intense and systematic reflection on philosophy and rhetoric. It is unfortunate that myths about Africa have obscured much of the continent’s scholarship. Of those myths, one of the most persistent has held that all African societies were “non-literate” and that, therefore, systems of writing and reading only came to Africa with European colonialism. This pernicious myth is demonstrably false, as can be seen in written traditions across such diverse African societies as ancient Egypt and Nubia and the flourishing centers of learning in the middle ages such as in Mali in West Africa and Zanzibar in East Africa.
That said, any robust understanding of African philosophical and rhetorical traditions ought to begin by acknowledging the continent’s diverse societies. It should follow, then, that this module lays no claim to being exhaustive. Its rather more modest ambition seeks to proffer pointers to some of the most prominent traditions of philosophical and rhetorical thought on the continent. This module, moreover, will proceed on the assumption that African philosophical and rhetorical thought are inextricably intertwined. This is largely because, unlike the dominant strains of philosophical and theoretical reflection in the North Atlantic world, African intellectual traditions did not draw sharp contrasts between philosophy and rhetoric.
Prominent ancient African philosophical and rhetorical traditions include those of Egypt, Nubia and Yoruba societies. Below, I will highlight two: ancient Egypt and that of the Yoruba.
Ancient Egypt is almost certainly the most well-known civilization in Africa. Perhaps as one would expect from a 3,500-year written tradition, its corpus of writing was richly diverse. These ranged from wisdom texts (instructional and teaching books), to writings on history, religion, law, and autobiography, to more explicitly “literary” or aesthetic texts (hymns, poems, and prose tales). Ancient Egyptian writing was not, of course, confined to papyri. Tombs and temple walls, coffins and statues, monuments of all kinds were inscribed with words. The primary and secondary literature in this tradition is dauntingly voluminous. Below, I offer a selection of texts for the beginning student.
Primary sources in translation:
- Allen, James. The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts (Atlanta: 2005).
- Foster, John L. Hymns, prayers, and songs: An anthology of ancient Egyptian lyric poetry (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1995)
- Foster, John L. 2001. Ancient Egyptian literature: An anthology (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2001)
- Lichtheim, Miriam. Ancient Egyptian literature: A book of readings. 3 vols (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1973-1980)
- Ogden Goelet and R. Faulkner (trans.). The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth by Day (San Francisco: 1998).
- Parkinson, Richard. Voices from ancient Egypt: An anthology of Middle Kingdom writings (London: British Museum, 1991)
- Simpson, William K. ed., The literature of Ancient Egypt: An anthology of stories, instructions, and poetry (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1973).
- Simpson, William K. The literature of ancient Egypt: an anthology of stories, instructions, stelae, autobiographies, and poetry (Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2003)
A selection of secondary sources:
- Asante, Molefi. The Egyptian Philosophers: Ancient African Voices from Imhotep to Akhenaten (Chicago: 2000).
- Assmann, Jan. The Mind of Egypt: History and Meaning in the Time of the Pharaohs (Harvard: 2003)
- Bernal, Martin. Black Athena. The Afroasiatic Roots of Classical Civilization, Vol. I: Fabrication of Ancient Greece 1785 – 1985 (New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1987)
- Bernal, Martin. Black Athena Writes Back. Martin Bernal Responds to His Critics (Durham: Duke University Press, 2001)
- Blake, Cecil. The African Origins of Rhetoric (New York: Routledge, 2009)
- Campbell, Kermit E. “Rhetoric from the Ruins of African Antiquity,” Rhetorica: A Journal of the History of Rhetoric, 24, no. 3 (Summer 2006): 255-274.
- Dodson, Aidan, Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and the Egyptian Counter-Reformation (Cairo: 2009).
- Dodson, Aidan, Amarna Sunrise: Egypt from Golden Age to Age of Heresy (Cairo: 2014)
- Fox, Michael V. “Ancient Egyptian Rhetoric,” Rhetorica: A Journal of the History of Rhetoric, 1, no. 1 (Spring 1983):9-22
- Goelet, Ogden and R. Faulkner. The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth by Day (San Francisco: 1998).
- Hoffmeier, James K. Akhenaten and the Origins of Monotheism (New York: 2015).
- Hornung, Erik. Akhenaten and the Religion of Light (Ithaca: 1999)
- Karenga, Maulana. Maat: The Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt: a Study in Classical African Ethics (New York: 2004).
- Lipson, Carol S. “Ancient Egyptian Rhetoric: It All Comes Down to Maat,” in Rhetoric Before and Beyond the Greeks, ed. Carol S. Lipson and Roberta A. Binkley (Albany: State University of New York, 2004).
- Morrow, S.B. The Dawning Moon of the Mind: Unlocking the Pyramid Texts (New York: 2015).
- Obenga, Théophile. African Philosophy: The Pharaonic Period, 2780-330 BC (Popenguine: 2004).
- Sweeney, Deborah. “Law, Rhetoric, and Gender in Ramesside Egypt,” in Rhetoric Before and Beyond the Greeks, ed. Carol S. Lipson and Roberta A. Binkley (Albany: State University of New York, 2004).
- Hutto, David. “Ancient Egyptian Rhetoric in the Old and Middle Kingdoms,” Rhetorica: A Journal of the History of Rhetoric 20, no. 3 (Summer 2002): 213-233.
The Yoruba people of West Africa have one of the most distinctive and widely recognized philosophical and rhetorical traditions in the African continent. The Odu Ifa corpus, a largely oral collection of verses, comprises a breathtaking archive of reflections on metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics. There continues to be considerable debate among modern scholars over the historicity of the Ifa corpus. Popular accounts hold that the Yoruba supreme God, Olodumare, handed down Ifa to the first diviner priest and deity, Orunmila. Some scholars have inferred from such narratives that Orunmila is a mythological figure. But against such a reading, the Nigerian philosopher Sophie Oluwole has forcefully argued that Orunmila was indeed a historical figure. Oluwole’s groundbreaking and deeply influential text, Socrates and Orunmila: Two Patron Saints of Classical Philosophy, offers a comparative analysis of the philosophical works of Orunmila and that of the ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates.
Primary texts in translation:
The Odu Ifa corpus was initially orally transmitted through Babaaláwo, Ifa diviners or priests. Modern scholars, led by the acclaimed linguist and literary critic, Wándé Abímbọ́lá, have since then recorded and published these works in several volumes of books.
- Wándé Abímbọ́lá. Ijinlê Ohun ӡnu Ifa: Apa Kiini (The Deep Utterances of Ifá: Part One) (Glasgow: Collins, 1968)
- Wándé Abímbọ́lá. Ijinlê Ohun ӡnu Ifa: Apa Keji (The Deep Utterances of Ifá: Part Two) (Glasgow: Collins, 1969).
- Wándé Abímbọ́lá. Sixteen Great Poems of Ifá (UNESCO, 1975).
- Wándé Abímbọ́lá. Ifa Divination Poetry (New York: NOK, 1977a).
- Wándé Abímbọ́lá. Àwn Ojù Odù Mçrårindìnlógùn (All of the Sixteen Principal Odù )
- Bascom, William R. Ifa Divination: Communication between Gods and Men in West Africa (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1969).
- Bascom, William R. Sixteen Cowries: Yoruba Divination from Africa to the New World (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1980).
- Abimbọla, Wande. Ifa: Exposition of Ifa Literary Corpus (Ibadan: Oxford University Press, 1976).
- Akinnasọ, F. Niyi ‘Bourdieu and the Diviner: Knowledge and Symbolic Power in Yoruba Divination’, in Wendy James (ed.) The Pursuit of Certainty: Religious and Cultural Formulations (New York: Routledge, 1995), 234–257.
- Barber, Karin. ‘Discursive Strategies in the Texts of Ifá and in the ‘‘Holy Book of Odù’’ of the African Church of ӫrùnmìlá’, in P.F. de Moraes Farias and Karin Barber (eds) Self-assertion and Brokerage: Early Cultural Nationalism in West Africa, Birmingham: Centre of West African Studies.
- Barber, Karin. ‘Quotation in the Constitution of Yorùbá Oral Texts’, Research in African Literatures 30, no. 3 (1999): 17–41.
- Horton, Robin (1979) ‘Ancient Ife: A Reassessment’, Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria 9, no. 4 (1979): 69–149.
Ethiopia boasts a 1700 years-old formal educational system. It has a rich written tradition, going back to at least the 300s CE. Ethiopian philosophy and rhetoric witnessed an efflorescence in the 14th century following the ascension into power of the Solomonic Dynasty. Some of the most notable texts to have emerged in this era included the Kebra Nagast (the Glory of the Kings), a volume that unfolds Ethiopian myths of origin, the Tarike Nagast (Royal Chronicles), a text that documents the deeds of Ethiopian kings, the Mashafa Mestira Samay Wamedr (The Book of the Mysteries of Heaven and Earth), a text that sought to explain the creation of the universe, and several anthologies of sermons and hymns.
The 17th century would prove to be another major inflection point in Ethiopian intellectual history. It is in this period that Zera Yacob, reputed by many to be one of Ethiopia’s greatest philosophers, wrote his Hatata (Treatise). In this book, Yacob makes a stringent case for a rationalist approach to human inquiry. Yacob, writing in the midst of a relentless campaign of persecution against those opposed to forced religious conversion, argued for a conception of religious faith guided by reason. Walda Heywat, who studied under Yacob, would follow in his teacher’s footsteps by writing his own treatise. His book follows his teacher’s staunch defense of rationalism and extends his insights into the realm of everyday ethics.
Primary texts in translation:
The philosopher Claude Sumner is often credited with having brought Ethiopian philosophy to the attention of the anglophone world. Sumner extensively translated Ethiopian philosophical works and published them in several volumes. More recently, Princeton University professor Wendy Belcher has also worked prodigiously on the translation and analysis of medieval Ethiopian literature and texts.
- Sumner, Claude. Ethiopian Philosophy, vol. I: The Book of the Wise Philosophers (Commercial Printing Press, 1974b).
- Sumner, Claude. Ethiopian Philosophy, vol. II: The Treatise of Zara Yaecob and Walda Hewat: Text and Authorship (Commercial Printing Press, 1976b).
- Sumner, Claude. Ethiopian Philosophy, vol. III: The Treatise of Zara Yaecob and Walda Hewat: An Analysis. (Commercial Printing Press, 1978).
- Sumner, Claude. Ethiopian Philosophy, vol. IV: The Life and Maxims of Skandes (Commercial Printing Press, 1974a).
- Sumner, Claude.Ethiopian Philosophy, vol. V: The Fisalgwos (Commercial Printing Press, 1976a).
- Sumner, Claude. Classical Ethiopian Philosophy (Commercial Printing Press, 1985)
- Claude Sumner. The Source of African Philosophy: the Ethiopian Philosophy of Man (F. Steiner Verlag Wiesbaden, 1986).
- Sumner, Claude.Oromo Wisdom Literature, I. Proverbs, Collection and Analysis, 1995.
- Sumner, Claude. Proverbs, Songs, Folktales: An Anthology of Oromo Literature (Addis Ababa: Gudina Tumsa Foundation, 1996).
- Harden, John M. An Introduction to Ethiopic Christian Literature (Macmillan, 1926).
- Kidane, Dawit Worku. The Ethics of Zär’a Ya’eqob (Gregorian & Biblical Press, 2012).
- Kiros, Teodros, “Zera Yacob and Traditional Ethiopian Philosophy,” in A Companion to African Philosophy, ed. Kwasi Wiredu (London: Blackwell Publishing, 2004).
- Presbey, Gail, “Should Women Love ‘Wisdom’?” Research in African Literatures, 30 (1999): 165–181.
- Sumner, Claude. “The Light and the Shadow: Zera Yacob and Walda Heywat: Two Ethiopian Philosophers of the Seventeenth Century,” in A Companion to African Philosophy, ed. Kwasi Wiredu (London: Blackwell Publishing, 2004).
- Kebede, Messay. “The Ethiopian Conception of Time and Modernity,” in C. Jeffers (ed.), Listening to Ourselves: A Multilingual Anthology of African Philosophy (Albany: 2013), 15-37.
2. Bilad al-Sudan
“Bilad al-Sudan” (The Land of Black People) is an Arabic name for land that lay south of North Africa and stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. Initially meant as an epithet that medieval Arabic writers used to refer to the darker-skinned people they met in West Africa, it was subsequently appropriated by its targets as a badge of honor. It is here that an extraordinary ferment of intellectual work, largely catalyzed and inspired by the penetration of Islam into the region, emerged and flourished from roughly the 13th century to the 17th century. The range of subject matter was as broad as the ideas were deep, cutting across disciplines such as Islamic metaphysics, jurisprudence, history, ethics, rhetoric, and aesthetics. The most well-known center of learning in the Bilad al-Sudan was Timbuktu. At the peak of its “golden age” in the fifteenth-century, scholars estimate that Timbuktu hosted as many as 150 to 180 maktabs (Qur’anic schools). Ahmad Baba, considered the preeminent scholar of Timbuktu, is known to have written more than forty works, ranging from jurisprudential treatises to biographies.
No single library or book contains a comprehensive record for the manuscripts and works that were published in the Bilad al-Sudan. This is not only because of the astounding number of works produced and the sheer size of the region, but also because many of the manuscripts were held in private collections. For one of the most accessible pointers to libraries and collections as well as being an excellent scholarly work on the intellectual history of the Bilad al-Sudan, see Ousmane Oumar Kane, Beyond Timbuktu: An Intellectual History of Muslim West Africa (Harvard: 2016). It was only in the 2000s that a concerted effort gained support to digitize manuscripts of the Bilad al-Sudan. One of the most notable and ongoing projects led by researchers at the University of Cape Town is The Tombouctou Manuscripts Project.
- Ahmed Baba Institute (1995–98) Fihris makhtutat markaz Ahmad Baba li’l-tawthiq wa’l buhuth al-tarikhiyya bi Tinbuktu / Handlist of manuscripts in the Centre de Documentation et de Rechercher Historiques Ahmed Baba (5 Vols). London: Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation
- Hunwick, John (trans), Sharīʿa in Songhay: the Replies of al-Maghīlī to the Questions of Askia al-̣Hājj Muḥammad (Oxford: 1985).
- Hunwick, John and RS O’Fahey, ed., Arabic literature of Africa. The writings of Central Sudanic Africa, vol. 2 (Leiden: Brill, 1995)
- Hunwick, John, Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire (including the English translation, on pp. 1–270, of the Introduction, chapters 1 to 27, and chapter 30, of al-Sa’di, Tarikh al-Sudan) (Leiden: Brill, 1999)
- Hunwick John and Fatima Harrak (annotated and trans.) Mi’raj al-su’ud. Ahmad Baba’s replies on slavery (Rabat: Institute of African Studies, 2000)
- Diagne, Souleymane Bachir, “Precolonial African Philosophy in Arabic,” in A Companion to African Philosophy, ed. Kwasi Wiredu (London: Blackwell Publishing, 2004).
- John Hunwick, “The Arabic Literary Tradition of Nigeria,” Research in African Literatures, 28, no. 3 (Autumn, 1997): 210-223.
- Hunwick, John. “Ahmad Baba on Slavery,” Sudanic Africa 11 (2000): 131–39.
- Jeppie, Shamil and Souleymane B. Diagne (eds) . The Meanings of Timbuktu (Cape Town: 2008).
- Kane, Ousmane O. Beyond Timbuktu: an Intellectual History of Muslim West Africa (Cambridge MA: 2006).
- Dalen, Dorrit van. Doubt, Scholarship and Society in 17th-Century Central Sudanic Africa (Leiden: 2016).
Modern and Postcolonial African Philosophy and Rhetoric
After the Second World War, a revolutionary wave rippled across the African continent as political movements fought to end European colonial domination. These movements succeeded for the most part in bringing about the end of de jureEuropean control of African countries. In the wake of independence, African philosophy and rhetoric took a decidedly post-colonial turn as various schools of thought debated the form and substance of African knowledge. By far the strongest currents of thought argued that Africans had distinctive ontological, epistemological, and axiological systems of thought. The Senegalese intellectual and statesman, Leopold Sedar Senghor, for example, came into prominence as one of the foremost theorists of “Négritude,” a complex philosophical system that vehemently disputed the characterization of Africans as uncivilized and uncultured. Senghor’s version of Négritude held that African thought rested on a shared ontology of “vital forces.” Whereas Senghor’s Négritude was largely focused on elaborating a shared metaphysical and cultural philosophical system, other prominent African thinkers emphasized the political and the economic. This was the case especially for a crop of African leaders that led independence movements in their countries, such as Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Julius Nyerere of Tanzania.
Arguments of the sort advanced by Senghor that insisted on what can be roughly described as an “Afrocentric” approach to philosophy and rhetoric came under fierce critique from a crop of post-independence African philosophers. The Beninoise philosopher, Paulin Hountondji, is generally credited with leading the charge. Hountondji pejoratively referred to such thought as “ethnophilosophy,” declaring it a poor substitute for real philosophy. In his influential book, African Philosophy: Myth and Reality, Hountondji argued that to deserve the name “philosophy,” African philosophy must be universal and critical.
Though most African professional philosophers resonated with Hountondji’s critique of ethnophilosophy, a few took the view that his dismissal of it was too sweeping. The Ghanaian philosopher, Kwasi Wiredu, and the Kenyan philosopher, Odera Oruka insisted that pre-colonial African societies were, for the most part, rich in philosophical discourse. Wiredu called for a “conceptual decolonization” of African languages to enable a clearer view of their incredibly nuanced philosophical vocabulary. Odera Oruka, for his part, undertook a project that he called “the sage philosophy project.” In this project, Oruka visited a variety of African communities and identified people that were widely seen as “wise.” He would then interview them on a range of questions. Oruka’s work has been deeply generative in African philosophy, not only as a source of wide-ranging debate about African metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics, but also by inspiring legions of researchers to continue his work.
The study of philosophy and rhetoric in contemporary Africa continues to be deeply vibrant. Some of the most pathbreaking and fruitful work has emerged from feminist African philosophers who have articulated startlingly fresh ways of understanding power, knowledge, and aesthetics. For example, the African feminist philosopher Nkiru Nzegwu in her book, Family Matters, unfolded an egalitarian vision of society drawn from the form of society that existed in precolonial Igbo society.
Southern African philosophy has also generated a great deal of scholarly conversation especially after its democratic transition from the white supremacist apartheid era. A particularly fruitful focal point of insight has revolved around the meaning and contours of the philosophical concept and practice known as “ubuntu.” Though there continues to be fierce debate about the definition and implications of ubuntu, many commentators are agreed that it is founded on a principle widely shared by many African communities that emphasizes interdependence and intersubjectivity.
A selection of modern and postcolonial African philosophy:
- Appiah, Kwame Anthony. In My Father’s House. Africa in the Philosophy of Culture (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992)
- Bell, Richard H. Understanding African Philosophy: A Cross-Cultural Approach to Classical and Contemporary Issues in Africa (New York: Routledge, 2002)
- Eze, Emmanuel Chukwudi, ed. Postcolonial African Philosophy: A Critical Reader (Cambridge, MA: Blackwell, 1997)
- Eze, Emmanuel Chukwudi. On Reason. Rationality in a World of Cultural Conflict and Racism (Durham: Duke University Press, 2008)
- Gordon, Lewis R. An Introduction to Africana Philosophy (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2008)
- Graness, Anke, and Kress, Kai, eds. Sagacious Reasoning: Henry Odera Oruka in memoriam (Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 1997)
- Gyekye, Kwame. An Essay on African Philosophical Thought: The Akan Conceptual Scheme (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987)
- Gyekye, Kwame. Tradition and Modernity: Philosophical Reflections on the African Experience. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997)
- Hallen, Barry. A Short History of African Philosophy. (Bloomington: Indiana University Press 2002)
- Hallen, Barry. African Philosophy. The Analytic Approach (Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press. 2006)
- Hallen, Barry, and Sodipo, J.Olubi. Knowledge, Belief and Witchcraft: Analytic Experiments in African Philosophy (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1997)
- Hountondji, Paulin J. African Philosophy: Myth and Reality (London: Hutchinson, 1983).
- Hountondji, Paulin J. The Struggle for Meaning: Reflections on African Philosophy, Culture and Democracy in Africa (Athens: Ohio University Press, 2002).
- Jeffers, Chike, ed. Listening to Ourselves: A Multilingual Anthology of African Philosophy (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2013).
- Mahmood, Saba. Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2005).
- Masolo, Dismas A. African Philosophy in Search of Identity (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1994).
- Mudimbe, V. Y. 1988. The Invention of Africa. Gnosis, Philosophy, and the Order of Knowledge (Bloomngton: Indiana University Press, 1988).
- Nzegwu, Nkiru. Family Matters: Feminist Concepts in African Philosophy of Culture (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2006).
- Ochieng, Omedi. Groundwork for the Practice of the Good Life: Politics and Ethics at the Intersection of North Atlantic and African Philosophy (New York: Routledge, 2017).
- Oyèwùmí, Oyèrónkẹ́, The Invention of Women: Making an African Sense of Western Gender Discourses(Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1997).
- Oruka, H. Odera, ed. Sage Philosophy: Indigenous Thinkers and Modern Debate on African Philosophy (Leiden: Brill, 1990).
- Ramose, Mogobe. African Philosophy through Ubuntu (Harare: Mond Books, 1999).
- Serequeberhan, Tsenay, ed. African Philosophy: The Essential Readings. (Saint Paul, MN: Paragon House, 1991).
- Serequeberhan, Tsenay, The Hermeneutics of African Philosophy, Horizon and Discourse (New York: Routledge, 1994).
- Wiredu, Kwasi. Philosophy and an African Culture (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1980).
- Wiredu, Kwasi. Cultural Universals and Particulars: an African Perspective. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1996). Wiredu, Kwasi. A Companion to African Philosophy (Malden: Blackwell, 2004).
About the Author: Dr. Omedi Ochieng is an assistant professor of communication at Denison University. His areas of specialization include the rhetoric of philosophy and the philosophy of rhetoric, intellectual history and aesthetics. He is the author of Groundwork for the Practice of the Good Life: Politics and Ethics at the Intersection of North Atlantic and African Philosophy (Routledge: 2017) and The Intellectual Imagination: Knowledge and Aesthetics in North Atlantic and African Philosophy (University of Notre Dame Press: 2018). | <urn:uuid:4723c77b-f998-4fd6-a673-e99a2f5474c4> | CC-MAIN-2020-40 | https://ashr.org/teaching-resources/teaching-history-of-rhetoric/african-philosophy-rhetoric/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-40/segments/1600402131412.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20201001112433-20201001142433-00733.warc.gz | en | 0.844047 | 5,947 | 3.21875 | 3 |
NYC Urban Garden: Get the Kids Involved
Did you know that gardening is really good for your kids? Researchers have been digging into the NYC urban garden. It turns out that while you’re raising tomatoes and cucumbers on your patio, you’re also planting the seeds for a great future for your kids. Here’s what gardening can do for your children:
1. Get Them Up Close and Personal With Nature
Out in the country, kids are surrounded with opportunities to interact with nature. But if your kids try digging a hole in the park, there’s going to be trouble. By creating an NYC urban garden in your home, your kids will have a chance to not only observe nature but engage with it: digging in the dirt, pulling weeds, harvesting vegetables or picking flowers. The whole process is there for them to experience and enjoy. This will change the way they see the world; they’ll have a deeper understanding of where the food on their plate came from.
2. Grow Confidence While You’re Raising Vegetables
Gardening takes time. There are no cheat codes that will help seeds grow faster. This helps your kids develop patience. When plants start to grow and harvest time arrives, it has a tremendous positive impact on your children’s confidence and self-esteem. They’re literally able to see their efforts bear fruit. This can be a transformative experience for your child.
3. Help The Kids Become More Adventurous Eaters
Children are much more likely to eat vegetables they’ve grown themselves in their own NYC urban garden. There’s something about actually picking the peas that makes them less terrifying on the dinner plate. Children who garden tend to eat more vegetables, and more different types of vegetables, than children who don’t.
4. Provide an Alternative To Screen Time
If you’re a parent, you’re worried about how much time your child spends interacting with screens. Between the cell phone, the computer, and video games, how much time does your kid spend plugged in? But if you tell them to unplug, there’s one reply familiar to all parents, “What am I supposed to do now?” Having an NYC urban garden to work and play in provides a healthy alternative to screen time.If you’re ready to get started creating an NYC urban garden for you and the kids to enjoy, give us a call! We are happy to help you plan your family-friendly garden oasis in the city. | <urn:uuid:b7f449b9-3890-4091-96f7-00dba54e1d31> | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | https://www.floralstudionyc.com/blog/nyc-urban-garden-get-the-kids-involved | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610703524858.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20210121132407-20210121162407-00644.warc.gz | en | 0.924308 | 528 | 2.78125 | 3 |
What we sometimes view as a failure to behave appropriately may actually be a failure to communicate. Children get excited, frustrated, overwhelmed and anxious just like adults. They have moments when they can't find the words to communicate. Arguably the most effective way to teach our children how to communicate is by example. So in that moment when your child behaves in a way that frustrates you, pause....and determine if you will react or relate...command or communicate, belittle or be an adult. | <urn:uuid:abd6f7c1-fc89-4d0a-a8ab-e83cc53ca52e> | CC-MAIN-2020-34 | https://www.meetplaylearn.com/post/2017/09/29/all-behavior-is-communication-so-what-are-you-saying | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-34/segments/1596439738777.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20200811115957-20200811145957-00553.warc.gz | en | 0.93935 | 100 | 2.8125 | 3 |
This storyboard does not have a description.
Seneca Falls Convention
The Women who started the connvention
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Declaration of Sentiments
DECLARATION OF SENTIMENTS
The Seneca Falls Convention was the first women’s rights convention in the United States. In July 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York, the meeting launched the women’s suffrage movement.
Stanton and Mott first met in London, where they were attending the World Anti-Slavery Convention with their husbands. When the convention excluded women delegates based on their gender, the pair resolved to hold a women’s rights convention.
The Declaration of Sentiments was the Seneca Falls Convention’s declaration describing women’s grievances and demands. Written primarily by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, it called on women to fight for their Constitutionally guaranteed right to equality as U.S. citizens.
Explore Our Articles and Examples
Try Our Other Websites!
Photos for Class
– Search for School-Safe, Creative Commons Photos (It Even Cites for You!
– Easily Make and Share Great-Looking Rubrics
– Create Custom Nursery Art | <urn:uuid:e63e3faa-87e4-400d-ae36-13c91c0cd712> | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | https://www.storyboardthat.com/storyboards/sarina-rosa/seneca-falls-convention | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267867095.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20180624215228-20180624235228-00403.warc.gz | en | 0.9009 | 247 | 4.03125 | 4 |
Poetry Analysis Of “introduction To Poetry” Free Essay Example
Her immense immense religion in God helped her to take care of positiveness. She mentions how God was together with her on an everyday basis, carried her along and saved her spirit high. She accepts that nothing might be accomplished to rectify the scenario, she tries to reorient her ideas, saying âI blest his name that gave and took/that laid my goods now in dust.â. She acknowledges that all she owns belongs to God and he can take it away each time https://teacherspodcast.org/category/college/page/2/ he wants.
You won’t have the power to absolutely and logically describe this, however take note of what you seen. You might think about jotting down your initial thoughts after your first studying, after which noting how your ideas changed after you re-read the poem. At this step, you already know the way to write a important analysis of a poem and you’ve got all the data required to write down a critical analysis of a poem. In the physique of your important evaluation, cite actual lines of the poem to assist your thesis.
In the conclusion of poem evaluation essay, one ought to evaluation the major points mentioned. In addition, the essay writer ought to give an explanation as to why the poet felt the subject of the poem was crucial. Besides, the concluding paragraph ought to have a relationship with the beginning of the essay like emphasizing on a sentence or phrase used at the start.
You may use it as a guide or pattern for writing your personal paper, however keep in mind tocite it accurately. Donât submit it as your individual as will probably be considered plagiarism. Your thesis must be something disputable â a statement you will defend with the assistance of proof from the text. For example, “Straightforward language utilized by William Shakespeare in his Sonnet 18, demonstrates the soundness and truthfulness of a deep feeling versus whorled rhetoric of flirt and seduction.” She has written for MacMurray College and has expertise writing about education, stitching and crafts, health care and spiritual subjects. Palmby holds a Bachelor of Science in English from MacMurray College.
By counting the variety of strains, you possibly can establish a stanza. There are couplets , tercets , quatrains , cinquains , sestets , septets and octaves . A sonnet, for example, often accommodates an octave and a sestet.
Awesome nursing topic help in such a brief amount of time. If potential, select a poem that you simply wish to write about. All you need to do to make it happen is send us your rubric and one of our writers will craft you an unique paper. My paper was done 10 hours later, no stupid questions, he nailed it.
To analyze a poem, you have to break it down into all its necessary components and explain how they work collectively to create an effect or reinforce a meaning. Read your project carefully to search out out what youâre being requested to do, since there are many ways to present an analysis. You could, for example, be required to do research to be able to incorporate the opinion of literary critics into your individual analysis. Or you may be requested to present solely your individual interpretation. In any case, earlier than you write, you want a stable understanding of the poem or poems youâll be analyzing. This handout will allow you to break down a poem into its key components and get you began on writing a thesis.
Poetry is tough to interpret as a result of it consists of the intense compression of information in very few phrases. On the other hand, prose may be very direct and often written in the same language that is spoken during that era. Prose normally says what it means, whereas there is not any single interpretation in relation to poetry. Hopkinsâs question in the fourth line focuses his readers on the current historical second; in considering why men are no longer God-fearing, the emphasis is on ânow.â The reply is a posh one. The second quatrain accommodates an indictment of the way a cultureâs neglect of God interprets into a neglect of the setting. But it additionally means that the abuses of previous generations are partly responsible; they’ve dirty and âsearedâ our world, further hindering our capacity to access the holy.
The comparability of the authorâs book to a lone child getting into the world parallels the authorâs final words to her book, suggesting that she desires one of the best for it despite its shortcomings. All of the authorâs actions in order to revise her e-book didn’t meet her requirements, but that does not cause her to give up on it fully before it is made public. Anne Bradstreetâs âThe Author to Her Bookâ reflects on an authorâs feelings to her guide after it’s published and critiqued as an unfinished product. The poem uses the controlling metaphor of an author and her e-book to the relationship of a loving mother and her youngster to precise the authorâs complicated attitude that shifts all through the course of the work. Diction, apostrophe, and the first-person perspective are incorporated alongside the controlling metaphor to convey the speakerâs true feelings. | <urn:uuid:1b0e841f-4e12-40ff-8ad6-fcffb5f908ff> | CC-MAIN-2022-27 | https://dgardenmelaka.com/2022/06/05/poetry-analysis-of-introduction-to-poetry-free-essay-example/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-27/segments/1656104668059.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20220706060502-20220706090502-00792.warc.gz | en | 0.953846 | 1,115 | 2.828125 | 3 |
|PISARZ:||Isabel Sanchez Vegara|
|FORMAT:||PDF EPUB MOBI TXT|
...incredible life of Harriet Tubman, the Underground Railroad conductor who "never lost a single passenger ... Little People, Big Dreams - LoveReading4Kids ... ." Little Harriet was born into slavery on a plantation in Maryland. Though life was hard, Harriet persisted. She used all of her strength and bravery to escape slavery ... Part of the critically acclaimed Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the incredible life of Mother Teresa, along with her message of love and charity. Agnes (later to become Mother Teresa) was born in Skopje, Macedonia. From an early age, she knew she w ... Little People, BIG DREAMS 16: My First Josephine Baker ... ... . Agnes (later to become Mother Teresa) was born in Skopje, Macedonia. From an early age, she knew she wanted to dedicate herself to religion. She was fascinated by stories of missionaries helping people and wanted to do the same. This board book version of Amelia Earhart—an international bestseller from the beloved Little People, BIG DREAMS series—introduces the youngest dreamers to the world-famous aviation pioneer. When Amelia was young, she liked to imagine she could stretch her wings and fly away like a bird. As a grown woman, she set a new female world record for flying up to 14,000 feet. Amazon.in - Buy Little People, Big Dreams: Mother Teresa book online at best prices in India on Amazon.in. Read Little People, Big Dreams: Mother Teresa book reviews & author details and more at Amazon.in. Free delivery on qualified orders. Pequeña & GRANDE Series 26 primary works • 26 total works Pequeña & Grande es una colección de cuentos con la que niñas y no tan niñas descubrirán quiénes eran y qué lograron las más grandes mujeres de la historia contemporánea. This board book version of Ella Fitzgerald—an international bestseller in the beloved Little People, BIG DREAMS series—introduces the youngest dreamers to the First Lady of Song, from her early singing days on the streets of Harlem to her success as a jazz legend. Ella Fitzgerald grew up near Harlem, in New York, where she was surrounded by music and dance. Little People, Big Dreams. Little girls with dreams become women with great vision. ... Tubman Jane Austen Jane Goodall Josephine Baker Lucy Maud Montgomery Maria Montesorri Marie Curie Maya Angelou Mother Teresa Muhammed Ali Rosa Parks Simone de Beauvoir Stephen Hawking Vivienne Westwood We have a special category for the Little People, Big ... Rosa Parks Book (Little People, BIG DREAMS) Read Aloud for Kids - Duration: 3:19. ... An Emoji ABC Book of Feelings by Evan Nimke - Duration: 4:15. Valley of the Moon Learning 4,063 views. 4:15.... | <urn:uuid:3ef3a809-a97b-4e23-8f99-ff992364bf2b> | CC-MAIN-2021-17 | https://columbiatbg.org/196580-keRuAQ-little-people-big-dreams-15-my-first-mother-teresa-board-book | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-17/segments/1618038460648.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20210417132441-20210417162441-00059.warc.gz | en | 0.825799 | 636 | 2.65625 | 3 |
The abacus is a tool, just like the calculator is a tool. Your smartphone’s calculator app — that’s a tool, too.
But are numbers themselves a tool? That’s the case Caleb Everett makes in his new book, “Numbers and the Making of Us: Counting and the Course of Human Cultures.” Everett, a professor of anthropology at the University of Miami, shows that numbers — or the words and symbols we use to represent specific quantities — emerged through a series of slow historical steps. Numbers may feel instinctual. They may seem simple and precise. But Everett synthesizes the latest research from archaeology, anthropology, psychology and linguistics to argue that our counting systems are not just vital to human culture but also were invented by that culture. “Numbers are not concepts that come to people naturally and natively,” he writes. “Numbers are a creation of the human mind.”
I spoke to Everett by phone about the book.
Craig Fehrman: Are human beings hardwired to think numerically?
Caleb Everett: We seem to have some kind of innate predisposition to numbers, but it’s smaller than you’d think. At an early age, we have the ability to tell the difference between bigger groups — between, say, eight things and 16 things. We can also tell one thing from two things or two things from three things. But other primates like chimps can do that. And once you get to four things, it starts to get tricky.
CF: That’s where numbers come in, right? In your book, you suggest that our five-fingered hands — and the fact that we walk on our legs and keep those hands free — may have played a big role here.
CE: My suspicion is that there were many, many times in history when people realized in an ephemeral way that this quantity is the same as that quantity — that this five, in terms of their fingers, is the same as that five, in terms of goats or sheep. It’s no coincidence that many unrelated languages have a numerical structure built around 10 or that the word for five is often the same as the word for hand. Once someone else heard you referring to something as a “hand” of things, it became a cognitive tool that could be passed around and preserved within a particular culture.
CF: Once a particular culture has numbers, what does that allow?
CE: The way our cultures look, and the kinds of technology we have, would be radically different without numbers. Large nation-states aren’t really possible without numbers. Large agricultural societies aren’t possible, either.
Let’s say that two agricultural states in Mesopotamia, more than 5,000 and maybe as many as 8,000 years ago, wanted to trade with each other. To trade precisely, and we can see this in the archaeological record, they needed to quantify. So they cooked up these small clay tokens, with each token representing a certain quantity of a certain commodity like grain or beer. The tokens were then cooked inside a clay vessel that could be transported and cracked open. It was essentially a contract — you owe me this many whatever.
At some point someone realized that in addition to putting the tokens in the vessel, they could make marks on the outside of the vessel for how many tokens were inside. And then someone realized the iconographical marks were enough to convey the meaning. Something like writing wasn’t invented in one fell swoop. But it’s not a stretch to say that the letters we write with in books and on websites owe a lot to that Mesopotamian system.
CF: In your book, you also write about your extensive fieldwork with anumeric peoples, or hunter-gatherer cultures that do not possess their own words or symbols for counting.
CE: There are about 7,000 languages in the world today, and the vast majority have numbers systems. But dozens have systems with only a handful of numbers. And a few languages and other communications systems, like the Pirahã’s in Brazil, have only imprecise words like hói [one or a couple] and hoí [a few]. Many experiments have shown that without numbers, the Pirahã struggle with basic quantitative tasks. They have a hard time matching one set of objects to another set of objects — lining up, say, eight spools of thread next to eight balloons. It gets even harder when they have to recall an exact quantity later.
It’s important to stress that these people are totally normal and totally intelligent; if you took a Pirahã person and raised them in a Portuguese home, they would learn numbers just fine. But without recourse to a number system, they struggle with counting. It’s an example of how powerful these cognitive tools can be.
CF: It’s also a hint at what humans were like before numbers, or what other cultures would be like without numbers today.
CE: Right. We’re not so special as a species as we sometimes think. Concepts that seem so simple to us — like “what is a prime number?” or “what is pi?” — took humans thousands of years and haphazard processes to arrive at.
You may think, “I’m a numbers person.” Well, no, you’re not. Playing soccer is not innate, even though some humans are better at soccer than others. Numbers are the same way. You’re not innately a mathematician. You benefit from the cultural innovations that came before you. You’re much more like the Pirahã than you realize. | <urn:uuid:15e64725-006f-4376-86c7-127525dc3c66> | CC-MAIN-2019-22 | https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-do-we-count/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-22/segments/1558232256546.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20190521182616-20190521204616-00115.warc.gz | en | 0.966122 | 1,192 | 3.21875 | 3 |
Earlier this week, the New Hampshire Legislature voted to allow alkaline hydrolysis, a process for the disposal of human remains, by which bodies are dissolved into a liquid. The technique, sometimes referred to as bio-cremation or resomation, uses a mixture of water and sodium hydroxide (lye), and involves heating the body at a high temperature, as well as at a high pressure, which allows the body to effectively be broken down into its chemical components. The result is a thick liquid substance and fine bone fragments which can be turned into ashes and returned to the family. The sterile liquid remains are then flushed into the sewer system or used a fertilizer. A bit graphic to think of, but that’s how it works.
The process is another method of disposition (like earth burial or cremation), although there are very few similarities to traditional cremation. The Legislature voted to allow the process back in 2006, but reversed itself the next year and banned it. In 2009, the bill was brought to the table again, but failed.
Those in favor of alkaline hydrolysis argue that it is an earth-friendly alternative to burial or traditional cremation, with fewer greenhouse emissions. Proponents say it is sterile and in most cases can be safely poured down the drain. While opponents consider it to be “undignified” and have an issue with these remains being sent to the sewer treatment plant. Those challenging the bill also want to make sure that the process is regulated properly by the state.
I believe that people should have the right to choose and it’s good to have options. I, however, am eager to see what parameters are put in place to ensure that the state is regulating the process appropriately to prevent any issues.
To my knowledge there are no funeral homes in the state, including ours, that are considering or planning to install an alkaline hydrolysis system anytime soon. Nationwide there is very little demand for this process (less than half of 1% of the population chose this option last year) and due to the high investment in the technology, the cost generally exceeds the price for a traditional cremation. | <urn:uuid:2a86a2f3-0734-46d2-b3e0-f88f739e87b2> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://phaneuf.net/blog/alkaline-hydrolysis-under-review-by-nh-senate | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141735395.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20201204071014-20201204101014-00336.warc.gz | en | 0.961666 | 442 | 2.890625 | 3 |
Horizons is an innovative program for teaching reading that provides solid, systematic instruction using proven Direct Instruction techniques, updated with current research on beginning reading. A unique instructional sequence incorporates word attack, story reading, comprehension exercises, spelling and independent work on a daily basis to ensure success. Levels A, B, and Fast Track A-B build a solid foundation for fluency and comprehension by systematically teaching phonemic awareness and phonics. Fast Track C-D expands key decoding and vocabulary skills while developing higher order thinking and comprehension strategies.
Buy Horizons Level B, Literature Guide book by McGraw-Hill Education from Australia's Online Bookstore, Boomerang Books.
(685mm x 528mm x 25mm)
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education - Europe
Country of Publication:
Author Biography - McGraw-Hill Education
McGraw-Hill authors represent the leading experts in their fields and are dedicated to improving the lives, careers, and interests of readers worldwide | <urn:uuid:20d9e184-2f13-4082-98d5-f688bfab8917> | CC-MAIN-2017-13 | https://www.boomerangbooks.com.au/book.cfm?isbn=9780028307817 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-13/segments/1490218189471.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20170322212949-00299-ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.827879 | 198 | 3 | 3 |
The University of Michigan had a total enrollment of 48,090 students in fall 2019, but apart from people flooding Ingalls Mall during Festifall or joining the crowd walking toward the Big House on game day, there has seldom been a moment I’ve felt the weight of how huge the University actually is. People are constantly bustling through the Diag, earbuds in, laughing with friends or climbing up the steps to Hatcher. However, I’ve never seen such concentrated effort and clear community support as on March 15 and Sept. 20 for the Washtenaw County Climate Strikes. University students and community members alike showed up en masse to speak out against Ann Arbor’s and the University of Michigan’s complacency in the climate crisis and the need for immediate, direct action. While activism and protests on campus have occurred around me for all five of my semesters, the climate movement has made itself visible and loud — despite the University’s unwillingness to listen.
The University has a well-documented history of student activism that ranges from widespread participation in the civil rights movement in the 1960s to strong anti-war efforts during the Vietnam War. Students at the University have historically invoked their freedom of assembly as a response to social and political change off campus and to promote institutional accountability and awareness in Ann Arbor.
Today, students continue this legacy by organizing protests, teach-ins, social media campaigns and strikes. They do so with the goal of addressing injustices the University has seen in recent years — acts of racism on campus, controversial sexual misconduct policies and the obvious lack of climate action efforts. While the scope of these movements can vary student activists have been deliberate in using grassroots organizing to make their causes accessible while making clear demands for local action.
Past student activism — particularly the anti-apartheid movement — reflects the obstacles institutions create for activists who are fighting to have their needs met. The anti-apartheid movement was prominent on campus from the mid-1970s to the late 1980s, and was fueled by nationwide protests at universities with investments in corporations linked to apartheid in South Africa. These conversations were part of great political, economic and ethical discourse, not only in Ann Arbor, but across the entire U.S. On March 16, 1978, the Daily published a near-full page spread headlined “How nation views S. African holdings,” with two separate subsections titled “Congress frowns on investments” and “Business, unions join debate …” The piece includes an editor’s note commenting that this article preceded the University’s Board of Regents monthly meeting where the board was expected to discuss what to do — if anything — about University investment in South African companies.
The piece outlines the arguments for and against divestment following a report to the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations’s Subcommittee on African Affairs, where it was determined “the net effect of American investment has been to strengthen the economic and military self-sufficiency of South Africa’s apartheid regime.” This led to three different recommendations by Congress, which included cutting U.S. credit to South Africa, denying tax credit to U.S. corporations paying taxes to the South African government or withholding the official endorsement of private groups that defend South African investment. While none of these recommendations were direct divestment, the subcommittee commented on the potential need for stronger action, should the recommendations prove ineffective.
The prominent national conversations regarding investments were focused on by students and The Michigan Daily. As The Daily reported on March 18, 1978, then-editors requested the Board of Student Publications to “withdraw the paper’s assets from University investment pool” in protest of the Regents’ inaction on divestment from South African companies. The request was denied.
The Daily then reported more in-depth on the board’s decisions in its March 19, 1978 edition.
It was explained that the board “adopted Regent Thomas Roach’s resolution, which calls on the University to vote at shareholders’ meetings in favor of reforming the apartheid governmental and social structure in South Africa.” This resolution also called for the University to write to other corporations to encourage the adoption of the anti-discriminatory Sullivan principles, which are two corporate codes of conduct that promote corporate social responsibility.
To contextualize anti-apartheid sentiment on campus, South African graduate student Leonard Suransky commented to The Daily for the March 19, 1978 article: “The name University of Michigan goes before you and echoes around the world. … Always the term education is linked to morality … we are not going to change South African policy by politicking with our stocks.”
The inaction of the board caused a continual push for change, with activists making their concerns and voices known and causing significant strife between the board and the Washtenaw County Coalition Against Apartheid. This led to mass demonstrations in and outside board meetings, with events like the March 15-16, 1979 Board of Regents meeting where WCCAA organized a protest with over 200 students, demanding a review of South African investment and its immediate divestment. This prompted the board to issue a temporary restraining order against WCCAA — and the arrest of two students. University President Allan Smith, in a letter to the public, emphasized that the Regents’ agreement to review investments was strong enough, and the need for “action now”, which the students were calling for, was inappropriate.
Small wins came alongside more student protests, and demonstrations regarding both divestment and the administration’s silencing of student activism became routine. On April 19, 1979, the Regents meeting was protested by WCCAA participants wearing gags, who had stated through a press release that “we are gagged today because; a) the Regents have used the courts to stifle the spirit of the Open Meetings Act; b) for two years the Board of Regents have avoided open discussion of divestment; c) in South Africa, to call for divestment is a violation of the Terrorism Act of 1967, which is punishable by a minimum sentence of 5 years and a maximum sentence of death.” These protests continued alongside the board’s votes against divestment, until May 1979, when “the University divested $227,647 from Black and Decker Manufacturing Company.”
With help from the Michigan legislature — led by state Rep. Perry Bullard, D-Ann Arbor — legally-driven divestment became possible. Student protests continued to draw attention to the anti-apartheid movement at the University, and the protests continued well into the late 1980s as the University fought legal battles against state bills, particularly Bullard’s House Bill 4553, which was eventually signed into law on Dec. 31, 1982 and became Public Act 512. This act forced the divestment of Michigan public colleges and universities from South African companies, and the University had until April 1, 1984, to completely divest these stocks.
While the University fought in court against the law, largely over semantics regarding the “unconstitutional intrusion upon the powers and the authority of the Regents to direct expenditures of the University’s funds,” they did come to the “90% Solution,” which divested the University from all American corporations that operated in South Africa, excluding those with significant impact in the state of Michigan.
In the same way that longstanding, public protests against apartheid led to campus awareness and support, environmental activism has been extremely visible following the mass participation of locals and University students in the March 15, 2019 Washtenaw County Climate Strike. This strike was part of the Global Climate Strike and Fridays for Future movement created by environmentalist Greta Thunberg in August 2018. The demands of the Washtenaw County Climate Strike, an initiative put together by a number of Ann Arbor climate activism groups, including but not limited to the University’s Climate Action Movement, included a subsection titled “Stay Committed in Good Faith: Create Ambitious Climate Goals and Accountable Decision-Making Processes,” which was echoed by a sit-in staged in the University’s Fleming Administration Building following the rally.
At this March sit-in, protesters had one demand before they would agree to leave: President Mark Schlissel commit to having a minimum one-hour public meeting moderated by a student of the organizers’ choice. Ten protesters were then arrested. And despite Schlissel’s letter to the Climate Action Movement six days later, following the arrests, in which he agreed to meet this single demand with a public session that was subsequently planned for and held April 9, the charges against the climate protesters continued and are still continuing. Calls for the administration to drop these charges has become a central push of climate activists, with the Climate Action Movement circulating a petition that currently has more than 700 signatures.
The Climate Action Movement is “a coalition of University stakeholders … that are driving the President, Regents and Deans to enact sustainability policy and ethics that reflect the values of the broader U of M community with a focus on the commitment to, and attainment of, carbon neutrality.”
U.S. News & World Report published a piece headlined “10 Universities With the Biggest Endowments” in which the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, was ranked eighth with an $11,733,013,000 end of fiscal year 2018 endowment. The article defines university endowments as “the value of their investments based on donated money and financial assets, which can total billions of dollars,” and contextualizes the use of these funds across university expenses. A National Association of College and University Business Officers study from earlier this year, examining 802 U.S. colleges and universities, found that an average of 49 percent of endowment funds are dedicated to student scholarships and financial aid programs, while others are funelled into university projects, like the construction of residence halls.
With this understanding of the endowment in mind, the topic of divestment has been contentious between climate activists and the University administration, with Schlissel publicly stating in his April 9 public session that “Essentially, we don’t divest. It’s not this cause, it’s essentially all causes. … We get more payout from our endowment here than we get money from the state of Michigan, so it’s really critical for us as a robust university. … If we begin the process of narrowing what the endowment can invest in, based on very valid arguments and concerns from sincere people, the ability to invest shrinks, the value of the endowment goes down and the institution suffers. We’re just not going to divest.”
Despite the endowment’s vast economic complexity and the administration’s dedication to maintaining a robust and open business strategy, the Climate Action Movement stands behind the push to divest the $1.12 billion the University has invested in natural resources according to the 2018 Report of Investments. Natural resources are defined in the report as “investments in companies located primarily in the U.S. that produce oil and natural gas, and companies that service those industries, as well as non-energy related investments in minerals, mining, and wetland restoration.” Despite Schlissel’s statements concerning the lack of will of the University to divest regardless of the cause, members of the Climate Action Movement have a clear basis to point back to the historical precedent of the anti-apartheid movement. There are reasons for the economic separation between the University and ethically problematic industries.
When discussing the call for divestment and the response of the administration, Sasha Bishop, a member of the Climate Action Movement and Ph.D. student in ecology and evolutionary biology, stated “one of the arguments that we’ve heard a lot from the University is that the endowment is not political, right, but they have actually in the past taken the stance that it is, given the instances where they divested from apartheid and tobacco.”
Contextualizing the Climate Action Movement with pushes against morally abhorrent investment from the past gives clarity to the extent to which student activism must go in order to receive credible attention from influential institutions like the University. In the case of apartheid, it took years of student protests to prompt the involvement of the state legislature, which led to the University’s eventual push toward the blatantly clear and ethical choice of divestment. With the 20/20 vision that historical hindsight gives, the University’s eventual, 90-percent divestment from South Africa can be seen as a stand against the wrongdoing of an oppressive government and something to proudly stand behind — despite the University’s shameful years-long fight against moral political activism.
Dim Mang, LSA senior and Climate Action Movement member, cited two of the Climate Action Movement’s biggest demands — divestment from fossil fuels and carbon neutrality by 2030 — and commented on the importance of care when working with a coalition. She stated that “Working in coalition with whether it’s undocumented rights or affordable housing … we are trying to be as supportive as possible. But our main goals have really been the divestment from fossil fuel initiatives, and then carbon neutrality.”
Mang then went on to comment on the University’s response to the activism she’s been involved with on campus. According to Mang, “They have the same response to all student activism, which is that they’ll give you just a little bit so that they can kind of keep you at bay, but they won’t give you what you actually need to be able to sustain and do the work you want to do.”
Climate activists have echoed Mang’s frustration over the University’s cosmetic responses to the activism happening, with solutions that only work to placate the movement. This is evident in contradictory actions like Schlissel’s April 9 public session, despite the University’s choice to continue prosecuting the climate activists who were arrested on March 15 to have this meeting. Or the creation of the President’s Commission on Carbon Neutrality which is intended to “(develop) recommendations for how to achieve carbon neutrality for U-M, as well as develop scalable and transferable strategies that can be used by other institutions and larger communities to achieve the same goal.” However, the University does not allow the commission to discuss either divestment or the expansion of the Central Power Plant, an institution that continues and will continue to tie us to fossil fuels.
As a touted research institution, with an entire school dedicated to sustainability and the environment, the University is aware of the dangers of climate change. Climate change is upon us. It was stated at a U.N. General Assembly this March that there are only 11 years left to prevent irreversible damage from climate change. But for many communities of color, low-income communities, indigenous communities, members of the LGBTQ community and other marginalized peoples, the time is already up and the effects are already real. Climate action must come now, and the University must listen to the voices of its students and faculty who refuse to accept complacency. Climate action is ethical social justice, and it must be prioritized.
The University continues to respond to climate activism with a mixture of appeasement and suppression, but student activism must go on and pressure the University to take the proper stand against the climate crisis. It is laborious work, but necessary in making student voices heard.
Bishop ended our interview by commenting on the importance of student activism on the University campus. After citing the University’s mission statement, “to serve the people of Michigan and the world,” she stated “And so in that sense, from my perspective, at least, (the University is) beholden to actually listen to students when they are saying that something is wrong. The University is not actually serving the people of Michigan, and the people of the world in the way that it should be.”
“And when it comes to climate change, we really are talking about the subject of the entire planet.”
Erin White is a Senior Opinion Editor and can be reached at email@example.com. | <urn:uuid:14e63423-64db-4156-873c-adcd8b924922> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.michigandaily.com/statement/climate-inaction/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224655247.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20230609032325-20230609062325-00502.warc.gz | en | 0.960306 | 3,356 | 2.640625 | 3 |
The wheelchair basketball matches here at the Paralympics have given a glimpse of how disability sport could one day cross into the mainstream.
Yesterday's game between Great Britain and the USA was the perfect example; fast, combative and thrilling, it had a passion and excitement that would have appealed to any sports fan -- even one who has no interest in the Paralympics.
But the needs of the athletes in sports like wheelchair basketball are also driving huge advances in the technology used to assist disabled people.
Wheelchairs must be fast and light -- yet strong enough to withstand the rigours of the sport.
Over at the Paralympic Village, technicians from Otto Bock have a large tent which they've transformed into a repair shop, fixing hundreds of mangled wheelchairs and cracked prosthetic limbs.
The head of the repair service, Kevin Harney, says it's the athletes that are pushing forward the developments in wheelchair technology, taking products already available and customizing them for the needs of their sport.
The same is true with prosthetics.
Athlete Brian Frasure, for example, is himself a prosthetist. He's helping to design the artificial limbs that are enabling Paralympics to set new world records.
The down side is that not everyone can benefit from these technological developments.
Sports wheelchairs and state-of-the-art prosthetic limbs cost thousands of pounds -- putting them beyond the reach of many Paralympians from developing countries. | <urn:uuid:40c63a62-94ec-4ce4-bdde-8c63ebf3142d> | CC-MAIN-2017-09 | http://stuarthughes.blogspot.com/2004/09/wheelchair-basketball-matches-here-at.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-09/segments/1487501171004.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20170219104611-00315-ip-10-171-10-108.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957648 | 300 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Shale gas development has been of increasing importance in the US for some years, but exploration has only just begun in the UK. The potential of producing shale gas from a suitable formation can only...
Shale gas development has been of increasing importance in the US for some years, but exploration has only just begun in the UK. The potential of producing shale gas from a suitable formation can only be established by fracturing the rock, and it happens that the fracturing of the first shale gas well in the UK, at Preese Hall near Blackpool last year, resulted in noticeable seismic tremors. These were not at a level which could cause any damage, but seismic activity at this level was not an expected consequence of the fracking activity, and DECC therefore suspended all fracking operations for shale gas pending a thorough investigation of the causes of these tremors and the scope for mitigation of seismic risks in any future operations of this type. I am announcing today the outcome of that investigation and the way forward on exploration for shale gas in the UK.
Having carefully reviewed the evidence with the aid of independent experts, and with the aid of an authoritative review of the scientific and engineering evidence on shale gas extraction conducted by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society, I have concluded that appropriate controls are available to mitigate the risks of undesirable seismic activity. Those new controls will be required by my Department for all future shale gas wells. On that basis, I am in principle prepared to consent to new fracking proposals for shale gas, where all other necessary permissions and consents are in place.
This opens the way to a resumption of work on exploration for shale gas, though I stress the importance of the other regulatory consents, and planning permission, which are also necessary for these activities, and which must be in place before my Department will consider consent to individual operations. In practice, it will be well into next year before any new exploration work has all the necessary consents to proceed. Whether any production operations may be proposed will depend on the success of the exploration work, but, in any event, this is likely to be some years away yet.
The background is that, in most oil and gas fields worldwide, the oil or gas is extracted from a relatively porous rock, usually a sandstone or calcareous rock, in which it has been accumulated or trapped. The original source of the petroleum however lies elsewhere, in deeper formations of non-porous rocks classed as shales. These shale source rocks are widely distributed around the world, and exist in many areas of the UK.
It has long been recognised that very substantial quantities of oil and gas were trapped in these shales, but the scope for its economic extraction seemed small - largely because the rock in its natural state allows the oil and gas to flow into a well only at very low rates. In the last twenty years, however, further development of oilfield technology, first in the Barnett Shale in Texas, has enabled economic large-scale extraction of gas, and oil, from these source rocks.
One of the key technologies involved is hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. This is carried out by pumping water at high pressure into the shale formation, which forms blade-like fractures, a few millimetres wide and extending several hundred feet away from the well bore. Once the fractures have started to form, sand or a similar material is pumped in, to hold the fractures open once the pressure is released. The fractures can continue to grow only so long as pressure is maintained. When the fractures have sufficiently developed, the pressure is released and the frac fluid, followed by the released gas, can flow into the well. The process is not novel and is also widely used in conventional oil and gas production, It is however, more intensively used in the production of shale gas.
It has been recognised for some time that injection of large quantities of water into the subsurface can cause seismic tremors. This has happened, for example, in those areas of the US in which disposal of waste water into deep injection wells is permitted. However, the quantities of water used in fracking are substantially smaller, and up until the time of the Preese Hall tremors, no association had been recognised between injection of these smaller volumes and any seismic activity. The analysis carried out by Cuadrilla’s advisers, and confirmed by our independent panel of experts, has however concluded that the most likely cause of the tremors is the movement of the frac fluid into and along a fault which was already under stress. The additional pressure of the fluid allowed the fault to move, releasing the energy stored in the fault and resulting in the perceived tremors at the surface.
Our experts advise that there are many other faults in the Lancashire area which similarly have unrelieved stresses, and could in a similar scenario likewise result in tremors. Because of the relatively weak nature of these rocks, the amount of energy likely to be stored in these faults is not large, and the largest earthquake likely in this area from such a cause is assessed at magnitude 3. While this is not large enough to cause significant material damage, it would be perceptible and disturbing. I consider that new controls to minimise disturbance to those living and working nearby, and to prevent the risk of any damage, are now a prerequisite for further exploration.
I am therefore announcing new controls to mitigate these risks, which will be applied to all future fracking operations for shale gas. As this is a developing area of knowledge, I stress that we will be moving forward with appropriate caution. The controls are not at this stage to be regarded as definitive, but as appropriate precautionary measures for our present state of knowledge. Initial operations under these controls will be subject to careful scrutiny to ensure the effectiveness of the controls. And they will be reviewed, as experience develops, to ensure that they are proportionate to the risks. The controls will be enforced by my Department, though the data obtained will of course be shared with other regulators.
Operators will first be required to review the available information on faults in the area of the proposed well to minimise the risk of activating any fault by fracking, and required to monitor background seismicity before operations commence. Real time seismic monitoring will also continue during operations, with these subject to a “traffic-light” regime, so that operations can be quickly paused and data reviewed if unusual levels of seismic activity is observed.
We will also be requiring operators to take a more cautious approach to the duration and volumes of fluid used in the fracking itself. A fracking plan will be required to be submitted to my Department before consent is given to any fracking. The fracking plan should be progressive, starting with the injection of small volumes of fluid and analysing the resulting data carefully before the full stage. Each stage of the frac will be carefully designed to use just enough fluid to create a fracture sufficient to enable gas to flow. A flow-back period will be required immediately after each stage to re-balance the pressures. Real-time recording of earthquakes during and for 24 hours after each stage of the frac will be analysed to look for abnormal induced events amidst the normal background seismicity.
Operators will also be required to monitor the growth in height of the frac away from the borehole. This will allow the operator to evaluate the effectiveness of the frac, but also ensure that the actual fracture is conforming to its design, and that it remains contained and far away from any aquifers.
So far as Cuadrilla’s current exploration programme in Lancashire is concerned, the remedial action level for the traffic light system (that is, the “red light”) will be set at magnitude 0.5 (far below a perceptible surface event, but larger than the expected level generated by the fracturing of the rock). I consider that this is an appropriately precautionary approach. We received representations in our consultation that this is too cautious, by comparison with the control protocols established for geothermal energy, construction and quarrying projects. I emphasise that this level is adopted only for fracking operations for shale gas, and the reasons for setting it at this level are entirely specific to the context. And it may well prove to be the case that, as our experience of applying this type of control to fracking operations develops, it can be confirmed that trigger levels can be adjusted upwards without compromising the effectiveness of the controls.
For the first few operations, DECC will have an independent expert on site to observe the operator’s conformance to the protocols we have established and to monitor the operator’s interpretation of data. We will therefore be able to learn as much as possible from these first operations and to put the lessons promptly into effect. But it would clearly not be right, in our present state of knowledge, to attempt to establish definitive standards, and I have preferred to start on an explicitly cautious basis.
At the present time, no applications for consent to fracking operations for shale gas are outstanding, and it is too soon to say exactly how the new protocols will be applied to any such proposals which may come forward in other basins. I can say that we will apply the same principles, of careful prior analysis of the risk of seismic activity, progressive design of the fracking process and feedback from the emerging data, and systematic monitoring by the operators before, during and after the operations. We will also expect operators to make monitoring data promptly available to the public.
As I have noted, fracking is not exclusively associated with shale gas extraction, and fracking operations using smaller volumes of fluid have been carried out both onshore and offshore the UK for many years. These have not to date been associated with any seismic risk, nor is there any evidence for such risks from elsewhere. However, DECC will apply proportionate scrutiny to the possibility. Oil and gas operators proposing fracking will be required to submit an analysis of the risks of any seismic activity being caused by the proposed operations, to conduct appropriate monitoring, and to inform planning authorities and local residents. Appropriate levels of control will be imposed by DECC where the assessed risk is not negligible.
These new controls on seismic risks do not remove any of the existing regulatory controls and requirements. Consistent with previous practice, my Department will not give consent to specific fracking operations until all other consents are in place, including in particular planning permission, the obtaining of environmental permits from the Environment Agency or the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) as the case may be, and scrutiny by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE. Separate guidance is available from local planning authorities and regulators on how to acquire the relevant permissions and permits. Both the Environment Agency and SEPA have published sector-specific guidance for the shale gas industry.
However, I am well aware, in particular from the responses to our consultation on the report of our independent experts, that many people, including residents of Lancashire and other areas where shale gas exploration may be contemplated, have many other concerns besides the seismic risks, and it is only right that I should say how these other concerns are being addressed.
The development of shale gas in the US has been accompanied by an increasing level of debate on its environmental impacts. Many of the incidents reported have, on investigation, not been shown to be connected with oil and gas activity. However, they have given rise to concerns which in themselves are entirely reasonable. Residents in those areas want to be assured that their water will not be contaminated with gas or toxic chemicals, and the air will not be contaminated with noxious gases; that there will be no threat of damage from earthquakes; and that other kinds of disturbance such as traffic, lights and noise will be kept under control. In considering these concerns, I have had the benefit of the earlier report on shale gas by the Energy and Climate Change Committee, and many authoritative reports from the US, including two from the Secretary of Energy’s Advisory Board.
I have also had the benefit of the comprehensive and authoritative review of the risks of fracking by the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering which I have already mentioned. I can announce that the Government accepts all the recommendations of the academies’ report addressed to it. Work is already in hand to implement these recommendations, so far as the current phase of exploration activity is concerned. One further recommendation is being considered by the Research Councils to whom it was addressed.
The reports from US regulators and review bodies do confirm that gas developments there have, on occasion, led to water contamination. There are relatively few confirmed instances of this - most complaints on investigation have proved to be attributable to causes other than gas production. And no case has yet come to light in which it has been confirmed that fracking has contaminated an aquifer. But the instances of contamination which have occurred confirm the need for the industry to consistently apply good practice, and the need for proper scrutiny and oversight of the industry to ensure that this is in fact done.
So far as the UK is concerned, I believe that the industry has a good record, and that there are already in place robust regulatory controls on all oil and gas activities. On water contamination, first, all such operations are subject to scrutiny by the appropriate environment agency (the Environment Agency in respect of England and for the time being of Wales; and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in respect of Scotland). It is an offence to cause or knowingly permit poisonous noxious or polluting matter to enter controlled waters, which include ground waters. The environment agencies are statutory consultees in the planning process, and have to be consulted on all proposed borehole operations. A permit from the Environment Agency is required where fluids containing pollutants are injected into rock formations that contain groundwater. A permit may also be needed if the activity poses an unacceptable risk of mobilising natural substances that could then cause pollution. The permit will specify any necessary limits on the activity, any requirements for monitoring, the chemicals which may be used, and any appropriate limits on permissible concentrations. Regulators will take a risk based approach, and if the activity poses an unacceptable risk to the environment, it will not be allowed.
The academies’ report, and that of the Select Committee, also emphasise the importance in this context of the integrity of the well. This issue is central to the regulation of the safety of well operations by the HSE. The Executive have to be notified of all drilling operations for oil or gas, and will scrutinise the well design and operational plan. Additionally, the regulations require a full review of the proposed and actual well operations by an independent competent person, the “well examiner”. The academies in their report commented that this independent review is highly valuable, and made recommendations for strengthening it, which we of course accept and are already working on.
So far as the use of chemicals is concerned, the environment agencies take a risk-based approach to the regulation of the use of chemicals in shale gas fracking activities. The hazard potential of all substances proposed to be injected into the ground will be assessed and the use of substances hazardous to groundwater will not be permitted. The identity of all substances proposed for injection, and the agency’s conclusions on their hazard potential, will be publicly available.
Concern has also been expressed about the quantities of water used in fracking, or the disposal of waste water from the process. The water used may of course be obtained from licensed suppliers, but if directly abstracted by the operators, requires a licence from the environment agency. Licences will only be given where the agency is satisfied that a sustainable supply is obtainable.
Equally, disposal of waste water is subject to scrutiny by the agencies and will require a permit. The waste water from the operations in Lancashire has been found to contain low levels of radioactivity. A case-specific radiological assessment is required in support of any application for a permit for the disposal of radioactive waste. The agency will critically review any such assessment, and will only issue a permit if satisfied.
Concern has also been raised about the possibility of fracking leading to subsidence, but this is not considered a risk because of the strength and load-bearing characteristics of these rocks. And this is borne out by practical experience, because there is no report from the US of subsidence attributable to fracking, although the number of wells which have been fracked for shale gas is now in the hundreds of thousands.
A further major area of concerns was with the impacts of normal operations in terms of noise, traffic, impacts on health, etc. All proposals for oil and gas exploration require planning permission from the relevant minerals planning authority. The National Planning Policy Framework requires planning authorities to assess applications for all minerals developments so as to ensure that permitted operations do not have unacceptable adverse impacts on the natural or historical environment or on human health, including from noise, dust, visual intrusion, or migration of contamination from the site. In doing so, they should take into account the cumulative effects of multiple impacts from individual sites and/or a number of sites in a locality. Conditions can be placed on working hours at the site, numbers of traffic movements, etc., to ensure that any such impacts on local residents remain within acceptable bounds.
Other concerns which have been expressed are not to do with the current phase of exploration work but with the implications of a possible future move to production operations, if the exploration is successful. It is by no means certain that any such operations will ever be proposed, but if they were, a different set of considerations would arise, which I address further below. But as regards the concerns which have very reasonably been expressed about the current phase of exploration operations, I consider that the consistent application of good practice by the industry, supplemented by the additional action to control seismic hazards which I am announcing today, will ensure that there will be no unacceptable damage to the environment, or threat to the health of local residents, or interference with their lives.
I also consider that the existing regulatory framework already provides the means to ensure that the industry does apply good practice throughout its operations; and that it will do so consistently. But we are taking further steps to reinforce the regime. We have already set up a Strategy Group on Shale Gas at senior official level, with representation from the main Departments engaged in shale gas regulation, the Environment Agency and the HSE, to ensure that the work of the various bodies is well-coordinated. That group can already point to some successes in improving the coordination of regulation, for example, planned joint inspections of fracking operations by the HSE and the EA. And in the Gas Generation Strategy published last week, I announced that a new Office of Unconventional Gas and Oil will be set up in DECC to support this work as well as providing a single point of contact for investors and ensuring a streamlined regulatory process.
Accordingly, I am satisfied that fracking for shale gas can now in principle resume, and I will be prepared to consent to new proposals, subject to case-by-case scrutiny by my Department, to the new requirements to mitigate seismic hazards, and to confirmation that all other necessary permissions and consents are in place.
I should also mention one further outcome of the investigation of the tremors at Preese Hall. DECC has come to the conclusion that Cuadrilla’s response to the occurrence of the tremors demonstrated some weaknesses in its management of environmental risks. This conclusion has been discussed with the company, and they have in consequence reinforced their overall management structure, including by assigning to one board member specific responsibility for health and safety measures, and by reinforcing technical skills within the operational team. The effectiveness of these changes, and the resulting revised structure, is at present being reviewed for Cuadrilla by external consultants. Further fracking operations by Cuadrilla are in any case dependent upon the obtaining of new planning permissions and Environment Agency permits: but my final consent to new fracking operations will not be given until the conclusions of the external consultants have been discussed with the company, and any remaining points of concern addressed to the Department’s satisfaction.
As regards the implications of any future move to large-scale production, the concerns are principally of two kinds: on the one hand, concerns about the local or regional impacts on questions such as traffic movements, noise, night-time lighting, etc., or on the health of people living in the vicinity, or on regional water resources, or on tourism and other aspects of the local economy; on the other, concerns about wider issues including the implications of large scale shale gas production for climate change, for the UK’s climate change policies or for renewables investment.
As regards the local or regional impacts, it should be noted that the planning system requires permission to be obtained separately for exploration and production activities (and for any appraisal phase where distinguishable). There will therefore be a full opportunity to consider the local and regional impacts, including cumulative impacts, of any proposals to initiate production activities, before any such development takes place.
Planning procedures of course already provide for full consultation with communities who may be affected, and the planning authorities may require an Environmental Impact Assessment to be carried out. However, the academies have in addition recommended that an Environmental Risk Assessment should be mandatory for all shale gas operations, involving the participation of local communities at the earliest possible opportunity, and that this assessment should address risks across the entire lifecycle of shale gas extraction.
DECC will therefore take steps to enhance the existing frameworks for consultation and consenting to these activities, in line with these recommendations. Licensees will be required to carry out a comprehensive high-level assessment of environmental risks, including risks to human health, and covering the full cycle of the proposed operations, including well abandonment; and to consult with stakeholders including local communities, as early as practicable in the development of their proposals. The scope of these assessments would naturally be framed by the operations proposed, so that prospective future production operations would not be in scope for an assessment drawn up for exploration activities. Cuadrilla has been asked to conduct such an assessment in relation to their proposals for further exploration work in Lancashire.
This high-level assessment may inform the work entailed by risk assessments already required, for example under the Environmental Permitting Regulations, and which are consulted on separately by the Environment Agency, as well as work entailed by any Environmental Impact Assessment which may be required by the local planning authority. And together, these assessments will provide a full picture of the risks and impacts to inform effective engagement with local communities.
On health impacts, the Health Protection Agency is currently reviewing the evidence base on the health impacts of shale gas, with a particular focus on the health impacts of emissions to air, land and water. This review will identify any potential health risks, and inform both future regulation and any future health impact assessments that may be carried out.
As regards the wider concerns about the implications of large scale shale gas production for the UK’s climate change policies, etc., it is in general too early as yet to make any meaningful estimate of what these might be in the absence of any convincing estimate of what future production might be. But as there has been particular concern about the carbon footprint of shale gas operations, and in particular the possible impacts of fugitive emissions of methane, I should note that all shale gas operations will be subject to my Department’s long-standing policy on flaring and venting of methane. Venting of methane, which has been widely unregulated in the US prior to the recent proposals from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a new controls, is already required in the UK to be reduced to the minimum technically possible. Flaring of methane will also be required to be reduced to the economic minimum, so that where cost-effective routes for economic use of the gas are available, these must be used. These controls mean that UK oil and gas operations already meet the standards which the EPA is introducing, but the new Office will ensure that these work consistently with new controls which may be introduced by the Environment Agency in applying their legislation, and that methane emissions will continue to be minimised.
At the present time, methane emissions from oil and gas operations onshore are a very small part of our GHG emissions. The current estimate is that they contribute less than 1% to the total. And the relatively small number of wells which might be drilled in the current exploration phase will not in any case substantially increase that contribution. I therefore intend to commission a study into the possible impacts of shale gas extraction on greenhouse gas emissions. This will consider the available evidence on the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from shale gas exploitation, and the need for further research. I have invited Professor David Mackay, my Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser and Dr Tim Stone, the Expert Chair of the Office of Nuclear Development to undertake this work.
We are also taking steps to prepare the way for any future production phase, though this is likely to be some years away. We have commissioned more detailed work on the shale gas resources of Great Britain from the British Geological Survey (BGS) and this will be published early next year. I emphasise that this will provide only an estimate of the resource, the gas in the ground, and not the reserves, the amount of gas which can in practice be produced economically from that resource. Until more exploration work has been done, a significant number of wells fracked and production patterns established over time, it will not be possible to make any meaningful estimate of likely economically recoverable resources of shale gas in the United Kingdom.
Also, we will be acting on the academies’ recommendations that the regulatory bodies should assess the requirements for effective regulation of a significant future production phase, and that existing coordination should be maintained and strengthened. The new Office of Unconventional Gas and Oil will be taking this forward in collaboration with the other departments and agencies concerned. And the Environment Agency is already conducting a review of the implications of shale gas for its regulatory responsibilities, including the question of whether further controls and monitoring requirements are appropriate in respect of methane emissions. To facilitate future development, further consideration is being given to ensuring a streamlined and transparent regulatory process for environmental permitting.
We will also be taking steps to open the way to new onshore licensing. DECC had already commenced a Strategic Environmental Assessment in 2010, with a view to further onshore licensing, and conducted a public consultation in the latter part of that year. Work on the SEA has however been in abeyance following the seismic tremors in 2011. DECC will now commission further work on the environmental implications of further licensing, taking account of all new knowledge arising since the earlier assessment was compiled, and will conduct a full public consultation on the extended assessment. The results of this consultation will be fully considered before any decisions are taken on new licensing.
Many more questions of detail have been raised over the last year or so, particularly in the course of our consultation, and in this statement I have sought only to cover the principal issues of interest to the greatest number of respondents. I have today placed in the Libraries of both Houses and placed on my Department’s website a full synopsis of the questions raised and of the Government’s responses to them as well as a response on all of the recommendations of the academies’ study group. | <urn:uuid:84141c90-a62f-46ca-ac65-6a6477833331> | CC-MAIN-2015-18 | https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/written-ministerial-statement-by-edward-davey-exploration-for-shale-gas | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-18/segments/1429246639482.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20150417045719-00294-ip-10-235-10-82.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955702 | 5,534 | 2.640625 | 3 |
June 1, 1950
A Declaration of Conscience
As Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine boarded the Senate subway, she encountered the junior senator from Wisconsin, Joe McCarthy. “Margaret, you look very serious,” he said. “Are you going to make a speech?” Without hesitation, Smith replied: “Yes, and you will not like it!” The date was June 1, 1950, and Smith was about to deliver the most memorable speech of her long career.
Four months earlier, McCarthy had rocketed to national attention. In a well-publicized speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, he claimed to possess the names of 205 card-carrying communists in the State Department. Smith, like many of her colleagues, shared McCarthy's concerns about communist subversion, but she grew skeptical when he repeatedly ignored her requests for evidence to back-up his accusations. “It was then,” she recalled, “that I began to wonder about the validity... and fairness of Joseph McCarthy’s charges.”
At first, Smith hesitated to speak. “I was a freshman Senator,” she explained, “and in those days, freshman Senators were to be seen and not heard.” She hoped a senior member would take the lead. “This great psychological fear...spread to the Senate,” she noted, “where a considerable amount of mental paralysis and muteness set in for fear of offending McCarthy.” As the weeks passed, Smith grew increasingly angry with McCarthy’s attacks and his defamation of individuals she considered above suspicion. Bowing to Senate rules on comity, Smith chose not to attack McCarthy, but to denounce the tactics that were becoming known as “McCarthyism.”
"Mr. President," she began, "I would like to speak briefly and simply about a serious national condition.... The United States Senate has long enjoyed worldwide respect as the greatest deliberative body.... But recently that deliberative character has...been debased to...a forum of hate and character assassination." In her 15-minute address, delivered as McCarthy looked on, Smith endorsed every American’s right to criticize, to protest, and to hold unpopular beliefs. “Freedom of speech is not what it used to be in America,” she complained. “It has been so abused by some that it is not exercised by others.” She asked her fellow Republicans not to ride to political victory on the “Four Horsemen of Calumny–Fear, Ignorance, Bigotry, and Smear.” As she concluded, Smith introduced a statement signed by herself and six other Republican senators–her “Declaration of Conscience."
Her speech triggered a public explosion of support and criticism. “This cool breeze of honesty from Maine can blow the whole miasma out of the nation’s soul,” commented the Hartford Courant. “By one act of political courage, [Smith has] justified a lifetime in politics,” commented another. Newsweek magazine ran a cover story entitled “Senator Smith: A Woman Vice President?” Critics called her “Moscow-loving,” and much worse. McCarthy dismissed her and her supporters as “Snow White and the Six Dwarfs.”
Smith’s Declaration of Conscience did not end McCarthy’s reign of power, but she was one of the first senators to take such a stand. She continued to oppose him, at great personal cost, for the next four years. Finally, in December of 1954, the Senate belatedly concurred with the “lady from Maine” and censured McCarthy for conduct “contrary to senatorial traditions.” McCarthy’s career was over. Margaret Chase Smith’s career was just beginning.
Sherman, Janann. No Place for a Woman: A Life of Senator Margaret Chase Smith. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 2000. | <urn:uuid:95d64518-d2f3-47c4-bdce-319df87027b4> | CC-MAIN-2014-35 | http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/A_Declaration_of_Conscience.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-35/segments/1409535917663.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20140901014517-00300-ip-10-180-136-8.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974497 | 833 | 3.15625 | 3 |
Many of us American millennials were raised in the post-Reagan D.A.R.E. generation of “Just Say No” and “This is Your Brain on Drugs.” But within the past decade, the national discourse on recreational drugs has been changing. Harper’s Magazine recently published an article in which a Nixon aide revealed that their administration created the War on Drugs as a political tool to vilify black people and the antiwar left. If this was the case, how can we know what we were taught as children was true, and that the dangers of illegal drugs were based on scientific evidence?
Truth is, most were never given a chance. According to U.S. law, schedule I controlled substances are drugs classified as having “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse”. This puts marijuana, “magic mushrooms”, LSD, and MDMA in the same category as heroin — and in a stricter category than cocaine.
Conclusive, large-scale clinical trials had not been conducted prior to these four drugs’ scheduling — and since their scheduling, daunting regulatory hurdles halted research on psychedelics for decades. However, in this new age of challenging preconceptions about drugs, scientists are starting to explore new frontiers in research.
Public opinion on marijuana has come a long way within the 21st century alone. What was once attributed disparagingly to niche communities of hippies and burnouts is expanding its target audience, and business people, politicians, and doctors are now coming out in support of medical marijuana.
In states where medical marijuana is legal, it has been prescribed for chemotherapy-induced nausea, appetite stimulation in patients with debilitating chronic illnesses, muscle spasms from multiple sclerosis, nerve pain, epilepsy, Crohn’s disease, and more. However, since marijuana is not approved by the FDA, many of these uses have not been formally tested on a national level.
Some progress has begun: this past April, the DEA approved the first-ever national drug trial for marijuana for PTSD. And just this past month, The Salk Institute published research showing that compounds in marijuana may help promote the removal of amyloid-beta, a toxic protein present in Alzheimer’s disease, allowing nerve cells to survive.
2. Psilocybin mushrooms
Psychedelic therapy is an even fresher frontier. Psychedelics — by definition, “mind-manifesting” — are a group of drugs (LSD, MDMA, mushrooms, and others) that induce states of mind different from ordinary consciousness. It is believed that they may be used to explore the psyche on a transcendental level — which is why psychedelic plants, including mushrooms, have documented historical use in the religions of cultures globally.
Potential for use in modern therapy is evident from understanding the brain with mental illness: in depression and OCD, for example, an area of the brain involved in perception of self and sense integration is thought to be overactive, leading to rumination. With psilocybin mushrooms, the part of the brain associated with emotional thinking instead becomes more active and self-consciousness areas less active.
These hypotheses have lead to some successful preliminary research. A clinical trial in the Lancet Psychiatry journal has shown mushroom’s effects on lifting treatment-resistant depression, but larger, randomized control trials have yet to come. A Johns Hopkins trial has demonstrated psilocybin‘s efficacy in helping smokers quit. Studies conducted on patients through NYU and JHU showed improvement in end-of-life anxiety in terminal cancer patients who took psilocybin mushrooms. According to some patients’ first-hand accounts, it broke down their fears of death by reducing their self-conscious attachments and increasing their empathy towards others.
Though LSD is human-made, it too has a history of therapeutic use. In middle of the 20th century, before the FDA ban, psychotherapists started using LSD to break down boundaries and get their patients to open up. Bill Wilson, the founder of AA, deemed LSD beneficial for alcoholics in treating their addiction by helping a recovering addict reach their “moment of clarity.”
Now, just like with psilocybin, LSD has had some success helping those suffering from severe depression due to terminal illnesses. Positive trends have been observed in trials in the reduction of anxiety during LSD-assisted psychotherapy sessions.
MDMA is sometimes called an “empathogen” for its promotion of empathy, emotional openness, and connectivity with others. In fact, it was used in couples therapy until it became a schedule I drug in 1985. It is now being re-explored for use in therapy sessions with professionals, wherein a therapist or psychiatrist gives a small amount of MDMA to a patient and then has the patient discuss topics relevant to their life. MAPS, the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies, predicts that with current research underway MDMA-assisted therapy could be legal by 2021.
Many of these drugs sound scary to us on first mention because of what we’ve learned in school. But these perceptions need changing, because truth is — for marijuana, LSD, mushrooms, and MDMA, a lot of it is fear of the unknown. Scientific exploration is all about inquiry into the unknown, and for now, we are seeing potential for good use of these drugs in the healthcare world. | <urn:uuid:e84ab2ca-0686-4f55-ba0d-d4f8c2461fbe> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | https://thetempest.co/2016/07/18/now-beyond/this-is-what-they-didnt-teach-you-about-recreational-drugs/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875145533.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20200221142006-20200221172006-00235.warc.gz | en | 0.959035 | 1,105 | 2.640625 | 3 |
A founding member of the Impressionist movement in the late 1800s, Claude Monet was interested in plein air painting, in which he would capture the same site repeatedly, particularly depicting the differing effects of light and shadow on color throughout the day and night. He is particularly well known for his many varied paintings of haystacks, poplars, the Rouen Cathedral, and the water lilies from the pond at his home in Giverny.
This painting, entitled Pots de Tulipes, depicts pink, yellow, and red tulips in various stages of bloom. These flowers are further examples of the beloved landscape that surrounded his home in Giverny. Monet once said, “I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.” The tulips would eventually be a part of his garden, but, impatient, Monet painted them while they were still in their pots.
Quick brush strokes blur the lines of the subjects in Monet’s classic style, while his use of color creates light and shadows that play across the leaves and petals. Monet signed his name to this piece prominently, in large, slanted letters and bold, red paint. Since its creation in 1885, this work has been exhibited at the Musee Moderne in Brussels, and the Kunstverein in Frankfurt as well as gallery shows at Durand-Ruel and Bernheim Jeune.
The painting is included in Wildenstein’s definitive catalogue raisonne of Monet’s work, listed under catalog number 958. | <urn:uuid:537165c3-16da-4e3b-aba5-aa9b84cb232e> | CC-MAIN-2019-39 | https://www.heatherjames.com/multimedia/claude-monet/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-39/segments/1568514573444.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20190919060532-20190919082532-00053.warc.gz | en | 0.981633 | 320 | 3.046875 | 3 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.