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(NaturalHealth365) How can an important nutrient like calcium be bad for you?
There is no question that calcium is essential to life and to normal cellular function. That said, too much calcium is not only bad for you, it will make you die before your time.
Osteoporosis, a disease of the bones, has long been characterized as being primarily a deficiency of calcium in the bones by conventional (western) medicine. While osteoporosis involves far more than a deficiency in bone calcium, this concept has led most doctors to convince their older patients that their bodies have too little calcium. This is completely wrong.
Their bones have too little calcium, but the rest of their bodies have too much calcium.
How can there be too much calcium in the body if there is so little calcium in osteoporotic bone?
This is a logical question to ask. In fact, it is the continuous release of calcium from osteoporotic bone that chronically increases calcium levels throughout the rest of the body. The longer one is suffering with osteoporosis, the greater the excess of calcium outside of the bone.
In older persons, there is an epidemic of hard, rocklike ectopic calcifications in the tissues, notably the arteries, of older persons these days, and much of it is due to the continuous release of the calcium stores from osteoporotic bone.
How does calcium supplementation play a role in the calcium status of the body?
Calcium is supplemented with the idea of forming new bone. It simply does not do that. A large enough amount of calcium supplementation will actually increase the density of the bone, but this increase in density does not reduce the chances of osteoporotic fracture, which is the only significant measuring stick of therapeutic success.
It simply results in a cosmetically enhanced but structurally poor bone.
However, at the same time the supplementation delivers a small amount of calcium to the bones, a very large amount is distributed throughout the body, both in the form of rocklike depositions and in the form of increased calcium inside the cells of the body.
Both supplemental calcium and elevated dietary calcium increase the chances of a heart attack, as well as death from all causes.
Amazingly, and sadly, this is absolutely true. All chronic degenerative diseases are characterized by some increase in oxidative stress inside the cells. The more calcium levels increase inside cells, the worse the oxidative stress becomes, and the worse the underlying disease becomes.
Since all chronic degenerative diseases eventually kill, anything that aggravates the disease process ultimately hastens the arrival of death.
What should be done for osteoporosis and other chronic degenerative disease?
Calcium should never be supplemented in any amount, period. Dairy intake should be minimized. Virtually all older persons have excesses of calcium in their bodies. There is absolutely no danger of a generalized calcium deficiency existing in the body. A very basic protocol of treatment should include:
1. Vitamin D
2. Vitamin C (osteoporosis is a focal scurvy of the bones)
3. Bioavailable magnesium
4. Vitamins K1 and K2
5. Essential fatty acids, such as is contained in fish oil with EPA and DHA
6. Addressing deficiencies of sex hormones (estrogen, testosterone)
7. Addressing deficiency or excess of thyroid hormone
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About the author: Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD is a board-certified internist and cardiologist. He is also bar-certified for the practice of law. He has written extensively on the importance of eliminating toxins while bolstering antioxidant defenses in the body, with particular focus on vitamin C. His upcoming new book will be released in a few months, entitled, Death by Calcium: The Toxic Supplement.
For more information about Dr. Levy – visit: PeakEnergy.com
SUBSCRIBE TODAY! Click here to join the NaturalNews Inner Circle – a monthly (online) subscription offering exclusive audio interviews, video events, natural health product discounts, free gifts plus much more! | <urn:uuid:18773652-be9c-4543-b4f2-eadf4ebaed21> | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | http://www.naturalhealth365.com/calcium_warning.html/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917122996.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031202-00563-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.914184 | 870 | 3.171875 | 3 | {
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The cold is here. What happens to your body when you work out in lower temperatures?
You don’t have to be a hardcore fitness enthusiast to reap the benefits of outdoor exercise during the cold winter months. Just 20 minutes of outdoor aerobic exercise three times a week can help you maintain healthy lungs and avoid Vitamin D deficiency.
“Cold weather is not a free pass to spend November through March on the couch,” says Dr. Olugusen Apata, a pulmonologist, critical care physician and sleep specialist with Advocate Trinity Hospital in Chicago. “The body’s need for exercise and exposure to what we call the sunshine vitamin remains the same every month of the year.”
Winter sports like skiing, sledding and snowboarding are good alternatives to indoor and warmer weather cardio exercises that help strengthen the lungs.
“Contrary to widespread beliefs, inhaling cold air will not damage the lungs,” Dr. Apata says. “Because the air tends to be drier in colder temperatures, some people experience a cough, which fuels the cause for concern. But rest assured, the body has a way of warming the air before it reaches the lungs.”
But, Dr. Apata cautions that if you have asthma, COPD or any other hyperactive lung disease, extreme temperature conditions can precipitate an attack if the disorder is not well controlled.
“The important thing to remember about outdoor exercise is to drink plenty of water and dress warmly, preferably in layers,” Dr. Apata says, adding that it is equally important to avoid hazards and watch out for black ice or slippery surfaces that can cause you to slip and fall when exercising outdoors.
Although the body may not produce the same amount of sweat in cold weather, it burns as many calories as it does during warm weather workouts of the same intensity – which means the need to replenish fluids remains the same. Likewise, extremities such as the ears, fingers and toes are susceptible to frostbite, even when you’re feeling warm from your workout.
Dr. Apata says that if traditional winter sports are not accessible, outdoor running or brisk walking can help maintain lung health. He advises you to speak with your lung doctor if you have questions or any concerns.
About the Author
Cassie Richardson, health enews contributor, is regional coordinator on Advocate Aurora Health's Public Affairs team. She has more than 10 years of experience in health care communications, marketing, media and public relations. Cassie is a fan of musical theater and movies. When she’s not spreading the word about health and wellness advancements, she enjoys writing fiction. | <urn:uuid:00865a87-30e6-4c5d-aaf9-fa051905a53e> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://www.ahchealthenews.com/2019/10/31/what-happens-when-you-exercise-outside-in-the-the-cold/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370496330.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20200329232328-20200330022328-00007.warc.gz | en | 0.930555 | 548 | 2.671875 | 3 | {
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2 Winding resistance measurements in transformers / generators & large motors are of fundamental importance for the following purposes:Manufacturers will use the test to determine “copper losses” which are calculated using the formula I2*RAt the time of commissioning, a winding resistance test can be used to detect loose connections, typically at the connections to bushings, and abnormalities with the tap-changer as a result of poor workmanship or shipping damage.• Calculation of winding temperature at the end of a temperature test cycle.
3 The voltage across an inductor is proportional to the time rate of change of the current through it. The DC current source must be extremely stable. Refer to formula for DC voltage across a transformer below: v = I * R + (L di/dt) where:vdc = voltage across transformer windingI = DC current through transformer windingR = resistance of the transformer windingL = inductance of the transformer windingdi/dt = changing value of current (ripple)
4 Selecting the Proper Test Current Range Transformer manufacturers typically recommend that the current output selected should not exceed 10% of the rated winding current. This could cause erroneous readings due to heating of the winding. Test current ranges are typically from 0.01% to maximum of 10 % of rated winding current.
5 Stabilised resistance measurements On large transformers with high inductance windings, it could take a few minutes for readings to stabilize. The time required for readings to stabilize will vary based on the rating of the transformer, the winding configuration, the instruments output current selected.Readings on a Star/Wye-configured transformer should typically stabilize in 10 to 30 secondsFor large transformers with delta configuration, magnetization and getting stable readings can take significantly longer time, sometimes as long as minutes.
6 Stabilised resistance measurements - B By connecting the primary and secondary windings in series (using a Jumper cable), the speed of saturation and stability of the readings is increased because there are more amp-turns contributing to the flux in the core. The resistance measurement of both windings is made at the same time on channels A and B of the WRT-10. Delta Windings If possible, always inject test current to HV & LV simultaneously. Correct measurements values can be obtained approximately 7 times faster when injecting in both HV & LV in comparison to measuring LV only
7 WRT-10 Reading Stability indicator Indicates if the voltage reading (and displayed resistance reading) has stabilized.
8 WRT-10 Reading Stability indicator - Gray when the WRT-10 is idle, when it is dumping current, or when measuring has begun but is not yet stabilized. - Yellow when approaching stability (1% or less variation in the value for ten consecutive readings). - Green once the nominal current value is reached and the resistance measurement is almost the same each time (within a 0.25% tolerance for ten readings in a row).
9 Winding resistance measurements How much heat is being generated by the higher resistance of a transformer winding? This can be calculated (I²R) using the rated full load current.Is this heat sufficient to generate fault gases and possibly result in catastrophic failure? This will depend on the rate at which heat is being generated and dissipated. Consider the mass of the connector or contact involved, the size of the conductor, and its location with respect to the flow of the cooling medium and the general efficiency of the transformer design
10 DiagnosticsWindings resistance measurements can reveal a great deal of information.Faulted winding (open winding or shorted turn)Integrity of numerous welded and mechanical connectionsPoor JointsRA switch, LTC (Diverter switch, Tap Selector switch) damage
11 Transformer preventive maintenance - winding resistance measurements (vibrations - a) Slight changes of length exhibited by a ferromagnetic object when magnetized, result in the familiar “hum” heard around large power transformers, it’s the sound of the iron core expanding and contracting at 120 Hz (twice the system frequency, which is 60 Hz in the Canada & the USA), one cycle of core contraction and expansion for every peak of the magnetic flux waveform. The “hum” also includes the noises created by mechanical forces (Magneto-Motive Forces - mmf) between primary and secondary windings.
12 Transformer preventive maintenance - winding resistance measurements (vibrations - b)When the secondary winding is “loaded” (current supplied to a load), the winding generates an mmf (magneto-motive force), which becomes counteracted by a “reflected” mmf in the primary winding to prevent core flux levels from changing. These opposing mmf's generated between primary and secondary windings as a result of secondary (load) current produce a repulsive, physical force between the windings which will tend to make them vibrate. These vibrations can affect the integrity of different joints and connections in power transformers
13 Tap Changers maintenance A transformer tap is a connection point along a transformer winding that allows a certain number of turns to be selected. By this means, a transformer with a variable turns ratio is produced, enabling voltage regulation of the output. The tap selection is made via a tap changer mechanism.Tap changers can be On-load (LTC) or Off-load (RA switch)In power distribution networks, transformers commonly include an off-load tap changer on the primary winding to accommodate system variations within a narrow band around the nominal rating. The tap changer will often be set just once, at the time of installation, although it may be changed later during a scheduled outage in order to accommodate a long-term change in the system voltage profile.
14 LTCAbout 96% of all power transformers today above 10MVA incorporate on load tap changers as a means of voltage regulationFor many power transformer applications, a supply interruption during a tap change is unacceptable, and the transformer is often fitted with a more expensive and complex on-load tap-changing mechanism. On-load tap changers may be generally classified as either mechanical, electronically assisted, or fully electronic. typical LTC are step switches, reversing switch & diverter switches.These mechanisims have many different joints and connections that can be tested with winding resistance measurement.
15 Reversing switchesIn most transformers the tap-windings are connected to the main winding through a reversing switch. The reversing switch allows the tap-windings to be either additive or subtractive (boost and buck) to the main winding. This effectively reduces the number of required taps by half. In other words, a tap changer that has for example; 16 raise taps and 16 lower taps, would have 33 different ratios, but only 16 tap selector switches (plus the neutral position).
16 Reversing Switch-BThe diagram below illustrates the complete tap changer circuit. Note the switches “R” (raise) and “L” (lower) in the dotted circle.N1 is the main winding. N2 is the tap winding. The diagram on the right is just a simplified version of that on the left.
17 LTC – Open circuit tap change LTC’s transfer load currents and are designed for make-before-break, they are NOT designed to interrupt load currents. An open circuit would likely result in catastrophic failure. On installation and after maintenance it is certainly advised to verify operating integrity by checking for open circuits.If an open circuit is detected while changing taps the WRT-10 will automatically stop and go into its discharge cycle indicated by the discharge indicator.
18 V-graph analysis tool for Tap-changers ndb Report Manager SoftwareV-graph analysis tool for Tap-changersThis graphical representation of the Lower to Riser tap winding resistance is an easy and fast tool for Tap-changer analysis. We are looking for an ideal smooth & symetrical V shape graph.
19 ndb Report Manager Software V-Graph 3 phase overlaping ( possible Reversing switch problem on Phase B )
20 V-Graph, Before and After analysis ndb Report Manager SoftwareV-Graph, Before and After analysis
21 Example of V-Graph information High Resistance in Diverter SwitchIn the example below, it can be seen that all of the “even numbered” taps (2, 4, 6, 8…) are higher than the norm. (Norm being the imaginary V-shaped line drawn through the data points). Note that all the odd taps are connected through side “B” of the diverter switch and all the even taps are connected through side “A” of the diverter switch. The pattern of results below would indicate that the contact resistance of the “A” side of the diverter switch is high.
23 Please note that when graphed, there will normally be some deviation from the norm between the odd and even values. This does not necessarily indicate a problem with the diverter switch. This may be due to physical installation conditions. For example the internal cables connected to one side of the diverter switch may be longer than those connected to the opposite side. In fact if the diverter switch is damaged, the results will be inconsistent. In other words, some of the odd (or even) taps will have elevated resistance and other will appear normal. Or, if a given tap is tested more than once, after operating the tap changer, the result for the first test will be different from the second test and so on. Sound judgment and the ability to compare readings to factory values, historic values, similar transformers or other phases will help in drawing the correct conclusion.
24 High Resistance in Reversing Switch In the example below, when the reversing switch is in the “raise” position all the resistance values are high than when the reversing switch is in the “lower” position. In this case, a high resistance on the “raise” side of the reversing switch is suspected.Refer back to figure 2. The reversing switch only operates as the tap changer changes from operating in the additive connection to a subtractive connection. For example if the tap changer has been in the subtractive position (taps -1 to -16) and is then required to operate in the additive mode, the reversing switch will reverse the connections of the tap winding as the mechanism moves through neutral and makes its connection to the first raise tap (+1).
26 High Resistance in Tap Selector Switch In the example below, it can be seen that tap +5 and -5 both have higher than normal resistance.In this example both these taps use the same tap selection, but with the reversing switch in different positions, it is likely that the cause of this inconsistency is a high resistance in position five of the tap selector switch.Note that the entire circuit to tap 5 is suspect, not just the tap switch itself. This would include any connections between the taps switch and the winding. The reversing switch can not be to blame because in every case the resistance of the odd tap is similar to its even counter part.
27 High Resistance in Tap Selector Switch - V-Graph
28 Induction / NoiseThe WRT-10 has Sigma-delta A/D converters and notch filters on input channels to eliminate effects of substation noise.
29 Safety - Induction in Substation transformer located in substations in close proximity to energized conductors are subject electrostatic charges induced onto floating windings. This hazard can be eliminated by grounding all windings. However, to perform a winding resistance test only one terminal of any winding can be tied to ground. It’s important that the windings are grounded prior to connecting the current and potential test leads, and when disconnecting leads the ground is the last to be removed.
30 WRT-10 Color ScreenLarge, Bright, Color LCD screen, 120 mm x 90 mm (4.75" x 3.5"), easy viewing on a sunny day.
36 What is the Transformer Temperature Rise Test or “Heat Run Test”? This test determines the average winding temperature rise of the transformer under rated load (generally performed by Transformer manufacturers)Thermometers are installed to measure ambient temperatures, oil temperatures, etc... Readings on these are taken before the test is started to obtain base temperatures on which to determine the rise at rated load, These are also read periodically during the test, and continued until temperatures do not vary more than a few degrees over a period of hours.If the temperature rises is above the transformers winding heat Class tolerance, overheating of the insulation takes place and that leads to an accelerated ageing of the insulation and, in excessive cases, could damage the transformer.
37 What does the Winding Resistance Measurements have to do with the « Heat Run Test »? The average winding temperature is determined by the equation:T = R/R0 (Tk + T0 ) – Tk (note: IEEE: C )Where: T is the temperature (°C) corresponding to hot resistance R, T0 is the temperature (°C) at which cold resistance R0 was measured R0 is the cold resistance (Ohm) R is the hot resistance (Ohm) Tk is 234,5 °C for copper (resp. 225,0 for aluminium)
38 The WRT-10 is equiped with a timed interval resistance measurement logging feature for heat run testingIEEE C requirements for Hot Resistance measurements.The time from instant of shutdown shall be recorded for each resistance measurements.At least one resistance measurement shall be taken on all terminal pairs within 4 min after shutdown. Resistance-time measurements shall be made on all windings.The resistance-time data shall be corrected to the instant of shutdown using a resistance-time cooling curve determined by plotting data on suitable coordinate paper, or by using a curve fitting program.The resistance-time data obtained on one phase of a winding shall be used to determine the correction to shutdown for the other phases of the same winding, provided the first measurement on each of the other phases has been taken within 4 min after shutdown.
39 WRT-10 Advantages High accuracy 0.25% 0.01A, 0.1A, 1A & 10A (30V) Current regulated output source for fast stabilization and saturationV-Graph analysis for fast tap-changer diagnostics ( PC software )Reading stabilization indicator, ( we look for no more than 0.25% deviation for 10 measurements ) to indicate stabilization is completed.Load Tap Changer channel, ( we can control change the taps of a transformer from the WRT-10 )Auto-Tap Changer mode ( automatically performs measurement , data log at tap change sequence )Duty Cycle: the maximum tested 4.5 hours continuous at full 10A output.
40 WRT-10 Advantages… RS-232C & USB communications Passive Circuit discharge indicator and .. LED for applications where while the instrument is charging a transformer a power outage occurs , the user can see that the instrument is still discharging the transformer – SAFETY !In the event that the current circuit is opened, the WRT-10 has a fast Crowbar discharge circuit (voltage channel)50 feet / 16 meters of testing cables + 1 jumper cable for dual channel performance measurements ( included)Special Sigma / Delta input measurement filter, looks out substation noise and induction influence of measurementsLarge Memory, 100Files of 120 Measurements eachBreak before Make feature for On-Load Tap-Changer analysis, the instrument automatically discharges the transformer when inductive kick back is detected showing that there is an open circuit between 2 taps of the LTC!!
41 WRT-10 Advantages …Heat Run testing mode, where the resistance data can be logged for cool down curve information. The instrument can record the time and interval of the measurements automatically ( 5 seconds to 100 seconds intervals )Transformer information can be entered directly on the instrumentFULL keyboard, for easy data entry.Beep sound level adjustment ( off, low- med – high )FULL Color display, easy to see even in bright daylight !Housing includes a storage compartment for cables, or accessoriesHousing has wheel and a retractable handleLightweight instrument, 25 LB or 11.4 KGResistance , temperature correction feature ( Aluminum , Cooper and custom )On board Printer | <urn:uuid:e9bd2b0f-0b34-4c11-a7c0-d65211431520> | CC-MAIN-2018-51 | https://slideplayer.com/slide/221448/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-51/segments/1544376823588.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20181211061718-20181211083218-00528.warc.gz | en | 0.910981 | 3,372 | 3.09375 | 3 | {
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Understanding the difference between equality and equity can be difficult. A simple activity in which a group of people sit in a circle and place their shoes in a pile at the centre can demonstrate the difference. When everyone gets a random pair of shoes from the pile and puts them on, this demonstrates equality. Can they walk in them? Some participants will notice that they do not fit the shoes they were given and will realize individual needs (in this case, shoe size) have to be met so we can all participate equally. This demonstrates equity. Equality is our objective; equity is one of the ways we get there.
Since 2000, ETFO has asked members to self-identify if they belong to one or more of the following designated groups:
- Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning (LGBTQ)
- Members of racialized groups
We ask for this personal information because ETFO’s commitment to equity and social justice includes the goal of increasing involvement and participation for members from the designated groups that are under-represented in leadership positions in our union. Every year, we report to the Annual Meeting about the participation of our members who self-identify. Collecting and reporting these statistics are ways ETFO holds itself accountable for this commitment. Members can self-identify on the annual member information form and on all registration and application forms for ETFO programs. Members may choose to self-identify for statistical purposes only or give ETFO permission to contact them with information about programs and opportunities (e.g., leadership programs, focus groups, writing groups, standing committees). Providing this information to ETFO allows staff to identify gaps in participation, programming and policy and to reach out to members from equity-seeking groups. In dialogue with members who self-identify (for example, in focus groups), staff can better understand the need for supportive resources, programs and services in response to barriers members experience in participating in their union. We asked members to share their insights and perspectives on self-identification with us. The following quotes are from members who self-identify in one or more of the groups.
Why did you decide to self-identify with ETFO?
“After much consideration, I decided to self-identify [Aboriginal] with ETFO because I believe that it is important to be proud of who you are and not to hide. I think this is important for the next generation to see that you can identify with your heritage, be proud and stand up for your people.” “I chose to self-identify as a woman because I am proud to be a woman and because despite all of the advances in equity … many people/institutions in society still do not view or treat us as equals.” | <urn:uuid:7c928507-32f8-4119-b63a-cb53f7041889> | CC-MAIN-2018-22 | http://etfovoice.ca/feature/self-identification-and-participation-etfo | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-22/segments/1526794864872.17/warc/CC-MAIN-20180522190147-20180522210147-00125.warc.gz | en | 0.961252 | 567 | 2.84375 | 3 | {
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Dazzle camouflage techniques that proved effective in hiding ships in the 20th century might now help you to maintain your anonymity.
The progress in facial recognition algorithms has been such that you can now say that it is a mainstream application. Facebook lets you tag photos automatically and there are lots of websites plus police and security agencies of all types using it. From the algorithmic point of view it is nothing but a success story ... but...
As you can probably imagine, there are people who would rather remain anonymous and untracked and, as with every action, there is a reaction - even if it isn't equal just at the moment.
CV Dazzle is a simple idea. It is camouflage for the face. The name and the overall approach comes from the invention and use of Dazzle camouflage during World War I. The basic idea is not to make the object blend in with the background but to break up its shape by using bright high-contrast shapes - you might be able to see something but not work out what it is.
Now the same idea has been tried by a student entry to the Core77 Design awards from Adam Harvey of the Tisch School of Arts, New York University. The idea is that by augmenting the face and occasionally hiding some aspects of it, face recognition software just can't do its job. As well as just coming up with effective dazzle designs it is also important to find something that is wearable and enhances the overall look and style of the person using it. In simple terms it has to be feasible that someone could wear CV Dazzle in a normal situation!
Some of the designs involve using the hair style to obscure parts of the face - see CV Dazzle. Notice that wearing masks in public is illegal in some countries, but CV Dazzle probably doesn't fall into the category of "masks".
The designs have only been tested against OpenCV and Facebook and which means that there is no guarantee that they will work against a security grade face recognition system. However, if you know how face recognition works it seems reasonable that dazzle camouflage would at least reduce the identification certainty.
Finally the creator of CV Dazzle offers some tips on staying unrecognized:
- Avoid enhancers: They amplify key facial features.
- Partially obscure the nose-bridge. The region where the nose, eyes, and forehead intersect is a key facial feature.
- Partially obscure the ocular region. The position and darkness of eyes is a key facial feature.
- Remain inconspicuous. For camouflage to function, it must not be perceived as a mask or disguise.
So what is the next reaction?
Better facial recognition software seems the only option and given that CV Dazzle doesn't seem to interfere much with a human's ability to recognize the wearer it should still be possible.
If you would like to be informed about new articles on I Programmer you can either follow us on Twitter or Facebook or you can subscribe to our weekly newsletter. | <urn:uuid:ea63915d-db39-4484-a191-0e61cded63a8> | CC-MAIN-2016-40 | http://i-programmer.info/news/81-web-general/2838-cv-dazzle-how-to-hide-from-face-recognition-.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-40/segments/1474738663308.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20160924173743-00275-ip-10-143-35-109.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963605 | 614 | 2.578125 | 3 | {
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By Gerri Elder
In the book 'The Case for Marriage', authors Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher documented cases in which adults who are married are better off than single people financially, health-wise and in terms of personal satisfaction. The book also alleges that children of divorce or who live with an unwed parent are more likely to live in poverty and sickness and also to become involved in crime than other kids.
Waite and Gallagher believe that relaxed divorce laws harm marriages because they foster chronic uncertainty in the relationship. Legislators in some states seem to agree with this line of thinking. In Louisiana, a law has been passed to provide for a "covenant marriage" option for couples who want their marriage governed by stricter divorce rules.
So while some insist that loose no-fault divorce laws are to blame for their own insecurities and marriage failures, according to Reason Online, new research has shown that when a divorce is easy to get, better marriages may actually result.
Before no-fault divorce laws were passed in most states, people who wanted to get a divorce either had to have their spouse agree that the marriage was over or prove some deal-breaking wrongdoing on the part of their spouse such as adultery or abuse.
In the 60s and 70s, new no-fault divorce laws were introduced. This made it possible for one party to get a divorce without proving any misdeeds or foul play in the marriage - and without the consent of the other party.
Research proves that no-fault divorce laws did not escalate the divorce rate, at least not permanently. In a study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), economist Justin Wolfers of Stanford University found that when California passed its no-fault divorce law in 1970, the divorce rate jumped temporarily, but then fell back to its old level — then continued to decline.
Similar divorce rate patterns were seen in other states after no-fault divorce laws were passed. Wolfers estimates that the chance that a first marriage would break up rose by just a minuscule one-fourth of one percent overall after no-fault divorce laws were passed.
In another NBER paper, Wolfers and fellow economist Betsey Stevenson of the University of Pennsylvania reported that there were specific benefits in states which passed no-fault divorce laws.
According to this study, fewer women committed suicide and fewer were murdered by their husbands or boyfriends after no-fault divorce laws went into effect. Additionally, both men and women suffered less domestic violence in states with relaxed divorce laws.
The benefits seen after divorce law changes were not small or insignificant either. In no-fault divorce states, there was a 10 percent drop in a woman's chance of being murdered by her spouse or boyfriend. The rate of female suicide fell by 20 percent in states that enacted no-fault divorce laws. And with domestic violence, an even more dramatic drop was reported. In states that passed no-fault divorce laws, domestic violence declined between 25 and 50 percent between 1976 and 1985.
In addition to not causing a significant increase in the divorce rates, no-fault divorce laws have benefited and saved the lives of many people.
No-fault divorce laws put an end to much of the power struggles in marriages. When divorce laws dictate that either party, at any time, can get a divorce, there is more incentive to keep each other happy. Additionally, potential abusers now know that abused spouses can exit the situation and the marriage, and this may cause them to think twice before raising their hand.
While no-fault divorce laws were designed to facilitate easier divorces, the fact of the matter is that they have actually strengthened some marriages. | <urn:uuid:a765a41f-6055-495e-a02c-fa861be05af6> | CC-MAIN-2016-36 | http://www.totaldivorce.com/news/articles/society/no-fault-good-for-marriage.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-36/segments/1471982293615.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20160823195813-00046-ip-10-153-172-175.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975727 | 759 | 2.546875 | 3 | {
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CRA [SEE-R-A], noun: A dependent special district in which any future increases in property values are set aside to support economic development projects within that district.
Community Redevelopment Agencies: What, When, and How
CRAs, as they are known, are quite common, but often there are many questions in the minds of those who don’t work with them everyday. How are they authorized? Who oversees them? What is involved in their operation? How are they funded? This article is intended to simply answer those questions. It also summarizes the legislation passed in session 2002 relating to CRAs. For further information, please contact Amber Hughes of the Florida Redevelopment Association at firstname.lastname@example.org or call (813) 777-4783.
What is a Community Redevelopment Area or District?
Under Florida law (Chapter 163, Part III), local governments are able to designate areas as Community Redevelopment Areas when certain conditions exist. Since all the monies used in financing CRA activities are locally generated, CRAs are not overseen by the state, but redevelopment plans must be consistent with local government comprehensive plans. Examples of conditions that can support the creation of a Community Redevelopment Area include, but are not limited to: the presence of substandard or inadequate structures, a shortage of affordable housing, inadequate infrastructure, insufficient roadways, and inadequate parking. To document that the required conditions exist, the local government must survey the proposed redevelopment area and prepare a Finding of Necessity. If the Finding of Necessity determines that the required conditions exist, the local government may create a Community Redevelopment Area to provide the tools needed to foster and support redevelopment of the targeted area.
There are currently over 220 Community Redevelopment Areas in the State of Florida. To obtain a current list, visit
What is a Community Redevelopment Agency?
The activities and programs offered within a Community Redevelopment Area are administered by the Community Redevelopment Agency. A five- to seven-member CRA “Board” created by the local government (city or county) directs the agency. The Board can be comprised of local government officials and or other individuals appointed by the local government. Although one local government may establish multiple CRA districts, there generally may be only one CRA Board. Each district must maintain separate trust funds, and expend those funds only in that district.
What is a Community Redevelopment Plan?
The Community Redevelopment Agency is responsible for developing and implementing the Community Redevelopment Plan that addresses the unique needs of the targeted area. The plan includes the overall goals for redevelopment in the area, as well as identifying the types of projects planned for the area.
Examples of traditional projects include: streetscapes and roadway improvements, building renovations, new building construction, flood control initiatives, water and sewer improvements, parking lots and garages, neighborhood parks, sidewalks and street tree plantings. The plan can also include redevelopment incentives such as grants and loans for such things as façade improvements, sprinkler system upgrades, signs, and structural improvements. The redevelopment plan is a living document that can be updated to meet the changing needs within the Community Redevelopment Area; however, the boundaries of the area cannot be changed without starting the process from the beginning.
What is Tax Increment Financing?
Tax increment financing is a unique tool available to cities and counties for redevelopment activities. It is used to leverage public funds to promote private sector activity in the targeted area. The dollar value of all real property in the Community Redevelopment Area is determined as of a fixed date, also known as the “frozen value.” Taxing authorities, which contribute to the tax increment, continue to receive property tax revenues based on the frozen value. These frozen value revenues are available for general government purposes. However, any tax revenues from increases in real property value, referred to as “increment,” are deposited into the Community Redevelopment Agency Trust Fund and dedicated to the redevelopment area.
It is important to note that property tax revenue collected by the School Board and any special district are not affected under the tax increment financing process. Further, unlike in some states, Florida taxing entities write a check to the CRA trust fund, after monies are received from the tax collector. In California, the increment is sent to the CRAs directly out of collected county tax revenues, before they are distributed to each taxing entity.
The tax increment revenues can be used immediately, saved for a particular project, or can be bonded to maximize the funds available. Any funds received from a tax increment financing area must be used for specific redevelopment purposes within the targeted area, and not for general government purposes.
How does the CRA Process Work?
A public meeting begins the designation process. Several steps will have to be accomplished before the Community Redevelopment Area becomes are reality. These steps are briefly outlined below.
I. Adopt the Finding of Necessity. This will formally identify the blight conditions within the targeted area and establish the area boundary.
II. Develop and adopt the Community Redevelopment Plan. The plan addresses the unique needs of the targeted area and includes the overall goals for redevelopment in the area, as well as identifying specific projects.
III. Create a Redevelopment Trust Fund. Establishment of the Trust Fund enables the Community Redevelopment Agency to direct the increase in real property tax revenues back into the targeted area.
The Florida Legislature addressed CRAs in 2002 from an intergovernmental point of view, to strengthen the ability of cities and counties to manage CRA creation, notices and term issues. Disputes between cities and counties involving CRAs can be resolved locally by interlocal agreements, and should be, since they usually involve growth management issues other than just funding.
Florida Redevelopment Association Legislative Position
The FRA supports the ability of local governments to create and effectively use community redevelopment agencies to redevelop and revitalize their urban areas. This includes the use of tax increment financing. We further support local control and disposition of any disputes between local governments over the use of such agencies and financing. The Florida Redevelopment Association is available for technical assistance, legislative advocacy and redevelopment educational resources.
For copies of current or past bills, statutes or further legislative information, you may visit www.leg.state.fl.us or call the FRA. at (850) 701-3608.
The Florida Redevelopment Association (FRA) is dedicated to the revitalization and preservation of Florida’s communities. Operated under a contract with the Florida League of Cities in Tallahassee, it’s purpose is to promote the improvement of downtowns and other urban areas through redevelopment and development activities under the Florida Statutes; encourage Florida’s communities to create a healthy mix of affordable workforce and market rate housing; and provide a forum for networking, training and technical assistance; be an advocate for its membership; and monitor legal and legislative issues. The FRA currently has more than 300 public and business agency members.
CRAs are a specifically focused financing tool for redevelopment. CRA Boards do not establish policy for the city or county – they develop and administer a plan to implement that policy. The CRA acts officially as a body distinct and separate from the governing body, even when it is the same group of people. The CRA has certain powers that the city or county by itself may not do, such as establish tax increment financing, and leverage local public funds with private dollars to make redevelopment happen. | <urn:uuid:e288dcc9-9add-4498-b1e2-ba35afecab22> | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | https://redevelopment.net/cra-resources/q-a-for-cras/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610703506832.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20210116165621-20210116195621-00629.warc.gz | en | 0.94475 | 1,564 | 2.546875 | 3 | {
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We are lucky here in South Florida for many reasons, not the least of which is our fabulous, tropical weather. One thing we can’t escape is the onslaught of flu season which seems to set in and claim its victims everywhere around this time every year like clockwork.
The Flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It can be mild to very severe with symptoms that include fever, headache, fatigue, body aches, dry cough, sore throat and runny nose. People with the flu may feel nauseous and have vomiting and diarrhea, although these symptoms are more common in children than adults. Flu can lead to pneumonia and other serious illnesses for people who are particularly vulnerable such as those with compromised immune systems.
November through March is Flu Season in the United States. While a flu shot is the best protection against the virus, there are several other ways to help avoid the flu:
- Stay home if you are sick. That means the gym too! Working out while you are sick will cause more harm than good. Never even attempt to work out with a fever, body aches and chills. Rest and drink plenty of fluids.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
- Wash your hands often to avoid spreading germs.
- Avoid touching your nose, mouth or eyes to help keep germs from entering your body.
It is especially important for people who fall into one of the following high- risk categories outlined by the Centers for Disease Control to get a flu shot:
- Children age 6-59 months and their household contacts and out of home care givers.
- Women who will be pregnant during the flu season.
- People aged 50 or older.
- People of any age who have certain chronic medical conditions.
- People who care for anyone at high risk.
- Health care workers.
Those at high risk should contact their primary care physicians to discuss where and when to get the flu shot.
Some Healthy Measures to Ward Off the “Bug”
- Get lots of fresh air. Take fresh air breaks at work and invest in some leafy plants for your workplace. The air in the workplace and in closed- up planes can be especially toxic.
- Get sufficient sleep to give your body time to repair, replenish, and detoxify itself.
- Keep stress in check, as it can depress the immune system.
- Don’t forget your workouts: daily exercise helps to boost your immune system.
- Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day to ensure hydration.
- Eat lots of brightly colored veggies and fruits loaded with vitamin “C” to help keep your immune system strong.
- Stay away from fast foods and sugary foods as these can drag your immune system down. | <urn:uuid:40eb8468-5e38-4087-8555-39be149a86db> | CC-MAIN-2018-34 | http://staging.hotspotsmagazine.com/2018/01/10/fortify-yourself-against-cold-and-flu-season/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-34/segments/1534221210413.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20180816034902-20180816054902-00705.warc.gz | en | 0.956445 | 579 | 3.015625 | 3 | {
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Zakat, or zakat al-mal, means stands as the third pillar of Islam, coming immediately after salat, the daily ritual prayer.
Every Muslim possessing the designated minimal amount of wealth, (nisab), for the full cycle of a lunar year must, as a matter of worship, satisfy the duty of paying zakat.
Unfortunately, the calculation of zakat has become unclear to many Muslims because of the many different kinds of wealth they may have.
Zakat spreads tranquility and peace in society because it secures the weak and their dependents with the guarantee of certain provision, shelter, and access to essential communal facilities. The mystery of zakat is not only that it links one to others by a sense of personal responsibility, but that it binds everyone to the individual through an obligation of sufficiency. There is no greater bulwark against social disintegration.
Categories of Zakatable Wealth
All possessions can be classified into either zakatable or non-zakatable wealth. For the purpose of zakat calculation, Muslim scholars have established five categories of zakatable wealth:
- Personal Zakatable Wealth: This includes money on hand and in bank accounts, stocks, and money held in retirement and pension accounts.
- Business Zakatable Wealth: This is further classified in two categories:
- Trading goods and liquid assets including business inventory
- Exploited assets such as rented properties and factories
- Agricultural Produce:
- Crops from irrigated land, wherein the irrigation system entails costs and labor
- Crops from non-irrigated land watered by rain or natural springs
- Livestock: Animals raised for commercial purposes— primarily sheep, goats, cattle and buffalo
- Treasure (rikâz): This includes buried valuables or natural resources, such as oil, precious metals, and gemstones. It can be classified more specifically as:
- Hidden windfalls and discovered fortunes
- Oil and mining
In general, zakat is calculated on personal net worth, excluding properties and items for personal, family, and commercial use. Public properties are also non-zakatable. Below is a partial list of wealth that is zakat-exempt:
Property for Personal, Family, and Commercial Use: This category contains seven primary kinds of wealth:
- Food: As stored for consumption by an individual or family
- Clothing: All personal and family apparel
- Residence: Owned and occupied by the owner, including furnishings, utensils, and apparatus used for basic needs and necessity
- Transportation: The means of personal and family transport, such as vehicles used by an owner and family members
- Domestic Animals and Poultry: If used for household food and needs.
- Tools: Devices, instruments and equipment used in one’s personal business
- Agricultural Land: The land itself, animals and equipment used in cultivation
Property in Public Trust: Properties used for mosques, schools, hospitals, orphanages and other public service; those designated as charitable endowments (waqf) for the benefit of the needy, and the funds generated from such properties are all non-zakatable.
Unlawful Wealth: Only lawful assets are worthy of the blessing of zakat. Zakat cannot be calculated on prohibited or unlawful wealth.
Zakat al-Fitr, or the Zakat of Breaking the Fast of Ramadan, is the special obligatory paid by all Muslims at the end of the Ramadan fasting month.
It is also called Sadaqat al-Fitr, “the Charity of Breaking the Fast” of Ramadan, and Zakat al-Fitrah, because it is a mandatory charity due on every Muslim at the end of Ramadan, regardless of age or gender.
Zakat al-Fitr differs from other kinds of alms or charity in that it is imposed on the individual Muslim and not on his or her measures of wealth or earnings.
It’s $15 to $20 per person for the 2022/1443 Ramadan year. | <urn:uuid:febab991-4c2a-43c0-adc0-506cec608200> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://masjidbilal.net/zakat-resources/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510676.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20230930113949-20230930143949-00878.warc.gz | en | 0.933744 | 864 | 3.5625 | 4 | {
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June is a busy time for celebrations! The weather is warmer and LGBTQ+ Pride Month takes center stage. As an organization that acknowledges it operates on unceded and unsurrendered Algonquin Territory, MAX thinks it’s also important to help do our part in honouring June as National Indigenous History Month.
For guys into guys who live, work, and play in the Ottawa region, many of us have become accustomed to hearing land acknowledgments. June is a good time to explore meaningful ways to expand our understanding of the rich history, diverse cultures, and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit, Métis people and other Indigenous peoples.
WHAT IS MAX DOING TO HONOUR THE MONTH?
As a GBT2Q+ (gay, bi, trans, two-spirit, queer) men’s health organization, a very small but powerful way MAX wanted to engage is to help share some truths about the term two-spirit. Some important details to keep in mind:
- Two-Spirit was first used at an LGBTQ+ Native American gathering in 1990 by Elder Myra Laramee in Winnipeg, Manitoba and was quickly utilized amongst peers.
- The term two-spirit should only be applied to Indigenous and Native peoples of North America.
- The definition differs from tribes and not all tribes use the term. It is highly individualized and should only be used by those who identify as such.
- Albert Mcleod, co-director of Two-Spirited People of Manitoba Inc., explains more by adding that two-spirit is “a term used to describe aboriginal people who assume cross- or multiple-gender roles, attributes, dress and attitudes for personal, spiritual, cultural, ceremonial or social reasons.”
- The term is not interchangeable with gay, bi, trans, or queer. Not all folks who identify as two-spirit are LGBTQ+ and vice versa.
- Colonization, residential schools, and forced Christianity from European settlers have had a negative impact on the way two-spirit people have been treated and perceived by Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities alike.
- Local organizations such as Kind Space and The Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity, provincial organizations such as the previously mentioned Two-Spirited People of Manitoba, and federal groups such as Egale Canada have been working hard at creating programming and increasing education and awareness to help heal generational trauma. The goal is to help two-spirit identified folks return to and maintain the honourable place they’ve historically held within Indigenous communities.
MAX has also been fortunate to have allied organizations and other knowledgeable entities share some of their suggestions for other meaningful ways community members can participate. Here are a few that we’re excited about:
The Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health, located in Ottawa, “provides a wide range of medical clinics, social services and support, and youth programs for Ottawa’s 40,000+ Indigenous people.” Every Monday from 5:30-8:00 pm, they host culture night where all members of the community are invited to take part in activities to learn about Indigenous culture. Check out their website for more information.
The Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival takes place every year on or near June 21st. This date not only marks the beginning of summer solstice but also National Indigenous Peoples Day. In 2009, the day was expanded to a month. The festival will take place on June 21-24 2018 at Vincent Massey Park. It’s a free event and is a great way to celebrate the cultural diversity of the Métis, Inuit & First Nations communities in the National Capital area.
Our friends at Octopus Books were kind enough to pass on some great reads to add to your collection. The list features mostly Indigenous authors on topics that range from Indigenous history, gender-related issues, autobiographies, and ways Indigenous communities are combating the negative impact of colonization.
- Clearing the Plain by James Daschuk
- Keetsahnak/Our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Sisters edited by Kim Anderson, Maria Campbell and Christi Belcourt
- Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga
- The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
- Those Who Run in the Sky by Aviaq Johnston
- Cold Skies by Thomas King
Check out their Indigenous Studies section of their website for even more titles.
The Native Youth Sexual Health Network (NYSHN) “is an organization by and for Indigenous youth that works across issues of sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice throughout the United States and Canada.” Most of their work focuses on the health of Indigenous folks. However, their website and social media platforms have a variety of resources to help non-Indigenous educate themselves about the unique issues and help find solutions in solidarity with Indigenous folks.
A Hopeful Future
At MAX, we envision a community of self-affirming guys into guys that care for themselves and each other. This includes our two-spirit and GBTQ+ Indigenous guys. Non-Indigenous community members can help by taking it upon themselves to learn more about the rich history of Indigenous peoples to become better allies, service providers, and friends. | <urn:uuid:2226b075-cfcd-4d02-8979-a92b64576893> | CC-MAIN-2019-22 | http://maxottawa.ca/en/indigenous-history-month/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-22/segments/1558232257553.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20190524064354-20190524090354-00250.warc.gz | en | 0.955718 | 1,069 | 3.0625 | 3 | {
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The widespread interest awakened by the actual establishment of a permanent colony at Monrovia led to the formation of a number of State Colonization Societies, at first purely auxiliary to the central body, but later in some cases independent. The foundation of independent settlements at Bassa Cove and Sinou by the New York, Pennsylvania and Mississippi Societies, and their union in 1837 into the Commonwealth, has been considered. A much more important colony was founded by Maryland at Cape Palmas, which for years maintained its independence.
In 1831, the Maryland State Colonization Society was formed. Active interest in the movement had long been felt in the State, and it scarcely needed the eloquence of Robert Finley, son of the old champion of colonization, who visited Baltimore in that year, to awaken enthusiasm. The Society had hardly been formed when ample funds were provided in an unexpected way. In August, 1831, a tragic Negro uprising took place in Virginia, in which some sixty-five white men, women and children were murdered. The Southampton Massacres were attributed largely to the instigation of the troublesome free Negro element, and the growing sentiment in favor of emancipation was abruptly checked. The Maryland Legislature, sharing the general excitement, passed in December a resolution which became law in March, and proved to the State Society what the Act of March 3, 1819, was to the main organization. The connection was more explicit. Three members of the Society were to be appointed Commissioners to remove all free Negroes to Liberia. The sum of $20,000 in the current year, and of $10,000 in each succeeding year, for a period of twenty years, was devoted to the purpose. Any free Negro refusing to emigrate was to be summarily ejected from the State by the sheriff. The wave of feeling which dictated this monstrous piece of legislation passed away before any of its harsh provisions were carried out. But the beneficent portion remained in force. The Society was left in the enjoyment of the liberal annuity of $10,000.
In October, 1831, and December, 1832, expeditions were sent out which landed emigrants at Monrovia. The difficulty of arriving at an agreement with the parent Society regarding the rights and status of these people, together with other considerations, led to the adoption of the idea of founding a separate colony. The plan was adopted largely through the support of Mr. John H. B. Latrobe, throughout his life one of the most active and efficient friends of colonization. The motives of the undertaking were distinctly announced to be the gradual extirpation of slavery in Maryland, and the spread of civilization and Christianity in Africa. Cape Palmas, a bold promontory marking the point where the coast makes a sharp bend toward the east, was selected as the new site. Its conspicuous position makes it one of the best known points on the coast, and some identify it with the “West Horn” reached by Hanno, the Carthaginian explorer, twenty-nine days out from Gades. Dr. James Hall, who had gained experience as physician in Monrovia, was placed in charge of the expedition, and the brig Ann, with a small number of emigrants, sailed from Baltimore November 28, 1833. A firm legal basis was projected for the new establishment in a Constitution to which all emigrants were to subscribe. The experience gained by the older colony was put to good use. Regular courts, militia, and public schools were provided for from the first.
The vessel touched at Monrovia, gathered as many recruits as possible from those sent out on the two previous expeditions, and finally anchored at Cape Palmas on February 11, 1834. After the usual tedious “palaver” and bargaining, the natives formally sold the required land. The cape is a promontory some seventy-five feet in height, separated from the mainland, except for a narrow, sandy isthmus. A river, navigable for some miles to small boats, opens opposite it, and forms a safe harbor. A long, salt water lake extends to the east, parallel to the coast. The land is very fertile and well adapted to farming. Several native villages lie near the cape. From a well founded fear of native treachery the colonists laid out their town on the promontory, upon the summit of which a brass six pounder was mounted. Farm lands were laid out on the mainland, and in a short time the little community was in a thriving condition. None of the distressing misfortunes encountered by the colony at Monrovia marred the early history of “Maryland in Liberia.”
In 1836 the health of Dr. Hall, whose services to the infant colony had been invaluable, became so much impaired that he was obliged to resign. He returned to the United States, and long rendered the Society efficient service in another capacity. John B. Russwurm, a citizen of Monrovia, and once editor of the Liberia Herald, was appointed Governor, and served ably and faithfully until his death in 1851. Early in his administration a convenient form of paper currency, receivable at the Society’s store, was introduced, and proved most useful in trade with the natives. In 1841 some slight difficulties with employees of missions led the Society, while still retaining control of affairs, to assert by resolution that the colony was a sovereign State. A revenue law introduced in 1846 soon produced an income of about $1,200. In this year began the trips of the “Liberia Packet,” a vessel maintained by a company formed to trade between Baltimore and Harper, as the town of the colony was named, in honor of Robert Goodloe Harper. A certain amount of trade was guaranteed and other aid given by the Society. In 1847 the judiciary was separated from the executive; a chief justice and a system of courts were provided for.
The year 1852 ended the period during which the Society drew its annual stipend from the State treasury; but the General Assembly was induced to extend the provisions of the Act of 1831 for a further period of six years. It may be as well to note here that in 1858 a further extension was made for five years, the amount at the same time being reduced to $5,000 per annum. For twenty years the colony had flourished under the care and good management of the Society. Prosperity now seemed secure, and a spirit of discontent, a desire to throw off the yoke and assume autonomy began to prevail. The great success following the assumption of Independence by Liberia in 1847, and the recognition at once obtained from the leading nations of Europe, naturally strengthened the feeling. A committee of leading citizens petitioned the Society to relinquish its authority, at the same time demanding or begging almost everything else in its power to bestow. The Society was further asked by its spoiled fosterling to continue to support schools, provide physicians and medicine, remit debts, and finally, to grant a “loan” of money to meet the expenses of government.
The Board of Managers, though deeming the colony still unripe for independence, generously determined to grant the request, as made advisable by force of circumstances. Among other things it was feared that the better class of colonists might be attracted toward the independent State of Liberia. A sort of federal union with that State was suggested, but found impracticable. A convention met and drafted a Constitution, which was submitted to the Board. An agreement was reached as to the conditions of the transfer of the Society’s lands, etc. Both were ratified by the people, and in May, 1854, Wm. A. Prout was elected Governor. Other officials, senators and representatives, were chosen at the same time.
The prosperity of the colony continued under the careful management of Gov. Prout. On his death the Lieutenant-Governor, Wm. S. Drayton, succeeded to his office. It was not long before the “rash and imprudent” conduct of this official precipitated a serious conflict with the natives. An expedition against them resulted in a demoralizing defeat, with loss of artillery and twenty-six valuable lives. In consternation an urgent appeal was sent to Monrovia. The treasury of the Republic was exhausted from the effects of the uprising of the Sinou River tribes; but Dr. Hall was fortunately present, and supplied the Government with a loan from the funds of the Maryland Society. One hundred and fifteen Liberian troops, under command of ex-President Roberts, were soon embarked for Cape Palmas, and easily overawed the native chiefs, who agreed to a fair adjustment of their grievances by treaty, February 26, 1857.
The war was not without important results. The Maryland colonists were thoroughly aroused to the weakness of their isolated position, and determined to have union with Liberia at any price. It was known that the Republic was willing to admit Maryland only as a county, on precisely the same terms as the other three Montserado, Sinou, and Bassa. State pride and the views of the Society had hitherto kept them from such a union; but now, in the reaction from their recent terror, a vote of the people called for by Act of the Legislature was unanimous in favor of “County Annexation;” and a committee was appointed to arrange matters at once with Roberts. When he declined to assume any such responsibility, they actually proceeded to dissolve the Government, and cede all public property forthwith to the Republic of Liberia. The interesting document entitled the “Act or Petition of Annexation,” shows the number of colonists to have been at this time 900 and the aboriginal population about 60,000. The tax on imports produced $1,800 a year. The State’s liabilities were $3,000, with assets estimated at $10,000.
The Liberian Legislature by an Act of April, 1857, formally received the colony into the Republic as “Maryland County.” The advantages gained by this change undoubtedly more than counterbalanced any loss of independence. Though the total dissolution of the government and surrender of all rights and property before any negotiation with Liberian authorities had taken place, seems inconceivably rash states craft, the wisdom of the colonists in desiring the union is unquestionable.
At the time of annexation the Maryland Colonization Society had on hand some $6,000, which was invested, and the interest devoted to a school at Cape Palmas; in connection with this trust its existence is prolonged. Up to the end of its period of activity it had received and expended nearly half a million dollars; the balance sheet of December 31, 1857, may be of interest. | <urn:uuid:a6579097-ce74-4872-a573-ae69fbeed6b9> | CC-MAIN-2017-09 | https://www.accessgenealogy.com/black-genealogy/maryland-in-liberia-liberia-history.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-09/segments/1487501170613.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20170219104610-00054-ip-10-171-10-108.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981295 | 2,210 | 3.6875 | 4 | {
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Many have heard the need for Allah’s (God’s) mercy, yet not fully understand its meanings and implications to our existence and forgiveness in the hereafter. Comprehending its meanings, therefore, can help us to strive more through deeds and worship to earn His mercy rather than missing out on His blessings in this life and forgiveness in the hereafter.
To get an idea of its importance, let us first remind ourselves of the high status that Prophet Muhammad (s) holds before Allah. In Surah Al-Hijr (Chapter 15 of the Quran), verse 72, Allah takes an oath on the life of the prophet (s) when telling the story of Prophet Lot (A.S.) The verse starts as follows:
“Verily, by your life (O Muhammad) …” [Quran (Surah Al-Hijr, 15:72)
Ibn Kathir comments on this verse in his tafsir by stating, “Allah swore by the life of His Prophet, which is an immense honor reflecting his high rank and noble status. Amr bin Malik An-Nakari reported from Abu Al-Jawza’ that Ibn `Abbas said: “Allah has never created or made or formed any soul that is dearer to him than Muhammad. I never heard that Allah swore by the life of anyone else.””
This is Prophet Muhammad (s), who used to stand in prayer at night so long that his feet would swell up. Observing him engaged in worship with such high devotion, ?’ishah asked him: “Messenger of Allah! Why do you do this, when Allah has forgiven you your past and future sins?”
He replied: “Should I not, therefore, be a thankful servant?” [Sah?h al-Bukh?r? (4837) and Sah?h Muslim (2820)]
Knowing the high honor that the prophet (s) enjoyed before God, now consider the following hadith. He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“No one’s deeds will ever admit him to Paradise.” They said, “Not even you, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “No, not even me, unless Allah showers me with His Mercy…
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5349; Muslim, 7042
So, imagine if the prophet (s) on whose life Allah took an oath (in the Quran) because the prophet (s) is so dear to him, will not be able to enter paradise without Allah’s mercy, how much of His mercy will we need to enter paradise? The same applies to us needing Allah’s mercy in this world. Can we expect to enjoy provisions, rizq, happiness, or any of the blessings of this life without Allah’s mercy?
Knowing this, therefore, how can we afford not to ask Allah for His mercy? More importantly, why do so many of us not long for Allah’s mercy when He has repeatedly reminded us that He is the “Most Merciful”?
About Allah’s Mercy
Allah has repeatedly reminded us in the Quran about His mercy. He says in the Quran:
Say [O Muhammad (s)]: “To whom belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth?” Say: “To Allah. He has prescribed mercy for Himself… (Surah Al-Anaam, 6:12)
He also says:
And your Lord is Rich (Free of all needs), full of mercy;… (Surah Al-Anaam, 6:133)
Allah’s mercy is boundless. It is there for us to ask and for Allah to give it to us if he chooses to shower it on us. In Saheeh Muslim it is narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“Allah has one hundred parts of mercy, of which He sent down one between the jinn, mankind, the animals and the insects, by means of which they are compassionate and merciful to one another, and by means of which wild animals are kind to their offspring. And Allah has kept back ninety-nine parts of mercy with which to be merciful to His slaves of the Day of Resurrection.” [Muslim, al-Tawbah, 6908.]
Another example of Allah’s mercy is illustrated by an example where it was narrated that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab said:
“Some prisoners were brought to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and there was a woman among the prisoners who was searching (for her child). When she found her child she embraced him and put him to her breast. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to us, ‘Do you think that this woman would throw her child in the fire?’ We said, ‘No, by Allah, not if she is able not to.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘Allah is more merciful to His slaves than this woman is to her child.’” [Agreed upon. Al-Bukhaari, 5653; Muslim, 6912.]
Asking for Allah’s Mercy
As humans, we tend to commit a lot of mistakes but if those mistakes and sins are done in ignorance and not with the intention to willfully ignore Allah’s commands, Allah may forgive us out of His mercy on us. He says in the Quran,
… Your Lord has prescribed mercy for Himself. So that if any of you does evil in ignorance, and thereafter repents and does righteous good deeds (by obeying Allah), then surely, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surah Al-Anaam, 6:54)
However, we run the risk of losing Allah’s mercy when we are arrogant toward His teachings. Allah says in the Quran,
And your Lord is Rich (Free of all needs), full of mercy; if He wills, He can destroy you, and in your place make whom He wills as your successors, as He raised you from the seed of other people. (Surah Al-Anaam, 6:133)
Let us ensure, therefore, that we are constantly striving to perform deeds that are deserving of His mercy. We should also be steadfast and sincere in asking for His mercy in our supplications and Duas. The prophet (s) taught us many Duas asking for Allah’s mercy. Below are some of them.
“O Allah, it is Your mercy that I am seeking…” | <urn:uuid:1ff64c25-ea4d-4963-abbc-04c8bcff0108> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://www.iqrasense.com/allah/the-need-and-importance-of-allahs-mercy.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510528.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20230929190403-20230929220403-00820.warc.gz | en | 0.956392 | 1,440 | 2.515625 | 3 | {
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Conjunctivitis is an infection of the transparent membrane of the eye (the conjunctiva).
Conjunctivitis can have several causes. It is usually caused by:
A virus (adenovirus);
A bacterium (staphylococcus, streptococcus, pneumococcus, Haemophilus);
There are also conjunctivitis of allergic origin.
The symptoms of conjunctivitis are
– Red, itchy, watery eyes
– blurred vision, as if you have been crying.
– Swollen eyes
The treatment of conjunctivitis depends on its cause:
If it is allergic in origin, look for the allergens involved and avoid exposure to them.
For irritant conjunctivitis, it is usually sufficient to rinse the eye to rid it of the irritant substance. The problem disappears within 24 hours.
As with all virus infections, there is no cure for viral conjunctivitis. Clean your eye(s) regularly with saline solution (salt water for example) and wipe it (them) with a disposable tissue or a sterile compress. As cold brings a soothing sensation, you can apply cool water compresses. If the virus involved is the herpes virus, the doctor may suggest antiviral medication;
For bacterial conjunctivitis, washing the eyes with saline solution and an antiseptic is sufficient in most cases. Antibiotic eye drops are only prescribed in severe forms, with photophobia, eye and eyelid edema, significant purulent secretions and reduced vision;
If left untreated, conjunctivitis can lead to serious complications, such as inflammation of the cornea, which can affect vision. It is therefore essential to consult your doctor without delay so that he/she can examine your eyes and determine how to treat it.
How can I avoid transmitting or catching conjunctivitis?
Whether it is viral or bacterial, conjunctivitis is very contagious. You must therefore be very careful not to transmit the germ or catch it. It is enough to apply several precautionary measures:
– Wash your hands thoroughly and regularly throughout the day;
– Do not touch your eyes;
– Change your towel and washcloth regularly (every day until you are cured if you suffer from it);
– Do not share your towels with others;
– Change your sheets and pillowcases regularly (every day until you get better);
If you have conjunctivitis, remember to throw away your beauty products that have been in contact with your eyes and avoid lending them to your friends.
Lexicon : Photophobia= an increased or even intolerance to light | <urn:uuid:c57e48c2-2aed-499f-9a3b-e8d61145b95d> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://www.smiledom.net/en/conjunctivitis/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652663011588.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20220528000300-20220528030300-00276.warc.gz | en | 0.916351 | 553 | 3.78125 | 4 | {
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The average computer user has installed a number of hardware devices and components on his system. Each has an appropriate driver. The most common ones are:
BIOS – Short for basic input output system, BIOS is a kind of software that is located on a motherboard chip. It contains codes that control devices such as the mouse, keyboard, and various features.
CD / DVD – Most recent computers belong to CD / DVD drives. These drives allow you to install software applications, play video games, and play music on compact discs in other features.
Displays – Display only of computer monitors such as flat screens and touch screens
Game Controller – Game controller is a device that connects to a computer or game console and allows you to play video games. The most common example is a USB joystick.
Graphics / Video Adapter – Graphic Video Card cards handle the display's appearance and performance. They are responsible for processing information, performing calculations for each color pixel and delivering data on the computer screen
Hard Disk Controller – A hard disk controller is an interface or circuit that allows the operating system to control the hard disk on a computer. The most common examples are modems that are integrated with built-in architecture controllers
Input Devices – Input devices are used to enter data into a computer. Common examples include a keyboard, mouse, or touchpad.
ISDN – ISDN refers to a particular digital data transfer service. To do this, you need a modem that matches the type of network connection you are using.
Modem – The modem allows you to connect your computer to a PC via a telephone line, a cable connection, or a wireless connection. The most common use of the modem is to establish an Internet connection.
AC Adapter – AC Adapter is a device that allows you to connect computers and networks. The most common are PCI Ethernet cards and wireless network adapters.
Printer – Printer is a device that connects to a computer and allows you to print documents and graphics. Many printers still work as copiers, scanners, and fax machines
Removable Drive – Exchangeable drives are intended for storage devices that are primarily used for data backup and recovery. Common examples, such as USB flash drives and portable hard drives
Scanner – A scanner is a device that connects your computer and allows you to scan documents and images. Typically, specialty software is required for proper operation.
Sound Card – The sound card is a built-in component that allows computer speakers to be output. Sound cards come from external versions and require you to connect a microphone.
Tape Backup Drive – Tape backup drives are used to store magnetic tapes, usually for security purposes. Normally, they come with security software that allows you to automatically schedule auto-backups.
USB – Short for Universal Serial Bus, USB is a standard used to connect computers to various devices. This process takes place via USB ports and cables | <urn:uuid:6929b5fc-4f62-4007-8e9e-986fa0d9f6f5> | CC-MAIN-2018-17 | http://wallingford-ct.org/common-hardware-and-computer-peripherals/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-17/segments/1524125946564.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20180424041828-20180424061828-00084.warc.gz | en | 0.925883 | 582 | 3.515625 | 4 | {
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The wide world of seafood lives and dies on the seasonality of fresh fish spanning the globe. Before the advent of advanced refrigerated transportation and aquaculture, seasonality played more of a true factor in the seafood business. As we discussed in our last posting, sustainability and fishery management is the future. Almost every single fishery stock that comes out of domestic waters are regionally managed by government, observations from the scientific community and private sector input. The Mid-Atlantic is a prime example of a well managed fishery. From Winter and Summer Fluke, to the above pictured Rock Fish AKA Striped Bass, almost every species is split into fishing zones and catch shares between fishermen. Striped Bass is prized for its snow white color when cooked and its meaty flake and perfect balance of oils and sweetness. Some of the most delicate, tender and prized species are still dictated by seasonality. This can be a factor of fishing quotas, spawning periods, and as always by Mother Nature. Fishing in season allows certain species to reproduce and to grow to marketable size.
We carry “Stripers” in their peak seasons and we strive to promote fish like Striped Bass to support these fishermen, their communities and to keep this stock healthy for years to come. We offer both the whole dressed 2-4 lb fish, their fillets and the Large Striped Bass that run up to 20 to 30 lbs! The biggest Striped Bass on record is a whopping 67 pounds! This responsibly managed fishery provides an example for all state managed fisheries.
This then falls under the realm of seasonality. The most well known seasonal fish is Alaskan Salmon, Alaskan Halibut, Stone Crab Claws, Striped Bass and Gulf of Maine Shrimp. The Magnuson-Stevens Act along with the Lacey Act has helped keep these delicate seasonal fisheries in check along with the vested intrests of the fishermen so they keep fishing generations to come.
Fishing out of season comes with strict penalties and becomes a felony if one is charged in violating the Lacey Act. Poaching can lead to loss of fishing licenses, gear and your vessel. A scallop license costs up to several million dollars for example! The Department of Justice has given strict penalties in terms of loss of license, massive fines, and jail time. Poaching still goes on but those prosecuted fall under extreme scrutiny and punishment.
So when the Stripers are in season, jump on it and you will not be sorry by their amazing flavor and the even better reward knowing that fisherman are selecting choice fish for Euclid Fish to offer to you.
–Euclid Fish Co | <urn:uuid:5fb42f6a-717c-471e-a2a0-1dcc040dc0bf> | CC-MAIN-2017-51 | https://euclidfishcompany.wordpress.com/2012/02/24/changing-seasons-in-the-fish-business/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948551162.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20171214222204-20171215002204-00545.warc.gz | en | 0.958977 | 543 | 2.625 | 3 | {
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Nutrition experts are divided on whether or not starches are a good thing for those trying to lose weight. Proponents of low-fat diets usually recommend getting a significant portion of calories from starches, while proponents of low-carb diets recommend severely limiting or avoiding starches. Diets that are starch-free can be limiting, making them difficult to stick to, and aren't guaranteed to bring about weight loss, although cutting out starches may make it easier to cut calories, as you need to do if you want to lose weight.
Foods to Avoid on a Starch-Free Diet
On a starch-free diet, you'll need to give up grains, peas, corn, potatoes, lima beans and all types of legumes, including dried beans and lentils, as all of these foods are significant sources of starch. This means no more pasta, rice, oatmeal, bread, cake or cookies. Starchy foods are broken down into sugars during digestion, which is why some diets recommend limiting or avoiding them. When a lot of sugar is quickly released into the bloodstream, it can cause your body to release a large amount of insulin to bring blood sugar levels back down. This can cause you to feel hungry again and make it harder to lose weight. Although added sugars and sugary foods aren't necessarily off-limits on a starch-free diet, eating them wouldn't make sense as it would counteract the potential benefits of avoiding starches.
Foods to Eat on a Starch-Free Diet
When avoiding starchy foods, your diet will consist mainly of nonstarchy vegetables, fruits, lean protein foods, dairy products, nuts and seeds. If you're trying to lose weight, aim to get at least 25 to 30 grams of protein at each meal, as this amount was shown to help people limit their appetite and manage their weight, reports a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2015. The fruits and vegetables will help provide you with dietary fiber, which slows down the emptying of the stomach so you feel full for longer.
Potential Benefits of a Starch-Free Diet
A study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings in 2003 found that following a starch-free diet high in saturated fat for six weeks resulted in weight loss without adversely affecting cholesterol levels. Some starchy foods, such as potatoes in any form and refined grains, were associated with weight gain in a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2011, so eating fewer servings of these foods may help with weight loss.
Another study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2010, found that a diet high in protein and low on the glycemic index may be helpful for weight loss. The glycemic index estimates how quickly foods containing carbohydrate raise blood sugar levels after you eat them. Diets that eliminate all starches can be low on the glycemic index, as long as they also eliminate sugary foods, and may be high in protein, depending on what you decide to eat to replace the starchy foods you aren't eating.
Potential Drawbacks of a Starch-Free Diet
Some starchy foods are significant sources of nutrients, so avoiding them may mean you lose some of the potential health benefits associated with these foods. For example, whole grains provide iron, B vitamins, selenium, magnesium and fiber and may help reduce the risk of heart disease and help you manage your weight. A study published in Public Health Nutrition in 2011 found that eating at least three servings of whole grains per day lowered heart disease and type-2 diabetes risk up to 30 percent. Cereal fiber is also associated with weight loss and fat loss, according to a review article published in Nutrients in 2013. Beans are nutritional powerhouses, providing fiber, protein, magnesium, iron, potassium and folate, and they may help reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
- American Diabetes Association: Types of Carbohydrates
- Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Effect of a High Saturated Fat and No-Starch Diet on Serum Lipid Subfractions in Patients With Documented Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease
- ChooseMyPlate.gov: Why Is It Important to Eat Grains, Especially Whole Grains?
- Public Health Nutrition: Wholegrain Cereals and Bread: A Duet of the Mediterranean Diet for the Prevention of Chronic Diseases
- Nutrients: Major Cereal Grain Fibers and Psyllium in Relation to Cardiovascular Health
- North Dakota State University Extension: All About Beans
- New England Journal of Medicine: Changes in Diet and Lifestyle and Long-Term Weight Gain in Women and Men
- New England Journal of Medicine: Diets With High or Low Protein Content and Glycemic Index for Weight-Loss Maintenance
- Clinical Diabetes: The 3 R's of Glycemic Index: Recommendations, Research, and the Real World
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: The Role of Protein in Weight Loss and Maintenance | <urn:uuid:458ba8e8-8383-4c16-b30f-fdba6f349732> | CC-MAIN-2019-43 | https://www.livestrong.com/article/90628-starchfree-diet/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-43/segments/1570987787444.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20191021194506-20191021222006-00052.warc.gz | en | 0.932224 | 1,014 | 2.78125 | 3 | {
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In all of the recent fanfare surrounding the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London (2-5 September), I didn’t hear any mention of Jews. That’s for good reason. Jews were only permitted to openly resettle in England ten years before the Great Fire. By the time of the Great Fire, only 200 Jews lived in London. They lived together, huddled in the eastern edge of the Square Mile, around the area of Aldgate. The easterly winds meant that despite their proximity just to the north of Pudding Lane, the ‘Jewish Quarter’ remained unscathed by the flames.
Still, the fire did impact the Jews. The economic fallout of the Great Fire caused great hardship amongst this small Jewish community. According to the records of the community, income based communal taxes dropped by over 35%. However, despite the odds, this small cluster of Jews persisted and ultimately blossomed.
England’s first Jews were of Spanish and Portuguese descent. They were a community of foreign merchants residing and trading in London. As a result of the economic downturn following the Great Fire, and the previous year’s devastating plague, one would have expected them to depart for the more profitable waters of Amsterdam, where many of their coreligionists then prospered. That they didn’t depart, highlights an important development in Early Modern England. It is perhaps one of the most important legacies of London’s Great Fire.
In 1290, the medieval Ashkenazi Jews of England were expelled. They had first arrived after 1066 with William the Conqueror, brought to this isle to serve as money lenders. Much as loans are today, they were a necessary economic medium for creating liquidity and investment. Money lending on interest, however, was a profession Biblically prohibited between Christians. Unfortunately, over time, as Christians became indebted to their Jewish neighbours, hostilities increased. When a Christian child went missing in 1144, the Jews of Norwich were blamed. Ongoing tensions ultimately spilled over in the massacre of York’s Jews in 1190. Jews were eventually stripped of their right to money lend and soon became impoverished. No longer of much economic benefit to the crown, they were finally expelled to satisfy populist sentiment.
If history were a portent of the future, one would have expected a similar result following the 1660’s plague and fire. Jews should have been blamed, rounded up, burned, and the survivors exiled. And yet this time they weren’t. Seventeenth century England was far more fearful of Papists, whom they mistakenly initially blamed. The Jews’ greatest asset in 1666 was that they weren’t Catholics. Though, that fact hadn’t always been clear either.
Before 1656, this group of Jewish Spanish ex-pats lived outwardly as Catholics. They had done so since they were forcibly converted in Spain and Portugal in 1492 and 1497. Afterwards, they lived as part of the Catholic world, though they always remained apart from it. Dubbed ‘New Christians’ they were regularly the target of Inquisitorial suspicion, suspected of secretly living as Jews, and excluded from many professions and positions of authority. In early 1656 England and Spain entered into hostilities. In response, the ships and goods docked in London harbour of all Spanish nationals were seized. One Spaniard, Antonio Rodrigues Robles petitioned the crown to have his property restored. He claimed that he wasn’t really Spanish, for he was a Jew.
Late in the prior year, in 1655, the Amsterdam Rabbi Menashe ben Israel had visited England. He petitioned the Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell, to officially readmit Jews to England. The matter was debated at the Whitehall Conference, though it never came to a vote. Seemingly, the proposition had failed. It is surprising then, that Robles’ claim the following year was accepted and his goods were restored to him. They accepted his argument that he wasn’t a Spaniard for he was a Jew. Incredibly, the latter point, that he was a Jew, didn’t seem to bother anyone either. As a result, without formal legislation or edict, London’s Jewish community began to emerge from the shadows. Another recently emergent Jew, Antonio Fernandez Carvajal, henceforth leased land on Creechurch lane for a synagogue, and in 1657 leased land on Mile End for a Jewish burial place. While it would take two more centuries for Jews to achieve complete legal acceptance, these seventeenth century Jews appreciated that they had already found a lasting home in England.
Thankfully, the plague and fire didn’t sufficiently ravage this small nascent Jewish community to end it just after it had begun. However, the likely subsequent mass hostility towards it should have. That this rage never erupted meant more to this small group of religious refugees than the challenge of rebuilding London. Indeed, when the public call came in 1685 for funds to finance the rebuilding of St Paul’s Cathedral, the Jewish community responded and contributed. This group of foreigners were Jews, but they had also become loyal British subjects. I wonder whether anyone at the time found this donation ironic. It was just a few decades before, when fantastic rumours of a Jewish plot to purchase St Paul’s and to turn it into a synagogue had helped to doom the Whitehall conference to failure.
In 1699, this community of Spanish and Portuguese Jews, or Sephardim, determined that it was time for them to construct their own place of worship. For this holy task they hired the Quaker, Joseph Avis. Providentially, he was a student of Sir Christopher Wren, St Paul’s architect! Bevis Marks Synagogue, completed in 1701, still stands. It is one of London’s greatest remaining examples of a Wren style Church, having survived the Blitz and the changing tastes of the Victorians.
This Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah, Bevis Marks Synagogue celebrates its three hundred and fifteenth anniversary with a candlelight Friday night service. This solid symbol of English tolerance and acceptance continues to be a source of Jewish life in the City of London, firmly located in the original Square Mile.
I attended a dinner this year in Mansion House for London clergy. There, I heard the Archbishop of Canterbury celebrate Bevis Marks as a symbol of British religious diversity, while London’s Lord Mayor celebrated it as a symbol of the City’s continuing vitality. Now, surrounded by glistening towers, Bevis Marks is an anchor for England’s great tradition of religious tolerance.
Three hundred and fifteen years after its construction, Bevis Marks Synagogue is now the longest continuously running synagogue in the world. Since its construction, Jews have prayed in Bevis Marks, as they continue to do so until this day every weekday morning and Shabbat. Whilst in the past few centuries Jews have continually been forced to flee from hate around the world, one constant source of tolerance and stability for Jews has been the English crown, Parliament, and the United Kingdom.
The Great Fire of London is often looked at in divergent ways. On the one hand, it caused great human suffering and destruction. On the other hand, it snuffed out any remaining plague, and ushered in a period of profound growth and prosperity with the emergent empire. For Jews, though, that they weren’t part of the story, is the story. It meant that in England Jews would be not stereotyped based upon their faith, but would simply be judged based upon their individual actions, just like any other British subject. This is then for Jews, and perhaps for England, the greatest legacy of the Great Fire. It consumed our city, but not our passions. A more tolerant and diverse England would rebuild London. Perhaps that is why it prospers until this day. | <urn:uuid:2c139bd5-03be-42e4-b450-1152b08b504c> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://shalommorris.com/2016/09/29/jews-and-the-great-fire-of-london/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250597230.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20200120023523-20200120051523-00012.warc.gz | en | 0.975885 | 1,634 | 3.328125 | 3 | {
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Anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, injuries affect hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. every year. Because this ligament is key to the stability of your knee joint, surgery is frequently required to repair severe ACL tears. After surgery, rehabilitation exercises strengthen your muscles and are grouped into phases. The time frame for each phase depends on the material used to rebuild the torn ligament and your doctor's input.
Knee exercises typically begin within a week after surgery, under the direction of a physical therapist. Range of motion exercises are performed to increase bending capacity at your knee joint. This movement is often difficult after ACL surgery, as your leg may be in a brace with your knee held in a straight position most of the time for several weeks. Generally, the goal is to bend your knee to 90 degrees by 4 weeks after surgery. If your knee does not fully straighten, exercises will be added to address this as well. Early knee exercises also focus on strengthening your quadriceps muscles, the large muscles running along the front of your thigh. This muscle group is key to safe walking and is weak immediately after surgery. Quadriceps-strengthening exercises are performed while sitting or lying down to avoid putting weight on your leg.
Phase two exercises typically begin between 4 to 6 weeks after surgery. Knee exercises are performed in a standing position. Resistance bands and ankle cuff weights are often used to add resistance to your knee-strengthening exercises. Range of motion exercises are continued to achieve as much knee flexibility in bending as is possible. Stationary biking is common, improving endurance and increasing mobility in your knee joint. Balance exercises, such as standing on one foot, are also incorporated in this phase.
Phase two exercises often continue into phase three, progressing the resistance to make the exercises more challenging. This phase typically begins around 8 weeks after surgery. Other exercise machines, such as a stair stepper or elliptical machine, are often introduced at this point in your rehabilitation. Knee exercises also include squats, leg press and step-ups, gradually increasing the height of the step. Pool running and swimming may be added as well.
The final phase of knee rehabilitation exercises following ACL repair begins somewhere between 4 to 6 months after surgery. During this phase, knee exercises include jumping, sprinting and other sport-specific, high-speed movements. Your surgeon may delay pivoting exercises until 6 to 9 months after surgery to decrease risk of reinjury. You may also need to temporarily or permanently wear a custom knee brace during sports activities to further protect your repaired ligament from reinjury.
- The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery: Rehabilitation After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
- International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy: The Role and Implementation of Eccentric Training in Athletic Rehabilitation -- Tendinopathy, Hamstring Strains, and ACL Reconstruction
- Brigham and Women's Hospital: ACL Patella Tendon Autograft Reconstruction Protocol
- Brigham and Women's Hospital: ACL Allograft Reconstruction Protocol
- Clinics in Sports Medicine: Current Status and Potential for Primary ACL Repair
- Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research: Effects of a Knee Extension Constraint Brace on Lower Extremity Movements After ACL Reconstruction | <urn:uuid:200e060c-6518-43a2-81cb-35283d2e877d> | CC-MAIN-2019-47 | https://www.livestrong.com/article/123836-exercises-knee-rehabilitation-after-acl/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-47/segments/1573496664437.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20191111191704-20191111215704-00547.warc.gz | en | 0.950538 | 665 | 2.671875 | 3 | {
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Hardware and software are the two main parts of the computer. To differentiate between hardware and software, you will need to think of hardware as every tangible part of the computer that can be touched, felt, handled, and also think of software as programs or encoded program instructions that cannot be physically touched or handled.
These programs that make up the software of a computer system are modifiable. In contrast, every tangible part of a computer is fixed and cannot be changed without any physical modification or replacement. To understand this better, examples of hardware are the motherboard, expansion cards, keyboards, CPU, printers, floppies, disks, etc.
Examples of software are web browsers, antimalware, system operating system. At times, hardware and software can be mistaken because they come together. For example, when you purchase an antimalware, you will be given a disk which is the hardware, while the programs in it are the software.
Computers are apart of everyday lives, for they are used for both work and school. Two primary things that make up the system of the computer are hardware and software. Hardware are physical parts of the computer that can be seen and felt. These include the mouse, keyboard, wires, screen, and ports.
Software are parts of the computer that can not be seen or felt, but they help a computer run. This includes the operating system, browsers that the user can use to surf the web, and the memory of the computer. The hardware is home to the software that the computer has.
A typical computer system is made up of hardware and software without any other thing. The hardware components of a computer are those parts you can physically see and touch. Examples include: the monitor, CPU box, mouse, disks, keyboard, chips, floppies, pen drives, screens, printers, wires, USB ports, and etc.
The software components, on the contrary, refer to those computer components or program related that you cannot see with your physical eyes or sense physically, but they are like the breath that gives life a computer.
Examples of software include the system or computer operating system, the web browsers, antivirus programs, the memory, reports, data and etc. The hardware components are the devices that house the software. Those storage devices that keep data and store it in an electronic format are the hardware, while the data being stored are the software. We have two kinds of software, which are the system software and the application software. | <urn:uuid:e12de7a8-20d4-4c70-8c2c-f47748309b08> | CC-MAIN-2021-25 | https://www.proprofsdiscuss.com/q/1867331/what-is-the-difference-between-hardware-and | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-25/segments/1623487647232.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20210619081502-20210619111502-00189.warc.gz | en | 0.947767 | 503 | 3.90625 | 4 | {
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If you’re heading to a Christmas tree farm, heed the research of tree scientist Les Werner and his students:
Keep that fresh-cut fir or pine watered once you get it home, and you’ll be rewarded with fewer needles to sweep off the floor.
Werner for years thought that keeping water in the Christmas tree stand was pointless.
The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point associate professor of forestry never watered his own family’s Christmas trees because he reasoned trees stop photosynthesizing when they’re cut from their root systems.
“For years, I asked plant physiologists around the country, ‘Do you water your Christmas tree?’ ” Werner says. “Most of them, like me, said they didn’t. But their wives would water the tree behind their back.”
So Werner and two students decided to document moisture loss in cut Christmas trees that were watered versus those that weren’t. A tree farm donated 54 fresh-cut trees for a four-week study.
Werner’s team set out to study whether loss of a root system, combined with an unnatural indoor environment, would severely limit a cut Christmas tree’s biological functions, including water uptake, photosynthesis and transpiration.
The research proved a direct correlation between needle retention and moisture content, Werner says. Needle moisture in unwatered trees diminishes significantly over time, while watered trees maintain needle moisture.
Based on the research, he advises consumers to buy as fresh a tree as they can – or to cut their own tree – if they don’t enjoy sweeping needles.
“Then make sure you give it plenty of water for at least the first week and a half, when it takes up the most water,” Werner says.
After about a week, the tree will respond to the cut on its trunk by excreting resin, which naturally seals the “wound.” Then it no longer takes up as much water.
Cutting a few inches off the trunk before putting it in the stand opens the capillaries to allow the tree to draw moisture up the trunk and into the needles, Werner says. The water level should be two to three inches above the cut.
For those who believe in adding sugar, aspirin or vodka to the tree water, none of those so-called additives will help, Werner says.
“I would love to come up with an additive that works,” he says. “Clean water still works the best.”
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Get the day’s top headlines delivered to your inbox every morning by subscribing to our newsletter. | <urn:uuid:42e5e91b-d515-4f0b-ae71-444d7f561b91> | CC-MAIN-2019-51 | https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/dec/05/keep-it-fresh/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-51/segments/1575540486979.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20191206073120-20191206101120-00354.warc.gz | en | 0.952316 | 559 | 2.84375 | 3 | {
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The desire for novel adventure which urges the members of the Alpine Club up the sides of virgin mountains, has led Mr. Browne to acquaint himself with eternal ice in the dark recesses of natural glacières, where more gains to science may be expected, and less danger to limb demanded.
Very little was known about natural ice-caves, except that they did exist. The little that was known Mr. Browne made himself acquainted with, and then set out on his tour of examination of twelve glacicres, the localities of which he had succeeded in discovering. The general reader will end his narrative full of interesting adventure, and lively description of the scenes through which he passed, as well as of the wonders he found in the caves. For the man of science they contain many interesting facts and puzzling phenomena which must rest some time before they can be thoroughly understood and expounded.
Ice-caves occur at depths varying from 50 to 200 feet below the surface of the earth, unconnected with glaciers or snow-mountains, and in latitudes and at altitudes where ice would not under ordinary circumstances be supposed to exist. They are employed, when the artificial stores of ice are exhausted, to supply this now almost necessary luxury. The ice is sometimes opaque, but frequently perfectly clear and transparent, and often formed into masses of the most beautiful or the most grotesque forms. We do not wonder that Mr. Browne, even with benumbed fingers and wet feet, crawling on all-fours on slippery ice, gets occasionally into raptures with the wondrous scene suddenly revealed to his view bythe light of his torch.
The great difficulty with regard to these ice-caves or glacieres, is to account for their existence. Our author, after recounting the numerous-many of them most absurd-theories which have been offered in explanation, gives one which to our miml is as unsatisfactory as any of the rest. It is, as he tells us, that of Deluce's, but arrived at by himself independently. He thus states it:‘ The heavy cold air of winter sinks down into the glacieres, and the lighter warm air of summer cannot on ordinary principles of gravitation dislodge it, so that heat is very slowly spread in the caves; and even when some amount of heat does reach the ice, the latter ' melts but slowly, for ice absorbs 60° C. of heat in melting; and thus, when ice is once formed, it becomes a material guarantee for the permanence of ice in the cave.
We doubt if the air is so stable a body as this theory demands. Its power of conducting heat is also considerable. It is true that the air is always cold in thc caves; but this is easily explained by the generally wet surface of the ice, which in melting absorbs so much heat. May not the earth rather than the air be the cause of the ice in the caves? There are different temperature-layers in the earth's crust, as they are erected by external heat. First, there is the thin surface-layer, affected by the varying temperature of day and night. Then there is the season temperature plane, varying with the uniformity of the seasons and the conducting power of the materials of the crust, being at the Equator only a foot below the surface, in the Arctic regions from 3 to 12, while in the Temperate Zone it is 50 or 60 feet. Then there is the layer of climate temperature, where the summer's heat and the wiuter's cold are alike unfelt; in the Temperate Zone this varies from 200 to 400 feet, and in the Arctic regions from 8 or l0 to 90. Below this we have a plane of terrestrial temperature beyond the reach of external influences.
It would be interesting to know the relation of the ico-caves to their dilferent planes of temperature. If they occur in regions where the winter is long or very severe, and the summer short or very mild, and at such a distance from the surface that seasonal changes do not affect them, then it is quite easy to understand how icc would be found in them. It would be well if explorers would direct their attention a little'to this matter. The prismatic structure of the ice, so common in the glaciéres, is another interesting subject of enquiry. The Frenchman's suggestion at Bath, that it might be something akin to the rhomboidal form assumed by dried mud, we believe not to be far from the mark.
But whether the desiccation results from heat or great cold, we cannot determine. We would associate with these other phenomena having, as we believe, a similar- origin-as, for instance, the columnar structure in basalt, which has nothing whatever of a crystalline structure in it. It is curious to observe that basaltic prisms occur in exactly the same relation to the altered substance as do the prisms of ice-that is to say, in beds extending from the one surface to the other, and in cylindrical columns radiating from the centre to the circumference. The same cause produces the columns in wheaten starch. The walls of the vitritied forts in Scotland often exhibit beautiful specimens of the same structure in places where they have been subjected to great heat, though not sufficient to produce vitrificarion. We have also seen very beautiful and remarkably regular pentagonal and hexagonal columns produced in the brick iloor of a baker's oven which had been long in use, and consequently subjected to frequent aud considerable changes of temperature, though never sudicient to produce fusion. And we have often gathered good examples of hexagonal columns from the exposed bituminos shale-beds at Wardie, near Edinburgh.
Review by the Geological magazine (1865), Volume 2, issue 16: | <urn:uuid:db120299-8268-4efa-b73a-dbd0dd6d4034> | CC-MAIN-2021-25 | https://www.showcaves.com/english/explain/Literature/IceCaves.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-25/segments/1623488556133.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20210624141035-20210624171035-00529.warc.gz | en | 0.966054 | 1,194 | 3.015625 | 3 | {
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} | Science & Tech. |
Fiddler crabs are a key indicator of the health of the region's salt marshes.
Watch the tide ebb at any salt marsh in the Harbor Bight area, and chances are you'll be treated to sightings of fiddler crabs, one of nature's more vivid characters. Fiddlers emerge from burrows in the mud as the tide recedes, to skitter about -- foraging, mating, and doing burrow-construction and maintenance work.
The first thing you'll notice about fiddlers is that some of them sport one outsize yellow claw that, while impressive, seems far too big for the crab's small body. These are the males, and, in fact, these claws do hinder a male fiddler's search for food. On the other hand, they seem to be an important part of his sex appeal. (Perhaps the bigger the claw, the more gumption that particular male must have simply to survive, a quality that doesn't go unnoticed by the females!) During the summer, when fiddlers breed as frequently as once every two weeks, a male puts much effort into digging and maintaining a large, tidy cylindrical burrow fit for his hoped-for queen. Most of the rest of his energy goes into trying to seduce a female -- he waves his big claw about, trying to get a female's attention, and then tries to escort each prospect down into his burrow. If a female seems interested, he'll descend partway into the burrow and drum its edge with his claw. If she likes these "good vibrations," she will enter the burrow, the male will plug up the entrance, and they mate.
All burrows provide shade and refuge during the hottest parts of the day, during winter (fiddler crabs hibernate through the cold months) and during high tide. Fiddlers will roll up a small amount of mud and plug up their burrow's opening during high tide, trapping a small pocket of air. When the tide rolls out, holes will suddenly begin to appear in mud as it is exposed, and fiddlers emerge.
Fiddlers roam the flats of salt marshes in search of algae or decaying vegetation. Unlike other crabs, which use their claws, or "chelipeds," to crush food or to grasp objects, the fiddlers' claws are used to pick up sand or mud, which they ingest. They use their mouthparts to scrape food materials (such as decaying organic matter and unicellular plants such as algae) from the sediment. Then they place indigestible material aside in the form of balls. These undigested pellets often blanket the marsh, and can persist through successive tidal cycles.
Fiddler crabs are a crucial link in the ecology of a salt marsh. They help aerate the soil around marsh grasses and stimulate the turnover of important nutrients in the soil. Fiddlers are also a favorite prey of larger predators such as blue crabs, egrets and herons, and small mammals such as raccoons. And they are also sensitive to environmental contaminants such as insecticides and heavy metals.
Where to See Them: Fiddler crabs can be seen in most tidal salt marshes and associated mudflats along the New Jersey coast and in Long Island. Good examples of salt marsh habitat are found at New Jersey's Cheesequake State Park and Forsythe Wildlife Refuge, and New York's Pelham Bay Park and Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.
<< Previous Month | Next Month >> | <urn:uuid:8edef419-0b18-4092-bb9f-a9b3ffb3d70e> | CC-MAIN-2014-52 | http://www.nrdc.org/water/conservation/hbyear/hbjul.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-52/segments/1418802772757.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20141217075252-00091-ip-10-231-17-201.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965391 | 715 | 3.03125 | 3 | {
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} | Science & Tech. |
Rocks are naturally occurring substance composed primarily of crystals of different kinds of minerals, or broken pieces of crystals, or broken pieces of rocks. Some rocks are made of the shells of once-living animals, or of compressed pieces of plants. Rocks are all around us. They make up the backbones of hills and mountains and the foundations of plains and valleys. Beneath the soil you walk on and the deep layers of soft mud that cover the ocean basins is a basement of hard rock.
We can learn something about the way a rock formed from by looking carefully at the evidence preserved inside. What a rock is made of, the shapes of the grains or crystals within the rock, and how the grains or crystals fit together all provide valuable clues to help us unlock the rock's history hidden within.
They are divided into three basic types, igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic , depending upon how they were formed. Plate tectonics provides an explanation for how rocks are recycled from igneous to sedimentary to metamorphic and back to igneous again.
- Igneous rock (from the Greek word for fire) form from when hot, molten rock (magma) crystallizes and solidifies. The melt originates deep within the Earth near active plate boundaries or hot spots, then rises toward the surface. Igneous rocks are divided into two groups, intrusive or extrusive, depending upon where the molten rock solidifies.
- Sedimentary rock are formed from pre-existing rocks or pieces of once-living organisms. They form from deposits that accumulate on the Earth's surface. Sedimentary rocks often have distinctive layering or bedding. Many of the picturesque views of the desert southwest show mesas and arches made of layered sedimentary rock.
- Metamorphic rock started out as some other type of rock, but have been substantially changed from their original igneous, sedimentary, or earlier metamorphic form. Metamorphic rocks form when rocks are subjected to high heat, high pressure, hot, mineral-rich fluids or, more commonly, some combination of these factors. Conditions like these are found deep within the Earth or where tectonic plates meet. by the U.S. Geological Survey, last updated on 01/13/04.</ref>
- Rocks by the U.S. Geological Survey, last updated on 01/13/04.
- Andrews, E. H (1978). From Nothing to Nature. Darlington, Co. Durham, England: Evangelical Press. p. 58-60. ISBN 0-85234-120-2.
- Sedimentary Rocks by the U.S. Geological Survey, last updated on 01/13/04.
- Metamorphic Rocks | <urn:uuid:07511a79-806f-41d8-8e52-636378d75822> | CC-MAIN-2019-04 | http://en.creationwiki.org/Rocks | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-04/segments/1547583857993.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20190122161345-20190122183345-00536.warc.gz | en | 0.908008 | 560 | 4.21875 | 4 | {
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Digital Hearing Aids
Information About The Ear: Features unique to digital hearing aids
With the advent of digital technology, and its incorporation into custom made hearing aids, the hearing impaired public has benefited immensely. For one thing, digitals process sound at the speed of light. This is on the order of 140 million "bits" per second. Digitals are fully automatic, and require no patient adjustments.
Compression is an extremely important concept in terms of controlling the volume of background noise. Compression is the opposite of expansion. Therefore, the internal processors will compress, or reduce background noise at a preset level.
Feedback... Not a Good Thing
Feedback is an annoying whistling sound generated within the hearing instrument, or within the ear canal due to a misfit of the instrument. It can also arise from wax build up in the speaker tubing; or, in the microphone.
No one who uses a hearing aid accepts feedback. Digital processors are able to identify the source, and cause of feedback, and eliminate it.
How Can a Digital Remember Anything?
Digitals typically have memories. This means, that within one instrument, we can program different performance settings. One for quiet listening, one for restaurants, one for music, and even one for use with the telephone. These features translate into having 3, or 4 different hearing aids within one unit.
A telecoil is incorporated into digitals aids to enhance hearing conversation when a telephone is held up to the ear that is wearing the hearing aid.
Digital Volume Control
One of the major problems, in years past, was that patients did not know how loud, or how soft to set their volume controls. Digital aids have solved this problem. An internal volume program adjusts the volume approximately 200 times per second. This is far faster than using one's finger.
What Makes a Digital a Digital?
Digital technology was developed to deal with communication from outer space. Spacecraft could not communicate with earth by placing huge loudspeakers on their spacecraft. Digital communication, therefore, solved the problem.
Many of you, who are visiting this website, have worn hearing aids, and are familiar with many of the manufacturers that produce these products. These same companies, no doubt, now manufacture digital hearing aids.
All digital hearing aid companies have digital instruments that vary from fairly basic, to extremely advanced digital technology.
It is up to each dispensing practice to select the manufacturer they choose to represent. In our practice, our choices are based on performance, and patient preferences. We believe, that patient feedback is the best criteria for the ability of a particular product to restore hearing to the patient's satisfaction.
The concept of digitizing sound is not difficult to grasp. The incoming sound waves enter the microphone, and are then relayed to the digital sound processor. This processor converts all sound to binary code; which consists of zeros (o's), and ones (1's). Because sound is converted to mathematical symbols, they can be controlled through programming. This is why digital hearing aids have been revolutionary. Instead of being forced to hear everything, especially loud sounds, the digitals are programmed in a way so that soft sounds sound soft, medium sounds are medium, and loud sounds are not overwhelming, or annoying.
Another benefit is, that these instruments can be re-programmed at any time...due to a change in the status of the hearing, or because the patient objects to certain sound characteristics. In essence then, digital aids are good for years, and years.
After sound is processed, at a rate of 140 million calculations/second, or more, they are converted back to sound just before existing the receiver, or
speaker system. Also, volume adjustments are done internally at a rate of 200 or so volume adjustments/second.
Altogether a digital hearing aid typically has:
- a microphone..some have more than one
- digital channels which address specific frequencies of sound
- management systems to control whistling, or feedback
- memory functions..in many cases up to 6 different memory programs
- telecoil processing
- internal volume controls
- a digital signal processor, DSP
- through programming, a menu that addresses specific complaints, such as "my voice sounds hollow."
We hope, that with this information, you, the patient with a hearing loss, will find out for yourself how well you will be able to hear with digital hearing aids. | <urn:uuid:fe12d10a-901d-4639-a7c4-57c4d785eab3> | CC-MAIN-2018-05 | http://hearmd.net/digital-hearing-aids | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-05/segments/1516084890514.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20180121100252-20180121120252-00591.warc.gz | en | 0.927703 | 901 | 3.328125 | 3 | {
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} | Health |
…..That helped roof the world in the 19th Century
We are grateful to Philip Work for this interesting story
Tucked away in the North East corner of Cardigan Bay lies the small harbour of Porthmadog (Portmadoc), which was one of three major Slate exporting ports in North Wales during the 19th century.
Slate from the mines and quarries in the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog had originally been brought down to the river estuaries nearby on pack horses, however as the demand for good quality roofing slate grew in the early 1800’s, this method of transportation became inadequate.
In 1812 a causeway was built over the River Glaslyn estuary, and resulted in the hinterlands being reclaimed for farming, and new settlements established, the major one being the town of Porthmadog, and a harbour developed.
In 1836 a narrow gauge railway was opened connecting the slate town of Blaenau Ffestiniog and Portmadoc, and hence a means of transportation for the then ever expanding slate industry. Slate now reached the developing port of Portmadoc, where small sailing ships took slate around the ports of Great Britain and nearby Europe, Africa , North and South America.
Assistance getting out and into the harbour was required, as there are hazardous sand banks and rock reefs running out in a north east /south west angle across Cardigan Bay.
The expansion of the slate industry resulted in the demand for towing assistance for the small sailing ships into and out of Porthmadog; and a small tug company was founded. The Porthmadog Steam Tug Co. Ltd.
The first steam tug was built 1860 at North Shields by Hepple & Landells. ON 28619. Wood hull paddle tug “Wave of Life” (1). One 35hp side lever steam engine. Her first owners where in Liverpool. However she was sold to the Porthmadog Steam Tug Co.Ltd in October 1862 and registered at Caernafron. This tug held a Board of Trade summer passenger Certificates to ply between Aberystwyth and Bardsey Island from 1863 to 1868. She was sold again in 1872, to William Hepple of Newcastle upon Tyne, and re-registered at the Port of Newcastle 7.8.1872.
The second steam tug was built 1864 at Willington Quay for T.A Dry & M.P. Martin of Willington Quay, and W.G Dry of Gateshead and named “James Conley”. O.N. 49743. Wood hull paddle tug. One 30nhp side lever engine (cylinder 30″ diameter) 72 gross tons. Dimensions 81.8 x 17.1 x 9.1 ft. In 1866 she was sold to TSavin of Oswestry,(a railway construction contractor) and registered at the Port of Aberystwyth in 1866.
In 1871 she was resold to the Porthmadog Steam Tug Co.Ltd, and re-registered at the Port of Caernarfon, and continued to work for this company until 1884, when she was re-sold to S.Young of North Shields and re-registered at the Port of North Shields. She was sold a further two times, and was broken up in 1890.
The third steam tug was built in 1885 by Lawson & EItringham, South Shields. Iron hull 106g/tons. Two cylinder side lever engine 27″x 48″- 200nhp. By Baird & Barnsley Co. North Shields. Dimensions 96.0 x 18.7 x 9.4 ft. ON 80242. Named “Snowdon”. Registered at the Port of Caernarfon. and worked for the Porthmadog Steam Tug Co to 1900. She was sold to John Dry, South Shields, re-registered South Shields,
1900, and transferred to Redhead & Dry Tugs in 1929. Purchased by R.LCook Towage Co.Ltd of Sunderland in 1938 re – reg. Sunderland, and transferred to France, Fenwick Tyne & Wear Co.Ltd November 1947, and finally broken up after a varied career in 1950.
The fourth and last steam tug was the “Wave of Life 2” built by Hepple, Newcastle. Iron hull 102g/tons. Two side lever engines 50hp 26.5″ x 45″ stroke. Dimensions 91.2 x 17.9 x 9.2 ft. in 1872. for the Porthmadog Steam Tug Co. registered at the Port of Caernarfon. She continued to work until 1914, when the slate exporting trade had slumped, and was never to recover. She was sold to a Liverpool firm, and her hull was converted into a canal barge. The remains of which were broken up in 1935.
These tugs evidently were delivered by sailing from the Tyne north to Inverness, through the Caledonian Canal to Fort William, then south to their Welsh destination, and likewise a reverse sailing if they returned to the Tyne. This would make fascinating reading if any logs of their voyages had been made. Hope you enjoy these brief notes on the story of four small Tyne built tugs owned by the Portmadoc Steam Tug Co. between 1862 to 1914.
The development of the standard gauge railways in the North Wales area at the same time resulted in the demise of the need to transport slate via the sea… also at the end of the 1890s the demand for slate had declined. Finally the development of the steam ship resulted in there being no need for tug assistance in and out of the harbour.
Philip Work. Treasurer Tyne Area Shipping Club. | <urn:uuid:4ff1332b-7968-4851-a7d4-48e35eda38a2> | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | https://tyneareasc.org.uk/tag/philp-work/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046153391.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20210727103626-20210727133626-00327.warc.gz | en | 0.968219 | 1,204 | 3.21875 | 3 | {
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CubeSats are miniature satellites that have been used exclusively in low Earth orbit for 15 years, and are now being used for interplanetary missions as well. In the beginning, they were commonly used in low Earth orbit for applications such as remote sensing or communications. As of mid-2018, a pair of CubeSats has been deployed on a mission flying to Mars, and other CubeSats are being considered for the moon and Jupiter.
The CubeSat design was first proposed in the late 1990s by two professors: Jordi Puig-Suari of California Polytechnic State University and Bob Twiggs of Stanford University. They were trying to help students gain engineering experience in satellites, which are traditionally expensive to build and launch. The idea for the CubeSat came in part from the miniature toy craze of the day, Beanie Babies, according to Spaceflight Now. Inspired by the individualized stuffed animals, Twiggs' idea was to allow students to build their own miniature satellites.
The basic design of a CubeSat is a 10-centimeter (4-inch) cube with a mass of less than 1.33 kilograms (2.93 lbs.), the article added. But variations on the theme are possible. CubeSats can also be designed to encompass two, three or six 10-centimeter units for more complicated missions.
CubeSats reduce launch costs in two fundamental ways. They don't weigh that much, which means a rocket doesn't need a lot of fuel to heft them. In most cases, they also share a rocket with a larger satellite, making it possible to get to space on the coattails of the heavier payload.
There are some design challenges with CubeSats, however. The electronics are smaller and are therefore more sensitive to radiation. Because they are small, they cannot carry large payloads with them. Their low cost also means they are generally designed to last only a few weeks, months or years before ceasing operations (and for those in low Earth orbit, falling back into the atmosphere.)
The first six CubeSats were launched in June 2003 from Russia's Plesetsk launch site. At the time, according to a 2004 Space.com article, the going rate for a CubeSat's launch was about $40,000, which is a bargain compared to a typical satellite (many are millions of dollars.)
CubeSats were made possible by the ongoing miniaturization of electronics, which allows instruments such as cameras to ride into orbit at a fraction of the size of what was required at the beginning of the space age in the 1960s.
"Peep inside a CubeSat and you'll spot off-the-shelf circuitry in the familiar form of microprocessors and modem ports, and other microchip devices typically used in cell phones, digital cameras and hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite navigation units," wrote Space.com insider columnist Leonard David in 2004.
For the first decade, most CubeSats that flew came from university or research applications. Only a handful of satellites launched every year; then in 2013, the number of launches suddenly numbered in the dozens. It was in that year that the commercial sector began to launch satellites, according to SpaceDaily.
New technologies are being pioneered to improve the use of CubeSats, such as a 2017 NASA parachute project that could land the small satellites without the need of boosters. And several high-profile projects have been announced in the public sector, including NASA "swarms" of Earth-observing CubeSats, the adoption of a satellite by public radio station NPR, and a Canadian student CubeSat competition.
There have been more than 2,100 CubeSats and nanosatellites as of mid-2018, according to nanosats.eu. Among the prominent uses of Earth-orbiting CubeSats today:
- Planet Labs, an Earth observation company, has dozens of CubeSat-sized Dove satellites in orbit, as well as a few RapidEye CubeSats. The CubeSats are used in everything from disaster response to climate monitoring.
- The NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer on the International Space Station launches CubeSats after they have been hauled to orbit aboard a visiting ISS vehicle.
- NASA's CubeSat Launch initiative provides launch slots for CubeSats aboard traditional rocket launches.
Some space industry experts worry that the popularization of CubeSats will create a lot of junk in low-Earth orbit, as companies and researchers race to get their ideas into space without considering the long-term consequences. In March 2018, the Federal Communications Commission alleged that one U.S. company launched several small satellites without permission after the FCC blocked the launch, saying the satellites were too small for sensors to track.
Moving outside of Earth orbit
Starting in 2018, CubeSats began to venture outside of Earth orbit. Here are some of the projects under way, or still being planned:
Mars Cube One (MarCO) — the first CubeSats to leave Earth — launched on May 5, 2018, along with NASA's InSight lander. InSight is expected to land on Mars on Nov. 26, 2018; it is currently en route and the CubeSats are flying just behind it, as they separated independently from the rocket during launch and are running on solar power.
The CubeSats are nicknamed "WALL-E" and "Eve" after the 2008 animated Pixar movie "WALL-E," which follows the adventures of robots in space. When InSight lands, the CubeSats will attempt to send data back to Earth about its descent. This is a test flight and the information will not be critical, as the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will do the same job. MarCO's mission will end shortly afterwards.
NASA's first Space Launch System test launch in 2019 will pioneer the rocket expected to bring humans out of low Earth orbit for the first time since the 1960s. The initial, uncrewed launch will include up to 13 microsatellites. Concept ideas include Lunar Flashlight, which reflects sunlight to peer into permanently shadowed craters on the moon, and NEA Scout, which will use a solar sail to fly to near-Earth asteroid 1991VG.
NASA is considering a mission to Jupiter's icy moon Europa in the 2020s or 2030s. In 2014, NASA said it was considering including CubeSats on the mission, which would carry out functions including "reconnaissance for future landing sites, gravity fields, magnetic fields, atmospheric and plume science, and radiation measurements." NASA confirmed the CubeSats would be included in May 2018, and asked the science community for their ideas.
The European Space Agency and NASA previously considered a joint mission to investigate the asteroid 65803 Didymos and try to move its moon via an impactor. The mission wass called Asteroid Impact & Deflection Assessment (AIDA) mission. For the European part, they considered including two CubeSats to do supplemental observations. The Europeans elected not to fund their part of the mission in 2016 to give more money to the ExoMars rover mission, but NASA is continuing development on its part. The launch has been delayed into the 2020s. | <urn:uuid:a89c083f-055e-4ff2-9f72-8f00baeac0bf> | CC-MAIN-2019-04 | https://www.space.com/34324-cubesats.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-04/segments/1547584332824.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20190123130602-20190123152602-00225.warc.gz | en | 0.95705 | 1,482 | 4.09375 | 4 | {
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"interpretation": "Strong reasoning"
} | Science & Tech. |
The most recent surge in COVID-19 cases (up from 3.57 million cases over a fourteen day period in early August to over 5 million for fourteen days on October 22 to over 8 million new cases for fourteen days on November 17), seems to have peaked on November 26 with 8,296,264 new cases over fourteen days and has been slowly receding for the last three days, down to 8,142,629 new cases during the period November 16-29. Total cases since the end of December 2019 now stand at 62,271,031 as of November 29 according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) publication “COVID-19 situation update worldwide, as of 29 November 2020”.
The World Health Organization puts out a publication that tracks cases and deaths on a weekly basis. COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update (data as of 22 November). While it breaks countries and territories into different configuarations that the ECDC, the publication shows new cases in the period November 16-22 declining 6% in Europe and in South East Asia while increasing 11% in the Americas, 5% in the Eastern Mediterranean, 15% in Africa and 9% in the Western Pacific. Because of the large spike in cases in the September – November period in many parts of the world, deaths in the November 16-22 period increased in all regions — up 10% in Europe, 15% in the Americas, 4% in South-East Asia, 10% in the Eastern Mediterranean, 30% in Africa and 1% in the Western Pacific. The latest report is embedded below.20201124_Weekly_Epi_Update_15
The graphs in the WHO publication show by region the trajectory of new cases and deaths over time. The chart showing aggregate data show a flattening of total new cases in the last weeks of November while the number of deaths globally are sharply increasing.
The WHO Africa region peaked in the summer and has declined until the last few weeks when there has been some increase in both cases and deaths.
The Americas saw a peak in both new cases and deaths in the July period with some declines in new cases until the second half of September when the current surge started and accelerated in November. Deaths declined until early October before starting to grow again.
The Eastern Mediterranean peaked in May-June for both cases and deaths, declined through August/September and have surged to new heights with continued upward trajectory as of November 22.
The WTO European Region had an early surge of cases and deaths in the March-April period. Deaths receded sharply through August. While new cases have increased since summer, there was a massive increase in the September – end of October period in new cases and rising deaths through November.
The WHO South-East Asia region saw a huge increase in cases and deaths in the May-August period, peaking in early September and declining since then. Much of the data for the region reflect activity in India.
The Western Pacific Region has had several peaks in terms of deaths and in new cases, though the numbers are the lowest of any WHO region. The latest peak in new cases was in early August with some increase in the October-November period. Deaths last peaked in early September and have declined through November.
The United States
Turning back to the ECDC data, the United States continues to have more confirmed cases (13,246,651) than any other nation and more confirmed deaths from COVID-19 (266,063) than any other nation. The United States is also still experiencing a surge in new cases and rising deaths. October 31 was the first day that ECDC data show the U.S. recording 100,000 new cases in a single day. Since November 5, the U.S. has had more than 100,000 new cases every day up to November 29. It is the only country to record one million new cases in a week and the only country to record two million new cases in fourteen days. For the last fourteen days, the U.S. recorded 2,341,760 new cases. The U.S., which accounts for 4.3% of the global population, accounts for 21.27% of all COVID-19 cases that have been reported since December 2019 and accounted for 28.76% of new cases in the last two weeks. The rate of increase remains high for the United States — up 31.67% from the 1,778,530 new cases in the two weeks ending November 15. There are concerns that the number of new cases will continue to increase into the new year based on the high rate of infections in many parts of the country, major potential spreading events around holidays in November (Thanksgiving) and December, and limited compliance with basic requirements for limiting the spread of the virus.
The number of deaths from COVID-19 that the U.S. accounts for has declined from roughly 20% to 18.30% as of November 29. In the last two week, while the U.S. has the largest number of deaths in the two weeks, the percent of total deaths accounted for by the U.S. in the November 16-29 period was 14.65%. However, many cities, communities and even states are at or nearing the limits of the health care capacity with hospitalizations now about 90,000, limits on health care professionals with the surging cases and some challenges on personal protective equipment. Thus, models used by the government projects a continued rise in the number of deaths in the coming months.
While the first vaccine could receive emergency approval for distribution in the U.S. as early as December 10, and the U.S. could have two or three vaccines in distribution in early 2021, the United States will unfortunately likely be a major part of the continued high rate of infections and deaths well into 2021.
While Europe had faced early challenges in a number of western European countries in February-April and very high death rates in a number of countries, the second wave of cases following the relaxation of restrictions in time for summer vacations accounted for the vast majority of the incrase in new cases during the October and early November time period. In earlier posts, I showed that Europe and the U.S. accounted for nearly all of the increase from 5 million new cases in the two weeks ending October 22 to the more than 8 million new cases in the two weeks ending November 17. See November 17, 2020, New COVID-19 cases over a fourteen day period continue to soar past eight million, up from five million on October 22, https://currentthoughtsontrade.com/2020/11/17/new-covid-19-cases-over-a-fourteen-day-period-continue-to-soar-past-eight-million-up-from-five-million-on-october-22/
While some of the major countries, including France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and others have seen significant reductions in the number of new cases in recent weeks from the extraordinary figures recorded in late October, early November, numbers remain very high for a number of countries including Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania and Luxembourg — all of whom had new cases/100,000 population in the last fourteen days that were higher than the United States.
Because deaths lag new cases by a number of weeks, it is perhaps less surprising that much of Europe had deaths/100,000 population in the last fourteen days that were higher than the United States, most at rates that were two-three times the U.S. rate. The rate for the world in total was 1.82 deaths per 100,000 population for the November 16-29 period. The U.S. was 3.38 times the global average at 6.22 deaths per 100,000 population in that two week period. The following 25 European countries exceeded the U.S. rate: France (11.76 deaths/100,000 population); Italy (16.04); Spain (8.31); United Kingdom (9.40); Armenia (12.81); Austria (13.47); Belgium (18.84); Moldova (6.50); Poland (16.65); Portugal (10.30); Romania (11.50); Serbia (7.11); Switzerland (14.98); Bulgaria (23.69); Croatia (15.92); Czechia (18.74); Greece (11.08); Hungary (16.12); Lithuania (8.12); Luxembourg (13.19); Malta (6.79); Slovenia (19.85); Bosnia and Herzegovina (20.75); Georgia (13.19); and North Macedonia (20.12).
With new restrictions in recent weeks bringing new cases down in a number of European countries, death rates should start to decline as well in the coming weeks. Challenges in terms of superspreader events in Europe include holiday travel and events and winter holidays and sports. Germany has proposed placing restrictions on the ski season to try to minimize increased cases from a sport popular across much of Europe. See DW, 26 November 2020, Coronavirus: Germany seeks EU-wide ban on ski trips, https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-germany-seeks-eu-wide-ban-on-ski-trips/a-55732273.
The EU has contracts with at least six pharmaceutical companies or groups for vaccines if approved. The EU and United Kingdom will start to see vaccine dosages within weeks assuming approval in their jurisdictions.
While much of the rest of the world has not seen great increases in the number of cases that is not true for all countries. For example, Iran which had 136,753 new cases in the November 2-15 period showed 186,274 new cases in the November 16-29 period (+36.21%). Jordan, which has a total number of cases of 210,709 since the end of December has recorded 65.54% of that total in the last four weeks (68,698 new cases during November 2-15; 69,404 new cases during November 16-29). Similarly, Morocco which has a total of 349,688 cases since December 2019 has more than 37% recorded in the last four weeks (69,127 during November 2-15; 61,477 during November 16-29).
In the Americas the following countries in addition to the United States have two week totals to November 29 greater than 100,000 new cases: Argentina (108,531); Brazil (441,313); Colombia (108,609). The following countries besides the United States have more than one million cases since late December 2019: Argentina (1,413,362); Brazil (6,290,272); Colombia (1,299,613), Mexico (1,100,683). Eleven other countries have more than 100,000 cases (with Peru having 960,368). Other than the U.S., countries are facing different trend lines, many down, some showing increases (e.g., Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, Paraguay).
In Asia, while India continues to see declines in the number of new cases, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Palestine, South Korea, showed increased in the most recent two weeks, some quite large. This is in addition to Iran reviewed previously.
In Africa, South Africa has the most cases and saw an increase from 23,730 new cases during November 2-15 to 35,967 during November 16-29. Morocco was reviewed above. Most other major countries in Africa saw declines in recent weeks.
The world in the first eleven months of 2020 has struggled to get the COVID-19 pandemic under control with several major surge periods. The global number of new cases seems to have plateaued over the last week or so at extraordinarily high levels and the death rates has been climbing after a long period where deaths appeared to be declining. It is likely that the death rate will continue to increase for the rest of 2020.
After a period during the summer and early fall where restrictions in a number of countries were being relaxed, many countries in the norther hemisphere are reimposing various restrictions in an effort to dampen the spread of the coronavirus. While trade has significantly rebounded from the sharp decline in the second quarter of 2020, services trade remains more than 30% off of 2019 levels driven by the complete collapse of international travel and tourism. Many WTO members have put forward communications on actions that could be considered to speed economic recovery. The most recent was the Ottawa Group’s communication about a possible Trade and Health Initiative. See November 27, 2020, The Ottawa Group’s November 23 communication and draft elements of a trade and health initiative, https://currentthoughtsontrade.com/2020/11/27/the-ottawa-groups-november-23-communication-and-draft-elements-of-a-trade-and-health-initiative/.
The WTO TRIPS Council has a request for a waiver from most TRIPS obligations for all WTO Members on medical goods and medicines relevant to COVID-19 on which a recommendation is supposed to be forwarded to the General Council by the end of 2020 though it is opposed by a number of major Members with pharmaceutical industries. See November 2, 2020, India and South Africa seek waiver from WTO intellectual property obligations to add COVID-19 – issues presented, https://currentthoughtsontrade.com/2020/11/02/india-and-south-africa-seek-waiver-from-wto-intellectual-property-obligations-to-address-covid-19-issues-presented/.
With vaccines very close to approval in major markets like the United States and the European Union, there will be increased focus on efforts to ensure availability of vaccines and therapeutics and diagnostics globally on equitable and affordable terms. GAVI, CEPI and the WHO have been leading this initiative with the support of many governments and private sector players. Pharmaceutical companies also have global distribution plans being pursued in addition to the above efforts.
So there hopefully is light at the end of the tunnel that the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed on the world. But vaccines without vaccinations won’t solve the pandemic’s grip. So communication and outreach globally will be critical to seeing that available vaccines are properly used. And all peoples need to be able to access the vaccines, some of which will be less available simply because of the infrastructure needs to handle the vaccines.
Trade policy options to minimize trade restrictions coupled with global cooperation and coordination should result in the world being able to rebuild in 2021 and beyond as more and more of the world is vaccinated.
Multilateral efforts to help the poorest countries deal with debt, make available trade finance and other actions continue to be a pressing need. Better plans and preparation for pandemics of the future are clearly needed. Reports suggest that many of the poorest countries have experienced loss of a decade or more of economic advancement during the pandemic. Building back greener and in a sustainable manner is critical for all.
The efforts of developed country governments and others to provide the stimulus domestically to reduce the downward spiral of the individual national economies and the global economy has been critical to limiting the damage at home and abroad. But the assumption of large amounts of debt will also pose significant challenges moving forward because of the greatly heightened national debt/GDP ratios that have developed and may restrict options for individual governments moving forward.
What is certain is that 2020 will be remembered as a year in which a virus inflicted enormous damage to the global health and to the global economy. Collectively, the level of spread has been far greater than should have been possible. Many nations were not prepared. Some, like the United States, exacerbated the problems through a lack of national government planning and messaging. Others like many in Europe, having done a good job of controlling the spread in the early months, made major mistakes as they opened up for summer vacations and didn’t deal with the problems that resulted from the reopening and experienced breathtaking surges which roughly doubled the global daily rate of new cases in five-six weeks and have led to the reimposition of a series of restrictions to try to tame the pandemic a second time. We collectively are better than the results achieved to date. The number of deaths in advanced countries is simply disgraceful.
2021 offers the opportunity for the world to come together and put COVID-19 behind us. Whether we will come to the end of 2021 and feel that this global nightmare is behind us and that there are national and global game plans to rebuild in a greener and more sustainable manner with greater opportunities for all is the question. Hopefully, the answer will be yes. | <urn:uuid:f16f9805-8f70-4900-a35a-e2ed317c5072> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://currentthoughtsontrade.com/tag/palestine/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510697.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20230930145921-20230930175921-00093.warc.gz | en | 0.959803 | 3,460 | 2.859375 | 3 | {
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Have a peak with a characteristic curved shape, with the upper jaw has a slight mobility where it connects with the skull and a generally upright position. They possess a large cranial capacity, being one of the smartest groups of birds. They live in tropical areas, are good fliers and skilled climbers and tree branches.
The parrots are distributed throughout the southern hemisphere, occupying many different habitats ranging from humid tropical forests to the deserts of inland Australia, including India, Southeast Asia and West Africa, and one species, now extinct, United States (the Carolina Parakeet). However, larger populations are native to Australasia, South America and Central America.
Many species can imitate human speech and other sounds. One researcher, Irene Pepperberg has published papers on the learning ability of an African Grey parrot named Alex, who has been trained to use words in order to identify objects, describe, classify, and even answer complex questions, such , “How many red squares are there?” (with an accuracy of 80%). However, some researchers argue that parrots are just repeating words with no idea of meaning. [Citation needed]
Parrots are commonly purchased as pets, being an excellent company. It should be noted, however, that in many countries are wanted for high value sales. That means they are caught illegally in the process killing the adults to put at risk of extinction in many of them. During transport in brutal conditions underground to avoid detection killed more than 50% and the rest are sold by traffickers abroad where they are also taken in secret.
The wings of these birds are often cut and some owners allow the birds to wander free.
Parrots require a minimum care: food, water, space, cleanliness and, of course, much love and attention. An important facet of the domestication of parrots are squawking, with which to respond to almost any sharp sound: ambulance, car horns, crying children, and even television, parrots have the ability to speak, by rote what humans say. It is the only animal with the ability to speak human language, brain development course prevents you from using it as a sign of communication. That is, they speak by repetition and training but do not understand. Not all parrots are equal: some are quieter, less noisy, more caring, etc.. This gives the owner the opportunity to choose the type of parrot that suits your tastes.
A domestic parrots need to provide adequate and varied diet, with seeds, including sunflower, millet, diverse variety of fruits, etc..
Owners of domestic parrots tend to parrot entertainment:
* Buy toys such as hoops, swings, etc..
* Playing with him, teach him to sing or talk, sing or talk to him, scratch his head (if it allows), etc.
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In June, state officials from Arizona to Illinois warned of impending blackouts across the West and Midwest over the summer months due, in part, to extreme heat. These warnings come on the heels of a U.S. Energy Information Administration report stressing that the megadrought in California could have serious impacts on the state’s electricity generation this summer.
“There are places in the world where people are used to power outages. It's just we're really not used to that in America,” Kyri Baker, an assistant professor of building systems engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, tells Inverse.
With looming blackouts on the horizon — Texans are already being asked to conserve energy amidst extreme heat due to power outages — Americans may need to become accustomed to adjustments they wouldn’t previously have considered. Inverse spoke with energy experts to explain why power outages will become more frequent and what steps you can take to prepare yourself — and your home — for them.
Will blackouts become more frequent?
“I think, unfortunately, blackouts will continue to increase. That's what the data suggests,” Baker says.
Blackouts are on the rise for a few reasons, but especially because of extreme heat.
“There are the direct impacts, where the heat literally reduces the ability of power lines to deliver the same amount of power,” Baker says, adding that metal carries less electrical current at higher temperatures than at average or low temperatures.
Another direct impact is increased consumer demand, such as higher usage of air conditioning during extreme heat. Baker says one reason why California suffered blackouts in 2021 is that their grid couldn’t handle the demand.
Many energy systems, ranging from hydrothermal to nuclear plants, rely upon water to power their operations. Therefore, water shortages can lead to power outages, too.
Nuclear plants “need millions of gallons of water a day to cool,” Baker says.
These factors, along with recent power plant retirements and aging of the electrical grid in the U.S., are “exacerbating the frequency of outages,” according to Baker.
How to prepare for blackouts
Loss of power means no air conditioning, which can be life-threatening during extreme heat. Baker says she was in San Antonio, Texas earlier this summer, which saw extremely high temperatures exceeding 101 degrees.
“I hate that this was one of my first thoughts, but one of my first thoughts was if the power goes out, there's going to be a lot of people that die,” Baker says.
You can read our guide on how to prepare for extreme heat, but here are some essential tips:
- Stay in the basement or lowest level of your home. That’s where it will be the coolest.
- Check-in on elderly relatives and neighbors
- Find community cooling shelters or other indoor areas like malls
- Wear loose-fitting and light-colored clothing
- Drink small amounts of water frequently, about every 15 to 20 minutes
- Pack a to-go bag in case you need to temporarily evacuate to a friend’s home or a cooling center
- Go outside in the early morning and late evening when it’s the coolest
- Don’t exercise during daytime hours
- Purchase a battery-operated portable fan and keep spare batteries on hand
When preparing basements as shelters during power outages, Adelle Monteblanco, an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at Middle Tennessee State University, says to make sure you have a first-aid kit down there and other special needs accommodations, such as oxygen concentrators.
If you don’t have a basement, consider “keeping your bed as low to the ground as possible,” Sarah Jameson, Marketing Director of Green Building Elements, which offers resources and services for building-related needs. Jameson has a background in green technology and construction practices.
“This is useful during the night when the humidity from the air rises up in the air,” Jameson adds.
Check your community’s information resources
“You should check your city or town’s website to see if there is an emergency alert system you can sign up for,” Samantha L. Montano, Assistant Professor of the Emergency Management Department at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and an expert in disaster preparation, tells Inverse.
It’s also wise to follow your town’s social media pages on Facebook and Twitter to receive real-time updates on disasters and emergency situations like blackouts.
“Through those channels, you should be able to see updates about extreme heat warnings, information about power outages, the location of cooling centers, etc,” Montano says.
Keep your neighbors, friends, and loved ones informed about scheduled outages or community cooling centers — don’t assume they have access to the same information that you do. Monteblanco says community care and social networks are “necessary” during extreme weather.
“There are so many communication hurdles, leaving the most marginalized without access to information,” Monteblanco adds.
Buy portable power stations
If you can afford to buy a portable solar panel power station, it might be a good idea, though it depends on the frequency of outages in your area. If you have only one power outage for a few hours in the summer, you may not find it worthwhile, says Bri-Mathias Hodge, associate director and a fellow of the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI) at the University of Colorado Boulder.
But if you live in a place where blackouts are likely to be frequent, especially in areas in the West where utility companies cut off power to reduce the likelihood of fires, it’s probably worth purchasing some type of inexpensive backup energy source so you can charge small devices like phones or power laptops for remote work.
“Portable solar panels are a cheap and easy way to keep your USB-powered devices running in a blackout,” John Ramey, founder of The Prepared — a resource and community offering tips to prepare for emergencies and life disasters like extreme heat — tells Inverse.
If you depend on certain life-saving devices, like oxygen generators, a backup power source would be necessary, even if the outage lasts just a few hours.
Loss of power means no air conditioning, which can be life-threatening during extreme heat.
Companies like Jackery and GoalZero offer portable solar panels ranging anywhere from $60 to $500-plus depending on the size and parameters. The amount of time it takes to charge a portable solar panel varies depending on factors like time of year and day, the angle of the panel, and the amount of sunlight, but it typically takes at least four hours.
“There are now solar generators on the market that are fantastic in hot climates, most of which are safe to run indoors and can keep crucial appliances and devices running,” Bob Newman tells Inverse. Newman is an emergency preparation expert with Batten Safe, a company that offers emergency preparation products and services.
Small solar panels probably won’t work for bigger devices like fridges or air conditioners, but you can try powering a small DIY air conditioner with it, according to Davin Eberhardt, founder of Nature of Home. Eberhardt has expertise in home redesign and has been an electrician with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers since 2004.
But for individuals whose life-saving devices — such as oxygen machines — require electricity, it’s a must to have some kind of larger backup power station or generator.
“But if you want to generate enough solar power to support something like a mini-fridge or a CPAP machine, you'll need to get panels that are too large for a backpack,” Ramey adds.
If solar isn’t an option in your area, you can also try purchasing a smaller, inexpensive power bank specifically for your phone or laptop or a larger rechargeable power station from Jackery or Goal Zero that you charge normally in advance of blackouts, which could power small devices like phones for several hours and power medium-sized devices like electric grills, a small air conditioner unit or even a CPAP machine depending on the type of power station.
Basic power stations can range from just above $100 to several hundred dollars. For those who can afford it, there are also power stations in the $1500-plus range that can power major devices in your home like a fridge, keeping your perishable items from going bad. Among these higher-end power stations, Derek Detenber, the Chief Marketing and Merchandising Officer for Batteries Plus, which offers battery and lighting services for customers, recommends the Yeti 1500X Portable Power Station, which can charge a fridge for 55 hours or a CPAP machine for 24 hours.
Baker says that if you work remotely for a company, it could be worthwhile to ask your employer to pay for a rechargeable power station that can power a laptop because even a few hours of power outage can translate to a loss of economic productivity.
“So, that might even make sense for companies to pay for some of their workers to have these backup power systems,” Baker says.
Store drinking water and food for emergencies
Blackouts in your area could affect the water supply. Montano says having a gallon of water on hand for drinking and functions like flushing the toilet could come in handy for homes whose water supplies are connected to electricity.
But Hodge says most water supply systems can deal with a lot of pressure, so it would have to be a “more sustained outage” to really affect the water in your toilet or shower, such as during the blackouts that occurred in Texas in 2021.
Yet, Ramey says it’s generally a good idea to have safe drinking water on hand in any emergency situation — not just blackouts.
“One of the most critical, universal preps is to have potable water stored in your home ahead of time, and ideally a filter or other way to treat more water when you run out of what's stored,” Ramey says.
Keeping shelf-stable food — especially if your home requires electricity for cooking — is also necessary during a blackout.
Keeping shelf-stable food — especially if your home requires electricity for cooking — is necessary during a blackout.
“You should make sure you have supplies at home like an air conditioner, fans, generator/ gas, shelf-stable food, and drinking water,” Montano says.
Minimize sunlight into the home
The southern side of the home typically gets exposed most to sunlight, so any longer-term planning you can do to reduce sunlight to that side of the home would be wise.
These other tips also help.
- Closing blinds during peak daylights
- Buying blackout shades or window tints/films to reflect heat
- Minimize sunlight into the southern side of the home
Join energy-saving programs
Some states offer programs that help to reduce energy consumption. In California, residents can enroll in a clean energy program known as OhmConnect, which “pays residents to lessen their energy consumption when the grid is stressed,” Cisco DeVries, CEO of OhmConnect and former aide to the U.S. Secretary of Energy during the Clinton Administration, tells Inverse.
If you live in a place where blackouts are likely to be frequent...it’s probably worth purchasing some type of inexpensive backup energy source.
During peak hours, the program asks users to unplug devices such as computers or avoid using their laundry machines. The program saves households anywhere from $25 to $50 a month on their energy bills. Other states may offer similar programs through local utility providers.
The federal government, in partnership with states and utility providers, also runs the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which assists low-income individuals with energy costs.
Run energy-intensive devices during off-hours
But even if an energy-savings program doesn’t exist in your state, you can still voluntarily avoid using energy-intensive devices during times of peak demand. According to DeVries, energy usage is highest — and most expensive — at 6 pm.
“If people shift their behavior and do laundry in the morning or throughout the day instead of at 6 pm, their home would be greener – and their bills will decrease,” DeVries says.
Hodge refers to running devices during peak energy demand as “vampire loads.” Reducing these vampire loads could be as simple as unplugging your TV or other devices not in use during the peak early evening hours since these devices continue to draw power from the grid even when they are not in use.
“There's a lot of things we call sometimes vampire loads that maybe don't need to be on during the peak time. You can help the power system out by turning some of those things off,” Hodge says.
Use energy-efficient appliances
To save energy and money, DeVries also suggests buying energy-efficient appliances recommended by Energy Star — an energy savings initiative that partners with the Environmental Protection Agency.
For example, Energy Star-certified washing machines use 25 percent less energy and 33 percent less water than typical machines.
Energy Star also offers energy-efficient tankless heaters, which “don’t have to keep a large hot water tank hot, therefore eliminating the standby energy loss that occurs with traditional tank water heaters,” according to DeVries. Tankless heaters can cost between $500 to $1000, but use 30 percent less energy than storage tank heaters on average.
If you’re a renter, you may not have control over the large appliances in your home, but you can still consider swapping out your incandescent bulbs for energy-efficient LED bulbs.
“Incandescent light bulbs generate more heat than energy-efficient light bulbs,” Jameson says.
Finally, DeVries suggests using “smart” power strips, which “will detect when you’re no longer using a device and turn off the power supply.” Smart thermostats like Google Nest, which automatically adjust your temperature to make your home energy-efficient, are also a good move.
Insulate your home properly
Proper insulation, especially around your windows, will reduce energy loss, keep your home cool and make the home more resilient during power outages. It might seem expensive but it will save you money in the long run.
According to Energy Star, air leakage can account for somewhere between “25 percent and 40 percent of the energy used for heating and cooling in a typical residence.”
“Improving the insulation — the glazing around the windows — really helps hold in the temperature that you want so your A/C doesn't have to be blasting for as long,” the University of Colorado Boulder’s Baker says.
“If you live in an old house of single-pane windows, going to double-pane or triple-pane windows can make an enormous difference in terms of your energy usage,” Hodge adds.
Buy a heat pump
If you can afford it, Baker suggests purchasing a heat pump, which is more energy-efficient than A/C because it can both heat and cool your home. During the summer, the heat pump transfers heat from the home to the outdoors, and vice versa during the winter.
“Heat pumps offer an energy-efficient alternative to furnaces and air conditioners for all climates,” writes the Department of Energy on their website.
They aren’t cheap, however. The average heat pump costs nearly $6,000.
Solar energy can help
Renewable energy is much better for the environment than natural gas, and it can be particularly helpful during blackouts, too. Any energy the household doesn’t use goes back to the grid, helping ease power supply during times of peak demand and typically providing users a financial credit for the extra energy generated.
“If you have distributed solar on your rooftop, for example, you're generally producing power during some of the peak load times,” Hodge says.
Additionally, some solar-powered homes can disconnect from the grid and retain power during a blackout, depending on how they’re installed.
Both Hodge and Baker say you can consider looking into community solar for a cheaper option than purchasing individual solar panels for your home. But such a measure would also require community approval and to pass any local regulations, making it potentially complicated.
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- Symptoms and signs of heart failure with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF > 50%).
- Presence of an underlying cause of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (eg, comorbidities such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease; or underlying valvular heart disease, restrictive cardiomyopathy, or specific myocardial diseases such as amyloidosis).
- Objective evidence of elevated left ventricular filling pressure (at rest or with exercise) on echocardiography or cardiac catheterization.
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is an increasingly common, debilitating syndrome of the elderly, and one that carries a high rate of morbidity and mortality. HFpEF accounts for > 50% of all hospitalizations for heart failure, and while a recent patient-level meta-analysis found that patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) have a worse prognosis compared to HFpEF, two earlier large epidemiologic studies found that patients with HFpEF have a mortality rate that is nearly identical to HFrEF. Regardless of underlying ejection fraction, survival for all heart failure (HF) patients is poor, especially after HF hospitalization.
HFpEF is the preferred term for patients with a normal ejection fraction who have the syndrome of HF, because HFpEF highlights the fact that HF is a syndrome and not a distinct clinical or pathophysiologic entity. Many investigators and experts have used the term “diastolic heart failure” for HFpEF in the past. However, this term is not ideal for two main reasons. First, there is ample evidence that patients with HFpEF have abnormalities in systolic function (as defined by tissue Doppler imaging) despite a normal ejection fraction, and many patients with HFrEF have abnormal diastolic function. Second, in the clinical setting, patients with HF are currently classified into two categories: low ejection fraction (< 50%) and preserved ejection fraction (> 50%). By calling HFpEF “diastolic HF,” clinicians may not consider the entire differential diagnosis of HFpEF (of which pure diastolic dysfunction is only one cause). HFpEF has also previously been called “HF with preserved systolic function” or “HF with normal systolic function.” As stated earlier, it is now clear that many patients with HFpEF have abnormalities in systolic function; therefore, HFpEF is a better term.
Finally, HFpEF has the advantage of being an easy mnemonic for patients to remember. HFpEF sounds like “HUFF-PUFF,” which helps patients understand this syndrome, in which dyspnea and fatigue are two of the most common symptoms.
Borlaug BA, et al. Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment. Eur Heart J.
Maeder MT, et al. Heart failure with normal left ventricular ejection fraction. J Am Coll Cardiol.
Meta-analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure (MAGGIC). The survival of patients with heart failure with preserved or reduced left ventricular ejection fraction: an individual patient data meta-analysis. Eur Heart J.
Since HFpEF is heterogeneous, there is no single mechanism that can explain the pathophysiology of ... | <urn:uuid:9345eb07-217a-4da0-81d8-0bf95801e51f> | CC-MAIN-2018-17 | https://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?bookid=715§ionid=48214561 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-17/segments/1524125947033.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20180424174351-20180424194351-00054.warc.gz | en | 0.895281 | 709 | 2.59375 | 3 | {
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Presentation on theme: "S OPHIE S W ORLD G UIDED B RAINSTORM Use your own paper to take notes You may need several pages."— Presentation transcript:
S OPHIE S W ORLD G UIDED B RAINSTORM Use your own paper to take notes You may need several pages
I N WHAT WAY IS THE NOVEL A MYSTERY ? W HAT ELEMENTS OF MYSTERY ARE IN THE NOVEL ? Could we include the mysterious messages, the…? Jot down more ideas Share your ideas aloud
W HAT MIGHT THE AUTHOR WANT US TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT PHILOSOPHY BY WRITING THE NOVEL THIS WAY ? Could it be like the magic trick analogy? Could he be making a comparison to help us understand philosophy and philosophers?
A COMPARISON TO HELP US UNDERSTAND PHILOSOPHY AND PHILOSOPHERS ? The universe / the world is Who / What creates / controls We / People are Philosophers The universe / the world is Who / What creates / controls We / People are Philosophers Existence / Life is like a magic trick Existence / Life is like a mystery novel
W HAT ELSE DOES THE AUTHOR TRY TO COMMUNICATE TO US ABOUT PHILOSOPHY, PHILOSOPHERS, PHILOSOPHICAL PROJECTS, LEARNING PHILOSOPHY – VS - LEARNING TO THINK PHILOSOPHICALLY ? Jot down some ideas Share your ideas aloud
S O, HOW DOES THE BOOK, SO FAR, HELP US TO ANSWER OUR RESEARCH QUESTION : P HILOSOPHY - W HAT DOES IT MEAN ( DEFINITION, DIVISIONS OR BRANCHES, PURPOSE, VALUE )? Notice that we have already cover some of this, but what goes where? What else should we include and where? Jot down more ideas Share your ideas aloud
D EFINITION Jot down your ideas Share your ideas aloud
DIVISIONS OR BRANCHES Jot down your ideas Share your ideas aloud
PURPOSE Jot down your ideas Share your ideas aloud
VALUE Jot down your ideas Share your ideas aloud
W ISEST IS SHE WHO KNOWS SHE DOES NOT KNOW (67). What does this mean? Which philosopher and philosophical movement does this represent? How? What does this suggest? Jot down your ideas Share your ideas aloud
D ISCUSS THE FOLLOWING Q UOTE : Mankind is faced with a number of difficult questions that we have to satisfactory answer to. So now, two possibilities present themselves: we can either fool ourselves and the rest of the world by pretending that we know all there is to know, or we can shut our eyes to the central issues once and for all and abandon all progress. In this sense, humanity is divided. People are, generally speaking, either dead certain or totally indifferent. (Both types are crawling deep down in the rabbits fur!) (68). | <urn:uuid:a6ff8a6f-e64f-4983-a1b9-2aeffb810f9a> | CC-MAIN-2017-13 | http://slideplayer.com/slide/699081/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-13/segments/1490218189403.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20170322212949-00125-ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.833496 | 634 | 2.796875 | 3 | {
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Even if you have been speaking English for years, you are going to find yourself in a situation where someone uses a word or a phrase you don’t know, speaks a little too fast, or mumbles (speaks unclearly).
The other person might be using slang or a technical term you’re not familiar with.
Or they simply may not have expressed themselves clearly.
In situations like these, you should not feel embarrassed or assume that it has to do with your language ability!
This happens to native speakers as well, and that is why we have a number of polite questions and expressions that we can use to clarify what we heard.
These expressions are frequently used in the business context, as this is often when you need to clarify what the other person said to continue negotiations or strategic planning.
You can also use these phrases in everyday circumstances.
If you are having a lengthy conversation with someone, chances are you’ll need to clarify something they’ve said.
Remember, sometimes people do not express their ideas clearly, or they ramble (talk about a topic for a long time without focus).
Before assuming it’s you or your English, ask a clarifying question and confirm your understanding to bring the focus of the conversation back to the most important topics.
Clarify What You Heard by Asking for Repetition
If you feel like you missed a key word or phrase during an explanation, or you would like the other person to repeat himself, there are a number of questions you can ask in order to clarify what you heard.
Keep in mind that many of these questions use an introductory phrase like “Would you mind…?” or “Could I ask you…?” or “Could you…?” in order to make the question a little more polite.
You can also start with a small apology, like “Sorry,” “Just a second,” “Sorry to interrupt.”
Finally, you might want to admit that you didn’t understand by saying “I didn’t catch that,” or “I didn’t get that.”
This shows that you are listening, but you want to make sure you understood all the important details.
- Would you mind repeating that for me again?
- Would you mind going over that one more time?
- Sorry, could I ask you to tell me that (piece of information) again?
- Could you clarify what you meant by (challenging word)?
- Just a second, could I get a little more clarification on (X topic)? I just want to be sure I understood.
- Sorry to interrupt, but I didn’t catch that. Could you run it by me one more time?
- Could you be more specific?
- I don’t think I got your meaning. Could you go over that again?
- I don’t think I quite understand what you meant. Would you mind repeating that?
Confirm Your Understanding By Repeating and Restating the Other Person’s Idea
Another way to be sure you’ve understood what the other person is saying is to repeat what you heard using your own words.
Restating the other person’s idea is a great way to show that you were listening carefully.
It also helps the other person find a way to simplify or clarify what he or she said if you’ve misheard or misunderstood a key point.
As I mentioned earlier, sometimes the person speaking needs to rethink what he said and say it again more clearly!
- Let me see if I understood correctly.
- Can I just check what I got from that?
- I’d just like to confirm that I got that right.
- My impression of what you said was… Is that what you meant?
- So what you are saying is… Does that sound right?
- You mean that we should (do X action and Y action). Is that right?
- Do I understand you to mean…
- If I understand you correctly, you are saying…
- Am I reading your suggestion right, when you said…?
- You mean…?
- I think you are saying…
- In other words…
As you notice in these examples, there are many introductory phrases that you can use to indicate what you heard.
By emphasizing that you are repeating their ideas to check and confirm your understanding, you show them that you take accuracy seriously and want to make sure you’ve got all the information you need before moving forward.
Ending with a question enables the other person to clarify any confusion and provide additional details that he feels are important.
Restating ideas is an excellent way to avoid misunderstandings and also enables you to ask for clarification without having to say directly that you didn’t understand everything.
Say Thank You and Show You Understood
After the person you are talking to has repeated what they said, provided additional information, or clarified your doubts, be sure to say thank you and state that you now understand the concepts better.
This allows you to move on to other topics and assures the other person that you are now on the same page (have the same understanding of a topic).
- Thanks for clarifying. I understand better now.
- Thank you for repeating that. It makes more sense to me.
- Thanks for explaining your point of view again. That helps me see where you’re coming from.
- Thanks. We seem to be on the same page now.
- I appreciate the clarification. Glad we agree on that.
Do you feel more comfortable clarifying what you heard, asking for repetition, and confirming your understanding after reading this post? I hope so.
You can use these phrases for ask for clarification on something I’ve written above!
Leave a comment below with a question you have – and start it with a phrase. Or rephrase what I said, and use a question to check for understanding. | <urn:uuid:5063f519-5437-45ff-8992-1d9b75922839> | CC-MAIN-2021-49 | https://englishwithkim.com/clarifying-confirming-understanding/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-49/segments/1637964361253.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20211202084644-20211202114644-00060.warc.gz | en | 0.95095 | 1,263 | 3.28125 | 3 | {
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The translations of borrowings from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «borrowings» in English.
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «borrowings».
FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «BORROWINGS» OVER TIME
The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «borrowings» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «borrowings» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.
Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about borrowings
10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «BORROWINGS»
Discover the use of borrowings in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to borrowings and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
A Typology of Verbal Borrowings
The present work is the first in-depth cross-linguistic study on loan verbs and the morphological, syntactic and sociolinguistic aspects of loan verb accommodation, investigating claims that verbs generally are more difficult to borrow than ...
Jan Wohlgemuth, 2009
Spanish Loanwords in the English Language: A Tendency ...
0. Introduction. In recent years the study of English borrowings from Spanish has
been relatively neglected. Much of the research on the subject has been involved
with examining words that English adopted in the past, during the period of the ...
Félix Rodríguez González, 1996
Shakespeare and Music: Afterlives and Borrowings
This is a study of the rich and diverse range of musical responses to Shakespeare that have taken place from the seventeenth century onwards.
Julie Sanders, 2013
Ceramic traditions and technical borrowings in the Senegal ...
Use and acceptance of Maori borrowings in New Zealand English
New Zealand English is the variety of English that is spoken by the roughly 4 million inhabitants of New Zealand – a South Pacific state which consists of two main islands simply called the North and the South Island.
Lysann Hofmann, 2007
Handel, Tercentenary Collection
The. Case. for. Handel's. Borrowings: The. Judgment. of. Three. Centuries.
George. J. Buelow. In the three centuries since the birth of George Frideric
Handel, there have been frequent illusions to and discussions of his practice of
Stanley Sadie, Anthony Hicks, 1987
Borrowings from other languages as adoptions of novel ...
English as a world language is an interesting example in order to look at these questions and answer them. One way words enter a language is they are borrowed from another and it seems that this is true in many cases for English.
Manuela Szepan, 2007
Dictionary of African Borrowings in Brazilian Portuguese
Lexical borrowings might contain useful information that would supplement the
partially destroyed documentary evidence. About eight times as many slaves
were brought from Africa to Brazil as were taken to North America. This indicated
John T. Schneider, 1991
A Lexicon of French Borrowings in the German Vocabulary ...
LEXIC0N This lexicon aims at listing all borrowings of French origin (together
with related compounds and derivatives) which were found recorded for the first
time in German texts of the period l575 to l648. The following categories have
William Jervis Jones, 1976
This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process.
William Doxev, 2009
10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «BORROWINGS»
Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term borrowings is used in the context of the following news items.
Malaysia plans more subsidy cuts with 1MDB raising policy risk
... has enough assets to pay off its debt, scrutiny has increased over how much liability the government may have beyond its official borrowings. «The Malaysian Insider, Jul 15»
The value of one-click gearing
As a point of interest, geared share funds typically access low-cost borrowings through short-term loans from other in-house cash‑enhanced ... «The Australian Financial Review, Jul 15»
Greek debt crisis: Greece readies fresh bailout proposal for …
... further destabilise the currency union by reverting to the drachma but are highly reluctant to offer Greece a special deal to cut its borrowings. «The Australian Financial Review, Jul 15»
USSC wins cheaper finance
The refinancing sees the US company's borrowings mature in 2021, compared to April 2018 previously. The cheaper deal will also provide the ... «TradeWinds, Jul 15»
Gas royalties boom already factored into next week's Queensland …
... new ones and without increasing debts or borrowings ... whilst at the same time still promising to to pay down debt," Mr Nicholls said. «ABC Online, Jul 15»
Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust Announces the Planned …
The Company will initially fund the acquisitions with approximately $88 million of borrowings under its line of credit and $50 million in proceeds ... «MarketWatch, Jul 15»
European companies stash more cash away
The car manufacturer also has large borrowings — net debt stood at €8.6bn at March 31. Moody's said that, as well as holding large cash ... «Financial Times, Jul 15»
Greece's No vote makes it much harder to cut a Euro deal
He also asked that the payback periods be extended to 60 or 70 years, and that interest rates on Greece's borrowings be sharply reduced. «Fortune, Jul 15»
Legacy Reserves LP Announces $440 Million Acquisition of …
Legacy anticipates funding these transactions with borrowings under its revolver. Highlights of this acquisition are as follows: Estimated proved ... «MarketWatch, Jul 15»
JAKS to build RM7bil power plant in Vietnam with China partner
... an equity commitment of US$140.1mil (RM528.8mil) from JAKS that will be met via a combination of both internal and bank borrowings. «The Star Online, Jul 15»
« EDUCALINGO. Borrowings [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/borrowings>. Jun 2020 ». | <urn:uuid:80fd85cc-0caa-43ca-9b05-0caf8d446b41> | CC-MAIN-2020-24 | https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/borrowings | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-24/segments/1590348511950.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20200606062649-20200606092649-00182.warc.gz | en | 0.926717 | 1,406 | 2.9375 | 3 | {
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The “Gamification” of Skills Training
The ability for clinicians to practice and perfect the skills necessary to enhance and save lives is undeniably crucial. Having the right tools to accomplish that necessity is the first step.
What if those tools are not just effective but also fun, memorable, and engaging? What if they can surprise the user with unexpected challenges that replicate the skills needed for the medical procedure they are preparing to perform? By turning stressful and complex tasks into a game, we can ensure the kind of buy-in and engagement that leads to true internalization of learning.
That’s the power of the “gamification” of skills training. If you read part one of the upcoming four-part series that sets out to answer the question, “Do all medical demonstration models need to represent anatomy?” you already know that there are many times when it is neither necessary nor beneficial to provide anatomical replication when creating the model.
In today’s discussion, we will dive into part two: how gamification can enhance learning outcomes and clinician engagement through multi-sensory, delightful experiences.
Making It Memorable
Much of what surgeons do requires complex and intricate processes that have very little room for error. If these processes are to be completed at the required level of precision, the surgeon needs to be able to utilize their skills in a way that is nearly automatic. Some would call this “muscle memory,” while others would correctly argue that muscles themselves have no memory.
The automated exactness of these skills is, of course, developed through repetition to the point of being able to visualize each minuscule movement required to complete the task. For this level of learning to occur, the learning process needs to be memorable.
In the same way, that song lyrics are far easier to remember than a verbatim recital of a paragraph from a textbook, medical training processes are easier to remember when the medium used during the training provides higher-level stimulation.
Providing a memorable multi-sensory experience for medical training often does not involve anatomical representation at all, much less a 1:1 replica of the anatomy. Creating a model that will facilitate efficient learning of complex tasks may involve turning that task into a game or otherwise increasing the entertainment factor.
Injecting entertainment value into a novel task or knowledge set has been shown to increase “unique cognitive resources, associate reward, and pleasure with information, and strengthen and broaden memory networks.”1 This is precisely where the “gamification” of skills training comes into play.
Urologists are an example of specialists who often must perform complex surgical navigation tasks. This can be a high-stakes “maze” of sorts and requires immense precision and control of the scope and surgical apparatuses.
To enhance this important training, we developed a model that requires the same precise navigation as a surgical stone extraction in a beautiful and appealing way without the representation of anatomy.
As you can see with this model, the clinician has the opportunity to complete various pathways that each provide unique challenges and require a specific skill set.
Using varying entry points, volume, depth, and angles, this model was designed to allow the clinician to access the vast array of challenges they will face during surgery, but in a way that will provide memorable processes and clear outcomes.
Similarly, we developed a urology obstacle course model that provides an opportunity for surgeons to practice their skills by guiding a wire through a tract. The model’s tract includes built-in detours to create navigation challenges for training kidney stone extraction.
The white knobs you see in the model can be adjusted to change the diameter of the tract. This replicates the challenges posed with varying levels of ureter stricture.
The combination of detours and adjustable tract stricture provides the clinician with the chance to fail. The opportunity to fail is the opportunity to overcome failure and sharpen one’s skills.
Just as a video game captivates players with its intricate mazes and unexpected challenges, these models have a similar effect on surgeons. They transform the learning process into an exciting journey of discovery and mastery, akin to conquering levels in a game. As learners navigate through the model’s complexities, they’re not just acquiring skills; they’re experiencing the thrill of overcoming obstacles, the joy of unexpected victories, and the fun of game-like learning. It turns education into an adventure!
Although the urology examples above highlight the use of non-anatomical models with the primary goal of enhancing the training experience of surgeons, models may also be used by a device manufacturer to demonstrate the performance of their product while providing an unforgettable training experience in the process.
A particularly fun example of this notion was a model we created to demonstrate the clarity of a company’s scope. Instead of exclusively utilizing the typical anatomical models that demonstrate vasculature, tumors, and other standard scope pathways, we decided to turn the experience into something that would be indelible.
We created a miniature “funhouse” full of surprises around every corner. It included vibrant colors, textures, and shapes, doors to different rooms, tiny eye exam charts, and a variety of other quirky decorations and designs.
By using a demonstration medium that the target audience had never seen, we created an experience they wouldn’t forget. It both demonstrated the clarity of the scope while simultaneously allowing clinicians to practice their navigation skills with the product.
The representation of anatomy is important and imperative in many situations. It is much of what we do here, after all! However, in certain scenarios, not using anatomy creates the most memorable and effective outcomes. A number of those scenarios will be covered in this four-part series that answers the question, “Do all medical demonstration models need to represent anatomy?”
The most entertaining of those scenarios is undoubtedly turning skills training into a game through the use of unforgettable models that do not represent anatomy. The examples covered here today are a nanoscopic sample of the endless possibilities to turn a model into an experience.
It’s a method of learning that brings surprises, challenges, and joy to the clinicians who dedicate their lives to the betterment of others. It’s a way of turning a complex task into a fun and memorable adventure. It’s a way of making skills training not just effective but also enjoyable.
As the late American philosopher John Dewey once said, “All genuine learning comes through experience.” Experiences this unique will not be forgotten. | <urn:uuid:127bfd01-9d33-4089-a4dd-00428accd471> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://pulsemdm.com/medical-models-represent-anatomy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679515260.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20231211143258-20231211173258-00173.warc.gz | en | 0.939011 | 1,354 | 3.125 | 3 | {
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By Michael E Price - Brunel Univeristy London
Does humanity exist to serve some ultimate, transcendent purpose? Conventional scientific wisdom says no. As physicist Lawrence Krauss puts it in his latest book, our evolution on this planet is just a “cosmic accident”. If you believe otherwise, many would accuse you of suffering from some kind of religious delusion.
I don’t think this view of life is necessarily correct. Despite this, my worldview is entirely naturalistic – it doesn’t rely on invoking any supernatural powers. And I usually do agree with conventional scientific wisdom. However, I know of one possible mechanism by which life could, in fact, be endowed with a natural purpose. The idea, just published in the journal Complexity, is highly speculative but worth considering.
In biological natural selection, genes’ ability to replicate themselves depends on how well they can encode traits that permit organisms to out-reproduce other members of their own species. Such traits – for example camouflage to avoid predators or eyes to enable vision – are adaptations to the environment, as opposed to traits that are just byproducts of adaptations or random genetic noise. Clearly, the purpose of these adaptations is to solve difficult problems (like seeing, digesting or thinking).
Because organisms are bundles of complex adaptations, they are the most improbably complex things in the universe. And improbable complexity is, in fact, the hallmark of natural selection – the fundamental way in which we recognise that a trait actually is an adaptation. This makes them improbably low in “entropy”, which is the degree of disorder in a physical system. A basic law of physics is that entropy tends to always be increasing so that systems become more disordered (known as the “second law of thermodynamics”). It’s because of this law that you can crack an egg and mix it all together to make an omelette (making it more disordered), but you can’t turn the omelette neatly back into an egg with shell, white and yolk (making it more ordered).
Because natural selection is the process that “designs” organisms – incrementally organising random, disordered matter into complex, functional organs – it is the most powerful anti-entropic process that we know of. Without the incremental changes that natural selection allows, the only way a complex adaptation like a mammalian eye could come into existence would be as the result of random chance. And the likelihood of that is extremely low.
Biological natural selection explains how adaptations have purpose (to facilitate survival and reproduction), and why organisms behave purposefully. It does not explain, however, how life in general could have any transcendent purpose. To figure out the point of our existence we require a higher-order explanation, like the one I describe.
My higher-order explanation is based on cosmologist Lee Smolin’stheory of cosmological natural selection. Smolin founded his theory on the increasingly popular view that our universe exists in an innumerably vast population of replicating universes – a multiverse. Many physicists put stock in the idea of there being a multiverse, because its existence is predicted by eternal inflation, our most promising model of universe origins.
Smolin reasoned that in a multiverse, universes that were better at reproducing would become more common. He proposed that they could be created from existing black holes. And if black holes are how universes reproduce, then cosmological natural selection would favour universes that contained more black holes. In this theory, life is simply the accidental byproduct of processes “designed” by selection to produce black holes.
Smolin’s theory has considerable intuitive appeal. It seems analogous to Darwin’s selection theory. And black holes do seem to be likely candidates to give birth to new universes. A black hole is an infinitely small concentration of spacetime, matter and energy – a singularity. And it’s exactly this type of phenomenon we believe the Big Bang started from.
In one glaring aspect, however, Smolin’s theory falls short of being analogous to Darwin’s. It does not predict that the most improbably complex feature of our universe will be the one most likely to be an adaptation produced by cosmological natural selection. Because that least entropic feature is life rather than black holes.
Smolin does identify life as the least entropic known thing. His theory, however, does not make the connection between entropy and selection. That is, it doesn’t acknowledge that just as improbably low entropy is the hallmark of selection operating at the biological level, this is likely to be true at the cosmological level as well.
The future of life
If life is, in fact, the universe’s reproductive system, the implication is that sufficiently evolved intelligence could acquire the ability to create new cosmic environments. In order to be habitable, these baby universes would need to replicate the physical laws of the lifeform’s native universe. Cosmologists expect that in billions of years, our universe will cease being habitable. By that point, however, life could conceivably have become intelligent enough to produce new life-supporting universes, perhaps by civilisations “building” something similar to black holes.
However, scientists currently lack the methods to test the idea conclusively. A start would be to discover that there are indeed other universes – something that astronomers are currently looking for.
A basic prediction it does make, however, is that human technological progress is likely to continue into the vastly distant future. If cosmological selection “designed” life to use its technology for universe reproduction, then it seems reasonable to expect that life will succeed in this regard – just as you’d expect an eye produced by biological selection to actually succeed in seeing.
That doesn’t mean that unceasing technological progress is guaranteed – after all, we could use our technology to destroy ourselves. Nevertheless we can reasonably expect humanity – or whatever it evolves into – to be sticking around for a long, long time.
It’s not a new idea to propose in general terms that life might constitute a mechanism for cosmological evolution – good histories of this idea are here and here. The new aspect of my research is that it spells out exactly why life – as the least entropic known thing in the universe – is more likely than black holes (or anything else) to be a mechanism of universe reproduction. I hope others will continue to explore this idea.
Source: The Conversation
If you enjoy our selection of content please consider following Universal-Sci on social media: | <urn:uuid:19ef8f3d-eb8e-4e46-93a7-d212a6aca53c> | CC-MAIN-2018-09 | https://www.universal-sci.com/headlines/2017/7/6/life-may-be-a-guide-to-the-evolution-of-the-cosmos-heres-how | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-09/segments/1518891816370.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20180225110552-20180225130552-00323.warc.gz | en | 0.944432 | 1,372 | 2.703125 | 3 | {
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Your grade point average (GPA) proves your reliability as a student. Colleges look at your work to determine the likelihood of your success in higher education endeavors. While many factors play into the decision, your GPA is often the starting point. Below a certain level, certain colleges will not even look at the other factors. Weighted GPA was introduced to help provide a more level playing field as some students take much more difficult classes and it seemed inaccurate to measure advanced placement classes alongside a standard class, therefore one (the advanced placement class) should carry more weight.
Meaning of Weighted Vs. Unweighted
Unweighted GPA assigns four points to every A grade received, three to every B, two to every C and one to every D. A weighted GPA adds a point to every letter grade making an A worth five points instead of four. Your entire graded course load is added together and divided by the number of classes to equal your GPA. A straight-A student who takes all advanced classes would walk away with a “5.0” while a student who took non-weighted classes and received all As would have a “4.0.” Usually, high schools do require a few unweighted classes, such as physical education or art, be included in the mix. This remains a simple numeric way to represent how challenging a student’s schedule is so the admissions board immediately sees the complexity of your studies. Prior to weighting GPAs, someone could take all easy classes and end up with a higher GPA than that of someone taking advanced classes in any of a number of classes.
Colleges have become savvier when it comes to looking at grade point averages. Despite setting a minimum requirement for GPA, even when looking at unweighted GPA, the admissions department pays more attention to the student who challenges herself academically. In addition, the admissions folks are likely to look at your scale of improvement over your academic career. If you do poorly, your freshman year but turn it around by the end, it is likely the admissions department will note your change and relevant attitude. Scholarship departments typically want your weighted GPA, while colleges will breakdown your GPA during the process.
Higher ranked colleges tend to care more about unweighted GPA. At the end of the process the admissions department will look at your classes and compare the course of study to other students with similar GPAs. At this point, the weighted numbers might be added back in if the choice is too close to call and the number of slots left is too few. The thought process remains that those looking for admittance into academically elite schools will all have extremely competitive GPAs, so the number is merely a low end bar for the rest of the criteria.
State Schools and Community Colleges
State schools and community colleges look at weighted GPAs, as the admissions process is not as complex. These institutions often may not go so deep as to study community service and letters of recommendation; your scores determine your entrance. Your GPA coupled with your SAT score lets the admissions department know what type of student you have been. With these standards, a weighted GPA gives you preference over other high GPA students based on the difficulty of your classes. This adds to your candidacy as you made the choice to challenge yourself, one of the many keys to a successful college career.
- Montgomery Educational Consulting: Weighted GPA, Unweighted GPA, Class Rank and College Admission; January 2009
- Scholarships.com: Should Your Write an Honors Thesis?; September 2011
- Outlaw Student: Weighted GPA Vs. Non-Weighted GPA; Judge Josh; December 2010
- The Ivy Coach: Weighted Vs. Unweighted GPA; Is there an Advantage?; October 2009
- Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images | <urn:uuid:a9e64576-3603-4827-91e9-aea17d9fc1b5> | CC-MAIN-2018-34 | https://classroom.synonym.com/gpa-vs-weighted-gpa-12097401.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-34/segments/1534221215284.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20180819184710-20180819204710-00197.warc.gz | en | 0.958747 | 774 | 2.59375 | 3 | {
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How to secure-by-design
As a pre-requisite to defining security-by-design requirements, a Security Assessment has to be performed in order to define what needs to be done for the product’s security. The product should then be designed and pre-configured with functionalities that are based on well-established security practices and that are reduced to the strict minimum required for system operations. Another important aspect, is that security need to be integrated at every stage of the product’s development, covering the entire product life-cycle (Security-life-cycle) starting from its design and ending with its disposal, as opposed to adjusting or adding security features afterwards.
The anatomy of remote attacks
In the case of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) where (massive) remote attacks are the most critical ones, the security-by-design requirements will be guided by the different phases of attacks:
The identification phase
When addressing the identification phase of the attack, security architects and developers will have to consider potentially sophisticated physical attacks. Technologies and know-how to resist to such attacks are widely available and, in the end, the only issue is cost. So, the main strategy will be to keep to the very minimum the number of assets that need to be protected against sophisticated and expensive hardware attacks, and/or to minimize their value for attackers. Secure elements, HSMs and cryptographic processors can be used for that purpose, provided that the list of assets has been brought down to a few (root) secrets and keys that only need to be stored, and used to perform cryptographic operations. Even more important is to build a security architecture that reduces the value of assets by ensuring in particular that if such assets are compromised during the identification phase on one device, they cannot become key in performing the exploitation attack on a large number of remote devices. Once the problem of resistance with respect to the identification phase has been properly handled, physical attacks don’t have to be considered anymore, besides side-channel attacks that can be addressed by using state-of-the-art know-how and technologies.
The exploitation phase
When addressing the exploitation phase of the attack, protection against logical attacks becomes the main challenge, and this is quite new. Resisting to logical attacks indeed has been until recently the easy and marginal part of the security challenge. This is because the hardware components to secure were both very small and had very small attack surfaces. But this situation is radically changing, mainly due to the much larger attack surface exposed by IoT and CPS products and situations where assets that need to be protected are not just virtual, but also physical: goods, infrastructures, lives, etc. In effect, an analysis of the attacks reported in conferences and in the press shows the ever-increasing importance of logical attacks. Hackers typically exploit errors (in the large sense) to break into systems: low-level implementation bugs, protocol or specification flaws, design, configuration or initialization errors, violations of organizational security policy, etc.
Build on trust with a robust TCB
In the face of protecting against logical attacks, and in order to limit the risk of vulnerabilities, security architects and developers will have to design their connected products with a Trusted Computing Base (TCB) that need to be well identified, as small as possible and made-up of components that can really be trusted. | <urn:uuid:dfc9cf25-be84-4ef4-8f7a-a45e9cea22a1> | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | https://provenrun.com/stakes/security-by-design/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764499801.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20230130034805-20230130064805-00021.warc.gz | en | 0.959642 | 694 | 2.625 | 3 | {
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9 Famous Movies Based on Ancient Myths and Legends
Since the beginning of movie making at the end of the 1880s, films have touched on a plethora of mythological themes. From the 1970s classic The Asphyx , to the action-packed Wonder Woman , we’ve brought together some of our favorite mythological movies for your viewing pleasure.
The Asphyx (1972) – Bottling Up the Spirit of Death
Ever since the Victorian era, humankind has been fascinated with the idea of death and the existence of the soul. Scholars and scientists of the time attempted to conduct experiments, taking postmortem photographs or images of people on their deathbeds. So much so, that a popular pastime was attempting to capture photos of the soul leaving the body in an attempt to prove its existence.
The 1970s movie The Asphyx starts from this premise. In this classic British horror film, directed by Peter Newbrook and set in Victorian England, the researcher Sir Hugo Cunningham takes a photograph which seems to capture the image of “something” floating right above the subject's body at the time of death. Initially believing that this might be proof supporting the existence of the soul, after closer examination the scientist concludes that the shape wasn’t actually leaving the body, but rather coming towards it.
Throughout history, many have pondered the question of whether there is just one Death or a Death for each individual. In this mythological movie, Cunningham discovers that the ancient Greeks had their own theory; the belief that there existed a Death for each person called an asphyx.
This so-called asphyx was a tormented being, created at the time of a person’s birth, only to be set free at their death, severing ties between the body and the soul. Cunningham goes on to attempt to capture and trap the asphyx, to bottle it so to speak, believing he has discovered a way to achieve immortality. For if the asphyx is unable to reenter a body, then they would never be able to die.
Troy (2004) – Bringing the Legendary Trojan War to the Big Screen
The epic blockbuster movie Troy tells the story about the legendary Trojan war . While it is assumed by most to be based on a true story, these days historians wonder if the Trojan War actually ever took place. Although it is described in riveting detail in Homer’s Illiad, a work of literary genius which captures timeless truths about the savagery of war, there is still no real proof for Homer’s Trojan war.
At the center of the mythological movie is the character Helen of Troy , played by Diane Kruger. In Greek mythology, Helen was the daughter of Leda, tricked into copulating with the god Zeus disguised as a swan. Said to be the most beautiful woman in the world, once again the gods intervened by promising Helen to the Trojan prince Paris, in exchange for choosing Aphrodite as the most beautiful of the gods. The wife of Menelaus, Helen is taken by Paris back to Troy, kicking off the whole messy affair, the wrath of the Spartans and the supposed Trojan War.
The mythological movie covers all the bases and complex relationships of the original story of ancient Troy: Brad Pitt plays Achilles, Orlando Bloom the part of the Trojan Prince Paris, Eric Bana is the Trojan prince and warrior Hector, and Rose Cyrne is Briseis, the virgin priestess of Apollo, given as a war prize to Achilles only to be taken away by Agamemnon. Although a pretty loose adaptation of the Iliad, it does bring the 3,000-year-old story to life through stunning combat sequences, with a little Hollywood sparkle.
Wishmaster (1997 - 2002) – Freeing the Wish-Granting Jinn
Pre-Islamic Arab mythology speaks of the existence of supernatural spirits known as jinn. These days, the jinn have been reduced to the Disney-like image of a colorful genie beings trapped within a lamp and being obliged to grant wishes. But originally, legend had it that they were beings not just worthy of respect, but also able to provoke immense fear due to their ability to cause mental illness and even disease. While the jinn could be good, evil or neutral, the Devil is considered to have originated from the ranks of the jinn.
Ancient mythology considered that jinn were able to take shelter inside all sorts of old objects, not just limited to lamps, including precious stones and especially opals. In the mythological movie series Wishmaster, the jinn starts out trapped inside a red opal and the movie begins with the following words:
“Once, in a time before time, God breathed life into the universe. And the light gave birth to Angels. And the earth gave birth to Man. And the fire gave birth to the Djinn, creatures condemned to dwell in the void between the worlds. One who wakes a Djinn will be given three wishes. Upon the granting of the third, the unholy legions of the Djinn will be freed to rule the earth. Fear one thing only in all there is… Fear the Djinn .”
Directed by Robert Kurtzman, these fantasy horror movies are set in modern-day North America, where an ancient, and in this case demonic, jinn is freed from the opal. In these mythological movies, the jinn is depicted as an evil genie who once freed starts a twisted and deadly rampage, creating curses out of innocent human wishes in the hope of garnering the three wishes needed to be able to “summon his brethren to Earth.”
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984 - 2003) – Incarnation of the God of Nightmares
Based on the premise that dreams can mirror reality, or vice versa, A Nightmare on Elm Street is probably the most successful horror franchise of all time. Created by Wes Craven, in these films fear is personified as Freddy Krueger, a modern incarnation of an entity which has existed since the beginning of time: the god of fear and nightmares.
Fear personified as an entity exists in ancient mythology from every corner of the planet, such as the Boogeyman from the West, the god Phobos at the ancient Greeks, and his Roman equivalent Timor (in fact, the term phobos itself means “fear"). Phobos used to be worshipped by heroes and warriors (including Agamemnon and Heracles) who had images depicting him on their shields, and bloody sacrifices were performed in his name.
Even Alexander the Great dedicated sacrifices to this god before the battle of Gaugamela, asking that his enemy, Darius, be overwhelmed by fear. As a result, Darius fled the battlefield, leaving Alexander the Great triumphant. Fear has fascinated and terrified humankind throughout the ages, so it isn’t all that surprising that a character personifying fear itself (a.k.a. Freddy Krueger) has obsessed mythological movie audiences for decades.
Wonder Woman (2017) – Princess of the Amazons Fighting to Protect Humanity
Starring Gal Gadot , the 2017 Wonder Woman adaptation was created by DC Films. Put simply, the film follows Diana Prince, a Louvre art historian / Amazon princess, who sets out to stop World War I. Her quest begins after a pilot crashes on the island nation Themyscira, the shifting female utopia of the Amazonians which is protected from the outside world by a magical fog. The aim of the movie is to establish the background and motivations of the comic book character Wonder Woman.
Historians believe that the Amazons of Greek mythology were a closed society of women, of enormous physical strength. They were mentioned in ancient literature, such as the Iliad, and the Argonautica. Greek historian Herodotus wrote of the Amazons as a tribe of fierce warrior woman, now believed to have been the descendants of the nomadic ancient Scythians and Sarmatian people, according to archaeological discoveries if female warrior burials.
In the movie version, Diana is daughter of Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons, and niece to Antiope (played by the spectacular Robin Wright), who trained Diana as a warrior. When she finds out about the great war, Diana abandons the island to stop Ares, who has plotted to cause the downfall of humanity. After she kills him, she continues to fight for good as Wonder Woman.
Hellraiser (1987) – The Gateway to Hell
The first in a seemingly never-ending franchise of movies, the 1987 film revolves around a magical puzzle box, supposedly created by a French toymaker known as Philip Lemerchand and named The Lament Configuration . This outwardly innocuous puzzle box has the ability to open up a gateway to Barker’s version of Hell, the world of the Cenobites.
These cenobite demons were once humans, transformed in their quest for physical gratification. Once the box’s gateway is opened, the Cenobites harvest the souls of unwitting victims. In Hellraiser, the character Frank Cotton attempts to escape the Cenobite realm when the blood of his brother reopens gateway, and tries to regenerate his own body with the blood of other victims.
- Finding Beowulf: Is Some of the Famous Anglo-Saxon Heroic Epic Based on Truth?
- Wonder Woman And The Myth Of The Mighty Amazons
Medieval legends talked about gateways to Hell, also known as hellmouths, while similar concepts have been recorded throughout Asia, as well as in Hawaiian and central American mythology. Based on Clive Barker’s 1986 novel, The Hellbound Heart , Hellraiser the movie is a modern-day take on ancient legends discussing these mythological concepts.
Coco (2017) – Sharing Aztec Mythology with a Younger Audience
Disney and Pixar joined forces in 2017 to make what The New York Times described as a “family-friendly cartoon about death.” Using color and magical graphics, it manages to share the culture and beliefs of the Mexican Día de los Muertos ( Day of the Dead ). Through the story of Miguel, a young boy who dreams of being a famous musician, it takes viewers on a marvelous journey into the Land of the Dead
Coco even presents its young audience the with the concept of the Xoloitzcuintli, the hairless dogs who guided the souls of the dead through the underworld. It’s a marvelous feat indeed, that a film about death and skeletons, can make you feel quite so warm and, well, fuzzy. The importance of family, both living and dead, and ancestral history comes to the fore in this memorable PG production.
Leprechaun (1993 - 2003) and Hellboy II – The Golden Army (2008) – Representing the Mythical Elementals
Ever since antiquity, the mythical elementals have been associated with the elements of nature. From salamanders and undines, to elves and gnomes, in modern times elementals have been reduced to absurd and comical images like those of Santa's elves. However, in the past, they were highly feared beings, whose existence was not subject to human concepts of morality and conscience, and who considered humans as inferior. In fact, legends place elementals beneath gods, but above humans.
If you’re looking to explore the original legendary concepts of the elementals, it’s worth watching both the Leprechaun horror series and Guillermo del Torro's film Hellboy II – The Golden Army . In fact, Hellboy II is based on a very old myth which talks about the gnome king Mathias, who is said to sit on his throne, albeit asleep, in a giant subterranean room hidden somewhere deep inside the earth along with his army. Legend has it that, when the time comes, a chosen one will unsheathe the sleeping king's sword, thus waking him along with his army and therefore obtaining the chance to change the world.
Child's Play (1988) – Exploring Concepts of Voodoo
Throughout history, African diasporic voodoo has fascinated and terrified, inspired and scared. The 1988 movie Child's Play tells the story of a serial killer who transfers his soul into the body of puppet doll, by invoking Damballah, one of the primary voodoo loa spirits known as a spirit of the sky and a creator of life. Associated with snakes in Haiti and New Orleans, Damballah is also depicted in snake form.
Child’s Play , created by Don Mancini, inspired a franchise of sequels, some of which were box-office sensations. Since he first appeared on the big screen, Chucky, the possessed voodoo doll (which no sane parent would ever buy for their child!) has become a horror movie icon, known for comic and unforgettable one-liners such as “Hi, I’m Chucky. Wanna Play?” or “You just can’t keep a good guy down”.
Top image: Wonder Woman is just one of the mythological movies based on legendary myths told throughout ancient history. Source: Stanislav / Adobe Stock
By Phoenix Vald
Al-Saleh, K. 1999. Fabled Cities, Princes and Jinn from Arab Myths and Legends . United States: Peter Bedrick Books.
Barker, C. 2011. The Hellbound Heart . New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
Bulfinch, T. 1996. Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable, The Legends of Charlemagne, The Age of Chivalry . New York: Random House.
Bulfinch, T. 2003. Bulfinch's Greek and Roman Mythology . New York: Dover Publications.
Buxton, R. 2004. The Complete World of Greek Mythology . London: Thames & Hudson.
Pogacnik, M. 2010. Nature Spirits and Elemental Beings: Working with the Intelligence in Nature. Forres, Scotland: Kaminn Media.
Rigaud, M. 2001. Secrets of Voodoo . Monrow: City Lights Books.
Von Daniken, E. 1990. Chariots of the Gods. United Kingdom: Profile Books. | <urn:uuid:38815b34-006d-4456-8f84-beda4a7b2838> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/mythological-movies-0016145 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573760.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819191655-20220819221655-00164.warc.gz | en | 0.940573 | 2,957 | 2.609375 | 3 | {
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You have a neck not just to hold up your head, but as a connection between your brain and your body. The neck surrounds your spine which holds and protects your spinal cord. Billions of messages pass up and down every second regulating and controlling the trillions of cells in the body, turning it all into the functional miracle that is life.
Neck pain results from a number of causes; one of the most common is a problem with the joints and muscles between the vertebrae. When the joint problem causes a problem with the nerves in the spine it is called a subluxation.1 Neck pain is an extremely common and disabling problem. As many as 31% of adults have had neck pain in the last month, and 48% of neck pain patients report persistent pain one year later.2 It is not unusual that pinched/irritated nerve’s in the neck refer out into the upper back/chest/arm or head area (see headaches). Recent or old injuries are the most common cause and the longer things are left the more scar tissure and degeneration is involved.
The Chiropractic approach is to locate the malfunctioning joint/s (subluxation/s), then adjust it to restore movement/function.3 In addition exercises to improve postural and muscle balance and aid in the strengthening of the spine often will be employed to aid and speed up rehabilitation of the neck.4,5
A study of 93 patients showed significant improvement with Chiropractic care.6
An Australian study found that 90% of patients with chronic neck pain post-whiplash have limited ROM. 60% of the pain arises from the facet joints.7 (Facet joints being the joints at the back of the spine). These being the ones that subluxation affects).
A study of 115 patients with neck pain showed 94% were satisfied – very satisfied with Chiropractic care.8
A study of 27 patients with neck and arm pain with clear evidence of spinal cord encroachment showed on average a 70% improvement.9
A study of 192 patients did significantly better with Chiropractic than acupuncture or medication. The long term follow up 12 months afterwards showed only the manipulation group showing “significant broad-based beneficial…. Long-term outcomes”.10
1. Cailliet R. Neck and arm pain. Philadelphia: FA Davis. 1979:45.
2 .Hill J, Lewis M et al. (2004) Predicting Persistent neck pain, Spine 29:1648-1654.
3. Palmer DD. The Science, Art and Philosophy of Chiropractic. Portland, OR: Portland Printing House Company, 1910.
4. Liebenson C (2007) Intergrated approach to the Cervical spine. Rehabilitation of the Spine: A Proactitioners Manual, 2nd edition, ed. Liebenson C, Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore.
5. Conservative Management of Cervical Spine syndromes (2000)ed. Murphy DR, McGraw Hill, New York.
6. Khan S, Cook J et al. (1999) A symptomatic classification of Whiplash injury and the Implications for Treatment, J Orthopaedic Med 22(1):22-25.
7. Lord Sm, BarnsleyL, et al (1996) Chronic Cervical sygapophysial joint pain after whciplash. A placebo-controlled prevalence study, Spine 21(15):1737-1745.
8. Haneline MT (2006) Symptomatic outcomes and perceived satisfaction levels of chiropractic patients with a primary diagnosis involving acute neck pain, J Manipulative Physiol Ther 29:288-29.
9. Murpy D, Hurwitz E, Gregory A (2006) Manipulation in the presence of cervical spinal cord compression: A case series, J Manipulative Physiol Ther 29:236-244.
- Giles LG, Muller R (2003)Chronic Spinal pain:A Randomized Clinical trial compaing medication, acupuncture and spinal manipulation, Spine 28(14):1490-1503 | <urn:uuid:701fccda-02cc-4877-9552-6d2f4a9c97cc> | CC-MAIN-2019-18 | http://www.backhealth.co.nz/other-features/neck-pain/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-18/segments/1555578517682.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20190418141430-20190418163430-00348.warc.gz | en | 0.894001 | 859 | 2.625 | 3 | {
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The clinical syndrome of hypothyroidism is marked by inadequate thyroid hormone production, resulting in a decreased rate of cellular metabolism. It may be primary, in which the dysfunction pertains to the thyroid gland itself, or secondary, due to hypothalamic or pituitary dysfunction .
Disproportionately affects females in a 10:1 ratio compared to males. Clinically symptomatic hypothyroidism is less common than subclinical hypothyroidism and becomes more common with increasing age. The most common cause depends on the patient population; in the United States autoimmune diseases, especially Hashimoto thyroiditis, causes the majority of cases, whereas in highly iodine-deficient populations (such as those who reside in Southeast Asia, especially populations further inland) iodine deficiency is the most common cause .
Hypothyroidism affects almost every organ system, with common presenting complaints including:
- shortness of breath
- muscle/joint pain
- periorbital/peripheral (non-pitting) edema
- weight gain
- menstrual irregularity
- cold intolerance
In cases of severe hypothyroidism, patients may present with a myxedema coma, which presents with reduced/altered mental state, hypothermia, severe constipation (including myxedematous megacolon), bradycardia, hypotension, hypoventilation, hypoglycemia, and gross myxedema .
- sinus bradycardia
- prolonged QT interval
- flattening/inversion of T waves
- interventricular conduction delays
- especially right bundle branch block
Pathology of the thyroid gland itself may result in primary hypothyroidism, whereas pathology which affects the pituitary and hypothalamic production of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and/or thyroid releasing hormone (TRH) (respectively) is referred to as secondary hypothyroidism. Common etiological associations are as follows :
- primary hypothyroidism
- secondary hypothyroidism
- pituitary adenoma
- infiltrative disease
Sonographic appearance depends on underlying etiology, and may include:
- abnormal size of the thyroid gland
- alteration in thyroid echotexture
- may be diffuse or nodular
- abnormal color flow Doppler patterns
Treatment and prognosis
Management is with thyroid hormone replacement, typically with levothyroxine, a synthetic form of thyroxine, a.k.a. 'T4'. | <urn:uuid:8d91291a-79a2-4e30-b9f8-45720b595915> | CC-MAIN-2022-49 | https://pacs.de/term/hypothyroidism | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446710503.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20221128102824-20221128132824-00552.warc.gz | en | 0.874046 | 591 | 2.8125 | 3 | {
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Johannes and Charlotte Fehring
We'll start our story with Johannes and Charlotte Fehring, which is about as far back as we have been able to track our family. Johannes was born in Ossendorf, Germany in 1799. He married Charlotte Dierkes in 1824 and moved to the town of Eissen, about 6 miles away, where Johannes operated a flour-mill.
Johannes apparently was unable to make a reasonable living as a miller and in 1833 he left his native land alone and traveled to the United States. We believe he was attracted by the availability of cheap farm land. Charlotte remained behind, along with their four children.
Shortly after landing in New York, Johannes was taken ill and died. About four months afterward, Charlotte also died in Germany. Following Johannes and Charlotte's deaths, their four children -- Bernadine Josefine, Carl Theodor, August Hubert and Johannes -- were raised by relatives in Germany.
The four children came to the United States with uncles and aunts in the 1850s. We believe they Americanized their names shortly after arriving in the States: Bernadine Josefine became Deina, Carl Theodor became Charles, Johannes became John George. Deina died in New York, unmarried. Charles eventually settled in Wisconsin; August and John George in Illinois.
The story of the Fehrings in the US continues under a separate tab. We have also included a tab for additional information about our German ancestors. Please use the navigation buttons above to page through our history.
As a backdrop to our family history, it is helpful to provide some context. The following is a small extract of a book entitled "Germans in Wisconsin," published by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin in 1977.
Until the later part of the nineteenth century there was no such country as "Germany." Instead, hundreds of small administrative units existed, controlled in a feudalistic manner by a hierarchy of princes, grand dukes, dukes, margraves, abbots, electors, barons, and counts. By 1815 these units had been consolidated into some thirty different states, either voluntarily or through the aggression of the more powerful states such as Prussia. But all were mere political arrangements: religion, language, types of agriculture, cultural and architectural traditions, and forms of government differed from region to region.
For centuries the social system of the Germanic regions remained feudalistic and unchanging. Farmers were virtually serfs of their overlords; artisans abided by the ancient regulations of the medieval crafts guilds. So regimented was life that each type of agricultural worker, each type of artisan from each region, province or state could readily be distinguished by his distinctive dress, made of homespun materials and dyed by hand. .
American census takers, of course, lumped them all together as "Germans."
The French Revolution, with its liberating ideals, abolished this rigid system altogether and led to changes which set the state for the eventual migrations. Agricultural reforms, industrialization, the rise of capitalism, a 38 percent increase in the birth rate, a disastrous potato blight and other crop failures in teh period between 1848 and 1853 all conspired to produce an army of dispossessed farmers. Artisans, displaced by factory workers, roamed the countryside in search of employment. To such people America did indeed seem the land of hope and shining promise.
German emigration ot the United States occurred in three major waves. The first, in the years 1845-1855, consisted of 939,149 men, women and children, 97 percent of whom came from southwestern Germany.
Although the flow of emigrants continued, the second wave did not break until 10 years later, when 1,066,333 people reached the United States between 1865 and 1873. Most of these came from northwestern Germany, specifically from the states of Schleswig-Holstein, Ost Friesland, Hanover, Oldenburg and Westphalia, an area of prosperous mid-sized grain farms. (Emphasis added)
Beginning in the 1850s the influx of cheap American wheat had begun to depress the world market to such an extent that by 1865, with the American Civil War over and with a prospect of a continuing decline in grain prices, many owners of moderately sized farms, fearing foreclosure, decided to sell out while they could and depart for America with enough cash to begin anew. In addition, the area's industrial centers were filled with unemployed former agricultural workers anxious to build a new life abroad. "The vast majority of the emigrants," according to one historian, came from the lower-middle economic strata: "people who had a little and had an appetite for more."
It is against this backdrop that the Fehrings came to the United States.
A few additional comments:
Explore the Fehring Family's rich history by using the "Family History" navigation key, above.
We would love to share information about the Fehring family history. Use the "Contact US" tab. | <urn:uuid:566037cb-5097-4fe7-8fec-93897dca1dca> | CC-MAIN-2017-51 | https://www.fehring.us/family-history/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948588420.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20171216181940-20171216203940-00079.warc.gz | en | 0.971082 | 1,040 | 2.78125 | 3 | {
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Shared Lives is a model of community-based support whereby a person with a disability moves into, or regularly visits, the home of an approved Shared Lives carer after they have been matched for compatibility. It is an established but small service that has been used mainly by people with learning disabilities but which has the potential to offer an alternative to traditional social care for other users.
Supporting people with disabilities in ordinary family homes has a venerable history. So many medieval pilgrims with mental health problems came to the Belgium town of Geel to visit the shrine of Saint Dymphna, who was credited with helping people experiencing mental distress, that there was n o space to accommodate them. Instead, local families took them in as guests (Chen 2016). Even today, about 200 families in the town support 500 people with mental health problems (van Bilsen 2016).
The United Kingdom version of this type of care has more prosaic origins. References to ‘boarding out’ and ‘adult foster schemes’ date from the 1950s. There was another resurgence of interest in the 1970s. This time, they were known as ‘adult placements’. Eventually, in 2008, NAAPS (formerly known as the National Association of Adult Placement Schemes) changed its name to Shared Lives to emphasise the mutuality of the arrangement between the person using the service and the Shared Lives provider (SharedLivesPlus Undated).
Surprisingly, despite their long existence, there has been relatively little research about Shared Lives services or their equivalents. What there is, has mainly concentrated on their main user group, people with learning disabilities. This article marks an important step as it reports on the experiences of older people.
The research took place in two stages. In the first, 12 Shared Lives schemes agreed to send a survey to older people using their service. It collected information about respondents’ age, health, ethnic background, and the type of Shared Lives service they were using. It also asked respondents to rate their overall quality of life (‘very good’, ‘good’, ‘alright’, ‘bad’, ‘very bad’) and their Social Care Related Quality of Life (SCRQoL) using the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT) (Personal Social Services Research Unit Undated). This covers eight aspects (or ‘domains’):
- Control over daily life
- Personal cleanliness and comfort
- Food and drink
- Personal safety
- Social participation and involvement
- Accommodation cleanliness and comfort
A total of 150 replies were received from people using 10 of the 12 schemes, a response rate of 29%.
The second stage involved matching the Shared Lives respondents with people who had completed the Adult Social Care Survey in 2011-2012. This is a national postal survey sent out each year by local councils in England with responsibility for providing adult social care (CSSRs) to people using their services. Using a procedure called propensity score matching (PSM), the researchers were able to generate two matched samples of 121 people who were as similar as possible to each other in terms of their demographic characteristics (age, gender and so on) and their health status.
Overall, 74% of the older people using Shared Lives rated their quality of life as ‘good’ or ‘very good’, 22% as ‘alright’, and 4% as ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’. The average SCRQoL score was 0.84, with a range of 0.22–1.00, with 1.0 representing the ideal for all aspects.
Sixty-eight per cent reported that they were ‘extremely’ or ‘very satisfied’ with their care and support, while a further 24% were ‘quite satisfied’.
In statistical terms, people using Shared Lives services reported a better quality of life than their counterparts completing the Adult Social Care Survey. They also rated their accommodation and food and drink more highly. However, the overall SCRQoL scores were similar for both groups.
The authors conclude that Shared Lives can provide a viable option of support for older people that is consistent with the policy objectives of improving choice and making services more personal. However, at the current time, their users represent a very small proportion of older people using the adult social care services.
Strengths and limitations
This is one of the very few studies that has collected information on older people using Shared Lives. In the absence of a randomised trial comparing Shared Lives users with people receiving ‘usual’ social care services – something which would have been extremely complicated and expensive to arrange – it shows how it is possible to use statistical techniques to produce valuable findings for those commissioning social care and practitioners.
As the authors acknowledge, further work using larger and more representative samples of people using Shared Lives services is needed but this study takes us beyond what we already knew about the high satisfaction levels of people using Shared Lives services into thinking more precisely about why this should be the case.
Overall, Shared Lives schemes seem to have good outcomes for those who meet their criteria, and for whom the service is acceptable. For commissioners in local authorities the data on outcomes will be important when thinking about initiating, sustaining or developing Shared Lives in their areas.
For Shared Lives schemes, this research will enable them to set their distinctive services (to a greater or lesser degree) in a local context and also to draw on firm comparative outcomes. For practitioners, the comparisons provide opportunities to benchmark their own services, especially around choice and control which are areas where Shared Lives outcomes are strong.
The question remains why a service that is generally so well received has remained inaccessible to so many older people using social care. Around 1660 older people are thought to be using the service (SharedLivesPlus 2015). This compares with about 600,000 people aged 65 and over receiving long term adult social care support (NHS Digital 2016). This question is not one that this research was designed to address but anyone concerned with improving the range of options available to people using social care services will want to know the answer.
Callaghan, L., Brookes, N. & Palmer, S. (2017) Older people receiving family-based support in the community: a survey of quality of life among users of ‘Shared Lives’ in England, Health & Social Care in the Community, e publication 29 January 2017, available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12422 (open access).
Chen, A. (2016) For centuries, a small town has embraced strangers with mental illness, Shots: Health News from NPR, 1 July 2016, accessed 17 March 2017.
NHS Digital (2016) Community Care Statistics: Social Services Activity, England, 2015-16, Leeds, Health and Social Care Information Centre, accessed 17 March 2017.
Personal Social Services Research Unit (Undated) ASCOT: adult social care outcomes toolkit, accessed 17 March 2017.
SharedLivesPlus (2015) The State of Shared Lives in England Report 2015.
SharedLivesPlus (Undated) Our history, accessed 17 March 2017.
van Bilsen, H. P. J. G. (2016) Lessons to be learned from the oldest community psychiatric service in the world: Geel in Belgium. BJPsych Bulletin, 40, 4: 207-211.
- Alan Levine, CC BY 2.0
Jo Moriarty served on the Advisory Group for this project. The role was purely advisory while the study was being undertaken. This article was written after the Advisory Group was disbanded. | <urn:uuid:7fdb4b7c-b5d5-41a9-8675-22f474d151f9> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://www.nationalelfservice.net/social-care/support-planning/shared-lives-family-based-elder-support-community/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=shared-lives-family-based-elder-support-community | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250595282.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20200119205448-20200119233448-00059.warc.gz | en | 0.963304 | 1,592 | 3.234375 | 3 | {
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Wilderness Learning Center
Many emergency situations would not become survival situations, if you did not become lost. Many people carry compasses without knowing how to use them. The path of least resistance when traveling is usually the best. A map and compass can help you travel this way. Without direction, do you know where you are going in the woods, hills or mountains? Or how far you are from safety? Being lost in the short term causes fear, anxiety, rushing and making mistakes. Or in the long term, it can result in injury or death.
Let’s start with a map. Historically, highly accurate, detailed topographic maps have been developed for military use. They show the shape of the land in addition to other features. It looks interesting, but what do all the lines and symbols mean? The first place to study on a map is the Legend. Here you will find a scale to give you an idea it’s total area size measured in miles, kilometers and meters. It also includes contour intervals that give you a sense of elevation change, closer contour lines indicate steeper areas, farther apart means the area is flatter. There are common colors used on maps to designate land features: Blue shows water, black shows cultural, manmade features, brown represents earth topographic contours. Green shows vegetation and red shows land grids and important roads. Symbols for prominent features will vary per map. Map scales give you an idea of how large the area mapped is.
A standard USGS map at 1:24,000 means 1 of anything on a map (1” or 1 ‘) translates to 24,000 of the same thing in real life. Therefore, if 1” on a map is 24,000 “ in real life, 2.5” on the map will equal about a mile. A typical quadrangle map is 7.5 minutes latitude and 7.5 minute longitude. There is a variety of other marginal information on maps. For details see MapReading.com.
The earth is divided into 360 degrees of longitude (imaginary lines running North and South) They measure distance East to West. They are divided into 180 degrees East of the Prime Meridian and 180 degrees West of the Prime Meridian. There are 180 degrees of latitude with 90 north and 90 south of the equator running parallel and measuring distance North to South.
To prepare a map for use while traveling, first find the north arrows at the bottom of the map and use magnetic north for your navigation. Use a straight edge and draw magnetic north lines across the map parallel to each other. This will help you keep oriented even if the map’s magnetic north arrow happens to be folded out of view. Coat it with a map sealant or Thompson’s Water Seal. Fold carefully and store in a zip-lock bag for use. Carry it on your person, not in your pack, and have a spare map. If you are going into a specific area, you can photocopy it for easier use.
As you walk, you need to measure how far you have gone. Pacing is the traditional way. A true pace is a step with both your left and then right foot. Deriving from Roman times, 1000 paces was a Roman mile. The average pace of a Roman legion was 5.28 feet or 1/1000th of a mile. You will need to determine your individual pace factor by measuring how many paces it takes you to step out a given distance (1/10 of a mile). The formula to determine your factor is (Distance in feet divided by number of paces). Figure out how many paces it takes you to go 1/10th of a mile, if you add pace beads to your compass, have 4 (mile) beads separated from 9 (1/10th mile) additional ones. This way for every 1/10th mile you walk, pull down one of the 9 beads. When you have walked far enough to pull down a tenth bed, move one of the mile beads instead and return the nine to the other end of the string.
A compass is an instrument used for navigation and orientation that shows direction relative to the geographic cardinal directions (or points). Usually, a diagram called a compass rose shows the directions north, south, east, and west on the compass face as abbreviated initials. When the compass is used, the rose can be aligned with the corresponding geographic directions; for example, the “N” mark on the rose really points northward. Compasses often display markings for angles in degrees in addition to (or sometimes instead of) the rose. North corresponds to 0°, and the angles increase clockwise, so east is 90° degrees, south is 180°, and west is 270°. These numbers allow the compass to show azimuths or bearings, which are commonly stated in this notation. First invented in the Chinese Han Dynasty about 206 BC, and later adopted for navigation in the 11th century, the magnetic compass is the most familiar compass type. It functions as a pointer to “magnetic north”, the local magnetic meridian, because the magnetized needle at its heart aligns itself with the horizontal component of the Earth’s magnetic field. The magnetic field exerts a torque on the needle, pulling the North end or pole of the needle approximately toward the Earth’s North magnetic pole, and pulling the other toward the Earth’s South magnetic pole. The needle is mounted on a low-friction pivot point, in better compasses a jewel bearing, so it can turn easily. Modern needles are inside a capsule filled with a non-compressible under pressure liquid. Key points (N, S, E, W) and the needle point are often marked with luminous material to make them easier to read in low visibility situations. Magnetic north is about 1,000 miles from true north. A compass should be laid down on a level surface for the needle to work properly.
In order to express accurate direction, it is expressed in units of angular measure. The most common is the degree (º) with its subdivisions of minutes (‘) and seconds (“). 1 degree = 60 minutes; 1 minute = 6o seconds. To measure something, there always has to be a starting point, or zero (0) measurement and a point of reference. There are three baselines, one is true north (pointing to the North Pole), the second is magnetic north (direction indicated by the north seeking needle of a magnetic instrument), and the third is grid north (established using the vertical grid lines on the map and rarely used by the outdoorsman). Magnetic north is the one you should use for navigation with a compass. An azimuth is the horizontal angle measured clockwise from a north base line. and is used to express direction. The point from which the azimuth originates is the center of an imaginary circle, divided into 360 degrees. An azimuth can be measured from any of the three baselines.
Orienting a map means placing it on a surface and lining up magnetic north on the map with magnetic north on the compass. With bezel turned to 0 degrees north, place edge of compass on the magnetic north needle of the compass rose or one of the parallel lines you drew on the map. Without picking up the compass, turn the entire map with the compass on top until you put “red in the shed”. Your map is now oriented to the land.
To take a bearing (azimuth), first make sure your bezel is turned to 0 degrees north. Point the directional arrow on the compass toward the target destination. Notice where the magnetic north needle is pointed. Rotate the bezel until the north needle is “red in the shed”. When the needle is settled in the shed, read the bearing at the directional arrow. Walk to a prominent feature on the route and shoot your next bearing from there. If you have a map, you should measure the distance in paces from your starting point to ensure you don’t end up short or long.
Billie Nicholson, Editor | <urn:uuid:43a7a1f4-baf7-4d1d-8a6f-2d7288017b2f> | CC-MAIN-2018-13 | https://www.sunoven.com/land-navigation-with-compass-and-map/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-13/segments/1521257647707.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20180321234947-20180322014947-00365.warc.gz | en | 0.917701 | 1,678 | 3.671875 | 4 | {
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Don Juan Maria de Rivera, under orders from New Mexico governor Tomas Velez Cachupin, led what was possibly the first expedition of white men northwest from New Mexico. Rivera’s men saw ancient "ruins," but made no identifiable reference to Mesa Verde in their journals.
By 1859, several groups had entered the region, exploring both the north and south sides of Mesa Verde. The first European known to climb onto the mesa, was geologist Dr. John S. Newberry, a member of the 1859 San Juan Exploring Expedition. Although he didn’t record finding any archeological sites, the expedition was the first to officially use the name Mesa Verde. The manner in which it was identified, suggests the name was already in common usage.
Pioneer photographer William Henry Jackson was photographing in the mountains northeast of Mesa Verde in August. There he met an old friend who introduced him to John Moss, a miner who had spent several years ranching and exploring near Mesa Verde. Moss offered to guide him to the ancient sites he and his men had found. With Moss leading the way into Mancos Canyon, Jackson entered Two Story House, and took the first photographs of a cliff dwelling in the Mesa Verde region. The photographs taken by Jackson that September helped call attention to the area.
The second cliff dwelling in the Mesa Verde area to be named was Sixteen Window House. William H. Holmes, leader of a geologic government survey, discovered and named the site found in Mancos Canyon.
The prospector S. E. Osborn spent the winter in the canyons of Mesa Verde and later wrote about many of the sites seen. Many believe he is the first documented visitor to enter Balcony House. His name and the date March 20, 1884, were carved in a nearby dwelling in lower Soda Canyon.
The first known suggestion that the area be set aside as a national park appeared in an editorial in the Denver Tribune Republican on December 12, 1886. The editor was concerned that "vandals of modern civilization" were destroying the sites and that the area needed Federal or State protection.
Local rancher Richard Wetherill and his brothers made several trips into Mesa Verde, primarily for collecting archeological material. At least eight individual collections were assembled by the Wetherills during this period, several of which were later combined and sold in four collections. The first collection was sold to the Colorado Historical Society.
1888: On December 18, Richard Wetherill and his brother-in-law, Charles Mason, rode out in search of lost cattle with their Ute guide Acowitz. They first saw Cliff Palace near modern-day Sun Point and went to investigate. That afternoon Richard entered Spruce Tree House, and the next day the two men climbed to Square Tower House. Although Richard’s brother, Al, saw Cliff Palace the year before, he did not enter the dwelling. So the credit for its "discovery" was given to his brother Richard and to Charles Mason.
1889: Over a 15-month period, the Wetherill brothers explored the Mesa Verde "ruins" and reported having entered 182 cliff dwellings, 106 in Navajo Canyon alone. On December 20, their father Benjamin Wetherill wrote a letter to the Smithsonian Institute. He proposed that the Mancos and its tributary canyons, as well as Mesa Verde be reserved as a national park in order to preserve the cliff dwellings.
1890: On February 11, in another letter to the Smithsonian, Benjamin Wetherill again stated their desire that the area be made into a national park to protect the "ruins." If not, he feared that "the tourists, will destroy them."
An article in the January 1 issue of the Durango Herald described Montezuma County’s view of setting aside the Mancos Canyon area with its cliff dwellings as a national park.
Baron Gustaf E. A. Nordenskiöld, of the Academy of Sciences in Sweden, using painstaking field methods for his time, excavated, sketched, and photographed numerous sites. He is credited by many as being the first scientist to visit Mesa Verde. He collected about 600 items which were sent to Sweden, and now reside in the National Museum in Helsinki, Finland. His book, The Cliff Dwellers of the Mesa Verde, was the first extensive examination and photographic record of Mesa Verde’s cliff dwellings.
The Colorado Cliff Dwellings Association was formed under the leadership of Virginia McClurg and Lucy Peabody. The organization’s sole purpose was to preserve the cliff dwellings of the Mesa Verde area. They promoted their campaign to make Mesa Verde a national park through letter writing, fund raising, and even tours of Mesa Verde for the press.
In February, 1901, the first bill was introduced before Congress to create "Colorado Cliff Dwellings National Park." The bill did not pass. At least four more bills were introduced during the following years, but all failed.
In 1905, a bill for the creation of Mesa Verde National Park was introduced in the 59th Congress. This bill was subsequently passed, and the park was created on June 29, 1906. The bill was signed by President Theodore Roosevelt.
Earlier that same year, on June 8, 1906, a bill called "an Act for the Preservation of American Antiquities," or more commonly, the "1906 Antiquities Act," was passed. This act made it a federal crime to collect or destroy any historic or prehistoric object or building on federally owned land.
Excavation and repair of major sites began so visitors could see and enjoy the park. Most of the early work was done by Jesse Walter Fewkes, an archeologist from the Smithsonian Institution.
Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal program launched in 1933, brought the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to Mesa Verde. The CCC and other depression era efforts employed young men and women to build trails and roads, operate switchboards, help in archaeological excavations, fight fires, build park buildings, and create museum exhibits.
The Wetherill Mesa Archeological Project ranks among the biggest archeological studies ever performed in the United States. The project included archeological surveys, excavations, stabilization, and documentation of various sites. In total, the project excavated eleven sites on Wetherill Mesa, including Long House, the second largest cliff dwelling in the park.
Wetherill Mesa was opened to visitors.
Mesa Verde National Park joined a select group of areas designated by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) as a World Heritage Cultural Site.
A yearlong celebration of Mesa Verde National Park’s 100th anniversary included events such as opening and closing ceremonies, a birthday party, special tours, and a lecture series.
In the spring of 2006, all Native American human remains and associated grave goods in the park’s collection which were excavated within park boundaries were reburied. The reburial ceremony was a result of 12 years of consultation with the park’s 24 associated tribes, and was performed by both park staff and the Hopi tribe. Due to the sensitive nature of the event, and out of respect for the tribes, the reburial was closed to the general public and took place in an undisclosed park location. The repatriation was done in accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) of 1990. | <urn:uuid:43fbed5b-0f02-4b8d-ab75-bacccb5ea938> | CC-MAIN-2016-36 | https://www.nps.gov/meve/learn/historyculture/stories.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-36/segments/1471982290752.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20160823195810-00109-ip-10-153-172-175.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972625 | 1,549 | 3.5 | 4 | {
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Six decades after completing their World War II mission and coming home to a country that discriminated against them, the first all-black unit of the Army Air Corps received high honors from Congress yesterday.
The Tuskegee Airmen will receive a Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda. The award is the most prestigious Congress can offer.
"It's never too late for your country to say that you've done a great job for us," retired Colonel Elmer Jones, 89, of Arlington, Virginia, said in an interview. Jones was a maintenance officer during the war.
US President George W. Bush, members of Congress and other dignitaries are expected to join some 300 airmen, widows and relatives.
Nearly 1,000 fighter pilots trained as a segregated unit at a Tuskegee, Alabama, air base. Not allowed to practice or fight with their white counterparts, the Tuskegee Airmen distinguished themselves from the rest by painting the tails of their airplanes red, which led to them becoming known as the "Red Tails."
Hundreds saw combat throughout Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa, escorting bomber aircraft on missions and protecting them from the enemy. Dozens died in the fighting; others were held prisoners of war.
Retired Lieutenant Colonel Walter McCreary, who was shot from the sky during a mission in October 1944 and held prisoner for nine months in Germany, said it hurt that the group had not been honored for its accomplishments.
"We took it in stride. It's a recognition long overdue," said McCreary, also 89, of Burke, Virginia.
The Tuskegee Airmen were recruited into an Army Air Corps program that trained blacks to fly and maintain combat aircraft. But even after they were admitted, many commanders continued to believe the Tuskegee Airmen did not have the smarts, courage and patriotism to do what was being asked of them.
It long had been thought that the Tuskegee Airmen had amassed a perfect record of losing no bombers to the enemy during World War II. But new research has cast doubt on that theory.
Two historians recently said Air Force records and other documents show that at least a few bombers escorted by the Tuskegee pilots were downed by enemy planes. A former World War II bomber pilot said last year that his plane was shot down while escorted by the unit.
Congress has awarded gold medals to more than 300 individuals and groups since giving the first one to George Washington in 1776. Originally, they went only to military leaders, but Congress broadened the scope to include authors, entertainers, notables in science and medicine, athletes, humanitarians, public servants and foreign officials. | <urn:uuid:2f1e33e1-2190-44f9-960c-a14028df8a6d> | CC-MAIN-2013-48 | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2007/03/30/2003354548 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-48/segments/1386163056101/warc/CC-MAIN-20131204131736-00053-ip-10-33-133-15.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982199 | 554 | 3.234375 | 3 | {
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Soft light refers to light that tends to "wrap" around objects, casting diffuse shadows with soft edges. Soft light is when a light source is large relative to the subject, hard light is when the light source is small relative to the subject.
This depends mostly on the following two factors:
- Distance. The closer the light source, the softer it becomes.
- Size of light source. The larger the source, the softer it becomes.
The softness of a light source can also be determined by the angle between the illuminated object and the 'length' of the light source (the longest dimension that is perpendicular to the object being lit). The larger this angle is, the softer the light source.
Uses of soft light
Soft light use is popular in cinematography and film for a number of different reasons:
- Cast shadow-less light.
- Fill lighting. Soft light can reduce shadows without creating additional shadows.
- Make a subject appear more beautiful or youthful through making wrinkles less visible.
- Supplement the lighting from practicals. This technique is used to perform "motivated" lighting, where all light in the scene appears to come from practical light sources in the scene. Soft light does not cast shadows that would be a giveaway of a supplementary light source.
Hard light sources cast shadows whose appearance of the shadow depends on the lighting instrument. For example, fresnel lights can be focused such that their shadows can be "cut" with crisp shadows. That is, the shadows produced will have 'harder' edges with less transition between illumination and shadow. The focused light will produce harder-edged shadows. Focusing a fresnel makes the rays of emitted light more parallel. The parallelism of these rays determines the quality of the shadows. For shadows with no transitional edge/gradient, a point light source is required. Hard light casts strong, well defined shadows.
When hitting a textured surface at an angle, hard light will accentuate the textures and details in an object.
Light intensity tends to drop off over distance. For a point light source, intensity decreases as distance increases. Intensity is proportional to distance−2. For a thin infinitely long light source, intensity is inversely proportional to distance. For a light source of infinite area, intensity does not decrease at all. Generally, a soft light source does not drop in intensity as quickly as a point light source would (as distance increases).
Certain lensed lighting instruments (i.e. Ellipsoidal reflector spotlights) have a good deal of "throw" and do not lose much intensity as distance increases, much like soft light sources. These light sources tend to be more effective at large distances than soft light sources. At large distances, an effective soft light source would have to be very large. The (mostly) parallel rays of such instruments tends to cast hard shadows, unlike soft light sources.
Softness/hardness of various light sources
Most light sources have a non-negligible size and therefore exhibit the properties of a soft light to some degree. Even the sun does not cast perfectly hard shadows.
In "hard" light sources, the parallelism of the rays is an important factor in determining shadow behaviour.
The quality of light can be altered by using diffusion gel or aiming a lighting instrument at diffusing material such as a silk. When shooting outdoors, cloud cover provides nature's version of a softbox.
- An explanation of hard and soft light and its usage in photography, additional text. | <urn:uuid:9293d0ca-279f-484e-aae9-d123c4718d40> | CC-MAIN-2016-50 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_light | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-50/segments/1480698541324.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20161202170901-00265-ip-10-31-129-80.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.910475 | 742 | 3.71875 | 4 | {
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New results coming from the Large Hadron Collider suggest that the hunt for the Higgs Boson, the particle that gives matter mass and holds the physical fabric of the universe together, really is over.
One Higgs-hunting team at CERN on the Swiss-French border reports a "5.9 sigma" levels of certainty it exists.
In laymans terms that equates to a one-in-550 million chance that the Higgs does not exist and the results are statistical flukes.
Particle physics has an accepted definition for a "discovery" which is a five-sigma level of certainty or above.
The number of standard deviations, or sigmas, is a measure of how unlikely it is that an experimental result is simply down to chance rather than a real effect
Similarly, tossing a coin and getting a number of heads in a row may just be chance, rather than a sign of a "loaded" coin
The "three sigma" level represents about the same likelihood of tossing more than eight heads in a row.
Five sigma, on the other hand, would correspond to tossing more than 20 in a row.
Now that two sets of results seem to confirm its existence it is becoming more of a certainty.
Accelerators like the LHC smash together particles at extraordinary energies in a bid to create a Higgs, which should exist only for a fleeting fraction of a second before decaying into other particles or flashes of light that can be caught and counted.
The findings only shore up a result that, as far as physicists were concerned, had already passed muster for declaring the existence of a new particle.
However, many questions remain as to whether the particle is indeed the long-sought Higgs boson; the announcement was carefully phrased to describe a "Higgs-like" particle.
More analyses will be needed to ensure it fits neatly into the Standard Model - the most complete theory we have for particles and forces - as it currently exists.
Last month's result had a 5 signma which meant they were 99.999% sure they have found a new particle.
Finding the Higgs plugs a gaping hole in the Standard Model, the theory that describes all the particles, forces and interactions that make up the universe.
If the particle was shown not to exist, it would have meant tearing up the Standard Model and going back to the drawing board.
The Higgs boson is the final piece of the Standard Model of Particle Physics, a theoretical model which describes the fundamental particles and forces that control our Universe.
It was first theorised in the 1960s by Edinburgh-based physicist Peter Higgs, amongst others, and is credited for giving all other particles mass. But until now, it has proved impossible to pin down. | <urn:uuid:d52c4b20-b6c2-43f1-9d19-ac367c083b6d> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | http://www.businessinsider.com/more-proof-for-a-higgs-like-particle-2012-8 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549426169.17/warc/CC-MAIN-20170726142211-20170726162211-00089.warc.gz | en | 0.954393 | 572 | 2.71875 | 3 | {
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Miami is situated in the southern most parts of Florida. It is situated on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, in approximately 70 km from the coast of the Bahama Island and about 200 km from the north coast of the Caribbean island of Cuba. Miami is one of the lowest parts of the flat relief state. The surrounding area of the resort as well as the entire southern part of Florida are occupied by lakes, wetlands and partly flooded tropical forests. The significant humidity is typical for this part of the state. In the immediate vicinity of the city is located one of the most popular national parks in the world – Everglades National Park.
The biggest parts of the visitors are eager to visit it, because in the park they can see alligators, herons and other exotic animals, and if could be lucky, they could see even some cougar!
Because of the closeness to the Caribbean Islands, Miami is often used as a starting point for many cruises.
Miami gets into the tropical climate zone of North America, because of its location on the 26° northern latitude. The weather is warm and humid all year around.
During the summer months the weather humidity is around 90%. The coldest month is January. The average daily temperatures are around 24°C.
The summer is very hot with average daily temperatures in July and August are around 32°C. The night temperatures are also high. In July and August they can reach 26°C.
Even in January the night temperatures reach 17°C. Although the weather is rainy all year around, the biggest part of the precipitations fall during the summer months – from April to November. This is also the season of the hurricanes.
We should note that if you are from the temperate latitudes of Europe and North America, you actually don’t know what is a REAL rainfall. The weather on the tropics can breaks very fast!
The sky suddenly gets dark and pouring breathtaking rain on the background of thunderstorm! Fortunately, one or two hours later the sun is shining and sky is clear and cloudless again and only the puddles and the moisture on the asphalt reminiscent about the rain.
As a whole, similar climatic phenomenons are typical for the warm and humid tropical regions of our planet, but in Miami the hurricanes, storms and precipitations are much more intensive, because of the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea.
Actually, this is one of the warmest seas on the planet. The season of the hurricanes lasts from April to November. Their activity is significant also in south-east Asia and Japan (the storms in Asia are known as typhoons), but Florida has not competition.
The biggest part of the hurricanes come from south-east. The hurricanes can be divided into 5 categories in depending of their strength – first, second, third, fourth and fifth.
Some hurricanes are too strong and in some cases the local population have to be evacuated.
Fortunately, hurricanes of fifth category can be seen rare. In most cases the damages are something as broken branches of trees, broken windows and overturned rubbish bins and so on.
Despite the city is predisposed to tropical storms, it is a real paradise and millions of people from all over the world wish to visit it or dream to live here.
Most of the homes of the locals has built to withstand to the natural disasters. The love of the people to the warm climate, white beaches and coco palm trees is obviously bigger than the fear of the hurricanes.
The population of Miami is approximately 500 000 people, but the whole urban area is much more populated. The whole urban area has about 4 900 000 people, but the great dynamic of the population makes very difficult the accurate census of it.
However, let’s don’t forget that Miami is one international resort that receive millions of tourists per year.
Many visitors have impressed by the city and decide to stay here permanently, especially if they have more substantial means.
Thousands of well-off Europeans are interested by the city and they wish to buy a real estate in Miami. Traditionally, the interest is most significant by the Russians and the citizens of the eastern EU.
The reason – in the east part of continental Europe there is quite harsh climate. The winters are very cold and the summers are often too cool. In this point of view, the great interest of the Russians and northern Europeans to Miami is absolutely normal.
Although it is not one of the biggest American metropolises, Miami is one of the most open to the foreigners cities in the USA. More than ½ of the population was born in another city and especially in another country.
The city is incredibly beautiful! The majority of the people who visit it says that this is the most beautiful place they have ever been.
Indeed, the architecture of Miami could not be compared with such cities as Roma, Paris, London, New York and other, but the city is incredibly magnetic and it radiate charm, exotic and harmony, similar to other international resorts as Cancun (Mexico), Marbella (Spain), Gold Coast and Surfers Paradise (Australia).
Maybe the most attractive part of the city is Miami beach. This is a narrow strip of land, which has embarrassing beautiful white sandy beaches, azure sea, stunning promenade, sinuous under the meshy shadow of the coconut palm trees.
On the charming streets of Miami Beach you can find gleaming boutiques, expensive restaurants, fine hotels, charming cafes.
There‘s crowds of tourists throughout the year and in January will be difficult to find some space on the beach where to put your towel. This is one amazing place where you can find the rich and famous from all over the world.
Between this narrow strip of land – Miami Beach, and the down town of the city, you can find tens of small islands, where amidst the greenness of the coco palms and other tropical plants are situated some of the most beautiful houses that you can imagine – incredible two – three floors high luxury villas with enormous swimming pools.
In this paradise live not one or two Hollywood celebrities. The night view to the down town of Miami is stunning. The impressive skyscrapers are all bathed in light.
Through an endless series of bridges the city of Miami is connected with the islands of Florida Key, which stretch in southwest of the southern most part of the state.
Here is the only coral reef in the United States (excluding Hawaii). Florida Key is part of the agglomeration of Miami. Actually, between the southern most suburbs of the resort city and one of the northern most islands – Key Largo – the distance is less than 40 km.
Because of the good infrastructure, actually the distance is not a problem for the residents of Florida Key that travel everyday between the islands and the city. | <urn:uuid:72648b5e-3692-49cf-9839-b4102788b7cd> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | http://www.touristmaker.com/usa/miami/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128319688.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20170622181155-20170622201155-00604.warc.gz | en | 0.958643 | 1,398 | 2.8125 | 3 | {
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Arabia Terra is a large upland region in the north of Mars that lies mostly in the Arabia quadrangle, but a small part is in the Mare Acidalium quadrangle. It is densely cratered and heavily eroded. This battered topography indicates great age, and Arabia Terra is presumed to be one of the oldest terrains on the planet. It covers as much as 4,500 km (2,800 mi) at its longest extent, centered roughly at Coordinates: with its eastern and southern regions rising 4 km (13,000 ft) above the north-west. Alongside its many craters, canyons wind through the Arabia Terra, many emptying into the large northern lowlands of the planet, which borders Arabia Terra to the north.
Arabia contains many interesting features. There are some good examples of pedestal craters in the area. A pedestal crater has its ejecta above the surrounding terrain, often forming a steep cliff. The ejecta forms a resistant layer that protects the underlying material from erosion. Mounds and buttes on the floor of some craters display many layers. The layers may have formed by volcanic processes, by wind, or by underwater deposition. Dark slope streaks have been observed in Tikhonravov Basin, a large eroded crater. The streaks appear on steep slopes and change over time. At first they are dark, then turn a lighter color, probably by the deposition of fine, light colored dust from the atmosphere. These streaks are thought to form by dust moving downslope in a way similar to snow avalanches on Earth.
Research on the region was undertaken in 1997 and the individuality of the province better defined. An equatorial belt was noted with a crater age distinctly younger than the northern part of the province and of Noachis Terra to the south. This was interpreted as an "incipient back-arc system" provoked by the subduction of Mars lowlands under Arabia Terra during Noachian times. Regional fracture patterns were also explained in this manner, and the rotational instability of the planet as a cause was not supported. It contains extension tectonic features
A 2013 study proposed that a number of craters within Arabia Terra, including Eden Patera, Euphrates Patera, Siloe Patera, and possibly Semeykin crater, Ismenia Patera, Oxus Patera and Oxus Cavus, represent calderas formed by massive explosive volcanic eruptions (supervolcanoes) of Late Noachian to Early Hesperian age. Termed "plains-style caldera complexes", these very low relief volcanic features appear to be older than the large Hesperian-age shield volcanoes of Tharsis or Elysium. Eden Patera, for example, is an irregular, 55 by 85 km depression up to 1.8 km deep, surrounded by ridged basaltic plains. It contains three linked interior depressions, demarcated by arcuate scarps, that have terraces suggestive of lava lake drainage and faults suggestive of collapse. The features indicative of impact origin that would be expected in an impact crater of comparable diameter and depth are absent. The authors regard crustal thinning due to regional extension to be a more likely explanation for the origin of the volcanic activity than putative subduction. Rapid ascent of magma through the thin crust and a consequent relative absence of degassing may explain the more explosive eruption style associated with these paterae relative to that of the shield volcanoes. The eruptions would have contributed to the layered deposits of Arabia Terra, which are among the fine-grained deposits widespread in the equatorial regions of Mars. Total eruptive volumes of at least 4,600–7,200 km3 per caldera complex (over its history) were inferred.
Recent meteoroid impactEdit
A meteorite impacted in Arabia Terra some time between 30 June 2002 and 5 October 2003. A single small crater of about 22.6 meters (about 74 feet) in diameter is surrounded by light and dark-toned ejecta – indicating that this impact excavated to a depth where light colored strata exists. The crater occurs near 20.6 degrees north latitude, 356.8 degrees west longitude, in Arabia Terra. Images of the area show how the impact site appeared to the Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System infrared instrument before and after the impact.
In popular cultureEdit
Many places on Mars show rocks arranged in layers. Rock can form layers in a variety of ways. Volcanoes, wind, or water can produce layers. Layers may be formed by groundwater rising up depositing minerals and cementing sediments. The hardened layers are consequently more protected from erosion. This process may occur instead of layers forming under lakes.
A detailed discussion of layering with many Martian examples can be found in Sedimentary Geology of Mars.
Tikonravev Crater floor, as seen by Mars Global Surveyor. Click on image to see dark slope streaks and layers.
Henry Crater mound, as seen by HiRISE. The scale bar is 500 m (1,600 ft) long
Crater in the middle of Cassini, as seen by HiRISE. Layers may have been deposited under water since it is believed that Cassini once held a giant lake.
Buttes, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Buttes have layered rocks with a hard resistant cap rock on the top which protects the underlying rocks from erosion.
Many places on Mars show channels of different sizes. Many of these channels probably carried water, at least for a time. One study that used HiRISE pictures found over 17,000 km of ancient river valleys in Arabia Terra. Many ancient river valleys have been determined to be relatively recent, according to research published in 2016 in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. These valleys carried water into lake basins. One lake, nicknamed "Heart Lake," had a volume similar to Lake Ontario. The climate of Mars may have been such in the past that water ran on its surface. It has been known for some time that Mars undergoes many large changes in its tilt or obliquity because its two small moons lack the gravity to stabilize it, as our moon stabilizes Earth; at times the tilt has even been greater than 80 degrees
Channel in Arabia, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.
Close-up of channel within larger channel, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program The existence of the smaller channel suggests water went through the region at least two times in the past. The black box represents the size of a football field. Some parts of the surface would be difficult to walk on with the many small hills and depressions.
Upper Plains UnitEdit
Parts of northern Arabia Terra contains the upper plains unit. The Upper Plains Unit is the remnants of a 50–100 meter thick mantling in the mid-latitudes. It was first investigated in the Deuteronilus Mensae (Ismenius Lacus quadrangle) region, but it occurs in other places as well. The remnants consist of sets of dipping layers in craters and along mesas.
Some regions of the upper plains unit display large fractures and troughs with raised rims; such regions are called ribbed upper plains. Fractures are believed to have started with small cracks from stresses. Stress is suggested to initiate the fracture process since ribbed upper plains are common when debris aprons come together or near the edge of debris aprons—such sites would generate compressional stresses. Cracks exposed more surfaces, and consequently more ice in the material sublimates into the planet's thin atmosphere. Eventually, small cracks become large canyons or troughs.
This unit also degrades into brain terrain. Brain terrain is a region of maze-like ridges 3–5 meters high. Some ridges may consist of an ice core, so they may be sources of water for future colonists.
Linear ridge networksEdit
Linear ridge networks are found in various places on Mars in and around craters. Ridges often appear as mostly straight segments that intersect in a lattice-like manner. They are hundreds of meters long, tens of meters high, and several meters wide. It is thought that impacts created fractures in the surface, these fractures later acted as channels for fluids. Fluids cemented the structures. With the passage of time, surrounding material was eroded away, thereby leaving hard ridges behind. Since the ridges occur in locations with clay, these formations could serve as a marker for clay which requires water for its formation. Water here could have supported past life in these locations. Clay may also preserve fossils or other traces of past life.
Pingos are believed to be present on Mars. They are mounds that contain cracks. They contain pure water ice, so they would be a great source of water for future colonists on Mars
Wide view of ring-mold craters, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is the Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.
Wide view of mesa with CTX showing cliff face and location of lobate debris apron (LDA). Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.
Enlargement of previous CTX image of mesa This image shows the cliff face and detail in the LDA. Image taken with HiRISE under HiWish program. Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.
Fractures forming blocksEdit
In places large fractures break up surfaces. Sometimes straight edges are formed and large cubes are created by the fractures.
Wide view of flow moving down valley, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.
An oblique view of Arabia Terra produced by Mars Global Surveyor
Interactive Mars mapEdit
Map of quadranglesEdit
For mapping purposes, the United States Geological Survey divides the surface of Mars into thirty "quadrangles", each named for a prominent physiographic feature within that quadrangle. The quadrangles can be seen and explored via the interactive image map below.
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- "Eden Patera". [USGS planetary nomenclature page]. USGS. Retrieved 2013-10-17.
- "Euphrates Patera". [USGS planetary nomenclature page]. USGS. Retrieved 2013-10-17.
- "Siloe Patera". [USGS planetary nomenclature page]. USGS. Retrieved 2013-10-17.
- "Semeykin". [USGS planetary nomenclature page]. USGS. Retrieved 2013-10-17.
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- "Oxus Patera". [USGS planetary nomenclature page]. USGS. Retrieved 2013-10-17.
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- Davis, J.; Balme, M.; Grindrod, P.; Williams, R.; Gupta, S. (2016). "Extensive Noachian Fluvial Systems in Arabia Terra: Implications for Early Martian Climate". Geology. 44 (10): 847–850. Bibcode:2016Geo....44..847D. doi:10.1130/G38247.1.
- "Some ancient Mars lakes formed long after others". sciencedaily.com. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- Wilson, Sharon A.; Howard, Alan D.; Moore, Jeffrey M.; Grant, John A. (2016). "A Cold-Wet Mid-Latitude Environment on Mars during the Hesperian-Amazonian Transition: Evidence from Northern Arabia Valleys and Paleolakes". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 121 (9): 1667–1694. Bibcode:2016JGRE..121.1667W. doi:10.1002/2016JE005052.
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- Laskar, J.; Correia, A.; Gastineau, M.; Joutel, F.; Levrard, B.; Robutel, P. (2004). "Long term evolution and chaotic diffusion of the insolation quantities of Mars" (PDF). Icarus. 170 (2): 343–364. Bibcode:2004Icar..170..343L. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2004.04.005.
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- Head, J., J. Mustard. 2006. Breccia dikes and crater-related faults in impact craters on Mars: Erosion and exposure on the floor of a crater 75 km in diameter at the dichotomy boundary, Meteorit. Planet Science: 41, 1675–1690.
- Mangold; et al. (2007). "Mineralogy of the Nili Fossae region with OMEGA/Mars Express data: 2. Aqueous alteration of the crust". J. Geophys. Res. 112 (E8): E08S04. Bibcode:2007JGRE..112.8S04M. doi:10.1029/2006JE002835.
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- High resolution video by Seán Doran of overflight of a layered area in Arabia Terra
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Special Podcast Dev Cog Neuro Journal: June 2013
Latest Quarterly Journal of:
(Volume 7: January 2014)
2012 Impact Factor: 3.160
Navigation and Spatial Memory in Terrestrial Species
A very exciting and interesting Workshop!
Attendance free and open to all staff and students at UCL and other UK institutions.
Videos of the individual talks will be posted soon... watch this space!
Dr Paul Graham: Evolution, Behaviour and Environment & Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Robotics, University of Sussex:
“Navigation with a Small Brain”
Dr Graham’s major research involves studies of how insects produce amazing feats of navigation with their limited neural resources. Understanding how these small creatures navigate will help us better understand how the behaviour and cognition of an animal is constrained by their environment and should provide inspiration for the development of autonomous robots.
Navigation is a universal behaviour and many animals, from across taxa, face similar challenges of moving through a shared environment. Perhaps it is no surprise that we see convergent use of some navigation strategies, such as the use of idiothetic cues for path integration and the learning of visual cues for guidance. It is both interesting and informative to ask comparative questions about how different species implement these strategies. Some of the most expert animal navigators are the foragers of social insect colonies and their remarkable abilities are proof that small brains can produce exquisitely efficient, robust navigation in complex environments. Traditionally, we have studied insect navigation by considering how behaviour might be produced by simple mechanisms, which may represent the minimal cognitive requirement for navigation. I will use two case studies to illustrate this point. Firstly, I will show how simple panoramic views, without the need for cognitive processes such as object extraction, identification or labelling can provide explanations for many findings in the insect navigation literature. Secondly, I will show how simple familiarity rules can explain the ability of animals to perform complex habitual routes, without the need for waypoint laying or place recognition. To conclude I will make the deliberately provocative point that these mechanisms might represent useful hypotheses for aspects of visually guided navigation in larger brained animals.
Professor John Aggleton, FRS: School of Psychology, University of Cardiff:
“Pathways for Pace Learning With or Without Navigation”
Professor Aggleton is a neuroscientist who has made major contributions to our knowledge of the neural basis of memory. He has developed influential theories that have led to fundamental changes in the ways other scientists think about the brain systems supporting how individuals remember the past events in their lives (the episodic and recognition memory systems). By combining clinical, behavioural and neuroanatomical researches he has greatly advanced understanding of the mnemonic roles of structures within the diencephalon and medial temporal lobe, and hence our understanding of the ways brain damage gives rise to amnesia.
A complex array of interactions between the temporal lobe and the medial diencephalon (including the anterior thalamic nuclei), is thought to be vital for spatial learning by rats. Anatomical analyses indicate that these interactions involve parallel pathways, indicative of multiple, parallel functions. One of these pathways conveys head-direction information, but lesion studies have often failed to isolate its importance for spatial learning. In contrast, lesion studies across the anterior thalamic nuclei have revealed the importance of these thalamic nuclei for spatial learning tasks with or without additional navigational demands.There is growing evidence that these thalamic nuclei influence the hippocampus in a variety of different ways to enable spatial learning and navigation.
Dr Pamela Banta Lavenex: Institute of Psychology & Laboratory for Experimental Research on Behaviour, University of Lausanne:
“Allocentric Spatial Memory in Primates”
Dr Pamela Banta Lavenex’s research focuses on the investigation of the neurobiological basis of memory. In collaboration with Dr Pierre Lavenex, they lead a multi-disciplinary research program that uses genetic, molecular, neuroanatomical and behavioural approaches to investigate the postnatal development of the primate medial temporal lobe and the emergence of hippocampus-dependent memory processes in both humans and non-human primates. Dr Banta Lavenex’s most recent work has described the emergence of allocentric spatial memory in children.
The majority of research investigating the role of the mammalian hippocampus in memory function uses rodent models of spatial memory processing. Nevertheless, it is obviously our ultimate goal to understand the specific role of the hippocampus in memory processes in humans. Given the limitations of studies on the molecular, cellular and neuroanatomical substrates of hippocampus-dependent memory in humans, investigations in non-human primates remain a critical step in assessing whether the neural mechanisms determined to underlie hippocampus-dependent memory functions in rodents are likely to be conserved in humans. Work in our laboratory is aimed at deciphering the neurobiological basis of memory development in primates, using genetic, molecular, neuroanatomical and behavioral approaches. In my talk, I will concentrate on our behavioral investigations of the role of the hippocampal formation in allocentric spatial memory function in macaque monkeys. First, I will describe our unique testing paradigm that allows monkeys to move freely in an open-field environment, and that can be used across species and developmental ages. I will describe our experiments that demonstrate the conserved role of the hippocampal formation in allocentric spatial memory in non-human primates, and thus refute previous suggestions that the hippocampal formation might function differently in primates than in rodents. I will then describe our investigations of the emergence of allocentric spatial memory in infant monkeys. Finally, I will describe our investigations of the effects of neonatal hippocampal lesions on allocentric spatial memory processes in monkeys, which revealed a preservation of spatial memory function following early but not late lesions.
Dr Hugo Spiers: Spatial Cognition Group, UCL Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience
“Navigational Guidance Systems in the Human Brain”
Dr Spiers is a cognitive neuroscientist who leads the UCL Spatial Cognition Group which uses neuroimaging, neuropsychological testing and single unit recording to explore spatial cognition. His research team are interested in how our brain constructs representations of the world and uses them to navigate the present, imagine the future and remember the past.
Despite decades of research on spatial memory, we know surprisingly little about how the brain guides navigation to future goals. Neuroimaging data collected from subjects navigating London’s Soho district (UK) reveals that the hippocampus dynamically alternates the type of distance it encodes to future goals. When deciding which path to take, posterior hippocampal activity momentarily encodes the distance along the future path to the goal, whereas, during transit, anterior hippocampal activity tracks the straight-line Euclidean distance to the goal. Switching goal and forced detours drive a posterior hippocampal response that scales with the change in distance required to travel to the goal. These results argue for a guidance system housed in the hippocampus, which processes multiple metrics of distance at different time-windows during navigation.
Dr Alastair Smith: School of Psychology, University of Nottingham
“Large Scale Search
Behaviour in Typical and Atypical Populations”
Dr Smith’s research broadly concerns the cognitive and neural foundations of spatial behaviour, including navigation, search, and graphic production. He tests a number of different populations, assessing the typical development of spatial abilities (in adults and children) alongside atypical development (in individuals with Williams Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Hydrocephalus) and dysfunction following neurological damage (e.g. apraxia, hemispatial neglect). He also employs a variety of methodologies, from GPS tracking of large-scale movement to bedside pencil and paper tasks.
Finding an object in our environment is an important everyday ability that also represents a critical component of human foraging behaviour. One type of information that aids efficient large-scale search is the likelihood of the object being in one location over another, and in this talk I will provide an overview of studies we have conducted to examine the conditions under which individuals respond to spatial statistics. I will report work with typical adults that used a novel, large-scale environmental search paradigm to investigate probability cueing and the impact of spatial reference frames. I will then go on to discuss similar work we have conducted in typical and atypical development. In particular, I will focus on recent findings that search behaviour in Autism Spectrum Disorders appears to be less optimal and less systematic than search in typically developing children. These findings run counter to reports of superior spatial processing in ASD and suggest that we need to adopt a more comprehensive approach to studying spatial behaviour in order to formulate appropriate theories. | <urn:uuid:e902d059-5861-4014-b17d-69205ee2ad80> | CC-MAIN-2015-40 | http://www.ucl.ac.uk/cdcn/events/workshops/november-workshop | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-40/segments/1443736677918.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20151001215757-00153-ip-10-137-6-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.890273 | 1,816 | 2.953125 | 3 | {
"raw_score": 3.024442434310913,
"reasoning_level": 3,
"interpretation": "Strong reasoning"
} | Science & Tech. |
We are all aware of the fact that everything goes better with some plan, but for a teen with learning disabilities it is of the greatest importance to have a plan. Under the federal law it is allowed to have a special planning for such teens, and every teen that desires can get IEP or individualized education plan. IEP is very helpful to teens with learning disabilities, so let’s see what IEP is and how can it help your teen.
IEP is the standard support for your teenager with a disability and his learning process. Standard IEP has learning disabilities of a certain teenager outlined and it helps him deal with those learning disabilities one step at a time. The IEP has all the special learning techniques and professionals outlined; the plan itself will serve your teen as a guide and will help him deal with the learning disability.
A parent involvement in the IEP is necessary and you will go though the whole process together with your teen child. But you will have the help of professionals and teachers that will guide you through the entire year, at the end of the year you will create a new plan for the next years as the IEP is usually created only for the current school year. If your teen is up to it he can also participate in the creation of the plan, but that is up to both of you to decide.
There are two parts of the IEP plan, the IEP document and IEP meetings. The IEP meetings are where you and your teen decide on the actual IEP and track the progress. On the first meeting you will decide the process and the course of action. If there is a need for adjustments you can do so on the following meetings. The IEP document is used to keep track of what was decided and how the progress is going throughout the different stages of the plan.
Once the IEP is finished it is used by the teachers, parents and everyone involved to get the best out of it and help the teen deal with the learning disability. After each school year is completed evaluation meetings are held to see and evaluate the process and decide if a new IEP should be created or if the teen is doing great with this plan and doesn’t need special attention. Although your teen may be doing better and the official IEP is not active any more, every teen with a learning disability needs some special attention, so be sure that you work with him closely and that the teachers are doing everything in their power to help. | <urn:uuid:075e2867-7402-4650-95a9-5a1a19ff4a0c> | CC-MAIN-2016-40 | http://www.parentingteens.com/planning-with-iep-individual-education-plan/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-40/segments/1474738660887.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20160924173740-00239-ip-10-143-35-109.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970205 | 502 | 3.109375 | 3 | {
"raw_score": 1.873799443244934,
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Investment Inflation Calculator
Calculate the effect of inflation on your investments. For an initial investment followed by periodic deposits, find out how much you will have in the future and what its value will be in today's dollars. Alternatively, calculate how much you would need to invest today to attain a specified inflation adjusted future value.
- Initial Investment (PV)
- is the present value or principal amount to be invested.
- Effects of Inflation on PV
- this is your original investment dollars in the future adjusted for inflation. This value will be less then PV; it will be what your investment is worth in today's dollars at the future date.
- Target Future Value
- the inflation adjusted future value (FV) of your investment account
- Number of Years
- how long is this investment? Decimals are allowed, for example, 6.5 years is 6 years 6 months; 2.25 years is 2 years 3 months
- this is the amount of periodic deposits you will make to your account over the time of your investment
- Calendar periods that contributions will be made. (e.g. Monthly, Quarterly, Annually, etc.)
- Annual Interest Rate
- is the annual nominal interest rate or "stated rate" in percent. r = R/100, the interest rate in decimal
- the frequency with which compounding will occur. (e.g. Monthly, Quarterly, Annually, etc.)
- Annual Inflation Rate
- the average rate of inflation you expect over the time period of your investment. You can calculate the average inflation rate of the past to make an estimate.
- Number of Periods (t)
- commonly this will be number of years but periods can be any time unit. Enter whole numbers or use decimals for partial periods such as months for example, 7.5 years is 7 yr 6 mo.
- Compounding (m)
- is the number of times compounding occurs per period. If a period is a year then annually=1, quarterly=4, monthly=12, daily = 365, etc.
- Continuous Compounding
- is when the frequency of compounding is increased up to infinity.
- Future Value (FV)
- the calculated future value of your investment. The dollar amount that will be in your account.
- FV Adjusted for Inflation
- the future value adjusted for inflation. This will be FV represented in today's dollars.
Example Investment Calculations
Investment calculations are based on the Future Value Formulas.
Suppose you recently found that $250,000 is what you would need to retire today in a retirement lifestyle that you expect to lead. However, you will be retiring 10 years from now. So, you want to find out how much you need in 10 years to have an equivalent of $250,000 in today's dollars.
If you can get 5% annual return in an investment account that compounds daily and you expect the rate of inflation for the next ten years to average about 2.25%, what lump sum amount would you need to invest today to achieve your goal? You will not be making additional contributions.
In the calculator enter:
Target Future Value : 250,000
Number of Years : 10
Contributions : 0
Annual Interest Rate : 5%
Compounding : Daily
Annual Inflation Rate : 2.25%
Your results will be:
actual ending account balance
FV Adjusted for Inflation
your return in today's dollars
Interpretation: You would invest $189,616.91 today to have a value in 10 years of $250,000.00 in today's dollars. Your account statement after 10 years will read $312,300.86 however, adjusted for the effects of inflation, it will have a value of $250,000.00 in today's dollars.
Cite this content, page or calculator as:
Furey, Edward "Investment Inflation Calculator" at https://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/financial/investment-inflation-calculator.php from CalculatorSoup, https://www.calculatorsoup.com - Online Calculators | <urn:uuid:40af58e2-bce8-439e-b147-6a45f0abc234> | CC-MAIN-2022-05 | https://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/financial/investment-inflation-calculator.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-05/segments/1642320304835.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20220125130117-20220125160117-00457.warc.gz | en | 0.907744 | 895 | 3.03125 | 3 | {
"raw_score": 1.9873809814453125,
"reasoning_level": 2,
"interpretation": "Moderate reasoning"
} | Finance & Business |
In this article, we would like to bring together all the interesting information about the Cardano project. It is not a complete fundamental analysis and you will not find technical details. The article is intended as a basic overview of the project for those who have not read anything about it and would like to learn more. We will simply try to explain what a distributed network, blockchain, and decentralization are and why we should try to create and use them. We will discuss who is behind the project and what its vision is.
Decentralization and blockchain
Today’s organization of the world is based on centralized management and centers of power. You can imagine the banks, governments, business management, or services you use on the Internet. In these centers, critical decisions are made and they can be to the detriment of users. At the same time, they are critical points of failure in the sense that they can be easily attacked. For example, Facebook is abusing your data, the government does what it wants with taxes, and so on. If we focus more on banks, the bank decides whether you can open an account with it and dictates requirements, including a claim to your identity. For example, a bank has the right to prevent a transaction from being sent or to refuse to open an account. Billions of people in the world today have no bank account. Surprisingly, this also affects a large percentage of people living in the US.
Basically, we also have these centers on a network level where clients connect to one server (Facebook, Internet banking, etc.). It is a typical client-server architecture. The main problem here is that one point is a weak point of the network and can be attacked successfully if attackers break the server’s protection. User’s data might be changed just by attacking one place. What is even worse, the data can be changed by an inside administrator with access to the database.
Distributed networks solve both the centralization of power (decision making) and the client-server network architecture. Distributed networks are composed of many nodes around the world, and there must be consensus on each change. Thus the decision is not made in one place by the individual but is made by collective effort. It is important that the nodes are owned by different independent owners. This also makes the network decentralized. There is no point in having a distributed network if all nodes are owned by one owner. That node owner could autonomously decide to change the rules. We must also strive for decentralized governance of the distributed network projects to ensure that the code (the protocol rules) are maintained and improved honestly and as expected by users.
The nodes must generally agree to make a data change and then change the data on all nodes simultaneously. For regular databases, the change is committed on one server, and then the data is copied elsewhere (replication). It is not a consensus. Consensus elegantly solves the problem of data protection. By attacking one node, the attacker does not gain anything because the rest of the nodes still have valid data. The more these nodes, the better.
From the decision-making point of view, the network protocol and built-in consensus take responsibility for data changing. A person or a group of people are not able to decide about data change or somehow force it. All data changes can be initiated and approved by the rules of the protocol. The protocol itself is only a set of rules, which is implemented by programmers who created the software (client). Clients are installed by node operators to their nodes. All nodes then use the same software (same set of rules) and collectively make decisions about data changes — changes in the blockchain. The majority of nodes have to come to the consensus. It is ideal to have multiple versions of the client or more implementations of the same protocol. This increases security in case that one implementation fails due to a bug.
The advantage of a distributed network is that rules cannot be easily bent or modified by individuals. The protocol behaves exactly as it is designed. If there is a rule that every correctly signed transaction is processed, the protocol will do so no matter who sends the transaction and how much the sent amount is. In addition to validation of transaction correctness, the protocol checks everything that it is supposed to check without exceptions. For example, the protocol is able to prevent the famous double-spending attack or ensure that the supply of coins does not increase unexpectedly.
Asymmetric cryptography makes it possible to keep the cryptographic secrets private meaning that only you know the secret that gives you some abilities and rights. In practice, it is a private key that allows you to use an address and sign transactions. This allows you to keep coins and tokens in your wallet, and if you protect your private keys well, nobody can take anything away from you. The distributed network protocol works with these addresses and processes user transactions. In a given protocol step the randomly selected node creates a new block with transactions (step is an attempt to add a new block). The nodes alternate in block production randomly what ensures decentralization and transaction censorship.
Each individual node in the network decides which block it accepts and puts in its own blockchain. The current state of the blockchain is the one most nodes agree on.
Blockchain is basically a series of blocks that are connected to each other. It can be imagined as stringing beads on the string, where the first (Genesis) block is at the beginning and new beads are continuously added. In order to add a new bead, there must be a majority consensus, that is, agreement of the majority of nodes that the bead is correct and can be added. Blockchain has strong protection against history overwriting. The blocks are linked to each other in a way that it is not easy to break any link. If an attacker attempts to change past blocks, he must find a way how to do this on most nodes simultaneously.
The block is only a collection of transactions that will be validated and potentially added to the blockchain if other parameters are correct (for example a link to the last block). One node always suggests a block and distribute it. The other nodes validate that block and decide about inserting it into its own blockchain. If there is a fraudulent node and puts an invalid transaction in the block, the other nodes will easily detect it, since their client version is most probably different from the one modified by the attacker. If the proposed block is valid, the block is accepted by the majority of honest nodes. Thus, blockchain will be longer by one new block.
As you can see, the distributed network and blockchain is quite different from traditional centralized databases. However, it has its drawbacks. Distributed consensus networks are usually slow and poorly scalable. The big challenge for Cardano is to change this and allow the use of blockchain to the masses.
Cardano project is a fully open-source project that was founded in 2015 by Charles Hoskinson and Jeremy Wood. The team’s goal was to change the way cryptocurrencies are designed and developed. The team began by researching all aspects of cryptocurrencies and making a review of all existing projects. The team started writing Cardano from scratch and never hesitates to rewrite some source code again from the beginning if it seems that it could be done better. The project does not aim to deliver the network quickly but to deliver it in production quality and ready for real use and adoption. And it takes time.
Cardano did not begin with a comprehensive roadmap or white paper as many other projects. Rather it embraced a collection of design principles, engineering best practices, and avenues for exploration.
The Roadmap consists of 5 development phases named after famous personalities and each phase addresses one important topic: Byron (foundation), Shelley (decentralization), Goguen (smart contracts), Basho (scalability), and Voltaire (project governance). At the beginning of 2020, the project is in front of the Shelley phase in which the main-net will be launched.
Cardano roadmap: https://roadmap.cardano.org/en/
Cardano is trying to create a financial and social operating system for the world. The team strives to overcome the technological challenges faced by current consensus distributed networks. It is a big challenge so scientists and great IT specialists work together. The team decided to use a specific development method similar to that used to build software for aircraft or nuclear power plants. Cardano is developing as a mission-critical system.
The financial operating system is not only about transactions between Alice and Bob, but also about the possibility of creating a financial contract, utilizing transaction context, using real identity, etc. Adoption is not only about overcoming technical challenges, but also social, political, and of course, mainly financial. Cardano, therefore, wants to be a technology platform accessible to all people in the world. Basically for free. It’s not a protest project as the first generation of cryptocurrencies. That is why Cardano Foundation will work on global marketing and will build the brand through a partnership with McCann, a company that takes care of companies such as Microsoft. People must know that using Cardano does not stand against traditional values and that the project is backed by a strong and capable team that takes care of the network’s technological problems. Cardano is a project that complies with regulations, but not at the cost of losing user privacy or transaction censorship.
The first generation of blockchain is trying to replace banks, but in fact, it can’t. It is not possible without smart contracts. Moreover, the problem of replacing middlemen can be more generalized, and not just banks, but the whole legal systems, company management, and other things. Cardano will be able to combine supply with a demand under better conditions than expensive and unreliable middlemen from the traditional world would do.
A smart contract is a computer code that has to be written by a special smart contract programming language. In other words, a smart contract is an automatically executable set of rules that were provided via a computer program. Smart contracts can replace traditional paper contracts with the surrounding legal systems included.
At the beginning of the project, three main pillars were defined: long-term sustainability, scalability, and interoperability. Long-term sustainability is about the project’s ability to exist for decades. This includes decentralized project management and the establishment of a project treasury. Furthermore, the ability to remain safe in the long term and to scale with adoption as the importance of the network will increase. Scalability is one of the biggest technical challenges since it is difficult to combine this feature with a high degree of decentralization. However, it is a necessary feature for mass adoption and usability. Interoperability is important for interconnection with other projects and also with traditional financial systems. Cardano does not want to replace traditional financial systems in the first phase, but to connect with them. It can replace them later. In the future, there will be only one decentralized network, which will consist of many blockchain projects.
Every project needs money for its development. Cardano did not run a typical ICO with an ERC20 token. The sale of ADA coins took place via vouchers, especially in Asia. Read more details: https://www.cardano.org/en/genesis-block-distribution/
Who builds Cardano
Cardano builds three independent entities: Input Output Hong Kong (IOHK), Cardano Foundation (CF), and Emurgo.
IOHK is an engineering company building a Cardano blockchain for academic institutions, government entities, and corporations. IOHK is basically R&D and is involved in research and writing software. Charles Hoskinson is CEO of IOHK. He managed to reach out to many experts in areas important for building a decentralized network. You will find many university professors on the team. The team also has a large number of capable programmers, and the project is regularly at the forefront of GitHub activity.
Visit IOHK: https://iohk.io/en/
GitHub is a place for open-source projects where you can find source code, see how active a team is and how quickly it builds a project. In the Cardano case, you will find many repositories, and each includes a pile of well-done work. If you try to count how many developers are actively working on a project, you count a few dozen. There are not many projects that can compete with this activity and code quality. The source code will be audited by a third party to give the team absolute assurance that everything will work as the team intends and that there are no hidden bugs.
Check the GitHub: https://github.com/input-output-hk
The pride of IOHK is its library, where you can now find over 50 studies related to the world of cryptocurrencies. These works are the basis for the protocol being built. Some studies have been presented in renowned conferences and review has been done by other experts in the fields. The protocol is based on research and scientific basis and has the potential to be the best we can now build under the given network conditions.
Have a look at the library: https://iohk.io/en/research/library/
The Cardano Foundation is based in Switzerland and aims to promote the Cardano ecosystem. Nathan Kaiser is Chairman of the Cardano Foundation. The CF mission is to driving adoption, to take care of the necessary legislation related to the commercialization of the project, to take care of the community and partnerships, etc. Many ambassadors help in this effort: https://cardanofoundation.org/en/
Emurgo drives the Cardano adoption and supports the growth of the ecosystem by building, investing in, and advising projects or organizations that adopt Cardano’s decentralized blockchain ecosystem. Emurgo is registered in Tokyo, Japan since June 2017 and in Singapore since May 2018: https://emurgo.io/en
The most visible personality of the project is Charles Hoskinson, CEO of IOHK. Charles is a visionary and is able to clearly communicate the mission and vision of the project in his AMA. This makes Cardano one of the most transparent projects and gives you a chance to hear from the CEO what is currently happening, what is being done, and what obstacles the project is currently facing.
Charles travels the world a lot and talks to people, politicians, regulators, project leaders, businessmen, and many other people about where and how a decentralized network can help. Cardano is working with the governments of Ethiopia, South Korea, Georgia, and more. They try to solve a specific problem in each country.
On Youtube, you can find interviews with other people from the team.
The Cardano project plans to raise its brand awareness and commercialize its public network. In the context of cryptocurrencies, this may at first glance seem like a somewhat strange plan. But the opposite may be true. If a project is to succeed in mass-adoption, it is necessary to state exactly what the brand brings and who is behind it. People routinely use Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Facebook products, even if they know that some of them are misusing personal data. People trust these brands because the products usually work satisfactorily and are used by the majority of people. If a similar brand is to emerge from a decentralized world and stand next to renowned companies, they need to get people’s awareness, communicate what it brings, and build a strong market position. And it is not possible without promotion. Cardano must be a brand for a reliable product and a renowned partner. That’s why it makes sense to build your brand globally. One successful partnership can give rise to ten more.
Charles Hoskinson and Nathan Kaiser visited the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2020 and presented the vision of the project. Several new partnerships were achieved.
The Cardano Foundation has appointed McCann Dublin as the brand strategy and design agency for both Cardano and the Foundation.
The consensus is the heart of decentralized networks
Of course, the technological advancement of the project and the scalability are important for mass adoption. The team is working on a unique PoS consensus algorithm named Ouroboros. The team has found a way to make a PoS consensus that is as secure as a PoW and requires 51% domination to attack.
The consensus will evolve over time and will be updated several times. The goal is for the protocol to be able to process a huge amount of transactions for all who use the protocol and the charges can remain low. The speed of transactions is important so that users can quickly pay for goods as quickly as normal credit cards are able to. Scalability must go hand in hand with a high degree of decentralization. This is a big technological challenge the team wants to solve.
The aim of the project is to have 1000 independent and similar sized pools. Economic incentives will be set accordingly. An important feature of the protocol is that all ADA coin holders can be involved in the decentralization of the project. They will be rewarded for this in the same way as pool operators. Thus, the network is owned by all users (stakeholders), not just those directly involved in block production. By delegating coins, users will decide on which pool will get more rights and power to produce blocks.
If you want to use the network, you must pay a fee through the ADA coin. You can delegate coins to the pool to ensure passive income for an active interest in decentralizing the protocol. Part of the transaction fees will go to the project treasury. Decentralization is not only about network consensus and does not end with transactions. Decentralization is also about project management and transparent work on protocol maintenance and development. This requires money. ADA coin owners will decide what direction the protocol will take and what will be improved. Developers and other team members will be paid from the project treasury.
There are two official Cardano wallets you can use. Full node wallet Daedalus developed by IOHK and lightweight wallet Yoroi from Emurgo. If you decide to use software wallets then download them only from the official websites that you can find above.
You can store ADA coins in hardware wallets Ledger and Trezor and it is the recommended option.
We could talk about Cardano for a long time and in more detail. However, we do not want to exhaust our readers and believe that there will be no problem finding additional resources. You can check out our articles: https://medium.com/@Cardanians_io | <urn:uuid:c2a16ef3-ab21-4abb-9dc2-36563e8ee395> | CC-MAIN-2022-05 | https://cardanojournal.com/your-very-first-article-about-cardano-37 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-05/segments/1642320299927.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20220129032406-20220129062406-00439.warc.gz | en | 0.950769 | 3,794 | 2.734375 | 3 | {
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} | Science & Tech. |
Business Informatics is an area of scientific research, academic training and business practice. It is a discipline that combines information technology with management concepts. Business Informatics deals with how the means and tools of information technology (IT) are used in economics and business practice. It refers foremost to the development and deployment of information systems, and their impact on the functioning of an organization. Thus, there are two areas Business Informatics is focused on. First, the development of new information systems in organizations (businesses and public administration), including analysis, design, implementation, testing, deployment and management thereof. Second, the use of information systems for the general management purposes, i.e., running all operations that enable an organization to achieve its objectives through the effective use of IT.
Business Informatics has an over 70-year history. The rapid development of information technology and its convergence with telecommunications, contributed to the emergence and spread of new information and communication technologies (ICT), which include computers, mobile phones, the Internet, and eventually different types of smart devices. This directly contributed to the emergence of new economic, legal and cultural phenomena, processes and relationships, which together constitute what we know as digital economy. Hereto, digital economy can be characterized by three terms: information (it is based on the production, processing and commercialization of information), global (it covers the whole world) and network (it operates in a network linking numerous active users). Ultimately, Business Informatics became a key area of interest for modern managers, as computerized information systems are a main source of information and provide tools for decision making. Moreover, information systems can be a source of competitive advantage (such systems are called Strategic Information System). Growing scope of modern information systems and the development of electronic business increase the influence of information technology and digital economy on all humanity.
As of today, Business Informatics is a well-established, successful academic discipline. Yet, it is known by many names representing fields associated with it: Information Systems, Management Information Systems, Computer Information Systems, Information Management, Business Information Systems, Informatics or Information Technology. It should not be confused with computer science which is more theoretical in nature and deals mainly with software creation.
The Institute of Information Systems and Digital Economy at the Warsaw School of Economics is one of the leading research and teaching centers on Business Informatics in Poland. It brings together academics and business practitioners who represent various specialties related to technical, organizational, agency, legal, sociological, ethical aspects of information systems, with a special emphasis on new technologies. The department is cooperating in projects developed jointly with the leading IT corporations like Microsoft, Oracle, SAS, SAP and others.
The mission the Institute is to prepare students for work and life in the modern information society and knowledge economy. Broad educational offer is addressed to all those who want to extend their knowledge and interest in the analysis and development of management information systems, design and use of databases, understanding the concept of contemporary business and society from the digital economy perspective. The Institute provides students with knowledge and strives to develop their competence and attitudes with respect to the use of IT in society, in particular to modeling of information systems, using tools for collecting, storing and processing information, understanding the consequences of digital economy, predicting trends for technological, social and economic changes. Institute’s curricula in the field of Business Informatics, such as Information Systems, Management Information Systems, Business Information Systems, Business Informatics, are coherent with their majors US counterparts. Institute’s studies not only provide knowledge in the field of computer science in the polytechnic sense, but they also link it with the relevant contributions from the field of management and economics. Employees of the Institute conduct classes at all levels of academic education: undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, executive and doctoral.
1 st Open International Didactic Seminar on Business Intelligence and Data Science. Case studies. Discussion on Selected Topics April 16, 2021 | <urn:uuid:33ea1bd7-52a9-4467-a27c-2ebc74303d91> | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | https://ssl-kolegia.sgh.waw.pl/en/KAE/structure/iiigc/Pages/default.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046151866.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20210725205752-20210725235752-00115.warc.gz | en | 0.917071 | 803 | 3.046875 | 3 | {
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By Mark Bello
Many people believe that depression is easily identifiable, manifesting itself as persistent sadness that doesn’t go away. They make assumptions about how someone struggling with depression will look and behave.
While depression affects a person’s mood, it goes beyond feeling sad or “down in the dumps.” It can last months, years, or—more often than not—a lifetime. From a lack of will to physical pain, depression often drains one’s energy, motivation, and concentration, even in performing normal, daily activities. Additionally, it can affect one’s thinking, interfering with the ability to overcome even the smallest hurdles in life.
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Depression expresses itself in various ways
Sometimes obvious, while other times the signs are so subtle that someone personally affected by depression will not even realize it. Sufferers will not only fail to recognize symptoms for what they really are, but develop ways of coping with their problems and hiding their illness from others. Oftentimes, they will think something else is wrong. As a result, many people go undiagnosed.
So, how can you tell if you are depressed?
It seems like a silly question, but a surprising number of people fail to spot the signs. Due to a lack of awareness of what depression consists of or an aversion to admitting a mental or emotional illness, they see themselves as suffering from stress, fatigue, being overworked, or even a physical disease. The signs are ignored—from the dramatic and obvious to the subtle and the secret.
Here are 15 factors to consider:
- You just want to stay in bed. Despite getting plenty of sleep, you still wake up tired or fatigued. On the other hand, you may suffer from insomnia and forgetfulness.
- You associate your afternoon slump with the need for copious amounts of coffee.
- You confuse depression with sadness. For example, you attribute your thoughts and feelings to a major problem or life crisis, such as a job loss or the death of a loved one.
- You try to convince yourself you are fine and put on a façade everywhere you go. While you make your life look perfect on the outside, you are sad internally.
- You have difficulty communicating your emotions.
- You harbor negative energy inside; the only way to release it is to lash out at others. You tend to lose your temper easily and conflicts quickly escalate into fights.
- You have mood swings without cause. You cry for no apparent reason. You could be happy one minute and crying the next. You may overreact to insignificant sadness and ignore major bad news.
- You stop socializing and pull away from friends and family or from activities you once enjoyed.
- You feel worthless and unloved and may be considering harming yourself or ending your life.
- You have trouble concentrating on tasks; whether it be schoolwork, a job, or simply staying focused during conversations.
- You engage in behaviors that signal “masked depression” to forget your problems. You may drink alcohol or look to food for comfort. You may lose the majority of your appetite as a subconscious need to control something.
- You assume your mood is contributing to chronic pain or a medical condition or illness. However, some conditions, such as hypothyroidism, cancer, and hepatitis, can cause depression. Nutritional deficiencies and some medications are culprits, as well.
- You choose to forego feeling altogether. You have a hard time responding to affection and concern from others.
- You work harder, not smarter. The classic example is trying to exercise your way to happiness: If you already log a few hours a week at the gym, spending another 30 minutes every day may briefly lift your spirits.
- You are experiencing a marked slowing down of your motor responses such as eye-hand coordination. It manifests as a slowing of coordination, speech and impaired articulation.
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Depression is an illness
A chemical imbalance in the brain that takes more than a “band-aid approach” to fix. Symptoms vary from person to person. If you have at least five of the signs listed, and they last for more than two weeks, and are not clearly caused by a medical disorder, drug use, or the death of a loved one, you may be suffering from depression. It is important to seek medical advice as soon as possible. Otherwise, you risk heading into a spiral from which you may have a hard time recovering. More importantly, know that depression is highly treatable.
Let Us Put Our 58 Years Of Trial Experience Towards Your Case. | <urn:uuid:c8ff694c-55e9-4e64-89c2-f50f3886b585> | CC-MAIN-2024-10 | https://mhkylaw.com/blog/15-things-people-dont-realize-theyre-depression/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947474482.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20240224012912-20240224042912-00185.warc.gz | en | 0.947279 | 964 | 2.890625 | 3 | {
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} | Health |
People with hepatitis C virus (HCV) who take proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have a higher risk of developing cirrhosis, decompensated cirrhosis (the more severe stage of the advanced liver disease) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, the most common form of liver cancer).
PPIs are over-the-counter drugs used to treat conditions such as acid reflux and peptic ulcers and include medications such as Nexium (esomeprazole) and Prilosec (omeprazole).
Publishing their findings in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, researchers analyzed medical records data on 11,526 individuals (5,752 PPI users and 5,773 nonusers) included in the ERCHIVES database of HCV-positive U.S. veterans. The individuals included in the overall database tested positive for the virus between 2001 and 2015.
Individuals were included in the cohort if they had received at least two weeks of treatment for hep C. They were excluded if they had HIV, tested positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), had been diagnosed with cirrhosis or had experienced a health event associated with decompensated cirrhosis before entering the cohort, or had gastroesophageal varices (abnormal veins in the lower part of the tube running from the throat to the stomach) or liver cancer at any point stretching back to six months prior to entering the cohort.
The median follow-up length for the members of the study cohort was 93.4 months among PPI users and 89.5 months among nonusers. Among those who used PPIs, the median exposure to the class of drug was 27.3 months.
After adjusting the study data to account for various risk factors for the development of cirrhosis, the investigators found that the following factors were associated with a modulated risk of developing the advanced liver condition: taking more than a cumulative 900 daily recommended doses of PPIs over time, compared with taking no PPIs (associated with a 1.32-fold greater risk of cirrhosis); each relative additional 10 years in age (1.4-fold greater risk); diabetes (1.41-fold greater risk); having a history of alcohol abuse, compared with no history of alcohol abuse (1.31-fold greater risk); every relative increase of 10 international units per milliliter in baseline ALT liver enzyme level (4 percent reduced risk); every relative increase of 10 IU/mL in baseline AST liver enzyme level (1.11-fold increased risk); statin use (40 percent reduced risk); and being treated and cured of hep C, compared with being treated and not cured (42 percent reduced risk).
After adjusting the study data to account for risk factors for cirrhosis and risk factors for using PPIs, the investigators found that a cumulative 181 to 540 doses, 541 to 900 doses and greater than 900 daily recommended doses of PPIs were associated with a respective 3.46-fold, 3.72-fold and 3.79-fold increased risk of developing decompensated cirrhosis. Additionally, every relative increase of 10 IU/mL in baseline AST liver enzyme level was associated with a 1.14-fold increased risk of developing the advanced form of cirrhosis.
Lastly, after adjusting the study data to account for risk factors for developing liver cancer, the investigators found that the following factors modulated the risk of developing that form of liver disease: each relative additional 10 years of age (1.44-fold increased risk); a cumulative 181 to 540 doses and more than 900 daily recommended doses of PPIs (a respective 2.15-fold and 2.01-fold increased risk); each relative 10 IU/mL increase in baseline AST level (1.06-fold increased risk); and being cured of hep C, compared with not being cured (65 percent reduced risk).
The study authors concluded that PPIs were associated with a dose-dependent risk of progression of chronic liver disease to cirrhosis, meaning that a greater cumulative use of the drug class over time was associated with a greater risk of the liver condition, and that PPIs are also associated with an increased risk of the development of decompensated cirrhosis and liver cancer.
To read the study abstract, click here. | <urn:uuid:1e2f232d-97cb-456d-9033-e99315b92e4f> | CC-MAIN-2018-51 | https://www.hepmag.com/article/proton-pump-inhibitors-linked-advanced-liver-disease-hep-c | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-51/segments/1544376823320.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20181210080704-20181210102204-00418.warc.gz | en | 0.945553 | 886 | 2.578125 | 3 | {
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Vanessa: I am so glad I found your website. My family and I just returned from vacation two days ago, and my youngest children are covered with bed bug bites. At first, we did not know what they were. The bites started after the first night of staying there. They got increased in number and became worse over the week. We had no clue. Bed bugs never crossed our minds. I took them to the doctor as soon as we got home and we got the news. BED BUGS!
A bedbug is a small, blood-sucking parasite that feeds on mammals and birds. Bedbugs belong to the insect family Cimicidae. Although there are several different species, the most common species associated with human bedbug infestations are Cimex lectularius and Cimex hemipterus. Bedbugs are considered a public health pest. There has been a recent resurgence in bedbug infestations worldwide, particularly in developed countries, including the United States.
Bedbugs are small oval-shaped non-flying insects that belong to the insect family Cimicidae, which includes three species that bite people. Adult bedbugs reach 5 mm-7 mm in length, while nymphs (juveniles) are as small as 1.5 mm. Bedbugs have flat bodies and may sometimes be mistaken for ticks or small cockroaches. Bedbugs feed by sucking blood from humans or animals. Cimex lectularius is the scientific name for bedbugs.
Hello! I am not sure if we have bed bugs or not. It seems like I am the only one getting bit. We co-sleep with our children and neither of them have signs of any kind of bites. I wake up with bite marks underneath my breasts and sometimes behind my knees. The bites itch for only a few minutes and disappear a few minutes after. We have looked through our mattress and have found no signs of anything. No blood smears nor any fecal matter. Could my bites be caused by something else.
The prognosis for bedbug bites is excellent. The vast majority of people who experience bedbug bites will recover without any long-term problems, and many individuals who are bitten may not exhibit any physical signs at all. However, the recent resurgence in bedbug infestations will require increasing public education and awareness, instituting effective preventive and control measures, and continuing research into the development of more effective, safe insecticides.
Bed bugs have five immature nymph life stages and a final sexually mature adult stage. They shed their skins through ecdysis at each stage, discarding their outer exoskeleton. Newly hatched nymphs are translucent, lighter in color, and become browner as they moult and reach maturity. Bed bugs may be mistaken for other insects, such as booklice, small cockroaches, or carpet beetles; however, when warm and active, their movements are more ant-like, and like most other true bugs, they emit a characteristic disagreeable odor when crushed.
Bed bug bites can look a lot like other insect bites. Some clues that can suggest the presence of bed bugs include finding red, itchy bites upon awakening - especially if the bites line up in a row on the skin. Bed bugs typically bite at night on exposed areas of skin, so the bites are most commonly found on the face, neck, hands and arms. Although some people develop a bite reaction immediately, others may take two to three days before a reaction becomes noticeable, and not all people have obvious bed bug bite symptoms. A bed bug bite can appear as a tiny puncture wound without a surrounding reaction, and can easily be missed. In fact, 30 percent of individuals living in bed bug-infested dwellings report a lack of bites or skin reactions. This appears to be more common amongst the elderly. On the other hand, other people have exuberant reactions, with large, red, raised and itchy welts. This is especially true if one becomes sensitized to bed bug bites, so that with repeated bites there is an increased risk of an exaggerated reaction to bed bug bites.
These bloodsuckers love exposed areas of flesh such as closest to their nest such as the face, forehead, arms and known to attack babies.. Those repeatedly bitten over time are more likely to become sensitive. You may even find the person sleeping next to you does not show any signs of bed bug bites while you do. In fact, the person next to you may not have been bitten at all – a good sign that the infestation is closest to you.
Some people develop allergic reactions to bedbug bites, which can include a fever, difficulty breathing, hives, or a swollen tongue. Others may develop an infection where the bite starts oozing pus. If you experience either of these reactions or you develop blisters where the bites occurred, it’s a good idea to make an appointment with a dermatologist.
In addition to the physical manifestations of bedbug bites, patients can experience significant psychological distress. The stigma that bedbugs are related to poor hygiene (however inaccurate) can lead to poor self-esteem, avoidance of family and friends, and suspension from work.37–39 Management of an infestation can be stressful, costly, and disruptive to everyday life. Worry can lead to insomnia, depression, anxiety, and even delusional parasitosis.37
I have been suffering from these stupid bed bugs but i want to know if the baking soda mixture thing only cures the itchiness or make the spots disappear because i try as much as possible not to scratch it because it makes it expand. I am looking for something to make my skin color be maintained not to be having unwanted spots all over. I’m on the heating business to cure the bugs though. Thanks for the hints.
If you have been bitten by bedbugs, the good news is that they aren't associated with any disease. You need only to avoid scratching the bites and getting a skin infection. Anti-itch creams may help. Treating your home or possessions to eliminate an infestation is more of a challenge, and you may need both nonchemical and chemical treatments. Learn how to treat your bites and get rid of bedbugs.
In most infestations, consultation with a professional exterminator is advised because elimination is more likely to be effective if multiple pest management methods are used. These include monitoring devices, canine detection, clutter removal, vacuuming, heat or cold treatment, sealing cracks and crevices, and judicious use of nonchemical and chemical pesticides. Monitoring devices include moat-like devices (e.g., Climbup Insect Interceptor) that trap bedbugs ascending and descending furniture legs, and emitting devices that use carbon dioxide, heat, and/or chemicals (e.g., Nightwatch monitor) that attract and trap bedbugs. Specially trained dogs are reported to detect bedbugs with 97 percent accuracy and are able to differentiate live bedbugs and viable eggs from debris remaining from previous infestations.41 Vacuuming is a highly effective method for removing bedbugs, but not eggs because these adhere to surfaces.42 High-efficiency particulate air filters eliminate bedbug allergens and debris.42 Nonchemical treatments include petroleum jelly (which can be applied to legs of furniture to prevent bedbugs from ascending), heating, and freezing (see Table 36 for effective killing temperatures).
Bed bugs occur around the world. Before the 1950s about 30% of houses in the United States had bedbugs. Rates of infestations in developed countries, while decreasing from the 1930s to the 1980s, have increased dramatically since the 1980s. Before the 1980s they were common in the developing world but rare in the developed world. The increase in the developed world may have been caused by increased international travel, resistance to insecticides, and the use of new pest-control methods that do not affect bed bugs.
The likelihood of bed bugs increases if the affected individual has been traveling, or if they have acquired used beds or furnishings before symptoms started to appear. Bed bugs also are suspect if you wake up with itchy welts you did not have when you went to sleep. It’s important to recognize, however, that not all bite-like reactions are due to bed bugs. Confirmation requires finding and identifying the bed bugs, shed skins, fecal spots, etc., which often requires the help of a professional. (Other possible sources of irritation that may be mistaken for bed bugs are discussed in University of Kentucky entomology fact sheet ENT-58, Invisible Itches: Insect and Non-Insect Causes).
High there I’ve been looking on the net for a while now about pictures on the marks I have now I know full well bed bug bites come on the arms, neck, face etc but I have marks on my chest, stomach, arms, legs, and a couple on my face but the thing is some of them look like zits but the others don’t and they keep coming I do in fact have sensitive skin too but people think I’m crazy because of my speculation to bed bugs I do feel pricks on my skin so its not just because I have sensitive skin there’s something else that’s making it go so much more crazy but I do know better some of the marks has an blood mark others with swelling others with swelling with the blood mark on the tip top as an example the marks many of them look like the (Many Small Bite Marks) picture but all over my body. please help I’m losing a lot of sleep because of this ordeal.
Apply as a coarse, low-pressure spray to harborage areas including crevices, baseboards, loose plaster, behind bed frames and headboards, beneath beds and furniture, and to bedsprings and bed frames. After removal of bed linens, apply Transport Mikron to mattress and boxsprings. Apply to tufts, edges, seams and folds (do not spray clothes or bed linens). Your may apply it to furniture, but not to areas where there is direct access to seating or arm placements. Infested bed linens should not be treated, but should be removed, placed in sealed plastic bags, and taken for laundering and drying at high temperatures.
Every morning, even after countless treatments of our bed and linens, I wake up with 20-30 new bites. I react extremely strongly to them, they can swell as big as a half dollar, and they itch sO badly I often end up ripping them open, leaving them prone to infection. I’m now a diagnoses anemic, which the doctor is sure is because of the number of bites…they are literally eating me alive…and killing me.
Often, bedbug bites are clustered along lines usually following arms and legs. Theories range from the idea that bedbugs are feeding along blood vessels to the idea that bedbugs remain with their bodies touching the bedding while they feed, and the bugs are left to feed only along lines where the skin is touching the bedding in just the right manner.
We have bedbugs. They are all over the house. In all of the rooms. My daughter feels that it would be safer to sleep outside than in this house. My son has really sensitive skin and the bedbugs love to attack him. One night he just kept twisting and turning because he must have been itching. We have had to get rid of all of our beds and have had to sleep on the floor. The floor is safer than the beds but not by much. The bedbugs seem to be everywhere. On the walls, on the floor, with you, or in your beds. We have tried many things so if anyone has any advice, it would be very much appreciated.
The bed bug is a universal problem yet it can be dealt with on a regular basis. used items and new items carry bed bugs. always wash and dry for 20 min. ( its the heat that kills the bug). bed pillows need to be washed and dried on a regular basis and the beds head board are full of body skin cells that attract the bugs. a good old cleaning with vaccum and wipe down is needed. keep your vac cleaned and bag empty after each use, the bugs are in the vac.
Summer means more time outdoors–and more opportunity for annoying critters to bite you. Most of the time, all you’ll get is a little red bump with itching and maybe a little swelling. These insect bite symptoms can be treated easily with anti-itch creams and over-the-counter antihistamines. Occasionally, bites can cause allergic reactions that lead to severe swelling and shortness of breath; if that happens to you this season, you need to be seen by a doctor.
I too feel hopeless about the bed bugs, I clean scrub and now have noticed them on the mattress, walls, picture frames and just the other day on my laptop!! I’ve tried so hard to get rid of these animals and haven’t been able too, my arms and hands feel like I have small pox these things can get really annoying the itching never stops I’ve tried aloe and calamine and it’s just getting worse. I’ve spent sleepless nights looking for them and I haven’t been able to get rid of them
The diagnosis of a bedbug infestation should be based on the clinical history and appearance of bites. A thorough inspection of sleeping quarters by the patient, a family member, or a pest control expert may demonstrate the telltale signs of an infestation15 (i.e., specks of blood-tinged insect feces and exoskeleton casts [Figure 5]). With the aid of a magnifying glass, special attention should be given to cracks and crevices of furniture, baseboards, electrical boxes, curtains, carpet, luggage, bed frames and headboards, picture frames, wall hangings, mattress and box spring seams, peeling wall paper, clothes, and linens.37 Live bedbugs can sometimes be caught by turning on a flashlight just before dawn, when bedbugs are most active, larger in appearance, and slower to scatter because of recent feeding.40
They’re just redbugs or chiggers.. I get them every year. I’ve lived here in SC my whole life and I have to deal with em every year about this time (late spring/early summer). Do not scratch them ! otherwise, you’ll get a nasty spreading rash ……… use alcohol or hydrocortisone cream …….don’t scratch, I know it’s hard ! you’re daughter probably has the most sensitive skin, hence the worst reaction to the bites.
First and foremost I think the wisest course of action to take is to get rid of your bed. the whole shebang…the mattress and box spring and all your linens, blankets, pillows and articles of clothing you use to lay in bed with (robes, pajamas and underwear). It’s just not worth it. Get a temporary air mattress for a few weeks if need be. You will be better off in the long run.
Bed bug bites do not typically require treatment. It is best to clean the bite site(s) with soap and water and avoid scratching so as to prevent secondary infection. Progressive swelling, warmth, tenderness and sometimes (albeit rarely) fever may be signs of secondary infection, which should be managed with antibiotics as appropriate. Much more common are complaints of itching. For how to treat bed bug bites that cause severe itching, topical steroid creams or oral antihistamines may offer relief from itching and thus decrease the risk of infecting the bite site.
Oh, I just killed one crawling up my arm as I’m typing right now and it was filled with MY blood!!!…I don’t know what to do or where to turn…I’m a senior citizen and I am on a limited income so I can’t spend alot of money on this….I am so discouraged and sleep deprived that before I started typing this I sobbed for at least an hour…I cam covered in bed bug bites and treatment is not working anymore. I live in an apartment complex for people 65 and older and someone came down the hall and knocked on my door and ask me if I was alright…I just said I was having a bad night which is an understatement!!!
Prior to World War II, infestations of bedbugs were common; however, after the widespread introduction of the use of the insecticide DDT in the mid-20th century, bedbug infestations became much less common. The recent resurgence in infestations of bedbugs worldwide is thought to be related to several different factors, including the increase in international travel, dense urban living conditions, insecticide resistance, and new, ineffective pest control measures.
Around the time I started getting bites, I noticed more and more neighbors throwing out mattresses, furniture… I got suspicious. We live in apartments. I react differently to different kinds of bites so I can always tell the difference between mosquitoes and ants and such. I didn’t know what those bites were until I caught one of the little hellions crawling across the sheets.
Bed bug bites occur most frequently while you’re asleep. As bed bugs bite they inject their victims with an anesthetic (as well as an anticoagulant), numbing the area and making it very rare for someone to wake up when bitten. Bites normally take a day or two to appear, although depending on your individual reaction they may be more visible sooner.
These blood suckers lock on to the carbon dioxide (CO2) release when sleeping. Once they have you, they head toward a warm part of your body and begin to bite. Two tubes are inserted into your body; one is used to inject a mixture of anticoagulant and anesthetic while the other is used to suck up your blood. You never notice the bites until you wake up and realize you were the main course!
Medicated shampoos–both over-the-counter and prescription–can help get rid of them, as can combing and re-combing your hair carefully and disposing of the critters. If you do get head lice, don’t share anything that goes on your head (including hats, brushes, headphones, or hair accessories), and make sure you clean bedding and clothing that could have been infested in hot water.
Our apartment is clean, but apparently this has little to do with it. We were told to put our dry clothes in the clothes dryer for 30 minutes at a high heat and bag them tightly, spray rubbing alchoha l92% to repel them from the bed , couch covers and seat cushions, as well as to dry our bedding, curtains, towels etc., and to remove the light covers from the plugs. They were reasonable (about$400 divided into monthly payments.)They will come twice, a month apart beginning two days from now, We’ve been vacuuming daily, and tightly securing debris. We were told that rubbing alcohol, sprayed in cushions and the bottom of shoes will repel them (92%). I was told that the most common place to pick them up is hospital and doctor’s waiting rooms. I write, and have a lot of boxed papers. I’ve emptied my drawers. I’m also not sure of what to do about my hanging paintings. I have enough problems right now, and just want this to end.
I have been divorced from my ex for 4 yrs now but remain friends with him and see him often. I recently learned that my ex in laws have a heavy bed bug infestation. My ex lives 3 houses away but is at his mothers every day as they are elderly. He has been dealing with the bugs and my ex’s petulance about the bugs. They have doctors appointments coming up and I wonder if they should tell the doctor about this. My ex has tried to get them to bathe more, treat the bites, wash the clothes but they act as if it is a big imposition to them. I have not asked him over since I found out about them and am reluctant to do so. Am I wrong in thinking that the ex in laws can spread them to others at the doctors office and is it possible for my ex to bring them here?
Wash all the clothing that you brought home in a washing machine. Even clothes that you didn't wear must be washed in hot water. If you cannot wash something in a washing machine, you can either place it in a hot dryer or seal the items in a plastic garbage bag. If you seal items in a garbage bag, leave the bag securely closed in an extremely cold or hot place for a few months. | <urn:uuid:c7466f06-ff40-489b-b923-a4aa3eab4925> | CC-MAIN-2018-47 | http://nobedbugs.net/bed-bugs-spray-near-me-bedbug.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-47/segments/1542039741176.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20181113000225-20181113022225-00326.warc.gz | en | 0.958807 | 4,310 | 2.796875 | 3 | {
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Based on the statistical data for regions of Ukraine with the use of cluster analysis by k-means classification of regions of Ukraine on the structure of consumption of basic foodstuffs. Analyzed the relationship between the structure of consumption and the level of economic security areas. To determine the factors that explain regional differences were found in the structure of food consumption the method of analysis of variance. The effect on the volume and structure of consumption in production of food, cash income, the cost of an average range of food items, as well as the proportion of the rural population in the region.
Keywords: food security, cluster analysis, regional differences, the consumption of basic foodstuffs.
- Osypova, O. I., 2014. Ranking of regions in Ukraine in terms of food security. Modeling and forecasting of socioeconomic processes: IV International Scientific and Practical Internet Conference of Young Scientists and Students (Kharkov, March 13-14, 2014), 4, pp. 45-48.
- Lukan’, L., Tsehlyk, H., 2009. Use of cluster analysis to assess the development of small business in the regions of Ukraine.Formation of a market economy in Ukraine, 19, pp. 73-80.
- Sokolova, L. V., Veryasova, H. M., Sokolov, O. Ye., 2011. Use of cluster analysis in practice companies. Management and Entrepreneurship in Ukraine: the stages of formation and development problems, pp. 240-246.
- Rayskaya, N. N., Serhyenko, Ya. V., Frenkel’, A. A., 2007. Statistical Issues, 5, pp. 3-9.
- Vitlins’kyy, V. V., Piskunova, O. V., 2010. Mathematical models and methods of market economy: tutorial. Kyiv: KNEU.
- Bayazitova, I. A., 2014. The grouping of regions of Ukraine in terms of threats to economic security. Modeling and forecasting of socio-economic processes: IV International Scientific and Practical Internet Conference of Young Scientists and Students (Kharkov, March 13-14, 2014), 4, pp. 70-74.
- Law of Ukraine “On food security”. 2011. № 4227 – VI. Kyiv: Holos Ukrayiny.
- Hoychuk, O. I., 2004. Food security. Zhytomyr: Polissya.
- Resolution “On approval of food sets, sets of sets of non-food products and services for major social and demographic groups”. 2000. № 656. Kyiv: Holos Ukrayiny.
- Osaulenko, O. H., 2013. Statistical Yearbook of Ukraine for 2012. Kyiv: State Statistics Service of Ukraine. 11. Bureeva, N.N., 2007. Multivariate statistical analysis using the software package “STATISTICA”. Educational and methodological materials on training program “Application software in research and teaching of mathematics and mechanics”. Nizhny Novgorod.
- Nakonechnyy, S. I., Tereshchenko, T. O., Romanyuk, T. P., 2006. Econometrics: Tutorial. fourth ed. Kyiv: KNEU. | <urn:uuid:61e7595c-96b2-47b8-8f90-dcc972e77987> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | http://bulletin-econom.univ.kiev.ua/archives/1896 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886104204.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20170818005345-20170818025345-00004.warc.gz | en | 0.807992 | 699 | 2.515625 | 3 | {
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Could 2009 be the year the United States of America starts to go subprime? Just as subprime mortgages wrecked the economy in 2008, 2009 might be the year we begin to see problems associated with the debt that funds our nation’s $10-trillion deficit. If we look to Civil War history we may be able to avert the looming problems.
Although the Federal Reserve did not cause the subprime crisis, it was the ultimate source of excess money for subprime home mortgages as well as much of the money used to finance our national debt. The Federal Reserve creates money out of thin air, with a few strokes of a computer keyboard, and uses the money for U.S. banking operations as well as financing the federal debt and various economic stimulus programs. If you and I were to create money, it would be called counterfeiting. When the Federal Reserve creates money, it’s called monetary policy.
The Fed’s monetary policy has been to create money, to crank up its “printing press.” As the Fed creates money, each dollar in circulation eventually falls in value. Prices then rise to compensate for the falling dollar. The purchasing power of the dollar has declined 87 percent since 1957, according to Niall Ferguson in his new book, “The Ascent of Money.”
In light of the Bush and Obama stimulus packages and growing deficit, it looks like there’s no end in sight to the Fed’s dollar-creation policy. Rather than paying off our national debt and cutting spending, we continue to create deficits and borrow money to finance the imbalances. We borrow from ourselves and foreign governments. The biggest domestic owner of federal-debt instruments, U.S. Treasury Bills and Bonds, is the Federal Reserve, which pays for these investments largely with its printing press. Foreign governments now hold about $3 trillion in U.S. debt obligations with China and Japan accounting for approximately 47 percent of that amount.
Can you see the problem brewing here? Even though the dollar has strengthened a bit lately, would you want to loan the U.S. federal government money at today’s paltry rates of one to three percent if you thought there was a good chance you would lose money due to the Fed’s monetary policy? Fortunately, foreign nations have been willing to loan us funds, but how long can we count on them in light of monetary risk?
We have to give bondholders a better deal. History may be our guide.
Niall Ferguson tells the Civil War-era story of the startup Confederate States of America and their “cotton bonds.” In order to entice Europe to loan it money to conduct the war, the South sought to assure its creditors that it would repay them with something of value rather than paper money that could be printed like Monopoly cash. The rebels backed their bonds with a valuable commodity: cotton. Because cotton was in high demand, the bonds doubled in value at one point during the war. With the Union’s blockade of New Orleans, the South couldn’t export its cotton and the value of its bonds, and its ability to sell more of them, plummeted. The South resorted to the printing press to pay for its goods and hyperinflation set in. Ferguson says that the North’s success in blockading the port of New Orleans was more important than its decisive victory at Vicksburg in bringing down the South.
In addition to the economic strategy of winning the Civil War, there’s something else of value in this story. Bonds backed by a revenue stream redeemable in a valuable commodity give investors additional incentive for loaning money.
The Obama administration may want to consider the consequences of paying our creditors with dollars that are likely to fall in value. At the rate that the Federal Reserve has been expanding the money supply over the past several years, those dollars could decline in value quickly.
The new government may want to be prepared to issue a new type of bond, a debt security backed by our vast untapped resources of oil and new sources of energy. A strategy could be worked out that would allow private industry to thrive while generating energy-related revenue to fund the debt securities. Such a plan would also help to keep our dollar strong, generate high-paying private sector energy jobs, tax revenue and reduce our reliance on foreign energy. Would any administration seriously consider this idea? Probably not. But it’s not a bad idea to be prepared if foreign countries shun our current form of debt.
We need to pay our creditors with a currency that holds its value. As we look forward to a happy new year, let us consider history to bring about a bright future. | <urn:uuid:d3c4bfc8-777c-44f0-ac57-67c116398e40> | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | http://www.visionandvalues.org/2009/01/qfedq-up-money-lessons-for-the-new-year/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267867095.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20180624215228-20180624235228-00314.warc.gz | en | 0.957168 | 966 | 2.75 | 3 | {
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You have a disk that you want to use with Windows. You need to format it: What file-system do you use?
A file-system specifies exactly how files are laid out on a hard disk. In other words it defines, in conjunction with the registry, where the computer would go to find files and folders stored on the disk and how the computer locates the data on the hard disk associated with the files and folders that it finds. With the Windows XP and Vista operating systems you have a choice between 2 file-systems:
(“File Allocation Table, 32 bit version”) is an upgraded version of its predecessors FAT16, and FAT12, which dates back to the 1970s.
One of the limitations of FAT32 is that a single file can be no greater than 1 byte short of 4 gigabytes.
It also has fairly lax security: Any experienced hacker should be able to easily bypass any security mechanisms and protocols with nothing more than a DOS script.
(“New Technology File System”) appeared with Windows NT in the early 1990s.
Among other things its file size limit is 2 terabytes or 2,048 gigabytes; 512 times greater than with FAT32.
Its security is pretty sturdy, and even many experienced hackers have extreme difficulty getting past security mechanisms and protocols used with this file-system.
The decision seems pretty clear-cut, judging from the above.
Should You Switch?
What if you’ve already formatted in FAT32 and added data to the disk? Have you read this article too late? Will you need to back it all up and reformat the disk in NTFS?
The answer to that is, unless you are a professional geek and extremely security-conscious and/or are using the disk in a fully-professional capacity, then no. For the average user there is a much simpler method…
A little computer magic, courtesy of Microsoft: Open a Windows Command Prompt and enter the following command. (Here I’m assuming that the drive-letter assigned to the drive in question is E: If it’s another letter then replace E: below with the appropriate drive letter.):-
CONVERT E: /FS:NTFS
The conversion utility will convert your file system to NTFS with no data loss. Once the drive is formatted as NTFS everything will work as before. Microsoft’s library article on the subject can be found here. Also see this article for a further explanation.
The outcome is, nevertheless, a little less than if you were to have backed up everything and reformatted the disk in NTFS. This will not normally be a problem for the average user, and normally will go unnoticed. If you are not an average user then click here . | <urn:uuid:93dad0d7-6539-46e3-96cd-28a7e030c73b> | CC-MAIN-2017-39 | https://www.pcmech.com/article/fat32-or-ntfs/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-39/segments/1505818689192.26/warc/CC-MAIN-20170922202048-20170922222048-00373.warc.gz | en | 0.927312 | 575 | 3.09375 | 3 | {
"raw_score": 2.1150808334350586,
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NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT - Inscription on British Coins
Most of the inscriptions on British coins is in Latin. We are frequently asked their meanings, and also where they are found.
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit, is the motto of the Order of the Thistle, and means "No one provokes me with impunity."
The Order of the Thistle
The Order of the Thistle represents the highest honour in Scotland, and it is second only in precedence to the Order of the Garter.
The date of the foundation of the Order is not known, although legend has it that it was founded in 809 when King Achaius made an alliance with the Emperor Charlemagne.
It is possible that the Order may have been founded by James III (1488-1513), who was responsible for changes in royal symbolism in Scotland, including the adoption of the thistle as the royal plant badge. It is said that James V bestowed the insignia of the 'Order of the Burr or Thissil' on Francis I of France in 1535.
Around the time of the Reformation, the Order was discontinued.
Although some kind of Scottish Order of chivalry existed in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, or even much earlier, it was James II (James VII of Scotland) who established the Order with a statutory foundation under new rules in 1687 - to reward Scottish peers who supported the king's political and religious aims. (One statute required that the robe should be 'powdered over with thistles of gold'; a robe from that period still survives, scattered with more than 250 applied thistle motifs.) The statutes stated that the Order was 'to continue to consist of the Sovereign and twelve Knights-Brethren in allusion to the Blessed Saviour and his Twelve Apostles'.
After James II (and VII)'s abdication in 1688, the Order fell into disuse once more until it was revived by Queen Anne in 1703 - the number of knights remained at 12. Despite the rebellions of 1715 and 1745, the Old and Young Pretenders (Prince James and Prince Charles 'Bonnie Prince Charlie') appointed Knights of the Thistle (and Garter) in their exiles. The early Hanoverian kings also made use of the Order to reward Scottish nobles who supported the Hanoverian and Protestant cause.
Interest in the Order revived when George IV wore the Thistle during his visit to Scotland in 1822. A statute of 1827 established the complement of Knights Brethren at 16, and in 1987 a statute enabled ladies to join the Order. (Extra knights may be created by special statute.) In 1962, King Olav V of Norway became the first foreigner to be admitted to the Order for over 200 years.
The patron saint of the Order is St Andrew (also the patron saint of Scotland), who appears on the Order's badge. The breast star of the Order, instituted by George I in 1714, consists of a silver saltire with a pointed ray between each of the arms of the cross: at the centre is a gold medallion contained in an enamelled representation of the thistle, surrounded by a green border on which the Order's motto is written in gold. The motto is 'Nemo me impune lacessit' (No one harms me with impunity).
The chapel for the Order was to be at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where James II had issued instructions in 1687 for the Abbey Church to be converted into the Chapel Royal and the Chapel of the Order. However, the political situation deteriorated and, by the time it was ready for use in December 1688, the furnishings and the stalls of the Chapel had been destroyed by a rioting mob. It was not until 1911 that the Order had a chapel, adjacent to St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, in which its services and ceremonies could be held. When practicable, and when there is to be the installation of a new knight, a service of the Order is held each year during the week spent by The Queen at Holyrood.
It has occured to us that there is a modern day equivalent, probably American is origin, which we seem to recall hearing in a number of US films. We are slightly reluctant to repeat it here in full, but are sure most readers wil be able to reconstruct it - "Don't F*** With Me".
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Follow this link to more numismatic articles | <urn:uuid:e86577ab-e9f6-4f3f-8e94-8a43d3fc2933> | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | https://www.chards.co.uk/blog/nemo-me-impune-lacessit/533/713 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610704821253.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20210127055122-20210127085122-00106.warc.gz | en | 0.967475 | 954 | 2.796875 | 3 | {
"raw_score": 2.668480634689331,
"reasoning_level": 3,
"interpretation": "Strong reasoning"
} | History |
New Study Shows No Evidence of Groundwater Contamination From Fracking, But Doesn
Despite claims of polluted drinking water because of fracking throughout the United States, a new study shows little or no evidence of groundwater contamination as a result of the gas extraction method. The study, released Feb. 16 by the Energy Institute at The University of Texas at Austin, found that many concerns associated with hydraulic fracturing (such as groundwater contamination) are related to processes common to all oil and gas drilling operations.
The study examines evidence from reports of groundwater contamination in three prominent hydraulic fracturing sites—the Barnett Shale in North Texas, the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania, New York and portions of Appalachia, and the Haynesville Shale in western Louisiana and northeast Texas. Released at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Vancouver, British Columbia, the study shows that many reports of contamination of groundwater aren’t unique to fracking, but can be traced back to spills above-ground or mishandling or wastewater.
“I think we refuted the sense that hydrofracking liquid was going to leak up into the shallow groundwater that people drink,” said Charles Groat, an Energy Institute associate director who led the project.
Hydrofracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a controversial method of natural gas extraction in which a mixture of water, sand, and some 336 chemicals are pumped into the ground to fracture shale deposits 5,000-20,000 feet below the surface, releasing gas for collection. Many environmental groups believe the water, sand, and chemical mixture can contaminate groundwater—possibly threatening local water supplies.
Though the report disproved these claims, Groat stressed that shale gas development has the potential to contaminate water in other ways.
“If there was a spill on the surface, if there was a casing failure, if there was a leak in the wastewater pond…the potential there for those flows to get into water is more worrisome than the hydrofracking itself,” he said.
The report’s findings may or may not conflict with an Environmental Protection Agency investigation of the Pavillion, WY, groundwater. In the draft report of the investigation published in December, the EPA found that “samples taken from the Agency’s deep monitoring wells in the aquifer indicates detection of synthetic chemicals, like glycols and alcohols consistent with gas production and hydraulic fracturing fluids, benzene concentrations well above Safe Drinking Water Act standards and high methane levels,” according to an agency press release. The new Energy Institute report suggests contamination like this could be caused by above-ground spills or other accidents of shale gas development instead of fracking.
Two days before the new study's release, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that natural-gas drillers will be required by federal rules to inspect their wells after hydraulic fracturing on public land to ensure drinking water has not been contaminated, according to Bloomberg. But because of the Energy Institute's findings, it's likely proposed federal laws will face further scruitiny from House Republicans.
Though his team's findings could be considered positive, Groat isn’t concerned about gas companies using the report to promote the industry and stop regulations.
“I think that if they read the report and really look at the evidence, they’ll see that we haven’t said there’s no problem with shale gas development. The problems shale gas development faces are much like the problems conventional gas companies face,” Groat said.
In addition to assessing groundwater contamination concerns, the report identifies regulations related to shale gas development and analyzes public perceptions of hydraulic fracturing using popular media, scientific literature, and an online survey of residents in the Barnett Shale area. The survey found that, of 1500 respondents, 40 percent believed fracking was negative for the environment.
The Energy Institute funded the study and the Environmental Defense Fund assisted in developing its scope and methodology.
In a blog post published Feb. 16, Scott Anderson, Environmental Defense Fund's senior policy advisor, noted the lack of evidence of groundwater contamination from fracking, but added that that doesn't mean contamination is impossible. | <urn:uuid:4b999db9-34cb-47b8-ab03-fe310c973f5d> | CC-MAIN-2014-15 | http://www.audubonmagazine.org/articles/blog/new-study-shows-no-evidence-groundwater-contamination-fracking-doesn | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-15/segments/1398223202457.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20140423032002-00211-ip-10-147-4-33.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934746 | 847 | 3.0625 | 3 | {
"raw_score": 3.050697088241577,
"reasoning_level": 3,
"interpretation": "Strong reasoning"
} | Science & Tech. |
Bonds are fundamentally different from stocks, and investors count on the different ways that they react to changing conditions in the economic environment. The primary value of bonds is that they offer a predictable stream of future cash flow to investors, and the companies that issue bonds offer incentives in the form of interest payments in exchange for investors' commitment to lend them money. Yet the one thing that most bonds fail to take into consideration is how price changes can affect the purchasing power of the future cash flows that bondholders receive from the borrower. Below, we'll look more closely at how inflation affects the bond market.
The direct impact: rising interest ratesThe typical bond offers a fixed stream of payments, consisting of interest only during the lifetime of the loan and repayment of principal at maturity. The challenge in valuing a bond is that although you know what a dollar is worth currently, you don't know exactly how valuable it might be in the future.
Continue Reading Below
The bond market builds expectations on inflation into their pricing models, and in general, bonds are priced to offer at least some real return on top of the projected inflation rate. Therefore, when inflation levels rise in a sustained manner, bond investors will demand a higher interest rate from the bonds they purchase in order to maintain a margin that will allow them to see their assets rise in purchasing power over time.
This has a couple of impacts. First, for existing bonds, higher prevailing interest rates in the bond market reduce the value of existing bonds that carry lower rates. Secondly, when issuers come to market to offer new bonds, they have to pay more in interest in order to find investors willing to lend to them. This combination is generally unattractive, and it explains why central banks are typically reluctant to let inflation send prices higher unchecked.
Second-order impactsIn addition to the immediate impact on interest rates, inflation also tends to lead to reduced bond issuance, restricting the amount of capital available to businesses and putting a drag on economic growth. For instance, in recent years, interest rates have been at rock-bottom levels, and hundreds of companies have taken advantage by locking in low financing costs through issuing longer-term bonds than they might otherwise have typically done. Conversely, higher interest rates from inflation make it more expensive for businesses to borrow.
Finally, high inflation levels spur interest in inflation-indexed bonds. These specialty bonds base their payments not on a fixed face value but rather on a maturity value that rises or falls depending on a particular inflation gauge. The size of the inflation-indexed bond market is tiny compared to that of traditional bonds, but when nominal rates are high, indexing bonds to inflation looks more attractive to borrowers.
Bond investors typically don't like inflation, because the disruptions inflation causes are harmful to the value of the stream of payments that traditional bonds make. Nevertheless, inflation is a constant threat, so knowing how to handle it is crucial in order to be successful with your bond investing.
This article is part of The Motley Fool's Knowledge Center, which was created based on the collected wisdom of a fantastic community of investors. We'd love to hear your questions, thoughts, and opinions on the Knowledge Center in general or this page in particular. Your input will help us help the world invest, better! Email us firstname.lastname@example.org. Thanks -- and Fool on!
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Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. | <urn:uuid:9584e966-38f4-4a55-ada0-9c9bcdd0c721> | CC-MAIN-2019-13 | https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/the-effects-of-inflation-on-the-bond-market | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912205600.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20190326180238-20190326202238-00402.warc.gz | en | 0.943065 | 773 | 2.828125 | 3 | {
"raw_score": 2.9195475578308105,
"reasoning_level": 3,
"interpretation": "Strong reasoning"
} | Finance & Business |
Neurostimulation: What is being said in the media and academic literature?
News May 25, 2014
A new report by IRCM ethics experts raises important questions and concerns about tDCS
Over the past several decades, neurostimulation techniques such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have gradually gained favour in the public eye. In a new report, published yesterday in the prestigious scientific journal Neuron, IRCM ethics experts raise important questions about the rising tide of tDCS coverage in the media, while regulatory action is lacking and ethical issues need to be addressed.
TDCS is a non-invasive form of neurostimulation, in which constant, low current is delivered directly to areas of the brain using small electrodes. Originally developed to help patients with brain injuries such as strokes, tDCS is now also used to enhance language and mathematical ability, attention span, problem solving, memory, coordination, and even gaming skills. Recently, states the report, tDCS has caused excitement in the lay public and academia as a ''portable, painless, inexpensive and safe'' therapeutic and enhancement device.
"Despite these claims, the effects of tDCS are hard to predict," explains Eric Racine, PhD, Director of the Neuroethics research unit at the IRCM who supervised the research project. "The safety and efficacy of tDCS have only been demonstrated in controlled laboratory settings and, without supervision, the use of tDCS for enhancement might cause serious adverse effects such as temporary respiratory paralysis."
The report shows the amount of publicly-available information on tDCS has increased dramatically in recent years, both in academic literature and print media articles. IRCM researchers analyzed the available information and found a considerable mismatch in tone and focus between academic and print media articles.
While academic articles focused on therapeutic and investigative uses of tDCS, discussions in print media articles mainly concentrated on potential enhancement uses, as well as therapeutic applications. In addition, media discussions have been optimistic, with little information concerning ethical issues, therapeutic limitations, or side effects that could result from widespread use, whereas academic articles usually involved a more balanced discourse.
"We encountered strong and potentially misleading statements about the real-world effects and applications of tDCS in print media headlines," says Veljko Dubljevic, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the IRCM's Neuroethics research unit and first author of the report. "In our entire sample of media articles, only 3.5 per cent advised caution or mentioned the possibility of adverse effects."
Given the nature of tDCS and the lack of oversight governing its use, the report explains that academic and print media discourse could shape the public's risk-benefit perceptions, impact the uptake of this technology, and, consequently, lead to negative implications for ethical and regulatory oversight.
"With the rapid evolution of tDCS in the public domain and in academia, we recommend three areas of action to tackle the social, ethical and policy implications," adds Dr. Dubljevic. "First, to curtail misunderstandings about tDCS, professional societies, researchers and government agencies should work toward increasing neuroscientific literacy by providing objective neutral data to the media and the public. Second, tDCS devices, as well as their marketing and manufacturing standards, need to be monitored and regulated. Training and licensing procedures should also be considered. Finally, we believe that physicians and other clinicians should become actively engaged in the discussion about ethical, clinical and policy aspects of tDCS."
"The current regulatory gap means that tDCS is readily available as a service, product, or even a homemade device, in many countries without any guidance being provided by policy makers," concludes Dr. Racine. "A response to the policy and regulatory aspects of tDCS is urgently needed."
Note: Material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.
Veljko Dubljevic, Victoria Saigle, Eric Racine. The Rising Tide of tDCS in the Media and Academic Literature. Neuron, Published May 21 2014. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2014.05.003
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Researchers have identified a new inherited neurodevelopmental disease that causes slow growth, seizures and learning difficulties in humans.READ MORE | <urn:uuid:b5fc9b25-7fc0-47ef-aa88-04a604a596c3> | CC-MAIN-2018-22 | https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/neurostimulation-what-being-said-media-and-academic-literature-282213 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-22/segments/1526794865691.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20180523161206-20180523181206-00319.warc.gz | en | 0.932977 | 978 | 2.578125 | 3 | {
"raw_score": 3.111405849456787,
"reasoning_level": 3,
"interpretation": "Strong reasoning"
} | Health |
Jacqueline Spafford and Jeffrey Klee, SAHARA Co-Editors | Aug 06, 2018
This month we look at the architecture of incarceration, and again can see the breadth of interests and scope of travel of SAHARA contributors. This is a small selection of the images of jails, prisons, sanitoria, and detention centers in the SAHARA collection.
To see more, visit SAHARA: http://sahara.artstor.org/library/portals/SAHARA/rloginSAH.html
To learn more about contributing to SAHARA, visit:http://www.sah.org/publications-and-research/sahara
The doors to slave cells at Elmina Castle, Ghana. Elmina Castle was built ca 1482 under the Portuguese and was a hub of the West African slave trade. Photo by Louis Nelson, 2010.
Allegheny County Courthouse and Jail, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Detail of Grant St. entrance. Designed by H.H. Richardson, 1888. Photo by J.W. Taylor, ca. 1890s (photo from the Ryerson & Burnham Archives at the Art Institute of Chicago).
Jail, Tin Cup, Colorado, ca 1880s. A site of seasonal mining until lode deposits were discovered in 1878; by 1880 the town had 1,495 residents, and by 1918 when the mines were exhausted it was virtually closed down. Photo by Dell Upton, ca. 1980.
Calton Gaol at Governor’s House, Edinburgh, Scotland. Designed by Archibald Elliot, 1815-17.Photo by Hollyamber Kennedy, 2017.
Bathurst Gaol, New South Wales, Australia. Designed by James Barnet and opened in 1888.Photo by Dell Upton, 1990.
Kings County Jail (aka The Bastille), Hanford, California.The jail was built 1897-98, and used until 1964.Photo by Dell Upton, 2008.
Robben Island Prison, Namibian political prisoners’ mass cell.The prison, off Cape Town, South Africa, was established in the 17th century to confine political prisoners; it later served as a military base and leper colony, and again as a prison from 1963 to 1996.Photo by Dell Upton, 1997.
Interior of Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin, Ireland. The jail opened in 1796 (the wing pictured opened in 1861) and closed in 1929; it was restored in the 1960s. Photo by Lara Otis, 2007.
Convict Mess Hall at Cockatoo Island, Sydney Harbor, Australia.The prison was active 1839 through 1869, when it was converted to an industrial school and reformatory for girls; it also served as a shipbuilding yard from 1869 until its closure in 1992.Photo by Dell Upton, 2015. | <urn:uuid:a7681fcc-e655-4c83-a223-82fd52dc7cb3> | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | https://www.sah.org/about-sah/news/news-detail/2018/08/06/sahara-highlights-prisons-and-jails | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764499816.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20230130101912-20230130131912-00336.warc.gz | en | 0.95016 | 597 | 2.796875 | 3 | {
"raw_score": 2.0291152000427246,
"reasoning_level": 2,
"interpretation": "Moderate reasoning"
} | Art & Design |
AMD’s Navi and NVIDIA’s Turing (used to) power the latest GPUs from Teams Red and Green, respectively, The Radeon Navi cards are based on the RDNA architecture which is a complete reimagining of AMD’s approach to gaming GPUs with low latencies and high clocks. NVIDIA’s RTX 20 series “Turing” GPUs, on the other hand, aren’t that different from the preceding Pascal GPUs in terms of design, but they do add a couple of new components crucial for “Tur(n)ing RTX On”.
In this post, we compare the latest NVIDIA and AMD GPU architectures namely Turing and Navi:
Navi 10 is codename of the GPUs based on the RDNA uarch while TU102 is the codename of the GPUs based on the Turing uarch.
AMD Navi vs NVIDIA Turing : Introduction
In simple terms, both NVIDIA and AMD’s GPU architectures consist of the same components which perform more or less the same operations. You’ve got the GPU containing execution units, fed by the schedulers and dispatchers. Then there is the cache memory connecting the GPU to the graphics memory and post-processing units, Texture Units, Render Output Units and Rasterizers performing the last set of operations before sending the data to the display.
If you magnify the above image and have a closer look at the execution units, the cache hierarchy, and the graphics pipelines, that’s where everything becomes complicated:
AMD Navi vs NVIDIA Turing GPU Architectures: SM vs CU
One of the main differences between NVIDIA and AMD’s GPU architectures is with respect to the cores/shaders and Compute Units (NVIDIA calls it SM or Streaming Multiprocessor). NVIDIA’s shaders (execution units) are called CUDA cores while AMD uses stream processors.
CUDA Cores vs Stream Processors: Super-scalar & Vector
AMD’s GPUs are vector-based processors while NVIDIA’s architecture is super-scalar in nature. While in theory, the former leverages the SIMD execution model and the latter relies on SIMT, the practical differences are few. In an AMD SIMD, there will always be room for 32 work items regardless of how many threads are executed per cycle. There might be 12, 15, 20, 25, or 30 threads being issued by an application per cycle, but the model supports 32 at a native level. Overall, the work is issued per CU in the form of waves, each containing 32 items.
With an NVIDIA SM, unless there’s no more work left, all the 128 work-queues (32 threads x 4) will always be saturated no matter which application is being used. Here the threads are independent of one another and can yield or converge with threads from other SMs as needed. This is one of the primary advantages of using a super-scalar architecture. The level of parallelism is retained and the utilization is also better.
One NVIDIA Turing SM has FP32 cores, INT32, and two tensor cores. There’s also the load/store, Special function unit, the warp scheduler, and dispatch. Like Volta, it takes two cycles to execute instructions (one INT and one FP). There are separate cores for INT and FP compute, and they work in tandem. As such, NVIDIA’s Turing SMs can execute both floating-point and integer instructions per cycle. This is NVIDIA’s implementation of Asynchronous Compute. While it’s not exactly the same thing, the purpose of both technologies is to improve GPU utilization.
AMD’s Dual CUs, on the other hand, consist of four SIMDs, each containing 32 shaders or execution lanes. There are no separate shaders for INT or FP, and as a result, the Navi stream processors can run either FP or INT per cycle. However, unlike the older GCN design, the execution happens every cycle, greatly increasing the throughput.
The reason behind this is that most games have short dispatches which weren’t able to fill the 4x 64 item queue of the GCN based Vega and Polaris GPUs. Furthermore, the four clock cycle execution made it even worse. With Navi, the one clock cycle execution greatly reduces this bottleneck, thereby increasing IPC by nearly 4x in some cases, putting the design efficiency on par with NVIDIA’s contemporary designs.
Turing vs Navi: Graphics and Compute Pipeline
In AMD’s Navi architecture, the Graphics Command Processor takes care of the standard graphics pipeline (rendering, pixel, vertex, and hull shaders) and the ACE (Asynchronous Compute Engine) issues Compute tasks via separate pipelines. These work along with the HWS (Hardware Schedulers) and the DMA (Direct Memory Access) to allow concurrent execution of compute and graphics workloads. Furthermore, there’s the geometry processor. It resolves complex geometry workloads including tessellation.
In Turing, the warp scheduler on an SM level and the Gigathread engine on the GPU level manage both Compute and graphics workloads. While concurrent compute isn’t the same as Async Compute, it functions similarly, with support for concurrent floating-point (mainly graphics) and integer (mainly compute) workloads.
Of Warps and Waves
In the case of AMD’s Navi, the workload items are issued in the form of a group of threads called waves. Each wave includes 32 threads (one for each shader in the SIMD), either compute or graphics and are sent to Dual Compute Units for execution. Since each CU has two SIMDs, it can handle two waves while a Dual Compute Unit can process four.
In NVIDIA’s case, the Gigathread Engine with the help of the Warp Schedulers manages thread scheduling. Each collection of 32 threads is called a warp. Each core (INT or FP) in an SM handles a warp. The threads in a warp originally didn’t on their own, but rather collectively. As such, a core could switch between different the warps available if there’s a stall.
Each thread doesn’t have a program counter, but a warp does. However, with Turing and Volta (and of course, Ampere), NVIDIA claims that each thread is independent and convergence is handled similar to Volta. Similar warp threads are grouped together into SIMT units and can yield or reconverge.
Green vs Red: Cache Hierarchy
With the new RDNA based Navi design, AMD has been rather generous with the cache memory. By adding another block of L1 cache between L2 and L0, the latency has significantly improved over GCN. The L0 cache is exclusive to a Dual Compute Unit while the L1 cache is shared between four DCUs. A larger block of 4MB L2 cache is accessible globally to each CU.
NVIDIA’s Turing L2 cache size is 50% larger than Navi but there’s no intermediate in between complementing the shader cache. The L1 cache is reconfigurable between shared memory and L1 as per workloads and there is one block of 96KB L1 cache per SM. The L2 cache is common across all SMs.
The main difference between shared memory and the L1 is that the contents of shared memory can be handled by the developer, whereas the L1 cache is automatically managed. Basically, shared memory gives developers more control over the GPU resources which is a core part of DX12.
Rasterizers, Tesselators and Texture Units
Other than the Execution Units, Cache and the Graphics Engines, there are a few other components such as the Rasterizers, Texture Units and Render Backend. The rasterizer converts the 3D scene into one pixels that can be displayed on a monitor or screen, in addition to Z-culling. After the pixel shader does its thing by assigning and interpolating the color to every pixel, the ROPs perform the late Z/stencil, depth and blending tests, and order the quads as per API order and finally send it out to the display as output.
Texture sampling consists of determining the target location of the textures along the two or three coordinates and thereby calculating the texture coordinate gradients. Then using these values the MIP map levels to be sampled are (texture size to be displayed at various points on the screen) determined with the specified LOD bias. The address modes (wrap/clamp/mirror etc) are then applied to the results to get the right position in the texture to sample from (in normalized [0,1] coordinates). Finally, the normalized coordinates are converted into fixed-point pixel coordinates to sample from and using the texture array index, we can now compute the address to read texels from and perform the mapping.
Each Compute Unit in the Navi GPUs (and Turing SM for NVIDIA) contains four TMUs. There are two rasterizers per shader engine for AMD and one for every GPC (Graphics Processing Cluster) in the case of the Turing GPU block. In AMD’s Navi, there are also RBs (Render Backends) that handle pixel and color blending, among other post-processing effects. On NVIDIA’s side, that’s handled by the ROPs.
In NVIDIA’s case, the tessellation, viewport transformation, vertex fetch and output stream is performed by the various units in the PolyMorph engine.AMD, on the other hand, has doubled down on that front by adding a geometry processor for culling unnecessary tessellation and managing geometry.
Process Nodes and Conclusion
There is another architectural difference between the NVIDIA Turing and AMD Navi GPU architectures with respect to the process node. While NVIDIA’s Turing TU102 die is much bigger than Navi 10, the number of transistors per unit mm2 is higher for the latter.
This is because AMD’s Navi architecture leverages the newer 7nm node from TSMC. NVIDIA, on the other hand, is still using the older 14nm process. Despite that though, NVIDIA GPUs are more energy-efficient than competing Radeon RX 5700 series graphics cards.
Thanks to the 7nm node, AMD has significantly reduced the gap but it’s still a testament to how efficient NVIDIA’s GPU architecture really is.
Video Encode and Decode
Both the Turing and Navi GPUs feature a specialized engine for video encoding and decoding.
In Navi 10 (RX 5600 & 5700), unlike Vega, the video engine supports VP9 decoding. H.264 streams can be decoded at 600 frames/sec for 1080p and 4K at 150 fps. It can simultaneously encode at about half the speed: 1080p at 360 fps and 4K at 90 fps. 8K decode is available at 24 fps for both HVEC and VP9.
For streamers, Turing had a big surprise. The Turing video encoder allows 4K streaming while exceeding the quality of the X264 encoder. 8K 30FPS HDR support is another sweet addition. This is an advantage over Navi only in theory though. No one streams at 8K.
Two more features that come with Turing are Virtual Link and NVLink SLI. The former combines the different cables needed to connect your GPU to a VR headset into one while the latter improves SLI performance by leveraging the high bandwidth of the NVLink interface.
VirtualLink supports up to four lanes of High Bit Rate 3 (HBR3) DisplayPort along with the SuperSpeed USB 3 link to the headset for motion tracking. In comparison, USB-C only supports four lanes of HBR3 DisplayPort or two lanes of HBR3 DisplayPort + two lanes SuperSpeed USB 3. | <urn:uuid:5f89a572-855a-4de5-99cf-3c27ece59d57> | CC-MAIN-2021-43 | https://www.hardwaretimes.com/amd-navi-vs-nvidia-turing-comparing-the-radeon-and-geforce-graphics-architectures/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-43/segments/1634323588284.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20211028100619-20211028130619-00049.warc.gz | en | 0.907803 | 2,477 | 2.53125 | 3 | {
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During the Revolution, a foundry in Salisbury Connecticut cast at least 837 iron cannon barrels - from swivels to 18 pounders and even mortars - to aid the patriot cause. Today, the Salisbury Association Historical Society is hoping to bring one of them back.
The Salisbury Furnace supplied Washington's army in 1776 with 40 cannon, some of which are thought to have been used by Henry Knox at the Battle of Trenton. Another 69 cannon were sent to the Northern Army between October 1776 and January 1777. Salisbury Cannon defended the Hudson Highlands, The Continental Frigates Hancock, Trumbull and Confederacy were armed with naval cannon produced in Salisbury, as were numerous privateers. Connecticut's militia and coastal fortifications also used Salisbury cannon, including at Fort Griswald during Arnold's Raid.
They were mass produced, with no record of any unique identifying marks, but neither is there any record of a Salisbury Cannon bursting when fired and they are believed to have been made with particular skill. A significant number may have survived the war, but tracing existing examples of American made Revolutionary War cannon back to Salisbury is a much more difficult question.
Aside from the absence of maker's marks, authentication presents a number of difficulties. Metallurgical analysis of cannonballs and other items made with Salisbury Iron that do not require samples of a size that would damage an artifact have not yielded a unique signature for Salisbury Iron, except that it is very high quality and contains a lot of manganese. Nonetheless, the Salisbury Association Historical Society is starting what many expect to be a lengthy process of researching and tracking down antique cannon which may have come from the northwest corner of Connecticut and I am delighted to be part of this Cannon Search project.
We will be working on compiling the physical characteristics of what are reputed to be surviving examples of Salisbury cannon, and documenting their provenance. We will also be trying to work our way forward from the time the cannons left the foundry. The Massachusetts-made frigate Hancock carried 22 Salisbury 12 pounders in her full compliment of 28 guns, and was captured by the British who bought her into their service as the Isis. We will be tracing her fate, and that of her ordinance. Many old guns were melted for scrap during the wars of the 20th century, but our hope is that we will be able to identify with a high degree of certainty whether a surviving cannon was made in Salisbury, and perhaps, if we are very fortunate, to be able to acquire one and bring it back to town. I will keep you abreast of developments, but suffice it to say I will be haunting various Revolutionary War battlefields and other relevant places for a long while to come with this as one of my objectives for being there. | <urn:uuid:c68dfd01-9167-4c0c-b4c4-8d58c8538937> | CC-MAIN-2016-30 | http://greensleeves.typepad.com/berkshires/2010/05/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-30/segments/1469258918071.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20160723072838-00198-ip-10-185-27-174.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972861 | 571 | 3.046875 | 3 | {
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A glance at the objects around you at home or work will reveal objects brought from across the world, from the bagged salad in your fridge (Kenya), to the computer or smartphone upon which you’re reading this article (Taiwan, China, the US), or the table upon which it rests (Sweden). The enormous volume of global trade that brings us products from all over the world has been made possible by a profound technological revolution occurring behind the scenes.
The world’s biggest container shipping firm, Maersk, estimates the cost of transporting an apple from a field in New Zealand to a cold store in Europe is eight US cents. Logistics experts talk of “landed costs”, the sum of all of the various costs associated with freight. There is also an environmental cost, of course, for example bringing vegetables from afar rather than from local farms. But the landed costs of many products have fallen such that it’s usually cheaper to transport many items halfway around the world than to produce them locally.
Much of this fall in costs comes from the efficiencies ushered in by containerisation which, since it was introduced in 1956, has had a greater effect on globalisation than all the trade agreements signed in the past 50 years.
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The largest container ships today, such as the CSCL Globe and MSC Oscar carry around 19,000 TEUs (20ft equivalent unit – a standard 40ft container is two TEUs). But ships are not likely to greatly grow beyond 20,000 TEUs for the foreseeable future – much as the Airbus A380, currently the world’s largest passenger aircraft carrying up to 853 passengers, is probably as big an aircraft as we will see. If a ship or aircraft is so big and expensive that nobody can operate it (in terms of costs and system constraints) then it’s of little use. So while there have been remarkable achievements in speed and scale, today it is the communication technology that links systems together that has the greatest logistical impact. | <urn:uuid:ad5e2a99-2b04-40e0-9401-12004d7c39c7> | CC-MAIN-2021-10 | https://agd-eu.org/2014/05/21/to-service-global-trade/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-10/segments/1614178365186.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20210303012222-20210303042222-00405.warc.gz | en | 0.906294 | 591 | 2.859375 | 3 | {
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Germany authorities are contemplating the return of nuclear fuel kept in 152 containers to the United States. A storage permit at the former Jülich research reactor facility in western Germany is nearing expiry.
The German DPA news agency said on Tuesday that Chancellor Angela Merkel's government was considering the "likely option" of sending leftover nuclear fuel back to the US. It would go specifically to the Savannah River reprocessing site in South Carolina.
In the wake of Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, Germany reaffirmed its plan to phase out German nuclear power generation by 2022 and switch to renewable methods such as solar and wind power generation.
Last week, the atomic supervisory agency of Germany's regional state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) ordered the removal of the fuel - 288,161 tennis-ball-sized units - from interim storage at Jülich by September under a safety concept to be submitted by the center.
Industry opted for other designs
The small but controversial "pebble" reactor, located between Aachen and Cologne, operated from 1967 until it was deactivated in 1988 - in a period when industry decided in favor of other nuclear plant designs.
In April, the German news magazine Spiegel reported that the dismantling of the Jülich "pebble" reactor was difficult because it was contaminated with cesium and strontium, making it one of the highest ever contaminated reactors.
Last week, the management at the Julich center, which has diversified into many other research fields, said in a research center statement that it had been unable so far to satisfy the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) that the fuel container store could withstand a "conceivable extreme earthquake" with a return period of 100,000 years. Consultants had been called in.
Storage permit nearing expiry
Approval for the current on-site storage expires on July 31.
DPA said Germany's federal research ministry was instrumental in the April signing of a statement-of-intent with the US Department of Energy for the fuel's return to the US.
The Department of Energy told DPA that the US was not obligated to take back the Jülich fuel but could do so to prevent the proliferation of nuclear-capable material.
'Systematic secrecy,' say Greens
On Tuesday, the spokeswoman of nuclear issues among opposition Greens in the German Bundestag parliament, Sylvia Kotting-Uhl, accused the federal research ministry of practicising systematic secrecy on the issue.
Greenpeace nuclear expert Heinz Smital said shipping the fuel would be too risky and would undermine a cross-party consensus turned into law in January that Germany must find its own geologically suitable disposal site rather than using one abroad.
The order to vacate the interim storage site [at Jülich] was an unlawful attempt by Germany to "discard its responsibility," Smital said.
US watchdog rejects Jülich leftovers
DPA quoted Tom Clements of the Organization Savannah River Site Watch as saying that it did not want foreign atomic waste in South Carolina. The "correct way for Germany" was to use its law to find its own local means of disposal, he said.
In 2010, former German environment minister Norbert Röttgen stopped the transfer of 951 fuel rods from a former East German research reactor to Majak in Russia. Those rods remain at another NRW interim storage site, Ahaus. | <urn:uuid:d8e318f6-2644-4950-8f1f-82f6a2803811> | CC-MAIN-2015-18 | http://www.dw.de/german-nuclear-fuel-to-usa/a-17767059?maca=en-rss-en-ger-1023-rdf | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-18/segments/1429246645538.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20150417045725-00261-ip-10-235-10-82.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958419 | 706 | 2.59375 | 3 | {
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"reasoning_level": 3,
"interpretation": "Strong reasoning"
} | Science & Tech. |
Mitochondrial Disease: Juliet's Story
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Juliet was diagnosed with an unknown form of mitochondrial disease as a baby. After years of tests and research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) discovered that she was the first patient in the world to have a rare form of mitochondrial disease caused by a mutation of the nuclear gene FBXL4. Identifying the specific gene mutation has helped physicians diagnose 80 more patients worldwide and has led to new research that will drive future breakthroughs.
When Juliet was born, she appeared to be a normal, healthy infant. But three days later, she started to show signs that something was wrong. She was very lethargic and wouldn’t eat, and her temperature dropped to 93 degrees.
Janice and Mike, Juliet’s parents, brought her to their local hospital, where the medical team stabilized her condition with IV fluids. When she was nursing again, she was cleared to go home.
“When Juliet was 4 to 5 months old, she began to miss the developmental milestones,” remembers Janice. “She wasn’t holding her head up, and she didn’t recognize voices.”
A visit to the pediatrician led to an appointment with a neurologist, where a blood test showed extremely high levels of lactic acid. This is an indication of mitochondrial disease, a condition in which mitochondria — which produce energy in cells — don’t function as they are supposed to. Depending on which cells have low-functioning mitochondria, the disease can cause a wide range of health problems, including fatigue, weakness, developmental disabilities, seizures, strokes, vision or hearing loss, growth and feeding difficulties, and serious problems with heart, liver or kidney function.
There are many types of mitochondrial disease, which are now known to result from mutations in nearly 300 different genes, and researchers are still working to identify them and develop tests for diagnosis. At the time, Juliet’s symptoms and lab tests didn’t match up with any of the known forms of the disease. She was diagnosed with presumed mitochondrial disease, but the family was searching for more specific answers.
Through her early childhood, Juliet continued to suffer from a series of medical problems. Her immune system didn’t have the energy to fight even the mildest diseases. What would be a minor cold for other children would send her to the hospital. She was unable to swallow solid food, had problems with digestion and difficulty gaining weight.
The family lives in the Philadelphia area, so they began to go to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for some of her treatment. There, Juliet came under the care of several different medical specialists, who helped her to manage her ongoing medical problems.
Among the doctors at CHOP who cared for Juliet was Marni Falk, MD, attending physician and Executive Director of the Mitochondrial Medicine Frontier Program. Dr. Falk was determined to understand the specific nature of Juliet’s disease so that treatment could be developed that was tailored to her unique needs.
Dr. Falk began digging deeper. With the family’s consent, she performed research testing on blood samples from Juliet and both parents that involved whole exome sequencing, a test in which lab personnel use high-tech machines to read and analyze the genetic code of all 20,000 genes. She also evaluated information from all of Juliet’s previous tests, including a muscle biopsy performed when she was 1 year old.
Juliet’s diagnosis wasn’t an easy or a fast process. Juliet didn’t have any of the chromosomal or obvious gene abnormalities associated with the types of mitochondrial disease that were known at the time. It took a massive effort to examine Juliet’s entire genome to look for other abnormalities that might be the cause of her disease. Dr. Falk was aided by academic researchers at other institutions. In the end, it took four years of studying her genetic data to find the needle in her genetic haystack, definitively pinpointing the faulty gene.
When she was 8, Juliet became the first patient in the world to be diagnosed with a rare form of mitochondrial disease caused by a mutation of the nuclear gene FBXL4. Since then, more than 80 additional cases have been identified worldwide.
“Knowing the specific mutation made a huge difference to us. It gave us hope. Now we can start from somewhere and look for effective treatment.”
Because Juliet is the first patient in the world diagnosed with an FBXL4 gene disorder, methods are still being explored to personalize her care. But it is important knowledge that is influencing additional research into new treatment options. Dr. Falk’s expertise in mitochondrial disease has also helped guide the rest of the medical team caring for Juliet.
To help further this research, Mike and Janice started the Juliet’s Cure Mitochondrial Research Fund at CHOP. The fund supports Dr. Falk’s research into effective therapies for patients with FBXL4 mitochondrial disease, which is expected to also have benefits for patients with other forms of mitochondrial disease. Discoveries may also have applications for other more common conditions in which a failure in mitochondrial functioning plays a role, including Alzheimer’s disease.
“CHOP has offered us hope toward treatment and even a cure for Juliet’s condition. That’s why supporting Dr. Falk’s research is so important to us.”
Juliet, now 13, has low muscle tone due to her disease, so she’s unable to sit, stand or walk without support, and she is unable to speak. Technology enables her to respond to questions in school through retinal eye reads on a special computer. She also communicates with her demeanor. She loves the special people in her life and the other children in her school, and shows it with her smiles and laughter and by reaching out for hugs.
“Juliet lights up a room with her smile and laughter,” says Janice. “The other kids love her. She’s happy to be alive, to have friends, to go to school, and she shows it.”
She loves to be read to by her parents. She has scores of favorite books and laughs at the funny parts. Juliet also loves craft projects. “Anything she can get her hands into and make something,” says Janice.
Sadly, Juliet has passed away. We will continue to fight for a cure. | <urn:uuid:6d282905-988e-40e6-9780-b18c0bc89623> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.chop.edu/stories/mitochondrial-disease-juliets-story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224655092.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20230608172023-20230608202023-00571.warc.gz | en | 0.974072 | 1,341 | 3.078125 | 3 | {
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A wedding is an event in which two individuals are legally united in matrimony. The wedding vows are written in Sanskrit and involve the pledge of love and devotion. Wedding traditions and customs greatly differ among cultures, religious groups, societies, and socio-economic classes. Matrimonial ceremonies are often arranged according to the social status of the couple.
Hindu marriages are arranged in a particular order, with the bride serving as the groom’s bridegroom. Hindu weddings follow a prescribed pattern, beginning with the decision of the bride and groom to wed. After this, there are several ceremonies that take place such as payment of marriage tax (Dahi Handi), exchange of rings (Raksha Bandhan), pouring out water (Kamalakshmi) and garlands (Chhatri), etc. There are different wedding traditions practiced by different Indian religions like Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, and Jainism.
In Hindu weddings, there is a prescribed order for the marriage ceremony followed by a prescribed groom and bride. The groom first offers thanks to Ganesha, the god of wealth, by wearing a blessed thread around his neck. Then the bride takes bath in milk and gets ready for the wedding ceremony. The groom then performs the ‘Vrittami Yatra’ by going through the steps of a pray, reciting a poem dedicated to Lord Ganesha, tying a garland around his waist, and finally getting married. This is believed to be the oldest ceremony among Hindus.
Muslim weddings also follow a prescribed pattern, but are much different in their own way. A wedding in a Muslim wedding involves a very simple affair, which is punctuated by a number of Islamic rituals and customs. It is considered rude if a woman makes toasts during the wedding reception or offers any greetings to her new husband.
After the wedding ceremony is over, the guests bid goodbye to the couple and the bride offers her hand in marriage to her future-husband and throws rice grains, garlands, fruits, and gifts on the ground before her. She then begins her journey towards the darbar (marriage chamber). The harbor will be reserved for the groom’s family, friends, and relatives only. The bride then stands before the harbor and publicly declares her readiness to marry the groom and enter into a marriage contract. Before taking this vow, the groom must make sure that the bride is financially, physically, spiritually, and emotionally fit for marriage.
In some traditions, the wedding ceremony does not start with a groom’s entrance. He is not welcomed by the bride’s family as they declare him unwelcome. The family then sends out ‘Bani’ or invitations, which include a bride’s name along with the date of the wedding ceremony. The invited guests are asked to attend the wedding by making gifts. This tradition has roots from the time when it was believed that bad luck comes to the person who is not present at the occasion of his/her birthdays and thus the tradition of giving presents to one’s near and dears. | <urn:uuid:594e05d2-0ecc-442b-a783-08f8163da8f1> | CC-MAIN-2021-43 | https://healthtipsdoc.com/index.php/2021/08/26/wedding-traditions-in-india/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-43/segments/1634323585381.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20211021040342-20211021070342-00158.warc.gz | en | 0.960954 | 632 | 3.0625 | 3 | {
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Living with Arthritis: Take an Active Approach
Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it affects one out of every six adults in America. The CDC reports that arthritis is highly under treated. For some reason, many people are under the impression that arthritis is a normal part of aging and you just have to put up with it.
The truth is that there’s a lot you can do to decrease the pain and stiffness, and in some cases, even stop the progression of arthritis.
Osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis: the most common types
Osteoarthritis is the most common arthritis type. It’s often called the “wear and tear” disease. Joint pain, stiffness and swelling occur when cartilage wears away.
Cartilage is a sponge-like substance that protects the joints. When you apply pressure to a joint—such as the ankle, knee and hip joints during a walk—you squeeze water out of your cartilage into the space between your bones. The water mixes with other fluid there, and when you relax your joint, the cartilage reabsorbs the fluid.
Over time, the cartilage becomes less resilient. It becomes softer and more susceptible to wear and tear. It works less efficiently. This process results in pain, stiffness and swelling in and around the joints.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the second most common arthritis type. It’s a disease of the immune system. The membrane that surrounds the joints (the synovial membrane) forms extra, unneeded tissue. Cells in this tissue release enzymes that eat into cartilage, bone and soft tissues. Tendons and the joint capsule may become inflamed, causing pain and possible bone damage. If the progression of the disease is not stopped, joint deformity may occur.
Rheumatoid arthritis is more complex than osteoarthritis, but many of the lifestyle changes that affect both conditions are similar.
What you can do to manage the pain
The worst thing you can do for arthritis is give in to the pain and stop moving. Don’t stay home and watch television! There’s so much you can do, in so many areas of your life, to ease the pain and keep yourself living an active, productive life. It might mean that you need to take a second look at a lot of your habits and activities. Eating the right food, exercising regularly, keeping your weight in the healthy range, taking medication and investigating some alternative treatments—all of this can sound like a tall order. But little by little, you can make a big improvement in your quality of life.
The important thing is to make the kinds of changes you feel comfortable with. Nobody wants you to do anything that seems too radical for you. But the more areas of your life you look at and try to change for the better, the more likely you are to be able to stay active and enjoy your life.
Here are some suggestions that can get you on a good track.
What should you eat?
Eating the right kinds of food, and avoiding others, can actually help a lot of people manage their arthritis pain. Be sure you’re getting plenty of omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. Good sources of this essential fatty acid include:
- Fish oils—salmon, herring, cod, trout and mackerel (fish raised on farms have a lower level of omega-3s)
- Walnuts and walnut oil
- Flaxseeds and flaxseed oil
- Fruits and vegetable to keep your vitamin intake high
Additionally, some practitioners believe that ginger and turmeric can help reduce the inflammation of arthritis. It can’t hurt to try cooking with these two spices.
What foods should you avoid?
- Hydrogenated fats (found in many snack foods, such as potato chips, crackers, corn chips, etc.)
- Trans-fatty acids (found in many margarines, shortening and cottonseed oil and many fast foods)
Additionally, some healthcare professionals and researchers believe that pork and other pig products can cause inflammation. In fact, there are some professionals in the healthcare field who believe that avoiding all meats except fish is beneficial for people with arthritis, especially rheumatoid arthritis. This approach might seem a little radical, but it’s worth a try if you’re interested. If you think a vegetarian diet that includes fish sounds appealing, talk with your doctor, a dietitian or nutritionist to make sure you’ll be getting the right kinds of foods in your diet.
Manage your weight
It only makes sense—the less weight you put on your joints, the better your joints will feel. For instance, knee pain is one of the most common arthritis symptoms. When your knees hurt, it’s hard to make yourself get up and go. But if you keep your weight in the healthy range, you should notice a lot less pain in your knees.
If you struggle to keep your weight in the healthy range, you may want to get advice from a dietitian or nutritionist. These professionals can take a look at the foods and amounts you’re eating now, and then help you crate a food plan that eliminates some of less healthy stuff and focuses on adding other, nutritious foods that you’ll enjoy.
Nutritional supplements to try
There’s some evidence that glucosamine and condroitin sulfate help some people with arthritis, while other people see no improvement. The people who do see improvement notice better joint function, pain relief and less stiffness. It may take about eight weeks before you notice any improvement. Dosages generally should range from 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams per day. Ask your doctor about these supplements and about what dosage would be right for you.
Additionally, it’s possible that getting plenty of vitamins can help slow the progression of osteoarthritis. You may want to talk to your doctor about whether it’s a good idea for you to take vitamins C, D, E and beta carotene.
Acupuncture seems to help some people
There’s some evidence that acupuncture can help relieve the pain of arthritis, and very little evidence that acupuncture causes any harm at all. If you’re interested in giving it a try, find a licensed practitioner in your area. You could ask your doctor or other healthcare provider for a referral. Or see if you can get a referral from friends or family members.
Managing the pain with medication
For some people with arthritis, over-the-counter pain medication, such as acetaminophen, is enough. For others, stronger medications, such as NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), are more helpful. The problem is that these drugs can be hard on the stomach, especially after long-term use. Scientists are currently working to develop safer NSAIDS. One class of these drugs, called COX-2 inhibitors, is currently available. It helps with the inflammation of arthritis but is less likely to cause stomach ulcers and bleeding.
Additional medications that are being developed now would prevent or slow down joint damage or encourage new growth of cartilage.
Because there are so many medications that can help control arthritis pain, it’s really important to get to the doctor and talk about where your pain is, how it affects your life, and what drugs you can take to get the pain to a manageable level.
Exercise: a cornerstone of arthritis management
Exercise helps keep your joints flexible and it helps you manage your weight. The problem is that arthritis pain can often make people not want to exercise at all. But studies have shown that people with arthritis who exercise eventually feel less pain and notice improved joint function.
If you’re not already getting regular exercise, it’s important to start. Talk with your doctor about the kinds of exercises that would be good for you. Doctors often recommend walking and swimming for people with arthritis. Walking may be difficult at first, but the more you do it, the better it will feel and the farther you’ll be able to go. Remember, start small. Do it gradually. Eventually, you’re likely to notice big results.
The main message: if you have arthritis, you need a plan of action
No matter what kind of arthritis you have, the chance is good that there are ways to treat it that didn’t exist even five years ago. New medications and new information about the effects of lifestyle have made arthritis treatment more effective than ever before. When you think of arthritis, don’t imagine an elderly person sitting in a chair in pain, dropping out of life’s activities. It’s not like that anymore.
Talk with your healthcare providers—family doctor, nutritionist or dietitian, physical therapist, nurse practitioner—to put together an action plan that will help you stay in control of your arthritis and your life.
American Family Physician, 15 January 2003; Archives of Internal Medicine, 14 October 2002; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; E Kamhi, E Zampieron. Arthritis. AlternativeMedicine.Com, Tiburon, California, 1999; National Institute on Aging; National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases; A Weil. Eating Well for Optimum Health. Alfred A Knopf, New York, New York, 2000 | <urn:uuid:8d28e143-1d2e-4328-bf9c-5600d932045f> | CC-MAIN-2015-35 | http://www.mercyweb.org/mercy_health_articles_view.aspx?type=5&issue=49&article_id=392 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-35/segments/1440645322940.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20150827031522-00317-ip-10-171-96-226.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941385 | 1,970 | 2.796875 | 3 | {
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Transfer of Assets
Also found in: Acronyms.
Transfer of Assets
The conveyance of something of value from one person, place, or situation to another.
The law recognizes that persons are generally entitled to transfer their assets to whomever they wish and for whatever reason. The most common means of transfer are wills, trusts, and gifts. Increasingly, however, persons are transferring property and money in order to qualify for government-funded nursing care or to avoid paying creditors or the Internal Revenue Service. State and federal laws prohibit transfers that defraud creditors, however. If a creditor can show that a transfer was made in bad faith and for the purpose of avoiding a lawful debt, the transfer will be voided.
A will is a common way of transferring assets. The testator, the person writing and signing the will, states in writing how the assets of his estate shall be divided and transferred upon his death. The estate of the testator is subject to inheritance taxes, but the remainder is transferred to the heirs and beneficiaries in the will. If a person dies intestate, without writing a will, state statutes direct how the assets shall be divided and transferred among family members.
For persons who have substantial assets, the transfer may be accomplished by using a trust. There are many types of trusts, some of which are part of a will and go into effect upon the death of the testator. Instead of being transferred directly to persons, the assets are transferred to a trustee, who distributes funds based on the terms in the trust documents. The use of a trust generally reduces inheritance taxes. A person may also transfer assets to a trust while living to reduce her Income Tax burden. Income earned by the trust will be taxed to the trust, which usually is in a lower tax bracket than the person transferring the assets. The trust must benefit others, however, not just the person transferring the assets.
Living persons may also make gifts to others. An inter vivos gift, which takes effect during the lifetime of the donor and the donee, is irrevocable when made. Federal tax law permits a person to give up to $10,000 yearly to each recipient without having to pay any gift tax or file a gift tax return. All gifts in excess of the annual exclusions are taxable.
Other types of transfers of assets have also become popular in the United States. Some middle-class older persons, faced with the high cost of nursing home care and wanting to leave their property to their children, transfer all their assets to their children. By doing so, the older person can meet income and net asset guidelines to qualify for government-subsidized nursing home care. State and federal governments have sought to prevent this practice because it takes funds away from those who are truly indigent.
A growing trend is transferring assets to avoid paying court judgments. Companies offer "asset-protection plans" that seek to insulate, for example, a doctor from the possibility of paying a large Malpractice damages award. By transferring assets to a foreign country, the plan makes it difficult to ascertain the amount of the doctor's assets. Also, collecting on a judgment in a foreign court is often impossible.
A more radical device is transferring assets outside the United States to a foreign trust, which manages the assets and distributes funds to the beneficiaries. The foreign trustee controls the assets and is not subject to a lawsuit seeking collection of a judgment against the transferee. Critics charge that besides allowing a person to avoid paying a debt, foreign trusts encourage income Tax Evasion. Defenders of asset protection contend that the purpose of foreign trusts is to avoid lawsuits, not taxes. | <urn:uuid:159cfdff-f0c0-4afc-9b6d-8126184df2ff> | CC-MAIN-2017-43 | https://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Transfer+of+Assets | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-43/segments/1508187823255.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20171019065335-20171019085335-00440.warc.gz | en | 0.960135 | 742 | 2.859375 | 3 | {
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Written by: Lauren Milligan Newmark, Ph.D. | Issue # 14 | 2013
- A hormone called oxytocin causes muscle cells in the mammary gland to contract and release milk (letdown).
- Oxytocin (OXT)—the milk letdown hormone—also influences social behavior.
- Researchers identify vasotocin (VT), a water maintenance hormone–as OXT’s ancestral origin in jawless fishes.
- Mesotocin (MT) evolved from VT, retaining VT’s functionality with the addition of social behavioral influence.
- OXT evolved from MT, possibly three separate times, with the change of just one amino acid!
- One tiny change in the genetic code appears essential to the rise of placental mammals.
The production of milk by the mammary gland is a key adaptation of mammals. But simply producing the milk is not enough; that milk needs to get from the mammary gland to the nipple to be ingested by the infant. But how is this movement of milk accomplished? In eutherian (or placental) mammals, a branch of mammals that includes primates, whales, rodents, and bats, infant suckling stimulates the pituitary gland to release a hormone called oxytocin into the maternal circulation. Once oxytocin reaches the mammary gland, it causes smooth muscle cells around the gland to contract and release milk in a process known as milk letdown. Oxytocin also causes contractions in the eutherian mammal uterus, which permits successful childbirth. Its essential role in both lactation and pregnancy suggests that the evolution of eutherian mammals was dependent on the presence of the oxytocin hormone. We know that mammals evolved from reptiles – but where did oxytocin come from?
Embarking on a molecular excavation
When paleontologists want to reconstruct the evolutionary history of a species they turn to the fossil record. Fossilized remains of extinct species demonstrate how evolutionary processes modify existing anatomical features, resulting in new features with different functions. But whole organisms are not the only entities with evolutionary histories of interest. Molecular biologists investigating the origins of proteins, and the genes that code for them, follow a surprisingly similar process as paleontologists. To reconstruct the evolutionary origins of the oxytocin hormone, Yamashita and Kitano (2013) went digging into the genomes of species representing all of the major vertebrate classes (e.g., fish, birds, amphibians, mammals) in search of small chemical changes in the DNA code of the oxytocin gene that might represent an ancestor of this hormone. DNA consists of four letters (C, G, T, and A), each representing a nucleic acid (cytosine, guanine, thymine, and adenine). The genetic code is read in a series of three letter “words” (ACT or GGC, for example), each word coding for an amino acid, the building blocks of proteins. Just like small changes in the size and shape of bones influences the function of an appendage, changes in the order of amino acids for a particular protein, such as a hormone, can have major impacts on that protein’s function. Yamashita and Kitano’s molecular “excavations” identified numerous amino acid substitutions in the oxytocin genetic family tree, suggesting quite ancient roots for the hormone responsible for successful childbirth and lactation in humans and other eutherian mammals.
Identifying the common ancestor
Yamashita and Kitano’s evolutionary approach utilized genetic data from several eutherian mammal species (including humans, chimpanzees, macaques, mice, and cows), as well as a marsupial (an opossum, a mammal with a pouch), monotreme (a platypus, an egg-laying mammal), bird, amphibian, fish, and even a lamprey, a jawless fish believed to have shared a last common ancestor with humans approximately 550 million years ago (mya). Not all of the species they surveyed have the oxytocin gene (OXT), but all except the lamprey have at least one gene that is similar in amino acid sequence to OXT as well as another hormone called arginine vasopressin (AVP). AVP is responsible for maintaining water in the body, constricting blood vessels, and, like OXT, may influence social behavior (Heinrichs and Domes, 2008). In humans, these hormones are located on opposite ends of chromosome 20. Their similarity in function, structure (i.e., amino acid sequence), and location suggest they also have a similar evolutionary history.
Yamashita and Kitano followed this lead and looked for the origins of OXT in hormones similar to AVP. Here is where the lamprey becomes critical to the story; unlike all of the jawed vertebrates, lampreys only have vasotocin (VT), a hormone related to AVP with similar antidiuretic effects. The researchers concluded that VT must be the common ancestor of AVP and OXT.
From sea to land
The next major branching event on the oxytocin family tree is estimated to have taken place approximately 400 mya with the appearance of mesotocin (MT). MT evolved from VT and is currently found in jawed fishes, amphibians, birds, reptiles, and most marsupials (Acher et al., 1995). Research in birds suggests MT may influence social behavior, including female flocking behavior (Goodson et al., 2009). In monotreme and marsupial mammals, MT plays a role in milk production. The sex-specific effects on social behavior and its role in lactation suggest that MT is closely related to OXT, and genetic data confirm that MT is structurally similar to OXT in noneutherian vertebrates.
Oxytocin: Ancient ancestry or evolutionary convergence?
The evolutionary origins of OXT appear more complicated than MT. This hormone is present in all eutherian mammals and also in sharks and platypus. There are two possible scenarios to explain its distribution. The first is that it originated just after the appearance of MT, approximately 400 mya, and then subsequently disappeared in bony fish, amphibians, birds, and marsupials. The second scenario has oxytocin possibly evolving more than one time. Independent evolution of this hormone in three separate lineages (eutherian mammals, sharks, and platypus) is an example of convergent evolution. Genetic data support the second scenario. Although it appears to be evolutionarily ancient, oxytocin in sharks and platypus are unique to these evolutionary lineages, arising separately from MT by a mutation that changed only one amino acid. Amazingly, the same amino acid change in the MT gene produced OXT in all three separate lineage at different points in time. Yamashita and Kitano estimate that the mutation that produced the eutherian OXT from MT occurred approximately 24 million years before the appearance of the first eutherian mammals in the fossil record.
Oxytocin: Where would eutherian mammals be without it?
The evolutionary history of oxytocin is an elegant example of how small changes in the DNA code over long periods of time can result in profound differences in the function of a protein. Yamashita and Kitano hypothesize that the ancestral hormone vasotocin was a neurotransmitter directed toward the central nervous system in jawless fishes. Oxytocin retains this ancient function, and numerous studies have demonstrated its influence on maternal (and paternal) behaviors and pair bonding in humans and other eutherian mammals. But small changes in amino acids in VT, and then MT, over nearly 400 million years of vertebrate evolution brought about new functional roles for oxytocin in milk letdown and uterine contractions. These functions of oxytocin are essential to the eutherian mammalian niche but are not physiological features that appear in the fossil record. Through molecular excavations, their origins can be traced to nearly 24 million years before the appearance of eutherian mammals, leading Yamashita and Kitano to suggest the evolution of oxytocin was essential to the evolution of eutherian mammals.
3. Heinrichs M & Domes G. (2008) Neuropeptides and social behaviour: effects of oxytocin and vasopressin in humans. Prof Brain Res 170: 337-350.
4. Yamashita K & Kitano T. (2013) Molecular evolution of the oxytocin-oxytocin receptor system in eutherians. Mol Phylogenet Evol 67: 520-528. | <urn:uuid:4ea44d4c-c669-4f3a-9694-b0021e039a15> | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | https://www.milkgenomics.org/?splash=the-evolutionary-origins-of-milk-letdown | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764500044.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20230203091020-20230203121020-00864.warc.gz | en | 0.910727 | 1,783 | 3.3125 | 3 | {
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The myth of heavy lift
by Jeff Foust
|Developing a new heavy-lift vehicle could be the least desirable step NASA could take if it wants a sustainable, affordable exploration program.|
Yet, fans of the Saturn 5, and large launch vehicles in general, have seen signs of hope. NASA’s new Vision for Space Exploration, the broad new space plan announced by President Bush four months ago, will require the launch of many hundreds of tons of cargo to be carried out in full. This has led to consideration of developing new launch vehicles capable of launching far heavier payloads than is possible today with the shuttle, the retiring Titan 4B, and the heavy versions of the Atlas 5 and Delta 4 EELVs. While no one is seriously considering resurrecting the Saturn 5, the plans on the drawing board now range from upgraded EELVs to shuttle-derived vehicles to “clean sheet” designs that could rival the Saturn 5 in capability. However, the debate over such designs misses one key point: developing a new heavy-lift vehicle could be the least desirable step NASA could take if it wants a sustainable, affordable exploration program.
Few will argue against the notion that heavy-lift vehicles are expensive to develop and operate. How expensive, though, is something often overlooked. According to the Encyclopedia Astronautica, the cost to develop the Saturn 5 was nearly $7.5 billion—in 1966 dollars. When adjusted for inflation, that price becomes a staggering $43 billion in 2004. The Saturn 5 was also not cheap to operate: the same source pegs the launch cost of a single Saturn 5 at $431 million in 1967, or over $2.4 billion a launch in 2004 dollars.
Just how much is included in those development and launch costs, and how accurate they are, are certainly open to debate. However, more contemporary experience also suggests that heavy-lift launches are expensive. The cost of a single shuttle mission varies widely, from under $100 million a flight to in excess of $1 billion, depending on how one does the accounting (not to mention what answer one desires). For purposes of cost accounting for the International Space Station program, NASA authorization legislation from 2000 caps the price at $380 million per shuttle flight. A single launch of a Titan 4B, with a similar payload capability to the shuttle, costs in the range of $400-500 million. Even the heavy versions of the EELV, designed to be less-expensive alternatives to the shuttle and Titan 4, are not cheap: a NASA document in late 2003 pegged the cost of an EELV Heavy launch, and assorted launch services, at $232 million.
Indeed, NASA appears to be preparing to make a significant investment in a new heavy-lift launch vehicle. Even as the agency studies various approaches for a heavy-lift vehicle, Aviation Week reported last month that the budget for the overall exploration plan through 2020 includes $13-16 billion—nearly the current annual budget of the entire agency—to develop such a vehicle. Given the agency’s mixed record of cost estimates, this price is more likely to go up than down as plans are refined. It’s not inconceivable that a new heavy-lift vehicle would cost on the order of $15 billion to develop and perhaps $1 billion per launch—more expensive than the shuttle but still heavily discounting the perhaps anomalously high Saturn 5 cost estimate.
Proponents of new heavy-lift vehicles will argue that, on a per-pound basis, such large vehicles are more economical than smaller vehicles. That’s true, in general: larger launch vehicles will usually have lower costs per unit of payload mass than smaller ones. The problem, of course, is that one cannot by a launch vehicle by the pound: you either buy the entire vehicle, at perhaps a billion dollars in this case, or nothing at all. This means NASA needs to know how much mass it will need to launch to carry out its exploration program in order to determine just how economical various heavy-lift launch options will be. Yet NASA is unlikely to have more than a rough guess at that amount for years.
|An exploration program reliant on a heavy-lift vehicle would be easy for a future Administration or Congress to terminate, leaving virtually nothing left of government manned spaceflight.|
The costs of heavy-lift vehicle development would be less of an issue if there were other uses—and other paying customers—for such a vehicle. Outside the exploration program, though, there is unlikely to be much interest for any vehicle much larger than those available today, even at fairly modest launch costs. The US military’s plans for space for the foreseeable future assume nothing larger than a heavy EELV will be available; indeed, the Defense Department has turned its attention more recently to smaller, potentially more responsive vehicles. Even if a new heavy-lift vehicle was available, it’s unclear what use the military would have for it other than possibly some missile defense applications that have yet to be fleshed out.
On the commercial side, the largest customer is the satellite communications industry. While there has been a trend towards larger satellites, that trend has tailed off in recent years, given both overcapacity among existing satellites as well as a rash of problems with a new generation of large communications satellites. Even if that trend was to continue unabated, existing vehicles are large enough to accommodate these satellites for the foreseeable future. Other commercial applications, from remote sensing to emerging markets like space tourism, can get by mostly with smaller, possibly reusable vehicles.
One advantage that heavy-lift vehicles have is that they would make it easy, from an operational standpoint, to mount human missions to the Moon: a single mission could be carried out with one or two launches, just as the Apollo missions required a single Saturn 5 launch. This advantage, though, could ultimately become a disadvantage. Heavy-lift vehicles would require little in the way of in-space infrastructure to mount a mission: no space stations, propellant depots, or other facilities, just launch and go. Given that this would be supplied by an expensive heavy-lift vehicle with no other applications, it would be easy for a future Administration or Congress to terminate the program and leave virtually nothing left of government manned spaceflight. This is hardly the hallmark of a program that is supposed to be affordable and sustainable. Instead, it would simply be Apollo redux. | <urn:uuid:9f759f13-6d0b-41ef-be91-a9d931b32da8> | CC-MAIN-2017-51 | http://www.thespacereview.com/article/146/1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948617816.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20171218141805-20171218163805-00725.warc.gz | en | 0.957096 | 1,309 | 2.96875 | 3 | {
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THINK ABOUT IT
If your children were to spend thousands of hours doing something, you would want to know exactly what that is. You would never allow your children to spend years engaging in something you don’t know enough about. Why would fencing be different? At the bare minimum, a parent who knows just as much as their children is able to understand them better.
Imagine if you could watch your children compete and understand what they are doing? Wouldn’t that make you enjoy the time you share with them more? Wouldn’t that make fencing more enjoyable for both you and your child?
Imagine if a referee made a bad call and you could understand what the right action was to help your child. Nobody wants to be that parent who doesn’t understand fencing and yet still argues with the referee. In the fencing world, people know when a someone knows what he or she is talking about – and when someone knows you don’t know what you’re talking about, you are not taken seriously. That should be the last thing you want to happen to you in something your child cares so much about: fencing.
If you are already investing so much in fencing – your children’s time, your time, money, and other resources – wouldn’t you want to get the most out of it?
THE BOTTOM LINE
The sport of fencing is an absolute beauty – and way more simple to understand than you might think. These videos will help you master the most common misunderstood actions in fencing. Doing so will help you understand and enjoy a lot more what your child spends thousands of hours doing: fencing. What a better way to help than that?
THE MOST COMMONLY MISUNDERSTOOD ACTIONS – EXPLAINED WITH VIDEOS:
Someone’s light went off first:
- Misconception: Ota’s (left) scored and his light went off first. Therefore, it must be his touch
- Explanation: as long as both lights go off, it doesn’t matter which light goes off first. Even though Ota’s (left) light went off first, Meinhardt (right) had right-of-way because he started the attack. Therefore, it’s Meinhardt’s touch
Attack against counterattack (commonly known as attack-counterattack):
- Misconception: it looks like it’s Choi’s (right) attack. Choi’s offensive action looked more aggressive than Ota’s (left). Therefore, it must be his touch
- Explanation: it may look like Choi was attacking. However, if you look closely, you will see that Choi started attacking only after Ota was already moving forward. In other words, Choi was simply counterattacking, which doesn’t give him right-of-way. Making a more aggressive offensive action does not establish right-of-way either. There is an even clearer reason why this isn’t Choi’s attack: spinning, twisting, or twitching in any form immediately makes you lose your right-of-way.
- Misconception: it’s Ota’s (right) parry-riposte because Ota parried and riposted Joppich’s attack
- Explanation: Ota (right) did parry Joppich’s (left) blade. However, Joppich ALSO parried Ota’ blade AND he was attacking. When both fencers parry, the touch is awarded to the fencer who was attacking. This action is called “attack au-fer”
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The following major credit and debit cards are accepted, and your purchase will be processed by PayPal using a secure connection. Your financial information will not be shared with the vendor, and all sales are subject to a 100% refund policy within the first 14 days. Thank you for supporting Fencing Insider! | <urn:uuid:33467128-646e-4d18-a130-435db4e30a2a> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://fencinginsider.com/downloads/foil-fencing-parents-avoid-common-mistakes/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296950030.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20230401125552-20230401155552-00780.warc.gz | en | 0.97368 | 848 | 2.90625 | 3 | {
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Understanding Immigration Policy Debates • Immigration Policy vs. Immigration Integration Policy • Path Dependence and the Role of History • Politics and Immigration: Strange Bedfellows • Ambivalence about Immigrants • Unintended Consequences
Comparative Perspective • U.S. facing many of the same problems as other developed countries. • U.S. has long history of immigration • Is the U.S. a model for other countries?
Debates and Policy Formation • Economic Considerations • Need for labor above all else • Race and Ethnicity—cultural issues • Nationalism, Political Loyalty Threats • Foreign Policy Considerations
History of Immigration Law • Long history of labor recruitment. • Restrictions based on race and ethnicity. • Citizenship denied to Asian immigrants. • Immigration policy is about who is let in, not concerned with immigrant assimilation. • Ambivalence about economics and culture.
Pre Restriction Era1789-1874 • Constitution is silent on immigration. Limits only the presidency to native born people. • Gives citizenship and the right to become a citizen to free white males.
Ties to 18th Century? • Very few Americans have 18th century American ancestors. • American Indians • 90% of African Americans • About 1/3 of White Americans
History Immigration Law • Pre-Restriction Era 1789-1874 • Laws were about citizenship. Labor recruitment ongoing. • First Restriction Era 1875-1920 • Laws barring “undesirables”—convicts, prostitutes, lunatics, persons likely to become public charges. Eventually restricts admissions to literate people.
Naturalization • 1790 Required 2 years residence • 1795 5 years residence • 1798 raised it to 14 years Alien and Sedition Act • Empowered the president to deport aliens considered dangerous to the US • 1802 restored the 1795 act
19th Century Immigration • Active recruitment of labor by business • Prepaid steamer tickets • No restrictions. Minimal attention to immigrants. • 1855 Castle Garden opened in New York. Concern with health of immigrants.
19th Century ImmigrationWhy did people move? • Drastic population increases • Displacement of agricultural workers and traditional handicraft workers by industrial revolution. • Religious persecution and political upheavals. • Famine (1842-1854) 1.2 million Irish
Challenges to the Nation • Ben Franklin on the Germans: Why should the Palentine Boors be suffered to swarm into our settlements and by herding together, establish their language and manners to the exclusion of ours? Why should Pennsylvania, founded by the English, become a colony of aliens, who will shortly be so numerous as to Germanize us, instead of us Anglifying them?
Peaks of Immigration • 1840’s Germans and Irish • Germans fleeing failure of 1848 liberal revolution. • Pre 1880 • Northern and Western Europe • Great Britain, France, Germany, Netherlands, Scandinavian Countries. • 1880-1920 • Southern and Eastern Europe
Nativist Reactions Anti Catholicism • Rise of Know Nothing Party in the 1850s • 1854 elections, Massachusetts • Elected mayor of San Francisco, Chicago, governor of California. • Platform • Severe limits on immigration, especially from Catholic countries • Restricting political office to native born • Mandating 21 year wait until naturalization • Restricting public school teachers to Protestants • Mandating reading from Protestant bible in public schools.
Asian Immigration • Chinese first came during the gold rush, 1849. • Faced bitter discrimination from beginning • 1850-1882 225,000 Chinese immigrants. Sojourners.
1842 Encyclopedia Britannica • A Chinaman is cold, cunning and distrustful; always ready to take advantage of those he has to deal with; extremely covetous and deceitful; quarrelsome, vindictive, but timid and dastardly. All ranks and conditions have a total disregard for truth.
Recruited for Manual LaborRailroads, mining • Leland Stanford, president of Central Pacific Railroad • Quiet, peaceful, industrious, economical • They were paid the same as whites, but fed and housed themselves, costing only two thirds as much as whites.
1865 New York Times • We have four million degraded negroes in the South, and if there were to be a flood tide of Chinese population—a population befouled with all the social vices, with no knowledge or appreciation of free institutions or constitutional liberty, with heathenish souls, and heathenish propensities, whose character and habits and modes of thought are firmly fixed –we should be prepared to bid farewell to republicanism and democracy.
History of Immigration Law • First Restriction Era 1875-1920 • Chinese Exclusion Act. • Gentleman’s Agreement with Japan • Dillingham Commission 1907 • Asiatic Barred Zone
1882 • Chinese Exclusion Act • Restricts all Chinese laborers • Bars Chinese naturalization • Immigration Act of 1882 • Specifically made regulation of immigration the duty of the Federal Government (Treasury) • Barred those likely to become public charges
Asian Immigration • Pre 1882 Chinese immigrants • 1882-1907 Japanese • 1907-1934 Filipinos • 1882-1923 Punjabi Sikhs
1891 • Restricted polygamists, crimes involving moral turpitude • Those suffering a loathsome or contagious disease • (cholera, TB) 1903: added epileptics
1892 • Chinese Exclusion Act was renewed, • Extended indefinitely in 1902. • Australia excluded Chinese in 1901. • Canada restricted Chinese in 1923. | <urn:uuid:64edea74-3f17-49b7-9db6-b0898bf22221> | CC-MAIN-2021-25 | https://fr.slideserve.com/elwyn/immigration-policy | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-25/segments/1623487635724.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20210618043356-20210618073356-00555.warc.gz | en | 0.904345 | 1,143 | 3.328125 | 3 | {
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5G technology was making rounds even when it was a mere concept. The extra-ordinary speed and the high cost of it to have in our lives was a topic of discussion on many forums. And it remains so today. If you are among those who subscribed to Charter Internet packages (the company offers 5G), you will be able to tell the myths apart from facts by now. However, if you haven’t used 5G, let us tell you what is true and what is not.
5G – The Myths
Table of Contents
Technology Causes Cancer
Well, there is a little bit true to the statement but that is not something that you should worry about. Before the 5G, many wireless technologies had to face the same charge. Blame it on the Dr. Bill Curry graph that he introduced in 2000. It highlighted the alarming health effects that wireless technologies could have. The graph narrated that the brain absorbs the microwave at a very high frequency.
The exaggerations of that version of the graph went up to claiming that 5G will make your nose bleed apart from causing cancer. And most recently, people blame the technology for bringing Coronavirus around. To say that Dr. Curry was wrong about the connection between microwave absorption and high frequency would be wrong. Because he wasn’t. However, the world fails to understand that this exposure concerns the exposed tissues in the labs. No the tissues deep inside our bodies.
Apart from that, the graph also did not take in to account a very major fact that our bodies are capable of blocking the higher radio frequencies. Therefore, you do not have o worry about 5G causing cancer or Coronavirus.
Weather Data Collection Back to the 80s
Some claim that the frequencies of 5G are likely to take back the weather predictions in the 80s. Well, there isn’t much that people have to comment on this particular statement. Hence, its categorization under myths.
However, a good amount of meteorologists shared concerns regarding 5G’s interference with the satellite data. This can, in turn, interfere with the weather predictions that they make with ease. These weather predictions enable the meteorologists to predict any hazardous situations including tornadoes and hurricanes.
But there is not enough proof as yet to prove that this claim holds. Nothing will be clear unless 5G becomes as common technology as 4G is right now. Currently, 5G is available in limited cities. Moreover, 5G compatible phones aren’t here as yet either to take the full advantage of the technology.
5G will Replace 4G
No, it won’t. You do not have to worry that you will be left with no other choice but to switch to the expensive Internet option i.e. 5G. The only people who will replace 4G with 5G (with their own will), will be the ones who wish to get access to what possible is the fastest Internet connection. For that purpose, these people will have to invest in expensive phone sets as well. Because not all of them come equipped with a 5G support system.
However, there is a piece of good news for the ones who plan on sticking to the existing 4G technology. You might experience faster Internet speed too. So, stop worrying about you having to discard 4G from your lives. It is here to stay.
5G –The Facts
Countries are Signing Petitions to Halt 5G
Many of the cities in the states along with other countries want 5G to come to a halt. They believe that technology is not as safe. And even if it is, these countries want proof for that first. So, according to them, unless researchers prove that 5G is entirely safe, no one should use the technology. Among the countries that agree on doing so include Nigeria, France, and Switzerland. These countries are also launching investigations to look into the matter.
The same is the case with some U.S. cities including Monterey, Petaluma, and Mill Valley. These cities are also not letting any 5G cells to be installed in residential neighborhoods as well as public utility easements. The cells are also kept at a 500-ft distance from the schools.
5G is the Need of the Rapidly Evolving World
If you think that the States is where it all started, you need to up your research game. The United States is far behind when it comes to using the 5G technology when compared to South Korea. The latter started using technology as early as December 2018. It was not until late 2019 that countries like the United Kingdom, China, and Germany rolled out the 5G networks as well. Many countries are still working on introducing 5G in 2020.
Different countries and researches have highlighted the fact that 5G is indeed the need of the rapidly evolving world. It is a hundred times faster than 4G. And it will transform the way that the individuals travel, work, communicate, and learn. Countries also believe that then technology will play a vital role in making certain industries more productive. These include agriculture, manufacturing, and healthcare.
5G Means a New Phone
Although Apple lovers believe that 5G is compatible with iPhone X, there is little truth to it. You will need a new phone that supports technology if you wish to subscribe to it. The list of companies currently offering 5G compatible phones is small. For example, high-end brands like Samsung are offering this facility. Other manufacturers are working on launching phones that support 5G this year or maybe the next.
But owning a 5G compatible device will not only be it. You will also have to see if the Internet service provider you take services from offering it too or not. For example, I use Spectrum Bakersfield Internet. I will have to ask my company if they are offering 5G if I wish to switch to it. If not, then I will have to change the Internet service provider as well. | <urn:uuid:c2790dab-0ae4-49e7-a9d0-d8df73684753> | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | https://revbuilders.com/5g-network-the-myths-and-the-facts/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610703514796.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20210118123320-20210118153320-00249.warc.gz | en | 0.96507 | 1,223 | 2.625 | 3 | {
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kagami mochi (鏡餅, "mirror rice cake"), is a traditional Japanese New Year decoration. It usually consists of two round mochi (rice cakes), the smaller placed atop the larger, and a daidai (a Japanese bitter orange) with an attached leaf on top. In addition, it may have a sheet of konbu and a skewer of dried persimmons under the mochi. It sits on a stand called a sanpō (三宝) over a sheet called a shihōbeni (四方紅), which is supposed to ward off fires from the house for the following years. Sheets of paper called gohei (御幣) folded into lightning shapes similar to those seen on sumo wrestler's belts are also attached.
|Mass-produced kagami mochi rice cakes||A traditionally ornamented Kagami mochi|
The kagami mochi first appeared in the Muromachi period (14th–16th century). The name kagami ("mirror") is said to have originated from its resemblance to an old-fashioned kind of round copper mirror, which also had a religious significance. The reason for it is not clear. Explanations include mochi being a food for special days, the spirit of the rice plant being found in the mochi, and the mochi being a food which gives strength.
The two mochi discs are variously said to symbolize the going and coming years, the human heart, "yin" and "yang", or the moon and the sun. The "daidai", whose name means "generations", is said to symbolize the continuation of a family from generation to generation.
Traditionally the kagami mochi was placed in various locations throughout the house. Nowadays it is usually placed in a household Shinto altar, or kamidana. It has also been placed in the tokonoma, a small decorated alcove in the main room of the home.
Contemporary kagami mochi are often pre-moulded into the shape of stacked discs and sold in plastic packages in the supermarket. A mikan or a plastic imitation daidai is often substituted for the original daidai.
Variations in the shape of kagami mochi are also seen. In some regions, three layered kagami mochi are also used. The three layered kagami mochi are placed on the butsudan or on the kamidana. There is also a variant decoration called an okudokazari placed in the centre of the kitchen or by the window which has three layers of mochi.
It is traditionally broken and eaten in a Shinto ritual called kagami biraki (mirror opening) on the second Saturday or Sunday of January. This is an important ritual in Japanese martial arts dojos. It was first adopted into Japanese martial arts when Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo, adopted it in 1884, and since then the practice has spread to aikido, karate and jujutsu dojos.
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kagami mochi.|
- 鏡餅 (in Japanese). December 12, 2000. Archived from the original on 13 June 2002. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- Kagami mochi FAQ (in Japanese)
- Question and answer on three layered kagami mochi from Tokyo Gas (in Japanese)
- Kōjien dictionary. Various Japanese dictionaries, including the Kōjien, testify that the kagami mochi has two layers of mochi. Three or more layers is not mentioned.
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
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By:Â Justin Chan
Sudan is currently facing rising food costs, but a larger problem is looming.
As the country’s inflation continues to increase, experts have cautioned that Sudan could be on the brink of famine by March. According to AlertNet, the Famine Early Warning System warned that the South Kordofan and Blue Nile states could reach emergency levels next month. Tensions between the government and rebels in those two states have forced approximately 140,000 refugees to flee to South Sudan and Ethiopia. The United Nations similarly warned that the number could reach at least 500,000 in the next few months.
“(This is) a looming catastrophe that will make Syria, in terms of total casualties, look like a gang war in the park,” said Sudan analyst Eric Reeves. “There’s no food getting in. There’s no food being produced. All the food reserves were consumed by mid-summer. They are eating grass. They are eating inedible berries.”
Humanitarian organizations are finding it increasingly difficult to provide aid to such war-torn areas. Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, has refused to allow agencies to provide assistance to areas that are controlled by the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement-North. It fears that the aid will be given to the rebels rather than the civilians in need. Still, it has not stopped some organizations from filing requests for access. “We submitted a new proposal to the government on how (rebel) SPLM-N controlled areas could be assessed and reached with emergency food assistance,” said Amor Almagro, an information officer at the World Food Programme in Sudan. “We are awaiting to hear from them.”
Khartoum’s refusal to allow agencies to provide humanitarian aid to rebel-controlled areas is nothing new. “This is a regime that did the same thing in the 1990s to these people; that has relentlessly denied humanitarian relief in Darfur; that denied, at times, over one and a half million people in South Sudan access from Operation Lifeline Sudan,” said Reeves.
Since fighting broke out in South Kordofan last June and in Blue Nile last September, hundreds have been forced to take shelter elsewhere. The international community has been working to reach some sort of compromise that will lessen the severity of the situation. “We are calling for the U.S. to work multilaterally to get support for some kind of alternative mechanism to be getting food in there or to be prepositioning food on the borders to be ready for this situation,” said Dan Sullivan, director of policy and government relations at United to End Genocide.
Photo:Â United Nations Photo
For more news on Africa, follow me on Twitter (@MarcusCooks) | <urn:uuid:c4de034f-13d3-43df-9193-eac4339d4768> | CC-MAIN-2015-11 | http://www.marcussamuelsson.com/news/sudans-food-crisis-may-escalate-to-famine | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-11/segments/1424936462070.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20150226074102-00244-ip-10-28-5-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956765 | 586 | 2.78125 | 3 | {
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- Buyer's Guide
- Got A Question?
According to the American Petroleum Institute, not recycling waste oil is significantly more dangerous than originally thought to be. A study by the institute has shown that just one gallon of used oil can contaminate as much as one million gallons of water.
For this reason, we stand proud in our efforts to recycle all waste oil. We service over one million vehicles a year, producing a minimum of five million gallons of waste motor oil from just our company alone.
Good to the last drop
Contrary to popular belief, recycling every last drop of waste motor oil is possible. Services are available to pick up used motor oil at your shop. Used motor oil vendors are highly trained experts and take every precaution to ensure proper steps are taken to avoid spillage or anything other than recycling of waste oil.
By taking the necessary steps to properly dispose of the oil, we’re setting the tone for future generations to come.
We all want to live in a clean and healthy environment. By starting magnificent trends such as recycling of waste oil now, future generations will follow in our footsteps. Designating your business as an official recycling center of the state allows anyone to easily recycle their used motor oil at any of your locations.
Reusing recycled motor oil
There are a few different ways to use recycled motor oil. One use is to re-refine it into a base stock for lubricating oil. This process is very similar to and can be compared to the refining of crude oil. The end result is high quality re-refined oil, just like a virgin oil product.
It has even been proven that re-refining used oil uses approximately 50 to 85 percent less energy than refining crude oil.
Another use of waste oil is to burn it for energy. American Petroleum Institute states that “large industrial boilers can efficiently burn the used oil with minimum pollution. As a result, some used oil is sent to power plants or cement kilns to be burned as fuel.”
On the smaller side of things, significantly smaller quantities of used oil are burned in specially designed heaters. This can provide space heating for small businesses.
Most service centers are fully equipped with waste oil tanks, generally stored outside in a gated and fenced off area. The only individuals with access to these tanks are the store employees as well as the recycling company drivers. These tanks are considered permanent.
By implimenting simple procedures such as these, you can make a positive impact for a better tomorrow. | <urn:uuid:8cf1ec18-0a3f-413c-8113-0c7af49932aa> | CC-MAIN-2014-42 | http://www.carwash.com/articles/managing-waste-oil-2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-42/segments/1413507444774.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20141017005724-00036-ip-10-16-133-185.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954265 | 517 | 2.90625 | 3 | {
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Freedom in the World
You are here
Freedom Rating (1 = best, 7 = worst)
Civil Liberties (1 = best, 7 = worst)
Political Rights (1 = best, 7 = worst)
Local and regional elections took place on December 14, with the president’s dominant Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) retaining an overwhelming majority of seats. Biometric identification was used for the first time, and election observers say more than 50 percent of eligible voters went to the polls, up sharply from the last municipal elections in 2008.
The discovery in March of a young girl’s mutilated body on a beach in Libreville reignited public anger about ritual killings, and in May first lady Sylvia Bongo Ondimba led a march of several thousand people against the practice. The government banned a concurrent demonstration organized by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) with close ties to the opposition who said the government was not doing enough to prevent the practice. Several leaders of the banned march were arrested. In June, a senator was arrested and accused of ordering the ritual murder of a 12-year-old girl.
Gabon’s president, Ali Bongo Ondimba, has spent a great deal of effort trying to prove that he is different than his father, whom he succeeded after four decades in office, reducing the size of the presidential cabinet and eliminating ghost workers from the public payroll. But the government is still mired in corruption, and the country’s oil revenue wealth still ends up disproportionately benefiting a wealthy elite. Despite ambitious growth plans and one of the highest per capita incomes in sub-Saharan Africa, Gabon’s human development indicators remain well below average for a middle-income county. Public impatience is growing at the country’s poor infrastructure—especially outside of Libreville—water shortages, and frequent power cuts.
Political Rights: 9 / 40
A. Electoral Process: 2 / 12
The 120 members of the National Assembly are elected by popular vote for five-year terms, while members of the 91-seat Senate are indirectly elected by regional and municipal officials for six-year terms. Presidential term limits were abolished in 2003, and the president, who is elected by popular vote for seven years, can dissolve the National Assembly. President Omar Bongo died in June 2009 after 41 years in power. In snap presidential elections the following August, his son Ali was elected with 42 percent of the vote against several senior PDG figures, who ran as independents. Although the opposition challenged the official results amid violent protests, the Constitutional Court upheld Bongo’s victory following a recount the next month.
National Assembly elections in 2011 were boycotted by some opposition parties over the government’s failure to implement biometric technology for voter registration, and the ruling PDG won all but seven seats. Five of the remaining seven seats went to parties allied with the PDG, while opposition parties Union for the New Republic (UPNR) and the Social Democratic Party (PSD) took one seat each. Small parties hold the remaining seats.
Regional and municipal elections were held on December 14, and the results were a predictable landslide for the ruling PDG, which claimed 1,517 of the 2,404 council seats nationwide. Although the PDG was the only party to have a candidate in each of the country’s 122 constituencies, it failed to win a majority everywhere, including the northern Fang stronghold of Oyem and in the economic capital Port-Gentil, where it won 36 out of the 73 councilor seats. For the first time, voters used biometric registration.
B. Political Pluralism and Participation: 4 / 16
The government is dominated by the PDG, which has held power since it was formed in 1968. Political opposition is fragmented and weak, and many opposition parties are effectively under the umbrella of the ruling PDG. The principal opposition party, the National Union, was dissolved in January 2011 after it claimed victory in the 2009 presidential election and established a parallel government. Though banned, the party maintains its headquarters, but it is not allowed to organize public meetings. It has been in disarray since the death of its president in October 2011.
Some 20 opposition parties formed a loose coalition, the Union of Forces of Change (UFC) in September, 2012, but within months that group splintered amid accusations that some of the opposition parties were too conciliatory. A new group of about a dozen parties, the Union of Forces for an Alternative (UFA), was formed. Several leading opposition figures at one time were part of the government of Omar Bongo and are believed to have personally profited from his rule.
C. Functioning of Government: 3 / 12
President Bongo has taken several measures to lessen corruption, including contracting the American construction giant Bechtel to run the National Infrastructure Agency in an effort to lessen the possibility of kickbacks and bribes from domestic ministries. In September, the government announced that a corruption investigation had uncovered some 3,000 fake civil servants out of the 70,000-person civil service.
While the country’s anticorruption commissioner says he has scores of open cases, the requisite special tribunal to try anticorruption cases has not been established. Graft is widespread. Investigations in other countries, especially France and the United States, have revealed extensive patronage under Omar Bongo’s regime.
In February, after five years of trying to obtain approval, Gabon was delisted as a candidate from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) because it failed to submit a validation report. It is no longer recognized as an EITI implementing country. Gabon was ranked 106 out of 177 countries and territories surveyed in Transparency International’s 2013 Corruption Perceptions Index.
Civil Liberties: 25 / 60
D. Freedom of Expression and Belief: 10 / 16
Press freedom is guaranteed by law. The only two daily newspapers are both government owned, although there are some two dozen private weeklies and monthlies and half a dozen private radio and television stations. While criticism of the government is usually permitted, most journalists practice self-censorship, and the National Communications Council (NCC), the government’s main regulatory body, rarely permits criticism of the president.
In May, the NCC suspended two newspapers for six months each for lack of respect: the private weekly Ezombolo because of an April 22 column that criticized Bongo’s record in office, and the satirical supplement Le Gri-Gri de la Griffe for indecency. It also suspended newspaper La Calotte for two months after it published articles critical of a minister and a deputy minister.
In March, environmental activist Marc Ona Essangui was sentenced to a six-month suspended sentence for defamation. During a November 2012 television debate, Ona accused Bongo’s chief of staff, Liban Souleymane, of having a controlling interest in Olam Gabon, a joint-venture between a Singaporean agricultural company and Gabon that is believed to be worth more than $200 million. Olam has been accused of land grabbing and environmental damage in Gabon. The contract is not public. Internet access is not restricted by the government.
Religious freedom is enshrined in the constitution and largely upheld by the authorities. The government does not directly restrict academic freedom.
E. Associational and Organizational Rights: 4 / 12
The rights of assembly and association are legally guaranteed, and NGOs are an important counterweight to the lack of an effective opposition. Generally, NGOs are free to investigate and report on civil liberties abuses. But their numbers are small. In addition, public protests must be approved by the government and harsh tactics have been used by security forces to keep order. There are several Facebook forums in which opposition to the government by Gabonese inside the country is expressed.
Unions are relatively strong, and the private industrial sector is almost entirely unionized. However, union members are occasionally blacklisted and there have been threats to workers who have supported labor unions. The country’s powerful oil union, the National Organization of Oil Employees (ONEP), staged a one-week strike in March to protest the country’s high numbers of undocumented oil workers.
F. Rule of Law: 6 / 16
The judiciary is not independent, and is subject to political influences. Prison conditions are harsh and there is severe overcrowding in the country’s nine prisons. Pre-trial detention is often lengthy.
Legal prohibitions against arbitrary arrest and detention are not always observed. In October, a student at Omar Bongo University who was a leader in campus protest movements, Firmin Ollo Obiang, was arrested by the General Directorate of Investigations (DGR), the country’s internal security force, and held for just under a week. An anonymous complaint accused him of disrupting public order.
The country’s large population of African immigrants is subject to harassment and extortion, especially during roundups by security forces. Most of Gabon’s several thousand members of the indigineous Baka ethnic group live in extreme poverty in remote forest communities and are often exploited as cheap labor.
Bias against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons remained an issue, and most members of the LGBT community chose to keep their identities a secret to avoid housing and employment discrimination. But there were no reports of violence directed at any LGBT members.
G. Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights: 5 / 16
International attention in 2013 focused on an upsurge in ritual killings, which often peak before elections because certain body parts, including genitals, are believed to enhance strength. Senator Gabriel Eyeghe Ekomie was stripped of his parliamentary immunity in December 2012 after a man convicted of killing a young girl told the court he had done so on the senator’s orders. Eyeghe Ekomie was arrested in June after failing to appear in court, the first time a senior politician in Gabon has been detained in such a case.
Gabon’s relatively stable economy makes it far easier than elsewhere for traffickers to lure young women under 18 to the country. Teenagers from Mali, Benin, and Togo are trafficked into Gabon and forced to do manual labor, while girls are sent to households or brothels without their consent and made to work without pay. The Walk Free Foundation describes this as “modern slavery”; in its 2013 Global Slavery Index it ranked Gabon tenth in the world in the prevalence of slavery, with an estimated 13,000 to 14,000 people enslaved. There are a relatively large number of women in senior government and private sector positions. However, there is no law against sexual harassment, rape is rarely prosecuted, and there is no specific mention of spousal rape in the law.
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Y = Best Possible Score
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Is ID Science?
Meyer discusses the nature of “historical sciences” such as geology and paleontology and evolutionary biology and argues that they use different methods to “experimental sciences” such as physics and chemistry. He states that Stephen Jay Gould accepted this distinction and argued that historical scientific theories were testable by analysing their “explanatory power” (Gould, “Evolution and the Triumph of Homology”) Gould describes the process of testing in historical sciences as seeking “consilience”. Consilience is the situation where many facts can be explained well by a single proposition or theory. Gould he says argues that historical sciences depend upon the knowledge of the laws of nature to make inferences about the past.
Meyer then asks whether a design hypothesis can be formulated as a historical scientific theory about what happened in the past.
Historical scientists cite the occurrence of an event or series of events in the past as the explanation for some observable phenomenon in the present. Historical scientists use a distinctive mode of reasoning. Using their knowledge of cause and effect relationships historical scientists “calculate backwards” and infer past conditions and causes from present conditions and causes.
This type of reasoning is called “abductive” reasoning as opposed to inductive(in which a universal law is established from repeated observations) or deductive (in which a particular fact is deduced by applying a general law to another particular case. Abductive logic was first described by Charles Sanders Pierce
Despite the tentative nature of abductive reasoning we do make conclusive inferences about the past.
A conclusion of abductive reasoning is certain if we cannot explain the currently observed facts without the past cause. An abductive conclusion is established by showing that it is either the best or the only explanation of the effects in question.
To address this problem in geology Thomas Chamberlain proposed a method of “multiple working hypotheses. This is also known as “inference to the best explanation”
Peter Lipton is associated with this way of reasoning arguing that it is used both in science and ordinary life. Discovering certain particular marks in fresh snow we infer that a person with snow shoes has passed this way. Lipton argued that the ability to explain particular facts sometimes mattered more than predictive success in the evaluation of a particular hypothesis.
The problem with this method of assessing explanations is exactly how we judge which is the best explanation as opposed to the explanation we like the best. | <urn:uuid:8f02385f-e0f3-4e33-beba-436278b75527> | CC-MAIN-2015-48 | http://idintheuk.blogspot.com/2010_05_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-48/segments/1448398468233.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20151124205428-00041-ip-10-71-132-137.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952618 | 515 | 3.703125 | 4 | {
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Bangladesh is part of the common law jurisdiction it is a member of the commonwealth of nations the legal system of bangladesh has its roots in the laws of british. History & development of legal system in bangladesh: hindu period to pakistan period md ziadul islam chowdhury sadi department of law university of dhaka. Legal systems of the world based on islamic law and english common law: bangladesh: mixed: the world factbook - legal system, issn 1553-8133. The history of law the law cannot be spoken of as a single homogenous entity law is defined in the concise oxford dictionary as a rule or system of rules recognised. Between bangladesh and myanmar in the bay of bengal system analyst, ministry of foreign affairs, mr robin consular and legal affairs department.
Introduction the subject of legal history comprises the growth, evolution & development of legal system of a country the roots of the present day human institutions. Legal history and legal system of bangladesh 3 constitutional law of bangladesh computer fundamentals english for law3 3 first year second semester course no llb. Historical development of adr in bangladesh the formal system of administration of landmarks in indian legal and constitutional history. 1975 - sheikh mujib becomes president of bangladesh martial law is imposed image becoming the first prime minister in the country's history to. Unicef provides technical assistance and helps raise awareness for the government of bangladesh on the issue of universal birth registration of all children since.
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Bangladesh at a glance 2006 birth registration law entered into force history of civil conflict and difficult terrain. Bangladesh code is the codification of all existing acts of parliament, ordinances and president’s order (except regulations and purely amending laws) in force in. Read this research paper and over 1,500,000 others like it now don't miss your chance to earn better grades and be a better writer.
Peoples’ republic of bangladesh is a common law country and after it attained its independence in 1971, legal system of bangladesh adopted own constit. Bangladesh is ruled by a multi-party parliament system or parliamentary in the english common law a hundred political parties in bangladesh. A study of the' 'copyright law in england, usa and bangladesh copyright law creates a system of property copyright law in bangladesh 31 brief history of. Bureau of international information programs united states department of state 2004 uslegal systemoutline of the.
The most common motives behind the dowry system are the grooms’ and their families women, and law in bangladesh no history of engaging in. A local aid group said that eighty percent of legal battles in bangladesh are system has its roots in history is changing the land ownership system. The quest for representative government has been an important feature of the history of bangladesh the system of the 1970s and 1980s government, see facts.
List of national legal systems the legal system of each country is shaped by its unique history and so incorporates individual bangladesh: common law. Worker rights and worker safety issues led the united states to suspend the country’s generalized system of preferences history of us relations with bangladesh. Police tortured him severely, his right arm fractured act of revenge, police included him in a charge sheet (of an old case) accusing – a free powerpoint. Zambia - judicial system bangladesh, australia look into further this crossover of colonialism and the history of a western civilization legal. | <urn:uuid:fc0511f8-2f16-43e8-ab0a-5f5e928b3329> | CC-MAIN-2018-43 | http://sftermpaperalkp.fieldbee.us/legal-history-and-system-of-bangladesh.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-43/segments/1539583514497.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20181022025852-20181022051352-00238.warc.gz | en | 0.919923 | 826 | 3.28125 | 3 | {
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The legend of La Llorona (pronounced “LAH yoh ROH nah”), Spanish for the Weeping Woman, has been a part of Hispanic culture in the Southwest since the days of the conquistadores. The tall, thin spirit is said to be blessed with natural beauty and long flowing black hair. Wearing a white gown, she roams the rivers and creeks, wailing into the night and searching for children to drag, screaming to a watery grave.
No one really knows when the legend of La Llorona began or, from where it originated. Though the tales vary from source to source, the one common thread is that she is the spirit is of a doomed mother who drowned her children and now spends eternity searching for them in rivers and lakes.
La Llorona, christened “Maria”, was born to a peasant family in a humble village. Her startling beauty captured the attention of both the rich and the poor men of the area. She was said to have spent her days in her humble peasant surroundings, but in the evenings, she would don her best white gown and thrill the men who admired her in the local fandangos.
The young men anxiously waited for her arrival and she reveled in the attention that she received. However, La Llorona had two small sons who made it difficult for her to spend her evenings out, and often, she left them alone while she cavorted with the gentlemen during the evenings. One day the two small boys were found drowned in the river. Some say they drowned through her neglect, but others say that they may have died by her own hand.
Another legend says that La Llorona was a caring woman full of life and love, who married a wealthy man who lavished her with gifts and attention. However, after she bore him two sons, he began to change, returning to a life of womanizing and alcohol, often leaving her for months at a time. He seemingly no longer cared for the beautiful Maria, even talking about leaving her to marry a woman of his own wealthy class. When he did return home, it was only to visit his children and the devastated Maria began to feel resentment toward the boys.
One evening, as Maria was strolling with her two children on a shady pathway near the river, her husband came by in a carriage with an elegant lady beside him. He stopped and spoke to his children, but ignored Maria, and then drove the carriage down the road without looking back.
After seeing this Maria went into a terrible rage, and turning against her children, she seized them and threw them into the river. As they disappeared down stream, she realized what she had done and ran down the bank to save them, but it was too late. Maria broke down into inconsolable grief, running down the streets screaming and wailing.
The beautiful La Llorona mourned them day and night. During this time, she would not eat and walked along the river in her white gown searching for her boys — hoping they would come back to her. She cried endlessly as she roamed the riverbanks and her gown became soiled and torn. When she continued to refuse to eat, she grew thinner and appeared taller until she looked like a walking skeleton. Still a young woman, she finally died on the banks of the river.
Not long after her death, her restless spirit began to appear, walking the banks of the Santa Fe River when darkness fell. Her weeping and wailing became a curse of the night and people began to be afraid to go out after dark. She was said to have been seen drifting between the trees along the shoreline or floating on the current with her long white gown spread out upon the waters. On many a dark night people would see her walking along the riverbank and crying for her children. And so, they no longer spoke of her as Maria, but rather, La Llorona, the weeping woman. Children are warned not to go out in the dark, for La Llorona might snatch them, throwing them to their deaths in the flowing waters.
Though the legends vary, the apparition is said to act without hesitation or mercy. The tales of her cruelty depends on the version of the legend you hear. Some say that she kills indiscriminately, taking men, women, and children — whoever is foolish enough to get close enough to her. Others say that she is very barbaric and kills only children, dragging them screaming to a watery grave.
When Patricio Lugan was a boy, he and his family saw her on a creek between Mora and Guadalupita, New Mexico. As the family was sitting outside talking, they saw a tall, thin woman walking along the creek. She then seemed to float over the water, started up the hill, and vanished. However, just moments later she reappeared much closer to them and then disappeared again. The family looked for footprints and finding none, had no doubt that the woman they had seen was La Llorona.
She has been seen along many rivers across the entire Southwest and the legend has become part of Hispanic culture everywhere. Part of the legend is that those who do not treat their families well will see her and she will teach them a lesson.
Another story involved a man by the name of Epifanio Garcia, who was an outspoken boy who often argued with his mother and his father. After a heated argument, Epifanio, along with his brothers, Carlos and Augustine decided to leave their ranch in Ojo de La Vaca to head toward the Villa Real de Santa Fe. However, when they were along their way, they were visited by a tall woman wearing a black tapelo and a black net over her face. Two of the boys were riding in the front of the wagon when the spirit appeared on the seat between them. She was silent and continued to sit there until Epifanio finally turned the horses around and headed back home, at which time she said “I will visit you again someday when you argue with your mother.”
During my travels to New Mexico, I visited with a very friendly Hispanic gentleman, who I asked if he believed in La Llorona. He whole-heartedly confessed that he did and was very open about his cultural beliefs. However, when I asked him if he believed in ghosts, he stated that he did not. Interesting. – Kathy Weiser-Alexander
In Santa Fe, New Mexico, the tall wailing spirit has been seen repeatedly in the PERA Building (Public Employees Retirement Association), which is built on land that was once an old Spanish-Indian graveyard, and is near the Santa Fe River. Many people who have been employed there tell of hearing cries resounding through the halls and feeling unseen hands pushing them while on the stairways.
La Llorona has been heard at night wailing next to rivers by many and her wanderings have grown wider, following Hispanic people wherever they go. Her movements have been traced throughout the Southwest and as far north as Montana on the banks of the Yellowstone River.
The Hispanic people believe that the Weeping Woman will always be with them, following the many rivers looking for her children, and for this reason, many of them fear the dark and pass the legend from generation to generation.
See Readers’ Stories of La Llorona Next Page | <urn:uuid:cd0e9647-5b11-4311-b42a-9d92e9716c05> | CC-MAIN-2018-43 | https://www.legendsofamerica.com/gh-lallorona/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-43/segments/1539583512323.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20181019041222-20181019062722-00045.warc.gz | en | 0.988175 | 1,515 | 3.015625 | 3 | {
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Building Formulas Using Table Calculations
In contrast to Calculated Values, Quick Table calculations use the data in your Visualization to create a formula. Before you can use Quick Table calculations you must first create a worksheet that includes Visualization. Using Superstore again, below diagram displays a time series of monthly sales on top. The bottom half employs a Quick Table calculation to derive the running total of sales as the year progresses.
Time series using a running sum diagram
The data from the sales time-series chart will serve as the data source for a quick table calculation that will be used to create the chart in the bottom half of below diagram. That chart displays the running sum of sales for each month within the displayed years. The steps required to add that portion of the view are:
The below diagram shows how right-clicking on the duplicate sales pill exposes the quick table calculation menu.
Diagram of creating the quick table calculation
Selecting running total, generates the table calculation that results in the running total time series chart. The label number format was also formatted to display the results in thousands in the top chart and millions in the lower chart. The total time required to build this chart was less than 60 seconds.
Editing table calculations to suit your purpose
The table calculation editing menu diagram
You can also seen in below diagram that there are many other quick table calculation option available. There is also a menu option called edit table calculation in fact, the four rows in the menu below continuous are all used to customize table calculations.
Understanding how table calculations works takes a little time for playing with the options and looking at the results. Take a close look at the edit table calculation menu option displayed in below diagram
Table Calculations require selections of the following options:
The Restarting Every option is grayed-out in below diagram because there are no discrete time or other dimension panes dividing the Time Series. Modifying the Time Series to show time as discrete quarters and months creates quarterly partitions as seen in the below diagram.
The bottom Time Series showing the Running Sum of Sales is still using Table Across to calculate the total. Right-clicking on the table calculation (denoted by a small triangle on the right side of the pill) and selecting the Edit Table Calculation Menu exposes the Running Along control. Figure below shows the Table Calculation editing menu for Running Along and includes more options. Adding the partition for quarter creates quarterly panes that can be used in the Table Calculation.
Using discrete quarter and month diagram
Changing table calculation scope diagram
Changing the scope of the calculation to pane across causes the running sum calculation to reset every quarter (pane). Figure below reflects the revised scope in the lower pane. As you see, the running totals restart at the beginning of each quarter.
Running sum set to pane across Diagram
Learning exactly how table calculations behave in different visualizations takes a little time. The best way to learn is to build a crosstab report, then start playing with different options to see the results. Tableau’s online manual provides many different examples. Figure below shows Percent of Total table calculations using all of the different standard Running Along scope options.
Notice that in this example the example for the Table scope returns exactly the same result as the Table Down Then Across scope. Also, the Cell scope is calculating the mark value of itself, resulting in 100 percent in every cell. Depending on the structure of your view it is not uncommon for different scope options to return the same values. In general, adding more dimensions to your view will increase the number of available options provided by Table Calculations. Experiment with different Visualization styles and Table Calculations. With practice you’ll be able to anticipate how they behave in different situations.
Diagram of comparison of different scope options
Quick table calculations don’t normally result in calculated values appearing on the measures shelf so what if you want to use the result returned by a quick table calculation on another worksheet? Is that possible? Table calculation functions enable you do to this.
Related Page: What Are The Common Use Cases For Tabcmd In Tableau?
Refer to below diagram, the quick table calculation was used generating a running sum of sales chart at the bottom. To create a calculated value using that table calculation as the source requires just a couple of steps. Right-clicking on the table calculation pill used in that chart exposes the table calculation dialog box. Below diagram shows how to convert the quick table calculation into a calculated value that is reusable in another worksheet.
Diagram of Creating a calculated value from a quick table calculation
Clicking the customize button causes the calculated value editing window to open with the formula already completed. Notice the formula employs a table calculation function running sum and the sum aggregation function together to create a new calculated value. The name field is used to type in the name that will appear on the measures shelf when the OK button is clicked. Now this table calculation can be reused in a new worksheet. Below diagram shows one possible way that it could be deployed.
In this worksheet, all four years are displayed using the customized running sum of sales measure. Notice the new measure highlighted in green on the measures shelf. The row shelf displays the new measure as a table calculation.
Diagram of using the customized table calculation in another worksheet
Secondary table calculations allow you to pass the result of an initial table calculation to a second table calculation. The next example will use some data from the United States Census. The file includes state population figures. In the next example you’ll see how a Secondary Table Calculation can be used to enhance the population analysis.
The source spreadsheet is a small list that includes the state name along with the population tally. An initial view of the data shows the population information in a bar chart, sorted by descending population. You can see the result in below diagram.
Each state is placed in order from the largest to smallest in descending order. The population values are also included as labels on each bar. There is nothing wrong with this chart. It was easy to build (requiring less than a minute). How could this be enhanced using Table Calculations? By using a Quick Table Calculation that employs a secondary pass, it will be possible to calculate running total population, and then perform a Secondary Calculation to derive the percentage of the total population represented. Below diagram was created using a two-stage table calculation using Running Sum and then deriving the percent of total in the second calculations.
United states population diagram
The dual axis chart requires the following items:
The running sum of state population and percent of total population values will be created using a calculation. Below diagram shows the table calculation edit menu with the secondary switch activated.
Diagram of dual axis chart with population and the percent of total cumulative population
Using a secondary table calculation diagram
The first running total calculation sums the state population along the scope of state. The bar chart is sorted by descending population values so the largest state is first in the table, followed by each lower ranked state in order. The secondary calculation uses the percent of total to derive the cumulative percent of total population that each state represents to the total United States population. Clicking the OK button locks in the table calculation. The result is used to create the line chart with the tables displaying the cumulative total population at that row position.
|Data Visualization and Dashboarding Fundamentals|
Get Updates on Tech posts, Interview & Certification questions and training schedules | <urn:uuid:63794e5a-9515-4573-b253-2267af497307> | CC-MAIN-2018-22 | https://mindmajix.com/tableau/how-the-table-calculations-use-building-formulas | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-22/segments/1526794864999.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20180522225116-20180523005116-00123.warc.gz | en | 0.855501 | 1,532 | 2.953125 | 3 | {
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On Monday, July 7, 2014 2:56:14 PM UTC-4, iwa...@gmail.com wrote: > 1. Does the slope of a straight line ever change? >
No. Except for a vertical line, the slope is defined everywhere. Likewise the derivative of a linear function is defined everywhere -- contrary to John Gabriel's wacky definition.
(The cowardly John Gabriel snipped all my answers, so I have had to reinsert them.)
> > > No. Even a vertical line has a slope in terms of an angle.
But not in terms of rise/run between 2 points.
> The slope is defined everywhere. Likewise the slope of a straight line is defined everywhere -- in accordance with John Gabriel's New Calculus definition. >
Slope is not defined between (0,0) and (0,1).
> > > > > > 2. Is the derivative a special kind of slope? > >
This question makes no sense.
> > This question makes a lot of sense. Slope always means the inclination of a straight line with the horizontal or vertical.
> Derivative always means the slope of a special kind of straight line called a tangent line. >
Actually, the derivative f' is always means the instantaneous rate of change of a function f wrt to its dependent variable. The tangent at (x,f(x)), for example, is just the straight line through this point with slope f'(x).
So, neither your question, nor you answer makes any sense, John Gabriel.
> > > 3. Do the tangent lines to any function have slopes that ever change? >
The tangent at every point on a straight line is just that line itself.
> > No. The slopes of tangent lines never change. >
Of course they do. If f(x)=x^2, then f'(0)=0 and f'(1)=2. The tangents change.
> > > > > > 4. Is an instantaneous rate of change real? > > > > No. It is a misconception by ignorant mathematicians whom John Gabriel has corrected. >
You have never corrected anything, John Gabriel.
> > > > After all, f(x)=5x^6 - 3x^5 + 2 has not changed in the last trillion light years or before that. It's tangent lines have always had the same predictable slopes. >
This argument makes no sense.
> > > This argument makes perfect sense. If we plotted f(x) one trillion light years ago and we plotted it today, it would have exactly the same tangent lines whose slopes are always the same, because ALL tangent lines are straight lines.
Again, neither your question, nor your answer makes any sense, John Gabriel. | <urn:uuid:9d1e6497-ea45-4333-82fb-1b68700c7f2c> | CC-MAIN-2016-30 | http://mathforum.org/kb/message.jspa?messageID=9513275 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-30/segments/1469257823996.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20160723071023-00040-ip-10-185-27-174.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.913438 | 589 | 2.859375 | 3 | {
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Nevus sebaceous and nevus sebaceous syndrome
- Teresa S Wright, MD, FAAD, FAAP
Teresa S Wright, MD, FAAD, FAAP
- Associate Professor, Dermatology and Pediatrics
- University of Tennessee Health Science Center
- Division Chief, Pediatric Dermatology
- LeBonheur Children's Hospital
Nevus sebaceous, also called nevus sebaceous of Jadassohn or organoid nevus, is a benign hamartoma of the skin, characterized by hyperplasia of the epidermis, immature hair follicles, and sebaceous and apocrine glands. Lesions are usually present at birth and appear as waxy, yellow-orange or tan, hairless plaques (picture 2C). They have a tendency to thicken and become more verrucous over time, especially around the time of puberty .
Nevus sebaceous and the nevus sebaceous syndrome, also called Schimmelpenning syndrome, will be reviewed in this topic. The linear epidermal nevus and epidermal nevus syndrome are discussed separately. (See "Epidermal nevus and epidermal nevus syndrome".)
Nevus sebaceous occurs in approximately 0.3 percent of newborns, without sex predilection. It is usually sporadic, but familial cases have been reported [2,3].
Nevus sebaceous and nevus sebaceous syndrome (Schimmelpenning syndrome) are thought to be caused by postzygotic mosaic mutations in the HRAS or KRAS genes. RAS promotes cell growth through activation of multiple pathways, including the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal-transduction pathway. Activating mutations in this gene family are involved in the pathogenesis of several inherited malformation syndromes (eg, Costello syndrome, Noonan syndrome, neurofibromatosis 1), some of which are associated with an increased risk of cancer. (See "Causes of short stature", section on 'Noonan syndrome' and "Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1): Pathogenesis, clinical features, and diagnosis".)
An analysis of tissue samples from 65 individuals with nevus sebaceous and two with Schimmelpenning syndrome, found a HRAS c.37G>C mutation in 59 (91 percent) sebaceous nevi, but not in the adjacent normal epidermis . A HRAS c.37G>C mutation and a KRAS c.35G>A mutation were found in lesional tissue samples from the two patients with nevus sebaceous syndrome. In another study, a HRAS c.37G>C mutation was found in a patient with Schimmelpenning syndrome and in 24 of 31 isolated sebaceous nevi but in none of six patient-matched normal skin samples . In a whole-exome sequencing study of paired DNA from blood and nevus sebaceous tissue from five individuals with nevus sebaceous, recurrent somatic mutations in HRAS (p.Gly13Arg) and KRAS (p.Gly12Asp and p.Gly12Val) were identified in the epidermis and sebaceous lobules but not in the dermis or blood .
- Eisen DB, Michael DJ. Sebaceous lesions and their associated syndromes: part I. J Am Acad Dermatol 2009; 61:549.
- Happle R, König A. Familial naevus sebaceus may be explained by paradominant transmission. Br J Dermatol 1999; 141:377.
- Hughes SM, Wilkerson AE, Winfield HL, Hiatt KM. Familial nevus sebaceus in dizygotic male twins. J Am Acad Dermatol 2006; 54:S47.
- Groesser L, Herschberger E, Ruetten A, et al. Postzygotic HRAS and KRAS mutations cause nevus sebaceous and Schimmelpenning syndrome. Nat Genet 2012; 44:783.
- Sun BK, Saggini A, Sarin KY, et al. Mosaic activating RAS mutations in nevus sebaceus and nevus sebaceus syndrome. J Invest Dermatol 2013; 133:824.
- Levinsohn JL, Tian LC, Boyden LM, et al. Whole-exome sequencing reveals somatic mutations in HRAS and KRAS, which cause nevus sebaceus. J Invest Dermatol 2013; 133:827.
- Happle R. Nevus sebaceus is a mosaic RASopathy. J Invest Dermatol 2013; 133:597.
- Jaqueti G, Requena L, Sánchez Yus E. Trichoblastoma is the most common neoplasm developed in nevus sebaceus of Jadassohn: a clinicopathologic study of a series of 155 cases. Am J Dermatopathol 2000; 22:108.
- Simi CM, Rajalakshmi T, Correa M. Clinicopathologic analysis of 21 cases of nevus sebaceus: a retrospective study. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2008; 74:625.
- Sugarman JL. Epidermal nevus syndromes. Semin Cutan Med Surg 2007; 26:221.
- Davies D, Rogers M. Review of neurological manifestations in 196 patients with sebaceous naevi. Australas J Dermatol 2002; 43:20.
- Trivedi N, Nehete G. Complex limbal choristoma in linear nevus sebaceous syndrome managed with scleral grafting. Indian J Ophthalmol 2013.
- Nema N, Singh K, Verma A. Complex limbal choristoma in nevus sebaceous syndrome. Pediatr Dermatol 2012; 29:227.
- Park JM, Kim DS, Kim J, et al. Epibulbar complex choristoma and hemimegalencephaly in linear sebaceous naevus syndrome. Clin Exp Dermatol 2009; 34:e686.
- Grebe TA, Rimsza ME, Richter SF, et al. Further delineation of the epidermal nevus syndrome: two cases with new findings and literature review. Am J Med Genet 1993; 47:24.
- Narazaki R, Ihara K, Namba N, et al. Linear nevus sebaceous syndrome with hypophosphatemic rickets with elevated FGF-23. Pediatr Nephrol 2012; 27:861.
- Wiedemeyer K, Hartschuh W. Trichoblastomas with Merkel cell proliferation in nevi sebacei in Schimmelpenning-Feuerstein-Mims syndrome--histological differentiation between trichoblastomas and basal cell carcinomas. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges 2009; 7:612.
- Moody MN, Landau JM, Goldberg LH. Nevus sebaceous revisited. Pediatr Dermatol 2012; 29:15.
- Cribier B, Scrivener Y, Grosshans E. Tumors arising in nevus sebaceus: A study of 596 cases. J Am Acad Dermatol 2000; 42:263.
- Santibanez-Gallerani A, Marshall D, Duarte AM, et al. Should nevus sebaceus of Jadassohn in children be excised? A study of 757 cases, and literature review. J Craniofac Surg 2003; 14:658.
- Rosen H, Schmidt B, Lam HP, et al. Management of nevus sebaceous and the risk of Basal cell carcinoma: an 18-year review. Pediatr Dermatol 2009; 26:676.
- Idriss MH, Elston DM. Secondary neoplasms associated with nevus sebaceus of Jadassohn: a study of 707 cases. J Am Acad Dermatol 2014; 70:332.
- Brandling-Bennett HA, Morel KD. Epidermal nevi. Pediatr Clin North Am 2010; 57:1177. | <urn:uuid:142b96d9-3b3c-43b5-b449-de7de13c80c6> | CC-MAIN-2017-09 | http://www.uptodate.com/contents/nevus-sebaceous-and-nevus-sebaceous-syndrome | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-09/segments/1487501171166.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20170219104611-00442-ip-10-171-10-108.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.790295 | 1,798 | 2.59375 | 3 | {
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In 1540, along with Jamnagar, this temple of Lord Hanuman was also established. Here, since 1964, the rama dhuni is continuously being sung and this is why its name is also mentioned in the guineas book of world records.
The city of Jamnagar in Gujarat has had an elaborate history that dates back to the time of its foundation in the year 1540 A.D. It is by virtue of this highly illustrated history that Jamnagar offers a wide range of attractions for its tourists. Among these Tourist Attractions in Jamnagar, the Holy Places in Jamnagar are visited by the tourists form various parts of India and the world. Among these, the Temples in Jamnagar and more importantly, the Bala Hanuman Temple, Jamnagar deserve a special mention.
The History of Bala Hanuman Temple and that of Jamnagar is interrelated at least as far as the essence of the place is concerned. Jamnagar is a city as well as a district belonging to the State of Gujarat. Historically, Jamnagar district was known as 'Nawanagar' (meaning the new city), which was one of the most important princely states of Saurashtra.
In 1540 A.D., Jamnagar was founded by Jam Rawal who was one of the rulers of the place. Today Jamnagar (meaning the city of the Jams) found its name from the hereditary title 'Jam' given to the rulers at that time.
According to the legendary epic Ramayana, Hanuman was an ardent disciple of Lord Rama. Hence 1st of August, 1964, the visitors of Jamnagar Bala Hanuman Temple have been mesmerized by the relentless chanting of "Sri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram". This devotion has also earned the Temple of Bala Hanuman, a place in the Guinness Book of Records.
Description of Bala Hanuman Temple, Jamnagar
Built on the South-Eastern portion of Ranmal Lake, Bala Hanuman Temple has been dedicated to Lord Hanuman. One of the major attractions associated with Bala Hanuman Temple in Jamnagar, India is the endless chants of the mantra of Shri Rama, which as called the 'Ram Dhun' or the song of Rama.
The archeological significance of the Temple is also worth noticing. Each year the Bala Hanuman Temple is visited by thousands of devotees. The Jamnagar Railway Station being the nearest railhead, the Temple is also easily accessible.
Hence if you have a religious bent of mind or you do not, a Tour to Jamnagar is incomplete without a visit to the Bala Hanuman Temple, Jamnagar.
How to Reach
How to Reach Jamnagar can be easily replied as the region is well connected to all the major cities of India as well as the neighboring parts of the province of Gujarat. Providing the residents of the city with all the conveniences that can be needed to facilitate their travels inside the city as well as traveling out of the city to reach neighboring areas, there are a number of facilities of transportation, which can provide solutions to how to Reach Jamnagar and travel away from the city .
The easiest way of reaching Jamnagar is by air. Though there is no airport at the city of Jamnagar itself, yet the nearest airport, which is located in the city of Ahmedabad, the capital of the province of Gujarat, which is located at a distance of around 302 kms from Jamnagar itself. Smooth and well maintained roads connect Jamnagar with Ahmedabad. Besides this, for international travelers, the nearest international airport to Jamnagar is at the city of Mumbai, which is located at a distance of around 847 kms away from Jamnagar.
Reaching Jamnagar by rail is also a good option for travelers traveling to this ancient land mark. There are a number of trains which connect Jamnagar regularly to the other cities of Gujarat as well as a number of trains which link Jamnagar with a number of the cities of western India as well as those of the eastern parts of the country, like Kolkata.
Reaching Jamnagar by road can also be a suitable option since the region is well connected to all the major cities of the region by a well maintained and an efficient network of roads. | <urn:uuid:43ef139c-7d32-4fc5-b446-0fe6291679c1> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://welcomenri.com/spiritual/hanuman_temple-bala_hanuman.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280899.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00164-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973221 | 909 | 2.796875 | 3 | {
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Post provided by Sam Cox, Florian Orgeret and Christophe Guinet
Animal biologging is a technique that’s quickly becoming popular in many cross-disciplinary fields. The main aim of the method is to record aspects of an animal’s behaviour and movement, alongside the bio-physical conditions they encounter, by attaching miniaturised devices to it. In marine ecosystems, the information from these devices can be used not only to learn how we can protect animals, many of whom are particularly vulnerable to disturbance (e.g. large fish, marine mammals, seabirds and turtles), but also more about the environments they inhabit.
Challenges when Tracking Marine Animals
Many marine animals have incredibly large ranges, travelling 1000s of kilometres. A huge advantage of biologging technologies is the ability to track an individual remotely throughout its range. For animals that dive, information on sub-surface behaviour can be obtained too. This information can then be retrieved when an animal returns to a set location. If this isn’t possible (e.g. individuals that make trips that are too long or die at sea), carefully constructed summaries can be relayed via satellite. This option provides information in real time, which can be very useful for researchers.
Data summaries need to be short to be able to be relayed by satellite, as the lengths of transmissions are typically limited. The techniques used to create these summaries should be developed such that required computational power is minimised and the lifespan of the battery on the device can be maximised. A well-known example of such techniques is the broken-stick model, which breaks a dive into a set number of components representing its predominant sub-surface vertical trajectory (e.g. descent, bottom and ascent).
Methods like these focus only on depth measurements though, and are limited in what they can tell us about an animal’s behaviour and movement. To learn more, accelerometer data are particularly interesting. They can be used not only to determine what activity an individual is engaged in at a given time, but also the amount of energy that activity requires. Unfortunately, raw accelerometer data is of very high resolution (typically in excess of several Hz) and processing methods can be particularly power hungry.
Simplifying Processes to Remotely Retrieve Accelerometer Data
In our recent Open Access article, “Processing of acceleration and dive data on-board satellite relay tags to investigate diving and foraging behaviour in free-ranging marine predators”, we present a new, simplified method for processing accelerometer data so that it can summarised on-board animal attached devices and later transmitted by the Argos satellite system. We used juvenile southern elephant seals as a model to base the method on and test it. This far ranging marine mammal makes extended trips at sea where mortality rates are high. As such tag retrieval is often challenging.
For the new method, we developed simplified versions of complicated procedures to calculate:
- The total time spent attempting to catch prey at each stage of a dive (e.g. descent, bottom and ascent)
- The swimming effort at each stage of a dive
- The angle (pitch) of the descent and ascent stages of a dive.
Simplifying these procedures required some prior knowledge of the expected data so that set thresholds could be implemented. To do this we took data we had previously collected on female southern elephant seals (since information from juveniles was not available) and ran algorithms over different thresholds. We compared the outputs to those from the original established procedures, and chose thresholds that maximised metrics of performance. This included ensuring the new techniques produced data that were as accurate as possible (e.g. the individuals were attempting to catch prey when we thought they were), and that misclassification and false positive rates were minimised.
The algorithms that came from this were then uploaded onto the new, custom designed biologging device. We then test ran its performance on 20 juvenile southern elephant seals, that were equipped in December of 2014 at Kerguelen Islands in the sub-Antarctic and tracked for between 1 and 11 months. Devices are attached to the head, as this is where they pick up movements associated with prey catch behaviours best. They’re attached using quick-setting epoxy glue and fall off the individual during an annual moult (if the device isn’t manually retrieved by the researchers).
Following the successful transmission of data from all 20 devices, we retrieved 9 devices from pups that returned to the Kerguelen Islands. This gave us access to the original high resolution accelerometer data before it was summarised, so we were able to validate the performance of our technique. We looked at correlations between the transmitted summaries, and those obtained via the processing of the original high resolution data using established techniques (those upon which our simplified methods were based). Our findings showed that the methods generally performed well, although some in some instances threshold values could be improved upon. Nonetheless this data represents some of the first remotely transmitted summaries of accelerometer data. It has significant applications in the study of far ranging marine mammals such as seals, whales and dolphins, as well as a range of large seabirds (e.g. penguins) and fish (e.g. tuna), and possibly even large terrestrial animals.
This study was funded by an ERC grant as part of the program EARLYLIFE and supported by the IPEV program.
To find out more, read our Open Access Methods in Ecology and Evolution article ‘Processing of acceleration and dive data on-board satellite relay tags to investigate diving and foraging behaviour in free-ranging marine predators’. | <urn:uuid:8447d4db-1aa3-49ea-920d-e3190f7604c2> | CC-MAIN-2020-40 | https://methodsblog.com/2018/02/23/movement-behaviour-biologgers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-40/segments/1600400189264.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20200918221856-20200919011856-00473.warc.gz | en | 0.950873 | 1,161 | 3.671875 | 4 | {
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Tombstones in traditional Western cemeteries usually face east. According to Northumberland County Council, the tradition began when Pagans buried the dead so they would face the rising sun. The tradition continued in Judeo-Christian societies. While Jews and Christians were not the first to bury the dead facing east, the layout of these cemeteries today stems directly from biblical history and societal tradition. Although modern cemeteries may have graves facing other directions, east-facing tombstones are still found in many traditional Christian and Jewish cemeteries.
Beliefs Regarding Burial
Today's cemeteries composed of east-facing tombstones arise from Judeo-Christian beliefs. According to "Ethnicity and the American Cemetery," the feet of the deceased face east as well. This tradition is based on the belief that when Jesus returns, the departed will rise from the grave already facing his direction. Traditionally, facing east was not exclusively for the dead, but for the living as well. Christian churches were built with their entrances facing west so that worshippers faced east during the services as they looked toward the altar.
References of east and west occur throughout the Bible. In “The Bible Significance of East and West; or, Is The Dawn Appearing,” Robert Christy Totten lists seven sacred places in the Bible, beginning with the Garden of Eden from Genesis and ending with the New Jerusalem in Revelations. Totten shows that in the Bible, people entered these places always from east, facing west. Conversely, when leaving they exited from the west, toward the east.
In biblical scripture, Jesus spoke to his disciples about his second coming in detail. In Mathew 24:27, he told them “For as the lightning flashes from the East and is seen even in the West, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
Although Christians are traditionally buried facing east, clergy members are generally buried facing west. The belief behind this is that when the dead are risen, clergy will rise facing their congregations, ready to lead their people once again.
Modern Day Burial
Some newer cemeteries have broken away from tradition for practical reasons, such as easier layout. With more immigrants in Western countries, adaptations are often made to be nonsecular and accepting of all religious and spiritual beliefs. Although not all modern cemeteries follow such traditions, east-facing cemeteries still exist and arouse the curiosity of people today. | <urn:uuid:794958d6-389d-4ec2-b32e-e32f06b6c8c2> | CC-MAIN-2018-30 | http://www.ehow.co.uk/about_6671751_do-tombstones-face-east_.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-30/segments/1531676589536.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20180716232549-20180717012549-00208.warc.gz | en | 0.967179 | 512 | 3.515625 | 4 | {
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There are numerous variations in the composition of milk chocolates, dictated by requirements of cost and quality. Dairy Higher quality chocolates usually have a higher content ofи SMO and fats.
Below is an experimental formulation of soft milk of high quality chocolates. To study the preparation of confectionery products in this gas-fired boiler with a mechanical stirrer and can serve as a good tool
for the production of the popular confection. The experiment may be supplemented by the changes of some ingredients and manufacturing Fudge.
Water 3 kg
SugarBrown 4,5 kg
Glucose syrup (DE 42) 7,7 kg
Whole condensed milk with sugar 8,2
Sugar, white, granulated 4,5 kg
fat (melting point 32 ° С) 3,6 кг
All ingredients were placed in a pot and start the stirrer. Heat is conducted in Low heat until the sugar dissolves and complete mixing of the ingredients. Sugar and any solids collected on the walls of the boiler above the liquid level are removed after stopping the stirrer with a wet brush. Heating and mixing of a uniformly boiling mixture continue, increasing the heat, the level of which is determined experimentally: strong heating leads to burning and the appearance of dark particles in the mixture. The degree of boiling is determined by a hand thermometer, which must be stored in hot water before use. Then the heating is reduced, the stirrer is stopped, and the thermometer is quickly moved in the mixture until the temperature becomes constant. The boiling is continued and the measurement is repeated until the thermometer begins to show 118 ° C, then quenched fire few minutes stirring continued and the mixture was then discharged onto a cooling table. Note the color change by heating and cooling table.
Experiment 1. Sometimes the mixture is digested, and significantly, the temperature rapidly rises above 118 ° С. The first boiling (described above) can be part of the party to leave the boiler, while continuing heating until 135 ° C. The product thus becomes very dark. It can be "corrected" by adding boiling water and to 118 ° C. The end result will be totally different - there will be a strong, probably "burnt" taste / flavor and dark color. not recommended in such a way to correct the mistake. The sample can also be taken when the candy mass temperature reaches 127 ° C - will turn solid milk chocolates.
Experiments 2,3, 4. In these experiments, glucose syrup is replaced by:
a) low glucose syrup with DE;
b) a high glucose syrup with DE;
c) invert syrupit sahara.
In all cases, the mixture is cooked at 118 ° C, but the final product will vary considerably. A mixture comprising the low DE glucose will have an increased viscosity (visible in casting), and ultimately becomes more rigid and less sweet. Caramel containing high DE glucose, and more liquid will be sweet. Invert sugar gives a higher turnover and a darker color of the finished product; It will also be seen that on a cooling table where the product darkens considerably. The taste and aroma are also changing - some milk flavor is lost and there is a tendency to the appearance of bitterness.
5 experiment (obtaining Fudge). The formulation base mix is similar experiment 1 - glucose used with DE 42, but additionally added 3,22 kg sweet as described below.
The mixture was heated to 118 ° C, half of the other party is discharged into the boiler and cooled to 82 ° C, immersing in the boiler water. Half of the fondant added to the party at 118 ° C, and the other half - with 82 ° C. In each case, sweet well kneaded into the mixture, and then both the product discharged on a cooling table.
Milk mix with a sweet added at a lower temperature, will "stiffen" pretty quickly, and the second will remain soft for a long time. After the first 20 hours fudge will be quite loose (loose) texture, and the second will remain soft, although there are some signs of "hardening". When added to hot fudge mixture of sugar crystals in the fudge almost completely dissolved, and cooled portions persist and promote crystallization of sugar in the mixture.
The texture of milk chocolates
Milk may be a soft candy, a middle and a solid consistency with the following boiling ranges and humidity:
Consistency sodaYerzhan moisture%
кипения, ° С '
Upholstered 118-120 9-10
Average 121-124 7-8
Solid 128-131 5-6
The softer layer generally milk is used to coat bars and extruded confectionery layers.
When cooking in an open pot to control the moisture content by manual thermometer is rather difficult, since it is necessary to stop the stirrer, and the delay in obtaining readings not only gives an incorrect result, but also leads to overheating of the product at the surface of the boiler. Some dairy cookers have integral layer thermometers constructed so that they extend between the rotating blades, but these thermometers are often reserved as a mass of metal, which also give erroneous results.
The best temperature recording method - is its measurement using a thermocouple or resistance thermometer. These devices are provided with reliable sensors that can be placed in boiling product and cable connected with the device. In continuous cooking sensor is inserted into the mixture flow from the cooker and actuates the controller as described above in the section "Production of sweet."
Experienced confectioner is able to determine the hardness of the mixture, taking a small sample of the boiling mixture and then dip it into the water, although the value of this method is questionable.
The above values are dependent on the content QS and fat, and texture best evaluated using a penetrometer. Standard penetrometer used in the petroleum industry to evaluate the viscosity of the bitumen, may be adapted for caramel cooler (using a blunt needle or cone stable readings are obtained after maturing for 1-2 hours). In one modification is used spring-loaded penetrometer piston control dial (the adjustment may be carried out at ambient temperature). This device is mounted in the installation, and take into account the boiling point of the data. You can take a sample of the boiling mass of cool water and take readings after about 1 minutes.
There are a variety of formulations milk chocolates - containing less milk, reconstituted with milk with different fat without butter, and withnvert sugar instead of glucose ... They also include nuts (usually chopped), coconut, chocolate or raisins. The syrup recovered from the waste is often used in the recipe to replace part of the sugar and glucose, because milk chocolates - One of the few pastry, allowing the syrup to include this without compromising the quality.
The task of this book does not include consideration of a large number of recipes (see References for this chapter.); having mastered the basic principles of production, it is possible to experiment creatively. Here we will mention only substances that are added to change the normal texture of caramel.
Chewable candy is produced milk, including gelatin in an amount of about 120 45,3 g per kg of caramel. Pre produce swelling and gelatin in water before adding it to the end of cooking, the product is dissolved while heating.
Corn starch or modified ( eg, He maizo) Also leads to a change in texture and is added when boiling an aqueous suspension. These products help to prevent loss of milk candy form.
The third option - is the addition of frappe and a typical recipe used about 2, 5 kg frappe type Hyfoama per game caramel in 45,3 kg. For scrambled (aerated) Product low density frappe should be included without excessive agitation.
Much of what has been said about the milk chocolates, also applies to the production of the iris, but the latter in the formulation much less moisture content, milk and fat.
Hard caramel toffee usually cooked at a temperature of 149-152 ° C (moisture content of the product in this case is 2-3%). Solid iris ( "batter- Scotch") - a special type of iris, which contains only butter and sugar in addition to glucose. Typically, this product is added to the lemon flavor. A typical formulation and technology for producing solid iris:
Sugar 45,3 kg
Syrup Glucose 113 kg
Water 18 kg
Dissolve and simmer until 143-145 ° C
Then knead 3,5 kg of butter (salted) and lemon oil (1 fluid ounce, 29, 57 ml). The oil should be completely dissolved in the hot syrup.
With partially chilled ductile butterscotch can work just as with toffee and caramel.
"English" Iris, tiled nut candies
This candy confectionery products are characterized by a much lower fat and milk compared with the previously described dairy candy. They are usually prepared only with sugar or with a very low content of glucose. They are especially popular in the US, where the tile peanut candies are sold in large quantities. Nuts in the cooking syrup actually fried (final temperature is 152-155 FROM). Below are the formulation and production of high-quality technology products.
Sugar (white) 11,3 kg
Salted butter 9 kg
thats (adds) 71 g
Lecithin 28,3 d
Chopped raw almonds 2,26 kg
It is desirable to use stainless steel pot. Melt butter small, add water, sugar, salt and lecithin mix thoroughly under warming up until the temperature reaches a temperature 127 FROM. Then add chopped almonds and continue heating until the temperature reaches 152 ° C. At this stage, a noticeable darkening occurs between 152 and 155 ° C, and the mixture becomes more flowable. Quickly release the mixture on a cold table with a layer about 0,6 cm thick. This thickness is very important - if it is not observed, the iris becomes digested and takes on a burnt aftertaste. For the formation of tiles in the hot liquid iris, a dividing frame can be pressed. Modifications are possible with a reduced content of butter and other types of nuts. In this case, you can use a certain amount of glucose syrup with fried or unsweetened nuts. The degree of "roasting", obtained with the addition of nuts at different stages of the cooking process, allows you to get different taste options.
Fudge (jersey or Italian cream)
The experimental preparation of the fudge was described above. The appearance of a confectionery product called "fudge" is apparently associated with the occasional crystallization of a candy mass prepared with a high sugar content. And indeed, if a soft milk candy mass with a high sugar content is vigorously mixed, it is very likely that when it is cooled, crystallization will occur. This kind of crystallization is uncontrollable and gives a large grain, and after a while spots appear on the surface. More reliable results are achieved when crystallization is caused by the addition of fudge. At the same time, the fudge obtained as a result of rapid mixing is a product that gives the impression of "home", and it has its followers.
Taste, aroma and texture Fudge determined by the degree of boiling of the original breast mass and content of sweet. On Fudge also affects the crystallization of sugar and glucose ratio in the formulation of dairy mass - the more the sugar content, the faster the crystallisation.
Fudge crystallization can also be achieved by the addition of finely milled powdered sugar to the partly cooled candy mass weight. The result is a different texture, more brittle.
As with milk candies, you can add other ingredients to get different items to the faju. There is one important difference between milk candies and fudge - milk candy is essentially a fat emulsion in an amorphous syrup with a dispersed milk protein, and in the fudge there is a phase of solid crystalline sugar dispersed together with fat and milk protein in the phase of a saturated solution of sugar syrup and glucose . Therefore, fudge has much higher water activity, which should be borne in mind when wrapping and packing, or when using fudge as one of the components of complex products.
Chocolate fudge is very popular in the United States. It is prepared by adding a batch of lactic candy mass prior to cooling 5-8% chocolate liquor, and then in cooling, sweet.
Equipment for the production of lactic candy mass and Fudge
The equipment that was originally used for the production of caramel and toffee, is a simple running on gas or coke boiler. The technology was the same as that described above for the preparation of a pilot. Many bakers find that the heating gas or the fire - this is the only way to get true caramel UWCs / flavor.
Later, heating was replaced with fire jacketed boilers. The technology at the same time remained a periodic and caramelization is still good. Some firms, disappointed in continuous processes, mechanized production run with a lot of coppers and pipe lines.
Nevertheless, the study of the initial batch process showed the importance of the time factor when cooking. Maillard reaction occurring between milk protein, reducing sugars, and water, determines the final flavor and its intensity depends on the heating time, reducing the proportion sugar and water present.
In continuous processes currently use karamelizator allowing continuously flowing milk chocolates produced by the heater for about 20 minutes at a temperature close to the endpoint boiling breast mass. This ensures good caramelization.
There are several variants of continuous technology (general principle is shown in Fig. 19.15). Available in various types of cookers in the form of trays (Bath) - for example, heated inside the rotating "snail" in a heated pan or mixer in a heated bath steam. Basic caramel mixture moves along the tray during cooking (fig. 19.16). The same structure can be used for cooling.
Especially suitable for the production of Fudge trough the cooler, where sweet extruded into a cooling tray. This method produces a different product, and it is important to understand that Fudge pieces cut from the plate prepared as described above by using the boiler, characterized by brittleness and a continuous process (particularly extrusion) is a more soft paste.
In the case of continuous process it has been found to be useful fudge higher sugar content - the ratio of sugar to glucose syrup 10: 1 4 instead of the usual : 1 or 3: 1.
There are various designs of heat exchangers, thin film and the surface being cleaned. If you are going to use these cookers for the production of milk candy mass, it is necessary to consider the possibility of forming films on surfaces of burned milk products. In this case the heat transfer is substantially reduced and may appear dark particles in the final product. Removal of these films - a complex process that requires filling cooker concentrated solutions of alkalis and their careful washing. | <urn:uuid:ffd474a0-47ca-4b00-b831-b8dd4910dd5b> | CC-MAIN-2019-26 | https://en.baker-group.net/technology-and-recipes/technology-confectionery-industry/the-formulations-technology-and-equipment-for-the-production-of-milk-candy-toffee-and-fudge.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-26/segments/1560627999041.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20190619204313-20190619230313-00212.warc.gz | en | 0.933914 | 3,147 | 2.71875 | 3 | {
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} | Food & Dining |
The 14th-century maxim known as Ockham's Razor, paraphrased by Jefferys and Berger (1992) as "It is vain to do with more what can be done with less", is usually applied to the interpretation of scientific results. However, it applies equally well to choice of analysis. Thus if one has a very simple ecological data set, consisting of few species and few samples, ordination is not worthwhile. In such a case, the data are easiest to interpret in a simple table.
In a typical data set, however, there are dozens of species and samples. It is impossible for the human mind to simultaneously contemplate dozens of dimensions. The purpose of ordination is to assist the implementation of Ockham's Razor: a few dimensions are easier to understand than many dimensions. A good ordination technique will be able to determine the most important dimensions (or gradients) in a data set, and ignore "noise" or chance variation.
Both direct and indirect gradient analysis have the potential to reduce the dimensionality of a data set. However, reduction of dimensionality is not the only reason to use ordination. Before the development of CCA, most widely-used ordination techniques were indirect, and the primary goal of ordination was considered "exploratory" (Gauch 1982). It was the job of the ecologist to use his or her knowledge and intuition to collect and interpret data; pure objectivity could potentially interfere with the ability to distinguish important gradients. Ordination was often considered as much an art as a science.
Once CCA was available, multivariate direct gradient analysis became feasible. It became possible to rigorously test statistical hypotheses and go beyond mere "exploratory" analysis. However, testing hypotheses requires complete objectivity, which results in repeatability and falsifiability. The two basic motivations for multivariate direct gradient analysis, hypothesis testing and exploratory analysis, conflict with each other to some extent:
Table 1. Hypothesis-driven analysis, exploratory analysis, and their major characteristics and motivations. This table applies to regression techniques and indirect gradient analysis in addition to CCA.
|Motivating Question: "Can I reject the null hypothesis that species are unrelated to a postulated environmental factor or factors?"||Motivating Question: "How can I optimally explain or describe variation in my data set?"|
|sites must be representative of universe: random, stratified random, regular placement||sites can be "encountered" or subjectively located|
|analyses must be planned a priori||"data diving" permissible; post-hoc analyses, explanations, hypotheses OK|
|p-values meaningful||p-values only a rough guide|
|stepwise techniques not valid without cross-validation||stepwise techniques (e.g. forward selection) valid and useful.|
Exploratory analyses might lack statistical rigor, but they are still a mainstay of vegetation research. The purpose of exploratory analysis is to find pattern in nature, which is an inherently subjective enterprise. Exploratory analyses incorporate the wisdom, skill, and intuition of the investigator into the experiment. Unless you can find another investigator with identical wisdom, skill and intuition, the analyses are not strictly repeatable, and are hence not falsifiable. While it is possible to perform exploratory analyses on sample plots located according to a rigorous, objective sampling design, such careful placement is not necessary. Indeed, an exploratory analysis can be aided if the investigator subjectively places study plots in locations he or she considers to be important or interesting. Orienting plots within vegetation which appears homogeneous is highly subjective, but very useful in evaluating differences between plots.
With exploratory analysis, "data diving" (e.g. using different transformations of species abundances, adjusting ordination options, selecting different subsets of environmental variables, or selecting different subsets of study plots) is no longer to be avoided. Instead, it is a way for the investigator to learn more about the data set. Stepwise analysis is a form of automated data diving. It is useful as a tool to help discover "important" or "interesting" variables.
Ecologists are often mislead into thinking that p-values from stepwise methods have a rigorous meaning, and that the results of stepwise methods give the best possible model. Such thinking is false.
It is possible to combine exploratory analysis and hypothesis-driven analysis into a larger study. One way of doing this is to perform a 2-phase study, in which the first phase is an exploratory analysis, perhaps involving subjectively located plots and employing many variations on analysis. The patterns found in the first phase are then posed as hypotheses for the second phase. The second phase involves the collection of fresh data from objectively located plots, and an entirely planned data analysis.
A second way to combine the two major types of analysis is through data set subdivision. The data set is randomly divided into two subsets: an exploratory subset and a confirmatory subset (alternatively called model building and model validation, respectively). Many, varied analyses can be performed on the exploratory subset (including stepwise analysis) - and such analyses can be based upon intuition, hunches, or superstition. If interesting patterns are found with respect to particular environmental variables, and using particular data transformations, these patterns can be statistically tested using the confirmatory subset. To use data set subdivision properly, samples must be objectively located.
Cliff, N. 1987. Analyzing Multivariate Data. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers, San Diego, California.
Draper, N. R., and H. Smith. 1981. Applied Regression Analysis. second edition. Wiley, New York.
Gauch, H. G., Jr. 1982. Multivariate Analysis and Community Structure. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Hallgren, E., M. W. Palmer, and P. Milberg. 1999. Data diving with cross validation: an investigation of broad-scale gradients in Swedish weed communities. Journal of Ecology 87:1037-1051.
Jefferys, W. H., and J. O. Berger. 1992. Ockham's Razor and Bayesian Analysis. Am. Sci. 80:64-72. | <urn:uuid:df0730db-b593-4e6c-be1a-3decd8f667dd> | CC-MAIN-2016-36 | http://ordination.okstate.edu/motivate.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-36/segments/1471982293150.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20160823195813-00236-ip-10-153-172-175.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9117 | 1,290 | 2.65625 | 3 | {
"raw_score": 3.001025438308716,
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} | Science & Tech. |
Upon returning to Regina to unite with the rest of the protesters on July 1, 1935, a public meeting was called in Market Square in Germantown (now the site of the Regina City Police station) to update the public on the progress of the movement. It was attended by 1,500 to 2,000 people, of whom only 300 were Trekkers. Most Trekkers decided to stay at the exhibition grounds.
Three large vans were parked on the sides of the square concealing RCMP riot squads. Regina police were standing by in a nearby garage. At 8 p.m. a whistle was blown and the police charged the crowd, setting off hours of hand-to-hand fighting throughout the city's centre. The attack caught the people off guard before their anger took over. They fought back with sticks, stones, and anything at hand. Mounted RCMP officers then charged into the crowd and attacked with clubs. Driven from the Square, the battle continued in the surrounding streets for four hours. Trekkers on the speakers' platform were arrested by plainclothes police.
Police fired revolvers above and into groups of people. Tear gas bombs were thrown at any groups that gathered together. Plate glass windows in stores and offices were smashed, but with one exception, these stores were not looted. People covered their faces with wet handkerchiefs to counter the effects of the tear gas and barricaded streets with cars. Finally the Trekkers who had attended the meeting made their way individually or in small groups back to the exhibition stadium where the main body of Trekkers were quartered.
When it was over, 120 Trekkers and citizens had been arrested. One plainclothes policeman had been killed, and one protestor would later die in the hospital from injuries sustained in the riot. Hundreds of injured local residents and Trekkers were taken to hospitals or private homes. Those taken to hospital were also arrested. Property damage was considerable. The police claimed 39 injuries in addition to the dead police officer, but denied that any protestors had been killed in the melee; the hospital records were subsequently altered to conceal the actual cause of death.
The city's exhibition grounds were surrounded by constables armed with revolvers and machine guns. The next day a barbed wire stockade was erected around the area. The Trekkers in the stadium were denied any food or water. News of the police-instigated riot was front page news across Canada. About midnight one of the Trek leaders telephoned Premier Gardiner, who agreed to meet their delegation the next morning. The RCMP were livid when they heard of this and apprehended the delegates for interrogation but eventually released them in time to see the premier.
Premier Gardiner sent a wire to the Prime Minister, accusing the police of "precipitating a riot" while he had been negotiating a settlement with the Trekkers. He also told the prime minister the "men should be fed where they are and sent back to camp and homes as they request" and stated his government was prepared to "undertake this work of disbanding the men." An agreement to this effect was subsequently negotiated. Bennett was satisfied that he had smashed what he believed was a communist revolt and Gardiner was glad to rid his province of the strikers.
The federal Minister of Justice made the false statement in the House of Commons on July 2 that "shots were fired by the strikers and the fire was replied to with shots from the city police." During the long trials that followed, no evidence was ever produced to show that strikers fired shots during the riot. For his part, Bennett characterized the On-to-Ottawa Trek as "not a mere uprising against law and order but a definite revolutionary effort on the part of a group of men to usurp authority and destroy government." | <urn:uuid:adb82aac-3235-40f4-b1e9-e33f9ab1fd58> | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | http://www.reference.com/browse/glom+on+to | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1393999677352/warc/CC-MAIN-20140305060757-00011-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989657 | 766 | 3.1875 | 3 | {
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} | Politics |
History of Meth
First synthesized in 1887 Germany, amphetamine was for a long time, a drug in search of a disease. Nothing was done with the drug, from its discovery (synthesis) until the late 1920's, when it was seriously investigated as a cure or treatement against nearly everything from depression to decongestion.
In the 1930's, amphetamine was marketed as Benzedrine in an over-the-counter inhaler to treat nasal congestion (for asthmatics, hay fever sufferers, and people with colds). A probable direct reaction to the Depression and Prohibition, the drug was used and abused by non-asthmatics looking for a buzz. By 1937 amphetamine was available by prescription in tablet form.
Methamphetamine, more potent and easy to make, was discovered in Japan in 1919. The crystalline powder was soluble in water, making it a perfect candidate for injection. It is still legally produced in the U.S., sold under the trade name Desoxyn.
During World War II, amphetamines were widely used to keep the fighting men going (during the Viet Nam war, American soldiers used more amphetamines than the rest of the world did during WWII). In Japan, intravenous methamphetamine abuse reached epidemic proportions immediately after World War II, when supplies stored for military use became available to the public.
In the United States in the 1950s, legally manufactured tablets of both dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) and methamphetamine (Methedrine) became readily available and were used non medically by college students, truck drivers, and athletes, As use of amphetamines spread, so did their abuse. Amphetamines became a cure-all for such things as weight control to treating mild depression.
This pattern changed drastically in the 1960s with the increased availability of injectable methamphetamine. The 1970 Controlled Substances Act severely restricted the legal production of injectable methamphetamine, causing its use to decrease greatly.
Methamphetamine trafficking and abuse in the United States have been on the rise over the past few years, as indicated by investigative, seizure, price, purity, and abuse data (see "trends" below). As a result, this drug is having a devastating impact in many communities across the nation. Although more common in western areas of the country, this impact increasingly is being felt in areas not previously familiar with the harmful effects of this powerful stimulant.
Clandestine production accounts for almost all of the methamphetamine trafficked and abused in the United States. The illicit manufacture of methamphetamine can be accomplished in a variety of ways, but is produced most commonly using the ephedrine/pseudoephedrine reduction method. Large-scale production of methamphetamine using this method is dependent on ready access to bulk quantities of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. During the past two years, several bulk ephedrine seizures destined for Mexico focused attention on the magnitude of ephedrine acquisition by organized crime drug groups operating from Mexico and in the United States, and set in motion an effort to focus international attention on the ephedrine diversion problem and to take action to prevent such diversion.
Drug law enforcement efforts against clandestine methamphetamine producers constitute a "cat and mouse" game between efforts to cut off chemical supplies and efforts to obtain them from non-regulated sources. Past experience has demonstrated that methamphetamine traffickers are relentless, flexible, and creative in finding new ways to obtain chemicals by evading the network of international controls that has been established. The Federal Government currently is preparing regulations to further reduce the diversion of pharmaceutical products containing chemicals, such as ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, that can be used to produce illegal drugs. It has consulted with corporations within the pharmaceutical industry to develop a solution to the diversion problem that does not unduly restrict the availability of these chemicals for legitimate use.
Domestically, large-scale production of methamphetamine is centered in California. In addition, methamphetamine increasingly is produced in Mexico and smuggled into the United States. Methamphetamine laboratory operators often are well-armed, and their laboratories occasionally are booby-trapped and equipped with scanning devices employed as security precautions. Weaponry, ranging from single firearms to arsenals of high-powered weapons and explosives, are commonly found at laboratory sites. Not only are methamphetamine laboratories used to manufacture illegal, often deadly drugs, but the clandestine nature of the manufacturing process and the presence of ignitable, corrosive, reactive, and toxic chemicals at the sites have resulted in explosions, fires, toxic fumes, and irreparable damage to human health and to the environment.
Traditionally, the suppliers of methamphetamine throughout the United States have been outlaw motorcycle gangs and numerous other independent trafficking groups. Although these groups continue to produce and distribute methamphetamine, organized crime drug groups operating from Mexico currently dominate wholesale methamphetamine trafficking in the United States for several reasons: these organizations established access to wholesale ephedrine sources of supply on the international market; these organizations are producing unprecedented quantities of high-purity methamphetamine on a regular basis; and, they already control well-established cocaine, heroin, and marijuana distribution networks throughout the western United States, enabling them to supply methamphetamine to a large retail level market. Their expansion into the methamphetamine trade has added a new dimension to their role in the U.S. drug market and has redefined the methamphetamine problem in the United States. Presently, these organizations are poised to supply methamphetamine to the rest of the country in response to any increases in demand.
Trends in methamphetamine use
As we begin 1997, the West, Southwest, and the South there are reports of methamphetamine and ephedrine as emerging drugs. According to DEA sources, Mexican manufacturers and distributors have replaced the outlaw motorcycle groups which had produced methamphetamine supplies for over twenty years. The new manufacturers are producing large quantities of high purity methamphetamine on both sides of the border, drawing on the legal supply of the precursor chemicals on the Mexican side. The price of methamphetamine had dropped significantly (to approximately $3000/pound in Southern California) until recent efforts to curtail ephedrine/pseudoephedrine supplies produced a slight shortage in some areas and a corresponding price increase. In Washington State, sources report that the resultant price increase has caused a number of methamphetamine users in that area to switch to cocaine.
One Texas source cited a number of reports of adverse effects of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, a common substance in a number of over the counter and/or health food products. Ephedrine tablets can be purchased in Mexico and are often seized at the border or in other locations in transit to U.S.-based manufacturers. Some of the ephedrine/pseudoephedrine products readily available in Texas include 40 or 50 milligrams of ephedrine as well as substantial quantities of caffeine. Adverse consequences of their use include agitation, palpitations, and fainting from the stimulant effect. Called "herbal ecstasy" in both Texas and Southern California and touted as "safe" or "legal" MDMA, it is reportedly available from some health food stores or through mail order.
Methamphetamine continues to be popular in San Francisco. The ethnographer from that area reports that in addition to its use by young users who combine it with heroin ("a meth speedball") it can also be found in "biker's coffee," a combination of methamphetamine and coffee popular among young, fairly affluent urbanites. This is similar to the population of users described by the Los Angeles source. In that area, users are primarily snorting methamphetamine rather than smoking it as "ice" or injecting it.
Methamphetamine: A Dangerous Drug, A Spreading Threat
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug that can be manufactured by using products commercially available anywhere in the United States. The chemicals used in producing methamphetamine are extremely volatile, and the amateur chemists running makeshift laboratories -- often in hotels or areas where children are present -- cause deadly explosions and fires. The by-products of methamphetamine production are extremely toxic. Methamphetamine traffickers display no concern about environmental hazards when it comes to manufacturing and disposing of methamphetamine and its by-products.
The effects of methamphetamine on humans are profound. SAMHSA is currently testing the effectiveness of various treatment regimens for methamphetamine, an addiction that is extremely difficult to treat. The stimulant effects from methamphetamine can last for hours, instead of minutes as with crack cocaine. Often the methamphetamine user remains awake for days. As the high begins to wear off, the methamphetamine user enters a stage called "tweaking," in which he or she is prone to violence, delusions, and paranoia. Many methamphetamine users try to alleviate the effect of the methamphetamine "crash" by buffering the effects with other drugs such as cocaine or heroin. Like heroin and cocaine, methamphetamine can be snorted,smoked, or injected.
Overall usage. The 1997 NHSDA estimated that 5.3 million Americans (2.5 percent of the population) have tried methamphetamine in their lifetime, up significantly from the 1994 estimate of 1.8 million. The ADAM system reports that methamphetamine use continues to be more common in the western United States than in the rest of the nation. Methamphetamine use, according to ADAM, increased substantially in 1997, negating the progress achieved in 1996. In San Diego, roughly 40 percent of both male and female arrestees tested positive for methamphetamine.
Use among youth. The 1998 MTF survey asked 12th graders about the use of crystal methamphetamine known as "ice" -- which is smoked or burned in rock form. The survey found that lifetime ice use -- which had leveled-off at 4.4 percent in 1997 after a four-year rise -- rose in 1998 to 5.7 percent. The perceived harmfulness of methamphetamine among youth has also declined steadily since 1992 -- when 61.9 percent of 12th graders perceived "great risk" in trying "ice" once or twice -- to 1998, when only 52.7 percent perceived great risk.
Availability. Methamphetamine is by far the most prevalent synthetic controlled substance clandestinely manufactured in the United States. In the West and Southwest, it is increasingly significant as a drug of abuse: 52 percent of all those arrested in San Jose for drug possession, for example, test positive for methamphetamine. The Midwest has also seen an increase in methamphetamine production, trafficking and consequences. While the drug is not commonly found in the East and Southeast an analysis of methamphetamine treatment admissions as well as increased seizures suggest that the use of the drug maybe spreading eastward. The number of methamphetamine laboratory seizures reported to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 1997 increased dramatically, to 1,431 from 879 in 1996. This reflects the widespread proliferation in the manufacture, trafficking, and use of the drug across the West and Midwest and portions of the South. During 1997 methamphetamine prices nationwide ranged from $3,500 to $30,000 per pound, $400 to $2,800 per ounce, and 37 dollars to $200 per gram. | <urn:uuid:913ca1dc-be14-4848-a8ff-360714843a7b> | CC-MAIN-2019-51 | https://www.stopmethaddiction.com/History_of_Meth.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-51/segments/1575540518337.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20191209065626-20191209093626-00090.warc.gz | en | 0.956009 | 2,235 | 3.203125 | 3 | {
"raw_score": 3.0783698558807373,
"reasoning_level": 3,
"interpretation": "Strong reasoning"
} | Crime & Law |
A variety of metabolic profiles and micronutrient (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants) tests are available through direct-to-consumer websites and alternative practitioners. Often they are advertised as general screens for “metabolic abnormalities” or “nutritional deficiencies”. The actual tests carried out for each profile can vary considerably between retailers. They are often expensive and may cost upwards of £200 per profile.
These sorts of tests are frequently promoted by alternative practitioners, such as naturopaths and nutritionists, who use results to suggest that patients require supplements or other ‘alternative’ therapies to correct ‘nutritional/energy imbalances’ or micronutrient deficiencies. The types of profiles offered include:
- Amino acid profile
- Organic acid profile
- Micronutrient tests (vitamins and minerals)
- Essential fatty acid profile
- Antioxidant profiles
Many of these tests do have valid clinical uses in specific circumstances, for instance when investigating newborn babies for rare inherited diseases. Tests such as amino acid and organic acid profiles are highly specialised investigations that are used by medical specialists to diagnose and monitor rare conditions. Metabolic profiles like this are only used if a specific medical condition is suspected because a patient has signs or symptoms that would fit that diagnosis. Performing the tests and interpreting results requires highly trained and appropriately qualified staff. Read more about rare metabolic conditions and the screening tests used to detect them here.
Using amino acid and organic acid profiles for the assessment of nutritional status is not recommended because there is no evidence the tests provide any useful information. Using these tests in this way is likely to be misleading and may lead to an incorrect diagnosis and unnecessary treatment.
Micronutrient tests look at levels concentrations of vitamins and minerals in the body and are a valid assessment when a patient shows symptoms that suggest deficiency of a particular micronutrient. However, testing is generally only useful for a small number of micronutrients while analysis of others is rarely, if ever, useful. For the majority of micronutrients clinically significant deficiency is unlikely and only occurs in those that are severely malnourished or have specific conditions known to cause deficiency, a good example is Pernicious anaemia and vitamin B12 deficiency.
Nutrient tests that are frequently useful where risk of deficiency is high or patients show signs or symptoms of deficiency:
Vitamin B12, folate, vitamin D, iron, calcium, phosphate, magnesium, potassium, zinc
Nutrient tests that are useful but only in rare circumstances because clinically relevant deficiency is unlikely:
Selenium, copper, manganese, vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamin E, some B vitamins (thiamine, pyridoxine), vitamin C.
Tests where there is very rarely any benefit in analysis:
Remaining B vitamins (riboflavin, pantothenic acid, niacin), vitamin K, iodine, chromium, manganese, molybdenum, all other trace elements.
Antioxidant profiles are also frequently offered alongside other micronutrient tests. Antioxidants are a broad range of compounds that play a role in helping the body manage oxidative stress, which is known to be associated with a wide range of diseases. The sorts of compounds that might be analysed include:
Tocopherols (including vitamin E)
Carotenes (including vitamin A)
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
Superoxide dismutase (SOD)
Antioxidant testing is often advertised as a way of assessing the body’s level of ‘oxidative stress’ or ‘antioxidant reserve’. Alternative practitioners frequently use results to suggest dietary modification or supplements to correct antioxidant status or ‘detox’ the body. However, large clinical trials have failed to show that antioxidant supplementation reduces risk of disease in the general population and there is evidence that some antioxidants (e.g. vitamin A, C, E and beta-carotene) may actually be harmful. It therefore follows that testing for antioxidants in this way is not clinically useful and may actually lead to harm. It is also common for patients to be offered a range of expensive but questionable ‘detox’ therapies and health regimes based on results of this testing. For more information see: http://www.senseaboutscience.org/pages/debunking-detox.html
Essential fatty acid testing or fatty acid profiling involves analysing specific types of fats in the blood stream. Commonly advertised are from fatty acids of the Omega-3 and Omega-6 groups. Whilst there is good evidence that modifying diet to include more ‘good’ fats (i.e. omega-3) is beneficial there is no evidence that testing fatty acids is able to provide any further information or health benefit. Alternative practitioners may use results to suggest specific types of fatty acid supplements but there is no evidence that this approach is any better than following standard dietary advice on fat and oily fish intake. | <urn:uuid:a1f1fb39-fc67-4b51-b3a0-cafd4b5c11b7> | CC-MAIN-2018-30 | https://www.labtestsonline.org.uk/tests/unvalidated-or-misleading-laboratory-tests | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-30/segments/1531676589557.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20180717031623-20180717051623-00432.warc.gz | en | 0.914244 | 1,043 | 3.0625 | 3 | {
"raw_score": 2.752776861190796,
"reasoning_level": 3,
"interpretation": "Strong reasoning"
} | Health |
Getting Started with Internationalization
Resources for content authors who are new to Web internationalization, to help them get started with the topic.
For a general introduction to internationalization and an overview of the work of the W3C Internationalization Activity, see:
Basic concepts & definitions
The following articles of general interest define key terminology.
Localization vs. Internationalization
What do the terms 'internationalization' and 'localization' mean, and how are they related?
International & multilingual Web sites
What is an 'international' or a 'multilingual' web site?
- Monolingual vs. multilingual Web sites
What are the trade-offs between international sites that are monolingual vs. multilingual?
Character encodings: Essential concepts
A number of basic concepts needed to understand other articles that deal with characters and character encodings.
Unicode Bidirectional Algorithm basics
What does the Unicode Bidirectional (bidi) Algorithm do, basically?
Time & date: Essential concepts
A number of basic concepts needed to understand other articles that deal with time zones and other aspects of working with dates and times.
Gentle introductions to various internationalization topics.
Internationalization Quick Tips.
Reminders of some key things to keep in mind when developing Web content.
Character sets and encodings.
How to choose and work with character encodings and escapes, and other topics related to characters.
Language on the Web.
Declaring the human language of your content, and related topics, such as language-based styling, content negotiation, and user navigation.
Personal names around the world.
How do people's names differ around the world, and what are the implications of those differences on the design of forms, databases, ontologies, etc. for the Web?
Pages that point to other articles, to take you to the next level of understanding.
Handling character encodings in HTML and CSS
Understand the essentials of authoring HTML and CSS related to characters and character encodings.
Working with language in HTML
Understand the essentials of working with language information when authoring HTML and CSS.
Creating HTML Pages in Arabic, Hebrew and Other Right-to-left Scripts
Understand the essentials of working with languages in right-to-left scripts and bidirectional text when authoring HTML and CSS.
Taking it further
To further develop your knowledge and encounter other topics we recommend the following.
Internationalization techniques: Authoring HTML & CSS
Resources on the W3C Internationalization Activity site and elsewhere that help you author HTML and CSS for internationalization.
Articles & tutorials
A list of all the articles available. This page also allows you to see which pages have been translated into another language. | <urn:uuid:508083b6-444c-4a29-9af9-cbc8497e19a4> | CC-MAIN-2022-27 | https://www.w3.org/International/i18n-drafts/getting-started/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-27/segments/1656104669950.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20220706090857-20220706120857-00611.warc.gz | en | 0.837764 | 608 | 2.765625 | 3 | {
"raw_score": 2.390031099319458,
"reasoning_level": 2,
"interpretation": "Moderate reasoning"
} | Software Dev. |
What Pioneers Packed to Go West
Westering pioneers had many routes to choose from but the main ones were the Oregon, California, Sante Fe, and Mormon Trails. Whatever route they chose, many read guidebooks like Landsford Hastings’ 1845 “The Emigrant’s Guide to Oregon and California” or Captain Randolph Marcy’s 1859 “The Prairie Traveler: A Hand-Book for Overland Expeditions.” They offered advice on what and how to pack, what draft animals to buy, distances, water, grass, terrain, weather, firearms and ammunition, tools, wagon parts, how to make repairs, and what hardships they might meet along the way.
Two primary types of wagons were used on wagon trails going west. The Conestoga wagon was named for Conestoga Township in Pennsylvania where many German pioneers in the 1750s first started West on the Appalachian Trail to settle land east of the Mississippi. It was a huge and very heavy wagon, 28 feet long with wheels five feet tall and, loaded, could weigh as much as six tons and took three pair of oxen to pull. (Like pulling a semi!)
Later, the much smaller Prairie Schooner became most common on the Oregon, California and Sante Fe Trails to the Western frontier. It was usually built in the Midwest for the departure points in Missouri, where all three trails started. The prairie schooner was half the size of the Conestoga, 12-13 feet long, and weighed 1,300 pounds empty and as much as two tons loaded. It required less animals to pull and to feed on the trail and could move faster (20 miles a day vs. 13-15 for the Conestoga wagon).
The sides of the wagons were waterproofed with tar, so they could ford rivers and keep the cargo dry. A thoroughly water-proofed wagon would also float in high water, making the crossing much easier. The canvas tops were oiled to keep out the rain. Wooden wheels had iron rims to prevent wear.
The Oregon Trail took roughly four to six months to complete. Packing could mean the difference between life and death on the trail and varied wildly depending upon the sensibilities (and sometimes the sense!) of the travelers. James Miller’s 1848 diary entry describes what they packed for food: “We had… 200 lbs. flour for each person, 100 lbs. bacon, corn meal, dried apples and peaches, beans, salt, pepper, rice, tea, coffee, sugar, and many smaller articles for such a trip.” Pioneers also commonly packed 80 lbs. lard, 20 lbs. sugar, 10 lbs. each of coffee and salt per person, yeast, hardtack and crackers.
A wagon was filled with essentials, so travelers usually walked alongside the wagons. This also saved the energy of the oxen, mules or horses pulling the wagons. Teams grazed at night for grass.
Some travelers brought cattle to butcher along the way. Many brought a milk cow and a chicken or two for eggs. Each morning, after milking the cow, the buckets of milk were covered and hung under the wagon. The jarring of the unsprung axle would churn the milk! At night, the fresh butter would be skimmed off. A Dutch oven was the standard cooking container because it was versatile and could be used to bake bread, cook soups, grill meat, and make oatmeal in the morning.
Most wagons had a “chuck box” at the back of the wagon that consisted of a fold-down table surface in front of a cabinet that contained food stuffs, utensils, plates and basics needed to prepare a meal. Shelving below the axle contained larger Dutch ovens, bowls for making bread dough, tubs for washing, or even bottles of a more sundry nature.
Large wooden water kegs were carried on the sides of the wagons. Water would be resupplied from rivers along the way. However, there were some dry stretches and water was carefully preserved. Cholera epidemics were most common along the Platte River and were caused by contaminated water from the massive numbers of travelers that bivouacked there.
Medical and surgical supplies were essential: bandages, ointment, laudanum, cough syrups that contained cocaine, painkillers that contained opium, and of course alcohol for drinking. (Alcohol as an antiseptic was not commonly used until the 1890s.) Surgical instruments for suturing wounds, pulling teeth, lancing boils, extracting bullets or arrowheads, and a bone saw for amputating were commonly packed as well.
Tools for repairing or rebuilding wheels, axles, wagons, ox bows, and harnesses were heavy but crucial to have. The basics were hammers, saws, augers and gimlets. Prudent planners would also pack heavy rope, chains, spare parts, axle grease, and even pulleys. Oil and candle lanterns were essential since work and repairs often had to be done at night, so all would be ready when the wagon train left in the morning.
Warm clothing for rain and cold was packed, as was bedding. Although bedding took up space, it was crucial to get as much sleep as possible. Travelers walked about 20 miles a day over often rough terrain, or in prairie grass as tall as they were, and were exhausted at the end of each day.
Those who insisted on packing iron stoves, heavy furniture, pianos, sewing machines, iron plows, kegs of whiskey, blacksmith anvils, or other weighty items usually discarded them on the side of the trail as the grazing and water ran out. Fort Laramie in Wyoming became known as “Camp Sacrifice” because it was so littered with jettisoned cargo, antique furniture and family heirlooms, chests of silver and china, stoves, and pianos, broken wagons, and dead animals.
Most wagon trains had at least 25 wagons. Perhaps the largest wagon train to travel on the Oregon Trail left Missouri in 1843 with over 100 wagons, 1,000 men, women and children, and 5,000 head of oxen and cattle. The train was led by a Methodist missionary named Dr. Elijah White. But wagon trains became so common on the trail that processions seemed to have no beginning or end. Diaries told of hundreds of wagons passing by Fort Laramie in a single day in the 1850s. Foraging for the teams became a serious challenge because grazing near the trail had been exhausted.
Two posts from the pioneer diary of Elizabeth J. Goltra provide a glimpse of traveling on the trail:
September 20, 1853: Two of our horses are missing this morning. Bought 30 pounds of beef and some other eatables… found plenty of wood and water and grass one mile south. We are now at the foot of the Cascades, in heavy timber. Bought 80 pounds of flour off an emigrant at 10¢ per pound. We now have plenty of provisions to last us through. We guard our cattle very closely or we would lose them in the timber. Rest the remainder of the day to let the cattle eat plenty for feed is scarce in the mountains.
September 24, 1853: This is a very rainy morning. The roads are very bad. Fearful of being caught in a snowstorm… This is the roughest and steepest hill on the road. Got down all safe by cutting and chaining a tree behind the wagon 100 feet long. Camped at the foot of the hill and tied our stock up with nothing to eat but a little grass we carried along with us.
PHOTOS: (1) Conestoga wagons were used early in pioneer history to travel on the Appalachian Trail and east of the Mississippi. But they were extremely heavy—up to six tons loaded--and required up to six animals, usually oxen, to pull. (2) The smaller Prairie Schooner started to replace the larger Connestoga wagons and were often built in the Midwest near the starting point of the Oregon Trail. (3) Two families rest at the end of the day on the trail at the foothills of the Rockies in northern Utah,1870. Photograph by Henry Martinean. Denver Public Library. (4) A very rare photograph of the inside of a covered wagon packed for the Oregon Trail shows the crowded quarters. (5) Custer’s Black Hills Expedition of 1874 included 110 covered wagons, 1,200 men, artillery and food supply for two months. This expedition was about the same size as the largest wagon train ever to travel the Oregon Trail.
You may also enjoy these related posts:
-What Pioneers Ate
-Pioneer Survival Guides
© 2020 NOTES FROM THE FRONTIER
"What Pioneers Packed" originally posted June 24, 2019 on Facebook
4,761 likes / 1773 shares / 4,336 photo views / 476 comments | <urn:uuid:61012a9b-515b-4d1a-b0ab-b48ca595d544> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.notesfromthefrontier.com/post/what-pioneers-packed | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141746033.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20201205013617-20201205043617-00480.warc.gz | en | 0.97235 | 1,889 | 3.15625 | 3 | {
"raw_score": 1.9421669244766235,
"reasoning_level": 2,
"interpretation": "Moderate reasoning"
} | History |
PANIC IN LEVEL 4 by Richard Preston
INTRODUCTION- Adventures in Nonfiction Writing
Oliver Heaviside, the English mathematician and physicist, once
said, “In order to know soup, it is not necessary to climb into a pot and
be boiled.” Unfortunately, this statement is not true for journalists. As
a writer of what’s called “literary nonfiction” or “creative nonfiction”–
narrative that is said to read like a novel but is factually verifiable–
it has often been my practice to climb into the soup. Getting
boiled with your characters is a good way to get to know them, but it
has occasionally led me into frightening situations.
Some years ago, while I was researching The Hot Zone, a book that
focuses on the Ebola virus, I may have had a meeting with an unknown
strain of Ebola. (A virus is an exceedingly small life-form, an infectious
parasite that replicates inside living cells, using the cell’s own machinery
to make more copies of itself.)
Ebola has now been classified into seven different known types.
Though it has been studied for more than thirty years, Ebola is one of
the least-understood viruses in nature. Scientists have been understandably
reluctant to study Ebola too closely because it has on occasion
killed those who tried to do so. The virus was first was noticed in
1976, when it surfaced in Yambuku, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic
of Congo), near the Ebola River, where it sacked a Catholic
mission hospital, killing most of the medical staff along with a number
of patients and people the patients had came into contact with. Ebola
spreads from one person to the next by direct contact with blood or secretions,
including sweat. There is no evidence that it can spread
among humans through the air, although there is some evidence that
it may spread among monkeys this way. As a parasite, Ebola carries on
its life cycle in some unidentified type of animal–Ebola’s natural
host–that lives in certain unidentified habitats in equatorial Africa.
Occasionally Ebola comes into contact with a person, and the virus
makes what is known as a trans-species jump from its host into the
When Ebola gets inside a human host, it causes the person’s immune
system to vanish, and the person dies with hemorrhages coming
from the body’s orifices. The most lethal strains of Ebola have been
known to kill up to 95 percent of people who become infected with it.
Ebola causes people to vomit masses of black blood with a distinctive
“coffee grounds” appearance. Victims can have a bright red nosebleed,
or epistaxis; it won’t stop. A spotty, bumpy rash spreads over the body,
while small, starlike hemorrhages appear beneath the skin. An Ebola
patient can have blood standing in droplets on the eyelids and running
from the tear ducts down the face. Blood can flow from the nose,
mouth, vagina, rectum. The testicles can become infected with Ebola
and can swell up or be destroyed. Victims display signs of psychosis.
They can develop endless hiccups. Rarely, in particularly severe cases of
Ebola, the linings of the intestines and rectum may come off. Those
membranes may be expelled through the anus in raglike pieces called
casts, or the intestinal lining can emerge in the form of a sleeve, like a
sock. When an Ebola patient expels a sleeve, it is known as throwing a
Some of the action in The Hot Zone takes place at Fort Detrick, an
Army base in the rolling country along the eastern flank of the Appalachian
Mountains in Maryland, an hour’s drive northwest of Washington,
D.C. The Army’s Level 4 virus laboratories at Fort Detrick are
clustered inside a large, nearly windowless building that sits near the
eastern perimeter of the base. This building is the headquarters of the
United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases,
or USAMRIID–a facility that Army people often simply refer to as “the
Institute.” While I was visiting USAMRIID, or the Institute, to interview
various experts in Ebola, I began asking officials at the base for per-
mission to put on a biohazard space suit and enter one of the Army’s
Biosafety Level 4 virus laboratories. I wanted to get a firsthand look at
researchers handling Ebola. More than that, I wanted to know what it
feels like to wear a biohazard space suit and be face-to-face with a real
Level 4 virus, so that I could get a sense of my characters’ feelings and
experiences, and could describe them with convincing precision.
(Many nonfiction writers refer to their characters as “subjects,” but I
prefer to think of them as dramatis personae in a true story.)
Biosafety Level 4, also called BL-4 or Level 4, is the highest and
tightest level of biosecurity in a laboratory. Laboratories rated at
Biosafety Level 4 are the repositories of viruses called hot agents–
lethal viruses for which there is no vaccine or effective cure. Level 4
labs are sealed off from the outside world. People who go inside a
Level 4 lab are required to wear a biohazard space suit, a pressurized
whole-body suit, like an astronaut’s, made of soft, flexible plastic, typically
blue. Army researchers sometimes refer to the space suit as a
“blue suit” because of its color. A soft, flexible helmet that completely
surrounds the head is joined to the suit, and the helmet has a clear,
flexible plastic faceplate in it; the suit also has an independent air supply.
The air supply prevents you from breathing the air inside the lab,
which could be contaminated with a hot agent. Ebola virus is classified
as a Level 4 hot agent, one of the most dangerous known, and it has
the potential to be used as a biological weapon. The scientists at
USAMRIID (it’s pronounced “you-SAM-rid”) conduct research into
vaccines and drugs that could be used to protect the population of the
United States against a terrorist or military attack with a biological
weapon, including Ebola virus. This is medical research, peaceful in nature.
The Level 4 labs inside the Institute consist of groups of interconnected
rooms. Each group of rooms is known as a hot suite or a hot
zone. Each suite is sealed off from the outside world and is accessible
only through an air lock. The air lock has heavy, stainless steel doors.
Inside the air lock there is a chemical decontamination shower, also
known as a “decon” shower. The purpose of the decon shower is to
sterilize the outer surface of the space suits of researchers who are leaving
a hot zone, to prevent a hot agent from getting a ride to the out side world.
Chest freezers inside the Army’s hot zones are filled with
collections of microvials (tiny plastic test tubes the size of a pencil stub)
that contain frozen or freeze-dried samples of many different strains of
The freezers are kept at 95 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. They
are said to be hot. They are hot in a biological sense: they contain
frozen samples of lethal viruses that are held in suspended animation in
the extreme cold. The virus collections stored in USAMRIID’s hot freezers
are said to include strains of Bolivian hemorrhagic fever virus, Guanarito
virus, Junín virus, dengue hemorrhagic fever, Venezuelan equine
encephalitis (VEE), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), Hendra virus,
Nipah virus, Lassa virus, and the seven known types of Ebola. (These
viruses’ effects on humans vary. Guanarito, Junín, and Lassa, for example,
cause hemorrhaging from the body’s orifices, like Ebola. VEE and
JEV infect the brain and spinal cord, causing coma or death. Nipah is a
brain virus from Malaysia that can trigger a literal meltdown of the
brain. The brain of a Nipah victim can be semiliquefied as the virus consumes
it, and can pour out of the skull during an autopsy.) The hot
freezers also may contain (although the Army doesn’t say much about
this) an assortment of Level 4 Unknown viruses, or X viruses. The Unknown
X viruses appear to be lethal in humans, but little is known
about them. They’ve never been fully studied or classified. They may include
something known as the Linköping Samples, which may or may
not harbor an unidentified type of Ebola. The X viruses are presumed
to be potentially lethal, so they are kept in Level 4 for safety.
We know that Ebola virus was one of the more powerful
bioweapons in the arsenal of the old Soviet Union. In the years before
the Soviet Union broke up, in 1991, bioweaponeers had reportedly
been experimenting with aerosol Ebola–powdered, weaponized
Ebola that could be dispersed through the air, over a city, for example.
The Soviet weaponized Ebola was apparently stable enough that it
could drift for distances in the air and still infect people through the
lungs when they breathed a few particles of it. This is why the U.S.
Army was studying it: the Army researchers were trying to come up
with a vaccine or a drug treatment for Ebola, in case of a terrorist or
military attack on the United States with Ebola.
As a natural disease, Ebola virus does not seem to be able to pass
from person to person through the air, though. In each of the natural
Ebola outbreaks, the disease seems to burn itself out, and Ebola fades
away and is lost in the backdrop of nature, until, once again, by chance,
it finds its way into a human host.
One day I was interviewing the commander of Fort Detrick. We
were getting toward the end of the interview, and I decided to ask one
last question. “I’d like to try to convey to readers what it really feels like
to be face-to-face with Ebola virus.” I said. “Could I go into Level 4?”
“That should be no problem,” the commander answered
promptly. “We’ll get you outfitted in a blue suit,” he said, “and walk
you through Suite AA-4”–one of the Ebola hot zones. “It’s down
and cold,” he added.
“What do you mean by ‘down and cold’?” I asked.
He explained that the hot zone had been completely sterilized
with gas and opened up for routine maintenance. The rooms weren’t
dangerous. Anyone could go into the lab without wearing a space suit.
The hot freezers, too, had been moved out of the lab. Therefore, the
lab was completely cold and safe.
“That’s not really what I had in mind,” I said.
“What did you have in mind?” he asked.
“I would like to experience the real thing, so that I can describe it.
I’d like to go into a hot BL-4 lab and see how the scientists work with
“That’s not possible,” he answered immediately.
Security at USAMRIID was extremely tight. Even so, it was not as
tight as it would become. That day in the commander’s office was
some nine years before the anthrax terror attacks of the autumn of
2001, shortly after 9/11. The anthrax attacks came to be known as the
Amerithrax terror event, after the FBI’s name for the case. Small quantities
of pure, powdered spores of anthrax–a natural bacterium that
has been developed into a very powerful bioweapon–were placed in
envelopes and mailed to several media organizations and to the offices
of two United States senators. Five people died after inhaling the
spores, while others became critically ill; some of the survivors have
never fully recovered. For the most part the victims, including African-
Americans and recent immigrants to the United States, were low-level
employees of the post office who were just doing their jobs. No one
has been charged with the Amerithrax crimes. The evidence suggests
they were done by a serial killer or killers who intended to murder people
and may have taken pleasure in causing the deaths while escaping
punishment. The case remains open.
Officials at the United States Department of Justice named Steven
Jay Hatfill, a former researcher at USAMRIID, as a “person of interest” in
the case. Hatfill has never been charged with involvement in the
crimes, though. At the same time, there was speculation in the news
media that the exact strain of anthrax used in the attacks might have
come out of an Army lab, even possibly from USAMRIID itself, where
defensive medical research in anthrax had been going on for years.
(The precise results of the FBI’s analysis of the anthrax strain have not
been disclosed by the government, as of this writing.) USAMRIID scientists,
in fact, played a key role in the forensic analysis of the anthrax that
was collected from the envelopes.
Following the Amerithrax terror event, security at USAMRIID became
astronomically tight. After that, it would have been useless for a
journalist to ask to go into the space-suit labs. Back at the time when I
was researching The Hot Zone, though, there was a slight amount of
flexibility in the policy. On certain occasions, the Army had allowed
untrained or inexperienced visitors to go into hot zones at USAMRIID.
Unfortunately, as the commander explained to me, some of these visits
had ended badly. People who were not familiar with space-suit work
with hot agents had a tendency to panic in Level 4, he said.
In one such an incident, a medical doctor–a visitor–who had apparently
never worn a biohazard space suit attended a human autopsy
in a Level 4 morgue at the Institute. This hot morgue is called the Submarine.
The Submarine is a sealed hot zone with an autopsy room and
an autopsy table. The cadaver was believed to be infected with a Level
4 Unknown X virus. During the examination, while the space-suited
autopsy team was removing organs from the cadaver, some members of
the team noticed that the visiting doctor’s face seemed red. As the team
members looked at him through his faceplate, they saw that his face was
also dripping with sweat. Meanwhile, the outer surfaces of his space-suit
gloves and sleeves were smeared with blood from the cadaver.
Reportedly, the man began saying, “Get me out!” Suddenly he
tore off his helmet and ripped open his space suit, gasping for breath,
taking in lungfuls of air from the hot morgue.
The members of the autopsy team took hold of him and hurried
him to an air lock door leading to the exit. They opened the door,
pushed him into the air lock. At least one of the team members accompanied
him into the air lock. The air lock was closed, and the
chemical shower was started.
The way I heard the story, the man stood or sat in the air lock
while the chemicals ran down inside his opened space suit. The shower
stopped automatically after seven minutes. The chemicals had flooded
his suit. Then the team members helped him into the staging area–the
so-called Level 3 area–and helped pull him out of his space suit. By
this time, he was subdued and embarrassed.
At USAMRIID, people who have had a verified exposure to a hot
agent are put into a Level 4 quarantine hospital suite called the Slammer.
The Slammer is a biocontainment unit where doctors and nurses
wearing space suits can treat a patient without being exposed to a virus
the patient may have. The man who had panicked was a possible candidate
for quarantine in the Slammer. Even so, after an immediate review
of the incident by a safety team, the Army felt that he did not
need to be put in quarantine; there was no evidence that the cadaver
had actually been infected with a virus. And the man never got sick.
“We can’t predict how someone who’s untrained might react in
BL-4, so we can’t allow you to go in,” the commander explained to
I still wanted to go into Level 4. But I couldn’t see how to get
In narrative nonfiction writing, taking notes is an essential
part of the creative process. We tend to think of a reporter’s notes as
being a transcript of the words of someone speaking to the reporter. If
you who are reading this happen to be a student of journalism, remember
that you can take notes about anything. It can be quite useful
to jot down observations on any and all details of a person and a scene,
including sights, smells, and sounds, as well as the emotional aura of
the scene. These kinds of observed details might be called deep notes.
Deep notes are a record of the visceral reality in which the characters
exist–notes on the soup. Deep notes can be details of how people
move their bodies, what they wear, what sorts of tics and gestures they
display. I always try to note the color of a person’s eyes, and, when possible,
I try to observe their hands.
One of the main figures in The Hot Zone is Lieutenant Colonel
Nancy Jaax, an Army space-suit scientist who specializes in Ebola virus.
I met Nancy Jaax during my first visit to Fort Detrick, on a warm
spring day. She turned out to be a pleasant, energetic, articulate officer
who seemed incredibly committed to her work. I learned that she was
a mother of two children, who were then in high school. Her eyes were
blue-green and active, with flecks of gold encircling the irises. About
fifteen minutes into my first interview with her, I asked her if she had
ever had a scary experience with Ebola virus. “Oh, sure,” she answered.
“That’s where you realize that habits can save your life.”
“What sort of habits?” I asked.
She explained that when you’re working with a hot virus like
Ebola, it’s essential to constantly check your space suit. A suit can get
a hole in it. The person inside the suit might not notice the creation of
the breach. Nancy Jaax had been trained to frequently check her space
suit for leaks. One day, she was cutting open a dead Ebola-infected
monkey, and her space suit was splashed with Ebola-infected monkey
blood up to the forearms. Then, during a routine safety check, she discovered
a hole in the arm of the suit, near the glove. Ebola-infected
blood had run down into the hole and was oozing around inside her
space suit and had soaked her arm and wrist. “I had an open cut on my
hand, with a Band-Aid on it,” she said. She’d gotten the cut opening a
can of beans for her children. The incident “fell into the category of a
close call,” she said. In the end, she survived her encounter with Ebola
only because her habit of checking her space suit for leaks enabled her
to get out of the hot zone fast and remove her bloody space suit. Her
narrative left me mesmerized.
There’s a useful technique for capturing important moments during
an interview that I call the delayed note. When someone is saying
something powerful, you don’t always want to draw attention to the
fact that you’re writing down their words, because they may pull back
and stop talking. So, on rare occasions, I may stop writing. I put down
my notebook. I try to get a neutral expression on my face, as if I’m not
that interested. Meanwhile, I’m trying to memorize exactly what the
person is saying. When I sense that my short-term memory is getting
full, I change the subject and ask a question that I expect will result in
a dull answer. The person begins giving the dull answer, and I begin
jotting delayed notes in my notebook. I’m writing down what the person
said moments earlier, while I was not taking notes. (I learned this
technique from John McPhee, who teaches an undergraduate writing
course at Princeton University called The Literature of Fact. I had
taken his course as a graduate student.) So, as Nancy Jaax began to talk
about the blood in her space suit, I put down my notes and listened.
This was just the beginning of the research for a key scene in The
Hot Zone, narrating how Nancy Jaax got a hole in her space suit and
Ebola blood flowed inside it. At one point, much later, I spent twenty
minutes sitting with Jaax at her kitchen table, taking notes on her
hands. I examined her hands minutely, left and right, back and front,
staring at them like a palm reader. Hands are a window into character.
Jaax kindly submitted to my study of her hands, though I think it
weirded her out just a little.
“Where did you get that scar on your knuckle?” I asked.
“Which one? That one? That’s where a goat bit me when I was
nine,” she answered, touching the scar. It had been a goat on her family’s
farm in Kansas, she explained, and she could still recall how much
the bite had hurt.
Deep notes can also be notes on what a person is thinking. Of
course, since you can’t read minds, you have to ask people what they
are thinking or were thinking. After I’ve written a passage describing a
person’s stream of thoughts–a type of narrative that fiction writers
refer to as interior monologue–I always fact-check it with the person
later. I read the passage aloud, usually on the telephone. I ask the person,
“Do these sentences accurately reflect your recollection of what
was going through your mind at that moment?”
Often, the person answers, “Not exactly,” and proceeds to correct
what I’ve written to make it more faithful to their own memory. If it
was an especially dramatic, emotional, or terrifying moment, the person
can often give a consistent account of what they were thinking and
feeling. (Witnesses to crimes often don’t accurately remember the facts
of what they saw–but they do remember their feelings with clarity.)
After Jaax had realized that Ebola blood was slopping around inside
her space suit, she had to make an emergency exit from Level 4.
She went into the air lock and stood in the chemical shower, feeling the
blood squishing around on her arm and hand.
“Were you thinking you would die?” I asked her.
“No,” she replied. Instead, she had been thinking about the fact
that she had forgotten to go to the bank to get money for the babysitter
who was taking care of her kids that day. If she was infected with
Ebola, the authorities would lock her in the Slammer, and who was
going to pay the babysitter?
I don’t think a novelist would be likely to invent this. And if it appeared
in a novel, it might not ring true. Yet Jaax’s account of what she
was thinking is completely believable because it occurs in a nonfiction
narrative. It seems to reverberate with general human truth. It is a
statement about mothers, children, and death, and it cut me to the
heart when I heard it. I could not have made it up.
In the bloody space-suit scene, when Nancy Jaax emerged from
the chemical shower and took off her suit to examine her hand, to see
if there was any Ebola blood on it, I described her hands in detail as her
gloves came off. Just a couple of sentences. These sentences were the
result of the long examination of her hands at her kitchen table. I mentioned
the scar on her knuckle and that she’d gotten it as a girl from a
goat bite at her family’s farm in Kansas. The scar was a microstory. It
told the reader that Nancy Jaax was a Kansas farm girl; she was
Dorothy in Level 4.
While I often take photographs to supplement my notes, I almost
never use a tape recorder. Apart from the fact that a tape recorder always
seems to fail when it’s most needed, the device makes the person
who’s being recorded self-conscious. An interviewee will stare at the
tape recorder while his or her speech becomes awkward, not like the
natural, lively voice of a person in real life. Indeed, cameras and sound
recorders aren’t sufficient for deep notes. No electronic recording device
can capture the interplay of the human senses. For capturing sensual
reality, it seems that only an old-fashioned reporter’s notebook has
sufficiently advanced technology. I take notes in longhand in little spiral
notebooks. They are small enough to fit in a shirt pocket. I use a
Two army virus researchers walked down one of the long corridors
of USAMRIID, at Fort Detrick. I had been hanging around with
them that day. My shirt pocket had a magnetic security card clipped to
it, with the word VISITOR on it. My shirt pocket also contained a small
reporter’s notebook and a mechanical pencil. The walls of the corridor
were cinder block, painted the color of sputum. Thick glass windows
looked into sealed laboratory suites–Biosafety Level 2, Level 3, and
Level 4. The corridor was filled with a weird, burning, moist smell.
This smell, which will never leave my mind, was the odor of giant autoclaves–
huge, pressurized steam ovens, full of equipment and waste
from the labs, cooking the stuff at high heat and pressure, to make it
The researchers’ names will be given here as Martha and Jeremy;
those are not their real names.
Jeremy glanced at Martha. “I was thinking it might be a good day
for going into BL-4,” he said.
“I was thinking so, too,” she answered. She was looking at me.
Jeremy turned to me and said, casually, “Are you up for BL-4
We were standing before an inconspicuous door marked AA-5. It
led to one of the Ebola suites, a group of rooms where Ebola research
was actively being done. “What will we be doing in there?” I asked.
“Somebody died,” Jeremy answered ominously. “The blood samples
came in the other day. We’re doing tests to try to identify any virus
in the samples.”
The dead person’s identity had not been disclosed to the Army researchers.
They had been told he was a “John Doe” male. He had apparently
been a U.S. government employee. He might have been a
soldier. Or he might have been a diplomat. Or, possibly, John Doe had
worked for an intelligence agency such as the CIA. The researchers
would never learn his name, the circumstances of his death, where he
had died, or who his employer had been.
The Institute had relationships with various U.S. government
agencies and offices. They were known as clients. The Institute’s
clients included the White House, the Department of Defense, and, almost
certainly, a number of intelligence agencies. The Institute performed
research for its clients. Whichever client John Doe had worked
for, he had died with symptoms that suggested a hot virus. His death
had apparently involved tiny, starlike pools of blood under his skin, and
blood might have been flowing from his orifices.
“I don’t know where the samples came from,” Jeremy said. “They
didn’t tell me. Maybe the Middle East. The X virus, if it’s there, seems
to be Marburg-like.”
Marburg virus is a type of Ebola that is associated with Kitum
Cave, in the rain forest on the eastern side of Mount Elgon, an extinct
volcano in East Africa. On at least two occasions, people who went inside
Kitum Cave died shortly afterward of Marburg virus, having apparently
caught the virus inside or near the cave.
“If there’s a virus in the blood samples, it’s considered a Biosafety
Level 4 agent,” Jeremy continued. “This is because the guy died and
because it [the putative X virus] hasn’t been identified. It’s an Unknown,”
Martha swiped her ID card across a sensor, and a computersynthesized
voice issued from a speaker by the door: “RTU downloading.”
There was a chime. “One moment please,” the computer said. A
green light went on, and there was a click. The entry door had unlocked.
Martha went through the entry door and closed it behind her. The
light over the door went from green to red.
Meanwhile, Jeremy and I waited in the corridor. Beyond the door
was a locker room. Martha would take off all her clothing in the locker
room and then would proceed inward through some other rooms,
where she would put on her space suit and head into the Ebola zone.
In a few minutes, the light turned green again. This meant that
Martha had left the locker room and had gone farther inward. Now we
Jeremy swiped his security card on a pad by the door, I swiped
mine, and we entered the locker room. As we went into the room, we
passed through an additional security system that won’t be described
In the end, I never found out what role the commander had in my
visit to Level 4. But I think he must have known about it. Jeremy and
Martha were experienced, cautious professionals with impeccable
safety records. I speculated that the commander had decided to permit
me to visit Level 4 with these two people, so long as the visit was kept
low-key–though not unofficial. The main building of USAMRIID had
security guards who sat in a control room, monitoring the movements
of people in the building. I guessed that the security people had known
that I would be going into a hot zone even before I knew it myself.
The magnetic security card that I wore clipped to my shirt could show
the security staff my location in the building; it would also tell them
that I was entering the hot area.
The locker room was small and gritty-looking, with a wooden
bench and some steel gym lockers, banged up and dented. Jeremy and
I stripped down to nothing and put our clothing in the lockers.
“You need to take off your glasses and leave them, too,” he said.
“They’d fog up inside the suit, anyway.”
People had to take out contact lenses, as well. They also had to remove
jewelry, including engagement rings. (Women were allowed to
wear a tampon in Level 4, but they had to remove it on their way out
of the lab.)
I put my glasses in the locker. As I took off my shirt, I slipped the
notebook out of my pocket, and I clipped the mechanical pencil to the
notebook. Holding these two items, but otherwise stark naked, I followed
Jeremy through a doorway that led inward.
The doorway was actually a tiled shower stall, with a water showerhead
in it and a drain in the floor. The shower stall glowed deep purple
with ultraviolet lights. On their way out of the hot zone, after
having worked in a space suit with dangerous organisms, the researchers
would pass naked through the water shower, washing their
skin with detergent and bathing their bodies in ultraviolet light, before
they went into the locker room to get dressed.
On the inward side of the ultraviolet doorway was a small room
considered to be at Biosafety Level 2–the mildest degree of biocontainment.
Some metal shelves stood against one wall, and there was a
toilet. The shelves were piled with blue cotton surgical scrub suits and
other items of surgical wear, along with rolls of tape. We put on
scrubs–no underwear was allowed. We also put on white socks, surgical
hair coverings, and surgical gloves. Jeremy showed me how to tape
the socks and the gloves to the cuffs of my scrub suit, wrapping the tape
around the cuff to make a seal. “It’s a good idea to empty your bladder,”
Jeremy said. “You won’t get a chance to once you’re in a suit.”
I took up my notebook and pencil, and we pushed through a door
into Level 3–this was a staging area leading to Level 4. It was a large
room with cinder-block walls and a concrete floor. We heard a rumble
of air-filtering machinery overhead. The staging area was crowded with
pieces of laboratory equipment. Along the left-hand wall hung an array
of biohazard space suits. They were made of soft blue plastic, with flexible
plastic helmet hoods. Most of the suits had the owners’ names
written on them with a Magic Marker.
“People are touchy about their suits,” Jeremy remarked. “It’s like
the Three Bears: ‘Somebody’s been wearing my suit.’ ”
Martha had already donned her space suit, and she was preparing
things in the staging area. While Jeremy got into his suit, Martha took
a space suit down from the wall and helped me put it on. She opened
the suit, peeling apart a sort of large Ziploc-style zipper that ran across
the chest, and handed the opened suit to me.
There was no name on my space suit.
I sat down on a bench and slipped my feet through the chest opening,
down into the suit’s legs. My feet ended up inside a pair of soft
plastic bunny feet attached to the suit’s legs. I drew the suit over my
body, and slid my arms into the sleeves, and into heavy rubber gloves
attached to the ends of the sleeves.
I pulled the hood and faceplate down over my head. The space
suit’s zipper ran diagonally across the chest. I sealed the zipper, running
my thumb and fingers along the seal, which closed me into the
suit. The zipper was coated with a kind of grease that felt like Vaseline.
The seals made a lip-smacking sound as I squeezed the zipper shut.
A number of bright yellow air hoses dangled from the ceiling.
They were the source of clean air for people’s space suits. Each room
in the hot zone had its own set of air hoses hanging from the ceiling.
When you moved from one room to another, you had to detach your
air hose and get connected to a different air hose in the new room.
I reached up, grabbed an air hose, pulled it downward (it came
down from a spring coil). I plugged the hose into a socket near my waist.
My suit inflated with a roaring sound. Cool, dry air began flowing
around my body. The air was constantly being bled from exhaust ports
in the suit, while the suit remained inflated. I felt the air blowing
downward past my face, coming from vents inside the helmet. The airflow
was designed to keep the suit under constant positive pressure, so
that if the fabric developed a hole or a breach, air would flow out of the
suit, and wouldn’t allow any dangerous organisms to flow in.
The high flow of air inside the suit created an almost deafening
roar, which made it difficult to hear anything. The researchers had to
shout to carry on a conversation in Level 4.
Jeremy closed his suit and pressurized it.
In front of us was a stainless steel door. It had a biohazard symbol
on it, dark red, and the words
BL-4 AREA. BIOHAZARD.
NO UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY.
FULL SUIT PROTECTION REQUIRED.
Martha took a hose and socketed it into her suit, pressurizing it.
Then she turned and faced me. She placed herself between me and the
steel door. Our suits bumped together. She pushed herself up against
me until our faceplates made contact. “HOW ARE YOU DOING?”
she asked. It was hard to hear her voice over the roar of the air.
She looked into my eyes. I thought she was examining me for any
signs of claustrophobia–flushed skin, sweat standing on my face, wide
Evidently I looked all right. She caught Jeremy’s eye and stepped
I took up my notebook and pencil, holding them awkwardly in
one of my suit gloves, and we faced the steel door.
Martha looked down at my glove. “WHERE ARE YOU GOING
WITH THAT NOTEBOOK?”
“IN THERE,” I shouted, indicating the door leading to Level 4.
She began laughing behind her faceplate. “IT’S FINE TO BRING
YOUR NOTEBOOK INTO BL-4, BUT IT WILL NEVER COME
OUT AGAIN. IT WOULD HAVE TO BE AUTOCLAVED”–
cooked in a pressure oven. “THE PAPER WOULD DISSOLVE.”
So I couldn’t take notes. We would be in Level 4 for at least an
hour. I wouldn’t be able to recall nearly enough. “I NEED SOME
WAY OF TAKING NOTES. WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?”
“YOU COULD TRY THIS.” She handed me a sheet of flexible
white plastic material, rather like paper, but, she explained, it was
coated with Teflon. The researchers used this material in place of paper
in a hot zone. You could write on it with a pen. It could be sterilized
“WHAT ABOUT MY PENCIL?” I asked. “CAN I TAKE THAT
“UH-UH,” Jeremy said, inspecting my mechanical pencil and
shaking his head. “THAT’S GOT A SHARP TIP. PUNCTURE
YOUR SUIT. SHE’LL GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO WRITE
WITH WHEN WE GET TO THE HOT SIDE.”
When you moved from one room to another, you had to detach
your air hose momentarily, walk without pressure in the suit, and then
plug into the next air hose. As soon as the air hose was disconnected,
your space suit would deflate.
Martha unclipped her air hose, and her suit went limp around her,
shrinking down. She opened the steel door and stepped into the air
lock and closed the door behind her. A moment later, Jeremy unclipped
his air hose, and his suit went limp, and he stepped through the
air lock door.
This left me alone momentarily in the staging room inside a pressurized
suit. I looked back at the door we had come in through. I
could do it. I could just leave. Open my space suit and climb out of it,
and go back to the locker room and put my clothes on. These people
wouldn’t care; they’d probably be relieved to see me go.
I unplugged my air hose. My space suit lost pressure and collapsed
around me. Things got quiet: my air wasn’t running. I looked at the
exit. Then I turned and opened the steel door and walked into the air
lock. The door snapped shut behind me. At the far side of the air lock
there was another steel door. I opened it and entered Level 4.
I found myself standing in a narrow corridor with walls made of
cinder blocks. Martha and Jeremy weren’t in sight. I needed air. I
looked up and saw a rack of air hoses hanging from the ceiling. I
reached up and plugged a hose into my suit. The roaring noise began
again, and a rush of air filled my suit, the suit tightening with the pressure.
I looked around.
Several pairs of Christopher Robin—style rubber boots were lined
up next to the air lock door. You were supposed to wear these boots in
Level 4, to protect the bunny feet of the space suit from tearing as you
walked around. I stepped into a pair of the boots, feeling nervous. The
walls and floor were covered with thick-looking, beige paint–the
paint was actually a layer of plastic resin that coated the inner surfaces
of the hot zone, like the lining of a swimming pool, keeping it waterproof
Martha appeared, coming around a corner. She plugged herself
into an air hose. Then she handed me a Bic ballpoint pen. It was a
Level 4 hot pen, and it would never leave Level 4, except as a melted
Then we unplugged our air hoses and walked down the corridor.
The rooms in Hot Suite AA-5 were small and cramped. They held typical
laboratory equipment, the sort that you might find in any medical
research lab in a university or corporation. I was struck by the ordinariness
of Level 4. There were refrigerators, centrifuges, cabinets stocked
with lab supplies. A couple of computers sat on counters. Nothing
about the place suggested the presence of dangerous viruses, except
for the unforgettable fact that we were inside space suits. There were
sinks with water faucets. Wastewater from the sinks ran into collection
tanks where the waste was sterilized. There was a room that had nothing
in it except for two large chest freezers. They were hot freezers, hot
as hell; I wondered if they contained Ebola, but I didn’t dare ask. The
freezers were locked and were equipped with alarms. They could be
opened only with combination keypads.
I followed Jeremy and Martha around a corner into a small room,
where we plugged in our air hoses. Shelves and counters ran around
the walls. A sign said:
The line had been left blank, since that day the researchers were working
with an Unknown.
On one counter sat an incubator–a metal box that was kept warm
inside, at a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius, which is 98.6 degrees
Fahrenheit. The temperature of a human body. Martha opened the incubator
and removed a rack full of small plastic flasks containing the
Unknown. The flasks were sealed tightly with screw caps and contained
a pinkish fluid. The fluid was a nutrient bath for a layer of living
cells from the kidney of a monkey that were growing on a flat inner
surface of each flask. Tiny drops of the blood of victim John Doe had
been introduced into these flasks. If Doe’s blood contained a virus, the
virus would be likely to infect the monkey cells. Then the cells would
start dying–shriveling up and bursting–and this would be evidence
that the flask contained a virus that had come originally from John
As yet, there was no direct evidence that John Doe had been infected
with a virus. He might have died from some other cause. (Other
illnesses, such as malaria, can mimic some of the symptoms of Ebola or
Marburg, but we had to assume that John Doe had already been tested
by doctors who’d ruled out the more common infections and illnesses.)
It was the job of the researchers to determine whether the
blood contained a virus and, if so, to try to identify it. This was detective
work. The procedure was that of Sherlock Holmes: you rule out
possibilities until only one possibility remains.
Martha wanted to look at the monkey cells to see if any of them
showed signs of being infected with a virus. She sat down at a counter
and placed one of the little flasks under a microscope. She did not open
the flask. She stared into the eyepieces of the microscope through her
faceplate, turning her head back and forth. “DO YOU KNOW HOW
HARD IT IS TO GET YOUR HEAD COCKED SO YOU CAN SEE
INTO A MICROSCOPE?” she yelled over the unending roar of air.
She stood up. “DO YOU WANT TO LOOK?”
I sat down on the chair before the microscope. I had difficulty seeing
through my faceplate into the eyepieces. I began twisting my head
around. Finally I got a clear look through the microscope into the
I could see glittering fields of monkey cells, reddish gold in color.
Were they sick or healthy? They were just cells to me. As for the X
virus, if any particles of it had been present in the cells they would not
have been visible through the microscope. Virus particles are too small
to be seen with an optical microscope. Most viruses can be seen only
with an electron microscope, which magnifies things that are extremely
small. A cold virus particle sitting at the base of an eyelash hair would
be like a peanut sitting by the Washington Monument.
As I was staring into the eyepieces of the microscope, I felt a popping
sensation. Something felt weird around my chest. My suit began
to feel sloppy and loose. But I was interested in the cells and wasn’t
paying attention to my space suit. Eventually, though, I moved away
from the microscope and stood up. That was when I realized that my
space suit had blown open in the hot zone.
Air was rushing out around my neck and chest, pouring out of the
suit. With a growing sense of alarm, I looked down to try to see what
was happening, but couldn’t see anything. The lower part of my helmet
hood blocked the view. I started feeling around with my gloves,
but couldn’t get much sensation, for the gloves were thick and clumsy.
I began tugging on something, some sort of fabric. To my horror, I realized
that I was grabbing at my surgical scrubs. I was feeling around
inside my space suit.
I knew what had happened. As I had been bending over the microscope,
the movement had twisted the zipper that ran across the
suit’s chest, and the lips of the zipper had pulled apart, and the pressure
in the suit had opened it completely. And now I couldn’t get the
zipper closed. I almost threw a tubular cast.
“DO I HAVE A PROBLEM HERE?” I yelled.
Jeremy had been working with his back toward me. He swung
around, looked at me, and swore. He moved toward me, holding his
palms outward. He ran his palms back and forth on my chest, closing
My suit swelled up and tightened, regaining pressure.
“HOW BAD WAS THAT?” I asked.
He looked a little embarrassed. “THE ZIPPERS GET WORN.
THEY CAN POP OPEN.”
I had ended up with a ratty old piece of Army gear, a space suit that
belonged to nobody. A little voice started speaking in my head. What
are you doing here? the voice said. You’re in an Ebola lab in a fucking
defective space suit. I started to feel giddy. It was an intoxicating rush of
fear, a sensation that all I needed to do was relax and let the fear take
hold, and I could drift away on waves of panic, screaming for help.
Martha was looking into my eyes again.
The little voice went on: You’re headed for the Slammer.
Jeremy tried to soothe me. He assured me that the incident was
not, in fact, an exposure to a hot agent. The suits did occasionally pop
open, he admitted. “THE THING IS, YOUR SUIT HAD POSITIVE
PRESSURE THE WHOLE TIME,” he explained. “THE AIR WAS
FLOWING DOWN PAST YOUR FACE AND OUT OF THE
OPENING. NOTHING COULD GET INTO YOUR SUIT. IT
COULDN’T MOVE UP TO YOUR FACE.”
I really wanted to believe that an Unknown virus was not having
an encounter with me inside my space suit. The air had been gushing
out, I told myself. The flow would have carried any particles of a hot
agent out of my suit. Anyway, if something had gotten in, by now it
was too late to panic. I told the scientists that I wanted to remain in
Level 4. After that, I touched my chest zipper frequently to make sure
it was closed. Habits can save your life.
The researchers had work to do. Martha intended to open a flask
of the Joe Doe Unknown. She carried one of the flasks to a Steriguard
safety hood–a cabinet that produced a curtain of air blowing between
the virus samples and the person sitting there. This air curtain acted as
a shield, preventing any drifting particles from coming near the researcher.
The cabinet also had a sliding glass door. If you opened the
glass too far–potentially releasing a virus into the air of the hot
zone–an alarm would go off.
With a pair of tweezers, Martha picked up a glass slide that had
spots of reactive compound on it. It was called a spot slide. You drop
liquid samples of virus on the spots, and if a spot changes color, it helps
you identify the virus. “WE HANDLE GLASS WITH TWEEZERS
BECAUSE YOU DON’T WANT TO PICK UP ANYTHING MADE
OF GLASS WITH YOUR FINGERS,” she said. “YOU NEVER
WANT TO CUT YOURSELF IN HERE.”
Martha opened the flask containing the Unknown. She took up a
push-button pipette–a device that is used in biological labs for moving
very small quantities of fluid from one place to another.
She inserted the tip of the pipette into the open flask and pushed a
button, and the pipette sucked up a small amount of the liquid containing
the Unknown X. She positioned the pipette over the glass slide
and placed droplets of the liquid on the slide. Her hands moved with
“DO YOU WANT TO TRY DOING THIS?” she asked.
I sat down in front of the safety cabinet. She handed me another
flask. I had difficulty removing the cap from the flask. My heavy rubber
space-suit gloves were impossible. I picked up the pipette and
began dropping the liquid into a row of small test tubes, so that tests
could be done on it. Even this simple task proved to be achingly slow
and difficult. I couldn’t see how anyone could do medical research
wearing Mickey Mouse gloves and a space suit. The fact that the Army
researchers were able to do it every day made me appreciate the depth
of their skill and training. My cheek began to itch, but I couldn’t figure
out how to scratch it, since my head was inside a helmet hood.
When I had finished the task, I closed the flask and held it up to the
The liquid shimmered inside; I was face-to-face with a presumed
Level 4 Unknown. My cheek was itching badly. “HOW DO YOU
DEAL WITH AN ITCH IN ONE OF THESE SUITS?” I asked.
“YOU DON’T,” Jeremy shouted above the unending roar of air.
Eventually the two researchers wrapped up a certain phase of their
work. Thus far, they still had no information about what had killed
Martha remarked that it was time to check on the monkeys.
“THERE ARE MONKEYS IN HERE?” I asked nervously. The
little voice started up again: Are they infected? Go now to the exit.
Of course there were monkeys in here, Jeremy said. They had been
vocalizing–screeching–the whole time, but the rushing sound of air
in our space suits had drowned out their cries, he explained. He detached
his air hose and began walking down a corrider, evidently heading
for the monkeys.
“DO THEY HAVE BLOODY NOSES?” I asked.
The monkeys were fine, Jeremy said. He led me through a door
into the largest room in Hot Suite AA-5. It was lit with flourescent
lights. Along two walls of the room, stainless steel wire cages were
stacked from floor to ceiling. Most of the cages were empty, but several
of them held monkeys.
“THESE MONKEYS ARE SURVIVORS,” Jeremy said.
The monkeys were excited to see us. They raced back and forth in
their cages, their eyes fixed on us. They were rhesus monkeys. Two of
them sported wicked-looking canine fangs. (“Organ-grinder monkeys
they aren’t,” one Army scientist had remarked.) The largest one, a male,
bared his canines at me, staring at me with wide, fierce-looking eyes.
Martha came in. “THEY’RE MAKING THREAT DISPLAYS AT
YOU,” she said. “THEY DON’T RECOGNIZE YOU.”
The monkeys could recognize human faces, even inside a space
suit. The monkeys knew Martha and Jeremy, and seemed to look forward
to their visits, for the humans fed the monkeys treats. The monkeys
also seemed to find humans entertaining.
As a part of the Institute’s work in developing drugs and vaccines
to protect humans against diseases, researchers exposed monkeys to
viruses and then tested various treatments on them. Many monkeys
died during such tests, but there were always survivors. “THIS MONKEY
IS A SURVIVOR OF A COMBINATION OF SIMIAN HEMORRHAGIC
FEVER AND EBOLA VIRUS,” Jeremy told me,
pointing to one. “AND THIS ONE SURVIVED MARBURG
VIRUS,” he said, pointing to another.
Marburg is the type of Ebola associated with Kitum Cave. The
monkey that had survived a Marburg infection was about six years old,
and his name was Eighty-seven. His odds of survival had been slim, but
now he was healthy and very likely immune to Marburg. He was smart
and easily bored. He yawned at us, exposing cruel-looking fangs.
Jeremy shuffled over to a shelf and got a box of Froot Loops cereal.
Eighty-seven became excited.
Jeremy handed me the box and suggested that I give some of the
cereal to Eighty-seven, to help make friends with him. I pulled a couple
of Froot Loops out of the box. Keeping my eyes averted respectfully, for
Eighty-seven was a dominant male and would become angry if I looked
at him (in monkey language, staring is the equivalent of giving the finger),
I placed the Froot Loops on my palm and held out my hand. The
monkey’s arm shot out of the cage, and he plucked the cereal from my
palm and crammed it into his mouth, and then held out his hand for
more. He might have been able to tear my space suit if he had wanted
to, but once I had offered him Froot Loops he became friendly. I offered
him more Froot Loops. He kept shoving his hand out for more.
A Froot Loop fell to the floor, and Eighty-seven followed it with his
eyes, looking wistful, I thought. He put out his hand for more.
The Army people had become fond of the monkeys. Their feeling
was that any monkey that had survived Ebola should be allowed to live
out the rest of its days in peace. In addition, the survivors’ blood contained
immune antibodies to the viruses, which could be used in experiments.
But the monkeys could not leave the hot zone, because
there was a worry that they might still be silent carriers of the viruses
that had once infected them. “BASICALLY, NOBODY KNOWS
MUCH ABOUT EBOLA OR MARBURG, SO WE DON’T KNOW
IF THE MONKEYS COULD INFECT ANYONE WITH THESE
VIRUSES EVEN AFTER THEY’VE RECOVERED FROM THE
DISEASE,” Jeremy said.
We said good-bye to the monkeys and returned to the laboratory
rooms. Finally it was time to make an exit from the hot zone. I followed
the researchers through the maze of corridors and little rooms
to the air lock.
Jeremy entered the air lock first and started the chemical shower by
pulling on a chain. The shower began running in the air lock, sterilizing
the outside of his space suit. While Martha and I waited for Jeremy
to finish his chemical shower, I handed her my Level 4 Bic pen. She left
it near a computer for the next person to use. Then Martha and I went
into the air lock together. She pulled the chain and we stood under the
chemical shower. The chemicals gave off a strong but not unpleasant
smell, which eventually crept inside my space suit.
Martha pointed to my Teflon paper–my notes–which I held
clutched in my glove. “LET ME HAVE THAT FOR A SEC,” she said.
She crumpled it up, dipped it into a bath of chemicals, and then, using
both hands, she scrubbed the Teflon paper against itself and squeezed
it, as if she were rinsing a washrag. After a minute or so, she pulled the
paper out of the chemical bath. My notes were wrinkled, wet, and sterile.
The shower stopped, and I opened the steel door and stepped into
the normal world, holding the notes.
Later, I wrote about Nancy Jaax’s feelings after she had gotten a
hole in her space suit and she was standing in the chemical shower,
feeling Ebola blood oozing around inside her suit and wondering who
was going to pay the babysitter. I constructed the passage primarily
from detailed interviews with Nancy Jaax, of course. Yet there is something
else in that scene that did not appear in the book. It was an iceberg
of personal experience, one I hadn’t felt able to write about until
now. I had been in the rooms she had been in. There, I had experienced
a breach condition in my space suit, too, and it had happened in
the presence of a putative hot Marburg-like Unknown. And I had
stood in the same chemical shower afterward, with thoughts and fears
pouring through my mind. . . . I had been boiled in the soup.
I love exploring unseen worlds. In this book, we are embarking
on a deep probe through the realms of the vanishingly small,
where, at times, all we can say is “There be monsters.” The chapters in
this book were originally published in The New Yorker, but I’ve expanded,
updated, and linked them.
One monster of the microscopic universe is a mysterious genetic
disease, called Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, which is caused by the alteration
of a single letter of a person’s DNA code. If one letter of the
human DNA is altered in a certain place in the code, the person who is
born with the tiny error has a dramatic change of behavior–a lifelong,
irresistable compulsion to attack himself, chewing off . . . it’s in the last
“The Mountains of Pi” describes David and Gregory Chudnovsky,
mathematicians who built a supercomputer out of mail-order parts in
Gregory’s apartment in New York City. They were using their homemade
supercomputer to calculate the number pi (ð) to billions of decimals.
They were looking deep into pi, down into an infinitesimal
smallness of precision, deeper and deeper into pi, trying to get a
glimpse of the face of God.
I originally wrote about the Chudnovskys in a “Profile” for The
New Yorker. When I first met them and began researching the piece,
they seemed pleased that I was writing about pi, but they soon got the
idea that I was also writing about them. They began to object. “My
dear fellow, can’t you leave our names out of this?” David said.
I had to explain that it is not really feasible to leave a person’s name
out of a New Yorker “Profile” of him.
This puzzled me, why the Chudnovskys didn’t want their names
used. The answer, as I finally figured out, had to do with the nature of
mathematics as a human activity. Mathematics is not strictly science,
nor is it absolutely art. Mathematics is both objectively rigorous and
highly creative, and so it spans the divide between the two worlds, and
expresses the unity of science and art. In effect, mathematics is a cathedral
of the intellect, built over thousands of years, displaying some of
the greatest achievements of the human spirit. The Chudnovsky brothers
saw themselves as anonymous workers adding a few details to the
cathedral. Their names didn’t matter.
When I had finally gotten their reluctant assent to let me write
about them as people and had finished drafting “The Mountains of
Pi,” a fact-checker from The New Yorker named Hal Espen paid a visit
to the Chudnovsky brothers in order to verify the facts in my piece.
Soon afterward, Gregory phoned me in a state of indignation. Hal
Espen had spent a long time in Gregory’s apartment, looking at the
things I’d described and asking the brothers many questions. At one
point, he wanted to confirm that Gregory owned hand-sewn socks
made of scraps of cloth, as I had written, so he asked Gregory if he
could see his socks. Gregory wasn’t wearing them, so Espen ended up
looking in one of the drawers of Gregory’s dresser, where he found the
socks and verified my description of them. “He was a nice guy, but why
did he have to rifle through my socks?” Gregory demanded.* If the
names of the cathedral workers didn’t matter, their socks mattered
even less. But Gregory Chudnovsky’s socks mattered deeply to me, for
the same reason that the color of Nancy Jaax’s eyes and the scar on her
hand mattered. The business of a writer, in the end, is human character,
human story. Unlike a novelist, a narrative nonfiction writer cannot
make up details of character. For the nonfiction writer, details must be
found where they exist, like diamonds lying in the dust, unnoticed by
In exploring biology, I moved my focus away from the smallest
life-forms–viruses–and began climbing the coast redwood trees of
California. The coast redwoods are the largest individual living things
in nature. Redwoods can be nearly forty stories tall; they would stand
out in midtown Manhattan. In order to climb a redwood, you put on
a harness and ascend hundreds of feet up a rope into the redwood
canopy. It’s like scuba diving, except that you go into the air. The
canopy is the aerial part of a forest, and it is an unseen world, invisible
from the ground. Once you have ascended into the redwood canopy,
which is the world’s tallest canopy, you dangle in midair, in a harness,
around thirty stories above the ground. You are suspended from ropes
attached to branches overhead. You move through the air while hanging
on ropes, sometimes going from tree to tree. The redwood canopy
is a lost world, unexplored, out of sight, teeming with unknown life.
After writing a book about it (The Wild Trees), I learned of the existence
of an unexplored rain-forest canopy in eastern North America; I
hadn’t known there were rain forests in the East. This eastern rain forest
was being destroyed by parasites invading the ecosystem. It was an
unseen world that was vanishing even before it had been explored by
humans. Thus an interest in giant life-forms ended up returning me to
a focus on small things: “A Death in the Forest.”
“The Search for Ebola” is about the search for the unknown host
of the Ebola virus, and it narrates an outbreak of Ebola in Congo. In
researching it, I ended up talking with a medical doctor named William
*Hal Espen later became a senior editor at The New Yorker and later the
editor of Outside magazine.
T. Close. Bill Close, who is the father of the actress Glenn Close, had
been the head of the main hospital in Kinshasa, the capital of Congo
(then called Zaire). Then, while I was staying late in the offices of The
New Yorker on a Friday night–closing time, when the magazine is put
to bed–I telephoned Dr. Close for a last-minute fact-checking conversation.
In about ten minutes (I had been told) the magazine would
be closed–finished–and would be transmitted electronically to the
printing plant in Danville, Kentucky. That was when Dr. Close told me
the story of a Belgian doctor who had performed a terrifying act that
could be called an Ebola kiss, with a patient in an Ebola ward.
“Oh, my God,” I blurted.
I asked someone to go find Tina Brown, the editor, and see if the
magazine could be held open for a little while, as a doctor was saying
something. It was okay with Brown, but there was no time to take
notes. I asked Close to tell me the story again, while I scrawled sentences
describing the Ebola kiss on a sheet of paper. With Close waiting
on the line, I carried the paper over to the make-up department (an
office where the magazine’s compositors worked at computer screens)
and I handed it to Pat Keogh, the head of make-up, who typed my
scrawl into the master electronic proof. Almost immediately, the passage
was reviewed for grammar by The New Yorker’s grammarian, a
quiet person named Ann Goldstein. (Experts who are being quoted in
The New Yorker are encouraged not to use bad grammar.)
Minutes later, with Bill Close still waiting on the telephone, we
heard that his grammar was okay, and we heard that the magazine had
been transmitted electronically to the printing plant. I said good night
to the now-eponymous Dr. Close and hung up.
That was when something struck me. How could I have been so
stupid? I had forgotten to ask Close what had happened to the Belgian
doctor afterward. He would have died a grisly death. Years later, I
learned what had transpired, and you will read it here.
In “The Human Kabbalah,” I explored the decoding of the
human DNA and the resulting fantastic stock-market bubble that
made the genomic scientist J. Craig Venter a billionaire for a while.
One day, while working on this story, I was hanging out in the laboratory
of the Nobel laureate Hamilton O. Smith–one of the great fig-
ures in the history of molecular biology–and I mentioned to him that
I was having trouble, as a writer, describing DNA in a physical sense. I
wanted readers to get a concrete picture of it in their minds. “The
trouble is, DNA is invisible,” I said to Hamilton Smith.
“No, it isn’t,” he said. He asked me if I’d ever seen it. I hadn’t, so
he dribbled some purified DNA out of a test tube. It looked like clear
“What does it taste like?” I asked him.
That surprised him a little. He didn’t know. In almost forty years
of research with DNA, Hamilton Smith had never tasted the molecule.
As soon as I got home, I ordered some pure, dried DNA through
the mail. It arrived: a bit of fluff in a bottle. I put some of it on my
tongue. Sure enough, it had a taste. In taking notes, it is useful to remember
that all the senses can be involved.
I continued to follow the Chudnovsky brothers and their journeys
in the universe of numbers. This led them, with me trailing behind, to
the mysterious Unicorn Tapestries, owned by the Metropolitan Museum
of New York. All the while, I was researching the curious genetic
disease that causes people to mutilate and even, in effect, cannibalize
their own bodies–Lesch-Nyhan syndrome.
The disease was almost unbearable to contemplate, and at first almost
impossible to describe. It made its victims seem inhuman. I
couldn’t find a way into the writing of the story, despite spending
months and finally years on it. Ultimately, the last chapter of this book
took me seven years to write. The disease probably could not be invented
by a fiction writer, or if it were invented, it would not seem believable.
Yet there it was, an undeniable reality. I needed to understand,
if possible, what it might feel like to have this disease. I wanted to try
to connect the seemingly unknowable experience of self-cannibalism
to that of common humanity. Henry Fielding, in his famous preface to
his novel The History of Tom Jones, in which he defined the basic terms
of fiction writing, quoted Terence: “I am human: nothing human is
alien to me.” If people with Lesch-Nyhan disease were human, then
they could not be alien to us. The only way to find humanity in the
story was to climb into the soup with two people who had been born
with the disease and start taking notes. | <urn:uuid:c6db868e-f52d-4b34-b6dc-b4151163f045> | CC-MAIN-2016-18 | http://www.npr.org/books/titles/138050819/panic-in-level-4-cannibals-killer-viruses-and-other-journeys-to-the-edge-of-scie | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-18/segments/1461860118807.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20160428161518-00089-ip-10-239-7-51.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96838 | 15,572 | 2.75 | 3 | {
"raw_score": 2.7405645847320557,
"reasoning_level": 3,
"interpretation": "Strong reasoning"
} | Science & Tech. |
A selection of articles related to hindu rituals.
Original articles from our library related to the Hindu Rituals. See Table of Contents for further available material (downloadable resources) on Hindu Rituals.
- Rituals, invocations and sacred space
- "There is a single main definition of the object of all magickal Ritual. It is the uniting of the Microcosm with the Macrocosm. The Supreme and Complete Ritual is therefore the Invocation of the Holy Guardian Angel; or, in the language of the Mysticism,...
Paganism & Wicca >> Ritual
- Voodoo Rituals
- Voodoo rituals and beliefs recognize that there is one supreme being who created the earth and the universe much like the Abrahamic religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam belief that there is only one supreme God.
Religions >> Christianity & Paganism
- Solo, Duo or Group Sex Magick Rituals.
- Many sex magicians prefer to perform their rituals in the form of auto-eroticism and/or having intercourse with a partner. But there are more possibilities and variations. You may wish to take a look at them and consider to implement them in your sex magickal...
Body Mysteries >> Sexuality
- Can You Bhoga All Night Long? An Introduction to Tantra, East and West
- When you hear the word Tantra, what images come to mind? Turbans and Sitar music? Mind-blowing sex? Most people in the Western world have heard the word Tantra, but few know anything in detail about what it means. The situation in India isn't much different....
Body Mysteries >> Yoga
- Egyptian Temples, part V: Daily Rituals
- Preparations for the Awakening of the God began already before dawn. The temple workers were busy baking fresh bread, preparing other offerings like meat and vegetables, even flowers, and arrange everything carefully on platters. The offerings had to satisfy...
Religions >> Egyptian
Hindu Rituals is described in multiple online sources, as addition to our editors' articles, see section below for printable documents, Hindu Rituals books and related discussion.
Suggested Pdf Resources
- HINDU RITUALS AND ROUTINES - WHY DO WE FOLLOW THOSE
- Page 1. HINDU RITUALS AND ROUTINES - WHY DO WE FOLLOW THOSE? Contents.
- THE SCIENCE OF CUSTOMS AND RITUALS IN HINDU DHARMA
- Spirituality is a part of every Hindu custom in the life of a Hindu. What are the rules to be followed while practicing the Hindu customs and rituals (aachaaraas) ?
- Hindu Rituals and Prayers - Why do we follow them? An explanation
- the reasons we follow certain Hindu rituals and traditions - Of course, the http:// hindumommy.wordpress.
- THE FUNCTION OF WATER (TIRTHA) IN BALINESE HINDU RITUALS
- Bali is almost similar to the practice of Hindu in India whereas in Balinese Hindu is more attached to the local culture.
- Hinduism FAQ
- rate rituals are associated with the different Gods and Goddesses. Are there any special dietary practices?
Suggested News Resources
- Embarking on new jobs, Thailand cabinet ministers performed Hindu rituals
- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra stands on the roof of Government House to pay respects and ask for blessings from a sacred shrine on the premises during her first day at work yesterday.
- Italian couple marries in Pushkar
- It happened with David and Emian Ullah of Italy who met three years ago in Pushkar, where they had come as tourists and on Thursday they got married according to the Hindu rituals at the Gwalior Ghat of Pushkar.
- Know the flowers that appease your deity
- Flowers are a very important part of all Hindu rituals. It is used in very puja or any other functions. Even during social events flowers play an important role.
- Cocaine-in-kunds suspects denied bail
- The cocaine was found in the false bottoms of 148 of 426 kunds- a pot-like square metal object with two handles that is used during certain Hindu rituals to light pieces of wood and other objects.
Suggested Web Resources
- Hindu Rituals and Practices - ReligionFacts
- Mar 17, 2004 Complete guide to the Hindu religion, including fast facts, timeline, history, beliefs , gods and more.
- Hindu Rites & Rituals: The Ceremonies of Hinduism
- An overview of the ritual world of Hinduism, from personal daily worship or 'Puja' to rites of passage or 'Samskaras' from birth till death...
- GodMandir.com - Hindu Religion, Hindu Rituals, Hindu Astrology
- Chronological history, rituals, and scriptures of Hinduism. Includes information on Hindu marriage and festivals.
- Hindu Death Rituals and Beliefs. - Hindu Way of Life
- Hindu Death Rituals and Beliefs. There is one thing that is certain in this lifetime: eventually we all must die.
Great care has been taken to prepare the information on this page. Elements of the content come from factual and lexical knowledge databases, realmagick.com library and third-party sources. We appreciate your suggestions and comments on further improvements of the site.
Hindu Rituals Topics
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galilee in biblical times | <urn:uuid:1baf3a56-2eac-4e7d-a7c0-2d1724708ca1> | CC-MAIN-2015-27 | http://www.realmagick.com/hindu-rituals/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-27/segments/1435375095632.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20150627031815-00250-ip-10-179-60-89.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.889904 | 1,190 | 2.6875 | 3 | {
"raw_score": 2.8463776111602783,
"reasoning_level": 3,
"interpretation": "Strong reasoning"
} | Religion |
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