text
stringlengths 166
589k
| __index_level_0__
int64 1
312k
|
|---|---|
Report problems or contribute information
We are in the process of upgrading the site to implement a content management system.
St Mary of the Annunciation Roman Catholic, Littleborough
This site provides historical information about churches, other places of worship and cemeteries. It has no connection with the churches themselves. For current information you will need to contact them directly.
The church does not have a graveyard.
It was founded in 1879.
Fr. Conrad Kaelin began a temporary chapel here in 1879. This was made possible by the activities of some local Catholics and by a bequest of £100 from Mr. Patrick Donnelly of Hollingworth Lake. The Catholics were 225 in number and they had secured a good plot of land in Featherstall Road. The first Mass was said here by Dean O'Neill of Rochdale, Easter, 1879. Fr. L. Schreiber came in 1880 and soon undertook to build a school-chapel. The men of the parish volunteered to lay the foundations and level the ground.
Fr. W. Fowler, who was appointed in 1885, was for a time also in charge of Castleton, having the heavy task of serving both missions on Sundays. When Fr. Fowler went to Castleton, Littleborough was looked after from Todmorden and Buckley Hall. Fr. James Manning was at Littleborough for two periods, first from 1893 to 1897 and then from 1899 to 1901. Several priests tried to build up the mission in its early days of struggle, Fr. Michael Cahill, Fr. Pius de Witte, Fr. Henry Egbers, and Fr. Osmund Woods. Fr. Arthur Brosnan was made Administrator in 1909 and then Rector. He built the present church in 1930 and during his long tenure of office built up a fine tradition. He died in 1946.
Taken from "Salford Diocese and its Catholic past", a survey by Charles A. Bolton, a Priest of the above Diocese. Published 1950 on the First Centenary for the Diocese of Salford.
This site provides historical information about churches, other places of worship and cemeteries. It has no connection with the churches themselves. For current information you should contact them directly.
Whilst every effort has been made to record exact details of record office and library holdings
you are recommended to check with them before visiting to ensure that they do hold the records and years you
wish to examine. Similarly check with transcript publishers to ensure they cover the records and years
you require before making a purchase
Copies of Original Registers
It is located at SD9319016214 (Lat/Lon 53.642396,-2.104489). You can see this on maps provided by:
| 243,236
|
First Step Training for the This Life Beyond Bars team
TLBB staff members Kimchhean and Sam are taking part in the first steps towards better case management for male victims of sexual abuse in Cambodia. They have been participating in training offered by First Step Cambodia for social workers and other practitioners working with boys and men.
The TLBB program supports children incarcerated in adult prisons as well as children who are left vulnerable when a parent or caregiver is in prison. To Sam, the training is an opportunity “to learn about how to prevent abuse of boys in prison and in the communities that we work with”. The course is a chance to share experiences and expertise with other practitioners and to discuss the challenges faced. Kimchhean explains that the practical tools such as Family Trees and Life Maps will be valuable to the TLBB program’s work with children and families.
The training spans 7 months, running for a full week each month. Taking the time out for a full week is an important part of the process. Sam says that “the training helps us understand the signs of someone’s feelings, for example when they are worried or sad”. For Sam, the most valuable part so far has been that “that the tools help us to know ourselves first. If we know ourselves first by studying our feelings, we can work well with our clients”.
| 136,535
|
(S.D.)-Wind Cave National Park Uses Satellites To Track Elk
(WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK)-The movement patterns of 36 elk at Wind Cave National Park are now being monitored using GPS (Global Positioning System) tracking radio collars. The collars were placed on the elk as part of the final year of a three-year study to document the effects of a recently implemented elk management plan.
This study will evaluate elk movements, distribution, and mortality rates from hunting outside the park during the implementation of the plan. The plan’s preferred alternative called for installing drop-down gates along park boundary fences to help with controlling movement at various times of the year.
These gates will allow elk to leave the park in spring and early summer. After the elk’s annual movement outside the park is completed in the summer, the gates will be raised to prevent their entry back into the park. Hunters will then be provided an opportunity to harvest the animals outside the park, helping to reduce the number of elk who currently use the park on a seasonal basis.
This study, conducted in partnership with U.S. Geological Survey, called for the attachment of GPS collars that use satellites to record the location of the elk every seven hours. On a rotating base, several elk each day will have their locations recorded every 15 minutes.
The collars will remain on until the late winter or early spring of 2015. Park superintendent Vidal Davila says the collars “will allow us to monitor elk movements in and around the park and help determine whether the plan is working.”
The helicopter and animal handling crew were from Leading Edge
Aviation out of Clarkston, Washington.
--National Park Service
Back to News
Printer Friendly Version
Send Story to a friend.
| 182,024
|
By Workers World, June 12, 2018posted to
The response to President Donald Trump’s arrogant withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and wild threats of tariffs on U.S. allies has exposed declining U.S. influence on a global scale.
This became all too obvious at the gathering in Quebec, Canada, of the G7 summit of the seven major imperialist powers — United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. With the exception of Japan, the other six countries are also leading members of the U.S.-commanded NATO military alliance.
Trump’s insults and contradictory statements before and after the G7 meeting, and his threats of new tariffs unleashing an unpredictable trade war, reinforced the disarray in the global capitalist order that U.S. imperialism has commanded for 70 years.
Washington is increasingly unable to control the global agenda. U.S. corporate power finds it can no longer order the nations of the world to isolate the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea or Iran.
The U.S. has less to offer except threats of military destruction, unpayable debt and broken agreements. This untenable situation is the cause of Trump’s rants, tweets and temper tantrums.
The June 12 meeting in Singapore of President Kim Jong Un and Trump, and the joint communiqué signed afterwards, was met with great enthusiasm in North and South Korea — and worldwide. But this is hardly based on Trump’s skill as a negotiator. Events in Asia are moving far beyond U.S. control.
The images of the two warm meetings of President Moon Jae-in of South Korea and President Kim of the DPRK; President Kim’s two meetings with President Xi of China; and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, which opposed all sanctions, ending the day before Trump arrived in Asia; confirmed that decades of U.S. efforts to isolate DPRK had failed.
G7 – a thieves summit
In past years G7 summits were usually weekend photo ops, with a vague unity statement to paper over deep economic rivalries behind the scenes.
The only agreement among these top officials, who represent the largest bankers and corporations, is about imperialist wars. They agree on the NATO bombing of Libya, the concerted regime change effort in Syria, the expansion of NATO to the borders of Russia, and the effort to pull Ukraine into the NATO military alliance. They agreed to impose harsh sanctions on Russia and expel Russia from what was then the G8 when Russia moved in 2014 to save its only naval port in Crimea from being captured by NATO.
In past decades, the U.S. had great influence in establishing, and steering for its benefit, this gathering of the world’s largest imperialist powers. In essence it is a gathering of thieves and robbers in an alliance to loot the developing world through international banking agreements, utilizing the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, and imposing starvation sanctions on countries that have stepped out of line. But at the same time, these pirates are also ruthlessly competing with each other.
A different alliance
As one meeting of world leaders of the major imperialist countries ended in Canada, another very different meeting was opening in China.
More than 2,500 domestic and foreign reporters and 2,000 guests came to Qingdao, a coastal city in Shandong province, to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit on June 9 and 10. A dozen agreements on economic cooperation and security were signed.
The SCO summit involves eight Asian countries in the developing world. Four of them — China, Russia, India and Pakistan — are large countries. The Central Asian countries Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are also members. Several other Asian countries have observer and dialogue partner status. The member countries account for 3 billion people, almost half the world’s population.
SCO’s newest member, as of this summit, is Iran.
This meeting of global significance has received scant attention in the U.S. media. One headline of CNNMoney, however, summarized the new reality: “Forget the G7. A summit happening in China is what really matters.” (June 8)
The SCO is not a revolutionary alliance. Nor is it an international coalition that challenges capitalist property relations or the global order in any fundamental way.
It is an international gathering outside of all imperialist-dominated forums. Many of the member countries are targeted by imperialism and seek mutual assistance and cooperation in order to develop.
Initially established as a regional security grouping, the SCO nations have increasingly focused on expanding trade and strengthening wider cooperation among developing countries.
Plans already underway for vast modernization, the introduction of new industries and advanced communication will lead to a large expansion of the working class throughout the entire region.
China’s agenda in hosting the SCO summit is to expand its regional influence and bypass U.S. military encirclement through numerous trade and infrastructure agreements. It now has the nationalized resources and the expertise to help fund large-scale development projects and to upgrade the infrastructure of major roads, railways, ports, pipelines and telecommunications to meet the needs of neighboring countries.
U.S. breaks Iran deal
Trump’s May 8 announcement on Iran unraveled an international agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, signed by seven countries — U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China, Iran and the European Union — after years of dire U.S. threats. Although Iran had met every provision of the restrictive treaty, stringent sanctions and harsh new penalties to any country doing business with Iran will be imposed.
France, Germany and Britain, along with the EU, denounced the unilateral action because it blocked their unfolding business deals. In a joint statement, they officially reminded Trump that a U.N. Security Council endorsement had made this a binding international agreement. Despite their opposition to Washington’s decision, they began closing down their projects in Iran.
Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran agreement is hardly a surprise. From the hundreds of treaties made with Indigenous nations to the Vietnam Peace Treaty, agreements with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia, Washington has never respected or abided by any pact made with oppressed, developing or targeted nations.
But Washington’s decision to withdraw from the signed agreement, reimpose sanctions and demand every other country follow suit or face penalties no longer has the impact it did even five years ago.
China’s invitation to Iran
China — Iran’s number-one energy partner — used Washington’s effort to isolate Iran and undercut Wall Street’s European rivals by turning the tables.
President Xi Jinping invited Iranian President Hassan Rouhani for a bilateral meeting on trade and cooperation. Jinping also publicly invited Iran to participate in the SCO meeting.
Iran is a key transport hub between Asia and Europe and provides maritime access to landlocked countries. China’s proposal for a high-speed railway across Central Asia is advantageous to Iran and to the development of the whole region.
Iran recently signed a free-trade zone agreement with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union.
Russia, Iran and China can trade in the Chinese yuan, now an international currency. This means they can avoid U.S. sanctions on both Iran and Russia, which complicate all U.S. dollar transactions.
Attendance at the SCO
It is significant that both Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and President Mamnoon Hussain of Pakistan attended the SCO summit and shook hands. These two nuclear states have fought three wars against each other. British and U.S. policy for decades was to do everything possible to keep India and Pakistan in hostile contention.
Presidents of four central Asian countries that are former Soviet republics — Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan — attended as members. Each country secured very favorable new economic and trade agreements. For example, in return for greater access to regional energy, China offers lesser developed countries like Kazakhstan, the largest world exporter of uranium, access to world markets for its exports as well as increased regional trade among member states.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the summit. Russia’s economy is much smaller than China’s and is growing slowly. But Russia is one of the world’s biggest energy producers. It also faces U.S. and EU sanctions.
Qingdao was a symbolic choice to host the SCO summit. It is at the eastern end of a vast railway network across Eurasia and a logistical center linking the Silk Road Economic Belt with the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
According to Chinese news reports, this 18th summit is expected to “ratify a five-year outline for the implementation of the Treaty on Long-term Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation,” as well as “approve more than 10 cooperation deals covering areas including security, economy, and people-to-people exchanges.”
U.S. imperialism’s economic domination has declined dramatically. So has the economic weight of the EU countries.
In contrast, the Asia Pacific region’s share of the global economy is expected to rise to 39 percent by 2023, while that of North America is estimated to fall to 25 percent, according to the IMF.
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that the other G7 members wouldn’t “mind signing a six-country agreement if need be.” The six other G7 countries now form a larger market than the U.S. market.
But, as Putin pointed out, the combined purchasing power of the SCO now outstrips that of the G7.
News reports and commentaries at the SCO focused on this new alliance challenging the existing world order led by the U.S.
All of this will have an impact on Trump’s talks with the DPRK. Trump faces a common determination to not allow U.S. threats or sanctions to isolate any country or destabilize whole regions.
Pentagon threatens all progress
The Pentagon’s response to the historic SCO gathering was to send U.S. B-52 bombers on maneuvers in the South China Sea on June 5. Earlier, on May 27, two warships sailed near the South China Sea islands claimed by China. China denounced U.S. militarization of the region and its willful trespassing as highly provocative.
While fighting among themselves at the G7 meeting, both Britain and France agreed to have their warships join the aggressive U.S. naval operation, labeled the “Freedom of Navigation Flotilla,” in the world’s most important shipping corridor.
It is hardly a coincidence that the announcement among these imperialist pirates was made in Singapore days ahead of Trump’s meeting with President Kim Jong un of the DPRK.
This old-fashioned gunboat diplomacy can’t stop the people of the world from pursuing development and communication.
Sara Flounders is an American political writer who has been active in ‘progressive’ and anti-war organizing since the 1960s. She is a member of the Secretariat of Workers World Party, as well as co-coordinator of the International Action Center. She also frequently writes for Workers World newspaper.
| 136,554
|
Interesting Fact: The Egyptians did not write vowels and did not use any punctuation.
The Egyptian writing called hieroglyphics used pictures to represent different objects, actions, sound or ideas. There were more than 700 hieroglyphs. Some pictures stood for whole words.
Write like an Egyptian, see you name in hieroglyphs
Hieroglyphs is made from two Greek words:
- hieros meaning holy
- glyphe meaning writing
So hieroglyph means holy writing.
This writing was uncovered by the Rosetta Stone. Hieroglyphics uses small pictures which represent the sound of the object or an idea associated with the object.
You need to look closely at the hieroglyphs to find out. It depends on which way the people or animals are facing. For example, if an animal hieroglyph faces right, you read from right to left. If it faces left, you read from left to right (the same way that we do). Just to confuse you, sometimes they read Hieroglyphs from top to bottom.
Hieroglyphs were written on papyrus reed, which is a water or marsh plant, with tall straight hollow stems.The reeds were flattened, dried, and stuck together to make pages.
The Egyptians also carved hieroglyphs onto stone and painted them on the walls of the tombs.
Egyptian writing was done with pen and ink on fine paper (papyrus).
Egyptian "pens" were thin, sharp reeds, which they would dip in ink to write with.
The ink and paint came from plants which they crushed and mixed with water.
They used writing in a variety of places including in scribe schools, on tomb walls, in fields, in temples, at war and in the government. Find out more
Hieroglyphs - discover more
Find out more about writing with Hieroglyphs
Ancient Egyptian Writing - Excellent website
Writing was very important to the Egyptians. The Egyptians had two different writings. Hieroglyphics was one of them.
The Hieroglyphic Alphabet Translator
Type in letters and see the letters as they would have been written as Egyptian letters.
| 293,481
|
One of our engineers was recently attempting to update a customized software support file (with my blessings, by the way), and for a reason I didn't really care to look into at the time, he was being denied access and couldn't overwrite the existing file. (Some Vista security measure, I'm sure, but I had better things to do than to look into it right then and there.) He was trying all the typical Windows procedures, including drag and drop, cut and paste, right-click and send to, saving to a new location from within the file itself, etc., but regardless of what he tried, he was being denied the ability to overwrite this file - even though he had all the proper rights and privileges to do so.
After watching a couple of his attempts, including verifying a read only attribute wasn't turned on, I sat down at his computer, opened up a command prompt window, and ran the old DOS xcopy command, complete with the switches to ignore any error, suppress any prompts, and overwrite read-only files and/or older files:
xcopy filename.ext C:\Destination\filename.ext/d/c/r/y.
In reality, however, since DOS commands don't play nice with spaces, I actually entered the path in its truncated form:
xcopy filename.ext C:\Destin~1\filename.ext/d/c/r/y
And beforehand, I had to refresh my memory on the correct switches ( xcopy /? ), not to mention a couple of change directory commands, all of which just added to the apparent mystery of what I was doing as he watched with great interest. (I later remembered about the use of quotation marks to overcome the spaces in the file and path names.) In about a minute, however, the file was copied to its correct location, and the older file was overwritten. How'd you do that, he asked. DOS is a beautiful thing, I replied. DOS? I thought that was long gone, he said, and acknowledged that he knew nothing about it.
There have been quite a number of generations of computer users since those old DOS days (generations in computer terms, that is), and I would guess that there are more users today who don't know the first thing about DOS commands than those who do. I still use DOS in my environment, including having two old DOS machines still running vital functions. I have one DOS machine providing the computing power for our telephone voice mail system, and another, believe it or not, is actually used for all the company billing functions. Both are still in place because of the cost and headaches associated with updating those two functions - and there's no reason to update them since they're working just fine.
I've also been using DOS commands written into simple batch files which are scheduled to backup data from one drive to another, to map users' network drives, and for various other scripts defined on my server. And how often do we rely on various DOS commands for our network troubleshooting efforts? Ping , or perhaps ipconfig, might be the most common of them all. I still have a couple of MS DOS books on my shelf, and neither one has yet to gather too much dust. While knowing and using DOS used to be a staple of computing, it's quickly becoming a lost art. And I'll even admit that I've forgotten a heck of a lot more about DOS than I still remember.
In many ways, I almost prefer the days of DOS, when the command line ruled, when a window was opened to get fresh air into the room, and when 64K of RAM was enough memory for anybody (something Bill Gates is often taken out of context for saying). Performing maintenance and repairs was often easier as well. On the aforementioned DOS computer that powers our phone voice mail system, for example, I was recently faced with a motherboard and processor failure (due to a processor fan that failed and went unnoticed). All I had to do was to retrieve an old DOS computer that had found a home stashed under a counter - a Pentium MMx, 233MHz, 128MB RAM, 1GB hard drive, and a Trident ISA video card - swap hard drives, install the telephone expansion cards, and it was good to go. (Making sure it had a good working processor fan, of course.) Compared to swapping hard drives between any two Windows computers, there were really no hoops to jump through or configuration settings to change.
I still have a few more of those old DOS computers around here, and I'll keep them as long as I have two others performing critical functions, maybe even longer. And I still look at those old DOS books on occasion, if for nothing else, to keep them from getting too dusty and my DOS skills from getting too rusty.
| 17,087
|
Happy St David's Day!
Visit Wales on March 1 and you’ll see children in red shawls and black chimney hats, bright green leeks and yellow daffodils turned into colourful accessories. There will be a joyous air of celebration and national pride among local folk. It’s all in honour of Dewi Sant – St David – but not much is actually known about the patron saint himself.
Happy St David's day translates to Dydd Gwŷl Dewi (Sant) hapus.
Who was St David?
St David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire by seentwistle
Legend has it that he went on a pilgrimage, which led all the way to Jerusalem, where he was made an Archbishop. His miracles, though, happened closer to home – people began making their own pilgrimages to St David’s Cathedral, which he founded in West Wales, after word swiftly spread of his ability to make the earth rise beneath him, suggesting a power which could ward off the invading Normans.
St David's Day celebrations
St Davids Day Parade 2014, Cardiff by Simon.Matthews
Almost 900 years after he was pronounced a saint, St David’s Day is the unmissable highlight of spring in Wales. The National St David’s Day Parade sends a red and yellow carnival across the centre of Cardiff, featuring all sorts of fiery performances from giant dragons and theatrical groups, not to mention star turns from the likes of Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey. A rousing mass rendition of the national anthem, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, finishes the procession outside St David’s Hall, where you can enjoy a special gala concert from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in the evening.
But if you’re not planning to be in the capital, there’s plenty going on elsewhere. Aberystwyth, Wrexham and Llandudno are among the places to witness flamboyant parades, and many of the country’s castles and heritage sites throw open their doors for free on the day.
One of them is the magnificent St Davids Bishop’s Palace, the lavish medieval design of Bishop Henry de Gower, built on the tip of the western coast and symbolising the power religious leaders held in his day. The ruin stands next to the imposing cathedral which was the Saint’s final resting place, and the surrounding streets – set in Britain’s smallest city – are the scenes for a fitting mini-festival in honour of their holiest former resident.
Oriel Gallery, Gwynedd, Snowdonia
Led by clergy, the annual Pilgrims’ Walk leads to the illumination of the St David’s Day Stone, ending at the spectacularly beautiful Oriel y Parc, where you can wander around a traditional Welsh market, dance to live bands and even pick up some of the language from native speakers waiting to teach you the lingo. You might want to return to the cathedral at some point, because it’s said that two trips to it are the ecclesiastical equivalent of a pilgrimage to Rome.
Or if you’re further inland, take a look at the boisterous goings-on in Swansea, where a market and train rides along the coast accompany crafts at the city’s museum and the Get Welsh Food and Drink Festival, which is a tasty chance to find out why Wales can be particularly satisfied with some of its culinary creations over the centuries.
| 116,656
|
Traditionally people have relied on naturally occurring fish in the wild and is still the world's only major food source harvested from the wild. This approach is dependent on the naturally renewable aquatic biodiversity in the oceans and inland waters. More recently, fish farming has become more prevalent. This section looks at both capture fisheries and nurture fisheries and how resources can be managed on a sustainable basis.
Strengthening Small-Scale Coastal Fisheries from Janathakshan
- Strengthening Small Scale Coastal Fisheries - Introduction
- Principles & Standards – Principles & Standards
- Strengthening Small Scale Coastal Fisheries – Process Guidelines
- Basic Fiber Glass Boat Building – Technical Brief
- Construction & Maintenance of Solar Fish Drier - Technical Brief
- Fish Smoker – Technical Brief
- Mobile Fish Dryer – Bill of Quantities
- Further Resources on the Fisheries Sector – Further Resources
Livelihood from Fishing
This book contains a broad overview of fisheries and describes for the general reader the social and nutritional issues raised by the modernization of fisheries worldwide. It aims to inform all who are interested in the protection of the marine environment and the plight of workers in the fisheries sector.
The contributors' analyses and observations span a range of key issues that include fisheries and marine resources.
Further information on fisheries and aquaculture can be found at the following organisations.
Aquaculture and Fish Genetics Research Programme - AFGRP
Institute of Aquaculture
University of Stirling
Tel: +44 1786 467900
Fax: +44 1786 451462
The Aquaculture and Fish Genetics Research Programme of the UK Department for International Development (DFID) managed by the University of Stirling. The purpose of the AFGRP is to improve knowledge of aquatic stocks and their selection, enhancement and culture to generate sustainable productive benefits of aquatic resources for poor people.
International Collective in Support of Fishworkers - ICSF
ICSF India Office
ICSF, 27 College Road,
Tel: (91) 44-2827 5303
Fax: (91) 44-2825 4457
ICSF is an international NGO working on issues that concern fishworkers the world over. ICSF has offices in Chennai & Brussels. As a global network of community organizers, teachers, technicians, researchers and scientists, ICSF's activities encompass monitoring and research, exchange and training, campaigns and action programmes, and communications.
The World Fish Center is an autonomous, non-government, non-profit organisation, established as an international centre in 1977 and is now one of the 16 international research centres of the CGIAR.
| 265,972
|
A few days ago I started to research auto repair and started with the engine (as you do). I have a question about the engine power and the relation to upstream O2 sensor.
If I understand things correctly, a 14.7:1 fuel ratio is attempted. The MAF combines with IAT and MAP to calculate the air in, and the computer adjusts fuel input accordingly. The upstream O2 reads the air out to the exhaust to see how well the computer did and feeds back, so that adjustments can be made via the fuel trim. If I understand this correctly, it makes sense.
Where it gets unclear to me is: the upstream O2 sensor voltage is a result of measured oxygen. This voltage fluctuates as if it is on a sin wave. This means that the engine must be oscillating the input of air or fuel to produce this result in the O2 sensor?
Is the computer actually continually oscillating the POWER being output by the engine and we just do not notice it because it happens so fast?
I would have expected and increase in fuel injection would correlate directly to an increase in power which would be felt.
| 225,683
|
Spring is in the air with an animal baby boom at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.
Visitors to the award-winning park are enjoying seeing new arrivals in the lemur and camel families.
Meanwhile, the park’s new endangered tiger cubs are still being cared for by their mum and won’t be seen in public for a few weeks.
Lemurs Humbug and Tink produced a pair of ring tailed lemur twins on the same day that Amur Tigers Vlad and Tschuna had a litter of three cubs.
The innovative 70-acre walkthrough park, near Doncaster, also celebrated the birth of a rare Bactrian camel calf in March,
The baby, named Hadara (meaning adorned with beauty) had to be helped by staff in her first week with extra bottle feeds, but now is going from strength to strength with her mum Elizabeth.
“It is fantastic to welcome the new arrivals to our wonderful family of animals,” said YWP director John Minion . “The joy of seeing a new one into the world is underscored by the need to preserve many of the species we have at YWP.
“Every time we witness a new birth it is a step closer to ensuring that under-threat species survive for generations to come. For some, there is a long journey which is why our conservation work is critical.”
The baby lemurs and camel are already visitor favourites at the park at Branton, but the trio of Amur tigers, whose numbers have plunged to desperate levels because of hunting and disappearing habitat, are still in the house in Land of Tigers. Their every move is being captured by CCTV.
Their four year old mother was hand-reared from birth and rangers at the park were concerned that her maternal instincts might not kick in, but she has proved to be a model mum, as amazing pictures of the birth and Tschuna greeting her new cubs have shown.
All new animals born at YWP during 2015 will have names starting with H and they will be ‘christened’ soon.
“We are particularly delighted with Amur Tigers and Lemurs because both species are under threat,” added John. “All lemurs are endangered, mostly due to the loss of their habitat as the forest is destroyed on Madagascar.”
The newbies will join Pixel, the two-year-old polar bear who arrived last month to join veteran Victor in Project Polarr. They will all be big hit with visitors over the May Bank Holiday which promises to be another fun-filled YWP weekend.
The park provides unrivalled access to some of the most amazing and endangered animals in the world. Lion Country is home to the pride of lions rescued from a run-down zoo in Romania, who now live in the extensive reserve with its lake and waterfalls.
The Monkey Play House and Café, which is adjacent to the Baboon Reserve with viewing from inside the play area as well as outside, will be open and children can enjoy play equipment on three levels including climbing frames, towers, dens, slides, swings and rope bridges.
Since opening in 2009 YWP has become the UK’s fastest growing and most innovative attraction in the UK. Last year 550,000 visitors enjoyed the chance to get close to some of the most amazing and endangered animals in the world.
News of when the tiger cubs will make their public debuts will be released through social media and on the website, where new CCTV footage will also be unveiled. There have been over 4.5m views of the footage so far.
| 279,687
|
Americans are frequently told – by members of the media, candidates, and others – that political division is heightened in this consequential election year. Members of Congress, however, have reached bipartisan agreement that the federal government should spend more money than it brings in, even when the economy is growing and unemployment is low. Fiscal profligacy carries the day in Washington, yet lawmakers in state capitals are taking action to ensure that state spending and the size of government grows at a sustainable clip.
A member of the Wyoming Legislature, Representative Chuck Gray (R), introduced a joint resolution last week that seeks to limit the growth of the state budget and require voter consent for the approval of future tax increases. House Joint Resolution 2, introduced by Representative Gray on February 7, would amend the state constitution to include a “Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights” that would do two things: limit state spending to the rate of population growth plus inflation, and require all state tax hikes receive voter approval.
Representative Gray’s bill is inspired by Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). Like the TABOR measure now pending in the Wyoming statehouse, Colorado’s TABOR, which has been the law since it was approved by Colorado voters in 1992, requires that all state tax hikes receive approval from Colorado voters. Colorado’s TABOR also caps the increase in state spending at the rate of population growth plus inflation.
Colorado’s TABOR is the reason why Democrats who control the Colorado Legislature and would like to impose a host of tax increases are unable to do so. In November of 2019, Colorado voters affirmed their support for TABOR by rejecting Proposition CC, a measure referred to the ballot by legislative Democrats that would’ve gutted TABOR by ending the taxpayer refunds due in accordance with it.
| 250,736
|
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Troops were in place, the borders were closed and the ballots were ready early today on the eve of Iraqi parliamentary elections that the U.S. hopes will build democracy and lay the groundwork for American troops to begin returning home.
A coalition of Shiite religious parties, which dominate the current government, was expected to win the largest number of seats - but not enough to form a new administration without alliances with rival groups.
The Bush administration hopes the new parliament will include more Sunni Arabs to help establish a government that can lure other Sunnis away from the insurgency. Such a development would make it possible for the United States and its partners to start to draw down their troops next year.
With Sunni insurgent groups promising not to attack the polls, voter turnout was expected to be high today.
However, police arrested two suspected insurgents carrying 72 bombs.
| 43,056
|
Is It Time to Let That Employee Go?
Yesterday, we shared a piece from Dr. Paul White about deciding when it’s time for you to quit your job. Today, we’re going to turn that topic on it’s head: How does an employer know when it’s time to let an employee go?
Fred Mouawad, CEO of project management software company Taskworld, takes a very dynamic approach to “getting the right people in the right roles.”
“We don’t have a set box and say, ‘Okay, we’re going to try to fit somebody in that box,’” Mouawad explains. “[Instead], we look at the whole team and say, ‘How can we divide responsibilities and tasks across the team so we maximize the performance of everyone?’”
In practice, this is how Mouawad’s approach works:
- An employee is hired.
- Taskworld scopes the employee’s work out, and the employee begins performing their job.
- Managers share constant feedback with the employee regarding their performance, and the employee adjusts their performance accordingly.
- At the same time, managers pay attention to the employee’s strengths and weaknesses in the role, and they tweak the role based on the employee’s strengths, as needed.
“If somebody starts in a position, and we find that the position doesn’t fit their strength, we rescope it to fit their strength,” Mouawad says. “That way, we can maximize their productivity and their contribution to the organization.”
The Importance of Attitude and Aptitude
Taskworld’s approach to performance management is pretty progressive, but even in this dynamic system, Mouawad still finds that, sometimes, he has to let people go.
In those cases, it all comes down to two things: attitude and aptitude, or “will and skill,” as Mouawad calls them.
If an employee has the right attitude and the right aptitude, then they’ll perform well. If an employee has neither the right attitude nor the right aptitude, then it’s pretty clear that they need to be let go.
But when an employee has the attitude and not the aptitude, or vice versa — that’s when things get difficult.
“If someone has a great attitude, and they really fit the behavioral side of the organization, but they don’t really have the skills, that becomes a tough call,” Mouawad says. “And then, some people are very skilled, but they have bad behavior. They may be performing on the job, but their behavior is damaging the culture of the organization.”
Is It Time to Let That Employee Go?
When faced with these tough calls, Mouawad uses a system that is similar to his approach to performance management. It is a system based on a clear understanding between the organization and the employee regarding how performance is evaluated and measured.
“We start with a conversation. We provide clear feedback, and we come up with a mutual plan between the organization and the employee,” Mouawad says.
An employee who is underperforming usually doesn’t even realize they are doing so. There is a gap between the employee’s perception of their performance and the manager’s perception of the employee’s performance.
As Workboard CEO Deidre Paknad said in a recent article: “Often, low performance is the result of an alignment gap. What the manager thinks is important to focus on isn’t what the person is focusing on.”
This is why Mouawad’s process starts with a conversation: It allows the employee and the manager to sync up, to align their understandings of what success looks like in this role.
After setting a plan for employee success, managers then set their sites on nurturing the employee.
“We try to support that person in making the required changes,” Mouawad says. “We want people to succeed, and we will provide the support structure to help them succeed. If they are able to perform, everyone is happy.”
If, even after making a plan and being given support, the employee is still not meeting expectations, then what was once a tough call becomes a fairly easy decision, Mouawad says.
“We provide feedback to each person so they know how well they are doing,” Mouawad says. “If they don’t [grow or learn along the way], they know they’re not performing. We have to let them go.”
Rarely does the firing come as a surprise to employees, Mouawad says.
“We make it very transparent,” he explains. “There is no ambiguity regarding what it takes to succeed. Most of the time, people realize they were given a second chance.”
Rather than hiring slow and firing fast, Mouawad and his team do everything slowly — and it makes a huge difference in employee performance. So the next time you’re ready to fire an employee, you may want to stop and make sure you’ve done everything you can to make sure the employee succeeds. Hiring a new employee is expensive, after all.
Of course, if you have done everything you can, and the employee still doesn’t have the attitude and/or aptitude they need — then you know what you have to do.
| 54,245
|
The most incisive reaction to Mitt Romney’s disparaging comments about 47 percent of us came from a conservative friend who emailed: “If I were you, I’d wonder why Romney hates America so much.”
A bit strong, perhaps. But the more you think about what Romney said, the more you wonder how he really feels about the country he wants to lead.
What kind of nation are we if nearly half of us are lazy, self-indulgent moochers who will never be persuaded to mend our ways? “I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives,” Romney said, thus writing off a huge share of our citizenry.
From his perch high atop the class structure, Romney offered an analysis of political motivations that even Marxists would regard as excessively materialistic. He speaks as if hardworking parents who seek government help to provide health care for their kids are irresponsible, that students who get government aid to attend community colleges are not trying to “ care for their lives.” Has he never spoken with busboys and waitresses, hospital workers and janitors who make too little to pay income taxes but work their hearts out to “take personal responsibility”?
In defending himself on Fox News on Tuesday, Romney only deepened his difficulty. “I think a society based upon a government-centered nation where government plays a larger and larger role, redistributes money, that’s the wrong course for America,” he said.
Put aside that if President Barack Obama wanted a “government-centered nation,” the stock market wouldn’t have doubled, making many in Romney’s Boca Raton audience richer. In his impatience with those he accuses of casting themselves as “victims,” Romney misses the real story of government in the lives of most Americans. So often, we combine our own exertions with a little assistance along the way — the GI Bill, student loans, Social Security survivors’ benefits, public education — to become self-sufficient and independent.
And Romney said not a word about all the redistribution upward in a tax code that favors investment over labor income. That’s why Romney pays federal taxes at a much lower rate than many in middle class — and why, given his stress on the importance of paying income taxes, he might usefully release a few more of his own tax returns.
Romney’s statement has been widely compared to Obama’s private 2008 comment about working-class people who “cling to guns or religion.” I disliked that line, and as a church-going supporter of gun control, always bristle at the too-easy conflation some liberals make of “God” and “guns.”
But Obama’s defenders have been correct in noting that he got a big thing right that Romney got wrong: Most of Obama’s observations were empathetic toward blue-collar Americans who “feel so betrayed by government.” His whole point was the need to reach out to, not write off, a constituency that had not embraced him.
Many have already written wisely about how Romney’s original statement got the facts wrong, notably about how many Americans actually pay federal taxes and how a large share of those who don’t are retired.
But here’s the most important point Romney got wrong: Among the wealthy nations, it’s difficult to find one where people work harder than the United States.
In a 2005 New Yorker article (written before the downturn), James Surowiecki noted that compared with Europeans, “more people work in America, and since they work so many more hours, Americans create more wealth.” Yes, the riches enjoyed by the folks at that Boca Raton fundraiser were made possible in significant part by the strenuous efforts of proud, self-sufficient people, including many in the 47 percent.
Romney misses something else about America: We do believe in a certain amount of “redistribution” toward those in need. We have always rejected what one of our leaders called a “destructive mindset,” which he defined as “the idea that if government would only get out of our way, all our problems would be solved,” an approach with “ no nobler purpose than ‘Leave us alone.’ ”
That would be George W. Bush in 1999, as my colleague Mike Gerson reminded us the other day. Bush added: “Yet this is not who we are as Americans. We have always found our better selves in sympathy and generosity, both in our lives and in our laws. … Our national character shines in our compassion.”
Yes, it does, even if the Boca Raton Mitt Romney seems not to appreciate that about us, either.
E.J. Dionne writes for the Washington Post Writers Group.
| 86,716
|
“How am I supposed to save the universe with all this noise?!”
― Diane Duane, Wizards at War
Diane Duane is a terrific fantasy writer. One of her series is The Feline Wizards in which cats are running the real show behind the scenes and if we only knew!
The fun of reading fantasy is that the author must create a universe with rules. The story sits within this universe and must abide by the rules and we can expect some fantastic rules. It is fun.
As a reader, I wish that authors would give credit when they lift another author’s universe. I can think of several who used other peoples imagination and set their story but never gave credit. Shameful really.
One of the fun things about Diane Duane’s universe is the idea of fighting entropy. In this she created a religion for the characters without a god. If you do a good act, you are extending the ending of the universe. Entropy also means randomness, so good works bring order to our world.
No matter which religion we choose to follow, if we are compelled to simply “do good” I think it is a good thing. After reading Ms. Duane’s books, I found myself picking up an empty can on the street and carrying it to the recycle bin. I am helping to save the universe, what greater motive?
| 202,416
|
SAN FRANCISCO—In a response to state and local officials demanding the release of classified information, Pacific Gas & Electric Company has released a "Top 100" list of pipelines throughout the State of California that the agency is monitoring for safety and structural purposes.
The list, entitled "Long Range Gas Transmission Pipeline Planning Input," showcases several pipelines being monitored for evaluation or repair throughout the Sacramento area.
Also on the list is 8,000 feet of pipe through rural Lodi along Armstrong Road and more than 4,000 feet of pope near the Rio Vista Bridge under the waters of the Sacramento River. Both lines needs to be monitored due to ground movements, PG&E says.
The list covers 133,503 feet of pipeline throughout California.
PG&E was called on to release the list by several state and local utility monitoring agencies after a thirty inch-wide natural gas pipeline burst in San Bruno less than two weeks ago. The burst caused an explosion that destroyed more than a dozen homes, burned several dozen people and killed four residents. Three people are still listed as missing in connection with the incident, which caused damage to homes worth about $23 million collectively.
The San Bruno pipeline that burst was not on PG&E's Top 100 critical lines list, which was drafted one year ago.
| 194,387
|
6 cups flour
1¾ cup warm water
¼ cup sugar
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp shortening
3 to 4 tbsp sesame oil
- Place the flour in a large bowl and set it aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix together the warm water and the sugar. Stir thoroughly until all of the sugar has dissolved.
- Next, add the yeast and stir it in gently. Let the yeast sit for 10 minutes so that it activates.
- While the yeast mixture sits, add the baking powder to the flour stirring it with a fork until it is mixed through. You can sift these two ingredients together if you wish, but it is not necessary.
- After about 10 minutes the yeast should be active. The mixture should have a large amount of foam on top. Once the mixture has accumulated the foam, pour it into the flour while stirring.
- Then add the shortening and continue to stir until a stiff dough forms.
- Once a dough forms, use your hands and mix everything together thoroughly.
- If the dough feels too dry and is breaking apart, add just a little water and continue to mix it with your hands. At this point, the dough should be a bit sticky and malleable. Continue to mix until all of the flour is incorporated into the dough.
- Once everything is mixed through, knead the dough with your hands for another 10 minutes. Use the heel of your hands to press into the dough and knead it.
- Once the dough is done, cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit for 2 hours. It should rise to at least double in size.
- Once it’s risen, press it down and separate it into 4 pieces.
- Take one of the four pieces and place it on a large flat work surface and flatten it into a large rectangular shape; until it becomes as flat as a pizza crust. Use a rolling pin if needed.
- Once you have a large flat rectangle, cut off the edges so that they are completely straight and you have a perfect rectangle.
- Once you have a perfect rectangle, cut it long ways into 3 equal strips that are about 1 ½ to 2 inches wide.
- Then take 2 strips and set them aside so that you have just one strip of dough on your work surface. We are going to use this to make our first roll.
- Using a basting brush lightly brush the sesame oil on the surface of this strip.
- Next start rolling one side of the dough tightly in a roll until it comes to the center. Then roll the other end toward the center as well until they meet in the middle.
- Now pick up the entire roll and place it vertically on your work surface so that one roll is stacked on top of the other.
- Then place the thin end of a chopstick directly in the center of this vertical stack and press down slowly. Pull the sides of the roll up around the chopstick and remove it slowly. Now you should have the shape of a flower for your roll.
- Place the finished roll on a plate and continue to roll the rest of the dough in the same manner.
- Once all of the rolls are complete, line a bamboo steamer with a sheet of wax paper. Depending on the size of your steamer, place about 5 rolls in the steamer at a time. Keep in mind that these rolls will expand and they will stick together if they touch each other.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and then place the steamer on top and steam the rolls for 10 minutes.
- Once they are done, remove them from the steamer and place them on a plate to serve. Makes 12 rolls.
| 187,116
|
Antique Ningshia, China, circa 1900. The restrained grandeur of classical Chinese rug weaving informs this masterful Ningshia carpet, made in an imperial manufactury in the waning years of the Manchu dynasty. Here amidst a relatively open blue field, floral sprays, flying birds, and dragons hover above a cherry blossom tree with a perching phoenix. A main border of cloudbands and ‘hundred gift’ motifs surrounds the field with minor chain and fretwork borders added for framing contrast. The grace, refinement, and naturalism of the drawing imparts an impression of reality amidst the essential fantasy of the design.
Size: 11 ft 10 in x 14 ft 05 in (3.61 m x 4.39 m)
| 267,554
|
Rehab Within A Day Of Knee Replacement Pays Off
Starting rehabilitation sooner following knee arthroplasty surgery could pay dividends - for both patients and hospitals. Commencing physical therapy within 24 hours of surgery can improve pain, range of joint motion and muscle strength as well as cut hospital stays, according to new research in the journal Clinical Rehabilitation.
Mindful of the trend towards discharging patients from hospital more rapidly after surgery in recent years, physical therapy and public health researchers from Almeria, Malaga and Granada in Spain set out to investigate whether an early start to physical therapy would improve recovery from knee arthroplasty surgery. They compared patients who began treatment within 24 hours of surgery with those who began 48-72 hours after their operation in a random, controlled clinical trial.
The post-operative treatment began with a series of leg exercises, breathing exercises and tips on posture. By the second day, walking short distances with walking aids was added, and in subsequent days this was built up towards adapting to daily life activities, such as beginning to climb stairs on day four. On average, those beginning treatment earlier stayed in the hospital two days less than the control group and had five fewer rehabilitation sessions before they were discharged. An early start also lead to less pain, a greater range of joint motion both in leg flexion and extension, improved muscle strength and higher scores in tests for gait and balance.
Health systems are currently subjected to strong economic pressures, and a cutting the length of hospital stays has become a priority. Other benefits of early mobilization after this surgery are fewer complications such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, chest infection and urinary retention. With hospital-acquired infections such as MRSA also a serious concern, a shorter hospital stay might also lower the risk to patients of contracting this type of secondary infection.
"Orthopaedics, especially knee replacement surgery, is one area that may lend itself to accelerated discharge," says author Adelaida M. Castro-Sánchez, from the University of Almeria. "We therefore postulated that early rehabilitation after total knee arthroplasty could accelerate the capacity of patients for daily life activities, and reduce their hospital stay."
| 73,869
|
David Bourget (Western Ontario)
David Chalmers (ANU, NYU)
Rafael De Clercq
Jack Alan Reynolds
Learn more about PhilPapers
Ethics and the Environment 5 (2):191-209 (2000)
I elaborate and critically evaluate the theses of "environmental pragmatism," especially as captured in a recent collection with that title. While I am hopeful about this new approach, I want nonetheless to make reparations for its shortcomings. The primary difficulty is that environmental pragmatists tend to express only implicitly the metaphysical commitments of, say, William James, and yet the claims of environmental pragmatism would be profoundly strengthened by direct appeal to James's metaphysics. The ecosystem approach is particularly amenable to characterization in terms of pragmatic metaphysics. Thus, I offer the thesis of wild ontology in an effort to enrich the empirical basis of environmental philosophy, and also to help cure environmental ethics of its political impotence
|Keywords||No keywords specified (fix it)|
|Categories||categorize this paper)|
Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server
Configure custom proxy (use this if your affiliation does not provide a proxy)
|Through your library|
References found in this work BETA
No references found.
Citations of this work BETA
No citations found.
Similar books and articles
Jason Scott Robert (2000). Wild Ontology: Elaborating Environmental Pragmatism. Ethics and the Environment 5 (2):191 - 209.
Charles J. List (2005). The Virtues of Wild Leisure. Environmental Ethics 27 (4):355-373.
Henk van den Belt (2002). Born to Be Wild. Environmental Ethics 24 (1):3-21.
Roger J. H. King (2003). The Place of Domesticated Spaces in Environmental Ethics. Social Philosophy Today 19:41-53.
Lars Samuelsson (2010). Environmental Pragmatism and Environmental Philosophy. Environmental Ethics 32 (4):405-415.
Irene Klaver, Jozef Keulartz & Henk van den Belt (2002). Born to Be Wild. Environmental Ethics 24 (1):3-21.
Ben A. Minteer (2012). Refounding Environmental Ethics: Pragmatism, Principle, and Practice. Temple University Press.
Deborah Bird Rose (2008). Judas Work. Environmental Philosophy 5 (2):51-66.
Eric Katz (1987). Searching for Intrinsic Value: Pragmatism and Despair in Environmental Ethics. Environmental Ethics 9 (3):231-241.
Christopher W. Podeschi (2001). The Ecofeminist Pragmatism of Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Environmental Ethics 23 (1):19-36.
Eileen O'Rourke (2000). The Reintroduction and Reinterpretation of the Wild. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 13 (1):144-165.
Mary Jo Deegan & Christopher W. Podeschi (2001). The Ecofeminist Pragmatism of Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Environmental Ethics 23 (1):19-36.
Robert Brandom (2008). Between Saying and Doing: Towards an Analytic Pragmatism. Oxford University Press.
Added to index2010-09-02
Total downloads4 ( #294,703 of 1,679,366 )
Recent downloads (6 months)1 ( #183,761 of 1,679,366 )
How can I increase my downloads?
| 226,727
|
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – Indiana lawmakers want to protect military members and their families with a new bill. Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller announced the new proposal in Fort Wayne Thursday morning.
It’s called the Indiana Service Member’s Civil Relief Act. The bill increases consumer protections to service members during deployments. This includes suspending or postponing obligations like debt collections, foreclosures, cell phone contracts, and court hearings.
“Incorporating this into a state statute allows my office and the attorney general’s office to protect the men and women who are being deployed to protect all of us,” Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller said.
State Representatives Dennis Zent and Martin Carbaugh are also supporting the bill.
“The concerns that they have going off to serve our country, many times in war situations, has to do with their life, what would be left behind, should the unforeseen happen, and a lot of that falls to not just personal relationship but finances. That’s something I think we can help control for them while they serve us. They’re not going to have to worry about coming back to a financial disaster. They’ve got a whole host of other issues that they have to deal with, and I think we owe them the treatment that they deserve. It takes away one of those big concerns, big worries that they will have coming back,” Carbaugh said.
There is already a federal version in place, but state lawmakers want to expand it so they can have more of an impact.
“I think it kind of goes along with a general truth. I think the government closest to the people tends to do a better job, and in this case, it’s not necessarily a knock on the federal government. It’s just a job to try and enforce all the laws and try to give those advantages or give those protections to our active duty. It would be a difficult thing for one department of the national government to get for all fifty states,” Carbaugh said.
Zoeller said this won’t be too much of a change or adjustment for banks and mortgage companies because they are already accustomed to the federal laws, regulations, and requirements.
“Incorporating this into the authority of my office gives us the ability to enforce what’s already the law, so it’s not like we’re changing the rules that the banks and the mortgage companies have to follow, it’s just that we can now represent the servicemen and women instead of asking somebody in Washington,” Zoeller said.
Four other states are also working on versions of the bill. Zent said lawmakers plan to collaborate with these states to figure out the best way to format and eventually enforce the bill.
“It’s a gold mine. Why reinvent the wheel. A lot of times you find out what they have that has worked,w hat they might have wanted to change, so that will all be part of the process and that gives us several months to go ahead and come up with something that’s going to fill just every little void and make sure we don’t have any missteps,” Zent said.
Zent is a veteran and said the bill will provide relief to so many military families.
“I can feel what they feel. Things and time have changed, but still, the anxiety is there. What you’re hoping is that somebody is taking care of things back home. I had a wife that I was not able to communicate with very regularly. Now, we have all kinds of communication devices. That’s part of what they’re dealing with is cell phones, but you always wanted to know that somebody was covering your back. You did not want some unforeseen instance to come up. Understandably, when you’re separated, you always hear that two people can live as cheap as one, but I can tell you when one is in Korea and one is back in the states, you don’t live as cheaply. I did not make in my Army pay what I made as an orderly at St. Joe Hospital before I went into the service, so there was a lot stretching, a lot of angst, a lot of anxiety. The proposal here to actually support these troops and lets them know that somebody’s got their back is huge. It doesn’t seem like it may be earthshaking, but a lot of it is just common sense. We’ll obviously have to get with the legislature and come up with something that thoroughly covers the issue. The idea is wonderful,” Zent said.
| 304,748
|
Hubble shots from Mars' 2007 opposition
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla
20-12-2007 10:04 CST
There are five spacecraft at Mars right now, and all of them are returning fabulous images, some of them from multiple images. However, when a person first approaches the Internet to ask for a Mars image, odds are they don't want any pictures from the rovers or Odyssey or Mars Express or Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter because, ironically, those spacecraft are too close to Mars to produce the views they want. What most people want when they search on "Mars" is a nice big fat fully lit photo of the red planet floating in space, and to get that, you have to stand from farther away. The Hubble Space Telescope has been taking such photos for almost a decade, pointing at Mars every opposition, when the distance between Earth and Mars is at a minimum and the planet looms large in the eyepiece. Mars was at opposition, only 88 million kilometers (55 million miles from Earth), two nights ago, so all this month is a great time to be looking for its bright orange glow in the sky. Here's a sky map from spaceweather.com of where Mars will be on Christmas night, above the head of Orion.
And here are the Hubble photos of Mars from the 2007 opposition. Like Earth, Mars is round and it rotates, so if you want to see the whole thing you need to photograph it multiple times. If you're photographing from the surface of Earth it can take a while to cover all of Mars, because Mars rotates at nearly the same rate that Earth does, so if you look up at it at the same time each night, Mars will be showing you nearly the same face every time. You have to wait almost a month for Mars to show you its opposite hemisphere. Fortunately, Hubble doesn't have sunsets and sunrises to deal with, so it could cover the rotation sequence over just a week of observations. Here we go:Along with these four views, they also released this nifty diagram showing how the distance between Earth and Mars during Mars' oppositions has varied over the last 12 years, making the Hubble images of Mars at opposition grow and shrink.
Or read more blog entries about:
| 206,940
|
Physiotherapy services are provided to patients who have, or potentially have, a movement dysfunction resulting from injury, disease or life changes.
Physiotherapy treatment is directed towards maintaining and restoring normal function, minimising dysfunction and preventing disability. We do this by providing pain relief, enhancing movement patterns, restoring joint range and muscle function, maximising cardio-respiratory function and achieving functional independence.
Treatments include manual therapy, movement re-education, exercise, electrotherapy, hydrotherapy and exercise and education classes.
The RBWH Physiotherapy Department provides tertiary services for patients with amputations, neurological conditions, deconditioning, lymphoedema, burns, chronic pain, oncological and musculoskeletal conditions, respiratory complications, hand injuries, haemophilia, prematurity, pregnancy, urinary and faecal incontinence from pelvic floor dysfunction and other Women's and Newborn Services.
Outpatient referrals for physiotherapy are accepted from Queensland Health medical officers and general practitioners.
Physiotherapists assist with the management of a wide range of cardio-respiratory conditions for both inpatients and outpatients.
Physiotherapy Screening Clinics operate alongside the Specialist Orthopaedic and Neurosurgery Outpatient Clinics.
The role of the PSC is to provide early assessment and non-surgical management to suitable patients referred to the Specialist Outpatient Clinics. The PSC is staffed by musculoskeletal physiotherapists and is supported by a team of allied health professionals including physiotherapists, psychologists, dieticians and occupational therapists.
Patient progress is monitored at review consultations at the PSC. If indicated, the patient's condition is discussed with an orthopaedic consultant where further investigations may be arranged or the patient's referral may be upgraded for earlier review with a Specialist.
The PSC & MD operates in Specialist Outpatient Departments throughout the State.
In-patients with neurological conditions such as strokes and Parkinson’s Disease and those requiring neurosurgery are assessed and treated by physiotherapists in their home ward or may be referred to rehabilitation-specific wards, both on and off campus.
The on-site wards include the Acute Stroke Unit, the Neurosurgical Ward and the Geriatric Evaluation and Management Service Unit, while the Geriatric Assessment and Rehabilitation Unit is located off-campus at the Rosemount Campus in Windsor.
Physiotherapists provide services to adult in-patients at the rehabilitation unit and out-patients at the on-site day hospital.
Patients assessed and treated include those with strokes, other neurological and neurosurgical conditions, complex orthopaedic and medical conditions as well as those with general mobility problems and a history of falls.
Physiotherapists work as part of a multi-professional team, aiming to assist patients to set and realise functional goals, maximise mobility in order to return home or to alternative accommodation.
Evidence based practice and clinical guidelines direct tailored individual and group treatment programs.
Referrals of adult outpatients to the day hospital are via General Practitioners only.
Day hospital enquiries may be directed to the Administration Officer: Telephone (07) 36241208, Fax (07) 36241213.
Education classes are held as required for back and neck care, post-breast cancer surgery, pre-total hip replacement (THR) and total knee replacement (TKR) surgery patients, chronic pain, osteoporosis and self-management of chronic disability.
Exercise and multidisiplinary education programs are conducted in the Physiotherapy Department for people with heart failure or chronic cardiorespiratory conditions.
The Amputee Clinic is conducted in the Physiotherapy Department every Monday from 2pm and reviews both inpatients and outpatients with upper and lower limb amputations.
Outreach clinics are held once a month at Redcliffe, Nambour and Toowoomba.
Outpatients may be referred directly to all these Clinics by faxed or posted referral from medical officers. Please contact us for a copy of our referral form.
Telephone: (07) 3646 7286
Facsimile: (07) 3646 1665
Any RBWH inpatient who has had or is about to undergo a major amputation must be referred as early as possible to the Amputee service for ongoing management. The Amputee service is available to consult on any patient who is considering amputation as a treatment option. Current inpatients or outpatients who are known to our clinic may self refer to the Amputee Service at any time.
All patients undergoing surgery at RBWH for breast or gynaecological cancer are seen by the physiotherapist pre-operatively and followed up post operatively as appropriate to identify and minimise the risk of developing lymphoedema. Ongoing review and treatment is provided as necessary.
Lymphoedema of non cancer origin is also treated.
The Multidisciplinary Lymphoedema Assessment Clinic (MLAC)
The MLAC is held in the Physiotherapy Department on Thursday mornings. It is staffed by a general practitioner, physiotherapist and occupational therapist. The focus of this clinic is to:
Referrals are accepted from GP's, Telephone: (07) 3646 4319.
hysiotherapists run classes for exercise and well being in pregnancy and the postnatal period. Pregnastics, Body Breath and Breathing and Mother and Baby exercise classes are available to all women who have birthed or are planning to give birth at the RBWH.
Phyiotherapists provide antenatal education with the midwifery staff during pregnancy. Classes are held Monday - Thursday evenings and Saturdays.
All women who give birth at the hospital are seen by a physiotherapist during their inpatient stay. If for any reason the physiotherapist does not see an inpatient, outpatient follow-up can be arranged. For musculo-skeletal or pelvic floor problems, outpatient physiotherapy is available on referral from the medical practitioner or midwife.
Physiotherapists attend the urogynaecology clinic weekly. Patients can be referred from clinics to outpatient physiotherapy for urinary and faecal incontinence and other pelvic floor disorders.
Patients having surgery are seen at a pre-admission clinic and during their hospital stay.
Women who have gynaecological cancer are seen by physiotherapists throughout their hospital stay. They are assessed at the pre-admission clinic and then seen daily following surgery to assist in returning to normal functioning. If necessary, further follow-up outpatient appointments at gynaeoncology clinics can be arranged.
Lymphoedema management is provided to those who develop the condition following surgery or radiotherapy treatment for gynaecological cancer.
Physiotherapists work with babies in the Grantley Stable Neonatal Unit. Follow-up is provided for babies who have ongoing issues needing further physiotherapy treatment. Babies are also seen at Infant Follow-up Clinics. A pre-term playgroup is held monthly for babies who were born before their due date. Physiotherapists see babies who were born prematurely for follow up at ages two and four at the Developmental Assessment Program (DAP).
Telephone: (07) 3646 4319
| 111,032
|
Unlike most aircraft, the DC-8 is certified to use reverse thrust in flight (albeit only on its inboard engines). This serves as a very effective airbrake, although it also produces considerable buffeting (due to the large areas of separated and/or reversed airflow it produces over the wing’s surface).
[...] The pilots in this case, if the drive system failed during a PIO rather than earlier, had no way of knowing the real reason for its failure to operate in the ANU direction. In the split seconds available to them for analysis they could easily have concluded that the failure was due to heavy stick forces. Reverse thrust, in addition to drag, produces a nose up pitching moment, a fact known to the first officer if not to the captain, and as indicated previously, they did employ this aid. It is also true that during the time, no matter how short, required to go from forward thrust to reverse, the noseup pitching moment of forward thrust has been removed and therefore contributes to the severity of the dive. Small as it may be, this factor becomes more significant at very low initiating altitudes. [Page 25 of the aforementioned AAR; my emphasis.]
For an aircraft with engines mounted below the aircraft’s center of mass, like the DC-8, only the use of forward thrust would be expected to produce a pitch-up moment (due to the torque exerted by the offset net thrustline), and reverse thrust should produce a pitch-down moment (for the same reason):
Yet, for the DC-8, the use of reverse thrust not only creates a nose-up pitching moment, but, apparently, creates one that is stronger than that produced by forward thrust!
| 160,105
|
Submitted by Will on Mon, 11/09/2009 - 07:05
Tetris Attack is all about getting chains and combos to keep your puzzle alive and rain garbage down upon your enemies. One of the more nebulously defined category is the 'skill chain', where you maneuver blocks to form matches while others are still clearing.
Let's say you have this setup here, and you make a clear.
Then you move up, slide out the Heart
With timing so that the bottom part of the puzzle falls before the Diamond on top does
Then, when the Diamond does fall, it counts as a chain!
And, so you can get a better sense of the timing required, I've put together an animated .gif here (4MB) to show it in action.
And yes, I know that this would have been a 2-clear even without timing it just so. But the timing is the key. You can use this technique to create chains where you normally wouldn't get one, which can really put a hurting on your opponent.
Submitted by Will on Fri, 11/06/2009 - 06:57
Like a lot of Looney Tunes based games, Daffy Duck: The Marvin Missions is kind of long and tough, due to several factors.
You do get to buy some powerups, but your initial cashflow leaves a little to be desired.
But what you could do, would be to start a new game, and when the title card comes up, quickly press
Left, Left, Right, Right, Up, Down, Y, A, B, X
Done right, you'll hear Daffy say: "Mother..."
Now when you go to your initial purchasing screen, you'll notice that you have lots more dollars at your disposal, you have lots more lives to play with, and you're at the maximum on your 'nutty attacks'.
Which should make the game much easier.
Submitted by Will on Fri, 10/30/2009 - 06:39
Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose isn't really that tough of a game, but if you haven't yet clocked a few thousand hours into honing your reflexes, it might be kind of tough.
But, you can give yourself a few more chances to make it through the game.
Go to the Password screen
Put in this password
And go to town. If you lose, and go to continue:
You'll notice that where it normally says that you have 5 continues, that it says nothing at all. And that means that there's limitless continues at your disposal.
Use them well!
Submitted by Will on Thu, 10/29/2009 - 06:20
Is Tetris Attack too easy for you? Playing against the computer just not giving you the challenge that it once did? Well, you can ratchet the difficulty up one more notch... if you feel up to the challenge.
All you have to do is start a new game, go to the difficulty select
Highlight 'Hard', hold L & Up, and press A. Done right, the background will go from pink to red
Letting you know that you're in for a challenge.
Are you up to it?
Submitted by Will on Wed, 10/28/2009 - 06:32
You remember the Top Secret Area in Super Mario World, right? Well, it's got one more secret up its sleeve.
Take a look at this screenshot.
Looks pretty normal, right? But I'd like to draw your attention to this area about in the middle of the screen, toward the bottom.
If you take Yoshi and hold Up while pressing Y, his tongue will shoot out, but he'll be standing up.
If you're positioned correctly, you'll hear a 'thup-thup' sound, like his tongue is bouncing off of something that he can't eat, like a keyhole. But there's nothing there.
Submitted by Will on Mon, 10/26/2009 - 06:21
Today, I'm going to share one a quick-'n'-easy two hit combo with Street Fighter's Guile.
First, you're going to want to hold Back on the controller to charge for the Sonic Boom. Then press Forward and Weak punch to throw it.
Keep holding Forward to walk toward your opponent, trailing your projectile, after it hits,
follow it up with a Fierce Punch.
Done right, you'll be able to hit your opponent with both of them for a quick 2-hit combo!
And, if you can back your opponent in the corner he won't slide back so far when the initial hit smacks him, giving him less time to recover and avoid the second hit.
Since this is kind of tough to show the timing in picture form, I've created an animated .gif here(4.5MB) that shows it in action.
Oh, and it also works for Street Fighter 4.
Submitted by Will on Fri, 10/23/2009 - 06:29
Killer Instinct, like a lot of fighting games, has a ridiculously unbalanced final boss character. One that will nearly make you break your controller in frustration the first few times you face him.
But what if there were a way to use him as your own character?
Well, good news for you!
If you select Cinder
And then on the Vs. screen hold Right on the control pad and quickly press
L, R, X, B, Y, A
Done correctly, you should hear the announcer say "Eyedol", and once you get into the match
He will be yours to command! He's slightly toned down from when the computer's playing him, and he's kind of tough to maneuver. But, hey, you're playing the boss! That counts for something, right?
Submitted by Will on Tue, 10/13/2009 - 06:37
The Smash TV games are pretty tough. Mostly because you go up against thousands of enemies and your guy can only take one hit before he dies. So unless you spend lots of time mastering this game (or lots of quarters if you're playing the arcade version) you're never going to see the advanced levels.
You go to the screen where you select 1 or 2 players
And press Right, Right, Up, Down, R, L. You should hear a voice yell, "Bingo!". Choose the amount of players, hit Start and
You can start pretty well wherever you want!
As an added bonus, if you hold Select before you enter a room, and keep holding it, the enemies won't even appear.
So you can pretty much explore the studios to your heart's content.
Submitted by Will on Thu, 10/08/2009 - 06:36
A while back I told you about a trick to racking up a lot of lives in Super Mario Bros. 3. But, you kind of have to wait until you're almost halfway through the game to do it. Isn't there a way to stock up on lives beforehand?
Make your way to 1-2, the second stage in the game. Make sure you have the Raccoon Tail and make your way to the pipe that generates an endless supply of Goombas.
Let a few build up around you and then start jumping on them.
It's kind of tricky, but what you want to do is to hold down the A button when you land on them to bounce toward the top of the screen, then rapidly press the A Button to slow your descent. Repeat this over and over (without touching the ground) to eventually be rewarded with
Yeah, it's a little bit more work and a little bit slower, but you can do it so much earlier in the game that it's worth giving yourself a little bit of a buffer until you can make it to World 3.
Oh, and this also works any time you can get 3 Dry Bones together in a place with high ceilings.
Submitted by Will on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 06:33
When you're playing through Yoshi's Island, you occasionally run into some bonus games, one of which is the Match Cards game.
It's kind of like Memory, you get a quick look at the cards, and then they're flipped over and you have to make matches. Screw up a couple of times and you lose.
But what if you don't have a camera or some other way to take a screenshot for reference? And what if you don't have a photographic memory?
I like to use a pen and paper. You have just enough time to write down what's being shown to you if you're quick and use a kind of shorthand.
For instance, with the screen above, I'd write:
G F 1 G B
2 1 2 B
R F M R M
Then, it's an easy matter of matching up the items by consulting your notes. Which will fill up your inventory and
The last thing you match will turn into a 10UP!
| 40,583
|
Yoga Is Not Just About A Few Poses That Strengthen You It Has More Benefits To Offer Such As:
- Increased flexibility
- Weight reduction
- Stress management
Stress can have a devastating effect on your body and mind. It can reveal itself in the form of pain, anxiety, insomnia, and the inability to concentrate. Most times, stress is the main cause of weight gain. Yoga can help you cope with stress.
Physical benefits of Yoga, combined with stress management, help a person to lose weight and maintain good physical and mental health.
Can Yoga Poses Help You Lose Weight
Yoga is the perfect workout for people who want to get in shape, and its also a great way to relieve stress. However, even with all of its health benefits, not everyone agrees that yoga is the best way to lose weight.
Weight loss specialists often disagree on whether yoga poses help you slim down or not. Some believe that these poses can be used as a form of exercise and help you get healthy by burning calories and balancing your bodys hormones.
There are other experts who think that these poses can help increase metabolism and reduce belly fat, which is an important step towards weight loss success.
Does Seth Rogen Work Out
Seth Rogen is the best Hollywood actor and comedian. He has worked in many films and TV shows including Knocked Up, This is the End, The Interview, Pineapple Express, Superbad, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising.
The answer to this question is yes! Seth Rogen has been active in fitness as well as an avid sports fan.
In 2016 he made a documentary with his best friend Evan Goldberg called SORRY FOR YOUR LOSSES. They gave advice to people who have lost loved ones in different ways like a drug overdose or death from natural causes.
Don’t Miss: Calories Burned Power Yoga
/8trikonasana Or Triangle Pose
Step 1: Stand straight on the ground with your legs 2 feet apart.
Step 2: Inhale and lift both your hands sideways to bring them in line with your shoulders. Your hands should be parallel to the ground and your palms should face downwards.
Step 3: Exhale, bend your torso to the right, then hinge from the hips to take your right hand downwards and touch your right foot.
Step 4: Raise the left hand towards the ceiling and look upwards.
Step 5: Stay in this position for 10-20 seconds, then come back to the starting point. Repeat the same on the other side.
Sarvangasana Or Shoulder Stand
If you do not have cervical spondylosis or any challenges with your neck, this asana is a wonderful inversion to add. Shoulder stand presses the chest against your chin and stimulates the thyroid gland. It balances digestive, circulatory, lymphatic, endocrine, and nervous systems. It is also a pose that helps to improve calmness and patience. This helps to dial down the heightened stress response and allows your body to shift into a parasympathetic state where you can lose weight easily. Make sure that you practice with proper guidance.
Don’t Miss: How Many Calories Burned Doing Yoga
Frequently Asked Questions & Answers:
Q1. Which Yoga is Best for Weight Loss?
Ans: Begin your journey of yoga with these easy and effective yoga poses that will help you burn fat, improve your flexibility, and also tone your muscles. The following is the list of some of the best yoga asanas that are best for weight loss:
- Boat Pose
- Warrior Pose
Q2. Is Yoga Good for Weight Loss?
Ans: If you are wondering does yoga help lose weight then you should be reading this. Science says that you need to change your energy intake for losing weight. It is true that most of the yoga exercises burn lesser calories as compared to a brisk walk or jogging. Still, the mindfulness, relaxation, and spiritual development that you can experience with yoga are far beyond what you can experience with other forms of exercise. So, yes, yoga is good for weight loss and has added benefit of internal healing and flexibility improvement.
Q3. What Are The Benefits of Yoga for Weight Loss?
Ans: If you are wondering how yoga helps lose weight, the following are some surprising benefits inherent in doing yoga for weight loss:
- Yoga is very effective in stress management, and thus it can help you check stress eating which is the major cause of weight gain
- Yoga increases the awareness of a person especially relating to hunger and satisfaction
- You begin to do mindful eating and stop overeating due to yoga.
Q4. What is Better for Weight Loss, Yoga or Walking?
Q5. Can Yoga Cure Thyroid Permanently?
Q6. Can You Get Toned From Yoga?
Kumbhakasana Aka The Plank
The plank is a great yoga weight loss workout that mostly targets the muscles in your core and arms.
A more advanced variation of this exercise is the upward plank pose, where instead of facing the floor, you are overturned, facing the sky with your hands and plans straight under you.
Also Check: Hot Yoga Laskin Road
Top 15 Best Yoga Poses For Weight Loss 2022
There are many benefits of yoga. It can help you relieve stress, treat depression, and improve your mood. But before you start doing yoga, it is important to know about the various types of poses that are available for different conditions.
There are many ways to do yoga depending on your needs, abilities, and interests. Some people might prefer to do vinyasa yoga which focuses on flowing movements while others may prefer Ashtanga which is better for strengthening the body and mind. In this section, we will discuss some of the top Yoga Poses that you can use to improve your mental and physical health.
Yoga is the art of uniting our mind, body, and spirit. There are various poses in yoga, but the top 8 poses that you should try out are.
|1. Downward Facing Dog
15. Cobra Pose
Triangle Pose / Trikonasana
Stand with your feet apart about three feet. As you inhale, raise your arms to either side, holding them parallel to the ground.
Then turn your left foot, pointing it to your left. Exhale and bend your torso to the left, without bending it forward.
Bend the left knee slightly. Keeping your arms straight, touch the toes of your left foot with your left hand.
Your right arm should be pointing straight up to the sky. Turn your face upwards and rest your gaze on your right hand.
Hold that position for a few seconds without breathing. Then inhale and return to the standing position, arms stretched out to the sides. Repeat the same movement on the right side. Do five to ten rounds.
Once you are comfortable with this pose, try doing it with both legs straight.
Read Also: Leggings Yoga Pants Difference
Easy Yoga Asanas For Weight Loss
Yoga stretches the body and helps with blood circulation. Furthermore, it can boost your metabolism. It also promotes flexibility and mental wellness. Yoga is also easy to practice. Therefore you can easily include it as a daily habit. It is also a great stressbuster. Thus it is a great way to have a healthier lifestyle! So, lets look at some best yoga exercises for weight loss
Yoga Asanas To Begin With
If youre new to yoga, a great way to begin is to reach out to a nearby center or work with a yoga instructor.
Quick suggestion: If you feel intimidated by the idea of yoga or you dont have a nearby center available to you, you can visit online resources a lot of them are free and also offer yoga for all types of levels.
If youre currently active but intend to integrate yoga as part of a weight loss plan, attempt training it several days each week as a supplement to your different workout sessions.
Also Check: Fiton App Roku
Yoga Poses For Weight Loss: Get In Shape And Lose Belly Fat With These Simple Asanas
Have you ever considered using yoga poses for weight loss? If not, then it might be high time that you considered this form of exercise as a weight loss plan. In this article we are going to show you how to do yoga poses for weight loss, how to incorporate daily yoga poses for weight loss and many such tips to help you achieve your body goals in a more relaxed but still effective way.
Helps You Build Muscle
In a typical yoga class, you have to stretch your body to the limit while holding several yoga asanas for a period of time. This in turn puts strain on the muscles which break down and once they heal grow and give you some defined muscle tone. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn in a day because a single pound of muscles burns six to seven more calories in a day that the same amount of fat does, hence you end up using more food energy and losing weight .
You May Like: Calories Burned In Vinyasa Yoga
/6yoga Asanas For Weight Loss
Contrary to popular belief, yoga not only helps to calm your mind and increase flexibility, performing this ancient Indian form of physical activity has several other proven health benefits, including weight loss. It is a common notion that yoga, being a low-impact exercise is not an ideal choice of physical activity when trying to shed kilos, which is completely incorrect. All you need to do is pick the right kind of exercises that can pump up your heart rate and help you sweat. Apart from that, you have to maintain a pace. Here are 5 common yoga asanas that you must include in your routine to speed up your heart rate and torch more calories in less time.
Yoga Tips For Weight Loss
Here are 7 tips that will help you achieve your desired weight and fitness level with yoga:
- Consistency is key. Practice yoga regularly to see visible weight loss results.
- Start with simple postures and gradually proceed to the advanced poses.
- Do not forget to focus on your breath along with the poses.
- It is best not to eat anything before yoga. If you are too hungry, choose a light snack.
- If you want to lose weight faster, consider combining yoga with other workout routines like running, swimming, or HIIT. Consult a certified expert for guidance.
- Along with regular yoga practice, eating a healthy and balanced diet will maximise your weight loss efforts. It is best to consult a certified fitness expert before you begin.
- Do not expect results too soon, as you may get disappointed and give up. Be realistic and patient.
Don’t Miss: Hot Yoga Weight Loss Results
Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana
The downward-facing dog pose can help you learn to balance your body and can also help strengthen your abs.
How to perform:
- Get into the downward-facing dog pose.
- Straighten one leg and lift it up.
- Lower the straightened leg under your abs
- Repeat this move for 10 times for each leg, then rest
A variant of the plank, this one is a slightly more difficult one but equally effective on burning your belly fat.
How to perform:
- Perform after the downward-facing dog pose
- Shift to your left or right foot
- Tilt your body accordingly either to the right or left side
- Raise the opposite arm in the air
- Hold this pose for 15-30 seconds
- Return to the downward-facing dog pose
It is best to practice these asanas for flat stomach in the mornings for better results. Consistency plays a major role in seeing the effectiveness of the asanas. To avoid monotony, one can choose to do 3-4 different poses each time if doing all cannot be possible. In any case, it is most important to be consistent, and dedicated to the asana sessions and make sure to practice deep breathing during the sessions.
/8setu Bandha Sarvangasana Or Bridge Pose
Step 1: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet placed firmly on the ground. Your legs should be slightly apart and arms resting by your side.
Step 2: Press the feet into the floor, inhale and lift your hips up rolling the spine off the floor.
Step 4: Press your shoulders and arms on the ground to lift your chest.
Step 5: Engage your legs and butt muscles to lift your hips higher.
Step 6: Hold this position for 4-8 breaths, then return to the starting position.
Recommended Reading: How Many Calories Burned During Bikram Yoga
/8dhanurasana Or Bow Pose
Step 1: Lie on your stomach with your feet hip-width apart and arms by your side.
Step 2: Bend your knees upwards and take your heel towards your butt.
Step 3: Hold the ankles of both legs with your hands.
Step 4: Inhale and lift your chest and legs off the ground.
Step 5: Keep your face straight, pull your legs as much as you can. Your body should be tight like a bow.
Step 4: Pause for 4-5 breaths, then come to the starting position.
Extended Side Angle Pose / Utthita Parsvakonasana
This is a variation of trikonasana. In triangle pose, one hand touches the foot, while the other is raised towards the sky.
In an extended side-angle pose, you take the raised arm and lower it towards your head. The arm points straight past your head, in a direction roughly parallel to the ground.
This might be a bit too much of a stretch for your sides at first. Just get it as close as you can. Keep your knee bent. Then to it on the opposite side.
Read Also: Yoga Mat Carry Strap
Best Yoga Poses For Weight Loss Fast 2022
Yoga poses for weight loss 2022 can help you maintain your body weight. It provides a good combination of strength and flexibility. After a person has done the routine, he or she can feel more relaxed and has more energy to do things in their daily routine.
Yoga is a great way to maintain your health and lose weight. It helps build muscle strength, which promotes fat burning and reduces the risk of disease.
Overweight, obese people are often advised to step up their fitness regimen and include weight loss practices such as yoga. Yoga can help people lose weight by burning calories and providing a workout for the entire body.
There are many benefits of practicing yoga poses for weight loss. When done properly, it allows you to feel your body from the inside out. It also helps you develop better posture, strengthens your muscles, and improves mental clarity.
Yoga poses for weight loss have been around since ancient India when people believed that these poses helped improve digestion and strengthen the body in general.
Poses are just one part of a larger effort to diet and stay healthy. If you have unhealthy habits, it makes sense to consider other methods of losing weight.
In this article, we will provide you with a list of yoga poses for weight loss and discuss the benefits that come with each of them.
The benefits include improved mental clarity and focus, reduced stress levels, and improved sleep quality.
Which Yoga Is Best For Losing Weight
The type of yoga and weight loss go hand in hand. If losing weight and maintaining it for times to come is your objective, the style of yoga postures for weight loss is important.For example, Hatha yoga, which involves moving your body slowly and at a deliberate speed as you try to relax and focus on mindfulness, may not rev up your metabolism that much. While its excellent for helping you calm down, this type of yoga may not result in substantial weight loss. That being said, there are a few styles of yoga for weight loss at home for females and males that help in losing weight over a shorter timeframe:
Ashtanga yoga for weight loss: In Sanskrit, Ashtanga means eight limbs. This yoga style is based on eight principles of life that revolve around inducing mindfulness, discipline, breathing practices, and more. Considered to be the best yoga for weight loss, its yoga postures are physically demanding that serve as a great fat-burning activity.
Bikram yoga for weight loss: Bikram yoga for weight loss consists of a fixed sequence of 24 postures and 2 breathing exercise rituals. It is sometimes practiced as Hot yoga i.e. it is done in a room thats heated up to 41 degrees with humidity levels of almost 40%. This is to replicate the tropical climate of India, the country where Bikram yoga originated. The heated environment coupled with intense yoga postures helps in improving your muscular strength and in enhancing your metabolism.
Don’t Miss: Eating Before Hot Yoga
How Yoga Promotes Weight Loss
Yoga promotes weight loss in different ways. The following are key weight loss benefits of yoga:
Helps Cultivate Mindfulness:
Practising yoga develops mindfulness and awareness of the body. This prevents impulsive eating, thereby restricting weight gain. For example, mindful eating helps exercise portion control and staying away from unhealthy foods. Regular yoga practice also calms anxiety leading to behavioural changes to prevent stress eating.
Speeds Up The Metabolism:
Hatha and power yoga poses like the Sun salutations and Bhastrika Pranayam help speed up the metabolism, contributing to better digestion. This aids weight loss.
Sun salutations with intensive breathwork are as effective as aerobic workouts and help accelerate calorie burn. Some active styles of yoga like Ashtanga Yoga, Power Yoga, and Vinyasa Yoga also prevent weight gain.
Burns Belly Fat:
Restorative yoga poses help burn harmful abdominal fat by working on the core muscles. Trikonasana and the Cobra pose are great at reducing upper and lower belly fat.
Promotes Lean Muscle Formation:
Yoga poses like the Boat pose, Plank pose, Chair pose, and Bow pose work on the glutes, abdomen, and hamstrings, helping you lose fat, strengthen muscles, and promote muscle formation.
If you practise yoga regularly and for a long time, your body will become highly flexible. Yoga also tones your body making you look lean and fit.
| 135,450
|
Rock and rap music have been constantly under public scrutiny for promoting sex, drugs and violence. Rock and rap have become synonymous with rebellious conduct in the minds of parents. Among them are traditionalists who strongly hold the belief that such music is a one-way ticket to aggressive and even violent behavior in youth. This has led to musicians such as Eminem, Dr Dre, and Marilyn Manson being heavily criticized for their radical image as well as the lyrical contents in their music. Since rock and rap music depicts so much negativity, why are youths all around the world so fascinated with them?
The Pursuit of Freedom and Identity
Rebellious music is often an instrument for adolescents to manage their emotions. Youths of today face enormous pressures from vast sources, from their studies, to their friends, and even their family. Such pressures usually breed feelings of frustration, anger, and vulnerability. However, through music, many of them are able to relieve stress after channeling these negative emotions into the songs. This not only helps them to attain emotional balance they so badly need, but also emancipate them from the harsh reality of life.
Many teenagers have the common perception of "you are what you listen to". They see themselves as being identified by the kind of music they listen to. In the normalcy of their lives, many of them want to have a sense of being empowered, to break out of their mold, and to be somebody they can never be....
| 291,077
|
Although it was first identified in 1943, autism is still a relatively unkown disability. Yet autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) are estimated to touch the lives of over 500,00 families in the UK.
People with autism are not physically disabled in the same way that a person with cerebral palsy may be; they do not require wheelchairs and they ‘look’ just like abybody without the disability. Due to this invisible nature it can be much harder to create awareness and understanding of the condition.
“Because an autistic child looks ‘normal’ others assume they are naughty or the parents are not controlling the child. Strangers frequently comment on this ‘failing'” – Carer
What is autism?
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects the way a person communicates and relates to people aroung them. Children and adults with autism have difficulties with everyday social interaction. Their ability to develop friendships is generally limited as is their capacity to understand other people’s emotional expression.
People with autism can often have accompanying learning disabilities but everyone with the condition shares adifficulty in making sense of the world.
There is also a condition called Asperger syndrome which is a form of autism used to describe people usually at the higher functioning end of the autistic spectrum. Click for more information on Asperger syndrome.
‘Reality to an autistic person is a confusing, interacting mass of events, people places, sounds ans sights. There seems to be no clear boundaries, order or meaning to anything. A large part of my life is spent just trying to work out the pattern behind everything.’ – A person with autism
What are the characteristics of autism?
People with autism generally experience three main areas of difficulty; these are known as the triad of impairments.
- Social interaction (difficulty with social relationships, for example appearing aloof and indifferent to other people.
- Social communication (difficulty with verbal and non-verbal communication, for example not fully understanding common gestures, facial expressions or tone of voice).
- Inagination (difficulty in the development of interpersonal play and imagination, for example having alimited range of imaginative activities, possibly copied and pursued rigidity and repetitively.)
In addition to this triad, repetitive behaviour patterns and resistance to change in routine are often characteristic.
What causes autism?
The exact cause or causes of autism is/are still not known but research shows that genetic factors are important. It is also evident for research that autism may be associated with a variety of conditions affecting brain development which occur before, during, or soon after birth.
The earlier a diagnosis of autism is made, the better the chances are of a person receiving appropriate help and support.
Can people with autism be helped?
Specialist education and structured support can really make a difference to the life of a person with autism, helping to maximise skills and achieve full potential in adulthood.
| 157,584
|
Common Core Connections: Math is the perfect tool for helping first grade students master Common Core math skills. The Common Core Standards for Math in first grade focuses on four critical areas: addition and subtraction within 20, whole numbers and place value, linear measurements, and composing and decomposing geometric shapes. This resource provides focused practice pages for targeting and reinforcing these skills while helping students connect comprehension with knowledge and application. Connecting the standards to content has never been easier with the Common Core Connections series for Math.
The Common Core Connections series provides teachers with the skill assessments to help determine individualized instruction needs. Focused, comprehensive practice pages and self-assessments guide students to reflection and exploration for deeper learning! Grade specific coherent content progresses in difficulty to achieve optimum fluency. It is also an ideal resource for differentiation and remediation. Each 96-page book includes an assessment test, test analysis, Common Core State Standards Alignment Matrix, and answer key.
| 2,261
|
OCI Language is a cloud-based AI service provided by Oracle for performing sophisticated text analysis at scale.
Maximising Cost Efficiency with Workload Profiles in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) – A Vertice Approach
In the rapidly evolving landscape of cloud computing, cost efficiency is now a paramount consideration. OCI provides a robust platform for hosting Oracle workloads in the cloud…
Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), described by Forbes as “the next generation of artificial intelligence” takes traditional AI one step further by creating new content.
Digital assistants are fast becoming common-place, and most people will interact with Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa in their household daily.
As well as personal use, the use of chatbots and digital assistants are also growing in the business world, due to the many benefits and positives they can provide.
Technology has a critical role to play in employee productivity, operational efficiency, and work collaboration to name a few. Oracle can help businesses achieve these, using conversational AI digital assistants.
AI is empowering businesses from all sectors to make smarter decisions, optimize operations and deliver personalized experience to its customers. Oracle customers can now harness the power of artificial intelligence, through Oracle AI Service offerings.
Artificial intelligence (AI for short) is a broad category encompassing many technologies. These technologies work together to enable machines to comprehend, learn and act with “human-like” levels of intelligence.
DORA is set to reshape the finance industry, especially for Oracle customers. Our e-book explains how it impacts Oracle customers.
| 40,197
|
Writing, Dreams, and Consciousness
If you dream, you can write.
But that’s not all.
If you apply what we learn by dreaming to your writing, you can become a better writer.
Join novelist Kirsten Mortensen’s conversation about the most fascinating of topics: the relationship between writing, dreams, and alternate states of consciousness.
Includes a complimentary copy of Mortensen’s short story, Ribbon.
| 304,214
|
The text below is an excerpt from the complete document. Read the full brief in PDF format.
Massachusetts began an ambitious push toward near universal health insurance coverage in 2006. This policy brief provides an update of the impacts of health reform in Massachusetts on insurance coverage as of Fall 2008 for working-age adults, the primary target population of the reform initiative, along with an update on support for health reform in the state. Findings demonstrate that the state has achieved its goal of near universal health insurance coverage and that state residents continue to show strong support for health reform, even in the face of increasing program costs and the recession that began in December 2007. Given the success of the coverage expansion, Massachusetts policymakers are turning to the next phase of health reform – reigning in health care costs.
Massachusetts’ ambitious 2006 health reform initiative continues to be a proving ground for many of the elements being debated in national health reform proposals. Early evidence from Fall 2007 showed substantial gains in coverage under health reform in the state; however, those estimates predate the implementation of some important elements of Massachusetts’ initiative. Most notably, the penalty for failing to comply with the individual mandate, which requires that adults who have access to affordable coverage obtain insurance, was implemented in 2008 based on coverage as of December 31, 2007. The penalty in 2008 was relatively small, with a larger penalty taking effect in 2009 based on coverage for all of 2008.
Other important changes between 2007 and 2008 include increases in premiums and cost-sharing under CommCare (the new subsidized insurance program) and CommChoice (the new insurance purchasing arrangement), along with increases in the “affordability schedule” that determines the amount an individual is expected to be able to pay for health insurance under the individual mandate.
This policy brief provides an update of the impacts of health reform on insurance coverage in Massachusetts as of Fall 2008 for working-age adults, the primary target population of the state’s reform initiative. It also provides an update on support for health reform in the state. Estimates of the impacts of health reform on access to and affordability of health care in the state as of Fall 2008 are reported in a companion paper.
(End of excerpt. The entire brief is available in PDF format.)
Usage and reprints: Most publications may be downloaded free of charge from the web site and may be used and copies made for research, academic, policy or other non-commercial purposes. Proper attribution is required. Posting UI research papers on other websites is permitted subject to prior approval from the Urban Institute—contact email@example.com.
If you are unable to access or print the PDF document please contact us or call the Publications Office at (202) 261-5687.
Disclaimer: The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders. Copyright of the written materials contained within the Urban Institute website is owned or controlled by the Urban Institute.
| 163,399
|
A cutting is a piece of a plant cut away and rooted to become a new plant. Cuttings are typically made from stems or branches. They can also be made from roots, rhizomes or sprouts. Some plants can be propagated by division, an extreme form of cutting where the entire plant is cut in half. Part of the plant is left in place; part is replanted to become a new plant.
Branches and Stems
Branch cuttings are one way to propagate woody or fibrous plants. Tomatoes, peppers, basil and savory are some of the plants in your vegetable garden that can be grown from cuttings. Starting a plant from an existing stem is faster than starting it from seed. Start with a 6-inch cutting. Dip the cut end in rooting hormone. Either place the cutting in a glass of water or put it in damp potting mixture. Cuttings like greenhouse conditions when they are rooting. You can make a mini greenhouse out of the top half of a plastic milk jug. Just put it over the plant in a warm location while the plant is rooting.
Roots and Rhizomes
Tuber vegetables, also known as root vegetables, can usually be propagated from rhizome cuttings. Rhizomes are underground stems that look like fat roots. Potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes and horseradish can all be propagated by taking a cutting from the tuber and planting it. Jerusalem artichokes and potatoes grow from the "eyes" in the tubers. When planting these vegetables, the eyes should be planted facing up. Horseradish grows directly out of the body of the tuber.
Division involves cutting through the center of a plant. Vegetables that grow from an underground crown can be propagated this way. Two examples are rhubarb and asparagus. In the late winter or early spring, divide rhubarb by pushing a shovel through the center of the crown. Half can stay in the garden. Half can be taken away as a cutting. Asparagus require a little more delicacy. In late winter, tease the crown into two pieces with your fingers to divide it.
Slips are sprouts grown on a tuber. Sweet potatoes are grown from slips. If you suspend a sweet potato in water, or sometimes if you just let it sit in a sunny, damp place, it will form sprouts from the eyes of the tuber. These sprouts, when they get to be around a foot long, can be pinched away from the tuber and planted. The end that used to attach to the tuber will form roots and rhizomes, which will eventually become new sweet potatoes.
- Jupiterimages/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
| 173,824
|
Fall Planting of Spring Bulbs
Want the beautiful Spring color next year? Now is the time to plant your daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths. There are a few ways to tell when it is time to get your bulbs in the ground, fall foliage has moved just past peak, you don’t hear those pesky crickets outside your window at night, or you wake up to frost on your windshield.
Spring-flowering bulbs start their growth cycle in early Fall, continuing to develop underground throughout the Winter. Even though they only have a short period of gracing us with their presence above ground, these extravagant beauties are still very alive and well in their dormant state, preparing for the next Spring’s bloom period.
These spring bloomers can be planted in part shade to full sun with well-drained soil. Amending the soil with compost at planting provides a rich soil mix for the best blooms. Bulbs provide the biggest “wow” when planted in large clusters at entryways, along walks or driveways. Bulbs can even be planted along with your pansies which provide fall and spring color before fading away as temperatures rise.
After their Spring blooms start to fade away, the flowers can be cut off. However, it is important to let the foliage die off and decompose naturally so the bulb can store as much energy as possible for the next year.
Call us today at 540-845-6203 for an appointment for our crew to come out and nest your Spring-flowering bulbs in their perfect new home.
| 273,334
|
New Book "What To Do Before You Say "I Do"
Description: What To Do Before You Say "I Do" gives couples the tools they need to have a successful, fulfilling relationship, with real life examples that a couple can put into practice as they read the book. The tips provided in her book can be implemented in any relationship, to improve communication and satisfaction of both parties. The book is light and funny, matching the personality of Ziggy, talking about rather serious topics in a conversational tone. Ziggy has been a life-long learner, raised by a psychologist father who was married several times, she learned from each relationship. After her first marriage ended in divorce after years of therapy, she walked away with knowledge of what it took to be in a healthy relationship. She has a Master’s degree in special education, and is an expert in communication and human behavior.
Price: $14.95 to $24.95
| 279,713
|
BBC News Online disability affairs reporter
With UK law on disability rights about to change on the first of next month, campaigners are pointing to the high levels of accessibility in San Francisco as a possible future for Britain.
Geoff Adams-Spink recently visited the city on America's west coast to find out just how accessible it is.
San Francisco - when it comes to improving access for disabled people - has had 30 years' headstart on the UK.
Campaigners say San Francisco points the way for access in the UK
Not only has American disability rights legislation been on the federal statute books for 12 years, but California's own laws have been in place since the mid 1970s.
The result is a city in which provision for people with disabilities is quite literally part of the landscape.
Public buildings, shops and offices all have step-free entrances; transport including buses, ferries, 'streetcars' and the metro are accessible to people with mobility and sensory impairments.
The message from the Disability Rights Commission - the body which oversees disability equality in the UK - is that California's access present could be the UK's access future.
The trendy, alternative shopping area known as Haight Ashbury is full of businesses selling smoking paraphernalia, ethnic clothes, CDs and designer goods.
It is reckoned that 99 percent of the businesses - most of which are individually owned - are accessible.
"It's very subtly done," said actress, Julie Fernandez, who is a wheelchair user.
Ms Fernandez - who has appeared in The Office and Eldorado - was in San Francisco along with a group of journalists as guests of the DRC.
Fernandez enjoys the easy access to shops in Haight Ashbury
"The Americans with Disabilities Act has been around a lot longer so there's an understanding and acceptance of making shops accessible," she said.
"In the UK many businesses say they will have to shut down, but it comes down to individual attitudes to disability because many alterations aren't that expensive."
For those new to the city, the authorities have produced an access guide which contains information on how to get around, the levels of accessibility at San Francisco's various tourist attractions as well as details on restaurants and hotels that have made provision for disabled visitors.
"San Francisco is a very diverse city, and it's a city that's used to welcoming people from all walks of life - whether it be different languages, cultures, religions or levels of disability," said Tim Zahner from the San Francisco Visitors' Bureau.
"The Mayor's office is very committed to disability and they have a phone number so if you have any complaints or questions you can call them."
Spending a quarter
All of San Francisco's street toilets are fully accessible, largely thanks to access consultant, Richard Skaff, who used to work for the city administration.
"Initially it was proposed to make one in five of them accessible," he told BBC News Online.
Street toilets are all accessible thanks to Richard Skaff's efforts
"I said 'no, you're going to put them on the public right of way and everything on the public right of way has to be accessible'. A week or two later they came back and said they'd make 50 percent of them accessible - and I told them that this was a federal law not a Richard Skaff law."
So by spending a quarter ($0.25c) everyone can use the toilets for twenty minutes - a period of time over which Mr Skaff fought and won another battle.
"There was a belief that they would be misused for illegal purposes, but I said that people with disabilities often can't use a toilet in ten minutes," he said.
"So we demanded and succeeded in getting twenty minutes, but it's still being argued about."
To get around the greater San Francisco area most people use the BART or Bay Area Rapid Transit.
"It was the first accessible system designed and built in North America," said BART's access coordinator, Ike Nnaji.
There is a minimal gap between train and platform, bright yellow tactile flooring at the platform edge, lifts throughout the system and display boards that also give an audio readout.
BART's accessibility didn't protect it from a law suit
"We had all of this before it was recommended by the Americans with Disabilities Act - in fact most of the ADA recommendations were modelled on BART," said Dr Nnaji.
In spite of this, on a trip I took to Berkeley - a small university town across the bay from San Francisco - there were no announcements about what the next stop would be, and station identification boards were almost impossible to read through the heavily-tinted glass.
I was in Berkeley to meet Ann Cupolo Freeman - a wheelchair user who brought a successful case against BART under the ADA because so many lifts were out of service.
"They were broken, they were a mess and a lot of people were using them as toilets," she said.
"Maintenance wasn't being done regularly and you never knew when you went to BART whether your elevator to get on or off was working."
BART settled the case before it came to court and agreed to repair or replace many of the lifts.
They also set up a regularly-updated phone line that gives information about where lifts are out of action, and have set up an arrangement with another company to transport disabled people to their destination if they have to alight at the wrong station.
So will the UK benefit from similar improvements when the final phase of the Disability Discrimination Act comes into force on October 1st?
San Francisco lawyer, Sid Wolinsky - who specialises in disability rights cases - thinks it will.
"Hopefully you'll see the removal of architectural barriers," he said.
"But the success or failure of the legislation depends on how active and involved the disability community is in advancing its own interests."
"The law will have an educational effect - to raise the level of awareness of business and society about what is necessary for people with disabilities."
| 11,093
|
According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders,repeated exposure to sounds at or above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss. With that in mind, here is a list of the Top 10 Loudest Jobs:
10. Cleaning Person
Tip: Even safe jobs can be dangerous. This is one reason why Connect Hearing encourages free hearing tests.
Tip: The helmet may not be enough to protect your ears from injury in a crash, but it's the best chance you've got. So be sure to wear one.
Tip: Watch out for that flute.
Tip: Wear noise-dampening headphones.
6. Rock Star
Tip: It may be cool to hang out at the speakers - but watch out for your ears.
Tip: If you must work close to speakers, protect your ears with earplugs.
Tip: An idling bulldozer is loud enough at 85 dB
Tip: Drivers are exposed to punishing sound levels and receiving routine hearing tests is a must to ensuring they stay connected to the sounds they love.
Tip: Aircraft noise is never safe. Workers in that field need to take all precautions to protect their ears.
Tip: Explosions and firefights can range upwards of 183 decibels. In those situations, survival comes first. Following orders is tip No. 1.
Here is a video preview of a Noise and Hearing Loss Prevention Video from the UK.. Stay tuned for our next blogpost that looks at workplace hearing safety:
| 270,914
|
Brilliant Wood Duck
This is not your average duck. The wood duck is often called Wisconsin's most beautiful duck with its bright, multi-colored feathers. When you're near Wisconsin's ponds, forest-edged lake, swamp or marsh, be sure to take a good gander at the waterfowl, they're not always the mallards that most of us know from city parks and beaches. Look for a slightly smaller bird with crest feathers draping off the back of the head (they might not always be showing) on both the male and female. Males have a red eye with a distinctive orange beak with a black tip; green, white and brown-streaked head with a white cheek patch. Their breast feathers are dark brown and spotted white with light brown feathers on the side and iridescent green-blue feathers on the back. The female has a camouflage pattern of brown with a white-striped pattern on the breast and a small spot of blue on the wing. They have a dark colored beak, a white throat patch, and a white tapering eye patch.
Can you guess where the wood duck lives? The wood duck can be found in bottomland hardwood forests, hanging out on the branches of trees and making nests in tree cavities. The cavity is lined with soft, white downy feathers where 15 eggs are laid. Soon after hatching, the young actually jump from the tree cavity when the female calls "weep, weep, weep," and they all trek to the water together. The young are raised in open wetland areas with clumps of aquatic plants and high places like muskrat lodges to dry their feathers. The wood duck is not the only water bird to nest in trees, so do hooded mergansers, goldeneyes, and some whistling ducks.
This bird is not your typical quacker either. They actually make a loud "squeal" both in flight and when they are swimming. Wood ducks also have claws, unlike most ducks. These claws help them hang on to tree branches and navigate the woodlands. The tracks can easily be identified - they're about 3 inches long with claw marks.
Wood ducks will "tip up" and dip their heads under the water to find the standard wetland fare to eat like wild rice, smartweed, pondweed, bulrush, and lotus seeds, but they love to eat "out," of the water that is. They love fruits and nuts found in the woods like beechnuts, wild grapes, and one of their favorites, acorns. Acorns are very important to their diet and this duck will spend hours foraging for them in forest litter. They'll even pick them right out of the trees. Can you just imagine seeing a duck eating acorns in the woods? They also visit grain fields to munch on wheat and corn stubble. Ducklings like softer foods and eat mostly insects like dragonflies, grasshoppers, crickets, ants and beetles.
Wood ducks are more common in southern and central parts of Wisconsin. You'll also see them in the northwest parts of the state. They were abundant during Wisconsin's early history, however, they were also an important food source for early settlers. During the mid-1800s and early 1900s, state wood duck populations dropped drastically because of uncontrolled hunting for their meat and feathers and the logging of their habitat. In 1901, the U.S. Biological Survey reported that the wood duck faced possible extinction. Federal laws were enacted to protect the wood duck and hunting became a managed activity to keep a watch on their population numbers. Recently, wood duck nesting habitat has improved with the maturing of "second growth" timber, however, there are still threats to their habitat from wetland drainage, agriculture, and some logging. Wood duck boxes have become a common sight in wetland areas to help the wood duck find safe nesting places. Look for these large boxes on tree trunks or on poles in the water. If you live near a wetland, you can help the wood duck by hanging up a wood duck nest box. Wood ducks are fun to watch, study and photograph because of their natural beauty.
| 30,795
|
(Photo/Office of Historic Alexandria)
The King Street storefronts depicted in this photograph document just how far commercial real estate in Alexandria’s once prime retail area had declined by the mid-1960s.
By that time the area around City Hall, which prospered in the first half of the 20th century, was decimated by the development of nearby suburban shopping centers. These post-war giants offered free parking, larger stores and modern amenities. Although the downtown buildings retained elements of architectural distinction, many had been compromised by decades of “remuddling,” a term coined by Old House Journal editor Clem Labine, to describe the inappropriate and often irreversible alteration of historic buildings.
The buildings at 416 and 418 King St., as photographed here about 1967 (418 King St. is in the center and 416 King St. is to the left) were a perfect example. Their blighted condition bolstered the successful argument in the mid-20th century that Alexandria needed a radical urban renewal project to replace dated and derelict buildings with modern offices, retail shops and vast underground parking facilities. The result was the destruction of dozens of early structures that defined the city’s historic core and architectural heritage.
Known locally as “The Kennedy Buildings,” 416 and 418 King St. were loosely associated with James Kennedy, a bookseller who came to Alexandria from Ireland at the turn of the 19th century. Kennedy bought the property, then consisting of a tenement and an open lot, on May 11, 1818 for $6,100.
The sellers were the heirs of Jacob Fortney, a local blacksmith who died in 1814 and was followed in death by his wife, Catherine, two years later.Fortney acquired the property in 1804 for $1,820 from Robert Kirk, son of early Alexandria Mayor James Kirk, who purchased it from Robert Alexander. Alexander had owned the property since before Alexandria’s founding.
With his son, James Kennedy operated a book and fine stationary shop at 126 S. Fairfax St. that also sold notions, toothbrushes, telescopes, German flutes and violin strings. He died in Philadelphia in October 1820, and the King Street property, which then contained his dwelling and two stores, was passed on to his wife and daughters.
It is believed that about 1850, his wife, Eliza Kennedy, partnered with Samuel Miller, owner of the adjacent property — seen on the right side of the photo — to demolish the existing structures and replace them with four identical buildings, separated only by a centered firewall.
For a brief period, Eliza Kennedy’s real estate investment paid off, but she died only two years after the new buildings were constructed. The property passed to the heirs of her niece, Eliza Barton.
During the Civil War, the buildings were subjected to the intense retail uses associated with the war period, when shops were routinely subdivided for multiple tenants.
After the war, as the city’s economy struggled, attempts were made to upgrade and modernize the structures. The addition of new windows, a cornice and, ultimately, the replacement of first-floor fenestration with glazed facades further compromised the structures’ historic integrity, leading to their destruction in 1968.
Out of the Attic is provided by the Office of Historic Alexandria.
| 230,147
|
An Analysis Of The Competitiveness Of Southeastern Fresh Vegetable Crops Using Quadratic Programming
This study determined the competitive potential of the temperate southeastern U.S. region to produce selected fresh vegetables for the national market. Results indicated that the region may be competitive in the production and marketing of snap beans, cucumbers, bell peppers, and spring tomatoes. The region would also be competitive in the production and marketing of broccoli, summer and fall tomatoes, and spinach, given cost reductions of 10 to 15 percent. Major cost reductions were required for the region to be competitive in the production and interregional marketing of sweet onions in the absence of effective product differentiation.
Volume (Year): 22 (1990)
Issue (Month): 02 (December)
|Contact details of provider:|| Web page: http://www.saea.org/jaae/jaae.htm|
More information through EDIRC
References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
- Huang, Kuo S., 1985.
"U.S. Demand for Food: A Complete System of Price and Income Effects,"
157014, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
- Huang, Kuo S., 1985. "U.S Demand for Food: A Complete System of Price and Icome Effects," Technical Bulletins 206507, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ags:sojoae:30004. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.
For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: (AgEcon Search)
If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.
If references are entirely missing, you can add them using this form.
If the full references list an item that is present in RePEc, but the system did not link to it, you can help with this form.
If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.
Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.
| 148,934
|
versión impresa ISSN 1665-5826
Results are reported of a study on early algebraic thinking performed with 9 students of 5th and 6th degree of elementary school, 10 to 11 years old. Two routes of access to algebra are explored: proportional reasoning and generalization processes. The methodological theoretical framework is based on the theory of local models developed by Filloy (1999) and Filloy, Rojano and Puig (2008). The experimental activities involved pencil and paper and the Logo environment. Results reveal that at the end of the study the participant pupils came to understand basic ideas of proportional reasoning describe a pattern and discover a general rule, as they transit from an additive to a multiplicative thinking.
Palabras llave : early algebraic thinking; generalization processes; elementary school; Logo environment.
| 149,302
|
ENRGYENV 898 - Energy Focused Gate
U.S. Policy, Politics and Economics of Western Hemisphere Energy
This course will introduce students to the issues which attend the current efforts to achieve Western Hemisphere energy independence, implications of the new shale extraction technologies, the key Washington elements engaged in managing the U.S. energy sector and the politics that inform the policy making process. Students will participate in classroom sessions during the term (1 meeting per week) and then travel to Washington, D. C. Houston, Texas and, time permitting, one of the new centers for the booming shale production.
This course will explore issues related to the discovery of new oil and gas deposits and how advances in technology have in recent years transformed expectations for Western Hemisphere energy production. In particular U.S. energy production has surged as hydraulic fracturing has made inaccessible shale deposits of gas and oil economically viable. Canada has become the United States’ largest foreign supplier of petroleum. Mexico and Venezuela remain important suppliers of oil and Venezuelan reserves have been acknowledged by OPEC as the world’s largest. The successful development of Brazil’s deep-water deposits promises to turn that country into a significant exporter. Brazil and the U.S. are also the world’s largest ethanol producers and both governments are interested in encouraging the further development of the renewables. Foreign policy considerations, the realities of international energy markets and differing views of the exigencies of environmental stewardship all inform the debates that swirl around the increasingly dynamic U.S. energy sector.
| 28,803
|
Learn the basics of critical thinking, an essential skill for problem solving and decision making.
- Have you ever solved one problem only to realize you created a bigger one? Have you ever thought you solved the problem but then discovered you only cured a symptom and didn't fix the root cause? The reason these things happen is because you're not thinking critically. Critical thinking is both a mindset and the application of some real simple tools. I'm Mike Figliuolo and I've been applying and teaching critical thinking methods for years across all different industries and business functions, I've found these critical thinking skills to be invaluable.
In this course, I'll share critical thinking techniques like: defining the real problem, the five why's, the seven so what's, blowing up the business, the 80/20 rule, and how to conduct insightful analysis. I'll discuss how you can apply these techniques to your daily work and how you can build a culture of critical thinking within your team.
- Breaking big problems into small ones
- Defining the problem statement
- Asking focusing questions
- Finding root causes
- Using critical thinking tools
- Teaching others to think critically
| 96,019
|
CHANGES to Scotland’s new property tax system are among the limited options open to the Finance Secretary as he prepares for the Scottish Budget against a backdrop of revenue reductions and negotiations over new powers.
John Swinney, also the Deputy First Minister, will on Wednesday deliver what will effectively be the fourth Budget affecting Scottish households this year, following the March Budget, July’s emergency Budget and last month’s Autumn Statement.
But while Scotland has new tax powers taking effect in 2016, Swinney will have little room for manoeuvre until a full Scottish fiscal framework is in place.
That remains the subject of ongoing negotiations between the Scottish Government and Westminster, with the Scotland Bill yet to pass through parliament.
Swinney met Treasury officials for the fifth time last week in an attempt to reach agreement on a fiscal framework for new tax and spending powers. The Lords economic affairs committee has warned that the Scotland Bill should not go ahead until the fiscal framework is published and scrutinised, adding that moves to devolve income tax powers had been taken with “undue haste”.
Martin Bell, head of tax with BDO in Scotland, said: “Although he will be keen to demonstrate that the Scottish Treasury is independent of the rest of the UK, I think that John Swinney will be hampered in producing anything too radical in the Scottish Budget.”
The powers that Swinney has at his disposal on Wednesday include the new Scottish rate of income tax, which was part of the Scotland Act (2012) and takes effect in April. This will see the current income tax rates reduced by 10p in the pound for Scotland, leaving the Scottish Government to set its own rate to generate its own income.
The Scottish rate could be set at 10p, leaving income tax unchanged, but there is no upper limit and it could also be cut to zero (though earnings bands will remain the same across the UK in the 2016-17 tax year). So if the Scottish rate is increased to 11p, the overall tax rates for Scottish taxpayers will become 21, 41 and 46p.
It will almost certainly remain unchanged, said Stephen Hay, head of tax at RSM in Scotland.
“As he can’t introduce and increase the higher or additional rates and also decrease the basic rate until the Scotland Act is enacted, chances are that the rate will be set at 10p with no changes to the tax rates compared to the UK,” he explained.
Barry Lawrie, partner at French Duncan, agreed. “The fact that this increase needs to apply across the bands means the Government can’t increase the top rate without also increasing the lower rates. With the Scottish Parliament elections in May, I predict there will be no increase.”
With income tax changes very unlikely, the focus for Scottish households on Wednesday will be around land and buildings transaction tax (LBTT, the Scottish version of stamp duty) and council tax reform.
Swinney may offer a hint as to future changes to local taxation, according to David Glen, head of tax, PwC in Scotland.
“There have been some suggestions that we may see a change to current council tax as there is a growing momentum for reform of local taxation,” he said.
“With the Commission on Local Tax Reform due to report imminently, the Scottish Budget may simply give a foretaste of greater local taxation changes that could have a wide impact on individuals and households.”
But the greatest interest may be around LBTT, which took effect in April. In his autumn statement last month the UK Chancellor unveiled a 3 per cent stamp duty land tax (SDLT) surcharge on buy-to-let and second home purchases, taking effect in April. With that putting distance between property taxes in Scotland and the rest of the UK, Swinney can either maintain that gap or match Osborne’s move.
“Currently, a second home costing £350,000 would incur SDLT of £7,500 and LBTT of £8,350, but from April 2016 the SDLT rises to £18,000,” Hay pointed out.
So will Swinney increase the rate on buy-to-let and second homes? Hay doesn’t think so: “If the rates were going down, he’d probably follow suit, but leaving the residential property market alone may well be the better option,” he said.
However, the Scottish Government may be keen to address a shortfall in revenues from LBTT. Tinkering with LBTT rates or banding levels could be a way of doing this, said Bell at BDO.
“Swinney is limited in what else he can adjust to increase revenues and he will be conscious that North Sea oil revenues, which the Scottish Government has already predicted to fall substantially, may need to be downgraded further given the continued fall in oil prices this week. This could leave him with a further hole in the finances for the coming year.”
Yet Bell doesn’t expect Scotland to follow Osborne’s lead on buy-to-let and second home taxes.
“Targeting these groups is politically neutral/favourable and increasing the cost of purchasing buy-to-let and second homes could bring in substantial revenues for the Scottish Government,” he said. “But if he does not or cannot make any amendments to the LBTT charged to these groups there is the potential for Scotland to become a haven for disaffected investors who see it as a potentially cheaper place to invest in property, at least in the short term.”
| 239,141
|
Microsoft Releases Public Beta of Data Protection Manager
Microsoft has released the public beta of its disk-to-disk backup product, Data Protection Manager. The product is designed to make backups easier than simply backing up to tape. Disk-to-disk backup completes images in significantly less time, meaning much less downtime for systems during backups.
"Our whole goal with DPM is to shrink the operational costs associated with IT professionals having to manually recover lost data and manage cumbersome backup and recovery processes," says Ben Matheson, group product manager for DPM at Microsoft. "From what our early-adopter customers are telling us, DPM is doing that very effectively."
The controversial part of the product comes in with Microsoft partners such as Veritas and CA, which already offer backup solutions with Backup Exec and BrightStor. CA has said that they don't mind Microsoft's foray into the market, but Veritas has been noticeably quiet on the subject.
Keep an eye on this market in the future, as growing data volumes and growing needs for data retrieval from compliance regulations have made the disk-to-disk data protection market very appealing.
| 145,639
|
batteries are a little plastic cylinder that has this special kind of juice that helps power the batteries BUT YOU HAVE TO RECYCLE THE BATTERIES NOT JUST THROW THEM AWAY!!!! why because the juice inside the batteries is flammable and if it gets into the furnace then it will EXPLODE=http://=http://!!!!
If you want to make a battery then you will need:a zinc strip,copper strip a piece of a strong paper, rubber band,two small wires,copper sulfate(warning do not get on clothes or on human skin or in the body)and some tape also bend the strips almost 90 degrees away from the paper
Here's a video about batteries
| 213,397
|
We all know of the beloved Dr. Seuss, renowned for the classics, such as The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham.
This fall, his artwork will be on display in at the POP International Galleries for a limited engagement to celebrate its 20th Anniversary!
Starting on October 13th, visitors and collectors can explore and acquire a rare selection of his art, including hundreds of major artworks spanning his entire 70-year career–many which have not been seen.
This includes concept drawings and final line drawings painstakingly created for his children’s books, artwork created in the 1930s and 1940s for early commercial projects, and private paintings and sculpture done within the intimate setting of his studio.
Perhaps the wackiest and most wonderful elements of the collection are Dr. Seuss’s three-dimensional “Unorthodox Taxidermy” sculptures with names like The Carbonic Walrus, The Two-Horned Drouberhannis, and the Goo-Goo-Eyed Tasmanian Wolghast, to name a few. Each of these Estate-Authorized limited editions has been adapted and reproduced from Theodor Seuss Geisel’s original drawings, paintings, or sculptures. Additionally, each work bears a posthumously printed or engraved Dr. Seuss signature, identifying the work as an authorized limited edition commissioned by the Dr. Seuss Estate.
The Art of Dr. Seuss Collection has become one of the most comprehensive projects ever undertaken for a deceased artist. Nearly 300 gallery, museum, and public exhibitions have been mounted in this country and abroad over the past 20 years, garnering both critical and popular attention from the art world and the collecting public. Three major coffee table books have been published on The Art of Dr. Seuss Collection and 77 limited editions of Seuss imagery have now sold out. Most importantly, Theodor Seuss Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) has taken his rightful place among America’s greatest artistic talents of the 20th century. In her preface to the popular coffee table book on this collection, The Cat Behind the Hat, Audrey Geisel (Ted Geisel’s widow) writes: “I’m gratified to carry out Ted’s wishes and have these works revealed to the world.”
Details on The Art of Dr. Seuss Collection:
October 13th to November 15th, 2018
Pop International Galleries, 195 Bowery, New York, NY 10002
RSVP: T: 212.533.4262 or DrSeuessRSVP@popinternational.com
To learn more, please visit: www.popinternational.com
| 311,246
|
|Municipality and City|
|• Mayor||Rudolf Ceglédi (VMSZ)|
|• Senta||293.0 km2 (113.12 sq mi)|
|Time zone||CET (UTC+1)|
|• Summer (DST)||CEST (UTC+2)|
Senta (Serbian Cyrillic: Сента (pronounced [sɛ̌ːnta]); Hungarian: Zenta (pronounced [ˈzɛntɒ]); Romanian: Zenta; German: Senta or formerly Zenta; Turkish: Zenta) is a town and municipality on the bank of the Tisa river in the Vojvodina province, Serbia. Although geographically located in Bačka, it is part of the North Banat District. The town has a population of 18,704, whilst the Senta municipality has 23,316 inhabitants (2011 census).
Archaeological finds indicate that the area around the modern settlement was populated from the prehistoric times. Neolithic and eneolithic societies settled in the vicinity of modern Senta thousands of years ago leaving credible traces of their presence. A Neolithic Tiszapolgár–Bodrogkeresztúr culture necropolis was found in Senta. The first historic population that might have lived in the area were most likely the Agathyrsi (6. century BC). With certainty we can claim that the inhabitants of the early "Senta" were Sarmatians, Slavs alike and Avars. Hungarian people invaded the area during the great breakthrough of the Magyars.
According to historic records, the town was mentioned first in 1216 under the name Szintarev. In this time, it was under administration of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary. The entire area was sacked by Tatars in 1241/42. After initial salvation, Senta saw more than two centuries of prosperity. Initially, the town was part of Bodrog county, but from 1246 it was part of the Csanad County, and later part of the Csongrad County. Records also indicate that from the year 1440 an area south of Senta called Peser was under the control of the Serbian despots. In the second half of the 15th century there occurred a brief conflict, a small war of sorts, with the rivaling community of Szeged. Nevertheless, in the year 1506 Senta became a royal free city, granted that by the Czech–Hungarian King Vladislav II Jagellion. By that time Senta had a fort, a harbour and a catholic monastery. The peasant rebellions of 1514 did not include Senta in the wake of destruction. Although still under administration of the Kingdom of Hungary in 1525 there was an autonomous Serb militia stationed in the fort. Autonomous in terms of command since on the list of officers one can clearly note that Serb units had their own commanding officers, most notably Mihailo Konjović and Stevan Brančić. After the Battle of Mohács in 1526 Senta was no longer under administration of the Kingdom of Hungary. In the brief period of the reign of Serb Emperor Jovan Nenad, Senta was part of Jovan Nenad's state and was a refuge for Serb forces. One may clearly acknowledge this due to the fact that after being seriously wounded in Szeged, Jovan Nenad and his guards retreated towards Senta, only to be intercepted by Hungarian forces and murdered in the village of Tornjoš. After Jovan Nenad was murdered and his state collapsed, Senta was again placed under administration of the Kingdom of Hungary, until it came under full Ottoman control in 1542. During Ottoman conquest, local Hungarian population left this area, which was then populated by Serbs who came from other parts of the Ottoman Empire.
During the second half of the 16th century and most of the 17th century Senta was under administration of the Ottoman Empire and the town and area were part of the Sanjak of Segedin. However, Ottomans only operated a garrison in the fort, while the population of settlement was Serb. The reputed traveler, Evlija Čelebija, visited Senta during his expeditions, and noted that it is a small place, quiet and calm with a fort, a mosque and a village with enough services to maintain itself. On the 15. October 1686 a skirmish between local Serb insurgence under Habsburg command and a smaller Ottoman force occurred. The event is known as the First Battle of Senta. From the year 1686 to the more commonly known Battle of Senta in 1697 the town and its surroundings were no longer under Ottoman control, but at the same time were neither controlled by the Habsburgs.
On 11 September 1697 Prince Eugene of Savoy defeated the Ottoman army in the Battle of Senta, which was fought at this location, and after the Treaty of Karlovci in 1699, the was included into Habsburg Monarchy as part of the Tisa–Mureş section of the Military Frontier. Amongst those involved in the battle was skilled Serb officer, Captain and later Colonel Jovan Popović Tekelija, who after the conflict took command over part of the Frontier. During this period Senta was mainly populated by Serbs and had a small Orthodox church. It was well fortified and protected by organized units of Serb militia called Frontiersmen. After the abolishment of this part of the Frontier in 1751, Senta was included into District of Theiss, which was part of the Batsch-Bodrog County of the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary. Many of the Serbs that lived in the town, and that now considered themselves humiliated by being reduced from soldiers to farmers, emigrated either to other parts of the Habsburg Monarchy where Military Frontier was still needed either to Russia (notably to New Serbia and Slavo-Serbia). One of the settlements in New Serbia was also named Senta by the Serb colonists.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Hungarians, Slovaks, Germans, and Jews settled in the town. In 1848–1849 revolution, the town was alternately controlled by the forces of the Kingdom of Hungary and forces of the Serbian Vojvodina. From 1849 to 1860, it was part of the Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar, a separate Austrian crown land. After abolishment of the voivodeship in 1860, Senta was again included into Batsch-Bodrog County. In 1910, the population of the town numbered 29,666 inhabitants of whom 27,221 (91.8%) spoke Hungarian, 2,020 (6.8%) spoke Serbian, and 425 (1.4%) spoke other languages.
Serbs started to settle in the town in larger number again after the First World War, when Senta became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later renamed to Yugoslavia) in 1918. From 1918 to 1922, the town was part of Novi Sad County, from 1922 to 1929 part of Belgrade Oblast, and from 1929 to 1941 part of Danube Banovina. From 1941 to 1944, Senta was occupied by the Axis troops and was attached to Horthy's Hungary. After the war, in 1944, Senta became part of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina within new socialist Yugoslavia. Since 1945, Vojvodina is part of the People's Republic of Serbia within Yugoslavia.
Senta municipality includes the town of Senta and 4 villages. The villages are (Hungarian names are in italics):
Climate in this area has mild dfferences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate).
|Climate data for Senta|
|Average high °C (°F)||2
|Average low °C (°F)||−5
|Precipitation mm (inches)||30
|Source: Weatherbase |
Demographics (2011 census)
Ethnic groups in the Senta municipality
According to the 2011 census, Senta municipality had a total population of 23,316, including:
- Hungarians = 18,441 (79.09%)
- Serbs = 2,533 (10.86%)
- Roma = 595 (2.55%)
- Others and undeclared = 1,747 (7.49%)
All settlements in the municipality have Hungarian ethnic majorities.
Ethnic groups in the Senta town
The town of Senta had a population of 18,704, including:
- Hungarians = 14,429 (77.14%)
- Serbs = 2,454 (13.12%)
- Roma = 226 (1.21%)
- Others and undeclared = 1,595 (8.53%)
Senta is the birthplace of many renowned people, including:
- Matija Bećković (writer and poet)
- Jovan Đorđević (cultural benefactor)
- Bernat Klein (textile designer)
- Thurzó Lajos (writer)
- Arpad Sterbik (handball goalkeeper)
- Milorad Krivokapić (handball player)
- Jovan Muškatirović (luminary)
- Stevan Sremac (writer)
- Jožef Tertei (Greco-Roman wrestler)
- Joca Vujić (cultural benefactor)
- Niš, Serbia
- Dunajská Streda , Slovakia
- Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary
- Kranj, Slovenia
- Mukachevo, Ukraine
- Gödöllő, Hungary
- Climate Summary for Senta
- "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Senta, Serbia". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
- "Population by ethnicity – Senta". Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia (SORS). Retrieved 4 March 2013.
- Official website
- Community Portal of Citizens
- Atila Pejin - Istorijat Sente / History of Senta (Serbian)
- History of Senta (Hungarian)
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Senta.|
| 127,795
|
Vaastu have a vital role in progeny. It not only resolves progeny related problems, but is also responsible for good health of child. Vaastu parameters are made keeping in mind various energy fields coming from different directions. There different field affects various spheres of our life.
Some effects our health, some effect finance, some effects mutual relation, some effects profession and some effects progeny. Today we discuss some factor, which effect progeny in a family or in a house. Having children and their good health is one of the most important motive of any married couple worldwide.
But if we make a house against vastu norms we find ourselves standing against natural forces. One of the basic motto of vastu is to extract maximum out of natural forces so that we can get maximum energy for each & every field of life. If we are standing against nature some of energies are obstructed & we find ourselves lacking behind in some spheres of life.
Slopping of a house not only affects the health and financial status of family members but also plays a vital role in extension of family tree. If North East of a house is highest then it is almost impossible to have a progeny in that house. Children in these houses face problems in their childhood. If South West is lowest then the elder son will face problems when he grows up.
A low North West indicates miscarriages and still births. If North East is lowest it leads to a healthy child.
Before starting construction of house, do some plantation on that plot. Speed of growth of the plantation indicates whether the soil has the power to help the progeny or not. If we find some growth within seven days then that land is good, but if there is no growth at all, it indicates infertility.
As per Vaastu tenets this land should be left. Water source in North East leads to a healthy child. If the North East has a tubewell or an under ground water tank, it is good for children. But if North East has stairs or North East is elevated it is extremely harmful.
If you are planning a baby you should not sleep in the North West room. It is a direction of the air element and which makes it hard to conceive. Bedroom in North West and North East leads to miscarriages. So if any lady is pregnant, she should not sleep in this direction.
| 288,793
|
Below you’ll find a wonderful collection of sites to help you keep your child safe! As a mom you can never get enough information that can assist in making your job easier – especially when it comes to the well-being of your little one.
The links are:
- Bike and Wheeled Sports Safety Brochure
- Home Safety Guide
- How to Install your car seat correctly
- Home Safety Tip Sheet
- New resources for Home Safety
- Winter sports Safety Tips
- Baby Proofing…12 Tips for the First 12 Months
- Safety Video – safe sleep and car seats information
Best Wishes, from the staff at Kidsafe Inc.
| 110,155
|
''I don't believe it's too late to find a political solution to the conflict here,'' says Julio Adolfo Rey Prendes, the gravelly voiced secretary-general of El Salvador's Christian Democratic Party.
''No one can finally say what it is they are fighting for,'' he says. ''No one knows the future, and because of this we have hope.''
Mr. Prendes, like many of those close to Christian Democratic presidential candidate Jose Napoleon Duarte, wants many of the people who turned their backs on the political system here and joined the insurgent movement to come back into the Salvadorean government.
Many of the leaders of the Democratic Revolutionary Front, the political arm of the guerrilla movement, were once proteges of Prendes and Duarte.
The Christian Democrats rarely condemn their colleagues for joining the insurgent forces and often recall them with warmth, even with admiration. Prendes himself was forced underground to operate what he calls ''the Party of the Catacombs'' from 1977 to 1979. Duarte spent eight years in exile after participating in an abortive 1972 coup.
''Guillermo Ungo,'' Prendes says, referring to the president of the Democratic Revolutionary Front, ''is a man who believes very deeply in democracy. One hopes if we can build a legitimate democratic government, Ungo and those around him can come back into the country to participate.''
Prendes speculates that Ungo and some others in the Democratic Revolutionary Front are being ''used'' by the five guerrilla commanders who make up the leadership of the Faribundo Marti National Liberation Front. (The revolutionary front is the political arm and the FMLN the military arm of the Salvadorean rebel movement.)
''The FMLN is made of Marxists who need the veneer of democracy to legitimize their attempts to grab power,'' he says. ''If they win a military victory, Guillermo Ungo will be lucky to get a visa back into the country.''
In contrast, Prendes says, the Christian Democrats and the Salvadorean military can have a smooth working relationship under a democratic structure.
''We (Christian Democrats) can give the Army something positive to fight for. We can make them the protectors of institutions which are built for the people and not the wealthy elite and military,'' Prendes says.
The Christian Democratic leader says Salvadoreans ''do not feel any sentiment when they see the guerrillas crush the armed forces, but a fair system of government can change this.''
Eduardo Molina, another key Christian Democrat, sees the Democratic Revolutionary Front as an ally, not an enemy, in the struggle to block the Marxist guerrillas and ultra-rightists from achieving total control of El Salvador's government.
''I think the FMLN guerrillas know that their most dangerous opponent will ultimately be the FDR Democratic Revolutionary Front),'' Molina says. ''They realize that they can never give Ungo real political power, because a pluralistic democratic society will not be conducive to a Marxist regime.''
''If we continue to attempt to resolve the conflict militarily, we will lose, '' Molina says. ''Only a dialogue and eventual incorporation of democratic elements of the left into our ranks offer any exit for us now.''
This incorporation, according to Molina and Prendes, would isolate the Marxist insurgents and remove their democratic facade.
Molina's and Prendes's party has paid a heavy price for its democratic aspirations.
Duarte estimates that 600 party members, including 32 mayors and five top party officials, have been murdered since 1980. ''We believe,'' Duarte says, ''most of these murders were committed by the right.''
Christian Democratic officials say that - despite the potential for a smooth working relationship - the armed forces present a major obstacle in the way of the Christian Democrats to achieving power and social change.
''Certainly there are many elements in the Army that consider us a threat,'' Prendes says, ''but I am hopeful that both soldiers and officers, through political indoctrination, can come to understand that there are other things to defend besides their power.''
''Democracy,'' Prendes contends, ''is a difficult concept to understand but once understood and acquired, it will never be lost.''
The Christian Democrats began a model land redistribution program when they held power in 1980. But ''sadly,'' Prendes says, ''the Army never understood the plan, and destroyed it. We (Christian Democrats) wanted to give land to the peasants and then hand them the arms to defend it. We knew they would defend their fields, but the Armed forces are afraid to give weapons to civilians. They must accept that this is the only way we will defeat the insurgents.''
Prendes and Molina contend that the guerrillas probably will not defeat the Army on the battlefield, but the Army, they think, could collapse from its own isolation from the populace and a lack of motivation to fight.
The Christian Democrats promise to provide strong support for the faltering agrarian reform. They have also called for an overhaul of the judicial system.
''We want a Supreme Court that is capable, not politically in tune with those in power,'' Prendes says.
The Christian Democrats promise, if they win the presidential election, to put security forces under the control of the attorney general. The intelligence and investigative branches of the National Police would be closed down, according to party officials, and the unit would deal primarily with traffic violations.
''We have been here for 20 years,'' Prendes says, ''and it was our party that was a major factor in raising the consciousness of the population. With severe rightist repression, the leftists capitalized on our work. We were ourselves badly splintered and broken, but we continue. Perhaps if we win, those who are in the hills will realize that what seemed impossible before is possible now.''
| 137,653
|
Adeline Frostad isn’t retired. She’s just beginning a new chapter of her life.
“I completed my career as an elementary school teacher last year in June,” the 33-year teaching veteran said. “I knew that I had to have some sort of goals and aspirations beyond retirement of that position. My husband suggested looking into teaching English as another language (EAL).
The suggestion seemed to fit with certain elements Frostad had enjoyed most in her teaching experience, which spanned all levels of high school and elementary school.
“My final position was teaching Grades 1 and 2 which was my all-time favourite,” she explained. “I definitely found again that my passion is for the very beginnings of language learning and literacy.”
Frostad contacted David Catterick, Briercrest’s assistant professor of applied linguistics TESOL to explore the steps she should take for EAL training.
“Briercrest had just begun offering their Saskatchewan TESOL certificate,” Frostad said. “It involves the completion of four courses and two practicums required by the government of Saskatchewan to teach EAL and EFL (English as a Foreign Language).
Frostad became the first student to enrol in the year-long certificate program at Briercrest. She completes her studies this April.
“I’m right in the midst of doing my teaching practicum at the Regina Open Door,” she exclaimed. “There are a large number of refugees as well as immigrants. At the Open Door the students begin their language learning with basic literacy and then take Canadian benchmark levels 1-3.”
Although Frostad had many years of teaching experience, she says the change from teaching children to adults has required a paradigm shift.
“One thing that I’ve been practicing is tone of voice,” she explained. “When I speak to the adults I’m very careful I don’t speak to them as you would to a child. That’s been something that I’m really practicing and working on.”
After more than three decades as a teacher, it’s also been quite a shift for Frostad to return to the role of a student at Briercrest this year.
“It hasn’t been easy,” she admitted. “I’ve found the process very challenging. I remember the first time David Catterick said in class that we needed to form ourselves into groups for a group project and I just cringed because I wasn’t sure any young student would want to pair with an old lady.”
She soon found these concerns were unwarranted.
“I’ve found the students to be just incredibly open and accepting,” she said. “I’ve really really enjoyed being surrounded by godly students who are so keen and eager to serve the Lord and willing to give of themselves. It’s been humbling and beautiful to see at the same time.”
Frostad is taking the opportunity for another first-time experience this summer when she and her husband David will be part of a Briercrest team that will be teaching English at the New Life English Camps in Wölmersen, Germany.
“I’ve never been on any type of an overseas ministry opportunity before,” she explained. “David and I will be part of a team of nine that will be working with 13-17-year-olds at the camp. This opportunity is another huge benefit of studying in Briercrest’s TESOL program.”
The fruit of Frostad’s EAL training has had a quick return. She was just offered a teaching position at the Regina Open Door Society, the organization where she is completing her internship. She and her husband plan to relocate to Regina this summer.
“I’ve said a number of times in the past months that my year of study in the TESOL program has been the perfect way to bid farewell to Briercrest – the place we’ve served and love so much,” Frostad exclaimed. “I’ve had this sense all year that I’ve seen first-hand that Briercrest is alive and well and an excellent place to train for Christian ministry.”
| 223,563
|
The Linguistics program in the Department of English specializes in real-world applications
of linguistics through the study of areas such as discourse analysis and sociolinguistics. In
addition, core areas of linguistic study include phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics
and pragmatics. Students may also design a more specialized program of study that
focuses on gender and language, computer-mediated communication, politeness theory,
intercultural communication, medical discourse and others.
Students majoring in either English as a Second Language or Linguistics often take
courses in both areas. Many Linguistics courses are available online.
Graduate students in Lingusitics have presented papers at professional conferences
such as The Southeastern Conference on Linguistics, NWAVE, Tennessee TESOL, and International
TESOL. They have also taken advantage of the many opportunities to teach English as
a Second or Foreign Language in the U.S. and abroad. Many students pursuing the M.A.
in Linguistics go on to earn a Ph.D. in the field.
For more information:
Video Introduction to Applied Linguistics Concentration (YouTube)
M.A. in ESL
Graduate Certificate in TESL/TEFL
| 230,823
|
Growing up, Daily Stories of Pennsylvania by Frederic Godcharles was one of the few books I had read and reread until I had most of the stories memorized. The collection of stories helped foster my love for the state’s history as I often found myself lost in those stories.
It was this book that brought me to Milton to visit the resting place of the gentleman who wrote it.
Although I had passed the community of Milton countless times on Interstate 80 or Route 15, I had never detoured to enter and explore the town. It was all changing as I exited Route 15 and entered town on Route 642. I crossed the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and Milton State Park and entered the town located on the east bank of the river.
“You have directions?” mom asked as she flipped through my notes for the day’s journey.
“They’re in there somewhere,” I responded as I drove through the stone arch that appeared to have once been a part of a gatehouse and onto the sacred grounds of Harmony Cemetery.
Not knowing where he was buried within the borders of Harmony Cemetery, I sent an email to Heather, a friend who lives in the area. She sent directions that had me standing at the Godcharles plot mere moments after entering the cemetery.
The simple marker in the family plot rested next to the grassy roadway The marker that appears to be like many in the plot and remembers the man buried there. “Frederic A. / Godcharles / 1872-1944.”
On June 3, 1872, Frederic Antes Godcharles was the first of five children to Elizabeth and Charles Godcharles, a local businessman. Frederic was born and raised in Northumberland and graduated from Milton High School before attending Lafayette College. Godcharles returned to Milton and owned and operated the F.A. Godcharles Company, which manufactured iron and steel products.
Godcharles entered the political arena in the early 1900s. He represented Northumberland County in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1901-1902) and Union County in the Pennsylvania State Senate (1905-1908). In 1908, Frederic was elected as a member of the Republican National Convention.
In addition to political service, Frederic served in the military. He was a member of the Twelfth Regiment of the United States Army during the Spanish–American War and as a member of the Pennsylvania National Guard during World War One.
In 1927, Godcharles was appointed to serve as Pennsylvania State Librarian. The same year he became the Director of the State Museum of Pennsylvania, a position he would hold until 1931. Under his direction, the museum increased daily visitors. Unfortunately, his attempts to secure additional funding and his attempt to extend the museum and its collection were limited due to the onset of the Great Depression.
Godcharles started writing as the owner and editor of The Miltonian.. In 1911, he published the two-volume set Freemasonry in Northumberland & Snyder Counties, Pennsylvania. His next book was published in 1924. Daily Stories of Pennsylvania, which collected newspaper articles he wrote about Pennsylvania’s history. The book is organized with each day of the year having a story that connects to the date it was published. In 1933, Godcharles published the five-volume Pennsylvania: Political, Governmental, Military and Civil followed by the four-volume set Chronicles of Central Pennsylvania in 1944.
After retiring as the Director of the Pennsylvania State Museum, Frederic and his wife moved to Leonardtown, Maryland. He passed on December 30, 1944 and his body was returned to Milton and buried in the family plot in Harmony Cemetery.
As I stood paying my respects, I couldn’t help but reflect on the impact his writings have had on my own writings and love of Pennsylvania’s history. The way he captured and held my attention in his stories is something I have strived to put into the stories I’ve written. I finally stepped away and left him to rest in the family plot, thankful for the impact his love of history has had on my own life.
2 thoughts on “Frederic Godcharles”
I must say that I indeed do find your writing both interesting and enjoyable. Thank you for your work.
| 32,174
|
This Rules called as Financial Assistance for Non-Institutional Care of Dependent Children was extended in Manipur since 18th Sept. 1992 vide Govt. letter No. came into existence No. 12/2/92-SW. While applying for such assistance, every candidate has to follow the rules as given below :
(i) Shall be citizen of India and resident of Manipur at least for the last six years.
(ii) Shall be in the age group of 6 to 14 years
(iii) Shall be studying as a regular student in an institution recognised by the Government of Manipur. The Assistance may also be extended to the Children who are not students but give the specific undertaking that they will take admission in a institution within 3 months from the date of sanction of the Financial assistance. failure to take admission in Schools within the stipulated period will disentitle the child to receive the assistance.
(iv) Shall be a dependent Child/failing under any one of the following classification
a. Both the parents of the child should be physically or mentally and economically incapacitated to maintain the child or
b. The Child is deprived of normal parental support, care of guardian.
(v) The parent’s income shall not exceed Rs. 500/- p.m
a Provided the income limit is not applicable in case of Child who is taken care of by his her relative, foster parent or guardian on account of the death of both his/her parents
b Provided the sanction should be limited to one child of the family
c Provided further that recipients of old age pension are also entitled to get this benefit for their children subject to fulfillment of provision laid down under Eligibility Rules.
Amount of Assistance
(i) Assistance shall be sanctioned quarterly for the whole financial year during which these are granted and shall be subject to renewal from year to year.
(ii) The amount of assistance shall be sixty rupees per month per child or such rate as may be fixed by the State Government from time to time by notification in the official Gazette.
The assistance may continue so long as the Child continues his/her studies in the institution or attains the age of 14 years whichever is earlier, or the causes of destitution no longer exist.
Any one applying for this assistance should submit the following documents along with the filled-in application form
(i) To proof the age of the applicant , Birth Certificate issued by Municipality/Sub-Divisional Office or an affidavit shown before a First Class Magistrate by the applicant or a certificate from the Head of the Institution where the applicant studied.
(ii) 2(two) recent photographs of the Child.
Change of Address
It shall be obligatory on an applicant to intimate any change of the Director, Department of social welfare Govt. of Manipur or District Social Welfare Officer of the concerned District as the case may be. The Children shifting to place outside the State of Manipur for a period exceeding three months shall not be eligible for this benefit.
| 59,871
|
Police officers who paid the ultimate sacrifice were honored Monday morning at the Dothan Police Department.
It was the third annual police memorial. In the history of the department there have been three fallen officers.
Sergeant Shelby Owens, Sergeant Robert Jackson, and Corporal Robert Armstrong were remembered.
Attorney general troy king was the guest speaker. “We must never forget as the top law official in the state I tell you we should never forget what these officers have done for us what they have sacrificed what their families have sacrificed and we must never forget what they do to keep the rest of us safe,” said King.
There is still a reward being offered for any information that leads to the arrest of the person responsible for Sergeant Jackson’s death.
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or firstname.lastname@example.org.
| 271,312
|
All You Need to Know About Pigeon Control
Don't be surprised if some people compare a rat to that of a pigeon; that's because both of them are considered as pests that can easily adapt to any kind of human environment. For instance, homes, buildings, and other types of structures provide roosts while the waste inside and around the property provide ample supply of food. It is true that pigeons are something that the kids love to see but it doesn't mean you don't get rid of them because the fun can never compensate the burden they leave behind, especially those corrosive feces.
Now if you plan on getting rid of those pigeons on your own, you must understand that you cannot treat them as if they're a typical pest like rats and roaches. Put in mind that to get rid of pigeons successfully, you ought to have full commitment, time, and a lot of patience. Because of the level of difficulty in dealing with these bird pests, a lot of homeowners and property owners will just hire a professional Bird Control Albuquerque NM service to take care of the job.
There are currently three known diseases humans can get that are carried by pigeons. In order for a person to contract any of these three diseases, he will need to be exposed to the pigeon droppings constantly and that he has a very weak immune system.
1 - Cyptococcosis
This disease is actually a fungal infection caused by contact with pigeon droppings. People suffering from auto-immune diseases are more prone to this one.
2 - Histoplasmosis
This likewise is a fungal infection but is very rare. It is contracted when you inhale dust from pigeon droppings.
3 - Psittacosis
This disease is different because it's a bacterial infection. It can be transferred from pigeons, parrots, and to humans.
Methods Used in Pigeon Control
Just a quick reminder before we start talking about controlling pigeons at home - we believe that hiring an expert in Bird Waste Removal is still the most sensible way to get rid of them permanently.
The main reason why live traps are quite effective in controlling the population of pigeons is because birds like them will easily fall to the bait put in those traps like cracked corn or wheat. Keep in mind that pigeons are social birds, which essentially means that they will be lured by the traps if you put some more pigeons near them.
A very effective method of controlling pigeons is to deny them access to your home in the first place. Pigeon proofing is classified as a method of modifying your property so as to deter those birds, using stuff like wires, bird netting and slopes, spikes, and electric tracks.
But if all else fails, you just have to accept the fact that the only remaining solution is to call in the professionals to do what you failed to do.
| 91,170
|
Patients want to know about connections between doctors and pharma
When you have a message to deliver, trust is critical. This is especially true when you’re relying on physician KOLs, who function as trust agents for your brand. But a recent investigation by ProPublica uncovered hundreds of doctors accused of professional misconduct or lacking board certification who have received payments from pharma.
NPR ran a story today entitled, “Drug Companies Hire Troubled Doctors As Experts,” which described how ProPublica created a database of the doctors who’ve received payments from drug companies and published it for public use. “Compiled from disclosures by seven companies, the database covers $257.8 million in payouts since 2009 for speaking, consulting and other duties. The companies include Lilly, Cephalon, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Merck and Pfizer.”
The Need for Balance
While noting that at least some of these doctors lacked proper credentials, NPR presented a balanced picture that includes a discussion of why drug companies pay these physicians. But the story is also being picked up by other news outlets and some are only focusing on the negative side.
A simple Google News search brings up sensational headlines like “Report: Big Pharma Paying Docs with Dubious Records to Promote Drugs,” “Is Your Doctor on Big Pharma’s Payroll?” or “Drug Companies Paying Shady Doctors For Prescription Drug Endorsements.” It’s easy to see why the patient view of these arrangements is negative, since many see these payments as a way to influence doctors to prescribe certain therapies, instead of a method of peer education.
What Are The Takeaways?
The two biggest takeaways that I see for the industry are:
1) Drug companies need to start vetting the docs that they are hiring to speak on their behalf, even more fully than they do now.
2) Patients need to be empowered with information – the full story of the existence and nature of these contracts will go a long way to gaining their trust.
There has already been a call for more transparency in the contracts between drug companies and physicians. Patients want to know about connections between doctors and pharma. This past spring, the Physician Payment Sunshine Act was passed. The act requires companies to begin recording any payments made to physicians or teaching hospitals (that are worth more than $10) starting January 2012. These records will be submitted and compiled into a national, searchable database beginning September 30, 2013. The ProPublica database released now is simply a precursor to the federal project.
Trust And Transparency
The key to establishing trust seems to be transparency. There are examples of patient advocates and bloggers who openly acknowledge that they are being paid by pharma and this does not preclude them from being trust agents. A little education to patients about the nature of the contracts – instead of the simple dollar values out of context – can go a long way. This education can also help protect the legitimate work that physicians do for the industry. It’s the hidden connection that causes everything said to be suspect.
CRM Programs Manager Siren Interactive
| 46,403
|
Jécori - Sonora
Facts about Jécori
Location of Jécori
Height over sea level of Jécori
The locations medium height over sea level is 800 meters.
Population in Jécori
The over all population of Jécori is 581 persons, 306 of them are male and 275 of them are female.
The population of this place consists of 152 minors and 429 adults, with 119 of them being 60 years and older.
A legal claim on health care and social insurance benefits have 355 citizens of Jécori.
In Jécori exist about 179 households.
Of these households 179 are common houses or apartments, 4 are without floor and about 3 consist of one room only.
167 of the normal households have sanitary installations, 176 are connected to the public water supply, 177 have access to electricity.
The economic situation allows 12 households to own a computer, 136 own a washing machine and 176 households are equipped with one ore more televisions.
School and education in Jécori
Besides the 6 analphabets aged 15 or older, about 2 minors between 6 and 14 are not visiting a school.
8 inhabitants of the population of 15 years and older did not visit a school and 262 persons did not finish the school. 90 visited only the 6 years lasting primary school, 86 visited and finished the college or similar scholar institutions.
A total of 35 aged 15 to 24 years visited a school, the medium time school is visited through the whole population is 7 years.
Map of Jécori
Add a reference to Jécori
To add a link to this page just copy and paste the following code into Your html code:
If You don´t see any fotos here you can help by uploading Your fotos at panoramio.com.
| 227,208
|
South African Family Biking Across Africa to Support EGPAF’s Fight for Mothers and Babies
Washington, D.C. – The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) is proud to support South Africa native Thandi Hall and her family as they embark on a cross-continental bicycle journey to raise $100,000 for EGPAF. Titled “From Pemba to Paris by Bicycle,” the nine-month trip will take Thandi and her family from Pemba, Mozambique to Paris, France.
“Of all the causes that I’ve come across (to support),” she says, “The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation stood head and shoulders above all of them.”
Thandi spent 15 years working in the pharmaceutical industry, and has led outreach programs for prominent South African celebrities at hospitals to support awareness days focused on diabetes, international health, and breast cancer. But she wanted to do something “significant,” and decided that supporting the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation would be the perfect option.
She says that she wants to use the trip as an opportunity to bring increased awareness to the needs of children and mothers living with HIV in South Africa and share best practices with others along the way.
Thandi and her husband Graeme are experienced athletes. Both were members of the South African Triathlon and Duathlon Team, and Thandi won the World Long Distance Duathlon Championships in Switzerland in 1997. The couple and their ten-year-old son, Leonardo, will be traveling through Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Dijibouti, and Egypt, visiting several EGPAF clinic sites along the way.
To learn more about Thandi and her family, visit their Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/pemba2paris
About the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation:
EGPAF is a global leader in the fight against pediatric HIV/AIDS, and has reached more than 15 million women with services to prevent transmission of HIV to their babies. It currently works at more than 5,400 sites and in 15 countries to implement prevention, care, and treatment services; to further advance innovative research; and to execute global advocacy activities that bring dramatic change to the lives of millions of women, children, and families worldwide. For more information, visit www.pedaids.org.
| 72,692
|
M. Markley Antiques
For prices, additional photos, and more information about each item, CLICK on the photo, plus check out our page of Recent Arrivals.
For more information about the history of armoires, scroll down below the photo gallery.
Château des Bois CollectionTM of French antique furniture contains armoires
dating from the 18th to the 20th centuries in Renaissance, Henri II, Louis XIII
and Louis XIV styles in solid oak or walnut.
The collection includes a pair of matching bibliothèques or
library cabinets with glass
doors as well as a monumental Louis XIV armoire made in Provence in the 18th
century. Like their Medieval ancestors,
these armoires are wonderfully versatile and command attention in whatever room
they are found.
centuries, armoires have commanded pride of place in French homes, treasured
for their imposing presence and their ample storage capacity. Like most categories of furniture, the
armoire traces its ancestry to the chest, from a time as far back as the Dark
Ages when some clever French person turned a chest on its end and shoved it
against a wall so that the lid would swing open as a door. The modern term "armoire" comes from
the Latin word "armorium," or the chest that was used by Roman soldiers
to store arms. From a cultural standpoint, this conversion
from chest to armoire signals the beginning of a less nomadic and more
prosperous lifestyle in which people no longer limited their furniture choices
to whatever they could carry on their backs.
war, pestilence, floods and crime as the common denominators of European
existence for centuries, the armoire played a pivotal role in storing and
protecting the possessions of its owner.
In this context, it is important to remember that until the 19th century
industrialization of the textile business, items such as rugs, tapestries,
curtains, clothing, tablecloths and bedding were extremely expensive and
comprised the most valuable possessions of a household. Therefore a richly carved and massive
armoire was a fitting repository to preserve and protect these trappings of
Gothic and Renaissance times, the armoire was less popular than its cousin,
also descended from the chest, the bahut-deux-corps or two-piece cabinet. Beginning with the reign of King Louis XIII
in the 17th century, armoires reasserted
their dominance as the premiere category of furniture with bold designs
featuring raised diamond patterns, Maltese crosses and other geometric
shapes. Louis XIV's reign saw the
development of the largest armoires in walnut with massive architectural
mouldings at top and bottom. Because of
their solid and sturdy construction, many of these survive to this day,
particularly in Southern France.
our armoires date from the 19th century when France was swept by a passion for
the revival of past styles such as Gothic, Renaissance (Henri II), Louis XIII
and Louis XIV, leading to
re-interpretations of the armoire for contemporary use. This gave rise to ingenious methods of
construction so that armoires could be taken apart and re-assembled in rooms
whose small doorways would not otherwise admit these giants. Craftsmen employed stylistic elements
characteristic of the earlier periods such as columns, mythological creatures,
and intricately carved vegetation. It
was also the time when the bibliothèque or armoire with glass doors became
popular for libraries and offices.
recent visit to France, a young woman told us of the huge Louis XIV era armoire
in the living room of her family's fifth floor apartment in central Paris and
how it was a treasured member of the family.
We asked if it was a problem moving it and she responded that she did
not know - it had been in the same place for over 200 years! Such is the reverence and affection reserved
for armoires in France that, although they are rare, we are able to find them so beautifully preserved.
In the U.S., the armoire has enjoyed a Renaissance of its own, including conversion into an "entertainment center" or the home for a wide-screen television. This has led to a scarcity of the larger pieces of particularly solid construction with ample interior space.
| 278,432
|
Henry County was one of 96 counties in the state to experience a drop in unemployment rates from June 2010 to June 2011, according to the Kentucky Office of Employment and Training.
Henry’s unemployment rate dropped almost a full percentage point, from 9.3 in June 2010 to 8.3 in June 2011.
Regionally, Trimble County experienced the most improvment, going from 13.7 percent in June 2010 to an 10.6 percent this year. Conversely, Spencer County recorded the lowest decline — changing just 0.1 points again.
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the Henry County, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.
If you are new to the award winning Henry County and wish to get a subscription or simply gain access to our online content then please enter your ZIP code below and continue to setup your account.
| 44,900
|
Balance your professional life and health with: Lifestyle Changes
Healthy living is not a fling but a committed long-term relationship with your own self!
There are steps you can take right away that will pave the path for healthier habits. Freshmen’s Valley, one of the best milk brand in India, in its series of articles to help working people take care of their health easily, has come up with simple tips that will ensure your health stays perfect!
While it is not practical to adopt each of these, doing few now, scheduling few for later, will make sure you take a positive step ahead.
- Doctor’s visit! We understand that you want to stay away from doctors, but visiting them, and going for tests every 6 months will ensure you have to visit them as less as possible. Nipping symptoms in the bud is a wise step.
- Height & weight! When was the last time you dared to climb the weighing scale? Though the numbers might scary, knowing you are overweight with an undesirable BMI will encourage you to opt for exercises and healthy diet.
- Activity & exercises! Again something we do not like talking about if we are not doing it. Exercising vigorously for 15 minutes every day is important to keep lifestyle diseases away. It will also help reduce stress, and improve overall health.
- Maintain a diary! Keep it a secret if you want to, but writing down everything that you eat will help you monitor your diet. You can also maintain a diary for exercises.
- Rest as much as you work! Yes, you have deadlines, but your body does not understand this. The reason why you are able to work, your body, needs ample rest every day. While relaxing for few extra hours on a weekend is good, your body needs time to heal every day.
- Strong bonds! Working hard is going to take you places, eating well & working out is going to keep you healthy, but are you doing enough for your emotional health? Meet friends and family, take professional help, go on the spiritual path… anything that keeps you emotionally strong.
- If not quitting, reduce smoking & drinking! We all end up saying that one more peg or cigarette won’t harm. This mindset is albeit wrong. If you are not able to quit smoking or drinking, reduce as much as possible.
- Tackle irritation! Controlling aggressive behavior is difficult, if you are NOT doing something about it every day. Stay active doing things you enjoy. Learn something new. Change your home environment with paints, furniture placement, etc. And if these sound difficult, try working out for minimum 15 minutes each day.
- Pest control! A clean house leads to a fresh and relaxed mind. Keeping things tidy may sound difficult when you have long office hours, but it is important to keep the house free of insects, molds, etc. They not only contribute to diseases, they also add to the stress.
Lastly, go easy on yourself. It is okay to miss a deadline, it is okay to have a bowl full of dessert (not regularly), it is okay to skip workout because you wanted to read that book, it is okay to cry too. Living in guilt affects you mentally, and in the longer run physically too. Staying dedicated is recommended, but skipping things every now and then to take a break is not the end of the world. “To insure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life.”
| 181,572
|
SEF file extension - Encryptafile digital signature file
What is sef file? How to open sef files?
File type specification:
The SEF file extension is associated with the Encryptafile a software for Microsoft Windows that allows users to create encrypted data files. The *.sef file stores digital signature that is used to verify the identity of a Encryptafile.
The default software associated to sef file type:
Company or developer:
Encryptafile is an encryption program for Windows. Encrypt and decrypt data using the latest industry standard strong encryption algorithms.
List of recommended software applications associated to the .sef file extension
Recommended software programs are sorted by OS platform (Windows, Mac OS X etc.) and possible program actions
that can be done with the file: like open sef file, edit sef file, convert sef file, view sef file, play sef file etc. (if exist software for corresponding action in File-Extensions.org's database).
- Others sef file
Unspecified and all other actions for computer programs working with sef file - Encryptafile digital signature file
Click on the software link for more information about Encryptafile. Encryptafile uses sef file type for its internal purposes and/or also by different way than common edit or open file actions (eg. to install/execute/support an application itself, to store application or user data, configure program etc.).
| 49,812
|
Submitted to: American Dietetic Association Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/17/2004
Publication Date: 8/1/2004
Citation: Ahuja, J., Omolewa-Tomobi, G., Moshfegh, A. 2004. Impact of selected changes in the marketplace on nutrient intakes [abstract]. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 104(8) Supplement:A-49
Technical Abstract: Changes in foods in the marketplace can alter intakes without any active decision-making by the consumers. Examples of such recent changes in foods include folate fortification of grain products and reformulation of ready-to-eat (RTE) cereals in response to changes in Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) standards. The effects of these changes were estimated using the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Trends Analysis System, which enables differentiation between real changes in foods versus data improvements. Intakes from the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII) 1994-96, 98 were re-analyzed using the current nutrient data for grain products and RTE cereals. Differences in mean intakes and percent differences were estimated for different sex-age groups using SAS version 8.02, and tested for significance using SAS callable SUDAAN version 8. Folate fortification had a significant impact on folate intakes (p<0.001). Changes in RTE cereals also altered intakes, including vitamin B12, calcium, and folate. The impact was higher for children. USDA's Trends Analysis System enables these analyses with relative ease, and is available to researchers and public for use.
| 185,378
|
The Vietnam Women's Union and Spain's Agency for International Development and Co-operation (AECID) on Dec. 5 launched an information campaign aimed at fighting the trafficking of women and children, in the northern border province of Lang Son.
The launching ceremony drew the participation of over 500 delegates from border provinces of Lang Son, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Bac Giang, Quang Ninh, Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang and Nghe An, as well as donors and international agencies.
On this occasion, photos and documents on experiences of victims of human trafficking, as well as their process of re-integrating into the community were introduced.
Activities to help victims of human trafficking under the project Peaceful House were also introduced.
The campaign called on all sectors, agencies and the community in the country and abroad to join hands to prevent crimes of this kind and help victims.
According to the Ministry of Public Security, there were 1,949 cases of human trafficking reported occurred, involving 4,793 victims from 2004.
| 9,885
|
With an ever increasing number of individuals experiencing various forms of trauma, the relevance of a trauma-informed approach in different segments of societal structure cannot be overemphasized. One such segment is the legal sphere. The intersection of trauma and the law is a rapidly developing area of study and practice, springing from the growing acknowledgment that trauma greatly impacts an individual’s interaction with and experiences within the legal system. All over the world, legal practitioners, sociologists, and psychologists collaborate to form strategies that will help individuals with trauma histories proceed through the legal processes safely and effectively.
‘Trauma’, in this context, refers to a deeply distressing or disturbing experience that significantly impacts the physical, mental, or emotional state of an individual. It often drastically affects how an individual perceives, processes, and responds to their environment, especially stressful situations like legal proceedings. ‘Trauma-Informed Legal Practices’ can be understood as an approach in law that involves recognizing and responding knowledgeably and sensitively to the effects of trauma. This practice is especially pertinent within the context of any legal framework – counseling, prosecution, defense, or judicial procedures – and aims to ensure that the legal system does not retraumatize individuals, but assists in their healing process.
Table of Contents
An Overview of Trauma
Trauma comes in various forms and can be broadly differentiated into three categories; acute, chronic, and complex trauma. Acute trauma is typically a reaction to a single distressing event such as an accident or violent attack. Chronic trauma, on the other hand, results from repeated or prolonged exposure to highly stressful events like abuse or combat. Complex trauma, a term often used in discussions around mental health and child development, results from exposure to multiple traumatic events, often invasive and interpersonal in nature, with long-lasting impacts. The impact of these traumas can be extensive and often cause a range of symptoms including high levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The impact of trauma can significantly affect an individual’s ability to effectively participate in legal proceedings. Trauma interrupts normal cognitive functioning, impairs memory, and alters the perception of an event- all of which can negatively influence their ability to recall and narrate traumatic incidents accurately and consistently. Legal procedures often require victims to repeat and relive their traumatic experiences, which can exacerbate emotional distress and lead to re-traumatization. The adversarial nature of the legal system, lack of control, and fear of being disbelieved or blamed can further contribute to trauma survivors’ reluctance or inability to participate effectively.
Benefits of Implementing Trauma-Informed Legal Practices
Trauma-informed practices within a sexual assault law firm can greatly aid survivors in participating more effectively in legal proceedings. This kind of approach emphasizes understanding, empathy, and respect for trauma survivors, which can make them feel safer and more acknowledged. Trauma-informed practices may also include strategies such as gradual phased disclosure, avoiding detail-oriented questioning, using a calm demeanor, and incorporating regular breaks during testimonies. These provisions mitigate the expectant stress impact of legal procedures, thereby reducing the risk of re-traumatization, and facilitating survivors’ ability to recall their experiences more accurately and reliably.
Without the application of trauma-informed legal practices, there is a serious risk of traumatizing survivors further by forcing them to recount their experiences in settings they may find hostile and non-supportive. It can also lead to miscarriages of justice by misinterpreting the actions and words of a trauma survivor within the rigid frameworks of the legal process. In light of this, trauma-informed practices serve not only to protect the emotional and psychological wellbeing of the survivor, but also to uphold any and all legal and human rights such as the right to a fair trial, to dignity, and to non-discrimination.
Trauma-Informed Legal Practices at Work
Across the board, various segments of the legal system have begun to recognize and incorporate trauma-informed practices into their operations. In courts, adjustments can include allowing breaks during testimonies to prevent overwhelm and offering support services for survivors. Attorneys can also integrate trauma-informed practices by providing clear information, asking sensitive questions, and offering control over decision-making to their clients. For prosecutors and defense lawyers, understanding trauma’s impact on memory can inform their case building, while respecting their clients’ experiences and reactions.
Lawyers can play a primary role by providing their clients with consistent support and understanding, while judges can create a safe and respectful courtroom environment. Paralegals and law enforcement personnel, often the first points of contact, can implement trauma-informed practices by providing relevant information, ensuring safety, and treating individuals with respect and understanding.
Future Developments in Trauma-Informed Legal Practices
As society becomes more aware of the pervasive impacts of trauma, it is forecasted that trauma-informed legal practices will continue to grow in importance. Future trends may include increased development of trauma-informed guidelines for legal service providers, more extensive trauma-informed training for law professionals, and a greater emphasis on empathy, understanding, and mental health within the legal sector. Further research will likely continue to refine these practices and promote their successful implementation on an even broader scale.
The intersection of trauma and the law is a pressing issue that demands attention for a more empathetic and effective legal system. The adoption and normalization of trauma-informed practices within legal institutions have the potential to greatly enhance the experiences of trauma survivors, ensuring their rights are upheld and their participation is meaningful. As we continue to expand our understanding of trauma, it is imperative that our legal systems advance in tandem, embodying compassion, understanding and respect for all individuals.
| 51,631
|
Turbine installation complete at London Array wind farm
One of the world's largest offshore wind farms off the east Kent coast is on target to become fully operational in the spring.
London Array is being built in the Thames Estuary, 10 miles north of Ramsgate, and will produce enough power for an estimated 470,000 homes.
The 175th and last turbine was installed two weeks ago, marking the end of major construction activities.
Fifty-five have been connected and are supplying power to the national grid.
The wind farm has been generating energy since October, when the first turbine began producing power.
London Array said during 2012, 84 foundations, 175 wind turbines, 178 array cables and three export cables had been installed.
A second phase with a further 166 turbines is yet to be approved.
| 97,136
|
I am an italian student. I'm using ArcMap 10. For my thesis I need to simulate a debris avalanche, but in my elevation raster the avalanche deposit is included so I'd need to take it off to simulate on a pre-avalanche-like surface. Unfortunately the only data I have is the average (and supposed uniform) thickness of the deposit of 24m. I removed this thickness from my raster using raster calculator ("my raster" - "raster of tickness created from polygon to raster"). What I obtained is a raster without that thickness, but like a valley with sub-vertical walls! I need to smooth these edges to make it look more realistic (now it looks like a print with the shape of the deposit). Which tool can use? What I was able to find is the Filter tool which smooth these edges too mildly or the Smooth Line tool which could work on the contour lines. Is there a tool to smooth directly the raster?
| 74,813
|
This pioneering textbook invites students into the world of introductory biology, encouraging them to explore while providing tools to help them grasp the material. Designed to engage introductory students and make biology relevant to their lives, BIOLOGY: Concepts and Connections, Third Edition, emphasizes concepts through unique modules. Each module combines exceptional art, text that walks students through illustrations, accompanying interactive media, and compelling real-world connections. Every chapter begins with an interesting story and an outline of the topics and concepts that lie ahead. Major headings help students navigate the concept-based modules, which link logically together. After each module, a question prompts students to test their understanding. The text is the cornerstone of a fully-integrated learning package, including print and interactive media supplements, that promotes understanding of biology's important connections to our lives and to other natural sciences.
Back to top
Rent Biology 3rd edition today, or search our site for other textbooks by Neil A. Campbell. Every textbook comes with a 21-day "Any Reason" guarantee. Published by Benjamin-Cummings Publishing Company.
Need help ASAP? We have you covered with 24/7 instant online tutoring. Connect with one of our Biology tutors now.
| 35,292
|
At LIFECENTER Health & Health Club we see your well being as a lifelong journey. The Y is the starting point for many youth to study changing into and staying energetic, and growing healthy habits they’ll carry with them throughout their lives. The advantages gained via early exposure to fitness are far higher than just physical health. We provide a multitude of enjoyable and motivating courses that let you work out alone or with associates. Our trainers are highly educated and can ensure you give your all.
The most widely accepted definition of well being is that of the World Health Group Structure. It states: “health is a state of full bodily, mental and social properly-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” ( World Well being Organization , 1946). In more recent years, this statement has been amplified to incorporate the ability to steer a “socially and economically productive life”. The WHO definition is not without criticism, mainly that it’s too broad. Some argue that well being can’t be outlined as a state at all, however have to be seen as a dynamic technique of continuous adjustment to the changing demands of living. Despite its limitations, the concept of well being as defined by WHO is broad and constructive in its implications, in that it units out a excessive normal for optimistic well being.
Linus Carl Pauling (February 28, 1901 – August 19, 1994) was an American quantum chemist and biochemist , broadly regarded as the premier chemist of the twentieth century. Pauling was a pioneer in the software of quantum mechanics to chemistry, and in 1954 was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work describing the nature of chemical bonds He additionally made essential contributions to crystal and protein construction willpower, and was one of the founders of molecular biology Pauling acquired the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962 for his marketing campaign against above-ground nuclear testing , changing into solely one among 4 individuals in historical past to individually obtain two Nobel Prizes Later in life, he turned an advocate for regular consumption of huge doses of Vitamin C Pauling coined the time period “orthomolecular” to discuss with the follow of various the concentration of drugs normally present within the body to prevent and treat illness, and promote well being.
Distinctive? Completely! Alternative Well being & Fitness is the only facility throughout the United States to house federally mandated obesity research by means of the USDA Human Diet Analysis Heart. Choice and Altru Family YMCA are the only known example of a Park District partnering with a YMCA to provide one seamless health and health membership - two fabulous services for one low reasonably priced cost.
On the Y, we believe health and health means caring for the entire you, and we all know that even small adjustments could make an enormous difference. We’re invested in your health and serving to you meet your targets, whether which means losing a few pounds, gaining power, or simply discovering methods to increase energy and reduce stress. Come meet our useful workers, make friends, be a part of your group.
| 285,711
|
A company founded in Colorado is bringing its unique system of home building to the Magic City.
K.C. and Cayttie Heister opened Kopper Creek Building in October 2010. The business is located at 5313 S. Broadway, just across the highway from the North Central Research Extension Center south of town.
Cayttie said they moved in well before the Souris River flooded and intend to make Minot their permanent home while letting others handle the day-to-day operations of the company's original location in Montrose, Colo.
"We build anything from residential housing up to hotels, motels, restaurants," Cayttie said. "Any type of building that you're looking for, we do."
She noted they can build up to four stories tall and have even built a McDonald's.
In Minot, Kopper Creek has been building residential housing. While the company is perfectly capable of building on-site, its specialty is system-built homes, where the major sections are constructed off-site in a factory and then shipped to the home's location for final assembly.
K.C. got his start in the construction business at a home-building factory in 1982. After a downturn in the construction business in the late 1980s forced the company to focus only on the exterior of buildings, the market turned back up, which allowed them to finish the interior as well as the exterior.
"In 1991 the market picked back up, and it was proven that we could build more house for the dollar in a controlled environment," K.C. said.
His job entailed putting on doorknobs, and nothing more. Building a house indoors, or at least the major portions of it, was an incredibly streamlined process that allowed them to keep quality high while cutting costs and construction time compared to building on-site.
"Basically the strong point is getting a better house faster and less expensive," K.C. said.
The company saved money by purchasing directly from the suppliers in volume, which allowed it to pay competitive labor salaries and work year-round, all while lowering the final cost for customers.
K.C. eventually bought the factory he worked at before selling it in 1997. He then worked for another large corporation before starting Kopper Creek Building in 2003.
As an example from his own business of how efficient it is to build home sections indoors, he said one particular house built in the factory was around $33,000 less than the exact same house built on-site. The on-site home also took six more months to build and had a few less options just because of time constraints.
"So it kind of gives you a little bit of a concept as far as where we talk the talk and walk the walk," K.C. said.
"And we still site-build. We're building a big, Victorian home, we do both," Cayttie added. "But we only do that (site-build) where they require us to."
"There's really not as much building that goes on outside anymore, it's assembly. If you are a builder, you don't cut roofs very much anymore, you order trusses. And then the trusses come in as a component," K.C. continued. "You buy a prehung door, you buy premade cabinets. You're not out in the field making your cabinets anymore."
"We just take it to the next level," Cayttie said. "Everything is built in the factory now."
Kopper Creek has two factories - one in Colorado and another in Nebraska.
K.C. said they also build a lot of homes for people who are builders themselves, which is about as good of an endorsement as you can get. All system-built homes are constructed to the International Residential Code standard, which is the same as site-built homes use.
Cayttie said one of the reasons they moved to Minot was because of the economy. Things had been good in Colorado, where they built in high-end areas that had people like Goldie Hawn and Tom Cruise. However, a couple years ago the faltering economy basically turned off construction in Colorado.
In the meantime, a landscaper they had built a duplex for in Colorado had opened a business in Williston and told the Heisters they should come to North Dakota. Their son, who is also named K.C., then happened to go to North Dakota and said it looked promising.
They initially were just going to buy some property, build some homes and sell them as they were built. However, they found a housing market in desperate need of a full-time presence and decided to take the plunge.
"So we flew out here thinking we would just spec some homes, but then we started talking to different people and it sounded like there's a huge housing crisis here in Minot," Cayttie said. "So we decided to sink our teeth in and buy this (storefront) location."
"And then we started working with the people, and to be honest they were about the nicest people we've ever worked with," she added. "The building officials, the customers that we worked with. And we thought this is a good place for us to start a new section of our life."
Their son, K.C., and his wife, Jenny, have also moved to Minot and work at Kopper Creek.
Living in Minot on a permanent basis not only involves the Heisters in the business here, it involves them in the community as well. They have employees who were impacted by the flood and are doing everything they can to work with customers who are in the same situation.
Cayttie said they have already built some houses for flood victims and are incredibly glad those families will be able to live in their own homes this winter. She said the reduced time their system-built method takes to erect a home means flood victims still have another month to order a home and have it completed in time for winter.
"We've actually put some disaster relief home packages together where we've discounted (some costs). So we get incentives, like certain appliance packages and stuff like that, that we've been able to put as a package and offer it specifically for the flood (victims)," K.C. said. "And we've made some arrangements where those people will go through engineering faster and get some benefits."
"We thought that they should be first priority right now, really," Cayttie added. "They can't be in every circumstance. People that have already ordered need their homes, too. But anything that we can do we're trying to speed those processes along.
"And it's working, you can tell they're really grateful. They have some kind of completion date, some kind of relief. An end to the frustration and the limbo. They're in limbo right now."
Cayttie said their hearts goes out to all the flood victims, and this has quickly become far more than a business venture to them.
"We didn't move here to have a business here," Cayttie said. "We moved here to get involved in the community."
| 117,886
|
Antonio VIVALDI (1678 - 1741)
Vivaldi sulle sei corde
Trio for lute, violin and bc in C (RV 82) [10:38]
Trio for lute, violin and bc in g minor (RV 85) [08:14]
Concerto for lute, 2 violins and bc in D (RV 93) [10:39]
Concerto for mandolin, strings and bc in C (RV 425) [08:08]
Concerto for viola d'amore, lute, strings and bc in d minor (RV
Concerto for two mandolins, strings and bc in G (RV 532)*
Giuliano Belotti, Carles Herrŕiz (*) (guitar), Kostadin Bogdanovski (violin**), Pablo Gastaminza (viola d'amore), Cristoforo Pestalozzi (cello**)
Orquestra de Cambra del Principal de Catalunya/Cristoforo Pestalozzi
rec. 2-4 July 2010, Estudis Albert Moraleda, La Garriga (Barcelona), Spain. DDD
COLUMNA MÚSICA 1CM0265 [62:16]
Much has changed in the performance of baroque music over the
last forty years or so. In the 1970s and 1980s representatives
of historical performance practice had to justify the use of
period instruments. Today most recordings of baroque music feature
period instruments, and performers who play baroque music on
modern instruments are asked why they do so. The answers vary;
some are plausible, others far less so.
Some ensembles like to play music from all style periods, and
playing period instruments in baroque music and modern instruments
in contemporary music doesn't always work. In the booklet for
this disc the aim of the orchestra is described as making "little-know
jewels of the baroque music period accessible to modern audiences.
In this sense, they are set to be performed with modern instruments
more suitable for the acoustic requirements of modern concert
halls". This is a sensible argument, but then the question
is: why do they play in such acoustical circumstances? Wouldn't
it be preferable to look for appropriate venues rather than
adapt the music to venues which are not really suited to the
Even so, this argument makes more sense than what is written
a little earlier in the liner-notes in regard to the decision
to play Vivaldi's music for lute or mandolin on the modern guitar.
"Today, the modern classical guitar seems to give new tone-colour
possibilities to these works, as does the piano in comparison
to the harpsichord". As such that may be true, but do Vivaldi's
works gain from those "new tone-colour possibilities"?
I don't think so. It also needs to be noted that Vivaldi himself
never composed any sonata or concerto for guitar.
That said, these performances are quite good, although there
are some deficits. These have mainly to do with the balance
between the instruments. The disc begins with two trios for
lute, violin and bc. Here the balance between the two treble
instruments is unsatisfying as the guitar overshadows the violin.
In the third piece it is just the opposite. The number of players
is not given, but I am sure more than two violins are playing
here, and as a result the guitar is under-exposed when all instruments
are participating. In all three pieces the basso continuo is
too weak. That is largely due to the lack of a harpsichord.
The Concerto in C (RV 425) is one of the best parts of
this disc. Here the balance is mostly right, and the strings
play quite well. Also good is the Concerto in d minor (RV
540) in which the viola d'amore part is beautifully played by
Pablo Gastaminza. He has been a pupil of Wim ten Have, a member
of Frans Brüggen's Orchestra of the 18th Century. He also plays
in various early music groups. That is an indication that these
performances are influenced by historical performance practice,
and is quite noticeable at several points in these recordings.
The vibrato of the strings is minimal. Also there is a clear
differentiation between good and bad notes and there is dynamic
gradation on long notes. The largo from the Concerto in d
minor bears witness to that. There is a sweetness of sound
here whereas in the opening movement of the Concerto in G
(RV 532) the sound is rather coarse.
Giuliano Belotti performs the solo parts quite well. He shows
a stylistic awareness in the differentiated treatment of the
notes and in the addition of ornaments. On the other hand the
modern guitar is not a suitable replacement for the lute and
the mandolin. It is too loud and it lacks the delicacy of these
instruments. The solo parts clearly suffer from that.
The programme has been well recorded, but it is quite odd that
the disc ends with three and a half minutes of silence. Therefore,
don't be surprised that your CD player indicates that it lasts
The booklet, in Catalan, Spanish and English, offers mainly
biographical information about the players, but tells us nothing
about Vivaldi's music. The liner-notes begin by stating that
Vivaldi is mainly known for his 'Four Seasons'. But that was
a long time ago. Today it’s no longer necessary to emphasize
that he wrote much more. Every year many new recordings of his
music are released. But the author seems to be a bit out of
touch with our time anyway: the concertos recorded here are
certainly not "little-known jewels" as they have been
recorded many times.
This disc will probably not appeal to those music-lovers who
prefer to hear Vivaldi's music in its original state. Guitar
aficionados should love it. Giuliano Belotti is a fine player,
the music is entertaining and the performances as stylish as
possible with modern instruments.
Johan van Veen
| 63,095
|
The site skills are what is needed on every job to get the work done properly, safely, and on time. Over 90% of the time the Heavy Equipment Operating Engineer is the one in charge of the work on the site. That means you may be responsible and need to be trained and certified in construction Rigging, Grade Checking, Dig Alert, Oxygen Acetylene Cutting, Math, Safety, Air Brakes, and Supervision.
Being trained and certified here at Deep Creek Construction School means you did your examination in front of a camera and the results were put up on your YouTube channel so the experts and contractors in the industry can see that you were properly trained.
Go to our YouTube channel and click on some of the links to our graduates there. See what they did to get a certificate from Deep Creek Construction School.
| 276,993
|
Photo caption: Participants on a Forest Society-sponsored timber harvest tour watch low grade wood residue from the logging operations converted to biomass fuel wood chips for robust renewable wood energy markets. Photo credit: Forest Society
How Much Wood Would the Northeast Need?
By Dave Anderson
Is there enough wood in the Northeast states to satisfy the current and projected demand from bio-energy facilities now and over the next decade? In one word: yes.
The question was posed by the Wood Supply Research Institute project, a partnership of the Center for Forest Business at the University of Georgia and reported this month as a technical study news release in the Journal, Forest Operations Review. The detailed analysis was the focus of a project entitled “Integrating Large-Scale Biomass into the US Wood Supply System.”
The study measured the supply of “non-traditional” raw materials from forests including logging residue such as un-merchantable branches, limbs and twigs and mill wastes such as sawdust, bark and slabs. While the Northeast Region showed predicted annual wood demand of 19.7 million green tons from bio-energy facilities to exceeding the annual supply of 16.5 million green tons of these non traditional forest materials over the next decade. At the same time, the annual region-wide growth rate of pulpwood at 41 million green tons is projected to easily satisfy the remaining bio-energy demand of 3.1 million tons without impacting the current Northeast pulpwood demand of 16 million tons and leaving an implied net growth of 25 million tons.
Simple right? According to the experts, the answer to the “will there be enough wood?” question is simply: yes.
The question of whether the projected increase in market demand for low quality, fuel-wood material might negatively impact future availability of high value lumber-grade sawlogs is innocent but slightly misguided. A theoretically expanded market for older used cars and junk cars would never clear the region’s auto dealerships of high value brand new cars. Foresters and landowners recognize much better markets for high grade sawtimber. The higher value of sawlog quality growing stock precludes a risk of chipping current and future inventories into mere fuelwood chips.
Similarly with the increase in popularity of high efficiency wood pellet stoves and boilers featuring automatic bulk-fed pellets, some ask if the conversion from older woodstoves and oil burners to pellet burners might negatively impact the region’s forests. Most wood pellets are derived from sawdust or unused wood residue from other forest manufacturing industries including un-merchantable material formerly left behind after forest weeding and thinning operations.
The savings and efficiencies of converting to wood are undeniable. It is estimated that pellet boilers can cost 40% less than heating with fuel oil. One million BTUs of heat from fuel oil at $3.95 per gallon costs $36.56 compared to a cost of $18.88 per million BTUs with premium wood pellets at $250 per ton. To put it another way, one ton of wood pellets contains the energy in nearly 120 gallons of fuel oil. And according to the Northern Forest Center, 78 cents of every dollar of the 6 billion dollars spent on fossil fuels in the Northeast forest states leaves our regional economy.
And while number-crunching wood supply experts suggest there is plenty of wood to go around, their analysis also assumes that all wood inventory removed during timber harvesting is naturally regenerated; or replanted in the regions less fortunate than the Northeast where it isn’t even necessary to replant forests which readily grow back naturally. Don’t believe me? Ditch your lawnmower for a few years and see the young forest sprouting in your own backyard!
Beyond the ample supplies of wood, the very best part of increased interest in using more renewable biomass energy to replace non-renewable fossil fuels from outside the region is that the availability of viable markets for low grade wood and non-traditional waste materials makes it economically more feasible to undertake improvement cutting.
If it were theretically possible to sell rocks, weeds and the weak stems of crops culled from your vegetable garden at a local farmer’s market, wouldn’t you spend more time cultivating and thinning a garden to add more value (and faster) to the carrots you originally envisioned growing?
| 181,211
|
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama gave the leaders of an independent commission investigating the Gulf oil spill marching orders Tuesday to thoroughly examine the disaster and its causes to ensure that the nation never faces such a catastrophe again. He said if any laws were broken, people will be prosecuted.
Obama spoke in the Rose Garden on Tuesday after meeting with the co-chairmen of the commission, Bob Graham, a former Florida governor and U.S. senator, and William K. Reilly, a former head of the Environmental Protection Agency,
"They have my full support to follow the facts wherever they lead, without fear or favor," Obama said.
The president said that if laws are insufficient, they'll be changed. He said that if government oversight wasn't tough enough, that will change, too. And Obama said if laws were broken, those responsible will be brought to justice.
Obama directed the co-chairs to report back in six months "with options for how we can prevent and mitigate the impact of any future spills that result from offshore drilling."
In a sign of an increasingly assertive administration role, Attorney General Eric Holder also planned to visit the Gulf Coast Tuesday to see areas affected by the oil spill and to meet with state attorneys general and U.S. prosecutors.
Several senators have asked the Justice Department to determine whether criminal or civil laws were broken in the spill. The Justice Department has told Sen. Barbara Boxer, who heads the Senate's environment committee, that it has ordered BP PLC not to destroy documents that could be relevant in an investigation.
Holder was scheduled to receive a Coast Guard tour, then meet with the attorneys general of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi and several U.S. attorneys.
The independent commission's inquiry will range from the causes of the spill to the safety of offshore oil drilling and the functioning of government agencies that oversee drilling.
Obama's session with Graham and Reilly and Holder's visit to the Gulf Coast come three days after BP said its latest attempt to stop the oil spewing out of a broken well 5,000 feet underwater had failed. Obama visited coastal Louisiana four days ago to assess the situation and assure residents frustrated by the government's response that he is doing everything possible to fix the well.
Amid concern that the worst oil spill in U.S. history could threaten his presidency, Obama has stepped up his public appearances to demonstrate that he is engaged. He held a White House news conference Thursday, focused almost entirely on the oil spill, and followed that with the Gulf visit on Friday.
Tuesday's meeting was Obama's first with the commission since he named it less than two weeks ago.
Obama still must name five members of the commission, which will investigate such issues as what caused the spill, the safety of offshore drilling and operations at the federal agency that grants drilling rights.
The Gulf oil spill began April 20 when BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded off the Louisiana coast, killing 11 workers and rupturing the underwater pipe.
In the six weeks since, the government estimates that between 19.7 million and 43 million gallons of crude have poured into the Gulf -- affecting beaches, wildlife and the local economy and making it the worst spill in U.S. history.
After BP announced Saturday that its latest attempt to stop the oil, known as a "top kill," had failed, Obama said that disappointing news was "as enraging as it is heartbreaking."
It was the latest in a series of failed efforts by the British oil company to shut off the oil flow. BP will try again as early as Wednesday when it attempts to put a cap on the leaking well so oil can be siphoned to the surface.
Graham, a Democrat, served in the Senate from 1987 to 2005 and previously served two terms as Florida governor. Reilly served as EPA administrator under President George H.W. Bush.
Meanwhile, Carol Browner, a top adviser to Obama, said she doesn't want to guess the prospects for success when BP again tries to use a containment cap to control the Gulf Coast oil spill.
Interviewed Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America," the White House energy and global warming czar said, "I don't want to put odds on it. ... We want to get this thing contained."
Browner said "everyone, I think, is hoping for the best, but we continue to plan for the worst." She said she's concerned about the impact the hurricane season could have on ending the environmental crisis.
| 270,403
|
FedEx, the courier giant, reported a lower than expected earnings call as the company is believed to have been weighted down by its investments.
FedEx came with a surprise this past week. It was mostly for market analysts, as the company did not exactly meet market expectations.
The FedEx Corporation is a United States-based multinational. It was funded in 1971 and is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. The company is specialized in courier delivery services.
It is very well known for its overnight shipping services. They were also the first to introduce package tracking. Initially, this was designed to help with lost packages. Now, it has become a standard feature.
The courier’s services and renown span at a global level. However, its expansion might have potentially weighed it down.
FedEx released a lower than expected earnings report. Their second quarter adjusted earnings were reported this Tuesday.
On December 20, the company both confirmed and infirmed market expectations.
The reported revenue numbers reached $14.93 billion. They marked an almost 20 percent rise compared to the same period in 2015. Market estimates would have placed the revenue at $14.91 billion.
However, the adjusted earnings per share were well below estimates. They came to a $2.80 value share. Analysts had predicted a $2.91 sum per share.
FedEx reported increased revenues for most of its package options. As such, the United States domestic package revenue rose by 3 percent. United States freight per pound revenue increased well over 6 percent.
International export revenues also increased by 1 percent. And the Express revenue rose by 2 percent. This was based on the higher volume and increased rates.
The FedEx Ground daily revenue marked a 5 percent daily increase in the second quarter. This was helped along by a number of factors. They include the commercial package growth and also e-commerce increases.
FedEx Freight revenues also rose by 3 percent. The courier giant expressed an optimistic full-year outlook. However, their adjusted earnings call did not meet market expectations.
Their 2017 full-year EPS guidance was placed at $11.85 – $12.35. Market estimates had a $12.06 value. FedEx reported a net income of $700 million or a $2.59 value per share. Their second quarter ended on November 30.
The company reported a higher income as compared to the same quarter, last year. In 2015, FedEx reported a $691 million Q2 net income. Their then share value was of $2.44.
However, FedEx’s operating expenses also rose. The company has an operating sum of up to $13.8 billion. This is 22 percent higher when compared to 2015.
Following the Tuesday report, company shares value were seen to fall. After-market trading reported an almost $193.20 value per share. They fell by about $5.54 as compared to early Tuesday.
One of the reasons for FedEx’s rise in expenses is its heavy investments. The company is opening new or investing in existing distribution hubs. It has also been hiring more employees.
These were all moves taken in order to meet market demands. FedEx is currently trying to meet market demands for the holiday season. This is expected to be yet another record-breaking shipping season.
The fact that Christmas Day will fall on a Sunday is also believed to influence demands. In November, the company stated that it was expecting higher numbers when compared to 2015. A 10 percent increase is expected. However, specific numbers are yet to be released.
Image Source: Wikimedia
| 163,834
|
The Presence of the Truth
“These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” (14:25–26)
Throughout His ministry, Jesus had been the source of truth for the disciples (cf. v. 6). “These things (the Father’s word; v. 24),” He reminded them, “I have spoken to you while abiding with you.” But just as He would not leave them without a source of comfort, so also He would not leave the disciples without a source of truth. He would send the Holy Spirit, the “Spirit of truth” (v. 17), to guide and teach them. Apart from His revelation, there is no way to know spiritual truth. Since “the world through its wisdom did not come to know God” (1 Cor. 1:21), fallen mankind is “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7). It is only when people are “saved [that they] come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4).
Even the disciples, before Pentecost, found it difficult to understand all that Jesus taught them. According to John 2:22, it was not until after the resurrection that they understood His teaching in verse 19. Nor did they grasp the full significance of the triumphal entry until after Jesus had been glorified (John 12:16). Because of their obtuseness, Jesus told them, “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now” (16:12). They needed instruction, so Jesus promised them, The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name (cf. Acts 2:33) He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you (cf. 16:13). The phrase, in My name, means “on My behalf,” as it also does in verse 13. Just as Jesus came in the Father’s name (5:43), so also will the Spirit come in Jesus’ name. As another Comforter like Jesus, the Spirit will always act in perfect harmony with Christ’s desires, purposes, and will. “He will glorify Me,” Jesus would later tell the disciples, “for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you” (16:14). In the divine plan, the Spirit’s ministry is to testify about Christ (15:26), not draw attention to Himself (cf. 16:13).
The Spirit is the believer’s resident truth teacher (1 John 2:20, 27); by illuminating God’s Word to their understanding, He thus grants Christians the knowledge of God that leads them to spiritual maturity.
But Christ’s promise that the Spirit would bring to their remembrance all that He had said to them was primarily a promise to the apostles of divine inspiration. The Holy Spirit’s supernatural guidance granted them an inerrant understanding of Jesus Christ’s person and teaching. The apostles (and their close associates) recorded that divinely inspired truth in the Gospels and the rest of the New Testament.
Peter described the process of inspiration in 2 Peter 1:20–21: “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” The apostle Paul declared, “All Scripture is inspired by God” (lit., “God-breathed,” 2 Tim. 3:13). The Holy Spirit inspired the very words of Scripture, not merely the thoughts of the writers (1 Cor. 2:13). The Bible is therefore inerrant and authoritative, and thus the only infallible rule of faith and practice. It alone contains “the sacred writings which are able to give [one] the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15). For the redeemed, the Bible is “the sword of the Spirit” (Eph. 6:17) and is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17).
Armed with the truth and accompanied by the presence of God, the disciples and their contemporaries would soon be those who “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6 kjv). But in this moment of distress, just hours before the cross, the situation looked desperately hopeless. Aware of the disciples’ distress, Jesus pointed them to the ultimate and only sure source of hope—the triune God. In the same way that the promise of God’s presence heartened them two millennia ago, it should still bring confidence and courage to believers today, since it provides comfort both now (2 Cor. 1:3–4; cf. Pss. 23:4; 86:17; Matt. 5:4; Acts 9:31), and forever (Isa. 25:8; 2 Thess. 2:16; Rev. 7:17; 21:4).
The Holy Spirit as Teacher
“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
John 14:26 is the shortest of those sections of the final discourses dealing with the Holy Spirit, yet it is probably true that it gives us the fullest definition. The Holy Spirit is described as the “Counselor.” We have already seen what this means in our discussion of verses 16–18. He is described as being “holy”—the Holy Spirit. Finally, he is described as being a “teacher.” Here are three definitions: the Counselor, Holy One, and Teacher. Yet when the verse is looked at closely, it is undoubtedly the last of these, the fact that the Holy Spirit is a teacher, that is emphasized. The role of the Holy Spirit as Counselor is emphasized in the earlier verses. The matter of holiness is emphasized in 16:7–11. But here (as also at 15:26–27 and 16:12–15) the special ministry of the Spirit as teacher is brought forward.
When the Lord says that the Holy Spirit is to “teach you all things,” the reference is primarily to the apostles. These were those whom Jesus had chosen to be authoritative spokesmen for the truth he had revealed. They were to remember it and then record it in the pages of what has become the New Testament. Moreover, this teaching was to become normative for the church. This same idea is clear in that verse in which the Lord says, “When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all [the] truth.” Jesus did not mean that all that could possibly be known would be revealed to them. All things that can possibly be known are known only to God. But he did mean that the Holy Spirit would reveal to them the full truth of the gospel centered in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. And this he did. This was a unique ministry of the Holy Spirit to the apostles.
At the same time, however, there is a secondary sense in which these words apply to Christians who are living today. The Holy Spirit teaches us as well, and the Holy Spirit is the One who brings these things to our remembrance.
Need for Teaching
We need to look at the disciples first, however. Clearly, here were men who needed to be taught. They had been with the Lord Jesus Christ for three years. One might think that they would have understood the essence of his ministry and the gospel. He had spoken to them about these things. But the truth is that, although he had spoken to them about this, nevertheless they had not understood him. It is significant that verse 25 says, “All this I have spoken while still with you.” He had spoken to them, but that is not quite the same thing as saying that he had taught them. Obviously he had tried to teach the disciples, and had taught them many other things, but they had not yet really learned the great truths of the gospel. Actually, they were confused men who needed the Holy Spirit’s teaching.
They also had a particular problem with learning in this instance, for the Lord had announced his departure to them, and this had so seized upon their minds that they were not really hearing what he was saying. He had spoken about another Counselor, but they were not interested enough in the other Counselor even to learn about him. All they could grasp was that Jesus was to be taken from them.
So the Lord tells the disciples, “You need teaching; you really do. You have heard a lot, but you do not understand it. You need to be taught. I am going. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit is coming, and one of his roles (a very important role) is to teach you.”
The second interesting thing about the teaching of the Holy Spirit is that God himself earnestly wanted to teach the disciples. We see this in the fact that the entire Trinity is mentioned in this verse: “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you.” In other words, the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is sending the Holy Spirit to teach the disciples, so much is he interested in having them come to the knowledge of the truth concerning Jesus.
I suppose that if we had been the Lord Jesus Christ, we might have said at this point, “Oh, these dull, dull disciples!” We could even have boasted about the quality of our instruction. We could have said, “It is impossible to imagine a better teacher than they have just had. Furthermore, they have gone through an entire seminary course in three years and have combined formal teaching with on-the-field experience. They have had the advantage of a first-class example. So if they still do not get it, I will flunk them.” We might have said that. But this is not the attitude of God. The God who recognizes, on the one hand, that the disciples needed teaching, is the same God who, on the other hand, sends the Holy Spirit in order that they might be taught.
If we ask at that point, “Were they taught?” the answer is yes; of course they were. The proof of it is our Bible. Furthermore, once the Holy Spirit had come, they began to get it quickly, because on the day of Pentecost, Peter, who on an earlier occasion had said when the Lord announced his crucifixion, “Far be it, Lord, that such a thing should happen to you,” who did not understand Jesus at all, this same Peter stood up and announced with great understanding that what had occurred in Jerusalem six weeks before had been by the foreordination of God. In other words, the crucifixion of Christ had fallen out in accordance with God’s perfect plan and was the heart of redemption. Then Peter preached Christ to the very men who had crucified him, and the Holy Spirit blessed the message so that many came to faith on that occasion. The disciples did learn through the Holy Spirit. Moreover, the Holy Spirit guided them to write these things in the books that became our New Testament.
These books record what the Lord Jesus Christ said and did, explain it, and draw conclusions. In this sense the critics are right when they say that these books are not pure biography, that is, objective historical biography. They are biography with an interpretation attached. But the interpretation, as well as the biography, is that which the Holy Spirit gave.
Our Teacher Too
All this applies primarily to the disciples, but it also comes down to us in a much closer way. For we need to be taught also, and the Holy Spirit, who taught the disciples, is our teacher as well.
Paul writes about it to the Corinthians. He talks first of the fact that in ourselves we are unable to understand spiritual truth, even when it is recorded in the pages of Scripture. But he tells us in addition that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, who inspired the Bible, speaks from its pages to bring us understanding. “As it is written, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’—but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we many understand what God has freely given us. This is why we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spritiual truths in spiritual words” (1 Cor. 2:9–13).
Here the ministry of the Holy Spirit as teacher is explained. It was exercised, in the first instance, when God revealed truth to the apostles and they recorded it in what would later become canonized as the pages of the New Testament. It is then exercised, in the second instance, when this same Holy Spirit teaches us from the truths that they have recorded.
The first part of John 14:26 speaks of the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit, but there is a second part that speaks of remembrance. “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you.” Why, if they were taught all things, does anything need to be brought back to mind? As we begin to reflect on this word, we see that a ministry of the Holy Spirit in helping us remember is necessary because of what we are like and because of the inability of our minds to retain important teachings. It is possible to be well taught, even brilliantly taught, and still forget; or, in the disciples’ case, to be taught the meaning of Christ’s ministry but forget that upon which it is based.
The Lord’s emphasis on remembering teaches us two separate truths. First, it teaches us that the wisdom of God is not a new thing. It is that which God has revealed in the past and that is the same because he is the same. We have a tendency, especially in America and in our age, always to be inventing theology. Churchmen speak about “process theology” today. It means “evolving” theology. But this is not the outlook of the Scriptures. Some of our contemporaries seem always to be searching the Bible in the light of newspapers and popular books in order to come up with something that no one has ever heard before. When they do and when they write a book about it, they get a hearing. This is the nature of The Passover Plot, The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross, and some other popular religious books. People buy them and say, “We never heard that before! Therefore, it must be true!” But it is not true, nor is it a product of the Holy Spirit’s ministry. The Holy Spirit does not give us new doctrines. Rather, he brings old truths to our remembrance.
So what we preach is not new doctrine but the old doctrine once and for all delivered to the saints. It is the doctrine of man’s total inability to help himself spiritually, God’s grace in Jesus Christ, the ministry of the Holy Spirit who takes these truths and brings them home to our hearts and minds so that we understand them, and God’s unfailing perseverance with his people. We preach that God does not abandon us, that God who has begun to save us in such a marvelous way, giving us a new spirit and creating a new soul, will persevere to the end, at which time he will give us a new body and make us like the Lord Jesus Christ forevermore. These are not new doctrines. They are old doctrines. They are the doctrines that the Holy Spirit brings to our remembrance.
The second truth the word “remind” teaches is that we tend to forget these doctrines, even though we have heard them many times. The history of the church is the history of great blessing through the Holy Spirit, a time of reformation and revival, followed by a gradual forgetting of the message. This happens again and again; so one of the jobs of the minister is to remind the congregation of the old truths. One of the jobs of Christian people is to remind each other of them, and one of the jobs of the Christian church is to remind the world of these old doctrines, even though the world may reject them.
He Shall Testify of Me
This verse also says something else, and we do not want to miss that either. It says that the object of the teaching is Christ. This is true in this text: “He will remind you of everything I have said to you.” It is also true in the verses about the Holy Spirit in John 15 and 16: “When the Counselor comes, whom I well send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning” (15:26–27). “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you” (16:12–14).
We have a danger, even as evangelical people, of making the Scriptures an end in themselves. We study the Bible as we would a textbook. We memorize the data. But we are always in danger of forgetting that the purpose of the Scriptures is not to exist as an end in themselves, though they will endure forever—“heaven and earth will pass away, but my word will not pass away”—but to reveal Christ to the seeking heart and mind.
There is a final point that belongs with what we have been saying. The Holy Spirit is also the One who enables us to teach these truths to others. Teaching spiritual truths cannot be done in the power of the flesh. Paul writes about it in 1 Corinthians in the verses that come just before the ones cited earlier. “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. … My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power” (2:1–2, 4).
Three things are necessary if God’s truth is to be properly communicated. First, there must be the revelation of the truth to the apostles by the Holy Spirit. This has been done. Second, there must be the teaching of the Holy Spirit to our hearts, so that, as we read their words, we come face-to-face with the Lord Jesus Christ about whom they wrote. Third, there must be the continuing work of the Holy Spirit to take our testimony concerning this Word and carry it home to the hearts of those who have not yet heard or understood it. Three stages!
But there can be error in each. There are some who do not begin with the Scriptures. They consider the Bible to contain the words of men rather than the very words that the Holy Ghost taught to the apostles. Having thrown out the base, they have nothing on which to stand, and their theology becomes mere speculation. There are others who accept the Bible as the Word of God but who do not allow the Holy Spirit to teach them. They study the Bible in an academic way. Although they may have a high doctrine of Scripture, they do not strive to see the Lord Jesus Christ in its pages. Then there are those who accept the Bible as the Word of God and who do meet with Jesus Christ, but they testify in their own power in a way that brings glory to themselves, and few are won.
We do a farmer’s work. First, we prepare the soil. Then we take a seed and plant it. We water it, and we wait for it to grow. But we do not give life to the seed. The seed already has life in it. Moreover, we can scratch a furrow and put the seed in it, but the ground must have the nutrients that God has placed there. And even then the work of God is not finished, for the seed will not grow unless the sun shines upon it. The Holy Spirit must be the sun in our witnessing. We must be faithful in scratching the furrows, watering, even pulling out weeds. But we must look to God to give life.
26 The instruction of the disciples, however, will not cease. The Father will send the Holy Spirit to remind them of all that Jesus has said and help them understand the full meaning of his teaching. Apart from this teaching role of the Spirit, there never could have been a reliable gospel or, for that matter, a NT at all. As Peter put it, “Men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pe 1:21).
The Counselor who is to be sent by the Father is the Holy Spirit. (Only here in John is the title in Greek given in its fullest form: to pneuma to hagion, GK 4460, 51). For the early Christians the title would emphasize the holiness of the Spirit rather than his might and power. In his vision of the exalted Lord, Isaiah saw the seraphs as they circled the throne and called out, “Holy, holy, holy [hagios, LXX] is the Lord Almighty” (Isa 6:3). As God is holy so also is his Spirit. Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will be sent by the Father “in [his] name,” i.e., his task will be in accord with the character of Jesus.
If we take the last two clauses of v. 26 as synonymous parallelism (so Brown, 651), the teaching work of the Spirit will be to “remind” the disciples of all that Jesus taught. It will not consist of new revelations. The Spirit will take the words of Jesus and make them known (cf. 16:13–15). He will help the disciples grasp the full meaning of what Jesus was teaching while he was with them in person. It is one thing to understand a statement as being true; it is something quite different to grasp the full meaning and significance of that truth. The Holy Spirit’s teaching ministry belongs in the latter category.
Calvin, 2:88, calls the Spirit “the inward Teacher (interior magister)” and points out that God has two ways of teaching: first, the words that fall on our ears, and second, the inward action of the Spirit. It is still the case that biblical truth may be heard and understood without its more profound meaning laying hold of the mind and heart of the listener. Theology as an academic discipline is not the same as truth about God understood from the heart. Obviously, the “all things” taught by the Spirit does not include matters irrelevant to God’s purpose in sending Jesus to be our Savior.
A revealing teacher who conveys the truth (vv. 25–26)
While most of the promises given to the disciples at this meal are applicable for all followers of Jesus Christ at all times, this particular promise was specific to the disciples who were there in that upper room. You can imagine their concerns—how are we going to remember everything he said to us? How can we tell others what he said? Jesus comforted them by telling them that one of the jobs of the Holy Spirit would be to remind them precisely and accurately of everything he had said. That accounts for the remarkable accuracy and consistency of the New Testament record. It was supernatural that various men could naturally and personally record the life and teaching of Jesus and at the same time be entirely consistent with one another.
14:26 / Will remind you of everything I have said to you: Such language was used especially of warnings about trouble and persecution (cf. 13:18; 16:4; and perhaps 14:29), but memory also played an important part in the interpretation of Jesus’ deeds (cf. 2:17, 22; 12:16). The writer of this Gospel probably saw himself as one to whom the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, had given special insight and perspective, after the fact, on the words and deeds of Jesus as he wrote them down.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2008). John 12–21 (pp. 119–120). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.
Boice, J. M. (2005). The Gospel of John: an expositional commentary (pp. 1147–1152). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
Mounce, R. H. (2007). John. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Luke–Acts (Revised Edition) (Vol. 10, pp. 568–569). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Paterson, A. (2010). Opening Up John’s Gospel (p. 125). Leominster: Day One Publications.
Michaels, J. R. (2011). John (p. 269). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
| 202,435
|
MEDITATION ON THE YOGA SUTRAS: "YOGA CHITA VRITTI NIRODAH"
"Yoga Chita vritti nirodah" is one of the 196 Yoga Sutras (aphorisms). The Yoga Sutras were compiled by Patanjali, they contain the core knowledge of Yoga and are considered guidelines to live a meaningful life.
On each of my yoga classes I aim to provide my students with simple tools that can use everyday to make little changes in their lives that can help to live life better. Meditation is one of them. But, what to meditate on? We can use many objects for meditation, one of them can be a topic on which we place our entire attention. This week we meditated on this Yoga Sutra, the Sutra 1.2 of Patanjali.
In sanskrit Chitta means "mind" or "conciousness", Vritti means "fluctuations" and Nirodha means "the end" or "cessation" so the translation of the sutra can be understood as "Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind".
If we observe our mind we will notice that it is constantly fluctuating or moving. From past to future, from here to there, never fully in the present. Never satisfied, always looking for something else, always wanting something else or wanting to be somewhere else. Never satisfied.
Whenever the mind experiences something that interpret as pleasant it gets agitated and excited. Whenever it experiences something unpleasant it also gets agitated in a different way, frustrated or even depresed. Always fluctuating from present to past, from excitement to frustration/boredom.
If we observe our mind with attention, we will soon realise that this is the natural state of our mind. It is what the mind does.
The more we observe this behavior and start looking at these patterns with some distance we will learn to disengage with these fluctuations. Anger, hatred, desire, frustration, fear, whatever it is that our mind is experiencing, as soon as you start to observe it, it will lose power, it won't feel so strong anymore.
Observing our our mind, observing where the mind goes and looking at it from the distance. If you continue practising, eventually you will be able to stop or at least reduce these fluctuations. You will be able to have a still mind. You will see and accept the situation as it is. You will stop following the monkey mind and its fluctuations. You will find peace.
When that happens we are practising Yoga. "Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind". "Yoga Chita Vriti Nirodah".
If we learn to observe our mind, sensations and thoughts we get to realise that the mind is something we have, but is not what we are. If there is something I can observe, that what I can observe is not me. Anger, frustration, fear, hatred. They are there, I can observe them. They are there now, but they won't stay there. We know how the mind is, we know it is always fluctuating, always changing. They are there now, but they won't stay there. Why should I engage? Why should I take them as the ultimate truth?
"Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind". "Yoga Chita Vriti Nirodah".
As you go through your day, you can continue meditating on this. Observing whatever thought that comes to your mind without engaging. Observing where your mind is moving.
Eventually, there will be Yoga.
Are you starting to get into yoga and meditation? Your mat will be with you throught your journey so make sure you have one that provides all you need to have a comfortable and efficient practice. I highly recommend natural rubber yoga mats which offer great cushion and grip and are easy to clean. They are a much better option to plastic mats, much more durable and cleaner for the environment due to be 100% biodegradable. Check out this collection of Eco non slip yoga mats. On top of being Eco and High quality, they have an added bonus: they feature authentic watercolour designs, hand-painted and then printed on the mats.
If you are curious, check out my story about how I got into Yoga and leave a comment below if you liked this post!
| 229,416
|
Historical Map of Western
Kingdom of France, England, United Netherlands, Spanish
Netherlands, German Empire,
Portugal, Spain, Savoy, Naples, Sicily, Milan, Tuscany, and then
University of Texas at Austin.
From The Public Schools Historical Atlas edited by C. Colbeck, 1905.
About Peter the Great
Great Northern War
War of the Holy League
World Map 1700-1763
Map of the Wars in Europe 1700-1721
| 125,149
|
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) announced today that it is partnering with leaders in higher education to form the Chicago Higher Education Compact, a collaboration dedicated to developing solutions to increase college enrollment, persistence and completion for CPS graduates, with the goal of increasing the college graduation rate for CPS students to 60 percent by 2025.
A report by the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research (CCSR) reveals that an estimated 14 percent of ninth-graders in CPS will earn a four-year college degree within 10 years of starting high school, up from just 8 percent in 2006. Despite the fact that more CPS students are graduating from high school than ever before, the report also calls attention to the fact that many students remain unprepared for college, and that students experience barriers to college completion once enrolled. The Compact seeks to address barriers and enhance preparation.
“Chicago’s students are improving faster than students across the nation, with college enrollment rates up, completion rates up, and scholarship dollars exceeding $800 million last year,” said CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett. “While we recognize this progress, we know our work isn’t done until all students are prepared to enter the 21st century workforce. Under this new partnership, leaders in higher education are joining together to increase the number of students who graduate and enter the workforce prepared and educated.”
Chicago Public School District has solicited the top colleges and universities attended by CPS graduates to join the Compact. So far, the district has received commitments from the following colleges and universities, in addition to partners at the CCSR, the Illinois Board of Higher Education, Chicago Collaborative for Undergraduate Success, the Higher Learning Commission – North Central Association and Thrive Chicago, which will serve the Compact in an advisory capacity.
To find out more information about this partnership, visit cps.edu .
This post is also available in: Spanish
| 92,493
|
Ultrasound Guided Biopsy
What is an Ultrasound/CT-Guided Biopsy?
If an area is identified as abnormal on an x-ray, ultrasound or CT examination it may be necessary for the Radiologist to perform a biopsy (small tissue sample). Ultrasound is used to guide a needle to the area of concern. The sample will be tested by the laboratory to provide a diagnosis - normal or abnormal. Biopsies can be taken from many areas in the body i.e. breast, liver, kidneys and thyroid.
Preparing for the examination
Your Doctor/Specialist will refer you for this test.
If you are having a liver or renal biopsy the Radiologist may ask you to have some blood tests a few days before the study, and may suggest you take a light sedative prior to the examination. When you make your appointment, the receptionist will give you details of appointment time and what to do.
If you are taking regular aspirin or a blood thinner (eg Warfarin), please let the staff at Mokoia Radiology know when you make your appointment. You may need a blood test as part of a coagulation screen. Please tell staff again on arrival.
You will be taken to the ultrasound/CT room where the Sonographer (Ultrasound technician) will discuss the procedure with you, and ask you to sign a consent form for this test. If you have any queries please don't hesitate to ask the Radiologist or the Sonographer.
You may be asked to stay in the department for several hours after the examination.
You may need to bring a friend or relative to drive you home.
What does the test involve?
Using ultrasound, the Radiologist will identify the area to be biopsied. The Radiologist will then introduce local anaesthetic before making a very small nick in the skin. While scanning the region, the Radiologist will insert the needle into the area to be biopsied. When the needle is in place, a sample will be taken and the Radiologist will remove the needle. The Radiologist usually collects between three and five samples.
For patients having a liver or renal biopsy, you will need to stay on-site for a period of observation for 4-6 hours. The Radiologist will see you before you leave and give you instructions on after care.
Who interprets the results and how do I get them?
The biopsy sample will be sent to the medical laboratory for examination by a Pathologist. A result may be sent to your Doctor/Specialist within about five days after the biopsy. When the results are available, you should have an appointment with your referring Doctor/Specialist to discuss the results.
Please contact Mokoia Radiology for an appointment on 0800 466 564.
| 142,312
|
Khalid stopped the pick-up truck and inspected the ground ahead in the light of the headlamps. There were a few tiny greyish plants on a gently convex plateau of jagged loose rocks. It felt like we had landed on a small and rather inhospitable planet. There was no track, and hadn't been for the past few miles – not since we had stopped to look at a wolf track in the dust.
"This is it," he said, "our campsite." He grinned. "It's not as bad as it looks: there'll be enough firewood to boil a kettle, and in the morning – you'll see – it's a good view."
The rest of the team were coming up in two cars. "And leopards?" I asked, "Are they here?"
Khalid made a face. "Insha'Allah [God willing]. There's a trail camera near here which we'll check tomorrow." He jumped out of the car and started unloading, a man used to this life of remote camps in the Dhofar mountains of Oman.
As a wildlife protection officer with Oman's Arabian leopard project, Khalid is on the front line when it comes to saving one of the world's rarest creatures. There are probably fewer than 200 individual Arabian leopards left in the wild, mostly in Oman, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. A few others, probably not viable populations, cling to life in Israel, Jordan and the UAE.
Oman has the only programme to conserve the wild leopards – an estimated 50 animals live in the mountains lining the country's Indian Ocean coast close to Yemen, around half of them in a protected area.
This is wild country, a place where the British army fought a forgotten war against communism in the 1970s, a place once famous for its production of frankincense. Its people are the Jebali, hardy, semi-nomadic camel-herders whose mother tongue is not Arabic but an ancient South Arabian language related to that once spoken by the Queen of Sheba. Khalid is from that community: a former shepherd, he once hated the leopard but is now converted, with total conviction, to preserving this astonishing creature.
Around the campfire, we sip sweet tea and eat biscuits under a vast vault of stars. We have come here with a group of Yemenis, all eager to learn how the Omanis created Arabia's only genuine wildlife reserve. If the leopard is to survive, Yemen is the key, because it has plenty of the type of environment the animal needs. Sadly it lacks the resources, the knowledge and the organisational skills required. The only efforts are coming from the Foundation for the Protection of the Arabian Leopard in Yemen which gallantly soldiers on without much support from the outside world. No surprise in that of course, since Yemen is normally only mentioned in the media in conjunction with tales of politics or terrorism.
Visitors from other countries do come to Oman though. Conservation volunteer organisation Biosphere Expeditions arranges short volunteer placements to work with Khalid, and he's adamant that the foreign presence is important. "They do useful work helping us survey the mountains for leopards," he says. "And it makes a good impression for conservation with the Jebali community. We try to buy supplies from the locals, too."
Next day we trek down a steep mountainside, so steep that one team member gets vertigo and has to be helped back to camp. In gulches and canyons there are some hardy plants, including the frankincense tree, a species that made this area economically important centuries ago. The only sign of human presence, however, is some cartridge shells from the Oman-Yemen war of the 1970s.
Down in the wadi, we follow its bed until it stops at a vertical edge – now dry but obviously scoured by water in the rainy season. There are rock hyrax droppings everywhere – a vital sign as leopards love to eat these small mammals. We don't see any animals though, until we locate the trail camera that Khalid left here a month before.
We cluster around, eager to see the digital images as Khalid flicks through them: the rear end of an oryx, the hunched figure of a striped hyena, then lots of blurred shots of hyrax scuttling past. There are no leopards, but I'm getting the idea now: this is a ghost safari, a trip where the only means of putting together the landscape and its inhabitants is the motion-triggered remote camera. This understanding is like a light bulb coming on. Suddenly all those shy, non-tourist-friendly creatures of the world can be part of the international business of tourism and conservation – and that could be vital for their survival.
And it is a gorgeous colourful world that we view later on a laptop back at the camp. Dusty rocks burst into life with wolves, hyenas, antelopes and more. No leopards, however, and as I wriggle into my sleeping bag under the stars, I allow myself a small pang of anxiety: what if we don't catch a leopard image? It's vital for the film I am making there with Al-Jazeera.
I'm drifting off to sleep, noting the cold wind that has kicked up, when I hear shouts from Nasser, one of the Yemeni trainees. I am up in an instant, running across to cameraman Tom, jabbing him awake. I click on my headtorch and run across the rocks towards Nasser. He's pointing down the hill, his face glowing with excitement, and even fear. "Leopard! Leopard!"
Shining my torch where he is pointing, I catch a glimpse of two silvery eyes, not 50m away. They come on like a pair of headlamps, then are extinguished as the animal turns and runs. I go after it, but my torch is at the limit of its range and, frustratingly, I can't see the animal, only those twin orbs of light. There is one instant, a fraction of a second, when it is framed against the far side of the wadi and I get a sense of its size – certainly bigger than a fox, but maybe only as big as a hyena. Then it's gone.
Behind me, Nasser is deliriously excited. He's a Yemeni farmer from a remote mountain area, Jabal Milhan, and he knows a leopard when he sees one. The animal, he tells us, was standing less than 10m away from him. He has tracked the animals since he was a child, but then it's about that long since the last sighting in Milhan.
Khalid is diplomatic. "In all my years tracking leopards, I've never seen one." He holds out the prospect of proof, however. We can clamber down to another trail camera below where the animal appeared. There may be some visual support for Nasser's claim.
As the sun rises, we are all already up. It's bitterly cold and we are scrabbling around for shards of thorny firewood to boil a kettle. But by 8am, when we get going, it's already hot.
It takes several hours to get down to the hidden camera, on a cliff ledge. All along the sandy edge we find leopard tracks, very clearly heading up towards the camp. And at the camera we are rewarded with some marvellous shots of a male leopard. Nasser is particularly gleeful, feeling vindicated.
That night, camping closer to the sea, I chat to Salah al-Mahthori, from the Omani government's Arabian Oryx project. He gives a sobering account of conservation efforts. The wild oryx population had been hunted to extinction by 1972, when the conservation effort began. It met with initial success: numbers grew from 40 to over 400. But with success came publicity, and with that poachers. Now the Omanis are once again fighting to rescue the oryx from the brink of extinction. Conservation, he reminds me, is a battle that goes on indefinitely.
Silhouetted against the night sky we spot a distant fox, running away from our voices. It is the only wild animal we see with any clarity in an entire week of camping in the mountains and that fox's wariness of humans seems very well justified indeed.
| 95,028
|
Maybe you're skinny, maybe a bit overweight or a few inches shorter than your counterparts. Well, there are several ways you can use to minimise body imperfections. You'll find the strategies to be an inch taller or look a bit more muscular.
Body-shaming can be described as an inappropriate judgement, criticism or negative attitude for your own or someone's physical attributes (For example – ‘I want to look beautiful’, ‘with that bloated belly, you are never going to find a date’). It is everywhere; you can see it in the media or hear from pals that they want to look slimmer, smaller or tanner.
Are you guilty of making inappropriate statements, direct comment or shaming someone or yourself in anyway? Here is how you can resolve or avoid these bad habits.
Avoid the ‘fat’ word
Using the word ‘fat’ is one way we body shame someone. ‘You’re not that fat’ or dancing around the word fat too often is an awful thing, even worse if you use the euphemisms such as big boned or fluffy. When you can’t stop yourself, say subtle things such as ‘he looks healthy or she looks like she is starving. Strike ‘fat’ from your vocabulary.
Forget those body shapes
Don’t use words such as muffin top, apple shaped, pear shaped or apple butt to describe body features. After all, we are not food.
Be careful when you acknowledge
Appreciate others for their successful weight loss efforts. If you come to know or someone tells you that they have lost weight, acknowledge their efforts. Something like ‘you’ve always been beautiful, you look terrific now’ will delight them as well as you. In case they don’t mention it first, you shouldn't mention it either.
Don’t comment on someone's body or food intake
Think twice when you are about to use pretend compliments such as ‘you’re really brave to wear that shirt’ or ‘you can’t eat that, you already have those muscles’. You shouldn’t comment on someone's body or food intake, they might have an eating disorder. Likewise, suggesting someone that certain clothes don’t suit them is insulting.
Stop interfering in other’s exercise routine
Making assumptions or suggestions about someone’s exercise habits based on their physical appearance is a form of shaming. Don’t ask an overweight person that ‘have they tried cycling’ or a thin person that he/she needs to spend all day in the gym to put on weight. You may think that you are within your boundaries, but may be rude and inappropriate in their eyes.
When you designate one body type or weight as ideal or right, you can make some people feel ashamed or not good enough. You shouldn’t make any kind of judgement on someone’s physical features; even you think it is a positive one. The same can happen to you; such comments can make you feel that you don't conform to health standards or there's something wrong with you. So, do unto others what you want them to do unto you.
Read more articles on Exercise and Fitness.
Findings of latest study showed that a bad marriage could cause depression and increase the risk of heart disease.read more
Turns out, heavy drinking of alcohol can expose multiple organs to the risk of diseases. Learn what the new study has to reveal.read more
| 308,877
|
New Year's Eve in Phoenix 2014
Phoenix is the largest city in Arizona and its capital, with a population estimated at 1, 552,259. The city was founded in 1861 near the Salt River, in the Northwestern reaches of the starkly beautiful Sonora desert. Populated since ancient times, it also has a rich modern political history, which complements the city's attraction and charm to the throngs of visitors arriving for New Year's Eve in Phoenix 2014.
New Year's Eve 2014 is the perfect time to visit Downtown Phoenix and its numerous restaurants, bars and shops. The warm Phoenix winter encourages celebration outdoors, enabling you to savor excellent Mexican cuisine while watching the last sunset of the year paint a rainbow of colors over the cityscape of buildings and parks. Music and performing arts lovers will find it a mecca for concerts and performances, particularly of the country and rock genres. A truly unforgettable New Year's Eve 2014 celebration awaits visitors and locals in Phoenix, Arizona.
| 64,307
|
Elegance, body control, and grace—these are the characteristics that many cat owners admire in their feline companions. Others, however, have clumsy cats at home who mainly attract attention by purring loudly. But despite their differences, cats share many behavioural traits that are typical of their species. As humans, we can glean valuable insights from them. In the following article, you will discover when we should consider our cats as role models and learn from their examples.
Cats as an Example: What You Can Learn From Your Feline Friend
© mizina / stock.adobe.com
Your own cat makes a good personal coach, as we can learn a lot from our feline friends.
Table of contents
Getting Started with Your Morning Routine
Are you stumbling hectically into the day after a long nap? That’s simply not an option for cats! They gracefully conclude their rest period with a little cat yoga session, stretching their bodies extensively. Once their bodies and minds are fully awake, cats proceed with their daily activities.
A relaxing morning routine would benefit many people as well. How about incorporating a few yoga sun salutations before enjoying your morning tea or coffee? This will keep you nimble and help you start the day with purpose. Reading the newspaper, going for a jog, or enjoying homemade overnight oats could become integral parts of your favourite personal routine, setting you off on a positive note.
Grooming for Wellness
Extensive grooming is an essential part of a cat’s routine. With a lick and a promise, cats dedicate around three hours a day to their own grooming. The soothing massage of their rough tongues keeps their coat supple and promotes blood circulation.
What can we learn from cats in this regard? The importance of dedicating time to our bodies and our health! It doesn’t require several hours a day, but rather a conscious decision to prioritize self-care.
Indulge in a massage if your shoulders are tense. Explore a new exfoliating scrub accompanied by a face mask, and unwind with a good book while it takes effect. Your body and soul will appreciate the care and gratitude.
Masters of Relaxation
Cat lovers are well aware that their feline companions are true experts in the art of relaxation! They effortlessly discover the most comfortable spots from a cat’s perspective and transform them into such cozy havens that simply observing them brings us a sense of calm. While we don’t necessarily need to emulate their 16 hours of slumber, we can make a conscious decision to prioritize a minimum of seven to eight hours of sleep each day.
Incorporate brief moments of relaxation into your daily routine: snuggle up on the sofa with a book and a dozing cat, and switch your phone to silent mode to create a peaceful atmosphere.
Learning Authenticity from Cats
Cats are masters of authenticity – they never pretend, not even to please others. If they’re not interested in something, they make it abundantly clear. We can take a valuable lesson from this. While it’s not advisable to constantly bare our claws in everyday life, listening to our own needs and desires is crucial for our happiness.
So, the next time you find yourself considering taking on additional work despite feeling exhausted or attending an event that you have no interest in, remember that a firm “no” can also be a solution. Prioritizing your own well-being and being true to yourself is an important approach to leading a fulfilling life.
Embracing the Joy of Play
Even the most majestic cat can transform into an exuberant little kitten at the sight of a cat dangler pole toy. The thrill of chasing a desired object engages all of a cat’s senses. Engaging in playful activities absentmindedly serves as a genuine form of relaxation in our daily lives.
Learning from cats goes beyond playing together. Instead of a dangler pole toy, you can seek out new activities that allow you to completely disconnect and enjoy yourself. How about trying experimental painting? Joining a karate class? Or finally participating in the local singing group instead of simply belting tunes in the shower? Cats serve as a reminder that anything you enjoy is permissible—the key is to have fun!
Embracing Curiosity Inspired by Cats
The innate curiosity of cats serves as a gentle reminder for us to nurture our inner child. What could be rustling in that bag over there? Ah, the bag itself! There is always something intriguing waiting to be explored.
Remaining curious is not limited to the contents of bags and similar things; it extends to different cultures and our fellow human beings as well. Those who believe they possess complete knowledge about something or someone miss out on the delightful experience of discovery. Embracing curiosity allows us to uncover new joys and expand our horizons.
Cats as Exemplars of Patience
“The grass doesn’t grow faster if you tug at it”. Sometimes, it’s challenging for us to be patient and accept that certain things require time. Waiting can test our patience. However, cats can teach us a valuable lesson in this regard. If you’ve ever observed a cat patiently waiting by a mouse hole, you’ve witnessed an expert in the art of timing. Cats remain focused, knowing that the mouse will eventually emerge. They understand that waiting preserves their energy.
Whether it’s sticking to a diet, learning a new language, or pursuing further education, persevering and keeping our goals in sight is a lesson we can glean from cats. Just like them, we should remain patient, knowing that our efforts will bear fruit in due time.
Appreciating Life’s Simple Pleasures
Granted, some cats can be little divas. However, when it comes to material possessions, they couldn’t care less about the price tag. Whether a cat bed costs 15 pounds or 100 pounds is irrelevant to them. What matters most is comfort. Many cat lovers can attest to situations that beautifully illustrate this. They receive a package, and their cat promptly claims the cardboard box as its own cozy retreat. A crumpled piece of newspaper can provide 15 minutes of pure entertainment. Cats teach us the valuable lesson of finding joy in the simplest of things.
We can learn from them to cherish and appreciate the little pleasures that surround us every day. Just like a cat, let us find delight in the ordinary and embrace the happiness that can be derived from life’s seemingly insignificant moments.
Embracing the Present Moment
Cats have an innate ability to live in the present, without worrying about tomorrow. While we humans strive to plan everything meticulously to attain certainty, or find ourselves consumed by concerns about the future, cats serve as a gentle reminder to simply enjoy the moment.
While forward-thinking is generally advantageous, it’s truly refreshing to occasionally immerse ourselves in the present. Cats can even inspire individuals with chronic illnesses to momentarily set aside their worries, disconnect, and consciously experience the present moment. By allowing ourselves to recharge our batteries in this manner during our daily lives, we can approach each new day with a renewed sense of vitality.
In conclusion, cats serve as true connoisseurs of life and can provide us with valuable lessons that can sometimes even surpass human coaches. While not all aspects of feline behavior may be applicable to our daily lives, there is truth in the notion that trusting our own instincts leads us down a positive path. Cats lead by example, demonstrating the importance of authenticity, relaxation, curiosity, patience, and finding joy in the simplest of things. By observing and learning from our feline companions, we can enhance our own lives and embrace a more fulfilling way of being.
46% of UK households own a pet, with a total pet population of 58 million, including 7 million cats and 0.5 million indoor birds. Many pet owners provide a home for more than one type of pet, with cats sometimes sharing a home with a budgie, parakeet or other bird, but what happens when you have a cat and a small pet?
| 77,175
|
Soka Gakkai International
Buddhism in Action for Peace
History & Philosophy
Stories and reflections on the Buddhist approach to life
Updates and reports from around the world
by Daisaku Ikeda, President, Soka Gakkai International
The structure of world peace cannot be the work of one man, or one party, or one Nation. ... It must be a peace which rests on the cooperative effort of the whole world.
These were the words with which U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt--one of the parents of the United Nations, and indeed, the man who gave the organization its name--addressed the U.S. Congress in March 1945.
Roosevelt didn't live to see the birth of the international organization dedicated to world peace of which he had dreamed. He passed away in April 1945, just one month after speaking these words and a few weeks before the United Nations Conference on International Organization convened to draft the United Nations Charter.
At the San Francisco Conference, attended by representatives of fifty nations, there was a surging sense of joy and hope that the birth of this international organization would help humankind break the vicious cycles of war and tragedy, and move the world toward peace and security. The conference was described as a "landmark" and a "milestone in the long march of man to a better future," indicative of the world's great hope and expectation on the birth of the United Nations.
The United Nations Charter was adopted after three months of intensive debate and discussions, and was the culmination of the vow "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind...." .
These words in the Preamble of the Charter were not written merely as a reflection of the mistakes of the past, but were informed by a sense of responsibility for the generations to come. related article A Forum for Peace: Compilation of 30 years of SGI President Ikeda's Peace Proposals Launched at UN HQ On February 20, A Forum for Peace: Daisaku Ikeda's Proposals to the UN, a collection of key excerpts from 30 years of peace proposals by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda, was launched in a high profile event held at the UN Headquarters.
Thirteen years ago, I had occasion to visit the Opera House in San Francisco where the Charter was adopted. Reflecting on the dramatic moment in world history when the United Nations was born to serve as the parliament of humanity, I could not suppress a renewed sense of the immensity of the mission with which the UN has been entrusted.
That mission, to prevent the world from experiencing the scourge of yet another world war, has subsequently been constantly challenged, and at times it seemed that the organization would fail in this most crucial task. This was certainly the case during the crises of the Cold War, when the world was split into rival blocs.
A variety of conflicts and tensions continue to plague the world, and the situation at the start of the twenty-first century has become further aggravated with the emerging crisis of international terrorism. Furthermore, global issues such as poverty, hunger, environmental degradation and refugee crises continue to pose fundamental threats to human dignity.
The difficult realities confronting the UN sixty years after its birth were expressed quite explicitly in the words of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in his address to the 2005 World Summit: "...deep divisions among Member States, and the underperformance of our collective institutions, were preventing us from coming together to meet the threats we face and seize the opportunities before us."
Given that the UN is an intergovernmental organization whose constituent members are sovereign states, innovative reform ideas and efforts will inevitably face the impediments of conflicting national interests. This is the disempowering reality that has confronted the UN for many years. People's disappointment in the UN has led to escalating criticism of the powerlessness of the international organization.
In certain respects, the UN has failed to keep pace with the changing realities of our times, and there are certainly many major hurdles and criticisms that the UN has yet to overcome.
Nevertheless, as long as there are people in this world who suffer, who live under threats and crises, we absolutely cannot afford to dismiss the great value and mission of the UN.
With a membership of 192 states, the UN is the most universal forum available; the UN alone is capable of promoting international cooperation and conferring legitimacy to such efforts and actions. Therefore, I believe that there is no other realistic solution than to provide effective support to the UN and work for its revitalization. We must start from the recognition that the UN has, for sixty years, provided humanitarian assistance to regions in need and acted as a forum for global dialogue where international consensus could be reached on issues of importance.
As I engage in dialogue with the world's political, cultural and intellectual leaders, we often exchange thoughts on the future of the UN. If I were to distill and summarize their views, most of these leaders, while admitting the problems and challenges that the organization faces, subscribe to the view that the UN needs to be supported and empowered.
Many have pointed out that even if UN-centered initiatives are agreed on and ready to be implemented, there will always be national leaders who, to protect national interest or position, distance themselves from commitment to specific action. In my conversations with successive UN Secretaries-General, including Javier Perez de Cuellar and Boutros Boutros-Ghali, they have consistently pointed out the irony that while the world places the maximum expectations on the UN, it provides only minimal support.
The critical question, therefore, is how can this situation be resolved? First of all, we must constantly recall that a core purpose of the UN is to be the parliament of humanity, a venue where all voices can be heard and all perspectives represented. However seriously national interests clash and crises deepen, I believe that the answer lies in the commitment to a relentless process of dialogue, steadily creating the foundations for common efforts to resolve the challenges that face us.
Without dialogue, the world will continue to stumble through the confusion of darkness and division. Just as, in Greek mythology, Ariadne's thread made possible a safe exit from the Minotaur's labyrinth, dialogue can help us find our way out of the baffling maze of crises that surround us.
The continued process of dialogue fosters the ethos of coexistence and tolerance that our times demand. It is my firm belief that this will give birth to a "culture of peace"-the advent of which represents a critical transition in human history.
Today, the world faces mounting crises including the deadlock in Iraq and the Middle East as a whole, the possible development of nuclear weapons capabilities by North Korea and Iran, the deteriorating state of affairs in Afghanistan and ongoing regional conflicts in Africa and elsewhere. But the complexity of these challenging problems is precisely the reason why it is crucial to patiently and persistently seek out paths to resolution making maximum use of the channels for global dialogue that are both the UN's most particular strength and the very well-springs of soft power.
The advancing processes of globalization worldwide have been accompanied by deepening divisions and conflicts--both within and between societies. We see around us a spreading "culture of war" that justifies the use of war and violent means to realize desired ends.
It is absolutely vital that we dismantle this culture of war. We must use dialogue to advance resolutely toward the creation of a truly peaceful global society in which there is genuine respect for differences of position and outlook and where there is a shared reverence for the human dignity of all.
I wish to urge again that the UN play a focal role in the grand project of constructing a civilization imbued with the spirit of dialogue.
As we strive to envision the direction the UN should take in the twenty-first century, I believe there is much we can learn from the life and example of Dag Hammarskjold, the second Secretary-General of the organization. His achievements shine in the annals of UN history and his moral force and integrity as the "conscience of the United Nations" command wide respect to this day.
Dag Hammarskjold was a statesman and economist born in Sweden just over a century ago. In the midst of the mounting tensions of the Cold War, Hammarskjold took the lead in expanding the UN's responsibilities beyond a passive role of merely responding to crises, to a more proactive role in the promotion of peace in the world.
His talents were particularly visible in his efforts to resolve the Suez Crisis, as well as conflicts in Lebanon, Laos and elsewhere. His active pursuit of "quiet diplomacy," as he personally led missions to different regions in order to mediate conflicts, remains as his enduring legacy.
There were voices critical of this style of proactive diplomacy on the part of the UN and its Secretary-General. Hammarskjold's actions were denounced, for example, by the Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, who demanded his resignation. Hammarskjold refused to succumb to this pressure and continued to promote UN leadership for the resolution of international crises.
Hammarskjold expressed his unwavering resolve in his book Markings published after his death:
"The Uncarved Block"--remain at the Center, which is yours and that of all humanity. For those goals which it gives to your life, do the utmost which, at each moment, is possible for you. Also, act without thinking of the consequences, or seeking anything for yourself.
Driven by a sense of moral, even religious, mission, he continued to strive until the last moment of his life to empower the UN to respond to the world's expectations.
In September 1961, en route to a meeting with President Moise Tshombe of Katanga in an effort to resolve the Congo Crisis, Hammarskjold's plane crashed in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), causing his death. He was 56. For his outstanding achievements, Hammarskjold was posthumously awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 1961.
At the time of his death, Hammarskjold was engaged not only in attempting to resolve the conflict in Congo, but in another important task. Hammarskjold had profound respect for the "philosopher of dialogue," Martin Buber (1878-1965), and was planning to translate his classic work I and Thou into Swedish.
Their friendship began in 1952, a year before Hammarskjold became Secretary-General. As their exchanges and mutual respect deepened, a strong desire arose in Hammarskjold to translate Buber's works. When he shared that wish with the philosopher, Buber suggested he translate I and Thou. This exchange took place just a few weeks before Hammarskjold's fatal mission to Congo.
Hammarskjold immediately contacted a publisher in Sweden and wrote a letter to Buber telling him agreement had been obtained. As he left New York for Congo, he had with him the German-language edition of I and Thou personally given to him by the author. He found the time amidst his demanding schedule, in flight and during his short stay in Leopoldville (now Kinshasa), to work on the translation of Buber's book. Later, after the plane crash, the first twelve pages of the Secretary-General's manuscript translation were found among his personal effects.
Buber received Hammarskjold's final letter just one hour after he heard the news of the plane crash on the radio. Buber deeply lamented the death of this man of passion and goodwill who had given everything, including his life, for his mission.
Hammarskjold shared a deep conviction with Buber, which he fervently wished to convey through the translation of Buber's work. This was the firm belief that no matter how dire and challenging the situation may be, humans must engage in sincere dialogue with others; that through this kind of genuine and sincere dialogue it is always possible to bridge the gaps of distrust that divide the world.
One well-known episode illustrates how Hammarskjold put this conviction into practice.
In 1955, in an attempt to secure the release of American prisoners of war captured during the Korean War, Hammarskjold flew to China--then without a seat at the UN--and tried to meet with Premier Zhou Enlai.
People around him strongly advised him against the visit. Face-to-face with Zhou, without an official entourage and unable to use his own interpreter, Hammarskjold stated the following during one of their private sessions: .
...[I]t does not mean that I appeal to you or that I ask you for their release. It means that--inspired also by my faith in your wisdom and in your wish to promote peace--I have considered it my duty as forcefully as I can, and with deep conviction, to draw attention to the vital importance of their fate to the cause of peace. ... Their fate may well decide the direction in which we will all be moving in the near future--towards peace, or away from peace. ...[A]gainst all odds, [this case] has brought me around the world in order to put before you, in great frankness and trusting that we see eye to eye on the desperate need to avoid adding to existing frictions, my deep concern both as Secretary-General and as a man.
I recall my own encounter with Premier Zhou Enlai in December 1974, a year before his death. Several years earlier, in September 1968, at a time when there were no official diplomatic relations between China and Japan as no formal peace had been concluded between them, I had called for the normalization of relations and urged that China be represented in the UN. Zhou Enlai was aware of my efforts, and despite ill health, insisted on meeting with me at his hospital in Beijing. With intense passion, Premier Zhou shared his thoughts with me. "In this critical period in the history of the world, all nations must stand as equals and help each other." He expressed his strong desire for enduring friendship between China and Japan.
Based on this personal experience, I can easily imagine the kind of intent dialogue, the earnest soul-to-soul exchange, that unfolded between Zhou and Hammarskjold. The meeting created a bond of trust between the two men which later led to the release of the eleven American airmen.
Whether it be intergovernmental relations or relations between the UN and member states, the most essential element is always encounter and dialogue between individual human beings.
No matter how impossible a deadlock may seem, a breakthrough can always be found if we meet face-to-face and engage in genuine dialogue: I believe this was the conviction that motivated Hammarskjold throughout his extensive travels as Secretary-General, meeting with and mediating between the parties to conflicts.
Hammarskjold's passionate and relentless efforts to advance the peace process in the world embody the principles that should guide the UN in fulfilling its mission to build a new human civilization imbued with the spirit of dialogue. His legacy is one that must be passed on to the people of the twenty-first century.
Looking at the world today, the Middle East is just one of the regions where tensions remain high, and there is a strong need for the parties involved or affected by these tensions to communicate and engage in dialogue through the UN. This is critical to finding a breakthrough to persistent conflicts and bringing stability to the region.
After violent military clashes that continued for a month, a ceasefire in Lebanon was finally realized following a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities. But the underlying instability remains, as does the possibility that fighting may reignite at any time. This points to the urgent need to move proactively to the next step of rebuilding a stable and peaceful order in the region. It is my sincere hope that all parties will work through the UN to develop new channels for dialogue that will substantively further this process.
As I think about the profound mission the UN bears, I recall the words of Secretary-General Kofi Annan when he addressed the 2005 World Summit on September 14, 2005, attended by the leaders of 170 states: "We must find what President Franklin Roosevelt once called 'the courage to fulfill our responsibilities in an admittedly imperfect world.'" .
The raison d'etre of the UN, still entirely valid after sixty years, is encapsulated in this spirit of responsibility and courage.
It was the lifelong wish of my mentor, Josei Toda (1900-58), second president of the Soka Gakkai, to forge a global solidarity of ordinary citizens committed to support the UN.
Along with the founding president of the Soka Gakkai, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (1871-1944), Josei Toda was imprisoned for nearly two years during World War II because his uncompromising convictions, rooted in his religious faith, led him to a direct confrontation with Japan's militarist fascism. He was released from prison immediately before the war ended, on July 3, 1945, just a few days after the UN Charter was adopted by the San Francisco Conference.
Toda's philosophy of peace was expressed in his call for the abolition of nuclear weapons and his ideal of "global nationalism" which in today's terms could be interpreted as a world citizenship that transcends all distinctions of nationality, ethnicity and ideology.
Toda believed that the UN represented the distillation of wisdom of twentieth-century humankind. He was convinced of the need to protect and develop this embodiment of the world's hopes into the next century.
It was Toda's deepest desire to eliminate needless suffering from this planet by expanding the global solidarity of awakened and empowered individuals.
In my own family, four of my brothers were drafted into the war. My eldest brother died in battle. The grief experienced by my elderly parents was indescribably profound.
Nothing is more cruel than war, nothing more miserable. This was the reality engraved into my youthful life and consciousness.
Soon after the war, I encountered Toda and determined that I would join my mentor in the lifelong struggle to break the unending cycles of war and violence, and to contribute to the realization of a world of peace.
Immediately after my inauguration as the third president of the Soka Gakkai, as heir to my mentor's will, I took the first step in this effort when I traveled to the United States. My choice of the United States was motivated in part by my awareness that this was the country where the United Nations Headquarters, the focal point of efforts for global peace, was located.
I still recall with vivid clarity my first visit to the UN Headquarters in New York in October 1960. Dag Hammarskjold was Secretary-General and the 15th General Assembly was in session with the attendance of many of the world's leaders, including U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev.
As I observed the General Assembly and committee meetings, what left an indelible impression on me was the power and vibrancy emanating from the representatives of the newly-independent African states participating in the debates. At this General Assembly, seventeen nations, including Cameroon, Togo and Madagascar, were welcomed as member states of the UN. All of these new states, with the exception of Cyprus, were from the African continent.
It was deeply inspiring to witness the passion of the African representatives brimming with fresh energy, determined to contribute to the making of a better world through the UN. Every time I think about the important mission of the UN, I cannot help but recall this scene.
Traveling to various different parts of the world, I have often sensed people's strong hopes and expectations for the UN. My efforts to engage in dialogue with political, intellectual and cultural leaders throughout the world stem from this desire to expand the network of like-minded people thinking beyond national, ethnic and religious differences, committed to supporting the UN.
While promoting dialogue among civilizations and among religions, I have at the same time felt the need to make concrete proposals for action. Every year since 1983, I have issued peace proposals in which I have set out ideas on ways to reinforce and revitalize the UN, stressing the importance of encouraging grassroots support.
Soka Gakkai International (SGI) has carried out a wide range of activities in support of the UN.
As Cold War tensions mounted, we organized the exhibition "Nuclear Arms: Threat to Our World" in 1982, in support of the UN's World Disarmament Campaign. This exhibition, which opened at the UN Headquarters in New York, toured twenty-five cities in sixteen countries, including the Soviet Union and China and other nuclear weapons states. In total it was viewed by some 1.2 million visitors.
After the end of the Cold War, the SGI organized the exhibition "War and Peace: From a Century of War to a Century of Hope" and updated the antinuclear exhibit, renaming it "Nuclear Arms: Threat to Humanity," in an effort to bring people together in their shared desire for peace and to generate a momentum toward realizing a world without war.
In the area of human rights education, the SGI organized the exhibition "Toward a Century of Humanity: An Overview of Human Rights in Today's World" in support of the UN Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004). With the end of the Decade, the SGI collaborated with other UN agencies and NGOs to promote the creation of a new international framework to follow up the work of the Decade. These efforts culminated in the formal adoption of the World Programme for Human Rights Education.
In the area of ecological integrity and sustainability, the SGI, together with other NGOs, proposed the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. This was later adopted by the General Assembly, with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated as the lead agency to promote the Decade, which began in 2005.
The SGI has long supported refugee relief activities through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In 1992, the SGI organized the Voice Aid campaign in response to the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia's (UNTAC) request and donated 300,000 second-hand radios to support the smooth organization and administration of free and fair elections in Cambodia.
The SGI's grassroots network of ordinary citizens in support of the UN has now expanded to include 190 countries and territories. These efforts are compelled by Buddhist values and philosophy, which uphold the inviolable dignity of life. The core principles that guide the UN are cognate with the principles of Buddhist humanism--peace, equality and compassion. Motivated by these values, it is perhaps inevitable that SGI members feel compelled to support the UN.
In this context it is relevant to introduce the example of a contemporary of Shakyamuni--a woman by the name of Srimala--which appears in the Buddhist canon. Her vow is recorded as follows:
If I see lonely people, people who have been jailed unjustly and have lost their freedom, people who are suffering from illness, disaster or poverty, I will not abandon them. I will bring them spiritual and material comfort.
Srimala lived true to her vow and devoted her life to helping the suffering.
The teachings of the Buddhist reformer Nichiren (1222-82), which constitute the philosophical basis of the SGI's activities, are deeply imbued with the spirit of Mahayana Buddhism. Our efforts to support the UN as it strives to protect human dignity in our modern world are a natural consequence of putting into practice the Bodhisattva way represented by Srimala's compassionate vow and actions.
In recent years, the UN has focused its efforts on the promotion of human rights, human security, human development, culture of peace and dialogue among civilizations. These are all undertakings that strike a chord with the philosophy of peace expounded in Buddhism.
The philosophical basis of our activities and thinking is elucidated in the treatise "On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land," written by Nichiren in 1260 as he witnessed the sufferings of the ordinary people caught up in the incessant war and natural disasters that wracked thirteenth-century Japanese society.
In this treatise, instead of using either of the standard Chinese characters for "country," which have in their center elements that signify "sovereign" or "weapon," in the majority of cases Nichiren uses a character in which the element signifying "ordinary people" is central. For Nichiren, the heart of the nation is neither the authorities nor the territory, but the ordinary people who inhabit it. This same spirit animates the modern concept of human security--where the foremost aim is to realize the peace and happiness of citizens.
Throughout this treatise, Nichiren critiqued the dominant philosophies of his times; he considered that their emphasis on introverted reflection encouraged an escapist attitude and made people feel incapable of effectively engaging in or transforming society. Instead, he promoted the belief that inherent in each individual is a robust power and potential; that each individual can become the protagonist and initiator of societal transformation. This belief shares much with the contemporary concept of empowerment that constitutes the core of human development.
Nichiren's treatise contains the following passage: "If you care anything about your personal security, you should first of all pray for order and tranquility throughout the four quarters of the land...." This is a powerful call for the creation of a culture of peace, which is not limited to the security of the individual but seeks the security of the entire human race.
The ultimate inspiration underlying the SGI's promotion of consciousness-raising at the grassroots level through exhibitions and seminars, as well as our support for UN activities for education in the fields of disarmament, human rights and the environment, lies in this desire to realize the security of the entire human race.
Furthermore, the treatise unfolds as a dialogue between two individuals, the host and the guest, who have completely differing perspectives and views but who are both pained by the tragic realities tormenting their society. The host tells the guest, "I have been brooding alone upon this matter, indignant in my heart, but now that you have come, we can lament together. Let us discuss the question at length." An earnest dialogue takes place as the two exchange their views on the causes of people's suffering, means to alleviate this suffering, and what can be done to this end. At the conclusion of the dialogue, the host and guest vow to unite their efforts and work together toward a common goal.
Dialogue has the power to inspire inner change in people and leads to positive action to transform society. This is the approach found in the wisdom of the Buddhist tradition since the days of Shakyamuni.
In the SGI Charter adopted in 1995, this spirit is reflected thus: "SGI shall, based on the Buddhist spirit of tolerance, respect other religions, engage in dialogue and work together with them toward the resolution of fundamental issues concerning humanity." .
Based on this spirit, the SGI has engaged in an open dialogue with people of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds, in the hope of expanding the solidarity of awakened individuals committed to seeking ways to resolve the challenges facing our planet.
The soft power mission of the United Nations
As mentioned at the outset, I am convinced that the mission of the UN in the twenty-first century must be to defuse tensions and generate momentum toward peaceful coexistence through the power of dialogue. By centering on the processes of global dialogue it will best fulfill its function as a body for deliberation and action. In this way, it will lay the foundation for concerted action in such critical areas as human rights, human security and human development--the absolute prerequisites for the peace and happiness of the world's people.
In working toward these objectives, it is essential we remember that the core strength of the UN is its "soft power," the power of dialogue and international cooperation. This is true even in the field of global peace and security. While the UN Charter clearly recognizes the possibility of the exercise of "hard power," including military action, Chapter VI, on the pacific settlement of disputes, details those measures which are to be taken before the application of the enforcement measures set out in Chapter VII. Precedence is thus firmly placed on Chapter VI, with the use of hard power reserved for crisis situations as a means of last resort.
The Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset (1883-1955) defined civilization as "the attempt to reduce force to being the ultima ratio [last resort]." When we think how the UN came into being as a reflection of the bitter lessons of two world wars, it is clear that this principle needs to be adamantly observed. I would like to reaffirm that the UN must continue to develop and enhance its soft power capacities. It should continue to focus on confidence-building and preventive measures and not be drawn into a reactive approach that attempts to solve problems through military force or other forms of hard power.
In the Eastern tradition, the sixtieth year marks the end of a cycle and the beginning of a new one. In that sense, I believe the UN's sixtieth anniversary, celebrated last year, provides a significant opportunity for the UN to renew its commitment to the noble mission with which it has been entrusted and make a new departure toward its fulfillment.
Here I would like to suggest that one axial theme around which the UN could develop is that of "humanitarian competition."
The idea of humanitarian competition was proposed by the founding president of the Soka Gakkai, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, in his 1903 work The Geography of Human Life. Writing in an era when the forces of imperialism and colonialism were dominant throughout the world, Makiguchi criticized a state of affairs in which the crucial question of individual human happiness was being overshadowed by intense competition in the military, political and economic spheres. Reviewing the evolution of competition through its military, political and economic modes, he called for a transition from these predatory forms of competition to what he described as humanitarian competition--in which we strive, based on an ethos of coexistence, for the happiness of both ourselves and others.
Makiguchi described the key elements of this transformation as follows:
Traditionally, military or political power has been used to expand territory and bring more people under one's control. Economic power, which may assume a different appearance or form, has been employed to the same effect as that realized through the exercise of military or political power. Humanitarian competition consists in using the invisible power of moral suasion to influence people. In other words, in place of submission exacted by the exercise of authority, we seek to gain the heartfelt respect [and cooperation] of others.
This process of supplanting the exercise of authority with the earning of heartfelt respect could be expressed in contemporary terms as the transition away from the competition of hard power--where societies seek to dominate each other through military and political strength or overwhelming economic might. Rather, each country should compete in the realm of soft power--vying to accrue trust and friendship by manifesting diplomatic and cultural strengths and through contributions in the field of international cooperation that deploy the full range of human resources, technology and experience. This, I believe, is the essence of Makiguchi's proposal.
If such humanitarian competition--a competition for extended influence based on soft power--firmly takes root, we will see the last of conventional zero-sum competition in which winners prevail through the victimization and suffering of losers. It will open a way for a win-win era where the dignity of everyone on the globe is honored, with each country competing constructively to make the greatest contribution to humanity.
Sadly, the world is still dominated by ruthless competition for advantage with no thought given to the price paid by others. Such modes of competition, played out on an ever-expanding global scale, have made for steadily growing gaps between the rich and the poor. Moreover, as threats to human dignity--the crisis of the global environment is emblematic--become borderless, we need to bear in mind that no individual state acting in isolation can mount a truly effective response. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan expressed this reality succinctly when he stated:
...I believe that in the twenty-first century [different perceptions of what is a threat] should not be allowed to lead the world's governments to pursue very different priorities or to work at cross-purposes. ... States working together can achieve things that are beyond what even the most powerful state can accomplish by itself.
It is therefore essential that the UN function to effectively concentrate and coordinate the capacities of individual states and prevent them from becoming diluted or dispersed. It could be said that the success of efforts to develop the international organization--humanity's common asset--into a body fully and genuinely dedicated to the people of the world, depends on this process. Each state naturally desires to take an honorable position as a respected member of the international community. To tap this potential and channel competitive energies, not toward violence, but into humanitarian objectives--herein lies, I believe, the mission of the UN as the focal center of humanitarian competition. This is the course it should take in the twenty-first century.
To generate momentum in this direction and set benchmarks for firmly establishing the ideal of humanitarian competition at the core of the UN's activities, I would like to stress the importance of the following three shared elements: a shared sense of purpose, a shared sense of responsibility and shared fields of action. Based on this I would like to set out what I view to be the UN's core challenges and to suggest plans for reform. related article Treasuring Diversity Daisaku Ikeda has written, "The Buddha's teaching begins with the recognition of human diversity.... The humanism of the Lotus Sutra comes down to the tenet of treasuring the individual."
As a shared sense of purpose I wish to propose the building of a culture of peace dedicated to the dignity and happiness of all people on the planet, and based on the awareness that peace is much more than the mere absence of conflict. In this respect, poverty, a daily affront to human dignity, is the foremost issue to be tackled. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in today's world as many as 2.5 billion people subsist on less than two dollars per day.
Noting that the targets of the Millennium Development Goals, including halving the proportion of people living in extreme poverty by 2015, will not be achieved at the current rate, UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis warns:
That would be a tragedy above all for the world's poor--but rich countries would not be immune to the consequences of failure. In an interdependent world our shared prosperity and collective security depend critically on success in the war against poverty.
In the shadow of a handful of countries that consume enormous resources and boast affluent lifestyles, a vast portion of the world's inhabitants are condemned to seemingly endless poverty; life in inhuman and degrading conditions that persist for generation after generation. It is an overriding humanitarian imperative to correct this gross distortion within the global community. Nor is this an impossible task. The cost of eradicating poverty has been estimated to be about one percent of global income. If even a portion of the resources currently allocated to military spending could be directed to poverty reduction, considerable progress could be made toward alleviating the problem.
I strongly urge each country to seriously reconsider its spending priorities and to actively support international cooperation for human development focused on the empowerment of all individuals afflicted with poverty--UNESCO's Education for All campaign in particular.
Together with poverty alleviation, disarmament, specifically nuclear disarmament, is vital if we are to put paid to the culture of war.
If the ideal of humanitarian competition is to take root in the international community, we must firmly establish the awareness that no society can found its security and well-being upon the terror and misery of another; we must create a new set of global ethics.
The theory of nuclear deterrence, in seeking to ensure the security of one state by threatening others with overwhelming destructive power, is diametrically opposed to the global ethics the new era demands.
The UN hosts an associated forum for multilateral talks on disarmament, the Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament. It is distressing, however, that disagreement among parties has kept it virtually nonfunctional for almost ten years since its last achievement, the adoption of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in 1996.
The stalemate persisted through last year, the sixtieth anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, whose symbolic significance could have been expected to provide impetus to disarmament efforts. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in May closed without producing any concrete results. Then in September the World Summit at the UN General Assembly issued an outcome document from which all mention of nuclear weapons had been deleted, to the great disappointment of all those who seek global peace.
It was against this backdrop that, in June 2006, the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, an independent group of international experts chaired by Hans Blix, the former chief UN arms inspector for Iraq, submitted a proposal on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation to Secretary-General Annan.
This document calls for a World Summit to be held at the UN to address the issues of disarmament, non-proliferation and terrorist use of weapons of mass destruction. To break the present deadlock at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, it proposes that only a two-thirds majority, instead of unanimity, be required to place issues on the agenda. "All states possessing nuclear weapons," it also recommends, "should commence planning for security without nuclear weapons. They should start preparing for the outlawing of nuclear weapons...."
These proposals are in line with the direction I have consistently asserted and it is thus very easy for me to support them. I earnestly hope that all states will take the Commission's carefully considered recommendations seriously and promptly launch diplomatic efforts to break the impasse that is blocking progress toward disarmament.
Ten years have passed since in 1996 the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion on the legality of nuclear weapons. In that opinion, the Court stated that "the threat or use of nuclear weapons would generally be contrary to international law," and "that there exists an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control." I think we should once again urge governments to recall the gravity of this opinion as we continue to build a committed international consensus for nuclear disarmament.
As the report of the Blix Commission points out, "Over the past decade, there has been a serious, and dangerous, loss of momentum and direction in disarmament and non-proliferation efforts." What is required is the political will for nuclear abolition. "And with that will, even the eventual elimination of nuclear weapons is not beyond the world's reach." It is thus all the more important now that the people of the world raise their voices.
Toward this end I would like to propose a UN decade of action by the world's people for nuclear abolition. With nuclear weapons proliferation continuing unabated, the first step in challenging the harsh reality must be to bring more people to the awareness that the nuclear threat is both relevant to their lives and something they can take action about. Such a decade of action, jointly promoted by the UN and NGOs, would be vital in promoting this awareness. I likewise support the early convening of a World Summit as called for by the Blix Commission or, alternatively, a Special Session of the UN General Assembly dedicated to intensive deliberation of disarmament issues. Such actions on the part of states would both reflect and support an emerging international consensus for disarmament.
The importance of working progressively toward the creation of a world without war through relentlessly pressing for nuclear disarmament and, ultimately, abolition: This was one of the points on which the late Sir Joseph Rotblat, emeritus president of the Pugwash conferences on Science and World Affairs, who passed away last year, and I deeply agreed.
If we are to bring down the curtain, once and for all, on an era lived under the threat of nuclear destruction, we must rethink the understanding of national interest that would justify nuclear weapons as a "necessary evil" essential for deterrence. Both the Russell-Einstein Manifesto (1955), co-signed by Dr. Rotblat, and my mentor Josei Toda's Declaration for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons (1957) refuted the theory of deterrence and adamantly refused to acknowledge the use of nuclear arms under any circumstances.
As Toda strikingly phrased it, nuclear weapons threaten humanity's right to existence and are therefore an absolute evil; their abolition is humanity's common duty. The central goal of the decade of action by the world's people for nuclear abolition that I am proposing would be to elevate this concept into one of the central tenets of our age.
Here I have examined the challenges of poverty alleviation and disarmament from the perspective of a shared sense of purpose. There are, of course, many other issues that weigh heavily upon humankind. Among these is the global environmental crisis, the particular complexity of which lies in the fact that its resolution requires a fundamental reexamination of human civilization. My own sense of crisis has prompted me to call, in my annual peace proposals, for accelerated efforts to create an institutional framework that will bring together the wisdom of humankind toward the resolution of environmental challenges, including giving them dramatically greater centrality at the UN.
The issues of poverty, disarmament and the environment all demand the concerted efforts of international society based on a sense of belonging to humanity and a sense of responsibility toward the future. It is for these reasons that it is absolutely essential to establish a shared sense of purpose through the United Nations.
I next wish to focus on the need to foster a shared sense of responsibility, specifically by establishing frameworks that encourage the youthful members of the rising generations to actively engage in various deliberations at the UN and in its agencies' local activities.
In February of 2006, the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research which I founded ten years ago held an international conference in Los Angeles on the theme of reforming and strengthening the UN. I was particularly struck by the vision statement presented by UN Under-Secretary-General Anwarul K. Chowdhury, which included these words:
In future, the United Nations should be an organization that interacts more closely and substantially with the young people to benefit from their ideas and enthusiasm in shaping the future of the world.
Gaining the understanding and unwavering support of as many of the world's citizens as possible is essential if the UN is to fully realize its potential. At the same time, the prerequisite for solving global problems is to supplant the prevailing mind-set, which places highest priority upon national interest, with a broad, shared sense of responsibility for the best interests of humankind and of the entire planet. Young people must be the protagonists in this endeavor.
I believe that the UN, having entered its sixty-first year, should make promoting young people's active engagement the central focus of its new departure. Archimedes is quoted as saying, "Give me a place to stand and with a lever I will move the whole world," and it is in this spirit that we must ensure that young people have "a place to stand" within the UN process.
It is said that about half of the countries emerging from conflict find themselves enmeshed in it again within five years. In societies that have experienced conflict and the tragedy of cycles of recurring violence, it is extremely difficult for members of the generation in power to disentangle themselves from the cycle of hatred and violence. Thus, it is important to focus on the next generation, who are less bound up in the past, and to find ways to enable youth to explore new ideas, avenues and approaches to establishing peace and shared prosperity.
The same formula applies to the challenges of poverty alleviation, disarmament and environmental degradation. Significant breakthroughs will only come about as the seeds of change planted in the hearts of the next generation through persistent, untiring efforts in the fields of education and awareness-raising come to fruition. My mentor's declaration against nuclear weapons, in entrusting the abolition of nuclear arms to young people, was based on just this kind of far-reaching future vision.
Along these lines, it would be worth considering holding a gathering of youth representatives from around the world every year prior to the annual UN General Assembly, giving world leaders an opportunity to listen to the views of the next generation. It would also be desirable to create means for students and young people to participate in local activities of UN agencies for a period of one or two years, positioning them to gain firsthand experience of the significance of the UN's activities as well as the challenges it faces. This would enable them to learn directly about the impact of global issues on people's lives, as well as participate in the search for solutions.
About five thousand people are currently dispatched to different parts of the world every year through the United Nations Volunteer (UNV) program. However, the average age of participants is 39 years old and they are recruited principally from among experts with professional experience in specialized areas. I believe it would be helpful to enhance these activities with an additional framework providing hands-on experience for students and young people in their twenties.
Another area worth examining is improving the system of UN internship programs. These should accept not only graduate students but also undergraduates and young NGO staff members, providing them with the opportunity to support actual policy-making by preparing briefing papers for UN deliberations. Such a system would strengthen the framework by which young people can be involved in various aspects of the international organization. Graduates of Soka University of America are already active participants in the UN internship program.
Here I am reminded of a dialogue I conducted with the peace scholar Dr. Elise Boulding in which she maintained the importance of providing future generations with arenas where they can fully express their abilities, stressing that we need to create more opportunities for young people to grow into their role as global citizens. She told me she used to recommend the students in her international peace studies class to spend a semester working as interns at a local chapter of an international NGO and actually experience its activities.
By implementing ideas such as these, I would hope that the structure of the UN as a whole could develop a sharper focus upon youth, actively planning for greater participation of young people. In that sense, I would like to suggest that consideration be given to the creation of an agency dedicated to activities for the youth of the world or a department of youth within the UN administration.
Such efforts would parallel the growing calls among NGOs for the establishment of an agency dedicated to developing more effective and coordinated policies for empowering women, who are, after all, half the world's population. The UN must strive to promote the empowerment of young people and women living in difficult conditions in various parts of the world. If the UN can at the same time ensure the active participation of young people and women in its activities, reflecting an ever greater diversity of opinions in the full range of its policy initiatives, this would go far toward bringing about a more promising era for all.
I would also like to call on the world's universities and institutions of higher learning to actively support the work of the UN as an integral part of their social mission. Some universities already have systems in place whereby researchers and research institutes provide academic support to various UN activities. While expanding this type of program, universities should take the initiative in actively offering classes on UN activities with the aim of becoming consistent centers for awareness-raising among students and the general public.
At the same time, I would like to emphasize the key importance of building a student-centered network to support the UN.
I have in the past proposed the creation of a global network of citizens to protect and support the UN. I believe that fostering a new generation of people of talent and capacity, people whose commitment is to the whole of humankind rather than the interest of a specific state or ethnicity, is the only way to provide the UN with the long-term infusion of support it so seriously requires.
Students are the key to this. There are already NGOs dedicated to developing the network of UN support among students around the world. Further strengthening these, it should be possible to move toward a scenario in which individual students and universities connect with one another to form a web of networks supporting the UN, eventually permeating the entire globe. This is the future I envisage for renewed linkages between the UN, students and universities.
With respect to developing a shared sense of responsibility I would like to make one other proposal: To help resolve the UN's long-term challenge of securing stable sources of funding, a separate framework, parallel to the contributions of member states, might be initiated to solicit direct support from the world's citizens.
Securing a stable budget is essential if the UN is to fulfill its responsibilities to effectively respond to global issues. Delayed and overdue payment of assessed and pledged contributions undermines the UN's capacities. Financial restrictions often prevent it from engaging in urgent projects and important activities. To overcome these challenges, I would like to repeat my call that a people's fund for the UN be created to accept broad-based donations from civil society, making this an additional funding source to sustain the UN.
In point of fact, UNICEF's operating budget comes both from governmental contributions and private fundraising, with approximately one third of funds coming from the private sector. This example demonstrates the potential for creating a new system whereby funds raised from individuals, organizations and globally active transnational corporations are used to support UN activities, primarily in humanitarian areas. related article Building Global Solidarity Toward Nuclear Abolition (September 8, 2009) by Daisaku Ikeda, President, Soka Gakkai International In his Nuclear Abolition Proposal released on September 8, 2009, SGI President Ikeda suggests a five-part plan towards creating a foundation for a world without nuclear weapons.
Finally, I would like to discuss the importance of shared fields of action. To this end, I would like to propose the establishment of regional UN offices, whose role would be to further deepen relationships between member states and the UN, and coordinate various UN agencies' activities in each region.
It takes considerable time and effort to set UN activities in motion. In particular, when a society has fallen into crisis, the understanding and continuous support of the surrounding countries is essential.
Global issues are complex and inextricably intertwined in a way that makes separate, isolated efforts to resolve them unlikely to succeed. This is symbolized by the "PPE spiral" in which cycles of poverty, population growth and environmental degradation have set up a negative synergy. Global issues differ from area to area, demanding responses that are truly appropriate to the individual circumstances.
In light of these factors, I am convinced that establishing coordinating UN centers in each region could enhance responsiveness to the exigencies of continuity, complexity and regionality. Such centers could be of great importance in the more comprehensive promotion of human rights, human security and human development through approaches focused on individual people's peace and happiness.
Having said that, I do not think it is necessary to restructure existing agencies. The thrust of my proposal is to bring the UN and member states closer and to build a positive synergy among UN agencies in each region. This would enable them to establish shared fields of action and tackle regional issues in a more coordinated manner.
Specifically, existing bodies that might assume the functions of UN regional centers would include the five commissions under the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC): the Economic and Social Commissions for Asia and the Pacific, for West Asia, for Africa, for Europe and for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Currently, as exemplified by the European Union and the African Union, regional integration and cooperation are progressing in different parts of the world. I believe there would be value in establishing UN regional centers that could act as a bridge between these organizations and the UN headquarters, as well as providing pivotal points to sustain UN-centered global governance.
Lastly, I would like to emphasize, in addition to this plan, the need to strengthen partnership between the UN and civil society as the essential key to developing shared fields of action.
Civil society's participation in the UN dramatically increased through the series of UN conferences held in the 1990s. Partnerships of like-minded governments and NGOs brought about epoch-making achievements such as the conclusion of the Anti-Personnel Mines Convention and the adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
The Panel of Eminent Persons on United Nations-Civil Society Relations was set up in 2003 and issued its report We the Peoples: Civil Society, the United Nations and Global Governance (the Cardoso Report) the following year. The work of the panel has been important in raising the awareness of civil society's role in supporting the work of the UN.
The Committee of Religious NGOs at the UN, whose president is currently the SGI's representative to the UN, together with UN organizations and agencies and governments, organized the Conference on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace in June 2005. That these three parties--civil society, governments and the UN--collaborated in this way to hold an interfaith conference at the UN was seen as a truly groundbreaking event.
For the UN's revitalization and to ensure that it fulfills the expectations of the world's peoples, it is indispensable that the UN, member states and NGOs and other representatives of civil society appreciate one another's unique qualities and roles, and deepen their partnership. I earnestly hope that the three parties will continue to sit at the same table to discuss the challenges facing humanity and develop creative new modalities of joint action in the spirit of dialogue and cooperation.
It is my sincere belief that these themes--a shared sense of purpose, a shared sense of responsibility and shared fields of action--are key to the development of the UN of the twenty-first century.
The League of Nations was created as a response to World War I; the United Nations was born out of the determination never to repeat the horrors of World War II. As members of the human race, we must put into action our determination to save our planet from the repetition of this kind of tragedy. We must further strengthen the UN in order to enhance global governance for the sake of all the planet's inhabitants.
We are compelled to take the courageous first step toward this goal. To this end, it is essential to build momentum for reform from the bottom up, bringing together the voices of the people in support of the UN. We cannot afford to wait passively for top-down reform to emerge from intergovernmental deliberations.
If we truly heed the warnings of the twentieth century, so plagued by tragedy, we can see that action and solidarity hold the keys to the twenty-first century. To the degree that people grasp this spirit and determine to forge widespread solidarity for change, we will be able to build a culture of peace throughout the globe. This, I am convinced, is the central challenge facing humanity in the twenty-first century.
The protagonists in this endeavor are none other than individual human beings-citizens, and above all, young people.
The motivating vision of the SGI is a world of peace and mutual flourishing in humanity's new millennium. To this end we will continue to join our efforts with those of people of goodwill the world over, striving to enable the UN to fulfill the noble mission with which it has been entrusted.
Roosevelt 1945. Lauren 1996, p. 161. UN 1945. Annan 2005a. Hammarskjold 1964, p. 159. Qtd. in Urquhart 1972, p. 106. Annan 2005a. Cf. Wayman 1974, p. 65. Nichiren 1999, p. 24. Ibid., p. 7. SGI 1995. Ortega y Gasset 1932, p. 75. Makiguchi 1996, p. 399. Annan 2005b. UNDP 2006, p. 8. UNDP 2005. WMDC 2006, p. 109. ICJ 1996. WMDC 2006, p. 17. Chowdhury 2006. UNV 2006. UNICEF 2002.
Annan, Kofi. 2005a. "Address to the 2005 World Summit." http://www.un.org/webcast/summit2005/statements/sg.htm (accessed August 2, 2006).
------. 2005b. "'In Larger Freedom': Decision Time at the UN." Foreign Affairs, May/June, 84 (3). http://www.foreignaffairs.org (accessed August 24, 2006).
Boulding, Elise, and Daisaku Ikeda. 2006. Heiwanobunka no kagayaku seikihe [Building a Century of a "Culture of Peace"]. Tokyo: Ushio Shuppansha.
Chowdhury, Anwarul. 2006. "Vision Statement at the international conference on Transforming the United Nations: Human Development, Regional Conflicts, and Global Governance in a Post-Westphalian World" sponsored by Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research, February 4-5, in Los Angeles, USA.
Hammarskjold, Dag. 1964. Markings. Trans. by Leif Sjoberg and W. H. Auden. Reprinted 2003. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
ICJ (International Court of Justice). 1996. "Legality of the Use or Threat of Nuclear Weapons." http://www.icj-cij.org/icjwww/icases/iunan/iunanframe.htm (accessed August 24, 2006).
Lauren, Paul Gordon. 1996. Power and Prejudice: The Politics and Diplomacy of Racial Discrimination. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press.
Makiguchi, Tsunesaburo. 1996. Jinsei chirigaku [The Geography of Human Life]. In vol. 2 of Makiguchi Tsunesaburo zenshu [The Complete Works of Tsunesaburo Makiguchi]. Tokyo: Daisan Bunmeisha.
Nichiren. 1999. The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin. Trans. and ed. by The Gosho Translation Committee. Tokyo: Soka Gakkai.
Ortega y Gasset, José. 1932. The Revolt of the Masses. Authorized trans. Reprinted 1993. New York: Norton.
Roosevelt, Franklin. 1945. "Address to Congress on the Yalta Conference." http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu (accessed August 25, 2006).
Rotblat, Joseph, and Daisaku Ikeda. 2006. A Quest for Global Peace: Rotblat and Ikeda on War, Ethics and the Nuclear Threat. London: I. B. Tauris.
SGI (Soka Gakkai International). 1995. "SGI Charter." http://www.sgi.org/english/SGI/charter.htm (accessed August 23, 2006).
UN (United Nations). 1945. "Charter of the United Nations." http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/index.html (accessed July 17, 2006).
------. 2004. "Strengthening of the United Nations System-Note by the Secretary-General." A/58/817. June 11, New York. http://www.un.org/reform/a_58_817.pdf (accessed August 4, 2006).
------. 2006. "Resolution 1701 (2006)." Resolution adopted by the Security Council. S/RES/1701. August 11. http://daccess-ods.un.org/TMP/186897.html (accessed August 23, 2006).
UNDP (United Nations Development Programme). 2005. "More Aid, Pro-Poor Trade Reform, and Long-Term Peace-Building Vital to Ending Extreme Poverty." http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2005/pdf/presskit/HDR05_PR1E.pdf (accessed August 24, 2006).
------. 2006. "2006 Annual Report."
http://www.undp.org/publications/annualreport2006/english-report.pdf (accessed August 23, 2006).
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund). 2002. "2002 UNICEF Annual Report." http://www.unicef.org/publications/files/pub_ar02_en.pdf (accessed August 4, 2006).
UNV (United Nations Volunteers). 2006. "UN Volunteers for Peace and Development." http://www.unvolunteers.org (accessed August 24, 2006).
Urquhart, Brian. 1972. Hammarskjold. Reprinted 1994. New York: Norton.
Wayman, Alex, and Hideko Wayman, trans. 1974. The Lion's Roar of Queen Srimala: A Buddhist Scripture on the Tathagata-garbha Theory. New York: Columbia University Press.
WMDC (Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission). 2006. "Weapons of Terror: Freeing the World of Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Arms." http://www.wmdcommission.org/files/Weapons_of_terror.pdf (accessed August 4, 2006).
| 137,888
|
May 13, 1997
Most volcanoes, like earthquakes, are related to the 12 major plates that make up the Earth's surface and inch alongside and over one another each year. When two plates pull apart or move one over the other, hot gas, water and molten rock from the Earth's core are forced to the surface. Volcanoes are classified by their eruption styles. Less explosive eruptions involve the outpouring of lava flows that cool to form the cone-shaped rock formations we know as volcanoes. In more explosive, and usually more deadly,...
| 43,472
|
At a glance :
Region : Kerala
Famous Cuisine : Meen and Kappa, Sambar, Dosa, Puttu and Idly
Major Feature : Much Use of the spices in cuisines
The state Kerala has created its different identity through its delicious cuisines. From the dishes of the Kerala, people know the Kerala state. The whole credit goes to the traditional cuisine Culture of the Kerala state. Even though, the food culture of the India is great and popular in the whole world. The cuisines of the Kerala state are very spicy and hot because of the tasty and delicious use of spices. It serves the many opportunity to have food. The food of the state is mostly fresh and fulfilled by different flavors, with pleasant aromas. Most of the people of the Kerala state like to eat fish and rice, because this state is situated on the costal region. Kerala state's food and land is very much rich in producing of coconut, after going to Kerala state, you won't get any dish which does not contain tamarind, curry leaves, asafetida and chilies. Coconut is highly use in all the dishes of the Kerala. In other states, people use tomato in the food for the sour taste, but in Kerala cuisine, they use little pinch of the tamarind as a substitute flavor of sour. Curry leaves are used as normally people use for the food. As I said, without coconut, their dish can not get complete.
People of Kerala state, make the total the use of the natural food, which they get from the land, and the result of that use is as usual worthy, which makes their cuisine different and delicious. Their people also believe in making simple dish as Kanji means the rice gruel or Sadya. Sadya dish is very decorative dish and it is very much unique food. Where as another dish called Avial, is one of the favorite dishes of the people of Kerala state. It is a very nutritious food because it contains different healthy mixture of the vegetables, green chilies and also paste of the coconut. Avail dish is a seasonal dish, which makes in the coconut oil and curry leaves which has to be sprinkle over the dish and quickly it has to be take off from the fire of stove. The popular Kottucurry is made by using the cube shaped potatoes, green chilies and onions, all this ingredients has to be cooked in the milk of coconut, in this dish they use much amount of red chili. Another delicious dish of Kerala state is Olan, which makes by using the red grams and pumpkins, these ingredients they cook in the milk of coconut and make very thin gravy which they eat with the rice. As per the uses of coconut in the cuisines of Kerala is very much like that, they also eat rice in much amount. Majority of the dishes of Kerala are made by the rice, and with curry, dal and gravy they eat rice.
Appam is a favorite dish of the people. It is like a small and soft pancake, made by the toddy which has been made by the batter of the rice, because it is like a pancake it is very spongy, but the edges of the Appam is very crispy. Generally this Appam is eats with the vegetable, mutton stew and chicken. The whole Appam is thoroughly makes in the milk of the coconut and they use curry leaves for the garnishing.
The desserts are the very important factor of the Kerala people's meal. They serve the desserts in the middle time of the meal. It is very rich in taste and also healthy. Payasam is a major dessert dish of the Kerala people. It is a very thick dish which contains spices, molasses of brown color, cashew nuts, milk of coconut and raisins. There are some varieties of Payasam such as jackfruit payasam, lentil payasam and gram payasam etc. Adapradhaman is a very rich type of Payasam which contains very thin size wafers of rice; it is very much delicious and tasty.
Another dessert dish is Palppayasam. This dessert is made by spices, sugar and pure ghee. All this ingredients are cooked in the creamy milk. This dessert is very sweet with healthy values. This dessert is serves in different way, accompanied with golden color pancake which are called as boli.
It is a like a steamed cake. This dish is made by using the flour of the rice and the batter of the rice power steamed on the cylinders and high bamboo. As per the taste of the Puttu, people serve with the sugar and banana which has been steamed or else with delicious hot curry of chickpeas or gram.
Fish Curry and Tapioca :
This cuisine of the Kerala state is actually a mouthwatering dish. This dish is a blend of the Meen Curry and Kappa. This delicious dish contain natural flavor which because of which people gets attracted. The curry of fish is prepared by the use of red chilies, garlic paste and oninons. And as per the season, they also use curry leafs and the seeds of the mustard.
Delicious Rasam :
This dish is actually an identical dish of Kerala, because this is very much famous dish in the world. Rasam has little bit sweet taste. This curry is served with the steamed rice. People believe that the popular soup of British called Mulligatawny is originated from this Kerala dish. This is a blend of pepper corn and chilly, powder of the both the spices boiled with the juice of the tamarind. Here you will also get to drink the season buttermilk which consist green chilies and turmeric powder. Another is Moru butter milk; this is a salted drink, which has ginger and finely chopped chilies.
| 210,748
|
Operation Maple Sweetness, a collaboration between Vermont maple producers, various Vermont maple organizations, state agencies, and the Vermont National Guard, sends Vermont maple syrup to troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. This tradition extends back to the Civil War, when Vermont soldiers welcomed sugar from home.
UVM’s Special Collections holds a number of Civil War letters and diaries that document the soldiers’ enthusiasm for maple sugar shipments, including the letters of William Henry Harrison Whitehill, a private from Ryegate, Vermont. Whitehill, who served in the 10th Vermont Infantry, Company A from 1862-1865, regularly corresponded with cousins Quincy and Louisa Whitehill back home. Four of the twelve Whitehill letters include sections on maple sugar.
In May 1863, Whitehill, writing from Camp Heintzelman near Poolesville, Maryland (where, according to the regimental history, “life was one heyday of listless, almost ideal pleasure” and the soldiers were “yet strangers to war”), Whitehill told his cousin, “I am much obliged to you for the cake of sugar you sent me. I have got some of it yet.” While Whitehill appreciated the taste of home, he also remarked on its value as a commodity. “Maple sugar sells first rate. It is worth 25¢ a pound. I sold one cake about like the one you sent me.”
The following spring, Whitehill decided to take advantage of the local demand and a potential supply from Vermont. He wrote to his uncle, Andrew Whitehill, from a camp near Brandy Station, Virginia, asking “I want to know how you are getting along making sugar this spring. I want to know what you could afford to send me.” He hoped for “50 or 60 pounds run in small cakes from ½ to 5 pounds each.” Whitehill asked his uncle to tell him the cost of the sugar and the shipping, and promised to send the money as soon as he heard from him. He also advised him to “be sure and mail the box up tight so that it will not break open.”
A few weeks later, Whitehill let his cousin know that he had the money and expected the sugar would arrive soon. Luckily he had been able to meet the immediate demand with 50 pounds of maple sugar that his father’s folks sent. He worried that the unit might move out before his uncle’s sugar arrived, and he was relieved that “the rest of the boys run all the risk.” Whitehill complained, “The suttler is selling sugar in little cakes at the rate of nearly a dollar a pound,” a price he could not bring himself to charge. In a letter later that fall, Whitehill admitted to some hard fighting in the summer, but quickly turned the letter to agricultural activities back home, asking about the apple crop and the current price of sugar.
In January 1865, Whitehill wrote from a camp near Weldon Railroad in Virginia to answer his cousin’s inquiry about sending more sugar. Although he acknowledged that if “I had it here now it would sell very well, the likelihood of troop movements make it risky to send it.” He sounded a bit wistful, knowing that he “could sell it for 50¢ a pound in cakes,” twice what he sold it for in the spring of 1863.
After the war, William H. H. Whitehill emigrated to Iowa while his cousin Quincy took over the family farm in Ryegate. Like many Vermonters who went west, William may have continued to depend on his cousin for annual shipments of maple sugar and syrup.
For more information about Civil War letters and diaries, see Jeffrey Marshall’s Vermonters in the Civil War: Manuscripts in the Special Collections Department, Universityof Vermont Library. Wilbur open stacks, Z692.M28 U57 2004
To see more photos of the Whitehill farm in Ryegate, visit the Vermont Landscape Change Project.
| 34,228
|
United States presidential election, 1988
|Presidential election results map. Red denotes states won by Bush/Quayle, Blue denotes those won by Dukakis/Bentsen. Bentsen/Dukakis received one electoral vote from a West Virginia faithless elector. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes allotted to each state.|
The United States presidential election of 1988 was the 51st quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 8, 1988. Incumbent Vice President, George H. W. Bush, won the Republican nomination, and chose the young Senator from Indiana, Dan Quayle as his running mate. The Democrats nominated Michael Dukakis, Governor of Massachusetts and Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen as his running mate.
Bush capitalized on a good economy, a stable international stage, and on President Ronald Reagan's popularity, running an aggressive campaign. Meanwhile, Dukakis' campaign suffered from several miscues, including failure to defend against Bush's attacks. This allowed Bush to win with a substantial margin of the popular vote, while winning the Electoral College by a landslide. Since the 1988 election, no candidate has managed to equal or surpass Bush's number of electoral votes won or popular vote percentage.
This election marked the third consecutive presidential victory for the Republican Party, and the first time that the same party had won more than two consecutive presidential elections since the Democrats won all five elections from 1932 to 1948.
- 1 Nominations
- 2 General election
- 3 Statistics
- 4 See also
- 5 References
- 6 Further reading
- 7 External links
Democratic Party nomination
- Michael Dukakis, governor of Massachusetts
- Jesse Jackson, reverend and civil rights leader from South Carolina
- Al Gore, U.S. senator from Tennessee
- Dick Gephardt, U.S. representative from Missouri
- Paul Simon, U.S. senator from Illinois
- Gary Hart, former U.S. senator from Colorado
- Bruce Babbitt, former governor of Arizona
- Joe Biden, U.S. senator from Delaware
- Lyndon LaRouche, activist from Virginia
- David Duke, activist from Louisiana
- James Traficant, U.S. representative from Ohio
- Douglas Applegate, U.S. representative from Ohio
- Andy Martin, perennial candidate from Connecticut
Representative Douglas Applegate of Ohio
In the 1984 presidential election the Democrats had nominated Walter Mondale, a traditional New Deal-type liberal as their candidate. When Mondale was defeated in a landslide, party leaders became eager to find a new approach to win the presidency. After Reagan's image was tarnished in the Iran-Contra scandal, and after the Democrats won back control of the Senate in the 1986 congressional elections, the party's leaders felt more optimistic about winning the Presidency in 1988.
One goal of the party was to find a new, fresh candidate who could move beyond the traditional New Deal-Great Society ideas of the past and offer a new image of the Democrats to the public. To this end party leaders tried to recruit the New York Governor, Mario Cuomo, to be a candidate. Cuomo had impressed many Democrats with his stirring keynote speech at the 1984 Democratic Convention, and they believed that he would be a strong candidate. However, Cuomo chose not to run and as a result, the Democratic frontrunner for most of 1987 was former Colorado Senator Gary Hart. He had made a strong showing in the 1984 presidential election and, after Mondale's defeat, had positioned himself as the moderate centrist many Democrats felt their party would need to win.
However, questions and rumors about possible extramarital affairs and about past debts dogged Hart's campaign. One of the great myths is that Senator Hart challenged the media to "put a tail" on him and that reporters then took him up on that challenge. In fact, Hart had told reporters from The New York Times who questioned him about these rumors that, if they followed him around, they would "be bored". However, in a separate investigation, the Miami Herald had received an anonymous tip from a friend of Donna Rice that Rice was involved with Hart. It was only after Hart had been discovered that the Herald reporters found Hart's quote in a pre-print of the New York Times magazine. After the Herald's findings were publicized, many other media outlets picked up the story and Hart's ratings in the polls plummeted. On May 8, 1987, a week after the Donna Rice story broke, Hart dropped out of the race. His campaign chair, Representative Patricia Schroeder tested the waters for about four months after Hart's withdrawal, but decided in September 1987 that she would not run. In December 1987, Hart surprised many political pundits by resuming his presidential campaign. However, the allegations of adultery had delivered a fatal blow to his candidacy, and he did poorly in the primaries before dropping out again.
Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts had been considered a potential candidate, but he ruled himself out of the 1988 campaign in the fall of 1985. Two other politicians mentioned as possible candidates, both from Arkansas, didn't join the race: Senator Dale Bumpers and Governor (and future President) Bill Clinton. (Clinton said in 2007 he changed his mind the day before he was to announce a run, he felt that he wasn't ready for the Presidency in 1988, and that he would wait until 1992 or 1996 before trying.)
Joe Biden's campaign also ended in controversy after the Delaware Senator was accused of plagiarizing a speech by Neil Kinnock, then-leader of the British Labour Party. Though Biden had correctly credited the original author in all speeches but one, the one where he failed to make mention of the originator was caught on video and parlayed into a political hit piece by the Dukakis campaign. In the video Biden is filmed repeating a stump speech by Kinnock, with only minor modifications. This would lead him to drop out of the race. Dukakis later revealed that his campaign was responsible for leaking the tape, and two members of his staff resigned. The Delaware Supreme Court's Board on Professional Responsibility would later clear Biden of the law school plagiarism charges.
Al Gore, a Senator from Tennessee, also chose to run for the nomination. Turning 40 in 1988, he would have been the youngest man ever to contest the Presidency on a major party ticket since William Jennings Bryan in 1896, and the youngest president ever if elected, younger than John F. Kennedy at election age and Theodore Roosevelt at age of assumption of office.
After Hart withdrew from the race, no clear frontrunner emerged before the primaries and caucuses began. The Iowa caucus was won by Dick Gephardt, who had been sagging heavily in the polls until, three weeks before the vote, he began campaigning as a populist and his numbers surged. Illinois Senator Paul M. Simon finished a surprising second, and Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis finished third. In the New Hampshire primary, Dukakis came in first place, Gephardt fell to second, and Simon came in third. In an effort to weaken Gephardt's candidacy, both Dukakis and Tennessee Senator Al Gore ran negative television ads against Gephardt. The ads convinced the United Auto Workers, which had endorsed Gephardt, to withdraw their endorsement; this crippled Gephardt, as he relied heavily on the support of labor unions.
In the Super Tuesday races, Dukakis won six primaries, to Gore's five, Jesse Jackson five and Gephardt one, with Gore and Jackson splitting the Southern states. The next week, Simon won Illinois with Jesse Jackson finishing second. 1988 remains the race with the most candidates winning primaries since the McGovern reforms of 1971. Jackson captured 6.9 million votes and won 11 contests: seven primaries (Alabama, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Puerto Rico and Virginia) and four caucuses (Delaware, Michigan, South Carolina and Vermont). Jackson also scored March victories in Alaska's caucuses and Texas's local conventions, despite losing the Texas primary. Briefly, after he won 55% of the vote in the Michigan Democratic caucus he had more pledged delegates than all the other candidates.
However, Jackson's campaign suffered a significant setback less than two weeks later when he was defeated handily in the Wisconsin primary by Michael Dukakis. Dukakis's win in New York and then in Pennsylvania effectively ended Jackson's hopes for the nomination.
The Democratic Party Convention was held in Atlanta, Georgia from July 18–21. Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton placed Dukakis's name in nomination, but the nominating speech lasted for so long that some delegates began booing to get him to finish, and he received great cheering, when he said, "In closing...".
The most memorable speech given at the Democratic Convention was by Texas State Treasurer Ann Richards, who two years later was elected the state governor. Richards uttered the famous line: "Poor George [H.W. Bush], he can't help it, he was born with a silver foot in his mouth."
With only Jackson remaining as an active candidate to oppose Dukakis, the tally for president was:
|Presidential Ballot||Vice Presidential Ballot|
|Michael S. Dukakis||2,876.25||Lloyd M. Bentsen||4,162|
|Jesse L. Jackson||1,218.5|
|Richard H. Stallings||3|
|Richard A. Gephardt||2|
|Gary W. Hart||1|
|Lloyd M. Bentsen||1|
Jesse Jackson's supporters said that since their candidate had finished in second place, he was entitled to the vice-presidential spot. Dukakis disagreed, and instead selected Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas. Bentsen's selection led many in the media to dub the ticket as the "Boston-Austin" axis, and to compare it to the more famous pairing of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson in the 1960 presidential campaign. Like Dukakis and Bentsen, Kennedy had been from Massachusetts and Johnson from Texas.
- George H. W. Bush, Vice President of the United States from Texas
- Bob Dole, U.S. senator from Kansas
- Pat Robertson, televangelist from Virginia
- Jack Kemp, U.S. representative from New York
- Pierre S. du Pont, IV, former governor of Delaware
- Alexander Haig, former Secretary of State from Pennsylvania
- Ben Fernandez, former Special Ambassador to Paraguay from California
- Paul Laxalt, former Senator from Nevada
- Donald Rumsfeld, former Secretary of Defense from Illinois
- Harold E. Stassen, former Governor of Minnesota
- Isabell Masters, perennial candidate from Kansas
Vice President George H. W. Bush of Texas
Vice President George H. W. Bush had the support of President Ronald Reagan, and pledged to continue Reagan's policies, but also pledged a "kinder and gentler nation" in an attempt to win over some more moderate voters.
Bush unexpectedly came in third in the Iowa caucus, which he had won in 1980, behind Dole and Robertson. Dole was also leading in the polls of the New Hampshire primary, and the Bush camp responded by running television commercials portraying Dole as a tax raiser, while Governor John H. Sununu campaigned for Bush. Dole did nothing to counter these ads and Bush won, thereby gaining crucial momentum, or what he called "Big Mo".
Once the multiple-state primaries such as Super Tuesday began, Bush's organizational strength and fund raising lead were impossible for the other candidates to match, and the nomination was his. The Republican Party convention was held in New Orleans, Louisiana. Bush was nominated unanimously. Bush selected U.S. Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana as his running mate.
- David E. Duke – Populist Party: Former leader of the Louisiana Ku Klux Klan. Advocated a mixture of White nationalist/separatist policies and more traditionally conservative positions, such as opposition to most immigration from Latin America and affirmative action.
- Lenora Fulani – New Alliance Party: Focused on issues concerning unemployment, healthcare, and homelessness.
- Willa Kenoyer/Ron Ehrenreich – Socialist Party USA: Advocated a decentralist government approach with policies determined by the needs of the workers.
- Ron Paul/Andre Marrou – Libertarian Party: (campaign) Called for the adoption of a global policy on military nonintervention; wanted to end the federal government's involvement with education; criticized Reagan's "bailout" of the Soviet Union. Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, first elected as a Republican from Texas in an April 1976 special election. Protested the War on Drugs in a letter to Drug Czar William Bennett.
During the election, the Bush campaign sought to portray Governor Dukakis as a "Massachusetts liberal" who was unreasonably left-wing. Dukakis was attacked for such positions as opposing mandatory recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in schools, and being a "card carrying member of the ACLU" (a statement Dukakis made himself early in the primary campaign). Dukakis responded by saying that he was a "proud liberal" and that the phrase should not be a bad word in America. Bush (Yale '48) derided Dukakis (Swarthmore '55) for having "foreign-policy views born in Harvard Yard's boutique." New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd asked "Wasn't this a case of the pot calling the kettle elite?" Bush explained that, unlike Harvard, Yale's reputation was "so diffuse, there isn't a symbol, I don't think, in the Yale situation, any symbolism in it.... Harvard boutique to me has the connotation of liberalism and elitism," and said Harvard in his remark was intended to represent "a philosophical enclave" and not a statement about class. Columnist Russell Baker opined that "Voters inclined to loathe and fear elite Ivy League schools rarely make fine distinctions between Yale and Harvard. All they know is that both are full of rich, fancy, stuck-up and possibly dangerous intellectuals who never sit down to supper in their undershirt no matter how hot the weather gets."
Governor Dukakis attempted to quell criticism that he was ignorant on military matters by staging a photo op in which he rode in an M1 Abrams tank outside a General Dynamics plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan. The move ended up being a massive public relations blunder, with many mocking Dukakis's appearance as he stuck his smiling, helmeted head out one of the tank's hatches to wave to the crowd. Footage of Dukakis was used by the Bush campaign as evidence he would not make a good commander-in-chief, and "Dukakis in the tank" — or the "Snoopy Incident" — remains shorthand for backfired public relations outings.
One reason for Bush's choice of running mate, Senator Dan Quayle, was to appeal to a younger generation of Americans. Quayle's good looks were praised by Senator John McCain: "I can't believe a guy that handsome wouldn't have some impact." Quayle was not a seasoned politician, however, and made a number of embarrassing statements. The Dukakis team attacked Quayle's credentials, saying he was dangerously inexperienced to be first-in-line to the presidency.
During the Vice Presidential debate, Quayle attempted to dispel such allegations by comparing his experience with that of former Senator John F. Kennedy, who had also been a young political rookie when running for the presidency. Quayle said, "I have as much experience in the Congress as Jack Kennedy did when he sought the presidency." (Kennedy had served fourteen years in Congress to Quayle's twelve). Dukakis's running mate, Lloyd Bentsen, responded, "Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."
Quayle responded, "That was really uncalled for, Senator", to which Bentsen said, "You are the one that was making the comparison, Senator, and I'm one who knew him well. And frankly I think you are so far apart in the objectives you choose for your country that I did not think the comparison was well-taken."
Quayle's reaction to Bentsen's comment was played and replayed by the Democrats in subsequent television ads as an announcer intoned, "Quayle: just a heartbeat away." Despite much press about the Kennedy comments, this did not reduce the Bush-Quayle lead in the polls. Quayle had sought to use the debate to criticize Dukakis as too liberal rather than go point for point with the more seasoned Bentsen. Bentsen's attempts to defend Dukakis received little recognition, with greater attention on the Kennedy comparison.
During the course of the campaign, Dukakis fired his deputy field director Donna Brazile after she spread rumors that Bush had an affair with his assistant Jennifer Fitzgerald. (The relationship of George H.W. Bush and Jennifer Fitzgerald would be briefly rehashed during the 1992 campaign.)
Dukakis was badly hurt by the Republican "Willie Horton", "Revolving Door", and "Boston Harbor" campaign ads, the latter of which attacked the governor's failure to clean up environmental pollution in the harbor. Dukakis was a supporter of a state prison furlough program, which had begun before he was governor. The program had resulted in the release (furlough) of convicted murderer Willie Horton, who then committed a rape and assault in Maryland. As Governor, Dukakis had vetoed a 1976 plan to bar inmates convicted of first-degree murder from the furlough program. The program was abolished by the state legislature in April 1988 after public outcry over the Willie Horton case.
A number of false rumors about Dukakis were reported in the media, including the claim by Idaho Republican Senator Steve Symms that Dukakis's wife Kitty had burned an American flag to protest the Vietnam War, as well as the claim that Dukakis himself had been treated for a mental illness. Lee Atwater was accused of having floated these rumors.
Although Dukakis did well in the first presidential debate, Bush seemed to score a triumph in the second debate, with a Gallup Poll giving him a 49–43 lead. Before the second debate, Dukakis had been suffering from the flu and spent much of the day in bed. His performance was poor and played to his reputation as being intellectually cold. The most memorable moment came when reporter Bernard Shaw asked Dukakis whether he would support the death penalty if his wife were raped and murdered. Dukakis's answer discussed the statistical ineffectiveness of capital punishment. Several commentators thought the question itself was unfair, in that it injected an irrelevant emotional element into the discussion of a policy issue, but many observers felt Dukakis's answer lacked the normal emotions one would expect of a person asked about a loved one's rape and death. Tom Brokaw of NBC reported on his October 14 newscast: "The consensus tonight is that Vice President George Bush won last night's debate and made it all the harder for Governor Michael Dukakis to catch and pass him in the 25 days remaining. In all of the Friday morning quarterbacking, there was common agreement that Dukakis failed to seize the debate and make it his night."
In the November 8 election, Bush won a majority of the popular vote and a lopsided majority (40) of states in the Electoral College.
Bush performed very strongly among suburban voters, perhaps owing to his campaign themes of law and order, punctuated by his criticisms of the Massachusetts furlough program. This was a boon in several swing states. In Illinois, Bush won 69% in DuPage County and 63% out of Lake County, suburban areas which adjoin Chicago's Cook County. In Pennsylvania, Bush swept the group of suburban counties that surround Philadelphia, including Bucks, Delaware, Chester, and Montgomery. Bush also won most of the counties in Maryland, perhaps fallout from the fact that Willie Horton committed his infamous criminal acts there. New Jersey, known at the time for its many suburban voters and its moderate Republicanism, went easily for Bush. Bush also gained victory for attacking Dukakis's furlough program he had while he was Governor of Massachusetts, though Dukakis still maintained popularity in Massachusetts.
In contrast to the suburbs, Bush's percentage of votes in rural counties was significantly below the support they gave Reagan in 1980 and 1984. In Illinois, Bush lost a number of downstate counties that previously went for Reagan. He lost the state of Iowa by a surprisingly wide margin, losing counties all across the state even in traditionally Republican areas. The rural state of West Virginia remained narrowly in the Democratic column. Bush also performed weaker in the northern counties of Missouri, narrowly winning the state. In three typically solid Republican states, Kansas, South Dakota, and Montana, the vote was much closer than usual. The farm states had fared poorly during the recession of the 1980s, and Dukakis was the beneficiary of these agricultural problems.
Bush's greatest area of strength was in the South, where he won most states by wide margins. He also performed very well in the Northeast, winning Maine (where he had a residence), New Hampshire (at the time a Republican stronghold), Vermont (at the time a bastion of moderate Republicanism), and Connecticut (where his father had been a senator). Bush lost New York by a margin of just over 4 percent. He also won Delaware, at the time a swing state. Despite the presence of Lloyd Bentsen on the Democratic ticket (and other Texans getting prominent roles at the Democratic convention), Bush won the Lone Star State by a convincing margin. He lost the Pacific northwestern states but kept California in the Republican column for the sixth straight time, albeit very narrowly. That would be the last time a Republican candidate won California in a presidential election.
Although his victory was not a landslide in the popular vote (though it was substantial), Bush in 1988 was the last Republican to date to carry certain states which have not voted for a Republican since, such as Vermont, Maine, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, and California. Neither his victory percentage (53.4%) nor his total electoral votes (426) have been surpassed in any subsequent presidential election. (Barack Obama came closest in the former with 52.9% in 2008, and Bill Clinton closest in the latter with 379 electoral votes in 1996). Bush was the last candidate to get a majority of the popular vote until his son George W. Bush's 2004 election. This was the last election to date in which a Republican presidential nominee won a majority of Northern electoral votes.
|Presidential candidate||Party||Home state||Popular vote||Electoral
|Count||Pct||Vice-presidential candidate||Home state||Elect. vote|
|George Herbert Walker Bush||Republican||Texas||48,886,097||53.37%||426||James Danforth Quayle||Indiana||426|
|Michael Stanley Dukakis||Democratic||Massachusetts||41,809,074||45.65%||111||Lloyd Millard Bentsen, Jr.||Texas||111|
|Ronald Ernest Paul||Libertarian||Texas||431,750||0.47%||0||Andre Verne Marrou||Alaska||0|
|Lenora Fulani||New Alliance||Pennsylvania||217,221||0.24%||0||—(b)||—||0|
|Lloyd Millard Bentsen, Jr.||Democratic||Texas||—(a)||—(a)||1||Michael S. Dukakis||Massachusetts||1|
|Needed to win||270||270|
Source (Popular Vote): Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996. Official website of the National Archives. (August 7, 2005)., Leip, David. 1988 Presidential Election Results. Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections (August 7, 2005).
Source (Electoral Vote): Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996. Official website of the National Archives. (August 7, 2005). (a) West Virginia faithless elector Margaret Leach voted for Bentsen as President and Dukakis as Vice President in order to make a statement against the U.S. Electoral College.
(b) Fulani's running mate varied from state to state. Among the six vice presidential candidates were Joyce Dattner, Harold Moore, and Wynonia Burke.
Results by state
|States/districts won by Bush/Quayle|
|States/districts won by Dukakis/Bentsen|
|George H.W. Bush
States with margin of victory less than 5% (195 electoral votes):
- Washington, 1.59%
- Illinois, 2.09%
- Pennsylvania, 2.31%
- Maryland, 2.91%
- Vermont, 3.52%
- California, 3.57%
- Wisconsin, 3.61%
- Missouri, 3.98%
- New York, 4.10%
- Oregon, 4.67%
- West Virginia, 4.74%
- New Mexico, 4.96%
States with margin of victory between 5% and 10% (70 electoral votes):
- Connecticut, 5.11%
- Montana, 5.87%
- South Dakota, 6.34%
- Minnesota, 7.01%
- Colorado, 7.78%
- Massachusetts, 7.85%
- Michigan, 7.90%
- Hawaii, 9.52%
- United States Senate elections, 1988
- History of the United States (1988–present)
- Al Gore presidential campaign, 1988
- Inauguration of George H. W. Bush
- "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
- "Dukakis announces bid for presidential nomination". The Milwaukee Sentinel. April 30, 1987. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
- Mattiace, Peter (September 8, 1987). "Jesse Jackson announces plan to seek nomination". Gettysburg Times. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
- "Sen. Gore announces presidential aspiration". Bangor Daily News. April 12, 1987. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
- "Gephardt Announces Bid For White House". The Dispatch. February 23, 1987. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
- "Sen. Simon announces candidacy". The Lewiston Daily Sun. April 10, 1987. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
- "Gary Hart announces he will seek the presidency in 1988". The Fort Scott Tribune. April 13, 1987. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
- Gailey, Phil (January 8, 1987). "BABBITT OF ARIZONA FIRST DEMOCRAT TO FORM KEY PRESIDENTIAL GROUP". The New York Times. p. 24. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
- "Sen. Biden announces candidacy". The Milwaukee Journal. June 9, 1987. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
- "LaRouche announces candidacy". Eugene Register-Guard. January 27, 1987. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
- "Former Klan leader announces bid". Spokane Chronicle. June 9, 1987. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
- Wilkinson, D.A. (December 4, 1987). "Traficant hat tossed into ring". The Vindicator. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
- "Applegate To Run As Favorite Son". Portsmouth Daily Times. November 24, 1987. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
- "Man causes Statehouse Stir". The Day. May 8, 1987. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
- Steve Neal for the Chicago Tribune. 26 April, 1985. Democrats Think They See A Better Horse For `88 Race
- John Dillin for The Christian Science Monitor. 23 February , 1987 Cuomo's `no' opens door for dark horses
- E. J. Dionne Jr. (May 3, 1987). "Gary Hart The Elusive Front-Runner". The New York Times, pg. SM28.
- Johnston, David; King, Wayne; Nordheimer, Jon (1987-05-09). "Courting Danger: The Fall Of Gary Hart". The New York Times.
- "The Gary Hart Story: How It Happened.". The Miami Herald. May 10, 1987.
- Warren Weaver, Jr. for the New York Times. 29 September, 1987 Schroeder, Assailing 'the System,' Decides Not to Run for President
- Bob Drogin for the Los Angeles Times. 16 December, 1987 Hart Back in Race for President : Political World Stunned, Gives Him Little Chance
- Associated Press, in the Los Angeles Times. 13 March, 1988 Quits Campaign : 'The People 'Have Decided,' Hart Declares
- Dowd, Maureen (September 12, 1987). "Biden's Debate Finale: An Echo From Abroad". The New York Times.
- Washington Post: Joseph Biden's Plagiarism; Michael Dukakis's 'Attack Video' – 1988. 1988.
- "Professional Board Clears Biden In Two Allegations of Plagiarism". The New York Times. May 29, 1989. p. 29.
- Oates, Marylouise (July 22, 1988). "It Was the Speech That Ate Atlanta". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
- "Bush Announces Quest for Presidency". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. October 13, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- "Dole announces presidential hopes in hometown talk". Star-News. November 10, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- "Robertson announces". Ellensburg Daily Record. October 2, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- "Kemp announces bid for nomination". The Bryan Times. April 6, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- Dionne Jr., E. J. (September 17, 1986). "DU PONT ENTERS THE G.O.P. RACE FOR PRESIDENT". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- "Haig announces his bid for presidency". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. March 24, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- Wallace, David (August 6, 1987). "GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MAKES STOP IN SOUTH FLORIDA". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- Witt, Evans (April 29, 1987). "Laxalt announces bid for presidency, says 'there is unfinished work to do'". Gettysburg Times. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- "Rumsfeld enters race". The Telegraph-Herald. January 20, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- "Stassen announces his candidacy". The Milwaukee Journal. September 22, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- "'Super Tuesday' Ballots Ready; Some Unfamiliar Names Explained". The Durant Daily Democrat. March 6, 1988. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- Dillin, John (February 18, 1988). "Even with win, Bush seen to be vulnerable". Christian Science Monitor. p. 1.
- Webster G. Tarpley and Anton Chaitkin. "George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography: Chapter XXII Bush Takes The Presidency". Webster G. Tarpley. Retrieved December 17, 2006.
- Dowd, Maureen (June 11, 1988). "Bush Traces How Yale Differs From Harvard". The New York Times. p. 10.
- Baker, Russell (June 15, 1988). "The Ivy Hayseed". The New York Times. p. A31.
- Bradlee, Ben, Jr.; Fred Kaplan (September 14, 1988). "Dukakis spells out Soviet policy". The Boston Globe.
- Safire, William (September 15, 1988). "Rat-Tat-Tatting". The New York Times. p. A35.
- Dowd, Maureen (September 17, 1988). "Bush Talks of Lasers and Bombers". The New York Times. p. 8.
- Mapes, Jeff (August 17, 1988). "Bush taps Quayle for VP". The Oregonian. p. A01.
- Toner, Robin (October 7, 1988). "Quayle Reflects Badly on Bush, Dukakis Asserts". The New York Times. p. B6.
- "You're No Jack Kennedy Video". The History Channel. A&E Television Networks. Retrieved Feb 13, 2014.
- Sanders, Joshunda (July 4, 2004). "State's Dems still hope for a bit of suspense / A contested primary is viewed as a plus for party". The San Francisco Chronicle.
- Conason, Joe (July/August 1992). "Reason No. 1 Not To Vote For George Bush: He Cheats on His Wife." Spy magazine.
- Kurtz, Howard (August 12, 1992). "Bush Angrily Denounces Report of Extramarital Affair as 'a Lie'". Washington Post.
- "Kitty Dukakis denies flag burning protest". The Bulletin (Bend, OR). August 26, 1988. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
- Lauter, David (August 4, 1988). "Reagan Remark Spurs Dukakis Health Report". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
- "Story on Mrs. Dukakis Is Denied by Campaign". The New York Times. August 26, 1988.
- "Bush Edge Is Holding In Survey". The New York Times. October 23, 1988. p. 24.
- Hirshson, Paul (October 19, 1988). "Editors on Dukakis: Down, but not out". The Boston Globe. p. 29.
- Athitakis, Mark (August 11, 1999). "Booty Call". SF Weekly (Village Voice Media). Retrieved March 21, 2006.
- Fulani, Lenora (1992). The Making of a Fringe Candidate. p. 127. ISBN 0-9628621-3-4.
- "Political Party History in Alaska". Internet Archive copy of official website of Alaska Division of Elections. 2003. Archived from the original on July 1, 2004. Retrieved March 24, 2006.
- "1988 Presidential General Election Data – National". Retrieved February 7, 2013.
- Germond, Jack W., and Jules Witcover. Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars? (1989), narrative by two famous reporters
- Gopoian, J. David. "Images and issues in the 1988 presidential election," Journal of Politics, Feb 1993, Vol. 55 Issue 1, pp 151–66
- Lemert, James B.; Elliott, William R.; Bernstein, James M.; Rosenberg, William L.; Nestvold, Karl J. (1991). News Verdicts, the Debates, and Presidential Campaigns. New York: Praeger. ISBN 0-275-93758-5.
- Moreland, Laurence W.; Steed, Robert P.; Baker, Tod A. (1991). The 1988 Presidential Election in the South: Continuity Amidst Change in Southern Party Politics. New York: Praeger. ISBN 0-275-93145-5.
- Runkel, David R. (1989). Campaign for President: The Managers Look at '88. Dover: Auburn House. ISBN 0-86569-194-0.
- Stempel, Guido H. III; Windhauser, John W. (1991). The Media in the 1984 and 1988 Presidential Campaigns. New York: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-26527-5.
- The Election Wall's 1988 Election Video Page
- 1988 popular vote by counties
- 1988 popular vote by state
- 1988 popular vote by states (with bar graphs)
- Campaign commercials from the 1988 election
- How close was the 1988 election? at the Wayback Machine (archived August 25, 2012) — Michael Sheppard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (archived)
- Senator Paul Simon Papers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
- Booknotes interview with Jack Germond and Jules Whitcover on Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars? The Trivial Pursuit of the Presidency 1988, August 27, 1989.
- Booknotes interview with Arthur Grace on Choose Me: Portraits of a Presidential Race, December 10, 1989.
- Booknotes interview with Paul Taylor on See How They Run: Electing the President in an Age of Mediaocracy, November 4, 1990.
- Booknotes interview with Richard Ben Cramer on What It Takes: The Way to the White House, July 26, 1992
| 255,095
|
New birth control targets ovulation without hormones
Researchers are developing another birth control option for women
Most birth control methods for women prevent pregnancy by manipulating specific hormones. Yet there are dangers: Changing hormone levels can create small but measurable risks of stroke and other health problems such as mood swings and high blood pressure.
An experimental hormone-free birth control technique takes a different approach by blocking enzymes that cause ovulation. Researchers call it a potentially safer method, although more research is needed before it can be tested in women.
Oregon Health and Science University researcher Jon Hennebold and his team identified a group of enzymes — called metalloproteinases — that rupture the ovulatory follicle and allow the egg to be released into the uterus. By blocking nine of these metalloproteinases with an inhibiting compound, the researchers prevented ovulation in rhesus monkeys.
Once blocked, the egg inside the follicle safely degenerates, according to their findings, published in the October issue of Endocrinology. Though the compound prevents ovulation, women would still have their periods, Hennebold said.
Scientists have studied metalloproteinase-blocking enzymes in other animals. But this is the first time they have been injected directly into a primate’s follicles, said CheMyong Ko, a reproductive sciences expert at the University of Illinois not involved with the study. Ko added that this approach avoids disrupting metalloproteinase activity elsewhere in the body.
But additional hurdles need to be jumped before the new technique could be used as a birth control method, Hennebold said, because injecting a drug into a woman’s follicle is not a pragmatic way to deliver birth control.
The delivery method is indeed key, Ko said. Figuring out how to get the compound to the follicle without injecting it will be “challenging.”
Hennebold hopes to find a way to administer the compound that would be “similar to current birth control pills.”
Once researchers find a delivery method that can be tested safely, they will learn if it has any side effects. Metalloproteinases are found throughout the body, so the treatment would have to directly target the ovary. Hennebold’s team is searching for metalloproteinases that are expressed primarily in the ovary, “since inhibiting such an enzyme to block ovulation would have limited side effects in other organ systems,” Hennebold wrote in an email.
His lab is now ready to take the next step. Having identified the nine metalloproteinases that make ovulation possible, the researchers plan to study each one separately to see which ones are more applicable to the new birth control method.
If all goes well, women may have access to a new, non-hormonal birth control option in several years.
“It’s crucial we provide as many options as possible for people who want to plan their families and their fertility,” Hennebold said.
| 135,565
|
More than 100 people still remain missing 12 days after roughly half of the 12-storey Champlain Towers South building came tumbling down early in the morning on June 24.
Officials overseeing the search at the site of the Florida condominium collapse sounded increasingly somber about the prospects for finding anyone alive, saying they have detected no new signs of life in the rubble as the death toll climbed to 36.
Crews in yellow helmets and blue jumpsuits searched the debris for a 13th day while wind and rain from the outer bands of Tropical Storm Elsa complicated their efforts.
"We are actively searching as aggressively as we can," Miami-Dade County Fire Chief Alan Cominsky said at a news conference on Tuesday. But he added: "Unfortunately, we are not seeing anything positive. The key things - void spaces, living spaces - we're not seeing anything like that."
Lightning forced rescuers to pause their work for two hours early Tuesday, Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah said. He said workers have removed 5.5 million pounds of debris from the pile.
At the site of the collapsed building Tuesday morning, power saws and backhoes could be heard as workers in yellow helmets and blue jumpsuits sifted through the rubble for a 13th day.
Stiff winds of 20 mph (32 kph) with stronger gusts blew through the area as gray clouds from Elsa’s outer bands swirled above.
Bands of rain were expected in Surfside as Elsa strengthened with potential to become a hurricane again before making landfall somewhere between Tampa Bay and Florida's Big Bend and crossing northern Florida.
Hurdles in rescue work
The search crews can work through rain, but lightning from unrelated thunderstorms have forced them to pause at times, and a garage area in the rubble has filled with water, officials said.
The delays frustrated rescue crews, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said.
“Truly they live to save lives, and they’ve pushed ahead no matter what is thrown in their way,” she said at a Monday evening news conference.
Still, crews got a big boost when the unstable remaining portion of the Champlain Towers South building came down Sunday. The demolition — prompted by fears that the structure could fall — allowed rescuers into previously inaccessible places, including bedrooms where people were believed to be sleeping at the time of the disaster, officials said.
"The site is busier and more active now than I’ve seen it since we began, now that the damaged building is down,” Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said, adding that heavy equipment was now able to move freely around the site.
Rescuers hoped to get a clearer picture of voids that may exist in the rubble as they search for anyone still trapped under the fallen wing of the building, but they found very few voids, Jadallah told family members late Monday.
No one has been rescued alive since the first hours after the collapse, but rescuers were still holding out hope of reuniting loved ones.
“We continue to remain focused on our primary mission, and that is to leave no stone unturned and to find as many people as we can and to help bring either some answers to family and loved ones or to bring some closure to them,” City of Miami Fire Rescue Capt Ignatius Carroll said.
| 56,307
|
So perhaps you’ve got a beach vacation or a huge event coming up, and you spent a great deal of time and effort to get closer to (or maybe even reach) your body goals. But here comes the second part of the challenge: maintaining that weight and size.
Although it might seem very difficult to stay at your current weight and size, it actually isn’t! In fact, there are a few things you can do on a daily basis to prevent yourself from gaining any unwanted weight.
Curious? Today, Evolve Daily reveals 5 Things To Do Daily If You Don’t Want To Put On Any More Weight:
1) Engage in regular physical activity
Most of us spend a portion of each day sitting in front of a computer or laptop – be it at work or school. Unfortunately, this sometimes turns into a daily routine and we get so used to it that we stop feeling the need to regularly hit the gym, or go for that evening run. After all, we feel like most of our energy is spent working and being productive.
However, sitting for long hours daily can be linked to leading a sedentary lifestyle. According to research, people who lead such lifestyles end up having more difficulty with burning fat and hence, their bodies end up with more overall fat stores. And the scary thing is that this fat gain can occur even when you’re sticking to a low-calorie diet!
So make it a point to get moving, and stay active. It helps to plan a workout schedule ahead of time, and don’t forget to include some strength training in your routine! This is because when you build muscle, your body burns more calories even when at rest.
2) Munch on fiber-rich food
If you don’t know yet, fiber helps reduce your hunger and regulates your bowels, hence aiding in the fat melting process. So include fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your daily diet to stay full for longer periods of time. Apart from that, it also helps to have 5 to 6 small meals daily. Doing so would not only help you stay full throughout the day, but also increase your production of body heat and burn more calories in the process!
3) Allow yourself to indulge once in awhile
While it’s important to make healthy food choices, it’s just as crucial to not deprive yourself of that occasional bar of chocolate! When you allow yourself to indulge in moderation, you’re less likely to get unhealthy cravings and binge on junk food. Following the 90/10 rule – where you eat healthy 90% of the time and leave the other 10% for indulgence – makes it easier to have an overall healthier diet and prevents you from getting those additional pounds from binge eating junk food.
4) Stay hydrated throughout the day
When you don’t drink enough water, there’s a good chance that you’ll end up getting hungry and consuming unnecessary calories – although it’s actually your thirst affecting you. So make sure you drink at least 8 glasses of water daily so that your body can function at its best and flush fat out more effectively! The best part about water is that it’s calorie-free and helps remove toxins from your body so you can stay healthy.
5) Set (and stick to) a daily bedtime
When you’re sleep deprived, you not only feel tired the following day, but also tend to reach out for junk food – because a lack of sleep messes with your hunger-regulating hormones and causes you to lean towards sugary foods to give you that sugar rush. What’s more, your body would produce higher levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), which has been linked to belly fat. Eek!
The best way to prevent this from happening is to establish a healthy sleep cycle by setting a bedtime that you’ll keep to daily (yes, this includes weekends!) When you do so, you’ll be able to ensure that you’re getting the ideal 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night and preventing your body from putting on any unwanted additional weight.
Now that you know what you can do to not gain any extra weight before your big event, remember to follow these tips and get into the best shape of your life!
| 116,219
|
So St Theresa of May has finally signed the dratted letter to invoke Article 50. We’ll be into that Red-White-and-Blue Brexit any time this afternoon, then. Possibly even before cucumber sandwiches are served in the Hice of Commons, accompanied, or not, by a handsome silver pot of Earl Gwey.
Even now, despite That Letter having been signed and ritually hand-delivered, the UK is still part of the European Union, and we will still be a member for something like another 2 years. All the directives and regulations voted on by our MEPs (sometimes even by N. Farage) that have been adopted by our British Parliament, will still be in force, even after the EU agrees to the terms of our exit from the Union. There will be years of legal work to be done to extinguish those laws and replace them with solely British ones.
Until the boot finally hits our red-white-and-blue backside:
We still have a rebate on EU membership fees.
We still have a say, via our MEPs, about what directives and regulations are passed by the EU Parliament.
We are still not in the Euro.
We are still not signatories to the Schengen agreement (ie, – we ALREADY have the tight control of our borders that many Leavers shouted for).
We still don’t have to give benefits to immigrants who’ve just arrived here, even if they are from the EU – not until they have worked for some years and paid into the system (and we then give them less than many other EU countries do).
We still share information with EU states about criminal activity and terrorist organisations via the European Criminal Records Information System.
People still have the right to time off and limited working hours, parental leave, and equal opportunities for men and women.
We still have the right to live, work or study abroad in any of the 27 other EU member countries.
UK students can still (just) study or work in Europe on the Erasmus exchange programme.
Academic research projects are (still, just) funded by EU subsidies.
Rural and deprived areas could still be supported or funded by EU subsidies.
There are still Common Agricultural Policy subsidies for farming (~55% of farm incomes), and green incentives for adopting environmental measures such as tending to wild grassland.
We still have laws to ensure clean seas and beaches, good air quality, protection for endangered species and strict guidelines on the use of genetically modified crops and certain chemicals.
Using a mobile phone doesn’t cost more in fees in other European countries.
20% of our energy should come from renewables by 2020.
What could we be going back to?
Signs saying “No Blacks, No Polish, No Irish, nofuckingimmigrantsofanysort”? We already HAVE tight control of our borders for legal immigration. If what Leavers want is simply No Immigrants at all, umm, the word you need to worry about there is ILLEGAL. Leaving the EU isn’t going to stop illegal immigration.
No EU nationals working here, for instance, in our health service? Or no non-EU nationals? (See the same link.)
No legal equality for LGBTQ and disabled people?
No right to residency for EU born partners of British citizens?
Restoring the use of Imperial measures? I’m of a generation that learned originally to use them, and then had to convert everything to metric (including understanding distances in kilometres and metres for sporting competitions, although car drivers even now still get away with odometers and roadsigns labelled in miles). But we’d already begun metricating before we joined the EEC and we’ve rubbed along all right under a mishmash of measures for the last forty-odd years. It’s hardly worth falling out with the EU over them. Are we now going to re-adopt 240 pennies to a pound and 12 pennies to a shilling; ounces, pounds, stones, hundredweights; acres, rods, poles and perches; pints and gallons; Imperial (or even Whitworth) specifications for engineering? Even I am not old enough or daft enough to try re-imposing that lot on a decimalised population.
Restoring the death penalty for murder? I’m not kidding. A straw poll suggested there are Leavers hankering for its reinstatement, even though we’d already got rid of it well before we joined the EEC (1965).
All right, that one was silly... but...
But...We Want Our Country Back!
See above...I haven’t been able to fathom out exactly what “our country” might be, that the happy band of Leavers expect to get back. Asking the question of them usually elicits remarks about escaping the rule of “unelected Eurocrats”, ignoring the irony that in Britain our Parliamentary system is topped by an unelected Monarchy and an unelected Hice of Lords, and the fact that all British voters have the right to vote for the MEPs who will represent their region in the European Parliament. If you don’t know who represents your region there or how to ask them to work on your behalf, or how the EU structure works, whose fault is that?
At the moment, the lack of precise, detailed forward vision in our national policies worries me quite a lot. St Theresa of May needs to do more, for me, than to attempt Churchillian rhetoric at PMQs.
| 210,294
|
The mention of Rottweilers, or the fact that you own one often elicits varied responses, ranging from a very heartfelt "Awww...", to a genuinely concerned "Oh!".
Rottweilers, quite like the Pit Bulls, have unfairly garnered a reputation that couldn't be more unlike them. Their formidable looks, intimidating gait, and hunting dog legacy has made them a favorite target of people who train them for dog fighting. Regular owners of Rottweilers have also been accused of training these dogs to be unrestrained with their aggression, causing these dogs to be in the news for all the wrong reasons.
So, let's leave all the bias behind, and reintroduce ourselves to this gem of a pet, who is so goofy and lovable, that you'd go out and bring one home right away.
Interesting Facts About Rottweilers
Rottweilers, or Rotties, as they are fondly called, are originally from Germany. Their name comes from a small German town called Rottweil. The breed's history dates back to the times of the Roman Empire.
Their Appearance and Size
Appearance-wise, Rottweilers are usually black in color with distinct tan markings on the cheeks, muzzle, over the eyes, chest, and legs. Their coat is short, straight, and of medium length. Male Rotties weigh around 90 to 130 lbs while a female's weight is between 80 and 110 lbs.
Rotties are playful and goofy dogs, quite contrary to the various opinions doing the rounds. As they belong to a hunting breed, a sense of protectiveness comes naturally to them. It is this very trait that causes their undoing, but only if they are not properly socialized right since a young age.
Being working dogs, they are happiest when they are working, which is why Rotties make excellent additions to police teams, search and rescue operations, and even as therapy dogs.
Their Litter Size and Life Expectancy
On an average, the litter includes 8 to 12 puppies, but note that larger litters have also been recorded. Rottweilers live up to the age of around 8 to 10 years.
Owners of Rottweilers often say that their beloved pet is extremely playful and loves to cuddle. In fact, there have been several first-hand experiences of owners who say that their Rottie is something of a clown.
Despite their size and weight, Rotties tend to think of themselves as lap dogs, and actually tend to plonk their heavy selves on to their owner's laps whenever they get all lovey-dovey.
Also, they are prone to a peculiar problem of gas.
They are also big on drooling, which happens due to the way their jaw is set.
Rotties are inherently loving and loyal. Provided they are correctly trained, they are extremely safe to have around babies, young children, specially-abled, and elderly as well.
Domination comes naturally to Rotties. It is therefore important to have complete knowledge about the training tactics used to discipline them.
Rottweilers do shed hair, so potential owners should not be fooled by their short coat. Grooming them and regularly brushing their coat will keep this issue in check.
German Rottweilers are actually stockier and muscular as compared to their American counterparts.
Throughout history, our faithful and dependable Rotties have guarded shops, herded cattle, pulled supplies carts, and ferried money to the banks.
Its "reputation" notwithstanding, Rottweilers remain one of the most popular dog breeds in America.
There is a well-documented story about Jake, a two-year-old Rottie in England, who heroically rescued a woman from an assailant who was molesting her. Jake's bravado earned him recognition from the RSPCA.
It is heartbreaking to see how human laxity in training Rottweilers results in their aggressive behavior, and ends up soiling the image of these animals. Where on the one hand we have legislations banning Rottweilers, we also have heroes like Jake and many other Rotties who exemplify all that we need in a good pet.
Isn't it time we give the respect and love that is due to this wonderful breed? Considering how much love the Rottweilers have to offer us, it would certainly be a tiny gesture of kindness on our part.
| 276,091
|
The Dais or “Judgment Seat”
of God and His Christ
SUFFERING AND SHAME are not our portion at the dais. But they are our high privilege at present, in preparation for it. Instead of facing a future “hell” or “purgatory” or “judgment seat,” with punishment as our lot, we may endure evil with the evangel now and, as a reward, we will reign together with Christ in glory.
One of Paul’s latest letters is much concerned with the future and the requital of “that day.” This phrase is found thrice in his second epistle to Timothy (1:12,18; 4:8). In each case it is associated with suffering evil (1:8; 2:9; 4:5). The suffering of the saint is not at the dais, but in view of it. It is not inflicted by God, but man, not for sin, but for faithfulness and endurance. It will lead, not to a second death, but to an abundant life and rare reward. We need not dread suffering at the dais, but endure it now, and enjoy it in anticipation of that day.
Shame, also, is associated with our service in view of the dais (2 Tim.1:8,12,16). The testimony of Paul is not a path to popularity. He exhorts Timothy not to be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of His prisoner (1:8). Paul himself was not ashamed, in view of that day (1:12). Onesiphorus was not ashamed of Paul’s chains, and will find mercy in that day (1:16). The Christian ministry is generally supposed to be one of the most honorable and dignified of all professions, as far removed from suffering and shame and evil as can be, yet here we have its greatest exponent suffering as if he were a criminal, an enemy of human society, so that he finds it needful to assure us that he is not ashamed of himself and to beg his son in the faith not to be ashamed of him, and to commend a household that stood by him and was not ashamed. How have the times changed!
I have just heard a story that gives us a hint of the average minister’s attitude since then. A friend heard many a sermon from a clergyman several years ago, but cannot recall anything he said except, on one occasion, when he was inducting another clergyman into the pastorate of a neighboring church. Then he repeatedly expressed the wish that his colleague would have a good time during his term of office! Alas, how sordid has the spirit of Christendom sunk! A pastor true to Paul today is liable to lose his position and his salary and his reputation. Even in those days many of the saints were ashamed of the greatest and grandest exponent and example of God’s glorious grace.
Suffering evil with the evangel is almost unknown. Instead, the “gospel” has often been made the stepping stone to a place of preferment and pelf. Is it not clear that something is amiss? The world has not changed its attitude toward God. Yes, and the saints have not altered their rejection of Paul (2 Tim.1:15). He had gone among them with great success. He had recently written to them of the highest truths ever made known. Would they not cleave to him through thick and thin? Would they not honor him above all men? No! The capstone of grace demands that he suffer shame from the hands of God’s saints, the very ones who owed him all! I take comfort in the fact that I have had a like experience. The Adversary sees to it that slander directed against a follower of Paul is accepted by the saints without a shred of evidence, and even against all the evidence. Where I have excelled I have been condemned.
Let anyone proclaim the pure evangel of Paul today and he will soon learn what it is to suffer evil with it, in accord with the power of God. Even its most elementary feature will cause trouble in the vast majority of churches. Go into them and insist that God saves us with a holy calling, not in accord with our acts, and you will soon be in disgrace. What! Place a premium on being bad! No reward for being good! That is not “Christianity!” Anyone should know that only good people go to heaven and the bad to hell! I once heard an enlightened preacher hint at a great truth in the course of an address to a very high-class congregation. One could feel, as it were, a damp fog fall on his listeners. After the sermon he said to me, “Now do you see?” His point was that you could not cast pearls before the proud without being trampled.
The vast bulk of Christendom has no inkling of God’s purpose and grace. Indeed, they have never heard that He has a plan. And when they hear that it has no place for good people they are opposed to it, and vent their wrath on those who make it known. Even where this most elementary truth is acknowledged, there is a strong tendency to act otherwise so as not to disturb the religious sinners who form the bulk of our congregations.
Alas! The saints also are far too greatly concerned with their own plans and give too little heed to His. Our rewards at the dais are largely determined by our cooperation with God’s purpose. Nor is it the amount of work we do in “building up the kingdom” that counts, but the suffering we endure on account of our faithfulness in testifying to it. All are out after blessing, especially soulish emotions, and they are exhorted to “count their blessings, one by one, and see what God has done.” But it is not our blessings which will count at the dais, but our sufferings in His service that will give us a special place of privilege in the future.
It takes power to suffer evil in God’s service. This can come only through faith in His Word, especially in an appreciation of His Godlike dealings with us, entirely apart from our own consciousness or volition. The delicious thought that His grace toward us was exercised before eonian times is a tremendous help to lift us out of our own weakness and stand on His strength. The mere fact that, at that time, when we had as yet done nothing amiss that called for it, His grace was given us in Christ Jesus, shows that our sin was well known to Him, and was a vital factor in His purpose, for He could show such grace only to those who deserved the opposite. If He reckoned with our sins then, it is evident that He can cope with them now.
Paul himself is our example in this as in all else. He has the highest titles which a servant of Christ can obtain in this era. He has a triple crown, far more magnificent than that of the Roman pontiff today. He was a Herald, an Apostle and a Teacher of the nations. His parish was the world, including every nation on the inhabited earth. In time, his ministry extends throughout this eon, for he did not only speak, but made his message immortal by his pen. He was the first to herald the abolition of death and to bring to light life and incorruption. None of the apostles before him had such a message. None had the scope of his, either in space or time. His teaching far transcends that of any other either before or after him. I feel sure that every saint will agree that he deserves the highest honors of anyone who ever lived.
And what was his earthly reward? Did they build him a vast cathedral, such as was later erected to honor Peter in Rome? Did they seat him on a jeweled throne with a glittering crown upon his head? Did they come to adore and kiss him as they now kiss St. Peter’s brazen toe? Far from all this! When our Lord was crucified, his disciples left Him and fled. So also, when Paul was imprisoned, most of his followers forsook him and were ashamed to have anything to do with him. Indeed, be was so cut off from his erstwhile friends that it was hard to find him, even by those who were not ashamed of him (2 Tim.1:17).
Why was Paul suffering these shameful indignities? Because he was God’s ambassador to a rebellious world. Because, as the herald and apostle and teacher of the nations he was faithful to the evangel committed to him. Because he made God’s purpose known, and the grace which is ours in Christ Jesus through His crucifixion and burial and ascension and glorification. Because he taught the abolition of death and the vivification of all in his evangel. Because this shameful treatment of God’s most highly honored and supremely blest of all the servants of Christ is essential as a background for the revelation of His transcendent grace, not only to mankind, but to all His creatures in the celestial spheres as well, not only now, but in the eons that impend.
Paul himself knew this, therefore he insists that he is not ashamed (2 Tim.1:12). However, he was not concerned so much about himself as about the evangel which had been committed to him. What would become of it after he was gone? Timothy, indeed, was left, and a few others, but the great bulk of those whom he had reached seem to have forsaken him. Moreover, there were forces at work which turned the saints from him and his teaching. Phygellus and Hermogenes were but samples of the many in the province of Asia, where he had reached such numbers, and to whom he had sent his grandest epistles. But he was not ashamed, because he knew whom he had believed, and was persuaded that He is able to guard what was committed to him for that day (2 Tim.1:12).
One of the greatest miracles of the so-called “Christian centuries” is the continual persistence or revival of Pauline truth. It was almost eclipsed before Paul himself was taken from the scene. We seldom read of it in ecclesiastical histories, as it made little impression on the times. There were feeble flickers among the Waldensians, in Switzerland, and the Hussites in Bohemia. Luther and his helpers recovered a little in Germany. Wickliffe and Darby in England made some advance. But in almost every case there was no clear-cut severance from the Circumcision scriptures, and these dominated and darkened the light. Pardon dragged down justification to its own level. Law-keeping smothered grace.
Paul is entitled to a requital for his written as well as his oral ministry. In this way the course of his evangel after his personal departure will affect his award “in that day,” even though this was not his first thought in regard to it. He could hardly have envisioned a period of two thousand years for the operation of his evangel, or the millions of men who would believe during this interval, though this, also, is in fullest accord with the character of grace. Few things will so emphasize this as the fact that the great mass of those who are saved in this administration neither know nor appreciate the favor which fashions their fate. Nay, most of them actively disown it and denounce those who seek to reveal it to them. They are saved by a grace which they detest, for it takes away from them the robe of their own righteousness.
Paul’s persuasion is a great comfort to those who follow him today. After an average lifetime spent mostly in seeking to make known the transcendent truths in Paul’s epistles, my experience has been closely parallel to his. I am well aware that his evangel must be rejected by the mass and cherished only by a few, and I am most thankful for those who have embraced it and revel in it. I am not unduly concerned about the future, as though it depended on my unaided efforts, for I am certain that He will guard the truths which He has opened up to my heart and which I have tried to share with my fellow saints.
Paul’s exhortation to Timothy has been much to me. He wrote to him, “You, then, child of mine, be invigorated by the grace which is in Christ Jesus. And what things you hear from me...these commit to faithful men, who shall be competent to teach others also” (2 Tim.2:1,2). This is God’s method of guarding and disseminating that which He had committed to Paul. We seek to conform to it in our work, through our translations and concordances and magazines and other literature. Although we do not confine our teaching to Paul’s writings, we give them the first place, and insist that all the rest must be considered in the fuller light which his epistles cast upon God’s ways and purpose and ultimate.
Those who spread Paul’s teaching must suffer Paul’s treatment. The teaching and the treatment are close companions. The more gain you deserve at the dais the more pain you are likely to bear beforehand. Paul’s case was not due to his person, but his message. The more you think about it, the stranger it seems that he exhorts his successor to suffer evil! How seldom is this note heard today in preparing for the ministry! Is it not because Paul’s message is missing? There is no need to act so as to deserve evil because of our faults, or lack of loving consideration. That should never be encouraged. But when we are faithful to Paul’s evangel, and the inevitable evil ensues, let us bear it and never shrink from suffering with the great herald and apostle and teacher. Rather, let us cherish it as a privilege, the highest honor which this era can confer on the sons of Adam.
In all honesty I must confess, however, that I failed in this matter on one occasion. Letters from one of my helpers were so cruel and contemptuous, that, added to other distress I was called upon to bear, they totally incapacitated me for my work. So I refused to read them further. Since then I find it necessary to shun correspondence with those whose letters are calculated to lower my vitality and hinder, or stop, my constructive work which, alone, is very trying, as it calls for continuous and exhausting mental concentration.
THE SOLDIER, THE ATHLETE, THE FARMER
I am not a literal soldier or athlete or farmer, yet, figuratively, I am all three, in view of the dais of Christ. This group of figures, which applies to all who belong to Christ in this administration, whatever their station or means of livelihood, is not only most helpful in view of that day, but should assist us in understanding the function of figures of speech, for they are mutually exclusive if we apply them with out limitations. No one can be similar to a soldier in all respects and at the same time be altogether like an athlete and resemble a farmer in every way. In each case the concordance is confined to a single feature. It includes nothing but the suffering of a soldier, the rules of the games, and the firstness of the farmer in partaking of his fruits.
SUFFER AS A SOLDIER
Timothy was not exhorted to emulate a soldier in every particular. He was not advised to take physical training to build up his bodily strength and learn how to fight and destroy and kill his enemies. Quite the opposite! But there was one phase of the soldier’s life which would enter his experience, and that is suffering. We seldom picture an ideal soldier as a sufferer. We paint him as in the prime of youthful strength and vigor, with martial might, as the song says, “marching as to war.” If I had any idea that it would be accepted, I would suggest that these words be changed to a more scriptural phrase, “suffering as in war.” But who would want to sing about that? Alas, the “Christian soldiers” of today do not take their marching orders from Paul, so have little cause to suffer.
Millions upon millions of men living today have learned that Paul was right. The false glamour of war has been replaced in their minds by the realities of its results. What suffering has followed in its train! Hitherto there seems to have been little recognition of this aspect in military circles. Bravery and success were rewarded with medals and decorations, as they are now, but today wounds and suffering call for stripes and the purple heart. Whatever may be the outward symbols of combat, the most enduring are engraven on the hearts of those who suffered fatigue and hunger, disease and mutilation, nerve shock and utter spiritual devastation. Such is the picture put before us by Paul. Just as some of the soldiers who suffered severely cheerfully faced their fate, so we should accept the suffering which comes to us with Paul with acquiescent fortitude and thankfulness.
Of course, the true servant of Christ, especially if he is a follower of Paul, will never think of misusing the evangel for his own material benefit. Yet there is the tendency in us all to abuse God’s gracious gifts. If the prime motive in our hearts is to make an easy living by selling the truth, it may not land us in jail now, but, it will seriously affect our reward in that day. It will do little good to preach grace if our acts do not correspond. Devoutness is not capital, and we should not expect to profit by it in a financial way.
In practice, Paul worked at his trade in order to provide for himself and those with him (Acts 20:34). Yet he never was involved or entangled by his business, so that it hindered his work. Even in those days the demands of business could involve a man to such an extent that he had no time or strength to give to the ministry to which God called him. At one time I was superintendent of a printing plant with about forty employees. I found this so strenuous that I had no vitality left for the work I loved, so I resigned and demoted myself to a common workman at a lower wage. But I had to suffer for this also, as it was misunderstood by those who did not sympathize with my work in the Scriptures. My fellow craftsmen thought I was mentally unbalanced, yet I felt a great relief. But it was a great blessing to me, as it left me time and strength for my main purpose in life, which was not to make a living, but to discover and publish God’s truth.
This figure of a soldier can easily be perverted unless we hold it down to the points mentioned. Indeed, we are not to war with anyone, but to proclaim peace. Literally it conflicts with that of the ambassador. Only in respect to suffering and involvement does it find any parallel in God’s servants today. Neither does it insist on abstinence from any gainful occupation, for this is expressly implied in the next figure, that of a farmer, and such abstinence directly denounced in some cases. Paul worked night and day, with toil and labor, so as not to be burdensome to anyone, and gave himself as a model in this regard.
COMPETING IN THE GAMES
Another phase of the dais, and the one which causes the most perplexity, is figured by the athlete. Paul had used this figure before, to illustrate the subjection of the physical body. Every athlete must observe training. He dare not pamper the flesh before contending in the games. But this phase is not before us here. Rather he adds one point which is closely in line with our present theme. He races and boxes so as not to be disqualified. He must observe the rules of the game. The A.V. rendering “castaway” gives an entirely false turn to the figure. No athlete was ever cast away if he failed to observe the conditions. He is not banished or executed, but disqualified. He loses the race even if he is first over the line. He is not acclaimed the winner in a boxing match if he strikes below the belt. So it will be at the dais. There will be much loss on account of lawless competition.
THE FARMER AND THE FRUIT
The toiling farmer must be the first to partake of the fruits (2 Tim.2:6). Rightly the farmer is entitled to nine-tenths of the fruit (1 Cor.9:7). So it was ordained in connection with the Circumcision. The Levites and priests were supported by the nation. But Paul refused to use his rights, because his was a message of grace. So now he gives the farmer the priority, but not all the fruit of his labors.
Paul’s second epistle to Timothy is concerned with the last days, so applies to us in a very special way, for it is adapted to the conditions under which we live. It is the most perilous period in this administration. The truth is being withstood as never before. Sound teaching is not tolerated and many are turned aside to myths. Disorder is everywhere. Insubjection is rampant and even disguises itself as submission to the Lord. But the trials of the time give us an opportunity to endure suffering and shame, which will win a rich reward at the dais. May we have grace to take advantage of our special privileges, and use them to glorify His Name!
SUFFERING IN THE LAST DAYS
In some respects it is more difficult to avoid suffering in these last days than in Timothy’s time. The Scriptures declare that, in these days, men will be selfish, fond of money, ostentatious, proud, calumniators, stubborn to parents, ungrateful, malign, without natural affection, implacable, adversaries, uncontrollable, fierce, averse to the good, traitors, rash, conceited, fond of their own gratification rather than fond of God, having a form of devoutness, yet denying its power. Such we are bidden to shun (2 Tim.3:1-5). Is it possible to live amongst such “saints” and not suffer? Thank God, the Scriptures do not say that all are to be like this. Nor does each one have all of these traits. Yet it behooves each one of us to be aware of this word, and to watch that we are not even tinged with such sins. But we cannot help suffering from their very presence. Until we become acquainted with them we may not even know that they are included in this list. Some sins, such as selfishness, are so prevalent, that they do not impress us at first.
I once thought that, by being gracious, I would avoid most of the suffering that would otherwise come my way. But experience has taught me otherwise. It often makes it much worse, for we feel it far more when grace is recompensed with evil, than when we have done nothing that deserves thankful appreciation. I had failed to reckon with two things. One is that men are not only ungrateful but malign in these days. They not only fail to be thankful for favors received, but do what they can to harm those from whom they received them, especially if their interests seem to demand this, or they become adversaries. Then the grace is either depreciated or denied. A very clever way is to state something which is true, but which leaves a totally false impression. Such things are very painful, but they can be borne in view of that day. Personally, they should be left to the dais, but if they harm the saints or the Lord’s work, especially the testimony to Pauline truth, it may be wise and most gracious to deal with them beforehand.
THE SPIRITUAL FORCES OF WICKEDNESS
Few of the saints seem to be aware of the stratagems of the adversary and the pain inflicted by his fiery arrows in case we are not shielded by faith. If they were more alive to the opposition of the world-mights of this darkness (Eph.6:11-17), they would not so readily yield themselves to their designs, and become his tools in opposing those who are standing in the breach for the celestial truths against which the enemy is arrayed. I once thought that, as soon as the saints realized the place of our work in this spiritual conflict, they would stand with us through thick and thin, and be alert to the stratagems of the adversary to draw them away, or, worse than that, to join his forces, and attack us from the rear. And, indeed, there are many who stand firm with us, facing the foe, and for these we are unutterably grateful. How sad that some have received the spirit of the adversary, and seek to wrestle with us and wound us, tricked by the adversary into opposition, because they fail to see eye to eye with us in non-essential details or on account of personal prejudices.
A. E. Knoch
This publication may be reproduced for personal use
(all other rights reserved by copyright holder).
| 273,146
|
(Photo: AP / Charlie Neibergall)
While most Americans do not think much about the census, it looms large in the lives of gay couples. A new report this week gives a clearer picture to date of same-sex couples in the country.
The new Census Bureau data, finalized this week, shows the numbers of gay couples in America has jumped by half in the past decade to 901,997.
Sixty percent are female, and 22 percent are raising children, according to the report.
In other words, the 2010 Census shows an all-time high of people self-identifying as members of cohabitating same-sex couples.
According to the research, many same-sex couples are doing something straight couples have been doing for generations: getting older, having kids, and moving to the suburbs.
These trends, both the spread of gay people living openly, and of gay populations mirroring trends in the straight population, are playing out nationwide.
But, there are still religious leaders and voters on both sides of the issue and despite the new findings, there is little chance they will stop speaking out against same-sex marriage.
Religious opponents of same-sex marriage continue using church bulletins, diocesan newspapers and sermons from the pulpit to encourage their followers to contact legislators and let them know how they feel. They are convinced that legislation is the key to putting a stop to same-sex marriages in America.
First, they cite biblical injunctions against homosexuality. Second, they warn that social services, like foster care and adoption, provided by religiously sponsored charities could be endangered by the legalization of same-sex marriage.
Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, addressed the same-sex marriage issue during an interview on the CBS program “60 Minutes,” urging policy makers not to tamper with the definition of what he termed “authentic marriage.”
“I love my mom, but I don’t have the right to marry her,” said the archbishop, whose national public profile as a spokesman for church values rose last year, when he was elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
More shocking to Census researchers is how far same-sex couples have dispersed across the country.
Gay couples are not just living in big cities like New York or San Francisco. The report shows that there are more people who identify as gay, that have dispersed to more places across the nation.
To name a few, gay couples reside in Pleasant Ridge, Mich., a suburb of Detroit; New Hope, Pa.; and in southern Delaware. All three have been popular destinations for gay people locally but had never ranked in the top 10 until now.
Among mid-sized cities, Ft. Lauderdale is first, followed by Berkeley, and surprisingly, Salt Lake City.
The No. 1-ranked town is Provincetown, Mass., at the tip of Cape Cod.
"The reordering reflects a growing influence of baby boomers, who became adults in the 1960s and 1970s, when the social stigma was starting to ease,” said Gary Gates, a demographer at the Williams Institute at the University of California.
“It shows that gay couples are more willing than previous generations to stand up and be counted.”
Researchers said ten or 20 years ago the gay movement would have been very nervous about asking these questions. They didn’t want the government to know who was gay. You got fired for being gay.
San Francisco still ranks the top large city by number of same-sex couples, adjusted for population, with Oakland coming in third. Seattle is number two.
Another finding discovered by researchers at The Williams Institute shows that a gay-oriented travel guide named Damron’s, shows the number of self-described gay bars and clubs in the U.S. has dropped 13 percent since 2005.
The reason is that as gay people report feeling more accepted by society, many feel less need to self-segregate. However, same-sex opponents object to this acceptance citing it as a "corruption of a moral society."
“The evidence suggests that this is more about people’s increased visibility than it is about migration,” Gates said. “In rural areas, which tend to be more socially conservative, you’re seeing more willingness of people to identify themselves.”
Gates found that gays are still concentrated in urban areas along the coast, but gay families with children paint a different picture.
While they have a smaller percentage of gay people overall, the highest percentages of gays who were coupled and raising children in both conservative and liberally-based neighborhoods. Even co-habitating couples without children follow this pattern.
Columbia University professor Ilan H. Meyer said, “Our nation’s aim to reduce health disparities related to sexual orientation, as stated in Healthy People 2010 and Healthy People 2020, has been hampered by lack of broad population-based quality data."
He said whether you object to same-sex marriage or not, accurate and reliable data about the health of the gay population are essential for forming public health policies, setting research priorities, and designing effective interventions.
Political analysts say the groundbreaking research released by the Census Bureau will be cited heavily in debates over the Defense of Marriage Act and state marriage laws.
Find all data here: http://www3.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/home.html
| 28,365
|
Precision Remote Sensor for Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide
Mesa Photonics proposes development of a passive optical sensor for simultaneous high-precision measurement of oxygen and carbon dioxide profiles within the full atmospheric column. The approach, which is based on near-infrared heterodyne spectroscopy using solar occultation (i.e., direct solar viewing), is called Precision Heterodyne Oxygen-Calibrated Spectrometer, or PHOCS. Oxygen measurements will provide dry gas corrections and?more importantly?will determine accurate temperature profiles that, in turn, improve the precision of the carbon dioxide column retrievals to better than 1%. Planned instruments will complement results anticipated from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2), Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS), and ground-based Fourier transform spectrometers. PHOCS instruments will be small (not much bigger than a pair of binoculars), light weight, and low power. In keeping with one of the goals of this SBIR topic, planned instruments will be initially configured for operation on the ground, and have size, weight, and power (SWAP) characteristics suitable for easy ground mobility and well as airborne or space-borne deployment.The Phase I project will test an all-fiber-optic heterodyne receiver that will simplify optical design and ensure long-term optical alignment. Oxygen measurements will use the near-infrared band the 1.27 micron wavelength region instead of the more commonly used band at 0.76 microns. The longer wavelength band is weaker; precise lineshapes of many individual rotational lines will be measureable without complications due to highly saturated absorbances or instrument line shape functions (ILS). Carbon dioxide measurements will use the well-characterized band at 1.57 microns.
Small Business Information at Submission:
Mesa Photonics, LLC
1550 Pacheco St. Santa Fe, NM 87505-3973
Number of Employees:
| 179,526
|
The Sierra National Forest, located northeast of Fresno, CA, borders the Yosemite National Park on the south, Kings Canyon National Park on the west, and Giant Sequoia National Monument (Northern Unit) on the north. It is comprised of 1,309,013 acres. There are 59 developed campgrounds of which 36 meet the selection criteria.
One definition for "sierra" is snowy mountain range, another is sawtooth mountain. Both are good monikers for the Sierra National Forest but, in the summer, "verda" better describes this Forest for it contains every shade of green one can imagine. And, there is a wide range of blue. Where the blues and greens meet, there is breathtaking beauty, limitless recreational opportunities, and many outstanding camping locations. It all makes up the Sierra National Forest.
For beauty and outstanding power boating opportunities, the 1,160-acre Bass Lake attracts thousands car, tent, recreational vehicle (RV) and motorhome camping enthusiasts every year. To help control the number of users and insure quality of water play, boat owners are required to register their water crafts. Along with great boating opportunities, the fishing is pretty good. Several locations around the lake's shoreline are set aside as swim areas. Some of these areas, such as Spring Cove near Spring Cove campground, are great places to introduce young children and toddlers to the memorable event of lake swimming. Several lakeside, privately owned resorts, round out the Lake Bass experience offering limited supplies, water craft rentals, and dining facilities.
Smaller but no less attractive, Shaver Lake also great for a family camping vacation. Waterskiing, fishing, houseboating, swimming and camping are just some of the activities found here. Dora Belle, the Forest Service's only campground on this Lake, is nestled among cedar, pine, and fir trees with some camp sites overlooking a small bay offering a great way to enjoy Shaver Lake.
Northeast of Shaver Lake, up State Route 168, is the best location for sailing in the Sierra National Forest - Huntington Lake. An alpine lake, it begins most mornings with a mirror surface. Around 10 AM a breeze begins to ruffles the water. Soon, a variety of boats glide by with sails filled with a steady wind. Boats skim across the lake until late afternoon when the wind dies down to a whisper. Soon, campfires glow from shoreline campgrounds, such as Deer Creek and Lower Billy Creek. And a good day comes to an end. Huntington Lake, also, has privately owned resorts offering boat rentals, limited groceries, and dining. A very special place, adjacent to Upper and Lower Billy Creek campgrounds, is the Billy Creek Museum. The museum, formerly a Forest Ranger's residence, includes displays of Native People's culture and history, the Forest Service's contributions to the area, and the story of a WWII aircraft's ending in Huntington Lake.
Five Wilderness are located within the Sierra National Forest's boundaries. Monarch Wilderness, at the Forest's southern end, is the most remote. On the other hand, the Kaiser Wilderness, adjacent to Huntington, is the most accessible. Ansel Adams, John Muir, and Dinkey Lakes Wildernesses, east of Huntington Lake, are magnificent and easy to reach (if you don't mind driving a white-knuckle caliber road). The beauty of these Wildernesses is beyond description. One feature of the Adams and Muir Wildernesses are several adjacent man-made lakes used in a very intricate hydro-electric production network.
Because of the awe-inspiring beauty of the nearby Wilderness areas and the boating opportunities, some of the area's campgrounds have been mentioned in several publications. Finding a campsite can be a challenge atMono Hot Springs campground.
Further north, Mono Creek and Vermilion campgrounds may not be as crowded but, like Mono Hot Springs, reservations would probably be a good idea.
People interested in exploring deep into the Adams and Muir Wildernesses will find the privately owned and operated ferries across Lake Thomas A Edison and Florence Lake are an excellent way to access these pristine areas. Vermilion and Jackass Meadow campgrounds, located near Edison and Florence lakes respectively, provide a good point of return or departure.
A magnificent sight along Kaiser Pass, on the way to Adams and Muir Wildernesses, are the Western junipers growing among the gleaming white, car-size boulders. The juniper's massive trunks lean in the direction of prevailing winds and support evergreen tufted branches twisted by years of snowfall and fierce winds. Miles away, southeast of Dinkey Creek campground, is a grove of another awe-inspiring tree - Giant Sequoia. Here, McKinley Grove Botanical Area, located near the Gigantea campground, contains a stand of virgin Giant Sequoia. To the north, near Bass Lake, is Nelder Grove with 106 mature Giant Sequoias intermingled with second growth pine, fir, and cedar. These areas offer some great hiking, too.
There are some very "special" campgrounds in the Sierra National Forest. So what makes them "special"? Well, different things. Jackass Meadow campground is located in a gloriously beautiful area and the resident Douglas squirrel, a.k.a. Sierra Chickeree, entertains campers all day long with its antics. The eye-popping beauty and variety of the wildflowers found atRancheria and
Upper Billy Creek campgrounds make them special. The quiet, tranquil atmosphere of little Ward Lake and its campground, the sight of a canoe gliding by, makes it special. Soda Springs campground, a long drive from almost everything, has fabulous vistas and a delightful creek full of rainbow trout. Summerdale campground is just south of Yosemite National Park's southern entrance. If that wasn't enough for a "special" rating, how about an active beaver community in the creek that parallels the campground. Several of the Sierra's campgrounds feature natural water slides but the one found at the north end of Dinkey Creek campground has to be the best.
While green is the color of Sierra National Forest, the memories made here will come in a rainbow of colors. Camping, hiking, boating, swimming, wildlife viewing, taking pictures, sliding down a natural water slide, roasting marshmallow, and the list goes on and on, as will the fun. Be warned one visit will probably lead to another, then another, then another. Sierra National Forest awaits.
1600 Tollhouse Road
Clovis, California 93611
RANGER DISTRICT OFFICES
29688 Auberry Road
PO Box 559
Prather, CA 93651-0559
57003 Road 225
PO Box 10
North Fork, California 93643
| 267,219
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.