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In recent years, we've been hearing a whole lot about antioxidants, chemicals that neutralize harmful free radicals in our bodies. Free radicals are highly charged oxygen molecules (having either one too many or too few electrons) that are formed mainly as a natural byproduct of breathing, but also from exposure to food additives and pesticides, UV light, cigarette smoke, exhaust fumes, and chemical pollutants. Not satisfied in their unstable state, free radicals roam the body, stealing mates for their unpaired electrons from unsuspecting cells. These biomolecular bandits have so far been linked to dozens of illnesses, including cancer, arteriosclerosis, and arthritis, as well as to premature aging. Widely touted as "fountains of youth," antioxidants provide the best defense against these scavengers — either by blocking their production or by serving as biochemical kamikazes, allowing themselves to be ransacked by free radicals in place of healthy cells. Vitamins A, C, and E, along with beta carotene (a precursor to vitamin A), are the best-known antioxidants. But none of these make their way often enough (and in sufficient quantities) into the Western diet, which tends to be heavy on fats and carbs and low on antioxidant-rich fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds. Indeed, it is estimated that less than 10% of Americans regularly consume five fruits or vegetables daily, the National Cancer Institute's recommended minimum. Of course, supplements are always an option, and in recent years both C and E have become bestsellers for vitamin retailers nationwide. (Vitamin A can be harmful in very high doses, and so folks tend to steer clear of this one in supplement form.) But for those who prefer to get their nutrition out of the ground rather than out of a plastic bottle, there's good news: the latest research is pointing to other natural sources that — with a sprinkle here and a dash there — can easily be incorporated into the American diet. We're talking here about antioxidant herbs and antioxidant spices. "One way to see herbs is as compact sources of the nutrients present in foods, with relatively little of the space-consuming water and calorie content," says Lorilee Schoenbeck, N.D., a naturopathic physician in private practice at the Champlain Center for Natural Medicine in Shelburne, Vermont. "When you look at herbs as highly concentrated foods," she adds, "then it is not surprising that, ounce-for-ounce, herbs often contain much higher concentrations of given nutrients or chemical compounds. Frequently, though not always, antioxidants are among these." Their compact nature alone may give herbs and spices an advantage over vitamin E, since most natural sources of this important nutrient (plant oils, nuts, etc.) will add inches to your waist faster than they'll replenish your antioxidant arsenal. Medical botanist Jim Duke, Ph.D., among the world's foremost authorities on healing plants, recommends leafy herbs in particular as potent sources of antioxidants. "Green leaves in general are richer in antioxidants than other plant parts, because that's where the oxygen is produced," he says. Retired since 1995 from the United States Department of Agriculture, he continues to maintain that agency's phytochemical database. "You can go to my database and ask how many, and how much, of each antioxidant compound there are in some 3,000 herbs," says Duke, who is also the author of The Green Pharmacy (Rodale Press, 1997), a handy guide to plant-based remedies. In Green Pharmacy, Duke advises drinking two antioxidant teas a day as part of a broader fit-for-life plan. Some herbs suitable for steeping are oregano, rosemary, bee balm, lemon balm, peppermint, sage, spearmint, savory, and thyme, all of which have been shown to contain significant levels of antioxidants. These and other antioxidant-packed herbs and spices can also be sprinkled in salads or used to flavor your favorite vegetable, pasta, or meat dishes. Many can be found dried, crushed, and packaged at the local grocery. But, as with fruits and vegetables, fresh-from-the-garden herbs and spices are optimal, says Beverly Yates, N.D., of the Center for Natural Health Care in Portland, Oregon. "Ideally, people should consume freshly picked herbs and spices, preferably grown in their own gardens so they know exactly what the growing conditions are." But while fresh may be best, it takes effort and patience to grow your own. The nutritional supplement makers know (and are banking on) this, and as word spreads about the antioxidant powers of herbs and spices, more and more are showing up on store shelves in pill form. But are supplements a good way to get your herbs? "I agree with the conservative nutritionists and AMA physicians that the best way to get [antioxidants] is through a balanced diet," says Duke. "But how many Americans take time for a balanced diet? Better they pop the antioxidant pill than do without." For Schoenbeck, whether or not a person should take antioxidant herbal supplements depends on that person's overall health picture. A 30-year-old nonsmoking vegetarian who shops organic, exercises regularly, lives in a rural area, and has no family history of heart disease, cancer, or any of the other major diseases associated with freeradical damage can properly skip the supplements, she says. But the 45-year-old city dweller who smokes, eats processed foods, or has a strong family history of one of the aforementioned diseases, should take his antioxidants any way he can get them. Still, Schoenbeck warns, antioxidants are no elixir. "Here in Western society, it seems we're always looking for the fountain of youth — and the magic bullet that will provide it," she says. "Antioxidants have existed as long as food has. They have been quietly exerting their anti-aging effects on the people who consume healthy foods for generations. Our current preoccupation with them as 'miracle cures' speaks more to how far we, as a society, have gotten away from eating healthy food and living in nontoxic environments than it does to their ability to prevent every disease imaginable." "Sometimes," adds Yates, "you see people smoking heavily, no exercise, fast food all day, and so on, eating handfuls of antioxidants of various kinds, thinking that they are being healthy and that the little natural pills will undo the rest of their unhealthful, harmful habits. It's like putting a Band-Aid on a hemorrhage; it is simply not enough in those cases." Herbs and Spices That Add More Than Flavor Many dozens of herbs and spices are known to contain antioxidant compounds. Below is a list of just some of the more potent ones. For advice on which to take and in what amounts, consult a trained herbalist, naturopathic physician, nutritionist, or M.D. As a rule, pregnant women should consult their obstetricians before taking any herbs. BILBERRY: Compounds called anthocyanosides give bilberries their antioxidant punch; this berry and its relatives blueberry, cranberry, and huckleberry, can aid in protecting the eyes in particular from free-radical damage. SAGE: Another powerful antioxidant, but not to be overdone. According to medical botanist Jim Duke, this spice contains a fair amount of thujone, a compound that can cause convulsions if consumed in large quantities. GARLIC: Yes, this blood-pressure-lowering, bad-cholesterol-busting bulb is also a potent source of antioxidants. GINGER: This age-old nausea remedy contains the antioxidant zingerone, which, according to naturopathic physician Lorilee Schoenbeck, "protects against oxidative damage to fats." Mince a few slices of fresh ginger root and add to your favorite stir-fry. ST JOHN'S WORT (Hypericum): This mood-booster is also a good source of antioxidants. "If you squeeze one of the little yellow flowers of the St John's wort plant," says Schoenbeck, "a dark red pigment will bleed from the petals. This pigment is the result of Hypericum's very high content of the bioflavenoids rutin, hyperin, quercetin, and quercitrin, all of which act, in part, as antioxidants. With 11.7% of its content in bioflavenoids, Hypericum is one of the most concentrated herb sources of antioxidants." ROSEMARY: Studies have shown this herb to be a powerhouse, endowed with the potent antioxidant rosmarinic acid, plus about a dozen other free-radical-zapping compounds. Use as a spice or in tea to help ward off cancers, heart disease, and the effects of aging. TURMERIC: Much has been written about the mighty antioxidant powers of this bright orange-yellow Indian spice (which are due largely to a compound called curcumin). Says Beverly Yates, N.D., "Turmeric is a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, used clinically to treat inflammatory conditions like arthritis, muscle sprains and strains, and swelling due to injury and trauma of all sorts, including surgery recovery and accidents." Research also suggests that turmeric may help to ward off certain kinds of cancers, while promoting vascular health. MILK THISTLE: This herb has proven effective as a general liver tonic and specifically as a liver detoxifier. PEPPERMINT: Long heralded for its abilities to calm distressed digestive tracts, this herb is now also earning a reputation as a powerful antioxidant. GREEN TEA: Green tea is chockful of polyphenols, compounds that, Schoenbeck notes, "have antioxidant capabilities greater than vitamin C and E." Green tea has been linked to the prevention of stomach, colon, pancreatic, lung, and breast cancer. PURSLANE: Jim Duke gives this potherb/salad green high marks, describing it in his Green Pharmacy (Rodale Press, 1997) as "exceptionally rich in antioxidants," especially vitamins A, C, and E, as well as a compound known as glutathione, an immune-system booster. GRAPE SEED EXTRACT: "Grape seed extract blurs the line between nutritional supplement and herb," says Schoenbeck, noting that its been found "at least 50 times more effective than vitamins C and E as an antioxidant." It's available in supplement form. OREGANO: Like rosemary, this traditional Italian spice brings the added benefit of rosmarinic acid and more than a dozen other antioxidants.
Author: Prof. K.S. Ramakrishna Rao Publisher: Millat Book Centre Binding: Soft Cover Book Condition: New Description from the publisher: In the desert of Arabia .was Muhummed born, according to Muslim historians. on April 20, 571. The name means “highly praised”. He-Is to me the greatest mind among all the sons of Arabia. He means so much more than all the poets and kings that preceded and succeeded him in that impenetrable desert of red sand. When he appeared, Arabia was a desert – a nothing. Out of nothing of the desert a new world was fashioned by the mtghty spirit’ of Muhummed – a new life, a new culture, a new civilisation, a new kingdom which extended from Morocco to Indies and influenced the thought and life of three continents – Asia. Africa and Europe.
This week we hosted author and education specialist Rae Pica as the guest speaker at an event for parents, teachers, educators and childcare providers. The Movin’ and Groovin’ event kicks off a month of special events for our littlest patrons. Throughout October and November our locations are hosting Movin’ and Groovin’ Fests to put into action some of the strategies to help get every child read to read when they start school. Rae shared some of her favorite strategies and we want to share them with you. Take a Listening Walk. Walk with your child. Even as a baby in a stroller, talk to your baby as you walk along. Use words to describe the sounds you hear along the way. Your baby is absorbing it all as he processes his environment. Ask your toddler to listen for the natural sounds of birds, wind, or dogs barking. Then ask them to listen for the human sounds of cars, laughter, and construction. Use music to encourage active listening. Those childhood favorite songs, like BINGO or Heads-Shoulders-Knees and Toes, and Old McDonald, are key to helping young children learn sequencing, body movement and awareness, and patterns. Play musical games. Toddlers and preschoolers love musical games that get their bodies and minds engaged. Add a twist to the old favorite “musical chairs” by asking kids to freeze like a statue when the music stops, or play musical partners, giving their friend a hug when the music stops playing. Talk – sing, whisper, shout! Sing, chant, and mix it up by having the children say their name different ways. Have them chant their name to learn rhythm. Have them say their name fast and then slow to practice tempo. Have them say if softly in a whisper, then shouting to learn volume. Have them sing their name to put it all in action. You’ve got to move it, move it! Ask children to move differently when saying their name in fun ways. As they whisper their names, have them put that quiet movement into action by tiptoeing. When they shout it, ask them to stomp each syllable/beat. When they sing their name, encourage them to dance it. Imagine your finger is a giant crayon, and then ask the children to “draw” in the air the first letter of their name. Start big, then go smaller, and smaller. Get creative by using different parts of your body. Have them try writing the letter as if their bellybutton held the crayon, or their head. The giggles will come out, but without any pressure. Skywriting encourages movement, helps kids understand straight versus curvy lines, all without pressure since it’s not permanent and mistakes can’t be seen. Play balloon volleyball. There’s no better way to build eye-hand coordination (a prerequisite to writing!) than by playing volleyball with a balloon. Or through a chiffon scarf into the air and encourage the children to catch it. Nobody gets hurt, but they’ll be developing that precious coordination they’ll need later to hold a pencil and write. All of these strategies of free language and movement help promote directionality and spatial awareness for children. They build word comprehension and future literacy skills. As Rae said when she wrapped up her presentation, “the best way to teach a child to write is to let them play at the playground. Gross motor skills must be developed before fine motor skills can be honed.” You can find some of Rae’s books in our libraries and we encourage you to bring the family to one of our Movin’ and Groovin’ Fests. Oh, one last thing…we’d like to thank the Jefferson County Library Foundation for supporting the Movin’ and Groovin’ event this week! Their support of our programs made the evening possible.
Android is a word which has become so popular in the past decade that even a person with the least technical knowledge will be able to tell you that it is a mobile operating system. Its simple interface designed for touchscreen devices is based on gestures like pinching, tapping and swiping (which you are probably doing while reading this if you’re using a smartphone ;)) which make it quite user-friendly. Let us learn a few interesting facts about this widely used operating system. - The word droid means a robot. Android means a robot with human appearance. The symbol of the Android operating system clearly shows this. - Android was developed by Android Inc. which was founded in October 2003. It was acquired by Google in 2005 for a sum of $50 million. - The first commercially available smartphone running on Android was the HTC Dream, also known as T-Mobile G1, announced on September 23, 2008. It neither had a virtual keyboard nor a 3.5 mm headset jack! - Google has released 24 versions of the Android operating system since 2008 and continues to make substantial investments to develop, grow, and improve the OS. - Google Maps calculates traffic by tracking how fast Android devices are moving on the road. - By being an open-source platform, Android’s source code is available for anyone to view, download, modify, enhance, and redistribute without requiring any sort of fees, royalties, or other costs. - Initially, the software was developed as a platform for digital cameras. The focus later shifted to smartphones as the developers saw potential here. - About 81.7% of the smartphones sold in the fourth quarter of 2016 run on Android. - As of February 2017, the number of Android devices in the world is estimated to be over 1.6 billion! - One of the best features of Android is the number of apps in its app store Google Play. It has about 2.8 billion apps, most of which are free. - The names of all the versions of Android follow an alphabetical order and except Android 1.0 and 1.1, all the others are named after sweet treats. Android Astro (Android 1.0): Bender (Android 1.1): Cupcake (Android 1.5): Donut (Android 1.6): Eclair (Android 2.x): Froyo (Android 2.2.x): Gingerbread (Android 2.3.x): Honeycomb (Android 3.x): Ice cream Sandwich (Android 4.0.x): Jellybean (Android 4.x): KitKat (Android 4.4.x): Lollipop (Android 5.x): Marshmallow (Android 6.0): Nougat (Android 7.0): Oreo (Android 8.0): Food for thought? Probably! Image sources: Digitaltrends, Talk Android, Android Authority
Celibacy has always been a radical and controversial lifestyle. At different periods in history, abstinence has been honored and despised, promoted and discouraged, a sign of holiness and a mark of pride. “Prepubescent marriages and gruesome practices like genital mutilation and the imposition of chastity belts have long been used in the name of guarding a girl's ‘purity.’ Tales of famous females like Joan of Arc, Queen Elizabeth I and Florence Nightingale, to name a few, have helped uphold this chaste ideal, while medical literature from as late as the 19th century advised men to preserve their semen to boost vitality--a notion that dates back to Hippocrates and continues to this day among superstitious athletes.” Catholic priest James Carroll parrots the popular opinion that the Church’s discipline of mandatory celibacy is to blame for the infamous priest sex scandals. Katie Couric broadcasted how profoundly counter-cultural chastity has become, saying 47% of teenagers are losing their virginity before graduating high school, at the average age of 17, and 95% of all Americans have sexual relations before they are married. Others, lacking a theology of sexuality, struggle to understand chastity as a vocation, as a potentially sincere loving union with the invisible God. Mary and Joseph, the parents of Jesus, were married and celibate. It may be true that their marriage was covenantal (Jewish) rather than sacramental (Christian), but that hypothesis seems inconsistent with God’s economy of grace. After all, Mary receives the benefits of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection long before they are manifested in time – as is evident in the dogma of the Immaculate Conception – why then would she (and Joseph) not also live a sacramental life in advance of its explicit institution? Canon law states “the consent of the parties, legitimately manifested between persons qualified by law, makes marriage.” An important question is raised by the love which Mary and Joseph shared. Why did they take the incredible path of marriage without consummation, rather than one of the two obvious alternatives? Of course, Jesus himself remained a virgin as well, and many who followed after him abandoned their sexual relations in imitation. Christians have been contemplating and experimenting with the meaning of these Scriptural passages since the time of Christ. One of the most natural developments of celibacy occurred in the context of chaste male-female relationships. Some in the Church have taken the position that continent sexual-integration is an unsustainable situation this side of Heaven. The detractors tend to be advanced holy men who matured within gender-balanced environments and maintained close friendships with the opposite sex. Those in support of “spiritual marriages” of various kinds are usually those in circumstances excluding the possibility of, or the calling to, sexual isolation. Far from cries of heresy or appeals to tradition, prudence remains the rule of discernment. It need not be assumed that any charism of ascetic life is superior to another, but, like all charisms, each rises and falls according to the needs of the Kingdom of God. As will be shown, attacks against cohabitation of male and female ascetics from antiquity to the Reformation, either against couples or communities, all too often resorted shamelessly to the demonizing of the feminine and the female. Despite the obvious practical efficiency of blanket separation of the sexes, the orthodox Church’s theological (as distinct from pastoral) arguments against spiritual marriage consistently relied on an underdeveloped theology of marriage and gender. Thus, turning the thesis of ancient writings upside-down, it is the bold assertion of the author that perhaps, in modern times, the total separation of the sexes in ascetic life is more supportive to negative habits of behavior than it is shielding. Nevertheless, it is not the purpose of this paper to defend such a contention, but only to explore the history of sexually integrated asceticism and uncover its rather unsettled theology. 1 Corinthians 7:25-38 in Modern Exegesis and the Earliest Church “Syneisaktism” refers to two celibate people of the opposite sex who attempt to live in a quasi-marriage. The practice became commonplace with early Christianity, and it has been suggested that rare instances occurred among the Qumran Essenes. Several modern scholars have purported that St. Paul was aware of this ascetic practice and spoke of it explicitly in 1 Corinthians 7:36-38, which reads: But if any man thinks that he is acting unbecomingly toward his virgin, if she should be of full age, and if it must be so, let him do what he wishes, he does not sin; let her marry. But he who stands firm in his heart, being under no constraint, but has authority over his own will, and has decided this in his own heart, to keep his own virgin, he will do well. So then both he who gives his own virgin in marriage does well, and he who does not give her in marriage will do better. Historically there have been four interpretations of these opaque verses from Paul. Either Paul is writing about a man and his wife to be, a father and his virgin daughter, a levirate marriage, or finally a man who is celibate and married. The engaged-couple position has been the opinion of the majority of scholars, as is evident in English translations of the Bible, but it is still far from conclusive in its assessment. The Greek term used to refer to the man’s supposed fiancé is unusual because it is missing a contextual modifier which normally designates betrothal, as in the case of the Virgin Mary in Luke 1:27. The virgin-daughter interpretation is usually considered the oldest position, traceable back to the writings of John Chrysostom, and generally considered the opinion of the Church fathers. This view however is the most straining on the Greek language used by Paul. The third interpretation, that Paul is referencing widows who have only been married once, has been well argued by J. Massingberd Ford but gathered little to no supporters. Finally, Carl von Weizsäcker, in The Apostolic Age of the Christian Church (1894), was the first proponent of the spiritual marriage view of 1 Corinthians 7. He wrote: At Corinth, the inclination to celibacy had in a short time developed so strongly, that there was not only a class of virgins; the custom was already fostered to such an overstrained extent, that the grossest depravity threatened to grow out of it. What the Apostle says of men bearing responsibility for these virgins is not clear enough to let us perceive with the necessary precision the relations to which he refers. … There rather seems to have existed a kind of spiritual betrothal between the virgin and a man, which secured to him the guardianship of duty of oversight, but, through the freedom of the intercourse thus established, also formed a source of danger. In any case, all these traits taken together furnish a picture of a fanatical cherishing of sexual continence, which here presents itself in a unique form, and to which no certain parallel occurs on Jewish Christian ground. Taking up Weizsacker’s thesis, Hans Achelis (1902) is the great explicator of the spiritual marriage interpretation of 1 Corinthians 7, even contending that it was Paul who instituted syneisaktism in his “instructions.” In the twentieth century, this reading of the Corinthians passage became the dominant view. Its advocates included Hans Lietzmann (1923), Samuel Belkin (1935), Clarence Craig (1953), John Hering and T.W. Manson (1962), John Hurd and Margaret Thrall (1965). Scholarship today takes for granted a plethora of ascetic groups springing up in response to the teachings of Jesus Christ, and therefore considers the spiritual marriage interpretation of this epistle entirely plausible, if not the most tenable position. Three additional historical sources of syneisaktism in Pauline times come from Philo of Alexandria, the vision of Hermas, and Ephrem the Syrian. In De vita contemplativa, Philo “records the existence of an ascetic community living near Alexandria which he called the Therapeutae, or ‘healers,’ who are, at times, equated with the Essenes of Qumran.” The Therapeutae consisted of men and women committed to life-long virginity, who slept in separate homes but lived within the same community. They would have already been established before Paul wrote to the Corinthians. The vision of Hermas, known as The Shepherd, recounts the situation of a celibate man sleeping with virgins “as brother, not as husband.” Though controversial, this text was honored as Scripture in the Eastern Church into the second century and therefore strongly suggests an orthodox acceptance of spiritual marriage in the early Church. The last and possibly most important evidence of syneisaktism in Biblical Corinth is Ephrem the Syrian’s (c.306-373) commentary on Paul, in which he “clearly supports the practice of spiritual marriage. This is the earliest reference, with the possible exception of 1 Corinthians itself, explicitly supporting syneisaktism.” Thus, if the evidence holds, this text would show that there existed a pro-syneisaktism reading within the Church predating Chrysostom’s highly contagious father-daughter interpretation. Another significant text in the historical reconstruction of syneisaktism comes from Irenaeus of Lyons (130-202). In Irenaeus’ Adversus Haereses (1,6,3) he accuses some Valentinians of “pretend[ing] at first to live in chastity with them [sc female Valentinians] as with sisters [but] have been proved in the course of time to be in the wrong, when the sister gives birth to a child of her brother.” Scholars have frequently taken this passage to be one of the primary source references to the practice of syneisaktism. However, Irenaeus never mentions whether these are married couples or ascetic cults. After looking closely at the fragmented history of “Valentinianism” Van der Sypt came to the following conclusion: After investigating the Valentinian doctrine according to Ptolemaeus and its context, the initial question whether this Valentinian doctrine lent itself to an ascetic practice as syneisaktism, should be answered in the negative. By taking a detailed look at the range of thoughts of Ptolemaeus’s Valentinianism, I showed that Irenaeus’s Adversus Haereses 1,6,3 is a polemical reproach on which one should not rely if one wants to investigate the history of syneisaktism. Richard Price (2006) reports that first Corinthians is partially a response to the Encratite movement. Encratites taught that every baptized Christian should become celibate even if they were already married. “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: ‘It is well for a man not to touch a woman.’ But because of cases of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband” (1 Corinthians 7:1-2, my emphasis). Paul was clearly in favor of continence but shied away from making a universal dictate. Nevertheless, he did treat marriage as “a mere safety valve,” impairing any sense of vocational equality between the chaste and the married, and likely inciting an even greater zeal for celibate life. “If Paul had written that celibacy is indeed a gift from God but so is marriage, he would have helped the development of a positive theology of marriage.” Instead, he set the stage for a long history of tension in asceticism and gender relations. ‘Virgins of God’ In ‘Virgins of God:’ the Making of Asceticism in Late Antiquity, Berkeley historian Susanna Elm examined the evolution of Christian asceticism in the fourth century. Elm examined the crucial development of institutional celibacy in this century, from the variety of early forms to the monastic standard set by Basil of Caesarea and Athanasius. Focusing specifically on accounts of female asceticism in Asia Minor and Egypt, Elm argues that monasticism was reformed (not innovated) by these two men in the fourth century for doctrinal and socio-political purposes, namely, to draw clear distinctions between the emerging orthodox Trinitarian-Christians and the fading Arian and quasi-Arian teachers, all of whom had parallel ascetic communities which were mostly indistinguishable before this time. In 314, at a gathering of priests and bishops in Ancyra, the practice of cohabitation between professed virgins and men was prohibited. Many of these men were clergy-members who “adopted” or “married” virgin helpers. Such unions had proven very practical relationships of mutual pious support in a busy and demanding urban environment. One conservative example comes from Palladius' Historia Lausiaca where he mentions that Origen had spent years hidden in the house of the virgin Juliana in Caesarea. For Origen to have spent two years in the home of Juliana - the absence of mention implies she had no husband - she must have been both wealthy and beyond reproach in the Christian community. Such arrangements seem to have been common among female Christian virgins or widows who also had social status. Another source, dated in the early fourth century, comes from the Greek homily on virginity, Peri Parthenias. Reflecting on 1 Corinthians 7:37-38, the homilizer gives advice to the fathers of aspiring virgins, again verifying that virgin-women of lesser means often found social protection in the home of an ascetic man. Gregory of Nyssa's Life of Saint Macrina, his sister, illustrates another example of the ascetic phenomenon in early Christianity, that is, the choice, especially by women, to live as virgins within one's own family. The account of Macrina’s life in particular shows how willful and innovative such a decision was for women of that society. Still another form of acetic life was the “pseudo-marriage” of two celibates. The Greek words associated with the women involved in these relationships were synerchomenai, who were later forbidden at a council in Ancyra, and syneisaktos, those renounced in the canons of Nicaea. These Greek words imply the permanence of the arrangements, unlike Origen’s temporary stay with Juliana, and they also implicate initiation on the part of the man. Syneisaktos was also used in the early third century to describe the unorthodox situation of Paul of Samosata. This same derogatory label was also used to discourage syneisaktism (with qualification) in the writings of Basil, bishop of Ancyra, in the mid-fourth century. The entire household of Basil of Caesarea came to embrace the ascetic, celibate, life in this same period. Inspired by his sister Macrina and his brother Naucratius, Basil organized the first precepts for orthodox acetic communities. Benedict of Nursia would later draw from these in the formation of his “rule” for Benedictine monasticism. But before Basil’s initiatives, Macrina was the head of her own ascetic household, which consisted of both men and women. It was not until sometime between the years 357 and 380 that the sexes were segregated. Macrina’s younger brother Peter became the elder of the men and Macrina remained leader of the women. The transformation of Macrina’s immediate family into an ascetic community proceeded in successive stages, which can be viewed as the gradual dissolution of the traditional family structure and its reconstruction on a spiritual basis: personal poverty; the manumission of slaves and their treatment as equals; the widening of the inner circle to include those slaves; and finally, the reception of members without any relationship to the original household into the newly created ascetic community, which now, interestingly, reflected the social composition of society at large, with the majority of its members from a low stratum of society, and the leaders, including Macrina herself, from the highest. Simultaneously, and in close proximity, Basil and Macrina together developed the future foundations of religious life. Though they were hardly the first to live “the (Christian) philosophical life” – involving simple means, manual labor, service to others, and obedience to Scripture – because of their high social-status, Basil’s family formalized and popularized the ascetic life in their region. While Basil’s initial movement was to live remote from the world, Macrina’s asceticism began as “virgin-widow” in her own house in the city. These differing forms of isolation were perhaps appropriate to the accepted gender roles. It has been suggested that Basil devised his rules for female asceticism directly for Macrina’s community, but Elm thinks this conclusion is unsubstantiated. Macrina’s independent ascetic leadership was equally influential to Basil, as he was to her. During the childhood of Basil and Macrina, the other Basil, of Ancyra, was writing a treatise, De Virginitate, likely in correction of ascetic practices evolved from the teachings of Eustanthius of Sebaste. Many of Eustanthius’ practices had been condemned by a council of Fathers at Gangra. The false practices included the total disparagement of marriage, the shaving of women’s heads, the dressing of women in men’s clothes, and the elimination of gender distinctions. In addition to these errors, some followers of Eustanthius took literally Matthew 19:12: “For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.” Thus, it was thought, the mutilation of outward sexual distinctions would bring about an inward angelic state of indifference to sex. Although Basil of Ancrya is often associated with Eustanthius because of their shared homoiousian position, Basil’s teaching on asceticism was overtly opposed to rigorist Eustanthianism if not Eustanthius himself. Basil emphasized above all the interior state of virginity, or sexual purity, and whatever environment was needed to cultivate it. Interestingly though, Basil agreed that integration of the sexes, when strictly regulated and in certain continence, was the highest form of ascetic perfection. This integrated asceticism is what Elm calls the “Homoiousian model.” Sources dated between the 360’s and the 390’s show that the practice of female and male ascetics living in common was very popular. These ascetics can be divided into three main types: radical ascetics who rejected society all together, ascetics who lived in the context of their families and homes, and organized communities of men and women. In this last group Elm sets the Homoiousian model at odds with the model of Basil of Caesarea. “In all but Basil’s model, men and women practiced the ascetic life together, in community,” thus Basil the Great was defying the most rooted form of asceticism in Asia Minor. Elm raises the question: if Basil had not been on the correct side of the doctrinal debate with the Homoiousians and Pneumatomachoi, supported by imperial legislation, would his initially untraditional (and arguably less Scriptural) model of asceticism still have become the future standard of orthodoxy? Moreover, the success of Basil’s revisions was not unaided by family and friends in high ranking Church positions. Two elements in particular mark Basil the Great’s reforms: the move of ascetic communities from urban environments to the countryside to avoid entanglement in too many worldly affairs and the separation of men and women into separate areas to avert difficulties between the sexes. However Basil also avoided an opposite extreme by promoting community life rather than life in isolation. The most controversial of Basil’s reforms was the division of the sexes: “The Scriptures are quite clear, if ascetic life makes humans resemble angels while still on earth, and if angels neither marry or are given in marriage, and are thus asexual, then ascetics are above and beyond sexual distinction – ‘there is neither male nor female in Jesus Christ’ (Gal 3:28). Thus the highest form of ascetic life is that of men and women together.” Such was the rationale of the majority of ascetics before Basil, and it is uncertain that Basil’s revision of this belief was ever totally accepted. The separation of men and women appears to have had the most negative consequences on the role of female ascetics, since it drastically limited female interaction with male hierarchy, and therefore, significantly reduced the female role in doctrinal and charitable works of the Church. Anna Silvas expresses a more positive view of Basil’s influence, in Macrina the Younger: Philosopher of God. According to Silvas, Basil greatly esteemed female ascetics, giving them the first form of ecclesial status and formal vows, and presenting them as the ideal models of the Church that is “Bride of Christ.” He even “affirms that women have surpassed men in the pursuit of piety, that in the sphere of the soul there is no question of a ‘stronger’ and ‘weaker’ sex. In his spirited defense of female asceticism one cannot but feel that the person of Macrina and the example of Annisa [her religious community] inform all that he has to say." Silvas also suggests that the normalcy of Homoiousian asceticism is perhaps overstated by Elm. Eustanthius’s censure at Neocaesarea, the anathemas of Gangra, the histories of Sozomen, and Macrina’s avoidance of Eustanthian asceticism all clearly evince the heterodox elements of the Homoiousian model. Nevertheless, situations of sexually integrated asceticism did precede Eustanthius’s extreme practices of male-female syneisaktism and androgyny. A similar diversity of asceticism flourished in Egypt during this same period, especially among females. Celibate women lived out their piety either within the normal family structure, as anchorites in the desert, as wandering virgins, in community with men, or living with members of the clergy. Like the disputes in Asia Minor, Egyptian ascetic reform coincided with doctrinal development, specifically in the confrontation between Athanasius and the “Arians.” The power struggle between these two factions was largely influenced by the support, and attack, of female ascetics on both sides. Athanasius’ success in reforming urban asceticism was assisted, indirectly, by Anthony of the Desert and Pachomius. In his Life of Antony most notably, Athanasius constructed a model of asceticism that became the organizational norm in the West. Like Basil of Caesarea, Athanasius’ reform involved the simultaneous change from gender integration and urban setting to gender separation and rural setting. The connection of these two factors is worth further investigation in regard to modern religious renewal. “From the point of view of institutionalization, the emergence of organized ascetic communities for women in particular can be understood as a continuous interpretation and modification of the concept ‘family’ – more precisely, of the essentially aristocratic notion of familia.” Ascetic movements were always couched in family language whether as “virgin of God,” spiritual mother, father, daughter, son, sister, or brother, or in the concept of the spiritual marriage. “Indeed, if the family was the original social model spawning ascetic variations, then this in itself would suffice to account for a finding which is otherwise surprising: the first ascetic communities consisted of men and women who lived together.” Practices such as syneisaktism were not only widespread in ancient Christianity, but were probably the original orthodox pattern. In their writings, Basil of Caesarea and Athanasius both seem rather reluctant to denounce integrated asceticism altogether (though they are uniquely averse to the idea of spiritual marriage), yet both end up totally separating the sexes more to emphasize the sweeping doctrinal changes of the period and demarcate their particular ascetic camp. Elm takes an interesting stance on the relationship of doctrine to this ascetic reform. The council of Nicaea and the formation of Christian Rome altered the previously Origenistic models of the Faith, which were deeply influential to the ascetic movement. Origin's theology of salvation essentially assumed a kind of eschatological fulfillment in the Christian man or woman, so that the highest degree of asceticism meant complete dominion of the soul over the body. It was thought Christians could transcend their sex and live “like the angels in heaven.” This is related to the phenomenon of the “transvestite nun” and both men and women wearing the same “philosopher's cloak” because many considered the male gender closer to the angelic state. With Athanasius and the Nicaea-Constantinople definitions of the Trinity, a new paradigm arose in the theology of salvation. A fresh emphasis on the mediation of the Incarnate God drastically sharpened the Creator-creature distinction. While, Origen emphasized the divine dignity of the human person, Athanasius stressed human dependence on God’s gifts. Thus, salvation came through struggle with the body rather than by subduing the body; being disposed to Christ’s Grace through humility became more important than the willful effort to live the life of Heaven. The need for more stringent rules about gender followed this line of reasoning. The move of ascetic communities from urban to rural environments, although undoubtedly motivated by a desire to remove ascetics from political-doctrinal entanglements, was also not unrelated to this heightened awareness of human sinfulness. Instead of trying to transform society from within, the ascetic reformers thought it better for the pious to be remote from aristocratic affairs. The weakness of the fourth and fifth century ascetic reforms may be more apparent in this latter change. Just as extreme isolation from social-political life is certainly not the Christian way (i.e. the Amish); neither should there be an extreme isolation of men from women and women from men in ascetic life (even though it may be an individual charism). One might note that a reverse paradigm is developing in religious life since Vatican II, in both a return to sexual integration and a return to the city. Dyan Elliot’s Research on Spiritual marriage One of the most ground-breaking works in the discussion on “mystical marriage,” in the Christian context, is Dyan Elliot’s The Bride of Christ Goes to Hell (2012). Looking at the fluctuating meaning of the phrase “bride of Christ,” from ancient to medieval times, Elliot concludes that the expression became increasing loaded with negative associations between virgin spirituality and demonic activity culminating in persecutions of “brides of the devil.” Although criticized for its thesis-driven conjecture, rather than pure historical description, this academic text has uncovered many important details in the history of “heteroascetcism” especially as regards women. In Chapter One, Elliot discusses with the first letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 7, where it is unclear if Paul is addressing fathers who have not yet arranged a marriage for their daughters, or husbands who have not yet consummated their marriages, or both. “By the time of the apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla, which was already in circulation by the end of the second century, a presumed female proclivity for the virgin state is apparent.” Early Church writings on virgins could not avoid contestation over gender roles, and much is said about the allure of female virginity as a way of “becoming male.” In its first few centuries, Christian theology – in anachronistically “Gnostic” as well as in orthodox writings – tended toward the view that sexual differentiation was a post-lapsarian phenomenon, thus womanhood and sin came into the world together and should be overcome together. Gender transformation was also formulated in terms of “angelic life,” citing Luke 20:34-36. The assumption that a lack of marriage in heaven meant a lack of gender on earth seems to be common, and virginity was thought to bring about this “realized eschatology.” Galatians 3:28, “no male or female, but all one in Christ,” was often cited in reference to ascetics becoming androgynous rather than simply male. Nevertheless, a bias toward maleness remained strong in the early Christian Church and was supported in other Scriptures such as in those that refer to eunuchs (always male in antiquity) and the virgins of Revelation who “have not defiled their clothes with women” (Rev 3:4, 14:4). The Old Testament nuptial language of God as husband of Israel extended into Paul’s theology of the Church as bride of Christ, priests, and eventually Bishops, as husbands of their flocks, and men as priests over their domestic families. “Paul’s understanding of the mystical marriage bends gender in one way and one way only: there are male brides, but no female grooms.” Elliot (contra Silvas) identifies Tertullian as the first to crown consecrated virgins with the title “bride of Christ.” At first, this move seems contrary to Tertullian’s extensive polemics against the married state and especially against any form of female pretention, but Elliot connects it to his view of Genesis. Tertullian was uneasy about the idea of mingling humans and angels (and therefore about the idea of androgyny) because of a popular interpretation of Genesis 6:2 wherein it was believed God had punished angels for breeding with humans. “It is in this context that the sexed body emerged as the benchmark of difference in his writings.” So absolute was Tertullian’s view of the everlastingness of the body, and its literal transformation though sexual intercourse, that he crusaded relentlessly against the practice of remarriage. In fact, Tertullian would have been at a loss to comprehend the later teaching that Mary and Joseph had a true marriage which was never consummated because of his view of virginity and marriage was so irrevocably dichotomous (and always in favor of celibacy). Tertullian famously called women “the devil’s gateway” assuming, like Paul in first Corinthians 11:10, that an immodest woman was a dangerous temptation to male society as well as to the angelic realm. Moreover, he assumed that the angelic transgression of Genesis 6:2 was with virgins, since sexual relations with a non-virgin would be an unthinkable debasement for a heavenly creature. Eve herself was destined to be a virgin until sex entered the world as a result of the fall. But embracing the originally intended equivalence between womanhood and virginity, the Virgin Mary undoes Eve’s failure. Tertullian avoided the conflation of virginity with androgyny or maleness and replaced it with the concept of virginity as fulfillment of embodied femininity. Thus, Tertullian is often held responsible for the shift in focus from virginity as a spiritual state to virginity as a state of the body. At the same time, he offered the consecrated female-virgin a distinct and equal status alongside her male counterpart, the voluntary eunuch, in this life and the next. By the time of Cyprian (c. 200-258), the virginal state was exalted above all others save martyrdom. Again cases involving one or more virgins living with a clergy member were frequent. In relation to these cases of syneisaktism, Cyprian differed from Tertullian in that his level of commitment to the “bride of Christ” analogy extended to Gods intense jealousy of male counterparts in the virgin’s life, and greater punishments for her infidelity. Those virgins who even shared the bed of a living man were adulterers due the penalty of adultery. Not coincidentally this change coincided with the increased separation of male and female ascetics. So excited was the effort to preserve physical virginity at this time that brides of Christ would be subject to gynecological examination if suspected of unfaithfulness to their vows and a virgin whose chastity was at stake was encouraged to commit suicide in imitation of early martyrs – Ambrose and Jerome were among the supporters of this idea, but thankfully Augustine put the legitimacy of the practice to rest soon after. In Augustine’s time, the Book of Enoch lost its doctrinal credibility along with its romantic interpretation of Genesis 6. Augustine interpreted the “sons of God” as merely concupiscent men, not angels. Later, John Cassian associated them with the decedents of righteous Seth, while the “daughters of men” were from the lineage of Cain. In the pseudo-Cyprian tract De singularitate clericorum clergy who practiced syneisaktism were condemned as repeating the concupiscence of these “sons of God.” After Ambrose, the sponsa Christi thus maintained its lofty social status, including the official hallmarks of veiling and episcopal blessing in a public liturgical ceremony outdating the liturgy of marriage (distinct from cultural rites) by at least three hundred years. Spiritual Marriage: Sexual Abstinence in Medieval Wedlock by Dyan Elliot is considered the seminal study on celibate unions in the West. Elliot begins the examination with these lines from Shakespeare’s The Phoenix and the Turtle: Beauty, truth, and rarity Grace in all simplicity, Here enclosed in cinders lie. Death is now the phoenix’ nest, And the turtle’s loyal breast To eternity doth rest, Leaving no posterity: ‘Twas not their infirmity, It was married chastity. Father David Beauregard studied this tradition of poetry, focusing on Robert Chester’s “Truth of Love” collection, and uncovered its inspirations in the medieval Catholic traditions of mystical union, spiritual friendship, and continent marriage. Beauregard also quotes Pope Leo the Great, Chaucer, and several other popular figures writing positively about the idea of marriage where there is deep emotional connection without sexual union. Although usually associated with an aversion to sexual intercourse (prevalent in the early Church) or identified with religious exceptionalism (as against sanctity in ‘everydayness’), the opinion of the authors cited by Beauregard portrays a popular romantic sentiment toward spiritual marriage not often discussed. Shakespeare laments the death of the Phoenix and the Turtle whose passing symbolizes the relative disappearance of the continent couple after the Reformation and Counter-Reformation cleared. Elliot chose the phrase “spiritual marriage” for her research on intramarital chastity despite its frequent equivocation with syneisaktism and its confusion with allegorical meanings, such as a Bishop’s marriage to his see, Christ’s union with the Church, and the mystical marriage of God with the human soul. “Chaste marriage” did not suffice because it was a common designation used in the high Middle Ages to describe a married couple who simply upheld their marriage vows. “Celibate marriage” she considered too anomalous and too often implying a transition to single religious life. Elliot sees the phenomenon of spiritual marriage as a double-edged “spontaneous and complex reaction” against society’s “reproductive imperative” and against the idea that asceticism requires separation of the sexes. Moreover, spiritual marriage (and integrated asceticism in general) involved a definite challenge to normative gender roles, allowing women more autonomy in self-conceptualization and forcing men to deal with more female social-political influence. This freedom for self-possession and self-gift is inherent to the New Testament kerygma, even beyond its expression in celibate life. However, the early instantiations of Christian liberty, for women in particular, involved (perhaps in many cases, required) the renunciation of marriage. Whereas, the distinction between celibate men and married men was clearly demarcated by the duties and decorum of priesthood, the implications for women were less transparent. Thus, “there was, understandably, a natural affinity between the clergy and celibate women… certain members of the orthodox clergy had begun to experiment in chaste, heterosexual cohabitation, setting up housekeeping with female ascetics. The female companions came to be referred to among their critics as syneisaktoi in the East and subintroductae in the West – both terms implying implicit cohabitation.” Elizabeth Clark’s study on John Chrysostom’s rhetoric to the subintroductae shows how controversial the practice had become by his time (d.407). Although modern and ancient scholars argued that syneisaktism was a tradition condoned by Paul in 1 Corinthians 7, Chrysostom, siding with many orthodox contemporaries, would not entertain this idea because he thought the virgins subintroductae interfered with male holiness more than they helped. Interestingly, Chrysostom’s attack on spiritual marriages did not assume that these relationships led to a loss of virginity – unlike Jerome’s opinion that all subintroductae were harlots with swelling wombs. Instead Chrysostom used the following arguments against syneisaktism: “perpetual sexual arousal; the offense to ‘weaker brothers;’ the opportunity for enemies of the Church to criticize her; the ‘adultery’ of the brides of Christ; the necessity of suffering and denial in the Christian life; the dubious practical benefits secured by the relationship; the sacrifice of the freedom virginity was intended to bring; and the overturning of the sexual roles and functions which ‘nature’ as well as God had ordained.” There are many valid points in Chrysostom’s arguments but also many problems. While he compares spiritual marriage to trying to fast while sitting before a feast, and this to the formula for torture, he also argues in other places that the spiritual couple is living too comfortable a lifestyle. Masochism and sloth are obviously contrary vices. The most disappointing of Chrysostom’s contentions is that no man would ever put up with a woman in his home if not to lust after her or to bear his children. Likewise, proximity to a woman makes a man weak and effeminate. He also uses the more common argument that brides of Christ who live with men are committing spiritual adultery. The most compelling rebukes come against the practical rationalizations by the spiritual couples themselves. “If the men argue that aiding indigent virgins is a way of demonstrating Christian charity, Chrysostom points out to them that there are plenty of old, blind, sick, and impoverished people of both sexes who would be fitting recipients of their generosity-not just comely young maidens.” The same argument holds for potential helpers in business and domestic affairs, in fact, someone of the same sex would probably be more aware of a busy monk’s or virgin’s needs. Unfortunately, it is impossible to know what those living in spiritual marriages would have said for themselves first-hand, since all records of the practice come from polemics against it or from historically unreliable hagiographies. But Clark does not consider the pragmatic advantages of communal living sufficient reasons for syneisaktism’s persistence. She offers two noteworthy alternative considerations: “Syneisaktism, we think, offered to men and women a unique opportunity for friendships which involved a high degree of emotional and spiritual intimacy.” Sadly, Chrysostom does not believe such relations between the sexes are appropriate even within marriage and this is due to a sorely erroneous theology of gender. “These couples, we think, were tending toward the recognition of the possibility of friendship between the sexes, something considered improbable in the ancient world. To the classical mind, friendship in its truest sense meant a kind of parity between two people, and women, by virtue of their inferior nature and status, could thus rarely qualify as suitable candidates for friendship with men.” Roger E. Reynolds has written on the history on virgines subintroductae in Celtic Christianity. In the fifth century, St. Patrick is recorded as saying: “Henceforth let not a monk and a virgin live together in one dwelling, travel about in one wagon from villa to villa, or discourse continuously together.” Nonetheless, individual Irish saints, such as St. Scothine, St. Mel, St. Kentigern, the Anglo-Saxon, St. Aldhelm, and Robert of Abrissel, all recognized as saints by the same Church which condemned syneisaktism, lived in consort with one or more women, proving that the tradition had very deep roots in Celtic Christianity. It has been argued that this practice came from Spanish and North African Christian influences pre-dating Patrick. The Celtic culture is a unique example because of its relative isolation from Roman Europe. There was no diocesan system, as on the Continent, because there were no urban centers, social institutions were non-Roman, and almost everyone lived a nomadic lifestyle. It was also common for women to perform masculine duties such as serving in war, and after their conversions to be enlisted as catechists, altar ministers, and assistants to wandering males. Celtic syneisaktism had special characteristics uncommon to other locales, including open discussion of frequent, even nightly, battles with chastity. This aggressive confrontation with lust at its source was considered a theological justification for syneisaktism, compared in kind to St. Antony expunging demons from their desert hideaways. Also, the women who lived with ascetic men often underwent some difficult test of their chastity before they were allowed to cohabit. Another Celtic nuance was the frequent use of cold baths in the maintenance of chastity. At the same time, Irish asceticism was dually inspired by a sense of realized eschatology and the restoration of paradise. “Syneisaktism in Celtic Christianity, far from being a perversion of early Christian morality, was the continuation of a Christian practice which dates from the origins of Christianity and which was spread through-out the early Church, both in the East and in the West. The existence of virgines subintroductae in Celtic Christianity is, then, a further demonstration that Irish Christianity was not a ‘wholly new and extremely original current,’ but that it was the last flowering in the West of the most primitive Christianity.” Augustine may be considered the architect of spiritual marriage in the West since he was the first to develop a theory of nuptial union not dependent on the conjugal debt. At the beginning of the fifth century the Christian opinion of traditional marriage was at its lowest, yet the theology of marriage was beginning to flower. Augustine held that virginity was a higher calling than marriage but that marriage was nonetheless a natural good. Augustine broke from the common view that sex entered the world with Original Sin, and instead proposed that Adam and Eve were always intended to have sexual activity. However, this was as far as Augustine went in support of sex, for the procreative organs were considered the most damaged post-lapsarian aspect of humanity. Furthermore, Augustine raised Mary and Joseph's union to the status of an ideal marriage, thereby contributing to the popularity of celibate marriages even if not intending to do so. Many couples took up this ascetic practice in imitation of the Holy Family, either as perpetual virgins or after having been married normally for a time, in order to distinguish themselves from the pagan world which was collapsing back into the Roman Empire in Augustine’s time. Augustine himself dealt with some of the pastoral realities which this situation presented. In Augustine’s letter to Armentarius and Paulina, a married couple who came to regret their vows of chastity, he warns that breaking chastity (post-vows) would be a serious evil unless their original intentions to remain chaste in marriage were somehow flawed. In the event that one party within marriage sought to consummate or continue sexual relations against the desire of the other, the spiritually stronger party was counselled to give-in to the weaker. Alongside the hagiographies of mutually chaste partners, a motif of sexual evasion arose wherein one party, usually the wife, successfully avoided, or brashly refused, sex with their spouse for the sake of piety. Although Augustine and other Church fathers cautiously supported the transition to chastity within marriage, other models of celibate marriage often took the limelight. “The flamboyant virginal union was the darling of hagiographers and chroniclers alike, while the constrained movement to chastity had become a central feature of clerical discipline.” Medieval Trends in Marital Chastity Although clerical continence was encouraged from the beginning of Christianity, and increasingly so through the centuries, the Church continued to ordain married men until the end of the tenth century. The Apostolic Canons, Leo I, and Gregory the Great all forbade priests from abandoning their wives and insisted on chaste cohabitation (in these specific instances). This arrangement became maximally frustrated in the period of the Frankish kings as any deviation from clerical celibacy came under public scrutiny. The focus on priesthood during Carolingian reforms resulted in both a de-emphasis on female spirituality and the Church’s stabilization of marriage. Records of female saints and of spiritual marriages dwindled in this era. Representations of lay asceticism were deemed anti-clerical because if the holy priesthood suffered to maintain its chastity how could lay people manage it? Likewise, female heroism was relegated to the domestic family and the Carolingian period has been correlated to women’s loss of influence in the Church. The eleventh century and Gregorian reform saw the demarcation between celibate priesthood and married laity continue to sharpen. As a side-effect of the push for clerical reform, lay marriage became an important contrast to priestly purity and thus lay asceticism was not encouraged. “The many crossing and recrossings between these two rather artificially polarized states – between sexual activity and celibacy – not only tended to blur these boundaries but also gave rise to some notable hybrids.” Married priests were violently separated from their wives in this period, and Papal legislation coerced the laity to boycott such cohabiting priests’ sacraments. Not surprisingly, this atmosphere led to the frequent demonizing of women, as is evident even in the writings of saints like Peter Damien. In multiple respects Christian society idealized the male gender: virginal status was displaced by priesthood, the cult of the virgin king was popularized, and life was divided into “trifunctional orders of men: those who pray, those who fight, and those who work the land – a clearly vexed description insofar as it ignores both the rising merchant class and women altogether.” By the twelfth and thirteenth centuries two streams of marriage theology coexisted. Hugh St. Victor, Albert the Great, and Thomas Aquinas took up the position of Augustine that marriage was a good in itself, including the sexual activity, pending it upheld its three ends: faith, procreation, and indissolubility. Hugh of St Victor gave blatant approval to spiritual unions separating marriage into two “sacraments,” one for procreation and one for love. Peter Lombard’s articulation of marriage represented the older stream. In his view, the good of the conjugal act was still in question though he was willing to exempt it from sin if the fullness of the three ends were present in the act (and if it was almost devoid of pleasure). In the thirteenth century, the revival of the practice of chaste marriage stimulated unprecedented debate over the theological and legal ramifications of the conjugal debt and of the binding levels of vows. The Gregorian reform provoked many theological and canonical discussions about marital union. In medieval society, the popular conception of marriage was dissatisfying to clerical authorities since it did not involve enough Church sponsorship. In addition, the public tradition was too complex, requiring a legal pact, an exchange of property, and the sexual intercourse itself. The Church thus sought to mitigate the rift between sacramental marriages and socio-political marriages. By asserting the ecclesial model of consent theory – which stated that mutual consent was the efficient cause of marriage – the Church could take away some of the power that rich nobles held over the marriages of their progeny. At least in theory, young noble people could be wed without the permission of their parents and arranged marriages would lose some of their traditional political and economic dimensions. Locating the essential element of matrimony in the parties’ consent resulted in debates about the role of sexual consummation in marriage. In a predominately Christian milieu, the marriage of Mary and Joseph naturally arose as the archetypal situation for dispute. “For consent theorists of the twelfth century, a spiritual marriage was a reflection of the type of union that had joined Adam and Eve before the Fall.” Therefore, Mary and Joseph represented a perfected form of marriage, consummated by consent, and indicative of the Christian calling to a higher mode of living. This emphasis on the sacramental nature of vows would eventually become the basis for invalidating carnal marriage for the professed religious. Consent theorists faced pronounced resistance because of the perennial belief that unconsummated marriages were not “finished” and because it was taken for granted that parents had the authority to arrange marriages for their children. Consent theory also exposed one to the practical dangers of forced consent, secret consent, or false attestations of consent. “It did not take very long before the secular nobility, faced with the growing influence of consent theory, began to exploit this weakness.” To reduce these exploitations, many thought sexual intercourse or procreation was the most reliable sign of consent, much to the detriment of rape victims. A relative conclusion to the debate came from the formulation of Simon of Tournai (d.1201): “The truth of the sacrament of marriage is double: (1) mutual consent, which signifies the union of the faithful soul to God; (2) the commerce of the flesh, by which two become one, which signifies the mystery of the Incarnation.” Thus, consent could be considered a first step into marriage but not enough to establish its indissolubility. Coition would be the determining factor in a marriage’s “perfection.” A version of this doctrine remains the canonical norm, with the additional clause that “if the spouses have lived together consummation is presumed until the contrary is proven.” The marriage of Mary and Joseph was essentially relegated to a special case, since procreation in some sense did occur, and this coincided with the undesirability of asceticism among the laity as an important motivation for Church hierarchy to advocate consummation in marriage. The rise of the cult of Mary was no less important in the development of matrimonial norms – as was the cult of Joseph’s perpetual virginity which arose in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. In order to dissuade the laity from aspiring to imitate the marriage of Mary and Joseph, some clergy began to assert the contingency of Mary’s personal vow of virginity, and thus emphasized Mary’s openness to obey Joseph, her parents, and God, if any of them had asked her to choose otherwise. Insofar as the marriage of Mary and Joseph was the Christian ideal, it should be seen as categorically superior to normal human marriage, that is, admirable but not imitable. “Thus while Mary’s double capacity as virgin and mother exerted considerable influence on chaste celibates, she remained, for the married, rather one-dimensional, reinforcing the general mores of married life.” It was the famous distinction between internal and external forum, inspired by the primacy of intention over action in Abelard’s Ethics, which opened the door to fresh spiritual creativity among women. The high theological value of the internal life, since it was often a woman’s only realm of autonomy, transformed many pious married women’s lives, leading into an age of married-female mysticism. The female concern with chastity was renewed in this new age along with the occurrences of spiritual marriage – the intention to be chaste was given an almost equal status to actual virginity. The Christian spirit of the thirteenth century was one of penitence, a fruit of the mendicant orders, and this spirit resurrected ancient practices of lay asceticism. The penitential zeitgeist was especially beneficial to women since its rigors often put men in a position of sympathy for feminine submission and obedience, even to the point of acknowledging the inherently female disposition toward grace. In support of this theory, the number of female saints almost tripled from the twelfth to the fifteenth century and women took over the majority of canonizations from the laity. Restrictions on the female vocation in consort with ascending zeal for ascetic life naturally led to radical assertions of piety within marriage. Women who felt an early vocation to celibacy were easily undermined by arranged marriages and many spiritual marriages came about in this way. Widespread tales of saintly chastity within wedlock helped many of these women attempt marriage-bed conversions of their husbands, many succeeding. Those who failed allowed the conjugal debt to become a form of extreme penance and incessantly pleaded for sexual fasts and eventual continence. Because women were required by Church and state law to garner consent from their husbands for excessive pieties, some women resorted to clandestine penances. Such was the case with princess Hedwig of Bavaria (d.1243), who was depicted in some records as a quasi-adulterer with Christ. Other influential models of spiritual marriage from the later Middle Ages include Bridget and Catherine of Sweden, Jeanne-Marie of Maillac, Catherine of Genoa, Dorothea of Montau, Frances of Rome, Empress Cunegund and Dauphine and Elzear. The beatifications and canonizations of most of these holy people “not only anticipated the return of the spiritual marriage motif to women, but it also signaled the resurfacing of the completely unconsummated marriage as a distinct and well-publicized model of the married state.” In 2011, Anne Alwis published the first edition of her dissertation translating and analyzing the Byzantine hagiographical accounts of three celibate couples: Julian and Basilissa (c.500), Andronikos and Athanasia (c.500-1000), and Galaktion and Episteme (c.800-900). Julian was a wealthy Egyptian Christian who was forced to marry though he wished to remain pure. In a vision, God tells Julian that he will marry a holy woman but they will remain virgins. Julian and Basilissa convert their homes into monasteries and attract a large following of students. Basilissa dies before Julian, who is left to be persecuted under the reign of Diocletian and Maximian, is tortured and eventually beheaded. In the process, Julian converts some of his persecutors and his relics become associated with later miracles. Andronikos and Athanasia were a wealthy and pious couple from Antioch whose two children died young, crippling them with grief. God comforted them with a mutual call to the monastic life in Egypt in separate communities. Years later, Anthanasia met Andronikos again on a journey to Jerusalem, but did not recognize her since she was disguised as a (male) monk. The two became intimate friends and lived together as brother and sister until her death, only after which her true identity was revealed. Galaktion and Episteme lived in the Syrian city of Emesa in an unspecified time of Christian persecution. Once married, Galaktion convinced Episteme that they should embrace ascetic lives on the Sinai Peninsula, in separate communities. They did so, not even laying eyes on one another again until Galaktion was arrested and Episteme rushed to join him. The two were gruesomely tortured and martyred together. Alwis immediately points out that there is no idiomatic expression associated with celibate marriage in these writings. “Such disinterest in classifying an unusual and potentially transgressive union in three different literary traditions and time periods indicates the malleability of this form of marriage as well as the difficulties involved in conceptualizing it.” In contrast to the examination of celibate marriage in the West by Dyan Elliot (barring a few exceptions), these hagiographies do not focus on the torments of sexual-penance or the dynamics of gender-roles, but rather emphasize the road to sanctity through the very relations, sexual or not, of marriage. What makes these stories unique, in the context of the East, is that the focus is not, as it is usually, on the ascetic or celibate aspect, but on the relationships themselves. “What is so interesting about these Greek vitae is that all three couples (to varying degrees) are portrayed as still being emotionally bound to one another even if the primary force in a man and woman’s licit union is eliminated.” Despite its resurging popularity and historical resilience spiritual marriage did not survive the turmoil of the Reformation. The Protestant attacks against celibacy, Mariology, and the cult of the saints poisoned the soil of this devotion. Post-Tridentine Catholic reformers were forced to reassert clerical authority and lay pieties were viewed with suspicion. Female asceticism was particularly scrutinized and any “initiative toward an active lay apostolate was ultimately suppressed or redirected to a cloistered milieu.” In his short study on Celibate Love (1979), Dominican Paul M. Conner has revitalized the conversation about ‘spiritual marriage’ in post-modern Christianity. His thesis revolves around the question of masculine-feminine complementarity and whether it is possible in a celibate context (in this life). “Many priests, brothers, and sisters admit confusion and frustration in their personal attempts to harmonize sensitive, warm, masculine and feminine love with their openhearted commitment to celibacy for the sake of divine love.” The state of the theological question on the relationship between human loves and divine love is still muddled today, even more so in religious life. Some consecrated women are rejecting bridal and spousal descriptions of their vocation in favor of participating in Christ’s ministry, some organize dating experiments between priests and religious sisters, and some still seek a “third way” between marriage and consecrated chastity. At the other extreme, are the well-known practices of social isolation and friendship restrictions for those in vows. Conner desires a balanced, scientific and theological appraisal of “mixed celibacy.” He goes on to tell the stories, primarily from actual correspondences, of undisputed holy people and their romantic friendships: Saints Frances de Sales and Jane de Chantel, Saint Teresa of Avila and Blessed Gracian, Saint Catherine of Siena and Blessed Raymond of Capua, Blesseds Jordan of Saxony and Diana D’Andalo. He also discusses Saint Dominic’s beautiful theology of integrated friendship. Although these examples prove that celibacy does not exclude profound sexual complementarity and emotional intimacy, none of these cases include much semblance to syneisaktism, or male-female cohabitation. This latter practice may indeed be incompatible with the celibate vocation or, perhaps, only a transient phase during the transition from betrothal to asceticism. However, the boundaries of male-female intimacy up to the point of genital arousal (outside traditional matrimony) may be entirely a matter of personal discernment between said couples and the Church. Conner concludes that the ability to live in sexually integrated celibacy is a real but scarce calling, with considerable risks as well as proportionate blessings. “Intimate friendships between consecrated men and women cannot be recommended generally, because rare indeed are the persons who can sufficiently avoid the dangers so as to enjoy the benefits.” Prudence does not favor the banning of sexually-complementary celibate living, but judgments about such relationships require personal case-by-case analysis and counsel. Ultimately, if a spiritual ‘partner’ nurtures one’s relationship with God and enhances one’s ministry “the final judgment cannot be an inflexible morality of safety.” To live at all in a fallen world is to be in peril of sin; prudence should be the law of one’s discernment and service the spirit of one’s choices. As the ancient Celtic tradition shows, a disciplined form of syneisaktism could be some couple’s particular charism for building up the Church and rooting out the devil. The orthodox procedure for pursuing such a call is undoubtedly in need of ecclesial clarification. “Each has a particular gift from God, one having one kind and another a different kind” (1 Corinthians 7:7b). One of the key issues of this topic, not developed in the discussion above, is what today is called “emotional-intelligence.” While the priority of the intellect over the passions is still a debated question in theology, most historical ideologies seem strongly disposed to ‘rationalism.’ For example, Leonard Ferry has argued against any “pro-passion” interpretation of Aquinas, stating that Aquinas distrusts the passions and “does insist on the necessity of rational control [domination] over the passions.” Any contribution of the passions independent of the intellect would only be an inclination toward sin. It is difficult not to connect this kind of extreme bias for the intellect with traditional patriarchy in society and politics. It is the opinion of the author that one of the few positive developments in contemporary American culture is the emergence of relational philosophies and the study of emotional-intelligence, initiatives born into otherwise fact-driven education models. The increasing awareness of this type of relational intelligence is tantamount to a rise in female influence, and so long as this influence remains feminine (contra masculine ‘feminisms’), the author is convinced it will lead to desirable social changes. One of the advantages of integrated asceticism, whether between male and female individuals or within religious communities, is the contribution which the opposite sexes make to each other’s relative masculinity or femininity. There is a phenomenon observed in gender psychology, wherein masculine parties increase the femininity of their partners and feminine parties increase the masculinity of their partners. “Claims are being made by some theologians that Christian love and friendship, particularly between consecrated celibates, is a great aid to attaining intimacy with the Trinity in prayer.” Of course, such advantages are impossible without sexual integration. Similarly, Augustine himself thought that a couple who lived in chastity or were transitioning into chastity would also increase in spiritual intimacy. In general, integrated asceticism has had spiritual theology on its side but has been found wanting in pastoral practice. This tradition, even as celibate marriage, was never censured across the board, but only in local situations as deemed necessary, leaving its resurgence a real possibility. Dyan Elliot pointed out that the custom of spiritual marriage has a real affinity with modern socially and economically expedient unions. Conversion today naturally manifests in situations of mixed-asceticism. The historical repression of integrated chastity mirrors trends in male chauvinism: its depressions have always coincided with concerns of male leadership and clerical authority. Contrarily, the popularity of spiritual marriage followed rises in female spirituality, gender equality, and Marian devotion. Perhaps, in this present ‘Age of Mary’ integrated celibacy will find new life to challenge the contemporary milieu that believes intimacy within almost any group cannot be sustained without inviting sexual relations. Rigid sexually-isolated asceticism may be counterproductive for the psychologically, especially emotionally, underdeveloped society that exists, at least in America, today. The history of the Church demands that the practice of integrated celibacy be approached with ecclesial caution and professional oversight, nevertheless this task may be more tenable in the present age than it ever was in the past. As Elizabeth Clark “indicates that the rare usage of philia (as opposed to eros) to describe the love of the cohabiting celibates for one another is a sign that the Subintroductae represent a vital shift in the history of inter-gender friendship,” one might hope this evolution in sexual relationships would continue to advance and reclaim the Gospel’s superior liberality – strategically vital ground overtaken and displaced by the sexual revolution. Freedom for love is the Catholic Church’s sole and special claim. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12). Stephey, M. J. 2009. "A Brief History Of: Abstinence." Time 173, no. 8: 16. See Carroll, James. 2010. "Mandatory celibacy at the heart of what's wrong." National Catholic Reporter 46, no. 17: 18-23. Stephey, M. J. 2009. "A Brief History Of: Celibacy." Time 173, no. 20: 14. Couric, Katie. "The Virginity Movement." Katie: Talke That Matters. http://katiecouric.com/2014/04/25/the-virginity-movement/ (accessed April 28, 2014). Canon 1057. See Zias, Joseph E. 2000. "The Cemeteries Of Qumran And Celibacy: Confusion Laid To Rest?." Dead Sea Discoveries 7, no. 2: 220-253. Humanities International Complete, EBSCOhost. Peters, G. 2002. "Spiritual Marriage in Early Christianity: 1 Cor 7:25-38 in Modern Exegesis and the Earliest Church." Trinity Journal 23, no. 2: 212. Ibid. 213. Ibid. 214. Ibid. 215. Ibid. 216. Quoting Carl von Weizsäcker, The Apostolic Age of the Christian Church , 2 vols. (London: Williams and Norgate, 1894–1895), 2:371-72. 1 Cor 7:25-38 in Modern Exegesis. 217. Ibid. 218-221. Ibid. 222. Ibid. 223-24. Ibid. 224. Van der Sypt, Liesbeth. 2012. "The Unreliability of Irenaeus's Reference to Syneisaktism (Adversus Haereses 1,6,3)." Vigiliae Christianae 66, no. 5: 552. Ibid. 553. Ibid. 557. Ibid. 123. Price, Richard M. 2006. "Celibacy and Free Love in Early Christianity." Theology & Sexuality: The Journal Of The Institute For The Study Of Christianity & Sexuality 12, no. 2: 121-141. SocINDEX with Full Text, EBSCOhost. 125. Elm, Susanna. 1994. Virgins of God : the making of asceticism in late antiquity / Susanna Elm. n.p.: Oxford : Clarendon Press ; New York : Oxford University Press, c1994., 1994. 25. Ibid. 29. Ibid. 47. Ibid. 48-9. Ibid. 98. Ibid. 100. Ibid. 104. Silvas, Anna, and of Nyssa, Saint Gregory. 2008. Macrina the Younger, philosopher of God / Anna M. Silvas. n.p.: Turnhout : Brepols, c2008., 2008. 57. Virgins of God. 131. Ibid. 131. Ibid. 206. Ibid. 207. Ibid. 213. Ibid. 214-15. Ibid. 222. Macrina the Younger. 57. Ibid. 21-32. Virgins of God. 253. Ibid. 350-369. Ibid. 371. Ibid. 374. Ibid. 374-75. Ibid. 378-79. Elliott, Dyan. 2012. The Bride of Christ Goes to Hell : Metaphor and Embodiment in the Lives of Pious Women, 200-1500. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012. See Dreyer, Elizabeth. 2012. "The Bride of Christ Goes to Hell: Metaphor and Embodiment in the Lives of Pious Women, 200–1500 (review)." The Catholic Historical Review no. 4: 767. Project MUSE, EBSCOhost. Bride of Christ. 9-10. Ibid. 11-12. Ibid. 12. Ibid. 13. Ibid. 14. Ibid. 16. Ibid. 18. Ibid. 22. Ibid. 26. Ibid. 33. Ibid. 58-59. Ibid. 56. Ibid. 46. Beauregard, David. 2011. "'The Mutual Flame of Love': Spiritual Marriage in Shakespeare's The Phoenix and Turtle." Religion & The Arts 15, no. 1/2: 131-147. Religion and Philosophy Collection, EBSCOhost. 132, 137. Ibid. 143-45. Elliott, Dyan. 1993. Spiritual marriage : sexual abstinence in medieval wedlock / Dyan Elliott. n.p.: Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, c1993., 1993. 3. Ibid. 5. Ibid. 32. Spiritual Marriage. 12-13. Clark, Elizabeth A. 1977. "John Chrysostom and the Subintroductae." Church History 46, no. 2: 171-185. ATLA Religion Database, EBSCOhost. 175. The landmark work on Paul’s attitude toward syneisaktism was Hans Achelis’ Virgines Subintroductae (1902), other important thinkers include Eduard Grafe, Roland Seboldt, Warner Georg Kummel, and Henry Chadwick. John Chrysostom and the Subintroductae. 176. Ibid. 177. Ibid. 181. Ibid. 179. Ibid. 182. Ibid. 183-84. Reynolds, Roger E. 1968. "Virgines subintroductae in Celtic Christianity." Harvard Theological Review 61, no. 4: 547-566. ATLA Religion Database, EBSCOhost. 549. Ibid. 549-51. Ibid. 553. Ibid. 551. Ibid. 560. Ibid. 563. Ibid. 561. Ibid. 566. Spiritual Marriage. 43. Ibid. 48-50. Ibid. 59. Ibid. 60. Ibid. 74. Ibid. 84. Ibid. 87. Ibid. 92-93. Ibid. 95. Ibid. 101-02. Ibid. 103. Ibid. 94. Ibid. 137. Ibid. 135. Ibid. 167. Resnick, Irven M. 2000. "Marriage in Medieval Culture: Consent Theory and the Case of Joseph and Mary." Church History 69, no. 2: 350. Sociological Collection, EBSCOhost. 352. Ibid. 353. Ibid. 356. Ibid. 357. Ibid. 360. Ibid. 369. Canon 1061:2. Spiritual Marriage. 177-78. Ibid. 180. Ibid. 234. Ibid. 196. Ibid. 240. Ibid. 200. Ibid. 204. Ibid. 209. Ibid. 211. Ibid. 224. Ibid. 234. Ibid. Appendix 5-6. Ibid. 266. Alwis, Anne P. 2011. Celibate marriages in late antique and Byzantine hagiography : the lives of Saints Julian and Basilissa, Andronikos and Athanasia, and Galaktion and Episteme / Anne P. Alwis. n.p.: London ; New York : Continuum, 2011., 2011. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. 5. Ibid. 11. Ibid. 12. Spiritual Marriage. 297. Conner, Paul M. 1979. Celibate love / Paul M. Conner. n.p.: Huntington, Ind. : Our Sunday Visitor, c1979. 12. Ibid. 14. Ibid. 15. Ibid. 16. Ibid. 56-94. Ibid. 49-56. Ibid. 156. Ibid. 157. Ferry, Leonard Donald Gordon. 2012. "Passionalist or Rationalist? The emotions in Aquinas' moral theology." New Blackfriars 93, no. 1045: 292-308. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost. 294. Tannen, Deborah. He Said, She Said: Exploring the Different Ways Men and Women Communicate. Barnes & Noble Audio, 2004. Recorded Lecture Series on CD. Celibate Love. 15 Spiritual Marriage. 298. Cf. Celibate Love. 13-14. Unknown. "Yearning for Complementary Companionship: Virgins Subintroductae and Male-Female Relations in the Early Church." Finding Tangle. http://findingtangle.wordpress.com/?s=subintroductae (accessed March 28, 2014).
Famous Relatives: Owlflies (Bug-eyed insects with iridescent wings that look a lot like dragonflies) and Blue Eyes Lacewing (An Australian bug with amazing baby-blues) – both of these insects have larvae that hunt in a manner similar to antlions. Size: Antlion vary widely in size according to their species. Most antlion larvae in North America are a little more than a half an inch long. Those same antlions are about 1.5 inches long as adults. How You Might Come Across it: During a visit to the beach or other sandy area How to Identify it: Look for cone-shaped depressions in areas of loose sand or soil What it Eats: Any insect or spider that falls into its trap What Eats it: Crickets, birds and other insectivores What You Need to Know: When it comes to capturing prey, insects and spiders have some pretty sinister ways to get a meal. It’s never surprising to hear about insects that poison, infest, decapitate, ambush, paralyze or liquify their prey on that endless quest for something good to eat. For antlions, catching a meal literally goes to a whole new level. These insects set a trap unlike any other in the Animal Kingdom. To begin, the hungry antlion finds a nice sandy area, often along beaches and sand dunes. To build its trap, it starts by digging a strange, spiraling line in the sand. As the spiral grows, it pushes sand to the outside of the spiral, ultimately making a cone-shaped depression in the sand. When the cone is deep enough, the antlion buries itself at the bottom of the hole and waits. Eventually an ant, spider or other small invertebrate comes walking along and quickly discovers the antlion has a few surprises in store! First, the insect finds that going into the hole is a lot easier than getting out. Thanks to the unique way the pit was constructed, the sides are incredibly steep and, even with six or eight legs, it’s hard to climb out. This is because the walls of the cone are built to be highly unstable – every time a bug tries to get a foothold, it tears away a bit of the sandy wall and slides back to the bottom. While its victim is struggling to escape the collapsing walls of the pit, the antlion is doing its best to make the getaway even more difficult. It flicks sand to the top of the pit which triggers a mini-avalanche. Whenever the fleeing insect comes close to reaching the top, the antlion’s avalanche sends it back to the bottom. Ultimately, the antlion’s target tumbles down to the very center of the trap where the clever predator is waiting. At that point, it’s all over – the antlion snaps its massive mandibles around its prey and sucks out the insides. What’s more, these trap-setting murderers aren’t even full-grown adults – they get their killing done while still young. That’s right, the antlion that creates the avalanche of doom for innumerable other bugs is just a baby. After a few months (sometimes years) in larval form, these creatures shed their giant mandibles, sprout wings and become graceful flies. Their transformation into adults is also a bit of a moral change for them, too – they go from hyper-aggressive ambush predators to a dainty fly that eats nectar and pollen. Talk about a real change from their childhood ways.
The main reason for your hair loss might be Androgenetic Alopecia, commonly known as ‘male pattern baldness.’ It refers to shrinking of the hair follicle which is the part of hair beneath the skin surface. As this disorder increases, follicles produce thinner hair and eventually stop producing hair shafts, the portion of hair that is visible to us. Hair Growth Cycle In men, the hairline starts receding to form an ‘M-shape’. As the condition progresses, the hair becomes shorter and thinner and forms ‘U-shape’ with very less hair on sides. These images will help you identify the severity of your hair loss. Types of hair loss other than Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA) There are other medical conditions that can lead to hair loss. Sudden onset of shedding of hair caused due to severe infections, thyroid disorder, crash diet, etc. Characterized by areas of non-scarring hair loss that range from single oval patches to multiple patches that can merge. You may encounter Androgenetic Alopecia due to three factors Androgens(Predominantly Male Hormones) Fast Facts of Male Pattern Baldness Up to 30% of men over the age of 30 develop male pattern baldness. Up to 50% of men over the age of 50 develop male pattern baldness. men are more likely to develop male pattern baldness if they have close relatives who had the condition. Two drug treatments are approved by USFDA for the treatment of hair loss which includes finasteride and minoxidil.
The purpose of screening is early diagnosis and treatment. Screening tests are administered to people without current symptoms, but who may be at high risk for certain diseases or conditions. The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends that primary care doctors screen their adult patients for depression if they have a system in place to support case management and/or mental health treatment. There are a number of different questionnaires to screen for depression. One example of screening is using 2 simple questions: - Over the past 2 weeks, have you felt down, depressed, or hopeless? - Over the past 2 weeks, have you felt little interest or pleasure in doing things? The US Preventive Services Task Force also found some indication that office screening tools may be accurate in identifying depressed adolescents aged 12-18 years. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that pediatricians ask questions about depression in routine history-taking throughout adolescence. - Reviewer: Michael Woods, MD - Review Date: 09/2015 - - Update Date: 09/17/2014 -
Human beings grow new brain cells throughout their late adult life, a new study shows, even continuing when people are approaching their 90s. The findings, which reveal how long neurogenesis really extends in humans, also show the process is suspended in patients with Alzheimer's disease – a discovery that could help us explore new ways to treat the condition. Most neurogenesis takes place during embryonic development, and by the time people are born, the majority of their neurons has already formed. But that's not the end of the story. In the 1960s, it was first discovered that adult neurogenesis also occurs in mammals: new nervous system cells continue to grow in the brain, even as animals get older. Exactly how this mechanism works in humans – and how long it lasts for – hasn't been easy to determine, due to a range of issues in studying human brains. But in a new study led by molecular biologist Maria Llorens-Martin from Spain's Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, the researchers studied brain tissue from deceased human patients to examine adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) in closer detail. "Our research group is focused on investigating the mechanisms that control adult hippocampal neurogenesis, both under physiological and pathological conditions," the team's lab website explains. "In particular, we are interested in determining the therapeutic potential of increasing adult hippocampal neurogenesis for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other tauopathies." To find out whether new neurons continue to develop in older people, the researchers studied a region of the hippocampus called the dentate gyrus (DG) in tissue samples obtained from 13 deceased people. These people, aged between 43 and 87 years old, had died for a range of reasons, including cancer, stroke, sepsis, and other fatal causes – but all were considered neurologically healthy before they passed away, leaving their bodies to science. That final gesture reveals something important about adult neurogenesis: it extends until the ninth decade of life, the researchers say, and is shown by thousands of cells called doublecortin-expressing (DCX+) neurons in the DG, which correspond with neurogenesis. "Altogether, these data strongly support the notion that subpopulations of DCX+ cells have a variable degree of maturation in the human DG," the authors write in their paper. "The relative abundance of DCX+ immature neurons detected, together with expression of cell markers characteristic of both early and late stages of maturation, suggests that these cells also have an extended maturation period during AHN in humans." When the team analysed the brains of 45 deceased Alzheimer's disease patients aged between 52 and 97 years, they noted "a marked and progressive decline in this number as the disease advanced". In contrast, in neurologically healthy people, it looks like age brings a more moderate decline in adult neurogenesis, with the DG tissue of the 13 healthy patients showing a slighter decrease in DCX+ cells as their age ranged from 43 to 87. "However, the number of DCX+ cells detected in neurologically healthy individuals of any age was consistently higher than that found in patients with AD, regardless of the age of these patients," the researchers explain. "These data strongly support the notion that AD is a condition that differs from physiological ageing and suggest that, despite a physiological age-related decline in the population of DCX+ cells, independent neuropathological mechanisms contribute to devastating the population of immature neurons in AD." The researchers also say the adult neurogenesis in AD patients looked to be negatively affected even in the early stages of the disease, before neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques became pronounced. While a lot more research needs to be done before we can understand why this is happening, the team proposes that a system to monitor early detection of AHN impairments by noninvasive methods could help doctors pick up the biomarkers of early AD before it progresses. Making good on that hypothesis is work for the future, but right now we still walk away with something big. "Our data bring to light the existence of a dynamic population of immature neurons in the human DG throughout physiological and pathological ageing until the tenth decade of life," the researchers conclude. The findings are reported in Nature Medicine.
Is Zero GPT like Turnitin? In the world of academic writing, plagiarism detection tools play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity of scholarly work. Turnitin, a widely used plagiarism checker, has become synonymous with ensuring originality in academic papers. However, a new contender has emerged in the market – Zero GPT. But how does it compare to Turnitin? Let’s dive into the details. What is Zero GPT? Zero GPT is an advanced language model developed by OpenAI. It is based on the GPT-3 architecture and utilizes deep learning techniques to generate human-like text. Zero GPT has gained attention for its ability to generate high-quality content across various domains, including academic writing. What is Turnitin? Turnitin is a plagiarism detection software widely used by educational institutions to identify instances of plagiarism in students’ work. It compares submitted papers against a vast database of academic sources, internet content, and previously submitted papers to detect similarities and potential instances of plagiarism. How do they differ? While both Zero GPT and Turnitin are tools used in the realm of academic writing, they serve different purposes. Turnitin focuses on detecting plagiarism by comparing submitted papers to existing sources, while Zero GPT is an AI language model that can generate original content. Can Zero GPT be used as a plagiarism checker? Zero GPT, in its current form, is not specifically designed as a plagiarism checker. It lacks the extensive database and algorithms that Turnitin employs to identify similarities between texts. However, it can be utilized as a writing assistant to help students generate original content and improve their writing skills. In conclusion, Zero GPT and Turnitin serve different purposes in the realm of academic writing. While Turnitin is a dedicated plagiarism detection tool, Zero GPT is an AI language model that can assist in generating original content. Both tools have their own unique strengths and applications, and their usage depends on the specific needs of the user. 1. Can Zero GPT detect plagiarism? No, Zero GPT is not designed as a plagiarism detection tool. It does not have the same capabilities as Turnitin in comparing texts and identifying similarities. 2. Can Turnitin generate content? No, Turnitin is solely a plagiarism detection tool. It does not have the ability to generate content like Zero GPT. 3. Which tool should I use for my academic writing? The choice between Zero GPT and Turnitin depends on your specific needs. If you want to check for plagiarism, Turnitin is the go-to tool. However, if you need assistance in generating original content, Zero GPT can be a valuable writing assistant.
5 Easy Steps : Eat your way to a Stronger Gut There are around 40 trillion bacteria in your body, most of which are found in your gut. Collectively, they are known as your gut microbiome, and they’re incredibly important for overall health. Here are 5 easy tips to enhance your gut strength. 1. Eat a diverse range of foods A diverse microbiome is considered a healthy one. It is because the more kinds of bacteria you have, the more health benefits they may provide. A diet High in Fats can proliferate bad bacteria and cause damage to your gut’s healthy bacteria. Eating a diverse diet rich in whole foods can lead to a diverse microbiome, which is beneficial for your health. 2. Eat lots of vegetables, legumes, beans, and fruits. Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of nutrients for a healthy microbiome. They are high in fiber, which your body can’t digest. However, certain bacteria in your gut can digest fiber, which in turn stimulates their growth. Beans and legumes also contain very high amounts of fiber. Studies found that following a diet rich in fruits and vegetables prevented the growth of some disease-causing bacteria. Fiber promotes the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, including specific types such as Bifidobacterium. 3. Eat fermented foods which is rich in probiotics: Fermentation is a process in which the sugars in the food are broken down by yeast or bacteria. Consuming fermented food rich in microbial species like Lactobacillius, Bifidobacterium, etc. are the type of bacteria that benefits your health. These live microorganisms are known as probiotics. Probiotics can improve the functioning of certain gut bacteria, as well as the specific types of chemicals they produce. Studies have shown that yogurt or curd consumption can improve intestinal bacteria and decrease symptoms of lactose intolerance. Traditional fermented Indian foods such as idlis, dosas are also good for the gut. 4. Eat prebiotic foods. Prebiotics are foods that promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut. They are mainly fiber or complex carbs that human cells cannot digest. Instead, certain species of bacteria in the gut break them down and use them for fuel. Many fruits, vegetables, and whole grains contain prebiotics, but they can also be found on their own. Certain prebiotics have also been shown to reduce insulin, triglyceride, and cholesterol levels in people with obesity, which could be beneficial for the prevention of conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. 5. Include a good Synbiotic to your daily diet To help strengthen your gut, include ActiFiber Natural Gut Strength with Synbiotic Advantage in your daily diet. The perfect blend of pre & probiotic in ActiFiber Natural Gut strength has clinically proven ingredients to enhance gut microbiota, reduce bad bacteria which triggers common frequent infections, Strengthen Gut Immunity and Support Digestive Health.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media: Social media has become an indispensable part of our daily lives, revolutionizing the way we connect with others, share information, and express ourselves. While there are many benefits of social media, such as increased communication and access to information, there are also potential drawbacks that need to be considered. In this article, we will explore the advantages and disadvantages of social media in today's society. Social media has made it possible for people around the world to connect with others. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have become important tools for networking and building relationships. Social media has revolutionized the way we access news and information. With just a few clicks, users can find out about breaking news, current events, and emerging trends. Social media is also an important tool for education, allowing users to access educational content and connect with experts and peers from around the world. Social media platforms can also be used for cyberbullying, in which people use the anonymity of the Internet to harass and bully others. Social media can be highly addictive, with users spending hours scrolling through their feeds and becoming distracted from other important activities. Social media platforms can be used to collect and store personal information, raising concerns about privacy and security. Social media can also be used to spread misinformation, with false information often being shared widely and quickly. Social media has many advantages and disadvantages that need to be considered. While it can increase connectivity, provide access to information, and offer unique business and entertainment opportunities, it can also lead to cyberbullying, addiction, privacy concerns, and the spread of misinformation. To make the most of social media, it is essential to use it responsibly and thoughtfully, taking steps to protect privacy, manage time, and avoid harmful content.
This Post is also available in: German Levothyroxine – also known as T4 – is a naturally occurring hormone produced by the thyroid gland. Levothyroxine is the thyroid hormone, which is produced directly by the thyroid gland, whereas the thyroid hormone liothyronine (T3) is produced in the body by enzymatic conversion of the thyroid hormone levothyroxine. The task of thyroid hormones in the body consists in the regulation of burning fat, carbohydrates and protein. This means thyroid hormones are responsible for the amount of the metabolic turnover, which is burned in the resting state during a given period of time. If, therefore, the thyroid hormone level is low, the basic turnover of fat, carbohydrate and protein burning is also low. If the mirror of the thyroid hormones rises, so does the combustion. Since thyroid function is usually due to the thyroid gland producing too small amounts of thyroid hormone levothyroxine (T4), a thyroid hormone preparation with levothyroxine (T4) is almost always used. The thyroid hormone liothyronine (T3) is used in the rarer cases, for example, when the conversion of the thyroid hormone levothyroxine (T4) into the thyroid hormone liothyronine (T3) is disturbed. Bodybuilders occasionally use the thyroid gland hormone levothyroxine during the mass phase, to increase the metabolic turnover and burn more calories. If you would eat mainly fat fast and junk food, you would not become fat. The meaning of compensating the negative effects of false nutrition with the help of thyroid hormones is, however, more than questionable. Furthermore, the protein metabolism is stimulated by thyroid hormones, which can lead to an increased protein synthesis with simultaneous high protein supply in combination with anabolic steroids. Bodybuilders often take protein preparations and / or clenbuterol with the use of thyroid hormones to counteract the muscle breakdown. In order to provide absolute muscle control, male users also use Androge. The use of levothyroxine (T4) often involves the addition of iodine. Since it is most effective to keep your thyroid hormone level at the natural upper limit in a diet, it is advisable to have its values determined beforehand by a physician. Levothyroxine (T4), trembling, restlessness, dizziness, sweating, weight gain, hair loss, diarrhea, insomnia, nausea, increased heart rate, internal restlessness, loss of weight, down-regulation of the thyroid function (especially during prolonged use) Application / dosage: This allows the body to get used to the declining hormone level and the thyroid gland can react to the sinking exogenous supply of the thyroid hormone levothyroxine (T4) and slowly increase the self-production again. In bodybuilding, athletes speak of dosages between 200 – 400 mcg / day when levothyroxine is used for diet support. The dosage usually begins at 100 mcg / day, is increased by 25 or 50 mcg / day every 1 – 2 days until the maximum dose of administration is reached. At the end of the course, the dose is slowly lowered. Every 2-3 days the dosage is reduced by 25 or 50mcg / day (to zero). It is important, That the dosage is slowly increased when starting and decreased when ending the cure so the thyroid gland will be adjusted smoothly. Levothyroxine intake usually lasts 4-6, maximum 8 weeks. When taking tablets, care should be taken that no calcium-rich food (e.g., dairy products) is added 2 hours before and 2 hours after the dose. If the side effects are too strong, only a reduction of the dose, up to the end of the intake, helps. In this case as well, the dosage must be slowly reduced (excreted), since other side effects may occur. The dosage information given here is not intended as a dosage recommendation or medical advice. These are statements by bodybuilders who have used or used these active ingredients. The dosages should never be regarded as generally valid. If you are using the idea of using steroids or similar, ask a doctor or pharmacist. Heart failure, coma – The side effects usually appear 6 – 11 hours after the application. Black market price / availability: A tablet with 100mcg of levothyroxine costs on the black market about 0.10 euros. Levothyroxine are moderately available on the black market. T4, T-4, LT4, LT-4, levothyroxins, L-thyroxins, synthetic T4, synthetic T4, tetraiodothyronines Trade Name / Manufacturer: Eferox / Lindopharm Euthyrox / Merck Pharma L-Thyrox / Hexal L-thyroxine / sanofi-aventis Eltroxine, levoxyl, synthroid Levaxin / Nycomed Molecular Formula: C15H11I4NO4 Molecular weight: 776,870 g / mol Monoisotopic mass: 776.686646 Da Half-life: approx. 7 days 3,5,3 ‘, 5’-tetraiodo-L-thyroines O- (4-hydroxy-3,5-diiodophenyl) -3,5-diiodo-L-tyrosine
Here's everything you need to know about today's wireless spectrum auction — and why you should care 12 telcos will get in on the action, but don't expect an industry shakeup Starting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Ottawa is auctioning off wireless spectrum in the 600 megahertz range to a dozen companies that will bid on the rights to use airwaves for the next 20 years. The bidders are major wireless firms like Bell, Rogers and Telus, along with nine other smaller companies, all of which are listed on Industry Canada's website. One name noticeably absent from the list is Montreal-based Cogeco Inc., which says it won't be in the running but maintains it is still interested in expanding its wireless service. What is spectrum? Spectrum is the term used to describe electromagnetic waves that travel within a certain wavelength. Spectrum is the invisible signal that allows wireless service providers to transmit data across long distances to cellphones and other internet-connected devices. AM and FM radio travels over a certain part of the wireless spectrum. So do television signals. The band up for grabs on Tuesday is in the 600 megahertz range. Check out this explainer video for more about what spectrum is and how it works: Why are companies bidding on it? A quality wireless network runs on a number of different bands, so your device can always get a signal if one of the spectrum bands is temporarily unavailable where you are — in a remote rural area, or several metres below the ground in a downtown parking garage, for example. A reliable network has a good mix of low and high megahertz, because, broadly speaking, the lower the number, the better it is at travelling over long distances and into hard-to-reach places. The higher the number, the better it is at moving large amounts of data. Relatively low-frequency spectrum in the 600 megahertz band is useful for filling in existing network gaps. With more and more internet-connected devices, networks need more and more spectrum to keep that data flowing, no matter where you are. How does the auction work? Starting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, companies involved in the auction will bid for the rights to use seven blocks of spectrum, in 16 different areas across the country — 112 different blocks in total. Bids will be anonymous, and work on what's called a "combinatorial clock" format. You can read more about the complicated rules here but the gist is that it makes sure winning bidders pay more than the second-place bidders would have paid, but nothing beyond that. It also makes sure companies get multiple blocks of spectrum to ensure they have a big enough network. Similar to previous ones, the auction has been set up, as best as possible, to ensure that incumbents don't gobble up all the spectrum. In this case, three out of the seven spectrum blocks up for grabs in each market have been set aside for new players — meaning Bell, Rogers and Telus can't buy them. That's done to encourage other companies to offer services to compete with them. The rules also stipulate that those newcomers can't turn around and sell their spectrum to the Big Three, at least for the first five years. There are minimum bids in every block up for grabs, too. The minimum bid for a block to service Nunavut and Yukon, for example, is $48,000. But a block of that same spectrum in southern Ontario will cost at least $85,302,000 — because a winning bidder could use that spectrum to sell services to so many more people, thus recouping their investment. When will we know who won? Probably not for a while. To avoid gaming the system — having companies put in bids they don't want, just to drive up the price for a rival — Ottawa is going to stay completely silent about how the process is going until five days after the bidding has ended. Analyst Vince Valentini at TD Bank said in a research note last month he expects the process could take a month or two. In keeping with the slow pace, he also doesn't expect feverish bidding, as some of the big companies will likely be saving their money for higher-band spectrum that's coming down the line. So, why should I care? Well, your wireless service is likely to improve, once bidders start deploying their newfangled spectrum. That means if you're already a wireless customer, you should expect fewer coverage dead zones and dropped calls, even as companies roll out even faster 5G networks. And theoretically, it could give you more options of companies to choose from. A similar auction in 2008 led to the birth of companies like Wind, Public Mobile and Mobilicity. But don't expect your cellphone bill to come down — at least in the short term. Analysts say telecom companies are likely to spend at least $2 billion on this auction, and an outlay like that isn't generally what prompts them to turn around and cut their prices. "It takes a while for this spectrum to be used," says Laura Tribe, executive director of consumer-focused telecom watchdog OpenMedia, but says prices will likely go up before long. Tribe cites recent stories of incumbent players raising their prices on big-data plans, which they launched in late 2017. Companies justified those moves when they were reported because they said they were investing in and updating their infrastructure to give customers better service. "This is a really clear example of what that looks like," Tribe says. She says the auction could be good news for consumers if it manages to get the spectrum in the hands of new companies that can truly shake up the industry. But TD's Vince Valentini says he doesn't expect any new names to step up in a big way. A 2014 auction in which companies spent an average of $2.32 per megahertz pop — an industry metric referring to the amount of bandwidth passing one person in the coverage area in a spectrum licence — raised more than $5 billion. The next year, in 2015, an auction of so-called AWS-3 spectrum, in which Rogers didn't even buy, raised $2.1 billion, or an average of $1.49 per megahertz pop. Valentini doesn't expect the per person price tag for this batch to go up. "We would be shocked and disappointed if anyone coveted this 600 spectrum to the point of paying $3 or more per megahertz pop," he said. "And we see very low odds of new entrants trying to disrupt the bidding outside of their current wireless footprints."
APAP does not work as well as CPAP The best treatment for obstructive sleep apnea is CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). There is a variant of CPAP called APAP (Auto-adjusting Positive Airway Pressure). APAP does not work as well as CPAP. CPAP is a pump connected by a tube to a mask (or nasal pillows) over the nose (or nose and mouth). It pumps air into the nose (or nose and mouth). This air goes into the throat, and inflates the throat. The throat then does not collapse. Snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (decreased breathing or stopping breathing in sleep because the throat collapses) go away. To set up CPAP properly, we bring the patient into the sleep center overnight. We monitor sleep and breathing, put on the CPAP device, and try different pressures (and masks) to find the right pressure and mask. The right pressure is one that controls the sleep apnea (preferably including when you are dreaming on your back, also called supine REM sleep). If the pressure is too low, you may still have sleep apnea. If the pressure is too high, it may cause unnecessary arousals and awakenings, and leaks. Too high a pressure may also cause central sleep apnea (decreased breathing or stopping breathing in sleep because the brain does not tell you to breathe). Sleep apnea tends to be worse in supine REM sleep, and we like to find the pressure that controls sleep apnea in supine REM sleep. The right mask is one that is comfortable, and does not allow much air leak. To diagnose sleep apnea, we have to monitor not just airflow, but also breathing effort and oxygen saturation. Airflow can be quite irregular, and unless it pretty much stops, or it causes a significant drop in blood oxygen, a change in airflow may not be meaningful. APAP makes decisions based on incomplete information Auto-adjusting Positive Airway Pressure (APAP) works pretty much like Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). It pumps air into the throat to keep the throat open and prevent obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, instead of your sleep physician determining the best pressure you should use, a computer adjusts the pressure throughout the night. Every APAP manufacturer does this differently, based on patented secret methods. It does this based on incomplete information- just the airflow (without effort or oxygen saturation). Based on this incomplete information, it raises and lowers the pressure repeatedly all through the night. So, part of the night the pressure may be too low and you still have sleep apnea, low oxygen, and related symptoms. In other parts of the night, the pressure gets too high, and there is more discomfort, higher leaks, and arousals. The higher pressure may wake you up and you may take it off and fall back to sleep. Thus, too much pressure makes it hard for patients to use it regularly. Too much pressure can also cause central sleep apnea (with the brain refusing to breathe). The human body also adjusts to things that are constant (like CPAP), and gets used to such things. We have more difficulty adjusting to anything that is constantly changing, such as APAP. Many insurance companies require that APAP be tried unsuccessfully before switching to CPAP. If APAP seems to work, the patient stays on it. But, it is not unusual for patients to have difficulty tolerating APAP or continue to have symptoms on APAP. Other patients have increased awakenings and arousals from APAP. In that case, these insurance companies will allow us to bring you in at night and find the right pressure (CPAP) for you. Your APAP machine can then be set to CPAP mode. If you have severe desaturations (drops in blood oxygen) with your sleep apnea, then CPAP should be adjusted to control not just the airflow but also the oxygen saturation. This is another thing APAP cannot do, as it does not measure oxygen saturation. Patients with sleep apnea with severe desaturations should not stay on APAP.
I know the pictures are unpleasant, but cancer is obviously exponentially more so. After watching my dad suffer from melanoma twice, having parts of his shoulder and lung removed, I can testify this is no joke. And now to learn it’s becoming more prevalent in younger people makes it even scarier. Examining your moles is an easy way you can quickly catch melanoma before it spreads. According to Dr. Julie Pena, “When melanoma is found early, it is almost 100% curable.” She says to watch out for the ABC’s of melanoma: - A is for Asymmetry: Look for moles where the shape of one half is different from the other. - B is for Border: Look for moles with irregular, scalloped, or jagged borders. - C is for Color: Look for moles with multiple colors or variation in color-especially shades of black, brown, blue, red, or white. - D is for Diameter: Melanomas are usually larger than 6 millimeters (the size of a pencil eraser) but they can be smaller too. - E is for Evolution/Evolving: Moles that are undergoing ANY kind of change, especially as outlined above, need to be evaluated by a medical professional. You should also have your dermatologist or doctor check each one every six months (for the questionable ones) or yearly. MD Anderson in Houston has a whole staff in the Prevention building that serve as your general practitioner and focus on intercepting cancer before it spreads. If you’re not in Houston, check with the oncology department of hospitals near you to see if they recommend doctors locally. CLICK HERE for more of my notes on cancer and prevention. Needless to say, WEAR SUNSCREEN EVERYDAY!!! And don’t forget the tops of your hands, they get so much exposure while you’re driving. Try out Dr. Pena’s line of sunscreen, Likewise Skincare, that has a formula for each skin type so you won’t clog your pores.
The poultry and chicken farming industry consists of three separate sectors: (i) The day-old chick supply industry (ii) The broiler industry, and (iii) The egg industry. Broiler chickens are raised for meat i.e. fresh, frozen or value added (e.g. chicken fingers, saucy steaklets or polony). Egg layers or dual-purpose chickens are used for the production of eggs (they are lighter in weight than broilers, and so fattening cockerels from this second category with balanced feed bought in a bag is not as economically viable as doing the same with broilers). International business environment The biggest chicken meat producing countries are the USA, Brazil, China, and the EU. The biggest consumers of chicken meat are the USA, Brazil and the EU. Brazil and the USA are the two biggest exporters of chicken, together accounting for nearly 60% of global chicken exports (USDA, 2021). Sources for international information include: - For international projections and statistics find the latest OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook document at www.agri-outlook.org. - Find the current world production, market and trade reports at www.fas.usda.gov, the Foreign Agricultural Service arm of the US Department of Agriculture. The poultry circular is at https://apps.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/circulars/livestock_poultry.pdf - USA Poultry and Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) – www.usapeec.org - US Poultry in South Africa http://usapoultry-rsa.co.za - The Brazilian Poultry Association (UBABEF) and Brazilian Meat Producers and Exporters Association (ABIPECS) merged to form the Brazilian Association of Animal Protein (ABPA). Poultry is marketed under the concept “Brazilian chicken”. Find the website at www.brazilianchicken.com.br/en. - www.thepoultrysite.com, www.poultryworld.net and the Poultry International pages at http://wattagnet.com - The International Egg Foundation (IEC) – www.internationaleggfoundation.com - International Poultry Council – www.internationalpoultrycouncil.org - World Poultry Foundation – www.worldpoultryfoundation.org - World Poultry Science Association – www.wpsa.com South Africa: imports and exports Rising imports of competitively priced products have been a longstanding challenge for South Africa’s poultry producers. Import volumes peaked at more than 550 000 tonnes in 2018, reaching 26% of domestic consumption, but have declined since. Various actions such as the safeguard duty imposed on bone-in portions originating from the European Union, anti-dumping duties and an increase in the general duty all contributed to this decline. In 2020 the trend accelerated, reflecting expanded production in South Africa following commitments made under the poultry masterplan and improvements in profitability from 2017 to 2019, as well as the combination of logistical challenges emanating from the pandemic and the weaker exchange rate, which increased the cost of imported products in 2020. Source: Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) Baseline 2021-2030. The annual Baseline looks at the local poultry trade in the context of what is happening globally. Find the document at www.bfap.co.za. African business environment Africa, which imports nearly 83% of the food it consumes, has a real chicken and egg problem. The continent is caught between pressure from imports in some countries and an inability to meet demand in others. Africa’s chicken crisis is an expression of overall weaknesses in its agricultural system. If Africa cannot raise its grain production it cannot expect to do well in increasing its chicken output. The solution to Africa’s chicken crisis lies in upgrading agricultural systems overall. Here are the major limitations: - Low-cost, high-quality feed. Expanding feed production involves investing in grain production, especially corn and soya. Research to increase efficiency and expand the range of feed sources will go a long way in helping to upgrade overall system. - The lack of starter stock (chicks and broilers bred specifically for meat production). Improvements in this area will require better breeding and extension programs akin to those needed for crops. - Disease control. Disease control is a problem for both crop and livestock producers and requires more investment. - Poor infrastructure (especially energy, transportation and water supply systems) is a major barrier to the expansion of chicken production, especially in rural areas. A lack of cold storage facilities forces farmers to keep feeding their chickens instead of slaughtering and refrigerating them. They generally transport live chickens to markets, which raises logistical costs and increases concerns over disease transmission. - The lack of credit for producers. Countries that provide credit for crop producers to purchase seed and farm input have the opportunity to extend their incentives to chicken production. Most African countries lack such systems and it is unlikely that they will introduce them for poultry farming if they do not have them for crop production. So far Africa can hardly feed its people. But even worse, it cannot feed its chickens so that it can feed its people. The chicken crisis is yet another reason why Africa must focus on getting its agricultural act together. The crisis is a warning to African leaders: they need to wake up with the chickens and act in time. Source: excerpts from a piece written by Calestous Juma, professor of the Practice of International Development, Harvard University, at http://ewn.co.za/2016/09/21/OPINION-If-Africa-learnt-to-feed-its-chickens-it-could-feed-its-people - Find the BFAP report “Modelling poultry markets in Eastern and Southern Africa”(November 2021) at www.bfap.co.za/poultry-markets-eastern-and-south-africa/ - Byrne J. 2020, February 24. “Rabobank report Time for Africa”. Feed Navigator. Available at www.feednavigator.com/Article/2020/02/24/Africa-s-rising-poultry-and-egg-market - Read about the Rabobank report Time for Africa (updated January 2020) at https://agbiz.co.za/uploads/images/sponsors/200124__Rabobank_Time-for-Africa_Mulder_Jan2020.pdf - The SADC Secretariat and German Development Corporation‘s Profiling of the Regional Agro-Processing Value Chains in the SADC Region (March 2019) includes a look at poultry. Local business environment The website of the South African Poultry Association (SAPA), www.sapoultry.co.za, is a first-stop about what is happening in the country. Industry profile, statistics and other information is available. The gross poultry farm income for 2019 was approximately R50-billion (SAPA, 2022). It is the second biggest agricultural sector in South Africa (SAPA, 2022), jockeying with the maize industry for first place. In addition to its contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, the South African poultry industry remains an important contributor to job creation and employment opportunities, both in the formal and informal sector, with in excess of 80% of the industry consisting of SMMEs (Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises). Chicken also remains the most affordable source of protein. How to balance the imperatives of producer and job creator vs more affordable food? Read about the Poultry Sector Master Plan under the “National strategy and government contact” heading. - A combination of actions, stemming from the recently signed poultry Masterplan aimed at ensuring fair competition with imported products, will see domestically produced meat take up a greater percentage of consumption. The share of imports is projected to decline to 21% by 2030 (BFAP, 2021). - South African producers compete well on a technical basis, but fall short when costs are included, a study by BFAP and Wageningen University in the Netherlands found (BFAP, 2018). Eggs remain one of the most affordable sources of protein to South African consumers. The industry has recovered from the 2017 Avian Influenza outbreak that saw about 20% of the layer flock culled nationally. Over the course of the coming decade, egg consumption is projected to expand by 18%, supported by its relative affordability compared to alternative animal proteins, and to consumer patterns established during the pandemic and the associated lockdown restrictions (BFAP, 2021). - See our blog “State of the SA Poultry Industry” (2022, February 23). - Read USDA Foreign Agricultural Service reports like “South Africa Imposes Provisional Anti-Dumping Duties Against Bone-in Chicken Imports from Brazil Denmark Ireland Poland and Spain” (2022, January 19) and “South Africa Initiates Review of Poultry Tariff Structure” (April 2021) on the South African poultry landscape. - The annual Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) Baseline looks at poultry under the “Outlook for Animal Products” section. Find the document at www.bfap.co.za. - BFAP has previously done various studies into the poultry value chain. Its “Small Scale Broiler Production in SA” study, for example, “explores the possibilities for integration of small-scale farmers into the mainstream commercial broiler value chain in South Africa”. - National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC). 2020, March. A Case of Smallholder Broiler Producers in South Africa. The Smallholder Market Access Tracker (SMAT) Baseline Report. Available at www.namc.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SMAT-broiler-baseline-report_2020.pdf - Subscribe to the newsletter from The Poultry Information Centre, which carries news, tips and technical information. Find out more at www.poultryinfo.co.za. - Find details of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) value chain profiles, statistics and economic analyses under the “Websites and publications” heading towards the end of this page. - Slater D. 2022, April 22. “Removal of poultry import tariffs will destroy domestic jobs, says SAPA”. Engineering News. Available at www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/removal-of-poultry-import-tariffs-will-destroy-domestic-jobs-says-sapa-2022-04-22/rep_id:4136 - Brandt K. 2022, April 11. “Association warns of looming ‘chicken price tsunami'”. Eye Witness News. Available at https://ewn.co.za/2022/04/11/association-warns-of-looming-chicken-price-tsunami - Marais S. 2021, July 24. “Two million chickens stolen from farms during looting”. Farmer’s Weekly. Available at www.farmersweekly.co.za/agri-news/south-africa/two-million-chickens-stolen-from-farms-during-looting/ - Majola G. 2021, July 16. “Lawlessness ‘imperils’ poultry industry in SA”. IOL. Available at www.iol.co.za/business-report/economy/lawlessness-imperils-poultry-industry-in-sa-8035bb16-dc63-406b-9826-beee4ee4577a - Arnoldi M. 2021, March 8. “Amie says antidumping duties will cost consumers “. Engineering News. Available at www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/amie-says-antidumping-duties-will-cost-consumers-2021-03-08 - Majola G. 2021, February 9. “Strong soybean output offers no respite for poultry farmers – Agbiz”. Business Report. Available at www.iol.co.za/business-report/economy/strong-soybean-output-offers-no-respite-for-poultry-farmers-agbiz-e42735af-5261-45aa-9929-bea3bf9793fa - Liedtke S. 2020, December 8. “Implementation of Poultry Master Plan progressing, industry capacity increases”. Engineering News. Available at www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/implementation-of-poultry-master-plan-progressing-industry-capacity-increases-2020-12-08 - Slater D. 2020, September 22. “SAPA lauds refocus on poultry master plan”. Engineering News. Available at www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/sapa-lauds-refocus-on-poultry-master-plan-2020-09-22. - The DALRRD/NAMC TradeProbe 82 (August 2020) contains the article “Analysis of South Africa’s poultry industry post-tariff adjustments and COVID-19 after effects”. Find it at www.namc.co.za - Botha L. 2020, April 22. “Egg demand ‘shoots through the roof’ during lockdown”. Farmer’s Weekly. Available at www.farmersweekly.co.za/agri-news/south-africa/egg-demand-shoots-through-the-roof-during-lockdown/ Emerging farmer points of interest SAPA has joined forces with the African Farmers’ Association of SA (AFASA), to develop more of black SMMEs. January 2020 saw these numbers jump from 18 to 96, with an additional network of 670 small farmers benefitting from regular briefings and a monthly farmers’ webinar. A new training facility is being established at Bekker High School, in Magaliesburg, Gauteng. - It is difficult for small farmers to enter into the retail supply chain, since it is looking for suppliers who can guarantee the demand at an acceptable price and quality. While some smaller producers can match the price and quality criteria, they are too small to supply the needed quantities. - At present, emerging farmers sell their eggs to black-owned shops, spaza shops, butchers, hawkers, restaurants, hotels and to a small extent to white traders (e.g. cafes). Future Market Growth: - The African population represents the best market opportunities for emerging farmers. - Distribution channels to the low-income groups need to improve and are doing so. The distribution of eggs to township spazas and door-to-door sales must be promoted. - Catering companies, hawkers buying in bulk from producers, co-operatives, contracting and government tenders all represent possible markets. - Many farmers do not adhere to the grading requirements as stipulated by legislation. For small-scale farmers to penetrate other markets it is important to begin following the regulations. Training in grading and packaging can open new markets for small-scale producers, especially on government tenders. - Black-owned co-operatives could be a vehicle for penetrating the formal marketing channels in South Africa. - Through co-operatives, the produce of farmers can ensure larger supply of quantities, create a brand name, and have “muscle” to negotiate prices on behalf of farmers. The function of the co-operative can be to look for markets for members and also assist in preparing the produce (grading and packaging) and marketing it. - Contracting: Small-scale farmers can enter into a contract with a processing or a packaging plant, or an integrated company to supply a stipulated number of eggs or chickens at a time. This provides a steady market for the small-scale farmer. - Supply to Consumers: Consumers can buy chickens or eggs at the farm stalls. The farmer can employ a door-to-door sales representative to take orders in the township. - Supply to Hawkers: Eggs can be sold to hawkers on a regular basis. Since most hawkers have a transport problem, the farmer can entice them by delivering the eggs at their sheds. - Supply to Hospitality Trade: Supply to hotels, restaurants, caterers, township bed & breakfast, guest houses and shebeens. There are many tourist initiatives and developments in the townships that need to be catered for. - Supply to Township Cold Storage Distributors: some entrepreneurs have positioned themselves in the townships and other former black areas to distribute eggs. The concept here is “to bring the product to the consumer”, to reduce the transport constraint. Small-scale farmers can supply these distribution centres. - Supply Through Tendering: Every year tenders from the government departments (e.g. correctional services, hospitals, etc.) are published for the supply of chickens and eggs. Small-scale farmers stand a change because of the system designed for the previously disadvantaged individuals, provided they can meet the price, quality and quantity requirements. - Supply Mining Houses: Mines have kitchens and hospitals that are serviced by caterers (in-house or as an outsourced service. Some of these mines are now owned by black empowerment groups who can be lobbied to empower small-scale farmers. Before starting a chicken or poultry venture, check on any applicable regulations/legal considerations with your local authority or through associations listed in this chapter. For the newcomer Find the many guides and articles for beginners under the “Websites & publications” heading. Before starting a chicken or poultry venture, check on any applicable regulations/legal considerations with your local municipal authority. Similarly, anyone wishing to start a poultry abattoir should know that there are legal, health and safety requirements to meet. Find the necessary checklists on www.dalrrd.gov.za (under the “Branches” and “Food safety and Quality Assurance” options). To make money with poultry, be prepared to work hard! Chickens must be checked, fed and given water every day. If you are farming with layers, you must collect eggs regularly. 1) Do you want to produce eggs or meat? - Profit margins on eggs are small, but it can work if you have a good marketing strategy. - Adding value to your eggs is one plan e.g. sell boiled eggs at a taxi rank. - Layers will provide eggs almost every day, and after a year you can sell them for replacements - For meat, the three ways to market are: contract growing (produce chickens for large companies), live chicken sales, and frozen chicken sales. With the last one, you will need special facilities beyond the budget of most beginners, but if you can secure a contract, then this will be worth it. 2) Where is your market? Who are the customers? 3) At what price can you sell and still make a profit? 4) Can you produce enough to secure a contract? 5) Do you have all the information you need? - Do the premises meet your municipality’s zoning specifications? - Do you have access to fresh water and electricity? - Do your neighbours mind having a chicken business next door? - Do you have space on the premises for future growth? - Make sure any training you go for is practical - Buy day-old chicks (rather than breeding them) and grow them up for slaughter - Don’t raise your own chickens if you are producing eggs; it will be cheaper to buy hens that are near the stage of laying. - Breeding day-old chicks for sale can be done if you have a large market, but otherwise leave this to the large companies who specialise in this. - Big producers use specially selected breeds to produce on a large scale, and this is done in strictly controlled facilities that cost millions of rand. Far more suitable for smaller producers are indigenous breeds (e.g. Boschvelder) or old standard breeds like the Australorp, Potchefstroom Koekoek, Rhode Island Red or New Hampshire. These are hardier and more disease resistant. They are also ideal for the informal market and the live-chicken market. - Feed for your chickens will be the most expensive running cost. If you buy feed along with other farmers you can negotiate a better price. Sources: A series of articles for beginners in the April 2011 editions of Farmer’s Weekly. One surprise in a previous BFAP Baseline was that in a time of great challenge for commercial poultry producers, small-scale production in rural areas was found to be “quite profitable whilst playing an important role in the market” (BFAP, 2020; 2016). The Baseline has also included the discussion “Small-scale poultry production – how small is big enough”. Samuel and Zoleka Joka run one of the successful small-scale broiler operation in Bumbane village, on the outskirts of Keiskammahoek. Below are some of the points included in the advice given by the Jokas and Fumanekile Ngqokweni, the extension officer: - Success is linked to the ability to access start-up capital and skill to grow broilers successfully. - The new farmer has to renovate or build adequate facilities, buy equipment (e.g. heaters, self-feeders, drinking pans, sawdust), feed and chicks. This is quite a capital outlay before you get anything back. - Samuel stressed the importance of training - He advises beginners to start small – say 50 chicks – and build volume with experience, thereby minimising the risk of initial failure - Disease control is vital. Growers can radically decrease the probability of disease through correct management e.g. ensure clean water and watch the general cleanliness of production areas (disease can spread through contaminated drinking water, food and chicken waste). - Before a new batch of chickens is introduced to the pen, clean it thoroughly and rest it for at least ten days. - The temperature should be kept at about 30oC in the first two weeks. - There must be significant air circulation during hot periods. During cold times, heat should be generated using heaters and infrared lamps. - Wood shavings should be evenly distributed in the pens: this ensures cleanliness and the retention of heat. The Jokas have two structures: a large rondavel with large windows where they rear their chicks up to four weeks, after which they are transferred to a large wooden shed fitted with canvas flaps (that can be lifted) and ceiling fans to ensure circulation. Source: Adapted from the article “Broilers transform Keiskammahoek” at www.farmersweekly.co.za. National strategy and government contacts - Find the list of state vets on www.sapoultry.co.za (take the “Downloads” option) or refer to the “Animal health” page on Agribook.Digital. - Find notes on the various laws affecting poultry production at www.poultrydiseases.co.za/downloads November 2019 saw the announcement of a Poultry Sector Master Plan. The plan seeks “to expand the industry by increasing capacity at all stages of the value chain manufacturing of feed, farming of chickens and processing of poultry product – thereby increasing fixed investment, employment and the value of output” (DALRRD, 2019). The plan brings together labour, government and business; processors, producers and importers. It sets out a new joint vision across the value chain, identifies five pillars that underpin the vision and creates a Poultry Sector Master Plan Council to monitor and drive implementation of the pillars. Chicken producers are committing R1.5 billion in fresh investment in their own production facilities within the next four years towards the investment drive. This is expected to result in nearly 4 000 additional jobs in the production of chicken in pursuit of these outcomes. An investment of R1.7 billion by industry and various government agencies will see the establishment of 50 commercial scale contract farmers. For further reference, see the earlier “Local business environment” heading. The poultry industry has also featured in previous government strategies like the Industrial Policy Action Plans (IPAPs) and the Agricultural Policy Action Plan (APAP). For contact details and information on the different Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) directorates, find the “Branches” option at www.dalrrd.gov.za. The document “Guidelines on key requirements for governments markets – bread, eggs and dairy products” can be found on the Directorate Marketing’s web pages on the DALRRD website or click here. - International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC) www.itac.org.za - National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC) www.namc.co.za Poultry welfare is addressed by a new National Standard through the South African Bureau of Standards, set to replace the 2012 SAPA Code of Practice. In the meantime, the Animals Protection Act No 71 of 1962 applies. - South African Poultry Association (SAPA) www.sapoultry.co.za Find the downloads for the Broiler Organisation, the Chick Producer Organisation and the Egg Organisation on the SAPA website. - The Developing Poultry Farmer’s Organisation can be contacted at the SAPA office. - The Poultry Disease Management Agency (PDMA) is tasked with the disease monitoring, surveillance, management, control and communication on behalf of the Poultry Producers. This agency is funded by the statutory levy paid by all the producers. See www.poultrydiseases.co.za. - On www.saspo.org.za find contact details of clubs/associations affiliated to the South African Show Poultry Organisation. Training and research - The Agricultural Colleges working with Provincial Departments of Agriculture, offer poultry courses. - Many AgriSETA-accredited training providers offer poultry courses. Find the list at www.agriseta.co.za (under “Skills delivery” option). On the same website, read about learnerships and apprenticeships, a combination of on-the-job learning along with some theoretical training. The major part of the training can be offered on the farm. - Agriskills Transfer www.agriskills.net AgriSETA-accredited training. - ARC – Animal Production Institute Tel: 012 672 9153 / 111 www.arc.agric.za The poultry unit offers excellent training opportunities to students from tertiary institutions and those wanting to start poultry farming. It also offers facilities for research to all stakeholders in the poultry industry. - Dicla Training & Projects www.diclaprojects.com - Dumela Poultry Solutions Jan Grobbelaar Tel: 084 567 8975 jan [at] reveal.co.za - KwaZulu-Natal Poultry Institute (KZNPI) www.kznpi.co.za National Certificate: Poultry Production (NQF 3) – accredited with AgriSETA. Shorter poultry production courses are run in conjunction with SAPA and the KZN Department of Agriculture. Other training courses can be offered by arrangement. - Mpofu Small Stock Training Centre Tel: 040 864 9064 A training centre in the Eastern Cape which has been instrumental in providing poultry farming skills - PCI Agricultural Services www.pciagri.co.za Training and training materials. - Poultry Information Centre Rod Simpson – 082 853 5701 www.poultryinfo.co.za An accredited facilitator and assessor with AgriSETA providing short courses on poultry - Project Literacy runs an introduction to poultry farming for small-scale farmers. See www.projectliteracy.org.za. - SAPA arranges training courses. These include broiler flock management, broiler breeder flock management, commercial layer management and hatchery management. Contact SAPA in connection with these. Refer to the “Training” option at www.sapoultry.co.za. - Skills for Africa www.skillsafrica.co.za AgriSETA accredited training. - Stellenbosch University Department: Animal Science www.sun.ac.za/animal - University of the Free State (UFS) Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry www.ufs.ac.za - UFS Department of Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences Tel: 051 401 2211 - UFS Paradys Experimental Farm Tel: 051 443 9011 - University of KwaZulu-Natal (PMB) Animal & Poultry Sciences http://ansi.ukzn.ac.za - University of Pretoria (UP) Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development www.up.ac.za - UP Animal and Wildlife Sciences www.up.ac.za - UP Production Animal Studies: Poultry Reference Centre www.up.ac.za Contract and academic research is done on poultry diseases. Small-scale farmer projects are run. - UP Faculty of Veterinary Science Department of Production Animal Studies www.up.ac.za The Research Chair in Poultry Health and Production is housed here. Equipment and inputs - Afri Foam www.polyurethane.co.za - African Poultry Solutions www.africanps.co.za - Agri Bio Equipment and Solutions www.agribio.co.za - Andermatt https://andermatt-php.co.za The natural additive, Eco-BTI, kills fly larvae - Avimune Edms Bpk http://avimune.co.za - Avipharm http://avipharm.co.za - Bessemer www.bessemer.co.za - Big Dutchman SA Pty Ltd www.bigdutchman.co.za - Biomin Animal Nutrition www.biomin.net - Bupo Animal Health www.bupo.co.za - Chemvet www.chemvet.co.za - Chicken Shack Agencies www.chickenshack.co.za - Combustion Technology www.combustiontechnology.co.za - De Heus Feed (Pty) Ltd www.deheus.co.za - Dicla Broiler Production Unit www.dicla.com - DIVAC Tel: 011 477 1042 Poultry processing equipment - Dynamic Automation www.dynamicautomation.co.za - Easyhatch Incubators www.easyhatch.co.za - Echo Coldrooms www.echocoldrooms.co.za - Engitek www.engitek.co.za - Eskom supplies a Small Scale Broiler Production Unit and also offer an energy advisory service. Find contact details on the “Energy” page. - GSI Group Africa (Pty) Ltd www.gsiafrica.co.za - JF Equipment Machinery www.jfequipment.co.za - KDC Trading www.kdctrading.co.za - Kemklean Hygiene Systems www.kemklean.co.za/poultry.html - Marel South Africa www.marel.co.za - Meadow Feeds www.meadowfeeds.co.za - New Quip www.newquip.co.za - Peninsular Poultry Appliances Tel: 011 708 3094 - Pleysier Incubators www.pleysier.co.za - Poltek www.poltek.co.za - Ross Agri Services www.rossgro.co.za - Seemorelux www.seemorelux.co.za poultry lighting systems - Sernick www.sernick.co.za Poultry feed - Super Agri Science www.superagriscience.co.za - Surehatch Egg Incubators Tel: 021 981 9106 www.surehatch.co.za - Diagnostic services, advice etc. is available from the Universities e.g. the Poultry Reference Centre at the University of Pretoria. The contact number there is 012 529 8224. Some suppliers of chicks and breeding stock - Abilene Poultry www.abilenepoultry.co.za - ALFA CHICKS www.alfachicks.co.za - Alfarming Poultry and Livestock www.alfarmpoultryandlivestock.co.za/ - Arbor Acres www.arboracres.co.za - Boschveld www.boschveld.co.za (indigenous chickens) - Eagles Pride Hatchery www.eaglespride.co.za - Grootvlei Kuikens Tel: 056 777 2188 - Jacobs Poultry www.jacobspoultry.co.za - Kwena Chicks National Chicks www.natchix.co.za - Lufafa Hatchery www.lufafahatchery.co.za - Opti Chicks Hatchery Tel: 018 632 0336 Producers and processors Find the list of Halaal poultry dealers at www.sanha.co.za - AFGRI Poultry – see Daybreak and Midway Chix - Alzu Depots and Alzu Eggs www.alzu.co.za - Anca Chix www.ancafoods.co.za - Astral Operations Ltd [brands include Goldi Chicken, County Fair, Early Bird Farm, Festive, Mountain Valley and Supa Star] visit www.astralpoultry.co.za. - Boschveld www.boschveld.co.za (indigenous chickens) - Chubby Chick www.facebook.com/ChubbyChickPremium - Cocorico Tel: 031 785 6000 - Cold Storage Group (CSG) – see Sovereign Foods - Country Bird Holdings is the holding company for several brands including Supreme Chicken, Spring Chicken, Sublime Chicken, Ross Africa and Nutri Feeds. Visit www.cbh.co.za and www.rclfoods.com. - Country Fair – see Astral Operations Ltd. - Daybreak Farms www.daybreakfarms.co.za - Dorian Holdings Tel: 031 765 3281 - Eggbert Eggs www.eggberteggs.co.za - Eggspert Eggs https://eggsperteggs.com - Eikenhof Poultry Farms www.thefreerangechickenco.com/eikenhof-poultry.html - Elgin Free Range Chickens www.freerangechickens.co.za - Elite Breeding Farms – see Astral Operations - Elkana Poultry Farm Tel: 021 874 1223 - Fair Acres Poultry Farm Tel: 011 540 6300 / 013 649 9000 - Finchley Farm Barn Eggs www.finchleybarneggs.co.za - Fourie’s Poultry Farm Tel: 067 279 8442 - Free Range Chicken Co www.thefreerangechickenco.com - Grain Field Chickens www.grainfieldchickens.co.za - Happy Land Farm http://happylandfarm.co.za - Heidel Eggs Tel: 072 015 9546 - Highveld Cooperative www.toplay.co.za - Hyline Hatchery www.hyline.com - Kuipers Group – see Eagles Rock Feed Mill, WW Barlet Eggs, Wolma Poultry Farm, Eggbert Eggs, and Eagles Milling - Midway Chix Pty Ltd see AFGRI - Mikon Farming http://mikonfarming.co.za - Midlands Eggs www.midlandseggs.co.za - Nulaid www.nulaid.co.za - Quantum Foods www.quantumfoods.co.za - Rainbow Farms www.rclfoods.com - Randvaal Chickens www.randvaalchickens.co.za - Rocklands Poultry – see Sovereign Foods - Rosendal Poultry Farm Tel: 021 862 3100 - Rossgro Poultry Holdings www.rossgro.co.za - Sangiro Chickens https://sangiro.co.za - Sovereign Foods www.sovereignfoods.co.za - Top Lay www.toplay.co.za - Weldhagen Eggs www.weldhagen.co.za - Wolma Poultry Farm https://wolmaeggs.co.za - WW Bartlet Poultry Farm www.bartleteggs.co.za Websites and publications Visit the websites listed earlier on this page. - Pluimvee/Poultry Bulletin – a monthly magazine issued by SAPA. Previous copies are available on their website as pdfs. - Wethli, E., Berold, R. 2002. The Southern African Chicken Book. Juta. Available from KwaZulu-Natal Poultry Institute – 033 346 0049. - Find the “Training” and “Resources” options at www.sapoultry.co.za for list of DVDs, publications etc. The Poultry Production Information Brochure PDF with notes for beginners at www.sapoultry.co.za/pdf-member/poultry-production-info-brochure.pdf. - A Guide for Beginner Poultry Farmers – available from the ARC. Call 012 672 9153 or visit www.arc.agric.za. Numerous pamphlets for producers are also available from the ARC in Irene. - The Free Range Chicken Farming Manual-South Africa is a farming companion for the South African farmer that wants to venture into healthy and ethical free range poultry farming in the country.Visit http://freerangechickenmanual.co.za and http://freerangechickenfarming.co.za. - See the “Backyard Chickens – Beginner’s Guide” web page at https://backyard54.com/p/backyard-chickens-beginners-guide/240 - Find the World Poultry Foundation training videos at http://worldpoultryfoundation.org/videos - Visit www.kejafa.com for the DVD entitled “Successful Broiler Production”. A number of publications are also stocked, including: (i) Raising poultry Leonard S Mercia (ii) Raising Chickens Gail Damerow (iii) Hoenderproduksie – Braaikuikens and Chicken Production (Broilers) Dr Jean A Cilliers, and (iv) Guide to Poultry Production, Dr Jean A Cilliers. - Dicla training provides the DVD “Care for commercial layers”. Visit www.diclatraining.com. - Several publications are available on the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development website, www.dalrrd.gov.za. (1) Find the annual Broiler Market Value Chain Profile and Egg Market Value Chain Profile on the Directorate Marketing web pages. Take the “Annual publications” option. (2) Read reports on the poultry and egg markets under the “Branches”, “Administration” and “Statistics and economic analysis” options. (3) The excellent Training Paper on broilers and eggs is under “Resource Centre”, the “General publications” and “Agricultural Marketing Extension Training Papers” options. (4) A number of producer booklets can be found under the “InfoPaks” option: (i) Poultry – A guide to the most important poultry diseases and their management (ii) Poultry – Are my chickens healthy (iii) Poultry – Chicken care (iv) Poultry – Disease prevention in chickens (Afrikaans) (v) Poultry – Disease prevention in chickens (vi) Poultry – External parasites on chickens (vii) Poultry – Feather, skin and leg conditions (Afrikaans) (viii) Poultry – Feather, skin and leg conditions (ix) Poultry – Gut conditions in poultry (x) Poultry – Marking of poultry meat (xi) Poultry – Nervous conditions in chickens (Afrikaans) (xii) Poultry – Nervous conditions in chickens (xiii) Poultry – Newcastle disease (xiv) Poultry – Respiratory diseases in chickens (Afrikaans) (xv) Poultry – Small-scale egg production (xvi) Poultry – Diseases. - Anyone wishing to start a poultry abattoir should know that there are legal, health and safety requirements to meet. Find the necessary checklists on www.dalrrd.gov.za (under the “Branches” and “Agricultural production, health & food safety” and “Food safety and Quality Assurance” options). - Find the Nation in Conversation overview of the poultry industry (Feb 2017) on YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh4oJZniS_0 - Call 012 842 4017 or email iaeinfo [at] arc.agric.za for the following publications, available from the ARC in Silverton: (i) Small-scale broiler house (also available in Afrikaans) (ii) Heating of broilers and broiler housing (also available in Afrikaans) (iii) Small-scale poultry housing in South Africa (iv) Agro-processingof Poultry (Chicken & Turkey). - www.backyardchickens.com is a useful website for information on how to keep chickens. - Subscribe to the Poultry Information Centre newsletter. Write to rod [at] poultryinfo.co.za - Available from the SPCA: Chicken Care Booklet. Try your local branch of contact the National SPCA 011 907 3590/1/2 - Find the PDF document Keeping broiler houses tight saves money at www.eskom.co.za/sites/idm/Documents/agriculture%20poultry.pdf - Find the Broiler Management Guide and Layer Management Guide PDFs at www.rossgro.co.za, under the Rossgro Agri Services option. - Mnbengwa, V.. Khoza, T.M., Sotsha, K. 2018. “Value chain analysis for poultry and piggery in Gauteng Province; A case of smallholder farmers”. The Trumpet, Issue 3. Available at www.namc.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/The-Trumpet-Issue-3-24-July-2018.pdf - Kleyn, R. 2013. Chicken Nutrition: A guide for nutritionists and poultry professionals. Santa Rosa: Context Publications. - Bell, D. 2002. Commercial Chicken Meat and Egg Production. 5th ed. New York: Kluwer Academic Publishers. - The monthly magazine Poultry Focus Africa. Visit www.targetmedia.co.za. - Find the “Chickens” option at https://wikifarmer.com. - Find the Meadow Feeds technical articles for layers, broilers and breeders at www.meadowfeeds.co.za. - Reporter. 2021, November 17. “How To Start An Egg Business”. South African Smallholder. Available at https://sasmallholder.co.za/2021/11/17/how-to-start-an-egg-business/ - Reporter. 2021, May 1. “Choose Your Chicken”. SA Smallholder. Available at https://sasmallholder.co.za/2021/05/01/choose-your-chicken/ - Phillips L. 2021, January 13. “Backyard broiler business: Start small, dream big”. Farmer’s Weekly. Available at www.farmersweekly.co.za/animals/poultry/backyard-broiler-business-start-small-dream-big/ - Reporter. 2020, November 2. “Checkers deal with Farmer Angus Eggs boosts black-owned regenerative agriculture”. Bizcommunity. Available at www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/162/209937.html - Reporter. 2020, October 27. “Poultry litter to biogas: adding more value to farm waste”. Farmer’s Weekly. Available at www.farmersweekly.co.za/animals/poultry/poultry-litter-to-biogas-adding-more-value-to-farm-waste/ - Kriel G. 2020, September 16. “How to succeed with small-scale chicken farming”. Farmer’s Weekly. Available at www.farmersweekly.co.za/animals/poultry/succeed-small-scale-chicken-farming/ - Kriel G. 2020, July 11. “Building a mega business through egg production”. Farmer’s Weekly. Available at www.farmersweekly.co.za/agri-business/agribusinesses/building-a-mega-business-through-egg-production - Brody S. 2020, February 9. “Make money with free-range chickens”. Farmer’s Weekly. Available at www.farmersweekly.co.za/animals/poultry/make-money-with-free-range-chickens/ - Dean S. 2019, September 6. “How to make a living running a small-scale broiler operation”. Farmer’s Weekly. Available at www.farmersweekly.co.za/animals/poultry/how-to-make-a-living-running-a-small-scale-broiler-operation/ - Wang, P. 2019, February 15. “28 Cheap And Clever DIYs For Anyone Who Raises Chicken”. Buzzfeed. Available at www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/diys-for-anyone-who-raises-chickens - Uys, G. 2018, December 12. “Free-range chickens: Part-time farmer’s success on rented land”. Farmer’s Weekly. Available at www.farmersweekly.co.za/animals/poultry/free-range-chickens-part-time-farmers-success-rented-land - Kriel, G. 2018, November 16. “A healthy profit from pasture-raised eggs”. Farmer’s Weekly. Available at www.farmersweekly.co.za/animals/poultry/healthy-profit-pasture-raised-eggs - Den Hartigh, W. 2018, July 26. “Tips for better chicken house heating and ventilation”. Farmer’s Weekly. Available at www.farmersweekly.co.za/animals/poultry/tips-for-better-chicken-house-heating-ventilation/ - Torsius, M. 2018, May 21. “How to handle 240 000 eggs a day”. Farmer’s Weekly. Available at www.farmersweekly.co.za/agri-business/agribusinesses/handle-240-000-eggs-day/ - Nel, C. 2017, October 7. “Free-range eggs add value for commercial producer”. Farmer’s Weekly. Available at www.farmersweekly.co.za/animals/poultry/free-range-eggs-add-value-commercial-producer/ - Reporter. 2017, January 26. “Securing a market for your chickens”. Farmer’s Weekly. Available at www.farmersweekly.co.za/animals/poultry/securing-a-market-for-your-chickens/ - Find “Farming eggs for family and profit” at www.farmersweekly.co.za/farm-basics/how-to-livestock/eggs-for-family-and-profit/ - Phillips, L. 2014, October 6. “Expert advice on feeding layer hens”. Farmer’s Weekly. Available at www.farmersweekly.co.za/animals/poultry/expert-advice-on-feeding-layer-hens/ - Surehatch. 2013, July 8. “ How to start your own poultry business”. Farmer’s Weekly. Available at www.farmersweekly.co.za/farm-basics/how-to-livestock/start-your-own-poultry-business/ Share this article
Overuse of antibiotics is breeding new drug resistant bugs - From: News Corp Australia - April 09, 2014 POST-operative infections like the one suffered by Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe struck 35,000 Australian patients in 2012 and hundreds of people die each year from some of these bugs. The infections surgeons fear the most are multi-drug resistant staphylococcus infections which are difficult to treat because most antibiotics don’t work on them. Overuse of antibiotics for minor illnesses has led many superbugs to develop resistance to antibiotic treatment and these types of infections can be deadly. AMA president Steve Hambleton warned last month that patients who travel overseas may return home with bacteria in their bowel from tainted water or salad that could cause serious problems if it enters the bloodstream after surgery. Nationwide, the National Health Performance Authority revealed last month that more than 1700 public patients contracted deadly golden staph infections that kill up to 35 per cent of their victims in 2012-13. Many strains of this infection are now resistant to most antibiotics and its containment is considered a key measure of a hospital’s infection control. The Government agreed to targets of no more than two cases of golden staph per 10,000 patients’ bed days.
Re-Dispersible Polymer Powder Rdp for Construction Chemicals Tile AdhesiveDecember 5th 2023 VAE Powder: The Key Ingredient in Tile Adhesive Tile adhesive is an essential material used in the construction industry to fix tiles to walls and floors. One of the key ingredients in tile adhesive is VAE (vinyl acetate ethylene) powder. In this article, we will discuss VAE powder and its role in tile adhesive. What is VAE Powder? VAE powder is a type of copolymer made from vinyl acetate and ethylene. It is commonly used as a binder in various applications, including adhesives, coatings, and wall putty. VAE powder has excellent adhesion properties, making it ideal for use in construction applications where strong bonding is required. What is Tile Adhesive? Tile adhesive is a mixture of several materials, including binders, fillers, and additives. The purpose of tile adhesive is to provide a strong bond between the tile and the substrate. Tile adhesive is typically applied in thin layers using a notched trowel, and the tile is then placed onto the adhesive and pressed into place. The Role of VAE Powder in Tile Adhesive VAE powder is a key ingredient in tile adhesive. It acts as a binder, holding the other ingredients together and providing strong adhesion to the surface. VAE powder also provides flexibility and water resistance, making the tile adhesive durable and long-lasting. In addition to its adhesive properties, VAE powder also acts as a filler in tile adhesive. The fine particles of VAE powder fill in any small gaps between the tile and the substrate, creating a strong and even bond. This is particularly important when fixing large tiles or tiles to uneven surfaces, as any gaps can cause the tiles to crack or become loose over time. VAE powder is a crucial ingredient in tile adhesive, providing both adhesive and filler properties to create a strong and durable bond between the tile and the substrate. When selecting a tile adhesive product, it is essential to consider the quality of the VAE powder used, as this will impact the overall performance of the product. Always choose a high-quality product from a reputable manufacturer and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for best results.
Topic: AIF - 1B - 2 LHR 351 Tpr William Henry MASSEY, 2nd LHR (Light Horse Regiment), a hairdresser from Victoria, returned to Australia a hero with a Military Medal awarded for his fearless work as a stretcher bearer in the Jordan Valley. During the Boer War, Massey enlisted with the 5th Victorian Mounted Rifles. He was enrolled as 792 Pte William Massie. After returning from South Africa, he re-enlisted with the 4th Battalion Australian Commonwealth Horse (VIC) as 2216 Pte William Massie. Being a Commonwealth body, his attestations papers are available on line here: Following service with the military, Massey moved to Queensland at Crescent Road, Gympie. With the outbreak of the Great War, Massey was quick to enlist and readily accepted on 21 August 1914. Massey was enrolled as 351 Tpr William Henry MASSEY, was allotted to "B" Squadron, 2nd Australian Light Horse Regiment, part of the 1st Light Horse Brigade. Massey served at Gallipoli from 15 May 1915 until he was evacuated sick on 20 August 1915. He was appointed a stretcher bearer and served heroically in this position at Tel el Saba during the attack on Beersheba, 31 October 1917. Following that, Massey again was recognised for his bravery at El Ghoraniyeh Bridge Head where he was awarded the Military Medal. Ironically, it was not the external enemy that sent Massey home early but the enemy within - he was invalided back to Australia with varicose veins. From hairdresser to hero, Massey made the legend of the Australian Story real by his life. Citation: 351 Tpr William Henry MASSEY, 2nd LHR
STOCKTON - Borough residents should boil their tap water before drinking it. On June 9 a test from well #3 came back positive for the E. coli bacteria, according to a notice posted by the county Office of Emergency Management on behalf of the Stockton Borough Water Dept System. According to the notice: Residents should bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. Contamination in water can cause short-term health effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems. On Monday June 9, five more samples were taken for testing. When the results are back the borough will send out another notice. The raw (untreated water) water sample taken at well #3 tested positive for E. coli. The additional tests which were taken in the distribution’s finished, treated water, came up negative. Notice will be sent out when it is no longer necessary to boil the water. For more information, please contact Greg Ent at 609-209-5610 or the Stockton Borough Hall at 609-397-0070. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
The Covid pandemic has affected all sections of society in one way or the other since its onset. Among health and safety concerns, we also have to worry about the mental and emotional health of our children. They are unable to meet their friends, play outside, or engage in extracurricular activities. They are also unable to observe, explore, and learn from the world at large. As per UNICEF, the 2020 lockdowns led to the closure of almost 1.5 million schools in India. This brought chaos to the daily lives of over 247 million students of elementary and secondary schools. In addition, this situation could have a profound impact on the mental and socio-emotional well-being of children. Children are deprived of play and physical contact. These are critical for their psycho-social well-being and development. Therefore, the role of parents, educationists, and development workers in keeping them engaged, motivated, hopeful, and happy has become more important than ever. Staying fit and practising physical activities is a must for emotional, mental, and physical well-being. Physical exercise or yoga are integral elements in the curriculum for a blended mode of learning by the ME centres. The importance of consuming healthy nutrients, soaking in sunlight, and exercising can help relieve some of the stress and fear among children and adults. We could see this as an opportunity like no other. With children being at home a lot more often than they were before, this might be a chance to teach them some responsibility as well as critical socio-emotional life skills to help them tide through this time. We must reignite their self-awareness, mindfulness, grit, and appreciation for this journey called life. In addition to loneliness and isolation in light of public health safety measures, the poor mental health of parents could be a contributing factor in negative mental health outcomes for children. For millions of children, especially the vulnerable ones, school is a safety net of sorts. With their parents working hard all day to make ends meet at home, the children can seek refuge in counsellors and teachers at school. The pandemic-induced closure of schools has denied them this. We at Smile Foundation have been making concerted effort to ensure that children’s health along with their education does not take a backseat. We have even come up with various initiatives for the same. Zlin Film Festival and Smile International Film Festival came together this summer for the first time. Together they brought for the children of India a little over 100 minutes of fun and entertainment from 27 May to 1 June. And all this happened in the safety of their homes during the second wave of the pandemic. SIFFCY had organised a virtual film festival during last year’s lockdowns as well. We showed the children 10 animated, non-verbal, and super entertaining movies. We believe that cinema is a powerful medium that helps to instil values such as empathy and compassion amongst children. In addition, such value-based movies contribute towards their mental well-being and also teach them to be more responsible. Animated movies with beautiful stories provide children and adults alike with a much-needed break from the mundane routine of staying at home. It could get one’s creative juices flowing too! We also organized an online campaign against child labour. The purpose of this campaign was to distract the thoughts of children from the horrifying news and images of the surging second wave of COVID-19 while spreading awareness about the issue. Children were asked to participate in poster making or essay writing competitions on the topic of child labour. Feeling distressed and disheartened, unable to physically meet their friends and teachers amid the second wave, and stuck in another lockdown, the campaign helped many children engage proactively in something creative and thoughtful. Such activities result in engaging not just children but their parents as well. Sarva Shiksha AbhiyanNational Education Policy Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Digital India Skill IndiaEnhancing Formal Skilling National Rural Health Mission Universal Health CoverageNational Digital Health Mission Promotion of Govt. Health Schemes Anaemia Mukt Bharat Poshan Abhiyan Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan Anganwadi Strengthening
Anaerobic digestion is one of the more interesting approaches to producing sustainable energy through renewable resources—and efforts to develop it are taking place here in Michigan. According to the American Biogas Council, anaerobic digestion produces energy through “a series of biological processes in which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen.” This breakdown of organic waste material produces clean-burning biogas that can help generate electricity. While not yet as cheap or available as Michigan-produced wind energy, as technology changes, anaerobic digestion could become a sustainable part of Michigan’s energy mix. Support for Anaerobic Digesters Growing in Michigan Check out this recent article from The Grand Rapids Business Journal describing how the small West Michigan city of Lowell plans to use anaerobic digestion to draw energy from farms and a large food-processing plant there Important research on anaerobic digestion is also being conducted at Michigan State University’s Anaerobic Digestion Research and Education Center. The Center provides a platform for multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, and multi-national collaborations that develop sustainable waste-to-resource solutions to address current and future waste management challenges. In fact, local energy provider Consumers Energy has developed its new farm anaerobic digester program in collaboration with MSU and Michigan’s agricultural community. Diversifying Our State’s Energy Portfolio To secure Michigan’s energy future, we need reliable, in-state energy production, and no one source will be adequate for meeting our growing energy needs and keeping electricity reliable and affordable while also improving our energy efficiency and sustainability. Smart Energy Policies Are Critical to Our Energy Future Our energy policies need to help us meet all the needs we as Michiganders must balance: a strong economy, preservation of our natural resources, continued innovation, and reliability and fairness for all consumers. They can do so by promoting investment in our communities and state economy and providing the kind of stability that will support long-term planning and development. Do you support these types of investments in creating a more sustainable energy future for Michigan? Let us know your thoughts.
A current study by the College of Activity and Overall health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä and the Gerontology Research Center (Finland) investigated the paths from childhood socioemotional conduct to midlife well being conduct decades afterwards. Socioemotional conduct at age 8 predicted health and fitness behaviour both of those specifically and indirectly as a result of education and learning. There are a huge wide range of components driving wellness conduct and one particular of them is individuality. Variances in behaviour and reaction model concerning people today are currently visible in young youngsters. A current paper examined the purpose of socioemotional conduct in kids in relation to bodily action, smoking cigarettes, alcoholic beverages use and entire body mass index assessed up to 42 several years afterwards. Perfectly-managed behaviour in girls, indicating a tendency to behave kindly and constructively in conflicting scenarios, predicted a lot more actual physical activity in center age. Social activity, which was found, for example, as an eagerness to talk and participate in with other young children, predicted heavier alcoholic beverages consumption in women and cigarette smoking in boys. “Well-managed conduct may well show up as good self-self-control and the potential to adhere to the exercise designs in adulthood,” claims postdoctoral researcher Tiia Kekäläinen. “Social action, on the other hand, might have led afterwards to social conditions the place smoking cigarettes and alcoholic beverages usage were being started off.” The academic path issues Some paths involving childhood socioemotional behaviour and midlife wellbeing behaviours went via education. Social action in women and effectively-controlled conduct in each girls and boys predicted better school success in adolescence and larger instruction in adulthood. Higher academic achievement was linked, in transform, to significantly less using tobacco and alcoholic beverages use. “The effects are in line with former effects dependent on this exact same longitudinal facts and other experiments,” suggests Kekäläinen. “In certain, well-managed conduct has been observed to add to university achievement and education. These could offer facts and competencies that help to make healthful alternatives. The results of this paper recommend that discrepancies in individuals’ conduct previously seen in childhood are mirrored in adulthood each right and as a result of various mediating mechanisms.” The study was component of the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Identity and Social Development (JYLS) in which the similar people today have been adopted due to the fact 1968 when they ended up 8 several years previous. This review employed info on socio-emotional conduct and parental socioeconomic status at age 8, school success at age 14, instructional qualifications at age 27, individuality attributes at age 33, and wellness behaviours at age 36, 42, and 50. The facts selection in JYLS at many stages has been funded by the Academy of Finland (most up-to-date funding range 323541) and the producing of this publication was funded by the Ministry of Education and learning and Society (PATHWAY-task).
The teaching workforce in primary education is currently ageing. In the 2003/’04 school year, 11 percent of primary teachers were 55 years of age or over, as against 21 percent in 2017/’18. Male teachers in particular are ageing rapidly: currently, over one in three teachers are aged 55 or over. Among their female counterparts, this share stands at nearly one in six (18 percent). In ten years’ time, the majority will have left the classroom. \|Men\|\|15 to 24 yrs\|\|2.3\|\|3.6\| \|25 to 34 yrs\|\|16.3\|\|25.0\| \|35 to 44 yrs\|\|18.6\|\|17.9\| \|45 to 54 yrs\|\|41.9\|\|17.9\| \|55 yrs or older\|\|20.9\|\|35.7\| \|Women\|\|15 to 24 yrs\|\|10.0\|\|4.8\| \|25 to 34 yrs\|\|26.7\|\|28.6\| \|35 to 44 yrs\|\|26.7\|\|25.4\| \|45 to 54 yrs\|\|29.2\|\|23.8\| \|55 yrs or older\|\|7.5\|\|18.3\| Fewer students in primary teacher training The number of potential new teachers has declined relative to school year 2003/’04. For example, out of all first-year students at universities of applied sciences (HBO) in 2003/’04, 9.7 thousand were in primary teacher training (PABO). At 4.5 thousand, this number had more than halved in 2017/’18. This number has started to go up again slightly over the past three years. In recent years, PABO teacher education has been affected by tighter admission requirements. These changes were intended to improve the quality of training, but have also had consequences for the number of entering first-year students. Male PABO students have been underrepresented for years, but their number has been fairly stable at 1,000. The number of female students attending PABO is falling. During school year 2003/’04, there were 8.3 thousand women among first-year PABO students, versus as few as 3.3 thousand in 2016/’17. A job outside primary education Not everyone with a degree in primary teacher training will become a classroom teacher. Among male PABO graduates, 6 in 10 are engaged in a profession other than teaching. Some are teachers in secondary education (6 percent) while others have become managers (10 percent). Women with a PABO diploma who do not work as primary school teachers are relatively often childcare group leaders, teaching assistants (9 percent) or teachers in secondary education (4 percent). Fewer primary school pupils The number of children at primary school age has already fallen and will continue to do so in the future. According to CBS’ population forecast, the number of children between ages 5 and 12 will continue to decline by 70 thousand over the next ten years. In primary education, the number of teachers is not fully aligned with the number of children due to the fact that many teachers work part-time.
Brief Guide About Allergies Learn about allergies testing,immunotherapy,side effects,solutions,effects and more… What is Allergy? Allergy is an immune system’s reaction to unusual substances, such as pollen granules, poison from bee stings or animal dander…etc. Do you know that your immune system can control how fast your body defends from harmful substances? For example, if you feel severe allergy to pollens, then your immune system can protect your body from these dangerous allergies. If your immune system works brilliant, then it can identify the allergens. The immune system can show reaction by delivering antibodies called Immunoglobulin.These antibodies can travel into your body cells that discharge synthetic concoctions. In this manner, it can cause an unfavorably allergic response. These responses can extend from irritating wheezing and sneezing to a dangerous reaction called hypersensitivity. Most of the people with untreated symptoms of allergy don’t know how to diagnose these allergies. These people are not aware of how can they manage these allergies symptoms. They have no idea how allergist can help them to defeat these pollen allergies. An allergist or internist is the best option for you who can diagnose this problem and treat immunological disorders. To begin with the treatment, they call for necessary allergy tests. In the next section, we will get to know about allergy tests and their results. What are Allergy tests and how they work? More than 20% of the people in the world get tired because of seasonal allergies. To diagnose, treat, and overcome these allergies, doctors prescribe allergy testing. These tests can help the doctors to trigger the source and type of allergies. It will help them to reduce adverse reactions and avoid using unnecessary medications. If you want to get perfect counseling and allergic avoiding advice, it is vital to have a valid allergic test. It can help people to reduce allergies symptoms and improve their life quality. A medicinal services supplier can utilize the test results to distinguish the particular unfavorably susceptible triggers that might contribute the indications. Using this data, alongside a physical assessment and case history, the specialist can analyze the reason for the manifestations and tailor medications that will enable the patient to feel to better. An unfavorable outcome can allow the specialist to discount sensitivities to think about different conceivable outcomes. Working process of Allergy tests: Process of each allergy test depends on the type of analysis. There are many tests available that require different ways of methods and time. In this section, we keep our eye on the most common type of allergy test, which is the Otolaryngic Allergy test. It is also known as a modified quantitative test. In this process, several steps require getting a relevant result. - From the first note nurse of allergist clean the back area of the patient with alcohol. - After cleaning the area with alcohol, the nurse will mark down the testable territory with marker or ink. - After that, they will apply allergens on the marked area. - A device is used to affect positive allergen on the surface of the skin. It can cause little irritation. However, these devices have place rubbing surface and do not contain needles. - If the allergist sees redness on the marked skin or experience swelling on the surface of the skin, then allergy exists. Size and range of expanding may vary from person to person depends on the severity of the allergy. The test will require 20-25 minutes. Get to know about intradermal allergy testing: Intradermal allergy testing is a new method of skin testing. The test will help the allergist to determine what sort of allergen exists. The test requires 20 minutes to examine what kind of harmful allergen affect the body. In Intradermal process doctors inject small amount of allergens directly on the surface of your skin with the help of injections. - First step : the nurse cleans the skin on the upper arm side with the help of alcohol. - Next : doctors inject allergen underneath the skin surface with the help of a small injection. - If harmful allergens exist in the patient body, the body appears intimate results in the form of redness and swelling around the injected area only. What is the need for allergic testing? There are more than 30 inhalant antigens, and 45 food allergens exist. The inhalants are the things we take in that may cause a disturbance in the mucosa and upper aviation route. These allergens could incorporate residue bugs, dust, shape spores, and creature dander. These allergic Pollens can travel in anywhere. Even these dust particles can go for several miles from person to person. To treat it well you need to go for best diagnosing allergic treatments. Hypersensitivity or allergic treatment is a treatment intended to decrease allergies symptoms from the patient body. On the other hand, this process is also used to overcome the allergic sensitivity from the patient body. After immunotherapy process, the doctors can understand the ratio of allergic response. In this process, doctors give allergic shots to their patients. These allergic shots are also known as administering shots. The allergic shots or sublingual drops slowly expanded in dose and quality. In other sense, with the use of allergic shots, doctors retrain the body to not respond with an allergic reaction. After giving chances, the body cannot trigger allergic exposure. Some fewer allergic symptoms may occur, but they are tolerable. How much time takes to go immunotherapy process: Do you know that allergic treatment can take 3-5 years? However, immunotherapy can take months to recover from bad allergies symptoms. The level of resilience is different for a different type of people. The recovery time depends upon the therapy nature. Sometimes Improvement in allergy symptoms can show immediate results, and sometimes it takes months. Consistency is fundamental to progress likely outcomes through this treatment. Once the food allergies successfully identified, they need to eliminate from the patient diet. You should remove the sensitivities for more than two weeks. After that, they can reproduce into the patient diet to monitor possible allergic symptoms. Some professional allergist prescribes to present it in one every week. Having a perfect food diary along with you is a beneficial tool to capture all allergic reactions. After testing allergies, then you can start immunotherapy process to treat all allergic reactions. Types of immunotherapy: There are two types of immunotherapy process used to overcome the severity of allergies. One is Allergy shots, and second is Sublingual drops. - What are Allergy Shots? Allergy shots look like injections which used to decrease the allergic assaults. Every allergy shot contains a minor amount of the substance that triggers the harmful allergic reactions in body. - Use of allergy shots in each week can prevent your body to tolerate all allergic reactions. - After every three months, allergist increases the concentration of serum for better results. How Allergy shots work to prevent allergic symptoms: Allergic shots are given to the patient during the week of therapy. The arrangements are made more grounded at regular intervals until concentrate. Some researchers have found that it is one of the best solutions and produce a fast and appropriate solution in less time. The nature of patients allergic decides the length of the development stage. With the use of allergy shots, the patient can recover their allergies symptoms in between a half year to 1 year. The time duration may vary from person to person. What are Sublingual Drops? Sublingual drops are one of the best solutions that explicitly introduced for every patient that contains their distinguished allergens. They are taken at home under the tongue once per day all through treatment. They can make at whenever during the day; however, treatment must be predictable. Patients can start treatment with one drop day by day under the tongue for a multi-week. After that, the quantity may increase to 2 drops for a multi-week, at that point to 3 drops. The immunotherapy process is kept up every day at a steady portion, for 3-5 years. How Sublingual Drops work to prevent allergic symptoms: Do you know that sublingual drops are similar to allergy shots? They contain the same functionalities of allergy shots. The primary purpose of these drops is to lessen the allergies symptoms. These drops placed directly under the patient tongue each day. What sorts of people cannot take sublingual drops? Those people who suffer from allergic reaction should avail immunotherapy benefits. However, in this manner, some people will get higher profits from this treatment. Those people who influenced by asthma or who are in danger of creating asthma can experience some side effect from allergic medicines like sublingual shots. Those people who are heart patient may also experience undesirable reactions from allergy shots. Possible side effects associated with immunotherapy process: There are some potential side effects also associated with this therapy. Side effects include redness, swelling, and some time it may irritate allergy shots. Some asthma patient may also trigger side effects of redness in lips and mouth. Redness in the mouth may cause slight itching. In this manner, allergist suggests taking rescue inhaler along with them all the time. These symptoms can last up to 8-10 hours after the infusion. They can treat with antihistamine creams or with the use of potentially oral antihistamines. These responses could be more regrettable when the fixation expanded. What’s the need of carrying an EPI-PEN? Do you know that in asthma patient life, the anaphylactic attack is typical? While going through allergic therapy, the anaphylactic attack can get worse. The patient might feel suffocation due to massive inflammation rate in the airways. The condition may occur within minutes after having allergy shots. It requires the immediate attention of the doctor. However, if the doctor is not available, then you should take precaution and medicine. Allergist suggests that in that situation, the symptoms may begin with tingling of lips which reaches to severe itching in eyes, dizziness, vomiting, nausea, or feeling of lightheaded. It all can happen within minutes, and sometimes the doctors are not available right on the spot. The condition might leads to tremendous heart rate, shock, and sudden weakness. In this situation, you should o to the nearest emergency or carry Epi-pen with you. Usually, doctors suggest these patients to always carry Epi-pen along with them all the time. Can allergic symptoms be cured? The vital goal of allergy therapies is to identify the allergens and make tour body strong enough not to feel the side effects of allergens. Studies have found that patient will find extremely relief and satisfaction after completing their allergy therapy for the first 10-15 years. For instance, if the patient body develops new allergic symptoms, then they may need to be retested and retreated again with the fresh start. Allergies and Dizziness Is there a relation between Dizziness and Allergies? Yes, sometimes sinus congestion can make you feel dizzy all the time. In severe condition, you might feel extreme dizziness, which is known as vertigo — not all kind of dizziness caused by allergic therapies.You might feel dizzy all day because of dehydration. Most Allergies are not harmful. They affect the patient body in different ways. While dizziness is dangerous if it cannot be treated on time, allergies may cause dizziness in different ways. Does all kind of allergies can cause dizziness? No, some allergens can cause dizziness. If the patient is allergic to seasonal allergens like pet, dander, pollen, then your body might release a substance to fight with these allergens. Histamines released inside the body that can compete with these allergens. Recent studies have shown that there might be a strong relation between allergies and Meniere’s disease. More than 65% of the patient might have both disorders. What can I do to recover allergic dizziness? You can recover the dizziness when you take precautions daily. If the problem is getting severe day by day, then you should talk to your doctor about the diet plans, medications, and other medical shots. What are the symptoms of allergy headaches? Allergy headaches are one of the common symptoms of allergic therapies. Some of the symptoms may include pain and throbbing around the sinus area or feeling of pain around the eyes and head. Before going to take any medication, you should talk to the best physician. They will diagnose the infection and disease with may be the cause of headache. Causes of Allergy headaches: - Seasonal allergies - Allergic food - Sinus congestion - Sinusitis (sinuses inflammation) - Change of Air pressure How can I Treat my allergy headache? There are four different ways available through which you can treat and avoid allergy headaches. - By avoiding food: You should avoid that kind of food which can cause allergy. Different doctors and physicians allot prescribed food book to those people who fight with pollen allergies in ever season. They mention what kind of food may trigger allergies symptoms. - Use of counter medicines: To get relief from seasonal allergies, your doctor will recommend you to take over the counter medicines like Decongestants, Antihistamines, and other allergic shots. - Use of inflammatory sprays: Use of inflammatory spays like nasal saline spray, inhaler, or humidifier can provide rapid relief from the inflammation. - Bacterial infection treatment For bacterial infection, your doctor may prescribe some antibiotics which give you instant relief.
About the album Beethoven’s primary reason for settling in Vienna in 1792 was to study with Joseph Haydn, who at the time was widely considered the greatest living composer. Beethoven’s three Piano Trios op. 1 were the first compositions that he deemed important enough to give an opus number. They were dedicated to Prince Karl Lichnowsky, a patron of Beethoven in whose house he lived for some time. According to Beethoven’s lifelong friend Ferdinand Ries, Haydn was complimentary about the set of trios. The trios combine various elements that would have been familiar to Beethoven’s contemporaries. Less familiar, however, would be the fact that the trios contain four movements rather than the three that had been traditional in this genre. Although changes from major to minor had been common in the music of previous generations, where they would normally apply to just the last chord, Beethoven employs this technique more extensively here than was probably common at that time. Much like op. 1, the Trio op. 11 is also connected to the Viennese nobility of the time. Beethoven cleverly dedicated it to Maria Wilhelmine Countess of Thun-Hohenstein. In other ways, too, Beethoven tried to make this a particularly attractive publication for the Viennese public: the trio could be performed with a clarinet instead of a violin, a flexible approach to instrumentation that would doubtless increase its marketability. In addition, the last movement consists of a theme from Joseph Weigl’s comic opera L'amor marinaro, followed by a series of variations. At the time when Beethoven wrote this trio, Weigl’s opera was very popular in Vienna. This recording was made using a Chris Maene Concert Grand built in 2017. This remarkable instrument combines the knowledge and materials used in modern piano building with those found in older historical instruments. The most striking feature is that unlike in modern grand pianos, in which the strings in the bass and middle registers cross, in this instrument all strings run parallel to each other. As a result, it combines the solidity of a modern concert grand piano with the transparent sound ideal of older instruments. The sound of this symbiosis of old and new was a source of inspiration during the recording of Beethoven’s Piano Trios. 11Piano Trio in E flat Major Op. 1, No. 1 Allegro 12Piano Trio in E flat Major Op. 1, No. 1 Adagio cantabile 13Piano Trio in E flat Major Op. 1, No. 1 Scherzo. Allegro assai 14Piano Trio in E flat Major Op. 1, No. 1 Finale. Presto 15Piano Trio in C Minor Op. 1, No. 3 Allegro con brio 16Piano Trio in C Minor Op. 1, No. 3 Andante cantabile con Variazioni 17Piano Trio in C Minor Op. 1, No. 3 Menuetto. Quasi Allegro 18Piano Trio in C Minor Op. 1, No. 3 Finale. Prestissimo 19Piano Trio in B flat Major Op. 11 Allegro con brio 110Piano Trio in B flat Major Op. 11 Adagio 111Piano Trio in B flat Major Op. 11 Thema : Pria ch'io l'impegno. Allegretto
You’re peacefully meandering around your home, going about your daily activities, when suddenly, out of nowhere, your beloved feline friend launches a full-blown assault on your unsuspecting legs. You can’t help but wonder, why does my cat attack my legs? Does he secretly harbor a grudge against you, or is there a deeper motive behind this seemingly barbaric behavior? In this article, we will explore the intriguing reasons behind your cat’s perplexing leg attacks and shed light on their perplexing feline psychology. Buckle up and prepare to enter the enigmatic world of your furry companion. Possible Reasons for Leg Attacks Having a cat that attacks your legs can be a confusing and concerning behavior. However, there are a few possible reasons why your cat may engage in this behavior. It’s important to understand these reasons in order to address the underlying cause and find appropriate solutions to prevent future leg attacks. Playful behavior is one of the most common reasons why cats attack legs. Cats are naturally curious creatures and love to engage in interactive play. They may see your moving legs as a potential playmate, triggering their hunting instincts. These playful attacks are usually accompanied by a pouncing or biting motion, similar to how they would interact with prey in the wild. Redirected aggression occurs when a cat becomes agitated or stressed by something or someone else and takes out their frustration on a nearby target, such as your legs. It could be triggered by a perceived threat, such as another animal outside the window or an encounter with another cat in the household. The sudden release of pent-up energy and aggression can lead to leg attacks. Cats are inherently territorial animals, and they may view their human companions as part of their territory. Leg attacks can be a way for them to establish dominance and mark their territory. This behavior may be more prevalent in multi-cat households or if there are other animals around that the cat perceives as competition for resources. Fear or anxiety Sometimes, cats may attack legs out of fear or anxiety. If they feel threatened or uncomfortable in their environment, they may resort to aggressive behaviors as a defense mechanism. This could be triggered by a variety of factors, such as loud noises, unfamiliar visitors, or changes in their routine. Identifying the source of their fear or anxiety is crucial in addressing this behavior. In some cases, medical issues can be the underlying cause of your cat’s leg attacks. Pain, discomfort, or an undiagnosed medical condition can contribute to an increase in aggressive behaviors. It’s essential to rule out any potential health concerns by consulting with a veterinarian if you notice an abrupt change in your cat’s behavior. Understanding Playful Behavior Playful behavior is a natural instinct for cats. It’s their way of practicing hunting skills, releasing pent-up energy, and strengthening the bond with their human companions. By understanding the different aspects of playful behavior, you can better address and redirect your cat’s hunting instincts in a more appropriate manner. Cats are natural hunters, and their play behavior often mimics the actions they would take when hunting prey. The pouncing, stalking, and biting motions they display while attacking your legs are reflective of this instinct. By engaging in play that satisfies their hunting instincts, you can provide them with an outlet for their energy while also discouraging leg attacks. Predatory play involves stalking, chasing, and capturing objects or moving targets. Cats may perceive your legs as a moving target, triggering their predatory instincts. By providing them with interactive toys and engaging in play sessions that simulate hunting behavior, you can redirect their focus and energy away from your legs and onto appropriate toys or playmates. Social play is an essential aspect of a cat’s development and helps them sharpen their social skills. Cats often engage in play with other feline companions or their human caregivers. By encouraging social play with appropriate playmates, such as other friendly cats or through interactive play sessions with toys, you can fulfill their need for social interaction without resorting to leg attacks. Dealing with Redirected Aggression Redirected aggression can be a challenging behavior to manage, as it involves the cat directing their aggression towards a target that may be completely unrelated to the initial stimulus. Understanding how to identify triggers, providing alternate outlets, and creating a safe environment can help mitigate the occurrence of redirected aggression. One of the first steps in dealing with redirected aggression is identifying the triggers that lead to the aggressive outbursts. Observing your cat’s behavior and noting any specific stimuli or events that precede a leg attack can provide valuable insights. Common triggers include encounters with unfamiliar animals, loud noises, or prolonged exposure to stressful situations. Once you have identified the triggers, you can take steps to minimize their exposure to them. Providing alternate outlets Redirected aggression often occurs when a cat has built-up energy and frustration that needs to be released. By providing alternate outlets for this energy, such as regular play sessions using interactive toys or engaging them in activities that they enjoy, you can redirect their focus and help them release their pent-up energy in a more appropriate manner. Regular exercise and mental stimulation are crucial in preventing redirected aggression. Creating a safe environment Creating a safe environment for your cat is vital in managing redirected aggression. This involves minimizing their exposure to potential triggers and providing them with spaces where they can retreat to when they feel threatened or overwhelmed. Secure hiding spots, cat trees, and vertical spaces can give your cat a sense of security and control over their environment. Avoid confronting them during aggressive episodes and allow them time to calm down on their own. Managing Territorial Behavior Territorial behavior in cats is deeply rooted in their evolutionary history. Understanding how to manage their territorial instincts can help reduce leg attacks and promote a harmonious environment for both you and your cat. Cats mark their territory through various behaviors, including scratching, rubbing their scent on objects, and engaging in aggressive displays. Leg biting or attacking can be a way for them to assert their dominance and mark their territory. Providing appropriate scratching posts or pads can help redirect this behavior, as it allows them to leave their scent markings in a more acceptable manner. Establishing boundaries is crucial in managing territorial behavior. Clear boundaries can help your cat understand which areas are off-limits and which spaces are shared. This can be achieved through training, consistently reinforcing boundaries, and providing alternatives, such as separate feeding or resting areas for each cat in a multi-cat household. It’s important to give each cat ample resources to minimize any competition for territory. Consulting a professional If territorial behavior becomes unmanageable or escalates to aggressive acts beyond leg attacks, it may be beneficial to consult a professional, such as a veterinary behaviorist or an animal behavior specialist. They can provide expert guidance, recommend behavior modification techniques, and help design a tailored plan to address your cat’s specific territorial issues. Addressing Fear or Anxiety Fear or anxiety can trigger defensive behaviors, including leg attacks, in cats. Addressing the sources of fear or anxiety and creating a calm environment are essential in helping your cat feel safe and secure. Identifying sources of fear or anxiety It’s important to identify the sources of fear or anxiety in your cat to effectively address their behavior. Common triggers include loud noises, unfamiliar visitors, changes in routine, or previous traumatic experiences. By observing their body language and noticing any behavioral changes, you can gain insights into what specific situations or stimuli may be causing distress for your cat. Creating a calm environment Creating a calm and stress-free environment is key in helping your cat overcome fear or anxiety. This can be done by providing hiding spots, such as covered beds or cozy blankets, where they can retreat to when they feel overwhelmed. Additionally, ensure there is a quiet space in your home where they can relax without disruption. Maintaining a consistent routine and avoiding sudden changes can also help reduce anxiety levels. Seeking veterinary assistance If your cat’s fear or anxiety is severe or impacting their overall well-being, it’s advisable to seek veterinary assistance. A veterinarian can perform a thorough examination to rule out any underlying medical conditions that may be contributing to their behavior. They may also recommend behavior modification techniques or prescribe medications to alleviate anxiety and help your cat feel more comfortable. Recognizing Potential Medical Issues While behavioral factors are often the cause of leg attacks, it’s important not to overlook the possibility of medical issues. Pain or discomfort, skin irritations, and infections or allergies can all contribute to aggressive behavior in cats. Pain or discomfort If your cat is experiencing pain or discomfort, they may resort to leg attacks as a defensive response. They could be suffering from conditions such as arthritis, dental problems, or muscular injuries. Observing any changes in their mobility or sensitivity to touch can indicate underlying pain. Consult with a veterinarian to assess their health and determine if pain management is necessary. Skin irritations or allergies can cause discomfort for cats, leading to increased irritability and potential leg attacks. Flea infestations, contact dermatitis, or food allergies are common culprits. Regular grooming and checking for any signs of skin issues, such as excessive scratching or redness, can help identify the presence of skin irritations. A veterinary dermatologist can assist in diagnosing and treating any skin conditions. Infections or allergies Infections, such as urinary tract infections or respiratory infections, can cause cats to be more prone to aggressive behaviors. Similarly, allergies to environmental factors or certain foods can also trigger irritability and aggression. If you notice any unusual symptoms or suspect an infection or allergy, consult with a veterinarian to determine the appropriate course of treatment. Training Techniques to Prevent Leg Attacks Implementing effective training techniques can play a significant role in preventing leg attacks and promoting positive behavior in your cat. Positive reinforcement, distraction techniques, and avoiding punishment are key principles to keep in mind when training your cat. Positive reinforcement involves rewarding desired behaviors to encourage their repetition. When your cat displays appropriate behavior, such as engaging with toys instead of attacking legs, reward them with treats, praise, or playtime. This helps them associate positive experiences with the desired behavior, making it more likely to be repeated in the future. Distraction techniques can redirect your cat’s attention away from leg attacks. When you notice your cat exhibiting signs of aggression towards your legs, quickly introduce a favored toy or engage them in a play session. This diverts their focus and redirects their behavior towards an appropriate outlet. It’s essential to avoid using punishment as a training method when addressing leg attacks. Punishment can be counterproductive, as it may increase fear or anxiety in your cat and escalate their aggressive behavior. Instead, focus on positive reinforcement and redirection techniques to encourage desired behaviors in a gentle and empathic manner. Providing Enrichment and Stimulation Keeping your cat mentally and physically stimulated is crucial in preventing leg attacks. Enriching their environment and providing interactive toys can help channel their energy and keep them engaged in positive activities. Enriching your cat’s environment involves creating a stimulating and engaging space for them to explore. This can be achieved by providing scratching posts, climbing trees, hiding spots, and puzzle toys. Rotating toys and introducing new objects or scents periodically can also keep your cat mentally stimulated and prevent boredom. Interactive toys are a great way to engage your cat’s instinctual behaviors and provide them with mental and physical exercise. Toys that mimic prey movement, such as wand toys or puzzle feeders, can keep them entertained and engaged in appropriate play. Rotate the toys regularly to maintain their interest and prevent them from losing novelty. Regular play sessions Regular play sessions are essential in preventing boredom and releasing excess energy in cats. Engage your cat in daily interactive play sessions that mimic hunting behaviors, such as chasing and pouncing. These sessions not only provide exercise but also strengthen the bond between you and your cat, decreasing the likelihood of leg attacks due to unfulfilled energy levels. Establishing a Routine Establishing a routine is beneficial for both you and your cat. Setting consistent feeding times, allocating specific play and exercise periods, and reinforcing boundaries help create a sense of predictability and security for your cat. Consistency in feeding schedules is crucial to maintain your cat’s overall well-being and prevent frustration-related aggression. Establish regular feeding times and provide appropriate portion sizes to ensure their nutritional needs are met. This routine can also help decrease any potential food-related aggression. Play and exercise times Schedule regular play and exercise sessions with your cat to provide mental and physical stimulation. These sessions can help exhaust their energy and redirect their hunting instincts towards appropriate outlets. Consistency in these activities will establish a routine that your cat can anticipate and rely on, reducing the likelihood of leg attacks. Establishing clear boundaries is important in preventing leg attacks and promoting positive behavior. Train your cat to understand what behaviors are acceptable and provide consistent reinforcement to encourage them to respect those boundaries. This may include boundaries around off-limit areas or teaching them to use scratching posts instead of attacking furniture or legs. Creating a Safe Environment Creating a safe environment for your cat is essential in preventing leg attacks and ensuring their overall well-being. By incorporating secure hiding spots, vertical spaces, and avoiding confrontations, you can foster a sense of security for your feline companion. Secure hiding spots Provide your cat with secure hiding spots where they can retreat to when they feel threatened or overwhelmed. This can include covered beds, cozy blankets, or hideaways specifically designed for cats. These hiding spots give your cat a sense of security and enable them to escape from stressful situations, ultimately reducing the likelihood of leg attacks. Cats have a natural preference for elevated spaces, as it allows them to observe their surroundings from a safe vantage point. Providing vertical spaces, such as cat trees, shelves, or window perches, can give your cat a sense of control over their environment and reduce any feelings of vulnerability. This can also deter them from targeting your legs, as they will have alternate spaces to explore and climb. When dealing with a cat prone to leg attacks, it’s vital to avoid confrontations that may escalate their aggressive behavior. Refrain from directly engaging with your cat during aggressive episodes and allow them to calm down on their own. Forced interactions can increase stress levels and reinforce negative behaviors. Instead, provide them with ample space and observe their body language to better understand their emotional state. In conclusion, leg attacks in cats can stem from various reasons such as playfulness, redirected aggression, territorial behavior, fear or anxiety, or underlying medical issues. Understanding the underlying cause is crucial in addressing and managing this behavior effectively. Implementing appropriate training techniques, providing enrichment and stimulation, establishing a routine, and creating a safe environment will greatly contribute to preventing leg attacks and fostering a harmonious relationship between you and your feline companion. Remember, patience, empathy, and consistent reinforcement are key in achieving positive behavioral outcomes for your cat.
What is a Healthy Relationship? Healthy relationships are characterized by respect, sharing and trust. They are based on the belief that both partners are equal and that the power and control in the relationship are equally shared. Characteristics of a Healthy Relationship: - Respect: Listening to one another, valuing opinions, and listening in a non-judgmental manner. Respect also involves attempting to understand and affirm feelings. - Trust and Support: Supporting life goals of the other, as well as their feelings, opinions, friends, activities, and interests. It is valuing your partner as an individual. - Honesty and Accountability: Communicating openly and truthfully, admitting mistakes, and accepting responsibility for one's self. - Shared Responsibility: Making decisions together, mutually agreeing on distribution of work which is fair to both partners. - Economic Partnership: Making financial decisions together, and making sure both partners benefit from financial arrangements. - Negotiation and Fairness: Being willing to compromise, accepting change, and seeking mutually satisfying solutions to conflict. - Non-threatening Behavior: Talking and acting in a way that promotes feelings of safety in the relationship. Both should feel comfortable and safe in expressing oneself and in engaging in activities. Committed Relationships and School: Being a student in a relationship may present you with a situation in which important life roles come into conflict. Your relationship may provide you with important emotional support as you cope with the stresses of school. At the same time, your relationship requires additional responsibilities and demands on your time. - Expectations for attention, emotional support, and affection also carry implicit expectations for time together. - As a student, you may feel that you do not have enough time to fulfill all the expectations of your partner. - Couples who derive satisfaction from their relationship and school tend to be very clear about their expectations, to reduce or modify specific expectations as needed, and to learn how to establish effective approaches and routines for fulfilling those new expectations. - Maintaining a quality relationship requires effective communication. - The academic environment tends to emphasize the importance of independence, rather than connectedness. - In this context, the time necessary for the commitments and responsibilities of relationships needs to be carefully negotiated. - Communication needs to emphasize that both partners have needs, individually and as a couple. - Boundaries, especially time boundaries, are important because in school it can feel like there is always more work to be done. - It is important to learn to set limits now. You will be more effective in school and your career if you adopt a lifestyle that allows time to balance the needs of your work and your relationships. - Schedule regular times to spend with your partner free of responsibilities.
Peaceful bumblebee becomes invasive European bumblebees were introduced in Chile as pollinators. However, these socially living insects have since spread across the southern part of South America. Very much to the detriment of native species. Bumblebees look cute. They have a thick fur, fly somewhat clumsily and are less aggressive than honeybees or wasps. They are very much appreciated by farmers as keen pollen collectors. Particularly in the context of the crisis-stricken honeybee populations, the buff-tailed bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, is being bred on an industrial scale for the pollination of fruit and vegetable crops both inside and outside greenhouses. It was hoped that these insects would take over these important services when they were first introduced into central Chile, in southern South America, in 1998 as pollinators in a few greenhouses, with the backing and approval of the state authorities. But in the greenhouse, they did not stay. Some individuals escaped and very soon they established colonies in the wild. But that was not all. The buff-tailed bumblebee turned out to be an extremely invasive insect that embarked on an unparalleled victory tour that took it as far as Patagonia. As an aside, the first European bumblebee species, Bombus ruderatus, was introduced back in 1982 but it turned out to be relatively harmless in comparison. “This is one of the most spectacular examples of the invasion of an entire continent by a foreign species introduced by man”, says Paul Schmid-Hempel, retired Professor of Experimental Ecology at ETH Zurich. He has been monitoring the spread of buff-tailed bumblebees over the last ten years. Together with this wife Regula and his colleagues from South America he has just published his work in "Journal of Animal Ecology". The couple collected these insects during several trips to southern South America in order to document their rapid spread, do genetic analyses and examine the parasites which accompany them as stowaways in the bumblebee intestines. The findings show that the European buff-tailed bumblebee spread southwards from central Chile along the Andes at a rate of around 200 kilometres a year – faster than the ecologists would ever have expected. After just a few years the buff-tailed bumblebee had crossed the mountain chain and it reached the Atlantic coast of Argentina in late 2011. By 2012 the insect had already penetrated deep into south Patagonia reaching the gateways to some of the major national parks. “Given that colonies and not individual insects have to become established, this migration speed is astonishingly fast”, says Paul Schmid-Hempel. He is convinced that in just a few years’ time the bumblebees will reach the Strait of Magellan. From there it would be just a little leap to Tierra del Fuego. “Unfortunately, we don’t have any information at all about the occurrence of bumblebees on this large island”, comments the researcher. In the other poorly accessible areas in Southwestern Chile no-one has looked for buff-tailed bumblebees either. That’s why we don’t have any evidence up to now. As, however, there are often strong winds in Patagonia in the summer, Schmid-Hempel believes that it is possible that the insects could be transported easily to many locations. Native species are disappearing The triumphant advance of the European bumblebee is a disaster for the native bumblebees – five out of a total of 250 bumblebee species to be found in the world live in southern South America – and a disaster particularly for the attractive and vivid orange giant bumblebee Bombus dahlbomii. Wherever the buff-tailed bumblebee settles, the native species are done for: in most areas in which its competitor has appeared, B. dahlbomii has disappeared surprisingly quickly. One possible reason for its extinction is the protozoan parasite, Crithidia bombi, which lives in the intestines of the buff-tailed bumblebee. This parasite causes intestinal infections in the European and native bumblebee species in South America. It modifies the behaviour of the workers, increases their mortality rate and prevents the establishment of new colonies. Paul Schmid-Hempel is worried about the rapid spread of the buff-tailed bumblebee in remote areas of southern South America not least because nothing seems capable of stopping it. The species is now established and it would be almost impossible to remove it from the ecosystem. The consequences for the native fauna and flora are, however, difficult to assess. “The European bumblebee could disrupt the ecological balance of southern South America to a major degree. Nor is it stopping either at the boundaries of famous nature reserves like Torres del Paine and other magnificent landscapes”, stresses the ecologist. Schmid-Hempel R et al. The invasion of southern South America by imported bumblebees and associated parasites. Journal of Animal Ecology. Published online 21th November 2013. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12185
Conceived as a light bomber, the World War II de Havilland Mosquito was designed to defend itself with its 400-mph speed rather than with guns. De Havilland eliminated armament to save weight, and because Britain’s supply of aluminum was limited, built the aircraft of wood. In the process, Britain’s war effort came to involve cabinet and furniture makers, carpenters, and piano builders. The Royal Air Force—and the British government—were skeptical of de Havilland’s ambitions, but within a year the company built a prototype D.H.98 in a hangar disguised as a barn. On November 25, 1940, serial number W4050 made its first flight. Bomber Command’s fastest airplane went on to equip some 100 RAF and five Royal Navy squadrons, and dozens of other countries’ forces, including the U.S. Army Air Forces. De Havilland eventually produced 7,781 D.H.98s. The world’s last airworthy Mosquito crashed in England in 1996, but the type may fly again soon. A Canadian-built Mosquito under restoration at Ardmore Airfield in New Zealand is close to completion and may fly before the year is out. And next year, one of the last Mosquitos produced should fly in British Columbia, Canada. Perhaps the first airborne multi-tasker, the Mosquito served as a bomber, fighter, fighter-bomber (both armed), torpedo-bomber, night fighter, high-altitude photo-reconnaissance platform, and early electronic-countermeasures aircraft. The wings were one-piece spruce and plywood, screwed and glued; the fuselage was balsa sandwiched between plywood layers—the same principle as in today’s composite structures. Cockpit space was tight: The manual on parachute drills notes “Should the navigator find it difficult to pass through the exit, the pilot should assist by giving him a good push with his foot.” The Mk.35 Mosquito at Victoria Air Maintenance in North Saanich, British Columbia, never saw active service. Built after the war, it went directly into storage. In 1954, it was purchased by Spartan Air Services of Ottawa as one of a batch of 10 and given the civil registration CF-HML. During World War II, many Mk.35s had been converted to photo-reconnaissance aircraft, and their high speed, 43,500-foot ceiling, and enlarged bomb bay was just what Spartan needed. The Mk.35 Mosquito flew until 1963, mapping northern Canada, says Mike Ingram, president of Victoria Air Maintenance. “They operated from northern Defense Early Warning line sites like Resolute and Churchill.” Disassembled by the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1966, CF-HML was purchased by Don Campbell, who intended to make it airworthy again. He had it trucked to Kapuskasing Airport in northern Ontario to teach Air Cadets aircraft construction and maintenance. But by 1979, the airplane had been sold to Ed Zalesky. Restoration resumed, but the pace dragged. In 2005, Zalesky approached Robert Jens, owner of the Million Air corporate aviation service franchise at Vancouver International Airport, who already had a Spitfire Mk.14E. “This Mosquito was out in Surrey in his hangar,” says Jens. “I had some maintenance people inspect it and they felt it was in good condition.” Having previously labored on a P-51, Jens initially worked on the aircraft himself, but “I thought it would never get finished,” he says, “and I felt an obligation to do so. I decided to let Victoria Air Maintenance do final assembly.” The original Rolls-Royce Merlin engines were overhauled by Vintage V12s in Tehachapi, California. Certification and testing of the airplane are expected next spring, and first flight before summer. “I’ll probably ride in it but I won’t fly it,” Jens says. Insurance rates may dictate what Jens ends up doing with the aircraft. One D.H.98 that will never fly again is the prototype, now being restored. It’s just too valuable, says Bob Glasby, manager of Mosquito restorations at de Havilland’s Aircraft Heritage Centre in Hertfordshire. It was flown aggressively to test Merlin engine variants. “The aircraft was grounded when it was noted that one of the engines was moving up and down at the spinner by six inches,” says Glasby. When the restoration is complete, W4050 will remain on display at de Havilland. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, freelance writer Graham Chandler lives in relatively mosquito-free Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
God’s preservation of nature Psalm 105: One of two historical psalms (see chapter 78), this psalm traces the history of Israel for its didactic value in the psalmist’s own day. It could also be classified as a hymn of praise since it includes the characteristic threefold content: a call to praise (verses 1-6), a cause for praise (verses 7-41), and a conclusion (verses 42-45). The call to praise is unmistakable with its 11 imperatives directed toward God’s people: “give thanks, call upon, make known, sing, talk”, and so on. The cause for praise constitutes a brief historical survey of what the Lord did for Israel in the past. He made an unconditional covenant with Abraham and reaffirmed it to Isaac and Jacob (verse 7-11). He protected Joseph and used him to sustain His people (verses 12-22). He delivered His people from Egypt (verses 23-38). He provided for them in the wilderness (verses 39-41). In light of such a faithful, promise-keeping God, the psalmist concludes with a summary of God’s blessings (the Abrahamic covenant, the Exodus, and the Conquest), and an appropriate call to praise (verses 42-45). Verses 1-45: Just as Psalms 103 and 104 were matched pairs; so are (Psalms 105 and 106), as they look at Israel’s history from God’s perspective and then Israel’s vantage respectively. This psalm possibly originated by command of David to Asaph on the occasion when the Ark of the Covenant was first brought to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:12-19; 1 Chron. 16:1-7; Psalm 105:1-15 repeats 1 Chron. 16:8-22). - Rejoicing in God’s Works for Israel (105:1-3). - Remembering God’s Works for Israel (105:4-6). III. Recounting the Work of God for Israel (105:7-45). - Abraham to Joseph (105:7-25); - Moses to Joshua (105:26-45). Verses 1-7: Our devotion is here stirred up, that we may stir up ourselves to praise God. Seek his strength; that is, his grace; the strength of his Spirit to work in us that which is good, which we cannot do but by strength derived from him, for which he will be sought. Seek to have his favor to eternity, therefore continue seeking it while living in this world; for he will not only be found, but he will reward those that diligently seek him. Verses 1-5: Ten imperatives call Israel to a time of remembering, celebrating, and spreading the report abroad of the work of God on Israel’s behalf as a result of God’s covenant with Abraham. Verses 1-3: The psalmist seeks to excite the people’s gratitude by recalling God’s goodness to them in former times (1 Chron. 16:34). Psalm 105:1 “O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.” The design here is to show that thanks should be given to the Lord in view of his dealings with his people, as stated in the subsequent portions of the psalm. “Call upon his name”: More literally, “Call him by his name.” That is, Address him by his proper title. Ascribe to him the attributes which properly belong to him; or, address him in a proper manner. Make known his deeds among the people”: What he has done in former times. The allusion is to his acts in behalf of his people in delivering them from Egyptian bondage, and bringing them to the Promised Land. The word “people” here refers to the Hebrew people; and the exhortation is, that the knowledge of these deeds should be diffused and kept up among them. One of the ways of doing this was that proposed by the psalmist, to wit, by a psalm of praise. By recording and celebrating these acts in their devotions. One of the most effective modes of keeping up the knowledge of what God has done in our world is by songs of praise in worshipping assemblies. We read that the first 15 verses of this Psalm were used in song of praise when the Ark was moved from the house of Obed-edom. Probably, David was the penman. The psalmist here, is encouraging those around him to praise and worship the LORD. We are told in the Scriptures that we have not, because we ask not. We are also, told to ask and it shall be given unto you. In the prayer that Jesus taught the disciples, He taught them to magnify God first and then ask. He is more apt to be receptive to our prayer, if we tell of His wonderful deeds to our acquaintances. Psalm 105:2 “Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.” Both vocally and instrumentally, with the voice and upon instruments of music, as were used in David’s time. Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, are to be sung now, even the song of Moses, and of the Lamb. The wondrous things God had done for his people were sufficient matter for a song; and these were to be put into one, to be transmitted to posterity. It was usual in ancient times to hand down the history of memorable events by a song. “Talk ye of all his wondrous works”: All the works of the Lord are wonderful. What David elsewhere says of himself may be said of them. That they are wonderfully made, even the least and most inconsiderable of them. And especially his works of grace, when it is observed for whom they are performed. Or on whom they are wrought; sinful creatures, enemies to God, and deserving of his wrath. These are to be talked of freely and frequently, in friendly conversation, in order to gain a further knowledge of them, and warm each other’s hearts with them. And to lead into adoring and admiring views of the love and grace of God in them. And all of them deserve notice, none should be omitted, all are worthy of consideration and contemplation. For so the words may be rendered, “mediate”, “on all his wondrous works”. Here is a large field for meditation; and when the heart is in a proper frame for it, meditation on the works of God is sweet, pleasant, and profitable. There is something about singing praises to the Lord that adds enthusiasm to our praise. We should never stop proclaiming to the world the wonderful works of the Lord. Psalm 105:3 “Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.” In the knowledge of it, as proclaimed in Christ. In being called by his name, and in having the honor to call upon his name. In the holiness of it; and in Christ being made sanctification as well as righteousness, in whom all the seed of Israel are justified and glory. As they may also of interest in him, and communion with him. “Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord”: While he may be found, and where he may be found. Who seek him in Christ, and under the guidance and direction of his Spirit. Who seek him with their whole hearts, diligently and constantly. The Targum is, “who seek doctrine from the Lord.” Such may and should rejoice in him, and in him only. And that always, as they have reason to do, even in their hearts, since they that seek him find him. And whether it be at first conversion, or afterwards, or when he has for a time hid his face; it must be matter of joy to them. Even to their very hearts, to find him whom they seek. We should never be ashamed to tell others of our God. If we are to boast of anything, it would be that we should boast of our God. We are what is in our heart. If our heart is rejoicing, it would be because we sought the Lord and found Him. Psalm 105:4 “Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.” Seek strength from him. Seek that his strength may be imparted to you. Seek him as a Being of almighty power; as One by whom you may be strengthened. The Septuagint and Vulgate render this, “Seek the Lord, and ‘be strengthened.” Strength comes from God, and it is only by his strength that we can be strong. Only by our making use of his omnipotence in our own behalf that we can discharge the duties, and bear the trials of this life (compare the notes at Isa. 40:29-31). “Seek his face evermore”: His favor. His smiling upon us. His lifting up the light of his countenance, is synonymous with his favor (see Psalms 24:6; 27:8; compare the notes at Psalm 4:6). I am weak, but He is strong. In my weakness, He is strong. The desire of every believer is to be in the presence of the Lord. To look upon His face is reserved for our heavenly view of Him. I do not believe the Scripture above means to look upon His face. On this earth that would be certain death. What it is saying, is to seek the will of the Lord in your life. Psalm 105:5 “Remember his marvelous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;” The works suited to excite wonder. Call them to remembrance in your psalm; seek the aid of music and song to impress the memory of them deeply on your hearts. “His wonders”: His miracles (see notes on Psalm 78:43 and Isa. 8:18). “And the judgments of his mouth”: That is, properly, the judgments which he pronounced on his enemies, and which were followed by their overthrow. The word does not refer here, as it often does, to his statutes or commands. So many people are so quick to forget the things that God has done for them. It is as if they are saying, what have you done for me lately? I think if we would look back over our life and see the marvelous things that God has done for each of us, there would be so many things that it would fill a book. Why do we not fill our mouth with praise of the marvelous things He has done for us? Judgments of His mouth, could be the Scriptures in the Bible that are printed in Red. Jesus Christ is the written Word. He is also, the spoken Word as well. God said, “Let there be”, and there was. This is the spoken Word. His judgments are right, and true, and righteous. The startling thing to me, is how quickly the followers of Jesus forgot the miracles and wonders that He did in their presence. Psalm 105:6 “O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.” “Seed of Abraham … children of Jacob”: Those who were to obey the commands of 105:1-5, i.e., the nation of Israel. These are two different groups. The first mentioned here, the seed, singular is the spiritual house of Abraham through Jesus Christ our Lord. Galatians 3:29 “And if ye [be] Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” The children (plural), of Jacob. His chosen are the physical house of Israel (Jacob). These are the Hebrews. Verses 7-15: The “covenant” promised Canaan as Israel’s inheritance. “My anointed” and “my prophets” refer to the patriarchs. Verses 7-12: This section rehearses the Abrahamic Covenant. Psalm 105:7 “He [is] the LORD our God: his judgments [are] in all the earth.” His name is Yahweh, the true God. And this God is ours (see the notes at Psalm 95:7). “His judgments are in all the earth”: More properly “in all the land;” that is, in every part of the land he is honored as our God. His institutions are established here; his laws are obeyed here; his worship is celebrated here. No other God is worshipped here; everywhere he is acknowledged as the nation’s God. He is the God of both physical Israel and spiritual Israel. He is not just the God of the Hebrews; He is the God of the Christians as well. God is the absolute authority in all the earth. Notice the possessive (our), in speaking of God. He is God of the masses, one at a time. Verses 8-23: Let us remember the Redeemer’s marvelous works, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth. Though true Christians are few in number, strangers and pilgrims upon earth, yet a far better inheritance than Canaan is made sure to them by the covenant of God. And if we have the anointing of the Holy Spirit, none can do us any harm. Afflictions are among our mercies. They prove our faith and love, they humble our pride, they wean us from the world, and quicken our prayers. Bread is the staff which supports life. When that staff is broken, the body fails and sinks to the earth. The word of God is the staff of spiritual life, the food and support of the soul. The sorest judgment is a famine of hearing the word of the Lord. Such a famine was sore in all lands when Christ appeared in the flesh. Whose coming, and the blessed effect of it, are shadowed forth in the history of Joseph. At the appointed time Christ was exalted as Mediator; all the treasures of grace and salvation are at his disposal. Perishing sinners come to him, and are relieved by him. Psalm 105:8 “He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word [which] he commanded to a thousand generations.” “A thousand generations”: A reference to an exceedingly long time (a generation is normally 40 years), which would encompass the remainder of human history, i.e. forever (compare Deut. 7:9; 1 Chron. 16:15). Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he [is] God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;” This goes a little farther than going to our grandchildren. The covenant, spoken of in both of these verses, is the covenant God made with faithful Abraham. All of the faithful will be blessed through this covenant. Verses 9-10: The original covenant that God had made with Abraham. He later renewed it with Isaac and then Jacob (compare Abraham; Gen. 12:1-3; 13:14-18; 15:18-21; 17:1 – 22:15-19; Isaac 26:23-25; and Jacob 35:9-12). Psalm 105:9 “Which [covenant] he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac;” Or made it known unto him, and showed him his particular interest in it; promised that he would be his God, that he would bless him. And that in his seed, the Messiah, that should spring from him, all nations of the earth should be blessed (Gen. 12:2; compare with Luke 1:72). “And his oath unto Isaac”: He made known to Isaac the oath which he swore to Abraham, and promised to perform it (Gen. 26:3). Or concerning Isaac; in whom his seed was to be called, and in whose line from him the Messiah was to come, the grand article of this covenant. Abraham had faith in God, and that was counted unto him as righteousness. This promise came through Abraham’s son of the promise, Isaac. This was not a covenant through the flesh, but through the Spirit. Abraham had a son Ishmael, but he was a son of the flesh. The promise did not come through the flesh, but through the spirit. Psalm 105:10 “And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, [and] to Israel [for] an everlasting covenant:” “An everlasting covenant”: From the time of the covenant until the end. Five Old Testament covenants are spoken of as “everlasting”: (1) The Noahic Covenant (Gen. 9:16); (2) The Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 17:7, 13, 19); (3) The Priestly Covenant (Lev. 24:8); (4) The Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 23:5); and (5) The New Covenant (Jer. 32:40). In our study on Leviticus we found that the 40 year wanderings in the wilderness were the birthing of the law to a single nation. This nation was the house of Jacob. We found that Jesus Christ ministered 40 days in the earth after He rose from the grave setting up the grace of God through His church. The law was to the physical house of Israel. The everlasting covenant came to all mankind through the seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ our Lord. Psalm 105:11 “Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance:” Alluding to God’s promise to Jacob (Gen. 28:13). Out of the whole storehouse of the promises of God, only one is prominently brought forward, namely, that concerning the possession of Canaan Psalm 105:11). Everything revolves around this. The wonders and judgments have all for their ultimate design the fulfilment of this promise. “The lot of your inheritance”: Or, that shall be the lot of your inheritance; or, what you shall inherit. The margin is, “the cord.” The Hebrew word “chebel” means a cord, a rope; and then, a measuring-line. Hence, it means a portion “measured out” and assigned to anyone as land (Joshua 17:14; 19:9; compare Psalm 16:6). The meaning is, that the land of Canaan was given by promise to the patriarchs as their lot or portion of the earth; as that which they and their descendants were to possess as their own. The physical house of Israel would receive the land of Canaan as their Promised Land. Psalm 105:12 “When they were [but] a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it.” “Very few”: God promised Abraham that He would multiply his small number of descendants to be as numerous as the stars of heaven and the sand of the seashore (compare Gen. 13:16; 15:5; 17:2, 6; 22:17). This is speaking of the family of Jacob that went into the land of Egypt. Seventy went into the land, not counting Joseph and his family and God kept them alive while they were strangers in this land. Psalm 105:13 “When they went from one nation to another, from [one] kingdom to another people;” “Nation to another”: Abraham had migrated from Ur of the Chaldeans to Haran and finally to Canaan (Gen. 11:31). Later, he visited Egypt (Gen. 12:10 – 13:1). God brought them out of Egypt with His mighty Hand through 10 plagues. Each country that they came up against, God won the battle for them. Psalm 105:14 “He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes;” “He reproved”: The Lord struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues when Sarai was taken to his quarters (Gen. 12:17). Abimelech, king of Gerar, was also rebuked by God (Gen. 20:3-7). After the incident at the Red Sea, the kings that they came in contact with, gave up to them. The kings were not afraid of the Israelites; they were afraid of the God of the Israelites. Look at this wonderful promise made to those who have ways that please God. Proverbs 16:7 “When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Psalm 105:15 “[Saying], Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.” “Touch not … no harm”: No one passage in the Old Testament records this exact statement. The psalmist most likely is summarizing several occasions, such as (Gen. 20:7; 26:11). “Mine anointed … my prophets”: With poetic parallelism, God’s prophets are termed those whom He chose to represent Him on earth. In (Gen. 20:7), Abraham is called a prophet. This title could also apply to Isaac and Jacob. David believed so strongly that you were not to touch the anointed of God, that he ran from Saul instead of killing him, because God had anointed Saul king over Israel. Abraham was like a priest before God. The very same thing came down through Isaac and Jacob. These Israelites were the chosen of God. God fought their battles for them. To come against them would be like coming against God. The prophets of God were an anointed group of people. Again, to do them harm, would bring the wrath of God down upon you. Verses 16-25: The history recorded in (Gen. chapters 37-50), is in view. Verses (16-22), refer to Joseph’s experience in Egypt (compare Gen. chapters 37-41), while (verse 23), looks to Jacob’s trek to Egypt that resulted in a 430 year stay (Gen. chapters 42-50; compare Gen. 15:13-14; Exodus 12:40). Verses (24-25), give an overall summary of Israel’s experience in Egypt (compare Exodus 1:7-14). Psalm 105:16 “Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread.” On the land of Egypt; or rather on the land of Canaan, where Jacob and his sons sojourned. And which reached to all lands (Gen. 41:56). And calling for it, it came, being a servant at the command of the Lord (see 2 Kings 8:1). “He brake the whole staff of bread”: So called, because it is the support of man’s life, the principal of his sustenance. As a staff is a support to a feeble person, and which, when broke, ceases to be so. The staff of bread is broken, when either the virtue and efficacy of it for nourishment is taken away or denied. Or when there is a scarcity of bread corn; which latter seems to be intended here (see Isa. 3:1). The only thing that would have caused Jacob to take his family into Egypt would be to save their lives. This is just what happened. Famine was throughout the land, and the only food available was in Egypt. Psalm 105:17 “He sent a man before them, [even] Joseph, [who] was sold for a servant:” Who, though but a lad of seventeen years of age when he was sold into Egypt, yet was a grown man when he stood before Pharaoh, and interpreted his dreams of plenty and famine to come. And advised him to lay up store in the years of plenty, against the years of famine; by which he appeared to be a wise man, as the Targum here calls him (see Gen. 37:3). Him God sent before into Egypt; before Jacob and his sons went down there, to make provision for them, to support them in the time of famine, and preserve their lives. God is said to send him, though his brethren sold him out of envy; there being such a plain hand of Providence in this matter. And which is observed by Joseph himself over and over again (Gen. 45:5). In which he was a type of Christ, in whom all provisions are made, and by whom they are communicated unto his people; who all receive out of his fullness, and grace for grace. “Who was sold for a servant”: Either “to a servant”: as to Potiphar, as Aben Ezra, who was a servant of Pharaoh’s. Or rather to be a servant, as Joseph was in his house. He was sold for twenty pieces of silver, as Christ, his antitype, for thirty; the price of a servant (Gen. 37:28). And who not only appeared in the form of a servant, but did the work of one. And a faithful and righteous servant he was to his Father, and on the behalf of his people. Joseph, the favorite son of Jacob, was sold into Egypt as a slave by his brothers. He became a servant in Potiphar’s house. Of course, all of this happened to fulfill the prophecy that they would be slaves in Egypt 400 years. God took the terrible act of Joseph’s brothers and turned it into a blessing for all of their people. Psalm 105:18 “Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:” In (Gen. 40:3); it is said of Joseph that he was “bound” in prison. It is not improbable that his “feet” were bound, as this is the usual way of confining prisoners. “He was laid in iron”: Or “the iron” (or, as the Targum, “the iron chain”), “went into his Soul”; his body. It ate into him, and gave him great pain. Or rather, as it is in the king’s Bible, “his soul went into the iron chain”; there being, as Aben Ezra observes, an ellipsis of the particle and which is supplied by Symmachus, and so in the Targum. That is, his body was enclosed in iron bands, so Buxtorf. In all this he was a type of Christ, whose soul was made exceeding sorrowful unto death. He was seized by the Jews, led bound to the High Priest, fastened to the cursed tree, pierced with nails, and more so with the sins of his people he bore. And was laid in the prison of the grave; from whence and from judgment he was brought (Isa. 53:8). We know this refers to the time Joseph spent in jail, after Potiphar’s wife lied about Joseph. He was in chains, but soon they were removed. Joseph became the second in command in all of Egypt after interpreting Pharaoh’s dream. Psalm 105:19 “Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.” Either the word of Joseph, interpreting the dreams of the butler and baker, till that came to be fulfilled. So the Syriac version, “till his word was proved by the event”: or rather till the fame and report of that came to Pharaoh’s ears (Gen. 41:13). Or else the word of the Lord, concerning his advancement and exaltation, signified in dreams to him (Gen. 37:7), as it follows: “The word of the Lord tried him”: It tried his faith and patience before it was accomplished. And when it was, it purged him and purified him, as silver in a furnace, and cleared him of the accusations and slander of his misery. For, even in the view of Pharaoh, he appeared to be a man in whom the Spirit of God was (Gen. 41:38). Some think that Christ, the essential Word, is intended, who came and visited him, tried and cleared him. Joseph was kept in prison, until one of his fellow prisoners told the Pharaoh that Joseph could interpret dreams accurately. Psalm 105 Questions - When were the first 15 verses of Psalm 105 sung? - We have not, because we _____ _____. - What did Jesus teach the disciples to do first in their prayers? - What does singing praise add to it? - What would be the only thing permissible to boast of? - I am weak, but He is _________. - When can we look upon His face? - What does verse 5 tell us to remember? - Instead of remembering the wonderful things God has done for us in the past, what do many say? - What are the judgements of His mouth? - Who is the written and the spoken Word? - Who are the seed of Abraham? - Who are the children of Jacob, his chosen? - What do these 2 have in common? - Who is the absolute Authority in the earth? - He is God of the masses ____ at a time. - Who had God made the covenant with? - Which son did the covenant oath come through? - And confirmed the same unto _______ far a _____. - And to _________ for an everlasting covenant. - What land was Israel’s inheritance? - What is verse 12 speaking of, when it speaks of few in number? - How did God bring His people out of Egypt? - Why did the kings not fight Israel? - How did God get Jacob and his family to go to Egypt? - Who had God sent ahead to Egypt to prepare the way for Jacob and his family? - How did Joseph get to Egypt? 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Drawing from the Key Competencies and Values in the New Zealand Curriculum and a growing body of research knowledge, NetSafe, in consultation with New Zealand teachers has produced this definition of a New Zealand Digital Citizen. A digital citizen: Digital literacy or the ability to understand and fully participate in the digital world is fundamental to digital citizenship. It is the combination of technical and social skills that enable a person to be successful and safe in the information age. Like literacy and numeracy initiatives which provide people with the skills to participate in the work force, digital literacy has become an essential skill to be a confident, connected, and actively involved life long learner. A potential focus actiity around digital footprint. This blog links to the story of a young girl who's social media outburst led to a breach of a court order, and the loss of a fairly substantial payout, but also tries to provide a quick answer to the question;
The Lewis & Clark Expedition: Documenting the Uncharted Northwest - A Teaching with Historic Places Lesson Plan - Grade Level: - Fifth Grade-Twelfth Grade - American Indian History and Culture, Geography, History, Westward Expansion - Variable. Adaptable to teacher and student needs. - Group Size: - Up to 36 - indoors or outdoors - National/State Standards: - Relevant U.S. History Standards for Grades 5-12: Era 4 - Expansion and Reform (1801-1861) Standards 1A, 1B and 1C - lesson plan, Teaching with Historic Places, The Lewis and Clark Expedition, Westward Expansion, American Indians, fort clatsop, lolo trail, Lemhi Pass, Louisiana Purchase, Scientific documentation, Montana History, Idaho History, Oregon History, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, Corps of Discovery, Nez Perce, clatsop, Shoshoni, Salish, Coastal tribes OverviewUsing various historic places along the Lewis and Clark expedition route, this lesson plan will examine the expedition that explored the American west. Students will use historic maps, readings, photographs and drawings to explain the historic implications of the Louisiana Purchase in relation to the growth of the newly created United States and the exploratory accomplishments of the Corps of Discovery. - To explain the historical implications of the Louisiana Purchase in relation to the growth of the newly created United States. - To describe some of the challenges and successes that the Corps of Discovery experienced at various stages of its journey. - To compare and contrast the appearance, social structure, and customs of several Indian tribes the corps encountered based on journal entries and explain the Indians' contributions to the journey's success. - To list the accomplishments of the Corps of Discovery. - To create a scale map of their own community. BackgroundInformation on how to use a Teaching with Historic Places Lesson Plan can be found here. - Three maps of the United States after the acquisition of the Louisiana Territory and depicting the route that the Corps of Discovery chose; - Four readings that provide a general history of the expedition with emphasis on the expedition's time at Lemhi Pass, Lolo Trail, and Fort Clatsop, as well as excerpts of detailed descriptions of several tribes with which the corps established relations; - Four photos of the peace medal, Fort Clatsop, and the salt works; - Two illustrations of maps drawn based on the expedition's trail; - Two drawings from the Lewis and Clark journals. The Lewis & Clark Expedition: Documenting the Uncharted Northwest Each Teaching with Historic Places lesson plan contains the following teaching activities: Getting Started (inquiry question), Setting the Stage (historical background), Locating the Site (maps), Determining the Facts (readings, documents, charts), Visual Evidence (photographs and other graphic documents), and Putting It All Together (activities). See Parts 2-7 for information about how to use these resources. Click here to go directly to the lesson plan. Begin this lesson by asking students to discuss possible answers to the inquiry question that accompanies the "Getting Started" image. Provide them with paper print-outs of the image and question, or direct them to the lesson plan website. To facilitate a whole class discussion, you may want to print or scan the image to make an overhead transparency or digital slide. The purpose of this exercise is to engage students' interest in the lesson's topic by raising questions that can be answered as they complete the lesson. Rather than serving merely as an illustration for the text, the image is a document that plays an integral role in helping students achieve the lesson's objective. To assist students in learning how to "read" visual materials you may want to begin this section by having them complete the Photo Analysis Worksheet for one or more of the photos. The worksheet is appropriate for analyzing both historical and recent photographs and will help students develop a valuable skill. Getting Started section for this lesson Setting the Stage This section is intended to be used, if necessary, as background material. Read this material aloud to students or summarize it, or provide them with paper print-outs, or direct them to the lesson plan website. If students have computers, you can direct them to the page on the website. Setting the Stage section for this lesson Locating the Site Provide students with the maps and questions included in Locating the Site. You can give them paper print-outs or direct them to the lesson plan website. Have students work individually or in small groups to complete the questions. At least one map familiarizes the students with the historic site's location within the country, state or region. Extended captions may be included to provide students with information necessary to answer the questions. Locating the Site section in this lesson Determining the Facts Provide students with copies of the readings, documents and/or charts included in this section or direct them to the lesson plan website. Allow students to work individually or in small groups. The series of questions that accompanies each of these readings is designed to ensure that students have gathered the appropriate facts from the material. Determining the Facts section for this lesson Visual Evidence: Images Distribute the lesson's visual materials among students. Provide them with paper print-outs, or direct them to the lesson plan website. Have the students examine the photographs and answer the related questions. Note that two or more images may be studied together in order to complete the questions. Extended captions may be included to provide students with important information. Rather than serving merely as illustrations for the text, the images are documents that play an integral role in helping students achieve the lesson's objectives. To assist students in learning how to "read" visual materials, you may want to begin this section by having them complete the Photo Analysis Worksheet for one or more of the photos. Visual Evidence: Images section for this lesson Putting It All Together After students have completed the questions that accompany the maps, readings and visuals, they should be directed to complete one or more of the activities presented below. These activities engage students in a variety of creative exercises that help them synthesize the information they have learned and formulate conclusions. At least one activity leads students to look for places in their community that relate to the topic of the lesson. In this way students learn to make connections between their community and the broader themes of American history they encounter in their studies. Putting It All Together section for this lesson
Helping teens prepare for surgery What happens after surgery After surgery, the anesthesia team will help you to gradually wake from anesthesia. You will be moved on a bed with wheels to the, Post Anesthesia Care Unit. We call it the PACU or the recovery room. A nurse will be taking care of you and check your vital signs frequently. You will feel groggy, and sometimes a little dizzy. Tell your nurse if you feel uncomfortable. Your nurse can give you medicine to help you feel better. You will probably sleep most of the time while you are in the PACU. You will not feel like eating or drinking right away. You may have an IV and get fluids and medicines through it. Your family can join you when you are ready to leave this area. You will then be brought to a post-op room. The post-op nurse will check your temperature, pulse, breathing, and blood pressure and will check your comfort level using the pain scale. Common feelings after anesthesia may include sleepiness, upset stomach, dizziness, headache, sore throat, irritability, and muscle aches. Many people just feel a bit tired, but otherwise well. If you feel ready to drink you may have some ice chips, Popsicles, or clear liquids. You may feel like watching a movie or TV or you may just want to sleep. If you are spending the night or several nights, one parent can stay in your room with you. When you are ready to go home your doctor or nurse will give you instructions about eating and drinking, activity, and medicines to help with healing, and how to take care of yourself.
When teaching intermediate and middle school, teachers most always have a manual and textbooks to follow. However, this is not always true when it comes to the primary grades. Until recently, kindergarten at my school did not have a reading series text. Therefore teachers had to create their own plans and lessons. Most primary grades are based around units. A unit typically lasts for one week. A unit focuses all lessons around a central theme. The theme may be a place such as ocean or farm. It may also be an animal or a concept. Some common themes for primary grades include dinosaurs, plants, insects, etc. Teachers really enjoy planning unit around holidays and events. This can be great fun. When planning a theme, the first task is to decide upon a book focus. For example, when carrying out a winter theme, the teacher may decide to focus on a book such as The Mitten. If talking about the ocean, the teacher may choose a book such Rainbow Fish. After finding a book focus, many teachers then begin to plan reading and language arts activities centered on a skill and the book. Some teachers prefer to create a student book for the children to work in during the week of the unit. Other subjects are also focused around the theme. The teacher may incorporate science and social studies in with the reading. This can easily be done with nonfiction books. Teachers can also use the theme when planning writing lessons. The students can write about what they learned from the unit. When introducing math concepts, the teachers often find activities that can be related to the unit. Although the activity may not teach about the concept directly, the teachers usually try to add pictures of other themes to the work.
FREE SHIPPING on orders of $85 or more An excerpt from www.HouseOfNames.com archives copyright © 2000 - 2016 Where did the Scottish Monroe family come from? What is the Scottish Monroe family crest and coat of arms? When did the Monroe family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the Monroe family history?The annals of Scottish history reveal that Monroe was first used as a name by ancestors of the Pictish tribe of ancient Scotland. The Monroe family lived near the foot of the river Roe in the Irish county of Derry. The Gaelic form of the name is Rothach, which means a man of Ro or a man from Ro. Before the first dictionaries appeared in the last few hundred years, scribes spelled according to sound. spelling variations are common among Scottish names. Monroe has been spelled Monroe, Monro, Monrow, Munroe, Munro, Munrow and many more. First found in Cromartyshire, where they were descended from Donadl O'Kane and his Irish sept, who left their homeland at the mouth of the river Roe, in Ireland and settler in Ferrindonald in Cromarty, in the 11th century. Other historians suggest the name was originally Monrosse, because they were Mountaineers of Ross. In this case, their traditional origin is from the Siol O'Cain, an ancient Pictish tribe descended from Anselan O'Cain in North Moray, which also produced the Buchanans and the MacMillans. This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Monroe research. Another 839 words (60 lines of text) covering the years 1210, 1230, 1476, 1651, 1505, 1680, 1602, 1693, 1697, 1729 and 1719 are included under the topic Early Monroe History in all our PDF Extended History products. Another 425 words (30 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Monroe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products. In those unstable times, many had no choice but to leave their beloved homelands. Sickness and poverty hounded travelers to North America, but those who made it were welcomed with land and opportunity. These settlers gave the young nations of Canada and the United States a strong backbone as they stood up for their beliefs as United Empire Loyalists and in the American War of Independence. In this century, the ancestors of these brave Scots have begun to recover their illustrious heritage through Clan societies and other heritage organizations. Early passenger and immigration lists reveal many Scottish settlers bearing the name Monroe: Monroe Settlers in United States in the 17th Century Monroe Settlers in United States in the 18th Century Monroe Settlers in United States in the 19th Century Monroe Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century A clan is a social group made up of a number of distinct branch-families that actually descended from, or accepted themselves as descendants of, a common ancestor. The word clan means simply children. The idea of the clan as a community is necessarily based around this idea of heredity and is most often ruled according to a patriarchal structure. For instance, the clan chief represented the hereditary "parent" of the entire clan. The most prominent example of this form of society is the Scottish Clan system...More The Monroe Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Monroe Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname. This page was last modified on 10 December 2015 at 23:22.
An "Interesting Footnote" in the Climate Change Debate Michael Mann spoke about climate change from two perspectives -- first, as a "reluctant and accidental public figure" and, second, as a Distinguished Professor of Meteorology at Penn State University who directs the Penn State Earth System Science Center. He prefers the latter perspective, especially when speaking to a group of researchers, like those who filled the Reid Conference Center during the May Colloquium at NASA's Langley Research Center for his presentation, "The Past as Prologue: Learning from the Climate Changes in Past Centuries." Mann was a lead author on the Observed Climate Variability and Change chapter of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Third Scientific Assessment Report, which earned him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. As Mann explained, that report landed him in the spotlight when the "hockey stick," which showed reconstructions of the temperature record from the past century, became a central icon for opposing sides of scientific data and fossil fuel interests. "If there's an interesting footnote it's that, while I'm largely known for my experiences at the center of the climate change debate because of this 'hockey stick' curve that we published," Mann said, "scientifically, that result was sort of one of the least interesting aspects of the research that we originally did." Just as his role as a public figure was accidental, so was the curve that was coined as the 'hockey stick.' "We weren't setting out to produce a curve; we were actually setting out to piece together the larger puzzle of how the climate had varied over past centuries because we only have about a century of widespread, instrumental data," Mann said. "Here at NASA, they can tell you that we only have a couple decades of remotely sensed data." Mann and his colleagues studied about a century or so of widespread thermometer measurements from around the globe to get a sense of how the climate varied. For their research, they turned to proxy records, or indirect records, like tree rings, ice cores and corals. They used that indirect data to reconstruct patterns of climate change. By looking at the nature and history of the past, of things like El Nino, and solar output from large tropical eruptions, they can estimate what took place centuries ago. As Mann explained, the "hockey stick" essentially reduced decades of data to a single number. "But it was that one result, which to me was least scientifically interesting, because it tells us the least about climate dynamic and about all the things we're actually interested in," Mann said. "It was that one result that took on a life of its own and it became a curve that was used by policy makers." He considers that controversy "one battle in a larger war" to discredit science, and consequently the scientists behind the data. In the prologue of his book, "The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars: Dispatches From the Front Line," Mann talks about the "Serengeti Strategy," when individual scientists are "focused on and separated away from the herd, so that they can be made examples of." Mann argued that those tactics are part of a larger agenda to divide the public and to continue reliance on fossil fuels. Mann lives in Pennsylvania, where oil was first extracted in the U.S., and where the economy was built on coal and now natural gas figures prominently. With a global infrastructure that's based on fossil fuels, and invested interests, Mann says he understands the resistance to change. "It's fair to say that we have profited from that legacy [fossil fuel], and now we're learning that there's a downside to fossil fuel addiction," he said. "Over the past several decades we've understood increasingly well, an increasing concentration of greenhouse gases and climate change, and we are starting to see adverse effects." Mann argued that thousands of scientists around the world, including the National Academy of Sciences and all the major national academies of major nations have not all come together to create a hoax. He argued that they've only published the data. "There's a good faith debate to be had about how to move smoothly from fossil fuels to non-carbon based energy in a way where we don’t hurt the economy and find jobs for people who were previously in that industry," Mann said. "There's a worthy debate to be had about how to deal with it, but the problem is — there hasn't been a worthy debate about whether or not the problem exists." His data concludes that a combination of warm tropical climate in the Atlantic and La Nina-like conditions in the tropical Pacific could explain periods of relatively high past Atlantic hurricane activity. Also, the reconstructed La Nina-like patterns during medieval times and El Nino-like anomalies during the Little Ice Age suggest a "thermostat-like" response to natural radiative forcing. "The recent hemispheric-scale warmth anomalous, in at least a millennial context, can only be explained by anthropogenic [human-caused] radiative forcing," Mann said. As Mann flipped through dozens of graphs during his Colloquium presentation, he made it apparent that not one single graph, not even a "hockey stick," could explain it all. But when strung together, the data could speak volumes. "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts," Mann said, adding that proxy reconstructions should be taken into account in model and data comparisons. Until a "good faith debate" happens, Mann can continue to provide his footnotes. By: Denise Lineberry The Researcher News NASA Langley Research Center Editor & Curator: Denise Lineberry Executive Editor & Responsible NASA Official: Rob Wyman
Complexity theory is the study of the efficiency of algorithms with respect to several metrics, usually time and memory usage. Complexity theorists aim to classify different problems intoand study the relations that hold between the classes. When studying, we are concerned with the identification of that which is or not computable in an ideal sense, without worrying about time or memory limitations. However, often in practice we have to be more pragmatic. A program which takes a googol years to run is not going to see much use. If you need more to solve a computational problem that atoms exist in the universe, you may as well go ahead and declare the problem unsolvable for all practical purposes. Complexity theory raises the standards of computability in drawing the boundary between that which you can do with a computer and that which you cannot. It concerns the study of the notethe memory usage is frequently called space complexity in any given point of the execution.of programs when fed inputs of growing size, in terms of the resources they consume. The kind of resources with which complexity theorists work more often are the time a program takes to finish and the highest memory usage Complexity theory allows us to have a deeper understanding of what makes an algorithm efficient, which in turn allows us to develop better and faster algorithms. Surprisingly enough, it turns out that proving that some computational problems are hard to solve has incredibly important practical applications in. The abstract framework in which we develop this theory areand . In this context, the is associated with the number of steps a TM takes to halt and return an output, while the corresponds to the length of the tape we would need for the TM to never fall off when moving left or right. One may worry that the complexity measures are highly dependent on the choice of computational framework used. After all, if we allow our TM to skip two spaces per step each time it moves it is going to take potentially half the time to compute something. However, the asymptotic behavior of complexity is, though there are . The most interesting characterization of complexity comes in the form of, which break down the family of into sets of problems which can be solved with particular constraints. Perhaps the most important complexity class is noteFor example, checking whether a graph is connected or not. The second best known class is , the class of problems whose solutions can be easily checked noteAn example is factoring a number: it is hard to factor $221$, but easy to multiply $13$ and $17$ and check that $13 \cdot 17 = 221$ . It is an open problem whether those two classes are one and the same; that is, that every problem whose solutions are easy to check is also easy to solve., the class of decision problems which can be efficiently computed There are many more important complexity classes, and it can be daunting to contemplate the sheer variety with which complexity theory deals. Feel free to take a guided tour though the complexity zoo if you want an overview of some of the most relevant. An important concept is that of a. Some complexity classes have problems such that if you were able to solve them efficiently you could translate other problems in the class to this one and solve them efficiently. Those are called . This page is meant to be a starting point to learn complexity theory from an entry level. If there is any concept which feels mysterious to you, try exploring the greenlinks in their order of appearance. If you feel like the concepts presented are too basic, try a different lens. - Complexity theory: Complexity zoo Pass and see the exotic beasts coming from the lands of afar! - P vs NP Is creativity purely mechanical? - Decision problem Formalization of general problems - P (Polynomial Time Complexity Class) P is the class of problems which can be solved by algorithms whose run time is bounded by a polynomial. Mathematics is the study of numbers and other ideal objects that can be described by axioms.
The current annus horribilis was signed off with a flourish by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) on Monday, with global average temperatures rising to a likely 1.2C above their pre-industrial level. It beats the current record, which stood for just 12 months, by 0.2C. It also means the last 16 years have all been in the top 17 hottest years ever recorded – the other was 1998. The preliminary report was released early, in order to coincide with UN climate talks in Marrakech. “Another year. Another record,” said WMO secretary-general Petteri Taalas. Global surface temperatures in the last few years have received a bump in recent years because of a large El Niñ0 event, which brought warm water up from the depths of the Pacific ocean and released the energy into the atmosphere. But the effect is estimated to be around 0.1-0.2C. “The extra heat from the powerful El Niño event has disappeared. The heat from global warming will continue,” said Taalas. It will be the third consecutive year that the temperature record has fallen. A run, professor Peter Stott of the UK Met Office, said was “remarkable”. Stott said the end of the El Niño meant it was unlikely the next year would continue the sequence. “However, 2017 is likely to be warmer than any year prior to the last two decades because of the underlying extent of anthropogenic warming due to the increasing atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases,” he said. As in previous years, the far north had warmed to an extreme extent. In some regions of the Russian Arctic, the year-long average was 6-7C above normal. Other parts of Russia, Alaska and parts of Canada the saw anomalies of 3C or more. In all, 90% of land areas in the northern hemisphere were at least 1C above average. The extra heat in the ocean has caused the sea level to rise 15mm since November 2014, much faster than the rate of 3-3.5mm per year over recent decades. Although that has levelled out since February this year. “Because of climate change, the occurrence and impact of extreme events has risen. ‘Once in a generation’ heatwaves and flooding are becoming more regular. Sea level rise has increased exposure to storm surges associated with tropical cyclones,” said Taalas. The most deadly climate related event was Hurricane Matthew, which devastated the island of Haiti just over a month ago.
One of the most popular materials for the home is granite. Although used primarily as a countertop for the kitchen and bathroom, it also gets some fair use as wall cladding and floor tiles. Granite is an igneous rock, and the word “igneous” actually means of rock, so technically it is a rock of rock. This is because granite is formed under enormous pressure from magma. Each granite rock forms very slowly, over millions of years, resulting in large, visible crystal formations and veins, hence the name “granite,” which means “grained.” Its distinctive appearance makes granite easily recognizable. The composition of granite is interesting, It is made of about 40% quartz, a very hard and colorless mineral registering 7 in the Mohs hardness scale. To put that in perspective, a diamond registers a 10. The quartz gives granite its famed durability. It also contains feldspar, a group of aluminosilicates or rock-forming materials that are usually light colored. The presence of feldspar is the reason granite is mostly light-colored as well. Other minerals that may go into the mix include biotite mica and hornblende, which are dark minerals that can produce darker granite. Since it is formed from magma, it is easy to accept that granite is the most common type stone in the world. In fact, 80% of all rocks are granite. However, because it forms under the earth’s crust in great chunks of rock, it takes a lot of skill and knowledge to get it out, which is why granite as a dimension stone (decorative use) can be quite expensive. Because of the quartz content as well as the way it was formed, granite is extremely tough. A granite countertop is capable of carrying heavy loads and withstand a lot of use and abuse without damage, provided it is properly installed. It is also virtually heat-proof, which is another reason it is so popular with homeowners for various uses. Granite is very versatile for home use. It is particularly ideal as a kitchen countertop or bathroom vanity if you want a smooth, polished surface that will not scratch or stain easily. Because it is heat-proof, it is also a great choice for fireplace surrounds. Historically, however, granite was used for much more than decoration. Granite was the preferred materials of builders for many centuries for external wall cladding, monuments, memorials, headstones, landmarks, and other structures that needed to last for a long time. It was beautiful, so it served an aesthetic purpose as well. More importantly, however, it was durable and stood up well under any weather condition. Among the many notable structures made fully or partly of granite includes the Mount Rushmore memorial, Pyramids of Egypt, and the Taj Mahal. Mahabalipuram, a town in India, is interesting primarily because most of the structures are made of granite. Most granite stones you will find are light-colored with crystals or streaks that may be much darker. This gives it a distinctive look. However, there is also white granite, where the striations and crystals happen to be white or colorless. On the other end of the spectrum, you can get black granite where the hornblende or mica is dark enough to overwhelm the quartz and feldspar. In many cases, however, dark granite is not actually granite, but gabbro or basalt. Both are still igneous rocks, and similar enough to granite for government work. In any case, any dimension stone from the granite family will be unique and a perfect addition to any room or home. Because each granite slab will always be different even from other slabs from the same quarry, matching them can be challenging. However, its uniqueness is a major reason homeowners prefer granite over other stone surfaces for their remodels. You can rightly say that your kitchen or bathroom is the only one of its kind. Aside from the aesthetic value, homeowners appreciate that investing in granite countertops or vanity tops means enjoying its classic beauty and functional benefits for many years down the road without fear of it becoming outdated. Paying a little more now will mean considerable savings because they will not have to remodel in the foreseeable future. Most important for many homeowners perhaps is the fact that granite is hygienic and safe to use in the kitchen and bathroom provided it is properly sealed. Granite is a natural stone, and as such may be slightly porous. However, wIth the proper seal, it is proof against bacterial growth or any other food-borne toxins, and it is easy to clean and sterilize. Speaking of which, granite is easy to clean and maintain if you have the proper seal and information. Some people believe that you need special cleaners for granite, but the fact is, you only have to avoid using anything too strong or acidic. Mild dish washing detergent, warm water, and a soft cloth is all you really need to clean it on a regular basis. Just like any work surface in the kitchen, it is ideal to sterilize it once a week by spraying it with a simple solution of 91% isopropyl alcohol and water, and you don’t even have to rinse it off. Just leave it on for a few minutes to let the alcohol do its work before wiping it off with a dry cloth. Because it is it very durable, granite is heat and scratch resistant. However, you can still damage it if you don’t take reasonable care. The best way to make sure it stays shiny and pristine is to ensure that the seal is still good. You should also avoid hitting the surface with great force, or placing anything heavy on unsupported areas such as corners or around cutouts. Here are some things you can also do to prevent damage to your granite. Most people believe that granite is too pricey for most budgets, but that is not true at all. A 2 cm thick granite slab may cost upwards of $45 a square foot, and fabrication and installation may set back a typical kitchen owner as much as $3,000, but it is money well-spent. You will not have to think about replacing those kitchen countertops for a very long time with reasonable care and maintenance. The installation is not that complicated, either. Once you have decided on the granite slab you want, our fabricator will come in to take precise measurements and create templates for the cutouts. This will ensure that the placement of your sink and other features is to your satisfaction, and to avoid mistakes. This is important because once the cut is made, there is no turning back. Before the cut slab is delivered, we make the support structure where the slabs will be installed. The installer will then dry fit the slab before final installation to ensure that the cut slab fits precisely into place. Granite is the perfect choice as a countertop or vanity for many kitchens and bathrooms because of its many benefits. You may have to invest a hefty sum, but it is well worth it.
Râjâgṛiha, or Râjgir as it is now popularly called, was the capital of Magadha or central India during the whole period of Buddha's ministrations in India. It was the residence of Bimbasara, during whose reign he attained Buddhahood, and of Ajâtaśatru, in the 8th year of whose reign he entered into Nirvâṇa, B.C. 481, according to the recently adopted chronology (ante, p. 24,25). It is quite true that he resided during the greater part of the 53 years to which his mission extended at Benares, Ṥravasti, or Vaisaka (Lucknow1), but still he frequently returned to the capital, and the most important transactions of his life were all more or less connected with the kings who then reigned there. Under these circumstances it is hardly to be wondered at that Râjgir was considered almost as sacred in the eyes of his followers, as Jerusalem became to the Christians, and that such pilgrims as Fa Hian and Hiuen Thsang, naturally turned their steps almost instinctively to its site, and explored its ruins with the most reverent care. Long before their time, however, the old city had been deserted. It never could have been a healthy or commodious city, being surrounded on all sides by hills, which must have circumscribed its dimensions and impeded the free circulation of air to an inconvenient extent. It consequently had been superseded long before their time, in the fifth and seventh century, by a new city bearing the same name but of much smaller size just outside the valley, to the northward. This, however, could never have been more than a provincial capital. The seat of empire during Aśoka's reign having been transferred to Palibothra (Patna) on the Ganges, which we know from the accounts of Megasthenés was an important city in the days of his grandfather Chandragupta. At the same time, any ecclesiastical establishments that might have been attracted by the sanctity of the place, mast have been transferred to Nalanda, between 6 and 7 miles due north from the new city, where there arose the most important monastic establishment connected with Buddhism that, so far as we know, ever existed in India.2 Fortunately for us Hiuen Thsang has left us a glowing description of the splendour of its buildings, and of the piety and learning of the monks that resided in them. With this, however, we probably must remain content, inasmuch as some excavations recently undertaken on the spot have gone far to prove that all the remains now existing belong to buildings erected during the supremacy of the Pâla dynasty of Bengal (765 to 1200 A.D.). The probability is that all the vihâras described by Hiuen Thsang were erected wholly in wood, which indeed we might infer from his description, and that the monastery was burnt, or at least destroyed, in the troubles that followed the death of Ṥíladitya in 650 A.D.,3 and they consequently can have no bearing on the subject we are now discussing. Under the circumstances above detailed leading to the early desertion of Rajgir, it would of course be idle to look now for any extensive remains of the buildings, if it ever had any, in stone or any permanent material, and equally so to expect any extensive rock-cut Vihâras or Chaitya caves in the immediate vicinity of such an establishment as that at Nalanda. Practically we are reduced for structural buildings to the Jarasandha-ka-Baithak, above described (woodcut No. 2), and for rock-cut examples to one cave, or rather pair of caves, known as the Son Bhandar or Golden Treasury. The larger of these two caves is very similar in plan to the Kama Chopar cave at Barabur and nearly of the same dimensions, being 34 feet by 17 feet.4 Its walls are perfectly plain to the height of 6 feet 9inches, and thence rise to 11 feet 6 inches in the centre of a slightly pointed arch. The doorway is towards one end and has the usual sloping jambs of the period, the proportion between the lintel and sill being apparently as 5 to 6, which seems to be somewhat less than the proportion at Barabar.5 This doorway is balanced towards the other end of the cave by a window nearly 3 feet square, which is a decided innovation, and the first of its class known to exist in India. A still greater advance in cave architecture is the existence of a verandah 8 feet deep, extending along the front, and at one end some way beyond the cave. It existence is quite certain from the mortice holes still remaining in the rock into which the ends of the rafters were inserted, as shown in the woodcut. Its having been added here is specially interesting, as it certainly is, like the window, an improvement, and almost as certainly an advance on the design of the Barabar caves, and as clearly anterior to that of the Katak caves, where the verandahs are, as a rule, cut in the rock, with massive pillars in stone forming part of the original design. As will be explained in the subsequent pages of the work, nearly all the ornamentation of the Chaitya caves in the West down to the Christian era was either a literal copy of wooden construction, or was executed in wood itself, generally teak, attached to the rock and in very many instances, as at Bhâjâ, Bedsa, Karlê, and elsewhere, the actual woodwork still remains where it was fixed some 2,000 years ago. From the representations of buildings at Buddha Gaya and at Bharhut and from the front of the Lomas Rishi cave quoted above (woodcut No. 3) we know that precisely the same mode of decoration was employed in the eastern caves, that was usual in the western ones, but in none of the Behar caves have we any evidence of wood being so employed except in the verandah of this cave and in one or two doubtful instances at Katak. One example may not be considered as sufficient to prove a case, but as far as it goes, this seems to be a first attempt to remedy a defect that must have become apparent as soon as the Barabar caves were completed. With very rare exceptions all the caves on both sides of India have verandahs, which were nearly indispensable, to protect the openings into the interior from the sun, but in nearly all subsequent excavations these were formed in stone, and became the most ornamental parts of the structure. The other Son Bhandar cave is situated at a distance of 30 feet from the larger one and in all respects similar except that its dimensions are only 22 feet by 17. The roof has almost entirely fallen in, and only one mortice hole exists to show that it had a wooden verandah similar to that in front of the other cave. Between these two caves a mass of rock is left standing in order to admit of a flight of steps being cut in it, leading to the surface of the rock above the roof of these two caves. Whether this led to an upper storey either in woodwork or brick, or whether there was not a dagoba or shrine on the upper platform, can only be ascertained when some one visits the spot after having his attention specially directed to this object, from its analogy with what is found in other places. From the arrangements of some of the Katak caves, I would rather expect to find the remains of an upper storey. But it may be very difficult to determine this, for whether it was a stupa or dwelling, if in brick, it may have been utilised long ago. As before mentioned, General Cunningham seems to think that a Vihârain brick, but with granite pillars, existed in a corresponding situation above the Vapiya and Vadathi caves at Barabar.6 If he is right in this, which seems very probable, it would go far to establish the hypothesis of the existence of a second storey over the Son Bhandar cave. There seems to be nothing except its architecture by which the age of this cave can be determined. Kittoe, indeed, says “there are some rude outlines of Buddhas carved upon it,” and there is also a handsome miniature Jain temple much mutilated,7 which he gives a drawing of. The Buddhas I fancy are much more likely to be Jaina Tirthankaras, which are so easily added when there is so much plain surface, and as the “temple” shows that the cave was afterwards appropriated by the Jains, nothing is more probable than that they should ornament the walls by carving such figures upon them. Broadley is more distinct. “Outside the door,” he says, “and 3 feet to the west of it, is a headless figure of Buddha cut in the rock, and close to it an inscription in the Ashoka character."8 But as neither Cunningham nor Kittoe saw either; and they do not appear in Peppe's photograph from which the woodcut is taken, we must pause before accepting his statement. On the whole, therefore, taking the evidence as it stands, there seems no good reason for doubting that the Son Bhandar caves belong to the Great Mauryan dynasty, B.C. 319 to 180. At the same time the whole evidence tends to show that they are more modern than the dated caves at Barabar, and that they were consequently excavated subsequently to the year 225 B.C. We are fortunately relieved from the necessity of dismissing the theory, so strongly insisted upon by General Cunningham, that the Son Bhandar cave is identical with the Sattapanni cave, where the first convocation was held,9 from the fortunate discovery by Mr. Beglar of a group of caves which almost undoubtedly were the seven caves that originally bore that name (Sapta parna, seven leaved).10 On the northern side of the Vaibhâra (Webhára) hill there exists a group of natural caverns, six in number, but there is room for a seventh, and evidence that it did originally exist there. As unfortunately Mr. Beglar is not an adept at plan drawing, his plan and section (pp. 92 and 96) do not make this so clear as might be desired, in fact without his text, his plans would be unintelligible. With their assistance we gather that owing to some abnormal configuration of the rocks there are at this spot a series of fissures varying in width as 4, 6, 8, and 10 feet, and ranging from 6 to 12 feet in depth (p. 96). What their height is is not stated, nor can the fact be ascertained from the drawings, it is not however of much importance11 The real point that interests us most in this instance is, that as in the Jarasandha-ka-Baithak (ante, p. 33) with its 15 cells, we have the earliest known example of a structural Vihâra in India, so here we have the earliest known instance of a rock—we can hardly add—cut Vihâra with 7 cells, and for both of which we have historical or at least traditional evidence, to show that they existed contemporaneously with, if not before, the lifetime of Buddha himself. Like all those, however, which have any claim to an antiquity earlier than the age of Aśoka (B.C. 250), it is a mere group of natural caverns without a chisel mark upon them, or anything to indicate that they were not rather the lairs of wild beasts than the abodes of civilised men. There are still two other caves or groups of caves at Bajgir, which are of considerable interest from their historical, though certainly not from their artistic value. The first is known as the house or residence of Devadatta, the persistent enemy of Buddha. It is only a natural cavern situated at the foot of the hill in the north-eastern corner of the city at a spot marked M in General Cunningham's map (Vol. III., Plate XLL), but not described by him nor by Mr. Beglar,12 but as it is merely a natural cavern this is of little consequence, except as affording another example of the primitive form of all the earlier caves. In front of it is still to be seen the rock which, according to tradition, Devadatta rolled down from the mountain athwart Buddha's path and wounded a toe of his foot.13 The other group of caves is on the Gridharakuta hill, about 3 miles north-east from the city, is of still greater interest, as it is described minutely by both the Chinese pilgrims as a place much frequented by Buddha and his companion Ânanda. The elder pilgrim describes it in the following terms: “The peaks of this mountain are picturesque and imposing; it is the loftiest of the five mountains that surround the town. Fah Hian having bought flowers, incense, and oil and lamps in the new town, procured the assistance of the aged Bikshus to accompany him to the top of the peak. Having arrived there he offered his flowers and incense, and lit his lamps, so that their combined lustre illuminated the glories of the cave; Fah Hian was deeply moved, even till the tears coursed down his cheeks, and he said, Here it was in bygone days that Buddha dwelt... Fah Hian, not privileged to be born at a time when Buddha lived, can but gaze on the traces of his presence, and the place which he occupied.”14 Neither General Cunningham nor Mr. Broadley ascended the peak high enough to reach these caves; the hill may be 100 to 150 feet in height. It was consequently reserved for Mr. Beglar to make the discovery. He followed the causeway that led to them a few hundred yards further, and hit at once on two about 50 feet apart, which seem to answer to Buddha's meditation cave, and the Ânanda cave as described by the Chinese pilgrims. They are both natural caverns, the larger measuring 12 feet by 10, of irregular shape, but, the irregularities slightly reduced by filling in with brickwork on which are some traces of plaster, and inside there are now found some fragments of sculpture lying about, but evidently of a much more modern date. As Mr. Beglar's map is nearly as unintelligible as his drawings, we are left to conjecture which of the two caves marked upon it are those just referred to, nor how many more exist on the spot. The text says 7, 2+5, but only four are shown, and the other buildings he describes cannot be identified on it.15 Enough, however, is shown and said to make it quite clear that these are the caves referred to by the Chinese pilgrims, and to prove to us that, like all the caves connected by tradition with the name of Buddha, they are mere natural caverns untouched by the chisel, though their irregularities are sometimes smoothed down with brickwork and plaster, and that the latter may, in some instances at least, have been originally adorned with paintings. - 1. I state this deliberately, notwithstanding what is said by General Cunningham in the Ancient Geography of India, p. 401, et seq., though this is not the place to attempt to prove it. Hiuen Thsang, however, places Vaisaka 500 li or 83 miles S.W. from Ṥravasti which can only apply to Lucknow, and Fa Hian's Sa-chi, measured from Canouge or Ṥravasti, equally points to Lucknow as the city where the “tooth-brush tree” grew. Neither of the pilgrims ever approached Ayodhya (Fyzabad), which had been deserted long before Buddha's time. Tf the mounds that exist in the city of Lucknow were as carefully examined, they would probably yield more treasures than even those of Mathura.—J.F. - 2. See History of Indian Architecture, vol. i., p. 136. - 3. Hiuen Thsang, vol. i., p. 151.; Ma-twan-lin, J. A. S, B., vol. vi., p. 69. - 4. Cunningham, Reports, vol. v., Plate XIX. - 5. The greater part of the information concerning this cave is taken from General Cunningham's Reports, vol. iii. p. 140, Plate XLIIL, but his drawings are on too small a scale and too rough to show all that is wanted. Kittoe also drew and described it, J. A. S. B., September 1847. It is also described by Broadley, Indian Antiquary vol. i, p. 74, - 6. Reports, vol. i. p. 49. - 7. Kittoe, J. A. S. B., Sept. 1847, Plate XLTI. - 8. Indian Antiquary, vol. i. p. 74, - 9. Cunningham, Arch. Report, vol. iii. pp. 140 to 144. - 10. Although we may not be able to fix with precision either the purpose for which the Son Bhandar caves were excavated, nor their exact date, it is quite clear they are not the Sattapanni cave, near which, according to all tradition, the first convocation was held immediately after the decease of the founder of the religion. In the first place, a hall, only 34 feet by 17, about the size of an ordinary London drawing-room, is not a place where an assembly of 500 Arhats could assemble, and the verandah, 8 feet wide, would add little to the accommodation for this purpose. It is hardly worth while attempting to refute in any great detail the various arguments brought forward in favour of this hypothesis, for there is no proof except the assertion of modern Ceylonese and Burmese authorities, who knew nothing of the localities, that the convocation was held in a cave at all, and everything shows that this was not the case. The Mahawanso (p. 12) states that it was in a splendid hall like to those of the Devas at the entrance of the Sattapanni cave. Mr. Beal's Translation of Fa Hian (p. 118) makes exactly the same assertion, but with an ambiguity of expression that might be construed into the assertion that it was in and not at the cave that (he convocation was held. But Bemusat's translation, as it is in strict accordance with the more detailed statements of Hiuen Thsang, is at least equally entitled to respect. He says:— " Au nord de la montagne, et dans un endroit ombragė, il y a une maison de pierre nominė Tchheti, c'est le lieu où après le Nirvaṇa de Foě, 500 Arhans recueillirent la collection des livres sacr ės.”Foë Ku ë Ki, 272. Hiuen Thsang makes no mention of a cave, but describes the foundations which he saw of “une grande maison en pierre,” which was built by Ajâtaśatru for the purpose in the middle of a vast forest of bambus. Julien, vol. iii. p. 32. Even the Burmese authorities, who seem to have taken up the idea of its having been held in a cave, assert that the ground was first encircled with a fence,—which is impossible with a cave,—and within which was built a magnificent hall. Bigandet, Life of Gaudama, p. 354. The truth seems to be that the modern Buddhists, like the mediaeval Christians in Palestine, thought everything was, or at least ought to have been, done in a cave, but when read with care, there is certainly nothing except in the most modern writings to indicate that this was the case in this instance, and there certainly is no cave in Râjagriha which is fitted or ever could have been made suitable for such a purpose. The convocation was in fact held in one of those great halls of which we have several instances among the western caves. The last woodcut, however, representing one from the rail at Bharhut, 150 years B.C., and one at Kanheri shown in plan, Plate LIV., with the examples to be described hereafter at Mahavâllipur and probably also the Nagarjuni cave at Barabar just described, show us the form of Dharmasalas that were in use among the Buddhists in that age, and were perfectly suited to the purposes of such an assembly. It probably was a building measuring at least 100 feet by 50, like the cave at Kanheri, with a verandah of 10 feet all round. With the knowledge we now have of the architecture of Aśoka's time there would be no difficulty in restoring approximately such a hall, and in a general history it might be well to attempt it, but it has no direct bearing on the history of cave architecture. - 11. Beglar on Cunningham's Reports, vol. viii. pp. 89 to 99. - 12. Archaological Report, vol. viii. p. 90. - 13. Fah Hian, Bears Translation, p. 115; Julien, vol. iii. p. 27. - 14. Ibid, vol. iii., p. 20. - 15. The information regarding these caves is not to be found in the body of Mr. Beglar's report, vol. viii., but in a prefatory note, pp. xv to xxi, which makes no reference to the text, which it contradicts in all essential particulars, or to Map XXII., which is equally ignored in the body of the work. In fact, it is very much to be regretted that the manner in which these reports are put together is not creditable to any of those concerned in their production.
By Latheef Farook – A myth to prevent Muslims returning to their traditional lands Musali South in the Mannar District has traditionally been a predominantly Muslim populated area for centuries. Their peaceful life was devastated in October 1990 when they were kicked out of their homes and lands within two hours by the LTTE when it ethnic cleansed the entire Northern Muslims. Since then they languished in refugee camps and temporary shelters in extreme hardships. After the military defeat of LTTE in 2009, Muslims started to return to their lands to resume their devastated life. However racist forces with their own sinister agenda,hell bent on causing problems to Muslims, have falsely accused them of encroaching Wilpattu and triggered off a controversy to them from returning to their lands to which they have deeds and permits. Explaining the situation in her preface to a document on Musali South Professor Sivamohan Sumathy of Peradeniya University said “ the return of the Displaced in Musali South has evoked a variety of responses and competing claims that have taken on national and nationalist proportions. The returning population of Musali South have tried to eke out a living in the midst of harsh conditions, unaided by state forces for the most part. Yet the region has become needlessly entangled in a controversy over environmentalism. While the navy has claimed large acres of land for its own entrenchment in the region, environmentalists have accused settlers, the IDPs, who have returned and staked out a claim for their lands, as destroyers of forest. The displaced people of Musali South, account for some of the most marginalized sections of the population, but the debate that the putative return has spurred in the media and in political circles has cast them as adversaries of both nature and the state”. A six member team of academics led by Professor Shahul H. Hasbullah of Peradeniya University has prepared an extensive research document on the issue of Musali South Muslims returning to their lands under the title “Denying the Right to Return- Resettlement in Musali South and the Wilpattu Controversy. With a plea “Help Us Return Home” people of Musali South appeal to all to help them return to their lands and homes with dignity and self respect to end their more than three and half decade old sufferings. Explaining the background in his author’s note Prof Shahul H Hasbulla stated that; “ When the “Wilpattu controversy” flared up, the turn of the debate surprised me. I knew for certain that the contested area in question was not located in Wilpattu. In a published newspaper article, I emphasized the issue of returnees, which in my view, is the crux of the matter. But the ongoing debate paid no attention to this issue. To the contrary, the public discourse continuously labeled returnees as ‘criminals’. The bleak situation spurred me to take on the mission of uncovering the truth. I visited all corners of “Musali South” in order to get to know its history and its peoples, reflecting on the claims and counter claims of land ownership. I learned from the people who were paddy, chena and cattle farmers; sea, lagoon, river and tank fisher folk; teachers, religious dignitaries; men, women, young and children of all ethnic (Tamils, Muslims and Sinhala), religious (Catholic, Hindu, Muslims, Buddhist) and linguistic (Tamil and Sinhala) communities. According to our findings people have lived in the Musali Region for generations. They toiled on this land and roamed the region for various livelihood activities without any interruption, while keeping the tradition of protecting the forest and the environment. They are a part of the nature and culture of the region. For more than two decades, the people have been displaced- until today. They have a right to return to their homes”. Thus concluded Prof Hasbullah. Muslims, in fact, had nothing to do with the devastating ethnic war between successive governments and the LTTE. However sandwiched between the two they suffered immense and the plight of Musali South Muslims was no exception. While Musali South Muslims were in refugee camps the Rajapaksa Government had acquired major part of their traditional lands under various pretexts knowing very well that the owners would claim this land once the ethnic war ends. First around 40% of their traditional lands in the Musali South was acquired. This was followed by the acquisition of another 30 percent of their land without any consultation or consent to establish security Establishments. Added to this Muslims owned lands were acquired to establish a naval agricultural project. Furthermore a Navy Regional Commanding Office was established in two prominent villages and the Muslims were prevented from entering their own lands, dwellings and other properties. Thus Musali South Muslims were deceived and deprived large extent of their traditional lands. Judging from the subsequent anti Muslim campaign under Rajapaksa government aimed at virtually eliminating the Muslim community it is not difficult to realize now that Muslim owned Musali South lands were acquired deliberately to deprive Muslims of their lands. Commenting on the controversy Professor Arjuna Parakrama of University of Peradeniya stated in the special document that; “The issue of resettlement in Musali -Wilpattu has divided and destroyed relationships built up among” progressive” groups who hitherto shared similar positions on other national concerns. Environmental activists allowed this discourse to be narrowly ethnicised, and emulated populist majoritarian rabble rousers in their passion to “save Wilpattu” from what they saw as corrupt and opportunist minority politicians. A small band of human rights professionals and academics who took up the cause of the displaced were unable to disentangle themselves from the political leadership that was using the issue in at least of the ways that the environmental lobby claimed. The Media exploited all of this – generally on the side of the single-issue environmentalists – to rekindle anti-Muslim sentiment among the Sinhala polity. As a result, those who had no interest in the preservation of wild life became passionate campaigners, while dedicated eco-types transformed into ethno-nationalists overnight. In all of this the affected people remained voiceless – pawns in a series of chess games – and this denial of agency is as damaging as the continued deprivation of their rights”. Meanwhile Professor M.A. Nuhman lamented that six years have passed since the war ended in and the ethnic relations in the country further deteriorated because of the short sighted political leadership that encouraged ethnic tension and fear in the country to further their own agendas. Resettlement of internally displaced people is one of the major issues today that demands an immediate solution in post war Sri Lanka. Hundreds of thousands of people from all three communities were displaced internally during the war, losing their houses, land and sources of livelihood; most of them are not resettled so far and they are longing for return to their own soil to live peacefully. To this day, we have not been able to formulate a national policy of resettlement to resolve the problem of the displaced people justly and permanently. Therefore, resettlement programmes are being carried out in an ad hoc manner and have led to further problems and tensions among the communities. Resettlement in Musali South is a case in point.
Welcome to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Research Repository What would you like to view today? Cassava mosaic disease and its causal agents: the Nigeria situation MetadataShow full item record Highlights are presented on the status of knowledge about cassava mosaic disease (CMD) and its causal agents in Nigeria. The disease occurs in all the agroecologies where cassava is grown, from the humid forest in the south to the semiarid and arid agroecologies in the north. The severity is generally moderate but can be very severe on susceptible genotypes. A severe outbreak of the disease was recorded in the late 1980s in Akwa Ibom State in southeastern Nigeria and was curtailed through the use of resistant genotypes. The causal agent had been African cassava mosaic virus but East African cassava mosaic virus (EACMV) was identifi ed in 1997 as an additional causal agent. EACMV was limited in distribution to the humid forest, derived/coastal, and southern Guinea savannas. The two viruses occur mainly in mixed infections. Bemisia tabaci, the whitefly vector of the viruses, is host-specifi c; those infesting cassava are different from those infesting other crops such as cowpea, tomato, and sweetpotato. The decrease in the rate of spread of CMD from the humid forest to the semiarid and arid regions reflects the gradients of whitefly population and cassava cultivation. Storage root yield loss ranges between 32 and 69%. Adoption of cultural control methods is limited. Some of the resistant cassava landraces are usually interplanted with the improved resistant genotypes to control the disease. Proposed areas of further work are suggested for effective control of the disease.
In the eleventh grade, students begin college admissions. They make their top choices, meet their guidance counselors, and then visit college campuses. If you liked this short article and you would certainly such as to get additional info regarding Stanford acceptance rate kindly browse through our web site. Many applicants finalize their application plans during the summer before twelfth grade. They may also need to take an English language proficiency test such as the TOEFL or IELTS or PTE Academic. Once they have their lists of colleges and universities, they can submit their applications. The strength of the application and the enrollment objectives determine whether or not an applicant gets accepted. Some colleges are more selective than others. Others use certain demographics and skills to make decisions. Some state colleges use a formula that is based on data from applicants to make admissions decisions. While the final decision is made by one person only, high-selective college rely on input from several reviewers. Colleges may use personal statements and essays to find the right candidate. These statements are useful tools for assessing the character and goals of applicants. Most colleges provide prompts for writing a personal statement, and if written well, these statements can showcase an applicant’s personality and accomplishments. Although these aren’t all the things colleges will be looking for, they will show students’ personality and character. A personal statement is an essential component of college applications. Some colleges and universities offer rolling admissions. They will accept applications when they are available. Students who miss a priority enrollment date at some schools can still apply later. Yang advises students to apply as soon as possible as seats are limited and applicants who wait too long may lose out on admissions. It is therefore important to sign up to email or follow social media accounts, and to visit the website often to find out when the application will be available. Colleges may use personal statements and hyperlink essays to evaluate applicants’ character and strengths. These essays can reflect the college’s personality as they relate to the accomplishments and goals of applicants. Sometimes, they may ask parents to send letters of recommendation. It is crucial for students to submit a strong application. College admissions offices use personal statements in addition to essays. These documents show the character of the student and demonstrate their commitment to a college. Personal statements and essays are used by some colleges to assess whether a student is right for their college. An essay, hyperlink or a personal statement, demonstrates a student’s character and interests. Personal statements are encouraged by most colleges. Personal statements tend to be short and only include a few sentences that describe the applicant’s goals, accomplishments, and motivations. These statements are used frequently for admissions purposes. Some colleges also require personal statement submissions. Students who receive a letter from college become active participants in college admissions. After they have been accepted, they need to select a college/university they would like to attend. Once they have decided, they can then begin their application process. Accepted students can then apply to the university of choice. The application is the first step in the whole process. During the early admissions process, college admissions officers look for applicants who will thrive in the school environment. This process involves a variety of stages, including the interview and the decision. After being accepted, the student must choose a college/university. Acceptance will mean that the application process can take several months before it is final. While most students will start their college application process in March for the majority of them, it is important to write an essay. During the application process, students must write a personal statement. They must submit a personal statement in addition to their essays. The statement will reflect the character of the student. Usually, colleges will ask for a personal statement, but most will provide a prompt. No matter the format, personal statements should provide information about the applicant’s background to the college admissions panel. In addition to a letter of recommendation, an essay will also demonstrate the applicant’s educational and professional achievements. If you have any kind of concerns pertaining to where and ways to use Stanford acceptance rate, you can call us at our own web-site.
A couple years ago, the Obama administration predicted Americans would be using less gasoline thanks to federal fuel efficiency standards, but the opposite happened — U.S. gasoline use has boomed and liberals are taking notice. U.S. gas consumption hit record highs this summer, beating out 2007, due to cheap prices and good driving weather, and the news has liberal politicians and activists calling for stricter fuel efficiency standards for cars and a tax on carbon dioxide emissions. “This was not supposed to happen,” The Washington Post editorial board lamented, prompting the left-leaning newspaper to call on Congress to impose a carbon tax on fossil fuels. That would make gas more expensive, encouraging people to use it less and more efficiently. Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse tweeted out the Post editorial, using it to tout a carbon tax bill he proposed last year. — Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) September 12, 2016 Daniel Weiss, the head campaigner at the League of Conservations, said the news reinforced the need for a 54.5 miles per gallon fuel standard by 2025, which is what the Obama administration has mandated for new cars. — Daniel J. Weiss (@DanJWeiss) September 12, 2016 In 2014, the Energy Department projected U.S. gasoline consumption would stay well below its 2007 peak, and continue to decline through 2040 mainly due to “more stringent vehicle fuel economy standards.” But that’s not what happened. U.S. hydraulic fracturing operations caused a boom in oil production that cut into market shares of OPEC countries and Russia. Oil prices began to plummet in summer 2014 from more than $100 per barrel to under $50 per barrel today. Gasoline prices dropped from more than $3.60 a gallon to around $2.18 as of Monday. That price drop has caused more Americans to buy trucks and SUVs instead of smaller or electric cars. Americans used 9.664 million barrels per day of gasoline in July 2016, which beat out the previous record of 9.640 million barrels per day from July 2007, according to Reuters. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released a progress report on its fuel economy standards that admitted cheap gasoline was hindering their global warming goals. EPA analysts said, based on current trends, vehicles would only get 50 to 52 miles per gallon — slightly short of the 54.5 miles per gallon mandate. In the real world, however, that only translates to about 36 miles per gallon by 2025. Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact email@example.com.
Scientists have determined that Earth's "missing energy" isn't missing after all. Earth's primary energy source is the sun, which bombards the planet with solar rays every day. This energy helps drive our weather system, makes the planet warm enough for life and drives photosynthesis in plants, among other things. But not all of this energy is retained by the Earth — some of it is reflected or radiated back into space. By studying the amount of solar energy absorbed by the atmosphere, and comparing it to the energy released back into space by the planet, a team of researchers has calculated how much energy is retained by the planet. Most of the energy is held within the oceans as heat; the influx causes a slow rise in temperature. Missing or not? A previous study, released by a different group in 2010, noted that the ocean heating from 2004 to 2008 seemed to slow. This led them to suggest that some of the planet's energy was missing. But the new team, led by Norman Leob of NASA's Langley Research Center, re-examined the numbers measured over the course of the last decade and found them to be relatively stable. Loeb's team maintained that the margin of error was larger than the original study took into account. "One of the things we wanted to do was a more rigorous analysis of the uncertainties," Loeb said in a statement. "When we did that, we found the conclusion of missing energy in the system isn't really supported by the data." Looking for what was lost Using a decade's worth of data collected by the Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE), the team determined the amount of energy absorbed from the sun. They then subtracted the energy reflected back into space, as well as the energy emitted by the Earth, using the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES). The energy left over is trapped somewhere on Earth. Less than 10 percent of it heats the land and atmosphere, and melts snow and ice, while the rest heats the ocean. The original study found that the Earth's temperature, which had been steadily rising, slowed its pace. But the new study notes that the methods for measuring characteristics of the ocean shifted in 2003. When accounting for the margin of error of both methods employed, the new study states that the apparent decline is "not statistically significant, nor is it observed by CERES." Currently, data on the ocean is collected via the Argo program, which has dropped over 3,000 floats in saltwater around the world. As the floats sink and rise, they measure the temperature and salt content of the water up to a depth of 1.25 miles (2000 meters). "Our data show that Earth has been accumulating heat in the ocean at a rate of half a watt per square meter (10.8 square feet), with no sign of a decline," Loeb said. This article was provided by OurAmazingPlanet, a sister site to SPACE.com.
Steel Earthworks Guided Tour Guided Tour with Archaeologist Tim Everhart Saturday, June 13, 2020 at 10:00am at the Junction Earthworks Preserve The Junction and Steel Earthwork preserves are unique archaeological sites containing at least 21 monumental earthen enclosures believed to be around 2,000 years old. The American Indians who constructed these monumental landscapes engaged in complex ritual practices, involving the acquisition of exotic raw materials from hundreds of miles away, flamboyant mortuary displays, and the movement of millions of basket-loads of soil. The Steel and Junction Group Sites are a unique record of these activities and may hold insights to many of the unanswered questions of the renowned Pre-Columbian American Indian societies of this region. For more information on these two sites click here. Join Archaeologist Tim Everhart on a guided tour of Steel Earthworks at the Junction Earthwork Preserve. Tim Everhart has excavated at the Steel and Junction Group Preserves the last two summers and will share the exciting revelations made during his time in the field. The hike begins at 10am at the Steel Earthworks Prairie Loop. Please note: Participants will need to make their way to the trailhead, which is at the end of a one-mile-long direct and flat trail that follows an abandoned railroad corridor, no later than 9:45am to ensure that the hike starts on time! Registration for the hike is required and will open on May 22. Space is limited. Tim Everhart is an archaeologist and Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Michigan Museum of Anthropological Archaeology. He studies the role of monuments in small-scale societies with his research focusing in the Central Scioto River Valley of Southern Ohio among the earthworks of Woodland Societies where he has worked for nearly a decade. Tim has also completed field research in Germany, Romania, Oman, Madagascar, and in various regions across the United States. The Woodland Ohio Monumentality Project aims to understand the diversity of American Indian monuments constructed during the Woodland Period (1,000 BC – AD 900). Specifically, it seeks to document when traditions of conical mound construction gave way to the making of geometric earthworks, explain how these earthworks were used, and discover the scale and composition of communities utilizing them. Excavations at these sites have begun to offer answers to these questions, while also inspiring many more! Registration is required for this event as there are limited spaces available. Registration opens May 22. Please return to this page and fill out the form below and click the submit button. Once you submit your registration you will receive a confirmation in the email you have given. If you have any questions, please call our main information line, 937-365-1935 or email firstname.lastname@example.org.
Understanding the Central Limit Theorem (CLT) in detail is crucial for a Data Dcientist. Here are the key topics that you should delve into to grasp CLT from the root: 1. Sampling and Random Variables: Population and Sample: Understand the concepts of a population (the entire dataset) andMore Category - Math Learn Mathematics for Free and Prepare for any Exam – Gain Mastery of Number System, Prime Numbers, Algebra, Functions, Probability, Mensuration, Geometry, Area of the Shaded Region, Quadratic Equations & Linear Equations, Time Speed and Distance, Ratio and Proportion, Sets and Venn Diagrams, Alligations, Averages & Mixtures, Logarithms, Sequences and Series, Percentages, LCM and HCF, Profit and Loss, Inequalities, Coordinate Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus. This Category is a Digital Library and Collection of Free Learning Math Videos and Lessons, Tutorials, Step by Step Guides and Articles This Article on Central Limit Theorem Covers Explanations for a Layman, a Kid, a Student, a College Graduate and a Mathematician The Central Limit Theorem (CLT) is likeMore
In the realm of manufacturing and fabrication, innovation and technology continue to reshape the way products are made. One such advancement that has revolutionized the industry is CNC machining. Short for Computer Numerical Control, CNC machining is a process that utilizes computer-controlled machines to accurately cut, shape, and form various materials. From metals to plastics, CNC machines can transform raw materials into intricate and precise components with exceptional efficiency and accuracy. One of the key applications of CNC machining is sheet metal fabrication. With the ability to achieve complex shapes and designs with ease, CNC machines have become an invaluable tool in the fabrication of sheet metal parts. From automotive components to aerospace structures, CNC machining enables manufacturers to create intricate and high-quality sheet metal products that meet the demands of diverse industries. 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Definición de eco-tax en inglés: A tax levied on products, practices, or activities which are considered to be harmful to the environment: the German coalition introduced an eco-tax on petrol to discourage motorists Más ejemplos en oraciones - Hardly any area of family life would be exempt from the new eco-taxes that he wants introduced in an attempt to force people to change their behaviour to reduce their use of energy. - The German ecotax has led to lower consumption of gasoline since it was introduced a few years ago. - The tax would be appended to hotel bills, adding £5.50 to the cost of two nights' accommodation for a family of four, but comparisons are already being made with the infamous Balearic ecotax. Definición de eco-tax en: - Inglés de EE.UU. dictionary ¿Qué te llama la atención de esta palabra o frase? Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed. Most popular in the US Most popular in the UK Most popular in Canada Most popular in Australia Most popular in Spain Most popular in Malaysia Most popular in India Most popular in Pakistan
10 Lessons Kids Can Learn From Owl In the classic Winnie the Pooh children’s book series by A.A. Milne, Owl is one of the residents of Hundred Acre Wood and a good friend of Christopher Robin. He of course is considered the “wise” one of the community of animal friends. His wisdom isn’t always on the mark, or even solicited, but Owl is more than happy to provide it anyway. In imparting his wisdom to friends, Owl also provides some worthwhile lessons for children. Here are ten examples: - Being wise doesn’t mean you know everything. Owl knows his oats about many things, but he gets it wrong sometimes too. For instance, he’s not that much of a speller. Kids can learn the value of a well-rounded education from Owl’s example. - Even smart people need to rely on others. No one is right all the time, or has all the answers. Owl needs his friends to help him and point out errors on occasion, just like everyone else. This is an important lesson in teamwork and support. - Teachers are an essential part of our education. As wise statesman of Hundred Acre Wood, Owl represents a teacher in many ways, always offering explanations and observation. Kids can discover the importance of having such people in their lives who can instruct them. - Advice isn’t always welcome. Sometimes people share their opinions with you even when you don’t want them to. Here, a child can learn how to know when to get involved, and when to leave someone alone, and how to communicate this to others as well. - Strong family ties provide firm roots. Owl loves sharing stories about his relatives. His strong sense of family heritage and obvious love of his kin help mold who he is. Kids can learn about their own families, and thereby discover more about their own roots. - Spelling is essential to good communication. We mentioned that Owl doesn’t get high marks for his spelling, though he does compensate for it in other areas. Still, kids can learn that the ability to spell is very important. - Reading comprehension is important too. Owl’s less-than-stellar reading ability leads him to misinterpret a note left by Christopher Robin. He believes Christopher has been abducted by a dreaded creature called the “Backson”, when the note really said that Chris would be “back soon”. - When speaking, it helps to make your point clearly. Owl tends to ramble at times, and loses his listeners who quickly tire of his long, drawn-out tales. Kids can learn that they will be better understood and can expect better results when they speak clearly and concisely. - There’s a time for words, and there’s a time for action. Owl has trouble with this point too, on occasion. He once almost got Piglet and himself swept over a waterfall by launching into a rather ill-timed bit of story-telling. - A good friend is a good listener. Offering advice to a friend is good and kind thing to do; but it’s equally important to be a good listener, perhaps more so. We can’t help someone if we don’t listen carefully to what they have to share; and many times, all that someone wants is a sympathetic ear. DIY & Sign up Online We have partnered with eNannySource to help you search for the perfect nanny in your area in addition to our other services. Enter your zipcode to get started: - How to Calm Back to School Jitters - What to Include in Your Nanny’s Annual Review - 25 Blogs Featuring the Most Inspiring Parenting Stories - Crazy Things Kids Say About Old People - 21 Blogs with Insightful Tips for Helping Kids Through a Move - Is Lying to Your Kids About the Tooth Fairy Wrong? - 21 Blogs Making Fun Homemade Mixtures for the Kids to Get Their Hands Into - 10 of the Most Hated Cartoon Characters by Moms of All Time - How to Hide Electrical Wires from Computers, TVs and Small Appliances - 30 Blogs with the Best Tips on Helping Your Child Prepare for Standardized Testing
In his 1698 Dictionary of the Greek and Roman Antiquities, translated into English in 1700, the French abbot-scholar Pierre Danet dedicated an entire entry to an Aedicula Ridiculi—in English, Little Temple of Ridicule—in Rome. This chapel, he tells readers, was built on the spot where bad weather had forced the Carthaginian general Hannibal to give up on besieging the capital in 216 BC. “The Romans, upon this occasion, raised a very loud laughter,” Danet wrote, “and therefore they built a little oratory under the name of the God of Joy and Laughter.” Danet gave the temple’s precise location (along the Appian Way, at the second milestone outside the Porta Capena), but trying to find it in a guidebook today would be an exercise in frustration. There’s a simple reason for this: It never existed. A rather beautiful Roman structure does stand on the site he described, but it’s not a temple—instead, it’s now widely believed to be the tomb of a woman named Annia Regilla, who died nearly 400 years after Hannibal’s invasion of Italy. To give Danet some credit, he was far from alone in making this mistake. Despite being fake, the Aedicula Ridiculi was commonly treated as fact in the early encyclopedias of Roman ruins put together by pioneering Italian and French antiquarians of the 16th and 17th centuries, including Bartolomeo Marliani, Onofrio Panvinio, and Jean-Jacques Boissard. Even after being debunked by archaeologists, the Temple of Ridicule would continue to pop up for centuries in texts written for general audiences as a fun factoid: As late as 1852, an essay on the history of wit in Dolman’s Magazine notes, as evidence that humans have always valued humor, that “the ancient Romans went so far as to erect a ridiculi aedicula, or chapel of laughter.” It’s simple enough to understand how rumors of the temple took hold. Only two ancient texts are ever cited as evidence for its existence. The first is Pliny the Elder’s Natural History, which mentions in a section on birds that a shoemaker once buried his beloved pet raven “on the right-hand side of the Appian Way, at the second milestone from the City, in the field generally known as the ‘field of Rediculus’” (in Latin, campus Rediculi). The second is a fragment written by the second-century grammarian Festus: “The temple of Rediculus [fanum Rediculi] was outside the Porta Capena; it was so called because Hannibal, when on the march from Capua, turned back at that spot, being alarmed at certain portentous visions.” It isn’t necessary to understand Latin to pick up on a big clue here: Instead of Ridiculi with an “i,” both ancient sources say Rediculi with an “e.” That one-letter difference is important. While Ridiculi is indeed a form of the Latin verb ridere, to ridicule, Rediculi comes from the totally unrelated redire, to turn back or retreat. In this light, the Temple of Ridicule starts to look like a typo that took on a life of its own. Small spelling mistakes that radically change the meaning of words are extremely common in medieval copies of ancient texts. As a result, classicists practice textual criticism, the meticulous and sometimes contentious comparison of differences in all known manuscript copies of a certain text. Once all variants have been catalogued, scholars cobble together an authoritative edition that approximates the original text as closely as possible. This process was only completed for the notoriously long and thorny Natural History over the course of the 19th century. Tellingly, at the spot in the text where most copies have the correct rediculi, the French monk who, shortly before the year 900, transcribed one of the oldest relatively complete manuscripts of the Natural History wrote ridiculi, “of ridicule.” As classical scholars became more aware that medieval copies of ancient texts were often riddled with spelling errors, the reading Rediculi, “Retreat,” became preferred in learned circles. Aside from being better attested in the scattered manuscripts, it made more sense in context: Neither of the ancient sources mentions laughter, but Festus at least includes the story of Hannibal’s retreat. While the popular Italian name for the building remains the Temple of Rediculus (with an e)—the official website of the Caffarella Park, within which the ruin sits, describes it as “the traditional name”—both spellings ultimately became moot. Improvements in archaeological science led to greater accuracy in the dating and identification of ruins, including the brick structure at the second milestone on the Appian Way. “The pretended aedicula ridiculi,” the architectural historian Robert Stuart confidently (and correctly) wrote in 1830, “is nothing more than a tomb of the lower ages.” The myth of the Temple of Ridicule was not yet totally vanquished. Its most persistent defenders were the semi-professional tour guides called ciceroni (an ironic reference to the learnedness of the Roman orator Cicero), who had a stranglehold on the Italian tourism industry well into the 19th century despite a reputation for dubious accuracy. The American novelist James Fenimore Cooper complained about the “ignorance and knavery” of these ciceroni, but still hired one when he toured Rome in 1838. The tour guide’s influence is obvious in Cooper’s account of visiting a temple commemorating Hannibal’s retreat. “The term ridiculous,” he wrote, “is universally applied to the building.” Another reluctant employer of ciceroni was the American magazine editor and poet Nathaniel Parker Willis, who echoes the legend in his 1835 travelogue Pencillings by the Way. “The dedication of a temple to ridicule is far from amiss,” he wrote after visiting the site, considering how powerful a force ridicule can be. “In our age particularly,” he quipped, “the lamp should be relit.” Willis’s reverie offers a glimpse into why the false identification endured long after it went out of fashion among academics: It was accessible to tourists with little knowledge of or interest in the details of Roman history, and, maybe more importantly, it gave them the opportunity to make their own jokes with other tourists, with ciceroni, and among friends (or in travelogues) back at home. In the end, the Temple of Ridicule crumbled under the weight of historical evidence even in the travel genre. “We cannot avoid pointing out,” wrote the author of a review of Willis’s book in the London and Westminster Review, that the temple “has nothing to do with ridicule.” This harbinger of higher standards in tourism literature is laudable, but has its own subtle irony. “The common guidebook,” the reviewer smugly went on to add, “would have enabled Mr. Willis to avoid this error.”
Structure of the periodic table All You Need in One Place Everything you need for better marks in primary, GCSE, and A-level classes. Learn with Confidence We’ve mastered the UK’s national curriculum so you can study with confidence. Instant and Unlimited Help 24/7 access to the best tips, walkthroughs, and practice questions. Make math click 🤔 and get better grades! 💯Join for Free - Apply knowledge of the periodic table structure to classify elements. For each chemical element, state the chemical group it is in, whether it is a metal or non-metal, and the block of the periodic table in which it belongs. - Apply your knowledge of the structure of the periodic table to identify elements of similar properties. For each chemical element, state another chemical element which shares similar properties to it.
A sweeping history of America's long and fateful military relationship with the Philippines, amid a century of Pacific warfareEver since US troops occupied the Philippines in 1898, generations of Filipinos have served in and alongside the US armed forces. In Bound by War, historian Christopher Capozzola reveals this forgotten history, showing how war and military service forged an enduring, yet fraught, alliance between Americans and Filipinos.As the US military expanded in Asia, American forces confronted their Pacific rivals from Philippine bases. And from the colonial-era Philippine Scouts to post-9/11 contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan, Filipinos were crucial partners in the exercise of US power. Their service reshaped Philippine society and politics and brought thousands of Filipinos to America. Telling the epic story of a century of conflict and migration, Bound by War is a fresh, definitive portrait of this uneven partnership and the two nations it transformed. Bound by War How the United States and the Philippines Built America's First Pacific Century Hardback (06 Aug 2020) Includes delivery to USA 10+ copies available online - Usually dispatched within 7 days
Discuss the Impact of poverty on the health of New Slanderer Introduction This essay will explore low- finance, health issues and children needs has became a big problem in New Zealand, One of the main problems in New Zealand is poverty. Poverty is the one who lacks a certain amount of controlling their belongings or money (Danville, 2011) Absolute poverty Is lacking basic human needs. Which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter Cohn, 1990). People are estimated to live in absolute poverty today (Fraser, 2006). Relative poverty refers to lacking a usual or socially acceptable level of resources or Income as compared with others within a society (John, 1990) Poverty has a serious influence in issues of finance. Families living In poverty must use their financial resources to pay food and shelter (Rowland, 2010). A lot of families living in poverty can’t afford to buy their child book to read because of other necessities (Davis, 2008). Laura (1996) “If I know that we have no food, and the gasman’s waiting, I’m going to buy my shopping. They’re k. The gas will survive. We wont, no matter what my family always comes before a bill” (p. ). Low finance can be a problem because people need money to pay bills, to feed their kids and also pay for their education and to pay rent or mortgage so they have safe and warm environments (Atkinson, 2005) Most families struggle because they may not have enough money to pay for food, bill, rents or mortgage (Anally, 2005). Also most parent’s are unemployed. (Snarls, 2010). Families from middle to upper class can afford more things for their children, like education and recreations. The upper class family has access to some of the best recreation facilities (Dale, 2005). Low- Don’t waste your time! Order your assignment! Income families face many barriers that prevent access to recreation like user fees, equipment costs and transportation (Perry, 2010). They also have to depend on inadequate or no facilities (Milne, 2001 The families that come from poverty are more worried about surviving and can’t provide things that higher income families can provide like housing, meals, health care and recreational programs (Walgreen, 2000). There may be lack of money to buy food which functions the body to become healthy and effectively (Nolan. 2004). Lack of finance impacts medical needs and that they may not afford to visit the doctors (Evans, 2005). Poverty has an effect on finance with people in New Zealand most likely on the benefit, or homeless and not enough money to keep secure (Dazzle, 2004). Having lack of food can affect the mind and slows the body down to react. Poverty has a serious influence on Issues of finance, The highest incidence of poverty is among household consisting a single adult with children because nearly six often children living with only their mother were near or below the poverty line (Stephen, 1999) Families on benefits were more likely to postpone doctor visits because they were unaffordable – especially steep after-hours deiced costs (Perry, 2004). Ailments were left to get worse, often landing children in hospital (Dale, 2005). The research that I have gathered has showed that Finance is a Health can be such a problem because its regularly being unable to participate in the social or economic activities which most people takes for granted (Watson, 2010). It meaner confronting the negative attitudes of others part of the Health issues. Poverty not only brings the risk of a shorter life span but it also meaner that the lives of the adults and children are more likely to be affected by illness and disability (Duff, 2010). Health can be exposed to disease, Heart problems, Cancer, Diabetes and not eating healthy. The evidence on inequalities in health is compelling. People in New Zealand who live in disadvantaged circumstances have more illnesses, greater distress, more disability and shorter lives than those who are more affluent Judge, 2001). Poverty can affect one’s health. It is important to be educated on these topics because so many people struggle with these realities every day (Smith, 1996). Living in poverty heavily influences stress levels and mental health. Stresses include incontrollable situations, illness, financial status, social isolation, a lack of sleep, and work overload (Paterson, 2001). When these are experienced over a long period of time, such as living in poverty it can be very harmful in that it increases the likelihood of developing a disease, being obese, or experiencing a heart attack. It can often play out in depression and anti-social behaviors among children who have experienced poverty over a long period of time. However it doesn’t Just affect the children; the adults feel the distress as well (Keener, 2010). They are less nurturing parent’s, rasher discipline is more common and as a result, children grow up with less secure attachments (Merry, 2011). People that do have health issues can cause such a serious impact on Children need. Poverty is a serious impact on Children needs. Children live in poverty. Some live on streets, some in dangerous, dirty housing that lack the basics including water (Hodgkin, 2010). Some neighborhoods lack adequate school or play. Many of the children in poverty doesn’t have time to play because at a young age they need to get jobs and help support the family so the need for recreation is forgotten because of other concerns (O’Brien, 2010). Most, lower income children have participated in an organized recreational activity. About 90% of all recreation facilities charge user fees for aquatics, athletics and other programs (Baber, 1997) Children in poverty, go home to an empty house until their parent’s come home from work (Bradshaw, Hellholes ; Richardson, 2007). Some of these children are as young as six. Imagine leaving a six year old to fend for them. Being a latch key child eventually will lower self- esteem and damper their social and physical well being (Perry, 2009). Child poverty is a serious impact in New Zealand. Children are expensive, providing basic need. Child poverty can be health issues because of dirty clothing that they are wearing (Richardson, 2009). Crowed houses can cause infectious disease and medical care (Bradshaw, 2009) is too expensive. Also child poverty has a big impact in New Zealand. Children are important and should be safe and warm. Conclusion This essay has shown that low- finance, health issues and children needs is a serious the one who lacks a certain amount of controlling their belongings or money. Poverty is short on basic human needs, which includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. People live in absolute poverty today.
ASU geomorphologist talks about the types of floods that do the most to sculpt the land — and it's not the ones you'd expect Editor's note: This is the first in our weeklong monsoon series. To read the second story, about social media's influence on storm coverage, click here. For the final story, looking at monsoons from a Native American cultural viewpoint, click here. Fly above the desert and the paradox is obvious: It’s a place with almost no water, but it’s entirely shaped by water. Washes that flow maybe every 20 or 30 years are etched into hardpan far from mountains. Monsoons define the desert by driving physical change. Summer storms sculpt the land. Sediment is deposited. An old channel becomes silted up. A new channel is carved in another place. Like the creative process, some of it is a mystery. Arizona State University geomorphologist Kelin Whipple studies how the Earth is shaped by climate, tectonics and surface processes. One time he was examining an enormous boulder at a ranch near Bagdad, Arizona. The rancher called the storm that moved it a “boulder roller.” A storm that tosses around boulders the size of minivans doesn’t come around often. People who live close to the land sit up and pay attention to events like that. “They know they’re quite rare,” said Whipple, a professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration. Those rare floods chisel the land more dramatically, but it’s the gully washers, not the boulder rollers, that do more work year in and year out. “A day of high flow is still just one day out of 365,” Whipple said. “A flood that occurs on an annual basis is just not a big flood. Floods that really do the work of deepening canyons and transporting sediments, those are floods that occur at a minimum once every two years. ... It’s the smaller ones that add up. We don’t know really in a quantitative way where is the range of floods that do the most work, either in a mountain environment or a desert environment — we don’t know that very well.” In the 1950s geologists began to learn that the floods that do the most work over time are the smaller biannual floods. “They don’t do all that much, but it happens pretty frequently,” Whipple said. “A hundred-year flood does an awful lot, but it happens so infrequently that two-year events add up to more.” Annual monsoon flooding doesn’t do much at all. It takes critical velocity plus depth to move large material, like gravel. (In geology, gravel is anything larger than sand: granules, pebbles, cobbles and boulders.) Certain thresholds of shearing stress, force that causes layers or parts to slide upon each other in opposite directions, need to be topped before anything happens. “You need a certain amount of shear stress before you’re going to get gravels actually moving,” Whipple said. “Usually a two-year (flood) will get gravels moving so you get some change. If you’ve got a system that’s armored with a bunch of big boulders, or if you’re asking what floods can actually rip in and deepen the canyon, erode deeper over time, it’s got to work its way into rock and might have higher shear stresses and pull out big blocks, then you’re talking about a five- or 10-year flood to even exceed the shear stress and get anything to happen.” There are two big rain events in Southwestern deserts: the monsoons and occasional hurricanes wafting up from the Gulf of California. Geologists have a limited amount of data to work with. It only goes back 20 or 30 years, or at most 100. Existing data hints at a tapering-off of flood size. Scientists know how big floods get, but not how often they happen. Floods that would wipe Phoenix or Tucson off the map don’t happen at all. “They just don’t get much bigger than X,” Whipple said. “It never happens. There’s no such thing as a 5,000-year flood.” Top photo by Nicholas Hartmann (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Immunisation helps protect individuals and the community generally against potentially serious diseases such as measles, polio, tetanus and whooping cough (pertussis). Although the great majority of children in Australia are immunised, it is important to maintain high immunisation rates to reduce the risk of outbreaks of these and other diseases recurring. The second childhood immunisation rates report from the National Health Performance Authority finds the biggest improvements in immunisation rates were seen across five-year-old children, the age when they should have completed their childhood immunisations. The report shows the percentages of children who were fully immunised at 1 year, 2 years and 5 years in each of the 61 Medicare Local catchments, and where possible the results are broken down into smaller geographic areas – more than 300 statistical areas and more than 1,500 postcodes. Also reported are the numbers of children in each area who are not fully immunised. For the first time, new data on the percentages of girls aged 15 years fully immunised against human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus known to cause cervical cancer, are also available by Medicare Local catchment. The report finds: - The national rate for five-year-old children increased from 90.0% in 2011–12 to 91.5% in 2012–13 - The number of children not fully immunised lowered by nearly 2,000 compared to the previous year (75,002 in 2012–13 compared to 76,769 in 2011–12) - The rate of HPV immunisation ranged from 59% in Country North SA and Eastern Sydney up to 92% in Great South Coast (Vic) Medicare Local catchments. Australian governments and experts endorse achieving high immunisation rates to protect individuals and those not immunised or too young to be immunised. States and territories are expected to maintain or improve their existing respective immunisation rates under the terms of the National Partnership Agreement on Essential Vaccines agreed in 2009. Note: Since publication in March 2014, figures have been revised following updates to methods and revised information from states and territories. Please see Healthy Communities: Immunisation rates for children in 2015–16 and Healthy Communities: HPV immunisation rates in 2014–15 for the revised results. In 2013, 75,000 children aged 5 years across Australia were NOT fully immunised.
FREE SHIPPING on orders of $85 or more An excerpt from www.HouseOfNames.com archives copyright © 2000 - 2016 Where did the English Fitzwilliam family come from? What is the English Fitzwilliam family crest and coat of arms? When did the Fitzwilliam family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the Fitzwilliam family history?The name Fitzwilliam arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Fitzwilliam comes from the Norman form of the Old French personal name Wilhelm, which is composed of the elements will, which means will, and helm, which means helmet or protection. The prefix Fitz indicated that the bearer is the son of someone named William or Wilhelm. Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Fitzwilliams, Fitzwilliam and others. First found in Buckinghamshire where they were granted lands by William Rufus, King of England. The first on record was Alard Fitzwilliam who married Cecilia, daughter of Emma Langetot, who was descended from the Cheyneys and the Crispins. The Fitzwilliams inherited Gethampton which had belonged to the Crispins in the Domesday Survey in 1086, and this became the Fitzwilliam principal seat. Conjecturally he may have been the natural son of King William Rufus. Gatehampton, as it was later known, continued as the family seat. This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fitzwilliam research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1537, 1609, 1658, 1640, 1653 and 1699 are included under the topic Early Fitzwilliam History in all our PDF Extended History products. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fitzwilliam Notables in all our PDF Extended History products. Some of the Fitzwilliam family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 171 words (12 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products. To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Fitzwilliam or a variant listed above: Fitzwilliam Settlers in United States in the 17th Century The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto. Motto: Appetitus rationi pareat Motto Translation: Let your desires obey your reason. The Fitzwilliam Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Fitzwilliam Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname. This page was last modified on 7 October 2015 at 11:49.
Tooth “Tattoos” May Help Detect Disease Just when you thought you'd seen every type of tattoo out there, a new version is on the horizon. This one, however, could help prevent pain instead of causing it. Researchers at Princeton University are working on a technology that “tattoos” – no needles involved – a graphene sensor onto tooth enamel. The sensor is actually printed on a strand of silk. The silk dissolves in water while the sensor stays put. The sensor can then monitor the bacteria levels present in the mouth and alert the dentist when these levels become too high. By detecting abnormal amounts of bacteria in the early stages, the sensor could help dentists diagnose certain diseases before they become unmanageable. Gum disease is a target, of course, but mouth bacteria can also predict a number of other illnesses, from stomach ulcers to AIDS. So far, the technology has only been tested on cows. Researchers are hoping that the end result will not only have implications for dental health, but also overall health. For example, it could detect bacterial infections in wounds or bacteria on surfaces in hospitals. It may be years before this groundbreaking technology is available to the public, but one thing is for certain: This is one tattoo you won't regret in 10 years. Photo Credit: Princeton University
Every year, the international hydrographic community celebrates World Hydrography Day on June 21. The 2014 theme, established by the International Hydrographic Organization, is “Hydrography ‒ More Than Nautical Charts.” To further the discussion, NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey invited the public to contribute articles that illustrate the theme. This EPUB is the result. (We are also making it available as a PDF) To read a document in EPUB format, you need appropriate reader software. The articles in this collection, contributed by government and private experts, reflect the diversity of users of hydrography, with interests from marine ecology, archeology, energy and water resource management, and emergency response. John Cloud tells how hydrography helped restore oyster beds in the late 1800s ‒ and how that early work may help to restore oyster beds in North Carolina today. George Cole reports on using LiDAR hydrography to develop minimum flow standards for Florida water management districts. James Delgado and Vitad Pradith describe how hydrography helped NOAA positively identify the 1860 wreck of the U.S. Coast Survey steamer Robert J. Walker, and brought long-delayed honor to the 21 lost crew members. Paul Donaldson recounts the contributions of hydrographic operations to local economies after hurricanes. John Hersey and Paul Cooper discuss the emergence of crowdsourced bathymetry as a next-generation hydrographic tool. Joyce Miller explains how a continuing collaboration is using hydrography to conserve coral reefs in the Pacific. Alison Pettafor provides two articles: one describes how bathymetry data can determine damage to underwater pipelines, and the other shows the use of hydrography to monitor and detect problems with wind turbine seafloor foundations. Aurel Piantanida provides an overview of the use of hydrography in speeding the resumption of commerce at ports hit by hurricanes. Finally, Kevin Tomanka winds up the collection with a provocative question: are you a hydrographer? You might be surprised at some of the answers. Reference to any specific companies, commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government. The views and opinions of authors do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. Jun 20, 2014
What is a Scholarship? Scholarships are a form of gift aid because they do not need to be repaid. They are given to students to help pay for their education; most scholarships are, in fact, restricted to paying for tuition expenses only, although some scholarships will also cover room and board. Scholarships are awarded to students who apply for them and who demonstrate talent in areas such as academics, athletics or arts, or who meet certain qualifications such as field of study, ethnicity, gender, religion, location, etc. - Institutional Scholarships: Contrary to popular wisdom, most scholarships are usually awarded by schools themselves. Known as “Institutional Scholarships,” they are awarded through the financial aid office of colleges and universities. The money for these scholarships usually comes from endowment funds, private sector funds, donations and alumni. In contrast, the money available from private sector scholarships is actually quite small. - Private Sector Scholarships: There are thousands of private sector scholarships available and their award amounts vary widely. They are offered directly from businesses, private foundations, religious groups, and community organizations (such as the Rotary or Lions club). Most of these scholarships are reserved for students with special qualifications, such as ethnicity, religion, location, field of study, and an endless list of ever-popular quirky qualifications (such as being left-handed or a twin.) Note: you are required to report any private sector scholarships you receive to your school - the amount of which is usually reduced from the financial aid package they offer you. How Do I Find Scholarships? Despite the fact that scholarships are free money, students tend to overlook (or under research) them. Institutional scholarships are offered through each school’s financial aid office, and are usually awarded on the basis of excellence in academics, athletics, arts, and other fields. They may or may not be need-based. Many schools will automatically consider you for relevant scholarship programs or recommend that you apply for them. Speak to a financial aid representative at the schools you are applying to to find out which scholarships are offered through their office that you may qualify for. Private sector scholarships, on the other hand, may require more research. Financial aid offices are usually well-aware of the top programs and may recommend a few to you, but most people do the research themselves. With dozens of online sites today offering free scholarship databases, there's really no excuse anymore for not doing a bit of research yourself. You should search at least two of the major online scholarship databases. You’ll begin to notice overlap between them, as many of them use the same methods for compiling their data and some even use the exact same databases. Nevertheless, by searching multiple sites, you’re more likely to find small and/or local awards that aren’t listed by every online scholarship database. Please refer to the College Resource Center for a list of recommended scholarship databases. Two important warnings about seeking out a scholarship: (1) Don’t pay to search for a scholarship. The fee-based scholarship search services don’t offer anything more than the free sites. (2) Avoid scholarship scams. Each year, thousands of students fall victim to scholarship scams. Our simple advice is to avoid any scholarship offer that requires any type of payment – be it a “processing fee”, a “tax pre-payment” or even an “application fee”. Legitimate scholarship programs don’t require any payment whatsoever.
Why Loneliness Creates Health Problems If we feel lonely, we feel down. It’s no different than feeling sad or depressed. And when we have negative emotions taking over, those feelings suppress our immune system and eventually we come down with some kind of disease. This is talked about in all the spiritual texts that we are not to be alone. We are all ONE. Loneliness Makes Us Sick First of all, studies show that when we are lonely, we have higher amounts of the stress hormone cortisol in our system, which constricts blood vessels and lowers our immune system. People who have loving people in their lives have more of the oxytocin hormone, often called the love hormone that lowers stress hormones. Studies also show that oxytocin slows down the amygdala part of our brain, which forms our fight or flight response and thus helps to mitigate anger, hatred, and other negative emotions. We Need Social Connections Second, studies show that the fewer social connections we have, the more chances we have of getting cancer, heart disease, stroke and other illnesses. Social Life Lengthens Our Life Span Studies at Brigham Young University showed that the smaller our group of people that we have around us, the shorter our lifespan is. Over 140 studies show evidence that those who had a few people involved in their lives live shorter by up to 50%. We Need Love in Our Lives Research shows that when we have direct contact, even just holding someone’s hand, our anxiety and tension goes down. Being Grateful for the People in Our Life Important Fifth, studies show that if we are grateful for all the people in our life, we tend to have less pain and stress. And those who express thankfulness for those in their lives feel better than those who don’t. Having a Social Life Helps Us to Take Care of Ourselves People who are lonely eat more fat, drink more alcohol, smoke more often, don’t exercise and in many cases become obese, and don’t sleep well. Every Cell Becomes More Efficient With People in Our Lives Seven, studies show that when we are lonely, our cellular processes don’t work well. Every cell in our body becomes inefficient, and thus sooner or later, we come down with some kind of disease. What Can We Do? It’s important to get out of the house, join clubs for different hobbies and interests, connect with family, find people we enjoy being around, go to the senior center, join a sports team, join a church or spiritual group, volunteer at hospitals, non-profit organizations or nursing homes, and make dates with friends to do something together, to name a few. It’s all important. And it’s talked about in the all the spiritual texts that we are not supposed to be alone. We are to be with other people. So go out and make friends. And if you are afraid to make friends, then perhaps some counseling is needed. Get Daily Wellness You might also like… - by Iam Saums 7 MINUTE READ - by Sally Bridwell 7 MINUTE READ - by Boyd Martin 6 MINUTE READ - by Dr. Mara Karpel 22 MINUTE READ - by Jean Farish 7 MINUTE READ - by Samantha Higgins 8 MINUTE READ
Each May for fifteen consecutive years, Charles R. Brown has trekked to the Cedar Point Biological Station in western Nebraska to learn more about the behavior of colonial cliff swallows. He, his wife, and several student assistants spend the summers observing, catching, and banding swallows to determine life span, migration patterns, and nesting habits. Why study one species of swallow for fifteen years? With Swallow Summer Brown answers all the tourists, highway patrolmen, and local residents who have asked why he was leaning over bridges with nets, wading in mud up to his knees, or staring fixedly into culverts, where swallows often build their mud nests. He finds these birds fascinating. This book is about a passion for birds, but it is also about the personal challenges of scientific research. Brown provides a daily chronicle of field work at Cedar Point—including the joy of holding a swallow that has returned to the same site for eleven years and the inevitable frictions between researchers and local residents. Blending humorous anecdotes and insightful scientific observations, Brown writes an engaging tale. Moreover, he makes sophisticated biology accessible to anyone who cares about nature.
by Nick Gromicko and Kate Tarasenko A barn is an agricultural building, typically located on a ranch or farm (or former ranch or farm), and used for a variety of purposes, including: - the storage of farming vehicles, equipment and supplies; - housing livestock; - storing hay and other livestock food supplies; and - as a covered work area. Inspectors who work in rural areas may be asked to inspect a barn, but, before they do, they should consider the following two questions: - Is the barn in a northern climate where it snows? In snowy climates, long, unsupported spans and a lack of interior structural support can make barn roofs vulnerable to collapse. Melted snow can also cause ice dams and structural issues related to moisture intrusion, as well as mold growth. - In a property sale, are the buyers going to use the barn for the same purpose as the sellers or current occupants? It's not uncommon for clients to purchase a property for its pastoral and rustic setting because it includes a barn but then not use the structure for its original purpose of housing animals. The buyer may be unaware that the barn was protected from freeze-thaw cycles by the body heat provided by the animals that the barn may have formerly housed, and the absence of animals and the natural warming they provided can lead to foundation and structural problems brought on by cold weather. If a barn is to be converted from a structure that houses livestock to living space for the family, homeowners can expect to make certain modifications beyond those meant merely for aesthetics and convenience. While inspecting barns, inspectors should wear the appropriate personal protection equipment (PPE), including boots, gloves and respirators, especially if the structures are older or poorly ventilated. Some inspectors are surprised by how dirty barn air can be, reporting that one can almost taste ammonia or dust in the air. These may be the result of lingering animal waste, a failure to properly clean and maintain the interior of the structure, and/or a failure to make repairs to the structure itself. Hazards to Look For In and around the barn, inspectors can look for the following issues: - kick damage from horses or livestock; - manure piles deposited too close to the exterior of the barn; - excessive dust. Primarily originating from hay, dust can irritate the eyes and respiratory systems of both humans and livestock; - exposed nails, sharp edges and splinters; - non-GFCI protected lights and electrical receptacles; - extension cords. An older barn may not have an updated electrical system, including a lack of receptacles or outlets. Extension cords may overload the system and can also pose a tripping hazard; - exposed electrical wires that may be reached by inquisitive animals or children; - a lack of ventilation or shade in the livestock pens, which can cause animals to overheat; - insufficient room at the feed rack for animals to eat; - farm implements, such as ladders and hand tools, and farm machinery stored too near animals or in the path of people; and - fire hazards that are particular to outbuildings and farm structures. Barns contain both natural and man-made flammables. For this reason, barn fires can be devastating and get out of control in a few seconds, especially if the property is located far away from first-responders. Some of these fire hazards include: - excessive cobwebs on ceilings and walls, especially near light or heat sources; - hay stored near sources of light or heat; - plastic and chemical items that can potentially lead to a fire, if not stored properly. Such items include plastic water buckets, nylon hay bags, nylon saddlebags, plastic stall signs, and chemical flammables, such as weed killers and insecticides; - no lightning rod. Barns are often built in fields away from trees and other structures, making them prone to lightning strikes and subsequent fires; - no fire extinguishers; and - an unmaintained or unmowed field around the barn. Recommendations for Owners Inspectors can recommend that owners exercise the following precautions to ensure a safe barn area for both people and animals: - Loose tools and implements can cause injury, so they should be secured or stored out of the way of pens and footpaths. - Feed bags and buckets should be emptied and stowed to prevent injury and to avoid creating an easily accessible food source for rodents and other unwelcome pests, which are natural inhabitants on farms anyway. The same goes for water and food bowls for cats and dogs on the farm. - Water hoses should be drained, coiled and hung off of the floor. - Exposed splinters and nails should be removed or hammered in, and sharp edges should be sanded smooth, with broken boards replaced. - Electrical wires should run through conduits and not be in plain sight. - Gasoline, oil and other chemicals should be stored in appropriate sealed containers and out of the feed and animal areas to prevent accidental poisoning or contamination. - ABC-type fire extinguishers, which can put out wood, fire and hazardous chemical fires, should be placed every 75 feet, according to the University of New Hampshire’s Cooperative Extension. - Hay is extremely flammable and should be stored in a separate building, if possible. Hay should be dried before storage, as wet hay produces heat and can spontaneously combust. - Light sources should be covered with a protective covering. Jelly-jar fixtures are a common installation in barns. - Doors should be self-latching to prevent the escape of barned animals and the entry of intruders. - Portable electric heat sources should be turned off and unplugged before leaving the barn, as well as away from any potential fuel. - Wood stoves should be properly ventilated, with their fuel kept in a safe container and at a safe distance so as to prevent accidental ignition. - Skylights and windows should be checked for moisture intrusion and signs of mold growth. - Whitewashing the interior brick or cement walls every year or so can decrease the incidence of moisture intrusion and mold growth. - Animal waste should be evacuated from the interior at least daily. - Conveyor belts used for feeding or for removing waste should be checked regularly to ensure that they are free of oil and dust buildup, which can lead to accidental fire as well as malfunction. - Dry, tall grass can act as kindling, so a moderate defensible space around outbuildings should be maintained. - If firewood is used in the home, it should be stored a safe distance from any outbuildings to prevent pest infestation and fire hazards. - Jute mats should be placed at the barn's entrances to wipe off boots before entering the barn in order to keep its floors as dry and clean as possible to prevent slip hazards. - Barns should be mucked out and swept daily, and more often during times of increased activity, not only to keep floors free of slip hazards but also to keep unwanted pests and odors in check. In summary, barns should be maintained properly by their owners as well as inspected for mechanical, electrical and fire hazards by a qualified InterNACHI inspector.
The best and most reliable form of research is the double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The purpose of this kind of study is to eliminate the power of suggestion. The double-blind study keeps both doctors and participants in the dark as to who is receiving which treatment. This last part is important because it prevents the researchers from unintentionally tipping off the study participants, or unconsciously biasing their evaluation of the results. A good double-blind study should enroll at least 100 people, preferably as many as 300. Dramatically effective treatments can prove themselves in somewhat smaller trials; however, research involving 30 or fewer people generally doesn't prove anything at all. A double-blind comparative study is similar to a double-blind, placebo-controlled study , except that instead of placebo, one group receives a standard drug. Therefore, such studies compare a new drug to another that is already known to work. Such studies are especially useful in determining whether a new treatment offers any advantages over an old one. For statistical reasons, they are not quite as good at proving whether a treatment is effective.
Getting a veterinary technology degree can open you up to many more future job opportunities than you realize. Jobs you can get with a veterinary technology degree can range from the common cat and dog to caring for bears, penguins, and other wild or exotic animals. It can include private practice veterinary work, nonprofit work, or government work. For any veterinary technician position, the salary range is about $20,000 to $50,000 a year. You can get both an associates and bachelor’s degree in veterinary technology. With a bachelor’s degree, you are more likely to pursue a more specialized career and get higher pay. Jobs for veterinary technicians include: Working in a pet clinic is the most common place for veterinary technicians to work. And it’s where you will find the most jobs available which is why many start their careers here. Most pet clinics work with cats and dogs, but some will specialize in large animals, such as horses, farm animals, or exotic pets such as parrots and reptiles. Specialty Pet Clinics Pet medicine can have as many specialties as human medication. Some veterinary clinics specialize in a particular area of veterinary medicine such as surgery, dermatology, or cancer. To get a job in such a clinic you will also most likely need experience or training in that particular specialty. These jobs will usually have the higher pay, but there are fewer available and more competition. Animal shelters usually have veterinary staff to care for animals that come into the shelter. Most animal shelter residents are your common pets, such as cats, dogs, and rabbits, but a few will take in wildlife, farm animals, and exotic pets. These jobs do tend to be a high stress position as you have to work with animals that often come from less than ideal homes and may not find an adoptive home. Many colleges and universities have animals for various purposes, including for research and to educate veterinary and veterinary technology students. Some will have a small wildlife or nature centers open to the public for educational purposes. All of these will hire vet techs to help care for the medical needs of the animals, animal caretakers, and even as teachers for veterinary technology classes. Larger zoos will hire staff veterinarian and veterinary technicians. With hundreds of wild animals in a zoo needing physical exams or emergency care, the day to day job of a zoo veterinary technician is never boring. These jobs will typically require previous experience or training with wild animals, exotic pets, and/or farm animals and horses. These are also highly competitive jobs. Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers Wildlife rehabilitation centers take in injured and orphaned native wildlife, with the goal of treating them and releasing them back to the wild. Some centers specialize in oil spill response. Most have a completely volunteer staff, but a few will have paid technicians to care for the animals. Since these are nonprofit centers that rely solely on donations from the public, the pay will be on the lower end of the salary scale for veterinary technicians. There are positions available for veterinary technicians in many state fish and game departments, the USDA, and federal Fish and Wildlife Department. Veterinary technicians may be hired to care for confiscated animals that were illegally taken from the wild, to inspect zoos and farm and ranch animals, or for wildlife research projects.
Phishing, Quishing, Vishing, and Smishing Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water… Most people are familiar with the term “phishing,” which describes emails sent by malicious hackers to coax the email recipient (the victim) into clicking on a link that asks them to divulge personal information or login credentials. Sometimes, the victim’s computer is infected with malware that could damage files, steal data from the device, or intercept secure communications (such as with their bank, credit card company, or investment firm). What are the common elements of phishing? Phishing is a form of social engineering designed to make the target take an action without giving it much thought. The malicious email contains “bait” that the attacker hopes the victim will click on. Typical phishing attacks use variations on several themes: - An email that threatens severe legal or financial penalties if an action is not taken right away. Sometimes, a phony invoice is attached, demanding payment immediately. - An email purporting to be from a familiar brand (bank, retail store, software company) that advises the victim that their account has been compromised. Ironically, taking the link and entering your credentials will actually compromise your account. - The promise of a valuable prize, “Take the link to register to win!” By instilling a sense of urgency, the victim rarely gives themselves time to look for signs of malicious intent. Once the victim takes the link, they are presented with a webpage that appears to be from a legitimate firm. They are then asked to enter their login information. Alternatively, the link might trigger the victim’s device to download malware (ransomware, man-in-the-middle, spyware, etc.) in the background. Once installed, malware can be used by the hacker to access features of the infected device, such as data storage, network connections, location information, lists of contacts, or access to the device’s camera and microphone. Many companies have instituted email screening programs to protect employees by identifying and removing suspicious phishing emails. Of course, that only leads to bad actors finding alternative methods to get what they want. So now, in addition to phishing, we have quishing, vishing, and smishing! Quick Response (QR) codes have been around since the 1990s. QR codes are two-dimensional digital barcodes that can carry a wealth of information. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses used QR codes as a contactless way to convey information to their customers. For example, many restaurants use QR codes to send customers to their online menu. The customer used their mobile phone to take an image of the QR code, which then took them to a URL that displayed the restaurant’s menu. “Quishing” is a form of phishing attack where an email is sent to the target with the same threats or enticements and sense of urgency as a phishing email using a QR code to send the victim to the hacker’s URL. However, since the malicious link is an image (QR code) rather than a text string (URL), it becomes harder for email filters to identify a possible attack. Once the victim takes the link in the QR code, they are “hooked.” Quishing is difficult to prevent in the workplace because they are often scanned with BYOD (Bring Your Own Devices, like mobile phones and tablets) which are typically unprotected, unmanaged, and often not even connected to corporate networks. Bad actors also place QR codes in public places, for example, on restaurant napkin holders, masquerading as a link sponsored by the restaurant. If the unsuspecting customer clicks the link from the QR code, they are taken to a malicious site. “Vishing” uses the same tactics as phishing but uses voice via telephone calls to socially engineer the victim into divulging their personal information – account numbers, social security numbers, birth dates, etc. Vishing attacks might use a live person, a computer-generated voice, or a combination. In another variant, “smishing” uses SMS text messages to fool victims into taking a link and surrendering their information. Common smishing attacks pretend to be bosses, CEOs, and managers asking to call or engage with a sense of urgency. Be cautious, especially if they are asking for login information to a system. Another common tactic is a fake delivery notification where “something has gone wrong” and they need your info immediately. In all these attacks, the common theme is to get the victim to take a link or divulge personal information, usually using a scare tactic. The best way to protect yourself is to remain vigilant: - Be aware of social engineering tactics. Savvy hackers will research their victims, scanning LinkedIn and Facebook profiles, looking for connections, phone numbers, subscriptions – anything to give their communication a sense of legitimacy by knowing your personal information. - Verify the links are genuine. The sender’s email address can be easily spoofed using software, so it is not a reliable way to verify the sender. In addition, the visible text of a hyperlink might show the address of a bona fide website, but take a moment to hover over the link without clicking on it to see the actual URL. Often, in a phishing attack, it will be a different URL. Many times, phishing websites are replicas of legitimate sites. Look to see if subtle differences in the names might fool your eye. For example, the combination of lower-case R and N can be mistaken for a lower-case M (‘rn’ vs ‘m’), or a .com might be changed to a .org. In addition, legitimate sites will indicate they are secure with a URL containing “HTTPS://” instead of just “HTTP://” and an icon of a lock to the left of the URL. - Don’t always trust the calling number, either. Phone numbers can be easily masked, making voice calls and text messages appear to come from different originating numbers. - Look for misspellings and odd phrasing. Legitimate businesses proofread their communications. They will not send out a poorly worded message with multiple misspellings. - Be on the look out for a false sense of urgency. Be suspicious if the message (email, phone call, text message) wants you to act “right now” or “immediately” or dire consequences will occur. Phishing works best if they can get you to act first and think later. This is true in business as well as personal life. - Beware of attachments. Don’t open files you are not expecting, particularly from unknown senders. If you’re unsure, call the individual first to see if they sent you the file. - Don’t reuse the same username and password for multiple accounts. If an attacker successfully steals your username and password for one account, they can access multiple accounts using the same credentials. - Be careful using public WiFi. Public WiFi in stores, restaurants, hotels, and airports often provides unsecured access without passwords. Cybercriminals can snoop on network traffic and intercept your communications (Man-in-the-Middle attack). It is more secure to use your phone (or other device) as a personal WiFi hotspot or set up a Virtual Private Network (VPN). - Never give your login credentials to anyone…ever! If somebody, even someone you trust, needs to log into a system, tell them to contact the administrator to grant them access. - Use 2FA when available. While not perfect, two-factor authentication (2FA) can be an effective deterrent to a cyberattack. 2FA will challenge you to enter a separate credential after you log in, such as sending you a code via text message or email. Even if the cybercriminal gets your login credentials, they will also need access to your phone or email before they can hack into your account. If you are ever in doubt about the legitimacy of a message, call the company or agency (for example, your bank, the electric company, IRS, Social Security) directly. Never use the contact numbers contained in the email itself. The best way to avoid falling victim to a phishing, quishing, vishing, or smishing attack is to remain vigilant and practice safe cyber hygiene. October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Check out more security blogs from ArcherPoint - Protecting Your Business Against Security Threats with Good IT Hygiene - Clearing the Confusion Around Cloud ERP Security - Protecting Your Cloud Applications from Unauthorized Access - How to Address Common Security Vulnerabilities with a Zero Trust Model - Considering Cyber Insurance? You Need a Solid Security Strategy - How to Respond to a Ransomware Attack – A Framework for Companies
Lock rekeying is the process of changing the lock code. The lock take apart and the locking pins replace with new pins and springs. Then new keys cut to match the new locking pins. At this point the old keys will not operate the lock. The reasons for rekeying a lock are many, but they should all revolve around security and key control. Let’s say that a bank has 5 keys that open the bank doors, when they do an audit it is discover that they cannot account for one key. They have two choices: replace all the locks that the lost key opened or rekey all those locks. If the door hardware is in good condition then the choice should be to rekey. A locksmith can do this job at the bank and cut new keys to match the rekeyed locks. Key control is the process of knowing where all your keys are and who has them. If you can’t account for even one then rekeying should be your first action. Remember, without Control you do not have a secure facility. Most quality locks can be rekeyed and if the lock happens to be high security, then when it is rekeyed you will get a new registered code with registered keys. When Does Rekeying Make Sense? - Keys are lost - The cost of rekeying is very low when compared to new locks - The existing door hardware is in good condition - Need to have new keys for your locks very quickly - When the lock you are rekeying is consider high security - Need multiple locks to operate with the same key - Need to convert to a master key system Rekeying has an advantage if you want to change the keying sequence of your building. For example, if you have multiple doors that work with a different key (keyed different) and you want these doors to all open with the same key (keyed alike). All of these locks can take apart and rekey so that they all open with the same key. To take this a little further you can create a master system. This is when all the doors open with different keys, but you have one (master) that will open all the doors. So, as your needs change rekeying is an option to inexpensively change the lock codes without purchasing new locks. Rekeying also allows you to change your current locking system to a new system.
"Flower (Verb)" by Zara Vale (Australia) Issue 3.3 November 2021 Read the piece here. Pre-Reading Quick Write The author specifies in the title that “flower” is referring to the verb form, as in “to flower.” What other words can you think of that can be used as both a noun (a person, place, thing, or idea) and a verb (an action)? Make a list of the examples you can think of—or challenge a friend to see which one of you can think of more examples in five minutes. Then, play with the words on your list: write a sentence that uses the word twice, once as a verb and once as a noun; write a short free-verse poem that explores the meaning of the word; create a character sketch of a fictional character inspired by one or more of the words; or draw a cartoon with a caption that uses one of the words. As a class, you can display or compile your work as one unique and vibrant dictionary! To what effect does the author use sentences of varying lengths in the story? For example, find instances of long sentences and short sentences and consider what each contributes to the story. How does the sequence, or layering, of these sentences create a particular effect on the mood, tone, or pace of the story? Analyze the author’s choice of the second person narrative voice in this story. What might have been the pros or cons of a different perspective? What do you think are some good questions to consider when deciding on a perspective to use in a work of fiction? Identify the verbs used in the story. How do the verbs contribute to the story? Consider their effect on the mood, the pace of the story, the setting, the reader’s understanding of the protagonist, and any other story elements that come to mind. Fiction: Near the end of the story, Vale writes, “Who knew something in the cold heart of space could bloom so beautifully.” Inspired by this idea, write a science fiction story that incorporates this theme of incongruity—something being surprisingly out of place, but, in this case, also a welcomed presence and a small sign of hope. If that prompt is too specific for your liking, consider some of the other concepts explored in “Flower (Verb)” to inspire your science fiction story: a need for change a turn of events prompted by extreme boredom an invention that would change the world as you know it a long journey an unfamiliar place We hope you and your students enjoy reading and discussing Write the World Review issue 3.3. We hope these writing prompts and discussion questions lead to fruitful discussion, thoughtful analysis, and creative writing in your class. Please reach out to our teacher liaison Lori Pelliccia (email@example.com) with your suggestions and feedback. We'd love to hear which activities you used in class and how we can best support you with our future writing projects and lesson plans. If you have a moment to provide some feedback on this survey we'd be very appreciative. We look forward to hearing from you, and we wish you and your students all the best in your reading and writing endeavors!
Programming is, among other things, a kind of writing. One way to learn writing is to write, but in all other forms of writing, one also reads. We read examples - both good and bad - to facilitate learning. But how many programmers learn to write programs by reading programs? Ultimately, what the management want is kept promises. The amateur, then, is learning about his problem...The professional, conversely, is learning about his profession. To learn we must be willing to make mistakes. Schedule is similarly limiting - we need only cite the apocryphal experiment which tries to make a baby in one month by putting nine women to work on the job as a team. The Swiss elect a general to head their armies when war threatens. When there is no war, there is no general - but there are other leaders chosen according to what needs there are for leadership. A programmer would not really be a programmer who did not at some time consider his program as an aesthetic object. Programming is a unique form of communication in which human beings take an active role and machines often a passive one. It's not so much the solutions we need, anyway; but the experiences in trying to get them.
Subject: The Story of the First Martyr in the History of the United Arab Emirates The Story of the First Martyr in the History of the United Arab Emirates On the thirtieth of November 1971, the 20-year -old head of Ras Al Khaimah’s police force, Salim bin Suhail bin Khamis Zeil died from defying and standing up for United Arab Emirates even before the union proclamation. He was a police officer killed during the attack by Iran soldiers on the Tunb Island. The invaders shot him for refusing to lower the flag from his post at the police station. The intruders took the residents of the island to Ras Al Khaimah but they bury Salim’s body on the island. Salim bin Suhail bin Khamis Zeil’s family believe it is an honor to have Commemoration Day celebrated on the day of his death and be remembered as the country’s first martyr. Related Topics:Emirates in hearts
Two objective speckle patterns are obtained—one before and one after the object has been moved—and are placed in the input plane of an optoelectronic nonlinear joint transform correlator. Nonlinear transformation of the joint power spectrum permits a sharper correlation peak and a high signal-to-noise ratio. The autocorrelation peak coordinates of the first pattern are set as a reference for measuring displacements of the cross-correlation peak, and also, the calibration of the measurement system is performed. It is well known that speckle can be regarded as a random spatial carrier in which information on the shape and position of the diffusing surface is encoded. The correlation of speckle patterns is highly appropriate for measuring displacements of tens of micrometers.1,2 In this work, an alternative technique based on the correlation between two speckle patterns by means of a digital bipolar joint transform correlator3 is presented. Initially the technique is described and then experimental results are shown. © 1998 Optical Society of AmericaFull Article \| PDF Article
Martin G. Scanlon1* \| Helen H. Tai2 The Canadian potato industry enjoys an enviable position in the global food industry. This is especially true with respect to the value-added processing sector, where a Canadian-based manufacturer, McCain Foods, can boast that one in three French fries consumed globally emanates from a McCain’s plant1. Despite the position of potatoes as an economic powerhouse in the Canadian agricultural and manufacturing sectors, a number of pressures challenge the Canadian potato industry, demanding creative research and innovation solutions. In particular, the strong growth in frozen potato products that fuelled the growth of a sophisticated value-added industry in North America and Europe is now effectively curtailed on these continents2. Part of the reason is the perception that the relatively high carbohydrate and fat content of processed potatoes is contributing to the developed world’s prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Another challenge, in a manufacturing environment that is increasingly emissions-oriented, is that industries that consume large amounts of water and energy must be pro-active in altering manufacturing practices to reduce their environmental footprint. Nevertheless, innovations in the development of potato varieties and innovations in production and processing practices that target sustainability will ensure that this sector of Canadian agriculture maintains its position as a food industry leader. As will be apparent from this overview, variety development, a key priority within the national research strategy3, is a pivotal element in addressing many of these innovation targets. Frozen Potato Products The massive growth of the quick service restaurant (QSR) industry in the 1960s-80s was founded on a staple of high-quality French fries that could be prepared in a short time1,2. This in turn drove the growth of the manufacturing industry where frozen potato products were made to exacting food safety and food quality specifications. In attaining this, manufacturers successfully linked a number of different unit operations to ensure the delivery of a high volume of consistently made product4. Today, the processing industry utilizes over 60% of the potatoes produced in Canada5. The three predominant French fry quality standards for the needs of the QSR industry are colour, texture and flavour. Few new varieties have met the standards for French fry processing, and so processing in North America is built around a small number of varieties. In addition, tubers need to be long and oblong shaped and have uniform size. In developing new varieties, traits for compatibility for industrial processing are also selected, including high dry matter (solids) and suitability for cold storage. Cold storage at 2 – 4 °C suppresses storage diseases and sprouting to allow for a year-round supply of potatoes for these capital-intensive manufacturing facilities. Unfortunately, potatoes respond to cold temperatures by converting starch to sugars in a process called cold-sweetening6. The resulting Maillard reaction of those sugars at the high temperatures of frying leads to undesirable darkened fry colour. Resistance to cold-sweetening is a key trait in the selection of potato varieties for both French fry and chipping markets. The majority of potato breeding in Canada is carried out by Agriculture and Agri-food Canada (AAFC). Breeding activities are centered at the Potato Research Centre in Fredericton, NB and the breeding farm located at the Benton Ridge Substation. AAFC also breeds for varieties for western growing regions at Lethbridge, AB and the Vauxhall, AB substation. As well as developing varieties for French fry production, AAFC is also actively developing varieties for chipping and fresh market utilization. Developing varieties with disease resistance is of high interest and recent releases from AAFC have featured resistance to golden nematode, wart, common scab and late blight. A small number of private breeders are also active in Canada, forming the Canadian Private Potato Breeders’ Network. These private breeding programs target specific traits or markets including small potatoes, table potatoes, chipping and late blight resistance. Within the frozen French fry manufacturing plant itself, continual improvements in process efficiency have occurred through improvements in the specific technologies for washing, peeling, slicing, blanching, drying, par-frying, freezing and packaging. Ongoing diversification of product offerings from the industry has led to the introduction of additional unit operations for batter application (to improve fry texture) or flavour enhancement (through electrostatic spray application). As mentioned above, the Maillard reaction impairs product colour, but it is also a food safety concern due to increased levels of acrylamide7. Therefore, there has been some modification of both unit operations and ingredients to address this concern. For example, vacuum frying has been investigated as a potential means of reducing acrylamide formation, with the additional advantage that it reduces oil uptake8. One area of continuous innovation that continues to drive process efficiency and improved recovery in the industry is in sophisticated process control tools and manufacturing optimization software. Of note is the elimination of defects, driven primarily by the introduction of high-speed digital imaging technologies9. The ability to capture and process data at nanosecond timescales ensures that the deployment of near-infrared10 and hyperspectral imaging technologies11 will continue to drive process innovation. Attaining a consistent optimal texture in frozen French fries for QSR requires removal of a large amount of water during manufacture. The energy costs associated solely with the latent heat of evaporation are considerable, and to this must be added the in-plant energy costs of heating water and oil and doing work to remove heat during the freezing operation. As a result, the potato processing industry is committed to strategies to harvest heat at various points during manufacturing and to capture waste solids so that they can be used for sustainable energy purposes such as biogas engines. Water is a vital process aid for multiple operations during manufacturing. To reduce aqueous emissions from manufacturing plants and to reduce overall water consumption, various approaches have been employed. Examples include reusing the effluent of one operation in another operation whose water quality requirements are less critical, and devising creative separation technologies for removal of solids from water streams. For instance, using such approaches, Lamb Weston has formulated a 2020 objective of reducing their water usage per unit mass of finished product by 50%12. In achieving this, additional co-product streams (such as high quality ungelatinized starch) can be developed and these will also improve overall plant efficiency. Although Atlantic and Prairie provinces predominate in the production of frozen potato products, Ontario is an important producer of potato chip (crisp) offerings. Chipping potato varieties need to produce round tubers with high dry matter that will fry to a light chip colour to meet standards for industrial processing. Chip potato breeding therefore involves selection of lines with low-reducing sugars and cold-sweetening resistance. There is also a research focus on storage practices that minimize the development of reducing sugars13. Novelty chips with pigmentation have also hit the market, including chips with red and purple colouring. The coloring is from naturally produced anthocyanin pigments that are also found in berries. Potatoes have genetic variation in colour, intensity and patterns of pigmentation. Recent products include chips with star patterns due to pigment deposition in vascular tissues of the potato tuber. Fresh Minimally-Processed Potato Products Although health concerns may be slowing the consumption of chips and French fries, consumer convenience in food offerings is not a trend that is abating. Therefore, there has been significant growth in fresh ready to heat potato products. Some examples are cut frozen flavoured products and non-frozen items such as steam-in-the-package and refrigerated flavoured mashed potato products. Increased culinary interest in the potato is also driving growth in this sector. Often, market interest is variety specific due to specific flavour or appearance demands, and this is reflected in the outcomes of potato breeding programs. For example, in 2013, nine of the 14 selections released from AAFC were for the fresh market. Traits screened for the fresh market include boil and bake texture and flavour and flesh colour (ranging from white to yellow). Tuber appearance is important for the fresh market and breeders have to select for low tuber defects and uniform tuber size. Because of the importance of appearance, variety releases for the fresh market have included selections with red and purple skin and skin with splashes of pink around the eyes. Selections with small tuber size (also referred to as creamers) are also of interest for the fresh market. The fresh market for potatoes is now at 25% of the industry5. The growth of this sector has also driven research to tackle safety and quality concerns associated with these minimally-processed products14. There have also been innovations made in packaging technologies, particularly for those products that rely on modified atmospheres for shelf-life extension. Tubers are the consumed part of the potato plant, but they are also used to clonally propagate the crop. These seed tubers can potentially carry diseases from the previous season. As such, the health and quality of the potato seed supply in Canada is monitored and regulated by a seed certification program to protect the industry. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is responsible for the administration of the Seeds Act and Regulations and carries out inspections for the certification of seed quality. Potato seed growers are required to meet higher standards of production to maintain low levels of quarantined pests. Of particular concern to the Canadian seed growers in recent years are Potato Virus Y (PVY), potato wart, golden nematode and cyst nematode. Seed potato is sold at higher prices, which compensates for the costs of maintaining high standards for production on seed farms. In 2010, 15% of the potatoes produced in Canada were for the seed market with the exported seed potato having a value of $36 M from 18 countries5. Maximizing Value from Canadian Potatoes Although the direct production of food products from potatoes dominates the Canadian potato sector, the continual need to add value to Canadian agricultural resources has driven the development of alternative uses for potatoes. Given the high starch content of potatoes, there has been interest in the development of alternative food and non-food products from potato starch. Potatoes have two types of starch polymers: amylose and amylopectin. Altering the amount of each polymer in different potato varieties leads to different physiochemical properties of the starch15. Genetic modification has been used to produce a pure amylopectin potato, Amflora16 and a potato enriched in amylose17 that are specifically targeted for industrial use. Industrial applications for potato starch produced from these and other varieties have included thickeners, bioplastics, pharmaceutical fillers, binders, disintegrants and gelling agents18. Industrial starch production from raw potato occurs predominantly in Europe and China. In Canada, starch is produced mainly from recovered cuttings and filtrate from French fry and chip processors. The BioPotato Network has been active in adding more value to this important potato resource. This Canadian-based network, funded by the AAFC Agricultural Bioproducts Innovation Program from 2008-201119, developed starch modification processes for industrial applications ranging from resistant starches for the food and feed industries to bioplastics and pharmaceutical excipients. The BioPotato Network has also investigated the development of health bioactives and biopesticides from potatoes. Coloured Flesh Potatoes Anthocyanins, naturally-occurring pigments responsible for pink, red and purple pigmentation in plants, have been shown to prevent some human diseases20. Health benefits of anthocyanins are attributed to their anti-oxidant activities. Potato anthocyanins in particular have been associated with reducing growth of cancer cells21. The anti-oxidant capacity of pigmented flesh potatoes was as high as 35% of berries. The health benefits associated with anthocyanins have increased interest in breeding potato varieties with intensely red and purple pigmented flesh22. Pigmented flesh selections recently released by AAFC have targeted the French fry and table markets. Additional utilization of pigmented flesh potatoes include processing into dried granules and flakes that retain high levels of anthocyanins after processing23. Addition of dried pigmented potato granules and flakes to processed food products provides a way to enrich foods with beneficial anthocyanins. Low GI Potatoes Glycemic index (GI) is used to measure the rise in glucose level after consuming the food24. Health concerns for obesity, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes have increased demand for low glycemic index foods. Potatoes, like other carbohydrate-rich foods, tend to have high GI. Variation in GI has been found for different potato varieties and for different cooking methods25,26. Genotype by environment variation in the digestibility of potato starch has also been described27. The GI of potatoes can be reduced through breeding for potatoes with less digestible starch content so that niche varieties for low GI diets can be developed. AAFC has recently released one low GI selection. Although Canada’s potato production and processing industries face some challenges, potatoes remain a strong component of Canada’s agriculture and value added manufacturing industries. Innovations that will ensure the sustainability of a valuable value-added potato sector are key to the industry’s future prosperity. These innovations will be required in plant breeding, agronomy, and in storage and manufacturing facilities. Marketing strategies that emphasize the nutritional quality, as well as the convenience of processed potato products, are also needed to ensure vitality for the industry. Because potatoes are a rich source of nutrients and carbohydrate polymers, the prospects for diversification of products in the potato industry are good. Stoffman, D. (2007). From the Ground Up – The First Fifty Years of McCain Foods. McCain Foods, Toronto, ON. Zhang, L., . et al. (1999). Am. J. Potato Res., 76, 297. Canadian Potato Council (2012) National Potato Research and Innovation Strategy. Canadian Horticultural Council, Ottawa, ON. Li, X.-Q., et al. (2006). in Handbook of Potato Production, Improvement and Postharvest Management, The Haworth Press, Binghamton, NY. 2010-2011 Potato Market Information Review. Market Analysis and Information Section, Horticultural and Cross Sectoral Division, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada. Sowokinos, J. (2001). Am. J. Potato Res. 78, 221. Mottram, D.S., et al. (2002). Nature, 419, 448. Dueik, V.. & Bouchon, P. (2011). Food Rev. Int., 27, 408. Scanlon, M.G., et al. (1994). Am. J. Potato Res., 71, 717. Beaulieu, K. & Church, P.M. (2012). Specific Gravity Monitoring and Sorting System. US Patent 8239061. Dacal-Nieto, A., et al. (2011). IEEE International Conference on Multimedia and Expo Book Series. IEEE, Piscataway, NJ Anon. (2012) Creating Shared Value. Lamb Weston / Meijer. Kruiningen, Netherlands. Li, X.-Q. (2008). Can. J. Plant Sci., 88, 639. Rico, D., et al. (2007). Trends In Food Sci. & Technol., 18, 373. Liu, Q., et al. (2003). Carbohydr. Polym., 51, 213. Annon. BASF – The Chemical Company. (2013) Amflora. (http://www.basf.com/group/corporate/en/function/conversions:/publishdownload/content/products-and-industries/biotechnology/images/Amflora_VC.pdf) (Accessed August 15, 2013) Schwall, G.P., et al. (2000). Nature Biotechnol., 18, 551. Shalviri, A., et al. (2010). Carbohydr. Polym. 79, 898. Lovell, A. (2011). SpudSmart, Spring 2011. He, J., & Giusti, M.M. (2010). An. Rev. Food Sci. Technol., 1, 163. Reddivari, L., et al. (2007). Carcinogenesis 28: 2227-2235. Brown, C., et al. (2003). Am. J. of Potato Res., 80, 241.. Ji, X., et al., (2012). Food Chem., 133, 1177. Monro, J.A. & Shaw, M. (2008). Am. J. Clinical Nutr., 87, 237S.. Fernandes, G., et al. (2005). J. Am. Dietetic Assoc., 105, 557.. Kinnear, T., et al. (2011). Food & Function 2, 438. Bach, S., et al. (2013). J. Agric. Food Chem., 61, 3941. 1Department of Food Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada 2Agriculture and Agri-food Canada – Potato Research Centre, Fredericton, NB, Canada (*Corresponding author: E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org)
MAINZ, Germany — A Swiss senior citizen may have just become the world’s oldest mother at the age of 80. Giant Galapagos tortoise Nigrita laid nine eggs that hatched at the Zurich Zoo. The 220-pound creature's little arrivals each weigh between 4 and 5 ounces. “Nigrita is our oldest animal at the zoo, but she is probably in her best years to lay eggs,” senior curator Robert Zingg said. The father is a boy-toy tortoise: Aged 54, Jumbo clocks in at around 440 pounds. Nigrita came to the zoo in 1946 and laid her first eggs in 1980, although none of these survived. Keepers dug up the latest batch and put them in a temperature-controlled incubator where they hatched over the course of two months. Galapagos tortoises can live for up to 150 years. Zookeepers have to make sure tortoises aren’t fed “too well” because this can lead to harmful growth spurts, Zingg added. Over the course of the years, the Zurich attraction has sent Nigrita's baby tortoises to more than two dozen other zoos. Zurich Zoo says it is the only institution in Europe to have successfully bred Galapagos tortoises in captivity.
If you think November 2017 was dry – you are right. However, it won’t go in the record books as the driest November. That place is held by November 1989 when the state-wide average precipitation was zero! Of the 285 stations that reported that month, only 32 had any measurable precipitation at all. Only one had a monthly total greater than a tenth of an inch – Neosho Rapids, in Lyon County, with a paltry 0.32 inches. Their normal November precipitation would be 2 and a half inches. November can be wet however. The wettest November on record was in 1909, when the state-wide average precipitation was 4.89 inches. Mary Knapp, Weather Data Library
Repost from the old site. In this post we will look at the prehistory of the Asian or Mongoloid Race and some its subgroups. After humans came out of Africa about 70,000 years ago, they moved along the coast of Arabia, Southwest Asia, South Asia and eventually to Southeast Asia. One Asian man’s rendering of modern Asian expansion, contrasted with the typical model. I don’t agree with either model, but I like the one on the left a little better. For starters, the yellow line on the map to the left should be hugging the coast quite closely and the brown and red lines should be radiating out from a base somewhere along the yellow line. Unfortunately, my artistic skills are not good enough to draw my own map. We think that these people looked something like the Negritos of today, such as those on the Andaman Islands. At some point, probably in Southern China, the Mongoloid Race was born. The timeline, as determined by looking at genes, was from 60,000-110,000 years ago. As humans are thought to have only populated the world 70,000 years or so ago, it is strange that the timeline may go back as far as 110,000 years. One thing that is very interesting is that there is evidence for regional continuity in Asia (especially China) dating back 100,000’s of years, if not millions of years. This is called the multiregional hypothesis of human development. Though it is mostly abandoned today, it still has its adherents. Some of its adherents are Asian nationalists of various types, especially Chinese and Indonesian nationalists. They all want to think that man was born in their particular country. Others are White nationalists who refuse to believe that they are descended from Africans, whom they consider to be inferior. The problem is that the Asians can indeed show good evidence for continuity in the skulls in their region. A good midway point between the two, that sort of solves the conundrum, is that humans came out of Africa, say, ~70,000 years or so ago, and when they got to Asia, they bred in with some of the more archaic types there. The problem with this is that the only modern human showing evidence of pre-modern Homo genes in Mungo Man in Australia from 50,000 years ago. There is evidence that as late as 120,000 years ago, supposedly fully modern humans in Tanzania were still transitioning from archaic to modern man. Ancient South African humans 100-110,000 yrs ago looked like neither Bantus nor Bushmen. Nevertheless, we can reject the multiregional theory in its strong form as junk science. We also note cynically that once again ethnic nationalists and regular nationalists, including some of the world’s top scientists, are pushing a blatantly unscientific theory. Yet again ethnic nationalism is shown to be a stupidifying mindset. There must be a reason why ethnic nationalism seems to turn so many smart people into total idiots. I suspect it lies in the fact that the basic way of thinking involved in ethnic nationalism is just a garbage way of looking at the world, and getting into it distorts one’s mind similar to the way a mental illness does. We think that the homeland of the Asians is in Southern China, just north of the Vietnam border. This is because the people with the greatest genetic diversity in Asia are found in Northern Vietnam. Since the Vietnamese are known to have largely come from Southern China, we can assume that the homeland was just north of the border. From there, all modern Asians were born. This means all NE and SE Asians, Polynesians, Micronesians and Melanesians came out of this Asian homeland. School kids in Hothot, a town in Inner Mongolia. There is some question about whether China really has a right to control this area. These Northeast Asians originally came from a homeland in SE Asia near the China-Vietnam border. As this race is only 9,000 years old, NE Asians could not possibly have gone through an Ice Age that molded their brains for high intelligence, as the racist liar and scientific fraud Richard Lynn claims There is even evidence that the Altaics of Siberia originated from the SE Asian homeland. They are thought to have moved out of there to the west and north to become the various Altaic groups such as the Buryats. Later Caucasian lines came to the Altaics from the West. A Mongolian man on the steppes with a grazing animal and possibly a yurt in the background. Yurts are conical structures that the Mongolians still live in. I believe that Mongolians also eat a lot of yogurt, which they cultivate from the milk of their grazing animals. Note the pale blue eyes and somewhat Caucasian appearance. My astute Chinese commenter notes : “While Mongolians do have ‘Caucasian genes’, they look distinct from Uighurs, who are mixed. I’m thinking Mongolians and Central Asians lie in a spectrum between Caucasoids in West Asia and “Mongoloids” in Northeast Asians, while Uighurs were the product of Central Asian, West Asian, and Northeast Asian interbreeding.” In fact, all of these populations are on the border genetically between Caucasians and Asians. A Mongolian woman. Note short, stocky appearance with short limbs to preserve heat in the cold. Note also the long, moon-shaped, ruddy face, possibly red from the cold weather. Are those ginseng roots in her hand? More Mongolians, this time with what look like grazing reindeer in the background. Mongolians herd reindeer? Note once again the long, flat, moon-shaped face, the almost-Caucasian features and especially the pale blue eyes of each woman. I cannot help but think that both of these women also look like Amerindians. Neither would be out of place at a pow wow. More Mongolians, this time a Mongolian boy. Other than the eyes, he definitely looks Caucasian. He looks like a lot of the kids I grew up with in facial structure. Mongolians are anywhere from 10% Caucasian to 14% Caucasian From their Altaic lands, especially in the Altai region and the mouth of the Amur River, they moved into the Americas either across the Bering Straight or in boats along the Western US Coast. Another line went north to become the Northeast Asians. And from the Northeast Asian homeland near Lake Baikal, another line went on to become the Siberians. An Evenki boy with his reindeer. Prototypical reindeer herders, the Evenki are a classical Siberian group. Strangely enough, they are related to both NE Asians and other Siberians and also to Tibetans. This indicates that the genesis of the Tibetans may have been up near or in Siberia. From 10-40,000 yrs ago, the Siberian population was Mongoloid or pre-Mongoloid. After 10,000 yrs BP (before present), Caucasians or proto-Caucasians moved in from the West across the steppes, but they never got further than Lake Baikal. This group came from the Caucasus Mountains. They are members of the Tungus Race and are quite divergent from most other groups genetically. More Evenkis, members of the Tungus Race , this time some beautiful women and kids in traditional costumes. But this photo was taken in some Siberian city, so they may have just been dressing up. They probably have some Caucasian genes, as the nearby Yakuts are 6% Caucasian . Many of the Evenki women have become single Moms, because the men are seen as violent, drunk and a financial drain. Soon after the founding of the Asian homeland in northern Vietnam 53,000-90,000 yrs ago, the proto-Asians split into three distinct lines – a line heading to Japanese and related peoples, another heading to the North and Northeast Asians, and a third to the Southern Han Chinese and SE Asian lines. A beautiful royal member of the Southern Han Dynasty in Hong Kong, member of the South China Sea Race . This race consists of the Filipinos, the Ami and the Southern Han from Guangdong Province. The Ami are a Taiwanese Aborigine tribe who made up the bulk of the Austronesians who populated much of island SE Asia over the past 8,000 years. These Southern Chinese people never went through any Ice Age, and the SE Asian Race is only 10,000 years old anyway. So why are they so smart? Unlike some NE Asian groups, especially those around Mongolia, the Altai region, the Central Asian Stans and Siberia, the Han have no Caucasian A bright Chinese commenter left me some astute remarks about the South Chinese IQ: “Some possible reasons for high South Chinese IQ’s: Chinese culture is very… g-loaded. For example, understanding the language requires good pitch, recognizing Chinese characters takes visual IQ and good memory, Chinese literature and history span 3,000-4,000 years for references, etc. For several thousand years testing determined your social position (and it still does to some extent in Confucian nations). Those left in the countryside were periodically left to famine and “barbarian” invasions (slaughter). Likewise, when Chinese people interbreed, there is strong pressure to breed into the upper class of a native population. Whatever caused the high selection when Chinese and Mon-Khmer/Dai groups interbred probably gave the Chinese immigrants leverage to marry into the upper classes when they did. This is something the Asian diaspora still tends to do.” Regarding South Chinese appearance, he notes, “Lastly, the Chinese in Fujian have distinct features. They have thicker lips, curlier hair, more prominent brow, less pronounced epicanthic folds, etc. I’m in Taiwan now and I do notice it. I was at a packed market a while ago and was noting the way people look.” As a result of this split, all Chinese are related at a deep level, even though Northern Chinese are closer to Caucasians than to Southern Chinese. Nevertheless, we can still see a deep continuum amongst Asian populations. A Northern Chinese man with distinctly Caucasian features. Although they have no Caucasian genes that we can see anymore, they are still closer to Caucasians than to the Southern Chinese. The major genetic frequency found in Japan, Korea and Northern China is also found at very high levels in Southern China, Malaysia and Thailand, and at lower levels in the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia. Incredibly, even higher levels are found in Southern China, Malaysia and Thailand than in Northern China. The proto-NE Asian or North Asian homeland was around Lake Baikal about 35,000 years ago. The Ainu and a neighboring group, the Nivkhi, are thought to be the last remaining groups left from this line. The Ainu are related to the Jomon, the earliest group in Japan, who are thought to have originated in Thailand about 16,000 years ago and then came up to Japan on boats to form the proto-Jomon. The Jomon culture itself formally begins about 9,000 years ago. Japan at that time was connected to the mainland. Jomonese skulls found in Japan look something like Aborigines. Later, around 2,300 years ago, a group called the Yayoi came across the sea from Korea and moved into Japan. The woman on the left is more Yayoi and the one on the right is more Okinawan. The Okinawans, members of the Ryukyuan Race , seem to be related to the Ainu, and they have a long history in the south of Japan. The Ryukyuan Race is a very divergent grouping. Most Japanese are members of the Japanese-Korean Race (like the Yayoi woman at left) but there is a divergent group in the South called the Southern Japanese Race , made up of the Honshu Kinki (the people around Kyoto) and the island of Kyushu. They may be more Okinawan than the rest of the mainland Japanese. Over the next 2,300 years, the Yayoi slowly conquered and interbred with the Ainu until at the present time, the Ainu are nearly extinct as a cultural and racial entity. The Ainu have always been treated terribly by the Japanese, in part because they are quite hairy, like Caucasians. The hairy body is thought to be a leftover from proto-NE Asian days, as some other groups in that area also have a lot of body hair. Despite the fact that they look down on the Ainu, about 40% of Japanese are related to the Ainu, and the rest are more or less related to the Yayoi. Actually, Japanese genetics seems a lot more complicated than that, but that’s as good a summary as any. The Ainu. Though despised by the Japanese in part due to their Caucasian-like “monkey hair” on their bodies (note the guy’s hairy legs), the Japanese themselves are about 40% Ainu. The Ainu are members of the Ainu-Gilyak Race and are one of the most diverse groups on Earth. A photo of Ainu Yasli Adam in traditional garb. I love this photo. Note that he could be mistaken for an Aborigine or a Caucasian. For a long time, the Ainu were considered to be Caucasians, but recent genetic studies have shown conclusively that they are Asians. The Ainu language is formally an isolate, but in my opinion it is probably related to Japanese and Korean and thence to Altaic, nevertheless I think that both Japanese and Korean are closer to Altaic than Ainu is. Genetically, the Ainu are closest to NE Asians but are also fairly close to the Na-Dene Amerindians. Cavalli-Sforza says they are in between NE Asians, Amerindians and Australians. At this time, similar-looking Australoids who looked something like Papuans, Aborigines or Negritos were present all over Asia, since the NE Asians and SE Asians we know them today did not form until around 10,000 years ago. There are still some traces of these genes, that look like a Papuan line, in modern-day Malays, coastal Vietnamese, parts of Indonesia and some Southwestern Chinese. The genes go back to 13,000 years ago and indicate a major Australoid population expansion in the area at that time. Absolutely nothing whatsoever is known about this Australoid expansion. God I love these Paleolithic types. A Papuan Huli man, member of the Papuan Race , who looks somewhat like an Australian Aborigine. Although it is often said that Papuans and Aborigines are related, they are only in the deepest sense. In truth, they really do form two completely separate races because they are so far apart. Once again, while Afrocentrists also like to claim these folks as “Black”, the Papuans and Aborigines are the two people on Earth most distant from Africans, possibly because they were the first to split off and have been evolving away from Africans for so long. I don’t know what that thing in his mouth is, but it looks like a gigantic bong to me. There are about 800 languages spoken on Papua, including some of the most maddeningly complex languages on Earth. NE Asian skulls from around 10,000 years ago also look somewhat like Papuans, as do the earliest skulls found in the Americas. The first Americans, before the Mongoloids, were apparently Australoids. The proto-NE Asian Australoids transitioned to NE Asians around 9,000 years ago. We know this because the skulls at Zhoukoudian Cave in NE China from about 10,000 years ago look like the Ainu, the Jomon people, Negritos and Polynesians. Waitress in Hothot, Inner Mongolia. Zhoukoudian Cave is not far from here. Note the typical NE Asian appearance. Mongolians are members of the Mongolian Race and speak a language that is part of the Altaic Family. We think that these Australoids also came down in boats or came over the Bering Straight to become the first Native Americans. At that time – 9-13,000 years ago, Zhoukoudian Cave types were generalized throughout Asia before the arrival of the NE Asians. Northern Chinese prototypes from a photo of faculty and students at Jilin University in Northern China. People in this area, members of the Northern Chinese Race , are closely related to Koreans. Note the lighter skin and often taller bodies than the shorter, darker Southern Chinese. The man in the center is a White man who is posing with the Chinese in this picture. My brother worked at a cable TV outfit once and there was a Northern Chinese and a Southern Chinese working there. The Northern one was taller and lighter, and the Southern one was shorter and darker. The northern guy treated the southern guy with little-disguised contempt the whole time. He always called the southern guy “little man”, his voice dripping with condescension. This was my first exposure to intra-Chinese racism. Many NE Asians, especially Japanese, are openly contemptuous of SE Asians, in part because they are darker. Native Americans go from Australoids to Mongoloids from 7,000-9,000 years ago, around the same time – 9,000 years ago – that the first modern NE Asians show up. Prototypical NE Asians – Chinese in Harbin, in far northeastern China. This area gets very cold in the winter, sort of like Minnesota. Keep in mind that this race is only 9,000 years old. Note the short, stocky body type, possibly a cold weather adaptation to preserve heat. Some of the earliest Amerindian skulls such as Spirit Cave Man, Kennewick Man, and Buhl Woman look like Ainu and various Polynesians, especially Maoris. A Hawaiian woman, part of the Polynesian Race . Kennewick Man does not look like any existing populations today, but he is closest to Polynesians, especially the virtually extinct Moiriori of the Chatham Islands and to a lesser extent the Cook Islanders. Yes, many of the various Polynesians can be distinguished based on skulls. Other early Amerindian finds, such as Buhl Woman and Spirit Cave Woman also look something like Polynesians. It is starting to look like from a period of ~7,000-11,000 years ago in the Americas, the Amerindians looked like Polynesians and were not related to the existing populations today, who arrived ~7,000 years ago and either displaced or bred out the Polynesian types. Furthermore, early proto-NE Asian skulls, before the appearance of the NE Asian race 9,000 years ago, look somewhat like Polynesians, among other groups. An archaeologist who worked on Kennewick Man says Amerindians assaulted him, spit on him and threatened to kill him because he said that Kennewick Man was not an Amerindian related to living groups, and that his line seemed to have no ancestors left in the Americas. Furthermore, most Amerindians insist that their own tribe “has always been here”, because this is what their silly ancestral religions and their elders tell them. They can get quite hostile if you question them on this, as I can attest after working with an Amerindian tribe for 1½ years in the US. To add further insult to reason, a completely insane law called NAGPRA, or Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act, mandates that all bones found on any tribe’s territory are the ancestors of that tribe and must be returned to the tribe for reburial. This idiotic law is completely anti-scientific, but most Amerindians, even highly educated ones, get pretty huffy about defending it (Trust me!). Hence there has been a huge battle over the bones of Kennewick Man. Equally idiotically, White Nationalists insist that Kennewick Man is a Caucasian, so that means he is one of theirs. They also use this to conveniently note that Whites occupied the US before the Indians, and therefore, that the Amerindians implicitly have no rights to the place and that the land-theft of Amerindian America by Whites was right and proper. This is even more insane than Zionism by orders of magnitude. First of all, Kennewick Man is not a Caucasian! He just sort of looks like one. But that is only because Polynesians, the Ainu and even Aborigines look somewhat Caucasian. This is not due to Caucasian genes, but is instead simply a case of convergent evolution. These dual episodes above, like the Asian paleontologist morons above, adds weight to my hypothesis that ethnic nationalism, and nationalism in general, turns people into dithering morons. Among other reasons, that is why this proudly internationalist blog casts such a wary eye on nationalism of all kinds. The prehistory of SE Asia follows a similar storyline. Once again, all of SE Asia was inhabited by Australoids. They probably looked something like the Negritos of today. Skulls from 9,000-11,000 years ago in SE Asia (including Southern China) resemble modern-day Australoids. The oldest skulls in Vietnam look like Negritos. 25,800 yr old bones from Thailand look like Aborigines and the genes look like the Semang, Negritos of Thailand and Malaysia. There are skulls dating back 44,000 years in Malaysia and these also look like Aborigines. Some say that the Semang go back 50,000 years in Malaysia. Andaman Islands Negritos. This type was probably the main human type all throughout SE Asia, and a variation of this type was in NE Asia too. These are really the first people to come out of Africa. Afrocentrists like to say that these people are Black, but the truth is that these people are very far away from Black people – in fact, they are Asians. Andaman Islanders have peppercorn hair like the hair of the Bushmen in Africa. This would differentiate this group from the woolly-haired Negritos in the Philippines. Genetic studies have shown that the Andaman Islanders are quite probably the precise remains of the first people to come out of Africa. Genetically, they tend to resemble whatever group they are living around, with some distinct variations. In truth, this group here, the Andamans, is one of the “purest” ethnic groups on Earth, because they have been evolving in isolation for so long. This is known as genetic drift. At the same time, I think there is little diversity internally in their genome, also due to drift. The Andaman Negritos are part of the Andaman Islands Negrito Race . Their strange and poorly understood languages are not related to any others, but there is some speculation that they are related to Kusunda in Nepal, a language isolate. I tend to agree with that theory. One of the problems with genetic drift is after a while you get an “island” effect where the population lacks genetic diversity, since diversity comes from inputs from outside populations. Hence they tend to be vulnerable to changes in the environment that a more genetically diverse population would be able to weather a lot better. Although racist idiot Richard Lynn likes to claim that all people like this have primitive languages, the truth is that the Andaman languages are so maddeningly complex that we are still having a hard time making sense out of them. As in the case of Melanesians, Papuans and some Indian tribals, Afrocentrists like to claim that the Negritos are “Africans”, i.e., Black people. The truth is that Negritos are one of the most distant groups on Earth to existing Black populations. Negrito populations tend to be related, though not closely, with whatever non-Negrito population are in the vicinity. This is due to interbreeding over the years. Furthermore, most, if not all, Negritos are racially Asians, not Africans. Another misconception is that Negritos are Australoids. Genetically, the vast majority of them do not fall into the Papuan or Australian races, but anthropometrically, at least some are Australoid. There is a lot of discrimination against these people wherever they reside, where they are usually despised by the locals. White Supremacists have a particular contempt for them. As a side note, although White Supremacists like to talk about how ugly these people are, I think these Negrito women are really cute and delightful looking, but do you think they have large teeth? Some say Negritos have large teeth. Around 8,500 years ago, the newly minted NE Asians, who had just transitioned from Australoids to NE Asians, came down from the north into the south in a massive influx, displacing the native Australoids. We can still see the results today. Based on teeth, SE Asians have teeth mixed between Australoids (Melanesians) and NE Asians. Yet, as noted above, there are few Australoid genes in SE Asians. 8,500 years ago, NE Asians moved down into SE Asia, displacing the native Australoids and creating the SE Asian race. If NE Asians are so smart though, I want to know what these women are doing wearing bathing suits in the freezing cold. Compare the appearance of these Northern Chinese to other NE Asian mainland groups above. A prominent anthropology blogger suggests that a similar process occurred possibly around the same time in South Asia and the Middle East, where proto-Caucasians moved in and supplanted an native Australoid mix. One group that was originally thought to be related to the remains of the original SE Asians is called the Yumbri, a group of primitive hunter-gatherers who live in the jungles of northern Laos and Thailand. Some think that the Yumbri may be the remains of the aboriginal people of Thailand, Laos and possibly Cambodia, but there is controversy about this. Yumbri noble savages racing through the Thai rain forest. The group is seldom seen and little is known about them. They are thought to number only 200 or so anymore, and there are fears that they may be dying out. This paper indicates via genetics that the Yumbri are a Khmuic group that were former agriculturalists who for some odd reason gave up agriculture to go back to the jungles and live the hunter-gatherer way. This is one of the very few case cases of agriculturalists reverting to hunting and gathering. The language looks like Khmuic (especially one Khmu language – Tin) but it also seems to have some unknown other language embedded in it. Genetics shows they have only existed for around 800 years and they have very little genetic diversity. The low genetic diversity means that they underwent a genetic bottleneck, in this case so severe that the Yumbri may have been reduced to only one female and 1-4 males. It is interesting that the Tin Prai (a Tin group) has a legend about the origin of the Yumbri in which two children were expelled from the tribe and sent on a canoe downstream. They survived and melted into the forest where they took up a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. The Khmu are an Austroasiatic group that are thought to be the indigenous people of Laos, living there for 4,000 years before the Lao (Thai) came down 800 years ago and largely displaced them from the lowlands into the hills. The Austroasiatic homeland is usually thought to be somewhere in Central China (specifically around the Middle Yangtze River Valley ), but there are some who think it was in India They moved from there down into SE Asia over possibly 5,000 years or so. Many Austroasiatics began moving down into SE Asia during the Shang and Zhou Dynasties due to Han pushing south, but the expansion had actually started about 8,500 years ago . At this time, SE Asia was mostly populated by Negrito types. The suggestion is that the Austroasiatics displaced the Negritos, and there was little interbreeding. The Austroasiatic languages are thought to be the languages of the original people of SE Asia and India, with families like Sino-Tibetan, Tai-Kadai, Indo-European and Dravidian being latecomers. There are possible deep linguistic roots with the Austronesian Family, and genetically, the Austroasiatics are related to Sino-Tibetan, Tai-Kadai and the Hmong-Mien speakers. There is an interesting paradox with the Southern Chinese in that genetically, they look like SE Asians, but they have IQ’s more like NE Asians, around ~105. There do not seem to be any reasonable theories about why this is so. It is true that NE Asians came down and moved into SE Asia, but they moved into the whole area, not just Southern China, yet SE Asian IQ’s are not nearly as high as Southern Chinese IQ’s. Of relevance to the IQ debate is that Asians, especially NE Asians, score lower on self-esteem than Blacks, yet they do much better in school. This would tend to argue against the contention of many that Black relatively poor school performance is a consequence of them not feeling good about themselves. This seems to poke one more hole in Richard Lynn’s theory that a journey through the Ice Age is necessary for a high IQ, as the Southern Chinese made no such sojourn. As a result of the Northern and Southern mix in Southern China, groups such as the Yunnanese are quite a mixed group. Yunnanese are mostly southern and are extremely distant from NE Asians. The Wa are a group in the area that is almost equally mixed with northern and southern admixture. Two pretty Laotian girls being starved to death by murderous Communist killers in Laos. The Lao are related to the Thai and are members of the Tai Race that includes the Lao, Thai, Aini, Deang, Blang, Vietnamese, Muong, Shan, Dai and Naxi peoples. The Lao language is a member of the Tai language family The Thai are related to the Tai group in Yunnan in Southern China. They evolved there about 4,000 years ago and then gave birth to a number of groups in the region. The modern Thai are latecomers to the region, moving into the area in huge numbers only about 700 years ago to become the Lao, Thai and Shan. The Lao are the descendants of recent Tai immigrants who interbred heavily with existing Chinese and Mon-Khmer populations. Gorgeous Dai women in China. The Dai are an ethnic group in China, mostly in Yunnan, who are related to the Thai – they are also members of the Tai Race and speak a Tai language . It looks like the Thai split off from the larger Dai group and moved into Thailand in recent centuries. The Dai were together with the Zhuang, another Yunnan group, as the proto-Tai north of Yunnan about 5000 years ago. They moved south into Yunnan and split into the Zhuang and the Tai. There were also Tai movements south into Vietnam via Yunnan. More Dai, this time two young Dai men from Thailand. They do seem to look a bit different from other Thais, eh? They look a little more Chinese to me. The Thai are not the only ethnic group in Thailand; there are 74 languages spoken there, and almost all are in good shape. These people apparently speak the Tai Nüa A proud Dai father in China, where they Dai are an official nationality together with the Zhuang. He’s got some problems with his teeth, but that is pretty typical in most of the world, where people usually lack modern dental care. A photo of a Thai waitress in Bangkok getting ready to serve some of that yummy Thai food. Note that she looks different from the Dai above – more Southeast Asian and less Chinese like the Dai. The Thai are also members of the Tai Race Another pic of a Thai street vendor. The Thai are darker and less Chinese-looking than the lighter Dai. The Tai people are thought to have come from Taiwan over 5,000 years ago. They left Taiwan for the mainland and then moved into Southwest China, which is thought to be their homeland. Then, 5,000 years ago, they split with the Zhuang. The Zhuang went to Guangxi and the Tai went to Yunnan. A Thai monk. Am I hallucinating or does this guy look sort of Caucasian? In Thai society, it is normal for a young man to go off and become a monk for a couple of years around ages 18-20. Many Thai men and most Lao men do this. I keep thinking this might be a good idea in our society. Khrushchev used to send them off to work in the fields for a couple of years at this age. Nevertheless, most Yunnanese have SE Asian gene lines and they are quite distant from the NE Asians (as noted, NE Asians are further from SE Asians than they are from Caucasians). More beautiful women, this time from Yunnan, in Communist-controlled China. Look at the miserable faces on these poor, starving women as they suffer through Communist terror and wholesale murder. Yunnan was the starting point for most of peoples in the region, including the Tai, the Hmong, the Mon-Khmer, the Vietnamese, the Taiwanese aborigines and from there to the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia. In a sense, almost all of SE Asia was settled via a southward and southeastward movement out of Yunnan. Why so many groups migrated out of Yunnan is not known, but they may have being pushed out of there via continuous southward movements by Northern Han. Yunnan was seen as a sort of rearguard base and sanctuary for many Chinese ethnic groups who were being pushed out of their areas, mostly by Han expansions. The terrain was rough but fertile. At some point, the Han started pushing down into Yunnan and that is when many southward expansions into SE Asia over the last 5000 or so years took place. A discussion of Asian racial features and their possible evolution is here Tibetans are close to NE Asians genetically, though they are located in the South. This is because they evolved in NE Asia and only recently moved down into Tibet. After coming into Tibet, they moved down into Burma. Many of today’s Burmese came from Tibet. A Tibetan tourist in India. This woman has more of a classic Tibetan look than the younger woman below. Tibetans characteristically have darker skin than many NE Asians – Tibetans are actually NE Asians displaced to the south in fairly recent times. Although it is high and cold in Tibet, the region is at a more southerly latitude. Nevertheless, UV radiation is very intense in Tibet, which probably accounts for the darker skin. It looks like all humans were pretty dark at the start and in some cases have lost melanin in cold climes where they needed to lighten to get Vitamin D. White skin in Europe is merely 9,000 years old, so European Whites never went through any brain-sharpening Ice Age either. Tibetans are members of the General Tibetan Race , which includes the Tibetan, Nakhi, Lisu, Nu, Karen, Adi, Tujia, Hui and Kachin peoples. They speak a Tibeto-Burman language , part of the larger Sino-Tibetan family. My observant Chinese commenter notes about the Tibetans: “As for the Tibetans, they seem to be primarily Northeast Asian (they look to be the most “yellow” of any Asians) with some other (South Asian-looking) element that interbred with them fairly recently. They tend to also be more ruddy, and have skin tones from reddish to yellow to brown. You can see some similarities with Burmese, but they are distinct. Another thing to note is that the prevalence of colored hair and eyes is relatively higher in Tibet. A gorgeous Tibetan woman, but to me she does not look typically Tibetan. Note that she seems to have put some whitening powder on her face – note contrast between her face and her darker hand. Although this blog supports Tibetan freedom and opposed the colonial Chinese takeover and racist ethnic cleansing of the Tibetan people by the Chinese Communists, it should nevertheless be noted that the wonderful regime that the Dalai Lama apparently wants to bring back was one of the most vicious forms of pure feudalism existing into modern times, where the vast majority of the population were serf-slaves for the Buddhist religious ruling class. Yes, that wonderful religion called Buddhism has its downside. The Buddhist paradise of Burma, run by one of the most evil military dictatorships on Earth (No satire in that sentence). I thought Buddhists were supposed to be peace loving? A Burmese woman with classic Burmese features. The Burmese, better known as the Bamar , are members of the General Tibetan Race . Boy, she sure is cute. And yes, I do have a thing for Asian women. I think I need to retitle this post Hot Asian Babes There are several interesting points in the sketch above. First of all, much as it pains them to be compared to people whom they probably consider to be inferior, all NE Asians were originally Australoids similar to the Australian Aborigines. NE Asians like to accuse SE Asians of being mostly an “Australoid” group, an analysis that is shared by many amateur anthropologists on the web. We will look into this question more in the future, but it appears that both NE and SE Asians are derived from Australoid stock. Further, there are few Australoid genes left in any mainland SE Asians and none in most SE Asians. It is true that Melanesians, Polynesians and Micronesians are part-Australoid in that the latter two are derived from Melanesians, who are derived from Austronesians mixed with Papuans. Any analysis that concludes that non-Oceanic SE Asians are “part-Australoid” is dubious. If anything, NE Asians are closer to Australoids than most SE Asians. The Japanese and Koreans are probably closer to Australian Aborigines than any other group in Asia. I am certain that the ultranationalist and racialist Japanese at least will not be pleased to learn this. Second, we note that all Asians are related, and that the proto-Asian homeland was in northern Vietnam. It follows that NE Asians are in fact derived from the very SE Asians whom the NE Asians consider to be inferior. A NE Asian who is well versed in these matters (He was of the “SE Asians are part-Australoid” persuasion) was not happy to hear my opinion at all, and left sputtering and mumbling. NE Asian superiority over SE Asians is a common point of view, especially amongst Japanese – the Japanese especially look down on Koreans (Their fellow NE Asians!), Vietnamese, Filipinos (the “niggers of Asia”), the Hmong (the “hillbillies of Asia”) and the Khmer. The beautiful, intelligent, civilized and accomplished Koreans. Tell me, the Japanese look down on these people are inferiors why now? Note the rather distinct short and stocky appearance, possibly a heat-preserving adaptation to cold weather. Note also the moon-shaped face. The Koreans seem to have come down from Mongolia about 5,000 years ago and completely displaced an unknown native group, but don’t tell any Korean that. Koreans are members of the Japanese-Korean Race and the Korean language is said to be a language isolate, but I think it is distantly related to Japanese, Ainu and Gilyak in a separate, distant branch of Altaic. My Chinese commenter adds : “I get the impression that Koreans are at least comprised two major physically discernible groups. Some of them have a shade of skin similar to the Inuit or Na Dene. But I think they have intermixed quite a lot during some relatively stable 5,000+ year period, which results in a fairly even spectrum.” Third, Richard Lynn’s Ice Age Theory takes another hit as he can explain neither the Southern Chinese high IQ, nor the genesis of high-IQ NE Asians from lower-IQ SE Asians, nor the fact that NE Asians do not appear in the anthropological record until 9,000 years ago (after the Ice Age that supposedly molded those fantastic brains of theirs), nor the genesis of these brainy folks via Australoids, whom Lynn says are idiots. Fourth, the Negritos, who are widely reviled in their respective countries as inferiors, are looking more and more like the ancestors of many of us proud humans. Perhaps a little respect for the living incarnations of our ancient relatives is in order.
While some cities across Britain may still boast the grandiose ramparts of centuries-old fortresses, little now remains of Northampton’s own castle. The lack of many visible remains could even lead some locals and visitors to think that a castle never existed in Northampton. But for some time now, the Friends of Northampton Castle have been campaigning to raise awareness of the town’s important medieval heritage. And their latest move has been to publish a gallery of 19th century photos on their website – www.northamptoncastle.com – showing some of the last images of the Castle remnants before they were demolished to allow the construction of Northampton station in 1879. The photos were sourced from Northamptonshire’s Central Library, where they are archived as a record of physical remains that existed of the castle in the not-so-distant past. Jon-Paul Carr, Northamptonshire Studies Manager for Northamptonshire Libraries, said: “Northamptonshire Libraries hold around 100,000 images of old Northamptonshire. The main collection is held at the ‘Discover’ area of Northampton Central Library, where the photographs of the castle are presently housed. “We were delighted to work with the Friends of Northampton Castle to make the photographs more accessible to a wider audience, as they show fantastic images of the castle during the 1870s, shortly before many of the remaining walls were pulled down.” The images show people either relaxing by the remains of features such as the Postern Gate or looking like they are working at the site. One photo would appear to show soil being removed from the area by horses. The Postern Gate is believed to have been demolished in 1881 and re-erected in a wall edging the station site. The photos reveal a little of exactly how much of Northampton’s heritage was destroyed in the name of progress at the end of the 19th century. Built towards the end of the 11th century, it is widely believed that most of the Castle was destroyed by Charles II in revenge for Northampton’s support of the Parliamentarians during the Civil War. But a lot of the Castle remained after this bout of destruction in the 17th century. Marie Dickie, who chairs FONC, said: “The walls were slighted so it wouldn’t be able to defend itself. Charles II made sure that Northampton Castle couldn’t be used against the Crown again. It couldn’t be used as a fortress. But in the middle of the 19th century there was still quite an interesting set of ruins in place.” Marie explained the photos form part of the information the group’s researchers have found to inform future redevelopment at the site. She said: “In a sense, although I used to think the Victorians were all vandals, there was clearly a battle going on between the vandals and people like us; people who thought history was important and knew that even if we are making changes we need some understanding of what we are doing.” An archaeological investigation is due to be carried out early this year ahead of the new station construction, scheduled to start this spring.
Plant Profiles: Edgeworthia Drawing by Rene Eisenbart Wedge worthy ya Paper bush, knot plant Rounded, multi-stemmed, late-winter-blooming deciduous shrub, 3 to 6 feet Sun, supplemental summer water, well-drained soil Single-digit temperatures (flowers can be damaged in low teens); shade, overwatering Shape is a great attribute; select for open-armed simplicity or single trunk with evenly rounded head Wintertime, and the living's not easy. Plants are frozen, and tempers are high. Hebe's toast, and the rosemary's cringing. If this is called temperate, why do I want to cry? Let's take the long view. Yesterday, the air was redolent of winter honeysuckle (Lonicera standishii) and wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox). Today, those same flowers are encased in ice. But tomorrow, a sun break will awaken the dormant buds of Edgeworthia, and nature will toss us a few more fragrant crumbs. Edgeworthia's common name, paper bush, comes from its utilitarian bark, which is processed into a high-grade paper product in Japan and China. It was also planted in abundance as a resource crop in southern China, where it's evidently still common in hedgerows. The bark is flaky and cinnamon-colored in youth, and the branches are incredibly bendable, which explains its other names, knot plant. Known to appear as early as January, though more typically in February, the flowers of the paper bush emerge from silky-white button buds that begin to fatten up in fall. Like those of its close kin Daphne, its blossoms are clustered; they nod like bite-size sunflowers off the end of the plant's stout stems. Lemon yellow upon opening, they soften to a creamy custard, which some say also describes their fragrance: warm, rich, lightly sweet, and particularly soothing at this often trying time of year. The plant's native habitat is the woodland edge, often streamside, which tells you something about its culture. We're not talking drought resistance; on the contrary, edgeworthia needs evenly moist soil through summer. Because it grows vigorously from the base, it quickly makes a multi-stemmed shrub, but it's far more elegant trained into domed, single-trunked, three-to-five-foot tree. While researching edgeworthia, I stumbled into a small botanical hornet's nest. Are the species E. papyrifera and E. chrysantha in fact one and the same? (You're kidding; you haven't been able to sleep, either?) Well, despite dissension in the ranks, it looks entirely likely. A true second species, however, E. gardneri, is said to be distinguished from the identical twins by bolder foliage, some leaves being five to seven inches long. Incidentally, a completely misnamed cultivar of paper bush should be showing up in the near future. E. chrysantha 'Rubra' is not remotely red. Instead, it's a deliciously bright orange that hits just the right temperature if you like your winter colors warm as (versus burnt as) toast. Back to the list Plant Profiles are excerpted from Plant This! by Ketzel Levine
More than a theological category or doctrinal formulation, Mary, Woman of the Eucharist, sings the hymn of one woman’s surrender to the divine love that gently invites people to become more like itself. The sacramental Eucharist we celebrate today has its peak expression in the Last Supper that opens the original drama of the paschal mystery, but Jesus’ eucharistic offering is not limited to those hours of His life. Mary’s life too, chants her Son’s eucharistic hymn of praise and self-gift long before she accompanies Him to the moment when He hands over all that He is on the cross. Eucharistic tones reverberate in Mary’s Immaculate Conception, in the Annunciation, in her hearing her Son proclaim the Kingdom, in her presence at Calvary, and in her sharing in the Easter glory. Mary’s First Eucharistic Moment The first eucharistic moment in Mary’s life, as in everyone’s, is the moment of conception. Like everyone else, Mary receives her unique and unrepeatable identity as nothing other than a gift, a gift to herself and to the world. Birth celebrates the overflowing of love from the Trinity’s heart into time and space, letting itself be known in the life of another. Life itself means receiving what we cannot give or produce on our own. God creates Mary as one ready to welcome grace without resistance. Her very disposition is to seek always what is the delight of her creator and Lord. In her immaculate heart, Mary bows before the tender stirrings of the Spirit of Yahweh. Mary cooperates wholly in all that God desires for her. The eucharistic motif appears in Mary’s life also in her obscurity and poverty. Her simple, humble existence in a tiny village reflects the Eucharist. There, Mary, depends utterly on God. Mary experiences a real — not just romantic — poverty. She feels with all who are poor, the realities of hunger, cold and powerlessness. Mary finds comfort and assurance in a faithful God who has pledged never to abandon the people He has chosen to be His own. Mary’s Eucharistic Living Mary’s eucharistic living is evident in the moment when divinity unites with human flesh at her consent, “Let it be done to me according to your Word.” The Lord instituted the sacramental Eucharist for us to consume and thereby have the divine life pulsating strongly within us. Mary’s “yes” to the invitation of God foreshadows our “Amen” at being offered the Eucharist. Amen, here, means “Yes, I believe it is the Body of Christ, and, yes, I wish to receive it.” It is implicitly a consent that the Body of Christ — broken, offered, received and consumed — may effect a change in us who partake of it. Mary experiences deep within her the distinct energies of the Trinitarian persons, as if eavesdropping on the dialogue of the Trinity’s plan for her. Mary knows, then, a Father sharing His Son with her, and she knows this contemplatively in the depths of her being. The Father is handing over to her, and through her to all humanity, that which is most precious to Him, His beloved Son. Mary knows these truths with her whole being. Mary’s fiat opens the path for the eternal Word to enact His Incarnation in space and time. Mary is present to the moment when the Son clothes himself in the frailty, dependence, poverty and even death that mark every human life. At the first moment made possible by Mary’s assent, the world begins to hear the Son whisper, “Take this, all of you and eat it, this is My Body; take and drink, this is My Blood, given up for you.” Mary silently possesses more than an inkling of the self-surrender that God envisions. Mary’s Unique Communion The Son empties himself by taking on human nature and Mary nourishes humanity’s self-sacrificing Savior toward His birth. She and He, both anticipate His self-offering on the cross, the offering that rises from burial into resurrection and is present each time the Eucharist is celebrated. Mary’s praying heart delights in the wonder, adoration and gratitude with which she accompanies the child she carries. With maternal love she worships thankfully the presence within her in a unique communion. Mary, Woman of the Eucharist, plays a role in this formation of Christ’s followers into a eucharistic community. It means learning a new way of being loved by God. Their souls are being awakened to tolerate and then to rejoice that Jesus comes not to be served but to serve. Their hands and their hearts are stained with a grime of laboring in a world polluted by greed, prejudices, dishonesty and violence. Mary joyfully waits at the center to share what she has received. Eucharistic nuances continue to pervade Mary’s discipleship of her Son, especially in her loyal, fearless participation in His death and resurrection. Mary’s consent to the angel at the annunciation reaches its climax in her Son’s perfect obedience to the inevitable, not a resentful passivity in the face of something she desperately wants to alter. Mary’s Grief and Awe Mary cooperates in the sacrifice of Jesus. Indeed, as Jesus struggles toward the altar of the cross, Mary’s spirit accompanies Him with the prayer that nothing may dissuade Him from His goal. Pope John Paul II says, “Mary embraces both the incomparable grief of a woman who witnesses her Son’s execution and the awe of one who witnesses a compassion as vast as God himself. Mary is the ‘Woman of the Eucharist’ in her whole life.” Mary teaches the Church how to adore the Lord at the foot of the cross, where blood and water flowed from the Savior’s pierced side. Jesus’ disciples, even His closest friends, had to learn of the empty tomb before their despair turned to hope, but Mary is deeply consoled even as she cradles Jesus’ lifeless body in her arms. It is Mary who leads the Church to the Eucharistic Lord. She is intimately involved in her Son’s love for the world. Her heart comes to us with the love that overflows from the heart of God. FATHER JOHN SINGARAYAR, S.V.D., is a well-known writer and contributor to The Priest. He has written articles in international and national journals and is also the author of the book Wellspring of Love. Presently, he is doing his pastoral ministry at Sacred Heart Church, Andheri (East) Mumbai, India.
Citation: Carter I (2005) Creating Locally Relevant Health Information. PLoS Med 2(3): e46. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0020046 Published: March 29, 2005 Copyright: © 2005 Isabel Carter. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Competing interests: The author declares that she has no competing interests. Abbreviation: PILLARS, Partnership in Local Language Resources It is an ongoing challenge to share health information with resource-poor communities that is locally relevant and owned by the communities themselves. Too often, new information brought to these settings is seen as coming from “outside” and therefore as having little local relevance. People may look with suspicion at those who bring such information. Many factors—the background, attitudes, clothing, employers, and the language of those who bring information—may have more impact on the way new ideas are received than the actual relevance of the ideas themselves. We have only to consider our own attitudes to politicians for an example of how such factors influence our receptivity to information. When health information from outside the community goes against deeply held beliefs and attitudes about personal and sexual matters, this challenge becomes still greater. Providing opportunities for people to discuss the impact of HIV and AIDS on their communities in a relaxed and open manner is key to enabling people to engage in potentially lifesaving discussion and attitude change. But as positive a step as open discussion is, unless poor people can access and accept the information they need, they will not be able to make informed decisions regarding their lives and future. Ignorance about the impact of HIV and AIDS and how the virus is transmitted is potentially life-threatening; we urgently need to raise awareness in ways that are accepted by local communities. PILLARS: Partnership in Local Language Resources Between 1995 and 1999, Tearfund UK, a Christian community development and disaster relief charity, conducted research into the flow of information at grassroots level in Uganda and Ghana, with the support of the education division of the United Kingdom Department for International Development . The findings highlighted the importance of small groups in sharing information, the lack of relevant printed materials for the poor, and the need for end users to be involved in the creation of relevant printed information in their own languages. These findings have now been translated into practical action through Partnership in Local Language Resources (PILLARS). PILLARS guides provide small community groups with simple printed information, written in local languages, on community development issues such as nutrition, food security, micro-credit, HIV and AIDS, and community mobilisation (see www.tilz.info/resources). These guides are not seen by communities as information from an outside entity, but rather as locally consolidated information on relevant issues for groups to discuss in their regular meetings. Rather than acting as passive recipients of information, group members can bring useful experience, knowledge, and insights into the discussion (Figure 1). Figure 1. Participants Discussing a Topic on Leadership Styles during a PILLARS Workshop in Delhidoi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0020046.g001 Each guide contains 20–24 topics, with illustrations, text, and discussion questions. Any group that meets on a regular basis can set aside time to read through and discuss one of the topics. A trained leader is not required, though it helps if someone in the group knows how to facilitate discussion. The guides build on existing knowledge and experience shared among group members. Empowering the Community The ultimate goal of PILLARS is to empower community groups in developing nations by building their capacity for collective learning, consensus-building, and subsequent action. Use of the guides restores their right to receive and share information in their own tongue and to participate in the development of their communities. The generation, use, and distribution of information in local languages encourages and gives confidence and value to marginalised groups. The discussion process helps groups manage their own change and engage in local decision-making processes. Guides are now available on nine subjects relating to community development. They are designed for ease of translation into any language using a CD-ROM with design and text files. Pages or illustrations can be contextualised to meet local needs, and participatory bible studies are included at the back of the guides for faith-based groups to use. A further aspect of PILLARS is that development workers can be equipped to translate and write new guides over the course of three workshops. During the first two workshops, participants learn skills in translation, reviewing, and field testing. In the final workshop, participants write their own guide and plan for future sustainability. Training in facilitation skills and participatory techniques equips participants to use the guides. This process has been piloted in southern Sudan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Brazil, and Myanmar. In Myanmar, development workers produced guides in Burmese and then replicated the training with a further 13 language groups, generating considerable energy and empowerment. A facilitator commented: “We have so many languages in our country. Through this programme, people are encouraged to value their culture and to share useful information about development with the community.” In Ethiopia, participants wrote a guide on “harmful traditional practices”. Training has also been conducted there with a refugee community from southern Sudan, helping them plan for repatriation. A recent evaluation, led by Dr Clinton Robinson of PILLARS in Myanmar, Brazil, and Ethiopia, revealed a dearth of written information in the languages of minority groups. Access to information and to the media was generally low. The evaluation found that improving access to simple, relevant and practical information in local languages increased people's self-confidence and their ability to make positive change. It commented on the benefits of the emphasis PILLARS places on collective learning rather than on individual reading. Discussion-Based Learning on HIV and AIDS A new guide, Responding More Effectively to HIV and AIDS, is now available (Figure 2) . With funding from Development Corporation Ireland, this guide is being translated into a further nine languages: French, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, KiSwahili, Amharic, Khmer, Kinyarwandan, and Chinese. Figure 2. A Recent PILLARS Guidedoi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0020046.g002 The guide first gently challenges misconceptions to ensure that people have the correct facts about HIV/AIDS and how the virus is passed on. Issues raised include traditional practices that might spread HIV, the need for HIV testing and accompanying counselling, and the needs of children who lose their parents from HIV/AIDS. The guide encourages discussion of how to talk about sexual issues with children, with partners, and within faith-based teaching. The burden that can fall upon carers who respond to the needs of families living with HIV/AIDS can be immense, and several topics encourage people to discuss this. The guide also addresses relevant and challenging questions, including who provides the caring, who else could help, what support systems are available, and how the local community can increase its support. Recent advances in antiretroviral therapy and the latest advice regarding breastfeeding by mothers with HIV are also covered. At a recent workshop in Nairobi, staff from Sudan gained facilitation skills and learned techniques to share information effectively. They worked in small groups to develop simple role-plays to introduce topics from the HIV and AIDS guides. Though few of the participants had used this method before, they produced some amazingly powerful role-plays that provided a very effective introduction to the group discussion and learning that followed. The Local Production of Information A number of organisations have developed tools and training to help with the local production of information (Box 1). PILLARS differs from these approaches, both in its focus on providing information for discussion-based learning targeted at grassroots community groups, and in providing technical support and design files to simplify the translation process. Box 1. Tools for the Local Production of Information - Agricultural kits produced by the International Institute for Rural Reconstruction (www.iirr.org). - Shell booklets produced by the Summer Institute of Linguistics (www.sil.org), often used as literacy primers in local languages. - The REFLECT approach (www.reflect-action.org), a method of increasing literacy using participatory techniques. Each literacy circle produces its own learning materials, analysing its own local community and its immediate circumstances. - The STAR (Stepping Stones and Reflect) Initiative (www.healthcomms.org/pdf/STARsummary.pdf), which provides draft guidelines that support communities or organisations to analyse and tackle issues that affect them, from agriculture to war, in the context of HIV and AIDS. - The Quest manual, from Healthlink Worldwide (www.healthlink.org.uk/consult/quest.html), a tool to support organisations to develop their capacity to produce effective communication and information resources. PILLARS guides have now been translated into more than 30 different languages and are being used with basic literacy programmes and training workshops, and as discussion-based materials for women's, farmers', and credit groups. They offer a simple, yet potentially very effective method of sharing health messages. The use of print means that such messages can be used over the long term and widely distributed. A free copy of the HIV and AIDS guide for groups in resource-poor nations is available from E-mail: email@example.com. - 1. Carter I (1999) Locally generated printed materials in agriculture: Experience from Uganda and Ghana. Serial No. 31, Department for International Development Education Research Report. London: Department for International Development. 116 p. - 2. Carter I (2004) Responding more effectively to HIV and AIDS. Teddington (United Kingdom): Tearfund. 60 p.
When Charles James Richards, formerly a General in the Madras Army, needed surgery in 1894 he decided he didn’t want to stay in hospital for his post-surgical recovery. He preferred somewhere more homely instead. Richards chose to stay at the Medical and Surgical Home, 15 Fitzroy Square, later to be known as Fitzroy House. The Home was established in 1880 by the Home Hospitals Association and was intended to be a ‘home from home environment’ where patients could stay while recovering from medical or surgical procedures. Image taken from C. H. Cochran Patrick, Maude Chatterton, etc. (London, 1898) Shelfmark 012623.ee.11. BL flickr The home did not employ any medical staff of its own. Patients instead remained under the care of their own GP or consultant physician for the duration of their stay. The home did however employ a large number of skilled nurses and other servants to help with patient care. The home was considered to be more of a medical boarding house, with patients paying a weekly charge and in return received nursing care, prescribed rest and a regulated diet. There were however a number of criteria under which patients would not be eligible, these included those with contagious illnesses and incurable diseases, the home being intended as a place for recovery and not for long-term stay. The home proved to be a great success and by the 1890s it had expanded to occupy numbers 15-18 Fitzroy Square. In 1904 the home was rebuilt, providing 30 beds for patients. From 1918 onwards however the number of patients and beds began to decline. In 1963 the Nuffield Nursing Homes Trust, who now owned Fitzroy House, decided that its function and facilities had reached their end and replaced the Home with a new building of their own. Unfortunately for General Richards, his stay was to be shorter than he might have expected, as he passed away at the Home 36 hours after surgery to remove a cancerous tumour. The 1891 census however suggests that deaths of patients at the home were not a common thing, with most leaving once recovered and continuing on with their lives. The census lists 24 patients residing there on the night of the census, 9 male and 15 female aged between 23 and 66 with a wide range of occupations including a professor of music, a Catholic priest, an architect and a theatrical manager. One of these patients was Charles Hay Cameron, the son of Charles Hay Cameron, a barrister and member of the Supreme Council of Calcutta. The reason for his stay at the home is unknown, but it can be assumed that whatever medical or surgical condition he had required care for was not altogether resolved, as he died a few months later on 14 August 1891 in Antwerp. Karen Stapley. Curator, India Office Records IOR/L/AG/34/10/13A Part 3, Birth, marriage and death certificates submitted as evidence for pensions under the Madras Military Fund Lost Hospitals of London
20 May 2020 Can renewable energy be even greener, the useful even more useful? In the investment of Sunshine World Limited a solar power plant was established near Cegléd, Hungary in the second half of 2018. Around the solar power plant, parts of the plot remained free, which on the long run can provide an opportunity to expand the power plant and/or to build electricity storage. Until then, 155 Emerald tree (in Hungarian: Smaragdfa) seedlings were planted on an area of nearly 0.4 hectare north of the solar power plant, after thorough preparation of the land. Thanks to a Hungarian patent, the installation was carried out with irrigation water-saving technology in a previously neglected area of this desertifying desolate sheer area. The Emerald tree is an extremely fast-growing, Hungarian-developed, non-seed-bearing Paulownia hybrid that is ripe for cutting in 7-9 years. More information is available on the website of SUNWO Zrt.: www.sunwo.eu The benefits of planting Emerald trees next to our solar power plant can be summarized as follows: - The utilization of the hitherto derelict northern part of the area will increase the value of the existing solar power plant investment. - The area previously used to store construction debris has been almost completely reclaimed due to the solar power plant investment and timber planting. - The new installation, together with the acacia forest bordering the power plant to the south, favorably shapes the microclimate of the immediate vicinity of the solar power plant (up to -3 degrees Celsius temperature correction) with which the even production of solar panels can be helped to avoid the panels overheating in the summer. - The dust load on the environment is reduced, as 1 hectare of mature Emerald Tree plantation can catch up to 30 tons of dust per day. - We protect and expand the habitat of bees, we promote the natural pollination of the plants in the area: the Emerald tree, which blooms from the third year, is an excellent honey pasture for bees. - During the lifetime of the power plant, 0.6 – 1 m3 of quality wood products per log can be produced three times (every 6-8 years). After the first cut of the trunk, the stump sprouts again twice more! The wood has an exceptionally high calorific value (approx. 18,600 kJ/kg). The light (300 kg/m3) but medium hard wood can be used for a wide range of furniture and interior architecture purposes. - The high-protein leaves of Emerald Tree provide excellent fodder for sheep previously settled in the area. - Overall, the investment of Sunshine World Limited resulted in a highly progressive green solution: CO2-free solar power plant + intensive carbon-reducing tree planting. The 0.4 hectare Emerald tree plantation is expected to sequester about 40 tons of CO2 per year and instead produce oxygen and cellulose. - The plantation is a special green reference, as this is the first significant Emerald tree planting worldwide in the immediate vicinity of a solar power plant! - With this combination, the solar power plant of Sunshine World Limited and the Emerald Tree Carbon Climate Plantation together contribute to the complete fulfillment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG 17). 9 October 2020 Towards the end of the growing season, the experience of five months after the planting of emerald trees can be summarized as follows: - The vast majority of planted roots have grown nicely, we had to replace just 15 of the 155 plants due to problems of sprout or rodent damage. - The growth of successfully sprouted stems is extremely spectacular: most of the 20 – 30 cm seedlings planted in May are now above 200 – 230 cm! This means an average increase of 30 – 40 cm per month! - Thanks to the programmed irrigation four times a week (5 liters/occasion) and the three times supply of nutrients (liquid pig slurry), not only the plants but also the weeds in their surroundings grew rapidly, which required more care than expected (mowing, hoeing, re-tying). The sheep mowing the lawn could not been allowed into the planting area this year, but they can also graze among the trees next summer. - In the case of about 20 – 25 plants, the spectacular growth was not achieved, they reached a height of about 60-100 cm. We are investigating the reason for this with Sunwo Zrt. and we enrich the otherwise sandy – calcareous soil with a significant surplus of manure to catch up with the others. - Wind gusts caused by summer thunderstorms broke the shoots in some places, but new shoots appeared almost immediately. The plantation will be pruned next year. - The huge leaves with a diameter of 60 to 70 cm are favored foods for the sheep mowing the area.
Home » Posts tagged 'breathe underwater' Tag Archives: breathe underwater As for swimming, it is important to learn how to breathe underwater because it directly determines whether you can learn to swim or not. Some of you for a personal reason, such as fear of water, fear of choking water, fear of drowning, you cannot practice swimming. Swimming is completely instinct for survival and of course, we can breathe in the water although it will be different from breathing on land many times. The following article will send to you some knowledge to practice breathing properly underwater. 1. Practice breathing on land Breathing is an activity that proves the existence of life, so this is an activity everyone does every day. Normal daily breathing is simply breathing in through the nose and exhaling with both the nose and mouth. However, when practicing breathing techniques in swimming, it is completely opposite to normal breathing. You will have to breathe in through your mouth and exhale through your nose. You just need to open your mouth to take a breath, then exhale through your nose and then continue to open your mouth to breathe, you stand on the shore to practice many times to get used to it before you enter the water. 2. Practice breathing underwater Once you get used to the breathing technique practiced on the ground, warm up your body and then go into the water to learn the technique of holding your breath underwater. It can be said that hold your breath for as long as possible and you will swim further away. But breathing has to be steady to swim and last long. Because there is always a difference in pressure in the water, you do not need to open your mouth very big, tight belly to breathe. Simply after each breath, you open your mouth big, the breath will be taken in itself, after taking in the water you breathe out the air with your nose, continue to rise up to the surface of the water to take the breath into your mouth. If you do so, and your breathing is steady, you will never choke and swim farther. Breathing technique in frog and butterfly swimming The breathing techniques of these two types of swimming are the same, both of which raise their heads for breath through their mouth, then dip into the water and exhale through their nose. However, in butterfly swimming, every two beats of foot pedal + 1 hand beat will make one breath, therefore, the amount of air being inhaled is more. Breathing technique in stride swimming You pay attention to take a deep breath from the first beat because the swimming stride is very effort. The technique of breathing in stray swimming differs from that of frogs and butterflies, when you take a breath in striding, you will turn your head to the side to take a breath. You will have difficulty tilting your head to the non-dominant side because it is the non-dominant side so you can easily choke water. Breathing technique in backstroke swimming In swimming on the back, your face is always on the water, usually every one swimming cycle, you inhale 1 time and exhale once. The breathing in and out must be regular with the movements of the arms and legs, do not be in a hurry so the breath will be more rhythmic, you will swim farther.
\|Read more about this book\| (For more resources on Blender, see here.) This article is about our character's torso: we're going to see how to create hips, a spine, and a neck. Aside from what you'll learn from here, it's important for you to take a look at how some of those rigs were built. You'll see some similarities, but also some new ideas to apply to your own characters. It's pretty rare to see two rigs built the exact same way. How to create a stretchy spine A human spine, also called vertebral column, is a bony structure that consists of several vertebrae (24 or 33, if you consider the pelvic region). It acts as our main axis and allows us a lot of flexibility to bend forward, sideways, and backward. And why is this important to know? That number of vertebrae is something useful for us riggers. Not that we're going to create all those tiny bones to make our character's spine look real, but that information can be used within Blender. You can subdivide one physical bone for up to 32 logical segments (that can be seen in the B-Bone visualization mode), and this bone will make a curved deformation based on its parent and child bones. That allows us to get pretty good deformations on our character's spine while keeping the number of bones to a minimum. This is good to get a realistic deformation, but in animation we often need the liberty to squash and stretch our character: and this is needed not only in cartoony animations, but to emphasize realistic poses too. We're going to see how to use some constraints to achieve that. We're going to talk about just the spine, without the pelvic region. The latter needs a different setup which is out of the scope of this article. How to do it... - Open the file 002-SpineStretch.blend from support files. It's a mesh with some bones already set for the limbs, as you can see in the next screenshot. There's no weight painting yet, because it's waiting for you to create the stretchy spine. - Select the armature and enter into its Edit Mode (Tab). Go to side view (Numpad 3); make sure the 3D cursor is located near the character's back, in the line of what would be his belly button. Press Shift + A to add a new bone. Move its tip to a place near the character's eyes. - Go to the Properties window, under the Object Data tab, and switch the armature's display mode to B-Bone. You'll see that this bone you just created is a bit fat, let's make it thinner using the B-Bone scale tool (Ctrl + Alt + S). With the bone still selected, press (W) and select Subdivide. Do the same to the remaining bones so we end up with five bones. Still in side view, you can select and move (G) the individual joints to best fit the mesh, building that curved shape common in a human spine, ending with a bone to serve as the head, as seen in the next screenshot: - Name these bones as D_Spine1, D_Spine2, D_Spine3, D_Neck, and D_Head. - You may think just five bones aren't enough to build a good spine. And here's when the great rigging tools in Blender come to help us. Select the D_Neck bone, go to the Properties window, under the Bone tab and increase the value of Segments in the Deform section to 6. You will not notice any difference yet. Below the Segments field there are the Ease In and Ease Out sliders. These control the amount of curved deformation on the bone at its base and its tip, respectively, and can range from 0 (no curve) to 2. - Select the next bone below in the chain (D_Spine3) and change its Segments value to 8. Do the same to the remaining bones below, with values of 8 and 6, respectively. To see the results, go out of Edit Mode (Tab). You should end up with a nice curvy spine as seen in the following screenshot: Since these bones are already set to deform the mesh, we could just add some shapes to them and move our character's torso to get a nice spine movement. But that's not enough for us, since we also want the ability to make this character stretch. - Go back into Edit Mode, select the bones in this chain, press Shift + W, and select No Scale. This will make sure that the stretching of the parent bone will not be transferred to its children. This can also be accomplished under the Properties window, by disabling the Inherit Scale option of each bone. - Still in Edit Mode, select all the spine bones and duplicate (Shift + D) them. Press Esc to make them stay at the same location of the original chain, followed by Ctrl + Alt + S to make them fatter (to allow us to distinguish both chains). When in Pose Mode, these bones would also appear subdivided, which can make our view quite cluttered. Change back the Segments property of each bone to 1 and disable their deform property on the same panel under the Properties Window. Name these new bones as Spine1, Spine2, Spine3, Neck, and Head, go out of Edit Mode (Tab) and you should have something that looks similar to the next screenshot: - Now let's create the appropriate constraints. Enter in Pose Mode (Ctrl + Tab), select the bone Spine1, hold Shift, and select D_Spine1. Press Shift + Ctrl + C to bring up the Constraints menu. Select the Copy Location constraint. This will make the deformation chain move when you move the Spine_1 bone. The Copy Location constraint here is added because there is no pelvic bone in this example, since it's creation involves a different approach which we'll see in the next recipe, Rigging the pelvis. With the pelvic bone below the first spinal bone, its location will drive the location of the rest of the chain, since it will be the chain's root bone. Thus, this constraint won't be needed with the addition of the pelvis. Make sure that you check out our next recipe, dedicated to creating the pelvic bone. - With those bones still selected, bring up the Constraints menu again and select the Stretch To constraint. You'll see that the deformation chain will seem to disappear, but don't panic. - Go to the Properties Panel, under the Bone Constraints tab and look for the Stretch To constraint you have just created. Change the value of the Head or Tail slider to 1, so the constraint would be evaluated considering the tip of the Spine_1 bone instead of its base. Things will look different now, but not yet correct. Press the Reset button to recalculate the constraints and make things look normal again. This constraint will cause the first deformation bone to be stretched when you scale (S) the Spine_1 bone. Try it and see the results. The following screenshot shows the constraint values: This constraint should be enough for stretching, and we may think it could replace the Copy Rotation constraint. That's not true, since the StretchTo constraint does not apply rotations on the bone's longitudinal Y axis. So, let's add a Copy Rotation constraint. - On the 3D View, with the Spine1 and D_Spine1 selected (in that order, that's important!), press Ctrl + Shift + C and choose the Copy Rotation constraint. Since the two bones have the exact same size and position in 3D space, you don't need to change any of the constraint's settings. - You should add the Stretch To and Copy Rotation constraints to the remaining controller bones exactly the same way you did with the D_Spine1 bone in steps 9 to 12. - As the icing on the cake, disable the X and Z scaling transformation on the controller bones. Select each, go to the Transform Panel (N), and press the lock button near the X and Z sliders under Scale. Now, when you select any of these controller bones and press S, the scale is just applied on their Y axis, making the deforming ones stretch properly. Remember that the controller bones also work as expected when rotated (R). The next screenshot shows the locking applied: - Enter into Edit Mode (Tab), select the Shoulder.L bone, hold Shift, and select both Shoulder.R and Spine3 (in this order; that's important). Press Ctrl + P and choose Keep Offset to make both shoulder controllers children of the Spine3 bone and disable its scale inheriting either through Shift + W or the Bone tab on the Properties panel. When you finish setting these constraints and applying the rig to the mesh through weight painting, you can achieve something stretchy, as you can see in the next screenshot: The file 002-SpineStretch-complete.blend has this complete recipe, for your reference in case of doubts. How it works... When creating spine rigs in Blender, there's no need to create lots of bones, since Blender allows us to logically subdivide each one to get soft and curved deformations. The amount of curved deformation can also be controlled through the Ease In and Ease Out sliders, and it also works well with stretching. When you scale a bone on its local Y axis in Pose Mode, it doesn't retain its volume, thus the mesh deformed by it would be scaled without the stretching feeling. You must create controller bones to act as targets to the Stretch To constraint, so when they're scaled, the constrained bones will stretch and deform the mesh with its volume preserved. You should notice that the spine controllers will be hidden inside the character's body when you turn off the armature's X-Ray property. Therefore, you need to create some custom shapes for these controller bones in order to make your rig more usable. \|Read more about this book\| (For more resources on Blender, see here.) Rigging the pelvis If you want your character to move like Elvis, you'd better pay attention to its pelvis. The technique we're going to see in this recipe is often called "inverted pelvis", and you'll understand why when you go through the next few paragraphs. This approach is very useful to achieve more relaxed poses with your characters. The pelvis is usually the first bone in the spine chain and, because of the nature of the bone structure, its pivot point for transformation is not at the ideal position for the twist movement that we can do with the pelvis. That's because our actual center of gravity is closer to our belly button than it is to the base of the bone. The next screenshot shows a balanced pose that is easier to achieve with this kind of setup: How to do it... - Open the file 002-Pelvis.blend from the support files. You'll see the character Otto with a basic deformation rig already applied as our starting point. If you select the D_Pelvis bone and rotate (R) it, you'll notice that the entire character moves along according to this transformation. That's because the pelvic bone is the parent of all other bones. What can we do to make him twist his pelvis to a more relaxed pose? Since the armature's visualization mode is set to B-Bone, you'll see that all the spine bones are divided in segments in order to achieve a desirable curved deformation. - Go to the armature's Edit Mode (Tab), select the D_Pelvis bone, press W, and choose Switch Direction. Go back to Pose Mode and try to rotate R and move G it again. Besides having a good pivot point for this bone's rotation, some problems arose from it: the deformations are ugly, the legs and other spinal bones are no longer its children, and most importantly, the nice curved B-Bone deformation between the pelvis and spine bone is gone! That's not what we want. This second "wrong" step was intentional so that you can clearly understand what we need and what we must avoid. What we need is: the pelvis pivot point must be on its joint to the D_Spine1 bone; a rotation on the pelvis or the spine must give the curved B-Bone deformations; the pelvis should be the parent of the legs and spine. - Now you should reopen the source file (or hit Ctrl + Z a couple of times until you revert to the original file) so we can start over and make it the right way. - With the original setup, enter the armature's Edit Mode (Tab), select the D_Pelvis bone, duplicate (Shift + D) it, and press Esc so it remains in its original position. - Change its width (Ctrl + Alt + S) so we can see both bones and name it just Pelvis. - Bring up the Specials Menu (W) and choose Switch Direction. Since this bone will act as a controller (thus not deforming the mesh directly), go to the Properties Window, under the Bone tab, change this bone's number of segments to 1 and disable its Deform property, as seen in the following screenshot: - Still in Edit Mode, select the D_Pelvis bone, hold Shift, and select the Pelvis that you've just created. Press Ctrl + P to make it parent and choose Keep Offset. - Now, you must select the D_Spine1 bone , go to the Properties Window, under the Bone tab, and disable both the Inherit Rotation and Inherit Scale option s. - Go back to Pose Mode and rotate the Pelvis bone. Now you'll see that the spine doesn't rotate along, the center of gravity for rotation is near the belly button region and the soft curved B-Bones work as expected! If you have already set up a stretchy spine as described in a previous recipe, you should now make the Pelvis bone parent of Spine1. You should also turn off Inherit Rotation for the bone Spine1, so the Pelvis bone acts like the torso's root bone for translation and still works correctly for the twist rotation. You may wonder why the legs rotate along the pelvis, when they should remain still. This is because this pelvis setup needs an Inverse Kinematics (IK) constraint for the legs. The file 002-Pelvis-complete.blend has this complete recipe for your reference. How it works... By using an inverted copy of the pelvic bone as a controller, we can set the pivot center of a rig around the belly button region. By inverting a copy, and not the original deformation bone, we can make sure that the soft curved deformations from Blender's B-Bones are applied as expected. If you've just read the previous recipe, maybe you're wondering: what about stretching the pelvis? Stretching the pelvis Although our pelvic region doesn't stretch, it can be useful for cartoony rigs to have this option available. In order to do that, you must select the Pelvis bone, hold Shift, select D_Pelvis, press Ctrl + Shift + C, and select the Stretch To constraint, just like the process described in the previous recipe. You also need to disable the Inherit Scale property from the D_Pelvis and leg bones in the Bone tab under the Properties Window. For a better view of the rig, you should also lock the X and Z scaling for the Pelvis bone under the Transform panel (N). This setup allows you to achieve distortions similar to what you see in the next screenshot: The file 002-Pelvis-complete.blend is also set up for stretching. Try scaling the Pelvis bone and see for yourself! Making your character breathe When you animate a character, the main goal is to make it look alive, isn't it? All techniques involved in the art of animation, regardless of the medium (paper, computers, clay...) have the same goal: help you make the audience believe that your character is a living being. It can be very useful to add a controller to make your character look like its breathing. Although the breathing by itself isn't going to make your character believable, it can be added as a layer of visual complexity, contributing to the mood of a scene. If your character is nervous, scared, or has just finished a sprint for instance, you should probably make the breathing more noticeable. How to do it... - Open the file 002-Breathe.blend. You'll see a character with a very basic rig and weight painting, and with a bone shaped like a pair of lungs, as seen in the next screenshot. This is our room to work, since adding bones and shapes is not our focus here. - Select the Lungs bone, hold Shift, and select the D_Ribcage bone. Bring the constraints menu with Shift + Ctrl + C and select the Copy Scale constraint. - Go to the Properties Window, under the Bone Constraints tab. You'll see that there are two constraints assigned to that bone: the first is a Stretch To constraint , which allows the bone to be scaled while maintaining its volume. The second constraint is the one you have just created, and allows this deformation bone to be scaled following the transformation applied to the Lungs bone. Now let's just change its values in order to get a proper controller. - Disable the Y option, since our character's imaginary lungs are just going to inflate and deflate, and the scaling would be applied only in the horizontal plane. - Make sure you also set the two values of Space to Local Space, and bring down the influence slider to a value like 0.3. This will allow you to make bigger changes in the Lungs scale and still get subtle results. The following screenshot shows the constraint setup: - Repeat this process from steps 2 to 5 on the bone called D_Spine2, but use a lower value for the Influence slider , like 0.1. These values may be different on your own characters, but the principle here is that the distortion on the mesh would be bigger on the ribs part of the mesh, and smaller on the belly. But you should feel free to even invert this, if you seek a funnier effect. Now, scaling (S) up and down the Lungs controller will make your character look like it's breathing. The file 002-Breathe-complete.blend has this finished recipe for your reference. How it works... The breathing controller is nothing more than a bone which sets horizontal scaling on the ribs and belly bones. The secret is to have different (and low) Influence values for the constrained bones. When you scale the controller up, the character looks like it's breathing in. You should use this controller as a secondary one, just for adding details on top of an existing animation. In this recipe we saw something simple but important: more than one constraint can be applied to a bone at the same time. Not only that, but a bone can have multiple targets for its different constraints, making a rig considerably more complex as you add new constraints. This example is based on a rig with more than one constraint applied to the spine bones, showing that a single bone can have its properties changed by different controllers. You must notice that the constraints are stacked, and this means that the order in which they are applied is important. In our example, the breathing would be applied after the stretching. Fortunately the order isn't important in this unique example, but you may be wary of stacking too many constraints, since the results can be hard to predict. Controlling the neck and head Our head movement can be broken down to basically two controllers: the head bone itself and the neck. It is possible to rotate the neck while keeping the head straight and vice-versa. For example, to move your head forward you have three options: - You rotate just your head (like when you nod affirmatively to someone else's question). - You rotate just your neck and keep your head up (like when you try to read those very tiny letters on a computer screen). - You rotate both your neck and head (when you look to your belly button). You see these three positions in the following screenshot: It is very useful in rigs to have the freedom to choose how your neck and head should behave when transforming their parent bones. You should be able, for example, bend your character's torso forward while keeping its neck and head looking forward, without inheriting their parents' rotation. This is often called hinge control. In this recipe we'll learn how to properly control the "hinge" property of the neck and head. How to do it... - Open the file 002-Neck.blend from the support files. You'll see the character Otto with a deformation already set and controller bones for its spine and pelvis, with support for stretching. There is also an interface called Hinge, with two controller bones already created. Everything up until here is covered in previous recipes, so you should take a look at them if you have any doubts on how to create the interface, pelvis, spine, or stretch controls. The next screenshot shows our initial scene: - The first thing we would do is set the hinge controller for the Neck bone. Select the Neck bone and go to the Properties Window, under the Bone tab. Right-click over its Inherit Rotation property and choose Add Driver. The checkbox field will get a pinkish hue. As you noticed on the previous step, in Blender, even checkbox values can have drivers applied or have its on or off state animated through a keyframe. This is achieved by right-clicking over them and selecting the appropriate option. Since checkboxes can have only True or False values, Blender translates driver values as True=1 and every other value as False. - Open a Graph Editor window and pick the Drivers mode on its header. Click over the Inherit Rotation (Neck) driver on the left-hand side panel to view its details on the Properties Panel (N) on the right-hand side. Find the Drivers section on the Properties Panel. Leave the driver type as Scripted Expression, but change the Expr field value from True to 1-var. - On the box below the Add Variable button , set the Ob/Bone fields as Armature_Otto and Hinge_Neck. Leave the Type value as X Location and enable the Local Space checkbox. The next screenshot shows the driver and its values: The Expr field has the value of 1-var, used to invert the mapping of the bone driver. That's useful here, where our default behavior is to have the bones to inherit the rotation of their parents. Having these default behaviors properly planned is important when you just want to reset your UI sliders with Alt + G and have the rig working on its default state. - Repeat the process of steps 2 to 4 for the Head bone, making the driver for its Inherit Rotation property driven by the Hinge_Head bone . - In front view, rotate the Rib bone to the side. Move the sliders for the hinge controls, and you'll have three possible situations, demonstrated in the next screenshot: - Both head and neck follow the torso - The head doesn't follow the neck and torso (it's "hinged") - The neck (and consequently the head) is "hinged" The file 002-Neck-complete.blend has this finished recipe for your reference. How it works... By adding drivers to the Inherit Rotation property of single bones, we can animate the "hinge" feature of the neck and head bones, allowing the animators to pose the characters with more freedom and flexibility. Blender 2.5 allows us to add drivers to user interface fields such as checkboxes, making it easier to animate the on/off state of virtually any feature in our rigs. The ability to animate and drive checkboxes in Blender 2.5 makes it easier to control features that only have on/off states. In previous versions, that wasn't possible and the rigger would have to try emulating that particular feature with fairly complex constraint setups. Not just the neck and head You can use the same principle shown here to make hinge controllers for other parts of the body, notably the shoulders. When animating limbs with Forward Kinematics, it's often desirable a hinge setting in order to have more freedom when posing your characters. In this article we learnt how to control things such as the pelvis, the neck, and how to stretch them in a cartoony way. - Mastering the Blender 2.5 Basics [article] - Introduction to Blender 2.5: Color Grading [article] - Getting Started with Blender’s Particle System [article] - Advanced Effects using Blender Particle System [article] - Blender 2.5: Detailed Render of the Earth from Space [article]
RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: And some of those rushing to file may be fueling up with diet soda. Americans are drinking more diet soda and other artificially sweetened drinks than in years past. And while it may seem like a good idea to cut out extra calories, researchers have found swapping real sugar drinks for zero calorie options hasn't produced the expected results. Now, as NPR's Allison Aubrey reports, a new study sheds light on why. ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE: Americans' love affair with diet soda has been decades in the making. (SOUNDBITE OF DIET COKE AD) UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing) Just for the fun of it. Just for the one of it. Just for the taste of it, Diet Coke. AUBREY: Diet Coke was introduced in the early 1980s and heavily marketed. As a nation, we started drinking lots of it, along with other diet drinks. And even in the last 15 years, consumption has continued to rise. People think by drinking it, they're helping control their weight. RACHEL JOHNSON: Well, I think they make that assumption. AUBREY: Rachel Johnson is a professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont. JOHNSON: But what the mistake a lot of people make is that they compensate for the calories that they save in the diet soda with other foods and beverages, rather than eliminating those calories from their diet. AUBREY: It happens so easily. You go to the vending machine for a midafternoon snack and after you push that diet soda button, you feel you've got a free pass for a bag of chips. This compensatory eating may be the reason that past studies have found that people who drink a lot of diet soda tend to gain weight over time. The weight gain also left researchers wondering if there's something about aspartame or other artificial sweeteners that primes people to want more sweet things, or in some other way makes them more susceptible to metabolic disorder – a condition characterized by excess abdominal fat, elevated blood sugar and high blood pressure. Some research has pointed in this direction. To help shed light on the relation between diet soda and health, researcher Kiyah Duffey - at UNC Chapel Hill - decided to take a new approach. She says most of the prior studies had not really evaluated diet soda drinkers' overall patterns of eating. KIYAH DUFFEY: We really did think that it was an oversight. AUBREY: She wanted to know if a healthy eater who has a diet soda habit would end up better off than a person with a bad diet and a diet soda habit. DUFFEY: You can imagine two different kinds of people – one who orders a Big Mac and a large fry and an apple pie and a Diet Coke; and someone else, who eats a grilled chicken salad and an apple and a Diet Coke. AUBREY: To unravel the differences, Duffey and her colleagues studied data collected over 20 years from about 4,000 adults who had completed in-depth food frequency questionnaires, which detailed how often, and in what amounts, they'd eaten a hundred different kinds of foods. DUFFEY: So it will ask something like, how often in the last 30 days did you drink low-fat milk? And then it would go on to ask about potatoes, fruit. AUBREY: And, of course, it asked about soda and diet sodas. Duffey explains when she compared people who were eating what she calls a prudent diet - high in fruits and vegetable and low-fat diary - with people who were eating a standard Western diet - heavy on fried foods, fat and sugar - she found that there were very substantial differences. The prudent eaters were significantly less likely to develop the risk factors of metabolic disorder, even if they did drink diet soda. DUFFEY: This kind of helps to make things a little bit more clear – that it's not necessarily the diet beverage that is the problem. AUBREY: Duffey says the take-home message here is that people should pay attention to their overall diet. DUFFEY: So what this suggests is that it's really the dietary pattern that's driving the association with health, and not the diet-beverage consumption. AUBREY: Duffey says an important point to note is that the absolute healthiest people in her study were those who drank no diet soda, and had a prudent diet. Allison Aubrey, NPR News.
Contact us about this object The Watlington hoard was discovered on private land by metal-detectorist James Mather in 2015. Comprising about 200 coins (some of them fragmentary), 7 items of jewellery and 15 ingots (bars of silver), the find is not particularly large, but it is hugely significant because it contains so many coins of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex (r. 871–899) and his less well known contemporary, Ceolwulf II of Mercia (r. 874–c. 879). The hoard contains 13 examples of the rare ‘Two Emperors’ penny that shows Alfred and Ceolwulf seated side by side below a winged figure of Victory or an angel. The image on the coins suggests an alliance between the kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia. This challenges the accounts found in written sources which dismiss Ceolwulf as a puppet of the Vikings. Ceolwulf II, the last king of Mercia, quietly disappeared from the historical record in uncertain circumstances and Alfred and his successors then forged a new kingdom of England by taking control of Mercia, before conquering the regions controlled by the Vikings. The hoard can be dated by the presence of a single ‘Two-Line’ type penny which was not produced until the late 870s, after the Battle of Edington (May 878) between Alfred’s forces and a Viking army. Viking forces moved both by water and land, and they likely used the ancient trackway known as Icknield Street which passes through Watlington, close to where the hoard was found. It is possible that the hoard was buried in the wake of this violence or during the ensuing movement of peoples. Thanks to pivotal grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund, The Art Fund, the Ashmolean Friends and Patrons, and several individuals the Ashmolean was able to save the hoard for the nation in 2016. Material and technique Dimensions45.6 x 10 mm (length x width) 19.9 g (weight) No. of items Bar-shaped silver ingot of oval section. In: Naylor, John, Standley, Eleanor R., The Watlington Hoard (Oxford: Archaeopress, 2020) Naylor, John, Standley, Eleanor R., The Watlington Hoard (Oxford: Archaeopress, 2020)
The Encyclopedia features over 1,700 biographies, 300 thematic essays, and 1,400 photographs and illustrations on a wide range of Jewish women through the centuries -- from Gertrude Berg to Gertrude Stein; Hannah Greenebaum Solomon to Hannah Arendt; the Biblical Ruth to Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Sorry, no pages match your query. If you searched using multiple topics, please try again using fewer search terms. How to cite this page Jewish Women's Archive. "Encyclopedia." (Viewed on May 1, 2016) <http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/toc/M>.
by Julie Snyder Your baby's moving around now. Once kids start crawling, walking and running, they're more likely to get hurt. Most of these injuries aren't serious, but a fall or other accident might result in bleeding. "My 22-month-old daughter had never had more than a scrape or bruise until yesterday. She fell and her top tooth went through her bottom lip. The amount of blood that was pouring out scared me," Leanne says. If something like this happens, what should you do? What to do when your baby is bleeding Any time a blood vessel breaks, bleeding occurs. Sometimes it's just a drip; other times it can be quite dramatic and frightening, spurting or pouring out, even when the injury isn't life-threatening. Apply firm pressure directly to the wound. This action almost always stops the bleeding. When you slow the flow of blood, it allows time for a clot to form and the healing process to begin. Stop the bleeding For severe bleeding call 911 or your country's emergency response number. Act quickly if your baby appears to be in shock or has lost consciousness. Raise the part of the body that's bleeding to reduce the blood flow to that area. ✓ Apply firm pressure to the cut with a cloth, bandage or your fingers. Hold into place for five to ten minutes. ✓ If blood soaks through the bandage, place a clean on over the soaked one and continue to hold pressure ✓ Don't take the bandage off to look. Releasing the pressure can loosen the clot and start the bleeding again. Do not use a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. It can cause permanent damage to an arm or limb. If you're not able to control the bleeding with direct pressure, call 911. Tend the wound Once the bleeding stops, you can clean and bandage the wound. ✓ Gently wash the cut with water and pat dry ✓ Bandage the wound (antibiotic ointment may be used) ✓ Change the bandage daily ✓ Watch for signs of infection If there's an object in the wound ✓ If possible, swab or wash small object out of the wound ✓ Leave a large embedded object in place ✓ Apply firm pressure on either side of the object. If bleeding doesn't stop, call 911. ✓ Lay your child down ✓ If the bleeding stops, gently cover the wound and object with a sterile dressing ✓ Build up the padding around the wound until it is higher than the object ✓ Bandage without pressing on the object ✓ Take your child to the hospital Caring for the scar The scar continues to heal and change for over a year. Apply sunscreen or cover the wound with sun-blocking clothing. The pigment in the skin may change if you expose the scar to direct sunlight, making it more obvious. When to call the doctor If you baby has any of these symptoms, contact your doctor. • Bleeding doesn't stop after applying direct pressure for 10 minutes • It is a deep puncture wound • The wound is on the hands, face, neck or genitals • An animal or person bit your baby • The wounds shows signs of infections such as redness, drainage, increased swelling, worse pain or your baby develops a fever Have you had a scare when your baby fell or got a cut? Were you able to stop the bleeding at home? Photo courtesy of iStockphoto.
SLAVERY AS CONSERVED BY WAR Published: October 17, 1862 -- A recent Richmond paper, in speaking of the devastation caused to the State of Virginia by the invasion of the National armies, declares that 30,000 slaves have been lost to their owners. In the States of Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas and Missouri, so many have not been lost, but probably hall the number. In South Carolina, Georgia and Louisiana, we may safely assume that half as many more have been released from bondage. These calculations give a grand total of 60,000 slaves wholly lost to Southern masters by reason of the war. These slaves, at a valuation of $300 each, represent a wealth of thirty millions of dollars. But during all the time when these losses were occurring, our Government was not making emancipation a specialty, but quite the reverse. Gen. HALLECK's order kept slaves in the West wholly out of our lines, and in the East the policy of our Generals was sufficiently dubious to render the Union camps a doubtful place of refuge to the fleeing contraband. But, if thirty million dollars' worth of slaves were lost, in one year, under a conservative system of war, what may we expect when the President's new policy is fairly at work? The rebels say they will fight till they "get their rights," and among these rights at present is property in slaves. If they are pleased with the auspicious prospects of the war. as it affects their property as well as independence, then we conclude that so complacent a people never before risked their lives and property on the wager of battle.
[ ih-jek-tiv ] / ɪˈdʒɛk tɪv / serving to eject. Phonetics. (of a voiceless stop, affricate, or fricative) produced with air compressed above the closed glottis. Phonetics. an ejective stop, affricate, or fricative. Related formse·jec·tive·ly, adverbnon·e·jec·tive, adjectiveun·e·jec·tive, adjective Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019 Examples from the Web for ejective It applies with equal felicity to things and persons, to the objective and to the ejective realm.The Meaning of Truth\|William James British Dictionary definitions for ejective / (ɪˈdʒɛktɪv) / relating to or causing ejection phonetics (of a plosive or fricative consonant, as in some African languages) pronounced with a glottal stop phonetics an ejective consonant Derived Formsejectively, adverb Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Fisherman, at rest. We are witness to a great turning, from an era that saw nature to be feared and controlled to a new vision where we understand nature as someone with whom we have profound kinship and connection. The old view has been around for a long time. It has shaped the attitudes and policies of today’s so-called “bear management .” But now, along with global change and the state of the world, the bubble of bear management has burst and the truth is revealed. And that truth is: Bears are not aggressive. Bears are not a problem. There is no bear-human conflict. The only conflict comes from practices and perceptions that don’t conform to science and the reality about bears. Today’s bear management is not based on science, or rather, it is based on the selective use of science. When science is looked at in its entirety - and we are talking about standing, widely accepted theory and data - it mirrors my personal experience over the past 50 years. Bears are social and friendly. John Muir knew this a century ago. He lived in grizzly country for forty years without a gun and had no fear of bears. Here is what he wrote about his first encounter with California Bears: In my first interview with a Sierra bear we were frightened and embarrassed, both of us, but the bear's behavior was better than mine. When I discovered him, he was standing in a narrow strip of meadow, and I was concealed behind a tree on the side of it. After studying his appearance as he stood at rest, I rushed toward him to frighten him, that I might study his gait in running. But, contrary to all I had heard about the shyness of bears, he did not run at all; and when I stopped short within a few steps of him, as he held his ground in a fighting attitude, my mistake was monstrously plain: I was then put on my good behavior, and never afterward forgot the right manners of the wilderness. Muir’s experience, and science, disprove a second myth. Contrary to conventional bear management, grizzlies are not aggressive to humans unless seriously provoked or, as sadly is the case today, they have been made to feel and do so because of what has been done to them. Management methods such as translocation, darting, noise, rubber bullets, and killing have changed bears, making them fearful and defensive. Research practices and attitudes add to the problem as illustrated by a recent tragedy. Outside Yellowstone, a grizzly, waking up confused, drugged, and terrified after being darted and collared by researchers, killed a passing hiker. Shortly thereafter, he was killed himself. This story relates to another scientific discovery. Bears experience post-traumatic stress – like soldiers in war. Bears have learned fear and suspicion. They are under siege from humans. Grizzlies are denied access and excluded from the majority of their natural habitat and hunted to the point of near extinction. The same thing is happening around the world with other wildlife as in the case of Africa where post-traumatic stress is now epidemic among elephants. Humans, in particular the people who are in charge of making laws and implementing them, are driving wildlife to madness and violence. Given what bears have had to endure for centuries, it is remarkable that there are not more incidents. This speaks to the intrinsic respect and restraint of bears. Charlie Russell with friends, in Kamchatka. Park and public policy and practices must conform to this science. We are fortunate to be alive to speak this truth and change how bears are perceived and treated. Humans and bears have lived peacefully side-by-side for millennia. We have the science and sense to do so again. But we have to start now. The transition may be difficult. The trauma and suffering that bears have experienced have taken its toll. Human aggression has left scars. It is our job to re-learn and apply John Muir’s “right manners of the wilderness” – not only restore bear lands but bear minds and souls so that they can learn to trust us again. G.A. Bradshaw & Charlie Russell
Exploring Culture brings Geert Hofstede's five dimensions of national culture to life. Exploring Culture is suitable for students, trainers, coaches and educators. It can be used for individual study or as a text, and it serves as an excellent partner to Geert Hofstede's popular Cultures and Organizations. - Limba : Engleza - Data Publicarii : 24 Sep 2002 - Format : Paperback - Numar pagini : 256 - ISBN : 9781877864902
The Dolgans always revered having many children for happiness, childlessness, on the contrary, was considered a great misfortune, and for the most part the man was blamed for this. As the birth approached, the shaman was asked to conduct a special ceremony – kamlat’, and a separate pole or sledge tent was installed for the woman in labor. Before going to the special tent, the woman in labor said goodbye to everyone verbally, without holding out her hands. The woman gave birth, standing, holding on to a pole, tied horizontally at one end to the pole of the tent frame, the other to a pillar set in the middle of the tent. The only food product for Dolgan children is mother's milk. Children are breastfed for up to four to five years. With the appearance of the first child, the parents were called as a sign of special respect "the father or mother of someone". The Dolgans treated all children, regardless of gender, very kindly. Children were punished very rarely. They tried to protect the child until adulthood by all kinds of means. It was forbidden to lean on the child's head, fearing that he would stop growing, it was forbidden to raise the child above his head, considering it a sin. Childhood (according to the Dolgans) ends early. 8-9 year old children are considered adults, have their own deer. Girls at the age of 10-12 help with the housework, prepare food and make clothes their parents. Dolgan children have always treated their parents with great respect; the teenagers came up to them for blessing every day after morning and evening prayers. If children refused to help elderly parents, which was rare, the court of elders ordered them to do so. It was customary to marry children (or give in marriage) by seniority, so that, by separating the older children, thereby remove them from the right of inheritance. Then, after the death of their father, they will not prevent the younger brothers from receiving their inheritance. Dolgans get married early. Marriages among relatives among Dolgans were usually allowed only in the fourth generation on the maternal or paternal side. Marriages between adoptive brothers and sisters were prohibited, since the sibling and adoptive father were considered relatives. A young man sends a woman (suorumju) to a girl he likes. The matchmaker must necessarily be an elderly and respected person, lively in words, patient. There were few such matchmakers, they were known in every way. Upon obtaining consent, business negotiations began regarding the kalym. On the day of wedding, tents of the fiancé’s and the bride's fathers were set near to each other. At each tent, from 1 to 5 deer were killed to treat the assembled guests. Husband and wife say to each other "E, duo" ("Hey, friend"). Dolgans get divorced very rarely.
This article was written by Audrey Baker (Cornell BS ’09, MPA ’15), Cornell MPH Program’s Assessment and Evaluation Specialist, and Educator with the Food Systems for Health Concentration. Audrey worked as a School Garden Coordinator and a Farm to School Coordinator before joining the MPH Program. As we pointed out in the One Health blog about Farm to School back in November 2016, Farm to school programs have rapidly been gaining popularity as public health nutrition interventions in the United States. These programs provide fresh, whole food choices for cafeterias, classroom snacks, before- and after-school programs, early childhood centers, and summer meal sites. There are clear benefits to providing healthy, nutritious food options to students in schools, where many students eat between 35-50 percent of their daily calories. Childhood obesity and correlating chronic disease outcomes, representing the U.S. medical industry’s most costly public health concerns, can be mitigated by improving food and nutrition security among our nation’s youth and families. In Fall of 2018, the Cornell MPH Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, Headwater Food Hub, and all nine (9) School Food Authorities in Tompkins County, including 32 schools, joined forces to submit a proposal to the New York State Farm-to-School Grant program for $92,829 over two (2) years. Then, on December 19, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced $1.5 million in awards to support Farm-to-School programs across New York State, including the Tompkins County Farm to School Project. The nine (9) School Food Authorities supported by the grant in Tompkins are Ithaca, Groton, Newfield, Trumansburg, Lansing, New Roots, TST BOCES, and George Junior Republic. First-grade students at Belle Sherman Elementary School in Ithaca, NY make lettuce veggie wraps with the Fresh Snack Program to learn about Rainbow Nutrition. In Tompkins County, the funding will support coordination of a local buying strategy to connect over 100 NYS farms with the 32 schools and 11,174 students in Tompkins County. In addition, with support from the Park Foundation, the grant will support training of food service workers in the preparation and effective use of local produce, as well and building upon existing efforts to raise student awareness of and consumption of local foods in schools through field trips, school gardens, and classroom based nutrition education. Over 600 students visit the Youth Farm Project in Danby, NY each year to learn about farming, nutrient cycles, and food justice. Farm-to-School programs are a key component of the Governor’s recent No Student Goes Hungry Initiative, which also provides funding to high poverty schools to support “Breakfast After the Bell” in an effort to address food insecurity in New York State schools. Breakfast After the Bell improves access to and participation in school breakfast by alleviating barriers such as tight morning schedules and stigmas around poverty. The poverty rate among households with children under 18 is 26.3% in Ithaca, 16.1% in Newfield and 15.7% in Groton, according to the U.S. Census 2012-2016. Feeding America reported 14,060 residents in Tompkins County were food insecure in 2016, 2,740 of whom were children under the age of 18. Nearly half of Groton students and 70% of Newfield students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals, and have access to free breakfast and lunch every day. Of the 11,175 students in Tompkins County, 4,951 are eligible for free or reduced-price meals (44%). Ithaca is the largest district in the county, with 5,216 students, of which 38% are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Two (2) Ithaca schools, BJM and Enfield elementary schools, have greater than 75% eligibility and, as of 2018-2019, offer universal school breakfasts. Three (3) MPH students have worked with Cornell Cooperative Extension this past year to help roll out Universal Free Breakfasts at BJM and Enfield, including development of an evaluation plan for monitoring and measuring successes. Students make fresh salads during Wellness Night at Enfield Elementary school, where over 75% of students qualify for free or reduced meals. The MPH Program’s main role in the Tompkins County Farm to School Project is also monitoring and evaluation. Faculty and students will work with partners to create and implement a framework for measuring Farm-to-School activities across Tompkins County, beginning with benchmarking existing procurement and student awareness indicators. Audrey Baker, Evaluation and Assessment Specialist with the MPH Program and educator with the Food Systems and Health Concentration, has been working with Tompkins County school food and Farm-to-School projects in Tompkins County since 2009. This project will appreciably benefit students in Tompkins County. According to the National Farm to School Network, exposure to local foods and nutrition education can increase children’s willingness to try new fruits and vegetables, which can lead to improvements in diet quality, behavior, and educational performance. Regional farmers will also experience notable benefits. This project is expected to move an additional 110,371 annual pounds of NYS produce into school meals and upwards of $100,720 more school food dollars spent on NYS produce each year, according to Silas Conroy, Supply Chain Director for Headwater Food Hub. In the long term, the Project aims to contribute to improved student health and learning outcomes, build lasting institutional markets in Tompkins County for NYS farmers, support capacity growth for local food procurement, preparation and promotion with food service workers, increase school food budgets, and ensure continuous quality improvement for Farm-to-School activities and school food in the region for years to come.
The Encyclopedia features over 1,700 biographies, 300 thematic essays, and 1,400 photographs and illustrations on a wide range of Jewish women through the centuries -- from Gertrude Berg to Gertrude Stein; Hannah Greenebaum Solomon to Hannah Arendt; the Biblical Ruth to Ruth Bader Ginsburg. An energetic champion of contemporary music, Marion Eugénie Bauer’s work as a writer, teacher, and music advocate augments—perhaps even overshadows—her importance as a composer. Like many women composers of her generation, she focused her initial compositional activity on songs and piano solos. On May 18, 1942, two anti-Nazi Communist groups set fire to the anti-Soviet exhibit, Das Sowjetparadies (The Soviet Paradise), which was held in the Lustgarten in Berlin. The larger, leading group of the two, almost entirely Jewish in its composition and led by Herbert Baum, was known as the Baum Gruppe. Baum frequently depicted powerful, self-reliant women caught up in the social and economic turbulence of twentieth-century Europe and America. Dutch-born Sarah Bavly was a pioneer nutritionist in the Yishuv who laid the groundwork for Israel's nutritional infrastructure and educational programming, directing Hadassah's hospital nutrition departments and school lunch programs, and establishing the State's first College of Nutrition. Nora Bayes was an international singing star in vaudeville and musical comedy during the first twenty-five years of the twentieth century. Known as a willful and temperamental star, Bayes relied on her own charisma and popularity as she resisted managerial control and ignored the details of legal contracts. Evelyn Torton Beck is Professor Emerita of women’s studies as well as an affiliate faculty member in the Jewish studies and comparative literature programs at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP). She is a scholar, a teacher, a feminist, and an outspoken Jew and lesbian on campus. With her energy and drive, the state flagship campus has become a more welcome place for Jewish, female, and homosexual students, faculty, and staff. Rachel Sassoon Beer was the first woman to edit a national newspaper when she simultaneously owned and edited both The Observer and The Sunday Times in England in the 1890s. In 1936, Jeanne Behrend, renowned pianist, music educator, and composer, received the Joseph Bearns Prize from Columbia University for her piano suite A Child’s Day, and for her song cycle on poems by Sara Teasdale. Behrend debuted at Carnegie Hall in 1937, performing one of her own compositions. She continued throughout her life to appear as a soloist with major orchestras. Although Behrend wrote many works for piano, voice, orchestra, and chamber ensemble, her creative efforts received little of the recognition she had hoped for, and she stopped composing in the 1940s. Behrens’s stories are like journeys through interiors. Her Jewish stories, Salomo und die anderen—Jüdische Geschichten (Salomo and the Others—Jewish Stories, 1993), are about survivors of the Holocaust. In scenes of great disquiet and illuminated precision she delineates the well-observed social situation in present-day Germany. Israel Supreme Court Justice Dorit Beinisch has based many of her decisions, including those regarding parental corporal punishment, sexual harassment, and military reform, on her commitment to upholding Israel's basic laws on human dignity and liberty. From her arrival in Palestine in 1886, midwife Olga Belkind-Henkin—who never had children of her own—delivered babies, while helping her husband to purchase land for Jews who wish to settle the Land of Israel. The New York Times described Dorothy Jacobs Bellanca as one of America’s foremost women labor leaders. An outstanding union organizer and a captivating speaker, she was born in Zemel, Latvia, on August 10, 1894. Unless they worked on the English-speaking stage, Yiddish actors were largely unnoticed by critics and the general media. Thus very little is known about the life of many of these wonderful artists who appeared before adoring audiences on the Lower East Side, Brooklyn, or the Bronx. Such is the case with Bella Bellarina, an actor who made her mark with the famous Vilna Troupe, a company dedicated to serious drama and avant-garde staging techniques. R. Joseph Hayyim ben Elijah al-Hakam was a well-known Torah scholar and preacher who wrote many halakhic, Kabbalistic and homiletical books, but never held any public position. Ruth Ben Israel, an expert in labor law, social equality, social security and the status of women, received the Israel Prize for legal research in 2001, becoming the third member of her family to win this distinguished award, alongside her brother, Professor Yuval Ne’eman (b. 1925, Israel Prize 1969) and her cousin, Professor Hayyim Harari (b. 1940, Israel Prize 1989). Netiva Ben Yehuda is unique among the writers of her generation not only by virtue of her late entry onto the Israeli writing scene (1981), but also because of her lifelong devotion to the cause of spoken Hebrew. Born in Brzezin, Poland, on May 16, 1926, Hadassa Ben-Itto was the daughter of David Lipmanowicz (1904–1994), a building contractor, and Dvora (née Broder, 1906–1988), a homemaker, both of whom had also been born in Brzezin. Her father received a Jewish education at heder and yeshiva, while her mother had attended elementary school. They married in 1924 and immigrated to Palestine in 1935, where a second daughter, Nira (Kfir), was born in 1937. Yehudit Ben-Natan was born in Romania in 1950 and came to Israel ten years later. During her military service she served first as the officer of the welfare division of the Israel Air Force Northern Command (1976–1979), then as the Women’s Corps officer of field units (1985–1988). She went on to be the commander of Training Base 12 (1989–1991) and was then appointed OC Women’s Corps. The first woman to be appointed a Justice in Israel’s Supreme Court, Miriam Ben-Porat was born on April 26, 1918, in Vitebsk (Belorussia). For more than fifty years Hemdah Ben-Yehuda, a journalist and author, was involved with and supervised the publication of her husband Eliezer Ben-Yehuda’s great work, an historical dictionary of Hebrew (The Complete Dictionary of Ancient and Modern Hebrew, vol. 1: 1908; vol. 17: 1958). Born in Russia in 1909, Mina Rogozik arrived in Palestine together with her family in 1921. She studied at the Reali High School in Haifa and at New York University and joined the Haganah in 1933. In 1942, she was among the first sixty-six women to enlist in the ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service) and served in Egypt as the commander (with the rank of captain) of a company comprising both Palestinian and British women. Rose I. Bender’s lifelong dedication to and support of a Jewish homeland began at an early age. She was taught the finest Talmudic traditions by her parents and was inspired by their love of Zion to become a guiding light for American Zionism and a Philadelphia Jewish community leader. Of the three Jewish communities in India—the Bene Israel, the Cochin Jews, and the Iraqis or Baghdadis—that of the Bene Israel of Maharashtra in western India was by far the largest. Numbering perhaps twenty thousand at its peak in the early 1950s, the majority of the Bene Israel have since left their homeland—most going to Israel—so that only about five thousand remain in India. Therese Benedek was among the pioneers of psychoanalysis, first in Germany and then in the United States. She developed expertise in psychosomatic medicine, sexual dysfunction, and family dynamics, but she is best known for her work on the psychosexual development of women. How to cite this page Jewish Women's Archive. "Encyclopedia." (Viewed on May 1, 2016) <http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/toc/all/N>.
Over millions of years, the play of the earth's tectonic plates pushed up a series of mountain ranges in the Mediterranean along the geological frontier between Europe and Africa. Stretching from the Iberian peninsula in the west to the ranges of southeastern Europe in the east, they eventually link up with the mountain chains of Asia Minor and central Asia. To their north, the great Eurasian lowlands extend with scarcely a break from Calais to the Urals. There rainfall is abundant, arable land is plentiful and numerous navigable rivers connect the interior with the sea. To the south, it is a different story: good farming land becomes scarcer, the ground is more broken and rainfall less frequent. Unlike the mountain chains guarding the necks of the Iberian and Italian peninsulas, the Balkan ranges offer no barrier against invasion, leaving the region open to easy access and attack from north and east. On the other hand, their irregular formation hinders movement between one valley and the next. Communication is often easier with areas outside the peninsula than between its component parts, so that Dubrovnik, for instance, has had closer ties for much of its history with Venice than with Belgrade. In this way, mountains have made commerce within the region more expensive and complicated the process of political unification. The effect of mountains is felt everywhere from the skies to the sea. Rain shadows deprive much of the peninsula of the moisture found in Europe's continental climatic zone. Kolaßin in Montenegro has an average annual rainfall of 104 inches, while a little way east, Skopje in Macedonia has only 18 inches per year. A tiny coastal strip running down the Dalmatian coast to western Greece enjoys sufficient rain to soften the impact of the harsh Mediterranean summers. On Corfu the vegetation is luxuriant; the Cyclades, by contrast, are parched and dry. The former is able to support itself, the latter--as wartime starvation revealed--relies on food imports to keep going. In general, the annual precipitation east of the mountains is at least 10 to 20 inches less than farther west, leading to recurrent droughts even in the fertile plains. "A dreary arid sandy level" was how the Vardar valley presented itself to an intrepid Englishwoman crossing it in the mid-nineteenth century. "For many miles the country is entirely without trees." In the Mediterranean climatic zone, watercourses dry up during the summer, leaving rocky beds and canyons. The result is parched, broken upland with scarce water supplies--a harsh environment for human habitation that is suited chiefly to abstemious plants. "A curious feature in the mountains began to make itself painfully felt," noted Arthur Evans in 1875, walking across the Hercegovinan karst. "There was no water." He describes "a prospect of desolation. . . . In every direction rose low mountains, mere heaps of disintegrated limestone rock, bare of vegetation . . . aptly compared to a petrified glacier or a moonscape." Where summer rain permits, mountain forests and woodland--with beeches, oaks and sweet chestnuts--testify to perennial supplies of running water. Even so, the peninsula suffers drought more than anywhere else in Europe, except southern Spain and Malta, and deaths caused by water scarcity were reported from Montenegro as late as 1917. Not everywhere in the Balkans is as dry as this. In the Rhodope mountains, rivers flow throughout the year; the Albanian uplands remind travelers of Alpine meadows. Farther east, large parts of former Yugoslavia, Romania and northern Bulgaria enjoy something closer to a central European weather pattern. Long cool winters and heavy rains nourished the impenetrable Shumadija, which once covered much of lowland Serbia in dense oak forest. "Endless and endless now on either side the tall oaks closed over us," wrote Alexander Kinglake in Eothen, describing a ride toward Constantinople in 1834. "Through this our road was to last for more than a hundred miles." To the east, the Danube estuary shares climatic features with the southern steppes and the Black Sea, though it suffers from a lack of rainfall where the rain shadow of the Carpathians makes itself felt. Mountains make the contrast between Mediterranean and these northern and eastern weather zones a sudden one, as anyone who has climbed the road from Kotor on the Dalmatian coast to the old Montenegrin capital Cetinje will know. "The climate had suddenly changed," wrote a traveler after having traversed the Balkan mountains in Ottoman Bulgaria. "A warmer air surrounded us. The whole of European Turkey, from the southern declivities of the Haemus, lies in a delightful climate, which can display all the charms of the tropics as well as the vigor of the higher latitudes, without suffering their disagreeable effects." For this sun-deprived northerner, not even the plague was enough to overshadow his sense of warmth and well-being as he came closer to the Mediterranean. Rivers are generally crucial for prosperity because until modern times transportation was easier and cheaper by water than by land. Some historians explain the "European miracle" by the abundance of navigable waterways that connect coasts and the interior. But river systems that compare with the Rhine and Rhone in west Europe, or the Vistula-Dnieper trade route in east Europe, do not exist in the southeast of the continent. Balkan rivers, when more than winter torrents, descend too rapidly to be navigable, or else they meander idly in curves and loops away from the nearest coastline. Important rivers such as the Sava, the Vardar and the Aliákmon are thus of limited use for trade and communications. "Nothing can be more striking," wrote Henry Tozer in 1867 as he traveled south down the Vardar, "than the entire absence of towns along this great artery of internal communication. . . . The river itself is a fine sight when it flows in one stream, but . . . the work of making it navigable would now be a difficult one." Even the Danube has served the region less well than it might, blocked from the Mediterranean by the mountains and then heading north--in quite the wrong direction from the merchant's point of view--before reaching the Black Sea. Before the Second World War, the lower Danube iced over for four to five months of the year. And before the early nineteenth century, while fought over by the Russians and the Turks, it was scarcely used for commerce at all; trade caravans between the Balkans and central Europe went by road, while travelers and diplomats en route to the Ottoman capital frequently left the river halfway along its course and completed their journey overland instead.From the Hardcover edition. Excerpted from The Balkans by Mark Mazower. . Excerpted by permission of Modern Library, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Why do some animals build structures and others don’t? And how do animals decide where to build? Animal homes need to be safe and secure, protected from predators and the weather. An eagle’s nest can weigh up to one ton, a termite mound can stand eight feet tall, and some falcon nest sites have been around for centuries. Going above ground and under, NATURE investigates just what goes into making a home when you’re wild and cost is not a factor.
In 2017, 40% of 3-year-olds and 86% of 5-year-olds were enrolled in preprimary education. Are you trying to decide whether your child should join them? You may be asking yourself, why is early childhood education important? Is it worth it to send my child to school when they are still so young? In reality, there are many benefits of preschool, especially when it is done in a playful, engaging way. Kids that are allowed the freedom to experiment and explore in a safe setting will be getting a headstart on life. Not convinced? Check out these great benefits of early childhood education. Kids are curious. It's a natural part of growing up. Watch any toddler and you'll see them trying to get into anything and everything. Contrary to what their frazzled parents might think, they don't do it to misbehave. They do it because they want to understand how something works. By starting fun, interactive learning in early childhood, educators and parents can take advantage of this natural inclination and instill a lifelong love of learning. Children aren't born with a natural inclination to share or the ability to empathize with another person. Getting them around other kids at a young age, in a safe environment, gives them the chance to learn important social lessons early on. Shy children have a chance to come out of their shells. Bossy children begin to learn that not everyone wants to do things their way. Educators can help them learn these lessons in a safe, impactful way, helping them to become well-adjusted adults later on in life. Physical movement is important in the early years. Kids are naturally energetic and active. Educators can and should encourage physical activity, in a controlled environment. Games, time on the playground, playing pretend, and other activities are all ways that kids can be active. Though not doing formal exercise, this will help set a solid foundation for healthy exercise habits in the future. Plus, all that activity is helping their bodies to develop. Balance, strength, coordination, reflexes — all are important and are developed through physical activity. You've probably heard someone say that the brain of a small child is like a sponge. It's true! They absorb everything they experience and their brain is hard at work cataloging all the things they're learning and figuring out how to understand it. Learning a language is incredibly difficult, ask anyone who has done it as an adult. Yet kids have an even bigger task. They have to learn everything from scratch. Whereas an adult can learn the translation of the word “big”, kids have to figure out that “big” refers to the size of an object. It's a lot of work! The more exposure kids have to language, through examples, stories, games, and more, the faster they can understand it. In sum, preschool has mental, physical, social, and educational benefits. So, why is early childhood education important? Children who attend school early get a chance to learn and grow and stretch their capabilities. Looking for a fun, engaging preschool program? Contact us today for more information on our preschool-k program! Present learning standards require students to achieve a deeper outlook on citiz.. Teaching is considered as one of the most noble and respectful jobs in the world.. Today’s kids have more media options including TV, smartphones, Tablets and Co.. Money is a very important factor in our life that allows us to live comfortably… Preschoolers have extremely vulnerable and easily influenced minds. It's really .. Empathy is an ability to know the feelings or emotional states of other people. .. Each parent wants their child to get the best education possible. After reading .. You may think that your child is too young to step out into the world. However, .. Swimming is an important skill that every child should learn at a very young age.. Let’s find out about the founder of the Montessori method, Maria Montessori. B..
July 31, 2010 By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF Could the decades-long global impasse over abortion worldwide be overcome — by little white pills costing less than $1 each? That seems possible, for these pills are beginning to revolutionize abortion around the world, especially in poor countries. One result may be tens of thousands of women’s lives saved each year. Five-sixths of abortions take place in developing countries, where poor sterilization and training often make the procedure dangerous. Up to 70,000 women die a year from complications of abortions, according to the World Health Organization. But researchers are finding an alternative that is safe, cheap and very difficult for governments to restrict — misoprostol, a medication originally intended to prevent stomach ulcers. “I feel like people must have felt when they discovered the nuclear bomb,” says Dr. Beverly Winikoff, president of Gynuity Health Projects, a nonprofit research institution on reproductive health. “This technology is world-shaking.” This pharmaceutical approach is called “medical abortion.” In the United States and Europe it typically consists of two sets of “M” pills. The first is mifepristone, formerly known as RU-486, and then a day or two later the misoprostol. Using the drugs in combination produces a miscarriage more than 95 percent of the time in early pregnancy. But mifepristone is difficult to obtain in much of the world, because it is used only to induce abortions. In contrast, misoprostol is very widely available and can’t easily be banned because it is also used for ulcers and can save lives of women with postpartum hemorrhages. Whatever one thinks of misoprostol for abortions, it also is a potential lifesaver for women who hemorrhage after childbirth. Researchers are finding that if women take misoprostol alone, effectiveness drops to 80 to 85 percent. That may sound low, but it’s typically far better and safer than alternatives that women turn to, Dr. Winikoff noted. “Medical abortion represents a revolution in women’s reproductive health,” said Dana Hovig, the chief executive of Marie Stopes International, an aid group that provides women’s reproductive health services in 43 countries around the world. “It saves women’s lives and has enormous potential to increase access to safe abortion at minimal cost.” Medical abortion causes a miscarriage that is indistinguishable from a natural one. That’s important for women in countries where they risk arrest if they seek help in a hospital after a botched abortion. The risks to a woman seem no greater than with a natural miscarriage, and there’s no known harm to a woman who turns out not to have been pregnant after all. One serious downside is that misoprostol is suspected of causing birth defects, perhaps 1 percent of the time, but only if it fails and the pregnancy continues to term. In the United States, only about one abortion in eight is done with pills. Partly that’s because by law, mifepristone must be taken in a clinic. But worldwide, the number of medical abortions is surging, accounting for nearly 70 percent of all abortions in Scotland, according to Marie Stopes International. It’s not clear how late in pregnancy medical abortion is feasible. “It sounds like a simple question, but it’s not,” Dr. Winikoff said. In some form and strength, medical abortion seems to work “from Day 1 to the end of pregnancy,” she said — but the effectiveness and safety of later-stage abortions still need to be worked out. In the United States, the pills can be taken up to nine weeks’ gestation. In Britain, inpatient use of the pills is permitted up to 24 weeks. What do these pills mean for the political battles over abortion? To firm opponents of abortion, the means of ending a pregnancy doesn’t matter. But my hunch is that, for those in the middle, taking pills at home may seem a more natural process than a surgical abortion, and the result may be a tad more acceptance. In any case, it would be tough to carry out a ban on medical abortion. Indian companies are producing mifepristone and misoprostol in a big way, and blister packs with the combination of drugs can be purchased for less than $5 — and then shipped anywhere. In addition, misoprostol on its own can be found all over the world, from Internet sites to over-the-counter pharmacies in Delhi. In India, misoprostol costs just pennies per pill. Misoprostol is likely to become even more widely available, because last year the World Health Organization expanded its uses as an “essential medicine” to include treatment of miscarriages and incomplete abortions. Brazil and some other countries have tried to tighten access to misoprostol because of its use for abortion. But curbing access to misoprostol would mean that more women would die of hemorrhages. As word spreads among women worldwide about what a few pills can do, it’s hard to see how politicians can stop this gynecological revolution. I invite you to comment on this column on my blog, On the Ground. Please also join me on Facebook, watch my YouTube videos and follow me on Twitter.