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No. How you vote is secret and many steps are taken to keep it secret.
Voting papers are held in secure storage for six months after an election (in case they are needed for a recount or electoral petition) before being destroyed. While they are being held voting papers are kept separate from electoral rolls and EasyVote cards.
You may notice a black sticker on your voting paper with a number – this is to identify votes so they can be extracted if any voter votes twice. The number is not used to track the way people have voted or to compromise the secrecy of the ballot.
The information on the EasyVote card is designed to make it quicker and easier for voting place staff to issue you with your voting paper. It is not used for any other reason and is destroyed after use. |
Emissions from the high-temperature, air-free ovens that purify coal into coke have been found to be carcinogenic and therefore potentially harmful to workers. But precautions can be taken to limit exposure to these emissions and reduce the risk.
When coke oven doors are well fitted, up to date, and in good repair, emissions are greatly reduced. Workers can also limit exposure with protective clothing to prevent skin contact with harmful substances and respirators so that emissions are not breathed into the body. Employers are required to provide these items, and employees are required to wear and use them. Those working around coke ovens shouldn’t be consuming anything in that space—not food, drink, or even gum or cigarettes. Lunchrooms must be offered for employee use.
Coke oven facilities must have showers so that workers can rinse off any residue after removing the protective clothing. It’s the employer’s responsibility to cleanse the protective clothing between shifts. These hygiene practices are important to avoid skin contact with residue that has been left on the clothing. No employee wants to stay in contact with harmful substances after work or bring them home to the family.
Both the condition of the oven and the oven doors and the health of employees who work near it must be monitored on a consistent basis. Ovens should be checked for emissions, and workers have a right to know the results. Employers must provide annual medical exams for employees to check on areas of the body that might be impacted by exposure.
The coking of coal is important for creating energy, and so it’s also important to maintain the safety of the equipment and people who make that happen. Upgraded equipment and protective measures are essential in keeping everything and everyone running right. |
Global Educators Supporting ALL Learners Through Crisis: Innovations, Challenges & Changes in Schools
This session will focus on addressing educational supports for ALL learners around the world during crisis situations, with insights from presenters from Ghana, South Africa, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Join us for a discussion and shared resources for teaching during a time of crisis, with a lens on both challenges and innovations in classrooms around the world.
DISES is proud to offer the first in a 3-part virtual event series featuring the following panel of educa-tors from around the globe:
- Dr. Vicky G. Spencer, BCBA-D, LBA is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Applied Behavior Analysis Graduate Program at Shenandoah University in the Department of Psychology. She has over 25 years of experience as a university professor and researcher and is a past president of DISES.
- Dr. Deborah Tamakloe is an Associate Professor of Special Education at Millersville University, Penn-sylvania. Her research focuses on the areas of assistive technology, multiculturalism in special educa-tion, and pre-/in-service teacher preparation. Dr. Tamakloe has more than 20 years of teaching expe-rience including graduate and undergraduate special education courses and K-12 inclusive education in Ghana.
- Dr. Cina Mosito is the Associate Professor of Inclusive Education at Nelson Mandela University in South Africa. Her research interests include inclusive education in teacher education and cognitive development of learners experiencing barriers to learning.
- Marcheta Gail Hightower, M.Ed., is the co-founder and director of Sunshine Learning Difficulties Cen-ter, Dubai. She is a licensed special educator in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Ms. Hightower’s motto is, “Let’s go to school.”
This event is FREE To all DISES members, take advantage of our January membership 50% off special and join today. Use promocode DISES50. |
I’m a huge fan of Gratitude…why? Because it works!
Here is a short excerpt describing the scientific findings on the Positive Benefits of Gratitude:
“Two psychologists, Michael McCollough of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and Robert Emmons of the University of California at Davis, wrote an article about an experiment they conducted on gratitude and its impact on well-being. The study split several hundred people into three different groups and all of the participants were asked to keep daily diaries. The first group kept a diary of the events that occurred during the day without being told specifically to write about either good or bad things; the second group was told to record their unpleasant experiences; and the last group was instructed to make a daily list of things for which they were grateful.
The results of the study indicated that daily gratitude exercises resulted in higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism, and energy. In addition, those in the gratitude group experienced less depression and stress, were more likely to help others, exercised more regularly, and made greater progress toward achieving personal goals.” (Excerpt Source: https://www.thechangeblog.com/gratitude/) |
When I think XOXO, the first thought that immediately follows is Gossip Girl. Yup, you got me, I used to watch the show. My second thought is the more traditional, hugs and kisses. Probably what your first instinct was, huh?
Well, did you know that thinking hugs and kisses isn’t technically right? Apparently, the X is supposed to stand for kisses and the O is supposed to stand for hugs. So, really, we should be saying kisses and hugs. Can I tell you how I know this? I spent a good twenty minutes researching the meaning of XOXO. I had never really thought about why it represented hugs and kisses—yes, I will continue to say it this way, because I think it sounds better…feel free to join me—until I started making these cookies. And, once I thought about it, I really wanted to know the answer. So, here we go. Your very own lesson on the History of XOXO—now you can’t say I never gave you anything for Valentine’s Day.
Back in the Middle Ages, many people couldn’t read or write, and when they were presented with a document requiring a signature of understanding, they would simply write the letter X on the signature line. The X was meant to represent the cross and convey that in Christ’s name the contents of the document were true. But, wait, that has nothing to do with kisses! You’re right, it doesn’t. The kissing part of the story has been debated, but the common theory is that many individuals after signing the X would then kiss the X as a symbol of truly believing in what the document stood for. Sounds legitimate, right? Some people don’t think so. They choose to believe that the X simply looks like two triangle-faced individuals locking lips. Hence, X meaning kisses.
The O, on the other hand, has a history that is still very much debated. Some will argue that it was created by Jewish immigrants, who wanted their own way of signing documents that wasn’t related to the Christian X. Others say that the game of tic-tac-toe provided the inspiration for using the letter O when people decided they wanted another letter to represent a different kind of affection. Or, it could just be that an O looks like two open arms hugging.
What do you think?
The base of these little loveable bad boys is shortbread. A really reallyyy good shortbread. Before decorating them with X’s and O’s, my Dad taste tested a cookie and asked me if I had really made them. When I said yes—worried, mind you, that I somehow messed up the recipe—he said that they tasted like something you would buy at a bakery. Let me just tell you something about my Dad. He’s not a sugar-coater, if he likes something he’ll tell you, and if he doesn’t, you’ll know too. So, as you can tell, his compliment meant a lot to me. I found the recipe for this shortbread in a little wooden recipe box that used to be my Grandma’s. I don’t know where she got it or if it came from a recipe book, but what I do know is that I will never use another shortbread recipe again. And, since I like you so much, I’m gonna share it!
I wanted a little something more than just shortbread for Valentine’s Day, so I decided to spruce the dough up with coconut. Can I just say, it was the BEST decision ever. The shortbread cookie itself has that buttery, soft, melt in your mouth taste. The addition of coconut from both the extract, which isn’t overpowering, and the toasted coconut shreds, which adds a little crunch to each bite, leaves you with a subtly infused coconut cookie that isn’t overly sweet. I didn’t stop there though. The cookie is then decorated with semi-sweet chocolate and covered with more toasted coconut shreds in the form of X’s and O’s. Again, BEST decision ever.
Believe me when I say that you can’t go wrong with these cookies. Seriously. Make them for your Valentine, a friend, your family, or for that special someone who doesn’t know that you like them yet. These cookies should definitely win that person over. Oh, and Happy [Early] Valentine’s Day. May it be filled with lots of X’s and O’s.
Toasted Coconut XOXO Shortbread Cookies
Yields: about 30 cookies
Scalloped circle cookie cutter
X cookie cutter
O cookie cutter
Piping bag (or, Ziploc bag) & small tip
Toasted Coconut Shortbread Cookies
1 heaping cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup powdered sugar
½ cup cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon coconut extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Toasted Coconut & Chocolate Topping
¼ cup sweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Vegetable shortening, as needed
Toasted Coconut Shortbread Cookies
Using a food processor (or, blender), pulse the toasted shredded coconut until coarsely ground. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter until light and fluffy.
Beat in powdered sugar until creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add salt, cornstarch, and coconut extract. Mix until incorporated.
Gradually beat in the flour until combined, and then mix in the toasted coconut.
Gather the dough as best you can into a ball and place on a piece of parchment paper. Cover the top of the dough with another piece of parchment paper and roll to ½ inch thick. Slide the parchment-covered dough onto a cutting board and place in the fridge. Let chill for about 30 minutes.
After the dough is finished chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using the scalloped cookie cutter cut cookies—if the dough becomes too sticky or tough to work with place back in the fridge until it’s easier to handle.
Bake for 6 minutes, reverse tray (this will ensure an even color on the cookies!), and bake for another 5 more minutes or until lightly brown.
Let cookies cool for about a minute on the cookie sheet, and then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Toasted Coconut & Chocolate Topping
While the cookies are cooling, coarsely ground (with a food processor or blender) the lightly toasted shredded coconut. Set aside.
Once the cookies have cooled completely, melt semi-sweet chocolate chips and a little vegetable shortening in a microwave safe bowl (microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until smooth).
Lightly press the X or O cookie cutter into the bowl of melted chocolate—make sure the cookie cutter has enough chocolate on the rim so that the outline will show up on the cookies. Use a toothpick to add or take away chocolate as needed. Gently press the X or O chocolate covered cookie cutter into the middle of the cookie and then lift up, there should be an outline of the letter—if the outline is incomplete, dip a toothpick in the melted chocolate and complete the outline by hand.
Working quickly, use either a piping bag or toothpick to fill in the letter completely with melted chocolate (I found the toothpick method to be easiest…just pretend the toothpick is like a painting brush)—if the chocolate begins to harden, place back in the microwave for another 15 seconds or until of drizzling consistency.
Once the letter is filled in with chocolate, sprinkle the toasted coconut over the letter. Dust off the extra coconut. If needed use a toothpick to add more coconut to a specific spot or to help keep the shape of the letter intact.
Using a piping bag with a small tip (or Ziploc), trace the scalloped edge of the cookie with chocolate. Re-melt the chocolate as needed.
Repeat the above steps, alternating between the X and O cookie cutter, until all the cookies are finished. |
693.113 Cereal Products/120: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in China (Johnson)
87. American flour exporters are pressing this Government for a further approach to the Chinese Government in an effort to secure reduction [Page 644]of the tariff on wheat flour. They stress particularly the fear that the large differential between the tariff on wheat flour and the tariff on wheat will result in stoppage of all or practically all importation of foreign flour and they regard this situation as contrary to the spirit of the commitment of the Chinese Government, in the R. F. C.47 cotton and wheat loan agreement, to place no embargo on the importation of American flour.
This Government is considering whether the matter should be placed before the Chinese Government and will appreciate a full report by naval radio covering the general question of existing Chinese tariffs on wheat flour and wheat, especially with relation to the following points:
- Is the wide differential between the rates on wheat flour and wheat maintained by the Chinese Government for the definite purpose of encouraging the domestic milling of all flour required?
- Is the milling industry in China at present capable of meeting all domestic requirements?
- Is there any program for expansion of the milling industry and is expansion probable if the present tariff differential is maintained?
- To what extent have imports of foreign flour during the past 2 or 3 years been limited to the by-product known as “clears” as opposed to straight and patent flour and what is the present situation? What factors govern the demand for foreign “clears”?
- How great is the present demand for foreign flour in China and what grades or classes are required?
- Should the differential between the duties on wheat flour and on wheat be reduced to 1⅓ times and should American wheat and flour be in a position to meet world price competition, to what extent might American wheat as wheat and American wheat flour be able to reenter the Chinese market?
- In view of present high wheat and flour prices in China, is it felt that the Chinese Government might consider favorably a reduction in the wheat and flour duties and particularly a reduction in the differential between these duties?
- In your opinion, what effect upon the situation might result from friendly representations by this Government? |
Rebuilding Together Tulsa
In 2008, Rebuilding Together Tulsa (RTT) introduced its Energy Efficiency program that, along with energy efficiency, incorporates broader green housing principles such as water efficiency, and indoor environmental health. This program provided 34 low-income homeowners with energy efficiency modifications, such as installing insulation, sealing air leaks, replacing doors and windows, installing CFLs, and replacing air filters. As a result, these 34 homeowners saved a total of over 80,000 kWh of electricity over the course of a year. This translates into an annual savings of approximately $188 on each homeowner’s electricity bill, and a total of $6,400 in savings for low-income homeowners in Tulsa. As most RTT clients have an average annual income of $9,200, this $188 in utility bill savings represents 2% of their income, a significant savings for low-income families facing difficult financial decisions.
RTT Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Barcus-Schafer says of the program, “We are pleased to offer our clients modest energy efficiency repairs that make an impact on their home, their finances, and their lives.” Each homeowner served by RTT receives a home- owner education packet and an analysis of other repairs that may be needed, including water efficiency repairs and repairs that affect indoor environmental health. RTT also has five certified lead-based paint renovators, to address indoor environmental health issues and ensure compliance with EPA lead regulations (see “Taking the Lead on Lead,” p. 44).
RTT is an affiliate of the national affordable-housing nonprofit Rebuilding Together, Inc. This organization works to preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize communities through a network of more than 200 affiliates that provide rehabilitation services and critical repairs to the homes of low-income Americans at no cost to the homeowner. As economic pressure on low-income families grows, more and more families must choose between vital necessities and essential home repairs and modifications. Rebuilding Together seeks to help these homeowners stay safe and healthy in their own homes.
While the green movement has gained momentum in the past few years, Rebuilding Together affiliates have been utilizing green practices—and providing green home rehabilitation—since the organization was founded over 20 years ago. Rebuilding Together’s Green Housing initiative is a national program that provides education and resources for affiliates to incorporate green housing principles into their core businesses. Rebuilding Together believes that home repair and rehabilitation are inherently green. Through the repairs that Rebuilding Together affiliates make, homeowners save money on utility bills, thrive in healthier and safer home environments, and are better able to afford other essential needs. Rebuilding Together has shown what green home rehabilitation means: a safe and healthy home that is affordable to live in and that improves the residents’ quality of life.
RTT Makes One Home More Energy Efficient
The repairs done on the home of Mr. and Mrs. C and their family are a testament to the effectiveness of RTT’s green housing work. RTT was able to address the immediate needs of this deserving family while also applying the principles of green building. The couple was at the cusp of retirement in February 2008 when Mr. C was injured on the job. Because of his injuries, Mr. C had to rely on Social Security to support his family, which includes three foster children. Mrs. C became a bus driver to help support her family and ensure that they could keep their foster children, who are siblings, together. Nevertheless, the family could not afford to make necessary repairs to their home. Their windows were in such poor condition that the family had to hang plastic and fabric to keep out the cold air, and the siding was rotting away, letting in air, moisture, and pests. Sadly, RTT notes that many low-income homeowners live in similar conditions, which is one reason why even modest energy efficiency repairs make such a big difference to these homeowners.
RTT secured funding for the project and began by having the family’s roof replaced. It considers roof replacement an essential first step, as a roof in disrepair leaks, and leaks cause water damage in the home, leading to mold, rot, and poor indoor air quality. Light-colored shingles were used to reflect the sun and further increase efficiency. After the roof was complete, volunteers from RTT removed all the rotten siding and damaged wood from the exterior of the home and RTT installed Hardiplank with a Tyvek underlayment. RTT also installed three new energy-efficient windows, and two windows were removed and sided over. Attic insulation was blown in (R-30 or R-38), gaps and cracks were caulked, insulation gaskets were installed, new switch plates and plug plates were mounted, and all of the incandescent light bulbs were changed to CFLs. Upon completion of the work, the homeowners commented, “Our house already has a 10°F difference. That insulation helped a bunch.” The observed difference was reflected in energy savings on the home’s utility bills following the repairs. In total, these repairs saved the family 20% on their electric bills—a savings that will have a significant impact on this family’s budget and the environment.
Strong Partnerships Increase Impact
RTT’s green housing efforts are supported by a range of partnerships that have made the program a true success, and have enabled RTT to incorporate green-housing principles into more of its work. The organization recently signed a two-year contract with American Electric Power-Public Service Company of Oklahoma (AEP-PSO), the local electric utility, to incorporate energy-efficient repairs for homeowners into its work. This contract will have a value of over $350,000 in repairs and testing. RTT leverages this funding with the funds it has secured for roof replacement to ensure that the home will be as energy efficient as possible. Through this partnership, each home first receives roof work, if needed; energy-efficient repairs are made after that. The partnering of these two programs has significantly reduced clients’ energy usage.
The average household in the United States uses about 8,900 kWh of electricity per year. In the first year of the Energy Efficiency program, the 34 homeowners served by the program saved approximately 2,400 kWh per homeowner. These savings “mean a lot to our homeowners,” says Barcus-Schafer. “Many times they have to make the tough choice between basic needs, like food and medication, and paying their high utility bills. These repairs keep the bills manageable for our clients. That is one less thing they need to worry about.”
Planning to Save Resources
RTT takes a whole-house approach to green housing by incorporating energy efficiency, water efficiency, indoor environmental health, and homeowner education into its projects. Annually, RTT averages 150 home repairs, and each home receives one or more of these green housing features. RTT strives to meet the needs of each homeowner in a comprehensive way by addressing all of the green repairs at once. Over the past two years, RTT has created a neighborhood approach to better serve whole neighborhoods, increasing the impact of their services on the neighborhood and conserving resources. They then move to other neighborhoods and serve qualifying candidates in that neighborhood. This approach creates a true community impact where improvements to multiple homes in a neighborhood help to revitalize the area. In addition, this approach decreases administrative and project costs and allows RTT to consolidate efforts, resources, and volunteers. RTT seeks to continue to expand and improve its energy efficiency program to help more homeowners live in safe and healthy homes.
Amanda Walz is the program manager for Green Housing and Government Relations at Rebuilding Together’s national headquarters in Washington, D.C.
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Celebrate St Patrick’s Day by making these delicious potato cakes which take just 10 minutes to make and are a great way to use up leftover cooked potatoes. They are as popular in this house as pancakes – delicious on their own or as part of a traditional Irish breakfast. This is what I call real fast food and I bet you have all the ingredients in your kitchen right now! The recipe that comes from a book that my mother had when she was in secondary school back in the 1950s called ‘All in the Cooking’. The pages are faded and falling out and unlike cookery books today there isn’t a single picture in it.
Makes 8 potato cakes Time: 5 mins preparation / 5-10 mins cooking
225g / 8oz cooked potatoes
15g / ½ oz butter (melted)
60g / 2oz plain flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Clarified butter* for cooking
How to make them
- Sieve the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl
- Sieve the cooked potatoes into the same bowl
- Add the melted butter
- Mix to a smooth dough
- Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth
- Roll out the dough with a rolling pin to a thickness of a ½ centimetre
- Cut into triangles (cut the circle of dough in half and then each semi-circle into triangles)
- Heat the clarified butter in a non-stick frying pan
- Add the potato cakes (4 at a time) and fry until golden on one side. turnover and fry gently on the other side.
- Add some more butter and repeat with the other 4 potato cakes.
*Clarified butter doesn’t burn which makes it much easier to cook with. Just melt some butter in the microwave and use the clear liquid (the whey will sink to the bottom and can be discarded)
Kickstart your day with this super breakfast, a perfect combination of goodness and taste which will keep you going right through until lunchtime. When my daughter was doing her Leaving Cert recently she often asked me to make this for her particularly on days where she had 2 exams. Now the exams are over and I have shown her how to make it she could not believe how simple it was. It is made the night before so the oats have time to steep in the milk, use a bowl if you are going to eat it at home the next morning or use a portable container to ‘grab & go’ if you want to bring it with you say going to work the next day. Traditional hot porridge is just not appealing during the Summer – this version is so much nicer. When I make it I don’t actually measure anything anymore and sometimes I use blueberries instead of raspberries or use a mixture of both. The ‘recipe’ (if you could call it that!)is adapted from one I saw originally in Derval O’Rourke’s book ‘The Fit Foodie’. Continue reading
I just love my breakfast, always have, it’s one meal I never ever skip. I love to vary my breakfasts too so in any week I could have poached eggs, bacon & mushrooms (usually after my morning swim), scrambled eggs (with spinach or smoked salmon), porridge with fruit. At the weekend though I look forward to something even tastier. If I happen to have a ripe avocado I will have smashed avocado on sourdough toast with a poached egg and / or chorizo or a real treat for me is this delicious granola with Greek yogurt and fruit. It is so easy to make (you don’t need any cooking skills whatsoever) – basically toss all the dry ingredients (nuts, seeds & desiccated coconut) with olive oil and honey and bake in the oven for 20/30 minutes. Continue reading
You know when you come home, hungry (in my case usually ‘hangry’!) and need food fast, well instead of dialling your local takeaway this is the perfect answer and will be on your table even faster. Tasty, quick, healthy and satisfying. I made this one with asparagus, bacon pieces and finished it with some rocket but once you have eggs in stock you can just use whatever ingredients you have e.g. chorizo, cheddar, parma ham, sausage etc etc. It is a great way to use up leftovers too.
Make sure you use a non-stick pan – I always keep one purely for omelettes, pancakes etc. Otherwise you may be scraping your dinner out of the pan!
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
250g or 1 bundle of asparagus tips
75g of bacon pieces
4 large eggs
50g parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbsp chopped chives
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
- Cook the asparagus in a pan of simmering salted water or steam over boiling water
- Remove after 5 mins (they need to be tender and still bright green)
- Drain, run under a cold tap and cut into pieces (approx. 1 inch)
- Heat the frying pan and cook the bacon pieces for 3 to 4 minutes (no additional oil may be needed)
- Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl, add the asparagus, parmesan and chives, stirring well.
- Season with salt & pepper
- Pour the egg mixture into the pan and cook gently for 3 minutes, drawing back the edges with a wooden spatula and tipping the runny egg over the edge to help it set.
- Cook over a gentle heat for 5 minutes and then place under a pre-heated grill, cooking for 2 minutes or until the top is set and lightly golden.
- Remove and serve. Enjoy!
If you haven’t tried quinoa before I urge you to buy some this weekend and include it in your diet from now on. Quinoa is a great source of protein, fibre and is rich in minerals, B-vitamins and vitamin E. It cooks in 15 minutes and is also wheat-free, gluten-free and contains anti-inflammatory compounds. I am a big fan because it is so versatile, adds protein and substance to salads to make them more filling and satisfying (fuller for longer!) plus it’s a keeper i.e. cooked quinoa keeps in the fridge for 2-3 days. It doesn’t have a huge amount of flavour in itself(same as pasta or rice) but has a nice nutty flavour and fluffy texture. This quick lunch was made from some left-over white quinoa to which I piled on some beautiful Irish organic smoked salmon and a soft boiled egg. This would also make a great breakfast. It was topped off with some of my homemade mayonnaise (see previous post) to which I added some chopped dill. You will also find another recipe using quinoa in a previous post – Butternut Squash & Quinoa salad.
Wondering what to have for a lazy breakfast this weekend ? Why not treat yourself and try these easy to make pancakes. These are a real favourite in our house for breakfast, lunch / brunch, we love them too with Bucks Fizz on Christmas morning every year. They are quick and much easier to make than the thin traditional pancakes and I bet that once you master these you may never bother with the thin more labour intensive pancakes. These are easy for kids to make too – not a bad rainy day activity? They are wonderfully versatile… you can serve them with crispy bacon & maple syrup, a squeeze of lemon & some sugar or your own favourite toppings e.g. golden syrup, chocolate spread, raspberry jam etc. You do need to have a reasonably good non-stick pan that you use only for making pancakes and / or omelettes. The recipe will make approx. 20 pancakes but the mixture will keep overnight in the fridge, if you don’t want to make them all at once or rather eat them all at once! One thing guaranteed is that whatever number you make, they will all be eaten! Continue reading |
What to Consider When Buying a Garden Tiller
Years ago, gardeners prepared their soil for planting with hand-driven plows. These products are still available today, but many gardeners have opted for motor-powered tillers instead. A tiller isn't absolutely necessary for a productive garden, and overtilling can actually damage the soil. Yet, tillers make quick work of turning over hard soil, making furrows or preparing annual vegetable garden beds. When choosing a tiller, opt for a well-known brand backed by at least a one-year warranty.
The type of tiller you buy depends mostly on the size of your yard and your intended use. For small gardens less than 1,500 square feet, you can get away with a mini-tiller, sometimes called a cultivator. For a medium-size garden, you probably need a mid-size tiller with a 5-horsepower engine. For gardens larger than 5,000 square feet, you'll want a heavy-duty tiller with at least a 6-horsepower engine.
How you plan to use the tiller also dictates the type of machine you need. If you need to break up heavy, clay soil for new beds, consider buying or renting a big machine. Heavy-duty tillers often come with attachments, such as wood chippers or wagons. They're ideal for the person who has a large yard and many projects. Medium-size tillers work well for breaking up loam or sandy soils and for yearly garden maintenance. Small tillers work well for preparing established beds. Many small tillers have attachments like cultivators to weed the garden or lawn edgers. Some small models are surprisingly powerful.
Weight and Maneuverability
Consider the tiller's ease of use. If you're a small woman, wrangling a 200-pound tiller won't be pleasant. Many large tillers are cumbersome and awkward to turn or maneuver. On the other hand, they dig into hard, clay soil better than lightweight tillers, which tend to bounce off these surfaces. Medium-sized tillers usually weigh between 100 and 200 pounds, while small tillers weigh between 30 and 100 pounds. These tillers can be picked up and turned around with ease.
When you start shopping for tillers, you'll hear a lot of talk about front-tine, rear-tine and counter rotating-tine tillers. Front-tine tillers place the tines at the front of the machine with the wheels in the back. The challenge with these tillers is that the wheels run over your freshly tilled earth, compacting it down. Rear-tine tillers place the tines in the back with the wheels in the front, eliminating the problem of compaction. Counter-rotating machines have tines that go in opposite directions. All have their potential benefits and drawbacks, but most of the machines currently on the market have rear-tines.
The type of fuel tillers use varies, depending on the size of the machine and manufacturer. Two-cycle engines need a mixture of oil and gasoline, which can be a bit of a hassle. Four-cycle engines use unleaded gas, eliminating the need for mixing fuels. Several electric mini-tillers are available. Just plug them in and they go. These machines aren't always as powerful as gasoline-powered machines, but they're quiet, simple and reliable.
Julie Christensen is a food writer, caterer, and mom-chef. She's the creator of MarmaladeMom.org, dedicated to family fun and delicious food, and released a book titled "More Than Pot Roast: Fast, Fresh Slow Cooker Recipes." |
Synopsis from Edelweiss:
It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.
“Wild nights are my glory,” the unearthly stranger told them. “I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I’ll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract.” A tesseract (in case the reader doesn’t know) is a wrinkle in time. To tell more would rob the reader of the enjoyment of Miss L’Engle’s unusual book.
A Wrinkle in Time, winner of the Newbery Medal in 1963, is the story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O’Keefe (athlete, student, and one of the most popular boys in high school). They are in search of Meg’s father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem.
About: A Wrinkle in Time is a children’s science fiction written by Madeleine L’Engle. It was published on 3/15/1973 by Yearling Books, paperback, 211 pages. The genres are children’s, science fiction, and fantasy. This book is intended for readers ages 10 to 14. This book belongs to a series of 5 books: book 1 is called A Wrinkle in Time, book 2 is called A Wind in the Door, book 3 is called A Swiftly Tilting Planet, book 4 is called Many Waters, and book 5 is called An Acceptable Time. Please see below for more information about the author.
My Experience: I started reading A Wrinkle in Time on 3/13/18 and finished it on 3/16/18. This book is fantastic! I love the characters! They all have unique personalities. I like the twin’s good sense of humor. I like their easy going intelligent parents and the oddities of Meg and Charles Wallace. I like that despite the characters being super smart, that they seem to have a disability in others. Charles Wallace is a genius but he didn’t speak until he was 4 years old. Meg is excellent at math but she is a trouble student at school. It’s a good reminder that even geniuses are still not perfect. I read this book to watch the remake of A Wrinkle in Time. I have seen the old version of the movie years ago and some events came back to me as I read this book.
This book is told in the third person point of view following Margaret (Meg) Murry as she experiences one of the lowest days of her life. Her grades are suffering, the mean girls at school are saying she’s acting like a baby, and she has gotten herself into a fight to protect her youngest brother, Charles Wallace though her middle twin brothers, Sandy and Dennys weren’t appreciative of her efforts. Now the storm is scaring her. The storm brought in one of their new strange neighbors, Mrs. Whatsit. To Meg and her mom’s surprise, Charles Wallace already gotten acquainted with the new neighbor. Mrs. Whatsit said a tesseract is real and it brought on a whole new adventure for Meg and Charles Wallace. This adventure involves rescuing their father, a renowned physicist. With the help of Mrs. Whatsit and her two friends Mrs.Which and Mrs. Who and Meg’s classmate, Calvin, they were able to travel by tesser to far away planets.
A well written story, this book is full of adventures and wholesome characters for readers. I love the illustrations in this book that explains how traveling through tesser works. I like the mathematical references and the mentioning of Einstein. I like how Meg’s dad spent time to teach Meg math shortcuts and the periodic table of elements. I like Charles Wallace and his interest in higher learning at such a young age. I like the glimpse of Camazotz’s citizens, how everyone doing the same thing in a rhythmic motion. This book has a good family dynamic and the curiosity of the mind and I highly recommend everyone to read this book!
Pro: fast paced, page turner, easy to read, family oriented, other planets,
I rate it 5 stars!
Buy it here for free shipping: Book Depository
About the Author:
Madeleine L’Engle (1918-2007) was born in New York City and attended Smith College. She wrote more than 60 books, the most famous of which is A Wrinkle In Time (1962), winner of the Newbery Award in 1963. L’Engle continued the story of the Murry family from A Wrinkle In Time with seven other novels (five of which are available as A Wrinkle In Time Quintent from Square Fish). She also wrote the famous series featuring the Austin family, beginning with the novel Meet The Austins (1960). L’Engle revisited the Austins four more times over the next three decades, concluding with Troubling a Star in 1994. The story of the Austins had some autobiographical elements, mirroring Madeleine’s life and the life of her family. Madeleine L’Engle’s last book, The Joys of Love, is a romantic, coming-of-age story she wrote back in the 1940s, and is being published by FSG.
***Disclaimer: I borrowed this book from my local public library and my opinions are honest. |
The Care Inspectorate inspect childminders using the eight wellbeing indicators within the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) framework.
This course is designed to help you understand the importance of the self-assessment process and how to keep yourself prepared for inspection by continually updating the information you provide. It aims to familiarise childminders with the process of self-assessment, the inspection methodology and the types of evidence required.
This course aims to give childminders the support needed to:
- Monitor the quality of care you give children.
- Confirm good practice and identify poor practice to make sure this improves.
- Provide information about the quality of care to the public.
Key learning during this course includes understanding and explaining:
- The role and functions of the Care Inspectorate.
- The legal requirements you must follow as a childminder.
- The National Health and Social Care Standards and what you do to ensure you meet these.
- What policies and procedures you must have available as a childminder.
- How to keep up to date with changes in legislation and keep information related to this up to date.
- The evidence to be provided for Inspectors and how this informs the grading process.
- How to involve children and parents/carers in the self-evaluation/self-assessment of a childminding service.
When you have completed this course, your core knowledge and understanding will include:
- The role and range of quality assurance systems for Early Learning and Childcare services.
- Key roles and responsibilities in relation to delivering quality assurance systems and resources that may be necessary to implement such a system.
- Key policies, practices and procedures which will ensure a quality childcare service and meet the requirements of quality assurance systems.
- Why it is important to have a timed plan for reviewing quality assurance and implementing any changes.
- Roles and functions of the Care Inspectorate and the Care Inspectorate Self-Assessment process.
- Relevant Scottish Government legislation, frameworks and guidance in relation to Early Learning and Childcare.
Training Provider Overview
We help childminders build on their Continuous Professional Learning. This includes interactive learning courses, e-Learning courses and access to webinars, network meetings, conferences and complimentary courses Taking part in these opportunities enables childminders to take responsibility for both their professional development and that of their childminding service – focusing on children, to help them achieve their full potential. We actively encourage childminders to take the opportunity to build on their knowledge, skills and professional growth throughout their career. SCMA is proud to be a SQA Approved Centre, which means that in addition to providing our own, bespoke learning opportunities, the Learn with SCMA team can also deliver SQA qualifications. The SQA qualification that we currently deliver is the Complete Childminding Learning Pathway - a Work Based Award, which is credit rated at Level 7 on the Scottish Credit Qualifications Framework (SCQF).
Training Provider Contact Details
SCMA are commited to ensuring that on-going quality improvement is an integral part of our organisation. The Learn with SCMA team aims for continuous improvement in the quality of all aspects of its work as part of its determination to help Learners achieve the highest possible standards.
Our Quality Assurance Policy is in place to ensure such continuous improvement through a process of self-evaluation and action planning. The Quality Assurance Policy and associated procedures involves all employees, Learners and collaborative partners such as the Care Inspectorate (CI), Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and Skills Development Scotland (SDS). The quality assurance policy is managed through the existing organisational structure. The quality assurance procedures are founded in a process of regular self-evaluation by teams and internal and external audits and observations, in addition to Learner feedback and local training needs. |
The house is typical Gothic Revival or Carpenter Revival with the pitch of the roof and gable with steep pitch-label moldings under the shutters. Original off-center front and 6/6 windows with original muntins are still present. The foundation is cut and tooled sandstone.
Samuel Bediant (sometimes spelled Bedient) was a machinist and inventor of an agricultural locomotive used for threshing. The locomotive, built in his machine shop on this property, could be driven from farm field to farm field. Maps at the Hudson Library and Historical Society show there were two brick schoolhouses on the property. Information as to how the board of education acquired this lot was unattainable, but tax records of 1868 show Bediant had purchased the property. One brick building was torn down and the other was the machine shop. |
Stone shares her expertise on the lifestyle of a Lakota woman from birth to death.
As a descendant of Chief Iron Shell, a peace chief of the Rosebud Sioux, Stone shares her expertise on the lifestyle of a Lakota woman from birth to death. She describes changes that have come about in modern times, contrasting the contemporary lifestyles of Lakota women with past traditions. The degree to which Lakota women lead lives separately and distinctly from men in their tribe is discussed, and variations of practices that can be found among women in the tribe are described. Stone’s intimate knowledge of her Rosebud Sioux people and their ceremonies, her native attire and artifacts make this a rich and unique experience for young people. |
Since the introduction of Bitcoin, blockchain technology has grown in leaps and bounds. Blockchain has allowed not only cryptocurrencies to flourish, but has opened other traditional sectors such as financial services to exploit the technology
Afrolis is a peer-to-peer crypto currency backed with precious metals for the African Geo-sphere. Creation and transfer of coins is based on an open source cryptographic protocol and is not managed by any central authority. Afrolis is a speculative coin that is traded against other cryptocurrencies on exchanges according to market forces.
Afrolis is more than just a crypto currency; it is a key to the African crypto market.
It offers blockchain wallets, crypto-fiat currency exchanges, crypto currency exchanges, Crypto ATM initiative within the African market.
All these services interact with each other and produce commissions as a result, which Will be distributed to the traded pairs on listed. |
Washington, DC - Pursuant to the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 (the CBW Act), the United States has decided to impose a second round of sanctions on the Russian Federation over its use of a “novichok” nerve agent in the attack against Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia Skripal in the United Kingdom on March 4, 2018. These sanctions will include the following:
- The United States will oppose the extension of any loan or financial or technical assistance to Russia by international financial institutions, such as the World Bank or International Monetary Fund.
- U.S. banks will be prohibited from participating in the primary market for non-ruble denominated bonds issued by the Russian sovereign and lending non-ruble denominated funds to the Russian sovereign.
- Licenses for exports to Russia of dual-use chemical and biological items controlled by the Department of Commerce will be subject to a “presumption of denial” policy.
These sanctions will restrict Russia’s access to the multilateral development bank system, the U.S. market for primary issuances of non-ruble denominated Russian sovereign debt, non-ruble denominated debt financing, and U.S.-origin items that are strategically important to Russia’s chemical and biological weapons program. These measures could curtail Russia’s access to billions of dollars of bilateral commercial activity with the United States.
Duration and Conditions for Removal
The sanctions will take effect following the publication of a Federal Register notice expected on or around August 19, 2019, and they will remain in place for a minimum of 12 months. The sanctions can only be lifted after this 12-month period if the Executive Branch determines and certifies to the Congress that Russia has met several conditions described in the CBW Act [22 U.S.C. 5605(c)], including providing reliable assurances that (1) it is not making preparations to use chemical weapons; (2) it has provided assurances it will not use chemical weapons in the future; (3) it has allowed international inspectors to verify those assurances; and (4) it has paid restitution to the victims of the Salisbury attack.
The United States government has determined that it is essential to U.S. national security interests to partially waive the restrictions on bank loans and exports.
BANK LOANS: The restriction on bank loans will be waived in all respects except that the authority of the Executive Order of August 1, 2019, shall be used by the Department of the Treasury to prohibit U.S. banks from: (1) participating in the primary market for non-ruble denominated bonds issued by the Russian sovereign after the date that sanctions take effect; and (2) lending non-ruble denominated funds to the Russian sovereign after the date the sanctions take effect.
EXPORT RESTRICTIONS: The additional export restrictions will only apply to items controlled by the Department of Commerce for chemical and biological weapons (CB) proliferation reasons. Licenses of exports of CB items to state-owned or state-funded entities in Russia will be subject to a “presumption of denial” policy.
Similar to the restrictions implemented in the first round of sanctions, exceptions to Department of Commerce export licensing requirements will continue to be available for U.S. firms fulfilling existing contracts with Russian customers. The following licenses will also continue to be considered for approval on a case-by-case basis:
- Exports needed for space flight activities, including those involving government space cooperation and commercial space launch;
- Exports needed to ensure the safe operation of commercial passenger aviation;
- Exports to commercial end-users in Russia for civil end-uses;
- Exports to wholly-owned subsidiaries of U.S. and other foreign companies in Russia; and
- Deemed export licenses for Russian nationals working in the United States.
For additional information on the financial and export restrictions, please visit the websites of the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). |
Recently, British Columbia’s marijuana laws were made official after the New Democratic Party passed them with the full support of the Green Party. However there are a few provisions in the new laws that are still too stringent for many B.C. natives and cannabis activists.
Some of the policies implemented will continue to punish cannabis users even though recreational marijuana is fully legal. We’ve highlighted some of the biggest dilemmas included in the Cannabis Control and Licensing Act and ways in which they can be resolved.
The new law stipulates that cannabis users can grow in their home but only if the plant is hidden from public view. This is extremely limiting and virtually forces the majority of home cultivators to grow indoors. The only way to grow marijuana outdoors would be if you had a backyard that was surrounded by high walls or a fence.
If marijuana can be seen from the street and it is reported to the authorities, home growers could face up to three months in jail for the first offence and six months for the second offence. British Columbia’s marijuana laws are making people hide their plants and rewarding intrusive neighbors who think they can patrol for cannabis plants. This could easily be remedied by amending the law and destigmatizing home growers who don’t have the real-estate to cultivate privately.
British Columbia’s marijuana laws also include another home cultivation deterrent by mandating that landlords must approve of a home grow. The Cannabis Control and Licensing Act actually overrules the Residential Tenancy Act which protected renters from being evicted for growing their plants. It’s understandable that many landlords might have concerns with tenants growing inside their home but to restrict them from growing in their backyards is overstepping their bounds.
The combination of having to hide your plants and seek landlord approval eliminates home cultivation for a large majority of cannabis users. The only way around these provisions is to own your own home. Everyone who wants to grow at home should be allowed to and changing this law to require approval for only indoor cultivation operations with lights will create an even playing field no matter your living situation.
One of the biggest hindrances of British Columbia’s marijuana laws is that it bans possession of ‘illicit cannabis’ which is defined as anything outside of the legal system. If someone gets busted with illicit cannabis they could face up to 3 months in jail and a maximum of a $5,000 fine. Subsequent offences will double these penalties even though marijuana is technically legal. These consequences are already on the books at the federal level so making them part of provincial law is not only redundant but irresponsible.
To worsen the matter, this law will disproportionately affect minorities and impoverished citizens who are easy targets for police on a power-trip. Whether you purchase cannabis from a marijuana dispensary or buy it from a friend, possessing ‘illicit cannabis’ will result in harsh consequences that stigmatize marijuana and it’s users. B.C. should strike this provision from the record and let authorities at the federal level worry about illicit cannabis possession. |
Infant Male Circumcision: Healthcare Provider Knowledge and Associated Factors
journal contributionposted on 29.08.2016, 00:00 by Erin J. Starzyk, Michele A. Kelley, Rachel N. Caskey, Alan Schwartz, Joan F. Kennelly, Robert C. Bailey
Background and Objectives: The emerging science demonstrates various health benefits associated with infant male circumcision and adult male circumcision; yet rates are declining in the United States. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that healthcare providers present evidence-based risk and benefit information for infant male circumcision to parent(s) and guardian(s). The purpose of this study was to assess providers' level of infant male circumcision knowledge and to identify the associated characteristics. Methods: An online survey was administered to healthcare providers in the family medicine, obstetrics, and pediatrics medical specialties at an urban academic health center. To assess infant male circumcision knowledge, a 17 point summary score was constructed to identify level of provider knowledge within the survey. Results: Ninety-two providers completed the survey. Providers scored high for the following knowledge items: adverse event rates, protects against phimosis and urinary tract infections, and does not prevent hypospadias. Providers scored lower for items related to more recent research: protection against cervical cancer, genital ulcer disease, bacterial vaginosis, and reduction in HIV acquisition. Two models were constructed looking at (1) overall knowledge about male circumcision, and (2) knowledge about male circumcision reduction in HIV acquisition. Pediatricians demonstrated greater overall infant male circumcision knowledge, while obstetricians exhibited significantly greater knowledge for the HIV acquisition item. Conclusion: Providers' knowledge levels regarding the risks and benefits of infant male circumcision are highly variable, indicating the need for system-based educational interventions. |
PLOCK, Poland (AP) – Three human rights activists were prosecuted in Poland on Wednesday for alleged desecration and insult of religious sentiment by adding the LGBT rights movement’s rainbow symbol to posters of an honored Roman Catholic icon and publicly displaying the altered image, including on rubbish bins and mobile toilets.
Activists have said they created posters using rainbows to replace the halos in the icon of the Black Madonna and Child Jesus to protest what they saw as the hostility of Poland’s influential Catholic Church to LGBT people.
One of the defendants, Elzbieta Podlesna, said in court on Wednesday that their action in 201
The three do not deny putting the posters on walls and elsewhere around the church, but do not admit to putting stickers with the picture on trash cans and toilets. They deny wrongdoing.
Polish media identified the other defendants as Anna Prus and Joanna Gzyra-Iskandar.
Activists could face up to two years in prison if convicted of violating religious sentiment and desecrating Poland’s most revered icon, the Mother of God of Czestochowa, popularly known as the Black Madonna of Czestochowa.
The original icon has been housed in the Jasna Gora Monastery in the city of Czestochowa since the 14th century.
A group of supporters with rainbow flags and banners titled “The Rainbow Gives No Offense” gathered outside the court. A verdict was not expected on Wednesday.
Podlesna was arrested in an early morning police raid on her apartment in 2019. She was detained for several hours and questioned over the posters with the icon placed around Plock. A court later said the detention was unnecessary and ordered damages equal to the $ 2,000 awarded to her.
The case has highlighted the clash over social issues in predominantly Catholic Poland. The country’s right-wing government supports laws against insulting religious beliefs and symbols. LGBT spokesmen say the laws are being used to stifle human rights and freedom of expression. |
A Bedfordshire Field Trip: The holy wells of Bromham
I am (slowly) working through researching the Holy and healing wells of the county of Bedfordshire, a county which has never been covered in considerable detail in the topic, although Elliot Steele’s 1922 Bygone water supplies of Bedfordshire is a very good start.
Many years ago in the 1980s when I first got into the subject enlightened and enthused with Sacred Waters I aimed to try and find holy wells locally to where I lived and Bedford was a possible place. I had read brief record of a holy well associated with a medieval bridge in Bromham on the outskirts. However, I could find no more information that this but I did locate the bridge, but the OS map did not reveal a well or spring.
Stopping at one side of the bridge I was amazed to see a small gate, with 18 steps which went down to an arched well head beneath the bridge. This was a rare survival, a Holy Well that arose at the base of a medieval bridge was possibly unique despite a number being recorded in old documents. Sadly, the modernisation of these bridges over time had meant this wells were either filled in or replaced by pumps. However, here it survived.
Why was the well here? The bridge is first mentioned in 1224 when parish records show that 4 shillings was spent on repairs During the 14th and 15th Centuries a toll was collected from anyone crossing. The bridge also included a Chantry Chapel dedicated to St Mary and St Katherine and this was probably associated with the well. It is recorded that it was constructed for the ‘safety of travellers who were in danger from thieves’. The chapel survived until the Reformation in the sixteenth century which spared the well. However the question is was the well there before the chapel or did it capitalise on the popularity of the spring. . The well itself is little recorded but was frequented by those seeking cures although more recently was used as a water supply for the village. The current bridge, now 26 arches, was built in 1813 and unlike other rebuilds respected the spring which was there. The Bromham walk guide notes that the steps and stone arch were built when the road was widened in 1902. It records that:
“As late as the 1950s the well was easily accessed and often photographed but today it’s overgrown and easy to miss! Although at first glance there’s not much to see, its a good example of how a small feature in the landscape can tell a bigger story of the history and geography of our landscapes.”
The site on the drive to Bromham mill is long overdue a tidy up and repairing as can be seen by the photos taken in the 1980s and in 2018.
Two mineral springs are recorded in the parish one near Webb Lane and another in Grange Lane the later having a stone-arched head and formerly had steps from the road; its water had a depth of seven feet. Steele (1922) notes that it is now enclosed on private land and I have been unable to locate whether it has survived.
What has survived is the Grove spring. arises in a small wood bearing its name. It is enclosed in a stone arch and fills a channel. Until 2005 the well was ruined and was restored. It is to be said have had curative properties and was cleared in 1872/8 by Lord Hampden for healing fresh wounds.
It is said that the water was once much sought after for its purity and was fetched with ‘bucket and yoke’ by the villagers. Tradition has it that the water of Grove Spring in Bromham Park has healing powers for sore eyes and sprains. It was derelict for a number of years and was restored appearing similar to that shown in Steele Elliott’s photo as can be seen in the 2018. Each year in September in a festival associated with the church candles are lit around the well which is one of the days access through the wood to it is allowed.
Posted on May 19, 2019, in Bedfordshire, Gazatteer, Spa, Well hunting and tagged antiquarian, Bedfordshire; Grove Spring, Holy well blog, holy wells, Holy wells blog, Holy wells healing springs Spas folklore local history antiquarian, Holywell blog, legends, Local history, spa, spa blog, spas, water lore. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment. |
Strasser, et al. 2012 (†590)Stasser, Carly, Robert Cook, William Michener, and Amber Budden. Primer on Data Management: What you always wanted to know (California Digital Library, 2012).
- data management (p. 1): The goal of data management is to produce self-describing data sets. (†1344)
- provenance (p. 11): History of a data file or data set, including collection, transformations, quality control, analyses, or editing. (†1345) |
In a little more than a week Christians around the world will reflect, remember, and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As we prepare for the celebration lets go back in time 3½ millennia to the time of the Exodus. Imagine being an ancient Hebrew/Jew in bondage and captivity under the Pharaoh of Egypt. God’s chosen people are slaves with no way out. They are forced to perform hard labor under some of the most horrible circumstances. They call out to God. They wanted to be delivered/redeemed/saved from this horrible life. God promised their patriarchs that they would have a land flowing with milk and honey. This sure wasn’t the place. As most of you know God prepares and sends a deliverer (a savior) in the person of Moses. If there was more time we could go into the events of Moses life and the parallels and symbolism of other sections of scripture. Moses definitely had some challenges along the way. Didn’t always get it right, would be one way to say it. After being prepared, Moses goes to Pharaoh and delivers God’s message (at least part of the time). Pharaoh doesn’t listen and continues to harden his heart. God then sends the ten plagues, but this is where I want to stop. Specifically at the institution of the Passover.
In Exodus 12:1-14 it says
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.
Let us look at the text a little further.
1. We see the establishment of the Jewish calendar
2. A lamb will be sacrificed (God is very detailed in how this is to be done)
3. Blood must be applied to the doorway (Blood is life. Sin and death need to be dealt with.)
4. They have a meal (doesn’t sound very tasty).
5. They were to be clothed at night, WHY?
6. No blood, the destroyer would come (Who’s the destroyer?)
7. From this day forward it will be a memorial (of what?)
God is always specific about His expectations of us. It isn’t like He leaves us uninformed or withholds anything. I do appreciate that myself. God is very black and white when it comes down to it. When we don’t do it God’s way the path always leads to destruction. Have you ever pondered how many animals were sacrificed under the sacrificial system? (Easily in the millions) Have ever considered why the meal was prepared the way it was? They didn’t gut it or clean it. It was thrown on the fire whole. They ate it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. I believe it was for a couple reasons. First, time was of the essence. They didn’t have time to gut and clean it. They didn’t have time for the yeast to rise. Why not? (Because they were going somewhere and very soon) They were going to be delivered from their bondage. God had sent the savior and they were going to be leaving in a hurry. The second thing is God wanted them to remember. They ate bitter herbs to remember how bitter it was in captivity and bondage and to also remember how God had delivered them from it.
Moses and a Lamb pull quoteWhy were they supposed to be clothed, sandals on, and ready with their staff? Once again, because they were going somewhere and in a hurry. God was there to deliver them and they were going to be forced to leave in haste (Ex. 12:33). There is always a reason God tells us to do something. Even if we don’t know why, there is a reason. So who is the destroyer? There are a couple of options. Is it God, an Angel, a demon, or Satan? I would make the argument for Satan. We know from Job 1 that Satan, angels, and demons all presented themselves before God. Also in Hebrews 2:14 it says. “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.” Scripture does teach that Satan had the power of death. I believe the death angel/destroyer was in fact Satan, you may disagree with me.
The memorial was of God delivering them from bondage, slavery, and captivity. How different are we than the ancient Hebrews? Are we not slaves to sin and death and held in captivity? Don’t we need a redeemer/Savior? The only difference was that as believers the savior and sacrifice are one in the same. Moses and a lamb were the savior and sacrifice to the ancient Hebrews. Jesus is ours.
As we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, may we not forget that there are billions of people enslaved and in bondage to sin and death. Jesus holds the keys (Rev. 1:18). He is the propitiation of our sins (1 John 2:2) and has imputed us with His righteousness. |
What a week. Every week, every day, T provides a new outrage. This week, we all saw T fail to hold Putin accountable for hacking into Democratic and Republican computers and emails and the computer systems of state electoral boards. He also sided with Russia against U. S. intelligence assessments. He basically colluded in public with Russia. Yet, the GOP, after a few harsh words early in the week, by the end they let it all slide.
How did politics in the US get so bad? What role did economic manipulation play in the increasing divisiveness in the U. S. since the early 1990s or before? Institutional racism, sexism, anti-semitism, etc. played a huge role, but I need to center for the moment on economics or my head and heart will spin ⎼ too much information for me to digest.
Why are Democrats seemingly so ineffectual and the GOP so ready to support whatever T does, even when he puts Russia before US interests, dictatorship before Democracy? Why does the GOP walk so much in lockstep, ready to stomp on the humanity, rights, health care and income of so many in the middle and lower classes?
And the goose or lock stepping of the GOP is not just an example of politicians afraid of their base or afraid of losing their position, as many in the centrist media portray it. The base of the GOP itself is something relatively new in US politics, even though it has been developing for years. Since Reagan, the GOP has become increasingly intransigent and devoted to only one small group of people—the white super-rich. T is also something relatively new, but he is a poison in a garden that was already laid waste by politicians unable and unwilling to halt the pressure by the super-rich to undermine any restraints on their power.
One book I’ve been reading to help me gain some clarity is Billionaire Democracy: The Hijacking of the American Political System by economist George Tyler. This is an important book to read. It talks not only about how democracy has been hijacked, but how to take it back. In 1980, according to Tyler, the richest 0.1% contributed less than 10% of all campaign contributions. By 2012, their share increased to 44%. In 2016, it increased to about 66% of contributions to Congressional candidates.
Along with this trend in political contributions is a trend many have noted in wealth controlled by the top 1%. In the 1920s, before the depression, the top 1% owned 44.2% of the wealth. During the depression, and even more, during the war, the taxes on the rich were raised to 94% for top earners, and the percentage of wealth owned by the rich by 1945 was down to 29.8%. By 1979, the percentage owned by the 1% was down to only 20%. Thanks to Reagan, the percentage of wealth owned by the super-rich went up. By 2013, the top 1% owned 36.7% of US wealth. The top 20% of the US population in terms of wealth owned 89%, leaving only 11% for the remaining 80% of people. In 2017, the top 1% owned 42.8%. It has been increasing by 6% annually since the mid-2000s. (See my chart on the last page.) And the GOP tax cut is only making income inequality worse.
America’s wealthiest 20 people own more wealth than the bottom half the population, own more than 152,000,000 people combined. Among the Forbes 444, only 2 are African-American.
Tyler analyzes how the super-rich used their wealth to buy a political party. They went about this from several directions. They first chose a party that had favored the super-rich since the Gilded Age and the Robber Barons. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, in the primary season for the 2016 presidential election, nearly half of all political contributions came from about 158 families. 158 families! 87% went to the GOP.
Second, Tyler explains how the party “culled” most of its more moderate members from their ranks or leadership positions. They culled those who would actually work with Democrats, or support Medicare, capital gains taxes, public schools, or work to limit soft money donations, etc. For example, former Senator Olympia Snowe was a moderate Republican from Maine. She was booed in the Republican convention in Bangor because of her history of cooperating with Democrats. Soon after that, she stopped her bid for reelection. (A similar thing occurred with U. S. Rep. Mark Sanford, who was a critic of Mr. T and lost his bid to run again for Congress after T tweeted his support to Sanford’s challenger.)
Third, the super-rich bought a movement, the Tea Party. When the Tea Party was just getting organized in 2009, wealthy donors like the tobacco industry and the Koch brothers helped finance their meetings, conventions and advertising, yet so many of their members had no idea this was happening.
Fourth, Tyler clarifies how the rich bought media outlets and continue to do so today. The Tea Party movement was created not only with the money of the wealthy but by their control of the media. Rupert Murdoch, for example, bought Fox news and turned it into the propaganda outlet of the rich and right-wing. The super-rich funded media that spread an anti-government, anti-tax, anti-any-social-program that actually was helpful to the lives of most Americans.
The rules obliging the broadcast media to provide factual reporting (called the Fairness Doctrine, spelled out in 1947) were undone in 1987 by Reagan. As Tyler put it, “since Ronald Reagan…broadcasters have abandoned objectivity in favor of an afactual, partisan din. Fables foisted as reality have become commonplace…” (p. 193) The Trumpian attack on facts and truth has been developing for decades.
In Federalist 68, Alexander Hamilton warned of “cabal, intrigue, and corruption… chiefly from the desire in foreign powers to gain an improper ascendant in our councils. How could they better gratify this, than by raising a creature of their own to the chief magistracy of the union…?” Hamilton greatly feared a misinformed citizenry. His fears were eerily actualized in the Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. In fact, as Tyler puts it, the GOP strategy was to undermine exactly what the framers meant to preserve. They “demonize[d] the fact-based information industry central to the framer’s vision of a democracy sustained by an informed electorate.”
Fifth, the super-rich went after the legal system, including the Supreme Court. They used the concept of the personhood of a corporation to advance their agenda and diminish governmental restrictions on their power. This concept was nowhere to be found in discussions by the Founding Fathers and was nowhere mentioned in the history of the court prior to the 1880s.
According to Tyler, in the 1880s Roscoe Conklin, a lawyer representing a railroad baron, introduced the idea that the 14thamendment was passed not only to protect the civil rights of African-American males but also protect corporations from government interference. Conklin argued for this idea despite the total lack of any evidence for it. There were no records of it being mentioned in any of the discussions that led to the passage of the 14thAmendment in 1867. In 1886, his fabricated doctrine helped win a case protecting the railroads from “bothersome” taxes levied by the county of Santa Clara on the railroads. It has been used since to protect the rich from the rest of us.
The founding fathers, explained Tyler, distrusted big corporations and thought contributing to a political campaign was a way to buy a politician. It was, thus, a criminal act. Vote buying undermined the integrity of voting. This criminality became legally protected by the Citizens United Supreme Court decision of 2010, which synthesized two evils. It not only reinforced the personhood of corporations. It released corporations and the super-rich from most restrictions on the buying of politicians. It said that corporations, like people, have the right of free speech. And making political contributions was a form of protected speech, not to be restricted.
The whole idea that a corporation should be considered a person is ludicrous. Corporations were never given the vote, don’t give birth, don’t shake hands or die, except metaphorically. The rich who own and manage corporations already have a vote and a voice, if they are citizens. Why give them what amounts to two or thousands of votes? The constitutional guarantee of free speech refers to guarding the content of speech, not its volume.
Apparently, most Americans know that the rich have too much influence on the government. According to the Public Religion Research Institute, in 2015, 79% of Americans (63% of Republicans) said our economic system unfairly favors the rich. A similar view is held about the government. And the support shown to Bernie Sanders in 2016 (and maybe even to T himself) seems to confirm this.
Taxing the rich is one traditional way to exercise a little control over how wealthy the wealthy can be. It is not socialism, but is how the U. S. financed a winning strategy in World War II. It is how, in the 1950s and 1960s, we experienced the greatest growth of the middle class in our history. From the 1940s to 1980s, the highest earners paid more than double what they do now in taxes. In fact, from the 1940s to 1960s, the highest tax bracket was around 90%. Reagan’s first tax cut lowered the top tax rate from 70% to 50%; in 1989, it was down to 28%. Since then, the rates have gone slightly up and down, down especially with the latest GOP tax cut to the super-rich. (See below.)
Meanwhile, today, most of us pay in real taxes about 25% of income, which includes property, sales and other taxes, not only income tax. This puts the US at the lowest tax levels of all nations except for Korea, Chile, and Mexico.
So, when we think about how to take back or create democracy, we have to keep in mind who really constitutes the base of the GOP and T. We have to find a way to lessen the influence and control of the super-rich over public policy and all our lives.
And we have to find out how Russia fits into the plans and manipulations of the super-rich.
Chart Showing How Increasing Taxes Lowers Income Inequality (Compiled from different sources.)
||% of wealth controlled by the top 1%
||Income tax rates for the wealthiest of us
||37.2 – 38.1
||28 – 39.6%
||Estimate: 45.3% (6% increase per year since 2008) |
ʿUmrah from Tanʿīm is not an innovation
I understand that whilst residing in the blessed city of Makkah, performing as many Ṭawāf is more virtuous than performing ʿUmrah. However, is it permissible to perform ʿUmrah if someone decides to do so? Many people visit Tanʿīm, also known as Masjid ʿĀʾishah, and put on Iḥrām from here for ʿUmrah. I have heard some people say this is an innovation and must be avoided. Please clarify the matter.
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
It is incorrect to suggest that entering into Iḥrām at Tanʿīm or any other place outside of Ḥaram (the sanctified area) and performing ʿUmrah is an innovation. This is because the Prophet ﷺ instructed the mother of believers ʿĀʾishah (d. 58/678) (may Allah be pleased with her) to enter into the state of Iḥrām from Tanʿīm and perform ʿUmrah. Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī (d. 852/1449) suggests that this instruction alone is sufficient to establish the practice of ʿUmrah from Tanʿīm and refutes the assertion of Ḥāfiẓ Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 751/1350) who suggests otherwise. Further, he cites a narration from Imam Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn (d. 110/729) who said, “It has reached us that the Prophet ﷺ fixed Tanʿīm for the people of Makkah.” He also cites a narration narrated by Imam Fākihī (d. 272-9/885-92) from ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ (d. 114/732) who said, “Whoever intends to perform ʿUmrah from the people of Makkah or otherwise should exit [the Ḥaram] to Tanʿīm or Jiʿirrānah and enter into Iḥrām from there. More virtuous than this is to proceed to one of the Mīqāt.”
Furthermore, ʿAllāmah Kirmānī (d. 786/1384), Ḥāfiẓ Badr al-Dīn al-ʿAynī (d. 855/1451) and ʿAllāmah Qasṭalānī (d. 923/1517) suggest that the words of the narration of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: “Then both of you finish” indicate that ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Bakr (d. 53/673-4) (may Allah be pleased with him) who accompanied his sister ʿĀʾishah (d. 58/678) (may Allah be pleased with her) also performed ʿUmrah.
Our respected teacher Muḥaddith al-ʿAṣr Shaykh Muḥammad Yūnus Jownpūrī (b. 1355/1936 – ) explains that ḥadīth scholars such as Imam Bukhārī (d. 256/870) and Imam Tirmidhī (d. 279/892) have included a chapter regarding ʿUmrah from Tanʿīm in their books. If ʿUmrah from Tanʿīm was an innovation, these masters of ḥadīth would not have established this chapter. It is true that ʿĀʾishah (d. 58/678) (may Allah be pleased with her) performed ʿUmrah from Tanʿīm due to her excuse [of being unable to perform ʿUmrah due to menstruation and her subsequent grief]. However, she would later in her life perform Hajj and thereafter exit Makkah and enter into Iḥrām and perform ʿUmrah. This is mentioned in the narration of Muwaṭṭāʾ Mālik. Shaykh Muḥammad Yūnus Jownpūrī further suggests that ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) had an excuse when she performed ʿUmrah with the Prophet ﷺ. However, this excuse was not permanent. Indeed, after this, her action of exiting Makkah and returning in the state of Iḥrām and performing ʿUmrah is evidence of permissibility. If this was an innovation, she should not have performed ʿUmrah in this manner without an excuse later in her life.
In addition to this, we have already mentioned the view of several leading commentators of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī that ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Bakr (d. 53/673-4) (may Allah be pleased with him) also performed ʿUmrah from Tanʿīm whilst accompanying his sister. This also affirms that this is not an innovation.
Furthermore, in addition to Imam Bukhārī (d. 256/870) and Imam Tirmidhī (d. 279/892), other scholars who have included the chapter of ʿUmrah from Tanʿīm in their books include Imam Ibn Mājah (d. 273/887), Imam Nasāʾī (d. 303/915), Imam Abū ʿAwānah (d. 316/929) and Imam Bayhaqī (d. 458/1066). In fact, Imam Bayhaqī suggests in one place that ʿUmrah from Tanʿīm is mustaḥab (desirable). Similarly, Imam Ibn Khuzaymah (d. 311/924) has the following two chapters in his Ṣaḥīḥ: “The chapter of ʿUmrah in Dhū al-Ḥijjah from Tanʿīm for the one who has performed Hajj that year contrary to the statement of those who claim that ʿUmrah is not permissible except from the Mīqāt.” This chapter is proceeded by the following: “The chapter of mentioning the evidence for the fact that ʿUmrah from Mīqāt is more virtuous than from Tanʿīm as it requires more effort and incurs more cost.”
Furthermore, it is stated in al-Mudawwanah: “We asked Imam Mālik [d. 179/795] regarding a person who finishes from his Hajj and then intends ʿUmrah from Tanʿīm or Jiʿirrānah does he have to perform the farewell Ṭawāf? He replied: No. He further said: If he proceeds to a Mīqāt such as Juḥfah or any other Mīqāt so that he can perform ʿUmrah from there, then he should perform the farewell Ṭawāf.” This clearly indicates that according to Imam Mālik, it is permissible to perform ʿUmrah from Tanʿīm. This permissibility is also explicitly mentioned in his Muwaṭṭāʾ wherein he adds that it is preferable to enter into Iḥrām from Mīqāt.
In addition to this, Imam Ibn Abī Shaybah (d. 235/849) narrates from Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib (d. 94/712-3) who advised a person in Makkah wishing to perform ʿUmrah to enter into Iḥrām from Tanʿīm. Imam Ṭaḥāwī (d. 321/933) writes that a person in Makkah intending to perform ʿUmrah can enter into Iḥrām from anywhere in Ḥill (the area in between Ḥaram and Mīqāt) including from Tanʿīm. This has also been mentioned by Imam Nawawī (d. 676/1277). Many Ḥanafī scholars have affirmed the practice of performing ʿUmrah from Tanʿīm. They include ʿAllāmah Sarakhsī (d. ca. 490/1097), ʿAllāmah Samarqandī (d. ca. 540/1145-6), ʿAllāmah Kāsānī (d. 587/1191) and others.
It is clear from the above that performing ʿUmrah from Tanʿīm is not an innovation. It is true that it was not the general practice of the companions or the pious predecessors to regularly visit Tanʿīm and perform ʿUmrah from here. Rather, they would perform Ṭawāf in abundance. However, to label this as an innovation and to criticise those who do so is incorrect and contrary to the narrations and views of the majority of scholars.
Allah knows best
24 Rajab 1437 / 1 May 2016
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (1560, 1788).
Zād al-Maʿād (2: 89). Also see al-Inṣāf (4: 57) wherein ʿAllāmah Mardāwī (d. 885/1480) narrates from Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyah (d. 728/1328) that it is an innovation to exit Makkah for ʿUmrah for a non-obligatory ʿUmrah because this was not done by the Prophet ﷺ or the companions except ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her).
Akhbār Makkah (2839).
Fatḥ al-Bārī (3: 606). It is worth noting that Mawlānā ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Mubārakpūrī (d. 1353/1935) has cited the research of Ḥāfīẓ Ibn Ḥajar (d. 852/1149) and not critiqued it. This indicates his agreement (See Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī, 4: 3).
Al-Kawākib al-Dirārī (8: 88).
ʿUmdat al-Qārī (9: 194).
Irshād al-Sārī (3: 126).
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (1784).
Sunan al-Tirmidhī (934).
Muwaṭṭāʾ Mālik (1219).
Al-Yawāqīt al-Gāliyah (1: 308). It is worth noting that according to Imam Mālik (d. 179/795), Imam Shāfiʿī (d. 204/820) and Imam Aḥmad (d. 241/855), the ʿUmrah performed by ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was optional and not an obligatory ʿUmrah (See al-Mugnī, 3: 421; al-Majmūʿ, 7: 416; Sharḥ Ibn Baṭṭāl, 4: 230). For further information regarding this read our Fatwā titled ‘Query regarding menstruating woman unable to perform ʿUmrah due to limited stay in Saudi Arabia’ or click here to read online.
Sunan Ibn Mājah (2999).
Al-Sunan al-Kubrā (4216).
Mustakhraj Abū ʿAwānah (3180).
Al-Sunan al-Kubrā (8796).
Maʿrifah al-Sunan Wa al-Āthār (9308).
Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Khuzaymah (3025).
(1: 493).
Muwaṭṭāʾ Mālik (1265).
Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah (12940).
Sharḥ Maʿānī al-Āthār (4084).
Al-Majmūʿ (7: 205).
Al-Mabsūṭ (4: 29).
Tuḥfat al-Fuqahāʾ (1: 410).
Badāʾiʿ al-Ṣanāʾiʿ (2: 167).
Radd al-Muḥtār (2: 502); al-Mugnī (3: 220); al-Inṣāf (4: 57); Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah (15837); Akhbār Makkah (446); Majmuʿ al-Fatāwā (26: 249). |
Espresso and Coffee Health Benefits: Scientific Research
(click on any to find out more):
- Coffee drinking, including decaf, has been repeatedly found linked to lower mortality
- Coffee has been discovered to contain nutrients and antioxidants against inflammation, cancer, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s Disease
- Meta-analyses of studies have found that coffee helps in successful weight loss maintenance & reduces risk of diabetes
- Coffee drinking in moderation is healthier for weight control than soda drinks, diet drinks and not-homemade fruit juices
Coffee drinking, including decaf, has been repeatedly found linked to lower mortality
“Coffee drinking was associated with reduced risk for death from various causes. This relationship did not vary by country.”: this is the conclusion of a scientific research on coffee drinking and mortality in 10 European countries, published in July 2017 in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine (all references are at the end of this article).
Still in July 2017 the Annals of Internal Medicine also published another paper in which the authors start from the premise that coffee consumption has been associated with reduced risk for death in previous studies. Since the latter were mostly concerning white people, this study, funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute, tried to remedy that by looking at nonwhites and found similar results: an association between higher consumption of coffee and lower risk for death in African Americans, Japanese Americans and Latinos, as well as whites.
These are not the only studies. In fact, there’s a body of evidence pointing to the beneficial effects of coffee on health. Always provided, of course, as with every substance, food and drink, that it’s not taken in excessive amount. Paracelsus, who founded the science of medical chemistry, said that everything is poisonous, it only depends on the dose, a sentence also put as “the dose makes the poison” or its opposite, the non-poison, as the case may be. In addition, pregnant or nursing women should reduce or avoid caffeine, but can still get the health benefits of coffee through decaf. The best for health is to drink coffee with little or no sugar, of course.
The link with lower mortality has been repeatedly found in both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, leading to the hypothesis that this association is due not, or not only, to caffeine. In diabetes too, it is believed that other compounds in coffee, apart from caffeine, help against diabetes.
Coffee has been discovered to contain nutrients and antioxidants against inflammation, cancer, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s Disease
The mechanism of coffee’s beneficial effects are also well understood: in recent years coffee has been discovered to contain several nutrients, including antioxidants like flavonoids and other polyphenols, that are active against inflammation (a major root cause of many chronic and fatal illnesses), inhibit carcinogenicity (the development of cancer), cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and protect against Parkinson’s Disease.
This may look surprising as in the past coffee didn’t have such a good reputaton, but the reason for that, according to the Mayo Clinic, seems to be that previous research was marred by confounding factors, for example the habits not conducive to good health of some groups, like smokers or sedentary people (aka couch potatoes), who also drank much coffee. The consequences of the two groups of variables had not been effectively separated in the interpretation of studies’ results.
For a long time the presence of polyphenols had been found in coffee in vitro, namely through chemical analysis, but there was skepticism about the possibility to reach corresponding beneficial health effects in vivo, ie on human populations. The problem was believed to lie in the bioavailability of these precious compounds, meaning that, though they were in the coffee that people drank, the coffee drinkers’ bodies might not be able to metabolise and use them.
However, in more recent years the number of studies on human beings have multiplied and have generally confirmed the health benefits that the in vitro studies seemed to promise, so much so that there is an ongoing exploration to employ coffee’s beneficial substances for drugs to be used in the prevention of cancer and other diseases (specific flavonoids are chemo-preventive and cytotoxic against various cancers), and even as an effective alternative to chemotherapeutic drugs in the treatment of certain cancers, like colon cancer.
Meta-analyses of studies have found that coffee helps in successful weight loss maintenance & reduces risk of diabetes
In particular, many meta-analyses have been conducted, which scrutinise numerous different studies, selecting only the best-designed, longer-term ones, those involving a higher number of subjects and demonstrating a sound methodology. While the results of a single study cannot inspire immediate, excessive confidence, a statistical review of many selected studies can.
These have shown that coffee consumption may decrease the risk of prostate cancer; caffeine intake is related to successful weight loss maintenance; coffee and caffeine intake might significantly reduce the incidence of T2DM (Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus); both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee was associated with reduced diabetes risk; irrespective of the caffeine content, SSB (sugar-sweetened beverages) intake was associated with a higher risk of T2D ((Type 2 Diabetes), and coffee intake was associated with a lower risk of T2D; coffee and intake of caffeine might significantly reduce the incidence of EC (endometrial cancer); coffee consumption may reduce the risk of cutaneous melanoma.
Coffee drinking in moderation is healthier for weight control than soda drinks, diet drinks and not-homemade fruit juices
It’s a good idea to replace soft drinks, albeit keeping in mind that the highest recommended does of coffee per day is 3-4 cups, no more.
Soda drinks, including the diet versions and those sweetened by sugar substitutes, and even not-homemade fruit juices are not recommended by many physicians to diabetics and to people who try to lose weight. Not only sugar but also its replacements are not good for you, and fruit juices, due to their nutrient density, concentrate a great amount of the sugar occurring in fruits, fructose.
A 2013 report in Obesity Reviews, official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, titled: “Resolved: there is sufficient scientific evidence that decreasing sugar-sweetened beverage consumption will reduce the prevalence of obesity and obesity-related diseases.”
And in July 2017 the Canadian Medical Association Journal published a systematic review and meta-analysis that concluded: “Evidence from RCTs (randomized controlled trials) [which are the gold standard of testing] does not clearly support the intended benefits of nonnutritive sweeteners for weight management, and observational data suggest that routine intake of nonnutritive sweeteners may be associated with increased BMI (Body Mass Index) and cardiometabolic risk. Further research is needed to fully characterize the long-term risks and benefits of nonnutritive sweeteners. ” |
BSB41419 Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety
Previously referred to as Certificate IV in OHS, the new Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety is now considered the minimum qualification for those seeking work as a WHS Manager, Advisor or Safety Officer.
This qualification is suitable for people already working in a work health and safety (WHS) role and who may or may not work under supervision.
You may provide leadership and guidance to others and have some limited responsibility for the output of others.
In this qualification you will learn:
- Australian Standards and relevant regulations and legislation
- Risk assessment and hazard control
- WHS management systems
- WHS consultation and participation processes (identifying participants, reviewing procedures, ascertaining training needs, communicating data, developing improvement initiatives)
- WHS leadership skills
- Incident response procedures
- Assisting in incident investigations
- Managing claims and implementing rehabilitation / return-to-work programs
- Establishing, reviewing and evaluating WHS measures and initiatives
One course offers many courses of action and pathways for you. This qualification is Release 2 and is the most up-to-date qualification available.
Upon successful completion of this course, you will receive a Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety (BSB41419).
Possible job outcomes may include:
- Work Health and Safety Coordinator
- Work Health and Safety Officer
- Work Health and Safety Representative
What do I need before I start?
There are no formal prerequisite units required for entry into this course.
You will however require basic English language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) skills.
Before commencing this course, you will be required to undertake an Online LLN ASSESSMENT. If you are completing the course via an online or RPL delivery mode, you will need access to a computer with word processing, PDF reader capabilities and an internet connection.
Please be advised we are unable to train students on a student visa. You must find a CRICOS registered training provider.
What will I need to provide to enrol?
Unique Student Identifier
What is a Unique Student Identifier?
From 1 January 2015 ALL participants undertaking nationally recognised training delivered by a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) will need to have a Unique Student Identifier (USI). It is free and easy for students to create their own USI’s online. To apply for a USI and for information regarding the USI system, please visit www.usi.gov.au . From 1 January 2015 no statement of attainments or qualifications can be issued without having a USI recorded.
You will also need to complete your enrolment form and upload photo ID.
Units of Competency
To complete this course you must demonstrate competency in a total of 10 units. These units have been selected to give you the most comprehensive overview of work health and safety requirements at a supervisory level.
- BSBWHS402 Assist with compliance with WHS laws
- BSBWHS403 Contribute to implementing and maintaining WHS consultation and participation processes
- BSBWHS404 Contribute to WHS hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control
- BSBWHS405 Contribute to implementing and maintaining WHS management systems
- BSBWHS406 Assist with responding to incidents
- BSBWHS408 Assist with effective WHS management of contractors
- BSBWHS410 Contribute to work-related health and safety measures and initiatives
- BSBPMG522 Undertake project work
- BSBMGT401 Show leadership in the workplace
- BSBMGT403 Implement continuous improvement
You can view the full list of units available to study within this qualification on training.gov.au.
Face to Face – 5 day course
Requires participants to attend five (5) days of face to face training workshops delivered at a public training facility utilising theory and practical activities. Delivery will include instructor led presentations / scenarios with all assessments done post classroom session using the iTrain Safety Student Portal login.
Standard Online Delivery
Allows participants the flexibility to complete the course at their own pace within the stipulated course time frames without the need to attend face to face workshops. Courseware and assessments are provided online via the iTrain Safety Student Portal login.
Assessment Only / RPL
For people with evidence of their extensive experience.
We aim to have all RPL assessments finalised within 12 weeks but it is usually much quicker. The actual time frame depends on the course you are seeking RPL for, how long it takes you to supply the evidence and how long it takes us to verify your evidence.
Please email email@example.com if you wish to RPL and we will provide you with a kit.
If you wish to customise your course, change your elective units or study load please email firstname.lastname@example.org to request an individual learning plan.
After completing this course you may wish to further your studies with:
- BSB51319 Diploma of Work Health and Safety
- BSB51918 Diploma of Leadership and Management or;
- Other relevant Diploma qualifications |
Getting Our Daily Recommended Dose of Reading and Math – National Standard Style, Mayo on the Side
And by “Hold the Mayo” I mean evidently we are considering science and social studies to exist on the side. You know, take ’em or leave ’em. Or so it seems.
All right my fellow Super Colleagues- it’s time to dust off those soapboxes, pour yourself a refreshing cocktail and let your opinions be known!! A set of potential national standards (for literacy and math) have been released and are up for public commentary until April 2nd. Granted the public commentary is in the form of a survey (on which you can choose to provide general or specific feedback), but still you can make your opinion known. You have to scroll down to the bottom of the main page to find it. Although who really knows what will ever happen to these opinions? Will they be considered as much as the opinions of policy makers who have never set foot in a classroom since they themselves graduated from school? Will the results of this survey be make public and the subsequent changes made transparent? My guess is no, but I’m hoping yes. I guess it’s easy to be optimistic when I have a cup of coffee in me.
However, before we really get going…what do y’all think of a set of national standards in the first place?
I have yet to form an opinion. (gasps from the crowd) I know, I know – Mrs. Mimi ALWAYS has an opinion, a gut reaction which leads to verbal vomit and some name calling here on this little old blog of mine. HOWEVER, I am trying to see both sides of the coin on this one. (Plus, my internet BFF and fellow blogger over at Notes from the School Psychologist implied that perhaps, with all my recent ranting, Mini Mimi might pop out carrying a wee little picket sign. Point taken, friend, point taken.)
I’ve grown. I’m trying not to “Just Say No” which is something I think I can do (as can many others) too quickly. (Although I think I’m ultimately leaning towards no, I still want credit for not immediately jumping to no.)
I mean, at least someone outside of a classroom is doing something other than firing teachers and thinking about ways in which they can dodge responsibility, right?
Okay. I’m thinking in the PRO column we can place the idea of having a common language to talk about our goals for students in each grade across the country. It would make our conversations here in the blogosphere, which is often between teachers around the country, more productive, I imagine, since we could trade best practices toward similar goals. At the very least, perhaps it would help us avoid this little problem:
Me: Honey, we’ve been working on telling time to the quarter hour in our classroom. Do you know how to tell time to the hour?
New Student From Another State: *blank stare*
Me: Did your old teacher talk to you about the clock?
NSFAS: *blank stare*
Me: (reaching for their student file…what the hell does standard 2.12 mean? What test is this?) *moving file to pile of papers and making mental note to do some research before remembering just how long my to do list really is and realizing that no, I will probably never get to this*
Okay, can you show me which hand is the hour hand?
Or really, are these national standards just a smoke screen and states are going to be punished for not adopting them? Is a national canon of texts soon to follow?
Must…stay…open…minded…At least for the
In the CON columnn, I’m sure a lot of teachers are nervous about the idea of re-working their curricula to align with new standards. I hear that, but I also taught in a school where we changed our social studies standards and units every year since no one could freaking agree and thusly, have learned to embrace that sort of change. Teaching three different word study curriculums over the course of three years will definitely make you, um, flexible, yeah, we’ll say flexible for now…Also, I’m sure a lot of teachers are going to say that these standards are limiting, but as long as they are used as a common baseline, why not go above and beyond meeting your students’ needs as you soar to great educational heights?
As long as adopting these standards doesn’t mean more tests are added to our already full plates. Oh Lordy – can you imagine the testing possibilities?? Somewhere, some douche in a suit is drooling, I’m sure.
A quote directly from the core standards draft: “…[T]here are multiple ways to teach these standards, and therefore, there will be multiple approaches that could help students accomplish the goals set out in the standards.” I think this idea is what I like best of all. The standards (so far…and according to this piece in the NY Times) don’t come with a prescribed or mandatory curriculum. Is that a glimmer of hope that we will get to actually choose our own individual paths for teaching these standards? Is that what I see in the distance? Teachers sharing best practices yet still being allowed to maintain their own individuality? Work their unique teacher mojo?? Or am I kidding myself and we’re simply a sleigh ride away endorsing a national curriculum that would render us all automatons? (Again, douche-y guy in a suit is now jumping up and down.)
I read them over (focusing mostly on the standards for lower elementary since that is my wheelhouse) and didn’t find them totally offensive or way out of line. One of my biggest concerns (besides being handed a national curriculum in a few years or the possibility for endless punishment that seems to go hand in hand with government involvement in education these days) is that teachers will be encouraged to plod their way through the standards whole class style instead of meeting groups of children where they are and making sure they all make a year’s worth of progress. In my mind, making a year’s worth of progress can be vastly different from all reaching the same end point in June.
I’m also left with some questions. How are these standards going to be used in terms of grade retention/promotion? Are teachers going to be inundated with all sorts of new ways to keep track of these standards which really means are we going to be handed a stack of new paperwork to fill out that will keep us from our teaching?
I would love to know what you think. National Standards – Jedi Mind Control Trick or It’s About Time? |
2月 14 2013, カテゴリー: プレスリリース
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 14 – Today, in conjunction with the V-Day Movement launched by Eve Ensler, Clitoraid, a nonprofit organization that assists victims of female genital mutilation (FGM), is supporting and participating in “One Billion Rising,” an international call to end violence against women.
“In San Francisco, our head surgeon, Dr. Marci Bowers, M.D., will perform clitoral repair surgery for two FGM victims at her San Mateo Clinic,” said Nadine Gary, Clitoraid’s director of communications.
Bowers, well known for her gender reassignment surgeries, has been volunteering for Clitoraid since 2009, according to Gary.
“To date, she has operated on close to 40 FGM patients, and in October she will travel to Burkina Faso, West Africa, for the opening of our new hospital,” Gary said. “At that time, she will begin operating on the more than 400 FGM victims currently on our waiting list for clitoral repair surgery.”
Gary said today’s One Billion Rising event is the perfect occasion for Clitoraid volunteers to rise up and dance.
“That’s especially true for our team in Burkina Faso, West Africa,” she said. “They’ll gather at what we call our ‘Pleasure Hospital,’ which is where Dr. Bowers and other volunteers will be helping FGM victims once the facility opens in October.”
Gary then cited some alarming statistics concerning violence against women.
“One in three women living today – a total of one billion women worldwide – will be raped or beaten within her lifetime, and every 6 minutes, a little girl is being genitally mutilated,” she said. “These atrocities must be eliminated. Therefore, for the 15th anniversary of V-Day on February 14, Clitoraid supporters around the world will join those one billion abused women and those who love them. We’ll walk, dance, and above all else, rise up and demand an end to the violence.”
Gary said Clitoraid has always supported Ensler’s efforts to end violence against women.
“We applaud her for such things as setting up safe houses in Kenya to protect girls and women who have fled their homes rather than become FGM victims,” Gary said, adding that Clitoraid’s participation in One Billion Rising will also include raising awareness about Clitoraid’s work by holding special events.
“We’re holding community awareness events throughout the United States and Canada, in European countries like France, Switzerland and Italy; in Australia and South America, and in Southeastern Asia, where large numbers of potential FGM victims are at high risk in Indonesia,” Gary concluded. |
Cellphone use in the classroom has been a topic of debate for over a decade. It’s time that educators stop fighting technology, change their approach to teaching and embrace the evolving of students learning.
Today’s classrooms, just like today’s training rooms, are the not the same as they were in previous generations. Lectures, endless note taking, and death-by-PowerPoint need to be replaced with interactive, device-driven learning episodes.
Memorizing large chunks of information is useless in today’s knowledge-everywhere society. Smartphones, tablets, and laptops can easily be used to find information when it’s needed. Simple memorization of facts should no longer be the evaluation tool of educators, but rather the application of knowledge should be the new learning standard.
The evaluation too for application of knowledge is at most students’ fingertips. They know and understand the technology and they have been culturally programmed to use it. It is now up to educators and trainers to use the technology in a way that is intuitive to learners. One of the major stumbling blocks is that higher education institutions and training organizations are slow to react to new ways of teaching.
Today’s learners are used to receiving short pieces of information. Texting and tweeting is the way people are increasingly communicating. The amount of information that can be jammed into a website, email or blog often leads readers to simply glance at the material, looking quickly for information that is fun, informative or relevant. It is deemed worthless if it doesn’t meet at least one of these criteria.
Engaging the learners has been a top priority in education for decades. It’s ironic that educators spend so much time and energy trying to find new and exciting ways to engage learners, when the answers are already in the learners’ hands.
The question on everyone’s mind seems to be how to use technology to educate learners. Before that questions can be answered, we must first ask how to educator educators to design curriculum and teach using the technology.
Combining the criteria of fun, informative or relevance along with the restriction of short bursts of information may seem more like entertainment than education. With the increased aware of gamification, such as simulations, role-playing and other forms of experiential learning, it is little wonder that learners are also demanding an element of fun or entertainment.
Like others device users, I am drawn to using devices every chance I have and in any way that I can. It is only through using the devices that educators will understand how the technology works, its restrictions and its advantages.
It is paramount that educators learn how to transform mere knowledge into the application of knowledge using small chunks of information that encourages today’s learners to use the tools they already possess and not force them to learn using old, stagnant methodologies that leaves them bored and disenchanted with life long learning. |
Just over nine month ago right before the pandemic hit the United States, I launched my first book with Zondervan called The Age of AI: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity. I will never forget the release on the morning of March 3 and then finding out later that day that our area had its very first case of COVID-19.
Elon Musk has become a household name in the last few years. From the rise and popularity of Tesla to the commercialization of space travel through SpaceX, Musk is a man on a mission to revolutionize our society. According to Forbes, Musk is worth over $86.1 billion dollars, making him one of the wealthiest and most recognizable names in the world.
We live in a “smart-everything” world. We have artificial intelligence (AI) at our fingertips for nearly every part of our day. From AI-based wearable technology to phones, tablets, computers, and even appliances, nearly every aspect of our lives is being tracked, recorded, and processed by some form of algorithmic technology. |
In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Ben Mitchell, editor of Ethics & Medicine: An International Journal of Bioethics and a Research Fellow with the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, and we talk about bioethics, medicine, and technology.
Sign up to receive the WeeklyTech newsletter each Monday morning at jasonthacker.com/weeklytech.
Meet Dr. Mitchell:
Dr. Mitchell previously served as the Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy at Union University for 11 years. Prior to joining the Union faculty, he taught ethics, including bioethics and contemporary culture for a decade at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He is a senior fellow in the Academy of Fellows of the Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity and previously served as its executive director. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles examining the intersection of science and ethics and has contributed to a number of books.
- Why We Plan to Get Vaccinated: A Christian Moral Perspective by Matthew Arbo, Ben Mitchell, and Andrew T. Walker
- Bioethics: A Primer for Christians by Gilbert Meilaender
- Christian Bioethics: A Guide for Pastors, Health Care Professionals, and Families by Ben Mitchell and Joy Riley
WeeklyTech Podcast with Jason Thacker
Stay up to date on the most pressing technology issues facing you and your family |
The idea of a business to sell truck tops came from Jeff’s Dad, Dwight Kennedy. Unfortunately Mr. Kennedy passed away in January of 1985 before the business was started. Jeff’s brother, Joe, knew of their father’s plan and started the business in April of 1985. Since truck tops was all he sold, Joe named the business “Joe’s Truck Tops”. Later, that year, Jeff bought half of the business and within two years bought Joe’s half. Feeling the business had established itself, Jeff didn’t want to make a big name change and confuse past customers, so he simply changed the name to Jeff’s Truck Tops.
Jeff’s slogan is, “If satisfied, tell others. If not, tell Jeff.” His philosophy behind his slogan is, if you are happy with your purchase and don’t have any problems, tell your friends. If you have a problem, Jeff wants to know about it and have the opportunity to correct the issue, to make you a happy customer as well. He doesn’t feel it is ethical for a customer to say they are not satisfied if there is a problem with a purchase that he hasn’t been made aware of. Jeff says, “I can’t fix the problem if I don’t know about it.”
Jeff remembers that even though his name is on the building, it is the customer that he works for, and the customer that pays the bills. |
“… presented a very intense situation with no apparent solution and let the population of Germany suffer through it for two hours. It was brilliant.”
M is a 1931 film by Fritz Lang that is considered by many to be a masterpiece. The film follows Hans Beckert, a serial killer whose main focus is children and whose actions cause the community is which he lives to turn on one another. M is based on a series of actual murders that were occurring in Germany before the film’s release, and thus offers a lot of interesting viewpoints into actual reactions to such heinous crimes.
The main thing that stuck out to me about M was the lack of score. There is no music in the film whatsoever, unless it is directly created by one of the characters on screen, and this accomplishes two things. First of all it makes the story feel real. Of course this feeling might be skewed due to M being based on true events, but the lack of score really made M feel more like a documentary at times. There is nothing for the audience to hide behind or be influenced by. We are given the story in a very cut-and-dry fashion which removes the possibility of our viewpoints being altered by any one aspect of the film.
The lack of score also makes sure that the story isn’t sensationalized. Once again the film is presented in a very straightforward manner with very little sway in either direction. It remains as objective as possible throughout the telling of this story which allows for the story itself to take centre stage. The film gives you nothing but the story to experience during the movie which means that you have to give it your full attention. The scenes where there is literally no sound are the most impactful in my opinion because they give you absolutely nothing to grasp on to. They force you to read into the scene and every single movement of every single character to not only appreciate the story but also save yourself from going mad.
This brings me to my next point because although I loved M, I would completely understand if someone didn’t. I recognize that this movie is boring, especially by modern standards. Like I said earlier, M doesn’t sensationalize the story. That doesn’t just apply to the lack of music either, but parts of the story were presented in such a meandering fashion that I can completely understand if someone were to check-out. Hell, I almost lost interest a few times during the movie, but I guess my fascination with the characters and the story presented were enough to let M string me along for two hours.
The best part about M in my opinion was that the movie wasn’t about the brutal child murders that were taking place, but rather about the communities reaction to the brutal child murders that were taking place. Seeing these civilians on the street turn on each other in what almost escalates to a bloodbath depicted just how desperate they were for it all to end. And the police taking to raiding random blocks showed the flip-side to that, but also demonstrated how the people were turning on the police as well. M presented a very intense situation with no apparent solution and let the population of Germany suffer through it for two hours. It was brilliant.
Of course this experience wouldn’t have been as impactful if not for the brilliant performances that punctuate M during the most important moments. By and large M was populated with actors who mimicked real life. Their interactions with each other and the environment made the world in which M takes place feel real. But there are also a few standout moments throughout the film that showcase exactly what these actors are capable of. For example the monologue at the end of the movie delivered by Peter Lorre as Hans Beckert was nothing short of brilliant. The anguish and hopelessness that shone through, allowing us to see just how desperate and broken this character is was a marvel to behold. This scene is also filled with other brilliant performances offering us different viewpoints of the situation, but Lorre’s monologue stands out as quite possible he best moment in the film.
Overall M is a movie that I loved, but I would understand if you didn’t. It is a very slow, very cut-and-dry look at the impact of a series of heinous crimes on a community, and those crimes change the behaviour of everyone who is around. M is filled with brilliant performances, immersive filmmaking techniques, and a story that kept me on the edge of my seat.
I give M an A |
Some Tips on diving at Lembeh
Text and photographs by Asher Ang (c) 2020
Get a good Dive Master
The most important tip is to get a good dive master (DM). It is essential, as most of the critters are very small, and they are fairly dispersed in the environment. The DMs of Lembeh, the good ones, are literally eagle-eyed. They will spot the smallest of critters, and would know where to locate the good finds on any given day.
Master Your Buoyancy Control
Many dive sites in Lembeh have somewhat silty bottom. The way to annoy the next diver is to fin to get off the bottom, and behold desert storm! Inhale and wait a moment to let buoyancy lift you off the seafloor, and gently swim away, so that the next photographer can get in to take the photographs of his or her trip!
Look Before You Land
It would do you well before landing on the sandy bottom to have a good thorough look about where you are about to land – there could be some venomous, toxic or otherwise harmful critter right there, that can inflict serious pain on you.
An urchin that can inflict serious pain on unsuspecting divers.
Observe but Don’t Touch
There are many critters that rely on toxins, or other mechanisms to defend themselves. This is especially so on sandy dive sites, where there is no place for many critters to hide. Do not touch anything, and when something is flashing at you, like the blue ring pulsating on a blue-ringed octopus, back off!
The Blue-ringed Octopus (Hapalochlaena sp.) has a powerful concoction of neurotoxin that can kill an adult human within minutes if not treated.
Bring your macro lens
That is the standard setup, macro lens that will go to 1:1 and beyond. I was shooting up to 1:1.4, using a TC1.4 on a 60mm and a 105mm macro. Many photographers these days go beyond 1:1.4, and use snoot – slow moving critters, like nudibranchs, are ideal for snooted shots.
Xenocrab Xenocarcinus tuberculatus.
That said, there is actually a place for wide angle, even fisheye lens, for a technique called CFWA or close focus wide angle, where the smaller (not smallest) critters can be shown in their environment.
Diving in Lembeh
There are many excellent dive centres around Lembeh, either on the mainland side, or on Lembeh Island side. I am part of a team that directs the operations of K2 Dive Resort on Lembeh Island. If you have enjoyed reading this, and are considering going to Lembeh for your dive experience, perhaps you would visit the K2 Dive Resort website?
K2 Dive Lembeh, named after the village in which the dive resort is situated in – Kelapadua (2 coconuts) – is a fully equipped boutique dive resort situated South of Lembeh Island along the Lembeh Strait, Bitung, North Sulawesi, with its closest international airport situated in Manado.
I hope you have enjoyed this write-up, I know I have enjoyed writing it. Perhaps you will come to Lembeh to see for yourself firsthand what the weirdest critters would look like, and then find the next weirder creature, and the next, and the next. I can guarantee that you are likely to get hooked and want to come back for more!
Until then, live long and dive safe! |
Iconic athlete, sports and social advocate, author, and Emmy award-winning television commentator, Kathrine Switzer, will be the keynote speaker at the 2015 Girls on the Run Summit—an annual gathering of directors and board members from among the 225 councils of the nonprofit organization. Switzer will speak on the last day of the event, sharing her story of determination and courage that helped advance the status of women in sports.
Switzer was the first woman to officially enter and run the Boston Marathon. During the marathon—which had always been a men’s-only event—the race director attacked Switzer mid-stride and tried to physically remove her from the race. The photo of this incident created a world-wide uproar and became one of Time-Life’s “100 Photos that Changed the World.”
Radicalized by the incident, Switzer has spent her life campaigning for sports equality for women. In addition to running 39 marathons and winning the New York City Marathon in 1974, she created the Avon International Running Circuit of women’s-only races in 27 countries and played a role in convincing the IOC to include a women’s marathon in the Olympic Games. In 2011 she was inducted into the U.S.A. National Women’s Hall of Fame for breaking barriers and creating positive global social change. Because of her, millions of women are now empowered by the simple act of running. |
This study investigates the impact of mergers on employment and employees' wages in Japan, based on 111 mergers between listed firms observed between 1990 and 2003. Typically, the number of employees decreases by 4.45% three years after a merger, even after changes in sales and other variables are controlled. Firms that experience related mergers, and rescue mergers are more likely to decrease the number of workers. At the same time, wages increase by 5.46% per employee. These results suggest that the main motivation behind mergers is not to divest employees of their wealth.
|ジャーナル||Journal of The Japanese and International Economies|
|出版ステータス||Published - 2012 6 1|
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Economics and Econometrics
- Political Science and International Relations |
- Is it OK to drink water after eating food?
- Why we should not drink water while eating?
- Is it good to drink water before eating?
- What is the benefit of eating jackfruit?
- What should not be eaten after eating jackfruit?
- Why we should not drink water while standing?
- What is the best time to eat banana?
- Is jackfruit high in sugar?
- Can we eat banana at night?
- Can you eat too much pomegranate?
- What happens if you eat banana everyday?
- Is it OK to drink water after eating banana?
- Why jackfruit is bad for humans?
- Is jackfruit good for weight loss?
- Does jackfruit make you poop?
- Can I eat banana on empty stomach?
- Why should not drink water after eating fruit?
- Why you should never eat bananas?
Is it OK to drink water after eating food?
In fact, drinking water during or after a meal actually aids digestion.
Water is essential for good health.
Water and other liquids help break down food so that your body can absorb the nutrients.
Water also softens stool, which helps prevent constipation..
Why we should not drink water while eating?
Our stomachs have a knack of knowing when you will eat and starts releasing digestive juices immediately. If you start drinking water at the same time, what you are actually doing is diluting the digestive juices being released to digest your food, thereby hindering them from breaking down food.”
Is it good to drink water before eating?
Drink one glass of water 30 minutes before a meal to help digestion. Remember not to drink too soon before or after a meal as the water will dilute the digestive juices. Drink water an hour after the meal to allow the body to absorb the nutrients.
What is the benefit of eating jackfruit?
Antioxidants. Carotenoids, the pigments that give jackfruit its yellow color, are high in vitamin A. Like all antioxidants, carotenoids protect cells from damage and help your body work right. They may help prevent diseases like cancer and heart disease, as well as eye problems like cataracts and macular degeneration.
What should not be eaten after eating jackfruit?
Jackfruit and curd Jackfruit and milk are considered a harmful combination, according to Ayurveda. For centuries, the combination of jackfruit and any dairy product has been forbidden and is said to cause indigestion and skin diseases.
Why we should not drink water while standing?
Since the water goes directly through, the requires nutrients and vitamins don’t reach the liver and digestive tract. This is because when you stand and drink water, it travels through the system really fast and you risk your lungs and heart functions. The oxygen levels also get disturbed this way.
What is the best time to eat banana?
But it’s best to avoid eating bananas for dinner, or after dinner. It may lead to mucus formation, and indigestion. Nutritionist Nishi Grover recommends that one should have bananas before workouts to get some energy, but never at night.
Is jackfruit high in sugar?
Jackfruit is a rich source of vitamins and antioxidants but also packs a large amount of natural sugar. One cup (150 grams) of jackfruit pieces contains the following ( 2 ): Calories: 143. Fat: 1 gram.
Can we eat banana at night?
According to Ayurveda, eating banana at night is not unsafe, but one should avoid eating it at night because it aggravates cough and cold. It takes a long time to digest and make you feel lazy too.
Can you eat too much pomegranate?
The seeds are safe for most people to eat, although excessive intake may cause intestinal blockage in rare cases. This risk is greater for people with chronic constipation ( 6 ).
What happens if you eat banana everyday?
Eating bananas becomes significantly risky only if you eat too many. The USDA recommends that adults eat about two cups of fruit a day, or about two bananas. If you eat dozens of bananas every day, there may be a risk of excessively high vitamin and mineral levels.
Is it OK to drink water after eating banana?
It can lead to diarrhoea If water is consumed after taking these fruits, it can upset your digestion. This is because water containing food smoothens the digestion process and makes the bowel movement easy.
Why jackfruit is bad for humans?
Risks of Eating Jackfruit Certain people are allergic to it, especially those who are allergic to birch pollen ( 22 ). Moreover, due to its potential to lower blood sugar levels, individuals with diabetes may need to have their medication dosages changed if they eat this fruit on a regular basis.
Is jackfruit good for weight loss?
Jackfruit can help in weight loss if consumed the right way. Jackfruit is high fibre, which helps improve digestion and metabolism – the fundamentals of weight loss. It is not very high in calories, one cup of sliced jackfruit contains about 155 calories.
Does jackfruit make you poop?
Helps to deal with digestion and thyroid disorders Jackfruit being rich in two kinds of fibres – soluble and insoluble – helps the body to produce energy and add bulk to your stool, thereby easing up your bowel movements.
Can I eat banana on empty stomach?
Best known as a super-food, banana satiates hunger and is good for digestion. Bananas contain high amounts of magnesium and potassium and when eaten empty stomach, can imbalance magnesium and potassium levels in our blood.
Why should not drink water after eating fruit?
Drinking water after eating fruits can slow down the overall digestion process, as it dilutes the gastric acids, leaving food undigested in the stomach. Sometimes, the undigested food can become toxic instead of giving nutrients, and thus result in stomach-issues.
Why you should never eat bananas?
Despite them being chock-full of potassium, fibre and magnesium, bananas aren’t a great option for the first meal of the day. The reason? They are made up of a whopping 25 per cent natural sugar, which will deliver a sugar rush leading to a crash a few hours on. |
- How many hours do millionaires sleep?
- What time does the average billionaire wake up?
- Is waking up at 5am bad?
- What time Mark Zuckerberg wake up?
- Do billionaires sleep?
- How many hours did Einstein sleep?
- How much sleep does Bill Gates get?
- What time do successful people wake up?
- What time Elon Musk wakes up?
- What time do CEOs go to bed?
- Do billionaires wake up at 4am?
- What time Steve Jobs wake up?
How many hours do millionaires sleep?
While some billionaires are genetically fortunate to require only 3-4 hours of sleep, others force themselves to sleep less, and others sleep the typical 8 hours a night..
What time does the average billionaire wake up?
4:00 AMThis is Why All Billionaires Wake Up EXACTLY at 4:00 AM During the early waking moments of the morning, you can be fully alert and focused to due the brain chemistry at that time. You won’t be overthinking and can naturally do the things you need to get off to as great start.
Is waking up at 5am bad?
A lot of successful people wake up early to get a head start on their work. According to circadian neuroscientist Russell Foster, there is no research that says waking up early makes you more productive. It also doesn’t mean you’ll be richer–there’s no difference in socioeconomic status between late and early risers.
What time Mark Zuckerberg wake up?
8 a.m.The billionaire’s daily schedule includes exercise, family time, and lots of travel. The first thing Zuckerberg does when he wakes up each morning at 8 a.m. is check Facebook, he once said according to The Telegraph.
Do billionaires sleep?
It’s important to note that getting less sleep isn’t what makes you successful. There are very few billionaires who only need between three to four hours of sleep, but the majority of them function best after seven to eight hours of rest.
How many hours did Einstein sleep?
10 HOURS OF SLEEP AND ONE-SECOND NAPS It’s common knowledge that sleep is good for your brain – and Einstein took this advice more seriously than most. He reportedly slept for at least 10 hours per day – nearly one and a half times as much as the average American today (6.8 hours).
How much sleep does Bill Gates get?
7 to 8 hoursBill Gates, Jeff Bezos and other highly successful people who sleep 7 to 8 hours a night.
What time do successful people wake up?
But for some of the most successful people in art, business and sports, rising early is key to their success. Apple CEO Tim Cook starts his mornings at 3:45 a.m., Ellevest CEO and co-founder Sallie Krawcheck wakes at 4 a.m. and Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama and Indra Nooyi have been known to rise at the crack of dawn.
What time Elon Musk wakes up?
7 a.m.It’s safe to say Musk is a productive guy — and it starts with his morning routine. After getting six hours of sleep, the first thing the billionaire does when he wakes up at 7 a.m. is address what he calls “critical emails” for half an hour. He drinks coffee, but most mornings he’s too busy for breakfast.
What time do CEOs go to bed?
But the majority manage to get at least 6 hours, as you can see in the list below detailing the sleep habits of 10 highly successful people: Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX: 6 hours (1am — 7am) Tim Cook, CEO of Apple: 7 hours (9:30pm — 4:30am) Bill Gates, Co-Founder of Microsoft: 7 hours (12am — 7am)
Do billionaires wake up at 4am?
Recently in an article in the Wall Street Journal, a journalist interviewed several billionaires and discovered that they all seem to find 4am as their “most productive time of day.” If you want to learn why this will only work out for about 15 per cent of the population, keep reading.
What time Steve Jobs wake up?
6:00 amDuring an interview in 1999, Jobs told a reporter that he is very much a morning person. He wakes up at 6:00 am every day and is operating at the highest efficiency levels by 6:15 am. |
mp3fs is a read-only FUSE filesystem which
transcodes between audio formats (currently FLAC to MP3) on the fly when files
are opened and read.
It can let you use a FLAC collection with software and/or hardware which
only understands the MP3 format, or transcode files through simple
drag-and-drop in a file browser.
Mount your music like so (for example)
or use the following entry in
Here are the original files:
which now show up as mp3s on the mountpoint:
You can treat them just like regular files.
As far as your programs are concerned, they are just regular files.
If you’re interested to know more, check out the README or source on the
GitHub page. You can also browse the
manpage on this site. |
Among the finest forest and timber trees in North America are the ashes. Several dozen species are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. The most abundant and economically useful is the white ash (Fraxinus americana). Its tough, elastic, straight-grained wood can be used for baseball bats, skis, oars, tennis rackets, tool handles, and ladders.
This graceful tree grows in deep, well-drained soil in moist locations. It may reach 120 feet (37 meters) in height. The compound leaves may be 12 inches (30 centimeters) or more in length, with five to nine leaflets, each a few inches long. Reddish-purple flower clusters bloom in the early spring.
The flowering ash (F. ornus) of southern Europe produces creamy white, fragrant flowers, has leaves with usually seven leaflets, and reaches about 60 feet (18 meters) in height. F. cuspidata, from southwestern North America, has similar flowers, seven leaflets, and reaches 20 feet (6 meters) in height. Among the taller ashes are F. floribunda, from the Himalayas, and the European ash.
Mexican ash (F. uhdei), a broad-crowned tree widely planted along Mexico City streets, is evergreen except in dry or freezing seasons. It reaches 50 feet (15 meters) in height and has leaves with five to nine leaflets. The velvet ash (F. velutina), also a mild-climate tree, has three to five narrow leaflets. The so-called mountain ash is not a true ash. The ashes belong to the olive family, Oleaceae. |
Watching 2 Bears Face Off For Dominance is Terrifying and Awesome
In these trying times, we all face a struggle of one type or another or all of the above. There's a new video that helps put that in perspective a little bit as it shows what happens when two bears face-off to see which one will rule an area.
The Smithsonian just shared this epic confrontation between two male bears for dominance of an area and mating rights. It's as epic as you might imagine.
This encounter will be a part of a special that will air on The Smithsonian Channel on April 16. That show will also feature a pack of wolves that manage to distract the bears and steal part of their kill.
While we humans attempt to procure vast amounts of toilet paper and become discouraged when we're unable to do so, bears and wolves give us perspective on how easy we have it. I doubt any of us will have to face any kind of fury like this. If we do, we truly are in trouble. |
Medical professionals sometimes refer to the “pillars” of cancer treatment. Until recently there have been four pillars: surgery, radiotherapy, traditional chemotherapy, and precision therapy. For thousands of years, surgery was the only pillar supporting cancer care. Radiotherapy, or radiation therapy, which uses high-energy particles to destroy cancer cells became a second pillar in the late 1800s. The third pillar, chemotherapy, was first explored in the 1940s when a derivative of nitrogen mustard gas was tested as a treatment for lymphoma. Precision therapy, which uses drugs or other substances to more precisely identify, target, and attack cancer cells, was added as a fourth pillar in the 1990s. Today, a fifth pillar is being added to support cancer treatment: immunotherapy.
Dr. Natasha Kekre is a hematologist in the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, and an associate scientist at The Ottawa Hospital. She is also an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Ottawa.
Dr. Kekre is part of a team that is bringing the next generation of treatment to cancer patients.
For regular folks with little medical experience, cancer immunotherapy may sound like something from a sci-fi novel. It refers to a treatment that uses patients’ own immune cells to cure their cancer. There are different kinds of immunotherapies, but Dr. Kekre’s research involves using T-cells to fight certain types of leukemia and lymphoma, which are cancers of the blood.
T-cells are a type of white blood cell that play a critical role in the immune system. T-cells originate in bone marrow, and one of their jobs is to attack foreign invaders and infected cells, like tumour cells. The “killer” T-cell is equipped with receptors that can latch on to these invaders. It’s a very unique search and destroy mission. Put simply, imagine a T-cell receptor as a specialized Lego piece that can only fit into one shape of invader Lego. Once those pieces connect, the invader is toast.
Research has shown that some cancers, such as acute leukemia, can be treated by the implementation of genetically modified tumour-killing immune cells: powerful “Superhero cells.” In this particular therapy, T-cells are removed from the patient’s blood, are modified in a laboratory, and grown in large numbers.
“We manipulate those immune cells from a patient and think that if they were modified in the right way they could attack the tumour cells,” explains Dr. Kekre. “So we take them out of a patient, and we try to re-engineer them so that they express a certain receptor on their surface that allows them to specifically activate and attack the tumour cells. We call that chimeric antigen receptor T-Cells; CAR-T cells.”
The CAR-T cells are injected back into the patient. If all goes well, they’ll use their specially engineered receptors to identify and destroy cancer cells that have the matching antigen (a.k.a. that Lego piece).
Dr. Kekre is quick to point out that this is not exactly new medicine. Some patients with advanced acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and some types of lymphoma in the U.S. have had their cancer disappear in early immunotherapy trials. These treatments are not, however, readily available in Canada.
Dr. Kekre and her team are creating a system in which they can create an affordable plan for CAR-T cells. The hope is to begin clinical trials here in Ottawa and offer this option to patients with specific cancers within the next few years.
“We come from a very public health care system where we believe in access to care for all of our patients, and I think that it fits within our duty to provide that to patients,” says Dr. Kekre. “So the bottom line is that this protocol, this system, is going to build on research we already have in the U.S. To actually get access to patients – that’s the first part of this. We’re building a Canadian platform, and this will go across Canada, not just Ottawa.”
Could this immunotherapy spell the end of conventional treatments? If so, what happens to the other pillars? Although these advances are very real and exciting, more research is needed before immunotherapy is readily available to cancer patients. Clinical trials need to be a part of this as well, and that takes time. No one knows how immunotherapy will play into the current standard of care, but the hope is that it will become another line of therapy available to patients and open up an option that wasn’t available before.
“For example, right now, if patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia relapse after a stem cell transplant, their survival can be quite dismal and we need better options for them,” says Dr. Kekre. Whether this particular therapy will replace bone marrow transplants – the conventional treatment for acute leukemia – is still to be seen.
It’s a unique initiative and a special collaboration with researchers and medical professionals; a real made-in-Ottawa approach.
“We’re trying to provide, not just a new strategy of killing tumour cells and a new care for patients, but we’re actually bringing together scientists and physicians from all over Canada to build this exciting initiative,” says Dr. Kekre. “Our current number one priority is access to care for patients in Canada who would benefit from these therapies, and I think that’s what makes us uniquely Canadian. But also, it’s a different priority than if you’re just trying to test out a new therapy that’s never been tested before.
“I think that’s what makes this different from anything I’ve seen, in this landscape, in the world right now.” |
Looking for help with your online course design? We’ve got just what you need! This page will direct you to guidance and resources to help you design, develop, and facilitation an online course.
Literature on Course Design
If you are interested in some quick reads specific to online course design and creating virtual communities, we recommend the resources below.
- Building an Online Course from a F2F Course Quick Start Guide
- How to Build and Online Learning Community: 6 Thesis
Tools of theTrade
Technology should be your supporting cast. Better to have a small talented ensemble than an entire chorus line. There’s a myriad of robust instructional tools out there, but you only want to utilize the 2-3 tools that best support the learning in your class. Afterall, you want students learning to think critically within your discipline, not waste energy and time learning to use a laundry list of tools.
Watch Summer 2020 Webinars
If you are new to the tools listed below, take some time and watch the webinars linked from Summer 2020. Canvas and Zoom are a must for a virtual Fall, even if you plan to teach synchronously via Zoom. As you review the remaining tools, consider which tool(s) will provide the most bang for your cognitive buck. Meaning, which tool(s) can support your instruction and provide meaningful interaction in alignment with course outcomes.
Register for Upcoming Webinars
To register for upcoming Webinars, visit the TLI Events Page. We will host a Webinar every Wednesday at 12:00.
Starter Kits & Resources
Looking for resources to save you time? Use a starter kit! These are located in Canvas Commons and can be directly imported into your Fall Course. You can also go to Canvas Commons from your CI Learn Dashboard and search ‘CSUCI Kits’.
The Course Starter Kit
The Course Starter Kit is located in Canvas Commons.
- Syllabus Page with Quick Links
- Student Support Guide
- Faculty Quick Guide
- Start Here Module
- Module 1 Bookends
- Module 2 Bookends
Want to add some visual interest to your course? Import/Download the CSUCI Graphics Kit
Looking for buttons to add to your course? Import/Download the CSUCI Buttons Kit and choose from a variety of round or square red and silver buttons.
Bird’s Eye View Template
TLI Knowledge Base Article Quick Links
- FERPA Considerations
- Virtual Syllabus Suggestions
- Syllabus Suggestions
- Designing for Students with Diverse Needs
- Recording Accessible Instructional Videos with Zoom + Auto Transcript
- Zoom Session Recording & Privacy Considerations
- Adding Captions to VoiceThread
- T.H.R.I.V.E. Course Offerings |
People use the expression eat my dust when they feel confident about outperforming their opponent at something.
The Origin of “Eat My Dust”
The origin of the phrase “eat my dust” likely comes from racing and the fact that when people run, they might kick up dirt, or dust, into the air as they go (kind of like in the picture above). The type of terrain matters for this. For example, people running on a concrete road probably aren’t going to kick up any noticeable dirt into the air. On the other hand, people running on a dirt road might.
The imagery for this expression typically involves a person running in a race. The leading racer is sprinting and dust is being kicked up behind him. The slower racers lagging behind end up passing through this dust and breathe it in. In effect, they are “eating” the leading racer’s dust.
So… how old is this phrase? The earliest I could find it in print is from a newspaper called The World’s News, January 1909. There’s a short story from in this newspaper titled “John—Cowboy,” and a couple characters from the story exchange these words:
“‘Can you keep up?’
‘Keep up? You-all will eat my dust,’ shrilled the boy, in a fever of excitement, and boastful.”
Here is a second example of this idiom in print, this one coming from a magazine called Motor Age, Volume 16, 1909:
“We pounded along steadily, first along the beautiful shore road skirting Lake Erie, and then through the vineyard section near Westfield, passing a number of cars going our way and coming out victorious in several sharp battles for the lead with larger cars, none of which were anxious to eat our dust.”
Since I cannot find this phrase from before 1909, it’s possible that it originated at or around that year.
Here are two examples of this expression used in a sentence:
- I’m the fastest runner in town. When the race starts, you will all eat my dust.
- My brother and I are proficient at creating quality furniture. After we finish setting up shop, the other furniture stores in town will be eating our dust. |
Public hospitals in Madagascar said they’ve reached full capacity and will only accept patients with the most severe forms of Covid-19 as cases surge in the country. Antananarivo, announced they could no longer cope with the influx of patients. Only one person per household is allowed to go out to buy food or medicine. An initial lockdown in March was lifted after four weeks.
The government has opened a 400-bed treatment center for people with mild symptoms and is importing about 1,000 oxygen machines. The number of confirmed cases reached 7,153 on Monday, including 62 deaths. Those who don’t get tested and die at home will not be included in official statistics, the spokeswoman of the country’s Covid-19 Command Center, Hanta Marie Danielle Vololontiana, said last week.
Madagascar is building a factory to mass-produce a drink that was touted by authorities as a cure for Covid-19 even though it hasn’t been clinically tested or approved by drug regulators. Sold as Covid-Organics, the drink contains extracts of the artemisia annua plant, which is used to treat malaria.
Photo Credit: Getty |
The more we travel through Ukraine, the more we admire her natural uniqueness and organic treasures. A few years ago the Internet and mass media was full of photos of so-called Pink lake in Kherson region, whose salinity is 35%. This is a few per cent more than word-renowned Dead Sea has. Water here is so salty that it is impossible to drоwn. You can tan without coming out of water , because salt keeps the body afloat all the time. The fabulous lake is located in Hryhorivka village in Chaplynsky region in on of Syvash bays. This is about 100 kilometres far from Kherson and 18 kilometres far from region centre.
It is said, the reservoir appeared in the end of 1960s, when the military aircraft blooped in Syvash swamp. By taking out shrapnels, a great pit was digged and , obviously, found the salty reservoir with unique chemical composition, which filled the pit. The lake water is enriched with different minerals, acids, hydrocarbons, nitrogen substances, salts, almost chloride magnesium and potassium, iodide sodium, methyl magnesium. Thanks to high concentration and rich chemical composition it has curative features. By the way, that curative cocktail hasn't been created in the pit nearby.
The lake has pale pink colour due to the only living organism species, which lives there - single-celled seaweed dynaliella salinitywatered. Under the sunrays' effect dynaliella produces carotenoids and , particularly, beta-keratin, famous as youth vitamin. "Pink water" has wide spectrum of action: intensify all important human organs work, cause body balance recovery, has rejuvenating effect.
The main rapa usage in neurological practice - neurocirculatory dystonia, in school practice-psoriasis. Musculoskeletal system is also treated. But specialists say the high concentration of so-called follicles-like substances, possible to influence positively on female diseases the most interesting thing. Bronchopulmonary diseases can be treated,too.
Near the bath area - Syvash curative mud field, which seems to be immunomodulating one of unnatural background. Consistent usage of salty baths and mud buttering is considered to has positive influence on human's body. Muds are certified by Odessa Вalneology Institute as curative and cosmetic remedy. On their basement cosmetic production is produced in Germany and Austria.
The lake is very popular among the locals, tourists who rest nearby, people are coming from Belarus, Poland, Germany, Russia. There are parking space, shower, sheds from the sun, a shop etc. in the territory. We hope one day the therapeutic complex will appear there. |
A computer's rendering capacity cannot handle the increased amount of data when rendering high-quality, three-dimensional computer graphic images. This results in problems such as rendering not being possible depending on the subject image, or the rendering speed dropping too far. To resolve these problems, we propose a method for generating a new hierarchical three-dimensional data structure based on recursive face cluster partitioning, and a high-speed rendering data extraction algorithm using that data structure. In the proposed algorithm, local resolution control using the approximating polygon of a face cluster, and precise invisible surface culling using the bounding volume of the face cluster can be executed in parallel. High-speed rendering can be performed with little deterioration in quality, even for a large amount of data. The effectiveness of this algorithm was confirmed with a local resolution control experiment and a large-scale three-dimensional model rendering experiment.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Theoretical Computer Science
- Information Systems
- Hardware and Architecture
- Computational Theory and Mathematics |
Coal fired boiler design features:
1.By adopting of double wings gas ducts, the fuel gas can go into the front gas tank easily, so the temperature of different front plates can be same. In this way, it can avoid the crackles happening in the plates.
2.Spiral tubes are installed in the drums, which can strengthen the heating transferring efficiency, at the same time, spiral tubes have the ability of dust removal, which can avoid the dust stratification in the tubes.
3.Both of the front and the back arches of the 10t/h series coal fired boiler design adopt mason work of water cool tubes wall structure, which can form permanent arches.
4.Separate adjustable wind chambers. Wind is feed from two sides. It adopts new type crank screw wind adjustment structure, so that the wind adjustment and ventilation cross section proportion is 100%, which can ensure the easy wind adjustment and make it symmetrically.
5.There is push-pull damper dust removal equipment. The damper adopt finish machining cast iron seal structure, thus the secondary combustion distortion and air leaking in the grate is effectively prevented.
ZG Boiler can supply oil & gas fired dzh horizontal 3-pass coal steam boiler for beverage factory, coal fired steam boiler, biomass fired steam boiler, CFB steam boiler, waste heat steam boiler to paper mill. However, biomass fired steam boiler is the most suitable one for paper mill.
Beiqi Panthers in the car to communicate with the company, expressed full confidence in our company, cooperation is very smooth. Since the boiler departure two years, our technical staff has been concerned about the relevant boiler operation through remote monitoring system to provide strong and stable technical support services for the Beijing auto Panthers. --customer feedback |
Linkedin Business Model(Detailed Case Study) :
2 Minute Summary
Linkedin is the world’s biggest professional network. It has both Free and Payment models. In May 2003 it received Searies-A Funding form Sequia Capital and the list goes on. In 2011 they launched their IPO nad then in 2016 Microsoft acquired it. It helps us to build connections that Might help us in our professional life.More than 65% of the revenue is generated by Talent Unit which helps companies to recruit employees. Also they provide Ads service on their platform but the rate of it is high as compared to other social media platforms as it’s conversion rate is also high. Data Management Softwares are provided and also have premium Subscription which provides additional services. It Financials are also incuded in the blog and much more.
Are you a professional?
Have you ever searched for jobs on LinkedIn?
If yes then have you wondered how the Business Model of LinkedIn works?
Do you want to know?
We have got all covered for you!
What’s in it for you?
WHAT IS LINKEDIN?
Linkedin is the world’s biggest professional network.
As we use Facebook to search for our friends, their activities etc.
On LinkedIn, we look upon the professional lives of our friends, colleagues etc.
It includes their education, job positions, experience, and the companies they are working in.
LinkedIn works on a freemium business model.
It gives some services for free and some for a payment.
In my opinion, anyone who wants to grow in professional life should have a LinkedIn profile.
Business Model of LinkedIn was founded by Reid Hoffman and founding team members from PayPal and Socialnet.com.
The idea was to create a network where people could meet professionally.
Timeline of Events
May 2003 – LinkedIn received Series-A funding from Sequoia Capital.
August 2004 – It had a user base of 1 million.
March 2006- LinkedIn’s First month of profitability.
April 2007- The user base increased to 10 million users.
February 2008 LinkedIn’s mobile version was launched.
2011 The IPO of LinkedIn was launched in New York Stock Exchange.
2016 Microsoft acquired LinkedIn
HOW LINKEDIN WORKS?
Create a LinkedIn Profile
Firstly, you need to register and create a profile page.
They would ask for basic personal information during registration.
It includes your name, E-Mail ID, location, current employer and education.
Then you’ll be prompted to fill out more detailed information on your profile page.
The second step is to search out and connect with other members of the site.
LinkedIn provides several methods for searching out contacts:
- Upload your e-mail contacts
- Colleague search
- Classmate search
- Name search
- Advanced search
You should gain access to your connections’ connections.
The people who are part of your network are called your “connections.”
Connections imply that you know the person well.
It also implies that they’re a trusted business contact.
To turn a contact into a connection you need to invite that person to join your network.
After this, your LinkedIn profile gets ready.
You can optimize your profile by adding your experiences and expanding connections.
Content can be published and shared on LinkedIn
These things increase your visibility.
SUCCESS STORY OF LINKEDIN
LinkedIn gained traction by focusing first on the Silicon Valley tech scene.
Upon launch, the founders invited the professional connections.
They were from their previous work, in and around Silicon Valley.
Hoffman says, “We started slowly in the first few days because we wanted to make sure the systems worked.”
More and more members of the tech community joined LinkedIn.
The network effect took hold and the site became the place to connect and access resources.
It also made it easier to stay in touch with established connections.
LinkedIn Business Model made it a must-have network for Valley employees.
From there it spread outward through the connections of the people on the platform.
MARKETING STRATEGY OF LINKEDIN
LinkedIn’s growth story is an instructive one.
It is willing to experiment with a variety of growth strategies.
They are focussed to find what makes the platform valuable.
LinkedIn has continued to evolve.
It has also kept the primary value of the experience intact.
This is not an easy task.
They tested everything.
LinkedIn Business Model dabbled in the concept of contact importing.
When people signed up for LinkedIn, they were asked about their current company and title.
Over 90% of people answered this question.
This information was used to engineer the Reconnect Flow.
Once new users signed up, they were presented with the people at their current company.
They are the ones who are already on LinkedIn.
This helps to establish connections with them.
After some time, LinkedIn added another question into the new user flow.
It asks them about where they used to work.
Again, they presented the new users with a list of potential connections.
It allows users to connect with contacts and built out the new user’s profile.
These efforts combined to increase LinkedIn’s virality in a big way.
Pageviews increased by 41%,
searches increased by 33%,
38% more positions listed on profiles.
Virality was not arrived at by accident.
It was actively tweaked, tested, and encouraged.
This is also known as a Double Viral Loop.
New users invite more new users and also engage old users.
This brilliant technique made two viral loops happening at once.
Double viral looping converts the customer into a business representative.
He helps the company in spreading the content.
He also becomes the consumer of the product or service.
Viral marketing is one of the efficient methods to spread the product across the world.
It uses the customers as the marketing agents within the social networking channels.
Viral marketing can be used to reach a wide customer base.
Virality re-engages inactive users.
It is a cheap and effective method of marketing.
So this was a smart move on LinkedIn’s part!
LINKEDIN BUSINESS MODEL
As the name suggests, talent solutions help companies to recruit employees.
This unit helps recruiters to search for good talent.
It fills up the vacant job positions effectively.
More than 65% of the revenue of LinkedIn comes from this unit.
This unit of LinkedIn helps companies to market their product on the website.
The main component of marketing solutions is LinkedIn ads.
LinkedIn ads are costly but have many benefits.
We know that the users of LinkedIn are professionals or businessmen.
The companies who want to target a specific audience use LinkedIn Ads.
Benefit- the conversion rate on LinkedIn ads is very high.
LinkedIn provides advanced software’s to manage data related to sales of the business.
It works on the premise of CRM
For example -:
You have a database of approximately 10000 people.
The sales’ employees will call them and pitch the product of the companies.
This software helps the companies to effectively manage their sales data.
Suppose there are 4 employees under a sales manager.
With the help of this software, the manager can check upon them.
He/ She will check their conversion rates, amount of sales made and products sold by them.
Premium Subscription offers premium features at a certain cost.
It helps recruiters, job seekers, businesses and sales professionals.
There are 4 components of Premium Subscription-:
Premium career Subscription
This unit gives personal guidance to job seekers.
It provides resume builder to those who do not how to build it themselves.
A premium user can chat with recruiters directly.
You can see who is visiting your LinkedIn Profile.
This feature directs you to open roles where you would be a great fit.
It is based on your skills, experience, salary requirements and education.
You can focus on the best fitting jobs.
You can find Jobs in whatever field you want.
For eg. Digital Marketing Manager at Accenture
Suppose you have applied for a certain job through LinkedIn.
The recruiters will shortlist some candidates.
Being a premium user, LinkedIn will feature you at higher positions in the list of candidates.
The recruiter might focus on premium users.
He/she may perceive that they are professionally serious.
Premium business subscription
15 In mails messages
LinkedIn does not allow you to send messages to unknown people.
Through this feature after payment, you can send about 15 in-mails to anyone.
If you have some startup idea and you are looking for investors then you can easily them.
With this feature, you can send them an in- mail about things you want to discuss with them.
On LinkedIn, companies can make their business profiles.
It is similar to Facebook pages.
In this, they can check their engagements, business activities, etc.
It provides insights into the company’s growth and functional trends.
Who’s viewed your profile
You can easily check who had viewed your profile and where they came from.
Unlimited people browsing
You can view search for unlimited profiles and suggested profiles up to 3rd-degree level.
Suppose person B is a mutual connection between A and C.
LinkedIn will show the contact suggestion of C to person A.
You can get data on job applicants, compare them and get access to the salary details.
Sales navigator membership
Get In-Mails in Large quantity.
It gives 20 in-mails which can be used to send messages on LinkedIn to prospective clients.
You can message directly to CEOs or Managers of different companies.
This premium feature offers you insights into customers reached, sales made, conversion rate etc.
Unlimited people browsing
The premium feature gives you an advantage of unlimited people browsing but up to 3rd Level.
It gives an advanced search where you can directly contact the person you want to.
Target your requirement
The users of LinkedIn are mainly professionals and career-oriented people.
It helps to cater to your target audience.
LinkedIn gives you suggestions and recommendations about people you may know.
Recruiter Lite Features
Recruiter lite subscription helps recruiters to find and hire talent.
Increase in In- mails
This premium feature gives you 30 In-mails.
These can be used to send messages to job candidates.
You can track the activities of the prospective candidates.
Under this feature, LinkedIn creates a pool of job profiles by integrating them.
The recruiter then shortlists among them.
LinkedIn acquired Lynda.com in 2015.
In 2016 Microsoft merged it with LinkedIn.
This was renamed it as LinkedIn Learning.
It is an online course website.
This feature provides online courses taught by industry experts.
It includes software, creative and business skills.
LinkedIn Learning provides 13,000 online courses.
It gives insights-based recommendations based on each learner profile.
LINKEDIN’S ECONOMIC GRAPH
LinkedIn’s Economic graph is a digital map of the global economy.
The data put on Linkedin profiles is a part of this digital map.
LinkedIn has more than 433 million members contributing data.
# To provide policymakers, employers, workers etc. with data-driven insight about labour markets.
# To align employers’ needs with the curriculum, taught in schools and universities worldwide.
This is done to reduce skill gaps and ensure that graduates get jobs.
The data is considered to be fresher than other types of data that recruiters have access to.
The majority of LinkedIn members regularly update their profiles.
HOW CAN YOU GROW YOUR BUSINESS USING LINKEDIN MARKETING?
LinkedIn marketing although costly is an effective way of marketing brands and products.
Here is a 10 step procedure of using LinkedIn Marketing for business.
#1. Start with your profile
#2. Create a Company Page
#3. Define your goals
#4. Optimize for search
#5. Attract followers
#6. Publish engaging content
#7. Use rich media
#8. Sponsor your posts
#9. Create LinkedIn Ads
#10. Get advanced with analytics
“I already had money from PayPal.
So I was financing the early portion of it,” says Hoffman.
Initially, Hoffman and other founders bootstrapped finance for Linkedin Business Model.
In 2006, LinkedIn sold a 5% stake to Sequoia Capital and Greylock Partners for $53 million.
In 2010, LinkedIn received an investment of $20 million from Tiger Global Management LLC.
It was at a valuation of $2 billion.
13 investors fund LinkedIn.
TCV and Tiger Global Management are the most recent investors.
LinkedIn was valued $1.575 billion in private markets.
In 2011, LinkedIn Business Model launched its IPO in New York Stock Exchange.
The company traded its first shares on May 19, 2011.
It was under the NYSE symbol “LNKD”, at $45 per share.
It has raised a total of $154.8 M in funding over 7 rounds.
They raised their latest funding on February 15, 2016.
|Feb 15, 2016||
Post-IPO Equity – LinkedIn
|Dec 1, 2009||
Secondary Market – LinkedIn
|Oct 22, 2008||
Series D – LinkedIn
|Jun 17, 2008||
Series D – LinkedIn
|4||$53M||Bain Capital Ventures|
|Jan 29, 2007||
Series C – LinkedIn
|3||$12.8M||Bessemer Venture Partners, Global Founders Capital|
|Oct 1, 2004||
Series B – LinkedIn
|Nov 1, 2003||
Series A – LinkedIn
It was from a Post-IPO Equity round.
In February 2016, LinkedIn’s shares dropped 43.6% within a single day.
They were down to $108.38 per share.
LinkedIn lost $10 billion of its market capitalization that day.
On June 13, 2016, Microsoft announced that it would acquire LinkedIn.
It was for a total value of $26.2 billion.
Microsoft made its largest acquisition with LinkedIn.
In Quarter 1 of 2018, the revenue was $976 million
It increased by 37% to $1.4 billion.
LinkedIn has $5.3B in estimated revenue annually.
They have acquired 22 organizations.
The recent acquisition was Drawbridge.
|May 28, 2019||—||
Drawbridge acquired by LinkedIn
|Oct 8, 2018||—||
Glint acquired by LinkedIn
|Jun 2, 2017||—||
Heighten acquired by LinkedIn
|Jul 26, 2016||—||
PointDrive acquired by LinkedIn
|May 5, 2016||—||
Run Hop acquired by LinkedIn
|Feb 4, 2016||$150M||
Connectifier acquired by LinkedIn
|Aug 27, 2015||—||
Fliptop acquired by LinkedIn
|Apr 9, 2015||$1.5B||
Lynda acquired by LinkedIn
|Apr 2, 2015||—||
Refresh.io acquired by LinkedIn
|Mar 16, 2015||—||
Career acquired by LinkedIn
Lynda is a learning platform where you have to pay some amount.
After payment, you can learn anything you want.
You get a certificate when you complete a certain course.
Slideshare was acquired in 2013.
Ideas are given to make a PowerPoint presentation.
It also gives the option of publishing self-made presentations and gain followers.
LinkedIn has made 5 investments.
Their most recent investment was on Apr 3, 2018.
They invested $50M in SalesLoft.
|Apr 3, 2018||
Series C – SalesLoft
|Nov 8, 2017||
Post-IPO Equity – Cornerstone OnDemand
|May 23, 2017||
Series B – G2 Crowd
|Jun 25, 2015||
Seed Round – STAND Technologies
|Nov 6, 2014||
Series A – Confluent
FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT LINKEDIN
- LinkedIn had 610 million registered members in 200 countries in March 2019.
- The total monthly active users are 260 million.
- 61 million users are senior-level influencers.
- 40 million are in decision making positions.
- 56% male users and 44% female users.
- After the US, India, Brazil, Great Britain and Canada have the highest number of LinkedIn users.
- It is considered the best in B2B.
- LinkedIn has 87 million millennial (15-34 yrs. old).
- 11 million millennials are in decision making positions.
- LinkedIn makes up more than 50% of all social traffic to B2B blogs and websites.
- 91% of marketing executives list LinkedIn as the top place to find quality content.
- 1 million users have published their articles on LinkedIn.
- About 45% of LinkedIn readers are in upper-level positions.
- 41% of millionaires use LinkedIn.
- An average user spends around 16-17 minutes on LinkedIn.
- 90% recruiters daily track candidates on LinkedIn.
- 70 million users on Slide share.
- 26 million companies are on LinkedIn.
- Approximately 16 million job posts are still available.
Linkedin Business Model | How Linkedin works? Marketing Strategy 101
Summary: A detailed analysis on Linkedin Business Model, How Linkedin Works? , Marketing strategy of Linkedin. Learn everything about Linkedin here!
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Pioneering new research revolutionises early detection of TB
Researchers at the University of Leicester and the University of Pretoria are revolutionising the way tuberculosis (TB) is diagnosed through the invention of a 3D printed insert added to a simple face mask, which has the potential to save millions of lives across the world every year through early detection of the disease.
Designed and printed at the University, the insert can reliably catch and retain live tuberculosis bacteria, after a patient who may have symptoms has worn it for thirty minutes. In comparison, current diagnosis of TB can take weeks.
Unlike a blood test, which cannot differentiate between active and dormant TB, the mask provides rapid detection of bacteria, offering a more direct indicator of how infectious individuals are compared to traditional sputum samples, reducing the need for invasive investigation.
TB is the largest infectious cause of death globally, affecting up to 6,000 people in the UK every year and more than 10 million people worldwide.
Professor Mike Barer at the University of Leicester said: “This is the first time that exhalation from prospective patients with TB can be captured in such a quick and simple way. This pioneering research provides the opportunity to save thousands of lives every year across the world by early detection of a treatable disease – it’s world-changing.
“The fact that the mask is a low cost and more accurate option for detecting live TB before it appears in sputum has huge implications for early detection of the disease and patients having earlier access to treatment. We are really excited about how we can take this forward and influence the spread of airborne infection."
It costs the NHS £1.8m annually to test for TB in adults (NICE data) – in comparison, the mask insert materials cost around £2 to print, potentially saving thousands for the health service.
The findings, published online on The Lancet website on Tuesday 18 February 2020, have the potential to revolutionise the opportunity for early detection and prevention of the disease.
Researchers worked in conjunction with research team at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, initially sampling 24 people with confirmed TB during a 24 hour period, which showed that infectious TB was exhaled and spread when patients were asleep – a breakthrough in our understanding of the disease, demonstrating that a cough may not be required to spread the infection.
The trial showed 86.5% of the patients testing positive for TB through the use of the mask, and only 20.5% from sputum - despite all patients being positively tested for TB through sputum at the start, demonstrating the reliability of the mask for achieving consistent results.
In addition, a further trial of 20 patients with TB symptoms, four patients with negative sputum tested positive with the mask, and the presence of TB was only detected in their sputum after the six weeks later – demonstrating the accuracy of the test and highlighting the potential for early diagnosis.
One of the most common symptoms of the disease is a persistent cough with phlegm. TB is usually diagnosed with a blood test, chest x-ray, phlegm sample and in some cases a bronchoscopy. Often when these symptoms present, the infection has already been in the body for a few weeks already and the person may have infected many others. This is especially important in developing countries, where people with HIV are at higher risk.
Professor Barer continued: “The mask insert has the potential to save millions of lives globally, being easily accessible and cost effective to produce.”
- Exhaled Mycobacterium tuberculosis output and detection of subclinical disease by face-mask sampling: prospective observational studies doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(19)30707-8 |
Chapter (4) – A Life of Significance
- Friendship and the importance of having friends.
- Human interaction in the context of friendship.
- The differences between people and how they affect their social life.
- Past life experiences and how they affect the present.
- Discussing the value of friendship in life.
- Using different adjectives in describing different characters.
- Using various idioms and expressions in the context of friendship.
- Understanding the contrast between the simple past tense and the present perfect tense when it comes to past life experiences.
- The contrast between adjectives of character like introverted and extroverted.
- The different uses of the present perfect.
Password to run the below video: icareer61 |
Young apprentices can be some of the most dedicated workers, bringing fresh perspectives and new skill sets into the workforce. They provide opportunities for employers to ‘grow their own’ and develop a crucial talent pipeline for businesses.
This guide aims to help employers of all sizes and sectors provide effective support for apprentices aged 16 to 24. It outlines steps employers can take to make their recruitment practices accessible for young people, gives examples of on-the-job support for young apprentices in the workplace, and provides information on sources of additional funding which employers can use to support young apprentices.
It was developed by Learning and Work Institute on behalf of the Department for Education. |
Seeing the Future: A Guide to Visual Communication
This booklet teaches kids (ages 7-12) how to sketch their invention ideas by creating patent drawings. Activities include drawing 2D lines and figures, creating thumbnail sketches, and using vanishing point perspective.
Learn how to use tools and build your prototype in this sequel to Seeing the Future: A Guide to Visual Communications. This 24 page booklet teaches kids (ages 7-12) how to use tools and build projects including a swing, zipline, seesaw, monkey bars, and a rope ladder. |
Hans-Josef Fell just published his thoughts on how the corona crisis influences the debate on climate (in German).
He mentioned that the price for emission permits under the EU emission trading system (ETS) has gone down, along with everything else. That in turn means that there is less incentive for avoiding emissions.
That is correct, as far as it goes. However, while the price for individual emissions may have gone down, at least in the European system the cap on allowed emissions does not change with market conditions. If anything, a lower price means success in reducing emissions, since less permits are needed when emissions are down. And they are down. Germany may even meet its 2020 goal now.
The ETS cap is a cap on demand in Europe. That cap has not changed in any way. And it is also a model for the worldwide cap on supply that is needed. Once the last missing link is in place and it becomes possible to effectively require production permits for each barrel of oil, such a system would be completely independent from market conditions. It does not matter how much the production quota for one barrel of oil cost for the question of how much can be pumped world wide. That would be fixed, just like the cap on demand in the ETS is fixed right now.
So I don’t share Fell’s negative position. All things equal, it is better to have a demand reduction system like ETS than not to have it.
If anything, getting emission levels way down (just as they were way down as a consequence of the Lehman shock a decade earlier) is an excellent occasion to aim for higher levels of reductions when the EU Commission actually decides on the new goals for 2030 later this year. While the price of one permit does not matter for the cap under existing rules, beating the emission goals matters a lot when discussing adjusting those goals for more ambitious ones. |
The pink and purple triangles represent the tension between our identities as former JWs and our identities as LGBT people (the purple triangle was worn by Jehovahs WItnesses in Nazi concentration camps, and the pink triangle by “homosexuals”).
Click here to support us:
We are faith-neutral and our one rule is that no preaching take place whether it be pro or anti religion. Whether you are an atheist, a Christian, have adopted another belief or haven’t made your mind up, you will be welcome and fit in with our group.
The group focuses on:
- Helping LGBT ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses who have been shunned find meaningful friendships and connections outside the religion.
- Providing a space for LGBT ex-JWs to share their experiences with those who truly know what it’s like to leave such a high-control group.
- Forming links with other individuals and groups who have left high-control groups to emphasise the similarities in our experiences: ex-Muslims, ex-Ultra-Orthodox Jews, ex-LDS (ex-Mormons).
We have meetups in pubs/restaurants, bowling alleys and we also arrange talks, conferences, museum tours and hope to start events which showcase the artistic talents of ex-Witnesses through art exhibitions, musical talentevents and comedy shows.
Please join us.
Ste Richardsson set up LGBT xJw Friends in 2014 as an offshoot of the “European LGBT ex-JW Support Group”.
Ste was born a 4th generation Jehovah’s Witnesses and served in both English-speaking and French congregations. From very early on, bored with the routine of meetings and ministry and viewed the religion as intellectually stifling. He went to his last meeting in 2007 at the age of 23 after coming out as gay. He studied a degree in Linguistics and Translation and spent a few years travelling and teaching in both France and Japan. Ste currently lives in Deptford, London with his partner Peter, and co-organises xJw Friends with Terri. |
As Christians in Nigeria join others in the world to celebrate Easter amid COVID-19 pandemic, Governors of Osun State, Adegboyega Oyetola; Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai; and Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, have felicitated with Christians on the occasion.
Other governors that joined Christians in the country to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ are Hope Uzodinma (Imo); Dapo Abiodun (Ogun); David Umahi (Ebonyi); Douye Diri (Bayelsa) and Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe).
The governors urged Christian faithful to use this period of Easter celebration to pray against coronavirus.
In an Easter message on Saturday in Osogbo, Oyetola urged the Christians to emulate Jesus Christ by making sacrifices that would advance the cause of development and take into consideration the welfare of others as they celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ.
Oyetola urged Christians to also use the occasion to intensify prayers and devotion for God’s intervention as the country and the world at large are fighting the scourge of coronavirus.
On his part, el-Rufai said he was sad that COVID-19 had impacted on formal acts of worship to celebrate the festival.
In a goodwill message by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Muyiwa Adekeye, the governor noted that the enduring message of Easter, which is victory over darkness “is poignant amidst the uniquely difficult circumstances in which Easter is being celebrated this year.
“The closure of churches due to quarantine conditions in many places across the world, makes it impossible to celebrate Easter in the traditional way; a most unusual development,” he said.
Also, Okowa in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Olisa Ifeajika, said Easter is a time for Christian faithful to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.
According to him, the power of the resurrection crystallised in Easter, presents in 2020, an opportunity for Christians to seek the face of God in prayers to heal Nigeria and the world of the rampaging coronavirus.
In his Easter message, Diri implored Christians to remain steadfast and keep their hope in Jesus Christ alive in the face of the daunting COVID-19 challenges.
Diri said the pandemic was only a temporary setback as “there is always light at the end of the dark tunnel”.
He noted that the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, offered great hope to everyone that believed in Him and in the overcoming power of His resurrection exemplified by the Easter season.
Yahaya, while felicitating with the Christian community, called on the faithful to use the period to pray for continuous peace, stability and end to the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that Easter symbolises love, sacrifice, service to God and country as well as triumph of good over evil.
He urged the people to always reflect on the lessons and significance of the season and demonstrate same in their lives.
Umahi, in his Easter broadcast, banned okada riders from operating in all parts of Ebonyi State.
He said they had been seen contravening the COVID-19 law of the state.
Uzodinma assured the people of state that with total confidence in God, COVID-19 would be defeated in the state.
The governor in his Easter state-wide broadcast on the people said the state and the nation were relying solely in God to defeat the global pandemic.
He noted that “Christ’s resurrection is a sign of assurance that after the coronavirus pandemic will come the joy of triumph”.
In his message, Abiodun called on residents and citizens of the state to continue playing their roles as committed citizens through love and sacrifice for the general good of the society.
In a message by his CPS, Kunle Somorin, the governor said the stay-at-home measure was meant to flatten the curve of coronavirus.
Abiodun urged all Nigerians to comply with the various measures to bring down the global menace.
The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, urged residents of the state to be prayerful and to imbibe Christ-like attitude during the Easter celebration.
Makinde, in his Easter message to the people of the state, said Christians must utilise the opportunity of the Easter season to intensify prayers for the state in particular and Nigeria in general.
The governor also encouraged the people to imbibe the lessons of sacrificial living and love, which he described as the hallmarks of Easter.
Also, Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, urged Christian faithful to show good neighbourliness to one another, asking them to mark the Easter festivities at home.
In an Easter address, the governor said this year’s celebration would be marked in ‘unusual circumstances,’ as Christians would celebrate one of the most important events in the Christian calendar, at home, because of the restrictions, which have been imposed to limit the spread of the coronavirus. |
Alessandra Cecchi is not quite fifteen when her father, a prosperous cloth merchant, brings a young painter back from northern Europe to decorate the chapel walls in the family’s Florentine palazzo. A child of the Renaissance, with a precocious mind and a talent for drawing, Alessandra is intoxicated by the painter’s abilities.
But their burgeoning relationship is interrupted when Alessandra’s parents arrange her marriage to a wealthy, much older man. Meanwhile, Florence is changing, increasingly subject to the growing suppression imposed by the fundamentalist monk Savonarola, who is seizing religious and political control. Alessandra and her native city are caught between the Medici state, with its love of luxury, learning, and dazzling art, and the hellfire preaching and increasing violence of Savonarola’s reactionary followers. Played out against this turbulent backdrop, Alessandra’s married life is a misery, except for the surprising freedom it allows her to pursue her powerful attraction to the young painter and his art.
The Birth of Venus is a tour de force, the first historical novel from one of Britain’s most innovative writers of literary suspense. It brings alive the history of Florence at its most dramatic period, telling a compulsively absorbing story of love, art, religion, and power through the passionate voice of Alessandra, a heroine with the same vibrancy of spirit as her beloved city. |
It is difficult to make a connection with another person. It is impossible to fully understand a person; she will always annoy and surprise you. Despite the cultural differences in dating, people everywhere want to find someone to trust and share their lives with. Marriage and Happiness in Japan and the United States. This involves people trying to read each other’s feelings (Larkin, 2005).
This article will focus on Japan’s dating culture and marriage attitudes. These ideas are good advice for anyone seeking to develop friendships and romantic relationships: I will expand on the third point.Japanese society pressures people to be respectful and considerate of others, even at the expense of your own needs (Larkin, 2005).This is why PDA (public displays of affection) are taboo.Women were raised to be the “good wife, wise mother” and sacrifice herself for the good of family and country (Bardsley, 2004). This, as I mentioned in this article, has changed in many circles. ” Dating, Democracy, and Romance in Occupied Japan, 1945–1952″ Journal of the History of Sexuality, Vol. |
Terrorism – we’ve all heard of it, but how many of us know exactly what it is? Well, I’ve been looking into that, and here’s what I’ve found out. Put very simply, terrorism is when a group of people, or an individual, use extreme violence to try to frighten us into changing the way we think or behave.
How long has terrorism been going on?
“Remember, remember, the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot.” You’ve probably heard that nursery rhyme, right? But did you know it’s all about one of the earliest examples of terrorism – right here in the UK? The so-called Gunpowder Plot happened back in 1605 when a man called Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament. But, before Fawkes could light the fuse, he was caught. The event is still remembered with fireworks, every 5th November.
More recently, there have been several terrorist attacks in London, and an explosion at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, which killed 22 people and injured 139 others. Many of the victims were children.
How likely are we to be a victim of terrorism?
OK, it’s completely understandable that some of us worry about this, but the fact is your chances of being killed by a terrorist are very slim. And remember, most terrorist attacks happen in dangerous countries, like Afghanistan, Iraq and Nigeria.
In the UK, terrorism is very rare. In fact just two people were killed by terrorists in 2019.
Which terrorists groups are the most active at the moment?
Most of the recent terrorism that has been carried out in the UK has been by people with extreme religious beliefs, and carry out attacks on anyone who doesn’t believe in their views. Often, they claim to follow the religion of Islam, but the majority of Muslims in the world say that Islam is a peaceful religion.
But there have also been attacks on Muslims, by far-right groups who oppose the spread of the Islamic faith. And there are concerns that Irish terrorist organisations may restart their campaign of violence aimed at stopping British rule in Northern Ireland.
What can we do to keep ourselves safe?
The police have launched a campaign – you may have heard it on tannoys in railway stations. They say that if you can remember three simple words, it can save your life: run, hide and tell. Even though it’s extremely unlikely, if you were to get caught up in a scary incident, then the first thing you should do is run away and try to find somewhere safe to hide. Make sure you stay really quiet, turn your phone to silent and don’t shout for help, because it could alert the attackers as to where you are. Then, finally, once it’s safe, you can tell the police about what’s happened, by ringing the emergency number 999.
And remember, if you’re still worried about terrorism then it’s a good idea to speak to an adult who you trust. They should be able to help you, and reassure you.
Click here to watch more of our I Don’t Get It explainer films.
Click here to watch this week’s FYI show. |
I know a few misers who drive cars that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars but would park where parking charges are cheaper and walk half a mile in the sweltering heat to their destinations just to save a few lousy bucks.
I know of a couple of tightwads who would hold their bowels until they reach their offices to use the toilets there so as “to save water and toilet papers” at home.
When I worked for a HR consultancy many years ago, the managing director would even pilfer cans of Coke and tea bags from the pantry. We knew because sometimes tea bags would be falling out of his bulging pockets leaving behind a tell-tale trail from the pantry to his office.
And talking of tea bags, I once met a cougar who would re-cycle a tea bag several times. There was always a used tea bag secreted away somewhere in a drawer of her desk.
I came across a blog post recently about a Customer Service Officer at one particular MRT Station who would report to work much earlier before his official reporting time. Why? This stingy bugger who “doesn’t take his showers at home” uses the shower facilities in the toilets at the station.
For good measure, this Scrooge cycles to work from his home nearby. “He has the most ugly and ‘langgar tiang’ bicycle that no one will look at, let alone steal. But with a front basket, it serves its purpose. The langgar bicycle not only provides him free transport to work but also carries two big containers of freshly boiled drinking water from the hot water dispenser in the station’s pantry.”
Even on his off days he would make his way to the station to shower and to bring home water from the water dispenser.
He sometimes cooks using the station’s microwave and brings the food home for dinner. He would also bring home newspapers discarded by passengers to sell to the rag-and-bone man.
He also reminds me of another freeloader who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing. This scumbag would visit 10 to 20 shops to compare prices before making a purchase, not realizing that his time is worth more than the meager savings and that he is damaging relationships along the way.
Why are some people so bloody stingy?
German researchers once took samples of cells from inside the mouths of 101 young men and women and tested them for a gene called COMT.
The gene, which comes in “G” and “A” versions, is known to influence brain chemistry and the researchers believed it may do so in a way that affects how generous – or not – we are towards others.
The volunteers were given a gambling computer game to play and then told they could donate some or all of their winnings to a poor child in Peru.
To tug their heartstrings, they were shown a picture of a girl called Lina and a bracelet that she had knitted.
The type of COMT gene did not affect how much the men and women won on the gambling game – but it did affect how much they gave to charity.
More than 20% of those with the “G” version gave all the cash they had won to Lina, but fewer than 2% with the “A” version were as generous.
On average, those with the “A” version, or the “mean gene” gave less than half as much to charity, the University of Bonn study found.
Reminds me of a really mean bastard who would wipe his dick on his girlfriend’s curtain as he leaves for home after a good time with her.
But jerks and tightwads can’t entirely blame their DNA.
Previous research has shown that our propensity towards generosity is only partly explained by our genes.
This means that other factors, such as upbringing, education, religion, etc also play a role.
A person may be motivated to become a skinflint and a penny-pincher because of past experiences of poverty, privation and insecurity. If certain individuals were brought up poor and needy they may grow up to become stingy because they have a fear of poverty returning again in their lives. Stingy people resort to greediness and even petty theft to feel safe the same way hamsters hoard food in their cheek pouches.
But it’s a vicious cycle.
People who are stingy may make some small gains. They may avoid loss or temporarily have an easier time than others. They may think they are beating the system and have the upper hand but in the long run they actually become poorer. Many will dislike them. They will be social outcasts, alienated by others. They may not be able to express themselves fully. They may live a limited life never realizing their full potential. They will never experience the pleasure of dishing out tens of thousands of dollars for a Singapore Airlines A380 Suite, or the luxury of being chauffeured in a Rolls-Royce or what it means to sip a three-thousand-dollar cognac or how it is like to taste truffles or caviar or to savor a thousand-dollar sushi meal. On their deathbeds, they will regret not having another bowl of that laksa because it would have cost an additional three bucks.
If you are stingy to the world and others you will receive the same stinginess back or more in other mysterious forms. What goes around comes around.
The blogger said that the Customer Service Officer at the MRT station has served 23 years and has just turned 55 and was bragging about the $171,000/- cash payout from his CPF.
The blogger also said that this person “would never squander away his CPF withdrawal or his own savings.”
In other words, as far as I’m concerned, this shithead will continue to remain poor in every sense of the word.
What a pathetic, parasitic loser!
Whenever friends ask me how much I intend to leave behind when I die, I always say “Same as John D Rockefeller.”
The world’s richest man left EVERYTHING behind.
Yes, you can never take it with you.
For this reason, I would rather die broke.
Those shitheads who have no frigging idea what I’m talking about but are quick to pass judgment, please save yourself the embarrassment and read this book: |
The identical, for the Chinese language neighborhood: I recognize your fears about your tradition being lost in case your language fades. A paraphrasing of Lee Kuan Yew to the Malay neighborhood: I am not certainly one of you, however I'll take heed to you. It bears repeating that Lee Kuan Yew is pretty dismissive of a lot of Western traits. Lee Kuan Yew noticed the problem, because he seen each subject. On this problem, again, some of the reasons for LKY's success as Singapore's leader develop into clear. It is a urgent problem, tough and multifaceted, one reflective of tendencies around the globe. It's potential to take a look at the entire saga and conclude that he was pushing against impossible traits that not even probably the most prescient might keep away from, ready with a bluntness and willingness to speak hard truths as a lonely, brave Cassandra. It is also deeply sensitive, tied into individuals's sense of self-dedication and autonomy, their most personal targets, and a whole lot else. Lumine has a very poor sense of course, which is shown when he will get misplaced on his way to Sera's residence. In the same approach their explicit automobile parts are additionally extremely costly. Green buildings are extremely sustainable and thus have a tendency to offer high performance when in contrast other buildings.
Ten Warning Signs Of Your Youtube Movie Rentals Promo Code Demise
He talks about his resolution to ship his children to Chinese language colleges to give them a firmer footing in their own tradition, and talks about his appreciation of the "vitality, dynamism, discipline, and social and political dedication" in these faculties. I lost it myself, educated in foreign faculties and a foreign language, and have since fought to regain it. As of 2005, Singaporean Malays have shrunk, but not closed the hole with different Singaporeans, and leapfrogged most non-Singaporean students in educational outcomes. I had a Singaporean good friend a while back who sometimes joked that you may tell she was Singaporean because she spoke bad English and bad Chinese. I wasn't in a place to evaluate the truth of that, on the time talking no Chinese myself, but there was a trace of sadness behind the joke that caught with me and comes to thoughts with LKY's eventual hesitance around the coverage. Within the comment thread after i first wrote this, a user pointed out that LKY sounds "like a nerdy, rationalist, technocratic dictator. Disregarding society's irrational feelings, talking the reality plainly, and changing your views with new evidence." I agree. Handel attempted to paint her opponent as an extremis, who was out of step with the great folks of the north Atlanta metro.
Second longest seashore in Canada at 11km. near a great zoo. He cites Japan approvingly as a culture capable of "absorb American affect and remain principally Japanese," with their youth "more hardworking and committed to the larger good of their society than Europeans or Americans" (154). In an effort to preserve the best in Chinese language schools and retain that form of cultural affect, he set aside the highest 9 Chinese faculties as selective institutions, admitting only the top 10 p.c of students. I like the very best parts of our tradition and want to preserve them. So--did LKY successfully lead his country to a brand new widespread language while preserving tradition? They have a number of department and franchises throughout the country and abroad. We might have lost our cultural identification, that quiet confidence about ourselves and our place on the planet. Present numbers place its fertility charge at 1.14, lowest on the earth.
Understand that the only purpose I am asking you to make a troublesome transition away from it is because that's what our country wants on the planet because it stands. LKY's handling of these issues is one motive I see it as futile to put him on a traditional US-model left-proper axis when taking a look at his decision-making. The federal government is the final place that makes changes to a failing economy. Thanks for the advice, I did find a spot sorta close by with Elmhurst, though it's slightly expensive. Nevertheless, since they're accessible in such a sizable variety, with a bit determination and energy you possibly can come across a really trouble-free deal and acquire your favorite pill computer at a smaller price. Most of the free eBooks may be obtained with out a low cost retail coupon or low cost code. “I like seeing people contort themselves into whatever lies will get them free. |
Texas Our Texas
If you are homeschooling right now this will be a great history lesson for your kiddos. On this day April 21st 1836, Texas gained it's independence from Mexico at the Battle of San Jacinto.
In a battle the lasted only 18 minutes the Texas Army defeated the Mexican Army. The Texas came upon surprised the Mexican army during nap time. The Mexican Army was resting for the afternoon and that is when General Sam Houston ordered the attack on Santa Anna and his troops. With the help of a woman named Emily Morgan, Santa Anna was little pre-occupied when the Texas Army attacked.
Santa Anna surrendered after 18 minutes. Santa Anna managed to escape but was captured the next day. After being held as a prisoner of war for about three weeks, Santa Anna signed the peace treaty stating that the Mexican Army would leave Texas, paving the way for what would be known as the Republic of Texas.
General Sam Houston would later become the first President of Texas.
Today outside of Houston, you can visit the San Jacinto Monument and state park, that resides on the the very place were the battle took place. While you are there you can also visit the battle ship Texas, The USS Texas is anchored there. |
15th October 2018
It’s just been confirmed that two Asian Hornets have been found in Dungeness in Kent over the weekend. One was on ivy in someone’s garden and the other was found at the Dungeness Bird Observatory.
Members of the Animal and Plant Health Agency have visited the sites to collect the hornets and Bee Inspectors are in the area setting traps.
The first hornet was found in a garden and lured down to a bait tray on Saturday 13th.
The second Asian Hornet ( in the main picture on this page ) was seen feeding on ivy at the Dungeness Bird Observatory on Sunday 14th October and was captured. |
Parody Of: Fortune. Title: “Mis-Fortune.” In: Vanity Fair, March 1934, pp. 22-23, 62.
By: “John Riddell” (Corey Ford). Availability: Findable; usually pricey.
Dwight Macdonald dismissed Corey Ford’s parodies as “mild” and didn’t include him in his magisterial Parodies: An Anthology from Chaucer to Beerbohm – And After (Random House, 1960). I’m hesitant to disagree with Macdonald — his book is merely the best thing ever done on the topic of literary parody — but he was strict grader, and Ford was something of a class clown: Like Mad a generation later, he had no qualms about putting authors in their own universes or breaking the fourth wall for the sake of a joke.
Ford went directly from Columbia University, where he edited the Jester and (therefore?) didn’t graduate, to the pages of Life, Judge and, especially, the old Vanity Fair. From the late ’20s until VF’s demise in 1936, he was in nearly every issue with a feature, profile or “Impossible Interview,” the last illustrated by the great Miguel Covarrubias. Meanwhile, his alter ego “John Riddell” wrote a monthly parody — usually of a recent bestseller, but every now and then of a magazine. Before tackling Fortune, he spoofed Time as “Time-and-a-Half” in March 1933 and George Jean Nathan’s American Spectator (no kin to the current title) as “The American Spectre” two months later. There may be others; I haven’t seen every issue. But I doubt any top “mis-Fortune.”
Henry Luce planned Fortune to be a big, beautiful celebration of American capitalism, but it had the ill luck to debut in February 1930, just as the Depression was settling in. It was still big, beautiful and resolutely pro-Free Enterprise (and expensive, going for $1.00 a copy when Time was 15 cents and the SatEvePost a nickel), but in the ’30s it spent as much time diagnosing Big Business’s problems as cheering its success. The early Fortune’s specialty was exhaustively researched, multi-part dissections of publicity-shy corporations and complex business arrangements. Many of them were written by bright, young Ivy Leaguers (all male, of course) with a leftish outlook, including Archibald MacLeish, James Agee and future anthologist Macdonald. “There are men who can write poetry, and there are men who can read balance sheets,” Luce once said. “We made the discovery that it was easier to turn poets into business journalists than to turn bookkeepers into writers.”
Depression-era readers were hungry for facts, and Fortune supplied them, sometimes in a breathless gush out of scale with the info’s importance. “Mis-Fortune’s” opening riff on “an ordinary paper-clip, magnified to one thousand times its natural size,” is absurd but not unjustified. For comparison, here’s a snippet from the real Fortune for August 1934: “The average Greyhound [bus] is a body job thirty-three feet long, and reaches the average legal width of ninety-six inches (the average Buick is seventy-two inches wide). When loaded to its capacity of thirty-three passengers, it weighs – nickelwork, insignia, pretty curtains, and all – eleven tons. If you as a private citizen should be so rash as to offer to buy it, it would cost you $13,500….” And so on for several hundred more words.
Ford is particularly good on Fortune’s bombastic/omniscient house style: For maximum impact, imagine “mis-Fortune” being read by a 1930s newsreel narrator. Like all Ford’s VF parodies, “mis-Fortune” is brief — too brief to duplicate the lushness of Fortune’s art and photo spreads — but it makes the most of its two facing, almost Fortune-size pages. Its three photos of regimented pencil sharpeners, typewriter keys, and workmen not only mock Fortune’s taste for heroic industrial photography, they make a sharper point about the Big-Business Mentality than anything in the text. As a parodist, Ford was too fond of his subject’s foibles to savage them, but he was delighted to point them out. Class clowns usually are. —VCR |
FAQ:Installing the FFmpeg Import/Export Library
From Audacity Development Manual
The optional FFmpeg library allows Audacity to import and export a much larger range of audio formats including M4A (AAC), AC3, AMR (narrow band) and WMA and also to import audio from most video files.
Because of software patents, Audacity cannot include the FFmpeg software or distribute it from its own websites. Instead, following the links below to instructions to download and install the free and recommended FFmpeg third-party library. |
Our therapists often hear from clients that, in relationships of many kinds (with bosses, coworkers, significant others, partners, friends, family) they lack the confidence to ask for what they need. In an effort to avoid being seen as pushy, demanding or overbearing, some people retreat to the other extreme – suffering in silence by dismissing their own needs and desires as unimportant. Eventually, however, that wears them down. They miss out on opportunities, work harder than they have to, and do without necessities or pleasures that make life easier or simply more enjoyable.
Often those who put themselves at the bottom of their own priority lists are considered people-pleasers. They don’t like to say “no” to requests for their time, effort and resources because they don’t want to appear selfish, lazy or uncaring. (Tartakovsky, 2016). They end up taking care of everyone else, leaving nothing for themselves. Others are just too shy to ask, or fear rejection or embarrassment. Lack of confidence and low self-esteem can be a result of depression or other mental illness (Tartakovsky, 2013), and can lead to other problems like perfectionism, passive-aggressive behavior, and hyper vigilance. (The Self-Esteem Institute, n.d.) In such cases, specific resources, including therapy, are available for assistance. [Get Help Now]
Everyone has insecurities, but yours don’t have to stop you from leading a full, peaceful and balanced life. That often-cited oxygen mask analogy (airplane passengers are instructed to put on their oxygen masks before assisting others) really does apply to life in general. You can’t help anyone else unless you take care of yourself, if not first, at least in addition to.
When you’ve spent a lifetime deferring to others and letting your own wishes go unheard, suddenly stepping up and asking for what you want can be a giant leap out of your comfort zone. Here are some ways you can gradually build the confidence to communicate your needs and wants effectively.
- Make your request reasonable. Asking for the moon, and then scaling back to what you actually want works in marketing and fundraising, explains Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D., but is less effective in personal relationships. “Gauge your target and pitch your request at close to what you think that person can, and will, do for you,” she suggests.
- Write it down. Organizing your thoughts ahead of time can help you feel less rattled or embarrassed, says Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D. When you ask for something (or say “no”) clearly and directly, with only your best one or two reasons, you are more likely to get a good response.
- Tell yourself you’re worth it. There are many reasons we convince ourselves we don’t deserve something. Our own biases about gender, age, ethnicity, etc., can lead us to create assumptions about what others think, before we even give them a chance to respond for themselves. Taking the time to understand what has led you to internalize these messages can help you recognize them when they pop up and also keep them from getting in your way.
- Take the other person’s needs into account. In your effort to get your own needs met, be sure to notice what is happening with the person you are asking. “If someone looks troubled, preoccupied, or stressed, then you’re stacking the deck against having that person grant your request by making it right then and there,” says Whitbourne. She cautions, however, not to use this as an excuse to indefinitely put off making your request. (Whitbourne, S. K., 2012)
- Take responsibility for yourself. You, and only you, can make new things happen in your life, writes Maud Purcell, LCSW, CEAP. The best way to change is to take action. Even a small step can create momentum that leads to positive results.
- Act “as if.” If you lack the confidence to ask for what you want, act as if you already have it. “In the field of psychology we have come to understand that by changing our behavior, we can change our feelings,” Purcell adds. In other words, if you act with confidence, true confidence will come.
- Find a mentor. Do you know people who always seem to act confidently? Watch what they do in different situations. Ask how they do it. “Most confident people are happy to help. They remember the courage and effort it’s taken them to get where they are today,” says Purcell. (Purcell, M. 2016)
- Surround yourself with supportive people. Most of us know someone who just “gets us.” A friend or family member who accepts our quirks and flaws, but also motivates us to be our best. Connecting with someone who appreciates you as you are may be the self-esteem boost you need, says Therese J. Borchard, associate editor of PsychCentral.com.
- Know it is invisible. No one can see your insecurity, and even if it seems obvious to you, most people are too worried about their own insecurity to notice yours, says Borchard.
- Consider it beautiful. Insecurity is not “bad,” Borchard reminds us. Reframed as humility, she adds, it is considered “divine.” Vulnerability is often what allows us to connect with one another in authentic, meaningful ways. It is part of being human. Accepting our insecurities and recognizing them in others, is one way to move beyond them rather than be controlled by them. (Borchard, 2015)
Like most things, developing confidence takes practice. Some days and some situations will be easier than others, but with time and learning what works best for you, it will become more natural.
Is there something you’ve wanted to ask for but lack the confidence to do so? These tips can help you get started, but if you need more assistance, please consider talking to a therapist. You can connect with one through our Access Center at 303-867-4600.
If you would like to speak to a therapist about this subject or about any other issue you may be experiencing, contact the Maria Droste Access Center at 303-867-4600.
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Tartakovsky, M. (2016). 21 Tips to Stop Being a People-Pleaser. Psych Central. Retrieved on September 21, 2016, from https://psychcentral.com/lib/21-tips-to-stop-being-a-people-pleaser/
Tartakovsky, M. (2013). 8 Suggestions for Strengthening Self-Esteem When You Have Depression. Psych Central. Retrieved on September 21, 2016, from https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/01/24/8-suggestions-for-strengthening-self-esteem-when-you-have-depression/
The Self-Esteem Institute (n.d.) Behavioral Symptoms and Consequences. Retrieved on September 21, 2016, from https://www.getesteem.com/lse-symptoms/behavioral.html
Whitbourne, S. K. (2012) 9 Ways to Ask For (and Get) What You Want. Psychology Today. Retrieved on September 22, 2016, from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201212/9-ways-ask-and-get-what-you-want
Borchard, T. J. (2015). 5 Things to Do When You Feel Insecure. Psych Central. Retrieved on September 21, 2016, from https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/06/08/5-things-to-do-when-you-feel-insecure/ |
For those who have children at home, January holidays mean days of great excitement and fatigue. Especially because, monitoring the children’s energy is not for everyone. If you still have no idea what to do to distract the little ones, how about making some desserts?
Children can get their hands dirty, helping with the simplest preparations that do not go to the fire. Thinking about it, I made a very special selection with 10 simple and full of flavor recipes!
In addition to the end result being a grace, the kids will love helping to prepare these pop tarts. At first, they can assist in preparing the dough by mixing the ingredients. Then, give the little ones the cookie molds and let them cut out the shapes of the tart!
Mini oreo cheesecake
This cheesecake recipe has the flavor of childhood, as it carries a cookie adored by most little ones. Her filling is basically a mixture of ingredients in a single bowl, very easy for those with young children. Since the recipe needs to go to the oven, leave this step to adults only.
Ice cream sprinkles
Every kid loves ice cream. When this icy delight is served with confectionery, everything gets even better. Then, get the kids to make yogurt and fruit sprinkles. They are very tasty and add a more sour taste to the ice cream.
Another sweet that is the face of the children are the famous sacolés. All the ingredients are taken to the blender, without even needing any other pot. The little ones can help with the distribution of the liquid, pouring it into the bags!
Powdered milk cake
Nest milk is that type of ingredient that every child loves. So, nothing better than a cake with filling and dough that takes the product. In addition, the end result is to let anyone sigh.
Very wet and chocolatudo cake for the little chocoholics! The recipe has several preparations and specific order, so keep an eye on the children and help them whenever necessary 🙂
One of the easiest sweets to make is the tapioca cake. In addition to not going into the oven, there are few ingredients and the cost of doing so is not high. The first step of the recipe must be done by an adult, since the mixture of condensed milk and coconut milk needs to be brought into the pan. The other preparations can all be completed by the children.
Popsicle is the face of summer and holidays. In the case of ChicaBon, you will only need three ingredients, beating all of them in the blender. The little ones will love to put the liquid in the cups and then unmold the ice creams.
What do you think of the idea of making a cake in the shape of a milkshake and with ice cream dough? The taste is incredible and is a super playful dessert.
Passion fruit mousse popsicle
Another ice cream on the list! I think this one is even easier to do, as it can be placed in plastic cups. To make it even more refreshing, be sure to add pieces of fruit.
Don’t forget that all of these recipes must always be made with adult supervision, ok? After the fun during the preparation, just enjoy these wonderful sweets 😉 |
The company has done a remarkable job in leading the established carmakers down the road towards mass acceptance of electric vehicles with its Model S luxury car. There’s a lot to love about it. But the acid test is coming in the form of the follow-up products, starting with the Model X, for which it’s forecast sales of 55,000 before the end of 2015. Even though the X will occupy a lower price point and will be a crossover – the fastest-growing model type globally – that’s a tough call when Model S sales are currently running at an annualised rate of only about 40,000.
But that’s not the biggest issue. Tesla’s key problem is that its model range plans will see it entering the mainstream and taking on the big players – which have the muscle to stamp on the new boy who’s tested the market for them.
Tesla’s product strategy has been compromised by conservatism from the start. The Model S is a huge achievement, offering a viable range of well over 200 miles in an EV for the first time. It goes like stink and can move a large family in serenely hushed comfort. But it’s anonymous looking. EVs don’t have to shout their technical or eco credentials but nothing in its design tells you that the car is a ground-breaker, a catalyst for an entire industry. It’s pleasing but anodyne. It could be a large Mazda. Or anything designed around a traditional ICE (combustion engine) drivetrain.
Now, with the Model X, Tesla is taking its offering into more commoditised territory. And the smaller Model 3, which will follow, will further expand the range but do so by lowering the price point again. That opens it up to a far wider customer base but also far tighter margins and massive competition. A crossover the size of the Model 3 will be up against Chevrolet’s forthcoming and very keenly priced Bolt, and the major carmakers like Chevrolet’s GM parent can operate at miniscule margins offset by far higher volumes, global footprints, larger product ranges and sales of financial services: most of the carmakers are now effectively banks which also make cars. Tesla is not, in spite of its founder Elon Musk’s billionaire status.
Put it another way: Tesla – despite controversial and vocal Musk – could have been disruptive but has not. Musk touts a disruptor tag and wants to challenge the established brands. His balls are as big as his bank account. But there is no mass following for Teslas or any other EVs at the moment, and when the demand rises the big players will exploit it quickly – there has been no first-mover advantage. Audi has recently announced that it will be revealing a prototype all-electric luxury car with a Model S-beating range at the Frankfurt motor show in September, and Jaguar is planning an all-electric luxury car. Both should be on sale by 2018.
Why such a slow response? First because the demand for EVs is still insignificant, and second because the Model S has been in a niche. The real competitive response will start as Tesla enters the more affordable market segments – which it will do with the Model X and Model 3 – and crucially when the demand for EVs can’t be ignored. And when that happens the established carmakers will be ready. Tesla isn’t doing anything the other carmakers cannot, and when it matters Tesla won’t be doing anything they are not actually doing.
Tesla simply can’t challenge the existing major carmakers head-on. Top-down disruption hardly ever occurs. Instead it would be better off continuing to target niches the major players don’t want to enter, or can’t enter quickly and easily, and engaging in innovative business models – like short-term leasing and car sharing. That’s what true disruptors do.
If Tesla’s aim was not to disrupt it should have created highly distinctive products, especially where it cannot avoid direct competition with the establishment. And it should have invested more in its brand. The simplicity of EVs mean that the barriers to entry for new carmakers are far lower than for new entrants in the ICE era. Making a car is the (relatively) easy bit; creating a relevant and differentiated brand is the hard part, and Tesla has not yet done that. To most consumers Tesla means ‘electric’, early mover’ and ‘Musk’ but little else. It may be one of the most tweeted, followed, liked and posted brands but it has effectively outsourced its brand development to the vagaries of cyberspace.
When we see other new entrants into the EV sector they are likely to be less beholden to a traditional product profile, and more focused on brand, than Tesla. The next one may well be Nevs, the business which acquired the assets of SAAB, is rebuilding as an EV company and has just announced alliances with two Chinese state-owned firms. It knows the value of the SAAB brand legacy and my bet is that it will be thinking hard about new business models and the different requirements of Asian and Western markets.
To be successful, Nevs and other EV brands have to offer something different but which can exist alongside the establishment – in the market, in consumers’ minds and probably on their driveways. Challenging them head-on isn’t a sustainable option. |
How to Make a Floor Bed (3 Simple Way)
There are so many reasons why we may need to use a floor bed in our homes. You may be thrilled by the feeling of camping and decide to make one in your living room, or you may have guests and you need to provide a place they can sleep. You may also have had sleepless nights resulting from body pains, and you want to try another method.
Whatever the reason, it is good to be educated on why and how to make a good floor bed.
It is a cheaper, easier and more convenient type of bed to make. You don’t need anything to make a floor bed other than space and a mattress or a pad.
Benefits of Using a Floor Bed
Using a floor bed is truly beneficial. Below are some of the benefits.
Improved Blood Circulation
When you sleep on a floor bed, your body tends to align perfectly in a natural posture; and as a result, the pressure will be evenly distributed from the mattress to the whole body. This will make the muscles more relaxed, and the circulation of blood around the body is enhanced.
Less Body Pain and Risk of Spinal Disease
Sleeping on a floor bed reduces the chances of body pain. The natural posture and firm support from the bed make the muscles relaxed. Scoliosis − an unnatural curving of the spinal cord − is also avoided when one sleeps on a floor bed.
A Cooler Sleep
Air is cooler at places closer to the ground than places high above the ground. Sleeping on a floor bed gives us a cool sound sleep.
See also: Best Cooling Blanket
How to Make a Floor Bed
Making a floor bed is not in any way difficult. You can follow these 3 easy ways to make a floor bed.
- The first method is very simple. Just place your bed in a convenient space. You can put a blanket or yoga mat underneath it to keep it still and silent. You can also set the mattress against the wall to probably prevent your pillow from falling off. Lay your bed sheet and you are good to go.
- You can make use of pillowcases. Join about four pillowcases together by sewing the long edges of the pillowcases. Ensure that the open ends are all facing the same direction. The result is an array of four pillowcases together. Now, put in the pillows and have a sound sleep. You can join two of this pillowcases-bed side by side if you are of a bigger size.
- You can use mattresses fitted for this purpose. The Floor mattress, Foldable mattresses, Portable mattresses, and even inflatable mattresses. These can be folded or made smaller for convenient keeping; and when you’re ready to use them, you can just stretch them out or pump them into a full mattress.
Before leaving, I want to share a video by “My Outcast State” who has a video about how to make a floor bed on his Youtube Channel. His style can be different than us, but check this video, you may like it. |
Community-based/Medical-based prevention strategies can be another effective way to reduce tobacco use in the population. Community prevention interventions have the potential to reach a wide audience.
Community-based/Medical-based prevention strategies offer a promising solution to reducing and preventing the initiation of smoking and tobacco use. Community/Medical based prevention interventions can focus on altering tobacco use behavior, promoting tobacco use change within the community, and/or passing and enforcing anti-tobacco legislation. Below are just a few of the effective strategies that can be implemented in a community and/or medical setting to reduce tobacco use initiation and/or promote cessation.
Awareness Campaigns/Media Coverage
Tobacco advertising and promotion activities appear to simultaneously encourage adult consumption and to increase the risk of youth initiation. Thus, counter-marketing strategies can be powerful tools to counteract the influence of tobacco promotion. Highlighted below are just a few Awareness Campaigns:
- The Cigar Trap: The Cigar Trap is a public health awareness and education campaign brought to you by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The purpose of this campaign is to call attention to the growing problem of non-premium cigarillo (small cigars) and little cigar (“brown cigarette”) use among underage youth in Maryland. Part of the mission of this campaign is to increase Marylander's awareness that non-premium cigarillo and little cigar use is a real and growing issue among youth, and cigars are just as dangerous, toxic and addictive as cigarettes. Cigarillos and little cigars are available in a myriad of seemingly harmless fruit and candy flavorings that mask the harshness of tobacco and make the products more enticing to youth.
- American Lung Association of Maryland: According to the State of Tobacco Control 2016, published by the American Lung Association, Maryland received a Failing grade for Tobacco Prevention and Control Spending. For a detailed check out the Maryland-specific fact sheet: http://www.lung.org/our-initiatives/tobacco/reports-resources/sotc/state-grades/
- Truth Initiative, formerly the American Legacy Foundation: The Truth Initiative has used selling tactics similar to those used by consumer marketers. They are trying to sell teens (12-17) on not smoking cigarettes. Data in the USA suggests that 80 percent of all adult smokers begin smoking regularly before the age of 18. Farrelly and colleagues reported finding that the organization's truth® campaign prevented hundreds of thousands of youth from initiating smoking in a 2 year period. In a study done in 2009, it was shown that antitobacco beliefs and attitudes increased steadily during the first 3 years of the truth campaign. More can be found on their website: https://truthinitiative.org/
Other Community Strategies
- Maryland Clean Indoor Air Act The act was signed into law on May 17, 2007. The act prohibits smoking in all indoor workplaces in order to “preserve and improve the health, comfort, and environment of the people of Maryland by limiting exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.” The law provides for fair and consistent statewide protection from exposure to secondhand smoke in indoor settings.
- Community Based Smoke- Free Coalition Community Based Coalitions consist of members in the community with a common goal of changing policy. Smoke-Free Coalitions consist of people within the community with a common interest to educate and change policy on smoking. Coalitions can come from any type of community setting such as schools, neighborhoods, and even counties. School based coalitions in Maryland include Students Together Organizing Prevention Strategies (S.T.O.P.S.) www.marylandstops.com which tries to educate and prevent teens from smoking.
American Lung Association. (2016). State of Tobacco Control 2016: State at a Glance: http://www.lung.org/our-initiatives/tobacco/reports-resources/sotc/at-a-glance/
SAMHSA, HHS: Calculated based on data in 2005 National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health [http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/nsduh.htm].
Farrelly, M. C., Davis, K. C., Haviland, M. L., Messeri, P. & Healton, C. G. (2005). Evidence of a Dose-Response Relationship Between "truth" Antismoking Ads and Youth Smoking Prevalence. American Journal of Public Health, 95, 425 - 431.
Farrelly, M. C., Davis, K. C., Duke, J., & Messeri, P. (2009). Sustaining 'truth': Changes in youth tobacco attitudes and smoking intentions after 3 years of a national antismoking campaign. Health Education Research, 24(1), 42-48. doi: 10.1093/her/cym087 |
This three hour workshop will introduce you to MDTP diagnostics tests and the free, online testing platform. We will learn how to navigate the online platform; set up schools, teachers, and classes; add enrollment; and assign and administer tests. We will explore how to use the online platform to analyze your results and set instructional goals. We will discuss math activities that support and improve student thinking and get students communicating mathematically.
The next session is Saturday, January 20, 2018, from 9-12 at UCLA in the Mathematical Science Building. Sign up here
This session is offered at no charge to participants. A light breakfast and snack will be served. |
While Brian Loew was involved in technology strategy at the Washington Post, the paper launched an online political forum. It was an early attempt to harness the dynamic and democratic potential of the web, and it didn’t go entirely as expected. Some readers behaved so badly, editors felt compelled to turn off the commenting system.
Loew is now the CEO of Inspire, a social network that connects patients to each other while accelerating clinical trial recruitment. A million unique monthly users (235,000 of whom are registered members) gather on the site, launched in 2005, to connect with other people and access information around specific disease areas. Together, they write more than half a million words every day – the equivalent of about two Washington Posts.
So what makes the difference between melee and mind meld in an online forum? Loew, an entrepreneur since 1994 who has helped launch websites for many major publishers, says the magic lies in a few simple rules. They are:
- Give users anonymity but identity: Yes to Jane Smith posting under username Sunshine1000. No to Jane Smith posting under Sunshine1000 and Happy5 and Content21.
- Crowdsource: Enable any member to report a post as inappropriate (Would you like to buy my product?) or offensive (You’re an expletive!). “It’s astonishing,” Loew says. If something inappropriate is written in Inspire, “it’s discovered typically within minutes.”
- Employ good moderators: It’s easy to identify hate speech and commercial sales pitches – both forbidden on Inspire – but it’s harder to tell where healthy argument crosses the line into insult. (No topic is off-limits.) “That,” says Loew, “is where you need smart people with good judgment.” If a discussion starts generating “more heat than light,” a moderator steps in. Inspire’s ban rate is only about one in every 5,000 members. But “this tiny fraction of people can be so destructive, they can destroy a community if not moderated.”
- Employ software systems that guard against automated attacks: Nobody likes bots.
- (Bonus) Make space for experts: Inspire has exclusive relationships with 78 patient advocacy groups. If a particular discussion veers into irrationality, these partners tend to jump in and provide comment. Epatients are by their nature information seekers, Loew says. “Good information pushes out the bad.”
Inspire now holds more than half a billion words of unstructured content. Eventually Loew wants to be smarter about extracting knowledge from this heap by adding features that capture quantitative data, and to expand into mobile. But he doesn’t want to lose sight of what makes for a successful community in the first place.
“People don’t wake up in the morning thinking, Oh God, I want to go enter six data points about my psoriasis,” he says. “They go to Inspire because they have a fundamental human need to connect, to talk to other people about their conditions.”
Loew will be talking about his work on healthcare social networks at Stanford Medicine X 2012.
Kaliteli ve bir birinden daha muhteşem fiziğe sahip türk kadınlarının buluştuğu escort diyarbakır sitesi farkını tadın. |
As I prepare to teach over Winter Term for the first time and think about a second spring of pandemic teaching, it is time to reflect on the lessons that I learned from our unsettled fall, so I can make the best possible choices for my students as well as myself. All the health experts predict that this winter is going to be devastating and even as vaccinations begin to roll out, our schools and summer programs will still need to operate under pandemic conditions for the remainder of this school year. What the fall of 2021 will bring is still in question and I’m afraid to hope. But, right now, we are still caught in the ongoing nightmare that is education during a pandemic and the question before us is simple: how do we get through this without harming ourselves or our students? We can get through this just as we have our first seasons of pandemic teaching and learning: by recognizing our reduced capacity, tending to our communities, and rethinking our goals.
Entering the fall semester I thought I was prepared for the reduced capacity caused by pandemic life, but I was wrong. The cognitive load for those of us with optimal pandemic conditions is very real and far too many of our students (as well as faculty and staff) are facing far from optimal conditions. The struggle is real and as the pandemic, with all its attendant health and financial concerns, stretches from season to season the fatigue grows exponentially and despair increases. There is no easy fix and I am not sure that it is my responsibility to address this situation in my students’ lives, but it is definitely something I need to weigh as I decide on the large and small details of my class from the number and scope of my assignments to organizing the details of the work and assessment. It is also something that I need to take into consideration for myself as well. I am not operating at the same level of capacity as I was a year ago. I need to carefully husband my personal resources while also providing the best support possible for my students. I need to establish policies and procedures that support student growth and development while also being flexible and forgiving (for me and for them). Ultimately this means streamlining some procedures and requiring some check-ins to make sure I can focus my limited resources on the students who need it the most while continuing to fiercely cherish our community of care.
Tending Our Communities
One of the challenges I faced with my classes in the spring was that the shift from hybrid learning (where we met in person half the time) to 100% asynchronous online was that many of my students became untethered from the class. Even my students who had been 100% online and asynchronous before the pandemic struggled. My solution this fall was to institute both academic and community check-ins.
The community check-ins were a simple tool to keep us personally connected as humans. Students were asked to post once each week to let us know what was going on in their life (sharing as much or as little detail as they felt comfortable sharing) and/or offering their pandemic coping strategies. Everyone was also expected to offer sympathy, support, and/or encouragement for at least three of their peers. I responded to everyone and let me tell you while it was sometimes heartbreaking it was also the best part of my day. Thanks to our community check-ins I was able connect with my students on a human level and that is a practice I am definitely going to keep even after the pandemic (for classes that do not meet in person).
In the fall I taught two sections of Writing I. One class was 100% online and asynchronous while the other was designated hybrid. My pre-pandemic hybrid model called for us to meet as a class on Tuesdays and to collaborate online in lieu of a Thursday class. I couldn’t come up with a pandemic teaching model that did not require twice as much work (as holding whole class meetings and requiring in-class group work was out of the question) so I decided to schedule a combination of weekly meets that would offer students small writing groups in lieu of synchronous classes and office hours. Perhaps my mistake was not requiring these meetings but attendance at these sessions was infrequent at best. Similarly, many students failed to complete the academic check-ins that might have helped to keep them on track. The semester quickly devolved into a logistical nightmare for me as some first year students struggled and I lacked the information I needed to help them. I am still contemplating what to do about our class meets. Perhaps require a certain number or maybe include those meets as an alternative to some other community support work? I’m trying to work out a solution that suits the students who work well with the asynchronous system yet serves the needs of students who need more structure.
In addition, two structural reforms to my classes are in order to help students with their work and to help me with mine. The first reform is the next iteration of my #ungrading journey and is inspired by Laura Gibbs’ Declaration Quiz. I am going to experiment with this process combined with my usual reflections during the Morehead Writing Project’s Winter Institute as I hope that community of experienced educators will help me work out the best solution. That same community is also going to help me tweak my #HyperDoc templates. I’ve already made some improvements to the templates for the Winter Institute that will streamline workflow in my classes and make sure students understand the thinking behind that process.
What changes did you make this fall that you need to keep or re-vision for another season of pandemic teaching and learning? What questions do you have about my pandemic teaching solutions from #HyperDocs to #Ungrading to Check-ins? How are you planning to manage the reduced capacity of your students? How can you protect yourself during yet another season of pandemic teaching and learning? |
Msida, a cheerful village located west of Valletta on the northeast coast of Malta. The discrete harbor town enjoys a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry, sunny summers and short, cool winters. But do not be fooled by the small population of 8.545 habitants; its nightlife can be wild!
Being a typical student town due to the presence of the big and traditional University of Malta, Msida is populated by young and joyful people from everywhere on the world. The University, which was founded in 1769 and offers as many courses as undergraduate bachelor’s degrees, postgraduate master’s degrees and postgraduate doctorates (PhD), has a body of 11,500 students including 750 international students from 82 countries, following full-time or part-time degree and diploma courses. The university also hosts Erasmus and many other exchange students. Another major school, known as the Junior College, is on the other side of the town. Msida also hosts the Mater Dei General Hospital in its outskirts.
We guarantee you will not feel an outsider there, wherever you are from. Due to the influences of many different societies, Msida is one of the most cosmopolitan islands on Europe. The naturally friendly people that founded the town embraced and embodied traditional parts of costumes from all around the world. A Semitic influence from 500 BC and British influence from 1800 and all the absorbed traditions from interactions with other populations in between are still present and alive today.
Discover this lively and rich society. Everyday can be a new adventure full of history. Come to live where everyone else can only spend holidays. Send us your CV and start packing! |
As digital gear has superior, so has the necessity for efficient cooling techniques so as to hold processes running optimally. Improve transparency and accountability by way of public posting of electronics collection and recycling knowledge. This consists of applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of varied items and companies. An digital circuit comprises of varied kinds of elements, which are categorised into two sorts: energetic elements like transistors, diodes, IC’s; and passive parts like capacitors, resistors, inductors, etc.
Essentially, the changes in the shopper electronics trade aren’t being pushed by product evolution, however by fluctuations in the industries business fashions. The way that consumer electronics prices have tumbled over time makes possession much easier for more and more people.
Outputs – Actuators or different units that remodel present and voltage indicators again into human readable information. Shop our variety of LG, Samsung, Sony, Bose and Beats products when you’re trying to buy electronics. Metallic objects are something made of metallic, like plane, bridges, or even objects in house, like satellites The mirrored radar vitality is detected by radar pulse receivers which use both pulse and digital circuits collectively.
Buy electronics online at Evine for convenience and affordability – we’re proud to offer excessive-quality refurbished electronics with stellar efficiency. Thomas J. Watson Jr. ordered all future IBM products to make use of transistors in their design. Electronic Recycling, or e-Recycling, is the responsible recycling of electronics, like outdated computers, screens, and televisions.
The Importance Of Cooling Programs For Electronics
Don’t forget your electronics necessities like television , tablets , laptops , and cell phones You should buy electronics from HSN for all of your needs.
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Last week my colleague Uta and I had the pleasure to act as a judges in the largest German youth science competition, “Jugend forscht“. Jugend forscht has been around for a long time, and I’ve been familiar with it for quite some time, too: My sister participated a couple of times when she was a teenager, and my mom was the instructor for many many projects over the years. But this was my first direct exposure, and it was so much fun! For a collection of pictures, assembled in a fun movie by TUHH staff, check this out!
Participants, aged between 15 and 21, choose their own topic to do research on. They work on the project, write a short thesis, and then present their work at a science fair. The projects are judged by volunteers with a background in the respective topics of the projects. I got to be the judge on five projects: four in physics and one in Arbeitswelt (and I have no idea how one would call that in English – Wiki suggests “work environment” but I don’t know that one would understand what that is supposed to mean if one didn’t understand the German). And three out of my five projects were actually from the young version of Jugend forscht: “Schüler experimentieren”, where participants can enter as early as fourth grade.
There were so many great, innovative projects around! But my personal favourite was Lina and Lia’s project: Producing coloured bubbles! The two of them were bored with the white bubbles in their baths and set out to figure out how to make colourful bubbles. Not an easy task, seeing that the colour is actually only in the water/soap mix, not inside the bubbles themselves! But they did brilliantly and even came up with methods to make the foam last longer.
But of course there was this nagging thought in the back of my mind: What if I could make bubbles with colour INSIDE? How would one do that?
Here is my idea. At least grey bubbles should be easy enough to produce: Blow out a candle so that it produces smoke. Blow the smoke through the ring of a soap bubble maker into the bubble. The smoke should stay visible inside the bubble! Right? I think the challenge is that whatever colors the air needs to stay suspended inside the bubble, so any pulverized color won’t be helping as it would just stick to the walls of the bubble. What do you think, any great ideas? Best picture of bubbles with colors inside wins a fantastic price! :-)
Anyway. Congratulations to all participants — you did a great job!
P.S.: Obviously, the above could be achieved much more easily. One could just ask a smoker to exhale into soap bubbles! But we don’t want to encourage anybody to use this as a pretense to smoke, not even for science’s sake… ;-) |
Japanese Art and Shadows of Sorrow: No Artistic Redemption for Yumeji Takehisa
Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
In many nations powerful elites often control and abuse the political system based on special interests and secrecy. Given this reality, many individuals feel like “fodder” because so many dreams fail to materialize for the majority of people. Likewise, the daily grind of paying taxes to governments that abuse power based on various agendas is not only frustrating, it also destroys the spirit of many. Artists obviously belong to the same reality but for some they feel this crushing reality even more stronger because they seek to open new dimensions.
Not suprisingly, for some individuals blessed with so much talent then these internal convulsions can unbalance and destroy artists because of countless “false dawns.” Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin are prime examples. They both were blessed with so much talent but the system crushed them and made life extremely uncomfortable. Therefore, in time capitalists got rich on the labor of two individuals blighted by poverty and extreme dark moments.
While Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin faced their internal demons the same reality would also crush the world of Yumeji Takehisa. From radiance to despair, from hope and desire to abandonment and being disillusioned. In the end, the final years of Yumeji Takehisa were filled with sorrow and internal alienation based on expectations that his art deserved. Yet the pathway of Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin – and many others – awaited Yumeji Takehisa.
Paul Gauguin stated, “without art there is no salvation” but even in death “salvation” did not fully materialize for this artist. Likewise, for Yumeji Takehisa death fails to provide artistic “salvation” when it applies to international recognition. However, death provided “salvation” for Vincent Van Gogh in its entirety when it applies to international esteem. For Paul Gauguin who was extremely sophisticated, this would have been enough. Yet he remains blighted by aspects of his life that still cast a shadow.
Yumeji Takehisa died at the age of 49 in 1934 and sadly the final decade was a period of sorrow. In other words, the artistic soul of hope was once more crushed by the reality of this world. For example, his visit to America and Europe in 1931 didn’t deliver the results that he had hoped for. Indeed, if anything, it confirmed to him that he was “running against the tide” because his artistic skills went unrewarded. Therefore, the international recognition that he craved for bypassed him despite being recognized by lay people in Japan.
On his return to Japan in 1933, he would soon enter a sanatorium because of ill health. The following year he would die in a sanatorium at the age of 49. Therefore, one can only imagine the helplessness and frustration that he felt during the later period of his life. After all, even when Yumeji Takehisa gave everything to “open the eyes of the art world” he was still rejected. This was the same rejection that he suffered in academia despite being popular with art lovers in his native country. In other words, while Yumeji Takehisa was trying to enlighten people in the international community, it soon became clear that his reception was far from flattering.
Earlier, Yumeji Takehisa had rebuilt so much of his life after the 1923 Kanto earthquake destroyed so much of his artwork. However, he bore this with great fortitude because he knew that vast numbers of people had lost so much more because many people were killed by this tragic event. Thankfully, Yumeji Takehisa was a prolific artist because he produced more than 3,000 pieces of art, therefore, he rebuilt after the 1923 earthquake. Also, the poetic nature of Yumeji Takehisa meant that he was blessed with great innovation.
Sabine Schenk (Cultural News) states about his lack of recognition (Cultural News) that “The reason for this is that he didn’t fit the academic definition of fine arts during his active period from the 1900s to the 1930s, and that his work is not restricted to visual arts only, but ranges from painting, through all kinds of commercial arts, to poetry.”
Sabine Schenk further comments that “It is not easy to categorize him and outside of Japan he has not been recognized as part of the history of fine arts and, therefore, has not been the subject of detailed research, yet.”
Therefore, despite knowing artists of esteem in Japan during his lifetime and being popular outside of academia in the land of the rising sun, it is clear that his desire failed within the academic and artistic world internationally. Even today you can’t find a great deal of research about Yumeji Takehisa. On top of this, his name fails to ring a bell for the vast majority of art lovers internationally. Therefore, even in death “there is no salvation” for Yumeji Takehisa despite producing many stunning pieces of art.
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First published by Rattan Direct on 14 August 2016.
What are dahlias and where do they come from?
The dahlia is the national flower of Mexico. It was introduced into Europe at the end of the eighteenth century and is named after Anders (Andreas) Dahl (1751–1789), a Swedish botanist. After a few decades out of fashion, dahlias are popular again.
Dahlias give you parrots and sunshine in your garden, at the very least
Well, that’s the view of James Alexander-Sinclair speaking at the 2014 Kelmarsh Hall Dahlia Festival:
Dahlias. More colourful than a bucket of parrots and more exotic than a tropical sunset.
Dahlias come in warm vibrant colours and a wide range of flower types from simple to pompom. In your garden, they will certainly give you colour (and how!) from the end of the summer and on into October. They are good for bees and other pollinators (we’re very keen on that) and you can cut them for flower arrangements. You can grow them in pots or use them to plug any gaps in your borders.
Are dahlias really difficult to grow? Are they hard work?
It depends on your garden, the weather, how much time and storage space you have and the depth of your purse.
Dahlias are tolerant of most soils and like full sun. The Royal Horticultural Society tells you more here but in brief:
- Plant tubers from May to early June. (You can also grow them from seed.)
- Protect them from slugs and snails.
- Stake them as they grow and before they flower because the flowers are quite big and heavy and the plants can be quite tall.
- They flower from mid-summer to autumn. To ensure more flowers, keep cutting the flowers and deadheading. Feed with tomato feed every two weeks until early September.
- Straight after the first frost, around November, either dig up the tubers, leave to dry in a cold greenhouse, brush off the soil, trim and put in a box of dry compost in a shed ready for planting next spring.
- Or leave them in the ground, mulch thickly and hope that the frost and cold weather don’t get them. Buy more if they succumb and die.
Read more in Ambra Edwards’ interview with Nick Gilbert, who runs a dahlia nursery in Romsey in Hampshire.
Go and have a look
Intrigued? Go and have a look at the ‘hot’ beds and borders in local parks and gardens. Dahlias are just coming up to their peak now.
Nick Gilbert says that his dahlia field in Hampshire (you can see it from space, according to Ambra Edwards) will be at its best in 2016 from the end of August to the beginning of September, a little later than usual because of cold and wet conditions in May and June.
The Bishop’s Palace at Wells in Somerset has a bed of all the dahlias called ‘Bishop of … ‘ (Bishop of Llandaff, Bishop of Canterbury, Bishop of York, Bishop of Auckland and so on).
In Northamptonshire, Kelmarsh Hall’s 2016 Dahlia Festival is on 18 September 2016.
I shall be out there looking too. That’s because (full disclosure) I’ve blocked dahlias for years, mainly for slug-related reasons. It will be good to explore the meaning of dahlias beyond (1) Bertie Wooster’s favourite Aunt Dahlia who, interestingly, has a reddish-purple complexion and (2) Raymond Chandler’s night club in The Blue Dahlia. |
complete an ethics course prior to certification
Making in Accounting Text and Cases Third Edition
Steven M. Mintz, DBA, CPA Professor of Accounting California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Roselyn E. Morris, Ph.D., CPA Professor of Accounting Texas State University–San Marcos
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ETHICAL OBLIGATIONS AND DECISION MAKING IN ACCOUNTING: TEXT AND CASES, THIRD EDITION
Published by McGraw-Hill Education, 2 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10121. Copyright © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Previous editions © 2011 and 2008. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education, including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning.
Some ancillaries, including electronic and print components, may not be available to customers outside the United States.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
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ISBN 978–0–07–786221–3 MHID 0–07–786221–X
Senior Vice President, Products & Markets: Kurt L. Strand Vice President, Content Production & Technology Services: Kimberly Meriwether David Managing Director: Timoth Vertovec Brand Manager: James Heine Marketing Manager: Constantine Karampelas Development Editor: Gail Korosa Director, Content Production: Terri Schiesl Project Manager: Judi David Buyer: Jennifer Pickel Cover Image: Dynamic Graphics/Jupiterimages Compositor: S4Carlisle Publishing Services Typeface: 10/12 Times New Roman Printer: Quad/Graphics
All credits appearing on pages or at the end of the book are considered to be an extension of the copyright page.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mintz, Steven M. Ethical obligations and decision making in accounting: text and cases / Steven M. Mintz, DBA, CPA, Professor of Accounting California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Roselyn E. Morris, PhD, CPA, Professor of Accounting Texas State University-San Marcos. — Third edition. pages cm ISBN 978-0-07-786221-3—ISBN 0-07-786221-X 1. Accountants—Professional ethics—United States— Case studies. I. Morris, Roselyn E. II. Title. HF5616.U5M535 2014 174′.4—dc23
The Internet addresses listed in the text were accurate at the time of publication. The inclusion of a website does not indicate an endorsement by the authors or McGraw-Hill Education, and McGraw-Hill Education does not guarantee the accuracy of the information presented at these sites.
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“Whatever we learn to do, we learn by doing it.” — Aristotle
We hope this book inspires students to engage in the learning process, to make ethical choices in their lives, and always strive for excellence in whatever they do.
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About the Authors STEVEN M. MINTZ, DBA, CPA, is a professor of accounting in the Orfalea College of Business at the California Polytechnic State University–San Luis Obsipo. Dr. Mintz received his DBA from George Washington University. His first book, titled Cases in Accounting Ethics and Professionalism, was also published by McGraw-Hill. Dr. Mintz develops individual courses in professional accounting ethics for Bisk Education that meet each state’s board of accountancy mandatory requirements for continuing education in ethics. He also writes two popular ethics blogs under the names “ethicssage” and “work- placeethicsadvice.” Dr. Mintz has received the Faculty Excellence Award of the California Society of CPAs and Service Award from the California Board of Accountancy for his work on the Advisory Committee on Accounting Ethics Curriculum.
ROSELYN E. MORRIS, PH.D., CPA, is a professor of accounting in the Accounting Department at the McCoy College of Business, Texas State University–San Marcos. Dr. Morris received her Ph.D. in business administration from the University of Houston. She is a past president of the Accounting Education Foundation and a member of the Qualifications Committee of the Texas Board of Public Accountancy. Dr. Morris has received the Outstanding Educator Award from the Texas Society of CPAs.
Both Professors Mintz and Morris have developed and teach an accounting ethics course at their respective universities.
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Preface Why Did We Write This Book?
The first edition of Ethical Obligations and Decision Making in Accounting: Text and Cases was written in the wake of the dot.com bubble and accounting scandals at companies such as Enron and WorldCom. The second edition was written in the wake of the financial meltdown of 2007–2008 that was due to high-risk lending and borrowing practices. The result of these scandals has been an increased call by professional and regulatory bodies for ethics education of accounting students in values, ethics, and attitudes to support pro- fessional and ethical judgments and act in the public interest. We dedicate ourselves to this goal through our book.
Several states now require their accounting students to complete an ethics course prior to certification. Texas was first state to do so, and it requires accounting students in Texas and those moving into the state to complete an ethics course at a Texas uni- versity or in their home institution. California and Colorado require separate account- ing ethics courses; states such as Maryland, New York, and West Virginia also have separate ethics course requirements. This book is written to enable instructors to address the content material that state boards typically expect to be covered in qualify- ing courses.
Ethical Obligations and Decision Making in Accounting was written to guide students through the minefields of ethical conflict in meeting their responsibilities under the pro- fessions’ codes of conduct. Our book is devoted to helping students cultivate the ethical commitment needed to ensure that their work meets the highest standards of integrity, independence, and objectivity. We hope that this book and classroom instruction will work together to provide the tools to help you make ethical judgments and carry through with ethical actions.
Our book blends ethical reasoning, components of behavioral ethics, reflection, and the principles of ethical conduct that embody the values of the accounting profession. We incorporate these elements into a framework to consider the ethical obligations of accountants and auditors and how to make ethical decisions that address the following material:
• The role of moral and cognitive development in ethical reasoning, ethical judgment, and ethical orientation
• Professional codes of conduct in accounting • Ethical corporate governance systems • Fraud detection and prevention • Legal and regulatory obligations of auditors • Whistleblowing obligations of accountants and auditors • Earnings management issues and the quality of financial reporting • Ethical systems, global ethics standards, and corporate governance considerations in
doing business worldwide
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Last Wednesday, we had the opportunity to see one of the most incredible examples of ahimsa in action. The official name of the society is Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS). The objective is to provide mobility and dignity to the handicapped. BMVSS emphasizes a holistic approach to addressing the problems of amputees. The society focuses no only on the medical problems of the underprivileged, but also the financial and social problems. It was started by Shri D.R. Mehta, pictured here:
He said he started this society because he almost lost a limb himself several years back and it got him thinking about the options people have who have lost a limb. While the concentration is on the disabled in India, in the last several years, BMVSS held on-the-spot artificial limb fitment camps in 25 countries such as Afghanistan, Honduras, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, and other countries throughout Asia, Africa, and South America. They provide artificial limbs, calipers, wheelchairs, hand paddled tricycles, crutches and other aids and appliances to the handicapped to about 65,000 disabled in a year. Here is the most amazing part: BMVSS provides these aids and appliances totally free of charge. In fact, about 99% of their patients are below the poverty line. The place we visited is known as Jaipur Foot, and they manufacture the artificial limbs. Jaipur Foot is closest to the human foot and limb in terms of flexions, functions and cosmoses. With it a below knee amputee can walk, walk on uneven ground, run, climb a tree or a mountain, sit cross-legged, crouch, ride a cycle or drive a car. The average cost of one artificial limb of BMVSS is $45 in Jaipur, whereas in the US this may be more than $10,000. I would strongly encourage you to visit their website to learn more about this incredible organization: www.jaipurfoot.org. Here are some photos from our tour of Jaipur Foot:
This is one of the employees in the factory. He received a limb through Jaipur Foot and was so grateful, he decided to work for Mr. Mehta.
This is one of many people who hang around the clinic all day. He is waiting for his limb to be finished. In this photo, Mr. Mehta asked him to show him everything he has in his pockets – he had 1 rupee. Mr. Mehta said these are the types of people that need the help the most. |
A Fed Bear is a Dead Bear
Bears have long been a symbol of the wilderness qualities that we value. The remarkable sense of smell that leads them to nuts, berries and honey can also lead them to human foods. Camper’s coolers, garbage left in the open, and food scraps thrown on the ground or in the fire can draw bears to an easy meal. When bears associate humans with food, they lose their natural fear of humans and leave the safety of the backcountry.
Wild bears live longer and are healthier than bears that have adapted to feeding on garbage. Help keep Missouri’s bears wild by keeping a clean camp, by storing food properly, and by never feeding bears.
Report all bear damage and nuisance incidents to park staff immediately.
Black Bear Facts
Size: Adult black bears will average 3 feet tall at the shoulder, and between 5 and 6 feet tall when standing on their hind legs. Adult females can weigh up to 200 pounds; males can reach as large as 500 pounds.
Life Span: Approximately 20 years.
Eye Sight: Similar to a human’s.
Sense of Smell: Excellent
Food: Like humans, black bears are omnivores – they eat both plants and animals. Most of a bear’s diet is plants such as bulbs, berries, nuts and acorns. They also eat insects, small mammals, honey and carrion.
Agility: Bears are very agile. They can run at speeds of 30 to 35 miles per hour, climb trees and are excellent swimmers.
Behavior: When a bear huffs or “woofs,” clacks its teeth, growls or slaps the ground, it is warning you that you are too close. Back away slowly and be sure the bear has a clear escape route. When a bear stands on its hind legs, it is trying to see or smell better.
Winter Dens: Black bears find a den and enter long periods of sleep when cold weather comes. In Missouri, bears might use cavities in rocks, hollow trees and even piles of brush for their winter den.
Cubs: Cubs are born during their mother’s winter sleep. The cubs will stay with their mother for about 18 months or until she mates again. Mother bears are very protective of their cubs.
10 ways to help you SHARE the park with bears
Black bear populations in Missouri are increasing and this gives visitors to Missouri state parks a new opportunity. Viewing black bears in the wild can be a very enjoyable experience when a few basic precautions are followed. To safely share the park with bears, please:
1. Enjoy observing bears from a distance through binoculars or a spotting scope. Black bears are wild animals and can be dangerous. Do not try to approach them.
2. Keep a clean camp. Wash all plates, utensils, pots and pans immediately after use.
3. Put all garbage and trash in trash cans or dumpsters. Never throw garbage on the ground or into campfires.
4. Store all food in your trailer, RV or your car. If you are backpacking or traveling on a motorcycle or bicycle, hang all food from a tree limb to keep it out of reach of bears. Even items such as chewing gum, toothpaste or soap can smell like food to a bear.
5. Do not feed bears. Feeding bears causes them to lose their fear of humans. Garbage can kill bears when they ingest plastic and other food packaging.
6. Keep your dog on a leash.
7. When hiking, stay on the trail and keep your group together.
8. Make your presence known. Normal trail noises will let bears know you are coming. Most bears will avoid humans when given the chance.
9. If a bear comes into your camp, or you surprise one while hiking, do not run. Slowly back away and watch the bear without making direct eye contact. Leave the bear an escape route. If the bear does not leave, make loud noises by banging on pots and pans and yelling.
10. If a bear should attack, fight back. Hit the bear in the nose and eyes. Kick the bear as hard as you can. Use any available objects. |
At the back of the main
temple one can find 100 water streams (Chumig Gyatsa) with
taps in the shape of boars' heads, one of the ten avatars
of Lord Vishnu.
According to Tibetan Buddhism in the distant past, Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava)
visited this holy place accompanied by 84
Siddhas. In order to leave something behind, they each poked a
stick into the ground. Miraculously, from those 84 holes, 84 springs
of water came out from the ground. This water is therefore believed
to be blessed holy water, it tasts both sweet and cooling.
Hindus consider that the holy water of Muktinath can wash away negative
karma, the results of one's past negative actions. Others say this
can only be done by the inner water to be found by meditation. Water
and pilgrimage are no doubt connected. Pilgrimage in Sanskrit is tirthra
(river ford) or tirtha-yatra (journey to a river ford).
The place has been repaired several times.
first Shangpa Rinpoche repaired the spouts in Chumig Gyatsa during
his time. The wall with the spouts was renovated in 1990.
At the next picture one can see how the spouts looked in 1956
Index of Muktinath
Index of people at Muktinath
Map - Muktinath
Muktinath Lama Wangyal - Travel
Info - Nuns
- Picture Gallery
- Site Map-
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Just because you have muscular dystrophy doesn’t mean you can’t live a rich and fulfilling life. Young adults with MD want the same things as young adults without MD: go to college, get a job they enjoy, live independently. However, they may need a little bit of help along the way.
We’ve put together a list of resources that will help young adults with MD achieve these life goals based on information from the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
There are many organizations out there to help young adults with MD realize their dream of a college education. They can help with scholarships, financing college courses and choosing the right university.
- Deshea Lott Scholarship
- Financial Aid for Students with Disabilities
- SpinLife Innovation in Motion Scholarship Program
- Preparing for College: An Online Tutorial
- Post-Secondary Education and Students with Disabilities
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“Give us today our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11)
The first three petitions of the Lord’s prayer orient us with God at the center in prayer. With the next three petitions, however, the pronouns switch from ‘You’ and ‘Your’ to ‘us’ and ‘our.’ This switch reminds us that prayer is not only about God in heaven but also about us here on earth. We and our lives are of great interest to God.
The first of the requests related to humanity is an acknowledgement of our basic need before God. Every day we face the fact that our rumbling stomachs need sustenance. And so, we turn to God in dependence, requesting that He provide for us. In a world bent on acquisitiveness yet struggling with an imbalance of material goods it is an important reminder that this is not a prayer for our daily wants but for our daily needs.
Some who are reading this devotional today may be in deep places of need. Bring your deep needs to God and ask Him to provide. Others may be in a place of great abundance. If so, thank God for all He has given, for “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights” (James 1:17).
This request is also one we can lift up on behalf of others. We can pray for our family and friends that God will provide for their daily needs, whatever those needs may be. We can lift up those caught in the midst of conflicts, homelessness, oppression, and difficulty, that God would provide for their needs. The psalmist writes: “This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles” (Psalm 34:8). Martin Luther, in his commentary on the Lord’s Prayer, viewed this request also as a warning. Regarding “those who wantonly oppress the poor and deprive them of their daily bread,” he wrote, “let them take care that they do not lose the common intercession, and beware lest this petition in the Lord’s Prayer be against them.”
Standing with our Father, we turn our eyes to the true needs of the world and our lives, presenting them to Him in order that He will provide for us. “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him” (Matthew 7:11).
give us our daily bread.
Provide for our true needs,
the seen and the unseen,
in ways that only You can
because of Your knowledge and grace.
We call out to You because You are good
and Your mercy endures forever.
Lord, I do not deserve to have You
come under my roof,
but just say the word,
and I will be healed. |
So, last week, I was talking about some goals for 2019. Like so many, if I want to achieve those goals, I should probably start planning. Yes, planning. A word that many ADHDers/ADDers do somewhat dread. And yes, I do include myself. I don’t always look forward to planning things and I’m not really good at it.
So, as much as it’s not my strong suit (ADHD do struggle to stick with goals and plan and such), and I’m always sure where to start, I should start planning for those goals. I do have to start somewhere and try my best.
I think the first thing is to write them down. I have written down a few main goals, and below each one specified a few things that I want to work on within those main goals. For instance, I do want to work on my finances, which is the main goal. Then I’ve specified that I want to save and work on getting debt free, just to name a few.
This is just the beginning. There is more work that I need to put into setting my goals and making sure that I am continuously working on them and improving. This is an ongoing process for me.
I know there are several ways to set your goals, keep track, and make sure that you stay on top of them.
There are a lot of resources out there that can help us with goals and anything that may help us stay on top of this. Whether we have ADHD/ADD or not, we can find something to help us.
I have started working on my own to set my goals and work on them. And I am working on looking at other resources as well, as I do want to make sure that I achieve my goals. If not all, at least some of them.
Point is, there are a lot of ways of being able to set goals, keep track, and such. For me, writing it down helps. It’s perhaps what I would suggest, but I also know that it isn’t for everyone. The important thing is to find a way that works best for you. That is the important thing.
Best of luck to you. I hope that we can all achieve our goals.
Here are a few other articles about ADHD/ADD and goals, for those who are interested.
Picture credit: Pixabay |
As the first cities emerged in Mesopotamia thousands of years ago, water systems became critical in order to continually supply growing urban populations. Ancient Romans built giant aqueducts; the Greeks developed pressurized plumbing. Perhaps most famous for their stepped-pyramids, the Mayans were also among the ancient civilizations to develop a sophisticated use of water. A new paper published in Scientific Reports has discovered an extremely sophisticated filtration system at the Corriental reservoir, which supplied the Mayan city of Tikal. Deposits of quartz and zeolite—neither local to the reservoir—indicate the Mayans used these minerals to purify their drinking water supply. These two minerals are an important component of modern filtration, suggesting the Mayans were many centuries ahead of their time.
Mayan engineers used water pressure, and like the Greeks, were one of the earliest societies to employ this technique. Many Mayan cities were built on porous limestone foundations, so groundwater often had to be channeled from elsewhere. Some Mayan cities such as Palenque featured aqueduct networks. At Tikal—a Mayan city in present-day Guatemala—water was collected in 10 reservoirs that supplied the city. Researchers from the University of Cincinnati sampled and tested the sediment from one of these sites, the Corriental reservoir. The minerals they found in the samples surprised them.
The Corriental reservoir appeared to have deposits of quartz and zeolite in identifiable layers. According to the carbon dating of surrounding materials, these layers date to between 2,185 and 965 years before the present day. This means the sediments were likely added during the lifetime of the city, between about 400 BCE and 900 CE. It's clear that their addition was intentional, and the researchers hypothesize the minerals originated at a volcanic rock aquifer about 18 miles from Tikal. Mayans visiting the aquifer may have noted the water tasted and appeared cleaner than other sources, and therefore decided to bring sand back to the reservoir. At the reservoir, the sand was likely used in a filtration system built to cleanse the water as it flowed in. Zeolite—which contains silicon and aluminum—cleansed the water of many microbes and toxins. Quartz helped trap heavy metals and nitrogen compounds.
The Mayan water filtration system appears to have worked well. While other reservoirs showed evidence of mercury build-up, the Corriental reservoir sediment did not. The lead author of the study, Kenneth Barnett Tankersley, noted, “The ancient Maya lived in a tropical environment and had to be innovators. This is a remarkable innovation.” If you would like to learn more about Mayan engineering and water systems, this National Geographic video is a great introduction. |
One of my favorite storybooks is by Mary Fahy, The Tree That Survived the Winter. If you have read it, I think you would agree that it is worth the rmead. Our bulletin this past weekend had three words on the front cover: CALLED, CHOSEN, FAITHFUL. Those three words reminded me of the book, especially the word “faithful.”
For those who are not familiar with the story it goes like this: A young tree is removed from the comfort of a nursery and planted in a field/park. It was CALLED. Fearful, the tree worried if it could survive in this new place. It had to sink its roots in deep and withstand all the elements. It was CHOSEN. Despite the hard winter, it survived and, in the spring, bore much fruit. As people passed by and experienced the tree, they gave it names – “good sport,” “keeper of secrets,” and “hope.” When the sun visited, the tree complained that the sun had left it alone during the winter. The sun reminded the tree of all the times it had helped during the hard times. The sun was always with the tree and it was very much loved. The book is much richer, but you get the gist of it.
The year 2020 makes me (and perhaps some of you) feel like the Tree That Survived the Winter. At the beginning of 2020, we were in a place that we knew and relatively understood. Things were familiar to us. Then suddenly, we are in a new place in our lives, our family’s lives, doing things differently than we had been doing. There were times that we probably thought we couldn’t make it and yet, we moved ahead. How? Because the SON is always with us and we are very much loved. Because we have people who cared for us and called us to more and supported our efforts.
Although at times we may feel like we are fragile and are going to break, God is always with us. Prayer and positive attitude will keep us going. Like the tree, we have been called – called to be kind and compassionate to those around us; chosen to live the Gospel values and bring that light of Christ to others; and, chosen to be witnesses that the Son is always with us and we are very much loved.
In the book, the sun says to the tree, “You are called FAITHFUL.” During this week, reflect on how you are and have been faithful in living a life worthy of being “CALLED, CHOSEN, FAITHFUL.” My prayer is that you can rejoice in the times you have been faithful, knowing that you are very much loved.
Till next week,
P.S. God is good and takes care of me! |
FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Army Corps of Engineers will release less water from Lake Okeechobee this weekend.
For five weeks, engineers have continued to reduce how much water is sent down the Caloosahatchee River.
The lake depth is 15.7 feet right now. That is higher than the Corps likes to keep it.
Nutrients from the lake can help fuel red tide, accoridng to scientists at the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation. Excess nutrients from the watershed are an energy source for the toxic water.
NBC-2 Reporter Michael Raimondi asked Col. Andrew Kelly if they considered the red tide plaguing our coast. Col Kelly said it was a factor, but is not the main reason they will drop how much water is released.
The Army Corps will finalize the rest of the dry-season release schedule in February. Count on NBC-2 to keep you updated on what they decide. |
The Zero Food Waste Committee (ZFWC) is an ad hoc subcommittee of the Zero Waste Advocacy Committee established in 2015. Committee members include Ruth Abbe, Susan Blachman, Jordan Figueiredo (from The Ugly Fruit and Veg Campaign), Susan Miller Davis, David Krueger, Marie Mourad, John Moore and Portia Sinnott.
Inspired by NCRA’s first ever Zero Food Waste Forum in 2014, the ZFWC, with funding from StopWaste, undertook a research project to identify the opportunities and barriers to recovering wasted food in Alameda County. NCRA published the findings in a report entitled Commercial Food Waste Reduction in Alameda County in 2017 written by: Ruth Abbe, Susan Blachman & Susan Miller Davis. The ZFWC also was awarded a grant from the Altamont Education Advisory Board in 2017 to follow up on this work and expand Alameda County’s capacity for wasted food reduction and recovery. ZFWC’s work focuses in three areas:
The ZFWC is supporting the efforts of community organizations, such as the Berkeley Food Network and All-In to End Hunger Alameda County, to expand food recovery and reduce food waste.
Policy Analysis and Advocacy
The ZFWC is participating in statewide and local efforts to expand food recovery and limit food waste, including participation in CalRecycle’s SB1383 stakeholder engagement process and local policy and advocacy efforts.
The ZFWC is preparing updates and content for the NCRA audience regarding current developments in the field, providing input to educational content and outreach materials, and helping to organize NCRA’s second Zero Food Waste Forum being planned for Fall 2018.
Please contact the NCRA Office if you wish to join this committee. |
Paul Talks to Messianic Jews
“We are Jews by nature, and not sinners from among the Gentiles” (v. 15.)
Galatians 2:15-21 is addressed to Jewish believers and speaks in a context of Jews who believe in Yeshua. The context is that of Messianic Jews. Paul reports on a confrontation between himself and Peter in Antioch when the Jewish believers began to withdraw from table fellowship (i.e. the Lord’s Supper) because of the influence of some strongly observant Messianic Jews from Jerusalem. Paul opens his address to Peter with these words: “We are Jews by birth, and not sinful men from among the Gentiles.” These words set the framework of the words that follow, meaning that what he is about to say is intended for himself and other Jews who believe in Yeshua.
However what Paul says here directed to Jews is none the less influenced and affected by Gentile observers of the confrontation. Paul includes the words he addresses to the Jewish believers in an Epistle written to Gentiles in which he very much wants them to avoid the error of converting to Judaism. These sideliners are the reason why Paul emphasizes the commonalties that apply to both Jews and Gentiles. The presence of the Gentiles causes Paul to leave out a lot of things that he would have mentioned about Jewish observance if there were only Jews present. Certainly he does not want to display a lot of Torah observance before the Galatian readers of his epistle.
Christianity historically has totally ignored the differences in what Paul says to the Jewish believers and what he says to the Gentiles. Rather Christianity has taken it all as applied to all Christians with no distinction. Further Christianity has usually ignored the context and taken verses that were pleasing to them and interpreted them as applying to themselves. This is especially true about Galatians 2:20, which people memorized and meditated on, and gave sermons on, all completely ignoring the previous verse and what it says about the Torah or the fact that Paul addresses these words to Jewish believers.
There are four aspects of Messianic Judaism that Paul brings to his Jewish hearers in these verses from 16 to 21. The first of these aspects is the danger of legalism or “works of the Law” in contrast to faith in the Messiah. The second is Paul’s defense of Jewish Observance and his assertion that Torah observance is not rebuilding legalism. And the third is his explanation that the way of putting away sin and living righteous lives is by way of the Torah.
A. Faith in the Messiah vs. Works of the Torah.
“nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Torah but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Torah; since by the works of the Torah shall no flesh be justified” (v. 16.)
Most people understand the phrase ‘works of the Torah’ as being the same as Torah observance, and thus they take Paul’s use of this expression here and in Romans 3 as being a declaration against Torah observance. This is not true as Paul himself was observant of the Torah. What Paul is teaching against is a legalistic approach to Torah Observance without faith. The expression “works of the Torah” occurs in a epistle discovered in Qumran cave 4. Scholars have named this document “Some Precepts [or Works] of the Torah” from the phrase found in the concluding remarks of the epistle. The contents of the epistle are injunctions for a strict form of legal Judaism, with special concerns for the right handling of sacrifices and the genealogical purity of the priesthood, and other halachic disputes. One example is a prohibition against offering up a pregnant cow. The Torah specifically prohibited slaughtering an animal and its offspring on the same day. The question was if a pregnant cow came under that proscription. Other sects in Judaism held that it was not. From this evidence in the Dead Sea Scrolls we can infer that the phrase ‘works of the Torah’ was a reference to legalistic observance of the Torah Mitsvot.
Legalism is a great danger to Jewish people. Even the Hebrew word for religion is an Aramaic word for Law. The word DAT occurs in Esther four times and refers to an edict or law. Most Jewish people regard Jewish observance as being law, and therefore binding and required as by law. They perform their worship without inner intention (Kavanah) even though our rabbis have given many injunctions as to worship and study with this inner intention (Kavanah). Some movements in Judaism teach that observance of Mitzvot in and of itself with out any intention or heart involvement brings reward. For example a Habad lady may give a person a few coins and hold out the contribution box for the person in order that he would put the coins in the box, just so that he would perform a mitzvah and thereby gain a reward.
The Prophets of Israel inveighed against legalistic observance of the Torah with out faith saying that while our people were bringing their offerings to the Temple their hearts were far away from the Lord and their deeds in every day life were abominable. I need only to mention Isaiah chapter 1. In verse 15 the Lord declares that when they would spread out their hands in prayer He would hide his face from them. The reason why is to be seen in verse 16 where the Lord calls on His people to wash themselves, make themselves clean, and remove the evil of their deeds from His sight. The problem was not that people failed to come to the Temple and pray and offer up their offerings. The problem was that they believed that the mere performance of the worship acts in and of themselves would gain for them the Lord’s favor. This was “works of the Torah” without faith.
Paul emphasizes here the requirement of faith. The Pauline concept of faith is that of loyalty. It is not mere believing that something is true or real, but rather loyalty of the Messiah Yeshua. Paul inveighs against legalistic observance of Torah commandments without faith. He declares that this kind of observance which he calls “works of the Torah” can never bring a person to justification and salvation. Rather it is faith that is required in order to be saved.
Many Jewish people have a difficult time understanding this concept of “works of the Torah ” or legalistic observance of Torah commandments, because Rabbinic Judaism is by its very nature legalistic for the most part. The very word for religion in Hebrew is DAT, an Aramaic word for law. Most of the Mishnah and the Gemarah have to do with the formulation of what is to be law in Israel, that is halachah among Jewish people where ever they are and whenever they live. As a result they like the Christians but for very different reasons identify Paul’s statement against “works of the Torah” as being anti-Torah. But as we will see later on in this very passage Paul is not inveighing against the Torah, but rather against observance without faith.
B. Justification in the Messiah does not allow for sinful violation of the Torah.
“But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be!” (17.)
Here we see the Apostle Paul addressing the question most probably put to him by his opponents, “If one is not justified by the works of the Torah then does that allow one to be a sinner?” Can we then just do away with the precepts of the Torah? The phrase in the verse above “minister of sin” can be understood to be an instrument leading to and promoting sin. Paul’s reaction is clear “May it never be!” or in Hebrew “HAS VeHALILAH!” Paul is not talking about putting away the Torah especially for Jews. Lawlessness is sin.
C. Jewish Observance is not Rebuilding Legalism.
“For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor” (v 18.)
Paul was an observant Jew. He certainly knew that, and probably his opponents knew it as well. He kept the holidays, participated in offerings, and made vows according to the Jewish Law. See Paul’s testimony of himself in Acts 22:3, and especially Acts 28:17. What Paul is saying here is that observance of the Torah is not “works of the Torah” which he argued against above in verse 16 and also in Romans 3:20,28. Being observant of the Torah is not rebuilding legalistic precepts that have nothing to do with being loyal to God and His Messiah. If by being observant of the Torah was in fact “works of the Torah” then Paul says that he would indeed be a transgressor. So in main Paul is arguing that Torah Observance is not legalism.
D. By Way of the Torah
“For through the Torah I died to the Torah, that I might live to God” (v. 19.)
Paul could never say to Gentiles that by way of the Torah they are to die to the Torah. The Torah was the covenant that God made with the People of Israel. Paul inveighed against Gentiles being circumcised because circumcision was an act of submission to the Mosaic Law, the Torah and conversion to Judaism. Thus it must be clear that Paul is talking about himself as a Jew and what he says about himself as a Jew applies to other Messianic Jews.
Here Paul describes the function of the Torah in the spiritual life of the Jewish believer. For the Jewish believer in Yeshua, the Torah is the means by which the deeds of the flesh are put to death. Later on in this epistle Paul describes ‘the deeds of the flesh’ which are:
Galatians 5:19-21 19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
According to Paul’s understanding of the Torah (he was a disciple of Gamliel a descendant of Hillel) the Torah puts an end to things which he describes here as deeds of the flesh. The ‘I’, the ego that Paul talks about is that part of human nature that tends towards violations of God’s Torah. This is the ‘I’ that is put to death by observance of the Torah. Death is a word picture that Paul uses here and also in Romans to describe the end of one state and the beginning of another. The former state is that of a person who lives in sin and the latter state, after ‘death’, is one who is living in purity and holiness. The Torah points the way to holy and pure life. |
Wearing of face masks now mandatory in Davao City
Subscribe Now July 09, 2020 at 09:57am
The move of the Sangguniang Panglungsod is upon the order of Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19.
Violators face a fine of P500 for the first offense and P2,000 for the second offense.
A fine of P5,000 or one month imprisonment or both will be imposed for third time violators.
Carpio said health experts advised the wearing of face mask in public places to lower the chance of getting infected or infecting others with COVID-19.
« Davao Oriental launches P14.5-M program for cacao Another tarsier spotted in Davao Region » |
If you enjoy the benefits of affordable and readily available electricity, a new report from the non-partisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) may spur you to press your elected representatives for a reassessment of climate alarmism.
Entitled “Pipelines for Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Control: Network Needs and Cost Uncertainties” (Jan. 10, 2008), the report sounds dull enough, but its contents simply undermine the notion that we’ll be reducing CO2 emissions anytime soon.
More than 70 percent of the electricity generated in the U.S. involves the burning of coal, natural gas or oil, and their attendant emissions of CO2. This reliance on fossil fuels is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.
Though nuclear power provides about 20 percent of U.S. electricity and could, in an environment of rational public discourse, provide much more, nuke plants in the real world are difficult to site and expensive to build because of anti-nuclear activists who hype safety concerns and foment NIMBY-ism. Other sources of electrical generation—such as hydroelectric, solar and wind—offered limited potential with solar and wind power only as marginal sources.
So if we like electricity, we’re stuck with CO2-emitting fuels, mostly coal.
For those concerned about CO2 emissions, the question then becomes, can CO2 emissions be captured and sequestered (permanently stored) so that they never make it into the atmosphere to cause the much-dreaded global warming.
One proposed solution is to construct a nationwide grid of pipelines from sources of CO2, like coal- and gas-fired electric power plants, so that the emissions can be captured and transported for storage in underground geological repositories like saline formations or depleted oil and gas fields.
Is this possible and what would it cost?
The CRS report works out several hypothetical examples of CO2 pipelines running from the 11 largest CO2 emitters in Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia—all coal-fired electric power plants emitting over 9 million metric tons of CO2 annually—to potential regional sequestration sites.
In the least expensive scenario, it would take an estimated $66 million to build pipelines each with a capacity of 10 million tons of CO2 annually from the 11 plants to a nearby geological formation called Rose Run. Unfortunately as the CRS points out, Rose Run may not have the capacity to accept all the CO2 produced and injecting pressurized CO2 may cause minor earthquakes. While the earthquakes may create additional capacity for CO2, they may also produce permanent conduits for leakage.
Unmineable coal beds in the same general area as Rose Run are another option but their capacity falls way short of Rose Run’s.
The 10 largest local depleted oil and gas fields have an average capacity of 251 million tons of CO2, but the 30-year CO2 output of the 11 plants is estimated to range from 270 million tons to 491 million tons at current emission levels. Not only is their capacity lacking, but the oil and gas fields pose a significant risk of leaking.
A final option considered by CRS is pipelining the CO2 hundreds of miles west to a geological area in Michigan, Indiana and western Ohio known as the Mt. Sermon formation. The average cost of building each pipeline would be $150 million.
That’s a bargain, however, compared to a geographically disadvantaged area like North Carolina. A Duke University study estimated it would cost $5 billion to transport CO2 from North Carolina’s electric utilities to sequestration sites in other states.
The CRS report spotlighted an August 2007 decision by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to reject a 450-mile pipeline to a Canadian oil field costing over $635 million as “not in the public interest.”
But perhaps the most sobering assessment cited by the CRS comes from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the group that has the official lead in selling climate hysteria. The IPCC estimates that the per ton cost of CO2 mitigation ranges from $31 to $71 for a coal-fired power plant.
Given that one ton of coal produces about 1.8 tons of CO2 and using the midpoint of the IPCC’s estimated cost range ($51), the per ton cost of CO2 mitigation for one ton of coal is $92. As the current price of coal is about $10 per ton and the price of transporting that coal to an electric power plant averages about $25, capturing and sequestering CO2 could effectively raise the effective price of coal to power plants from $35 per ton to $127 per ton—a 362 percent increase.
That sort of increase would likely dramatically impact electric bills. Since about one-third of the cost of electricity is fuel, tripling fuel costs could double the price of coal-fired electricity. To the extent that higher coal costs drove power plants to switch from coal to natural gas, the additional demand for gas would force those prices higher as well. By the way, electricity produced from natural gas already costs about four times as much as from coal.
All this is quite unfortunate for the many federal, state and local officials who have painted themselves into Al Gore’s corner. The only way out of the climate panic that they’ve helped to foment is to take another look at the science.
After all, who would want to be the politician-on-duty when electric bills double or, worse, the lights go out for those who can’t afford such increases? |
Meridian, Idaho (PRWEB) May 02, 2013
Click Here to Read the Original Post.
1. Ditch the Paper
-Request e-billing from the companies you do business with, and offer the same to your clients.
-Email PDF versions of important documents or product information instead of printing stacks of paper.
-Convert to an electronic filing system. Keyword searches on your computer will save you time, paper, ink and the hassle of remembering how you filed something.
2. Reduce, Recycle and REUSE
Hopefully you already recycle paper, but get even more use out of would-be-waste paper by repurposing it for scratch paper, leaving notes and even packing material.
3. Reusable Cups vs. Styrofoam
Invest in ceramic mugs and drinking glasses so you can be green when offering clients a beverage. Make sure you select an ecofriendly dish detergent.
4. Save fuel
If you can’t afford a hybrid as a company vehicle, you can reduce fuel use by planning routes carefully, consolidating trips, performing regular maintenance and using cruise control.
5. Pack a lunch
Going out to lunch means excess driving, not to mention the waste created by to-go packaging and utensils. Business owners can encourage employees to eat in by offering a kitchenette for food preparation and a pleasant eating area (away from ringing phones and email alerts).
6. Clean Green
Use environmentally friendly cleaning products. These are usually offered in highly concentrated forms that reduce the amount needed to get the job done. Additionally, this reduces the amount of packaging required and fuel used for shipping.
7. Green Your Network
Use products and services from like-minded businesses and send them referrals. Green deserves green.
8. R.E.P. (Repurpose Everything Possible)
-Buy furniture from second-hand stores, then make it your own by painting or refinishing.
-Get crafty and decorate your office space with repurposed and upcycled décor items. Paint mismatched photo frames into a matching set or give old glass new life by painting, coating with colorful tissue paper or wrapping in raffia. Turn old cardboard boxes into file, book and magazine storage. If you need inspiration, turn to Pinterest.
9. Reduce Kilowatt Hours
-At the end of each day, turn off lights and power down computers, printers, radios and other office equipment.
-Use a timer for exterior lights and only illuminate when necessary. Energy Star light bulbs will last longer and save you money on your utility bill.
-Use a programmable thermostat to regulate office temps during the day and to keep you system from kicking on when no one is there. |
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) May 13, 2011
The Rochelle and Richard Maize Foundation has announced that they will be providing free financial aid to over 60-year-olds who are unemployed, US citizens, veterans, have no source of income and are seeking to start a new business. The financial aid will cover part of the legal and Internet marketing costs.
“One of the hardest hit groups of people with the least potential of securing work even if and when the US economy improves are the 60 year-old plus citizens,” said Richard Maize.
"As such, I have decided to provide free financial assistance to some of those who are over 60-years-old, unemployed, US citizens, veterans, have no source of income but are ready to get a business off the ground.”
Richard Maize is the director of the Rochelle and Richard Maize Foundation. The Rochelle and Richard Maize Foundation is a philanthropic organization that supports and contributes volunteer and financial resources to causes locally in the community and worldwide by supporting meaningful programs focusing on art, culture, family services and health care that work to help people live more fulfilling lives.
“We will select those who are the neediest and most motivated to establish a realistic business which is most suitable for them and the market that they will be trying to reach,” says Richard Maize. “The monies will be large enough to provide for some legal and Internet marketing to get the business off the ground.”
Maize has stated that he has witnessed two types of scenarios where those over 60 are struggling to survive.
“Let’s call him Steve. A 60 year-old who is comfortable living paycheck to paycheck. His or her kids are all grown and dealing with their own lives. Presently the 60 year old is living with partner and dog. Modest living yet depending on that weekly paycheck. Company downsizes or goes out of business completely. He is let go with really no severance package. What does he do? He really can’t find work. A bit young to start social security and not prepared for this drastic reduction of income. Should he take any job even ones that are designed for young adults or even teenagers? His wife is still working, but her modest check alone will not be nearly enough to pay the day to day expenses.”
Richard Maize continues: “How about the 60 year old who worked hard and built a very beautiful business? Let’s call him John. With luck and breaks, John has made a very nice living and strong business for himself and family. His two kids are working for him and the business survived 38 years of ups and downs -mostly ups. He was living the American Dream. He never saw a business that he thought would be passed down to his kids dry up to a standstill. He was manufacturing products and had a facility overseas as well. He was drawing a very big salary and draw and living up that income expecting his life style never to change. Usually, and in his case it was no different, before he let the company close, he invested his savings to try to withstand the drop in business. Finally, he had no choice but to close the doors while owing money to vendors and salaries. He, unlike Steve, has a large ongoing mortgage and payments on his expensive cars. And he has to face the disappointment of his own kids that are now without work or careers. How does he bounce back?”
“Let’s go to unemployed Steve above. This person is way less complicated than John because he used to living lean and his downsize is less dramatic. He can also accept a lesser paying job without dramatically hurting his self-esteem and livelihood. The first thing to do is to apply for unemployment benefits. The second thing to do is to see if your wife can pick up the slack for a short time by perhaps working overtime to make up some of the lost wages that the unemployment benefits do not offer. All this will take the pressure off the late middle aged guy to find a job that will not be out of fear. It will avoid him from flipping burgers because of necessity to get some money into the household. He can be more confident to get a job that will pay better and that he will feel more comfortable with. There are companies that are doing fine and that are hiring middle management positions. Just continue to search."
Richard Maize says that unemployed John is in a more difficult position.
"He has to deal with the huge downward slide by way living style, image (both self and outside), financial pressure that is foreign to him, self-esteem, family pressures, way more than Steve and now credit issues meeting the once easy to pay bills; now impossible. Is this person qualified for other businesses other than his own previous career? Can this person, even if he is qualified, capable of earning what he did when he was the owner of his company to keep up his lifestyle - and that's a big if? Can this guy take another job working for a friend or other business as a “step down” in position and salary - frictional unemployment; which means taking a job that you are overqualified to the job you take? What does this person do? This person has much more pressure to prevail which sometimes turns in to desperate measures.”
Maize recommends that he first gets his mindset in order.
“This is where I am today and remember where you have been and the great life you enjoyed,” says Maize. “It is important to remember the success. It is a statistical fact that those that once enjoyed success and lost it, have a much better chance to get it again than one who never had it. You need to deal with today. Take a job that has a huge upside and can take advantage of your experience and wisdom and at the same time, give youself an opportunity to get ahead. Don’t lose sight of who you are and what you have accomplished. Stay confident, proud and strong.”
America's over 50s have been the hardest hit by a wave of pink slips as unemployment rises, analysts warned. According to the figures released last week by the Department of Labor, the economy added 244,000 jobs in March. Analysts used terms like “surprisingly strong,” “better than expected” and “somewhat positive” to describe the statistic. On the other hand, economist Robert Reich described the number as “chicken feed.”
“We’d need 300,000 a month, every month for the next five years, simply to get unemployment back under 6 percent,” says Reich . Economic Policy Institute economist, Heidi Shierholz, concurs: “At April’s job growth rate, it would take until the fall of 2016 to get back to the pre-recession unemployment rate.”
The US Labor Department also reported that from New York, Boston, Washington and Chicago to Los Angeles, Houston, Miami and Hartford the unemployment rate rose to 9.0 percent from 8.8 percent, after falling for four consecutive months. The number of unemployed persons stood at 13.7 million in April. The percent of working-age Americans actually working is stuck at 64.2 percent.
"Those in their 50s and 60s have the most to lose", says Richard Maize.
"It's a bleak picture for those in their 50s and 60’s. Losing their job is the last thing they would need when they don't have much longer in the workforce and are saving for their retirement. They are also the group particularly reliant on the rise in house prices to see them through their retirement and so will be most affected by the drop in house prices," Richard Maize added.
Concern for the over 50s and 60s were raised as the the Department of Labor revealed that a record number of pensioners are postponing retirement to continue working as they struggle to meet the rising cost of living.
Economists blamed the slowdown in the economy and a low level of confidence among businesses for the increase in unemployment. The economic crisis has particularly hit pensioners who do not have sufficient savings to pay for the rising cost of energy, fuel and food.
Maize concludes: “I will help those who are ready to help themselves. Those who are confident in themselves and need just a few dollars to get back on track. If you did it once, you can do it again.”
To apply for financial assistance from the Rochelle and Richard Maize Foundation, you must provide proof of US citizenship, proof of unemployment, provide a resume, business references and a business plan. Those who qualify for this free aid will be notified by the Maize Foundation.
Richard Maize, a respected leader in the mortgage banking real estate industry, and a mentor to young entrepreneurs, has generously supported organizations and causes including the American Cancer Society, Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services, Hurricane Katrina, Los Angeles Police Foundation, USO, Haiti earthquake relief efforts, Israel Flying Aid, Maccabiah Jewish Olympic Games and the Cedars Sinai Board of Governors.
Richard Maize and his wife, Rochelle Maize, are longtime benefactors of many other non-profit organizations and Richard Maize has been recognized for his efforts on behalf of more than a dozen charitable groups and community projects.
The Rochelle and Richard Maize Foundation supports an extraordinary number of foundations, organizations, and non-profit groups. |
Welcome to the Philippine School Doha's web site
Welcome to Philippine School Doha, the leading learning institution in Qatar as far as Philippine basic education is concerned. Its humble beginning in 1992 has marked a big leap in numbers from 33 students to 2762 students currently enrolled for the school year 2013-2014. After 8 years of ceaseless strive for excellence, PSD has gained its DepEd recognition in 2000 and continues to hold its pride as one of the two schools that was granted the DepEd recognition all over the Middle East countries. Manned with highly qualified faculty members, PSD remains true to its commitment to offering quality education to our Filipino youth for 21 years now with its vision to be the First Philippine Science High School in the Middle East.
The dynamism of Philippine Schools abroad is anchored on the DepEd's thrust to provide learners a learning experience that is attuned with the relevance of time and technology advancement that complements with the holistic development of Filipino learners with deep sense of nationalism and patriotism without departing from the Filipino tradition, culture, values, and skills geared towards the attainment of a Lifelong learning.
Aware of this challenge, PSD takes boldly in promoting its mission to be pro-God, pro-environment, pro-people and pro-nation embracing its Multiple Intelligence Teaching Approach (MITA) as a vehicle in the realization of its vision-mission.
The launching of the PSD website has in store the bits and pieces of information that will help you understand about the school and its culture.
Philippine School Doha, your home away from home. |
A new group has formed to get money out of politics. But unlike typical "good government" groups, this new nonprofit is connected to a Republican lawyer with a case before the U.S. Supreme Court next month — McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission — arguing that wealthy Americans have the right to invest even larger sums of money in politics.
Virginia-based PoliticalRefund.org, which is organized as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, wants to inform donors that they may request their money back should they become displeased with a candidate. It offers free resources on its website to do so.
There is, however, nothing in federal law that requires politicians to issue refunds.
Dan Backer, an attorney who has made his name as a proponent of campaign finance deregulation, serves as the group’s lawyer and is also a board member.
Business records further list Backer as PoliticalRefund.org's registered agent, and he also registered the nonprofit's website, according to Internet registry records.
“I decided to take the liberal speech police at their word that there is too much money in politics and am helping to get some out,” Backer told the Center for Public Integrity.
“The intent is to focus on those who make — and then break — campaign promises in such an egregious way” that frustrated donors might want refunds, he continued, adding that the new group will be nonpartisan. “Everyone hates politicians who lie.”
The group recently asked the Federal Election Commission for permission to use data contained in federal campaign finance reports to reach out to contributors.
Federal law prohibits FEC data from being used “used by any person for the purpose of soliciting contributions or for commercial purposes,” which PoliticalRefund.org says it will not be doing.
There is some precedent to Backer's request.
In 2009, the conservative Club for Growth sought — and received — the FEC’s permission to contact donors to then-Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania after he left the GOP and became a Democrat. At the time, Specter had promised to voluntarily give back money to any contributor who desired a refund. |
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Here is a recap of the stories that appeared last week at Science-Based Medicine, a multi-author skeptical blog that separates the science from the woo in medicine.
Can we finally just say that acupuncture is nothing more than an elaborate placebo? (David Gorski) http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/can-we-finally-just-say-that-acupuncture-is-nothing-more-than-an-elaborate-placebo/ A further analysis of the acupuncture meta-analysis reviewed last week by Dr. Novella. The results were not clinically significant; and rather than showing that acupuncture works, its findings actually strongly suggest that any effect of acupuncture is due to nonspecific/placebo effects and that the positive studies are due to residual biases.
The problem of waning pertussis immunity (David Gorski) http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/the-problem-of-waning-pertussis-immunity/ Recent outbreaks of pertussis don’t mean that the vaccine doesn’t work, only that immunity fades over time. It’s essential to fully implement current DTaP vaccine recommendations while better vaccines and strategies are being developed.
Procera AVH: A Pill to Restore Memory (Harriet Hall) http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/procera-avh-a-pill-to-restore-memory/ A step-by-step investigation and deconstruction of a typical diet supplement, a mixture of natural medicines claimed to restore defective memory just as eyeglasses restore defective visual acuity. Deceptive advertising is used to promote a product with no evidence of efficacy.
The Sweetener Wars – HFCS Strikes Back (Steven Novella) http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/the-sweetener-wars-hfcs-strikes-back/ High fructose corn syrup is not the villain it is commonly believed to be. The scientific evidence shows that HFCS is no worse than other sources of sugar and calories.
Physicians and “CAM” (Jann Bellamy) http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/physicians-and-cam/ Several states have laws governing CAM practice by licensed physicians. The different laws and the model guidelines of the Federation of State Medical Boards are discussed, including the problematic requirement that the treatments used be “effective.”
Protect Yourself (Mark Crislip) http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/protect-yourself/ Dr. Crislip’s annual review shows why flu is bad and flu shots are good. He demolishes the arguments of Dumb Asses in the health care professions who refuse to be vaccinated. |
From US NEWS:
Paul, delivering a foreign policy speech at the conservative Heritage Foundation Wednesday, struck a balance between George W. Bush era neo-conservativism and support for nation building, and his father, former Texas Rep. Ron Paul’s, unique brand of isolationism.
The Kentucky senator criticized the traditional GOP stance that money should be no object when it comes to the U.S. military and its mission, and said that America should rethink its role in the world while recognizing the cost to U.S. blood and treasure.
“I’d argue that a more restrained foreign policy is the true conservative foreign policy, as it includes two basic tenets of true conservatism: respect for the constitution and fiscal discipline,” Paul said, reflecting libertarian ideals held by both Tea Partiers and some progressives.
Congress also must be more assertive when it comes to its role in providing checks and balances to the president’s war powers, he said.
“We did not declare war or authorize force to begin war with Libya,” Paul said. “This is a dangerous precedent. In our foreign policy, Congress has become not even a rubber stamp but an irrelevancy.”
Below is Rand’s speech at the Heritage Foundation from Feb 6th, 2013: |
Konnie enlisted in the 223rd Overseas ( XI Reserve ) Battalion of the 2nd Brigade of the Canadian Army on March 8th, 1916 in Winnipeg. From then until April 1917 he trained at Camp Hughes near Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. In April 1917 he went overseas to England, eventually ending up in the Royal Flying Corps as a Flying Instructor at the RFC airfield at El Khanka, Egypt. After the war, he returned to Winnipeg in May 1919. He played hockey with the Winnipeg Falcons, winning both the Allan Cup and Canada's first Olympic Hockey Gold Medal in 1920.
From 1929 to 1934 he was Manager and Chief Flying Instructor at the Winnipeg Flying Club, now sadly closed due to lack of income.
However, several of his Flying Club and WW II students went on to greater achievements
During WW II he operated Johannesson Flying Service in Winnipeg, Manitoba, teaching Icelandic-speaking students to fly so that they could join the Royal Canadian Air Force.
At the end of WW II, after a 3 year legal battle which was finally decided in his favour in the Supreme Court of Canada, he founded and operated Rivercrest Airstrip and Seaplane base on the Red River in West St. Paul, just north of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
For references to the legal problem, go to Canada or Law Library and search for "Johannesson"
The World War I diaries contain selected days of Konnie's diaries of his life in the Canadian Army in England and the Royal Flying Corps in Egypt. There are almost-daily entries for most of 1917 and 1918. Excerpts from his flying logbook records are also included in the diary pages at the appropriate dates. |
Workers who suffer job strain are 23-percent more likely to have a heart attack than stress-free counterparts, but the risk is far smaller than smoking or a sedentary lifestyle, a large study published in The Lancet on Friday says.
“Job strain is asociated with a small, but consistent, increased risk of experiencing a first CHD (coronary heart disease) event such as a heart attack,” said Mika Kivimaki, an epidemiologist at University Collegef London who led the probe.
The investigation seeks to shed light on an issue that has turned up confusing results, mainly because researchers have used different definitions and varying methods.
The new paper is a meta-analysis — an overview of 13 studies conducted between 1985 and 2006 in seven European countries that adopted the same approach: participants without CHD were first interviewed and their health was then monitored, for 7.5 years on average.
In all, 197,473 took part in these studies, of whom 30,214 reported job strain, defined as having excessive workloads, time pressures and little freedom to make decisions at work.
During the monitoring period that followed, doctors recorded 2,356 heart attacks, fatal or otherwise.
The risk was 23 percent higher among the “job strain” group, even when age, gender and socio-economic factors, which all influence risk, were taken into account.
Three studies each took place in Denmark and Finland, two each were conducted in the Netherlands and Sweden, and the others were carried out in Belgium, Britain and France.
The authors say the findings are significant.
But they also note that prevention of workplace stress to reduce heart disease would be much less effective than efforts to combat smoking and physical inactivity, where the risk of CHD is more than 10 and nearly four times greater respectively.
In a commentary also carried by The Lancet, Bo Netterstrom of Bispelbjerg Hospital in Copenhgean cautioned that work-related health problems in Europe “will almost certainly increase” because of job insecurity driven by the economic crisis.
[Businesswoman breaks pencil via Shutterstock.com.] |
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