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27th August 2000
Editorial/Opinion| Business| Sports|
Sports Plus| Mirror Magazine
In search of a roof
By Dr. P.H.D.H. de SilvaVisiting the ancient city of Polonnaruwa a few months ago, my general impression was that there was a lack of caring by the authorities for the proper maintenance of both ancient sites and monuments. Name boards were sparse and much damage was being caused by visitors tramping on the ancient brickwork.
Once again I was overjoyed to bask in the aesthetic beauty of the colossal rock- cut images of Lord Buddha at Uttararama or northern shrine built by King Parakrama Bahu I, especially the standing image. To me this image is unique in that it expresses eloquently Lord Buddha's boundless maitri and karuna to all beings. Generally this image is referred to as that of Ananda Maha Thera but Dr. S. Paranavitana identifies it as that of Lord Buddha in the attitude described as Para dukkha dukkhita - "He who sorrows for the sorrows of others".
Many visiting this shrine may not take the trouble to move northwards to view the three monuments - Demala Mahasaya, so named because it was built by prisoners-of-war from Parakrama Bahu's Indian campaigns, the Lotus Pond and the Tivanka-ghara or the Tivanka Pilimage.
Of these the Tivanka-ghara is of special interest. So named because it shelters a tall image of Sakyamuni in tribhanga (thrice bent) posture. At the time of my visit the entire building was surrounded by a scaffolding reaching to the top and supporting a roof of galvanized sheets. The whole thing looked cheap and temporary and obstructed the visitor from obtaining a clear view of the outer architecture of the edifice.
Why is this ancient monument of special significance?
This brick-built Image-House with vaulted roof was built by King Parakrama Bahu I (1153-1186 A.D.) in the latter part of the 12th Century. It is smaller than the Lankatilaka Image - House built also by this great King in this ancient city complex.
Some think that the Tivanka Pilimage is similar to some Hindu shrines in India. Mr. H.C.P. Bell held the view that it resembled the Vaikunta Perumal kovil at Kanchipura. Dr. Nanda Wickramasinghe recently writing on Sri Lankan Murals of the period 800-1200 A.D. states that both the Pilimage building as well as its murals had been influenced by Pallava art and architecture. She calls this tradition the Pallava-Sri Lankan tradition.
Dr. S. Paranavitana holds an entirely different view pointing out that it is erroneous to believe that the architecture of this building is Dravidian in its features. According to him ("Art and Architecture", pp. 24-25): "But if we analyse the characteristics of those edifices built at Polonnaruwa," (especially Thuparama, Lankathilaka and Tivanka Image House) "by the Sinhalese rulers, it becomes obvious that their architectural style is a natural development form, if not, a continuation of that of the Anuradhapura period. Compare, for example, the details of the base mouldings of the Thuparama, Lankatilaka and the Tivanka-ghara with similar details from Shiva shrines. The architects who designed these Buddhist shrines.... have continued the forms which are found in many edifices at the earlier capital," i.e., Anuradhapura.
"Vaulted brick buildings of the type of Lankatilaka and Thuparama do not have prototypes among Dravidian buildings," he said.
Thirdly, the Tivanka Image-House provides the largest series of wall paintings of this period. These murals are all tempera. The colours used are brick red, yellow and green.
Dr. Sri Gunasinghe observes two main groups of murals on the inner walls of this shrine. These are the more classical looking murals in the inner sanctum and the jataka paintings of the entrance vestibule.
In his book, "An Album of Buddhist Paintings of Sri Lanka" published by the Department of National Museums in 1978, he describes the main features of these two groups of paintings as follows:- "The murals of the Sanctum are clearly the work of more sophisticated artists and have been executed with greater technical competence. The compositions are of a more ambitious scale as evidenced by the size of the human figures which are larger than life, the better educated pictorial sense displayed by the balanced disposition of groups of figures on large wall areas, line work which is more delicate, controlled and masterly the colours which are calculated and subdued showing a virtuose refinement and above all, the subtle feelings expressed clearly through characters."
"The Jataka paintings of the entrance vestibule are stylistically speaking, a resurgence of the oldest Buddhist art tradition exemplified by the base-reliefs of Bharhut and Sanchi. In their total effect, as well as in many details, the Jataka murals of the Tivanka shrine appear sufficiently similar to the reliefs of Bharhut, thus indicating a spiritual kinship".
When I visited this shrine at midday the inside was dark and we could hardly observe the murals. The officers working there told me that inside the building the relative humidity was very high and had affected the murals so much so that the paint was flaking in certain spots.
What really baffles me is the 'takaran' roof supported by a scaffolding all round the building. Surely the Department of Archaeology could have thought of something better?
At this time and age to stick to a 'takaran' roof is hardly the answer. I have heard also of a suggestion to construct another massive building to enclose the shrine.
During a visit to Kew Gardens in London I took a photograph of the "Hot-House" for tropical plants and to my mind the roof design of the "Hot House" could give us an idea how an appropriate 'roof' over the Pilimage could be constructed with suitable modification.
The roof could extend several metres outside the building and could dip downward for about a third of its height. The vertical supports should be the optimum and have to be of non-rust metal. They could be encased in brick and plaster simulating ancient pillars of this period. The roof should be of acryllic thick sheets of plexiglass which absorb the ultra-violet rays of the sun. These should be of a darkish tint and fitted well into a frame work of non-rust metal. The entire construction should be designed in the typical architectural tradition of the period and made harmonious with the surroundings.
A rather diffused lighting system should be adopted for the inside of the building by using minimum fluorescent tubes encased in ultra-violet absorbent filters placed at suitable points, so as to throw the light upwards, and never directly on the paintings. The Tivanka Buddha image could be highlighted by two spotlights of low intensity. This soft lighting, I am sure, will help the visitors to conveniently view, study and enjoy the unique paintings of this 12th Century shrine.
Over to you - the Minister of Cultural Affairs.
(The writer is a former Director of National Museums.)
While the ECHR has already been adopted in Scotland and will not be a part of English law until a few weeks from now, the influence of the European Convention is already being felt here.
Certainly those who have the resources and the determination to pursue their causes beyond the legal boundaries of the English courts have already benefited from the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
Some British newspapers have been among the beneficiaries. In 1991,The Guardian, The Sunday Times and The Observer all succeeded in their appeals to the European Court when the British authorities tried to stop them from publishing excerpts from The Spycatcher- the memoirs of Peter Wright formerly of the British intelligence agency MI 6.
At the time the European Court held that the press played the "vital role of public watchdog".
While those who value the freedom of expression and indeed, human rights in general, will applaud the European Court's decision to safeguard the right of the media, there are fears here that the application of the ECHR will open the flood- gates to unnecessary litigation and many unhappy and even dangerous rulings.
But it is not only those in the UK who would have concerns about the new laws. Even countries such as Sri Lanka, which are faced with the problem of terrorism, need to be concerned about what could happen after October 2.
Early this month two known Sikh militants- some might well say terrorists- who were to be deported to India had their deportations orders stopped by the courts.
These two had sought asylum in Britain. They were found ineligible for refugee status and their presence in Britain was considered by the police to be a threat to Britain's national security.
Even so the British judge ruled that they faced the danger of torture if they were sent back and so were permitted to remain enjoying social security and other benefits which were earlier denied them.
The important point here is that even the possible threat to Britain's security was subsumed in the interests of two individuals.
Mr. Justice Potts, the judge who made the ruling, said he thought that law abiding persons might feel "disquiet" over the decision, but that the European Convention did not allow him any other choice.
So even if there is an extradition treaty between Britain and a second country-in this case India- that would not be sufficient to ensure that a wanted person is deported.
Admittedly, the existence of an extradition treaty is no guarantee that a person will be returned for trial in a second country where he/she is wanted. The country seeking extradition needs to produce evidence to justify such deportation.
But now the English courts can stop deportation if it fears that the deportee might be subject to torture at the other end. So even where known and established terrorists are refused asylum and are to be deported, the fear of persecution at home is sufficient grounds for the courts to cancel such deportations.
In the case of the two Sikhs, the British courts relied on the European Convention even before it became law in England.
Sri Lanka might do well to keep this case in mind because its security forces-particularly the police-have a terribly bad reputation. There have been numerous cases-and doubtless there will be others- where those taken in for questioning by the police have been mistreated, abused and tortured in violation not only of international treaties to which Sri Lanka is a signatory, but even administrative orders and regulations issued to safeguard detainees.
However much a government might try to see that those detained by the police are treated humanely, many policemen act no differently from the thugs they apprehend.
Barging into houses and searching premises without search warrants, threatening and assaulting people brought into police stations are the common practice of even some educated policemen.
The stories that the world reads in newspapers and other despatches, the stories told by those who have run the gauntlet of police brutality, form part of the regime of evidence collected and collated by human rights watchdogs and agencies of foreign governments.
A lowly sergeant in the Buttala police station would not even have heard of international treaties against torture and inhuman treatment. He is the king of all he surveys and it means nothing to him to beat with a baton or kick a suspect, in the confines of his kingdom, the police station.
Nine times out of 10, his brutality will not be known far and wide. But news does reach the outside world and a compendium of such stories usually forms the basis on which international organisations concerned with human rights make their evaluations. Most often the stories are checked and double checked to ensure that these organisations are not misled by propagandists and those interested in discrediting countries and governments.
Admittedly people lie, they exaggerate and often try to magnify situations in order to justify their own actions such as illegal entry into a country. Asylum seekers are not above painting pictures of gruesome human rights violations in order to win sympathy and a legal right of stay.
But that does not detract from the fact that inhuman treatment is not uncommon among those who are mandated to maintain law and order.
While terrorism has indeed brutalised security personnel, much of the trouble lies with the politicisation of the police and to a lesser extent, the armed forces. Every policeman wants his political patron to cling to and win favours. So he will do the politician's bidding. Politicians want their pet policeman whom they could rely on to extend the long arm of the law further than the law allows.
This unfortunate symbiotic relationship has led to much of the abuse that we are privy to today.
If governments in countries noted for human rights abuses wish to rebuild their tattered reputations abroad, they must rein in, even at this late stage, their pet goons, in and out of uniform. They must be seen to respect law and order and deal firmly with the guilty.
The ruling given in the case of the two Sikh militants should serve as a cautionary tale for those who think that tame judges and fumbling judiciaries are found in every country.
Please send your comments and suggestions on this web site to
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Bank mergers: Finance Ministry examining various possible options to create robust financial institutions
June, 06th 2014
The finance ministry is examining various suggestions made by investment bankers to merge the country's biggest state-run banks to create much stronger financial institutions.
One proposal suggests Punjab National Bank, Indian Bank and Dena Bank be merged to create a bank with an asset base of more than Rs 9 lakh crore. Another possible combination is Bank of India, Allahabad Bank, Corporation Bank, Bank of Maharashtra and Punjab & Sind Bank.
The finance ministry is examining proposals that include consolidation based on geography, business mix and information technology systems. Both private and public sector investment banking firms have made proposals, a senior finance ministry official told ET.
Separately, ET has learnt that at least three investment banks made suggestions while pitching for mandates. "We are examining those inputs. The basic framework is to look at creating large banks with a pan-India presence," the official said, adding that any merger decision will hinge on political more than economic considerations. India's banks are still small when compared with global rivals. The country's largest, State Bank of India, is ranked 16th in Asia while Bank of Baroda is at 32.
According to a report by Morgan Stanley, there is significant overlap among various state-owned banks in terms of branches, mode of operation and clients. "Consolidation should enable (state-owned) banks to extract synergies fairly easy," it said.
But, it also noted that mergers won't be easy given the strength of the unions. In presentations to the finance ministry, most investment bankers pointed to HR issues standing in the way of consolidation efforts.
One proposal, based on business mix and the absence of conflicting subsidiaries, calls for the merger of Bank of India, Allahabad Bank, Corporation Bank, Bank of Maharashtra and Punjab & Sind Bank to create an entity with an asset base of more than Rs 11 lakh crore.
"The only challenge in this scenario is how to achieve integration of technology as all these banks work on different banking solution platforms," said the official cited above.
If the government decides to integrate banks on the same IT platform, it would mean about six banks, including PNB and United Bank of India, can be merged with an asset base of Rs 16 lakh crore. "In such a merger, there will be a lot of issues with business integration and geographical presence," the official said.
The finance ministry is looking at three to four large banks with a pan-India presence with entities present across all financial service sectors.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is also open to the idea of mergers that aren't forced. RBI governor Raghuram Rajan has said that the central bank is open to voluntary mergers.
"When you go forcing mergers, then there is an issue of culture... so we should be careful about forcing mergers," he had said.
According to RBI, state-run banks will need about Rs 4.15 lakh crore to meet Basel-III norms - equity capital of Rs 1.5 lakh crore and non-equity capital of about Rs 2.75 lakh crore. The government, with its fiscal deficit, won't be able to capitalise banks over a long period.
The department of financial services is also considering the establishment of a holding company of all state-run banks to have a single mechanism to enable the government to better manage banks' capital needs.
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Igor Avbelj (2012) Hybridisation of recommendation systems based on collaborative filtering. EngD thesis.
In this thesis, we present various techniques for recommender systems. We implement the k-Nearest Neighbours method and two matrix factorizations. Recommendations generated with these methods are then combined (hybridization). For the k-Nearest Neighbours method we implemented several similarity measures: Euclidean similarity, cosine similarity and the Pearson correlation coefficient. The first of the matrix factorization methods is BRISMF. It minimizes RMSE (root mean squared error). The second matrix factorization technique is BPRMF, which optimizes rank correlation. Recommendations from these individual methods are combined using average and linear regression blending. Using linear regression, we get weights which are then used in weighted sums. In the end, we were trying to find out in which cases hybridization improves final results. We generate recommendations for users in datasets iTIVI and MovieLens. Both datasets contain data about movies. We experiment with different similarity measures and parameters in order to get the most accurate recommendations. We use hybridization of individual methods, to see which methods together give the best results. On small datasets the most accurate recommendations are generated using the k-Nearest Neighbour method. On big datasets BRISMF gives better results. BPRMF does not give very good results by itself, however when used in hybridization it improves Spearman's rank correlation coefficient significantly. Using hybridization techniques improves results on most datasets.
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7-Day Depression Challenge
Publisher: Authors Republic
Date: October 2018
Duration: 0 hours 51 minutes
Deal With Your Depression With Your '7-Day Depression Challenge'
Why are you reading this? Because:
- You are overwhelmed by frequent bouts of sadness.
- You have a general hopeless outlook through life.
- Your get limited amount of joy from things most people enjoy.
- You experience regular non-physical exhaustion and fatigue.
- You feel completely isolated and alone from the world and other people.
Depression isn’t easy to deal with and affects roughly 7% of adults in the US—about 15 million people. The psychological nature of it makes it an ailment which is seldom treated and discussed; many don’t have the means or the desire to seek professional assistance for depression.
For as frustrating and terrible as depression is, the reality is that you are probably one of the many sufferers who don’t seek treatment—out of fear of embarrassment, financial concern, or some other reason(s). Whatever the delay may be, nobody deserves to live with depression. If you or someone you love is suffering from depression, treatment must be explored.
Luckily, several ultra-helpful treatment options exist today, as well as for anyone else who is seeking a supplemental depression treatment, useful resources like the '7-Day Depression Challenge.'
Using a variety of easy-to-perform and quick daily exercises, as well as a unique individualized diagnosis process, the '7-Day Depression Challenge' will help you to not only stun depression, but kick it to the curb—in just a week completely prescription and substance-free for the long-term.
By performing one exercise per day for a week, you can change your entire mindset and life outlook. The undertaking of defeating depression has never been as affordable, easy, and effective as it is now with the '7-Day Depression Challenge.'
Life’s too short for you or someone that you love to live with depression. Take a step towards treatment today by taking the '7-Day Depression Challenge' to help to assure a depression-free tomorrow—and future.
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The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures adopted by many governments and cities resulted in slowing down urban life, closing businesses, and locking people into their homes. Social distancing works for public good and it increases the need for efficient grocery and food delivery services. These services help solving public health problems though they include critical health and social protection aspects themselves.
Increased demand for grocery delivery
Most typically, the ‘flatten the curve’ policy included various limitations on mobility of people (without interrupting transportation of goods), closure of educational premises and other public venues. Private services such as restaurants and bars can either be ordered to complete closure or their kitchens are allowed to serve food to clients at home through various delivery platforms. Many countries, regions and cities have gone into a complete lockdown or even curfews. The reports published recently by Google or Apple demonstrate COVD-19 epidemic affected urban mobility in various parts of the world.
Picture 1. Changes in urban mobility on March 29th, 2020 when compared to a median value for the corresponding day of the week, in early February in Lazio region (Italy), Greater London (UK), New York (USA), Uusimaa region (Finland) Stockholm County (Sweden). Source: Google COVID-19 Community Mobility Report).
When people are advised to stay at their homes for longer period of time this eventually leads to an increase in demand for delivery services: someone has to bring groceries, ready food, medicine and other online purchases to people at their homes. In the US, Russia, and some other countries the governments have defined delivery work as part of essential critical infrastructure at the time of crisis and allowed delivery people (who can confirm that they carry on their assignments) freely move disregards the lockdowns (CISA, 2020)
Delivery workers are among the most exposed to contracting virus as they move around the cities carrying deliveries to dozens of customers in a day.
We assume that at the time of the epidemic the delivery workers are among the most exposed to contracting virus as they move around the cities carrying deliveries to dozens of customers in a day.
Picture 2. Leading participants in the online food delivery market in 2018. Frost & Sullivan
In different countries, the online grocery stores and product delivery services have developed at different pace. The demand for delivery services is growing along with the growth of online retail of food and grocery across the globe.
The US the leaders of the delivery market are Doordash, Delivery Heroes, Postmates, SkipTheDishes (Picture 2). In Europe among the leaders of the delivery market are Deliveroo, Delivery Hero, Foodpanda, Uber Eats and Just Eat. In Russia the food and grocery delivery market is dominated by two IT giants Yandex (Yandex.Eda) and Mail.Ru (Delivery Club). In China Meituan-Dianping and Alibaba Groups’s Elle.me control most of the Chinese food and grocery delivery sector.
Before the epidemic, the online market of food and groceries had only 3% share of all online retail in Finland. However, food and groceries was the fastest growing sector of online retail with 37.4% growth in 2018-2019. Two companies Kesko and S-Group control over 80% or all of the grocery market in Finland. They work predominantly with transportation companies and entrepreneurs as contractors for grocery delivery. Their most typical online grocery shopping attracted wealthier families with children, and elderly. Helsingin Sanomat reported March 30th that during just two-three weeks of epidemics the online grocery shopping and home deliveries have increased 2-2,5 fold for S-Group and even 4-times for Kesko. Customers have to wait several days up to a few weeks for their home deliveries.
In forerunner the US many retail chains and delivery companies have announced that they will be hiring more warehouse and delivery workers: Instacart – 300 000 workers, Domino’s Pizza – 10 000, Walmart – 150 000; Amazon – 100 000 (also announcing increase of the minimum wage from $15 to $17). Inkstone, the South China Morning Post’s digital news brand, reports that Chinese food delivery infrastructure was well developed before the coronavirus epidemic, but during the crisis the industry showed its capacity at the peak demand. Both increased manpower and high-tech solutions up to drones and self-driving cars were utilized in delivering food.
The largest food delivery platforms that work with restaurants in Finland are Foodora and Wolt. Following the global trends, it is difficult to expect that this sector will demonstrate growth during the epidemic in Finland. Wolt has reported a moderate increase in order volumes in March, 2020, however, it could not determine if this was Covid-19 related.
In contrast to the fairly positive situation within food delivery, the closure policies resulted in significant decline of taxi rides. Many drivers working in traditional taxis or with ride-hailing platforms were left without a job. Reacting to this rapid change in the taxi market, Taksi Helsinki opened grocery delivery services using the existing taxi infrastructure. A consumer can call the taxi operator or use a website to send a shopping, after which the driver does the shopping adding to the grocery bill the delivery fee of 20 euros.
The epidemic disrupted the food-delivery networks as many restaurants were closed and customers were concerned about the safety of food and delivery people. On the other hand, delivery of groceries have seen strong growth and delivery companies are hiring workers and taxi entrepreneurs to transport goods.
Also ride-hailing platforms switch to deliveries. Bolt has reportedly launched contactless grocery delivery in Czech Republic and Slovakia where ride-hailing was completely banned during the epidemic. In Russia the Yandex.Taxi offered drivers options of door-to-door and courier deliveries. In France, Australia, UK and Spain, UberEats partnered with various grocery stores to include grocery delivery services to their current food delivery. After the coronavirus epidemic shattered the demand for taxi rides in China, the ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing launched delivery service.
The impact of COVID-19 epidemic was a mixed bag for delivery services across the globe. The epidemic disrupted the food-delivery networks as many restaurants were closed and customers were concerned about the safety of food and delivery people. On the other hand, delivery of groceries have seen strong growth and delivery companies are hiring workers and taxi entrepreneurs to transport goods.
Vulnerability of delivery workers
The platform economy relies on the work of those whom they call contractors (Srnicek 2016; Zwick 2018). The food delivery companies that apply effective digital platform technologies use gig workers as their workforce. This means that food delivery workers / couriers are freelancers or entrepreneurs, who are not entitled to the regulation that is typical for salaried workers. They must work according to the terms and conditions of the platform, with no bargaining rights. As entrepreneurs, they lack or have limited social protection, meaning they are not entitled to paid sick leaves. Additionally, platform work does not provide occupational safety and health (OSH), meaning it is the responsibility of the entrepreneur to ensure that their working environments are safe for their health. In relation to the ongoing pandemic, these aspects are most likely to influence the way couriers respond to their work.
The food and grocery delivery workers move in the cities meeting dozens of clients, visiting many restaurants, grocery stores or warehouses. They are at higher risk of being infected. Due to varied symptoms among COVID-19 carriers, some of the workers may not be aware that they are carrying the virus. They may continue to work even with mild symptoms. When working with some platforms (for instance Foodora) getting new work shifts depends on worker’s performance and activity ratings. These ratings rapidly drop if a worker chooses to stay at home for several days in self-quarantine. Reporting to the platform company that gig-worker is on self-quarantine may lead to suspending of the worker’s account.
When working with some platforms (for instance Foodora) getting new work shifts depends on worker’s performance and activity ratings. These ratings rapidly drop if a worker chooses to stay at home for several days in self-quarantine. Reporting to the platform company that gig-worker is on self-quarantine may lead to suspending of the worker’s account.
There were several cases when Amazon and Instacart grocery delivery workers went on strike demanding better protection: paid sick time off (now applied only to gig-workers who have tested positive for the coronavirus or get placed on mandatory self-quarantine), better workplace safety (cleaning and sanitation), better pay to offset the risk they are taking, additional $5 per order and free hand sanitizers, disinfectant wipes and soap. Earlier Deliveroo announced that the platform provided free hand sanitizers and face masks to its employees.
Platform workers are constantly under surveillance, their movement is tracked, their work performance is constantly evaluated by platform algorithms and customers. Platform workers are part of the precariat, with great unpredictability and little autonomy and security. (EuroFound 2018; Lee et al 2015). A pandemic with novel risks and worries adds another negative layer on psychological welfare: the safety concerns about the interactions with clients and aggravated by increased work intensity and shorter breaks (Jantunen 2017; EuroFound 2018).
The Washington Post illustrated this situation in their interview with a delivery worker who experienced emotional stress after contacting a sick person. They quoted him as saying, “if I was in a position of authority, I would personally say that food delivery should be shut down nationwide, that’s just my opinion”.
Similarly, on the other end, customers are also afraid of contracting the virus from food delivery persons. Public Health England has recently published a guidance for food businesses affirming an impossibility that the virus can be transmitted by exposure to food or food packaging. In response to the concerns of delivery workers and customers, delivery companies have introduced contactless deliveries. When a sick delivery worker is under pressure of getting his or her only income, and is afraid of being suspended by the platform if he or she applies for sick leave, one can’t exclude a possibility that some of them will continue to work being ill. If a courier is sick, the contactless delivery won’t be an effective barrier for spreading the virus.
Falling into a difficult position is documented by a reported case of Instacart courier who was advised by her doctor to isolate at home for having showed mild symptoms of COVID-19. Even though she later got tested when her symptoms worsened, Instacart still insisted that she did not qualify for any sick leave pay until results were out to prove that she was indeed positive of the virus.
Protection of gig-workers
The platform economy (particularly in transportation and delivery sectors) is based on principles of low cost and high efficiency. Usually this is achieved through reduction on expenses, expansion of services (both by increasing the number of customers and gig-workers), large volumes and high intensity of work. Adding 5$ per order or any additional expenses on worker’s protection can undermine “low cost and high efficiency” principles of platform economy. To help these gig-workers and solo-entrepreneurs suffering substantial reduction of customers and work, some governments announced extensive support packages for the period of COVID-19 epidemic.
The Social Insurance Institution, KELA, has had a relevant social security scheme before the arrival of the epidemic. A particular sickness allowance on account of an infectious disease is paid if a person has been given an order of isolation, quarantine or enforced absence from work because of an infectious disease. After presenting the doctor’s statement as evidence, this scheme gives full compensation of a salary. But in case of the couriers working with the platforms as freelancers or entrepreneurs their benefits are calculated based on their individual social insurance payments. As a result, their benefits are often small compared to ones of the full time salary workers. This is why the sick pay schemes of the enterprises have an important role in securing workers’ incomes.
As a new compensation media reported on 31 March that the government of Finland had introduced a flat sum of 2000 euros benefit scheme for those solo-entrepreneurs and freelancers, whose business is substantially weakened by the Corona crisis. Furthermore, the government of Finland extended the basic level unemployment benefits temporarily available for the entrepreneurs. The scale of problems within food delivery during the epidemic determines if or not some couriers can rely on these new schemes.
During these extraordinary times the US federal government adopted a historical CARES Act. It provided a social safety net for the self-employed gig workers. Freelancers can get an “additional $600 a week in unemployment insurance, bringing weekly payouts to the $800- to $900-a-week range when state benefits are added, to workers including the self-employed, for up to four months”.
In the UK, the government offered 330b£ to businesses hit by COVID-19, and self employed people like platform workers were first proposed a very low compensation of 94.25£/week. A few days later also the self-employed were treated equally to salaried employees who were entitled to compensation of 80% of the salaries up to 2500£/month. Millions of people across the UK could benefit from the new Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, with those eligible receiving a cash grant worth 80% of their average monthly trading profit over the last three years. It is a unique achievement from a social protection scheme (to be in force at least three months) that it generously covers 95% of the self-employed workers.
Greater attention to working conditions
There is high demand for home deliveries including food and grocery deliveries due to the global pandemic that has confined people in their homes. This has in turn resulted in increased workload among couriers and other delivery workers. While various platforms have announced employing more workers, some companies have taken the advantage of the situation and added deliveries to their services. This high demand for deliveries has resulted in workload stress among couriers, affecting not only their physical wellbeing but also their mental wellbeing.
Social distancing, temporary closures of restaurants, schools, shopping malls offices help to save lives during COVID-19 pandemic. In a rapidly changing situation innovations and new practises have a potential to flourish. Intense service culture has been common in the world’s metropoles. In future even Finland, known for its self-service orientation, may take steps towards an indemnification of service society. The delivery platforms that have been applying digital technologies in their business are a few steps ahead. Also well established service companies are entering the field. Taxi companies that suffer a lack of customers are finding new markets from grocery delivery. Overall, the COVID-19 crisis with massive increase in demand enhances development of food delivery.
Although concerns have risen whether the food left at a doorstep / entrance is safe from COVID-19, it is meritorious that delivery organizations / platforms have taken precautions towards minimizing the spread of the virus. It is therefore upon the consumer to think of better ways to receive their food, for example they can offer a storage box by their doorstep or entrance in which the courier can place the food. Prevention of spread COVID-19 is the duty of everyone. The fight against the spread of COVID-19 in the food delivery sector should not be left only for platform workers but restaurants and consumers must be equally responsible in enhancing and ensuring healthier practices.
In the long run COVID-19 epidemic has facilitated growth of otherwise underdeveloped grocery delivery services.
In the long run COVID-19 epidemic has facilitated growth of otherwise underdeveloped grocery delivery services. Accordingly, some platform companies presented flexibility of switching between types of business (from transportation of people or food to transportation of groceries). This shows that the sector has the potential of creating new workplaces in a longer run. It is also important that the digital platforms and also governments learn from this crisis and pay greater attention to work conditions and rights of gig-workers. An important lesson is that several platform companies demonstrated a common approach in offering workers sick leave pay guarantees. The temporary crisis time social security schemes in Finland, and particularly the substantial compensations in the UK, show that also self-employed can be protected against social risks.
CISA (2020) Memorandum on Identification of Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers During Covid-19 Response. The Department of Homeland Security. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency. March 19, 2020.
Eurofound (2018). Employment and Working Conditions of Selected Types of Platform Work. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. ISBN: 978-92-897-1749-6. Last updated on 23 September 2019.
Jantunen, R. (2017). Does the Worker Have a Say in the Platform Economy? Time of Opportunities Project. SAK, The Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions. Retrieved on 19th April 2020 from:
Lee, M.K., Dabbish, L.A. & Kusbit, D. (2015). Working with Machines: The Impact of Algorithmic and Data-Driven Management on Human Workers. Conference Paper: CHI ’15 Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Research Gate, DOI: 10.1145/2702123.2702548.
Srnicek, N. (2016). Platform Capitalism. Polity.
Zwick, A. (2018). Welcome to the gig economy: neoliberal industrial relations and the case of Uber. GeoJournal. 83. 679-691.
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I agree Our site saves small pieces of text information (cookies) on your device in order to deliver better content and for statistical purposes. You can disable the usage of cookies by changing the settings of your browser. By browsing our website without changing the browser settings you grant us permission to store that information on your device.
3-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde acts as a precursor for the stereoselective synthesis of the anticancer drug (Z)-combretastatin A-4 and glycitein. It also used as an important raw material for the preparation of morphine. Further, it is involved in the preparation of Schiff- bases by reacting with furan-2-carboxylic acid hydrazide and thiophene-2-carboxylic acid hydrazide. In addition to this, it is used to prepare (Z)-2-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzylidene)-1-azabicyclo[2.2.2]octan-3-one by reacting with with1-azabicyclo[2.2.2]octan-3-one.
Aggarwal, R. L.; Di Cecca, S.; Farrar, L. W.; Shabshelowitz, A.; Jeys, T. H. Sensitive Detection and Identification of Isovanillin Aerosol Particles at the pg/cm3 Mass Concentration Level Using Raman Spectroscopy. Aerosol Sci. Tech. 2015, 49 (9), 753-756.
Vusovich, O. V.; Lapin, I. N.; Svetlichnyi, V. A.; Sultimova, N. B.; Tchaikovskaya, O. N. Comparison of Vanillin and Isovanillin Photolysis in Aqueous Solutions. Russ. Phys. J. 2014, 56 (11), 1287-1291.
Hazard Statements: H315-H319-H335
Causes skin irritation. Causes serious eye irritation. May cause respiratory irritation.
Precautionary Statements: P261-P280a-P305+P351+P338-P304+P340-P405-P501a
Avoid breathing dust/fume/gas/mist/vapours/spray. Wear protective gloves and eye/face protection. IF IN EYES: Rinse cautiously with water for several minutes. Remove contact lenses, if present and easy to do. Continue rinsing. IF INHALED: Remove to fresh air and keep at rest in a position comfortable for breathing. Store locked up. Dispose of contents/container in accordance with local/regional/national/international regulations.
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Any birth control that is safe for women, in general, is safe for women with epilepsy. However, having epilepsy -- and some treatments for the condition -- can make some forms of birth control less effective. Also, because anti-seizure medications for epilepsy can increase the risk of birth defects, it's important to plan pregnancy carefully.
Because absence seizures are usually quite brief, tend to strike during times of inactivity, and closely resemble daydreaming or "being off in one's own world," they may pass unnoticed by others and go undiagnosed for some time.
Absence seizures fall into two categories: typical and atypical.
Typical absence seizures begin abruptly, last 10 to 30 seconds, and resolve themselves without complication. The person simply stops in his tracks (and/or mid-sentence), and enters a staring, trance-like state...
If you have epilepsy and take anti-seizure drugs, your birth control options could include hormones such as birth control pills or Depo-Provera injections, barrier methods like condoms or a diaphragm, or an intrauterine device (IUD). Natural family planning such as the rhythm method -- abstaining on your fertile days -- can also be used, although this method may not be as reliable as others. All of these methods are safe for you.
If you are taking anti-seizure medications, some of these drugs can interact with some hormonal types of birth control and make them less effective. If you understand these interactions, most of the time you can use the pill and other kinds of hormonal birth control effectively.
Different types of anti-seizure medications interact with hormonal birth control in different ways:
One group of anti-seizure drugs is known as "liver enzyme-inducing" drugs. They increase the rate at which the liver breaks down the contraceptive hormones that you get from birth control. This means that the contraception medication will leave your body faster. Liver enzyme-inducing drugs include carbamazepine (Tegretol, Carbatrol), oxcarbazepine (Trileptal), phenytoin (Dilantin), phenobarbital (Luminal), primidone (Mysoline), and topiramate (Topamax). If you are taking one of these drugs, it can make your hormonal birth control less effective.
Two drugs -- valproate (Depakote) and felbamate (Felbatol) -- can even increase hormonal levels. If you are on one of these drugs, your doctor may need to adjust the dosage of your birth control so that you don't have too much of the contraceptive in your body.
Finally, there are "neutral" drugs which don't have any effect on hormone breakdown. Gabapentin (Neurontin), lamotrigine (Lamictal), levetiracetam (Keppra), clobazam, clonazepam, ethosuximide, Lyrica, sodium valproate, Zonegran, and tiagabine (Gabitril) will not interfere with your birth control.
Reliable Birth Control When You Have Epilepsy
If you are taking a liver enzyme-inducing drug, and you want to use hormonal birth control, you should talk to your neurologist and your gynecologist. It is a good idea to use a second method of birth control as a backup. Barrier methods, like condoms, diaphragms, and new-generation IUDs, are good options.
In the past, doctors have sometimes prescribed higher-dose birth control pills to make up for the rapid breakdown of the contraceptive drug. That may work, but there is no clear research to tell us one way or the other. "Doctors used to say that increasing the amount of the estrogen in the pill took care of this problem," says Jacqueline French, MD, professor of neurology at New York University's Langone Medical Center and co-director of Epilepsy Research and Epilepsy Clinical Trials at the NYU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center. "But we have no data to confirm that."
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Several local colleges and online institutes are offering short courses in computer science. The benefits of doing a degree in computer science are endless, and they introduce you to a number of career opportunities that would escalate your career to another level. However, a majority of the people is not very keen on learning computer science, and they might pass it off as an optional choice. The following are the convincing and persuasive reasons to specialize in computer science courses:Expansion of technology:
Technology is a central core of computer science and with the introduction of standardized technology, the expansion of technology is at an all-time high. Given its current growth rate, the technological landscapes are estimated to increase drastically, and it is welcoming a number of volunteers and participants to give their input on the expansion of the technology.
If you have any interesting ideas that you would like to bring to life, and possible change the world of technology then, you should start with enrolling in a computer science course.We are surrounded by computing
The digital age has become almost inescapable and we are surrounded by every version of computing and technology around us. The digital age has expanded drastically as a result of computing, and it has explored several industrial and organizational processes significantly. Whether you are employed as a marketer, medical practitioner, or a programmer—it has become imperative for you to have proficiency in computational language and computational knowledge.An ever-expanding field:
There has been a colossal growth in computing over the last few decades and it has grown and improved with the passage of time. The field of computing was limited to a particular scope but, now, it has become an inseparable component across a spectrum of industrial sectors.
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A 20-year-old man walks into a church and massacres nine people, claiming that he was afraid that America was being taken over by Black Americans, citing American race relations as evidence. About a month later, a man wears a GoPro, tapes himself walking up to a local reporter and a cameraman, and shoots them both on camera, proclaiming racial injustice in this country as his motive.
Police officers are looking over their shoulders as several cops have been targeted and gunned down. The week before classes started, seven officers were killed in the line of duty; a few were execution-style targeted killings.
An officer I talked to put it succinctly: “If they want to come after me, fine. Just come at me head on. Don’t shoot me in the back of my head. I’d rather go down with a fighting chance.”
Is this an atmosphere created by the police officers and racist elements in society itself? Many, including individuals in the Black Lives Matter movement, believe so.
Or is it because of Black Lives Matter? Many believe that as well, including a police chief who made his remarks after one of his officers was shot and killed—he claimed that Black Lives Matter was responsible for the officer’s death. Some want Black Lives Matter labeled as a hate group.
I talked to a Black Lives Matter supporter, Michael Smith ’18, who recoiled when I told him I was wondering if the movement was legitimate. This is not questioning their claims of racism among the police, or in society itself. Rather, is the movement itself actually achieving anything positive? Does it have the potential for positive change?
There is evidence to support both views. Police forces around the country are making more of an effort to be more transparent, have undergone investigations to root out racist officers and policies, and have forced the conversation to the front pages after being buried on the back pages for far too long.
On the other hand, following the Baltimore riots, the city saw a big spike in murders. Good officers, like the one I talked to, go to work every day even more worried that they won’t come home. The officer’s comments reminded me of what soldiers used to say after being hit with IEDs in Iraq. Police forces with a wartime-like mentality are never a good thing.
Smith countered with, “You can’t judge an entire movement off the actions of a few extremists.”
I responded with, “Isn’t that what the movement is doing with the police? Judging an entire profession off the actions of a few members?”
Hence, my concerns that the movement is not legitimate, or at the very least, hypocritical.
It is apparent that the man who shot the reporter and her cameraman isn’t a representation of Black Lives Matter. The question is whether or not the movement is setting the conditions of the more extreme or mentally disturbed individuals to commit atrocities.
Smith explained further. “Yes, but the police have an established system of reporting the bad officers. BLM is decentralized, they aren’t as organized. You can’t hold the more moderate elements responsible for what a crazy person does in their name.”
Perhaps. But that doesn’t explain Black Lives Matter rallies from cheering after an officer is killed, chanting that they want more pigs to fry like bacon. That wasn’t one or two people. The movement also doesn’t want to be associated with looters and rioters, calling them opportunistic. But it is plausible that Black Lives Matter has created the conditions for these individuals to exploit for their own personal gain.
I warned in an article last semester that a movement that does not combat its own extremists will quickly run into trouble. The reasons why are now self-evident. If Black Lives Matter is going to be the one responsible for generating these conversations, then a significant portion of that conversation needs to be about peace. They need to stand with police units that lose a member, decrying it with as much passion as they do when a police officer kills an unarmed civilian.
Smith does have a point, though. An organization cannot be labeled based of a small percentage of their membership. There is a reason why so many have shown up to protests across the country: there is clearly something wrong, and wrong enough to motivate them to exit their homes and express their frustration publicly. That is no small effort. The system is clearly failing many, and unfortunately they feel like they will only be listened to if their protests reach the front pages of the news. And so far, they are correct.
But this principle needs to be applied universally. I know many of us here at Wesleyan realize that most police officers are good people simply doing a service for their community, and that there are only a few bad apples. But those chanting to fry the pigs seem to have missed this message.
It boils down to this for me: If vilification and denigration of the police force continues to be a significant portion of Black Lives Matter’s message, then I will not support the movement, I cannot support the movement. And many Americans feel the same. I should repeat, I do support many of the efforts by the more moderate activists.
It is advice that I need to take myself. After the Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage nation-wide, a few liberals gloated in a conservative political forum that I like to read. They were surprised by the reaction: every conservative who responded was happy with the ruling.
I realize that moderate conservatives need to speak up more as well. If we had, gay marriage might have been legalized years ago. Instead, I got the feeling that a lot of moderate conservatives were afraid of speaking up about the issue and being labeled as a RINO (Republican In Name Only).
I also understand the frustration of moderate Black Lives Matter members, like the one I talked to, about being stereotyped based off of a few radical and vocal members.
Kim Davis, the misguided clerk who is refusing to hand out marriage licenses, is a perfect example of this. As a conservative, it is infuriating to see one clerk in one city out of the thousands in conservative states making headlines, when the rest are handing out licenses with no issue. One clerk is making headlines and is being held up as evidence that conservatives hate homosexuality. Kim Davis generated a couple hundred supporters, a very small showing.
Yet I am not innocent when it comes to Kim Davis. I could have gone down to the courthouse and joined the counter protest, holding up a sign that says “conservatives for gay marriage rights,” and made a statement that Kim Davis is not representative of the mainstream conservative views. I don’t blame those who can’t support conservatives for not being more vocally pro-gay rights, though many liberal politicians were also silent on the issue during the 1990s and 2000s.
Returning to Black Lives Matter, the country is nervously waiting to see what happens next. The next unarmed civilian to be killed, the next officer to be killed, the next radical racist to take their views to the next level.
At some point Black Lives Matter is going to be confronted with an uncomfortable question, if they haven’t already begun asking it: Is this all worth it? Is it worth another riot that destroys a downtown district? Another death, another massacre? At what point will Black Lives Matter go back to the drawing table and rethink how they are approaching the problem?
Bryan Stascavage is a member of the Class of 2018.
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Here comes Thanksgivukkah
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Ellen Slotnick of Charleston pulled out all the stops for Hanukkah, which begins Wednesday evening. A basket of dreidels sat atop a kitchen shelf, while menorahs were placed throughout the home.
The centerpiece of the Slotnick family dinner table? A painted pumpkin was paired with a ceramic turkey holding eight brightly colored candles that took the place of tail feathers.
A ... menurkey.
"I thought it would be fun," Ellen said of the holiday hybrid menorah.
This year marks a once-in-a-lifetime event: Thanksgivukkah.
The term has been woven into recent media coverage of the convergence of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving -- an occasion that hasn't happened in 125 years. It's not set to happen for thousands more.
Joni Deutsch, a student at West Virginia University and a Charleston native, said Hanukkah and Thanksgiving are more alike than the Jewish festival of light's usual perceived counterpart of Christmas.
"Thanksgiving is the Puritans and pilgrims coming over and trying to escape religious persecution," Deutsch said. "And then Hanukkah ... you have the Maccabees fighting to retain their Judaism and as a family staying together and as a tribe staying together."
Hanukkah is an eight-day commemoration of an ancient revolt against Syrians, who attempted to conquer and expand their influence in Jerusalem. The Maccabees -- a Jewish family who fought for independence -- successfully reclaimed the city and its holy temple after decades of fighting.
But the miracle that Hanukkah embodies is that of the temple's holy oil. While it was expected only to last one night, it burned for eight until more oil could be brought to the temple.
Oil-rich foods, such as donuts and latkes (fried potato pancakes) are passed around the table during Hanukkah, said Marc Slotnick, Ellen's husband. Food is an integral part of Jewish holidays, even minor ones like Hanukkah, he said.
"We love to eat. We all love to gather and eat," Marc Slotnick said. "Why do we have a big turkey dinner? It's because it's a way for the family to get together around food."
While the Slotnicks will be celebrating Thanksgiving with Ellen's brother's family, they are hosting a Hanukkah dinner on Friday. Marc has been asking himself an important question in preparation for the meal.
"How do we combine those traditional Thanksgiving-type foods with traditional Hanukkah foods, or Jewish foods for that matter?" he asked.
The couple has been collecting recipes in hopes of creating some inventive twists on traditional Jewish fare: pumpkin challah (a braided bread eaten on Sabbath and holidays), curried latkes (to appeal to a vegetarian daughter) and challah stuffing.
Deustch said her family's Thanksgiving dinner might take on a Jewish flavor, as well -- replacing mashed potatoes with latkes and having matzo ball soup alongside the turkey.
"That's going to be a great hybrid of food," Deutsch said.
Family is a major focus of Jewish holidays, and Hanukkah is no different. For Deutsch, as well as the Slotnicks, it's not often everyone is able to be together for the holiday. This year's early date is changing that.
Frannie, the Slotnicks' eldest daughter, will be home for the majority of the holiday. With that time off, she and Jennifer -- her younger sister -- won't be on the move as much, the Slotnicks said.
"Between dance and homework ... it can be tough to fit in the menorah lighting," Marc Slotnick said.
For Deutsch, this part of the tradition is most important. Keeping a menorah in her apartment at school, Deutsch said she and her parents traditionally made time to light it together over the phone.
The Slotnicks lit theirs together last year via Skype, Marc said.
The Deutsch family has even made it a priority while traveling, employing do-it-yourself efforts by fashioning a menorah from aluminum foil.
"The problem with bringing candles and a menorah with you through TSA is they'll be like 'What are you doing?'" Deutsch said, laughing.
Sue and Bob Rubenstein, self-described "Tucker County mountain Jews," plan to have a quiet Thanksgiving and Hanukkah celebration with their youngest daughter in their Canaan Valley home.
"For years, the Rubenstein brothers did get together for Thanksgiving," said Sue Rubenstein.
Those family gatherings have become more complex as each family's children have grown, said Bob Rubenstein, Sue's husband. Balancing has become a key priority for the Rubensteins.
"[We] don't try to make this any bigger than it really is," Bob said of Hanukkah and holidays in general. "[We] just enjoy it."
Growing up in a small community, the Rubensteins were struck by the elevated status of Hanukkah in more populated parts of the state. When the family moved to Charleston, Hanukkah "seemed like a bigger deal," Bob Rubenstein said.
"Part of it is because of the commercialization," Bob Rubenstein said. "Back when we were still in Tucker County, it was like: get together and make some potato latkes, play dreidel a little bit, light the candles. But it wasn't something you were thinking year-round, 'Oh I can't wait for Hanukkah next year.'"
"It was really more the spirit of giving and being part of family," Bob Rubenstein said.
Marc Slotnick suggested Hannukah's early appearance might distance it from the Christmas season of which it has become associated.
"Maybe this year it changes Hanukkah into more of a family celebration," Marc Slotnick said. "You don't have that rush to go buy gifts and do all those things you might do in December as everyone's caught up in gift-giving."
Deustch referred to this year's holiday hybrid as "a two-for-one."
"Hanukkah and Thanksgiving, they're the holidays we really try to spend together as a family as much as we can," Deutsch said. "On one day, we will definitely be there with each other."
Reach Rachel Molenda at email@example.com or 304-348-5102.
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Because a brewed cup of tea is mostly water, the quality of your water is as important as the tea leaves themselves. Beyond just using any spring water or filtered water, there are a number of factors that will affect the taste of your infusion.
For centuries, Chinese tea aficionados have designated water from specific springs as the best water for brewing certain teas. A famous example is Dragon Well tea, which is considered best when brewed with water from the famous Tiger-Run Spring. Ancient tea masters would even have fresh water from renowned springs carried many miles in stone containers to ensure they had the best water for their tea. This is because subtle variations in the pH (acidity, alkalinity) and mineral content (Total Dissolved Solids, or TDS
) of the water can affect the taste of the brew. Generally, higher mineral content can give a fuller, sweeter taste, while water with a lower mineral content can taste slightly sharper and bright. The types of minerals present will also change the taste and body of the tea. Calcium
is needed for a full, sweet taste, whereas magnesium
are detrimental to the flavor of the brew. Distilled water should never be used because it lacks trace minerals and gives a flat, lifeless taste.
of the water can have similar effects, though closer to neutral (a pH of 7 is neutral) or slightly alkaline is generally considered best for tea.
If you are using tap water, some sort of filtration is usually recommended. You want to remove chlorine and other chemicals as well as sediment from your water without eliminating too many trace minerals
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Freedom fever in the Middle East has roiled the oil market with uncertainty and created a guessing game of sorts: Just how high might gas prices go?
The painful $4-per-gallon peak of 2008 is a possibility as petroleum-rich Libya teeters in chaos, some gasoline industry watchers say. And while $5-per-gallon gasoline seems highly unlikely if the crisis is contained to Libya, it's a much different story if there's a crimp in Saudi Arabia's oil pipeline.
"If we wake up ... and there's violence in the streets of Riyadh [the Saudi capital], every number gets thrown out the window and we are basically looking at uncharted territory," said Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at Oil Price Information Service. "It completely alters price forecasts."
Daniel O'Connell, energy vice president at futures traders MF Global, agreed. "The bottom line is that there is a huge wild card out there." And with the U.S. economy still weak, cash-strapped consumers are much less prepared to handle 2008-like gas price spikes. "It's a whole different story now," O'Connell said.
Even before revolution spread across the Mideast, consumers had reasons to be cranky about gas prices. A gallon of gas in the Twin Cities cost $3.37 on average Thursday, up 8 cents from Wednesday, 20 cents from a week ago and 63 cents from a year ago, according to TwinCitiesGasPrices.com. The average U.S. gas price Thursday was a dime per gallon less than in the Twin Cities, the website said.
Gas prices have been climbing in recent months as crude oil prices rose, the product of an improving world economy coupled with cold, oil-draining winters in parts of the United States and Europe.
But nowadays, a Mideast-turmoil risk premium is built into the market -- even if Saudi Arabia itself remains stable, said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com, which oversees more than 250 websites that track gas prices nationwide.
"It's like auto insurance," DeHaan said. "You have a couple accidents, and insurance companies consider you a greater risk and you wind up paying more for your policy." DeHaan believes that concern over events in the Middle East will combine with factors that already were pushing up prices and that by summer, U.S. consumers could see $4-a-gallon gas.
Another take on gas prices comes from Tancred Lidderdale, a senior economist at the U.S. Energy Information Administration. He noted that the price of the July unleaded gasoline futures contract hit $2.85 a gallon Thursday, up from $2.66 a gallon on Feb. 1.
He said the general rule to determine the retail price is to add 70 cents to the futures price. That would put the average retail price of gas this summer at about $3.55 a gallon.
Andrew Lipow of Lipow Oil Associates said that if Libyan oil production alone is totally shut down, consumers could see price hikes of 20 cents to 50 cents a gallon in the next few weeks. Lipow estimated that about one-third of Libya's production was off line, while four major European oil companies have announced cutbacks.
Libya supplies Europe
Libya is the world's 18th-largest oil producer and accounts for about 2 percent of world petroleum production. It's an insignificant supplier to the United States, which counts Canada, Saudi Arabia and Mexico as its top sources of imported oil.
But Libya is a big crude oil supplier to Europe. And any cutback in Libyan oil will force Europeans to go out in the open market for petroleum, competing for some of the same supply drawn upon by the United States, said John Kilduff, an oil analyst at Again Capital.
Oil futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange this week have reacted to the Libyan violence -- and fear of its spread -- by crossing the $100 a barrel mark for the first time since 2008. However, after breaching the $100 mark on Thursday, the April futures contract fell back and closed at $97.28 per barrel.
Crude futures dropped after the United States, Saudi Arabia and the International Energy Agency made assurances that they could compensate for Libyan supply disruptions. The Paris-based International Energy Agency advises 28 nations and has its own oil stockpiles.
Still, oil markets are rife with fear of contagion, that protests and ultimately oil production disruptions could spread to Algeria, Iran and Saudi Arabia. "It's a row of dominoes," Kilduff said.
All eyes on Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil exporter and a country with excess production capacity, a safety valve for global oil markets during times of tightening supply. But Saudi Arabia has its own potential for social unrest.
Social media sites there have been urging reforms and have called for a day of protest on March 11. And Saudi Arabia is like Bahrain in that it's ruled by Sunni Muslims but also has a large population of Shiite Muslims. Tensions between Sunnis and Shiites played a role in giant demonstrations in Bahrain in recent weeks.
"If the premise is that we will have a supply disruption in Saudi Arabia," Lipow said, "then it's likely we'll have $5 a gallon gas."
Bloomberg News contributed to this report. Mike Hughlett • 612-673-7003
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Design of the SHAPE-2 study: the effect of physical activity, in addition to weight loss, on biomarkers of postmenopausal breast cancer risk
© van Gemert et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2013
Received: 2 May 2013
Accepted: 21 August 2013
Published: 23 August 2013
Physical inactivity and overweight are two known risk factors for postmenopausal breast cancer. Former exercise intervention studies showed that physical activity influences sex hormone levels, known to be related to postmenopausal breast cancer, mainly when concordant loss of body weight was achieved. The question remains whether there is an additional beneficial effect of physical activity when weight loss is reached.
The aim of this study is to investigate the effect attributable to exercise on postmenopausal breast cancer risk biomarkers, when equivalent weight loss is achieved compared with diet-induced weight loss.
The SHAPE-2 study is a three-armed, multicentre trial. 243 sedentary, postmenopausal women who are overweight or obese (BMI 25–35 kg/m2) are enrolled. After a 4-6 week run-in period, wherein a baseline diet is prescribed, women are randomly allocated to (1) a diet group, (2) an exercise group or (3) a control group. The aim of both intervention groups is to lose an amount of 5–6 kg body weight in 10–14 weeks. The diet group follows an energy restricted diet and maintains the habitual physical activity level. The exercise group participates in a 16-week endurance and strength training programme of 4 hours per week. Furthermore, they are prescribed a moderate caloric restriction. The control group is asked to maintain body weight and continue the run-in baseline diet.
Measurements include blood sampling, questionnaires, anthropometrics (weight, height, waist and hip circumference), maximal cycle exercise test (VO2peak), DEXA-scan (body composition) and abdominal MRI (subcutaneous and visceral fat). Primary outcomes are serum levels of oestradiol, oestrone, testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG).
This study will give insight in the potential attributable effect of physical activity on breast cancer risk biomarkers and whether this effect is mediated by changes in body composition, in postmenopausal women. Eventually this may lead to the design of specific lifestyle guidelines for prevention of breast cancer.
The SHAPE-2 study is registered in the register of clinicaltrials.gov, Identifier: NCT01511276.
There is strong evidence that physical inactivity is associated with a higher postmenopausal breast cancer risk [1, 2]. In contrast to most other risk factors, physical activity provides an opportunity for primary prevention.
The causal pathway through which exercise influences breast cancer risk is hypothesized to be predominantly hormone mediated, i.e. metabolic and sex hormones . The evidence that oestrogens (endogenous as well as exogenous) contribute to breast cancer risk is strong and widely accepted [4–6]. Postmenopausal women with elevated levels of androgens also showed increased risk of developing breast cancer, even after adjustment for oestrogens [5–7]. In many cross-sectional observational studies, a low level of physical activity has been associated with higher serum concentrations of sex hormones in postmenopausal women [7–14], but not in all [15, 16]. Physical activity might also influence postmenopausal sex hormones by increasing levels of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), resulting in lower amounts of unbound (free) active oestrogens and androgens in the circulation [10, 11, 14, 17].
The beneficial effect of exercise on breast cancer related biomarkers might be partly explained by exercise-induced fat loss and prevention of becoming overweight or obese. Observational studies show associations between body mass index (BMI) and oestrogen levels in postmenopausal women [8–12]. Compared with normal-weight women, obese postmenopausal women have a higher blood concentration of oestrogens [12, 13] and lower concentrations of SHBG resulting in increased levels of free oestradiol [12, 14–16, 18]. The association between BMI and androgens is less clear, i.e. cross-sectional studies reported conflicting results [10, 19–21].
In our previous SHAPE trial we found that in the exercise group, reductions of sex hormone levels mainly occur when concordant loss of body fat was achieved . These findings were in concordance with results from a comparable exercise intervention study [23, 24]. Another exercise intervention study , however, found an overall intervention effect of exercise on sex hormones, which might be explained by the fact that in this study the overall difference in weight reduction between the intervention and control group was much greater compared with the earlier trials. A fourth trial investigating the effects of dietary, exercise and combined weight loss interventions, found that greater weight loss produced stronger effects on oestrogens and SHBG .
The question remains whether the beneficial effect of physical activity on breast cancer risk is fully explained by the accompanied weight loss, or whether physical activity has an additional positive effect on hormones.
Therefore, we set out to study the effect of weight loss mainly driven by exercise compared with equivalent weight loss driven by a diet only, on breast cancer risk biomarkers. Furthermore, we are specifically interested whether weight loss due to physical exercise induces greater amounts of fat loss (total and abdominal) and subsequently results in stronger favourable effects on relevant hormones compared with equivalent diet-induced weight loss.
The aim of the SHAPE-2 study is to investigate the effect attributable to exercise on postmenopausal breast cancer risk biomarkers, when equivalent weight loss is achieved compared with diet-induced weight loss. The secondary aim is to study the effects of equivalent weight loss achieved by calorie reduced diet or by increased physical activity on body composition and fat distribution and whether this mediates sex hormone levels.
The SHAPE-2 study is designed as a three-armed, randomised controlled trial. The study programme runs in eight municipalities surrounding two research centres in the middle (Utrecht) and the east (Enschede) of the Netherlands. The total study duration for each study participant is about 21 weeks. After a 4–6 week run-in period, eligible women are randomly allocated to (1) a diet group; (2) an exercise group or (3) a waiting list control group. Both intervention groups have the aim to lose an amount of 5–6 kg of bodyweight in 10–14 weeks. The intervention period is followed by a weight maintenance period lasting at least 2 weeks.
The study protocol is approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of University Medical Centre Utrecht, in accordance with the Helsinki declaration, before the start of data collection.
A total of 250 postmenopausal women, aged 50–69 years, are included. Eligible women are overweight or obese (BMI 25–35 m/kg2), have a sedentary lifestyle and live in the middle or east of the Netherlands.
SHAPE-2 study inclusion and exclusion criteria
Presently using sex hormones
50-69 years of age
Use of beta-blockers or oral corticosteroids
Postmenopausal (last menses >12 months)
Body mass index (BMI) 25–35 m/kg2
Alcohol or drug abuse
Sedentary lifestyle (<2 hours/week of at least moderately intensive activities (≥4 MET))
Diagnosed with breast cancer (present or history)
Willing to be randomly assigned to one of the three study arms
Diagnosed with other cancer (present or <5 years of history), except fornon-melanoma skin cancer
Informed consent for all screening and study activities
Diabetes mellitus or other (unstable) endocrine related diseases
Any disorder that might impede participation in the exercise programme
Following, or intention to follow, a structured weight loss programme elsewhere
Investigators opinion (successful fulfilling of the programme is highly unlikely)
Recruitment and screening
Baseline diet during run in period
During the 4–6 week run-in period, a baseline diet is prescribed which resembles the habitual intake of the participant and is in accordance with the Dutch Guidelines for a Healthy Diet (50-60% carbohydrate, 15-20% protein and 20-35% fat). The energy content of the baseline diet is determined using the individual’s habitual energy intake (dietary history), body weight history and a calculated estimate using the Harris & Benedict formula multiplied by an estimate of their Physical Activity Level (PAL). Special attention is paid to alcohol intake (maximum of one drink per day) and fibre intake (minimum of 25 grams per day) since these may influence sex hormone levels [30–32]. The run in period and the baseline diet aim to normalise the dietary pattern, stabilise body weight, check the estimated energy requirements and evaluate protocol adherence.
Overview study programme, contact moments and measurements
Energy restricted diet (−500 kcal/day)
Energy restricted diet (−250 kcal/day)
Aerobic and strength training (4 hours/week)
-Habitual dietary intake (dietary history)
-Actual dietary intake (3-day food records)
-Habitual physical activity (questionnaires)
-Actual physical activity (accelerometer)
-Anthropometrics (weight, waist, hip circumference); body composition (DEXA); visceral and subcutaneous abdominal fat (MRI); fitness (maximal exercise test); blood pressure; sex hormones (blood sampling)
Randomisation & intervention
After successful completion of the run-in period, subjects are randomised to (1) a diet group; (2) an exercise group or (3) a waiting list control group. Randomisation is performed via a computer-generated sequence, stratified per municipality, in block sizes of 5 (ratio interventions vs. control; 2:2:1).
The goal of both intervention programmes is to lose an equivalent amount of 5–6 kg of body weight, in 10–14 weeks’ time. The weight loss interventions are supervised by dietitians and physiotherapists, established in each participating municipality.
Body weight is closely monitored in both intervention groups by continuation of weekly self-weighing. Supervised weighing, by the dietitian (at every visit) and physiotherapist (weekly), is performed in addition. Participants, whose weekly weight loss do not meet or exceed the 0.5 kg/week loss for 3 consecutive weeks, receive extra coaching to adapt their diet or exercise level.
If the weight loss goal is reached, or after a maximum of 14 weeks, a weight maintenance period (2–6 weeks) starts in which energy intake and energy expenditure is balanced by dietary adaptations. The goal of this maintenance period is to establish stable weight in order to obtain stable levels of sex hormones.
Diet group: weight loss induced by diet only
The weight loss intervention is delivered by registered dietitians, experienced in treatment of overweight and motivational interviewing. Motivational interviewing is a client-centred counselling approach which is a proven effective method used to increase motivation and to establish behaviour change [33, 34].
Frequent contacts with the dietitian are scheduled (see Table 2 for an overview of the study programme). After randomisation, women individually meet their dietitian for the prescription of a calorie restricted diet. The diet has a deficit of 500 kcal/day as compared with the individuals energy requirements estimated at the run-in period. The diet is composed of the same proportions of macronutrients as the baseline diet conform National Guidelines for a Healthy Diet . Additionally, 5 one-hour interactive group sessions are planned (maximal 12 women/group). The programme for these sessions is based on principles of cognitive behavioural therapy and motivational interviewing and consists of nutrition education, behaviour change techniques and self-management training. Adherence to the programme is monitored by completing a 3-day food diary and frequent telephone contacts with the dietitian (see Table 2). Women in the diet group are requested to maintain their habitual physical activity level.
Exercise group: weight loss mainly induced by exercise
Women randomised to the exercise group are enrolled in a 16-week exercise training programme, delivered by physiotherapists. Additionally, a moderate caloric restriction of 250 kcal/day is prescribed by a dietitian in an individual session. From recent literature, we know that achieving and maintaining a body weight reduction by exercising in untrained and obese women is a long term process and a goal hard to attain [36, 37]. Compensatory mechanisms both physically and mentally, and behavioural reasons withhold the person from losing weight adequately [38, 39]. We, therefore, decided to study the effect of exercise in combination with a slight diet energy deficit.
The prescribed diet is monitored by regular telephone contacts with the dietitian. In this group, main emphasis is placed on the exercise programme, which contains four hours of moderate-to-vigorous exercise per week in group- and individual sessions. The estimated energy expenditure of the exercise programme is approximately 350 kcal/day, based on corresponding MET rates . For our specific study population, we corrected METs for age [40, 41].
The exercise protocol contains both endurance and strength training. Levels of exercise intensity are gradually increased during the study programme. Intensity of strength training is determined by pragmatic 20- and 15-repetition maximum (RM) tests, performed several times throughout the 16 weeks to adapt the resistance.
Intensity of endurance training is determined by the heart rate reserve based on the guidelines of the American College of Sports Medicine, adapted for older women . Target heart rates are based on results of a maximal exercise test and calculated by the formula: [intensity%*(maximal heart rate – resting heart rate)] + resting heart rate. Study participants wear heart rate monitors while exercising and receive a badge with individually calculated target heart rate zones for a range of training intensities.
During every training session, subjects fill in an exercise log which is used as a tool to adhere to the protocol and for monitoring by the physiotherapist.
Twice a week, subjects participate in a standardised one-hour group session, facilitated by a physiotherapist. Groups consist of 5–6 women. The group exercise sessions include 20–25 minutes high-intensity endurance training combined with 25 minutes strength training. Classes start and end with a 5–10 minute warming up and cooling down, respectively.
Group fitness training programme
1 circuit of 20–25 repetitions. Weights based on 20-RM#
Exercises: legs (squat, lunges, calve raises), arms (biceps curl, triceps extension), shoulder (shoulder press), thorax (Barbell bench press), back (rowing). Abdomen: crunch 30–40 repetitions.
60-70% HRR* 15–20 min,
Plus 70-89% HRR* 5–10 min
Interval training: 10 × 30 sec. vigorous to maximal exercise, alternated with 1 min active rest
2 circuits of 15–20 repetitions. Weights based on 15-RM#
Exercises: legs (squat), arms (biceps curl, triceps extension), shoulder (shoulder press), thorax (Barbell bench press), back (rowing). Abdomen; crunch 30–40 repetitions; hoover 2× 45 seconds.
Plus 10 min 60-75% HRR* endurance
Interval training: 2 circuits of 8 × 30 sec vigorous to maximal, alternated with 1 min active rest
If in time calve raises and lunges can be added.
Plus 5 min 60-75% HRR* endurance
The standardised strength training protocol includes exercises for the major muscle groups which is also performed in circuits (Table 3).
For feasibility reasons, individual home-based exercise is also included. It comprises two hours of Nordic walking at 60-65% of the heart rate reserve. All participants receive Nordic walking poles and instructions. If due to medical reasons Nordic walking is not desirable, a proper alternative is sought, e.g. swimming laps or cycling (vigorous effort). Supervised lessons of Nordic walking by instructors are organised to increase motivation and compliance. These sessions can be attended voluntarily, however, women are strongly encouraged to join.
Home-based Nordic walking sessions are registered in an exercise-log, which are checked regularly by the physiotherapist. Group sessions at the physiotherapists office and Nordic walking lessons are regularly monitored by the researchers.
Control group: stable weight
Participants in the control group are requested to keep their weight stable by adhering to the baseline diet, and maintaining their habitual exercise pattern. They are offered an alternative weight loss programme after the study period, consisting of 4 dietary group sessions and several exercise classes such as Nordic walking and/or fitness.
Outcomes and measurements
Study participants visit the research centre for measurements twice: at baseline (i.e. the end of the run-in period) and at the end of the study (see Table 2). Measurements include blood sampling, anthropometrics: height (at baseline), weight, waist- and hip circumference), a total body DEXA scan, abdominal MRI, blood pressure and cardiorespiratory fitness. At every visit, information on medication use is assessed. Furthermore, we assess information on socio-demographic variables, general health, medical history, reproductive history and smoking history at baseline by a self-constructed questionnaire.
Blood samples (30 ml) are drawn in order to determine serum concentrations of oestradiol (total and free), oestrone, testosterone and SHBG. After centrifugation, samples are directly stored at −20°C and at −80°C within one week. All samples from one individual will be analysed in the same batch since the batch-to-batch variation can be higher than any woman’s likely change in hormones over the year . Serum oestrogens and testosterone will be determined by use of the LC-MS method, in the UHSM, Manchester laboratory . SHBG will be measured by commercially available double-antibody radioimmunoassay kits (Roche Cobas: SHBG-03052001), performed in the laboratory ”Stichting Huisartsenlaboratorium Oost” in Velp . Technicians are blinded to study allocation.
Anthropometrics and body composition
Body weight and height are measured while the subjects wear light clothes without shoes. To measure body weight, we use calibrated analogue balance and digital balance scales (SECA®), depending on study centre. Subjects are always measured on the same balance scale. Analogue values are rounded to the nearest 0.5 kg. Height is measured using a wall mounted tape measure and rounded to the nearest 0.5 cm.
Waist circumference (to the nearest 0.5 cm) is measured standing at the midway between lower ribs and iliac crest. Hip circumference (to the nearest 0.5 cm) is measured standing over the buttocks. All measurements are taken in duplicate and averaged.
Total body fat (kg) and fat percentage (%) are assessed by a total body DEXA-scan (Lunar, Prodigy™). The DEXA scan measures body composition according to a three-compartment model: fat mass, lean tissue, and bone mineral content. The standard soft tissue analysis is performed using software supplied by the manufacturer.
Visceral abdominal fat (VAT) and subcutaneous abdominal fat (SAT) are measured by MRI (Philips, Ingenia 1.5 T) with the use of the three-point IDEAL method, described by Dixon .
Blood pressure is measured by an automatic tonometer (OMRON M4 +) after a minimum of 5 minutes rest. Measurements are taken twice, with a 2-minute time interval.
A maximal cycle exercise test with respiratory gas analysis is performed to measure cardiorespiratory fitness, defined by the highest oxygen uptake during the test (VO2peak).
All testing is conducted according to the ATS guidelines . Subjects are tested on a bicycle ergometer (Ergoline, type Ergoselect 200 P, CareFusion, Houten, the Netherlands and Jaeger ER800®, Würtzburg, Germany). Seat height is adjusted so that subject’s legs are near full extension during each pedal revolution.
The ramp cycle test protocol starts with 2 minutes of rest and 3 minutes of active rest (cycling without workload). The test phase consists of 24-second stages of graded exercise. Workload increases with 12.5 Watt or 15 Watt at every step, depending on the predicted maximum Watt per subject. Pedalling speed is kept around 65 revolutions per minute (RPM). If participants fail to keep up or drop below 40 RPM, the test is ended and followed by a 2-minute recovery phase. The maximal exercise test is performed under medical supervision. During the test, a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) and respiratory data through breath-by-breath analysis (Oxycon Pro®, Jaeger, by Care Fusion, Houten, The Netherlands) are continuously measured. Heart rate is determined from the ECG. Cuff blood pressure is monitored before and throughout the exercise and recovery phase. VO2peak is defined as the highest 15-second average of VO2 obtained at the end of the test and is expressed as ml/min and ml/kg/min.
The goal of the maximal cycle exercise test is threefold. In addition to measuring cardiorespiratory fitness/VO2peak, it also serves as a medical evaluation, and maximal heart rate is used to estimate training intensity for women participating in the exercise programme.
Physical activity level is assessed with an activity monitor (GT3X + Tri-Axis Actigraphy Monitor, ActiGraph®). This non-invasive device provides information on individual activity including energy expenditure, sedentary behaviour, activity intensity levels, and METs. It is worn in 7 consecutive days during the run-in and maintenance period.
Furthermore, validated physical activity questionnaires are used to measure habitual activity level (PASE questionnaire) and short-term physical activity level (SQUASH questionnaire) at baseline and at the end of study.
Habitual dietary intake is assessed at baseline using the dietary history method. Actual dietary intake and adherence to the diet plan are assessed using 3-day food records (including 1 weekend day) during every study period (run-in, intervention and maintenance, see Table 2). Participants are instructed by the dietitian how to complete the records. Filled-in records are checked by the dietitian for completeness and can be discussed with participants in the next telephone contact. Energy intake and nutrient composition are calculated using the Dutch Food Composition Database .
Sample size calculations are based on the effect of the interventions on the primary outcome, i.e. serum oestradiol levels. The following comparisons will be made:
1) diet-induced weight loss versus exercise-induced weight loss. 2) diet-induced weight loss versus control. 3) exercise-induced weight loss versus control. First, we calculated the sample size for the first comparison, i.e. diet-induced weight loss (n = 85) versus exercise-induced weight loss (n = 85), since the difference in oestradiol levels between these groups is expected to be the smallest (8%). Based on the estimated sample sizes, we calculated the number of subjects needed in the control group (n = 36). The sample size of the control group can be much smaller, since the expected difference with the interventions groups is large (12% and 20%, respectively). The sample size calculations resulted in the following estimated numbers per group, taking into account 5% drop out and 15% non-compliance: control group n = 45, diet group n = 104 and exercise group n = 104.
Descriptive statistics will be used to characterise the study population at baseline per study arm. Baseline and end of study values of sex hormone levels, total body fat and intra-abdominal body fat will be tabulated by treatment group. Sex hormones will be log transformed and geometric means will be presented if not normally distributed.
The main analysis will be performed according to the intention-to-treat principle, by linear regression analysis, where outcomes for patients are analysed by assigned treatment, regardless of the level of adherence. As a secondary analysis, adherence will be examined as a potential modifier of the intervention effects.
A per-protocol analysis will be performed analysing women who reached the weight loss goal only. Whether changes in body fat (total, abdominal) mediate or moderate intervention effects on sex hormone levels will be explored.
In the SHAPE-2 study, we aim to investigate the potential effect of physical activity on biomarkers of breast cancer risk (sex hormones), additional to weight loss. We hypothesize that exercise-induced weight loss results in a stronger decrease in serum sex hormones compared with equivalent diet-induced weight loss and compared with controls.
The goal of the intervention, and challenge in this trial, is for subjects to lose an equivalent amount of 5–6 kg of body weight in both intervention groups. Success of the study depends heavily on subjects’ adherence and motivation.
We implemented several strategies to increase adherence and motivation of the study subjects. First, the weight loss interventions are delivered by experienced dietitians and physiotherapists, who are situated in the municipality and easily accessible. For participants in the intervention groups, we scheduled a high contact frequency with the dietitian and physiotherapists which is proven to be a relevant success factor for weight reduction . Second, group sessions are implemented in both intervention programmes which provide a combination of social support, a healthy dose of competition and increase self-efficacy . It is also suggested that dietary group sessions produce greater weight loss effects than individual counselling alone . Groups are kept small to secure enough room for interactions and tailoring of the programme to the specific needs of the participants. Third, to strengthen motivation of the participants and for monitoring purposes, the researchers visit diet and exercise group sessions regularly. Furthermore, participants receive newsletters about the study or related topics and the study website is updated frequently.
Adherence of the control group is also a challenge. We expect women allocated to the control group to be disappointed since they have their mind set on losing weight. This might lead to a change in lifestyle, either conscious or unconscious, resulting in slight weight loss. To anticipate, we repeatedly stress the importance of the control group. Moreover, we offer an evenly attractive alternative weight loss programme starting at the end of the study.
This trial has a strict time schedule. We aim to include 25–30 participants per municipality in a small time window, since the participants have to start simultaneously with the group interventions. The first group starts at the central research site in the Utrecht region. Inclusion in the second participating region (Enschede) starts in parallel. Consecutive groups within one region start after a minimum time interval of 1 month.
Due to a consecutive inclusion of municipalities, the winter season, summer holidays and national holidays (e.g. Christmas) might affect the adherence of some study groups. To retain compliance in order to achieve the same weight loss goal, dietitians and physiotherapists will anticipate these circumstances. We pay extra attention to the Nordic walking programme in winter since the colder climate and shorter days may threat compliance. We therefore provide more options for supervised Nordic walking hours and reflective clothing in winter.
In our study, we will measure visceral and subcutaneous abdominal fat by using MRI, which is a highly sensitive technique to measure changes in (intra-)abdominal fat. A side effect of the use of cross sectional imaging in healthy subjects is that there is a risk of incidental findings. Rates of over 30% have been described while the proportion of subjects that might benefit from these findings is likely to be much lower than the proportion that will have no or even an adverse effect [54, 55]. Outweighing the risk-benefit ratio and ethical considerations , we decided on the following procedure. The non-contrast enhanced T1-weighted IDEAL scans are considered non-diagnostic and therefore will not be routinely reviewed by a radiologist. If researchers encounter an apparent finding that strikes them as a possible abnormality, the radiologist will be consulted. When the finding is of potential clinical relevance, the participant and their general practitioner will be informed and advised on further work up.
Our trial is the first study especially designed to assess the additional effect of exercise on sex hormone levels when equivalent weight loss is achieved. Four former exercise intervention studies in the field suggested an interplay between sex hormones and body weight/fat mass [22–26]. Greater weight loss produced greater effects on serum sex hormone levels and SHBG.
The question remains whether there is an additional effect of exercise on serum sex hormones, as breast cancer risk biomarkers, when equivalent weight loss is reached. In the SHAPE-2 study, we aim to investigate the potential effect attributable to physical activity on postmenopausal breast cancer risk biomarkers, in addition to weight loss.
Willemijn van Gemert, MD, works as a PhD candidate at the department of epidemiology of the Julius Center. Jolein Iestra, PhD, is a dietitian at the department of Public Health of the Julius Center. Petra Peeters, MD, PhD, Evelyn Monninkhof, PhD, and Anne May, PhD are epidemiologists working at the epidemiology department of the Julius Center. Albertine Schuit, PhD, is an epidemiologist at the national institute of Health and VU university. Tim Takken, PhD, is an exercise physiologist working at the UMC Utrecht. Wouter B. Veldhuis, MD, PhD, is a radiologist working at the radiology department of the UMC Utrecht. Job van der Palen, PhD, is an epidemiologist and works as a scientific research coordinator in the Medical Spectrum Twente and as a professor in evaluation and assessment in healthcare research at the University Twente. Harriët Wittink, PhD, is a physiotherapist and professor Lifestyle and Health at the faculty of health care, Utrecht University of Applied Sciences.
We would like to acknowledge the following people who have collected data or contributed to the running of the study: Manon de Leeuw, Fien Stern, Lydeke Zwart, Lizeth Vendrig, Marjon van der Meer, Gerry van Hemert, Karen Menninga, Joke metselaars, Veronique Sauerwald, Renate Bloemen Willemien Boersma, Silvia Achterberg, Petra Hemeltjen, Mirjam Floor, Roelof Peters and Jolanda Spruit. We would like to thank Ria Bouwhuis, who as a dietetic student was involved in composing the diet programme. Furthermore, we would greatly like to thank all the study participants and the participating physiotherapists and dietitians in Utrecht and Enschede and surroundings.
This work was supported by the Dutch Cancer Society [UU 2003–2793] and the Dutch Pink Ribbon Foundation [PR110032, PR110039]. The support from the sponsors was unconditional, and the data collection, design, management, analysis, interpretation and reporting were performed without their interference.
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- Kohrt WM, Spina RJ, Holloszy JO, Ehsani AA: Prescribing exercise intensity for older women. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1998, 46: 129-133.View ArticlePubMed
- Tworoger SS, Yasui Y, Chang L, Stanczyk FZ, McTiernan A: Specimen allocation in longitudinal biomarker studies: controlling subject-specific effects by design. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2004, 13: 1257-1260.View ArticlePubMed
- Haring R, Hannemann A, John U, Radke D, Nauck M, Wallaschofski H, Owen L, Adaway J, Keevil BG, Brabant G: Age-specific reference ranges for serum testosterone and androstenedione concentrations in women measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2012, 97: 408-415. 10.1210/jc.2011-2134.View ArticlePubMed
- Stichting Huisartsenlaboratorium Oost. http://www.labsho.nl,
- Dixon WT: Simple proton spectroscopic imaging. Radiology. 1984, 153: 189-194.View ArticlePubMed
- American Thoracic Society: American College of Chest Physicians. ATS/ACCP Statement on cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2003, 167: 211-277.View Article
- Wendel-Vos GC, Schuit AJ, Saris WH, Kromhout D: Reproducibility and relative validity of the short questionnaire to assess health-enhancing physical activity. J Clin Epidemiol. 2003, 56: 1163-1169. 10.1016/S0895-4356(03)00220-8.View ArticlePubMed
- Schuit AJ, Schouten EG, Westerterp KR, Saris WH: Validity of the physical activity scale for the elderly (PASE): according to energy expenditure assessed by the doubly labeled water method. J Clin Epidemiol. 1997, 50: 541-546. 10.1016/S0895-4356(97)00010-3.View ArticlePubMed
- Dutch Food Composition Database. 2011, NEVO online version 2011/3.0, RIVM, Bilthoven. http://nevo-online.rivm.nl/
- Dansinger ML, Tatsioni A, Wong JB, Chung M, Balk EM: Meta-analysis: the effect of dietary counseling for weight loss. Ann Intern Med. 2007, 147: 41-50. 10.7326/0003-4819-147-1-200707030-00007.View ArticlePubMed
- Ashford S, Edmunds J, French DP: What is the best way to change self-efficacy to promote lifestyle and recreational physical activity? a systematic review with meta-analysis. Br J Health Psychol. 2010, 15: 265-288. 10.1348/135910709X461752.View ArticlePubMed
- Renjilian DA, Perri MG, Nezu AM, McKelvey WF, Shermer RL, Anton SD: Individual versus group therapy for obesity: effects of matching participants to their treatment preferences. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2001, 69: 717-721.View ArticlePubMed
- Orme NM, Fletcher JG, Siddiki HA, Harmsen WS, O’Byrne MM, Port JD, Tremaine WJ, Pitot HC, McFarland EG, Robinson ME, et al: Incidental findings in imaging research: evaluating incidence, benefit, and burden. Arch Intern Med. 2010, 170: 1525-1532. 10.1001/archinternmed.2010.317.PubMed CentralView ArticlePubMed
- Pinato DJ, Stavraka C, Tanner M, Esson A, Jacobson EW, Wilkins MR, Libri V: Clinical, ethical and financial implications of incidental imaging findings: experience from a phase I trial in healthy elderly volunteers. PLoS One. 2012, 7: e49814-10.1371/journal.pone.0049814.PubMed CentralView ArticlePubMed
- Wolf SM, Lawrenz FP, Nelson CA, Kahn JP, Cho MK, Clayton EW, Fletcher JG, Georgieff MK, Hammerschmidt D, Hudson K, et al: Managing incidental findings in human subjects research: analysis and recommendations. J Law Med Ethics. 2008, 36: 219-248. 10.1111/j.1748-720X.2008.00266.x. 211PubMed CentralView ArticlePubMed
- The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here:http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/13/395/prepub
This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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In honour of his daughter, Quebec man creates logo for immunocompromised people to wear on masks
Attachment with letter 'I' lets people know to keep their distance, not make people feel isolated
After Louis Sansfaçon lost his 31-year-old daughter Émilie to cancer last year, he decided to realize her vision of making life easier for those who are immunocompromised.
Before her death, Émilie had an idea to create a mask to let others know someone has a weakened immune system, which would let them know to keep their distance and not make these people feel isolated.
Sansfaçon says his daughter got the idea while the pair were walking outside Hôtel Dieu hospital in Quebec City, where she had just received a round of chemotherapy.
"We met a guy who was with no mask, so Émilie told me, 'well dad, nobody knows that I'm fighting for my life, I'm fighting for my health, so why don't we use the mask as a communication?'" he said.
That's how he got the idea for the "immunoclip," a small plastic attachment with a red "I" on it designed to be hung on the side of a mask.
"If you understand the "I", which means this person is [immunocompromised], you have to react as a people, and then just step back, keep the distance," he said.
With Quebec's masking mandate just weeks away from being scrapped in most public places, except for public transit, some advocates worry people with much weaker immune systems might feel scared and not want to look different than everyone else by wearing a mask.
"Knowing that maybe they're going to be laughed at or ridiculed or ostracized, it's an extra stress for them, they don't need that," said Louis-Georges Girard, a spokesperson for Quebec's Association for Immunocompromised Patients (APIQ).
He says the decision to keep wearing masks isn't a question of looks or a political statement for immunocompromised people, "it's a question of staying healthy."
"And someone telling you 'well, you don't need to wear the mask, it's all over' — they know, and what they know, too, is that they have to [continue wearing] the mask," said Girard, urging people to have "a little compassion" for these people and show "a little bit of solidarity."
'We have to spread the word'
Michel Pronovost, a microbiologist, has been immunocompromised for nearly six years. He says he jumped at the chance to order an immunoclip when he heard about it, adding that the logo makes him feel safer.
"What I hope is that the people will think that the "I" means that it's important to protect me, to stay away, to respect me because I'm at risk, so I think it's a good idea," he said.
He adds it's also a way to inform people why he's wearing a mask. "It's not because I'm controlled by big pharma," he laughed.
Pronovost has been sporting the clip for a few weeks now and says he's happy that people have been stopping to inquire about it.
"We have to spread the word to let everybody know what it means," he said.
All the funds raised for the clips will go to a number of foundations that sell them, such as la Fondation du CHU de Québec and la Fondation québécoise du cancer, so as to one day create palliative care rooms in Émilie's honour.
In the meantime, Sansfaçon says his daughter would be proud of how far the initiative has come.
"Émilie was a leader, she was funny, she was a happy girl and she will be right near me to make this project be a success," he said.
"She was my best friend, and I promised her to go as far as I can to achieve her goal, her vision, to protect all the people who are presently fighting for their lives."
Based on reporting by Chloë Ranaldi
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The United States Space Force launched its first recruiting commercial on Twitter Wednesday, suggesting to potential recruits that, “maybe your purpose on this planet, isn’t on this planet.
— United States Space Force (@SpaceForceDoD) May 6, 2020
The United States Space Force, America’s newest military branch, posted a video on their Twitter account on Wednesday that offers the American public its first glimpse into what Space Force leaders envision for the branch as it grows, while simultaneously making one heck of a sales pitch for young Americans thinking about pursuing military service.
The Space Force commercial was posted along with a link to a landing page on the Space Force website that explains a bit more about the branch’s mission and areas of responsibility.
“The U.S. Space Force is a military service that organizes, trains, and equips space forces in order to protect U.S. and allied interests in space and to provide space capabilities to the joint force. USSF responsibilities will include developing military space professionals, acquiring military space systems, maturing the military doctrine for space power, and organizing space forces to present to our Combatant Commands.”
Below the paragraph, there’s a link you can follow to learn more about what it takes to serve in the country’s newest military branch. You can either explore Space Force careers, or you can click on the link for a free career assessment that can match your interests and experiences with potential roles within the Space Force.
It’s important to note, however, that much like the majority of the Space Force, this website is still mostly Air Force just beneath a fancy new space veneer. Prior to the establishment of the Space Force, U.S. Air Force Space Command was tasked with America’s orbital defense, and the vast majority of Space Force personnel currently remain Airmen working under the Air Force banner. At the beginning of this month, Airmen that want to transfer to the Space Force have been made eligible to apply, and those with Space Force-specific military occupational specialties that don’t wish to transfer will be given the choice to train in a new occupation or separate from the military.
The Space Force will continue to rely on Air Force infrastructure for things like recruiting, basic training, and a lot of administrative duties until the new branch is able to establish its own independent pipeline. That means folks that aren’t currently in the Air Force that want to serve in the Space Force will need to engage with Air Force recruiters and attend Air Force basic training for now.
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A retired fighter bomber made its final journey by travelling more than 900 kilometers, by road, to arrive at Fighter World at Williamtown, New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday. The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark, a twin-engined jet built for U.S. and Australian military forces beginning in the late 1960s, was transported from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Amberley in Queensland to be placed on display at Port Stephens from Thursday.
Titled A8-148, the jet was one of two F-111s involved in sinking a North Korean freighter used to smuggle 150 kilograms of heroin into Australia in April, 2003. Coincidentally, the ship was seized off the coast of Port Stephens after a four-day chase involving Australian soldiers, police and customs.
For the complete story by Amy Edwards of the Newcastle (NSW) Herald, click here.
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Randy Blankinship, Lower Laguna Madre Ecosystem Leader
Coastal Fisheries Division, 95 Fish Hatchery Road, Brownsville, TX 78520
Have you ever caught a snook? Have you ever even seen a snook? If you saw one, did you know what you were looking at the first time you saw it?
The legendary snook maintains a certain mystique in Texas due mainly to a history of abundance (prior to the 1940s) and its more recent unavailability to most anglers except those fishing bays, estuaries and nearshore Gulf of Mexico waters in South Texas. Even to most South Texas anglers, the snook remains a rare catch albeit an exciting one. It is also intriguing because of the size it attains: the current state record is 57.2 lbs caught in 1937 on the Gulf beach off Padre Island.
Snook are found in Texas bays, passes, streams, rivers and along Gulf beaches. Adult snook frequent shallow grass flats when water temperatures are warm, but may be found in deeper waters -- especially around structure such as pilings -- at all water temperatures. Peak spawning occurs from August through October in and around Gulf passes and the mouths of rivers that flow directly to the Gulf. Juvenile snook utilize estuarine habitat in the mouths of streams and rivers during their first year of life and are dependent on reliable freshwater inflows to maintain food availability and vegetation types needed for cover.
From the late 1800s to the early 1940s, commercial snook landings were quite large and even reached 230,000 lbs landed in Port Isabel in 1928. Since the early 1940s, commercial landings dropped to token levels with no landings reported after 1961. In 1987, regulations were passed that limited the catch of snook to rod and reel only.
Several reasons have been suggested for the decline of snook that involve range limitations due to cold temperature, high pesticide levels, disease, overfishing, and reduced freshwater inflows to bays and estuaries; however, the actual reason for the demise remains unknown. Recreational landings of snook remain relatively small at <0.1% of coastwide landings for all species. However, an encouraging recent trend in TPWD gill net samples conducted in the Lower Laguna Madre has shown a small increase in catch rates for snook in the 1990s through 2004 when compared to the 1970s and 80s.
The fish we in Texas call snook is actually made of at least 2 species and possibly 3. The species that attains sizes large enough to be legally kept (24–28 inches total length) is the common snook, Centropomus undecimalis. The two smaller species that have been identified, both called fat snook, C. mexicanus and C. parallelus, rarely grow to 24 inches in length. Work is currently underway to clarify the presence of the two fat snook species.
An interesting aspect of snook life history is that individual fish change sex from male to female. For common snook in Texas, this usually occurs between 30–34 inches total length. Because of this unique characteristic and low relative abundance, a bag limit of 1 snook per person per day was adopted in 1995. The combined strategy of size and bag limits is to reduce fishing mortality for male snook allowing more of them to achieve a larger size and change sex thereby increasing reproduction.
Fishery independent sampling programs conducted by TPWD show that current fishery management strategies are having a positive effect. Vigilance by sport anglers is needed, however, to maintain and protect important habitat for adult and juvenile snook. Shoreline habitat such as black mangrove, healthy seagrass beds and the availability of estuarine habitat in the mouths of rivers flowing to the Gulf (such as the Rio Grande) are all needed for healthy snook populations. While abundance levels of the first half of the 1900’s may not be seen again, relatively small population increases noticed recently do enhance the possibility of catching this elusive fish and help to maintain the lore and mystique of snook in Texas.
Current Snook Regulations
All Snook Species:
Minimum Length 24 inches
Maximum Length 28 inches
Bag Limit 1fish per person per day
© Copyright Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. No part of this work may be copied, reproduced, or translated in any form or medium without the prior written consent of Texas Parks Wildlife Department except where specifically noted. If you want to use these articles, see Site Policies
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- This event has passed.
17 October, 2014 - 22 October, 2014Varies
This autumn festival takes place in the splendour of Glen Affric, one of Scotland’s National Nature Reserves. There are native pine forests, tranquil lochs and Corbetts and Munros, not to mention an abundance of wildlife.
This year sees the six-day festival take on new heights with walks of the higher level Munros, a photography walk and a Canadian canoe adventure. The stags will be rutting too, so you can witness their roaring on a guided tour.
There’s lots more to experience, and you are in the safe hands of skilled guiders Natural High.
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Let’s make ourselves knowledgeable instead of accepting without critique news headlines.
I have been living and talking to people of Islam faith all my life, some of my colleagues at work are Muslims, I grew up with friends of Islam faith, one of my flatmates is Muslim and I’ve lost the number of the times we talk about religion and the values of both Islam and Christianity. Islam, like Christianity, is about love and compassion, the care for the other and the fear and search for a god who is greater than us.
Now, like in any other religion (or secular faith), we find fanatics: people who take the message and twist it by making it extreme in its essence, until they break it. Now our Western Eyes see Islam as an incubator of this fanaticism, because we are biased by socio-economic and historical events (consider 09/11) that we do not perhaps entirely understand. Consider the 19th-20th century for Judaism and think about the socio-economic and historical events’ power to alter the image of a religion. In fact think about Christianity in its early days if you wish, about how Jesus and all the other messengers of the Word were seen, think about what they had to endure at the hand of the Romans.
I do not subscribe to the image of Islam as fanaticism and terrorism.
With this being said, I think we need to be careful about what we let ourselves to know. Let’s make ourselves knowledgeable instead of accepting without critique news headlines. What happened in Paris is unfortunate, horrible, and the people who are responsible are barbarians! They have to pay for what they did because they are criminals, they are people in a savage, primitive and uncivilised state of being; they are not civilised and they have decided to take away the very foundation of our society: Education, Democracy, Freedom of Speech and Expression; they have to pay because they are CRIMINALS, not because they are Muslims.
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6 MIN READ There is a bit of a confusion between Data Warehouse vs Data Lake or ETL vs ELT. I hear that Data Warehouses are not used anymore, that they are replaced by Data Lakes altogether, but is that true? And why do we need Data Warehouses anyway? I will go into that as well as the definitions of both pluses explain the differences between them.
A Data Warehouse, in short DWH and also known as an Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW), is the traditional way of collecting data as we do since 31 years. The DWH serves the purpose of being the data integration from many different sources, the single point of truth and the data management meaning cleaning, historize and data joined together. It provides greater executive insight into corporate performance with management Dashboards, Reports or Ad-Hoc Analyses.
Various types of business data are analysed with Data Warehouses. The need for it often becomes evident when analytic requirements run afoul of the ongoing performance of operational databases. Running a complex query on a database requires the database to enter a temporarily fixed state. This is often untenable for transactional databases. A data warehouse is employed to do the analytic work, leaving the transactional database free to focus on transactions.
The other characteristics are the ability to analyse data from multiple origins (e.g. your Google Analytics with your CRM data), and that is highly transformed and structured due to the ETL (Extract Transform Load) process.
A Data Lake is a store full of unstructured and structured data, stored as-is, without a specific purpose in mind, that can be built on multiple technologies such as Hadoop, NoSQL, Amazon Simple Storage Service, a relational database, or various combinations and different formats (e.g. Excel, CSV, Text, Logs, etc.).
According to Hortonworks Data Lake Whitepaper, the data lake arose because new types of data needed to be captured and exploited by the enterprise. As this data became increasingly available, early adopters discovered that they could extract insight through new applications built to serve the business. The data lake supports the following capabilities:
I like the definition and comparison by James Dixon, founder and CTO of Pentaho:
If you think of a DWH as a store of bottled water – cleansed and packaged and structured for easy consumption – the data lake is a large body of water in a more natural state. The contents of the data lake stream in from a source to fill the lake and various users of the lake can come to examine, dive in, or take samples.
As you can see on the picture below, both Technologies are created for different purposes:
As mentioned in the introduction, companies are shifting from the Data Warehouse to the Data Lake, although it’s two different things, it still can make sense. Especially when you want real-time data, as the Data Warehouse typically works in batch processes, the Data Lake works near real time and handling Big Data. It’s made for huge data and stores them unstructured easy and fast. So when should I use what?
It is common, especially in mid or large size organisation to have both environments. The image below illustrates how you would integrate it with an Enterprise Data Warehouse and a Data Lake:
© Dell EMC
ETL (Extract Transform and Load) and ELT (Extract Load and Transform) is what has described above. ETL is what happens within a Data Warehouse and ELT within a Data Lake.
ETL is the most common method used when transferring data from a source system to a Data Warehouse. In that process, you load data to your stage-layer of your DWH, clean and transform it to the Dimensional Model (Facts and Dimensions) and at the end, you load it to a final Data Mart or a Cube for further Data Visualisations.
If you want to use ELT, that’s when you want to build a Data Lake. You extract data, mostly done by physical files, load it into your Data Lake in your Cloud Storage and only then start transforming and cleaning the data. The natural process is that you begin exploring and analysing your data and find out, that the data is dirty and then you begin cleaning it.
How is Big Data connected to this topic? Big Data is more or less gathering massive amounts of data (several million rows per second) from devices like IoT (Internet of Things), different data points from each smartphone, etc. With specific Big Data infrastructure and algorithms (e.g. map-reduce) you collect the data and store it into the Data Lake. Big data is greatest used with a Data Lakes.
As a new technology arises an old one gets replaced, that’s maybe why many technologists and thought leaders are declaring the Data Warehouse is dead. They say it’s no longer relevant in the age of Big Data. But why? The question is, are you still have a traditional Data Warehouse with an ETL tool, are you 100% happy with it? There is a great chance that you are not. Because of a significant amount of coding required in traditional ETL tools, your ETL tool was probably outdated before you were ready to deploy it.
But these prognosticators are mistaken. Big data can extend and enrich a Data Warehouse, but cannot replace it. It is not a Data Warehouses that are dead, but the traditional way of designing and building them. A better and new approach is using Data Warehouse Automation (DWA) Tools that automates the recurring parts of developing a Data Warehouse to cut down time development time by 40-60%. Find more information in the DWA Blog post series or directly why we should use DWA tools.
Another way of adapting to Big Data and fast-changing data connection points is the Data Vault modelling and methodology which enables you a more dynamic and flexible way to implement additions to your Data Warehouse. Lately, there has been an interesting move to use a Data Vault as a governed Data Lake, because it addresses the elements of the problems we identified within Data Warehousing:
This technological advancement is already proving to be highly effective and efficient. Easy to design, build, populate, and change. New Data Warehouses should be created with this methodology, also a point where Data Warehouse Automation helps you.
I don’t think so. As elaborated thoroughly above, it will still need both over a long period. Both are designed for distinctive purposes and have different advantages. And I believe we should be careful with Data Lakes as more data is always better but can also lead to more chaotic data stores where nobody knows the what’s in there and it takes everyone a lot of time just to get the needed data.
In my opinion, it makes sense to have both environments to be flexible for fast changes and analysis within the Data Lake. But still be able to make very well structured Analytics with Dashboards and Reports for the operational business user. That’s why I would suggest importing patterns and essential analysis you found in the Data Lake back to your Data Warehouse to make it easily accessible for everyone in a standard way and tools users know.
Thanks for reading that far. Please feel free to add comments or anything you don’t agree, I’m always open to discussions and recommendations :-).
Republished on LinkedIn and Hacker Noon.
24,725 total views, 5 views today
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When there are no More Hybrid Events
In the future, says Dannette Veale, global manager of the Cisco Live and Networkers Virtual event, there will be no more live vs. virtual discussions. The two experiences will overlap so completely, that what we now perceive as two separate environments glued together through some “hybrid” sleight of hand will merge into a single, seamless stream of content, entertainment, and engagement that can be accessed from either end of the physical to virtual spectrum.
Although Veale will speak more about content authentication and syndication when she gives her presentation on Hybrid Meetings and Digital Events during the Virtual Edge Summit, she has some definite ideas on how games, mobile, augmented reality, and video technology will enable the physical and virtual worlds to merge.
The convergence has already begun with games. “You will see tighter and tighter integration between online and offline audiences using games and online formats that both can engage in,” Veale says. Think about a scavenger hunt extended to a virtual audience. “The same search for clues will exist but the game won’t be strictly location based,” she explains.
The creators of the “Heroes” television show created an augmented reality game called “Conspiracy for Good.” Using mobile phones, players venture out onto the streets of London looking for clues from live characters and QR codes planted in various locations. Veale believes that similar scenarios will become reality in the event space of the future. Exhibitors, sponsors, event hosts, and organizers can use the same tactics to engage live attendees and help them interact with virtual content.
Augmented reality could also be coming to a trade show booth near you, Veale explains. Imagine walking into a booth, pointing your cell phone at a product’s QR code, and receiving layer upon layer of information about the company, sales outlets, contact information, product applications, white papers, videos, maps, and location-based information. Mobile devices will be the gateway for virtual attendees to engage with content from the live show and for live attendees to engage with content from the virtual space.
Augmented reality kiosks have surfaced in Japan and Germany. Veale describes how the kiosks work. “Bringing a car to an event can be costly. With an augmented reality kiosk, you can bring 30 to 40 cars to the show virtually. You have one kiosk where visitors pick up different flyers with QR codes indicating specific car models. They hold a flyer up to the scanner at the kiosk and get a 3D augmented reality rendering of the vehicle,” she says.
Other technologies will enable the real world and virtual world to meld together. Cisco’s TelePresence video conferencing technology “has helped remove the idea that conference speakers have to physically be there,” Veale says. And their new Videoscape platform is another example, she says, of how technology “will start to layer the video experience.”
In the future, there will be no more hybrid events—a term that implies the cobbling together of two separate realities into one hiccuppy, Frankensteiny, excuse to multi-task. The future of events as Dannette Veale envisions it is one where the learning is über compelling, the engagement is exhilarating, and anyone can participate.
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PART 2: Child focused safety features for the exterior of your vehicle
Most family friendly vehicles come with a long list of child focused safety features, but what do they actually mean?
We have put together a brief list of vehicle safety features that you might want to consider when purchasing a child friendly vehicle. A lot of the features we mention are standard, but we want to explain what role they play in your family’s safety.
DOOR LOCKS – REAR CHILD SECURITY LOCKS: Child safety locks are built into the rear doors of most vehicles to prevent rear seat passengers from opening the doors, both during transit and while the vehicle is stationary. These locks provide the driver with a simple, safe & secure method of preventing unauthorized exit from the car.
WINDOWS – REAR WINDOW LOCK-OUT FEATURE: A driver-controlled lockout switch prevents passengers (usually small children) from accidentally triggering the switches.
SAFETY RATINGS – NCAP 5 STAR SAFETY RATING: The New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) rates vehicles to determine crash worthiness and rollover safety. The safety ratings are gathered during controlled crash and rollover tests, which are conducted at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s research facilities. Five stars indicate the highest safety rating.
AIR FILTRATION SYSTEM: This system recirculates cabin air to help prevent exhaust fumes from entering the interior of the vehicle. The filters also remove dust, pollen and other airborne irritants from outside air that is pulled into the vehicle.
REINFORCED STEEL SAFETY CAGE: Helps diffuse impact energy in the passenger compartment and provides a stronger foundation structure.
CRUMPLE ZONES: Crumple zones literally crumple up in a collision by absorbing the energy of the collision and diverting it from the passenger compartment. As a result the safety cage remains intact.
SIDE IMPACT BEAMS:Side impact cross-car beams help channel energy during a collision.
STABILITRAK: Electronic Stability Control System intervenes automatically, helping prevent lateral skids and restore steering control.
PROCACTIVE ROLL AVOIDANCE (on most SUV’s): Proactive roll avoidance reduces the vehicle’s tendency to roll over in a panic situation.
TRACTION CONTROL: A system that automatically applies brake pressure to appropriate wheels, limiting the wheel-spin and helping to re-establish traction.
FORWARD COLLISION ALERT:Forward Collision Alert is a crash-avoidance system that uses sensors to help detect when the driver is getting too close to a vehicle. The systems alerts the driver with visual cues on the dashboard, as well as an audible alert.
LANE DEPARTURE WARNING AND SIDE BLIND ZONE ALERT:A camera, mounted in the rear-view mirror, reads the lines on the road. Should the vehicle stray, the system alerts the driver via visible and audible cues.
REAR PARK ASSIST: This is designed to alert the driver of obstacles while parking. These systems use either electromagnetic or ultrasonic sensors.
REAR BACK-UP CAMERA: Back-up camera displays are activated on a monitor when the vehicle is set in reverse. This is alternatively known as ‘reversing cameras’ or ‘rear view cameras’ and it is specifically designed to avoid a backup collision.
HILL START ASSIST: The system prevents the car from rolling away when driving on an upward or downward incline. The system engages automatically when the vehicle is completely stopped on an incline; it then acts to hold the car stationary for two seconds after the brake is released, giving the driver time to apply the throttle.
TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM: A Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) is an electronic system for monitoring your vehicle’s tire pressure. A tire pressure monitoring system will alert drivers when underinflated tires are detected.
SOME OTHER CONVENIENT SAFETY FEATURES TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING A VEHICLE WITH A CHILD IN MIND ARE: Wheel mounted audio controls, DVD entertainment with headphones, auxiliary audio input jack, USB Port, flat-folding rear seats, fold-flat front passenger seats, remote start, cargo area security net, halogen headlamps, fog lights, cup holders, extra lighting, keyless entry, Bluetooth and a large storage area.
We hope you enjoy all the excitement that comes along with selecting a new vehicle with your family. Please remember to ask your sales associate what standard and optional features come with your vehicle of choice. Walk away with peace of mind knowing that your family is safe and secure.
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Vancouver Pride Week 2012: Trans role model Jenna Talackova wants to fight for the environment
It was an act of defiance that made Rosa Parks a civil-rights hero for refusing to give up her seat for a white bus passenger. She wasn't the first, but her actions galvanized political action in 1955.
This year, a Vancouverite unintentionally did something similar when she, a transgender woman, did nothing more than merely enter the Miss Universe Canada pageant. When organizers disqualified Jenna Talackova, claiming she was in defiance of the regulations because she was not physically born female (something heavily contested by advocates), she was swept up in an international media frenzy. Her story electrified the Internet with debate and petitions as she enlisted legal help to be reinstated into the competition.
But how does she feel about being called a civil-rights hero?
"I hate labels, and if you wanna call me that, great," the statuesque beauty told the Georgia Straight at the official launch of Pride Week at Vancouver City Hall. "Honestly, I did it out of pure vanity, and it turned into changing people's minds across the world and the Miss Universe organization. So I can't believe it happened. It just happened without even thinking it would happen. So I feel very proud of it. I'm very humbled."
Talackova was chosen to be one of three grand marshals at this year's Vancouver Pride Parade (to be held on Sunday [August 5]).
On the other hand, she does recognize that she has responsibilities now, and she is willingly embracing them.
"I was thrown this kind of opportunity to be a role model. And now I have a TV show coming out, so that's just going to broaden more society's eyes to trans people. And see we're just as normal as everyone else."
The experience has helped her see the potential she has, and the opportunity she has to give others what she lacked growing up.
"I never realized the power that I did have. And I realize that as a youth, I was such a wild child that I wish I had someone to look to. I looked to Harisu from Korea, the first transgender pop star and everything. And I didn't have anybody from North America to look up to," she said. "Like c'mon, RuPaul—he's a drag queen, he's not transgender, right? So I believe I got this role and I'm going to do my best with it. I'm going to do my best reaching out to young kids because this is my obligation and I see that now."
She's also been able to see how her story has helped the lives of others around the world.
"I've received weekly mail from like South America, people in Asia, saying that they finally came out to their families because of my story. So it has made an impact."
Contrary to confusion earlier this year, she does have a reality TV show in the works. While she didn't divulge any specific details, she noted that she hopes the second season of the show will focus more on travel.
She's also doing a commercial for shoe designer Stewart Weitzman next month. She did want to try out for Victoria's Secret but now doesn't have the time for it, due to her TV show and other projects.
However, there is a cause she does plan to strip down for.
"I wanna pose nude for PETA eventually, after the first season of the show. Not Playboy, but PETA."
That's because one of her greatest passions is protecting the environment and animals.
"I'm all about the environment," she said. "I eat vegan, raw diet, and I'm studying holistic nutrition. I believe in environmental integrity. It's something…I feel the most saddened by. I feel like we don't treat our world correctly. I think the pipeline and all these things are just going to damage our world. We're not looking for a means to better energy sources, and we're going to reap it for our kids and we're going to ruin it for them. I believe in animals and I believe in the environment."
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of Mole for what he had just done. It was exactly what he would have liked to have done himself, if only he had thought of it first, and hadn't gone and overslept himself.
"Some of the stoats turned quite pink," continued the Mole, "and the Sergeant in charge, he said to me, very short, he said, 'Now run away, my good woman, run away! Don't keep my men idling and talking on their posts.' 'Run away?' says I; 'it won't be me that'll be running away, in a very short time from now!' "
"O Moly, how could you?" said the Rat, dismayed.
The Badger laid down his paper.
"I could see them pricking up their ears and looking at each other," went on the Mole; "and the Sergeant said to them, 'Never mind her; she doesn't know what she's talking about.' "
" 'O! don't I?' said I. 'Well, let me tell you this. My daughter, she washes for Mr. Badger, and that'll show you whether I know what I'm talking about; and you'll know pretty
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Has Manmohanomics Failed Indian Society?
In 1980, when I visited U.S.A, on an official program, an American lady helping me in my meetings told that “tomorrow is Mother’s day, so I would have to take her from her old age home and treat her to a nice lunch.” Here, I asked her, why don’t you then host a home-made lunch for her? Her answer was, “if I bring her home and if she refuses to go back, I will be in a soup”.
I don’t want to argue that this is the western culture. But same kind of scenario is now coming to India too. That the older people are unproductive is the kind of perception the thriving younger population has. Though it is unfortunate, it is a reality.
Blame it on reforms and opening of the economy or the small family norm practiced widely, the reality is that older generation is an anguished lot and neglected too. With the Indian economy opened for the global market, it not only brought foreign goods and services in to the Country but also paved the way for coming in of new customs and habits. A variety of different social expressions too reached Indian shores. Not only new products and services reached the Country but the whole of our social system and society stands transformed in the post free-trade regime.
With the IT boom, that we experienced in India and also the global economy, Indian engineers were much in demand around the world. Issues like Y2K brought in a lot of outsourcing jobs to India. Similarly, Indian software professionals could get a lot of opportunities in the U.S, Europe and elsewhere. Back in India, a BPO boom created large number of employment for Indian youth; hitherto unseen avenues were opened within India.
Youth population of today has a lot of money at their disposal. They make it and spend most of it. Too much money at an age when they can’t decide the best for themselves is creating a lot of problems and often diverting them to vices: pub-culture is an example. In addition, as the Indian professionals migrate to the U.S or Europe or other Countries, back home their parents are left alone for loneliness.
On the top of this, the breaking away of Indian family system, a traditional social security system has collapsed without ever having something new taking birth, except the offers of reverse mortgages via banks and the some old age home programs. Even interest income on term deposits and the pension continues to be taxed, while old man/woman spends lot of money on medicines!
But how many of older people can take advantage of reverse mortgage scheme as scores of them do not own any property and are dependents on children? Moreover, how to ensure freedom to them to avail the facility; will the children easily allow them to do so? In a market driven and a highly target-oriented banking sector, where new era private banks work day and night for enhancing their profit share, it is feared that some malpractices may creep in the system. However, this is just my fear.
As a country with such diversity, towards the end of one’s lives, older people would want to have a life that they can identify with as their culture, tradition and religious background in true spiritual setting. In a less integrated society, if we think cultural integration is possible in the long run, how would older generation people from a heterogeneous background if kept together, in government-managed orphanage, would possibly behave?
Those old people, a vast majority of the low and even middle-income people and poor, who come from different religious backgrounds, caste backgrounds and linguistics background, who cannot afford expensive luxury old age homes, will have to take shelter in the government-run old age homes in the days ahead. In all probability, like in crowded Government hospitals, they would be asked to share bed or sleep on floor! And also imagine the situation of older people from different cultural identities being put together? A well managed and equipped private old age home charge any thing from Rs. 15000 and above a month/ person. How many of our grey-haired people can afford such a luxury? Efficiently-managed Old age homes that provide humane care to our parents are needed.
The scenario as we progress with our reforms could be a group of older people - neglected, and also with fragile health virtually thrown from homes - living together with fights, clashes and arguments.
Market will flourish. Greed for making more profit, building the tallest towers, largest malls will grow in everyone. Older parents will be a disturbance in the process of growth. However, the rich and the elite would create their own set of arrangements for the care of elderly.
Will the market take care of the need of the entire older population? Obviously, the rich and the affluent can have their own arrangement. But the poor will obviously be left out.
There may be rules and laws on paper concerning the protection to older generation and looking after parents. We keep on legislate without meaning much and for serving no purpose.
However, the solution is to educate our future generation that money is not the end of all. From toddlers to the mid-aged should be kept reminded about the need to respect and taking care of our grey-haired population. It is said that, India is a land of spirituality. But there are people who question this perception saying, too much indulgence in religiosity and spirituality indeed is a reflection of a mind that is in deep agony, thirst and hunger which is longing for attaining something unattainable material prosperity?
The fact is that we Indians are deeply materialistic too. We are very good in making money and in business tricks too. Today, we have indeed proved that to the world with our economic enterprises, acquiring and launching new ventures and doing business around all the continents very successfully.
Where would older people especially millions of non-pensioners fit into the entire scheme of reforms. Whom would they approach for their health care needs? Health insurance or medi-care schemes are meant for the healthy that have a very less probability of falling sick, and also for rich, a vast majority are out of the question of being covered by the health insurance companies. Moreover, most Insurance companies don’t extend coverage to those who are 80 or above, time when they need such medical assistance.
How many of these elderly can afford to go to private/corporate hospitals and pay medical bills and purchase medicines that they often require to keep away from age-related diseases? Many of the developed countries have a system to take care of the elderly patients and critically ill citizens.
Free critical illness cover should be a right of each citizen. Free medical care for all the senior citizens has to be implemented. Why should a citizen be thrown out to the mercy of others when he/she face any critical illness? These are the areas where economic reforms should take an Indian avatar. Our imported reform branded people in the South block may not approve it. I wonder why medicines are taxed in India at all. Top of this, service tax on nursing homes and hospitals is further burdening an old man, though this is a discriminatory as huge chunk is outside any pension scheme. Can a mature democracy differentiate like this?
This is a testing time for Indian society, Indian religions and spirituality. How are we going to tackle issue of ills of modern economy? How are we going to ensure a new social system that takes care of older people, disabled and those who need care and protection? The world is looking at India. Is the solution that it is going to bring in is a market- driven solution or government managed public sector solution or a charitable NGO-oriented solution or an amalgam of some of these?
Has Manmohnomics ever addressed these issues? A re-look at Indian society after two decades of its practice would undoubtedly suggest that Manmohanomics has failed Indian people and society. Of course, there are victorious corporations. Real economic issues need not be just balancing budget and better fiscal management alone, but going beyond to address socio-economic concerns.
Manmohan Singh or anyone else, Indian reforms of 1991 would have taken place as it was implemented then. But, the Indians at large believed that he, with ordinary background and as academic, would have used his experience to implement a better policy within the existing requirements and within the framework of the covenants that India might have signed or need to follow.
We require a new arrangement to take care of those who need protection in the context of crumbling social system. Perhaps, a national Senior Citizen Policy is call of the hour. It should encompass aspects like pension for all; medical treatment at States’ cost; shelter over a head; and most importantly exempting all senior citizens above the age of 65 from Income tax. It sounds quite ridiculous that a 70+ year man is asked by a bank to submit 15G or H form to avoid tax deduction at source. All senior citizens need to be issued an identity card to avail facilities on priority basis.
What olds need is not fun and flashy life, but a proper medical care in case of a need. Here, the Late Dr. Y. S. Sekhar Reddy’s Arogyashree scheme in Andhra Pradesh for those below poverty line can provide a lead to the policy makers. In addition, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, jointly with Aasra introduced a system of issuing Senior Citizen Cards extending free access to GHMC services and a 20%discount on in and out-patient treatment in a select private hospitals for Senior citizens. After all, their share is just around 8 percent of the total population, can’t the Government be magnanimous to look after their very few needs, particularly when they have contributed their bit in the nation building in their younger days. Corporate sector can be roped in as partners in such programmes as part of corporate social responsibility.
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THE METEORITICAL BULLETIN Announcement 86-1, April 5, 2002 Sara Russell, Editor (firstname.lastname@example.org) Jutta Zipfel, Assoc. Ed. for Saharan Meteorites (email@example.com) Jeffrey N. Grossman, Assoc. Ed. for Web (firstname.lastname@example.org) Monica M. Grady, Co-Editor Grove Mountains (GRV) 99027 73006'01" S, 75014'13" E Antarctica Found 2000 February 8 Martian meteorite (lherzolitic shergottite) This meteorite weighs 9.97 g, and most of the surface is covered by fusion crust. Classification and Mineralogy (Lin and B. Miao, GIG; H. Wang & C. Lin, NU): It is composed mainly of coarse-grained orthopyroxene, olivine, clinopyroxene and plagioclase, with minor opaque minerals. There are two textures. In the larger part of the sections, olivine occurs as rounded euhedral grains, poikilitically enclosed in a megacryst of orthopyroxene; in the other side of the sections, it shows a cumulate texture, consisting of euhedral orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, olivine and interstitial plagioclase. Chromite, the most common opaque phase, is euhedral and enclosed in pyroxenes. The mineral assemblage and textures are similar to the Allan Hills (ALHA) 77005 lherzolite. The FeO/MnO (wt%) ratio of orthopyroxene is 34+/-5. Compositions of orthopyroxene (En66-78Fs20- 26Wo2-8), clinopyroxene (En48-52Fs13-15Wo34-39), olivine (Fa22-30) and plagioclase (An49-55Ab44-50Or<1) overlap with the ranges in ALHA77005. Fracturing and undulose extinction in silicates are strong. Plagioclase is commonly deformed, and partially turns into maskelynite along the boundaries of grains. The shock stage is S4; weathering grade, W1. The meteorite is curated at PRIC.
See also abstracts from the 2002 LPSC.
Return to the Mars Meteorite Home Page
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Grants | News
Broad Foundation Awards Success Academy $5 Million Based on New York Common Core Scores
- By Dian Schaffhauser
Based on results shown by students during the recent Common Core state assessments in New York, a charter school organization has received a $5 million infusion to expand its programs. Success Academy, which currently serves about 7,000 students in 18 elementary and four middle schools, will use the funding from The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation to expand its set of schools across New York City over the next two years.
Success Academy's schools serve mostly low-income students and students of color. During the 2013 New York State exam, its schools ranked in the top 1 percent of all New York schools in math and in the top 7 percent for English language arts. Two schools — located in the South Bronx, where the poverty rate is 88 percent, ranked among the top 25 schools in the state. African-American and Hispanic scholars from Success schools outperformed white students across the state by more than 51 points in math and 27 points in English.
Those results are set against a backdrop in which the percentage of students across the entire state that were deemed "proficient" was significantly lower than in the 2011-2012 testing cycle.
The Success Academy schools use empty space in public school buildings; students are admitted by random public lottery. The test comparisons to traditional public schools in those shared buildings was "stark," the organization said in a statement. For example, in one school, nearly eight out of 10 Success Academy third-graders passed the math test while no third-grader in the co-located public school passed. In another building, 77 percent of Success Academy third-graders passed the English test, and 3 percent of the co-located students did so.
Overall, according to the school organization, Success students outperformed students across New York City by 52 percentage points in math and 32 percentage points in English.
"These results are astounding," said Rebecca Wolf DiBiase, managing director of programs for the Broad Foundation. "Clearly, Success Academy Charter Schools is doing something right, and this investment underscores our belief that high-quality charter schools need to expand so we ensure that more students have the opportunity to attend a great school."
The practices followed by Success Academy schools include these:
- A commitment to teach science five days a week starting in kindergarten;
- Students attend for a longer school day;
- Student activities include art, chess and music, as well as literacy, writing and math; and
- Success Academy provides up to 15 weeks of immersive training on content and pedagogy throughout the year.
The Broad Foundation was actually the first major funder of Success Academy. With the latest grant, that brings the total funding of Success by Broad to $11.4 million, about 9 percent of the total investment made by the foundation in education-related initiatives, which focuses on urban school districts.
Dian Schaffhauser is a writer who covers technology and business for a number of publications. Contact her at email@example.com.
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The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter
“They call me a heroine, but I am not deserving of such accolades. I am just an ordinary young woman who did her duty.” 1838: Northumberland, England. Longstone Lighthouse on the Farne Islands has been Grace Darling’s home for all of her twenty-two years. When she and her father rescue shipwreck... show more
“They call me a heroine, but I am not deserving of such accolades. I am just an ordinary young woman who did her duty.”
1838: Northumberland, England. Longstone Lighthouse on the Farne Islands has been Grace Darling’s home for all of her twenty-two years. When she and her father rescue shipwreck survivors in a furious storm, Grace becomes celebrated throughout England, the subject of poems, ballads, and plays. But far more precious than her unsought fame is the friendship that develops between Grace and a visiting artist. Just as George Emmerson captures Grace with his brushes, she in turn captures his heart.
1938: Newport, Rhode Island. Nineteen-years-old and pregnant, Matilda Emmerson has been sent away from Ireland in disgrace. She is to stay with Harriet, a reclusive relative and assistant lighthouse keeper, until her baby is born. A discarded, half-finished portrait opens a window into Matilda’s family history. As a deadly hurricane approaches, two women, living a century apart, will be linked forever by their instinctive acts of courage and love.
Publish date: 2018-10-09
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Pages no: 416
Edition language: English
THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER’S DAUGHTER by Hazel Gaynor Combining two stories to tell the life of lighthouse keeping and coming of age make this a charming and intelligent read of historical fiction. Grace Darling was also known as the Heroine of the Farne Isles because of her actions during the wreck of t...
Grace Darling is the daughter of the Longstone Lighthouse keeper in the Farne Islands. She has dedicated her life to helping her father keep the light. Although, for a young women in the 1830's, this is not the life that is expected of her. Grace's life is put into the spotlight when she assists her...
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Yorkshire terrier can be quite stubborn and for those who owns one, it is important to look after these habits of the dog. Yorkshire terrier training should certainly be filled with enjoyment for both the dog and the owner with the satisfaction from the outcome. You need to remember some of the tips while training your yorkie.
1. There should be commitment while training your Yorkshire terrier and you have to be engaged in the training each and every day. You have to make sure that the training is conducting regularly. Remember that your yorkie have very little attention span. So you have to train your dog frequently or daily.
2. The next idea you can select while training could be treats. Treat can be the way of rewarding your dog whenever he does something correct as you have commanded. They will make up their mind that if they do the task correctly then they will get the treat and hence they will continue doing same in the future. Do this activity repeatedly during the training phase.
3. Next you have to maintain your firm voice while reprimanding your dog. It is important to let them know that their tasks are undesired when they do one of the tasks. Whenever you use the firm tone, they will know who the boss exactly is and hence will not repeat the same action again.
4. In between each Yorkshire terrier training sessions, you have to give your dog plenty of play times. They can learn quickly and take up your commands more efficiently if you allow them for some recess. So you can maintain a schedule to train your puppy.
5. Train your dog when you two are alone. This is most important is that there should not be any other distractions while training your dog. As they have short memory, so anything can grab their attention compromising on the training.
6. Make sure that you only give them one command at a time. You also have to focus on the single command rather than teaching them many. Before moving to next commands check with some test whether they have remembered the previous lesson or not. You must wait until your dog has learned the command. If not then start the same lesson once again.
7. At last, only use the same word for the single command. Don’t use different word for the same task. For example, if you want your yorkie to sit then only use sit word and don’t use other words that will confuse the dog.
So, the Yorkshire terrier training must be filled with lots of enjoyment for both the owner and the dog. It will not be effective if there is no any fun in the training. Therefore they you must have a good time to teach your yorkie.
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Are you wondering when your 9-year-old should start using skincare? 9-year-olds don't have to worry about acne scars and wrinkle prevention quite yet but developing a skincare routine at a young age is helpful. Starting a routine before the need arises can help prevent skincare issues down the line.
Younger kids who already have a skincare routine will be more prepared when puberty starts to affect their skin, rather than having a full-blown meltdown at the sight of their first breakout. Kid skincare can help kids understand and develop a sense of self-care. Getting into a skincare routine teaches them how important it is to set aside time to care for themselves and their bodies. Taking those few minutes to show their skin some TLC can make them feel better about themselves.
Additionally, teaching your child about caring for their skin at a young age can help them form healthy habits later on.
The benefits of a 9-year-old skincare routine are:
- Kids become responsible for their skin and hygiene.
- They learn how to follow a routine independently.
- It helps prevent skin issues from an early age.
Cleanser for Kids
A 9-year-old skincare routine should start with a cleanser. The cleanser removes any excess dirt or oils that have built up on the skin throughout the day. Kids have more sensitive skin than adults, so it is best to start with a sensitive skin cleanser. Kids' skin has more intense reactions to the harsh chemicals we often see in skincare products. It reacts more intensely because many cleansers can contain chemicals targeted at treating specific skin issues like acne, aging, dark spots, etc. Your child can start to explore these products when they get older, but it's best to keep it simple at nine years old. Kid skincare routines can develop more once they get further into their tween years.
Moisturizer for Kids
Moisturizer is an essential step in skincare routines for people of all ages, including kid skincare. Kids absorb and lose more water and moisture than adults, so moisturizing is a crucial step for 9-year-old skincare.
Though we recommend a gentle cleanser for 9-year-old skincare, it can strip some of the natural oils that the skin creates. Moisturizer brings those back into the skin. Just like cleansers, some moisturizers can have chemicals that are too harsh for kids. Using a sensitive skin moisturizer will help prevent an adverse reaction.
Sunscreen for Kid's Skin
9-year-old skincare routines need to include sunscreen. Everyone, regardless of age, should be applying SPF daily to protect themselves from the sun. Even on the coldest and cloudiest days, UV rays can still be dangerous. Kids spend lots of time playing outside, so they should be wearing SPF at all times. Using sunscreen as a child also helps prevent skin cancer and damage later in life. It's best to use sunscreen for sensitive skin when starting a kid skincare routine.
Things to Avoid for your Skin
There are some things to steer clear of when creating a 9-year-old skincare routine. Products that include fragrance can be harmful to the skin at any age, but especially for kids. Fragrance can cause irritation and inflammation. A lot of trendy products, like face masks, toners, etc., have added fragrance. While it's fun to do glitter face masks and lather our skin with yummy smelling products, we shouldn't use those types of things for kid skincare.
Your 9-year-old's skincare routine will evolve as they grow and get to know their skin better. They can switch up the products they are using to help their skin when they learn more about their skin type. For now, use a basic routine to teach your kids the importance of caring for your skin.
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Joined: Mar 04, 2008 Posts: 1883 Location: Newcastle-under-Lyme
Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 4:01 pm Post subject:
Answer 1: it's in the books.
Answer 2: it's how these are specified in your policies and procedures.
Answwer 3: whatever was defined in the change plan.
Answer 4: whatever you think appropriate.
Responsible for what? - the failure? the remedial action? the planning? the policies and procedures? the change? _________________ "Method goes far to prevent trouble in business: for it makes the task easy, hinders confusion, saves abundance of time, and instructs those that have business depending, both what to do and what to hope."
William Penn 1644-1718
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
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A new study reveals that there may be a link between individuals predisposed to comedy, and those biologically predisposed to traits relating to psychosis, the Guardian reports. Researchers behind the study, in which 523 comedians from the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia were surveyed, reported that comedians presented “high levels of psychotic characteristics,” particularly schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, as compared to those people surveyed who work in non-creative occupations.
“The creative elements needed to produce humour are strikingly similar to those characterising the cognitive style of people with psychosis – both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder,” said Professor Gordon Claridge from Oxford University’s department of experimental psychology. He is also one of the three co-authors of the findings, which are published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
“Although schizophrenic psychosis itself can be detrimental to humour, in its lesser form it can increase people’s ability to associate odd or unusual things or to think ‘outside the box’. Equally, ‘manic thinking’, which is common in people with bipolar disorder, may help people combine ideas to form new, original and humorous connections,” Claridge added.
This is only the latest addition to age-old ponderings about the nature of creativity, and its potential relationship to other, darker proclivities. This particular study cites the late British comic Spike Milligan, who suffered from manic depression, as an example backing up their findings. While small, and a bit difficult to digest, the study is certainly compelling. Hopefully participating comedians who showed higher levels of psychotic traits can at least work the survey into their acts.
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Congratulations, you are finally taking the next step and moving in together! But, before deciding where to put his dragon statues and her baby dolls (no, I don’t mean PJs), it is important to face one of the more mundane issues of life together: How do we pay the bills?
It makes sense to me that each partner keeps his or her own checking accounts, but also that the two of you open a joint or household account for common bills. The individual accounts can be used for personal expenses, hair, clothing and the like.
The household accounts should probably pay at least rent, utilities, cable, phone, internet service and food, though you are the only ones that can decide what is a joint expense or an individual one.
So how do you decide how much each roommate deposits into the household account?
If there is only one working person in the relationship, it is easier to calculate but challenging emotionally. If both of you make roughly the same income, again, easy: deposit the same amount.
The more difficult scenario is unequal income. Many couples solve this by each depositing a percentage of the household expenses based on their income difference. One may deposit $750 each month while the roommate with the larger income may have to belly up $1,000 each month.
If you have had this conversation BEFORE signing the lease, many potential financial headaches can be resolved or avoided. How one handles their money says volumes about the character of the person with whom you've decided to share your space.
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- ISBN/SKU: 9781844860357
- Binding: Hardcover
- Era: World War II
- Number of Pages: 288
- Date Available: October 2006
Your tax-deductible gift to the Naval Institute Press underwrites worthy books that might not otherwise be published.
For everyone who wants to cut through the myth and propaganda to understand the reality of life in the Royal Navy during World War II, this book presents all the essential facts in a highly readable and accessible form. The colorful, large-format work is enhanced by 300 illustrations that include contemporary photographs and artworks, diagrams and line drawings. In this timely follow-up to his bestselling Nelson's Navy, Brian Lavery examines not only the naval campaigns, from the scuttling of the Graf Spee to the winning of the Battle of the Atlantic and the dramatic landings at Normandy, but also the administration ashore and at sea that ensured those successes.
The author casts a lucid eye over the strengths and weaknesses of a naval organization under acute strain that managed to rise to the challenge of war. He delves into all areas of the Royal Navy, from the ships and crews of the battle fleet to the fleet air arm and submarine service, coastal forces, and combined operations, and he covers all aspects of personnel, from the Admiralty to the Able Seaman. Lavery also takes a careful look at the merits of technological advances in ship design, armament, and sensors and of naval customs and tradition and sets them in the context of the period.
See Related Items:
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The violent proceedings of the Prelatic party, and the dangerous nature of the principles avowed by them, began to arouse the kingdom to a sense of the danger to which all liberty was exposed; and the Parliament prepared to interpose, and to seek redress of grievances which were becoming intolerable. But the king met all their remonstrances and petitions for redress with the most lofty assertions of his royal prerogative, in the exercise of which he held himself to be accountable to God alone, affirming it to be sedition in a subject to dispute what a king might do in the height of his power. The Parliament repeated the assertion of their own rights, accused the High Commission of illegal and tyrannical conduct, and advocated a more mild and merciful course of procedure towards the Puritans. Offended with the awakening spirit of freedom thus displayed, the king, by the advice of Bancroft, dissolved the Parliament, resolving to govern, if possible, without Parliaments in future. This arbitrary conduct on the part of James aroused, in the mind of England, a deep and vigilant jealousy with regard to their sovereign’s intentions, which rested not till, in the reign of his son, it broke forth in its strength, and overthrew the monarchy.
When the Puritans found, not only no hope of redress, but a constantly increasing severity of treatment, many of them, as has been stated, fled to the Continent, and there continued to discharge their sacred duties as they could find opportunity. Embittered somewhat by the persecution which they had suffered, and constrained to minister in congregations not united in any common body, several of them began to adopt the opinions at first taught by Brown, to the extent, at least, of regarding the Congregational or Independent as the best system of Church government, though not, like him, to the extent of denying the lawfulness of any other. Of these Mr. Henry Jacob was one, who, having fled to Holland, became acquainted with Mr. Robinson, pastor of a Congregational church at Leyden, and embraced his system. Returning to England in the year 1616, Mr. Jacob imparted his views to several others of the suffering Puritans, who, considering that there was now no prospect of a thorough national reformation, resolved to separate themselves entirely from the Church of England, to unite in Church fellowship, and to maintain the ordinances of Christ in what they had come to regard as the purest form. They met, and in the most solemn manner declared their faith, pledged themselves in a mutual covenant to each other and to God, to walk together in all his ordinances, as he had already revealed, or should further reveal them, chose Mr. Jacob to be their pastor, elected deacons, and thus formed the first congregation of English Independents. Such and so small was the beginning of a body which afterwards became so powerful, and influenced so strongly the movements of the revolutionary period. 41
The strongly contrasted tendencies of the two contending parties, Prelatists and Puritans, were rendered. very apparent in the year 1618, by the publication of the king’s Book of Sports. This book was drawn up by Bishop Moreton, at the king’s direction, and dated from Greenwich, May 24, 1618. 42 The pretext for producing such a book was, that the strictness of the Puritans in keeping the Sabbath-day alienated the people, and left them exposed to the temptations of the Jesuits, who took occasion to seduce them back to Popery. To prevent this his majesty proposed, not that the people should be more carefully instructed in religion, but that, after divine service, they should be indulged in such recreations as dancing, archery, leaping, May-games, Whitsunales, morrice-dances, setting up of May-poles, and such like amusements. That the people should meditate on their religious duties, and prepare to practice the instructions given them in God’s Word, did not seem to his majesty at all a desirable matter, – it might have led them to favor Puritanism. Queen Elizabeth disapproved of preaching, lest it should teach the people to think, and perhaps to inquire into matters of State. King James aimed at the same result by making their only leisure day, when they might possibly attempt the dangerous practice of cultivating their minds, a day of mere recreation. The reason is obvious. Thinking men cannot be slaves; and both these sovereigns were desirous of establishing a complete despotism. Religious men must think, and think solemnly and loftily; therefore, to prevent this, religion must give place to giddy mirth, and God’s hallowed day must be profaned by every kind of idle recreation. And what must be said of the High Church party, who lent their aid in this fearful desecration and despotic scheme? Were they the friends of pure and holy religion, of rational improvement, of public freedom?
This Book of Sports, however, was at first ordered to be read merely in the parish churches of Lancashire; but one author asserts that it would have been speedily extended over the kingdom, but for the decisive refusal of Abbot, who had recently succeeded. Bancroft in the archbishopric of Canterbury. But though a partial enforcement of this desecrating production was all that it could, at that time, obtain, its promulgation gave serious ground of dissatisfaction and dread to all the more decidedly pious persons in the kingdom, both Puritans and Churchmen, and tended not a little to confirm the growing jealousy of High Church measures.
The "king-craft," of which James considered himself so great a master, was perpetually leading him astray, and involving him in dangerous political errors, which, blending with the religious struggles that had so long prevailed, both increased the numbers and gave intensity to the feelings of those who regarded with jealousy the arbitrary measures of the Court. In one of his wise speeches the king gave a large explanation of his views with regard to Puritanism; from which it appeared, that he considered all to be Puritans who dared to oppose his absolute prerogative, and to maintain the rights and liberties established by law. 43 At the same time he discountenanced that system of theology generally termed. Calvinism, though he had previously professed to hold it, and had sent divines to the Synod of Dort, where the opposite system, Arminianism, was condemned. But perceiving that the Puritans were Calvinists, he turned the sunshine of his favor towards those of the clergy who had begun to support Arminian tenets. In this manner he most unwisely brought about a combination of two false and dangerous principles on the one side, and of two true and salutary principles on the other; – the combination of despotism in the State and unsound theology in the Church, against the combination of political liberty and religious purity. The alliances formed on both sides were natural, for there is a strong and essential relationship between the component elements of each; and yet this very combination was the cause of many peculiarities in the struggle which afterwards arose, and of the various aspects which it wore, as the one or the other, political or religious, obtained the ascendancy.
The combination thus begun in theory was soon forced into actual existence, when, in 1620, the king, offended with the Parliament for mentioning the subject of grievances instead of bestowing money, commanded them to forbear intermeddling with his government; and upon their recording in their journals a remonstrance and protestation in defense of their ancient and undoubted rights and privileges, he, in a storm of fury, tore out the protestation with his own hand, dissolved the Parliament, and issued a proclamation forbidding his subjects to talk of State affairs. 44 This was despotism undisguised, and the heart of England understood and felt it. The element of resistance to political tyranny began to work in the minds of men, many of whom had but little regarded the sufferings of the Puritans under an equal tyranny of an ecclesiastical kind. But the storm was delayed, partly by the natural timidity of James, who was incapable of boldly executing what he tyrannically conceived, and partly also in consequence of his death, and the pause which naturally ensued at the commencement of a new reign, till its principles should be ascertained.
Charles I, at his ascension to the throne in 1623, found the kingdom in a truly deplorable condition, – on the point of being convulsed with internal dissension, despised by foreign countries, and its treasury totally exhausted. It would have required a wise and prudent king, and sage and able counselors, to have rescued the nation from such imminent and formidable perils. Rut Charles was narrow-minded and obstinate, impatient of advice except when it coincided with his own notions, bigoted in religious matters, entertaining the most despotic ideas of his royal prerogative, and so full of dissimulation, that neither his word nor the most solemn treaties could bind him, as subsequent events amply proved; and his most trusted counselors were his father’s recent courtier-race of sycophants and oppressors. His marriage to Henrietta, daughter of the French king, and a zealous Papist, caused an additional ground of jealousy, lest persons of that religious persuasion should obtain undue and pernicious influence; and many events tended to strengthen that apprehension. Instead of relaxing the severe and persecuting measures under which the Puritans had so long groaned, Charles, instigated by Laud, Bishop of London, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, continued to oppress that body of excellent men with increasing severity.
A contest arose between Charles and his first Parliament, chiefly on account of their remonstrances respecting the dangerous increase of Popery, and their determination to proceed with the impeachment of his favorite, the profligate Duke of Buckingham. To stop these measures, the king suddenly dissolved the Parliament; and as he had not obtained the supplies which he desired, he proceeded to raise money by forced loans, ship-money, and other arbitrary and illegal exactions.45 These violent encroachments upon liberty and property increased the spirit of disaffection which was already strong, compelling all who valued freedom to perceive that some decided stud must be made, unless they were prepared to sink into the degradation of utter slavery.
During the interval which elapsed before the calling of the next Parliament, the clergy were employed to inculcate with all possible earnestness the doctrines of passive obedience and non-resistance, and to prove that the absolute submission of subjects to the royal will and, pleasure, was authoritatively taught in the Holy Scriptures. Eagerly did the courtly divines comply with these directions, vieing with each other who should most strenuously promote the cause of despotism. In this glorious strife Sibthorp and Manwaring were peculiarly distinguished, broadly asserting that the king is not bound to observe the laws of the realm, – that the authority of Parliament is not necessary for the imposing of taxes, – and that those who refuse obedience transgress the laws of God, insult the king’s supreme authority, and are guilty of impiety, disloyalty, and rebellion. When the Parliament again met in 1628, they proceeded against Manwaring for inculcating tenets destructive of the laws and liberties of the kingdom, and sentenced him to fine and imprisonment till he should make his submission. He submitted accordingly; but the king soon afterwards rewarded his services in the cause of tyranny, by raising him first to a deanery, and subsequently to the bishopric of St. David’s. The other advocates of passive obedience also received promotion; and the nation was constrained to perceive what were the principles by which the king intended to govern. The controversy between High Churchmen and Puritans, which had so long divided the kingdom, was thus forced to assume the character of one in defense of civil liberty. For it was clearly seen, that the High Church party, who had all along enjoyed exclusively the favor of the reigning monarch, were willing to procure and perpetuate that favor by supporting the royal prerogative in its most arbitrary pretensions, sacrificing without scruple equally the rights of conscience and the civil liberties of the kingdom.
The contest continued in both its converging lines. On the one hand, the king strove to obtain supplies without redressing grievances, employing already that dissimulation which afterwards caused his ruin, and assenting to a bill, or petition of right, the provisions of which he never fulfilled. On the other, Laud, who, on the death of Buckingham, obtained an undivided ascendancy over Charles, prohibited doctrinal controversy respecting the Arminian tenets, and commanded the suppression of afternoon lectures, which were generally conducted by those Puritan divines who could not conform to the reading of the Liturgy in the forenoon service. This cunning prelate was well aware, that controversy on important doctrinal subjects cultivates the power of thought, and that lecturing cultivates knowledge; he knew also, that men who have been trained to think, and whose minds have acquired a store of sound religious knowledge, are incapable of becoming the slaves of either tyranny or superstition. And as the full development of his measures required the people of England to become superstitious slaves, it was necessary to suppress every thing which had a counteracting tendency. The same sort of instinctive perception of the readiest method of promoting mental and moral degradation led Laud to persuade the king to revive the Book of Sports. This was accordingly done in the year 1633, in the name of that sovereign whom the Church of England still delights to style "The Martyr," though it would not be easy to tell of what cause he was the martyr, unless it were of prelatic profanity, superstition, and despotism. It was not over one county that the Book of Sports was now to be set up, in opposition to the Word of God; the bishops were directed to enforce the publication of it from the pulpit through all the parish churches of their respective dioceses. This caused great distress of mind to all the pious clergymen. Some refused to read it, and were suspended in consequence; others read it, and immediately after having done so, read also the Fourth Commandment, "Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy;" adding, "This is the law of God, the other is the, injunction of man." And notwithstanding the employment of both power and guile, the people generally refused to turn God’s appointed times of holy rest into periods of heathen saturnalia.
In the meantime, the tide of political conflict was advancing broad. and deep. And as it had been caused at first by the course of persecution on account of religion, when the Parliament sought from time to time to interpose in behalf of the suffering Puritans, it continued to retain its religious character. Very strong and earnest language was used by several of the leading members of the House of Commons, condemning equally the Arminian doctrines and the tyrannical proceedings of the Prelatic party; and with similar directness and energy did they assail the illegal methods adopted by the king to raise money, and the oppressive conduct of the persons employed in that service. The king finding the Commons determined to defend their religious and civil liberties, and to refuse subsidies till the grievances of which they complained should be redressed, sent them orders to adjourn. This arbitrary command they refused to obey, till they should have prepared a remonstrance against the levying of tonnage and poundage, and, accordingly, proceeded to frame their remonstrance and protestation. This document declared, in substance, that whosoever should introduce innovations in religion, or advise taking of tonnage and poundage not yet granted by Parliament, or submit to such illegal impositions, should be held as betrayers of, and enemies to, the liberties of England. 46 The Speaker refused, to put these propositions to the vote, and attempted to leave the chair; but he was forced back to it, and held there till they were read and carried by acclamation. The Commons then adjourned; and four of the leading members, Eliot, Hollis, Valentine, and Cariton, were committed to the Tower, where Eliot was detained till he died, the others being released upon payment of heavy fines. Charles having now learned that the Parliament would not submit to be made a passive instrument in his hands to accomplish what he might please, determined to assume the whole powers of the Legislature, disregarding the form, as well as violating the spirit of the constitution, and realizing the absolute despotism so fervently advocated by his sycophantic clergy. He ventured even to avow his desperate intention by a proclamation, in which he forbade the very mention of another Parliament. He had yet to learn, that to shut up a strong feeling in the heart, is to increase its suppressed strength, and to give it entire possession of the inner being.
As if for the very purpose of imparting additional intensity to the growing indignation of the kingdom, Laud, now Archbishop of Canterbury, proceeded with equal eagerness in imposing fresh ceremonies of the most absurd character upon the Church, and in the indiction of excessive cruelties upon the Puritans. These Popish ceremonies drove numbers into nonconformity; and the barbarities perpetrated upon those who dared to complain or to refuse compliance, provoked the nation almost beyond endurance. Alexander Leighton was condemned to have his ears cut off, and his nose slit, to be branded on the cheek, to stand in that condition in the pillory, and then to be east into prison till he should pay a fine utterly beyond his means, – a sentence equivalent to perpetual imprisonment. Burton, Bastwick, 47 and Prynne suffered similar cruelties. And great numbers were reduced to entire destitution, because they dared to write or speak against Laud’s popish ceremonies, or against the prelatic system of Church government. Numbers forsook the country, and retired some to the Netherlands, others to the settlements recently formed in America. Never, probably, was there a period in which the principles of religious and civil liberty, and the feelings of human nature, were more shocked and outraged. But a course of crime is also a course of infatuation. At the very time when the cruel tortures of these wronged and oppressed sufferers were awakening the most intense sympathy in the nation, the king adopted a measure which roused a corresponding degree of political indignation. Finding it difficult to procure supplies as readily as his necessities required, he devised the plan of assessing not only the maritime, but also the inland counties for sums of money, for the ostensible purpose of building ships of war. This tax, as even Clarendon admits, was intended not only for the support of the navy, but "for a spring and magazine that should have no bottom, and for an everlasting supply for all occasions." This was clearly perceived, and immediately opposed by the bold and wise assertors of national liberty. The celebrated Hampden refused to pay his share of the tax, and determined to bring the legality of levying such an impost to a public trial. About the close of the year 1639, the cause was tried before the twelve judges in the Exchequer Chamber. The judges hesitated. They perceived clearly that the law was in favor of Hampden; but they held their situations during the royal pleasure, and seven decided that the tax was legal, while one doubted, and four condemned it. 48 His majesty gained the decision; but Hampden and freedom gained the cause, in the strong feeling which was roused throughout the entire kingdom.
Another act of infatuation speedily followed. For a time the suffering Puritans alone had sought refuge from oppression in a voluntary exile; but now the defenders of civil liberty began to adopt the same course. At length even Hampden, and his cousin, Oliver Cromwell, discouraged with their long and hitherto fruitless struggle, resolved also to seek in the New World that liberty which seemed to have forsaken its ancient English home. 49 But an order was published, forbidding any to leave the kingdom without permission from the privy council. They remained, returned to the field of danger and of duty, and resumed a contest which: presented now no medium between complete freedom and absolute slavery, – no retreat, no cessation, no alternative but victory or death. Thus, by this act of despotic infatuation, Charles gave to his most formidable antagonists the terrible energies of desperate necessity, and sealed his own dark and, hapless doom.
There was still another element introduced about this time, as if to render the dreadful combination perfect for evil. Although Laud did not attempt to deny the king’s supremacy in all matters ecclesiastical, yet the principle first promulgated by Bancroft – the divine authority of the Episcopal order – had, taken possession of his narrow and restless mind, and impelled him to endeavor partially to realize it, though its full and ultimate bearing lay far beyond his reach even to imagine. He not only drew the half of the chancery business into the hands of persons nominated to their offices by the prelates, but also prevailed upon the king to allow the bishops to hold their ecclesiastical courts in their own names, and by their own seals, without the king’s letters patent under the Great Seal. This was a direct infringement of the royal prerogative; and to this he succeeded in adding another as glaring, namely, the power of the bishops to frame new articles of visitation, without the king’s authority, and to administer an oath of inquiry concerning them. 50 In this manner the prelates became possessed of extensive jurisdiction, both civil and ecclesiastical, not only independent of Crown and Parliament, but based upon the assumption of a divine right, which rendered them entirely irresponsible, and beyond the control of human law. Had not the spirit of liberty, civil and religious, been at that time vigilant and strong, these prelatic usurpations must have soon reduced England to a state of the most abject slavery. And although the fearful recoil caused the death of both the wily prelate and the misled king, it is greatly to be feared that the Laudean principle is not yet dead, though it has long been dormant, – that it may yet awake in portentous strength, – and that it may put forth a power, and give rise to a struggle, of tremendous magnitude, before it be itself destroyed.
At length the king reached the turning point of his will and reckless course. Instigated by his evil genius, Laud, he strove to impose upon the Presbyterian Church and people of Scotland the whole mass of prelatic rites and ceremonies, for the sake of which he had already driven England to the extreme point of endurance. But that point had been long previously reached in Scotland, and the attempt provoked an instantaneous and determined resistance. A large portion of the nobility, nearly all the middle classes, the whole of the ministers, and almost the entire body of the people, united in a solemn national covenant in defense of their religious liberties, resolved to peril life, and all that life holds dearest, rather than submit to the threatened violation of conscience. The king raised an army to subdue them by force, but shrunk from the perilous encounter, and framed an evasive truce. This abortive attempt exhausted his treasury, and compelled, him reluctantly to call a Parliament, from which he hoped to procure supplies. The Parliament met on the 13th of April 1640, after an interval of twelve years; but the spirit of liberty was now stronger in the bosom of its members than it had formerly been, and still less disposed to prostrate itself before the royal prerogative. His majesty demanded supplies, and promised then to grant time to take their grievances into consideration. The Commons began with applying for the redress of grievances, and. refused to proceed with the grant of a subsidy till these should be redressed. Disappointed and enraged, the king dissolved the Parliament, and threw the leading members into prison. But as his need of money was urgent, he commenced exacting it more oppressively than ever, by forced loans, by ship-money, by granting monopolies, and by every artifice which want could suggest and tyranny employ. And, as if conscious that Episcopacy was the cause of the sovereign’s distress, the Convocation which met at the same time, continued sitting after the dissolution of the Parliament, contrary to law and custom, and granted a considerable sum of money to his majesty, to enable him to prosecute the "Episcopal war." This appeared a dangerous precedent, fraught with peril to the liberties of the kingdom, since, on the one hand, the king could augment the revenues of the clergy, and on the other, they could replenish his coffers, be his purposes what they might, without legislative authority, and thereby give him the means of completing his despotic encroachments. Seventeen canons were also published by this Convocation, in the sixth of which all clergymen are required to take an oath, expressing approbation of the doctrine, discipline, and government of the Church of England, one clause of which says, "Nor will I ever give my consent to alter the government of this Church, by archbishops, bishops, deans, archdeacons, etc., as it stands now established." 51 From this clause it obtained the name of " the et cetera oath ," and became an additional element of strife between the Prelatists and the Puritans, driving many ministers into the latter body, because they could not consent to swear adherence to they knew not what.
Charles having again obtained a sufficient sum of money to enable him to maintain an army, broke off all pacific relations with his Scottish subjects, and marched northwards to subdue them by force. Rut they were not unprepared for such an event. The long course of intriguing dissimulation which they had detected and baffled, during the previous stages of their transactions with his majesty, had led them to the conclusion, that he would observe the terms of the most solemn treaty no longer than till he could violate them with safety. They had therefore retained their military officers in pay, and were in a condition to raise an army at a moment’s notice. There had been also begun a private correspondence between them and the leading English patriots; and they had received assurance, that if they should advance into England itself, they would be welcomed as deliverers. They accordingly crossed the border, defeated a strong party which opposed their passage of the Tyne at Newburn, took possession of Newcastle, and advanced into England. Alarmed with their progress, and finding it impossible to raise and maintain a sufficient force to resist them, in the disaffected state of his English subjects, the king appointed commissioners to treat with the Scots at Ripon. This led to a cessation of hostilities for two months, commencing October the 26th, during which the Scottish army were to be maintained at his majesty’s expense; the remaining negotiations for peace were transferred from Ripon to London.
It had again become necessary to call a Parliament, for the adjustment of the important matters in dispute; and great exertions were made on both sides in the election of members. But the heart of England was now fairly warmed, and its strong spirit roused. By far the majority of the elections were decided in favor of the defenders of liberty; and as all knew that the crisis had come, all were thoroughly prepared for the struggle. In that Parliament was collected not only the flower of living Englishmen, but it may be fearlessly said, that no age or nation has ever produced men of greater eminence, in abilities and character, than were the leaders of that celebrated assembly. To mention the names of Pym, Hampden, Cromwell, Selden, is to mention men of almost unequaled. distinction, in sagacity, patriotism, strength of mind, and extent of learning; and those who held but a secondary position, were, nevertheless, men who were possessed of talents and energy enough to have earned high renown in any period less prodigal of human power. Such was that House of Commons, afterwards so famous under the name of the Long Parliament.
Scarcely had this Parliament met, on the 3d of November 1640, when ample proof was given that its members were fully aware of the great task they had to perform. They appointed four committees to conduct with rapidity the important matters before them: for religious grievances, – for the affairs of Scotland and Ireland, – for civil grievances, – concerning Popery and Popish plots. In these committees affairs were prepared for full discussion in the House, so that there might be neither loss of time nor mismanagement. 52 And as religious grievances had long been felt, and had led to the greater part of the civil oppression which had roused the kingdom, the Parliament took these immediately into consideration. The canons of the late Convocation were declared to be illegal, and not binding; and sharp animadversions were made respecting Laud, as their chief author. This led to the framing of an impeachment against him, as engaged in the treasonable design of subverting the religion and laws of his country. The complaint of the Scottish commissioners against Laud, as the real author of all the commotions which had taken place in Scotland, formed a large and heavy portion of the charge which led to the impeachment of the unfortunate archbishop. An accusation, consisting of fourteen articles, was drawn up, presented to the House of Lords, and. the charge being sustained, he was committed to the Tower.
About the same time, or rather a few days before it, the Earl of Strafford, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, was also impeached, and committed to the Tower. The letters and dispatches which passed between Laud and Strafford clearly prove that they were the prime instigators of all the tyrannical measures which had characterized the government of Charles for the preceding twelve years, – at which time Strafford (then Mr. Wentworth) deserted the patriotic party, and, like all apostates, became the most bitter enemy of the cause which he had forsaken. The very term employed by Laud, as distinctive of himself and his measures – "Thorough – shows clearly the character of the keen, relentless spirit and despotic temper which filled his narrow mind. And the haughty, dark, and arrogant nature of Strafford, – conscious of great abilities, full of ambitious designs, and utterly unscrupulous with regard to the measures by which they should be carried into effect, – rendered him in every respect a dangerous man, particularly as the confidential adviser and favorite minister of a monarch who himself aimed at despotism. It was not strange that the Commons of England thought it necessary to remove such men from his majesty’s councils, as a preliminary step towards the recovery of the nation’s liberties. The result of these impeachments is well known; but as several important transactions intervened, these must first be narrated.
Redress was granted to several of those who had suffered, under prelatic tyranny. Prynne, Burton, and Bastwick were released from their imprisonment in the Channel Islands, and conducted through London in a sort of triumphal procession. Alexander Leighton was also released from prison, and appointed keeper of Lambeth Palace. Several bishops and other clerical dignitaries were accused of illegal and oppressive conduct, and felt some portion of the weight of retributive justice. And so strong was the indignation which, long suppressed, now burst forth with proportionally greater vehemence, that some difficulty was experienced in restraining the people from inflicting upon their oppressors what Bacon terms "wild justice."
The flood-gates were now opened, the popular mind began to rush forth, and it required both great strength and great dexterity to guide it into a safe channel. It had been part of the Laudean policy to prevent all public discussion respecting the high pretensions of Prelacy; but freedom of discussion was now procured, and the press began to pour forth treatises of every kind and size, in which not only were the abuses of Prelacy fully stated, but also the Prelatic form of Church government itself was strenuously assailed. Bishop Hall wrote in defense of Episcopacy, and was answered by a celebrated treatise, under the title of "Smectymnuus," a word formed from the initial letters of the names of its authors, — Stephen Marshall, Edmund Calamy, Thomas Young, Matthew Newcomen, and William Spurstowe. Even the mighty Milton employed his pen in this keen literary warfare; and it is no rash matter to assert, that in learning, talent, genius, and strength of argument, the Puritan writers immeasurably surpassed their antagonists, and produced an impression on the public mind so deep and strong that it decided the controversy, so far as Prelatic Church government was concerned, even at its beginning.
Along with the literary warfare, another method of assault, not less formidable, was employed. Petitions were poured into the House of Commons from every part of the country, signed by almost incredible numbers, against the hierarchy; some desiring its reformation, others praying that the whole system might be destroyed. Of the latter kind, that which attracted chief attention was one from the city of London, signed by about fifteen thousand persons, and generally termed "The Root and Branch Petition," on account of an expression which occurs in its prayer, viz., "That the said government, with all its dependencies, roots and branches, may be abolished." Counter-petitions were also brought forward in defense of the hierarchy, scarcely, if at all, less numerous. Debates arose in consequence, and very strong language was employed by several members, condemnatory of the oppressive conduct of the hierarchy. Bills were also introduced, chiefly with the view of taking away legislative authority from the bishops, by relieving them from the discharge of civil duties in the Upper House; but the House of Lords rejected these measures, and, after a protracted struggle, there seemed to be no prospect of getting that grievance remedied.
A difficulty of a legal nature occurred in the trial of Strafford. Although his accusation specified matters of the most arbitrary and oppressive character, yet it was not clear that they fell within the express terms of statute-definition of high treason. The charge was therefore so altered as to enable the Commons to proceed with a bill of attainder, which passed that House, and was brought before the Lords. There seemed to be great probability that it would be lost in that House, when an event occurred which changed the whole aspect of affairs, so far as that was pacific. A plot was formed by some leading officers in the army and the courtiers, to bring the army to London, in order to overawe the Parliament, rescue Strafford, and take possession of the metropolis. This plot was discovered, traced out, publicly stated to Parliament by Mr. Pym, on the 2d May 1641, and immediately the conspirators absconded, – some even seeking safety by fleeing to France.53 The effect was like a lightning-Hash, – sudden and fatal. It revealed to the community their own peril, and the nature of the measures which the king was capable of pursuing; and thus it drove them to the conclusion that his word or treaty could not be trusted, and that the only method of securing their own safety consisted in depriving him of all power to injure them. Numerous and tumultuary mobs assembled around the Houses of Parliament, rending the air with cries of "Justice! Justice!" In this state of public agitation the peers passed the bill of attainder.
Another important measure passed at the same perilous moment. The king was anxious that the Scottish army should return to Scotland, being well aware that its presence in England was a source of great strength to the patriots, paralyzing, at the same time, his own military preparations. He repeatedly urged Parliament to relieve the country from the oppressive burden of maintaining these two armies, the Scottish and his own. The House of Commons had already borrowed large sums for the payment of the current expenses; and a still larger sum would be required for the completion of the transaction. But when the plot against the Parliament was detected, the citizens of London, who had hitherto advanced the necessary supplies on Parliamentary security, refused to contribute any more on a security which appeared to be so precarious. Public credit being thus overthrown, the only expedient for its recovery which presented itself was, to secure the continuation of the Parliament till these troubles should terminate. A bill was framed for this purpose, enacting, "That this present Parliament shall not be adjourned, prorogued, or dissolved, without their own consent." This bill passed both Houses with very slight opposition, and received. the royal assent by commission, along with the bill of attainder against the Earl of Strafford. 54 It would seem that the detection of the plot against the Parliament had completely stunned the king and his advisers, so that, in their guilty confusion, they were incapable of perceiving the vast import of such a concession, which rendered the Parliament completely independent of, and coordinate with, the king during its own pleasure.
Yet another step was taken, of scarcely less importance. Mr. Pym moved, that both Houses might join in some bond of defense, for the security of their liberties and of the Protestant religion. A protestation was accordingly framed, almost identical in principle with the National Covenant of Scotland, though somewhat different in form, and less minute in detail. 55
The protestation was as follows: – "I, A. B., do, in the presence of Almighty God, promise, vow, and protest to maintain and defend, as far as lawfully I may, with my life, power, and estate, the true Reformed Protestant Religion, expressed in the doctrine of the Church of England, against all Popery and Popish innovation within this realm, contrary to the said doctrine; and according to the duty of my allegiance, I will maintain and defend his majesty’s royal person, honor, and estate: Also the power and privileges of Parliament, the lawful rights and liberties of the subjects, and every person that shall make this protestation, in whatsoever he shall do in the lawful pursuance of the same; and to my power, as far as lawfully I may, I will oppose, and by all good ways and means endeavor to bring condign punishment on all such as shall by force, practice, counsels, plots, conspiracies, or otherwise, do any thing to the contrary in the present protestation contained: And further, that I shall, in all just and honorable ways, endeavor to preserve the union and peace betwixt the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland; and neither for hope, fear, or any other respects, shall relinquish this promise, vow, and protestation."
This protestation was subscribed by the whole House of Commons on the 3d of May, and next day by all the Peers present in Parliament, except two; it was then printed, and sent to every part of the kingdom, to be taken by the whole nation; and when it was opposed, the Commons passed a resolution, declaring, "That whosoever would not take the protestation was unfit to bear once in the Church or Commonwealth." To this course of procedure the king offered no opposition; and let it be observed, that the English House of Commons acted a much more arbitrary part, in the enforcing of this protestation, than had been done in Scotland with regard to the National Covenant: and as this took place more than two full years before the Solemn League and Covenant between the two kingdoms was even thought of, and was done by a House of Commons all nominally Episcopalians, it proves that it is directly contrary to fact and truth, to ascribe the severe measures of the Long Parliament to Presbyterian intolerance.
Events of great moment now followed each other with startling rapidity. A bill was passed abolishing the Court of High Commission; and another, putting an end to the Star-Chamber. Both these bills were signed by the king; and thus the main engines of oppression were destroyed. Acquiring fresh confidence by success, the House of Commons resumed their proceedings against the bishops, and actually prepared articles of impeachment. The king, perceiving that he was waging an unsuccessful warfare, changed his course, and suddenly intimated to the Parliament that he intended to pay a visit to Scotland, to complete the pacification with that country. The long-pending treaty was concluded and ratified, and his majesty journeyed to his native country with such expedition as to show that some important measures were in his mind. The leading Parliamentary politicians penetrated his design, – which indeed was sufficiently apparent. He had felt the strength of that support which the presence in England of the Scottish army gave to the patriotic party; and he justly imagined, that if he could not only detach the Scots from the English Parliament, but gain them to himself, he would then be able to reduce his refractory subjects to his own terms. The king’s absence necessarily led to the adjournment of the Parliament; but its chief committees continued to meet, and a small committee was formed. to accompany his majesty to Scotland. 56 The secret purpose of this committee was, to give to the leading Scottish statesmen such private information as should put them on their guard against the arts of royal dissimulation which might be practiced. For this the Scottish leaders were already prepared by their own painful experience, and although the king exerted himself to the utmost to give satisfaction to them, and bestowed honors on the chief of the Covenanters, yet he could not remove their suspicions, – still less induce them to pledge themselves for the support of his intentions.
Not only were his majesty’s expectations disappointed, but additional cause was given to his people to watch all his movements with increasing jealousy. Before the king’s arrival in Scotland, the Earl of Montrose had been detected forming a conspiracy to betray the Covenanters, even while acting as one of their commissioners at Ripon. For this, and other similar matters, he had been imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle. Even in his confinement he found means of corresponding with his associates, and, through them, with the king; and a plot was formed, of which there is strong reason to believe the king to have been aware, to seize Argyle and Hamilton, and either put them to death, or hurry them on board a frigate which lay in Leith roads, and having thus struck terror into the Covenanters, to put the army into the hands of the king, at the head of which his majesty might return and overpower his refractory Parliament in England. 57 The discovery of this plot excited a sudden and strong commotion; but the king endeavored to cause it to be regarded as entirely a groundless alarm, and redoubled his efforts to give all possible satisfaction to the Covenanters. This event, known by the name of "The Incident," sunk deep into men’s minds, and led them to entertain the belief, that the king was capable of conniving at any measure, however dark and bloody, provided that it could promote his progress towards absolute despotism. The fearful outburst of Popish fury, termed the Irish Massacre, taking place at the same time, gave to all these suspicions the most dark and dreadful aspect, and filled the heart of both England and Scotland with intense horror and alarm. And although it may be difficult to prove that Charles directly instigated the Irish Papists to this insurrection, or anticipated the terrific deeds that were done, yet it would be still more difficult to acquit him of knowing that it was intended, and of conniving at it, with the expectation of turning it to his own advantage, by means of the armed forces which would be placed under his command. 58
Such was the state of matters, and such the agitated temper of the kingdom, when Charles returned to London, again to resume his contest with the Parliament, now roused to a pitch of almost desperate determination. A committee had been appointed, a considerable time before, "to draw out of all the grievances of the nation such a remonstrance as might be a faithful and lively representation to his majesty of the deplorable state of the kingdom." This remonstrance, consisting of two hundred and six articles, 59 was read in the House of Commons on the 22d of November 1641. It had to encounter a very strong opposition; and after a debate which lasted from three in the afternoon till three in the morning, it was carried by a majority of 11, the votes being 159 to 148. Within a few days after the remonstrance had, been presented to his majesty, and before he had returned an answer, it was printed and dispersed all over the kingdom. By this step, certainly defective in courtesy, the Parliament fairly took their ground, threw themselves and their cause upon the principle and intelligence of the kingdom, and thenceforward the struggle was one between the sovereign and the nation.
The trial of the bishops, who had been impeached as authors of the nation’s grievances, came next. The bishops attempted to stay the proceedings by entering a demurrer. Great and dangerous tumults arose in consequence of the position taken by the prelates; and they, alarmed, and considering themselves exposed to personal danger, determined to abstain from going to the House of Lords, and drew up a protestation against whatsoever should be done by Parliament in their absence, as null, and of no effect. 60 Their greatest enemies could not have suggested to them a more self-destructive course. They were immediately accused of acting in a manner destructive of Parliaments, and assuming a negative voice in the Legislature, possessed by the king alone; and a new impeachment being framed on this ground, ten of them were sent to the Tower.
These proceedings exasperated the king to such a degree, that he immediately resolved to retaliate; and sent the attorney-general to the House of Commons to impeach of high treason five of the leading members, namely, Lord Kimbolton, Sir Arthur Hazelrigge, Denzill Hollis, John Pym, John Hampden, and William Stroud. The Commons not having ordered them into custody, the king himself went to the House next day (January 4th) to seize them, attended by a crowd of armed men. They had received notice of his intention and withdrawn, so that when he placed himself in the Speaker’s chair, and looked around him he perceived that this violent and unconstitutional attempt was abortive. 61 The most intense excitement arose, Parliament adjourned for a week, the citizens of London protected the five members, and offered to raise the trained bands for the protection of Parliament itself. In vain did the king attempt to overawe them by fortifying Whitehall, and placing artillerymen in the Tower. They were equally resolute, and prepared to bear back force by force if necessary. In this great moment, when every measure was surcharged with peril, the king’s infatuation again prevailed; and instead of remaining either to amend his error, or to confront the danger, he forsook Whitehall on the 10th of January, removing first to Hampton Court, then to Windsor, and soon afterwards to York, leaving all the elements of strife, which his despotic proceedings had aroused, to combine and rush onward in a torrent of irresistible might.
Very soon after his majesty’s departure from London, the bill to remove the bishops from the House of Lords, that they might not "be entangled with secular jurisdiction," was again brought forward, passed by a large majority on the 6th of February, and on the 14th of the same month obtained the royal signature by commission.
But the intentions of the king soon began to display their hostile aspect too evidently to be any longer misunderstood. From York he made a rapid movement upon Hull, at the head of a considerable body of cavalry, on the 23d of April, for the purpose of seizing upon that important town, and taking possession of its magazines. Sir John Hotham refused to admit him with more than twelve attendants, having been appointed to his situation as governor by the Parliament, to whom he was responsible for its custody; and the king, in his disappointment and anger, declared him a traitor. 62 Several manifestoes passed between the king and the Parliament, both on account of this event, and with regard to the command of the militia; but the progress of negotiation, instead of producing an agreement rendered the breach wider and wider, preparatory for an entire disruption. Considerable numbers of both Houses forsook the Parliament and joined the king; an army was formed, and Hull was invested in regular form. To meet this hostile movement, the two Houses, on the 12th of July, resolved that an army should be raised for the defense of the king and Parliament, and gave the command to the Earl of Essex. On the 9th of August, the king proclaimed Essex and his adherents traitors; and also declared both Houses guilty of high treason, forbidding all his subjects to yield obedience to them. The Parliament, on the other hand, proclaimed all who should join the king’s army traitors against the Parliament and the kingdom. In another proclamation, the king summoned all his faithful subjects to repair to him at Nottingham, where, on the 22d day of August 1642, he caused his standard to be erected in a field adjoining the castle wall. Few complied with this warlike summons; but the standard was erected amid the gathering gloom and the rising gusts of a commencing tempest, which, ere evening, increased to a perfect hurricane, and dashed to the earth the royal banner,63 as if ominous of the fierce storm of civil war then bursting on the land, and the disgrace and ruin that awaited the royal cause.
It had for some time been clearly perceived by the Parliament that war was inevitable, especially after the king’s attempt upon Hull; and they accordingly began to make all necessary preparations. The friendly countenance and support of Scotland was of the utmost importance, and this, therefore, they resolved to secure. Twice had the Council of Scotland attempted to mediate between the king and the Parliament, first in the beginning of the year, and again in May; but though the Parliament accepted their mediation, it was rejected by the king in a peremptory tone, commanding them to be content with their own settlement, and not to intermeddle with the affairs of another nation. The English Parliament, understanding that the General Assembly was to meet in Edinburgh about the end of July, addressed a letter to that body, stating the perilous aspect of affairs, and expressing their desire to avoid a civil war, and yet to promote reformation in both Church and State. The assembly’s answer, dated 3d August, expresses sympathy with the sufferings and dangers of England, recommends unity of religion, "That in all his majesty’s dominions there might be one Confession of Faith, one Directory of Worship, one public Catechism, and one form of Church government," accusing the prelatical hierarchy of being the great impediment against obtaining that desirable result. A letter from a number of English divines was addressed to the same Assembly, in which, after expressing gratitude for previous advices, they state, "That the desire of the most godly and considerable part amongst us is, that the Presbyterian government, which hath just and evident foundation, both in the Word of God and religious reason, may be established amongst us, and that (according to your intimation) we may agree in one Confession of Faith, one Directory of Worship, one public Catechism and form of government."64 From these expressions it is evident that both the English Parliament and the Puritan divines were perfectly aware of the views entertained by the Scottish Parliament and Assembly; and yet did not hesitate to seek assistance, and to assent to the idea of a uniformity in religious worship, which Scotland regarded as an indispensable condition.
Nor does it appear that the English Parliament entertained any reluctance to procure Scottish aid on such terms. For, in the month of September, a bill was passed through the House of Commons, and on the 10th of that month through the House of Lords, entitled "An Act for the utter abolishing and taking away of all archbishops, bishops, their chancellors and commissaries," etc., – ordaining, that after the 5th of November 1648, there shall be no archbishop, etc., including the whole array of dignitaries and cathedral functionaries, and that all their titles, jurisdictions, and offices, "shall cease, determine, and become absolutely void;" that their possessions should return to the king; that the property of cathedrals should be vested in trustees, who should give a stipend to their late possessors, and out of the remainder support preaching ministers, both in towns, and through the country where required." 65 Thus was the English hierarchy overthrown by a Parliament which even Clarendon admits to have been composed of men favorably disposed to Episcopacy; and this overthrow took place at a time when the Parliament had not resolved to what form of Church government a legal ratification should be given, a whole year being allowed to elapse before the act of abolition should take effect, to allow ample time for the deliberations of an assembly of divines which they intended to call together for that purpose. And so far was the Scottish General Assembly from attempting to force England to adopt the Presbyterian form of Church government, that they abstained from framing a Confession of Faith and Directory for themselves, till it should be seen what England would do, that the matter might not be foreclosed, but the Church of Scotland left at liberty to adopt the same general system, if it should prove such as to gain their approbation. Even at an earlier period, in the very commencement of the negotiations between the English Parliament and the Scottish Church and people, the latter had strongly advocated a uniformity of religious worship in the three kingdoms, and at the same time had as strongly disclaimed the idea of presuming to dictate to England in so grave and important a matter. Yet this accusation is constantly urged against the Church of Scotland by her adversaries, in ignorance, it may be hoped, of the real facts of the case; although it is not denied that the Scottish Church naturally cherished the expectation that any thorough religious reform in England would produce a Church more resembling the other Protestant Churches than it had been under its wealthy and political hierarchy.
The sword was now unsheathed; and for a period the more harmless war of negotiations and manifestoes was abandoned, and a sterner conflict waged. Several battles were fought, some with doubtful success, and in others to the disadvantage of the Parliament. When the approach of winter led to a partial cessation of hostilities, proposals were again made for peace, and commissioners were sent from the Parliament to Oxford to endeavor to frame a treaty. The Scottish Council sent commissioners also. And hopes were for some time entertained, that the king would consent to such terms as might restore peace to the kingdom without the absolute surrender of its liberties. But it was discovered that his majesty was busily engaged in framing a double plot; – one part of which had for its object the seizure of London; the other, that Montrose should raise the Highlands of Scotland, while the Irish army should invade the western parts of that kingdom, and, having subdued the Covenanters, march to the assistance of the king against his English Parliament. The discovery of these plots, the contumelious treatment sustained by the Scottish commissioners, and the manifest duplicity of the king himself, caused the treaty to be broken off, and both parties prepared to resume the conflict in the field. Again the king’s troops were repeatedly successful, and the Parliament were constrained to make redoubled exertions to maintain their ground. For the same reason, they were the more anxious to enter into a close treaty with Scotland, and appointed commissioners to attend the Scottish Convention of Estates, and General Assembly, which were to meet in the beginning of August 1648.
Before that period the Parliament had been endeavoring to advance in what they felt to be of primary importance, – the reformation of religion. By the act of September 10, 1642, it had been ordained that the prelatic form of Church government should be abolished from and after the 5th of November 1643; and it had also been determined that an assembly of divines should be held, to complete the necessary reformation. In the meantime, enactments were passed for the better observance of the Lord’s Day, – the suppression of the "Book of Sports," – the keeping of monthly fasts and lectures, – the removal of all superstitious monuments and ornaments out of churches, – and for the trial of scandalous and inefficient ministers, as well as for granting some support to those of the Puritan ministers who had been ejected in former times for nonconformity, or had recently suffered from the ravages of the king’s army. One of the articles in the grand remonstrance of December 1641, had expressed the desire of the Parliament that there might be "a general synod of the most grave, pious, learned, and judicious divines of this island, assisted with some from foreign parts professing the same religion with us, who may consider of all things necessary for the peace and good government of the Church; and to represent the result of their consultations, to be allowed and confirmed, and to receive the stamp of authority." During the treaty of Oxford, a bill of the same purport was presented, and rejected by his majesty. And when at length convinced that the king would make no concessions in behalf of civil and religious liberty, the Parliament resolved that they would delay no longer, but turn the bill into an Ordinance, and convene the Assembly by their own authority. This important Ordinance is dated June 12, 1648, and is as follows: –
"An Ordinance of the Lords and Commons in Parliament, for the calling of an Assembly of learned and godly Divines, and others, to be consulted with by the Parliament, for the settling of the Government and Liturgy of the Church of England, and for vindicating and clearing of the Doctrine of the said Church from false aspersions and interpretations." "Whereas, amongst the infinite blessings of Almighty God upon this nation, none is, or can be, more dear unto us than the purity of our religion; and for that, as yet many things remain, in the Liturgy, discipline, and government of the Church, which do necessarily require a further and more perfect reformation than yet hath been attained: And whereas it hath been declared and resolved by the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament, that the present Church government, by archbishops, bishops, their chancellors, commissaries, deans, deans and chapters, archdeacons, and other ecclesiastical officers, depending upon the hierarchy, is evil, and justly offensive and burdensome to the kingdom, a great impediment to reformation and growth of religion, and very prejudicial to the state and government of this kingdom; and that therefore they are resolved that the same shall be taken away, and that such a government shall be settled in the Church as may be most agreeable to God’s Holy Word, and most apt to procure and preserve the peace of the Church at home, and nearer agreement with the Church of Scotland and other reformed Churches abroad: And for the better effecting hereof, and for the vindicating and clearing of the doctrine of the Church of England from all false calumnies and aspersions, it is thought fit and necessary to call an Assembly of learned, godly, and judicious divines, to consul" and advise of such matters and things, touching the premises, as shall be proposed unto them by both or either of the Houses of Parliament, and to give their advice and counsel therein to both or either of the said Houses, when, and as often as, they shall be thereunto required:
"Be it therefore ordained, by the Lords and Commons in this present Parliament assembled, that all and every the persons hereafter in this ordinance named, that is to say," [Here follow the names] "and such other persons as shall be nominated and appointed by both Houses of Parliament, or as many of them as shall not be letted by sickness, or other necessary impediment, shall meet and assemble, and are hereby required and enjoined, upon summons signed by the clerks of both Houses of Parliament, left at their several respective dwellings, to meet and assemble at Westminster, in the chapel called King Henry the Seventh’s Chapel, on the first day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and forty-three; and after the first meeting, being at least of the number of forty; shall from time to time sit, and be removed from place to place; and also, that the said Assembly shall be dissolved in such manner as by both Houses of Parliament shall be directed. And the said persons, or so many of them as shall be so assembled or sit, shall have power and authority, and are hereby likewise enjoined, from time to time during this present Parliament, or until further order be taken by both the said Houses, to confer and treat among themselves of such matters and things, touching and concerning the Liturgy, discipline, and government of the Church of England, or the vindicating and clearing of the doctrine of the same from all false aspersions and misconstructions, as shall be proposed to them by both or either of the said Houses of Parliament, and no other; and to deliver their opinions and advices of or touching the matters aforesaid, as shall be most agreeable to the Word of God, to both or either of the said Houses, from time to time, in such manner and sort as by both or either of the said Houses of Parliament shall be required, and the same not to divulge, by printing, writing, or otherwise, without the consent of both or either House of Parliament.
"And be it further ordained, by the authority aforesaid, that William Twisse, Doctor in Divinity, shall sit in the chair, as prolocutor of the said Assembly; and if he happen to die, or be letted by sickness, or other necessary impediment, then such other person to be appointed in his place as shall be agreed on by both the said Houses of Parliament. And in case any difference of opinion shall happen amongst any of the said persons so assembled, touching any of the matters that shall be proposed to them, as aforesaid, that then they shall represent the same, together with the reasons thereof, to both or either the said Houses respectively, to the end such further direction may be given therein as shall be requisite in that behalf. And be it further ordained, by the authority aforesaid, that for the charges and expense of the said divines, and every of them, in attending the said service, there shall be allowed unto every of them that shall so attend the sum of four shillings for every day, at the charges of the Commonwealth, at such time, and in such manner, as by both Houses of Parliament shall be appointed. And be it further ordained, that all and every the said divines, so as aforesaid required and enjoined to meet and assemble, shall be freed and acquitted of and from every offense, forfeiture, penalty, loss, or damage, which shall or may arise or grow by reason of any non-residence or absence of them, or any of them, from his or their, or any of their, church, churches, or cures, for or in respect of the said attendance upon the said service, any law or statute of non-residence, or other law or statute enjoining their attendance upon their respective ministries or charges, to the contrary thereof notwithstanding. And if any of the persons before named shall happen to die before the said Assembly shall be dissolved by order of both Houses of Parliament, then such other person or persons shall be nominated and placed in the room and stead of such person or persons so dying, as by both the said Houses shall be thought fit and agreed upon: And every such person or persons so to be named, shall have the like power and authority, freedom and acquittal, to all intents and purposes, and also all such wages and allowances for the said service, during the time of his or their attendance, as to any other of the said persons in this ordinance named is by this ordinance limited and appointed. Provided always, that this ordinance, or any thing therein contained, shall not give unto the persons aforesaid, or any of them, nor shall they in this Assembly assume to exercise, any jurisdiction, power, or authority ecclesiastical whatsoever, or any other power than is herein particularly expressed." 66
Such was the Ordinance calling together the famous Westminster Assembly of Divines; and while that Ordinance is immediately before the reader, it may be expedient to direct his attention to some of its peculiarities. About nine months had elapsed since the passing of the bill for abolishing the hierarchical form of Church government, during all which period there was no form of Church government in England at all. It was impossible, therefore, that the Assembly could meet in any ordinary form, either as a Convocation, according to the Prelatic system; or by the votes of the ministers, according to the Presbyterian system; but it was of necessity called by the Parliament, who nominated all the members themselves, for the purpose of obtaining their advice respecting the further reformation which should take place, and the organized form which should be assumed by the Church of England. For though the Prelatic system had been abolished, yet the Parliament did not imagine that the Church had therefore ceased to exist, as the language of the Ordinance proves. Let it be observed also, that one object in view by the Parliament in calling this Assembly, was for the express purpose of procuring a "nearer agreement with the Church of Scotland, and other reformed Churches abroad;" so that, as there were no other kinds of national Churches but the Episcopalian and the Presbyterian, it must have been the intention of the English Parliament to bring their Church nearer to the Presbyterian system, if not to adopt that system entirely. It is therefore equally calumnious and absurd to accuse the Church of Scotland of attempting to constrain the English Parliament in its intended ecclesiastical reform, for the purpose of getting the Presbyterian polity introduced. The Parliament had to choose, – to retain the Prelatic system, with all the tyranny and oppression which had become absolutely intolerable, – to adopt the Presbyterian, to which the Puritan ministers were already predisposed, – or to have no national Church at all, with the imminent peril of national anarchy. And let this also be observed, that the long intermixture of civil and ecclesiastical jurisdictions in England, while it had given to the Parliament a very just dread of permitting ecclesiastical persons to possess civil jurisdiction, had both familiarized them with the idea, contained in the sovereign’s ecclesiastical supremacy, of a blended jurisdiction, and had driven them to entertain the conviction that civil rulers ought to rule in ecclesiastical causes equally as in their own peculiar province. Even the fact that there was at the time no legal form of Church government in the kingdom, and that consequently there could be no assembly of divines without being called by Parliament, led to the infusion of an Erastian taint into the very calling together of that Assembly, and the framing of the regulations limiting and directing its deliberations.
Having now arrived at the actual calling of the Westminster Assembly of Divines, it may be expedient, before proceeding to relate its deliberations, to give a very brief outline of the leading topics contained in the history and character of the Church of Scotland, so far as it is necessary that these should be known, in order to obtain a full understanding of the subject.
The Reformation in Scotland began and was carried on in a manner the direct reverse of that which took place in England. In the latter country it began in royal caprice or passion, – was at the first rendered subservient to the arbitrary will of a despotic monarch, through the pernicious element of his ecclesiastical supremacy, – was checked and turned awry by that element, and in the struggle between those who wished a further and more complete reformation and the courtly and prelatic rulers of the Church, it ended in a civil and religious despotism too heavy and cruel to be any longer endured. In Scotland it was entirely an ecclesiastical movement from the very beginning. Patrick Hamilton, the noble and youthful friend of Luther and Melancthon, learned the doctrines of the reformed faith, and taught them to his countrymen, till his testimony was sealed with the blood of martyrdom. Wishart gave an additional impulse to the sacred. cause, equally by his teaching and his death. Several of the Popish priesthood were converted, and aided in converting others. John Knox caught up the same testimony; and though, by the commanding power of his genius, and the unconquerable energy of his character, he caused the voice of religious reformation to be heard throughout the kingdom equally by prince and peasant, in the palace and the cottage, still it was simply and essentially a religious reformation, taking its form and impress directly from the Word of God alone, and encountering at every step the formidable opposition of civil powers and political intrigues, instead of receiving from them its bias and its external aspect. Relieving that God’s Word contained the only authoritative direction for doing God’s work, the Scottish reformers made their sole appeal "to the law and to the testimony;" and though they respected the great continental reformers, they sought the principles of doctrine, discipline, and Church government, from no foreign model, but from the Holy Scriptures alone. Thus it was that the Church of Scotland framed its Confession of Faith and its First Book of Discipline, and met in its first General Assembly for its own government, seven years before it had even received the sanction of the Legislature. Its first General Assembly was held in 1560, – the first act of Parliament recognizing it as the National Church was passed in 1567. From its origin it had to encounter the world’s opposition; in its growth it received little or nothing of a worldly intermixture; and when it reached somewhat of matured form, it still stood opposed to the world’s corrupting influence.
But a few years elapsed till the rapacity and the overbearing force of the nobility began to pillage and assail the Scottish Church; and where direct power could not prevail, fraud and dissimulation were employed. The first attempt against the free Presbyterian Church of Scotland, was that of Regent Morton, who devised the well known scheme of tulchan bishops, that by their instrumentality he might at once seize its revenues and corrupt its courts. When King James assumed the reins of government he followed a similar course, with less energy, but greater cunning, and with unwearied pertinacity. His theory of government was absolute despotism; and he had sagacity enough to perceive, that where the civil and ecclesiastical jurisdictions were distinct, his theory could not possibly be realized. And as the Church of Scotland was equally opposed to either aspect of his theory, refusing to intermeddle with civil affairs herself, and refusing to permit civil rulers to intermeddle with matters of a spiritual character, the wily tyrant saw the necessity of subverting the Presbyterian form of Church government, and establishing Prelacy in its stead; well aware that he would easily acquire an influence over titled and wealthy clergy at Court, which he could never obtain over a free General Assembly. But neither force nor treachery could succeed till after he ascended the English throne; when, by means of the combined power of English wealth and English influence, he so far changed the government of the Scottish Church as to procure the appointment of bishops, the half submission to certain rites and ceremonies, and the partial suppression of General Assemblies. Still a considerable portion of the nobility, the greater part of the ministers, and by far the majority of the people, remained Presbyterians in principle, and bore an insurmountable dislike to Prelacy. James had foresight enough to see that it would be hazardous to proceed farther; and refused to comply with the solicitations of Laud, who was eager to impose the whole of his beloved Episcopalian forms on the Church of Scotland.
When Charles I ascended the throne, he found England in a state of discontent swelling towards insurrection, in consequence of the long course of tyranny, civil and religious, which it had uneasily endured. Unfortunately for him and for the kingdom, he had imbibed all his father’s despotic notions of the absolute and irresponsible nature of the royal prerogative; and to little less than his father’s dissimulation and insincerity, he added far greater strength of mind, and strength, or rather obstinacy of purpose. Yielding himself entirely to the counsels of Laud, and of his beautiful but imperious and relentless queen, he not only refused to mitigate the sufferings of the English Puritans, but resolved to complete what his father had begun, and to bring the Scottish Church into an entire conformity with that of England. A Book of Canons, and a Liturgy, were framed by the Scottish bishops, chiefly by Maxwell, bishop of Ross, revised by Laud, and sent to Scotland to be at once adopted and used, without even the formality of having them laid before any Scottish civil or ecclesiastical court. The free spirit of Scotland was roused by this mingled insult and tyranny. At first a sudden tumult broke out, and rendered the scheme abortive; and then followed a wide, deep, and steady determination to wrench asunder the despotic yoke of Prelacy, and to restore to Scotland, in all its original purity and freedom, her own dearly purchased and beloved Presbyterian Church. Pledging themselves in a sacred National Covenant, the noblest, the wisest, and the best of Scotland’s sons and daughters prepared to encounter every peril, and to sacrifice all that life holds dear, rather than yield up their most precious birthright and inheritance, – their religious liberty. Provoked to see so bold and firm a front of resistance shown to his despotic designs in the poorest and least populous part of his dominions, Charles raised an army and marched against his hitherto unconquered Scottish subjects. He was met on the border by an equal array of that high-hearted and intelligent class of men, the Scottish peasantry, who have no parallel in any land, trained as they are from infancy to know, to love, and to fear God, and fearing Him, to have no other fear. The king could, in bitterness, mock their poverty, but he shrunk from the encounter with men who knew better how to die in what they believed to be the cause of sacred truth and liberty, than how to yield. He framed an evasive peace, and returned to England, purposing to conciliate the Parliament so far that he might obtain the means of overwhelming Scotland by a new army too mighty for that small kingdom to resist.
But the English Parliament had, with deep interest, marked the power of high principles in the triumph of the Scottish people; and refused to gratify their despotic sovereign, perceiving well that the overthrow of that free country would be speedily followed by the loss of their own remaining liberties. A secret, but a constant intercourse, was begun and carried on between the English Parliament and the Scottish Covenanters, for their mutual support in defending their civil and religious liberties against the aggressions of the king. And when Charles again raised an army for the prosecution of the bellum Episcopale, the "Episcopal war," the Scottish Covenanters no longer acted only on the defensive, but boldly entered England, declaring, at the same time, their pacific intentions, their friendship towards England, their loyalty to the king, and their desire only to procure the removal from his majesty’s councils of those persons who were plotting the overthrow of religious and civil liberty in both countries. Charles again was constrained to recoil from their firm front, and to recommence a treaty of pacification, first at Ripon, and then at London. The Scottish commissioners experienced the most friendly treatment in London; and the preaching of the ministers, who were empowered to treat for the Church, while in the metropolis, attracted crowds, and appears to have produced a deep and favorable impression respecting both themselves and their cause, as even the bitter and contumelious language of Clarendon sufficiently proves.
The king perceiving that the presence of the Scottish commissioners in London tended to confirm their intimacy and influence with the Parliament, at length hastily concluded the treaty of pacification, and set out for Scotland, with the avowed intention of completely terminating all the necessary transactions with the civil and ecclesiastical authorities of that kingdom; but, as afterwards appeared, with the deep design of maturing the embryo plots of Scottish conspirators, and the intended insurrection of the Irish Papists. The intrigues of Montrose, the dark event termed "The Incident," the sudden outburst of the Irish Massacre, and the king’s attempt, after his return, to seize the five members of the English Parliament, have all been already related briefly, and need not be here retraced. Suffice it to say, that, while considered separately, they were sufficiently startling, when viewed in the light of the king’s previous conduct, and as they occurred in the order of time, they gave to all who valued religious and civil liberty in both England and Scotland a fearful impression of the terrible deeds which the king could do or sanction for the recovery of his shaken power, and the establishing of his desired absolute despotism. They saw with deep regret, that they had to deal with a sovereign who regarded treaties but as a species of diplomatic warfare, in which parties strive to overreach each other, and by whom the most solemn stipulations would be observed no longer than till his safety would permit, or his interest induce, him to break them. It became, therefore, imperatively necessary for the English Parliament and the Scottish Covenanters, that is, the Scottish nation, to enter into some common bond of union, by means of which they might prevent the danger of being deceived, divided, and overpowered by their unscrupulous antagonist, and both countries reduced to slavery and degradation.
In devising this common bond, there was some difference of opinion between the English Parliament and the Scottish Covenanters, though a difference rather of accident than of essence, arising out of the different points of view from which they contemplated the common object. In England, the long course of oppression pursued by Elizabeth, James, and Charles, fell chiefly on the Puritans, who never, at any time, had formed a majority in the nation; and it was not till spiritual despotism began to produce civil tyranny, as it always does, that England fairly awoke. For that reason the main aspect of the struggle in England was one in behalf of civil liberty; and, consequently, what they chiefly wished to form with Scotland was a civil league. On the other hand, the contest had from the first, in Scotland, been of a religious character, the king attempting to overthrow the religious liberties of the vast majority, and to place a religious despotism in the hands of a very small minority. And although civil liberty was also assailed inevitably, yet the primary and main object of attack was religion; so that when the people of Scotland united to defend their sacred rights and privileges, their bond was almost entirely of a religious character, as is proved from the tenor of the National Covenant. And as it had been by means of English influence that the Church of Scotland had been overpowered, the statesmen and divines of Scotland were fully convinced that they could not safely enter into any close alliance with England, unless their great enemy Prelacy were first abolished, and that no secure and lasting intimacy could be maintained between the two countries if there were not at least a close approximation towards uniformity in religious worship, discipline, and government. This idea the Scottish commissioners strenuously, yet most delicately, pressed upon the notice of the English Parliament so early as the beginning of the year 1641; and in this they were supported by nearly all the Puritan ministers, those only excepted who had adopted the Congregational system. What Scotland chiefly wished, therefore, was to enter into a religious covenant with the English Parliament. This, then, was the difference produced by these different circumstances. England wished for a civil league with Scotland for the preservation of their mutual civil liberties, but was willing that it should have also a religious aspect and influence. Scotland desired a religious covenant for the preservation of their mutual religious liberties, but was willing that it should have also a civil aspect and influence. And neither country wished to dictate to the other in either subject, but to leave national inclinations and peculiarities untouched. It is evident, that in these circumstances a union could be formed; but it is as evident, that in directness and sacredness of purpose, the superiority was on the side of Scotland; and also, that hers must be the greatest danger, from the certainty that thus leagued together she must share the fortunes of her mightier neighbor.
If the reader has at all attended to the facts stated, and the principles evolved in the preceding introductory pages, he must have perceived their extreme importance in themselves, and also the light which they throw on the subject to which he is now to direct his concentrated attention. In the earliest ages of Christianity, the civil power everywhere was hostile, because it was pagan, that is, idolatrous. When the civil power became avowedly Christian, it did so at a time when all the principles of Popery were already in existence, and wanted but a favorable opportunity for obtaining ascendancy. This opportunity was furnished by the ignorance of the barbarian overthrowers of the Roman empire; and thus Popery arose into full power. One of its distinctive features was its assumption of supremacy in all matters, both civil and ecclesiastical. The fatal effect of this blending of jurisdictions was not at once apparent; but it led to absolute despotism and its counterpart, absolute slavery. At the Reformation, an attempt was generally made to separate the two jurisdictions, the civil and the ecclesiastical; but the importance of the idea was not fully appreciated, and the attempt was but partially successful.
In England, in particular, the sovereign, seizing upon the power formerly possessed by the pope, assumed both jurisdictions, and became head of the Church as well as head of the State. The pernicious consequences were soon apparent, – in the unsteady and fluctuating progress of religious reformation, – in the new forms of persecution, – in the complete stop put to further advancement in purity and truth, – and in the rapid growth of despotism, civil and religious.
These consequences advanced steadily, though with varying rapidity, during the reigns of Elizabeth, James, and Charles I, till they produced the absolute necessity of resistance, unless men were willing to submit to the entire loss of natural, national, and religious liberty. For though we have but touched the main points of the events of those reigns, it must be evident to every intelligent person, that there was not a single thing in which a human being could claim liberty to act, as a man, as a responsible and free agent, and as a member of the Christian Church, which was not directly and violently assailed by the prelates, under the authority of the sovereign’s ecclesiastical supremacy. And as man can never be entitled to denude himself, or to suffer others to wrest from him his essential characteristics of a responsible and religious being, it had become a sacred duty to assert and defend his natural, national, and religious rights and responsibilities.
Further, when Prelacy, at first avowedly a human invention, arrogated a divine right, it assumed an aspect that could no longer be endured. Men may, in certain circumstances, abstain from asserting their natural rights; but when an attempt is made to abolish these rights even in God’s name, it becomes a duty which they owe to God himself, to prevent the perpetration of a grievous wrong, so wrought as to involve a violation of His glorious and holy character and attributes. It was, therefore, a holy deed, to resist that form of prelatic tyranny; for it was a vindication of the King Eternal from a despotism usurped as if by his authority.
And let it be well observed, that the awfully pernicious character here ascribed to the assumed divine right of Prelacy, cannot be charged against Presbytery, when it, too, claims to be of divine right. Because, while it asserts that Christ, the only supreme Head and King of the Church, has appointed a government and office bearers in his spiritual kingdom, it recognizes equally the religious rights and responsibilities of the people, the free subjects of that kingdom, whose right to liberty of conscience is also a divine right. Nor can it ever become a Popery, by usurping civil authority, and exercising a spiritual and civil despotism; because it owns and teaches the divine right of the civil magistrate in his own department as also and equally an ordinance of God. But upon this subject it is needless to dwell at present; it will come more fully before us as we proceed in tracing the discussions of the Westminster Assembly.
[End of Chapter 1]
CHAPTER 1 (contd.)
41 Neal, vol. 1 pp. 461, 462.
42 Fuller, vol. 3 pp. 270-273.
43 Rapin, vol. 2 pp. 192, 193.
44 Rapin, vol. 2 p. 212.
45 Rushworth, vol. 1 p. 192; Whitelocke, p. 2.
46 Rushworth, vol. 1 p. 659, et seq.
47 In passing sentence on Bastwick, the bishops denied that they held their jurisdiction from the king. – Whitelocke, p. 22.
48 Whitelocke, p. 24.
49 Neal, vol. 1 p. 618.
50 Neal, vol. 1 pp. 584, 585.
51 Neal, vol. 1 p. 630.
52 Whitlocke, p. 36.
53 Whitelocke, p. 43.
54 Whitelocke, p. 43.
55 Ibid.; Rushworth, vol. 4 p. 241.
56 The committee were, the Earl of Bedford, Lord Howard, Sir Philip Stapleton, Sir William Armyne, Mr. Hampden, and Mr. Fiennes.
57 Baillie’e Letters, vol. 1 p. 392; Brodie’s British Empire, vol. 3 pp. 150-155.
58 The perusal of "A Declaration of the Commons," etc., July 25, 1642, would prove to any impartial reader that there was such a plot between the queen and the Irish Papists, and that the king knew of it.
59 Rushworth, vol. iv. pp. 438-451; Whitelocke, p. 49.
60 Whitelocke, p. 51.
61 Whitelocke, p. 50.
62 Rushworth, vol. 4 p. 567.
63 Clarendon, vol. 2 p. 720.
64 Acts of Assembly, 1642.
65 Neal, vol. 2 pp. 150, 151.
66 Rushworth, vol. 5 pp. 337-339.
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- Special Sections
- Public Notices
In a formal Record of Decision (ROD) authorizing continuing operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory, federal managers have proposed only limited changes in the level of a few activities and a modest handful of new facilities projects.
The ROD, published in Friday’s Federal Register, is based on the Final Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement that was issued in May, which described a “preferred alternative,” actively supported by the laboratory and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
But the first set of choices includes few of the activities that were proposed under the preferred, or “expanded operations alternative.” Nor does it include any of the options discussed under a third scenario of reduced operations.
“NNSA has decided to continue to implement the No Action Alternative with the addition of some elements of the Expanded Operations Alternative,” the document states. “For the most part, NNSA will continue the missions conducted at LANL at current levels at this time.”
A press release from NNSA’s Los Alamos Site Office Friday called the decision paper, “the first of a series of Records of Decision” that will be based on the environmental study and process.”
The decision establishes a threshold framework for continuing operations at current levels with a few changes.
The LASO statement noted, “NNSA will not change pit production at LANL at this time; the 1999 ROD set pit production at LANL at 20 per year.”
Up to 80 of these plutonium triggers for nuclear weapons were proposed under the expanded set of options, but that was based on assumptions that have not been politically sanctioned.
The last formal environmental impact study was issued in 1999. DOE’s regulations require the department to evaluate operations under the National Environmental Protection Act every five years. An environmental analysis was begun in 2004, but scrapped shortly afterward in favor of a new more elaborate environmental impact statement that was issued in draft form and the subject of an extensive round of hearings and a 75-day comment period.
The laboratory issued a statement Friday acknowledging that the decision, “allows the Laboratory to continue performing service to the nation through our national security missions while enhancing our science capabilities.”
Among the four changes in operational levels that were authorized, was a broadening of the types and quantities of radioactive sealed sources (used in power generation, medical research and treatment and industrial tools and instruments, among other things), support for the LANL high performance computer, the Roadrunner, expanded research on health and safety research related to beryllium and authorization for retrieval and disposition of transuranic wastes.
Among the facilities projects that may be pursued under the decision are the Waste Management Facilities Transition projects related to the Consent Order; repair and replacement of cooling system components at the Plutonium Facility; and final design for a new Liquid Waste Treatment Facility and design and construction of a Zero Liquid Discharge Facility component.
In a brief set of comments distributed by e-mail after the release of the decision on Friday, Greg Mello of the Los Alamos Study Group, observed that the ROD “postpones most decisions, including decisions about plutonium warhead core (‘pit’) production” until another major environmental study, having to do with transforming and consolidating the entire nuclear weapons complex are completed.
“This ROD can be seen as a temporizing effort, pending the results of spending decisions, nuclear policy decisions and the presidential election,” Mello wrote.
In analyzing public comments, the ROD paid special attention to issues of environmental justice raised by Santa Clara pueblo, defended the appropriateness of the document’s evaluations but also offered a plan to provide special consideration to tribal concerns and issues.
The document also responded to comments about inadequacies in the laboratory’s groundwater monitoring network.
“NNSA acknowledges that past well installation practices have not produced the desired network, and will continue to install and refurbish wells until adequate information is obtained regarding groundwater conditions and contaminant transport within the aquifers in the LANL area."
With respect to future options, the document states, "These decisions do not limitor prejudice the decisions NNSA may make regarding the programmatic alternatives it is evaluating" on the larger question of consolidating and transforming the nuclear weapons complex.
The environmental statement on that subject is scheduled to be published next month.
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They say you can tell a lot about a man by looking at his shoes. It's a silly metaphor but one that's always stuck with me. When I meet someone, I look at their shoes. It's my way of sizing them up. And sometimes I wonder if they do the same to me.
The thing is, the metaphor works so well. As a child you're constantly growing new shoes. You're probably wearing shoes your parents picked for you or some hand-me-downs. When growth slows down you start making your own choices. Boots through most of high school, then black Converse junior year. My sister drew stars on one of them. When they got old I wrapped duct tape around them. It was an ultimate, deliberate expression of how little I cared--something I wanted to make sure everyone knew.
Then there was the grey pair I had for a while. They were unadorned until I let my girlfriend draw all over one of them, and someone dropped a red marker on the other--after which point they bore her mark forever, until they were far too tattered to be worn. Even then I kept them around sometimes, for those days I didn't have time to put on another pair, the days when I was at my worst, the days when I was least prepared.
I've had both pairs I wear now for a long time now. Both of them are getting noticeably beat up. The green and black pair is stained; the black pair is turning brownish. Both are falling apart on the inside, little pieces I didn't even know were there falling apart of ripping. But for all appearances they're fine. They don't draw attention to themselves, but they aren't beautiful. They get by. They may be unravelling but there's still a few miles left in them.
They say you can tell a lot about a man by looking at his shoes. It's a silly metaphor but one that's always stuck with me. When I meet someone, I look at their shoes. It's my way of sizing them up. And sometimes I wonder if they do the same to me.
I'm shivering with fever as I write this. There's so much I could be writing about. Do they still move the hands on the doomsday clock? I could be writing about that right now if they do. I could be writing about all of the stupid ways humanity is destroying itself.
But all I can focus on is today. On what I was hoping would just be a quick Memorial Day phone call, wrapped up in blankets despite the warm weather, drinking a cup of tea. And she answered, noise in the background--having more fun than I was, obviously. "Hello?" and "I can't hear you, hang on," and "Hello? Are you still there?" before it was finally "There you are! How are you?" and "I'm great," and "I can't talk long," and "Can I call you back after the party?"
And I'm saying "Sure," and "I'll be here," and "It's not like I'm going anywhere." And there's no phone call and I'm just reading through all the news and wondering if maybe I should be afraid or upset or concerned or angry or sad--but nothing. Threats of UN resolutions, talk of hostilities and war breaking out and immediate action, and I'm waiting for a fucking phone call. It's four am. She's not calling. She's asleep or passed out or staying up until dawn talking to her friends, sobering up as the dawn approaches, sharing that deliriously exhausted sunrise with someone that isn't me. And I'm shivering and wrapped in blankets and drinking tea and staring at the screen, because I am just a man, and I'm not above all the stupid ways humanity is destroying itself.
She washes her hands in scalding water sometimes, and sometimes she doesn't really know why. Usually it's for stress, but sometimes, when she's washing her hand and the water gets hot, she'll just stare at her hands and leave them under the water until she can't bear it anymore. Sometimes she massages her hands; sometimes it's just enough to leave them still.
There is something intensely focusing about the process, something that makes the simple ritual of hand-washing into a calming and pleasurable experience--and she has never told anyone about it, though she has put it into writing once or twice. Like so many secrets, it is not that she is afraid someone will find out, but that she thinks no one would care, and it has never really come up in conversation. Over time she has decded that she should keep it secret inentionally, if for no other reason than sometimes, it's important to be able to say to someone, "I have never told anyone this before," and mean it.
It was a lazy afternoon last summer when I first unearthed her notebook, which was beautiful, if a little dusty and beat up. Somehow I could tell it was an artifact. I set it on the coffee table and dusted off the cover gently. "What's this?" I asked, trying to be casual.
"Oh, that. It's nothing."
"Can I read it?"
"I'd rather you not, it's--it's kind of personal."
I left it at that. She put it back away, locking up those little secrets she'd written on its pages, expecting me to pretend they weren't there. And I didn't press the issue, but the day stayed with me. That look of mixed fear and embarrassment in her eyes as she saw it. Whatever it was, I couldn't be trusted with it.
Today, as I was lying in bed doing nothing but enjoy the weather, I was interrupted by the doorbell. The UPS driver was leaving as I opened the door. He'd left a small package on my doorstep, with no return address. I cut it open on my way upstairs--she'd sent me the notebook. I don't know why she wanted to share her secrets with me now that we barely speak anymore, and there was no explanation attached. A phone call confirmed she'd sent it but she wouldn't comment, except to request that I read it.
Sometimes it's good to know that someone knows everything.
Almost five am and there's a window open in my bedroom. There's a cool breeze and the sounds of the city and the trees and the birds makes it perfect, and here I am lying on my back, staring at the lights and the shadows playing across the ceiling, wishing this moment--this perfect evening in late spring, the breeze--would last forever. Smiling, letting my mind wander, thinking about everything and nothing.
Six months since I saw her last. That puts it around late autumn when the leaves were turning, and she was wearing a scarf and a hat and a jacket, and we were meeting up in Wallingford, where the trees were so beautiful, and rustled not unlike tonight, but it wasn't spring then. It was cooler, then. We walked hand in hand, and she never even told me she was leaving. But she looked like autumn looks, not cold, but about to leave, and the winds are getting sharper and the days get shorter and shorter. And while she was wearing that little knit cap and that pretty scarf, there was that distance there, even if she's beautiful wearing it. I can't run my hands through her hair, or kiss her on the neck and leave a mark, like she tells me she wants me to.
But it's been six months now and I've stopped wishing she were here. She's an autumn girl, now, in her scarf and hat and jacket and that distant smile, with those cryptic words about the seasons changing and the leaves falling. And it's spring, and everyone is so beautiful in spring, and I'm still drunk on the flowers and the trees even as they fade into their summer greens. It's spring and she's an autumn girl and right now, I'm just happy with the late spring melody of the city. I've reserved the spring for myself.
My eyes drift shut, and tonight I don't hear the wind whispering her name.
There is a quiet girl who worries sometimes that she missed something with her first real love, that maybe when she got scared and ran away it was because she had never actually felt anything like that before. So she dates nice boys, boys who will believe her when she whispers promises to them in bed, boys who kiss her on her neck and leave little bruises, who only want to love and be loved and just know that she is the one, right up until she leaves.
She is dating a boy with a mind who likes to pick at things, who asks why all the time, who wants to know what happens when you break rules. He is a painter and thinks that all of life is a question, except, he confided recently in his girlfriend, for her. He doesn't believe her when she is quiet for a long moment and tells him that if she's an answer, it's not to the question he's asking. He kisses her on the neck and it will leave a little bruise and tells her she shouldn't be afraid, that he will never leave her, and she wishes he would understand that she is telling him she's going to leave him in a few weeks, now, before he can hurt too bad.
His brother just graduated high school and never listens when his parents and teachers tell him he has a brilliant mind. He wants to study music, and he also never listens when his parents and teachers tell him he'd be wasting his talents there. He listens to his girlfriend, who is his first and with whom he is sure he is in love, who tells him to do what he likes.
His girlfriend is seventeen and hates it when people don't understand one another. She thinks that it's the most important thing in the world and is going to be a social worker when she grows up, because she thinks everyone should get to do what they like instead of what they are expected to do. She doesn't think she is in love with her boyfriend, but she is staying with him while he goes off to college, in the hopes that he will decide the distance is too much of a strain. On some nights she entertains notions of infidelity, but mostly the thoughts are anathema.
Her sister is a poet, and thinks there is nothing more beautiful than poetry in any of the three languages she speaks. She has always loved words, their nuances, learning their meanings more intuitively than any dictionary could. And despite the sometimes mournful and wistful sentiments she expresses she insists that she is happier than any human being has a right to be, and she says it with such eloquence and conviction, no one has ever thought to question her.
We were walking along through the park at night--it was a lovely out and we'd been friends long enough that it seemed like it'd be nice. She was talking about a mutual friend of ours and something they'd done this weekend while I was in Portland. Then she stopped and we fell silent and by some sort of mutual agreement slowed to a halt in the middle of the path.
Then there was a moment--that brief tension and uncertainty. Our eyes met for a moment before she, smiling suddenly, pushed me into the grass and laughed. I lay there for a moment before she helped me back up. We didn't say anything for the rest of the walk, just smiled secretly and held hands. It was a moment of perfect clarity. No games, no power politics, no lying, no questions, no dancing around anything. We both understood. It was perfectly straightforward and perfectly honest.
We could have ruined it with words, of course. But words, especially in the hands of a writer, are a terrible way to start something off.
It was still almost daylight when we got in, settling down on her couch to watch the sun sink behind the trees with a bottle of red wine, trying to push down the feeling that this, too, is fleeting. All the day's laughter and festivities seemed fleeting now, and there was just us: her, me, the wine, the sunset. And it wasn't long before the sun had set and it was just dark now, and the streetlights and the leaves cast dancing shadows on the wall, and our moods had darkened too. By the time the light fled we were talking about our regrets and what we'd have done different, about today, about everything.
About the time I was talking about how I was afraid I had one shot and I blew it, her hand found mine, or maybe mine found hers, and then her head found my shoulder and my lips found her lips and we both found the floor. We kicked over the last of her wine and froze there, her on top of me, me ready to apologize, when she started laughing. "It's fine," she said. "Really."
"Shouldn't we get some paper towels or--"
"Let's just shut up. Just for tonight."
It would, she observed, still be there in the morning.
It wasn't official or anything but I ran into a couple of people from my old high school recently, and we had something like a reunion. It's the sort of thing I hope to avoid in the future. It's not so much that I feel older--I've known that for a while now. But everyone I knew in high school, I knew as a dream.
The girl I dated for most of high school used to be filled with this boundless enthusiasm, not sure what she wanted to do, but everyone just knew she was the kind of person who would go places. When I ran into her she seemed subdued, tired, and still not sure where she really wanted to go. Late at night, when the others had gone home, she confided that she still felt like she only made choices because she was never given the option not to.
One of my best friends was always laughing, but he also always had that calm that only comes with self-awareness. He knew who he was and where he was going--and, to his credit, never once faltered from his goal. Now he's there. He has other goals, more projects. He's moved on, and it became readily apparent his bright future didn't include his past.
Melissa worked hard and played hard. She was always a little guarded, not willing to let anyone in, and always seemed like she was trying to prove something. She was well on her way to a brilliant career now, and by rights she should have been happy with that. But if she's trying to prove something, she doesn't quite seem convinced herself.
I don't quite know what I expected. I knew they'd change. I didn't know what the future looked like, though--it was some unattainable ideal back then, a time when we would be happy, successful, and all the questions were answered. And then, somehow, we got there. It wasn't a beautiful ideal. It wasn't wonderful. We got there and it was just as confusing and bleak--older now, more experienced, but we aren't any happier or better off for it, just bereft of our optimism and idealism.
It was a fine day for a funeral. Just the sort of spring day where the colors are still vibrant, but with an overcast sky and a sort of thin mist falling, washing out everything but those vibrant colors. And here was everyone in their somber blacks and umbrellas. Some of them were crying. Even the occasional smile was that grim smile--the kind you can only really do when you're finding humor in the worst of situations. In most respects it was perfect. They couldn't have asked for a better day for a funeral.
I never really knew him when he was alive. I was good friends with his younger brother in college--we'd lived together for a few years--but I'd moved on. I was in Chicago now, working in finance. I was engaged to be married in the summer. As far as I was concerned, life is beautiful and there's so much going on. But he insisted, and I was never one to turn down a friend, so I flew back.
I'm not sure why I came here. After all the awkward embraces and weak, consoling smiles, avoiding glances, it's only made me uncomfortable. My friend barely talked to me, which was probably understandable--but the whole affair was, despite its picturesque qualities, starting to agitate me. When I felt I'd made a sufficient appearance, I began walking back towards my car.
My friend stopped me before I could leave. "Hey, glad you came."
"Yeah. You all right?"
"I'll be all right." We talked for a while. I was surprised at how little I was interested in his life, while he seemed fascinated in mine. I was happy, successful, and he--well, wasn't.
"God, you've changed a lot since college, haven't you?"
I said I supposed I had. I never would have looked forward to starting a family, to moving out to the suburbs, then. I didn't comment on how little he'd changed. He still had that quiet unconcerned confidence, like he didn't care if his suit was ill-fitting, that he didn't have a future--like he knew and wasn't worried about it, because it would all work out in the end. Like somehow he'd managed to avoid all of the worry and stress and was still confident in himself at his brother's funeral, holding together and optimistic about the future despite everything.
"I guess I'll let you go. Thanks for coming out, it's good to see you."
"Yeah, you, too," I lied. "Sorry I can't stay longer." I drove back to my hotel and lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, completely motionless until I finally passed out that evening.
Sometimes all you know about someone is they're perfect, and here's me with my scars and my past and I know it all, all the time. Forever. And sometimes I forget that I'm not the only one who can tell you every single story about them. How I got this scar when I was seven and playing with my sister. How I was always the one getting the scars from our stupid games. Sometimes I forget that sometimes the reason we're ashamed to be naked isn't because of our bodies but our scars.
She's asleep next to me in bed as I write this. I never noticed all of the little scars she has before--the ones on her back and arms and legs. The thing is I knew, on some level, that she had a past, she had a long life before we met. I know the stories everyone knows, the little failings she doesn't mind sharing with the world--the ones that are funny and don't make us look bad, but make us look human. The ones that make everyone else forget about the worse things we've done.
So we smile. The ones that don't fade, we cover up. You never ask. You pretend that all of the things you know are actually true. We pretend we're a happy couple that's perfect for each other, and honest and tells each other everything. But how can we be honest if there's so much we'll probably never say?
My mother wasn't there much, emotionally, when I was a kid. Sure, she gave me food and shelter and basic needs, and even a fair amount of the things I wanted, the little luxuries and frivolous necessities. But she was distant, reserved, since father died. I hated her for it. She'd help me out if I was injured physically but if I needed someone to talk to she just wasn't available. Even if I tried she'd just sit there, frozen, like she was afraid to answer but couldn't run away--not from her son.
I watched my friends carefully. They were close to their parents. Even when they fought, it was the fighting that happens when you're close to someone--only angry because there's love there, and you've bruised the relationship. Not my mother. It was so cold and emotionless. It was worse, watching her interact with her friends--laughing, engaged. There was so much intimacy in that stupid, hateful, petty gossip they'd share, when they thought I wasn't paying attention. When she brought men home and you could feel the warmth between them. It was sickening.
I'm not going to pretend I made good decisions. I didn't. I did everything I could think of to rebel. Some of it I wanted to. Some of it was just in the hopes she'd do something, say something. I wanted to see some anger, some disappointment, anything at all. And the less she cared the more I hated her for it. I moved out as soon as I could, just to get away. Things haven't gone well for me since then. I hate this apartment. I never used to drink to escape, or womanize just to try to feel something again. I can barely stay on top of my bills. I'm exhausted and unmotivated and purposeless.
The thing is I know there's people worse off than me. My ex came from an abusive past--they just wanted to raise their daughter right, keep her from ever hanging out with boys like me. A lot of good that did. They made mistakes, pushed too hard, tried too hard, and she's stuck with them. At least my mother let me make my own mistakes.
A few weeks ago I noticed, looking out my window in the morning, a black car with some men in it. It was weird but I figured I was just being paranoid. Then I saw them outside of work, and after dinner at the restaurant. I mentioned it to my coworker, who just laughed and said I was crazy. I shrugged it off.
As the days wore on I started noticing that they were everywhere--not just outside. There was equipment--cameras, hidden microphones. I suspect my wires were tapped. And I started noticing the men following me in crowds and public places, stopping by work. They were everywhere. I told my girlfriend over dinner, and she was terrified. Was I on a government watch list? Was it terrorists? Did I have any enemies? Why were they doing this?
I didn't know, and figured it was best not to talk about it too much more. But I noticed that night that I wasn't worried. The more she looked around the more I was aware that, sure, the man a few seats down was probably wearing a wire and, sure, I think that's a camera at the table behind us--but that didn't really bother me.
"This must be terrible for you," she said.
"Not really. I actually feel great. Better than I have in weeks."
"You're out of your mind."
I didn't press the issue. Maybe I was crazy, but it was almost comforting. All these cameras and anonymous suits watching me everywhere I go, making note of my every move, recording my every conversation. I'm important to someone. They're watching me. They'll know. I might die alone, but I won't be forgotten. And some days that's the best you can do.
I don't know what's happened. I'm in a strange city in a strange room. No idea how I got here. But I can't remember what happened before, either. I know who I am, where I should be. But this isn't it. This isn't my house, this isn't my city.
I walk out of my room and head upstairs. At first there's no one here, and I look out the window over the freeway--a freeway I've never seen before. Then a man walks in and greets me casually--using my name. I have never seen this man in my life. I hesitate for a moment. I can't just ask where I am. I pretend that nothing's wrong. "Hey, what's going on?"
He suggests he is heading to a restaurant downtown with a name I recognized; would I like to join him? I say that I would. "I'm just going to take the bus," he says. "It's too nice out for driving." I agree that it is nice weather. We walk to the bus stop, which features the same route numbers I would take downtown back home. As we drive, the bus driver calls out familiar-sounding intersections, but the scenery is all wrong.
We get off at the same intersection we always did, but everything is different. The restaurant isn't the same, but it's clearly the one I used to know. Even the menu seems different, though the waiter clearly knows me, and when I order an item I'd swear I'd never eaten before, he says, "Not feeling adventurous today, huh?"
I don't explain today, but I think I'm missing an opportunity.
My mother always used to tell me "I didn't raise you to act like this." In her defense, she didn't. But I can't remember the last time I was honest. The last time I didn't take the opportunity to lie, cheat, or steal--it's in my nature. I don't know what it is. I'm not proud. But I do it anyway. My mother says it breaks her heart. My mother says lots of things.
I know it's hurt people, too. People who'd ask me questions and I know what they want to hear, even though it's never the truth--the two so seldom are. Sometimes I'll warn them. "I'm just going to lie to you." "You can't trust me." They never seem to believe me. They always regret it come morning. The friends that stick around are the ones that know, and it's uneasy.
The best nights are the nights full of whispered lies that nobody believes, where nobody cares about context or meaning, just that it's right now and we're off pretending we're in a world where we mean what we say and there's a story to it--a story we both know so well we don't have to bother with the questions. Then I'll flee by the morning. Sometimes I'll leave something behind--I think, sometimes, it's just to prove I was here.
I left home three years ago, moved up north from Sacramento to Portland. I left a note for my family and told them I'd write or call or keep in touch. I didn't know how long I'd be gone. I only called from my cell phone, or wrote emails, so they couldn't come find me. They would. They cared. They were good, kind, caring people who were worried about me. They were everything I wasn't.
I was riding the streetcar a few days ago. I can't tell if it was her, but I think I saw my sister there--she's grown in the past couple years, changed her hair, changed her style, but I'd swear it was her. She was staring at me. I only just noticed as I got off. I can still just feel her watching me.
I don't know when she got to Portland. I don't know if she found me or if it's an accident. Three years I've got by without thinking about them or hearing from them, except sometimes on special occasions I'd call. There were no faces, no pain--just their phone-distorted voices trying not to cry. Now she's here and I know she knows it was me. Is she going to come find me? What will I do? Can I run away again? Seattle's not far from here, or Vancouver. Or there's lots of small towns I've only ever driven through. I'm sure I could find work or a good place to stay there.
Or maybe I shouldn't run. It's only fair if she's caught me after a three year head start.
I just try to do right by my family. I'm not a bad man. Sometimes I make mistakes. Sometimes we all do. Sometimes I get angry, and I'm not proud of what I did. I don't expect anyone to be.
She was young when I first met her. So was I, I guess. Sixteen and seventeen, two kids against the world. We got married when it was eighteen and nineteen. We lived with my family for a while, working hard, saving up money when we could. We were going to make it, she and I.
When we saved up enough money we moved to the city, where the money was tight and the hours were long, and one night she lost her job and she told me when I came home and I was just so mad, because how were we going to pay our bills and make it? It was like she'd lost the entire future for us. It's not even that I didn't mean to shout or hit her. But it was wrong and I know that now.
Eventually she ran away and I don't know where she went. I can't go back to my family. I can't find her. She called me once, from a pay phone, and I told her how much I was sorry, but she said that wasn't enough. She's okay now, she says. She's in Chicago, she's found work. I told her I wished she'd come back, but she doesn't understand we all make mistakes.
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A friend, Lori Riley Barry, emailed me a photo of her 13-year-old daughter, Kate, putting a horse named Tank through its paces during in a riding competition at Folly Farms in Simsbury.
I was pleased to receive it because not only am I fond of Lori and Kate, but since I was a tad, I’ve loved horses. A fan of Clarence E. Mulford and Zane Gray, I read book after book, plucked from my father’s vast bookcase, written by these two Western authors, until I graduated to such history specialists as Bruce Catton, F. Van Wyck Mason and Kenneth Roberts.
Horses carried me through these books, usually at a gallop. Mulford’s characters, including the original turn-of-the-20th century Hopalong Cassidy, called them cayuses.
While we lived in the country, we didn’t have a horse, because we weren’t farmers. We had chickens. You can’t ride a chicken, although I tried occasionally to rope the big rooster with my lasso. (Don’t try it. Don’t let your kids try it.)
Many people in Litchfield County own and love horses and I guess you have to love them because their care and feeding is a lot of work. Clairice (Pinky) Johnson of Torrington has owned and ridden horses since she was a little girl, when she kept begging her father (the late George Ruwet of Torringford), to be allowed to get a riding horse. Finally, he relented, with conditions.
First, she had to promise to take care of the animal’s every need, clean out the stall . . . all that. Second, Pinky was required to join 4-H. Not a problem.
“I was in seventh grade at St. Francis School,” Pinky remembered. “My first horse was named Beauty and he came with a saddle and bridle. The cost was $300.”
Her cousin Helen also had a horse and many a time they went riding together.
Pinky and husband Kurt operate Kurt’s Hot Dogs. They are also skiing instructors. She is a busy woman with grown children and much to do but the horse habit is one owners don’t want to break. Pinky has owned many and currently has two in her barn, named Claire and Noah.
“They are what we call rescue horses,” she said. “They are still fine for riding.” Does she ride every day? “Oh,” she said, “I wish. No. Two or three times a week.”
Lori Riley Barry and husband John have two children, Kate, 13, and an older son Sean. Sean cares little for horseback riding but enjoys and plays other sports. Kate took to horses when she was little, much as Lori had when she was growing up.
“I used to draw pictures of them, read about them and plead with my father to buy one,” she said. “When we moved from Massachusetts to Hollis, New Hampshire, we got one, named Patriot. He was pretty lazy. He loved to eat. I was nine years old when I began taking lessons. But then I got another horse, a mare named Tasha. She was wonderful. Sometimes in the summer, I’d sit on her back and read a book.
“And Hollis was a horsy town. It even had a town riding ring. I was into 4H, also.”
Riley-Barry, a sports writer for The Hartford Courant, is proud of both of her children. She and Kate are the horse people in the family. “Kate has always loved horses like I did,” she said. “She’s very good and one reason is that she’s fearless.” The two, mother and daughter, take weekly lessons and rent horses at “their barn” in Hebron. They live in Storrs.
It’s easy to see how horses can get a grip on a person. As a kid, aspiring to be a cowboy and all, I longed to have one. But I had to settle for reading about them. Aside from the famous race horses, it was fascinating to study up on horses that made history, such as Robert E. Lee’s Traveller (spelled with two l’s in the British fashion) Brown Beauty, the horse Paul Revere is said to have borrowed to make his storied ride and Rienzi, General “Little Phil” Sheridan’s gallant steed immortalized in the poem “Sheridan’s Ride,” by Thomas B. Read, which ends,
“Be it said in letters both bold and bright; Here is the steed that saved the day;
“By carrying Sheridan into the fight; from Winchester, twenty miles away.”
My father could deliver the whole thing from memory. Closing my eyes, I can hear the dramatic recitation now.
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- The Art Index
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Join Jeremy Ford as he demonstrates how to capture a stunning sunset in pastel
I used Pastelmat white paper for this demonstration, but any Pastelmat coloured paper will do as long as it’s all thoroughly covered in pastel. I used Unison Colour Soft Pastels, and a black chalk pastel pencil for detail.
1 Draw a line across for the horizon, (not too dark) slightly less than half way up the paper. You may want to use a ruler for this. Underneath draw a slight diagonal, down from left to right. Under this draw the tide mark, down from left to right using a series of short-ish strokes.
2 Using a mid to light blue, cover the top half of the sky using the long side (rather than the tip) of the chalk pastel. Don’t worry about covering every bit of paper. Using a deeper, darker blue, go over the top part of that covered sky, leaving the previous blue below. If you want you could then put an even darker blue right at the top of the sky. Using a mid to light orange, cover the rest of the sky down to the horizon, again using the long side of the pastel. Then use a deeper orange immediately above the horizon. Use the first light-blue sky colour below the horizon to the tide mark, then a deeper blue on top up to the horizon. Using horizontal strokes, cover the bottom left corner up to the tide mark with a very dark blue and/or black. At this stage it won’t look like much but be patient!
3 Before putting on any more pastel, use your finger to blend the colours into the paper. Work your finger in different directions filling in all the gaps, being careful to keep the sea from smudging up into the sky. It’s a good idea to use a different finger for pale colours, and another one for dark colours. If any parts are a bit patchy add some more pastel and continue to work it into the paper. If any colours appear too bright or vivid, put a light coat of white or cream over the top and blend in with your fingers, so lightening the picture. After all parts have been smoothed with the fingers, use a creamy yellow/orange for the clouds. Use the pastel sides for wider clouds and the tip for thinner clouds.
For even brighter clouds use a very light yellow, and maybe add a little white on top to add to the brilliance. Add a few deeper orange clouds near the horizon, and some blue-grey lightly over the low sky just above the horizon. Use deeper blues and/or greys for the shadowy edge of the waves and higher up towards the horizon. Add some blue bits in the foreground by the tide mark. Again, use your finger to blend the colours in a little. Some parts may need blending or softening more than others. If your finger is too big for a small area, try using a pastel shaper which is ideal for more careful blending.
4 After the blending, add pale blue and even some white on the top of the waves and in the foreground. Add a little yellow/orange to the right of the foreground to reflect some of the sky. Add some more light to the lower sky just over the horizon. Put the islands in as carefully as you can, possibly using a black chalk pastel pencil if your pastel stick isn’t fine enough. Add some light and dark touches to the tide mark and soften slightly with your finger or a shaper. Stand back and admire. Time for a well deserved coffee!
N.B. Pastel pictures are very vulnerable to accidental smudging, so if you decide to spray your picture with a pastel fixative, be very careful for the following reasons: Always use in a well ventilated area but don’t use if you have respiratory problems. Fixative can alter the look of the picture by making the colours more intense and vivid. Therefore spray carefully about 18″ away using a lightly applied layer then repeat after a few minutes. Test spray a sample on a piece of the same kind of paper first to see how it affects the pastel. If you decide not to fix, get it into a frame as soon as you can! I triple-mount my pastel pictures so that the first mount nearest to the picture (indicated by the grey dotted line) isn’t visible but forms a gap between the picture and the outer two mounts. This is so that if the picture is disturbed in the frame, any loose pastel dust will fall behind the outer two mounts, which are visible and also creates a good distance between the picture surface and the glass so there’s no chance of them touching.
Pastelmat is an excellent robust acid-free pastel paper made by Clairefontaine. I use it because it’s so easy to build up layers of pastel and keep working over previous layers without losing the “tooth” or grip that the paper has on the pastel. Some papers will only allow limited applications of pastel before they are no longer workable, whereas Pastelmat can be worked over and over without creating clouds of pastel dust! The pastel doesn’t move as much as on other papers but once you’re used to it, you can layer dark over light and light over dark again and again. It comes in eight shades (two different pads have four shades of three sheets) and each sheet has its own protective acid-free translucent paper cover to protect it.
As a pastellist who wants to be able to correct, re-work and build up a picture it’s a must for me. I thoroughly recommend it.
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Southwell offers residents and visitors a range of parks and open spaces to appeal to all recreational activity preferences and needs.
War Memorial Recreation Ground
Formerly one of the Archbishop’s deer parks and in the shadow of the Minster, you will find the delightful War Memorial Recreation Ground. As well as being the venue for several sporting activities, including tennis, football and bowls, the park is popular for easy strolls, picnics, a small nature reserve and childrens’ play areas.
- enclosed area with play equipment for young children,
- assault course equipment beside Potwell Dyke
- play area for older children with a zip slide and spider climbing frame
- adults’ fitness area
The Community Orchard & Riverside Walk
An ‘open access’ orchard, which can be enjoyed at the start of the picturesque Southwell Trail. Within the Community Orchard, three Bramley Apple trees were planted to commemorate the bicentenary of the world famous apple in 2009. The trees were donated by Roger Merryweather who, along with his brother, were the last members of the family involved with running H. Merryweather & Sons Nursery, where the world-famous Bramley Apple was first cultivated. Riverside Walk is ideal for a tranquil stroll alongside the River Greet, from Upton Road to the Greet Bridge on the Normanton Road, while the Orchard is a popular picnic spot.
Potwell Dyke Grasslands
The grasslands are a series of small wetland meadows owned by Southwell Minster which are now being managed as traditional hay meadows, which are mown after the main flowering period, allowing seeds to be retained on the ground, and then grazed by sheep. There is a network of paths across the fields which are open all year round. Spring wild flowers include ragged robin, ox-eye daisy, yellow rattle and orchids.
Guided walks available; please call 01636 819050
The Burgage Green is an open space of grass and trees at the north end of the town – a favourite place for strolls, picnics and informal games. The green is surrounded by over twenty private homes, both large and small, most of which date from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Agriculture would have dominated the working life of the mediaeval Burgage but in more recent times it has been home to other industries such as a brick works, a maltings, a lace factory and a freight yard. A House of Correction has stood by the green since1611, the first one became so ruinous that in 1808 it was replaced by a new prison built on a site further down the Burgage. Fairs have been held on the Burgage Green in April and September from mediaeval times.
Burgage Manor was, from 1803 to1809, the home of Catherine Gordon Byron and her son George, 6th Baron Byron of Rochdale, who was at the time a scholar at Harrow. It was during his time at Southwell that the young Byron published his first collections of poems.
Southwell has a huge range of sports clubs, many with teams for different age groups. Sports clubs include:
- Golf Courses
- Tennis club
- Bowls Club
- Rugby Club
- Football Club
- Badminton Club
- Cycling Club
- Running Club
Full details of all the sports clubs in Southwell can be found in the Sports, hobbies & pastimes section of Directory of Groups.
Categories: Local Amenities
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July 23, 2010
For More Information
Contact: Public Affairs Office
With a return-to-prison rate of 30 percent and a cost of $20,000 per year per inmate, Florida prison officials believe anything that can be done to reduce recidivism will enhance public safety and save taxpayers a pile of money.
So there is a special significance to this week’s graduation of 72 inmates at the female-only Hillsborough Correctional Institution, (13 from the prison’s GED program and another 59 from vocational programs) because inmates with education and job skills are much less likely to return to prison.
Florida Secretary of Corrections Walter McNeil, a former police chief, says that re-entry programs like the ones at Hillsborough Correctional are part of a statewide re-entry initiative in Florida’s prisons aimed at reducing crime and decreasing victimization.
Graduations like these, he says, are taking place all over in Florida’s more than 60 prisons. Desoto Correctional Institution, for example. Five years ago, McNeil says, this prison in rural South Florida near Arcadia had a mere seven GED graduates for the entire year. This year so far, 70 inmates have earned GEDs.
From their first days in Florida prisons, inmates are urged to improve themselves in preparation for the day they are released. By earning diplomas and acquiring skills in honest trades, learning how to get along with other people and setting goals to change their ways, inmates increase their chances of success outside, and decrease their chances of returning to prison.
“When an inmate succeeds,” says McNeil, “society succeeds. Inmates with education and skills are less likely to commit crimes. This equates to greater public safety. With a diploma and relevant job skills, released inmates are more likely to find jobs, support families, live law-abiding lives, and pay taxes.”
McNeil points out that last year the Florida Department of Corrections released 37,391 inmates to join the workforce in all of Florida’s 67 counties.
“If our re-entry efforts are even partially successful, they will mean fewer crimes committed, increased security for citizens and a great deal of money saved,” McNeil said. “It’s a win-win all around.”
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Agriculture for Impact presented the new Montpellier Panel report ‘No Ordinary Matter: Conserving, Restoring and Enhancing Africa’s Soils’ on Thursday 4th December 2014 at the International Fund for Agricultural Development, Rome- ahead of World Soil Day on the 5th of December.
In sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated 65 per cent of soils are degraded, and unable to nourish the crops the chronically food insecure continent requires. Poverty, climate change, population pressures and inadequate farming techniques are leading to a continuous decline in the health of African soils, whilst the economic loss is estimated at USD 68 billion per year. Conversely, better land management practices could deliver up to USD 1.4 trillion globally in increased crop production – 35 times the losses.
This report from the Montpellier Panel argues that if left unaddressed, the cycle of poor land management will result in higher barriers to food security, agricultural development for smallholder farmers and wider economic growth for Africa.
The report is a comprehensive analysis of land management in Africa today, and answers a series of critical questions:
- Are donors and governments neglecting soil health in Africa?
- What are the key approaches to restoring Africa’s soils?
- How can improved land management tackle climate change in Africa?
Agriculture’s ability to catalyse rural development and eradicate poverty has been widely cited, with the World Bank claiming GDP growth from agriculture in Africa approximately 11 times more effective for reducing poverty than growth coming from any other sector. In 2006, the African Union’s Abuja declaration called for fertiliser use in sub-Saharan Africa to increase from today’s average of 8 kg/ha — the world’s lowest — to at least 50 kg/ha by 2015. However, agriculture must be implemented sustainably in order for food security to be possible for future generations, therefore the panel calls for ‘Integrated Soil Management’; combining targeted and selected use of fertilisers alongside traditional methods such as application of livestock manure, intercropping with nitrogen-fixing legumes or covering farmland with crop residues.
The launch was opened by Kanayo Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development at the United Nations in Rome.
Director of Agriculture for Impact, Professor Sir Gordon Conway chaired the panel discussion – comprising David Radcliffe Senior Advsior for Development and Cooperation DG at the European Commission, Camilla Toulmin, Director of the IIED, and Henri Carsalade, Agropolis Foundation – before opening up the conversation to questions from the audience.
You can also click here to watch the recording of the event, courtesy of IFAD
Related stories in the media;
Soil isn’t sexy – but it could explain hunger in Africa, The Guardian
African soil crisis threatens food security, says study, BBC News
African Soil Report, BBC World Service
Montpellier Panel issues its report on Africa’s soil degradation, The Ethiopia Observatory
Dirty deeds: Soil degradation costs African farmers $68 billion yearly, Thomson Reuters Foundation
Montpellier Panel Report Launch, “No Ordinary Matter: conserving, restoring & enhancing Africa’s soils”, UKCDS
Neglecting African soil could derail development and climate goals, says new Montpellier Panel report, IFAD
IFAD, Montpellier Panel Urges Action to Reverse Land Degradation in Africa, IISD
Why Africa’s degraded soils will cost the continent dearly, This Is Africa
Soil degradation costs African farmers $68bn yearly, Daily Times
BBC radio show with Ousmane Badiane
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No one wants to get hurt while playing sports, but the reality is that injuries can and do happen. That’s why it’s important to wear the proper safety equipment when playing contact sports. Here are three important types of safety gear that you should consider wearing when playing football, rugby, hockey, or any other sport where there is a risk of injury.
An Athletic Cup
When playing contact sports, it’s important to wear the proper safety gear. This includes items like helmets and mouthguards. But one often overlooked piece of equipment is the athletic cup. Both male and female athletes can benefit from wearing an athletic cup.
The cup helps to protect the groin area from impact. It is designed to fit snugly and has a hard outer shell. While it may not be the most comfortable piece of equipment to wear, it can help to prevent serious injuries. So if you are planning on playing any type of contact sport, be sure to wear an athletic cup.
A mouthguard is an important piece of safety equipment for anyone who plays a contact sport. A mouthguard will protect your teeth from injuries when playing a sport. It is important to choose the right mouthguard for the sport you are playing. For example, if you are playing football, you will need a different type of mouthguard than if you are playing hockey.
Mouthguards are made from different materials, and they come in different sizes. You can even get mouthguards that are custom-made to fit your mouth. If you wear braces, you will need to get a special type of mouthguard. No matter what type of mouthguard you choose, be sure to follow the instructions for how to care for it. With proper care, your mouthguard can last for many years.
When playing contact sports, it is important to wear the proper safety equipment to help reduce the risk of injury. One type of safety equipment that is essential for many contact sports is a helmet. Helmets help to protect the head and brain from impact and can reduce the severity of injuries such as concussions. In addition, helmets can also help to protect the face and jaw from fractures and other serious injuries. While helmets cannot prevent all injuries, they can greatly reduce the risk of serious injury when playing contact sports. As a result, all players should make sure to wear a helmet whenever they are on the field or court.
Sports are a great way to get exercise and have a good time with friends. But sports also present an injury risk, and this is more true of contact sports. If you are playing a contact sport, be sure to wear these three types of protective equipment to stay safe.
Check Out This Amazing Club for Kids!
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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
|Title:||DESA1002 'Nine Quarter City' - <Elina Brunning>|
Architecture & Allied Arts
Nine Quarter City
|Abstract:||Business.Culture.Technology.People.History.These underlying concepts intricately form a pattern which distinguishes Tokyo, making it unlike any other city in the world. It is these concepts which sustain Tokyo and give it its collision of traditional and modern ideas which continually impact design and the architecture of this cosmopolitan city. Architects and designers must take these ideas into consideration; Tadao Ando and Kengo Kuma are two examples of architects who have brought to the fore through their designs a feeling of space in a world which has forgotten landscape. My design emanated from these influences and thus I came to the conclusion of a theatre, because it encapsulates tradition whilst being versatile in the way it is designed. This versatility enabled me to make my building a public theatre which focuses on the journey through my space as it be. This compilation of my work is based on the devlopment of the design of my theatre in my block L11 in Asakusa Tokyo.Over the last semester my design has been changed and transformed into a final entity.Each week exercises produced a new individual work but not only that it completed one piece of the puzzle,making the concepts and ideas weave their way into the design with reason.My Theatre which is based upon the ancient art of Noh, a type of performance commonly performed on a cyprus stage with a backdrop and all actors being male and upon stage at all times.These themes are the underlying features of my design and are the key pieces which bring it together. The materials and construction were cohesive with my context of japan. A folded plate and the sense of a transparent screen which creates silhouettes as actors perform added to the sense of layering and journeying to find that ‘space.’|
|Department/Unit/Centre:||Architecture & Allied Arts|
|Rights and Permissions:||Author retains copyright of this work|
|Type of Work:||image|
|Appears in Collections:||DESA1002 – 2008|
This work is protected by Copyright. All rights reserved. Access to this work is provided for the purposes of personal research and study. Except where permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, this work must not be copied or communicated to others without the express permission of the copyright owner. Use the persistent URI in this record to enable others to access this work.
|Final 1.pdf||Final 1||68.19 MB||Adobe PDF||View/Open|
|model1.jpg||Model 1||7.68 MB||JPEG|
|model2.jpg||Model 2||5.36 MB||JPEG|
Items in Sydney eScholarship Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
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"There is no quantum world,” said Danish physicist Neils Bohr. “It is wrong to think that the task of physics is to find out how Nature is. Physics concerns what we can say about Nature.” [Emphases added] Despite this bothersome paradox, Bohr’s interpretation of quantum mechanics has been scientific orthodoxy for nearly a century. That’s quite long enough, according to physics professor Travis Norsen. In “An Embarrassment of Beables,” Travis challenges the “Copenhagen interpretation” of quantum mechanics and supports a less paradoxical theory first developed in 1926.
Challenging the dominant paradigm is a long-standing tradition in the sciences and indeed a familiar practice across all disciplines at Marlboro. In this issue of Potash Hill you will also learn about student Sari Brown’s efforts to confront social patterns of gender oppression in Bolivia, and alumna Daniella Martin’s crusade against species discrimination in the kitchen. Even Marlboro’s new ceramics professor, Martina Lantin, challenges trenchant dichotomies between art and craft, sculptural and functional, in her practice and in the classroom.
If you find something in this Potash Hill that challenges your own way of thinking, or have any other comments, please drop me a line. You can see reactions to the last issue on page 46.
—Philip Johansson, editor
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The old-car restoration hobby
is not only alive and doing very well, but it seems to be gaining in popularity. At least that's what our mail has illustrated of late.
As outlined in my column last month, we are seeking collector-car restoration stories and photographs from readers. So far, several dozen folks have responded, very positively, to my request. What's so encouraging about the letters and photos that we have received is that there is a growing trend among enthusiasts to perform more restoration work in-house (or is that, in-garage?) than ever before. Regardless of how little experience they have, more and more people are doing the entire restoration of their old car or truck themselves, including welding, body and paint. Although the number of those trying their hand at spraying paint is still relatively less than those rebuilding engines and brake systems, it's still far more popular than upholstery work, which seems to intimidate nearly everyone.
What's even more amazing is that not all the cars and trucks being restored are mainstream vehicles. Instead of taking the easy way out and choosing something popular to restore, which will make buying the necessary body and trim parts as easy as picking up a phone and dialing a 1-800 number, there are a fair number of folks who are restoring, or have recently restored, cars that are either rare or were unpopular models when they were new. This means that finding the much-needed parts for those particular cars, as well as the proper production information to restore them correctly, significantly adds to the project's difficulty. Yet these enthusiasts aren't too concerned about those impending problems, choosing instead to restore them because that is the car that they always dreamed of owning and driving.
In the coming months, we will be writing Restoration Profiles on many of these cars, not only because the cars are interesting models but mainly because the owner documented the entire restoration process with lots and lots of clear photographs. Photo documentation is an important step in the restoration process, and is worthwhile not only for your own interest, but it will help sell the car should you decide to part with it in the future. The photographs will show potential buyers the extent of the restoration work that was done to the car, thus validating all of your claims.
Some of the more interesting restoration projects that were sent in by our readers which we hope to profile in future issues of Hemmings Classic Car
included a 1926 Buick Master Six Opera Coupe, 1928 Studebaker Commander Regal Sedan, 1929 Roosevelt, 1931 Chevrolet Sport Coupe, 1941 Graham Hollywood, 1941 Plymouth woody wagon, 1948 Packard woody wagon, 1951 Mercury convertible, 1953 and '55 Buicks, 1958 Nash Statesman, plus several of the more commonly seen late '50s and early '60s Chevys, Fords, Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs.
Another thing we noticed from the photographs sent in was that there are far more well-equipped home garages today than even ten years ago. Besides rolling tool chests filled with all the necessary hand tools, sizeable air compressors are the most popular "big" tool item that many enthusiasts own--many of which were of the 60-gallon variety. Pedestal-mounted grinders, buffers and drill presses seem to be the next most popular tools. Several enthusiasts have full-size beadblasting cabinets in their garages, which is one of those tools that once you have one, you say to yourself, "How did I ever restore cars without it?" And you know all those garage lifts that you see advertised everywhere? Well it's quite evident that they're selling very well as many enthusiasts have at least one.
But what I found most surprising from viewing the hundreds of photographs that we received was the type of restorations being performed, their thoroughness and overall quality. Although only a few cars were body-on rebuilds, the kind that center solely on new paint and interior and the replacement of some exterior trim parts, the overwhelming majority of the restorations being performed by these talented at-home do-it-yourselfers were complete ground-up, body-off restorations. These intensely laborious projects can easily be overwhelming at times, not to mention incredibly expensive. But if you want your beloved old car or truck restored properly, it takes that kind of commitment to do the job right and for the car to last. And that's the kind of work that our readers seem most interested in doing.
Seeing photo after photo of stripped-down bodies on workhorses, bare frames, refinished with an impeccable shine, being assembled with new and repainted suspension and brake components is very inspiring to say the least. What's even more inspiring are those projects that were painted by the hobbyists themselves. Refinishing is the most difficult aspect of a car's entire restoration, and the one part of the project that gets the most scrutiny. If you mess up here, everyone will see it. But it's encouraging to see so many owners willing to take that chance, choosing to paint their cars themselves instead of having their local bodyshop do it for them. Seeing them transform their garages into makeshift spray booths with plastic sheets hanging everywhere is exciting and very motivating.
The best part of restoring old cars is the newfound appreciation and interest it instills in people. Several of our readers mentioned that they enjoyed restoring their old cars so much that they decided to make a business out of it. Two folks said that they will be setting up restoration shops when they retire from their primary careers, while others have already made it their career.
So take a close look at our 100 Collectible Cars for under $3,500 feature. There are still some affordable restoration projects to be had, and when combined with all the tools and equipment that are readily available today, restoring old cars has never been easier. A more rewarding hobby just doesn't exist.
This article originally appeared in the March, 2006 issue of Hemmings Classic Car.
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Bacuri butter is part of a growing family of Amazonian skin and hair butters. This vegetable butter will soften, nourish, and color your skin with a golden glow fast. You can change your beauty routine with Bacuri and thus, take a break from your usual products.
In this post, you’ll be reading about:
- The physical traits of the butter: scent, color, consistency, etc. All these details will help you find and recognize a good-quality product.
- The chemical composition of the butter (fatty acids and other nutrients). It’s these acids that make the butter great for skin and hair.
- The uses and benefits of Bacuri butter, to give you inspiration.
- How to use the butter of Bacuri for the best results, on a daily basis.
- Beauty recipes to try as soon as you get your butter.
- Interesting facts about the bacuri trees and the products people can get from them.
- Quality and buying tips.
- A few safety tips to be able to use the butter in the best conditions.
All You Need to Know about Bacuri Butter and How to Use It
Botanical name: Platonia insignis.
Color: brown to dark brown, coffee-like.
Consistency: thick, solid butter.
Scent: moderately strong. Some sense earthy and mossy notes. Others sense nutty, earthy, and sweet notes.
Other names: bacurizeiro, landirana, pacuri, naranjillo, maniballi.
The Amazon Rainforest is huge and there are many countries that surround it. Thus, in some of those countries, the bacuri name is given to three different tree species.
All three trees make edible, fatty fruits. They are also a source of vegetable oil extraction. Still, the true Bacuri butter comes from Platonia insignis, in Brazil. This is the species I’ll be talking about in this post.
The other two bacuri fruits belong to:
- Scheelea/Attalea phelarata
- And Salacia elliptica.
As for the flavor of the bacuri fruit, the majority of locals consider it to be the best they have.
Though the butter doesn’t look too pretty, don’t let that prevent you from trying it out!
Next, I’ll tell you more about its chemical composition, which is what makes the butter awesome. This is also meant to help you understand the way the butter works for your skin and hair.
What is Bacuri Butter Made Of?
What is Bacuri butter? Bacuri is a natural beauty and care product. It’s a vegetable butter extracted from the nuts or seeds of the bacuri fruit. It contains all the nutrients and fatty acids that both the skin and hair need.
If the butter comes from the hard seeds/nuts, the Bacuri oil is extracted from the pulp of the fruit. The latter is used in cooking all sorts of dishes, desserts, and drinks.
This butter has a unique chemical composition. It does share some common constituents with other butters or oils. Yet, some of them are only characteristic of this butter.
Bacuri is made of:
- Palmitic acid (65 – 75%) – from all the Amazonian kinds of vegetable butter I’ve researched so far, Bacuri has the highest content of palmitic acid. This acid leaves a velvety, soft sensation on the skin. It also penetrates and absorbs deep into the skin very fast. It’s a great emollient and protector.
- Oleic acid (22 – 27%) – this acid is normally found in the sebum. Its lack can lead to an overproduction of sebum just to compensate. This also triggers a nasty circle of chemical body reactions. Too much sebum can clog the pores and cause acne. Applying a bit of oleic acid to the freshly cleansed skin can prevent all that. The body won’t think it needs to produce a massive amount of sebum in a short while anymore.
- Palmitoleic acid (3 – 7%) – one very essential fatty acid that maintains the skin supple and youthful. Young skin contains plenty of it. While the body gets older, its production and existence in the tissue diminish. It can also speed up cell regeneration, helping with eczema, wounds, or dermatitis.
It also contains tripalmitin (50- 55%), a derivative from palmitic acid. It’s responsible for making the butter easily absorbed into the skin. This also means that the greasy sensation on the skin won’t last but for the moment.
Many sources suggest there are Lysine and Methionine amino acids in the butter. They are great for the body as it can’t produce them, which makes them essential. They can help the tissue regenerate faster, among others.
Unfortunately, these two important amino acids are water soluble and found only in the bacuri fruit pulp.
Water-soluble substances don’t stay in fat because they don’t mix. See the old oil and water example.
Water either evaporates or breeds bacteria. Still, there can be some traces of them left behind but the amount is too little to count.
All the fatty acids in its composition make Bacuri butter very good for the skin and hair. It can successfully replace many of your old products. It’s time to see what exactly are its benefits and uses for the skin and hair.
Being used for face, you’ll normally want to know more about the comedogenic rating of Bacuri butter. That rating can help you make an idea about its potential of clogging the pores.
I didn’t find it reliably rated anywhere, so I looked at its main fatty acids. Palmitic acid is rated with 2 and oleic acid with 3. This means there is potential for pore clogging.
If we were to believe this potential of clogging pores however, we wouldn’t use it. But, natural products like Bacuri butter are very complex.
Its constituents work in synergy and they have good anti-inflammatory and cleansing properties. My advice is to try it for a few days/weeks. Every skin type is different, thus it will react differently to each ingredient.
Coconut oil is rated 4, for example. I know people, myself included, with problematic skin, who use it and don’t break out. That is because its constituents are also great anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agents.
Uses and Benefits of Bacuri Butter for Skin and Hair
I’m sure that, by now, you’ve made an idea on what Bacuri butter can do. But let’s put a list together anyway. You’ll hopefully get the inspiration you need on how and where to use this butter for beauty purposes.
Bacuri Butter Skin Benefits:
- The butter is excellent for acne-prone and oily skin. It can help prevent inflammation and new comedones (acne). Thus, it can also prevent the formation of new scars. Inflammation that stays in the tissue for too long causes skin depigmentation (scars). It can also help regulate oil/sebum production.
- It’s also great at restoring damaged tissue (wounds, scrapes, cuts, etc.)
- The butter absorbs fast into the skin, which makes it a great emollient. Oily or combination skin needs moisturization just as much as dry skin does. It doesn’t allow the water inside the tissue to evaporate fast. This keeps it plump and radiant for longer.
- Bacuri can help fill wrinkles and fine lines, thus improving the aspect of mature skin types dramatically. Studies show the butter has great antioxidant effects.
- It’s gentle with the sensitive skin. You can apply Bacurizeiro butter on eczema or psoriasis for relief and hydration.
- Use Bacuri butter to prevent or improve the aspect of stretch marks. Of course, it’s always better to simply prevent them. How? Apply Bacuri on the skin area you know you’re more likely to get them, every day. This way, in case you gain some sudden weight, your skin will be elastic and moisturized enough to stretch without breaking.
- Bacuri butter can also be used to give your skin a golden tone.
- The butter can also help you get rid of dark spots and other hyperpigmented areas. It’s also great for freckles.
- Bacuri can also exfoliate the dead cells at the surface of the skin.
- Applying Bacuri butter in the summer can boost the action of your SPF lotion. It does have a UV filter but it cannot be used as a standalone SPF product.
- It can thoroughly remove makeup.
Bacuri Butter Hair Benefits:
- Being so easily absorbed, Bacuri butter likes to reach deep into the hair cortex. It’s pure nourishment for the hair. This makes it look healthy and shiny.
- You can apply the butter on your ends to repair and prevent split ends.
- A bit of this product on your curly hair can also tame it.
- Bacuri can also be used as an anti-frizz solution.
- Nourishes the scalp and stimulates the circulation underneath. This can speed up hair growth.
- Relieves scalp itchiness and dandruff.
In short, Bacurizeiro butter can meet almost all the needs of your skin and hair. So yes, if you feel like a change in your beauty routine, you can use Bacuri butter.
I will tell you more about its uses in the next paragraphs. This’ll hopefully give you some ideas to add it to more of your regular care products.
How to Use Bacuri Butter
Nothing is simpler than applying vegetable butter and oil to your skin and hair. That is because the butter is in fact, solid oil.
Vegetable oils don’t need to be diluted because they are not as potent as essential oils. The fatty acids they contain are gentle with the skin and very moisturizing.
What you can do is mix other ingredients in Bacuri butter. But that’s not necessary either. Using the butter as a standalone product can do the job very well.
The butter is not very hard, and it melts at about 35C/95F. This would mean it melts instantly when it gets in contact with the skin.
If you want to mix it with another butter, oils or essences, you can melt Bacuri on a double boiler.
Don’t ever melt it on a direct source of heat or you’ll risk damaging its active molecules. That will decrease the potency and effectiveness of the butter.
You can add Bacurizeiro butter in:
- Body lotions.
- SPF lotions.
- Lotions and serums meant to preserve your tan for a long time.
- Homemade lip balms.
- DIY soaps.
The amount of butter used can be anywhere between 1 and 70%. It depends on the product you’ll be making.
If you add a few drops of the right essential oil over melted Bacuri, you can make a very potent blend. It’ll add extra benefits and enhance the effects of the butter. Thus, your results will be visible faster.
- Peppermint essential oil for hair growth,
- Lavender and Tea Tree essential oils for acne and scars.
Bacuri Butter Beauty Recipes
Now that you know what it does and how to use it, it’s time to put it to the test. The following Bacuri butter recipes are very simple and easy to do.
Also, applying them on a daily basis will also be a pleasure. Especially since Bacuri leaves the skin feeling very velvety.
Bacuri Butter Salve for Wounds, Scrapes, and Cuts
- Bacuri butter: 2 tablespoons
- Cupuaçu butter: 1 tablespoon
- Lavender essential oil: 3 drops
- Helichrysum essential oil: 3 drops
- Roll on or spray bottle.
Melt both kinds of butter on a double boiler. When it’s cool enough but still liquid, add in the essential oil drops. Stir really well and let it harden at room temperature or in the fridge.
Scoop out small amounts and apply over the wounded tissue. Make sure you don’t scoop with wet fingers. Water will breed bacteria and shorten the shelf-life of your salve. It’ll also increase your risk of actually getting an infection.
Anti-Acne Bacuri Butter Recipe (Prevent & Treat)
- Bacuri butter: 2 tablespoons
- Macadamia oil: 2 teaspoons
- Tea Tree essential oil: 2 drops
- Bergamot essential oil: 3 drops
Melt the butter, add in the oil and stir well. Add the essential oil drops when the mixture has cooled off. Each essential oil has its own flashpoint and can catch fire at different temperatures. The cooler the mixture, the safer from that you are.
Also, make sure you buy Bergamot without bergaptene, which is a phototoxic molecule. That makes it safe to use in the summer, during sun exposure.
Apply in the morning or night, or both. You should see some improvement within weeks. Also, reducing the intake of sugar will also help clear your skin.
Don’t forget that Bacuri adds a tinted glow to the skin. In case you don’t want that, you can replace it with something else.
Bacuri Butter Hair Mask (Growth, Shine, and Maintenance)
- Bacuri butter: 1 – 2 tablespoons
- Olive oil: 1 – 2 tablespoons
- Rosemary essential oil: 1 – 2 drops
- Peppermint essential oil: 1 – 2 drops
The amounts you’ll use depend a lot on how thick and long your hair is. Use the minimum for short to shoulder-length hair. Mix all the ingredients together, warm the blend a bit, and apply all over the scalp and hair.
Massage it in your scalp and roots for a few minutes to stimulate the microcirculation. Keep it on for 30 mins – 1 hour and cover with a shower cap, if possible.
Wash it off with shampoo or handmade soap. You might need to repeat the process twice to make sure you’ve got all the fat off. You will know it’s clean when it squeaks.
What Makes Bacuri Butter Interesting? Facts, Buying Tips, and Safety
This is the part where I’m sharing everything interesting I’ve learned about the butter in my research. Being such a big part of the locals’ lives, bacuri fruits, oils, and butter have many uses. Check out the facts and trivia about these products and let me know what you think.
- First, bacurizeiro trees belong to the Clusiaceae plant family. This family is very large, encompassing a thousand different other species.
- They like tropical and subtropical climate, but they can also grow in temperate areas. Bacuri trees with their fatty, nutrient-packed, and delicious fruits grow all over the Amazon basin. You’ll find them in Brazil, Paraguay, Colombia, and Guyana.
- It is a South American tree species. Yet, it is related to a New Caledonian species called Montrouziera, or “houp”.
- The trees are a palm species that can grow up to 40 meters/131 feet high.
- The bacuri fruit is slightly bigger than an orange, with a thick peel. The color of the fruit is yellow – lime. It looks very much like papaya.
- Local cuisine uses bacuri fruits, oil, and butter a lot. They use these ingredients to bake pastries and make creams, jelly, cakes, puree, and liquor.
- The bark of the tree is very appreciated. They make furniture and rafters, but also heavy packaging and blocks out of bacuri wood.
- There’s an Amazonian beer recipe based on bacuri. You can find this Amazonian beer everywhere, from Belém to Pará.
- The bark contains a yellow kind of latex.
- Bacuri’s pollinator is the white-bellied parrot.
- In Brazil especially, bacurizeiro fruit, oil, and butter have many medicinal uses. It’s especially useful in soothing digestive issues, herpes, and rheumatism.
As you can see, there’s much to say about the amazing Bacuri butter and where it comes from. People in the Amazon jungle like their Bacuri a lot. They also rely on this fruit for their daily consumption.
Quality and Buying Tips
For any kind of beauty recipe with Bacuri butter, you need it high-quality. There are many indicators you can check about the quality of your product:
- Country of origin (Central or South America).
- Latin name (Platonia insignis).
- Extraction method (cold-pressed).
- Documentation (GC/MS report with the main fatty acids).
- Packaging (dark glass or plastic bottle).
The product needs to be raw and unrefined to have the beneficial effects I talked about in this post.
Tip 1: You can ask the seller for the documentation of the butter, for free. Some post it somewhere for everybody interested to download it. Others give it to you upon request. Those who do neither should be red-flagged.
Tip 2: It is a lot easier to find Bacuri butter online than it is in stores. The good news is that there are many reputable sellers out there. Once you found one, you’ll be enjoying the best butter for a long time.
When it comes to using Bacuri butter, there aren’t many safety precautions to be aware of.
Still, if you’ve got allergies in general:
- You should never forget that this butter comes from pressed nuts/seeds. Test it well in advance, on a very small portion of the skin. Or better yet, talk to your doctor about it first.
- Also, if you use Bacuri butter as body butter, pay attention to the clothes you’ll be wearing. It may stain them, though people don’t really complain about it. If you let it dry/absorb well into the skin, there should be no problem.
- This also means that if you have blonde hair or highlights, you should probably stay away from Bacuri for your hair. The same goes for the complexion. If you don’t like it tanned, remember that Bacuri butter gives the skin a golden tint.
This Amazonian beauty butter can soften, nourish, and hydrate the skin. It can also give it a golden, summery glow.
It has a great affinity for the hair too. That translates into more natural shine and luster for the hair. It makes it look healthy and easy to comb or style.
In other words, it’s super useful to have around. If you’re looking for an alternative to using the same products over and over again, Bacuri butter can do that very well.
Will you be replacing any of your creams or lotions? Have you thought about a recipe you want to try with Bacurizeiro? Do share, please 🙂
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Detail BNP Paribas LogoDownloads:
Added : 28th February 2012
Cat: Bank and Finance
Tags : Bank and Finance, BNP Paribas
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Description About BNP Paribas Logo
BNP Paribas is a major global banking group and it is one of the largest companies in the world in terms of total assets. The company was formed by a merger between Banque Nationale de Paris and Paribas in 2000. BNP Paribas operates its business into three strategic business units which are Retail Banking, Corporate & Investment Banking and Investment Solutions. The firm is headquartered in Paris, France and it serves its business to customers worldwide specially in their domestic markets in France, Italy, Belgium and Luxembourg and it also has specialized markets in United States, Hong Kong, Singapore, Poland, Turkey, Ukraine and North Africa.
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Please explain "Aaron," a poem by George Herbert.
1 Answer | Add Yours
Despite a place in the Church and the responsibility that accompanies such a position within the Church where the speaker has "Holiness on the head", the speaker finds "profaneness in my head. " He is trusted with the souls of others yet has "darkness in my breast."
A realization that this is not good for any congregation or the speaker himself he turns to God and to the "music" so that he may "be in Him new drest."
Feeling renewed and uplifted - "Perfect and light in my dear breast"- he can move forward with confidence: "My doctrine tuned by Christ." He is inspired to call the people as he is now ready to preach : "Aaron's drest." Any concerns are now overriden by a
as God "lives in me."
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Dracophyllum oceanicum E.A.Br. & N.Streiber APNI*
Synonyms: Dracophyllum sp. 'Jervis Bay' (Brown 97/80) APNI*
Description: Shrub 0.4–2(-2.5) m tall, glabrous, varying from low ± prostrate to robust and erect to spreading (in more sheltered positions), stem often branching extensively near base.
Leaves usually not persisting more than 40 cm below apex, erect to spreading and becoming recurved, sheathing at base; sheath greenish-brown to brown or pale buff, 12–17 mm long, 14–21 mm wide, usually gradually narrowed into lamina, occasionally ovate or with slight shoulder; lamina coriaceous, usually bronzed green, paler abaxially, linear-triangular, (90-)150–200(-230) mm long, (9-)10–15(-18) mm wide, flat to slightly concave; tip blunt and frequently broken off.
Inflorescence terminal, flowers maturing acropetally; each node with a caducous leaf-like bract, with (10-)20–30(-35) flowers per basal node, reducing to 1 or occasionally 2 flowers per node distally (heavily shaded branches with as few as 4 flowers per basal node); flowers erect to spreading (rarely deflexed as a result of crowding). Bracts coriaceous, brown (sometimes whitish at the base, pink throughout or with a rose-coloured tip, becoming brown with age), triangular, c. 65 mm long and 15 mm wide at base of inflorescence to c. 10 mm long and 1.5 mm wide distally, sheath concave and well-developed, margin ciliolate towards base or smooth, tip obtuse. Bracteoles scarious, golden brown, linear triangular, 6–8 mm long, 0.2–0.6 mm wide, margin ciliolate distally, tip acute. Calyx greenish white to white, often with apex tinged pink, frequently brown with paler more membranous margin in infructescence; lobes triangular, 5–7 mm long, 1.5–2 mm wide, 0.6–1 as long as corolla; margin with scattered minute teeth, ciliolate distally, apex acute. Corolla off-white, lobes becoming brown with age; tube cylindrical-urceolate, 4–7 mm long, 2.5–3 mm diam.; lobes spreading to reflexed, ovate, 1.5–2.5 mm long, (1-)1.5–2 mm wide, base subcordate to truncate, apex obtuse, papillate distally (outer surface less so) and densely rugose. Stamens with filaments inserted on the receptacle, 3.5–4.5 mm long, often adhering slightly to corolla tube but not fused to it; anthers included. Pistil ± as long as corolla tube; ovary ± cylindrical to obovate, 1.5–3 mm long, 1–2 mm diam.; style cylindrical, stout, 2–3 mm long; stigma indistinctly 5-lobed.
Fruit brown, shorter than calyx; style persistent; seeds not observed.
Flowering: August–December (April).
Distribution and occurrence: Probably restricted to the coastal cliffs and small bays of the north and south heads of Jervis Bay.
On coastal cliffs overlooking ocean, or at the base of cliffs and on stream margins in sheltered bays, rarely more than 50 metres from the sea. The substrate is sandstone of the Conjola Formation, part of the Permian Shoalhaven group.
NSW subdivisions: SC
Text by E.A. Brown
Taxon concept: Brown & Streiber 1999
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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Colorectal diseases for physicians and surgeons
Oxford University Press, Feb 26, 1998 - Medical - 340 pages
This book is the first on colorectal diseases to be aimed at both surgeons and physicians. It presents an authoritative, up-to-date overview of these diseases, and the current management techniques. It is fully illustrated and includes extensive bibliographies at the end of each chapter.
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Colorectal anatomy physiology and investigation
written by Mr V E Boston Consultant Paediatric Surgeon Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children
18 other sections not shown
abdominal abnormalities abscess acute adenocarcinoma adenomas aetiology anal canal anal fissure anal fistula anal sphincter anastomosis anorectal anus appendicectomy appendicitis appendix artery assessment associated asymptomatic barium enema biopsy bleeding blood carcinoid cause cell chronic Clin clinical colectomy coli collagenous colitis colon cancer Colon Rectum colonoscopy colorectal cancer colorectal carcinoma colostomy complications constipation Crohn's disease detected develop diagnosis diarrhoea dilatation distal diverticular disease dysplasia endoscopic eolon etal excision factors faecal Figure Gastroenterol Gastroenterology gastrointestinal haemorrhoids histological incidence incontinence increased infection inflammation inflammatory bowel disease intestinal irritable bowel Laparoscopic large bowel lesions liver malignant metastases mortality mucosa normal obstruction occur Oncol pain patients Pediatr pelvic performed perianal peritoneal polyposis postoperative present primary procedure prognosis prolapse radiotherapy rectal cancer rectum recurrence resection risk screening sigmoid colon sigmoidoscopy small bowel stage stool Surg surgery surgical survival symptoms tests therapy tissue treatment tumours ulcerative colitis volvulus
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I was re-watching the PBS show “The Question of God” the other day and during the debate segment on the moral law one of the commentators brought up the example of the Nazis. He asked how a person who did not have an absolute divinely-inspired concept of morals could explain to Hitler or the Nazis that what they were doing was wrong. So I thought I’d chip in with my two cents on my blog.
Now, I was not surprised by the question, since this seems to be a common strategy of Christians. The Nazis are often painted as godless and immoral, who were only able to do what they did because they did not ascribe to God’s laws. However, believers might want to be a little careful around this topic. Afterall, one of the central themes of the Old Testament is the idea of a chosen people. The Israelites were the chosen people of God, empowered by God to invade neighboring nations and kill/enslave their people. The fact is, the Nazis could very easily have justified their actions using the Bible. Just like the Israelites were the superior race back in the iron age, the Germans are the superior race in the industrial age and must fulfill their biblically-inspired destiny. The fact that their extreme anti-Semitism can also be traced back to a long history of Christian persecution of the Jews (as well as the writings of Martin Luther in their own country) also doesn’t bode well for Christianity’s “civilizing influence” on the Nazis.
In short, the idea that the Bible could have deterred the Nazis from the Holocaust is ludicrous. If anything, it would have empowered them further since they would have seen a divinely-inspired precedent in the “good book”. Another commentator in the show brought up the example of Wilberforce and the abolishment of the slave trade in Britain, yet we know during the American Civil War that both sides used God to justify their positions. Although Wilberforce credited God for his anti-slavery actions it’s clear that he could have taken the opposite stance just as easily (all we can say for sure is that he was against slavery and happened to be religious). The fact is, morality has never moved forward because of religion and we need to stop looking at it to guide our lives in the modern world. Living with empathy and compassion for your fellow human beings should always be the guiding principle of moral actions, not a 2000-year old book of magic.
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OTTAWA — In the midst of a growing and sometimes angry debate over how the judicial system treats Canada’s Indigenous people, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Wednesday that his government would ask them in a series of formal meetings how to fundamentally change the laws to better protect their rights.
The exact nature of the measures will be worked out through talks with all of Canada’s Indigenous groups, Mr. Trudeau told the House of Commons, rather than be determined by his government.
“We need to get to a place where Indigenous peoples in Canada are in control of their own destiny, making their own decisions about their future,” he said. Based on the outcome of the talks, the government would enact legislative and regulatory changes, he added.
Perry Bellegarde, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Canada’s largest Indigenous group, called the announcement “a paradigm shift because previous governments have not acted as if our rights existed.”
“The key is that it’s not going to be done unilaterally,” Mr. Bellegarde added. “The federal government is going to do it in partnership with the Indigenous community.”
By coincidence, the announcement came just days after a jury in Saskatchewan acquitted a farmer who had shot and killed a 22-year-old Cree man. Mr. Trudeau met with relatives of the man, Colten Boushie, on Tuesday.
The family members said the police had treated them more like criminals than victims and had conducted an inadequate investigation. They also contended that Indigenous people were excluded from the jury because judicial rules allowed defense lawyers to dismiss up to 14 potential jurors without explanation.
Mr. Trudeau said on Wednesday that the government would use the meetings, known as consultations, to determine how jury selection could be changed.
During his speech, Mr. Trudeau said that his father, former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, initially did not want to include Indigenous rights when Canada created its current Constitution in 1982. While pressure from aboriginal groups and their supporters reversed that stance — and the Constitution does enshrine the rights of Indigenous people — the younger Mr. Trudeau acknowledged that there had been widespread disappointment about the effectiveness of the protections.
He attributed that in part to the failure of successive governments to make significant legal changes and introduce other measures to ensure that Indigenous people have the rights the Constitution promises.
“We have a Constitution that created a space for Indigenous rights,” Mr. Trudeau told reporters on Wednesday, “but over the past decades, we haven’t done a very good job of putting those rights at the forefront of all our decision-making and all our engagement with them.”
One consequence of that, Mr. Trudeau said in his speech, is that “instead of outright recognizing and affirming Indigenous rights, as we promised we would, Indigenous peoples were forced to prove, time and time again, through costly and drawn-out court challenges, that their rights existed, must be recognized and implemented.”
Numerous commissions and studies, particularly a 1991 inquiry, have proposed reworking the legal system to guarantee Indigenous rights and allow aboriginal people to run their own affairs.
The consultations will be led by Jody Wilson-Raybould, the justice minister, and Carolyn Bennett, the Indigenous relations minister, with the aim of putting changes in place by fall 2019.
In an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Ms. Wilson-Raybould said that enabling Indigenous groups to become self-governing was her goal. Of the legislation that has long governed aboriginal people, she added, “I’m looking forward to the day that the Indian Act no longer exists.”
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Tuesday, July 15, 2014
PS Engineering, Inc. Announces IntelliAudio True Dimensional Sound
Inventing, designing, and building innovative audio control systems has been PS Engineering, Inc's single purpose in its corporate life. As a result, the company is renowned as the originator of most of the advanced features now part of modern day audio selector panels. Chances are, if you have an intercom or audio panel, many of the unit's capabilities came from the audio experts at PS Engineering, Inc®.
Now, PS Engineering, Inc. has partnered with the United States Air Force and licensed patented technology originally invented for Air Force pilots who are faced with simultaneous audio signals while having to distinguish these sources at the same time. IntelliAudio® was developed to help private pilots cope with the same kind of audio overload that Top Gun pilots have to deal with. With technology from scientists at the Wright Patterson Air Force Laboratory, the PMA450 combines Digital Signal Processing and an extremely simple user interface to provide an unprecedented amount of flexibility while virtually eliminating the need for a Pilot Guide.
A digital communications interface, IntelliAudio places Com 1 and Com 2 audio in various positions within the stereo headset, making simultaneous radio signals sound as if they are coming from different locations. Com 1 and Com 2 audio can be placed in 9 unique positions, making it easier for the pilot to concentrate on the radio of choice while ignoring the radio of lesser importance at the time. For example, the pilot can choose to pay attention to ATC while ignoring ATIS, depending upon what is pertinent at the moment.
Even though the PMA450 is the most advanced audio panel yet, it is very easy to use. Access to the advanced capabilities as well as initial audio panel setup is all accomplished by the pilot through just three soft-keys and a graphic display human interface. This approach is the ultimate in intuitive operation, nearly eliminating the need for an operator's manual; it's all on the screen.
The PMA450 IntelliVox automatic VOX system, invented by PS Engineering in 1997, provides both pilots and passengers with intercom squelch control. By consensus of the GA community, IntelliVox "works like magic" and eliminates the need for any manual adjustments to the intercom squelch. Digital control of the hi-fi stereo audio system allowed PS Engineering's designers a tremendous amount of flexibility, ranging from music distribution, volume control for just about every input, and ability to customize labeling of specialized switch input signals.
Another much sought-after capability is PMA450's Bluetooth implementation. This wireless system connects various Bluetooth enabled devices, providing a seamless connection to entertainment and telephone devices. The utility of using a phone comes into play when an IFR clearance is required at an uncontrolled airfield. With the din of the engine(s) and radios tuned and set, the phone can act as a third com for calling departure control.
The audio panel allows the pilot to make personalized adjustments to just about any and all of the audio inputs going into the audio panel; eliminating trips back to the avionics shop and providing settings that are just right for the pilot. There is no need to hook-up to a computer, saving time and money in the installation process.
In addition to the traditional Nav 1 and Nav 2 audio capabilities, The PMA450 offers three additional audio switched inputs that can be named to represent exactly what those inputs are being used for. For example, the pilot may want to be able to switch on and off audio annunciations like GPS waypoint alerts, AOA alerts, or other types of selectable audio signals.
With the increased popularity of mobile personal electronic devices, such as tablets, PDAs, iPhones, and iPads, the PMA450 has a built-in 10 Watt-USB charger. Never be stuck with a discharged personal mobile device in the cockpit again!
The PMA450 is plug-and-play with the PMA8000 series and the GARMIN GMA340 so the amount of time to replace an existing system is negligible, helping to further reduce the cost of upgrading. PS Engineering, Inc. will be demonstrating the PMA450 at this year's Airventure. The company's booth is inside building D at the main entrance hangar door. List price of the PMA450 is $2395 with a built-in marker beacon receiver, or $2295 without the receiver. Deliveries begin early third quarter of 2014. FAA TSO pending.
About PS Engineering, Inc:
Founded in 1985, PS Engineering has become a leading manufacturer of general aviation intercoms and audio control systems. The company's sole corporate focus is excellence in the design and manufacture of audio systems for General Aviation Aircraft. PS Engineering Inc. is credited for many innovations in the field, including IntelliVox, Softmute™, Karaoke Mode™, Split mode™, Swap Mode™, and the IRS™(Internal Recording System). With a network of over 600 authorized dealer/installers worldwide, the company is a leader in retrofit avionics as well as a supplier to other major avionics manufacturers for their audio panel requirements. www.ps-engineering.com
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Decades after being shot down over Germany, WWII veteran brought home
Francis Wiemerslage, a native of suburban River Grove, was a 20-year-old ball turret gunner on a B-17G Flying Fortress bombing during a mission over Dresden on March 2, 1945, when the plane was shot down by enemy fighters.
Seventy-six years after being killed in World War II, the remains of U.S. Army Air Forces Sgt. Francis Wiemerslage returned home Friday.
Wiemerslage, a native of suburban River Grove, was a 20-year-old ball turret gunner on a B-17G Flying Fortress bombing during a mission over Dresden on March 2, 1945, when the plane was shot down by enemy fighters.
Two of the nine crew members parachuted from the aircraft before it exploded in mid-air and crashed near Zullsdor, Germany. The six others killed were found and identified by 1949, but Wiemerslage remained unaccounted for until August, when his remains were confirmed.
On Friday, five members of Wiemerslage’s family — four nieces and a nephew, all who knew “Frankie” as he was referred to through family stories — were met at Midway Airport by members of the American Legion Post 335 from River Grove; members of Rolling Thunder Northern Illinois Chapter, a nonprofit organization dedicated to publicizing POW/MIA issues; members of three chapters of the Patriot Guard Riders, a group that attends the funerals of U.S. military and first responders; and the U.S. Army Honor Guard.
For Wiemerslage’s family, the long saga of finding and then receiving their relative’s remains brought closure but was bittersweet.
Wiemerslage had three siblings — a sister and two brothers. His brother Roland (“Rollie”), who passed away in 2019 at the age of 84, searched for his brother most of his life and gave a DNA sample to assist in recovery efforts shortly before he died, according to his nephew Phil Wiemerslage.
“Our uncle, one of his last words to all of us was, ‘Don’t forget about Frankie,’” Wiemerslage said. “There’s a sadness that they aren’t here to witness it, but at the same time, we’re the ones that are left to see it through.”
After the war, the American Graves Registration Command was in charge of recovering the remains of fallen service members in Europe. Between 1947 and 1949, the remains of all the airmen who died in the B-17 crash, except for Wiemerslage, were found and identified, according to a release from the Department of Defense.
Because there was no evidence he was a prisoner of war, a finding of death was issued a year after the crash. However, Wiemerslage’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Hombourg, Belgium, along with the others still missing from World War II.
In 1950, worsening diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, which controlled that part of Germany at the time, prevented AGRC from investigating further. Three years later, two German citizens conducted another search of the area on behalf of AGRC and found some bones, including a jaw with teeth and part of a wallet with the initials “FW.” In March 1954, the remains were interred, to be held until the recovery of additional remains could be found.
Over the years, Wiemerslage’s mother exchanged many letters with the mothers of the six others killed on the 1945 mission over Dresden and never gave up hope that her son might have survived, family members said.
“Our grandmother Vivian [Francis’s mother] never gave up hope that miraculously he survived. [She hoped] that maybe he bumped his head and had amnesia and was living with another family under a different name. She would set a place-setting up for him every Thanksgiving hoping that he would walk through the door,” Phil Wiemerslage said.
It wasn’t until 2019 when the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), assisted by archeology students from Western Carolina University, did another search of the area and found more material, which was then sent to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska for scientific analysis.
On Aug. 24, 2021, 76 years after being shot down over Germany, Wiemerslage’s remains were positively identified using DNA analysis.
Since Wiemerslage has now been identified, a rosette will be placed next to his name on the Tablets of the Missing at the cemetery in Belgium to indicate he has been accounted for.
On Friday, Wiemerslage’s remains arrived on a Southwest Airlines flight. At the airport, Midway Airport Fire and Rescue created an arc of water with water cannons that the plane passed under once it landed. Then, before any passengers exited the plane, members of the U.S. Army Honor Guard received Wiemerslage’s remains.
From there, a procession led by the Chicago, Elmwood Park and River Grove police departments was followed by the hearse containing Wiemerslage’s remains, with the Patriot Guard Riders and Rolling Thunder members following close behind on their flag-draped motorcycles.
During the 13-mile drive from Midway to the Elms Funeral home in Elmwood Park, many cars pulled over and pedestrians stopped to stand and salute.
Once at the funeral home, Wiemerslage’s casket was brought inside by members of the American Legion and Rolling Thunder.
Wiemerslage’s niece Karen Hansen said thinking about the efforts of many that resulted in her uncle returning home was overwhelming and wonderful, and she hoped it would give hope to the thousands of families who haven’t received closure about a missing loved one who served in World War II.
“We hope this offers people hope who haven’t gotten their loved ones back.”
A funeral mass is scheduled for Oct. 23 at St. Cyprian Church, then Wiemerslage will be buried at St. Joseph Cemetery in the same crypt as his brother Rollie, who almost lived to recover his brother’s remains, and next to his mother Vivian, the woman who never gave up hope that her son somehow survived.
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The dural venous sinuses are spaces between the endosteal and meningeal layers of the dura. They contain venous blood that originates for the most part from the brain or cranial cavity. The sinuses contain an endothelial lining that is continuous into the veins that are connected to them. They are no valves in the sinuses or in the veins that are connected to the sinuses. The vast majority of the venous blood in the sinus drains from the cranium via the internal jugular vein. A beginning student may be confused in comparing the dural venous sinus with the paranasal sinus. The paranasal sinuses (e.g., sphenoid sinus) are spaces that are continuous with the nasal cavity and are embedded in the bones of the skull. They contain air and have a mucous lining that is continuous into the nasal mucosa. Thus, the dural venous sinuses contain blood and the paranasal sinus contain air.
The various dural venous sinus are now described. The superior sagittal sinus is found in the upper border of the falx cerebri and begins at the crista galli. The superior sagittal sinus is fed by blood from the superior cerebrals vein and ends at the confluence of sinuses near the internal occipital protuberance. The inferior sagittal sinus is located in the lower free border of the falx cerebri between the two cerebral hemispheres. It begins anteriorly and ends with its junction with straight sinus. The straight sinus originates with the union of the great cerebral vein and inferior sagittal sinus. It runs posteriorly in the junction between the falx cerebelli and tentorium cerebelli to become continuous with one of the transverse sinuses (most commonly the left). The cavernous sinuses are found on either side of the body of the sphenoid bone in middle cranial fossae. They receive blood from the sphenoparietal sinuses which are located underneath the free edges of the lesser wings of the sphenoid bone. Blood also drains into the cavernous sinuses via the superior and inferior ophthalmic veins. The intercavernous sinuses provide a communication between the cavernous sinuses. They are located in the diaphragma sellae which covers the hypophyseal fossa and surrounds the hypophyseal stalk. The internal carotid artery, sympathetic nerve plexus and the abducens nerve are inside the cavernous sinuses. In the wall of the cavernous sinuses are the oculomotor, trochlear, ophthalmic and maxillary nerves. The cavernous sinuses drain posteriorly through the superior and inferior petrosal sinuses and inferiorly through the pterygoid plexus of veins. The superior petrosal sinuses are located in the edge of the tentorium cerebelli on the ridge of petrous part of the temporal bone. They drains into the transverse sinuses. The inferior petrosal sinuses are found at the base of the petrous part of the temporal bone in the posterior cranial fossae where they empty into the internal jugular vein. The basilar sinus interconnects with inferior petrosal sinuses and the internal vertebral plexus. The transverse sinuses extend laterally from the confluence of sinuses in the tentorium cerebelli. The transverse sinuses travel ventrally to become the sigmoid sinuses of each side. The sigmoid sinuses bend into an S-shaped curve and continue into the internal jugular vein through the jugular foramen. The occipital sinus is located in the posterior attached border of the falx cerebelli. It communicates superiorly with confluence of sinuses and inferiorly with the internal vertebral plexus.
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Have a dog or cat that likes to snooze with you? You're not alone. According to statistics, the majority of pet owners admit that their furry friend shares a bed with them. But is it healthy? New thinking on the matter ...
According to a recent survey, reported by WebMD, nearly half of all dogs and 62 percent of cats sleep in their owners' beds. Wow! That's a lot of animal-human cohabiting.
But is it healthy? Yes and no. If you suffer from allergies, obviously pets in the bed is a big no-no. You could filter the air with a HEPA filter or get allergy shots, but experts warn against keeping animals in your room if they make you sneezy. (Duh!)
The biggest health risk of animals in the bed, however, is that they tend to disturb your sleep. (My dog is an insomniac and likes to whine at the foot of our bed, so I can attest to this!) According to a recent study conducted by the Mayo Clinic Sleep Disorders Center, half of their patients reported sleep disturbances caused by a dog or a cat in their bedroom.
"I've had patients that I've spent visit after visit going over their insomnia problems, trying to figure out what's happening, then I find out they have a dog that's scratching all night," says Lisa Shives, MD, medical director of Northshore Sleep Medicine, a sleep center outside Chicago.
Over the years, my husband and I have had to banish our golden retriever, Paisley, from our bedroom several times for being downright annoying--whining, scratching, barking, trying to play in the middle of the night, standing and staring at us (and, again, whining), etc. Dogs!
Do you sleep with your pooch or cat? If so, does it work for you? If not, why not?
*[Funny health question: Has your dog or cat ever accidentally injured you?
More Ways to Get Glamour
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Permanent URL to this publication: http://dx.doi.org/10.5167/uzh-23659
Abodeely, M; DuBois, K N; Hehl, A B; Stefanic, S; Sajid, M; DeSouza, W; Attias, M; Engel, J C; Hsieh, I; Fetter, R D; McKerrow, J H (2009). A contiguous compartment functions as endoplasmic reticulum and endosome/lysosome in Giardia lamblia. Eukaryotic Cell, 8(11):1665-1676.
The dynamic evolution of organelle compartmentalization in eukaryotes and how strictly compartmentalization is maintained are matters of ongoing debate. While the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is classically envisioned as the site of protein cotranslational translocation, it has recently been proposed to have pluripotent functions. Using transfected reporter constructs, organelle-specific markers, and functional enzyme assays, we now show that in an early-diverging protozoan, Giardia lamblia, endocytosis and subsequent degradation of exogenous proteins occur in the ER or in an adjacent and communicating compartment. The Giardia endomembrane system is simple compared to those of typical eukaryotes. It lacks peroxisomes, a classical Golgi apparatus, and canonical lysosomes. Giardia orthologues of mammalian lysosomal proteases function within an ER-like tubulovesicular compartment, which itself can dynamically communicate with clathrin-containing vacuoles at the periphery of the cell to receive endocytosed proteins. These primitive characteristics support Giardia's proposed early branching and could serve as a model to study the compartmentalization of endocytic and lysosomal functions into organelles distinct from the ER. This system also may have functional similarity to the retrograde transport of toxins and major histocompatibility complex class I function in the ER of mammals.
|Item Type:||Journal Article, refereed, original work|
|Communities & Collections:||05 Vetsuisse Faculty > Institute of Parasitology|
04 Faculty of Medicine > Institute of Parasitology
|DDC:||570 Life sciences; biology|
610 Medicine & health
|Deposited On:||04 Nov 2009 10:50|
|Last Modified:||27 Nov 2013 22:20|
|Publisher:||American Society for Microbiology|
|Additional Information:||Copyright © American Society for Microbiology|
|Citations:||Web of Science®. Times Cited: 18|
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In the theory of management, organization has two principal aspects. One relates to the establishment of so-called lines of responsibility, drawn usually in the form of an organization chart that designates the executives of the business, from the president to the foreperson or department head, and specifies the functions for which they are responsible. The other principal aspect relates to the development of a staff of qualified executives.
It is obvious to me that planning in management has three principal aspects. One is the establishment of broad basic policies with respect to production; sales; the purchase of equipment, materials, and supplies; and accounting. The second aspect relates to the implementation of these policies by departments. The third relates to the establishment of standards of work in all departments. Direction is concerned primarily with supervision and guidance by the executive in authority; in this connection a distinction is generally made between top management, which is essentially administrative in nature, and operative management, which is concerned with the direct execution of policy.
Control involves the use of records and reports to compare performance with the established standards for work.
I have read that Management as just defined dates from the latter part of the 19th century. A notable impetus to its evolution was provided by the American engineer Frederick Taylor, who developed techniques for analyzing the operations involved in production and for setting standards for a day's work. Industrialists to other phases of business, including the employment of qualified workers, and wage incentive programs either to replace or to supplement the piecework system that had previously prevailed, adapted the techniques originally devised by Taylor. Industrial management experts who succeeded Taylor have applied his techniques to a wider range of business problems. Among the leading successors are the Austrian-American management consultant and educator...
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The Consumer Product Safety Commission is recalling about 1 million spa
and pool drain covers due to worries that they may still pose entrapment
and drowning dangers to swimmers. The drain covers were supposed to meet
the new standards established by the federal government in 2008, which
are supposed to prevent a person from getting suctioned into the drain.
Unfortunately, many of the drains have the wrong flow ratings. This defect
could cause serious injury should a swimmer become involved in a drowning
accident after getting caught in the drain.
The companies that made the recalled the drain covers are Color Match, A & A Manufacturing, Hayward Pool Products, Rising Dragon USA, AquaStar Pool Products, Pentair Water Pool and Spa, Custom Molded Products, and Waterway Plastics. CPSC chairwoman Inez Tenenbaum has requested that public pools with the recalled covers shut down temporarily so that the items can be repaired, inspected, and/or replaced.
A defective drain cover can allow the suction from the drain to pull a swimmer into it, causing him/her to become submerged under water and not be able to surface for air. Kids are especially susceptible to this type of injury accident. For example, the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Act is named after the granddaughter of former US Secretary of State James Baker the III. Virginia was just seven when drowned after she got caught in a hot tub drain. Adults, however, have also died because they got entrapped in a pool or spa drain.
Throughout the US, our products liability lawyers represent clients who have suffered serious injuries or lost a loved one in a swimming pool or hot tub accident caused by drowning or drain entrapment.
8 manufacturers recall pool, spa drain covers, Sacramento Bee, May 31, 2011
Waterway Plastics Recalls Certain Drain Covers Due to Incorrect Ratings
Covers Pose Possible Entrapment Hazard to Swimmers, CPSC, May 26, 2011
Related Web Resources:
Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Safety Act
Contact our swimming accident attorneys today.
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| New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife|
Take notice that the NJ Department of Environmental Protection is proposing amendments to the existing Marine Fisheries Regulations at N.J.A.C. 7:25-18.16 which includes changes to the horseshoe crab harvest quota and season.
Amendments to the marine regulations are as follows: Establishes an annual moratorium on the harvesting of horseshoe crabs in New Jersey from May 1 through June 7. Reduces the annual in-state horseshoe crab harvest quota for New Jersey to no more than 150,000 horseshoe crabs. Requires the use of bait saving devices in the conch pot fishery when using horseshoe crabs as bait. Clarifies the requirement that all horseshoe crab permittees must report the previous weeks harvest to the Division of Fish & Wildlife.
The proposal is scheduled to be published in the New Jersey Register dated May 19, 2003. A copy of the proposal is available from: Division of Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Marine Fisheries, P.O. Box 400, Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0400, Attn: Kurt Powers. Please enclose a check or money order made payable to the Division of Fish and Wildlife in the amount of $3.00 to cover copying costs.
Written comments may be submitted by June 18, 2003 to:
Karen Hershey, Esq.
Office of Legal Affairs
Department of Environmental Protection
401 East State St.
P.O. Box 402
Trenton, NJ 08625-0402
DEP Docket # 11-03-05/397
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On May 29, the Valdai Discussion Club will hold an expert discussion on the outcome of the NATO summit in Brussels. The key issues of the discussion will be the prospects for the alliance development and Russia's role in NATO's vision of its future.
On May 25, the NATO summit will be held in Brussels. Its agenda includes the strategic plans of the alliance, including defense spending increase by the member countries. Intrigue of the summit is the position of the new US President Donald Trump on the future of NATO and the distribution of the financial burden inside the bloc.
The summit will inevitably raise the question of relations with Russia. Criticism of Russian foreign policy remains very sharp. The main question is to what extent will the reaction to the "Russian threat" materialized in real defense plans of NATO and will it lead to a new arms race? Particularly relevant is the twentieth anniversary of the Russia-NATO Founding Act, signed in 1997, as well as the fifteenth anniversary of the Rome Declaration and the creation of the Russia-NATO Council (May 28).
Fyodor Lukyanov, Academic Director, Valdai Discussion Club;
Evgeny Buzhinsky, lieutenant general (retired), chairman of the PIR Center Board;
Alexander Grushko, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to NATO (videoconference from Brussels);
Venue: Valdai Discussion Club Conference hall, Bolshaya Tatarskaya 42, Moscow, Russia.
Working languages: English and Russian (simultaneous interpretation is supposed).
For accreditation, please fill out the form or call +7 926 031 18 60 (Valdai Club's External Relations Department).
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Little flowers on the earth are mostly considered commonplace by people, notwithstanding their overall perfection. What prevents people from grasping the creation miracles in these flowers is the familiarity brought about by seeing them everywhere and every day. Therefore, flowers that grow in a totally different place, under totally different conditions and in totally different sizes will be assessed without the 'glasses of familiarity' and thus help us grasp the existence of God.
Amazon water lilies that grow in the sticky mud covering the bottom of the Amazon River are interesting enough to remove the 'glasses of familiarity' from people, because they continue their lives not in the way people are accustomed to and witness everyday, but with a very different struggle.
These plants start to grow in the mud at the bottom of the Amazon River, and then reach out towards the river surface. Their goal is to reach the sunlight which is vital to their existence. When they finally reach the water's surface, they stop growing and develop thorny, round buds. The buds develop into gigantic leaves with a reach of 2 meters in as short a time as a couple of hours. 'Knowing' that the more they cover the river surface with abundant leaves, the more will they be able to make use of sunlight, these water lilies make ample use of daylight to perform photosynthesis. They 'know' that otherwise they will not be able to survive at the bottom of the river due to the scarcity of light. It is certainly quite inspiring for a plant to employ such an 'intelligent' tactic.
However, sunlight alone does not suffice for the Amazon water lilies. They also need oxygen equally, yet it is obvious that this oxygen does not exist in the muddy ground in which their roots are located. This is why water lilies stretch out stems developing from their roots upwards towards the water surface where their leaves float. Sometimes these stems grow as tall as 11 meters; they are tied to the leaves and function as oxygen-carriers between the leaves and the root.
How can a bud in its initial stages in life in the depths of a river know that it needs oxygen and sunlight to survive, that it would not be able to live in their absence, and that everything it needs is present on the water surface? A being recently introduced to life is aware neither of the fact that this water has an ending point, nor of the existence of the sun or oxygen.Therefore, if the whole event is assessed from the standpoint of evolutionists, these plants should long before have been defeated by environmental conditions and become extinct. Nevertheless, water lilies are still present today in all their perfection.
The unbelievable life struggle of water lilies continues well after they reach light and oxygen on the water surface, where they curl the brims of their huge leaves upward to prevent them from sinking.
They can continue their lives with all these precautions, yet they also know that these are not enough for their reproduction. They need a living being that will carry their pollen to another water lily, and this living being is a beetle (coleopterans) which has been created with a special weakness for white color. They prefer these white water lilies out of all the attractive flowers of the Amazon River. When Amazon water lilies are visited by creatures which will continue their species, they close all their leaves, imprison them, and offer them ample pollen. They let them free after keeping them for one night, and then change their color so that they do not bring the same pollen back to them. The once pure white, glorious water lilies will now go on adorning the Amazon river in pink.
Could such flawless and finely calculated plans be the work of a bud unaware of everything? Of course not. They are the work of the wisdom of God, Who created all things. All the details summarized here show that plants, like all other living beings in the universe, came into existence already furnished with the most convenient systems, and this was thanks to their Creator.
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I want to replace this, with an image:
<input type='file' name='image_file' />
dunno if this will work in anything other then IE, but
<input type=file id=upFile onchange=document.getElementById('fileTxt').value=this.value style=display:none>
<input type=text id=fileTxt size=25><img src=button.gif onclick=document.getElementById('upFile').click()>
<input type='file' name='image_file' style='background:url(imagelocationhere);'>
Design first! Code later!
thanks, i wanted to try to avoid background images, but if its the only way, guess i have too, thanks again.
This may help you
I hope this answers your question:
<form action="file:///x|/" target="_blank"><input type="submit" value="Software">
The only way I got it to work is using the exact code above replacing the "x" with your drive letter, don't forget to have the pipe (|) symbol directly after the drive letter.
If you are using it to browse another server/ computer on your network simply map a drive to the machine's drive letter from your local computer.
~Johnny (Straws) Y2k06
That will link to a file on your visitor's computer that probably wont exist resulting in a broken link.
Users Browsing this Thread
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
| 206,557
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In the Second Edition, LaFeber has revised nearly every chapter in the book. In the early chapters, there is more attention to the origins of foreign policy institutions and practices, including precedents for the executive agreement, and new discussions of U.S. relations with Britain in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The more recent chapters feature fresh insights of Potsdam, the origins of the Korean War, and the Cuban Missile Crisis--all based on new evidence drawn from Soviet archives. The new edition amply covers the momentous events that brought the Cold War to an end and thrust the United States into the uncetain position of the world's only superpower.
Back to top
Rent The American Age 2nd edition today, or search our site for other textbooks by Walter LaFeber. Every textbook comes with a 21-day "Any Reason" guarantee. Published by W. W. Norton & Company.
Need help ASAP? We have you covered with 24/7 instant online tutoring. Connect with one of our tutors now.
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The Aircoupe is the next to last implementation of Fred Weik's famous Ercoupe design of 1936, the first plane to use tricycle landing gear. The last model was built by Mooney from 1967 to 1970 and was called the M10 Cadet.
The Aircoupe is a 2+2 design, featuring a slide-back canopy and a distinctive twin-tail.
XVI is Serial Number 161. It has a Continental C90 engine which was zeroed in 1992. The plane is white with blue stripes. The aircraft is outfitted with a TKM flip-flop navcom, a Narco mode C transponder and portable ELT.
Michael uses the plane owned by his brother David of Saskatoon Saskatchewan. David was the 1993 Canadian Aerobatic Champion (Sportsman Class) and he also owns and flies a Pitts S2S, and a Taylorcraft. His 13-year-old daughter Alison also has about 500 hours logged to date!
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Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1836-1922 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the
National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress. external link Learn more
Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL
Newspaper Page Text
erace for all women. That is, they j the feetslightly apart Then alter- a
are very simple and take but a few
minutes time eacn aay, nor uo xney
entail expensive outfits that only the
idle rich woman can afford.
They are written expressly for the
woman who, although busy during
most of her waking hours, still
wants to find some way to keep her
body healthy and herself beautiful
The first article and the following
ones are illustrated by stunning pic
tures of America's 1915 beauty
Miss Kay Laurel of "Ziegfeld Fol
lies," New York.
Miss Laurel, in addition to her
fame as a beauty, is known as the
girl with the "Most Wonderful Figure
in the World."
She keps her figure because she
is athletic, and she has correctly
posed for the different positions for
the exercises to be explained in this
s'eries of articles.
Here are simple exercises to rest
the tired nerves:
Stand with the feet slightly apart,
the weight of the body on the balls
of the feet Rise on. your toes,
breathing deeply as you rise and ex
haling as you lower yourself. Re
peat five times. Then shift the weight
of the body to the right foot as Bhown
in the illustration to the left ' Hold
this pose for a count of 'five. Then
swing the weight to the left foot and
count five again. Repeat this ten
Take the first position again with
nately bring your hands up to the
head as shown in the picture to ine-i
right, rising on the toes and breath
ing deeply as you do. so. Repeat this
exercise, raising first the right, then
the left hand, ten times.
Practice those exercises and you
will soon begin to feel soothed and
refreshed, and nerve and body fag,
the fag that produces wrinkles, will
WE ARE SEVEN
I met a resolution good,
As pure and white as heaven;
I asked, "How many may you be?"
It answered, "We are seven. y
"One brother went to a saloon
And never more was seen,
And one who had a little game
Lies in the churchyard green-.
"One brother ran a little bill; ,
I never saw him more.
Another, who got up too late,
I know has gone before.
"Then still another cussed a bit
And vanished from our gaze,
While one a Wall st flyer took
And walks no more these ways.
"Then you alone are left!" I cried,
"The rest have gone to heaven!"
But still the resolution wept
And answered, "We are seven."
The marriage game is an endur
BY THE NIP-IN AT THE WAIST YOU MAY KNOW
BY BETTY BROWN
The gently nipped-in waistline is
one of the things you can't help but
notice if you cast an observing, eye
on the new fall frocks for almost
all of them are more or less in-drawn
at the waist Just to show you how
graceful and pretty this fitted waist
may be, I sketched this model the
ntHw da'v In the studio of Mme. Rei-
chert of the Fashion Art League of
Velvet in a golden brown tint was
used to develop the gown, whiqh
proves its up-to-dateness, not only by
the fitted waistline, but by the flaring
skirt of the rather long coat Tabs
embroidered- in green and brown
make a pretty garniture at the belt
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Rotein. The HSV-1 LAT locus incorporates several microRNAs, at the very least two of which have an effect on expression of a viral protein (54). Nonetheless, these microRNAs all map outdoors the initial 1.five kb of your key eight.3-kb LAT transcript, which can be the area of LAT that we previously demonstrated was both enough and essential for LAT’s ability to boost the reactivation phenotype in mouse or rabbit models of infection (9, 55, 56). As a result, these microRNAs are unlikely to become involved in enhancing latency/reactivation in these animal models. In contrast, we CaSR Purity & Documentation identified two little noncoding RNAs (sncRNAs) that happen to be situated within the first 1.five kb of LAT (38, 45). These LAT sncRNAs do not seem to become microRNAs, based on their sizes and their predicted structures. In this report we show that following transient transfection, each of those sncRNAs can independently upregulate expression of HVEM mRNA. Moreover, the RNAhybrid algorithm (bibiserv.techfak.uni-bielefeld.de /rnahybrid) predicts interaction amongst the mouse HVEM promoter and both in the LAT sncRNAs. The evaluation suggests that LAT sncRNA1 can interact with the HVEM promoter at position 493 within the forward direction even though sncRNA2 can interact together with the HVEM promoter in the reverse path at position 87. These benefits recommend a direct impact of LAT RNA on HVEM expression. Both LAT and HVEM straight contribute to cell survival within their respective contexts. The LAT region plays a function in blocking apoptosis of infected cells in rabbits (11) and mice (12) and in human cells (11). The antiapoptosis activity appears to become a critical function of LAT involved in enhancing the latency-reactivation cycle because the LAT( ) virus could be restored to a full wild-type reactivation phenotype by substitution of diverse prosurvival/ antiapoptosis genes (i.e., baculovirus inhibitor of apoptosis pro-tein gene [cpIAP] and FLIP [cellular FLICE-like inhibitory protein]) (13, 14). HVEM activation by BTLA or LIGHT contributes to survival of chronically stimulated effector T cells in vivo (36, 57). Both LIGHT and BTLA induce HVEM to activate NF- B (RelA) transcription components known to improve survival of activated T cells (34, 58). Furthermore, the LAT sncRNAs can stimulate NF- B-dependent transcription within the MMP-10 MedChemExpress presence with the RNA sensor, RIG-I (59). HVEM, like its connected tumor necrosis element receptor superfamily (TNFRSF) paralogs, utilizes TNF receptorassociated aspect 2 (TRAF2) and cellular IAPs as part of the ubiquitin E3 ligases that regulate NF- B activation pathways (60?2). cpIAP, an ortholog from the cellular IAP E3 ligases (63), and cFLIP, an NF- B-regulated antiapoptosis gene (64), mimic the activated HVEM signaling pathway. These benefits lead us to recommend that as well as upregulating HVEM expression, LAT also promotes active HVEM signaling. Our final results indicate that HVEM signaling plays a significant part in HSV-1 latency. We found that the level of latent viral genomes of LAT( ) virus in Hvem / mice compared to that of WT mice was significantly decreased. Similarly, reactivation of latent virus in TG explant cultures was also significantly lowered in Hvem / mice in comparison to levels in WT mice, demonstrating that HVEM is really a significant aspect in growing HSV-1 latency and reactivation. However, differential replication and spread within the eye and possibly the reactivation efficiencies may possibly influence these outcomes. We discovered that, in contrast to increasing HVEM expression, LAT didn’t considerably alter LIGHT or B.
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Car Lease Calculator
Calculate Lease Payments for Any Car Make/Model
Easy step-by-step calculator for monthly car lease payments, taxes, and total costs. Analyze and verify the numbers for any car lease deal. This calculator uses the industry-standard car lease payment formula.
To compare leasing versus buying, use our Lease vs Buy Calculator.
Your lease money factor (finance rate) is determined by your credit score. The higher your score, the lower your money factor, the lower your payment.
Car Lease Calculator Explanation
A lease calculator is important when leasing a car for a number of reasons. First, it allows consumers to verify the correctness of a car dealer’s math in a lease offer or lease contract. We are often asked what’s wrong with our calculator when the results don’t match a dealer’s. If the numbers entered into the calculator are exactly the same as the numbers used by a dealer in his calculations, the results will be exactly the same, down to the penny. Our car lease payment calculator uses the same industry-standard lease formula that dealers and lease finance companies use.
Second, a car lease calculator allows consumers to determine how much car they can afford to lease, based on “working backward” with the results. Plug in some values for MSRP and Cap Cost, with reasonable values for Cap Cost Reduction, Residual Value, and Money Factor, and see if the resulting monthly payment is one that you can afford. If not, go back and reduce MSRP and Cap Cost as many times as it takes to get the monthly lease payment within your budget.
Third, a lease calculator can help you prepare for visiting a dealer to discuss a possible lease deal. Dealers like to discuss monthly payment, not lease price. Although you can force the discussion to focus on price, you must understand how price is going to affect monthly payment. A car lease calculator helps you do that. In that sense, it’s a great educational tool as well as a great aid for preparing to lease. Once you understand how the math of a lease works, by using the calculator, you’ll be better prepared to negotiate and handle lease deal discussions.
Finally, being able to manipulate the factors of a lease, such as Money Factor, Residual Percentage, Term, and down payment (Cap Cost Reduction), you can determine the effects of changing lease variables. For example, you can see the significant effect of making a down payment — much more significant that with a car loan. And how choosing to lease a car with a higher Residual Percentage lowers monthly payment. And how having a good credit score creates a lower monthly payment — because you qualify for a lower Money Factor.
Possible misspelled search terms: leese calculater, car leasing calulater, calulator, leesing, caculator, calculatr, or car least calculator, auto leese calculator
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701-D Mounted on 12 mm Steel Disk
For General Purpose and Metrology Microscopes
A precision pattern providing accurate calibration in the horizontal plane for very high resolution, nanometer-scale measurements.
Period: 70 nm pitch, one-dimensional array. Refer to calibration certificate for actual pitch.
Surface: Silicon Oxide ridges on Silicon, 4x3 mm die. Ridge height (about 35 nm) and width (about 35 nm) are not calibrated. The specimens are produced by a series of process steps including interferometric lithography. The period of the line-space pattern is uniform without stitching errors.
For AFM, use in contact, intermittent contact (TappingModeTM ) and other modes with image sizes from 100 to 3000 nm. Available unmounted or mounted on steel disks.
For SEM, this specimen works well at a wide range of accelerating voltages (1 kV to 20 kV have been tested) and calibrates images from 25 kX to 1000 kX. Normally supplied unmounted. Can be mounted on a stub of your choice.
Usability: the calibrated pattern covers a 1.2x0.5 mm area. There is sufficient usable area to make thousands of measurements without reusing any areas altered or contaminated by previous scans. For the most accurate results, always measure pitch in an area that has uniform contrast. Do not bridge across areas with noticeably different appearance.
Model 70-1D. This Calibration Reference specimen comes with a non-traceable, manufacturer’s certificate. This states the average period (accurate to +/- 0.25 nm), based on batch measurements.
Model 70-1DUTC. This Traceable, Certified Standard is "NIST-traceable" (traceable to the SI international standard meter) by measurements made in comparison with a standard calibrated at NIST. The uncertainty of the average and single pitch values are typically better than +/- 0.05 and +/- 0.5 nm, respectively (95% confidence interval). See certificate of traceable calibration for details. This 70-nm pitch standard was the subject of a recent interlaboratory comparison involving ASM, NIST and NMC/A-STAR (the Singapore counterpart of NIST).
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Friday, 24 February 2017
The Group are known for its work on certain species and these are subject to colour ring schemes. The species are Shelduck with black lettering on a yellow background, Black-tailed Godwits with site rings red-yellow-red and Wigeon with black letters on lime green.
Hopefully visitors to the Blog will keep their eyes open and send an e-mail to the address shown on the Blog.
Tuesday, 21 February 2017
The programmed mist netting session took place today with 30 birds caught and processed. Nothing of note, but four ducks comprising of two Teal and two Mallard, together with a Moorhen were trapped in the Abberton Traps. Nice surprise following only one Teal last Saturday at the Otter Estuary, despite the use of cannon nets.
|Adult male Great Spotted Woodpecker|
|Adult male Teal|
Photographs Doug Rudge
Saturday, 18 February 2017
When does a cunning plan succeed ? Well it didn't for the Group today at its monthly winter catch of Wigeon at the Otter Estuary. Careful planning nearly caught 250 Wigeon on two occasions during the morning. Yes, twice the flock were in 20 metres of being caught. The ducks just wandered in the wrong direction grazing as they waddled. Not to be entirely beaten and to ensure something for those who gave up their Saturday morning, we tried to catch two Teal that had been on the edge of the catching area all morning. Well one was caught! See photograph of an attractive adult male.
Adult male Teal given detailed attention (Photo Mike Tyler)
Sunday, 12 February 2017
The group have fewer mist netting sessions in the winter, but last Monday's catch was worth erecting a few nets. Thirty-five birds were caught including Blackbird 3, Robin 4, Blue Tit 3, Reed Bunting 2, Song Thrush 1, Great Tit 4, Dunnock 5, Wren 3, Goldcrest 2, Bullfinch 1, Long-tailed Tit 1, Goldfinch 2, Chaffinch 1, Mallard 1 and Cetti's Warbler 2. The two Cetti's Warblers being the highlight of the morning.
|Cetti's Warblers (Photo Doug Rudge)|
|Doug Rudge cautiously entering the Abberton Trap to extract the Mallard watched by Derek Baggott (Photo Sue Murphy)|
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|Creator:||Pedder, James, 1775-1859 Warner, Benjamin, 1786-1821, publisher Bowman, A., printer|
1816 [i.e. 1817]
Published by Benjamin Warner, and sold at his book-stores, Philadelphia and Richmond, Virginia,
|Type of Resource:|
"A. Bowman, printer"--p. 48.
"The following little books are just published and for sale by Benjamin Warner": back cover.
Presentation inscription from M.H. Smith to her neice Maria Smith; front wrapper wanting.
48 p., leaves of plates : ill. ; 17 cm.
More about permissions and copyright
We welcome any additional information you might have. If you know more about an image on our website or if you are the copyright owner and believe we have not properly attributed your work, please contact us.
|Curatorial Area:||Beinecke Library|
|Extent of Digitization:|
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| 68,184
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Pagan Deism: Three Views
by Margarian Bridger and Stephen Hergest
Most discussions of the variety of Wiccan beliefs start by assuming that there are two basic positions: either one believes literally in personal, named deities ('deist', in the common parlance), or one does not ('non-deist'). The more we talk to non-deist Witches, the more we believe that this is an oversimplification. We'd like to suggest a new model, using not two but three endpoints, to which we have assigned primary colours for convenient reference.
Introducing the Triangle
these endpoints in the shape of a triangle, with Red at
the top, and
Blue and Yellow at the left and right of the base. Many
beliefs don't fall precisely on one of these endpoints,
one of the edges, or even in the middle. A person's
beliefs may change
moment to moment, or may remain fixed for years.
Eco-feminist Witches, to whom the Earth is the living body of the Goddess, mostly cluster along the Green edge, between Blue and Yellow; those who believe in transcendent deity are along the Purple edge from Red to Blue.
Those who relate to the gods in a very personal way, but are agnostic about Their nature, are probably the Orange edge. Most Jungians cluster near the Yellow point; pantheists are mostly Blue or Green. A totally agnostic Witch is an earthy shade of mud-brown; an atheistic one must be on the Yellow tip.
Yet even this is an oversimplification. Two Witches who cluster very closely on this triangle might have very different beliefs about reincarnation, or about the nature of magic; two who are widely separated on the triangle might have identical beliefs on these topics. For most of them, additional axes in another dimension would be needed; some would require entirely independent complex maps.
Nevertheless, let's take the triangle as a working model for the moment. This triangle is about conscious beliefs, those which we can analyse and put into words.
But Wicca is, first and foremost, a mystery religion. The more deeply we participate in the Mysteries, the less relevant distinctions of belief and interpretation become. We can represent this by drawing a pyramid upon the triangular base we have established. When we debate the differences in our beliefs, we are operating near the base of the pyramid. The more we simply let ourselves experience the Mysteries, and suspend our interpretation of them, the more nearly we approach the apex. The triangular cross-section becomes smaller, the different beliefs draw closer together. At the apex, they merge into a single point - and it is this point, this rare moment of total immersion in the Mysteries, that all religions have in common.
This suggests a further geometric model. That peak that transcends belief systems becomes the centre of a sphere. Our original triangle may be mapped onto its surface, together with the maps of the beliefs of other religions. More likely, it's a hypersphere, as every religion has common boundaries and areas of overlap with many others. Beyond the sphere lies the void of non-religion. But how can we define this? Not as atheism; for atheism is itself a type of religion. Not as agnosticism; even agnostics can find a place for themselves within the sphere. Perhaps we can best define this as nihilism, or perhaps religious apathy.
From this macrocosmic view, let's now return to the original triangle. What does it mean for us, individually? Most of the time, a Wiccan's personal beliefs about the nature of deity are almost invisible. Wiccans whose beliefs plot onto the triangle at very different places can work the same magic, share the same rituals and language, and practice the Craft side by side without ever noticing that what is literal fact for one is metaphorical truth for another. A Red may be more reluctant than a Blue or Yellow to mix pantheons, or to speak of the various horned gods as if they were interchangeable. A Yellow may spend less energy than those of other colours on explicit worship, and more on explorations of human psychology. Yet such patterns become apparent, if at all, only over many months or years.
It's easy for most of us to slip into the assumption that most of our friends and coveners believe as we do. The discovery that they don't can lead to feelings of betrayal and loss of trust. This can degenerate into name-calling, the Yellows being labelled 'not real Witches' and retaliating with such epithets as 'superstitious' and 'dogmatic'.
Unless we wish to discard our focus on mystery and experience, and instead become a religion of creed and dogma, we can't afford such battles. However, it is also unwise to bury our heads in the sand and pretend to a non-existent homogeneity of belief. We must accept that all of us, in our various colours of belief, are Witches together. In order that we may be better able to serve as priestesses and priests, we need to explore and understand one another's beliefs.
What is the source of the different perceptions of deity?
It's not a difference in experience; three different Witches might have very similar encounters with deity, but interpret them differently according to the colour of their beliefs. Neither is it purely a difference of personality types; if it were, the same individual would never move from one belief to another over time, without showing signs of major personality change. If there is any consistent distinguishing factor, perhaps it is a difference in needs.
The primary need of the Yellow Wiccan is the need for truth. Perhaps this person is naturally sceptical, or perhaps at some time they've suffered serious disillusionment. Either way, this person cannot believe without doubting, and cannot reconcile belief with doubt. The images and experiences of the Craft are as treasured by this type as by any other, but to them, a belief that cannot be questioned is vulnerable. A twig that cannot be bent can only be broken. The gods, to the Yellow Wiccan, are symbol and metaphor, and the religious journey is the quest for self-knowledge. Through meditation, through myth and myth-making, and perhaps through direct conversations with that higher and deeper, but to them, still human, awareness which expresses itself as 'the voice of the god/dess', ritual becomes for the Yellow a tool for enriching human life and awareness, and for participating mow fully in the world and its needs. Jungian psychology and its language may figure prominently in their rites, and the gods may at various times be perceived as specific aspects, as archetypes, or as an undifferentiated whole. Whether they cling to the time-tested value of traditional ritual forms, or create entirely new material, their task is to design ritual that works.
Faith is the primary need of the Red Wiccan. To them, the gods simply are. Whether the Red is naturally trusting, or whether they have repeatedly tested their perceptions of the gods and concluded that they have objective reality, they believe the many gods are facts of the universe, impossible to question or doubt without doubting one's own version of reality. Belief is not a question, it is the cornerstone from which all else of religion springs. How can one practice the Craft without such beliefs, they ask, except as a hypocrite? It simply wouldn't make sense. For the Red Wiccan, ritual is about interaction with the real, living Gods. Whether by seeking to re-create the ancient forms of Their worship, or by getting to know Them personally and devising new forms that will satisfy Them, everything focuses around one or more of the individual Gods. Sometimes They must be propitiated, at other times They seek to share only our laughter and celebration. Often They have advice to offer, or mysteries to share. But always, the focus is upon invocation of, and service to, the individual and personal Gods.
The Blue Wiccan is, perhaps, the mystic of the Craft. This person's primary need is to belong. Only in a whole and holistic universe, where all things are part of one great Pattern, can one be sure that one's own existence has meaning and purpose. The deity of such a universe must necessarily be whole and singular; it is only because of our own limited perceptions that we can only experience it by dividing it into many aspects and many forms. The purpose of religion is to explore, and more actively participate in, the pattern which is the sum of these many parts. A Blue Wiccan's favourite rituals, therefore, are those which advance our understanding of the Mysteries, and which let us participate more consciously in the monthly and annual cycles. Blues will likely favour magic which reshapes the patterns of the universe to their needs, or which helps them become more aware of those patterns in order to act more effectively as a part of them. Meditation, celebration, and cyclical or patterned activities appear often in this person's rites, as do efforts, both pragmatic and symbolic, to reshape the wholeness of the pattern where it is broken.
Whatever our individual beliefs might be, all of us need to have faith, to belong, and to know truth. All of us have the capacity, therefore, to understand the needs and attitudes of our fellow Wiccans whose beliefs might differ from our own. And that is just as well, as we are all part of the same religion. With mutual understanding, perhaps we can work together to help the Craft grow in directions which will serve the needs of us all, and of the gods, whatever we might each perceive them to be.
written by: Margarian Bridger and Stephen Hergest, 1996
thanks to Ace Lightning for the triangle graphic
originally published in The Pomegranate #1 (February,
updated: January 19, 2000; © 1996, 2000, by Margarian Bridger and Stephen Hergest
the address of this page is: proteuscoven.com/triangle.htm
you might also be interested in:
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| 127,214
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Captained by experienced shutterbugs David and Karla Banks, Banks Photography imbues students with tricks of the sharpshooting trade. Hands-on classes taught by the photographers prep apprentices for real-life portrait sessions or encounters with natural wonders such as wildlife or flowers. The Banks also apply their expertise to photo-snapping services, travelling to weddings, engagements, and graduations to immortalize the moment when newlyweds cut the cake or a daughter hurled her graduation cap into orbit.
With a bevy of samples, stencils, and friendly advice, Outside the Lines helps lubricate the creative engines needed to craft one-of-a-kind pottery masterpieces. Dish decorators and bowl bedazzlers can take their pick of more than 275 pieces of unadorned pottery waiting patiently to be outfitted with strategically placed dollops and streaks of paint available in more than 90 colors. After choosing from a selection of dinner plates ($14), mugs ($13+), cereal bowls ($14), dog bowls ($17+), and animal figurines ($11–$22), blossoming artists plan a design strategy and apply a base coat. Classes in watercolors, drawing, or clay are available for participants to hone their artistic expression without painting a self-portrait on the neighbor’s front door. The two-hour Throwing is Good class ($25), held three times each month, introduces children and adults to the pottery wheel and allows each students to mold their own custom piece just like a set of dazzling brass dentures.
Kaitlyn had thought about opening her own art studio for a while. After graduating college in 2008, she immediately began her teaching career at a local middle school. Finally, in the spring of 2013, while on the hunt for a side gig, Kaitlyn fulfilled her dream and opened Elements Art Studio. here, she shares her artistic wisdom just as she does during school days, including with age-appropriate classes and camps for children aged 5?14. But unlike middle school classes, Elements lets grown-ups tap into Kaitlyn's artsy acumen, too. Adults can sip drinks in between the brush strokes of BYOB classes.
While teaching jazz dance in the 1960s, Judi Sheppard Missett decided to step away from tradition by offering an experimental class that allowed her students to simply dance without the judgment of mirrors or the constraints of rigid technique. In these sessions, she began infusing popular dance moves with specific fitness workouts to forge a distinctive blend of cardio exercise, strength training, and dance instruction. Little did she know that this “just for fun” class was the prototype for what would become the national fitness sensation known as Jazzercise.
Today, Jazzercise takes its aerobic techniques from a variety of sources that include jazz dance, hip-hop, resistance training, Pilates, yoga, and kickboxing. The class formats, which vary according to different toning goals, are just as diverse as the program's move set. Two-time Dancing with the Stars champion Cheryl Burke is a big fan of the improvisational routines, although her advanced skills aren't needed to get the most out of classes. Instructors cultivate a noncompetitive atmosphere where all exercisers—with the exception of those marked as cursed by jazz-hand palm readers—are welcome regardless of age, build, or fitness background.
Though its name may conjure fantasies about sprinting down crowded streets or bench-pressing buses stalled in traffic, Urban Active Fitness grants its members abundant space in which to spread out and follow their workout proclivities. At dozens of locations across the Midwest and South, members can sculpt their bodies in whichever manner they choose—from personal training with resistance machines and free weights to group classes in cycling, Zumba, and Pilates. A number of group classes draw on the gym’s urban theme for inspiration. Urban Iron, for example, focuses on building muscles that resemble the cast-iron beams of skyscrapers, and Urban Yoga closely imitates the poses necessary to squeeze onto a subway train at rush hour.
| 263,796
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On the Menu: Desperately craving a healthy diet
There is no magic bullet, but finding a way to enjoy the foods you like in reasonable amounts will help
Studies suggest that avoiding certain foods altogether often makes them irresistible. Photograph: Getty Images
Most of us know what it’s like to have a hankering or a longing for a food we love, and simply must have. Cravings appear to be broadly linked to feelings of deprivation. For some, it’s a growing and overwhelming desire for a particular brand of sausage or soda bread after a holiday or travel break.
Overly restrictive dietary regimes can leave us feeling deprived too. Studies suggest that avoiding certain foods altogether often makes them irresistible. Of course it is sweet foods like chocolate ice-cream or carbohydrates such as bread that we crave most. It is rare to hear of cravings for porridge, prunes or tossed green salads.
Deep down, perhaps we think that if we satisfy our craving, that uncomfortable feeling of deprivation will go away. But unfortunately, it doesn’t always work that way. To some extent, that is because food cravings may be rooted in another underlying need that has neither been acknowledged nor identified. Emotional eaters can temporarily soothe themselves with food but the emotional hunger remains unfed.
Cravings may be psychological, physiological, or both. We don’t know yet. There are people who believe that their cravings are linked to an innate need to supply the body with specific nutrients it lacks, but the jury is still out on the true cause of food cravings. Many researchers agree that cravings are indeed linked to brain chemistry and, more often than not, they occur when you don’t eat enough or you go too long without eating.
Brain’s needsThe brain needs a consistent supply of 120g of glucose each day to function normally. Scientists believe we have a basic biological drive to make sure that minimum requirements for carbohydrate are met. Bear that in mind when you’re slimming. The hungrier you are, the more you have a yen for foods that you may not otherwise be craving. To help prevent cravings, we should avoid skipping meals. Snacking on low glycaemic index foods between meals, such as fresh fruit, low-fat yoghurt or a small handful of nuts, can be helpful if there is little time for lunch.
If you find yourself in the middle of a craving, you can take one of three approaches. First, you can try to ignore or suppress the craving. Second, you can give in and succumb to the craving. And third, you can choose to neither suppress nor succumb to the craving. You can just simply acknowledge the craving, sit with it and watch it pass.
It’s a bit like a wave. Visualise yourself up to your knees in water, watching a wave start to build out at sea. You can turn your back and try to ignore it but that won’t stop the wave. It will simply knock you off balance as it catches you unawares. Alternatively, you can submit to it, throw yourself into it and allow it to carry you off passively. Or you can observe the wave approaching, dig your feet firmly into the sand, take a bit of a jolt but remain standing as it passes. It requires practice, but it can be done.
Certainly, there is no magic bullet but it helps if you find a way to enjoy the foods you like in reasonable amounts as you slim. It’s about giving yourself permission to eat what you want, and consciously acknowledging when enough is enough too.
If you don’t think you could exert a modicum of control around chocolate and you really know you would end up eating three bars instead of one, then abstinence may be the best policy in the short term.
Divert attentionInstead try to enjoy foods that are rich in natural sugars or try sugar-free drinks, chewing gum and mints. Brush or gargle with an antiseptic mouthwash right after dinner. Sugary foods don’t taste the same then. Get absorbed in something and divert your attention from food. Elevate your mood with some exercise-producing endorphins. These techniques help many, except those who claim to be sugar addicted.
The term food addiction has not been officially defined yet, despite the fact that it is frequently reported to be widespread and a substantial contributor to rising obesity levels. Addiction usually relates to a loss of control and an inability to function without a substance when it is withdrawn. These are not common behaviours in many people who overeat.
Binge eating, however, can be described as addictive behaviour. It is linked to strong urges and compulsions. It is associated with loss of control and an insistence to continue to eat despite a desire to stop. However, binge eating affects only a minority. It is not a significant cause of obesity.
The concept of food addiction is currently a common feature in scientific literature and the media. Dr Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse in the US, describes the brain as having many connected regions positioned around a central node, the nucleus accumbens. This is the brain’s reward circuit, a region regulated by dopamine. Volkow says the “rewarding effects of drugs result from their ability to activate the nucleus accumbens through increased dopamine release. Similarly, rewarding effects of food are linked to dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens.”
Experiments in animals and humans show that the same reward and pleasure centres of the brain that are triggered by addictive drugs are also stimulated by food, especially highly palatable foods, such as those rich in sugar, fat and salt. These foods are capable of triggering the release of the feel-good chemical, dopamine. The problem is these reward signals can override other signals of fullness and satisfaction, so people keep eating, even when they are not hungry.
OverindulgenceOverindulgence can lead to a tolerance of food, meaning the addict becomes less and less satisfied with the same amount of food. This is similar to a drug addiction. The longer you use a drug like cocaine, the less sensitive your brain is to it, and the more cocaine you need to create dopamine release. Food can also release dopamine in the brain, but people who habitually overeat need more and more food to generate the same pleasurable feeling of dopamine release.
Many scientists agree that a small subgroup of the population experience addiction-like eating behaviour and that research into the causes, progression and treatment of this behaviour is needed.
However, there is no agreement on the classification of a food (like sugar) as an addictive substance and many researchers believe it is inappropriate to label large numbers of people as food addicts. We all have to eat and a better understanding of cravings, dependency and addiction will help us improve weight management. The line between pleasure and addiction is elusive. Paula Mee is a dietitian at Medfit Proactive Healthcare and a member of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute. pmee@ medfit.ie and tweets @paula_mee
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- Mariel Hemingway explores her family's troubled history in "Running from Crazy"
- The documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival
- Hemingway is the granddaughter of author Ernest Hemingway
- In the last four years she feels she's overcome depression
Every family, even famous ones, have secrets. The Hemingways are no different.
"We were, sort of, the other American family that had this horrible curse," says Mariel Hemingway. She compared her family to the Kennedys -- but the Hemingway curse, she said, is mental illness.
Hemingway, granddaughter of acclaimed author Ernest Hemingway, explores the troubled history of her family in "Running from Crazy," a documentary that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Sunday. Barbara Kopple is the director; Oprah Winfrey is the executive producer.
"Knowing that there's so much suicide and so much mental illness in my family, I've always kind of been 'running from crazy,' worried that one day I'd wake up and be in the same position," Mariel Hemingway, 51, said at a support group for families of suicide, as shown in the film.
Hemingway told CNN last week she wanted this documentary to be an unveiling of her family history, and to give people permission to express their own "stuff," to realize they're "not alone in the world of dysfunction."
The documentary guides the viewer through the turmoil of her parents' marriage and the troubled relationships between her and her siblings. It includes archival footage from when her sister Margaux Hemingway, who took her own life in 1996, had been making a personal family documentary.
"Suicide has no rhyme or reason," Hemingway said. "Some people think about it for years and plan it. Some people, it's 20 dark minutes of their life that they decide to take their life that comes out of the blue. It's very random, it's very frightening."
Whether Hemingway is jumping on a trampoline or submerging herself in a cold stream, with her pointed nose and bouncy blonde hair, her message in the film is one of achieving mental well-being and overcoming one's own problems. These scenes contrast with newspaper clippings, still photos and melancholy video clips from her family's past.
Seven members of Hemingway's family have died by taking their own lives, including Ernest and Mariel Hemingway's older sister Margaux, she said. Mariel Hemingway had denied her sister's death was a suicide until an event hosted by the American Association for the Prevention of Suicide in 2003.
Ernest Hemingway, who won the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature, struggled with depression and killed himself in 1961, just months before Mariel Hemingway was born. But suicide wasn't something that was talked about when she was growing up.
"Nobody spoke about anything," she said. "It was a different generation." Even her sister's suicide was not talked about, she said.
The film's biggest revelation, which was the most difficult part of her family history for Hemingway to reveal, is that she believes her father, Jack Hemingway, sexually abused her sisters Margaux and Joan, nicknamed "Muffet." Hemingway drops this information bomb only briefly in the film -- the first time she has revealed this publicly. Jack Hemingway died in 2000.
Hemingway told CNN she does not remember her father abusing her, but notes that she did sleep in the same room as her mother, who had cancer, possibly as protection from her father. She is not sure if her mother knew what was going on. It's possible that her father didn't even remember doing it, she says, because he was drunk. Alcohol abuse also runs in the family, she said.
Mariel Hemingway began her screen acting career as the younger sister of a character played by Margaux in the 1976 film "Lipstick." Critics praised Mariel and dissed Margaux, which strained their relationship.
But Mariel Hemingway said she had been in touch with her sister the week before she died. "She was seemingly OK," she said. "But you never really know with suicide what's going on in a person's mind."
Prior to the film, Hemingway only saw her sister Joan Hemingway about once a year. Muffet Hemingway lives in Sun Valley, Idaho; Mariel Hemingway lives in Los Angeles.
Muffet had experimented with LSD when she was young, and received a diagnosis of manic depression. Mariel Hemingway has discussed her sister's struggles in numerous interviews over the years.
"She represented being, you know, 'crazy,' " Mariel Hemingway said last week. "I always feared that I would wake up that way, or that maybe I was that way and I didn't even know it."
But since doing the film, they have seen each other a bit more often, including at Christmas. Making the movie has made Mariel Hemingway get over her fear of seeing her sister, whom she describes as "such a loving, kind person."
"My dream is to be able to have enough money to take care of her myself, and really take over her care," she said.
Attempts by CNN to contact Joan Hemingway were unsuccessful. An April article in the Twin Falls, Idaho, Times-News said her artwork was being featured in a business in Ketchum, the town adjacent to Sun Valley. Business owner Nicola Potts told the newspaper that Joan Hemingway, 61, leads a "very happy, very private life."
Mariel, too, said she has had depression and suicidal thoughts, and recalls suffering insecurity and being fearful and depressed growing up. When she overcame that, "I was like, 'I've spent all my life being that way,' " she said.
To move past these feelings, Hemingway says she has "done everything" -- psychotherapy, gurus, holistic doctors -- and each of the methods she has tried have given her something of value. On her blog, for instance, she recommends that everyone take a few minutes of silence in the morning and before sleeping to be still and silent, which helps her to be more calm and focused.
Practices such as these, in addition to exercise, spending time in nature, and eating right, have all helped her achieve peace, she said. It's only within the last four years that she feels she has completely overcome depression.
"It's amazing to me that I'm not sad anymore, and that I don't worry and that I don't fear," she said.
These days, Hemingway and her boyfriend Bobby Williams have a lifestyle company called TheWillingWay ("He has the 'will,' I have the 'way,' " Hemingway said). Health and wellness are her passion.
She also advocates for suicide and mental illness awareness. She is open and communicative with her two daughters about their own mental health, too.
"I think people need to talk about it a lot," she said of mental illness, "Making it OK that it's in your family." She added, "It doesn't shame anyone, and it doesn't make anybody's family an ugly, bad family."
That is a challenge to which this Sundance film also rises.
For immediate assistance, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) if you or someone you know is contemplating suicide.
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Within Academic Diversity Initiatives and Student Engagement, the Longhorn Center for School Partnerships (LCSP) is a portfolio of programs that provide college readiness services for underrepresented students that include both academic and college awareness initiatives.
The rigorous statewide Pre-College Academic Readiness Programs include ChemBridge, SPURS, and Math Masters. The integrated college awareness programs include Neighborhood Longhorns and the UT Outreach Centers in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Rio Grande Valley and San Antonio. The programs in the Longhorn Center for School Partnerships serve over 10,000 students annually. With representatives on the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement’s Pipeline Council, LCSP plays a role in providing strategic direction for several of the division’s pre-college and college programs that are working collaboratively to create successful pathways for underrepresented students as they pursue higher education.
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If there was any doubt that President Barack Obama was a southpaw, both on the mound and in his political philosophy, those doubts were laid to rest on Opening Day in the nation's capital.
The Washington Nationals hosted the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday, and President Obama was called on to throw out the first pitch.
And as Bob Uecker described in the movie 'Major League', the pitch was just a bit outside. In the President's case, high and outside, and decidedly to the left.Presidential first pitch's are nothing new, 100 years ago William Howard Taft, the 27th U.S. president, became the first president to throw an Opening Day first pitch on April 14, 1910.
Washington's baseball team at the time, the Senators, defeated an earlier Philadelphia team, the Athletics, by a score of 3-0.
The self described "South Side Kid', wore his Chicago White Sox hit and a hometown Washington Nationals jacket.
Obama threw the first pitch of the day in a city where the hometown baseball team didn't fair too much better than the politicians, losing 11-1 to the Philadelphia Phillies.
By the way this isn't the first time that the President has thrown out the first pitch at a major league baseball game.
President Obama threw the first pitch of the 2009 All-Star Game in St. Louis on July 14th.
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The harder single mums work, the better their health, according to new research out of the University of Wollongong.
Study co-author Laura Robinson said the study showed that single working mothers had poorer physical and mental health than partnered mums.
However, she said, while the physical health of partnered mothers stayed the same regardless of how many hours they worked, this was not the case for single mothers.
"Surprisingly, sole parent working mothers had better physical health if they worked more than 40 hours per week, rather than working fewer hours," Ms Robinson said.
"We're not entirely sure why ... perhaps they are more established in their careers and have more flexibility. Perhaps they have a higher income and better access to resources like childcare."
The study, by the School of Psychology and Centre for Health Initiatives, also looked at the link between health and social support.
"Sole mothers often have poorer social support, which can have a big impact on their mental health," Ms Robinson said.
"Organisations can help by increasing social support in the workplace through things like peer support groups."
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Aug. 9 in the USA... the 9th of Av is almost here.
The 9th of Av (Tisha B'Av) is a traditional Jewish Day of Mourning -- a day on which to pray that evil and destruction not come with the breaking of dawn. Why?
Look at the informative article we published last year by Dona Gracia Serrano Fenn of
Sephardim Hope International to understand this important day on the Hebrew calendar.
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1000 E. University Ave.
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CLEP test: Subject area examination administered by the College Entrance Examination Board.
Concentration: A collection of courses within a major which focuses on a particular subject area.
Continuing probation: A student is placed on academic probation at the end of the semester or term when his or her cumulative grade point average (GPA) falls below a 2.0. A student is considered on continuing probation in subsequent semesters if the student earns a term GPA of 2.0 or above but whose cumulative GPA is still below a 2.0.
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Cross-listed course: A course which is identical in content, title, credit hours, and requirements which is offered by one or more academic departments. The four-digit course number must be the same. This designation must be approved by the University Course Review Committee.
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Dual-listed course: A course which is offered at both the 4000- and 5000-level that is identical in course prefix, content, title, and credit hours. The last three digits of the four-digit course number must be the same. The 5000-level course must require additional work beyond that required for the 4000-level course. This designation must be approved by the University Course Review Committee.
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Option: A concentration of elective courses within a major which emphasizes one aspect of the major, chosen by a student according to his or her interests.
Orientation: A program of one to three days on campus designed to acquaint a new student with the facilities, policies, sources of information and assistance, and academic and social environment. Academic advising and registration are also included.
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Satisfactory academic progress: Satisfactory Academic Progress only applies to federal financial aid applicants and recipients. Three measures of a student's advancement toward the earning of his or her stated degree objective are 1) a grade point average putting the student in good academic standing, 2) a ratio of credit hours earned compared to credit hours attempted in the student's most recent academic year, and 3) a comparison of the number of credit hours attempted in a college career compared to the number of hours required to earn the pursued degree.
Semester: The division of the calendar year used in academic scheduling. A semester is roughly 15 weeks in length.
Semester credit hour: The unit of academic credit for course work.
Transfer credit evaluations: An evaluation of previous college-level course work from another regionally-accredited academic institution, international post-secondary institution, standardized test, or military course work to determine whether courses are transferable to UW as well as to determine any UW equivalents.
University Catalog: The University Catalog is the official document of the university which includes information on all undergraduate academic programs and their requirements, courses offered by each academic department, lists of faculty, policies and procedures related to admission, financial aid, all registration activity, and tuition and fees. A student's degree requirements are based on the University Catalog in effect the year he or she enters either UW or another catalog year as approved with a petition.
Upper-division course: Courses normally taken during the junior and senior years. These courses are numbered from 3000 - 4999.
"W" Number: A student's unique identifier in the Banner/WyoWeb system will begin with "W". This "W" number replaces the Social Security Number as a student's unique identifier.
Withdrawal: To discontinue enrollment in a course or courses after the end of the drop/add period. When withdrawing from one or more, but not all, courses, a student should initiate the process through WyoWeb. On the Add or Drop Classes screen, students can choose 'withdrawal' from a drop-down box next to the appropriate course. To withdraw from all courses in a semester, a student should begin the process in the Dean of Students Office. A mark of W will be placed on the student's academic transcript for each course. Withdrawal from a course or from the university may impact both a student's current and future receipt of financial aid. Ask a financial aid office professional before withdrawal.
WyoWeb: The University of Wyoming portal used for communication with the campus community, registration activity, grade posting, financial aid, course management, and advising. A specialized version of WyoWeb is available for all enrolled students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
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Ubuntu Security Notice (C) 2011-2014 Canonical, Inc. / NASL script (C) 2011-2014 Tenable Network Security, Inc.
The remote Ubuntu host is missing one or more security-related patches.
Omair Majid discovered that an unsigned Web Start application or
applet could determine the path to the cache directory used to store
downloaded class and jar files by querying class loader properties.
This could allow a remote attacker to discover a user's name and home
directory path. (CVE-2011-2513)
Omair Majid discovered that an unsigned Web Start application could
manipulate the content of the security warning dialog message to show
different file names in prompts. This could allow a remote attacker to
confuse a user into granting access to a different file than they
believe they are granting access to. This issue only affected Ubuntu
Update the affected icedtea-netx, icedtea-plugin and / or
Risk factor :
Medium / CVSS Base Score : 6.8
CVSS Temporal Score : 5.6
Public Exploit Available : true
Family: Ubuntu Local Security Checks
Nessus Plugin ID: 55718 ()
Bugtraq ID: 48829
CVE ID: CVE-2011-2513CVE-2011-2514
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Introduction to the ICONIX Process of Software Modeling
The ICONIX process sits somewhere in between the very large Rational Unified Process (RUP) and the very small eXtreme programming approach (XP). The ICONIX process is use case driven, like the RUP, but without a lot of the overhead that the RUP brings to the table. It's also relatively small and tight, like XP, but it doesn't discard analysis and design like XP does. This process also makes streamlined use of the Unified Modeling Language (UML) while keeping a sharp focus on the traceability of requirements. And, the process stays true to Ivar Jacobson's original vision of what "use case driven" means, in that it results in concrete, specific, readily understandable use cases that a project team can actually use to drive the development effort.
The approach we follow takes the best of three methodologies that came into existence in the early 1990s. These methodologies were developed by the folks that now call themselves the "three amigos": Ivar Jacobson, Jim Rumbaugh, and Grady Booch. We use a subset of the UML, based on Doug's analysis of the three individual methodologies.
There's a quote in Chapter 32 of The Unified Modeling Language User Guide, written by the amigos, that says, "You can model 80 percent of most problems by using about 20 percent of the UML." However, nowhere in this book do the authors tell you which 20 percent that might be. Our subset of the UML focuses on the core set of notations that you'll need to do most of your modeling work. Within this workbook we also explain how you can use other elements of the UML and where to add them as needed.
One of our favorite quotes is, "The difference between theory and practice is that in theory, there is no difference between theory and practice, but in practice, there is." In practice, there never seems to be enough time to do modeling, analysis, and design. There's always pressure from management to jump to code, to start coding prematurely because progress on software projects tends to get measured by how much code exists. Our approach is a minimalist, streamlined approach that focuses on that area that lies in between use cases and code. Its emphasis is on what needs to happen at that point in the life cycle where you're starting out: you have a start on some use cases, and now you need to do a good analysis and design.
Our goal has been to identify a minimal yet sufficient subset of the UML (and of modeling in general) that seems generally to be necessary in order to do a good job on your software project. We've been refining our definition of "minimal yet sufficient" in this context for eight or nine years now. The approach we're telling you about in this workbook is one that has been used on hundreds of projects and has been proven to work reliably across a wide range of industries and project situations.
A Walk (Backwards) through the ICONIX Process
Figure 1-1 shows the key question that the ICONIX process aims to answer.
Figure 1-1: Use Cases to Code
What we're going to illustrate is how to get from point A to point B directly, in the shortest possible time. (Actually, we're not going to go all the way to code, but we'll take you close enough so you can taste it.) You can think of point A as representing this thought: "I have an idea of what my system has to do, and I have a start on some use cases," and point B as representing some completed, tested, debugged code that actually does what the use cases said it needed to do. In other words, the code implements the required behavior, as defined by the use cases. This book focuses on how we can get you from the fuzzy, nebulous area of "I think I want it to do something like this" to making those descriptions unambiguous, complete, and rigorous, so you can produce a good, solid architecture, a robust software design, then (by extension) nice clean code that actually implements the behavior that your users want.
We're going to work backwards from code and explain the steps to our goal. We'll explain why we think the set of steps we're going to teach is the minimal set of steps you need, yet is sufficient for most cases in closing the gap between use cases and code. Figure 1-2 shows the three assumptions we're going to make to start things off: that we've done some prototyping; that we have made some idea of what our user interface might look like; and that we might have some start in identifying the scenarios or use cases in our system.
Figure 1-2: Starting Off
This puts us at the point where we're about to launch into analysis and design. What we want to find out is how we can get from this starting point to code. When we begin, there's only a big question mark—we have some nebulous, fuzzy ideas of what our system has to do, and we need to close this gap before we start coding.
In object-oriented systems, the structure of our code is defined by classes. So, before we write code, we'd like to know what our software classes are going to be. To do this, we need one or more class diagrams that show the classes in the system. On each of these classes, we need a complete set of attributes, which are the data members contained in the classes, and operations, which define what the software functions are. In other words, we need to have all our software functions identified, and we need to make sure we have the data those functions require to do their job.
We'll need to show how those classes encapsulate that data and those functions. We show how our classes are organized and how they relate to each other on class diagrams. We'll use the UML class diagram as the vehicle to display this information. Ultimately, what we want to get to is a set of very detailed design-level class diagrams. By design-level, we mean a level of detail where the class diagram is very much a template for the actual code of the system—it shows exactly how your code is going to be organized.
Figure 1-3 shows that class diagrams are the step before code, and there is a design-level diagram that maps one-to-one from classes on your diagram to classes in your source code. But there's still a gap. Instead of going from use cases to code, now we need to get from use cases to design-level class diagrams.
Figure 1-3: Class Diagrams Map Out the Structure of the Code
One of the hardest things to do in object-oriented software development is behavior allocation, which involves making decisions for every software function that you're going to build. For each function, you have to decide which class in your software design should be the class that contains it. We need to allocate all the behavior of the system—every software function needs to be allocated into the set of classes that we're designing.
One UML diagram that's extremely useful in this area is the sequence diagram. This diagram is an ideal vehicle to help you make these behavior allocation decisions. Sequence diagrams are done on a per-scenario basis: for every scenario in our system, we'll draw a sequence diagram that shows us which object is responsible for which function in our code. The sequence diagram shows how runtime object instances communicate by passing messages. Each message invokes a software function on the object that receives the message. This is why it's an ideal diagram for visualizing behavior allocation.
Figure 1-4 shows that the gap between use cases and code is getting smaller as we continue to work backwards. Now, we need to get from use cases to sequence diagrams.
Figure 1-4: Sequence Diagrams Help Us Allocate Operations (Behavior) to Classes
We'll make our decisions about allocating behavior to our classes as we draw the sequence diagrams. That's going to put the operations on the software classes. When you use a visual modeling tool such as Rational Rose or GDPro, as you draw the message arrows on the sequence diagrams, you're actually physically assigning operations to the classes on the class diagrams. The tool enforces the fact that behavior allocation happens from the sequence diagram. As you're drawing the sequence diagram, the classes on the class diagram get populated with operations.
So, the trick is to get from use cases to sequence diagrams. This is a non-trivial problem in most cases because the use cases present a requirements-level view of the system, and the sequence diagram is a very detailed design view. This is where our approach is different from the other approaches on the market today. Most approaches talk about use cases and sequence diagrams but don't address how to get across the gap between the fuzzy use cases and a code-like level of detail on the sequence diagrams. Getting across this gap between what and how is the central aspect of the ICONIX process.
What we're going to do now is close the gap between the fuzzy, nebulous use case and the very detailed and precise sequence diagram with another kind of diagram called a robustness diagram. The robustness diagram sits in the gap between requirements and detailed design; it will help make getting from the use cases to the sequence diagrams easier.
If you've been looking at UML literature, the robustness diagram was originally only partially included in the UML. It originated in Ivar Jacobson's work and got included in the UML standard as an appendage. This has to do with the history and the sequence of how Booch, Rumbaugh, and Jacobson got together and merged their methodologies, as opposed to the relative importance of the diagram in modeling.
Across the top of a sequence diagram is a set of objects that are going to be participating in a given scenario. One of the things we have to do before we can get to a sequence diagram is to have a first guess as to which objects will be participating in that scenario. It also helps if we have a guess as to what software functions we'll be performing in the scenario. While we do the sequence diagram, we'll be thinking about mapping the set of functions that will accomplish the desired behavior onto that set of objects that participate in the scenario.
It helps a great deal to have a good idea about the objects that we'll need and the functions that those objects will need to perform. When you do it the second time, it's a lot more accurate than when you take a first guess at it. The process that we're following, which is essentially Ivar Jacobson's process as described in his Objectory work, is a process that incorporates a first guess, or preliminary design, the results of which appear on what we call a robustness diagram. We refine that first guess into a detailed design on the sequence diagram. So, we'll do a sequence diagram for each scenario that we're going to build.
Figure 1-5 shows that we're adding a diagram to our subset of UML. The robustness diagram was described in the original UML specs, but its definition was in an extra document called Objectory Process-Specific Extensions. What we've found over the past ten years is that it's very difficult to get from use cases to sequence diagrams without this technique. Using the robustness diagram helps avoid the common problem of project teams thrashing around with use cases and not really getting anywhere towards their software design. If you incorporate this step, it will make this process and your project much easier. We didn't invent robustness analysis, but we're trying to make sure it doesn't get forgotten. Robustness analysis has proven to be an invaluable aid in getting across the gap between requirements and design.
Figure 1-5: Robustness Diagrams Close the Gap Between Requirements and Detailed Design
Robustness analysis sits right in the gap between what the system has to do and how it's actually going to accomplish this task. While we're crossing this gap, there are actually several different activities that are going on concurrently. First, we're going to be discovering objects that we forgot when we took our first guess at what objects we had in the system. We can also add the attributes onto our classes as we trace data flow on the robustness diagrams. Another important thing we'll do is update and refine the text of the use case as we work through this diagram.
We still have a question mark, though. That question mark relates to the comment we just made about discovering the objects that we forgot when we took our first guess. This implies that we're going to take a first guess at some point.
There's a magic phrase that we use to help teach people how to write use cases successfully: Describe system usage in the context of the object model. The first thing this means is that we're not talking, in this book, about writing fuzzy, abstract and vague, ambiguous use cases that don't have enough detail in them from which to produce a software design. We're going to teach you to write use cases that are very explicit, precise, and unambiguous. We have a very specific goal in mind when discussing use cases: we want to drive the software design from them. Many books on use cases take a different perspective, using use cases as more of an abstract requirements exploration technique. Our approach is different because our goals are different. Remember, our mission is to help you get from use cases to code.
We'll start out with something called a domain model, which is a kind of glossary of the main abstractions—in other words, the most important nouns that are in our problem space (our problem domain). In the term domain model, the word "domain" comes from the idea of the problem domain. For example, if our problem domain is electronic commerce—as it is in the workbook, amazingly enough—we'll probably have a domain object like a catalog or a purchase order. We're going to call these nouns that belong to our problem space domain objects, and we're going to produce, at the very beginning of our analysis and design activities, something called a domain model, which lays all these domain objects out on one big UML class diagram.
On our robustness diagrams, we're also going to use something called boundary objects. Among the boundary objects, we find things like the screens of the system. In the text of our use cases, we want to explicitly reference both domain objects and boundary objects. We'll write about such things as how the users interact with the screens and how those screens interact with the domain objects, which often have some mapping onto a database that may sit behind the OO part of our system. Our use case text will get a lot more specific and a lot less ambiguous if we follow this guideline of describing how the system is used in the context of the object model as it evolves.
During domain modeling, we want to identify the most important set of abstractions that describe the problem space, or the problem domain of the system, that we need to build. For this task, we'll follow the methodology Jim Rumbaugh developed: the Object Modeling Technique (OMT), which is a very thorough treatment of some useful techniques for helping us do this domain model.
One difference between our approach and some of the other use case–oriented approaches you might run across is that we insist on starting the whole process with domain modeling. In writing our use cases against the set of nouns in the domain model, thus using that domain model as a glossary, we can unambiguously define a set of terms that we can reference within our use case text. This approach proves to be quite useful, especially when you're working in a team environment where there are multiple groups of people that are trying to describe scenarios in different parts of the system. If you get closure and agreement on what the important nouns in the system are, you eliminate whole layers of ambiguity in the use case models. For example, this enables you to be clear on what a purchase order is, what a line item is, and what a shopping cart is. All those things are clear from the beginning, due to the fact that we've defined a glossary of terms before we start writing our use cases.
In terms of the UML, the domain model is basically a class diagram, so it's the same kind of diagram as our design-level class diagram. Generally, on the domain model, we suppress quite a bit of detail; in particular, we don't show the attributes and the operations on the classes. The domain model is more of a global summary-level class diagram. In fact, it's a first guess at a class diagram, focusing entirely on the problem domain of the system we're building. We take this first guess at our class diagram, and then we work through all the details of our use cases and refine our view of the system. As we work through the scenarios, the first-guess class diagram evolves into our detailed static model for the system.
As you can see in Figure 1-6, we now have a fairly complete picture, with no big gaps in it, that helps us get from use cases and prototypes over on the left side to design-level class diagrams and source code over on the right side.
Figure 1-6: Referencing Domain Objects by Name Removes Ambiguity from the Use Cases
Note that we're using a very streamlined approach. We're only using four different kinds of UML diagrams. That's four out of a set of nine different kinds of diagrams that make up the UML. Generally, for most projects, most of the time you can do most of your work using less than half of the UML. Limiting your focus to this core subset of diagrams will make a significant impact on your learning curve as you learn how to do modeling with UML.
We're going to start off with the domain model, which is an analysis-level class diagram, as our first guess at the static structure of the system. We're going to continuously refine and add detail to this model, with the ultimate result being our detailed design. The class diagram, which is in the bottom half of Figure 1-6, is a static description of how the code is organized, whereas the use cases are a dynamic description of the runtime behavior.
We'll take the first guess at our static model, and then we'll spend most of our time working through use case after use case. Every time we work through a use case, we'll add some detail to the class diagram. After we work through all the scenarios that the system has to support, add in all the detail needed to make all those scenarios happen, and review what we've done a couple of times, we should have a design that meets the requirements, and we'll be well positioned to write code.
Figure 1-7 shows the "big picture" for the ICONIX process. This figure appears on the first page of every chapter in our book Use Case Driven Object Modeling with UML. The picture has two parts to it: The top part is the dynamic model, which describes behavior, and the bottom part is the static model, which describes structure.
Figure 1-7: The ICONIX Process—A Streamlined Approach to UML Modeling
We might start with some prototypes, or perhaps simple line drawings of our screens. Then, after getting some assurance from users that we're on the right track, we can work from this beginning to identify use cases on our use case diagram, which shows all the scenarios that the system has to perform. Then we write the text of our use cases. We refine the use case text during robustness analysis. It's important to try to get the text stabilized and corrected during the preliminary design phase before moving into detailed design, which we do on sequence diagrams.
Many people complain about constantly changing requirements. Some use this as an excuse to start coding prematurely. We're willing to bet that the vast majority of these folks have never used robustness analysis, which is enormously helpful in getting those requirements stabilized.
By breaking exploration of the dynamic model into these three steps, we get two chances to review the behavior description; hopefully, by the time we've reviewed it the second time, our understanding of the required behavior is detailed and fairly stable, and we can start designing against it.
As you can see on the static part of the picture, we start with a quick first guess about objects based totally on the problem space description. We go through one long continuous refinement that's driven by our analysis of the dynamic runtime behavior of the system. We think in detail how one scenario is supposed to work, then update our class diagrams based on our improved understanding of that. Then, we go back and think more about what the behavior of the system should be.
Next, we refine our software structure accordingly. Our approach, which is derived 80 percent from Ivar Jacobson's work, is a very natural way to decompose systems along use case boundaries, and then use the results of the use case analysis to drive the object modeling forward to a level that's detailed enough to code from.
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The development of safety leadership is both horizontal and vertical—horizontal, in the sense that it must be developed across senior teams and stakeholders in order to focus and drive safety execution; and vertical, because leaders need to be developed and deployed at all levels in order to execute the organization's goals in daily working life. BST's capabilities offer leadership solutions for all levels of leaders. BST capabilities include:
- Individual leadership assessment – For a leader to become a great safety leader, he or she must translate core values, personality, and leadership style into safety-critical practices. BST's Leadership Diagnostic Instrument assesses a leader alongside safety leadership best practices and successful styles, and compiles the results in an Individual Leadership Profile that serves as a basis for personalized training.
- Safety leadership development – Leadership development is highly individual to each leader, requiring attention to individual strengths and opportunities while creating consistency and alignment across the organization. BST helps each leader understand the principles of effective safety leadership, develop the determination to challenge assumptions, and hone the skills that get the most out of every individual's performance.
- Safety strategy development – Working with you to build stronger leadership practices, BST experts help you get a clear picture of your current state and the desired state, enabling you to plan your development journey and track your progress along the way.
- Motivational leadership training – How leaders approach opportunities can be just as important as the ways they lead. BST can help leaders understand their natural inclinations and learn to work with them to inspire and motivate people.
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Interior Designers and Architects have SketchUp, product designers and builders now can use AutoDesk's 123D. It is based on AutoDesk's famous Inventor application. However instead of serving the needs for engineers and designers alike, 123D is cut down tool-set wise to what builders and modelers only need. This means while you have all basic standard geometry creation tools such as extrude, loft, fillet shell, and others, finer control about details such as radial fillets etc. is not given. Stress-tests or thermal tools are of course not included. This also enables Autodesk to offer this product for free.
This might look like a limitation, which it is, however in addition 123D features a fully working parametric design tree system, with an assembly option, and perfectly working snap, grid and geometry constraints. Those tools are essencial to build and think through a product design without the need to rebuild geometry. In parametric modeling, unlike in Blender, one builds geometry through utilizing constraints and measurements which in a nested approach build the model. Changing the model only requires changing the modeling tool settings.
The following screenshot demonstrates the different steps, from drawing a circle, extruding it, deforming the end edge, and applying a UV texture.
The interface is very clean, uses a below the mouse pointer geometry sensitive radial tool menu. The presentation modes allow wireframe and shaded textured view with realtime shadows, ambient occlusion, onscreen anti aliasing, and ground reflections. With a slower 3D card those options should be turned off to increase screen refresh rate.
Similar to Google's 3D Warehouse, also Autodesk created an online infrastructure where you can send your 3D models to, or download models. However they go one step further and also connect you with the rapid prototyping and 3D industry ranging from 3D printing to 2D laser cutting. Autodesk's strategy is to tap into the potential of hobby modelers and builders which do not need high end CAD system but would use the readily more accessible and affordable 3D printing services.
123D native file format can be used to store your design on your computer or to upload it into the online 3D warehouse. If you want to export you model into a different application you can select from a wide range of options such as STL for 3D printing or to import it into Blender and STEP a common NURBS exchange format. OBJ is sadly not supported, at least not at the moment.
The program is in beta and thus it can be expected that further tools will or might be added. It is currently only for Windows and not OS X while a petition for an OS X port is already on the way.
As a free product with decent solid modeling tools and an amazingly well working construction tree, this is a great tool for everybody who like product modeling but does not want to shell out few thousand dollars for the professional applications.
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I’ve written before about the problems involved in legislating against cyberbullying. I focused on the impossible issue of reaching a definition. Rape, assault, harassment: these are crimes with established parameters. All of them could also be called “bullying.” They could also be described as “mean,” and I suppose we could enact a law against being mean. But I’d rather have laws against specific crimes, rather than against vast swaths of vaguely defined human behaviour. Ultimately, bullying is in the eye of the bullied. For many, cyberbullying is equal to a negative thing said about them on the Internet. I’ve met restaurant owners who feel they’re being cyberbullied by Chowhound critics.
The problems with anti-cyberbullying laws don’t end there. Once a law establishes some flawed definition, it moves on to enforcement. Here’s how Nova Scotia’s new Cyber Safety Act, which went into effect yesterday, will go about stopping online abuse:
Someone feels that you’re cyberbullying them. They visit or phone the court and request a protection order against you (minors , or some reason, cannot do so, only adults). A judge decides if their claim meets the law’s definition. The definition of cyberbullying, in this particular bill, includes “any electronic communication” that ”ought reasonably be expected” to “humiliate” another person, or harm their “emotional well-being, self-esteem or reputation.”
If this is the standard, I don’t know a person who isn’t a cyberbully.
The issuing of a protection order is an ex parte process between your accuser and the court. You won’t have an opportunity to defend yourself. If a judge issues one against you, here’s what might happen:
- The police can seize your computers and phone.
- Your Internet connection can be shut off.
- You can be ordered to stop using electronic devices entirely.
- Your Internet Service Provider or Internet companies, such as Facebook, can be compelled to fork over all your data to the police.
- You can be gagged by the court and prohibited from mentioning your accuser online.
- If you violate any of these orders, you’ll face stiff fines and up to two years of jail time. At this point, your accuser can sue you in civil court.
But wait, there’s more.
If your kid is found to be a cyberbully, you are deemed to be a cyberbully as well for not stopping them, unless you can prove that you tried really hard to. Any civil suit would target you.
The act also modifies the Nova Scotia Education Act to make school principals somewhat responsible for what their students do online. It’s now their job to “promote and encourage safe and respectful electronic communications” between students wherever they are. So if a kid disrespects another kid on Facebook, a principal can suspend them for five days — something the principal could feel compelled to do.
By making both school administrators and parents liable, to various degrees, for what minors do online, the Cyber Safety Act puts pressure on adults to spy on teenagers.
The only sane aspect of the measure is the creation of a Cyber SCAN investigation unit, a team of five cyber abuse investigators who anyone can appeal to for help, including minors. They’ll probe incidents and seek resolutions that might include, say, a safe and open discussion between accuser and accused before court orders are requested. This feels like a reasonable way to approach online abuse between kids, but I am leery of what specific investigative powers the Cyber SCAN unit will have. Will this be a crisis-prevention team, or a bunch of cops tasked with spying on adolescents?
Nova Scotia’s Cyber Safety Act is in clear conflict with our Charter rights to free expression, and I can’t imagine it withstanding a legal challenge on those grounds. But that will take time.
Until then, watch what you say in Nova Scotia, and be very careful not to hurt anyone’s feelings.
Follow Jesse on Twitter @JesseBrown
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The Collection on Philip K. Dick consists of press clippings, publications, short stories and manuscripts regarding Philip K. Dick, an American novelist who has published almost entirely in the science fiction genre. His works have been published in numerous literary magazines, such as Galaxy, Amazing Stories, and Fantasy and Science Fiction. The collection also consists of newsletters from the Philip K. Dick Society, and photographs and press booklets from the film Blade Runner.
Philip Dick wrote one hundred and twenty-one short stories and published most of them to literary magazines, such as The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Worlds of Tomorrow, and Amazing Science Fiction . He also published forty-four novels, including The Man in the High Castle and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Dick’s work has been adapted to numerous films and television shows, such as The Man in the High Castle on Amazon Video, Blade Runner, and Total Recall.
Dick passed away on March 2, 1982 in Santa Ana, California. A year after his death, the Philip K. Dick Award for science fiction writing was inaugurated.
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In an industry which traditionally relies heavily on apprenticeship jobsite instruction is critical. The article makes heavy use of the work done by David Kolb and Roger Fry who created the Experiential Learning Cycle. This model is applied to coaching an apprentice carpenter performing a new task without interfering with production. The lead carpenter presents their experience similar tasks. They then facilitate reflection by probing with open-ended questions to test apprentice’s comprehension. Follow-up questions are asked to stimulate further thought on how to respond to challenges that their task. Finally, I would allow the apprentice to apply the new knowledge while monitoring their work.
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The University of Northern Colorado is committed to implementing Quality Matters standards for the design of online courses and we are systematically building and evaluating our courses based on these rigorous, research-based standards. UNC recognizes that Quality Matters standards promote learner engagement and provide students with the tools and information they need to be successful learners. More information regarding Quality Matters may be found at http://www.qmprogram.org/.
What is Quality Matters?
Quality Matters is a toolset and process that is designed to promote quality in online courses. Developed by MarylandOnline and funded by a FIPSE grant, the QM program involves the use of a rubric and peer evaluation to evaluate the quality of design of online courses. The QM Rubric can also be used as a guideline for development of quality online learning courses. All new online courses to be offered through Extended Campus will be designed using QM guidelines.
The QM Rubric
The QM rubric, based on research of best practices in online learning, contains eight broad standards and 40 total standards. The eight broad standards include:
- Course Overview and Introduction
- Learning Objectives (Competencies)
- Assessment and Measurement
- Instructional Materials
- Course Activities and Learner Interaction
- Course Technology
- Learner Support
- Accessibility and Usability
The QM Process
Quality Matters is a process for continuous course improvement that involves using the rubric to review courses. The peer reviewers use the rubric to review the course and provide detailed feedback to the course developer on whether or not the course meets each quality standard with comments on strengths and suggestions for course revisions and improvements. The detailed feedback is the key element for enabling course developers to improve their courses. Based on the feedback, courses are revised so that as QM says “All courses meet QM standards after the review process”.
Quality Matters Reviews
Courses can be reviewed informally using the rubric, or they can be submitted for an official Quality Matters review. For an official review, the review team consists of three peer reviewers with online teaching experience who have completed peer reviewer training. One member of the review team must be from an institution other than the home institution. One member must be a Subject Matter Expert.
QM at UNC
In December of 2008, UNC subscribed to Quality Matters and many faculty members attended workshops presented by QM personnel on how to build a new course or improve an existing course using the Quality Matters Standards.
Since then, the Instructional Design and Development team has incorporated Quality Matters principles into faculty training programs and consultations on the development of online courses. The Teaching Academy for Online Learning, a training program for faculty on how to develop an online course uses Quality Matters standards as a foundation for course development.
Quality Matters Training
If you would like to learn more about Quality Matters there are several training options:
- Quality Matters Introduction – the Instructional Design and Development team can provide a short presentation about Quality Matters for your faculty meeting or specific faculty working in online programs.
- Teaching Academy for Online Learning – this intensive program has been held each summer and is delivered in a hybrid format. The Academy helps faculty develop new online courses using QM standards. After the formal training, faculty members work with the IDD staff to develop their online course.
- Planning Your Online Course – this 3 hour workshop provides a foundation in planning an online course using QM standards. The workshop is offered toward end of each semester.
- Applying the Rubric – this course, offered online by Quality Matters, is a pre-requisite for becoming a certified reviewer.
- Peer Reviewer Certification – offered online by Quality Matters.
If you would like to attend QM training, have a QM presentation at a faculty meeting, or submit one of your courses for an informal reviewed by UNC reviewers, please send an email to firstname.lastname@example.org.
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QuickBooks is a multifaceted business and financial management suite offering tools for accounting, inventory, payroll, tax filing, invoicing, bank account tracking and reconciliation, expense management, budgeting, payment processing, and accounts receivable and accounts payable management. It is intuitively designed accounting software, which has enhanced the business operations and workflows of all types of businesses worldwide. In the year 2022, it has been one of the top-ranked accounting software that has benefitted all types of small and mid-sized businesses. Even though QuickBooks is popular for its bookkeeping software, it provides users with a wide range of accounting and finance solutions such as QuickBooks Payroll, QuickBooks Commerce, QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Live, QuickBooks Payments, and QuickBooks Time.
What is QuickBooks used for?
QuickBooks is one of the world’s most trusted and admired accounting software, crafted especially for providing small business accounting solutions. It helps small businesses to manage income and expenses and keep track of the financial health of their business. It can be used optimally for invoicing customers, paying bills, generating reports, and preparing taxes. This robust accounting software offers tools to manage your customers, vendors, clients, inventory, and finances. Its report center offers users a method of tracking aspects of your business, which include sales, income, expenses, and overall company growth. Its major highlight is that it automates various aspects of managing your business by calculating sales tax, tracking products and automatically updating transactions in your register, customer, and more. The well-organized QuickBooks product online comprises many accounting solutions that work for all types of businesses and individuals, ranging from freelancers to mid-sized businesses.
What is opening balance equity in QuickBooks?
Opening Balance Equity in QuickBooks is an account created by QuickBooks to offset opening balance transactions. In other words, Opening balance equity in QuickBooks is the offsetting entry used when you are entering account balances into the QuickBooks accounting software. The Opening Balance Equity accounts are displayed under the equity section of a balance sheet along with the other equity accounts like retained earnings. This account is required when there are previous account balances that are initially being set up in QuickBooks. It is also used to provide an offset to the other accounts so that the books are always balanced. If the balance is zero then it might not be displayed on the balance sheet. It’s a positive aspect as opening balance equity should be temporary by design. After the successful completion of the entry process for all accounts, you should compare the total opening balance equity to the sum of all beginning equity accounts listed in the previous account balances. In case, if the balances are matched, then the initial entry of the accounts was accurate. If the balances are mismatched then you should review the initial balance entry to check if there was any data error or not. Once all the initial account balances are entered perfectly, the balance in the opening balance equity account is effectively moved to the normal equity accounts, like common stock and retained earnings. Thereafter, it will not be possible to access the opening balance equity account, implying that access to the account is locked down.
What is a Sales Receipt in QuickBooks?
Sales Receipt in QuickBooks provides its users with a detailed description of the products or services that they have purchased. They are used when the customer pays for services or products without being issued an invoice. It would be interesting to know that QuickBooks sales receipts record both the revenue from the sale and the cash received. In QuickBooks, at the time of sale, you can easily create a sales receipt any time when your customer immediately pays for products or services. You have to follow a set of guidelines to create a sales receipt in QuickBooks. There are many benefits of sales receipts as it provides your customer with the details of goods or services purchased along with proof of payment. It also records the revenue for your income statement as well as records the customer payment and then places it in undeposited funds till the next bank deposit is made.
What is a trial balance in QuickBooks?
Trial Balance in QuickBooks is a method or procedure to check the accuracy of the debit and credit amounts recorded in the various ledger accounts. Basically speaking, it’s a statement that displays the total of the debit and credit balances recorded in various accounts of the ledger. It is prepared primarily to check the accuracy of the various transactions that are posted into the ledger accounts. It can be regarded as one of the most consequential accounting tools as it reveals the final position of all accounts and is used in preparing the final accounting statements of the business. The main objective of preparing Trial Balance in QuickBooks is to simplify the job of preparing the basic financial statements. It is generally prepared at the end of an accounting year.
Is QuickBooks easy to learn?
QuickBooks can be an easy topic to learn for all those who have good accounting knowledge and accounting software. It can be a very hard task for those who have no accounting or bookkeeping knowledge. Therefore, if you are genuinely interested in learning QuickBooks then you should be acquainted with basic knowledge of debits and credits, the chart of accounts, and core accounting concepts. If you are unfamiliar with these concepts then it will be difficult for you to fix messy financial books. The techies may find it easy as they are familiar with handling various types of software. As far as affordability is concerned, the cheaper versions of QuickBooks lack advanced features that can frustrate users while the developed versions require accounting expertise. QuickBooks offers comprehensive training for learning their software, as it mainly covers all the important aspects of QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop.
Is it better to use Excel or QuickBooks?
No, QuickBooks is better to use than Excel as it is easier to setup. QuickBooks Online is time-saving as it is a double-entry accounting system that automates most processes. The users should have comprehensive understanding of bookkeeping systems to customize Excel to keep their books accurate. QuickBooks Online is relatively easier to set up, and once you create your account, the default dashboard will be displaying shortcuts to important functions along with an overview of your business. QuickBooks users can access all of its essential features such as Banking, Sales, Cashflow, Expenses, Projects, and Payroll, from its dashboard. In addition, you can also view reports that show your paid and unpaid invoices, P&L, total expenses, and total sales for any period.
How is QuickBooks different from Excel?
According to recent trade reports, many experts have rated QuickBooks better than Excel as it offers more benefits and features to its users. Let’s discuss the major difference between QuickBooks and Excel.
- QuickBooks is developed primarily for managing financial health of business. In preparing Excel document, you have to create your own process that is not scalable. In addition, QuickBooks permits its users to adjust their finances competently and account for any price changes, additional products, or new employees.
- QuickBooks is modern accounting software that helps in reporting an analysis, tracking transactions, business planning, and interpreting data within categories like accounts receivable or accounts payable. In Excel, you have to develop and maintain the process by yourself.
- QuickBooks can help you in tracking historical data that helps in the forecasting and budgeting process. In Excel, you have to maintain multiple versions and histories of your Excel files to guarantee your audit trail, which makes it tougher to identify financial trends.
- QuickBooks helps in accessing books and financial records from anywhere in the world at any time. It will help you in focussing on important areas of your business. In Excel, you don’t get these benefits.
- In QuickBooks, the formula is prebuilt and checked by an experienced team of financial experts.If you areusing Excel, then you should be an expert and have to craft, create and maintain your own formula, which can be incorrect.
- QuickBooks is easy to learn and is widely accessible. If users decide to outsource their accounting or bookkeeping, it’s relatively easier for a new bookkeeper to work with QuickBooks. On the other hand, it’s difficult to find ways to transfer your existing Excel document into their ledger.
- QuickBooks enables business owners to prioritize other important business areas. If you have a small business and are working on Excel then you would require manual labor to organize your books on Excel spreadsheets. It would be too tiring and monotonous.
- QuickBooks reduces the time spent on bookkeeping and accounting. In Excel, you have to enter every business transaction into your Excel spreadsheet manually. In QuickBooks, your transactions are imported automatically, which reduces the risk of manual data entry errors.
- QuickBooks assorts each and every important detail on the same with the latest and most accurate financial reports. In Excel, as your business grows, you are likely to encounter inconsistent spreadsheets.
- QuickBooks is safe accounting software for your important financial data. In Excel, other users also get access to your saved workbooks.
Is QuickBooks bookkeeping or accounting?
QuickBooks is one of the world’s finest and reliable accounting and bookkeeping software, used worldwide by countless users. QuickBooks works as an efficient bookkeeping software as it helps in day-to-day recording of the financial transactions and information relating to a business. It also makes sure that records of each individual financial transaction are accurate, up-to-date and comprehensive in all aspects. These transactions primarily include purchases, sales, receipts, and payments either made by or made out to, a business or person. With the advent of modern bookkeeping solutions by QuickBooks, the bookkeeping function has become digital and accessible to all types of users worldwide.
Similarly, QuickBooks is the world’s top-rated accounting software as it helps in the process of interpreting, classifying, analyzing, reporting, and summarising financial data collected during the bookkeeping stage. It also presents the financial information in the form of financial statements (balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement) that can be shared with people outside of the company. It also provides helpful information required to keep the business financially healthy.
We hope and wish that you have all got all the comprehensive and detailed information about QuickBooks and its usage in the financial world. If you still require any additional help or information then you can contact our technical support team.
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South Carolina Future Makers
As the only statewide organization committed exclusively to the interests of South Carolina’s manufacturing community, the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance is keenly aware that the key to future economic development and to the prosperity of our citizens will be developing a world-class workforce to staff the facilities that are being recruited to the state.
We began this effort with a whitepaper in 2013, wherein manufacturers identified finding a world-class workforce to be the key challenge for them going forward. The findings made it clear that due to the aging of our workforce, South Carolina would need more and more skill workers to fill existing plants. Additionally, with the dramatic success that the state has had in recruiting new facilities and expansions of existing operations, the challenge would only grow.
Beginning with the premise that this state can train a world-class workforce as well as any other state in the nation, we realized the challenge was to tell the manufacturing and technology stories to the state’s children and their parents. Our answer to that challenge is the South Carolina Future Makers program.
Future Makers is many things, but first and foremost it is a public-private partnership which fully engages South Carolina’s manufacturing and technology communities with middle and high school students, technical college students, and four-year college students. Working with Tallo, the South Carolina Department of Commerce, the South Carolina Department of Education, the South Carolina Technical College System, the Department of Employment and Workforce, and so many other key players in workforce development, we will tell the story of South Carolina manufacturing and information technology careers. We will show children and their parents the endless career opportunities available to them and pathways that they can follow to realize their dreams and make their futures come true.
What is the Goal of South Carolina Future Makers?
The goal of the South Carolina Future Makers initiative is to expose and connect the next generation in the state of South Carolina to all of the opportunities it has to offer, close the STEM skills gap, and ultimately retain talent for future economic development and regional prosperity.
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Will Pew Muslim birth rate study finally silence the “Eurabia” claim?
One of the most wrong-headed arguments in the debate about Muslims in Europe is the shrill “Eurabia” claim that high birth rates and immigration will make Muslims the majority on the continent within a few decades. Based on sleight-of-hand statistics, this scaremongering (as The Economist called it back in 2006) paints a picture of a triumphant Islam dominating a Europe that has lost its Christian roots and is blind to its looming cultural demise.
The Egyptian-born British writer Bat Ye’or popularised the term with her 2005 book “Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis” and this argument has become the background music to much exaggerated talk about Muslims in Europe. Some examples from recent weeks can be found here, here and here.
A good example is the video “Muslim Demographics,” an anonymous diatribe on YouTube that has racked up 12,680,220 views since being posted in March 2009. Among its many dramatic but unsupported claims are that France would become an “Islamic republic” by 2048 since the average French woman had 1.8 children while French Muslim women had 8.1 children — a wildly exaggerated number that it made no serious effort to document. It also predicted that Germany would turn into a “Muslim state” by 2050 and that “in only 15 years” the Dutch population would be half Muslim. “Some studies show that, at Islam’s current rate of growth, in five to seven years, it will be the dominant religion of the world,” the video declares as it urges viewers to “share the Gospel message in a changing world.”
The BBC produced its own video entitled “Welcome to Eurabia?” that gave a point-by-point rebuttal of the video’s claims. Watching “Muslim Demographics” and “Welcome to Eurabia?” back-to-back provides a useful lesson in the dark art of twisting statistics. The image at left, shows a fictional flag of “Eurabia” created by Oren Neu Dag.
Articles defending the “Eurabia” claim have often been so shrill that they essentially discredited themselves as serious arguments. But it could be difficult to find a solid statistics that gave an overall view of what was actually happening. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has stepped up with an impressive study entitled “The Future of the Global Muslim Population” (here’s the press release, report and graphics here). As we summarised it in our report Muslim birth rate falls, slower population growth:
Falling birth rates will slow the world’s Muslim population growth over the next two decades, reducing it on average from 2.2 percent a year in 1990-2010 to 1.5 percent a year from now until 2030, a new study says.
Muslims will number 2.2 billion by 2030 compared to 1.6 billion in 2010, making up 26.4 percent of the world population compared to 23.4 percent now, according to estimates by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life…
“The declining growth rate is due primarily to falling fertility rates in many Muslim-majority countries,” it said, noting the birth rate is falling as more Muslim women are educated, living standards rise and rural people move to cities.
The proven demographic fact that birth rates have been falling among Muslim women, both in Muslim majority countries and western countries where Muslims have migrated, is not new. Nor are articles debunking the idea that Muslims will become the majority in Europe (see here and here and here). But my own experience in discussing this with non-Muslims in Europe and the United States says this message does not seem to be getting through. The fact that Muslim birth rates, while still higher than those for non-Muslims, are actually falling seems to surprise people who do not follow these issues closely.
There are many legitimate questions concerning Muslim minorities in western countries. Should Muslim women be allowed to cover their faces in public? Do state schools have to provide halal meals? Does sharia have any place in the western legal system? Should Muslims be allowed to pray in the streets? What does the decline of Christianity in Europe mean for the continent? These issues have to be debated openly —“The clash of ideas is the sound of freedom,” as Yahya Hendi, the Muslim chaplain at the Catholic university Georgetown in Washington put it at a conference at UNESCO in Paris two years ago. But while citizens have a right to have their own opinions, they can’t just make up their own “facts” and expect to be taken seriously. Twisting statistics only distorts the debate and risks leading to unfounded conclusions.
This study raises further questions that the Pew Forum cannot yet answer. The report’s preface asks “Is Islam the world’s fastest-growing religion? If Islam is growing in percentage terms, does that mean some of the world’s other major faiths are shrinking? Is secularism becoming more prevalent, or less?” It doesn’t yet have the data, but it plans to issue a similar report on the prospects for Christianity worldwide next year, followed up by others analysing the trends for “other major world faiths, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Judaism. We will also look at the size and growth of the population that is not affiliated with any religious tradition.”
What do you think? Is this report a surprise? Which interesting trends could the other reports bring to light?
UPDATE: In a telephone conference with journalists later on Thursday, Pew Forum researchers commented on the study. I asked what the results said about the “Eurabia” claim.
Senior researcher Brian Grim said: “Across the next 20 years, we’re only seeing a 2 percent rise in the total share of Europe that is Muslim. We’re projecting that the growth rate is slowing. So this rise is very very modest. It’s a relatively small share of the overall population in Europe… There’s no real scenario that we’ve looked at that this ‘Eurabia’ scenario would come to be.”
Alan Cooperman, associate director for research, said the percentages of Muslims in some European populations would rise from 3 to 5 percent to between 6 and 10 percent by 2030. “Those are substantial increases but they are very far from the ‘Eurabia’ scenario of runaway growth,” he said. “We do not see either wordlwide or in Europe runaway growth. The growth rates are slowing.”
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- Ethernet does not work on my board. But everything is fine when I use the ethernet interface in U-Boot (for example by performing a TFTP download). This is a bug in U-Boot, right?
- No. It's a bug in the Linux ethernet driver.
In some cases the Linux driver fails to set the MAC address. That's a buggy driver then - Linux ethernet drivers are supposed to read the MAC address at startup. On ->open, they are supposed to reprogram the MAC address back into the chip (but not the EEPROM, if any) whether or not the address has been changed.
In general, a Linux driver shall not make any assumptions about any initialization being done (or not done) by a boot loader; instead, that driver is responsible for performing all of the necessary initialization itself.
And U-Boot shall not touch any hardware it does not access itself. If you don't use the ethernet interface in U-Boot, it won't be initialized by U-Boot.
A pretty extensive discussion of this issue can be found in the thread ATAG for MAC address on the ARM Linux mailing list. archive 1 archive 2
|14.3.10. Mounting a Filesystem over NFS hangs forever||1. Abstract||14.3.12. Loopback interface does not work|
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Writing in the March 1 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, scientists from the University of Sheffield in England describe impressive mathematical abilities in three middle-aged men who had suffered severe damage to the language centers of their brains. "There had been case studies of aphasics who could calculate," says study co-author Rosemary Varley. "Our new take was to try to identify roughly parallel mathematical and linguistic operations."
Varley and her colleagues found that although the subjects could no longer grasp grammatical distinctions between, say, "The dog bit the boy" and "The boy bit the dog," they could interpret mathematical formulas incorporating equivalent structures, such as "59 - 13" and "13 - 59."
The researchers found ways to pose more abstract questions as well. For instance, to investigate the subjects' understanding of number infinity, they asked them to write down a number bigger than 1 but smaller than 2, using hand motions for "bigger" and "smaller" and a flash of the eyebrow, indicating surprise, for "but." Then they asked the subjects to make the number bigger but still smaller than 2 and to reiterate the procedure. The subjects got the answer by various means, including the addition of a decimal place: 1.5, 1.55, 1.555 and so forth.
Although subjects easily answered simple problems expressed in mathematical symbols, words continued to stump them. Even the written sentence "seven minus two" was beyond their comprehension. The results show quite clearly that no matter how helpful language may be to mathematicians--perhaps as a mnemonic device--it is not necessary to calculation, and it is processed in different parts of the brain.
The idea that language shapes abstract thought was most forcibly propounded 50 years ago in the posthumously published writings of American linguist Benjamin Lee Whorf. He argued, among other things, that the structure of the Hopi language gave its speakers an understanding of time vastly different from that of Europeans. Although Whorf's hypothesis continues to inspire research, a good deal of his evidence has been discredited. Much more widely respected is the proposal, associated with linguist Noam Chomsky of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, that language, mathematics and perhaps other cognition all depend on a deeper quality, sometimes called "mentalese."
Chomsky suggested that the key part of this deeper quality might be a quite simple and uniquely human power of "recursive" calculation. Recursion, he and his colleagues argue, may explain how the mind spins a limited number of terms into an infinite number of often complex statements, such as "The man I know as Joe ate my apple tree's fruit." Recursion could also generate mathematical statements, such as "3 (4/6 + 27)/4."
Chomsky's theory may, perhaps, be reconciled with the new evidence. Some scholars have argued that the brain may build its mathematical understanding with language and that the structure may still stand after the scaffolding is removed. Indeed, the one subject in the Sheffield study who had had doctoral-level training in a mathematical science did no better than the others in arithmetic, but he outperformed them at algebra.
Rochel Gelman, co-director of the Rutgers University Center for Cognitive Science, says that the brain-lesion studies offer much clearer evidence than can be obtained from the more common technique of functional brain scanning. "Pop someone in a scanner and ask a question, and you may get a lot of activation in language areas," she points out. "But it could be just because the subject is talking through the problem--recruiting language, although it's not a crucial component."
The recent work, together with studies of animals and of children, strongly supports the independence of language and mathematics, Gelman says. "There are cases of kids who are bad with numbers and good with words and bad with words and good with numbers, a double dissociation that provides converging evidence."
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Boeing executives expressed what they consider a “reasonable expectation” that the 787 Dreamliner would return to service in a matter of a few weeks at a briefing last Friday in Tokyo during which they detailed the company’s plan for certifying a solution to the “issues” surrounding the airplane’s lithium-ion batteries. However, Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Ray Conner and 787 chief program engineer Mike Sinnett acknowledged that the timing will depend completely on the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s certification schedule and a smooth execution of the testing.
“We cannot schedule the FAA; we understand that,” said Sinnett. “It is reasonable to expect that we could be back up and going in weeks, not in months. Now, if anything happens along the way, there could be a delay.”
While explaining the company’s plan to guarantee the prevention of “aircraft level” thermal runaway, Sinnett noted that Boeing has completed about a third of the needed certification testing. Because the certification plan calls for engineers to perform the vast majority of their testing on the ground, Boeing will need to perform a single flight test to demonstrate proper battery system function, said Sinnett.
The so-called fix, which the FAA approved for testing early last week, includes a modification to the charger and battery monitoring unit designed to narrow the acceptable level of charge–in essence, lowering the maximum charge allowed and raising the minimum level of discharge allowed. Engineers have also devised a way to “soften” the charging cycle in a way to put less stress on the battery.
Within the battery itself, Boeing plans to wrap an electrical insulator between each of the eight cells to isolate them from each other and prevent what Sinnett called “propagation.” The plan also calls for the installation of electrical and thermal insulation above, below and between each cell to prevent heat migration. Meanwhile, small holes drilled into the bottom of the case that encloses the cells and battery management unit would allow moisture to drain away from the battery. Larger holes in the sides of the case would allow a failed battery to more efficiently vent, thereby lessening the possibility of damage to other parts of the power pack.
Finally, the new design calls for the use of a stainless steel enclosure meant to isolate the unit from the rest of the equipment in the electronic equipment bays. According to Sinnett, fire could never erupt within the box. “It has been misreported that all we’re doing is building an enclosure around a potential fire,” he said. “This enclosure keeps us from ever having a fire to begin with.”
All the changes will add some 150 pounds to the airplane, essentially negating any weight benefits a lithium-ion battery delivers over a traditional nickel-cadmium type. Nevertheless, Sinnett insisted that Boeing made the right choice, given lithium-ion’s other advantages. “The battery provides a lot of power on the ground when we need it; it’s good from a charging perspective; it’s good from a shelf-life perspective,” he said.
Although Sinnett acknowledged that Boeing might never find the source of the battery failures that led to the 787’s grounding, he expressed complete confidence that the OEM has addressed all possibilities. “There are many, many cases when we have parts fail on an airplane and we don’t understand what the specific root cause is, and we make appropriate corrections to improve the part, whatever that part may be, and this has served us well in the past,” said Sinnett. “We could spend the next two years trying to figure out what the one specific root cause was, or we could design to make sure we’ve covered everything. And so that’s what we’ve done here.”
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Torture at US Supermax Prisons
In a letter pressing Russia not to grant asylum to former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, Attorney General Eric Holder made the highly disingenuous promise that Snowden will not be tortured if he is returned to the United States.
"Why Holder’s Pledge That Snowden “Will Not Be Tortured” Is a Lie" by James Ridgeway and Jean Casella, July 29, 2013
The fact that the U.S. attorney general needs to send a letter to a foreign government assuring them that an American citizen will not be killed or tortured in his own country seems damning enough on its face. But in fact, Holder’s pledge is by most standards untrue. It relies on a conveniently narrow definition of torture, which precludes forms of extreme psychological and physical abuse that are deemed torturous by the United Nations and a host of human rights groups, but not by the United States government. Chief among these is prolonged solitary confinement.
Snowden faces charges of “willful communication of classified communications to an unauthorized recipient” and “unauthorized communication of national-defense information.” Never mind the fact that most of the information was leaked long ago to journalists like James Bamford. Snowden need only look to the treatment of others accused of national security breaches to see what would surely await him in the United States.
Bradley Manning was subjected to more than nine months of pre-trial solitary confinement, some of it naked in a bare cell. Suspects held in the civilian, rather than military, justice systems fared, if anything, worse than Manning, who was eventually removed from solitary. Muslims accused of relatively minor national security-related offenses have spent years in pre-trial solitary under “Special Administrative Measures” (SAMS) which bar all communication with the outside world. Finally, driven mad by isolation and convinced that they cannot get a fair trial, they are pressured to take pleas with sentences ranging 30 years and up, likely to be served indefinite solitary confinement.
In all probability, if the Russians give up Snowden, he will be brought back to American soil and immediately placed in solitary confinement under SAMS. Once he is convicted–which seems virtually guaranteed–he will continue to be held in solitary, for “national security” reasons or perhaps purportedly for his own safety. He could well end up at ADX, the infamous federal supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, the most state-of-the-art isolation facility in the world, where individuals live in 23- to 24-hour solitary in small concrete cells. His attorneys can then argue for such things as permission to exercise outdoors in a kennel run, perhaps without his legs being shackled and hands manacled, or to visit a family member through a glass barrier.
Snowden might be driven to some of the crazy and desperate behaviors demonstrated by other residents of ADX after years of extreme isolation and sensory deprivation. According to a current lawsuit, “Prisoners interminably wail, scream and bang on the walls of their cells. Some mutilate their bodies with razors, shards of glass, writing utensils and whatever other objects they can obtain. Some swallow razor blades, nail clippers, parts of radios and televisions, broken glass and other dangerous objects. ”One man held at ADX, who had no prior history of mental illness or self-harm, has both cut himself extensively and bitten off both his pinky fingers. Suicide attempts are common.
And all this while he is not being tortured.
This fascist death camp in Florence, Colorado has been open since 1994, paid for with our tax dollars. California Senators Feinstein and Boxer have been in office since 1992 (Feinstein) and 1993 (Boxer), approving the funding of this torture camp. A further description of this nightmare is at:
One of the prisoners is a former civil rights leader, H. Rap Brown, now known as Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, framed on false charges in Georgia, and transferred to this fascist federal prison. See
Torture in the form of solitary confinement or any other means, is not rehabilitation and is therefore a criminal waste of our tax dollars. Every single person in prison should be required to take education courses to at least obtain a high school diploma, plus job training programs for decent paying jobs and receive all the medical care they need so that they are out of prison in 5 years or less. This is a serious rehabilitation program. It is clear from the list of prisoners given in the above cited articles that most of these prisoners are political prisoners. Nazi Germany would be proud of Nazi USA's torture death camps.
Have you had enough of Nazi USA's torture death camps, all paid for with our tax dollars given to them by Democrats and Republicans in the US Congress? If so, change your voter registration today to the 2 parties that oppose this prison-concentration camp system, Peace & Freedom Party and the Green Party. They need you now to stay on the ballot. You can register online at:
For more information, see:
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Independent creation -- defendant's creation of its work without copying plaintiff's -- hearkens back at least to the English case of Roworth v. Wilkes, 1 Campbell 94, 98 (1807) and is a cornerstone of copyright law, exonerating the independent creator from all liability. Without the defense, those who didn't copy would be infringers nevertheless. In the area of popular music and creatively-challenged works, where similarities are more likely to arise from the nature of the subject matter, independent creation prevents copyrights from becoming patents.
Surprisingly, the 20th century began in the United States on the wrong foot with the Second Circuit's affirmance of an early Learned Hand district court opinion holding that independent creation was not a defense to an infringement claim. Hein v. Harris, 175 F. 875 (S.D.N.Y.), aff'd, 183 F.2d 107 (2d Cir. 1910)(This case along with discussion of the dispute and musical samples is featured on the Columbia University Law School Arthur W. Diamond Law Library Music Plagiarism Project's website. I thank Timothy Phillips for pointing the site out to me). Hand subsequently thought better of the question in Fred Fisher, Inc. v. Dillingham, 298 F. 145 (S.D.N.Y. 1924), and in Arnstein v. Edward B. Marks Music Corp., 82 F.2d 275 (2d Cir. 1936), court of appeals Judge Hand expressly disavowed Hein because it was "contrary to the very foundation of copyright law, and was plainly an inadvertence which we now take this occasion to correct." In that same year, in Sheldon v. MGM Pictures Corp., 81 F.2d 49, 54 (2d Cir. 1936), Hand had already foreshadowed Arnstein when he famously wrote "[I]f by some magic a man who had never known it were to compose anew Keats's 'Ode on a Grecian Urn,' he would be an 'author,' and if he copyrighted it, others might not copy that poem, though they might of course copy Keats's."
The principle being well-established now is not, unfortunately, a guarantee that it cannot be undermined. One way independent creation is threatened is procedural, the misdescription of it as an affirmative defense. It is not; it is instead a denial of copying. The difference is significant. Once plaintiff has made out a prima facie case, defendant may interpose an affirmative defense for which defendant bears the burden of production and persuasion. By contrast, where defendant denies an element of plaintiff's prima facie case, the burden of persuasion remains with plaintiff, although the burden of production may or may not shift as the case proceeds. Independent creation is a denial of a central element of plaintiff's prima facie case, copying. Plaintiff always bears the burden of persuasion on copying and initially bears the burden of production. The best discussion of these points (including copyright) is in a Third Circuit trade secrets case, Moore v. Kulicke & Soffa Industries, Inc., 318 F.3d 561, 573-574 (3d Cir. 2003).
The First, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, and Eleventh Circuits get this point right. Consistent with its historical problems with the doctrine, some panels of the Second haven't, Procter & Gamble Co. v. Colgate-Palmolive Co., 199 F.3d 74, 77 (2d Cir. 1999); Repp v. Webber, 132 F.3d 882, 889 (2d Cir. 1997), 1999 U.S. App. LEXIS 27393 (2d Cir. Oct. 27, 1999). This last case also raises the second attack on independent creation, the striking similarity doctrine, which will be the subject of Thursday's posting. [If Grokster is handed down Thursday, that case will be featured as Friday's posting].
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Las Vegas, New Mexico Council Votes to Pass the Community Bill of Rights Banning Corporations from Fracking for Shale Gas
“Along with the City of Pittsburgh, this is how we change federal law, folks. It starts at the bottom. We do this, and other cities do it. It starts a ball rolling that hopefully will not stop. We change our laws in this great country that protect us instead of protecting corporations." --- Andrew Feldman, sponsor of "Las Vegas Community Water Rights and Self-Government Ordinance"
Monday night the City of Las Vegas, New Mexico, City Council voted on a community Bill of Rights. It is known as the "Las Vegas Community Protective Water Rights and Local Self-Government Ordinance." This Ordinance establishes a new system of law--giving rights to citizens and nature.
The City Council voted 3-1 in favour of the Ordinance. In favour: Councilman Feldman, Councilwoman Tonita Gurule Giron and Councilman Romero. Opposed: Newly elected Councilman Vince Howell.
This community rights ordinance is the first rights-based ordinance to pass in the southwest. It takes courage to be the first on the block, but more importantly, it takes a strong moral compass to stand up for the rights of the citizens when the pressure to support the status quo is dauntingly powerful.
A model everyone should follow: "Las Vegas Community Protective Water Rights and Local Self-Government Ordinance."
Oil and Gas take notice, your exemptions will not last!
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More than 65 million older Americans and those with disabilities rely on Medicare for health care, but as the population rapidly ages, the program faces increasingly urgent financial challenges. Indeed, expenditures in recent years have consistently outpaced dedicated revenue streams. With Medicare’s Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund facing insolvency by 2031, and with beneficiaries and taxpayers frustrated by the lack of progress in ensuring greater affordability, policymakers must overcome their political fears of addressing the problems and focus on reforms that will sustain and improve Medicare in the coming years.
Central to ensuring Medicare’s long-term survival is for Congress to address the program’s core financial issue—the gap between rising spending and lagging revenue. Medicare now covers nearly 20% of the U.S. population, and total expenditures for benefits are projected to exceed $1 trillion this year, up from $580 billion only 10 years ago. The number of workers who help finance the program through payroll taxes relative to the number of beneficiaries is declining. There were about four workers for every beneficiary from 1980-2008; by 2022, the number had dropped to about 2.9, and by 2030 it is expected to be 2.5.
Congress also needs to examine a second significant problem: how Medicare can better meet the needs of enrollees. Beneficiaries, many of whom are retirees on fixed incomes, are struggling to pay their share of expenses and navigate a complex Medicare system to find the right coverage and benefits. Health care advocates question the program’s fairness, too, as some enrollees get benefits that others do not, depending on which coverage options they select.
In this report, the Bipartisan Policy Center issues recommendations for Congress to improve the program—both its financing and the benefits it provides. BPC’s 2021 report, The Cost of Waiting to Act on Medicare’s Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, points to recurring examples of policymakers’ hesitancy to address reform, analyzes various reform proposals, and demonstrates that waiting only increases the price of action.
Congress has been reluctant to address Medicare’s long-term solvency, due largely to the scale of the financial adjustments required and aversion to the political risks involved. Reforming Medicare undoubtedly will invite political opposition: Older Americans turn out for key elections in disproportionately high numbers. Earlier in 2023, when some in Congress suggested restraining Medicare spending as part of a deal to raise the debt ceiling limit, others strongly opposed the move. In his State of the Union address in February 2023, President Biden urged both parties to commit to keeping Medicare benefits unchanged. In a rare demonstration of unity, both Democrats and Republicans stood and applauded. Without a politically viable path toward bipartisan compromise, Congress took Medicare changes off the table and raised the debt ceiling in May without addressing the challenges facing the program when it passed the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.
That said, a politically viable path forward is possible, and this report outlines how. It is not without precedent for Congress to act on a bipartisan basis to address Medicare’s cost and solvency issues. Examples include but are not limited to the Social Security Act Amendments of 1983, which established a new prospective payment system for inpatient hospital services, and the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which established both a prospective payment system for outpatient services and Medicare Part C. Both examples occurred when divided government existed, which is to say different parties held the White House and at least one chamber of Congress. Indeed, the political divide is virtually a prerequisite to avoid the temptation to politicize any effort to improve Medicare. These previous accomplishments demonstrate policymakers’ ability to come together when the need arises and leaders of the two parties lead.
This report creates a road map for bipartisan action that Congress should pursue in a two-step process. The changes in the first step would secure meaningful improvements that would make Medicare more affordable for the federal government, taxpayers, and beneficiaries. It also lays the foundation for a second set of fundamental reforms that build upon the first step’s goals by ensuring further simplification for beneficiaries and promoting competition within the program.
The road map’s first step, outlined in Phase 1 below, calls on Congress to immediately address the HI Trust Fund’s impending insolvency and affordability challenges for beneficiaries by slowing spending increases and raising revenues. At the same time, policymakers would enhance Traditional Medicare (TM) by improving benefits, reducing costs, and simplifying the program for easier access.
Phase 1 also addresses enforcement of past triggers that Congress has instituted—but ignored—to force action when federal spending on Medicare dangerously exceeds revenues. To be sure, important new prescription drugs and devices are contributing to Medicare’s increased spending, and that should be a factor for policymakers to consider as they make decisions about appropriate levels of spending. Nevertheless, it will be important to fix the current general revenue trigger so that it more effectively pressures Congress and the administration to take corrective steps as appropriate to ensure the program’s financial sustainability.
The recommendations in the second step, outlined in Phase 2, would create apples-to-apples competition between Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage (MA), allowing beneficiaries to easily compare these coverage options based on a standard set of benefits.
It is crucial for Congress to embrace both parts of this road map; rationalizing and improving how MA plans and TM fairly compete within an improved competitive policy will not in and of itself address all solvency and affordability issues facing the program. Because of demographics, Medicare’s costs will increase regardless of how efficient the program becomes; enhanced revenues and payment reforms, as a result, will have to be part of any bipartisan compromise that thoughtfully deals with solvency.
BPC also encourages the Senate to swiftly engage in full, fair, and prompt consideration of the Social Security and Medicare public trustees. The Senate Finance Committee approved two nominees on November 2, 2023, but a full Senate vote is required, and at the time of publication, the Senate had not moved forward. In addition to the four trustees who are members of the administration, the two public trustees serve as objective experts who report on the status of the trust funds to Congress and the American people; they also provide credibility for the annual reports. Since 2015, these two positions have been vacant due to Senate inaction. Congress should ensure that these positions are consistently filled moving forward.
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Voters in California voted against Proposition 37, the initiative that would have mandated genetically engineered foods be labeled, on Tuesday. The final results on the ballot measure were 53.1 percent opposed to the measure and 46.9 percent in favor.
California was the first state to allow voters, instead of lawmakers, to decide whether labels like “This product contains GMOs” will appear on food packages. Advocates of labels in California managed to garner one million signatures on a petition to get Proposition 37, also know as the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act, on the November ballot.
While the California Right to Know campaign was fought on behalf of Proposition 37, major biotech companies such as Monsanto fought to counter it through the "No on 37" campaign, on which over $45 million was spent.
As noted by Rodale News, genetically modified ingredients are “derived from lab-created plants that have been genetically modified to resist (and sometimes even create their own) toxic pesticides, withstand drought, or produce higher yields.”
A recent study conducted by Gilles-Eric Seralini of the University of Caen in France provoked concerns about the use of GMOs with a study in which a Monsanto seed variety known as NK603, made tolerant to the company’s Roundup herbicide, was fed to rats. The rats fed the GM corn developed tumors and experienced kidney and liver damage. Natural Society explains: “As a result of the mass tumors, liver and kidney damage, it was concluded that around 50 percent of the males and 70 percent of the females died prematurely as a result of eating only Roundup tolerant seed or drinking water with Roundup [at] approved levels set by the United States government.” Rats that drank trace amounts of Roundup at levels that are legally permitted in the water supply had a 200-percent to 300-percent increase in large tumors over rats drinking uncontaminated water.
Natural News notes, “This is the same corn that’s in your corn-based breakfast cereal, corn tortillas and corn snack chips.”
The study may potentially lead to the widespread suspension of use of genetically modified corn throughout Europe. But in the United States, a measure to simply label the GMOs could not pass.
According to opponents of Proposition 37, the measure would have unfairly stigmatized foods that they claim are perfectly safe for consumption. "We said from the beginning that the more voters learned about Prop. 37, the less they would like it," said Kathy Fairbanks, a spokeswoman for the opposition. "We didn't think they would like the lawsuits, more bureaucracy, higher costs, loopholes and exemptions. It looks like they don't." "California voters clearly saw through Proposition 37 and rejected higher food costs, more lawsuits and more bureaucracy," said Henry I. Miller, a spokesman for the "No on 37" campaign, on its television spots.
But those who supported the measure assert that there is more to the measure’s failure than simply a rejection by consumers of more regulation. They have accused Proposition 37 opponents of misleading the public in their ads by improperly invoking the Food and Drug Administration. The quote in question is as follows: "The US Food and Drug Administration says a labeling policy like Prop 37 would be 'inherently misleading.'"
According to the California Right to Know campaign, the FDA never made such an observation. Natural News reports, “The FDA never actually issued such a statement, of course, as the law prohibits the agency from taking an official position on the matter. But for its own malicious purposes, the No on 37 campaign decided to affix both the quote and the FDA seal on its campaign propaganda in an attempt to sway public opinion against the measure.”
Deliberate falsification of quotes and logs for the purposes of campaigns is in violation of Section 506 of the U.S. Criminal Code, and as such, California’s Right to Know campaign has reported No on 37’s criminal act to the Department of Justice.
Additionally, the “No on 37” campaign has been accused of fabricating front groups and impersonating a police organization to send out fake mailers to voters, claiming that that the police were also opposed to GMO labeling, a claim that Natural News contends is “entirely false.”
The majority of the opposition to Proposition 37 has been funded by big chemical, and biotech, and food processing companies, most notably Monsanto. Curiously, many companies that sell organic foods were opposed to the measure, but these organic brand-name companies are generally owned by large food processing companies that would stand to lose if Proposition 37 was passed, since, by definition, organic foods would be prohibited from containing GMOs. The "No on 37" coalition raised over $45 million dollars to defeat the law.
According to data collected by cornucopia.org, the largest donors to the "No on 37" campaign were Monsanto, at over $8 million, and DuPont, at over $4 million, since the ballot initiative was first approved in May. Others include Pepsico, Nestle, Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s, General Mills, J.M. Smucker, Ocean Spray, and Hormel Foods. Companies that purport to be “natural” but sided with the “No on 37” campaign include Kashi, Silk, Cascadian Farm, and Larabar.
Supporters of Proposition 37 included Dr. Joseph Mercola, Nature’s Path, Amy’s, Dr. Bronner, Organic Valley, Lundberg Farms, and Eden Organics.
Regardless of the loss, advocates of GMO labeling were proud of their efforts to raise public awareness on the use of GMOs in regularly consumed products. "Proposition 37 placed the issue of GE [genetically engineered] food labeling front and center and took critical steps forward in heightening the discussion and raising the profile to make labeling and transparency around our food a reality for the nation," said Gary Hirshberg, chairman of Just Label It. Similarly, as Natural News noted, “The campaign organized over 10,000 volunteers in California alone and succeeded in achieving a massive social media presence.”
The fact that the "Yes on 37" campaign forced giant biotech companies to spend over $45 million is also a significant feat, as that is “a record expenditure by the world’s largest toxic pesticide companies to try to prevent consumers from knowing what they’re buying,” adds Natural News.
Still, the results out of California came as a surprise for many. According to Rodale News, more than 75 percent of processed foods include genetically modified organisms, even as surveys show that 90 percent of Americans wish to see genetically modified foods labeled.
Photo of billboard in favor of Proposition 37: AP Images
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