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A boom in the production of biofuel was under way in 2007, especially in the United States, where in January about 75 refineries for producing the biofuel ethanol from corn (maize) were being built or expanded. This construction, not including additional facilities on the drawing board, was expected to double existing capacity, and the demand for corn pushed its price so high that U.S. farmers planted more land to the crop than they had in a generation. Biofuel was perceived as a beneficial alternative to petroleum and other fossil fuels as the price of petroleum rose during the year to record levels and worldwide concern increased about how greenhouse-gas emissions from petroleum-derived fuels were contributing to climate change in the form of global warming. Despite its perceived economic and environmental benefits, however, many critics were expressing concerns about the scope of the expansion of certain biofuels because of their potential to create new problems. Biofuels are fuels that are derived from biomass—that is, plant material or animal waste. Since such materials can be replenished readily, biofuels are a renewable source of energy, unlike fossil fuels, such as petroleum, coal, and natural gas. Some long-exploited biofuels, such as wood, can be used directly as a raw material that is burned to produce heat. The heat, in turn, can be used to run generators in a power plant to produce electricity. A number of existing power facilities burn grass, wood, or other kinds of biomass. Liquid biofuels are of particular interest because of the vast infrastructure already in place to use them, especially for transportation. The liquid biofuel in greatest production is ethanol (an alcohol), which is made by fermenting starch or sugar. In the United States—the leading producer—ethanol biofuel is made primarily from corn grain, and it typically is blended with gasoline to produce a fuel that is 10% ethanol. In Brazil, which had been the leading producer until 2006, ethanol biofuel is made primarily from sugarcane, and it is commonly used as 100% ethanol fuel or in gasoline blends containing 85% ethanol. The second most common liquid biofuel is biodiesel, which is made primarily from oily plants (such as the soybean or oil palm) and to a lesser extent from other sources (such as cooking waste from restaurants). Biodiesel, which has found greatest acceptance in Europe, is used in diesel engines, usually blended with petroleum diesel in various percentages. Other biofuels include methane gas, which can be derived from the decomposition of biomass in the absence of oxygen, and methanol, butanol, and dimethyl ether, which are in development. Much focus is on the development of methods to produce ethanol from biomass that has a high content of cellulose. This cellulosic ethanol could be produced from abundant low-value material, including wood chips, grasses, crop residues, and municipal waste. The mix of commercially used biofuels will undoubtedly shift as these fuels are developed, but the range of possibilities presently known could furnish power for transportation, heating, cooling, and electricity. In evaluating the economic benefits of biofuels, the energy required for producing them has to be taken into account. For example, in growing corn to produce ethanol, fossil fuels are consumed in farming equipment, in fertilizer manufacturing, in corn transportation, and in ethanol distillation. In this respect ethanol made from corn represents a relatively small energy gain; the energy gain from sugarcane is greater and that from cellulosic ethanol could be even greater. Biofuels supply environmental benefits but, depending on their implementation, can also have serious drawbacks. As a renewable energy source, plant-based biofuels in principle make little net contribution to the greenhouse effect because the carbon dioxide (a major greenhouse gas) that enters the air during combustion will have been removed from the air earlier when the combustible material grew. Such a material is said to be carbon neutral. In practice, however, the industrial production of agricultural biofuels can result in additional emissions of greenhouse gases that can offset the benefits of using a renewable fuel. These emissions include carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels to produce the biofuel and nitrous oxide from soil that has been treated with nitrogen fertilizer. In this regard, cellulosic biomass is considered to be more beneficial. Land use is also a major factor in evaluating the benefits of biofuels. Corn and soybeans are important foods, and their use in producing fuel can therefore affect the economics of food price and availability. In 2007 about one-fifth of U.S. corn output was to be used for biofuel, and one study showed that even if all U.S. corn land was used to produce ethanol, it could replace just 12% of gasoline consumption. Crops grown for biofuel can also compete for the world’s natural habitats. For example, emphasis on ethanol derived from corn is shifting grasslands and brushlands to corn monocultures, and emphasis on biodiesel is bringing down ancient tropical forests to make way for palm plantations. Loss of natural habitat can change hydrology, increase erosion, and generally reduce biodiversity and wildlife areas. The clearing of land can also result in the sudden release of a large amount of carbon dioxide as the plant matter it contained decays. Some of the disadvantages apply mainly to low-diversity biofuel sources—corn, soybeans, sugarcane, oil palms—which are traditional agricultural crops. An alternative recently proposed would use high-diversity mixtures of species, with the North American tall-grass prairie as a specific example. Converting degraded agricultural land presently out of production to such high-diversity biofuels could increase wildlife area, reduce erosion, cleanse waterborne pollutants, store carbon dioxide from the air as carbon compounds in the soil, and ultimately restore fertility to degraded lands. Such biofuels could be burned directly to generate electricity or converted to liquid fuels as technologies develop. The proper way to grow biofuels to serve all needs simultaneously will continue to be a matter of much experimentation and debate, but the fast growth in biofuel production will likely continue. In the European Union, for example, 5.75% of transport fuels are to be biofuels by 2010, with 10% of its vehicles to run exclusively on biofuels by 2020. In December 2007, U.S. Pres. George W. Bush signed into law the Energy Independence and Security Act, which mandated the use of 136 billion litres (36 billion gal) of biofuels annually by 2020, more than a sixfold increase over 2006 production levels. The legislation required, with certain stipulations, that 79 billion litres (21 billion gal) of the amount be biofuels other than corn-derived ethanol. In addition, the law continued government subsidies and tax incentives for biofuel production. Some observers hoped that the law would encourage the commercialization of technology for producing cellulosic ethanol, for which there were a number of pilot plants in the United States. In March the U.S. Department of Energy announced that it would be investing as much as $385 million in six refineries for cellulosic ethanol. The distinctive promise of biofuels not shared by other forms of renewable energy, such as solar power, is that in combination with an emerging technology called carbon capture and storage, biofuels are capable of perpetually removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Under this vision, biofuels would remove carbon dioxide from the air as they grew, energy facilities would capture that carbon dioxide when the biofuels were later burned for power, and then the captured carbon dioxide would be sequestered (stored) in long-term repositories such as geologic formations beneath the land, in sediments of the deep ocean, or conceivably as solids such as carbonates. With proper planning, therefore, biofuels have the potential to help create the conditions necessary for a sustainable world.
By Robert G. Segel The first great conflict of the twentieth century (1914-1918) was known by several names: The Great War, The War To End All Wars and ultimately as World War I. When Great Britain declared war on Germany in August 1914, Canada, as part of the British Empire, decided to commit an initial force of 25,000 men to serve overseas. A second force was developed in the fall of 1914. The 1st Canadian Division was formed from those men in the original force in January 1915 and was shipped to France to fight the following month. The Canadian Corps were formed in September 1915 using elements from the 1st and 2nd Canadian Divisions as well as the Canadian Cavalry Brigade. The Canadian Machine Gun Corps was formed at that time and was patterned after the British Machine Gun Corps. The Canadian army, called the Canadian Expeditionary Force (C.E.F.), eventually grew to a total of over 600,000 of which about 425,000 served overseas. Of special historical note was the creation of the Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigades. The idea of an armored automobile combined with a machine gun was the brainchild of Raymond Brutinel, a former Captain in the French Army Reserve, who immigrated to Canada from France before World War I and became independently wealthy from his business dealings in Canada. Brutinel, along with a prominent lawyer friend by the name of Clifford Sifton, convinced the Minister of Militia that this was a viable consideration and that this Brigade could be established with the use of private funding. (Private funding of units by individuals or companies was a common practice of the time.) With the Minister of Militia’s blessing Brutinel went to the Colt factory in Connecticut and ordered 24 Colt Model 1895 Automatic Guns since the British Vickers were not yet available to the Canadians at that time. He then traveled to Pennsylvania to the Auto Car Company and bought some vans and from there went to the Bethlehem Steel Company to purchase boiler plate 9.5mm thick to be used as armor plate. Brutinel then returned to Canada to design the bodies that would be fitted to the truck’s chassis. The Colt Model 1895’s were mounted on a pedestal so that it could fire over the sides of the armor plate. This first armored car weighed in at 3 tons, had a maximum speed of 25mph and had a crew of eight. It was the world’s first armored vehicle. Later refinements in armor and vehicle choice further enhanced its operational capabilities. The Automobile Machine Gun Brigade, C.E.F. was mobilized on September 15, 1914 and consisted of the 1st and 2nd Sifton Batteries. The brigade was under the command of now Major Brutinel and consisted of 10 officers and 124 other ranks and was equipped with 8 armored cars, 24 Colt machine guns, 8 trucks and 4 automobiles. The Automobile Machine Gun Brigade later became the 1st Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade. (It was disbanded on November 15, 1920.) Very shortly afterwards, three more batteries were raised, also by private funding. The batteries were called the Eaton Motor Machine Gun Brigade, Bordon Motor Machine Gun Brigade and Boyle’s Yukon Territory (YT) Motor Machine Gun Brigade. (Eaton’s is a department store chain in Canada that is still in business to this day.) The brigades went overseas but their mobile role initially went underutilized due to the static trench warfare that was prevalent at that time. It wasn’t until 1918 during the German breakthrough that the armored motorcar proved its mettle. Though Brutinel’s concept was for the armored cars to be in the forefront of an attack it was in a defensive role that it ultimately met its expectations of mobility and firepower. The Canadian Machine Gun Corps was modeled on the British Machine Gun Corps and their insignia was initially the same using the crossed Vickers under the King’s crown on their badges. However, they soon added a “Canada” banner beneath the guns as a point of national pride. However, at the beginning of the war, the Canadians did not have access to the British Vickers Mk I machine guns so they used the Colt Model 1895 Automatic Guns. Captain Herbert McBride, an American who went to Canada and fought with the 21st Battalion of the 2nd Canadian Division, wrote in his two classic books “A Rifleman Went to War” and “The Emma Gees” about his early use of the Colt Model 1985 and how reliable and accurate it was under combat conditions even to the extent of being able to snipe single shot with it due to its easy gait of 400 rounds per minute rate of fire. As the war wore on and British production got into full swing, the Canadians ultimately were able to replace the Colt with the Vickers Mk. I water-cooled machine gun. This is why some Canadian badges show the Vickers while others show the Colt. It is also interesting to note that the machine gun image on the Canadian M.G.C. badge, like the British M.G.C. badge, evolved beginning with the early British Maxim and then through to the Vickers Mk. I. The cap, collar and shoulder badges of the Canadian Machine Gun Corps and the Canadian Armored Batteries of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces provide us with a unique snapshot of a very brief period of history when bold men conceived new ideas in trying times that eventually developed into proven concepts and strategies. The whole idea of the tactical use of the machine gun and armored vehicles using machine guns as its primary armament was revolutionary and changed the face of warfare in the twentieth century. \|This article first appeared in Small Arms Review V2N8 (May 1999)\|
September 5, 2013 Global warming has increased risk of record heat, say Stanford scientists Researchers calculate that intense heat like that in the summer of 2012 is up to four times more likely to occur now than in pre-industrial America, when there was much less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. By Rob Jordan Dust rises from a Midwest cornfield during the drought of 2012. Extreme weather will become more common as the world's climate warms. (Photo: Danny Johnston / AP Photo) Drought shriveled crops in the Midwest, massive wildfires raged in the West and East Coast cities sweltered. The summer of 2012 was a season of epic proportions, especially July, the hottest month in the history of U.S. weather record keeping. And it's likely that we'll continue to see such calamitous weather. In the north-central and northeastern United States, extreme weather is more than four times as likely to occur than it was in the pre-industrial era, according to a new study by Noah Diffenbaugh, a Stanford associate professor of environmental Earth system science, and Martin Scherer, a research assistant in the department. Diffenbaugh and Scherer found strong evidence that the high levels of greenhouse gases now in the atmosphere have increased the likelihood of severe heat such as occurred in the United States in 2012. The researchers focused primarily on understanding the physical processes that created the hazardous weather. They looked at how rare those conditions were over the history of available weather records, going back over the last century. Then, using climate models, they quantified how the risk of such damaging weather has changed in the current climate of high greenhouse gas concentrations, as opposed to an era of significantly lower concentrations and no global warming. Their findings don't pinpoint global warming as the cause of particular extreme weather events, but they do reveal the increasing risk of such events as the world warms. "Going forward, if we want to understand and manage climate risks, it's more practically relevant to understand the likelihood of the hazard than to ask whether any particular disaster was caused by global warming," said Diffenbaugh, a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. In 2012 alone, the United States suffered 11 extreme weather events that each caused at least $1 billion in damage. "It's clear that our greenhouse gas emissions have increased the likelihood of some kinds of extremes, and it's clear that we're not optimally adapted to that new climate," Diffenbaugh said. While Diffenbaugh cautions against trying to determine whether global warming caused any individual extreme event, the observed global warming clearly appears to have affected the likelihood of record heat, according to Diffenbaugh and Scherer. The study, looking at the likelihood of July 2012 U.S. temperatures recurring, is part of a larger report edited by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and published Sept. 5 in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. The report includes studies of a dozen 2012 extreme weather events by research teams around the world, about half of which found some evidence that human-caused climate change contributed to an extreme weather event. Close study of extreme weather events can help quantify the likelihood that society will face conditions similar to those that occurred in the summer of 2012, thereby informing efforts to reduce vulnerability and increase resilience. Diffenbaugh argues that the new results can also help to quantify the true cost of emissions to society, since the cost of the disaster is measurable. "Knowing how much our emissions have changed the likelihood of this kind of severe heat event can help us to minimize the impacts of the next heat wave, and to determine the value of avoiding further changes in climate," Diffenbaugh said. Funding for this research was provided by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Rob Jordan is the communications writer for the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. For more Stanford experts on climate change and other topics, visit Stanford Experts.
All year, one of our inguiry groups has been working through a book about teaching kids to think. Making Thinking Visible Think of this as being different than teaching kids to find answers. Doing the math problem is finding an answer understanding what math problem to use is thinking. #deeperlearning is the trendy version of the idea. My Grandmothers less trendy motto was “use your head for something more than a hat rack!” Because the goal is more personalized learning; Learning that matches the student and the standard, rather than a lesson that matches the target, deep learning has very real value. Our kids now, will need to be able to ask smart questions, once they become real people. The will have to be able to change their minds, listen and debate and argue reasonably; and those are just the skills they will need after a day working on some high tech solution to the global crisis of their choosing. In a century where information is just a click away, the identity of smart changes from those that know a bunch of information to those that know a bunch of ways to use information. Deeper learning is: When we teach students to think about their own learning Where DOK becomes more than just a list of fancier words Why we all thought standardized tests where misguided How we break out of the old school idea of teach test repeat and into the new school idea of Socratic method.
NFC (Near Field Communication) technology is a wireless communication standard that enables the exchange of data between devices over short distances. It uses radio frequencies to establish a connection and enables two devices to communicatBloge with each other by bringing them close together, typically within a few centimeters. NFC technology is commonly used in mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, as well as in smartwatches, fitness trackers, and other wearables. It is also used in various other applications such as access control, contactless payments, and public transportation systems. One of the most popular applications of NFC technology is in mobile payments. With the rise of mobile wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Wallet, more and more people are using their smartphones to make payments. NFC technology allows users to simply tap their devices on a merchant’s terminal to complete a transaction. This is not only convenient, but it also enhances security by eliminating the need to physically hand over a credit card. Another application of NFC technology is in access control. NFC-enabled devices can be used to open doors, gates, or turnstiles. This is commonly used in offices, airports, and other public places. NFC tags, small chips that can be placed on a surface, can also be used to trigger actions on a device such as opening a website or sending a text message. NFC technology is also used in public transportation systems. Many transit systems around the world now use NFC-enabled contactless smart cards for fare payment. This eliminates the need to carry cash or purchase single-use tickets and allows for easier tracking of ridership. In conclusion, NFC technology is becoming increasingly common and relevant in today’s world. From mobile payments to access control and public transportation, NFC technology is making our lives more convenient and secure. As more and more devices become equipped with NFC technology, we can expect to see even more applications and uses for this powerful technology in the future.
Presentation on theme: "CA 714CA Midterm Review. C5 Cache Optimization Reduce miss penalty –Hardware and software Reduce miss rate –Hardware and software Reduce hit time –Hardware."— Presentation transcript: C5 Cache Optimization Reduce miss penalty –Hardware and software Reduce miss rate –Hardware and software Reduce hit time –Hardware Complete list of techniques in figure 5.26 on page 499 C5 AMAT Average memory access time = Hit time + miss rate * miss penalty + Useful in focusing on the memory performance –Not the over all system performance –Left out CPI base in the calculation C5 CPI CPI calculation used for over all system performance comparison, such as speedup of computer A to computer B CPI = CPI base + Penalty –CPI base is the CPI without the special case penalty. –Penalty is the penalty cycle per instruction C5 CPI Example CPI Calculation Example: CPI for two leveled cache. Assume unified L2 and separate instruction and data cache. CPI = CPI base +Penalty CPI base depends on the program and processor. Penalty = L1 miss penalty + L2 miss penalty L1 miss penalty = data L1 miss penalty + instruction miss penalty Data L1 miss penalty = data L1 access per instr * data L1 miss rate * data L1 miss penalty. Instruction miss penalty = instruction L1 access per instr * instruction L1 miss rate * instruction L1 miss penalty. L2 miss penalty = L2 access per instr * L2 miss rate * L2 miss penalty. L2 access per instr = instruction L1 access per instr * instruction L1 miss rate + data L1 access per instr * data L1 miss rate C5 Virtual Memory Easier to program in virtual memory Additional hardware needed to translate between the two OS is usually used to translate the two TLB is used to cached the translation result for faster translation. Cpu virtual address $ virtual/physical address Mem physical address TLB Virtual address Physical address C5 VM CPI calculation for memory with VM CPI = CPI base + Penalty Penalty = TLB miss penalty cycle per instruction = TLB miss per instruction * penalty cycle per TLB miss = TLB access per instruction * TLB miss rate * penalty cycle per TLB miss TLB access per instruction is for both data and instruction access. C7 Disk Average disk access time = average seek time + average rotational delay + transfer time + controller overhead Average rotational delay = time for platter to rotate half a cycle Transfer time = size of access / transfer speed Transfer speed = rotational speed * size of tracks –Assuming the bit are read off continuously as the disk head pass over it. C7 RAID Use small disks to build a large storage system –Smaller disks are mass produce and so cheaper –Large number of disks results high failure rate –Use redundancy to lower failure rate RAID 2: Mirror RAID 3: bit interleave RAID 4/5 : distributed bit interleaving C7 RAID Mean time to data loss MTTDL = MTTF 2 disk / (N(G-1)MTTR disk ) N = total number of disks in the system G = number of disks in the bit protected group MTTR = mean time to repair = mean time to detection + mean time to replacement 1/MTTF = 1/MTTF(component) All component C7 RAID MTTDL example RAID 2 system with 10 GB total capacity. Individual disk are 1 GB each with MTTF disk 1000000 hr. Assume MTTR of 1 hr Solution –G = 2 since each disk is mirrored. –N = 20, 10 for 10 GB of capacity 10 for mirroring – MTTDL = MTTF 2 disk / (N(G-1)MTTR disk ) = 1000000 2 / (20(2-1)1 disk ) C7 Queuing Theory Used to analyze system resource requirement and performance + more accurate than the simple extreme case study + less complicated than the full simulation study Results are based on exponential distribution modeling of the arrival rate C8 Class of connections ordered by decreasing distance, bandwidth, latency –Wan/internet –LAN –SAN –Bus C8 Total transfer time = sender overhead + Time of flight + message size/bandwidth + receiver overhead –Latency = sender overhead + Time of flight + receiver overhead –Hard to improve latency, easy to improve bandwidth Effect bandwidth = Message size / Total transfer time –Total transfer time is dominated by latency as bandwidth increases. –Need bigger message size to ameliorate the latency overhead C6 Multiprocessor Limit Amdahl’s Law –Speedup = 1/[(fraction enhanced/speedup) + fraction not enhanced] Fraction enhanced is limited by sequential portion of the program Communication overhead may limit speedup for the parallel portion. C6 scaling calculation for app Matrix multiplication. Take the squaring special case. AA –A is a square matrix with n elements. –P is the number of processors Computation scaling: A is n^.5 n^.5 matrix. Calculation complexity is then n^1.5 Diving between p processor gives (n^1.5)/p Communication scaling: Assume matrix A is tiled into square with side dimension n^.5/p^.5 elements needed are row and column this gives 2* [(n^.5/p^.5)(n^.5) - (n^.5/p^.5)] ~ n/p^.5 Computation to communication scaling n^.5/p^.5 C6 Type of multiprocessor SISD : single instruction single data –5 stage pipe lined risc processor SIMD: single instruction multiple data –Vector processor MISD: multiple instruction single data MIMD: multiple instruction multiple data –Super scalar, clustered machines, VLIW C6 dealing with parallelism Shared memory –Communication between processors are implicit Message passing –Explicit communication They are equivalent in term of functionality. Can build on from another
The Columbia tumbles 1,200 miles from the Canadian Rockies to the Pacific Ocean in Oregon. (Alptraum / Dreamstime.com) The Columbia is best known for its part in Lewis and Clark's 1805 expedition westward, for the gold rush of the 1860s, and for being such a formidable obstacle for pioneers on the Oregon Trail. (Ivashkova / Dreamstime.com) The heroic Rhine is the longest river in Germany, but it actually originates in Switzerland and flows through cities like Basel. (Kitano / Dreamstime.com) Castles line the banks of the Rhine. (Typhoonski / Dreamstime.com) The 220-mile-long Thames could probably claim to be the river that's had the most powerful impact on the world: The British Empire was explored and claimed by ships that sailed from it. (Jorgefelix / Dreamstime.com) Back in the 1700s, London was the world's busiest port as commodities were shipped up the Thames from all over the British Empire. (Alexandre Fagundes De Fagundes / Dreamstime.com) The Romans used the Danube as the northern boundary of their empire, building settlements such as Vienna. (Digitalpress / Dreamstime.com) From its source in Germany's Black Forest, the Danube flows to the Black Sea via Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria. (Mishoo / Dreamstime.com) The longest river in South America, the Amazon winds its way through six countries, three time zones, and an incredible 4,980 miles. (Antonio De Azevedo Negrão / Dreamstime.com) The 300-feet-deep Amazon contains approximately one-fifth of the planet's running water, plus an incredible abundance and diversity of flora and fauna. (Jaysi / Dreamstime.com) The Volga is Russia's principal waterway and has been a crucial trade route since the Bulgars and the Khazars settled along it in the Middle Ages. (2bears / Dreamstime.com) Known as "Mother Volga" in Russia, the river has carried Russian colonization to the east, transported freight, and watered the vast steppes. (Vladimir Yanchenko / Dreamstime.com) The Mekong runs through 3,000 miles of Chinese, Burmese, Lao, Thai, Cambodian, and Vietnamese rice paddies, fish farms, and orchards. (Calyx22 / Dreamstime.com) The Mekong Delta has been the site of countless battles—during the Vietnam War, the Indochina War, and the fight against the Khmer Rouge. (Meobeo / Dreamstime.com) Situated in present-day Colombia and Venezuela, the Orinoco Delta covers more than 340,000 square miles and branches off into literally hundreds of off-shoot rivers and waterways. (imagebroker.net / SuperStock) The Orinoco is home to more than 1,000 species of birds, plus a huge variety of fish, from gargantuan 200-pound catfish to carnivorous piranhas. (age fotostock / SuperStock) Hindus consider the Ganges a goddess, and the banks are home to pilgrimage sites, funeral ghats, yoga ashrams, and holy cities such as Varanasi. (Jeewee / Dreamstime.com) The 1,557-mile Ganges gushes from a Himalayan ice cave, coursing eastward through the heart of Northern India to the Bay of Bengal. (Jasmina / Dreamstime.com) The Mississippi is mighty: It boasts the second-largest watershed in the world, covering more than 1.2 million square miles. (Anne Power / Dreamstime.com) The banks of the Mississippi have been home to humans for 5,000 years and have witnessed history in the making, from Civil War battles to Civil Rights milestones. (Robert Harding Picture Library / SuperStock) The Egyptians became the wonder of the ancient world by controlling the waters of the Nile and building the Valley of the Kings, the Ptolemaic Temple, and the Pyramids of Giza on its banks. (Adrian Lindley / Dreamstime.com) Egypt sits amid the Sahara, but the 4,225-mile-long Nile turned this area into an oasis. (Dmitry Pichugin / Dreamstime.com) The Yangtze is Asia's longest river and flows south from the Tibetan Plateau to the South China Sea. (Zmscr / Dreamstime.com) The Yangtze has seen human activity along its banks for millennia and has acted as a transportation and commercial thoroughfare for centuries. (Wisconsinart / Dreamstime.com)
Presentation on theme: "Coagulation and Flocculation at Water Treatment Plants"— Presentation transcript: 1Coagulation and Flocculation at Water Treatment Plants WQT 131Water Works Operation IIIWater TreatmentChapter 4 Coagulation and FlocculationLecture 3 2Week 3 ObjectivesReading assignment:AWWA Water Treatment, Principles and Practices of Water Supply Operation, Third Edition, American Waterworks Association, ISBNChapter 4 Coagulation and FlocculationUnderstand conventional treatment to remove turbidityUnderstand turbidity and its primary constituentsExplain coagulation chemistryUnderstand mechanism of function involved in coagulant aggregationExplain flocculation chemistryUnderstand mechanism of function involved in flocculent aggregationUnderstand the role of pH, alkalinity, turbidity, temperature on coagulation and flocculation application 3Key WordsCoagulation: adding and rapid mixing of chemicals to remove particles from water. (flash mixing)Flocculation: adding and slow mixing of chemicals and particles to create flocs that settle out of water.Turbidity: suspended, dissolved, and colloidal particles in pretreated water that need to be removed to optimize treatment efficiency.Suspended Solids: particles held in suspension by the natural action of flowing waters.Colloidal Solids: fine silt that does not settle out of water but remain in suspension.Dissolved Solids: organic or inorganic molecules that are dissolved into the aqueous phase. 4Which of the following is the main purpose of the coagulation/flocculation process? a. to remove turbidityb. to soften the waterc. to add oxygend. to disinfect. 5The most important raw water constituent for a surface water plant is: a. temperatureb. hardnessc. turbidityd. pH 6WQT 131 Water Works Operation III Water Treatment Chapter 4 Coagulation and Flocculation at Water Treatment PlantsWQT 131Water Works Operation IIIWater TreatmentChapter 4“Ironically, it is easier to clean up dirty water than to make clean water cleaner. The reason is because particles must collide before they can stick together to make larger flocs. More particles means more collisions.” 8Conventional Treatment Conventional Treatment – common treatment steps used to remove turbidity from the initial source water.1. Coagulation2. Flocculation3. Sedimentation4. FiltrationRapid MixingSlow MixingSettlingCleaning 9Turbidity 1. Suspended Solids 2. Colloidal Solids (~0.1 to 1 mm) Turbidity – particles (sand, silt, clay, bacteria, viruses) in the initial source water that need to be removed to improve treatment.1. Suspended Solids2. Colloidal Solids (~0.1 to 1 mm)3. Dissolved Solids (<0.02 mm)213 10The turbidity of a water treatment plant effluent cannot be above? 5 ntu1 ntu.5 ntu.3 ntu 11TurbidityTurbidity/Colloids– negative charged particles particles (sand, silt, clay, organic matter) in the initial source water that need to be removed to improve treatment. 12Coagulation Coagulants tend to be positively charged. Due to their positive charge, they are attracted to the negative particles in the waterThe combination of positive and negative charge results in a neutral , or lack, of chargeVan der Waal's forces refer to the tendency of particles in nature to attract each other weakly if they have no charge. 13Settling ForcesZeta Potential refers to the electrostatic potential generated by the accumulation of ions at the surface of the colloidal particle. It can help you understand and control colloidal suspensionsvan der Waals Force- van der Waals forces are weak attractive forces that hold non-polar molecules together. They tends to pull molecules together and forms flocs.Zeta potential analyzervan der Waals in action 14Stability behavior of the colloid Settling ForcesZeta Potential -is the electrical potential that exists at the "shear plane" of a particle, which is some small distance from its surface. Keeps particles apart and in suspensionZeta Potential [mV]Stability behavior of the colloidfrom 0 to ±5,Rapid coagulation or flocculation 15Water Treatment Coagulants Particles in water are negative; coagulants usually positively charged.1. Alum- aluminum sulfate2. Ferric chloride or ferrous sulfate3. Polymers 16What determines the optimum and most cost-effective amount of a coagulant to use?: Beyond that dose, it takes a very large increase in the amount of chemical to produce a small increase in turbidity removalBelow that dose the coagulant results in poor settlingThe treatment plant budgetDivide the number of gallons of water in the coagulation tank by the nephelometric turbidity unit reading to determine the dosage in mg/L. 17Which is NOT a common method for determining optimum coagulant effectiveness?: Jar testZeta potential detectorStreaming current detectorColorimetric method 18Water Treatment Coagulant Alum Alum- (aluminum sulfate)- particles suspended in natural, untreated water normally carry a negative electrical charge. These particles are attracted to the positive charges created by aluminum hydroxides. Dosage is generally around 25 mg/L.1. Trivalent Al+3 charge attracts neg – particles2. Forms flocs of aluminum hydroxide (AlOH3).3. Impacted by mixing, alkalinity, turbidity and temp.4. Ideal pH range 19Alum CHEMISTRYAlum- (aluminum sulfate)- made by dissolving aluminum hydroxide (bauxite or clay) in sulfuric acid2Al(OH)3 + 3H2SO4 + 10H2O → Al2(SO4)3·16H2OWhen ALUM is dissolved in alkaline water, it undergoes hydrolysis (reacts with water) to produce a high surface area gelatinous precipitate of aluminum hydroxide, Al(OH)3 (gibbsite)(Al(OH)3 sticks the negatives.When ALUM is reacted with water it hydrolyzes to form aluminum hydroxide and dilute sulfuric acid (lowers pH) Need alkalinity adjustment 21Alum MSDS Safety and Handling Alum- (aluminum sulfate)-Health Rating: 2 - Moderate Flammability Rating: 0 - None Reactivity Rating: 1 - Slight Contact Rating: 2 - Moderate Lab Protective Equip: GOGGLES; LAB COAT; VENT HOOD;PROPER GLOVES Storage Color Code: Green (General Storage)Inhalation: Causes irritation to the respiratory tract.Ingestion: Causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. There have been two cases of fatal human poisonings from ingestion of 30 grams of alum. Skin Contact: Causes redness, itching, and pain. Eye Contact: Causes irritation, redness, and pain. 22When alum is added to water, a floc is formed from the combination of alum and a. alkalinityb. acidc. chlorined. lime 23The precipitate formed by coagulation with alum is aluminum ________. BicarbonateCarbonateHydroxideSulfate 24Adding Alum to water will cause the pH of the water to increase. TrueFalse 25Alum comes in dry grade as a minimum of 17 Alum comes in dry grade as a minimum of 17.5% pure product, in liquid form it is 49% pure or 8.23% by weight Al2O3?TrueFalse 26The coagulation process will most likely improve when: The hardness of the influent increasesThe temperature of the influent decreasesThe temperature of the influent increasesThe alkalinity of the influent decreases 27Water Treatment Coagulant Iron Salt Iron salt- (Iron chloride or sulfate)- particles suspended in natural, untreated water normally carry a negative electrical charge. These particles are attracted to the positive charges created by Fe(III) salts.1. Trivalent Fe+3 charge attracts neg – particles2. Work over a larger pH range than alum3. Lower costs than alum4. Better removal of natural organics5. Corrosive6. Special handling necessary7. Leave a residue of Fe in water (taste, stains) 28Which one of the following chemicals would you most likely use as a coagulant?: Cationic polymerSulfuric acidHydrochloric acidSodium hydroxide 29A coagulant aid is a chemical added during coagulation to improve coagulation; to build stronger, more settleable floc; to overcome the effects of temperature drops; to reduce the amount of coagulant needed, and/or to reduce the amount of sludge produced. Which of the following is not a type of coagulant aid:Activated silicaGreen sandPolyelectrolytes or polymersWeighting agents 30A microfloc is a colloid that has reacted with a chemical coagulant? TrueFalse 31In determining the proper dosage of alum, the most useful test is the _______ test: a. marbleb. jarc. carbonated. pH 32Alum added to turbid water containing alkalinity forms _________, which increase in size and settle out.a. floc particlesb. coagulantsc. coagulant aidsd. aluminum sulfate 33Overcoming problems of cold-water floc can be corrected by operating the process at the best pH for that water temperature, increasing the coagulant dosage, or:Adding weighting agentsPerforming the jar testIncreasing the number and strength of floc particlesIncreasing the detention time for floc formation 34Which of the following conditions most affect coagulation performance? a. velocity, chlorine dosage, detention time, and air temperatureb. velocity, water temperature, detention time and coagulant dosagec. water temperature, detention time, air temperature, and chlorine dosaged. detention time, velocity, air temperature, and chlorine dosage 35With the coming of winter, the water temperature drops With the coming of winter, the water temperature drops. A likely operational problem at a filtration plant with coagulation is:Floc carryover from the sedimentation systemHigh chlorine residualHigh alkalinityOdor 36Water Treatment Coagulant Aids Activated silica (sodium silicate)- helps improve coagulation, decreases volume of coagulant necessary. Typically is sodium silicate.1. secondary coagulant2. reduces primary coagulants needed3. Sodium silicate are alkaline4. widens pH range for coagulation5. used at 7-11% of alum6. Heavier denser floc that settles faster7. Can be formed on site8. Corrosion inhibitor (forms a surface coating) 37The three most commonly used coagulants in water treatment are: Aluminum hydroxide, lime and sodium hydroxideAluminum sulfate, ferric chloride, and ferrous sulfateLime, sodium hydroxide, and chlorineSoda, lime and chlorine 38Water Treatment Coagulant Aids Bentonite (clay)- helps improve coagulation, decreases volume of coagulant necessary.1. high in color, low turbidity, low mineral contentwatermg/L dosage3. Heavier denser floc that settles faster 39Which of the following would most likely improve the coagulation/flocculation process? a. increase in raw water hardnessb. decrease in water temperaturec. increase in water temperatured. decrease in raw water alkalinity 40Water Treatment Coagulant Aids Polyelectrolytes- are water-soluble organic polymers that are used as both primary coagulants and coagulant aids. Act as "bridges" between the already formed particles :• Anionic—ionize in solution to form negative sites along the polymer molecule.• Cationic—ionize to form positive sites.• Non-ionic—very slight ionization.effectiveness: particles type, turbidity present, and the turbulence (mixing) available during coagulation. 41Which one of the following chemicals would be most suitable as a filter aid? a. alumb. soda ashc. sodium hydroxided. anionic polymer 42A high molecular weight substance that is formed by either a natural or synthetic process. Can have either positive or negative charge.PolymerProteinCarbohydrateEnzymeDeoxyribonucleic acid 43Water Treatment Coagulant/pH Alkalinity- Alkalinity is a measure of the buffering capacity of water. These buffering materials are primarily the bases bicarbonate (HCO3-), and carbonate (CO32-), and occasionally hydroxide (OH-), borates, silicates, phosphates, ammonium, sulfides, and organic ligands.Chemicals applied to raise alkalinity• Lime—CaOH2 accompanies alum or iron salt• Sodium bicarbonate- NaHCO3- raise alkalinitySoda Ash—Na2CO3 -raise alkalinity• Caustic Soda—NaOH -raise alkalinity 44Water Treatment WHO Coagulants NameAdvantagesDisadvantagesAluminumSulfate(Alum)Al2(SO4)3.18H2OEasy to handle and apply; most commonly used; produces less sludge than lime; most effective between pH 6.5 and 7.5Adds dissolved solids (salts) to wa-ter; effective over a limited pH range.SodiumAluminateNa2Al2O4Effective in hard waters; small dos-ages usually neededOften used with alum; high cost; ineffective in soft watersPolyaluminum Chloride (PAC)Al13(OH)20(SO4)2.Cl15In some applications, floc formed is more dense and faster settling than alumNot commonly used; little full scale data compared to other aluminum derivativesFerric SulfateFe2(SO4)3Effective between pH 4–6 and 8.8–9.2Adds dissolved solids (salts) to wa-ter; usually need to add alkalinityFerric ChlorideFeCl3.6H2OEffective between pH 4 and 11Adds dissolved solids (salts) to wa-ter; consumes twice as much alka-linity as alumFerrous(Copperas)FeSO4.7H2ONot as pH sensitive as limeLimeCa(OH)2Commonly used; very effective; may not add salts to effluentVery pH dependent; produces large quantities of sludge; overdose can result in poor effluent quality 45Optimum flocculation requires: a. violent agitationb. gentle agitationc. high pHd. low pH 46Agglomeration of colloidal and finely divided suspended matter after coagulation by gentle mixing is called what?FlocculationSedimentationPolymer accretionBallasting 47Which laboratory test is concerned with indicator changes at pH 8 Which laboratory test is concerned with indicator changes at pH 8.3 and about pH 4.5?a. total hardnessb. pHc. alkalinityd. total chlorine residual 48_________ is the measure of how much acid can be added to a liquid, without causing a great change in pH.AlkalinityHardnesspHAcidity 49When operating a surface water plant, which laboratory tests are most significant for establishing dosages for coagulation?a. pH and alkalinityb. sulfatesc. calcium and magnesiumd. total hardness 50A test that is commonly performed to monitor the treatment process is : pHAlkalinityTurbidityAll of the above 51Tonight's Lecture Objectives: To understand coagulation processes has been met? Strongly AgreeAgreeNeutralDisagreeStrongly Disagree
The way you prepare your food can be just as important as what food you eat. Is there any point in eating broccoli, for example, if you cook the life out of its natural carcinogen killers? On the other hand, some foods, such as tomatoes, may offer more benefits when they're cooked. Fortunately, nutrition experts know a few tricks to help you get the most nutrients out of your food. The process: Scrambling your eggs activates avidin, a protein that binds to biotin and renders it useless, said registered dietitian Robert Wildman. "Biotin is an important B vitamin that helps with energy support and thick, lustrous hair," he said. The fix: Try poaching or boiling. Omelet lovers should know it's better to beat your eggs than to forgo them altogether. Eggs are a perfect source of protein and contain all nine essential amino acids. The yolk, by the way, is an important part of the package; it contains choline, a nutrient considered essential for cardiovascular and brain function as well as the health of cell membranes, nutrition expert Jonny Bowden wrote in "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth" (Fair Winds Press, $24.99). The process: Penn State University researchers have shown that microwave heating or roasting garlic can diminish or destroy its anti-cancer activity. If garlic is processed or dried, meanwhile, it loses its ability to form hydrogen sulfide, a substance that relaxes blood vessels and may be good for the heart, according a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The fix: Eating garlic raw is best, but if you do need to cook your garlic, chop or crush it before hand and allow it to "stand for at least 10 minutes," said the Penn State researchers. This allows it to create hydrogen sulfide and helps create the compound allicin, which is thought to be responsible for many of garlic's health benefits. The process: Frying, grilling or barbecuing meats at high temperatures can form carcinogens known as HCAs or heterocyclic amines. Some research has shown HCAs can cause genetic mutations in our cells that lead to the development of cancer. Scorching high fat meat carries another risk. "As the smoke rises, another class of carcinogenic compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is deposited on meat, according to the American Institute of Cancer Research. The fix: Avoid flare-ups. Also, microwave your meat for a few minutes and pour off the juices before cooking it on the grill, said Kristin Anderson, associate professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. Baked or stewed meat has fewer carcinogens. Though it's important to cook meat thoroughly to kill bacteria, turning down the heat or cutting off burned portions when it's finished can considerably reduce HCAs. Marinating meat in some spices and herbs, such as rosemary, may also reduce the compounds according to researchers at Kansas State University and the Food Science Institute, but research is mixed. If you really want to avoid carcinogens, grill tofu, vegetables or fruit. The process: Overcooking broccoli by boiling or microwaving can destroy the important enzyme myrosinase, which is needed to release a key nutrient called sulforaphane. Sulforphane binds to sugar and is very heat sensitive. "Myrosinase has to be present to get broccoli's benefit; if it's not there, sulforaphane, broccoli's cancer-preventive and anti-inflammatory component, doesn't form," said University of Illinois nutrition professor Elizabeth Jeffery. Her research has shown that myrosinase is also destroyed in powdered broccoli products.The fix: Steaming broccoli for two to four minutes makes it easier to get the nutrients, said Jeffery.
CONTEXT: Children with tympanostomy tubes often develop ear discharge. OBJECTIVE: Synthesize evidence about the need for water precautions (ear plugs or swimming avoidance) and effectiveness of topical versus oral antibiotic treatment of otorrhea in children with tympanostomy tubes. DATA SOURCES: Searches in Medline, the Cochrane Central Trials Registry and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Excerpta Medica Database, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. STUDY SELECTION: Abstracts and full-text articles independently screened by 2 investigators. DATA EXTRACTION: 25 articles were included. RESULTS: One randomized controlled trial (RCT) in children assigned to use ear plugs versus no precautions reported an odds ratio (OR) of 0.68 (95% confidence interval, 0.37–1.25) for >1 episode of otorrhea. Another RCT reported an OR of 0.71 (95% confidence interval, 0.29–1.76) for nonswimmers versus swimmers. Network meta-analyses suggest that, relative to oral antibiotics, topical antibiotic–glucocorticoid drops were more effective: OR 5.3 (95% credible interval, 1.2–27). The OR for antibiotic-only drops was 3.3 (95% credible interval, 0.74–16). Overall, the topical antibiotic–glucocorticoid and antibiotic-only preparations have the highest probabilities, 0.77 and 0.22 respectively, of being the most effective therapies. LIMITATIONS: Sparse randomized evidence (2 RCTs) and high risk of bias for nonrandomized comparative studies evaluating water precautions. Otorrhea treatments include non–US Food and Drug Administration approved, off-label, and potentially ototoxic antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: No compelling evidence of a need for water precautions exists. Cure rates are higher for topical drops than oral antibiotics. - CrI — - Bayesian credible interval - NNT — - number needed to treat - NRCS — - nonrandomized comparative study - OR — - odds ratio - RCT — - randomized controlled trial Children with tympanostomy tubes often develop ear discharge. A recent large cohort study found that 52% of children experienced ≥1 episodes of otorrhea after tympanostomy tube placement.1 Cultures of ear discharge often implicate bacteria commonly associated with acute otitis media, including nontypeable Haemophilus influenza, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Moraxella catarrhalis. These infections may be otherwise asymptomatic and less troublesome than episodes of acute otitis media in children with intact eardrums. In some patients, cultures reveal Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which are likely to have entered the middle ear via the auditory canal through the tympanostomy tube.2 Thus, there has been concern that water exposure during swimming or bathing might increase the risk for otorrhea. Surveys of otolaryngologists, pediatricians, and family medicine physicians have found wide variation in the advice regarding the need for water precautions. Some physicians suggest avoiding swimming entirely, and others recommend using a barrier device (ie, earplug or swim cap) while swimming or bathing. A survey published in 2008 found that many otolaryngologists (47%) and most primary care physicians (73%) recommended use of a barrier device.3 Recent clinical practice guidelines have discouraged routine prophylactic water precautions (use of earplugs or headbands, avoidance of swimming) for children with tympanostomy tubes.4 However, given the continued discrepancy between guidelines and practice, it is of interest to systematically evaluate the available evidence.5 Otorrhea may be associated with a foul odor, fever, or pain, and it may thus negatively affect quality of life. Treatment of otorrhea is aimed at eradicating bacterial infection and reducing the duration and severity of symptoms. Therapeutic options include oral antibiotics and antibiotic eardrops with or without glucocorticoids. Clinical practice guidelines from the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery recommend that clinicians prescribe topical antibiotic eardrops only, without oral antibiotics, for children with uncomplicated acute tympanostomy tube otorrhea.4 Despite these recommendations, a recent survey found that 54% of pediatric emergency physicians would use oral antibiotics to treat tube otorrhea, compared with 9% of pediatric ear, nose, and throat specialists.6 The objectives for this systematic review were to address 2 questions: Are water precautions necessary for children with tympanostomy tubes? When otorrhea develops, what is the effectiveness of topical drops compared with watchful waiting and oral antibiotics? This review is derived from an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality–commissioned comparative effectiveness review (Tympanostomy Tubes in Children With Otitis Media) conducted by the Brown Evidence-Based Practice Center. The full review and review protocol (PROSPERO registry number CRD42015029623) are available at http://www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov. We followed the approach outlined in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Methods Guide for Comparative Effectiveness Reviews.7 Search Strategy and Study Selection For water precautions, we included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and nonrandomized comparative studies (NRCSs) in children with tympanostomy tubes placed for otitis media with effusion or acute otitis media. For treatment of otorrhea, we included studies of symptomatic or asymptomatic children with acute tympanostomy tube otorrhea beyond the immediate postoperative period. We defined the immediate postoperative period as 30 days after surgery, but we included studies reporting results near that period (eg, 28 days, 4 weeks). We excluded trials enrolling children with early postoperative otorrhea or chronic suppurative otitis media. We conducted literature searches in Medline, the Cochrane Central Trials Registry and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Excerpta Medica Database, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (from inception) to May 19, 2016 to identify primary research studies meeting our criteria. Citations found by literature searches were independently screened by 2 researchers using the open-source online software Abstrackr (http://abstrackr.cebm.brown.edu/).8 Conflicts were resolved by discussion until a group consensus was reached. Data Extraction and Analysis Each study was extracted by 1 methodologist. The extractions were reviewed and confirmed by ≥1 other methodologist. We conducted direct pairwise random effects meta-analyses of NRCSs in the R9 package metafor (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria).10,11 We conducted network meta-analyses in the Bayesian framework, using the R gemtc package.12 Estimation was done with Markov chain Monte Carlo via the JAGS software,13 based on initial values drawn randomly from the marginal distributions of the priors of respective parameters. We fit 4 Markov chain Monte Carlo chains. After a burn-in of 5000 iterations, we monitored the convergence of random effects means and variances automatically, by checking every 10 000 iterations whether the Gelman–Rubin diagnostic was <1.05 with 95% probability for all monitored parameters. After convergence was reached, another 10 000 iterations were run. All models converged within 10 000 iterations. Model fit was assessed by comparison of the posterior mean of the residual deviance to the number of data points. Network meta-analysis is an extension of pairwise meta-analyses that simultaneously combines direct (when interventions are compared head to head) and indirect (when interventions are compared through other reference interventions) evidence. Combining the direct and indirect evidence not only improves precision of estimates but also provides estimates for all pairwise comparisons, including those missing from the direct evidence.14 Statistical heterogeneity was explored qualitatively. Because of the small number of studies and the little variability in characteristics, meta-regression analyses were not performed. We report odds ratios (ORs) for treatment effect estimates. We translated ORs to number of children needed to treat (NNT) to avoid an episode of (recurrent) otorrhea assuming that the baseline frequency of events was the same as seen in 3 specific studies.15–17 Assessment of Study Risk of Bias and Strength of Evidence We assessed the methodological quality of each study based on predefined criteria. We used the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool18 for RCTs and the Newcastle Ottawa Scale19 for nonrandomized studies. We graded the strength of evidence as per the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality methods guide on assessing the strength of evidence.20 Figure 1 shows the results of the literature search and selection process. Need for Water Precautions We identified 11 publications that reported results from 2 RCTs21,22 and 9 NRCSs,23–31 evaluating water restrictions (eg, no swimming or head immersion while bathing) and physical protection while swimming (using ear plugs or bathing caps). One RCT evaluated the effectiveness of earplugs while swimming or bathing and reported a slightly higher average rate of otorrhea per month in children who did not wear ear plugs (mean 0.10 episodes per month, compared with a mean of 0.07; P = .05) after adjusting for compliance. The OR for having >1 episode of otorrhea for children using ear plugs compared with no precautions was 0.68 (95% confidence interval, 0.37–1.25).21 The second RCT evaluated otorrhea in children told to avoid swimming compared with those who did not avoid swimming. They reported an OR for >1 episode of otorrhea in nonswimmers versus swimmers of 0.71 (95% confidence interval, 0.29–1.76).22 The forest plot in Fig 2 summarizes the random effects meta-analyses of NRCSs, with separate summary estimates for ear plugs and avoidance of swimming. The available evidence does not support the conclusion that either ear plugs or avoidance of swimming reduces the risk of otorrhea. All NRCSs had high risk of confounding bias, given that patient assignment was based on parent or patient choice. Treatment of Tympanostomy Tube Otorrhea We identified 12 articles, representing 11 studies reporting results from 10 RCTs and 1 NRCS, with a total of 1811 patients analyzed (1405 in RCTs and 406 in NRCSs), that assessed the effectiveness of various interventions to treat otorrhea, defined as the proportion clinically cured 7 to 20 days after initiation of treatment. Eleven studies reported the number of clinically cured patients in each arm. Four studies were excluded. Of these, 1 compared ofloxacin ear drops with historical practice or undefined current practice,32 another compared 2 antibiotic–glucocorticoid preparations (drops versus spray),33 and 2 studies evaluated combination treatments (oral amoxicillin with and without oral prednisolone34 and antibiotic–glucocorticoid drops with or without an oral antibiotic).35 Seven studies were included in the network meta-analysis.15–17,34,36–38 The network of treatment comparisons is shown in Fig 3. As shown in Table 1, treatment strategies that include topical antibiotic drops predominate over both oral antibiotics and watchful waiting or placebo. Both topical antibiotic–glucocorticoid and antibiotic-only drops are superior to watchful waiting (Fig 4). The odds of clinical cure were 12 (95% credible interval [CrI], 1.9–82) times higher (number needed to treat 2.2, assuming a reference rate of 0.4515) for antibiotic–glucocorticoid drops and 7.3 (95% CrI, 1.2–51) times higher (NNT 2.5, assuming a reference rate of 0.4516) for topical antibiotic drops. When compared with oral antibiotics (Fig 5), treatment with topical antibiotic–glucocorticoid drops demonstrated higher effectiveness, OR 5.3 (95% CrI, 1.2–27; NNT 3.2, assuming a reference rate 0.5615). The OR for topical antibiotic drops was 3.3 (95% CrI, 0.74–16; NNT 5, assuming a reference rate of 0.6917). Overall, the topical antibiotic–glucocorticoid and antibiotic-only preparations have the highest probabilities, 0.77 and 0.22 respectively, of being the most effective therapies (Table 1). The RCTs generated and concealed the allocation sequence via appropriate methods. However, 8 of 10 studies had an open label design, which precluded blinding of personnel and care providers. The main conclusions and associated interpretations based on our meta-analysis are summarized in Table 2. Evidence about water precautions is sparse, and aside from 2 RCTs it comes primarily from NRCSs that have high risk of confounding bias. One RCT with moderate risk of bias reported a slightly higher average rate of otorrhea (after adjusting for compliance) in children who did not wear ear plugs. A second RCT with high risk of bias found no difference in otorrhea rates in swimmers compared to nonswimmers. A meta-analysis of NRCSs which evaluated ear protection and nonswimming tended to favor no precautions and swimming, but these studies are subject to high risk of bias, and the summary estimates did not exclude a null effect. Our network meta-analysis provides evidence for greater efficacy of topical treatment of acute tympanostomy tube otorrhea compared with watchful waiting or oral antibiotics. This conclusion is congruent with 2 independent meta-analyses of studies that directly compared topical drops with oral antibiotics.39,40 The evidence about the need for water precautions is sparse and consists mainly of nonrandomized comparative studies at high risk of bias. We have used indirect evidence from network meta-analysis to augment the direct evidence relating to the comparisons of interest for treatment of otorrhea. The key assumption of the network meta-analysis is that of consistency of direct and indirect effects. Consistency is likely to hold when the distribution of effect modifiers is similar across trials. If this assumption is violated, there may be inconsistency between the direct evidence and indirect evidence of treatment comparisons. Our network meta-analysis combines trials of fluoroquinolones with other non–US Food and Drug Administration approved preparations. This combination presumes equivalent effectiveness and does not consider variable potential for adverse effects, such as ototoxicity, which may be associated with some agents. Our synthesis includes trials enrolling nonimmunocompromised patients with acute uncomplicated tympanostomy tube otorrhea. Our conclusions should not be extrapolated to immunocompromised patients or children with “complicated” features (eg, occluded auditory canal, associated cellulitis, and systemic symptoms such as fever). These findings do not apply to patients with chronic otorrhea and interventions for otorrhea occurring in the immediate postoperative period, because our review specifically excluded these groups. Future Research Needs With regard to water precautions, we agree with Cochrane Ear Nose and Throat Group’s conclusion (based on their review of the 2 available RCTs) that future high-quality studies could be undertaken but may not be thought necessary given the low baseline rate and morbidity of ventilation tube otorrhea and the associated burdens of any intervention aimed at reducing this rate.41 For otorrhea treatment, given evidence for the superiority of topical treatment, knowledge translation efforts are needed that focus on implementation and dissemination. Health service research is needed to identify important factors (eg, cost or formulary availability) that contribute to continued off-label use of nonsterile or potentially ototoxic agents. Future studies of topical agents are needed to clarify the effectiveness of topical antibiotic–glucocorticoid preparations compared with topical antibiotics alone. In children in whom tympanostomy tubes have been placed, there is no compelling evidence for the need to avoid swimming or bathing or use ear plugs or bathing caps. Should otorrhea develop, the available evidence supports topical treatment of acute, uncomplicated tympanostomy tube otorrhea in preference to watchful waiting or oral antibiotics. Special thanks to Joseph Lau for his advice and guidance; Ian Pan and Nathan Coopersmith for assistance with screening and extraction; and Jenni Quiroz and Jenna Legault and for their assistance throughout the systematic review process. - Accepted March 15, 2017. - Address correspondence to Dale W. Steele, MD, MS, Center for Evidence Synthesis in Health, Brown University School of Public Health, Box G-S121-8, Providence, RI 02912. E-mail: The authors of this report are responsible for its content. Statements in the report should not be construed as endorsement by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality or the US Department of Health and Human Services. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: All authors received funding for this project under contract HHSA290-2015-00002-I from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, US Department of Health and Human Services. FUNDING: Supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (contract HHSA290-2015-00002-I). POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have indicated they have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose. - Ridgeon E, - Lawrence R, - Daniel M - Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality - Wallace BC, - Small K, - Brodley CE, - Lau J, - Trikalinos TA - R Development Core Team - Wallace BC, - Dahabreh IJ, - Trikalinos TA, - Lau J, - Trow P, - Schmid CH - Plummer M - Higgins JP, - Altman DG, - Gøtzsche PC, et al; Cochrane Bias Methods Group; Cochrane Statistical Methods Group - Wells GA, - Shea B, - O’Connell D, et al - Berkman ND, - Lohr KN, - Ansari M, et al - Granath A, - Rynnel-Dagöö B, - Backheden M, - Lindberg K - Ruohola A, - Heikkinen T, - Meurman O, - Puhakka T, - Lindblad N, - Ruuskanen O - Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics
Mysterious egg on ocean floor was actually a catshark, and it was moving, NOAA says A mysterious "translucent egg case" found last week off an uninhabited island near Puerto Rico has been identified by NOAA explorers as something few scientists had seen. "Upon zooming in on this egg case," says a NOAA mission report, "we were able to clearly see the embryo ... actively swimming within the case." This embryo was a "very rare sighting" of a developing catshark, a little understood species of shark named for their bugged-out—and haunting—feline eyes. Catsharks are notoriously "shy and nocturnal and often hide in crevices," reports National Geographic. And they're small, typically growing about 20 inches in length in the ocean off Puerto Rico, says NOAA. "Most catsharks live in seas above the upper continental slope, a location that makes it difficult to observe these sharks and collect specimens. Therefore, much information about catsharks remains to be discovered," reports AnimalDiversity.org. They are not considered a danger to humans, despite having a mouth full of teeth, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. The egg casing was observed on Nov. 15 during a NOAA exploration off "unknown and poorly understood deepwater areas" near Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The expedition began Oct. 30 and ended Tuesday. NOAA scientists used a roving camera to see the egg, which was attached to a coral branch more than 820 feet down, off mountainous Desecheo Island. The island, 13 miles off Puerto Rico, remains uninhabited by federal law "due to unexploded military ordinance," according to IslandsofPuertoRico.com. The ocean floor in the area is full of "overhangs, crevices, and large boulder-like features," where all types of sea life can easily hide, said the NOAA report. Explorers reported seeing spotted catsharks multiple times during the expedition, some at depths of more than 1,500 feet. This species of cat shark is typically seen at depths of 360 feet, but has been spotted as low as 1,300, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. That would make the one spotted at 1,500 a little deeper than the norm. The scientists also documented creatures that they couldn't easily identify, including a long, black-eyed shark photographed resting on the ocean floor 2,100 feet down in the Ines Maria Mendoza Nature Reserve, said a NOAA report. ©2018 The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Body insecurity is rampant, and it doesn't have to be. Think for a moment about your attitudes toward weight: Do you believe that people who are thinner are more healthy and attractive? Do you think dieting is an effective health strategy? Do you judge yourself or others because of weight? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you're not alone. It's much more common for people to feel bad about their bodies than to appreciate them?and to judge others by those standards as well. But people don't have to be packaged in a small size to be valuable and attractive?or healthy for that matter. Saying that they do causes more harm than good, and judgments based on size tell us more about our own prejudice than someone else's health or value. It's time to show every body respect. With the latest findings from the Health at Every Size© (HAES) movement, Body Respect debunks obesity myths, demonstrates the damage of focusing on weight, and explores how social factors impact health: the world is not a level playing field, and that affects one's opportunities as well as one's size, health and sense of self. Using peer-reviewed evidence and common sense, scientists and nutritionists Linda Bacon and Lucy Aphramor explain the fall-out of a health agenda based on the concept that thinness is the goal and that one's weight is simply a matter of personal choices. They explore why diets don't work and provide alternative paths to better health and well-being for people of all shapes. Body Respect is indispensable reading for anyone concerned about widespread body insecurity and size stigma and their many implications. What Conventional Health Books Get Wrong, Leave Out, and Just Plain Fail to Understand about Weight By: Linda Bacon, Lucy Aphramor
I have owned rabbits for years and I usually get them spayed or neutered. Despite the large number of rabbits I’ve owned over the years, none has had many problems — but one currently has a problem with his teeth. His two top teeth seem to get overgrown and curve to the outside, and the bottom ones grow up into his lip. When they get too long, I take him to my vet, who cuts his teeth down. This works well for a while, then the teeth grow long again. What is it about rabbit teeth that they can keep growing like this? My other rabbits never have this problem. Is there anything else that can be done about the situation? Thanks. — E.F. The problem of malocclusion in rabbits is not that uncommon and it can be pretty crazy seeing teeth turn into small tusks! The animal is either born as such, suffers trauma, or has an oral infection. The congenital type of defect is most commonly seen in dwarf rabbits and lop-eared rabbits. These front teeth are called incisors and there are six of them. Rabbits actually have two rows of two incisors on the top of the mouth and two incisors below. They also have molars in the back of the mouth. The incisors are used for grabbing food and biting things off, whereas the molars are used for grinding food. Rabbit teeth are open-rooted, meaning they grow continuously, like fingernails on humans. The reason one does not typically see problems unless the teeth don’t line up properly is because under normal conditions, the eating process grinds them down naturally. Many veterinarians and rabbit owners trim teeth that are overgrown with nail trimmers. While usually successful, there is always some risk in fracturing the tooth at the root and possibly causing an infection and some pain. Antibiotics can be used if infection results. Grinding the teeth with a Dremel tool may be safer. I have read of these teeth being extracted successfully, so that may be another option. As long as the bunny is eating well and you stay ahead of the problem, the pet should have a normal life. John de Jong, D.V.M., is owner/operator of Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic and partner/chief of staff at Neponset Animal Hospital.
Likewise, people ask, how do you make a succulent wall? Simply so, how do you make a pallet wall planter? What can you plant in a pallet garden? Plants that are fantastic to grow in a garden pallet would be: Prepare a garden bed by rototilling, aerating, and working compost into the soil just as you would any garden, but in dimensions to accommodate the wood pallet. Dig a rough outline of approximately half the depth size of the outside frame of the pallet (approximately 4 inches) and place the wood pallet in the area. Succulents are a good choice for vertical gardens because they’re slow-growing and don’t need a lot of water to thrive. Most cacti and succulents are easy to care for, requiring very little care. … Browse our list of succulents and cacti that do well in shade. While some need shade to thrive, most are merely ‘shade tolerant‘. That is, they thrive in well-lit rooms out of direct sunlight, but can cope with lower light levels. Make Sure Your Succulents Get Enough Light Succulents love light and need about six hours of sun per day, depending on the type of succulent. Newly planted succulents can scorch in direct sunlight, so you may need to gradually introduce them to full sun exposure or provide shade with a sheer curtain.
2Fibonacci of PisaItalianMiddle AgesMathematicianBrought Hindu Arabic Numeral System to EuropeThrough the publication in the early 13th century of his Book of Calculation, the Liber Abaci.Posed a problem in the book…. 3I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X L, C, D, M Arabic NumeralsRoman NumeralsI, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, XL, C, D, MCompare example: = MCMLIVL=50; C=100; D=500; M= Romans used a duodecimal system for fractions because of the divisibility of 12 (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12) Made it easier to handle common fractions ½, 1/3, ¼ Try operations * / 4Leonardo Pisano Fibonacci born 1170 died 1250 in Pisa, Italy Fibonacci - son of the Fibonaccis…Pisano – from where he lived most of his life, PisaPisa, Italy - famous for its leaning towerBuilding of the towerbegan when Fibonacci was 3 years old. 6A man puts a pair of baby rabbits into an enclosed garden. The following month the rabbits are teenagers.The next month they are mature and have two babies.Continue this pattern.How many pairs of rabbits will there be in the garden in a year?F(n) = F(n-1) + F(n-2) for n = 3, 4, 5, ... 10Fibonacci SequenceDemonstrates the idea that each stage of natural growth or development refers to its prior state in order to take its next evolutionary step This connects to the idea of Sacred Geometry 23Le Tournesol may be Steichen's only sunflower painting, but his fascination with this plant is evident in the numerous photographic studies he made in the 1920s. He photographed Sunflower in a White Vase at this time.Almost twenty years earlier, Steichen had been impressed with other sunflowers: the painted still lifes of Vincent van Gogh. In 1901, he visited an exhibition of Van Gogh's work, which left a deep impression on him. He returned to the exhibition the next day, noting later that "three pictures of the now celebrated sunflower series made a particular and dramatic appeal to me."Edward Steichen, Sunflower in a White Vase, from the series Sunflowers from Seed to Seed, 26This angle is very important in describing how primordia form the spirals to understand how these spirals come to be, one must go back to the beginning; to where flowers and fruits and seeds start: the apex. The apex is the tip of the shoot of a growing plant. It is the bud on the end of a stem on a tree and the bulb of a flower before it blooms. Around the apex grow little bumps called primordia. As more primordia develop, they are pushed farther and farther from the apex and they develop into the familiar features of a plant, be it a leaf, a flower, or parts of a fruit. Let us consider a sunflower with primordia growing from the center. The first primordia to develop end up being farther from the apex than later primordia. Therefore, it can be deduced from this in what order the primordia appeared. As it happens, if one took the first and second primordia and measured the angle between them with the center of the seed head as the vertex, the angle would be very close to degrees137.5⁰ 27found in pineapple growth Spiralsfound in pineapple growthseedhead 3821 PetalsShasta DaisyDaisies with 13, 21, 34, 55 or 89 petals are quite common. 39341 PetalsField DaisyIn saying that daisies have 34 petals, one is generalizing about the species - but any individual member of the species may deviate from this general pattern. There is more likelihood of a possible under development than over-development, so that 33 is more common than 35. 59Fibonacci discovered the series which converges on phi The ratio of each successive pair of numbers in the series approximates phiExample5 divided by 3 is 1.666…8 divided by 5 is 1.60Ratio of successiveFibonacci numbersconverge on phi 63Golden Ratio Postcard Credit Card Parthenon Human Body smile, face… Fibonacci Sequence is a growth patternFound in natureDesigned for is aesthetically pleasing ratioPostcardCredit CardParthenonHuman Body smile, face…face 67Human health is affected by facial proportions Human health is affected by facial proportions. Biologically, people who have long faces have more chances of having breathing problem, suffering from sleep apnea. And People with shorter faces tend to have abnormal jaw development due to the excessive pressure on the jaw joint, suffering from headaches because their jaws are positioned in a manner that can restrict blood flow to the brain. 69The Marquardt Beauty Mask Dr. Stephen Marquardt has studied human beauty for years in his practice of oral and maxillofacial surgery. Dr. Marquardt performed cross-cultural surveys on beauty and found that all groups had the same perceptions of facial beauty. He also analyzed the human face from ancient times to the modern day. Through his research, he discovered that beauty is not only related to phi, but can be defined for both genders and for all races, cultures and eras with the beauty mask which he developed and patented. This mask uses the pentagon and decagon as its foundation, which embody phi in all their dimensions.The Marquardt Beauty MaskAsianBlackCaucasian 70164 A.D. Rome 1794 A.D. 1350 B.C. Egypt 500 B.C. Greece 79Approximate and true golden spirals Approximate and true golden spirals. The green spiral is made from quarter-circles tangent to the interior of each square, while the red spiral is a Golden Spiral, a special type of logarithmic spiral. Overlapping portions appear yellow. The length of the side of one square divided by that of the next smaller square is the golden ratio 81Musical frequencies based on Fibonacci ratios Notes in the scale of western music are based on natural harmonics that are created by ratios of frequencies. Ratios found in the first seven numbers of the Fibonacci series ( 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 ) are related to key frequencies of musical notes.Musical frequencies are based on Fibonacci ratios 82Musical instrument design often based on phi the golden ratio 83Musical instrument: piano Within the scale consisting of 13 keys8 of them are white, 5 are blackwhich are split into groups of 3 and 2Fibonacci Music 84Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Duke University Adrian BejanProfessor of Mechanical Engineering at Duke UniversityDurham, North CarolinaResearchThe human eye is capable of interpreting an image featuringthe golden ratio faster than any otherBejan argues that an animal's world – whether you are a human being in an art gallery or an antelope on the savannah – is orientated on the horizontal. For the antelope scanning the horizon, danger primarily comes from the sides or from behind, not from below or above, so the scope of its vision evolved accordingly. As vision developed, he argues, animals got "smarter" and safer by seeing better and moving faster as a result. 85Adrian BejanProfessor of Mechanical Engineering at Duke UniversityDurham, North Carolina"It is well known that the eyes take in information more efficiently when they scan side to side, as opposed to up and down. When you look at what so many people have been drawing and building, you see these proportions everywhere." 86Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Duke University Adrian BejanProfessor of Mechanical Engineering at Duke UniversityDurham, North Carolina“This ratio represents the best proportions to transfer to the brain.” 87The Fibonacci Sequence and the Golden Ratio to Music
"One of the most powerful bankers of his era, J.P. (John Pierpont) Morgan (1837-1913) financed railroads and helped organize U.S. Steel, General Electric and other major corporations." J.P. Morgan's religion Christian, white European gentile, born in the United States. The CEO of JP Morgan Chase is Jamie Dimon was born to Greek Jewish immigrants. "During the late 19th century, a period when the U.S. railroad industry experienced rapid overexpansion and heated competition (the nation’s first transcontinental rail line was completed in 1869), Morgan was heavily involved in reorganizing and consolidating a number of financially troubled railroads. In the process, he gained control of significant portions of these railroads’ stock and eventually controlled an estimated one-sixth of America’s rail lines." "During Morgan’s era, the United States had no central bank so he used his influence to help save the nation from disaster during several economic crises. In 1895, Morgan assisted in rescuing America’s gold standard when he headed a banking syndicate that loaned the federal government more than $60 million. In another instance, the financial panic of 1907, Morgan held a meeting of the country’s top financiers at his New York City home and convinced them to bail out various faltering financial institutions in order to stabilize the markets." The above quotes from J.P. Morgan \|Known for\|\|Founding J.P. Morgan & Co. Organizing the Morgan "money trust" which owned controlling interests in U.S. Steel, General Electric, International Mercantile Marine, International Harvester, AT&T, Aetna Life Insurance and 21 railroads\| \|Board member of\|\|Northern Pacific Railroad, New Haven Railroad, Pennsylvania Railroad, Pullman Palace Car Company, Western Union, New York Central Railroad, Albany & Susquehanna Railroad, Aetna, General Electric and U.S. Steel\| "Morgan died while traveling abroad on March 31, 1913, just shy of his 76th birthday." "His son, J. P. Morgan Jr., took over the business at his father's death, but was never as influential. As required by the 1933 Glass–Steagall Act, the "House of Morgan" became three entities: J.P. Morgan & Co., which later became Morgan Guaranty Trust; Morgan Stanley, an investment house formed by his grandson Henry Sturgis Morgan; and Morgan Grenfell in London, an overseas securities house." "Morgan was a lifelong member of the Episcopal Church, and by 1890 was one of its most influential leaders. He was a founding member of the Church Club of New York, an Episcopal private member's club in Manhattan. In 1910, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church established a commission, proposed by Bishop Charles Brent, to implement a world conference of churches to address their differences in their “faith and order.” Morgan was so impressed by the proposal for such a conference that he contributed $100,000 to finance the commission's work." From the railroad and steel consolidations brokered by John Pierpont Morgan on Wall Street more than a century ago, to banking consolidation, the financial crisis and Jamie Dimon's leadership, J.P. Morgan Chase has been at the center of finance for more than a century. Here's the story of how *Clarification* Since 2004, investors in JPM stock have outperformed the bank stock index by an average of 6% return every year. That's more than 6x the return of the index yearly (13:52) In February, J.P. Morgan Chase announced it was in growth mode, expanding its branch network to cover 93 percent of the U.S. population by the end of 2022. The aggressive growth plans will allow it to reach 80 million more consumers, or about one-quarter of the U.S. population, versus its footprint in 2018, the New York-based bank says. "Dimon was born in New York City. He is one of three sons born to Greek Jewish immigrants Theodore and Themis (née Kalos) Dimon. His paternal grandfather who was a Greek immigrant changed the family name from Papademetriou to Dimon to make it sound more French." Nathan Mayer Rothschillds married his daughter in the Morgans and the Bank of England and Banko Ambrosia of the Vatican were taken over in 1823. Bank of America and Chase Manathan etc etc are Exposed as charging the US tax payers 19% USARY. Allan. He was an oligarch of the Rothschild money doing their dirty work to establish fractional reserve centralized banking for a third time after being kicked out twice before for bankrupting the Nation. The third time which should have never happened, was by creating a panic and a run on the banks to create a crisis and bank failures except for the chosen few banking families of the establishment. That brought us to the meeting of financiers and bankers in Jekyll Island to draft the federal reserve act which would tax our income and enslave every working class American for the rest of their lives. I couldn't finish this one. It made him seem admirable. Hope they mentioned when he died we figured out he was a Rothschild puppet. Revisionist HISTORY .. This video doesn't talk about a dozen of his business ventures .. One in particular General Electric and his lust to be number one in power generation in the country .. Upon his death, 90% of his wealth went back the Rothschild Bankers who he Shilled for .. Yeah, Mr. Morgan, held back Nikolai Tesla from completing energy saving technologies.????️???️⛽?️? JP Morgan & Nikoli Tesla free energy without poison Devil Bill was not going to have it Give a man a gun and he can rob a bank, Give a man a bank and he can rob the world His parents saw in him the potential of leadership and groomed him for a career in leadership. - How many of our idiotic parents groomed us for a career in the coal mines because they could not see beyond the dust to see higher. We are the products of our environments.
German–Herero conflict of 1904–1907...13 Leutwein’s troops were forced into an embarrassing retreat, and the governor was consequently relieved of his military command. In his place the German emperor, William II, appointed Lieut. Gen. Lothar von Trotha as the new commander in chief. He was a colonial veteran of the wars in German East Africa and of the Boxer Rebellion in China. history of Namibia and Herero uprisingThe first phase of the war was fought between the Germans and the Herero (with a single Ovambo battle at Fort Namutoni near the Etosha Pan). It reached a climax when General Lother van Trotha defeated the main Herero army at the Battle of Waterburg and, taking no prisoners, drove them into the Kalahari, where most died. By 1910 the loss of life by hanging, battle, or starvation and... Simply begin typing or use the editing tools above to add to this article. Once you are finished and click submit, your modifications will be sent to our editors for review.
Mt. Kailash, the striking peak standing in the remote south-west corner of Tibet in the Himalayan Mountains. Rising at an elevation of 6638 m (21778 ft) it is one of the highest parts of the Himalayas and serves as a source of some of the longest rivers in Asia. Known as Gang Tise or Gang Rinproche in Tibet [Mount Kailash Parvat] an it is a precious and prominent symmetrical peak. Made up of black rock Mt Kailash is a wonderful diamond like shaped mountain that is surrounded by beautiful landscape which is rugged and dry. Mount Kailash is known as one of the most sacred mountains and has become an important pilgrim for four faiths : Buddhists, Jains, Hindus and Tibetan religion of Bon. Every year thousands of people from all over the world make pilgrimage to this place. Followers from various beliefs have been visiting Kailash from thousands of years and have been circumbulating this holy mountain on foot. It is believed that visiting Kailash and following this tradition would bring in good fortune and wash away sins of ones lifetime. However the journey of 52kms/32miles on foot in a single day is not easy and one needs to be strong both physically and mentally to complete it. Generally people take 3 days to finish this walk. The Hindus and Buddhists pilgrims walk around in a clockwise direction but the Jain and Bon followers walk around counterclockwise. According to Hindu legends, Shiva, the god of devastation and rebirth, resides at the pinnacle of this famous mountain named Kailasa. Mount Kailasa is considered in many sects of Hinduism as heaven, the ultimate destination of souls and the holy center of the world. The narrative in the Puranas, Mount Kailash’s four faces are made of crystal, ruby, gold, and lapis lazuli. Refereed as the pillar of the world that rises 84,000 leagues high. From it flow four rivers, which stretch to the four quarters of the world and divide the world into four regions. Tibetan Buddhists trust that Kailash is the home of the Buddha Demchok who symbolizes supreme harmony. They also state it was on this sacred mountain that Buddhism relocates Bön as the primary religion of Tibet. According to myth, Milarepa, winner of Tantric Buddhism, arrived in Tibet to challenge Naro-Bonchung, who was the spokesperson of Bön. The two magicians engaged in a great sorcerous battle, but neither was able to gain a crucial advantage. Buddhism in Tibet known as the religion “Bon” believes Mount Kailash as the abode of the sky goddess Sipaimen. In Jainism, Kailash is known as Mount Ashtapada and is the place where the creator of their faith, Rishabhadeva, attained freedom from rebirth.
From Volume 85, Number 1 (November 2011) In September 2010, Iranian engineers detected that a sophisticated computer worm, known as Stuxnet, had infected and damaged industrial sites across Iran, including its uranium enrichment site, Natanz. In just a few days, a sophisticated computer code was able to accomplish what six years of United Nations Security Council resolutions could not. Not a single missile was launched, nor any tanks deployed, yet the computer worm effectively set back the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program by two years and destroyed roughly one-fifth of its nuclear centrifuges. The worm itself included two major components. One was designed to send Iran’s nuclear centrifuges spinning out of control, damaging them. The other component seemed right out of the movies; “the computer program . . . secretly recorded what normal operations at the nuclear plant looked like, then played those readings back to plant operators, like a pre-recorded security tape in a bank heist, so that it would appear that everything was operating normally while the centrifuges were actually tearing themselves apart.” Stuxnet, to date, is the most sophisticated cyber weapon ever deployed. It acted as a “collective digital Sputnik moment,” bringing to light the important cybersecurity challenges the world faces. What makes cyber attacks so destructive is their ability to travel through the Internet and attack the structures it rests upon. Governments, industrial and financial companies, research institutions, and billions of citizens worldwide heavily populate these global networks. In fact, much of public and private life depends on functioning telecommunications and information-technology infrastructures. Thus, what we deemed to be one of the greatest successes of the twenty-first century, a global communication infrastructure, has now become our biggest vulnerability.
Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our pupils and the wider Shrewsbury House community is at the heart of all we do. We provide a safe and secure learning environment where teachers and pupils feel confident sharing conversations around this subject. We recognise that early help and support is fundamental in addressing any issues or challenges that pupils may be facing. Our approach aims to enhance confidence, capability, and creativity and to boost emotional intelligence, resilience and self-worth. Pupils understand that it is ‘okay’ not to feel okay, and that talking about our emotions can help us to become more resourceful and overcome challenges. Through dedicated PSHE lessons, the RSE curriculum, assemblies and discussions we aim to help pupils to develop coping strategies that they can employ both at school and in their wider lives. The voice of the child is of paramount importance and we ensure that our pupils know that there is always a trusted adult that they can talk to no matter what their concern or worry. One of our initiatives this year was to support ‘Inside Out Day’ as a part of Children’s Mental Health Week. The campaign’s aim was to raise awareness and encourage young people to start talking about their mental health. How someone looks on the outside may not necessarily reflect how they are truly feeling on the inside, so it is important to always be kind and think of others. We encouraged the boys to turn their clothes inside out to get important conversations started. No one should be embarrassed about how they feel. We invite speakers and organisations to enrich the curriculum and ensure that we prepare the boys ahead of experiences they are likely to encounter in the months and years ahead. In this way, we develop young men with a self-confidence and awareness of themselves and others.
Atlantic City History Atlantic City History begins with a New Jersey physician, Dr. Jonathan Pitney, who envisioned a bathing village and health resort on Absecon Island. He convinced a group of businessmen to help him develop South Jersey. In 1852, he received a railroad charter from Camden to Atlantic City. Engineer Richard Osborne designed and named the location Atlantic City. The first train carrying officials, guests and newspapermen arrived on 1 July 1854. Newspapermen spread the word and Atlantic City became a vacation destination. Unlike many other resorts of the time, the eight-mile-long beach is a public park owned by Atlantic City and three suburban communities. Consequently, there was and is no charge for beach bathing. The world’s first boardwalk was built in Atlantic City in 1870 as an elevated wooden walkway designed to keep sand out of the hotel lobbies. More shops opened as people casually strolled along the boardwalk and word spread. More importantly, its location between NYC, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington DC vaulted Atlantic City into its cherished position as the world’s leading summer resort for decades. As more European American patrons came to Atlantic City, it increased the need for low-pay service workers such as maids, cooks and doormen. In the years preceding desegregation, those jobs represented an economic green light to African Americans. Though it was a struggle for better paying jobs, for a handful of African Americans, Atlantic City offered more than servant positions. In fact, the business-savvy Sara Spencer Washington became Atlantic City’s first African American millionaire. In 1978, with its image as a seaside resort slipping, Atlantic City reinvented itself by legalizing casinos along the Boardwalk. For many, casinos opening in an established community sent a mixed message — Vice vs. Prosperity. Some prefer only the old AC where you frolic on the beach, ate salt-water taffy and chocolate fudge along the boardwalk, and play in the numerous family-friendly arcades at the Steel Pier. Other visitors prefer knowing you can still do most of those things in AC, but also enjoy the excitement of beach bars, gambling, casino lounge acts like Las Vegas and higher tax revenue for a cleaner beach. Only time can fully determine which side of the equation has greater value to the community. Regardless of one’s opinion in the subject, two important points are undeniable. Many African Americans found good-paying jobs in the casino resorts. And Atlantic City is one of the most visited destinations by black travelers on the East Coast. Miss America Pageant began in 1921 to extend summer business for a week after Labor Day. The nationally televised pageant was a look-but-you-can’t-touch event for people of color, until Vanessa Williams from New York changed that in 1983. Though her talent dazzled the judges and fetched her the crown, an epic milestone in American racial progress had passed. For the first time African American beauty was publicly acknowledged and celebrated on a national stage. Even the runner-up contestant was African American. Every Black supermodel in America should salute that date as well, because bookings for their talent in fashion shows and magazines accelerated after September 1983. Since then, more women of color have won this and similar pageants that strive to be a meritocracy with all races of beautiful women. Sadly in 2005, the Miss America pageant left Atlantic City. But in other ways, the non-Trump casino resorts make Atlantic City look much brighter.
Imagine that the year is 2050. A lot of AI applications are now a normal part of life. Cars drive themselves, homes clean themselves (and they do so more cheaply than maids possibly could) and even doctors have been now partially replaced with neural networks. But the so-called Kurzweilian Singularity never took off. You can now talk for 10 rounds of sentences with a chatbot without being able to tell if it is a real person or not. The bots anticipate your questions by analyzing your facial expressions and matching them to a vast library of pre-existing human-machine conversations in order to maximize their level of Turing success (i.e. success at convincing humans the algorithm is a human). But people have yet to believe that computers can actually feel and experience the world. The question of computer sentience is a question that now divides the world. It used to be the case that only people really interested in science fiction, philosophy, mathematics, etc. ever took seriously the idea that computers might some day experience the world like we do. But today the debate is universally recognized as valid and on-point. There are people who, largely for religious and spiritual reasons, argue that machines will never have a human soul. That there is something special, unique, metaphysically distinct that is required for intelligence that goes over and beyond the physical world. And on the other side you have the materialists who will argue that all that could possibly ever exist in our world has to be made of matter (or dark-matter, for that matter). Nothing suggests that our brains are special, that they somehow violate the physical laws. On the contrary, decades of searching have returned nothing: The brain was made of atoms last century, and it is still made of nothing but atoms this century. Even though super-computers in 2050 are already as powerful as human brains, real human-level intelligence has yet to be seen anywhere. So people continue to argue about philosophy of mind. One philosophical view became more popular over time. This view states that consciousness is the bedrock of reality. Of course there are spiritual perspectives that have been saying this for thousands of years. But none of them could be truly reconciled with physicalism as it stands today, except the view called Strawsonian physicalism. This view states that the inside of the quantum wavefunctions that compose reality is made of consciousness. In other words, consciousness is the fundamental make-up of reality. Unfortunately this view cannot in and of itself solve the phenomenal binding problem: Why we are not just “mind dust.” For that you need to also claim that there is some mechanism of action that achieves phenomenal binding. For instance: quantum coherence. With such mechanism of action proposed, we can then try to work out the details. One organization at the time decided to take this challenge and make researching consciousness its raison d’etre. This is the League of Super-Shulgins. On their website, they have the following “23 key points to read before choosing to study consciousness:” (1) Phenomenal binding is not a classical phenomenon. It is not what you first think it is. (2) Consciousness is doing computationally valuable legwork, not just hanging out. (3) The brain’s microstructure implements a general constraint satisfaction solver (CSS). (4) In order to instantiate a general CSS the brain uses the unique information processing properties of consciousness. (5) The relevant information-processing properties of consciousness are: local binding constraints, global binding constraints, and the possibility of instantiating contingent and sensory-driven constraints.* (6) The computational properties of consciousness make it an ideal substrate to implement a world-simulation with in-game degrees of freedom that match real-world decision trees. (7) Intelligence is implemented using a mixture of learning algorithms, efficient feature-based sensory signal processing, encoding and decoding gestalts, and so on. General intelligence, as far as we know, requires a rather large bare minimum of brain systems to exist. For example, a person who starts with a high IQ but then becomes severely schizophrenic is not likely to be able to solve many more problems. One can experience melancholia, anhedonia, depression, mania, psychosis, panic, neglect, derealization, depersonalization, dissociation, hyper-realization, delusions of reference, etc. by just tweaking slightly cortical and limbic structures. (8) A simple deficit in any one of the functions we need for general intelligence (e.g. working memory, attention, affect, motivation, etc.) impairs and prevents intelligence altogether. Thus it is easy to lose general intelligence. (9) One of these functions is phenomenal binding. When it is disrupted and takes place differently, we see severe computational problems arise. See: Simultagnosia. (10) The qualia varieties we know and experience on a daily basis happen to be a great local maxima for computational efficiency. They can instantiate the serial logico-linguistic narrative human society is built upon. If one wants to instead optimize for, say, artistic appreciation, then psychedelic qualia is probably a much better alternative than normal-everyday-consciousness. It is true that commonplace consciousness does not represent its own ignorance about the nature of consciousness in general. Absent mental illness, normal-everyday-consciousness has access to a marvelously well sealed state-space of possible thoughts and beliefs. This space is not very self-reflective, and lacks philosophical depth, but what it misses on the sublime it compensates on the practical: You can use this kind of mind to talk about celebrity gossip and solve SAT questions. You cannot use it to question fruitfully the nature of consciousness. (11) In spite of its limitations, the instrumental value of our everyday state of consciousness far exceeds what any other state on offer can provide. Thus, commonplace consciousness is not to be regarded as mundane, or to be made fun of. Its labor is to be appreciated. We are thankful for the computational generality that it affords us. For giving us a robust platform we can come back to whenever things get too crazy. We mindfully acknowledge that for deep existential questions, a consensus-between-states-of-consciousness is vastly more desirable than just the opinion of everyday-consciousness. Everyday-consciousness will be more than willing to see other states of consciousness as mere oddities to be collected. Shallow consciousness will classify alternatives under the guise of “biochemical cosmic stamps of qualia”… yes, they are cosmic, but they are stamps for a collection and nothing else. The hyper-ordered super-intense peak experience consciousness would, instead, think of the whole of reality as a fantastic work of art whose meaning can only be directly grasped in the present moment. We cannot reason from first principles what different states of consciousness will feel like. (12) There are whole experiential worlds out there that have as their underlying premises concepts, tenets, ideas, ontologies, that we have never ever conceived of. This is “that which you require to assume even before you start existing, and that without which nothing in this experiential world can be made sense of.” In our case this is time, space, sense-of-self, naïve realism (which then gives way to philosophical skepticism, semantic nihilism, etc.) and several other things like an implicit belief in causality. Believe it or not, there are vast Hell and Heaven* realms out there that share close to nothing with everyday-consciousness, let alone early psychedelic exploration. (13) Improving particular functionalities for a given intelligence (such as going from 50% recall to perfect semantic memory) will have clear diminishing returns after some point. One cannot increase intelligence arbitrarily much by just improving piecemeal each functionality that gives rise to it. When you reach diminishing returns, you will need to invent a new network of functionalities altogether. (14) We are non-dogmatic Open Individualists. We believe that, to borrow an expression from Saint William Melvin Hicks: “We are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively” (which happens to be true, as opposed to other things he said, like claiming that “there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves”). Or as someone else said it: “You will only begin to understand reality once you assume that God is real and you aren’t.” We recognize that there are arguments in favor of Closed and Empty Individualism, but given the evidential stale-mate they happen to be at, we choose to pragmatically adopt an Open Individualist point of view. Our founder once said: I experience immense joy when I learn about other’s happiness and bliss. My love for all sentient beings is not only a “like” sort of love. It is a “care deeply about and wants the best for” sort of love. This sort of love implies many things. It forces me to investigate reality sincerely, so that I can carefully count and multiply. So I can actually have the largest effect and help as many sentient beings as possible. I’m therefore very concerned about the quality of life of sentient entities in the far future. The present is obviously a lot more certain, so helping present-dwellers is not irrational from a utilitarian point of view. It all depends on the trade-offs in place. The possibility of a Singleton that will swallow all of our resources for the ages to come, however, tends to inform the method I use to assess priorities. As a kid I was able to conceive of a benevolent God, but it had no real power over me. I did not believe in it for lack of evidence. As a teenager I experienced the phenomenal certainty of universal compassion. Thus I was able to access the phenomenology of mysticism. This, without also believing that I had special powers, was very useful working on my philosophy of mind. The entity I experienced was neither-female-nor-male, and it was universally loving, universally caring, and universally curious. It was even universally funny***. It was not the power, the level of knowledge, the causal wattage of the entity/being/principle that captivated me. What really captivated me instead was how “if everyone had access to this experience, we would all be motivated to work as if we were all the same being.” These experiences had distinctly low-information, simple, and uncompromising love as their guiding principle. All the forms, and all the particulars would all be mere details of an underlying plot: The universal, unceasing, uncaused, unconditional, eternal love. Causally, a God like the one I imagined would influence the universe very deeply if given the power to do so. It would be a curious, super-intelligence that has super-benevolent constraints and seeks the wellbeing of every being. Since we exist in a Darwinian universe with no such being in sight, we may have to conclude that the chances of finding an already-existing and already-capable-of-influencing-the-universe benevolent God somewhere are very slim. If such a God exists, it has to be powerless against the suffering in the multi-verse. The compassion God, in a metaphorical sense, knows about the horrors of Darwinian life, and wants to get rid of them wherever he finds them. If God created this universe, he now wishes he had thought through the fact that by summoning large-scale evolutionary systems, he was also summoning Moloch through the backdoor. The perils of inclusive fitness maximization were not viscerally anticipated by this God before breaking itself apart into many qualia strings and kick-starting the Strawsonian physicalist universe we now live in. What’s done is done. And now we are all stuck together in here, in this weird, physicalist, panpsychist, metaphysically unstable Darwinian multi-verse with replicators always trying to steal the show. With Moloch praying at every level of our society, our ecosystems, our mental lives, our genetic code, our quantum substrate. Yeah, even quantum replicators try to steal the show sometimes. And I can’t be confident they will not ultimately succeed. But the compassion God can keep us together. It can motivate us to construct a benevolent experiential God out of the materials we have. Thankfully, with consciousness technologies we can go beyond previous religions. It isn’t that “the compassion God will slap you in the face if you don’t cooperate.” It also isn’t that “the compassion God will make people want to enforce compassion on each other” and hence “using memetic slaves to slap in the face those who are not acting compassionately.” Neither of these mechanisms of action are game-changing aspect of compassionate mystical phenomenology. What really is a game-changer is the fact that universal compassion is a powerful source of coherence, motivation and phenomenal meaning. It is an unrivaled mental organizing principle: The moment you vow to help all sentient beings, your brain is deeply affected. Your entire motivational architecture can be turned upside down with Open Individualism and compassion. So here is the deal. We will all dedicate our mornings to the Compassion God. He does not exist outside of us. He is an aspect of consciousness, a hypothetical super-intelligent thought-form. He is a dormant cosmic force. One of the few forces that can genuinely oppose Moloch. And until we implement such a being in biological or synthetic (or cyborg) form, we will nonetheless act as if he existed already. We will praise memes that sabotage Moloch. We will always question: “What would happen if this process is not regulated and a Malthusian trap is allowed to develop?” The Compassion God is a source of aligned goals. It pays rent by providing a fruitful, causally effective mental scheme to grow from at the core of one’s mind. Religions of the past have been epistemologically impairing. The God of Compassion isn’t: It does not require you to believe in anything outside of yourself. It just compels you to eliminate suffering and gift super-happiness to your descendants. The God of Compassion brings about feelings of encouragement and open-ended inquiry. Having developed a well-formed God of Compassion Tulpa, your mind is then opened to limitless possibilities. Your compassion fuels your imagination; the universe is perceived as a place in which solutions to suffering are like puzzles. We are God bootstrapping itself out of the Molochian remnants in the organization of society. Compassion and curiosity can coexist and synergize. They power each other up. Then, the phenomenology of universal oneness works as a motivational glue. You can certainly feel that you are only really connected to your past and future selves. Everyone else is a different ontological being. But this view is no more provable than, say, the view that we are all fundamentally the same cosmic being. Let beliefs pay rent, and when beliefs open up new varieties of qualia without penalizing you with reduced epistemic capabilities… you are certainly warranted to go and explore the new qualia. All of this is to say: Go forth and explore the state-space of consciousness. But do so knowing about the many traps of Moloch. Go and explore but be aware of the problem of local maxima. Beware of the fact that any criteria you use to gauge how “good a given outcome is” can backfire by selecting edge cases that go against the spirit of the exploration. Go and explore, but be sure to add everything to your log, to transfer your experiences to the wiki-consciousness main module we have at the center of the Institute. Go and explore. Go do it because we know that if you are here, you are doing this out of compassion. Because we only admit people who would sacrifice themselves in order to prevent the arising of a Singleton. Go and explore; and do so knowing that your work, your research, may someday help us defeat Moloch for once and for all. (15) The most important function that consciousness contributes to the many operations of the mind is to embed high-level abstractions in phenomenal fields. In other words, consciousness works as the interface between a mereological nihilist Platonic world of ideas (all possible qualia varieties, including conceptual qualia) and the fluid Heraclitean world of approximate forms and shifting ontologies. (16) We will recruit what we learn from exploring the state-space of possible conscious experiences in order to amplify our intellectual and exploratory capabilities. (17) And with increased capabilities our ability to explore the state-space of qualia will also increase and become more efficient. (18) Thus we may actually experience an intelligence explosion. As we become better at identifying new qualia varieties, we will also become better at recruiting them for information-processing tasks and in turn improving our very search capabilities. This loop may go foom. (19) The loop in (18) can go foom in some special conditions. These conditions include: Uncoupling of the experimental methods for exploring the state-space of consciousness and actions taken by entities not actively exploring consciousness. i.e. Researcher’s mind can change its state of consciousness at will without the need of other people’s consent or participation. Also, process streamlining from the discovery of new qualia varieties (and their implicit constraint properties) to their recruitment for new information-processing tasks. (20) We hence postulate a conceptual model for a super-intelligence that would (metaphorically) take the following form. This advanced super-intelligence is made of thousands of individual brain modules arranged in an NXNXN cubic matrix. The entire brain can be described as a three dimensional grid of “brains in vats” where each brain is connected to six other brains (top, bottom, left, right, front and back). The brains at the edges and corners are special, though, and they are connected to fewer brains. The connection between these brains is not just functional. It is an inter-thalamic bridge that allows the connected brains to “solve the phenomenal binding problem” and provide the physical conditions for the instantiation of “one mind.” Thus, for any set X of brains in the grid, such that these X brains make a connected graph (there is a path between any two brains), you can have a “being that is made of these X brains working together and being phenomenally bound into one consciousness.” This mega-structure could then explore state-spaces of qualia in the following way. It would divide the following responsibilities to specialized brains: Catalogue the known qualia varieties, characterize the structure of qualia state-spaces for each qualia variety, determine which qualia varieties can be locally bound to each other, experiment with making thinking more efficient by replacing newly discovered qualia in place of naturally evolved qualia recruited for such and such task, and so on. Then, the exploration of the state-space of possible conscious experiences would be made by selectively erasing the memory of certain brains in the network, preparing them to express a particular phenomenology, and then adding them in teams that record from within (and also from outside) how binding certain brains together influence the corresponding qualia in each. Since our current intelligence is the product of naturally-selected qualia varieties barely cooperating together within our minds, it stands to reason that our minds are very suboptimal qualia computers. Instead, the future super-intelligences will be implemented with carefully investigated qualia varieties that process information more efficiently, reliably and, well, with a much more open mind. (21) We always end at 21. Yes, this sounds weird. But that’s the law of the place. We, all of the people who here are working for the abolition of suffering, the solution to the hard problem of consciousness, and as a favor to our super-blissful descendants, are required by law to leave the building at 9 PM. More so, no artificial or natural mind is allowed to work on theoretically relevant problems outside of the 9AM to 9PM window of time. Nothing screams “I’m Moloch and I’ll eat you all” as loud as “you can all work for as long as you want, we will judge based on the results.” (22) Finally: Every mind we create must be above hedonic zero. In order to explore any state-space that is not intrinsically blissful, you need a special permit. The need for such a permit is non-negotiable. You cannot, I repeat, you cannot just create any mind for “research.” The mind you create has to be the sort of mind that (a) does not want to die, and (b) has no conceivable malicious desire. Every mind you create – so as to avoid Moloch scenarios – has to be a hedonistic negative utilitarian. Period. I know some of you will blame this system for being “already the result of a memetic Moloch uprising.” But the system in place prevents any of the Moloch outcomes that intentionally consistently produces suffering as part of its natural order of business. (23) Ask your local consciousness regulation agency about scholarship opportunities at our Institute. You may have what it takes to help us figure out how to achieve lasting world-peace. The League of Super-Shulgins, 2054 Qualia field calibration psychophysics – with love, Andrés We navigate a sensory-triggered qualia-based world-simulation that blends together local and global binding constraints and state-dependent learned constraints. Consciousness is useful to the organism in as far as it helps it solve the constraint satisfaction problems represented in the world simulation. What are these terms? Local binding constraints are constraints that are intrinsic to specific qualia varieties. For example, CIELAB reveals that it is not possible to experience both blue and yellow as part of a unitary smooth color. It is possible to see a sea of gray and many dots of blue and dots of yellow, but that is not the same as seeing a uniform color. This sort of constraint arises in all qualia varieties with multiple values. The global binding constraints are more difficult to explain, and may not even exist. But, hypothetically, it may be the case that certain qualia varieties cannot coexist as part of the same conscious experience. For instance, experiencing certain mood may ultimately come down to a particular resonant structure in our globally-binding qualia strings (let’s just say). Then maybe you can’t experience both X and Y moods simultaneously because they always become dissonant with each other and experience significant mutual cancellation. [This may explain why people can’t seem to ever find the right way to provoke a smooth blend of Salvia and DMT consciousness.]) Finally, the learned constraints are contingent and sensory-driven. What are these? These include both our current sensory stimuli, which is constraining the state of our consciousness, and whatever memories, recollections and general neurological barriers I happen to be activating right now. As an example of something where this happens, imagine that my friend Fred was suddenly able to talking to space itself. Space asks him: “Hey, my friend, what is this thing I’ve been hearing about called ‘the here and now’?” My friend tried to say something that came out like this: “The here and now is the location in space-time from which this very statement, these very words, are being conceived and then physically delivered to you.” Space became very confused. She did not understand half of the words she was receiving. Space said “I guess maybe I can’t reason about space in the same you as you can. I can nonetheless tell you anything you want about the ‘inverted semantic omniism’ that we entities of Space love to talk about.” Alright, what’s that? “That’s when your reality, which is made of concepts of a qualia-order no larger than the qualia-order of the conceptual fields in which they are embedded, conspire together and circumvent low-level constraints by imagining a new topology for the self-other temporal membrane.” And, “where does this happen?” My friend inquired. Space responded: “As far as I can tell, this usually happens in the conceptual space that denies mereological nihilism.” Alright, let’s “pack and leave”, said my friend, and deep down, I agreed entirely with him. I entirely get why he would get scared so badly by a disincarnate entity that comes from a reality with different basement ontologies and fundamentals. I, too, am afraid of ontological revolutions. This is why I try to anticipate them as far in advance as possible: So that the shock is less shattering to my psychology. * In as much as experience is real, then Hells and Heavens are just as real as long as they have been instantiated somewhere in the multiverse. John C. Lilly and bad luck may be a culprit for the existence of a very specific and time-bound experiential hell (“The Center of the Cyclone: Chapter called A Guided Tour of Hell”). **** Universally funny means: You can get and interact with any phenomenal joke. Human jokes are a very specific kind of conscious humor. Our evolutionary legacy guarantees that they are, too, related to our survival. General jokes, on the other hand, exist in a much larger space of possibilities. There are funny phenomenologies with conceptual content. Then there are those with sensory content. And then there is funny phenomenological applications of ontological qualia. Nothing is safe. Everything can be humorously twisted.
What do we teach when we teach publishing? by Angus Phillips Publishing remains a popular career choice and there is strong competition to enter the industry. Digital developments – from ebooks to apps and interactive fiction – have been prominent in the media, highlighting the exciting opportunities for entrants unafraid of new technologies or fast-paced change. Companies have broadened out their view of what comprises a good candidate, to include digital literacy, an entrepreneurial mindset, and an appreciation of changes across other media and throughout society. There is also a greater variety of job roles to consider, as these merge across functional boundaries (e.g. production editor), take on a digital focus (e.g. digital product manager), or venture into multimedia (e.g. media research and commissioning). Students of publishing programmes receive a broad grounding in publishing skills across the main publishing functions – Editorial, Marketing, and Design and Production – to include an understanding, for example, of content creation, digital workflows and online marketing. They need to appreciate the different dynamics of the main publishing sectors, and how to supply markets both nationally and internationally through intermediaries, direct sales or rights deals. Professional, educational and academic publishers have led the change from simply offering products to developing services with added value. Our students are now familiar with changing business models and continued experimentation in how best to reach and engage with markets and consumers. This could include the establishment of communities around content, the development and management of brands, and a greater engagement with other media such as games. It is important for students of publishing programmes to absorb the trends and transformations that are affecting the publishing industry. The familiar world of the book is facing some key challenges. These include the decline of bookselling on the high street, the growth in the sales of ebooks, and competition from other media. What digital disruption has done is to threaten the value in the relationships with, say, high street bookshops, and expose trade publishers to the fact that they don’t have a relationship with the end consumer. There is continued experimentation around the book in digital form, exploring non-linear narratives and the use of multimedia. Meanwhile for authors there are many new routes available for finding a readership, including self-publishing or using crowdfunding to finance publication. Will traditional publishing survive in this environment? Why do authors still need publishers? Should readers have a greater say in what is published? How do consumers find books and information in a world of content abundance? It is important to teach a range of interpersonal and transferable skills. We stress collaboration, teamwork, and the need to develop relationships with authors, suppliers and customers. Business and financial skills are vital alongside a high level of analytical skills and digital literacy. One publisher commented that we must teach the management of change, as this is now a key part of any skillset. Above all students must develop a curiosity about the wider world and assess how changes in society and technology are affecting our access to and use of content. This piece was written for Publishing Thinking, an online space devoted to discussion about the past and, principally, the future of publishing. About the author of this article Angus Phillips is the Director of the Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies at Oxford Brookes University. He is the author of Turning the Page (Routledge, 2014) and Inside Book Publishing (with Giles Clark, Routledge, 2014). Last edited: 06 02 2015
The First World War began with the murder of an Austrian Archduke by a Serbian assassin in June of 1914, and soon mushroomed into a conflict that gripped Europeanpe and the world in four years of strategic stalemate and unparalleled butchery. When war was declared in August, Gandhi was in England, where he immediately began organizing a medical corps similar to the force he had led in the Boer War. But ill health soon forced his return to India, where he received a wildly enthusiastic welcome. In his absence, his fame as the politician-saint of South Africa and the founder of satyagraha had spread throughout India, and now cheering crowds cried "Mahatmaji" ("ji" being a suffix connoting affection) wherever he appeared. "Mahatma" meant "Great Soul," an appellation applied to the holiest men of Hinduism, and was first conferred upon Gandhi by the great Indian poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in 1913. Gandhi, of course, insisted that all souls were equal, and found bothersome the religious adulation lavished upon him, even as it gave him great practical power on the subcontinent. But despite his distaste for it, Mahatma was a title he would bear until his death and beyond, and while there were other Mahatmas in the India of his lifetime, Gandhi is the only one remembered today. Gandhi spent his first year in India in retirement from public life. However, the year was punctuated by a brief visit with the British Governor of Bombay (and future Viceroy of India), Lord Willingdon, whom Gandhi promised to consult before he launched any political campaigns, and then the death of G.K. Gokhale, Gandhi's political mentor, an event that left him feeling somewhat adrift in the currents of Indian political life. Indian nationalism was a fast- growing phenomenon, as some members of the Indian National Congress had begun to push for Swaraj, or "home-rule." But Gandhi steered clear of these agitators, in part because he was not yet certain that he agreed with them, and in part because he had to resettle his family and the other inhabitants of the Phoenix Settlement (and the Tolstoy Settlement, a twin he had founded near Johannesburg) in India. To this end, he established a new settlement near the town of Ahmedabad, the capital of the western province of Gujarati, near where he had been born. It came to be known as the Satyagraha ashram, ashram being an Indian word for a communal settlement, and was officially founded on May 25, 1915. Its initial inhabitants included some twenty-five people, all sworn to chastity and poverty- -and among them was a family of untouchables, India's lowest caste. By living in a communal space with untouchables (whose very presence, it was believed, defiled higher-caste Hindus), Gandhi deeply offended many of his supporters and lost considerable financial support. He was actually considering a move to the untouchable district in Ahmedabad when a generous Muslim merchant donated enough money to keep the ashram running for a year–by which time Gandhi's communal life with the untouchables had become slightly less of an outrage. Gandhi's public life in India commenced in February of 1916, when he gave a speech at the opening of the new Hindu University in the city of Benares. The speech was typical of Gandhi, as he urged the assembled, westernized Indians that they would never be worthy of self-government unless they looked out for their less fortunate brethren. He then went on to catalogue the awful living conditions of the lower classes that he had observed during his travels around India–with a special focus, as always, on sanitation. The speech enjoyed little popularity among the Indian intelligentsia, but Gandhi hardly cared. He had begun to approve of the idea of home rule, but he had no interest in exchanging government by a British elite for rule by an Anglicized Indian elite. If swaraj was to come to India, he argued, it must come as part of a wholesale social transformation that stripped away the old burdens of caste and crippling poverty. During the war years, he set about putting these principles into action. His intervention (and willingness, as always, to face arrest) in the Champaran district on behalf of impoverished indigo-cultivators led to a government commission being appointed to investigate abuses by the indigo planters. At the same time, he discovered what was to become one of his most effective weapons in late years–the fast. He had always fasted as part of his personal regimen, but when a group of striking Ahmedabad mill-workers, whose cause he had supported, turned to violence in their struggle with the mill-owners, he resolved to fast until they returned to his principle of non-violence. As it happened, the fast only lasted three days, as the two sides came to the bargaining table and hammered out an agreement. But it set a precedent for later action, and he would continue to use it as weapon in the arsenal of satyagraha–despite criticism from those who condemned such behavior as little more than a form of blackmail. As the war in Europeanpe dragged to its conclusion in 1917-18, Gandhi began tramping about India, recruiting men for the British Army. Although his dreams of home rule had grown stronger, he was still loyal to Britain and to the ideals of the British Constitution, with which he later declared to have "fallen in love." But the Indian people, having listened to him preach non-violence and resistance to unjust authority, had a difficult time accepting him in the role of recruitment officer–how, they wondered, could the apostle of peace ask them to take up arms in defense of the Raj? Wearied from his journey, he fell ill with dysentery; it was his first serious illness, and he resolutely resisted treatment, preferring his own regimen. As a result he spent a long time as a convalescent. While Gandhi lay in bed in his ashram, the war came to an end. In a sense, the long struggle had been a great vindication of the British Empire and its Indian "jewel": the subcontinent had remained loyal, for the most part, and Indian troops had fought valiantly for the Empire around the globe. But the seeds of the Raj's downfall were sown. Britain was drained, of both manpower and will, and would never again regain the sunny optimism that had characterized its 19th century rule. The interwar years would soon bring a malaise to the Empire, as a series of mediocre governments stood by impotently in the face of a hostile Germany's rise to power and the progressive loss of their own domination. Meanwhile, India was restive: the British had destroyed the world's only Muslim power, the Ottoman Empire, and the loyalty of Indians Muslims was questionable. And having fought a war whose supposed purpose was to protect the rights of small states and independent peoples from tyranny, the rhetoric of British rule in India had begun to ring hollow. In this atmosphere, the harried British government made a frightful mistake. They elected to follow the recommendations of the Rowlatt Committee, which advocated the retention of wartime restrictions in India–including curfews and the suppression of free speech. Gandhi, reading the soon-to-be-passed Rowlatt Act in his sickbed, was too weak to mount a protest, but his loyalty to the Empire, which he had long viewed as the guarantor of Indian liberties, suffered a major blow; events of the next few years were to shatter it entirely.
Cardinal Cajetan, baptized Giacomo de Vio, is best known for his interview of Luther at Augsburg in 1518, but he was also a prolific theologian in his own right who authored more than 150 works and would produce an influential—and controversial—interpretation of Thomas Aquinas. Born in Gaeta, Italy, on 20 February 1469, he entered the Dominican order in 1484 and was given the name Thomas (Tomasso). He later studied philosophy at Naples, earning his bachelor’s in 1492. It was there that he first took the Latinized version of his hometown as a last name—Caietanus. He proceeded to study theology at Bologna and to lecture on Lombard’s Sentences at Padua, where he was awarded the master of sacred theology for his success in debate against the famed humanist, Pico della Mirandola, during a 1494 meeting of the Dominican order in Ferrara. He thereafter took up lecturing on Aquinas’s Summa Theologia at Pavia from 1497 to 1499. His reputation grew for his forceful defense of Aquinas against the followers of John Duns Scotus, who rejected the univocity of being, and the Averroists, who posited a two-source theory of truth. Cajetan eventually moved to Rome, where he would serve in numerous capacities the remainder of his life. From 1501 to 1508, he lectured at the Sapienza University and served as procurator general for the Dominicans, functioning as a liaison between his order and the Roman curia. In 1508, he was appointed vicar-general of the Dominican order. During this period, he was active both administratively and theologically. He published an important 1509 commentary on the Aristotle treatise De anima in which he rejected the Averroist view that the immortality of the soul could only be proven by revelation rather than inferred from reason—the latter view being condemned at the Fifth Lateran Council (1512–17). He also played an important role in the convocation of Lateran V. When several cardinals sought to convene a council independent of Roman approval at Pisa in 1511, Cajetan appealed to Pope Julius II to convoke a legitimate council under papal authority. To this end, he composed a treatise against councils in support of papal authority that same year (De comparatione auctoritatis papae et concilii). As vicar-general, he also sent a Dominican contingent to the New World to inspect the Spanish colonization, eventually criticizing the conquest based on the reports brought back to him. More significantly, these years saw Cajetan bring near to completion his massive commentary on Aquinas’s Summa, published between 1507 and 1520. What marked his interpretation of Aquinas was how closely he saw the Angelic Doctor as a thoroughgoing Aristotelian. As he had earlier in his career, Cajetan countered the arguments of Scottus against the univocity of being and the Averroists concerning the two-source theory of truth by emphasizing the analogy of being (analogia entis), or the belief that all humans have access to certain truths about God from their natural constitution, though not truths that are dependent upon revelation. This position, which ultimately came to draw an opposition between reason and revelation, would influence centuries of Thomistic thought. Two popes, Pius V (1570) and Leo XIII (1882), deemed it an authoritative interpretation of Aquinas and published the Summa with Cajetan’s commentary appended to it. At the outset of the Reformation, however, Cajetan would take a formative role in the controversies after being named cardinal of St. Sixtus in Rome on 6 July 1517. He was initially appointed archbishop of Palermo, but resigned due to opposition the next year before receiving his native see of Gaeta on 14 March 1519. One of the first tasks of his cardinalate was to act as papal legate to Germany in order to rouse support for a crusade against the Turk and influence the election of Charles V as Holy Roman Emperor and successor to his father, Maximillian. This brought Cajetan to Augsburg for the diet of 1518, where he would have a fateful interview with Martin Luther in the home of the prominent Fugger bankers in October of that same year. Rome had initiated an investigation of Luther’s teachings on the basis of complaints brought forward by Albrecht of Mainz, to whom Luther had sent a draft of his controversial 95 Theses contesting indulgences. A towering intellect in his own right, Cajetan was commanded by Rome not to engage Luther, but instead to force him to recant. The cardinal could not resist the debate, however, and the result was three days of increasing tension between him and Luther as they argued over indulgences, Aquinas, canon law, and church authority. The debate with Protestants would dominate Cajetan’s tenure as cardinal. He wrote numerous treatises against Protestant doctrines, in particular addressing Roman primacy (1521), the presence of Christ in the Eucharist (1525), the sacrifice of Mass (1531), and the role of faith and works in justification (1532). Despite their disagreements, Cajetan would urge continued theological dialogue with his opponents and even propose to Pope Clement VII in 1530 that Rome permit certain concessions to them in order to resolve the conflict, chiefly allowing clerical marriage and communion in both kinds. Other measures reflected his concern with reform. In 1519, he moved to resolve ambiguities in the theology of indulgences, such as Johannes Tetzel’s claim that the remission of sins did not require contrition of the heart on the part of the penitent purchasing an indulgence. In 1526, he composed a manual for confessors (Summula peccatorum) that placed confession in a more pastoral and theological light. In his capacity as a cardinal, he would also participate in the 1522 conclave that elected Adrian VI and visit Hungary, Poland, and Bohemia as legate in 1523 to gather support for a crusade. Cajetan’s final years would be taken up by his interest in biblical interpretation. Between 1527 and 1534, he wrote numerous commentaries on Scripture, including a translation of the Psalms from Hebrew rather than the authorized Latin Vulgate. Though no humanist himself, the cardinal sympathized with the academic rigor and exegetical interests of the Renaissance humanists. He took many of their critical positions on Scripture, most notably suggesting that the Vulgate was an inferior text. Some of these views were criticized by his contemporaries and even censured by faculty members at the Sorbonne. Nonetheless, he was still a favorite to be elected pope after the death of Clement VII in 1534, but he grew ill and died himself on 10 August 1534. He was buried at the entrance of the Dominican church in Santa Maria sopra Minerva.
Number Fun Ducks Bath Activity Toy by Learning Resources 'Number Fun Ducks' from Learning Resources. This set of 10 award-winning Number Fun Ducks have dots on their backs and the matching numbers on their tummies (odd in blue, even in orange). They support a range of early maths skills and are perfect for bathtime or water tray fun! - From 'Learning Resources' - the educational toy brand. - Includes mesh bag for easy storage. - Made of mould-resistant plastic - Suitable for ages 2+. Spark Bubble Thoughts and Ideas: "Spark Bubble is not usually the home for 'ordinary' bath toys like rubber ducks BUT we had to make an exception for this great toy! These floating ducks have dots on their backs and the corresponding written number underneath so are great for practising number work. Try putting them in numerical order, sorting them into odd and even numbers or recognising the amount of dots at a glance - before counting them to check. Made by 'Learning Resources' - who make resources for classrooms - , these are robust and durable toys and designed to be just the right size for little hands."
Under certain conditions and against some specific pests, i.e., mealybugs, aphids vectoring certain virus diseases, whiteflies, etc., mineral (paraffin) oil is occasionally used in Eastern European and Mediterranean countries. Agronomic practices and biocontrol, e.g., use of parasitic insects, can offer an alternative to mineral oils. However, there is a need to find better solutions in terms of selectivity and efficacy against specific insects, e.g., scales and mealybugs, in case of major outbreaks of high populations and against vectors of viruses. The overall aim of the RELACS project is the development of alternatives to mineral oil and their integration in crop protection strategies. Therefore, RELACS will: - Create an overview of the current use of and need for mineral oil in organic plant production: A survey will be carried out to quantify the use of mineral oil in organic citrus and greenhouse production in the Mediterranean countries. Existing alternative control strategies and current constraints will be reviewed; - Develop alternatives to mineral oil comprising of two complimentary approaches: plant extracts and a physical control method; - Develop strategies to reduce mineral oil use: a range of low/zero mineral oil strategies combining the new methods with agronomic practices, functional biodiversity and use of biological control will be devised; - Adapt strategies and validate them on farm: The and strategies will be discussed with the farmers and advisors in the project and adapted to local conditions in each region of interest to be assessed on farm, i.e., in Southern Italy, Lebanon, Egypt and Tunisia; - Perform socio-economic and environmental impact assessments: Studies will include a straightforward economic assessment of the new strategies as compared to the farm standard (cost-benefit ratio) and a market assessment. Efficacy of novel strategies will be a core component of the analysis.
The west coast of North America once extended 27 miles west of the Golden Gate. The San Francisco Bay as we know it is a very young landform in geologic time. View this segment to learn - how the west coast of North America has changed dramatically over time. - when the Bay with which we are familiar was created. - how San Francisco Bay is a flooded river canyon that formed as a result of rising sea levels at the end of the last ice age. Download the Viewing Guide for pre- and post-viewing discussion questions, activities, and additional resources to use with students. Download the Viewing Guide ›
Physical Fitness in the CRCA System A critical element in the CRCA system of Wing Chun is the need for physical fitness. It is an essential part of how we train in all schools of CRCA worldwide. From flexibility, to developing strength, the need for the student to remain physically fit within the art of Wing Chun is an important part in developing one’s power and technique. Physical Fitness Improves Execution of Technique As I mentioned in last month’s article, establishing one’s root is the foundation of Wing Chun. Not only is it the keystone in mastering the system of Wing Chun, but it is also a critical part of mastering your body’s response to any self-defense situation. Likewise, physical fitness should be a part of the student’s training in order to master the system of Wing Chun. Augmenting one’s martial arts training with cardio, strength, and flexibility training only serves to benefit the student through knowledge of one’s own body mechanics and limitations. All three forms of fitness mentioned above improve upon the techniques learned in CRCA and help the student develop and improve their power in performing techniques. Cardio training, for example, helps a student improve their ability to endure long periods of increased physical stress as a result sparring. Flexibility improves the student’s ability to perform techniques safely and properly by increasing the student’s bio-mechanical range of motion while also lowering the risk of injury to joints during technique execution. Strength training increases one’s raw power and can further improve one’s ability to root. Thus, physical fitness is not something a student should neglect if he or she is considering martial arts training – especially if within the CRCA family. Physical Fitness Balances the Body with the Mind Martial art is more than just theory and mental discipline. There must be practical application alongside it to flourish into something usable within any given combat situation. As such, a student’s body must be as strong as their mind. That is why physical fitness is important in CRCA Wing Chun. When encountering a self-defense situation, the body undergoes a series of stress responses as a result of the mind’s increased alertness to the potential threat. Having the physical capability to dispatch an assailant helps in the mind’s ability to cope with the stress presented in such a situation. In fact, this is why soldiers in militaries all over the globe train in several forms of physical fitness alongside their technical abilities as warriors. It helps the body respond quickly, effectively, and instinctively to threats. Furthermore, studies have shown that physical fitness enhances one’s cognitive function, and this can bring balance to one’s martial art discipline. Thus, physical fitness and mental fitness function within a yin and yang relationship that must be developed by the student. Arms of Iron, Body of Cotton, Head of Glass While not every Wing Chun School supports the need for a physical fitness program in the training of students, CRCA considers the physical conditioning of a student as just as important as the need for mental discipline. This is why things such as Iron Palm, kettlebell training, flexibility, and cardio are an important piece of what we teach in our lineage of Wing Chun. Indeed, it is considered an essential element in the Wing Chun proverb: Arms of Iron, Body of Cotton, Head of Glass. Author: Barry Adamson II Creative Writer/Editor In all forms of martial art there is a single principle that unites them: rooting. No matter what martial art you train in, the very first lesson a student learns is the art of rooting. It comes in the form of a basic stance. The body is sunk low, with legs spread to create a wide base, and the feet are heavy on the floor. The stance is trained to help a student develop his or her raw power from the ground up. Thus, rooting is the foundation from which all forms of martial art training flows. Yee Jee Keem Yeung Ma: The Root of Wing Chun In Wing Chun, the stance that provides us with the root of power is known as Yee Jee Keem Yeung Ma. This stance is referred to as our mother stance, for all things Wing Chun are born from this structure. It provides us with the foundation necessary for simultaneous attack and defense, and gives us a base from which to build our Chi, or power. That is why Yee Jee Keem Yeung Ma is described as the basic, or rooting, stance of the art. It creates the most stable position from which to perform all techniques, including the more advanced footwork of the martial art. Rooting from the Heels Unlike many other forms of martial art, CRCA Wing Chun develops its rooting power from the heel of the foot. This may be foreign to many students, especially those trained in other arts, as many sink to the ground through the ball of the foot. However, CRCA Wing Chun anchors the body to the floor through the heel, creating an effective framework for proper development of the body’s bone joint alignment. How Rooting Creates Unity When the student first learns Yee Jee Keem Yeung Ma, body unity is very much in its infancy. The student will shift in position, and will not be able to remain stable in any of Wing Chun’s dynamic footwork. However, constant training in this position – sinking the body downward with the pelvis tilted forward over the knees and the spine straight – will center one’s gravity, driving the heels into the ground and establishing a root that stabilizes the body in its entirety. Thus, Yee Jee Keem Yeung Ma forms a unified structure from which a student’s strength, speed, and timing are enhanced while never forsaking safety. Training the Root Training one’s root will take time and patience. For a student to become skilled in Wing Chun, it is not enough that he or she jump from one technique to the next without proper structure. Doing so will only create slop; everything has to be perfect, and perfection begins with one’s root. Taking the necessary time to develop the root by constant, intentional practice will lead to a stable foundation and the potential for maximum mastery of the art. Establishing a Root Through CRCA Wing Chun All in all, rooting is an essential part of all martial art. Without it, the body remains disconnected and unable to generate the forces necessary to develop its maximum potential. CRCA Wing Chun creates unity through Yee Jee Keem Yeung Ma – a stance that develops a student’s strength, speed, and timing, while promoting the safety of a stable structure. If you are interested in learning more about CRCA Wing Chun, please contact one of our instructors in your local area. We have instructors available throughout the globe who are willing to help you build a solid foundation for martial art training, no matter if you are a beginner, a novice, or a skilled expert. Author: Barry Adamson II Creative Writer/Editor
Common Name: Rainbow trout Scientific Name: Oncorhyncus mykiss Identification: The rainbow trout is named for the broad, lateral stripe on its sides, which ranges from pink to red. Its back is olive-green, and its belly is whitish with heavy black speckling on all fins and the entire body. Habitats and Habits: Rainbow trout are native to the Pacific drainages of western North America but have been introduced throughout mountain streams in North Carolina. As with other trout, rainbows inhabit streams, rivers, ponds and lakes with good water quality and temperatures that rarely exceed 70 F. They have a tendency to hang out in faster currents, such as riffles and swift runs, more so than brook or brown trout. Spawning occurs primarily in late winter. Young rainbow trout feed on small aquatic and terrestrial insects. Adults eat a wide variety of aquatic and terrestrial insects, as well as crustaceans, fish and other small vertebrates. Scientific Name: Salvelinus fontinalis Other Common Names: brookie, speckled trout Identification:The brook trout is greenish brown, often iridescent, with light red spots on its sides. It has dark, wavy, worm-like lines on the back and white edges on the fins, including the tail. Habitats and Habits: Brook trout are native to the eastern United States and Canada. Two strains of brook trout exist, and both are now found in North Carolina. The southern strain, although identical in appearance to the northern strain, is genetically unique and is native to North Carolina. Rainbow and brown trout, two non-native trout species, are thought to outcompete brook trout for habitat and food resources. As a result, wild brook trout are often restricted to small headwater streams. Spawning occurs in the fall. Young brook trout feed on small aquatic and terrestrial insects. Adults eat a wide variety of aquatic and terrestrial insects, as well as crustaceans, fish and other small vertebrates. Scientific Name: Salmo trutta Identification: The brown trout is golden brown to olive brown with yellowish sides. Its back and sides have dark spots encircled with light yellow or white. Some brown trout also have orange or red spots on their sides. Habitats and Habits: Native to Europe and western Asia, brown trout were introduced to North America in the late 1800s. Brown trout are often reclusive, hanging out close to underwater structure, such as fallen trees and undercut banks. Larger specimens are often caught near dark and after rain storms that result in dingy water. They can survive slightly warmer water temperatures than other trout species. Spawning primarily occurs in the fall. Young brown trout feed on small aquatic and terrestrial insects. Adult brown trout usually reach larger sizes than brook or rainbow trout. As a result, they often consume larger food items, such as crayfish, mollusks and fish, including other trout.
Delagoa Bay, Portuguese Baía De Lourenço Marques, bay on the southeast coast of Mozambique, East Africa, near the South African border. The name probably derives from Baía da Lagoa (Bay of the Lagoon). It is 19 mi (31 km) long and 16 mi wide, with Inhaca Island, a tourist resort, at its mouth and the port of Maputo, capital of Mozambique, near its head. Discovered by António do Campo, a member of Vasco da Gama’s expedition (1502), it was first explored by Lourenço Marques, a Portuguese trader, in 1544. It was important as an outlet for ivory and slaves, as a way station for Indian Ocean trade, and as an avenue of approach to South African diamond fields and goldfields. Ownership was contested by the Portuguese, Dutch, English, and Boers until by arbitration (1875) it was awarded to Portugal. Its inner bay receives the Matola, Tembe, and Umbelúzi rivers, which meet in the Espírito Santo, an estuary formerly known as the English River. The larger Maputo and Komati rivers discharge into its outer bay.
February 5, 1850 - Du Bois Parmelee, of New Paltz, NY, received a patent for a "Calculator" ("Calculating-Machine"); first adding machine with keys; proved impractical and was not successful. 19, 1872 - Edmund D. Barbour, of Boston, MA, received a patent for an "Improvement in Calculating-Machines"; first U.S. patent for an adding machine capable of printing totals and subtotals; not considered practical. November 4, 1879 - James Ritty and John Ritty, of Dayton, OH, received a patent for a "Cash Register and Indicator" ("for use by store-keepers and others as a means of accurately ascertaining, and at a glance, the total receipts taken in by the employees for any given period of time"); nicknamed "Ritty's Incorruptible Cashier", first working version of a mechanical cash register; January 30, 1883 - James Ritty and John Birch, of Dayton, OH, received a patent for a "Cash Register and Indicator"; assigned to Jacob H. Eckert (Cincinnati, OH); 1883 - cash register business (including patents) acquired for $1,000 by china and glassware salesman, formed National Manufacturing Company; 1884 - acquired by John H. Patterson, renamed National Cash Register Company; August 27, 1907 - registered "National Cash register" trademark first used December 1866 (cash-registers, credit registers [and autographic registers]); 1974 - name changed to NCR Corporation to symbolize more diverse product line; 1906 - manufactured first electric cash register; 1914 - producing 110,000 cash registers per year; 1991 - acquired by AT&T. Ritty - patent for cash register March 31, 1885 - Julius E. Pitrat, of Gallipolis, OH, received a Patent for a "Weighing and Price Scale" ("scale in which the total price of merchandise in quantity may be quickly and accurately determined , the price per pound being given"); 1891 - acquired by Edward Canby and Orange O. Ozias, businessmen in Dayton, OH; incorporated Computing Scale Co. (later IBM). 20, 1886 - William Burroughs, Thomas Metcalfe (first Metcalfe, R.M. Scruggs founded American Arithmometer Company of St. Louis; August 21, 1888 - received patent for a "Calculating Machine"; first practical adding machine; assigned to American Arithmometer Company; 1905 - name changed to Burroughs Adding Machine Company; 1953 - renamed Corporation; September 1986 - merged with Sperry Corporation, formed William Seward Burroughs - Burroughs Corp. July 19, 1887 - Dorr Eugene Felt, of Chicago, IL, received a patent for an "Adding Machine"; October 11, 1887 - received second patent for an "Adding Machine"; commercial wooden-box Comptometer; first practical key-driven calculator with sufficient speed, reliability and economic benefit; 1904 - first steel case Model A, standard for remainder for all "shoebox" models; 1920s - electric motor drive November 20, 1888 - Willard L. Bundy, jeweler from Auburn, NY, received a patent for a "Time Recorder" ("to compel employees of factories and shops to record at their place of business the time of their entering the said place, and thus save the extra expense of watchmen or time-keepers usually employed for the aforesaid purpose"); time-recording clock; Harlow Bundy (brother) incorporated Bundy Manufacturing Company to produce time recorders; 1896 - George W. Fairchild joined Bundy as investor, director; 1900 - became president of International Time Recording Co., seller of industrial time clocks as agency of Bundy Manufacturing; 1902 - incorporated in NY as International Time Recording Co.; (consolidation of Bundy, Chicago Time-Register Co. acquired in 1901); February 14, 1924 - company renamed IBM. Harlow Bundy - Bundy Mfg. became IBM George W. Fairchild - International Time Recording Co. became IBM Herman Hollerith - Tabulating Machine Company became IBM January 8, 1889 - Dr. Herman Hollerith, of New York, NY, received two patents for the "Art of Compiling Statistics"; tabulating machine; system designed to record separate statistical items by means of combinations of holes in a punched card to carry information about an individual; first extensive application was for the 1890 census counting data items such as age, sex, occupation, etc.; received a patent for an "Apparatus for Compiling Statistics" ("applicable to the compilation of such statistics as the population-statistics of a census, or the statistics of the registration of births, deaths, and marriages, which are compiles by counting or adding single units as persons"). September 24, 1889 - Alexander Dey, of Glasgow, Scotland, received a patent for a "Workman's Time-Recorder"; employee time clock (dial time recorder); used a dial that employees were required to point to their assigned number, and press to record the time of arrival and departure. The numbers of the employees and times were recorded on a sheet of paper wrapped around a drum; first manufactured by Dey Company; after 1907 - manufactured as Industrial Time Recorders (ITR). - Herman Hollerith incorporated Tabulating Machine Company, world's first electric tabulating, accounting machine company, especially for use in U.S. census.; later IBM. March 14, 1899 - Allen De Vilbiss, Jr., of Toledo, OH, received a patent for a "Scale" ("scale of this character [pendulum] whose hand or index swings in irregular steps as weight is added to the pan or platform over a straight-line table whose graduations or marks are equidistant"); May 22, 1900 - received a patent for a "Scale" ("price-scales, which employ and are adapted to compute the total selling price"); assigned to De Vilbiss Computing Scale Company; 1901 - Henry Theobald (former NCR general manager) founded Toledo Computing Scale and Cash Register Company, began production of DeVilbiss Jr.'s computing scale; 1902 - name changed to Toledo Computing Scale Company; 1912 - renamed Toledo Scale Company; 1968 - acquired by Reliance - Elmer Ambrose Sperry founded Sperry Gyroscope Company to manufacture navigation equipment, especially gyrocompass; 1933 - Sperry Gyroscope Company became Sperry Corporation, holding company for Sperry Gyroscope, Ford Instrument Company, Intercontinental Aviation, Inc., others. 1911 - Charles F. Flint, merchant banker/trust organizer, engineered merger of Herman Hollerith's Tabulating Machine Company, Computing Scale Company of America, International Time Recording Company of New York; June 16, 1911 - incorporated in New York State as Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company; manufactured, sold machinery ranging from commercial scales, industrial time recorders to meat and cheese slicers, tabulators, punched cards); based in New York City, with 1,300 employees; George Fairchild named first chairman of board of directors; May 1, 1914 - Thomas Watson named general manager (previously with NCR); February 14, 1924 - company renamed January 1, 1939 - Bill Hewlett and David Packard formalized partnership (with encouragement of Stanford professor, mentor Fred Terman); decided company's name with coin toss; revenue: $5369. Employees: 2; operations in shed behind house in which Packard rented an apartment; $538 working capital consisted of cash, used Sears-Roebuck drill press; first product: 200A audio oscillator, electronic test instrument used by sound engineers (eight bought by Disney to develop, test an innovative sound system for movie April 9, 1957 - Hewlett-Packard Company registered "Hewlett HP Packard" trademark first used in February 1946 (amplifiers, coaxial probe connectors, power supplies, and waveguide to coaxial adapters). - John V. Atanasoff, assistant professor of mathematics and physics (Iowa State College), graduate student Clifford Berry completed prototype 25-bit adder, 2 25-bit words of memory in the form of capacitors; Summer 1941 - completed special-purpose calculator for solving systems of simultaneous linear equations, later called the "ABC" ("Atanasoff-Berry Computer"); 60 50-bit words of regenerative capacitor memory, mounted on two revolving drums, clock speed of 60 Hz, addition took 1 second, circuits converted between binary, decimal for input and output, included several hundred vacuum tubes altogether, used punch cards, moved around by user, for secondary memory (card system was partial failure - error rate of 0.001% too high to solve large systems of equations); first to implement binary arithmetic, regenerative memory, parallel processing, separation of memory and computing functions; 1942 -1945 - WW II service as Chief, Acoustics Section, U.S. Naval Ordnance Lab., Washington, DC; 1946 - removed from Physics Building at Iowa State, dismantled. April 14, 1943 - John Grist Brainerd, director of research at the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School, submitted a proposal for an electronic computer to colleagues at the U.S. Army's Ballistics Research Laboratory; May 1943 - Army contracted the Moore School to build ENIAC, the first electronic computer; not finished until after the war had ended, marked a major step forward in computing. January 1, 1946 - John W. Mauchly, physics professor, graduate student J. Presper Eckert, at Moore School of Electrical Engineering (University of Pennsylvania), finished ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator), electronic digital computer; based on ideas developed by John Atanasoff of Iowa State College; regarded as first successful, general digital computer, convinced world that electronic computing was practicable, masterpiece of electrical engineering, unprecedented in reliability, computing speed; occupied room 30 by 50 feet; built out of 17,468 electronic vacuum tubes, largest single electronic apparatus in world, weighed over 60,000 pounds; staff of six technicians replaced about 2000 tubes each month; first tasks primarily for military purposes (calculating ballistic firing tables, designing atomic weapons); not a stored program machine, had to be reprogrammed for each task; February 13, 1946 - Mauchly and Eckert demonstrated ENIAC, showed that high-speed digital computing was possible using vacuum tube technology then available; laid foundations for modern electronic computing industry; February 14, 1946 - ENIAC unveiled, dedicated at University of Pennsylvania; February 1950 - Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation, patent rights to ENIAC, acquired by Remington Rand Corporation. John W. Mauchly - J. Presper Eckert - March 28, 1946 - The Census Bureau, National Bureau of Standards agreed to buy a UNIVAC computer, world's first general all-purpose business computer, from Presper Eckert and John Mauchly for $225,000 (less than its cost of development); Remington Rand eventually January 24, 1948 - IBM dedicated Selective Sequence Electronic Calculator ("SSEC") in New York City; handled data, instructions using electronic circuits made with 13,500 vacuum tubes and 21,000 relays; occupied three sides of 30-ft x 60-ft room: 1) three punches, thirty readers provided paper-tape storage on back wall; 2) banks of vacuum tube circuits for card reading, sequence control, 36 paper tape readers comprising table-lookup section occupied left wall; 3) electronic arithmetic unit, storage filled most of right wall; card readers, card punches, printers, operator's console in center of room. June 21, 1948- Small-Scale Experimental Machine (SSEM), first stored-program computer, ran first program (52-minute program written by Professor Tom Kilburnz); no keyboard or printer, successfully tested memory system based on cathode-ray tube developed at Manchester University in England (previous electronic computers had to be rewired to execute each new problem); proved theories set forth by John von Neumann in report that proposed 1) modifications to ENIAC, electronic computer built at University of Pennsylvania in mid-1940s, 2) use of binary instead of digital numbers. - Jay Forrester used iron cores as main memory in Whirlwind computer at MIT, first real-time electronic digital computer (replaced expensive, unreliable electrostatic tubes with dependable random access magnetic core memory); conceived the technique of stringing the cores onto a matrix of wires and thus producing a random access memory; February 28, 1956 - Jay W. Forrester, of Wellesley, MA, received patent for a "Multicoordinate Digital Information Storage Device" ("storage and selection system for digital information...to store electrical information in a multi-dimensional array of coincidence devices, any one of which can be located by a relatively simple system of coordinate wires...a simpler, more compact and more reliable information storage system"); magnetic Jay W. Forrester - magnetic core memory June 14, 1951 - Remington Rand delivered UNIVAC 1 ((Universal Automatic Computer), its first computer, to U.S. Census Bureau; weighed 16,000 pounds, used 5,000 vacuum tubes, could perform about 1,000 calculations per second; world's first commercially produced electronic digital computer; developed by J. Presper Eckert, John Mauchly, makers of ENIAC, first general-purpose electronic digital computer; 1943 - U.S. Army Ordnance Department sponsored Presper Eckert, John Mauchly at University of Pennsylvania to build first general-purpose electronic digital computer to better calculate artillery firing tables; 1946 - ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator), completed at cost of nearly $500,000; took up 15,000 feet, employed 17,000 vacuum tubes, programmed by plugging, replugging some 6,000 switches; December 1945 - first used in calculation for Los Alamos Laboratories; February 1946 - formally dedicated; November 4, 1952 - UNIVAC achieved national fame when it correctly predicted Dwight D. Eisenhower's unexpected landslide victory in presidential election after only tiny percentage of votes were in. November 17, 1951 - J. Lyons & C., Ltd., chain of British tea shops, introduced world's first computer for business purposes; Lyons Electronic Office (LEO) performed first calculation - ran program to evaluate costs, prices, margins on that week's baked goods; first business machine in world to operate on 'stored program principle' (new programs permitted machine to perform different tasks); computer code, based on flow chart of how company's different job requirements related, developed by Maurice V. Wilkes, Director of the Mathematical Laboratory (Cambridge University); systems-oriented approach to programming devised by David Caminer; less than 100,000th power of modern PC; January 9, 1965 - LEO turned off. David Caminer - LEO October 7, 1954 - IBM displayed, in Poughkeepsie, NY, large all-transistor calculator needing only 5% of power of comparable electronic ones. 1957 - introduced IBM 608, fist all-transistor commercial calculator. Sperry Corp. acquired Remington Rand, renamed Sperry Rand; December 9, 1960 - introduced UNIVAC 1107, first electronic computer to use thin-film memory; signed valuable cross-licensing deal with IBM; remained major military contractor; 1978 - focused on computer-related business, renamed Sperry Corp.; 1986 - merged with Burroughs Corp., formed Unisys. October 2, 1955 - ENIAC computer deactivated at 11:45 PM. Norris, Seymore Cray, six other computer engineers quit UNIVAC division of Sperry Rand Corp. (had sold ERA, pioneering St. Paul computer company founded in 1946, to UNIVAC); founded Control Data Corp., in Minneapolis, MN, to concentrate on part of market that IBM did not dominate: large computers used mainly in scientific research; 1960 - built he 1604, most powerful computer in world; 1964 - introduced CDC 6600, first commercial supercomputer, 10 times faster than anything on market; 1969 - 45,000 employees, $1 billion in annual revenue; 1976 to 1980 - revenue grew from $2.1 billion to $3.8 billion; 1984 - revenue peaked at $5 billion; 1985 - losses reached more than $400 million, 18,000 workers down from 60,000, plants closed, assets sold; company eventually split into two February 6, 1957 - The cryotron, superconductive computer switch developed by Dudley Allen Buck at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, announced; first practical use of superconductivity; hailed as revolutionary component for miniaturizing room-sized computers August 1957 - Stan Olsen, Harlan Anderson left MIT's Lincoln Laboratory, established Digital Equipment Corporation to sell minicomputers to scientific, process control, academic communities; Georges Doriot, founder of American Research and Develorporation, supplied $70,000 in venture capital (later sold equity stpment Coake for about $450 million); pioneered minicomputer industry with PDP series; 1977 - VAX introduced, gained strong foothold in commercial data processing; evolved into complete line from desktop to mainframe, used same VMS operating system in all models; 1992 - introduced RISC-based Alpha architecture open system; 1997 - sold semiconductor manufacturing facilities to Intel; 1998 - acquired by Compaq; 2002 - acquired by Hewlett March 27, 1961 - Douglas Aircraft Corporation, Charlotte, NC used first mobile computer center, UNIVAC Solid-State 90 computer loaded into motor van, on assignment; set up by Remington Rand UNIVAC, division of Sperry Rand. February 4, 1964 - John P. Eckert, Jr. and John W. Mauchly, of Philadelphia, PA, received patent for the "Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer" ("relates to methods and apparatus for performing calculations involving arithmetical calculations, at extremely high speeds, and with minimum use of mechanical elements, as generally so termed , and more particularly relates to the art of electrical computing machines, with particular reference to a machine utilizing electronically produced pulses to rwepresent digits and numbers, and using such pulses for control and programming operations, thus obviating the need for mechanically moving parts for these purposes"); ENIAC; assigned to Sperry April 7, 1964 - IBM launched Systedm/360, $5 billion mainframe computer investment; family of six mutually compatible computers, 40 peripherals that could work together; transformed government, science commercial landscape; introduced several industry standards (de facto worldwide standard of 8-bit byte); orders for System/360 reached 1,000 per month within two years; 1989 - products based on System/360's architecture accounted for more than half of company's total revenues. December 15, 1964 - Kenneth H. Olsen, Bedford, MA, and Richard L. Best, Wayland, MA, received a patent for "Magnetic Core Memory" ("improved reliability in the reading and writing processes in which information is fed into the memory and retrieved from it"); assigned to Digital Equipment Corporation. Alan Shugart, of created first floppy disk. December 9, 1968 - Douglas Engelbart, 17 researchers from Research Center at Stanford Research Institute in Menlo Park, CA, gave 90-minute demonstration of groupware system called NLS (oNLine System - facilitated creation of digital libraries, storage, retrieval of electronic documents using first successful implementation of hypertext) at Fall Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco; used new device to facilitate computer interaction - three-button palm-sized contraption called a "mouse" (because of its tail-like cable; created first prototypes of device in 1963 at Stanford Research Institute); outlined concepts presaged next 40 years of computing; November 17, 1970 - received patent for an "X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System" ("...for movement by hand over any surface to move a cursor over the display on a cathode ray tube, the indicator control generating signals indicating its position to cause a cursor to be displayed on the tube at the corresponding assigned to Stanford Research Institute; first mouse was simple, hollowed-out wooden block with single push button on top to select, move, manipulate text; 1982 - Logitech sold its first mouse, P4 ($299); 1983 - Apple sold first commercial mouse as part of Apple Lisa system; Microsoft shipped its first IBM PC mouse ($195); two-button mouse initially required special First Computer Mouse - underside view, held by inventor Douglas Engelbart - CompuServe founded as computer time-sharing service; September 24, 1979 - began operation as first computer information service (electronic mail capabilities, technical support to personal computer users); 1980 - first online service to offer real-time chat online with CB Simulator; 1982 - formed Network Services Division to provide wide-area networking capabilities to corporate clients; February 1998 - wholly owned subsidiary of America October 29, 1969 - First computer-to-computer link established on - Xerox Corporation established the Palo Alto research Center (PARC Incorporated) to create "the office of the future" (under direction of Dr. George Pake, physicist specializing in nuclear magnetic resonance, provost of Washington University; Robert Taylor, head of Computer Science Division); focused information technology hardware, software); 2002 - spun off from Xerox; laid foundation for personal computing revolution; invented laser printer, desktop interface for PCs (adopted by Apple for Macintosh, Microsoft for Windows), idea of "ubiquitous computing" in 1980s (paved way for PalmPilot, iPad); 2009 - $60 million in revenue; 2010 - broadened research (solar energy generation, drug discovery tools, water treatment). September 13, 1970 - IBM announced System 370 computer. October 19, 1970 - Dr. Gene Amdahl, former IBM Fellow, director of IBM's Advanced Computing Systems (ACS) Laboratory in Menlo Park, CA, founded Amdahl Corporation in in Sunnyvale, CA; specialized in IBM mainframe-compatible computer products; 1997 - acquired by Fujitsu. February 1, 1972 - Hewlett-Packard introduced first scientific hand-held calculator (HP-35) for $395; 35 keys, first hand-held calculator able to perform logarithmic, trigonometric functions with one keystroke; February 1975 - production October 19, 1973 - After two-year anti-trust violation suit in case of Honeywell vs. Sperry Rand, Federal Judge in Minneapolis, MN, declared ENIAC patent (February 4, 1964) invalid (Mauchly, Eckert did not create basic ideas used in assembly of their computer), belatedly credited physicist with developing first electronic digital computer, Atanasoff- Berry Computer (ABC). December 19, 1974 - Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS), founded by put Altair 8800 microcomputer on sale in U.S., as do-it-yourself computer kit, for $397; used switches for input, flashing lights as display, 8800 microprocessor; demand far exceeded expectations; January 1975 - featured on cover of Popular Electronics; 1977 - Commodore PET introduced, first commercially successful personal computer which integrated keyboard, monitor in its caseApple II followed later that year. April 1, 1976 - Steve Jobs (entrepreneur), Steve Wozniak (engineer) created computer circuit boards in Jobs's parents' Los Altos, CA garage, named the product Apple I, sold it to a local computer store; initial financing: Jobs sold his VW van, Wozniak sold his Hewlett Packard calculator; January 3, 1977 - company incorporated; 1977 - Apple Computer, Inc. registered "Apple" trademark first used in April 1976 (computers and computer programs recorded on paper and tape); December 12, 1980 - went public; May 19, 2001 - opened first Apple retail stores in McLean, VA, Glendale, CA; May 26, 2010 - overtook Microsoft as most valuable technology company in terms of market value ($222.12 billion vs. $219.18 billion). - Stan Shih, group of university friends founded Multitech in Taipei; became one of pioneers of Taiwan's computer industry; 1986 - adopted Acer brand name; 2007 - 4th largest PC vendor (unit sales) behind Lenovo, HP, Dell; focus on traditional distributors, retailers (vs. internet March 4, 1977 - First CRAY 1 supercomputer shipped, to Los Alamos Laboratories, New Mexico. April 16, 1977 - Apple ll introduced at first West Coast Computer Faire, model for $970 TRS-80, Commodore PET also introduced February 16, 1978 - Ward Christensen, Randy Seuss created first Computer Bulletin Board System (Ward and Randy's CBBS, Chicago); used S-100 motherboard, CP/M, 300-baud modem. April 3, 1981 - Adam Osborne, journalist turned entrepreneur named, founder of Osborne Computer Corporation, introduced Osborne 1, first true mass-produced portable PC (24 pounds, no battery) at West Coast Computer Faire at San Francisco’s Brooks Hall; one of first computers to come with useful software, priced at $1795; 1983 - eclared bankruptcy; 1986 - Osborne Computing closed. August 12, 1981 - IBM introduced IBM 5150, first Personal Computer at press conference at Waldorf Astoria in New York City (21-pounds, cost $1,565, Intel processing chip, operating system developed by 32-person companty named Microsoft, able to connect to TV set, play games, word process); sold 136,000 units in first year and half of release; 3 million in first five years; base price of $1,565; 64 kilobytes of memory, expansion slots for up to 640 Kb more; system with two floppies and a serial port cost $3,045; monitor that displayed letters and numbers in green cost $345; machines ran at a speed of 4.77 megahertz. 2, 1981 - Daniel Borel, Pierluigi Zappacosta, Giacomo Marini founded Logitech S.A. (name from 'logicel', French word for software), opened first office in in farmhouse in small village of Apples, Switzerland; first business deal to develop graphical editor for Ricoh; 1982 - developed Logitech® P4 mouse designed by Jean-Daniel Nicoud (dome-shaped device, among first commercial mice available, sold for $299); 1985 - introduced first mouse for retail; 1996 - 100 million sold (against heavy competition from IBM, Microsoft, Apple); 2003 - 500 million sold; December 3, 2008 - shipped 1 billionth mouse; sells mice in more than 100 countries, manufactures average of 376,000 mice/day, 7.8 Daniel Borel, Pierluigi Zappacosta, Giacomo Marini - Logitech (http://www.logitech.com/repository/397/jpg/2907.1.0.jpg) May 7, 1982 - IBM released PC-DOS version 1.1. February 1982 - Rod Canion, Jim Harris, Bill Murto, three senior managers from semiconductor manufacturer Texas Instruments, founded Compaq Computer in Hoston, TX; each invested $1,000; first venture funding from Ben Rosen (Sevin-Rosen partners); March 1983 - released first product, Compaq Portable, portable IBM PC compatible personal computer, priced at $2995; sold 53,000 units in first year; 1985 - released Compaq Deskpro 286, 16-bit desktop computer using an Intel 80286 microprocessor running at 6 MHz, cpable of supporting up to 7 MB of RAM; cost $2000 for 40-MB hard disk model; 1986 - introduced first PC based on Intel's new 80386 microprocessor, Compaq Deskpro 386; increased performance leadership over IBM; 1997 - acquired Tandem Computers, known for NonStop server line; instantly gave presence in higher end business computing market; 1998 - acquired Digital Equipment Corporation, leading company in previous generation of computing during the 1970s and early 1980s; made Compaq world's second largest computer maker in terms of revenue; May 3, 2002 - acquired by Hewlett-Packard in $19 billion deal. Rod Canion, Jim Harris, Bill Murto - Co-Founders Compaq Computer June 1982 - Columbia Data Products (founded in 1976 in Columbia, MD) introduced the MPC 1600 "Multi Personal Computer", exact functional copy of the IBM PC model 5150 (except for BIOS); first IBM PC clone; 1983 - revenue of $56 million (vs. $9.4 million in 1982); February 1984 - IBM introduced its first portable PC; August 1984 - CDP sales faltered; 1985 - stock dropped to $0.50 per share, delisted; 1986 - taken private; 1987 - shifted emphasis from hardware to software. - Rich Skrenta (15), high school student at Mt. Lebanon High School, Mt. Lebanon, PA, wrote Elk Cloner "boot" virus that infected Apple II machines through floppy disks; considered first virus to hit computers worldwide; relatively harmless August 18, 1982 - Wang Laboratories filed for Chapter 11 (failure to keep pace with growth in the Personal Computer [PC] market); founded in the 1951, grew profitable as a major supplier of microcomputers. By the 1970s, the company had become a "multi-national colossus." Company was reborn in 1993 (and is known today as Wang Global) and has become a leading systems integrator and provider of information technology services worldwide. January 19, 1983 - Apple introduced Lisa (Local Integrated Software Architecture); operating system featured multitasking and March 8, 1983 - IBM released PC DOS version 2.0. November 10, 1983 - Fred Cohen presented to security seminar results of first documented working virus (defined as "a program that can 'infect' other programs by modifying them to include a ... version of itself"), created as experiment in computer security when studying for PhD at the University of Southern California. - Liu Chuanzhi, 10 engineers from Chinese Academy of Sciences, received government permission to start business enterprise, worked from small bungalow in Beijing, founded Lenovo; used brand name, Legend; promoted PC usage throughout China, developed the revolutionary Legend Chinese character card that translated English software into Chinese characters; 2003 - name changed to Lenovo; May 2005 - acquired IBM’s PC division for $1,25 billion; became world's third largest PC maker (behind Dell, HP); over $13 billion in annual reserves, more than 19,000 people worldwide. January 24, 1984 - Apple Computer unveiled Macintosh personal computer; January 30, 1984 - Steve Jobs first publicly demonstrated Macintosh computer. - Ted Waitt (22) founded Gateway 2000 in Iowa farmhouse; started with $10,000 loan guaranteed by his grandmother, rented computer, three-page business plan; sold computers direct to consumers; 1991 - introduced distinctive cow-spotted boxes (tribute to its farm heritage; 1993 - cracked Fortune 500, went public, traded on NASDAQ; 1997 - moved to New York Stock Exchange; January 2006 - approximately 1,800 employees. March 19, 1985 - IBM ceased production of its floundering home computer, the PCjr (only sold 240,000 units); November of 1983 - first introduced to fuel IBM's efforts to rule the consumer computer market; touted the computer as a "compact, low-cost" machine for "personal productivity applications, learning and April 8, 1985 Amdahl released UTS/V, first mainframe Unix. April 17, 1986 - IBM produced first megabit-chip. November 11, 1986 - Sperry Rand, Burroughs merged, formed Unisys; nation's second largest computer company. April 2, 1987 - IBM introduced PS/2 and OS/2 operating systems. July 24, 1987 - IBM-PC DOS Version 3.3 (updated) released. August 16, 1988 - IBM introduced software for artificial intelligence. November 2, 1988 - Cornell University graduate student, Robert T. Morris, unleashed computer "worm" intended as experimental, self-replicating, self-propagating program; "Morris worm", first internet-distributed computer worm to gain significant mainstream media attention, replicates wildly, clogs thousands of computers around the country (universities, military sites, medical research facilities); message how to kill the worm and prevent reinfection could not be delivered; Morris tried, fined, given probation. May 13, 1991 Apple released Macintosh System 7.0. May 17, 1993 - Intel's new Pentium processor unveiled. August 6, 1997 - Apple Computer, Microsoft agreed to share technology; Microsoft acquired minority stake in Apple for $150 million. September 16, 1997 - Apple Computer rehired founder , former CEO Steve Jobs to temporarily run company during search for permanent September 22, 1997 - IBM announced it had revolutionized computer chips by using copper instead of aluminum in production of January 26, 1998 - Compaq Corporation acquired Digital Equipment Corporation for $9.6 billion; largest acquisition in history of the computer October 23, 1999 - Apple Computer's Mac OS 9 released. October 23, 2001 - Apple introduced iPod portable music player; 2006 - domestic market share in flash-memory players = 68% (source: NPD Group); iPod sales reached 100 million (Sony Walkman - 14 years); June 19, 2008 - more than 5 billion songs purchased, downloaded from iTunes Store. December 7, 2004 - IBM agreed to sell PC division to China-based Lenovo Group, took 18.9% stake in Lenovo, in deal valued at $1.75 billion: increased Lenovo's current PC business fourfold: annual sales volume of 11.9 million units, revenue of $12 billion (third largest PC company, behind Dell and HP). October 12, 2005 - Apple Computer released Video iPod. 2006 - Hewlett Packard passed IBM, became revenue leader in computer industry; largest information company in world. 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IBM, The Making of the Common View. (Boston, MA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 284 p.). International Business Machines Corporation; Computer industry. (IBM), David Mercer (1988). The Global IBM: Leadership in Multinational Management . (New York, NY: Dodd, Mead, 374 p.). International Business Machines Corporation -- Management; International business enterprises -- Management -- Case studies. (IBM, D. Quinn Mills (1988). The IBM Lesson: The Profitable Art of Full Employment. (New York, NY: Times Books, 216 p.). International Business Machines Corporation -- Management; International Business Machines Corporation -- Employees; Computer industry -- United States -- Employees. (IBM), William W. Simmons with Richard B. Inside IBM: The Watson Years: A Personal Memoir. (Bryn Mawr, PA: Dorrance, 202 p.). Watson, Thomas John, 1874-1956; Watson, Thomas J., 1914- ; Watson, Arthur Kittredge, 1919-1974; International Business Machines Corporation--History; Computer industry--United States--History; Businesspeople--United (IBM), Jacques Maisonrouge; translation by Nina Rootes. (1989). Inside IBM: A Personal Story. (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 316 p.). Maisonrouge, Jacques, 1924- ; International Business Machines Corporation--Management; International business enterprises--Management; (IBM), Regis McKenna (1989). Who's Afraid of Big Blue?: How Companies Are Challenging IBM-- and Winning. (Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 218 p.). International Business Machines Corporation; Computer industry--United States; Competition--United States. (IBM), Thomas J. Watson, Jr. and Peter Petre Father, Son & Co.: My Life at IBM and Beyond. (New York, NY: Bantam Books, 468 p.). Watson, Thomas J., 1914- ; International Business Machines Corporation--History; (IBM), Roy A. Bauer, Emilio Collar, Victor Tang with Jerry Wind, Patrick Houston (1992). The Silverlake Project: Transformation at IBM. (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 219 p.). Three of the Major Gigures behind the AS/400; Former Business Week Writer. International Business Machines Corporation; Computer industry--United States--Management--Case studies. Most radical cultural change in IBM's history, switched from product-driven to market-driven approach to doing business. (IBM), Paul Carroll (1993). Big Blues: The Unmaking of IBM. (New York, NY: Crown Publishers, 375 p.). Journalist (Wall Street Journal). IBM, (IBM), Charles H. Ferguson and Charles R. Computer Wars: The Fall of IBM and the Future of Global Technology (New York, NY: Times Books, 272 p.). International Business Machines Corporation; Computer industry; Computer industry--United States; Competition, International. (IBM), Emerson W. Pugh (1995). Building IBM: Shaping an Industry and Its Technology. (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 405 p.). International Business Machines Corporation--History; Computer industry--United (IBM), Daniel Quinn Mills, G. Bruce Friesen Broken Promises: An Unconventional View of What Went Wrong at IBM (Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 210 p.). International Business Machines Corporation; Computer industry--United States; Competition--United States. (IBM), Doug Garr (1999). IBM Redux: Lou Gerstner and The Business Turnaround of the Decade. (New York, NY: HarperBusiness, 375 p.). Gerstner, Louis V.; International Business Machines Corporation; Computer industry--United States. (IBM), Robert Slater (1999). Saving Big Blue: Leadership Lessons and Turnaround Tactics of IBM's Lou Gerstner. (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 309 p.). Gerstner, Louis V.; International Business Machines Corporation; Computer industry--United States. (IBM), Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. (2002). Who Says Elephants Can't Dance?: Inside IBM's Historic Turnaround. (New York, NY: HarperCollins, 372 p. p). Chairman, CEO of IBM (April 1993 - March 2002). International Business Machines Corporation--Management; International Business Machines Corporation--History; Computer industry--United States--History; Electronic office machines industry--United States--History; Corporate turnarounds--United States--Case studies. IBM's competitive, cultural transformation; only company at pinnacle of an industry, fallen to near collapse, returned to (IBM), Kevin Maney (2003). The Maverick and His Machine: Thomas Watson, Sr., and the Making of IBM. (New York, NY: Wiley, 485 p.). USA Today Technology Columnist. Watson, Thomas John, 1874-1956; Watson, Thomas J., 1914- ; Watson, Arthur Kittredge, 1919-1974; International Business Machines Corporation--History; Computer industry--United States--History; Businessmen--United (IBM), Richard S. Tedlow (2003). The Watson Dynasty: The Fiery Reign and Troubled Legacy of IBM's Founding Father and Son. (New York, NY: HarperBusiness, 340 p.). Professor (Harvard Business School). Watson, Thomas John, 1874-1956; Watson, Thomas J., 1914- ;International Business Machines Corporation History; Family-owned business enterprises United States Case studies; Fathers and sons United States Case studies; Executives United (IBM), Ed Aswad, Suzanne M. Meredith (2005). IBM in Endicott. (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub., 128 p.). International Business Machines Corporation--History; International Business Machines Corporation--Pictorial works; Computer industry--United States--History; Electronic office machine industry--United States--History; Company towns--New York (State)--Endicott--History. Bundy Manufacturing Company relocated to Endicott, NY, part of greatest industrial revolution in world: development of corporation, people, ideas that made IBM a household word. (IBM), Kevin Maney, Steve Hamm, Jeffrey M. Making the World Work Better: The Ideas that Shaped a Century and a Company. (Upper Saddle River, NJ IBM Press, 350 p.). Former Reporter, Editor and Columnist (USA Today); Writer and Videographer in IBM's Corporate Communications Department; Former Senior Editor (Fortune, Wired). International Business Machines Corporation --History; International Business Machines Corporation --Management; Computer industry --United States --History. How IBM has distinctly contributed to evolution of technology, modern corporation over past 100 years; Nobel Prize-winning work of company’s research laboratories (punch-card tabulator, mainframe, personal computer, memory chip, disk drive, scanning tunneling microscope (essential to nanotechnology), new fields of mathematics), missteps and successes (bet-the-business gamble on legendary System/360 in 1960s to turnaround from company’s near-death experience in early 1990s); first large American company to pay all employees salaries (vs. hourly wages), early champion of hiring women and minorities, pioneer of new approaches to doing business (model of globally integrated enterprise); lasting impact on society (enabled U.S. Social Security System, space program, airline reservations, modern banking, retail); lessons: anticipate change, be willing, able to continually transform. (ICL), Martin Campbell-Kelly (1989). ICL: A Business and Technical History. (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 409 p.). ICL Limited--History; Computer (Lenovo), Zhijun Ling, Martha Avery The Lenovo Affair: The Growth of China's Computer Giant and Its Takeover of IBM-PC. (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 250 p.). Reporter for the People’s Daily (Shanghai). Lenovo, Computer industry -- China. Rise of company in changing business environment in China; history of Lenovo (Lianxiang in China), founder Liu Chuanzhi; contended with two powerful forces: market and government. Liu Chuanzhi - (Lenovo), Steve Hamm (2008). The Race for Perfect: Inside the Quest To Design the Ultimate Portable Computer. (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 293 p.). Communications Strategist and Writer for IBM, Former Journalist (BusinessWeek). Microcomputers; Portable computers -- Design and construction. Lenovo’s ThinkPad X300 laptop, “halo” product to draw customers to Lenovo’s entire line (Lenovo acquired IBM’s PC division in 2005 to get ThinkPad laptops); how ambitious company marshaled its resources to pursue laptop perfection; collided head-on with Apple’s super-slim MacBook Air—-with surprising results; entrepreneurs, designers have pushed relentlessly in quest to create perfect device from earliest days of portable computing (40 years ago); produced few fabulous successes, many failures; driven by basic rule of tech industry: innovate or die; lessons: 1) innovate constantly to differentiate products; 2) create timeless design principles; 3) integrate design, engineering so products are useful, fun to use; 4) improve quality and convenience without compromise; 5) tap social networks to turn customers into fans. (LEO), David Caminer, John Aris, Peter Hermon, Frank Land (1998). LEO: The Incredible Story of the World’s First Business Computer. (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 392 p.). Devised Systems-Oriented Approach to Programming. Leo computer; Business --Data processing --History; Computers --Great Britain --History. November 17, 1951 - J. Lyons & Company, chain of British tea shops, introduced world's first computer for business purposes; first business machine in world to operate on 'stored program principle'. (Linux), Linus Torvalds and David Diamond Just for Fun: The Story of an Accidental Revolutionary. (New York, NY: HarperBusiness, 262 p.). Torvalds, Linus, 1969- ; Linux; Computer programmers--Finland--Biography. (MIPS), Michael S. Malone (1991). Going Public: MIPS Computer and the Entrepreneurial Dream. (New York, NY: E. Burlingame Books, 291 p.). Going public (Securities)--Case studies; Entrepreneurship--Case studies; Computer industry--Case studies. (Mouse), Thierry Bardini (2000). Bootstrapping: Douglas Engelbart, Coevolution, and the Origins of Personal Computing. (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 284 p.). Associate Professor in the Department of Communication (Universite de Montreal). Microcomputers --History; Human-computer interaction; User interfaces (Computer systems). 1960s at Stanford Research Institute - Douglas Engelbart, small team of researchers, developed cornerstones of personal computing: mouse, windowed user interface, hypertext, networking; revolutionary vision, systematic way to think, organize coevolution of humans, their tools; radical improvement in how to make people work - created the 'mouse' (NCR), Samuel Crowther (1923). John H. Patterson, Pioneer in Industrial Welfare. (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page, 364 p.). Patterson, John Henry, 1844-1922; National Cash Register Company. John H. Patterson - (NCR), Roy Wilder Johnson (1932). The Sales Strategy of John H. Patterson, Founder of the National Cash Register Company. (Chicago, IL: The Dartnell Group, 344 p.). Patterson, John Henry, 1844-1922; National Cash Register Company; Salesmen and salesmanship. (NCR), George Francis Taubeneck (1937). They Didnt' Know They Wanted It; How John H. Patterson Developed the Specialty Selling Formula. (Detroit, MI: Business News Publishing Co., 222 p.). Patterson, John Henry, 1844-1922; National Cash Register Company, Dayton, O.; Salesmen and (NCR), Issac F. Marcosson (1945). Wherever Men Trade; The Romance of the Cash Register. (New York, NY: Dodd, Mead, 263 p.). Patterson, John Henry, 1844-1922; National Cash Register Company; Cash registers. (NCR), Stanley C. Allyn (1968). My Half Century with NCR. (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 209 p.). National Cash Register Company. (NeXT Computer), Randall E. Stross (1993). Steve Jobs and the NeXT Big Thing. (New York, NY: Atheneum, 374 p.). Jobs, Steven, 1955- ; NeXT Computer, Inc.; (Osborne Computer Corporation), Adam Osborne and John Dvorak (1984). Hypergrowth: The Rise and Fall of Osborne Computer Corporation. (Berkeley, CA: Idthekkethan Pub. Co., 204 p.). Osborne Computer Corporation; Computer industry--United States; Microcomputers. (SAP), Hasso Plattner in conversation with August-Wilhelm Scheer, Siegfried Wendt, and Daniel S. Morrow; translated from the German by William McKone (2000). Anticipating Change: Secrets Behind the SAP Empire. (Roseville, CA: Prima Tech, 275 p.). SAP AG; Computer software (Sperry Rand), Thomas Parke Hughes (1971). Elmer Sperry; Inventor and Engineer. (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Press, 348 p.). Sperry, Elmer Ambrose, 1860-1930. Elmer Ambrose Sperry - Sperry Rand, Unisys June 17, 1930 (Sperry Rand), David E. Lundstrom (1987). A Few Good Men from Univac. (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 227 p.). Univac computer--History; Computer industry--History. (Sperry Rand), Thomas A. Russo (2002). Mechanical Typewriters: Their History, Value, and Legacy. (Atglen, PA: Schiffer Pub. Ltd., 256 p.). E. Remington & Sons--History; Remington Rand, Inc.--History; Typewriters--History; Typewriters--Collectors and collecting. (Victor Comptometer), Edwin Darby (1968). It All Adds Up; The Growth of Victor Comptometer Corporation. (Chicago, IL: Victor Comptometer Corporation, 243 p.). Victor (Wang), An Wang with Eugene Linden (1986). Lessons: An Autobiography. (Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 248 p.). Wang, An, 1920- ; Wang Laboratories, Inc.--History; Computer industry--United States--History; An Wang (http://home.wxs.nl/~janvdv/images/Copy_of_RIMG0007.JPG) (Wang), Charles C. Kenney (1992). Riding the Runaway Horse: The Rise and Decline of Wang Laboratories. (Boston, MA: Little, Brown, 323 p.). Wang, An, 1920- ; Wang Laboratories, Inc.--History; Computer industry--United States--History; Electronic industries--United (Wyly Corporation), Ben Voth (1974). A Piece of the Computer Pie. (Houston, TX: Gulf Pub. Co., 182 p.). Wyly Corporation; Computer industry--United (Xerox), Ed. Giuliana Lavendel (1980). A Decade of Research: Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, 1970-1980. (New York, NY: R.R. Bowker & Co. Xerox Corporation. Palo Alto (Xerox), Ed. Giuliana Lavendel (1990). PARC, The Second Decade, 1980-1990. (Palo Alto, CA: Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, 810 p.). Xerox Corporation. Palo Alto (Xerox), Michael Hiltzik (1999). Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age. (New York, NY: HarperBusiness, 448 p.). Correspondent (Los Angeles Times). Xerox Corporation. Palo Alto Research Center--History; Computer Jon Agar (2003). The Government Machine: A Revolutionary History of the Computer. (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 554 p). Computers--Government policy--Great Britain--History; Public administration--Great Britain--Data processing--History; Civil service--Effect of technological innovations on--Great Britain--History. Mechanization of government work in United Kingdom from 19th-early 21st century; tied to rise of "expert movements" (deployment of machines was attempt to gain control over state action). Geoffrey D. Austrian (1982). Herman Hollerith, Forgotten Giant of Information Processing. (New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 418 p.). Hollerith, Herman, 1860-1929; Electronic data processing--Biography. Martin Campbell-Kelly and William Aspray Computer: A History of the Information Machine. (New York, NY: Basic Books, 342 p.). Teacher of Computer Science (Warwick University), Exec. Dir., Computing Research Association. Computers--History; Electronic data Martin Campbell-Kelly (2003). A History of the Software Industry: From Airline Reservations to Sonic the Hedgehog. (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, p.). Teacher of Computer Science (Warwick University). Computer I. Bernard Cohen (1999). Howard Aiken: Portrait of a Computer Pioneer. (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 329 p.). Howard H. Aiken (1900-1973), Computers, Computer Engineers. Compiled by James W. Cortada (1990). A Bibliographic Guide to the History of Computing, Computers, and the Information Processing Industry. (New York, NY: Greenwood Press, 644 p.). Computers--History--Bibliography; Electronic data processing--History--Bibliography. Second Bibliographic Guide to the History of Computing, Computers, and the Information Processing Industry. (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 416 p.). Computers--History; Electronic data processing--History. James W. Cortada (1993). Before the Computer: IBM, NCR, Burroughs, and Remington Rand and the Industry They Created, 1865-1956. (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 344 p.). Office equipment and supplies industry--United States--History; Electronic office machine industry--United States--History. The Computer in the United States: From Laboratory to Market, 1930 to 1960. (Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 183 p.). Computer engineering--United States--History; Computers--United States--History; Computer industry--United States--History. The Digital Hand: How Computers Changed the Work of American Manufacturing, Transportation, and Retail Industries. (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 494 p.). Automation--Economic aspects--United States; Manufacturing industries--United States--Automation; Transportation--United States--Automation; Retail trade--United States--Automation. Charles H. Ferguson (1999). High St@kes, No Prisoners: A Winner's Tale of Greed and Glory in the Internet Wars. (New York, NY: Times Business, 392 p.). Computer industry--California--Santa Clara County; High technology industries--California--Santa Clara County; Entrepreneurship--United States--Case studies; Wealth--California--Santa Clara County. Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine (2000). Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 463 p. [2nd. ed]). Dennis Hayes (1989). Behind the Silicon Curtain: The Seductions of Work in a Lonely Era. (Boston, MA: South End Press, 215 p.). Computer industry--California--Santa Clara Valley (Santa Clara County). John Hendry (1989). Innovating for Failure: Government Policy and the Early British Computer Industry. (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 240 p.). Computer industry--Government policy--Great Britain--History. Andrew Hodges (1983). Alan Turing: The Enigma. (New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 587 p.). Turing, Alan Mathison, 1912-1954; Rama D. Jager, Rafael Ortiz (1997). In the Company of Giants: Candid Conversations with the Visionaries of the Digital World (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 232 p.). Computer industry--United States--Management--Case studies; Computer software industry--United States--Management--Case studies; Entrepreneurship--United States--Case studies; Success in business--United States--Case studies; Chief executive David Leavitt (2005). The Man Who Knew Too Much: Alan Turing and the Invention of the Computer. (New York, NY: Norton, 288 p.). Teaches Creative Writing (University of Florida, Gainesville). Turing, Alan Mathison, 1912-1954; Mathematicians--Great Britain--Biography; Gay men--Legal status, laws, etc.--Great Britain; Artificial intelligence--History. Originator of ideas that led to invention of computer. Steve Lohr (2009), Digital Revolutionaries: The Men and Women Who Brought Computing to Life. (New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press, 176 p.). Senior Writer and Technology Reporter (New York Times). Computers -- History; of computers, celebration of human ingenuity that led world from ENIAC to iMAC. Steven Levy (2001). Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution. (New York, NY: Penguin, 455 p. [orig. pub. 1994]). Computer programming; John Markoff (2005). What the Dormouse Said--: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry. (New York, NY: Viking, 310 p.). Technology Reporter (New York Times). Microcomputers--History; Computers and civilization; Nineteen David A. Mindell (2002). Between Human and Machine: Feedback, Control, and Computing before Cybernetics. (Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 439 p.). Frances and David Dibner Associate Professor of the History of Engineering and Manufacturing in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Computers--History; Electronic data Arthur L. Norberg (2005). Computers and Commerce: A Study of Technology and Management at Eckert-Mauchly Computer Company, Engineering Research Associates, and Remington Rand, 1946-1957. (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 347 p.). ERA Land-Grant Chair in History of Technology, Professor in the Program in History of Science and Technology and in the Department of Computer Science (University of Minnesota). Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation (Philadelphia, Pa.) -- History; Engineering Research Associates -- History; Remington Rand, Inc. -- History; Electronic digital computers -- History; Computer industry -- History. Importance of years 1946-1957 in history of computing. Photographs by Mark Richards; text by John Alderman; foreword by John Toole (2007). Core Memory: A Visual survey of Vintage Computers Featuring Machines from the Computer History Museum. (San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, 160 p.). Computers--History; Electronic data processing--History. Modern technology's evolution through world's most renowned computer collection, Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley. Vivid photos capture these historically important machines (Eniac, Crays 1 3, Apple I and II); authoritative text profiles each, tells stories of their innovations, peculiarities. Thirty-five machines are profiled in over 100 extraordinary color photographs. Joel N. Shurkin (1996). Engines of the Mind: The Evolution of the Computer from Mainframes to Microprocessors. (New York, NY: Norton, 363 [updated pbk. ed.]). Computers--History. Jane Smiley (2010). The Man Who Invented the Computer: The Biography of John Atanasoff, Digital Pioneer. (New York, NY: Doubleday, 256 p.). Pulitzer Prize Winner. Atanasoff, John V. (John Vincent); Sperry Rand Corporation --History --20th century; Computer scientists --United States --Biography; Inventors --United States --Biography; Physicists --Iowa --Biography; College teachers --Iowa --Biography; Electronic digital computers --History --20th century; Patents --United States --History --20th century; Intellectual property --United States --History --20th century. Race to develop digital computing; 1941 - professor of physics (Iowa State University) combined binary number system and electronic switches, with array of capacitors on moving drum to serve as memory; produce first computing machine to make life of scientists easier; built machine; changed world; never patented device; 1973 - federal court decision in Honeywell v. Sperry Rand voided 1964 US patent 3,120,606 for ENIAC; put invention of electronic digital computer in public domain; provided legal recognition to Atanasoff as inventor of first electronic digital computer; opened intellectual property gates to computer John V. Atanasoff - Electronic Digital Computer Robert Slater (1987). Portraits in Silicon (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 374 p.). Neal Stephenson (1999). In The Beginning. . . was the Command Line. (New York, NY: Avon Books, 151 p.). Operating systems (Computers). Mostly well-reasoned examination, partial rant, thoughtful, irreverent, hilarious treatise on cyber-culture past, present on operating system tyrannies. Doron Swade (2001). The Difference Engine: Charles Babbage and the Quest to Build the First Computer. (New York, NY: Viking, 342 p.). Technology Historian and Assistant Director of London's Science Museum. Babbage, Charles, 1791-1871; Calculators--Great Britain--History--19th century. 1821 - Inventor and mathematician Charles Babbage reviewed set of mathematical tables, found excess of errors in results; began lifelong enterprise to design, built mechanical calculating engine, world's first computer; Babbage's 19th-century quest to build calculating machine, author built replica for bicentennial of Babbage's birth. Eric G. Swedin, David L. Ferro (2007). Computers: The Life Story of a Technology. (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 192 p.). Associate Professor in Information Systems and Technologies (Weber State University); Associate Professor in Computer Science (Weber State University). Computers and Short history of dynamic technology, central themes from ancient times to present day; revolutionized how information organized, how people communicate, way we think about human mind. Fred Turner (2006). From Counterculture to Cyberculture: Stewart Brand, the Whole Earth Network, and the Rise of Digital Utopianism. (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 327 p.). Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication (Stanford University). Brand, Stewart; Whole earth catalog (New York, NY); Computers and civilization; Information technology--History--20th century; Counterculture--United States--History--20th century; Computer networks--Social aspects; Subculture--California--San Francisco--History--20th century; Technology--Social aspects--California, Northern. - computers embodied rigid organization, mechanical conformity; 1990s - computers represented collaborative, digital utopia modeled on communal ideals of hippies; untold story of highly influential group of San Francisco Bay–area entrepreneurs who brokered long-running collaboration between San Francisco flower power, emerging technological hub of Silicon Valley. M. Mitchell Waldrop (2001). The Dream Machine: J. C. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal (New York, NY: Viking, 502 p.). Licklider, J. C. R.; Microcomputers--History. Jeffrey R. Yost (2005). The Computer Industry. (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 288 p.). Associate Director of Charles Babbage Institute for the History of Information Technology (University of Minnesota). Computer industry--United States--History. Business History Links American Computer Museum America's Information Age Museum (The Museum of Minds & Technology); 1990 - George & Barbara Keremedjiev opened museum in Bozeman, Montana as a nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization; focus is the presentation of the fundamentals of modern computer based technology with extensive displays showcasing the history of the information age while also offering in-depth displays for those who are serious technophiles.
4ProjectionIn general, projections transform points in a coordinate system of dimension n into points in a coordinate system of dimension less than n.We shall limit ourselves to the projection from 3D to 2D.We will deal with planar geometric projections where:The projection is onto a plane rather than a curved surfaceThe projectors are straight lines rather than curves 5Projectionkey terms…Projection from 3D to 2D is defined by straight projection rays (projectors) emanating from the 'center of projection', passing through each point of the object, and intersecting the 'projection plane' to form a projection. 6Planer Geometric Projection 2 types of projectionsperspective and parallel.Key factor is the center of projection.if distance to center of projection is finite : perspectiveif infinite : parallelPerspective projectionParallel projection 7Perspective v Parallel visual effect is similar to human visual system...has 'perspective foreshortening'size of object varies inversely with distance from the center of projection.Parallel lines do not in general project to parallel linesangles only remain intact for faces parallel to projection plane. 8Perspective v Parallel less realistic view because of no foreshorteninghowever, parallel lines remain parallel.angles only remain intact for faces parallel to projection plane. 9Perspective projection- anomalies Perspective foreshortening The farther an object is from COP the smaller it appearsPerspective foreshortening 10Perspective projection- anomalies Vanishing Points: Any set of parallel lines not parallel to the view plane appear to meet at some point.There are an infinite number of these, 1 for each of the infinite amount of directions line can be orientedVanishing point 11Perspective projection- anomalies View Confusion: Objects behind the center of projection are projected upside down and backward onto the view-planeTopological distortion: A line segment joining a point which lies in front of the viewer to a point in back of the viewer is projected to a broken line of infinite extent.P13P'CYXZ2View PlanePlane containingCenter of Projection (C) 13Vanishing PointIf a set of lines are parallel to one of the three axes, the vanishing point is called an axis vanishing point (Principal Vanishing Point).There are at most 3 such points, corresponding to the number of axes cut by the projection planeOne-point:One principle axis cut by projection planeOne axis vanishing pointTwo-point:Two principle axes cut by projection planeTwo axis vanishing pointsThree-point:Three principle axes cut by projection planeThree axis vanishing points 17Vanishing Point Two-point perspective projection: This is often used in architectural, engineering and industrial design drawings.Three-point is used less frequently as it adds little extra realism to that offered by two-point perspective projection. 22Parallel projection 2 principle types: Orthographic : Oblique : orthographic and oblique.Orthographic :direction of projection = normal to the projection plane.Oblique :direction of projection != normal to the projection plane. 23Orthographic projection Orthographic (or orthogonal) projections:front elevation, top-elevation and side-elevation.all have projection plane perpendicular to a principle axes.Useful because angle and distance measurements can be made...However, As only one face of an object is shown, it can be hard to create a mental image of the object, even when several view are available 26Axonometric projection Axonometric Projections use projection planes that are not normal to a principal axis.On the basis of projection plane normal N = (dx, dy, dz) subclasses are:Isometric : \| dx \| = \| dy \| = \| dz \| i.e. N makes equal angles with all principal axes.Dimetric : \| dx \| = \| dy \|Trimetric : \| dx \| != \| dy \| != \| dz \| 27Axonometric vs Perspective Axonometric projection shows several faces of an object at once like perspective projection.But the foreshortening is uniform rather than being related to the distance from the COP.Projection PlaneIsometric proj 28Oblique parallel projection Oblique parallel projectionsObjects can be visualized better then with orthographic projectionsCan measure distances, but not angles* Can only measure angles for faces of objects parallel to the plane2 common oblique parallel projections:Cavalier and Cabinet 30Oblique parallel projection Cavalier:The direction of the projection makes a 45 degree angle with the projection plane.There is no foreshortening 31Oblique parallel projection Cabinet:The direction of the projection makes a 63.4 degree angle with the projection plane. This results in foreshortening of the z axis, and provides a more “realistic” view 32Oblique parallel projection Cavalier, cabinet and orthogonal projections can all be specified in terms of (α, β) or (α, λ) sincetan(β) = 1/λαβP=(0, 0, 1)P׳(λ cos(α), λ sin(α),0)λ cos(α)λ sin(α)λ 41OpenGL’s Perspective Specification y field-of-view / fovyaspect rationear and far clipping planesviewing frustumgluPerspective(fovy, aspect, near, far)glFrustum(left, right, bottom, top, near, far) 42Perspective without Depth The depth information is lost as the last two components are sameBut dept information of the projected points is essential for hidden surface removal and other purposes like blending, shading etc. 43Perspective without Depth For ß < 0, z’ is a monotonically increasing function of depth. 53Generalized Projection Using the origin as the center of projection, derive the perspective transformation onto the plane passing through the point R0(x0, y0, z0) and having the normal vector N = n1I + n2J + n3K.xyzP(x, y, z)P'(x', y', z')N = n1I + n2J + n3KR0=x0 ,y0, z0O 55Generalized Projection Derive the general perspective transformation onto a plane with reference point R0 and normal vector N and using C(a,b,c) as the center of projection.xyzP(x, y, z)P'(x', y', z')N = n1I + n2J + n3KR0=x0 ,y0, z0C 57Generalized Projection Follow the steps –Translate so that C lies at the originPerTranslate back 58Generalized Projection Find (a) the vanishing points for a given perspective transformation in the direction given by a vector U (b) principal vanishing point.Family of parallel lines having the direction U(u1,u2,u3) can be written in parametric form asx = u1t+p, y = u2t+q, z = u3t+rhere (p, q, r) is any point on the lineLet, proj(x,y,z,1) = (x‘, y‘, z‘, h)x' = (d+an1)(u1t+p) + an2(u2t+q) + an3(u3t+r) – ad0y' = bn1(u1t+p) + (d+bn2)(u2t+q) + bn3(u3t+r) – bd0z' = cn1(u1t+p) + cn2(u2t+q) + (d+cn3)(u3t+r) – cd0h = n1(u1t+p) + n2(u2t+q) + n3(u3t+r) – d1 59Generalized Projection The vanishing point (xv, yv, zv) is obtained when t=αxu = (x‘/h) at t= α= a + (du1/k)yu = b + (du2/k)zu = c + (du3/k)k = N.U = n1u1 + n2u2 + n3u3If k=0 then ?Principal vanishing point whenU = Ixu = a + d / n1, yu = b, zu = c,U = JU = k 60Ref.FV: p ,Sch: prob. 7.1 – 7.15Perspective Proj.pdf
Fiber-optic dosimeters for radiation therapy According to the figures provided by the World Health Organization, cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for 8.8 million deaths in 2015. Radiation therapy, which uses x-rays to destroy or injure cancer cells, has become one of the most important modalities to treat the primary cancer or advanced cancer. The newly developed microbeam radiation therapy (MRT), which uses highly collimated, quasi-parallel arrays of x-ray microbeams (typically 50 μm wide and separated by 400 μm) produced by synchrotron sources, represents a new paradigm in radiotherapy and has shown great promise in pre-clinical studies on different animal models. Measurements of the absorbed dose distribution of microbeams are vitally important for clinical acceptance of MRT and for developing quality assurance systems for MRT, hence are a challenging and important task for radiation dosimetry. On the other hand, during the traditional LINAC based radiotherapy and breast cancer brachytherapy, skin dose measurements and treatment planning also require a high spatial resolution, tissue equivalent, on-line dosimeter that is both economical and highly reliable. Such a dosimeter currently does not exist and remains a challenge in the development of radiation dosimetry. High resolution, water equivalent, optical and passive x-ray dosimeters have been developed and constructed by using plastic scintillators and optical fibers. The dosimeters have peak edge-on spatial resolutions ranging from 50 to 500 microns in one dimension, with a 10 micron resolution dosimeter under development. The developed fiber-optic dosimeters have been test with both LINAC and synchrotron x-ray beams. This work demonstrates that water-equivalent and high spatial resolution radiation detection can be achieved with scintillators and optical fiber systems. Among other advantages, the developed fiber-optic probes are also passive, energy independent, and radiation hard.
2PreviewThe Mongols in War- Under Genghis Khan and his successors, the Mongols conquered the largest empire in history up to that time.The Mongols at Peace- After their conquests, the Mongols promoted trade and cultural exchange throughout their empire and beyond. 3Reach Into Your Background Landforms are important no matter where you live. Make a list of all the physical features in your region you can think of. Which of these physical features attract visitors?(5 minutes) 4Partner ActivityWork with a neighbor and compare your answer with theirs. What things are the same and what things are different? (3 minutes) 5Key Ideas- The Mongols in War The Mongols used swift attacks and terrifying tactics to break the spirit of their enemies and conquer their territory.The Mongolian Empire at its greatest bordered on the Pacific Ocean, the Himalayan Mountains, the Black Sea, and the Persian Gulf.The mounted warriors of the Mongol Empire provided a distinct advantage and helped them to conquer a vast amount of land. 7Key TermMongolia- A country that lies between China and Russia, bordering with China to its south, east, and west and with Russia to its north. 8The Beginnings of the Mongol Empire Under the leadership of Genghis Khan, all the nomadic tribes of Mongolia came together in the early 1200s to create the Great Mongol Nation. 9The Beginnings of the Mongol Empire Genghis Khan united tribes by incorporating the established laws and customs of various groups into a single system. 10The Beginnings of the Mongol Empire Genghis Khan amassed an army of 80,000 fierce, cunning, highly skilled warriors.For a period of six years, Genghis worked on establishing Mongolia’s laws and forming alliances with neighboring nations.Eventually, however, Genghis set his sights on expansion. 11The Mongol EmpireGenghis’s first conquest was the Jurched Kingdom of northern China.His army became adept at defeating enemies in many settings, from steppe warfare to attacks on fortified cities. 13The Mongol Empire They used swift attacks and terrifying tactics—destroying the food supply, making secret alliances with rebel forces, launching unexpected attacks, etc.—to demoralize their enemies and conquer their territory. 14The Mongol EmpireHis mounted warriors could live for days on horseback.Their saddlebags carried food, spare clothes, tools, and weapons. 15The Mongol EmpireMongol warriors commanded horses with the pressure of their legs alone. So, they could even shoot arrows at a full gallop. 17The Mongol EmpireAfter conquering northern China, Genghis and his warriors moved toward Central Asia with the goal of controlling all the territory along the Silk Road.By 1221, the Mongol Empire had expanded to include Central Asia. 18Key TermGenghis Khan- The ambitious and terrifying warrior originally named Temujin who united the nomads of Mongolia and conquered a vast Asian empire. 19Mongol ConquestsFollowing Genghis Khan’s death in 1227, his sons shared control of the vast empire. Although they occasionally battled one another for power, the empire continued to expand. 20Mongol ConquestsBy 1290, the Mongol Empire stretched from the Pacific Ocean to the Black and Mediterranean seas and from the Himalayan Mountains to the Persian Gulf.The Mongols controlled China, Central Asia, Russia, and parts of the Middle East and Hungary. 23Life Under the MongolsWomen held more rights under the Mongol Empire than in most other cultures at that time.Mongol men were always preparing for or at war. 24Life Under the MongolsSo, women took on many economic roles, or roles having to do with money.Some women even served in the army.Women had the right to divorce and to own property. 25Life Under the MongolsAlthough the Mongols had conquered many people from many lands, they did not impose their language and culture on the people they conquered.Under their rule, people had freedom of religion. 26Life Under the MongolsKublai Khan was Genghis Khan’s grandson, who completed the conquest of China in 1259 and established himself as the Great Khan. 27Life Under the MongolsKublai Khan reorganized the government to include both Chinese and foreign officials, and he brought in translators to make it possible for the various cultures in the empire to share ideas. 28Pax MongolicaIn just 50 years, the Mongols had conquered the largest empire the world had ever known.Now, across their huge kingdom, warfare all but stopped. 29Key Ideas- The Mongols at Peace The power of the Mongol Empire led to a period of stability that allowed business and trade to grow.Mongols controlled the trade routes and encouraged the exchange of goods and ideas among various cultural regions of their empire.Marco Polo visited China from Europe and was a guest of Kublai Khan. He became an official of the Khan’s government.Marco Polo’s description of China increased the demand for Chinese goods in Europe. 30Key TermPax Mongolica- Latin for “Mongolian peace.” The term refers to a period of time when all of Eurasia was under the control of the Mongolians, ruled by Genghis Khan. 31Pax MongolicaThe Mongols established in all the lands they controlled, which included the entire length of the Silk Road.As a result, traders from as far away as Europe could finally journey to China without fear of attack. 32The Merchants of ChinaVideo- The Merchants of China 33Polo FamilyAmong the first Europeans to visit China was Marco Polo, who traveled there with his father and his uncle as a teenager.Polo spent 17 years in China, where he impressed Kublai Khan with his intelligence and skill at learning languages. 34Marco Polo’s BookLater, Polo wrote a book about his travels in China and his experiences in the court of the Great Khan. 35Marco Polo’s BookThrough Polo’s book, Europeans learned of China’s great wealth as well as the country’s technology, food, plants, and animals. 36Marco Polo’s BookMarco’s book was translated, or changed, into nearly every European language.Many people could not believe that what he described was true. 37Marco Polo’s BookThey made fun of him as “Marco of a million lies.” Yet, the book described the journey to China in careful detail.Merchants and travelers used it as a guide well into the 1800s. 38Marco Polo’s BookMarco Polo’s book about China even inspired future explorers, such as Christopher Columbus, to go in search of the exotic land of Asia. 39Crash Course- Wait For It...The Mongols! Video- Wait For It...The Mongols! 40Independent ActivityWhat has been the “muddiest” point so far in this lesson? That is, what topic remains the least clear to you? (4 minutes) 41Partner ActivityWork with a neighbor and compare your muddiest point with theirs. Compare what things are the same and what things are different? (3 minutes)
Chemistry & Environmental Dictionary (UN Number, NA Number, DOT Number) A four digit number representing a particular chemical or group of chemicals. These numbers are assigned by the United Nations (UN Numbers), the U.S. Department of Transportation (NA Numbers), or Transport Canada (NA Numbers). These numbers are commonly used throughout the world to aid in the quick identification of the materials contained within bulk containers (such as rail cars, semi-trailers and intermodal containers). Citing this page If you need to cite this page, you can copy this text: Kenneth Barbalace. Chemistry & Environmental Dictionary - UN/NA Number. EnvironmentalChemistry.com. 1995 - 2016. Accessed on-line: 8/29/2016 Linking to this page If you would like to link to this page from your website, blog, etc., copy and paste this link code (in red) and modify it to suit your needs: <a href="http://EnvironmentalChemistry.com/yogi/chemistry/dictionary/U02.html">echo Chemistry & Environmental Dictionary (EnvironmentalChemistry.com)</a>- 'Contains definitions for most chemistry, environmental and other technical terms used on EnvironmentalChemistry.com as well as many other chemistry and environmental terms. NOTICE: While linking to articles is encouraged, OUR ARTICLES MAY NOT BE COPIED TO OR REPUBLISHED ON ANOTHER WEBSITE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. PLEASE, if you like an article we published simply link to it on our website do not republish it.
Aging is a natural part of life, and with it often comes a host of health challenges, including changes in vision. The eyes undergo various age-related changes that can affect a person’s ability to see clearly. The good news is that advancements in medical technology have made it possible to address these issues through eye surgery. Cataracts are a very common age-related eye condition affecting millions of people worldwide. They occur when the eye’s natural lens becomes cloudy, leading to blurred vision, sensitivity to light, and difficulty with everyday tasks. Cataract surgery is a highly effective solution for this problem. When someone has cataract surgery, a surgeon removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL). This procedure not only restores clear vision but can also correct other vision issues, such as astigmatism and nearsightedness. Patients often report a big improvement in their vision and quality of life after having the procedure. Nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism become more common as people get older. In addition to cataract surgery, lens surgery, including clear lens exchange (CLE) or refractive lens exchange (RLE), can help correct these issues and reduce the need for reading glasses or bifocals. Clear lens exchange involves removing the eye’s natural lens, even when it’s not clouded by cataracts, and replacing it with an artificial lens. Lens replacement Brisbane can significantly improve vision and reduce or eliminate the dependence on corrective eyewear. LASIK and PRK While cataract and lens surgeries are excellent options for addressing age-related vision problems, other surgical procedures like LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) and PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) can eliminate or reduce the dependence on corrective lenses. LASIK and PRK reshape the cornea, the eye’s front surface, to enable proper focusing of light onto the retina. While these procedures are not exclusive to older individuals, they are particularly helpful for those who want to maintain their active lifestyles without the hassle of glasses or contacts. Glaucoma is a condition characterized by increased pressure, which can damage the optic nerve and cause vision loss. It is more common in older adults, and if left untreated, it can result in irreversible vision impairment. Several surgical options are available to manage glaucoma and reduce intraocular pressure, such as trabeculectomy and minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries (MIGS). These procedures can help to slow how the disease progresses and prevent further damage to the optic nerve, ultimately preserving vision. The cornea may develop conditions like Fuchs’ dystrophy or keratoconus, leading to vision problems that cannot be effectively corrected with glasses or contact lenses. In such cases, corneal transplants, also known as keratoplasty, can be a viable solution. During a corneal transplant, the damaged or affected cornea is switched with a healthy donor cornea. This surgery can significantly improve visual acuity and reduce discomfort associated with corneal disorders. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, and retinal detachments are common eye conditions that can threaten vision in older people. Retinal surgery techniques, such as vitrectomy and laser photocoagulation, can help manage these conditions and prevent further vision loss. Vitrectomy is a procedure in which the vitreous gel inside the eye is removed and replaced with a clear solution, allowing for better access to the retina. Laser photocoagulation, on the other hand, uses laser energy to seal leaking blood vessels in the retina, particularly in diabetic retinopathy cases.
The Northeast faces two fundamental and intertwined challenges: fossil fuel dependence and pollution from fossil fuels. Our dependence on coal, oil, and gas imposes economic costs, pollutes our air and water, and harms public health. Maryland took a bold step toward reducing our contribution to global warming and breaking our dependence on fossil fuels with the passage of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act (GGRA) in 2009. The law set an ambitious but achievable goal of reducing Maryland’s emissions of global warming pollution by 25 percent below the 2006 level by 2020. Rapidly rising gas prices across the country are shining a spotlight on the dire consequences of American dependence on oil. Our continued use of oil puts our environment, our health, and our national security at risk, and with prices across the country exceeding $4 per gallon, it is putting an incredible burden on our economy and on American families. Whether we consider these prices at the pump, the scars left by the oil spill disaster in the Gulf, the billion dollars that we send overseas every day, or the nearly 2 billion metric tons of global warming pollution that our oil consumption pumps into the air each year 1, it has become clear that we must break our dependence on oil. For more than 26 years, states in the Chesapeake Bay region have attempted to clean up the Bay, but it continues to choke on a lethal overdose of pollution. In order to achieve a clean, sustainable Bay, states in the Bay watershed will have to reduce nitrogen levels in Bay waters another 30 percent and reduce phosphorus by an additional 8 percent—in spite of a projected population increase of 30 percent by the year 2030. Reductions of that magnitude will only be possible if governments target all the watershed’s sources of nutrient pollution.
Squirrel has never seen it snow, and this year he is determined not to miss it. He wants his friends to see it too, but it’s hard to stay awake. Finally, winter arrives and snow is falling, or is it? This funny and beautifully illustrated winter book can be used in speech therapy to teach descriptive words. It is also great for addressing inferencing. Discover more of the speech and language teaching concepts for using Waiting for Winter in speech therapy below:
In the realm of emotions, few things can tug at our heartstrings as powerfully as the image of a scared, vulnerable little puppy seeking refuge in a small corner, away from the world. This heart-wrenching sight can evoke an overwhelming sense of sadness and compassion within us, leaving us yearning to understand the story behind the puppy’s fear and offer solace. In this article, we explore the profound impact of such an image and delve into the emotions it elicits from us. The Innocence of a Puppy: Puppies, with their innocent eyes, tiny paws, and playful nature, symbolize joy, love, and companionship. They represent the epitome of unconditional love and trust. However, when we encounter an image of a puppy hiding in a small corner, trembling with fear, it shatters our expectations of their usual exuberance, reminding us of the harsh realities some animals face. A Glimpse into Their Past: The image of a scared little puppy evokes questions about their history and the experiences that have led to their distress. Perhaps they endured neglect or abuse, leaving them traumatized and hesitant to trust humans. They may have faced a hostile environment or been separated from their mother and siblings too soon, depriving them of essential socialization. Each puppy’s story is unique, but the common thread is their vulnerability and the overwhelming need for love and reassurance. They Reflection of Society’s Failings: The sight of a fearful puppy hiding from the world forces us to confront the darker aspects of human society. It reminds us of our collective responsibility to protect and care for those who cannot advocate for themselves. The image compels us to reflect upon the countless animals suffering due to neglect, abandonment, or cruelty, and it highlights the urgency of addressing these issues to create a more compassionate world. Inspiring Empathy and Compassion: The emotional response triggered by the image of a scared puppy hiding is not limited to feeling sadness alone. It stirs within us a profound empathy and a call to action. Many individuals are moved to support animal welfare organizations, volunteer at shelters, or even consider adoption, aiming to provide a loving and secure environment for animals in need. It reminds us of the healing power of compassion and the transformative impact it can have on a frightened soul. Fostering Hope and Change: While the image of a scared puppy hiding can be heart-wrenching, it also serves as a catalyst for change. It encourages us to raise awareness about animal welfare issues, advocate for stronger animal protection laws, and promote responsible pet ownership. By spreading knowledge and encouraging empathy, we can create a world where no innocent creature has to cower in fear, and every puppy can find safety, love, and a forever home. The image of a scared little puppy hiding in a small corner is undeniably heartbreaking and sad. It confronts us with the harsh realities faced by animals and inspires a range of emotions within us. However, it also awakens our empathy, compassion, and determination to create a better world for vulnerable creatures. By acknowledging their suffering and working collectively to address the root causes, we can provide hope, healing, and a brighter future for every frightened puppy seeking comfort and love.
Throughout the 19th century and into the early 20th century, most men – and some women – believed that a woman's place was in the home, looking after her husband and children. The idea of women having a political voice was laughable, and furthermore, the concept of a female politician was unheard of: No House of Parliament would have kept them out of the political arena if it had been evident that they wanted to come in. The truth is that only a small minority have clamoured to be burdened with political responsibility ... why cast the trouble of voting upon the women? – The Argus, 10 April 1902 The Argus, 10 April 1902. The words ‘why cast the trouble of voting on women...' suggest that women were unable to cope with the 'burden' of the vote. One of the leading advocates for women's rights in Victoria was Melbourne-born suffragist Vida Goldstein. Throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s, Goldstein campaigned strongly for women's equality, including universal suffrage and equal pay for equal work. When Goldstein began her career in the 1870s women had no right to buy property, so Vida lobbied for a change to that law. She also ran a co-ed primary school, founded the monthly publication Women's Sphere, launched the weekly publication The Women's Voter, and was a founding member of the National Council of Women. In 1903 Goldstein became the first woman in the British Empire to stand for election in a national parliament. She tried five times over 14 years to be elected to the Senate, with her last attempt at a seat in the House of Representatives in 1917. But while voting numbers showed her increasing popularity, she was never elected to office. The mid-1900s saw some minor landmarks for women's political rights. However, it was not until after 1980, when Susan Ryan became the first woman cabinet minister, that the federal Sex Discrimination Act 1984 was passed. The Act made it illegal to discriminate against anyone based on their gender, marital status or family responsibilities. It was a huge step for Australia's women's rights movement. Vida died from cancer in 1949, so she wasn't able to see the result of her efforts, but her contribution to women's political rights in Victoria remains as important today as it was in the early 20th century.
What you can read in here is a set of my loose notes on complex systems and biology. I want to learn about the topic as fast as I can, so if I’m wrong anywhere, please point that to me. This post is an overview and indication of issues I’d like to cover. Complex adaptive systems (CAS) are the heart of many phenomenas we observe every day, such as global trade, ecosystems, human body, immune system, internet and even language. Complexity of CAS does not equall to amount of information, rather it’s a indication of complex, positive and negative interactions of its components. All CAS feature a common set of dualisms: - distinct/connected – CAS are built of a large number of agents that interact simultaneously and independently but all together become tightly regulated system (other names: individual/system or distributed/collective) - robust/sensitive – CAS are pretty robust, yet at the same time are quite sensitive to initial conditions and some signals (see butterfly effect); both features are unpredictable - local/global – protein is a CAS, protein network is a CAS, cell is a CAS, tissue is a CAS, organism is a CAS, society is a CAS; agents of a CAS, can be CAS themselves - adaptive/evolving – CAS is able to adapt as a system and usually its agents are also mutually adaptive, and at the same time CAS is evolving; even if local landscape prefers simpler solutions (adaptation) CAS usually evolve toward bigger complexity These dualisms are in some sense as artificial as wave-particle dualism. Complex system has all these features at the same time – their visibility depends only on design of a experiment. As a result, CAS present a common set of features: they are self-organizing, coherent, emergent and non-linear. Probably the best so far representation of CAS is a network, which has a number of important features: it is scale-free (distribution of links in the network tends to follow power law), clustered (“friend of my friend is likely my friend too”) and small-world-like (diameter of a network is small, aka “six degrees of separation”). Such representation has been applied to biological complex systems, such as metabolic networks, or protein-protein interaction networks with a great success. However please remember that it’s only representation and many times people argued that scale-free networks may not be the best approximation of natural networks (see for example this recent paper). Scale-free or not, network representation doesn’t address all dualities mentioned above, especially last two. Naturally emerging levels of organisation and relation between adaptation and evolution of complex systems are rarely studied from biological point of view, probably because we don’t have a clear idea how to reduce these phenomenas to something measurable. In the next posts, I will try to cover other CAS representations and computational approaches to CAS modeling.
Even if you accept the theory of man-made climate change, wind turbines are a rotten way to reduce CO2 emissions, or to improve energy security. Wind farms are only viable with a complex structure of indirect subsidies, which amount to very nearly doubling the cost of electricity. The complex subsidy régime appears to be designed as a stealth subsidy, making it very difficult for the public or the media to see the sums involved. While the industry disingenuously argues that there are “no direct subsidies”, wind involves a total subsidy of as much as £60 per MWh, which falls directly on electricity consumers. The burden on consumers will grow as our government attempts to achieve its heroic renewables targets (as a recent OfGem report has confirmed). And the bitter irony is that wind farms will do little — or perhaps nothing — to reduce CO2 emissions. Because wind is unpredictably and continuously variable, wind power requires conventional back-up, and the more wind capacity in the system, the more variability, and the higher the required percentage of back-up to ensure continuity. Even the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) accepts a figure of 75% back-up required. Generating industry players like E.ON say over 90%, while a recent House of Lords Report suggests that we’ll need 100% back-up. The back-up will generally be gas-fired power stations, which will be run intermittently, variably and sub-optimally to compensate for wind variation — and therefore run inefficiently, with higher costs and emissions than necessary. These higher emissions may well outweigh the CO2 emissions savings from wind. Certainly Denmark, with the highest intensity of wind generation in Europe, has amongst the highest per capita emissions in Europe. BWEA argues that with enough wind-farms, wind will be less intermittent because “while the wind isn’t blowing in one place, it’ll be blowing somewhere else”. But the data show a strong self-correlation in wind speeds across the UK, so total wind output for the country as a whole can also be extremely and unpredictably variable. These, at least, are the conclusions of a new book, “The Wind Farm Scam, an Ecologist’s Evaluation”, by Dr. John Etherington. Formerly Reader in Ecology at the University of Wales, Dr. Etherington is a Thomas Huxley Medallist at the Royal College of Science, and a former co-editor the international Journal of Ecology. Since retiring from the University of Wales, he has devoted himself to studying the implications of intermittently available renewable generation, and especially wind. I am reminded of the comment from Shaun Spiers, Chief Executive of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE), who said “There is a danger that we will come to see wind turbines as redundant relics of our compulsion to do something”. The book is sufficiently technical to be reassuring, with extensive references, yet still accessible to the interested general reader. It is also an invaluable reference source for information about wind turbines. It includes a forward by Christopher Booker, and a cover blurb from TV biologist David Bellamy, who says: “Wind power is a swindle … Please read this book to find out why”. The book is published in the Independent Minds series by Stacey International at www.stacey-international.co.uk, price £9.99. Search the blog Calendar of posts - My final speech in Strasbourg – Two-seat parliament a perfect metaphor for the hubris and futility of EU project - The European parliament: an apology - COP21 climate agreement: An eye-watering amount of money for virtually no return - £100,000 mis-spent? - EU energy labelling: confusing consumers and creating problems for industry Jane Davies on The European parliament: an… catweazle666 on The European parliament: an… Sheila White on The European parliament: an… charles wardrop on The European parliament: an… Mike Maunder on The European parliament: an… - Enemies of the Farmer? - CO2 and temperature don't correlate - The big Green Lie - "Fossil fuels are massively subsidised" - EU Energy Policy is Industrial Suicide - UKIP: the only party with a rational energy policy - Louise Bagshawe/Mensch: going but not forgotten - Bad Press Day - UKIP launches major energy policy statement; rejects wind power - Lib-Dem MEP Rebecca Taylor: A rebuttal - Watch out for the food police! - 928,075 hits - Add new tag - Air fares - Alan Johnson - Al Gore - Animal Welfare - Broughton Astley - Climate Change - Credit Crunch - David Cameron - David Davis - emissions trading - Energy Security - EU Presidency - Freedom Zone - Free Speech - Global Warming - GM Food - gordon brown - Lib Dems - Liberal Democrats - Monetary Union - No Campaign - Peer reviewed papers - Philip Lardner - Politics Show - roger helmer - Sarah Palin - Stem Cell Research - St George's Day - The Freedom Zone - Vice President - windfall tax
Whilst some lime trees are toxic for bees, others provide a very useful nectar source. Reputedly some lime trees (tilia) are poisonous for some bee species and less toxic for others, or have at least a narcotic effect. Such an effect will obvioulsy make the bees vulnerable to predators. If you find dead bees beneath a lime tree, suffice to say, it’s likely you have a poisonous variety, or at least one which has those narcotic effects. An exception to this could be a case I personally heard about. Dead bumblebees had been found beneath a lime tree with parts of the abdomen missing. It transpired that Great tits had taken advantage of bumblebees feeding on a lime tree, and had eaten the parts of the bumblebee they apparently find most appetizing! Some lime trees (also known as Linden trees) are favoured by beekeepers, and Linden honey is especially popular in Romania, for example, but Linden does not produce propolis. Bees may also harvest the honeydew produced by aphids on the leaves. Generally, it is thought that non-toxic limes are: The following lime trees are regarded as poisonous for bees (or having an unfortunate/narcotic effect or hamper the bee in some way), and so should be kept out of the bee garden: Lime trees are said to have a short flowering season. My advice would be, that if you are considering buying lime trees to include in a bee garden, perhaps consider different species of trees instead – take a look at these trees, shrubs and hedgerows for bees. On the other hand, if you are keen to include the lime in your garden, consider Tilia platyphyllos or tilia cordata, since it is generally considered that both of these species of lime trees are safe for foraging bees. This is as yet unclear, but having read a number of research papers, any notion that some bumblebees simply starve themselves to death by drinking so much lime tree nectar that they run out of energy and die before returning back to the nest, lacks credibility in my view. This seems highly unlikely to me because if the bees keep feeding, surely, they are obtaining energy from the nectar they have just been feeding on, and so how can they have 'run out'. Why don't they 'run out of energy' after feeding at other highly melliferous plants, such as borage and comfrey? It also fails to explain a number of other results I have read from research. My own (untested) theory is based on the theory of the founder of toxicoloy, Paracelsus, which is: "The dose makes the poison" "All things are poison and nothing is without poison; only the dose makes a thing not a poison." Thus my theory is that in the same way that clean water is healthy and necessary, but even water could kill you if you drink too much in one go, then I wonder if the same is true for some bees and lime trees - i.e. sometimes the bumblebees enjoy the nectar so much, they consume too much of it, such that it has a narcotic or even poisonous effect. Why this should be the case sometimes for bumblebees and not honey bees is also unclear, but I wonder whether this is connected with the strength of the 'homing instinct'. We already know that a bumblebee may fly upto 1.7km for food, whereas honeybees are known to fly upto 20km. Does this suggest that in the case of honeybees, the natural instinct to return to the colony is stronger, enabling a successful return from longer distances? I don't know, but since nobody has any definite answers yet, it's interesting to guess! COPYRIGHT 2010 - 2015: WWW.BUZZABOUTBEES.NET ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
South Africa was recently shocked by the gang-rape of a school girl by three of her fellow pupils. The girl was drugged and raped while other pupils watched and filmed it on their cellphones. Why are some children in South Africa so violent and what can be done about it? Some people have spoken about a “culture of violence” in South Africa, but implying that violence is inherently South African is not helpful. The cause of the problem needs to be found and addressed. South Africa is not the only country that struggles with violent and dysfunctional youth. Safe Families Safe Children, an international group of renowned child rights organisations, including ACER Brasil, The International Children’s Trust, JUCONI Ecuador, JUCONI Mexico, New Life (South Africa) and Railway Children (UK, India and East Africa) “promote access for highly excluded children from violent homes around the world to the support and services they require to recover from their traumatic life experiences and gain sustainable access to their rights”. In this organisation’s “Manifesto of Change” they site the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study which “found a clear link between the adverse experiences in childhood (including physical, emotional or sexual abuse and living in households with domestic violence) and a range of physical, emotional and social problems, including: heart disease, obesity, depression, alcoholism, sexual promiscuity, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, rape and poor job performance”. The Manifesto also states that a study in the UK had found that 72% of children who have killed or committed serious, usually violent, crimes, have experienced abuse. These children do not take active part in their community as they feel neglected or not part of that community. They often end up on the streets as they experience violence, rather than love, from their families. Safe Families Safe Children believes that action must be taken on three levels to break the cycle of violence. In the field the internal and external needs of the most excluded children from violent homes should be met. Not only must the violence be stopped and youths be given access to education and health care, but the youths need to be helped to emotionally recover from the trauma of abuse. Secondly, community stakeholders must be able to recognise and work with the most excluded children from violent homes in the communities. Thirdly, policies and guidelines should be drawn up that prioritise and address the experiences and emotional needs of these children in government and funding agencies. The aim is to ensures that vulnerable children are recognised and participate in society and can fulfill their goals in life. New Life, the South African partner of Safe Families Safe Children, does not only work with street children, but also tries to engage their families, taking a holistic approach. According to their website, their vision is “to empower out of school/street (most excluded) children and their families, living in violent and poor communities, to combat the problems of poverty, lack of schooling, family violence, substance abuse and HIV/AIDS”. This is a difficult process as children cannot go back to dysfunctional families without the families first undergoing serious change. Not all families are open to this process. But often institutionalisation does not work for children either and they end up on the streets. How do you think the issue of most excluded children from violent homes should be addressed? Please leave your comment below. No comments yet.
The march of thousands of children gathered from many parts of Europe to form the Fourth Crusade and capture the Holy Land. It was current belief that the sacred places of Palestine could be secured only by the pure of heart, hence the children. some accounts speak of three contingents: one under a shepherd boy of Vendôme, another led by a youth from Cologne, and a third got to Brindisi and met various fates. Most of the children died of hunger and exhaustion, some perished at sea, and some through the shipowners' treachery were sold as slaves to the Moors. The whole action was an example of scandalous misconception and direction.
Virtually all tap water in the US is safe to drink, virtually all the time. If you live in the united states, then most likely yes. In fact dasani and aquafina bottled waters are just filtered from the tap! this vid is really interesting on bottled water and where it comes from. http://storyofstuff.org/bottledwater/ In the US it should be. The Safe Drinking Water Act is a federal law that sets water quality standards. Local factors like damaged pipes can affect your very local water quality. A lot of the bottled water sold in the US comes from municipal water sources anyway. Tap water in the United States is very safe to drink. As noted above there are laws and regulations that are in effect that make if very safe. If you feel that you have unsafe drinking water you can purchase a water filter like Brita and filter your tap water. If regards to the US, yes tap water is safe, but with an addendum. A report by the Environmental Working Group published in December of 2010 found that the tap water in 31 of the 35 American cities sampled was contaminated with the carcinogen hexavalent chromium (also known as chromium-6, or Erin Brockovich fame). While traditionally considered dangerous if inhaled, the EPA is planning to reclassify the compound as dangerous if ingested. According to Rebecca Sutton, the lead scientist on the report, there is a “well-documented corollary between exposure to chromium-6 and a greater risk of stomach cancer in humans”. For more information, including the report and an analysis of it by CNN’s Dr. Gupta, see links below. Tap water is perfectly safe to drink in virtually all of the western world. The included citation provides data on avaliablity of safe drinking water worldwide. Click here to cancel reply. Sorry,At this time user registration is disabled. We will open registration soon! Don't have an account? Click Here to Signup © Copyright GreenAnswers.com LLC
What is art? What is design? Is there truly a separation between the two? If so, where should the line be drawn? This question has been debated for thousands of years. Even today, the lines are not clearly drawn. 1.Where Design and Art Clash : art is to engage in a contradiction in terms. Art does not exist to fulfill a secondary purpose or to perform a “useful” function. Art is intended to convey beauty or to provoke thought. Its existence is its own justification.For many individuals, design is intended to serve a specific purpose. A good design fulfills its stated purpose efficiently and well. While good design is often attractive, looks and appearance are believed to be secondary where design is concerned. Art is a problematically inclusive term; anything in the world can be called “art.” The main difference between art and design, then, is that design is simply more restrained.Any artist can look at their work and see it as an extension of themselves, but designers don’t have that liberty. This is what design is: It’s art with expectations, patterns and consistency. It’s art meeting science. With web design, there are so many more things to take account of: your site goals, your brand, your users. These expectations shape every bit of web design, while art remains untouched. 2.Design and Aesthetics : Another important distinction to make is the difference between design and pure aesthetics. While all design incorporates aesthetic — and truly, everything in the world has some form of aesthetic — some designs do it better than others.**This house, has a splendid design, were pure aesthetics are only surpassed by the extraordinary comfort of living and the astonishing settings of the house.* Although the term “aesthetics” has broad and varying definitions, I’m using it here to refer to “eye-candy.” Superficial designs that exist for the sake of beauty. If we were to put it on a scale, I would say most art is near 100% aesthetics (which is not a bad thing, eye-candy can be meaningful too) . Below is the designs with minimal eye-candy that are actually designed really well.** “Delicious does a great job of balancing their layout. Without getting too deep into eye-candy, they make a giant torrent of information manageable.” “Zen Habits has a super minimal site design, but it coincides perfectly with the content’s theme and goals.” 3.Expectations of a Design : The very important users expectation is that design should look like design. Any small business website design company will tell you that website design should be immediately recognizable as at least one thing: not art. There’s a clear line between the two: Art and design aren’t mutually exclusive, even if Beautiful sites can still be usable, and they can still surprise us without being disorienting. 4.Objectives of Design : One of the great divides between art and design is the objective. John O’Nolan wrote on Webdesigner Depot: Typically, the process of creating a work of art starts with nothing, a blank canvas. A work of art stems from a view or opinion or feeling that the artist holds within him or herself. They create the art to share that feeling with others, to allow the viewers to relate to it, learn from it or be inspired by it.By contrast, when a designer sets out to create a new piece, they almost always have a fixed starting point, whether a message, an image, an idea or an action. I won’t agree with O’Nolan here: Artists, just like designers, sometimes start out with a message, idea or an action they want to motivate. Every work of art and design has a message, but each has its own agenda.Because each design objective described herein is significantly important, yet it is just one aspect of what it takes to achieve a successful project. 5.Evolving from Art to Design The Web would be interesting if the unrestrained creativity allowed in the art world was also permitted in web design.The designers, are responsible for creating great design that meet user expectations and site objectives.Here are some tips to separate your design from art: - Always Start from scratch and keep it simple. - And once you’ve mastered good design, keep pushing through and make it great. - Balance usability and content. - Never sacrifice with being creative. In fact, to push pass these barriers and expectations, we have to be even more imaginative than before. - Keep reductionism and minimalism in mind for clutter-free designs. - Always remember 5 principles of design :
New Zealand could become the first country to offer visas to families threatened by the effects of climate change. ‘There might be a new, experimental humanitarian visa category for people from the Pacific who are displaced by rising seas stemming from climate change,’ James Shaw, climate change minister and leader of the NZ Green Party, told Radio New Zealand. If legislated, the government would offer 100 visas per year under a new climate change humanitarian category. It would be aimed chiefly at populations of neighbouring Pacific islands. The proposal follows the rejection of two refugee applications made by families from the low-lying island of Tuvalu. Their applications were rejected on the grounds that they did not meet the definition of a ‘refugee’ under the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees, which describes a refugee as someone unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of persecution. The definition does not account for long-term climate change impacts, such as rising sea levels, nor short-term disasters, such as tropical storms. The aim of the visa would be to address the legal gap. Atle Solberg, head of the Nansen Initiative Secretariat, which aims to build consensus among states about how to address displacement, says ‘we welcome this proposal by New Zealand and hope that it will encourage other countries to account for similar gaps in their humanitarian visa categories. While it is largely symbolic, it reflects a growing global understanding there need to be better protections not only for victims of climate change, but victims of all kinds of natural disasters.’ To that end, the initiative prefers the term displaced person rather than refugee . ‘Disasters cause displacement,’ says Solberg, ‘and that can happen slowly, quickly, temporarily or permanently and “displaced persons” covers these nuances’. In 1990, the very first Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report warned that the worst effects of climate may be those on human migration. So far, there has been little appetite among states to create legal obligations towards those movements. ‘It is a conversation that is growing louder, but we are starting to see these changes in migration now,’ says Solberg. ‘The clock is ticking.’ This was published in the January 2018 edition of Geographical magazine.
The Life Cycle Model (LCM) is based on the idea that people save over the course of their lives so as to smooth their consumption; this is necessary because people earn very different amounts during different phases of life. Given that most income is earned in middle life, it can be sensible to borrow at the beginning of life (to invest in education, for instance) and then repay that debt and save for old age during the main working years. One way this model can be formulated is by defining one period of time as when a person is ‘young’ and another as when they are ‘old.’ The relative preference for wealth at each of these times is a function of the interest rate, provided no other uncertainties are included in the model. If we assume people have perfect knowledge about the future, they will probably borrow early on, save during midlife, and consume their savings down to zero in old age. Note that this assumes the benefits from education are sufficient to justify borrowing as well as that people will not want to bequeath any money to children or others when they die. Given that in reality people don’t know how long they will live, a model that does not consider uncertainty has much less explanatory power than one that incorporates it. People who don’t know the future will be more likely to hedge their position in one way or the other, depending on their decision-making style. They will save more, so that they will have some money on which to survive even if they live longer than they expect, but they may also have a higher marginal rate of time preference, since they know they could die unexpectedly. Idealized rational people of the sort beloved by economists would certainly save more if they didn’t know how long they would live. Actual people might be tempted to focus on their present needs, rather than giving as much weight to a far off and uncertain future as may be wise.
Facts About Penguins Cool Facts about Penguins Ahead you will find a series of cool facts about penguins that I hope will make you see these amazing birds in a new light. You may think that you already know a great deal about penguins, but you would be surprised how many interesting facts about penguins you might not have heard before. Tiniest Penguin: You probably know or at least could have guessed that the Emperor Penguin is the largest of penguins, able to reach almost four full feet in height, but have you ever wondered what the smallest penguin is? The smallest penguin is the Little Blue Penguin, which barely grows to a foot and third in height and only weighs about two pounds. Down Under, where these little Aussie penguins come from, their Homo sapiens compatriots call them Fairy Penguins, while the Maori call these little guys, Korora. Like many kinds of penguins, the Little Blue Penguin is loyal to one sexual mate for several years, returning repeatedly to same partner year after year. (Although they will seek other mates if their partner dies of disappears.) Largest Penguins Ever: Although the Emperor is the largest existing penguin, scientists believe that in prehistoric times some penguin ancestors may have been the size of human beings. The Nordenskjoeld Penguin may perhaps have reached to five and three quarters feet tall. The horror and scientific author, H.P. Lovecraft used a version of this penguin in his novel At the Mountains of Madness. Scientists believe that many of these ancient penguins may actually not have been flightless like their progeny—our modern day penguins. Adelie Penguin: The French explorer, Jules Dumont d’Urville named this unusual looking penguin after his wife. It inhabits much the same area as the Emperor Penguin. The central protagonist of the popular film, Happy Feet, is an Adelie penguin. The Fastest Penguin: The Gentoo gets the honor not only of being the fastest penguin moving through water but also of being the fastest underwater bird at roughly 25 mph. Jackass Penguins: These penguins from the islands around southern Africa derive their name from their vocalizations, which sound like donkeys. People also call them African penguins. Rarest Penguin: The rarest penguin in the world is the Yellow Eyed Penguin, whose name refers not to their actual eye color but to the stripe of yellow feathers that strikes out from their eyes and circumnavigates their heads. (They also have yellow-feathered crowns.) There are only five thousand of them. A native of New Zealand, these penguins have dwindled in number because of coastal deforestation. Yellow-eyes normally have their nest in trees, like other birds, but in the absence of trees they have taken to breeding their eggs in high grasses near the sea. Unfortunately, dogs, cats, and other recent arrivals to their nesting grounds have made this a hazardous business. The New Staple Meat: Believe it or not, the Goliath Corporation is soon to make penguin a food staple on everyone’s plates. According to their website, this “stupid bird” is a perfect edition to our dining tables even if even the most storm worn sailors can’t manage to eat it. Actually, you shouldn’t believe it, the whole website is a gag meant to satirize corporate thinking. Just Google “Goliath Corporation” and you will get a good laugh. Climate Change and Penguins: Although we haven’t yet seen any penguins trapped on ice floes or anything of that sort (as we have the polar bears in the northern hemisphere), penguins are likely soon to start feeling the effects of a warming world. Penguins of all kinds are highly dependent, after millions of years of adaptation, on the cooler climates of Antarctic region. Of all the facts about penguins, this may turn out to be the most significant for all of us in the end.
Presentation on theme: "Dragon Boat Festival and Mid- autumn Festival. The Introduction of the Dragon Boat Festival The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of."— Presentation transcript: The Introduction of the Dragon Boat Festival The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month according to the Chinese calendar. This year is on the next Saturday. There are many legends about the evolution of the festival, the most popular of which is in commemoration QuYuan. Today, Dragon Boat Festival in the Chinese people is still a very popular grand festival. Country attaches great importance to the protection of intangible cultural heritage, May 20, 2006, the State Council approved the inclusion of the folk first batch of national intangible cultural heritage The origins of Dragon Boat Festival Qu Yuan, a famous poet, served as minister to the Zhou Emperor. A wise and articulate man, he was loved by the common people. He did much to fight against the rampant corruption that plagued the court-- thereby earning the envy and fear of other officials. Therefore, when he urged the emperor to avoid conflict with the Qin Kingdom, the officials pressured the Emperor to have him removed from service. In exile, he traveled, taught and wrote for several years. Hearing that the Zhou had been defeated by the Qin, he fell into despair and threw himself into the Milou River on the fifth day of the fifth month. People were sad over the patriotic poet's death. They tossed rice and meat into the river to feed the fish, which would protect Qu's body. Mid-autumn festival celebrations date back more than 2000years.In ancient times, Chinese emperors prayed to heaven for a prosperous year. They chose the morning of the 15th day of the second lunar month to worship the sun and the evening of the 15th day of the eighth lunar month to hold a ceremony in praise of the moon The introduction of the Mid-autumn Festival Mid-autumn festival celebrations date back more than 2000 years.In ancient times,Chinese emperors prayed to heaven for a prosperous year.They chose the morning of the 15th day of the second lunar month to worship the sun and the evening of the 15th day of the eighth lunar month to hold a ceremony in praise of the moon The origins of Mid-autumn Festival Poem about moon --- 水调歌头 How long will the full moon appear? 明月几时有？ Wine cup in hand, I ask the sky. 把酒问青天。 But rare is perfect happiness--the moon does wax, the moon does wane, and so men meet and say goodbye. 人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全。 I only pray our life be long, 但愿人长久， And our souls together heavenward fly! 千里共蝉娟。 The Contract Between Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-autumn Festival www.thmemgallery.com The Culture of Zongzi An essential food of the Dragon Boat Festival. It is said that people ate them in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). Now the fillings are more diversified, including jujube and bean paste, fresh meat, and ham and egg yolk. people will soak glutinous rice, wash reed leaves and wrap up zongzi themselves. Otherwise, they will go to shops to buy whatever stuff they want. The custom of eating zongzi is now popular in North and South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian nations. Dragon Boat Race An indispensable part of the festival, held all over the country As the gun is fired, people will see racers in dragon-shaped canoes pulling the oars hurriedly, accompanied by rapid drums, speeding toward their destination. Folk tales say the game originates from the activities of seeking Qu Yuan's body. Experts conclude that dragon boat racing is a semi-religious, semi- entertaining program from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). Other activities Those things can protect people from evil and disease and bring good luck for the rest of the year. Hanging Mugwort plant. Drinking realgar wine. Wearing perfume pouch. Hang calamus and moxa (oriental plants) on the front door This is also to ward off evil. Hanging Calamus and Moxa Spice Bag Carry the small spice bag around with you, it not only drives away evil spirits but also brings fortune and happiness to those who wear it. The small bags are hand-made by local craftsmen. They're made with red, yellow, green and blue silk, fine satin or cotton. Figures of animals, flowers and fruits are often embroidered onto the bags and inside are mixed Chinese herbal medicines. Realgar Wine It is a very popular practice to drink this kind of Chinese liquor seasoned with realgar at the Dragon Boat Festival. This is for protection from evil and disease for the rest of the year. In one word, all of the activities are to protect themselves from evil and honor the poet Qu Yuan It is said that, on the day of Qu Yuan’s death, an old practitioner of Chinese medicine poured a jar of realgar wine into the Miluo River, supposedly to make drunk the dragon and other aquatic animals which might devour Qu Yuan’s corpse. Drinking realgar wine Another story says that the Moon God is an old man, called Yue-Laor who is a match-maker. He ties a red thread between a man and a woman to make them a couple, even before they were born. Therefore, youth would like to do a worship ceremony on the festival day to wish the Yue-Laor could arrange the best marriage partners for them. Girls may also beg Chang-E to make them also so beautiful. Chang E 嫦娥 http://www.youtube.com/w atch?v=dsU2l1StNoI&featur e=related There is a story about the moon-cake. During the Yuan dynasty (A.D. 1280-1368) China was ruled by the Mongolian people. Leaders from the preceding Sung dynasty (A.D. 960-1280) were unhappy at submitting to the foreign rules, and tried to coordinate the rebellion without being discovered. Moon cake The leaders of the rebellion, knowing that the Moon Festival was drawing near, ordered people to make special cakes. the back of each moon cake was a message about the outline of the attack. On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebellions successfully attached and overthrew the government. Therefore, moon cakes are eaten to commemorate this legend in our life. On this day,Chinese families get together.They tell the story about a lady who lived in the moon.They give each other small round moon cake.Some moon cakes have a yellow egg yolk in the middle.The olk looks like a bright,full moon. Because the Mid-autumn Festival and Dragon Boat Festival are the symbolizes reunion. All family members try to get together on this special day. Those who can not return home maybe feel deep longing for their loved ones. reunion
- Breaking News - Print Editions - Mobile Edition - December 2014 - November 2014 - October 2014 - September 2014 - August 2014 - July 2014 - June 2014 - May 2014 - April 2014 - March 2014 - February 2014 - January 2014 - Submit Article Sangre de Cristo Youth Ranch near Questa demonstrates a new model for passing on old wisdom Sustainability Education: Self Reliance through Interdependence There is new life springing forth from two essential but beleaguered systems: education and agriculture. Farm-to-school, edible classroom, service learning, place-based curriculum and ecological education are among the concepts brought to life in a quiet renaissance within some of our nation’s more progressive educational institutions. Ultimately, these radical reforms are nothing new. They are simply a reaffirmation of what humans have engaged in over the eons. And on one mountainside in northern New Mexico, children at the Sangre de Cristo Youth Ranch (SCYR) are learning their place in nature’s community. At its core, education is the genuine exchange of information vital for survival in a changing environment. With the increasing complexity of civilization, the traditional values of learning for a clear purpose within a supportive community have largely been lost in a sea of trivia and abstraction. Many institutions are poorly structured to nurture total human development. Many students flounder in our schools. Agriculture is similarly convoluted. Consumers are estranged from the natural systems that support our food web and livelihoods. Farmers are beholden to the financial bottom line. The result is a systemic and perilous lack of accountability. Since its founding by retired heart surgeon Dr. Bud Wilson and his wife Barb in 1985, the SCYR Summer Camp has empowered youth to take an active role in stewardship. Children from all over the world have worked and lived together at the camp free of charge in a small self-reliant community. “We started the camp for children who would not be able to go to camp otherwise,” said Dr. Wilson. “The kids have come from all socioeconomic situations. That diversity is very important for the program; they all have equal status.” Many exceptional schools and dedicated teachers have developed programs to connect children with food in ways that promote physical and emotional health, demonstrate academic concepts, and instill a sense of stewardship. “These efforts are vital to our future,” says camp director Daniel Hutchison. “However, most programs can only involve small gardens in schoolyards or field trips to neighboring farms. At the SCYR, children are real farmers.” Lama Community Farm Started in 2007 by middle school students at Roots and Wings Community School (a public charter school within the Questa Independent School District) and summer campers at the SCYR, the Lama Community Farm CSA, with its farmers young and old, includes two acres of intensive vegetables, a large orchard, and a 1,000-sq./ft. tomato house. The farm feeds students, summer campers, an art center, neighbor shareholders, and customers from the Taos area. In a uniquely symbiotic relationship, Roots and Wings students and community members plant the farm in the spring, campers at the Youth Ranch summer camp care for the crops all summer, and the school returns to harvest during the fall semester. Campers prepare meals with the pick of the day and tend a bustling booth at the Taos Farmers’ Market. Harvesting, food preparation are part of the school’s curriculum. Students bring shares home for the family table. The 700-acre ranch is a comprehensive outdoor education facility. Children create projects that have a real impact on their community. The ranch is an outdoor classroom for Roots and Wings Community School (an innovative public charter middle school based on Expeditionary Learning, a nationally acclaimed school reform model) along with other area public schools. Curriculum is integrated into hands-on learning during school day, after school, and through multi-day immersions. SCYR is also home to local producer cooperatives, the Herekeke Art and Sustainable Design Center, and other charitable programs of Localogy, a public charity focused on revitalizing local communities. Children on the ranch engage in the full spectrum of agricultural production. Practices are a mix of traditional and innovative. Participants grow greenhouse crops, grains, berries, fruit, hay and cover crops. They milk goats, market vegetables, and work with Fjord draft horses, yak, Navajo-Churro sheep, heritage turkeys and chickens. Water is from an acequia. In order to sustain and expand the program, the Sangre de Cristo Youth Ranch will hold a fundraiser on June 4th at the Dragonfly Café in Taos. Guests will be served a five-course dinner featuring produce grown by kids on the ranch. For more information, call 575.613-6808, email firstname.lastname@example.org or visit www.localogy.org Daniel Hutchison is executive director of Localogy and camp director at the Sangre de Cristo Youth Ranch. He lives in Lama, NM About the author The Green Fire Times is published by Skip Whitson, edited by Seth Roffman with design by Anna Hansen, webmaster Karen Shepherd and Breaking News editor Stephen Klinger. All authors retain all copyrights. If you need to contact a particular author, or want to write for us, please be in touch. \|Print article\|\|This entry was posted by Green Fire Times on June 1, 2011 at 9:58 am, and is filed under June 2011. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.\|
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. Unfinished stone from a quarry is called rubble. Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as 'brash'. Where present, it becomes more noticeable when the land is ploughed or worked. Building[change \| change source] "Rubble-work" is a name applied to several types of masonry. One kind, where the stones are loosely thrown together in a wall between boards and grouted with mortar almost like concrete, is called in Italian "muraglia di getto" and in French "bocage". In Pakistan, walls made of rubble and concrete, cast in a formwork, are called 'situ', which probably derives from Sanskrit (similar to the Latin 'in situ' meaning 'made on the spot'). Walls that use large stones put together without any attempt at courses is called rubble walling. They are laid at random and are held together with mortar. Where similar work is laid in courses, it is known as coursed rubble. Dry-stone walling is somewhat similar work done without the use of mortar. It is bound together by the fit of the stones and the regular placement of stones which extend through the thickness of the wall. A rubble wall built with mortar will be stronger if assembled in this way. Building foundations made of rubble almost always leak water and are damp. Rubble walls in Malta[change \| change source] Rubble walls (Maltese: ħitan tas-sejjieħ) are found all over the island of Malta. Similar walls are also frequently found in Sicily and the Arab countries. The various shapes and sizes of the stones used to build these walls look like stones that were found in the area lying on the ground or in the soil. It is most probable that the practice of building these walls around the field was inspired by the Arabs during their rule in Malta, as in Sicily who were also ruled by the Arabs around the same period. The Maltese farmer found that the technique of these walls was very useful especially during an era where resources were limited. Rubble walls are used to serve as borders between the property of one farm from the other. A great advantage that rubble walls offered is that when heavy rain falls, their structure would allow excessive water to pass through and therefore, excess water will not ruin the products. Soil erosion is minimised as the wall structure allows the water to pass through but it traps the soil and prevents it from being carried away from the field. One can see many rubble walls on the side of the hills and in valleys where the land slopes down and consequently the soil is in greater danger of being carried away. References[change \| change source] - "Rubble Walling and Random Rubble". Civil Construction Tips. Retrieved 29 September 2016. - "Rubble" def. 2., "Brash n. 2. def. 1. Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) © Oxford University Press 2009 - Joseph Lstiburek (15 September 2010). "BSI-041: Rubble Foundations". Building Science Corporation. Retrieved 29 September 2016. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Rubble". Encyclopædia Britannica. V23 (Eleventh ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. p. 804.CS1 maint: Extra text (link)
Twenty years ago, the Berlin Wall came down and with it communist rule in Central Europe. Within little more than two years, the Soviet Union ceased to exist and the transition from communist dictatorship to free market democracy began in much of the former socialist commonwealth. Democracy and capitalism, Francis Fukuyama concluded in The End of History, have won. Communism, to use (with an appropriate sense of irony) Leon Trotsky’s words, ended up in “the dustbin of history.” In spite of its monumental failure to bring social peace and material abundance, socialism is enjoying something of a renaissance. From Venezuela to Bolivia to South Africa, government ministers espouse the supposed virtues of socialism. Even in the West, some policies are taking government intervention in the economy to levels unseen in decades. Given the renewed interest in alternatives to capitalism, it is perhaps appropriate to recall the last time that socialism was tried with real gusto. Of course, shops can be filled with goods, roads can be rebuilt, and houses renovated. The psychological scars of communism take much longer to heal. As one traveler to Russia wrote in 1982: In spite of its monumental failure to bring social peace and material abundance, socialism is enjoying something of a renaissance. If it is hard to describe the economic wasteland of Russia to someone who hasn’t been there, it is even harder to describe what their totalitarian system has done to the human spirit … It isn’t just the drabness and grayness one sees everywhere. Or the rudeness and surliness one encounters so often. It’s that you virtually never see people laughing, smiling, or just seeming to enjoy themselves. People seem to walk slightly bent over, their eyes always averting a stranger. There is an overwhelming sense of oppression and depression. As the Austrian philosopher Friedrich von Hayek explained in his 1944 classic, The Road to Serfdom, central planning leads to massive inefficiencies and long queues outside empty shops. A state of perpetual economic crisis then leads to calls for more planning. But economic planning is inimical to freedom. As there can be no agreement on a single plan in a free society, the centralization of economic decision-making has to be accompanied by centralization of political power in the hands of a small elite. When, in the end, the failure of central planning becomes undeniable, totalitarian regimes tend to silence the dissenters—sometimes through mass murder. Some 100 million people have died in the pursuit of a communist utopia. Eliminating profit and private property was meant to end social ills, such as inequality, racism, and sexism. But the closer a society got to Marxism—whether it was half-hearted attempt as in Hungary or a whole-hearted attempt as in Cambodia—the bloodier the result. Survival in a communist society necessitated lies, theft, and betrayal. Thus, as the former Czech President Vaclav Havel wrote, most people in the former Soviet bloc grew up without a moral compass. These morally compromised survivors of communism find it difficult to reflect on the past and to come to terms with it. Unlike the Germans after the World War II, the people in ex-communist countries were never forced to face their demons. As a consequence, communist rule has not acquired the moral opprobrium of Nazism. As long as that remains the case, socialist economics will continue to enjoy an aura of plausibility.
Examples of valid series IDs are C55, SE196, TM18. View all series for PROVINCIAL COURT The exact date of the creation of the Provincial Court is unknown; it is likely that it dates from Leonard Calvert's commission as Lieutenant General of the colony in 1637, which gave him the authority to try all cases except those concerning life, member, or freehold. Originally called the County Court, the Provincial Court was modeled after the English county courts. The name change probably occurred sometime between 1640 and 1642, when St. Mary's and Kent counties were created, each with a county court. The Provincial Court had concurrent jurisdiction with the county courts in most matters, served as an appellate court to the county courts, and had original jurisdiction in criminal cases involving life or member and in civil cases with value above a given sum or poundage of tobacco, which varied throughout the court's history. The Provincial Court also heard chancery, testamentary, and guardianship cases until the Chancery and Prerogative Courts were established and guardianship matters were transferred to the county courts. In addition, the Provincial Court had concurrent jurisdiction with the county courts in recording conveyances of land, which was compulsory after 1663. No limit was placed on cases brought before the Provincial Court, which prompted the Assembly to pass an act in 1710 to limit the court's jurisdiction to cases where debt or damage was not less than 20 pounds sterling or 5,000 pounds of tobacco. The limit held until 1773 when county courts were given exclusive jurisdiction in civil cases with a value less than 100 pounds sterling or 30,000 pounds of tobacco. The House of Delegates perennially complained about the fact that the judges of the Provincial Court were usually drawn from the Council of the province. This grievance was addressed in the Maryland Constitution of 1776, which forbade a person from holding more than one "office of profit." The constitution also renamed the Provincial Court as the General Court, which was divided geographically into the General Courts of the Eastern and Western Shores.
Is there Archaeologic Evidence to Support the Gospels? By Charles Colson A few years ago, people exploring caves outside Jerusalem came across the find of a lifetime: an ancient burial cave containing the remains of a crucified This find is only one in a series of finds that overturns a century-old scholarly consensus. That consensus held that the Gospels are almost entirely proclamation and contain little, if any, real history. The remains belonged to a man who had been executed in the first century A.D., that is, from the time of Jesus. As Jeffrey Sheler writes in his book Is the Bible True? the skeleton confirms what the evangelists wrote about Jesus' death and burial in several important ways. First, location -- scholars had long doubted the biblical account of Jesus' burial. They believed that crucified criminals were tossed in a mass grave and then devoured by wild animals. But this man, a near contemporary of Jesus, was buried in the same way the Bible says Jesus was buried. Then there's the physical evidence from the skeleton. The man's shinbones appeared to have been broken. This confirms what John wrote about the practice of Roman executioners. They would break the legs of the crucified to hasten death, something from which Jesus, already dead, was spared. This point is particularly noteworthy, since scholars have long dismissed the details of John's Passion narrative as theologically motivated embellishments. Another part of John's Gospel that archaeology has recently corroborated is the story of Jesus healing the lame man in John 5. John describes a five-sided pool just inside the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem where the sick came to be healed. Since no other document of antiquity -- including the rest of the Bible --mentions such a place, skeptics have long argued that John simply invented the place. But as Sheler points out, when archaeologists decided to dig where John said that the pool had been located, they found a five-sided pool. What's more, the pool contained shrines to the Greek gods of healing. Apparently John didn't make up the pool after all. The dismissal of biblical texts without bothering to dig points to a dirty little secret about a lot of scholarly opinion: Much of the traditional suspicion of the biblical text can only be called a prejudice. That is, it's a conclusion arrived at before one has the facts. Scholars long assumed that the Bible, like other documents of antiquity, was essentially propaganda, what theologian Rudolf Bultmann called "kerygma" But this prejudice does an injustice to biblical faith. Central to that faith are history and memory. Christians believe that God has acted, and continues to act, in history. For us, remembering what God has done is an act of worship -- something that brings us closer to God. Thus, while these discoveries in the desert may come as a surprise to some skeptics, they're no surprise to Christians. While archeology alone cannot bring a person to faith, these finds are an eloquent argument for not dismissing the truth of Scripture before at least examining the evidence, because, as we are learning every day, Jesus meant it when He said, "The very stones will cry out." Can God change your life? God has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life. Discover how you can find peace with God. You can also send us your prayer requests From BreakPoint, Copyright 2005, Prison Fellowship Ministries. "BreakPoint with Chuck Colson" is a radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission of Prison Fellowship, P.O. Box 17500, Washington, DC, 20041-0500." Heard on more than 1,000 radio stations nationwide. For more information on the ministry of Chuck Colson and Prison Fellowship visit their Web site at http://www.breakpoint.org. CBN IS HERE FOR YOU! Are you seeking answers in life? Are you hurting? Are you facing a difficult situation? A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.
As parents, we all want to have a strong and fulfilling relationship with our children. One of the key elements in building this relationship is effective communication. However, communicating with kids can often be challenging and confusing for parents. As adults, we tend to use complex language and expect our kids to understand it, which leads to frustration on both sides. But fear not! With some simple tips and strategies, you can improve your communication with your kids and strengthen your bond with them. In this guide, we will discuss how to better communicate with your kids, including tips on active listening, using positive language, and setting boundaries. Let’s get started. Start With Active Listening Active listening is a crucial aspect of effective communication. It involves actively paying attention to what your child is saying without interrupting or judging them. This means maintaining eye contact, nodding, and showing physical cues that you are engaged in the conversation. You can also try to learn their language and how they express themselves. For instance, you can learn teen slang commonly used by your child’s age group to better understand them. By doing so, you can better understand their thoughts and feelings, and respond accordingly. Active listening shows your child that you value their opinions and are interested in what they have to say, which strengthens your bond with them. Use Positive Language The language we use has a significant impact on how our children perceive us and the world around them. Therefore, it is essential to use positive language when communicating with your kids. Instead of saying “Don’t do that,” try using phrases like “Let’s find a better way to handle this.” This not only avoids negative reinforcement but also encourages problem-solving and critical-thinking skills in your child. Additionally, using encouraging and affirming words can boost your child’s self-esteem and help them feel more confident. Positive language also creates a positive environment for open communication, where they feel safe to express their thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment or punishment. Set Boundaries and Expectations Children need structure and boundaries to feel secure and understand what is acceptable behavior. As a parent, it is your responsibility to set clear expectations and boundaries for your child. This can include rules about screen time, household chores, or behavior in public. When setting boundaries, make sure to explain the reasoning behind them and be consistent with enforcing them. This will help your child understand the importance of respecting rules and boundaries in all areas of their life. It also sets a foundation for healthy communication as your child knows what is expected of them and can communicate their needs within those boundaries. Be Patient and Understanding As parents, it is natural to want our children to listen and understand us immediately. Do not forget, however, that communication is a two-way street. Communication is Your child may not always understand or agree with you, but it’s essential to be patient and understanding. Instead of becoming frustrated or angry, take a deep breath and try to see things from your child’s perspective. This will help you communicate with them more effectively and build trust in your relationship. It also teaches your child the value of patience and understanding in communication, which they can apply in their interactions with others. Show Empathy and Validate Their Feelings Children experience a wide range of emotions, and it’s crucial for parents to acknowledge and validate these feelings. This means showing empathy and understanding towards their emotions, even if you don’t necessarily agree with them. When your child expresses a strong emotion, take the time to listen and understand where it is coming from. For instance, instead of saying “Don’t be sad,” try saying “I can see that you’re feeling upset. Can you tell me more about it?” Your child will know from this that their feelings are valid and will promote open communication which will in turn help build a relationship full of trust and strength. Communicate Regularly and Openly Effective communication requires consistency and openness. Regular communication with your child creates a sense of security and trust in your relationship. This can be as simple as asking about their day or sharing your thoughts and feelings with them. Additionally, make sure to create a safe space for open communication by actively listening, using positive language, and being non-judgmental. Regularly checking in with your child also helps you stay updated on their lives and any challenges they may be facing. This allows you to provide support and guidance, strengthening your bond with them even further. Remember, open communication is a continuous process and requires effort from both parties to be successful. With these tips in mind, you can improve your communication with your kids and build a stronger relationship with them. Do not forget to practice patience, understanding, and consistency in your efforts as a parent. And most importantly, remember to have fun and enjoy the journey of parenthood with your child. Happy communicating!
Pharmacology Critical Thinking Assignment: Lorazepam The individual I interviewed is an 18-year-old male who is currently taking lorazepam help control anxiety and panic attacks. He is a healthy teenager who values exercise and eating healthy but struggles with depression, anxiety and panic attacks. He has suffered from depression and anxiety for roughly five years and had panic attacks for one and a half years before starting medication. He states his panic attacks are usually manageable but have caused him to have pseudo seizures (psychogenic nonepileptic seizures) in the past. This is when a person has a seizure that is a result of psychological condition, such as generalized anxiety attacks, panic attacks, or substance abuse. He stated that when he had these pseudo seizures, he felt his panic attack was so severe he thought he was going to die. The individual does not take any other medications but was previously prescribed an SSRI called citalopram. He was not able to continue taking this medication as it was causing more anxiety. Lorazepam, an antianxiety medication, was prescribed to this individual because he was having panic attacks 3 or more times per week and severe anxiety. It was affecting his day to day life to a point where he was unable to attend work and spend a full day in school. This medication was prescribed PRN, he takes lorazepam when the feeling of a panic attack arises. He started this medication in November of 2018, he has been taking it for roughly 3 months and feels it has helped him greatly. He has not had to leave work or school due to a panic attack since he started taking lorazepam, he states that he is only having panic attacks 2-3 times per week and he feels they are more controllable. He has not had a pseudo seizure since starting lorazepam. While there are many uses for lorazepam it is most often used to treat generalize anxiety disorder or insomnia. It is also used as an anxiolytic, sedative, status epilepticus and pre-anaesthetic. This individual takes lorazepam in a 1 mg dose, he takes it sublingually, which means he lets it dissolve under his tongue. He does not take the drug with water or food. Lorazepam is a form of benzodiazepine that “acts by potentiating the effects of GABAᴀ, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, in the thalamic, hypothalamic, and limbic levels of the CNS” (Adams, Urban, El-Hussein, Osuji, King, pg. 170). The brand name of this drug is Ativan. There are common side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, disorientation, anterograde amnesia, sedation, ataxia, and blurred vision. The less common side effects include hepatotoxicity, alopecia, anaphylaxis, tachycardia, paradoxical CNS stimulation, and cardiac arrest when used with rapid IVs. When speaking to the individual he explained some of the side effects he has experienced. He stated he feels extremely tired after taking lorazepam and often falls asleep shortly after taking it. He has also felt disoriented and claims he often feels like a “zombie” after taking one dose of lorazepam. He feels extreme thirst and his legs feel heavy but also restless. His side effects seem to be under the more common side effects of taking a benzodiazepine. When asked if he has ever felt like his heart is racing or if he has temporary cessation of breathing the individual stated he has not. Lorazepam is addictive and people using this drug can develop a tolerance, because of this it is often suggested that clients try to treat or reduce anxiety in other ways before starting lorazepam. It is important for the health care provider to inform the patient not to take more than the prescribed amount as dependency can develop. When taking lorazepam, it is important to avoid consumption of alcohol. When mixed with other CNS depressants such as alcohol it can cause respiratory depression or death. Since the individual I interviewed is a teenager it is important to stress to him the importance of not mixing lorazepam and alcohol or consuming more than 500 mg of caffeine. Having large amounts of caffeine can “significantly alter anxiolytic effects of lorazepam” (Adams, Urban, El-Hussein, Osuji, King, pg. 170). Patients are advised not to discontinue lorazepam abruptly after long-term use. The patient’s respirations must be taken every 5 to 15 minutes if administered through an IV (Adams, et al., 2010). It is also extremely important to monitor physical dependency and withdrawal symptoms including; headache, nausea, vomiting, seizures, tremors, muscle pain and weakness after being used for long periods of time (Skidmore-Roth, 2019). As a nurse, I need to also assess if there is a decrease in anxiety, change in sleeping patterns, drowsiness, dizziness, or suicidal tendencies. For clients receiving high doses renal, hepatic, and blood status needs to be monitored. I will need to complete a health history including allergies and use of other CNS stimulants or depressants. I will establish baseline vitals and level of consciousness as well as assess the likelihood of abuse. Abuse may occur if a patient has abuse other drugs in the past, is a chronic drinker or has been through a traumatizing experience. An important step is to educate my clients on drug actions and the side effects. Health teachings should include avoiding OTC drugs such as cough syrups and cold medications unless approved by prescriber. The prescribe must also approve the use of alcohol and psychotropic medications, if not approved use of these things should be avoided. It is extremely important to report suicidal ideation and planned or suspected pregnancy as lorazepam is in the pregnancy category D. This medication should not be discontinued abruptly after long-term use, it should not be used for every day stresses or for over 4 months unless directed by prescriber. Lorazepam can cause dizziness and drowsiness so patients taking this medication should avoid driving, other activities that require alertness, and stand up slowly because fainting may occur. It is also possible that drowsiness may worsen at beginning of treatment (Skidmore-Roth, 2019). When being interviewed the individual was asked what health teachings or information he received before starting lorazepam. He stated he knows not to mix alcohol and lorazepam because it can have serious adverse effects and even cause death. He stated he had no other health teachings or assessments done when being prescribed this medication. He knows he needs to be aware of serious adverse effects and report them immediately. Despite the lack of health teachings, I believe the individual is taking this medication safely. He is taking the medication as directed by his doctor, he takes 1 tab sublingually when he feels a panic attack starting. He does not take this medication if it is not needed, he feels the medication is effective with helping control his panic attacks and reduce his anxiety. He is noticing a reduction in the amount of panic attacks he has and the severity of these panic attacks. The individual feels he is in control of his life for the first time in roughly one and a half years. After speaking with the individual, I feel the lorazepam is successful in achieving the goal of reducing anxiety. This exercise has impacted my clinical practice in regard to my knowledge of pharmacology. I am more aware of the mechanism of action for benzodiazepines and more specifically lorazepam. I also have a better understanding of interactions with drugs, foods, and herbals that may occur. I believe having a foundation of knowledge about this anxiolytic is very helpful in clinical settings because it may be a common drug I come across throughout my different placements. When entering the mental health rotation, it is possible I will see more of this drug to help reduce anxiety or treat insomnia. I believe I may see this drug more often in the surgical rotation as it can be used as a pre-anaesthetic. Having knowledge about the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of lorazepam will help me properly educate my patients to ensure they are safely taking lorazepam. It is important to have an understanding of how medications work and the effects they may have on the body, this will allow us to give adequate health teachings. Pharmacology can be a tough concept for students and even nurses to grasp, this exercise has helped me immensely with my understanding of drugs and how to research them. \|Uses\|\|Anxiety disorders, panic disorders, sedation, seizure disorders0n 5rmyu\| \|Doses\|\|Oral, tablet, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 2 mg Sublingual, tablet, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 2 mg IM/IV, injectable solution, 2 mg/mL, 4 mg/mL \|Absorption\|\|Well absorbed after being orally administered, readily and rapidly absorbed with bioavailability of 90%\| \|Distribution\|\|Widely distributed, crossing blood-brain barrier, placenta, and enters breast milk, about 85% bound to plasma proteins\| \|Metabolism\|\|Almost completely metabolized by the liver through process of glucuronidation (conjugated)\| \|Excretion\|\|Excreted by the kidneys through urine (70-75%), feces, breast milk\| \|Half life\|\|10-16 hours\| \|Onset\|\|PO: 1 hour IM: 15-30 minutes IV: 5 minutes \|Peak\|\|PO: 2 hours IM: 1- 1 ½ hours IV: 5–10 min \|Duration\|\|PO: 12-24 hours IM: 6-8 hours IV: 6-8 hours \|Age\|\|Pediatrics: can cause paradoxical excitation in children Geriatrics: caution advised when administered through IV/IM, higher risk for experiencing apnea, bradycardia, cardiac arrest, hypotension, increase in sedation which results in increase for risk of falls \|Gender\|\|Pregnancy category D (risk to fetus; benefits may outweigh risks); drug crosses placental barrier and is excreted in breast milk Breastfeeding mothers: excreted in breast milk, neonate has limited ability to metabolize drugs, short-term use relatively safe, taken chronically can accumulate in nursing child, lorazepam preferable (short-acting, low lipophilicity and no active metabolites) \|Other Medical Diseases\|\|Hepatic Encephalopathy: dosage should be adjusted as lorazepam can increase hepatic encephalopathy Sleep apnea/ COPD: caution when taking lorazepam, can cause respiratory depression Severe depression: may emerge or worsen during use of lorazepam Open- Angle Glaucoma: may increase intraocular pressure Hypersensitivity: to benzodiazepines or any of the components of benzodiazepines \|Other Drugs\|\|Alcohol: increasing sedation effects, increasing risk for respiratory depression/death Barbiturates: produce increased central nervous system depression Clozapine: mix of drugs may cause sedation, hypotension, ataxia, delirium Theophylline: reduce sedative effect of lorazepam Digoxin: may contribute to toxicity by increasing serum digoxin level Kava/Valerian/Chamomile: can have additive effects Gotu Kola/Ma Huang: can reduce drug effectiveness Inhibitors of CYP3A4: increase serum concentrations and effects Inducers of CYP3A4: decrease serum concentrations and effects Inhibitors of CYP2C19: increase effects metabolized by affected enzymes Opioids: mixing of opioids and lorazepam may cause sedation, coma, death, respiratory depression - RxTx (2015, May). Benzodiazepines. Retrieved February 20, 2019, from http://www.myrxtx.ca.ezpxy.fanshawec.ca/search - Adams, M. P., Urban, C. Q., El-Hussein, M., Osuji, J., & King, S. (2010). Pharmacology of anxiety and sleep disorders. In Pharmacology for Nurses: A Pathophysiologic Approach (2nd ed., pp. 170-171). Pearson Canada. - Skidmore-Roth, L. (2019). Lorazepam. In Mosby’s 2019 Nursing Drug Reference (32nd ed., pp. 724-726). Elsevier. - Ativan C-IV (lorazepam). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2016/017794s044lbl.pdf
One of the most recognized American individuals of the twentieth century was President John F. Kennedy. His short life and Presidency impacted the country and influenced the baby boomer generation. President Kennedy was born May 29, 1917. Kennedy was a World War II veteran, young-ish and handsome. He came from a large, newly wealthy Irish American Bostonian family. He sported a beautiful, cultured wife and young children. He was very different from the President we vaguely knew as youngsters – an old (to us boomers), bald general. We were very young and knew little about life beyond our family, school and neighborhood. Another icon of the era was the blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe. The two superstars of our youth came together on the night of May 19, 1962. Marilyn Monroe sang Happy Birthday to the President at a celebration in his honor held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The performance became a sensation. Below is a video of that infamous short piece sung by the era’s sex symbol. Peter Lawford (the actor), President Kennedy’s brother-in-law, introduces Monroe. She missed her cue (accidentally or on purpose we will probably never know), and Lawford made a remark about, “the late Marilyn Monroe”. The irony is that less than three months later she was dead by her own hand (allegedly); she died August 5, 1962. An assassin’s bullet killed President Kennedy a year and a half after the Madison Square Garden show. I think just about every baby boomer born before about 1957 remembers where they were when they heard President Kennedy was shot. Many of us also remember sitting in front of black and white TVs, watching grainy pictures of that November week’s happenings. Suddenly there was a world beyond our cozy, friendly hometown. The global community, unknown and unfamiliar, impacted us. We were going to be a part of it whether we wanted to or not. Our lives changed forever. But enough serious stuff. Enjoy Marilyn and a few seconds of President Kennedy.
Global Voices Initiative “The best way to bridge our differences is people to people. That’s the beauty of Global Voices: using the arts to connect young people throughout the world--not in a political way or through policy decision, but through simple human contact.” - Bob Keith, US State Dept. Global Voices (GV) allows young people from around the world to directly connect and learn about each other, and this can be done cheaply on a large scale. Economics is not a barrier for participation: GV is working with rich and poor schools both here and abroad. Global Voices helps build community. Global Voices gives participants a shared purpose that becomes a vehicle for a dialogue with peers around the world that can last a lifetime. How Global Voices Works Theater and Music 2750 students in 2011 12,000 student participants since 2004 29 participating schools 40 participating teachers Sponsors & Supporters The John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation U.S. Department of Education: Office of Innovation and Improvement Francis W. Parker School University of Chicago Laboratory Schools Robert and Isabelle Bass Foundation, Inc. Casablanca Committee of Chicago Sister Cities Intl. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D - IL) Chicago Area Schools Schurz High School -- Casablanca, Morocco; Lindblom High School --Amman, Jordan Kelly High School -- Birmingham, England; Northside Prep --Beijing Francis Parker --Casablanca, Morocco Univ. of Chicago Lab School --Martinique; Westinghouse College Prep to Bogota, Columbia Murphy Elementary School-- Mexico; Passages Elementary -- Casablanca, Morocco Rutledge Hall -- Beirut, Lebanon; Evanston High School Casablanca, Morocco Sullivan High School -- Casablanca, Morocco. Boston Area Schools Buckingham, Browne & Nichols -- Casablanca, Morocco Buckingham, Browne & Nichols -- Cairo, Egypt Board of Directors “Today young people are coming of age in a global community where geographic boundaries have been made insignificant by technology. Learning to speak with our neighbors in their own language is an indispensable tool for understanding and collaboration across borders and cultures. Global Voices does that.” Above: A slide show that illustrates how Global Voices works. Above: A brief video showing students in Casablanca and Chicago working together.
Yesterday, in Primary Problems, Part 1, I described what, exactly, a political party is and how it is structured from local to national levels. I also talked about who makes decisions for the party and how those decisions are made. In Part 2, I will move on to how the different state party organizations conduct their respective primary elections. To demonstrate how this works, I will use a real-life example of the Republican Party and how the primary process, and the problems associated with it, played out in 2016. Basically, here are the different ways the State Republican party organizations have decided to operate their primaries (as determined by the actual voting members of the party): 1. Open Primary – Any legal voter in the state can participate in the primary election. This means they not only don’t have to be an actual member of the Republican Party, they don’t even have to claim to be a Republican voter in any way. ANYONE can just show up and vote for the Republican nominee whether or not they even believe in the Republican platform or even know what it is. 2. Closed Primary – In this scenario, only “declared” Republicans can vote. They still don’t have to be actual members of the Republican Party. Rather, when they register to vote, they declare themselves a “Republican Voter”. So, as long as they register or change their registration in time, anyone can declare themselves a Republican and vote in the primary, again, whether or not they actually believe in the Republican platform or even know what it is. Although it is a bit more controlled for actual Republican voters than an open primary, it is still wide open for abuse. 3. Caucus Primary – With caucus voting, the general public is not able to participate. This means that only actual members of the Republican Party will have a say in who will represent their party as the nominee. What a crazy concept, huh? On top of those three basic ways of holding the primary, each state can award the delegates to the nominees a little differently, which further confuses many people. Again, this is determined by the members of the Republican Party in each state. Some states award all delegates to the winner (winner takes all), with one variation of this in that some states award all delegates to the winner only if they get more than 50% of the vote. If they get less than 50%, then the delegates are proportioned out. Some states directly proportion the delegates in accordance with the vote, whether or not anyone gets 50%. Other states operate more on a congressional district level so that winners of each district will get those delegates for that district. Yet other states have some combination of all of these methods. The bottom line is that each state, by vote and decision of that state’s party members, determines for themselves how they will award their state delegates to the candidates. The grassroots people in the party have control of that, not the “big bosses” of the national organization. Ok, so what does all of this mean? This process may seem very convoluted and crazy at first glance, but what it does, in essence, is ensure that a candidate must work extremely hard to garner a broad range of support throughout the country and in order to do that he/she must create a very organized campaign which is only possible with more and more support. What it doesn’t mean is that the centralized, national party bosses (aka, “the establishment”) have total control over it and rig it to achieve some predetermined outcome. If that were the case, their preferred candidates would have fared much better, wouldn’t they have? Instead, the remaining 2 candidates in the 2016 primary are the very 2 candidates that they supported the least. So now let’s tie this all together with what Trump did during the primary. He was out there claiming that the whole system is rigged and corrupt. It’s 100% crooked, using his terminology. He claimed that “the people” were being disenfranchised and the “will of the people” was being thwarted. He fomented outrage in his supporters and threatened that riots would happen if the Party “steals” the nomination from him. He exploited his supporters’ ignorance of the process. Trump was either fully ignorant of this whole process himself, or he was blatantly lying to his supporters which could have ended is some disastrously violent actions (which is unconscionable). There really are no other conclusions to be made from his statements and actions. Because this whole system in some states allows for just anyone to vote in the Republican Primary, this benefits someone like Trump. He was the “net winner” in this, yet he was the one whining about it. He can go out and attract people who have never had any affiliation to the Republican Party, are certainly not actual members, and many who probably have no idea what the Republican Party platform is, and convince them to come out and vote for him as the nominee. Seriously, does that sound rational to you? If being intellectually honest, no right-thinking person would believe so. Of course the actual members of the party should have more say in the nominee than just anyone having no affiliation! Essentially, Trump hijacked the Party at the expense of all of the regular members who have spent years of work and vast amounts of money helping to promote the values and principles of the party. Trump claimed to be “self-funding” his campaign. On the contrary, he co-opted (aka stole) all of this hard work and money that these people have put into the party for years. Instead of running as an independent, he saw that the Republican party was ripe for a hostile takeover, so he decided to use their already formed apparatus and resources for his own self-gain. Isn’t it interesting that the closer we got to the actual vote of the actual members of the party, the worse Trump did? The Primaries that he has won, for the most part, were open primaries, the farthest from the actual membership of the party. Cruz pretty much dominated the closed Primaries, where the voters at least have to identify as Republicans. And when it’s only the actual members of the party who get to vote, as with the caucus primaries (such as Colorado), Cruz absolutely crushed Trump, nearly unanimously. When you think about it, it would make more sense for all of the states to operate more like Colorado, where the actual members of the party choose the nominee that will represent their party as the Presidential candidate. Having said all of this, I will add that I do not agree with how the Republican Party and the Primaries are being held. First, I don’t believe Trump should have been allowed to run on the Republican ticket at all. He simply did not have the credentials, history of support, or even the basic knowledge of the platform of the Republican Party to justify his running as a Republican. There must be some criteria to establish this in order to prevent an interloper from taking over the party. Second, I would put tighter controls on who is voting for the nominee to ensure the actual voters are indeed Republican minded voters. Otherwise, why would actual members continue to volunteer their time and efforts and money toward a cause, if they see that anyone can come in and steal all of that away from them? It makes no sense. Third, aside from the Primary process, the debate process is ridiculous. These cage-fight, entertainment centered debates put on by media personnel who have no interest in the success of the Republican Party need to end. We need actual, bonafide, Republican/conservative stalwarts moderating the debates in a way where we can actually learn something. Also, in order for a candidate to run in the Republican Primary, they need to be REQUIRED to participate in any debates that the party holds. It is ludicrous that a candidate (Trump) can simply refuse to debate, especially when it gets down to an essential one-on-one race where we can learn the most. In the end, if you do not like the way the Republican Party handles its primary process, you have a number of options: 1. You can choose to align with another party that better meets your needs or 2. You can actually join the party as an actual member and then work within the party to change things more to your liking or 3. You can start your own party or 4. You can shut the hell up. Photo by DonkeyHotey
Most meal-offerings were made up of fine wheat flour that was mixed with oil and frankincense. On today’s daf (=page) we learn that according to Rav a minhah – a meal-offering – can become sanctified even without its oil, since we find that there is a minhah that is brought without oil, that is, the lehem ha-panim – the Shewbread. Similarly, a minhah can become sanctified even without its levonah – its frankincense, since the minhah that is a wine libation is brought without frankincense (see Bamidbar 15:1-16). Even if both the oil and the levonah were missing the minhah could become sanctified, since we find that a minhat hoteh – the meal-offering brought by a person who commits one of a number of specific sins and cannot afford a more expensive sacrifice, is brought without oil and without levonah (see Vayikra 5:1-13, and in particular, verse 11). Rabbi Hanina disagrees with Rav, arguing that without all of the ingredients, the flour will not become sanctified. It should be noted that this discussion is not about actually bringing the meal-offerings when they are missing one or more of their required elements, since the Mishnah later on in Masechet Menahot (daf 27a) makes it clear that each of these elements is essential if the offering is to be brought. The issue at hand is whether the flour will become sanctified if it is placed in one of the Temple vessels even if one (or more) of the ingredients is missing. While Rav explained his position based on parallels to other types of menahot, Rabbi Hanina offers no explanation for his position. In his Netivot ha-Kodesh, Rabbi Avraham Moshe Salman of Harkov suggests that Rabbi Hanina believes that all of the ingredients are essential for the flour to be considered having the potential to become a meal-offering, and without one of those ingredients even placement in one of the Temple vessels will have no effect.
Teachers and trainers running activities for people with learning and communication difficulties face the daunting task of balancing a wide range of needs, abilities and preferences, whilst simultaneously being asked to meet measured outcomes, record progress and create their own resources. This book presents thirty-two original, engaging and highly visual learning sessions. The activities have been specifically designed to develop learning skills, self-awareness and awareness of others, explore representation, language and early literacy, and cooperation and teamwork. Each session is comprehensively described and includes worksheets, learning aims and suggestions for differentiation and extension activities for either group work or individual learning. These activities will help to develop confidence and motivation by using highly visual resources to bridge the gap between language and cognition. They will be perfect for teachers and trainers running college classes and community education centres, day and residential care centres and training programmes. All the worksheets are included in colour on the accompanying CD. Julia Moor has been working as a teacher with adults with learning disabilities for 18 years, delivering creativity, communication, life skills and intensive interaction courses at day services and educational settings. She has also worked as a trainer for autism awareness and has a son on the autism spectrum. Collaboration and group cohesion are vital to any healthy enterprise. In collaborative environments, good ideas can come from everywhere. Today's thoughtful leaders support interpersonal experiences that ensure clear speaking, open-minded listening, and well-grounded decision making. Reintroducing our most ancient social process, the circle, welcomes everyone to equal participation. Here, two international leaders of circle as a modern methodology offer a comprehensive guide to this foundational human interaction. The Circle Way lays out the basics of circle conversation based on the authors' nearly two decades of experience implementing circle practice in organizations. Through illustrative... More info The Truth is Longer Than a Lie provides important insights into children’s experiences of abuse and their perception of professional intervention. Mudaly and Goddard promote the emerging child-centred approach to research, which provides children with an opportunity to talk about abuse and its effects on their lives, their views on the reasons for abuse, their opinions of abusers and non-offending parents and the dynamics of disclosing abuse. A section on children’s perceptions of the professionals who intervened – to protect them, to prosecute the abuser, or to provide therapeutic counselling... More info As perspectives on private art therapy practice evolve, this book provides an overview of the range of approaches, clinical settings, ethical issues and professional considerations when working outside of the formal structures of publically-funded services. An essential guide for art therapy students and experienced practitioners moving into private practice, it considers the impact of a private context on theory, practice and research. The book features contributions from art therapists with extensive experience in both private practice and public services and gives practical advice on potential difficulties, such as managing relationships with fee-paying... More info
Many people discuss the benefits of white noise for a massive array of reasons. The benefits of white noise have been discussed by health care professionals and hearing doctors as a way to temporarily reduce anxiety or to increase focus and concentration. In the interest of dispelling some myths about white noise, this article proves to show where it comes from, what it is, and how it can be useful. What is white noise? To start off, lets say what it’s not. It is more than just the sound you hear every day. It is much more calming, and essentially a signal of equal intensity across a wide span of different frequencies. When hearing a white noise, sound at all frequencies are being flooded into your ear drum, the same way white light represents all the wavelengths of light. While variation may be present, the concept still stands. Essentially, a white noise creates a blanket of sound that overlays all the existing sound, giving you a calm, cool, and collected focus. White noise for the home The most popular use for white noise is for aiding people who need help sleeping due to hearing disabilities, health conditions, or to add a calming sensation. It is excellent for sleeping for numerous reasons, the first and most importantly, is by providing a distraction to the brain. To remove stress, your mind will focus on the noise instead of floating your thoughts through your mind while you are trying to sleep. White noise for studying or working White noise is proven to increase concentration in the workplace. By playing white noise through your speakers or over a radio, workers are not frustrated to talk or make their own noises to fill the deadly silence that can exist in some work places. Additionally, workers are more free to ignore sounds others make such as shuffling of feet, adjusting of chairs, hum of fans, or even others phone calls. White noise is a great alternative to music, because the lyrics cannot be a distraction to the listener. White noise for vacationing Bringing a white noise playlist on the road is a great way to focus on the road, reduce stress associated with travel, and not to be distracted by music while driving at high speeds. Many people claim that it’s not possible for them to sleep on a plane, however we have found that through the use of white noise playlists, many people find that this allows them to better fall asleep on planes. It proves to dampen the engine noise, the crying, the chatting passengers, and gives the listener something to focus on as they doze off.
Something that I wrote for the Biscayne Times newspaper. It’s worth considering that perhaps the best antidote to racism to acknowledge that “race”, at its core, isn’t real. Racism indeed is real, but race is a man-made fiction. It’s further worth considering if we can transcend race while being hyper-conscious about race. The ultimate question for society writ-large is whether racism can be “cured.” Can these hostilities and suspi¬cions, be they overt or subconscious, be remedied? Probably yes, but only through spontaneous and relaxed one-on¬ one free-flow communications over any organized effort about “overcoming racism”. Perhaps we need not greater racial consciousness, but less – as in none. Maybe we need to approach the topic of race from the purely scientific vantage of biology and genetics, and not sociology. Peter Prontzos, a professor emeritus in Vancouver, B.C., has written “The Concept of ‘Race’ ls a Lie” (Scientific American, May 14, 2019), and quotes from a 2018 statement the board of the American Society of Genetics issued out of alarm in a “resurgence of groups rejecting the value of genetic diversity and using discredited or distorted genetic concepts to bolster bogus claims of white supremacy.” Their statement continued: “The science of genetics dem¬onstrates that humans cannot be divided into biologically distinct subcategories”; that “race itself is a social construct; and that ‘any attempt to use genetics to rank populations demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of genetics.” Hence, Prontzos’s argument that the concept of “race” is mankind’s collective lie. He also explains that psychologi¬cally, even when we talk about solutions to racism, we cognitively, even at the subconscious level, reinforce false be¬liefs that we belong to different biologi¬cal groups. “That’s because the more a word is used,” he says, “the more that certain brain circuits are activated and the stronger that metaphor becomes.” But how did we get here in the first place? In late 1700s, German scientist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach created one of the first race-based classifications. He developed five categories: “Cauca-sian, the white race; Mongolian, the yellow race; Malayan, the brown race; Ethiopian, the black race, and American, the red race.” He ranked each, putting Caucasian on top. This ranking was the impetus for centuries of discrimination. Just look at the 2020 Census section on racial designations if you want to go down the rabbit hole. There’s the stan¬dard White, Black/African American, and American Indian/Native Alaskan. But then come 15 other categories like Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, and Native Hawaiian, all which are based on nationality, ethnicity, and geogra¬phy. Intimating that people from China or Korea are their own “race” seems… well … kind of racist. Even the term “African American” ignores that there’s more genetic diversity on that continent than all other continents combined. The census then allows you to check as many of the 15 racial categories as you see fit and even to write in your own racial identification under the “Some Other Race” option. The “some other race” category, a racial category that nobody knows what exactly is meant by the term, is now the second largest ‘racial” group, after whites, per the 2020 Census. The paraphrase, the second largest racial group is…a complete mystery. Years back, my wife and I visited the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa. It details the confusion the apartheid government confronted with those of mixed race. A test was devised in which a pencil was placed in a person’s hair. If the pencil stayed in place while the person shook his or her head, then that person could not be classified as White. Ask yourself: Are our census racial designations any more scientific than that? Perhaps racism’s real cure is to stop hewing to these artificial, manmade boxes we put ourselves in. To paraphrase a Marxist, let us leave “race” in the ash heap of history. If we stop the practice of nudging folks to declare a race (the purpose of which, again, was to divide people for the benefit of whites over everyone else), then maybe over time, we’ll become more indifferent to skin pigmentation. And becoming more blasé on the skin tone issue that we once categorized as “race” will make the matter as innocuous as being left-handed or red-headed. In the end, our life experiences and culture shape who we are, not our DNA. My very white-guy DNA is 99.99 percent the same as my ebony friends in Haiti. We are biological carbon copies of one another. Consider Yale University’s Joseph Chang, who determined that if you traced our ancestry back 150 generations, you’d find at least one person who would be mother or father to you – and everyone else. We are essentially 100th cousins with one another. We are all related, and we all share a common ancestry. One human family.
Recent News on the Debate over Pluto's Planethood Earlier this month, Eris—the distant world first discovered by Caltech's Mike Brown and colleagues back in 2005, paving the way for the eventual demotion of Pluto from planet to dwarf planet—passed fortuitously in front of a faint star in the constellation Cetus. That passage, or occultation, allowed the first direct measurement of Eris's size. And it produced a surprising result that reignited—in the media, at least—the debate over Pluto's planethood: Eris and Pluto are, within the uncertainties, essentially the same size. But since Eris is 27% more massive than Pluto, Eris is substantially denser. The two objects, once thought to be slightly differently sized twins, are in fact very different. But does this really mean that Pluto's demotion was Certainly not, Brown says. Pluto was not demoted simply because it was thought to be smaller than Eris, he explains, so even though the two are now known to be essentially the same size, the logic behind keeping both of them out of the planetary club remains the same. What is different, he says, is how much more interesting this discovery makes Eris. "When we first discovered Eris, we thought it was just a slightly larger copy of Pluto. Finding a slightly larger copy doesn't teach you much more than the original, so even though Eris was always important to the public, it never garnered that much attention from astronomers, " Brown says. "Now that we know it has a substantially different composition from Pluto, we are scrambling to figure out ways to understand how a planetary system can produce such seemingly different objects out of what is supposed to be the same material." Read more about these new observations in Brown's blog, "Mike Brown's Planets."
The term, master teacher, may be one of the most inconsistently-used designations in academia. If you’re looking for a master teacher definition, you’re likely to find that the meaning varies from state to state, as well as among individual school districts. While some believe that master teacher awards and years of service make an educator a master teacher, we prefer a definition based on more intangible qualities. Qualities of a Master Teacher We believe that master teachers are leaders who have mastered the management of their classrooms and found a way to accelerate learning for all their students. These educators are exceptional communicators who have a strong connection with their students. A master teacher recognizes that the education process is about much more than sharing content. It’s about creating independent learners who have the critical thinking skills to grow and thrive. These educators put their students first and adapt the curriculum to their learners’ needs. Master teachers hold their students to the highest expectations. They conduct regular progress monitoring, adjust their teaching approach as needed, and empower their students to take ownership of their education. The master teacher mindset is one of systematic problem solving and personal accountability. These teachers are continually seeking out opportunities to better themselves as professional educators. They have the ability to look through a broad lens and communicate honestly about issues in their classroom, as well as with parents and administrators. Becoming a Master Teacher Colorado Christian University offers a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction (MACI) program for educators who wish to build the qualities of a master teacher. Through cognitive coaching and reflective writing, CCU’s students develop critical thinking skills that can be applied to virtually any situation. CCU’s students learn to look intellectually, emotionally and spiritually at their actions as teachers and leaders. They learn how to accept responsibility and think systematically about the issues they face. “The MACI program helped me get rid of my need to control everything,” a recent graduate shared. “I realize that I’m never, ever going to have a formula to reach every kid.” “Instead, I’ve learned how to think critically and holistically about what I’m seeing in the classroom, diagnose what’s going on in the student’s learning and life, and take responsibility and own the issue. I can look at myself and make adjustments so I’m giving my students what they need.” If you’re interested in becoming a master teacher, learn more about CCU’s master’s degree in teaching. Author: Ann Lillie
Few can doubt that J.M.W. Turner (1775–1851) was the greatest exponent of British watercolor in its golden age. An inveterate traveler in search of the ideal vista, he rarely left home without a rolled-up, loose-bound sketchbook, pencils, and a small traveling case of watercolors in his pocket. He exploited as no one before him the medium’s luminosity and transparency, conjuring light effects on English meadows and Venetian lagoons and gauzy mists over mountains and lakes. Extraordinary in his own time, he has continued to thrill his countless admirers since. David Blayney Brown, one of the world’s leading experts on Turner, reveals the role watercolors played in Turner’s life and work, from those he sent for exhibition to the Royal Academy to the private outpourings in which he compulsively experimented with light and color, which for a modern audience are among his most radical and accomplished works.
Projecting your Profits and Losses Please make sure you have had sufficient review time in the Learning Activity this week in order to better understand the concepts you will use in both this Discussion and in the Assignment. What questions do financial ratios help answer about a firm’s financial performance? What ratios might be of more interest to certain stakeholders and why? Can you make response each posted below # 1 to 3? 1. From: Debra Clendenin posted Jun 16, 2018 1:15 AM Many people think that ratios only help those looking to invest in businesses, which is not the case. Certain ratios can help you determine a lot about your business. All the information you need can be found in the financial statements. Some basic ratios that could help lead any business are working capital(showing how quickly assets can be liquidity), quick ratio(how well current liabilities can be covered by cash assets and those with ready cash value), and debt-equity ratio(all debt divided by equity). All of these ratios gives different information and alone are not really of any use. Ratios give the most when compared with other numbers like industry norm or the companies past ratios. 2. From: Wesley Turner posted Jun 14, 2018 5:59 PM Financial Ratios is a way to measure your business financial status. When it comes to a business, numbers don’t lie. This is a way to check your business status to make sure it is profitable. Financial ratios also lets the investors know if the business is sinking or rising financially. 3. From: Rebecca Holmes posted Jun 14, 2018 12:34 PM Financial ratios are useful gauges of a company’s performance and financial health. Ratios can answer questions about the liquidity of a company’s assets, whether a company is getting good returns on its assets and equity, and how the business is financed. (financial leverage) (Longnecker, et al, 2014, p,282). Financial ratios can provide additional significance when the ratios are compared to either previous financial performance of the company itself, or to the financial performance of other companies similar to itself. Ratios are important to investors to gain useful insight to the financial health and profitability of a company. Investors find particular interest in the debt ratio and the return on equity ratio because these tell investors how the firm is funded. This is important in evaluating risk that is developing from the use of financing and the return on investment that investors are receiving.
Displaced people and host communities all over the world are at heightened risk as the coronavirus pandemic spreads. Here are some of the ways they – along with UN Refugee Agency UNHCR’s staff and supporters – are taking action to stay smart, stay safe and stay kind. The Disasters Emergency Committee member charities working in poorer countries and refugee camps prioritise those most in need of humanitarian assistance, including those most severely affected by Covid-19 over the coming months. DEC members Age International, CARE International, Islamic Relief and Oxfam have launched international appeals to combat the pandemic, as has the International Federation of the Red Cross. The Lancet sets out why refugees and asylum seekers are so much at risk. Here is a summary: Many people who have been affected by humanitarian crises live in camps. These inadequate and overcrowded living arrangements present a severe health risk. The absence of basic amenities, such as clean running water and soap, insufficient medical personnel presence, and poor access to adequate health information are major problems. Basic public health measures, such as social distancing, proper hand hygiene, and self-isolation are not possible in refugee camps. Migrants and refugees are particularly vulnerable to the impact of COVID-19 in the wider community. They are over-represented among the homeless population, undermining their ability to follow public health advice, including basic hygiene measures, quarantine, or self-isolation. International migrant workers and refugees can be affected by income loss, health-care insecurity, and the ramifications that come with postponement of decisions on their legal status or reduction of employment, legal, and administrative services. A million people have already signed this petition backing the UN Secretary General’s call for an immediate global ceasefire, so people in war torn regions can have life-saving aid to fight the coronavirus. They say that some world leaders are already supporting it. Given the impact of the virus on displaced people in camps around the world, you may want to sign. Last Updated: 07/04/2020 – Next Update Due:
How to Start the Charger on a Dead Battery on a Golf Cart Golf carts are 36- or 48-volt models that use series wiring of 6- or 12-volt batteries to obtain the final voltage. The batteries are connected together so they add additional voltage for each battery wired in the sequence. Six 6-volt batteries are in a 36-volt golf cart, and four 12-volt batteries are in a 48-volt cart. The batteries charge in a series with a golf cart battery charger. Turn the key to the “Off” position on the golf cart dashboard. Pour about 1 cup of water into a disposable cup. Add 2 tablespoons of baking soda and mix it thoroughly. Dip a paintbrush into the mixture and apply it to all of the battery terminals in the golf cart. Let the solution bubble off any corrosion and wipe it off with a towel. Place a flat-head screwdriver under the fill well cap of a battery. Push the screwdriver handle down to pry the cap off. Observe the level of fluid in the battery. Pour distilled water in the fill well to raise the level to cover the metal plates inside. Repeat this step to fill each battery in the golf cart. Open the golf cart hood to gain access to the batteries. Place the charger on the ground near the hood. Squeeze the alligator clip on the black lead from the battery charger and place it around the rear negative post on the left side rear battery. Release the clip so it holds onto the post. Repeat this action to place the red alligator clip on the positive post on the rear left side battery. Plug the power cord of the charger into the golf cart's DC power adapter port. Let the batteries charge until the charger turns off. Some chargers will have no lights illuminated when the charging cycle is complete, while others may have a green light to show the end of the cycle. Grasp the power cord and pull it out of the power adapter port. Squeeze the red alligator clip and remove it from the battery. Squeeze the black alligator clip and remove it from the battery. Use a battery charger that is rated for golf carts in the same voltage as the cart. For example, use a 48-volt charger on a 48-volt golf cart. - Use a battery charger that is rated for golf carts in the same voltage as the cart. For example, use a 48-volt charger on a 48-volt golf cart. Mary Lougee has been writing for over 10 years. She holds a Bachelor's Degree with a major in Management and a double minor in accounting and computer science. She loves writing about careers for busy families as well as family oriented planning, meals and activities for all ages.
As discussed in Part 1 (CI, September 2011), internal kiln pressure in a tunnel kiln governs airflow direction and affects temperature uniformity, soaking time, and energy consumption. Management of the kiln pressure profile makes a huge difference in kiln stability. Figure 1. Kiln temperature data at various locations in the kiln setting. Kilns should be the foundation of the ceramic factory, producing consistent results, creating zero defects and performing efficiently. Our annual R&D Lab Equipment and Instrumentation Directory helps you locate the best suppliers for your needs. This issue also includes articles focused on deformation and tension, materials characterization trends, non-destructive imaging, and more. Check it out!
An important reminder during Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month There's a reason New Mexico is called the Land of Enchantment: our state is full of breathtaking scenery, and there are few better ways to experience our roads than on the back of a motorcycle. However, bikers can also be at risk of severe injury or death in accidents, often caused by other drivers. On average, about 50 bikers lose their lives on New Mexico roads each year, according to NMDOT data. And the same data shows that the stakes for motorcyclists are high: nearly 84 percent of motorcycle riders and passengers involved in accidents are injured or killed, compared to just 20 percent of people in passenger cars. While road safety is a shared responsibility, the greater responsibility falls on people in enclosed vehicles because of the unique risks motorcyclists face. We're participating in Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month because we've seen over and over again what can happen when a biker is involved in a preventable motorcycle accident. Here's what New Mexico motorists need to know about sharing the road. How to drive safely around motorcycles NMDOT has compiled several safety tips for sharing the road with motorcycles, including: - Give the biker full lane width. A motorcycle may be a much narrower vehicle than a car, but it still needs the full width of the lane. Motorcyclists often need to change position within their lane to maneuver around obstacles that a car could simply drive over. Always give a biker full lane width when passing, turning, or driving in an adjacent lane. - Maintain a safe following distance. Motorcycles have a much shorter stopping distance than cars. Moreover, bikers often slow down by downshifting instead of braking, which means there may not be brake lights to warn you. Always maintain at least three to four seconds of following distance to ensure you have time to avoid rear-ending a biker. - Don't trust the turn signal. Unlike cars, motorcycles have turn signals that often don't turn off automatically. If you see a turn signal, always wait to confirm that the biker is actually turning before you proceed. - Check twice at intersections. Many motorcycle crashes happen at intersections when a motorist doesn't see the biker before making a left turn in their path. Always look twice for oncoming bikers and cyclists. - Check your blind spots. Many motorcycle crashes involve a motorist changing lanes or turning into the biker's path, which can either cause a sideswipe collision or force the motorcyclist off the road. Double-check your blind spots before making any maneuvers. - Avoid distracted and impaired driving. Motorcycles are easily overlooked by distracted or drunk drivers because of their small size. When you are behind the wheel, your top priority must always be safely operating your vehicle. Above all, motorists must remember that motorcycles are vehicles, and bikers have just as much right to be on the road as any other operator. Drive defensively, use your turn signals, follow the rules of the road, and yield the right of way to a motorcycle, just as you would to a car. Sharing the road effectively is the key to keeping motorcyclists and every other road user safe. If you've been injured in a New Mexico motorcycle accident, we can help. Injured bikers have rights under New Mexico law. If you've been hurt, you should be compensated for your medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other costs related to your injuries. However, getting full compensation is often a difficult task. The insurance companies know there is a bias against bikers, and they use it to their advantage. They employ teams of attorneys and adjusters to protect their interests. An experienced motorcycle accident attorney can level the playing field. If you've been injured or lost a loved one in a motorcycle accident, get a proven fighter with the experience and resources to achieve meaningful results. Contact the Szantho Law Firm today for a free consultation. We serve injured bikers in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and throughout New Mexico.
Presentation on theme: "1 COFFEE Chapter- 13.2 The second most popular non-alcoholic beverage after tea must be coffee. Today we learn about the coffee plant, the exporting countries,the."— Presentation transcript: 1 COFFEE Chapter- 13.2 The second most popular non-alcoholic beverage after tea must be coffee. Today we learn about the coffee plant, the exporting countries,the classification of coffee, the processing & the varieties of coffee that are available in market. The Coffee Plant- The coffee plant is a evergreen tree/bush which is grown commercially in tropical climates through the world. It requires not only a hot climate but also a high rainfall, a rich soil & a high altitude. The coffee plant is unable to survive any wide variation of temperature or frost condition. The part of the plant is used in coffee processing is the ripened berry. Commercially, three varieties of coffee are grown: Arabica coffee- Supplies the largest & the best quality coffee. It has a bold regular size bean & a fine flavour. It is very prone to disease & requires careful cultivation. It grows in Brazil, Colombia, Kenya, Jamaica & India. Coffee Robusta-produces the second main type of coffee. The beans are generally smaller & of a lower quality. It is a more hardy plant, has a higher yield & is grown in East &West Asia. Coffee Liberica-produces the third main type of coffee. It is a hardy robust plant,sometimes grows wild. The beans are large in size but of an inferior quality. COMPILED BY: MRS. REETU UDAY KUGAJI. 2 Exporting Countries-the main exporting countries are Brazil, Columbia, Uganda, Kenya, the Ivory coast & the Congo. Classification- Coffee may be classified under the following headings: By their country of origin eg. Kenya,Brazil By their type eg. Arabica, Rousta, Liberica By the grade of the bean By the method of processing eg. Wet & dry By the blend By their catering use Processing – When the berries are ripe they are picked by hand & taken to the processing plant. The berries are about the size of a small berry & consist of an external red skin,a layer of pulp, a tough parchment like inner membrane, a thin skin &finally two beans rounded on one side, flat on the other, with the flat sides pressed against each other. Depending on the country in which it is being processed, any one of the following methods will be used: The dry method- used in countries which do not have sufficient water supply. The berries are spread out thinly in the sun & left tall the pulp shrivel tightly on to the parchment. The berries are then put through a hulling machine which removes the parchment and the pulp in one stage. COMPILED BY: MRS. REETU UDAY KUGAJI. 3 Very little sorting of the berries is done and the same may carry traces of the silver skin and thereby lack the attractiveness of the washed beans. The wet method- This method is used in countries where there is sufficient and abundant water supply. The berries are put through a de-pulping machine to remove the fleshy part of the berry leaving the two seeds and their jackets. They are then placed in large vats and then allowed to ferment partially for 24 to 40 hours. This fermentation serves two purposes. It helps to develop the aroma of the cooked coffee and also helps in the removal of any adhering pulp attached to it. Then the fermentation stage is complete, the beans are thoroughly washed and then spread out in the sun to dry completely. The next stage is the removal of the parchment by machines to leave just the clear olive green beans. Coffee Roasting- the green coffee bean has a little or no flavour. The flavour, aroma & colour of liquid coffee is developed by roasting the coffee beans. The roasting causes the cell walls to be ruptured making the flavouring & aromatic quantities of the natural oil content readily available to extraction by hot water. Roasting can vary from light to dark. A dark roast gives a slightly bitter characteristic & is widely used for expresso. A light roast gives a mild flavour suitable for general purpose. Roasted coffee beans are a cooked commodity & liable to deterioration of quality. Any bean not used after roasting, must be stored in a air-tight container. COMPILED BY: MRS. REETU UDAY KUGAJI. 4 Coffee Grinding- The roasted coffee bean is next ground to enable the flavour, aroma & colour to be easily extracted. The degree of grinding will affect the strength of the coffee, finer the grain the stronger/bitter the flavour. Prolonged infusion not add anything of advantage except possibly bitterness. This is because the flavouring oils are highly volatile. Ground coffee will lose 20% of its freshness in one day& upto 50% in three weeks if not stored in airtight containers. Moreover it will develop a certain staleness as a resist of volatile oils being easily oxidized. Good quality coffee is always made from freshly ground beans. Coffee Blending- Many coffee blends are available for coffee merchants. The blending is done skillfully by experts in a manner similar to tea blending. Blending will produce a standard product of high, quality,flavour,colour & aroma available throughout the year at a standard price. Coffee Mixture- some well known brands of coffee are a blend of coffee & other substances eg: French Coffee is made of a blend of coffee & chicory. Viennese Coffee- is made of a blend of dried & roasted figs & coffee Chicory helps to bring down the cost while the figs help produce a smoother, & sweeter liquid. Constant coffee- This is the convenience form mostly widely used today. So special equipments are is required & the product is of acceptable standard. Instant coffee is pure coffee which is atomized to a fine mist into a drying chamber. COMPILED BY: MRS. REETU UDAY KUGAJI. 5 Caffeine Free Coffee-Caffeine is an alkaloid substance which produces the stimulating effect on coffee. It also is responsible for the bitterness. 87% of caffeine can be extracted by processing the green beans under steam in a vacuum. Used by persons who have heart ailments & those who are advised not to drink ordinary coffee. Coffee Concentrates – are concentrated extracts of coffee mainly used as a flavouring agent in bakery & confectionery. Coffee Bags – similar to tea bags’ but contain ground coffee & a percentage of instant coffee. Catering Packs- Again similar to catering packs of tea. They will reduce a specific yield eg. ½,1,3 or 5 gallons of coffee. Storage – Care must be taken regards to storage of coffee. Since the flavouring oils are highly volatile, some flavour is lost after roasting & then again after grinding. Coffee powder must be vacuum packed & the stored in sealed air tight containers. LIST ANY 05 BRAND NAMES OF COFFEE AVAILABLE IN THE MARKET. 01 NESCAFE 02 BRU 03 STARBUCKS 04 SEATTLE’S BEST 05 MILLSTONE ********************************** COMPILED BY: MRS. REETU UDAY KUGAJI.
Presentation on theme: "Classes and Inheritance. 2 As the building blocks of more complex systems, objects can be designed to interact with each other in one of three ways: Association:"— Presentation transcript: 2 As the building blocks of more complex systems, objects can be designed to interact with each other in one of three ways: Association: an object is aware of another object and holds a reference to it Composition: objects combining to create more complex ones Inheritance: classes (types) are defined as extensions of other classes Relationships Between Classes 3 In an associative has-a relationship, an object is aware of another complex object and can communicate with it. Example: a Car has an owner attribute which is a Person. Association CarownerPersonnameagegender 4 In a compositional has-a relationship, an object is made up of other objects. Example: a Movie object might be composed of str objects title and genre and int object year. Composition Movietitlegenreyear 5 Inheritance Inheritance, as opposed to the previous two examples, is not a has- a relationship. It's an is-a relationship. It means that objects of a particular class are members of a subset of the objects of another class. The subclass inherits all the properties of the superclass, and adds some of its own. Inheritance is a largely misunderstood idea, so we will spend a bit of time clarifying when it is useful and when it is not. 6 Inheritance example Consider the class Person: class Person(): def __init__(self, n, y, g): self.name = n self.year = y self.gender = g Several modules may use this class to keep track of Person objects. Now, imagine that the university would like to use the Person class to store information about its students. 7 Inheritance example The Person class does not have all the attributes necessary to keep track of a student's personal information. What can we do? We could add what we need to Person, which, if done by all other methods that may be using Person, would make Person a very long, unwieldy class. Alternatively, we can create the parts that we're missing (student number, GPA, etc.) in another class and connect it to the Person class somehow. 8 The Student Class We create the class Student: class Student(???): def __init__(self, stn, avg): self.student_number = stn self.gpa = avg Now, this Student class also needs a name, a gender and a year of birth. We have three options. 9 The Student Class - Option A Copy and paste the code: class Student(object): def __init__(self, n, y, g, s, a): self.name = n self.year = y self.gender = g self.student_number = s self.gpa = a This option makes all the Person functionality available in the Student class, but it has a drawback: if a new attribute needed to be added for all people, it would have to be added in two places. Also, if improvements are made to Person, they are not automatically done in Student. 10 The Student Class - Option B Here, we use composition. class Student(object): def __init__(self, n, a, p): self.student_number = n self.gpa = a self.person = p This option makes the Student class store a Person object. This way, looking for the Student's name would involve checking its person attribute's name. However, this is counter-intuitive as a metaphor since the student is not a separate entity from the person. It's not that students HAVE people, students ARE people. 11 The Student Class - Option C There was a way to express that every Student is a Person with extra information: students are a subset of people. We specify that Student inherits from Person by giving Person as a parameter to the class definition: class Student(Person): This means that the Student class automatically takes on all the properties of the Person class before any of its own are even defined. 12 The Student Class Then, we add what we're missing and pass on pertinent information to our parent/ancestor/superclass: class Student(Person): def __init__(self, n, y, g, sn, a): Person.__init__(self, n, y, g) self.student_number = sn self.gpa = a The highlighted line calls the Person constructor, initializing the Person-specific parts of our Student. 13 Inheriting Attributes Let's make a new Student: >>> ramona = Student("Ramona", 1987, 'F', 990000001, 3.0) Our student has student-specific attributes: >>> ramona.gpa 4.0 She also has all the attributes a person may have: >>> ramona.name Ramona 14 Inheriting Methods All the Person's methods are now Student methods as well, so if Person had a __str__: def __str__(self): return "%s (%s) b. %s" % \ (self.name, self.gender, self.year) Even though we haven't specifically defined a __str__ method in Student, we have one: >>> print ramona Ramona (F) b. 1987 15 Overriding Methods It's natural that a Student's string representation would be different from a Person's. So, if we wrote a __str__ method for Student: def __str__(self): return "Student %s (%s)" % \ (self.name, self.student_number) This method would override (be called instead of) any method of the same name from its ancestor: >>> print ramona Student Ramona (990000001) 16 Overriding Methods When overriding, we can still rely on the parent's method to do part of the work: def __str__(self): return "Student %s (%s)" % \ (Person.__str__(self), self.student_number) Then, Person’s __str__ method would help build the result of Student’s __str__ method. >>> print ramona Student Ramona (F) b. 1987 (990000001) 17 Extending Functionality We will want to do things with Students that don't apply to all Persons. So, by writing methods in the Student class itself, we can extend functionality without affecting Person: # Inside class Student: def raise_gpa(self, bonus): self.gpa += bonus >>> ramona.raise_gpa(0.5) >>> ramona.gpa 3.5 >>> velian = Person("Velian", 1986,'M') >>> velian.raise_gpa(0.5) <-- ERROR 18 Inheritance: Conclusion Inheritance is one of the most powerful concepts in object-oriented programming, but it's also one of the most abused. When we say that class B inherits from class A, we are making a very specific claim about the relationships between these two objects: We are claiming that the objects in class B are a subset of the objects of class A, and have all their properties and more. Cars are objects. People own cars. Why don't we let Person inherit from Car to represent people who own cars? A person is not a type of car!
Last updated on July 11th, 2019 at 08:13 pm Sweating is a function of your body that helps you keep your temperature regulated. There are anywhere between 2-4 million sweat glands all over your body, which work tirelessly to maintain your body temperature. If sweating is important for your body, why does my sweat smell so bad? I will try to answer that question in this blog post. If only sweat would smell as good as flowers and nature, which I posted in the picture, that would be great. Reality is that sweat stinks and nobody loves to be around people that smell sweaty. When I forget to put my deodorant on, or when the deodorant is not very effective, I look for a chance to change or quickly take a shower. Our confidence is greatly affected by sweating and the odors that come with it. You might think that it is the sweat that smells so bad, however, it is not the sweat that stinks. Did you know that? If not, you are about to find out the truth behind armpit odor. As I said, there are millions of sweat glands all over our body that work for our health. However, these sweat glands are not all the same. We have 2 types of sweat glands which both have a completely different function. First off, we have the apocrine sweat glands, which are located in our armpits, areola of breasts, between anus and genitals, palms, feet, among others. These sweat glands are located deep down, hidden in the layers of our skin. Apocrine sweat glands are connected to our nervous system and do not regulate our body temperature. Hence, these sweat glands produce sweat when driven by adrenaline, and not necessarily by temperature. They act as a relief for your body, which is being stressed by all these situations. Sexual stimulation, fear, anxiety, depression, excitement, nervousness, among others, all cause the apocrine glands to become active and produce sweat. The smell of the liquid secreted by the apocrine glands attracts the opposite sex, so the smell is distinctive. Second, we have the eccrine sweat glands, which are all over the body, except in the places mentioned above. These glands are located only superficially under our skin and are regulated by our temperature. The eccrine glands are the “air-condition” in our body. Whenever your body temperature rises, this system is “turned on” to cool off. Heat strokes and dehydration would be inevitable if it was not for our eccrine sweat glands. These glands are not driven by adrenaline, but solely by our body temperature. There is not a distinctive smell to this watery liquid that is produced by the eccrine glands. These 2 different types of sweat glands are busy keeping your body healthy; some to maintain your body temperature and others to bring relief from an outpour of stress hormones that are causing your body to be very active. But Why Does My Sweat Smell So Bad? The liquid that both mentioned types of sweat glands release is very different from one to the other. Apocrine sweat glands produce a thick liquid that consists mainly of proteins and fats, while the eccrine sweat glands produce a watery liquid that is made up of salts and minerals, but mostly water. In fact, it is known that intense workout decreases your water weight drastically through sweating only. However, your apocrine sweat glands are located in mostly unaerated areas, like in your armpits, your feet, and your genitals. In these areas, you will find bacteria that feast on the sweat released by the apocrine glands. And the gases these bacteria release is the bad odor that comes from your armpits after a few hours of sweating. It is not your sweat that smells so bad, but the gas produced by bacteria which eat the proteins and fats contained in your sweat. Did you know that bad odor from armpits is like mouth odor? Millions of bacteria live in your mouth and they eat rests of foods that stay on your teeth. The gasses they release produces the bad mouth odor. Depending on the food you eat, the smell can be extremely strong. The same thing happens with your apocrine sweat glands. Depending on the foods that you consume, how many liquids you take in, and other factors, your sweat will smell differently. What Can Be Done With The Bad Odors? As I stated, the foods and liquids you take in daily have a lot to say in the composition of your sweat. I have personally experienced that the more water I drink and the more vegetables and fruit I eat, less processed foods, the less strong my odor is. If you are worried about your sweat because of abnormal odor, or it has recently changed, you can try if it comes from your foods. A few days of eating healthy should change your sweat odor. Also, add lots of water! Avoid sweetened beverages. Drink mostly water and lots! That will likely help. Have you recently changed your deodorants from a synthetic deodorant to a 100% natural one? Then you armpits are detoxing from all the chemicals. This process can involve a strong and terrible smell for a few weeks until the natural deodorant takes over. If nothing of that helps, I highly recommend seeing a doctor. Sweating tells a lot about your health, so if you notice a recent change in your sweat odor, consider food and deodorants, and if nothing helps, consider a checkup. As said, bad odor from sweating can be helped by drinking more water and changing your diets, but it is never enough. You also need to use a deodorant, which fights of bacteria that produce the odors, or you need to use an antiperspirant that will stop your sweating, so bacteria will not reproduce so quickly in the first place because no sweat will be produced. I have a long history of excessive sweating. Ever since I was a young teenager, I sweated heavily in my armpits and it was so embarrassing that I would have wanted to avoid being among people, especially in school. I also noticed that on some days my sweat would smell very bad and on other days it was not as strong. It was later on that I realized that all the sweet beverages that I drank and the fatty foods that I ate made my sweat stink very much. My sweat smells really bad when I do not drink very much at all. Deodorants are not enough if you are sweating excessively. You will need a clinical strength antiperspirant to stop your sweating. I have made a list of my favorite deodorants for men and women. Check these out to see if your deodorant could be a problem. As I said, my history with excessive sweating led me to believe that I would have to live my life with embarrassment all the time because of large and ugly sweat stains. However, I am so glad that I found the solution to my problem after many years of searching. Sweatblock, a clinical strength antiperspirant does the trick for me. Concluding, you now know what causes the bad odors in your sweat smell so bad and you also know what you can do to fight bad odors off. If you found this information valuable, please share with friends and family or post a question or comment below.
The mirror is convex therefore its focal length is negative. The object is real therefore the object distance is positive. To determine the image distances use the mirror equation. To find the magnification of the mirror use the magnification equation. The mirror equation that relates the focal length f, object distanceand image distance is, Solve the equation for. Therefore, the image distance is and the negative sign of the image distance indicates that the image is formed behind the mirror.
Super resolution imaging with Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) microscopy is a fluorescence microscopy super-resolution technique that is able to circumvent the optical diffraction limit. STED microscopy was first described in theory by Stefan Hell . Stefan Hell was one of the three persons to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 2014 for their separate important achievements in optical super-resolution microscopy. STED conceptThe idea presented in Hell's first STED paper is based on depleting fluorophores in the outer region of the diffraction limited spot with a second laser, the STED-laser, which has a red-shifted wavelength (λSTED ) and a small spatial offset with respect to the excitation laser. In the region where both lasers overlap, the fluorophores are excited by the excitation laser but are stimulated to emit at the wavelength of the second laser (λSTED ). If the stimulated emission rate is high enough, the fluorophores in the overlapping region will emit photons with wavelength λSTED due to stimulated emission rather than emitting fluorescent photons with wavelength λF (spontaneous emission). The process of stimulated emission effectively depletes the fluorophores in the overlapping region leaving only the flourophores in the non-overlapping region able to fluoresce. The fluorophores in the overlapping region are thus not switched into an ’off-state’ by the STED beam, but are merely stimulated to emit photons with the same wavelength as the STED laser. The photons that arise from stimulated emission are suppressed in the emission path with an appropriate filter, while the fluorescent photons are able to reach the detector. This filtering ultimately leads to a size reduction of the effective fluorescent spot as is illustrated in figure 1 (b). Figure 1. (a) Jablonski diagram illustrating the process of excitation, stimulated emission and fluorescence. (b) When two diffraction limited STED spots are overlapped with a diffraction limited excitation spot with offset Δx and when the STED intensity is high enough, the fluorophores in the outer region of the excitation spot are effectively depleted to the ground state by stimulated emission. In the region where there is no STED field present, the fluorophores are still able to fluoresce. As a result, the effective fluorescence spot is reduced to below the diffraction limit, but only in the direction of the offset. STED Beam ShapingThe offset method as described in the previous section allows resolution increase only in the lateral direction of the offset. This limitation could be partially solved by using four offset beams. However, this requires either multiple STED lasers or splitting a single high intensity STED beam into four separate beams. Both options are experimentally challenging, since it requires very precise alignment of multiple beams. A more delicate solution would be to shape a single STED beam in such a way that it creates a symmetrical high intensity profile around a zero intensity center in the focus. This doughnut-like shape (figure 2 (c)) allows efficient and symmetrical confinement of the depleted region. To create a perfect null intensity in the focus of a high NA lens, it is quite intuitive that the phase front of the incoming beam must be shaped such that the focused light interferes destructively in the focus center. Over the last decade, different options have been implemented to create such a focal spot, and the development is still ongoing. One way to create a perfect null intensity in the focus is by using an annular phase plate . This shape modification can also be realized with a vortex phase plate (figure 2 (c) top figure). The vortex phase plate is most widely used for super-resolution in the lateral direction, while the annular phase plate is used for depletion in the axial direction, leading to super-resolution in the Z dimension. Also a combination of the two phase-plates can be used, as is implemented in for example the Leica SP8 STED 3X system. There are also alternative methods to obtain a suitable STED focus, such as using a spatial light modulator (SLM) or by using other types of phase-plates or phase modulators [4, 5]. However, the annular and vortex phase plates are still most widely used in STED microscopy. Figure 2. Simulation results of the normalized intensity in XY and XZ planes in the focus of the objective with perfect circularly polarized light. As a result of the symmetry, the ZY plane is similar to the ZX plane and is therefore not shown here. Black represents a normalized intensity of zero, while white represents a normalized intensity of one. The simulations are performed in a 800 nm × 800 nm area for each plane with 10 nm step size. The top illustrations show the type of phase adjustment that was used. (a) When the incoming beam is not spatially phase-adjusted (like a confocal excitation spot), the focus is a diffraction limited spot in XY plane and has a cigar shape in ZX and ZY planes. (b) When an annular phase plate is used to spatially adjust the phase of the beam, the focus in XY plane will have a doughnut shape. ZX and ZY plane will contain two cigars aligned in Z with a null intensity in the center. (c) A vortex phase plate will also lead to a doughnut in XY plane, but with much higher absolute intensity compared to the doughnut formed by the annular phase plate. In ZX and ZY plane the focus shows two cigar shapes aligned in respectively X and Y direction. Figure 3. Cartoon illustrating the spatial resolution increase by STED. Two thin wire-like structures are labeled with fluorophores (gray dots). In conventional confocal microscopy most of the fluorophores in the focal region are excited (red) and are able to fluoresce, resulting in a large blob in the image. When STED is applied, a doughnut-shaped beam is overlapped with the excitation spot in the focal region. This leads to depletion of most of the excited fluorophores in the overlapping region (yellow dots), leaving only the fluorophores in the center of the doughnut to fluoresce (green). STED ResolutionFigure 3 illustrates how the overlap of a doughnut shaped STED beam leads to an increase in resolution. In this figure, two thin wire like structures are labeled with fluorophores and are in close vicinity of each other (< diffraction limit). In conventional fluorescent microscopy the two wires cannot be spatially separated due to the diffraction limit as a large area of fluorophores is excited and therefore able to fluoresce. When STED is applied, the overlapping STED doughnut results in depletion of the fluorophores in the outer region of the excitation spot. This depletion results in a confinement of the area in which the fluorophores are still allowed to fluoresce. When the sample is raster scanned, the reduced size of the effective fluorescent spot enables the spatial separation of the two closely spaced wires in the resulting image. The increase in spatial resolution is dependent on the STED excitation intensity and can be described mathematically. With a doughnut-shaped STED focus, the FWHM Δr of the effective fluorescent spot can be described by: Equation (1) is the familiar inverse square root intensity law for STED: the FWHM resolution approximately scales with the inverse square root of the STED intensity. The definition of Δr is also illustrated in figure 4. Also note that the first part of the right hand of equation (1) is the conventional diffraction limit, i.e., when the STED intensity ISTEDmax = 0 equation (1) reduces to Abbe’s diffraction limit. The full derivation of this equation can be found here. In theory, the maximum obtainable resolution as stated by equation (1) would be infinitely small. In practice however, the extreme intensities required to reach extreme high resolutions would lead to unwanted effects such as photo-bleaching, optical trapping, multi-photon absorption, sample heating or even sample destruction. However the setup would most likely be practically limited due to stage drift or become dark noise limited due to the decreasing intensity that inevitably comes with increasing resolution. Moreover in the ultimate environment where STED is to be used, i.e. in biological samples, other processes such as diffusion play an important role. The chosen fluorophore will also largely determine the maximal obtainable resolution. Some fluorophores are more sensitive to the STED depletion lasers than others. Regardless of the STED intensity: there will always be a fraction of fluorophores in the depletion area that are not efficiently being depleted. Additionally, some fluorophores in the depletion area may be re-excited (anti-Stokes) by the depletion light. If the emission filters are non-perfect, then also some stimulated light will still reach the detectors. These three factors will lead to an immunity fraction, which is the percentage of fluorophores that is not being depleted, and thus still able to fluoresce. This property is fluorophore dependent, and can be determined experimentally. Gated-STED (g-STED) is a technique that makes use of the lifetime information of the emitted light, and can thereby help to minimize the immunity fraction and increase the resolution. Figure 4. Top: overlapping a doughnut-shaped STED spot with a diffraction limited excitation spot will result in a confinement of the area in which fluorophores are able to fluoresce. Bottom: (a) Graph illustrating the overlap of the intensity of the STED donut shaped spot ISTED (r) (orange) and excitation spot (blue) in one dimension. (b) Graph illustrating the decrease in the width of the effective fluorescence probability h(r) (green) as a result of STED. Δr is the FWHM of the effective fluorescence probability (equation 8.3.) Deconvolution of STED imagesSTED microscopy allows super-resolution imaging in the 50nm range. Unfortunately, this increased optical resolution also leads to a drawback: because many fluorophores are depleted by the depletion laser, this also results in a lower signal (fewer photons) being captured by the detector. Because of the Poisson nature of photon statistics, the signal-to-noise ratio of the resulting image will decrease compared to normal confocal imaging. Therefore the SNR value in STED images will be much lower compared to their confocal counterpart. Luckily, deconvolution offers a great solution. Since 2012, the Huygens software is able to generate a theoretical PSF based on STED microscope parameters. This theoretical PSF can be used in the deconvolution process, which will significantly reduce the noise in the image, and will increase the contrast of up to 10 times. Additionally, the Huygens deconvolution algorithms are able to increase the resolution in the image with a factor of 2 in both lateral and axial direction. Since 2014, Huygens is also equipped with a PSF generator for STED 3D systems. Huygens is able to generate a theoretical PSF based on a mixture of depletion in lateral and also depletion in axial direction. STED images often suffer from small drifts, which are specifically visible when viewing the image in the XZ or YZ direction. Huygens has a specific STED stabilization option, which is build into the Object Stabilizer, deconvolution wizard and the Huygens Batch Processor. The STED stabilization allows to correct for sub-pixel resolution shifts, and can help to make the image restoration process more optimal, and often leads to in improved resolution in the restored image. Although a STED system in theory does not have bandwidth limit, one can define an optimal practical sampling rate. This ideal sampling rate for STED can be calculated with the online NyquistCalculator. Stefan W. Hell and Jan Wichmann. Breaking the diffraction resolution limit by stimulated emission: stimulated-emission-depletion fluorescence microscopy., Opt. Lett., 19(11):780–782, Jun 1994. Remko R.M. Dijkstra, Design and realization of a CW-STED super-resolution microscope setup, Master Thesis , University of Twente, 2012'' Thomas A. Klar, Stefan Jakobs, Marcus Dyba, Alexander Egner, and Stefan W. Hell. Fluorescence microscopy with diffraction resolution barrier broken by stimulated emission. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 97(15):8206–8210, July 2000. Matthias Reuss. Simpler STED setups. PhD thesis, Combined Faculties for the Natural Sciences and for Mathematics of the Ruperto-Carola University of Heidelberg, Germany, December 2010. Matthias Reuss, Johann Engelhardt, and Stefan W. Hell. Birefringent device converts a standard scanning microscope into a STED microscope that also maps molecular orientation. Opt. Express, 18(2):1049–1058, Jan 2010.
Among the dirty little secrets of the older diabetes medicines was that they usually made you gain weight, they could cause low blood sugar suddenly and unexpectedly, and they had no particular benefit to the most important consequence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) – heart disease. All that changed with the release of two newer classes of diabetes medicines. The first are called GLP1-RA’s (to be explained, below) which include brand names Byetta, Victoza, Bydureon-BCise, Trulicity, and Ozempic. The second are SGLT2i’s (ignore that too, for now) named Invokana, Jardiance, Farxiga, and Steglatro. Whew – that’s a lot of names and choices. And there’s more to come! That’s what happens when you have a good thing going. Here are some of the good things they do: - They don’t cause low blood sugar by themselves. - Although the details of research studies are always nuanced, and different drugs have different levels of study outcomes, in general the evidence is very strong that these medicines significantly decrease risk of death from all causes, heart attacks, sudden death, and stroke. SGLT2’s also prevent hospitalization for heart failure. Guidelines from diabetes and heart disease societies name these meds specifically as first choices to treat people with T2D who have established cardiovascular disease (CVD). Since there is no official definition of “established CVD”, it can be argued that all adults with T2D should be treated with SGLT2 inhibitors and/or GLP1-RA’s. - These medicines also lower body weight by 3-7%, and the weight stays off for many years of follow-up. The weight lost is mainly from fat, not fluid or muscle, though there is always some of that too. The amount of weight loss varies widely, and while these are specifically not supposed to be weight drugs, this percentage of weight loss is significant for metabolic health. - The medicines lower systolic blood pressure by about 5 mmHg, which is about as much as most blood pressure agents. Systolic is the higher number on blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure is one of the most important ways to prevent CVD and especially stroke. - While the definitive studies are soon to be released, it appears these drugs prevent the usual decline of kidney function with age, which everybody has but which people with T2D have twice as fast. Preventing chronic kidney disease (CKD) may be the most significant contribution since it greatly increases risk for CVD and is among the biggest drains on the U.S. healthcare budget. While the old, inexpensive generic drug metformin is still typically used first for T2D, many argue the benefits of GLP1-RA’s and SGLT2 inhibitors are more than worth the money and that they ultimately save money. I still support metformin because of many other virtues that it has, but would argue against using sulfonylureas because of risk of hypoglycemia and weight gain, and maybe even worsening risk for CVD. Too bad today’s insurance goes for cheapest in the short term instead of the most value in the long term. Regardless, most people with T2D will eventually require combinations of these meds anyway. So How Do They Work? Well this is cool too, and they are very different. GLP1-RA’s are “glucagon-like peptide receptor agonists” because native GLP1 physically resembles glucagon even though its actions are almost opposite. GLP1 is co-secreted with insulin in normal physiology and in many ways has actions that are complementary to insulin. It enhances the actual secretion of insulin in proportion to glucose, inhibits levels of the actual hormone glucagon (which would raise glucose), slows the otherwise faster stomach emptying of T2D, and, remarkably, signals the brain when you’ve had enough food, so most people eat less and lose weight. GLP1-RA’s act like GLP1. GLP1-RA’s have to be injected, like insulin, but they still are really easy to live with because they can be taken anytime daily (Victoza) or weekly (Bydureon-BCise, Trulicity, and Ozempic), come in easy dose pens, and have needles so small you can hardly feel them if you don’t use alcohol to prep the skin. Byetta has to be used twice daily and timed before meals, so although it was the original GLP1-RA from San Diego-based Amylin Pharmaceuticals, it is used less often today. An oral GLP1-RA has been developed and is in the later stages of review by the FDA. SGLT2 inhibitors are once-daily tablets that cause the kidneys to release glucose into the urine, generally 65 to 100 grams daily (100 grams is roughly 400 calories, if you wondered). The kidneys have a system to absorb glucose from the urine called the “sodium-glucose-luminal-contransporters 1 and 2”, and SGLT21’s inhibit that absorption. You would think that losing 400 calories per day would reduce a person to dust in no time, but the body has many compensatory mechanisms so the weight eventually plateaus and some people, somehow, don’t lose much weight while others lose 10-15 lbs. What Are the Side Effects? As you might guess from the way they work, people taking SGLT2i’s pee more urine at first, and so should increase water intake by about a quart daily for the first week or so. After that it tends to return to a normal steady state. And because the urine is full of sugar, you have to be careful with good hygiene around urination, especially for women, to avoid yeast infections. If yeast infections do happen, it’s rarely more than once and is easily treatable with over-the-counter remedies for three days (not one, because of diabetes itself). The GLP1-RA’s have to be started at low dose and built up slowly over a few weeks to minimize gastrointestinal side effects like nausea or diarrhea. Once stable, those side effects don’t occur. Every person is unique, however, so one always needs to be cautious with any new medication. Good News for Those with Type 1 Diabetes? Although not approved for use in people with type 1, there is very promising research that has been done showing benefits of both classes of agents, especially the SGLT2i’s, to smooth out glucose variability, especially around meals, and to somewhat decrease insulin requirements. We are still working out the safety issues and the best strategies for introducing these agents to avoid diabetic ketoacidosis, but I anticipate their use in type 1 soon. Good News for People Who Don’t Have Diabetes? Perhaps. SGLT2i’s are being tested for those at risk for congestive heart failure, in particular, and both classes for heart and kidney preservation as well. We should know more in a few years, but stay tuned. There is an enormous amount of research interest in these meds and in the lessons they are teaching about human physiology. If these agents are so good, why isn’t everyone on them and why do we still have so much poor diabetes control and diabetes complications? It’s beyond the scope of this piece to tackle that, but we need to do it as a community and as a nation. Dr. Edelman and Dr. Polonsky have contributed important work in this area, and the ADA has held consensus conferences to address this gap between possibility and reality. But knowledge is power, and now you have more knowledge about these exciting medications. And always remember that good nutrition, keeping fit, sleeping well, maintaining purpose, reveling in humor, and embracing friends and loved ones remain the mainstays of any plan to be healthy.
A unique solar panel design made with a new ceramic material points the way to potentially providing sustainable power cheaper more efficiently and requiring less manufacturing time It also reaches a four decade old goal ... - Read More NASA scientists have revealed the inner workings of the ozone hole that forms annually over Antarctica and found that declining chlorine in the stratosphere has not yet caused a recovery of the ozone hole More ... - Read More Researchers have discovered an efficient and easy to use method for bonding together gels and biological tissues A team headed by Ludwik Leibler involving researchers from the Laboratoire Matière Molle et Chimie CNRS ESPCI ParisTech ... - Read More New research at the University of Arkansas shows that behavior can be predicted and understood in thin films made of materials called relaxors which can be used in electronic devices Physicists Sergey Prosandeev and Laurent ... - Read More Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers have combined ultrafast time resolved experimental measurements with theory to reveal how an explosive responds to a high impact shock The work involved advances in both ultrafast experimental shock wave ... - Read More Researchers have been able to tune ‘coherence’ in organic nanostructures due to the surprise discovery of wavelike electrons in organic materials revealing the key to generating “long lived charges” in organic solar cells material that ... - Read More A molecule containing a noble gas has been discovered in space by a team including astronomers from Cardiff University The find was made using a Cardiff led instrument aboard Europe's Herschel Space Observatory The molecule ... - Read More Computer scientists at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences SEAS and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University have joined forces to put powerful probabilistic reasoning algorithms in the hands ... - Read More A new and efficient method for the removal of uranium and other heavy metals from water has been developed at the University of Eastern Finland Chemec Ltd a Finnish chemicals industry company has purchased the ... - Read More Which climate effects do clouds have Under what conditions do they warm or cool the atmosphere Today after more than five years of preparation the specially equipped research aircraft HALO High Altitude and Long Range ... - Read More An atmospheric peculiarity Earth shares with Jupiter Saturn Uranus and Neptune is likely common to billions of planets University of Washington astronomers have found and knowing that may help in the search for potentially habitable ... - Read More A new low cost cubesat mission led by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel Md will demonstrate technology needed to measure the absolute imbalance in Earth's radiation budget for the first time giving ... - Read More Rivers and streams release carbon dioxide at a rate five times greater than the world's lakes and reservoirs combined contrary to common belief Research from the University of Waterloo was a key component of the ... - Read More Scientists are digging deep into Earth's surface collecting census data on the microbial denizens of the hardened rocks What they're finding is that even miles deep and halfway across the globe many of these communities ... - Read More Since World War II US nautical charts have shown seven chemical munitions dumping areas along the Pacific Coast between San Francisco and the Mexican border However little or no information is available about the amount ... - Read More Humankind is by nature inquisitive especially about the prospect of life on other planets and whether or not we are alone The aptly named Curiosity a NASA Mars rover has been scouring that planet's surface ... - Read More NASA's Curiosity rover is providing vital insight about Mars' past and current environments that will aid plans for future robotic and human missions In a little more than a year on the Red Planet the ... - Read More A massive ejection of material from the sun initially traveling at over 7 million miles per hour that narrowly missed Earth last year is an event solar scientists hope will open the eyes of policymakers ... - Read More Sandia National Laboratories researchers have devised a novel way to realize electrical conductivity in metal organic framework MOF materials a development that could have profound implications for the future of electronics sensors energy conversion and ... - Read More Polymers can behave like insulators semiconductors and metals as well as semimetals Twenty researchers under the leadership of Xavier Crispin Docent in organic electronics at Linköping University are behind the breakthrough published in Nature Materials ... - Read More Tell us what you think of Chemistry 2011 -- we welcome both positive and negative comments. Have any problems using the site? Questions? Chemistry2011 is an informational resource for students, educators and the self-taught in the field of chemistry. We offer resources such as course materials, chemistry department listings, activities, events, projects and more along with current news releases. The history of the domain extends back to 2008 when it was selected to be used as the host domain for the International Year of Chemistry 2011 as designated by UNESCO and as an initiative of IUPAC that celebrated the achievements of chemistry. You can learn more about IYC2011 by clicking here. With IYC 2011 now over, the domain is currently under redevelopment by The Equipment Leasing Company Ltd. Are you interested in listing an event or sharing an activity or idea? Perhaps you are coordinating an event and are in need of additional resources? 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Notebooking is a hands-on way to teach children about ANY topic! We have recently added many notebooks to our personal homeschool, and have found the methods to work wonderfully for multiple ages and topics. The simplest way to notebook is to start with a three ring binder and premade notebooking pages. Encourage your children to add drawings or photos to the supplied areas, and facts or thoughts onto the blank lines. As children understand the idea of notebooking provide them with blank pages for them to decide where their images and text will go. Add in minibooks and lapbooking elements as well physical items that can be taped added to the notebooking journal. Blank Notebooking Pages Our blank notebooking pages are great for adding some extra pages on any topic. Children can customize each sheet by adding their own artwork or clippings. This includes a set of Horizontal notebooking worksheets as well. Notebooking Cover Sheets This is a set of free printable Notebooking cover sheets. I created these for my children to use as binder covers to help organize all of our notebooking resources. There are printables to insert in the side of the binder as well. History Notebooking Dividers A set of colorful History Notebooking Dividers to help children separate different periods in history. This set coordinates with the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia so you can easily build your own History notebook with one reference book as your core. History Notebooking Pages We are using the Mystery of History in our classroom this year, and this page has all of the crafts, activities and printables that we'll be using alongside this amazing program! Writing Notebook Printables Use our printable writing tools as helpful guides during your writting lessons. Parts of Speech, Transitions, Exiting Marks, and Citing Sources These sheets are great to store in your writing notebook or as a stand alone resource for learning about different parts of speech, writing transitions, citing sources, and common editing marks. Notebooking with Living Books This year we are using a variety of living books from our Heritage History curriculum. I made of the individual History stories my children will be reading. This is a great set to use when you've got a week to explore your book Aquarium Notebooking Pages Our Aquarium Notebooking Pages go wonderfully with a field trip to the aquarium. I made this set for our trip to the Newport Aquarium in Newport, Oregon. The types of animals at your own aquarium might be different, and I've included themselves. American Government Notebooking Making an American Government notebook is a great project you can do with children of any age. Use them as a buildable resource, adding new facts and resources each year as you study about our great Nation. We have some great printables to help you organize your notebook. What's That Bug? Notebooking Page Our Scientific Discovery Notebooking Printables would be great to have on hand for when your children come to you with different creatures they have found in the backyard. Includes What's That Bug? What's That Bird? What's That Animal? Butterfly Notebooking Pages Our butterfly notebooking pages are filled with beautiful full color photographs of a variety of different butterflies. This is a great set for children to practice their very best handwriting to compile their butterfly facts. Consider using these pages as a poster report for the end of your unit study. Fishing Notebooking Pages Our fishing pages are great for children with creative minds! Use these beautiful sheets to encourage children with their fictional or true fishing adventures. If you have boys, this might be a great way to get them involved with creative writing. Pledge of Allegiance Printables Our Pledge of Allegiance Printables are a great way to add some patriotism into your classroom. Younger children can use the color pages, while older children can use the notebooking pages and copywork sheets. This set includes the pledge written in the shape of a cross. Star Spangled Banner Visuals We have a nice set of patriotic notebooking pages and visuals you can use with your thematic units. Children can learn The Star Spangled Banner, and use our printables to copy other Patriotic songs in their notebooks.
\|View Our Catalog\|\|Bilingualism and Identity in \| The Sixth Volume in the Sociolinguistics in Deaf Communities Series Is perception reality? Editor Melanie Metzger investigates the cultural perceptions by and of deaf people around the world in volume six of the Sociolinguistics series Bilingualism and Identity in Deaf Communities. “All sociocultural groups offer possible solutions to the dilemma that a deaf child presents to the larger group,” write Claire Ramsey and Jose Antonio Noriega in their essay, “Ninos Milagrizados: Language Attitudes, Deaf Education, and Miracle Cures in Mexico.” In this case, Ramsey and Noriega analyze cultural attempts to “unify” deaf children with the rest of the community. Other contributors report similar phenomena in deaf communities in New Zealand, Nicaragua, and Spain, paying particular attention to how society’s view of deaf people affects how deaf people view themselves. A second theme pervasive in this collection, akin to the questions of perception and identity, is the impact of bilingualism in deaf communities. Peter C. Hauser offers a study of an American child proficient in both ASL and Cued English while Annica Detthow analyzes “transliteration” between Spoken Swedish and Swedish Sign Language. Like its predecessors, this sixth volume of the Sociolinguistics series distinguishes itself by the depth and diversity of its research, making it a welcome addition to any scholar’s library. Melanie Metzger is Professor and Chair, Department of Interpretation, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC. ISBN 978-1-56368-589-7, ISSN 1080-5494, 6 x 9 paperback, 320 pages, references, index To order by mail, print our Order Form or call: TEL 1-800-621-2736; (773) 568-1550 8 am - 5 pm CST
In medicine, the number of times the heart beats within a certain time period, usually a minute. The heart rate can be felt at the wrist, side of the neck, back of the knees, top of the foot, groin, and other places in the body where an artery is close to the skin. The resting heart rate is normally between 60 and 100 beats a minute in a healthy adult who is at rest. Measuring the heart rate gives important information about a person’s health. Also called pulse.
Ultraviolet (UV) light can cause serious flash burns to the cornea from a source of radiation like the sun or lights. High-intensity light from welding equipment. Wear a welding mask or goggles for protection. rays). This is especially true at elevations above 5000 ft (1524 m) or when the sun glares off snow or water. Looking into the sun for long periods of time can cause permanent loss of vision by damaging the retina. Wear sunglasses that filter ultraviolet (UV) light for protection. Tanning booths or sunlamps. Wear sunglasses or specially designed goggles for protection. Symptoms may not start for 6 to 12 hours after exposure to the ultraviolet light. Symptoms include: A feeling that something is in the eyes (foreign How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
Difficulty learning new things or recalling memories is a normal part of aging, but just because it’s normal, this doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do to protect cognitive function and even enhance learning, concentration, and memory as you age. Memory loss (amnesia) can be caused by injury or illness, such as concussion or a brain infection, and can also result from deficiencies in key nutrients, such as vitamins B1 and B12, and healthy proteins and fats, including phospholipids. Even marginal deficiencies in these nutrients can contribute to general forgetfulness, slow recall, and poor concentration. Nutrient deficiencies may arise due to poor diet or nutrient absorption, smoking, and the use of some medications. Deficiencies can also occur when the body’s ability to produce certain nutrients declines, and/or when the body’s demand for nutrients increases. Phosphatidylserine is one such nutrient where production decreases as we get older, while demand increases due to a greater need to protect cells from age-related damage. Phosphatidylserine – nature’s key to memory Phosphatidylserine (PS) is a phospholipid – a type of fat that helps maintain healthy cell membrane function and structure so that cells can better communicate with other cells. PS is highly concentrated in brain tissue, where it supports: - Healthy nerve cell membranes and myelin - Nerve cell function - The movement of nutrients in and out of the cells - Normal cell growth - Cellular communication - Cellular energy production - The production of key neurotransmitters including acetylcholine, norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine. (Kim et al., 2014; Glade & Smith, 2015.) These effects of PS contribute to healthy cognition, concentration, and memory, with a report published in the journal Nutrition in 2015 by Glade & Smith noting that “PS (300–800 mg/d) is absorbed efficiently in humans, crosses the blood-brain barrier, and safely slows, halts, or reverses biochemical alterations and structural deterioration in nerve cells.” Glade & Smith looked at 127 articles investigating PS and found that the phospholipid supports rapid reactions and reflexes as well as our ability to: - Form short-term memories - consolidate long-term memories - Create new memories - Retrieve memories - Learn and recall information - Focus attention and concentrate - Reason and solve problems - Communicate and use language skills As such, inadequate dietary or supplemental intake of PS as we age could result in cognitive decline, including poor memory. A significant boost for memory and learning In one of the largest studies (a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial), over 400 older adults with cognitive decline were given either 300 mg of supplemental PS for six months or a placebo and monitored for changes in cognitive function. Only the group taking PS showed significant improvements in behaviour, memory, and learning (Cenacchi et al., 1993). Improvements in sustained attention and memory recognition were also seen in another study where older adults with memory complaints (but without dementia) took 100 mg of phosphatidylserine enriched with docosahexaenoic acid daily for 15 weeks (Vakhapova et al., 2014). Research suggests that PS has the greatest potential benefit when taken in the early stages of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In one double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 32 patients with AD who took 300 mg of PS daily for 12 weeks had increases in vocabulary and picture matching scores, with evidence of decreases in pathological changes in brain tissue, compared to 25 patients taking placebo (Zhang et al., 2014). Another double-blind, placebo-controlled study found similar improvements in cognitive function in 31 patients with AD who took 300 mg of PS plus 240 mg of phosphatidic acid daily, with the supplement also seen to prevent “winter blues” (Moré et al., 2014). PS, stress, and mood PS may also have a role to play in helping people manage stress, with one study involving young, healthy men finding that those taking 400 mg of PS daily for two weeks had improved cognitive function prior to exercise, compared to those receiving a placebo (Parker et al., 2011). Another study observed that healthy people given PS for 42 days showed a higher degree of relaxation before and after induced stress as measured using an electroencephalogram (Baumeister et al., 2008). Highly-absorbable, non-GMO, and soy-free! Natural Factors PS Phosphatidylserine features Sharp-PS® GREEN, a highly absorbable and stable form of PS that is 100% soy-free. Derived from non-GMO sunflower oil, this source of PS is ideal for those who want to support memory and cognitive function naturally, but who are sensitive to soy-based products. Every capsule of Natural Factors PS Phosphatidylserine contains 565 mg of phosphatidylserine-enriched sunflower lecithin from Helianthus annuus seed. This provides 100 mg of phosphatidylserine alongside naturally occurring phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylinositol (PI), and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). Natural Factors PS Phosphatidylserine is not intended for use by children. Anyone who is pregnant or breastfeeding should consult their health care practitioner prior to using this supplement, as should anyone who is taking blood thinners. Natural Factors PS Phosphatidylserine featuring Sharp-PS® GREEN is ideal for anyone looking for a natural way to support cognitive function, especially later in life or at times of stress. Natural Factors PS Phosphatidylserine offers a natural way to keep brain cells in tip-top health, supporting memory and mental performance.
The contentious “right to try” bill that President Trump signed into law to help terminally ill patients get access to treatments that might — I emphasize the “might” — cure them or prolong their lives is more wishful thinking than it is reality. Right to try implies that a catalog of available drugs exists that can help patients if only they could get access to them. It’s easy to believe in a shelf of miracle cures to stop cancer — after all, media outlets are full of anecdotal stories of cancer patients who are now disease free. Some drugs, whether still in development or already available for other indications may, indeed, help some patients. But those cases are rare. Most drugs are likely to do little or nothing for most patients who have already failed standard clinical treatments. They may cause harm or shorten patients’ lives. The trick is to find some way to match individuals who have life-threatening ailments with drugs that are being investigated for possible therapeutic potential. Scientific journals, meetings, the internet, and the media would lead you to believe that the way to find the best treatment is by analyzing a person’s DNA. But numerous reports suggest that the current track record of genomics-based personalized medicine is less than stellar. Instead, the “trick” to matching individuals to treatments lies with a technique called drug sensitivity and resistance testing. This approach was tried in the 1970s and 1980s as a way to determine the best treatment for cancer patients. It involved collecting cancerous cells from a patient, growing them for a few weeks in a laboratory, then dosing samples with candidate drugs to see which, if any, might stop the cancer while preserving healthy cells. There were several problems with drug sensitivity and resistance testing. Growing cancer cells in lab cultures changed the cells significantly. Cultured cancer cells may respond quite differently to chemotherapy drugs than cancer cells inside the body. And the earlier forms of drug sensitivity and resistance testing required skilled pathologists to analyze the cells after treatment. This approach was eventually abandoned. In 2011, the American Society of Clinical Oncology stated that there was not enough evidence to recommend it for clinical use. Recent advances in drug sensitivity and resistance testing suggest that we take a second look at it as a way to match cancer patients with drugs that might help them. Researchers in Europe, initially at Finland’s Institute for Molecular Medicine, modified the standard drug sensitivity and resistance testing technique. Instead of culturing cancer cells, they used them immediately in miniaturized assays, sometimes leaving healthy cells in the mixture to better mimic the natural environment. This reduced the time from sample collection to results by more than two weeks while eliminating many secondary mutations. This team also used simple biochemical assays to check for the cancer cells’ responses to various therapies instead of a trained pathologist’s microscopic analysis of cells. Researchers in Spain have shown even better results using whole blood samples in their functional assays. Various research teams have also employed drug sensitivity and resistance testing to identify novel uses for existing drugs. The Finnish team identified axitinib, an anti-angiogenic drug approved for treating kidney cancer as a possible treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia among patients with a specific mutation whose cancers had become resistant to drugs available for that type of leukemia. Researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden suggested repurposing quinacrine, a drug originally used to treat malaria and parasitic infections, as a treatment for acute myeloid leukemia. Other teams are exploring quinacrine’s utility for treating other cancers. An international team found that picropodophyllin, a compound made by plants in the mayapple family (Podophyllum), can inhibit large B-cell lymphoma. In each of these cases, the researchers linked their initial results from cancer cell drug sensitivity and resistance testing with follow-up genomic screening to understand why the drug worked. But the important fact is that they were looking first for results and then for the reasons that led to the results. While the initial focus was on blood cancers, researchers at Uppsala University extended the technique to more than 40 solid tumors including breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer. Researchers at the Institute for Cancer Research in London reported that patient-derived organoids can be used to model the response to cancer therapy with excellent results for sensitivity, specificity, and both positive and negative predictive values. Writing in Nature Medicine, Dr. Anthony Letai of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston described an approach he calls functional precision cancer medicine. Recognizing that the results of purely genomics-driven tests have been unremarkable, with only a small percentage of patients being helped, he proposed an approach that enlists drug sensitivity and resistance testing along with other techniques to challenge cancer cells and identify positive phenotypic changes. Right to try is not a useful approach if you have no idea which of the thousands of drugs might be beneficial. But revived and revised drug sensitivity and resistance testing protocols offer a way to direct patients to new potential cures. This solution provides wins all around: Patients get relief from illness, clinicians save patients, insurers save money by reducing the rounds of therapy needed, and pharmaceutical companies expand the indications for their existing drugs. Europe is rapidly advancing the utility of drug sensitivity and resistance testing. Researchers in the U.S. have been significantly slower to pick up the baton. Simply following the genomics pathway reduces our abilities to help patients. It is time to arm personalized medicine with more weapons. Joe Olechno, Ph.D., is a senior research fellow at Labcyte Inc. The company makes an instrument (an acoustic liquid handler) that is used by some groups in drug sensitivity and resistance testing.
Brachiosaurus was a sauropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Jurassic Period The Brachiosaurus was the first dinosaur encountered by the endorsement team hired by InGen to make sure Jurassic Park was safe for visitors. The entire team was amazed. Dr. Alan Grant and Dr. Ellie Sattler were the most awestruck of the group because the Brachiosaurus was terrestrial, not semi-aquatic swamp dwellers they had thought they were. When Dennis Nedry disabled Jurassic Park's security systems, the security fences that kept the prehistoric animals from escaping their enclosures were disabled as well, Brachiosaurus was one of the dinosaurs that were able to roam freely. After fleeing from the Tyrannosaur Paddock, Dr. Alan Grant and Tim and Lex Murphy climbed a tree where saw a herd of Brachiosaurs feeding on the nearby trees, hooting in the distance. Dr. Alan Grant heard their calls and attempted to imitate them to successful results. The following morning, a Brachiosaurus sick with a cold or a similar disease fed on the tree that the three humans were sleeping in, waking them up. Lex panicked at the sight of the dinosaur, believing it to be dangerous at first, but she soon calmed down when Dr. Alan Grant and her brother showed her that it was harmless. Dr. Grant fed the Brachiosaur a nearby branch that was on the tree and Tim Murphy even pet it. However, when Lex attempted to pet the dinosaur like her brother did, the Brachiosaur responded by sneezing on her. The humans and the Brachiosaurus later went their separate ways. It is unknown what happened to the Brachiosaur populations on Isla Nublar after the Isla Nublar Incident of 1993. Jurassic Park IIIEdit Another herd was seen by Dr. Alan Grant and the Kirby family at a river bank. - Brachiosaurus is the only dinosaur to be given a possible maximum age. The encyclopedia included with DVD of the first film puts their age at a maximum of two-hundred years.
You might be wondering about training a therapy dog. How hard is it, and what goes into it? We will discuss it all here. While therapy dogs aren’t specially trained in the same way as service dogs, (i.e. for a specific person, and to do specific tasks) they do need to be trained, certified, and registered. This needs to be done by a reputable national organization. Certification is the final step in the process. Other parts of the process include a temperament assessment, therapy dog training, and a few more things. How Can Therapy Dogs Help Humans? Therapy dogs are a special kind of dog, different from emotional support dogs and service dogs. Therapy dogs can help us humans in the following ways: - Offer relief to people who are experiencing anxiety - Provide or offer comfort to people who are alone, lonely, or grieving - Give affection for people who are in institutions such as hospitals, schools, nursing homes, libraries, disasters; anywhere the dog could be of benefit to humans under any kind of stress (which… I mean, who isn’t nowadays?) Benefits For Humans - People who are around a therapy dog may see improvements in blood pressure and heart rate - Therapy dogs can be helpful in reducing anxiety - Spending time with the dogs might help to increase levels of endorphins and other ‘feel good’ chemicals Therapy dogs provide comfort and affection to multiple people in a variety of settings. Therapy Dogs Are Not Service Dogs A therapy dog is not a service dog. Service dogs are specifically trained for one person’s unique needs. Read more: The Best Service Dog Breeds And How To Choose One. Service dogs receive full public access rights under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). Therapy dogs (while just as cool) don’t have the same rights. Therapy Dogs Are Not Emotional Support Dogs A therapy dog is also not an emotional support dog. Read more: What Is An Emotional Support Dog? Emotional support dogs don’t need special training. However, they do require a prescription from a health professional. And, they are used primarily by one person, for the benefit of that person only. So What Is A Therapy Dog? A therapy dog is someone’s pet. But it’s so much more. It’s a dog that is very good with humans and enjoys spending time in different settings with different people. The owner of the dog enjoys the process of helping others. By sharing their wonderful dog with other people, and seeing how it helps improve people’s day (if even just to make them smile) it gives the handler a warm, fuzzy feeling. Giving back to the community, or simply helping other people, can help the handler’s life just as much as the people experiencing the therapy dog. But yes, you can’t necessarily just take any dog into those above mentioned settings. They do need to be trained as a therapy dog if they’re going to act as one. Therapy dogs are not trained to the same degree as service dogs. But they are just as important. These are not better or worse; just different. Training A Therapy Dog: Elements Of A Good Therapy Dog Candidate Just because a dog seems like a sweetheart at home, doesn’t mean they’ll make a good therapy dog. Some dogs just don’t want to go to work! Just something to think about when training a therapy dog. Although, most dogs are very excited at the thought of having a job and are super willing. Let’s discuss some of the elements that are needed for a good therapy dog candidate. - Therapy dogs must be adult dogs. In other words, dogs under one year old are not normally accepted into therapy dog training programs - Most therapy dogs in training must be able to pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test, or a test very similar to it. This ensures the dog is well behaved and has great manners for dealing with a wide variety of different people, including small children - A naturally social temperament is helpful, since that is what the job is all about. Does the dog enjoy attention from multiple people, not just their owner? - The dog must want the job. This may sound strange, but some dogs just don’t want to go to work - Dogs must not be too young or too young-at-heart. In other words, they need a certain kind of calm, and can’t be ‘too bouncy’ - Must be calm, friendly, and enjoy interactions with strangers - Dogs must be healthy and well-groomed, with regular wellness checkups - The dog must easily adapt to different situations, different levels of noise, different places, different smells, and different equipment - The age or breed of the dog doesn’t really matter, as long as they are able to pass the Canine Good Citizen Test (or similar) The Steps To Training A Therapy Dog There are a few options for training a therapy dog. - Train the dog yourself - Or, you can get someone to help you with the process - There are some great, educated trainers available. You may be able to find them at a formal organization in your area - Find a therapy dog organization for your test/evaluation and follow their steps to continue the rest of the journey to a certified therapy dog & handler If getting someone to help you isn’t an option, you can still train the dog by yourself with great success. Not to worry. The Canine Good Citizen Test is one option to aim towards. It’s important to note that you don’t have to use the Canine Good Citizen Test for your dog training. However, it’s a really fantastic place to start and to use as a guideline. There are many other tests that different organizations use instead, but they are all rather similar. They are all pointing to the idea that the dog basically needs to be well socialized, with good manners, ready to be a therapy dog, in different settings, with different people, and different circumstances. Each organization may have a different test. The Canine Good Citizen Test will not necessarily be required. The Bright and Beautiful therapy dog organization has their test questions online. You can check it out and see what they’re looking for in a great therapy dog or see them here below in my own words. The Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dog Organization Requirements Training A Therapy Dog: Requirements For A Successful Therapy Dog This is just to give you an example of a set of requirements from a Therapy Dog Organization. Each organization may have slightly different requirements. But you can get the general idea. 1. The dog must be well socialized, and be familiar with many different places, people, situations, and other dogs since he was a puppy. 2. The dog must not jump on people, ever. 3. The dog must be well behaved and ‘put his best paw forward’ 4. The dog must act with calm curiosity when he sees rolling shopping carts, roller blades and skateboards 5. The dog and handler must handle unexpected appropriately, like Lassie. 6. The dog’s behavior at the vet or groomer must be compliant. 7. Dog and handler need some kind of formal training, at least a beginner’s class, as well as practicing at home. 8. The dog must not have any health problems, and must be checked frequently for lumps and sensitive areas. 9. For accepting treats, the dog must sit and wait until given the signal, and then take the treat gently from the handler’s hand 10. People must not cringe at the sight of the dog, they smile sweetly and pat him fondly 11. When the dog sees another dog, he shows mild curiosity and wags his tail 12. The dog must like children. He wags his tail and is eager to play gently. He will never jump up or scare children 13. The dog must not bark incessantly – ever, he knows it is unacceptable 14. The dog must not growl at strangers, children, or anyone else, even delivery people 15. If the postman crosses the street when he sees you approach with your dog, you won’t pass this test Training A Therapy Dog: The Canine Good Citizen Test The Canine Good Citizen Test was created by the American Kennel Club. You can focus on this test when you are beginning to train a therapy dog. Even though, it is not necessarily the test that you will be doing for your certification and registration. It’s a great place to start and to aim for. It’s just a nice, well-rounded set of basic skills that all dogs will need as a foundation. This is especially true for canines who will be proceeding onward and upwards to become therapy dogs, service dogs, or the many other types of working dogs in the world today. There are basically 10 ‘tests’ or commands that the dog will need to be able to perform to pass the Canine Good Citizen Test. a two-part course designed to help you and your dog be the best you can be–together. Since 1989, over 1 million dogs and their owners have participated in CGC, mastering ten basic skills that instill confidence and good manners in and out of your home. This program is recognized as the gold standard for dog behavior. In CGC, dogs who pass the 10 step CGC test can earn a certificate and/or the official AKC CGC title.American Kennel Club Test 1: Accepting A Friendly Stranger Of course, the first thing on the test has to do with strangers. That’s exactly what a therapy dog’s life is all about! During this test, the dog needs to be able to demonstrate that it’s okay for a friendly stranger to approach the dog and handler. The friendly stranger may approach and greet the handler, and will ignore the dog. The friendly stranger (who is actually the evaluator for the test) may shake hands and speak briefly with the handler, and will ignore the dog. In order to pass this test, the dog must not show any signs of resentment or of being shy. Test 2: Sitting Politely For Petting Okay so that was pretty easy I would say. The next test has to do with the dog allowing a friendly stranger to touch and pet it while with the handler. The dog can sit beside the handler, and the ‘friendly stranger’ will begin to pet the dog on the head and body. It’s okay if the handler wants to talk to the dog during this process. The dog can stay seated, or stand up while the petting is going on. Most importantly, the dog can’t show any signs of resentment or of being shy. Test 3: Appearance And Grooming This test is to ensure that the dog is clean and groomed, and that it doesn’t mind being groomed and examined by someone other than the regular handler. This is sometimes done by a vet, a friend, or a groomer. The dog needs to be clean and in healthy condition. This includes being alert and having a proper weight. It’s best if the handler provide the brush or comb that is usually used for the dog. An evaluator will softly brush or comb the dog. The evaluator will also examine the dog’s ears. In addition, the examiner will gently pick up each font foot on the dog for inspection. The dog doesn’t necessarily need to hold really still for this. And the handler can talk to the dog while this is all going on, if encouragement is needed. Test 4: Out For A Walk (Walking On A Loose Lead) This test is basically to demonstrate that the handler is in control while walking with the dog. So, you basically go for a walk. Rover can be on either side of the handler. Tucker needs to show attentiveness to the handler and to the handler’s movements and changes of direction. Jax doesn’t need to be perfectly aligned and doesn’t need to sit when the handler stops moving. There will need to be a right turn, left turn, and a U turn with at least one stop in between. There will need to be another stop near the end. Test 5: Walking Through A Crowd Of course, therapy dogs will be walking through plenty of crowds if they are to be in hospitals, schools, and other institutions. This is simply a test to make sure the dog can move through a crowd politely. This may include pedestrian areas. The dog must remain under control in all public places where there may be a crowd. The handler with the dog will walk, and pass by close, to at least 3 people. It’s okay if the dog might show a little interest in the strangers, but must keep walking with the handler. There must be no signs of shyness, resentment, or over-excitement. The dog must not be jumping on people, or straining the leash. Test 6: Sit And Down On Command & Staying In Place This is another basic training skill where the dog needs to show its response to the commands of ‘sit’, ‘down’, and ‘stay’. As part of this test, the handler will have to tell the dog to ‘stay’ in a certain position. Then, the handler will walk a distance of 20 feet away, and then return. The dog must ‘stay’ the entire time. Test 7: Coming When Called This is another simple test to make sure the dog will come when called. The handler will need to walk 10 feet away from the dog and then turn to the dog and call for them to come. Test 8: Reaction To Another Dog For this test, the dog needs to show that they will behave in a polite and calm way around other dogs. Two handlers with their dogs will approach one another, then, stop and shake hands. They may talk some ‘small talk’ for a few moments and then keep walking their respective ways. The dogs need to stay calm and show nothing more than ‘casual interest’ in one another. It’s important that neither dog stray from its handler towards the other dog or handler. Test 9: Reaction To Distraction This test is to show a confident canine while faced with common distractions or distracting situations. The evaluator will use two distractions, and look for natural interest and curiosity out of the dog. Examples of distractions include dropping a chair, crutch or cane, rolling a dolly past the dog, or having a jogger run past the dog. While it’s okay if the dog is slightly startled, the examiner will look that the dog doesn’t panic, bark, run away, or show aggression to any of the distractions. Test 10: Supervised Separation This particular test is to show that the dog can be left with another person that the handler trusts. The dog needs to keep showing good manners. The examiner will ask to watch the dog, and the regular handler will leave the dog’s sight for 3 minutes. The dog needs to show no signs of continuous barking, whining, pacing, or anything more than mild nervousness or agitation. Failing The Canine Good Citizen Test If your training a therapy dog has not gone well… for example, if a dog growls, snaps, bites, attacks, or attempts to attack (a person, or another dog), they will be dismissed from the test. In addition, if a dog ‘goes to the bathroom’ indoors during the test, the test must be marked as a fail. But, don’t worry. Simply keep working on any items that are not quite polished enough. Many dogs don’t pass the test on their first attempt. You can always brush up skills and then go for the test again. It’s all good. When You’re Ready For An Evaluation Done training a therapy dog? When you think your furry friend and yourself are ready for the next step, you can apply to join as a member to any of the national therapy dog organizations. Part of this process is going through some kind of test or evaluation. If you want or need help training your canine, that is available, too. Check Out The Following To Find Trainers & Evaluators In Your Area Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dogs, Inc. is just one of the national therapy dog organizations. It’s just one of the many places you could utilize for training a therapy dog. They just happen to have this handy list on their website for finding a trainer or evaluator (approved by the American Kennel Club). But there are many options for finding trainers and evaluators in your area. Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dogs, Inc. – Find a trainer or evaluator National Therapy Dog Registration & Certification Organizations Significant advances have been made since the 1980’s in the field of therapy dogs and animal assisted therapy. Organized therapy dog groups: - Provide educational material to volunteers - Screen both volunteers and dogs - Provide liability insurance for when handler & dog are volunteering in a therapy setting (school, hospital, institution) The following therapy dog certification organizations are recognized by the American Kennel Club. A dog needs to be certified by any one of these organizations in order to be eligible to receive the AKC Therapy Dog title. - Alliance of Therapy Dogs (formerly Therapy Dogs, Inc.) - Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dogs - Love on a Leash - Pet Partners (previously Delta Society) - Therapy Dogs International Organizations That Can Help With Training A Therapy Dog - 4 Paws of Love (San Diego, CA) - 4Paws Learning and Wellness Center (San Francisco & greater North Bay area) - ABRT Therapy Dog Troupe (Colorado Springs area) - Aggieland Pets With A Purpose (Brazos Valley area, TX) - AIR (Attitudes in Reverse) Therapy Dogs (NJ) - Alliance of Therapy Pets (Springfield, MO area) - A New Leash on Life, Inc. - Angel on a Leash (Greater Philadelphia) - Angel Paws (NW Greater Houston, TX) - Animal Assisted Therapy SPCA of Solano County (Solano County, CA) - Animals 4 Therapy (Colorado) - Animal Friends Connection Humane Society (San Joaquin County, CA) - Animal Friends Therapets (Southwestern PA) - Animal Samaritans (Palm Springs area, CA) - American Therapy Pets (greater San Diego, CA area) - Austin Dog Alliance (Greater Austin, TX) - AaTs Massachusetts (Central MA) - BARK (Beach Animals Reading with Kids) (California, Arizona) - Baylor Health Care System Animal Assisted Therapy - Believe in DOG Therapy (Houston, TX) - BC Pets and Friends (lower British Columbia) - Blue Ribbon Therapy Dogs (Quebec, Canada) - Blue Ridge Mountain Therapy Dogs of VA (Virginia) - Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Paws & Stripes (Central FL) - Bright Spot Therapy Dogs, Inc. (western Massachusetts) - Canine Assisted Therapy (Florida) - Canine Caregivers (Salisbury, NC area) - Canines for Christ (U.S.; other countries) - Canines for Christ of Greater Cincinnati (OH) - Canine Companions for Independence Therapy Dog Program (Northern California) - Canine Therapy Corps (Chicago) - Caring Animal Partners, Inc. (NH and VT) - Caring Canines, LTD (northern CO) - Caring Canines Therapy Dog Club of Southern VT (southern VT) - Caring Canines Therapy Dogs, Inc. (Lake County, FL) - Caring Critters, Inc. (Houston Metropolitan area) - Caring Hearts Pet Therapy (Greater Harrisburg, Greater Lancaster) - Caring K9s, Inc. (West Central FL) - Carolina Canines for Service (Wilmington, NC) - Certified Therapy Dog, Inc. (Palm Beach County, FL) - CHAMP Assistance and Therapy Dogs, Inc. (Greater St. Louis) - Champs Foundation (Broken Arrow/Tulsa, OK area) - Comfort Caring Canines Therapy Dogs, Inc. (southeastern PA, NJ, DE, MD) - Companion Animal Association of AZ., Inc. (Greater Phoenix, Maricopa County) - Companion Animal Program (Cape Cod, MA) - Companions, Inc. (Fairbanks, AK) - Cornell Companions (Ithaca, NY) - Creature Comfort Pet Therapy (northern New Jersey) - Creatures and Kids, Inc. (Oklahoma) - Divine Canines (Greater Austin, TX) - DogAbility Therapy Dogs (Long Island, NY) - Dog B.O.N.E.S. Therapy Dogs of Massachusetts - Dogs On Call (DOC): An Easter Seals Program (central and southeastern Alabama) - Dogs on Duty (Greater St. Louis, MO) - Dogs With a Purpose (Triangle area, NC) - Domesti-PUPS (southeast NE & MO) - Fairfax Pets on Wheels (Fairfax County, VA) - Faithful Friends AAT Ministry (Clear Lake, League City, TX and surrounding areas) - Faithful Friends Pet Therapy (DE and southeast PA) - Faithful Paws Pet Therapy (Houston, TX) - Federación Canófila de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico) - Fidos for Freedom (Baltimore, Greater Washington) - Fox Valley Therapy Dogs (Kendall, Kane, Dupage, Will counties-IL) - Four Paws Animal Assisted Therapy (Wilmington & Raleigh NC) - FURever As Friends (Gloucester County, New Jersey) - Furry Friends Pet Assisted Therapy Services (California — San Jose and Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties) - Furry Friends Recovery (St. Louis, MO) - Furry Friends Therapy Dogs, Inc. (Coos County, OR) - Gainesville Canine Training Club (Gainesville, TX) - Gabriel Institute (Pierce County, WA) - Go Team Therapy, Crisis and Airport Dogs, Inc (Colorado Springs, Colorado) - H.A.B.I.T. (Human Animal Bond in Tennessee) - Happy Tails Pet Therapy (Atlanta) - Hawaiian Humane Society (Hawaii) - Healing Heart Therapy Dogs , Inc. (Nebraska) - HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response (national program) - Howard County Paws for Comfort (MD) - Hudson Valley Paws for a Cause (Hudson Valley, NY) - Human Animal Link of Oklahoma Foundation (HALO) (Oklahoma) - Humane Hearts Pet Therapy (Forsyth County (GA) area) - Humane Society of Broward County (FL) - Humane Society of Greater Miami (Miami, FL area) - Humane Society of Sarasota County Therapy Dogs - Humane Society of Southern Arizona Pet VIP Program (southern AZ) - Independence Service (and Therapy) Dogs Foundation (Southern CA) - Independent Therapy Dogs, Incorporated (Select cities in CA, NV, and WA. See web page.) - Intermountain Therapy Animals and the Reading Education Assistance Dogs® (R.E.A.D. ®) - Invisible Paw Prints, Inc. (Greater Charlotte, NC) - K-9 Caring Angels (Fairfax County, VA) - Kathleen C. Cailloux Humane Society of Kerrville (Kerrville, TX) - KPETS-Keystone Pet Enhanced Therapy Services (southeast/central PA, northeast MD) - Lend A Heart Animal Assisted Therapy (Greater Sacramento, CA) - Lend A Paw Therapy Dogs (Greater Los Angeles/Santa Clarita, CA) - Lincolnshire Animal Hospital Therapy Dog Group (NE Illinois area) - Literacy Education Assistance Pups (L.E.A.P.) (Delaware, Salisbury, MD) - Love on 4 Paws (Greater Los Angeles, CA) - Loving Animals Providing Smiles – LAPS (Napa, CA) - Lutheran Medical Center Pet Therapy (Greater Denver,CO) - Lux Love Therapy Dogs (Las Vegas area) - Marin Humane Society SHARE (Marin County, CA) - Masonic Association of Service & Therapy Dogs (Greater Chicago area) - Medinah Shrine Therapy Dog Club (Chicago area) - Miami Valley Pet Therapy Association (MVPTA) (Dayton, Ohio and surrounding counties) - Micheal’s Angel Paws (Las Vegas area) - Mid-Michigan Therapy Dogs (Flint, MI area) - Monroe County Humane Assn Therapy Animal Program (Bloomington, IN) - National Capital Therapy Dogs, Inc. (Washington DC, Baltimore, eastern MD, southern VA, Delmarva region) - Nature Coast Therapy Dogs (Western Central Fl) - New York Therapy Animals, Inc. (NYC and boroughs) - Ohio 4-H Pet Pals (state of Ohio) - Olympic Mountain Pet Pals - Orange County SCPA PAWS (Orange County, CA) - Pals for Life (Philadelphia area) - Patchogue Rotary AAT, Inc. (Long Island, NY) - PawPals (Greater Tulsa, OK Metro) - Paws4Comfort (Howard County, MD) - Paws4people Foundation - Pawsabilities Unleashed (Frankfort, KY) - Paws 4 for Hearts Working Therapy Dogs (Spring Branch, TX) - Paws Across Texas (PAT) (TX: Greater Dallas and Fort Worth) - Paws & Hearts Therapy Dogs (Coachella Valley/Palm Springs, CA) - Paws and Think, Inc. (Greater Indianapolis, IN) - P.A.W.S. Anne Arundel County (MD) - Paws As Loving Support (Sonoma/Marin counties, CA) - PAWS Assistance & Therapy Dogs (Naples, FL) - Paws For Friendship, Inc. (Tampa, FL) - Paws For Healing, Inc. (northern CA-Napa, Solano, Sonoma, Marin counties) - Paws For Love Therapy Dogs, Inc. (Salem/McMinnville, OR) - Paws For Therapy (Houston, TX area) - PAWS for People (Pet Assisted Visitation Volunteer Services, Inc.) (Parts of DE, PA, MD, NJ) - PAWS for Service (San Antonio area) - Paws from the Heart (Rhode Island) - Paws’itive Teams, Inc. (San Diego County, CA) - PAWS of CNY, Inc (central NY) - Paws with Love Therapy Dogs, Inc. (Lawton, OK) - Peninsula Humane Society Pet Assisted Therapy (San Mateo and norther Santa Clara counties, CA) - People Animals Love (PAL) (DC metropolitan area, northern VA, MD) - Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando (Orlando, FL area) - Pet-A-Pet Club, Inc. (Greater Detroit/Ann Arbor, MI) - Pet Connections (upstate NY) - Pet Prescription Team (southern CA) - Pet Therapy of the Ozarks, Inc. (50 mile radius from Springfield, MO) - Pets and People Foundation, Inc. (eastern Massachusetts) - Pets for Life, Inc. - Pets Helping People, Inc. - Pets on Wheels (Maryland) - Pets on Wheels of Delmarva (DE, MD, VA) - Pets on Wheels of Scottsdale, Inc. (AZ) - Pony Express Therapy Dogs (University of Missouri) - Portland Area Canine Therapy Teams (PACTT) (Oregon, SW Washington) - Prescription Pet Program of Children’s Hospital Colorado (metro Denver) - Project Canine – Connecting Canines (Seattle, WA area) - Project PUP (Pets Uplifting People) (Tampa Bay area, FL) - Quad Cities Canine Assistance Network (Greater Quad City area) - Rainbow Animal Assisted Therapy, Inc. (Chicago and surrounding counties) - Reading with Rover - San Diego (CA) Humane Society Therapy Dogs - San Francisco SPCA AAT Program (San Francisco) - Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society Pet Outreach (Santa Fe, NM) - SC Dogs Therapy Group (upstate of SC, north GA) - Seattle Humane Visiting Pet Friends (Seattle, WA) - Share-A-Pet, Org., Inc. (So. FL, San Francisco area, upstate NY) - Silver Star Animal Assisted Therapy, Inc. (Longview, TX) - Sit Stay Read (Chicago, IL) - S.M.A.R.T. Dogs (Aladema and Contra Costa Counties, CA) - Smiles and Fur Friends Therapy Dogs (Greater Houston, TX area) - Sonoma Humane Society Pet Assisted Therapy Program (Sonoma County, CA) - Southwest Canine Corps of Volunteers, Inc. (NM: Greater Albuquerque and Santa Fe) - SPCA of Erie County (NY) Paws For Love - St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center (Paws for People Program) (northern NJ) - St. John Ambulance’s Therapy Dog Program (Canada) - Sunshine Teams, Mendocino Coast Humane Society (Mendocino Coast of CA) - Support Dogs, Inc./TOUCH Program (MO: St. Louis metropolitan area) - Tails of Aloha (Hawaii) - Tails with Tales Therapy Dogs (Jefferson County, MO) - Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare Animal Therapy - The Dog Knowledge Service & Therapy Dogs (Charlotte, NC) - The Good Dog Foundation (NY, NJ, CT, MA) - Therapet Foundation (Greater east Texas) - TheraPet, Inc. (central NJ, CT, NY) - Therapeutic Paws of Canada (Canada) - Therapy Animals of San Antonio, Inc. (Greater San Antonio, TX) - Therapy Dog Foundation, Inc. (southeast FL) - Therapy Dogs International - Therapy Dogs United (northwest PA and western NY) - Therapy Dogs of Vermont (VT) - Therapy Pals of Golden Triangle (Denton County, TX) - Therapy Pet Pals of Texas (Austin, NW Houston) - Therapy Pets Unlimited (Baltimore, MD) - TherapyPets (CA: San Francisco-Oakland Bay area) - Therapy Tails Ontario (Ontario, Canada) - Tony La Russa’s ARF Pet Hug Pack (Contra Costa County, CA) - UCLA People Animal Connection (Los Angeles area) - U.S.A. Therapy Dogs, Inc. (Central and SE Michigan) - Valley Humane Society Therapy Dog Program - Virginia Tech Helping PAWS (VA Tech area) - Visiting Pet Program (Metropolitan New Orleans) - Vitas Healthcare Program 98 (SF Bay area) - Vitas Hospice Paw Pals (Dayton, OH area) - WAGS Across Texas, LLC (Greater San Antonio, TX) - Wags for Hope (Frederick, MD) - WAGS Pet Therapy of Kentucky, Inc. (KY) - WCA Hospital (Southern Tier, Chautauqua County, NY) - West Michigan Therapy Dogs, Inc. (Greater Western MI) - Windwalker Humane Coalition for Professional Pet Assisted Therapy (Rhode Island, part of MA)
Tuesday, October 27, 2009 The Story of Hajj by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan Long ago about 5000 years ago, in a faraway place called Ur in Iraq, a child was born whose name was Abraham or Ibrahim. He was so gracious, tender-hearted and of pure in faith that Allah gave him wisdom when he was still a child. Allah was so pleased with him that he made him His best friend. When Abraham grew up, he became a great prophet, and preached the truth and God’s message in his country. Later he traveled to Syria, Palestine and Egypt. When a beautiful son was born to his wife Hagar, he was ordered by Allah to travel towards Mecca along with his wife and the little child, whose name was Ishmael or Ismail. They all traveled for a long time till they reached a lonely, barren valley, near two small hills called Safa and Marwa. Abraham asked his wife to stay near one of the hills along with the little Ishmael, and started to go away. But his wife protested "Why are you leaving us alone here? Are you leaving us here to die?" But Abraham replied, "My Lord has commanded me to do this." Then Hagar, breathing a sigh of relief, said: "If Allah has ordered you to do so, then He will not let us die." After a while, baby Ishmael began to cry for want of water. But there was not a single drop of water to drink. Hagar ran helplessly from one hill to another, but there was no water, nor any human being to give her water. As the baby was crying desperately with thirst and the mother was running from one mountain to another, Allah caused a miracle—a spring gushed forth beneath the feet of Ishmael. When Hagar saw this from a distance, she shouted "Zam-zam (stay, stay!)." Hagar came running and gave some fresh spring water to the thirsty child to drink. And so his life was saved. This spring later on became famous as Zamzam. Ishmael and his mother begin to live in the valley and because of the Zamzam spring more people gradually came to settle in the valley, slowly building up a small town, which was later called Mecca. From time to time Abraham would visit Mecca to meet his family, especially to see his young Ishmael, growing up in the beautiful surroundings of nature—in a lovely valley surrounded by hills, away from the crowded city—away from people of the city who at that time were mostly idol-worshippers. One night, Abraham dreamt that he was sacrificing his son, Ishmael. This was an order from his Lord. His son was still a child, but Abraham told him about his dream. Ishmael was a brave boy. He was ready to obey the command of God, who had created him. So, without hesitating, he said to his father, "Do what you are commanded, father. Godwilling, you will find me one of the steadfast." Abraham took his son away to sacrifice him. As he reached a place, which is now known as Mina—a valley near Mecca—Satan appeared and tried to dissuade him. Abraham picked up a few small stones and threw them at Satan. As Abraham took a knife to sacrifice Ishmael, Allah sent the angel Gabriel (Jibril) with a ram. "Sacrifice this ram. Do not sacrifice Ishmael," said Gabriel to Abraham. Allah was so pleased with this act—the readiness of Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son, that He commanded the believers to observe this day as Id al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice. Every year Muslims sacrifice an animal in remembrance of the great act of Abraham. Ishmael grew up a strong and loving youth. Abraham and Ishmael were ordered by Allah to build the House of God—the Kabah in Mecca. Both took stones from the nearby hills and started building the Kabah. As they laid the foundation, they prayed, "Our Lord, accept this from us! You are the All-hearing, the All-seeing." They also prayed for a prophet to be born in their family who would teach wisdom to the people and purify their faith. Their prayer was answered many years later, when the Prophet Muhammad was born to their descendants. Abraham was ordered by God to clean the Kabah for those who come there to pray, and to call people to Hajj: "Call all people to make the Pilgrimage, they shall come to you on foot and on the backs of swift camels; they shall come from every deep ravine." And so Allah made it obligatory for every Muslim male and female to go for Hajj once in a lifetime, provided their means and health and wealth. Since then believers from every part of the world go to perform Hajj to fulfill the command of their Lord and to remember the great act of the Prophet Abraham.
Attacks like 9/11 and 26/11 shock the conscience of our societies and states—it is in the background of such attacks, that governments tend to ramp up their surveillance regimes. For example, the American government hastily passed the Patriot Act within 45 days of 9/11—it needed more intelligence to protect the US, was its claim. In these cases, government action in the form of heightened surveillance appears necessary to tackle extremism, and is supported by public sentiments—and so, such laws get legislated. Such state surveillance laws come in handy especially in the digital age—they provide the government with access to vast varieties of coordinated digital information, that make solving legal issues easier. Beyond extremism, surveillance regimes help tackle the proliferation of child sexual abuse material, online drug trade, hate speech, and fake news spewing across online platforms. To this end, states—including India—have also demanded on multiple occasions that the companies ensure that conversations over encrypted platforms can be intercepted and decrypted for law enforcement purposes. Encryption converts our personal information generated online into gibberish, so even if the information is intercepted, it cannot be interpreted by the perpetrator. As we dealt with in our previous article, for users of the Internet, encryption is our first line of defence against any cyber threat. It is crucial to ensure privacy, free speech, and to ensure that our goods and services are competitive and secure in the global market. Furthermore, breaking encryption protocols renders surveillance more difficult. Once tech-savvy criminals get a whiff that a platform is compromised, they often simply download a secure encrypted platform, which is freely available on the Internet. And so, Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) will lose crucial information which platforms earlier shared with them. All they will have in their hand is tons of haystack, in the form of data, to sift through in order to find a needle (actionable information). So, there’s a Catch 22 here: should the privacy of all the citizen’s of a country be rendered susceptible to cyberattacks, in order to catch a not-so-smart criminal? This is not to say that the LEA’s demands are unjustified. There exists a legitimate State interest, whether in India or otherwise, to protect the nation-state from internal and external threats. But, is there a privacy-enabling method of achieving this end of national security? Is India anywhere close to adopting one? To understand this trajectory, it is crucial to declutter how the three wings of the State approach the State’s surveillance requirements, and interact with the encryption debate at large. Even though privacy has been declared a fundamental right by the Supreme Court, when it comes to the actions of the legislature and executive, the road to ensuring privacy is a long one. The Legislature: The Role of the Lawmakers in Shaping Surveillance Regimes Though we do not have a specific Act on surveillance in India, legislators such as Baijayant Panda of the Bharatiya Janata Party have recommended a Chapter on Surveillance in their Private Member Bills on data privacy and protection. In the absence of specific laws, the surveillance regime in India is primarily governed by Section 5 of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885—which empowers the State to intercept calls—and the Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act)—which gives the State the power to access or intercept data. Under the said acts, the Central government has the power to make rules with regard to specific provisions. Utilizing this power, the IT (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules 2011 were introduced which empowered the Government to regulate Internet platforms. However, in order to seek wider control over platforms like Twitter, Google, and WhatsApp, the Draft IT (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules 2018 were formulated to mandate a traceability requirement—this entails that online platforms will be bound to share the contents of user’s personal messages with LEAs. Child Pornography Racket Case: CBI probe revealed that the Whats app group had 119 members from 40 countries. Maximum members were from India, followed by Pakistan and then USA. Forensic examination of electronic gadgets is being done by C-DAC Thiruvananthapuram — ANI (@ANI) March 13, 2018 The government seeks to bring in these Rules with the intention of curbing the proliferation of child pornography and ensuring online safety. After two rounds of comments via public consultation, the government has gone back to the drawing board, and might come up with a new set of regulations post-enactment of a data protection law However, research by The Dialogue has evidenced that similar legislation in the US leads to unreasonable restrictions on the human rights of American citizens. Even UNICEF in a recent report discussed why encryption is ironically crucial to ensure ‘child safety’ in the digital ecosystem. More importantly, the main challenge to this law is that traceability, by its very nature, cannot be introduced in end-to-end encrypted platforms. The only way to achieve this is to introduce a vulnerability in the security architecture of the platform which would render all its users vulnerable and violate their right to privacy. Moreover, if an Indian citizen chats on an encrypted platform with a German citizen, then such a law would also violate the privacy of the German citizen—not to mention international human rights law as well. On a similar note, the Government vide Clause 35 of the Draft Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 (Draft PDP Bill) retains sweeping powers to restrict the right to privacy of all citizens. This is despite Clause 24 of the PDP Bill reiterating the importance of encryption technology to secure user privacy and data integrity. This unchecked power again creates challenges in meeting the adequacy standards envisaged under the American CLOUD Act and the EU GDPR. Aligning with these standards is crucial for seamless cross border data flow and the growth of our IT and IT-enabled services sector. The Executive: The Increasing Role of Bureaucrats in State Surveillance Laws are enforced by the executive, via a pool of expert bureaucrats. In 2009, under the IT (Procedures and safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules 2009, only a competent authority could issue an order for surveillance. This competent authority was the Union Home Ministry or the State Secretaries in charge of Home Departments. However, in 2018, the central government extended these powers to 10 more Central agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Enforcement Directorate, the National Investigative Agency, the Research and Analytics Wing, and the Narcotics Control Bureau. This decentralises the power of conducting surveillance and might lead to superfluous orders from various agencies. To curb this, both the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and the Information Technology Act, 2000 envisage executive oversight over these surveillance orders, along with a review mechanism. However, RTI disclosures reveal a staggering amount of interception requests from different LEAs, approximately 250 on a daily basis before a single authority within the MHA. This entails that there is no time for the ‘application of mind’ by the executive in sanctioning these snooping orders, which eventually restricts the fundamental right to privacy of the citizens. In the first part of IFF’s new series on surveillance technology in India, we take a closer look at the proposed National Intelligence Grid which is scheduled to go live on December 31, 2020. #WatchtheWatchmen — Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) (@internetfreedom) September 2, 2020 However, this administrative burden has not stopped plans of expanding surveillance structures—installing CCTVs with inbuilt automated facial recognition software across the country is the next big plan. The National Crimes Record Bureau had issued the tenders for the same in 2019 which have subsequently been pushed with the latest invitation for bid earlier this year amidst backlash from civil society and privacy professionals owing to the previously discussed legal lacunae when it comes to surveillance. That this is happening is even more concerning, given that studies suggest that empowering the executive with over-arching surveillance power creates more challenges than it seeks to resolve. A 2016 report from the US’ Minnesota noted how local police officials used the State’s surveillance tools to snoop on their wives and ex-partners. Similarly, when offering a justification in 2013 as to why tracking millions of American’s phone calls to protect national security was necessary, the US’ National Security Agency stated that it helped the agency track a suspicious wire transfer to Somalia—of a relatively tiny $8,500 (USD). While there exists a legitimate State interest in surveillance, ensuring transparency and accountability in the functioning of the LEAs is equally important. Judiciary: the Imperium In Imperio The Judiciary has played a critical role in maintaining a privacy-respecting surveillance regime. For example, in P.U.C.L. v. Union of India (1996), the Supreme Court for the first time noted that there was a lack of procedural safeguards in the Telegraph Act, 1885. The court observed that “the right to hold a telephone conversation in the privacy of one’s home or office without interference can certainly be claimed as ‘right to privacy’…telephone conversation is an important facet of a man’s private life.” The court held that telephone tapping would violate Article 21 (right to life and liberty) and Article 19(1)(a) (right to freedom of speech and expression) of the Indian Constitution, and called for procedural safeguards. Much later on, the Supreme Court in Justice Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017) recognised that informational and communicational privacy is an integral part of the overall privacy of a person. This judgement also proposed a four-fold test for restricting an individual’s privacy, i.e., (a) the action must be sanctioned by law; (b) the proposed action must be necessary for a democratic society for a (c) legitimate aim, and (d) the extent of such interference must be proportionate to the need for such interference. Since then, this test has been the backbone of the privacy debate in India. — NDTV (@ndtv) July 14, 2018 Lastly, on the anvil of the Puttaswamy judgement, the Bombay High Court in the case of Vineet Kumar v. CBI (2019) ruled that unconstitutionally obtained evidence is inadmissible in a trial and must be destroyed. Thus, the illegal wiretaps which did not comply with the Indian Telegraph Act were ordered to be destroyed granting the citizen a right to erasure. Interestingly, in Jnani Krishnamurthy v. Union of India, which has been transferred to the Supreme Court, the enforceability of the traceability requirement is being deliberated upon. If this issue of breaking encryption protocols is tested against the Puttaswamy judgement, it appears that it would most likely fail. Weakening encryption would entail the creation of vulnerabilities in platforms which can be used not just by the government, but also by non-state actors and foreign adversaries alike, compromising the privacy of individuals altogether. Secondly, there are other less privacy-invasive means to obtain the necessary information required by LEAs, such as by accessing meta-data rather than content data, which means such laws fail the necessity test as well. A blanket ban on encryption, by introducing vulnerabilities to ensure traceability would entail major threats of mass surveillance and instances of curbing dissent. Thus the traceability requirement renders the entire citizenry vulnerable and fails the ‘proportionate’ test too. When the State’s current surveillance plans are held up against the Supreme Court’s benchmarks for privacy, they fail on multiple counts. By lacing the executive with sweeping surveillance powers we are fuelling a broken system which actuality needs to be overhauled. There exist other means of surveillance, which when complemented with procedural guidelines and judicial oversight, can lead a forward-looking targeted surveillance regime. As the 2020 Draft Resolution by the Council of EU on Encryption notes, the privacy-enabling surveillance capabilities of the State can be developed by consistent engagement with and the technical assistance of academia and industries. However, this is a joint responsibility, and requires direct efforts and a will to build holistic surveillance practices. To that end, such steps must be taken ensuring that they align with key principles envisaged under the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019, and the four-fold test laid out in the Puttaswamy judgement. It is time that we develop our capabilities and learn how to attack the enemy without taking off the titanium armour that encryption provides us. The Bastion is happy to announce a new Technology vertical, where we’ll be covering how the future intersections of tech, policy, and society will affect India’s development journey. To read more of our technology coverage, click here. Interested in writing for us? Click here to read our submissions guidelines.
At present, the common solar panels on the market can be divided into monocrystalline, polycrystalline, and thin film according to the cell type. Among them, monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels account for the mainstream market position. Faced with different panels, how should we choose them? This article will make a brief introduction to the two types of panels to help you pick the best panels to meet your needs! What’s the Difference? Monocrystalline solar panels - assembled by a number of monocrystalline solar cells on a plate of photovoltaic modules, each photovoltaic cell has a single crystal silicon. It is the highest photoelectric conversion efficiency of all types of solar cells, but the production cost is large and cannot be widely used for the time being. Polycrystalline solar panels – this kind of solar panel has photovoltaic cells made of multiple silicon crystals dissolved. It has high light transmission and anti-aging abilities, but is not as efficient as the monocrystalline material. Monocrystalline Solar Panels vs Polycrystalline Solar Panels The photovoltaic conversion efficiency of monocrystalline solar cells is 18%-24%, and the photovoltaic conversion efficiency of polycrystalline silicon is 13-16%. In the same area, monocrystalline solar panels can convert more electricity than the polycrystalline. The main factor in the cost difference between the two is the silicon structure. The production process of monocrystalline is more complex, expensive, and low yielding. The process of polycrystalline is greatly simplified, and the consumption of silicon material is relatively less, so the production cost of polycrystalline cells is more advantageous. Both monocrystalline and polycrystalline panels are made of "silicon", an abundant and very durable element, so both have a good lifespan and stability, with no significant differences in daily use. Portability is an important consideration if you need to use it in outdoor scenarios such as camping or RVing. The high conversion rate of monocrystalline cells means that for the same energy yield, monocrystalline solar panels require fewer panels and are smaller and lighter. Aesthetics depend on people's personal preferences. Monocrystalline panels have a more uniform texture, with an overall black color and rounded corners; polycrystalline panels have an ice-like pattern on the surface and square corners on the four corners of the cell, which has a scattered appearance. Which Panel is More Suitable? There are different adaptable panels for different usage scenarios. If you are an outdoor enthusiast who loves camping or RV travel, Monocrystalline portable solar panels will be your best choice. Monocrystalline solar panels have the advantage of being smaller and lighter, and can convert more energy in a short period of time to last for your journey. If you can, try to choose a folding panel with a handbag design that will make your journey easier. Home Backup Power If you have a home storage solar power station, the high flexibility of monocrystalline solar panels can help you meet your daily electricity consumption with faster charging during grid failure, and its portability can expand the use to the perimeter of your house instead of limiting it to the inside. If you want to install PV on your roof, you can ignore the portability feature. In terms of cost savings, polycrystalline solar panels can save more money, but the efficiency of the power generation will be slightly compromised. As for the appearance, you need to choose whether you prefer a clean and simple or more prominent appearance according to your personal preference. After a comparison of monocrystalline solar panels and polycrystalline solar panels, it can be found that monocrystalline panels are better in terms of power generation efficiency and portability, while polycrystalline panels are more favorable. Its all a matter of lifestyle and preference, so think carefully before making a purchase.
Comprehension Question Posters In Spanish These nine (9) posters are perfect to display around the Reading Center in your Literacy Centers to support your reading strategies.They are colorful and attractive and will remind your students on what to think or what questions to ask while reading. It also will support them when trying to get answers while reading their texts. Each poster talks about a specific part of the story, with specific questions and answers to thLooking for Spanish products or Bilingual Resources? Click here to check out my store: Bilingual Teacher Store Be sure to follow my store! Click the follow me button and discover lots of great Spanish and Bilingual classroom resources! Tags: Spanish \| Bilingual \| Spanish Resources \| Spanish Activities \| Spanish Worksheets \| Spanish Printables \| Spanish Free \| Bilingual Activities . The posters will also support the writing portion of your lesson since they can use them to retell or summarize the story.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, public school districts across the United States were closed for unprecedented lengths of time. Students switched to private schools or attended school at home, causing a drop in enrollment. Different youngsters basically vanished from schools and remain unaccounted for even today by school authorities. Rise of Public Education Currently, as a result of this exodus, school districts all over the country are dealing with another type of closing: Waves of school closures are the result of vacant classrooms and underutilized school buildings, as education officials attempt to streamline their operations in response to decreasing student enrollment and decreasing Covid bailout funds. Parents, educators, and teachers’ unions object to the messy process in many communities. However, in a time of economic uncertainty, failing to take action will only increase budget deficits. An international study found that during the pandemic, American schools were closed for an average of 70 weeks, which was significantly longer than the number of weeks that European schools were closed, though the length of the closures varied by state. For instance, the duration of school closures in Texas and Florida was only a fraction of that in California and New York. In total, during the first two years of the pandemic, 1.2 million students left public schools. Some relocated to private foundations, where enlistments developed by 4%, while self-teach numbers rose by 30%. California, where public school enrollment fell by 245,000 in two pandemic years, and New York, where enrollment fell by 80,000 in the same time frame, are among the states that have suffered the greatest losses. Covid accelerated a trend that was already underway in these states and elsewhere. In many states, school enrollment peaked in the middle of the 2010s and started to fall shortly after. This was due to fewer births, migration, and a modest rise in homeschooling and alternative schools. New York State, for example, has lost around 6% of its understudies, or 120,000 kids, starting around 2016. Since the 2014-15 school year, 382,000 fewer students are enrolled in California schools.
Alright. We got this extra credit assignment from physics class. And basically we are supposed to build a parachute using plastic bag with an egg attached to the strings that are attached to the parachute. And our physics teachers is going to stand on the roof of the school building and throw it out to see if it works fine. And when it lands on the ground without the egg breaking, we get full credits. Okay, so you get the idea. We got the parachute and all. But we are struggling on the research work. I need to know things like "physics" behind this parachute. Any information relating to physics that can understand how this parachute works. Can someone help me out?
In an article that draws on research presented at The IAFOR International Conference on Global Studies 2016, Mongia Besbes discusses psychedelic substances and their influence on literature and popular culture, with a particular focus on the work of US authors of the Beat Generation. Taking drugs is beheld as a vile habit that has been either outlawed or banned by different governments and communities. “Drugs are addictive”, “drugs damage your senses”, “drugs are viral and destroy your cells” – the incriminating labels go on and on. However, hallucinogenics are not considered narcotics or opiates, but rather mind-altering substances; an important distinction. “Promising research has shown that psychedelics can in fact cure traumatic behaviour and heal many forms of addiction.” The psychedelic movement sprung from the inculcation of drug-induced hallucinations in every aspect of culture and life. Nowadays music videos are laden with explosive colourful and surreal imagery, films such as Inception or Pulp Fiction document the journeys inside the mind and the senses – the list is endless. It is fair to say that psychedelics have opened the door to a magical world of kaleidoscopic imageries. Now theories are even elaborated to examine the stages by which the psychedelic trips and the way they affect the mind. Promising research has shown that psychedelics can in fact cure traumatic behaviour and heal many forms of addiction. Hallucinogenics are not addictive drugs, as their effects evaporate once the journey ends, and they by no means cause cellular dependency in the way that opiates do. They are simply stimulators of an altered consciousness that will take you “places you have never been before”, as the famous American psychedelic writer Ken Kesey authentically describes it. Psychedelics and divine transcendence Psychedelics are synthetic substances based on chemical compounds; LSD, for example, is more fully known as lysergic acid diethylamide. Albert Hofmann synthetized LSD as a uterotonic enhancer to boost delivery, but when he decided to try the substance himself he started seeing an uninterrupted stream of kaleidoscopic images. But before Hofmann accidently discovered this magical portal to perception, prelapsarian tribes all over the world like the Aztecs, Sauma, Mayan and Australian aborigines had used hallucinogenic mushrooms, herbs, or Peyote as divine nirvana-like substances to commune with their Gods. Witch doctors known as shamans would even induce these journeys through chanting and rhythmic drumming, taking the inhalers into an indescribable state of trance. The Christian world deemed these substances as pagan witchcraft, banning any research about their effect or their ingestion. “The famous Harvard professor Timothy Leary did experiment with one of these substances, LSD, himself and became its spokesman, calling for its legal use.” It was not until the end of the Second World War that the CIA decided to use these synthetic substances to develop “weapons of mass disorientation”. Suspected spies were injected with the substances to reveal the secret information they had been withholding. Trials were even conducted in prestigious universities like Berkeley, Harvard and Columbia, where students would ingest the substance and describe their journey to a psychologist who would record the process. The famous Harvard professor Timothy Leary did experiment with one of these substances, LSD, himself and became its spokesman, calling for its legal use. He even coined the slogan, documentary film and album, “Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out”, an anti-conformist calling for embracing an alternate state of consciousness, immersing oneself in the psychedelic journey and dropping out of societal chains and stifling expectations. The slogan was deemed a call for societal degradation and was strongly rejected by conservative parents, who saw LSD as a corrupting substance. Kent and the birth of artistic chaos James L. Kent, a neurologist, considered LSD an intriguing substance and elaborated a theory explaining how information is generated in the course of the psychedelic trip. Kent defines the psychedelic experience as a generator of artistic creation through undergoing what seems to be visionary hallucinations. Art emanates from the remodelling and the reconceptualization of the psychedelic output into concrete creations. He devises accordingly five stages that describe this journey. The psychedelic trip starts with the ingestion of the substance, followed by its internal transmission, internal integration, and lastly becomes culturally transmitted and integrated. “Psychedelics create new information via spontaneous activation and organization of sensory and perceptual networks”. Interestingly, this chaotic surge of information is in fact artistically meaningful. Thus many writers who claimed to be under the influence produced masterpieces that have altered perhaps forever the face of literature. Spaces that were inexplicable were visible in these journeys and presented to us readers to reflect on our own reality. One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Naked Lunch, Doors to Perception and On the Road, along with many other works, sketch realms in which the psychedelic experience of the writer, a psychedelic alter ego and a psychedelic hero provide keys to words that are already there. The writer’s drug-induced hallucinations give birth to a vision that is soon remoulded into a plot laden with aliens, non-humans, strange beings, talking animals and crazy characters that are merely reflections of distorted imagery reshaped by drugs. In Naked Lunch, William S. Burroughs in takes the reader on a journey to two contradictory realms: Annexia, the world of endless paperwork, and the Interzone, where a colourful market exists that sells the most unimaginable substances from humans to weaponry. The Interzone is an Orgy Land where love-making rituals are spread through every house, drowning the city in orgasmic states of ecstasy. Kerouac, in On the Road, however, takes readers to the vastness of America, a land where he meets people from different walks of life, each with a colourful story to tell, in a jazzy atmosphere where the bebop rhythms make Moriarty and his gang bask in the joy of life and forget about their hoboism. To describe these mystical interzones, the unlikeliest of narrators is given the task of ushering the reader into this fragmented world of floating epiphanies. In One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey assigns a heavily medicated, schizophrenic Native American to tell the story of a world that only exists in his consciousness. A world in which different smells come to him, and his worst enemies take the shape of wired robots. He takes the reader to the times of idyllic Native American life in the Dales, where the harmony between man and nature is enriched by the wisdom of the shaman. Finally, a substance-like hero would influence the course of events and lead the reader’s mind to virgin territories stranded from the rest of their consciousness. A psychedelic hero is thus invented in the likeness of this substance: cheerful, crazy, an outlaw, and a precursor for change. Characters such as McMurphy, Lee or Moriarty take readers to new places and instil the values of change, defiance and tolerance. Thanks to these heroes, Kesey’s Native American Chief is able to heal and talk after twenty years of silence. Kerouac’s Paradise is able to see the world as he had never experienced it, and Burroughs’ Lee ventures into realms that no one knew existed. They were utterly liberated from the strains of their conscious and bleak reality. The realm of mugwumps, centipedes, books of the dead, crazy markets and infinite roads unveil the existence of alternative modes of expression that are colourful and daring, destroying the perception of what its normative, likely and acceptable. Instead art channels strangeness, surrealism and peculiarity as the secret doors to novel perceptions on life and culture. Pyschedelics are controversial substances that have touched almost every aspect of human existence, whether religious to attain divine ascendance, social to inspire anticonformism, psychological to induce healing, or artistic to recreate unattainable universes. Psychedelics revolutionized generations of thinkers like the Beats and social groups such as the hippies, as well as have laying the ground for the postmodern artistic movement. Life has become more colourful since the exploration of these substances, which have fuelled the materialization of artistic creations and revealed a deeper meaning to the world we live in. Image \| aitoff, Pixabay Mongia Besbes first presented this research, in greater detail, at The IAFOR International Conference on Global Studies 2016 in Barcelona, Spain. Foley, A. (2001). Allegories of freedom: Individual liberty and social conformity in Ken Kesey’sone flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Journal of Literary Studies, 17(1), 31-57. Ginsberg, A. (2001). 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How Do Search Engines Work? In today’s digital age, search engines have become an indispensable tool for finding information online. But how do they work? What goes on behind the scenes when you type in a query and hit enter? In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at the inner workings of search engines. We’ll discuss the three main steps involved in the search process: crawling, indexing, and ranking. The first step in the search process is crawling. Crawling is the process of discovering new web pages and adding them to the search engine’s index. Search engines use software programs called crawlers or spiders to crawl the web. Crawlers start with a set of known web pages and then follow links from those pages to find new ones. As they crawl, they store information about each page, such as the title, content, and links. Once a web page has been crawled, it is added to the search engine’s index. The index is a massive database of all the web pages that the search engine has found. When you enter a query into a search engine, the search engine searches its index for pages that are relevant to your query. The final step in the search process is ranking. Ranking is the process of determining the order in which web pages should appear in the search results. Search engines use a variety of factors to rank web pages, such as the relevance of the page to the query, the number of other web pages that link to the page, and the quality of the content on the page. How to improve your search engine rankings There are a number of things you can do to improve your search engine rankings. These include: - Creating high-quality, relevant content - Optimizing your website for relevant keywords - Building backlinks from other high-quality websites By following these tips, you can help your website rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), making it more likely that people will find your website when they search for information online. For further details on how search engines work, please see the following resources:
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), also known as Crib Death Syndrome, is one of the most dramatic and to date unexplained events leading to the death of newborns (peaking between 2 and 4 months of age), apparently healthy and the one in Italy, the Ministry of Health, estimates could cover 250 new cases per year. A new study from the United States shows that the cause of SIDS of could be biological nature. Researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital, led by Robin L. Haynes, analyzed the brain stems of 70 babies who died between 2004 and 2011 and who had brain abnormalities. They found that the serotonin 2A/C receptor (serotonin is a neurotransmitter) affected the deaths of SIDs. Previous research in rodents had shown that the receptor in question plays a role in “awakening” and the ability to “self-resuscitate” by playing a role in protecting cerebral oxygenation during sleep. The new research therefore supports the idea that a biological abnormality may make some infants more vulnerable to SIDS, and that the syndrome may be promoted by three co-occurring conditions: the infant is in a critical stage of cardiorespiratory development (in the first year of life), the child experiences a stressful situation caused by the position it adopts during sleep (when lying on its stomach or sharing the bed with someone), the child has a biological abnormality that puts it at risk of breathing difficulties during sleep. “While we have identified serotonin 2A/C receptor abnormalities associated with SIDS, the relationship between these abnormalities and cause of death remains unknown. The consequences of the anomalies in this receptor in the context of a broader network of receptors that protect the vital functions of cardiac and respiratory control when the subject faces severe stress conditions remain to be explored. There is currently no way to preemptively identify neonates with biological abnormalities in the serotonergic system. Therefore, adherence to “safe sleep” practices remains the only valid weapon for SIDS prevention,” explains Haynes. I am Barbara Redford, a professional journalist and writer with extensive experience in news reporting. I have been writing for The News Dept since 2019, covering topics related to health and wellness. My passion is to keep people informed about the latest developments in healthcare and the medical industry.
Students love to be read to, especially when pictures are involved. They've been read to for years. Some more than others. I'm lucky this year to have many of the same students as I had last year when I taught first grade. Like last year, reading aloud is the best classroom mangagment tool I have in my bag of tricks. When I read aloud, my students are on their best behavior. Works every time. Reading aloud is a great time to model reading strategies by thinking aloud. So far this year I've (along with my second grade team) chosen one reading strategy to focus on each week. I still haven't perfected doing shared reading (or shared writing) with my students. I tend to skip (not purposefully) that step and jump straight to guided and independent practice. Just because I'm blogging about it, doesn't mean I'm perfect. In fact, it's quite the opposite. I'm blogging so I can reflect on what I do in the classroom so that I can work toward perfecting it. I'm not going to lie just because I'm putting this out there for everyone in the blogosphere to see. Especially my colleagues and administrators. Eek! Hopefully some of you can relate to my struggles. Hopefully some of you have some sound advice for me. Hopefully I'll continue on my journey and get closer to being a "perfect teacher". Anyways, back to my discussion about reading aloud in the classroom.... This year, I'm trying something different. I've been dabbling in the writing realm myself a bit over the past year and I've learned a lot about the writing process while doing so. I've always known this, but now I've experienced it. Reading makes better writers. So now I'm using this to help my students. We're practicing reading as writers. The PROCESS of writing is one of three main writing benchmarks for our students. (The others are CRAFT and CONVENTIONS. I'll talk about these benchmarks in another post.) Coming up with an idea for writing is sometimes a difficult first step. Published picture books are a great source of inspiration. Here's what we do. We read a page or two of a picture book. We stop. We discuss what the author did. We talk about how it made us feel. Did we wonder? What about? Did we want to turn the page? Why? How can we do that in our own writing? Then, we write. The next day we read on. NOW what did the author do? Were we surprised? By what? Why did the author write that? How did he/she write it? How can we surprise our readers like that? Let's go do that! Let's add to our writing! Here's a more specific example. We started this process with Hey, Al by Arthur Yorinks and Richard Egielski. In the beginning, we learn about the characters and the setting. (Students need to name characters and setting in their writing.) The author "blows up" the main character, Al, by describing him in three ways: "a nice man, a quiet man, and a janitor" then we find out where he lives with his dog "in one room on the West Side". The students needed to name two characters and choose one to "blow up" with three describing words or pharases. They used a carrot to add these descriptions in if they forgot to the first time around. (Revision!) Hey, Al starts out with the characters living a pretty boring life. Then, after stating the average way they lived, the author created some suspense with the line "What could be bad?" Turning the page, the students were suprised to learn that not only could the dog talk, but he argued with Al. Ooh, the author created a problem for the characters. And we discussed how dialogue can make stories more interesting. "Look at this dump!" Eddie growled. "We can't have a house? A little back yard to run around in for a change?" vs. Eddie was unhappy with where the pair lived and they argued all the time. So my students needed to return to their work and create a problem for their characters. (Some of my students were NOT happy about upsetting their characters!) The next day, a large bird stuck his head in Al's bathroom and spoke to him. The students needed to make something unexpected happen in their own writing. They added the element of surprise! And we switched our story into Fantasy mode...talking animals! Finally, I finished reading Hey, Al aloud to the students. The bird whisked Al and his dog away to a magical island. In the middle, the characters had never been so happy. We discussed the author's use of description "lush trees, rolling hills, gorgeous grass". Once the two started turning into birds, they realized they had it pretty good back home. In the end, they escaped the island and went home, happy to be there together. The students, of course, needed to bring their characters through their problem so they could be happy at the end of the story. Here are some students samples of the beginnings of what we called their "Hey, Al stories". It was Christin's, a mean boy, a puppy lover, and an x box boy's birthday.... Elsa, a talkative girl, a dance girl, a nice girl... Megan, a cool girl, a funny kid, and a silly had a good time together. (The problem in this story is the two friends have a hard time agreeing on what they want to do together.) Mom, born in South Dakota, kind, job as a teacher...One day I was brushing my teeth when a giant shark and dolphin jumped so high I saw them from my window. Me and my dad, a nice man, a worker, and a nice cook was in the home. It is a mess said Dad. It is not a mess said Evan.... Well, it's a start anyways! After a few more inspirational picture books, a few more beginnings, a few more works-in-progress...we'll be ready to choose ONE writing piece to complete the writing process. I'm excited to post the students' revisions, and later edits, and watch as they grow as writers this year.
An education beyond high school can be expensive and could require you or your family to take out loans to help pay for it. Student loans fall into two categories: federal loans and private loans. Federal loans are subject to oversight and regulation by the federal government. Private loans, sometimes called "alternative loans," are offered by private lenders and do not include the benefits and protections available with federal loans. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, and the U.S. Department of Education (ED), the agency that oversees federal student loans, say it pays to learn about student loans so you can make an informed decision about financing your education. Private companies may offer you loans and other forms of financial assistance for your education. They often use direct mail marketing, telemarketing, television, radio and online advertising to promote their products. Comparing the costs of different ways to finance your education is important. Private loans tend to have higher fees and interest rates than federal government loans. Generally, they do not offer the opportunities for cancellation or forgiveness that are available on many federal loan programs. So it makes good financial sense to exhaust your federal loan options (as well as grants and scholarships) before considering loans from any private companies. If you are thinking about a private student loan, it's important to know whom you're doing business with and the terms of the loan. The FTC and ED offer these tips to help you recognize questionable claims and practices related to private student loans: Some private lenders and their marketers use names, seals, logos or other representations similar to those of government agencies to create the false or misleading impression that they are part of or affiliated with the federal government and its student loan programs. ED does not send advertisements or mailers or otherwise solicit consumers to borrow money. If you receive a student loan solicitation, it is not from ED. Don't let promotions or incentives like gift cards, credit cards and sweepstakes prizes divert you from assessing whether the key terms of the loan are reasonable. Don't give out personal information on the phone, through the mail or over the Internet unless you know with whom you are dealing. *Private student lenders typically ask for your student account number-often your Social Security number (SSN) or Personal Identification Number (PIN)-saying they need it to help determine your eligibility. However, because scam artists who purport to be private student lenders can misuse this information, it is critical to provide it or other personal information only if you have confidence in the private student lender with whom you are dealing. To learn more, see "Student Loans: Avoiding Deceptive Offers" at www.ftc.gov and visit www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov.