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Virtual reality in engineering education: the future of creative learning
Abulrub, Abdul-Hadi G., Attridge, Alex and Williams, M. A. (Mark A.). (2011) Virtual reality in engineering education: the future of creative learning. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, Vol.6 (No.4). ISSN 1868-8799Full text not available from this repository.
Official URL: http://online-journals.org/i-jet/article/view/1766
Virtual reality has achieved an adequate level of development for it to be considered in innovative applications such as education, training, and research in higher education. Virtual reality offers both opportunities and challenges for the educational sector. One of the challenges of virtual reality technology is the costs associated which have been unaffordable for educational institutes. However, in recent years, computer hardware and software development has made it more feasible to incorporate virtual reality technology into future teaching strategies.
Despite the cost challenges, educational benefits of implementing virtual reality remain compelling. This paper explains virtual reality principle and describes the interactive educational environment developed at WMG, the University of Warwick. It also discusses the benefits of using state-of-the-art 3D photorealistic interactive and immersive virtual environment for engineering undergraduates and postgraduate teaching, learning and training.
|Item Type:||Journal Article|
|Subjects:||L Education > L Education (General)
Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA76 Electronic computers. Computer science. Computer software
T Technology > TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
|Divisions:||Faculty of Science > WMG (Formerly the Warwick Manufacturing Group)|
|Journal or Publication Title:||International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning|
|Publisher:||Kassel University Press GmbH|
|Status:||Not Peer Reviewed|
|Access rights to Published version:||Restricted or Subscription Access|
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How managers develop emotional intelligence is a critical question for organizations and anyone involved in management development. A new (this research briefing was sent to members in July 2017) meta-analysis of over 25 years of research on the emotional intelligence of managers answers some important questions about emotional intelligence and its development in managers.
Intelligence and emotional intelligence
The first thing to note is that there is no relationship between cognitive intelligence and emotional intelligence. “Therefore it is important not to assume that a person with high cognitive capabilities also has high emotional capabilities and vice versa.”
Emotional intelligence and performance
Research does support the assertion that emotional intelligence predicts improved performance at work. In particular, there is a strong correlation with jobs that require a significant level of communication and connection with others and especially in complex social situations where emotions are at play.
Further, managers who have to deal with issues of diversity, including diversity of views, tend to perform better with higher levels of emotional intelligence, than those with lower levels.
Additionally, it has been found that managers with higher levels of emotional intelligence perform better in situations where people are in emotionally demanding jobs and where people need to regulate their emotions frequently to perform well.
Emotional intelligence has been found to be less important in terms of performance in situations with few managerial or emotional labour demands.
Intelligence (on its own) has been found to be a good predictor of performance in jobs that are cognitively complex, but not emotionally complex or requiring relationship building. However, intelligence is a better predictor of performance than emotional intelligence in many situations. Together, higher levels of intelligence and emotional intelligence are the best predictors of performance. It is therefore important when considering how managers develop emotional intelligence to also understand what emotional intelligence predicts in terms of performance in the workplace.
Emotional intelligence and personality
Emotional intelligence has been found to be a better predictor of performance in management and jobs that require greater levels of relationship building and emotional labour than any facets of personality (agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, extraversion and openness to experience for example).
The core emotional intelligence capabilities
The meta-analysis found that there are four core emotional intelligence capabilities that underpin how managers develop emotional intelligence:
2. Social perception
3. Emotional literacy or emotion understanding
4. Emotion regulation.
Understanding these four capabilities is essential for getting to grips with how managers develop emotional intelligence
Self-awareness refers to the ability or level to which an individual is able to identify their own emotions, particularly whilst they are experiencing that emotion. For example, being able to identify that they are angry or sad or happy, at the time they are feeling the emotion, rather than afterwards when things have calmed down. This ability to recognize the emotion at the time is the precursor to emotion regulation, or the ability to change our emotions at will and whilst we are feeling angry, for example. It is the self-awareness that allows for control. Therefore when thinking about how managers develop emotional intelligence starting with developing self-awareness is key.
Social perception is the ability to be able to accurately read and identify other people’s emotions as they are feeling them. Social perception also includes identifying the distribution of emotions and sense of the emotional direction of a group. Interestingly, this includes being able to distinguish between genuine emotions and expressions that are put on for show in group, and particularly work, situations. This ability to be able to extract the underlying emotions in a group situation is a complex capability.
Social perception is critical in the work environment as it gives us vital information about people’s attitudes, goals and intentions. Managers who have low social perception often misread their team’s sense of things. Developing social perception and awareness is the next factor in how managers develop emotional intelligence.
Emotional literacy or emotion understanding
Emotional literacy, or emotion understanding, is the ability to be able to identify and understand what has led to the feelings we are experiencing and why others might be feeling how they are. This ability to correctly identify the specific events that have given rise to a set of emotions is particularly important in management and for being able to predict how future events are likely to affect the people around them, as well as themselves.
This ability to be able to predict how future events are likely to influence people’s emotions (known as affective forecasting) helps to manage performance. Most people, the research shows, are not that good at affective forecasting and are continually surprised by their own and others’ reactions to events and even their own actions.
Effective forecasting or accurately identifying how events will influence our and others’ current and future emotions is an important facet of decision making, particularly for leaders and managers.
Errors of prediction in effective forecasting are often difficult to rectify later. Once an emotion has been associated with a decision, changing that initial reaction can be extremely time consuming. Emotional literacy is a critical skill when thinking about how managers develop emotional intelligence.
This is the ability of an individual to increase, decrease or maintain both the duration of an emotion and the intensity of it. Emotion regulation also includes the ability to change or influence other people’s emotions.
There are three core facets of emotion regulation:
1. Setting appropriate emotion regulation goals
2. Selecting the most effective and appropriate emotion regulation strategy
3. Implementing the most appropriate and effect emotion regulation strategy
Learning to be more emotionally intelligent – how managers develop emotional intelligence
A number of studies have shown that emotional intelligence is not fixed at birth and can be changed. Further, the parents or significant caregivers have a significant impact both on our level of emotional intelligence but also on the flexibility we show in developing greater levels of emotional intelligence.
Exposure to different cultures and a range of emotions is also important in predicting the level of emotional intelligence an individual has and their ability to develop greater levels of emotional intelligence.
Defensiveness has been shown to be a considerable barrier to developing higher levels of emotional intelligence.
There are really four broad steps to developing better emotional intelligence capability:
1. Develop greater self-awareness of and learn to accurately identify others and your own emotions
2. Become more aware of your own and others’ general emotional intelligence capabilities
3. Learn to recognize where emotional intelligence is important
4. Learn and practice emotion regulation strategies and techniques
5. Find out which are more effective in which situation.
The first step to developing better levels of emotional intelligence is self-awareness. Getting direct feedback about how good you are at identifying emotions, both your own and others has been found to be the most effective way to start the process.
This is then best followed by becoming increasingly aware and focused on your general emotional capabilities. Learning to read the signs of your own emotions and your abilities and identifying those of others extends the self-awareness abilities.
Next, recognizing the importance of emotional intelligence is important. A number of studies have shown that managers who are defensive about their emotional intelligence capabilities tend to be trying to protect their ego and as a result tend to down-play the importance of emotional intelligence in the workplace. Other studies have found that employees who reduce the importance of emotional intelligence are also the ones who make the least effort in terms of emotional intelligence.
Practice and feedback (both of emotional awareness – “can I just check what you feel about this…” to calibrate your perceptions for example, tend to be the last stage of developing greater emotional intelligence.
Your kindly Donations would be so effective in order to fulfill our future research and endeavors – Thank you | <urn:uuid:351baa64-4055-4143-81c8-abc0c46ce83a> | CC-MAIN-2019-09 | https://onlinemarketingscoops.com/category/organizational-engagement-strategy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247526282.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20190222200334-20190222222157-00050.warc.gz | en | 0.954117 | 1,539 | 2.6875 | 3 |
The right film with the right conversation can transform a classroom by illustrating for students what words alone cannot animate. As the fall semester gets underway, I thought I’d round up some of the best lists about teaching anthropological concepts with videos.
As S. Elizabeth Bird and Jonathan Godwin compellingly illustrate in their study (AAA members can access the article for free through AnthroSource by first logging in and then going to Anthropology & Education Quarterly Vol 37, No. 3: p. 285), good visual material needs context and clear connections to the concepts being taught in class, or else a professor may inadvertently reinforce ethnocentric stereotypes.
The following three recent lists include video that is used by your anthropological colleagues, but also provide some context for the types of conversations that might be
- The Society for Anthropology in Community Colleges details films used by its members
- The blog Somatosphere has a post detailing films used in medical anthropology classes
- The Royal Anthropological Institute created lists by thematic topic (scroll down to section “Using Ethnographic Films”)
In addition to these tried and true filmographies, the AAA’s Teaching Materials Exchange includes more than 100 syllabus. Many, many classes use fascinating visual materials to teach about gender, religion, and human rights. Here are some specific materials you might search out to see how the professor is using film:
- Jason Antrosio’s ENVIRONMENTAL ANTHROPOLOGY SYLLABUS
- David Ayers’ MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
- Eriberto Lozada’s INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOCULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
- Amy Margaris’ INTRODUCTION TO ARCHAEOLOGY
- Ann Ross’ INTRODUCTION TO FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY
- Lois Stanford INTRODUCTION TO WORLD CULTURES | <urn:uuid:b3c5b242-8944-421f-8c3b-f40d412ba389> | CC-MAIN-2014-49 | http://blog.aaanet.org/2012/08/30/youteach-films-in-the-anthropology-classroom/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=f636fc8316 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-49/segments/1416931009295.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20141125155649-00152-ip-10-235-23-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.879141 | 395 | 3.328125 | 3 |
MEMORISATION TECHNIQUES FOR STUDENTS
Memorising is an aspect of learning that helps students to retain things they have learned and assists educators to review concepts taught to their pupils. The value of memorising starts early on in the education process with young learners memorising spelling words and their times tables.
Memorising continues to the higher levels of education when students need to learn and remember subject facts and higher order formula. Since memorising is part and parcel of our education system here are some answers to frequently asked questions.
What exactly is memorising?
It is a conscious activity in the brain that allows retention of knowledge. The brain has two aspects of memory. The short term memory, known as the working memory, and the long term memory known as the storing memory. The working memory remembers and absorbs what is happening in the present. The long term memory stores facts and figures and ways of doing things learnt in the short term memory. Both aspects of memory are needed for memorising and study skills.
How do you help this process of memorising?
There are many different study and memorising skills that can help. Before you start try to confirm what kind of learner your child is. There are three types of learning styles:
- Auditory – learning by listening – hearing messages, repeating information.
- Visual – learning by seeing - reading study guides, notes, keywords.
- Kinetics – learning by doing – practical approach to learning using all the senses.
Some learners favour a combination of the ways of learning.
How do you engage the short term memory?
The short term memory is the working memory and therefore making this part of the brain’s capacity to memorise requires work. The brain needs the exercise of reading, listening, questioning, and engaging in learning activities. Making notes and writing keywords help with short term memory. Playing games and interacting with the material to be learned is part of encouraging short term memory.
How do you encourage long term memory?
Long term memory is the storage part of memory. The act of reviewing notes and making mind maps to commit the notes to memory, helps the brain to store the information. Using the information gathered in the short term process puts the information into the storage or long term memory bank.
What practical memory training skills can children benefit from?
- Using keywords to summarise a topic. The keywords lead the memory to the other details required that have been stored in the brain’s memory.
- Mind maps with the central point of the topic leading to the other pieces of information. Mind maps are a great way to commit larger tracts of information to memory.
- Memory games and flash cards. Especially useful for younger learners. You can make your own cards using spelling words or word families.
- Breaking big chunks of information into smaller blocks and memorising the small blocks. Knowing what is in the small block leads to remembering further detail. The small facts link together to remember the bigger picture.
- Q. and A. - encourage questions and answers to understand the topic and remember the key information.
- Frequent discussions and critical thinking around the topic to remember.
- Write and remember.
Look – cover – write - check is a good formula for memorising. The learner looks at the information, then without looking at the material to be learned, writes it down and follows up with checking – did the learner remember the work or the words?
- Learning acronyms for particular formula or spelling rules. The rule of i before e except after c, is a popular memory tactic for tricky words like conceive.
I have tried all of these, what else can I do?
Walking and learning.
Did you know that walking in a wide open space awakens the brain. The gentle act of walking and repeating the work to be learned allows the conscious mind to focus on learning.
Writing and learning.
Writing out your notes and re-writing and summarising helps with memorising. The physical writing of the words helps the brain to remember and organise the words in the short term memory and the long term memory.
Playing and learning.
Alfred Mercier a physician and a writer said:
“What we learn with pleasure we never forget.”
Think of games and activities to make the process of learning fun. Memory games and quiz activities can include the whole family and turn the learning process into an enjoyable activity. Younger learners really benefit from memory games. This is because in a recreational way they are preparing for the act of using memory for their school work.
How can we improve memory?
The brain, where the short and long term memory functions, is the control centre of the body. The brain needs to lead a healthy lifestyle. A balance of work and play encourages a healthy routine for the body and the brain. Healthy eating is important too. Feed the brain the right foods to keep healthy and optimise memory skills. Healthy sleep patterns and sufficient exercise all contribute to the brains’ ability to function efficiently.
Making sure that children can actively engage in memory skills is a vital element of education. Memory plays a part in day to day living, as well as the way children pass through the education system. Knowing how to use memorisation tactics will always be useful for every learner, and for parents to know how to encourage effective learning. | <urn:uuid:27eddb3f-0b81-4626-978a-386fd681f3a5> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://tutor2you.com.au/memorisation-techniques-for-students/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141195198.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20201128070431-20201128100431-00448.warc.gz | en | 0.938169 | 1,101 | 4.125 | 4 |
Design Squad is an NSF-funded digital hub for middle school children that includes (1) television episodes and short videos streamed on pbskids.org, (2) an online community of young engineers, and (3) hands-on engineering activities. Designed to increase children’s understanding of engineering, the Emmy and Peabody Award–winning television series follows two teams of teens as they design and build projects for real-world clients—from constructing cardboard furniture for IKEA to designing peanut butter makers for a women’s collective in Haiti.
The PBS TV series and website Design Squad, and its spin off series Design Squad Nation, are designed to get its viewers involved in engineering through an integrated media experience and grassroots outreach campaign. Design Squad is a reality competition series where six teenagers learn to think smart, build fast, and contend with a wild array of engineering challenges. With Design Squad Nation, engineer co-hosts Judy and Adam travel across the country, working side by side with kids to turn their dreams into reality. Our ultimate goal with both projects is to inspire viewers to take on their own hands-on engineering activities. To achieve this, developers have created an online community for user-generated content. In local communities, PBS has staged public events that get kids engaged in hands-on design challenges. And, through its outreach, PBS has provided approaches for modeling the design process with kids through trainings; educational resources; and support for teachers, engineers, and informal educators. A new project—Design Squad: Informal Pathways to Engineering—will use existing assets from Design Squad, along with new resources, as the vehicle for researching the diverse pathways children take while pursuing an interest in engineering. WGBH, in collaboration with Purdue University and Concord Evaluation Group (CEG), will conduct a qualitative, longitudinal study of 60 middle school children, representing a range of geographic, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds, that will examine the ways in which informal engineering programs support (or fail to support) children’s engineering-related interests, outcome expectations, and self-efficacy.
The overall goal of this research project is to understand what it takes to support mathematics teachers in improving the quality of their mathematics instruction at the scale of large, urban US districts.The project has two major phases.The data we collect (in both phases) allow us to document (1) teachers’ instructional practices, visions of high-quality instruction, mathematical knowledge for teaching, and views of students’ mathematical capabilities; (2) mathematics coaches’ practices, visions of high-quality instruction, mathematical knowledge for teaching, and views of students’ mathematical capabilities; (3) school and district leaders’ instructional leadership practices, visions of high-quality instruction, and views of students’ mathematical capabilities; and (4) supports for teachers’, mathematics coaches’, and school leaders’development of effective practices (e.g., district professional development, interactions with more accomplished peers). In addition, we have access to district student achievement data.
Building upon previous collaborative work with small humanoid robots, this project is embarking on an ambitious new research project involving multiple adult-sized humanoids. There is an overwhelming disparity in terms of resources devoted to humanoids research in the United States versus research in other countries that have heavily invested in this area of robotics. The goal of this ambitious five-year project is to rapidly advance U.S. humanoid research by developing a common open platform. To date, all full-sized humanoids have been individual custom-made units, and advances made using one design do not necessarily translate to others. Currently, Drexel is the only institution in the United States that has HUBO, a world-class adult-sized humanoid developed at the Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology (KAIST), resulting from a prior NSF Partnership for International Research and Education (PIRE) award. Building upon the unique expertise developed at Drexel in assembling and maintaining HUBO, the proposed platform will significantly extend its current capabilities, resulting in six identical units. The project’s goal is to develop a new common platform (HUBO+) that will consist of the world’s first homogenous full-sized humanoid team, and each of the participating schools will have access to a HUBO+ unit to enhance their research efforts. The project partners include researchers at Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Ohio State, Purdue, U.Penn, USC, and Virginia Tech, representing a critical mass of humanoids research in the United States. Current humanoids are rarely autonomous and not ready for unconstrained interaction with humans. Having a consistent platform will facilitate rapid progress in areas needed for autonomy and natural interaction, including mobility, manipulation, vision, speech communication and cognition, and learning. Furthermore, humanoids research is inherently interdisciplinary and integrative, and catalyzes interest in engineering among younger students. The project’s outreach partners, including several high-profile museums, will introduce people of all ages to the technologies of robotics, particularly useful for recruiting K–12 students into science, engineering, and mathematics.
The Center for Aviation and Automotive Technology Education using Virtual E-Schools (CA2VES) is funded through the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (NSF ATE) program and represents a partnership among the Clemson University Center for Workforce Development, technical colleges, school districts, and local industry. During 2013, South Carolina’s manufacturing industry had more than 7,000 job openings, but many of these well-paying jobs went unfilled due to a lack of skills in the workforce. CA2VES’ mission is to advance aviation, automotive, and manufacturing technician education to support workforce preparedness and meet the advanced technology workforce needs of South Carolina’s anchor aviation and automotive businesses, industries, and suppliers.
The e-Mentoring for Student Success (eMSS) program for beginning science, math, and special education teachers was developed based on the New Teacher Center’s expertise, research and practitioner literature on professional development, online learning, and mentoring. eMSS offers a variety of science, math, and special education curriculum options for beginning teachers that are designed to support teachers’ immediate short-term needs, inquiry into teaching practice, and understanding of content. eMSS is a year-long program that emphasizes the key structural features of an effective mentoring program.
The mission of the EAST-2 Alliance is to increase the number and quality of students with disabilities who enroll and receive degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and ultimately enter STEM disciplines. EAST-2 achieves this mission by involving students, transforming the academic and professional environments in which they function, and catalyzing STEM activities in southern Maine. EAST-2 has designed a model that includes the creation of a pipeline of supports and services for high school and college students with disabilities as they successfully negotiate critical junctures. The EAST-2 pipeline focuses on undergraduate STEM research fellowships (URFs), mentoring and tutoring, weekly learning community events, accessible technologies, internships, individualized case management, high school summer STEM camps, transition services, and the development of capacity within high schools and the University of Southern Maine (USM) to fully support students with disabilities (SWD). Activities along our pipeline increase students’ confidence in their STEM learning and give them the opportunity to participate in life-changing experiences. The EAST-2 pipeline model serves to broaden the participation of students with disabilities in STEM fields.
Over the past decade, researchers in The Distributed Leadership Studies (DLS) at Northwestern University have been developing a framework for examining school leadership and management with an emphasis on their relations to classroom instruction. Drawing on theoretical and empirical work in distributed cognition and socio-cultural activity theory, our distributed perspective involves two aspects: principal plus and practice. The principal plus aspect acknowledges that the work of leading and managing schools involves multiple individuals. The practice aspect foregrounds the <i>practice</i> of leading and managing, framing this practice as emerging from the <i>interactions</i> among school leaders and followers, mediated by the situation in which the work occurs. Practice is more about interaction than action. At the same time, any effort to understand practice has to pay careful attention to social structure, both the immediate infrastructure of the school organization and the more distal infrastructure of the education system. The school subject–mathematics, science and language arts—has figured prominently in our efforts to build knowledge about and for the practice of leading and managing.
The Institute for P–12 Engineering Research and Learning (INSPIRE) at Purdue University carries out basic research, applied research, and evaluation on teacher professional development and student learning with engineering in formal and informal settings. Through a National Science Foundation Discovery Research K–12 (DR K–12) project, we have sought to investigate the impact of elementary engineering teacher professional development (TPD) on teachers’ and students’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors with regards to engineering. Our TPD has been delivered in the form of a one-week-long summer academy (~30 hours), a year of supported classroom implementation, a second three-day summer academy, and a second year of classroom implementation.
Engaging Youth through Engineering (EYE) is a partnership-driven K–12 economic development initiative underway in Mobile, Ala., that is spearheaded by a local nonprofit education entity in collaboration with a large urban school system, higher education, and area business and industry. Its purpose is to produce high school graduates eager and able to meet the growing demand for tech-savvy workers who are also innovative problem solvers. EYE uses engineering design challenges to bring practical relevance and rigor to K–12 math and science curricula. At the middle-grades level, local and National Science Foundation funding are enabling EYE to develop a set of integrated STEM instructional units, the EYE modules, to inspire and motivate all middle-grades students, especially those typically underrepresented in STEM, to take the high school courses needed in preparation for 21st century workforce needs. Each EYE Module is designed such that students use engineering practices and apply required mathematics and science content to develop solutions to relevant problems facing humans today, fostering the development of engineering “habits of mind.”
This project is funded by the National Science Foundation, grants # 0822241, 1449550, 1650648, 1743807, and 1813076. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. | <urn:uuid:76c6d782-506c-4b1d-b69d-3ccbc31772e2> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | http://successfulstemeducation.org/resources?field_event_association_target_id=All&field_resource_type_target_id=All&page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250592565.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20200118110141-20200118134141-00086.warc.gz | en | 0.940247 | 2,190 | 2.640625 | 3 |
The Los Angeles Theater Center and the Latino Theater Company are housed in the same retired bank building on Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles. For the last 30 years, this organization has been producing plays to impact the public pedagogy of what it means to be Latino. Earlier this month, a six-hour play called A Mexican Trilogy: An American Story opened to the public. It is directed by the Artistic Director of the Latino Theater Company, José Luis Valenzuela and it was written by Evelina Fernández. I watched a preview before it opened and I will single out the rich performances of three women featured in the play, Esperanza América, Olivia Cristina Delgado and Ella Saldaña North.
Few people understand the intellectual precursors to the Mexican Revolution because in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t seem to matter much. Why worry about what happened in a foreign country over 120 years ago? But, if you understand that there was an exodus during that time to the United States and that many of the Chicano stories in Los Angeles originated as Mexican stories during the Revolution, it might pay to understand the historical importance of what transpired. The following is my interpretation of what I know from what I read:
Mexico was conflicted in many ways before the pinche Spaniards invaded in the 1500s. The indigenous people were developing phenomenal societies but they also had tremendous liabilities that the European savages were able to exploit. Once they did so, the Spaniards, the French, the British and the Gringos created absolute chaos in the country. This chaos lasted until a Zapoteco named Benito Juárez led México for five consecutive terms. Brother Benito attempted to establish some semblance of law and order into the society when the population was at about 8 million. This was in 1858. The Europeans were still very much present at this time jostling for power and in 1871, Brother Benito died at his desk and his former protégé began to negotiate for the position. His name was Porfirio Díaz and he was a fellow Zapoteco from Oaxaca. By 1876, homeboy Porfis began a 34-year dictatorship that marked both México and the United States forever.
Don Porfis wanted desperately to elevate México into a first world nation and to do so, he needed to invest in the infrastructure of the country. He ordered magnificent buildings, impressive national railroad networks and improved the sewage systems of Mexico City. However, México was missing one crucial element to make all of this possible: money. So, don Porfis farmed that investment out to the gringos up north. Primarily, he bedded the Guggenheims of New York and basically sold a fifth of the land mass in México to these speculators who then proceeded to “legally” rob México of 70% of the natural resources that were transferred up the gulf. This does not include the trillions that was robbed by the Europeans to prop up their societies.
For the first 25 years of Porfirismo, the country experienced solid economic progress. An extensive railroad was developed and the bureaucracy got leaner and more efficient. But labor conditions among the working class and the middle class became miserable. Strikes began happening in Sonora and Veracruz. The response from the Díaz was brutal. So brutal that the Mexican public began to have second thoughts about the state of affairs. In 1908, in what would be the final pivot of hypocrisy, Díaz leased Magdalena Bay to the United States for a period of two years and a magazine in New York labeled Porfi as the “Hero of the Americas.” This article, written by James Creelman, would become the beginning of the end for Porfis but the end would not come until 1911 when Francisco Madero would be nominated as President. Porfis would be exiled to Paris and then a few months later, Madero would be executed on February 22, 1913 and México would be thrown into its next chaotic period that would continue until 1924 with the election of Plutarco Elías Calles. This does not mean that the chaos ended, it just means that a new chaos ensued after Calles.
I won’t go into what happened next but I’ll use that historical background to segue back to the play, A Mexican Trilogy: An American Story. A priest and a young woman decide to leave México at the time of the Revolution to be together in a company mining town in Arizona. They raise their three daughters in the shadow of this mining activity that is sacrificing the lungs and lives of the Mexican workers. The father begins to get political with the seeds of the unionization of the mines and the mother develops an enormously bitter resentment to him, life and their three daughters. Before too long, the mother will actually leave the family unit and the daughters will begin their own lives in their own way.
This first act is followed by a second act in Arizona and then a third act in Los Angeles. The major milestones of American history are documented through the perspective of this once Mexican family that seemingly, in the second act, has their Mexican culture vanish almost completely out of the narrative. The three sisters are no longer Mexican in the second act. Rather, they have become Americans in one fast generation. They respond to American culture with episodes of attempted suicide, extended poverty and hallucinations of dialogues with characters like John F. Kennedy and Fidel Castro. The third act ties the first two acts together.
Joining us at Intelatin is the director of the play and the artistic director of the Latino Theater Company, José Luis Valenzuela. Enjoy my dialogue with José Luis and thank you for listening to Intelatin.
Music performed by A Tribe Called Red, The Czars, Down, Elvira Rios, Finley Quaye, DJ Sun, Meta Meta, Nick Hoppner and Medicine for the People. The next Intelatin episode will be released on the supermoon of October 2016.
Intelatin is a monthly radio broadcast hosted by Sergio C. Muñoz in Los Angeles, California. The radio broadcast for Intelatin was started in 2012 at California State University Long Beach as outreach for their majority Latinx campus. The broadcast aired on KBeach Global and KKJZ 88.1 FM. Connect on Twitter @Intelatin. | <urn:uuid:b3f5acb0-d878-401e-a6f2-e2088d3f41c5> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | http://www.latinorebels.com/2016/09/19/intelatin-6/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886126017.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20170824004740-20170824024740-00681.warc.gz | en | 0.968084 | 1,333 | 3.015625 | 3 |
＂Ｆamily Harmony", an organization formed by volunteers, was established in December 2009. Its aims are to: promote family harmony, improve the communication between family members, reduce the generation gap, prevent family conflicts, help new immigrants adapt to the new environment, and get immigrants accustomed to the cultural differences between the East and West. In addition to these aims, we work hard to strengthen our ties with other organizations and ethnic groups to achieve our common goal of having family harmony.
Establish a Harmonious Family
We truly believe that the social phenomena involving increasing violence, crime, drugs, adolescent problems, rates of suicide, and depression mostly result from the consequences of having unresolved family problems and confrontations. If we can re-establish a harmonious family, these social and individual problems would be greatly reduced.
The unsatisfactory communication among family members is a major factor in causing family disputes. In order to have good communication skills, we need to become aware of the inappropriate ways in which we communicate.
Common Communication Problems
Between Husband and Wife:
"It wastes my energy to talk to you. What a waste of time! You don't understand. This is useless!" The person who listens to this will feel like he is being attacked and insulted, when in reality the real meaning behind his partner's words are: "My need is to hope that you understand me."
Between Parents and Children:
"You have been playing with the computer for the whole day. Your eyes will become blind. Shut it down! Do you hear me?!" What the child has heard is you blaming him and not giving him enough freedom. What you really want to express is: "I have seen you using the computer for a long time. I worry that your eyes will get hurt. I hope that you can turn off the computer."
Knowling Yourself and Knowing Others: Win Win Communication
For parents to understand children's feelings and needs and for children to understand parents' feelings and needs, parents need to master effective communication skills in order to achieve a win win situration. Effective communication can help re-establish human relationship and family harmony. | <urn:uuid:2673a9f7-581c-426b-8d87-e0aa2661e1d1> | CC-MAIN-2019-18 | http://familyharmonyny.org/menu-aboutus/menu-mission | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-18/segments/1555578530253.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20190421060341-20190421082341-00435.warc.gz | en | 0.846 | 434 | 2.765625 | 3 |
What is Clever? It is a single sign-in tool that simplifies digital access for students and families. Students can log in to several digital curriculum programs by signing in through Clever, including frequently used programs such as Google Classroom, Lexia, and more. Once they sign in for the first time, they no longer need to sign in to our various digital curriculum programs. Clever is also an online portal that allows teachers to share additional resources and links.
IN-PERSON LEARNING CODE OF CONDUCT
For the 2020-2021 school year, in-person learning is a privilege.
- We are all responsible for protecting our own health and the health of others.
- Wearing masks and practicing physical distancing, washing hands and/or using hand sanitizer, and cleaning one’s desk/workspace are expected and are considered in the same way as other classroom rules and guidelines.
- Families are asked to provide a mask for their child each day (and ideally send a backup with the student).
- The school will have some masks on hand for times when a student forgets their mask or it becomes unusable during the school day.
- There will be visual indicators of appropriate distancing guidelines and movement protocols, and students will be expected to adhere to those.
- Repeated failure to adhere to safety protocols will result in communication home, meetings between principals and parents/guardians, and potential placement in the Distance Learning Plan.
- Students will be expected to be ready to participate in class and on independent work.
- All school rules in the Student Handbook apply during in-person learning. | <urn:uuid:53321f15-418e-4197-b172-6c4d15d11302> | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | https://www.monomoy.edu/domain/1980 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030337631.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20221005140739-20221005170739-00273.warc.gz | en | 0.94825 | 339 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Diverse working community
More and more work communities have employees of different ages who think in different ways and come from different backgrounds. The employer is responsible for making sure that different groups of people can work in the same workplace without discrimination.
See contents related to the topic:
Equality and non-discrimination in the workplace
Your company must promote equality among its employees and prevent discrimination.
Employees of different ages
Take into account the different needs and skills of employees of different ages who are at different stages in their careers.
Gender equality at the workplace
Your company must promote gender equality and equality for sexual and gender minorities.
Multicultural working communities
Take into account your employees’ different backgrounds in your company’s strategy and practical operations. | <urn:uuid:bf5ad5e3-545c-43a7-9722-00b34584fa7e> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.suomi.fi/company/being-an-employer/well-being-at-work/guide/diverse-working-community | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141195198.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20201128070431-20201128100431-00624.warc.gz | en | 0.95199 | 154 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Economic growth in China has relied on the consumption of natural resources, resulting in environmental degradation across the country. This is leading the Chinese government to explore the establishment of a National Park system which is aimed at safeguarding the supply of key ecosystem services with a particular focus on the food-energy-water security.
The biggest challenge to support the Chinese government’s initiative is to design a feasible technical route for pilot national parks – to demarcate their boundaries and plan their functional zones – and develop a standardised method to evaluate the potential establishment of national parks in the future.
The project “China National Park for People” seeks to address this research gap by developing a reliable method to identify potential new locations based on their contributions towards reducing biodiversity loss, the ecosystem services they provide and potential socio-economic benefits.
This effort is being led by the Luc Hoffmann Institute fellow Siyuan He, working closely with WWF China and the Development and Research Center of State Council (DRC).
Siyuan has a PhD in Physical Geography from the University of Cambridge, a Masters of Science in Ecology and a Bachelor of Science in Geography from Peking University. Her research experience encompasses ecosystem dynamics, land use / land use change and climate change mitigation.
|2014||PhD (Physical Geography), Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, UK.|
|2009||MSc,Ecology; College of Environmental Sciences, Peking University, China|
|2006||BSc, Geography; College of Environmental Sciences, Peking University, China|
|2006||Dual Bachelor of Arts Economics; National School of Development, Peking University, China|
- He, S., Richards, K., Zhao, Z. 2015. Climate Extremes in the Kobresia Meadow Area of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, 1961-2008. Environmental Earth Sciences, accepted.
- He, S., Richards, K. 2015. The role of dew in the monsoon season assessed via stable isotopes in an alpine meadow in Northern Tibet. Atmospheric Research, 151. doi: 10.1016/j.atmosres.2014.02.014.
- Liu, H., Yin, Y., Wang, Q., He, S. 2015, Climatic effects on plant species distribution within the forest–steppe ecotone in northern China. Applied Vegetation Science, 18: 43–49. doi: 10.1111/avsc.12139.
- He, S., Richards, K. 2014. Impact of Meadow Degradation on Soil Water Status and Pasture Management-A Case Study in Tibet. Land Degradation & Development, doi: 10.1002/ldr.2358.
- Liu, H., He, S., Anenkhonov, O. A., Hu, G., Sandanov, D. V., and Badmaeva, N. K. 2012. Topography-Controlled Soil Water Content and the Coexistence of Forest and Steppe in Northern China. Physical Geography, 33(6), 561-573. doi: 10.2747/0272-36220.127.116.111.
- Yin, Y., Liu, H., He, S., Zhao, F., Zhu, J., Wang, H., Liu, G. and Wu, X. 2011. Patterns of local and regional grain size distribution and their application to Holocene climate reconstruction in semi-arid Inner Mongolia, China. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 307(1-4): 168-176. doi: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.05.011. | <urn:uuid:798aab7d-9af7-4de1-87f4-c84086d9c717> | CC-MAIN-2017-13 | http://luchoffmanninstitute.org/our-team/siyuan-he/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-13/segments/1490218188926.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20170322212948-00537-ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.818188 | 771 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Chest injury is any injury to the chest area, between the neck and the abdomen. The injury may be to the chest wall itself, or any of the organs inside the chest.
Chest injuries include:
- bruising or abrasions (cuts and grazes) to the chest area
- broken bones (for example ribs)
- damage to the lungs or heart.
Minor chest injuries such as bruising are common. Chest injuries may be caused by either:
- a blunt injury from sport, or from a punch or kick, or from a fall
- a penetrating wound, such as from a gun or a knife
- a crushing injury, such as from a road accident.
If the injury is severe, there may be internal bleeding. This might be obvious (e.g. coughing up blood), or not so obvious (e.g. pale and clammy skin, nausea, extreme thirst). If you think you may have internal bleeding, you should call triple zero (000) and ask for an ambulance.
Not sure what to do next?
If you are still concerned about your chest injury, why not use healthdirect’s online Symptom Checker to get advice on when to seek medical attention.
The Symptom Checker guides you to the next appropriate healthcare steps, whether it’s self care, talking to a health professional, going to a hospital or calling triple zero (000).
Last reviewed: August 2015 | <urn:uuid:05dd2bc1-cff3-47d2-8043-a2e07a7747df> | CC-MAIN-2017-51 | https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/chest-injuries | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948512121.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20171211033436-20171211053436-00730.warc.gz | en | 0.916697 | 298 | 2.9375 | 3 |
Voices of the Coast
The women who live and work along the bayou have played an integral role in keeping the unique and varied culture of Louisiana’s disappearing coast alive. These women are teachers, tribe elders, artists, researchers, members of city councils, daughters and mothers. Each play a different part in the fabric of the bayou. Their stories are not tales of doom and gloom for the region, but of hope, ingenuity, and resilience in times of adversity.
Natural, man-made and economic factors are taking their toll on Louisiana’s coastal communities and the traditional industries that have supported those hamlets. Whether caused by subsidence; hurricanes; or inexpensive, imported seafood, the culture and landscape of the coastal zone is changing, and in some cases, disappearing. It is imperative that traditional knowledge in these towns and villages be captured so that the memories of their custodians can be preserved for current and future generations. Louisiana Sea Grant is doing just that through this oral history project. Visitors to this website will find unedited oral history audio recordings, as well as interview transcripts.
Grand Isle is Louisiana’s only inhabited barrier island. As an early home to the pirate Jean Lafitte, the island has long maintained a sentimental and romantic place in the history of the Pelican State. Yet beyond the historical romance, Grand Isle serves as a literal buffer to the destructive hurricane forces for many inland communities such as Houma and New Orleans. The island is also the place of rest for migrating song birds headed north from Latin America in the spring. Taken together then, Grand Isle holds tremendous historical, environmental and cultural importance to Louisiana and the U.S.
When consumers today think of Louisiana shrimp, a fresh or quality frozen product comes to mind. But a century or more ago before flash freezing, interstate highways and airfreight, Louisiana shrimp meant dried shrimp. It’s high in protein, it tastes good, and it travels well. The following video provides a glimpse of Louisiana’s dried shrimp history.
Watch the Video (YouTube)
Formed more than 2,000 years ago, the Chandeleur Island chain has a colorful past – both geologically and in terms of human use. The shifting sands of these barrier islands in the northern Gulf of Mexico buffer the mainland of Louisiana and Mississippi against storm surge. They are a prized habitat for birds and aquatic animals and comprise the United States’ second-oldest national wildlife refuge. For more than a century, the Chandeleurs have been a favored destination for scientists, naturalists and anglers.
Despite the current difficulties in making a profit, shrimping remains a passion for many commercial fishermen in south Louisiana. The industry continues to have a tremendous impact on these individuals, their communities and the culture of the state. | <urn:uuid:bc9ecdb6-797c-4288-b475-597c08ce0051> | CC-MAIN-2018-39 | http://www.laseagrant.org/communications/voices/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-39/segments/1537267156471.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20180920120835-20180920141235-00251.warc.gz | en | 0.93563 | 569 | 3.140625 | 3 |
New Delhi: Countries around the world try to reduce smoking through health warnings about cigarette consumption. While there has been a great deal of progress with respect to warnings about tobacco products, their impact on the consumption of tobacco products has not been conclusive.
A study by Johanna Catherine Maclean and others published by the National Bureau of Economic Research shows that more than the content of the advisory, the source of the information is critical in determining the demand for cigarettes. To show this, the authors conducted a nationally representative online survey of adult smokers between the ages of 18 and 64 in the months of April and May 2017 in the US.
The experiment was constructed to provide advisories on the relatively less harmful effects of e-cigarettes compared to regular cigarettes. The advisory was delivered through three sources: the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a fictitious private e-cigarette company created by the authors, and physicians.
The authors found that only the warning message delivered by the private e-cigarette company led to a significant increase in e-cigarette consumption over a 30-day period.
The authors acknowledge that the results are counter-intuitive. Respondents seemingly trust private companies more than credible sources of information such as the government agency and physicians. One reason for this, the authors argue, could be the general distrust in science and government from segments of the US population.
More generally, the findings imply that, along with the content of the message, the messenger or the conveyor of the information is crucial in influencing the intention to use and risk perceptions about tobacco products.
Read: Information source and cigarettes: experimental evidence on the messenger effect | <urn:uuid:a3e11c75-a6d0-4aa2-a343-58c0fe3ade06> | CC-MAIN-2019-39 | https://www.livemint.com/news/india/why-anti-tobacco-warnings-are-not-effective-1552610731871.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-39/segments/1568514572556.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20190916120037-20190916142037-00358.warc.gz | en | 0.943591 | 328 | 2.875 | 3 |
An investigation two-part vaccine was unable to prevent chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in a clinical trial, though it did appear to stimulate T-cell activity against the virus, researchers reported at the IDWeek 2019 conference this month in Washington, DC.
Around a quarter of people who acquire HCV are able to clear the virus spontaneously without treatment and never develop chronic, or long-term, infection lasting more than six months. Among those who do develop chronic infection, new direct-acting antivirals can cure almost everyone with two or three months of treatment.
Unlike hepatitis A and B, previous hepatitis C infection does not confer immunity, and it is possible to become infected again. However, people who acquire the virus more than once tend to have lower HCV viral load, and the likelihood of spontaneous clearance rises with each subsequent infection.
This incomplete natural immunity, as well as the high variability of the virus, have hampered efforts to develop aHCV vaccine. Many experts think that an effective vaccine will be key to eliminating hepatitis C as a global public health threat, which is ultimately expected to contribute to a decline in cirrhosis, liver cancer and the need for liver transplants.
Andrea Cox, MD, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and colleagues conducted a Phase I/II randomized, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of a prime-boost vaccine regimen designed to prevent chronic HCV infection.
The regimen involves an initial primer vaccine that uses a recombinant chimpanzee adenovirus vector (AdCh3NSmut1) followed by a booster vaccine based on a modified vaccinia Ankara vector (MVA-NSMut). Both vaccine components are genetically engineered to encode HCV nonstructural proteins designed to stimulate immune responses against the virus.
The trial, sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, enrolled 455 participants, ages 18 to 45, who were at risk for HCV through injection drug use. Nearly 80% were men and about 60% were white. They were enrolled at Johns Hopkins, the University of California at San Francisco and the University of New Mexico. The trial began in 2012, at the dawn of the direct-acting antiviral era.
Study participants were randomly assigned to receive the vaccine regimen or placebo injections at the start of the study and eight weeks later. The researchers monitored vaccine safety, immunogenicity (ability to stimulate immune responses), HCV viral load levels and the vaccine’s ability to prevent progression from acute to chronic HCV infection.
After six months of follow-up, the overall incidence of HCV infection was 13 cases per 100 person-years, Cox reported. She noted that this was lower than expected, likely because participants in both study groups received counseling and referral to syringe programs, addiction treatment and other harm reduction services.
But the study saw no difference between the vaccine and placebo group in the likelihood of developing chronic infection, which occurred in 14 people in each group.
Yet the vaccine did appear to stimulate some immune activity against the virus. Among participants who received the vaccine, 78% generated T-cell responses to at least one of the encoded HCV proteins. What’s more, people who developed chronic infection in the vaccine group had a lower peak HCV viral load compared with placebo recipients, according to Cox.
The vaccine combination was generally safe and well tolerated with no serious vaccine-related adverse events. More people who received the active vaccine reported adverse events compared with placebo recipients (81% vs 59%, respectively), mostly injection site reactions.
The experimental vaccine “elicited robust immune responses without evident safety concerns, but did not provide protection against chronic HCV infection,” the researchers concluded. They added that the study demonstrated the feasibility of conducting rigorous vaccine research in a cohort of people who inject drugs.
Click here to view the IDWeek 2019 program. | <urn:uuid:b9a56de9-29ce-4bb5-912c-eff8c08a9766> | CC-MAIN-2020-40 | https://www.hepmag.com/article/experimental-hepatitis-c-vaccine | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-40/segments/1600401624636.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20200929025239-20200929055239-00674.warc.gz | en | 0.958429 | 792 | 3.21875 | 3 |
What the trees dream of (2014 - 2015)
The plants switch phases of beauty with other quiescent
and inconspicuous. In the winter break, we see them as dead.
The work focuses on this period of long sleep and on what plants may be able to dream. Not dwell too much on the rationality or scientific nature of this statement.
The plants dream of what they don’t have more or less than us. These dreams have the butterflies as leading characters; in my view, they represent more than any other living things awakening, heat, sun, spring.
In the tribes of North American Blacks Feet there is a belief that dreams are carried by butterflies. Therefore mothers embroider butterfly shape on a deerskin that bind to the head of the children when they want them to sleep.*
So the butterflies are not only the actresses of the dream
but even the bearers of dreams.
And so the branch becomes caterpillar, an extension where the butterfly takes flight, after metamorphosis.
The symbol of transformation and rebirth is also at psychic level; their inconsistency embodies the ephemeral and the resurrection.
In Greek language butterfly was named "psyché". A popular belief Greek-Roman considered it as the symbol of the soul leaving the body. And we found among the Aztecs the same soul meaning, although here it was the one of warriors dead in battle.
In China, the butterfly represents both the young felt in love for the female (the flower) and the loved female dead while rises from the grave as butterfly.*
While it shows the soul leaves the body after death, it is also the breath that gives life.
*from Diccionario de simbolos di Hans Biedermann, (Paidós - Barcelona, 1996) | <urn:uuid:2a24c12a-c7c9-4200-a534-5333ea34c4ad> | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | https://www.paolovergnano.it/english/personal-fine-art-projects/what-trees-dream-2014-2016/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610703511903.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20210117081748-20210117111748-00333.warc.gz | en | 0.936741 | 369 | 2.578125 | 3 |
L is for loving this Valentine's day acrostic poem in which class members use letters from the word love to guide their creative writing. Four different versions for you or your scholars to choose from make this poetry activity a win for all learners.
- Decide which version of the poem is appropriate for your scholars; divide the class into groups and give each group the page that best fits their needs
- As a class, brainstorm words and feelings related to Valentine's Day that they can use in their poem
- Requires copies
- Multiple versions accommodate different writing levels
- The border is not dowloaded with high quality | <urn:uuid:35d5c6d1-df87-4844-9a88-c6705df600d0> | CC-MAIN-2019-04 | https://www.lessonplanet.com/teachers/valentines-day-acrostic-poem-k-6th | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-04/segments/1547583660258.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20190118172438-20190118194438-00077.warc.gz | en | 0.938061 | 125 | 2.984375 | 3 |
How to make a garden
By Chance Burgess
If you are planning to start a garden, there are a few things that you have to do before you can start planting crops.
The first step to making a garden is to plan it out and think ahead. There are a few questions that you have to ask yourself while planning it out. What type of garden am I going to make? What am I going to grow in the garden?
There are several different types of gardens: there are vegetable gardens, flower gardens, container gardening, raised gardens and a few more.
In this paper I am going to explain the steps to making an organic garden. First of all, what is an organic garden? An organic garden is essentially just like any other garden with the exception that organic gardens do not use synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Organic gardening is not really a “type” of garden but it is more of a “style” of gardening that people practice. So, I am just going to explain how to make a vegetable garden but in the organic style.
According to the USDA National Organic Program, “Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.”
After you have decided what kind of garden you are going to make, there are a few more steps that you are going to have to follow that are universal throughout all garden making. You will need to determine how much space you will need. To determine how much space you need there is one major thing that you should take into consideration. How much people will you feed?
This is a major factor in gardening because you do not want to grow too much or too little produce. Another thing to determine is how much space you will need in order to calculate how big the plants will grow. Tomatoes need at least a square foot, 16 carrots need at least a square foot, as well.
The next step to making a vegetable garden is picking the perfect spot. an ideal spot for a successful garden is a place that has at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight. If your crops don’t get enough sunlight, they won’t bear as much and they would be more susceptible to attacks from insects or diseases. The vegetable garden should be close to a water source so it will be easier for you. Last but not least, a successful garden will need good soil that is rich in organic materials.
After you find a perfect spot for your garden, the next thing you need to do is to design and plan your garden. There are two different layouts for vegetable gardens: row cropping and intensive cropping.
Row cropping is the most common type of garden that people make and it is typically the first type of garden that comes to mind. Row cropping is where you plant your crops in single file rows with a walking path in between each of the rows. Row cropping is good for those type of gardeners that like to take it easy while they are cleaning and maintaining it. One downfall to a row cropping garden is that you won’t be able to plant as many vegetables because of the amount of space you are using for the walkways.
Intensive cropping is where you just make a small area in which you just plant all types of crops in that small area. The main reason that I would make a intensive garden would be to just make it look nice and have it as an ornament that I can pick vegetables from and get more use out of it. One downfall of an intensive garden is that due to the tightness and density of the plants you would have to take good care of it by hand so you won’t be able to use large tools.
After we have done all the prep and design, now you can get to the hands-on work. The first step to hands-on working is testing the soil. In testing the soil you need to see how the water drains through it. To test the soil drainage you should water it in the afternoon and then in the morning you dig up some dirt and squeeze it and see if there is any water in it. If it still does have water that would be good. Also, if you don’t want to dig into the ground while building the garden you could make a raised garden.
The next thing you do is to start digging the beds. To start you should till the ground. You could use a machine tiller or you could do it by hand. Once you are done tilling or loosening the soil you have to smooth the surface with a rake and when that is done you should water the soil down and let the bed rest for a few days.
Now that all the digging and preparing of the soil is done you can plant your seeds. When planting your seeds you should make the holes at least an inch deep and put two seeds in the hole. The reason you put two seeds in the hole is because if one seed fails and does not want to grow then there is another one that has a chance to grow. When planting the seeds, depending on your crops, you need to plant it with different spacings from other seeds. Some examples are lettuce and cabbage, they should be four inches apart because of their size. Other crops like corn that grow straight up should be at least two inches apart so you can plant more.
When making a garden you should be able to maintain it. To maintain your garden you need to weed it, water it, and keep the bugs and other pests away from your crops. There is some organic fertilizers that you could use and spread on your garden.
When harvesting your garden you can pick as much of it as you want because you can always plant more. There are some crops that you can harvest at any time like lettuce, carrots, and squash.
Now that you know how to make a garden there are a few things that you can do with the crops. You could make money by selling them to stores or at your local farmers market or you could make it into your food. Either way you now know how to make a garden. | <urn:uuid:e451c824-7d8b-4261-b441-2fd8d1033b4f> | CC-MAIN-2016-40 | http://themolokainews.com/alc-alternative-learning-center/how-to-make-a-garden/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-40/segments/1474738661051.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20160924173741-00185-ip-10-143-35-109.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970799 | 1,277 | 3.078125 | 3 |
A New Drug is in the Pipeline for Hot Flashes
Let's Take a Look at the Study
There is a new area of drug research for hot flashes and night sweats, collectively known as vasomotor symptoms or VMS. These drugs work on KNDy neurons, which are specialized nerves that send signals to the hypothalamus, a region in the brain that helps control many functions. KNDy neurons are involved in timing the pulses of the hormone called GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone), which is released by the hypothalamus. These pulses of GnRH drive the release of the hormones from the pituitary that govern the menstrual cycle. KNDy neurons are also involved in regulating temperature.
This is the “Aha!” moment for the hot flash connection, because this means that ovulation and temperature basically use the same switch board. These shared connections are important, for example, body temperature rises slightly with ovulation, creating a better environment for implantation. Estrogen released during the menstrual cycle helps to control output from the KNDy neurons, essentially controlling the thermostat. Estrogen is like my dad always muttering about the heating bills and turning down the temperature on the thermostat. With menopause, when levels of estrogen drop, the KNDy neurons have lost one of the control mechanisms. Think what the thermostat on your furnace would be like if the temperature sensing mechanisms went wonky? It might kick in when it’s boiling hot inside.
Enter, the hot flash.
This is essentially what happens in menopause. The KNDy neurons lose one of their internal control mechanisms, higher levels of estrogen in the blood, and so they are now free to tell the brain that you are hot when you are not. And because everything that is experienced happens in your brain, the person affected feels hot. Core temperature doesn’t rise, meaning your body temperature stays the same, but it feels like it has and that’s all that matters. What does your body do when you are hot? It deploys cooling mechanisms, such as sweating and flushing (so you turn red because blood vessels dilate, taking more blood to the skin where heat can dissipate). Why the sensation of heat seems to be most concentrated in the upper body and head isn’t known.
One way to treat hot flashes and night sweats is with estrogen, which helps to quiet the KNDy neurons' over enthusiastic heat signaling. But recently, we have seen work looking at other ways to control this system. One of these drugs, fezolinetant, has been submitted to the FDA. The data from the final trials has yet to be published in a peer-reviewed format, so it’s still not known exactly how well this medication performs. The press release from the company states that fezolinetant, which is a neurokinin 3 inhibitor, results in a “significant reduction from baseline in the severity of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms”. The data from the press release states the highest dose, 45 mg, results in a mean reduction in the average number of hot flashes per day of 2.55 and 2.53 at weeks four and twelve. It seems as though the severity of the hot flashes is also reduced, but the way this was reported seems very clunky. This always makes me worried that the study is emphasizing statistical significance over clinical significance, meaning does this drug provide a meaningful improvement for someone suffering from hot flashes? Regardless, it reduces the number of hot flashes, and when we have the full peer-reviewed data we’ll be able to say more, meaning how this drug compares with estrogen and the other non-estrogen medications for VMS.
Another new drug that is being studied is called Q-122. Before drugs are given fancy names with lots of z’s, v’s, x’s and y’s (the seemingly trendy letters in Pharma) they have numbers. After all, why name something you aren’t sure you are going to keep? Like fenzolinetant, Q-122 affects signaling from the KNDy neurons, but it works by a different mechanism than neurokinin 3. And this new drug has recently been studied for women with breast cancer who have hormone responsive cancer who were also taking either tamoxifen or an aromatase-inhibitor. It’s great to see studies specifically enrolling women with a history of breast cancer as their symptoms are often the most severe and they have fewer safe options.
[As a side note, if your provider tells you it is safe to take estrogen and you have had a hormone receptor positive breast cancer, get another opinion. No menopause society or oncology (cancer) society recommends estrogen in this situation. This idea that estrogen matters for every person in menopause is simply not supported by science, but apparently it generates money.
Back to the study.]
Q-122 was tested against placebo, the dose was 100 mg twice a day for 28 days, and at baseline these women were having at least 50 hot flashes a week. One outcome was how the severity of hot flashes changed, and by the scale used, the severity reduced by 39%. And while that sounds fantastic, the placebo resulted in a 26% reduction in severity. The difference was statistically significant, meaning the reduction in severity with Q-122 wasn’t likely due to chance. However, the 26% placebo response rate is something that is very important to consider because this can easily explain anecdotal claims for so-called natural products for hot flashes, which are never tested against a control group.
What about the frequency of hot flashes? There was an average of two fewer hot flashes per day for people with a baseline of more than 50 hot flashes a week, which seems approximately on par with fenzolinetant. Neither group, active drug or placebo, had a 50% reduction in moderate to severe VSM.
Interestingly, the trend at 28 days suggested the benefits of Q-122 increased over time and so we don’t know if the medication had continued for a longer duration or if even more of a benefit would have been seen.
The study was stopped at 28 days because basically the researchers were asking, “Does this drug do anything meaningful and is it safe?” It was well tolerated. Overall, 3% of people stopped the drug due to side effects. While 55% had some kind of side effect, so did 65% of people who took the placebo. Again this demonstrates the power of the mind and the importance of having every drug tested against a placebo where ethically possible.
It looks like Q-122 does something meaningful, but whether it’s enough to help people requires more studies. It’s possible that some people might find a reduction of two hot flashes a day meaningful. And it’s also possible that some people will have a greater reduction in hot flashes and for some it won’t do much at all, meaning some people will be responders and others will not. That’s exactly why we need more data.
So why discuss a small study that doesn’t give anyone any practical information?
First, it’s a good opportunity to discuss how the KNDy neurons work as we will undoubtedly be seeing more here as I am betting that fenzolinetant will get FDA approval.
Second, I hear from many women with hormone receptor positive breast cancer, who often suffer the most, that they feel left out treatment-wise, so I thought it might be nice for them to know that this research exists. Also, not everyone can take estrogen for other reasons or they feel awful while taking it, so more options benefit everyone except perhaps the providers who order unnecessary hormone levels to “manage” hormone therapy. If your provider is managing the doses you are taking by testing your hormones, you are sadly being scammed. (And yes, I will find a way to put that in almost every article).
And finally, I thought people might be interested in the placebo response rate, considering how many unstudied so-called “natural” products exist for hot flashes in menopause.
In summary, It seems from this study that Q-122 looks like it’s worth studying and hopefully sometime soon we will have the final data on fenzolinetant and approval from the FDA, which will give more options for hot flashes and something that can be safely taken by those with breast cancer.
Amanda Vrselja, Ardian Latifi, Prof Rodney J Baber, et al. Q-122 as a novel, non-hormonal, oral treatment for vasomotor symptoms in women taking tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor after breast cancer: a phase 2, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 2022;400;1704-1711.
Carolyn J. Crandall, Patricia A. Ganz. Phase 2 data on a new treatment for hot flashes in women with breast cancer. Lancet 2022;400;1659-1661.
Press release, Astellas https://www.astellas.com/en/system/files/news/2022-09/20220905_en_1.pdf
Thank you for this article. I've read about (at least) one of these drugs in the professional lit., but yours went into greater detail of the pharmacodynamics.
Any idea how long hot flashes/sleep disturbances last after ending hormone therapy? I'm 7 weeks out from my last Climara patch and at the hot flash/sleep disturbance point. I thought I'd see what life was like patch-free after 11 years on hormone therapy, but at this point I'm ready to get back on it. Like now! Whew! | <urn:uuid:06d90af6-e3be-4fb2-846a-0a9371e26154> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://vajenda.substack.com/p/a-new-drug-is-in-the-pipeline-for | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296946535.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20230326204136-20230326234136-00697.warc.gz | en | 0.955371 | 2,046 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Winnie-The-Pooh, by the English author A. A. Milne, was published in 1926, and charmingly illustrated by E.H. Shepard. It was Shephard’s illustrations in last month’s Wind in the Willows that helped me decide to read Pooh next, as looking at Mole and Rat I was reminded of Christopher Robin and Pooh, and I happily settled into a lovely re-visit of my friends in the Hundred Acre Wood.
“Settled” is a good description. Reading this book is like wrapping yourself up in a big cushy blanket while you are sipping tea and sitting by the fire. This book is warm, comforting, gentle, and kind, and I very much enjoyed my time immersed in it once again.
Besides reading the books themselves, one of the things I have enjoyed the most about my series this year is the opportunity to find out more about the authors. In doing a bit of Google-searching on Alan Alexander Milne I found out the following fun facts:
- One of his teachers in the small public school he attended (which was run by his
father) was H.G. Wells (The Time Machine, War of the Worlds)
- He played on an amateur cricket team with J. M. Barrie (a playwright he greatly admired, author of Peter Pan) and Arthur Conan Doyle (author of the Sherlock Holmes stories)
- Like Lewis Carroll, he also was a mathematician, and graduated with a degree in Mathematics from Cambridge. My worldview just doesn’t fit with wonderful writers who are also good with numbers….what gives??
- Christopher Robin Milne was his only child, and of course is a main character in the Pooh books (I knew this, but perhaps you didn’t?)
- Besides Winnie-The-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner (published 1928), Milne wrote novels, poetry, short stories, articles, non-fiction books, and a great deal of plays. He became annoyed by the Pooh books, as their success hampered his previous freedom to write widely and be accepted in other literary endeavours. Although he continued to write and publish up until the 1950s nothing gave him the same success as the Pooh books.
- He wrote the first stage adaptation of The Wind in the Willows, called Toad of Toad Hall, in 1926.
In 1925 Milne bought a country home a mile north of Ashdown forest, in East Sussex, and he and his wife Dorothy and their son Christopher spent many happy hours in this place, getting away from the city on weekends and during the summer. Ashdown Forest is the setting for the Hundred Acre Woods, many of Shepherd’s illustrations are actual views of the landscape, with slight alterations here and there.
Speaking of E. H. Shepherd, like John Tenniel’s work in Alice of Wonderland, these illustrations are a perfect marriage to the author’s words. Shepard was an illustrator at Punch magazine, and he was recommended to Milne by another Punch staffer. Initially Milne was dubious, but once Shepard illustrated Milne’s poetry book, When We Were Very Young, which was published in 1924 and Milne saw their quality, he insisted on Shepard illustrating the Pooh books as well.
There is a wonderful Canadian connection to the books. Christopher Robin’s teddy bear was named Winnie, after a real bear he saw at the London Zoo. This had been bought for $20 in Ontario and surreptitiously brought into England by Canadian Lieutenant Harry Colebourn while on route to serve in the First World War. He named her “Winnie” after his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and left her at the zoo while he served in France, eventually donating her to the zoo as her permanent home.
Well, onto the book itself. Like Wind in the Willows, this is a series of small vignettes about Pooh and his friends and the little adventures they have in the Hundred Acre Wood. These are very little adventures, mind you, as is appropriate for young children.
The book begins by Christopher Robin coming down the stairs dragging Pooh by the leg behind him (bump-bump-bump) and asking for a story about Pooh. Thus follows the tales of the Silly Old Bear, as Christopher calls him, and his friends, namely Piglet, Owl, Rabbit, Eeyore, Kanga, and Roo.
Pooh himself, although described as a Bear of Little Brain, is humble, silly, kind and steadfast. He is inordinately fond of honey (hunny) and always wanting a snack. This gets him in to trouble as he ends up being stuck in Rabbit’s door after eating too much while on a visit, and eating all the honey out of the pot he was taking to Eeyore as a present. But nothing is too disastrous for too long in this book, the various adventures the friends have are resolved without too much scary stuff happening.
As I read the book I was struck by how clever Milne was as a children’s author. He gets the right balance here, I think. He doesn’t necessarily write down to children, he uses fairly big words at times (like “expedition”, which Pooh pronounces “expotition”) and allows his characters to be in some danger here and there (Pooh and Piglet hunt for Heffalumps and Woozles, there is a flood in which Piglet gets stranded, Roo falls into a river). There is just enough suspense to keep children interested but not so much that it is frightening. And when things get too hard or difficult for Pooh or the others they always call on Christopher Robin, who helps them sort things out. Every child sees themselves as Christopher Robin, and so it gives them a way to feel useful and smart and brave as they see Christopher in the book help the characters out.
I’m hard-pressed to say which character is my favourite. Probably Pooh, but I have a soft spot for Piglet as well, because in a lot of ways I can remember identifying with him the most as a child. As the youngest in the family, I often, like Piglet, felt uncertain, scared, and in over my head as I tagged along behind the rest.
And then there is Eeyore. The original “Debby Downer”! You can’t help but feel sorry for him, though, when his tail is lost, or when his birthday is forgotten, and it’s so lovely to see the other characters rallying around him when these bad things happen. This comforting sense of friendship and community is an underlying theme of the book, and it is one of the reasons why it appeals so much to children and adults alike.
Unfortunately Tigger doesn’t come along until The House at Pooh Corner, and Pooh and Piglet don’t play Poohsticks until that book as well, so I missed revisiting those two special parts of Milne’s creations this month. Drat.
I closed Winnie-The-Pooh with reluctance, but I am very much eager to start next month’s book. I am going to read a book that was my very own, not one that was a hand-me-down, and it arrived in my life on Easter day in 1975.
It is Watership Down, by Richard Adams, and I can’t wait to read it again! | <urn:uuid:e9dd9b6b-bd2b-404f-a51f-dac2341e9ff9> | CC-MAIN-2019-09 | https://lasmithwriter.com/2016/04/29/year-of-important-books-winnie-the-pooh-by-a-a-milne/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550249578748.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20190224023850-20190224045850-00394.warc.gz | en | 0.978092 | 1,583 | 2.578125 | 3 |
The basis of NLP is understanding how the mind works and communicates from the unconscious mind to the conscious mind and back. When we can understand how this works for us personally, we can also apply this information to others.
By simple observation, you can identify the program another person uses to communicate – and when you know this, you can feed it back to them; essentially being able to communicate directly through their filters of understanding. In NLP, we look at our five senses as more than just sensory input mechanisms. It’s been found that we have a preferred mode within those five senses that we make the most sense of.
So, not only do the skills of NLP allow you to identify a persons Primary Representational System, you can also start to understand the unconscious filters a person communicates with, in NLP these filters are known as Meta Programs. By understanding how a person filters information, we can tailor our own communication to match their filters.
A few of these filters include big picture vs. details, matching what they notice or mismatching what they notice, looking for what is good or looking for what is bad. Because each of us has our own Model of the World, NLP helps us to understand another person’s model and communicate to them based on it. | <urn:uuid:908fde79-0001-48fc-a791-09689c24a74d> | CC-MAIN-2018-22 | http://nlpworldwide.com/understand-how-others-communicate/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-22/segments/1526794864572.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20180521235548-20180522015548-00274.warc.gz | en | 0.957942 | 262 | 3.234375 | 3 |
Brewing Industry in Canada
In its early development period, the industry consisted of small, independent breweries scattered throughout the country.
Brewing began in Canada with the first settlers and traders. In the beginning, beer making was a cottage industry, but in 1668 Canada's first commercial brewery was built by the Intendant Jean Talon at Québec City. The enterprise was undertaken for three purposes: to promote temperance by offering an alternative to strong imported French liquors; to reduce the amount of currency leaving the country for the purchase of imported beverages; and to utilize the abundance of grain available in the New World.
In its early development period, the industry consisted of small, independent breweries scattered throughout the country. With the advent of modern distribution systems, technological advances to improve quality control and rising costs, production became more centralized and most local breweries disappeared. However, during the 1980s a resurgence of smaller breweries, commonly called microbreweries, began to appear in Canada. They tend to serve local or regional markets.
Today Canada's brewing industry comprises two national companies, Labatt Breweries of Canada (8 plants) and Molson Breweries (8 plants), and six regional breweries located in different areas of Canada: Big Rock Brewery and Drummond Brewing (Alberta), Lakeport Brewing Corporation, Northern Breweries and North Algonquin Breweries (Ontario), Moosehead Breweries Limited (New Brunswick), Pacific Western Brewing Company (British Columbia) and Sleeman Brewing and Malting Company Limited (Ontario and British Columbia ). Additionally, there are 40 microbreweries in every area of Canada except New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and the Yukon and Northwest Territories.
In a little more than a decade, the Canadian brewing trade has changed dramatically. For example, there has been the emergence of the brew pub, a combined brewery and licensed pub selling beer for on-premise consumption only. These establishments enjoyed a renaissance as a result of the "real ale" movement in Europe. Brew pubs have been operating in Canada since 1983.
Types of Beer
Beer is used as a generic term and includes both lager and ale. Of the range of beer types available to consumers, today lager is preferred by most Canadians (56%) followed by ale (34%).
The difference between the two is that lager is lighter in taste and is made with a type of yeast that drops to the bottom of the fermenting tank. More hops are used to brew ale and the yeast rises to the top of the tank. Less than 1% of the market is sold as stout (heavy-bodied darker and sweeter beer brewed with roasted malt and more hops) and porter (a weaker version of stout).
Light beers, containing up to 4% alcohol by volume, were introduced in Canada in the late 1970s. Regular-strength Canadian beers contain 5% alcohol by volume. In the past several years, both large and small brewers have expanded their range of products to offer consumers more selection to meet different tastes. New brewing technologies and processes have produced the following types of beer: extra light, dry, extra dry, dry light, strong, extra strong, ice, wheat, beer coolers, packaged unpasteurized and no-alcohol beers and beer coolers.
Regulation and Taxation
The brewing industry is one of the most heavily regulated in Canada. Breweries must obtain licences to operate from both the federal and provincial governments. Generally, the provinces have control over distribution and retail systems, labelling, advertising and marketing practices, importation and pricing. They may, as well, control the number and types of beers available for sale. The federal government regulates ingredients, packaging and labelling and broadcast advertising.
Taxes represent the single largest component of the price of beer. On average 53 cents of every dollar spent on beer for home consumption is made up of federal and provincial taxes. At this level, Canada ranks with Norway as having the highest taxes of 23 leading industrialized countries. Canadian taxes are about three times higher than on beer bought in the United States, where only 18 cents on each dollar goes to taxes.
In 1996, the beverage industries produced $8.1 billion and grew at an average compounded annual rate of almost 5.3% over the 1990 to 1996 period. In 1996, the brewery products industry segment represented almost 48.8% of total beverage industries shipments. Canadian domestic exports of beer (primarily to the US) totalled $217.7 million in 1996. Over the 1990 to 1996 period, domestic exports in this industry had an average growth rate of 4.21%. Over 98% of the beer consumed in Canada is produced by Canadian breweries.
Over the 1990 to 1996 period, total employment within Canada's brewing industry declined from 12 636 to 9937, an average annual drop of 4.4%.
Revenue to all levels of government generated by the brewing and marketing of beer amounted to roughly $4.9 billion in 1994. About $3.2 billion came from federal excise duty and sales tax and provincial liquor board profits and sales taxes. The remainder represented various taxes paid to the different levels of government by the employees and companies involved.
Over 19 million hectolitres of Canadian beer were sold for Canadian consumption in 1995, or 66.5 litres per person. Beer sales have shown little or no growth over the last five years and remain down from a peak of 20.7 million hectolitres in 1987.
Brewing and the Environment
On the retail end, vendors not only sell beer but handle bottle returns. More than 78% of all beer sold domestically by the industry is in returnable and reusable bottles. Ninety-seven out of every 100 of those bottles come back for cleaning and refilling. A bottle can be reused 15 to 20 times, preventing enormous wastage. Once a bottle is spent, it is crushed and sent to glass-makers for the manufacture of new bottles.
Aluminum beer cans (which account for 15% of all sales) are also crushed and recycled, as are the beer cartons. Draught beer is sold in reusable kegs that can last 15 to 20 years before they too are also crushed and recycled. Even the husks of the spent grain used in the brewing process are recycled. After use in the brewing process, they are collected and sold as animal feed.
The Canadian brewing industry was one of the first among brewers internationally to address the issue of responsible use and continues to fund a number of programs aimed at discouraging misuse. In the past decade alone, the industry has provided funding of over $95 million to raise public awareness of the risks of alcohol misuse, to mount educational programs aimed at altering risky attitudes and behaviours with respect to alcohol use and to foster bio-medical and social and behavioural research into alcohol misuse. | <urn:uuid:d5f09507-f042-4b24-a937-dac92e2bc066> | CC-MAIN-2018-09 | https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/brewing-industry/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-09/segments/1518891812938.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20180220110011-20180220130011-00021.warc.gz | en | 0.957801 | 1,381 | 3.1875 | 3 |
TCM to Treat Acne
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), acne is considered a disease primarily related to the Pathogenic Influence of Heat and Damp Heat on the meridians, Zang Fu, and Fundamental Substances. This Heat may be a product of poor diet, stress, overwork, a congenital condition, or the natural ascendance of Yang energy, which is typical in adolescence.
Heat may affect the Lung or Stomach Meridians, from where it is transmitted to the skin of the face and chest, causing the condition's inflammatory response. If the Heat tries to escape from the Tai Yang channel, acne occurs on the back. Heat usually is exacerbated in the Lung Meridian by the External Wind Pathogen, which causes skin redness. In the Stomach Meridian, it can be aggravated by a diet of greasy and spicy foods, which weakens and creates more Damp Heat in the Spleen Zang and the Stomach Fu.
Heat also may enter into the Blood or transmute into Toxic Heat, both of which can cause lesions. Finally, emotional health can contribute to acne. Extreme emotions of sadness, anxiety, stress, or anger can cause Disharmony in the body. This can lead to stagnation of Qi and cause Heat and Dampness to rise to the skin.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Categories of Acne
In TCM, Heat affects the different Meridians, Zang Fu Organs, and Fundamental Substances, providing the substratum that allows acne to occur. The different manifestations of Heat in these aspects of the body's energetics appear as different complexes of signs and symptoms. Acne requires a careful differentiation of Heat so that proper treatment can be formulated to match the Pattern of Disharmony.
Lung Heat and Stomach Heat are the most common forms of acne. If Dampness is present, the skin will be greasy. Sores and bleeding signify toxicity. Itchiness can be caused by Wind and Dampness. The most common form of itchiness in acne is from Wind that arises from Heat.
The major signs and symptoms of the common Heat Patterns of Disharmony, differentiated by location on the body, are as follows:
- Lung Heat: Symptoms include acne with a predominance of lesions on the forehead and near the nose. There may be slight itching as well. In cases with a rapid onset of new lesions, the patient may complain of chills or sensitivity to Wind. The patient may have an aversion to heat and feel thirsty. The tongue is generally red with a thin yellow coat, and the pulse may be rapid and floating.
- Stomach Heat: Symptoms include acne with a predominance of lesions around the mouth and on the chest, shoulders, and back. The patient may have an aversion to heat; have a large appetite and thirst; and prefer greasy, spicy foods. There may be a tendency to pass dry stools as well. The tongue is usually red with a thick yellow coating, and the pulse is rapid and forceful.
- Toxic Heat: Symptoms include severe acne, strongly inflamed with pus-filled nodules and much reddening of the skin around the lesions. The patient may have an aversion to heat as well and may complain of malaise. The tongue is generally red with a dry yellow coating, and the pulse is rapid.
- Damp Heat: Symptoms include acne composed of deep, pus-filled, inflamed nodules. The skin usually is oily, and the patient may have an aversion to heat. He or she may be thirsty but have no desire to take fluids. The tongue generally is red or crimson, with a greasy or sticky coating. The pulse is rapid and may have slippery or wiry qualities as well.
- Blood Heat: Symptoms include acne that is accompanied by a flushed face and strong aversion to heat. The patient may complain of thirst, dark urine, and dry stools. The tongue usually is red (with a redder tip) and has a yellow coating, or may be crimson in color. The pulse usually is rapid and thin. | <urn:uuid:b417b6bf-497d-4e89-ad84-989e7af5cd92> | CC-MAIN-2019-35 | http://www.healthcommunities.com/acne/alternative-medicine/traditional-chinese-medicine.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027315132.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20190819221806-20190820003806-00248.warc.gz | en | 0.9329 | 838 | 2.90625 | 3 |
Medical specialty concerned with the skeleton and its associated structures. Orthopedists treat fractures, strained muscles, torn ligaments and tendons, and other injuries and deal with acquired and congenital skeletal deformities and the effects of degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis. Originally dependent on heavy braces and splints, orthopedics now uses bone grafts, hip and other joint replacements, prostheses (see prosthesis), special footwear, and braces to enhance mobility. Orthopedics uses the techniques of physical medicine and rehabilitation and occupational therapy in addition to those of traditional medicine and surgery.
Learn more about orthopedics with a free trial on Britannica.com. | <urn:uuid:75e192bb-49f5-425b-b033-33fd515bf444> | CC-MAIN-2014-23 | http://www.reference.com/browse/orthopedic | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-23/segments/1406510267876.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20140728011747-00199-ip-10-146-231-18.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.90435 | 135 | 2.71875 | 3 |
We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and to an extent, it is true. A good breakfast gives you the nutrients and energy that enable you to function efficiently throughout the day. While the evidence that people who eat breakfast are slimmer overall than people who do not is scant, a new study does seem to indicate that eating a high protein breakfast might lead to less high-fat and high sugar snacking later on in the day.
The study, which was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, revealed that the consumption of a breakfast high in protein (as opposed to a high-fiber breakfast of cereal) resulted in a reduction of brain wave activity that led to the craving of high fat snack foods.
The study was conducted on 20 overweight or obese women between the ages of 18 and 20. The participants were given either a high protein breakfast, a low protein breakfast, or were told to skip breakfast entirely, and told to fill out surveys regarding their feelings of satiety throughout the day. The subjects also had blood samples taken, and submitted to MRI scans. After six days the researchers found that the participants who had eaten a high protein breakfast not only reported feeling fuller for a longer amount of time, but also experienced a change in brain chemistry that reduced cravings for snacks.
Even though the importance of eating breakfast has been stressed for decades, this is the first study that suggests a correlation between a specific high-protein breakfast and feeling satisfied for a longer stretch of time. According to study author Heather Leidy, assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology at the University of Missouri:
“These data suggest that eating a protein-rich breakfast is one potential strategy to prevent overeating and improve diet quality by replacing unhealthy snacks with high quality breakfast foods. Eating a protein-rich breakfast impacts the drive to eat later in the day, when people are more likely to consume high-fat or high-sugar snacks.”
A survey taken in 2011 indicated that approximately 31 million Americans skipped breakfast every day. It is estimated that roughly one third of United States residents can be classified as overweight or obese. In our struggle to combat obesity, every available weapon is certainly needed. If we make this one fairly simple change, we might be able to succeed in reducing the desire to eat potentially dangerous, high calorie snack foods.
By Julian Omidi
The Huffington Post: High Protein Breakfast Helps Prevent Unhealthy Snacking Later, Study Says 3/28/2013 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/28/protein-breakfast-prevent-snacking_n_2971476.html | <urn:uuid:c1d471e1-3802-4b38-8726-9cc6584e6b80> | CC-MAIN-2017-39 | http://julianomidi.weebly.com/home/does-eating-breakfast-really-make-a-difference | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-39/segments/1505818691476.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20170925111643-20170925131643-00071.warc.gz | en | 0.965937 | 547 | 3.109375 | 3 |
FOIA data request 2018 by Connie Barlow re Torreya taxifolia
SUMMARY OF RESULTS: Barlow used the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to request documentation of number of seeds produced each year (2007-2017) at the two ex-situ plantings of Torreya taxifolia in northern Georgia (one administered by Atlanta Botanical Garden and the other by University of Georgia's State Botanical Garden). She also asked for "ultimate destinations" of the seeds each year.
Documentation provided failed to supply any of the numbers/destinations per year for this critically endangered tree species, native to northern Florida. This led Barlow to conclude that ex situ seed production was uncounted and therefore presumably unvalued.
As well, failure to document annual seed production holds back scientific understanding of(1) the rate of "recovery" evidenced by annual increases in seed production and
(2) the ability of this "glacial relict" tree species to thrive when offered "assisted migration" several hundred miles northward into the southern-most Appalachian Mountains.
Table of Contents• Freedom of Information Act Request (FOIA), by Connie Barlow, 27 March 2018
(internally linked sections; mostly chronological)
• Three Events that Prompted the FOIA Request(1) Torreya Symposium announcement: Torreya genetic engineering is next step (March 2018)• Results of Barlow's FOIA data request
(2) Email exchange between Barlow, Radcliffe, Coffey, and Smith (February 2018)
(3) "Torreya Caution Statement to GPCA Botanical Gardens" (May 2016)(1) Early Communications and Partial Results (March 29 - July 24)• Barlow's Closing Statement (August 29)
(2) FOIA Hiatus as Barlow Offers "Win-Win Solution" (August 3 -21)
(3) FOIA Resumed and Completed (August 21 - 29; and helpful communications with USF&WS staff)
• Followup communications (beginning September 5)
• Freedom of Information Act Request, by Connie Barlow, 27 March 2018.
FULL TEXT OF THE FILING: The Fish & Wildlife Service has not yet posted anything in its ongoing reports database as to the actual quantities of endangered Torreya taxifolia seeds produced year-by-year from ex situ plantings in Smithgall Woods and Blairsville GA, since those trees began producing seeds.
It is important for the public to know the success of seed production, year by year, and especially the final destinations of those precious seeds, as produced under the terms of the 2010 update of the ESA recovery plan for this endangered species. My concern is that the seeds at Smithgall Woods may have been unharvested, and therefore "wasted" as food for local squirrels.
request continued below
I have already checked the online Record of Actions. No information is available there for any year. However, the 2010 recovery plan, on p. 9, documented that the agency was already aware that at least the Smithgall Woods ex situ plantings were already producing seeds. It says,"The material planted at Smithgall Woods was propagated from all Georgia source population material (Army Corps. of Engineers, site at Woodruff Dam, Lake Seminole, in Georgia). The trees have grown quite large and are now reproductively mature producing male and female cones annually."As founder of the citizen activist group Torreya Guardians, I would like to know documentation of seed production year by year, beginning in 2007. I am aware that the Blairsville site has likely been producing seeds every year since 2007, yet there is no online documentation of quantities and year-by-year reporting of ultimate destinations of the precious seeds. Please provide me (and thereby our group of citizens) this information. You can access our group's website at http://www.torreyaguardians.org/.
REQUEST FOR EXPEDITED PROCESSING:
Our group, Torreya Guardians, has been mentioned in many academic papers and some media reports as successfully pursuing the "assisted migration" northward of the USFWS endangered species, Florida Torreya. Yet, March 1-2 a USFWS staffer (Vivian Negron-Ortiz) in charge of this species attended a "Torreya Symposium" organized by a variety of institutions. Today, an article appeared by a journalist in an online environmental magazine that indicates that the "official" plans created by this institutional team exclude coordination with our group. Yet the 2010 recovery plan mentions in 3 places for institutions to coordinate their efforts with us.
Our group is entirely engaged in moving seeds north, as an easy to implement and inexpensive solution to the species' ongoing decline (since its listing as an endangered species in 1984) in its small peak-glacial refuge in Florida. Yet the article indicates that the official institutions and scientists plan to engage in expensive and highly interventionist strategies of freezing embryos and also undertaking CRISPR genetic manipulation with no indication that they are considering the success we are achieving in simple and cheap actions of simply helping this large-seeded species move its seeds to cooler realms. You can access this journal article (March 27 in Yale Environment 360) via the newest entry posted on our own Torreya Guardians reports page here.
Three Events that Prompted the FOIA Request
1. Torreya Symposium announcement: genetic engineering of Torreya taxifolia as the next step (March 2018), see the paragraph immediately above.
2. Email exchange bt Barlow, Radcliffe, Coffey, and Smith (February 2018)Because Torreya Guardians was not invited to attend the March 2018 Torreya Symposium before the speaker roster was set, I (Connie Barlow) began contacting some of the speakers directly to ensure that they were aware of our actions and how to find more information on our website. I sent emails to the following speakers or staff of speakers. (Their responses are not included, as a courtesy to their privacy, as none of these communications were problematic.)3. May 2016 "Torreya Caution Statement to GPCA Botanical Gardens". The February 15 email (above) from Emily Coffey to Connie Barlow had two attachments:• Edward O. Wilson, via his assistant Kathleen Horton, no response. my email in pdfFinally, I knew that the speaker from the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Emily Coffey, had only recently joined the institution as Vice President for Conservation. On February 14 I contacted Carrie Radcliffe by email in order to convey my message to Emily Coffey "as you see fit." Below is the email exchange: Barlow to Radcliffe; Coffey to Barlow; Barlow to Coffey; Radcliffe to Barlow. Barlow interpreted the email from Coffey as hostile.
• Jared Westbrook, American Chestnut Foundation. my email in pdf (we talked on phone)
• Jason Smith, University of Florida. my Jan 4 email pdf; my Jan 11 email pdf; my Jan 16 email pdf; my Jan 21 email pdf (Barlow received responses)
• Reed Noss, University of Florida (emeritus). my Jan 25 email pdf (Barlow received response)
• Rob Nicholson, Smith College. my Jan 26 email pdf (Barlow received response)
• Hugh Possingham, The Nature Conservancy. my Jan 29 email pdf (no response)
• BARLOW to CARRIE RADCLIFFE, Feb 14 email in pdf
• EMILY COFFEY to BARLOW, Feb 15 email in pdf
• BARLOW to EMILY COFFEY, Feb 20 email in pdf
• JASON SMITH to BARLOW, Feb 20 email in pdf
• RADCLIFFE to BARLOW, Feb 28 email in pdf• "Policy Statement Regarding in situ and ex situ Plant Conservation Between Members of the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance, 2008. GPCA Participating Organizations and Research Collaborators: Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta History Center, Callaway Gardens, Chattahoochee Nature Center, Coastal Plain Research Arboretum, Fort Valley State University, Georgia Botanical Society, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Department of Transportation, Georgia Native Plant Society, Georgia Power, Georgia Southern Botanical Garden, Georgia Wildlife Federation, Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Station, The Nature Conservancy of Georgia, North Georgia College and State University
• "Torreya caution statement to GPCA Botanical Guardians", 5 May 2016. Six signators: Donald W. Imm (Georgia USF&WS), Matt Elliott (Georgia DNR), Jennifer Cruse-Sanders (Atlanta Botanical Garden), Henning Von Schmeling (Chattahoochee Nature Center), Jennifer Ceska (State Botanical Garden of Georgia), Heather Alley (State Botanical Garden of Georgia)
Note: The above "Torreya caution statement" was issued and signed nearly two years before the Torreya Symposium was held. In it, the signators suggest that [presumably, autumn 2015]:"... someone removed all of the fruits from the Torreya safeguarding Collections at Smithgall Woods State Park... While we have no knowledge of who was responsible for the above action, we would like to point out that the Torreya Guardians and their volunteers are not members of the GPCA... The GPCA does not sanction assisted migration of Torreya outside its range, and we do not support the movement of Torreya outside the state of Georgia.... GPCA members and Botanical Guardian volunteers are advised to be cautious when speaking to any members of Torreya Guardians... GPCA is publicly distancing itself from Torreya Guardians and their methods of rewilding an endangered species outside its range."Note: Barlow to Coffey (Feb 20 above) clarifies that, because we had been receiving seeds by donation of the superintendent of the Blairsville site for several years (7,000 seeds in autumn 2015), we would have had no interest in any from Smithgall Woods certainly not to steal them. Because I (Barlow) was hopeful that this clarification might re-open the door for communication and perhaps teamwork, I did not mention a deeper concern: that state and federal governmental agencies would have cut off communications and sullied the reputation of a group of citizen volunteers without, at minimum, letting us know that they were doing this and why.
Hence, when the announcement was made at the conclusion of the Torreya Symposium (two weeks after my reply to Coffey) that genetic manipulation would be the next step for institutions operating under the official ESA plan (and with no opportunity for public comment), I decided to initiate an FOIA data request, which I had reason to believe would confirm that the management of annual seed production at Smithgall Woods had been, simply, to let the local squirrels harvest the seeds and possibly to neglect even documenting the numbers of seeds produced in each of the previous 10 years. To my mind, if that proved true, it would represent both a serious conservation error and lapse of scientific rigor to chart recovery year by year in an ex situ planting. The section below lists and links to the FOIA data results and the communications along the way.
Results of Barlow's FOIA data request
for seed numbers and destinations (2007-2017)
Part 1: Early Communications and Partial Results
• FOIA to Barlow March 29 - granted expedited processing and established Tiffany Mcclurkin as the contact.
• FOIA to Barlow April 6 - "... Your request falls in the "complex" processing track. Requests in this track will take between twenty-one workdays and sixty workdays to process...."
• FOIA to Barlow July 6 - "... "I'm currently in possession of the responsive records for your request, but it requires a review and signature prior to sending to you. Some information will need to be sent to the Solicitor's Office for review prior to sending to you, but there are some documents that have been deemed clearly releasable. I hope to have a partial response to you soon. Thanks for your continued patience."
• Barlow to FOIA July 6 - "Thank you! Now that I know the work has been done, feel free not to rush with the final sign-offs. Receiving the full results within two weeks will be fine with me."
• Barlow to FOIA July 19 - "We had an email exchange on July 6 where we agreed to add 2 weeks onto the original 60-work-day due date for my receipt of the FOIA response. Tomorrow, July 19, will be two weeks.
I have two journalists wanting me to make some comments, and I need to see the FOIA results before I do so. One is writing a book with just one chapter on Torreya Guardians, so he has no trouble with some delay. The other is a journalist writing about our group for Earth Island Journal, and her deadline for submitting her article to the editor is end of July.
So, please send me whatever you can as soon as possible. And then let me know the character of what (if anything) is still awaiting a final signature and when it will be coming my way. I, of course, know that you personally have no control over that happening. But maybe you can nudge him or her that the information is crucial for my responding to a journalist right away. Thank you for helping me respond to an urgent journalist query. The Earth Island Journal writer contacted me July 17. Her name and email is Sam Schipani
• Barlow to FOIA July 23 - "The journalist writing an article on our group, Torreya Guardians, cannot delay her interview with me any longer. On Wednesday morning this week she will interview me by phone. Please let your superiors know that at least some basic results will be appreciated so that I can speak while somewhat informed. Remember, the original deadline for this 'complex' FOIA passed two weeks ago.
I imagine all of the staff are overburdened with too much work. But anything you can provide me with will at least be a start toward full compliance and thus evidence of collaborative good will, and I will be grateful."
• FOIA to Barlow July 23 - "... "It was a pleasure speaking with you this morning regarding your request. As per our conversation, I am currently routing your final response through the Regional Office to be sent to the SOL's Office, however, I have three documents that have been deemed clearly releasable that I can send to you later today or tomorrow with a signed letter by the program. I’ve already spoken with the Deputy Assistant Regional Director about signing the letter to send you the fully releasable documents and he has agreed to sign it either today or tomorrow. There is still one document that I will continue to route through the RO and to the SOL's Office for review. Thanks and please look forward to receiving a partial response either today or tomorrow."
• FOIA to Barlow July 24 (1) - "Attached is your signed 1st partial response letter and documents. As per our conversation, there is still one document that is currently being routed through the proper channels to be sent to the Solicitor’s Office for review. Thanks!"• Regarding Torreya fruit collection and our position on the activities of Torreya Guardians, by Vivian Negron-Ortiz. [Contains exactly the series of 5 emails already posted above, as I had already written or received them personally.]• Barlow to FOIA July 24 - None of the documents I was sent contain the answer to the simple set of requests I made: How many seeds were produced each year by the Torreya taxifolia trees outplanted for "safeguarding" the species at the Smithgall Woods and Blairsville sites, beginning in 2007 (and continuing through the last seed production, 2017). Also I requested a report of the ultimate destinations of those ex-situ-generated seeds year by year. Both parts of my request are very important not only for my information needs as founder of Torreya Guardians, but as crucial data for any scientist to assess the year-by-year progress in recovering this species.
• Florida Statewide Plant Conservation Grant, Annual Report 2010-2011 FDACS Contract 016711; by Dr. Jennifer Cruse-Sanders, title: "Conservation of the critically endangered Florida Torreya."EXCERPT: Within the two year project time frame we expect to complete: 1) Documentation of the location, health condition, and size of naturally occurring T. taxifolia 2) Reports on the development of genetic markers and estimation of current levels of genetic diversity in existing populations of T. taxifolia, 3) Establishment of ecological experiments for testing optimal conditions for growth of T. taxifolia and adequate protection of extant populations from herbivory, drought, competition and edaphic influences within focal areas of Torreya State Park, 4) Documentation of techniques for long-term storage of T. taxifolia and tissue culture for safeguarding and maintaining germplasm ex situ.• untitled; 10 lines of table seeming to document specimens derived from wild branchlets as rooted by Arnold Arboretum in 1991.
I do recognize that the ex-situ parent plants that have been producing seeds are crucial genetic safeguards against the species extinction. So too may be success in freezing embryos (since the intact seed will not survive drying or freezing). But the Endangered Species Act, which was enacted while I was still in college, was not limited to merely preventing extinction or "safeguarding" the genetics of the species. As a young adult, I was thrilled to witness the gains of how the act was implemented in its early years. The ESA not only prevented extinction of the Peregrine Falcon and the Bald Eagle but helped them to regain their prominence and geographic range in the wild.
Back to the specifics of my FOIA request. I wrote:"... The Fish & Wildlife Service has not yet posted anything in its ongoing reports database as to the actual quantities of endangered Torreya taxifolia seeds produced year-by-year from ex situ plantings in Smithgall Woods and Blairsville GA, since those trees began producing seeds. It is important for the public to know the success of seed production, year by year, and especially the final destinations of those precious seeds, as produced under the terms of the 2010 update of the ESA recovery plan for this endangered species. My concern is that the seeds at Smithgall Woods may have been unharvested, and therefore "wasted" as food for local squirrels...."[emphasis added]In the past I was willing to "live-and-let-live" with this aspect of the implementation of the ESA designation and not seek further information. Nor did I attempt to advocate that seeds of such an endangered tree should not be wasted on squirrels. But when it became clear that a person associated with Torreya Guardians was being accused of wrong-doing, and that he was also being blamed by Ms. Radcliffe for not notifying official staff until 2016 that seeds were being produced at the official ex-situ location, I realized that the hostility of officials toward our citizen group was no longer tolerable. Hence my FOIA request.
Though I have never been to Smithgall Woods myself, I have gone online and viewed the webpage for "Trails at Smithgall Woods." The first paragraph is this: Visitor Center Loop Trail - This .3-mile trail begins at our Visitor Center, crosses a small tributary of Dukes Creek, and winds around a large pasture along Dukes Creek. Just off the trail is a planting of Florida Torreya, considered to be one of North America's most critically endangered trees. There also are a couple of adult swings and several picnic tables. https://gastateparks.org/SmithgallWoods/Trails
Here I will point out the actual passage of the February 28 email to me from Ms. Radcliffe:"... Plant material was provided by Ron Determann, and a research contract was set up with the UGA Horticulture Department & GMREC to house and care for the trees. This was nearly 20 years ago, and it is unfortunate that we were not notified of the production of fruit before 2016. Luckily the new Superintendent immediately acknowledged that fruit had been illegally harvested without the knowledge of the project partners and put a stop to it. Only then did Jack inform us of the bounty that was available - because he was denied access. I was informed of his recent attempts to regain access to the plants, and that is not going to be allowed by GMREC or UGA."In summary, that a citizen is blamed for seemingly not reporting easily observable information about a grove of endangered trees growing along a marked pathway that citizens are encouaged to walk in a state park is not only unfair, but it suggests a grave failure of judgment by official implementers of the plan.
Please know that my criticism here of Recovery Plan implementation only pertains to the Implementation of the ex-situ management phase of the recovery plan. Prior to the ex situ out-plantings, Ron Determann of Atlanta Botanical Garden twice guided me on a tour of their facilities where the branchlets were misted and rooted, early seed production was nurtured, and seeds protected from squirrels. I also observed where at least some of those seeds had been planted alongside the greenhouse and were well protected from rodents. (I published a photo-essay of my site visit on the Torreya Guardians website, here: )
I very much look forward to receiving the final set of documents still in process for fulfilling my FOIA request.
• FOIA to Barlow July 24 (2) - "My apologies. This is the information I was provided. I'm currently following up with the Program Office. Thanks!"
Part 2: FOIA Hiatus as Barlow Offers "Win-Win Solution"
• Barlow to FOIA August 3 - FULL TEXT: RE: Proposed win-win solution and the larger ESA imperative.Ms McClurkin -• Barlow to FOIA August 3 (2) - Tiffany - I just sent you a long, formal email proposing a win-win solution. Do let me know you received it. I am happy to delay any further work on your part in fulfilling my existing FOIA request, until your group has a chance to ponder my suggestions. Then, the remaining data request may no longer be relevant. Thanks! Connie
1. SEED DATA. On July 26, a new posting pertaining to ex-situ seed production appeared in the "Conservation Updates" section of the Torreya taxifolia page of The Center for Plant Conservation. Much of that I already knew; I simply wanted to seek that kind of report via the FOIA process. The data pertains only to ex situ plantings by the Atlanta Botanical Garden (ABG property plus Blairsville State Park). There is nothing yet published on the Smithgall Woods site, where Torreya Plantings are administered by the University of Georgia. Both sites demonstrate very problematic inattention to seed production (which is necessary for "recovery"), as the management concern apparently has been limited to genetic "safeguarding." Ergo, so long as the individual trees in the ex situ plantings remain alive, the Georgia institutions administering the Recovery Plan likely regard that there is no genetic gain or loss by doing anything in particular with the seeds. The seeds, thus, can be ignored, and possibly not even counted. In contrast, a citizen regard for ESA management, such as my own, would deem any management goal that simply seeks to "prevent extinction" and "safeguard plant materials" (rather than aim for "recovery") as far from adequate.
2. USF&WS CRITICIZED AT JULY 17 SENATE HEARING. The CNN video post of the 2-hour hearing on the "Recovering America's Wildlife Act" includes strong criticism of federal implementation of the ESA during the first three minutes. The committee chairman charges that endangered species are being "kept on life support." Torreya taxifolia (listed in 1984) could easily be demonstrated as a case example of such — but it doesn't need to be.
3. TOWARD A WIN-WIN SOLUTION. The USF&WS could encourage Atlanta Botanical Garden and University of Georgia to join hands with Torreya Guardians to present a stunningly successful example of what it could be like for other endangered plants to be managed into the uncertain future. This would especially apply to listed plants in which seed dispersal impediments likely account for their current small geographic ranges and thus put them in the greatest danger with ongoing "weather disruptions." Note that both the 1986 and the 2010 recovery plans for Torreya point to its "glacial relict" status as the likely cause of its exceedingly small and isolated range in n. Florida. Read the quotes at the top of this page. The seed-dispersal impediment for Torreya taxifolia is that, while the Chattahoochee River is an excellent delivery system for moving seeds southward from the southern Appalachians toward the Gulf Coast, vertebrate dispersers (squirrels) are the only modes of transporation for getting seeds back north. (See my "Paleoecology and Assisted Migration Debate" post.) Measurements taken by Torreya Guardians at a 90-year-old private grove of Torreya taxifolia near Highlands NC indicate that it took the trees nearly a century to establish offspring (with the help of squirrels) out to a distance of 40 yards. As well, such data indicate that there should be no fear of Torreya taxifolia becoming invasive if assisted to migrate back up into the Appalachian Mountains.
4. FOCUS ON THE LEARNINGS. Because no other glacial relict species is being managed with a deep-time understanding, it would be unfair to charge the creators and implementors of the 2010 recovery plan update for Florida Torreya as being negligent. There was no precedent for utilzing assisted migration for an endangered plant. And because no other citizen group had made use of the intentional loophole (just for plants) in the 1973 Act it would be wrong to focus on the conflicts that have arisen between the official plan implementers and the citizen volunteers (over whom the officials have no jurisdiction). Instead, we should focus on the learnings.
I can easily report in hindsight the mistakes that I made in organizing and playing a leadership role in Torreya Guardians. While I do maintain a detailed account (private document) on all the seeds we distribute, year-by-year, numbers, where the seeds came from, and to whom we send them, and while many of the volunteers have eagerly reported results ongoingly, I have not been perfect in my record-keeping. As well, my encouragement to planters starting in 2013 to "freeplant" seeds into their regrowth forests experimentally to discern favored habitats and plant associations, largely resulted in significant seed predation by rodents — until volunteers began reporting successes by planting seeds 4+ inches deep (beyond the reach of rodents). Thus, the official implementers of the recovery plan are not alone in "wasting" seeds.
The ABG recent effort to determine how to undertake long-term storage confirmed that drying or freezing are not options for intact Torreya seeds. Hence simple storage of seeds for use at a later time is not possible without high-tech "somatic embryogenesis," necessarily performed seed-by-seed and thus very expensively.
From the perspective of learnings, all pieces are in place for finally launching a combined institution-citizen effort to ensure that no seed goes to waste. We citizens are needed. The seeds surplus to ex-situ safeguarding or storage need not go to waste, and we Torreya Guardians do not need to be primary recipients. Crucially, very little, if any money needs to be allocated to USF&WS or the states in order to accomplish such partnerships.
5. ENLIST CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS AND GARDEN CLUBS to create plans and to recruit private landowners for receiving seeds produced in ex situ orchards that are deemed surplus to the official federal/state recovery projects. In effect, that is how ABG and Torreya Guardians inadvertently collaborated before 2016.
6. ACCOMPLISH THIS REVISION THROUGH ESA AMENDMENT. Several days ago I reached out to a Senator's office to suggest a specific provision for plants in the amendment process. (Notice the appeal to Libertarian legislators and the language of "weather disruptions" rather than "climate change.") I wrote:PROPOSED AMENDMENT: For listed threatened or endangered plants that are encountering abnormal weather disruptions (notably, extreme droughts, intense and/or long-lasting heat stress, and/ or unusually mild winters conducive to population increases or range expansions of diseases and/or insect vectors of diseases), citizens may choose to volunteer their private lands for ex situ plantings in less stressful locations as specified by the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Citizens will engage via their regional land trusts, botanical garden clubs, conservation organizations, etc.7. ... OR BY REGULATORY REVISION. This recruitment of citizens and supervising institutions could equally be accomplished within the regulatory revisions now under consideration. Note that this regulatory shift would encourage non-profit institutions to lead, thus replacing the conflictual binary of either the official recovery plan implementers or a lone or loose group of citizens paying their own way.
8. I WILL BE SUBMITTING COMMENTS BY SEPTEMBER 24 AS TO REGULATORY REVISIONS. I would dearly love to do so in a way that elevates the Florida Torreya case as demonstrating that such partnerships can be viable and will surely work better when regional conservation groups and garden clubs step forward to play the intermediary role between citizen planters and those who implement the official recovery plan. The free labor of students and interns supervised by a regional university should be easy to engage. The opportunity for academics to create degreed projects (and publish papers) should be attractive to universities, not only in environmental studies programs but also in communications, horticulture, etc. I wonder if Atlanta Botanical Garden might be inclined to submit recommendations along these lines, too. I wonder if an informed, neutral party might play a role in our two groups being able to trade ideas, and hence converge somewhat on our recommendations. I wonder if we can be on the same team.
9. SUPPLEMENTAL POINTS ON USF&WS STAFF:• Vivian Negron-Ortiz in the USF&WS Panama FL office has deftly tried to manage the tensions. Notably, she reached out to invite Torreya Guardians to participate (phone conference call) in the final meeting of scientific and stakeholder advisors toward the 2010 recovery plan update). Two of us participated. She expessly asked the group to vote on whether to include an assisted migration pilot project. The two of us Torreya Guardians were the only participants to vote yes. Note: Although "critical habitat" has never been designated for Torreya, the nearby landowners who had Torreya on their properties not only were eager to cooperate; they seemed to feel such pride of ownership that they, quite naturally, were not willing to say "goodbye" to Torreya by voting to have northward locations tested as possibly more suitable.10. BE AWARE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA'S ENTRY INTO PROMOTING GENETIC MODIFICATION OF FLORIDA TORREYA. This past March, the university hosted an invitation-only meeting that resulted in a glowing press report of the Forest Pathology program moving ahead with using CRISPR technology to nudge a fusarium-resistant wheat gene into Torreya. The press highlighted the participation of E.O. Wilson at the gathering. At first I was livid; then I realized that enviro groups will swarm in at recovery plan update time, protesting that the most endangered conifer in the world is being handled this way. So I don't need to worry about it. But USF&WS does. Learn more about this turn of events by going to this page and scrolling down to my March 2018 entry.
• Donald W. Imm, USF&WS State Supervisor (Georgia) was among the 6 signatories to a May 2016 memo of understanding titled "2016 Torreya Caution Statement to GPCA Botanical Guardians", which I received as an attachment from ABG Emily Coffey in her email to me February 2018. I was unaware of the accusations (and thus the hostility and unwillingness to communicate) prior to Coffey's email. I attach that pdf at bottom.
I look forward to working with your office to turn this FOIA problem into a win for the USF&WS in the ongoing "modernizing" of the Endangered Species Act and/or its regulations.
Connie Barlow, Founder of Torreya Guardians
• FOIA to Barlow August 3 - "I am in receipt of your email that you sent and I will send this to the responsible office for them to review your comments. I just want to be sure I'm understanding correctly--at this time are you withdrawing your FOIA request? Your help with this will be greatly appreciated. Thanks and I hope to hear from you soon."
• Barlow to FOIA August 3 (3) - Tiffany - I request that my FOIA inquiry not be withdrawn, but temporarily be put on hold, pending your agency's consideration of my suggestion and my evaluation of the response. Thank you for your prompt and efficient communications with me on this matter.
• Barlow to FOIA August 3 (4)Tiffany - In case someone in your office wants to better understand the P.R. value and appeal of citizens helping this endangered plant for free, my last two video uploads are the best to see the spectrum, from professional botanist to woods savvy mountain man. The botanist (who planted Torreya seeds on her conservation easement) is featured in a video I just finished editing and posted on youtube:
• "Assisted Migration of Florida Torreya to Michigan - Leelanau Peninsula" - 15 minutes
November 2017 I filmed in Tennessee: a mountain man who lives off the land who has an experimental American Chestnut grove and whose 240 acres of regrowth forest is an approved "Stewardship Forest" in the State of Tennesse. His observational skills and knowledge of how his forest works is home-grown. He also cooperates with the state in allowing the large hemlock trees in the depths of his ravines to receive pellet pesticide treatment to deter killings by woolly adelgids:
• "Florida Torreya to Cumberland Plateau - Rewilding an Endangered Tree" - 23 minutes
The final 10 minutes of an hour-long video I made are an overview of why the deep history of plant migrations is crucial for helping Torreya to not merely avoid extinction (lingering on "life support") but to actually recover and begin living once again with little or no human assistance.
• Site Visits to Florida's Endangered Torreya and Yew Trees" - 63 minutes (link to 53-minute mark)
Thank you for your assistance in communicating the accomplishments of the volunteers in Torreya Guardians.
• Barlow to Mary Pat Matheson August 7 (President of the Atlanta Botanical Garden).RE: Proposal for win-win solution of FOIA data request re management of ex-situ seed production of Florida Torreya. Attachment: Background Documents for Navigating Toward a Resolution of the Conflict between Atlanta Botanical Garden and Torreya Guardians [no response]
• Barlow to Vivian Negron-Ortiz August 14 (USF&WS) [no response]Vivian -
1. Q: Did you receive my Aug 7 email titled, "Win-Win proposal to ABG for solving Torreya problem"?
2 .Q: If so, is it correct to interpret that neither you nor ABG is interested in communicating with me toward my presenting a story of learnings and future cooperation in the comments I will submit by Sept 24 re USF&WS proposed changes to endangered species implementation?
3. REINSTATEMENT OF FOIA ON SEED DATA. If the answer to Q2 is "no interest in communication," then I plan to reinstate my seed data request (currently held back by Solicitor's Office in DOI), which data I will post online and also use in my comments on the proposed ESA regulatory changes.
3B: Know that one of our Guardians alerted me to the 26 July 2018 new post (attributed to Emily Coffey) on the Center for Plant Conservation webpage for Torreya taxifolia. The post displays failure to count (and perhaps value) Blairsville seed production prior to 2016. Thus far, our group has detected nothing posted online as to the annual seed production of the Smithgall Woods ex situ planting, which I understand is managed not by ABG but by the University of Georgia. This site is documented by you as having produced seeds since at least 2010, as the 2010 Recovery Plan states:"The material planted at Smithgall Woods was propagated from all Georgia source population material (Army Corps. Of Engineers, site at Woodruff Dam, Lake Seminole, in Georgia). The trees have grown quite large and are now reproductively mature producing male and female cones annually." (p. 9)4. Q: Perhaps you and I could cooperate on just the core piece I will probably include in my comments to USF&WS. That is, please let me know if the idea below sounds reasonable, or how I might improve it. Do know that, if something like this can become the solution, then I can easily frame my comments overall in a cooperative way: that our combined learnings can help for moving not only our species of concern faster toward actual recovery and thus de-listing, but other relict plants that are likewise trapped in cool-climate refugia.PROPOSAL: Seeds produced in ex situ plantings that are deemed to be in excess of genetic safeguarding, extinction-prevention, or other recovery plan goals or projects shall be valued and managed as beneficial for "non-essential, experimental" plantings. Such non-essential seeds will be made available for experimental plantings by institutions that prepare and submit plans for engaging in their own experiments: (a) for discerning whether climatic or other conditions in their region might be more hospitable for species thrival than the current or recent historic geographic range(s) of wild populations and (b) for determining the specific local habitats (slope, aspects, plant associations, etc.) that yield the best results. Plans shall include institutional commitments toward monitoring for possible plant invasiveness, along with regular posting of reports online of experimental results, what has been learned, and recommendations for improving species recovery.4B. Extraneous details: I am aware, via Jason Smith, that for species (such as Torreya) suffering from pitch cankers (Fusarium), the least problematic plant material to transfer geographically is the seed, and that the sending institutions could easily be instructed on ways to prevent disease transmission. As to the two primary criticisms of assisted migration for plants, here is how my proposal for modernizing ESA implementation policy during this century of rapid climate change would satisfy each concern:1. WASTING PUBLIC MONEY ON OUT-PLANTINGS THAT MAY FAIL. So long as the seeds are deemed "non-essential" under the established recovery plan, non-governmental institutions would be taking the risk of failure, not tax-payers.
2. INVASION RISK WITHIN RECIPIENT ECOSYSTEMS. In addition to institutional commitment to monitoring for invasiveness, for some plant species the risk can be demonstrated to be neglible from the outset. This would be accomplished by documenting non-invasiveness by seed-producing plantings that private landowners and landscapers undertook before or outside the species designation as threatened or endangered. Because Torreya taxifolia has been inadvertently served in this way for a century (beginning with the plantings at Harbison House, Highlands NC), Torreya Guardians have made a point of visiting and photo-documenting these key sites that prove non-invasiveness. Yesterday I finally completed a new webpage that makes it easy for officials and others to quickly review these examples of Torreya non-invasiveness. Please take a look at this new page and let me know if you think it is adequate: "Historic Groves of Torreya Trees."
Thank you for your dedication to this species and for your continuing cooperation,
Connie Barlow, founder of Torreya Guardians
• Barlow to FOIA Aug 21Tiffany -
Dr. Catherine Phillips, USFWS Field Supervisor for the Panama City FL office returned my phone call this afternoon. She was the first person to be genuinely interested in my perspective and the history of the conflict. We talked for 2 hours.
I sent her all the background and she seems to think that she can learn directly from DOI what exactly the hold-up on FOIA completion is. I told her that I was far more interested in an opportunity to come together as a team than in having that last part of my request fulfilled.
She is going to talk today or tomorrow with Dr. Donald Imm, Superintendent of the USF&WS office in Georgia, as he hasn't returned my call and he is lead signator of the 6 party agreement (1 page 5 May 2016) memo urging members to curtail communications with Torreya Guardians (which is one of the documents you sent me in partial fulfillment of my FOIA. Dr. Phillips strikes me as a team player who may at last be able to mediate the parties beyond conflict into cooperation. And do let me know that you received my email this morning titled, FWS-2018-00613 FOIA - reinstate data request Torreya
Part 3: FOIA Resumed and Completed
• Barlow to FOIA August 21On August 3, I emailed you my offer that your office could delay / put on hold further work on fulfilling my FOIA request (re numbers and ultimate destinations of Torreya ex situ seed production 2007 - 2017), while I explored possibilities for a win-win solution with USF&WS and the main institution (Atlanta Botanical Garden) that is implementing the management plan for Torreya taxifolia.
I now wish to reinstate my FOIA request in its fullness. As I wrote in my July 24 email to you:None of the documents I was sent contain the answer to the simple set of requests I made: How many seeds were produced each year by the Torreya taxifolia trees outplanted for "safeguarding" the species at the Smithgall Woods and Blairsville sites, beginning in 2007 (and continuing through the last seed production, 2017). Also I requested a report of the ultimate destinations of those ex-situ-generated seeds year by year. Both parts of my request are very important not only for my information needs as founder of Torreya Guardians, but as crucial data for any scientist to assess the year-by-year progress in recovering this species.I would appreciate receiving the document(s) in two weeks, as I will want to ground my public comment (re the Sept 24 USF&WS deadline) in the data I obtain. Do know that while I was disappointed in not being able to establish communication (by email or phone) with most of the parties on my list, I do want to express my gratitude for the three USF&WS people who were willing to listen to me (by phone) and provide their understanding of agency limitations.
1. First, whoever the male phone receptionist was at headquarters of the Endangered Species program on the morning of August 16: Initially he transferred me to someone's answering machine. I immediately called him back and pleaded for a real human being, expressly asking for someone in the communications department. He arranged for Lisa Ellis to call me that afternoon.
2. Lisa Ellis, Chief of Communication, Headquarters (USF&WS). She is excellent. Apparently she was unaware of the Torreya problem and the FOIA request/delay. She patiently listened as I explained the science distinctions (my own paleoecology focus v. the official pathology focus) and the worldview differences too: my own commitment to finding the least interventionist, least expensive, and most citizen-involved solutions for full "recovery" and "delisting" v. the cryopreservation and genetic engineering paths for "preventing extinction" and "safeguarding genetic material" that the Atlanta Botanical Garden and University of Florida identify as their goals. After hearing me out, Ms. Ellis calmly (and repeatedly) explained that the agency cannot force the implementing institutions (e.g., Atlanta Botanical Garden, University of Georgia, and University of Florida) to undertake any actions that they do not wish to do. The ESA only works if non-federal institutions step up to do the work. Hence, I now understand that not only is it impossible for the agency to compel the institutions to document and report such things as ex situ seed production. The agency cannot compel those nongovernmental institutions to communicate with me. Ms. Elliis then offered me two more names (Catherine Phillips and Kelly Bibb) to call who would be familiar with specifics of Torreya. (Phillips, Field Supevisor Panama City FL office, has not returned my phone message.)
3. Kelly Bibb, Southeast Region, Recovery. Ms. Bibb and I talked on the phone. She was familiar with the Torreya situation, and she was patient and courteous. She reiterated the point Ms. Ellis had made about the imperative for agency staff to maintain good relations with the implementing institutions. She spoke highly of the expertise and passion of Dr. Vivian Negron-Ortiz. And she allowed me to speak my piece as to why a focus on pathology and an aim to return Torreya to its peak glacial refuge in Florida was scientifically the wrong emphasis. Instead paleoecology expertise (coupled with the new imperative for even non-endangered plants of "climate adaptation") leads one to embrace the kind of action ("assisted migration") that Torreya Guardians have been donating their time for. As I recall, twice Ms. Bibb stated, "I remove myself from this species."
Finally, Ms. McClurkin, please relay to DOI my appreciation for the three agency staff members above.
I look forward to receiving the final document(s) re my FOIA request within two weeks. Do know that I will of course accept a signed document from DOI that the seed data simply hasn't been tracked by the implementing institutions. Thanks to Dr. Ellis, I now understand that USF&WS cannot compel documentation of anything that the implementing institutions do not value as worthy of their own attention and action.
For Torreya, Connie Barlow, founder of Torreya Guardians
• FOIA to Barlow August 22 - "I am in receipt of your email of wanting to reinstate your FOIA request. The remaining document responsive to your request is currently being routed for final signature and I hope to have it to you soon. Thanks so much!"
• Barlow to Catherine Phillips (USF&WS), documents follow-up to phone call Aug 21
• Barlow to Catherine Phillips (USF&WS) Aug 23Catherine -
Don [Donald Imm, USF&WS Georgia] was terrific to talk with yesterday. Thank you for helping make that happen. I am reading some of his papers (via Researchgate) this morning, so I can follow up with giving him the best links for the paleo science aspects.
I get the sense that Don not only will be getting in touch with AGB, but that he is probably the ideal person to do so.
I did not speak to Don of how the Blairsville seeds have actually not been going to the rodents over the years, as that confidential information I want to entrust to you to figure out how to create a win-win story from it.
Here, attached as a confidential pdf, is to give you the information that I have documented over the years of where we got our seeds from. You will see that the "success" in assisted migration that "we" are widely credited for would have been impossible without the massive seed donations we got from 2007 to 2015 via the superintendent at the Blairsville site. So it would be really easy to convert this history into a successful joint effort by all parties involved. I surmise that the seed-count documentation in this pdf is quite a bit more detailed than any of the official institutions could have provided to DOI to fulfill my FOIA request. So you can see that I launched that FOIA not as a means to discredit the official program, but as a bargaining chip. I feel that aim has been achieved, thanks to your willingness to think as a team player and now also my sense that Don will do that too.
Know that the seed-documentation in the pdf is just the beginning section of what is now a 55+ page document, small type, where I also post, state-by-state, all the info (and refs of email dates, names, contact, addresses, phone, results) that I have received or generated over the years on the DISTRIBUTION side of the project. As some of the landowners are really private people, I keep the full document as confidential. Not until I received Emily Coffey's Feb 2018 email to me did I understand that the Blairsville donations (2007 - 2015) represent a very courageous action for the superintendent then in charge to have taken — and, apparently, ditto for our own Jack Johnston. Jack had a solid reputation as an extremely knowledgeable and pro-active (especially for Stewartia) native plant advocate in the southern Appalachians — until the May 2016 6-party memo. The 2010 Audubon Magazine article on our 2008 Waynesville plantings had Jack Johnston featured as the volunteer to profile. See here.
For Torreya, Connie
Attachment: Seed Harvests / Sources by Year donated to Torreya Guardians from internal document kept by Connie Barlow
• Barlow to Donald Imm (USF&WS, Georgia) Aug 23Don (and Catherine)-
Great talking with you. I found you on Researchgate so read your 2001 coauthored paper, will say more on my connections there later. Right now I want to give you some ideas for weekend reading (and Catherine, too, though I think the personal off-time she has coming up really ought to be non-work for overworked, understaffed researchers!). The recommendations here are to help you see the crew of top scientists (almost all forestry, not conservation biologists) already out there to tap into for free help.
Know that I will generally be sending you to internal links on my own vast webpage "Assisted Migration Scholarly Links" on the Torreya Guardians website.
First, go to that url and peruse the beginning intro (that mentions why forest researchers are so far ahead of conservation biologists). Then scan the titles of the linked internal table of contents. Then, here's what I suggest, using that Table of Contents:
1. Click on "Ethics, Law, and History" and you'll see the top two papers by Patrick Shirey. Those clarify not only the plant loophole in ESA but why it was intentional. Shirey's work released me to be able to make videos of our plantings, because while I knew we were legal others didn't so finally I had a paper I could point to). I periodically talk with Shirey by phone he now does fisheries research projects as an independent for USF&WS (despite a law degree and PhD fisheries ecology he couldn't land a university position, so desperate are these times of contraction).
2. Then look at the Forestry section and all its internal links. Notice that there I repost the Paleoecology papers that are specific to forestry. Grad students in particular who are getting into assisted migration (the youngers don't resist it the way the elders do) are very grateful for my listing an quick-read annotation work. By golly, I just eyeballed the whole paleoecology section and see that you could spend your entire weekend just on that, dipping in to read the full papers that interest you most. Notice the one titled, "Relict species restricted to disjunct and small ranges by Pleistocene Glacials." That is a must-read. It only deals with NA trees of the west but it is totally applicable to Torreya and Florida yew. Interestingly, Mark Schwartz (early Torreya researcher) and I sort of mended our conflict when we had an e-discussion about the huge necessity of helping out the dozen or so relict conifers along the foggy coasts. SE region is way easier than that for a variety of reasons. Oh, the "Relict species" paper is one of the last by the three truly elder forest researchers out west, Ledig, Rehfeldt, and Jaquish. Rehfeldt USFS long-retired has been mentoring me behind the scenes for a half-dozen years, though not at all on torreya, just on my citizen advocacy on the need for A.M. of even common western trees.
3. LOUIS IVERSON - Go back to the Forestry section table of contents and click on "Maps of USA Tree Species Future Ranges". There you will see the Western USA 76 tree species (Rehfeldt was the lead on that) and Iverson & Prasad 134 Eastern Tree Species. Absolutely also scroll a wee bit down to see the red-colored section "Understanding the Forestry-Climate Range Projection Maps" as the caveats and criticisms (including the the Elbert Little 1971 maps of then-current native ranges might already have been shown for slow-moving trees already lagging a lot behind then-existing warming which is the obvious case for torreya, given the national champion T. tax is now in Ohio!
I haven't communicated with Iverson for awhile, but know that when I visited their Ohio office in May 2015, I gave Louis 20 seeds from the fall 2014 harvest; he told me later he kept 3 for his own home planting and gave the rest to the USFS woman in charge of communicating with the public. So I bet they will be thrilled to help out with plunking T. tax into their computer model, using the IPCC scenarios, which I think the 5 year update volume 1 comes out in September.
4. Back up to the table of contents Forestry, click on "Superb Overviews ..." link and see the 3-map graphic. Notice that TORREYA TAXIFOLIA is the case study example foresters use for the most radical form of A.M. That's why they are grateful for Torreya Guardians: we make their own "Assisted Population Migration" and "Assisted Range Expansion" projects underway look tame in comparison.
5. Back up to table of contents, click on 2018. First paper there is Bonebrake et al. Review Paper. I annotate it a lot as it is behind a paywall. Know that HUGH POSSINGHAM IS ON IT. He is the distinguished Aussie who took over the job of lead scientist at The Nature Conservancy when the controversial guy moved on. Possingham is far more quantitative than I prefer, but he and I have communicated and overall, because Australia is so maxed out on climate problems that A.M. is no controversy there, he would be a KEY SCIENTIST to team up with given how many endangered plants are protected on Nature Conservancy easements.
6. Make sure you read the original pair of Barlow & Martin v. Schwartz forum papers in Winter 2004-05 Wild Earth. Just google "Bring Torreya taxifolia North" and Schwartz "Conservationists Should Not Move Torreya taxifolia". 7. See that I can talk technical at a VIDEO of a college-wide lecture I gave 2015 at the Forestry & Environmental Sciences School at Michigan Tech U. It is on the overall assisted migration controversy, with Torreya just used as an example. There I really go into the 1491 paradigm generated fears and why forestry folk are so far ahead of conservation biologists: "CTL 08: Foresters Outpace Conservation Biologists in Climate Adaptation".
• FOIA FINAL DOCUMENT August 29Good Morning Ms. Barlow,
Attached is your Final Response and responsive document. Please consider this matter closed. Thanks!
• Official Closure Document, dated August 24, includes an explanation of the right to redact. It begins,This completes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (Service) response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. #552, request dated March 27, 2018. In your request, you asked for:• 3-page redacted email dated 5 March 2008, from Stan Simpkins to Vivian Negron-Ortiz (both USF&WS). That document is a forward of an email from Connie Barlow, also dated 5 March 2008. Absent the names, that same email content was posted as the 03/05/08 entry, by Lee Barnes and Connie Barlow, "Distribution of Fall 2007 seeds donated by Biltmore Gardens" on the Reports / Comments chronological list on the Torreya Guardians website.• Documentation of [Torreya taxifolia] seed production, beginning in 2007We have searched our records and located (1) document that is responsive to your request. After consulting with the Office of the Regional Solicitor, we have determined that some of the information in the remaining document contains material that is exempt from disclosure under Exemption 6 of the FOIA. ...
September 2018 note by Barlow: In 2004, Stan Simpkins had an email exchange with Connie Barlow in which he confirmed the exception for plants in the Endangered Species Act (exchange is in this document (Do an internal "find" for Simpkins.)Barlow wrote 07/20/2004: "One quick QUESTION FOR YOU: If someone were to chooose to collect T. tax seeds this fall from the grove of thriving trees at the Biltmore Gardens in Asheville (Bill Alexander there will surely say yes, as he has been despairing having to mow the seedlings planted by squirrels in the lawn!), and if these were then planted solely on privately owned land up in the Appalachians or Cumberland Plateau, would there be no need for permits or other communication with your office or any other federal agency?
Simpkins responded 7/22/04: Hi Connie, in response to your question below: It is my understanding that there is no federal nexus for this project. Therefore for plants, no permits are required. However, if the seeds (or plants) are being transported across state lines, AND some financial transactions are taking place (including barter) then an interstate commerce permit would be needed. In the absence of financial transactions, then again, no permits would be required. I would ask however, that you keep me "in the loop" concerning this project.Thank you for your interest and efforts. If you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call. Stan Simpkins, USFWS Ecologist, Panama City Field Office, 1601 Balboa Ave., Panama City, Florida 32405, (850) 769-0552 x234
Barlow's Closing Statement
• BARLOW's CLOSING STATEMENT August 29Ms. McClurkin -
Thank you for sending me the final documents (below) re my FOIA request. I am satifsfied with what I have received. I am cc-ing two staff members of USF&WS because these are the two people with whom I have recently had long phone conversations, and who have helped tremendously in this matter.
I thank Lisa Ellis (headquarters communication) for urging me to contact Catherine Phillips. From Dr. Phillips I then realized I could also reach out to Dr. Imm. Both were excellent listeners re my concerns, and both were very receptive to discussing the science (notably, paleoecology) that prompted me beginning in 2004 to dedicate time and action in behalf of Torreya taxifolia.
You have been an excellent communicator in this FOIA matter since the beginning. My one suggestion for the future is that, with respect to USF&WS, so long as it is not a lawyer or a journalist who launched the inquiry (and is merely a citzen, like myself), and so long as the matter seems to pertain to policy or management, do try to recruit a senior staff person at the outset to make a phone call to see if the issue can be resolved in a friendly manner, outside of the FOIA.
I now sense that the USF&WS and I are on the same team. We all want to see the endangered Torreya taxifolia well served under the guidance of the ESA and possibly with the free help of volunteer citizens like myself who are eager to host "nonessential, experimental" seeds on our own forested properties within states northward of the tree's historic range in Florida. I personally will continue to document (and report on our TorreyaGuardians.org website) what we learn about the exact micro-habitats where the species seems to do best "in the wild" at this stage of ongoing climate change.
What I personally have learned thus far leads me to conclude that Torreya taxifolia can be de-listed soon. This stage would entail botanical gardens continuing their excellent work and we citizens continuing ours. Notably, the ex situ "orchard" plantings by Atlanta Botanical Garden and University of Georgia that have been producing seeds prolifically at the Blairsville and Smithgall Woods sites demonstrate that such plantings in or near the southern Appalachian Mountains easily "prevent extinction".
As well, horticultural plantings from long ago that established specimens at a cemetery in Ohio (now the "national champion" Torreya taxifolia) and in Pennsylvania attest to the species' ability to thrive in latitudes well north of the historic range in Florida.
Crucial too are the near-century old groves planted in North Carolina: at Biltmore Gardens near Asheville and Harbison House near Highlands. Both have been producing seeds for quite awhile. Moreover, the multi-age seedlings and saplings naturally established nearby attest to the species' ability to thrive and expand its population without becoming invasive in the recipient ecosystems. Thanks to these two historic groves, "recovery" clearly is possible for this species (and with no need for genetic engineering toward disease resistance), so long as the locales chosen for seed distribution reflect the scientific understanding that Torreya taxifolia is a "glacial relict" unable to move north from its peak-glacial refuge in Florida at the end of the Ice Age.
Documentation of Torreya's ability to thrive in northern states and the "naturalization" of century-old groves in North Carolina can be found at this webpage on the Torreya Guardians website: http://www.torreyaguardians.org/historic-groves.html.
The long-understood recognition of Torreya taxifolia as a glacial relict can be accessed here: http://www.torreyaguardians.org/extinction.html.
The scholarship and news reports on the climate-change adaptation strategy known as "assisted migration" is here: http://www.torreyaguardians.org/assisted-migration.html.
The history of Torreya Guardians actions and what others have written about us is here: http://www.torreyaguardians.org/guardians.html.
Our ongoing learnings about how to plant and nurture Torreya is here: http://www.torreyaguardians.org/propagate.html.
Finally, if you are curious about how deeply concerned I am about the problem of climate change overall (and thus my insistence on moving a glacial relict northward), here is a video of a guest sermon I delivered this past Sunday:
VIDEO: Grief and Gratitude in a Time of Climate Change (Barlow).
For the future,
Connie Barlow, founder of Torreya Guardians
• Barlow to Phillips & Imm September 5, part 1 of 2 (re commenting on ESA regs by Sept 24)EXCERPTS:__________
1. I need to meet the SEPT 24 DEADLINE FOR ESA REG COMMENTS. I definitely want to offer comments on the proposed regs. My sense is that the most helpful thing I could do, both for the agency and for Torreya, is to simply gather personal statements from a good number of our many volunteer planters on why they are thrilled to use their property and their time to freely help this glacial relict species (a) have a better chance of preventing extinction, and (b) benefit from northward locations in a variety of habitats and plant assemblages such that insights into best habitats for thriving (and fending off diseases) at this stage and future stages of climate change will be ongoing.
2. I need to COMMUNICATE TO THE TORREYA VOLUNTEER PLANTERS THAT WE HAVE NO SEED SOURCE THIS YEAR. Our lead volunteers do know of the horrific results of the "Torreya Symposium" in March, and I have already let those leaders know of the break-through in possibilities that I sense from having talked with the two of you. But I also need to do an annual communication with all our planters to learn (a) of any new growth or losses this past year, and (b) to let them know that there will be no seeds available this year to supplement their plantings / genetics. I am confused about what kind of "spin" I should put on that overall communication.
3. I need to FEEL CONFIDENT THAT 2019 RECOVERY UPDATE WILL HAPPEN, AND WILL REFLECT THE BEST SCIENCE (for which I can easily recruit world-renowned paleoecologists and forestry-climate experts to speak strongly in favor of poleward assisted migration, especially for endangered glacial relict plants.)
• Barlow to Phillips & Imm September 5, part 2 of 2 (re commenting on ESA regs by Sept 24)
• Barlow to to Leah Gerber September 7,: "Torreya taxifolia case study shows cheap way to de-list plants"Leah -__________
It was thrilling to come upon your PNAS 2016 paper today ("Conservation Triage") and thereby learn you are helping USF&WS improve how it allocates limited taxpayer funding for endangered species. (I learned of that paper by reading the 7 Sept 2018 feature in Science journal "Should It Be Saved?", by Warren Cornwall.)
I am founder of Torreya Guardians and coauthor with U AZ Pleistocene ecologist Paul S Martin of 2004 advocacy paper, "Bring Torreya taxifolia North Now!"
I see in your 2016 paper that T. taxifolia is "underfunded." Necessarily, in a broad data-base analysis, that would seem the conclusion. However, knowing how this endangered subcanopy tree has actually been managed through the years, leads me to disagree.
RECOMMENDATION: Look closely at Torreya taxifolia as a case study, as it may suggest a way to tremendously re-allocate funds away from some endangered plants such that recovery (and de-listing) is actually enhanced by diminished funding. Here is why:SCIENCE FOUNDATION: The above recommendation stems from the likelihood that other endangered plants south of peak-glacial ice advance in the eastern states may, as with Florida Torreya, signal relict populations that (for a variety of reasons) were unable to track Holocene warming poleward. This is indisputably the case for Torreya taxifolia, and has been since science publications described it as such beginning in 1905 (also the 1984 Federal Register listing as endangered, the 1986 recovery plan, and the 2010 plan update).HOW TO IDENTIFY GLACIAL RELICTS:
POOR MANAGEMENT CHOICES, NOT INADEQUATE FUNDING: We Torreya Guardians used a loophole in the ESA (just for plants) to acquire seeds from horticultural specimens in North Carolina and begin assisted migration on our own in 2005, but with minimal seed numbers. The problem is that not until the 2010 recovery plan update was "assisted migration" northward even considered as a possible management strategy within the drafting of the official plan; however the "pilot project" offered by USF&WS staff was voted down by the science advisors + stakeholders, with only two of us Torreya Guardians in the mix voting yes.
POLICY RECOMMENDATION: Farm out all "glacial relict" plants to The Nature Conservancy and other land trusts expressly for citizen/landowner-led plantings in states northward of the historically known native range. Cease all USF&WS internal or external funding of "research science" for these plants. Instead, designate an appropriate amount of funds for nothing more than within-agency "management," with an emphasis on USF&WS communicating with citizen planters (via their land trusts) and encouraging documentation, evaluation, and sharing of results by the land trusts or other NGOs toward the goal of identifying ideal latitudes and habitats for species health and reproduction while aiming to minimize the need for continued human interventions (hence, culminate in de-listing).1. NATIVE RANGE IS A KNOWN PEAK GLACIAL REFUGE: Any southeastern USA species or subspecies residing only within or near one of the premier "glacial refuges" at the downstream ends of the major rivers draining to the Gulf or Atlantic should automatically be deemed a glacial relict. The three major refuges are (Tunica Hills for Miss. River), Apalachicola (end-point of Chattahoochee River), and Altamaha River.HOW RESEARCH FUNDING CAN BECOME ANTI-CONSERVATION. In recent years, several initiatives by the implementing institutions have held back recovery of Torreya taxifolia: Research was conducted by Atlanta Botanical Garden to try to dry or cryopreserve T. taxifolia seeds for "preservation of genetic material" as a means to "prevent extinction." Torreya seeds are big and recalcitrant, however, leading to the discovery that "somatic embryogenesis" is the only way to "cryopreserve" genetics (just the embryos). Meanwhile, prolific seed production at one of the two ex-situ plantings in northernmost Georgia (s. Appalachians) were left uncounted and allowed to "go to the squirrels" (while we were denied access to the seeds). I filed a Freedom of Information Act request this year, which formally confirmed that ex situ seed production was uncounted and therefore presumably unvalued. Communications I have had with officials confirm that species "recovery" is viewed as not possible at this time because (a) money is insufficient and (b) (by implication) it is pointless to continue trying to return seeds or seedlings to their native Florida range until a University of Florida forest pathology lab genetically engineers (using CRISPR) fusarium-disease resistance into the Torreya genome. And there is no other range designated as the locale for recovery.
2. SOLUTION TO THE PALEOECOLOGICAL "REID'S PARADOX" suggests there may be many more small glacial refuges for eastern temperate plants, distant from the coasts of the Big Three. If a plant seems limited to a particular habitat type disjunct in geographically isolated locations, and if its seed is not wind-dispersed, then it may be a "left-behind" glacial relict.
3. DOCUMENT HORTICULTURAL SPECIMENS IN NORTHWARD HABITATS. Torreya Guardians is unique not only in engaging in the numerous "assisted migration" experimental plantings in 10 northward states (as we are trying to discern, too, the northward limits of species' thrival, anticipating ongoing climate change). We also prioritize finding and image-documenting long-ago horticultural plantings especially those that produce seeds and where such seeds have produced seedlings and saplings with no human interventions. Such documentation offers a way to ensure (a) species thrival at that location and (b) species non-invasiveness. Conservation biologists who have published papers critical of "assisted migration" in the aggregate have pointed to (a) possible waste of money re failed outcomes and (b) possible invasiveness as the two main bases for their opposition. This point is so important that I recently posted a new page on the Torreya Guardians website to aggregate the "historic grove" documentation of our species (as far north as Pennysylvania for this "Florida" native!). Please take a quick look at it: http://www.torreyaguardians.org/historic-groves.html.
Meanwhile, the efforts of Torreya Guardians in assisting this species is ignored by the implementing institutions, but not by the press nor by academics publishing on methods (such as assisted migration) for climate adaptation of a great range of species, including common forest canopy trees. (I was contacted by a New York Times journalist early this morning.)
REQUEST: When you have a chance, please call me for a short phone call on this matter. Three upper-level people in USF&WS are aware of my criticism of the official management of Torreya taxifolia. Two have been very open to hearing my perspective. Do consider that our group's record of tremendous citizen enthusiasm for welcoming an endangered plant onto private lands could be a helpful antidote to the negative publicity that will surely arise re the Oct 1 U.S. Supreme Court proceeding on the Dusky Frog critical habitat case. In case you prefer to contact those two staff people first, I list them in the cc line above. I would like to file win-win suggestions by the Sept 24 deadline for ESA comments, and I would like to forge a degree of citizen-agency teamwork into the future, if possible. Hence, this email to you.
Do know that I fully support the importance of your work in advising pragmatic and effective management of endangered species in the USA. Please consider the successes and failures of 14 years of Torreya Guardians efforts as a crucial case to study within the parameters of your consultation for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Connie Barlow, founder of Torreya Guardians
• Barlow to to The Nature Conservancy September 10TO: LYNN SCARLETT [Co-Chief External Affairs Officer, The Nature Conservancy]__________
FROM: Connie Barlow, retired science writer, founder of Torreya Guardians (14 years ago); first group to do "assisted migration" of endangered USA plant
RE: Crucial role for TNC to offer win-win ESA regulations proposal (and counter Dusky Frog SCOTUS); NYT journalist is talking with me
I just left you a long phone message re the crucial role TNC can play in formally recommending to USF&WS a way to "modernize" how the Endangered Species Act is implemented. Comment deadline Sept 24. As founder of Torreya Guardians (first group to use loophole in ESA to move a climate-endangered plant poleward), I get lots of media attention on this (e.g. hour-long phone call with NYT journalist last Friday).
• TNC role: Recommend that plants currently on "life support" (words of Senate Chair in July ESA hearing) be screened (by TNC, using its own funds) as to whether they are "glacial relicts". For each species so judged, suggest that USF&WS offer to TNC and other land trusts opportunities to forge their own recovery plans for poleward experimentation toward recovery — using existing private conservation easements for experimental plantings). USF&WS would contribute seeds and seedlings deemed "non-essential and experimental."
• Torreya taxifolia as case study: Torreya taxifolia was declared a glacial relict in 1905 botany journal, F.R. ESA listing in 1984, in 1986 recovery plan, and 2010 plan update. (See below for more detail.) But recent implementation will not admit that past inability to track climate change northward from well-known "peak glacial refuges" is a reason to try "assisted migration" to cooler realms, much less that future climate change is an additional reason to do so. Note: March 2018 Univ. FL "Torreya Symposium" concluded the next step should be genetically engineering disease resistance into Torreya taxifolia in order to finally be able to help it survive in Florida. No mention was made of experimenting with "assisted migration," nor of our successes. Prior to that outcome, our group had a "live and let live" attitude toward USF&WS and its prime implementer (Atlanta Botanical Garden). After that GMO declaration, I decided to use FOIA to extract data that I already knew would be immensely damaging to how the official management would be viewed by mainstream conservationists: I asked for data of numbers of seeds produced each year, 2007 - 2017 in the 2 official ex situ plantings and their "ultimate destination". FOIA complied well, but the results were so embarassing that it was held up in DOI solicitor's office for several months beyond the original "complex" 6-week deadline. I launched that FOIA in order to leverage teamwork. I tried to use the FOIA results to leverage teamwork with ABG: nothing. Then, when I finally got high enough up in USF&WS for long phone calls (beginning with Chief of Communications, headquarters) I started making progress. But ultimately, not until I figured how TNC could play the lead role in somewhat "privatizing" Torreya's recovery (and other glacial relicts) did I see a way to have the conflictual days of citizens v. govt fade away: Torreya Guardians will no longer be necessary. Citizens will gain the thrill of helping an endangered tree in their own forested lands by having TNC play the reputable intermediate role. This shift in implementation under the existing ESA should really appeal to libertarian members of Congress. Thus, western governors might achieve some down-shifting of management to their state DNRs, but eastern congresspeople could thrill to showing a similar track appropriate for the pro-conservation flair in the east: and banking on TNC's reputation and corporate respectability. Note: I suggested to NYT journalist last week that Torreya taxifolia is the "mirror image of Dusky Frog": Officials unwilling to donate excess seeds to us (FOIA result confirms thousands of seeds went to the local squirrels instead), thus "under-reach", whilst the Dusky Frog case is the outlier of agency "over-reach" single-case failures at both ends of the spectrum in which some 1,500 other recovery plans are appropriate and wise. Not a bad track record for DOI. But somebody has to spin it that way; F&WS will not step out that way.
Thank you for your attention,
Connie Barlow, founder of Torreya Guardians.org
Forwarded email below will give you the science back-up and cites. Possingham knows me.
• Barlow to USF&WS October 17
RE: Torreya Guardians submits information for 5-year review T. taxifolia[FWS–R4–ES–2018–N057; FXES11130900000C2–189–FF09E32000]DATE: 17 October 2018
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 5-Year Status Reviews for 42 Southeastern Species
TO: email@example.com, Vivian Negron-Ortiz
CC: Donald Imm
, Catherine Phillips
(Please send me a reply now that you received this official email from me; you can read it later.)
I just noticed on the species profile page of USF&WS for Torreya taxifolia that on 6 August 2018 the Federal Register published a notice of a 5-year review. The publication said that the deadline for submission of information was October 5.
I apologize that I missed the deadline. Please accept the following webpages from our Torreya Guardians website as vital scientific / natural-history / recovery success information for your review.
INFORMATION TO REVIEW:
1. "Historic Groves of Torreya Trees"
There you will find our best work in explaining (and linking) to data collected by Torreya Guardians that documents (1) Torreya's ability to thrive, be disease-free, and even reproduce in locales north of Georgia; and (2) strong evidence that, while Torreya is able to "naturalize" (produce viable seed and establish seedlings from that seed, with no human assistance) it is decidedly not invasive. Thus, the two thresholds (unmet at the time of the 2010 plan update) for official adoption of "assisted migration" have been met.
2. "What We Are Learning"
Make sure you see the image-rich entries for 2018, which include documentation of 22 seeds being produced in Cleveland Ohio. Watch the linked Cleveland video (14 minutes) to see how extraordinarily well this tree adapts on its windward side. The only assistance this group of 3 seed-grown trees receives is (a) mowing to ensure no shade will overtop the torreyas, (b) deer repellent sacks, (c) fencing during buck season to prevent antler rubbing. Also, see the November 2017 entry and watch the "free-planting" success of our new Cumberland Plateau volunteer (400 seeds put directly into his forest).
3. "Recent Papers on Stem Canker"
My understanding is that the Torreya Symposium announcement/press-release by University of Florida (Jason Smith's lab) that genetic engineering will be applied to Torreya taxifolia is contrary to USF&WS rules that the public will have an opportunity to comment on "recovery" actions before they are implemented. Therefore, please allocate time for me (as a very informed member of the public, and possibly a credentialed scientist I may recruit to speak) to present the advisory committee with what I have gleaned from reading the 5 papers on which Smith bases his assessment that Fusarium sp. is dangerous for Torreya taxifolia specimens northward of Georgia. I believe the papers themselves demonstrate that his verbal portrayal of the disease threat to species recovery is overstated. In fact, I believe our findings and actions are so valuable that T. taxifolia can soon be delisted. For a preview of my scientific arguments against the canker as lethal in northward realms, please visit the section on the Endangered webpage where I link, extract, and critique all 5 papers: http://www.torreyaguardians.org/extinction.html#canker
1. ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR TORREYA TAXIFOLIA. Please add me to your e-list for receiving whatever communications you routinely send to your science advisors and area "stakeholders." All citizens in the USA are stakeholders for endangered species. We Torreya Guardians have demonstrated our concern and care for this tree.
2. INFORM ADVISORS OF GLACIAL RELICT HISTORY. If there is any science advisor or stakeholder who is still unaware that Torreya taxifolia is a glacial relict, please refer them to the "Natural History" page of our website: http://www.torreyaguardians.org/torreya.html There you will see that we recently added images and excerpts from a pair of 1905 papers written by two famous botanists (Cowles and Coulter) that demonstrate that Torreya taxifolia has been regarded as a glacial relict since 1905.
3. DOCUMENT AND POST 2018 SEED PRODUCTION AT EX SITU LOCATIONS (and eventually their ultimate distributions too). As you know, I launched a Freedom of Information Data Request this year, whose results documented that the two institutional caretakers of the ex situ T. taxifolia plantings in north Georgia have not documented annual seed production at those sites and the fate of those seeds. In my view this is a grave loss of what should have been easily collectible data for assessing the thrival and reproductive potential of this species when translocated from Florida to the southern Appalachians of north Georgia. Please urge those institutional implementers (Atlanta Botanical Garden and University of Georgia State Botanical Garden) to provide USF&WS with documentation of this year's seed production so that you can post it on your records page and for them to also post it on the Center for Plant Conservation site.
Note: I have posted all correspondence re my FOIA data request: http://www.torreyaguardians.org/foia.html Please make sure you read the August 29 entry: "Barlow's Closing Statement".
4. PLEASE READ MY PUBLIC COMMENT re ESA REGULATIONS REVISION. The link to my comment is here: http://www.torreyaguardians.org/esa-comments.html Pay special attention to Part 3 of that comment:Part 3: Torreya-Specific Insights and RecommendationsThank you for your attention,3A End wastage of seeds in ex situ plantings - strong recommendation
3B Establish policy on genetic engineering - strong recommendation
3C Host a seminar - strong recommendation
Connie Barlow, Founder of Torreya Guardians
Return to HOME PAGE of TORREYA GUARDIANS | <urn:uuid:f591d3a0-8d39-4360-b688-ad88efda73a4> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | http://torreyaguardians.org/foia.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296950247.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20230401191131-20230401221131-00224.warc.gz | en | 0.94561 | 17,989 | 2.671875 | 3 |
All objects with a temperature above absolute zero emit infrared radiation as a result of the thermal motion of their molecules. Infrared thermography (IRT) is an imaging modality that can be used to detect this thermal radiation. Human skin emits infrared radiation almost like a perfect black body, and IRT is thus well suited for the measurement of skin temperature. However, although the human core temperature may be indicative of several bodily dysfunctions, there is still a lack of scientific evidence about which musculoskeletal diseases or conditions can be diagnosed by evaluating skin surface temperature with IRT. Nonetheless, since it is a non-invasive and straightforward technique, IRT may represent a cost-effective alternative to the more traditional imaging modalities.
The study evaluated the capability of IRT to detect inflammation in knee and ankle joints in children, and found that skin surface temperatures were significantly elevated in inflamed ankle joints, but not in inflamed knee joints. This means that IRT can be used as a tool for detecting joint inflammation in ankle joints; however, further research is needed to determine whether IRT can be used to detect inflammation in knee joints.
As healthcare costs are continuously spiralling, there is a clear demand for new diagnostic imaging modalities at the level of basic healthcare. This could ease the workload in specialized healthcare, make diagnostics more accessible and help reduce overall costs.
“In the future, IRT may become a complementary clinical assessment tool, and it can help in therapeutic decision-making,” says researcher Roope Lasanen of the University of Eastern Finland.
Infrared thermography a tool for evaluating work ergonomics
The study also analysed skin temperature in relation to various musculoskeletal conditions. Work ergonomics was evaluated by means of IRT and surface electromyography combined with a subjective assessment conducted by a neck disability index. The study found that IRT demonstrated potential in evaluating office ergonomics and that spatial variation of upper back skin temperature was a promising measure in ergonomic assessments.
Cooling menthol gels – cold on the spot
The study also used IRT to evaluate the effect on skin temperature of the menthol concentration in cold gels commonly used for the treatment of muscle injuries. Although menthol-based cold gels are very widespread, very little is known about how the menthol concentration affects skin temperature. The study found that changes in the menthol concentration did not seem to have any significant effect on skin cooling. Furthermore, cold gels did not have a significant effect on skin temperature in surrounding skin areas adjacent to the gel application site.
The findings were originally published in Physiological Measurement, and Skin Research and Technology (in press).
The doctoral dissertation of Roope Lasanen, MSc, entitled Infrared thermography in the evaluation of skin temperature: Applications in musculoskeletal conditions is available for download at http://epublications.uef.fi/pub/urn_isbn_978-952-61-1880-2/urn_isbn_978-952-61-1880-2.pdf
For further information, please contact:
Researcher Roope Lasanen, tel. +358 443666196, roope.lasanen(at)uef.fi | <urn:uuid:f5c0989e-ad27-4565-bae7-3d2713971b29> | CC-MAIN-2018-17 | https://www.healthcanal.com/immune-system/67517-infrared-thermography-can-detect-joint-inflammation-and-help-improving-work-ergonomics.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-17/segments/1524125945497.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20180422061121-20180422081121-00555.warc.gz | en | 0.923219 | 674 | 3.34375 | 3 |
At a time when immune support and the ability to fight bacterial and viral infections has never been more important, the UK Government announces that a new drug will be made available to reduce the immune capability of 300,000 people every year.
Today The Guardian reported "Patients in England are to start receiving a “gamechanger” drug that doctors say will protect tens of thousands of lives by cutting the number of people who have a heart attack or stroke."
"The treatment, inclisiran, works by boosting the liver’s ability to reduce the body’s level of “bad” cholesterol, even in those who have already tried using statins."
It has long been known in medical science that cholesterol (yes the supposed "bad" cholesterol is included here too) is an essential component of life.
30% of all of our cells is made from cholesterol.
Chris Masterjohn, a doctor with a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Connecticut stated "Cholesterol is found in every cell in the body. It helps to maintain the integrity of the membranes and plays a role in facilitating signalling. It keeps the membranes from turning to mush!"
Georgia Ede, MD stated in Psychology Today's online blog "Cholesterol helps guide nerve endings to their destinations. If the brain is too low in cholesterol its membranes and synapses can't function".
This is one of the reasons that statins, by lowering cholesterol, are implicated in memory loss, dementia and and cognitive impairment.
"LDL is able to inactivate 90% of the worst and most toxic bacterial products. Studies have linked low cholesterol to increased risk of infections." state Johnny Bowden and Stephen Sinatra in their best-seling book The Great Cholesterol Myth.
"A review of 19 peer-reviewed studies of more than 68,000 deaths, found that low cholesterol predicts a greater risk of dying from respiratory and gastric-intestinal disease." they explain!
They go on;
"Another study that followed more than 100,000 healthy individuals in San Francisco, found that those that had low cholesterol at the beginning of the the 15 year study were far more likely to be admitted to hospital with infectious diseases."
What about heart disease specifically then? Does lowering cholesterol save lives from heart disease?
Well not according to The Framingham Study, a long term study of residents of Framingham Mass, starting in 1948 and now the longest running study of heart disease. Here are some of the findings from Framingham.
"For each 1% mg/dL drop in cholesterol, there was an 11% increase in coronary and total mortality."
"For men at ages 48-57, those with mid-range cholesterol had a greater risk of heart disease than those with higher levels."
Malcolm Kendrick, a multiple best selling author on heart disease states: "LDL binds to exotoxins as they are released from bacteria, which protects the endothelium from damage. Because of this people with higher LDL levels are much less likely to end up in hospital with infections."
Without cholesterol we would die.
Without cholesterol we can't function.
Despite all this, the UK government, at great expense to the NHS, is going to make a new cholesterol-lowering drug available to 300,000 people with high cholesterol each year, in the misguided belief that in lowering their cholesterol they will somehow be protected from heart disease.
The Guardian article stated: "It (Inclisiran) is being made available immediately after Novartis, the company that makes the drug, agreed to lower the price in a deal with NHS England that will result in 300,000 patients using inclisiran in the next three years."
"The drug usually costs £1,987.36 for a 284mg dose pack. The size of the discount that the NHS secured has not been disclosed, but Novartis’s decision to charge less opened the door to Nice approving inclisiran as value for money and NHS England agreeing to make it widely available."
At these headline prices....two jabs per year for 300,000 people would set the NHS back £1.2 billion per year.......to put us at more risk of infections and not reduce heart disease risk.
The fact that heart attacks are experienced equally by people with high cholesterol and low cholesterol (like me), and that high cholesterol has no bearing on heart disease risk, has not featured at all in the muddled and factually-flawed thinking they have employed to reach this conclusion.
Additionally, with more reason than ever before to boost the poorly-maintained immune systems of a country that has been damaging its health through poor diet and lifestyle choices for generations, this new drug will further impair the health for hundreds of thousands of people every year.
Novartis must be pleased though.
As more people have started to become aware of the terrible side effects of statins, drug companies have been looking for alternative ways to cash-in on the false belief that cholesterol-lowering is a life-saving intervention.
With endorsement from the UK Government, and a deal with the NHS, Novartis now has a new revenue stream for the forseable future.
For more information on heart disease, cholesterol and how to reduce heart disease risk without resorting to medication, download my FREE book Use Your Head, Heal Your Heart at www.uyhhyh.com | <urn:uuid:cee00d01-0096-4787-b566-18771a1dd6de> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://www.uyhhyhblog.com/post/uk-government-places-300-000-more-people-per-year-at-high-risk-of-infections-with-new-drug | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510284.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20230927071345-20230927101345-00238.warc.gz | en | 0.949649 | 1,112 | 3 | 3 |
Just to prove that we are always learning, the term “elevated first rib” has now joined our vocabulary. Why you ask? Because that’s what the chiropractor said was behind our recent episode of a very sore neck! And by sore, we mean debilitating, agonising, and life disrupting pain . . .
The First Rib Explained
The first rib is exactly that – the first true rib at the top of your chest. It sits just below your collarbone and is held in place by a series of supporting muscles.
From the top, the first rib is held in place by the scalene muscles which run up the side of your neck. They tend to pull the rib upwards. Working in opposition, the intercostal muscles that lie between ribs have a tendency to pull the first rib down. A balance is needed between these two muscle groups to keep the first rib in its proper position. When the balance is uneven, the position of the first rib can shift.
So What is an Elevated First Rib?
In physical terms an elevated first rib occurs when the rib moves up out of its proper alignment. In functional terms, it hurts! The pain comes from the misalignment (vertical) which tends to squash various veins, arteries, and nerves between the rib and your collarbone. The nerve bundle that sends sensation to your arm and hand (brachial plexus) as well as the arteries and veins that feed the arm pass directly over the first rib and under the collarbone. Real problems can occur if the first rib becomes locked into that position.
The other way that an elevated first rib can cause you distress is that it completely misaligns your upper body. This leads to neck, arm, shoulder, and back pain as all body systems are interdependent and any piece that is out of place stresses the surrounding structures.
What Causes an Elevated First Rib?
The scalene muscles are very strong as they must support your head on top of your spine. The head is a potentially unstable weight and considerable strength is needed to support it. This power means they have the ability to pull the first rib upwards if they become shortened, or inflexible. They are involved in most cases of elevated first ribs.
The usual cause for the rib rising up and staying there is poor posture over time. In the modern, sitting based world that many of us live in, it is all too easy create imbalances in our posture. A closely associated condition is having a forward head posture. When these behaviours are repeated over time, the fascia (membrane surrounding the muscle) around the scalene muscles will become thicker, less flexible, and shorter. This reduces the length of the scalene muscle group and will lift the first rib up, pinching or crushing the nerves and blood vessels in the area. However, it is also possible to end up with a raised first rib due to injury, and anyone who habitually holds their shoulders up through emotional tension is at risk too.
From a recent, personal perspective, if your rib is elevated and stuck there, you are going to want it released as soon as possible! This is where you probably need a professional (unless very minor). In my case, my chiropractor managed to manipulate the offending rib back into position with a bit of skilled effort. Once back in place, you want it to stay there.
Unless you address the causes of the rib elevating, any fix will be temporary. You need to reflect carefully on the way you sit – at home and at work. It is highly likely that your posture needs to be adjusted so that you maintain a balance in the key muscles. A posture coach like the Lumo Lift will be helpful. Some other good starting points include:
1. Regularly stretch your scalene muscles to counter any shortening or tension
2. Critically assess the way you are sitting
3. If regularly carrying a weigh, look for balance in the way you do it
This one is fairly common sense – keep any weight close to your body and regularly swop sides if the weight can’t be carried centrally.
4. Try to generally correct your posture
We have written a large number of posts on this topic. The bottom line is that postural imbalances – particularly those that lead to tension in your neck – create the risk of you developing an elevated first rib. A couple of posts that may be helpful are: 38 Posture Tips That Actually Work and Anterior Pelvic Tilt. | <urn:uuid:ccd1c30b-9fab-4985-92c5-f8e6a1c603c1> | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | https://www.posturesorted.com/elevated-first-rib/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764499470.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20230128023233-20230128053233-00438.warc.gz | en | 0.958078 | 932 | 2.828125 | 3 |
Activities for Summer Vacation Amidst Lockdown
Summer vacations for children has always been times to explore the world around, experience new things, spending time with family and friends and to make lasting memories. Whether it is learning new things, engaging in fun activities, staying fit, or socializing with friends, summer allows time for everyone to follow their passions.
Unfortunately, the many Summer Camps that parents could choose from for their children is now not an option. Schools and colleges are closed and exams are postponed and the world all over is grappling with rising Covid cases.
As a result, parents and children are dealing with cancelled sports and other camps. Parents, especially working parents, relied on these camps to keep their children occupied and to engage them in useful activities.
Parents have, for the past year have taken over the responsibility for children’s learning and development. The lockdown and the challenges of learning from home have become the new normal and has taken a toll on parents and children!
It is now up to the parents to curate a list of activities that their children will have fun doing and learn through the process.
Tips to curate a list of activities for summer:
It is very important to get children outside not just for a change of scenery but for their physical and mental health as well. Of course, while going to a park or the beach, all safety precautions need to be taken, it could even be just your backyard or terrace.
Gardening: This could be a good time to teach your children about plants and how to grow them at home. A small balcony or a terrace garden will do too.
This is not just to get them outdoors, but there are lots of opportunities to weave in a few science lessons as well.
Globally themed picnics: These socially distant picnics with a theme can be a good way to learn about different countries and their culture. Cuisines, dresses, and music specific to a country can be included in these picnics. These can be arranged in a safe outdoor setting or inside the house inviting a few friends.
Scavenger hunts: Plan a scavenger hunt with an interesting theme. Have interesting clues that will encourage real problem-solving. If possible these can be arranged inside the compound of an apartment complex or in the terrace.
As going out to public places may pose safety risks, it is important to have options available for indoor activities as well. The following ideas just might make them forget that they are stuck at home!
Science projects –There are plenty of experiments you can do at home with your children. You might even have a few of the materials just lying around the house. They offer your children good opportunities to learn and have fun at the same time. Ideas for these experiments are just a click away on the internet!
Board games and puzzles: Playing board games together offers quality time together, not only is it entertaining, it has other benefits as well: increases their brain function, helps develop their language development, and teaches them little life lessons. A few ideas include classic games like Snakes and Ladders, Ludo, Chinese Checkers, Monopoly, Scrabble etc.
Art projects: YouTube is filled with DIY projects for children of all ages. They can watch and choose the ones that interest them. Older children can try batik art and younger children can learn to ‘tie and dye’.
Cooking Competition: Organise an online cooking competition with your children and their friends. Pick out 3 to 5 key ingredients and give a time limit for them to cook something out of the given ingredients.
Theatre: Introducing a theater project to your children is a good idea as it offers different options like creating a story, dramatizing it, writing a script and dialogues etc., and children can work on different modules at different times. For older children you might have them and their friends independently work on scripts and all could come together online for reading. Musically inclined children can write songs and work out tunes.
Occupying children with productive and fun activities during this time is very important for their mental health. Very soon this pandemic will just be a memory, and it is up to parents to make it such that your children will remember this summer vacation filled with fun activities. | <urn:uuid:cd7e07b2-aae6-48df-91e3-6e36767a728e> | CC-MAIN-2021-25 | https://www.sarvalokaa.org/post/activities-for-summer-vacation | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-25/segments/1623487613380.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20210614170602-20210614200602-00461.warc.gz | en | 0.963283 | 884 | 2.515625 | 3 |
[5 MIN READ]
In this article:
Roughly 20% of Americans have a diagnosed mental illness, making it a common health struggle in the United States.
It’s a general misconception that people with mental illness are prone to violence. In fact, they’re more likely to be a victim or to inflict self-harm.
Integrating mental health services into regular primary care can be an effective way to address mental illness concerns.
Uvalde. Buffalo. Orlando. Parkland. Columbine. The list of tragic events extends across the United States, and it dates back for decades. These mass shootings always prompt a conversation about why it all happens. Without fail, mental health and mental illness become a big part of the discussion.
Mental health is a nationwide concern, and it’s a widespread belief that mental illness is a driving force behind gun violence. However, the research and data show that’s not the case. In the United States, 316 people are killed or wounded every day in a gun-related incidents. But only 4% of those events are caused by a person with a mental illness alone. In many ways, this incorrect assumption makes it harder for the people who need mental health services to get them. People don’t want to be labeled as dangerous.
This month, we talked with two mental health experts from Swedish, Jenni O’Donnell, Psy.D., medical director of behavioral health integration, and Courtney Lavadia, Ph.D., a behavioral health psychologist, about the misconceptions around mental health and violence. They debunked some myths and discussed a strategy to make mental health services more readily available.
The state of mental health in America
Currently, one in five — 20% — of Americans have a mental health diagnosis with one in 25 (approximately 9.8 million people) having a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Thanks to the shortage of mental health providers, though, 37% of the country doesn’t have easy access to the services they need.
It’s a growing problem, Dr. Lavadia says.
“There’s a huge gap between available licensed mental health providers and the current need that exists,” she says. “All of the things going on in the world are causing so much societal stress. Unfortunately, we can’t train people fast enough to give patients the help they need.”
Despite the widespread need for mental health services, she says, many people still actively try to avoid being diagnosed.
“We live in a world now where there is supposedly so much less mental health stigma, but there are still people who feel like they can’t go to therapy or they don’t think it’s necessary,” she explains. “So, we still have a long way to go in terms of fighting that mental health stigma, getting some of those barriers down, and making sure people have access to all of the care they need.”
Debunking the mental health myths
Even though more people are talking about mental health, there are still a few myths to clear up.
Myth No. 1: People with mental illness are more likely to engage in gun violence.
The truth is, Dr. O’Donnell says, having a mental health diagnosis doesn’t mean someone will engage in gun violence. According to the American Psychological Association, the only factor that accurately predicts violent behavior is a history of violent behavior.
“The percent of individuals with a diagnosable mental health condition who engage in gun violence is really low compared to the broader population,” she says. “There are occasions where severe mental illness contributes to homicide. But most people suffering from a mental illness are not dangerous.”
If someone with mental illness becomes violent, there’s typically something else going on, such as poverty, substance abuse, negative childhood experiences or other environmental factors. Still, any threats of violence, increasingly aggressive behavior or incidence of domestic violence should be taken seriously, she says.
Myth No. 2: People with mental illness are more likely to inflict harm on others.
It’s also a common misconception that people who have mental illness are more likely to be aggressive and hurt other people. However, the opposite is true. Not only are they more likely to self-harm, but people who have mental illness are also 11 times more likely to be victims of violence than the general population.
“People with mental health concerns are still more likely to keep to themselves and shut down,” Dr. Lavadia says.
By isolating themselves, people with mental illness frequently end up going without the medical services they need.
“They fear that sharing how they’re feeling is going to get a negative response,” she says. “They feel like they can’t talk to anybody, including their doctor or a mental health provider.”
She encourages people to reach out to a trusted friend to start getting the help they need.
Myth No. 3: People must be in a mental health crisis before seeking help.
Many people wait to seek out mental health services until their symptoms are affecting their daily lives or they’ve reached a breaking point. Waiting that long can make it harder to minimize how these conditions impact your life, Dr. O’Donnell says. Mental health services aren’t intended to be a last-resort option. Plus, they can benefit anyone.
“In reality, we could all use some level of support,” she says. “If we normalize seeking help, if we’re able to normalize talking to your physician and talking to a therapist, we can focus on things in a more preventive fashion. We could keep things from escalating to that point of crisis.”
Integrating mental health with primary care
Education is a critical part of changing how people think about mental health and mental illness, Dr. Lavadia says. Through community education programs, such as Mental Health First Aid, public health providers help people understand the signs of mental distress and teach them how to safely intervene and provide resources.
Teaching people about mental illness is only half the battle, though. Getting mental health services must get easier, she says. Instead of treating mental health care as a separate medical specialty, it should be part of the regular, routine care patients receive.
“We’re supposed to go to our primary care doctors for general screenings once a year. If we could do that with mental health, that would be wonderful,” she says. “I would love to see a switch between only going to therapy in response to trauma or crisis to also going to therapy as a preventive measure.”
To reach that goal, Swedish integrates mental health into primary care services through its Primary Care Behavioral Health model. It’s an effective way to treat a patient’s physical, as well as emotional needs, Dr. O’Donnell says.
Through close collaboration, the primary care physician, licensed mental health clinician, licensed clinical social worker, and psychologist work with patients either in person or virtually. Within two weeks, the psychiatry team can also evaluate a patient and determine if they need medication.
“This is the direction we should be going. With behavioral health care in a medical setting, we are showcasing that people can have access,” she says. “They don’t have to go to a separate building, a separate clinic, or a separate place to get the kind of overarching care they clearly need.”
This integrated approach is making mental health care more readily available, Dr. Lavadia says, but there’s still work to be done to erase the stigma around mental illness and to help people understand that these problems aren’t a red flag for violent behavior.
“This underlying assumption that if we have mental health concerns that there’s violence or aggression associated with it just isn’t always the case. Mental health concerns, in general, are so individualized,” Dr. Lavadia says. “Putting any sort of blame on mental health is like sweeping things under the rug. It creates a scapegoat for a larger conversation that needs to happen about the safety of the population in general.”
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About the AuthorMore Content by Swedish Behavioral Health Team | <urn:uuid:c2b40ae4-4e56-4d3c-b487-50e6d5387ac8> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://blog.swedish.org/behavioral-health/mental-health-and-violence-debunking-the-myths | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573540.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819005802-20220819035802-00137.warc.gz | en | 0.955348 | 1,835 | 3.0625 | 3 |
Warranty is a written guarantee issued to a purchaser of any article at the time of purchase from the manufacturer for a replacement or repair, within some specified conditions – either usage measurement or time period. In terms of businesses, this is a seller’s assurance for the quality and durability of the product being sold so as to guarantee the customers’ worth for money. In certain cases, it is a requirement by the law to issue warranties. Sometimes, the warranty itself is legally authorized meaning that the seller is legally liable to provide the warranty and to honor it.
Warranty can be implied or express. An implied warranty is what you see in advertisements or from the vendors and retailers. An explicit warranty is given in writing and in the form of a contract. There are two factors to note here. A warranty is binding in either form. And secondly, even a simple, harmless looking advertisement can do a lot of damage if it is not guaranteed as a warranty from the manufacturer. For example a toothpaste literature might say “toothache gone in seven days.” But if the underline conditions are not mentioned, and the product does not work as per the advertisement language, the toothpaste can and will be liable should the consumer choose to file a suit.
Something for the Producers Too
Warranties are not only about the consumers. Producers and manufacturers also have their share in terms of non-infringement rights and merchantability. These mean that the consumer cannot misuse the intellectual property rights and cannot hold the producer liable for anything other than the specified functionality mentioned in the warranty.
Factors that Contribute to Warranty
Time: The most common and perhaps the most significant part of warranty. According to legal regulations the contractual details define the time of the warranty expiration. Once the time limit passes the liability of the producer ends and any malfunction of the product in concern is the consumers’. If a car’s warranty says free service until 1000 miles or six months whichever comes first, the warranty will end once either of these conditions are met, be in 10 miles in six months or 1000 miles in a fortnight.
Conditions: The liability, hence the warranty, are applicable only on the conditions specified in the initial contractual conditions. Let’s say if a car seller promises warranty of tyres in the weather and roads of the country the car is being sold, and the consumer takes the car into an altogether different country or weather conditions, the car manufacturer is not to be held responsible if the tyres get spoiled or work less than efficiently.
Damages Vs repudiation: Again speaking in terms of legal conditions, warranty allowed two options to the buyers of a product – claim the damages from the producer or return the product altogether. Here again, it is the contract of sale that will define which of these two, or both, are applicable to the warranty being offered. For instance, a bulb manufacturer’s warranty might include returning the bulb altogether while a car’s warranty might be free service.
Warranty Registration and Intersoft BPO
Registration of warranty then means to claim on the promised deal. The registration of all conditions and details mentioned above is the way to ensure that the party at the receiving end of a loss is compensated. This process of claiming warranty is time consuming. Additionally, the bigger the stake the harder it is to negotiate and get the conditions of the warranty met as per your business or personal concerns. From the perspective of the producers, warranty is more sensitive because there is always a chance of false accusations and claims from the consumers, which even if dismissed later by the authorities can do a lot of damage to the producer’s market image and customer base.
At Intersoft BPO we have just the registration and claims services that your business may require in times of such claims. In addition to verifying the accuracy of the claims of warranty, we also help you to deliver the services promised in warranty all the while helping you keep your costs low and brand image high. The service menu at Intersoft BPO includes:
- Customized services as per the needs of your business to ensure that warranty registration is timely and accurate
- Availability of the copies of warranty whenever needed
- Response services for your customers that include – but are not limited to – proper warranty notices, support, upgrades, and other measures necessary for continuous and quality services; Gathering, processing and communication of claim services and information related to claims and transmission of claims to relevant concerned party; Other warranty related response services that may be required by the customers of your product for sales, cross sales and up sales – in case of retailers. | <urn:uuid:52ca0302-500f-491d-874f-e4b916cbabeb> | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | https://www.intersoftbpo.com/managed-services/inbound-outbound-calls/warranty-support/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610703524858.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20210121132407-20210121162407-00407.warc.gz | en | 0.947965 | 943 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Q: Texas has a marker stating that Jakob Brodbeck was the first person to fly an airplane. I was taught it was the Wright brothers. What gives?
— Richard DeLong | San Antonio, Texas
Ignore the plaque. Even before Orville and Wilbur Wright made history in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903, there were dozens of claims about and by other inventors of having achieved flight and they are all, including Brodbeck’s, discredited or unsubstantiated. What’s remarkable about the Wright brothers’ achievement isn’t just that they were the first to get a plane off the ground, explains Peter Jakab, chief curator of the National Air and Space Museum. They wanted to create what they called “a machine of practical utility.” And with the 1903 Wright Flyer, they engineered a design that could evolve into a lasting technology. Every airplane that followed that machine—to this day—flies on the same basic principles.
Q: How does a hippopotamus swim so fast?
— Derrick McPheely | Hughson, California
They’re actually galloping, explains Tony Barthel, a curator at the National Zoo. Hippos, which spend up to 16 hours a day in water, don’t swim. They either walk underwater or bounce and propel themselves off the riverbed with their webbed toes. Though they can weigh over four tons, their low bone density and their fat increase their buoyancy, making it easier to move through water. And it helps that they can hold their breath for minutes at a time.
Q: What is at the center of neutron stars?
— Mai Cwajbaum | Morgan Hill, California
Neutron stars, the compact relics of collapsed massive stars, are largely made out of neutrons and some protons. Beyond that, things are hazier, says Patrick Slane, a scientist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. When a massive star collapses into a neutron star, the neutrons and protons at its center are squished together at such a high density that it might create new particles, like quarks, kaons and pions. Scientists are currently unable to recreate that high-density, low-temperature state of matter in terrestrial experiments. But NASA’s Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) mission might get to the core of the issue. An X-ray-tracing device on the International Space Station, NICER will measure the mass and radius of the neutron stars. With that data, scientists can calculate the pressure on the inside of the star, which will offer hints about its composition.
Q: Did Japan ever compensate and apologize to the American civilians held captive in the Philippines during World War II?
— Darren Feit | Troy, West Virginia
Not formally, says Frank Blazich, curator of modern military history at the National Museum of American History. Many civilian internees received token restitution from the U.S. War Claims Commission, which liquidated assets seized from Germany, the Imperial Japanese Empire and other Axis parties, and distributed more than $13.6 million to over 9,000 internees of the Japanese in the 1950s. When Japan and the Allies re-established relations in 1951, the multilateral Treaty of Peace waived reparations, citing Japan’s lack of resources as it rebuilt its economy. But despite statements of regret from Japanese politicians, Japan has never offered reparations or an unambiguous apology to U.S. captives.
It’s your turn to Ask Smithsonian. | <urn:uuid:15db4a2f-97dd-4e12-b062-343d457b9280> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/jakob-brodbeck-first-flight-180973339/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652663016373.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20220528093113-20220528123113-00145.warc.gz | en | 0.941871 | 744 | 3.578125 | 4 |
The world is full of things living and non-living interacting with one another to create a sustainable ecosystem where every living soul is benefiting from. Through the long course of evolution and natural selection process, plants and animals became so diverse that each species is as fascinating and at the same time interestingly unique from one another.
We humans, as part of the animal kingdom, although considered to be the most influential and major contributor to the recent happenings and changes in the world nowadays, we are actually considered one of the tamest group out there. No matter how bad we are affecting the world, our superior intelligence prevents us to be the savages we were once thought to be.
Now, as for the animals that are considered wild and scary, there are a few species out there that even us humans need to step back and try to stay away from. These animals have distinct and unique characteristic that approaching them may endanger the life of other animals and that includes us. Although they are considered very dangerous, there are still some of the most beautiful animals the nature has to offer. They also play a vital role in the intricate web of life that neglecting one or abuse may affect the entire ecosystem. These animals, just like the rest of God’s living creations, need humans the most to steward and take care of them to ensure their survival in the years to come.
Australian Box Jellyfish
Most deadly jellyfish species can be usually seen in the Indo-Pacific region and Northern Australia and this include the Australian Box Jellyfish.
The Australian Box Jellyfish is regarded as the most noxious aquatic animal in the whole world. The name was primarily derived from their body shape that literally looks like a box. They have tentacles enclosed with nematocysts – tiny darts loaded with deadly toxin. Australian Box Jellyfish tentacles can grow up to 10 feet long and the body’s diameter can develop up to one foot.
This species may not appear deadly but don’t be deceived, its tentacles are very lethal. Minutes after being stung, Australian Box Jellyfish ill-fated victims may experience paralysis, cardiac arrest and worse, even death.
Australian Box Jellyfish are lithe swimmers. Once the tentacles perforate the skin, one can’t simply escape from it.
The Deathstalker Scorpion, also known as the Palestine Yellow Scorpion, can be found in scrubland habitats and dry desert areas around North Africa, Middle East and places in between which have very hot temperatures. This species can grow up to 77 millimeters (3 inches) long. Deathstalker Scorpion has a yellow color body and a contrasting dark tail.
This nocturnal animal commonly hunts for spiders, insects, centipedes and earthworms. However, the Palestine Yellow Scorpion also exhibits cannibalistic behavior, they tend to eat their own kind when the other food is scarce.
The sting of a Deathstalker Scorpion’s fatal pincers can lead to cardiovascular and respiratory dysfunction. Do you have any plans of having one? I highly recommend to think twice before you do it.
Tsetse Fly, also known as Tik-tik flies, is a hefty piercing fly that dwells in midcontinent parts of Africa, between the Kalahari and the Sahara Deserts. The size of a Tsetse Fly ranges from 8 to 17 millimeters.
The Tsetse Fly is capable of transmitting Trypanosomiasis to man and animals through blood sucking. Trypanosomiasis or best known as African Trypanosomiasis is a serious and deadly parasitic disease that needs immediate medical attention.
If you’re frightened of Alligators, then you will have a thousand more reasons to fear their cousin, the ferocious Saltwater Crocodiles.
Saltwater Crocodile is the largest of all existing reptiles. It inhabits the Indo-Pacific region from some seas of Vietnam and India. Male Saltwater Crocodile can reach up to 7 meters (23.0 feet) and weighs from 1,000 to 1,200 kilograms (2,200-2,600 pounds), whereas females can grow up to 3 meters (9.8 feet) long.
The saltwater crocodile is a fearsome and opportunistic manic-carnivorous top predator. It can easily assault a prey with a bite force delivering 3,700 PSI of pressure. Definitely, their bite would not only hurt you, but can actually slaughter you!
The Cape Buffalo, also best-known as African Buffalo or Black Death, is a very vigorous and formidable buffalo species found in sub-Saharan Africa. Its height can range from 130-150 centimeters (51-59 inches) tall and weighs from 425-870 kilograms (935-1,910 pounds). Can you imagine how heavy they are?
They are not aggressive unlike other dangerous animals however, if they’re in jeopardy, they will automatically attack and trample humans or even moving automobiles. You don’t want to clash with these fellas’ horns!
Cone Snails are native to the reefs and shallow warm waters of Indo-Pacific. They are familiar for their exquisite marbled shells. Cone Snails can grow up to 15 centimeters (6 inches) in length.
Cone Snails seem harmless but they actually possess detrimental toxic venom in their harpoon-like teeth that is strong enough to paralyze a victim, and when a large cone snail attacks, the venom is powerful enough to kill an adult human. They are carnivorous and regarded as one of the apex predators of the sea bottom. Hence, don’t get fooled by its stunning appearance and don’t you ever touch these deceiving gastropods!
The Black Mamba is a venomous tree-dwelling snake prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. It is considered as the fastest snake in the world and the longest one in Africa. A Black Mamba can grow up to 4.5 meters (14.8 feet).
When in danger, a mamba will open its mouth to show the black-lined oral cavity as a caution gesture. It is known for being extremely aggressive and attacking without aggravation. Oh, that’s one hell of a snake and just by imagining them creeps fear into my system.
Golden Poison Dart Frog
The Golden Poison Dart Frog locally known as Golden Frog is widespread in the damp forests of the Pacific coast of Colombia. The aposematic color scheme of the said creature is a caution pigmentation to tip off predators of its toxicity unless you’re ignorant about it, then it is the sad opposite.
These vibrantly colored amphibians are considered one of the most poisonous animals on Earth. They are widely recognizable for their four long slender legs with non-webbed toes. Another distinctive physical characteristic of the Golden Poison Dart Frog is the lean teeth-like plate in the upper jaw.
Batrachotoxin, the poison Golden Poison Dart Frog possesses, is so strong that one frog is enough to kill ten grown men. That’s quite bloodcurdling, right?
Atrax Robustus, also known as Australian Funnel-Web Spider, is indigenous to Australia. They are normally found in suburban rockeries and shrubberies.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Atrax robustus is the most venomous spider in the world. Australian Funnel-Web Spider venom holds a deadly organic compound identified as atracotoxin, an ion channel blockage, which makes the toxin highly fatal for humans. With no doubt, this is one of the best example of the saying, “small but very deadly!” | <urn:uuid:8923588b-ad55-4a8a-b40e-9c39956ec76b> | CC-MAIN-2019-09 | http://learningkingdom.com/tag/dangerous-animals/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247481249.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20190216230700-20190217012700-00112.warc.gz | en | 0.941221 | 1,570 | 2.9375 | 3 |
- By mayonewsreleases
Prematurity Awareness Month: Mayo Clinic Expert Explains Risk Factors
LA CROSSE, Wis. — Roughly 1 in 10 U.S. babies is born prematurely. Preterm labor can affect any pregnancy. To help highlight National Prematurity Awareness Month, Dennis Costakos, M.D., a neonatologist at Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, explains some of the factors behind premature births.
A child is considered premature when born before 37 weeks of gestation. Women who have had children prematurely are at the highest risk of having another baby early, says Dr. Costakos, who has worked in the Mayo Clinic Health System Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for 23 years.
"One-third of the time, a preterm birth is due to infection, such as membranes rupturing. Another third of the time, it is due to a medical condition such as preeclampsia, or high blood pressure," Dr. Costakos says. "The other third of the time, we are not sure why a preterm birth occurs."
Factors that can raise the risk of preterm labor also include:
- Certain problems with the uterus, cervix or placenta.
- Some chronic conditions, such as asthma and diabetes.
- Being underweight or overweight before pregnancy, or gaining too little or too much weight during pregnancy.
- Stressful life events, such as the death of a loved one.
- Domestic violence or any form of abuse during pregnancy.
- Multiple miscarriages.
- Red blood cell deficiency (anemia), particularly during early pregnancy.
- Too much amniotic fluid (polyhydramnios).
- Vaginal bleeding during pregnancy.
- Presence of a fetal birth defect.
- Carrying multiple babies such as twins or triplets.
"To lower the risk of having a preterm pregnancy, it is important for women to seek prenatal care. Also, they should not use tobacco, and should stay off of their feet as much as possible. A pregnant woman shouldn't be on her feet for more than 10 hours a day," Dr. Costakos says.
Media Contact: Rick Thiesse 608-392-9435 Email: email@example.com
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Who Discovered North Carolina?
Posted In: Geography.
History have shown that various Native American groups were the first people to inhibit North Carolina. Evidence of earthwork mounds from before 200 AD have been discovered, which were made by these people. The mounds were believed to be used for religious or ceremonial purposes. Archeological evidences have shown that the Mississippian culture began to take roots in North Carolina starting from 1000 AD.
The Mississippian culture
These were the Native American people and they mostly lived in the Eastern, Midwestern and Southeastern regions of America. They were commonly known for their mound-building culture. These people basically lived in the areas close to the Mississippi river and are known to practice the Mississippian culture. The people living in these areas can be chronologically divided into three groups, the Early Mississippians, the Middle Mississippians and the Late Mississippians. It was the Early Mississippians who inhibited North Carolina.
Various Native American tribes
Other Native American tribes also came across different parts of North Carolina and began to live there. They belong to tribes such as the Roanoke, the Chowanoke, the Pamlico, the Machapunga, the Cape Fear Indians and the Coree. These tribes built various large complex and buildings in those areas. Most cities in North Carolina was founded and built this way. The Native Americans also developed regional networks for trade and commerce.
First European contact
European explorers encountered the Native Americans when they first came to North Carolina. During the 16th century, Spanish explorers discovered North Carolina and came in contact with the Native Americans in some of these areas. The city of Burke County, located in North Carolina, originally called Morganton, was the first place the Spanish explorers visited. It was later named Joara. This was how North Carolina was discovered by the Europeans.
More on North Carolina | <urn:uuid:adb85a04-d6cf-41a1-91f9-24b598a963e8> | CC-MAIN-2014-49 | http://discovery.yukozimo.com/who-discovered-north-carolina/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-49/segments/1416400380233.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20141119123300-00066-ip-10-235-23-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975331 | 387 | 3.765625 | 4 |
Long tones are exactly what the name suggests them to be. They are tones that are sustained for a long period of time. As I mentioned, they are often overlooked in instrumental studies. This occurs because most students desire to obtain speed in their playing. The reason we all strive to learn how to play an instrument (or sing) is to impress others. Performing passages with fast, flashy and elaborate notes always seem to be the best way to impress others. Long tones seem easy to achieve and boring to perform. However, long tones that are executed correctly are both challenging and constructive tools for increasing one's performance level.
Tone quality is just as important of a performance quality as flash and speed. Without a desirable tone the fastest notes in the world will still be perceived as annoying instead of being entertaining. Developing your tone as a performer should be accomplished in two stages. First, one should look to develop a tone that is consistent, neutral and controlled. This will allow for the performer to achieve changes in pitch, rhythm, dynamic, and articulation while maintaining a consistent tone. Developing a consistent tone quality with long tones is the first step in this process. Then a performer can gradually increase the fluctuation of musical elements within his/her playing while striving to maintain a consistent tone.
Consistent long tones also help to improve intonation on instruments where intonation can fluctuate due to performance technique. Many performers practice long tones in front of an electronic tuning device to have a visual display of their intonation. Repeated practice in this manor causes the performer to remember what it feels like to play in tune. Eventually this type of tone production become second nature.
The second stage of tone production is developing one's own unique sound. Each performer's tone is unique, since it is shaped by specific details of his/her playing style. The unique quality of a performer's tone is even more relevant with instruments which require breath, because the tone is shaped by both the instrument and the performer's body. Finding and perfecting your unique tone is a performance quality that will distinguish you from other performers. Being identifiable and unique is often a beneficial quality in musical performance.
One of the best ways to develop your unique and identifiable tone is through the use of long tones. After a musician has developed a consistent and controlled tone, he/she can begin to listen to an examine the unique qualities of that tone. While holding out long tones, desirable tone qualities can be accentuated through experimentation. The result will be a signature tone that is unique to the performer.
I hope that this discussion has helped you to recognize the importance of long tones in the study of musical performance. A well rounded musician develops every aspect of their performance ability, including tone quality. I still incorporate long tones into my practice routine regularly. The results of long tone studies are noticeable and valuable. | <urn:uuid:0df9aa59-5330-4a88-9361-2cf9bcadf488> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | http://www.raymelograne.com/learning-music-with-ray-blog/long-tones | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875145443.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20200221045555-20200221075555-00414.warc.gz | en | 0.961061 | 581 | 3.640625 | 4 |
University of Delaware marine scientists are now working aboard the 420-foot U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Healy on a National Science Foundation project to track the fresh water flowing out of the Arctic Ocean into the Atlantic.
This fresh water, from melting ice and rivers, affects the salinity and circulation of the ocean and thus has a major influence on the Earth's climate.
"Freshwater discharge from the Arctic to the North Atlantic is a crucial factor controlling global climate," says Andreas Muenchow, associate professor of Physical Ocean Science and Engineering in the UD College of Marine Studies and one of the lead investigators on the project.
The five-year study involves over 35 scientists from Oregon State University, the Institute of Ocean Sciences in British Columbia, and the University of Delaware. The scientists will be using tools ranging from underwater current profilers to satellite sensors to determine the volume and timing of freshwater flows through Nares Strait, a narrow channel between northern Greenland and Canada's Ellesmere Island.
Funded by a $2 million grant from NSF's Office of Polar Programs, UD's primary contribution to the research effort will be to install and operate an ocean observing system in Nares Strait. On the first expedition, which sets sail from St. John's, Newfoundland, on July 21 and concludes August 16 in Thule, Greenland, the UD team will be setting up oceanographic equipment moorings at 26 locations along the bottom of the strait to measure currents, temperature, and salinity. Sea level will be monitored at eight locations, and two sensors will be installed to measure ice thickness and motion.
Led by Muenchow, UD's science team includes research associate David Huntley, graduate student Melissa Zweng, UD sophomore Lauren Brown, Elinor Keith, a senior at Princeton University who is an intern this summer in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program at the College of Marine Studies, and Robert McCarthy, a physics teacher at Governor Mifflin High School in Reading, Pennsylvania. McCarthy will be reporting the team's activities on a daily basis on the project Web site for the benefit of students, the public, and other researchers.
Last week, after the Healy left its home port in Seattle to transit through the Panama Canal to the Atlantic Ocean, Muenchow and Huntley boarded the icebreaker early on to get their sea legs and begin testing their equipment. All went smoothly, and Muenchow is now raring for the expedition to begin.
"It's very difficult for me to relax," Muenchow writes in an e-mail from the Healy. "There are just too many exciting things going on. I can see the instruments, and I can see the ocean from which these measurements are taken. Data on oceanography is streaming in, in real time, from all directions. I'm like a data junkie who has been given an overdose."
Starting July 21, the Web site will be updated daily with journals, pictures, and science news from the Arctic expedition. To learn more, visit http://newark.cms.udel.edu/~cats/.
Materials provided by University Of Delaware. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
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The mirror stage as formative of the function of the I as revealed in psychoanalytic experience
Lacan's conception of the mirror stage has been called his most famous and significant contribution to the field of psychoanalysis. It's also essential reading for anyone interested in Lacan due to the prevalence of the mirror stage's concepts found throughout his entire oeuvre.
This particular rendition of the mirror stage was "delivered at the 16th International Congress of Psychoanalysis, Zürich, July 17, 1949". It is short in length, but quite dense and difficult. I'll attempt to summarize the mirror stage's main features below.
Primarily concerned with identity, subjectivity and fantasy, Lacan claims the mirror stage takes place between the ages of six to eighteen months when an infant recognizes its self in connection with the image of the specular self. The result is a fantasized, fictional self that is unified and made whole via the image in the mirror, or “the transformation that takes place in the subject when he assumes an image.”
Due to the self and the specular self not being identical, there is a discontinuity between the two that is psychically alienating. This gap or lack of a unified sense of self, Lacan argues, is where desire stems from—a desire to become whole again. The mirror stage in this sense paradoxically contributes to the “decentering” and unification of the subject through a continuous process of repetition. The following sentence sums this idea up best:
“The mirror stage is a drama whose internal thrust is precipitated from insufficiency to anticipation—and which manufacturse fo the subject, caught up in the lure of spatial identification, the succession of phantasies that extends from a fragmented body-image to a form of its totality that I shall call orthopaedic—and, lastly, to the assumption of the armour of an alienating identity, which will mark with its rigid structure the subject’s entire mental development.”
It’s also important to note that Lacan’s notion of the mirror stage shares affinities with Freud’s conception of identification and narcissism—the latter contributing to the formation of the ego.
Theoretical and practical relevance:
See also Wikipedia article | <urn:uuid:c6aaa01c-fe04-462e-9d0b-8834985c5a40> | CC-MAIN-2014-52 | http://acawiki.org/The_mirror_stage_as_formative_of_the_function_of_the_I_as_revealed_in_psychoanalytic_experience | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-52/segments/1418802770668.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20141217075250-00060-ip-10-231-17-201.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945738 | 475 | 2.859375 | 3 |
While reading I sometimes come across some sentences like
Where 使って is word just like an adverb which modifies 切る.
So I looked up a little more about the Te form and I found this:
Which I think it shows how you do the main verb using the Te form verb before it as an adverb which modifies the main verb.
Could someone give me a good explanation about Te form and 付帯状況?
Is the Te form just an adverb?
Or is it like a relative clause but instead of making a relative about a noun it makes an adverbial clause which shows how the next verb is done?
(The the form somehow reminds me of V1ことで...V2, by doing (through) V1 I do V2 or V1 is how I do V2. This is just how my mind sees it and I don't claim that is correct, but can someone tell me if I am wrong?) | <urn:uuid:984393a4-97c2-496e-b75e-54b26b833feb> | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/38769/%E3%81%A6-form-and-adverbial-meaning | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046156141.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20210805161906-20210805191906-00475.warc.gz | en | 0.944281 | 209 | 2.65625 | 3 |
What Is Laboratory Information System Software?
A Laboratory Information System (LIS) is a software solution that facilitates the processing, storage, and management of medical data. This includes medical and diagnostic processes and test procedures and results. The automation of these procedures improves workflow efficiency and productivity and reduces the risk of error. Standard LIS functionality includes:
- Patient management
- Patient information tracking
- Lab test orders
- Quality assurance and control
- Workflow optimization
- Creation of analytical reports
- Medical billing
In this article, we will outline the differences between a LIMS and a LIS and also explain the functions and benefits of a LIS.
LIS vs. LIMS
The terms Laboratory Information System (LIS) and Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) are often mistakenly used interchangeably. However, there are significant differences between the two systems and their uses.
The main distinction is that a LIS is used within a healthcare provider setting, such as a hospital, to manage diagnostics. The use of a LIMS, on the other hand, is typically associated with analytical testing within a lab. For example, tests and experiments that are associated with research in the fields of pharmaceuticals, agriculture, environmental control, and food and chemical manufacturing.
Whatever type of clinical lab they are used in, LIS and LIMS do have several things in common. For example, they both automate and optimize workflow, manage inventory of samples, and produce test results. The most important factor to consider when deciding whether your lab needs a LIS or a LIMS is who you use your lab results within your clinical setting.
Benefits of LIS Software
LIS software has numerous benefits for clinical labs specifically related to healthcare. Suppose your clinical laboratory specializes in diagnostic lab testing for patients, in fields such as immunology, microbiology, anatomic pathology, or toxicology. In that case, a lab information system can have a number of benefits, including:
- Sample tracking: LIS software usually incorporates a workflow manager that can track samples in real-time from the moment the sample is collected. The tracking process begins with the creation of a barcoded label for the sample so that it can be identified correctly through each stage of the analytical process.
- Time-saving: Sample transference between centers is one of the most time-consuming parts of the procedure because of processing and re-registration protocols. A well-developed LIS will have a tracking model that can simplify this procedure and prevent loss and misidentification of samples.
- Logistics management: LIS software improves the efficiency of logistics management by assigning a unique barcode to each sample. This enables the allocation of necessary resources before the sample reaches the lab for processing. It can also help to update and maintain electronic health records (EHR) throughout the healthcare system.
- Error elimination: If samples become lost or misidentified, or results are delayed, this can cause serious patient issues, even fatalities. When lab devices and procedures are integrated on a single LIS platform, not only does this reduce hours of manual labor, it also significantly reduces the risk of human error.
Better workflow management
As we touched on above, because LIS software modules automate laboratory processes, they eliminate manual data entry. This allows for the interface of patient information and test ordering with a healthcare provider’s EHR/EMR system. In this way, LIS software systems speed up the pre-analytic workflow.
Workflow efficiency and error elimination are vital for optimal patient care in today's complex healthcare arena. A dedicated LIS software solution can help your team manage the complexities of quality control and compliance within a clinical lab setting.
Improved patient data tracking
These days, healthcare data is generated over a wide range of clinical sources. Keeping this information integrated efficiently can be a serious challenge. Meeting this challenge requires efficient communication between patients and their physicians and a software solution that can collate, maintain, store, and allow sharing of vital patient information. This is where a LIS comes into its own.
It can improve patient data tracking and allow access to each patient’s medical history from a single source. A LIS also increases the quality of patient care and enables lab technicians to develop deeper insights into specific medical conditions. What’s more, the information can be accessed from anywhere, whether it involves details about a recent test or a patient’s whereabouts in the healthcare system while also keeping you HIPPA compliant.
Streamlined lab test ordering
Sending samples for lab testing and tracking and organizing test results involves complex procedures. A LIS can streamline lab test ordering in two critical ways. These include:
- Connectivity: You can stay abreast with the samples with each step of the testing procedure, thanks to LIS connectivity. Samples won’t get lost, and results will arrive on time.
- Validation: Labs implement a validation process to ensure that all laboratory test results are accurate and precise. A LIS can streamline test ordering by maintaining consistency throughout the ordering process. It can also ensure conformity to CLIA.
Upgraded quality control
Quality control is vital in any lab to detect errors and correct them before they travel too far down the line and affect the whole laboratory process. Quality control also prevents errors from being repeated. In order for lab teams to detect errors effectively and efficiently, a LIS can give your clinical setting peace of mind by automating your quality control process.
You can use LIS data management to log all your quality control assessments, tests, and reports. This will help with regulatory compliance and provide decision support to all end users. A LIS also allows all quality control informatics to be shared with the team members who need it, as and when it is required.
What About Laboratory Information Management Systems?
A LIMS is a database, and then some. The most helpful LIMS have three main functions, these are:
- Storage organization
- Sample tracking
- Protocol execution
However, superior LIMS also have optional add-ons that can improve your team's workflow, accuracy, and efficiency even more. These may include a customizable virtual freezer, automated data entry, an intuitive search bar, and a user-friendly dashboard that can be accessed by any of your team members wherever they are.
LIMS are already being used to automate many fields, including:
- Anatomic Pathology
Improve Your Lab’s Workflow with a LIMS from Genemod
If you need a little more assistance than a LIS can offer, Genemod has a range of software solutions to make your lab run more efficiently and cost-effectively. Whether you’re looking for a LIMS, a collaboration solution, or superior lab automation, Genemod’s software is designed with superior interoperability, which allows your team to share lab testing data and conduct sample tracking data in real-time wherever they are.
The best clinical laboratories throughout the U.S.A are already implementing Genemod software. If you want to find out how to raise intelligence across all your laboratory systems, contact us today | <urn:uuid:9181ae45-6af2-496f-b433-3c3fff8ad108> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://genemod.net/blog/lis-lab/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662531779.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20220520093441-20220520123441-00547.warc.gz | en | 0.914388 | 1,482 | 2.703125 | 3 |
The rapid relatively unfettered proliferation of solar farms in Virginia is resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of acres of forest and prime farmland, and ironically this is happening disproportionately in the poorest parts of the Commonwealth. It is bad policy to encourage the solar lobby to cut down trees that store carbon in order to build solar farms to avoid the consumption of fossil energy. As a first step to a better policy, amend the VCEA to repeal the DEQ permit by rule requirement so each solar project has to withstand normal environmental reviews like every other construction project. Instead, provide tax incentives to build solar farms in already developed commercial, industrial, and residential areas, including brownfields like old coal surface mines. As another example, there are many thousands of acres of parking lots in shopping malls across the state. These parking lots could be covered with solar panels to shade cars from summer heat and generate energy at the same time.
This is a relevant recent VCU study:https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/murp_capstone/41/ | <urn:uuid:2f100631-2ad4-46ba-91c5-78f25f14137a> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://townhall.virginia.gov/L/viewcomments.cfm?commentid=127378 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510501.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20230929090526-20230929120526-00417.warc.gz | en | 0.931047 | 214 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Carmel
Carmel (Heb. נרמל, Kármél, "garden" or "garden-land"), designates in the Old Testament a certain city and its adjacent territory in the tribe of Juda. The city was in the hill country of Juda, and its territory was contiguous to that of Maon, Ziph, and Jota (cf. Josue, xii, 22; xv, 20, 55). It was in Carmel that Saul set up the trophy of his victory over Amalec [I Kings (A.V., I Samuel), xv, 12]. As Nabal, a man of Maon, was shearing his sheep in the pasture-land of Carmel, there occurred between him and David, then a fugitive from the anger of Saul, the episode in which Abigail, Nabal's wife, played so conspicuous a part (I Kings, xxv, 2, 5, 7, 40). It was apparently in Carmel of Juda that King Osias, son of Amasias, had arable lands and vineyards [II Paralipomenon (A.V., II Chronicles), xxvi, 10]. These simple Biblical data enable us to understand why this city and its district were actually called "Carmel"; in contrast to the wilderness a little farther to the south and to the east, the region appeared like a "garden" to the Hebrews of old, and the city naturally derived its name from that of the adjacent territory. In the fourth century of our era St. Jerome describes the town of Carmel as a village with a Roman garrison and speaks of the district as a mountain. In the time of the Crusades, the city was held by King Amalrich against Saladin, and then passed into oblivion till the nineteenth century, when it was recognized by travelers under the name of Kurmul. The place is now utterly desolate, but its ruins - conspicuous among which are three churches and a strong castle with bevelled stones - indicate a town of considerable extent and importance. The ruins of the town are about ten miles S.E. of Hebron, and close to those of Maon.
ROBINSON, Biblical Researches, II, 193-196 (Boston, 1841); STANLEY, Sinai and Palestine, 100, 479, 484 (New York, 1859); SMITH, Historical Geography of the Holy Land (New York, 1897, 306, 317, note.
FRANCIS E. GIGOT | <urn:uuid:c1fda7b3-e248-480c-b019-1e30797de45c> | CC-MAIN-2017-43 | https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Carmel | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-43/segments/1508187825575.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20171023035656-20171023055656-00269.warc.gz | en | 0.960133 | 539 | 3 | 3 |
A holistic diet is a personal road map to eating that goes beyond the food on your plate, counting calories and exercising a few times per week. It takes into account your whole person and encompasses a healthy lifestyle. It nourishes your body, eliminates chronic health issues and increases your energy, all in an effort to create a sense of well-being.
Goal of a Holistic Diet
The goal of a holistic diet is to achieve and address good digestion, adequacy, balance and moderation. It is a natural method used to develop a healthy balanced diet in the attempt to build a solid foundation for a lifetime of good physical and emotional health. The traditional USDA Food Guide Plate focuses on food suggestions that uniformly work for everyone, but it fails to acknowledge that individuals are different. That is why proponents of a holistic diet believe the Food Guide Plate to be ineffective.
The American Holistic Health Association differs, proposing that an individual achieves a state of well-being through the ongoing process of balancing and integrating an individual's physical, emotional, mental and spiritual self. An integral part of this process is the holistic diet, which treats an individual’s well-being through proper nutrition and takes into account all aspects of his life.
One of the fundamental principles of a holistic diet is your need for a certain balance of macronutrients such as carbohydrates, protein, and fat; micronutrients including vitamins and minerals; and fiber to help your body optimize energy to reach maximum physical and emotional health. Individuals have different nutrient requirements, so holistic diets are devised to meet an individual’s health and nutritional needs. It is also important to remember that you need to eat a variety of different foods to achieve balance.
In a holistic diet you eat natural food, avoid highly processed foods, eat in moderation foods high in fat and sugar. Natural foods that are included in a holistic diet include vegetables, whole grains, fish, fowl, meats, fresh juices, herbal teas and coffee substitutes. Freshly prepared foods provide more energy and are better for your well-being than previously prepared foods. In addition, making the right food choices can help prevent future health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, obesity and cancer.
Digestion and Health
It is important that foods are easily digested in order to benefit your health. Cold foods and beverages slow digestion and are harder to digest than foods that are warm, and therefore are not recommended. In an effort to aid digestion, it is also suggested that foods be chewed well before swallowing. In addition, foods containing probiotics, or friendly bacteria, are recommended to contribute to intestinal health and good digestion.
In conclusion, making the right food choices can help prevent future health problems. Modern medicine focuses on treating the symptoms of illnesses and chronic conditions rather than the cause factors. The World Health Organization states, "Health is more than the absence of disease. Health is a state of optimal well-being." By eating healthy, natural, nutrient-rich foods, you will facilitate good health. | <urn:uuid:0b21e0f9-2ea5-492b-a178-a32a282b3ff3> | CC-MAIN-2017-39 | http://www.livestrong.com/article/107401-holistic-diet/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-39/segments/1505818696681.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20170926193955-20170926213955-00643.warc.gz | en | 0.946197 | 615 | 3.140625 | 3 |
The Coriolis principle describes a force (the so-called Coriolis force) that is generated when bodies or fluids move in rotating reference systems if their movement is at an angle (not parallel) to the axis of rotation. The Coriolis force is proportional to the angular velocity of the rotating reference system and the velocity and mass of the body or fluid. This makes it possible to measure, for example, the volume flow of gas.
In Coriolis meters, actuators cause a pipe bend to vibrate. The basis of this pipe bend is its axis of rotation, its oscillating legs complete a pitch circle. These movements are caused by the flow of the gas and can be measured, which makes it possible to measure the gas volume flow. This is done by sensors mounted on the inlet and outlet side of the oscillating system. They measure the difference between different Coriolis forces when the gas flows in and out. The gas volumeter with this operating principle can also be used in hazardous areas and can be used for custody transfer measurements.
Finally, it should be noted that there are other technical principles by which a gas volumeter can measure the volume of gas. In principle, the choice of design is determined by the area of application. | <urn:uuid:0641ed05-e620-4c36-9e82-03a653812f9e> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://www.rmg.com/en/products/gas-meter/gas-volumeter | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662594414.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20220525213545-20220526003545-00189.warc.gz | en | 0.935911 | 258 | 4.34375 | 4 |
|Astigmatism means the cornea is not spherical, like the
top of a ball, but is elliptical, like the back of a spoon.
Astigmatism is a corneal irregularity that causes multiple
focal points and distorts vision.
Conventional or custom wavefront Lasik, Bladeless Lasik, PRK, LASEK,and Epi-Lasik, can correct astigmatism. Most refractive surgeons consider it much more
difficult to correct astigmatism than myopia (nearsighted, shortsighted) or hyperopia (farsighted, longsighted). As a very general rule,
if your astigmatism is more than half your sphere, then the probably
of a good outcome is diminished. If your astigmatism is more than
2.00 diopters, your probably of a good outcome is significantly diminished.
Lens Based Limitations
Lens based refractive surgery procedures like P-IOL and RLE do not correct astigmatism well, however RLE can correct lenticular astigmatism. Although toric intraocular lenses (IOL) are available, placement and rotation
issues make astigmatic correction difficult.
The amount and type of astigmatism that can be corrected will
depend upon many factors. Lasers are approved by the FDA for specific levels of astigmatic correction. More than the laser, the physiological features of your eye will
determine if your astigmatism can be corrected with refractive surgery.
Issues such as thickness of cornea, pupil size, plus type and amount of astigmatism will all be
Indirectly Correct Astigmatism
P-IOL, and RLE do not directly correct astigmatism, however a minor amount
of astigmatism can be corrected as a part of the surgical process
of correcting myopia or hyperopia.
P-IOLs available in the US do not correct astigmatism, but the incision
through which the P-IOL is placed inside the eye can be manipulated
to reduce preexisting astigmatism. Equally, the incision created
during RLE through which the IOL is placed inside the eye can be manipulated to reduce preexisting
Laser Coupling Effect
Something important to remember is that with most laser assisted
astigmatic refractive surgery techniques, for each diopter of astigmatism
that is corrected, a certain amount of myopia is also automatically
corrected - even if you don't need the myopia correction.
This coupling of myopic correction and astigmatic correction is
consistent with virtually all excimer lasers.
As an example, let us assume that for every one diopter of astigmatic
correction the technique also corrects 0.25 diopter of myopia. If
you have 2.00 diopters of astigmatism, you will receive 0.50 diopters
of myopia correction (0.25 diopters of automatic myopia correction
multiplied by the 2.00 diopters of astigmatism to be corrected)
even if you do not need the myopia correction. If you have more
than 0.50 diopters of myopia, a 2.00 diopter astigmatic correction
should not be a problem with this technique. If you are plano then after surgery you would be 0.50 diopters hyperopic
- not a desirable outcome.
Different Astigmatism Types
Irregular astigmatism is very, very difficult to correct and
some techniques and technology cannot fully correct an irregular
astigmatism at this time. Every person with irregular astigmatism
is unique and needs to be individually evaluated.
Lenticular astigmatism is when the irregularity is in the natural
crystalline lens, rather than in the cornea. RLE will eliminate
lenticular astigmatism. Cornea-based surgery techniques conventional
and wavefront Lasik, Bladeless Lasik, PRK, LASEK, and Epi-Lasik
can correct lenticular astigmatism's effects, but making a reverse
of the lenticular astigmatism in the cornea. While this can be a
successful technique of lenticular astigmatism correction, there
is a significant concern.
As we age the natural lens of the eye becomes clouded. This is
called a cataract. The process to resolve a cataract is to remove
the natural lens and replace it with an artificial lens. The problem
is that the artificial lens will not have the pre-existing lenticular
astigmatism and if the cornea has been reshaped to accommodate the
lenticular astigmatism, the cornea will now cause an irregular astigmatism.
Discuss in detail with your doctor the type and amount of astigmatism
you have and how it may be accommodated with refractive surgery.
Discuss if the technology and techniques s/he intends to use may
affect myopic correction and how this may be accommodated for your
Looking For Best Lasik Surgeon?
If you are ready to choose a doctor to be evaluated for conventional
or custom wavefront Lasik, Bladeless Lasik, PRK, or any refractive surgery procedure, we recommend you consider a doctor who has been evaluated and certified by the USAEyes nonprofit organization.
Locate a USAEyes Evaluated & Certified Lasik Doctor.
If this article did not fully answer your questions, use our
free Ask Lasik Expert patient forum. | <urn:uuid:6bfba578-e85b-4aa7-aafc-d23eb017dc06> | CC-MAIN-2018-05 | http://www.usaeyes.org/lasik/faq/lasik-astigmatism.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-05/segments/1516084888077.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20180119164824-20180119184824-00517.warc.gz | en | 0.853687 | 1,160 | 2.90625 | 3 |
The ‘ethtool’ is a command line utility used to query and control network device driver and hardware settings, particularly for wired Ethernet devices. In our example, we will use it to flash the light on the back of a card, this will be useful to identify the device name that belong to what port on the back of you Linux computer.
Let’s say you have two network cables plug in on the back of a
server and you want to know which one is eth0. Use the following command and the interface light
will start blinking (for 10 seconds) on the chosen adapter.
# ethtool -p eth0 10
This command can be executed without disturbing the traffic on the interface. | <urn:uuid:9a731e33-2f79-4faa-8e57-9048486c0c22> | CC-MAIN-2021-25 | https://linternux.com/network/identify-physical-network-port-name/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-25/segments/1623488539764.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20210623165014-20210623195014-00056.warc.gz | en | 0.872491 | 147 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Portrait of a moving target
Portrait of a moving target (idiom)
: An attempt to represent a continuously changing situation.
// The anchorwoman gasped and fumbled, unable to describe the scene unfolding before her; she was trying to paint a portrait of a moving target.
: An inherently flawed assessment, limited by incompatible means and end.
// The contractor had forgotten his tape measure and was now measuring the wall using only his wingspan, “It’s a portrait of a moving target” he said with a shrug.
The idiom describes a series of artworks attempting to represent the present. The exhibition sets out to locate the present as not just a liminal moment, but also our historical, geographical, and cultural time today. Using contemporary subjects and themes, each work is constructed as a model that imagines or conceptualizes the present. The work pulls from historical examples of documentary art forms to create a set of open-ended documents—not a record, but a recording. An open-ended document is less definitive, operating as an observation without dividing the categories of complete or incomplete, fact or fiction, static or in-motion. Ironically poking fun at itself, the attempt to record a never-ending subject points to documents and archives as being redundant, cumbersome, and likely to change tomorrow. Together, the various works operate as a concocted positioning system, pinpointing the here and now with a dull carpenter’s pencil. | <urn:uuid:4cf2461b-0999-4ecc-8f58-4d0e51f0b72c> | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | http://www.uhmmfa2020.com/cody-anderson/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046153816.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20210729043158-20210729073158-00111.warc.gz | en | 0.954564 | 301 | 2.59375 | 3 |
NEW ORLEANS -- A new discovery by a local doctor could uncover a way to prevent a debilitating mental illness that is very common.
Last fall, retired U.S. Army Major Ben Richards came to New Orleans from Iowa in hopes of saving his family and marriage. He was told there was nothing more that could be done for his post traumatic stress disorder.
He couldn't sleep, was hyper reactive with nightmares of inescapable death, depressed and having emotional outbursts, irritable moods and memory problems.
'The difficulty of having an injury like traumatic brain injury or the behavior injuries, post traumatic stress disorder, is they're invisible injuries,' said Richards in November 2012.
But now a doctor at LSU Health Sciences Center has hopes of preventing PTSD in veterans, survivors of disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, and survivors of violence and crime.
'This is very surprising to me because now we realize during particular stage, this gene is important,' said Dr. Ya-Ping Tang, an associate professor of cell biology and anatomy at LSU Health Sciences Center and the lead researcher of the published findings.
Doctors already know genes you inherit play an important role in your brain's function and risk for anxiety disorder. But they've discovered now that when a certain gene is turned on during trauma, that makes the brain in animal models vulnerable to getting PTSD.
Lab microscope images show more black dots, or brain cell connections, and communication in the model brains without PTSD than the ones with the illness. A physically changed brain means a change in behavior.
But there are medications that can block the effects that this gene causes in the brain, potentially preventing PTSD.
'During the trauma stage, we need to do something for them. We just can not wait,' said Dr. Tang of people going through trauma.
These finds are important because of the devastation PTSD has on the lives, families and behavior of those with it.
More than 20 percent of veterans are sick with PTSD. A quarter of the homeless are veterans. And current medications only help 20 to 30 percent of veterans with PTSD.
The hope is one day a genetic test could identify people at risk and prevent it. | <urn:uuid:8d8da1f1-2398-4104-bfce-80f374301f76> | CC-MAIN-2014-52 | http://www.wwltv.com/story/local/2014/12/18/14583172/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-52/segments/1419447554115.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20141224185914-00092-ip-10-231-17-201.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96248 | 441 | 3.15625 | 3 |
18/12/2017 04:02 PM
Green Lane Cottage Potager
Potager – definition: The traditional kitchen garden, also known as a potager (in French, jardin potager) is a space separate from the rest of the residential garden – the ornamental plants and lawn areas.
The kitchen garden may serve as the central feature of an ornamental, all-season landscape, or it may be little more than a humble vegetable plot. It is a source of herbs, vegetables and fruits, but it is often also a structured garden space with a design based on repetitive geometric patterns.
The kitchen garden has year-round visual appeal and can incorporate permanent perennials or woody shrub plantings around (or among) the annuals.
Designer: Mrs P Eagleton
Landscaper: Ian Day, earthstonelandscapes.co.ukClient Brief
The brief was to create a fruit and vegetable garden, based on the raised bed system, using quality long lasting materials that would need to be functional and aesthetically pleasing.
As well as being a place to sit and quietly enjoy views of the existing garden, the potager was required to supply the house with a variety of fruit, vegetables and cut flowers throughout the year.
Jacksons Jakcured treated timber products were the obvious choice for this project. As well as being supplied by a local well established company, they are also backed up by a 25 year guarantee and would instantly merge into the rural surroundings, mellowing further with age.
List of Jackson materials used on this project:-1. Sleepers
2. Heavy duty fence posts
3. Containing boards
4. Pointed pegs
5. Slotted Jakposts® (Compost bins)
6. Splash boards
7. Timber bollards (Rabbit proof fencing)
8. Machine round stakes
10. Anchor stakes
11. Galvanised wire netting
12. Gate posts
13. Gates (bespoke)
14. Tree Stakes
15. Galvanised Eye Bolts (Fruit tree supports)
16. Mild Steel galvanised plain wire | <urn:uuid:b128ac3a-a902-4be7-a818-c2c44d29399f> | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | https://www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/the-edit/potager-garden | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593657151761.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20200714212401-20200715002401-00478.warc.gz | en | 0.944552 | 444 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Getting a college education is one effective way to improve your future earning potential. Bachelor’s degree holders, on average, earn more than twice as high what high school diploma holders earn over their careers.
It’s not hard to understand why many students are opting for college, even if it means going deep into debt. As it stands, the total outstanding debt in the United States is $1.4 trillion. And according to the Federal Reserve, the average college debt among student borrowers is $32,731.
But what if you could receive a college degree without owning a dime? Wouldn’t that be a dream come true? Well, it’s possible. But it requires conscientious actions on your path.
That’s why we’ll explore some strategies that can help you avoid student debt.
- Start saving as early as possible.
A college education is expensive. And every dollar you’re able to save will reduce your overall tuition bill.
If possible, get a part-time job with a company that offers some sort of college-saving benefits. This will help reduce the amount you need for college. For instance, Starbucks offers some sort of tuition reimbursement. So do Fiat Chrysler and JetBlue.
Parents that want to help their wards with college cost should also plan way ahead. Some parents even start planning before their kids are born. Most states now offer a 529 plan, which is a tax-advantaged savings plan designed to encourage saving for future education costs.
Remember, saving for college is a long-term strategy. So the sooner you start, the better.
- Excel in high school to be eligible for scholarships
Many schools and programs offer scholarships for students with exceptional academical achievements and solid extracurricular activities in high school. To give you the best shot of being a recipient, give in your best in high school.
What’s more, you also need to be consistent in college because most scholarships require you to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA throughout college, while some require up to 3.5 GPA.
Another benefit of being smart in high school is it makes it possible to take Advanced Placement (AP) classes. This is a great way to earn college credit for free. But make sure you research your preferred college’s AP class policy to ensure your credits will count.
- Choose your college with financial considerations in mind
The cost of college can vary widely – with differences that can exceed several thousands of dollars. That’s why you need to weigh in the cost.
Some schools offer benefits for in-state students. Attending an in-state college can reduce your tuition by up to 50%. What’s more, you might be eligible for some in-state grants. Another option to consider includes the cost of a community college versus a 4-year college.
Attending a college that’s closer to home confers several other benefits. For instance, you can easily live at home while attending college. That way, you drastically cut costs on accommodation and food.
Many students fall into the trap of considering ONLY the college’s reputation when choosing where to study. At the end of the day, ensure that your choice makes financial sense to you.
- Find ways to reduce expenses while in college.
By reducing expenses, you invariable lower the amount you need for college. There are several strategies you can apply to lower expenses. Here are some ideas to consider:
1) Leave your car at home: That way, you can cut back on gas, parking passes, and tickets, car insurance, maintenance, and more.
2) Make your rent cheaper: This starts by choosing a more affordable dorm or staying off-campus, depending on costs. Take actions that will help lower your utility bills, like turning off lights and taking shorter showers.
3) Save on food: Opt for homemade meals. Also, utilize all the meals available on your meal plan.
4) Cut academic expenses: You can always get used textbooks at a cheaper price. You can always buy books from someone that has just finished the class. Remember to sell those books once you’re done with the class. For the really expensive books, you may consider renting them instead of buying them.
5) Strict budgeting: Ensure you stick to your budget. That way, you won’t have to incur credit card debts which adds more financial burden.
You can always turn to family, friends, and others around you that can help fund your education.
Over the last few years, many students are turning to crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe to raise money. Several millions of dollars have been raised in such education-related campaigns.
Crowdfunding is relatively new in the world of student loan debt. And students are becoming even more creative in finding ways to get a college education without falling into debt.
The list we’ve explored is in no way exhaustive. Other ways to avoid student college debt include:
Working part-time while studying
Applying for a paid internship in your field
Even if you’re unable to entirely escape student debt, taking these actions will drastically help cut down on college costs.
Good luck with your studies!
Contact us here for more information. | <urn:uuid:5453e3ae-48bd-4ee0-b02d-e81c5c31a140> | CC-MAIN-2021-21 | http://bnkut.com/creditors/ways-to-avoid-student-loan-debt/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-21/segments/1620243991943.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20210513173321-20210513203321-00025.warc.gz | en | 0.946401 | 1,091 | 2.515625 | 3 |
It is not possible not to be moved by the rows and rows of graves that great you when you enter the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach.
This cemetery is now the final resting place for nearly 10,000 American soldiers, airmen and navy personnel killed during World War 2.
The Omaha Beach American Cemetery is located on the site of the former American cemetery at St. Laurent. This temporary cemetery was established on June 8th 1944 by the U.S First Army following the horrific losses during the allied invasion on June 6th. On the day of the invasion, in the American sector at Omaha Beach alone, there were approximately 3000 American's killed, wounded or missing.
Unlike the other American D-Day landing beach, Utah Beach, Omaha Beach was well defended by very determined German troops. As depicted in the film Saving Private Ryan, the first waves of soldiers landing on the beach were massacred by the heavily fortified German positions.
The second wave of American soldiers faired better than the first, mainly due to the increased numbers of men. Due to the greater number of soldiers landing in the second wave, the German's fire was not as effective. Landing with soldiers in the second wave was heavy material: jeeps, half tracks and trucks. These pieces of heavy equipment met the same fate of the soldiers in the first wave and proved easy targets for the German's.
The landings looked as if they were going to fail; however, thanks to the leadership and bravery of small groups of men, the assault gained the first footholds on the beach. Once the foothold was secured, reinforcements landing on the beach pushed forward and secured an area stretching from the beach into the Colleville Sur Mer area. Part of this area would later become the Omaha Beach American Cemetery.
Of the thousands of graves at the Omaha Beach American Cemetery, one of the most notable is that of General Theodore Roosevelt Jr.: Plot D, Row 28, Grave 45.
Related pages: Utah Beach Pointe Du Hoc Dead Man's Corner Museum Longues Sur Mer Sainte Mere Eglise Sainte Marie Du Mont Bayeux Port En Bessin Brecourt Manor Assault Carentan | <urn:uuid:7f6492eb-3fe3-4e7d-9ca8-8312f75aff2a> | CC-MAIN-2014-15 | http://www.utahbeachnormandy.com/omaha-beach-american-cemetery.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-15/segments/1398223206770.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20140423032006-00062-ip-10-147-4-33.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965873 | 451 | 2.703125 | 3 |
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a method, or protocol, for securing connections between computers. If the connection between two computers is not secured, then cyber attackers can intercept these communications and steal data, including credit card numbers and personal information. If you have any kind of online business, then these attacks (eavesdropping, phishing or man-in-the-middle attacks) are a threat to you.
SSL is the industry standard for securing data, and is used by millions of websites to protect their online communications with their users. For any online store, SSL is obviously a necessity, but many social and messaging sites are moving toward using SSL for all user sessions.
SSL makes connections safe by encrypting them. Now we'll take a look at how it does that.
How Does SSL Work?
Let’s first take a look at two important concepts – symmetric and asymmetric encryption. Don’t worry – this is actually pretty simple.
- Symmetric encryption: Two computers that use the same key (a very complex code generated by one of the computers) to lock and unlock the data that they send.
- Asymmetric encryption: Instead of using one key, there are two. The public key is used to lock the data, and the private key is used to unlock it.
Think of it like this – symmetric encryption functions like a code that you agree on beforehand. So if we’re trying to write secret messages and use the simple code that a=1, b=2, and so on, then the message 8, 5, 12, 12, 15 says “hello”. This code works if both of us know it. You use the same code to encrypt and decrypt the message.
Asymmetric encryption is like a key and a padlock – anyone can lock the padlock, but you need the key to open it. You use different codes to encrypt and decrypt the message. The public key (the padlock, in this analogy) is available to everyone, but the private key is secret and stored on the site's server.
SSL Encryption Methods
SSL uses a sophisticated combination of both of these methods to communicate in four steps.
- The first part is identification, or the SSL Handshake. In this step, when you connect to a site with an https (secure) address, your browser asks that the server identify itself.
- The server then sends its SSL Certificate back (more on SSL Certificates later), which includes the public key. This is the first part of the asymmetric encryption.
- The browser then makes sure that the SSL Certificate is real and valid for the website that you’re connecting to. Major browsers all have lists of trusted key providers (like Crazy Domains) included in them. If the certificate is authentic then another key is made, called a session key. This is the symmetric encryption part. The session key is encrypted using the public key in the SSL Certificate (remember, only the server knows how to decrypt it). Then the browser sends the encrypted key back.
- The server then decrypts the session key using its private key (that only it has) and then sends back a prompt that everything went fine and that the secure connection can start.
That's how the server can use asymmetric encryption one time to make symmetric encryption more secure (asymmetric encryption uses a lot of computing resources, so it makes connections slower). If the encryption were just asymmetric and the keys were exchanged, then anyone listening in would also have the key. With SSL, they won't be able to break the encryption.
As we saw in the example above, the SSL Certificate is very important in creating secure connections. It contains the private and public keys that are used in encrypting the session key.
It also contains the identity of the site that uses the certificate. This is very important as well, as sites that attempt to steal user information often use forged SSL certificates. Luckily, modern browsers do not trust these sites and give prominent warnings when people try to access them.
To create an SSL Certificate you will need to generate a CSR (Certificate Signing Request). See our article called What is a CSR? for more details.
Do I Need an SSL Certificate?
If you have an online business and you want your customers to know that they are secure, then SSL is the industry-standard way to go. All banks use SSL certificates, as do PayPal and eBay. They are vital for any ecommerce site. They secure data and let your customers know that they are in good hands. We recommend SSL for any serious online business.
In addition, Google gives extra weight to sites that have SSL in place. If you want your site to get found in search engines, then an SSL Certificate can only help you.
If that's what you want, get your SSL Certificate and let your customers know they’re safe. They are available within your Account Manager.
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Sorry... Please submit a support ticket or try another search. | <urn:uuid:3ce7b96a-b0de-48c5-83b3-3c062f47ddd1> | CC-MAIN-2020-24 | https://www.crazydomains.com.au/help/what-is-ssl/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-24/segments/1590348502097.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20200605143036-20200605173036-00590.warc.gz | en | 0.939667 | 1,050 | 3.859375 | 4 |
Fog can represent a number of different things (estrangement, retreating into one's self, blindness) in Long Day's Journey, but generally, for all of the characters, fog is dark, isolating, and unstoppable. Both Edmund and Mary attempt at various moments to escape or transcend reality, and both use fog as a metaphor or mechanism for doing so.
It's interesting to note that the fog itself isn't enough to generate a mind-altering experience. Edmund experiences his retreat into the fog with the help of alcohol, while Mary relies on morphine. These effects are also by no means limited to Mary and Edmund. James and Jamie may not reference fog explicitly; nonetheless, they both feel as though they've "drowned long ago," and both hide from the world using alcohol. References to alcohol, morphine, and fog all intensify as the play races towards its conclusion.
What, then, of the foghorns and the yacht bells, which periodically cut through the fog? It's Mary who points out that she hates the foghorn: "It won't let you alone. It keeps reminding you, and warning you, and calling you back" (3.1.9). To pursue our analogy of fog and addiction further, the sounds of the harbor act as periodic intrusions of reality into each character's fantasy life. Addiction isn't enough to hold reality at bay forever; there are always the other Tyrones hovering around, ready to chime in and remind each other of their many, many failings. | <urn:uuid:7b83160c-db51-4598-8cad-b253213af0ae> | CC-MAIN-2013-48 | http://www.shmoop.com/long-days-journey-into-night/fog-foghorns-symbol.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-48/segments/1386163053003/warc/CC-MAIN-20131204131733-00003-ip-10-33-133-15.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956699 | 311 | 2.921875 | 3 |
The British Empire and the Armenian Genocide: Humanitarianism and Imperial Politics from Gladstone to Churchill
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An estimated one million Armenians were killed in the dying days of the Ottoman Empire in 1915. Against the backdrop of World War I, reports of massacre, atrocity, genocide and exile sparked the largest global humanitarian response up to that date. Britain and its empire - the most powerful internationalist institutional force at the time - played a key role in determining the global response to these events. This book considers the first attempt to intervene on behalf of the victims of the massacres and to prosecute those responsible for 'crimes against humanity' using newly uncovered archival material. It looks at those who attempted to stop the violence and to prosecute the Ottoman perpetrators of the atrocities. In the process it explores why the Armenian question emerged as one of the most popular humanitarian causes in British society, capturing the imagination of philanthropists, politicians and the press. For liberals, it was seen as the embodiment of the humanitarian ideals espoused by their former leader (and four-time Prime Minister), W.E. Gladstone. For conservatives, as articulated most clearly by Winston Churchill, it proved a test case for British imperial power.
The British Empire and the Armenian Genocide: Humanitarianism and Imperial Politics from Gladstone to Churchill. | <urn:uuid:d7028461-d6ec-4675-9fd4-85c44436afe2> | CC-MAIN-2019-51 | https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/history_fac_articles/146/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-51/segments/1575541315293.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20191216013805-20191216041805-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.90158 | 272 | 2.984375 | 3 |
During the lunch, renowned cognitive scientist Dr. Michelene T.H. Chi will discuss the theme: “ICAP: A Theoretical Framework for Active Learning to Promote Deeper Understanding.” ICAP is a domain-general and parsimonious framework that takes the perspective of the learners, and defines four different ways that students can engage with instruction or instructional materials, often referred to as “active learning.” These four ways of engaging can be approximated by students’ overt behaviors, which can be categorized and differentiated into one of four modes: Interactive or collaborative, Constructive or generative, Active or manipulative, and Passive or attentive. Based on plausible knowledge-change processes corresponding to each mode of behavior, one can predict that learning is best in the Interactive mode, followed next by the Constructive mode, then the Active mode, with the Passive mode fostering the least learning. That is, relative to each other, each mode of engagement achieves a different level of learning, in the hierarchical order I>C>A>P. The ICAP hypothesis can explain the results of hundreds of laboratory and classroom studies in the literature. Dr. Chi will brainstorm with the attendees common instructional techniques that others have used, and predict which ones will be more enhancing for deeper learning. | <urn:uuid:5774599f-3852-4d7e-84f3-9c3191e47927> | CC-MAIN-2018-39 | https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScXm1SLuvTBbnHH1hZs82vcxc_pw4Ri0NAYdo57xn71ldnwxg/viewform | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-39/segments/1537267156857.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20180921053049-20180921073449-00439.warc.gz | en | 0.911981 | 262 | 2.9375 | 3 |
Click for full size image. (print .eps)
Caption: The Deep Impact spacecraft was launched from Earth on 12 Jan 2005 (yellow ellipse). After its encounter with Tempel 1 (green arc), the Deep Impact flyby spacecraft continued in its orbit (yellow ellipse) around the sun and back to the first of several flybys of Earth. The new trajectories are white dashed lines which are difficult to see because they seem to overlap the Earth's orbit (blue). In fact, all of the orbits have been projected onto the ecliptic plane (flattened in this view). If we could view from the side, we would see that the spacecraft's orbit is above or below the Earth's depending on the orbit. The final close flyby in Dec 2009 set the spacecraft up for its approach (white solid) to Hartley 2.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UMD/GSFC/Tony Farnham | <urn:uuid:e50916a1-72c9-4bb7-b94e-b63374da3217> | CC-MAIN-2016-22 | http://epoxi.umd.edu/3gallery/DIXI_path_full.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-22/segments/1464049276304.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20160524002116-00157-ip-10-185-217-139.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948017 | 197 | 3.390625 | 3 |
Today many young people are subjected to changing conventional patterns that guide their relationships and evolution between family, school and work. The known social stratum that guarantees a smooth process of socialization is slowly breaking down. Unlike before, the paths chosen by teenagers are getting to be more diverse and unpredictable. The reorganization of the labor market, the extension of the age of dependence of the young adults in the family and the limited opportunity given to them to be independent adults influence the relationships of these young adults with their family and friends (World Youth Report, 2003). The crisis of juvenile delinquency is rapidly becoming more complex and widespread and crime prevention programs are either unfit to deal with the present situation or otherwise nonexistent.
This is a global problem, faced not only by the developed countries but developing countries as well, everyone is faced with the same problems as our youth faces new pressures in their transition from childhood to adulthood is subjected to a variety of stresses. A rapidly growing population, poverty, negative housing and support services, unemployment and underemployment, a decline in the authority of local communities and overcrowding in poor urban areas, the dissolution of the family and ineffective educational systems are some of the stresses young people must deal with.Our young adults nowadays are subjected to individual risks regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, culture and nationality but are also given new opportunities, both beneficial and harmful(World Youth Report, 2003). Our youth presented with the benefit of illegal opportunities are often times lured into committing various offences, get into illegal drugs and become violent against their peers.Young people who live in difficult situations are at greater risk of becoming delinquents (United Nations Report, 2000). Children who are orphaned or unaccompanied and without any means for subsistence including housing and other basic necessities are the ones that often fall into juvenile delinquency (World Youth Report, 2003). According to United Nations report (2000) the number of children in difficult situations has risen from 80 Million to 150 Million in a span of 8 years (1992-2000).
Causes of Juvenile DelinquencyOne may note that the offenses done by juvenile delinquents are generally dependent by socio-economic, cultural and ethnic strata in a given area. One may realize that the juvenile offenders are often found to have encountered violent behaviors during their childhood either witnesses or victims to such violence (United Nations, 1995).The world youth report (2003) notes that the causative factors and conditions that lead to juvenile crimes are often located at every stage of the social framework, the society as a whole included, social institutions, groups and organizations, and interpersonal relationships. One may realize that the choice of ‘careers’ by these juvenile offenders can be derived from a wide range of factors the most significant of which is described as follows:Socioeconomic CauseMostly secondary to socio-economic instabilities that leads to economic crises, political instability and waning of major social institutions including public education system, public assistance and the family. Socio-economic instability is often linked with unemployment and low income families, increasing the likelihood of involvement in criminal activities of the youth (World Youth Report, 2003).
Cultural and Ethnic CausesWorld Youth Report, (2003) states that delinquent behavior often occurs in social settings where there is a breakdown in the behavior of acceptable norms, under normal circumstances normal behavior dictates that social rules and guidelines deter an individual from committing unacceptable behaviors, in the settings wherein the normal guidelines lose their relevance, the youth often respond by engaging in unacceptable behaviors that often lead to abnormal and often criminal activities.Urbanization CausesAn analysis of geography suggest that in places where there are more urbanized and have higher population the likelihood for criminal acts is higher compared to a more rural setting. This may be due to social control differentiation and social understanding. Rural communities often rely on family and community power over the youth. More often the urbanized areas deal mostly with a more formal approach in legal and judicial actions and an impersonal approach that seems correlated with the high crime rates developed within the more urban community (World Youth Report, 2003).FamilyResearch will show that children who are subjected to sufficient parental supervision are less probable to engage in criminal activities.
Children who are members of a dysfunctional family, characterized by conflict, inadequate parental control, feeble parental control, premature freedom are usually the children that grow up to be delinquents (World Youth Report, 2003). It may also be noted that although children who are members of disadvantaged families who have less opportunities for proper employment and thereby faced with a higher risk of social omission are usually representative of the juvenile offenders.Exclusion and Peer InfluenceThe ever increasing gap between the rich and the poor has led to the emergence of the ‘others group’ or simply put, the exclusion of some individuals or group of individuals within the acceptable social strata within the community. This exclusion often leads to the rupture of social ties, identity crises and collection of obstacles that does not permit the individual to grow beyond the label (World Youth Report, 2003).
One may realize that this is an important social structure, when the ’others’ are subjected often to ridicule or malice by the socially accepted peers it often leads to antagonistic behavior that often leads the youth to exert effort for acceptance or join a group of ‘others’ that are often delinquent, this ‘gang’ becomes their main social organization where the young adult feels most secure and welcome and thereby most do anything in order to stay within that group, including social unacceptable behaviors and criminal acts (World Youth Report, 2003).MediaTelevision and movies even news reports that sensationalize and popularize criminal acts like the ‘cult of heroes’- a depiction of justice by physical abolition of bad elements. Researchers have supported that young adults who watch violent themed shows often behave more aggressively, especially when provoked.
Media may bring violence to the young minds in three ways. One, showing of movies that depict violence acts and that electrify its audience. Second, shows that show violence especially by parents as an ordinary daily activity. Third, violence shown by media over sensationalizes the hero leaving less bleeding wounds and real pain that can actually be felt in real violence are not shown.
The American Psychological Association depicts evidence that show television violence is to be blamed for 10 percent of aggressive behavior in children.Preventing Juvenile DelinquencyViolence against children maybe noted as a factor that endangers the rights of the child. It is imperative that the government and relevant institutions commit themselves into solving the problem of juvenile delinquency. The Riyadh Guidelines released by the United Nations clearly states that the prevention of juvenile delinquency is an important aspect in clearing overall criminal activities (United Nations, nd). It was noted that early intervention is the approach of choice if an effective delinquency program is to be implemented. Educational programs to help the youth and find alternative activities rather than illegal behavior (Johnson, 1995) recreational activities and youth development programs are essential to give the youth the chance to grow and be responsible adults (United Nations, nd). Also, the local community should be given responsibility in preventing juvenile crimes.
Programs should be developed in order to help the youth avoid delinquency and it is imperative that the community and the local government support these efforts (Gang 2000, 1993). The family as a social institution is also the first line of defense for these juvenile offenders, one must note that support for family should be an imperative project of the government and if the juvenile can be controlled from within the family the chances of him/her going out to do crimes is lesser than if the family fails to control them. On the whole efforts to fight juvenile delinquency maybe surmised as lacking in effort secondary to lack of task oriented social work that leads to a disorganized course in taking care of the juvenile offenders including their victims (United Nations Report, 2000).ConclusionJuvenile delinquency can be surmised as a multifaceted array of violations of the legal, social and ethical norms, either minor or major offense that is committed by the young. One might surmise that these offenses comes from a variety of factors that are far more serious than simple petty offenses. Poverty, lack of opportunities, social exclusion and a range of factors that contribute to a young adult becoming delinquent. It is important to note that these factors are important if determining a permanent solution to the problem is to be addressed.
Priority should be given to the marginalized communities. Educate them, give them proper support, including housing, employment and social support so that the family may be able to take care of their young and prevent them from being delinquents. And lastly the juvenile justice system should be decentralized and thereby encourage the local authority, who might have a more proximal connection to the juvenile, to participate more in preventing the juveniles from committing a variety of offenses and reintegrate the known offenders into the society giving them adequate social, moral, and physical support that will ultimately foster this kids to become responsible citizens. | <urn:uuid:59725460-e509-403d-9948-96a577636f0f> | CC-MAIN-2020-24 | https://bereavementpractitioners.org/essay-king-queen-world-disentangling-juvenile-delinquency/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-24/segments/1590347390755.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20200526081547-20200526111547-00173.warc.gz | en | 0.955253 | 1,815 | 3.5 | 4 |
Definition of direct tax
: a tax exacted directly from the taxpayer
First Known Use of direct tax
Legal Definition of direct tax
: a tax imposed on a taxpayer himself or herself or on his or her property — compare excise
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up direct tax? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible). | <urn:uuid:e108a27a-1d62-418c-9218-72bead5958e8> | CC-MAIN-2017-22 | https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/direct+tax | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-22/segments/1495463612283.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20170529111205-20170529131205-00401.warc.gz | en | 0.947554 | 80 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Assess your students with performance tasks and rubrics that measure writing, civic engagement and critical literacy skills. Write to the Source tasks allow students to demonstrate their argumentative, explanatory and narrative writing skills by responding to customizable prompts. Do Something tasks empower students to take action in their school and community.
“I like the fact that [the tasks] encouraged creativity, problem solving, critical thinking and awareness from the students. I like encouraging my students to be active, whether it's on the school level or on the global level.” | <urn:uuid:b1779abc-7a4e-4083-817b-2b3ecbd662e2> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.learningforjustice.org/classroom-resources/student-tasks | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571472.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20220811133823-20220811163823-00218.warc.gz | en | 0.939642 | 109 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Magpies and Other Swooping Birds
For most of the year magpies are not aggressive, but for 4 to 6 weeks from August to November they will often defend their territory and their nests vigorously.
These intelligent native birds are just trying to raise their families in a challenging environment – and like all animals, they have a natural instinct to protect their young.
Magpies only swoop within about 100 m of their nests, so it’s best for people to stay away from known magpie nesting areas.
Also, magpies usually go back to the same spot every year, so if there was a swooping danger zone on your route last year, it is likely to be there again this year.
The experience of a magpie attack can be quite alarming, but it is usually only a warning. Only very occasionally will a bird strike the intruder on the head with its beak or claws.
The best course of action is to avoid the swooping areas until later in the year.
If avoidance is not possible there are ways to reduce the frequency of attacks including:
- Travel in groups, as swooping birds usually only target individuals
- Carrying an open umbrella, or a stick or small branch, above your head - but do not swing it at the magpie, as this will only provoke it to attack.
- Keeping an eye on the magpie while walking carefully away. Magpies are less likely to swoop if you look at them, but avoid starting straight into their eyes.
- Drawing or sewing a pair of eyes onto the back of a hat and wear it when walking through the area. You can also try wearing your sunglasses on the back of your head.
- Wearing a bicycle or skateboard helmet. Any sort of hat, even a hat made from an ice cream container or cardboard box, will help protect you.
- If you are riding a bicycle, get off and wheel it quickly through the area. Your bicycle helmet will protect your head, and you can attach a tall red safety flag to your bicycle or hold a stick or branch as a deterrent.
- If you know of an area that has swooping magpies, put a sign up to warn passers-by.
Click here to find more tips and ideas to avoid getting swooped -www.environment.nsw.gov.au/news/spring-swooping-season | <urn:uuid:a386f33c-9adb-40aa-8808-70b12e95bee5> | CC-MAIN-2024-10 | https://www.snowyvalleys.nsw.gov.au/Services/Pets-and-Livestock/Magpies-and-Other-Swooping-Birds | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947475711.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20240301225031-20240302015031-00658.warc.gz | en | 0.955096 | 494 | 3 | 3 |
© 2001-2022 Anne-Marie Mahfouf
KLettres aims to help to learn the alphabet and then to read some syllables in different languages.
It is meant to help learning the very first sounds of a new language, for children or for adults.
Currently 25 languages are available: Arabic, Czech, Brazilian Portuguese, Danish, Dutch, British English, English,
English Phonix, French, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Kannada, Hebrew, Hindi Romanized,
Low Saxon, Luganda, Malayalam, Norwegian Bokmål, Punjabi, Spanish, Slovak, Ukrainian and Telugu, you can choose them using the Languages menu.
A toolbar with the special characters per language is provided if you don't have the correct country keyboard or the keyboard layout to be able to display correctly the accented letters.
- Level 1: the letter is displayed and the user hears it.
- Level 2: the letter is not displayed, the user only hears it.
- Level 3: the syllable is displayed and the user hears it.
- Level 4: the syllable is not displayed, the user only hears it.
You can also choose the mode (kid or grown-up) via the colored buttons on the toolbar and KLettres will keep your settings and restore them the next time you play.
You can use the game to learn the alphabet in other languages. There are twenty-five languages available at the moment (please see list above). The program will detect which languages are present and enable them. You will also be able to easily download other languages via the Get New Stuff dialog (3 clicks and your data will be installed).
The Settings menu allows you the usual KDE settings. You can also change the font that displays the letter/syllable as in some distributions, the default big font is quite ugly! Furthermore, languages as Czech or Slovak might need a font as Arial for example to display the accented characters properly.
If you want to contribute for your own language, please have a look here. Thank you in advance!
|April 13th, 2011||Now 25 languages in Klettres|
|November 2nd, 2007||Three new languages in Klettres|
|February 9th, 2007||Klettres in Low Saxon!|
|September 23th, 2006||Klettres in Hebrew!|
|July 15th, 2006||German sounds in KLettres|
|April 15th, 2005||KLettres in Africa!|
|March 15th, 2005||Spanish and Romanized Hindi sounds in KLettres|
|March 14th, 2005||New KLettres version in cvs HEAD|
|March 8th, 2005||Open Usability review for KLettres|
|May 13th, 2004||KLettres update: version 1.3|
Author: Anne-Marie Mahfouf
Last update: 2020-03-24 | <urn:uuid:e729eca4-1d08-4dc1-949b-9cf9abb590ae> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://edu.kde.org/klettres/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662533972.17/warc/CC-MAIN-20220520160139-20220520190139-00382.warc.gz | en | 0.860017 | 639 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Pesticides & Pest Management
Monitor your home and property or any other area where pests are a concern. Be prepared to take appropriate action when pests cause damage or health issues. Learn about using less harmful pesticides and integrated pest management techniques to help protect natural environments.
The key to effective pest management is to prevent pests from becoming a problem in the first place. If you do have a pest problem, it’s important to know how to identify, monitor and control pests using safe treatment methods.
On July 1st, 2016, amendments to the IPM Regulation came into force that affect vendors and dispensers, as well as residential and commercial users of pesticides in landscaped areas. Find out how these amendments directly affect how you use or sell pesticides.
If you’re a pest management professional or a business that sells or uses pesticides, find out when authorizations are required and access information or tools designed specifically for the work that you do. | <urn:uuid:468e3f1c-1f87-4898-8dd9-293599067ebf> | CC-MAIN-2017-09 | http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/pesticides-pest-management | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-09/segments/1487501174167.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20170219104614-00239-ip-10-171-10-108.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91501 | 193 | 2.578125 | 3 |
The Anti-Smoking Movement is Hazardous to Smokers' Health
October 28, 2003
Prohibitionists control the American anti-smoking campaign and they are not inclined to help inveterate smokers, say critics. These groups are also obsessed with tobacco abstinence and with the public health strategy: quit smoking or die, according to University of Alabama researchers Brad Rodu and Philip Cole.
In contrast, Britain's Royal College of Physicians -- one of the world's most prestigious medical societies -- issued a report acknowledging that products such as smokeless tobacco are safer than cigarettes. This finding, however, has met with opposition from the tobacco control advocates in the United States who refuse to allow this potentially life-saving information to be disseminated to smokers, say researchers Rodu and Cole.
Among the information being withheld from smokers:
- There are other effective sources of nicotine delivery such as smokeless tobacco, which is 98 percent safer than smoking.
- In Sweden over the past century, men have smoked less and used more smokeless tobacco, resulting in the lowest rates of smoking related deaths in the developed world.
- Smoking carries twice the risk for mouth cancer as smokeless use.
- If all American smokers had used smokeless tobacco instead of cigarettes, the annual tobacco-related mortality in the United States would be only two percent of the current figure; saving of about 430,000 lives per year.
Rodu and Cole conclude that the tobacco industry has been under scrutiny for 50 years and now moderate and reasonable persons in the anti-smoking campaign, and the public must scrutinize the anti-smoking industry and its failed policies and practices.
Source: Brad Rodu and Philip Cole, "The Anti-Smoking Movement is Hazardous to Smokers' Health," ALEC Policy Forum, Spring 2003.
Browse more articles on Government Issues | <urn:uuid:b107031a-bd2c-4632-a5b7-5292a5b25cf9> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=4378 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988719139.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183839-00347-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952422 | 374 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Here’s a tale that deals with the creation of the world and has its origins in the Riu Subansiri area of Arunachal Pradesh ~
Before everything else, Kujum-Chantu, the earth, was just like a human – she had arms, legs, a head and a giant fat belly where human-beings originally resided. One faithful day, Kujum-Chantu realized that if she ever got up and tried to walk, whole of mankind would fall off and die. This prompted her, on her own will, to kill herself. Her head became the snow-clad mountains, and the bones on her back turned into small hills. Her neck became the north country of the fearless Tagins, and her chest – the valley where the Apatani lived. Her buttocks turned into the plains of Assam – for just as there is much fat in the buttocks, Assam sits in fat rich soil. Her mystery eyes became the Sun and Moon, and from her mouth, was born Kujum-Popi, who sent the Sun and Moon to shine in the sky.
Related Posts :- | <urn:uuid:a7673a6a-5bb4-49a6-8836-cb29a1b97ada> | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | https://greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/folklore-from-north-east-india-an-apatani-tale-on-how-the-world-was-created/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917120001.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031200-00291-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977009 | 235 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Old English weard "a guarding, protection; watchman, sentry, keeper," from Proto-Germanic *wardaz "guard" (source also of Old Saxon ward, Old Norse vörðr, Old High German wart), from PIE *war-o-, suffixed form of root *wer- (3) "perceive, watch out for."
Used for administrative districts (at first in the sense of guardianship) from late 14c.; of hospital divisions from 1749. Meaning "minor under control of a guardian" is from early 15c. Ward-heeler is 1890, from heeler "loafer, one on the lookout for shady work" (1870s).
Old English weardian "to keep guard, watch, protect, preserve," from Proto-Germanic *wardon "to guard" (source also of Old Saxon wardon, Old Norse varða "to guard," Old Frisian wardia, Middle Dutch waerden "to take care of," Old High German warten "to guard, look out for, expect," German warten "to wait, wait on, nurse, tend"), from PIE *war-o-, suffixed form of root *wer- (3) "perceive, watch out for."
French garder, Italian guardare, Spanish guardar are Germanic loan-words. Meaning "to parry, to fend off" (now usually with off) is recorded from 1570s. Related: Warded; warding.
War of 1812
Web design and development by MaoningTech. | <urn:uuid:35580594-6b0a-4b7f-aa41-ddbdc44ea69b> | CC-MAIN-2018-22 | https://www.etymonline.com/word/ward | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-22/segments/1526794863949.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20180521043741-20180521063741-00578.warc.gz | en | 0.928312 | 335 | 3.203125 | 3 |
A young Filipino of Mexican ancestry in 2009
|Regions with significant populations|
|Metro Manila, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, Bicol Region, Visayas, Caraga, and Zamboanga Peninsula|
|Spanish, Portuguese, Cantonese, Nahuatl, Mayan, Tagalog, and other Philippine languages|
|Roman Catholicism and Aglipayan|
|Related ethnic groups|
|Mexicans of European descent, Indigenous peoples of Mexico, Mestizos in Mexico|
Mexican settlement in the Philippines comprises a multilingual Filipino ethnic group composed of Philippine citizens with Mexican ancestry.[failed verification] The immigration of Mexicans to the Philippines dates back to the Spanish period. In the Philippines there are a Couple of Million Mexicans currently residing. The Mexican community has been established in those islands many years ago. Migration from Mexico has been important since the Spanish period and when the Philippines was trading with this country during the Viceroyalty of New Spain, Mexican mestizos mixed with the inhabitants of the islands, similar to the amount of Spain and the United States, numbering up many names of Spanish origin.[failed verification] Mexican Filipinos are ethnically diverse. They can be Mexicans of European descent, Indigenous peoples of Mexico, mixed-race, or members of any other group.
Mexican immigration to the Philippines mainly occurred during the Hispanic period. Between 1565-1821, the Philippines were in fact administered from the Viceroyalty of New Spain's capital, Mexico City. During this period trans-Pacific trade brought many Mexicans and Spaniards to the Philippines as sailors, crew, prisoners, slaves, adventurers and soldiers in the Manila-Acapulco Galleons which was the main form of communication between the two Spanish territories. Similarly the route brought Filipinos, Filipino-born Spaniards and other southeast Asian groups to Mexico.
The Philippines and Mexico were part of the Spanish Empire, an experience that left a deep imprint on both societies. Once Spain began its long period of decline in the nineteenth century, the Philippines and Mexico came under the sphere of influence of the emergent colossus of the north, the United States. According to an opinion piece in La Opinión, it describes Mexico being a subordinate and fearful neighbor of American interventions and the Philippines a Spanish territory subject to the designs of Washington, D.C.
During the Spanish period, the islands formed part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, coupled with other areas of the Pacific Ocean such as the Marianas and the Caroline Islands and during a short period in northern Taiwan. The Spaniards made trade routes from Mexico to the Philippines, the main ports of Mexico today to start their starting points were Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta with their final destination to Manila, the current capital of the Philippines. The Spanish ships on these routes were known as the Manila galleons.
After the arrival of Mexican immigrants to the Philippines, they belonged to different ethnic groups such as indigenous and mestizos and Creoles who mainly mixed with the local population, which also increased the number of descendants with Spanish surnames. The construction of the military fort of Zamboanga counted with the help of these Mexican immigrants who had already settled in the islands. The Mexican legacy in the Philippines, consisting of marriage between the Spanish and the indigenous culture of origin (Maya and Nahuatl), has been marked in these islands. Many words that originated from Nahuatl, a language spoken by the descendants of the indigenous Mexican Aztecs, have influenced some local languages of the Philippines.
After the spread of Catholicism in the islands, Mexican immigrants also brought the sacred image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, installing it in a temple of Intramuros in Manila, also declaring her patroness of the Philippines. Currently, the entrance of the Philippines in the APEC has strengthened ties with Spanish-speaking countries, including as Mexico, where the islands share a common history and other Spanish-speaking countries such as Peru and Chile.
In the Philippines today, there are less than 3,000,000 Mexicans currently residing. The Mexican community has been established in those islands many years ago. Migration from Mexico was important, since the Spanish period, and when trading with this country Philippines, during the Vice Royalty of New Spain, Mexican mestizos were mixed with the inhabitants of the islands, similar to Spain and the United States amount adding as many names of Spanish origin. So this actually means there are possibly a higher percentage of people with full or mixed Mexican heritage. | <urn:uuid:bd50a509-0037-49e1-b098-95dba57f7273> | CC-MAIN-2019-43 | http://www.popflock.com/learn?s=Mexican_settlement_in_the_Philippines | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-43/segments/1570986696339.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20191019141654-20191019165154-00078.warc.gz | en | 0.961287 | 938 | 3.421875 | 3 |
Autoimmune diseases are a broad range of related diseases in which a person’s immune system produces an inappropriate response against its own cells, tissues and/or organs, resulting in inflammation and damage. There are over 80 different autoimmune diseases, and these range from common to very rare diseases. Some autoimmune diseases affect mainly one part of the body (such as multiple sclerosis, autoimmune thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes) whilst others can affect many parts of the body (such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and systemic vasculitis).
Autoimmune diseases include common and rare diseases
Autoimmune diseases affect around 1 in 20 people and are one of the most important health issues in Australia and New Zealand. Common autoimmune diseases such as thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes affect more than 1 in 100 people. In contrast, a rare autoimmune disease such as Goodpasture’s disease (a form of vasculitis) affects around 1 in a million people.
What causes autoimmune diseases?
The causes of autoimmune diseases are not yet known. However, in many cases it appears that there is some inherited tendency to develop autoimmune diseases. In people with this inherited tendency, other factors such as infections and some drugs may play a role in triggering autoimmune disease.
How are autoimmune diseases diagnosed?
Autoimmune diseases are usually diagnosed and monitored by medical specialists using a combination of clinical history, blood tests (autoantibodies, inflammation, organ function) and other investigations such as x-rays. Sometimes a biopsy of affected tissues may be required for diagnosis.
What types of autoimmune diseases exist?
There are over 80 different autoimmune diseases and they can be categorised into two general types:
1. Localised (organ specific) - affecting mainly one particular part of the body
2. Systemic - affecting multiple parts of the body
These categories may overlap, as localised autoimmune disease can affect other parts of the body and some people have multiple autoimmune diseases.
Localised (organ specific) autoimmune diseases
Whilst localised (organ specific) autoimmune diseases mainly affect a single organ or tissue, the effects frequently extend to other body systems and organs. These diseases are often managed by organ-specific Medical Specialists, such as Endocrinologists, Gastroenterologists, Neurologists or Rheumatologists.
Systemic autoimmune diseases
Systemic autoimmune diseases can affect many body organs and tissues at the same time.
They can be broadly classified into rheumatological/connective tissue disease and vasculitis (inflammation of blood vessels). These diseases are often managed by Clinical Immunologists and/or Rheumatologists.
Vasculitis disorders are relatively rare and result from inflammation of blood vessels. They have many clinical presentations, sometimes affecting only the skin but not infrequently affecting internal organs. Symptoms include fatigue, weight loss, rashes, sore joints or night sweats. Wegener's granulomatosis is the most common form of vasculitis and this affects around 5 in a million people.
Examples of localised (organ specific) autoimmune diseases
Addison’s disease (adrenal)
Autoimmune hepatitis (liver)
Coeliac disease (gastrointestinal tract)
Crohn’s disease (gastrointestinal tract)
Diabetes Mellitis Type 1a (pancreas)
Grave’s disease (thyroid)
Guillain-Barre syndrome (nervous system)
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (thyroid)
Multiple sclerosis (nervous system)
Pernicious anaemia (stomach)
Primary biliary cirrhosis (liver)
Sclerosing cholangitis (liver)
Myasthenia gravis (nerves, muscles)
Ulcerative colitis (gastrointestinal tract)
Examples of rheumatological systemic autoimmune diseases
Antiphospholipid antibody syndromes (blood cells)
Dermatomyositis (skin, muscles)
Mixed connective tissue disease
Polymyalgia rheumatica (large muscle groups)
Polymyositis (skin, muscles)
Primary Raynaud’s disease (blood vessels)
Rheumatoid arthritis (joints, less commonly lungs, skin, eyes)
Scleroderma (skin, intestine, less commonly lungs, kidneys)
Sjögren’s syndrome (salivary glands, tear glands, joints)
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (skin, joints, kidneys, heart, brain, red blood cells, other)
Examples of vasculitis disorders
VASCULITIS (SMALL BLOOD VESSEL)
Churg-Strauss syndrome (lungs, skin, nerves)
Cryoglobulinaemia (skin, kidneys, nerves)
Goodpasture’s syndrome (lungs, kidneys)
Henoch-Schonlein purpura (skin, joints, kidneys, gut)
Microscopic polyangitis (skin, kidneys, nerves)
Wegener’s granulomatosis (sinuses, lungs, kidneys, skin)
VASCULITIS (MEDIUM BLOOD VESSEL)
Behcet’s disease (mucous membranes, skin, eyes)
Central nervous system vasculitis (brain)
Kawasaki syndrome (skin, mucous membranes, lymph nodes, blood vessels)
Polyarteritis nodosa (kidneys, gut, nerves, skin)
VASCULITIS (LARGE BLOOD VESSEL)
Giant cell (temporal) arteritis (arteries of the head and neck)
Takayasu arteritis (arteries of the head and neck)
Treatment options for autoimmune disease
Currently there are no cures for autoimmune diseases, although there is a wide range of treatment options, which depend on the stage and type of autoimmune disease.
The main aims of treatments for autoimmune diseases are to relieve symptoms, minimise organ and tissue damage and preserve organ function. Treatment options, usually under specialist supervision, include one or more of:
- Replacement of end organ functions (such as insulin in diabetes and thyroxine in autoimmune thyroid disease)
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDS)
- Corticosteroid anti-inflammatory medications (such as Prednisolone)
- Immunosuppressive medications
- Therapeutic monoclonals (such as TNF inhibitors)
- Immunoglobulin replacement therapy
Other disorders related or associated with autoimmune diseases
Autoinflammatory disorders occur when the immune system’s inflammatory response is not properly controlled, but are not strictly autoimmune in origin. This unrestrained inflammation increases the risk of amyloidosis, in which excess protein is deposited in the body, and this can result in kidney failure. Characteristically these disorders present in childhood or adolescence with recurrent attacks of fever, sweats, joint and abdominal pain. A number of different autoinflammatory syndromes have now been described, the most common of which is Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF). FMF is relatively common among people of Mediterranean descent, occurring in about 1 in 1000 people. Less common examples of autoinflammatory syndromes are Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF) receptor associated periodic fever syndrome (TRAPS), and Hyper-IgD syndrome (HIDS).
Hypereosinophilic syndromes occur when there are sustained high blood levels of a type of white cell called an eosinophil. These cells can damage the lining of the heart and nerve endings. Causes of hypereosinophilia include vasculitis, other autoimmune diseases, drug allergy, parasitic disease, malignancy (lymphoma) and eosinophilic leukaemia. Symptoms include recurrent urticaria (hives) or angioedema, sinus disease with nasal polyps, asthma-like symptoms, pneumonia-like symptoms, recurrent stomach pain, neuropathies (nerve damage) and cardiomyopathy (resulting from heart damage). Treatment options include immunosuppressive medications and therapeutic monoclonal antibodies.
Paraneoplastic syndromes are rare disorders triggered by an abnormal immune response to a cancerous tumour known as a neoplasm. These disorders are most common in middle-aged to older people with lung, ovarian, lymphatic or breast cancer. Symptoms may include difficulty in walking or swallowing, loss of muscle tone, loss of fine motor coordination, slurred speech, memory loss, vision problems, sleep disturbances, dementia, seizures, sensory loss in the limbs, and vertigo or dizziness. Paraneoplastic syndromes include Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, stiff-person syndrome, encephalomyelitis, cerebellar degeneration, limbic or brainstem encephalitis, neuromyotonia, opsoclonus, and sensory neuropathy. Currently there are no cures for paraneoplastic syndromes. However, complete surgical excision of the tumour may result in improved symptoms and treatments are available that can decrease the autoimmune response.
What happens if I have an autoimmune disease?
There are many different autoimmune diseases with different treatments and consequences for people with these diseases. It is important to find out as much as possible about your autoimmune disease by asking questions of your treating physician.
There are also many patient support organisations and foundations that offer information and support. Some of these are listed on the ASCIA website www.allergy.org.au/patients/patient-support-organisations
You can learn about autoimmune disease from books and the internet, however you need to be aware that what is actually written may not apply to you, and you should always check the information with your treating physician.
© ASCIA 2016
Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) is the peak professional body of clinical immunology and allergy specialists in Australia and New Zealand.
Postal address: PO Box 450 Balgowlah, NSW Australia 2093
This document has been developed and peer reviewed by ASCIA members and is based on expert opinion and the available published literature at the time of review.
Information contained in this document is not intended to replace medical advice and any questions regarding a medical diagnosis or treatment should be directed to a medical practitioner.
The development of this document is not funded by any commercial sources and is not influenced by commercial organisations.
Content last updated June 2016 | <urn:uuid:9bcf2454-9c2c-4ad4-8158-5f853b17e209> | CC-MAIN-2016-50 | http://www.allergy.org.au/patients/autoimmunity/autoimmune-diseases | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-50/segments/1480698541317.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20161202170901-00004-ip-10-31-129-80.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.892309 | 2,191 | 3.3125 | 3 |
#1: School Purpose
Community is Not Easy
In this blog post, independent school consultant Jill Goodman writes, "Without a strong sense of community, one that is in alignment with the future vision of the school, a school is not on solid ground." Goodman offers four steps to upholding your "utopian school community":
- Define your school's brand promises and make good on them.
- Listen to your community.
- Revisit your school's mission.
- Plan for leadership succession.
#2: School Leadership
The International Science and Evidence Based Education (ISEE) Assessment
The International Science and Evidence Based Education (ISEE) Assessment is an initiative of the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP). The ISEE Assessment pools multi-disciplinary expertise on educational systems and includes several take home messages and policy recommendations.
Cultivate Curiosity to Fuel Risk-Aware Thinking
In this piece, Melanie Lockwood Herman, Executive Director of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, says, "curiosity is possibly the most important trait a risk professional brings to their role in a nonprofit" because it helps teams embrace uncertain outcomes. Herman shares several questions that she asks consulting clients and some hacks to increase the curiosity quotient of your nonprofit.
#4: Education Program Foundation
Why High School 'Rigor' Is Often Just A Facade
Writing for Forbes, Natalie Wexler, author of The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America's Broken Education System—and How to Fix It
, says that while school students now have more impressive transcripts, they aren't actually doing more rigorous work. Wexler believes "the most effective solution to this problem is to inject more content into the elementary curriculum—history, science, the arts—and to educate teachers at all grade levels about the importance of storing information in long-term memory."
#5: Learning & Teaching
The Research on Life-Changing Teaching
To consider the questions, "What really moves the needle for educators and, by extension, their students?" Youki Terada and Stephen Merrill from Edutopia reviewed nearly two dozen studies. In this article, they share several fundamental ways teachers can refine their practices to improve their students' lives and offer several tips for each.
#6: Student Well-Being & Support
How is victimization at school linked to depression?
Writing for BOLD, Jonathan Santo, a professor of psychology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, shares his research findings that show "kids who were chronically victimized were more likely to have a dampened physiological response to negative experiences in the moment." For this reason, Santo says more interventions are required to help students process their responses to negative peer experiences as they occur, in addition to current interventions that focus on developing social skills.
#7: Essential Concepts
What makes a happy school?
Julia Morinaj is a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer at the Institute of Educational Science at the University of Bern. In this BOLD article, she looks at the "three Ps" - people, process, and place - essential for a happy school. Morinaj offers several suggestions to enhance happiness and well-being in learners and says, "any steps toward enhancing happiness and well-being in learners, however small, can make a difference".
#8: Custodial Care
Campus tours from a distance: Best practices in virtual open houses for international students
Since in-person campus tours are still impossible for many international students and agents, ICEF Monitor has compiled some best practices from virtual event experts to create and execute virtual open houses. One suggestion is to keep it dynamic: "A virtual open house should not feel like a presentation that students have to sit through. It should feel dynamic, and it should be structured around questions that students want to know the answers to. It should move around – not only in terms of different parts of the campus – but also in terms of perspective."
#9: Recruitment & Community Engagement
We are reinstating our SAT/ACT requirement for future admissions cycles
In this blog post, Stu Schmill, Dean of Admissions at MIT writes about the school's decision to again require prospective students to take the SAT or ACT (after doing away with standardized test requirements during the pandemic). Writes Schmill, "Our research shows standardized tests help us better assess the academic preparedness of all applicants, and also help us identify socioeconomically disadvantaged students who lack access to advanced coursework or other enrichment opportunities that would otherwise demonstrate their readiness for MIT. We believe a requirement is more equitable and transparent than a test-optional policy."
#10: Human Resources
4 conversations to have with your new team member
In this piece, Leadership Coach Suzi McAlpine offers four questions to ask a new team member. McAlpine says these "conversation starters" can help to give new team members the best start possible and set up your working relationship for success:
- How do you like to receive feedback?
- What aspects of the job are you feeling most confident about, and least confident about?
- Can we have a discussion about what good looks like and what's expected?
- Can we have a conversation about your strengths and how we can move you towards working from them even more?
An Inconvenient Truth About ESG Investing
Writing for Harvard Business Review, Sanjai Bhagat, Provost Professor of Finance at the University of Colorado, and author of Financial Crisis, Corporate Governance, and Bank Capital
looks at research that compared the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) record of U.S. companies in ESG fund portfolios with those in non-ESG portfolios. The researchers "found that the companies in the ESG portfolios had worse compliance record for both labor and environmental rules" and that sustainable funds might actually be directing capital into poor business performers.
#12: Facilities & Infrastructure
Lessons Learned from a Global Ransomware Attack
In January 2022, Finalsite was the target of a global ransomware attack. In this blog post, Founder and CEO Jon Moser says the company was fortunate to have caught the situation early and contained the activity. However, Moser stresses that the education sector is being targeted more than ever and shares seven key lessons learned. | <urn:uuid:ccdcab71-62e2-463e-8339-1c852dadf899> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://www.cais.ca/research/top-12/post/~post/april-1-2022-20220401 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662573053.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20220524142617-20220524172617-00131.warc.gz | en | 0.945542 | 1,314 | 2.65625 | 3 |
The rise of the Internet is unstoppable and, so far, web applications are its most prominent exponent. Curiously, the role of professionals working in application development services has not been popularized in the same way. As a matter of fact, the usual confusion between web development and web design means that some businesses do not optimize the user experience of their pages as they should. What are the differences between Application Design and Development?
To understand the importance of these two tasks, we should delve a little deeper into their main common objective: the development of online space – be it an application or a web page – that is useful for the user. It is not regarding the hierarchy; neither of these requirements is above the other. When designing other types of products, the final product must work well and do so pleasantly and comfortably.
Both application design and development are essential when developing a web application. However, several people do not know the primary difference between design and development, believing both disciplines are responsible for the same tasks. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the distinctions between these terms before contacting web application development service providers.
Web Application Development vs. Web Application Design: An Overview
Web development refers to all the tasks related to the operation of the web. In most cases, application development services providers are responsible for implementing the functionalities and features of a page or mobile app to meet the desired requirements.
It makes no difference how challenging the project is. The web application development service provider will use the most appropriate programming language so that the user can perform the tasks for which they access that space and its data, whether it is an online purchase, a reservation or an administrative procedure, reservation or an administrative procedure.
Web application design is responsible for defining the visual aspect of a mobile application or a web page: specifying the aesthetic part, which goes far beyond making the site visually appealing.
Albeit the work on the visual aspect of designers is essential, it is also their responsibility to define an appearance that makes navigation simple, comfortable, and user friendly since part of web design comprises defining and optimizing the user experience (UX).
The difference between design and development is somewhat blurred since “design” has become a generic term that includes both design and development. Companies must make their customers aware that a successful application requires excellent design and development.
The design aspect determines the look and feel of an application or website. It also includes the website’s design, navigation, and color scheme or an application. It also includes graphics and logo design. It is more about aesthetics and user experience than features. A designer will make a website easy to use and fit the purpose for which it was developed.
On the other hand, development deals with the features and functions of an application. It includes development of the “back end” of an application, which includes various functions such as registration, e-commerce, content management systems, and any other database applications. The development allows users to take action on an application.
A competent designer must have a knack for graphic design and a sound understanding of marketing. He must understand how to attract visitors’ attention, encouraging them to explore the whole website. On the contrary, a developer must have excellent development skills, finding the necessary solutions that provide the website’s functionality.
Various studies have shown that website visitors make a judgment in just a few seconds. Therefore, a good web design makes the application attractive and easy to use, and good development will endow it with exciting features and functions.
Sometimes it is challenging to differentiate one concept from another, especially if we consider the digital age, so there is a lot of confusion between two concepts such as design and development. Albeit some people believe they are the same, they are not, and it is an issue when clients seek one of these services. Therefore, we will discuss their differences framed in different points of view.
Design: It refers to creating the appearance of an application. It is responsible for its aesthetics and includes logo, graphic design, navigation form, color, and other straightforward navigation functions.
Development: It is in charge of an application’s internal characteristics and operations. It includes the inside component of an application, such as operating systems, contents, and databases, which allows a website to communicate with individuals that visit it (users).
Design: The graphic style of the application is critical at this point, as it determines whether it will be able to catch the interest of individuals who use it.
Development: It refers to the proper application of various programming tools, particularly while attempting to solve a web-related problem.
Design: Photoshop, Flash, and Fireworks are among the most often used tools, as are color approaches and typefaces.
Why Are These Disciplines Important?
Nowadays, many brands use an application due to the large number of benefits they provide. Thus, businesses cannot settle for a basic application development services provider for application development that does not adapt to the user’s requirements.
Both design and development play a fundamental role in building a high-performance application that has the appropriate characteristics to meet the goals set by the company in the online area and allows for the loyalty of the target audience.
As observed throughout the post, it is necessary to properly integrate both design and development to achieve success on an application. Thus, both disciplines become essential for companies to achieve the desired business objectives.
Gramhir is one of the best Instagram analyzer and viewer. Gramhir’s algorithm makes it conceivable for you to examine your own or another person’s Instagram account stats. | <urn:uuid:c0622b54-b10d-443d-a8d9-2faa8ca17117> | CC-MAIN-2024-10 | https://thebuzzie.com/how-are-application-design-development-different/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947474523.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20240224044749-20240224074749-00680.warc.gz | en | 0.946373 | 1,141 | 2.765625 | 3 |
In the United States, trauma is the leading cause of death among patients between the ages of 1 and 44 years of age and the third leading cause of death overall. Approximately 20 to 40% of trauma deaths occur after hospital admission and are a result of massive hemorrhage. There have been no large, multi-center, randomized clinical trials with survival as a primary end point that support optimal trauma resuscitation practices with approved blood products and therefore there are many conflicting recommendations. The Prosective Observational Multicenter Major Trauma Transfusion (PROMMT) Trial demonstrated that many clinicians were transfusing patients with blood products in a ratio of 1:1:1 or 1:1:2 and that early transfusion of plasma was associated with improved 6-hour survival after admission.
The Pragmatic, Randomized Optimal Platelet and Plasma Ratios (PROPPR) Trial was designed to address the effectiveness and safety of 1:1:1 transfusion ratio vs 1:1:2 in patients with trauma who were predicted to receive a massive transfusion.
What is Damage Control Resuscitation (DCR)? (25631636)
Damage Control Resuscitation (DCR) is the concept of rapid hemorrhage control through:
- Permissive Hypotension
- Hemostatic Resuscitation (Massive Transfusion Protocol)
- Hemorrhage Control (Damage Control Surgery)
Early administration of blood products in a balanced ratio (1:1:1 for units of plasma to platelets to red blood cells helps treat intravascular volume deficits, acute coagulopathy of trauma, preserve oxygen-carrying capacity, and prevention of dilutional coagulopathy.
What is the definition of a massive transfusion? (15064258)
Historically, massive transfusion is defined as the replacement of > 10 Units of PRBCs within 24 hours or arbitrarily defined as:
- The replacement of a patient’s total blood volume in less than 24 hours
- The acute administration of more than half the patient’s estimated blood volume over 3 hours
What is the Basic Breakdown of The PROPPR Randomized Clinical Trial? JAMA Feb 2015
What they Did:
- Determine the effectiveness and safety of transfusing patients with severe trauma and major bleeding using plasma, platelets, and red blood cells in a 1:1:1 ratio vs 1:1:2 ratio
- Phase 3, multisite, randomized clinical trial of 680 severely injured patients
- 12, level 1 trauma centers in North America
- 24-hour and 30-day all-cause mortality
- Time to hemostasis
- Blood product volumes transfused
- Incidence of surgical procedures
- Functional status
- No statistically significant difference in mortality at 24 hours or at 30 days
- Exsanguination in first 24 hours (secondary outcome) significantly decreased in the 1:1:1 group vs 1:1:2 group (9.2% vs 14.6%; p = 0.03)
- More patients achieved hemostasis in the 1:1:1 group vs 1:1:2 group (86% vs 78%; p = 0.006)
- More plasma (Median 7 Units vs 5 Units) and platelets (Median 12 Units vs 6 Units) were used in the 1:1:1 ratio vs 1:1:2 ratio
- No difference in complications between the two strategies
- This study was appropriately powered to detect a 10% difference in mortality between the 1:1:1 and 1:1:2 groups, however the study could not definitively establish a benefit < 10%
- Physicians not blinded once transfusion protocol begun
- Unable to completely exclude patients with an unsurvivable brain injury (23% of deaths at 24 hrs and 38% of deaths at 30 days)
Study Conclusion: Among patients with severe trauma and major bleeding, early administration of plasma, platelets, and red blood cells in a 1:1:1 ratio vs 1:1:2 ratio did not result in significant differences in mortality at 24 hours or 30 days. However, more patients in the 1:1:1 group achieved hemostasis and fewer experienced death due to exsanguination at 24 hours.
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Take Home Message
Ultimately, this was an underpowered study to determine < 10% mortality benefit at 24 hours and 30 days, however the 1:1:1 transfusion strategy decreases death from exsanguination at 24 hours, achieves more rapid hemostasis, and has no additional complications associated with it.
For More Thoughts Check Out:
- Rory Spiegel at EM Nerd: The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier
- Ryan Radecki at EM Literature of Note: The Fixed-Ratio Massive Transfusion Answer
- Richard Carden at St. Emlyn’s: JC: Getting the Balance Right: The PROPPR Trial
- The Bottom Line: PROPPR: Transfusion of Plasma, Platelets, and Red Blood Cells in a 1:1:1 vs a 1:1:2 Ratio and Mortality in Patients with Severe Trauma. The PROPPR Randomized Clinical Trial
- Scott Weingart at EMCrit: Podcast 144 – The PROPPR Trial with John Holcomb
- Ken Milne at The SGEM: SGEM#109 – One Platelet, One Plasma and One RBC – PROPPR Trial | <urn:uuid:14909c01-af83-42f7-974b-423fab87fb77> | CC-MAIN-2017-43 | http://rebelem.com/proppr-randomized-clinical-trial/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-43/segments/1508187823309.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20171019141046-20171019161046-00198.warc.gz | en | 0.895307 | 1,132 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Evolution and Systematics
A rigid plate below moth wings detects movements of predatory bats by acting as a microphone device.
"As the bat gets that revised sonar fix and swoops in closer, the moth can hear it coming. The moth has a sort of sensitive microphone built out of a tiny rigid plate below its wings. This microphone device locates the swooping killer in the air, even in dim, dense underbrush or where there's no light at all. The moth doesn't have to be able to visually 'see' anything at all to get an exact fix on where its attacker is. With the new information, it just changes course in the air, and flies away." (Bodanis 1992:169)
"Some moths listen with their bodies through a pair of eardrum-like organs in their abdomens. Each organ consists of a thin membrane of cuticle, behind which is an airsac that enables the membrane to vibrate when it is hit by sound waves. Connected by nerves to the brain, these organs are sensitive to the frequency range of ultrsonic squeaks emitted by insect-eating bats." (Shuker 2001:23)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Shuker, KPN. 2001. The Hidden Powers of Animals: Uncovering the Secrets of Nature. London: Marshall Editions Ltd. 240 p.
- Bodanis, D. 1992. The Secret Garden: Dawn to Dusk in the Astonishing Hidden World of the Garden. Simon & Schuster. 187 p.
- Yack, JE; Scudder, GGE; Fullardk JH. 1999. Evolution of the metathoracic tympanal ear and its mesothoracic homologue in the Macrolepidoptera (Insecta). Zoomorphology. 19(2): 93-103.
To request an improvement, please leave a comment on the page. Thank you! | <urn:uuid:afcc0806-452c-447c-91f1-89d31902f76a> | CC-MAIN-2014-15 | http://eol.org/pages/769/details | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-15/segments/1397609526311.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20140416005206-00322-ip-10-147-4-33.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.892879 | 404 | 3.6875 | 4 |
Humans and wildlife can coexist peacefully — at least around backyards.
A new paper reports that some wild species can become more abundant in suburban areas than in wild ones mainly due to available shelter, and food handed out by people. The study aimed to understand the “urban wildlife paradox”: the observation that while human development generally leads to a drop in biodiversity, moderately-developed areas can harbor larger, more diverse mammal populations than wild areas.
“There’s this idea that nature and humans don’t coexist well,” says co-author Roland Kays, a research associate professor at North Carolina State University. “But what we’ve been finding is that when it comes to mammals, especially in North America, they actually do pretty well around people. You end up with high abundance. You expect there to be fewer animals, and there’s actually more.”
“They’re using the gardens a little bit, they’re using the brush piles a little bit, and they’re using the water features, but feeding has the most dramatic influence on animal activity in the backyard.”
Unsurprisingly, the study found that the main reason this happens is that people tend to feed (either directly or indirectly) the wild animals that swing by their backyards. To a lesser degree, they’re also providing shelter and protection for these animals.
In order to test their hypothesis, the researchers installed cameras in the backyards of 58 homes near Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill in the USA, and in forests close to rural and urban areas (for comparison).
After analyzing the pictures these cameras recorded, they found seven species (squirrels, gray and red foxes, Virginia opossums, eastern cottontail rabbits, woodchucks, and eastern chipmunks) that were more common in yards than in forests. Eleven species, most notably white-tailed deer, squirrels, and raccoons, were seen more often in suburban forests compared to rural ones.
Feeding had the strongest impact on the abundance of animals in a certain yard, with bird feeders being the main offenders. Eastern gray squirrels were the most common sight at such feeders, and were seen here more often than in suburban or rural forests. Cottontail rabbits, raccoons, and opossums were also common sights at feeders.
“This basically confirmed the urban-wildlife paradox, showing that some species are more abundant in yards,” Kays said. “It’s not a big surprise if you live in the suburbs — you see the animals. It’s the squirrels, raccoons, deer, and opossum.”
“[The findings support] the idea that direct human subsidies are a big part of the explanation for the urban-wildlife paradox. It shows that individual decisions by homeowners and private property owners can have a big impact on the wildlife in the backyard and living in the area.”
Predators were also seen in greater abundance in yards only when prey such as squirrels or rabbits were also more abundant. However, the effect was very weak — according to the team, you would need to increase the numbers of prey animals 713-fold to see a doubling of predator numbers in our backyard. Predators also don’t seem to feed directly from humans — the team observed a single coyote and one red fox eating compost.
Fences were reliable deterrents to foxes and other predators, while pets fended off opossums and racoons.
“You see widespread recommendations: Don’t feed the bears. Where do you draw the line from small birds to squirrels, rabbits and raccoons? When does it become bad to feed the animals, even if you’re doing it accidentally?” Kays said.
“On one hand many people enjoy having wildlife around and they can help support a healthy local ecosystem; however, they could cause conflict with people.”
The paper “Does Use of Backyard Resources Explain the Abundance of Urban Wildlife?” has been published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. | <urn:uuid:fac9bdfa-bc12-4414-93dc-b35ac282f79f> | CC-MAIN-2021-10 | https://www.zmescience.com/science/for-some-wild-mammals-home-is-now-your-backyard-not-the-forest/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-10/segments/1614178372367.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20210305122143-20210305152143-00041.warc.gz | en | 0.964197 | 875 | 3.734375 | 4 |
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An optotype is a vision assessment tool with a series of letters or symbols presented in a standardized format. Medical providers like optometrists and pediatricians ask a patient to look at the optotype and report what they see. This information can be used to determine visual acuity to see if the patient needs to wear corrective lenses. The Snellen chart, using a series of letters that progressively decrease in size, is a well-known version, but other types of charts are available as well.
Standardization can be important for vision assessment because it allows the medical professional to compare with a known baseline. Each optotype is optimized for visibility, with letters or shapes that should be visually crisp when the patient has good vision and sits at the recommended distance. If the patient has trouble discerning between or identifying shapes, this is an indicator that the patient’s vision needs correction.
In young children who cannot read, an optotype uses shapes. The child is asked to describe or identify the shapes in a vision test. Early intervention for children with suspected vision problems can be important. Likewise, adults who are not literate may be tested with a shape-based chart instead of one using letters, which they might find difficult. Several variations of shape-based designs are available for use in these settings.
Administration of a vision test with an optotype must be performed consistently for valid results. The room should have appropriate light levels, and the subject must be seated at the recommended distance. Testers should not bias subjects by isolating specific letters in an attempt to help them see better, and may not prompt them with suggestions about which letters they might be seeing. As the subject goes through the chart or a series of presented flashcards, the tester can take notes about the subject’s visual acuity to use later.
Optotypes also provide a quick tool for assessing visual acuity in environments like a department of motor vehicles. Someone applying for a driver’s license may be asked to pass a quick eye examination administered by an employee of the agency. The applicant views a chart and reads off the letters or reports the symbols, allowing the employee to determine if the applicant can drive safely. In cases where people need their glasses to see comfortably, they may receive a license with a corrective lens restriction, indicating they must wear glasses or contacts to drive.
One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted. Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK! | <urn:uuid:dcd82751-8e42-495a-83b6-185197b7d292> | CC-MAIN-2017-13 | http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-optotype.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-13/segments/1490218187193.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20170322212947-00414-ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939273 | 537 | 3.90625 | 4 |
Mahavir Jayanti namaskar to all sentient beings. According to Jain tradition, Vardhamana Mahavira (599-527 BCE) was the 24th (and the last) tirthankara. “In Jainism, a Tīrthaṅkara is a human being who helps in achieving liberation and enlightenment as an “Arihant” by destroying their soul-constraining karmas, became a role-model and leader for those seeking spiritual guidance.” (Wiki.)
Let’s recall the Namaskar Mantra, which is “a gesture of deep respect towards beings Jains believe are more spiritually advanced and to remind followers of the Jain religion of their ultimate goal of nirvana or moksa.”
I bow to the arihants
I bow to the siddhas
I bow to the acharyas
I bow to the teachers
I bow to all sadhus
This five-fold bow destroys all sins and obstacles
And of all auspicious mantras, is the first and foremost one.
Among the Indic religions — Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism — Jainism is the most life-affirming. It categorically teaches that one should not harm any living being. Killing is definitely out. If everyone were to follow that principle, there would be no terrorism, leave alone organized wars.
Not that there is much to be gained by comparing religions, but if you must, Jainism is one end of the spectrum that extends from the benign to the malignant. Sam Harris compared Christianity’s Ten Commandments with Mahavira’s teachings in his book Letter to a Christian Nation thus:
If you think that it would be impossible to improve upon the Ten Commandments as a statement of morality, you really owe it to yourself to read some other scriptures. Once again, we need look no further than the Jains: Mahavira, the Jain patriarch, surpassed the morality of the Bible with a single sentence: “Do not injure, abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture, or kill any creature or living being.” Imagine how different our world might be if the Bible contained this as its central precept. Christians have abused, oppressed, enslaved, insulted, tormented, tortured, and killed people in the name of God for centuries, on the basis of a theologically defensible reading of the Bible.
I admit that I take enormous pride that I was born in the same land that gave birth to Jainism.
I bow in deep reverence to Bhagawan Mahavir and all other Tirthankaras. | <urn:uuid:57cc4999-6df6-4e9c-8a8d-ec057c588ff2> | CC-MAIN-2015-11 | http://www.deeshaa.org/2013/04/24/mahavir-jayanti-greetings/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-11/segments/1424936462839.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20150226074102-00034-ip-10-28-5-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947197 | 566 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Planet Earth is falling apart. It sounds a bit dramatic when you put it in such stark terms, but, in many ways, it's true. The list of endangered species grows every year as humans bulldoze more habitats and belch more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. What's an environmentalist to do?
Build a biodome, of course! At least, that's what South Korea's doing as part of a broader effort to protect its native endangered species.
The country just unveiled striking new designs for its National Research Center for Endangered Species that will soon be built in Yeongyang-gun, one of the cleanest parts of the Korean peninsula.
The idea for the design by Seoul-based Samoo Architects & Engineers (SAMOO) is to blend the three-part compound harmoniously with the surrounding nature.
The main area, known as the Core Zone, will contain a visitors center, offices, and quarantine zone. Meanwhile, the main Research Zone includes a number of breeding farms and research facilities, including several biodomes. There's also something called the Refresh Zone where researchers and visitors can stay.
The whole thing looks like a cross between the new Apple headquarters and that Pauly Shore movie. It also looks very similar to another Samoo biodome project for a few years ago, the Ecorium of the National Ecological Insitute. While this complex is supposed to built elsewhere, the two projects share similar missions. They also make one thing overwhelmingly clear: South Koreans are biodome fanatics. [MyModernMet] | <urn:uuid:20659c32-9a77-40d0-8bdd-ecce6c92a8a5> | CC-MAIN-2016-36 | http://gizmodo.com/south-korea-is-building-a-series-of-biodomes-for-endang-1535289486 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-36/segments/1471982292944.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20160823195812-00215-ip-10-153-172-175.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949004 | 313 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Every gardener has heard it- get your soil tested. But many don’t know why they should do it, how to do it, or where they go to get it done. Here’s the scoop on why, when, how, and where to get your soil tested in Michigan.
Michigan is blessed with a number of soil types. Knowing what type of soil you have in your garden and the basic fertility of that soil lets you make important decisions on improving the soil and choosing plants that will do well in your soil. You don’t want to spend money on fertilizers you don’t need and that may harm the environment. And you certainly don’t want to buy expensive plants that aren’t likely to grow in your soil.
Gardeners should get a soil test when they are new to gardening in an area, when they have never had the soil tested or when they are experiencing a lot of problems growing plants. After your initial baseline soil test it’s a good idea to test your soil every 3-4 years unless you suspect a problem and then you may want to do it sooner.
The most common soil test will tell you the basic soil composition, the pH (see this article on pH) of the soil and the amounts of potassium and phosphorus, major plant nutrients in the soil. It will not tell you how much nitrogen is in the soil because nitrogen is constantly fluctuating. You can also ask to have the percentage of organic matter tested. Soil labs can also test for micronutrients.
A normal garden soil test does not tell you if the soil is contaminated with chemicals like lead or pesticides. This type of soil test can be done but it is expensive.
You can get your soil tested at any time it isn’t frozen solid. The spring planting season is a time when many home gardeners send their soil for testing but that is also the time when you will wait the longest to get results simply because the labs are so busy. Fall is a good time to send soil for testing as is during a winter thaw when you can scoop out soil or very early spring and mid-summer.
How to collect a soil sample
The home gardener can simply dig down to 6-8 inches with a narrow spade. Remove any large rocks and as much surface vegetation as possible and place the sample in a bucket. Repeat this in 10- 20 locations across the garden spot. Larger areas need more samples.
Combine all the samples by mixing the soil together well in the bucket. Then remove 2-3 cups of soil from the bucket. If the soil is very wet spread it on a newspaper in a warm spot and let it get as dry as possible before packing it up. Place the sample in a zip close plastic bag.
Most small suburban lots need to have only one representative soil sample taken. But if you know the soil is different in different parts of your landscape, you have a large piece of property where you will be growing things in different areas, or you suspect a soil problem in one area you will want to do more than one sample. Make sure you label the samples so you know where they came from.
Where to send your soil sample to be tested
In Michigan the primary soil test lab for homeowners and farmers is Michigan State University’s soil lab. Some lawn care services and nurseries offer soil testing but most of them send the soil to MSU anyway. There are some private labs that do soil testing but they generally concentrate on chemical contaminate testing or test soil for large farming operations.
Before MSU’s re-organization it was fairly easy to get a soil test done by going to your own county Extension office with your sample. In some counties that is still being done. They will help you fill out the paperwork, box your sample and send it for you. But after MSU’s disorganization things aren’t that simple for all counties.
Call your local Extension office and ask about doing a soil sample. They may tell you to send your own sample and how to do that or tell you they can do it. If they do it they may sell you a sample box to fill or simply take your sample and fill the box for you, charging you one fee for the box and shipping. Fees vary from $15 to $20 at county Extension offices.
At one point MSU was selling soil test kits through their bookstore but a recent chat with the soil lab at MSU reveals this is no longer being done. Probably the simplest way for a homeowner to get a soil sample done is take the 2-3 cup sample collected and mail it yourself.
First go on line and download the form you’ll need to send with the sample at this location http://www.css.msu.edu/_pdf/SampleSubmissionForm4.pdf Print it and fill it out. Put each sample in a separate plastic bag with its own form attached. Mark the form with a number or letter that corresponds to where the sample was taken from if you have more than one sample and keep a record for yourself.
You can put several properly labeled samples in one shipping box. The post office sells one price shipping boxes you can purchase. Enclose a check for the sample processing fees. At this writing a common home garden soil test is $17, without organic matter testing. Add a dollar handling fee if you don’t have a proper soil test box from MSU for a total of $18 per sample. Your shipping cost is extra, paid at the post office.
On the same webpage where you downloaded the submission form the MSU soil lab has a fee list. If you want the organic matter in your soil tested add the correct amount. It’s a wise idea to consult the fee list before writing your check as MSU has announced they will soon be changing the test fees. They are going to make the organic matter test standard at some point in time and raise the test fee to reflect that.
If you have questions call the soil lab at (517) 355-0218
Send your soil sample to this address;
Soil and Plant Nutrient Laboratory
A81 Plant and Soil Sciences
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
East Lansing, Michigan48824-1325
You can drop off the soil sample during business hours if you live close to East Lansing and that will save you postage. For a map go here http://maps.msu.edu/files/driving.pdf
Expect your results in about 2 weeks, a little longer during spring rush. A report will be mailed to you with your results and recommendations for soil improvement. A link to a webpage with explanations for what MSU recommends will also be sent. If you are lucky your local Extension office may still have someone who can help you interpret your results.
A simple amendment to change the pH of your soil if needed, the correct amount of fertilizer to add to the soil and knowing your soil type will help make you a super gardener. And you get this information from your soil test. A soil test is worth the time and money.
For more garden articles by Kim Willis click on her name at the top of the page. | <urn:uuid:04e47be2-4d27-4c8a-a666-1a6592d45f72> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | https://modenook.com/how-to-get-your-garden-soil-tested-in-michigan/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875141396.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20200216182139-20200216212139-00343.warc.gz | en | 0.954023 | 1,492 | 2.71875 | 3 |
Hand as a part of the human body was and still is considered one of the most important parts of us, we are not counting the heart, our soul, and the brain; but we are also using our hands on a daily basis, and they also have their symbolical meaning.
This was also true in the past, in many religions and spiritual teachings – the Hand became the symbol in its own writings and among them, the most important is the Hams Hand. Hamsa is present in various Oriental doctrines, such as Judaism, in Islam and Buddhism, with its own specifications according to each religion.
In Buddhism, for example, the Hamsa Hand is used to guard against fear.
Currently, the Hamsa symbol is present all over the world, whether in prints of clothing, pendants or tattoos. You do not have to belong any religion to know and love the Hamsa Hand, and above all, to believe in its powers, that are countless.
Read all about this wonderful and ancient symbol that is present in our world for centuries, but it has never lost its “magic”.
This symbol is connected to the mostly Arabic world, and its origin when translated means “five” in the literal translation, which refers to the five fingers of a human hand.
Other names that the Hamsa Hand is known are the “Hand of God,” “Chasm,” “Fatima’s Hand,” or “Hamish’s Hand,”
The Hamsa hand is considered an amulet against evil eyes for followers of Judaism and Islam, mostly, but it is also recognized in other religions, or in another spiritual teaching around the world.
Also, we would like to speak of the symbol itself – the “Hamsa’s Hand” is characterized by the drawing of the symmetrical right Hand (fingers of the same range) and around or other symbols in the middle of the palm, such as the stars of David, fish or pigeons. It is firmly believed that all of these symbols are able, combined, to reinforce the idea of protecting Hamsa’s Hand, which can have numerous representations.
To name a few, when fingers in Hamsa Hand are presented together, the amulet serves to bring good luck; if your fingers are separated, this means that it should be used to repel negative energies, according to popular tradition.
Nowadays, in modern times, people do not wear amulets and talismans in some traditional way, but they are putting them on their bodies and in this sense, the tattoo is a perfect choice. For all those who want to carry this magical Hand on their bodies, and be protected at all times, the Hamsa Hand tattoo is the logical choice.
People who choose to tattoo the “Hamsa Hand” usually seek the symbolic meaning of the amulet, plus its aesthetic beauty that is undeniable, and looks amazing when seen on the body, in the form of a tattoo.
Among other interpretations attributed to the “Hamsa Hand” is the power of fertility and the protection against fear – it is given to children, just to protect them from evil forces that are all around us. In this sense, it is always connected to the mother, to sister, that care and sacrifice that only a woman could give.
The Meaning of Hamsa Hand
As far as the meaning goes, when it comes to the Hamsa Hand, we must speak of the Hand itself that is one part of our bodies that could bring us closer to the God, we put our Hand in the air, and we could almost touch the sky.
Additionally, the fact that we have five fingers, or that Hamsa Hand also has five fingers, just shows that it is the magical number. Such idea originates from Mesopotamia, where it was dedicated to the Assyrian-Babylonian goddesses Ishtar and Inane, and there it was a sign of protection that is related to the woman power.
In this sense, we must speak of other religions that also respect the Hams Hand, but it is undeniable its impact on Islam. There the Hamsa Hand is called Fatima’s Hand – based on Muhammad’s daughter Fatima Zahra, while in Judaism, it is Miriam’s Hand, and in Christianity, Mary’s Hand – according to Jesus’ mother.
As you can see, this symbol is recognized all around the world, in all religions.
It is believed that Hamsa, or Miriam, or Mary is pure, completely sinless, and they consider her Hand a symbol of protection, power and strength. At the same time, the five fingers on her Hand represent the five pillars of Islam: faith, prayer, humanity, fasting, and the journey to Mecca, as the spiritual journey that every believer should take in life.
Hamsa Hand became the part of Judaism when it was brought by Spanish Jews, who had the opportunity to see this symbol on the Alhambra, the most famous Islamic fortress in southern Spain in the 14th century.
In Judaism, this Hand, as the symbol, signifies the five books of the Torah, and in modern days this Hand is most associated with Kabbalah, but it is also used in some rituals and can be found in all Hebrew stores.
In Christianity, and also Judaism, the Hamsa Hand is called Miriam’s Hand, after Moses’ sister. For 40 years, it is believed that Hand was leading the people of Israel to the water through the wilderness they roamed to the Promised Land.
So, wherever you look, there is one woman Hand that was powerful, connected to the numerous stories, and myths, but undeniably it was the representation of the protection, strength, and fear, and it belongs to the woman. It had all traits that we found in any mother in this world -care, sacrifice, strength, endurance, etc.
The Symbolism of Hamsa Hand
As you may know, and we have mentioned this sometimes in this piece, for all people around the world, since the ancient times, the Hand was and still is the undeniable symbol of strength and power.
If we look back in ancient Egypt, the concept of the Hand represented the greatest power that governs both heaven and earth.
In some books that are connected to the religious and spiritual matters it could be seen that the Hand was the one that holds the chain securely bounded around our world so that we are all protected from the underworld (where everything bad, ugly and scary resides).
Recall that the palm of the human fist has always been considered a strong energy field, and that the lines are cut on the palm in direct connection with the brain – that is why it is often on Hamsa hand that various symbols (and often the name of the talisman owner) can be found in the hope that his the fate of being under constant divine protection.
In some parts of the world, particularly in the Islamic tradition, this symbol is usually placed on the protective scarf with the information of the person who will wear it as protection, power; energy, love and positivity are channeled into it.
For the purpose of a better understanding of this amazing symbol, we will compare it to one symbol that is also present in the world, and truth to be told, these two have numerous similarities, at first glance. We are talking about the Hamsa hand and the Evil (Turkish) Eye, and the very interpretation of these symbols is well intertwined and complementary.
Although the phenomenon of “famous eye” is deeply rooted in the tradition of many people, Hamsa Hand is nevertheless a more sophisticated symbol that, in addition to all of the above, can also show sociability, concern for other people, compassion and humanity.
In this context, the “Eye” is more present for the protection, but the Hamsa Hand offers something more, it offers the depth of emotion, compassion and care, and therefore it is much stronger symbol then the “Eye”.
To sum up, its symbolical value, we will say, after all, that we know regarding the Hamsa hand, that it could be great protection for all those who have some problem in life, or who have found them on the crossroad and do not know what to do. It will offer the right solution, and bring about happy circumstances that will help you to cope with all adversity that may come to your way.
Good or Bad Sign
It is a good and positive sign, and you do not have to connect it to any religion, in particular, it can be the symbol that is above all of them, respectively.
It is believed that if you “wear” the Hamsa Hand, such thing will bring you so much happiness, health and success; and above all the most important thing, it is the amulet that will give you the necessary protection from all evil that is in this world.
It is the amulet that destroys the influence of a spell, drives evil, protects in dangerous situations, and brings happiness and prosperity to those who carry it.
Additionally, we must speak of every finger that belongs to the Hamsa Hand – every one of them is connected to the one part of you, in energy sense; but it also shows its connection to nature, the elements that we find in it.
The index finger represents the air element and the heart in the human; the middle finger corresponds to the spiritual element and the neck spot; the little finger is a picture of the water element and the sacral energy spot in the body.
We believe everyone is well aware of the image of an open fist emerging from a cloud with indispensable rays of light – there is no one who did not see this image, even if you are not aware of what does it mean: The Mary’s Hand, the Hand of Miriam, while for Muslims it is called Fatima’s Hand, or it is well known for its most popular name Hamsa Hand.
The very name of Hamsa comes from the Arabic word that when it is translated. It means five (as in number 5) or five fingers of the Hand.
Its origin cannot be proven with certainty, but it appears in various cultures and has been used as a shield against negative energy and evil, and in addition has the power to bring peace, pleasure, joy and joy into our lives, and is equally useful for maintaining health and increasing fertility.
The undeniable fact is that the Hams hand with outstretched fingers was a powerful symbol in ancient Babylon, where it signified the highest power that governs both earth and sky.
Later we also find her as an indispensable detail in many medieval paintings where she was used as a symbol of the Highest Force, the one that rules us all, and the Hand is our way to come closer to it.
And even today when you look at the people that belong to many different cultures and religions around the world the Hamsa hand has managed to retain the title of the most beloved symbol of happiness and protection against the evil force, whatever that may be for us.
We could all agree that there is no better symbol of “catching on to happiness” than a divine hand that is spread out and ready to help and in the most dangerous situations; and when you know that that Hand belongs to the woman who is ready to sacrifice for you (a sister, mother, etc.) then you can be sure that you could use it as a shield from negative energy and evil.
The Hamsa hand has the power to bring peace, contentment, joy and laughter into our lives, and is equally useful for maintaining health and increasing fertility.
In some interpretations, the Hamsa Hand and its five fingers are the representation of the five elements that are part of our nature, along with the five energy fields in our bodies.
In these contexts, we could say that these connections represent the unbreakable connection of the Hand and the general health of a human. | <urn:uuid:c45d378d-4944-4103-9b6b-bc83c2363f3d> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://dreamingandsleeping.com/meaning-of-hamsa-hand/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224644817.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20230529074001-20230529104001-00312.warc.gz | en | 0.969166 | 2,521 | 2.546875 | 3 |
The Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District is significant as the administrative and concession headquarters of the largest national park in Wyoming. It is important for its historical association with the development of Yellowstone National Park and with the development of administrative and concession policies in Yellowstone and the national park system. The district's location, near one of the major natural curiosities in the park, the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces, and at the juncture of the first entrance road to the park resulted in its selection as the site of the first administrative headquarters and the site of the first concessions in the first national park in the United States. The first hotels in Yellowstone were located at Mammoth Hot Springs, as well as the first retail store, photograph shop, and filling station, the successors of which still operate within the district. The army era in the national parks is also associated with the district, which includes Fort Yellowstone, the best-preserved post representing the early military efforts to protect the nation's natural resources. The district is also important for its association with the early history of the National Park Service, reflecting the influence of that agency on park development in areas such as preserving natural features and scenic resources, responding to the popularity of the automobile, creating museums and educational programs, and incorporating master plans in park design. The district is also associated with the history of New Deal era public works programs, having benefited from several projects which provided funding and manpower for improvements and new construction.
Mammoth Hot Springs is also significant for its architecture. Fort Yellowstone, within the district, reflects the layout and architecture of a typical western army fort of the late nineteenth century, and is remarkable for its level of integrity, the masonry displayed in its native sandstone buildings, and the substantial quality of its construction. The buildings of the military period are representative of the work of the United States Quartermaster Corps, Hiram Chittenden, and Reed and Stem. Buildings erected after the military era in the administrative area of the district are significant for their representation of the work of architects of the National Park Service, and the landscape of the district reflects the influence of the agency's master plans and the efforts of its landscape architects. Government buildings of the post-military era include fine representatives of French Renaissance and English Tudor style architecture. The concession area buildings are notable for their reflection of the evolution of park commercial architecture from the late nineteenth through the mid-twentieth centuries. Included within the district are concession buildings which are excellent representatives of Colonial Revival, Rustic, Prairie, and Art Moderne styles. The work of architects hired by concessioners, including Robert C. Reamer, Fred Wilson, and Douglas McLellan, is also represented in the district. | <urn:uuid:cf712b49-fee5-417d-9caf-ef746e7f2154> | CC-MAIN-2016-18 | http://wyoshpo.state.wy.us/NationalRegister/site.aspx?id=489 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-18/segments/1461860112727.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20160428161512-00033-ip-10-239-7-51.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965386 | 547 | 3.109375 | 3 |
Will Everipedia Bring Respectability Back to the World of Online Encyclopedias?14th February 2019
Everipedia, an extended fork of Wikipedia, is a blockchain-based encyclopedia that returns integrity and democratization to its subjects on the internet.
Britannica, Encarta, and Wikipedia — the three main digital encyclopedias of our time, have — in combination — provided us with an abundance of information and knowledge.
Having been around for over 244 years, Britannica contained over 100,000 articles along with Merriam-Webster’s U.S. Dictionary and Thesaurus, but cost a fortune. It set the stage for competitors like Encarta (now discontinued) and Wikipedia to take the stage. Wikipedia has certainly become the most dominant alternative to the Britannica.
Here we are: in the 21st century, sitting in front of a plethora number of black mirrors, screens, and electronic devices collecting and archiving as much information as possible.
Cost, format, and accessibility.
The Legacy of Wikipedia
According to its project page, Wikipedia was constructed to benefit readers by acting as a free online encyclopedia, or comprehensive written compendium that contains information on all branches of knowledge. The goal of each article or page is to present a neutrally written summary of existing mainstream knowledge in a fair and accurate manner with a straightforward, “just-the-facts” style. Articles are required to have an encyclopedic style with a formal tone instead of essay-like, argumentative, promotional, or opinionated writing.
Its original founders, Jimmy Wales, and Larry Sanger (2002) envisioned a world in which every single person on the planet would be granted free access to the sum of all human knowledge.
Sanger, during his time with the company, wanted Wikipedia to be a reliable resource.
Back in 2001, Sanger dined with Ben Kovitz, and learned about web pages that were editable to anyone — wikis.
Sanger had the idea to use wikis to supplement Nupedia’s article-creation process, eventually becoming the company’s editor-in-chief. Nupedia was a free online encyclopedia, containing articles rigorously vetted and academically respected, built entirely by volunteers.
Sanger’s idea formulated and birthed what we now know as Wikipedia.
You’d think that after years of looking like an outdated search engine — while simultaneously being represented by academia and scholars as “unreliable” — the company would take serious strides to adapt to the digital age.
Universities and academic institutions expressly and implicitly warn students not to rely on citing or referencing Wikipedia in thesis papers, argumentative essays, or as an even foundational point of resource.
Eighteen years down the line, people are beginning to understand that Wikipedia has outlived its most basic purpose as outlined on its project page — providing reliably trusted information.
Today’s Treasure is Knowledge, and Knowledge Exists in Everipedia
As of January 2019, Everipedia has become the largest free English-language encyclopedia to ever exist, incorporating the 6 million+ entries contained on Wikipedia, plus original content.
Created by Sam Kazemian, Theodor Forselius, Mahbod Moghadam, the co-founder of lyrics annotation and media site Genius, and Larry Sanger, the former co-founder of Wikipedia, ‘Everipedia,’ the first-ever blockchain-based encyclopedia — and now a thriving competitor to Wikipedia.
According to Wikipedia, its content is governed by three core content policies: (1) neutral points of view, (2) verifiability, and (3) no original research.
Yet, to many, Wikipedia has become a danger zone of “fake news” and misinformation that cannot be corrected by anyone other than those on the company’s editing team.
#1: Maintaining Neutral Points of View
While still popularly used and looked at, Wikipedia isn’t shy of its public shortcomings — the Wiki database limits its pages to those that are considered to be “popular,” “public figures,” or those “important enough.”
In today’s political climate, free speech protected under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution couldn’t be more appropriate, and having editors on this glorified pedestal deciding what is worth listing and what isn’t, is outside of their jurisdiction. Sorry not sorry, you guys.
#2: Maintaining Information Integrity
For years, Wikipedia has made it implicitly known to the world that it really doesn’t care about authorship or the page’s subject. But why?
In the years since Moghadam and Sanger left their respective positions, they have come to agree on at least one fact — if history has shown anything, taking on Wikipedia is no easy task.
With registered users, almost anyone is able to go into a page and edit its content; making it very difficult for it to be changed back unless reported.
#3: Conducting Due Diligence with Research
Whether you’re a company executive, lawyer, entrepreneur, or necessary part to a moving piece, good research is everything. More importantly, doing your due diligence with respect to the information you present to others is a make or break in life. There doesn’t need to be any more fake news bullshit, because we’re all capable of verifying on our own what is true and what is not. But: encyclopedias and other research-friendly sites should be trusted to be reliable and complete, with truthful and accurate information.
Until now, there has been no startup that has attempted to or even come close to posing a threat to the online database giant.
Everipedia’s mission and team have provided a new level of positive threats that seek to bring the world of online information back to a respected and reliable atmosphere.
Positive Threat #1: The Blockchain Train
Unlike Wikipedia, anyone and anything can have a page on the Everipedia database.
IPFS Token Hosting
The most important distinction, according to Moghadam, between the two platforms is that Everipedia will be hosted and storing information via the Interplanetary File System (IPFS), making it almost impossible to censor content as certain outlets like Wikipedia face in countries like China, Turkey, Russia, etc.
Rewarding Users With “Internet Knowledge Currency”
Additionally, users are rewarded with the platform’s native token (IQ), or “internet knowledge currency” for creating valuable content, and not misleading information.
“The idea is the more IQ a user has, the smarter they are!” Moghadam emphasized. The company also told me it is planning to launch additional DApps using the token, such as IQ&A (a decentralized Quora), allowing users to eventually create knowledge anywhere on the internet.
Positive Threat #2: Larry Sanger’s Eye For Preserving Authorship
In 2002, Sanger left Wikipedia recognizing its “serious management problems” and “dysfunctional community”:
(1) The old Nupedia editorial system is broken.
It was Sanger’s idea to use Wiki software for his project that became Wikipedia.
“I was probably the first to understand what was going on at any sort of deep level, in no small part because policies I promoted are part of why it worked.”
(2) Experts Should Have Low-Moderate Control.
As Sanger has said many times before, experts should be given a moderate, low-key role, one commensurate with their moderate value to projects like Wikipedia.
“I think collaborative projects, such as this, should be governed democratically — I always have.”
(3) Articles and Edits Shouldn’t Require Prior Approval
While the company does not have a board of editors or an algorithm to review each and every page it publishes, the users themselves are given editorial power and are constantly on the lookout for improperly linked or referenced materials.
What makes Everipedia so hauntingly beautiful is that it did what nobody had the courage or ability to do — copying and forking Wikipedia’s articles to become the largest online English-language dictionary, allowing for the most powerful tool to remain with the page creator — authorship.
The entire philosophy behind open source software or platforms, according to Sanger, is that material should be “released early and released often.”
“My enthusiasm for that idea is why I proposed to create a wiki encyclopedia the very evening that I first learned about wikis.”
“Everything has authorship; there is no anonymity,” says Moghadam.
The company strives to give everyone fair recognition, even if they aren’t considered to be “public figures” or “popular,” whatever that means today.
“You have to be proud of what you write, and there is token staking, which makes spamming other users, very difficult. This is because there are no anonymous users; we know who everyone is. We don’t delete pages for being about the wrong gender or race; we are more concerned with content that is properly cited and referenced.”
(4) Sophistication Level of Content Isn’t Ripe Enough
The former Wiki co-founder also believes that the material Wikipedia does post, just doesn’t go deeply enough into many of the topics that are deemed important to scholars and other professional academia.
“Wikipedia deletes far too many articles…and after I left, the ‘deletionists’ won; I’ve always been an ‘inclusionist.’”
Although joining the company in October 2017, Sanger’s involvement didn’t become public until December 2017, when he announced his role as the company’s chief information officer (CIO).
Positive Threat #3: Brock Pierce’s Theory of Tokenization
Solidifying the strength and force Everipedia brings to the world of information is the godfather of cryptocurrency, Brock Pierce. Pierce, a former child actor, most notably from The Mighty Ducks, and the chairman of the Bitcoin Foundation, for all intents and purposes, changed the very strategy that is now Everipedia’s biggest sell.
In early 2017, Moghadam sent Pierce the following Facebook message — “Yo, Brock, Everipedia should do an ICO!”
“You should tokenize.”
Little did Kazemian and the Everipedia team know that turning the project into its own cryptocurrency, or token, would set the stage for performances Wikipedia could never put on. By decentralizing this online encyclopedia, information could be made fully accessible in countries like Russia and China it would be typically censored.
When I asked Pierce why he suggested tokenization, he told me that adding an economic model to the open-source movement would help establish Everipedia as a superior product and resource to Wikipedia:
“Looking back at Wikipedia, it is one of the most important websites on the internet, though it looks like it’s from the 1990’s,” Pierce said. The reason for its old-school design is because it’s a non-profit, and typically in such scenarios, the team behind it isn’t quite large enough.
“Like most open-source projects, it relies entirely on free contributors,” he explained.
“The reason why open-source software hasn’t taken off in a huge way in over 20 years, even though we all recognize it’s a superior model, is because of a lack of economic incentives. People can only work on open-source projects in their free time, as they have to have their day jobs and have to make money. […] What the Blockchain and tokenization is doing is adding an economic model to the open-source movement, meaning today you can make more money working on open-source projects than you can working at Google or Facebook. So, if you tokenize the a system like Wikipedia, you should be able to create a system where the users — the contributors, are able to participate in the economic benefits of that platform, incentivizing them to continue creating content. And because of that model, that system should be a superior product to Wikipedia.”
Leave the Internet to Wikipedia, and Let the Blockchain Run Everipedia
Ultimately, the team took Pierce’s suggestion to heart, leaving the internet to Wikipedia, and turning to the Blockchain for Everipedia.
Specifically, the team would adopt a system similar to Steemit, which would allow for users to create a page in exchange for the user putting up tokens. All an incentive to create and manage content, properly.
Everipedia has most certainly hit the ground running, showing the Wikipedia community that it means business.
Currently, Everipedia hosts over 7,000 people who help contribute to the editing and creation of the website.
Will Everipedia Bring Respectability Back to the World of Online Encyclopedias? was originally published in Hacker Noon on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story. | <urn:uuid:8e97456a-bcd2-4479-8962-6989aa19698e> | CC-MAIN-2019-30 | http://www.binary-method.net/will-everipedia-bring-respectability-back-to-the-world-of-online-encyclopedias | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-30/segments/1563195524475.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20190716015213-20190716041213-00095.warc.gz | en | 0.942165 | 2,773 | 3.0625 | 3 |
- Birth Date
- About 1802
- Death Date
He is listed as "Tobe" on the company roster. He was an African American Slave who belonged to Elizabeth Coleman Crosby and traveled with her to Utah in 1848. His age was listed as 48 in "John Brown's company of 10, report, 1848 June."
Family tradition from Family Tree states that Elizabeth Coleman Crosby died on 18 February 1849. A slave named "Toby" was listed as the property of William Crosby in the 1850 Slave Schedule.
The book The Story of the Negro Pioneer states that Toby Embers Crosby married Hannah (a slave of Robert M. Smith).
- Age at Departure: 48
- California State Census, 1852.
- Carter, Kate B. The Story of the Negro Pioneer. (Salt Lake City: Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 1965), 5, 22, 31.
- John Brown's company of 10, report, 1848 June in Camp of Israel schedules and reports 1845-1849.
- Mississippi company, report, 1848 May in Camp of Israel schedules and reports, 1845-1849.
- "Slave Inhabitants in Utah County, Deseret," 1850 Utah Census, Utah County. | <urn:uuid:c3e452a5-cbb6-44a5-8e35-a4c5c2224236> | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/overlandtravel/pioneers/13189082156319320890/tobe | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593655879738.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20200702174127-20200702204127-00046.warc.gz | en | 0.933777 | 260 | 2.703125 | 3 |
We all know how important it is to brush your teeth at least twice a day to prevent gum disease and cavities. However, since most children struggle long-term thinking, convincing them to brush their teeth can sometimes be an uphill battle. Below are some tips to help convince your child that tooth brushing is a fun, rewarding, normal activity.
Get a New Toothbrush
This may seem like a small thing, but from a child’s perspective, a new toothbrush is like an exciting new toy. You can surprise them with a new brush featuring their favorite TV or movie character, or simply opt for a new color. Some children feel more invested if they get to select the toothbrush themselves at the store. If you’re really struggling to make brushing a habit, you might consider making getting a new toothbrush a fun new ritual each month – even if it’s not completely necessary. You may also find that having a few different toothbrushes helps to pique your child’s interest. Getting to select which toothbrush to use each night can make it feel more fun.
Use Flavored Toothpaste
Most adults are used to the taste of minty toothpaste, but children are more sensitive and may dislike the strong taste. Luckily, toothpastes are available in all sorts of flavor, from chocolate, to marshmallow, to strawberry, and even bacon. Spend some time browsing around the internet for a fun new flavor, and try different ones until you find a match. If your tot simply hates every flavor you bring home, brushing without toothpaste altogether is better than nothing at all.
Your child is much less likely to brush their teeth if they feel they are the only one undergoing this unique form of dental torture. Let them see you brushing your teeth, and consider doing it together. Once your toddler sees that everyone brushes their teeth, they will be much more likely to accept it for themselves.
Create a Reward System
We have already mentioned that children are simply not incentivized by the threat of cavities or gum disease. They are much more motivated by short-term rewards than long-term good hygiene. So, you could consider keeping a sticker calendar, and providing a reward once a certain goal has been met.
If you ever get too frustrated, remember that you have been brushing your teeth – probably twice per day, if not more – for years. But for your child, this is a fairly new experience. It has not become habit, and they are not used to the idea or sensation of teeth brushing. As long as you maintain your patience and avoid making tooth brushing a punishment, even the most stubborn child should be able to make brushing part of a normal routine, just as you did.
Lowcountry Dental Arts is a James Island family dentist specializing in dental crowns, tooth whitening, dental exams, root canals, oral surgery, and more. To schedule an appointment, click here. | <urn:uuid:8033b149-5cb8-4ec6-bd42-aaf5c72f89d0> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://lowcountrydentalarts.com/how-to-encourage-kids-to-brush-their-teeth-from-a-james-island-dentist/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224655027.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20230608135911-20230608165911-00054.warc.gz | en | 0.953574 | 607 | 2.84375 | 3 |
This article will tell you worthwhile details about writing a customized programming language. The biggest represented group within the survey was the 30 – 39 section (26%), intently followed by Programmers in their 40s (25%) and 50s (25%). We offer assist for a variety of programming languages. So in case you’re not a strong Java programmer, now’s the time to brush up in your Java programming skills.
Include one language that emphasizes class abstractions (like Java or C++), one which emphasizes purposeful abstraction (like Lisp or ML or Haskell), one that supports syntactic abstraction (like Lisp), one which helps declarative specs (like Prolog or C++ templates), and one which emphasizes parallelism (like Clojure or Go).
You won’t have time to work with an experienced programmer and understand what it’s like to reside in a C++ setting. If you want to learn to grow to be a programmer, here the easiest way to achieve that goal is by either attending an educational institution, taking part in on-line courses or bootcamps, or learning on your own.
Since computer science was acknowledged as a distinct academic field in 1960s, it has made great strides especially in making things loads easier for humans. Programming for freshmen requires you to begin learning the basic ideas and ideas. There are a number of websites devoted to connecting freelance programmers with purchasers, however are some of the best recommendations. As a result of programming is a booming trade right now, leading programmers could now be able to be represented by brokers.
Maintain your shoppers updated on the process of a undertaking and do not hesitate to them if you’re not out there and what can or can’t be done. There are some programmers who’re more generalist and are conversant in a number of completely different code languages.
This text will inform you invaluable details about writing a custom programming language. While you observe your coding time, you first want to break down the duties involved with the venture. As soon as you’ve got brushed up on your Java, you want to spend a little bit of time understanding the Java ME platform, which was formerly generally known as Java 2 Micro Edition, or J2ME for brief. | <urn:uuid:876aa0a8-bc23-42ea-9ef2-0823a27aaeb3> | CC-MAIN-2021-49 | https://www.nzeka-labs.com/pc-uses.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-49/segments/1637964363226.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20211205221915-20211206011915-00420.warc.gz | en | 0.937999 | 551 | 2.875 | 3 |
Content and materials listed have primary been shared within the MindPeace network through email and social media.
If you wish to receive future communications please contact Elana Carnevale at email@example.com.
“Not only are 20-somethings experiencing the highest rates of loneliness right now, more 18- to 24-year-olds are also thinking about suicide” (Healthline, 2020). A recent study also found 71% of higher education students have higher stress and anxiety due to COVID-19.
How Mindfulness Can Help During COVID-19
Managing Social Media Stress with Mindfulness
How Can We Help Kids With Self Regulation?
Children and teens are becoming more exposed to on-screen violence and traumatic experiences. To help children process the storming of the capitol building visit:
These past few months have been challenging for everyone, especially for children and teens. Now more than ever mental health care is important. Below you will find a few articles on why tending to the mental health needs of children and teens is so important.
- The Coronavirus Seems to Spare Most Kids From Illness, but Its Effect on Their Mental Health Is Deepening
- Family mental health crisis: Parental depression, anxiety during COVID-19 will affect kids too
- The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use
- How to Keep Children’s Stress From Turning Into Trauma
- 2020 Children’s Mental Health Report: Telehealth in an Increasingly Virtual World
MindPeace recommends implementing the SOS Signs of Suicide youth prevention program in your school(s). Whether your school is teaching virtually, in-person, or in a hybrid learning model, SOS’s newly adapted program is available for use. The curriculum includes:
- Middle & High School Videos for remote educators and students
- Reinforcement of the ACT (Acknowledge, Care, Tell) message for students
- Newly adapted resources to support in-person and virtual learning models
- A web-based survey tool that lets students notify an adult about concerns
- An annual license to deliver SOS anytime during the year
SOS raises awareness about the importance of mental health, empowers students to recognize warning signs, and teaches them how to seek help for their friends. The program also includes training for school staff, parents and community members to educate them on how to be trusted adults.
No matter where your students are learning this year, make sure they know how to recognize the signs of suicide risk and depression in themselves and their friends with SOS’s evidence-based program.
As a valued partner of MindPeace, a 10% discount on the program cost of $495 or annual renewal cost of $300 will be available from Signs of Suicide. All licenses are valid for a full year to ensure schools can deliver the program at their convenience.
If you would like additional information please contact Elana Carnevale at firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:6eae6790-c402-4936-af06-864bb2aee1f5> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://mindpeacecincinnati.com/resources-for-families/archived-communications/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296948868.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20230328170730-20230328200730-00224.warc.gz | en | 0.930277 | 632 | 3.28125 | 3 |
A molecular tool to change the structure of a metal surface
Nano-scientists at Münster University develop a molecular tool to change the structure of a metal surface.
Researchers at the University of Münster have now developed a molecular tool which makes it possible, at the atomic level, to change the structure of a metal surface. The restructuring of the surface by individual molecules – so-called N-heterocyclic carbenes – takes place similar to a zipper. The study has been published in the journal “Angewandte Chemie International Edition”.
The surface of metals plays a key role in many technologically relevant areas, such as catalysis, sensor technology and battery research. For example, the large-scale production of many chemical compounds takes place on metal surfaces, whose atomic structure determines if and how molecules react with one another. At the same time, the surface structure of a metal influences its electronic properties. This is particularly important for the efficiency of electronic components in batteries. Researchers worldwide are therefore working intensively on developing new kinds of methods to tailor the structure of metal surfaces at the atomic level.
A team of researchers at the University of Münster, consisting of physicists and chemists and led by Dr. Saeed Amirjalayer, has now developed a molecular tool which makes it possible, at the atomic level, to change the structure of a metal surface. Using computer simulations, it was possible to predict that the restructuring of the surface by individual molecules – so-called N-heterocyclic carbenes – takes place similar to a zipper. During the process, at least two carbene molecules cooperate to rearrange the structure of the surface atom by atom. The researchers could experimentally confirm, as part of the study, this “zipper-type” mechanism in which the carbene molecules work together on the gold surface to join two rows of gold atoms into one row. The results of the work have been published in the journal “Angewandte Chemie International Edition”.
In earlier studies the researchers from Münster had shown the high stability and mobility of carbene molecules at the gold surface. However, no specific change of the surface structure induced by the molecules could previously be demonstrated. In their latest study, the researchers proved for the first time that the structure of a gold surface is modified very precisely as a result of cooperation between the carbene molecules. “The carbene molecules behave like a molecular swarm – in other words, they work together as a group to change the long-range structure of the surface,” Saeed Amirjalayer explains. “Based on the ‘zipper’ principle, the surface atoms are systematically rearranged, and, after this process, the molecules can be removed from the surface.”
The new method makes it possible to develop new materials with specific chemical and physical properties – entirely without macroscopic tools. “In industrial applications often macroscopic tools, such presses or rollers, are used,” Amirjalayer continues. “In biology, these tasks are undertaken by certain molecules. Our work shows a promising class of synthesized molecules which uses a similar approach to modify the surface.” The team of researchers hopes that their method will be used in future to develop for examples new types of electrode or to optimize chemical reactions on surfaces.
The study received financial support from the German Research Foundation, some of it as part of Collaborative Research Centre SFB 858.
Dr. Saeed Amirjalayer
Stimuli-Responsive Nanomaterials Group
Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
Center for Nanotechnology (CeNTech)
Fon: +49 (0)251 83 63919
Saeed Amirjalayer, Anne Bakker, Matthias Freitag, Frank Glorius and Harald Fuchs (2020): Cooperation of N‐Heterocyclic Carbenes on a Gold Surface. Angewandte Chemie Int. Ed.; DOI: 10.1002/anie.202010634
All latest news from the category: Process Engineering
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Valuable information is available on a broad range of technologies including material separation, laser processes, measuring techniques and robot engineering in addition to testing methods and coating and materials analysis processes.
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Scientists devise method to prevent deadly hospital infections without antibiotics
Novel surface treatment developed at UCLA stops microbes from adhering to medical devices like catheters and stents. A hospital or medical clinic might be the last place you’d expect to… | <urn:uuid:cc145381-1a30-46aa-ba28-6e8a6d601f0d> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://www.innovations-report.com/process-engineering/a-molecular-tool-to-change-the-structure-of-a-metal-surface/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662534773.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20220521014358-20220521044358-00089.warc.gz | en | 0.877886 | 1,118 | 3.109375 | 3 |
The book is varied between literature and philosophy, in-depth with psychology, history and other sciences as part of philosophy, and takes a two-edged curve and two sides of the same coin, and shows us that reading is the basis, and the Arabic language is the mother of languages, and it drowns us in letters of Abjad Hawwas, so that matters are based on the content and not the general meaning for the letter. The letter “A, Alif” may not mean “A” sometimes. Rather, it may be a light that illuminates the darkness and drives away oppression. And the letter “B, Baa” may not contain the letter at the end of the word (love “Hobb”), and it can differentiate it from love. And the letter “C, Jiim” may take us to the quackery, and it is in the middle of the word, it proves that the claim of knowledge is not related to knowledge itself, and knowledge takes away the spirit of ignorance. And with that comes the letter “D, Del”, it makes us see that proverbs and wisdom are only part of literature and philosophy that I see as two eyes in one head. And from HWZ we may see that space, galaxies and the universe are not related to the letter (H, Haa), and yet it is as easy as pronouncing the “H”, the beauty of the letter “H”, and that is what distinguishes it. And the “W, Waaw” when it speaks the splendor of art, delves into drawing, and mediate music to show us that beauty comes in many forms. Until we reach to the letter “Z, Zai”, we see that it is the end like death, but what if death had another side, like a coin with which to bet? We will find from here that there is another aspect of death called life, and we will see from it that the extent we see is not only what we see, but we must dive to drowning to discover that everything is connected to each other, and from here to here I chose two pages that I called a site and a reality with which I introduce myself to readers. | <urn:uuid:2be7aa74-bb76-4b64-b963-be208a631aaa> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://austinmacauley.ae/books/imprint-in-a-drop/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662522309.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20220518183254-20220518213254-00377.warc.gz | en | 0.968849 | 473 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Approximately 805 million people, or one in nine of the entire world’s population, were chronically undernourished from 2012-2014, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
While these numbers are going down, creating a sustainable food system around the world is key to combating this global issue.
Danielle Nierenberg, president of Food Tank, proposed four solutions to jumpstart food sustainability at Elon University’s McKinnon Hall on Monday night. Preserving soil, preventing food loss and waste, growing more food in cities and supporting female farmers all can help, according to the author and activist.
The United Nations declared 2015 the International Year of Soils. The overall objective is to develop a broader understanding of soil’s role in food security and a functioning ecosystem.
“Soil is more than just dirt, it’s really the foundation of a healthy food system,” Nierenberg said.
Because soil is a non-renewable resource, preserving this critical layer of topsoil is necessary to sustainable progress. Soil facilitates storing and filtering water, which improves a region’s ability to cope with droughts and floods, and helps combat negative repercussions of climate change.
Nierenberg suggested that farmers should begin to grow a diversity of crops, rather than relying on just one crop. This restores nutrients to the soil.
As a result, looking into perennial crops is crucial because they survive from season to season and are nutritious. Cover crops, crops like peas that significantly reduce soil erosion and preserve soil’s natural nutrients, are also important.
“These are crops that can be used for animals, and in some cases, human food, and they prevent erosion by keeping soil in the ground,” Nierenberg said.
Nierenberg said that cover crops help farmers save money because they are a natural fertilizer, not an artificial one.
Preventing food loss is another way to improve food sustainability. Nierenberg suggested to not purchase more food than one can consume and to store food properly. Additionally, she said to trust intuition rather than an expiration date to determine if food is still safe.
Manufacturers also play a role in this issue. Some are attempting to mark “ugly vegetables,” like misshapen carrots, so they don’t go to waste.
“These products, while they might not look perfect, taste really good,” Nierenberg said.
Farming in urban areas is also critical because populations are dramatically increasing in metropolitan regions.
“If we’re going to feed all of these growing populations, we’re going to need to make cities and towns centers of food production,” Nierenberg said.
In regions like Kenya, riots due to lack of food in urban areas can occur. Urban farmers play a critical role and help feed many during these chaotic outbreaks. Nierenberg said that this issue not only pertains to regional security, but national security as well.
Lastly, Nierenberg said women farmers should be supported. Women comprise more than half of the world’s population and nearly half of its farmers, yet their contributions are not recognized, Nierenberg said.
“This invisible sisterhood–they’re really a huge part of the food system,” she said.
Women farmers produce more crops for consumption than men, meaning most women farm fruits, vegetables and dairy while men tend to produce cash or commodity crops. Ultimately, women produce the food that is eaten.
“These women are not victims,” Nierenberg said. “They are businesswomen, they are stewards of the land. They actually tend to work a lot harder than a lot of the men.”
Some of the women Nierenberg has met around the world have started a communal garden of fruit trees. After starting the garden, they earned five times their previous annual salary. The men in these communities also noticed their efforts and began to respect the women more.
“These are the women who are really changing the food system and are really making it more sustainable,” Nierenberg said.
Nierenberg noted that change is percolating and awareness related to food security and sustainability is growing.
“Just by being here tonight, you’re really on the leading edge of the food system,” Nierenberg said. “Your generation is really thinking critically about food issues, in a way that mine didn’t, unfortunately.” | <urn:uuid:f658905b-7caf-4388-8b21-50e93c321250> | CC-MAIN-2018-30 | http://www.elonnewsnetwork.com/article/2015/04/solutions-for-food-security-and-sustainability-around-the-world | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-30/segments/1531676591575.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20180720080634-20180720100634-00619.warc.gz | en | 0.954082 | 958 | 3.734375 | 4 |
- More sample dialogues for Primary French and Primary Spanish
- My scheme of work for French, Y2-Y6
- A range of "flicking games". Sounds a bit violent, but it's hard to know what else to call it! Here are the instructions, which are also included in each of the resources:
Students work in pairs.Each pair will need a coin or counter, a whiteboard marker and a laminated copy of this number card.Students take it in turns to put their coin or counter on the black circle and push or flick it onto one of the number squares. If they can say the correct word for that square, they can write their initial on the square with the marker.If they land on the spider, they have to erase their initials on one of the squares they have gained.If they land on the star, they get another turn.The winner is the first student to mark his initial on all the squares.
- A range of "pointing" activities:Students can work individually or in pairs.They have in front of them a copy of the sheet.The teacher has a copy on the IWB (see accompanying PowerPoint).As the teacher says each word, the students touch the correct part of the sheet. First of all the teacher says the words in order, then randomly.Finally, the teacher points to the words without speaking and the students say the words
Both the flicking and the pointing activities are not language specific.
A tip for finding out which are the new resources on a page: If you are on a computer/laptop, press Ctrl+F to bring up a Find box. Then type in the date shown on the blogpost, such as today's 01.09.15. You'll then see how many resources were added on that day and can scroll through them. | <urn:uuid:b841f648-bcda-4cf7-abc3-3ed20c2fd086> | CC-MAIN-2020-24 | http://lightbulblanguages.blogspot.com/2015/09/62-new-resources-today.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-24/segments/1590348502097.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20200605143036-20200605173036-00542.warc.gz | en | 0.955524 | 376 | 4.09375 | 4 |
Ragpickers: Recycling and School Essay
Ragpickers: Recycling and School
A.What is ragpicking?
India’s booming urbanization brings the problem of waste management. As more people are migrating towards the cities, the amount of waste is increasing at a high pace and waste management is likely to become a critical issue in the coming years. Ragpickers play an important, but usually unrecognised role in the waste management system of Indian cities. They collect garbage in search of recyclable items that can be sold to scrap merchant (paper, plastic, tin…) This activity require no skills and is a source of income for a growing number of urban poors. There are two types of scrap-collectors: the ragpickers, mostly women, who collect garbage on dumping grounds, in residential areas or in street bins, and the itinerant buyers who purchase scrap directly from households, offices and shops. Most of the itinerant buyers are male and they typically require a certain amount of capital to purchase scrap. The informal waste sector
Most of the ragpickers are not independent but work for middlemen or contractors who purchase segregated rag from them on pre-decided rates.
Waste picking is rarely recognized or integrated in the official Waste Management System despite its large contribution to it. According to the NGO Chintan, ragpickers “are unrecognized and have almost no rights to work, despite the fact that they save almost 14% of the municipal budget annually. In Delhi, the army of almost 80,000 estimated wastepickers save the city at least Rs. 6 lakh daily through their work.”
B.Who are the ragpickers?
In India, over a million people find livelihood opportunities through waste picking. Chintan’s research shows that “as many as one in a hundred persons in a large city in India could be employed in waste recycling, starting from waste picking to operating small junk shops and even operating reprocessing factories. Of these, most are marginalized wastepickers and small waste dealers.” Ragpickers are mostly women who come from the most marginalised groups of the population and often live in unauthorised slums in the poorest neighbourhood.
Studies also show that ragpickers are most of the time migrants who had fled their city or village because of hard living conditions. The vast majority of the ragpickers are Dalits or belong to minorities (muslims in Kolkatta). In UP, Assamese and the Biharis have by and large dominated the profession in the last two decades. The fact that they are migrants and often seen as temporary residents can explain why few governments have designed policies to improve their situation. Most of them don’t have identity cards or birth certificate and therefore don’t have access to basic governmental facilities (social assistance, enrolment of their children in municipal schools…)
C.Some improvements in their work conditions
Many NGOs are supporting the ragpickers to gain access to these basic services (health care, health insurance, education and vocational training). They also provide legal support or counselling sessions and help them form unions to speak up for their rights. In some cities, their work has been partly recognized and their situation thus improved. In Pune for example, thanks to the scrap-collectors union, the municipal corporation now issues identity cards to ragpickers and offers a limited health insurance plan, recognising their contribution to recycling waste in the city This acknowledgement can have a positive impact on reducing child labour by increasing the parent’s income therefore reducing their dependence on the money their children earn.
II.Child labour and ragpicking
A.Background of the child ragpickers
Many children begin working as ragpickers at the young age of five or six years. In Lucknow, the majority of the ragpickers are between 8 and 10 years old. Most of them never attend school and don’t have any formal education. Their families are generally in need of extra incomes from their children. There are two categories of child ragpickers: the street pickers, who collect garbage in street bins or residential areas, and dump pickers who work on dumping grounds.
These two categories of children do not have the same living conditions and characteristics. Street pickers, mostly boys, share many characteristics with other street children: they are extremely mobile and it’s therefore difficult to gain access to them. What they usually need is a shelter or reintegration with their families. In most cases, the children work for a middleman who takes the major share of the sales and pays only a small amount to the children. On the other hand, the dump pickers often live with their families, in a relatively more stable environment.
They usually work with their parents in or around the dumping ground. Girls were traditionally more involved in ragpicking than boys, but a survey in Pune shows that the trends are changing and that more boys are now engaged in the trade. Adolescent girls are less involved in ragpicking because it is believed to be unsafe for them to be out on the street. They are involved in taking care of the house chores and help in sorting the collected garbage from home. Some of the child ragpickers go to school and work the other part of the day or during holidays. Some girls are found working as ragpickers in the morning, sometimes attending school in the afternoon and coming back home in the evening to help their mother with the household chores or to care for their younger siblings.
B.State of the legislation
In 2001, waste-picking was included among the hazardous occupations banned under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986. But apart from this very brief mention, ragpicking is ignored in legislation regarding child labour. Contrary to most child labourers, ragpickers are self-employed or working with their parents and therefore not answerable to any employer.
III. Impact of ragpicking on the life of children
1.Long working hours
Normally children work in one shift only but some of the children are collecting rag two to three times in a day. Those who are involved in collection of empty bottles work late in the night. In Lucknow, younger children, especially girls, start their work early in the morning and till 12-1pm. Teen age boys start working around 8-9 am till 2-3 pm. Case Study – Lucknow Fazila, 11 years old, has 3 brothers. Her father died some year back and her mother is weak and gets sick very often. She and her 12-year-old brother are the two most responsible person of the family. Fazila’s day begins early morning, she cooks rice, prepare tea and goes with his brother to Dalibagh, Hazratganj and Lalbagh for rag picking.
She returns home when sun is high in the sky. After taking bath and meal she looks after her younger brother. Around 3 pm she starts second round of rag picking and comes back around 7 PM. She cooks the evening meal and does other house hold work. She dreams to become teacher but hardly find any time to go to school. She wants to play with the doll, which she found during her daily rag collection. She is growing up and has lots of questions but no one to answer them. She dreams of collecting lots of money and going back to Assam and think of the days when no one forced her for rag picking and she would play with dolls and friends.
2.Hazardous work conditions
Ragpicking is probably one of the most dangerous and dehumanizing activity in India. Child ragpickers are working in filthy environments, surrounded by crows or dogs under any weather conditions and have to search through hazardous waste without gloves or shoes. They often eat the filthy food remnants they find in the garbage bins or in the dumping ground. Using the dumping ground as a playing field the children run the risk to come upon needles, syringes, used condoms, saline bottles, soiled gloves and other hospital wastes as well as ample of plastic and iron items. They suffer from many diseases, such as respiratory problems, worms, anaemia, fever and other problems which include cuts, rashes, dog bites…
A large majority of the child ragpickers are out of school children, despite the presence of schools in their neighbourhood.
But rag picking and 12 to 13 hours In Lucknow for example, 98% children of the school going of working is reality and she has to age group are not going to school. work hard for supporting her family. In the M-East ward of Mumbai, there are 15 municipal schools but the number of out of school children is yet very high. Most of the children are withdrawn from school at the average age of 12-13 years. The boys often work in their parents’ business while the girls are made to take up the household responsibility.
Different reason can explain why the children are not going to school. The following table gives details about the situation in Lucknow: 79% children are out of school because neither their parents nor the contractor [for whom they are working] are interested in sending them to school. Moreover, many children are already making quite a lot of money by ragpicking and don’t see the point of going to school. 12% say that they are responsible for their family and have to work. 5% children left school because they do not found anything interesting in the school and they feel that teachers are not teaching properly and they cannot afford private school fees. 4% of the children are not going to school because their school hours didn’t allow them to go to work.
Language is also a big barrier, as migrant children often don’t speak the language of the city they work in. In a study conducted in Pune, migration, quality of school, corporal punishment in school, not interesting, failed more than twice in the class, bad health, economic hardship of the family, loss of a parent are some of the reasons also cited for school dropouts.
IV.Pratham’s intervention: the case of Govandi (Mumbai)
A.Situation in Govandi
According to the SSA Survey Data 2004, 60% of working and out of school children are in the M/E ward of Mumbai city. The M/E ward is divided broadly into two main slum communities – Bainganwadi and Shivaji nagar. These are like any other slum communities. There is a gathering of closely built homes, unmaintained roads, overflowing drains, freely roaming cattle and groups of people chatting at each corner. The approximate population in these communities is around 5 lakhs and majority of the population are followers of Islam. Another main characteristic of this community (though negative) is its closeness to Mumbai’s largest dumping ground – The Deonar Dumping Ground.
Mumbai generates waste of approximately 7,025 tonnes per day. The management of waste in the city comes under the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM). The prevailing approach is that of collection of garbage from the communities by the municipal authorities and disposing it off at the three main dumping sites that are currently servicing the city. Deonar is the largest dumping ground in Mumbai. It starts from the Deonar creek and ends at Baba Nagar.
This dumping ground area has added on to the developmental and infrastructural issues faced in M/E. For years Deonar has been the largest garbage bin for the entire Mumbai city and today is also is a home for thousands of migrants who live in very hard conditions, lacking even the most basic amenities and earning their living on the dumping ground. In July 2008, Pratham conducted a survey in and around the dumping ground to assess the situation of the children living there.
There are approximately 1300 children living in and around the dumping ground today on a regular basis. All of them are living with their families and have either migrated or been displaced from other parts of Mumbai. 636 are working as ragpickers, of which half are going to school. The majority of the children earn up to 100 rupees a day while 2 or 3 of them are making as much as 800 rupees a day. (476 earn 100 or less than 100 rupees a day, 111 earn between 100 and 400 rupees a day and 5 earn 400 rupees or more) The objective of Pratham’s intervention is to provide educational opportunities to child ragpickers, as well as relief from their routine work in a safe, caring environment and to generate their interest in school-related activities.
There have been joint initiatives with the Government so as to tackle the issue of child rag pickers. One of the major programs through which these children are covered is the Transitional Education Centres (TEC’s) run under the INDUS program of the Government. There are 11 TEC’s surrounding the dumping ground in Govandi reaching about 450 children, many of which work part time as rag pickers.
C.Vocational skill training
The objective of the vocational training is to provide vulnerable children with employable or business skills and allow them to be able to survive / support themselves and their families after reaching an employable age. Pratham offers vocational training or refer children to other organizations that provide training. Two vocational skill training classes are organized for adolescent girls and provide them with basic life skills such as mehendi or tailoring.
D.Mainstreaming these children into school
In December 2006 Hindustan Lever Limited adopted 45 children from Govandi area under their Scholarship drive to support the education of underprivileged children. Under this project the company is sponsoring their school education as well as a support class run by Pratham. Pratham’s teachers relentlessly worked to convince the parents to send their children to school and to Pratham’s support classes. They organized parents meetings, counselling sessions and home visits to tell them about the importance of education.
Many parents argued that sending their children to school was a loss of revenue but the teachers gave them advice on how to manage without their children’s additional revenue. Slowly the parents began taking an interest in their children’s education and supporting Pratham’s initiative. Pratham started with a four-hour class aimed at raising the children’s interest for educational activities. Once the children and the parents were ready, they contacted the school and managed to enrol the children. The support class was set up to provide the child with educational support for retention in school.
E.The Drop-in-centre model
Alongside its education program, Pratham also started the first drop in centre for the children working on the dumping ground. The Drop in centre is the major strategy and a non controversial entry point program to tackle the issue of working children on the dumping ground. It is a low cost and replicable model which caters to the immediate needs of the working children on the dumping ground. This safe point of contact for children is key to their reintegration into education and vocational training, and a first step toward a better future.
1.What is a Drop In Centre
A place within the radius of 1 km of the workplace wherein the children working on the dumping ground (who do not have a fixed routine or schedule) can drop in between 10.00 am and 5.00 pm. It would be a place which would cater to the child’s recreational needs and the need
University/College: University of California
Type of paper: Thesis/Dissertation Chapter
Date: 16 November 2016
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Hemp seeds come from a plant that is similar to the marijuana plant, but has much lower levels of psychoactive cannabinoid compounds. The seeds and seed oil are used in cooking and for food. Typically, the seed’s hard shell is removed before it is eaten. Seeds also are treated so they can’t be planted and grown. Thank the government for that one ♥
Hemp is a high protein seed containing all nine of the essential amino acids (like flax). It also has high amounts of fatty acids and fiber as well as containing vitamin E and trace minerals. It has a balanced ratio of omega 3 to 6 fats at around a three to one ratio.
Further the protein content of the hemp seed is supposed to be very digestible. Many people noted their personal experience of finding that hemp seed protein did not cause bloating or gas, like some of their whey, or other protein shakes did.
Unlike soy which has super high amounts of phytic acid (that anti-nutrient that prevents us from absorbing minerals), hemp seed doesn’t contain phytic acid.
* All 20 amino acids, including the 9 essential amino acids (EAAs) our bodies cannot produce.
* A high protein percentage of the simple proteins that strengthen immunity and fend off toxins.
* Eating hemp seeds in any form could aid, if not heal, people suffering from immune deficiency diseases. This conclusion is supported by the fact that hemp seed has been used to treat nutritional deficiencies brought on by tuberculosis, a severe nutrition blocking disease that causes the body to waste away.
* Nature’s highest botanical source of essential fatty acid, with more essential fatty acid than flax or any other nut or seed oil.
* A perfect 3:1 ratio of Omega-6 Linoleic Acid and Omega-3 Linolenic Acid – for cardiovascular health and general strengthening of the immune system.
* A superior vegan source of protein considered easily digestible.
* A rich source of phytonutrients, the disease-protective element of plants with benefits protecting your immunity, bloodstream, tissues, cells, skin, organs and mitochondria.
* The richest known source of polyunsaturated essential fatty acids.
The best way to insure the body has enough amino acid material to make the globulins is to eat foods high in globulin proteins. Since hemp seed protein is 65% globulin edistin, and also includes quantities of albumin, its protein is readily available in a form quite similar to that found in blood plasma. Eating hemp seeds gives the body all the essential amino acids required to maintain health, and provides the necessary kinds and amounts of amino acids the body needs to make human serum albumin and serum globulins like the immune enhancing gamma globulins. Eating hemp seeds could aid, if not heal, people suffering from immune deficiency diseases. This conclusion is supported by the fact that hemp seed was used to treat nutritional deficiencies brought on by tuberculosis, a severe nutrition blocking disease that causes the body to waste away.
Learning, Memory and Immune Boost
Hemp seed extract has an unidentified compound in it that may help to promote learning, memory and immune function. It may stimulate the brain enzyme known as calcineurin, according to the University of Michigan. Calcineurin plays an essential role in some brain synapse activities, according to J. Luo.
Vitamin E Effects
Hemp seeds are a source of vitamin E, which can help to boost immune function and alleviate symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, according to the University of Michigan. Vitamin E also has a role in red blood cell formation in your body, and helps your body utilize vitamin K, which helps your blood stick together, or coagulate, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Hemp seeds are rich in essential fatty acids. The oil in the seeds is a source of the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid, ALA, as well as omega-6 fatty acid gamma-linolenic acid, or GLA, advises the University of Michigan. Omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation in your body. They also may lower risk for cancer, heart disease and arthritis, advise the experts at the University of Maryland Medical Center. These fatty acids also are important for your brain performance and memory. GLA also may be an inflammation fighter, according to UMMC. In fact, GLA might reduce your nerve pain symptoms if you are diabetic.
Hemp seeds can help you if you are constipated because they act as a bulk-forming laxative, according to the University of Michigan. Bulk-forming laxatives can improve the frequency and consistency of stools, according to M. Borgia, lead author for a study published in the Journal of International Medical Research. Hemp seeds also traditionally are used to treat atherosclerosis, eczema and attention deficient-hyperactive disorder, according to the University of Michigan. However, scientific evidence to back these uses lags, the school advises. | <urn:uuid:2f73650b-79e8-4441-bf23-b8241a661d5b> | CC-MAIN-2018-43 | http://www.kevinhinkle.com/hemp-seeds.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-43/segments/1539583510932.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20181017002502-20181017024002-00168.warc.gz | en | 0.939314 | 1,029 | 2.71875 | 3 |
The Fifth Amendment is important because it specifies legal safeguards for the criminally accused that are designed to protect citizens' life, liberty and property. Among these safeguards are protection against multiple trials for the same crime and the right to refrain from presenting self-incriminating testimony.Know More
The first of the Fifth Amendment's five clauses stipulates that no one can be tried for an "infamous crime" unless indicted by a grand jury. The Legal Information Institute at Cornell University explains that federal law establishes the grand jury number as between 16 and 23, and that grand jurors are selected from the pool of prospective jurors who could serve in any juror capacity on a given day. Infamous crimes are those that are punishable by more than year in prison.
The Legal Information Institute observes that the Double Jeopardy clause protects defendants from successive trials for the same act by providing that they will not be prosecuted for the same crime following an acquittal or conviction.
The Fifth Amendment also protects defendants from having to offer self-incriminating evidence in court. Due to the Supreme Court case Miranda v. Arizona, the self-incrimination clause extends to other legal proceedings like police interrogations.
The Due Process Clause requires the government to respect all rights, protections and statutes before depriving anyone of life, liberty or property.
The Just Compensation Clause obligates the government to compensate individuals fairly when it takes property under its power of eminent domain. | <urn:uuid:135bbd9f-5a20-42bb-917e-70bf44d2f8af> | CC-MAIN-2014-49 | http://www.ask.com/government-politics/fifth-amendment-important-ecd06f69a67b7e72 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-49/segments/1416931008919.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20141125155648-00000-ip-10-235-23-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928853 | 288 | 3.65625 | 4 |
Children’s Book Illustrators in the Golden Age of Illustration
Arthur Rackham, "Come, now a roundel and a fairy song," Act 2 Scene 2, A Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare, 1908, pen-and-ink and watercolor drawing, 10 1/2 x 7"
A common misconception is the idea that the Victorians invented childhood. Though there were obviously children running around and playing for innumerable generations before the 19th century, the concept of “childhood” was nowhere near as prevalent or as closely observed as it was by the Victorians. Children throughout history were often participating members of the household, assisting with daily chores which were commonly more labor intensive than making the bed or loading the dishwasher, in comparison with today. With the exception of children of nobility, there was no time for “childhood,” because the day-to-day activities were often necessary to stay alive. With the rise of the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century, workhouses and mass labor added to the high mortality rate as men, women, and children were forced to work long hours in physically demanding jobs. Despite the impossible work conditions introduced during the Industrial Revolution and the hardship it brought to the working class, it also spurred many changes that led to the Golden Age of Illustration. Innovations in printing and engraving techniques meant that publications could be created faster and reach more people than ever before. The Industrial Revolution also created a larger, wealthier middle class, meaning that more people than ever before could purchase books, not only for themselves, but for their children. This newfound demand for books for children required authors and illustrators who were willing to create stories and illustrations solely for children, and this inspired artists in wholly new ways.
Before this creative enlightenment in children’s literature, publishers and disgruntled parents who couldn’t find anything suitable for their children to read, would often re-work and effectively censor fairy tales and nursery rhymes to present to their offspring. Many fairy tales that we know today as being “for children” originated as gruesome tales more appropriate for adults. Despite their censorship, late-18th and early-19th century fairy tales and nursery rhymes were still more violent than an average Disney movie, as they were often laced with heavily moralist values aimed at scaring children into becoming submissive, well-behaved young people. The arc of children’s literature and illustration begins in the late-18th century with George Cruikshank’s illustrations for German Popular Stories, the first time that a popular author deigned to create artwork for a children’s publication. Though many of his works, as well as those of other illustrators of the time, were heavily moralistic, works such as Edward Lear’s Book of Nonsense and Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland illustrated by John Tenniel, helped to introduce children to the fantastical side of literature, showing them that books could be fun as well as educational. Today, scholars view George Cruikshank’s illustrations for the previously mentioned Grimm’s German Popular Stories as the beginning of the Golden Age of Illustration. Originally appearing in 1824, they were so popular that a second series was released in 1826. Though Cruikshank had great success as an illustrator, he was primarily known to his contemporaries as a cartoonist. Cruikshank’s work influenced many cartoonists and illustrators throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, making his career an apt milestone for the beginning of the Golden Age.
The 18th century was an opportune time for the rise of political cartoons and caricature because of the controversial characters in politics and the drama of the royal family. Satire was popular and cartoonists were able to openly ridicule the political and cultural happenings in a way that no one else could. The British political cartoonists were given far more freedom in this regard than any on the continent; Europeans who visited England were astonished at the liberties that British political cartoonists were granted with their mockery of political figures. Print shops within walking distance of the royal palace would place these caricatures in their windows and be patronized by the wealthy, but on some occasions, even royals and their officials would purchase the papers in which they were satirized. Though most artists were from the middle and lower classes, many patrons of caricature were nobles. British caricature could not have had the freedom or success that it did if it had not been supported both financially and socially by the genteel classes. The majority of lower class viewers would have only been able to view the single-leaf prints of the cartoons and caricatures in the windows of the print shops, coffee houses, barbershops, and taverns [Figure 1] where they would have been posted for the public. Hand colored prints and full editions of the cartoons would have been available to be purchased by wealthier patrons, such as nobility and the royal officials previously mentioned.
Figure 1: Caricature Shop of Piercy Roberts, 28 Middle Row, Holborn, published by Piercy Roberts (British, active 1794-1828), 1801, Hand-colored etching, 10 7/16 x 12 ⅜”, The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Collection Fund, 1953, Metropolitan Museum of Art
The era in which George Cruikshank (1792-1878) worked saw a particularly tumultuous period of political upheaval. William Pitt, the British Prime Minister in office from 1783-1801, headed an administration that saw many major defeats in the French Revolutionary Wars. Pitt also passed repressive legislation which limited the publishing of seditious material and the public’s freedom to criticize the king and his government. These laws would have especially affected George’s father, Isaac Cruikshank’s work, as he was a prominent political cartoonist in London from about 1783 until his death in 1811. It was Isaac Cruikshank’s caricature of Napoleon that served as the basis for George’s famous depiction of the soldier as a short man called “Little Boney” in an oversized bicorne hat. In one cartoon in particular, George Cruikshank shows him and his men buried in snow, Napoleon’s giant hat barely rising above the drifts. The inspiration for the cartoon was a failed maneuver during a Russian invasion from which Napoleon claimed he had planned to retreat. [Figures 2 and 3]
Figure 2: Isaac Cruikshank, Buonaparte at Rome giving Audience in State, published by S.W. Fores, 1797, Hand-colored etching, 11 ⅓ x 15 ¼”, Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress
Figure 3: George Cruikshank, Boney Hatching a Bulletin or Snug Winter Quarters!!!, published by Walker & Knight, 1812, Hand-colored etching, 9 ¼ x 13 ⅓”, Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress
The Prince Regent (later King George IV) was another of George Cruikshank’s prominent subjects for caricaturization, especially since he was frequently mocked by the people of Britain for his lecherous and indecorous behavior. George Cruikshank even galvanized the cause of the Prince Regent’s estranged wife, Queen Caroline, when she returned to claim her title as the Queen of England after having been driven back to her home country of Germany because of the king’s carousing. The King, eventually tired of being targeted by caricaturists, vainly attempted to prosecute them into submission. He eventually resorted to bribery and spent £2,600 in bribes between 1819-1822 paying off satirists and publishers; George Cruikshank himself accepted £100 in 1820 “not to caricature his majesty.”
Shortly after the reign of King George IV, political caricature shifts to focus primarily on social satire and takes on a more respectable tone. The reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901) became one characterized by book illustration and satirical cartoons featured in the long running Punch Magazine. As stated in History of Illustration by Susan Doyle, “While satire and caricature had been powerful weapons against political corruption in the 18th century, by the second decade of the 19th century, members of the newly enfranchised middle class favored more naturalistic imagery and a more genteel approach to humor.” Though Punch founders initially tried to steer the Magazine away from blatantly political cartoons when it launched in 1841, eventually political satire did make its way into the pages in the form of anti-Catholic (causing the resignation of Richard “Dicky” Doyle) and anti-Irish cartoons.
John Tenniel (1820-1914), like George Cruikshank, made a name for himself creating political caricatures. The Victorian influence of restraint is evident in his work, as he tended more towards naturalistic than theatrical figures. [Figure 4] Famous for his humorous, often anthropomorphized animal cartoons, Tenniel began working at Punch in 1850 and eventually worked his way up to principal cartoonist during his forty-three year career. Tenniel was knighted in 1893, honoring his long career at Punch and his important contribution to children’s literature in the form of his illustrations for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. “Tenniel’s knighthood honored not only his work at Punch, but by extension validated visual satire as a vehicle for disseminating popular opinion in political discourse - a form once despised and feared by kings and politicians.” Unlike King George IV who bribed Cruikshank not to publish seditious caricatures of the monarch, Tenniel’s knighthood from Queen Victoria was a figurative “seal of approval” of his profession as a cartoonist, giving endorsement to a once maligned occupation. Though this honor was an important symbol of the changing times, especially in printing and publishing, it was also an indication of how society and social commentary had changed between the reigns of King George IV and Queen Victoria, as Alice A. Carter states, “His [Tenniel’s] discretion yielded a half-century with Punch, and resulted in a knighthood for his moderating influence on political discourse.”
Figure 4: John Tenniel, “Six of One and Half-a-Dozen of the Other!” Punch, August 6, 1870, From the collection of R.W. Lovejoy
Cruikshank and Tenniel, though their careers were largely defined by their caricatures and political cartoons, also made monumental contributions to the Golden Age of Illustration. According to Richard Dalby, the Golden Age began with the first English translation of George Cruikshank’s German Popular Stories, [Figure 5] published in two volumes between 1823-26. This publication signaled a changing attitude in Britain towards folk and fairy tales when the German version was translated into English almost immediately after it was published. George Cruikshank’s illustrations most likely helped to increase sales of the book and the increasing popularity of fairy tales in Britain. Before the publication of German Popular Stories, children’s book illustrations tended to be static and lifeless rather than reflective of the lively characters Cruikshank created, which more often matched the spirit of the tales he was illustrating. His work set a new standard and created a framework for the illustrators to follow, such as John Tenniel and Richard Doyle (both would later become political cartoonists at Punch) who were directly inspired by Cruikshank’s work.
Figure 5: George Cruikshank, “Bremen Town Musicians,” German Popular Stories, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, 1823, Etching, Osborne Collection of Early Children’s Books, Toronto Public Library
John Tenniel’s illustrations for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, in addition to the other publications he illustrated, seem to act as a literal visual description of the text. [Figure 6] Later on in the 19th century, some illustrators, such as Aubrey Beardsley, started to create images that complemented the text more so than illustrate it, visualizing the world described in the story, but not directly bringing the words on the adjacent page to life. [Figure 7] Tenniel’s illustrations follow the direction of the former, acting as direct accompaniment to the events happening in Wonderland. As a cartoonist, Tenniel was accomplished at telling a story in detail through his imagery, since he was tasked with representing the current events of his day through drawing. Many people believe that no other illustrator’s creations for Carroll’s beloved tales have surpassed that of Tenniel, “whose pictures appear in simple harmony with the prose, as if words and images were created by one hand to form the perfect union.” Nearly fifty years later at the beginning of the 20th century, this opinion about Tenniel’s version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was still upheld, as Rackham received many dissenting opinions on his modernized illustrations for the story.
Figure 6: John Tenniel, “Off with Her Head!” Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll, 1865, Wood engraving
Figure 7: Aubrey Beardsley, “The Peacock Skirt,” Salomé by Oscar Wilde, 1894, Line block print on Japanese vellum, 22.8 x 16.3 cm, Victoria & Albert Museum
Building upon the high standard set by Cruikshank and Tenniel, Walter Crane (1845-1915) illustrated some of the greatest fairy tales and nursery rhymes of the 19th century in colorful children’s books. After being apprenticed to one of the greatest wood engravers of his time, William J. Linton, Crane began to work for Edmund Evans illustrating Toy Books* for Victorian children. A fervent socialist, Crane primarily worked on nursery rhymes, folk tales, and fairy tales, weaving a moralist lesson into the imagery of each one. Crane, like his mentor, became a gifted engraver, and after illustrating a plethora of children’s classics in sumptuous detail and color, became considered one of the greatest illustrators of children’s literature at the time. Unlike Tenniel, Crane took a great deal of inspiration from nature, because he looked to his friend and compatriot, William Morris, as well as the Arts and Crafts Movement, for stylistic inspiration. Like many Victorians, Crane began to think about the impact of formal education on children, and realized that his role as an illustrator of children’s literature placed him in a crucial position to enact change. Knowing that he could reach a wide, sprawling range of children with his illustrations, (especially since Toy Books were only considered successful by Routledge if they sold more than 50,000 copies) Crane began to think about the ways that children absorbed information. He concentrated on the compositions, colors, and figural designs of his drawings to make them easier for children to read and appreciate.
The late 19th century saw the birth of the children’s book designed solely for children. As Gleeson White, the editor of famed Victorian arts quarterly The Studio writes, “...the tastes of children as a factor to be considered in life are well-nigh as modern as steam or the electric light…”, so writing and creating new stories and illustrations specifically for young minds was not a priority before the development of the “childhood” in the Victorian era. With the Industrial Revolution and the rising middle class came a new appreciation for the preserved innocence of children, and a sense of play and amusement that had not existed before. Thanks to new machinery, such as the steam engine, the sewing machine, and the cotton gin, manual labor was no longer the plight of every human being, and the newfound wealth of the middle class meant that more people could spend time and money indulging their children by purchasing toys and books. Though children’s books, were available in the late 18th century, they were primarily chapbooks** and fairy tales, such as German Popular Stories illustrated by George Cruikshank, that were not solely created for children, but rather transformed and often censored adult tales rewritten into children’s literature. “Even if the intellectual standard of those days was on a par in both domains, it does not prove that the reading of the kitchen and nursery was interchangeable.” White’s statement in The Studio shows disdain for the literacy level of the adult in the late 18th century, stating that kitchen reading, or casual reading of low brow publications by adults, though simplistic in construction, was no substitute for children’s literature.
Though primarily known for his illustrations, Crane also assisted Edmund Evans, his longtime employer and partner in publishing, with the planning and writing of children’s alphabet and nursery books, such as Baby’s Own Aesop. Walter Crane, like many Victorians, began to take more interest in childhood education and the way children learned. He believed that children saw most things in profile, so many of Crane’s characters, both human and animal have very distinct facial profiles, reminiscent of the prominent features of many figures in Egyptian art, as well as the maidens featured in pieces by the Pre-Raphaelites. [Figures 8 and 9] Another distinguishing characteristic of Crane’s work is the bold, bright color and thick, dark lines which stem from his theory that children prefer “well-defined forms” and “bright, frank color.” His images appear almost like stained glass with the thick lines functioning as the dark lead framework separating the pieces of colored glass. This comparison is appropriate considering Crane also worked in the decorative arts, and had designed opulent stained glass windows, wallpaper, and ceramics at different points throughout his artistic career.
Figure 8: Walter Crane, centerfold illustration for The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood, 1876, Xylograph, Osborne Collection of Early Children’s Books, Toronto Public Library
Figure 9: Edward Burne-Jones, Laus Veneris, 1873-78, Oil on canvas, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
Walter Crane’s brother, Thomas Crane, was also known for his involvement in the decorative arts, even re-designing the faҫade of Marcus Ward & Co. where he was the Director of Design. He also contributed many designs to the field of embroidery which was very popular for women of the Victorian era, as both a hobby for gentlewomen and as a means of decorating their homes. As Susan E. Meyer states in her book A Treasury of the Great Children’s Book Illustrators, “In their cultural appetites, the Victorians displayed the same set of contradictions as they did in their moral deportment.” Though they extolled the virtues of simplicity, they often decorated their homes in opulent Rococo-style decor; though they applauded the onslaught of the Industrial Revolution, they insisted on the importance of nature and purity. Although the Victorians were known for their restraint and prim demeanor, they were known for their love of scandalous railway novels, and their society also produced the ever-comical Edward Lear.
In contrast to Crane’s emphasis on educational values, Edward Lear (1812-1888), who had already published his scientific illustrated folios and his first Book of Nonsense by the time Crane was a year old, wrote simply to entertain children rather than instruct them. While Crane’s illustrations frequently accompanied fairy tales and nursery rhymes that often ended with a moral lesson, Lear’s Book of Nonsense series were, as the title suggests, nonsensical limericks. Originally a scientific illustrator, Lear began creating silly pen and ink drawings to make the children at Knowsley Hall (offspring of his employer, Lord Stanley) laugh. After receiving a book of limericks as a gift, Lear began to incorporate them into his drawings as a humorous complement to the caricatures, a combination which made the creations that much more hilarious to the recipients of the rhymes. Once published in 1846, the Book of Nonsense was revolutionary in the way it so blatantly contradicted the established structure of children’s literature. [Figure 10]
Figure 10: Edward Lear, “There was a young lady whose bonnet…” The Book of Nonsense by Edward Lear, 1861, Ink on paper, 21 x 29 cm, Houghton Library, Harvard University
Though Edward Lear did not create an immersive fantasy world like some of his contemporaries in children’s literature and illustration, he fashioned a place in the real world where children and adults alike could let go of the etiquette and constraints of polite society and simply laugh. His limericks and drawings were filled with nonsense, and it was exactly what Victorians of all ages needed at the time, as evidenced by the numerous praise it received, even from famed art critic John Ruskin. “Surely the most beneficent and innocent of all books yet produced is the Book of Nonsense, with its corollary carols — inimitable and refreshing, and perfect in rhythm. I don’t know of any author to whom I am half so grateful for my idle self as Edward Lear. I shall put him first of my hundred authors.”
In contrast, Beatrix Potter and Arthur Rackham, who were working alongside one another at the end of the 19th and early 20th century, created magnificent escapes for their readers, children and adults alike. Playing into the Victorians interest in the natural world, Beatrix Potter’s anthropomorphized woodland creatures and Arthur Rackham’s fairies captured the imagination of children all over Britain and America. In many ways, the success of the two authors signaled the peak of the Golden Age of Illustration, and their continued popularity two hundred years later is testament to this idea.
Like her contemporary John Tenniel, Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) created a Regency-era utopian world for children that provided an escape in her books. Potter, taking inspiration from her surroundings, created the words and pictures for an idyllic world in which animals played, and made mischief like humans, and illustrated it in great detail. Like Walter Crane, she put thought into the design of her books, which is unsurprising since she paid to print the initial run of 250 copies herself. After this first independently printed edition sold out, Frederick Warne & Co. began to represent her and asked if she would illustrate the books in color. The beautiful watercolor illustrations that the world has come to associate with Beatrix Potter are now almost synonymous with children’s literature. The delicate pastels of Peter Rabbit’s jacket and Jemima Puddle-Duck’s shawl and bonnet are a reminder of childhood and daydreams of the pristine countryside. [Figure 11] The precision and detail in her watercolors was borne out of experience creating scientific illustrations en plein air, though the layout of her text was simply taken from her experience with children.
Figure 11: Beatrix Potter, “Now run along, and don’t get into mischief. I am going out.” The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, 1901, Watercolor and ink on paper
As can be seen in her letter to Nӧel (the son of her former governess, Annie Moore), in which she first wrote what would later become Peter Rabbit, Potter knew that a few lines of text were all that children could easily associate with an image. Each of her watercolors has its own page (recto, or front) while the corresponding few lines of text is on the facing (verso, back of the previous) page. Though Potter clearly took children’s methods of learning into consideration, her designs and style are quite different from Walter Crane’s. Whereas Crane used wide blocks of color, thick outlines, and two-dimensional space in his illustrations, Potter’s artwork is much more delicate, with thin wispy lines like those of Randolph Caldecott, and detailed colorwork that made the most use of light, pastel colors. Arthur Rackham, like Beatrix Potter, also preferred to work in watercolor with thin lines to create detailed, moving figures.
Arthur Rackham’s career (1867-1939) was the culmination of the Golden Age of Illustration in Britain. With a career that stretched from the late 19th to early 20th century, Rackham produced some of the most memorable illustrations of the era for beloved children’s classics. Like Crane, he tended to primarily work with fairy tales and nursery rhymes, but also illustrated folk tales such as Rip van Winkle, which made a name for him in the early stages of his career. Rackham became known for both the beauty and repulsiveness of his figures, from his famous fairies first depicted in “Fairies of the Serpentine” from Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, to his crotchety crones and gnarled trees as in “Major Andre’s Tree” from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Like Walter Crane and Beatrix Potter, Rackham’s illustrations were often heavily tied with nature, a prevalent interest for many Victorians at the time. [Figure 12] An awareness of the natural world was making a resurgence as society was rapidly becoming mechanized; members of the Arts and Crafts Movement and those interested in the art of the Pre-Raphaelites were attempting to reconnect with the steadily industrialized world around them through art and literature.
Figure 12: Arthur Rackham, Image from A Wonder Book by Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1922, Watercolor and ink on paper
Rackham became the most famous illustrator of the late 19th and early 20th century and set yet another standard for children’s book illustration with his sepia-tinted watercolor and ink drawings. Like the appearance of Cruikshank’s lively engravings for German Popular Stories nearly a century earlier, Rackham’s watercolors brought new life and color to illustration. The innovations in printing during Rackham’s career helped to make strides in the field; Carl Hentschel, an English printer, developed a process called Colourtype which he applied to Rackham’s illustrations. The printing method meant that only heavier, glazed paper could be used for the printing, but it also meant that all of the detail and rich color in Rackham’s work would be evident in the prints. This was clearly seen as a worthwhile endeavor. In order to help fund this more expensive printing process, William Heinemann, Rackham’s publisher, began working with Leicester Galleries in London to sell the original drawings by Rackham for each book that was published. This arrangement first took place in 1905 when Rackham completed his work on Rip van Winkle, which sold all but eight of his original drawings. This sales opportunity became the norm for all of Rackham’s illustrations afterwards, and was even implemented during Edmund Dulac’s career, which paralleled Rackham’s for a period of time. While this opportunity was financially beneficial to Rackham’s career, it also helped to elevate illustration to the level of fine art. Exhibiting original illustration work as limited editions in a prestigious London gallery was beneficial to all illustrators during the time, and has had a lasting impact on the medium since.
Illustration began to be collected like fine art. Gift books, which had been popular throughout the 19th century, reached a new level with deluxe editions filled with Rackham’s illustrations. These gift books were ostensibly created as holiday presents for wealthy children, and on a number of occasions throughout the late 19th century, it was said that Rackham’s new gift book was the present to purchase that year. These books were often viewed as collector’s items which added to their exclusivity and their demand among rich Victorians. Rip van Winkle was the first of these that Rackham illustrated, and it established him as the leading decorative illustrator of the Edwardian period, with many additional gift books to follow. J.M. Barrie commissioned him to illustrate Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, which further elevated his prestige as an illustrator, and from then on he only increased in popularity throughout the next decade.
By World War I, book production and the market for fine gift books was suffering and did not recover, and the sales from Rackham’s 1919 exhibition at Leicester Galleries were disappointing. Though he continued to produce a new children’s book every year through 1920, the British market was waning, so Rackham traveled to the United States where sales of his books were surpassing those in his home country. Despite continuous book sales on both sides of the Atlantic, the sales of deluxe gift books were much lower than they had been previously, and this movement away from expensively produced lavish volumes did not show promise of resuming anytime soon. Rackham still received a great deal of illustration work, but book production had become focused on modestly produced editions, and the market for luxury children’s books never recovered on either continent. Though this made it difficult for many illustrators who had previously illustrated deluxe editions, Rackham’s ability to continue illustrating was fortuitous since others were forced to look elsewhere for employment. Edmund Dulac, a contemporary and one-time competitor [Figure 13], was also able to illustrate books benefiting the war effort, however Kay Nielsen [Figure 14] turned to set design and decoration, eventually working for Walt Disney in the late 1930s. Rackham continued to illustrate until his death in 1939, the year in which he completed his last commission for The Wind in the Willows [Figure 15]. Though the Golden Age of Illustration, begun in the early 19th century, had largely come to an end in Britain, the work of Rackham and the eminent illustrators who came before him would continue to influence and inspire children’s book illustrators for generations, including many American illustrators.
Figure 13: Edmund Dulac, “She played upon the ringing lute, and sang to its tones.” The Wind’s Tale in Stories from Hans Andersen with Illustrations by Edmund Dulac, 1911, Watercolor and ink on paper
Figure 14: Kay Nielsen, Illustration for La Belle au Bois Dormant by Charles Perrault, 1913, Ink and watercolor on paper
Figure 15: Arthur Rackham, “Rat and Mole having a picnic,” The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, 1940, Watercolor on paper, British Library
The Golden Age of Illustration spanned nearly two hundred years of writing and illustration, with many talented artists leaving their lasting mark on the genre. It is clear from the illustrators' careers and their artwork that the cultural landscape in which they lived was an integral influence upon their creativity. From the political cartoons and caricatures of the late 18th and early 19th century to the development and subsequent evolution of children’s stories, the changes in themes follow the arc of the social and political developments of the time. Key among these factors is the Industrial Revolution which affected printing innovations and served as a catalyst for the rising middle class, who with their hard-earned money, were eager to dote upon their children by purchasing children’s books. American illustration was following on the heels of British illustration, and as innovations in printing and design made their way across the pond, American illustrators such as N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, and Norman Rockwell contributed to the Golden Age until its end in the early 20th century. The Golden Age of Illustration set the stage for the future of children’s books, both in relation to content and imagery. They began the work of making children’s illustration a respected art form, and made strides to proclaiming illustration as significant as fine art.
R.W. Lovejoy, Chapter 11, “Dangerous Pictures: Social Commentary in Europe, 1720-1860,” in History of Illustration (New York: Bloomsbury, 2018) 175.
R.W. Lovejoy, Chapter 11, “Dangerous Pictures: Social Commentary in Europe, 1720-1860,” in History of Illustration (New York: Bloomsbury, 2018) 177.
R.W. Lovejoy, Chapter 11, “Dangerous Pictures: Social Commentary in Europe, 1720-1860,” in History of Illustration (New York: Bloomsbury, 2018) 178.
R.W. Lovejoy, Chapter 11, “Dangerous Pictures: Social Commentary in Europe, 1720-1860,” in History of Illustration (New York: Bloomsbury, 2018) 181.
R.W. Lovejoy, Chapter 11, “Dangerous Pictures: Social Commentary in Europe, 1720-1860,” in History of Illustration (New York: Bloomsbury, 2018) 183.
Alice A. Carter, Chapter 16, “British Fantasy and Children’s Book Illustration, 1650-1920,” History of Illustration (New York: Bloomsbury, 2018) 252.
Richard Dalby, The Golden Age of Children’s Book Illustration (London: Michael O'Mara, 1991) 9.
Susan E. Meyer, A Treasury of the Great Children’s Book Illustrators (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1987) 65.
* Toy Books were short, inexpensive children’s books popular during the Victorian era. Edmund Evans revolutionized the market for Toy Books when he hired Walter Crane, and began producing very large print runs for the first editions, often more than 10,000.
Humphrey Carpenter and Mari Prichard, The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature (New York: Oxford University Press, 1984).
** “Chapbooks were small, affordable forms of literature for children and adults that were sold on the streets, and covered a range of subjects from fairy tales and ghost stories to news of politics, crime or disaster.” Ruth Richardson, “Chapbooks,” Discovering Literature: Romantics and Victorians, British Library, May 15, 2014, https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/chapbooks.
Gleeson White, “Children’s Books and Their Illustrators,” The Studio (London: Offices of the Studio, 1897) 72.
Susan E. Meyer, A Treasury of the Great Children’s Book Illustrators (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1987) 88.
Susan E. Meyer, A Treasury of the Great Children’s Book Illustrators (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1987) 12.
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Study of Microfossils shows Thecodontosaurus to be an Inhabitant of Island Paradise
Research into the microscopic fossils from sediments similar to those where fossils of the early Jurassic Prosauropod Thecodontosaurus have been found reveal that scientists may have got it wrong when it comes to considering this dinosaurs habitat.
Previously, palaeontologists had thought that this small dinosaur had inhabited a dry, desert upland area but a study of palynomorphs (organic-walled microfossils such as plant spores and marine algae), show that lush, tropical islands were its home.
It had been thought the dinosaur lived in the arid uplands of the Late Triassic. However, a joint paper published by Dr David Whiteside (University of Bristol) and Professor John Marshall (University of Southampton), provides more information on the palaeoenvironment and shows that small islands were this little dinosaurs home.
Thecodontosaurus was approximately 2-3 metres long, although most its length was made up by its tail and neck. Its fossils have been found in the Bristol area of south-west England and also in Germany. It resembled Plateosaurus but was much smaller, perhaps as a result of living on islands. Dwarfism is a common feature of island animals as there are fewer resources for animals to exploit in the limited land area.
Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur
The Plateosaurus pictured above shows the basic body plan of a Thecodontosaurus, but Plateosaurus was much larger, perhaps exceeding 8 metres in length.
There used to be a scale model of Plateosaurus available, designed by a German team (Bullyland museum line), however this model has now been retired.
To view the existing Museum Line range: Dinosaur Toys for Kids – Dinosaur Models
The first fossils of this dinosaur were discovered in 1834, this was actually before Sir Richard Owen had coined the word “Dinosauria” so for a few years scientists were unsure how to actually classify this animal. The debate as to its classification continues today, as some scientists argue that the very primitive features exhibited by Thecodontosaurus may indicate that it may actually be a representative of the Sauropodomorph dinosaurs and not a Prosauropod.
A number of specimens of this dinosaur are known, all are important as the global fossil record for vertebrates at the Triassic/Jurassic geological boundary is quite poor. Unfortunately, the holotype (the specimen upon which the original description of Thecodontosaurus is based), was destroyed in a German bombing raid over England in World War II.
Dr Whiteside and Professor Marshall combined their expertise in late Triassic reptiles and microfossils to provide a much more detailed picture of the habitat of Thecodontosaurus. Their work is supported by geological studies of the Bristol area which indicates that during this dinosaurs time the area consisted of a shallow, tropical sea with small islands dotted around it.
The remains of what were once prominent limestone plateaux can be identified by geologists, tracing the rock strata around the Vale of Glamorgan. These higher areas would have been above sea level and form islands. This collaborative work between the two universities has helped produce a much more complete understanding of the ecosystem that Thecodontosaurus lived in.
Perhaps Thecodontosaurus could have swam between islands in search of food. Its long tail could act as a rudder and provide propulsion whilst its strong limbs would have made it quite a powerful swimmer. The neck, although not as long as with other Prosauropod type dinosaurs such as Anchisaurus, could easily have been held out of the water as this animal paddled along.
Thecodontosaurus means “socket-toothed lizard” . The teeth are unusual for a dinosaur of this type, they were shaped a bit like a modern monitor lizards. Each tooth was embedded in a separate tooth socket and they were small, serrated and blade-like. Thecodontosaurus could represent an important evolutionary shift for the dinosaur clade, moving away from a carnivorous life-style and taking to a diet of plants. Could animals like Thecodontosaurus have heralded a change in dinosaur diets? Certainly, living on small islands with a limited food supply would have predisposed these animals towards a more varied diet, perhaps adapting to plants as these would have proved to be a more reliable food source.
Whatever the actual relationship between Thecodontosaurus and the other long-necked dinosaurs, their evolutionary journey seems to have been a pretty successful one. Sauropods survived to the very end of the Mesozoic and along the way they evolved into animals like Brachiosaurus, Diplodocus and Argentinosaurus – the largest land animals ever known. | <urn:uuid:57c6e7ca-c49e-4e52-a70f-12826c6fa2e9> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://blog.everythingdinosaur.co.uk/blog/_archives/2008/01/11/3460478.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662512229.26/warc/CC-MAIN-20220516172745-20220516202745-00674.warc.gz | en | 0.973621 | 976 | 3.6875 | 4 |
What Are Cliplets?
A still photograph is a limited format for capturing a moment in time. Video is the traditional method for recording durations of time, but the subjective “moment” that one desires to capture is often lost in the chaos of shaky camerawork, irrelevant background clutter, and noise that dominates most casually recorded video clips.
Microsoft Research Cliplets is an interactive app that uses semi-automated methods to give users the power to create “Cliplets” — a type of imagery that sits between stills and video from handheld videos. The app provides a creative lens one can use to focus on important aspects of a moment by mixing static and dynamic elements from a video clip. | <urn:uuid:ae8947c5-3787-474c-8fa7-9963c64c8a0b> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | https://compphotography.wordpress.com/2012/03/16/microsoft-research-cliplets/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549424079.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20170722142728-20170722162728-00175.warc.gz | en | 0.92675 | 149 | 3.234375 | 3 |
A Better Method of Manufacturing Nanotubes for Use in Optical and Electronic Devices
Advance Nanotech Inc., US
carbon nanotubes, chirality, semi-conducting, metallic
Carbon nanotubes are vital to the advancement of nanotechnology. Their extreme electronic, optical and mechanical properties enable nanotubes to play a key role in a variety of electronics applications, including transistors, interconnects in integrated circuits and components for optical networks. However, the process of growing nanotubes today is complicated and expensive. To successfully commercialize carbon nanotube applications, scientists must develop a better method of manufacturing nanotubes for use in optical and electronic devices.
Single-walled carbon nanotubes can be either semi-conducting or metallic, depending on their twist angle or “chirality.” However, most electronic and optical applications need either semi-conducting or metallic tubes -- not both. Current growth methods produce a mixture of both semi-conducting and metallic tubes. As a result, scientists must separate the different types of nanotubes before they can be used; this is a costly and time-consuming process. This presentation will provide an overview of Advance Nanotech’s work in developing catalysts to control the chirality during the growth process, resulting in the growth of a single type of nanotube (either semi-conducting or metallic).
Back to Program
Nanotech 2006 Conference Program Abstract | <urn:uuid:acbbcd4e-5af5-4295-958c-f0b2c8e31b04> | CC-MAIN-2014-42 | http://www.nsti.org/Nanotech2006/showabstract.html?absno=1269 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-42/segments/1413507449615.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20141017005729-00300-ip-10-16-133-185.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.874946 | 299 | 3.109375 | 3 |
The Venetian Mirror
The patterns on the mirrors, obtained by means of its grinding wheel engraving, fea- ture floral designs or, in the case of complex patterns, they feature mythological or bucolic figurative scenes. They always have a wooden backboard.
There are three types of Venetian mirror:
Mirrors with leaves and flowers. Here the engraved mirror is bordered by glassy elements (leaves, flowers, reeds, decorative elements). Such elements can be made of vitreous paste (opaque), transparent glass (coloured or neutral), or glass with gold leaf. All the decorative elements are fixed to the structure by means of special nails whose head is covered by a small vitreous boss. In the most recent models (starting from the end of the nineteenth century), it is possible that the fixing of these elements is carried out by making use of screws.
The presence of such decorative elements derives from the fact that mirrors manufacturers were in direct con- tact with glass manufacturers (sometime their productions were executed within the same furnace). Thanks to proximity, there has been a contamination of styles that led to the birth of a characteristic style.
Drilled mirrors. The decorative part of these mirrors (besides engraving) is relied to “drilled” elements made of small hand-bevelled mirror pieces which, once aligned, create very complex decorative patterns. In the past, for the most demanding customers, the drilled mirror was further decorated with enamel, tortoiseshell, nacre or semi-precious stones (agate, lapislazuli, malachite, etc.) inserts. Each piece of mirror is fixed through pitch gluing or through small bosses whose head is visible: in this case, mirrors are previously drilled.
Wood inlay mirrors. In this case, the engraved mirror is inserted within an inlayed and golden wooden frame. Inlay mirrors are more recent than leaves and flowers or drilled mirrors (they started spreading from the eight- eenth century) but, as wood inlay skills are shared by many European Countries (particularly France, Austria and Germany), they soon became the most common products on the market. To this purpose, it could happen that the cut mirror section made in Venice was sent abroad to be installed on wooden frames made on the spot. | <urn:uuid:d3577d38-1c6e-42f8-8d4f-a1374c2c5132> | CC-MAIN-2022-27 | https://www.muranoglass-shop.com/mirrors/venetian-mirrors.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-27/segments/1656103035636.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20220625125944-20220625155944-00185.warc.gz | en | 0.956384 | 481 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Put Together a Bibliography or Works Cited
When writing a paper, you need to acknowledge the authors of the resources you used for your research. You do so by providing a complete resource list called either a bibliography or works cited. These lists look similar, but there's a subtle difference:
- In works cited, you list only the items you've actually cited — such as a book from which you quoted or paraphrased in your paper.
- In a bibliography, you list all the material you consulted in preparing your paper — whether or not you actually cited the work.
Either way, the idea is to give enough information about each resource so that anyone reading your paper can refer to that source and read the content that helped you during your research. Think of looking through your library's catalog system where you can search by book title, author name, publication date, and so on. The same basic ingredients go into your bibliography or works cited.
Resources for listing your resources
The most widely used format used for academic papers is MLA (Modern Language Association) style, and the most complete resource is the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. Always be sure to use the latest edition of the handbook or ask the instructor about the preferred edition.
Web sites make quick work out of compiling a bibliography or list of works cited:
The Writers' Workshop MLA page offers clear examples for all kinds of citation scenarios.
EasyBib.com builds your bibliography or works cited list for you. All you have to do is fill in the blanks, and EasyBib takes care of the rest. The service is free to create a one-time standard bibliography, but you have to pay a small yearly fee in order to create an account and access some of the more advanced features.
Citing CliffsNotes content
Many instructors actually don't mind their students consulting CliffsNotes books for help on difficult subjects. But they will mind very much if you fail to include that CliffsNotes title in your list of resources. Here's a breakdown of how to list each type of content in your bibliography or works cited, according to MLA style guidelines.
Online CliffsNotes content: The standard format for an online citation is
Author's name (last name first). Document title.
Date of access <URL>.
Jacobson, Karin. CliffsNotes Jane Eyre.
7 June 2005 <http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/id-23.html>.
Content from a CliffsNotes book: The standard format for a book is:
Author's name (last name first). Book Title. City of publication: Publisher, Year of publication. Page numbers.
Adams, Scott V., Peter Z. Orton, and David H. Voelker. CliffsQuickReview Statistics. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2001. 54-55. | <urn:uuid:ea5c6242-33da-4ea5-b728-158397990429> | CC-MAIN-2022-49 | https://www.cliffsnotes.com/cliffsnotes/subjects/college-life/put-together-a-bibliography-or-works-cited | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446710972.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20221204104311-20221204134311-00493.warc.gz | en | 0.881587 | 612 | 4.09375 | 4 |
Skip to Main Content
The effects of dynamic and static visualizations in understanding a topic in an undergraduate course were reported. An experimental study with two groups of students totaling 38, investigated the effect of using static graphics and text over dynamic visuals with the same amount of text. For the study, two versions of a computer-based learning on a computer science subject, for the topic of memory management in operating systems were developed and served as a learning material. To test on the effectiveness, students were given a test on recall and transfer of knowledge after studying the learning material. Initial analysis of results indicates no statistical difference between the scores for the two versions and suggests that dynamic visuals, by themselves, do not necessarily improve student understanding. | <urn:uuid:581c4aa7-ed17-4a34-9d80-73689613efc6> | CC-MAIN-2014-52 | http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?reload=true&arnumber=6163778&contentType=Conference+Publications | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-52/segments/1418802772897.141/warc/CC-MAIN-20141217075252-00172-ip-10-231-17-201.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956293 | 144 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Williamson County and Cities Health District
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do people get West Nile virus?
1. Infected Mosquitoes
Humans primarily get West Nile virus through mosquito bites. WNV is spread to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito. A mosquito gets infected by biting a bird that is infected with the virus. An uninfected mosquito cannot bite an infected human and become infected. Mosquitoes also do not transmit the virus between people.
2. Transfusions, Transplants, Mother-to-Child
Rarely, the virus has been spread by blood transfusion, organ transplant, breastfeeding, and from mother to child during pregnancy. Donated blood is check for WNV before being used.
West Nile virus is NOT spread by casual contact such as touching, kissing, or caring for someone who is infected. (3)
Q: What are the symptoms of West Nile virus infection?
A: Symptoms generally occur 2-14 days following the bite of an infected mosquito.
Most people – 80%- of the people who are infected with West Nile have no symptoms or may experience mild illness, then recover fully. Often, these people only know they have West Nile because the virus is detected when they have blood work done for an unrelated reason, such as blood donation or routine lab work.
Up to 20% of people who are infected with West Nile contract West Nile Fever, a flu-like illness that causes symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, nausea, and, less frequently, skin rash on chest, stomach and back, or sometimes swollen lymph glands or eye pain. Often times this gets diagnosed as general flu-like virus and the patient is not tested for West Nile unless there is known West Nile circulating in the area.
Fewer than 1% of individuals infected with West Nile can develop West Nile neuroinvasive disease, a serious form of the virus that affects the nervous system. Symptoms include encephalitis, severe headache, high fever, stiff neck, disorientation, muscle weakness, numbness, tremors, vision loss, coma, or paralysis. These symptoms last several weeks, and can cause death or permanent brain damage. The elderly are most at risk for this form of West Nile, but anyone who contracts West Nile has a chance of developing this most severe form. There is no treatment for West Nile virus, however doctors can treat the symptoms. Many people that have experience West Nile neuroinvasive disease report long-term effects from the infection. (3)
Q: Do we have West Nile Virus in Williamson County?
A: Yes. West Nile virus is in Williamson County and is transmitted through the bite of the southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus. WCCHD currently operates a West Nile surveillance program in collaboration with the Texas Department of State Health Services. Maps of current West Nile activity in Williamson County can be found here.
Q: Is there a treatment or a vaccine for West Nile virus infection?
A: There is no specific treatment, medication, cure, or vaccine. Most people who get this illness recover from it on their own. In more severe cases, people may need to go to the hospital where they can receive supportive care to treat their symptoms. There is a West Nile vaccine for horses that can be administered by your veterinarian. (3)
Q: Where did West Nile come from?
A: Outbreaks of WNV disease have occurred in Africa, Egypt, Israel, Asia, Romania, Russia, and France. Before 1999, however, WNV had never before been found in the Americas. The most likely explanation for its appearance here is that the virus was introduced by an infected bird that was imported or by infected mosquitoes that were introduced through shipping ports. (1)
Q: Besides mosquitoes, can you get West Nile Virus from other insects or ticks?
A: Infected mosquitoes are the primary source of WNV. While some tick species have been implemented in West Nile transmission in Africa and Asia, the natural occurrence is very rare and there has been no reported cases from North America. (1, 5)
Q: How long does it take to get sick if bitten by an infected mosquito?
A: The incubation period is 2-6 days, but can range from 2-14 days. This period can be longer in people with certain medical conditions that affect the immune system. (4)
Q: Can dogs, cats and other pets get the West Nile virus?
A: Yes. Horses are very susceptible to West Nile virus but can be vaccinated. Cats and dogs rarely, if ever, get sick. Most infections have been identified in birds, but West Nile virus has been shown to infect dogs, cats, horses, and domestic rabbits, as well as bats, chipmunks, skunks, and squirrels. (2) Birds can become very ill from the virus, so it is recommended that pet birds be kept indoors, especially during dawn and dusk.
Q: I have backyard chickens… can they get or transmit WNV?
A: Poultry can neither directly infect other birds, animals, or humans, nor act as a reservoir for the virus.
Although chickens and turkeys can become infected with the virus
when bitten by infected mosquitoes, these birds do not develop the clinical disease. Their immune
system quickly responds to infection by producing antibodies that clear the virus from their body.
Also, because the virus can be transmitted only through the bite of an infected mosquito, infected
poultry present no significant public health risk.
Q: If my chickens were exposed to infected mosquitoes, are the eggs safe to eat?
A: Yes! Poultry can neither directly infect other birds, animals, or humans, nor act as a reservoir for the virus.
If your poultry is exposed to the virus, it cannot be passed from adult bird to egg.
Q: What is the risk of someone becoming infected with West Nile?
A: The risk is very low. Even in areas where the virus is circulating, only around 1% mosquitoes are infected with the virus. 80% of West Nile virus infections are asymptomatic, meaning a person never gets sick. 20% of people may experience West Nile fever, which presents as flu-like symptoms. Less than 1% of people who get bitten and become infected will get West Nile neuroinvasive disease, however the immunocompromised and those >50 years old are more likely to experience West Nile neuroinvasive disease.
Q: I’ve heard of " suspect cases," " positive cases," " confirmed cases," and " probable cases." What does it all mean?
A: Infections with West Nile virus may, or may not, produce illness. A few people who get ill may seek medical care. Those with severe enough disease that has the appearance of West Nile and similar viruses may have blood or spinal fluid sampled for testing. (2)
Testing of samples has two main components:
- Samples may be tested for antibodies to West Nile and other viruses. A positive result indicates that the patient may have been exposed to the virus, but does not prove that the virus is still in the patient.
- Samples may also be tested to find the actual virus. This type of test is more difficult, takes much longer, and may not be successful. A negative test does not prove that the virus did not cause the illness.
Q: Can a human get West Nile virus twice?
A: Medical professionals don’t believe so. Like many other viruses, medical tests indicate that once a person has been infected with West Nile, he/she develops a natural immunity to future infection by the virus for life. However, this immunity may decrease over time or with further health conditions that compromise the immune system. Because West Nile has not been active in the United States for many years, future tests may tell us more about the long-term health implications of West Nile. (3)
Q: What's the best insect repellant to use?
A: Using the right insect repellent and other preventive actions can discourage ticks, mosquitoes, and other biting insects from landing on you. Repellents are available to protect you from insects and give you the length of protection you need, based on your planned activity. Visit the EPA's website for more information and to search for the best repellant for your situation.
Q: What can I do around my home to mamage mosquitoes?
A: Visit the Managing Mosquitoes Around Your Home page for information and tips.
Definitions of terms:
Suspect: A patient with symptoms similar to West Nile might be considered a suspect by their physician. Since they would also be suspect for a multitude of others diseases with similar signs, they are not counted or reported by Texas.
Positive case: Many laboratories can test for West Nile and may find positive results. These results are often cross-reactions with other conditions and may not represent a true West Nile positive. Only those results that meet the case definitions for “Confirmed” or “Probable” will be reported as “cases.”
Confirmed: A febrile illness associated with neurologic manifestations ranging from headache to aseptic meningitis or encephalitis, plus at least one of the following:
- Isolation of WN virus from or demonstration of WN antigen or genomic sequences in tissue, blood, cerebrospinal fluid, or other body fluid;
- Demonstration of IgM antibody to WN virus in cerebrospinal fluid by IgM-capture enzyme-linked immunoassay (EIA);
- A > 4-fold serial change in plaque-reduction neutralizing test (PRNT) antibody titer to WN virus in paired, appropriately timed serum or cerebrospinal fluid samples;
- Demonstration of both WN virus-specific IgM (by EIA) and IgG (screened by EIA or HI and confirmed by PRNT) antibody in a single serum specimen.
Probable case: Symptoms identical to that for a confirmed case plus one or more of the following:
- Demonstration of serum IgM antibody against WN virus (by EIA);
- Demonstration of an elevated titer of WN virus-specific IgG antibody in convalescent-phase serum (screened by EIA or hemagglutination inhibition (HI) and confirmed by PRNT). | <urn:uuid:c482ab05-a6b5-46f2-9206-be902e84a40e> | CC-MAIN-2017-47 | http://www.wcchd.org/services/disease_mgmt/fight_the_bite_-_williamson_county/frequently_asked_questions.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-47/segments/1510934804724.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20171118094746-20171118114746-00693.warc.gz | en | 0.950584 | 2,162 | 3.5625 | 4 |
Individuality according to dictionarycom means the aggregate of qualities and characteristics that distinguish one person or thing from others character: choices. What have the students of gordon high school learned about individuality and conformity how has rhue conveyed their experiences to the responder. Individuality essays: over 180,000 individuality essays, individuality term papers, individuality research paper, book reports 184 990 essays, term and research. Delos biscuits bessay sur allier makar sankranti essay 200 words essay mother teresa saint of gutters essay writing research paper for computer technology persuasive. Title length color rating : thoughts on individuality and non-individuality - natural systems can be thought of as non-separable and therefore non-individual. This essay written by gemma truman does nit go along the path of my other artifacts, but it makes some very valid points it talks about how conformity is a part of.
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Though many struggle to be there own person many struggle to decide things on there ownwe are all different, but most of us are the same, because of conformity. Free essay: the novel, the giver, by lois lowry, is an everlasting story that shows the importance of individuality this novel is about a young boy named. Read this english essay and over 88,000 other research documents thoreau and individuality it is difficult to obtain true individuality people always make an.
In society, there are many ups and downs, many things to deal with and things to make life easier individuality has been something people have been dealing with or. Individuality writing essay i don't need permission from the author to use inter-text, righ maybe i should just add his/her name at the end of the essay. Title length color rating : conformity and individuality in a small town essay - conformity and individuality in a small town john updike was born in shillington. Maintaining your individuality is the importance of maintaining individuality over communality politics if you are the original writer of this essay and.
Free essay on the importance of individuality in today's society available totally free at echeatcom, the largest free essay community. The importance of individuality in a society where one is expected to conform to the masses, maintaining individuality can be a difficult task. | <urn:uuid:a6ba45c1-ffae-41e6-930d-e63f55712acf> | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | http://cfhomeworkvlzb.blinkingti.me/individuality-essay.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267864776.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20180622182027-20180622202027-00004.warc.gz | en | 0.934914 | 594 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Career Profile: Web Developer
Why Is Web Development a Job of Tomorrow?
Technology has pervaded every aspect of modern life. It has largely replaced cash with credit cards that can draw funds electronically from bank accounts, replaced beepers with handheld mobile phones that can not only instantly connect callers, but also act as a tiny web browser and gaming system, and pushed globalization into overdrive through the World Wide Web. With personal computers as common in businesses as pots of break room coffee, the race is always on to push computer technology further. More and more businesses are going on the Internet to conduct business, and this trend shows no signs of slowing down. As a result, web developers who can help businesses make a seamless transition to the Internet are in high demand. Employment opportunities for web developers, which includes web developers, are expected to grow 38 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Web developers make an average salary of $79,780 annually.
What Does a Web Developer Do?
Web developers create web applications that are used on the Internet through web browsers. These applications can include anything, from webmail to online business functions, and covers a large chunk of the Internet's more useful functions. Web applications are popular and important because of its ease of use and convenience. Rather than trying to convince thousands of web users to download and install a particular program in order to use something on their computers, web developers work on tools that can be opened from any web browser and used immediately without having to install anything. Web applications have even been brought into businesses as online retailers use these applications to allow shoppers to browse their inventory, place orders, and pay entirely online. Businesses prefer web applications because it allows maximum customer ease, which encourages shopping. Web developers also help businesses design an eye-catching yet easy-to-use website to accurately promote the business's brand image. They often handle the technology, design, and administrative aspects of creating a web page, collaborating with web designers, project managers, and database administrators to create the best possible product.
What Kind of Training Do I Need to Become a Web Developer?
There are no set education requirements for web developers, but most employers prefer those who have a substantial background in computer language and web development. With more formal education, such as a bachelor's degree in technology with an emphasis on web development or e-commerce, web developers are more likely to advance to better paying and higher ranking positions within a company. A bachelor's degree takes four years to earn, and covers topics such as computer coding, website design and management, and other related courses. | <urn:uuid:1956b9fa-f1e9-4774-9753-9d48e33da47c> | CC-MAIN-2019-39 | https://www.onlinecollege.org/jobs/technology/web-developer/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-39/segments/1568514572896.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20190924083200-20190924105200-00004.warc.gz | en | 0.941542 | 526 | 2.609375 | 3 |
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