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We are finding ourselves more frequently approached by competing essential oil companies to sell and promote their brand. They always claim to have “pure therapeutic grade” oils “as good or better than those of Young Living.” Maybe they do and maybe they don’t. Here are some questions to ask when approached by another essential oil company:
1. Does their company own any farms on which to raise herbs for oils? And if they do, are they new farms on land formerly polluted with herbicides, pesticides, and chemicals that contain residuals from the past, or are they farming land that is clean, which has never been cultivated or has been untilled for at least the last 50 years?
2. Does their company have their own fully equipped testing laboratory to verify an oil’s composition?
3. Do they have anyone on staff with a trained nose who can analyze oils by their smell? (There are less than 200 people in the world with noses sufficiently trained to discern the chemistry of a fragrance.)
4. If their company purchases oils from outside suppliers, do they visit the distilleries and farms of those suppliers periodically to observe if the herbs are grown organically, i.e. without pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers?
5. Do they know if the grower has a testing laboratory on the farm to determine when the crop is at its peak for oil harvesting?
6. Do they know if the crops were actually harvested at their peak time and, if so, was there an inordinate delay in taking them to the still and into the cookers?
7. Do they know if their distillery personnel understand the art and science of distilling, exactly how to pack the cookers, how to administer the steam, how to maintain minimum temperatures and pressures throughout the cooker, and how to continuously monitor the process throughout distillation to make sure the oil produced contains all of its components in the proper proportions?
8. If their supplier makes a mistake in the distillation or harvesting processes that results in an inferior grade of oil, does that supplier sell the oil anyway or do they discard it?
9. Do they know if the the cookers in the distilleries of their suppliers have domed lids or cone shaped lids? Most stills use dome-shaped lids. Cone topped cookers deliver a better grade of oil than dome tops.
10. Do they know if their suppliers supplement the distillation process with solvents to extract additional oil from the plant matter?
11. Do they know if their suppliers bottle their oils directly from the distillery without modifying the composition of the natural oil by adding anything or taking anything away?
12. Do they know if their company has tested their company’s oils side by side with Young Living oils in the same lab to make a fair comparison? And if so, where is the data?
This is not a comprehensive list of questions you could ask, but if their answer to any or most of the above is “no,” or “I don’t know,” then how do they know their oils are “pure therapeutic grade” and that they are “as good or better than those of Young Living?” Without such knowledge, how can they make any verifiable claims that compare Young Living Oils with their brand?
With Young Living, you know that the answer to all of these questions is “Yes.”
Young Living owns and operates four large farms in Utah, Idaho, France, and Ecuador, all of which were clean and free of chemicals for at least 50 years before Young Living agreed to buy the land. In fact, the land in Idaho had never been farmed before Young Living, and the Ecuador farm is being cleared from primitive jungle, free from human contamination for thousands of years.
Young Living also has an expertly staffed, fully equipped laboratory for testing oils including a gas chromatograph, a mass spectrometer, and other equipment whose value adds up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Young Living also has small labs on their farms to test the plants right from the field as they mature to determine the exact season and time of day to harvest the crop for the best oil. This is necessary because plants change their chemistry throughout the season and throughout the day, varying from week to week and hour to hour.
Gary Young is one of the few people in the world who can smell an oil and tell you what compounds are present, which are missing, and in what quantities. An essential oil company needs a person like that to check every batch of oil to make sure it is up to therapeutic standards. Such people can discern certain aspects of oil chemistry that a laboratory cannot measure.
Young Living markets more than 100 species of oils and cannot possible raise them all on their own farms. When they purchase from other growers and suppliers, they not only may initial site visits to verify that the oils are being produced and packaged properly, but they have a program of making repeated visits from time to time to make sure the standards are being upheld.
Gary Young has personally trained his distillers in the art of distilling. Besides the science to know exactly how to pack the cookers but the still operator must also learn the art of how to listen to the sounds of the steam inside the cooker and to be able to feel the outside of the cooker and diagnose how things are going inside to determine what adjustments need to be made.
Young Living distills oils at minimum pressures and temperatures to gently coax the oil and all of its compounds into the finished product, even though significant money, time, and labor can be saved by distilling at high pressures and high temperatures, like many companies do. High pressure/high temperature distillation may produce an oil with the fragrance compounds of an oil, but not with the therapeutic compounds. Young Living never uses solvents to finish off the distilling process as many companies do.
By climbing inside of an actual cooker and visually noting the patterns of steam flow, Gary Young was able to determine that a dome-shaped lid caused the oil-bearing steam to curl and back flow into the plant mass, thus altering the chemistry and losing some constituents, while a cone-shaped lid allowed the steam to spiral directly up, out, and into the condenser without turbulence.
Many of the techniques and skills applied in growing and distilling Young Living oils are trade secrets, known only to Gary Young and his trusted employees.
Young Living oils are bottled as they emerge from the still in their complete natural state without adulteration (adding compounds) or refinement (removing compounds).
In a few instances when mistakes were made and a batch of oil grown and distilled by Young Living did not measure up to Gary Young’s standards, the oil was discarded, poured out on the ground. Some companies would have sold such oil anyhow, if not to their customers, then to another retailer. Young Living will never do that. They would rather be in short supply of a given species than to market an inferior product.
While you are asking questions to another company representative, you might also ask how long they have been in business? Young Living was founded in 1991. Gary bought its first farm in 1992 near St. Maries, Idaho, and its second farm in 1995 near Mona, Utah. Gary Young and the company are committed to ensuring a current and future supply of top grade essential oils indefinitely into the future.
If you ever get the opportunity, visit a Young Living farm and distillery and you will begin to see for yourself the care and dedication it takes to produce the finest essential oils in the world.
The factors that make Young Living unique and outstanding in the world of essential oil companies are so numerous they cannot all be presented in an article like this. When your life and your health are depending on it, you cannot afford to use oils whose chemistry and origins are uncertain. I have complete trust in the quality and integrity of Young Living oils. That is why I will neither use nor consider any other brand. |
From Kansas Policy Institute.
Kansas Policy Institute presents the 2014-15 student weighted funding formula
By David Dorsey
The updated version of the formula that will be used by the Kansas State Department of Education to determine student weighting in the coming school year is presented below. This complex formula is the basis to adjust (increase) the number of “students” in a school district for state funding purposes.
Dissecting this complicated formula reveals those factors the state recognizes that require additional money.
- Up to 13 different factors decide what the “real” student count will be for a particular district*.
- Seven factors (at-risk, vocational ed, bilingual ed, high-density at-risk, new facilities, high enrollment, and virtual students weighting) are calculated using percentages of student enrollment.
- Four factors apply to all 286 districts. They include:
- at-risk students (those who qualify for free lunch)
- low or high student enrollment
- special education weighting
- The others vary in applicability from the vocational education weighting (267 districts in 2013-14) to declining enrollment weighting (2 districts in 2013-14).
Once all applicable factors are determined, the total weighted number of students is multiplied by the Base State Aid Per Pupil (BSAPP — $3,838 in 2013-14 and $3,852 in 2014-15) to calculate that part of the amount of state aid a district receives.
These weightings are no small affair. For example, in the Elkhart School District (USD218) last year, the weighting factors increased the student count from 502.6 (actual enrollment) to 1,668. 2, a 231.9% increase. In dollar terms, that increased Elkhart’s BSAPP funding by $4,473,573 from $1,928,979 to $6,402,552. That’s an effective BSAPP of $12,739! And that’s not an isolated case. Nearly half of Kansas’s 286 school districts realized at least a doubling of the effective BSAPP due to weighting.
People in the education establishment are quick to lament that BSAPP is down from the pre-recession figure of $4,400 in 2008-09 to the current $3,852 for the 2015 fiscal year. However, you never hear them speak of the all the weightings that significantly add to the dollars actually received. In fact, when all students statewide are included, the real BSAPP for 2013-14 was $6,640. In a recent Lawrence Journal-World article it was reported that Lawrence Superintendent Rick Doll said the district is still suffering from cuts in base state aid. According to Doll, “We are operating basically at about 1999 school funding levels.” That’s not even close to being accurate. According to KSDE, state funding per pupil in 1999 was $4,533. That figure rose to an estimated $7,052 per pupil for last school year. Local support has more than doubled since ’99 (from $2,238 to $4,809 per pupil). Likewise for federal support.
It is important to understand what a difference in the level of funding the weighting of students adds. Last school year, the weightings provided $1.3 billion over and above BSAPP to the state’s 286 districts. But some Kansas politicians, particularly those more interested in protecting institutions than serving children, and the education establishment don’t like to talk about that part of state aid to education. Instead, they like to focus only on the BSAPP figure. That’s why we hear statements made like Superintendent Doll’s.
If I were still a math teacher and they were my students, their homework assignment would be learn and understand this formula. And yes, it would be on the test.
*There is one change in the formula from the 2013-14 school year. The low-proficient, non-at-risk factor was removed during the 2014 legislative session. |
Common Crows are, well, common around here! I live in a pleasant neighborhood of tree-lined streets where there are a lot of places where birds of many sizes live around the houses. The neighborhood has been here about thirty years with tall Oaks, Pines, Sycamores, and Magnolia Trees on nearly each street. Food for the Crows is also plentiful as are water sources. The Crows have a good life here and so do the resident people, I might add!
Crows are smart and are excellent at defending their own nesting and feeding territory. The other day (and I wish I had my camera then but alas I was swimming), I watched a group of Crows chase an Osprey away from the Crow’s nesting tree. The Common Crows here are huge. No, they are not Ravens. Just jumbo-sized Crows. Like I mentioned, these birds have plenty around to eat. I took these pictures here on my street on several days this month. Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture. Enjoy! |
This is the story of how one question can grow into a far more interesting exploration of the world in which we live — in this case, the animal world.
My family just got back from a few days in Florida, where we visited my parents. One of the highlights of the trip (other than the ocean) was that my 4.5 year old son, Ben, got to feed a giraffe at Lion Country Safari:
The giraffe, standing about 15 feet tall, grabbed the leafy plant out of Ben’s hand with its black tongue and munched it.
We learned from guides who sold us the plant (for a ridiculous price that made airport food seem inexpensive) that giraffes eat up to 80 pounds of food a day. That makes sense, because they are so huge. But 80 pounds of plants sounded like a lot.
So when we got home, we looked up giraffes, and we found an informative site about giraffes at the San Diego Zoo which told us all sorts of neat facts about giraffes. For example, “a giraffe’s heart is 2 feet long and weighs about 25 pounds, and its lungs can hold 12 gallons of air.”
We also confirmed on that site that giraffes eat up to 75 pounds of food per day. So the folks at Lion Country Safari may have been exaggerating a bit — but not by much.
Now that could have been the end of our exploration — and sadly, much of school today is like that. We’re looking for an answer, and when we find it, we move on. In this case, we were wondering whether giraffes really eat up to 80 pounds of food a day, and it turns out that’s a good estimate.
If this were school, we’d be done — fill in the blank and get ready to go to your next 45-minute class.
But when curious minds are given time to browse intelligently online, we can often find some neat things. And Ben and I found some pretty cool stuff…
For instance, if you were to visit the same giraffe site we did, over at the San Diego Zoo’s website, you could see this one-minute video about a baby giraffe that was born recently at the zoo. I can’t find the direct link to the video, so if you want to see the video for yourself, click the link in the previous sentence and your screen will look like this:
It’s not such an exciting video — it’s basically an interview with the zookeeper and some footage of the baby with its mom. The video is not more specific about when the baby was born, so I’m not sure how recently it was born. It does describe how nearly a thousand people lined up to see the birth live at the zoo, which happened at 2:45 in the afternoon while the zoo was still open.
What grabbed Ben’s and my attention was that a few days after it was born, the baby weighed 145 pounds and was six feet tall!
The video clip at the San Diego Zoo did not show the birth, but … well you can guess where this is going from the title of this post, can’t you?
When we clicked on the second result (I chose that one because it had nearly half a million views), we were treated to one of the most amazing 4.5 minute videos I’ve ever seen — the birth of a baby giraffe from the Memphis Zoo, back in September of 2008:
As only a four year old could have put it: “woah! It’s coming out of her butt!”
If you have not seen a giraffe give birth before, you really should watch the video — it’s remarkable.
And it leads to all sorts of questions, including what the deal is with the bag covering the giraffe as it was born. I guessed that the bag helped make the birth a smoother ride, but I’m sure it serves other purposes as well.
And now, if my son were a bit older, we could be off into a biology lesson, prompted not because we’re at that page of the biology textbook, but because our curiosity was piqued about HOW a six foot 145-pound baby giraffe might be born.
We live in an amazing and inter-connected world. If we can find a way for middle school students to slow down and take the time to explore and be thoughtful, we might learn some wonderful things — such as where baby giraffes come from 🙂 |
The objective of SFB 901 – On-The-Fly Computing (OTF Computing) – is to develop techniques and processes for automatic on-the-fly configuration and provision of individual IT services out of base services that are available on world-wide markets. In addition to the configuration by special OTF service providers and the provision by what are called OTF Compute Centers, this involves developing methods for quality assurance and the protection of participating clients and providers, methods for the target-oriented further development of markets, and methods to support the interaction of the participants in dynamically changing markets.
(Further information can be found on the SFB 901 website).
The SFB is structurally divided into three scientific project areas A, B and C. The chair is involved in subproject A3 (The market for services: Incentives, algorithms, implementation): We model and analyze the market for composed services. The term "market" describes the "organization of economic interaction" between the different participants. To understand participants' incentives and the evolution of the market, we need to take into account specific characteristics of "On-The-Fly Computing". These include
- the possible trade relations between OTF provider and service provider that result from the technical composability of services,
- competition among service providers and among OTF providers, and
- imperfectly observable service quality.
(Further information can be found on the A3 website).
See also workshop on Markets, Games & Design 2012. |
I am constantly reminded that milk comes before the meat. Attending church in the capital of Mormonism, you’d think that, for 138 years that the saints have arrived in Utah, we’ve had so much milk that we’ve become lactose intolerant. Christ offers the kind of water and meat, that if we choose to drink and eat, we will never thirst or hunger. What do we sacrifice in exchange for continuing to partake of milk, while rejecting the meat?
Elder’s Quorum: Two Sunday’s ago I was refused the opportunity to teach on the Sunday I was scheduled to teach. In fact I am removed from the teaching rotation, and left only to be a substitute. It seems to have become a bit of a controversy, as there have been complaints from quorum members, for refusing my being able to teach. I take it as a compliment, but the president of the quorum felt it necessary to announce to the body of the quorum that, “the reason Robert is not able to instruct the elder’s quorum is because he is not an elder, he is a high priest. For this reason he is not allowed to be called as a teacher for the quorum.”
While I think that the guy just made up the rule, I got used to playing those games as a kid, growing up. All it means is that they needed to find an excuse to “keep it milky.” The movie “Sound of Music” comes to mind: “How do you solve a problem like a-Rob-ert?” I might not be a Nun, but the comparison is interesting (but not the point).
The point I make is, how long can we go on breast feeding, before we need to start eating meat? What a weird idea, to think of adults breast-feeding (nasty). We are required to mature spiritually, to avoid sliding backwards. Many are asking questions, but refused real answers, and for this reason people are falling away at a quick rate. The milky answers aren’t sufficient to produce faith unto life and salvation. Our generation requires a foundation of Christ, meaning a personal relationship with Him, …an idea that if talked about too often can lead to getting you excommunicated, …even when supporting gay marriages is recently publicized as protected by the first presidency.
Christ is the only one who has ever offered living waters, and meat that satisfies all hunger. Prophets, Apostles, congregations, scouting awards, etc. has not the ability to give such water and meat. It is Christ that offers that. Yet, we busy ourselves with following the prophet, while forgetting to drink of living waters. When someone points this out, we tell them, “milk before the meat.”
Conclusion: We cannot go backwards. Denying the truth does not make it not true. Refusing to hear, does not mean the voice is not speaking. Refusing to see, does not mean others can’t see for themselves. The pioneers before us have gone as far as they will go. Let’s not knock them for their efforts. But we must go forward. Imua! |
How far back are we willing to look? The restoration was meant to bring back the family of God, into the presence of Christ. The model of the church was never meant to create a massive institution, as it has become today. Rather, those with eyes to see and ears to hear can see beyond the offices of the institution, to recognize God’s invitation to belong to His family. Lets not reject the invitation, but receive it, by first putting off our unbelief, through the study of the words of Christ.
Look Back: My old Stake President (Beaver) once expressed the problem he had with saints justifying drinking kava, in the Islands. When they defended their position for drinking kava, as being their culture for hundreds of years, President Beaver responded, “Why just go back hundreds of years? Why not go back further, to the time of Christ, or to father Abraham, or Adam?”
I agree. We ought to be able to look all the way back at the purpose and intention behind the structure that was set up, that we call the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This makes for a great comparison. It can also provide light on how salvation is now being offered. Here is the symbolism of the current church:
- First Presidency: Abraham/ Isaac/ and Jacob- Abraham was the first to reconnect to the heavens after the Patriarchal lineage had fallen away
- 12 Apostles: The 12 tribes of Israel
- Quorum of the 70’s: The 70 members of the tribe of Israel, when relocating in Egypt because of the famine, during the time of Joseph (who was sold into Egypt)
The Stake Authorities wield the same authority, and they are set up in a similar fashion, for the same purposes. Excommunications are done on the Stake level, not on the headquarters level of the church.
- Stake Presidency: They hold the same authority as the first presidency of the church.
- 12 Traveling High Council: These also have the same authority as the 12 Apostles, and the first presidency.
- No Existing Quorum of 70’s: There used to be a quorum of the 70, on a stake level, but that has been permanently removed
Although, the church members see church officers as the top of the food chain, …having an institution was never associated with salvation. Both the General and Stake Authorities were only established to point to “the family of God.”
The Golden Calf: What I find interesting is that all saints in an apostasy would prefer the symbol of deity or gods, rather than …coming into the presence of God for themselves! Our generation is no different. The Children of Israel, in the time of Moses, offers us a warning sign.
I’ve explained in previous blogs about the daily rising of the sun, through certain star constellations, …and how the constellations would tell “those who observed the heavens” the appropriate sacrifice to offer. Before the flood of Noah, the sun rose through Leo. The Pyramids at Giza, represented their connection with the heavens, by building the Sphinx (head of a man, and body of a lion). In a later time, the sun rose through Taurus, the bull. Thus, the proper sacrifice was a bull, cow, or calf. In this manner the cow became considered sacred. During the time of Moses, the sun began to rise through the Aires constellation, pointing to the offering of a ram or lamb as acceptable. The entire point of aligning your sacrifices with the signs of the heavens was intended to forge a connection with/to the heavens, …not to the sacrifice itself.
The Children of Israel were required to smear lambs blood on their door, so the destroying angel of the passover would not kill your first born son. Israel was disconnected from the heavens. They offered up a golden calf, when a lamb was what the heavens prescribed. They could not see beyond “the symbols” of the sacrifice, to obtain the purpose of the sacrifice, entering into the presence of Christ.
The invitation is ours, to complete the restoration, come back into the presence of Christ, by reconnecting to the heavens. Are we going to raise up a golden calf, while rejecting the invitation to Sinai? Lets receive the invitation, by first putting off our unbelief, through the study of the words of Christ. |
When it comes to cutting out processed food, please don’t let yourself get overwhelmed by trying to change everything all at once. Even baby steps in the right direction count for something! Some of the best advice I can give you is to start with just one meal of the day – like breakfast – and once breakfast is all cleaned up then you can move on to another meal like lunch or snacks. And as with any aspect of this lifestyle, the most important thing you can do is plan ahead. So today I’m going to share some ideas to help you do just that.
Speaking of planning ahead though, I first want to quickly tell you about our fabulous sponsor – Plan to Eat. Their service goes hand-in-hand with getting organized in the New Year and will also help you eat better, spend less time and money in the grocery store, and give you peace of mind knowing what’s for dinner. I don’t know about you, but I must always know what’s for dinner around here! :) Plan to Eat is an online meal planner that allows you to pick recipes from anywhere (the web or hard copies) and “drag and drop” them to create your own custom meal schedule for the week. Then your very own organized shopping list will automatically be created based on the recipes you’ve selected! You can see it all in action on this short video. They are currently offering a free 30-day trial – so go check it out!
Okay, back to real food breakfasts – here are six easy ideas…
- The Night Before: Overnight Oats
Making overnight oats is seriously SO easy. It takes no time at all and the possibilities are endless. Start with our favorite combo and go from there.
Recipe Link: Overnight Oats
- Make Ahead and Defrost: Pancakes or Waffles or Muffins
Homemade goodies like pancakes aren’t just for the weekends anymore! Most baked goods freeze beautifully so next time you make them just double your recipe and save some for later. Be sure to pair it with some fresh fruit and you are good to go.
Recipe Links: Pancakes, Waffles, Muffins
- Quick and Easy: Eggs or Warm Oatmeal
Can we all agree it takes less than 5 minutes to scramble an egg or make oatmeal (not from a premixed packet)? If you (or your kid) are a hot breakfast kind of person then this is the way to go.
Recipe Link: Quick Stovetop Oatmeal
- Throw it Together: Simple Yogurt Crunch or Green Smoothie
These actually take a minute or two longer than eggs or oatmeal, but not much. For lighter fare go for this yogurt parfait of sorts or a big ol’ smoothie full of greens.
Recipe Links: Simple Yogurt Crunch, Green Smoothie
- Plan Ahead: Homemade Granola
It’s officially a crisis if we’re out of granola in my house because it’s my favorite breakfast of all time. I’m like those people walking sideways (in the old V8 commercials) if I have to eat something else instead. So I’m sure to have a fresh batch ready to go each week before Monday hits.
Recipe Link: Granola
- Running out the Door: Fruit & Nut Bar or Banana
We all have mornings like this and the worst thing you can do is go hungry. So if all else fails (i.e. numbers 1 through 5) at least have some fruit and nut bars (I like Larabar or Kit’s Organic brands) and fresh fruit like bananas or apples that you can easily grab and go. You can also make your own fruit and nut bars to have on hand for days like these!
Recipe Link: Homemade Larabars
What’s your favorite quick and easy real food breakfast? |
Howth Head is a peninsula located closing Dublin's bay, it takes his name from the small traditional town of Howth.
You can reach Howth using the DART, a fast train service, from Dublin's city center, or take the Bus 31 or 31B just off O'Connell Street.
There is a walking trail starting east of the town that follows the cliffs all over to the southern part of the peninsula. Take the leftmost road from the harbour. The cliff's trail is indicated to the left a bit further. The view is breathtaking and it's really worth the walk. Along the way, you'll come across Dublin's most visible lighthouse, the Bailey Lighhouse (open for tours once a year during the summertime Howth Peninsula Festival). The southern part gives a great view of Dublin's bay and the city itself. The whole tour takes between 3 and 4 hours.
Howth Head (Ceann Binn Éadair in Irish) is a headland north east of Dublin City. Entry to the headland is at Sutton, a residential suburb of Dublin, while village of Howth and the harbour are on the northern shore. Originally an island, Howth Head is connected to the mainland via a narrow strip of land, and forms the northerly bound of the great crescent of Dublin Bay, roughly corresponding to Killiney Hill in the south. As one of the northern termini of the DART, Howth is a popular destination for day-trippers from the capital. Hikers can choose from a wide range of routes, including the Cliff Walk or making for the ancient cairn on one of Howth's several summits. On clear days, the Wicklow Mountains can be seen, with Dublin city below. Slieve Donard, an 852 metre peak in Northern Ireland may also be visible. Quite frequently, Snowdon in Snowdonia National Park in Wales can also be seen. Howth Head is also the location where Leopold Bloom proposes to Molly in James Joyce's Ulysses. Howth village (from Old Norse: Hovuð meaning "head", called in Irish: Binn Éadair) originally just a small fishing village and surrounding rural district, is now a busy suburb of Dublin, with a mix of dense residential development and wild hillside, all on the peninsula of Howth Head which is connected to the rest of Dublin via a narrow strip of land. Howth is also home to one of the oldest occupied buildings in Ireland, Howth Castle. The island of Ireland's Eye, Special Area of Conservation, lies about a kilometre north of Howth harbour, with Lambay Island some 5 km further to the north. A Martello tower exists on each of these islands with another tower overlooking Howth harbour and another tower at Red Rock, Sutton. These are part of a series of towers built around the coast of Ireland during the 19th century. from wikipedia |
As a business, you have certain protections under the Australian Consumer Law and more broadly, the Competition and Consumer Act 2010.
When you buy goods or services for your business which are:
- under $40,000
- over $40,000 and normally bought for personal, domestic or household use or consumption
- vehicles and trailers used mainly to transport goods on public roads
your business will be considered a consumer and entitled to certain remedies under the consumer guarantees if something goes wrong.
However, these consumer rights do not apply if goods are purchased to be resold or to be transformed into a product that is sold.
A business that purchases a printer which costs less than $40,000 for use in their business will be able to rely on the consumer guarantees if there is a problem with it. If the business purchased the same printer to resell to consumers, it cannot rely on the consumer guarantees if there is a problem with it.
Under certain circumstances, if a wholesaler or supplier refuses to supply your business with goods or services they are breaking the law.
Your business competitors are not allowed to engage in certain business practices that may limit or prevent you from competing in their market. This is known as anti-competitive behaviour, and includes cartel conduct such as price fixing or bid rigging, as well as collective bargaining, predatory pricing, misuse of market power, imposing minimum prices on retailers and unconscionable conduct.
When you buy goods or services for your business from suppliers, the representations your suppliers make to you about these goods or services must be accurate and honest.
If a good or service purchased by your business does not do what it is supposed to do, you may exercise your consumer rights under the consumer guarantees if these apply.
You may also make a complaint to the ACCC or your local consumer protection agency if you think the supplier may be misleading customers.
If you are considering buying a franchise, or your business is operating as a franchisee, you have protections under the Franchising Code of Conduct.
Businesses that grow horticulture for onselling to wholesalers of fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs, are protected by the Horticulture Code.
Businesses that sell petrol to consumers have certain rights under the Oilcode. |
ACLU of California Releases Tool to Hold Law Enforcement Accountable
The ACLU of California today launched Mobile Justice CA, a free smart phone app allowing Californians to automatically record and submit cell phone videos to their ACLU affiliate when they feel law enforcement officers are violating civil rights.
Videos captured on the Mobile Justice CA app available for use on Android and iOS phones will be transmitted to the ACLU and preserved even if the user’s phone is later seized or destroyed.
“The concerns over police practices, including racial profiling and excessive use of force, are very real for communities across the state,” said Norma Chavez-Peterson, executive director of the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties. “This app will help serve as a check on abuse – whether by police officers, sheriff’s deputies, border patrol, or other officials – allowing ordinary citizens to record and document any interaction with law enforcement.”
Mobile Justice CA can be downloaded free through Apple’s App Store or Google Play. It enables users to register, record, witness and report interactions with law enforcement and includes information on individual rights.
- Record allows individuals to capture exchanges with police officers and other law enforcement officials in audio and video files that are automatically sent to the ACLU of California.
- Witness sends out an alert to anyone with the app, giving them the option to go to the location and document the encounter when police stop someone.
- Report allows the app user to complete an incident report and send it directly to the ACLU for review.
- Know Your Rights provides an overview of what rights protect you when you are stopped by law enforcement officers.
The Ella Baker Center is partnering with the ACLU of CA to support the launch of the Mobile Justice CA app. EBC will collaborate with the ACLU SoCal on broadening and deepening community organizations’ and community members’ engagement with the app.
“People who historically have had very little power in the face of law enforcement now have this tool to reclaim their power and dignity,” said Patrisse Cullors, director of the Truth and Reinvestment Campaign at EBC. “Our vision is that this app will ultimately help community members connect and organize to respond to incidents of law enforcement violence, and then share their experiences and knowledge with others.”
“From Rodney King to Walter Scott, we’ve seen video bring police abuse into public view that otherwise could have gone ignored,” said Peter Bibring, director of police practices at the ACLU of Southern California. “Helping the public record law enforcement will help deter misconduct and document abuse when it does happen, so both officers and the criminal justice system can be held accountable.”
While Mobile Justice CA is intended for use by bystanders, the ACLU of California recognizes that some users may want to use it while they are involved in a police encounter. Anyone interacting with law enforcement should announce that they are reaching for a phone, and that they are attempting to access the app to record the exchange. Users’ safety depends on their ability to clearly communicate any actions they take and remain calm.
The ACLU of California will be working with community organizations to provide “Know Your Rights” trainings on how to use the app as well as basic rights related to interactions with law enforcement. We encourage groups to contact us to arrange a training.
A grant from Susan Adelman and Claudio Llanos allowed the ACLU of California to develop the Mobile Justice CA app.
Learn more about Mobile Justice CA and download the app at mobilejusticeca.org.
For more information on the app, including a video, FAQ, and one-page overview of how to use the app, please see: https://www.mobilejusticeca.org/press-kit |
Breathing Exercises for Presenting
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How many times have you attended a business presentation and been unable either to hear the speaker or properly understand them?
There is no easy way around the fact that, in order to present in public, you are dependent on your voice. Whatever other presentation skills you may have, when it comes to public speaking, a strong and confident voice is essential.
Controlling the expulsion of air from your lungs allows you to use your voice to its full potential. That is to say, public speaking in its most basic sense is about breathing.
This guide is part of our free advice library. It contains the breathing exercises that should form the foundation of all your public speaking performances.
For business presenters, there are two points of concern regarding vocal ability; audiences need to be able both to hear you and understand you. To make your voice more clear and comprehendible, there are four main variables to consider: volume, pitch, pace and articulation.
‘Breathing exercises for Presenting’ discusses each of these in detail, with relevant breathing exercises designed to strengthen your voice.
In short, this free advice will help you:
- Realise your range and capability
- Recognise different ways of creating impact
- Emphasise key points with your voice
- Punctuate your performance with effective breathing |
Flax growers are urged to take advantage of a program subsidizing the cost of testing their harvested crops and seed for Triffid genetics before it’s gone at the end of next month.
Funding for the Flax Farm Stewardship testing program, which since 2011 has covered 50 per cent of the fees for farmers to get their pedigreed and farm-saved tested at approved labs, up to a maximum $100 per sample, is now set to end Feb. 28, the Flax Council of Canada said Thursday in a release.
The flax testing program had been funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through its Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP). With that funding, the council reimbursed labs for the balance of their fees.
The council had said in September it was “exploring ways to extend funding for the program through to the end of 2014.”
Farmers’ participation in the Flax Farm Stewardship Program “has been instrumental in reducing the incidence of Triffid and has been a cornerstone to the industry’s efforts in restoring confidence in the (European Union) marketplace,” the council said in its release.
Flax growers thus “are encouraged to complete testing of harvested flax seed and planting seed for the presence of Triffid prior to Feb. 28,” the council said.
Some flax buyers will only accept test results from certain labs, the council noted. Lists of approved labs and of companies’ preferred labs are available online.
“Close as possible”
Bred at the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre for tolerance to soil residues of sulfonylurea herbicides, genetically-modified CDC Triffid got regulatory approval for release in 1998. Faced with concern over the loss of export markets if a GMO flax was introduced, Triffid was deregistered in 2001 without ever being commercialized.
Triffid genetics then unexpectedly turned up in flax exports to the GMO-shy European Union in 2009, sending Canada’s flax exports spiralling to an all-time low by 2011.
With a regime of testing both seed and harvested crops introduced in 2009, the percentage of samples of crop production testing positive for Triffid fell from 14 per cent to below four per cent by 2013.
However, the flax council said in September, “despite these efforts, the amount of Triffid in farm-saved seed stocks and production tested has plateaued in the last two years.”
To further reduce Triffid levels, the council urges growers to segregate their 2013 harvest from production grown in previous years, then to market the flax grown in previous years first, to help make sure any stocks containing Triffid are “flushed” from the system.
It’s expected testing of farm stocks will be “discontinued” at the end of 2014 — and the testing of planting seed will continue “indefinitely,” the council said in September.
“The continued effort over the next year and a half are expected to reduce the amount of Triffid in the Canadian flax crop, to a level that is as close to zero as possible and to the point where testing of farm stocks is no longer necessary.” — AGCanada.com Network
Deregistered Canadian GM flax pops up in Europe, Sept. 10, 2009
Flax acres could rise in 2014 if prices stay stable, Dec. 24, 2013 |
I am Richard F. America, Jr. Born in Philadelphia, Pa. I do not know a connection to Americas in Tennessee. But it is possible. I am African American, and there were a large number of black Americas in the 1700 and 1800s in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. Some migrated or were sold to Alabama and Florida and Louisiana. And some might have been biracial, and might have "passed" for white and their descendants would have become part of white communities over time. |
6 things your nails could tell you about your health
Pale white nails
If your fingernail beds are looking a little ghostly, you may have anemia due to low levels of iron. This could lead to low levels of oxygen, which causes the skin and tissues to become pale.
Certainly don't look pretty, and what causes that color is even grosser. Nails with a yellow-ish tone, could be a characteristic of a fungal infection that generally grows within the nail. Topical medications usually won't work and you should go to a doctor for treatment.
Brown spotted nails
Dark brown or black vertical lines on the nail bed should never be ignored. This may be a warning sign for melanoma, which is a type of tumor associated with skin cancer. If your nail pigment looks unusual, definitely get it check by a doctor immediately.
Breaking a nail can be a bummer, but if your tips seem to crack at the slightest touch, it could be related to your thyroid gland. This gland in your neck regulates metabolism, energy and growth. An imbalanced thyroid can lead to hair loss, brittle and thin nails.
Short horizontal white marks or streaks are likely the result of trauma to the base of your nail. These may last from weeks to months and usually will disappear on their own.
A blue-faced nail means you're not getting enough oxygen to your fingertips. This could be linked by respiratory disease, which can mess up the blood vessels in your nails. But it could also mean you have slower blood circulation, especially when exposed to cold temperatures.
Check out trending red colored nail polishes: |
Helichrysum Bracteiferum is characterized by its pronounced anti-inflammatory action. It is particularly good for combating infections, easing headaches, reducing inflammation and boosting the immune system. It also has some benefit for wound healing. Helichrysum bracteiferum, combined with Helichrysum odoratissimum and Helichrysum gymnocephalum help aid with complex diseases of the immune system. These oils have been used successfully with severe allergies, infections and inflammatory conditions.
|Country of Origin||Madagascar|
|Extraction Method||Steam Distilled|
Emotional and Energetic Qualities
Heals current emotional trauma
Heals old emotional wounds
If oxidized, it may cause irritation or sensitization. It may antidote homeopathic remedies. It is too strong to use with babies or young children on their faces or in a steam. Care must be taken when using with asthmatics.
The suggested shelf life is 3-4 years.
|Batch Number||Distillation Date| |
The Axel’One Collaborative Innovation Platform
The Axel’One collaborative innovation platform is unique in France. Axelera created Axel’One to give stakeholders across the chemical and environmental sectors an exciting new way to advance their R&D strategies.
innovative processes and materials at axel’one
Axel’One focuses on two priority research areas: innovative processes and materials. Companies and R&D project teams, whether all-French or European in scope, can set up shop at Axel’One, where they receive the support they need to succeed. Axel’One opened its doors in 2012 to provide shared-access research facilities for use by academic research scientists, small businesses, and industrial corporations operating in the chemical and environmental sectors. The research carried out at Axel’One spans the entire innovation cycle, from basic scientific research to industrial scale-up. The goal is to rise to the challenges of today’s markets in areas where the region’s stakeholders already possess demonstrated strengths. These include energy efficiency, process optimization, lightweight materials, and bio-based materials.
An open platform for all innovation stakeholders
All innovation stakeholders in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region are eligible to use the Axel’One platform. The platform’s open-access policy was developed to:
- Strengthen cooperation between scientific research and industrial R&D
- Firmly anchor the region’s chemical companies in the local economy
- Offer services to attract businesses to the region
- Build on the region’s renowned leadership in science
As of 2014, Axel’One offered 8,500 sq. m of space and was home to ten collaborative R&D projects and nine small businesses occupying 25% of the total available space. The platform also had four shared technology labs and welcomed 100 people working on site. These figures are expected to double by end-2016.
interaction with three flagship facilities in lyon
Axel’One offers services across the Greater Lyon area through partnerships: each Axel’One lab is backed by one of the founding partners’ existing R&D facilities. These facilities operate independently. However, each contributes expertise in specific technologies to an innovation ecosystem that benefits all users.
- The Axel’One Campus, located on the LyonTech-la Doua campus in Villeurbanne, will be dedicated to small-scale lab experimentation and basic research. It is slated to open in 2017.
The Innovative Processes and Innovative Materials labs located in Chemical Valley just outside of Lyon offer facilities for scaling-up technologies and processes for industrial rollout.
- The Innovative Processes lab (PPI), located in Solaize, opened in January 2013 and is backed by the IFP Energies nouvelles R&D center.
- The Innovative Materials lab (PMI), located in Saint-Fons, opened in February 2014 and is backed by the Solvay R&D center. |
There is a song with lyrics that runs, “I can’t smile without you”, are the singer referring to either braces or Invisalign? Because obviously, if he is not having perfect sets of teeth, braces or Invisalign can help him smile anytime.
Braces and Invisalign are both created to strengthen and put your teeth in its proper position. Off course you cannot have both on your teeth so you keep on asking which is more effective and slightly more affordable. You want to have the procedure done once so you want to choose which works better for you or your kind in the long run.
Braces have been around for a long time and it already created a reputation of working well for most of those who tried it. On the other hand, Invisalign was first introduced in 2000 so this procedure does not have the same history as braces. Braces have metal brackets being glued to the teeth and are connected together by wires and small rubber bands. Today, there are colors for braces that resemble the natural color of enamel which make it less noticeable. However, colored braces are also a great way to make a fashion statement for your mouth.
On the other hand, Invisalign is invisible aligner made from smooth, comfortable, clear plastic worn over the teeth. It gently puts pressure on the teeth to make it move at the right place. Before you will be given your own Invisalign, the dental specialist will use x-rays, pictures and 3D imaging of your teeth to make sure that the aligner fits your teeth perfectly.
To guide you in choosing either braces or Invisalign, here are the most common things being asked and how each one fared in each category:
- Braces can be silver or multicolored
- Invisalign is clear/invisible
- Braces- 24/7 for an average of two years
- Invisalign- 22-24 hours per day for an average of 6 to 18 months
Costs: (on average)
- Braces- $ 1,800- $5,500
- Invisalign- $5,000
- Braces- needs brushing every after meals and flossing at least once a day
- Invisalign- Brushing and cleaning with lukewarm water and flossing at least once a day
Follow-up Visits: (this varies from patient to patient)
- Braces- once a month
- Invisalign- Change aligner trays every two weeks; visit the dentist every 4 to 6 weeks
Aside from these main differences, remember that braces are not recommended to people engaged in contact sports. On the other hand, Invisalign will not work if you have other dental problems such as bridgework, back tooth bite issues if there is a need to rotate canines or premolars, the need to move teeth vertically and if you are not disciplined to put trays on your teeth for 22 hours every day. |
Danish director Mahdi Fleifel presents the life of three generations in Ain al-Hilweh, the Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon where he grew up. More than 70,000 people have lived there for over 60 years in one square kilometre. The director also includes video footage shot by his father in the 80s and 90s. His family and friends and their everyday conflicts are portrayed with delicacy and humour. Meanwhile, archive material helps provide political background for this cinematic diary that adopts an unusual approach that is far from heavy in spite of its topic, as can be seen in the filmmaker's father repeatedly looking at his recording of Arafat's handshake with Rabin in Washington.
The film also tells the story of Mahdi Fleifel's long-time friend Abu Eyad. The two men share a passion for Palestinian politics, melancholic music and football. During the football world cup, the Palestinians watch the matches on a TV in a sports shop. For a few weeks, they become Brazilians, Germans or Italians. But whereas Fleifel may enter and leave the camp as he pleases, Abu Eyad is left only with his decision to escape. |
In 1953 Beuchat invented the isothermal wetsuit.
Georges Beuchat creator of the company was an emblematic pioneer of underwater activities. He naturally tried to protect himself from the cold during diving. This is the way that after several experimentations, led in the creeks of Marseille, he invents in 1953 the isothermal wetsuit.
This fundamental invention has played a key role in the development of underwater activities. And sixty years later,... |
Barclays pimps your personal info out to the highest bidder
It seems to be the week for data shenanigans. After news of the Post Offices shocking failings on Monday (underlying issue still not sorted last we heard), details are now emerging of a different kind of data sharing- this time by banking giant Barclays.
As reported by the Guardian, Barclays are sending letters out to its 13m personal banking customers informing them that their trusted friend and confidante Barclays is so short of cash (they recently reported a dreadful £1.8bn profit in the first three months of this year) that the bank is selling their personal details on to
the highest bidder interested third parties.
Of course, while reassuring customers that there is “nothing sinister” going on, and that data shared with third parties will all be anonymised and purely numerical, the letter also details what information on their customers Barclays is currently collecting. Apparently, as well as any interactions on Twitter and Facebook, their dossier on customers "may include images of you or recordings of your voice" as well as mobile location data for use in claims of fraud. So they are maintaining records on what you look like and where you live and work. That’s not sinister at all.
In a statement the bank said: "We only use information in a numerical, anonymised and aggregated way, as is standard practice at many companies. It is not about providing information for sales or marketing use and does not include any personal data."
Barclays also denied ‘profiteering’ from customers claiming the new practice will be in line with industry guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office and the law. "Customers are always able to opt out of marketing activity and their personal data will never be passed on to anybody else without their explicit consent."
However, in line with current snooping scandals loitering around Google and GCHQ like a bad smell, Barclays admitted that the data could be passed to government departments and MPs to give them an insight into what was happening in their constituency, for example.
The new use of your data will take effect from 9 October, unless you opt out. |
Autumn Statement about as popular as hair in a cheese sandwich
Last week, the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement was full of Good News about how well we are doing with the economy and how completely smashing George’s recovery plan has been. However, it seems that the general populace, the voters, are less impressed with Mr Osborne, with more than four in ten of us (41%) believing last week’s announcements will leave us worse off.
And that’s one of the better scores for the Chancellor. A survey of almost 4,000 people by USwitch.com found that almost two thirds of us (65%) are concerned about the country’s finances after the announcements, with 56% saying the same about their own financial circumstances following the Autumn Statement.
But we are also worried about what was not included in the Statement. When asked about issues not tackled by the Chancellor, three quarters of us (74%) felt care for the elderly should have been dealt with, along with payday loans (61%) and low savings rates (56%).
Unsurprisingly, the Chancellor’s big ticket item, the change in State Pension age, has not been popular, with almost six in ten people (59%) opposed to the change. Most of us (73%) think the Chancellor does not understand the financial fears of ordinary people and almost as many (69%) don’t trust the Government to make the best decisions for our financial future. Looking good for the 2015 election there, George.
Michael Ossei, personal finance expert at uSwitch.com, says: “The Autumn Statement has left most consumers deflated. The focus on the economy might be good for the financial health of the nation, but it has left individuals still feeling under the weather. The recovery is yet to reach their finances.”
“Increasing the retirement age so that many will now have to work until they are 70 was never going to win any friends even though most people understand the reasoning behind it. For existing pensioners, a rise of £2.95 a week to the state pension simply isn’t enough to help them cope with the spiralling cost of living. Even today another energy supplier has announced a price hike, which will eat into this small increase,” he finished.
So what do you think? Are you one of the 41% of people who are happy with the State Pension age increase (and is that because you escape its effects?), or are there other measures you think will adversely impact on your personal finances? Surely there was some Christmas cheer, with the freeze in fuel duty if nothing else? |
- How To's & Quick Tips >
- How To: Use Muriatic Acid
How To: Use Muriatic Acid
Don’t play around with this strong stuff! Learn what it’s good for—and the right way to use it.
Muriatic acid, a less-pure variant of hydrochloric acid, is available in high concentrations for use in a host of home restoration and maintenance projects. While this powerful chemical agent runs cheap—about $10 a gallon at home centers and hardware stores—it’s still very caustic stuff, capable of corroding everything from some plastics and metals to clothing and skin. In fact, working with it poses numerous health risks: Momentary skin exposure can cause severe burns, inhaling its fumes can burn lung and nose lining, and contact can also cause irreversible eye damage or blindness. Homeowners should never reach for muriatic acid lightly. Instead, consider it a “last resort” when less toxic products fail to do the trick in cleaning, prepping, deoxidizing, or removing mold from masonry, concrete, metal, and swimming pools. Before you begin any project with this multipurpose substance, read on, first for guidance in using it safely, and then for its range of practical applications around the house.
Must-Practice Safety Measures with Muriatic Acid
Due to all of the damage this chemical could cause in one wrong move, extreme caution is mandatory when using, storing, and disposing of muriatic acid. Adhere to the following best practices before beginning any project that involves the acid:
• Wear full-face protection, a respirator, thick, full-coverage clothing, and acid-resistant protective gloves when working with muriatic acid.
• Muriatic acid must be diluted in water. Though degree of dilution will vary depending on the job, the general formula is one-part muriatic acid to 10 parts water.
• When making a dilution, slowly and carefully pour the acid into the water. Never add water to acid, as an exothermic reaction will occur, propelling the acid out of the container and onto you.
• Never pour muriatic acid into an empty vessel. Fill the container with the right amount of water before adding the acid.
• Never mix muriatic acid with other acids.
• Only mix muriatic acid in a glass or acid-resistant plastic container (find a list here).
• Always store muriatic acid in the container it came in.
• Keep a supply of baking soda or garden lime nearby in case you need to quickly neutralize muriatic acid. While sprinkling these substances full-strength will work, the best plan is to mix ½ cup of baking soda and a quart of water in a sealed spray bottle and keep it nearby.
• Work with a hose or large container of water nearby to wash skin in case of accidental splashing.
• If using muriatic acid on large surface areas, it will need to be applied with a plastic sprayer. The plastic is bound to deteriorate quickly, so you’ll likely need more than one to complete the job.
• Contact your local recycling center for instructions on safe disposal of muriatic acid in your area.
An Effective Last Resort
Practice all the safety precautions above, and you should be able to use muriatic acid with great success. Here are six projects where you might find it indispensable:
Neutralizing alkalinity in masonry. Masonry alkalinity can discolor or burn off paint finishes. Washing brick, concrete, or stone with muriatic acid can neutralize alkalinity, allowing paint finishes to last for years. Brush or spray on a 1:10 diluted mix of acid in water onto the surface, allow to sit for up to 10 minutes, but no longer, then spray it with a solution of 1 cup ammonia in a gallon of water to neutralize the acid. Allow the surface to dry completely before applying paint or other treatments.
Removing efflorescence and prepping masonry for paint. Efflorescence refers to the white crystalline blooming that can occur on masonry surfaces, including brick and concrete. Often a sign that masonry contains too much moisture, efflorescence may indicate that a sealant is needed to contain moisture issues. Prior to applying sealant, however, efflorescence must be removed. Likewise, if you want to paint masonry, the surface needs to be “etched.” You can remove efflorescence and etch a masonry surface in one shot: Apply a 1:10 dilution of muriatic acid to water, let sit for a few minutes until you see the efflorescence lifting, then brush with a stiff nylon brush to remove residue. Spray down the surface afterwards with a 1:16 ammonia-water neutralizing solution.
Basement makeover. Fight mold and mildew in your basement while restoring surface appearance with muriatic acid. Just be sure to ventilate the basement as much as possible, and wear a respirator. Apply a 1:9 acid-to-water dilution, scrub visible mold patches on hard surfaces like concrete, bricks, and on some glazed tiles and grout, with a stiff nylon brush, and rinse thoroughly by hosing down with water. Use a wet vac to suck up excess water. Air the basement out for a few hours after this task is completed.
Busting rust. The use of muriatic acid to remove rust on metal is a contentious topic, as the substance can potentially lead to more rapid oxidization in the future. So the cautious DIYer should only use it only on stainless steel (and never cast iron) that will be painted after rust removal. Brush the acid on at a 1:10 acid/water dilution and scrub with a nylon brush. Immediately after removing rust, neutralize the acid with a baking soda-water paste (1:1). Apply paste generously so it thoroughly coats acid-washed and let sit for 10 minutes and then rinse with water, dry, and prep for paint. (Find more specific how-to info here.)
Swimming pool maintenance. Muriatic acid can get your swimming pool’s surface looking like new again. Spray a 1:16 acid-to-water diluted solution on the drained surface of the pool, let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. For stubborn stains, scrub with a nylon brush. Rinse thoroughly with plain water.
Swimming pool pH balance. If the pool’s pH level is too high, muriatic acid can bring balance to the water. Purchase “swimming pool acid” for this maintenance task. Though nothing more than muriatic acid—and the same price—it will have thorough instructions and formulas for use in your particular pool. You’ll added it in, re-test the pH levels after a few hours and once it’s back in range, you’ll be ready for that dip! |
Preston Sturges, original name Edmond Preston Biden (born August 29, 1898, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.—died August 6, 1959, New York, New York), American motion-picture director, screenwriter, and playwright best known for a series of hugely popular satirical comedies that he made in the early 1940s. Sturges made his mark at a time when talk in large part had supplanted images as the driving force in filmmaking. Because strong dialogue and solid story structure were essential to a film’s success and because both were staples of the writer’s tool kit, the stature of the screenwriter skyrocketed during that era, and Sturges went from being one of Hollywood’s most-in-demand and best-paid scenarists to its first prominent writer-director. The best of the 13 films he directed are tours de force of comic invention and timing, characterized by rapid-fire dialogue, memorably drawn minor characters, and sophisticated irony underlain with pathos.
Early life and work
At age three Sturges was adopted by his gadabout mother’s second husband, Solomon Sturges, a wealthy Chicagoan. Until his parents divorced, when he was age eight, Sturges split his time between Chicago and Europe, where his mother, an intimate of dancer Isadora Duncan, exposed him to museums and the world of art and culture. He was educated primarily in European boarding schools, but his mother sent him back to the United States at the onset of World War I, during which he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Following the war Sturges managed the New York City branch of his mother’s elegant Paris salon (and invented a smear-proof lipstick in the process) before becoming a playwright in the 1920s. After writing the Broadway hit Strictly Dishonorable (1929), he married a prominent New York socialite. However, when his subsequent plays failed to find an audience and his marriage fell apart, Sturges went to Hollywood, where he soon earned a reputation as a scriptwriter.
Sturges made his first impression as a screenwriter on William K. Howard’s The Power and the Glory (1933), employing a theme and an elaborate flashback structure that some critics have identified as influences on Orson Welles’s landmark film Citizen Kane (1941). Sturges then scripted We Live Again (1934), The Good Fairy (1935), and Easy Living (1937), the last a highly regarded screwball comedy with Jean Arthur and Ray Milland that was directed by Mitchell Leisen, whose handling of the script so disappointed Sturges that he became determined to direct himself.
Films of the early 1940s
Sturges persuaded Paramount executives to let him direct his next screenplay. The result was The Great McGinty (1940), which came to be widely regarded as one of the most original comedies of the 1940s. Brian Donlevy portrayed a hobo-turned-rising politician who ultimately casts corruption aside. Sturges won an Academy Award for his script. The Great McGinty was the first in a series of distinctive films directed by him that satirized such established institutions as Tammany Hall politics, advertising, hero worship, small-town life, American success stories, and the Hollywood studio system.
After writing the snappy (if atypically sentimental) screenplay for Leisen’s Remember the Night (1940), Sturges directed Christmas in July (1940), a deftly crafted low-budget compendium of comic confusions about a lowly clerk (played by Dick Powell) who goes on a mad shopping spree after mistakenly thinking that he has won $25,000 in a contest. The Lady Eve (1941) was Sturges’s first true “A” production, and he was equal to the task, creating a tart romantic-comedy classic that starred Barbara Stanwyck as a con artist who first fleeces and then falls for a naive herpetologist (Henry Fonda).
Test Your Knowledge
Many film historians consider Sturges’s next film, Sullivan’s Travels (1941), to be his masterpiece. The first half of the film combines a merciless satire of the movie industry with a depiction of the prickly romance between a self-important director (Joel McCrea) who is determined to make a film of great social significance about the downtrodden and the struggling actress (Veronica Lake) he encounters while posing as a hobo to research his project. As the story veers into melodrama, the director becomes a victim of crime, violence, and amnesia on the way to being imprisoned for his own murder. In the end he realizes the important role that comedy plays in society. Sullivan’s Travels also featured performances by many of the skilled character actors who would become members of Sturges’s ensemble and play secondary but pivotal roles in his films, among them William Demarest, Jimmy Conlin, Eric Blore, and Franklin Pangborn.
Sturges turned to McCrea again for The Palm Beach Story (1942), pairing him with Claudette Colbert as a husband and wife whose pursuit of their dreams and each other leads them into misadventures in Florida. Unlike Sullivan’s Travels, this zany romantic comedy never takes itself seriously.
Films of the mid-1940s to mid-1950s
The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944) was filmed right after Palm Beach Story, but problems with the censors delayed its release. A boldly conceived farce, it depicted the problems faced by a woman (Betty Hutton) who gives birth to sextuplets exactly nine months after spending a drunken evening at a wild party populated by soldiers and who has no idea who the father might be. A frazzled suitor (Eddie Bracken) eventually steps up to make her “respectable,” but the moral and emotional landscape becomes increasingly cluttered before the film’s resolution.
Bracken was also at the centre of Hail the Conquering Hero (1944), Sturges’s incisive satire on America’s propensity for hero worship. This time Backen played a Marine who, having been discharged from the service because he suffered from hay fever, returns home to family and friends who not only believe that he has been in combat but who are convinced by the good-hearted veterans who accompany him home that he served heroically at the Battle of Guadalcanal. Sturges’s screenplays for The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek and Hail the Conquering Hero were both nominated for Academy Awards. Much less accomplished was The Great Moment (1944), the biography of the Boston dentist who discovered the benefits of ether as an anesthetic, which had been completed in 1942 but was taken out of Sturges’s hands for reediting.
Tired of battling with executives at Paramount, Sturges left the studio and in 1945 joined Howard Hughes in forming California Pictures Corporation. Sturges’s first project for the new company was the screwball comedy The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947), starring erstwhile silent star Harold Lloyd. It was given a limited release but then was shelved by Hughes, who edited and reedited the film until releasing it widely as Mad Wednesday in 1950, by which time Hughes had dissolved his partnership with Sturges. They had also clashed over Vendetta (1950), which Sturges had scripted with Hughes’s then love interest, actress Faith Domergue, in mind as the lead. French director Max Ophüls began directing the project before Hughes demanded his firing. Sturges took over but quit, and the film was eventually completed by several directors, including Hughes.
At Twentieth Century-Fox Sturges made Unfaithfully Yours (1948), a dark comedy that defied Hollywood conventions for the genre and failed commerically as a consequence. Rex Harrison starred as a symphony conductor who suspects his wife (Linda Darnell) of cheating on him, and as he is conducting, he imagines three scenarios in which he exacts his revenge upon her. Sturges’s next film, The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend (1949), a western farce that was conceived as a vehicle for Betty Grable, also failed at the box office
In 1949 Sturges, no longer in favour in Hollywood, relocated to France. After some seven years of inactivity as a filmmaker, he simultaneously shot English- and French-language versions of Les Carnets du Major Thompson (The French, They Are a Funny Race; 1955), which met with audience indifference. He died in 1959 while living in New York’s Algonquian Hotel, where he was writing his memoirs. |
The longest-running political crisis in Belgium’s history formally ended in March 2008 when Flemish Christian Democrat Yves Leterme’s five-party coalition government was sworn in—nine months after the country’s general election in June 2007. Leterme took over from former prime minister Guy Verhofstadt, who since before Christmas had led an interim government.
The partnership between the French- and Dutch-speaking Christian Democrats and Liberals and the French-speaking Socialists was far from smooth, however, as the parties negotiated possible constitutional reforms that would affect the future status of the bilingual Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde (BHV) constituency, which included the capital, and devolve more power to the country’s three regions. In mid-July, Leterme submitted his resignation for a third time when he failed to meet a deadline set by his own party, the Flemish Christian Democrats (CD&V), for issuing a proposal to resolve the constitutional deadlock. King Albert II refused to accept the prime minister’s resignation, but he did on December 22 when Leterme offered to resign a fourth time after accusations that aides had tried to influence a ruling by the country’s appeals court.
The court case had been brought by shareholders in Fortis NV, which, with operations in Belgium, Luxembourg, and The Netherlands, in late September became the first European bank to fail amid the global credit crisis. Each of the three governments had agreed to take a 49% share in its respective country of the operations of the bank, whose origins predated the creation of the Belgian state in 1830. Within days, however, the Dutch government nationalized the bank’s holdings in The Netherlands and the Belgian government sold three-quarters of its 51% stake in Fortis Belgium to France’s BNP Paribas—a decision which the shareholders had decided to challenge though the courts. Soon after the initial Fortis rescue package, the Belgian and Luxembourg governments—this time working with France—stepped in again to prop up another of Belgium’s leading banks, Dexia. After an initial cash injection by the three countries of €6,376,000,000 (€1 = about $1.40) had failed to prevent the bank’s shares from plummeting, they announced that between them they would guarantee all new issues of obligations by the bank, interbank deposits, and institutional investments until the end of October 2009.
Two other Belgian companies were involved in major international deals during the year. InBev, which was formed in 2004 when Belgian company Interbrew merged with Brazil’s AmBev, continued on the acquisition trail. In July it paid $52 billion for Anheuser-Busch, which accounted for almost half of all U.S. beer sales. The new company, called Anheuser-Busch InBev, was looking to produce 460 million hectolitres (about 12 billion gal) of beer a year—about a quarter of global beer consumption. Brussels Airlines, created in 2006 after a merger between SN Brussels Airlines (the successor to the bankrupt national carrier SABENA) and Virgin Express, formed an alliance with Germany’s Lufthansa, Europe’s second largest airline. Under the deal, signed on September 15, the German carrier agreed to buy 45% of the Belgian airline for €65 million, with the option of acquiring the whole company in 2011 for a maximum price of €250 million.
Hugo Claus, a colossus on the Belgian literary landscape, died on March 19. Claus, who suffered from Alzheimer disease, chose to die by euthanasia, taking advantage of liberal legalization that had been introduced six years earlier.
Three of Belgium’s favourite sportswomen, tennis star Justine Henin, track and field athlete Kim Gevaert, and high jumper Tia Hellebaut, retired from competition in 2008. Henin, the world’s number one female player almost continuously from November 2006 until her retirement in May, won 7 Grand Slam titles during her career, in addition to 33 other Women’s Tennis Association singles titles and gold at the 2004 Olympics; Gevaert had dominated Belgian sprinting for the past decade; and Hellebaut won gold at the Beijing Olympics. |
PART 1: 10:30am – 12:30pm
PART 2: 12:30pm – 1:30pm Discussion & Refreshments (optional)
With Resident Teacher Matthew Riechers
Feel like you’re always giving at your own expense? Whether it’s in our relationships at work, at home or with friends, many of us have a hard time saying no. We wind up feeling overextended, stressed out and resentful. No one wins!
Buddhist teachings can help us avoid such situations and identify opportunities for helping others that are mutually nourishing. This workshop will offer practical advice and strategies for helping and giving that leave us feeling peaceful, relaxed and of greater benefit to others than ever before.
There will be opportunities for class participation and consideration of particular examples. Everyone is welcome!
Cost: Free for Members • $25 non-members |
It probably won’t come as a surprise that clovers mean good luck and roses symbolize love, but did you know that a cactus means endurance and a sunflower signifies loyalty? During the Victorian era, The Language of Flowers was utilized to create a language for friends, family, and lovers to replace words.
This Mother’s Day Calyx Flowers can help you express how much mom means to you, with more than just words. Send her wishes of love (roses), prosperity (lilies) and strength (alstroemeria) with the Happy Mother’s Day Bouquet. This bouquet is layered with Asiatic Lilies, roses and alstroemeria- – all pink- – and is featured in an exclusive, hand painted, “Happy Mother’s Day” vase by Mississippi artist Gail Pitman.
Express her understanding (hydrangea), saintliness (delphinium), love (rose) and protection (Queen Ann’s Lace) with the All About Mom Bouquet. With 27 stems of blooms this bouquet says it all and is shipped complete with a buttery-yellow garden urn featuring a raised trellis design and pedestal base.
To thank Mom for the faith, hope, wisdom and valor (an Iris means all of these) she has provided, a bouquet of Irises will say it perfectly. Calyx Flower’s Iris Illumination Bouquet features ten cobalt blue iris stems coupled with lavender limonium delivered with a ceramic vase creating an eye-popping display guaranteed to leave a lasting impression.
Can’t decide which floral gift says the most about Mom? Send Calyx Flower’s Year of Flowers collection and she’ll be reminded for an entire year just how much she means to you. Choices include the new and improved Year of Flowers with bigger bouquets than ever offered before or specific floral collections, including the Year of Gerbera Daisies, Orchids, Tropicals, or Roses.
By choosing Calyx Flowers, customers send a message to their Moms that quality is essential when showing that you care. Calyx Flowers has been recognized as the finest name in floral delivery since 1988, with exclusive designs sent directly from the world’s premier growers, guaranteeing freshness.
Orders for the Happy Mother’s Day, All About Mom, and Iris Illumination bouquets, Year of Flowers or any of the designer collections can be placed by calling 1-800-800-7788 or online at www.CalyxFlowers.com.
Fresh Tips: Flower Care & Flower Ordering Tips by Brittany, Calyx Luxury Flowers |
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Hello Dear Friend, Thank you for reaching CareerGuide.com Resumes is very important for any professional while applying for a job. Good to know that you have a given a thought about your resume should look like. I would definitely like to help you. You may be knowing what Bio Data, Resume and CV refers but still you have doubts about how do they differ and What key things your resume should look like. I would first help you to Identify them distinuishably. Below are my thoughts and Suggestions: alt=Psychiatrist
Biodata: Biodata is a commonly used psychology term for biographical data. biodata surveys are in the form of multiple choice questions.
A very interesting and important question.
Please note that a Resume is a reflection about you as a professional.So all important aspects and the one that would stand out or make you unique should be mentioned in your resume.
As such a Psychiatrists resume should have mentions about:
Hope this helps.
Wish you good luck...
Thanks for writing to us!
Two of our colleagues have answered your query well. Let me add my perspective that may be helpful for you.
As explained by one of my colleague, biodata, resume and CV are different. You may want to prepare CV rather than resume. Biodata is used specifically for matrimonial purpose or for giving brief professional information to seminar, publisher, or professional associations. In other word, biodata is professional profile.
Resume is a brief description of your professional history. Usually used by professionals for sharing with other professionals.
CV is ideal for detailed description of educational, professional achievement and references. CV is usually shared with employers.
I am providing possible content for both resume and CV considering your profession.
Resume:Address and contact numberPersonal detailsEducational qualificationWork experiencePublications
Curriculum Vitae:Name and address with contact detailPersonal details (date of birth, languages known, hobbies etc)Career objectiveExpert area/ specializationEducational qualificationProfessional experience ( work experience)Professional membershipPublicationsSeminar/ conferences attendedAchievements( Awards/fellowships)Professional References(any two references of people who know you professionally and can provide information about you)
Hope this information is useful! If you still have queries, feel free to write back to us.
Best Wishes,Apurva Kumar Pandya, PhD
Founder And Director At Canvas Career
Mr. Prathamesh is a Certified Career Consultant by Psytech International (bps) UK and is also a Certified Trainer for Life Skills; he is pursuing Narrative Therapy from Adelaide, Australia. He has been in to career counseling for more than 8 years now he practices MINDFULNESS psychotherapy with students. He possesses vast experience in teaching and career counseling. Currently he is associated with FUEL NGO. He had counseled over laces of students and is a founder director of Canvas Career Consultancy, committed to conduct Psychometric assessments for students and do career counseling by making them aware about new career avenues
Counselor at Adaptive Minds
Mrs. Meghna is a Postgraduate in clinical Psychology. She had been a part of several workshops related to Personality Enhancement, Counseling, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Therapy, Hypnosis for self Healing etc. She works at Adaptive Mind as freelance counselor and had worked as an executive counselor at Growth Centre, School Counselor at Billabong High International School, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Vidya mandir. Her areas of expertise include Human Resources Management with Clinical Psychology. Currently working as a Brain mapping analyst
FreeLancer Academic and Career Guidance Counsellor
Mrs. Halima is a postgraduate in psychology from Osmania University and a International Diploma in Guidance & Counseling in collaboration with COL, Canada. She posses Enormous experience in Academic and Psychological Counseling and had done Project on “Counseling & Guidance using ACA & APA standards “, “Motivation to enhance academic achievements”,” Comparative analysis of Self Confidence of undergraduate boys & girls”. She had worked as an Academic Research Associate at Indian Institute of Management, Indore. She specializes in educational, career and academic counseling and guidance, Organizational behavior.
Career Guide, Educationist, Author and Clinical Psychologist
Dr. K.V Anand is a PhD in Counseling Psychology from Fort Jones University USA with MSc In Applied Psychology and MS in Psychotherapy. He is an expert in psychometric tests to facilitate awareness about various psychological traits, personality, skills, aptitude etc. He is a Certified Motivation trainer and personality development trainer. He is experienced in evaluating of psychology or psychiatry cases. Uses Psychometric tests such as personality, bipolar disorder test evaluation, student counseling. He has more than 9 years experience in soft skill training field covering career guidance, education, motivation, personality development, team building, leadership skills, stress management, conflict management, decision making. Beside this he is a active writer and have books related to psychology under his name such as “Adolescence mental Problems” and ”Infant and Child Psychology”
See All Questions |
The Behavioral Sciences Laboratory at CBU is in the new Rosa Deal School of Arts Building. The lab space includes a central “control” room, with four smaller, adjacent rooms where participants or small groups can participate in research studies. The lab contains equipment and software to support student engagement in education and research:
Three Biopac Science Laboratory (BSL) systems: Each 4-channel Biopac MP36 unit is capable of recording many different physiological signals (e.g., EEG, EMG, EKG, EDA, PPG, respiration). We also have a Cedrus StimTracker, which can be coupled with one of the systems to provide automated timing information (e.g., about the presentation of stimuli and/or participant responses). This can simplify data acquisition and analysis and it gives us precise timing information that is necessary for measuring activity like ERPs.
Brain Vision actiCHamp system: In 2014, we received an award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a 64-channel EEG system. This system records brain activity from the whole head using electrodes mounted in elastic caps. The system also can record simultaneously from 8 additional channels, through which we can measure several different types of activity (e.g., EMG, EKG, EDA). This system is also paired with a Cedrus StimTracker to provide precise timing information.
Cedrus SuperLab: SuperLab is a user-friendly program for presenting stimuli and recording participant responses. It also can send timing information to the StimTrackers. SuperLab can be used on its own or in combination with the psychophysiology systems. We have several SuperLab licenses.
MATLAB: CBU has a site license for MATLAB, which is a powerful and widely used programming platform. It is used for many things, from creating stimuli to analyzing data. |
02 September 2015
UK fisheries survey logbooks from the 1930s to 1950s have been digitised for the first time, revealing how cod responded to changing temperatures in the last century. Scientists at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and the University of Exeter found that at the time, the warm seas experienced around Norway benefitted the cod, similar to the conditions there today.
Most cod eaten by the UK comes from northern seas including the Barents Sea around Norway, because the stocks there at the moment are at record highs. Cod stocks were also big in the middle of the last century, and this new research, published in PLOS ONE, reveals that the environmental conditions at the time contributed to the change. Cod diet data reveals that their food preferences each year, between capelin, herring, crustaceans and cod cannibalism, were also affected by their environment.
Cefas holds many records from historical survey cruises, many of them in the form of paper log books. A recent programme of work concentrated on cataloguing and digitising these documents, where possible, to ensure that they are not lost and can be made freely available. More of Cefas’ data, with the exception of data owned by industry, will continue to be made available over this year, as announced in June by the Environment Secretary, Elizabeth Truss.
The Barents Sea surveys were mainly carried out by the steam vessel RV Ernest Holt, which was commissioned especially to withstand Arctic conditions. These newly rescued data allow scientists to understand how fisheries in the region have responded to temperatures all the way from the 1930s to the present day.
The scientists at the time knew that the cod were being affected by their environmental conditions, but digitising this data has meant that much more modern techniques can be used to really delve into the responses of cod to changes in their environment and diet.
Cefas’ Marine Climate Change Scientist Bryony Townhill said:
“Historical data such as this are so important in understanding climate change and variability. We know from anecdotal evidence that fisheries have varied in the past but it is rare to have such comprehensive datasets going back to the early 20th century. These logbooks, along with others still held by Cefas, reveal unique insights into the state of fish stocks and the environment in the past century, and enable us to put more recent changes into context.”
Dr Steve Simpson, Senior Lecturer in Marine Biology & Global Change at the University of Exeter said:
“To predict how future climate change will affect crucial fish stocks, we can learn by looking back in time. This historic survey was conducted when Barents Sea was relatively warm and cod populations were booming. Painstaking efforts to convert scribbled notebooks into modern digitised data have provided new evidence on how warmer temperatures affect cod diet and cod populations."
1. The article can be found at:http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0135418
2. The full dataset referred to in this research is available from https://www.cefas.co.uk/publications-data/fish-stomach-records/.
3. Cefas is one of the world’s longest-established marine research organisations, dating to 1902. Cefas holds historical records of fish catches, stomach contents, fish tags, fish otoliths, scales, vertebrae and shellfish, along with environmental and oceanographic data including temperature, salinity, currents and water clarity. The Barents Sea data described here represents only a small part of the data which is being digitised to ensure the longevity of these valuable data.Lists of Cefas' open data are being routinely published via the MEDIN and data.gov.uk portals. Whilst this data is currently mainly available on request, current work is progressing on making online view and download options available in the near future. This project was funded by Cefas Seedcorn research project “Trawling Through Time”.
4. The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) is a world leader in marine science and technology, providing innovative solutions for the aquatic environment, biodiversity and food security. We are the UK’s most diverse centre for applied marine and freshwater science and research, covering an unrivalled breadth of specialist areas to provide a fully integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to all our customers’ needs. For more information about Cefas visit www.cefas.co.uk and follow @CefasGovUK
5. The University of Exeter is a Russell Group university that combines world-class research with very high levels of student satisfaction. Exeter has over 19,000 students and is ranked 7th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide league table, 10th in The Complete University Guide and 9th in the Guardian University Guide 2015. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), the University ranked 16th nationally, with 98% of its research rated as being of international quality. Exeter was The Sunday Times University of the Year 2012-13. The University has invested strategically to deliver more than £350 million worth of new facilities across its campuses in the last few years; including landmark new student services centres - the Forum in Exeter and The Exchange on the Penryn Campus in Cornwall, together with world-class new facilities for Biosciences, the Business School and the Environment and Sustainability Institute. There are plans. www.exeter.ac.uk
6. Photo caption: “N Reynolds. UK scientist on board the RV Ernest Holt in the Barents Sea.” Crown Copyright. |
Zero human interaction is somehow getting associated with luxury. What gives?
Every show on the Disney channel seems to feature a new kind of family with quipster (not yet hipster) kids, including much-too-skinny girls with the same long wavy hairstyle and a geeky boy wearing colorful pants and an assortment of sidekicks for diversity's sake. Like most of the Disney genre, there are no mothers and usually no fathers. Instead, the children have a supporting cast of sassy servants—butlers, nannies, and the occasional high-tech entrepreneur.
If you don't have kids of the age to watch these shows, then I'm sorry you had to hear about it this way. If you struggle with your kids and these shows too, let's talk. If you are making these shows, please stop.
Lately, I'm struck by the Disneyfication (or is that Disneyf*ckation?) of tech. Not the magic kingdom Disney, but the mundane Disney of the TV franchise. A world focused on servants rather than relationships. Neat and tidy, with no boring chores. Without the mess of decisions. But also without the mess of relationships. Luxury but infinitely less rich.
The idea is ultra-convenience, where we can achieve peak modern luxury even in a tiny midwestern town and "swipe into the store and pay for purchases without speaking to another human being." Sassy chatbots can act like personal assistants, with not need to talk to a human, even when there is are humans hiding behind the chatbots. We can order by tablet, so why should we tip the server. We can slip in and out of our Uber ride, no need to tip or to talk to the driver. That's what many people like about the experience, after all.
You might argue, some certainly have, that we don't need to have conversations with drivers or cashiers or waiters. Maybe so. Although there is certainly research that shows strangers are of consequence. Just as much as we need deep relationships with friends and family, we also need the loose ties—neighbors down the block, familiar faces at the local store, even photos of real people with online reviews.
A strain of tech innovation is focused on making luxury available to everyone. It sounds egalitarian. Streamlining tasks may be a good thing. Giving people a moment to feel special is certainly gratifying. But there are downsides too. When luxury means is de-humanizing actual humans, luxury is not a worthwhile pursuit. |
English translation of 'प्रमुख साधन'
प्रमुख साधन /pramukha sadhana/
mn/pramukha sadhana, pramukha sAdhana, pramukha saadhana, pramukh sādhan/
key countable noun
The key to a desirable situation or result is the way in which it can be achieved.
Diet and relaxation are the keys to good health.
Copyright © 2014 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
Translation of प्रमुख साधन from the Collins Hindi to English Dictionary |
Obama Promises 10,000 More Troops for Afghanistan
He was speaking after the US lost nine soldiers at the weekend in the deadliest attack on its forces in the country since 2005.
Obama has promised, soon after becoming president in January, to begin scaling back the 156,000 US troops in Iraq and Kuwait, and to shift the focus to Afghanistan.
He is to fill out his plans in a foreign policy speech in Washington today ahead of his first visit to Iraq and Afghanistan since he launched his presidential bid early last year.
Ewen MacAskill on Obama's foreign policy Details of his trip have been kept secret for security reasons but a senior Palestinian spokesman, Saeb Erekat, disclosed yesterday that Obama would be in the region next week, with a meeting in the West Bank on July 23 with the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas.
Bill Burton, a spokesman for Obama, said today's speech "will focus on the global strategic interests of the United States, which includes ending our misguided effort in Iraq". He added that a gradual, phased withdrawal of US troops "will allow the US to properly address the growing threat from a resurgent al-Qaida in Afghanistan".
Previewing the speech in an article written for the comment page of the New York Times yesterday, Obama wrote: "As president, I would pursue a new strategy and begin by providing at least two additional combat brigades to support our effort in Afghanistan. We need more troops, more helicopters, better intelligence-gathering and more non-military assistance to accomplish our mission there."
He said that ending the war in Iraq is "essential to meeting our broader strategic goals, starting in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the Taliban is resurgent and al-Qaida has a safe haven".
In a separate comment on the campaign trail, Obama said the killings on Sunday reinforced the need to switch resources from Iraq to Afghanistan.
"I continue to believe that we're under-resourced in Afghanistan," he said. "That is the real centre for terrorist activity that we have to deal with and deal with aggressively."
As well as visiting Iraq and Afghanistan, he is to go to Germany, France and Britain and call on Germany and France, in particular, to increase their involvement in Afghanistan.
His Republican rival, John McCain, is also to discuss Afghanistan this week. Randy Scheunemann, a senior McCain foreign policy adviser, noted yesterday that Obama had voted in the senate last year against increased resources for US troops in Afghanistan.
"Senator Obama is not trying to have it both ways, he's trying to have it every way," Scheunemann said.
Although eclipsed by the US's economic slide as the main election issue, the war in Iraq remains one of the clearest points of division between Obama and McCain, who is committed to remaining in the country until stability is achieved.
Obama, in the New York Times article, reiterated his promise to have all US combat troops out by the summer of 2010, with a "residual" force left in place to fight al-Qaida and train Iraqi forces.
© Guardian News and Media Limited 2008 |
For Immediate Release
Bipartisan Group of Former Attorneys General and Law Professors Call on Congress to Examine Constitutional Amendment to Reverse Citizens United
WASHINGTON - As the Supreme Court returns today for its new term, a bipartisan group of law professors and prominent attorneys, including seven former state attorneys general, issued a letter criticizing the Court's ruling in January in Citizens United v. FEC, which equated corporate spending in elections with free speech rights, and calling on Congress to consider a constitutional amendment to overturn the decision.
Free Speech for People and People For the American Way announced the release of the letter, which was signed by more than fifty leading law professors and attorneys, including former Massachusetts Attorneys General Frank Bellotti and Scott Harshbarger; former Mississippi Attorney General Michael Moore; former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods; leading constitutional scholars; and numerous former federal and state prosecutors from across the country.
The diverse group of attorneys, scholars, and public servants call the Citizens United decision "a serious danger to effective self-government of, for and by the American people." The signatories urge Congress to consider a constitutional amendment to address that danger, noting that "most of the seventeen amendments adopted since the original Bill of Rights have corrected what the American people understood were obstacles to the equal rights of all people to participate in self-government on equal terms."
"As the mid-term elections near, it is becoming increasingly clear, according to widespread reports, that hundreds of millions of dollars and shadowy, anonymous front groups are dominating election spending and seeking to shape the outcome of not only the federal elections, but judicial and state elections as well," said Scott Harshbarger, former Massachusetts Attorney General and former president of Common Cause.
Jeffrey D. Clements, General Counsel of Free Speech for People, which led the drafting and circulation of the letter, welcomed the leadership from those who joined it: "It is heartening to have the support of these leading scholars and public servants in calling for consideration of a constitutional amendment to restore government of the people, not government of the corporate checkbook. Americans across the political spectrum know that corporations are not people and that corporate treasuries do not equal ‘speech.'"
"One belief that Americans across the ideological spectrum share is a deep concern that corporations have too much influence over our political system, at the expense of individual Americans," said Marge Baker, Executive Vice President of People For the American Way, "In Citizens United, the Supreme Court turned both the First Amendment and the principle of self-government, on their heads. The scholars and public servants who have signed this letter agree with the majority of Americans that elections belong in the hands of voters, not in the hands of the highest bidder."
People For the American Way recently released a report, "After Citizens United: A Look into the Pro-Corporate Players in American Politics" which documents the unprecedented sums of corporate money being injected into the 2010 elections.
Several bills introducing constitutional amendments to overturn Citizens United are under consideration in Congress, including the Edwards-Conyers bill in the House and the Baucus and Dodd-Udall-Bennet-Specter bills in the Senate. In addition, resolutions calling for an amendment to be sent to the states have been introduced in several state legislatures, including California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Washington,
You can read the full text of the letter at http://www.
Free Speech For People (www.freespeechforpeople.org), which was launched on January 21, 2010, when the US Supreme Court issued its ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, is a national, non-partisan campaign to strengthen self-government and democracy in America. The campaign’s organizational partners include Voter Action, U.S. PIRG, Public Citizen, the Center for Corporate Policy, and the American Independent Business Alliance.
People For the American Way (www.PFAW.org) is a progressive non-profit dedicated to advancing freedom of speech, civil liberties, and equal justice under law. |
Issue No. 10 - October (1994 vol. 43)
DOI Bookmark: http://doi.ieeecomputersociety.org/10.1109/12.324546
<p>We consider the problem of embedding a cube-connected cycles graph (CCC) into a hypercube with edge faults. Our main result is an algorithm that, given a list of faulty edges, computes an embedding of the CCC that spans all of the nodes and avoids all of the faulty edges. The algorithm has optimal running time and tolerates the maximum number of faults (in a worst-case setting). Because ascend-descend algorithms can be implemented efficiently on a CCC, this embedding enables the implementation of ascend-descend algorithms, such as bitonic sort, on hypercubes with edge faults. We also present a number of related results, including an algorithm for embedding a CCC into a hypercube with edge and node faults and an algorithm for embedding a spanning torus into a hypercube with edge faults.</p>
hypercube networks; fault tolerant computing; reliability; cube-connected cycles graphs embedding; faulty hypercubes; ascend-descend algorithms; bitonic sort; spanning torus.
J. Bruck, D. Soroker, R. Cypher, "Embedding Cube-Connected Cycles Graphs into Faulty Hypercubes", IEEE Transactions on Computers, vol. 43, no. , pp. 1210-1219, October 1994, doi:10.1109/12.324546 |
Unformatted text preview: UCSD Physics 2A Fall 2008 Instructor : Vivek Sharma Quiz Two
INSTRUCTIONS: Enter your name and code # in the bottom strip of the first page. Return the entire set of exam sheets with your scantron . Use a #2 pencil to fill your scantron. Write your code number and bubble it in under ““EXAM NUMBER””. Bubble in the quiz version (see letter A--H at bottom of page) in your scantron under ““ EXAM VERSION””. Since Scantron accepts only letter A-D, those with exam versions E-H should enter corresponding letter from A-D in their scantron card. Ask the proctor if you need clarification.
MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1) When multiplying several quantities, the number of significant digits in the result must always be A) equal to the number of significant digits in the most accurate of the quantities. B) equal to the number of significant digits in the least accurate of the quantities. C) equal to the average number of significant digits in the most and least accurate of the quantities. D) larger than the number of significant digits in the most accurate of the quantities. E) smaller than the number of significant digits in the least accurate of the quantities. 2) Two vectors are given as follows: B = - 2 i - 5 j + 2 k C = - 4 i - 2 j - 3 k The magnitude of C × B is closest to: A) 21 B) 25 C) 29 D) 17 E) 13 3) Vector A has magnitude A =5.00 and makes an angle θ A=26.0o measured in the sense from +x - axis towards the +y- axis, B has B = 4.00 and θ B = 63.0o and C has magnitude 6.00 and points in the +z direction. Vectors A & B are in the xy- plane. The product ( A × B ) · C is closest to: A) 120.0 B) 72.2 C) 12.00 D) 72.2k
^ E) 36.1 4) To a good approximation, your body consists mainly of water. One mole (mol) of water, which consists of about 6× 1023 molecules, has a mass of 18g. Assuming that the molecules of water in your body are closely packed together like cubes, what is the rough size of a water molecule ? A) 5 × 10- 10 m B) 5 × 10- 8 m C) 5 × 10- 11 m 5) If A + B 2 = A2 + B2 A) A and B are parallel B) A and B are anti - parallel C) Either A or B must be zero D) The angle between A or B must be 60 o E) None of these is true D) 1 × 10- 9 m Enter Your name and Code number Name____________________________________________Code-Number___________________ Phys 2A Quiz Two Exam Version A‐1 UCSD Physics 2A Fall 2008 Instructor : Vivek Sharma
6) Four vectors ( A , B , C, D ) have the same magnitude. The angle θ between adjacent vectors is 45 o as shown. Which of the following statements is true? A) A - B - C + D =0 B) B + D - 2 C =0 C) A + B + C + D =0 D) ( A + C )/ 2 = - B E) A + B = B + D 7) Let R = S × T and φ ≠ 90o , where φ is the angle between S and T when they are drawn with their tails at the same point. Which of the following is not true? A) R = S . T sinφ B) - R = T × S C) R · S =0 D) T · S =0 E) R · T =0 8) If the x component of a vector A in the xy plane, is half as large as the magnitude of the vector, the tangent of the angle between the vector and the x axis is: B) 1/2 C) 3 /2 D) 3 E) 3/2 A) 3 Phys 2A Quiz One Test Version A‐2 Quiz 2 Answer Key Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Version A Version B B E C B A E B D A C D B E A C E Version C Version D Version E Version F C C B E B E D D C B E D C A A D A E D B A A A E D A D D E A E D Version G Version H E A E E A D B A B A C C D A E E ...
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This note was uploaded on 12/10/2009 for the course PHYS asaasa taught by Professor Sharma during the Fall '09 term at UCSD.
- Fall '09 |
Unformatted text preview: consists of the combination of two nucleoside analogues, which target viral replication during the
reverse transcription phase of the cell cycle, and a protease inhibitor, which targets viral replication at a different phase. Options
1, 3, and 4 are incorrect descriptions.
A severe febrile illness is a reason to delay immunization but only until the child has recovered from the acute
stage of the illness. Minor illness, such as a cold, otitis media, or mild diarrhea, is not a contraindication to immunization.
The varicella vaccination is recommended to be administered between 12 and 18 months of age. Therefore,
options 1, 3, and 4 are incorrect.
Known altered immunodeficiency from long-term immunosuppressive therapy is a contraindication to MMR
(measles-mumps-rubella) immunization because a live vaccine is given. The vaccines identified in options 1, 3, and 4 are not live
vaccines and can be administered.
After hypospadias repair, the parents are instructed to avoid giving th...
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This document was uploaded on 03/29/2014.
- Spring '14 |
The Extraordinaires Design Studio is the creative thinking game for imaginative problem solvers aged between 8 and 108.
If you've ever wondered what it’s like to invent a music player for a robot, a remote control for a pirate, or cooking utensil for a vampire teen, this is definitely the game for you. Be amazed by your own wildly imaginative inventions. At the heart of all good design is empathy for the user.
"There are so many reasons why I feel that this game is fantastic. It is incredibly educational. Getting kids (and adults) to come up with brand new inventions for off-the-wall needs really gets them to think creatively and solve problems that they’ve never considered."
"A perfect ice breaker for the first day of college-level art class because it promotes collaboration and prompts design thinking."
Laura Grace Weldon, GeekMom
"This is an amazing product that inspires you to unleash your creativity and stretch your critical thinking skills. It's the perfect gift for curious, imaginative kids...and big kids like me too."
Brain Coach, Marbles
13 October 2015 |
Re-aging, also known as “curing” or “rollbacking,” an account involves changing its delinquency status. Re-aging delinquent accounts can be a good thing or it can be an illegal practice. Here we’ll explain re-aging debt and what affect it can have on your credit.
What Is a Delinquent Account?
For starters, let’s explain what we mean by delinquency status. An account is generally considered delinquent if it is has gone unpaid or it is not being paid as agreed. Accounts in good standing, conversely, are those that have either been paid off or are currently being paid as specified in the original loan contract. Delinquent accounts are generally reported to the major credit bureaus and a creditor can also sue to recoup what is owed. However, the time frame in which both of these actions might happen varies for lender to lender — and can be affected by state laws. There are statute of limitations in each state, for instance, regarding debt collection time limits.
Can the Re-Aging of Old Debts Help Me?
Payment history is one of the most important factors in calculating your credit scores, and within that factor most scoring models will look at:
- The number of late payments listed on the credit report
- How recent those late payments were
That’s where re-aging of old debts can come in. Changing an account’s delinquency status can affect both of those factors in either a positive or negative way. Of course, the best way to find out how re-aging might help (or hurt) your credit is to check your credit scores — you can see two of your credit scores for free on Credit.com. Then you can create an action plan that may include asking creditors to re-age accounts, or disputing those that have been improperly re-aged.
Positive re-aging is designed to help customers who are making an effort to get back on their feet after financial problems. Once you fall behind on a bill, it can be difficult to catch up. Unless you can come up with a large lump sum to pay off your debt, your account may be reported as late every month, even though you are making some payments. When this happens, it’s called “rolling lates.” To prevent these types of accounts from being listed as delinquent every month, the bank or card issuer can re-age them so they are reported as current.
In this type of re-aging, an account that was reported as late each month to the credit reporting agencies will now be reported as “paid on time.” Sometimes the financial institution will go back into the past payment history and bring all the delinquent payments current. In other cases, the account will simply be listed as “paid on time” for the current month and going forward, as long as payments continue to be made on time.
Tip: If you enroll in a Debt Management Plan (DMP) with a credit counseling agency, many creditors will re-age your delinquent accounts after you make three monthly on-time payments. This is a time when re-aging delinquent accounts can be helpful for your credit scores. If you go this route, it’s a good idea to ask your counselor whether your creditors re-age accounts.
Negative re-aging debt on a credit report is changing the delinquency status of an account to fool the credit bureaus into thinking it’s more recent than it really is. Negative re-aging is illegal and, if it occurs, you are in violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Some collectors do this intentionally and some do it accidentally. Regardless, you need to make sure that the collection doesn’t stay on your credit files any longer than allowed by law.
How long is that? Collection accounts may be reported for seven and half years from the date you first fell behind with the original creditor. That’s true regardless of whether the account is paid, unpaid or settled in the meantime. If a collection agency re-ages the original date of delinquency, it is likely breaking the law, and the consumer should contact the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and/or a consumer law attorney. |
Curious about hiking? Geocaching? Astronomy or Birdwatching? Don’t have the equipment or necessary tools? The Denville Library is happy to announce that we have backpack kits ready for Denville residents to borrow filled with almost all you will need to go birdwatching, stargazing, hiking or geocaching! Each backpack contains items one would need such as binoculars for birdwatching, a handheld GPS unit for geocaching, a compass and trail maps for hiking and a starscope and star chart for stargazing. Each kit comes with related books, safety whistles, bear bells and first aid kits along with a journal to share your experience with other community members. Backpack kits circulate for one week and must be returned to the Denville Public Library. FAQs can be found here.
Backpacks for an afternoon/evening of activity now available at the Denville Public Library! |
Apple is rapidly expanding its data center footprint, but not without sophisticated plans to manage its environmental impact. Here's a look at the company's ambitious efforts to build the world's greenest data centers.
Other segments in this series have looked at Apple's commitment to building the world's greenest data centers, the company's jump start in construction at its Reno data center site, the massive scope of site preparation, the sophisticated water technology being installed and the futuristic data conduits that deliver iCloud's digital packets at the speed of light.
With great power comes great accountability
Data centers are notorious power hogs. Essentially warehouses packed with stacks of servers (pictured above), Apple's facilities support billions of electronic transactions every day, requiring massive processing power. Densely packed racks of servers in vast buildings (pictured below) can consume as much electricity as a small town.
Apple is now hosting 2 billion iMessages per day among its 250 million iCloud users, via both tens of millions of Macs and the installed base of 500 million iOS devices.
In 2012, the company's data centers also handled an estimated $8.1 billion in iTunes media transactions (including around $4.4 billion in music sales and $3.7 billion in video content) as well as an additional $7.5 billion worth of App Store sales.
Additionally, last month Apple reported coordinating the billionth download of free iTunes U educational content.
The company's data centers also handle massive terabytes of iCloud documents and Photo Stream pictures, iOS device backups, emails, calendars and contact syncs, as well as supporting iPhone location lookups, iBooks, Maps, Siri and software updates for Mac OS, iOS and hundreds of thousands of App Store titles.
A recent study by Strategy Analytics noted that Apple's iCloud is now the largest supplier of online media services for American consumers, equaling the usage of Dropbox and Google combined.
The racks of hardware supporting all of these services not only consume large amounts of power to operate, but also generate lots of heat that must be evacuated from the densely packed equipment, a task that requires lots of additional energy. As a significant new player in data center construction, Apple faces the task of building without destroying the environment.
From salvaged assets to new construction
Apple entered the data center business with its 2006 acquisition of a mothballed, 107,000 square foot facility originally built by WorldCom/MCI for web hosting. That Newark, California facility (shown below), located about a half hour drive from Apple's Cupertino headquarters, was originally built in 2001, just after he collapse of the dot com bubble. Prior to Apple's purchase, it had never actually been used.
As part of the company's "net zero energy policy," Apple states it has "optimized energy use" in that facility, while it has also "designed new facilities from the ground up with energy efficiency as a fundamental principle."
In 2009, rumors began to swirl around the company's first custom built data center, located in Maiden, North Carolina (pictured below). Apple now notes that it "is the only data center facility of its size and type to have earned LEED Platinum certification" for environmentally efficient and sustainable design.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification awards "points" based on a program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, with respect to "Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality." There are four levels of certification, with Platinum being the highest.
Lessons learned in the design and construction of the Maiden facility are now being spread to two new data centers now under construction: Apple's third data center in Prineville, Oregon and a fourth in development near Reno, Nevada.
Clean energy, efficient design, green buildings
Early last year, Apple reports it was "granted regulatory approval to procure renewable energy directly from the wholesale market for our Newark, California, data center through Californiaâs Direct Access program." As a result, Apple is now operating its initial, acquired facility entirely with renewable energy "sourced mostly from California wind."
In Maiden, Apple developed a series of energy efficient programs, including sophisticated monitoring of power consumption and cooling requirements. Apple is water cooling server equipment using a massive chilled water storage system (pictured above) that improves "chiller efficiency by transferring 10,400 kWh of electricity consumption from peak to off-peak hours each day," the company notes.
It adds that at night and during cool weather hours, "free" outside air cooling enables it to turn off its water chillers 75 percent of the time. "Cold-air containment pods, with variable-speed fans controlled to exactly match air flow to server requirements from moment to moment," enable "extreme precision in managing cooling distribution."
Last year, Apple "built the nationâs largest end userâowned, onsite solar photovoltaic array on land surrounding the data center" in Maiden, a 100 acre, 20 megawatt system (shown above) that the company plans to double with an equally large solar field that's expected to be complete by the end of this year.
Apple's Maiden site also completed a new 10 megawatt fuel cell installation (shown below) fueled by landfill biogas, making it also the "largest non-utility fuel cell installation operating anywhere in the country."
The company worked with Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions to help develop a biogas market within North Carolina to power the fuel cells, which the company cites as "an example of Apple driving improvements in renewable energy availability."
Greenpeace offers no peace for the green
While Apple was developing and building these pioneering green facilities in Maiden, Greenpeace was fundraising with a widely publicized report that specifically attacked Apple for building a data center in what Greenpeace called the "dirty data triangle," implying that construction in North Carolina "indicates a lack of a corporate commitment to clean energy supply for its cloud operations" by the company due to the region's preexisting dependance on on coal and nuclear energy.
Greenpeace confidently published a "clear energy index" score that ranked Apple dead last among a series of other companies that operate data centers based on the group's faulty assumptions, as well a giving the company arbitrary "scores" that ranged from Cs to a failing F for its "infrastructure siting."
Greenpeace had incorrectly estimated that Apple's Maiden facility would draw 100 megawatts, arriving at this figure by simply multiplying what the group called a "fairly standard energy efficiency factor" against the amount of money Apple was known to be investing in the facility. It also incorrectly assumed Apple's Prineville facility would be powered by coal, despite the fact that one of the main attractions to the Oregon location is the region's plentiful hydroelectric power generation.
Apple responded to the Greenpeace report with the statement, "our data center in North Carolina will draw about 20 megawatts at full capacity," adding that, "we believe this industry-leading project will make Maiden the greenest data center ever built, and it will be joined next year by our new facility in Oregon running on 100% renewable energy."
Essentially, rather than crediting Apple for investing so much money to design and build innovative, green data centers, Greenpeace jumped to the conclusion that Apple would spend its money building vast facilities of only average performance. Without any fact checking, Greenpeace advertised its flawgic as fact.
After being corrected by Apple, the group then unapologetically bashed the company for spending the extra money to go green, issuing a sarcastic statement that said, "while Apple is well known for making more expensive consumer products, if Appleâs plans for the $1 billion investment only generates 20MW in power demand, that would be taking the âApple premiumâ to a whole new level."
The group's wildly inaccurate "report" mirrored an earlier "Guide to Greener Electronics" promotion run by Greenpeace in 2006, which similarly ranked Apple near the bottom of its competitors in scores purporting to profile the company's recycling efforts and use of toxics in manufacturing based on criteria that had little to do with reality.
Other tragedies and roadblocks for Apple's green data center plans
Just six months before Greenpeace issued its "Dirty Data Center" smear attack, Apple had suffered the untimely death of Olivier Sanche, the 41 year old head of its global data center operations.
Sanche was a pioneer in data center efficiency and a leader in thinking differently about the planning and construction of data centers in general. Sanche had previously helped eBay to build a LEED Gold data center, and helped set in motion Apple's even more ambitious plans for Maiden.
At his death, a friend noted that Sanche "loved being at Apple as he could do things he could get done no where else. He had vision, passion, and drive to do the right thing, especially for the environment," adding that "one of the sadder parts is Olivier couldnât talk about what he was doing at Apple."
Following the loss of Sanche, in April 2011 Apple was reported to have hired Kevin Timmons, who had previously worked on data centers for Yahoo and then Microsoft.
However, Microsoft's chief executive Steve Ballmer opposed Timmons' departure. After after failing in his negotiations to retain Timmons at Microsoft, Balmer reportedly threatened legal action against Apple over the hire.
As a result, Timmons found work elsewhere and Apple instead hired Scott Noteboom, the former chief of Yahoo's Global Data Center Infrastructure. At Yahoo, Noteboom had been tasked with "managing all aspects of the data center lifecycle— from design, construction, operations, to de-commissions," and had expanded the company's data center growth by a factor of ten.
Innovative green projects in Oregon and Nevada
Apple is continuing to expand its pioneering efforts in Maiden to build sustainable, environmentally sound data centers in other new locations. The company stated that its Prineville data center (shown below, under construction in mid February) has worked with "a number of renewable energy generation providers to develop and purchase power from local wind, solar, and micro-hydro resources."
The company explained that its use of "micro-hydro projects" means it will "generate power from water flowing through irrigation canals, which are already part of the agricultural framework of Oregon." Apple's new Reno data center will also take advantage of local energy efficient attributes, including the site's "excellent natural solar radiation and geothermal resources."
A source familiar with the company's plans told AppleInsider he was particularly impressed with the level of innovation the company was demonstrating in planning the new site, with a focus on minimizing its environmental impact.
Both the Oregon and Nevada sites additionally benefit from dry, moderate climates that enable efficient use of evaporate cooling systems that consume much less energy than conventional air conditioning systems.
Despite Apple's extensive and expensive efforts to build "green," it's still maintaining a very rapid pace of expansion in its data center construction. AppleInsider has learned that the company expects to have massive new facilities up and operating by the end of the year, including vast new buildings that haven't even started in their construction yet.
While there's no end in sight to the growth being seen in iOS device sales and their related Siri, Maps, iTunes and App Store services, the size and scale of Apple's data center expansion suggests that the company is likely to unveil significant new iCloud services this year, perhaps as soon as the Worldwide Developer Conference this summer. |
As with most countries, there are restrictions on accessing social security outside the country, but they are not as onerous as you might think. US expats and Australians who have lived and worked in the US but are retiring in Australia may be entitled to US social security.
This blog discusses qualification and application for US social security payments in the context of the US retirement pension, which is administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA).
Do I qualify for the US pension as an expat?
Under the US/Australian social security agreement, Australians residing in Australia can qualify. Therefore, you do not need to be residing in the US, and there is no requirement to be a US citizen or green card holder to qualify.
You typically need:
- 40 quarters of coverage, which means 10 years of covered earnings
- To have had earnings of at least USD1640 per 3-month quarter of covered earnings.
Under the US/Australia social security agreement, as long as you have six quarters of coverage in the US, for the purposes of meeting minimum qualifying periods only, periods of employment or self-employment in Australia are treated by the US as contributions to the US system.
Is the US pension means-tested?
Unlike the Australian Old Age Pension (OAP), the US retirement pension is not means-tested. This means you can qualify regardless of assets or income, so it may be a suitable option for those who do not qualify for local payments.
Will my superannuation impact my entitlements?
It is important to note that you may have reduced entitlement if you hold a superannuation fund under the ‘Windfall Elimination Provision’.
The Windfall Elimination Provision can impact how the SSA ‘calculates your retirement or disability benefit. If you work for an employer who doesn’t withhold social security taxes from your salary, any retirement or disability pension you get from that work can reduce your Social Security’. This typically includes superannuation funds.
Is the US pension taxed in Australia?
No, under the tax treaty between the US and Australia, US social security payments are not taxed in Australia. It will, however, be treated by the US tax system, and you may need to complete a US tax return. You should receive advice from a tax agent who understands the US system before applying for a US pension.
How do I apply for US social security from Australia?
The payment is processed and administered via the SSA in the US. However, Centrelink can assist with the collection and forwarding of information. Centrelink will collect your personal details (including your US social security number) and forward this information to the Veteran Affairs Office based in the Philippines, which will then send the necessary SSA claim forms.
Seek professional advice
Navigating finances as an expat can seem complex, but it doesn’t have to be. Working with a team of professionals who understand both jurisdictions is recommended to ensure you make the right moves.
General Advice warning
The information provided in this blog does not constitute financial product advice. The information is of a general nature only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs. It should not be used, relied upon, or treated as a substitute for specific professional advice. Apt Wealth Partners (AFSL and ACL 436121 ABN 49 159 583 847) and Apt Wealth Home Loans (powered by Smartline ACL 385325) recommends that you obtain professional advice before making any decision in relation to your particular requirements or circumstances. |
The outcome of Turkey’s local elections has surprised many analysts and frustrated the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which had dominated the Turkish media and benefited from massive state resources for its campaign. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s speech on election night was one marked by cautious optimism and not celebratory joy, which was unusual in recent Turkish history. “We will see how they rule. By drawing from our mistakes in this election, we will continue on our path,” declared Erdoğan about the victorious opposition, adding that addressing the economic problems will be the first task of the Turkish government.
The AKP had an electoral alliance with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) against an electoral alliance of the opposition, including the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Good Party (iYi). For the first time in 25 years, Turkey’s capital Ankara will be shifting hands as the AKP-MHP alliance has lost most of Turkey’s largest metropolitan areas and industrial power houses including Izmir, Adana, Mersin, and Antalya. In Istanbul, the biggest prize of all because of its symbolic and financial importance, a bitter fight is still underway. According to the Turkish High Election Board, the opposition candidate has received almost 30,000 more votes to win the ticket. Nevertheless, the AKP filed objections in all districts by requesting a recount and has placed dozens of banners in public squares to declare victory for the AKP candidate. Erdoğan claimed that there was “an element of robbery” and “theft at the ballot box” in Istanbul’s elections, accusing the opposition of plotting “organized crimes.”
Local Elections in Turkish Politics
In Turkey, unlike most western countries, the results of municipal elections may have significant impact on shaping nationwide trends. Perhaps the best example is the rise of Erdoğan himself, who first entered the Turkish political realm after being elected as mayor of Istanbul in 1994. Erdoğan’s party at the time—the Welfare Party, led by Necmettin Erbakan—reached out to the urban poor and lower-middle class not only in Istanbul but also in Ankara and other cities. Going beyond their traditional small Islamist constituency was a factor that energized the Welfare Party; it was successful in its grassroots mobilization and in building trust across identity politics lines, and it came to power by forming a coalition in 1996. The Welfare Party’s slogans were all about economic justice and anti-corruption, quite similar to those of Turkish opposition parties today. In this regard, the local municipalities played a critical role in improving the everyday life of the urban lower-middle class, bringing visible and effective change with a personal touch—this is when most established parties were associated with a too-centralized, out-of-touch, sluggish, and arrogantly secularist state bureaucracy. Based on these transformative experiences, the cadres of Welfare’s offshoot, the AKP, learned to reach out to liberals, Kurds, and the center-left in AKP’s initial years—a stark difference from today’s popular perception of the state-centric AKP. Thus, ruling over major urban municipalities, Turkish opposition parties will have a critical opportunity to prove themselves to larger networks in the years ahead. In Erdoğan’s own words, “whoever wins Istanbul wins Turkey.” This is perhaps why the ruling AKP appealed the election results in Istanbul and Ankara, both of which were won by the opposition. In fact, the High Election Board (YSK) has ordered a recount in seven districts in Istanbul.
Most importantly, losing big city municipalities would mean losing commercial powerhouses for the ruling party. One of the reasons behind Erdoğan’s enduring success has been the large patronage networks and clientelist financial structure that offers highly lucrative contracts to cronies, including the media sector. As the engine of the nation’s economy, Istanbul provides massive economic output—almost a third of Turkey’s GDP—and the Istanbul municipality in particular is the city’s largest employer and biggest economic actor. In Istanbul and beyond, municipality-supported urban construction projects have been a distinct imprint of the AKP, providing abundant financial and symbolic revenue. Moreover, the municipalities have rewarded AKP-friendly religious and civil-society foundations financially, and thus, created more channels for the party to influence its conservative constituency. Understanding the challenges ahead, the government is now preparing draft legislation that would suggest transferring responsibility for larger contracts from city municipalities to the presidential office in Ankara.
Aside from the aforementioned reasons, this particular round of municipal elections was overemphasized by President Erdoğan, who presented the elections as a “matter of survival” for the Turkish state. Such weighty framing may have mobilized Erdoğan’s supporters as he wished; and yet, the opposition’s victory in local municipalities is now interpreted as a strong public warning to Erdoğan and the AKP.
There are several takeaways from the election results. Some of the significant ones are highlighted below.
- The AKP’s loss of major cities illustrates the significance of economic conditions in voting patterns, especially in industrial centers where residents experience the acute effects of the economic recession.
The stagnation of the Turkish economy has been the trend over the past few years. For the first time since the AKP came to power in 2002, the fragility of the Turkish lira, rising inflation rates (up to 20 percent), and increasing unemployment were expressed through the ballot box. In fact, Erdoğan’s post-election speech was an indication of such understanding. He promised to make addressing Turkish economic troubles a priority. Deepening financial problems may harm the AKP’s popularity and fortunes; therefore, it is reasonable to expect the Turkish government’s renewed attention to focus on structural reforms. Erdoğan’s dilemma, however, is a hard one: structural reforms will entail heavy prices on the masses, who are used to receiving government subsidies or some form of social services under AKP rule. Such reforms, if genuinely implemented, are most likely to result in inviting the International Monetary Fund’s help and requiring Erdoğan’s retreat from populist policies—at a time when he perhaps needs them most.
- The electoral gains of the Good Party (iYi), a center-right party that poses challenges to both the MHP and AKP, may encourage other hopeful candidates to enter the political scene to fill the vacuum in the center-right.
Beyond an electoral coalition, the AKP-MHP alliance in the Turkish parliament has become the backbone of a “new Turkey” since the derailment of the Kurdish peace process in July 2015. The two parties clearly need each other’s support. On the one hand, Erdoğan needs the MHP’s support to pass the presidential bills in parliament because the AKP does not hold a majority there. Unlike the previous parliamentary system, Turkey’s new presidential system may be locked, or lose legitimacy, without the ruling party’s majoritarian influence. On the other hand, the MHP has benefited from sharing the government’s vast resources and its Turkish nationalist cadres, thus helping it to wield more power in the state bureaucracy. Such symbiotic relations, however, have led to growing criticism of Erdoğan, especially among the circles of old AKP leaders. Former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and former Finance Minister Ali Babacan previously hinted at their willingness to challenge Erdoğan by forming a new political party. According to Turkish media reports, the elections’ outcome has now convinced the Davutoğlu-Babacan circles of the importance of moving forward in forming a new party and announcing it in the next few weeks. If new center-right parties emerge in Turkish politics, they may accelerate the divorce between the AKP and MHP because the primary criticism by such competitors will be AKP’s increasing anti-Western Turkish nationalist stance—which is an outcome of MHP influence. If public support for pursuing pragmatic economic policies gains traction and trumps the ideological Turkish nationalist discourse, such calls may well be a game changer in the next election cycle.
- Turkey’s main opposition, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), pursued an inclusive, pragmatic, and winning strategy—an experiment that may change the fortunes of the Turkish left.
The CHP has been under attack for a long time for being too ideological and rigid at the expense of the AKP’s pragmatism and religious discourse. Perceived as Atatürk’s old party, the CHP is very attractive to some Turks yet too distant for others. Its divisive secularist tone has made the party aloof to the conservative majority in Turkey and the party’s elitism has alienated most liberals, working-class leftists, and Kurds. Unlike the previous elections, however, the CHP has run an inclusive campaign by forming a tacit alliance with the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) as well as nominating a not well-known politician, Ekrem Imamoğlu, for Istanbul. As Turkey’s largest number of Kurds live in Istanbul, the HDP’s support for Imamoğlu was indeed a kingmaker move. If pragmatism prevails over ideology in the CHP’s future, it may be a refreshing beginning for the Turkish left.
- The AKP-MHP alliance celebrates the electoral outcome in Turkey’s Kurdish-populated eastern provinces, claiming it is a public confirmation of state-appointed mayors. However, local dynamics are very complex and the areas are under heavy security.
While losing votes in western Turkey’s industrial belt, the AKP has increased its share of votes in the east. Pro-government media commentators were quick to emphasize that Kurds provided a vote of confidence for the AKP’s recent policies in the region, which included removal of many elected pro-Kurdish HDP mayors due to their alleged “terrorism” charges and appointment of state trustees to replace them. Voting under extreme state pressure and military curfews, however, has always been a complicated problem in Turkey’s Kurdish provinces during the past three decades. In Sirnak, for example, where AKP votes typically range between 15 to 30 percent, the AKP won by a wide margin, receiving more than 60 percent. The HDP filed many complaints of fraud in various cities to invoke Turkish electoral authorities; however, under extreme securitization of the region, such requests would barely result in anything concrete. Moreover, patronage relations through municipalities and local social services are a most common tool—used by both the AKP and the pro-Kurdish party—in the region. Thus, the municipal elections are not the best indicators of Kurdish public opinion regarding the AKP-MHP targeting campaign of pro-Kurdish politicians. In fact, it may not be surprising to witness massive support for many imprisoned Kurdish politicians in the general elections.
Regional and Global Implications
To give confidence to international markets, President Erdoğan is keen to emphasize that Turkey will not have any elections until 2023 and the new presidential system still retains its popular support. Yet, the tone of pro-government media—which described the outcome as “a coup” against Erdoğan—indicates how mass perception is quite different and anxiety among the AKP constituency is growing. For the first time, election results have revealed the economic fragility of the ruling party and the shaky foundations of the presidential system.
On April 10, the Turkish government will reveal the new economic package Erdogan demanded in the wake of the elections. The impact of this new package in the global marketplace, however, can only be evaluated in combination with Ankara’s turbulent relations with Washington. Only a day after the Turkish elections, the Pentagon announced its suspension of the F-35 fighter jet deal with Turkey. US officials have long emphasized that Turkey’s $2.5 billion purchase of Russian S-400 systems cannot be compatible with NATO systems; in addition, they assert that Turkey should not violate NATO regulations by pursuing this purchase from Russia. The issue has also become a flashpoint in discussions in Washington about Turkey’s long-term goals and strategic shift to Russia. The US Department of State made it clear that next week’s NATO ministerial meeting will focus on the issue, and if Turkey insists on the S-400s, not only will this jeopardize the F-35 deal but also other future arms transfers. In addition, economic sanctions may follow.
Although using economic sanctions was not in Washington’s typical toolkit for relations with Turkey, the Trump Administration’s unusual experiment in summer 2018 created a precedent. Because of Rev. Andrew Brunson’s case, the ensuing US sanctions caused a rapid drop in the value of the Turkish lira and shook Turkey’s fragile economic structure, convincing Erdoğan to reevaluate policies. As a pragmatic politician, Erdoğan may choose to thaw the ice with the United States and ensure global markets’ confidence in Turkey. The current dynamics in northern Syria, however, will present challenges to Erdoğan’s future policy decisions. US support for the Syrian Kurds and Turkey’s strategic engagement with Russia for the Idlib region give an upper hand to Moscow; therefore, retreating from the S-400 deal will not be an easy task. Erdoğan’s third option may be to buy the S-400 systems but not implement them on the ground, although it is unclear if this would satisfy either Washington or Moscow. Erdoğan is in Moscow this week for his third meeting with Putin so far this year and to celebrate the Turkey-Russia cross-cultural year.
Erdoğan’s post-election economic reform package will also be closely analyzed by most European countries, who are by far Turkey’s biggest trade partners. The technical details of the financial reform promises, however, may not ease the ongoing tensions between Turkey and the European Union. Unlike the United States, the EU has been making the connection between Turkey’s derailing economy and the country’s downward slide in human rights and media freedoms—and most importantly, in the loss of an independent judiciary. To help in saving the Turkish economy, therefore, European investors will press Erdoğan not only to address the technical finance structures but also to make a renewed commitment to the rule of law in Turkey. |
As two crucial programming concepts, many people confuse dynamic programming with recursion. What about memoization? Dynamic programming and memoization are quite similar indeed. Is dynamic programming and memoization the same thing with different names? To clarify these three basic techniques, AlgoMonster offers some information below for beginners.
To separate these three apart, first thing first, we need to know what each of them is. Let’s start with dynamic programming.
Table of Contents
What is dynamic programming?
Dynamic programming (also DP) is an algorithmic technique. It is used to solve a special type of problem which shows a specific structure: optimal substructure. You can break a problem of such kind into a collection of smaller subproblems. Each of its subproblems is similar to the original one. Having an optimal substructure allows us to solve small-sized problems, then medium problems, and big problems. We solve these problems in a particular order before we tackle the target problem at last.
Dynamic programming methods
Top-down (memoization): The big problem is solved by finding solutions to the subproblems. Answers to each of the subproblems will be stores for future use. That is to say, when the same problem occurs, you can directly use the result you saved instead of computing it one more time. You know, since similar subproblems repeat themselves many times, it saves a lot of time. The process of saving the previous results to avoid recomputing is referred to as the memoization technique.
Bottom-up (tabulation): Opposite to top-down, the bottom-up method avoids recursion by dealing with all the related subproblems first.
The bottom-up method is called tabulation as it is often done by populating into an n-dimensional table.
Differences between top-down and bottom-up
Put it into simpler words with an interesting analogy of how you take over the world:
Top-down with memoization
For the starter, you say I will conquer the world. How can you accomplish that goal? You declare I will take over Asia as a beginning. How can you achieve that? You say I will control Japan first. How so? I will become the president of Japan. How do you finish that? Just like that, you’ll finally find the solution to the bottom question.
Bottom-up with tabulation
First, you say I will become the president of Japan. After that, I will take over Japan. Then I will conquer other countries in Asia. Before I finally take over the world, I will capture the remaining continents. And that way, you come to your target.
So as the names indicate, they’re basically two opposite strategies for solving problems. The former goes with memoization while the latter with tabulation. Generally, the upward approach appears to be more efficient and cleaner.
What is memoization?
Memoization is for an optimization technique to track and store your previously solved solutions. When you encounter the same problem again, you don’t need to do the same computation since you can use the results you’ve cached.
Memoization and DP
Dynamic programming is to deal with problems of overlapping subproblems and optimal substructures. It is a method to solve certain classes of problems by solving recursion. At the same time, the DP solution saves the previously gained solutions via memoization or tabulation.
So both dynamic programming and memoization solve each individual subproblem only once. You can take memoization as a subset of DP. Problems that are solvable by memoization can be solved by DP. Memoization solutions might cause a possible stack overflow. That is why issues that can be solved by DP might not be suited for memoization solutions. Yet, DP can be more efficient because it’s iterative.
To recap: memoization is a common strategy for optimizing dynamic programming algorithms. This process relies on recursion. The purpose is to avoid calculating subproblems again that have been solved. And you could solve dynamic programming problems without recursion.
What is the difference between DP and memoization?
Some people regard memoization as just another name of DP. Or any tricks that use memoization are thought to be DP. But they’re different.
- DP often includes memoization and recurrence. It is a strategy that can be used when similar smaller subproblems can be solved to solve the target problem.
- Memoization is just a form of caching that saves the values of a function. It is a technique to prevent you from doing the same computation on the same problems.
Basically, dynamic programming is a problem-solving solution that uses memoization to the fullest effect.
Is recursion dynamic programming?
We’ve mentioned the term recursion several times above. You may be wondering what recursion is. What’s the difference between recursion and DP?
Well, according to Wikipedia, it is one of the main ideas of computer science. As Niklaus Wirth wrote in his book, and here I quote, “The power of recursion evidently lies in the possibility of defining an infinite set of objects by a finite statement. In the same manner, an infinite number of computations can be described by a finite recursive program, even if this program contains no explicit repetitions.”
Recursion solution is the repeated application of the same approach to the same type of sub-problems. Recursion follows a top-down approach. It’s safe to say that recursion can be regarded as the parent of dynamic programming.
Dynamic programming improves efficiency by solving the problem of risks to recompute the same problems recursion does. But you can deal with DP problems with recursion.
From the comparison above, hopefully, you’ve got some idea of what these concepts mean. This might not always be correct in some aspects, but you can regard this as a reference. Dynamic programming is just like recursion without repetition. In other words, DP and recursion share some similarities while DP avoids unnecessary recalculation. Simply put: DP only calculates the same subproblem once, but recursion may compute more than once.
Although they’re quite alike in certain aspects, they’re not the same. To tell them apart before you go on with your dynamic programming study is a wise choice. If you’re interested in DP, find more information. Read first, and then practice as much as you can. The key to master DP is through practice. |
The decision to pursue a health profession can be both exciting and challenging. Your educational preparation as an undergraduate is an essential part of your success later on. Many students arrive at the university with the goal to become a physician, dentist, or other health professional, but they have little knowledge of what the profession is really like or of its demands.
Only about one-half of students who apply to medical school are actually admitted. Because competition is so intense in medicine and other health professions, you should become as familiar as possible with the career you are pursuing.
The pre-health advisors in Arts & Sciences Advising Services stand ready to assist you as you explore your options and begin your preparation for a health profession.
Please review the following Pre Health advising resources available to all students at the University of Tennessee:
Pre Health Advising Workshops:
Workshops have been created for our most common health profession interests and should be your first step before scheduling a one-on-one pre health advising appointment.
Fall 2023 schedule Here
Spring 2024 schedule (Coming Soon!)
Pre Health Advising Workshop Presentations:
View the slide decks for previous workshop presentations for any you were not able to attend, and look for additional workshops available in the future.
More Health Professions to come soon!
Pre-Health Advising Listserv:
Pre-health advising sends emails weekly or bi-weekly throughout the semester with information on upcoming events and helpful information. Pre-health students can request to receive these emails by visiting: tiny.utk.edu/UTKprehealth.
One on one Pre Health Advising appointments:
Arts and Sciences advisors provide pre health advising for students of all majors. To schedule an appointment with a pre-health advisor, go to MyUTK.edu and select Vol Academic Connect (Navigate) or call 865-974-4483 during regular business hours.
Annual Pre Health Events:
Every Fall we organize a Health Professions Fair where students have the opportunity to meet with admissions representatives from various health profession graduate programs.UT Health Professions Fair
Every Spring in collaboration with the Center for Career Development and Academic Exploration we offer pre health programming through our annual Pre Health Prep Week events. |
What You Can Learn From the Raspberry Pi’s Success
The Raspberry Pi Foundation—which recently launched a $5 computer (!)—has come a long way in just a few short years. The organization's fast growth is a lesson in looking past organizational limitations to build broad interest toward a key goal.
As a lot of Americans had pumpkin pie on their minds, a British nonprofit was offering up a different kind of “pi” entirely—and techies were quick to grab a byte or two.
On Thursday, the Raspberry Pi Foundation announced the release of the latest variation of its hackable computing devices, the Raspberry Pi Zero. The device, the third major variation of the barebones circuit board, sold out almost immediately, creating a stocking stuffer that’ll offer ideas for miles. And at $5 the computer is an absolute steal, especially in the right hands.
Among the ideas earlier versions of the Raspberry Pi have inspired:
A wall-mounted Google Calendar display that automatically updates on the fly.
A homemade Google Glass-style device that its maker put together for roughly $100.
A pair of night-vision goggles.
A handmade smartphone, for which the maker built a custom operating system.
A server-rack supercomputer, built by a father-son team. (The father is an engineering professor; the son helped out, in part, by building the server rack out of Legos.)
All this stuff was designed using variations of a device that costs between $20 and $35. Just imagine what could be done with a device that costs even less. For the “Maker Movement,” the value proposition speaks for itself.
During a week when people were going wild trying to score deals big and small, the best deal perhaps was to be found on the handful of online stores that were selling the Raspberry Pi Zero. And they were gone—fast. Within 24 hours, in fact.
That’s what happens when you’ve built a lot of buzz around your organization.
An Eye Toward Education
There’s a lot to love about the Raspberry Pi concept and, from the perspective of nonprofit organizations, a lot to study.
The success of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, which launched in 2009 as a charitable organization, arose while the nonprofit was trying to attract one audience but found a second in the process.
That first audience—children and young students who have little access to computer-science instruction—has remained front of mind for the group ever since its launch. The foundation believed it might find a few thousand homes for its miniature computers. Instead, they found millions, thanks to the success of the devices among home tinkerers, who have managed to do tons of little things with these devices. It’s now the fastest-selling British-made computer of all time, with more than 5 million sold and counting.
Rather than lose sight of this goal in the face of broader success, the foundation has used public recognition to reinforce the overall mission. The organization frequently highlights the ways in which kids are learning about computing through Raspberry Pi devices, such as this young girl who “hacked” her dad’s computer using a few commands in the shell:
But, more productively, the organization highlights an array of resources for those looking to get into computing, with an eye on younger audiences. The foundation has also teamed with Code Club, another foundation with an eye on improving technology education in schools, with the goal of getting the computing devices in reach of thousands of kids.
In a lot of ways, the foundation’s work in education is amplified by the attention it gets elsewhere.
Seeing Past Limitations
Now, the Raspberry Pi Zero is not a perfect device.
For one thing, hackers will have to provide their own cables, monitors, input devices, storage mechanisms, cases, and methods for installing wireless access—and adding all those things can boost the overall cost of the device.
And what you gain from the device’s sheer scale comes with some extra costs of its own in terms of necessary converters: Rather than getting full-size HDMI and USB adapters, you instead deal with miniaturized ports, meaning you’ll have to buy adapters so your normal-sized cables can hook up to the tiny devices.
But, like the foundation itself, just because there seem to be limitations doesn’t necessarily mean that the overall potential is limited.
So much of what associations and nonprofits do seems to be organized through parameters. Leaders see things through a certain scope of mission, who they’re trying to help, and what their goals are in assisting that audience. But what if, by simply looking through that scope, they’re missing out on a broader audience who might be interested in what their organization represents?
The Raspberry Pi Foundation could have reacted to its initial buzz a lot differently way back in 2011 and 2012; it could have seen it as a distraction from its main goal and pushed away from its decision to mass-manufacture the devices. It’s a good thing they didn’t, though.
If the Foundation looked at its device’s popular success as a disruption to its primary goal of reaching younger audiences, there’s a good chance it wouldn’t be having the success it has now in reaching that younger audience. By finding a way to make hacker interest compatible with the foundation’s more specific interests, it has probably set itself up for an ongoing track record of success. Those hackers know that if they buy a Raspberry Pi, at least some of that money goes to fund those educational efforts.
Those people who invent their own night goggles and smartphones? They were once kids, too. They remember what it was like, not having anyone around to support their curiosity. |
Pluto in 5th House: What Does Pluto Speak to in Astrology?
In soothsaying, Pluto is known as a capable and transformative planet. It symbolizes concentrated, controlled battles, resurrection, and profound mental change.
The vitality of Pluto is frequently portrayed as seriously, puzzling, and indeed unsettling. When this planet is found in completely different houses of the birth chart, it can bring approximately critical changes and challenges in different regions of life.
5th House Astrology
The 5th house in crystal gazing is related with inventiveness, self-expression, delight, sentiment, children, and individual ventures. It speaks to our cherish for amusement, pastimes, creative interests, and the way we look for delight and self-fulfillment.
This house is ruled by the Sun, and it reflects our one of a kind sense of independence and how we select to precise ourselves creatively.
5th House Pluto Meaning
Pluto’s situation within the 5th house of the birth chart means a significant and intense vitality that impacts zones related to imagination, self-expression, and sentimental connections.
People with Pluto within the 5th house tend to have a deep and serious energy for imaginative endeavors and may encounter noteworthy changes in their imaginative pursuits.
Pluto in 5th House: Birth Chart
When Pluto is within the 5th house of the birth chart, it proposes that imagination and self-expression play a vital part in an individual’s journey of self-discovery and individual change.
These people are likely to have an effective and serious drive to precise themselves imaginatively, regularly with a deep emotional undercurrent.
Pluto’s nearness within the 5th house can too indicate a solid requirement for control and control in inventive endeavors. These people may keep up a certain level of escalation and mystery in their creative expressions, utilizing their imaginative outlets as an implies of individual strengthening and transformation.
Pluto in 5th House: Transit
During a Pluto trip through the 5th house, people may encounter significant shifts in their imaginative interests and self-expression. This period can bring almost a total resurrection of their imaginative fashion or ventures, driving to profound personal transformations.
Pluto’s transformative vitality can show in various ways amid a travel through the 5th house. It may thrust people to confront their inventive fears and plunge into more serious and bona fide self-expression.
This transit can highlight control battles or control issues in sentimental relationships, urging people to stand up to and change designs that do not serve their highest good.
Pluto in 5th House: Synastry
In synastry, the situation of Pluto in an individual’s 5th house can show a profound, transformative, and possibly serious association in sentimental connections. This situation recommends that the relationship will have a significant impact on the inventive expression and self-fulfillment of both people included.
Pluto within the 5th house in synastry can bring approximately capable inventive collaborations and a shared enthusiasm for creative interests. Be that as it may, it can too lead to control battles or a sense of control between accomplices, as both individuals may feel they have to assert their will and keep up control over their particular imaginative endeavors.
5th House Pluto within the Zodiac Signs
The zodiac sign in which Pluto is set within the 5th house further includes subtleties to its meaning. Each zodiac sign imbues Pluto’s transformative energy with its special characteristics.
For case, Pluto within the 5th house in searing Aries can show an enthusiastic and empathic approach to inventive self-expression, while Pluto in the 5th house in hearty Taurus may bring a center on arousing quality and stability in one’s imaginative interests.
People with Pluto within the 5th house should consider investigating the particular characteristics of their Pluto sign situation to pick up more profound bits of knowledge into how this transformative vitality impacts their imaginative expression and sentimental relationships.
What Does Pluto in 5th House Mean?
Pluto in 5th House is a powerful placement that influences an individual’s creative expression, passion, and approach to romance and fun. It brings intensity, transformation, and depth to the areas ruled by the 5th House.
Pluto in 5th House: The Impact on Creativity
Individuals with Pluto in the 5th House possess a deep, intense, and transformative approach to creativity. Their creative expressions often carry a sense of power and emotional depth, as they are driven to explore the darker and more profound aspects of human experience through their artistic endeavors.
Pluto in 5th House: Passion and Romance
Pluto’s placement in the 5th House also impacts one’s romantic and passionate nature. These individuals may experience intense and transformative romantic relationships, characterized by a need for emotional depth and a desire to explore the complex dynamics of love and intimacy.
Pluto in 5th House: Fun and Playfulness
While Pluto is often associated with intensity, its placement in the 5th House can also bring a sense of playfulness and creativity to one’s approach to fun and leisure activities. Individuals with this placement may find themselves drawn to activities that allow them to express their power and intensity in playful and creative ways.
Pluto in 5th House: Embracing the Transformation
Overall, Pluto in the 5th House signifies a profound and transformative approach to creativity, passion, and romance. It encourages individuals to explore the depths of their creative and emotional expressions, embracing the transformative power of Pluto to bring depth and intensity to these areas of their lives.
What House is my Pluto in?
Determining the house situation of Pluto in your birth chart requires counseling a stargazer or utilizing crystal gazing computer programs or online birth chart calculators. By contributing your birth date, time, and area, you’ll create a point by point birth chart that shows the placement of Pluto and other planets within the houses.
What House does Pluto rule?
In astrology, Pluto is customarily related with the rulership of the 8th house. The 8th house administers changes, shared assets, legacy, insider facts, unthinkable subjects, and the deeper mysteries of life. Whereas this affiliation gives Pluto a capable influence over the things ruled by the 8th house, its arrangement in other houses can still significantly affect distinctive perspectives of life.
Conclusion of Pluto in 5th House
In conclusion, Pluto in the 5th House brings a powerful and intense energy to an individual’s creative expressions, passion, and approach to romance and fun. It encourages them to embrace the transformative nature of Pluto and explore the depths of their creativity and emotional experiences with intensity and depth. |
What Talent Development Professionals should KNOW and DO to be successful
Launched in 2019, the Talent Development Capability Model defines the capabilities (knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors) for the talent development field. It answers the question, “What do talent development professionals need to know and do to be successful?” It is the foundation for the Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) certification – previously known as the Certified Professional in Learning & Performance (CPLP) certification. It replaces the ATD Competency Model which included Areas of Expertise and Foundational Competencies.
This future-oriented model can be personalized. It sets a new standard for the field, responding to those trends affecting talent development, such as digital transformation, data analytics, information availability, and partnerships between talent development and business.
Who Is This Model For?
How the Model Can Be Used?
The Talent Development Capability Model can be applied in a variety of ways by a diverse set of stakeholders.
Need a printable PDF of the model? Click here: ATDCapabilityModel.pdf
DOMAINS OF PRACTICE
Talent development knowledge and skills have been organized into three domains of practice that are applicable to all roles: Building Personal Capabilities, Developing Professional Capabilities, and Impacting Organizational Capabilities.
Knowledge and skill statements across 23 capabilities outline the specific content required for the successful and effective practice of talent development. Individuals can even self-assess against these statements to identify their personal knowledge and skill gaps.
Building Personal Capability
This domain of practice embodies the foundational or enabling abilities all working professionals should possess to be effective in the business world. These largely interpersonal skills, often called soft skills, are needed to build effective organizational or team culture, trust, and engagement.
Communication: Communication is about connecting with others. Effectively communicating requires a knowledge of communication principles and techniques that allows a person to articulate the appropriate message for a particular audience. It requires active listening, facilitating dialogue, and the ability to express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly, concisely, and compellingly.
Emotional Intelligence & Decision Making: Emotional intelligence and the ability to make good decisions are paramount to professional success. Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand, assess, and regulate your own emotions, correctly interpret the verbal and nonverbal behaviors of others, and adjust your behavior in relation to others. Emotional intelligence is a key strength in building rapport. Decision making requires one to determine the need and importance of making a decision, identify choices, gather information about choices, and take action on the appropriate choice.
Collaboration & Leadership: Leadership is about influence and vision, which also helps to facilitate collaboration. Being good at collaboration requires the ability to foster environments that encourage teamwork and respectful relationships, especially cross-functionally. Both collaboration and leadership require the practitioner to communicate effectively, provide feedback, and assess the work of others. Leadership also requires the ability to effectively align people and tasks to support the organization’s strategy. Effective leaders inspire trust and engagement with their employees and teams.
Cultural Awareness & Inclusion: Cultural awareness and the ability to foster an inclusive work environment are requirements in today’s global business climate. Being effective at both means conveying respect for different perspectives, backgrounds, customs, abilities, and behavior norms, and as well as ensuring all employees are respected and involved by leveraging their capabilities, insights, and ideas.
Project Management: Analyzing and prioritizing elements of a learning initiative or talent solution helps to ensure a meaningful and relevant learner experience. Effective project management requires being able to plan, organize, direct, and control resources for a finite period to complete specific goals and objectives.
Compliance & Ethical Behavior: Compliance and ethical behavior refer to the expectation that a talent development professional acts with integrity and operates within the laws that govern where they work and live. For talent development professionals it may also require knowledge of and abiding by the regulations and laws related to content creation, accessibility, human resources, employment, and public policies.
Lifelong Learning: Lifelong learning is sometimes called continuous learning, agile learning, or learning drive. It is marked by traits such as self-motivation, insatiable curiosity, and intelligent risk-taking. Talent development professionals should model the value of lifelong learning by pursuing knowledge for personal and professional reasons. Taking ownership for one’s own professional development signals to others that they can and should do the same.
Developing Professional Capability
This domain of practice embodies the knowledge and skills talent development professionals should possess to be effective in their roles of creating the processes, systems, and frameworks that foster learning, maximize individual performance, and develop the capacity and potential of employees.
Learning Sciences: Organizations with highly effective learning programs incorporate key principles from the learning sciences, the interdisciplinary research-based field that works to further the understanding of learning, learning innovation, and instructional methodologies. Talent development professionals applying best practice will understand and apply foundational learning theories, principles of adult learning theory, and cognitive science to design, develop, and deliver solutions that maximize outcomes.
Instructional Design: Instructional design is an essential element of an effective learning effort. The creation of learning experiences and materials is what results in the acquisition and application of knowledge and skills. Talent development professionals follow a system of assessing needs, designing a process, developing materials, and evaluating effectiveness. Instructional design requires the analysis and selection of the most appropriate strategies, methodologies, and technologies to maximize the learning experience and knowledge transfer.
Training Delivery & Facilitation: Training delivery and facilitation are means by which talent development professionals help individuals improve performance at work by learning new skills and knowledge. The practitioner serves as a catalyst for learning by understanding the learner’s needs, creating the right environment for learning, building rapport with participants, and using the appropriate delivery options and media to make learning engaging, effective, relevant, and applicable. Facilitating meetings means taking an objective approach to helping stakeholders discover new insights, achieve group outcomes, and work to make positive changes in the organization.
Technology Application: Disruption via technology will continue to be a reality for organizations and talent development functions. Talent development professionals must have the ability to identify, select, and implement the right learning and talent technologies that serve the best interests of the organization and its people. Practitioners should be able to identify opportunities to adapt and leverage the right technologies at the right time to meet organizational goals.
Knowledge Management: In a knowledge economy, lost institutional knowledge can cost organizations real money in the form of turnover, recruitment, and training costs. Knowledge management is the explicit and systematic management of intellectual capital and organizational knowledge as well as the associated processes of creating, gathering, validating, categorizing, archiving, disseminating, leveraging, and using intellectual capital for improving the organization and the individuals in it.
Career & Leadership Development: Creating a culture of career development in an organization can be a competitive advantage. Being effective at career and leadership development requires the ability to create planned processes of interaction between the organization and the individual that allows an employee to grow within the organization. Understanding the specific skills and capabilities an organization needs now and in the future is important when developing assessments, programs, and pathways to advance employees within the organization.
Coaching: Coaching is a discipline and practice that is an essential capability for any talent development professional and it has the power to catalyze breakthroughs to enhance individual, team, and organizational performance. Coaching is an interactive process that helps individuals develop more rapidly toward a preferred future state, produce results, set goals, take action, make better decisions, and capitalize on their natural strengths. Coaching requires using global listening, asking powerful questions, strengthening conversations, and creating action plans.
Evaluating Impact: Evaluating the impact of talent development programs is correlated with learning and business effectiveness. Talent development professionals should be able to implement a multilevel, systematic method for gathering, analyzing, and reporting on information about the effectiveness and effort of learning programs. Collecting data relevant to business strategies and goals helps decision making, improves learning programs, and increases the value proposition of learning with senior leaders and business stakeholders.
Impacting Organizational Capability
This domain of practice embodies the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed by professionals to ensure talent development is a primary mechanism driving organizational performance, productivity, and operational results.
Business Insight: To add the most value to an organization, Talent development professionals should understand business principles and the specific business or organization in which they work. Business insight is the understanding of key factors affecting a business, such as its current situation, influences from its industry or market, and factors influencing growth. It also includes understanding how an organization accomplishes its mission or purpose, makes and spends money, and makes decisions, as well as the internal processes and structures of how work gets done. Having business insight is essential to strategic involvement with top management and ensuring talent development strategies align with overall business strategy.
Consulting & Business Partnering: Being seen as a valued business partner should be a goal for talent development professionals. Consulting and business partnering use expertise, influence, and personal skill to build a two-way relationship that facilitates change or improvement in the business. Clients may be internal or external. Successful consulting and business partnering requires skill in: needs assessment, data analysis, communication, systems thinking, problem solving, negotiation, facilitation, and coaching.
Organization Development & Culture: To remain relevant, organizations must continually develop capability and capacity. Organization development (OD) is an effort that focuses on improving an organization’s capability through alignment of strategy, structure, management processes, people, rewards, and metrics. Organizational culture encompasses the values and behaviors that contribute to the social and psychological environment of a business. Understanding an organization’s culture, its norms, formal and informal relationships, power dynamics, and hierarchies informs the planning of initiatives to develop systems, structures, and processes to improve effectiveness.
Talent Strategy & Management: For an organization to realize its potential, talent development should be integrated into all components of talent strategy and management. Talent strategy and management are the practices used to build an organization’s culture, engagement, capability, and capacity through the implementation and integration of talent acquisition, employee development, retention, and deployment processes, ensuring these processes are aligned to organizational goals. Depending on organizational context and structure, broad partnerships with HR and line leaders will be needed.
Performance Improvement: Organizational competitiveness is fueled by improvement in human performance. Performance improvement is a holistic and systematic approach to meeting organizational goals by identifying and closing human performance gaps. This is a results-based effort that includes the ability to analyze root causes of performance issues, plan for future improvements in human performance, and design and develop solutions to close performance gaps.
Change Management: Talent development professionals are well positioned to facilitate change because they connect people, process, and work. Change management is the capability for enabling change within an organization by using structured approaches to shift individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a future state. Once initiated, change follows its own nonlinear path in response to uncertainties, reactions, and guidance from those involved. There are tools, resources, processes, skills, and principles for managing the people side of change that practitioners should understand and implement in order to achieve preferred outcomes. Research shows that most companies don’t manage change well, which makes capability in this area a differentiator for talent development professionals.
Data & Analytics: Data and analytics are key drivers for organization performance and should be drivers for talent development. This is about the ability to collect, analyze, and use large data sets in real time to affect learning, performance, and business. Discerning meaningful insights from data and analytics about talent, including performance, retention, engagement, and learning, enables the talent development function to be leveraged as a strategic partner in achieving organizational goals.
Future Readiness: The pace of change requires constant upskilling and reskilling of the workforce. Future readiness requires intellectual curiosity and constant scanning of the environment to stay abreast of forces shaping the business world, employees and their expectations, and the talent development profession. Monitoring emerging trends and technologies is essential to prepare for the demands of future learners. A commitment to continuous professional development is essential to ensure there is capability to handle the changes in how work is done in the years ahead. Fostering environments that promote innovation and creativity will help position organizations to become future focused. |
The U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic has warned Black and dark-skinned Americans they may be racially profiled and possibly detained on the island, but officials have rejected the bulletin claiming it is unfounded and contradicts diplomatic relations.
The embassy states that in recent months U.S. citizens have reported being “delayed, detained, or subject to heightened questioning at ports of entry and in other encounters with immigration officials based on their skin color.”
The alert advises Americans with “darker skin and of African descent that they may be at risk” for increased interaction with Dominican authorities because of the country’s crackdown on undocumented migrants, especially those of Haitian descent.
“Reports of disparate treatment of U.S. citizens by Dominican authorities are a matter of ongoing concern to the U.S. Embassy,” the alert issue on Nov. 19 says.
However, the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement the next day expressing “its strongest rejection” of the U.S. embassy’s statement.
The statement contradicts “the excellent bilateral relationship that exists between the Dominican Republic and the United States in all spheres,” the ministry said.
“Our country is the first trading partner of the United States in the Caribbean and the sixth in Latin America,” the statement continues.
The ministry said the Dominican Republic has advocated for change amid the humanitarian and political crisis wracking its western neighbor on the island of Hispaniola the two nations share, but those problems also have created national security issues in the D.R.
“For several decades, the bulk of the burden has fallen, particularly in terms of migration, on our country,” the statement says.
The ministry points out that a chunk of the country’s health budget is dedicated to free medical services for foreign nationals, primarily Haitians.
The alert could also impact the Dominican Republic’s tourism industry, leading to economic downfall, it says.
“Without the support of the international community, we have made an extraordinary effort to keep the border open to allow the Haitian population access to vital food, medicine, fuel, water, etc,” the statement says.
Many Dominicans, including a diplomat in its embassy in Haiti, have been kidnapped. They have had to deploy 9,000 troops to secure the border between the two countries, it says.
The migrant situation has overwhelmed the Dominican Republic, according to the ministry, and the country “can’t take it anymore.”
The ministry also pointed out that President Joe Biden’s administration deported more than 20,000 migrants back to Haiti between February 2021 and February 2022.
The ministry also called out the U.S. for being the center of allegations of “xenophobic and racist treatment of migrants and even sectors of his own population.”
“No country has made a greater effort than the D.R., advocating for the international community to help Haiti, but we declare once again with all the necessary vigor that there is not – nor can there ever be – a Dominican solution to the Haitian odyssey,” the statement says.
Still, the Dominican Republic has deported more than 100,000 Haitian nationals this year. More than 60,200 Haitians were expelled from August to October, officials said in a tweet.
The U.S. Embassy said, “there are reports that detainees are kept in overcrowded detention centers, without the ability to challenge their detention, and without access to food or restroom facilities, sometimes for days at a time, before being released or deported to Haiti.”
Dominican Republic’s President Luis Abinader issued a decree on Nov. 12 strengthening migration enforcement and creating a new police unit to address the issue. However, the policy goes against the United Nations’ calls to halt deportations because of violence and humanitarian conditions in Haiti.
“Unremitting armed violence and systematic human rights violations in Haiti do not currently allow for safe, dignified and sustainable return of Haitians to the country. I reiterate my call to all countries in the region, including the Dominican Republic, to halt the deportation of Haitians,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk in a Nov. 11 statement.
“I also call on the Dominican Republic authorities to step up efforts to prevent xenophobia, discrimination and related forms of intolerance on national, racial or ethnic origin, or immigration status,” he continued.
However, Abinader said Türk’s remarks were “unacceptable and irresponsible.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the U.S. government has not “provided any evidence, beyond anecdotal cases without independent verification, that there is a systematic pattern of violations of the rights of migrants, ordered by the Dominican authorities.”
“Isolated cases could occur, as in any part of the world, which, if reported to the relevant authorities, would be duly investigated and punished, if their veracity were proven,” the statement continued.
However, the United Nations Children’s Agency told CNN on Monday that it has received at least 1,800 unaccompanied children delivered by Dominican immigration authorities into Haiti since the beginning of the year.
Legal immigrants told CNN they are afraid as videos of raids flood social media. Footage on Twitter shows immigration agents beating people with sticks and wooden panels and kicking and punching them.
A Haitian man who lives and works legally in the Dominican Republic told CNN agents broke into his home around 3 a.m. and arrested him.
“They did not ask me for my papers or anything; they did not let me speak,” he said. “They just grabbed me and took me away; I told them I had papers and they did not even listen.”
However, the Dominican government said it “would never have imagined such serious insinuations” would be made about a country “whose population evidences ‘in its skin color’ a wide melting pot of races.”
Still, news reports of anti-Black racism and colorism in the Dominica Republican date to the 1930s.
In October 1937, Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo ordered the military to kill Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent with machetes. The executions lasted for five to eight days. An estimated 1,000 to 30,000 people were killed, NPR reports. |
|18 × 23.5 cm
German translation by Malcolm Green, introduced by Alastair Brotchie and Malcolm Green.
“Since my first reading I have been convinced that An Anecdoted Topography of Chance is one of the great books of the century, a comic masterpiece that touches significantly on many areas of human thought. It is a maquette for a realisation of the dream that human intelligence might take any fragment of the world and reconstruct the universe from the evidence it provides.” — Richard Hamilton in The Spectator
An Anecdoted Topography of Chance is now acknowledged as the most important, and most entertaining “Artists’ Book” of the post-war period, and this edition is the definitive appearance of a unique collaborative work by four artists associated with various avant-garde art movements, including Fluxus and Nouveau Réalisme.
What is the Topography? Hard to explain an idea so simple yet so brilliantly executed. Following a rambling conversation with his dear friend Robert Filliou, Daniel Spoerri one day mapped the objects lying at random on a table in his room, adding a rigorously scientific description of each. These objects subsequently evoked associations, memories, anecdotes, not only from the original author, but from his friends as well: a beguiling creation was born, and each time a new edition of the book appeared it grew larger and more elaborate. Many of the principal participants in Fluxus make an appearance, and texts by Higgins, Jouffroy, Kaprow, Restany and Tinguely are included, among others. It is a novel of digressions in the manner of Tristram Shandy, an archaeological game, a poem to the arbitrary, an encyclopaedia, a cabinet of wonders, but above all else, it is a celebration of friendship and creativity.
The Topography both personifies and pre-dates the spirit of the Fluxus movement, and constitutes one of the strangest and most compelling insights into the artist’s life. From out of the banal detritus of the everyday a virtual autobiography emerges: of four perceptive, eloquent and engaging members of the human species.
Atlas Press, a new version of Arkhive 4.
There is a signed limited edition of the first Atlas edition in “Rare”.
See reviews, including one by Richard Hamilton for The Spectator.
|18 × 23.5 cm |
The structural, electronic and optical properties of the GaAs1-x P (x) ternary alloys together with their binary GaP and GaAs compounds were investigated in the zinc-blende (ZB) phase using the density functional theory. The lattice constant of the GaAs compound decreases while its bulk modulus increases when the doping concentration of the P dopant is increased. In addition, both parameters (lattice constant and bulk modulus) show small deviations from the linear concentration dependence. The energy band gap of the GaAs compound is of the direct nature, which increases with the increase in the P dopant concentration, whereas at higher P dopant concentration, the band gap shifts from direct to indirect character. On the other hand, the hydrostatic pressure has a significant effect on the band structure of the investigated compounds where the binary GaAs compound changes from a direct band gap semiconductor to an indirect band gap semiconductor at P a parts per thousand yen 5 GPa. Furthermore, the pressure-dependence of the optical properties of the GaAs, GaP and GaAs0.75P0.25 alloy were also investigated, where the calculated zero frequency refractive index and the dielectric function are also compared with the experimental results as well as with different empirical models. |
Effective Tips To Achieve Your Health And Personal Goals In 2020
It’s that time of the year when we prepare for festivities and celebrations. Along with planning to celebrate with friends and family, it is also a time when people start making a list of resolutions.
You might be doing the same. But then, a thought may probably cross your mind – ‘Will I actually stick to these resolutions throughout the year?’
You start thinking of all the resolutions you made in the past years and how most, if not all, of them, went down the train in a month or two.
Don’t get us wrong – we are not trying to discourage you. But facts and statistics have clearly shown that most New Year resolutions don’t last for more than a few months.
Are you among the few who have actually fulfilled their resolutions? If so, then you should definitely be proud of yourself. But like the majority of people, if you to have failed to achieve your New Year goals, then we’re here to help you out.
If you want this year to be different and more productive, then read on below as we give out some excellent tips to help you achieve your personal and health goals in 2020.
Simple Ways to Achieve Your Health Resolution in the New Year
Hitting the gym, losing or gaining weight, or eating healthy are some of the most common New Year resolutions. Sadly, these are also the resolutions that people abandon most often.
Now we are not giving you some brainstorming ideas that will change your life. Instead, we will share some simple but highly effective tips to achieve your goals
Set clear and measurable goals
If your goals are clear and well-defined, they will be easy to put into action. For example, if you say, “I’ll go to the gym regularly this year,” you’ll probably find some excuses to postpone your gym sessions.
What you should be saying is, “I’ll workout 15 minutes every day. Later, I will increase that time to 30 minutes.” So when your goals are clearly defined, it will be easier to convince yourself to achieve it when procrastination kicks in.
Set small goals
The smaller your goals are, the more achievable they become. Let’s say you plan to lose 30 pounds. After one month of workout, you see that you’ve hardly lost 1 or 2 pounds, and you feel discouraged.
On the other hand, you make a small goal – losing 5 pounds. Even if you lose just 1 pound in the first month, that’s 20% of your target achieved. If you stick to one more month, then you’ll be almost halfway through your goals. So make sure your health goals are small and achievable.
Upgrade your goals little by little
So you’ve clearly defined your goals, and you’re making small milestones. Then the next step is to upgrade your milestones gradually. Following the previous example, let’s say you have lost that 5 pounds.
So you’re delighted with the results and mentally and physically motivated to achieve more. Your next goal can be losing 7 or 8 pounds, then 10, then 15. Just avoid making a huge leap, like going from losing 5 pounds to losing 20. With each small step, you will be achieving more and enjoying the process.
Focus on one resolution at a time, and set deadlines for each goal
So you want to hit the gym, be more productive at work, and spend more time with your family all at the same time? Trying to handle all these things at the same time will only leave you exhausted. And you won’t see any visible results either.
It’s best to focus on one resolution at a time. To be more specific, we suggest that you make only three resolutions a year. Assign 4 months to each resolution. Once you stick to your first goal in the first 4 months, it will most likely become a habit.
Then you can focus on the second goal for another 4 months, so it becomes a habit as well. At the end of the year, not only will you have achieved all three resolutions, but they will become a habit that will last throughout your lives.
A Quick Recap
So to summarize, the best way to achieve your goals for the New Year are:
1. Clearly define your goals
2. Set small milestones, that will be easy to achieve
3. Increase the milestones little by little
4. Focus only on one resolution until it becomes a habit
There’s a reason why these methods are effective. First of all, they make your goals easier to achieve and so you don’t have to make a tremendous effort. Secondly, these techniques will give you visible results, which will motivate you to go to the next stage.
While we have mostly focused on the health resolutions, these four steps can be applied to any goals you wish to achieve, and at any time. As a final note, you should keep in mind that if you fail to achieve your goals at any point, you must be ready to start over. Trying regularly is still a better achievement than not trying at all.
Make your 2020 productive and positive and start your New Year on a positive note! |
Balabala Toddler Girl Spring Knitted Underpants
1. Poem Stories Patterns: Village life: Children come back from school and fly kites happily on the green grass. The willow branches by the river dance with the wind. Song of Goose: Three innocent big white geese, flying in the lotus and play. When they are tired, tehy lie down and rest for a while, stretch their necks and sing a song. The white feathers and red soles are like a vivid ancient poem! Children's fishing: A child wearing a straw hat was fishing by the river. In order to get the fish to bite the hook, he would wave his hands hurriedly when someone asked for directions, for fear of startling the fish. Looking at it from a distance, he looked so cute. Drawing a chicken: How does a chick transform from an egg into a handsome big rooster with a white body and a red crown? Let’s draw together 2. Fabric: 170G Cotton Spandex, high-quality combed cotton, using compact spinning technology, the cotton fibers are arranged more closely, and the yarn surface is smooth and clean. The addition of spandex gives the fabric excellent resilience, making it comfortable to wear and non-deformable. After being treated with special dyeing and finishing processes, the fabric is soft and skin-friendly, moisture-absorbent and breathable. Grass coral plant 3A anti-bacterial: The fabric uses 30% grass coral fiber and 70% cotton blend, which maintains the natural and skin-friendly characteristics of cotton and adds the anti-bacterial properties of plants to achieve green, harmless and anti-bacterial properties. |
In an ideal world, we’d all have the best strength and training coach or personal trainer to guide us through our workout routines, keep us honest with our diets, and motivate us to get better every day. The reality, however, is that hiring a personal trainer can be expensive, especially if you’re hiring a good one. For many people, a quick look at the numbers is all they need to decide they’re better off figuring it out on their own, while others know they can benefit from the expertise of a good trainer and take the plunge.
If you’re on the fence about hiring a personal trainer, read on to come to a better understanding of the value that personal training provides and if the cost is worth it to you.
Avoid the “Instagram Trainer”
The main thing you need to watch out for when deciding to hire a personal trainer is quality. The number one reason why personal training gets a bad reputation is that there are literally thousands of under-qualified or inexperienced people who claim to be personal trainers, either on Instagram or at the gym. It’s relatively easy to grab a personal training certification online or get results for yourself at the gym and then promote yourself as a trainer.
These types of trainers you absolutely want to stay away from. You will end up wasting your time and money on a “personal trainer” who has no idea the complexity of training someone other than themselves.
Look for a Quality Trainer
While we just finished discussing how personal training can be expensive, it’s much better to pay more for a trainer with real-world experience than it is to save a few dollars and buy into that program you saw on social media. A quality trainer will easily be able to identify what movements you should be doing in the gym, what foods you should be eating to support your growth and performance, and help you avoid training injuries.
Throwing money at the cheapest trainer may get you some results, but investing in a quality personal trainer with experience will reap long-lasting benefits for your overall health and longevity.
Hiring a Good Trainer Can Result in Long-term Health
Regardless of your age, staying fit is proven to improve your overall health and wellness. Being strong and lean can help you avoid future injury, heart disease, and mental illnesses. If you have dealt with injury or sickness in the past, a good trainer will be able to offer advice and programs to help heal aches and pains that you may feel in your joints. A high-quality trainer will also be able to look at your medical history and make diet suggestions that can help combat illnesses. These are all things that the average trainer couldn’t help you with, and you would likely be hard pressed to figure it out on your own.
Consider the Trade-Off
While you could save money by saying no to good personal training, if you have to deal with injuries or sickness that could have been avoided with quality coaching, you will likely end up spending more on medical bills than you would on a trainer.
While hiring a good personal trainer is definitely not a guarantee that you won’t face injuries or sickness, it can definitely help you avoid them. If long term health and wellness is a priority for you, hiring a good trainer is a great choice.
At Balance Fitness we take your long-term health and wellness very seriously. In addition to the high-quality gym equipment and gym design we offer, we also provide great personal training and coaching. If you’re interested in working with an experienced trainer who can help you achieve and surpass your fitness goals, request a consultation today! |
Heterogeneous collections in Rust
A Glimpse into how ChatGPT could be used for coding
- Play music with a raspberry Pi Pico and Rust
- Drive a LED grid with a Raspberry Pi Pico and Web Serial - Part 1
- Writing Doom Fire for the Raspberry Pi Pico and the Pimoroni Pico Display
- webadb - ADB over WebUSB resources.
- Best practices for using the Wake Lock API.
- Integrating in-app-reviews with Trusted Web Activity
- Building a Physical AirHorn Button with Web USB |
Centrifugal pumps use a rotating impeller to impart kinetic energy into a working fluid by accelerating it radially outward. As the high-velocity fluid exits the tip of the impeller blades it is routed into the pump volute or diffuser, each of which has an increasing cross-sectional area, where the velocity of the fluid slows causing an increase in pressure head in the fluid. High-speed centrifugal pumps are particularly effective, as pump Affinity Laws show how an increase in the operating speed of the pump causes an exponential increase in the pressure head developed.
High-speed centrifugal pumps can be very compact and because they have fewer moving parts compared to other high-pressure pump technology, they are often an ideal choice for applications where size, weight, and reliability matter.
Barber-Nichols’ reputation is built upon the capability and willingness to develop specialty pump solutions that meet the specific needs of customers. The products detailed below provide a representative sample of some of the most popular configurations, while our team of engineers continue to create new pump designs daily, that draw upon knowledge gained over more than 50 years as a business. |
Gas flow sensor kit for microfluidic systems
This Gas Flow Sensor is based off of the SDP series by Sensirion. The sensor measures gas flow rates between 1 and 50 ml/min. It is calibrated for both air and N2. The Gas Flow Sensor can handle a maximum overpressure of 1 bar.
As with all of our components, this sensor also seamlessly integrates into the mp-Multiboard2 and its software. In the sensor section of the software you can simply choose “Gas flow” to read out the sensor findings. You can also log this data to use for further analysis. We also added adapters to the sensor so that it can be used with our existing tubing mp-t or mp-s. That way, you can easily add the Gas Flow Sensor into an existing system featuring our components.
For optimal performance, we sell the Gas Flow Sensor with the Reservoir bundle as a pulsation damper. That way, there are less variances in the measured flow rates and you get a more accurate result. If you are interested in purchasing the Gas Flow Sensor without the Reservoir Bundle, feel free to contact us.
The wetted materials in this sensor are: PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), glass (silicon nitride, silicon oxide), silicon, gold, FR4, silicone as static sealing, epoxy, copper alloy and. lead-free solder.
If you rather want to measure the liquid flow inside your microfluidic system, you can check out our liquid flow sensors. We also offer a pressure sensor that can measure both gas and liquid pressure. All of our flow and pressure sensors are adjusted to properly fit our mp-Multiboard2 environment. Therefore, they are controlled via our Multiboard2 software. Feel free to contact us with any and all questions regarding our systems and available sensors. |
Image Of Ball Mill Used In Thermal Power Plant
ball mills used to crush the coal in india delhi. Coal Mill In thermal power plant, . ball mill manufacturing image balochistan coal mines names aggregate manufacturing process are crushers used for producing . Get Price And Support Online; Pulverizer Mill of pulverized coal boiler in thermal power . |
Ensuring the optimal performance and longevity of your residential solar panels is a paramount concern for any environmentally conscious homeowner. As the popularity of solar energy continues to rise, so does the importance of proper maintenance. The question often arises is whether hiring experts is the key to efficient Residential Solar Panel Maintenance in Shingle Springs. This blog explores the benefits of professional assistance and weighs the options for homeowners seeking to maximize the efficiency of their solar energy systems.
Solar panels, undoubtedly a significant investment, are designed to harness the sun’s energy and convert it into electricity for your home. Regular maintenance is crucial to ensure that this process operates seamlessly. The dilemma faced by many homeowners is whether to undertake the maintenance themselves or enlist the services of professionals.
The Technical Advantage
One key aspect to consider is the technical nature of solar panels. While some homeowners may possess the skills to handle basic maintenance tasks, the intricate workings of solar panels often require specialized knowledge. Experts in the field are trained to identify and address issues that may go unnoticed by the untrained eye. From assessing the efficiency of individual panels to diagnosing potential electrical problems, professionals bring a level of expertise that is challenging to replicate through DIY efforts.
Maximizing Solar Power Output
Efficiency is a critical factor when it comes to solar energy. The effectiveness of your solar panels directly impacts the amount of energy generated and, consequently, the savings on your electricity bills. Regular maintenance is the linchpin for preserving and enhancing efficiency. Professionals, armed with experience and diagnostic tools, can fine-tune your solar energy system to operate at its full capacity.
Ensuring Long-Term Peace of Mind
Moreover, hiring experts for Residential Solar Panel Maintenance in Diamond Springs often comes with the added benefit of warranties and guarantees. Reputable solar maintenance services typically offer assurances for their work, providing homeowners peace of mind. This safeguards your investment and ensures that any unexpected issues are promptly addressed without incurring additional costs.
Mitigating Risks in Solar Panel Maintenance
Another compelling reason to opt for professional maintenance is the safety aspect. Working with solar panels involves dealing with electrical components and heights, which can pose risks to those lacking the necessary expertise. Professionals are equipped with the proper safety gear and training, mitigating potential hazards associated with solar panel maintenance. This ensures not only the well-being of the homeowners but also the integrity of the solar energy system.
Beyond the technical and safety considerations, time is a precious commodity for many homeowners. Juggling work, family, and other responsibilities leaves little room for the meticulous care solar panels demand. Professionals can efficiently handle the maintenance process, allowing homeowners to focus on their daily lives without compromising the health of their solar energy system.
Professional solar panel maintenance services employ specialized tools and diagnostic equipment that enable them to identify potential issues precisely. These tools can detect subtle variations in individual panel performance, allowing experts to address problems at an early stage. This level of diagnostic accuracy is challenging to achieve through DIY methods, where certain issues may go unnoticed until they escalate into more significant problems.
System Optimization for Changing Conditions
External factors such as weather changes and evolving environmental conditions can influence solar panel efficiency. Professionals have the expertise to adapt your solar energy system to these variations, optimizing its performance accordingly. Whether it’s adjusting panel angles, cleaning surfaces, or fine-tuning inverters, experts can make dynamic adjustments that accommodate the ever-changing nature of solar energy production.
The question of whether hiring experts is the key to efficient Residential Solar Panel Maintenance in Diamond Springs is not a one-size-fits-all scenario. It hinges on factors such as individual expertise, time availability, and the desire for optimal performance. While some homeowners may successfully manage basic maintenance tasks, the advantages offered by professional services, including technical proficiency, efficiency optimization, and safety assurances, make a compelling case for enlisting experts to care for your residential solar panels. Ultimately, the decision rests on striking a balance that aligns with your priorities and ensures the continued success of your solar energy investment. |
Aging isn’t easy. Everywhere you look, from novels about Faustian pacts made with the devil to the booming business of plastic surgery, it’s hard not to miss just how obsessed our culture is with staying young and as far away as possible from death.
But, if we live by the concept that age is really and truly just a number, and has no bearing on the rest of it, can that thinking really make a difference in our lives? Can we maybe fight against the hands of time and give ourselves a few more years on Earth? Science says yes, and that’s good news for all of us.
An eight-year-long 2014 study of 6500 adults found that how a person feels about their age, whether they feel younger, older, or right where they technically are, directly contributes to just how long they will live.
It’s those who are happy, feel their life has a purpose, and have an overall will to live who live longer than those who mope around about their age instead of going out there and making the most of life. It’s when we resign to being just a number, that we lose all hope for the future.
Of the 6500 participants who participated in the study, the average actual age was 65.8, while the average “self-perceived” age was 56.8 years old.
About 70 percent felt younger than their actual age, with the other group feeling either their actual age or older. After the eight years had passed, the death rate looked like this: 25 percent of those adults who felt older had died, 18.5 percent of those who felt their actual, numerical age had passed away, and only 14.3 percent of the group who felt younger than their age had slipped into the great beyond.
In addition to these numbers, it was found that there was a definite relationship between self-perceived age and cardiovascular death. In other words, “young at heart,” isn’t just a saying, but something that will keep you alive longer.
Self-perceived age has a far greater weight on our health and longevity than our actual age. We can’t run around allowing our lives to be dictated by a number. It’s not only time-consuming but defeats the whole point of life — life is to be lived on our terms, how and when we want.
So, the next time someone asks you your age, knock off a few years; tell them the age you feel and not the one on your driver’s license. That’s what matters; that’s what’s going to keep your heart healthy and happy, and that’s what’s going to keep you out of that great beyond even longer. No one wants to go to that great beyond; I bet they don’t even have pizza there.
Amanda Chatel is an essayist and intimacy health writer for Yourtango, Shape Magazine, Hello Giggles, Glamour, and Harper’s Bazaar. |
In the early 1900s the enticement of “land for the taking” brought settlers into the Peace. Some of the earlier ones to arrive were the “Bull Outfit”, named as such from the fact of their driving teams of oxen. They brought with them, from Ontario, farm implements, goods and supplies to get started.
They came out by train to Edmonton in 1909. The previous year Rede Stone and Oliver Johnson had made the journey in from points in the U.S.A. The “Bull Outfit” was made up of Sherks, Smith, Crabb, Walton, Lossing, Gaudin, Flint, Truax, Cranston and Miller.
They were all members of a religious group and made the long trek over the Athabasca trail. The “Edson” trail got started the next year, making the trip a bit shorter but still very tough. The “Hinton” Trail was used too but mostly for pack trains.
The first post office was named “Red ow” opening in 1910 with R.C. Lossing postmaster. Later the name was changed to Beaverlodge. The name came from the lodges all along the river built by the Beaver Indians (a branch of the Cree). The first store opened in 1909 and a school was started in a bachelor’s shack with nine pupils in the care of Mrs. C.A. Drake.
The settlement stayed on the hill until 1928 when the railway arrived and most everything moved down to the new site along the tracks.
Mr. W.D. Albright founded the Dominion Research Station in 1917.
Saskatoon Mountain, once a forestry outlook and picnic site was taken over by the Department of National Defence and remained part of the defence system from 1953 until the mid-eighties.
In 2009, the Town of Beaverlodge celebrated 100 years of settlement. |
Cold climate autoflowering seeds have always been a good choice for many breeders and cultivators living in regions that have cold climates or for those living up in the north in places such as Canada or in mountainous areas that tend to be really cold. That is because growing these kinds of marijuana strains dispenses the need for you to use a dedicated grow space or tent for indoor growing. Instead, you can use your own backyard, which makes it more affordable for you to be able to grow marijuana plants.
In general, autoflowering seeds really are suitable for cold climates because of their history. The Cannabis ruderalis plant, which is the cannabis species that all autoflowering strains can trace their roots from, originated from places with cold climates that tend to be harsh. As such, autoflowering strains have inherited such a trait from the ruderalis plant and became hardy plants in their own right.
What’s The Best Cold Climate Autoflowering Seeds
However, there are still some marijuana strains that tend to stand out in the pack when it comes to being able to grow and thrive better in cold climates. Here are the top cold climate autoflowering seeds you should go for if you live in a cold region:
Northern Lights Auto
The Northern Lights Auto strain is the autoflowering variety of the alegendary all-time great Northern Lights, which is actually one of the parent strains responsible for the Lowryder, the very first autoflowering marijuana strain. Coming from Afghan genetics, Northern Lights was already hardy and resilient when it comes to cold climates because of how it can trace its roots to the landraces that grew near the borders of Afghanistan and the Hindu Kush mountains. However, its autoflowering version is a lot more resilient to cold weather because of its ruderalis genetics.
Northern Lights Auto is a sweet strain due to its Afghani roots. On top of that, it has the classic indica effects that hit you in a milder manner compared to the original Northern Lights because of how its ruderalis genetics makes it less potent in terms of THC. Nevertheless, that does not mean that Northern Lights Auto has effects that are anything but relaxing and pleasant enough to make you forget about your problems.
Growing Northern Lights is easy if you are in a cold climate because this strain was originally bred to be grown indoors, where it is easier to control the climate conditions for it to thrive successfully. It typically is a short plant like most autoflowering strains and is one of the most generous autoflowers in terms of yields.
White Widow Automatic
The name “White Widow” has become a cult classic in the Netherlands particularly in Amsterdam, where it has become one of the most popular strains in the Dutch coffee shop scene. In that sense, it stands as one of the all-time greats in the cannabis industry. Its autoflowering variant, while not as potent, has the same kind of effects and attributes as the original White Widow. Moreover, this strain has become a very versatile plant that can easily grow indoors and outdoors in most types of climate conditions.
White Widow Automatic comes with a subtle pungency that has hints of earthiness in it. Its taste and aroma are very similar to White Widow but, thanks to its ruderalis genetics, it is not as strong as the original variant. White Widow Automatic is not as potent as White Widow in terms of effects but has similar attributes in the sense that it brings about a state of invigoration that does not make your mind race but makes you feel a bit relaxed instead.
When you are growing White Widow Automatic, you can thank its hybrid genetics of indica, sativa, and ruderalis for its ability to be such a versatile plant. It grows well in most types of climates and has moderately generous yields for an autoflowering plant.
Quick One, as the name suggests, was specifically designed to be a strain that delivers quality buds in a time span that is quicker than most other strains on the market. This strain was one of the very first autoflowering plants ever developed and has genetics that is very closely related to the original ruderalis plant. That makes it a very resilient plant when growing cold climate autoflowering seeds.
In terms of its taste and aroma, Quick One does not really stand out but it does have a pleasant citrusy scent and flavor that makes it a very stealthy and appealing bud. Its effects are not very strong because it has THC levels that are only somewhere close to 13%. Nevertheless, its stoney and body-relaxing effects are still very pleasant even though they are not as heavily sedating as your usual indica.
The name implies that Quick One is a very quick-growing strain. It will be ready for harvest in a maximum of 8 weeks and is a pretty short plant that is fantastic for stealth growing. However, given that it is a small autoflowering plant that was one of the first strains of its kind to be developed, it is not the most impressive in terms of its yields.
The Critical Auto strain is a classic name that has won many awards in Europe. That said, while its autoflowering counterpart might not be as potent, it still has the same qualities that made Critical such a fantastic strain anywhere in the world. And what makes Critical Auto so great is that its ruderalis genetics made it a very hardy and resilient plant to grow.
Critical Auto has a similar intoxicating and very enticing aroma that made Critical popular. Meanwhile, its sativa effects make it a good strain for those who want a mild energetic dose to start the day as this strain comes with a focused kind of high that allows you to stay productive. Nevertheless, it only has THC levels of 14%. That means that it will not give you a very strong energetic high but is still a good option for beginners and for those who want a mild kind of invigorating rush.
The best part about Critical Auto is that it comes with Critical’s attributes but in a package that is quicker and easier to grow. For a sativa-indica autoflowering strain, Critical Auto’s 9-week flowering time is impressively quick. And because of its ruderalis genetics, it is one of the few sativa strains that can actually grow well in cold climates.
AK-47 Auto really sounds like the old-school Soviet semi-automatic gun that is still very much popular even to this day. However, this strain is anything but close to what that weapon is because it is not as scary as the actual AK-47 gun. AK-47 Auto is the autoflowering variant of a worldwide sensation that came from the genetics of three landraces (Thai, Mexican, and Afghani). And because of its ruderalis side, it can thrive well in cold regions unlike other sativas out there.
When it comes to taste, AK-47 Auto still carries that sweet resinous flavor of the original AK-47 strain. It also has hints of spice underneath that sweetness. Moreover, AK-47 Auto has the hard-hitting energetic high that its regular variant is known for. However, it is not as potent, which means that it probably will not give you the strong psychoactive effects that AK-47 delivers.
Compared to other sativa-dominant strain, AK-47 Auto is quite impressive in terms of its growth speed as it only takes about 9 weeks for it to grow. It is also a lot easier to cultivate given that it is an autoflowering plant that will automatically transition to the flowering stage. And due to the same ruderalis genetics that made it an autoflower, it will thrive well in cold climates despite being a sativa-dominant strain. |
How to Find Bed Bugs During the Day
While people sleep at night, bed bugs become active. This makes it difficult for many to confirm their suspicion of a bed bug infestation, as they need to search for them at night to see the bugs in action. It is the main reason why you should learn how to find bed bugs during the day.
The process during the day is a bit trickier than doing it at night, but you can locate obvious signs of live bed bugs by following some tips. The first thing you should know is where bed bugs hide during the day. Once you get to know their hiding spots, you can start with the steps on how to find these pests during the day.
- Prepare your tools
When looking for bed bugs during the day, your partner will be the ample amount of light that will make it easier for you to spot bed bugs. If your curtains or blinds are closed, open them to let the natural light in. Using a flashlight and a magnifying glass can help as you search through small crevices.
- Look for any signs of live bed bugs or indications they have been in one area
Bed bugs love to hide in the mattress as they can easily feed on you while you are asleep. Look for any traces of live bugs around your mattress, checking the seams and stitches. After checking the mattress, look at the boxspring and entire bed frame. When checking the bed frame, focus on the crevices where bed bugs can hide. Do the same with the other furniture in your home.
- If there are no live bed bugs, look for eggs or nymphs
At first, you may not see nymphs because of their transparent colour. However, some may have a reddish-brown colour in the middle of their body. This is a sign that they are already feeding. Look for eggs as well. These are half the size of a rice grain and are on areas that aren’t easily moved or disturbed.
Other signs can include blood stains and black spots. Shed skins or exoskeletons are also proof that these critters are growing and multiplying without your knowledge.
You can also wait for bed bugs to come out in broad daylight, as they feed during the day if the opportunity favours them. It’s a rare chance, but still possible if you can patiently wait for them. However, we highly recommend making an effort to look for them and act fast to prevent further infestation.
Where Do Bed Bugs Hide During the Day?
Finding out that you have a bed bug infestation can become a horror story for many. The inspection alone will feel like it’s taking forever to finish, especially if you have no idea where to start. During the inspection, the first thing that you should know is where these pests love to hide. Aside from the mattress and any part of your bed, there are many possible hiding spots.
If you are trying to do a full inspection by day, some of the common hiding places that you might want to check include:
- Sofas and couches
- Various pieces of upholstered furniture
- Electrical outlet covers
- Behind paintings
Their size alone makes it difficult for bed bugs to be detected. Though live bed bugs can be seen with the naked eye, there are times when you may need to use a flashlight and a card to find them.
Other potential places where they can hide during the day include:
They can also be found on rugs or carpets, but do not usually stay long in such areas as they can be constantly and easily disturbed. Make sure that you check all items that are not constantly being moved or touched as these are potential hiding spots and breeding areas for bed bugs.If you find bed bugs, it is highly recommended that you act fast. If the infestation is uncontrollable, calling an expert exterminator and using passive monitors will help to ensure that the bed bugs are either completely removed or require continuous monitoring and detection. |
Paradise Lost,reaches out and pulls in references and allusions to other literary works, making it Miltons most influential piece of literary work. The writing echoes primary epic and the epics elevated language of describing people and events in great detail and in super realistic terms. Primary epic often uses nature as a simile, as with the line, Thick with autumnal leaves that strew the brook. (303). This line portrays an image of thousands of dead, brown, wet, and muddy leaves, which add more depth to the portrait of the fallen angels described in the passages from lines 299-313.
To assert this description further, Milton uses references to specific places to affirm and reinforce the grand stature of the characters to whom he is referring. For example, the demons are, High over-arched embower; or scattered sedge / Afloat, when with fierce winds Orion armed / Hath vexed the Red Sea coast,” (304-06). Orion armed is associated with seasonal storms and The Red Sea in Hebrew is called The sea of sedge. These two images when combined, add a fierce and grimy portrait of these fiends.
They seem to be hovering, and waiting for the right moment to generate chaos in the world G-d has thrown them down to. Milton has, in this passage, begun the process of characterization of these demons. He endows Satan with heroic qualities and his cohorts emerge as militant followers of a stately, yet ominous leader. Although Satan has heroic qualities and his angels are portrayed as evil warriors, Milton often has these rebellious angels remember what they have lost and given up. This helps to express the nature of their evil.
Each demon is aware of their condition and their transgression from Heaven to Hell and they are, Under amazement of their hideous change. (313). The main theme of the poem as a whole, is the examination of the origin of human Christian civilization, the emergence of evil, and how evil forces secure themselves into the world in the first place. The question of why G-d has allowed this evil to emerge and what is G-ds solution, is answered through Miltons similes and references to historical events.
For instance, Milton refers to the Biblical event of the Exodus, by describing how multitudes of fallen angels chased the Hebrew children through the Red Sea: The sojourners of Goshen, who beheld / From the safe shore their floating carcasses / And broken chariot wheels; (310-11). Besides the broken chariot wheels;(311) being another simile to the sheer quantity of the fallen angels, the reference to the event of the Passover suggests that, although G-d has allowed for a certain amount of evil to take place, in the end his omnipotence will ultimately divert Satan and the deception he has devised.
Although G-ds actions may seem unjust, He has made provisions for the evil through Christ. The passage within the poem reflects the evil nature of Satan, prior tohis plan to corrupt the innocence of Adam and Eve. To supplement this evil, Milton uses strong language such as vexed and fierce. He uses word combinations to describe the physical and the ethereal. For example, Perfidious hatred is used to describe the motivation behind the pursuit of the Hebrew children in the Exodus. By using strong language and similes to nature, Milton has established in his descriptions, an epic tradition. |
In a recent study conducted by the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America it concluded that the average life span is around 94 months. Females live slightly longer than males. Large dogs don’t live as long as small dogs due to:
- Their bones and joints need to support a greater weight and they may suffer skeletal and cardiovascular diseases.
- Their hearts pump blood through a large body so it wears out more quickly.
- They have proportionally more growth hormones surging through their metabolic system and studies have suggested growth hormones shorten life.
KEY POINTS FOR THE CARE OF YOUR DOG
- Always ensure your dog has access to fresh drinking water, shelter or shade especially during hot weather.
- Dogs generally toilet regularly each day. If the dog appears to have diarrhoea, or to be constipated, or if there is blood present, a vet check is important.
- Keep you dog healthy by not allowing them to become overweight. Diet is a contentious issue as pet food manufacturers make a lot of money from our love of the dog. You should do some research on the nutritional requirements of your large breed dog. There is a lot of nutritional information readily available. It is important to feed your dog a high quality diet containing a reduced amount of protein to keep growth steady. There are many types of biscuits available and you should do some research on the one you intend to use to ensure it will suit the needs of your dog. Alternatively you may like to feed your dog a mainly raw diet. Whichever diet you choose it is important to keep your dog lean so you are able to feel the ribs and see a waist.
- Ensure puppy vaccinations are completed as scheduled. Please consult with your breeder or vet re booster shots. Maintain heartworm treatment. If travelling to the Eastern States check first with your vet for paralysis tick treatment.
- Contact your dog’s breeder, or your local vet if you are worried about the health of your dog. If necessary get a second opinion from another vet. You, or your vet, may like to talk with the Club’s patron Dr Steven Metcalfe at Applecross Veterinary Clinic who has an extensive experience with Bernese and has a particular interest in the breed.
- Never leave your dog tethered on a correction collar or check chain.
- Never leave your dog in a car unattended. Heat build up in a car can be extreme.
- Be alert in hot weather to the possibility of heat exhaustion. If your dog is suffering from the heat then cool them quickly, preferably with cool, running water. In particular, cool the head, neck, paw pads and stomach. Lay the dog in the shade on a wet towel. A small amount of Gastrolyte salts, available from Chemists, can be mixed with drinking water in extreme conditions.
- Avoid activity after meals to help reduce the risk of bloat or colic. Click on the Bloat Chart link below print and keep handy.
- Bernese may grab and swallow food items that can cause a blockage in the stomach or intestine. Corncobs, avocado stones, peach stones and some bones are particular problems and should never be given to your dog or left within his reach. Excessive drinking, vomiting, straining and a general lack of energy may indicate a blockage; always check with your vet.
- Always keep your 24 hour emergency vet service number handy.
TRAINING AND SOCIALISATION
It is important that your canine companion is well trained.
Whether your Bernese is young or old, once fully vaccinated, it is strongly recommended that you take yourself to dog obedience sessions.
These help you provide good learning opportunities for your Bernese.
Bernese Mountain Dogs make loving companions but can be sensitive in some situations and so need to be handled with a firm but gentle hand. An obedience course is a must for a dog of this size, but it must be one that focuses on positive reinforcements rather than harsh corrections or severe reprimands.
Dog obedience training can lead to trialling your dog either informally, at the Club level, or formally to gain the titles of Companion Dog (CD), Companion Dog Excellent (CDX), and others. Ask your breeder or trainer for more information.
The Canine Association of Western Australia has information on a variety of recognised training courses available. |
To train professionals and researchers in the health sciences who are able to understand advances made in cellular and molecular biology, apply them to the field of medicine and health and carry our research in this area.
In addition, these professionals will have to complete specific training and acquire a series of skills that will allow them to work on the clinical teams of hospitals, both in the area of research and healthcare, applying new treatments.
The coordination of the University's admissions process is a strategic priority of the Catalan Inter-university Council (CIC), which seeks to ensure that secondary school and mature students are able to access universities through a process that respects the principles of public access, equality, merit and capacity. It likewise seeks to guarantee equal opportunities in the allocation of places to students. University access is regulated by RD 412/2014.
With regard to general undergraduate admission grades, the weighting parameter will be 0.2 for biology, physics, mathematics and chemistry.
EVOLUTION OF ADMISSION GRADES
Admission to the Faculty of Medicine approved by the Governing Council of the University of Lleida 22th November 2019 Admission criteria
Job fields for future degree holders
- Clinical analysis and pathological anatomy laboratories in hospitals
- Biomedical industry
- Universities and institutes
- Journalism and scientific dissemination
- Legal, scientific and technical consultancy in the field of biomedicine
- Biomedical research
- Manager of biomedical research
- Legal, scientific or technical adviser in biomedicine
- Teacher at universities and institutes
- Notas de corte
- Futuros alumnos
- Acceso al doctorado
- Perfil del alumno/a
- Actividades de transición de secundaria a la UdL
- Canal Universitats |
Parkinson’s is a chronic degenerative disease that is generally manifested by uncontrollable tremors. Still, other symptoms can help detect it early, know them, and manage them.
Parkinson’s disease or Parkinson’s (PRK) is a disease of the central nervous system, chronic, degenerative, affecting an area of the brain called the basal ganglia, whose function is to act as a support system in the production and control of movements, both voluntary and involuntary.
Parkinson’s develops in an insidious, slow way, with a progressive, although variable, evolution, generally between 55 and 60 years of age. However, the lower age limit for developing the disease is 35 years. As indicated by the Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN), 15% of the people diagnosed are under 50 years of age. It is not a fatal disease, but to this day, it is still incurable.
SEN experts also explain that Parkinson’s is often underdiagnosed. In the next 30 years, the detected cases will triple, partly due to the aging population and advances in its diagnosis and treatment. According to data from the SEN, there are currently approximately 150,000 patients with Parkinson’s disease in our country.
Causes of Parkinson’s disease
In an area of the brain called the substantia nigra there are a series of neurons (nerve cells) of a darker color than the rest, whose function is to produce and secrete an essential substance for controlling movements: dopamine.
At the “gateway” to these basal ganglia, called the Striated Nucleus (EST), are the receptors on which dopamine will act. When dopamine receptors have been activated, a series of biochemical changes allow the adequate connection with the rest of the basal ganglia components, regulating their activity. This complex function is only carried out correctly when there is a perfect balance between all the components.
When this process is developed appropriately, the individual can keep voluntary movements under control – that is, those that he “wants to do”-and allows him to stay involuntary movements inhibited. Out –, and thus prevent its appearance.
When Parkinson’s develops, the black neurons responsible for releasing dopamine degenerate and, consequently, stop producing the neurotransmitter or do so in lesser amounts. When this happens, the regulation of the basal ganglia is not adequate.
The rest of the components and substances of the ganglia do not work in the necessary way, which translates into uncontrolled movements: voluntary movements are not carried out in the desired shape, which implies the appearance of one of the most striking signs of Parkinson’s: hypokinesia (decreased voluntary activities).
Some of the symptoms that occur in this disease are intensified by acetylcholine, a dopamine antagonist neurotransmitter that intensifies its effects by decreasing the level of this.
Among the symptoms of Parkinson’s, we can highlight those that affect movement, balance control, or the patient’s posture; and other partners, not motors, which we will see later.
Motor symptoms of Parkinson’s
- Hypokinesia: due to decreased dopamine. The slowness of voluntary and automatic movements. Lack of facial expression. Small and slow writing (micrograph). Clumsiness when handling objects.
- Tremors: slow and rhythmic. They predominate in a state of rest and decrease when making a voluntary movement. It is a symptom that not necessarily all Parkinson’s patients present. However, its presence is significant since the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease is very difficult when there is no tremor.
- It is known as ‘cogwheel’ stiffness because, although the member presents resistance to being moved, from a point on, the resistance disappears, and the movement is effortless. The lack of dopamine allows the exaggerated action of another substance contrary to it, acetylcholine, which stimulates the muscles and supposes a difficulty in the movements.
- Postural abnormalities: the tilt of the trunk and head forward. Elbows and knees are hunched over.
- Anomalies when walking: the gait is slow, with a tendency to drag the feet, and alternates with rapid and short steps (festination) with difficulty stopping. The Parkinson’s patient suffers from blockage episodes in which the feet appear to be glued to the ground as if they were frozen or magnetized.
- Balance disorder: altered reflexes, accessible falls.
Other symptoms of Parkinson’s that do not affect movement
Although indeed, the symptoms and signs related to movement, posture, and balance are the most frequent and easy to identify, they are not the only ones that a person diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease can develop:
- Depression and anxiety: many patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s can develop depression or anxiety, as well as sudden mood swings.
- Cognitive disorders: memory loss, confusion, difficulty concentrating.
- Decrease in some senses, such as smell.
- Dull pain and discomfort in the extremities.
- Sleep disorders: daytime sleepiness and frequent naps. Stiffness and hypokinesia can make it difficult to sleep at night, especially when getting out of bed, turning around, or changing posture.
- Gastrointestinal problems. |
Music with Multimedia by Geff Strik
Video projection of original artwork synchronized with music.
A live musical performance of Arnold Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht accompanied by a 28-minute dramatic short film of 18 paintings done in real-time to the music.
The paintings are inspired both by the music and Richard Dehmel’s poem of the same name, which appears as subtitles in the video. The poem details a dark romantic story set in the 19th century, starting “Two figures pass through the bare, cold grove/the moon accompanies them, they gaze into it.”
Using only one canvas, Strik layers each scene in oil with a final layer of lacquer to seal in each scene. This is purposely done since the collective scenes are to be seen as layers of memories. Each layer can be taken off revealing the history and scene that passed. The final painting shows the finale scene, but we know that underneath there is more than meets the eye.
Compatible with sextet or orchestral version.
Produced by Siècles des Lumières Entertainment
Creative Team: Phil Yost, Art by Geff Strik
Videography by Ken Park, Photography by Joey Clay
Premiered by The Florida Orchestra with Michael Francis, conductor
Video multimedia of original paintings inspired by Richard Strauss’ Don Quixote for cello, viola, and orchestra.
Music is accompanied by a dramatic short film of paintings done in real-time to the music.
Video multimedia of original paintings inspired by Igor Stravinsky’s Pulcinella.
Can be done with either the entire ballet or the suite.
25 individual paintings which can be displayed in the lobby or during a pre- or post-concert discussion as needed.
Mother Goose Ballet
Video multimedia of original paintings inspired by Ravel’s Mother Goose Ballet. Available for both the ballet and suite versions.
Geff Strik is an internationally acclaimed artist born in Montceau-Les-Mines, Burgundy, France. Geff recalls his father drawing birds with charcoal on the daily newspaper after a long day of working in the coal mines. It was his first encounter with drawing, and inspired him to start painting at the age of eight. As a teenager in 1980, Geff was awarded the “Fondation de France” prize in painting. A year later, he joined the French Beaux-Arts Institute (Dijon, France) and graduated in 1986 with academic merit. After teaching art in Montceau-Les-Mines and working as a designer in Burgundy, Geff moved to Paris where he became artistic director for Guerlain in 1990. Since then, Geff has been recognized for his strong attention to detail, technique, and portraiture. Throughout the years, Geff has been entrusted by many for his commissioned portraiture and fine art, from local heroes to international leaders. His experience with styles from around the world helps him to find the best image for conveying any message. Affiliations: Portrait Society of America, Société des Artistes Indépendants, École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts.
More projects are in the works, and Geff is open for new collaborations!
Creating Symphonic Art, Geff Strik discusses his process. |
Ida Nelson, a Black Chicago mother who was determined to stop hair discrimination in Illinois schools, now gets to see her efforts come to reality. Nelson's plan, which succeeded last summer when Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Jett Hawkins Law, is now in effect, The Chicago Tribune reports.
The law not only bans hair discrimination, but schools will also be provided with resources to teach staff about protective hairstyles.
"For decades, Black people have had too often their natural and protective hairstyles weaponized against them," Pritzker said in August, according to ABC 7.
Nelson launched the effort after her 4-year-old son Gus “Jett” Hawkins was told that his braids were a violation of the dress code at his school. As she began an awareness campaign after the incident, the Chicago mother said stigmatizing children’s hair can negatively affect their educational development.
When Pritzker signed the Jett Hawkins Law, Nelson said it was a "monumental" achievement.
"I am excited for the children of Illinois to be able to go to school without having to be concerned about their hair," she said at the signing ceremony.
Starting today Illinois schools can no longer ban cornrows, locs, afros and braids from school. Thanks to a West Side Chicago mom who fought for hair discrimination. pic.twitter.com/gvAm8603ZY
— SAY CHEESE! ???????? (@SaycheeseDGTL) January 3, 2022
A similar law is also taking effect in Oregon as the new year begins. The Oregon bill, unofficially known as the “CROWN Act,” bans discrimination based on “physical characteristics that are historically associated with race.” The bill includes hairstyles such as braids, locs and twists.
As Blavity previously reported, several states followed suit after California passed the CROWN Act in 2019.
“Discrimination against Black hair is discrimination against Black people,” Sen. Cory Booker, who led the effort to pass the CROWN Act, said. “Implicit and explicit biases against natural hair are deeply ingrained in workplace norms and society at large. This is a violation of our civil rights, and it happens every day for Black people across the country.”
Speaking with NBC Chicago in March 2021, Nelson said she was alarmed when she received a call from Providence St. Mel, a private, predominately Black school on Chicago's West Side. According to Nelson, the school informed her that boys are not allowed to wear braids.
“I said, ‘Wow, I was not aware that we were still policing children's’ hair in 2021,'” Nelson said, adding that she was surprised to see such a rule at a predominately Black school. |
A bubble plot is a type of graph used to display data. It’s similar to a scatterplot, but the bubbles are sized according to a value that is specified for each data point. This value can be anything, such as the number of occurrences of a word in a text document, the size of a company, or the price of a stock. A bubble chart is a great way to visualize data. Keep reading to find out how to find the mean, median, and mode in a bubble plot.
What is a bubble plot?
A bubble chart is a graphical representation of data. The data points are represented as bubbles and the size of the bubbles is proportional to the value of the data. The mean, median, and mode can be found in a bubble chart using the same methods used to find them in a standard bar chart.
What are some tips for interpreting measures of central tendency in bubble charts?
When looking at measures of central tendency in bubble charts, there are a few key things to keep in mind. The first is that the mean is not necessarily the best measure of central tendency when there is a significant variation in the size of the bubbles. This is because outliers can skew the mean. In these cases, it may be more accurate to use the median or mode as measures of central tendency.
Another thing to keep in mind when interpreting measures of central tendency in bubble charts is that the size of the bubble does not always correspond to the magnitude of the data point. If you have two data points with different values, but both bubbles are small, then the mean may not accurately reflect the true value of central tendency for that data set.
Using each measure of central tendency in a bubble chart will depend on the type of data being represented. The mean, or average, is typically used when you want to measure the overall size of the bubbles in the chart. The median is used when you want to measure the central location of the data, and the mode is used when you want to find which value occurs most often in the data set.
How do you find a bubble chart’s mean, median, and mode?
The mean, median, and mode are all ways to find the average of a data set. The mean is the most common way to find the average, but outliers can distort it, and the median is less likely to be affected by outliers.
You can find the mean of the data in a bubble chart by finding the average of the x-coordinates and the y-coordinates of all the data points. To locate the median of the data in a bubble chart, find the middle value of the x-coordinates and the y-coordinates of all the points. To locate the mode of the data in a bubble chart, find the value that appears the most often in the x-coordinates and the y-coordinates of all the data. In a bubble plot, the mean, median, and mode can be calculated for each group of data points by finding the average size of the bubbles in that group.
The mean, median, and mode are important in analyzing a bubble chart. Bubble plots can be used to compare values for different data and can also be used to identify patterns. Overall, bubble plots are a great way to visualize data because they allow you to compare data points while also considering their size. This makes them perfect for visualizing hierarchal data, or that has different levels of measurement. These measures can help you understand the data better and make better decisions. |
In this post we are going to go over the
ngFor core directive, namely we are going to go over the following:
ngFordoes and what is its syntax
- What are the most common errors associated to
- Variable visibility
- Finding the index position of an element
- How to stripe a table using
- Identifying the
lastelement of a list
- How does
ngFortrack items, why it can be important for performance?
- How to use
- When to use
- Learn why
ngForis not only for arrays
- A quick question for you at the end about learning
So let's get started diving into
ngFor ! Below you can also find a video version of this post if you prefer, and the running code of this post is available here.
Note: If instead of ngIf you are looking for the
@for syntax, then check my other guide instead: Angular @for: Complete Guide.
The ngFor features are also covered in this video, have a look:
What can we do with
The core directive
ngFor allows us to build data presentation lists and tables in our HTML templates. Let's take for example the following data:
ngFor we can print this data to the screen under the form of a data table, by generating HTML similar to this:
What is the syntax of
ngFor, let's create a component so that we can have a working HTML template:
This template will generate the HTML table that we showed just above. We can see in this example the (most common) syntax for using
- we are passing to
ngForan iteration expression
- a loop variable named
herois defined using the keyword
- the expression is under the form of
Note that the loop variable
hero is only visible inside the loop, you would not be able to access it outside the
ngFor Errors to watch out for
If you have an AngularJs background, you will see this error a few times before you get used to the new Angular syntax:
Can't bind to 'ngFor' since it isn't a known property of 'tr'
This is because you have accidentally either used
item in items instead of
item of items, or forgot to add the
let keyword at the beginning of the expression:
Finding the index of a list element
A very common requirement is to add to a list the numeric index position of its element. We can get the index of the current element by using the
Note that you need the let keyword to get the value of the index, otherwise you will get an error similar to this one:
Parser Error: Unexpected token = at column ...
With this change, the HTML generated now looks like the following:
How to stripe a table using
Another very common functionality needed when building tables is to be able to stripe a table by adding a different css class to the even or odd rows.
Let's say that to the above table we want to add a CSS class
even if the row is even and the CSS class
odd if the row is odd.
In order to so, we have a couple of variables available for that:
odd, that can be used in the following way together with
Let's have a look at the HTML generated by this template:
As we can see,
ngClass added the CSS classes to the right rows, as we would expect.
first and the
last element of a list
Just like the even and odd functionality, there are also two other variables that can be used to identify the first and the last elements of the list:
This will add a CSS class named
first to the first element of the list, and a CSS class named
last to the last element of the list:
ngFor work when we add or remove elements from the list?
As the input list gets modified,
ngFor will try to avoid to constantly create and destroy the DOM elements of the list, as this is an expensive operation. Also, when we pass to
ngFor a new list, this does not mean that the whole list will be re-built, meaning all the DOM re-created.
Many of the existing DOM elements will be reused and only some values inside them will be overwritten, and the decision is taken for each element in the list separately.
In order to take that decision Angular needs to identify each list element in a unique way, because for example if we pass in a new list with a different order, Angular will try to identify the elements and re-order the DOM elements of the list without deleting them and recreating them.
How are list items tracked by default?
ngFor by default tracks list items using object identity. This means that if you build a list of new objects from scratch with the exact same values as the previous list and pass this newly built list to
ngFor, Angular will not be able to tell that a given list item is already present or not.
From a point of view of object identity, the new list contains a whole new set of items, completely different from the previous set. This is the case if for example we query the data again from the backend.
Tracking by object identity is a good default strategy because Angular has no information about the object so it cannot tell which property it should use for tracking.
Why can this be important for performance?
As we see,
ngFor already does a lot of optimizations out-of-the-box to try to reuse existing DOM elements as much as possible, but it's doing so based on object identity.
In the case of templates with large lists, or lists that occupy a large part of the screen, we might even with those optimizations still run into performance issues and notice that the UI is slow due to the large amount of DOM elements being created and destroyed.
If that happens to be the case, we can configure
ngFor to do the tracking by something else other than object identity.
How to use
We can provide our own mechanism for tracking items in a list by using
trackBy. We need to pass a function to
trackBy, and the function takes a couple of arguments, which are an index and the current item:
This implementation would do the tracking based on the
When to use
The use of
trackBy it's a performance optimization and is usually not needed by default, it's in principle only needed if running into performance issues.
Let's say that you are shipping to ancient mobile browsers or ancient versions of IE: you might want to consider applying
trackBy as a precaution in your larger tables, but it really depends on your system and the use case.
ngFor only For Arrays?
In this example, we have been passing to
ngFor in order for it to work.
We can now use this configuration element in our template in the following way:
Now let's query this data from the configuration elements using
Do you see what happened here? Turns out the
QueryList is a class that is part of Angular and is itself an Iterable! So although we can use it programmatically in the component class, we can also pass it directly to
ngFor and iterate over it directly.
And the same could be done with any other Iterable in our program.
I hope you enjoyed the post, I invite you to have a look at the list below for other similar posts and resources on Angular.
And if you would like to know about more advanced Angular Core features like ngFor, we recommend checking the Angular Core Deep Dive course, where we cover all the Angular core directives in great detail.
I invite you to subscribe to our newsletter to get notified when more posts like this come out:
If you are just getting started learning Angular, have a look at the Angular for Beginners Course:
Other posts on Angular
If you enjoyed this post, have also a look also at other popular posts that you might find interesting:
- Angular Router - How To Build a Navigation Menu with Bootstrap 4 and Nested Routes
- Angular Router - Extended Guided Tour, Avoid Common Pitfalls
- Angular Components - The Fundamentals
- How to build Angular apps using Observable Data Services - Pitfalls to avoid
- Introduction to Angular Forms - Template Driven vs Model Driven
- Angular ngFor - Learn all Features including trackBy, why is it not only for Arrays?
- Angular Universal In Practice - How to build SEO Friendly Single Page Apps with Angular
- How does Angular Change Detection Really Work?
- Typescript 2 Type Definitions Crash Course - Types and Npm, how are they linked? @types, Compiler Opt-In Types: When To Use Each and Why? |
A new feature of Cartographica 1.2 is the new color and palette management system. The system was complex and effective before, and now it has even more functionality! In previous versions users had to manually select color schemes from several color palate options in order to create choropleth maps, but now users have access to both pre-defined and user created color palettes.
The new Color Palette Window (previously the Color Map Window) is great because it not only allows new color schemes to be created, but users can now simply drag and drop the colors directly on any layer needing color. The ability to drag and drop color schemes has always been available to change colors in Kernel density maps, and now this feature is available to all layers. When a color scheme is dropped on a layer the layer takes on the color scheme by applying it, in order, to the categories set by the user. This can be done by dropping the color scheme on the feature in the layer stack, or when the layer styles window is open.
Creating new color scheme is done by clicking the "+" or "-" in the Color Palette Window and then directly editing the color scheme by dragging in new colors that you wish to use. This is highlighted in the screenshots below.
Another really nice feature in version 1.2 is the ability to bring in text containing palette information (like those found on ColorBrewer) which can be copied directly into the layer styles window.
|Color Palette Window
|Color Palette Window with New Color Palette
|New Yellow/Orange Color Ramp
|New Yellow/Orange Palette being Displayed |
It’s hot, there’s much we still don’t know about it and it sits at the centre of our Solar System.
Enter IRIS (or the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph), NASA’s latest space probe.
The fully integrated spacecraft and science instrument for NASA’s Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) mission is seen in a clean room at the Lockheed Martin Space Systems Sunnyvale, Calif. facility. The solar arrays are deployed in the configuration they will assume when in orbit. Credit: Lockheed Martin.
Due to be launched shortly, IRIS will aim to expand our knowledge of the Sun, as well as its impact on Earth and near-Earth space environments.
Armed with a single ultraviolet telescope, combined with an imaging spectrograph, IRIS will obtain high-resolution solar images and spectra.
The mission, to observe the Sun’s interface region – a lower atmosphere region that powers the million-degree outer atmosphere of the Sun and drives the solar wind.
The research is important, not just in aiding our knowledge of solar and heliospheric science but in helping us further understand solar activity (including solar flares and massive blasts of plasma called coronal mass ejections) that can impact satellites, power grids and other electronics around and on Earth.
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft captured this image of a solar flare as it erupted from the sun early on Nov 4, 2003. This was the most powerful flare measured with modern methods. Credit: ESA and NASA/SOHO
For those interested in the technical specifications of the probe, the telescope’s primary mirror has a diameter of 20 cm. While it will only be able to see about one percent of the Sun at a time, it will be able to resolve that image to show features that are as small as 240 km in size. This is pretty impressive when you consider how large the Sun actually is (its circumference is about 4,366,813 million km).
Fun fact for the day – About 1.3 million Earths could fit inside the Sun! |
The human body is made up of about 600 different muscles. Lifters and fitness enthusiasts categorize these into 6 distinct muscle groups to help them target all areas of their body and make sure they build strength and muscle mass evenly.
You target these muscle groups to prevent the overdevelopment of one area of the body. To make the most of your time at the gym, you can also divide them into pairs that are complementary and thus easier to work out together during the same session.
Understanding how the various muscle groups in your body function together will help you work out smarter. Read on for all the information you need about pairing muscle groups.
(Note: Want our elite trainers to help you tone and strengthen all of your muscle groups? Start your Fitplan free trial today!)
Muscle Groups of the Human Body
People tend to divide the body’s muscles into groups in different ways depending on their focus. For our purposes, smooth muscles, cardiac muscles, and the smaller muscle groups that help with specific functions like eye and jaw movement will be left out in favor of larger muscles that you can build up with a weight training workout routine.
When you’re trying to build muscle, it’s best to focus on areas of your body and the muscles that underlie them, rather than think about tons of different muscles out of context. Generally speaking, you could say the major muscle groups of the human body are as follows:
- Biceps (arms)
- Triceps (arms)
- Deltoid (shoulder)
- Erector Spinae (spine)
- Trapezius (neck & shoulder blades)
- Latissimus Dorsi & Rhomboids (back & shoulder blades)
- Pectorals (chest)
- Abdominals (abs)
- Obliques (sides)
- Glutes (rear)
- Quadriceps (thighs)
- Hamstrings (thighs)
- Gastrocnemius & Soleus (calves)
As you can see, some of these muscles have proximity to one another that lends itself naturally to larger groupings. Most of these groupings should feel intuitive to anyone who has spent time working out in the past if you can imagine the movements that target each group.
Helpful Hint: Use the compound exercises in our Slay the Weights Fitplan to build full-body strength in all your major muscle groups!
6 Major Muscle Groups for Working Out
We can reduce our list of muscle groups by combining some of them to get the 6 major muscle groups that bodybuilders, lifters, and fitness enthusiasts should be targeting throughout their weekly routines. For example, the biceps brachii and triceps brachii can be combined with forearm muscles like the brachioradialis into a general Arm group.
Further combinations can be made by combining that group with muscles that frequently work in tandem with the arm, like the shoulder and chest muscles.
Here are the 6 major muscle groups for working out:
1. Front Upper Body – Triceps, Shoulders, & Chest
2. Rear Upper Body – Biceps, Shoulders & Back
3. Back – Shoulders & Erector Spinae
4. Core – Abdominals & Obliques
5. Lower Body – Glutes & Hip Flexors
6. Legs – Hamstrings, Quads & Calves
There’s some overlap between these groups but that’s because sections of the human body function differently in different areas. For example, the bicep and the tricep are both in the same part of the arm but they help during pushing & pulling motions, respectively.
This interplay between different muscle groups makes it easier to combine them for significantly more effective workouts. Just looking at the 6 different groups, you’re probably able to guess which ones should be targeted together during your strength training sessions.
Best Muscle Group Combinations & Exercises
Upper Body – Front & Back
Your biceps work with the abs and back muscles to execute pulling movements while the triceps team up with chest and shoulder muscles to complete pushing movements. Working out these closely related muscle groups during the same workout session is ideal because one group can rest while the other is working.
That means you can work both to exhaustion without long rest periods that will kill your drive. Alternating between bicep/back exercises and triceps/chest/shoulder ones allows you to fully exhaust both muscle groups, which will increase hypertrophy after the workout is finished to build greater strength and increase muscle growth
Best Upper Body & Chest Exercises
1. Incline Chest Press
This move provides most of the same benefits of a bench press without requiring you to break form and adjust weights or fuss around with bumper plates. You’ll need dumbbells and an incline bench set between 45 and 60 degrees.
Lie on the incline bench facing up with your feet flat on the ground. Pick up one dumbbell in each hand using an overhand grip (palms facing ahead of you) before raising them more or less above your eyes with your elbows almost straight.
Take a deep breath in while you slowly lower the dumbbells toward the top of your chest. Move them to the outside of your torso when they get near to it. Exhale and push the weights back up to the starting position, taking care to keep your elbows directly underneath your wrists throughout the exercise.
Helpful Hint: Build tons of upper body strength with our Dumbbells at Home Fitplan!
2. One-Arm Dumbbell Rows
Build a massive back with this move. All you need is a flat bench and a dumbbell. Place the dumbbell to one side of the bench where you can reach it and then get into the starting position.
Put your left leg onto the bench and grab the left side of the bench with your left hand. Next, bend your torso until it’s parallel with the ground. Pick up the dumbbell with your palm facing your body.
Bring the dumbbell up to your chest by hinging your elbow. Make sure you’re lifting with your shoulders and back muscles rather than your arms. The biceps will get a nice workout incidentally anyway.
Slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position. Complete all your reps with the right arm before switching to the left side to do the same number.
3. Dumbbell Triceps Kickbacks
You can do these kickbacks with or without a bench. If you don’t have one handy, just bend your knees slightly and hinge at the hips until your forehead is nearly facing the ground.
Take a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing each other. Maintain a straight spine and tuck your elbows in at your sides. Lift the weights until your elbows are at a 90° angle and then lower them until your arms are straight.
Your hands should be slightly behind your body when your elbows are straight. Count off one rep each time you return to the 90° angle.
4. Lat Pulldowns
The lat pulldown machine is the easiest way to perform this exercise but you can still give your latissimus dorsi a great workout by approximating this move with a resistance band and a horizontal object like a broomstick. There’s no better way to work that specific muscle than pulldowns.
If you’re using a machine, sit down and put the pad down so that your legs are secured. This resistance is what prevents the resistance in this exercise from pulling your body upward, which wouldn’t allow your body to build stronger muscle fibers like it does during resistance training.
Grab the overhead bar with a wide reverse grip. Meaning with your palms facing behind you. The reverse grip activates your back and forearm muscle groups with less emphasis on the biceps brachii, which is better for overall strength and functionality.
Retract your shoulder blades and pull the bar down to the front of your chest. Resist the temptation to lean forward. Slowly lift the bar back to the starting position to complete one rep.
5. Barbell Overhead Press
This is a favorite bodybuilding move but it may require building strength with similar moves like the seated dumbbell shoulder press. Once you do have the necessary strength and wrist mobility, though, the overhead press has tons of muscle-building potential.
If you’re new to weightlifting, you may want to have a personal trainer or more experienced lifter nearby to spot you. Take the barbell off the rack and hold it with your palms shoulder-width apart and facing the ceiling. The bar should be on the front of your shoulders.
Press the bar directly overhead and then return it to shoulder level. Make sure you squeeze your shoulder blades and tilt your head up so that that barbell doesn’t hit your chin or nose.
6. Hammer Curls
Hammer curls activate the biceps, brachialis, and brachioradialis, three individual muscles that are hugely important for moving the elbow. You really have to use dumbbells for this move because kettlebells and other weights don’t allow for the necessary wrist movement to happen.
Stand with your feet together and make sure your back is straight. Don’t lock your knees or back in place, just engage your core muscles to provide some extra stability. Pick up a dumbbell in each hand with the weights facing forward and behind you, respectively. Your palms should face your body and your thumbs should face forward.
Starting with the weights down by your sides, slowly lift until your thumbs are near your shoulders and your elbows are bent at a ninety-degree angle. Lower them back to the starting position to complete one rep.
Helpful Hint: Maximize your functional strength with the exercises in our Viking Strength & Function Fitplan!
Back & Core
The muscles on both sides of your torso work to stabilize much of your body. They attach to your spine and are involved in every movement between your upper and lower body. Strengthening each will help you achieve better balance and prevent injury.
If you want a chiseled 6-pack, you have to develop your back and oblique core muscles as well. Otherwise, your athletic and everyday performance will suffer and you’ll be significantly more prone to injuries. Luckily, many of these exercises can be done with bodyweight only and don’t require fancy equipment or a gym membership.
Best Back & Core Exercises
This straightforward exercise is an essential part of any training program that aims to build core strength. All you need to do is lie down on the ground with the soles of your feet planted hip-width apart and your spine and head aligned. Cross your arms over your chest.
Relax your neck and shoulders while engaging your core. Tuck your chin and lift your upper back while leaving your lower back on the floor. Rise until you’re as close to your knees as possible and then return to the starting position.
The position for planking is similar to a push-up, except you’ll have your forearms on the ground instead of just your palms. It builds tremendous core and back strength, but it’s actually a full-body workout that will build strength in many muscles throughout the body.
Support your lower body with your toes and make sure your elbows are directly underneath your shoulders. Maintain a straight line from your head to your heels. Drive your elbows into the ground and engage your glutes, core, and quads. Hold that position for as long as you can before resting and repeating one or two times.
3. Mountain Climbers
Mountain climbers strengthen your core while adding in a bit of cardio that will also provide countless health benefits like a better-functioning nervous system. They’re a great warm-up, cooldown, or interval exercise for HIIT workout routines.
Repeat the same stance as you did in the plank exercise described just above this one. Rather than staying still, lift your right knee up to your chest, taking care not to break your stance. As you lower the right leg back down, bring the left knee up to the chest.
Continue for the same number of reps on each leg to ensure you build strength evenly.
4. Bicycle Crunch
This crunch variation keeps your abs under constant tension, which makes it great for reaching muscle exhaustion in your core. Get into the same position you got into for the crunch we described at the beginning of this section.
Bend your right knee toward your chest and extend your left leg, lifting it off the ground slightly. Lift your upper back and bring your left shoulder to meet your right knee. Bring your left shoulder back to the ground and switch leg positions, then repeat the same motion on the other side of the body.
Legs & Lower Body
A great deal of our bodies’ functional strength comes from muscle groups in our lower body, notably the glutes, hamstrings, and quads. Building lower-body strength can prevent injuries that might otherwise impair your ability to get around or continue with your workout routine.
Leg day is an integral part of any bodybuilding program. Even if you do build big muscles in your arms, you’ll need lower-body strength to prevent becoming too top-heavy.
Best Leg & Lower Body Exercises
You can make this bodyweight exercise more challenging with a resistance band or you can do the “walking” variety to get a bit of extra cardio during your workout. Your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves will all be a target with lunges.
Start from a standing position with your hands on your hips or holding weights if you want to build some upper-body strength at the same time. Take a large step forward with one leg and keep moving your upper body forward by bending the leading knee until it’s at a 90° angle.
Your rear knee should get close to the ground without touching it. Make sure your leading knee doesn’t pass your toes and try to get your rear shin parallel with the floor. Push through your leading heel to get back into the starting position and repeat the same process with the other leg in front.
2. Leg Extensions
There’s a dedicated machine at the gym for leg extensions. All you need to do is set your weight and get into the machine with the pad securing your thighs in place. Place your hands on the bars at either side and then lift the weight with your legs until they’re almost straight.
Bring the weight back down and repeat. The quadriceps are the main beneficiaries of this exercise.
3. Barbell Hip Thrust
A favorite of lifters who get their routine finished from a home gym, you can substitute the barbell in this exercise with any weighted object that you can keep in position. They also call this move a glute bridge because it builds so much strength there. It also works the entire back of your legs.
Get into a position as if you were about to do crunches: back flat, feet planted on the ground hip-width apart. Take the barbell and place it on your lap right where your hips bend. Instead of raising your back off the ground like you would in a crunch, lift your hips by pushing through your heels.
Lift your hips until there’s a straight line running from your neck to your knees. Hold that position for a few seconds and then lower your hips.
4. Bulgarian Split Squat
Find an elevated surface or bench for this exercise. Stand in front of it and then extend your right leg behind you and place your toes on the elevated surface. Make sure you have good posture and then slowly lower your torso by bending your left knee.
Stop when your left knee is a 90° angle. Your right knee should almost touch the floor, but not quite. Rise to the starting position and repeat all your reps on the left knee before switching to the other leg.
Helpful Hint: Get started on your fitness journey with our Beginner Aesthetics Fitplan!
Understanding how the various muscle groups in the human body work together can help keep your gym day split into modules for more even strength and muscle building. Working your upper body one day, your core, and back the next, and then finishing with leg day will ensure that you have toned muscles all over your body.
The exercises in this guide are the best at targeting their respective muscle groups and there are tons of variations of each one that you can use when you need a change. Include them in your workout routine for superior muscle activation and increased muscle mass.
(Note: Want our elite trainers to help you build a workout routine that works for you? Start your Fitplan free trial today!) |
Planning a school trip and need some inspiration? In our quest for the best, we’ve hand-picked 10 top school trips that your students will cherish for a lifetime.
Outdoor bliss in Switzerland
Interlaken, a town considered by many as the adventure mecca of Switzerland, offers the best of thrills and challenges for your students. Get them outdoors and active in the Seilpark Interlaken, a forest adventure park packed with Tarzan swings and zip-lines. Alternatively opt for an enchanting tour of the nearby fairytale-esque castles and feel like royalty. All this and much more can be booked through our award-winning Interlaken Youth Hostel, ideally located next to Interlaken-Ost Railway Station and at the foot of the magnificent mountain range of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.
War history in Belgium
Organise your school trip to medieval Bruges in Belgium, known as the Venice of the North for its scenic waterways and quaint bridges dotted around the city. Create unforgettable experiences and bring those stories from the textbooks to life through visiting areas of ancient architecture, museums and major WWI battlefield sites. Why not treat your group and take them to the Chocolate Museum to taste some of the best chocolate in the world? After a day of exploring, head back to the Bruges Europa hostel, ideally located away from the crowds, and unwind in its spacious garden.
Live la dolce vita in Italy
Enjoy a real-life tale of two cities, a charming Bergamo that is divided into Bergamo Alta, a medieval city at the foothills of the Alps where you can find galleries and historic highlights, and Bergamo Bassa, a lower town with vibrant shops and bars. Discover this charming city in the most original way, gather your students and pick from one of the experiences organised by our friendly staff at Bergamo hostel. You could even take a full day excursion and follow in the footsteps of the great Pope John XXIII or go for the mystery tour of the underground cities.
Buzzing culture of England’s capital
As a vibrant multi-cultural city, London is a perfect school trip choice that will excite, educate and expand your students’ minds. Take an educational cruise of the Thames, explore Ripley’s Believe it or Not interactive exhibits, catch the West End dramas, discover an underwater life in the Sea Life London Aquarium or educate your students about Shakespeare’s plays by taking a visit to the Shakespeare’s Globe. The possibilities are endless. Take advantage of everything that London offers, stay at YHA London Thameside and enjoy discounted ticket prices that can be pre-booked or sold directly at the reception.
German’s history and architecture in 3D
Explore Cologne by foot, climb the towers of the Cathedral, and learn lots about history along the way. Plan your educational school trip with ease and pick from multiple itineraries on offer at our modern and well-equipped Riehl City Hostel, ideally located right in the thick of things. Walk along the ancient city walls, visit the German Sports and Olympia Museum and take a cable car ride across the River Rhine to ignite a spark of excitement and thirst for knowledge in your students.
Discover a slice of the French heritage
Uncover Strasbourg’s unique atmosphere on your next school trip by visiting the European Parliament for education in politics and other sights within the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Take a guided boat ride, climb up the hill to see the magnificent Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle, and teach them about the hard-hitting history of Natzweiler-Struthof, a German concentration camp. So whatever your reason for visiting Strasbourg with your class, our Hostel 2 Rives here will provide the perfect base for your trip.
Absorb the artwork in Spain
Discover all the sights and sounds that Barcelona offers and make your school trip truly inspirational for your students by visiting Gaudi’s radical designs, the magnificent Sagrada Familia and the impressive and architecturally fascinating Park Güell. From the narrow cobbled streets of the Gothic Quarter to the famous promenade of Las Ramblas, this cutting edge and cosmopolitan city will introduce your students to local culture, its customs and delicious food. From our Mare de Deu Montserrat Hostel, located away from the hustle and bustle of the city, you can also take a guided tour to discover the beautiful landscape of Catalonia by climbing the Montserrat Mountain to see the ancient monastery and enchanting views of the Pyrenees.
Go political in the USA
Home to US president, the seat of power at the White House, and many grand government buildings, the capital city of the Unites States Washington D.C. is where your students will be able to soak up the political history of the nation. Take the guided tour around the US Capitol Building, hear the stories about the country’s struggles and democratic movements and afterwards, gather at the National Mall, a central spot for endless sightseeing opportunities. Plan a valuable hands-on experience for your students and stay in the enriching environment of our HI – Washington DC hostel. |
Sunlight has an important role in human evolution, but it is estimated that, nowadays, people spend more than 90% of their time indoors. These lifestyle changes are associated with population diseases such as sleep deficiency, myopia, or diabetes.
The sunlight pattern adjusts and balances the circadian rhythm, our internal clock controls our metabolism, so when it stops functioning correctly we can have some problems in our metabolism.
When we have a disruption in our circadian rhythms such as working or traveling, our bodies are affected and we may have some sleep disturbances. Thus, if we don’t have a good rest, we do not allow our body to heal itself. This can make us hungrier, weaker, or less focused.
Depending on the type of light we receive our body has a different response, that is:
- Bright white light in the morning gets us ready for our daily activities, so our body starts producing the daytime hormones such as cortisol, serotonin, GABA, and dopamine, which modifies the synthesis of follicle-stimulating hormone, gastrin-releasing peptide, and TSH .
- Warmer light and darker conditions help us relax and sleep and recover for the next day, so our body starts to produce the night-time hormones such as melatonin, vaso-intestinal peptide, and growth hormone .
Human-centric lighting is a way of reproducing the natural cycle of daylight indoors, which can have a positive effect on people’s circadian rhythms. Thanks to advances in control lighting, we can design lighting systems that adapt to the movement, intensity, and color of sunlight, improving sleep quality.
KUMUX offers the HCL lighting solution which is 100% adjustable in brightness and mimics the rhythm of natural light providing the right light at the right time for the right space and the right activity improving people’s sleep. |
The leaders of the business world of the future must be fast, flexible and comfortable working from far-flung locations. That means seamlessly adopting the latest communication tools.
Students in Southern Illinois University’s Leadership Development Program are training for precisely that mission, so when the COVID-19 emergency struck campus they were ready. The students in the STEM-based program had moved to the communications platform MS Teams just before the crisis hit.
“When we needed a way to have a virtual meeting with over 20 people, we looked to MS Teams,” said Brock Ward, a junior in mechanical engineering. “Once we started experimenting with it, we realized how much more Microsoft Teams had to offer, and we are now looking to make it our centralized form of communication for LDP.”
“Stay home” order impacts LDP, all campus programs
The state directive to stay at home to stem the spread of COVID-19 impacts every aspect of activity at SIU. Faculty are not only moving courses on online instruction, but also trying to creatively solve the challenges presented in their laboratories. Students, as well, are making adjustments and implementing creative approaches to keep their educations on track.
The Leadership Development Program at SIU is designed to mold students into future executive leaders in a STEM field (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) by providing leadership training, mentoring and community service learning opportunities. Students in the program also get opportunities to complete a summer internship with corporate sponsors, a major boost to starting their post-graduate career in the working world.
Communication is key
To stay on top of its many activities and priorities, the LDP holds several virtual meetings each week. About 10 seniors meet at 7 a.m. on Mondays while the program’s 25 members as well as staff meet at 6:15 a.m. each Thursday to conduct their leadership labs virtually and discuss upcoming events and new ideas and how to better mentor newer students. Second-year members also meet weekly with first-year members for coaching sessions.
The meetings fulfill a practical, tactical mission of facilitating communication. But they also provide an education unto itself.
“The meeting also gives us the opportunity to practice leadership skills, such as public speaking or giving encouragement and recognition to other team members,” Ward said. “Recently, a lot of our discussion has been based around our online transition, what our expectations are going to be and how we can make the most out of this situation.”
Embracing change and challenges
Bruce DeRuntz, director of the LDP, said students have embraced the challenge that this disruption has presented, just as they would have to adjust in a “real world” situation.
“I’m inspired by the way the team has gotten behind this,” DeRuntz said. “This new technology is going to prepare them for their careers, and it opens up boundless possibilities for us to invite in guests to join/contribute to our meeting.”
Diogo A. Seixas, coordinator of the LDP program, said Microsoft Teams allows the students to do everything that they normally did in their weekly face-to-face meetings. And there are other benefits, too.
“An advantage of the online meeting is that because both people can’t talk at the same time, you are forced to pay closer attention to what the other one is saying and hold your thoughts for a second before saying anything” Seixas said. “Because of that meetings are more organized and it’s hard to see people talking over each other.”
Students must work to overcome some disadvantages of “virtual” meetings, too, such as being unable to gauge the reaction of others during presentations, he said. But being able to meet effectively in such a format is an invaluable skill for students to master.
“The easy answer would be saying that the world became more global, companies are in different countries and people are looking for more opportunities outside their countries of origin,” Seixas said. “But more importantly, learning this skill can be another tool on your tool belt. It challenges you to do things differently and it helps you to be different from everybody else. Having the ability not only to do it but to teach people and organize a company entirely online can be something that many businesses would appreciate.”
SIU ethos readies students for challenges
Ward said SIU expect students to push boundaries right along with the faculty.
“SIU is a research school, and with that mentality, really pushes for innovation,” Seixas said. “We have had to come up with new ideas and make adjustments to be able to work through this situation. Our innovative mentality allows our team to think outside the box and come up with new ideas to improve the experience of our team during this situation or any other unexpected change.”
The current health crisis is testing the mettle of the future leaders, Seixas said, and it’s a time they will likely remember the rest of their lives.
“It’s showing them that it’s important to choose your attitude in times of crises,” Seixas said. “It’s easy to freak out and give up on everything, but it’s more impactful to adapt, learn and grow. It’s also important, in times like these to be grateful for what you have and find ways to help other around you, as well as be close to family and your loved ones.”
“This is definitely going to be a time period I will always remember, because I have never seen anything like it,” he said. “The biggest lesson is to not focus on what you are not able to do, but on what you can do. We unfortunately had to cancel many events, but we have been constantly looking into new technology and ideas to be able to do as much as possible this semester.
“Life is very unpredictable,” Ward said. “But if we react with a positive attitude and think about what we can control, we can make the best out of any situation.” |
Shortlinks, like bit.ly and others, seem to be everywhere in today’s social networks and looking at Twitter or the way some websites are built, or if you just need a short and easy to remember link they do have their uses. Every day I see a new short link service pop up I had never heard about before. Continue reading
… about virtual education.
When I was still in school my world was restricted to my immediate friends and surroundings. If I wanted to visited relatives or friends living farther away it took quite some time. With the arrival of modems and BBSes my small world became a little bit bigger. And when the World Wide Web and eMail established themselves and virtual worlds began to emerge in the mid nineties my world expanded to include everybody who had access to an internet account. Nowadays the number of people who have access to the internet in some form or the other has multiplied x-fold, and our world is expanding, or maybe I should say our perspective is expanding, the world itsself seems to have become smaller. It is becoming easier to access an ever increasing of information, it is becoming easier to contact an ever increasing number of people without having to use a phone or visiting them physically. Never before has it been so easy for people of different cultures to meet each other in a virtual environment and get to know each other. But has it become easier for us to process this much information? Has the number of our friends (and I mean REAL friends) increased? Continue reading
Managing an OpenSim installation with only the tools offered by the console is possible and for some tasks necessary, but especially when it comes to user administration it can be a bit tedious. So at some point or the other every prospecive OpenSim administrator will reach the point where he or she needs to look for a webgui to manage as much as possible. A commercial grid with sufficient funding might be able to pay for a custom development, but most will look for a standard tool that also integrates into a cms.
When talking about OpenSim- and Hypergrid-security I believe several aspects have to be taken into account it is not enough to secure the server and leave the Hypergrid door wide open or vice versa.
On the local side basically all average grid owners can do, is to take basic measures like a firewall and ensuring their system is up to date. It would be advisable though to go a step beyond the usual and use programs like portsentry or fail2ban to thwart and block the casual hacker. If you really have a determined and knowledgable hacker there is not really much you can do to keep him or her out. |
1. What is a conso file?
It is the consolidated data of the statements processed (regular & correction) for the relevant Financial Year, Quarter and Form Type.
2. Why is a conso file required?
While filing correction for a particular Financial Year, Quarter and Form Type, conso file provides details about all the previous corrections made in the relevant statement. This file gets updated each time a correction is filed for the particular Financial Year, Quarter and Form Type. Hence, each time a correction statement is to be filed for the given combination, a fresh conso file is required.
3. From which year is conso file available on TRACES?
Conso file is available on TRACES from FY 2007-08.
4. What would be the file extension for the consolidated file?
The file extension would be in “.tds” format.
5. How can I download conso file?
Login to TRACES as deductor and submit download request for the conso file under Request for Conso File in Statements / Payments tab. File will be available under Requested Downloads in Downloads tab.
6. Is it mandatory to download a conso file while filing correction statement?
Yes. It is mandatory, as it enables accuracy during correction filing.
7. What is the password for opening Conso file?
The password for opening Conso file will be your TAN_Request Number in capital letters.
8. I want to submit request to download the conso file, will system allow me to pass through validation screen without any challan and deductee detail?
Yes, you can download the conso file even if you have zero challan detail and no deductee record for the statement.
9. I have filed a paper return, and want to download the consolidated file for the same on TRACES. How should I proceed?
Conso file will not be available in case of paper return. Refer e-Tutorials for more details.
10. While entering validation details for submitting request to download conso file, I have entered details correctly in Part 1 and Part 2 of the validation screen, yet it shows error as ‘Invalid Details’ in Part 1 or Part 2. What should I do?
Details to be filled in validation screen should be exactly the same as reported in the TDS statement. If you have filed any correction statement, Token Number and other details should be as per the latest correction statement.
11. While entering validation details for submitting request to download conso file, I am getting an error, ‘More than one PAN in the challan’. What should I do?
In such case, CIN of that challan should be entered which has been claimed for at least two, three or more PANs.
12. While entering validation details for submitting request to download conso file, I am getting an error, ‘Invalid Token Number’. How do I rectify the error?
Enter Token Number for latest accepted statement (regular) for the statement for which conso file is being requested.
13. While submitting request to download conso file, I am getting an error message that request has failed. What should I do?
In such cases, request for downloading conso file needs to be resubmitted. |
Hipsterdom is the first “counterculture” to be born under the advertising industry’s microscope, leaving it open to constant manipulation but also forcing its participants to continually shift their interests and affiliations. Less a subculture, the hipster is a consumer group.
The boring point is that this is, obviously, false. The idea of a counterculture arises from the same mid-20th century economic and social changes that lead to consumerism and the modern advertising industry. Hipsterism’s close relationship to the advertising industry isn’t something new at all. What is interesting, though, is how this spurious account of hipsters shows Adbusters‘ characteristically paranoid relationship to consumerism.
In an Adbusting frame of mind, advertising is an ever-present danger. What if our thoughts, those very things we think are most individual, were really placed there by adverts? Wouldn’t that be terrible? The sad thing of course is that this has already happened; the problem with consumerism isn’t that people mistakenly believe they are expressing their identities through their purchases; it’s that, under capitalism, our identities really are bound up with the things we purchase, and the activities our economic positions allow us to do (or prevent us from doing). But part of the way this whole structure materializes itself is through the way in which people continue to act as if their choices were those of authentic individuals, even when they are aware that consumer choices in general are not authentic: so buying Vice magazine is a meaningless consumer choice, but buying Adbusters is a real authentic expression.
It’s this illusory gap between the self and the capitalist system that allows the system to function (I’m ventriloquizing Žižek again here). Not coincidentally, these ideas of authenticity and self-expression are important parts of the idea of the counterculture (and of forerunners to the counterculture, such as romanticism, another modern bourgeois phenomenon). But this isn’t to condemn counterculture; like many features of capitalism, it’s double-edged, or I hope it is, because there’s certainly no getting outside of it. Adbusters would do well to stop worrying so much about advertizing, and doing a bit more to understand it.
So, I was feeling a bit sorry for the poor hipsters, targets of Adbusters‘ flailing moralism (which reaches its nadir in that article when the author attacks a 17-year-old for being a self-important poseur; I mean, shooting fish in a barrel, surely); might I find myself in the position of defending people who are certainly beyond any defense? Luckily, my fat blogger’s hatred was rekindled by reading this enormously fatuous post by Momus (but I repeat myself):
Not only does Haddow fail to see that hip subculture is a big machine for creating sex and art, he fails to see that being hip can be a sort of code of honour, something sadly lacking in the cultural mainstream. The spiritual sloth Haddow accuses the hip subculture of is actually much more prevalent in the general population, which schlepps about in jeans and listens to shapeless, floppy music and sleepwalks through shapeless, floppy jobs. People in the hip subculture are more likely — like chivalric aristocrats — to pay attention to what they’re wearing, to experiment, to innovate. (via) |
September 18, 2023
iPadOS 17 is now available
iPadOS 17 brings new levels of personalisation and versatility to iPad, and is available today as a free software update. Below are some of the updates that can be useful in school.
Users can now customise the Lock Screen with widgets, quickly access notes and calendar events, and expressive their individual styles. Interactive widgets take glanceable information further with the ability to get tasks done right in the moment with just a tap, directly from the Lock Screen or Home Screen.
Working with PDFs on iPad is easier than ever. Coming later this year, AutoFill identifies and fills fields in forms, allowing users to quickly add details such as names, addresses, and emails from Contacts. Notes also offers new ways to organise, read, annotate, and collaborate on PDFs, and now lets users quickly link one note to another.
Stage Manager adds more flexibility to the positioning of windows and offers the ability to use an external display camera for FaceTime and conference calls. With Profiles in Safari, teachers and pupils can keep their browsing separate between topics like work and personal.
Freeform gets new drawing tools and adds Follow Along to guide collaborators around the board, and Keyboard brings big improvements to autocorrect, allowing users to enter text faster, easier, and more accurately than ever before.
iPadOS 17 is available for iPad (6th generation and later), iPad mini (5th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2nd generation and later), 10.5-inch iPad Pro, and 11-inch iPad Pro (1st generation and later).
Updates are subject to Local Authority authorisation. Some features may not be available in all areas.
Visit apple.com/ipados/ipados-17 or reach out to a member of the national or your local authority team for more information |
I have to answer this questions
Why is the study of this subject relevant according to scholars such as Carl Sagan, Richard Leaky. Donald Johanson?
Who are the aforementioned academics and from what academic perspectives have they approached the study of this issue?
What disciplines contribute to the construction of this knowledge, explain
What questions have you asked yourself and how have you been building the body of knowledge that allows you to give both hypothetical and formal answers to those questions?
How is our notion of time conceptualized in terms of this discipline of knowledge … that is, how long does the appearance of the species from which we have evolved from, where do they come from, how did they spread throughout the world?
What are the peculiarities of Homo sapiens according to these scholars? Or in other words, what defines and distinguishes us as a species? Examples mentioned and explained by these authors in the assigned resources (bipedalism, symbolic thinking, the appearance of language, the development of tools, etc.? |
When we think of grocery shopping, in today’s time we had plenty Many options available to check into. You can select from very smaller items to larger grocery items. But somehow once you enter the huge offline or online shops, we often get confused in making selections of grocery stores. Rather than purchasing the things from the list, we bring a lot many things which we do not require. Let us do shopping in a much better and effective manner with some Tips in your mind whenever we store groceries at the store or online. Always make sure that wherever you are choosing to go for Grocery shopping, have a list of essentials prepared with yourself. Include the items that are really required at your dwelling. Try to avoid any unnecessary products that you rarely use or aren’t required frequently. Having a list of things can assist you in saving time when you go to a store or shop online.
This manner, you will know what things you will need to purchase and this will also aid you in concentrating on the shelves, you actually need it. And be certain that you are not lured into the marketing strategy of the products that you don’t need as you shop. Whenever you visit an Internet store or mart to secure fresh Items, they are saved in the shop’s perimeters and all the previous things are stored in the center of the shop. This strategy has been used by the online grocery software in keeping in view that clients venture into the center of the shop more. Always prefer to buy natural products like fruits, vegetables, grocery items and farm fresh milk, dairy products. Try to select local and organic products or brands from the Shelves when you see your nearby grocery stores. The main reason for doing this is, you will find the fresh produce and they will be at a far cheaper rate when compared to branded goods. The majority of them would be fresh and organic.
You may see many of the large brands are selling frozen Vegetables, but I would recommend you avoid them as far as possible and go for garden fresh vegetables and fruits. Very simple reasons for doing this are lesser cost compared to the frozen thing and they would be chemical-free. Consistently and I quote ‘Always’ assess the manufacturing dates and the expiry dates of the goods you are purchasing. Many times, occurs that shopkeepers attempt to keep the merchandise in the front row whose expiry date is close and by doing a lot of clients purchases those products. While purchasing spend some extra time in buying groceries, create list, compare pricing on bundles take some time on choosing the products used on your kitchen. |
Availability: Usually ships in 3-4 business days. + Available in e-book formats - see bottom of page.
Jenniflower's World of Enchantment
by Patricia J. Prettyman
All children love the world of fairytales and adventures.
Curious about others of their kind, Jenniflower sets on a journey to far lands with her friend, Crocket the toad. They go through valleys, forests, and rivers, realizing how beautiful the world is and how Mother Nature loves all creatures and all she has made.
Along their way, they meet a lot of mystical creatures that become their blessing and new friends. They receive food and drinks provisions in the long journey, and they learn how complete strangers can be so welcoming and warm.
Jenniflowers World of Enchantment, by Patricia J. Prettyman, teaches friendship, sharing, and concern. It is a story that invites readers to open up their imagination.About the Author
Patricia J. Prettyman lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, Dan, and their son, Daniel Dale, who lives in Sandy Oregon. The inspiration of this book was their daughter, Jennifer, who passed away in 2000. She is Jenniflower in the story. Jennifer, along with her daughter, Shawna, enjoyed the fairy world. Patricia wishes her stories to be published so they can be enjoyed by the children of today and the name Jenniflower lives forever in the fairytales that her mama writes.(2011, paperback, 48 pages) |
Growing garlic in a greenhouse is not only possible, but also a practical choice for many gardeners. This controlled environment allows for an extended growing season, offering protection from harsh weather conditions. In this article, we'll delve into the specifics of cultivating garlic within the confines of a greenhouse, focusing on the how-tos and optimal timing to ensure success.
Garlic can be grown in a greenhouse, allowing for year-round planting and harvesting. All you need to do is plant garlic cloves in pots with well-draining soil and ensure they receive enough sunlight. Plant in autumn for a summer harvest, or in early spring for a late summer harvest.
While garlic thrives in cooler temperatures, managing its growth cycle in the controlled environment of a greenhouse requires a bit of finesse, especially when it comes to planting times and temperature regulation. Let's dive deeper into the world of greenhouse garlic gardening.
Planting garlic in your greenhouse is a straightforward process that can yield great results. Start by selecting quality garlic cloves; it's preferable to use seed garlic from a reputable supplier to ensure good growth.
Prepare your soil to have a pH of around 6.8, which is ideal for garlic; you may wish to conduct a soil test for precise nutrient levels.
Here’s a simple step-by-step guide:
After planting, cover the cloves with an organic mulch, such as straw, which helps with temperature regulation and moisture retention. Mulching is one of the few ways to boost profits in garlic farming.
Garlic doesn’t require intense lighting, so natural greenhouse light is typically sufficient. Aim to keep temperatures between 65 and 75°F and humidity between 50 and 70%, using ventilation or automated systems to maintain these conditions.
Proper ventilation is crucial to prevent excessive humidity, which can lead to fungal diseases. Monitor the greenhouse environment and adjust ventilation as needed.
Remember, garlic rarely needs fertilizer, but a nitrogen-based one might boost your yield. Water your garlic plants regularly, keeping the soil moist but not soaked.
When considering the best time to plant garlic in a greenhouse, there are several factors to take into account.
Garlic thrives in a soil temperature range of 40 to 50°F (4 to 10°C). These conditions are typically found outdoors in the fall in many climates. Check out this article to learn more about the ideal growing conditions for garlic.
Planting garlic during this temperature range simulates its natural growth cycle, which includes a vernalization period—a cold spell that is necessary for garlic to develop bulbs.
In a greenhouse, you can maintain these soil temperatures artificially, even during winter, provided the soil isn't frozen. This flexibility allows for an extended planting season.
|Aligns with garlic's natural cycle, leading to spring/summer harvest.
|Not ideal for very cold regions without proper heating.
|Extends growing season; starts growth early for spring.
|Requires careful soil temperature control; risk of inadequate cold period.
|Option for missed fall planting; can still yield harvest.
|Might result in smaller bulbs due to insufficient cold period.
In regions with mild winters, garlic can be planted in the fall, just as you would outdoors. This allows for a natural growth cycle with harvest in late spring or early summer.
In colder regions, planting can occur during winter inside a greenhouse, as long as you maintain the soil temperature within the ideal range. This is advantageous for getting a head start on the growing season or for growers looking to spread out their workload.
If you missed the fall planting window, you could still plant garlic in early spring in a greenhouse. However, spring-planted garlic may not have enough time to vernalize, which could result in smaller bulbs or cloves that do not separate properly.
When growing garlic in your greenhouse, the time until harvest can vary. Typically, you're looking at about 6-9 months for a complete growth cycle, from planting to harvesting.
If you start with pre-planted cloves, you'll see the green shoots poking through the soil usually within a couple of weeks. For them to reach a stage where they are ready for harvest, it will take longer—closer to the aforementioned 6-9 months.
Cooler temperatures in the greenhouse can slow growth, while warmer, more stable environments can encourage quicker growth.
It's important to check your garlic regularly as it develops. When the lower leaves start to brown, it’s a good indicator that your garlic is nearly ready to be harvested.
However, if the plant is turning yellow, it must be a sign of an underlying issue. You can read this article for more information on the possible causes of a garlic leaf turning yellow.
Make sure not to water your garlic for a few weeks before you plan to harvest to allow the bulbs to firm up.
Growing garlic in a greenhouse offers you control over the environment and can lead to healthier plants and better yields. You can say goodbye to many of the challenges you'd face in an outdoor garden.
In your greenhouse, you control the temperature and humidity levels, creating an optimal climate for your garlic. This means you can ensure that the conditions are just right for garlic, which thrives in a space where the temperature doesn't fluctuate too wildly.
Keeping your greenhouse's climate stable can result in larger and more flavorful bulbs.
The enclosed space of a greenhouse offers superior pest and disease control. It keeps most garden pests like aphids and mites away from your garlic, reducing the need for chemical pesticides.
Similarly, the controlled environment can help to prevent many fungal diseases, keeping your garlic plants robust and healthy.
One of the greatest advantages of using a greenhouse is the ability to extend the growing season. You can plant garlic earlier in the year and harvest later than you would be able to outdoors, potentially leading to multiple harvests per year.
By staggering the planting of your garlic cloves, you'll have a continuous supply of fresh garlic ready at your fingertips.
When choosing the best garlic to grow in your greenhouse, consider hardneck varieties. Hardneck garlic has a stiff central stalk, making it sturdier and suitable for the varying conditions inside a greenhouse.
Garlic scapes, which are flower stalks, emerge from hard necks and can be a bonus yield.
Softneck garlic varieties are also an option. They typically store better and can be more heat-tolerant. However, your choice may hinge on your local climate outside the greenhouse and your preference for garlic flavor or bulb size.
Here's a quick guide to assist you:
|- Sturdier with a stiff central stalk
|- Richer flavors
|- Produces garlic scapes (flower stalks)
|- Bonus yield from scapes
|- More heat-tolerant
|- Yields more cloves
|- Better storage capability
|- Easier to braid
Remember, your greenhouse's environment – controlled temperature, humidity, and light conditions – can expand your choices beyond what's typically recommended for outdoor gardening.
Keep your greenhouse conditions around 65-75°F and 50-70% humidity for optimal growth. Adjust based on your garlic's growth stage, but generally, maintain a soil pH of around 6.8.
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On the web video games refer to online video online games that you engage in with the assist of the net. Now you can see that on-line game titles are really popular and well known these days. The unique styles and colors of these fascinate the individual to perform the sport. The net is total of on the internet gaming that are clean to enjoy on which you can freely perform any sort of sport which you like most. These are much more progressive and imaginative in its own conditions. As you see there are lot of cost-free on-line fascinating like shooting video games, battling online games and action video games and so forth. These types of online games largely men and women favor to engage in on leisure time. Gamers can easily pass their free of charge time although playing these. One particular can value and take pleasure in by remaining at house or free time in business office Tin game Gamelade although playing these. Most of the youth, kid’s even oldies also like the games. There are several benefits of online gaming and some of the pivotal factors are explained as follows:-
• Determination Generating- All the video games you see it absorbs the sudden turns and decision generating functionality. Gamers can achieve or they can increase their determination creating skills.
• Creative imagination- These are the items of the human constitution and you know properly about its types and creativeness.
• Elevates Contemplating- As you see that a good game concentrating on the specific skill tests and it also determine out the participant according to it like planning completely, reactions, sharper memory and the fast steps elevates the contemplating of men and women one particular who plays on very good mind.
• Escape from actuality- You see that a great deal of men and women have several motives to why they perform this. In this, the most pivotal component of it is an escape from reality that aids lonely to comprehend that why folks want to perform the on the internet games.
• Leisure- It is very easy to discover a sport that flawlessly satisfies your fascination due to the fact as you see there are a lot of possibilities available on-line. These days, these kinds of video games are produced person pleasant. These game titles accommodate us with the correct quantity of enjoyment you want in your lifestyle.
• Self-confidence- These online games accessibility your self-confidence since of the sensation that you are in manage of one thing. The acknowledged online gamer may come to feel a perception of achievement and success that he is able of accomplishing anything. This is also a a single way of practising your communication and cooperation abilities.
There is an explicit difference among online and offline online games. The world of on the internet gaming is mounted new too a lot of nations in in accordance to offline video games. In offline games, the person will be asserting the artificial intelligence which has estimated into the game and in on-line game titles you see the gamers will be essentially demanding the other players.
In addition, this is a single of the comforts and this occurs to be one of the original factors for on-line gaming becoming considerably elevated to offline gaming. In offline game titles, as you see to start with an personal have to down load the game then only they can perform that game but in the case of online you can go on-line and straight you can engage in the match of your selection. That’s why on the web video games are a lot more pleasing and lovable than the offline game titles. |
Synthetic Surface Construction
Bourne Sport have a wealth of experience in the construction of artificial playing surfaces. From Multi Use Games Areas to full 3G pitches, we can tailor the build to match your budget and provide you with an all year round facility.
A porous rubberised outdoor surface used predominantly for athletics tracks and multi-use games areas, ideal for 5 a-side football, netball, basketball and tennis.
3rd generation pitches manufactured with polypropylene fibres. Laid on porous macadam bases, with or without shock pads, they are typically used for rugby, football and hockey.
With their low maintenance requirements, long durability and relatively low installation cost, these surfaces can be coated with water based acrylic or polyurethane paint and can be adapted to many different sports requirements.
We are a licensed distributor of Verde Sports (Cricket) Ltd and able to offer their complete range of synthetic turf cricket facilities including ECB approved systems, all constructed in accordance with strict quality guidelines and procedures.
Synthetic Surface Maintenance
Proper maintenance of your artificial facility can virtually double the lifespan of the surface/carpet. We offer a full range of cleaning and brushing services that come as part of a construction package and/or a one off treatment.
Redistributes the fill (sand or rubber) evenly over the surface and stands up the pile.
Vacuums the sand or rubber from the top of the pile, passes it through a sieve and returns it the the surface, removing all the debris that normally accumulates.
For more challenging situations, a series of counter-rotating brushes will vigorously remove debris from the surface, to be picked up by the deep cleaner.
Moss & Algae Removal
Chemical treatment of the surface with approved products and licenced operators.
Splits and tears can be professionally repaired at short notice.
Polymeric & Macadam Surfaces
Moss & Algae Removal
The main reason for moss and algal attack is predominantly down to poor maintenance and lack of effective cultural practices coupled with environmental and location factors that stimulate moss and algal growth (wet, damp, humid conditions and poor airflow, poor sunlight and poor drainage). We offer chemical treatment of the surface with approved products and licenced operators.
We stock and apply a range of professional line marking paint for both natural and synthetic turf as well as hard surface line marking paint and aerosol line marking paint.
Sometimes on-site grounds maintenance staff for whatever reason are unable to carry out all their duties. We can provide staff at short notice to carry out all the regular jobs, as part of our grounds maintenance service.
Additionally, we can look after the installation of rugby and football posts, regular or one-off line marking on football pitches, tennis courts and any other playing surfaces, as well as perimeter works such as tree and shrub planting, fencing and footpaths. |
Why Guava Juice is a Must in an Endurance Runner’s Diet
The Power of Guava Juice for Endurance Runners
If you’re passionate about endurance running like me, then you know how crucial it is to fuel your body with the right nutrients to go the distance. One often overlooked but incredibly beneficial addition to an endurance runner’s diet is guava juice. Packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and unique properties, guava juice can truly take your running performance to the next level. Join me as we explore the reasons why guava juice should be an essential part of every endurance runner’s nutrition plan.
1. Rich in Vitamin C and Antioxidants
Guava juice is a vitamin C powerhouse! As endurance runners, our bodies go through immense stress during long-distance runs, leading to oxidative damage. Vitamin C, a potent antioxidant found in abundance in guava juice, helps combat this oxidative stress, protecting our cells from damage and reducing inflammation. This means faster recovery times and reduced muscle soreness after those gruelling training sessions.
2. Boosts Immune System
As endurance runners, we often push our bodies to the limit, which can weaken our immune system temporarily. However, the high vitamin C content in guava juice strengthens our immune response, reducing the risk of falling sick during intense training periods. A healthy immune system ensures that we can consistently train and perform at our best.
3. Natural Source of Electrolytes
Long-distance running can deplete our body’s electrolyte levels, leading to muscle cramps and fatigue. Guava juice comes to the rescue as a natural source of essential electrolytes, including potassium, sodium, and magnesium. These electrolytes help maintain proper fluid balance, prevent dehydration, and support optimal muscle function, especially during those gruelling marathon races.
3.1 Rehydrates the Body
Guava juice is not only refreshing but also an excellent way to rehydrate after a long run. Its natural sugars and electrolytes help replenish lost fluids, making it a fantastic alternative to commercial sports drinks that may contain added sugars and artificial additives.
3.2 Prevents Muscle Cramps
Potassium and magnesium are essential minerals for endurance runners as they play a crucial role in preventing muscle cramps. Guava juice’s potassium-rich content helps maintain proper muscle function, reducing the likelihood of cramps during those challenging runs.
4. Supports Digestive Health
As runners, we know how crucial it is to maintain good digestive health. Guava juice is an excellent source of dietary fibre, promoting smooth digestion and preventing gastrointestinal issues that could hamper our training and race day performance. Additionally, guava juice has gut-friendly prebiotics, supporting the growth of beneficial gut bacteria and improving overall gut health.
5. Sustained Energy Release
Carbohydrates are our primary source of energy during endurance runs, and guava juice provides a steady supply of complex carbohydrates. These carbs are absorbed gradually, providing a sustained energy release to keep us going mile after mile without sudden energy spikes and crashes.
Endurance running puts our muscles through significant stress, leading to tiny muscle tears. Guava juice’s protein content, albeit modest, can aid in muscle repair and growth, allowing us to come back stronger after each training session and reducing the risk of injuries.
6.1 Enhanced Recovery
After an intense training session or race, our muscles need proper nourishment to recover effectively. Guava juice’s combination of vitamin C and protein promotes muscle repair and reduces inflammation, ensuring a faster recovery and allowing us to resume our training sooner.
6.2 Maintaining Lean Muscle Mass
For endurance runners, maintaining a lean physique while still having adequate muscle mass is crucial. The protein content in guava juice supports this goal by aiding in muscle maintenance and development without unnecessary bulk.
7. Lowers Risk of Exercise-Induced Asthma
Some endurance runners may experience exercise-induced asthma due to increased respiratory stress during long runs. Studies suggest that vitamin C in guava juice may help reduce the risk of exercise-induced asthma symptoms, enabling us to breathe easier and perform better during our runs.
8. Natural Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Training for endurance events can lead to inflammation in our joints and muscles. Guava juice, with its anti-inflammatory properties, helps alleviate this inflammation, reducing the risk of injuries and enhancing our overall performance and longevity as runners.
9. Enhances Mental Focus and Mood
Running long distances requires not just physical stamina but also mental fortitude. Guava juice contains vitamins B3 and B6, which support brain function and mood regulation. This means improved mental focus, enhanced mood, and reduced mental fatigue during those challenging training sessions and races.
9.1 Sharpens Cognitive Performance
Vitamin B3 and B6 play a vital role in cognitive performance, memory, and concentration. Adding guava juice to our diet can sharpen our mental faculties, helping us make strategic decisions during races and maintain our pace efficiently.
9.2 Reduces Stress and Anxiety
The demands of endurance running can sometimes lead to elevated stress levels. The B vitamins in guava juice can help reduce stress and anxiety, allowing us to approach our training and races with a calmer and more positive mindset.
In conclusion, guava juice is a true superfood for endurance runners. Its rich vitamin C content, electrolytes, dietary fibre, and various other nutrients provide a myriad of benefits that can significantly enhance our running performance and overall well-being. Whether it’s supporting our immune system, aiding in muscle repair, or boosting our mental focus, guava juice has got us covered. So, the next time you lace up your running shoes, consider adding this incredible tropical fruit to your diet and experience the difference it can make in your endurance running journey. |
Maintaining good overall health includes taking care of the teeth, but many people may find it difficult to find a dentist whose office hours and available services match a busy lifestyle. This is a common problem; however, those who work long hours, care for children full time, and have many daily commitments can still take…
4 FAQS About Implants
A dental implant is the closest you can get to a real tooth. It is placed in the jaw in a minor surgical procedure. Inside the jaw, the implant fuses with the surrounding bone tissue and takes over some of the functions that were performed by the root of the missing tooth.
This is to the patient's benefit. They get to avoid the loss of bone mass that often follows the loss of a natural tooth. They also restore their smile with permanent, artificial teeth that look, feel and function like the real deal.
These benefits are enough to get you to consider dental implants. Still, the thought of minor oral surgery will give some people pause. For such people, basic information about dental implants can go a long way in addressing concerns.
Important things you should know about implants
Here are some questions patients often ask before getting an implant:
1. What is the success rate of a dental implant?
It is north of 90 percent. This impressive number means that dental specialists take the utmost care when placing dental implants. They acquire the training, skill and experience that is needed to complete successful treatment plans that involve dental implants.
Most of all, they perform rigorous screenings of potential patients. They make sure to only recommend dental implants to patients who have a high chance of retaining their implants for a lifetime.
2. Who should get dental implants?
Dental implants are an investment on the part of the patient. A person must be ready to invest their time and money towards this treatment. The very first quality that a dentist will look for in a good candidate is a missing tooth or a tooth that cannot be saved.
When checking the suitability of a patient for dental implants, a dentist will check for:
- Good physical health to allow for dental implant surgery with no complications and fast recovery
- Good oral health to improve the success rate of the implant
- Sufficient bone mass in the jaw, enough to provide solid support for the implant
- The ability to receive a successful bone graft in case one is needed
A dentist will recommend alternatives for patients who:
- Grind their teeth
- Have bad habits like chain-smoking or poor oral hygiene
- Have health conditions that can be complicated by oral surgery
3. How long does it take to get dental implants?
It takes anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months. It all depends on a patient’s unique set of circumstances. If a bone graft is necessary, the process will be longer than if the patient starts the implant procedure with implant surgery. Bone grafts take three months to recover from.
A person who gets an implant and abutment at the same time will also get their implant-supported tooth in a shorter time. A patient that gets a same-day crown will get a functional tooth in a single procedure. It all depends on what the dentist recommends and whether the patient is comfortable with their recommendation.
4. Do dental implants last for life?
That is the idea. It is important to remember that even natural teeth can last a lifetime in a healthy mouth that receives good dental care. So, imagine how much longer a dental implant, which is not vulnerable to infection, can last.
That said, for a patient to get the most out of their implant, the gums and jawbone must remain healthy. A person with implants needs to maintain good oral habits in order to keep their implant for the rest of their life.
Our dentist is happy to guide you through each step of your treatment
You need to feel confident as you start your treatment plan for implant-supported teeth. Our dentist knows this. They will take you through your options and help you to make the right choices for you. Get in touch with our practice to schedule an appointment.
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When a patient is trying to find a dentist, there are specific questions that can help narrow down the search and match the patient to the right provider. You may be searching for a new dentist in the same town, or perhaps there is an urgent need to find a dentist after a move to…
A smile makeover is a combination of cosmetic dental treatments that are performed to transform the way that your smile looks. While the procedure's primary purpose is to improve the aesthetics of a patient’s smile, a few of the treatments used, like the placement of crowns, also provide restorative benefits.Many patients are thinking about getting…
Anyone who moves to a new town must find a dentist as soon as possible to continue the maintenance necessary for a healthy mouth. Taking time to research the options available through various sources can ensure a long-term relationship with a knowledgeable dental professional.The steps for finding dental services are similar to those necessary for… |
The Human Firewall Tip is about women and social engineering. This is about sharing awareness on common social engineering tactics used for a successful take over of your account, system or even your data. This is a perfect time to share this awareness as we celebrate International Women's Day today.
According to an article published by SC Magazine, "women are more susceptible to phishing than men". As a Human Firewall we need to understand and learn about what are the usual indicators we can protect ourselves and people around us.
- In emails - did you receive an unusual email from someone that you know or you don't know? Is the message asking for an urgent reply from you or asking you to do something? does it include links or even attachments?
- In chatrooms - this is common in dating or romance websites. In the same article, researchers point out that women do tend to be more comfortable with digital communication. This makes women more vulnerable against cyber stalkers who are after women to threaten, harass, cyber bully or even ask for malicious intentions.
- In SMS or TXT message - did you receive an SMS that you won in a raffle and you need to click a link? This normally happens and once you clicked on a link, it will redirect you to a made-up website designed to request for your personal information or download malware on your computer.
- In phone calls - cold calls are another one. Someone trying to deceive you that they are connected to a utility company and they need to get your information.
- In community forums - there are people in forums that are pretending to be nice. They are the ones that are helpful and give you a lot of information. They are doing this to gain your trust until they will be able manipulate you into doing something in return.
We need to be vigilant. We also need to ask help and speak up if we are being targeted already. Don't trust someone you just met online until their intention is clear.
Disclaimer: Following the Human Firewall tips are at your own discretion. Any actions you may take upon the information on this page is strictly at your own risk. |
Varanasi, (Uttar Pradesh) [India]: The Asia Olympiad Exam, a prestigious platform for academic excellence, has unveiled a transformational shift in its approach, heralding a new era of learning and engagement. Amid the challenges posed by the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Asia Olympiad Exam, powered by the pioneering educational initiative Prishubh EdTech Pvt Ltd, has embraced digital innovation to ensure seamless and accessible opportunities for students across the continent.
In a remarkable departure from its traditional offline format, the Asia Olympiad Exam has embraced technology by introducing a user-friendly app-based system for conducting the examinations online. This progressive step not only upholds the authenticity of the exams but also prioritizes the safety and convenience of students, enabling them to participate from the comfort of their homes.
The Asia Olympiad Exam has undergone a paradigm shift in its fee structure, making it more inclusive and supportive. While the program previously required a registration fee, the new model makes registration absolutely free, significantly reducing barriers for aspiring participants.
Upon registering for the Asia Olympiad Exam, students are invited to undertake an entry-level assessment. Successfully passing this initial phase qualifies them to continue their journey for a nominal fee of 350 rupees. This transformative fee model ensures that deserving students are not held back by financial constraints, fostering a level playing field for talent from all walks of life.
The Asia Olympiad Exam’s journey unfolds in multiple stages, reflecting its commitment to nurturing excellence. Those who emerge as semi-final cadets after passing the entry exam move forward to the semi-finals, which serve as a rigorous testing ground for their knowledge and skills. These semi-finalists aims to identify and foster exceptional talent across the Asian region.
The journey culminates in the highly anticipated final exams, where participants gather at designated centers to demonstrate their academic prowess. A coveted cash prize of 2.5 lacs awaits the victor of this grand showdown, not only acknowledging their achievement but also motivating others to strive for greatness. That being said, total scholarships worth a whopping 3.5 Cr. is available for the students.
A unique aspect of this transformative initiative is the long-term value it offers to students. By paying the nominal fee for the semi-finals, participants gain access to the First Education Care app, which provides them with tuition coaching for an entire year, free of charge. This holistic approach to education reinforces the organization’s commitment to nurturing and guiding students on their academic journey.
Prishubh EdTech Pvt Ltd, the visionary force behind the Asia Olympiad Exam’s evolution, has its headquarters strategically located in Varanasi and Lucknow. The company’s dedication to embracing innovation and equipping students for success has led to this pioneering initiative that promises to shape the future of education in Asia. |
Bee worker pheromones play a critical role in hive organization and productivity. Worker bees rely heavily on pheromones to communicate and coordinate their hive’s activities. These chemical signals act as a cohesive force, enabling bees to divide and execute tasks efficiently.
The hive’s social organization is highly intricate, with each bee assuming a specific role in the collective effort. For instance, some bees serve as nurse bees, caring for the young, while others function as foragers, traveling up to three miles in search of nectar and pollen.
The use of pheromones is key to this highly efficient system, allowing bees to navigate their environment and work in tandem to ensure their colony’s survival. In this guide, we’ll explore the different types of bee worker pheromones and their functions, giving you a better understanding of how these tiny insects work together to create such highly organized and efficient hives.
Introduction to Bee Worker Pheromones
Bee worker pheromones are chemical signals produced by worker bees to communicate with other members of the hive. Their role in hive organization and productivity is helping to ensure that tasks are divided and completed efficiently.
The honey bee pheromonal system relies heavily on caste-specific gland secretions. While some glands are exclusive to either queen or worker bees, most glands like the mandibular, Dufour’s, tarsal, and Koschevnikov glands are present in both, although the functions differ depending on the cast.
The ability of certain glands to change their function is connected to two ways of determining the roles of bees within the colony. It separates queens from workers, and divides workers into different specialized tasks. This process (polyethism) is very important for the efficiency and survival of the colony.
For example, wax and hypopharyngeal glands are active in young bees for building and feeding activities, while sting alarm pheromone production increases in guard bees. The hypopharyngeal gland, also called the called the brood food gland, secretes royal jelly. Furthermore, gland secretion is not rigidly caste-specific, it adapts to the changing needs of the colony. These findings highlight the complex nature of the honey bee caste system and the importance of gland secretion in maintaining colony functionality.
The Role of Queen Mandibular Pheromone
The queen mandibular pheromone (QMP) is one of the most important bee worker pheromones. Produced by the queen bee, it regulates the behavior of worker bees in the hive. QMP helps to suppress the development of ovaries in worker bees, ensuring that they focus on other tasks such as caring for the brood and collecting food. It also helps to prevent the development of new queen bees, maintaining the hierarchy and stability of the hive. Without QMP, the hive would quickly become disorganized and unproductive.
The Function of Worker Pheromones – Brood Recognition
The brood pheromone is another important bee worker pheromone. It is produced by the brood, or the developing bees in the hive. Brood pheromone helps to stimulate the production of worker bees and also influences their behavior. It can signal to worker bees that there is a need for more food, or that the hive needs more workers.
It also signals to worker bees that the brood is still developing in the hive, which helps to limit the development of worker bee ovaries. Brood pheromone can help to regulate the development of new queen bees, ensuring that the hive remains stable and productive. Overall, the function of brood pheromone is to help maintain the health and productivity of the hive.
To maintain the social structure of the hive, the queen secretes a queen substance pheromone, which helps workers differentiate between eggs laid by the queen and those laid by other workers. The presence of this pheromone also serves to prevent other workers from laying eggs in the same cell as the queen’s egg. This ensures that the queen’s offspring receive the proper care and attention needed to thrive in the hive.
Worker Pheromones Nest-mate Recognition: The Cuticular Hydrocarbons
Social insects like honey bees can recognize and distinguish their own colony members (called nest-mates) from outsiders that belong to different colonies (called non-nestmates). This happens because of unique chemical signals on their bodies. Nest-mates have a similar chemical profile, while non-nestmates have different ones. This triggers a defensive response.
These signals are partly inherited and influenced by the environment, such as the material where the nest is made. Cuticular hydrocarbons, specifically alkenes and alkanes, are the crucial compounds that help bees recognize each other. In studies, bees learned to identify alkenes better than alkanes. Also, exposure to queen pheromones changed the chemical signals and affected the recognition process. Nest-mate recognition is vital for the colony’s defense against parasites, predators, and intruders, contributing to colony cohesion and organization.
Alarm Pheromones and Their Importance
Alarm pheromones are another type of bee worker pheromone that plays a critical role in hive communication and defense. A threatened or injured bee releases an alarm pheromone that signals to other bees that there is danger nearby. This pheromone can cause other bees to become more aggressive and defensive, helping to protect the hive from predators or other threats.
Workers display this behavior and have different roles: guards and defenders. Guard bees patrol the entrance of the hive and inspect bees that land there, while defender bees respond to danger by stinging and pursuing the source of disturbance.
Alarm pheromones are also released by bees during stinging and also from stings left in the victim. They activate other bees to attack the source of danger. Two main groups of substances have been identified. Both capable of evoking a defensive response: The sting apparatus alarm pheromones, with isopentyl acetate as the main component, and the mandibular gland alarm pheromone, with the single-component 2-heptanone. Many studies suggest that these substances have different functional values, even though both can deter intruders at the hive entrance.
When honey bees feel threatened, they release a chemical called an alarm pheromone. This chemical is made up of over 40 different compounds, with one called isopentyl acetate (IPA) being the most important. IPA alerts other bees to danger and helps to defend the hive.
Another compound called (Z)-11-eicosenol helps to prolong the effects of IPA. Africanized honey bees have been found to have higher levels of these compounds, making them more aggressive in defending their hive. In fact, they have been known to attack more often than other honey bees.
Worker honey bees produce a substance called 2-heptanone (2HPT) in their mandibular glands. It is not as effective as IPA in alarming bees and inducing stinging, even though it can trigger guard bees near the hive. The levels of 2HPT in workers are not significantly different between aggressive and docile colonies or Africanized and European honey bees.
2HPT acts as an anesthetic for small arthropods like wax moth larva and Varroa mites, which get paralyzed after being bitten by a honey bee. Its main function is likely associated with foraging, as the levels of 2HPT in workers increase with age and are higher in foragers than guard bees. 2HPT may act as a repellent forage-marking pheromone that helps honey bee foragers discard recently visited flowers.
Regulation of Worker Reproduction: The Mandibular Gland Pheromones
Worker pheromones produced in the mandibular gland affect the reproductive development of worker bees. Some researcher believe that the mandibular gland works in unison with the Dufour’s gland to regulate worker reproduction.
In colonies with a queen, the pheromones are suppressed by the queen’s own pheromones. In queenless colonies, these pheromones are crucial in regulating which workers can lay eggs (false queens). The chemical composition of the pheromones produced by false queens is different from that produced by other workers. It has higher levels of certain chemicals that play a role in egg-laying.
The false queens produce pheromones that prevent other workers from developing ovaries. Researchers believe that the mandibular glands contain a substance that acts like QMP and inhibits behavioral development.
The mandibular gland pheromones have another function beyond regulating worker production, although it is one of their most important function. These mandibular worker pheromones have a strong-smelling chemical called 2-heptanone. This chemical is used as an alarm pheromone to signal danger to other bees. When a worker bee becomes a forager, it produces this compound to alert the rest of the colony to potential threats.
Regulation of Worker Activity: Ethyl Oleate
Workers in a beehive control their own tasks. The queen is only an auxiliary factor in driving behavioral development. Young workers who receive substances from foraging bees start foraging sooner. But substances from younger, non-foraging bees delay foraging.
Ethyl oleate is a chemical that delays foraging. It comes from foraging bees and is found on their bodies. It is made in the honey crop from fermented nectar and passed among workers who are close. If many foragers are present, the chemical stops young bees from developing into foragers. This allows young bees to focus on tasks inside the beehive. When foragers are lost or grow old, the chemical fails and young bees can become foragers. Ethyl oleate is also a component in the pheromone blend of queens and brood, which makes it a colony pheromone.
The Nasonov Gland
Worker Pheromones for Orientation and Recruitment
The Nasonov gland is exclusive to worker honeybees. It is located between the sixth and seventh tergites and releases a pheromone composed of seven volatile compounds. The purpose of this pheromone is to attract and orientate members of the colony towards the hive entrance, foraging sources, and during swarm clustering.
The Nasonov pheromone is also released during young workers’ first orientation flights and to select young larvae for queen rearing. Recent studies reveal the Nasonov pheromone’s role in queen rearing, indicating that cells with a higher amount of pheromone are more likely to develop into queen cups.
To release the pheromone, the worker bee flexes the tip of her abdomen downward to free the secretion. During this process, the bee elevates her abdomen and fans her wings to spread the pheromone. This makes it easy to spot worker bees secreting the Nasonov pheromone.
Swarm Clustering Worker Pheromone
Swarm clustering is the process by which bees stick together in a group. The Nasonov gland secretion of the worker bees helps keep the bees together. When a swarm leaves the hive, they find a temporary spot to settle. The first bees to arrive at the spot rub their Nasonov gland on the surface to call the rest of the bees to join them.
The scout bees look for a suitable spot to establish a new nest. When a spot is found, they communicate the location to other bees by the waggle dance before returning to the new location to release Nasonov pheromone, which directs the swarm to the nest entrance. The Nasonov gland contains several components, including geraniol, (E)-citral, and nerolic acid.
Foraging Worker Pheromone
The Nasonov gland helps recruit worker bees to foraging locations, however, the exact mechanism remains unclear. Foragers use this gland to signal nestmates to follow them to profitable food sources, but they don’t always expose the gland when visiting flowers.
Research shows that the gland is mainly used to attract workers to water sources, or to locate nectar sources when the reward is high or the colony needs to store more nectar. When bees find high-sugar rewards, they expose their Nasonov gland for longer periods of time.
Tarsal Glands (Footprint Worker Pheromone)
Worker bees use their tarsal glands to secrete a so-called footprint worker pheromone that marks the hive entrance and food sources. The pheromone is deposited by landing workers and enhances the effect of the Nasonov pheromone, which attracts bees from a distance.
Waggle-dancing bees release four cuticular hydrocarbons from their abdomens. When dispersed into a hive, these pheromones play an important role in worker recruitment . Another pheromone, 2-heptanone, is secreted by workers’ mandibular glands and acts as a repellent for forage marking. |
Energy bills drive inflation to 41-year high, but Sunak has no idea how solve as PM the economic disaster that he created as the chancellor.
Soaring inflation is the “enemy that we need to face down,” Rishi Sunak warned on Wednesday as it spiralled above 11 per cent.
The Prime Minister stressed that getting it under control was his “No1 priority”.
Official figures showed CPI inflation rose to an eye-watering 11.1 per cent in October, up from 10.1 per cent a month earlier, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Speaking at a G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, Mr Sunak stressed that inflation was “eating into people’s living standards” and making them poorer.
He added: “It’s the enemy that we need to face down.”
The Prime Minister emphasised that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt would set out a plan to “grip” inflation in his Autumn Statement on Thursday which is expected to include more than £20 billion of tax rises and at least £30 billion of spending cuts to get Britain’s public finances back on an even keel.
He added: “My absolute number one priority is making sure that we deal with the economic situation that we face at home.
“With more news of inflation today, it’s the number one thing that’s on people’s minds.
“It’s the thing that’s causing most anxiety, opening up bills, seeing the emails come in with rising prices. And that’s why it’s right that we grip it.
“And tomorrow the Chancellor will set out a plan that will enable us to do that.”
However, many MPs have warned that Britain is set to be hit with a new wave of austerity and a worsening cost-of-living squeeze as taxes rise.
Economists blame the UK’s economic crisis on Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, the aftermath of the Covid
pandemic, Brexit and Kwasi Kwarteng’s disastrous mini-budget in September.
The official figures showed the rate of inflation surged to a new 40-year high, dramatically tightening the cost of living squeeze on millions of families.
Prices have not been rising faster since October 1981. In October alone prices rose by 2 per cent, the same increase as the whole year to July 2021.
The higher than expected increase will pile pressure on the Bank of England to order another a big rise in interest rates next month to rein prices in - but that will raise mortgage costs for homeowners and risk a deeper recession.
It was fuelled by energy prices which jumped to an average of £2,500 under the Government’s Energy Price Guarantee on October 1 following a surge in wholesale gas prices triggered by the Ukraine war.
Supermarket prices have also been rising at double digit rates. On Wednesday, the ONS said food prices were 16.4 per cent higher in October.
City economists hope that the grim October inflation figures marks the high point of the current cycle and that the CPI will now gradually subside. The cost of living has been rising far quicker than wages and benefits, making most people worse off.
On Tuesday, the ONS revealed the average pay fell 3.7 per cent in real terms in the three months to September compared with the CPI. That was the biggest drop in the value of earnings since the financial crisis in 2009. Benefits only went up 3.1 per cent this year but are expected to be increased in line with inflation next year.
The inflation spike comes on the eve of Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement where the Chancellor is expected to unleash a “fiscal consolidation” of up to £60 billion to bring the public finances back under control. This will be through a mix of Government spending cuts and tax hikes.
Mr Hunt, on Wednesday, said: “The aftershock of Covid
and Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is driving up inflation in the UK and around the world. This insidious tax is eating into pay cheques, household budgets and savings, while thwarting any chance of long-term economic growth.
“It is our duty to help the Bank of England in their mission to return inflation to target by acting responsibly with the nation’s finances. That requires some tough but necessary decisions on tax and spending to help balance the books.
“We cannot have long-term, sustainable growth with high inflation. Tomorrow I will set out a plan to get debt falling, deliver stability, and drive down inflation while protecting the most vulnerable.”
Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “Inflation rising yet again will strike more fear in the heart of families across Britain dealing with soaring food prices, rising energy bills and a Tory mortgage premium on their home.
“British people feel the impact of rising inflation so much more than other countries because 12 years of Tory economic failure has left us exposed to any shocks.
“The potent mix of high inflation and low growth is trapping us in a vicious cycle of stagnation.
“In the Autumn Statement this week, Labour would be focused on making fairer choices for working people who are bearing the brunt of this crisis - and putting forward a real plan to grow our economy.
“Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan, our modern Industrial Strategy and our active partnership with business will get our economy firing on all cylinders.” |
Recording Phone Calls for Your Business in the US: What You Need to Know
In the modern competitive business environment, it is important to work on providing the best services to customers. A lot of companies use call recording to their benefit when training their staff, increasing sales, and much more. Before starting to use this tool effectively in your work, it’s essential to know how to use it both ethically and legally.
Is it legal to record phone calls in the United States?
Call recording is a more complicated question in the United States as opposed to some other countries because there are different requirements in each state. If your business operates in the United States or you have customers from the US, it is important to keep this information in mind.
One of the main requirements concerning call recording has to do with the consent of parties. In twelve states of the country, you need to inform your customers that the conversation is being recorded. It is referred to as an all-party consent and such states include the following:
- New Hampshire
When it comes to all other states, all you need is for one party to agree to be recorded during a conversation. One-party consent has been created as a continuation of the wiretapping law and it means that when your employees agree to be recorded, there is no need to inform your customers.
Additional information to consider
Even if your business works in one of the states where one-party consent is sufficient for call recording, it is still important to remember that there are plenty of states where all-party consent is required. For instance, your company may be located in Texas where only one-party consent is necessary, while a customer may be calling from California where all-party consent is required. This is something that may easily happen even when a person has a phone number belonging to one state, but during the call, they travel to a different location. Such details should be considered before implementing call recording to avoid any potential legal issues.
What are the advantages of call recording?
A lot of companies don’t know how they can benefit from call recording and view it as just a feature used in call centers to train their employees. The benefits of call recording go beyond analyzing employee conversations, and include::
- Personalized staff feedback
- Enhanced customer support for your clients
- Protection of your company during potential legal disputes
- Excellent level of control over phone calls with clients
- More sales thanks to improved interactions with customers
- More information to analyze and use to develop marketing strategies
- Abundant communication records with clients
With the help of cloud-based services, such as CallGear, recording phone conversations becomes effortless. With the fast progress of technologies, call recording has become an essential tool for any business. With CallGear, you can easily integrate the software at a reasonable price. More so, you can implement other highly useful features, such as virtual numbers, analytics, call tracking, and others. A cloud-based system provides you with easy management of calls, and simple data storage, all at an extremely affordable cost.
Storing recorded phone calls: the advantage of cloud technology
Before the development of cloud-based solutions, such as CallGear, the process of storing recorded conversations was quite complicated and involved the need to physically archive audio files. Many companies resorted to using backup tapes, but the problem was that they occupied space and could be lost, stolen, or damaged. After many incidents, some tapes could never be restored, or it was too costly and a very time-consuming process.
Luckily, cloud technologies allow you to avoid these problems, as they offer a decent level of protection and are cost-efficient. With the help of cloud backups, you can not only get new information for your business, but also protect it from potential risks. Additional recommendations include the following:
- Use encryption
To avoid security-related problems, it is a good idea to use encryption technologies on audio files. There are industries in which data encryption is required by default, but most organizations can use this technology to their advantage. It is a good idea to encrypt call recordings before they are transferred to their cloud storage platform, such as CallGear.
- Know how recordings have to be stored
Depending on a business, there may be particular requirements related to the storing of call recordings. Also, you may need to store audio files for no longer than several months or a year, so it’s something that needs to be taken into consideration.
- Properly organize your files
Another advantage of cloud technology is that it offers plenty of organizational opportunities. It is easier to access specific files and store them in a way that you will be able to find particular recordings in a matter of minutes. As opposed to physically storing audio files, this approach saves a lot of time.
Call recording — a powerful tool for your business
Most companies that have customers can take advantage of call recording when it’s done correctly. With CallGear and similar solutions, you can improve the work of your customer support, train employees, and develop better marketing strategies. |
This article draws on insights derived from a funder survey distributed by Camber to explore the impacts of COVID-19 on the philanthropic sector and identifies opportunities to catalyze more effective grantmaking throughout the pandemic.
We are passionate about generating big ideas and engaging in bold dialogue to drive positive and lasting social change.
We unpack the climate change-attributed challenges facing the food system in Sub-Saharan Africa and some of the improvements needed to mitigate potentially catastrophic climate effects and support continued regional progress and prosperity.
We discuss what a rural healthcare delivery system of the future could look like, and the boundary conditions and potential impacts.
We discuss the current reality of food systems in the US, theories of food systems transformation, and reflections on what we can do to help keep our people and our planet alive and well.
America’s rural health business model was built to mimic our urban care delivery infrastructure and incentives. It is a model that has been impractical and ineffective for decades and is entirely unsustainable in the COVID-19 era.
We discuss one powerful approach for collective decision making in the new era of COVID-19. |
A diagnosis of cancer marks the beginning of a journey full of emotional, psychological, physical and practical challenges.
Challenges can relate to the shock of a cancer diagnosis and fears about the future. Or they may be due to physical side effects of treatment, such as nausea and fatigue. There are also practical aspects of treatment to deal with, including costs and travel. More specific emotional problems may include concerns about body image after treatment or periods of anxiety or depression.
The emotional, physical and practical journey can take a different direction altogether if cancer comes back or spreads.
It’s not always easy, but over time, most people find they are able to cope with the changes caused by their diagnosis and return to the things that are important to them.
This section describes some of the challenges experienced by people affected by cancer. It includes information about managing some of the longer term side effects of treatment, how people close to you might feel after a diagnosis of cancer, and where to find practical and emotional support. |
Work at the heart of National Grid
Would you like to work for a company that makes electricity happen for every single person in England and Wales? A company that invests billions in Net Zero and creating a brighter energy future?
On this apprenticeship you will be working towards a Level 3 EAL Subsidiary Diploma in Engineering Technologies.
You will also be paid over £21,000 a year while you train, with free food, accommodation, and travel.
Our three-year Advanced Apprenticeship Substations will train you to become a technician in one of our 347 substations. Our substations transform high-voltage electricity into low-voltage electricity, which can be used in homes and businesses. They also connect energy from renewable sources such as wind and solar farms, to the transmission network.
Our technicians play a vital role in looking after our substations. Without their careful maintenance the safe, reliable supply of electricity simply could not happen. This apprenticeship will allow you to become one of them.
You’ll be learning to do things like maintenance work on power transformers, main connections, and terminals. You’ll be repairing different types of joints and working with things such as air systems, batteries, and environmental battery charger systems.
Following strict safety guidelines, you will carry out the maintenance, repair, and monitoring of high-voltage substation equipment. This will include circuit breakers, transformers, disconnectors, compressors, and auxiliary systems.
As you can probably tell, these apprenticeships are for people who really want to get stuck in. If that sounds like it might be you, we’d be very interested in receiving your application. |
This is the second semester of a two semester series on immunohematology. The course continues the study of the principles, procedures, and clinical significance of transfusion medicine introduced in MLS 414 Clinical Immunohematology I. Advanced immunohematology theory and laboratory techniques are taught, with a thorough examination of methodologies and problem-solving concepts. These include, but are not limited to: compatibility testing, adverse transfusion events, hemolytic anemia, differentiating multiple blood group antibodies, and the resolution of unexpected laboratory results. Emphasis is placed on advanced analytical skills, improved laboratory testing efficiency, and workload management. Quality management which includes quality control, quality assurance, laboratory techniques, and instrument maintenance will also be included.
Enrollment in the Nebraska Methodist Hospital Medical Laboratory Science |
Can Cats Get High From Blowing Smoke In Their Face?
Us humans who enjoy smoking weed don’t really see second-hand marijuana smoke as a big deal. Second-hand smoke or “blowing shotguns” is some people’s preferred way of enjoying THC.
But what about our furry friends?
Can cats get high from blowing smoke in their faces? Yes, cats can get high from blowing smoke in their faces but doing so can harm your cat more than you think.
Cats are tiny when compared to humans. Blowing smoke in a cat’s face will affect them much more negatively than it would a human. Cats also breathe primarily through their noses and not their mouths, this makes it harder for them to avoid smoke that’s being blown in their face.
Full-spectrum marijuana is harmful to cats. Blowing smoke in your cat’s face is akin to animal abuse. If you do this to your cat then you are a terrible person who should have never adopted a cat in the first place.
If you know somebody who does this to their cat(s) then you need to immediately call them out on it. We’ll go over it in more detail below, but the gist of it is that cats will get extremely anxious (whether or not you can see it) and the smoke will cause lung inflammation that likely makes your cat feel like their insides are on fire.
It is NOT okay to blow smoke in your cat’s face, doing so is animal abuse.
Is Weed Or THC Toxic To Cats?
Full-spectrum cannabis and THC are toxic to animals. Full spectrum means pure weed without any of the chemicals or alkaloids removed from it. The reason we specify full spectrum is because there are certain properties and ingredients in weed that aren’t harmful to cats, such as CBD which we will discuss more below.
However it’s not just full-spectrum weed that you should be concerned about. THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, is also VERY harmful to cats and pets in general.
Pet owners should be aware of the dangers of THC toxicity in animals. Most of the time cats are able to overcome any marijuana or THC ingestion episodes without any issues, but there is still a chance that your cat could be harmed and/or killed by marijuana or THC
THC toxicity in cats can lead to to exacerbation of any pre-existing conditions such a seizures or heart issues. Your cat may have an underlying heart issue that you didn’t know about, consume or inhale THC, and all of a sudden you’re making an emergency trip to the vet because your cat’s heart is about to quit beating.
So while it may seem funny to blow smoke in your cat’s face, it wouldn’t be so funny to watch them die because their tiny little kitty heart couldn’t keep up with the chemicals that it was forced to ingest.
If your cat has inhaled or ingested any type of marijuana or THC extract then you need to call your vet immediately for further guidance.
Is CBD Safe For Cats?
CBD is a non-psychoactive compound found in marijuana. Humans have used CBD medicinally for decades. Proponents of CBD claim that it can be used to treat a wide range of conditions. Chronic pain, migraines, inflammation are all ailments that are allegedly helped with CBD.
But CBD doesn’t stop there, it is also allegedly able to help with other ailments ranging from epilepsy, depression, anxiety, and even autoimmune diseases. However, this is what CBD is supposedly helping humans with.
What about cats? Is CBD safe for cats? Does CBD have any medicinal benefits for cats?
At first glance CBD does appear to be very safe for cats. There are anecdotes of people who say CBD has caused their pet to become overly drowsy or given them an upset stomach. Oftentimes this is linked to pets taking large doses of CBD and those maladies tend to go away when the dose is lowered.
The primary issue with cats taking CBD is that there is no regulation involved when it comes to CBD dosages or how CBD is manufactured for pets. A study from a few years ago found that many products claiming to have CBD in them actually had very little or none at all.
That same study also found harmful contaminants in these CBD products. Cats are small and are much more sensitive to these contaminants. If you’re going to give your cat CBD then you need to follow these rules:
1. Check with your cat’s veterinarian regarding dosage
2. Make sure you only use products that have the National Animal Supplements (NASC) or U.S. Hemp Authority seals directly on the product’s packaging.
3. Only CBD products made specifically for cats should be used.
4. Try to find products that use a very mild carrier oil such as coconut oil, MCT (medium-chain triglycerides), or hemp oil.
Can Cats Get High From Secondhand Smoke?
Yes, cats can get high from secondhand smoke. But it’s not going to be enjoyable for them and it can be detrimental to their internal organs.
One factor when determining how high someone gets is their size. Someone who is 4’11 and 90lbs will get high a lot faster than someone who is 6’1″ and 300lbs. Cats are much smaller when compared to humans.
It’s one thing if you’re enjoying some THC in the privacy of your own home and your kitty comes and sits on the couch with you. It’s an entirely different thing to take your cat and forcefully blow smoke in their face.
What Happens When Cats Inhale Weed Smoke?
Cats who inhale weed or THC are going to get much higher than many humans would get. Because they’re so small compared to humans, cats will be much more sensitive to the psychoactive THC that’s found in weed.
The effects of marijuana on your cat can be devastating and go way beyond them simply having dilated pupils. Marijuana toxicity in pets is a real thing that all pet owners should be worried about!
After blowing smoke in your cat’s face, their heart rate will immediately skyrocket. So many cats out there have underlying heart issues, especially purebred cats, and second-hand smoke is more than enough to exacerbate these heart issues.
So let’s say your cat can deal with the faster heart rate (they can’t), well now you get to worry about their lungs. Your cat’s lungs are going to burn. They may even start panting. They’re going to get inflamed, they’re going to burn, and your cat will feel miserable. If your cat has any lung diseases then it only gets worse from there.
Your cat’s heart and lungs aren’t the only thing at risk here! Their overall quality of life can and will go down because even after the psychoactive effects of the THC wear off, your cat can still suffer lingering anxiety and depression.
Oh, but it gets worse!
Symptoms of marijuana intoxication in cats also include convulsions, loss of consciousness, coma, and even death.
What Should I Do If My Cat Has Consumed Weed or THC?
If your cat gets exposed to small amounts second-hand smoke from marijuana then you need to monitor them closely. If they show any signs of anxiety, excess vocalization, stomach upset, unnecessary lethargy, or anything out of the ordinary then you need to call the vet immediately.
If you have purposely forced your cat to inhale second-hand smoke then you need to call your vet immediately. The potential health effects of THC toxicity in cats can cause a variety of conditions and are too dangerous to take a chance with.
Cats Do NOT Enjoy Being High
Cat’s do NOT enjoy being high. Cats do NOT want you to blow smoke in their faces. Cats deserve owners who will not abuse them because they think it’s funny to force them to inhale second-hand smoke.
As a human, you probably enjoy smoking marijuana. Some very ill-informed people might think that since they enjoy marijuana, their cat will enjoy it as well. But you’re going to cause your cat harm in some way, shape, or form. It might be temporary, it might be ongoing, it might put them into a coma, or it might kill them.
If your cat has consumed THC in any form, call your vet! |
Wednesday April 28, 2021
Today’s Reading: Psalm 4
Many are saying, “Who can show us anything good?” Look on us with favor, Lord.
Reflection: The Lord causes His people to live in safety. He answers cries for vindication. He frees those bound by affliction. The Lord hears and answers prayer by His Grace. The faithful can easily spot His Hand at work and declare them. But the Lord’s mighty deeds are not as easily seen by those who do not know Him.
This is why the psalmist asks God to defend not just his physical safety, but also the safety of his reputation. For enemies taunt him, questioning God’s faithfulness to him, testing the desire and ability of the Lord to respond to the psalmist’s pleas. The psalmist wants others – especially those against him – to know of his connection with the Almighty God. The psalmist also wants others to know of God’s goodness and power to help. Every believer’s reputation as one belonging to God is like this. It holds weight in situations of need, for skeptics will always look on to see if the Lord really does exist, or if His people trust in Him in times of distress.
The psalmist prays for God to meet doubt with blessed revelation, that His God would be made known to the lost. And God will always prove faithful in response to these prayers, according to His Will. But are His people faithful in crediting God’s work to Him? Do they show faith when the Lord has not yet revealed His blessed guidance or providence? The psalmist writes, “Many are saying, ‘Who can show us anything good?'” God’s people must be those who point others to true goodness, which is found in Him and all He does.
Prayer: Loving God, You are so good. You are the One Who has freed me from affliction. You have have heard my every prayer. You have saved me through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You for being so good to me. Thank You for Your boundless Mercy and Faithfulness. Please, Lord, help me to credit every work of goodness to You. Help me point to You by trusting and obeying Your Will. May others know of Your goodness by the way You use me for Your Purpose. I pray of all of these things in Jesus’ Name, AMEN.
Thru the Bible in a year (credit: Biblestudytools.com): Luke 7:1-17; Genesis 8-10; Psalm 4 |
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