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As a end result, modern-day Indonesia has a multicultural, multilingual and multi-ethnic society, with a complex cultural combination that differs considerably from the unique indigenous cultures. Indonesia currently holds twelve items of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage, including a wayang puppet theatre, kris, batik, pencak silat, angklung, gamelan, and the three genres of conventional Balinese dance. Parents can choose between state-run, non-sectarian colleges or private or semi-private non secular colleges, supervised by the ministries of Education and Religion, respectively.
The Supreme Court of Indonesia is the highest level of the judicial branch and hears ultimate cessation appeals and conducts case critiques. Other courts include the Constitutional Court that listens to constitutional and political issues, and the Religious Court that offers with codified Islamic Law circumstances. Indonesia lies alongside the equator, and its climate tends to be relatively even year-round. Indonesia has two seasons—a moist season and a dry season—with no extremes of summer or winter.
Other in style dishes embody rendang, one of many many Padang cuisines together with dendeng and gulai. Another fermented food is oncom, comparable in some methods to tempeh but makes use of a variety of bases , created by completely different fungi, and is prevalent in West Java. Like other creating nations, Indonesia started growing Internet in the early 1990s.
With over 275 million folks, Indonesia is the world’s fourth-most populous country and the most populous Muslim-majority nation. Java, the world’s most populous island, is residence to more than half of the nation’s inhabitants. Indonesia’s economy was rising from 2017 through 2019 before a downturn in 2020. A restoration in 2021 pulled the five-year common annual development rate to three.6 percent. Although the downward slide that began in 2020 continues this 12 months, the general expansion of economic freedom over the past five years is still positive.
This implies that these micro, small and medium sized companies are the backbone of the Indonesian economic system. India additionally has further financial ties with Indonesia via its free trade settlement with ASEAN, of which Indonesia is a member. The two countries goal to realize bilateral trade of $25 billion by 2015, with cumulative Indian investments of $20 billion in Indonesia. In August 2014, Indonesia exported 126,935 Completely Build Up car items and 71,000 Completely Knock Down automobile items, while whole production reached 878,000 automobile items, constituting 22.5% of complete output. By 2020, it’s predicted that the automotive exports will be the third after CPO and shoe export. In the same 12 months, Yamaha Motor Company, which exported 82,641, announced to make Indonesia as a base of exporting of its products.
A new growth strategy involving liberalization in some areas and limitation of overseas ownership in others has aimed to establish Indonesia as a completely self-sufficient country in the 21st century. In 2015, whole public spending was Rp 1,806 trillion (US$130.88 billion, 15.7% of GDP). Government revenues, including these from state-owned enterprises , totaled Rp 1,508 trillion (US$109.28 billion, thirteen.1% of GDP) resulting in a deficit of 2.6%. Since the 1997 disaster that triggered ekonomi an increase in debt and public subsidies and a decrease in improvement spending, Indonesia’s public funds have undergone a significant transformation. As a result of a collection macroeconomic insurance policies, including a low price range deficit, Indonesia is considered to have moved right into a situation of monetary sources sufficiency to address development needs.
They demanded a 22% to 25% increase in the minimal wage by 2016 and lower costs on important goods, including gasoline. The unions also need the federal government to make sure job security and supply the fundamental rights of the employees. As of 2011, labour militancy was increasing with a significant strike at the Grasberg mine, the world’s largest gold mine in addition to the second-largest copper mine, and quite a few strikes elsewhere. A widespread issue was the makes an attempt by foreign-owned enterprises to evade Indonesia’s strict labour laws by calling their employees’ contract staff. |
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|The Boost Python Library allows the use of C/C++ from Python. It is part of the larger boost package (http://www.boost.org).||'''boost.python''' binds C++ and Python. Read ["/GettingStarted"] for an introduction.|
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|Use the Boost Python Library to quickly and easily export a C++ library to Python such that the Python interface is very similar to the C++ interface. It is designed to be minimally intrusive on your C++ design. In most cases, you should not have to alter your C++ classes in any way in order to use them with Boost.Python. The system should simply ''reflect'' your C++ classes and functions into Python.||This page serves as a forum to gather peoples' experience and as a
cookbook, as it is more dynamic by nature and open to contributors.
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|A summary of the development goals is available on the Python [http://www.python.org/sigs/c++-sig/ C++-sig] page, which also serves as a mailing list for users of both versions of the library. A preview of the v2 documentation is available [http://cvs.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/*checkout*/boost/boost/libs/python/doc/v2/index.html?rev=HEAD&content-type=text/html here], and instructions for getting started with a prerelease are available upon request.||Various items:
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|While v2 is being developed, this page seems like a good place to assemble v2 intro and tutorial.
boost.python binds C++ and Python. Read ["/GettingStarted"] for an introduction.
This page serves as a forum to gather peoples' experience and as a cookbook, as it is more dynamic by nature and open to contributors.
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There are so many really great books on homesteading. We have built our collection over the years and have a constant wish list of ones we want to add. We use our public library regularly to access books as well. Often, the books we are adding to our wish list are ones we borrowed from the library and decided would be a good addition to our homestead library.
Now that we have moved to a completely new microclimate and new farm situation, we have been buried in books trying to learn ways to be successful in our new location.
First, we are reading some of our old favorites, with a new perspective. One of my all-time favorite books on raising chickens is Harvey Ussery’s “The Small-Scale Poultry Flock.”
I first read this book back in 2012 and it helped shape our methods for raising our chickens at our 3-acre mountain homestead. Now that we are living on 30 acres in the High Plains, I am seeing a lot of different methods that we can utilize in our new location that we couldn’t use previously. Re-reading the book with a new perspective, a new location, and 9 years later, makes it almost like reading it for the first time. I am excited to learn from a new angle.
“The Have-More Plan,” is another one of my favorites. Reading now with so much more space than we used to have is definitely making me see it with different eyes.
In addition to reading some of our old favorites, we are digging into some new ones we have never read before.
“Growing Food God’s Way,” by David Devine.
The challenges we are facing with gardening here are completely different than what we faced in the mountains. We generally use a combination of gardening methods, and now with new challenges we are anxious to learn new methods that might help us be successful as we work to overcome those things and have a productive garden.
We are also studying intensive grazing methods to bring life back to our pastures and land. The current book we are reading about that topic is “Managing Pasture” by Dale Strickler.
I have also been expanding my fermenting knowledge and skills, and even though I am not a beginner fermenter, I am enjoying the basic and easy ideas in “Fermentation for Beginners” by Drake Press as I experiment with some new-to-us ferments.
To see some of our favorite homesteading books check out our Homestead Library.
What is in your homestead library? What is your favorite homesteading book? Or what are you reading about homesteading right now? Please share down in the comments…we are always looking for another great homesteading book! |
Staunton, July 24 – The Russian authorities have not been able to stop the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Iskander Yasaveyev says. Indeed, they appear to be making it worse because “the rhetoric of ‘traditional values’ … used by the Russian authorities not only hasn’t restrained the growth of HIV but on the contrary has promoted it.”
That is because, the Kazan-based sociologist who is associated with the Higher School of Economics says, these “values” prevent “the sexual education of young people, the discussion of the use of condoms, and the widespread use of programs [such as needle replacement] to reduce the harm in the use of narcotics” (idelreal.org/a/28634666.html).
Last year, there were 103,000 new cases of HIV infection in the Russian Federation, 5.4 percent more than the year before and not including those identified anonymously, Yasaveyev reports, concluding that “this means that protecting people against HIV infections in Russia is ineffective.”
Moreover, he reports, only 286,000 of the almost 900,000 residents of Russia who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS are receiving anti-retroviral medications. Some have even been forced to go to court to try to force government hospitals to provide them with these life-saving drugs.
In this article, however, Yasaveyev focuses on two things: the overly bureaucratic and traditionalist approach to efforts to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and the continuing exclusion and mistreatment of those who have been infected.
The researcher notes that films and other programs intended to fight HIV/AIDS never discuss safe sex in a serious way and never even mention the use of condoms, something many traditionally-oriented Russians oppose and that are either of low, domestically-produced quality, or of higher quality but imported and more expensive.
But what is even worse, he suggests, is that government propaganda in this area reinforces a number of mistaken views about how HIV infections spread and thus gives aid and comfort to those who want to exclude anyone infected with the disease from any contacts with others.
Indeed, Yasaveyev says, in the past few months alone, he has heard of several cases in Kazan alone where employers fired workers as soon as it was discovered that they were infected with HIV. Nothing happened to the employers who did this, thus sending a powerful signal to those infected that they must hide from others – and not risk getting treatment.
That in turn means that as a result of the traditional values that inform this Russian government effort more people will die rather than receive the treatment they need. |
Violent and property crime across Winnipeg rose as pandemic restrictions eased in the early part of the year compared with previous years, and experts say the increase will continue as the city returns to life without pandemic lockdowns.
March, the most recent month the Winnipeg Police Service has data for, saw a nearly 40-per-cent increase in property and violent crimes in the city compared with the five-year average.
Michael Weinrath, a University of Winnipeg criminology professor, says several factors might be contributing contribute to rising crime rate, the first being greater opportunities for criminals as pandemic restrictions eased earlier this year.
“We have more people who are out and about, so that means more potential interactions that could become negative,” Weinrath said. “We have more people who become targets now because they’re not staying at home.”
Nearly 20 per cent more violent crime cases were reported this March than last, and the figure was 37.9 per cent higher than the average over the past five years.
Similarly, property crime saw a 39.2-per-cent increase over the five-year average for March.
Criminologist Kelly Gorkoff says crime was rising pre-pandemic, but there was a lull during the past two years.
“I don’t think they’re rising any more than they were before,” she said. “I think they’re meeting the pre-pandemic levels.”
Gorkoff, a criminal justice professor at the University of Winnipeg, pointed to the jump in assaults, robberies and uttering threats as all crimes that are likely the result of the easing of restrictions.
“You need to have contact with each other for those crimes to increase,” she said.
Police watching for trends
Police say they need more time to know how much the pandemic affected crime and what, if any, trends may emerge.
“We don’t know what the new normal is,” Winnipeg police spokesperson Const. Jay Murray told the CBC.
Murray said there was a “big increase” in crime in 2018 and 2019, when opioids and methamphetamines “took root in the city,” but the pandemic interrupted some of people’s activities.
“I think over the course of the year we should have a better idea if some of these trends are temporary or if they’re here to stay,” said Murray.
University of Manitoba criminologist Frank Cormier said “the police are correct” to take a cautious approach in interpreting the data.
Crime spikes in the summer months. That’s an old criminological truism [that] started with the cartographic school back in France over 100 years ago.– Michael Weinrath, University of Winnipeg criminology professor
“Crime really changed as a result of the pandemic and that’s not surprising,” he said.
Based on past trends, both Weinrath and Murray expect crime rates to continue to rise over the summer.
“It’s something that unfortunately we’ve seen over the past few years, and we believe it will continue this summer,” Murray said.
Murray said higher violent and property crime are typical in the summer in Winnipeg as “there’s a stronger street presence” and “people are more active in general” in the warmer months.
Weinrath says a short sharp spike in violent and property crimes for the summer is standard.
“Crime spikes in the summer months. That’s an old criminological truism [that] started with the cartographic school back in France over 100 years ago,” Weinrath said.
Daniel Hidalgo often interacts with those committing crimes while walking the streets with Community 204, the community safety initiative he founded.
“A lot of the people that find themselves in these scenarios of breaking the law and committing crimes are, unfortunately, victims of addictions and they’re trying to find ways of alleviating their disease of addiction,” said Hidalgo, who is also co-founder of SABE Peace Walkers, a de-escalation team.
He said the roots of the problem need to be addressed, “not just the symptoms.” He said leaders should respond with compassion by “providing supports,” and not just “temporary consequences.”
A need to address ‘chronic issues’
Multiple experts say it would be a mistake for the public and politicians to respond to the trends by increasing policing.
It’s important to remember that there are “chronic issues in Winnipeg that contribute to our high rate of violent crime,” Weinrath said.
“We have a high rate of poverty in the city. We have disadvantaged populations. We have some serious substance abuse and mental health and street gangs as well.”
It’s a sentiment shared by Winnipeg police.
On June 17 police announced a catalytic converter theft bust, noting the “crime of opportunity” has quadrupled in the past year.
Asked whether the pandemic was causing the rise, Winnipeg police Const. Dani McKinnon said that this type of property crime likely stems from underlying issues.
“Addictions have been on the rise. Property crimes is an opportunity to help feed the addiction. In terms of getting money for what you’re trading in so this was a means of money likely involved in methamphetamine and other [drugs],” she said.
Gorkoff says drug addiction was a well-known driver of crime long before the pandemic, an issue the government continues to ignore.
“I think we continue to spend more money on policing, and we don’t need to do that if crimes are continuing to increase. That really means policing is not a solution to crime,” she said. |
Ever since spring sprung in Winnipeg, it has been full of rain.
In the city’s past, with the arrival of rain has come the arrival of mosquitoes – but, so far this season, that hasn’t happened.
The latest information from the city’s website shows the daily average for mosquito trap count is zero.
Taz Stuart is an entomologist and said we can’t just assume standing water equals more mosquitoes. He said there are a number of environmental and weather-related factors that impact the insects.
“It’s all dependent on if you actually get enough mosquitoes out there feeding on, not just humans, other animals as well. They lay their eggs. It’s going to take anywhere from seven to 14 to 21 days and we are having a very cool spring so it will take longer for that to happen,” said Stuart.
“So it’s important that people realize that in your backyard is where you want to get rid of those standing water sites.”
Stuart recommends people treat standing water areas by covering them, filling them in or dumping them. He added any water site can potentially be a larval development site.
With summer just around the corner, Stuart said we could still see different summer breeds start to pop up, but again he noted it depends on how hot it gets and how much more rain is set to fall.
When the little insects do appear, Stuart recommends people stay protected by using bug spray, wearing mosquito resistant clothing, not going out in peak mosquito hours—dusk and dawn—and using other types of products that repel mosquitoes.
View original article here Source |
I often see questions from civilians who do not have a loved one that is a vet or a service member, what can they do to show they support the troop by more than simply saying it.
As the spouse of a veteran with PTSD, here are some of my suggestions.
Get involved – Many communities are creating organizations to touch on military and veterans issues.
If you are in a church, find a way to create programs to help vets and their families. For example, create a children’s night. Have a safe place the parents can drop the kids off, knowing they are safe, to give the kids a chance to play with other kids, and a chance for mommy and daddy to reconnect.
If you are a pastor, educate yourself on PTSD, and get training so you can help those in your congregation that may be suffering.
If you own a business, hire a vet.
If you are a professional (Dr., psychologist, therapist, lawyer), offer pro bono work to veteran’s and their families. Many vets and their families are going without healthcare. Many need a lawyer because they have gotten themself in trouble, or they have family issues, or need help with appeals, ssi or initial filing.
Find ways to help them. Find out what their needs are. Sometimes they just need someone to talk to. Be there for them. Some are coming home to no help or loved ones. Try to become a friend to them. There are many ways people can help. When you say we support our troops, don’t just say it, but mean it.
The last suggestion I have is, educate yourself on invisible wounds. Help us raise awareness, and join us in fighting for them. Write your congressman and senators, demanding action. Demanding more help, and for them to start showing their appreciation for our vets. Find out which politicians are against veteran’s benefits, and NO MATTER WHAT PARTY THEY ARE IN, VOTE THEM OUT. We do not need politicians up there who want to take away the little benefits that our veterans do get. They have no business in Washington. I dont care what party they are in. |
Many people have pets throughout their entire lives. If you happen to be thinking about getting a dog, there are several things you should know. This article will help you a dog owner.
If there are prescription medications in your home, ensure that it is safely hidden away and out of the reach of your dog. Call the vet as soon as possible if your dog has swallowed the medication.
Speak with your vet about your dog’s eating habits. While some people follow the direction on the back of the dog food packaging, this may not be good for your dog and can make it overweight. Ask your vet for your dog’s needs.
Do not buy your dog food.Cheap dog food contains lots of preservatives such as sodium and additives that can be dangerous for your dog’s health. Check with animal advocacy group for a list of foods that are recommended by professionals. Your dog will enjoy and benefit much more from the right kind of food.
Your dog will need a dog house if it is going to be outside in cold weather. If your dog’s feet get wet, it can cause health complications. Keep your dog safe from the elements by giving him the dry shelter he needs.
Do not buy the cheapest dog food. It is vital to give your dog greatly if he is fed food that is nutritious and high in quality. This may mean higher costs for a better brand, but you will know your dog is receiving all of the nutrients he needs.
Trim any hair surrounding the dog’s paws so that it does not become matted. A comb is a good tool to straighten it before you do any cutting. If you lack the confidence to attempt this, have a professional do it.
If you have a dog that seems unhappy or lonely, consider another dog. Dogs are known to be pack animals that love to be with other dogs. Match them on energy levels and temperament.
Armed with the information provided here, you can take care of your dog well. So long as you use this information, your experience with dog ownership should be a positive one. Read carefully and talk to your vet should you have some questions. |
The Miracle of Bern (Das Wunder Von Bern) film analysis
The main character of the film “Miracle of Bern” is Matthias an eleven-year-old boy living in a small mining town near Essen. The boy is fully engrossed in the world of football and follows Helmuth Rahn in every single game of the home team and takes each of the frequent defeats as a personal issue. The director of the film Sonke Wortmann presents two films; that is the main film and the sports drama part. The two films display a different magnitude of conflict, and win. For instance, Matthias hates the father because of the two rabbits that were taken without his knowledge. However, on their way to watch the sports final, he apologizes to Matthias. In regards to the sports drama, the team’s shouts at one another after a bad play in the first half. The paper will compare the film, and sports drama presented.
Wortmann presents the theme of conflict in different dimensions. In the film, conflict is witnessed within Richard’s family. Matthias’ father who is a broken man and among the last batch of prisoners released by the Russians, comes home and tries to go back to his old job in the mine but fails to go through. Richard then tries to apply his power and authority on the household, but when that was unable to work, he shifts to excessive and old-fashioned Germany-style of discipline which his children resent. The children are not happy on the way the father “Richard” handle issues around the family especially.
The incidences of family conflict are presented in various scenarios or cases. Richard disagrees with most of the family members. For instance, both Richard and the wife disagree with the eldest son’s musical interest and Matthias interest in football. Part of the discussion is captured at the beginning of the film. Bruno tells the mother “I won’t work for an ex-Nazi!”So mom tells him that on weekends he is going to work with her at the bar.The boy says he can’t because:”Gotta practice Negro music.”Mom says he will work and the older kid says he won’t. In addition, Wortmann presents another level of conflict within the family when Matthias gets mad when his two rabbits were taken.
To solve some of these family conflicts, Christa Lubanski advises the children to understand Richard to allow them to live in peace and without any issues. As a result of this, even though the children resent in most actions performed by Richard, they do not have anything to do especially when the mother calls for peace. In addition, while Richard was taking his youngest son Matthias to Bern to watch the finals, he apologizes about the Rabbit issue. However, the first son Bruno is unable to tolerate or understand the father’s actions and decides to leave the family to another place. “And now Mattes gives to his father the letter from Bruno to his parents. Dad reads it and starts crying. He says that Bruno writes that the family can visit him anytime.” From that moment, Richard changed for the better.
In addition, by nature, films drawing upon real-life sporting activities are not far from cliché, but the director Wortmann does not limit his clichés to the pitch. The family drama is not necessarily cloying, and a sub-plot on rookie sports journalist covering the game during his honeymoon is an irritating piece. The issues that are given out by the journalist are not inspiring for the people listening and watching at the same time. It does not cover important aspects that the people wanted. However, even with the challenges, screen revolution is set to make sure that people can watch every activity and movements of the players. The angle of the camera is turned from side to side to cover all corners of the pitch for all the viewers from home to have a full view of the play.
Wortmann presents another form of conflict in the sports drama. During the final, there is an argument from different people based on who will win. To begin with, the journalist and the wife bets different, and the fate of the play is left only to the weather conditions. For instance, if it rains a bit, then the Germans will win. However, different from the family drama, sports drama has its conflicts and management style. In the sports drama, the conflict exists between the players after a bad play during the first half of the game. The players begin to scold one another for their bad play. The coach tells them to stop it and inspires them for better performance in the second half.
The two films have a similar conflict and its management criteria. Similar to the family drama, the disagreement between the parties is displayed in the open because everyone is able to talk about the issues. The players were able to scold each other in the open which is similar to the family drama. However, both films have a mediator who tends to inspire and motivate the parties to focus on a bigger picture rather than the issues. For instance, in the sports drama, the mediators are the coach who advises the players to stop the fight and focus more on their performance to win the match. Coach disagreement with the team was as a result of their failure to understand that they are world champion. The inspiration tends to work for both the team and the coach. The second half the talks and negotiations, the team plays well and wins the final.
Similarly, in the family drama, the mediator is the mother who sees the disagreements and advice the children to understand the father. It seems that the children are fed up with the actions of the father especially on the area of discipline. Contrary to the sports drama where the talks and negotiation bring the team together and win, the family is split at the end. Bruno who is the first-born son gets fed with the father’s constant bully and decides to move out of the family. Richard gets to learn more about the split when the Matthias presents Bruno’s letter to the parents which results in an emotional mood. Although Richard was sorry for the situation, it did not restore the anticipated unity within the family.
However, Richard uses the love of football to capture and win over the family. Matthias’ love for football becomes the focus of Richard’s strategy to restore the family. Richard becomes interested in football and supports Matthias. For instance, in the film, he takes Matthias to Bern to watch the finals in a bid to please the youngest son. In the end, the strategy seems to work because of the relationship that was growing stronger between Mathias and Richard. After reading Bruno’s letter, Matthias consoles the father and assures him that all will be right. It is apparent that Richard was able to capture the love of his youngest son by aligning to his interest in soccer.
Also, after the change of the belt beating, Richard tries to reconcile with his family by preparing the major course of dinner which was later revealed to be Mathias’ pet Rabbit and giving gifts to the children on the table. Besides, Richard gives his son a new ball to display his understanding of the importance of sport. Though the reaction does not appear explicit to the entire family, Matthias is captured because of the massive support by the father on soccer. Therefore, it becomes a major turning point of Richard and expression of love.
In the film “miracle of Bern,” the ways of the son are linked in the practice and values of football. The film takes the viewers through pains to create Matthias’s love and interest on sport, displayed by his attachment to Rahn who describes the child as a “good luck charm” as a result of his passion on soccer. Even with this, Wortmann presents differing levels of conflict both at the family drama film and sports drama. The parties involved can open up and speak out the issues. For instance, the players scold one another which makes the coach angry and tells them to stop.
Rudraw XD. Miracle of Bern Video. Retrieved from; www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wQLKpgAmWQ.(2015) |
When one relates to the privacy of public figures in our culture, there is still a contentious problem. We might wonder if public figures deserve more support from the public and the media than a non-public figure, but another question arises is that the constitution provides equal treatment for all. The subject gives rise to two main statements that come with legitimate points depending on which side of the case one wishes to use. The two arguments are that public figures should have a more private life than other citizens because they are human beings like others while others can choose to argue that public figures do not deserve more rights to privacy as they signed for public criticism as public figures. It mainly questions the little rights which society’s celebrities have over non-public figures in the community. The opposition position to the argument that public figures deserve more privacy holds stronger case currently, but this argument seems morally right to the society.
The right of privacy has mainly four torts which come along with it. The main two are an appropriation and taking something from an individual without his or her consent. These two brings a lot of sense when it comes to violating private life of a public figure. However, appropriation of the public figure fame has mainly violated private lives of various celebrities in many ways. Barnett Stephen (1999) argues that the court believes that right to privacy mainly means that a celebrity has a right to get payment for the use of his or her name for a commercial purpose. However, commercial purpose can be defined as a “gain.” Using the meaning of the word “gain” will mean that using any kind of celebrity material like a photo without their consent and publishing it or using in any ways translate to be a gain. Thus, it shows that the media has violated celebrities’ right to privacy for long.
The law needs change. All citizens deserve a right to privacy. It is a right which should not be jeopardized no matter how famous one is as all of us are ruled under the same constitution. It is illegal to jump over a fence of a neighbor and take a picture through her or his window when he or she is naked. It should also be illegal to use this material for personal gain. In fact, Jennifer Lawrence says that the law should “make it illegal to buy post or shop a photo that’s been obtained illegally. . .” (Solove Daniel, 2014). It is because it’s always driven by the motive for personal gain which violates privacy right of a celebrity.
One can argue that restricting a publication of a photo is difficult according to the First Amendment because publication of photos is mainly a protected free speech, but we have federal and state laws dealing with some factors similar to this. Even Solove Daniel (2014), says that “We have federal and state laws restricting secretly recording a person’s conversation with an electronic device, and these laws do not turn on whether a person is in a public or private space”. Thus, it is high time that there is a law which restricts the taking of photos of any individual without their consent more so public figures. Moreover, it is vital to remember that the First Amendment is not absolute as it allows some categories of speech to be regulated so that they cannot cause harm to others (Shackelford Scott, 2014). Thus, violating the privacy of a celebrity is violation of the First Amendment recognizes.
Therefore, as Solove Daniel says that “a key to being a civilized society is that people aren’t free to enjoy whatever they want when it can cause harm to others” means that change needs to be effected. Every celebrity should be put in a situation where he or she has to choose between career one love and private life. It is same as taking an unauthorized picture and following celebrities even in places they are with their families. It is an evasion of citizen right to privacy, and it is mainly disrespectful.
Barnett, Stephen R. (1999).”The right to one’s own image: publicity and privacy rights in the United States and Spain.” Am. J. Comp. L. 47: 555.
Shackelford, Scott. J. (2014). “Fragile Merchandise: A Comparative Analysis of the Privacy Rights for Public Figures.” American Business Law Journal: 125-208.
Solove, Daniel. (November 24th, 2014). Should Celebrities Have Privacy? A Response to Jennifer Lawrence. Retrieved from: https://www.teachprivacy.com/celebrities-privacy-response-jennifer-lawrence/#more-10416 |
The United States’ panel scheme has seen substantial growth, as shown by the building of jails and a rise in the number of inmates. The issue of racial imprisonment is brought up by Michel Foucault and Michele. The two researchers believe that mass imprisonment has had an effect on society as a whole, but people of color seem to be more impacted and they make up the majority of people in American prisons. Michel Foucault’s philosophy is focused on the user experience of the body to punish prisoners and instill obedience in them. However, Foucault views prison as a panoptical system that uses disciplinary measures to isolate the evil minds with the majority of prisoners being black people (Foucault 3). Michele Alexander focuses on race-related issues by mainly focusing on African-American men in America. She notes the prison system is highly racial and discriminates against the people of color. In the New Jim Crow, she depicts how the present imprisonment is a new form of slavery that is propagated by the racially based panel system (Alexander 10-12). While both Alexander and Foucault agree that American prisons have some degree of racism due to a high proportion of colored people, Alexander argues that it is as a result of racial discrimination (ideology racism) while Foucault claims that it is due to institutionalized discrimination (state racism).
Mass incarceration has contributed to certain undesirable effects such as the alienation of populations, normalization of prisons, criminalized underclass, and disenfranchisement. Alexander and Foucault agree that American prisons have a high proportion of colored people thereby depicting some degree of racism. According to the two scholars, prison is an important institution that brings order into the society by isolating the evil minds. The fact that there are a large number of blacks in prison cannot be disputed. Racism is regarded to be the belief that certain races are inferior in several aspects like culture, intellectual capacity, and biology. Racist practices are highly evident in arrests, convictions, and sentencing. The criminal system plays the role of dealing with those who cannot fit into the society, and have to be subjected to punishment. Individuals associated with criminality must be eliminated since they are a threat to the population. Letting die is justified by the State based on the idea of defending the society from criminal threats. Mass incarceration is a process that normalizes and protects the rest of the population. It eliminates criminals with the aim of protecting the rest of the population (Lynda 562-564).
Despite the shared views that Foucault and Michelle Alexander have on mass incarceration, both give different explanations for the existence of this moral problem. Alexander posits that it is as a result of ideological racism while Foucault claims it is an issue of state racism. The first feature is that the United States has the largest size of the prison population in the world. Foucault believes that this is due to high crime rate and is targeted at individual criminals and not particular race while Alexander postulates that this is due to the high levels of imprisonment that tends to lean towards a particular race. The second aspect is that it tends to focus on systematic incarceration of whole groups of populations instead of individual offenders (Lynch 564). The massive rate of incarceration tends to target black and Hispanic males than any other racial group in America. Alexander asserts that mass incarceration is not a policy but the resultant effect of decisions and policies concerning issues like the war on drugs, mandatory sentencing, and tough measures on crime and so on.
Furthermore, Foucault and Alexander directly mass incarceration to human psychology. According to Alexander, American prisons have emerged to be a racist system. Foucault, on the other hand, asserts that State racism is a form of auto-referential racism that targets the self while hetero-referential racism follows a logic dominion and negates the value of others. Auto-referential racism is crucial in affirming the superior value of the self. It is based on the logic of exclusion and results in stratification of the social order based on racialization. Alexander explains mass incarceration based on the concept of hetero-referential racism. She considers mass incarceration to be a modern-day slavery since the system is entrenched highly on racism. The prison system preserves the structures of racism in America and creates complicated forms of racism in the society (Alexander 20). Foucault postulates that state racism focuses on developing a population through the exclusion and isolation of the abnormal (criminals). Mass incarceration is a practice by the state that is based on malice, disgust, and fear. It relies on the irrational concept that parts of a population are a biological threat to the society (Foucault 19).
Thus, ideological racism has contributed to wholesale criminalization in America. Racist practices are highly evident in arrests, convictions, and sentencing (Alexander 22). Mass incarceration can be seen as a bio-political whose aim is to protect the race that is considered to be racially superior in the society. State of racism protects the normal moral individual from the criminal sub-race. The criminal system plays the role of making life and letting die. People associated with criminality must be eliminated since they are a threat to the population (Foucault 20). The elimination takes various forms such as massive and inhumane imprisonment, unfair policing and sentencing practices, and harsh laws. Letting die is justified by the State based on the idea of defending the society from criminal threats (Alexander 25). State racism asserts that mass incarceration is a process that normalizes and protects the rest of the population. It operates based on the mantra of eliminating criminals, or the rest of the population will be eliminated. According to the concept of ideological racism, mass incarceration targets the marginalized and individuals who are feared and misunderstood in the society. These groups of people must undergo social death for the normal population to live peacefully (Lynch 564-565).
Besides, mass incarceration is a moral problem that will remain as long as the sole solution is elimination. Despite the fact that ideological racism plays the crucial role of describing some of the practices in the criminal justice system, it does not brings the picture of mass incarceration as a system whose aim is to eliminate perceived criminality (Alexander 19). The application of Foucault’s conception of race and racism is crucial in gaining a comprehensive understanding of mass incarceration (Foucault 24). State racism is considered to be morally problematic since it focuses on solving a problem through elimination instead of using other productive methods of punishment that are appealing the offenders’ sense of humanity. It views the moral failures of criminals as a permanent and inheritable inferiority. Criminals are seen as individuals lacking the rational ability for choosing moral aims. Criminals are considered unable to change through other alternatives such as community engagement and have to be eliminated from the society through imprisonment (Lynch 566). It is immoral to view offenders as a means to an end. It is important for the state to find a productive way of dealing with criminals instead of focusing on the use of elimination as a sole objective.
Michelle Alexander’s Jim Crow analogy addresses mass incarceration based on ideological racism while Foucault assertion based on state racism. Framing mass incarceration based on the concept of state racism is beneficial since it makes up for the weakness of the ideological racism. Applying the view of ideological racism in illuminating the problem of mass incarceration omits the attitudes of black towards crime and punishment while the concept of state racism includes it. Unlike ideological racism that mainly focuses on drug laws and ignores other crimes, state racism considers all types of crimes. State racism factors in socio-economic element while ideological racism ignores it. State racism acknowledges the fact that other racial groups are affected by mass incarceration. According to the concept of state racism, mass incarceration aims at eliminating all criminals irrespective of race, gender, class, locality, the level of education, and type of crime committed.
Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow. 1st ed., New York, N.Y., New Press, 2012.
Foucault, Michel. Discipline And Punish. 1st ed., New York, Vintage, 2012.
Lynch, Gerard E. “Ending Mass Incarceration: Some Observations And Responses To Professor Tonry”. Criminology & Public Policy, vol 13, no. 4, 2014, pp. 561-566. Wiley-Blackwell, doi:10.1111/1745-9133.12105. |
USAID and Qualcomm Announce Collaboration to Combat Development Challenges
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Qualcomm have jointly announced a commitment to expand their collaboration to improve access to technology to further economic and social development in developing and emerging markets.
Building on several projects in Latin America and Asia, USAID and Qualcomm signed a Memorandum of Understanding that aims to help close the mobile phone gender gap, expand access to broadband, enhance education outcomes, mitigate the negative impacts of climate change, improve information access for frontline health workers, connect small-scale farmers and producers to market data, and enable entrepreneurs to grow their companies by leveraging digital literacy skills.
Moving forward, Qualcomm and USAID will focus on programs that address:
• mWomen and closing the mobile phone gender gap
• Access to broadband
• Environmental sustainability
• Public safety and crime prevention
• Food security
USAID and Qualcomm have worked together on three successful collaborations:
- Brazil: The Fishing with 3G Nets project has provided small scale fishermen in Bahia with mobile devices and customized applications to help them practice sustainable fishing, connect with buyers, track sales, access technical assistance, and receive weather and navigation updates.
- El Salvador: USAID and Qualcomm collaborated to develop a wireless mobile and web-based crime system that enables law enforcement in five municipalities to track, report, and analyze real-time crime data.
- Philippines: The Wireless Access for Health (WAH) project established an electronic medical record platform in rural and provincial health clinics that has led to more efficient patient care, having reduced the four to five minutes needed to search paper records to just seconds.
“Given the increasing complexity of the local and global social challenges the world faces — public-private partnerships such as this one with USAID become essential to creating both social and business value,” stated Nathan Fletcher, Senior Director of Corporate Development at Qualcomm.
This strategic collaboration with Qualcomm builds on USAID’s priority to promote public-private partnerships to help reach underserved communities. |
iOS Guided Access Mode
Guided Access Mode was introduced in iOS 6.0 and is used to help device user stay focused on one application while using an iOS device. This feature limits the iOS devices to run just a single application.
Guided Access can be used to achieve the following -.
- Restrict iOS device to a single application
- Disable hardware buttons
- Disable Touch inputs on the device
- Disable Motion on the device
Guided Access makes it easy to lock down iOS devices and use them as kiosks, dedicated displays or digital signage.
Guided Access Mode for Android
For Android devices, Single Application Mode in SureLock is equivalent to iOS Guided Access Mode. However, with SureLock’s Single Application Mode, you can do much more. SureLock allows for a more secure lockdown of your device and gives you more control over what the user can access.
Introducing SureLock Single Application Mode
- Locks your Android device to just one application
- Hides bottom navigation bar
- Prevents access to device settings and notifications
- Password protected lockdown
Setting up Single Application Mode in SureLock
1. Download and Install SureLock on your Android device
2. Access SureLock Admin Settings by tapping on SureLock Screen 5 times within 3 seconds
3. On password prompt, enter your SureLock Admin Settings password and tap on Go To Admin Settings
4. Tap on Allowed Applications and select the application you wish to be in Single Application Mode
5. Go to SureLock Settings and enable Single Application Mode.
6. Once done, the user will be prompted with description of Single Application Mode. Tap OK in the prompt.
This will initiate Single Application Mode in the Android device.
Please refer to https://www.42gears.com/blog/single-application-mode/ for details on setting up a device with Single Application mode.
How to launch other applications in Single Application Mode
If you want to allow access to applications other than the main application, go to SureLock admin Settings > Allowed Applications > select and allow the other application to be accessible in Single Application Mode > Tap on the same application and check Hide Icon in Home Screen option > Done.
These steps will allow and hide the application from SureLock Home Screen. However, the main application in Single Application Mode can launch it. For example, you can allow camera to run as a single application on SureLock Home Screen and allow and hide Gallery, This will enable the users to launch Gallery on the device through Camera app.
Learn more about SureLock for Android.
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North Korea has accused the United States of "inciting military tension" by holding joint exercises with South Korea and says Pyongyang would take measures to defend itself.
Ju Yong Chol, a North Korean diplomat in Geneva, told the United Nations-sponsored Conference on Disarmament that Pyongyang would have to "reconsider the major steps we have taken so far".
He did not mention North Korea's latest firing of missiles into the sea off its east coast for the fourth time in less than two weeks on Tuesday.
"Although US and South Korean authorities are playing every trick to justify this military exercise, they can neither conceal nor whitewash its aggressive nature in any manner," Ju told the forum.
"What is more serious is that the United States is inciting military tension hostile to the DPRK by deploying a large amount of latest offensive military hardware in South Korea in disregard of its commitment to suspend joint military exercises made at summit level."
This compelled North Korea to "develop, test and deploy the powerful physical means essential for our national defence", Ju said.
US disarmament ambassador Robert Wood took the floor to reject the allegation: "Let me just make very clear, the United States is not inciting military pressure.
He said the US was committed to denuclearisation of North Korea, as agreed by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump at their first summit meeting last year in Singapore.
"We very much look forward to returning to discussions with the North in order to carry out the vision laid out at that summit by President Trump and chairman Kim," Wood added.
© AAP 2022 |
The American Association of Public Health Physicians est. 1954
Motto: The Voice of Public Health Physicians, Guardians of the Public's Health
|Promote the Public's Health.|
|Represent Public Health Physicians.|
Educate the nation on the role and importance of the Public Health Physician's knowledge and skills in practicing population medicine.
|Foster Communication, Education and Scholarship in Public Health.|
|Advocate for public health and preventive services.|
|Advocate on behalf of Public Health Physicians.|
|Serve as a forum for Public Health Physicians and by doing so, strengthen the sense of "community" and facilitate an exchange of ideas among geographically dispersed Public Health Physicians.
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Federal Judges: Crime Machine or Political Football?by
N. Lee Cooper
American Bar Association
In just a few hours, the glory and pride of the Olympics will be over. After the last national anthem is played and the last medal is awarded, Americans will return to one of their other favorite pastimes -- presidential politics. As the Republicans and Democrats prepare to gather for their national conventions, both seem to have invented a new demonstration sport for the next Olympics, "scapejudging."
What is scapejudging? It is the process by which one party goes for the "gold" of votes by citing anecdotes and court decisions out of context to suggest that the other party's judicial appointees are to blame for some particularly heinous social problem. This year both parties seem to be out to prove that the other side's appointees are responsible for crime.
Clearly political consultants, pollsters and pundits have convinced candidates of all political persuasions that federal judges make popular scapegoats. As public concern over violent crime grows, politicians find it easy to respond with calls for the appointment of "tougher" partisan judges.
But the American people know this is a sham. For one thing, more than 95 percent of all criminal cases in the United States are brought in state, not federal, courts. And those criminal cases brought in federal courts result in conviction 95 percent of the time.
The American people want politicians to focus on real problems, not scapejudging. A recent poll conducted for the American Bar Association by Louis Harris & Associates found that Americans are not fooled by political rhetoric, and 84 percent agree that it is wrong for the President or Congress to try to influence judicial decisions. Moreover, a full 83 percent of the American people felt it was inappropriate for the decisions of federal judges to be used in political campaigns.
The danger of scapejudging goes beyond the politics. Attacks on the integrity of the federal judiciary may undermine our democracy. The White House and Congress play an appropriate role in overseeing judicial funding, not judicial findings. In creating an independent judiciary, our Founders did not intend to give either branch a line-item veto over every case moving through the courts.
We must not turn the operations of our justice system over to the same partisan powers who brought us budget gridlock and government closures. It is a very short bridge from gridlock to courtlock -- if politics are injected into the workings of the courts.
The justice system works best when it is free of partisan influence. For example, when our nation was confronted in the 1950s and 60s with the last vestiges of slavery -- embodied in segregation and Jim Crow laws -- the executive and legislative branches seemed paralyzed -- unwilling or unable to act. But a few courageous federal judges in the South stood up to political pressure and personal threats, stood tall, struck down discriminatory law after discriminatory law, and moved the nation forward into a new era of integration.
And recently we have seen the judicial system work in the Whitewater matter where partisanship has failed. After months of hearings and millions of taxpayer dollars spent, the Senate issued two partisan reports that added nothing to the public's understanding about the matter. During this same time the independent counsel and the justice system are moving forward to find those who are guilty of wrongdoing and bring them to justice.
Judicial power, of course, is not absolute. The judicial branch is one of three co-equal branches of our government. There must be a balance between an independent judiciary that is not swayed by the politics of the moment, and the appropriate function of the executive and legislative branches in overseeing the fiscal and functional operations of the judicial branch. There are, understandably, tensions among the branches over these issues. But political oversight of funding is far different than political attacks on a judge's findings.
The ABA has formed a bipartisan Commission on Separation of Powers to examine the questions involved in separating the individual branches, and to create an opportunity for dialogue among the branches about what is appropriate oversight and what is inappropriate intrusion. This group will include former members of Congress, federal judges, and executive branch officials.
The American people aren't fooled by partisan scapejudging, and both parties are wasting time and energy on that pursuit, time and energy that could better be focused on finding real solutions to the real problems that confront America. |
Historian Jenny Hocking has won her High Court bid to access the letters exchanged between then governor-general Sir John Kerr and the Queen around the time of the dismissal of the Whitlam government.
- The High Court rules the documents, known as the "Palace letters", are public not private
- Historian Jenny Hocking has been fighting for access to the correspondence since 2016
- The letters and clippings may shed light on what the Queen knew about the Whitlam dismissal
Until now, the National Archives of Australia had refused to release the documents, known as the "Palace letters", saying they were private papers.
But Professor Hocking told the High Court correspondence between a governor-general and a monarch was the property of the Commonwealth, and not private.
In a majority ruling, the High Court agreed with Professor Hocking, and found the letters to be Commonwealth records.
"I'm absolutely delighted," Professor Hocking said.
"It's a wonderful outcome for our history, it's a wonderful decision for transparency and for accountability of government, but most importantly it's a really important decision for knowing the full story of the dismissal of the Whitlam government."
Letters could provide insight into Whitlam government dismissal
Today's ruling means Professor Hocking will finally be able to view the letters, which could hold important information about Australia's history.
The reasons for the dismissal of the Whitlam government in 1975 have long been debated, and these letters may provide clarity about what the Queen knew about Australia's greatest constitutional crisis.
"It's a story that has been absolutely clouded in secrecy, in distortion and in so much unknown," Professor Hocking said.
"With this decision, one of those last remaining areas of secrecy and great unknown will be released to the Australian public."
Alongside the correspondence between the Queen and Sir John known as the "Palace letters", the National Archives also holds telegrams and attachments like newspaper clippings, exchanged between August 15, 1974 and December 5, 1977.
The material was deposited in 1978, after Sir John left the office, by Sir David Smith, the official secretary to the governor-general.
The letters were due for release 12 years ago, but, because they had been marked as "private" correspondence rather than "Commonwealth records", they were not covered by the rules binding Commonwealth documents.
"Without this High Court decision, we were in the most extraordinary situation where pivotal historical documents were kept in our own archives and embargoed by the Queen," Professor Hocking said.
"This historic decision has overturned that. It reasserts Australian law over Australian archives and it also challenges … royal secrecy, where the activities of the monarch have been able to be shrouded in secrecy through the notion of confidentially and personal records."
End of a long battle for Hocking
Today's win comes after a series of court battles, since Professor Hocking first sought access to the letters in 2016.
Professor Hocking had already lost a Federal Court bid to overturn the decision to keep the letters private, which was made by the National Archives.
During the High Court hearing in February, Professor Hocking acknowledged the long legal process, but she was delighted to have had the case heard by the highest legal court in Australia.
"It's about our history, it's about our knowledge of our history, but it's also about having control over our own national archival resources," she said.
Professor Hocking's lawyers told the High Court that the documents were created and received by the governor-general as part of his official job, and therefore were the property of the Commonwealth.
"[The] evidence did not show that any person who dealt with the records or similar correspondence between a governor-general and the Queen perceived that the Australian copy of those records was the personal property of the person who was governor-general," the submissions read.
The High Court was also told there was a constitutional issue if a governor-general were to derive personal property in his communications with the Queen while in office.
The judgement was delivered in Brisbane this morning, because COVID-19 restrictions have prevented the bench to travel to the High Court of Australia in Canberra.
Professor Hocking received the news in Melbourne, and is planning to travel to Canberra to access the letters soon.
"I really look forward to going into the archives next week and speaking to the director-general … and ensuring that I can see all 211 of these Palace letters as soon as the National Archives reopens," she said.
"At this particular time in our history, more than ever we need to protect the right to know, the right to information, and the right to ensure accountability.
"But as biographer and a historian, what is most pleasing to me is that we will have sorts of documentation that we need to write accurate history." |
Safari is the default web browser for macOS and iOS devices. It's a full-featured, secure browser that has exploded in popularity with both desktop and mobile users. If you're just getting started with Safari, here are eight tips that will improve your online experience and help you get the most out of your web browser.
This article's information applies to versions 13 through 11 of the Safari web browser on macOS.
Use Safari's Smart Search Field
Safari's Smart Search field is an address field and a search field, with features that make it easy to customize your web browsing. In the Smart Search field, enter the URL of a web page you want to visit, or enter a keyword or phrase to launch a search. If you're entering a search, Safari will offer up suggestions that you can select by scrolling down and pressing Return.
Select the magnifying glass in the Smart Search field to launch a search using a search engine that isn't your default, or to select from a list of previous searches.
For convenience and clarity, Safari's Smart Search field shows a shortened version of a website's URL. If you prefer to see the full URL, go to Safari > Preferences > Advanced and place a check in the box next to Show full website address.
Access Your Favorite Websites
Safari makes it easy to get to your favorite and most-used websites quickly and easily. When you open a new tab in Safari, you'll see sites you've designated as favorites under the Favorites heading. Below that, you'll see icons for sites you visit often under Frequently Visited.
To add a website as a favorite:
Navigate to the website.
Move your cursor over the Smart Search field. A plus sign will appear on the left.
Select and hold the plus sign (+).
Select Favorites from the drop-down menu.
The site's icon is added to your Favorites, and you'll see it on a new tab under the Favorites heading.
Alternatively, select the website name from the Smart Search bar and drag it down to your Favorites section.
Another quick way to add to Favorites: Select View > Show Favorites Bar to make the Favorites bar visible, and then drag the URL of your current web page to the bar.
Show the Web Page's Title
Safari has a clean, streamlined look, and by default doesn't show the title of the web page you're visiting. If you want to see the title of the web page:
Open the web page in Safari.
Select View > Show Tab Bar.
You'll see the website's title below the Smart Search bar.
Avoid Duplicate Tabs to Reduce Screen Clutter
Many users end up opening a lot of tabs when they're writing, researching, shopping, or browsing on the web. Safari has a handy feature to keep you from opening the same tab multiple times in a browsing session.
Here's how to direct Safari to send you to the existing open tab instead of opening a new tab:
In Safari, open at least two website tabs.
Open a new tab.
Start typing the name of one of the websites you already have open.
If there's already a tab open for that site, you'll see it under Switch to Tab.
Select that URL to go to the original tab.
To open a tab you recently closed, go to History > Recently Closed, and select the URL you want to revisit.
Watch Videos in a Floating Window
If you'd like to watch a video while you're working, browsing, or doing something else online, Safari's Picture in Picture feature makes it possible.
In Safari, navigate to a video you want to watch.
In the Smart Search bar, select and hold the blue audio button, then select Enter Picture in Picture.
The video will appear as a floating window. Go back to any website tab and enjoy your video in the top right corner of your screen.
Use Safari Reader View for Distraction-Free Reading
Safari has a quick and handy feature called Reader View that lets you strip away ads and formatting, leaving only a clean text interface to read. To get to Reader View:
Go to an article on the web you'd like to read.
If the site supports Reader View, you'll see an icon in the Smart Search bar that looks like four stacked lines. Press this icon to toggle to Reader View.
You'll see a clean text interface.
Select the Reader View icon again to return to the regular view.
Learn as You Go With Safari's Look Up Feature
If you're confused about something as you're browsing online, Safari is there to help you find a definition, get Wikipedia information, or see news stories about a topic. To use Look Up:
In Safari, navigate to a website or online article.
Highlight the word or phrase you want to learn more about.
Right-click or Control+click the text you selected and select Look Up.
Safari will deliver more information about the topic you selected.
Go Back to Your Previous Safari Workspace
Like most browsers, when you close out for the day and open up the next morning, you'll get a clean browsing slate. But if you have tabs you use every day, save time by automatically opening up to your previous tab situation so you can start right from where you left off.
Select Safari > Preferences.
Go to the General tab.
Next to Safari opens with, select All windows from last session from the drop-down menu.
The next time you open Safari, you'll pick up right where you left off with your previous session. |
At 83,000 jobs, the state’s advanced energy industry employs four times more Hoosiers than auto manufacturing.
INDIANAPOLIS, August 17, 2021 – Indiana Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) released its Indiana jobs fact sheet, demonstrating the advanced energy industry’s economic promise across the state. Like all industries in Indiana, COVID-19 impacted advanced energy employment in the state, but the industry still supported a workforce of more than 83,300 at the end of 2020, with employers expecting strong job growth this year.
“In spite of economic downturns nationwide, advanced energy jobs in Indiana should see a strong rebound in 2021,” said Caryl Auslander, director at Indiana AEE. “The advanced energy industry has proven it is ready to lead our post-COVID recovery, with employers projecting 6 percent job growth for the state. Not only do these jobs offer quality employment for Hoosiers, they spur added cost savings for consumers and create overall economic growth for our state.”
The fact sheet shows Indiana’s wind and electric vehicles sectors experienced growth in 2020, at 6 percent and 2 percent respectively, despite broader employment setbacks from the pandemic. For comparison, advanced energy companies now employ four times more Hoosiers than the state’s auto manufacturing industry.
With the 21st Century Energy Task Force set to reconvene this week, Indiana AEE’s fact sheet provides a valuable reference for overall industry employment as state policymakers look to evaluate existing and develop future energy policies. The Task Force is charged by the Indiana legislature to address several topics over the coming months that are important for continued advanced energy growth in Indiana, including:
- Building a regulatory environment that captures the full value of DERs (distributed energy resources) under FERC Order 2222
- Increasing energy efficiency's role in meeting Indiana's power needs
- Rate reform to give customers more control over electricity costs
- Securitization to protect ratepayers from the costs of retiring old, inefficient power plants
- Energy investment zones for renewable energy development
Data for the Indiana Employment Fact Sheet is derived from the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2021 Energy and Employment Report, collected and analyzed by BW Research Partnership, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. |
Work from home during the pandemic has fuelled debate among employers, workers and governments about the pros and cons of remote working.
White-collar unions in finance and higher education are now pushing to embed work from home rights in enterprise bargaining agreements.
Working from home is also reflected in new regional population figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing the number of people living in capital cities in 2020-21 fell by almost 50,000, versus a rise of 80,000 people residing outside capital cities.
Views and evidence differ on the effect remote work has on remuneration, productivity, physical and mental wellbeing, career advancement, innovation, culture, collaboration and staff engagement.
Now, economists have done their homework on the work from home trend, which seems destined to continue well beyond COVID-19.
Admittedly, I’m somewhat circumspect about allowing too much working from home for reasons I’ll explain later in this column.
To be sure, it seems sensible to allow some form of remote hybrid working where people spend at least a few days in the office in a typical week and have the option to spend some time at home for occupations that enable this.
In a new US National Bureau of Economic Research paper based on a real life trial, Stanford University economists Nicholas Bloom and Ruobing Han and their Peking University colleague James Liang analysed hybrid working from home.
They examined a large technology firm, where 1612 engineers, marketing and finance employees worked a mix of days at home and at work each week.
To randomise the trial and minimise the chance of biases, workers with odd-numbered birthdays were allowed to work from home on Wednesday and Friday and even-numbered birthdays worked full-time in the office.
There were four key results in the study, How Hybrid Working From Home Works Out.
First, WFH reduced attrition rates by 35 per cent and improved self-reported work satisfaction scores.
Major productivity-enhancing inventions and breakthroughs don’t occur as easily from the occasional Zoom chat.
Second, WFH reduced hours worked on home days but increased it on other work days and the weekend, highlighting how working at home increases flexibility and alters the structure of the working week.
Third, WFH employees increased individual messaging and group video call communication, even when in the office.
Finally, while there was no significant impact of WFH on performance ratings or promotions, lines of code written by tech workers increased by 8 per cent, and employees’ self-assessed productivity was up 1.8 per cent, suggesting a small positive impact.
“Given these benefits for retention, job satisfaction and productivity, after the experiment ended the firm extended hybrid WFH to the entire company,” the economists conclude.
Nevertheless, we should be cautious about extrapolating short-term results from one large American tech firm to other organisations and industries over the long term.
WFH will stick
The tech workers who were examined are more likely to be highly skilled and educated, high-paid, high-performing and consequently, perhaps, more motivated working at home than the typical worker in other professions and industries.
Separately, in a presentation to a World Bank conference last month, University of Chicago economist Steven Davis said the WFH “phenomenon” would “stick”.
Based on empirical studies, benefits he pointed to included time saved by avoiding travel to and from work, workday flexibility and autonomy for employees, better productivity in some tasks and lower staff turnover.
But one of the consequences he pointed to was reduced wage growth pressure and a persistent compression of wages.
A study Davis co-authored in the US estimates that the rise of remote work moderated wage growth by 2 percentage points over two years.
Remote workers save on commuting and grooming time, equal to time savings of about 2 per cent of pre-pandemic work hours. They also benefit from flexibility in time use over the day, greater personal autonomy and less traffic-related stress.
Workers are willing to pay for these benefits by moderating their wage claims.
Perceived productivity measured by employee surveys and actual measured productivity also lifted, according to the economic studies.
If work is merely about completing tasks, then perhaps WFH can be more productive, at least in the short term.
But surely working for an organisation is much more dynamic and complex than, for example, how much code a tech worker can write or the number of briefs that a consultant can do in a week.
In my experience, the informal and social encounters in the office – over the proverbial water cooler or during coffee breaks – establishes rapport among staff and helps build the culture of a workplace.
And those stronger relationships and understanding of co-workers can help foster more collaboration and idea sharing that leads to innovation across an organisation.
In some cases, this might contribute to major productivity-enhancing inventions and breakthroughs that don’t occur as easily from the occasional Zoom chat.
Moreover, a WFH culture probably works well for incumbent staff established in an organisation.
But for new starters, particularly graduates and other young workforce entrants, it can be much harder.
It’s difficult for new starters to understand the culture and DNA of an organisation if they and their colleagues don’t spend as much time physically together in the office.
Public service graduates who moved to Canberra during the pandemic over the past two years have found it harder to integrate after being stuck on their laptops in their apartments.
It’s telling that one of the world’s most innovative companies, Google, now requires most employees to work at least three days a week in the office under its hybrid working rules.
Some Google workers can opt out and work permanently remotely, which in some cases triggers a salary cut.
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Tokyo | China’s economic story in the past 18 months has almost been the reverse of the rest of the world.
It is lowering interest rates when other major economies are tightening. Inflation is modest, and China is doubling down on a zero-COVID strategy as the rest of the world lives with the virus.
This was not always the case. As Australia and other Western nations were paying the economic price of widespread lockdowns and surging COVID-19 infections in the first half of the financial year, China was on a post-pandemic high.
The government’s annual GDP growth target of 6 per cent was in easy reach thanks to robust exports as its giant manufacturing sector bounced back from the early days of the pandemic without the disruptions of lockdowns.
But just as the rest of the world emerged from the darkest days of the pandemic at the end of last year, the cracks started appearing in China’s zero-case strategy.
In December, President Xi Jinping’s top economic advisers announced a significant departure from his earlier focus on reducing debt and taking the heat out of the country’s sizzling hot property market.
The Winter Olympics were just months away and pressure was growing on China to present an image of a robust economy. The annual meeting of Mr Xi’s Central Economic Work Conference signalled support for an increased spending, tax cuts and looser lending policies.
Concerns about contagion from property giant Evergrande, power shortages and supply chain problems were now weighing on China’s economic stability, triggering a rethink in Beijing’s approach to managing the world’s third-largest economy.
Shift in focus
After embracing capitalism for decades, China had been gradually increasing state control over the private sector and was shifting away from the debt-fuelled infrastructure boom that underpinned growth for decades.
Mr Xi’s emphasis last year on “common prosperity” and a string of regulatory crackdowns on technology and education companies also rattled stockmarkets, wiping billions of dollars off the value of Chinese companies listed in Hong Kong and the US.
But that was before the omicron variant breached China’s defences early this year. China, which had failed to vaccinate its elderly, was unprepared for the wave of infections that followed.
The past six months have been the toughest for China’s economy and markets in years, with its most important commercial hubs such as Shanghai and Shenzhen locked down for long periods and the country’s transport links and supply chains in chaos.
At the close of the financial year, there are early signs of a return to stability. Industrial production improved in May, although consumption remains weak in a nation where many are bracing for further lockdowns. Unemployment is also increasing, rising to 6.9 per cent in May, which is a record for China.
The country’s equity markets have also recovered in the final weeks of June following a sharp sell-off earlier in the year. Traders say this is because of falling COVID-19 infections and signs that the regulatory crackdown on technology companies is over.
Markets have also been buoyed by a surge of stockmarket listings, including offerings by China Mobile and China National Offshore Oil Corporation, as state-owned companies seek refuge from US markets.
The broader economic picture is less optimistic. The Chinese government is likely to miss its 2022 growth forecast of 5.5 per cent for the first time, with economists tipping GDP to rise as little as 3 per cent. Fiscal stimulus is expected to expand to 5 per cent of GDP from 3 per cent presently, and further cuts to borrowing rates are on the cards.
“The key downside risk in China is new COVID lockdowns in one or more large, relatively developed cities with economic heft and connectivity. GDP growth in 2022 would be lower still, with the relative strain on consumption, investment, industrial production and service sector activity to resemble that of the recent episode,” said Louis Kuijs, chief Asia economist for S&P Global Ratings.
Mr Kuijs this week cut his GDP forecast for calendar 2022 to 3.3 per cent.
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Severe weather risk map looks like bullseye over Alabama with high chance of tornadoes
Published 4:01 pm Wednesday, March 17, 2021
A dangerous weather system capable of packing damaging storms and spawning violent, long-track tornados is taking aim on Alabama, weather forecasters say.
The risk doesn’t get much worse than what’s predicted for this afternoon and tonight, the latest forecast from the Storm Prediction Center shows.
The SPC predicts a 45% hatched tornado risk area across a portion of the Mississippi-Alabama state line with an additional large swath of the state in 30% and 15% risk areas.
The percentage refers to the possibility that a tornado will pass within 25 miles of any point in that risk area. The highest percentage the SPC will issue on a same-day outlook is 60%.
The “hatched” refers to the threat for significant EF2 or greater tornadoes. Nearly all of Alabama is in the hatched risk area. You can see it on the main SPC tornado probability graphic.
Storm chasers were reporting on social media Wednesday afternoon funnel clouds spotted in western Alabama near Cuba and Thomasville
Please stay weather-aware throughout the storm event. |
Holos means ‘Whole’. A holistic approach to dog care services means we consider the ‘whole’ picture for both us and our dogs. This way has its origins in Traditional Chinese Medicine & Ayurvedic Medicine. These disciplines believe that in order for health / wellness to exist within an individual all aspects of their life need to be in balance. There is much focus on prevention rather than cure and exercise for mind, body and soul is part of a daily routine e.g. meditation, massage, tai chi, and yoga.
This is stark contrast to Western Medicine, which tends to treat the body as a machine. It gets fixed with pharmaceutical drugs or surgery. Like a car when it is broke, it gets fixed at the garage. How many of us forget to maintain our vehicles with regular servicing, oil and water checks and tyre pressure measuring. As a former Complementary Therapist & Lecturer, I believe that in order to achieve a holistic approach to healthcare we must utilise the best of both worlds. Complementary Therapies & Western Medicine sit well alongside each other. I am not an advocate of Alternative Medicine and any Complementary Therapy must be just that a complement to modern medicine.
I believe a holistic approach relates equally well to our dogs, both for healthcare and education purposes. I think this involves looking at all aspects of a dog’s behaviour to reveal how the dog best learns. It has several unique components to it and we can remember these by considering the WALK, TRAIN, PLAY, BEHAVE & STAY programme.
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Attempts to Philosophically Justify the Finality of Non-law-bearing Prophethood
WO MAJOR ATTEMPTS have been made by Muslim theologians and thinkers to logically justify the cessation of even non-law-bearing prophets. The first relates to the issue of the need for a new teacher. The advent of a perfect teacher and a perfect book, it is argued, obviates the need of any other teacher to follow. Of course, if it can be proved that the presence of a perfect book and the appearance of a perfect teacher are sufficient guarantees against any future moral or spiritual decline, then there is no reason why, after this, another prophet should ever be raised again. Regrettably however, this proposition can neither be proved correct theoretically nor historically.
This contention is insupportable because the bringing of a book of law is not the only function performed by prophets. Prophethood is a thing of many splendours. After the death of a law-bearing prophet, the mere preservation of his book and his traditions cannot offer a sufficient substitute for prophethood itself. The case in point becomes amply clear when we examine the conduct of Muslims after the demise of the Holy Prophetsa. The progressive deterioration of Muslim society should be sufficient to prove this point. The difference between their moral status during the lifetime of the Holy Prophetsa and that of Muslims today defies comparison. The Book however remains the same perfect, unaltered, un-interpolated Book that it was fourteen hundred years ago.
HE SECOND justification in support of the Doctrine of Absolute Finality relates to the idea of the intellectual maturity of man. The chief proponent of this view is no less a person than 'Allamah Iqbal claimed by some to be the greatest Muslim thinker of modern times. This doctrine of maturity is based on the assumption that the Holy Quran was revealed at a time when man had finally reached the ultimate stage of his mental and intellectual maturity. As such, he stood in no further need of day-to-day guidance by any Divine personage as did his ancestors of earlier ages. A beautiful philosophy but how hollow and empty of substance it turns out to be under closer scrutiny. The very premise that man has matured enough to be able to draw his own conclusions and chart his own course of conduct from the principle teachings of a perfect religion is challengeable on many counts.
It should not be forgotten that at every stage of man's progress, he always considered himself to be at the summit of intellectual maturity. At every point in history, the generation which occupied it also considered itself to be at the pinnacle of human progress. Looking back from their vantage point, all previous generations must have appeared less mature and less advanced by comparison. Yet at no stage in the past has man behaved wisely enough to guide himself. Heads such as that of the Pharaoh's were always raised in defiance of Divine guidance. All such rebels rejected the prophets of their time with the same inflated ideas of their own importance. All repeated the same claim over and over again that they had matured to take care of their own affairs. Nonetheless, history proves each of them to be wrong. It is so naive therefore, to consider the contemporary age as the only one in which man has finally become self-sufficient in every aspect of his moral and spiritual requirements.
As far as the concept of maturity is concerned, it is also falsified by the realities of history. After the passing away of prophets the division and multiplication of religious sects, based on doctrinal differences and varying interpretations, is a universal trend that has not spared the followers of any religion including Islam. Hence, it is not simply his intellectual maturity which helps man to draw right conclusions from the scriptures, he must also be Divinely guided.
If 'maturity of man' is taken to mean that he becomes independent in drawing his conclusions from the study of scriptures, then there must ensue a perfect unity of agreement on all the fundamental aspects of religious teachings. Alas, what we observe in real life fails miserably to support this view. Muslims, the proud recipients of the last perfect Book, are no less divided among themselves in the matter of interpretation than are the peoples of all other religions. To what avail therefore, is the so-called maturity of man? The history of religion proves that people once split into sects and schisms have never been reunified by human effort alone. The same inevitably applies to the Muslims today. Without the agency of a Divine Reformer, they cannot be assembled again under the single flag of Unity. But they have outrightly rejected this Divine measure, the only avenue of hope left open to them.
The existence of about seventy-two doctrinal divisions among them, despite a well-preserved book and a well-documented record of traditions, throws a dismal light on the Iqbalian philosophy of the maturity of man.
Their differences are not merely marginal. They are fundamental and deep-rooted, further multiplying and proliferating as time goes by. Add to this the moral destitution prevailing in the Muslim world and the tragedy of their lifeless existence becomes all the more pathetic. Commit their survival to the maturity of their intellect and perform ablution for their funeral rites, 'ashes to ashes, dust to dust and earth to earth—Amen!'
What misery! Why can modern intellectuals not understand that the purification of a religious society is a task which the mere existence of a Perfect Book cannot perform? Were it so, the followers of Islam must have retained an exemplary state of ideological unity. This unfortunately is farthest from the truth.
All that can be said here in defence of the late Dr. 'Allamah Sir Muhammad Iqbal is that the idea of blocking the passage of Heavenly light with this balderdash did not originate from him. His mistake was to copy, rather blindly one must say, the great German philosopher Nietzsche. It was Nietzsche who had first employed the idea of the maturity of human mind in the modern age against any need of guidance from God. In fact, Nietzsche coaxed man to come to age and utilize his own faculties of five senses. Overman, or superman, is Nietzsche's term for a man who reaches a stage of maturity where his senses are developed to the full. Such a man needs no God to guide him—a God which according to him is no more than a conjecture. Such conjectures were born out of an imperfect faculty of reasoning during an age when man had not yet matured enough to become his own master. Now that man had attained maturity, he concluded in his book Thus spoke Zarathustra*— the symbolic oracle of the wisdom of Nietzsche that there was no more need for holding onto conjectures.
'Once one said God when one looked upon distant seas; but now I have taught you to say: overman (superman).
'God is a conjecture; but I desire that your conjectures should not reach beyond your creative will.'1
'Could you think a god? But this is what the will to truth should mean to you: that everything be changed into what is thinkable for man, visible for man, feelable by man. You should think through your own senses to their consequences.'2
'God is a conjecture; but who could drain all the agony of this conjecture without dying?'2
The long and short of Thus spoke Zarathustra is a rebellion of Nietzsche against a conjectural god which in fact is the Christian idea of God, and to understand Zarathustra clearly as to why he rebelled against God, one must read the chapter Retired.3 But for our purpose it should be sufficient to note that the oracle of Nietzsche's wisdom sets man free from being guided from on high. The maturity of his faculties is sufficient to guide him.
This exactly is the Iqbalian philosophy against the need of a prophet after man has matured to the maximum of his faculties. Instead of employing this borrowed philosophy for a categorical rejection of the need for God, 'Allamah Iqbal neatly trimmed the maturity concept to suit his own purpose within the framework of Islam. He conceded that though man stands in need of a Perfect Master and a Perfect Book, once this objective is accomplished he requires no more to be badgered with any further interference from on high. But that is not all there is to it. The doctrine of maturity, as amended by Iqbal, does not merely do away with the need of prophethood, it does away altogether with the need for any communication from God even in the form of non-prophetic revelations. This has to be the only logical conclusion drawn from his doctrine of maturity. The maturity concept requires total independence of man from further Divine guidance in any form. He has become capable of taking all-important decisions for himself in the light of the guidance already vouchsafed to him. Man, Iqbal argued, is no longer a child to be walked with his little finger held in a prophet's hand. Has he not matured to full adulthood, to shift for himself? A sound healthy logic it seems, but just one glance at the spiritual decadence and utter moral destitution of man today is sufficient to dispel this argument as entirely fallacious and conjectural.
NOUGH of Iqbal and his postulations. Let us now turn to Maudoodi, another renowned scholar of the mainstream Sunni Muslims. He pleads that the absolute cessation of prophethood after Prophet Muhammadsa has been a singular blessing of God upon mankind. It is a boon, especially for the Muslims, because it spares them the risk of rejecting a Divine messenger of God ever again. They are shielded from ever being accursed by God, as others before them were cursed, for committing the crime of rejecting the prophets of their time. Such a view deserves to be treated more by way of a joke rather than a legitimate argument.
Maudoodi's philosophy, if accepted, would imply that the very institution of prophethood is a curse indeed otherwise its cessation could not have been claimed to be a blessing. This appears to be more in line with the thinking of St. Paul, who branded the law of the Torah as a curse and believed Jesus to be the redeemer because he did away with that law. If there were no law to be broken, argued St. Paul, there would be no sin to be committed.
The aery Maudoodi philosophy however, does not seem to originate from St. Paul alone. It also resurrects the image of Bahaullah. What the Messiah had done by rejecting the law of the Torah, according to St. Paul, Bahaullah claimed to have done to the Quranic law. Thus he pronounced himself to be the liberator of mankind from the bondage of the Quran. Nonetheless he did not imitate St. Paul entirely because St. Paul had never claimed a role of God personified for himself. He assigned this role of godhead entirely to Jesus. Jesus to him, was in fact a liberator who had undone the blunder committed by 'God the Father' against mankind. The very promulgation of Divine law was tantamount to the creation of sin. Hence, by cancelling the Divine law, what Jesus actually achieved was to have destroyed the very soil from which sin sprouted. By the same act of redeeming mankind he appears to have simultaneously redeemed 'God the father' from the folly of creating sin.
Bahaullah applied this philosophy only partially and argued that the Quranic law being too heavy and cumbersome had lost its relevance to the people of the modern age. So by liberating mankind from this exacting 'burden' he feigned to set them free, but not entirely so. He betook for himself the role of a new 'Law-maker', after cancelling the previous Law. But in the final analysis Bahaullah succeeded only in making a mockery of God and himself. The shariah that Bahaullah dictated to replace the law of the Quran was no more and no less than a blatant affront to common sense, reason and rationality.
Between these two modern day disciples of St. Paul, i.e. Bahaullah and Maudoodi, nothing seems to have been left of the religion of Islam. As for the Quranic law, Bahaullah claimed to have done away with it in the name of emancipation. As for the institution of prophethood, Maudoodi ventured to abolish it by virtue of the same Pauline philosophy. Both failed to achieve their objectives in the sight of God. Both were applauded as great heroes in the sight of men who were already spiritually diseased.
But Maudoodi did not follow St. Paul entirely. He did not go as far as to suggest that the Quranic law should be annulled by God, lest the people should incur His wrath by failing to abide by it. He only applied the Pauline principle to the institution of prophethood. Even if non-law-bearing prophets are raised after the Holy Foundersa of Islam, they are likely to be rejected by the majority of Muslims as prophets have been rejected before them. Thus according to Maudoodi's logic, the threat of the curse would keep hanging over their heads like the sword of Damocles. In Maudoodi's estimation by altogether doing away with the institution of prophethood after the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, God has bestowed untold blessings upon mankind, particularly upon the Muslims.
If the institution of prophethood is finally brought to a close, lest people should be cursed, it is tantamount to pronouncing prophethood itself to be a curse. Thus, the neo-Pauline philosophy of Maudoodi would require God to do away with the curse of prophethood altogether. What deliverance! What redemption! Good riddance is the other name for it!
But it should be clearly understood that this logic is applicable as much to the past as it is to the future. Why was Jesusas sent by God before the Holy Prophetsa? Does not the Holy Quran categorically denounce the Jewish people as accursed for the crime of denying him? And what happened to earlier peoples? Did they not defy the Divine messengers sent to them and mock and ridicule them? A sad reflection on human arrogance indeed! Thus declares the Holy Quran:
Woe to mankind. Never does a prophet come to them, but they scorn him and ridicule him!4
It is amazing why God did not think of bringing this curse to an end earlier in time. What happened to the Jewish people throughout the long history of their encounters with the prophets? Were they not cursed at the tongue of Davidas? What happened to the people of the Book between the time of Mosesas and Jesus Christas?
Was this universal human trend of treating all messengers of God inhumanly not sufficient to make God realize that prophethood was more of a curse than a blessing? Why was Noahas sent and why Abrahamas and why Lotas? Did their rejection not cause the wrath of Allah to befall upon their people? But for some insignificant few, were they not obliterated from the face of the earth? Still, the idea that struck Maudoodi did not strike God. Was it because it was Maudoodi's mind which had fabricated this myth of a god? Such infirmity of judgement behoves only a brainchild of his. God kept sending prophet after prophet but arrogant man continued to reject them, one after the other. The curse they thus earned cannot be blamed on the office of prophethood, they themselves are to blame.
Again, if this argument is accepted as valid at any particular point in time, it must also be accepted as valid at all times since the advent of Adamas. The fear of rejection of Adamas by his people, who would thus incur upon themselves the wrath of God, should have been enough justification for God never to have sent Adamas at all. If the fear that people should reject a lesser prophet from among the followers of Hazrat Muhammadsa is a legitimate reason for the cessation of prophethood altogether, then the same fear should have stood in the way of the advent of the Holy Foundersa of Islam even more powerfully. Is he not the best among all the prophets? Of course he is—as the entire world of Islam testifies. Being supreme among them, for him to be rejected was to earn the worst curse of God ever inflicted. Alas Maudoodi seems to have completely forgotten that not only was the Holy Prophetsa rejected by most of the world's population of his time, but also his truth is still denied by three-fourths of mankind today. At best, it is just one-fourth of the human population which can be described as believers in the Holy Prophetsa. But can they really be defined as Muslims? Is their faith in the Holy Foundersa of Islam genuine enough to include them among those who really believe? Maudoodi thinks otherwise. Out of the one billion population of the Muslims, nine hundred and ninety-nine in every one thousand are already condemned by him to be virtually non-Muslims:
'This huge hotch potch body of the so-called Muslims is such as nine hundred and ninety nine out of every one thousand have no knowledge of Islam whatsoever. They are incapable of distinguishing right from wrong. Nor have their moral and mental attitudes been in the least Islamicised. From father to son, from grandfather to grandson, they have only inherited a Muslim name and no more.'5
From Maudoodi's account of the scheme of things, God had better not send any Divine book or messenger lest His poor creatures should be cursed forever.
Yet Maudoodi believes in the justification of God sending all His prophets since the time of Adamas to the time of the best among them. If their rejection brought a curse from God on those who rejected them, what exceptional harm would it do if one more like them is added to the list. But the paradox in Maudoodi becomes more of an eyesore when he is discovered to believe in the re-advent of Jesus Christas as a prophet of God.
If instead of the old Jesusas, a new non-law-bearing prophet was to be raised from among the people of Islam, how could he in any way alter this eternal grand plan of cursedness? Why should only his advent be objectionable while all those before him since the time of Adamas served the same Divine decree of a perpetual curse?
- KAUFMANN, W. (1976) The
Portable Nietzsche. Penguin Books. England, p.197
- KAUFMANN, W. (1976) The Portable Nietzsche. Penguin Books. England, p.198
- KAUFMANN, W. (1976) The Portable Nietzsche. Penguin Books. England, p.370–375
- Translation of 36:31 by the author.
- MAUDOODI, SYED ABUL-A'ALA. Musalman
Aur Maujoodah Siyasi Kashmakash. 1st ed. Vol.III. Published by Maktabah Jama'at-i-Islami, Dar-ul-Islam, Jamalpur, Pathankot, p.130 |
It was supposed to be the best summer ever. At 18, Marisa Fraimow, slight, pretty and sunny of nature, was looking forward to her high school graduation and to leaving the family home in Ardmore, on the outskirts of Philadelphia, for Pennsylvania State University.
Of course, she did have to get her wisdom teeth removed, which wouldn’t be fun. But that was it. At least, it was until her pre-college physical with her family doctor. That turned her world upside down.
Her mom, Lisa Fraimow, had asked the doctor to check for everything from vitamin deficiencies to antibody levels and her thyroid – the latter because Lisa was herself in remission from Graves disease, an autoimmune disorder that involves the thyroid. Marisa knew her mom was just anxious about her moving to a dorm nearly 200 miles away. Besides, she figured she’d be fine.
Blood test results showed otherwise. Marisa had practically no vitamin D, crucial for the development of healthy bones and teeth. What’s more, her system contained antibodies that indicate celiac disease, the hereditary autoimmune disorder in which the body virulently rejects gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley.
Marisa couldn’t believe she had celiac disease – she felt fine. Tired, occasionally, but that was it. Now, on the cusp of college, she was already different from classmates she didn’t yet know. Her own body had turned against her.
Silent Celiac Takes a Toll
Marisa had a version of celiac disease known as “silent” or “latent” – people with it have no symptoms that point to a disorder affecting the digestive system. In fact, some may have no symptoms at all. Yet, even in its “silent” form, celiac disease can take a toll on multiple organs with varying of degrees of severity. The long list of associated symptoms includes skin rashes, mouth sores, osteoporosis, infertility and even lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the cells in the immune system.
Exact statistics on how many people are walking around with silent celiac disease are hard to come by but, as demonstrated in scientific literature, a whopping 10 percent of those closely related to someone with celiac disease may have it without suspecting a thing. “If you have celiac disease,” says Dr. Peter Green, founder of the Celiac Disease Center at the Columbia University Medical Center, “it’s important that your family get tested, too.”
Before she was diagnosed, Marisa already knew about the presence of gluten in all sorts of foods, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products because her older sister Nadina, like so many North Americans, had eliminated the protein from her diet the year before. To support Nadina, she’d even done a senior class project on gluten-free desserts, creating recipes that included dark chocolate apple cake – her favorite.
But a crash course in the disease itself, one in the family of autoimmune disorders that also include multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes and her mom’s own Graves disease, would teach this freshman a lot more.
Like how the rejection of gluten was causing damage to finger-like protrusions in the walls of her small intestine called villi, necessary for her body to properly absorb key nutrients like iron, folic acid and vitamins D and B12. Or how her slight fatigue could have been a sign all along. How the diagnosis is done in two phases: the blood screening and, if that proves positive, an intestinal biopsy. And how the only treatment is to go completely gluten-free.
This went against everything she had ever learned about diseases; it wasn’t like tonsillitis or the flu. Even though she didn’t feel sick, Marisa had to treat the disease by changing her diet, which meant changing her life.
Celiac disease specialists recommend going gluten-free as soon as you have the biopsy diagnosis rather than waiting until you start showing gastrointestinal symptoms. Better that, they say, than letting the damage progress. “If you follow people who test positive for the antibodies but have no manifestations of celiac disease, many of them will get symptoms sooner or later,” says Dr. Anthony DiMarino, chief of gastroenterology at Philadelphia’s Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
And, as subjects in a study out of Tampere University in Finland discovered, going gluten-free just might improve your quality of life, even if you don’t realize it needs any improving. In a study presented at a medical conference in Chicago in 2011, researchers used blood tests to screen 3,031 people over the age of 18 who had relatives with celiac disease. None had any serious health complaints. The result: 40 tested positive for the antibodies associated with celiac. Of those 40, half were randomly assigned to go on a gluten-free diet while the rest continued to eat whatever they wanted.
The results were stark. Dr. Katri Kaukinen, a gastroenterologist and one of the study’s authors, reported that after a year, the subjects who didn’t change their diets showed no change in their digestive system and vitamin levels, while the gluten-free group showed “significant improvement.” As she explained to Allergic Living, they also enjoyed a higher, more energetic quality of life.
“Before, many had minor abdominal symptoms like gas, bloating, indigestion, loose stools or joint pain. Only after they eliminated gluten did they realize their problems were linked to it,” Kaukinen says.
Screening for Silent Celiac
Even if silent celiac symptoms are minor or not the typical gastrointestinal signs, the loss of nutrients can still affect physical growth and learning skills in children. Undiagnosed adults risk anything from bone fractures due to osteoporosis and eroded teeth enamel to infertility, skin problems and being preternaturally short.
The first step in screening for silent celiac – a blood test by your doctor – is simple and cost-effective, not to mention 90 to 95 percent accurate, according to DiMarino. For those with a close family member with celiac disease, a blood test is certainly worth taking, since the chances of having the disease are up to 8 percent higher than in the general population.
However, a sticking point is wait times for an intestinal biopsy – the second step in screening for a definitive diagnosis. In North America, celiac specialists advise you not to go on a gluten-free diet until a biopsy confirms the disease, since being free of the protein can lead to a false-negative result.
But a tour of online celiac message boards shows that people whose blood has tested positive for the antibodies are often waiting several months for an appointment with a gastroenterologist. When you think you’re onto a serious health issue, it’s an anxiety-provoking period.
A celiac diagnosis, of course, means the start of a gluten-free diet and that spells relief – at least to those who feel the symptoms. Maintaining the diet requires strict vigilance: reading every food package label and daily avoidance of cross-contamination with the myriad gluten-containing foods. That’s tough enough for those who will get cramping, bloating, diarrhea or migraines or other symptoms from gluten. Consider how difficult it is for those who feel no ill effects from gluten-containing foods.
“You try telling people who are asymptomatic to stop going out for beer and pizza, especially teenagers!” says Dr. Alaa Rostom, deputy chair of gastroenterology at the University of Calgary. Celiac’s symptoms are lousy, but getting them does compel you to comply.
Back in Ardmore, Marisa Fraimow had her biopsy the day before high school graduation. She was fortunate to get it done quickly, especially since she felt like her life was on hold until she could work toward becoming as healthy as possible. “I didn’t know enough about celiac disease to recognize mild symptoms, but I do know that less than a month later, I felt more energized,” she says.
Although nobody else in her family has tested positive for the antibodies associated with celiac, her home is now almost completely gluten-free. In the summer, she and her mom met with Penn State’s food services coordinator to ensure that food-service staff are well-trained in the special dietary needs of students and separately store both dry and frozen goods. Even her mom came away assured.
Now in the school’s liberal arts program, Marisa wants to work towards a greater understanding of her condition among her peers and maybe even make a career of it in the future. For a dessert lover, life is still sweet – even sweeter because it takes a special effort to have that dark chocolate apple cake and eat it, too. Marisa isn’t one to wallow in “Why me?” She says: “I think, ‘How can I live better?’”
Anemia Was Her Only Clue
All Rebecca Pitt, a nursing graduate, wanted to do that April day was donate to the blood drive at McMaster University’s medical center in Hamilton, Canada. She felt it was the right thing to do, but was told she couldn’t – because she was anemic. She’d been taking iron pills for six years after a doctor had found her hemoglobin levels too low, blaming it on her menstrual cycle. But the blood-drive nurse thought something sounded off, and urged Pitt to go back to her doctor.
Many tests and specialist referrals later, Pitt was told her blood contained the antibodies associated with celiac disease, and an intestinal biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. It was hard to comprehend: here she was, a normal weight and a size 6, and the doctor was telling her she was malnourished. What to do?
She didn’t want to continue poisoning her body but it was just so hard to give up foods she loved. In the end, she compromised, spending the six weeks in between the blood test and the biopsy saying goodbye to gluten – with gusto. “I even ate a whole plate of cinnamon rolls, thinking I would never be able to eat anything that good again,” recalls Pitt, who is now an ICU nurse. “I gained 5 pounds!” Since the positive biopsy, she has learned to manage the gluten-free diet well.
Today, Pitt is the mom of a baby girl – and often wonders what would have happened if that nurse hadn’t urged her to go back to her doctor. Would she even have been able to get pregnant, given that the disorder has been known to cause infertility in up to 8 percent of patients?
“I never got the nurse’s name but I consider her my guardian angel,” she says. “The diet has made a real difference in my life.”
First published in Allergic Living magazine, learn about the e-magazine here. |
- Caused by high interest rates, a recession often sees dropping stock prices, collapsing businesses, increasing unemployment, and shrinking retirement funds
- Recession is especially difficult on pre-retirees due to lack of time to make up retirement fund losses
- Investors can prepare for recession by adjusting when they retire, building savings and investing in safe haven assets
Recession and Retirement
Skyrocketing inflation is punishing Americans with drastically higher prices at every turn. It’s also eroding people’s futures by reducing the value of their retirement funds. The Federal Reserve recognizes the dangers of inflation. Bringing it under control is now their top priority. The Fed is prepared to raise interest rates until inflation is tamed. Even if it means pushing the economy into a recession.
Recessions have several negative impacts on the economy. Financial markets drop. There is an increase in foreclosures and personal bankruptcies. There is also a decrease in consumer spending and business investment. Some businesses may be forced to close their doors. Others are forced to lay off employees. Unemployment numbers tend to go up during a recession.
A recession is hard for the economy overall. But it’s especially difficult for those who are about to retire or have recently retired. The five years before and after retirement are often referred to as the “fragile decade.” A recession during this period can have a serious impact on your retirement funds. It is harder to make up portfolio losses once you enter the fragile decade. And if you’ve started to draw on your retirement funds, the withdrawals combined with the market losses could deplete your account faster than you had planned.
Ideally, you should avoid selling off investments during a recession. When you sell an investment that’s lost value, you lock in your losses. The market will someday recover, and your investments will bounce back. However, near-retirees don’t have as much time to ride out the ups and downs of the market. It is more difficult for them to recover from any losses in their retirement plan. This why some people choose to postpone retirement. The hope is that working for a few more years allows you to make up for your losses.
By continuing to work, you can keep contributing to your retirement account. If you stop contributing, you’ll be doing so when prices have dropped. As a result, you won’t see the benefits when the market bounces back. You will also be able to delay your withdrawals.
Delaying retirement has potential benefits. However, it is not always an option. During a recession, companies tend to layoff pre-retirees first. People are forced to retire earlier than planned. A worst-case scenario emerges. Without a job, you stop contributing to your retirement fund. You need to tap into your savings earlier than planned. Plus, you’ll be making these withdrawals when your portfolio itself is taking losses. You are basically depleting your funds with very little chance of ever gaining them back.
Recession Proof Your Retirement
A recession is obviously bad for people in the fragile decade. While economists argue if we are officially in a recession, there are things you can do now to protect yourself.
Advisors recommend saving money and building an emergency fund. You should also pay off high interest debt, like credit cards. Perhaps most importantly, you should diversify your portfolio with recession proof assets.
Gold is an exceptional hedge against recession. Former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said, “The reason people hold gold is as a protection against what we call tail risk, really, really bad outcomes. And to the extent that the last few years have made people more worried about the potential of a major crisis, then they have gold as a protection.” 1
Historic gold prices prove out its value during a recession. After rising 2.6 percent in 2008, the Producer Price Index for gold increased 12.8 percent in 2009 during the Great Recession. From September 2010 to September 2011, gold prices jumped a whopping 50.6 percent, due to the uneven recovery and volatility in the U.S. financial markets. 2
As part of the business cycle, a recession is all but guaranteed. All you can do is prepare for it. Especially if you are nearing retirement or are already retired. Call us about a Gold IRA to learn how precious metals can protect your wealth. |
Generating Heat Around the Goal of Making Home Energy Affordable to Low Income Americans
Read the full report (pdf)
This summer, people from across the country felt the sticker shock of drastically increased gasoline prices. Concerns about energy costs affected a broad range of Americans who suddenly wondered how they were going to balance their other expenses with the energy-related necessities of driving to work, air conditioning their homes, and preparing for winter heating bills. All at once, energy costs were at the forefront of conversations occurring among legislators, within the media, and at the dinner table.
As fall approached, oil and gas prices decreased, and new crises grabbed our national attention. Lost in the conversation shift is the fact that energy costs are still a dire problem for many low-income households due to the following:
- These families and individuals experienced energy-related financial strains well before this year’s price spikes and will continue to do so even as prices rebound.
- As recent circumstances illustrated, low-income households are the least prepared to manage unusually high price surges and as a nation, we are unprepared to fully assist them. Absent appropriate policy shifts, the country will be equally unprepared for any future price surges.
- The current worldwide economic crisis is accompanied by high rates of unemployment and job losses to the national economy here in the United States. As a result, a growing number of people are living with reduced resources and may find it newly difficult to pay for necessities such as home energy.
This year, more middle-class Americans experienced the reality of a world with energy prices that they considered unaffordable. Thus, they potentially have a better understanding of the consistent reality of low-income families that have a history of difficulty with paying their energy bills.
It is imperative that Americans prioritize a policy agenda that solves the problem of unaffordable home energy for low-income households—health, safety, and other relevant concerns dictate this course of action. Recommendations to help low-income households with their continuing energy burdens include:
- The United States should set a national goal of making home energy affordable to all low-income households.
- In order to reach this goal we must move forward with retooling currently existing programs that help vulnerable families and individuals manage their energy costs—such as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and the Weatherization Assistance Program—in order to better prepare them to address current and future price pressures. In addition, retooling would help the programs take advantage of emerging technologies, while also allowing the nation to address other significant concerns related to the environment and the creation of new employment opportunities.
Read the full report (pdf)
The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. A full list of supporters is available here. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.
Senior Policy Analyst |
Understanding retirement and taxes
- Taxes affect how much of your hard-earned money you get to keep.
- Understanding the tax rules is important for reducing their impact on your income, savings and investments.
- Appropriate tax strategies may help reduce your tax bill.
Taxes are unavoidable, but failure to plan for taxes can result in paying more to the government than necessary. By understanding how tax-efficient strategies can affect your retirement, you have a greater chance of keeping more of your savings for yourself.
Retirement plans typically include investments made with either pre-tax or after-tax contributions, or both. Pre-tax contributions may help reduce income taxes in your pre-retirement years while after-tax contributions may help reduce your income tax burden during retirement. You may also save for retirement outside of a retirement plan, such as in an investment account. Generally, your retirement income comes from both retirement plans and after-tax investment accounts.
Investments made with pre-tax contributions, such as 401(k)s1,2, 3 and traditional IRAs1, 3, are also described as "tax-deferred." They allow you to postpone paying taxes on the amount you contribute and the earnings that are generated as long as they remain in the account. When you withdraw funds at retirement, you'll pay taxes on them.
Potential advantages of pre-tax investments:
- The account value may grow faster than a comparable taxable investment since the earnings in the account can grow tax-deferred.
- When you do pay taxes later, there's a chance your investment and earnings will be taxed at a lower rate if your taxable income is taxed at lower rates than in your working years.
If certain qualifications are met, a Roth IRA1, 3 funded with after-tax contributions can create a source of tax-free income in the future. Contributions are not tax-deductible in your saving years, but tax-free withdrawals can help reduce your total taxable income when you reach retirement.
Another option to consider is an annuity. An annuity 3 is a long-term insurance product that pays out income. Many people purchase an annuity to provide a combination of protection, tax deferral and income in retirement.
Tax tips to help you manage retirement more effectively
One goal of tax planning is to reduce your taxable income — and your effective tax rate. There are a number of tax strategies to consider:
- When working, consider taking advantage of any pre-tax deductions available to you. Review your financial position and consider contributions to your 401(k) up to the maximum allowed. Also remember to take advantage of company benefits such as pre-tax payroll deductions for flexible spending accounts, transportation, supplemental insurance, etc.
- Review your assets to identify potential long-term capital gains (gains on assets held longer than one year), which are currently taxed at lower rates than short-term capital gains or ordinary income.
- Consider selling securities in non-qualified accounts that have a capital loss, which may be deductible to the extent of any realized capital gains plus ordinary income of up to $3,000 per year. Please note that for taxpayers whose income, including any realized gains, is below specific thresholds, the tax rate on long-term capital gains is zero percent. In this scenario, recognizing losses simply to offset long-term capital gains may not be advisable since no long-term capital gains tax may be due. See your tax advisor.
- Approach charitable giving in the most advantageous way. For example, you might be better off giving appreciated stock that has been held more than one year to a charity, rather than a cash donation. You may get a tax deduction for the full fair market value of the asset, and an eligible charity could sell it without incurring capital gains tax on the appreciation.
- Think ahead to estate planning to potentially help reduce the impact of estate taxes, if applicable. Annual gifting is one way to reduce the value of your taxable estate. For 2022 the annual gift tax exclusion allows each donor to give up to $16,000 to an unlimited number of donees without paying federal gift tax or using part of their lifetime exclusion. Over time, this is a strategy you might consider to remove assets from your taxable estate.
The tax landscape changes frequently as rates, limits and thresholds adjust, and provisions are introduced or expire. An Ameriprise financial advisor, working with your tax professional, can recommend tax-efficient strategies that are customized to your individual situation, whether your assets are still growing or are already generating retirement income.
Or, request an appointment online to speak with an advisor.
At Ameriprise, the financial advice we give each of our clients is personalized, based on your goals and no one else's.
If you know someone who could benefit from a conversation, please refer me.
Background and qualification information is available at FINRA's BrokerCheck website. |
I was in school, studying work by poets who were writing about real-world issues and who were doing qualitative research to inform their poetry. My professor opened my eyes by saying, “You don’t have to go to a library to do research; people are archives, too.” That got me thinking about my parents. When I was growing up, they would tell stories about their past in Burma. I wanted to access those stories before it was too late. So I invited my mother to continue her storytelling. I recorded our conversation—I think while I was massaging her feet—and translated it into Burmese, which was difficult, because I don’t actually write in Burmese, and I have no formal education in it. I took very little creative license: I directly transcribed and translated my mother’s words, then artfully arranged them into a narrative. The next semester, I read W.G. Sebald’s novel Austerlitz, which almost reads like documentary poetics or investigative reporting. I thought: What if I inserted myself into my mother’s stories, as a person to whom the stories are being told? I started writing, not word for word what my parents said, not word for word their stories, but my memories of growing up listening to them. That’s how the project began.
The book ends in the present, or as close to the present as possible, after I have moved to Amherst, when I’m at MASS MoCA, at an exhibit on light. Earlier in the book, there is a revelation when I finally learn the name of my brother who passed away when he was a baby: His name meant “light.” For me, these two moments inform the title deeply. But I chose the title because so much of the book is about naming: naming of places, naming of people, the ways in which names change over time, based on whomever is in power. It felt right that the title would be a kind of paradox—that we’re trying to give names to light, which is something nobody can hold, nobody can see in the exact same way. That felt like what I was doing with the whole project.
You’re getting at the heart of my struggles in writing this book: I felt burdened with the responsibility of educating my readers about the historical context of my family history. In early drafts, I incorporated my external research and reading on the political events that impacted my family. But I quickly realized that I’m not a historian of Burmese history, and in the end, I included context only when my parents told it to me. I fact-checked what they told me, and
offered my commentary on it, but I did not include secondary sources. This has made the book quite different, perhaps, from what some people may expect it is. If you’re trying to learn about the history of Burma, this is not the book for you. If you’re trying to learn about the country’s recent politics, this is not the book for you, because it does not provide that information. Some readers may be disappointed in that. But I’m hoping people can still learn something from what’s in the book.
Many of the writers who visited our class talked about how, earlier in their careers, they felt that same burden. As time passed, they started to feel differently. They realized that there are libraries, there is the internet. People can do their own research and find their own context.
Jem, I’m sorry to disappoint, but I still don’t feel done. I’m preparing for a reading tonight, and I was looking through the book trying to find a passage to read. I found myself editing as I went, thinking, “Oh, I shouldn’t have written that sentence.” So, for me, the work of writing and editing is never done. What is done is the publishing process: It is a time capsule, the moment when the project was halted and made into a book. But is the project itself ever done? I should hope not, because I think that would mean I wouldn’t want to write anymore. The thing that keeps me going, that makes me want to keep writing, is the feeling that I’m not done, that I have more to say, more to revise and more to explore.
I honestly feel that younger writers should be the ones giving me advice, because I want to stay relevant. Advice I would give to myself when I was younger, starting out, is to not compare myself to anybody. Obviously, it is very difficult to accomplish that. I have heard writers say that rejection can be motivating, and envy can be motivating, that feeling the need to prove oneself to others can be motivating. But, for me, that sort of writing—writing that’s coming from a place of insecurity—never feels good. It may become polished, it may become prizewinning, but it’s not nurturing for the soul. I don’t think it’s a good place for art to grow from.
It’s so easy to support other writers, to shout out people and to focus on the good. I don’t use social media anymore, but when I did, I surrounded myself with writers I admired and respected. I did not allow myself to hate-follow anyone or to stalk anyone who wasn’t a true friend or colleague. It was good for my mental health, because, actually, it’s just as easy to draw inspiration from other people as it is to feel insecure because of other people.
I was so impressed by the ways in which you all came together as a community to support one another. I haven’t felt a sense of competition in Amherst classes at all; everyone is very affirming of each other’s opinions and ideas. There seems to be a sense of collaboration and excitement to be working together. For me, that’s been motivating and inspiring.
Jem Park ’22, an English and statistics major, served as president of the Asian American Writers’ Group on campus and as department head of creative writing and arts for The Stream Magazine. She’s still searching for future plans, but in the meantime, she enjoys taking walks on local trails and reading at cafés.
Photographs by Leah Fasten |
Keep up to date with the latest updates and trends in the industry through our purpose built eLearning modules. We produce a range of clinically focused, modern and interactive eLearning content exclusively for our members. Our eLearning programs can be accessed 24/7 and are designed to work on both your PC and mobile devices.
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- Heart failure
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- Pulmonary embolism
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Our comprehensive bronchiolitis eLearning module includes the following learning objectives:
- Define bronchiolitis and its associated pathophysiology.
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- Explain the treatment options for bronchiolitis. |
Hall's TaekwondoHall’s Taekwondo has been involved in the development of Taekwondo in Australia for more than 38 years and offers specially designed programs and activities for children, teens and adults of all ages, enhancing physical and mental health.
Taekwondo is an ancient Korean martial art that promotes courtesy, respect, integrity and self-control in a healthy mind and body. It is a fun, and confidence-boosting activity to build your child's fitness and skills on and off the mat.
Classes are available in our Centre as a Hall's Taekwondo Hub.
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Join now and make the most of our $9 Introductory Offer. Get started today by clicking the button below! |
Find an Event
September 23 Thursday
Online - 10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. EDT
Students will explore the idea of community, hone their primary source analysis skills by examining government records, and connect the Constitution to their own lives.
Online - 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EDT
Author Joseph J. Ellis presents his culminating work on the American Founding by rethinking the American Revolution as we have known it.
Online - 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. CDT
The monthly Lunch & Learn series is held the 4th Thursday of each month.
Online - 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT
Students will explore the idea of different responsibilities in their community and analyze images that highlight the jobs of the three branches of government as outlined in the Constitution.
All events listed in the calendar are free unless noted. |
|WANG, LIKUN - Washington State University|
|MAZZOLA, MARK - Stellenbosch University|
Submitted to: Microorganisms
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/31/2021
Publication Date: 4/6/2021
Citation: Wang, L., Somera, T.S., Hargarten, H.L., Honaas, L.A., Mazzola, M. 2021. Comparative analysis of the apple root transcriptome as affected by rootstock genotype and Brassicaceae seed meal soil amendment: Implications for plant health. Microorganisms. 9(4). Article 763. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9040763.
Interpretive Summary: Replant disease refers to the poor growth of trees when attempting to establish the same or related species on old orchard sites. Apple replant disease (ARD) results primarily from plant-induced changes in the soil microbiota leading to a build-up of multiple soil-borne pathogens over time prior to removal of the old orchard. One promising strategy for the control of ARD is the use of pre-plant Brassicaceae seed meal (SM) soil amendments. This disease control method requires both biologically- and chemically-based mechanisms that function in response to the seed meal amendment. Rootstock genetics may also be a valuable tool in the management of ARD. This study examined differential gene expression in roots of an ARD tolerant (G.210) and a susceptible (M.26) apple rootstock in the presence and absence of the SM soil treatment. Genes functioning in plant defense related processes and biosynthesis of phytohormones were found associated with SM treatment for both rootstock genotypes. SM-induced changes in rhizosphere fungal densities and bacterial community composition were associated with the initiation of plant defense responses. In G.210 (but not M.26), there was a large accumulation of genes which were expressed at higher levels when planted in the non-treated soil relative to SM-amended soil at 7 days. At this later time point, the number of defense genes exhibiting increased expression was higher in G.210 relative to M.26 in non-treated soil, suggesting that G.210 was eliciting a defense response against ARD pathogens at 7 days. The timing of the plant defense response appeared to be earlier and similar in G.210 and M.26 when grown in SM-amended soil. The growth data suggests that both genotypes benefitted from an earlier defense response and reduced pathogen loads in SM amended soil.
Technical Abstract: Brassicaceae seed meal (SM) amendment is utilized as an alternative to pre-plant soil fumigation for the control of soil-borne plant diseases. SM amendment transforms the soil microbiome and provides a concomitant beneficial influence on plant growth and productivity. SM from particular Brassicaceae species can afford long lasting disease control through both chemical and biological mechanisms of pathogen suppression. This study examined apple root gene expression in response to SM amendments and sought to elucidate whether such changes were associated with modifications of the rhizosphere microbiome. Transcriptome analysis was performed using root tissue from an apple replant disease (ARD) susceptible (M.26) and tolerant (G.210) rootstock cultivated in non-treated orchard replant soil or the same soil amended with a 1:1 formulation of Brassica juncea and Sinapis alba SM. SM-amended soil induced differential gene expression in both rootstock genotypes – interestingly in the ARD susceptible genotype M.26 the number of differentially expressed genes (DEG) peaked at 72h, while the number of DEG continued to increase through the 7 d timepoint in the resistant genotype G.210. DEG associated with defense-related hormone signaling were induced in both genotypes providing insight into the phenotype changes for rootstocks planted in SM-treated soil. The changes in rhizosphere microbiome density and composition were temporally associated with initiation of plant defense responses in SM-treated soil. A follow-up gene expression analysis showed genotype-specific responses when established in non-treated soil (pathogen-infested), which suggested trade-offs between growth and defense may be modulated by rootstock genetic factors. In non-treated soil, considerably more genes associated with signaling, cell regulation and defense were upregulated in M.26 versus G.210 root tissue. Conversely, genes involved in processes related to basic cellular functions and oxidation-reduction processes were downregulated in M.26 relative to G.210. |
Coleus aromaticus, also known as Omavalli, is a medicinal plant that can be grown at home. Taken orally, the juice from its crushed leaves is effective in bringing out flem. Alternatively, add a sprinkling of its chopped leaves to salads and soups to keep our lungs and respiratory tract congestion free, especially during the rainy season.
Omavalli Leaves (Karpooravalli / Mexican Mint) – 10, cleaned, washed
Gram Flour – 1 cup
Rice Flour – 1/2 cup
Roasted Gram Flour – 1/2 cup
Red Chilli Powder as per taste
Salt as per taste
Oil as required
1. Combine the gram flour, rice flour, roasted gram flour, salt, red chilli powder and enough water in a bowl.
2. Mix well to a bajji batter consistency.
3. Heat oil in a frying pan.
4. Dip the omavalli leaves in the batter and fry them in hot oil till golden brown.
5. Remove and drain excess oil.
6. Serve hot with chutney or ketchup. |
November 03, 2020
Good morning. Today's Smart Brevity count: 1,140 words, 4.5 minutes.
🚨Here are two easy ways to follow the election in the hours ahead:
- The Axios app: All of our reporting, graphics and results — neatly packaged. (App Store, Google Play Store)
- Our "Axios Today" and "Axios Re:Cap" podcasts will team up with a burst of special 5-minute episodes today and tomorrow.
🎶And at this moment 20 years ago, Erykah Badu was atop Billboard's R&B charts with today's terrific intro tune...
1 big thing: Making sense of Trump's energy era
OK, while we're all waiting for election results, here's a whirlwind trip through what did and didn't happen with U.S. energy during the Trump era so far.
The big picture: Market forces have been in the driver's seat during President Trump’s first term, which means oil-and-gas kept growing (until the pandemic), he couldn’t revive coal, and the country stayed far away from policies that would drive steep future carbon cuts.
Where it stands: The administration launched a big deregulatory push to scuttle Obama-era climate policies and support coal, oil and gas. Here are a few snapshots of what happened over the last four years...
- Carbon emissions haven't moved greatly in either direction, as the chart above shows. (Of note: It doesn’t show this year, which would display a steep decline due to the pandemic's effect on travel and economic activity.)
- Oil production kept soaring to new records until the pandemic crushed demand and prices, reaching about 13 million barrels per day by the end of 2019.
- Petroleum exports, especially crude, soared too. But, to underscore the way markets and policy both play a role, the crude export boom was enabled by a late 2015 law that lifted extremely heavy restrictions, which set the stage to ship surging U.S. supplies abroad.
- Natural gas production, already at record levels when Trump arrived, generally climbed even faster until COVID-19.
But, but, but: Natural gas and renewables have kept squeezing coal out of power markets, despite Trump's pro-coal push, and don't look for that to change.
Between the lines: This serves to show how market conditions hold a lot of sway. That's also true of the oil-and-gas production boom, which began over a decade ago.
- Coal production last year fell to its lowest levels since the 1970s, and is falling again this year.
- The fuel's share of the power mix has kept dropping under Trump, and is now less than a fourth of U.S. generation.
- Wind has continued its upward march under Trump, despite his anti-wind sentiment, while solar has grown even more sharply, albeit from a smaller baseline.
What they're saying: The Rhodium Group's Trevor Houser notes market developments in clean energy, like the decline of solar and wind costs, meant those sectors were "mature enough" that their trajectory continued despite Trump's pro-coal efforts.
- The research firm's modeling shows that Trump's policies around vehicles, power, and oil-and-gas sites means future emissions will be higher than if former President Obama's policies had continued.
Yes, but: That's less important than what didn't happen under Trump, Houser says in an email.
"While those regulatory rollbacks had a measurable impact on U.S. emissions ... the real climate impact of the Trump Administration was the lost four years of additional federal policy action."
What we're watching: I mean, come on.
2. Trump's closing frack attack...
Trump's tweeting habits are one sign of how much the president hopes his strong support for fossil fuels will help get him over the top today.
Where it stands: Check out the chart above, which shows how Trump's tweets about oil, gas and fracking have soared of late.
- And it's already a little out of date, because it goes through noon yesterday so does not capture tweets including this one.
Why it matters: Pennsylvania, a state critical to Trump's re-election chances, is the nation's second-largest natural gas producer.
- And polls show Texas, which is at the top in oil and gas production, is also in play this year.
What we don't know: Whether Trump's attacks will work.
- A New York Times/Siena College poll released Sunday shows that 52% of likely voters in Pennsylvania back fracking, while 27% oppose it.
- However, clean energy and climate initiatives like Joe Biden's plans also tend to poll quite well.
Catch up fast: A centerpiece of Trump's attacks is the claim that Biden wants to "ban" fracking — which Biden has been pushing back hard against.
- The claim inaccurately describes Biden's platform, which aims to end new oil-and-gas permitting on federal lands but doesn't seek a national ban.
- Production in Pennsylvania and Texas is centered on private lands.
- But his position has been unclear or appeared more aggressive multiple times.
Go deeper: Trump reaches for oil lifeline
3. ...and an important point about Biden's plans
Fracking has unleashed production of oil and natural gas alike, but that doesn't mean Biden's posture toward the two fuels will be the same.
What they're saying: Here's a snippet from a new RBC Capital Markets' note on the election...
- "[I]t seems that oil and gas would likely be decoupled when it comes to Biden policy prescriptions. While oil could certainly find itself out of favor, gas will likely continue to receive under the radar support as its development assists with key climate and foreign policy goals."
- "It is our understanding that gas is still viewed as an important transition fuel for facilitating coal displacement for power generation globally and that U.S. exports are seen as helping to weaken Russia’s hold on European gas markets."
4. What happened to power under Trump
Here's some more EIA data from the three years preceding the Trump era and the first three years of his administration.
- As you can see, coal — the most carbon-intensive fuel — kept declining.
- Zero-carbon wind and solar kept rising, but from a small base so they remain relatively small shares of overall generation.
- Natural gas, which emits much less CO2 than coal, also saw its market share keep rising at coal's expense and is now well over a third of U.S. generation.
Go deeper: Trump made a promise to save coal in 2016. He couldn’t keep it (Bloomberg)
5. The next phase of Volvo's EV push
Volvo said it's making "significant investments" to bring design and development of electric motors in-house as the automaker prepares to expand its electric vehicle lineup.
Why it matters: Volvo's goal is to have EVs account for 50% of its sales by 2025, with the rest hybrids.
- The move will allow its engineers to "further optimize electric motors and the entire electric driveline in new Volvos" to bolster efficiency and performance, Volvo said Monday.
Where it stands: Volvo — which is owned by China's Geely Holding — yesterday announced the opening of a new electric motor lab in Shanghai, which adds to ongoing motor and battery development in Sweden and China.
- The size of the investment in the new Shanghai lab was not disclosed.
6. Catch up fast: Oil prices, Aramco, China
Markets: "Oil gained following the broader risk-on sentiment in markets, and as OPEC+ inches closer to delaying a planned easing of output cuts." (Bloomberg)
Earnings: "Saudi Arabia’s oil and gas giant Aramco announced Tuesday third quarter profits of nearly $12 billion, a significantly higher net income from its dramatically lower second quarter earnings." (AP)
Electric vehicles: "Sales of electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen-powered vehicles in China, the world’s biggest auto market, are forecast to rise to 20% of overall new car sales by 2025 from just 5% now, the State Council said on Monday." (Reuters) |
A few months after domoic acid was detected at harmful levels along Maine’s coast, the state has received a $32,000 grant to improve its ability to test for the presence of the toxin.
Phytoplankton species that generate the acid have been found in Maine marine water for years, but never to the extent that it appeared earlier this fall, according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources. The levels raised concerns that people might be exposed to amnesic shellfish poisoning by consuming tainted shellfish, which in turn prompted the state agency to shut down shellfish harvesting areas between Bar Harbor and the Canadian border from September to mid-November.
To lessen the potential impact of future similar closures, the Department of Marine Resources will use the grant funds from the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund to acquire equipment and train its staff on how to test shellfish samples for domoic acid, the department indicated Friday in a prepared statement.
For the past two years, the Department of Marine Resources has been working with Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay to test shellfish harvested from areas where the presence of domoic acid and other naturally-occurring toxins known as “red tide” are suspected of having contaminated wild-grown bivalve shellfish species such as mussels, clams, oysters, quahogs, snails and whelks.
In the case of domoic acid, the process begins when routine water sampling along the coast reveals the presence of the phytoplankton species Pseudo-nitzschia, which produces the toxin. Department of Marine Resources scientists and trained volunteers then conduct a secondary test to see if domoic acid is present in the water sample.
If the secondary results come back positive, shellfish samples are harvested in the vicinity and sent to Bigelow Lab, which uses a method known as high-pressure liquid chromatography to determine if the acid is in the shellfish. The shellfish beds where the samples were taken are closed if domoic acid levels of 20 parts per million or higher are found in the tested shellfish, according to the Department of Marine Resources.
Kohl Kanwit, director of the Department of Marine Resources’ public health bureau, said in the release that the availability of the chromatography testing at the East Boothbay laboratory enabled the department to greatly improve its biotoxin monitoring program. The acquisition of its own chromatography equipment is expected to improve the state testing program even further.
“We began working with Bigelow Lab in 2014 to implement [high-pressure liquid chromatography] testing for red tide,” Kanwit said. “As a result, Maine was the first state in the nation to transition from using mice to test for biotoxins to the more precise chromatography method, which uses chemical analysis instead of live animals.”
Before the chromatography testing method became available, the Department of Marine Resources only collected shellfish samples when health officials contacted them about a possible shellfish poisoning case. The samples were sent to the federal Food and Drug Administration for testing, the results of which could take up to 10 days to produce, according to department officials. While the state waited on results, the areas where the shellfish was harvested was closed as a precaution.
The results did not always come back positive, however.
In 2012, about 50,000 acres of shellfish harvesting areas were closed for nine days while FDA results were pending — only to be reopened when the results indicated there were “no levels of concern,” Department of Marine Resources officials indicated.
“[High-pressure liquid chromatography] testing by Bigelow Lab was a major improvement for us and the [the shellfish] industry,” said Department of Marine Resources biologist Bryan Lewis, who will oversee the project. “The new equipment, which will be housed at the [Department of Marine Resources] lab in Boothbay Harbor, will further strengthen our ability to deal with this emerging biotoxin.” |
A 529 plan is a tax-advantaged savings plan that allows you to pay for education expenses.
This college savings plan allows any contributions to the account to grow tax-deferred. Money can be withdrawn tax-free as long as it’s used for qualified education expenses, such as tuition and fees, room and board and books at universities as well as technical and vocational schools. While created to help pay for college, these plans can now also be used to pay for K-12 tuition at private schools.
So, what is a 529 plan? Here’s what you need to know about 529 plans and how to use them to achieve your future college savings goals for your children.
529 plans: How these tax-advantaged education savings accounts work
A 529 plan allows a participant to set up a tax-advantaged account to allow a beneficiary to use the funds for qualified education expenses. The participant deposits after-tax money in the account. The money in the account can grow tax-deferred and then be tapped tax-free for relevant expenses.
Funding a 529 plan may even reduce your taxes today in some cases. Some states offer tax deductions on contributions, and you can calculate your potential contribution with the help of Vanguard’s 529 state tax deduction calculator. Contributions are made with after-tax money, so they won’t earn you a federal tax deduction, however.
Anyone can establish a plan and contribute to it. Parents, grandparents and other relatives can all open and contribute to the account. You can even fund your own educational expenses this way. You might not even have to be the owner of the account to claim a tax deduction for your contribution, though it depends on the state’s laws
When you withdraw the money from your 529 plan, you should use it on education expenses in that same calendar year. Otherwise, you’ll be making an unqualified withdrawal that will cause the IRS to take notice, since you won’t be using the funds. Be sure to keep any receipts, should the IRS come calling.
Various state plans have different benefits, and it can pay to look around and find the best plan for you. You’ll want to look for low cost, good investment returns and good benefits. The rules for each state plan differ, so you need to know the specific rules for your plan.
What are the different types of 529 plans?
The 529 plan has two major types: a prepaid tuition plan and an education savings plan. They each serve different needs and offer different investment methods.
- A prepaid tuition plan lets you buy college tuition credits to use in the future at today’s prices. A 529 participant can purchase these credits only at participating colleges and universities for the plan’s beneficiary. These credits can’t be used for room and board and aren’t available for primary and secondary schools.
- An education savings plan is more encompassing, and it allows you to open an investment account that can be tapped in the future for education expenses. These plans pay for tuition and fees, room and board, books and other qualified costs. This account can generally be used at almost any U.S. college or university and can also be used for K-12 private education.
The education savings account can be invested in many different assets including potentially high-return options such as stock funds, as well as lower-return but less risky options such as bond funds and even money market funds. However, if it’s invested in the market such as in stock funds or bond funds, its value is not insured by state or federal governments.
Tax and financial aid benefits
The 529 plan can offer several tax and financial aid benefits to participants:
- Grow your contributions on a tax-deferred basis. You won’t pay taxes on any earnings in the account, so long as you maintain the money in the account.
- Tax-free withdrawals for qualified education expenses. Your tax-deferred gains become tax-free gains if you use the money for qualified education expenses.
- Potential state tax deduction. Save on taxes if your state offers a break on deductions. However, you won’t get a state tax deduction for a state where you don’t pay taxes.
- Beneficiaries can change over time. A 529 plan can work for multiple kids, if they don’t need to use the program at the same time. Plan ahead to avoid potentially violating a plan’s rules.
- Student loan repayment. At the end of 2019, Congress authorized funds in a 529 to be used for loan repayment. Up to a total of $10,000 can be used to pay back student loans, and as much as another $10,000 can be used to pay loans for a beneficiary’s siblings. Keep in mind though that your state might consider this a non-qualified distribution depending on their laws, and you could be hit with a tax bill. 529 plans are administered by each state’s program, with their own set of rules, making it crucial to check your state’s distribution guidelines.
- Accounts owned by parents have a lower impact on financial aid. Assets owned by your child can reduce their financial aid eligibility by a large amount. However, a 529 plan isn’t owned by the child, so an account owned by parents can have a smaller impact (this isn’t true of grandparent-owned accounts, however).
How to use a 529 plan for multiple children
It’s possible to use a single 529 plan for the benefit of multiple children. For example, if your children’s ages are more than four years apart, you may be able to change the plan’s beneficiary after the first child graduates. If you do this, however, you might want to factor in how much money is left in the plan for the second (or third) child once it’s been tapped by an earlier child.
Moreover, using just one plan may make the 529 plan less valuable for later children. For example, if you switch to more conservative investments as the first child nears college, then it may deprive the second child of potential future returns from more aggressive investments depending on how it’s allocated.
Depending on your situation, it may make more sense to have a separate 529 plan for each child. In addition, this approach allows you to keep better records and may offer you an additional chance for a state tax deduction if your state offers one.
What is and isn’t covered by a 529 plan?
It’s important to understand that you can only access your money on a tax-free basis if you spend it on qualified education expenses. Anything that doesn’t fit the IRS’s interpretation of a qualified expense will likely see the agency slapping a penalty on your withdrawal.
Anything not specified by the IRS in its definition of a qualified expense is likely not covered.
The IRS specifies that qualified expenses must be “related to enrollment or attendance at an eligible post-secondary school.” Moreover, the IRS says that “to be qualified, some of the expenses must be required by the school and some must be incurred by students who are enrolled at least half-time.”
- Tuition and fees charged by the institution.
- Textbooks required by enrolled classes.
- Room and board, not to exceed the amount listed by the school as part of the cost of attendance.
- Computers and software, and other equipment, that are used primarily for educational purposes.
- Apprenticeship costs as long as the program is registered with the U.S. Department of Labor.
- Up to $10,000 in K-12 private education tuition expenses.
- Special needs services, provided that they are incurred as part of attendance at the school.
- Up to $10,000 in student loan repayment.
You will not be able to use a 529 penalty-free to pay for transportation costs at college or to pay extracurricular fees.
How to start a 529 plan
If you’re looking to open a 529 plan, you can do that directly through a state’s plan. But you also have the option of going through a broker or financial advisor who may be able to assist you with the plan.
- When you go directly to a plan’s website, you need to register, analyze the potential investments and then manage the plan over its lifetime. You’ll be overseeing the plan and dealing with any issues that arise.
- When working with a broker or financial advisor, you can have your agent do the heavy lifting: finding the best state plan for you, selecting the funds and overseeing the program. A broker or advisor may also be able to give you further advice on the program. But you’ll pay for this extra level of service with either a sales commission or higher investment fees.
Can you use a 529 plan at any college?
A 529 savings plan can be used at any qualified college nationwide. Most states do not limit the availability to states that sponsored your 529. For example, you might contribute to an account set up with one state’s plan, but still be able to use the funds at any qualified institutions of higher learning.
Prepaid tuition plans, on the other hand, are often more limited in scope. They can usually only be used at specific colleges. Some state prepaid tuition plans allow for the credits to be used at multiple public institutions in the state, but you might not be able to use the credits outside the state.
Double-check to see that your institution qualifies, however, since not every college does.
What happens if my child doesn’t use the 529 plan?
If your child opts not to go to college or other vocational school, the beneficiary can be changed to another family member who might be able to use the money. In general, the plan can continue holding the funds indefinitely as long as it has a living beneficiary listed.
However, eventually if the money can’t be used, it must be withdrawn. If the money isn’t used for qualified educational expenses, you’ll have to pay taxes on the earnings, as well as a 10 percent penalty.
However, there are ways to get the money back without paying the 10 percent penalty (although you may need to pay taxes on earnings):
- Scholarship. If the beneficiary received a tax-free scholarship, you can withdraw money to the amount of the scholarship.
- US military academy attendance. This is treated as a scholarship.
- Beneficiary death. If the designated beneficiary dies, the amount can be withdrawn.
- Beneficiary becomes disabled. A physician must certify that the beneficiary can’t complete gainful employment.
- Employer education assistance. If an employer offers assistance, that amount can be withdrawn without paying the penalty.
Where did 529 savings plans originate?
The 529 plan originated in 1996 and took its name after Section 529 in the Internal Revenue Code, which authorized qualified tuition programs to provide tax-free benefits to savers. The plan has its origins in Michigan’s 1986 decision to offer prepaid tuition plans to state colleges.
What counts as a qualified expense has expanded over the years. In 2015, the plan began to include computers as a tax-free expenditure, while 2017 saw the program include K-12 tuition of up to $10,000 annually. In 2019, the plan expanded further to include loan repayment, mentioned above, as well as the option to use a 529 plan to pay for apprenticeship programs.
- How to save for college: 8 ways to get started now
- How to tap your 529 plan to pay for college tuition
- 7 simple ways to maximize your 529 plan to help pay for college |
Retract evidence, is an option that allows predictions to be made on variables that have evidence assigned.
Also see Retracted analysis.
If retract evidence is not turned on, and a variable that has evidence is queried (predicted), then the evidence value is returned. Often however, you want to predict each variable as if its own evidence was not present, which can be achieved by turning on the retract evidence option.
Consider the prediction of variables X, Y and Z, where all variables have evidence (all have data mapped to them). If the Retract button is checked, then the prediction of X will ignore any evidence set on X, using only evidence set on Y and Z. The prediction of Y will only use evidence set on X and Z, and the prediction of Z will only use evidence set on X and Y.
If you are querying (predicting) a joint distribution, evidence is retracted from all variables within the joint distribution.
If evidence has been retracted on a query distribution, the likelihood/log-likelihood associated with the evidence used to calculate the query distribution, will not equal the likelihood/log-likelihood) for all the evidence. (The Bayes Server API allows log-likelihoods to be returned for each query distribution.) |
A rare find inside a local supermarket; 1 in 30 million to be exact.
It's not unusual to see a tank of lobsters for sale inside your local Publix.
But one crustacean stuck out and a group of people in Flagler County are working to save it from the lobster pot.
Little did Marybeth Jeitner realize when she made a weekend trip to the Flagler Beach Publix she'd get caught up in a once-in-a-lifetime project to save a lobster.
It began when she ran into a friend. “He and his wife were busy on their phone as they were shopping so I asked them what they were doing. And they said there's a beautiful rare lobster back in the seafood section. You have to go see it.”
So she did, which is a feat in and of itself because as Jeitner said, “I'm vegan. So I don't ever go to the seafood section.”
Jeitner posted photos on Facebook, asking for help in saving this lobster from someone's dinner table.
Soon, she had hundreds of people offering help, including Heather Chalmers and her daughter Ava Grundvig.
Chalmers saw the pictures and got to Googling. “When we started researching it, and really found out how rare it was, we got concerned too.”
Experts said the difference in this lobster's pigment is caused by a genetic mutation, and that it's a 1 in 30 million genetic anomaly.
Chalmers volunteered her kitchen and tank. Jeitner bought “Libby” -- short for Liberation -- and began looking for a permanent home.
Perhaps the biggest help in this endeavor has been, of all things, social media, specifically Facebook. Without that, this probably couldn't have happened.
"That is how this has worked,” said Jeitner.
While we were talking, Jeitner got word a Maine company, GetMaineLobster.com will arrange a return trip to New England while another friend is working with a marine science center in New Hampshire to provide Libby that permanent home. Libby will begin her journey to New Hampshire Wednesday when she heads to the UPS facility in Daytona Beach.
For 11-year-old Ava, this is a perfect lesson on the good of social media. “What I learned is that when people come together they can do amazing things. I would have never thought I could have had a lobster in my kitchen but with the help from everybody, I mean, it really made everything possible.”
And she's got a heck of a story to write for her "What I Did During Summer Vacation" essay.
Libby will be in New England before the end of the week. |
The Samoan Starlings (Aplonis atrifusca) are found in American Samoa (unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean) and the Independent State of Samoa. They live in tropical moist forest areas on volcanic islands, where it is common and more conspicuous than the Polynesian Starling, which is found within its range. In their natural habitat, they appear to nest year-round.
The plumage is dark brown and glossy. They have a long bill.
Calls / Vocalizations
Their vocalizations include various whistles and other sounds.
Diet / Feeding
They feed on a variety of fruits and insects.
Species Research by Sibylle Johnson
Please Note: The articles or images on this page are the sole property of the authors or photographers. Please contact them directly with respect to any copyright or licensing questions. Thank you. |
The Hindu | 28 January 2018
From Tokyo with love for global trade
by Pallavi Aiyar
Nowhere has the dramatic ascent of China to the helm of global affairs pinched more than in Japan, a country that has long prided itself as the preeminent power in Asia. A large part of the 21st century China’s rise has to do with its indispensability to global trade. But Japan is a trading heavyweight too, and with the United States charting an isolationist path under President Donald Trump, Tokyo has taken up the global trade mantle with vigour and some success. This week, the 11 remaining members of a Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal that Mr. Trump had pulled the U.S. out of solved their differences at talks held in Tokyo. That the deal, renamed the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP, is going ahead in the absence of the US is a testament to Japan’s role in shepherding the tough negotiations through some tumultuous times.
The members of the CPTPP include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam and Japan. The accord will cover about 14% of global gross domestic product (considerably less than the 40% it would have covered had the US stayed on board) and involve the livelihoods of about 500 million people. It’s estimated that the net benefit of the CPTPP to all its members from the liberalisation of trade in goods and services will equal about 0.3% of their combined GDP, or $37.3 billion, in the medium term.
But beyond the material benefits, the CPTPP is also a gauntlet to China. Tokyo wants to lead rule-making on trade in the Asia-Pacific, rather than allowing China to set the agenda with alternatives like the Beijing-backed, 16-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). By setting a high bar on legal standards and leaving open the possibility of other Asian countries joining the pact, the CPTPP has pipped the RCEP, which is still being negotiated, to the post. Although the official line of both the RCEP and the CPTPP is that one’s success does not impinge on the other, the fact that the CPTPP excludes China has trade officials in Tokyo looking smug.
“The decision for all 11 countries to participate is epoch-making for our country and the future of the Asia-Pacific region,” said Toshimitsu Motegi, Japan’s Economy Minister, following CPTPP talks in Tokyo last week. The Minister added that the agreement sent a signal to “parts of the world” where there “may be a movement towards conservatism”, a pointed reference to the US.
The announcement of the CPTPP comes on the heels of another gigantic trade deal that Tokyo recently concluded with the European Union. The EU-Japan free trade agreement is the world’s biggest, covering more than a quarter of global economic output. Although it is still to be signed, negotiators announced in December that the legal text had been finalised.
Global trading order
In the post-Second World War-era, Japan has benefited greatly from the US-led and US-devised international trading order. As a major export-oriented economy, it maintains a huge stake in shaping the future of this order, particularly now that it is suffering from a US-shaped leadership deficit. For a Japan that has struggled on occasion to find global relevance in the shadow of China’s rise, this crisis has emerged as an opportunity to demonstrate its continued muscle. The CPTPP is slated for signature on March 8 in Chile. The members have indicated that they would welcome the US back to the club in the event of a change of heart in the White House. |
This year’s Annual Birmingham Business School Advisory Board Guest Lecture was given by Mike Barry, Director of Sustainable Business at Marks and Spencer. Mike is responsible for delivering Marks and Spencer's ambitious plan to become the world's most sustainable retailer.
In 2007, Mike was part of a small team who developed and delivered the company's groundbreaking Plan A, an expansive plan addressing a wide range of societal and environmental issues, to work towards this goal. Plan A, initially rolled out as a five year plan, has broadened and extended throughout the years, with new strategies and commitments included to help M&S achieve 100% sustainability throughout its operations. Mike was named the Guardian's inaugural Sustainable Business Innovator of the Year in 2011 and continues to be recognised as a knowledge leader in the field of responsible business.
Mike's lecture reflected many of the principles upon which the Lloyds Banking Group Centre for Responsible Business is built. He began the lecture with discussion around consumerism in our growing population and its effects on the environment, stating "more people and economic activity, leads to more consumption of 'stuff'… we are very rapidly living beyond our means". He stated that we are currently consuming enough resources for three planet earths, and that if the current trend did not cease we would be facing a vastly depleted environment. He added that "we need to fundamentally change our relationship with plastics", pointing out that this debate is now front and centre of the public consciousness particularly since the finale of David Attenborough’s Blue Planet aired around the world in January this year.
Mike touched upon modern slavery in supply chains and fast fashion, echoing research from our Centre, commenting that "45 million people around the world live in forced labour". He asserted that this is "not just amoral, but a crime" and made the point that this is prevalent in so many industries that there's a risk of forced labour somewhere in the supply chain "wherever we look".
Citing the recent example of the pairing between supermarket-chain Iceland and Greenpeace in airing an advert that is anti-deforestation and banning palm oil in their products, Mike commented that "it takes a big brick in the pond" to shake things up and force organisations to take notice of current trends, and change their business models to reflect them.
Looking to the future, Mike extolled the potential benefits of emerging AI and technologies, both in helping combat the issues relating to society and the environment, and in holding businesses accountable for them. He alluded to the first Tesla car as an example of ground-breaking inventions that start a mini revolution in similar businesses.
Mike finished on an inspiring note. Looking out at the crowded lecture theatre, made up largely of business students, he stated: "The journey from where we are today to where we need to be is not easy. It's very, very difficult. But there is a pathway…The world is changing. The most important word is resilience. The future you all step into is much easier than the path I had (in terms of sustainable business models). We can change, we must change, and by changing we can offer something fundamentally better for the planet and the community".
Hear Mike Barry's lecture in its entirety via the podcast below:
- You can read more about Mike's work and Plan A here
- You can read more about the work that the Lloyds Banking Group Centre for Responsible Business is doing here |
The Oxford English Dictionary has a new "last word" with tropical weevil zyzzyva bringing up the rear in the latest edition.
Zyzzyva, a genus native to South America, takes the title from zythum, an ancient Egyptian malt beer.
It is among a variety of new words to be added, which also include hygge, a Danish term described as "a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being".
While other words have been given new definitions, including "woke" which is used as an adjective to mean "alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice", and "thing" when used to express disbelief, as in "How can that be a thing?"
Also among the tranche of new words are 50 new terms relating to tennis, such as forced error, chip and charge and career slam.
Tennis mom and tennis dad - terms to describe parents who encourage their children to play the sport - have also been added to the book which contains 829,000 words.
Speaking about how a word qualifies for inclusion, the OED said: "(We) require several independent examples of the word being used, and also evidence that the word has been in use for a reasonable amount of time." |
INVASION of the BODY SNATCHERS (1956)
tangentopolis feat. Walter Wagner
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
[The Classic Version] arguably 'still relevant today... as the invasion nears completion...'
(world orders review)
“Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment — that which they cannot anticipate.”
– Sun Tzu, 'The Art Of War'
Coronavirus, 5G, Kung Flu; Vaccines (Spacebusters Breakdown, 1-4)
Coronavirus, 5G, Kung Flu; Vaccines (Spacebusters Breakdown, 2-4)
Coronavirus, 5G, Kung Flu; Vaccines (Spacebusters Breakdown, 3-4)
Coronavirus, 5G, Kung Flu; Vaccines (Spacebusters Breakdown, 4-4)
Ecoscience Population, Resources, Environment By Paul R. Ehrlich, John P. Holdren And Anne H. Ehrlich ( 1977) https://archive.org/download/Ecoscience_17/JohnHoldren-Ecoscience.pdf
...it is not the 'fear of death' itself, no... indeed no, but rather the fear of the 'loss of the self', the essence, the kernel of consciousness, for we believe rightly or wrongly, that it is this phenomenon, which is definitively who we are. It simply 'is what is us'...
equally... we remember from both near and far, thee o the just... and how it was that... "in some of Pavlov’s dogs, the Leningrad flood had accidentally abolished the recently conditioned behaviour patterns implanted by him...
...we might also expect others to become more suggestible or show reversal of previous patterns of behaviour and thought, because a paradoxical or ultra-paradoxical phase of brain activity was being produced [or 'induced']."
-- William Sargant, (1957) 'Battle for the Mind', p44-45.
HOW TO MIND CONTROL & BRAINWASH A NATION
'MALTHUSIAN MANDATE' (Complete, Parts 1-4)
tangentopolis (little edits dept.), 'Careful With That Axe Eugene #02-1'
(CORONA AUTOBAHN-A) https://www.bitchute.com/video/ZfAdu6ZCA9Aw/
tangentopolis (little edits dept.), 'Careful With That Axe Eugene #02-2'
(CORONA AUTOBAHN-B) https://www.bitchute.com/video/OfW3Zee057mt/
tangentopolis (little edits dept.), 'Careful With That Axe Eugene #03'
(dark winter begins...) [side A]
tangentopolis (little edits dept.), 'Careful With That Axe Eugene #03' [side B]
'Daze Like These... Oh... One of these Days...'
tangentopolis, 'BORISSFC', Dec, 03, 2020
Musical Drawing [md1-2] 'FUTURE PERFECT!'
(Programming The Masses Using SORCERY, SUGGESTION & SUBLIMINAL CONDITIONING)
Musical Drawing [md01a] 'Common Culture Creation by Elite Direction' (Ancient Secrets of Social Control) https://www.bitchute.com/video/Dtpv1L9sFL2x/
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- About BJSS
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School children benefitted from the BJSS workshops
Young women introduced to careers in technology
New opportunities for disadvantaged children
We engage local grassroot community organisations to deliver sustainable programmes that support our community development themes of Youth and Technology in Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow, London, Bristol and Nottingham.
In partnership with Leeds Libraries, we fund and sponsor a series of events that enable the city’s less advantaged young people to learn about the myriad roles and opportunities in the technology sector.
Our workshops are supported by digital makers from various organisations in Leeds and professionals from BJSS. Participants have full access to library collections and resources for each of the events.
The workshops focus on coding, design, film, wearable tech and more. We have hosted a range of events including Inventions Hacks, digital design workshops and activities exploring how tech can be used to help the environment.
The sponsorship covers young people between the ages of five and 17 years of age.
Chief Librarian, Leeds Libraries
It’s simple – we need more women in Digital and Technology. Through our partnership with Manchester Digital, we are encouraging and preparing more young women for careers in the digital and technology industry.
Having been a key sponsor of the #DigitalHer initiative since its inception, BJSS is now lead headline sponsor.
The initiative works closely with schools across Manchester’s 10 boroughs. Each year it inspires over 1,200 young women to consider a future within digital and technology. The programme demonstrates the breadth of roles and opportunities that exist in our industry and it provides the practical skills and experiences that young women need to make informed choices.
Digital Her is effective because it introduces young women to real role models and mentors from across the Manchester Digital network. In addition to our financial sponsorship of Digital Her, key female role models from BJSS provide mentorship and inspiration through interactive workshops.
The BJSS Manchester graduate team also delivered the Digital Her website. It enables businesses, educators and young people to have a space to find resources, information, news and a live inspiration wall.
Talent and Skills Manager
In partnership with the Glasgow Science Centre and Digital Skills Education Limited, BJSS supports young people aged between 12 and 14 in areas of Glasgow with lower STEM take-up due to socioeconomic factors.
We do this through a series of digital workshops run over the summer holidays. Participants learn the fundamentals of computer coding and use Agile techniques to quickly build prototypes of their ideas. They learn the importance of testing solutions, and the challenges of combining hardware and software.
BJSS covers the programme cost, in addition to funding transportation and lunch. We also gift a micro:bit to each participant so that they can continue to develop their skills and be inspired to take advantage of free digital education pathways provided by the Scottish Government.
Dr. Gillian Lang
Deputy Director of Science
BJSS sees robotics as an appealing learning platform for young people. Through a partnership with the London School of Mathematics and Programming, we fund Robotics scholarships for 13 to 17 year old schoolchildren.
We also sponsored and provided pro bono support to the 2019 Robotics Triathlon – an open platform contest that any child aged between 7 and 17 can compete in. Uniquely, the Triathlon placed no constraint on the types of controllers, construction sets or languages that can be used, thereby encouraging deep learning and creativity. At the end of the day, BJSS awarded a variety of awards for nine participants.
Robotics is an exciting subject which lies beyond the current school curriculum. Beneficiaries of the BJSS scholarships are guaranteed places in the 2020 Robotics Triathlon to demonstrate the skills and knowledge they develop.
Director and Founder
We partner with Engine Shed to deliver a series of Tech Tours for young people between the ages of nine and 13. These Tech Tours inspire young people into considering the technology sector for future careers, and they also raise awareness of the concentration and diversity of roles that are available.
The tours take place monthly for a class of children and include workshops from three Bristol-based businesses including a coding session run by BJSS’ staff. Participants are then given an exclusive tour inside the original railway station opened in 1841 – a famous Bristolian landmark that is not usually accessible to the wider public.
Additionally, to enable opportunities for children from all socioeconomic backgrounds, BJSS covers all costs for transportation and lunch.
We partner with Business in the Community to run a programme of events with local schools from our Nottingham office. The events cater for Years 8-10 and aim to showcase the breath of roles in the IT industry.
A blended team of technical and design BJSSers run interactive and engaging design thinking workshops. The project is an immersive activity that gives participants a taste of the full lifecycle of the design thinking process in a short rapid session. Our technical team then take the students through how this would relate to a project that they are currently working on, and they explore how teams are formed of many different roles.
At the end of the session, groups are given a tour of our offices to showcase what it would be like working in a digital office environment.
We operate offices across the UK, Europe, USA and Australia. With the Queen’s Award for Innovation, our proven track-record of delivery and our agile approach, our clients trust us to solve their most complex technology challenges. Let’s get in touch!
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Despite the advances in technology which improve accessibility, most online training programmes still present barriers to employees who have visual, auditory, cognitive and/or physical disabilities that prevent them from fully engaging with materials.
A Comprehensive Approach to Barrier-Free Learning
By creating an inclusive learning environment, you provide equal opportunity for employee success, improve employee satisfaction and increase employee productivity. We can help you proactively create a learning environment that benefits all employees.
We are fully committed to delivering product experiences that conform to global accessibility standards across our platforms.
Blackboard Ally automatically checks course content for accessibility issues and provides actionable feedback to the organisation and its users.
We offer consultation including course audits, policy reviews and action planning across training & development programs to enable you to provide a barrier-free learning experience for all of your employees. |
When businesses are looking to develop further, either through expansion, mergers or acquisitions of other firms, they will usually seek expert advice from teams that can support them through the process.
If you work in corporate finance the chances are you’ll either be based in a large department within an investment bank, a large accountancy practice, legal firm or a large corporate firm.
A big part of the job involves dealing with the transactional side, raising capital through issuing shares / bonds. Due diligence is a paramount part of the role. An organisation may need to raise money for various reasons, including addressing any debt that they have or develop and expand their business – but the fundraising side is just one aspect. You might be actively involved in structuring deals, negotiating terms, valuing a business, helping to prepare business plans or conducting due diligence analysis to discover how commercially sound a business proposal is. There’s also an element of compliance work. Adding value is crucial within this career. Employers will seek out commercially aware, intelligent and ambitious candidates with excellent social skills who can take initiative and enjoy solving problems.
- Researching market conditions and developments
- Conducting investigations into the financial and commercial state of companies, giving consideration to particular transactions
- Carrying out financial modelling, then developing and presenting appropriate financial solutions
- Providing advice on capital structure
- Project managing transactions, negotiating terms and developing proposals to raise funds
- Constructing new issue and takeover timetables
- Providing instructions to other colleagues and professionals, such as lawyers
- Publishing financial announcements
- Restructuring debt
- Ensuring all the regulatory aspects of a transaction have been considered
- Undertaking due diligence of firms
- Outstanding relationship building and management skills
- Analytical and strong numerical skills
- Well-rounded commercial and economic awareness and understanding of the financial markets
- Business communication and interpersonal skills
- Confident negotiator
- Energy and commitment
- Excellent project management skills
- Flexibility, as significant extended hours may be required during specific negotiations and deals, including long weekdays and weekends
- Ability to work within a regulated environment and comply with set policies and procedures
Corporate finance is a graduate level position and employers will usually expect candidates to quickly acquire knowledge in the following areas, through training and relevant professional qualifications:
- How business finance and deals are structured
- Sound knowledge of risk analysis and due diligence techniques
The opportunities to enter corporate finance are aimed at people with a degree. Employers will require entrants to be numerate, but will accept graduates from any subject discipline who have typically achieved a 2:1 degree. Employers will specify their own exact academic requirement and subject. Some corporate financiers are qualified lawyers.
Many people entering corporate finance sometimes come from careers including accountancy, treasury or law and undertake professional qualifications relevant to these areas. This provides the commercial insight and financial knowledge needed to help companies to structure deals. Advising on corporate finance business is a Financial Services Authority regulated activity and thus requires an Appropriate Qualification. The industry-wide qualification taken is the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) Level 3 Certificate in Corporate Finance. Professional qualifications that are benchmarked as being most relevant to this role include:
- ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) Corporate Finance qualification, which can be obtained by either an experience route of a study route
- CFA Society of the UK Investment Management Certificate (IMC)
- Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT) AMCT Diploma in Treasury.
Regulatory compliance training is becoming very important in corporate finance and trainees are also likely to undertake additional qualifications to qualify to work with clients. See the Compliance profile for details. Increasingly, people working in corporate finance have postgraduate qualifications or more advanced qualifications such as
- The CFA Institute’s Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program
- A relevant Masters degree or Masters in Business Administration (MBA)
- Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT) MCT Advanced Diploma.
At the very least, most corporate financiers will strive to achieve Chartered Status or Fellowship from an appropriate professional body.
Graduate entry level positions start at approximately £22,000 per annum. With the right experience, qualifications and skills you could progress to management roles and earn in excess of £150,000 per annum. This does not include potential bonuses and additional benefits. Salaries will vary considerably based on location and employer.
Due to the lucrative salaries and exciting prospects a career in corporate finance can offer, competition for training positions is always exceedingly high. Although the recruitment and number of positions will fluctuate and mirror the economic climate, transactions form a major part of the investment and banking sector as businesses are challenged to respond to new market conditions and developments. Investment banks, accountancy and legal firms are the major employers of corporate finance specialists, which may have sector specific or activity specific divisions. Other employers include corporate finance boutiques, which tend to specialise in industry sectors or fewer areas of work. Companies also employ corporate finance specialists, with the role also being covered by treasurers.UK-based positions are almost exclusively in London, although some of the accountancy and legal practice firms have regional offices and divisions. Globally, the main corporate finance centres are New York and London, followed by major European cities such as Frankfurt and Paris. |
Boaz Baptist Chronicles
Boaz Baptist Chronicles
|Posted on 3 September, 2012 at 19:55|
While Paul was traveling throughout Asia Minor he met a young man named Timotheus (Timothy) who was well “reported of by the brethren.” (Acts 16:2) We are to assume by this that Timothy is already a believer. Moreover, he is a believer that Paul wants to use in his ministry. But, there was a problem. Even though his mother was a “Jewess,” his father was a Greek, which meant that Timothy was uncircumcised. Remember, Paul, who was preaching the Gospel to the Circumcision—his “kinsmen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:3) in their homes, public squares and synagogues, knew these Jews most likely would not have received Timothy into their lives, especially since it was well known that he was a “Greek.” (Acts 16:3) Don’t forget that the promises of Jehovah God were given to the children of Abraham.
There was only one answer to Paul’s conundrum. Circumcision!
It was not unusual for a man (rather than an eight day old baby, Genesis 17:12 and Leviticus 12:3) to receive this “token.” Remember, it signified the covenant between the nation of Israel and Jehovah God.
"And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant." (Genesis 17:9-14)
Notice the adult males who where born in the wilderness that were not circumcised needed to be, before they could (finally) enter the Promised Land…
"At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt. Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised. For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of theLORD: unto whom the LORD sware that he would not shew them the land, which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey. And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way. And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole. And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day." (Joshua 5:2-9)
Even though Paul believed that circumcision did not avail anything (Galatians 5:1-6 and 6:15), he, nonetheless, circumcised Timothy for conscience sake.
"For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you." (I Corinthians 9:19-23) |
When Ellie and her family move into Inchwood Manor, Ellie quickly discovers strange things are happening. Who is the mysterious boy at the window? What secrets lie within the abandoned nursery? Who is the woman who haunts Ellie's dreams - and why has she returned to the Manor, after more than a century? Ellie finds herself entangled in a Victorian mystery of ghosts and tunnels and secret documents - and discovers that life all those years ago isn't so different from the world she knows today... Rob Keeley's first novel for children brings out all the ingredients of the classic ghost story within a recognisable modern world setting. Readers of his short story collections for children will find in Childish Spirits the elements which made his past books such a success - strong and contemporary characters, inventive twists on traditional themes, and a winning combination of action, suspense and humour.
- Paperback | 160 pages
- 127 x 198 x 12mm | 182g
- 28 Jul 2014
- Troubador Publishing
- Market Harborough, United Kingdom
- UK ed.
'Childish Spirits has all the elements of a classic ghost story... but it also has a very modern setting that readers will feel at home with [and] it's a breeze to read. Simply written with an accessible vocabulary but never simplistic, and there are plenty of jokes to balance out the scary parts. Recommended. School librarians: this good-hearted novel would make a great addition to your shelves. I'm already looking forward to book two!' 'Entertaining, suspenseful ghost story for kids.' -- Lovewriting
About Rob Keeley
Rob Keeley has written for Chain Gang and Newsjack for BBC Radio and has previously published three successful collections of short stories for children. Childish Spirits is his first novel for children and gained him a Distinction for his MA in Creative Writing in 2013. He lives in Wirral, Merseyside. |
Moby Dick book report - detailed analysis, book summary, literary elements, character analysis, Herman Melville biography, and everything necessary for active class participation. Introduction In 1851 Herman Melville published the story of a whale and the mad man who hunted it. He originally titled it "The Whale", … [Read more...] about Moby Dick
Herman Melville (1819-1891) was a great novelist, short story writer and poet during the American Renaissance. His works explored psychological and metaphysical themes. During the last 30 years of his life, much of his writing had slipped into obscurity, only to be brought out and celebrated in 1919, the centennial of his birth.
Melville had an ample supply of adventures to use in his writing. He started out as a cabin boy, sailed the South Seas on a whaler, deserted his ship and lived among cannibals for 18 months. Escaping aboard and Australian trader, Melville made it to Tahiti, where he spent some time in prison.
From there he sailed to Hawaii where he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. After being discharged in 1844. Melville joined writing groups in Boston and New York and began to write about his experiences.
His first book, "Typee" was about his adventures, and did so well, he wrote a sequel. Although, "Omoo" did well, his books began to lose their following. A prolific writer, he was not financially successful. "Moby Dick", one of Melville's most acclaimed novels in this time, was not a best seller.
He was practically an unknown author. His book, "Israel Potter" (1855). an historical romance, is still barely read. Shortly after completing "Billy Bud, Sailor" Herman Melville died. He left a great body of work that has grown in importance every year since it's reemergence during the 1920's. |
Clearwater and Seminole, FL snoring and sleep apnea treatment supports lasting health, quality of life
It’s likely that all of us will snore at some point. Allergies, sinus infections, and many other things can cause the tissues in our throats to relax, partially blocking airflow. As air passes through, the throat tissue vibrates, which produces that characteristic snoring sound. Primary or simple snoring is harmless; habitual snoring can indicate underlying disorders. Obstructive Sleep Apnea, for one, is defined by tissues that relax so much that they completely block the airway. OSA symptoms include snoring, and require prompt treatment at Boulevard Dental in Clearwater and Seminole, FL.
Getting to the source
As with all conditions, it is important to distinguish between primary and secondary snoring. While snoring itself can be quite damaging to relationships, interfering with a partner’s or entire family’s sleep, it does not have the dire health consequences associated with OSA. This form of sleep apnea causes you to cease breathing during sleep. Your panicked body may awaken you with a snort or gasp as a form of self-preservation dozens of times each hour. As you might imagine, this situation does not promote the quality, restful sleep that you need to be well and to be your best parent, manager, employee, friend, or self. Chronic OSA also takes a great toll on your heart. You may have OSA if you find that, no matter how long you’re in bed, you still feel fatigued. You may have sudden or erratic mood changes, problems concentrating, and headaches that are most pronounced when you wake up.
Our dentists, Drs Wujick, Moss, Kopakin and Castillo may notice that your mouth appears dry, and that your teeth are chipped or fractured. Bruxism or teeth-grinding may accompany OSA. Every time you wake up, you may clench your jaws and grind your teeth. This behavior can damage your teeth and dental-work. You may also complain to your dentist about jaw pain, or frequent sore throats. We at Boulevard Dental are trained to evaluate your symptoms. What we find as the result of an evaluation informs the treatment that we may recommend. It is critical to resolve OSA as soon as possible, because this condition puts you at increased risk of developing high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, and heart failure.
Do you snore excessively? Do you suffer from daytime fatigue? Do you awake during the night with shortness of breath? You may suffer from the life-threatening sleep disorder known as sleep apnea. About 1 in every 15 Americans suffer from sleep apnea and it is a problem that many don’t even realize they might have. But what does this have to do with dentistry? Because sleep apnea is caused by an airway obstruction, the disorder can be treated through the mouth. The Thorton adjustable positioner, or Tap appliance is one of the more popular ways to treat sleep apnea. When the jawbone yes lax, the tongue and soft tissue obstruct the airway. The tap appliance advances the jaw bone, allowing the air to flow freely and making sleep more restful throughout the night. If you think you might suffer from sleep apnea, talk to your dentist today about possible treatment options.
Relief from snoring, sleep apnea
Patients who snore may benefit from oral appliances that are customized to their mouths. So, when they slip into the mouth, they fit appropriately and provide the correct amount of adjustment to effectively stop the snore. These “snoreguards” may reposition the jaw and depress the tongue. In turn, they keep the tissues that relax during sleep out of the way. They can’t partly block the airway. When the airway stays open, no vibration occurs.
Oral appliances for sleep apnea work in much the same way. By repositioning oral structures, the airway remains open. Tissues do not block the flow of air during sleep. Patients rest without interruption through the night. Oral appliance therapy is not appropriate for all patients who suffer from OSA. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is a proven treatment; however, since it requires wearing a mask connected to a machine via a tube that delivers constant, steady air pressure, there is an adjustment period. Some people never get used to wearing the mask or the sound generated by the machine. Compliance is a problem. Oral appliances present a discreet, portable, lightweight, easy-to-use, and easy-to-clean alternative for the right patient. You deserve to feel your best, and that requires quality, restorative sleep. Contact us today Clearwater (727) 758-2898 or Seminole (727) 308-6224 to schedule your appointment at one of our two area offices. |
- An amendment to the law on how courts deal with bad-debt judgments came into operation this week.
- It means that once the debt is fully paid rescission – wiping out a judgment – is now possible without the need to show ‘good cause’.
- It is probably easier and cheaper for individuals to just reverse blacklisting at credit bureaus, though, but companies will benefit.
It just became a whole lot easier to reverse a bad debt judgment in South Africa.
As of this week it is no longer necessary to show a court that there is a good reason to wipe out such a judgment, in a (previously fairly painful) process known as rescission.
Instead an individual or company now just has to show that the debt has been paid, in full and with any interest plus any costs that were due. On that basis alone a judge can reverse a bad-debt judgement, with or without the consent of the party that originally obtained the debt judgement, and can do so in chambers, without even the need for a court appearance.
That new system is set out in section 14 of a change to legislation, the Courts of Law Amendment Act, dating from mid-2017. But section 14, dealing with bad-debt judgments, only came into force on Monday, when President Cyril Ramaphosa declared it to be in effect.
Laywers who deal with debt collection and blacklisted consumers say the change is a radical one, yet will have surprisingly little real-world impact for blacklisted consumers, while companies could benefit significantly.
Until this week a debtor with an outstanding judgment had to provide “good cause” as to why such a judgment had to be reversed, says Nicole Andrews of Joselowitz & Andrews Attorneys, a firm with a special interest in debt matters.
Such actions tended to be complex and costly, with no guarantee that a court would accept the reasons given.
But practically speaking, many blacklisted people who have rehabilitated their finances may not end up using the new provision.
A bad-debt judgment will typically see consumers blacklisted by credit bureaus. Checks for new credit are usually against those credit bureau databases, not against court records themselves. And as of February 2014, in terms of regulations that apply to credit bureaus, they are required to remove information that related to bad-debt judgments once such debts have been paid.
That means a blacklisted person can write to the credit bureaus, have the details of a judgment removed, and access new credit, without having to go to court at all.
“For individuals who have paid their judgment debts in full, I would suggest having the listings removed in terms of the amnesty regulations; it is a quicker and more cost effective remedy than attending to a court application,” says Natasha La Vita of Berndt & La Vita Attorneys, which deals both in debt collection for companies and credit rehabilitation for blacklisted consumers.
That quick and cheap credit-bureau route only applies to individuals though, La Vita points out, while the new rules on judgment rescission can also be used by companies that have paid off their debts in full.
For more, go to Business Insider South Africa.
Receive a single WhatsApp every morning with all our latest news: click here.
Also from Business Insider South Africa:
- Comair grounds its own brand-new Boeing amid crash concerns
- 'No drama Obama' shared his tricks for staying cool under pressure
- This trendy fitness group got slammed for using Maasai tribesmen as 'props' in posts from a retreat in Kenya
- SA’s biggest medicine company is in meltdown - here's everything you need to know about the crisis at Aspen
- An expert says there's only one good time to give your employees feedback, and it's not during a performance review |
Color photograph of Bill Clinton and Al Gore in front of the White House with black text at the top and white text at the bottom
INAUGURAL COMMEMORATIVES 800-262-2222
Bill Clinton was inaugurated as the 42nd President of the United States on January 20, 1993. Clinton was the first Democrat to be elected as President since Jimmy Carter in 1976, and is considered the first post-Cold War president. Clinton and his running mate Al Gore defeated incumbent president George H. W. Bush, winning 43% of the vote against Bush’s 37.4% and independent Ross Perot’s 18.9%.
Many attribute Clinton’s natural charisma, coupled with his informal but focused campaign, to his victory. His saxophone-playing appearance on the late night talk show The Arsenio Hall Show is seen as a turning point in his campaign, garnering him support among both minority and young voters. Clinton was considered a fresh and hopeful alternative to Bush, whose approval ratings went from nearly 90% during the Gulf War, down to below 50% by the end of 1991. |
Immediate needs annuity
What is an immediate needs annuity?
An annuity is a type of insurance policy that provides a regular income in exchange for an upfront lump sum investment.
When they’re used for long-term care, they provide a guaranteed income for life to pay for care costs.
This type of annuity can be known as an:
- immediate care plan
- immediate needs annuity
- immediate need care fee payment plan.
It’s very important to shop around for an annuity. The UK Care Guide estimates that if you had £100,000 to spend on an annuity, you could throw away £30,000 of your savings if you chose an annuity provider with the worst rates. A specialist adviser can help you avoid this.
How an immediate needs annuity works
The price of a plan is based on how much income you need and the insurance company’s assessment of how long you’re likely to need it for.
How much you pay upfront will depend on:
- your age
- current annuity rates
- the level of income you need
- Whether you need an income that stays level or increases over time
- your health and life expectancy (the poorer your health or shorter your life expectancy, the cheaper the plan will be).
The income from the plan is tax free if it’s paid directly to a registered care provider.
Most care plans provide an income that increases either with inflation or a set amount each year to help you cope with future rises in care costs.
For an extra cost you can also put in a ‘capital protection’ clause. This allows your family to get some of the lump sum payment back if you were to die early.
What is a deferred needs care annuity?
This is a type of immediate needs annuity where a lump sum payment is paid at outset, but no income is received from the annuity until after a specified waiting period, typically anything from 12 to 60 months.
Care fees due during this ‘deferred’ period will need to be paid from other resources.
The advantage of a deferred needs care annuity is that for the same level of care fees, the cost can be significantly lower than that of an immediate needs annuity but it still covers the risk of having to pay care fees for a long period of time after the chosen deferred period.
Immediate needs annuities could be suitable for you if
- you’re already in a care home, you’re about to move into one, or you’re receiving care at home
- you want the peace of mind of knowing that you have a regular income for life that can be used towards your care costs, whatever happens
- you have the money available to buy the plan.
Often people pay for the plan by taking out an equity release scheme or downsizing their home.
Immediate needs annuities may not be suitable for you if
- you don’t need to pay for care immediately
- you think you might only need care temporarily
- you might want your money back in the future
- there’s a good chance that you would be entitled to NHS Continuing Care funding. See our guide Do I qualify for NHS continuing healthcare funding?.
If you think you might need to pay care costs in the future, an alternative option is a deferred needs care annuity. This works in the same way as an immediate needs annuity except that the income doesn’t start straight away. Instead, it starts some months or even years in the future.
Once you’ve taken out an immediate needs annuity, there’s a cooling off period (usually 30 days), giving you time to change your mind. But, after that, there’s no going back.
You won’t be able to cancel the plan and get some of the money back if, for example, you stop needing care.
You also need to weigh up having a regular, secure income to help pay for care against losing the lump sum you’ve invested if you were to die earlier than expected.
Your care costs might increase faster than the income from your plan. This means you could still have a shortfall in future that you need to meet in other ways.
Other ways to fund your long-term care
An immediate needs annuity is only one way to pay for long-term care:
Get advice and help
The options for funding your long-term care are complex. It’s important to always get professional advice to make sure you’re making the most of your money and not investing in a product that doesn’t meet your needs.
- Make sure you seek independent advice from a specialist care fees adviser and look at what else is available before buying an immediate needs annuity. Find out more in our guide Get financial advice on how to fund your long-term care.
- Use our Retirement Adviser Directory to find a regulated financial adviser who has the accreditation ‘Society of Later Life Advisers (SOLLA). SOLLA advisers are specialists.
- You can also find SOLLA advisers on the Society of Later Life Advisers website
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the money advice service cannot recommend specific financial products and always recommends that you seek further information from an independent financial adviser, and/or further information from the providers of specific financial products.
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Mohammad Ali Palace in Shubra witnessed important historical events in the history of modern Egypt. It is also a rare architectural masterpiece. The palace is approximately 200 years old. Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, recently inspected the final touches for the restoration and development works of the palace in preparation for its official inauguration.
Muhamed Ali Palace in Shubra
The design of the Palace of Mohamed Ali in Shubra was designed following a replacement vogue that wasn't legendary in Egypt at the time.
The wide piece of land that was wont to construct the palace allowed for stunning gardens moreover, a mode that was foreign to Turkey, particularly from the palaces erected on the shores of the Bosporus Strait and therefore the Marmora ocean within the time of the Ottomans.
The bailiwick style of the palaces in Turkey consisted of an enormous, stunning garden encircled by giant defensive walls, with solely a couple of entrance gates so as to observe them within the best means potential. several structures were designed everywhere in this garden and a few of those had specific bailiwick characteristics.
These were known as Hans or Saraya within the Turkish language or kiosks within the English, a word that was originally foreign from the Latin language.
Muhamed Ali Palace Architecture
Among the foremost celebrated palaces in Constantinople that Mohamed Ali traced several bailiwick options from in his palace in Shubra is Topkapi Palace in Constantinople, which was the seat of the empire for an awfully long amount of your time.
The first structure that was created within the palace advanced of Mohamed Ali in Shubra could be a little villa that was designed as a residence.
it's a variety of picket buildings that served as offices for the workers and places for guards to remain. There was additionally an associate degree adjoined harbor structure for ships on the Nile River to dock at. sadly, however, the entire structure was really removed within the ruling amount of King Farouk (the last king of Egypt) within the Thirties to create means for the new Cairo-Alexandria Agricultural Road.
Construction Of The Fountain Villa
The Fountain Villa was additional to the palace advanced in 1821. it had been designed and designed by French architects and is the oldest section of the palace that is still nowadays.
In 1836, the Jabalaya Villa was additionally created within the palace. This structure, which remains till nowadays was created on the prime of a man-made scalar hill that had an sq. base with all sides eight meters long.
A small garden was planted in every step of this scalar hill that irrigated the waterwheel tower that was created to supply the gardens and therefore the villa with H2O.
Moreover, the Palace of Mohamed Ali in Shubra additionally had the primary trendy system of lighting in Egypt. this method was initially established in the European nation in 1820, and Mohamed Ali known as the engineer unreal it to create positive he had the special instrumentality and infrastructure required.
For this reason, a gas laboratory was designed close to the Nile River to supply the palace with the energy required to be lit with a contemporary lighting system.
Buildings Still within the Palace advanced Of Mohamed Ali
The Waterwheel Tower.
The waterwheel tower is the oldest extant building in the whole advance of the Palace of Mohamed Ali in Shubra. it had been created in 1811. The tower is found a hundred thirty meters east of the Fountain Villa in the middle of the fruits and vegetable gardens. The gardens were separated from the villa by a fence that some parts still stay nowadays.
The Waterwheel Tower could be a large structure that was created out of robust stones. Its jap façade is forty meters long and its southern façade is twenty-one meters long.
within the middle of the tower, there square measure four water wells wherever the waterwheels were put in to rise and flow into the water. These waterwheels operated victimization machines and did not victimize animals just like the usual technique that was followed in Egypt at the time.
The water wont to follow inbound channels on top of the roof of the tower. it had been then gathered in reservoirs within the sides of the structure that were connected to pipes. The pipes then transferred the H2O to the palace and therefore the gardens.
There is an associate degree ascending slope next to the Southern façade of the waterwheel tower that was wont to raise the machines that were functioning to control the waterwheels. This slope was ten meters long and five meters wide.
The jap facet of the waterwheel tower consisted of a swish wall with four doors. each of those doors light-emitting diode to a space that overlooks the rear reservoir of water. every space encompasses a supplemental chamber wherever the tools and gadgets that were wont to frequently clean the water wells and waterwheels were held on.
The Fountain Villa.
This villa is set 430 meters off from the shores of the Nile River and 230 meters off from the Jabalaya Villa. it had been created in 1821 and designed by the diplomatist of French of Egypt at the time, UN agency was a detailed friend of Mohamed Ali. The decorations and ornaments were the responsibility of Yusuf Hakikan, an associate degree Armenian engineer who lived in Egypt.
The Fountain Villa was created over a chunk of land that was eighty-eight meters long and seventy-six meters wide and was designed to be within the center of the gardens of the advanced.
The Fountain Villa consists of a receptacle-formed structure with a variety of doors and marble steps ahead of every door. These steps result in a special fountain with sturdy marble columns. In the corners of the building, the façades of the four rooms and their contiguous areas are clearly visible and have marvelous colored glass windows.
The interior style of the Fountain Villa is quite distinctive in Egypt. It consists of a central block with sections of the total building close to it. This block consists of an outsized water basin that's sixty-one meters long, forty-five meters wide, and 2.5 meters deep.
This basin is coated with howling white marble everywhere and includes a fountain located within the middle of the basin whose style relies upon statues of crocodiles with the water setting out of their mouths.
At every corner of the basin, there's a fountain as well; no surprise the total complicated was referred to as the Fountain Villa, which is circular in form and has fish styles sliced on its sides.
In the middle of every fountain, there's a notable sculpture of a lion standing on his back feet with water setting out of its mouth. The fountain includes a massive gallery dominating it and this gallery includes varied marble columns and it's richly embellished with drawings and portraits of the Egyptian military fleet,
and a few Roman and Greek thinkers and philosophers. The ceiling of this gallery has marvelous images and also the ottoman baroque variety of design that was quite dominant in Turkey at the time of the development of the palace.
Additional Halls within the Fountain Villa.
The Fountain Villa has four supplementary halls that are quite astonishing in their decorations and their branch of knowledge style. the best of those halls is the salon or walnut hall.
it's that name as a result of its walls and floor were lined with Turkish walnut wood. The wall of this hall options an outsized mirror that's embellished within the fabulous Moroccan and geographic area vogue. The ceiling of the hall conjointly has outstanding baroque vogue drawings finished with numerous golden colors.
There is conjointly the hall of the Fountain Villa referred to as the Arabian Hall that has walls embellished with inexperienced paintings of flowers and roses.
The ceiling of this hall conjointly has distinctive picket arabesque screens that encompass little complicated geometrical shapes. Among the decorations of the hall, their ar bound sections wherever the names of the family of Mohamed Ali ar written and this a part of the hall was redecorated throughout the reigns of grand Turk aforesaid Pacha and Abbas Pacha, the successors of Mohamed Ali. |
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How Might We Create Systems that Reward Farmers for Producing High Quality Coffee?
June 4, 2017 - Author: AGLC Team
Backgrounder 10: How might we create systems that reward farmers for producing high quality coffee? June 2017
1. The effect of “Potato Taste Defect” (PTD) on quality coffee drives some buyers away from the region, lowering demand and placing downward pressure on prices.
2. Those buyers who continue to work in the region remain wary of the PTD issue, and coffee volumes do not grow as a result.
3. If the Rwanda coffee sector shifts its focus to coffee quality, there might not be a market for more expensive, high-quality coffee.
4. Quality control measures may hurt the relationship between farmers and CWS and weaken farmer loyalty.
5. CWS have limited experience with quality control and supplier education processes in the coffee receiving area. Thus, quality control measures might hurt CWS profits. |
Remember the Hillary Clinton email scandal that many believe lost her the presidential election? One widely reported part of that scandal was that Clinton didn’t make some of her official emails public when they were requested under government right-to-know laws.
But were the politicians and pundits who claimed to be outraged by such behavior genuinely outraged or just looking for a plausible pretext to attack a political enemy and generate headlines? Three years later, the failure of governments at the state and local level to eliminate the type of loopholes that Clinton exposed demonstrates it was the latter.
Forgive my gullibility: When leaders from both political parties failed to defend and sometimes even publicly excoriated Clinton’s email practices, I foolishly inferred from that consensus that the time was ripe to pass legislation to prevent such practices from recurring.
Fixing email problems at the national level was beyond my means, so I focused on fixing them in my home state of Maryland, which had laws that essentially made Clinton-like email practices not only legal but a fiduciary duty of high-level public officials who didn’t want to embarrass themselves and their bosses.
After I published related op-eds in major news outlets, 17 Republican members of Maryland’s General Assembly co-sponsored legislation during the 2016 and 2017 sessions to bring Maryland’s government email retention standards up to those of the federal government. Alas, legislators weren’t interested in passing the legislation, just in demonstrating that Republicans favored open government. No Democrats co-sponsored the legislation.
I learned the following lessons:
Maryland lacks both an email retention law for public officials and a credible enforcement mechanism, even if it had such a law. As the local state’s attorney, the state Office of Attorney General and state legislators all confirmed, this is a loophole in Maryland’s Public Information Act.
Maryland officials who are the subject of Public Information Act requests like to pretend that Clinton-like email practices are illegal in Maryland even when they engage in similar practices. This pretense is good public relations because in a democracy it’s bad politics for public officials to publicly acknowledge that they don’t want their official actions to be transparent and accountable.
Public officials’ control over public access to their emails is effectively legal not because Maryland’s Public Information Act explicitly endorses such control but because it lacks an effective remedy for such control—and, as lawyers know, a right without an effective remedy isn’t a law, it’s a farce.
This lack of an effective remedy distinguishes Maryland’s laws from federal right-to-know laws, as illustrated by the ultimate resolution of the Clinton case.
High-level Maryland officials strenuously oppose steps to effectively ban Clinton-like email practices largely because they would be hurt by such reforms. This opposition is bipartisan and includes state legislators, the governor and local elected officials.
State legislators refuse to publicly engage in a thoughtful discussion about the difficult trade-offs associated with granting the public effective access to official emails. Instead, they skirt such questions by focusing on the red herring argument that an email retention and enforcement policy would be prohibitively expensive.
In an ideal world, Maryland legislators would close the loopholes that allow public officials to control public access to their emails. But state legislators are no more likely to do that than imposing term limits on themselves.
A second-best solution would be to pass legislation explicitly acknowledging the current reality that senior public officials are effectively exempt from disclosing their emails under Maryland’s Public Information Act. This would at least fix the problem that a democracy based on the rule of law shouldn’t have secret law because secret law undermines democratic accountability.
But even getting lawmakers to publicly acknowledge the truth about Maryland’s email policies is unlikely because then they would be forced to fix the Clinton-like email practices that shield their actions from public scrutiny. |
While some outliers still exist, most of America’s farmers have smartphones. As modern technology continues to advance, increased smartphone adoption in rural farming communities brings new opportunities to apply emerging technologies that assist farmers with planning crop calendars, managing employee time cards, and tracking input applications, all in the palm of your hand. While this causes worry for some who would rather keep things simple and data-free, it also provides an unprecedented chance for farmers to tell their stories directly to their audiences. Organic Valley is one such producer embracing the power of digital storytelling.
Through this technology, CCOF Foundation Visionary-level donor Organic Valley takes consumers on beautiful virtual tours of their organic dairy operations. One of their producers, U.S. combat veteran Jordan Settlage, walks viewers through the luxurious life of an organic dairy cow on his operation in Saint Mary’s, Ohio. A sixth-generation farmer, Settlage recalls planting pastures with his father more than 25 years ago, and now Jordan can share these pastures with the world.
In the video (much of which is a high-quality selfie), Settlage introduces audience members to his son, who (if he continues the family tradition), will become a seventh-generation farmer. This is another benefit of the technological advancements of the last 30 years: Farmers can now tell the stories of their connection to the land and organic farming with greater ease and transparency than ever before. They can show consumers real-time footage of their livestock, crops, and healthy soils.
The Organic Valley cows tended by Settlage and his family dine daily on “chef salads” containing white clover, alfalfa, birdsfoot trefoil, and lespedeza. The cows also munch on ryegrass, orchard grass, meadow fescue, and bluegrass. All calves are raised on their mothers’ milk. The Settlage operation has more than six different cow breeds.
Settlage gets serious when discussing why they choose to produce organically. Their main motivation? Protecting the health of their loved ones and providing a more nutritious product for their customers. Settlage is leading a series of consumer education videos, including one about the chickens on their farm. Learn more about the Settlage’s organic operation at the Organic Valley website.
The CCOF Foundation is supported in large part by Visionary-level donors such as Organic Valley, who supports Future Organic Farmers through their grant program, Farmers Advocating for Organic. Since the fund’s inception in 2014, Organic Valley and their cooperative of farmers have donated more than $100,000 to the next generation of organic producers through the CCOF Foundation grant.
Support Future Organic Farmers with a donation of your own today; 100 percent of your gift will be granted to a student studying organic agriculture. |
NIOSHTIC-2 Publications Search
The World Trade Center (WTC) medical monitoring and treatment program: a unique NIOSH funded program for the heroes of 9/11 (superseded).
Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2007-109, 2007 Feb; :1-6
This document has been superseded and the new version can be found <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/wtc/"target="_blank">here</a>. The World Trade Center (WTC) medical monitoring and treatment program is a unique program federally funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). It is the only program that provides free health monitoring and focused treatment for workers and volunteers who took part in the rescue, recovery, cleanup, and restoration activities at the WTC site in New York City.
Medical-monitoring; Medical-treatment; Occupational-medicine-programs; Emergency-responders; Worker-health; Fire-fighters; Police-officers; Hazardous-materials; Hazardous-waste-cleanup; Health-care; Health-care-facilities; Region-2
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2007-109
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
DC; NY; NJ
Page last reviewed: July 1, 2022
Content source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Education and Information Division |
An adenocarcinoma characterized by the presence of varying combinations of clear and hobnail-shaped tumor cells. There are three predominant patterns described as tubulocystic, solid, and papillary. These tumors, usually located in the female reproductive organs, have been seen more frequently in young women since 1970 as a result of the association with intrauterine exposure to diethylstilbestrol. (From Holland et al., Cancer Medicine, 3d ed) MeSH
Organization Involved with Phase 3 Indications (10)
Organization Involved with Phase 2 Indications (33)
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The Time Value of Money
Abstract: A fundamental financial principle regarding the time value of money is that one Euro received a year from now is worth less than one Euro received today. Therefore, in relation to any financial analysis, comparisons between monetary values should be made using capitalization and discounting techniques, as shown in this paper.
Classification JEL: G11, G12, G13, G17, G19 | Pages: 38-42
Statistics: abstract views 114 | PDF downloads 776 | PDF views 284 |
Video learning is taking center stage. Within the last three years, the perception of video has shifted from “expensive, nice-to-have” for L&D strategies, to the “new normal.”
In fact, in the CGS 2017 Enterprise Learning Annual Report
, we found that the most significant change to digital learning strategies is video. and newer technologies such as mobile, social and microlearning now make up half of all learning delivery. In 2016, these technologies did not comprise even 20% of the channels used.
Driven by employee demand, overall increased use and engagement, and a reduction in costs, video has moved front and center for L&D. The growth is continuing at an accelerated rate, fueled by increased use of AR and VR, and mobile technologies which allows “learning on the go” to fit seamlessly into the lives of employees.
We checked in with Micah White, R&D director with CGS Enterprise Learning, to get some predictions for 6 video-based learning trends that will dominate 2018.
Prediction #1: Very short, targeted instructional videos that teach one, specific task or item.
We call this the “YouTube” effect. A few years ago, when the teams at CGS Learning pitched these very short videos, usually under 5 minutes, they did not really catch on. Today, companies have seen the value of these with the popularity of short, instructional videos on YouTube.
Prediction #2: Interactive videos will increase as they become more widely available on mobile devices.
Interactive videos have been popular for some time, however there were technological challenges to making these courses mobile. H5P, aka HTML5 Package, a framework that aims to make it easy for everyone to create, share and reuse interactive HTML5 content such as interactive videos, presentations, quizzes, timelines and more has eliminated the mobile challenge.
Prediction #3: User-generated content will continue to grow and strengthen a self-developing workforce.
With the ease of creating short videos on smartphones, and the rise of Millennials and Generation Z in the workforce, user-generated training videos are becoming an increasingly popular, affordable and effective way for your workforce to take and share clips of tasks they perform with their team members. With added social features, including voting, curation and comments, these videos also have much higher engagement than traditional training videos.
Prediction #4: Gamification will continue to grow and be used more extensively.
Games are engaging, fun and keep people plugged in;- they’re also a great way to learn.
But we’ve known this for years, so why is there a new trend to predict now? In its Gamification 2020 report, Gartner predicts that gamification, combined with other emerging trends and technologies, will have a significant impact on:
• The design of employee performance
• Globalization of higher education
• Emergence of customer engagement platforms
• Personal development.
A few companies, most notably Deloitte with its “Will you Fit in at Deloitte?” game, have realized great results from gamification in learning, and momentum is picking up for more companies to get on board.
Prediction #5: Greater use of metrics, even custom metrics, to improve games and track progress.
Interactive platforms are generating a lot more feedback and data collection than traditional courses because users have the ability to choose a variety of paths and options. Through the use of XAPI hooks, a new replacement for SCORM, organizations will gain more meaningful analytics and metrics that can be used to improve courses such as how many learners hesitate when a new option is introduced or the average time it takes to complete a question or module. In the recent past, the only data available was whether someone took the course, completed and passed it. The combination of the four previous predictions will lead to richer, smarter, more predictive data opportunities.
Prediction #6: Rapid transfer of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) with self-directed and self-developing organizations.
The more time it takes companies to train employees, the more it costs them. With the speed of digital transformation, learning will be hyper accelerated. The key to achieving this level of speed lies in a combination of crowdsourcing and self-directed learning. Employees, particularly high performers, will create short videos for specific tasks that their team members will access when they need them. Content creators and employees will decide what content is needed, and in this way, learning won’t be pushed, it will be quickly and continuously developed and pulled. To take this sharing of knowledge to the next level, companies should provide tools to encourage user-generated content, analyze and elect volunteers and build reward systems into the process to manage all stages . This shift will lead to a very cost-effective way to teach new employees soft and technical skills rapidly.
If you want to read more on trends and developments in the Learning and Development space, we reviewed some of the predictions that were made for augmented reality and virtual reality in a recent blog post.
About Micah White
Director of Research & Development, CGS
Micah White, who has nearly 20 years of eLearning experience, is Director of Research & Development for CGS Enterprise Learning. His primary research focus is advanced technology for the authoring, publishing and visualization of multimedia and interactive learning content. He is responsible for generating new business opportunities via technology development, with a strong focus in multimedia production. He has expertise in responsive web technologies for learning, mobile learning applications, real-time 3D graphics (Unity & Flash Stage3D) and HTML5-based eLearning. Micah has a deep understanding of intelligent design. Working with various IT and telecom customers, he delivers training that can be used on all devices. He has been nominated for a Canadian Gemini Award and won a Brandon Hall Award for Best Advance in Rapid Authoring. |
From high to low
For more commentary on this week's readings, see the Reflections on the Lectionary page, which includes Carter's current Living by the Word column as well as past magazine and blog content. For full-text access to all articles, subscribe to the Century.
This week is the Second Sunday of Easter, aka "low Sunday." There is in the life of a church a movement and momentum toward Easter Sunday, and then inevitably a scattering, a rest after the intensity. And yet the gospel lesson does wrestle with the implications of belief, unbelief and doubt. For those who are with us on Easter Sunday and the Second Sunday of Easter, the preacher has the interesting challenge of going more deeply into the meaning of resurrection faith--and seeing all of John 20 as a whole.
The resources for such reflection are rich. North American Christianity tends to associate Thomas with doubt (which Frederick Buechner wonderfully and succinctly defines as "the ants in the pants of faith" that "keep it awake and moving"). I have explored as well the understanding of Thomas in Eastern Christianity. If Easter Sunday is a day to proclaim the faith in bold and broad strokes, the following Sunday offers a time and space to explore the nuances of such a faith. For the close reader of scripture, those questions happen to be lodged within the tradition itself, from the very beginning. This can form the beginning of a creative (but not necessarily defensive) response to the new atheism.
The gospel reading also gives the preacher the opportunity to explore the concept of religious experience itself. As a United Methodist, my theological resources are scripture, tradition, reason and experience. Most Christians come to faith or sustain their convictions by working with these four categories in some way. Thomas seems to be insisting that he needs not only to receive the faith from the eyewitnesses; he also needs to experience the faith for himself.
He is not alone. We come to the resurrection story from many different perspectives: we believe, we confess, we doubt, we bear witness. The Easter faith moves from simplicity to complexity. Attendance may be down this week, but there is good and necessary work to be done. |
Three Wise Men? by James Archer
Based on Matthew 2:1-12
Enter from three different directions three wise men, looking for Jesus. They ask members of the audience the following sort of questions and comments, all impromptu and unconnected:
"Have you seen the royal baby?"
"We are looking for the new King."
"Someone must have seen him."
"We've travelled for weeks to come and see him."
"Has anyone seen the royal baby?"
"We followed the star."
When they meet up, they say to each other things like this:
"No joy at all."
"Noone's even heard of him."
"He must be somewhere."
"Keep on looking - we can't give up now."
Continue asking crowd. Eventually get back together.
"I was told to keep my mouth shut - the king wouldn't like it."
"Someone suggested we try the palace."
"Of course - why didn't we think of that?"
"Obvious really - they must know where he is."
Editable and printable Word version |
Pennsylvania is getting older quickly. By 2030, when baby boomers will be 65 or older, seniors will outnumber children 18 and under for the first time in history.
It’s no secret the state struggled during the pandemic to control COVID-19 outbreaks in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Issues like staffing shortages and a lack of resources, which existed before the pandemic, were exacerbated by the grim conditions.
The question is: with services failing to meet the current population’s needs, and the population only getting older, how can the state prepare for what’s ahead?
“The reality is that society tends to treat older adults as an afterthought,” Adam Marles, president and CEO of the trade association LeadingAge PA, told City & State. “I think [the pandemic] shined a light on how much work there is to do to make sure that older adults have what they need to not be isolated, and to make sure that they are still thought of as contributing critical components of our communities.”
Currently, one in four Pennsylvanians is over 60. That number is expected to reach 4 million, about one-third of the state’s population, by 2030. Those 85 and older are expected to grow steadily, as well.
According to the Independent Fiscal Office’s five-year outlook, Pennsylvania’s retiree cohort grew by 3.3% over the last five years, and is expected to grow by 2.6% in the next five years. The elderly cohort, including those 80 years and older, is expected to grow by nearly 4% in the same period.
Serving older adults goes beyond just health care, and with people living longer, more active lives, the demand for services is only going to increase. Homebound seniors may need assistance with getting food and medication, accessing home care and social services, and learning how to use technology and avoid isolation. Others may need help paying rent or utilities, or need additional mental or physical therapy in a post-pandemic world.
The state’s Department of Aging, led by Secretary Robert Torres, must develop a State Plan on Aging to provide a vision for the next few years. The department’s most recent plan outlines five goals Commonwealth agencies will pursue. They include strengthening the aging network’s capacity; improving services for older adults; enhancing efforts to supply a sense of community for older adults; emphasizing a citizen-first, diverse culture; and advocating for the rights and protecting older adults from abuse and exploitation.
As need grows, so does the demand for more resources. Torres said regardless of future funding, the state has to use technology and evidence-based programming to increase efficiency and capacity.
“Whether we get more support or not, we must continue to improve data collection and analytics in order to be more efficient and build our capacity,” Torres told City & State. “[The population’s] also becoming more diverse, so one of my priorities is to make sure that we're being effective in our outreach to diverse communities, meaning there's not a one-size-fits-all method.”
Torres and advocates agreed that a person-centered approach to health care is required going forward. Being proactive and pushing preventative medicine now can prevent emergencies and other problems in the future, he said.
The pandemic revealed the urgency for a holistic approach to health, and that socioeconomic status and lifestyle choices play a major role in health outcomes. But just to start, advocates and workers in the industry say they need to be provided the most basic necessities to properly serve their communities.
“Everything that we went through during the pandemic has always been there. COVID exposed the ugly truth and the monster that was already in the closet,” Tisheia Frazier, certified nursing assistant (CNA) at the Saunders House outside Philadelphia, told City & State. “Nursing homes were like the Titanic. In the movie, when the boat was sinking, they told the band to keep playing while people were out there dying.”
The Saunders House is one of 12 nursing homes that voted in June to authorize strikes. Frazier said current contract negotiations with the facility have been focused on not only improving wages, but also providing better health care and other benefits like tuition reimbursement. Those are two important factors in both attracting and retaining a quality workforce. As it stands now, she said, the options given to workers are nowhere near where they need to be.
“It’s the most dangerous work in the country right now,” Matthew Yarnell, president of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, told City & State. “A workforce that is largely impoverished – this chronic, low wage-high turnover workforce – is ultimately bad for care.”
According to Yarnell, there are more than 234,000 direct care workers in the state. The existing shortage, which he blames on low wages, minimum training and high emotional and physical demands, creates obstacles for access to quality services and the continuity of care necessary to improve health outcomes.
SEIU, which represents workers at more than 100 of the Commonwealth’s 700 nursing homes, was requesting a $250 million investment to the bedside, what Yarnell called a “down payment toward equality.”
Marles and LeadingAge PA, which represents more than 380 senior service providers across the state, was looking for $450 million, including $396 million for nursing homes. He said nursing homes receive funding through medical assistance, Medicare and Medicaid, and private and long-term care insurance. While Medicare pays these properties enough to continue operating effectively and generate some margin, medical assistance underfunds homes by about $45 per person per day. With resources lacking in numerous areas, resources will have to be allocated toward specific purposes to ensure workers are paid well and homes are properly reimbursed.
Roughly $282 million of this year’s budget will use American Rescue Plan dollars for nursing homes and long-term care support, with about $250 million toward staffing and bedside care. Yarnell said the investment was a long-time coming, but that it doesn’t go far enough to address both short-term and long-term staffing needs.
The $282 million allocation in the state budget also includes $30 million for personal care homes and assisted living facilities and $5 million for grants to develop indoor air management practices, as well as funding to provide home and community-based services to 501 more seniors.
Yarnell said increased funding could get CNA minimum wages up to $17 an hour, and licensed practical nurse wages up to $25 an hour. With one worker caring for up to 20 residents during the day, and up to 40 residents overnight, he said a lot more must be done to get homes to “humane staffing levels.”
“If you're taking care of someone who's completely dependent and needs care for toileting, bathing, mobility and eating – you name it – that is totally not the appropriate level of care we ought to be giving Pennsylvania seniors,” he said.
Yarnell says the new investments don’t necessarily mean workers at those 12 homes won’t take matters into their own hands. Contract negotiations are continuing with the relief funds in mind, and a potential strike is among the last things workers want to do to get what they want.
“We’re not being greedy … we’re just asking for the basic fundamentals every health care worker should have,” Frazier said.
The state has a long way to go if it wants to fully address the issues older adults are facing, and will continue to face. Agencies and advocates may disagree on what exactly should be done, but they can agree that breaking down silos between providers will be crucial in treating people as a whole.
“We need to make sure that the attention and collaborative spirit on lawmakers’ behalf continues, but we're moving in the right direction,” Marles said.
Torres stressed that improving efficiency and capacity is a necessary step, but that creating partnerships and working collaboratively will help the state, as well.
“There are a lot of things, whether it's affordable housing, prescriptions and food, or mental health and addressing trauma, that we need to make sure we're providing for older adults and keeping them healthy with good, evidence-based programs,” Torres said. “I want to make sure that we're being very effective in our reach to diverse communities, to LGBT older adults and that we're being responsive and working with trusted partners.”
One of the first decisions made by the state Department of Aging will be how it will spend the $59.3 million it received from the American Rescue Plan. Although the department has three years to allocate the funds, Torres said much of it will go to area agencies on aging (AAAs) to help them develop individualized plans. Across the board, he said, their focus moving forward is to align services across all industries to focus on the population’s growing list of needs.
“I want to tell the story, at the end of the three years, that this money helped achieve these outcomes, and that the demand for services is only going to increase,” Torres said.
The pandemic deepened what was already a massive hole in the area of nursing and long-term care. Coming out of all this, it’s up to the state to dig itself out before it’s buried. |
The voters have spoke in California, and have given a resounding “no” to Proposition 46, a broad initiative which included raising caps in malpractice lawsuits and drug testing doctors.
California has had a $250,000 cap on damages for pain and suffering in medical malpractice cases since 1975. The Bureau of Labor has estimated that if the cap had been adjusted for inflation since the mid 1970’s, it would now be over $1.1 million.
The ballot initiative was started by grieving father, Bob Pack, whose son, aged 10 years, and daughter, aged seven years, were killed in 2003 by a driver under the influence of drugs. The driver’s car drove onto the sidewalk where the children were walking. Pack’s pregnant wife was also hit by the car and lost her unborn twins. The driver of the vehicle had been over-prescribed controlled substance medications by multiple clinicians.
The ballot measure pushed not only for raising the cap, but also for random drug and alcohol testing of physicians, and better reporting of drug or alcohol abuse by medical professionals. No state currently requires random drug tests of physicians.
The measure would also have mandated that health-care practitioners consult the state prescription drug history database prior to writing prescriptions for certain controlled substances for a patient for the first time.
The defeat of Proposition 46 came after a vast (close to $60 million) negative advertising campaign by insurance and physician groups, arguing that raising the malpractice caps would cause medical costs to soar in the state, and would drive clinicians from California.
Opponents also argued that an increase in lawsuits would result if the caps were raised, and physicians would end up practicing more “defensive medicine,” in order to protect themselves from suits. By comparison, supporters of the measure, primarily lawyer groups, raised only $8.5 million to promote the measure.
Despite Senator Barbara Boxer’s support, it was reported that every major newspaper in California, both right- and left-leaning, came out against the proposition. When the votes were finally counted after Election Day, the “no” votes outnumbered the “yes” votes by a two-to-one margin.
Ann W. Latner, JD, a former criminal defense attorney, is a freelance medical writer in Port Washington, N.Y. |
OnabotulinumtoxinA (Botox) may provide pain relief for patients with post-stroke spasticity, according to research published in the Journal of Pain Symptom Management.
The Botox Economic Spasticity Trial (BEST) “is a unique study that evaluated the efficacy of onabotulinumtoxinA in a setting that reflects usual clinical practice within a controlled trial,” wrote Jörg Wissel, MD, of the Department of Neurology at Vivantes Klinikum Spandau in Berlin, Germany, and colleagues. “To our knowledge, [it] is the first randomized, placebo-controlled trial to demonstrate that onabotulinumtoxinA effectively reduces pain in post-stroke spasticity (PSS).”
To analyze the effects of onabotulinumtoxinA on pain, the researchers recruited 273 participants with PSS ages 18 to 85 years and randomized them to 22- to 34-weeks double-blind treatment with onabotulinumtoxinA plus standard care (SC) or placebo injection plus SC. Participants were eligible to receive open-label onabotulinumtoxinA up to 52 weeks. At baseline, 74.3% of participants experienced pain, and 47.4% experienced pain that was ≥4 on the 11-point pain numeric rating scale.
At week 12, participants in the onabotulinumtoxinA + SC group had significantly greater reductions in pain (–0.77, 95% CI –1.14 to –0.40) than the placebo group (–0.13, 95% CI –0.51 to 0.24; P < 0.05).
There were also higher proportions of participants receiving onabotulinumtoxinA who achieved ≥30% and ≥50% reductions in pain at week 12 (53.7% and 37.0%, respectively) compared with those who achieved ≥30% and ≥50% reductions in pain at week 12 in the placebo group (28.8% and 18.6%, respectively; P<0.05). The reductions in pain were also sustained through week 52.
“Compared with placebo + SC, onabotulinumtoxinA consistently reduced pain interference with work,” the researchers wrote. “When combined with the improvement in muscle tone, onabotulinumtoxinA may have the potential to improve the lives of affected patients with PSS by reducing pain.”
The researchers noted that future studies should aim to confirm onabotulinumtoxinA’s effectiveness in treating pain syndromes in patients with PSS.
Funding for the study was provided by Allergan plc. See full study for author disclosures.
Wissel J, Ganapathy V, Ward AB, et al. OnabotulinumtoxinA Improves Pain in Patients with Post-Stroke Spasticity: Findings from a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2016; doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2016.01.007.
This article originally appeared on Neurology Advisor |
August 31, 2021
The California Medical Association (CMA) recently submitted a declaration with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, in support of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and the Los Angeles Board of Education, which are currently being sued by a group of parents seeking to overturn the district’s mask requirements.
CMA recommends and advocates for universal masks (subject to limited exemptions) and face coverings for the reopening and returning to schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. CMA’s recommendation for universal masking is consistent with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the California Department of Public Health and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“Schools are safe, stimulating and enriching places for children and teens to learn. We need to mitigate risk of COVID-19 transmission in order to keep all children and adolescents physically in school,” said pediatrician and CMA Board Chair Shannon Udovic-Constant, M.D., in the declaration. “While in-person classroom instruction creates increased public risk of COVID-19 transmission, there are modifications that mitigate the risk to an acceptable level. As such, it is vitally important that schools at all levels take all necessary measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 to ensure schools can remain open and safe for all students.”
Requiring individuals to wear a mask or a face covering over their nose and mouth in the school (and larger community) setting is a public health measure individuals must take to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
CMA is urging the court to reject the plaintiffs’ requested injunction, which would suspend LAUSD’s policy to require students to wear a mask or face covering. Issuing such an injunction would place LAUSD in a precarious situation, potentially undermining the months of careful reopening and progress, and would potentially irreparably harm the health and well-being of students, teachers, parents and the community. Suspending the LAUSD’s measures to control the spread of the virus and limit infections in the school setting would inhibit efforts to ensure children get the in-person learning that is critical to their intellectual development, and their physical and emotional health. |
In any city, immigrant neighborhoods and multicultural pockets can be some of the most interesting places to explore. Here's a quick tour through some of Berlin's diverse enclaves and attractions.
**Explore Little Istanbul **
Berlin is home to the largest Turkish settlement outside of Turkey—about 200,000 people—earning the city the nickname Little Istanbul. Almost a quarter of the city’s Turkish population lives in the neighbouring southeast boroughs of Neukölln and Kreuzberg, which together make up the Turkish Quarter. Every Tuesday and Friday throughout the year, the Turkish Market takes place alongside the canal that marks the border between the two districts, in an up-and-coming area dubbed “Kreuzkölln”. Visitors can pick up a huge range of wares, from fabrics, clothes and household supplies to fresh fish, fruit and vegetables. You can also book guided tours of the Turkish-Islamic Şehitlik Mosque, the most visited mosque in Germany, which also hosts an annual Ramadan festival and the city’s Long Night of Religions, when many churches, synagogues and houses of worship open their doors to the public and host special events and ceremonies.
Shop the Dong Xuan Center
Vietnamese residents make up Berlin's largest East Asian community. As a result of the Communist connection, most live in the former East Berlin, in districts such as Lichtenberg, which is home to the Dong Xuan Center, a sprawling, colourful Vietnamese market housed in a old warehouse complex.
Visit during a festival
Around 200,000 of Berlin’s residents claim Russian heritage, and this cultural connection is celebrated yearly at the Deutsch-Russische Festtage (German-Russian Festival). The three-day celebration (slated for June 13–15, 2014) features three stages of arts, music, and cultural programs. Another big multicultural fete is the Karneval der Kulturen, or Carnival of Cultures. The annual celebration of Berlin’s diversity runs for four days and features a street party with numerous stages and peformances, plus the requisite street food and craft stalls,. The party culminates on the final day, with a procession of floats winding its way noisily through Kreuzberg.
Spend some time at the House of World Cultures
The Haus der Kulturen der Welt’s was founded in 1989 (the year of the fall of the Berlin Wall) and is today one of the city’s most pioneering multidisciplinary institutions. The HKW, as it is locally known, is an arts center that hosts exhibitions, conferences, film screenings, and workshops on wide range of themes and topics, with a special focus on non-European cultures. This past year, programs have ranged from a Korean film festival to Wassermusik, an annual outdoor world-music event. Check the website for this year's lineup.
Photos from Top: Photothek via Getty Images; Getty Images |
- A big point in the article is that the spring flu was mild prior to the more lethal version that arrived in the fall. If this is the case, we have some time to get prepared.
- It looks like a vaccination could be developed prior to the fall that may offer protection from the more virulent form of the flu. Note that I am not a big fan of untried (meaning lots of studies done over time) vaccines.
- I liked the part about the town that closed itself off from the outside world for three and a half months. Could you isolate yourself for such a long period of time? Do you have the food, supplies, gear, income, and other resources to do such a thing?
- Social distancing works. Keeping your distance from others (ie: stay away from crowds such as at the ballpark, at school, or on airplanes) is an effective way to keep from getting close enough to others to catch their illness.
- Since there may be more time than first though to get prepared, consider ways you could set yourself up to be more isolated yet not so out of touch (ie: online bill paying, online banking, ways to work remotely from home, socializing online, etc).
- Developing good prevention habits also helps: wash your hands often (I think one lady in our office is going to wash her finger prints off she does this so often), be aware of how often you touch your face with your hands and try not to do this, cough/sneeze into the crook of your arm instead of into your hands, etc.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Historical Perspective of Influenza Preparedness
I came across this article on CNN today and it offers a number of preparedness options that we can consider for protecting ourselves from the flu: |
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Health Information For Parents
Nosebleeds are common in kids 3 to 10 years old, and most are caused by nose-picking or dry air. They can be scary, but usually aren’t serious. Most will stop on their own and can be cared for at home.
The most common kind of nosebleed is an anterior nosebleed, which comes from the front of the nose. Capillaries, or very small blood vessels, inside the nose may break and bleed, causing this type of nosebleed.
A posterior nosebleed comes from the deepest part of the nose. Blood flows down the back of the throat even if the person is sitting or standing. Kids rarely have posterior nosebleeds. They’re more common in older adults, those with high blood pressure, and people who have had nose or face injuries.
Most anterior nosebleeds are due to dry air. A dry climate or heated indoor air irritates and dries out nasal membranes. This causes crusts that may itch, then bleed when scratched or picked. Common colds also can irritate the lining of the nose, with bleeding following repeated nose-blowing. Having a cold during dry winter weather is the perfect formula for nosebleeds.
Allergies also can cause problems, as doctors may prescribe medicine (such as antihistamines or decongestants) to control an itchy, runny, or stuffy nose. The medicine can dry out nasal membranes, leading to nosebleeds.
An injury or blow to the nose can cause bleeding, but most aren’t a serious problem. But if your child has a facial injury that causes a bloody nose and you can’t stop the bleeding after 10 minutes or have other concerns about the injury, get medical care right away.
While nosebleeds are rarely serious, there might be a problem if they happen a lot. If your child gets nosebleeds more than once a week, call your doctor. Usually, frequent nosebleeds are easily treated. Sometimes tiny blood vessels inside the nose are irritated and don’t heal, which happens more often in kids with ongoing allergies or who get a lot of colds. A doctor might be able to help in these cases.
For bleeding not due to a sinus infection, allergies, or irritated blood vessels, a doctor may order tests to find the cause. Rarely, a bleeding disorder or abnormally formed blood vessels could be a possibility.
Since most nosebleeds in kids are caused by nose-picking or irritation from hot dry air, using a few simple tips may help your kids avoid them:
Even with proper precautions, kids can still get a bloody nose occasionally. So if your child gets a nosebleed, try not to panic. They’re usually harmless and are almost always easy to stop.
Although they can be serious, nosebleeds are common in children ages 3 to 10 years and most stop on their own.
Head injuries can be external or internal. Learn more about both kinds, how to prevent them, and what to do if your child is injured.
Participation in sports can teach kids sportsmanship and discipline. But sports also carry the potential for injury. Here’s how to protect your kids.
Ever get a nosebleed? Lots of kids have had at least one. To learn more, follow your nose to this article for kids.
Millions of Americans, including many kids, have an allergy. Find out how allergies are diagnosed and how to keep them under control.
Although nosebleeds are usually harmless and easily controlled, it may look like a gallon of blood is coming from your nose! Read this article to find out what causes nosebleeds and how to stop them.
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
© 1995-2020 KidsHealth®. All rights reserved.
Images provided by The Nemours Foundation, iStock, Getty Images, Veer, Shutterstock, and Clipart.com. |
When we read the first amendment to our Constitution, we can imagine a newly minted American citizen, standing on a soapbox at a street corner and freely expressing his or her political views to all those who would listen. The preservation of that right was caught with the first stroke of the Amendment pen, and our right of free speech was seared into the first very line on that parchment. Today, the entities of Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are the modern-day form of the soap box on the corner.
The First Amendment clearly prohibits Congress from limiting or infringing upon our right to free speech, and the founders would have scoffed at the suggestion that they also needed to specifically restrict private enterprise, as well, from usurping total authority and censoring our free speech, deciding who can speak and who could not, and what they can say. That would have been considered absurd.
Well, absurd as it might have been, that’s what we have today. Congress has allowed Big Tech and the digital media to be the self-appointed arbiter of the truth, and to dominate the street corner and the soap box, censoring Americans, and even the president. Who would have imagined that private companies, by virtue of having developed certain technology, could legally censor our citizens in a manner that even our Congress could not?
Remember that years ago, the citizen was conditioned to adopt political
correctness. Some did and some didn’t, but that opened the door to censorship and the elites began to sense that they could control speech. Then came hate crime legislation and finally control of what people can say was codified into law.
When Twitter and Facebook began to discipline their users, and cancel some of them, Congress should have stepped in and used its powers under the various antitrust laws. But nothing was done by those in power who had found a way to silence Donald Trump. And now Big Tech thinks it has acquired rights and the task to bring them down will be more difficult.
Congress is derelict in its responsibilities under the First Amendment. Shouldn’t it be evident that if Congress cannot censor free speech, then the private sector has even less right to do so? Imagine trying to convince our founders that the city that owned the street corner or the manufacturer of the soap box could restrict and censor the speech of the activist citizen by virtue of those entities having provided the location and venue. Well, that’s Big Tech.
How did this happen? How did Big Tech get its foot so firmly in the door and so quickly? It was because politicians like to silence their critics and letting Big Tech do it for them was a perfect solution! The ensuing, demonic alliance between Big Tech and the politicians was massive, effective, and the facilitators in Congress avoided any responsibility. Our mistake, as citizens, was to not nip that problem in the bud when it first reared its ugly head.
So, our Congress should now promote regulatory legislation, reiterating that free speech cannot be infringed by any entity, public or private, and that since effectively, in today’s world, entities such as Twitter and Facebook are the modern-day conveyors and conduits of free speech, those channels must be completely accessible to the public and be un-censored. That would be the condition under which an operating license would be granted to Big Tech social media companies. Otherwise, we take them down.
Those commercial enterprises can still make their profits from advertising and other means but their days as the keepers of the key, the “decider” the punisher must cease immediately.
General Motors has the right to manufacture and sell motor vehicles, but the law requires that the vehicle have brakes and a seat belt. Without those accessories General Motors would be prohibited from marketing its product.
Our founders didn’t want a filter on free speech. Free speech is exactly that, if you don’t like what is being said, don’t listen. But don’t think you have the right to restrict and censor what is said by others if it offends you. Our Constitution does not guarantee you the right to not be offended. The other person is free to speak, and you are certainly free to not listen.
However, if the United States Congress decides to cast its lot with Big Tech and creates legislation to facilitate censorship, of any kind by private entities, then we have perhaps the greatest problem since the birth of the republic and all bets are off as to who will behave civilly.
Content syndicated from TheBlueStateConservative.com with permission. |
Last spring, with COVID-19 in Connecticut at its worst and many residents afraid to leave their homes, medical providers looked to telehealth as a temporary way to reach patients.
Now, as the pandemic recedes, providers say medical appointments over phone and video calls are here to stay. What was once an emergency measure, they say, is now a key part of medicine’s future.
“Telehealth dramatically expands access, it can be done affordably, it strengthens our care coordination with our patients, and it is part of the equity strategy, part of the way to remove barriers to care,” Jeff Flaks, CEO of Hartford HealthCare, said in a recent interview. “I’m very confident it will continue.”
Flaks isn’t alone. Top officials from Yale New Haven Health and Trinity Health of New England, Community Health Center and PhysicianOne Urgent Care all expressed similar faith in the future of telemedicine.
“Telehealth is here to stay,” said Dr. Jeannie Kenkare, chief medical officer at PhysicianOne. “The pandemic made telemedicine come to the forefront of medicine as an additional, alternative way to receive medical care, and it proved to be very valuable and meaningful.”
Still, some observers warn against overstating the value of telehealth, arguing that shared physical space can’t always been replaced and that disparities in technology could leave some vulnerable people without access to care.
“We have to be reasonable here and recognize that folks need to be able to access services where they are,” said Wizdom Powell, director of the Health Disparities Institute at UConn Health. “Some people would like to be able to come to the office, while others cannot for all sorts of reasons. And they still deserve high-quality care.”
‘Born out of necessity’
For Dr. Stephanie Alessi-LaRosa, a sports neurologist at Hartford Hospital, telehealth was vital from the earliest days of the pandemic.
“We were able to pivot really quickly,” she recalled. “It really made a big difference in terms of providing care to our patients and being able to maintain a lot of their treatment and interventions we were already working with them on.”
Alessi-LaRosa said she was surprised to find how easily her practice could be converted to virtual visits. Some patients required in-person care, but others could be evaluated just as well through a camera lens.
“It was really wasn’t a big hardship, actually, to not be seeing them in person,” she said. “It has shown us all as physicians we’re able to reach our patients in a new way. It’s sort of like doing house calls.”
Before the pandemic, telehealth had been limited to some degree by a lack of technology and adaptability but also by regulations around which types of appointments could be conducted virtually and limits on which types of care insurance companies would reimburse.
“[Reliance on telehealth] probably was born out of necessity, but it’s going to continue. The horse is out of the barn.”— Dr. Mark Prete, president of Hartford HealthCare Medical Group
When COVID-19 struck in spring 2020, Gov. Ned Lamont signed an executive order enabling wide telehealth services. He later extended the order several times during the pandemic and prioritized it during this year’s legislative session. In May, the state House and Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill allowing wider use of telehealth and prohibiting insurers from offering lower reimbursement rates for virtual visits.
The bill, which Lamont signed May 10, will last two years, after which legislators will have to weigh the value of telehealth once again. But even with an expiration date attached, providers say telehealth isn’t likely to go away.
“[Reliance on telehealth] probably was born out of necessity, but it’s going to continue,” said Dr. Mark Prete, president of Hartford HealthCare Medical Group, where physicians continue to conduct 25,000 virtual visits a month. “The horse is out of the barn.”
As the pandemic has receded, many patients have resumed in-person visits. At Community Health Center, for example, more than half of appointments are once again in person, up from about 30% over the course of the pandemic.
Still, providers say telehealth can have numerous applications moving forward. For patients in rural areas who live far from the care they need, virtual visits can bridge physical distance. For people who work long hours and can’t afford to break mid-day for an in-person appointment, a video call may prove most convenient. PhysicianOne has expanded its hours for telehealth, allowing patients to get care after typical work hours. Trinity Health of New England now offers non-emergency telehealth services 24 hours a day.
Mark Masselli, founder of Community Health Center, said the traditional model of visiting a doctor in person can now feel almost outdated.
“Are you really saying that we did this for so many decades?” Masselli said. “I got off my job, I drove for half an hour to wait a half an hour to be seen by someone for 15 minutes and then made the trip back. Versus, I stepped outside in my car, I had the counseling session and then I went back to work.”
To Dr. Barry Stein, Hartford HealthCare’s chief clinical innovation officer, the possibilities for telehealth are nearly endless. Before telehealth, he says, a patient with prostate cancer might have planned separate visits to see a medical oncologist, a radiation therapist and a surgical oncologist, then waited for the three doctors to discuss their impressions.
Now, a patient can schedule digital consultations with each doctor, then get together with all of them to discuss.
“That’s a game-changer,” Stein said.
Providers say telemedicine can be particularly useful for behavioral health patients, who often don’t require a physical assessment. At Hartford HealthCare, more than two-thirds of virtual appointments are for mental health, addiction and other behavioral health concerns. Masselli said only 2% of Community Health Center’s behavioral health appointments were held in-person during the pandemic.
“Behavioral health really embraced telehealth in a way that was substantially different from medical,” Masselli said. “This is going to be probably [telehealth’s] most important intervention.”
Ideally, some say, telehealth could help address health inequities, making health care more accessible to people who live in underserved areas without providers nearby or without the ability to conveniently travel to an in-person appointment.
“There’s a mismatch geographically, spatially,” said Powell, whose team at UConn Health has received a grant to study telehealth uptake among Black men on Medicaid rolls. “So telehealth has the ability to bridge that divide and to make it easier and more accessible for folks who face transportation barriers, etc.”
The digital divide
Still, experts and medical professionals warn that telehealth is no panacea.
Alessi-LaRosa said she sometimes feels a “lack of rapport” with patients when treating them over the phone or video. Powell argued that sharing a space with a provider can be “really important” and noted that some people who live with others in tight quarters may struggle to find privacy for a telehealth appointment. Others have worried that providers will tack on telehealth appointments so they can bill patients more.
There’s also some question whether telehealth will truly address health equity, as providers say it will. Research from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation examining the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic found that Black and Latino adults, as well as those with chronic conditions, were more likely to have wanted a telehealth appointment but not have received one. Another study, published in the journal Health Affairs, found patients with limited English were less likely to use telemedicine.
Many advocates fear the “digital divide” will limit who can access virtual visits.
“There’s almost this, ‘If you build it they will come’ mentality, which is not exactly how that works,” said Tekisha Dwan Everette, executive director of Health Equity Solutions. “Many people do not have access to broadband internet services, so to have consistent, reliable ways to have communication with a health care provider is not accessible to all.”
Everette said she wonders about people like her 76-year-old aunt, who has a smartphone but couldn’t necessarily navigate the various links and apps involved in a telehealth appointment. She worries those without internet access or technological literacy could end up holding telehealth appointments on the phone instead of over video, which could lead to a lower level of care.
“There are just these small nuances that we have to work out in order for telehealth to be really successful and to be the tool for equity I think it really could be,” Everette said.
Stein, from Hartford HealthCare, said providers will need to take conscious steps to ensure wide access to telehealth or risk leaving patients behind.
“As we develop these digital technologies that are dependent on internet and certain technologies that you would need to be relatively privileged to acquire, we could quite easily create a schism between the haves and the have-nots,” Stein said. “So that’s a downside that we’re going to continue to mitigate against.”
In addition to expanding telehealth, hospital officials say they plan to increase outreach into vulnerable communities — another way of potentially making care more accessible.
In the end, providers say telehealth must be a complement to, not a replacement for, in-person care. Trips to the doctor’s office may become less frequent in an increasingly virtual world, but they won’t disappear.
“As long as you leverage telehealth with in-person visits when and if necessary,” said Dr. Syed Hussain, chief clinical officer at Trinity Health of New England. “It can’t always only be telehealth. There are instances where a clinician will need to examine a patient.”
Alex Putterman can be reached at email@example.com. |
Paper wrapped vintage books are an easy and inexpensive way to add a little charm to your home decor. You can customize them for any holiday or color scheme with a little ribbon!
I am a big fan of using old books in my decorating. Sometimes I use the book pages, but I also love using the actual books. They are a great way to add height and visual interest to displays. Every time I go to the library, I check the box of books that they are discarding because they are damaged. Sometimes they are a quarter, but sometimes I can get them for free. I pick out the ones that look vintage but are still sturdy, and add them to my stash for when I need them.
I saw a cute idea over at Decor Chick for DIY painted and stamped books. Emily (who I happen to adore) used a script stamp for her books. But I don’t have one, and the nearest craft store is 40 minutes away. So I did what any DIY-er would do. I improvised!
I found a french poem online, copied and pasted it over and over again, and printed out my own script paper. If you would like to use it, just click on the link below, then print it out.
Paper Wrapped Vintage Books:
-an old book (I used a hardback book)
-downloadable script paper (Unless your book is very small, you will need at least two copies)
–glue stick or spray adhesive
–black ink and sandpaper (optional)
Cut the borders around the paper that your printer didn’t print on. Then carefully measure the height of your book and cut the two pieces of script paper to fit from top to bottom. Place one piece of paper on the front cover of your book, making sure it is straight. Use your fingernail or a pen lid to follow the crease at the side of the book. Tip: It is best to use a book that is small enough for your paper to wrap around the back.
Use a glue stick or spray adhesive to attach the paper to the book. I glued the front first, then the binding, then flipped it over and glued the back. I used a glue stick and it worked just fine. You want your paper to wrap around the back by at least an inch, but more is OK.
Now cut that second piece of script paper so that it is wide enough to cover from the edge of the book to about 1/2″ over the edge of the paper already attached. I’m OCD so I had to make sure my lines of script matched up, but no one will see it so it probably doesn’t matter that much. 🙂 Glue it on.
If you’d like, you can sand the edges a little. Then use some black ink to give it a more vintage, distressed look. To finish it off, wrap a ribbon around it and tie a knot. Easy peasy.
I stacked a set of two together and used them for my black and white Halloween entry table display.
Here’s a little close up:
I am loving them with my Halloween display, but when the season is over, I’ll just swap out the ribbon to match my decor. Don’t you just love it when your projects multi-task? 🙂 |
Lisa - Odisee
“We notice that students prefer to ask the bot for information!”
An incredible journey for Lisa at Odisee.
Imagine what would happen if you’d fire about 40,000 questions to contact center in one single month. Chances are it’d be swamped, and staff would most probably have difficulties answering on time and in person. To optimize the ‘customer’ experience of its future graduates, Odisee Hogeschool (i.e. college of higher education) decided to automate the answers to the most frequent questions. Oswald gave birth to a chatbot named Lisa, just a few weeks ahead of this academic year.
Right from the start, freshman Lisa proved to be quite popular: after one month, she had replied to approximately 38,000 questions asked through more than 66,000 messages sent, by around 7,000 users already. Only 3% of these questions stayed unanswered by the virtual assistant.
"We notice that students prefer to ask the bot for information than to look it up themselves on our online students portal. Lisa gives them the direct link”, says Ingrid Reniers from Odisee’s students administration. "Therefore, we are very satisfied with Lisa, thanks to both the product and the process that we created together, and mostly by its result. Lisa gets solicited very often, and we follow its progress every week. Lisa is fast, easy to use and clear. Those are all key success factors."
A fast and effective solution Students and future applicants can consult Lisa via info.odisee.be or Facebook Messenger. The digital companion works instantly and is capable of answering many questions concerning Odisee Hogeschool.
Lisa became quickly very successful. Students find the solution so convenient and easy to access. No need to look for the information center’s contact to call them or wait for their answer by email anymore. By just using their Facebook Messenger app on their smartphones, they can chat with Lisa directly. In just a few messages, they get their answer.
Thanks to its efficiency, Lisa is now the connecting component for the current information channels on the campus. Among the most frequently asked questions, a high number is about registration and administration information, such as the process to register, the conditions, the costs or the opening hours...
Lisa's family is growing.
Chatbots unburden employees by taking over repetitive tasks. Furthermore, facilities such as universities and schools are dealing with many, many users. Questions can quickly rise to thousands. As a consequence, virtual assistants are booming in education: Odisee Hogeschool is not the only institution Raccoons is working with. Since the beginning of this year, we have also been assisting Syntra learning center’s trainees thanks to Lisa's sister, Vera.
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- Blockd has developed a “Replace-By-Fee” protocol that prevents the theft of Ethereum (ETH) even with the knowledge of the private key.
- The transaction of the alleged hacker is replaced by an authorized transaction with a higher priority.
The developer of “Blockd” got a lot of attention in the crypto scene by an interesting marketing gag. Via Reddit he published the public and private key, as well as the Etherscan link to an Ethereum wallet with a credit from an ETH. The first person who should succeed in sending the ether to his own wallet, so the promise, may keep it (freely translated):
The address is: 0xa5653e88D9c352387deDdC79bcf99f0ada62e9c6
The private key is: ca9a3a3d4026e6228713e683a9c45ef65a538b2f9336813bd597f5effa38668d
The Etherscan link is: https://etherscan.io/address/0xa5653e88D9c352387deDdC79bcf99f0ada62e9c6
The safety wallet that should receive the funds is: 0x25eE1E352892Bc4f036F25441E6CEE84f5E06729
At first sight this action seems insane. As everyone who has ever used a wallet knows, the available information is sufficient to send the Ether quite legally. However, “Blockd” has developed a software solution that prevents the theft. When the Reddit user u/guards tried to empty the wallet with the private key he received the following message: “Blockd”.
Blockd has developed a “Replace-By-Fee” protocol
The solution to the problem is as simple as it is ingenious. Before the transaction of the alleged hacker is executed, another transaction with a higher priority (higher gas costs) is performed. When an unauthorized transaction is observed, Blockd sends a transaction that is pre-approved and pre-empts the malicious transaction. Thus, the solution creates an additional layer of security, which works in detail according to a medium post as follows:
Blockd secures your blockchain account even after it’s been hacked. If we see unauthorized transactions originating from your account, we immediately broadcast a “blocker” transaction that you previously approved, replacing the malicious transaction and sending your funds to safety. Blockd is not a replacement for any other security, it’s simply another layer you can add on top.
The pre-authorized transaction goes to a protected Wallet address controlled by the owner of the hacked Wallet. Robert M. C. Forster, the developer of Blockd, wrote on Reddit that the service could prevent hackers from stealing funds from unknown addresses for which they have private keys.
If the hacker doesn’t know the wallet is protected, how much would they be willing to sacrifice to assume that it is? If they do know, do they even want to put in the effort to hack it in the first place? How high-priced do they think the top blocker transaction is for the account? While 10% is greater than 0%, it’s a lot less than 100% so there’s a big opportunity cost there.
Integration for MEW or MyCrypto
It works with Ethereum, ERC20s, and a few other blockchains, and we’re also currently working on ways to possibly achieve the same goal to some extent on all blockchains.
Blockd is also planning to add a way to submit your own pre-signed transactions so that no signing is required on Blockd’s website. Also planned are partnerships with MEW or MyCrypto, where users sign transactions on their site and send the them to Blockd. |
Email security for Outlook
strong encryption of emails and files
Every day your business exchanges a wealth of data with customers, suppliers and partners. A big part of this communication takes place via email and Outlook and is constructed in your Office applications.
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Email encryption and large attachments with OWA
See how to use Cryptshare for OWA and how to send and receive encrypted messages as well as files.Show more
Cryptshare for OWA
How to communicate securely in the digital workplace of the future: the new Cryptshare for OWA!
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Gold Plated Pig Chinese Zodiac Figurine
This Crystocraft Gold Pig Chinese Zodiac figurine is a prefect Chinese New Year gift that bring you and your loved one good luck, prosperity and wealth. The Pig is the last animal sign on the Chinese horoscope. It symbolizes prosperity and wealth. Having a fattened pig will bring good luck for many reasons. Made with excellent metal craftsmanship, and set with an octagon crystal made with Bohemia craft glass and 3 Swarovski crystal rhinestones.
Laser engrave service available.
Years of Pig
Pig 豬 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031, 2043
Five Elements Associated with Pig
In Chinese culture, each zodiac sign is associated with one of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, or earth. These elements are in constant flux, transitioning and recycling through a never-ending cycle. The element of the Pig is water. Like water, Pigs are associated with wisdom and intelligence. They are known for their calm and compassionate nature, as well as their ability to weather any storm. Just as water can put out fire, Pigs have a calming effect on those around them. However, Pigs must be careful not to get too comfortable in their serenity. Like all elements, water must eventually give way to fire; in other words, Pigs must be open to change and growth if they want to achieve their full potential.
Pig Horoscope Prediction for 2022
According to Chinese astrology, 2022 is the year of the tiger, and that means good news for pigs. Tigers are considered to be lucky animals, and their presence is said to bring good fortune, health, and happiness. For pigs, that means a year of comfort and contentment. Pigs can expect to enjoy plenty of time with family and friends, and they may even find themselves in the spotlight at work or in their social circle. Money matters will also be favored, so pigs can expect a year of financial security and abundance. In short, 2022 is shaping up to be a prosperous and lucky year for pigs. |
While pretty to look at, icicles can pose risks for homeowners and those unlucky enough to be under one when it breaks off, experts say.
Dr. Stuart Brilliant, chief of Paoli’s Emergency Department, said that while Paoli Hospital has not seen any injuries from icicles, they can pose a very small risk.
According to Brilliant, around 15 deaths every year are due to icicles.
‘Lightning kills about 75 people a year,’ Brilliant said. ‘So, you are five times more likely to die by lightning than by icicles.’
According to Kirk Davis, president of A.H. Davis & Son, which does roofing and other contracting work, icicles can mean there is ‘more you’re not seeing’ when an icicle forms on the eaves of your roof.
Often times, Davis said, icicles can form when gutters are full of ice and debris. He said the bigger issue is when ice is frozen solid on roofs, which can result in leaks.
‘In most cases, icicles from blocked gutters can be due to a lack of insulation or ventilation,’ said Davis.
Davis said that while icicles may not be as big of an issue as ice frozen solid on rooftops, he thinks ‘they’re probably more of a danger to people walking under them.’ He said that people can sweep icicles off of their building, or if the icicles are bigger and pose more of a problem, call a roofer or contractor to have them removed.
The Red Cross said that icicles hanging over doorways and walkways can be dangerous, and should be removed carefully. To remove icicles, a person should tap them with a pole, making sure no one is underneath. After knocking the icicles down, shovel and sweep away the ice from the walking surface.
Although most agree it’s best to be aware while walking under large icicles, Brilliant noted that people shouldn’t be overly concerned with the falling fragments of ice.
‘You could try to keep away from buildings or high rises,’ Brilliant said. ‘But, the odds are that the chances of this happening are so low that people should just go on living their lives.’
Follow Daily Local News Staff Writer on Twitter at @KendalGapinski. |
Abortion and the men haunted by regret: We all know women can be left traumatised for years after a termination. But there’s another side to the story no one’s talked about – until now
- It’s thought there are now around 200,000 legal abortions in Britain every year,
- Understandably, debate over abortion is usually focused on the woman
- What’s often overlooked, however, is the impact on the men involved
- Here, three men open up about their experiences with abortion...
This Father’s Day, Tony Perry was the proud recipient of two lovingly homemade cards.
Inside one, depicting hands in the shape of a heart, his dinosaur-obsessed four-year-old son had painstakingly scrawled: ‘I love my dad because he takes me to the museum.’
Meanwhile, his two-year-old daughter produced a card bearing her handprints, with the message: ‘You are the best dad hands down.’
Scroll down for video
As a doting father, Tony (above) will always treasure mementoes from his young children. At the back of his mind, however, is a nagging thought that continues to ache like an old wound
As a doting father, Tony will always treasure these mementoes from his young children. At the back of his mind, however, is a nagging thought that continues to ache like an old wound.
He could — should — have received three cards on Sunday, one from a much older child, on the cusp of entering his or her teenage years. For when he was in his 20s, Tony’s then-girlfriend had an abortion.
While he respected her decision, it was not the outcome he’d hoped for. It’s an event he still lives with today.
‘It left deep scars,’ he admits. ‘There’s always a shadow in the background.
‘The other way to put it is that it’s like wearing a backpack — most days, you’re simply aware it’s there, but on others, it feels like an extra weight pulling you down.’ This year marks the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Abortion Act that legalised abortion in Great Britain (but not Northern Ireland).
It’s thought there are now around 200,000 legal abortions in Britain every year, and it’s estimated that as many as one in three women will have a termination at some point in her life.
When he was in his 20s, Tony’s then-girlfriend had an abortion. While he respected her decision, it was not the outcome he’d hoped for
Understandably, debate over abortion is usually focused on the woman and what’s happening in her body. It’s well-documented that many experience guilt and trauma for the rest of their lives.
What’s often overlooked, however, is the impact on the men involved.
While many are kept in the dark, it’s thought around half of women actually have a long-term partner at the time of termination.
Legally, these men have no say in the decision and their feelings are rarely acknowledged.
Yet it seems that many, like Tony, are left yearning for what might have been.
Charlie Conner is one of the organisers of Rachel’s Vineyard, an organisation that runs weekend retreats in the UK and abroad to help men and women come to terms with post-abortion trauma.
‘For every aborted child, there’s a father — and you don’t have to be a mathematician to see that we have a huge hidden problem here,’ says Charlie.
Margaret Cuthill, former national co-ordinator for the Abortion Recovery Care and Helpline, an organisation that supports people post-abortion, says 10 per cent of its calls are from men.
Often, they’re questioning why they didn’t protect their child or give their partner more support when the choice to terminate the pregnancy was being made.
‘This is particularly evident as men reach their mid-40s and look back on their lives, questioning what they did or didn’t do, especially if they never had children,’ says Margaret.
‘If their only child was aborted, it can be heart-breaking.’
Tony, a 39-year-old programme manager for the NHS who lives in Berkshire says: 'It left deep scars. There’s always a shadow in the background'
That certainly chimes with Tony, a 39-year-old programme manager for the NHS who lives in Berkshire.
While not completely against abortion, he says he ‘leans towards life’, and it was something he discussed with his girlfriend soon after they met through an online dating site.
‘She said that if she’d got pregnant when she was 16, then she would have had an abortion, but now she was older, she would keep the baby,’ he recalls.
‘I agreed I would want to keep any baby.’
SUFFER IN SILENCE
Some 5 per cent of men suffer mental scarring as a result of their partners’ abortions, while 40 per cent regret not talking to a therapist
A month later, Jenny, who had been taking the Pill, revealed she was feeling dizzy and nauseous. A pregnancy test revealed she was indeed expecting. But instead of making plans to bring a baby into the world, Jenny told Tony she was going to have a termination.
‘My mind was all over the place,’ he recalls. ‘You are experiencing such conflicting thoughts and emotions. On one hand, you’re trying to get your head round the fact you’re going to be a dad when you didn’t plan to be and preparing to be emotionally connected to this child.
‘On the other, you’ve got to disconnect, because there might never be a baby.’
Tony attempted to persuade Jenny to change her mind, but she remained resolute and eventually admitted that she did not love him enough to go ahead with the pregnancy.
Although devastated, Tony showed his support and accompanied Jenny to her GP and then to her first appointment at the abortion clinic, where, like most men, he sat in a waiting room while the discussions went on behind closed doors.
Carl Miller (above), 50, admits the guilt that he feels over his former girlfriend’s abortion when he was a young man has never left him
On the day of the abortion, Jenny took her mother for moral support. ‘I went to see her afterwards at home to check she was all right, but our relationship never recovered,’ says Tony.
Tony saw a counsellor soon after to help him deal with his grief and anger, but many men either never seek help or only do so years later.
‘It’s natural that there is guilt and shame — a mourning process is meant to happen,’ says Charlie Conner. ‘But because there isn’t a grave or funeral service, grief may not express itself until years later.’
He adds: ‘Guilt will be greater if the man was the driving force in the abortion. Even if they are not religious, they can feel punished when there are other difficulties in their lives.
‘If they have other children, there can be the fear something will happen to them as a result of what they did.’
A year later, the couple split up. Ironically, Carl (pictured with partner Brian) came out as gay three years afterwards and realised he had missed out on his only chance of fatherhood
According to therapists, men may experience a number of mental health issues that can be traced back to a termination and, sometimes, these don’t present for years.
They can range from a decreased libido to anger and depression, and even alcohol and drug abuse.
Psychosexual therapist Denise Knowles says: ‘They can become depressed, they can be very angry and extraordinarily upset. There’s a whole range of emotions and, sometimes, a little bit of shame and disgust can get mixed in there, too.’
Carl Miller, 50, admits the guilt that he feels over his former girlfriend’s abortion when he was a young man has never left him. ‘If something bad happens, I feel I’m being punished for coercing my girlfriend to abort the baby she wanted,’ he admits.
‘But I was just very young at the time — I didn’t realise it would be my only child.’
Carl, from Wales, adds: ‘I was a virgin when we met. But we had a passionate love life and, as Jayne was on the Pill, I naively thought birth control was all taken care of.’
Then, after they had been together a number of months, Jayne suddenly announced that she was pregnant.
‘I told her: “I’m too young for this!” My career was taking off, I wanted to that having a baby would make difficult,’ says Carl.
He also had a niggling feeling she’d tricked him into getting pregnant, and when he confronted Jayne, she admitted she’d stopped taking the Pill.
A furious Carl insisted that she had an abortion.
‘This was the last thing Jayne wanted, and there were tears from both of us as we wrestled with the decision,’ he recalls.
‘Eventually, she agreed I was too young to be a father and apologised for deceiving me. We arranged an abortion together and I went with her to a private clinic for the termination at around 11 weeks.
‘I’m in a civil partnership and I find myself a proud granddad to the three offspring of my partner’s two grown-up children,’ Carl (pictured when he was young) says. ‘I absolutely adore them, and this heightens my guilt over the abortion, as I wonder what my child would have been like'
‘As I waited for her, I thought: “Am I forcing her to do this? Will I regret it?” ’
A year later, the couple split up. Ironically, Carl came out as gay three years afterwards and realised he had missed out on his only chance of fatherhood.
‘I’m in a civil partnership and I find myself a proud granddad to the three offspring of my partner’s two grown-up children,’ he says. ‘I absolutely adore them, and this heightens my guilt over the abortion, as I wonder what my child would have been like.
‘I’ve always felt I would have had a daughter, which I’d have loved now, and becoming a father would have been life-changing.
‘But it’s only as time has passed that I appreciate the enormity of what happened and what I lost.’
Paul O’Callaghan, 47, can identify with this. It’s only since watching his brothers and best friend become fathers, and seeing the joy children have brought them, that he’s wondered what might have been.
Some 15 years after he says he pressured a casual girlfriend into having an abortion, he remains single and childless.
He was busy packing up his flat, preparing to move to a new job, when he received a text from Charlotte, a woman he’d enjoyed a brief romantic relationship with, informing him she was pregnant.
Paul O’Callaghan (above), 47, says it’s only since watching his brothers and best friend become fathers, and seeing the joy children have brought them, that he’s wondered what might have been.
Though Paul admits that he and Charlotte were not always meticulous about using contraception, he was still shocked to hear of the pregnancy.
‘We’d only dated for seven weeks and Charlotte knew I was not looking for a serious relationship,’ says Paul, a social club manager from North London.
‘I felt so stupid to be in this situation. I was furious with myself for being so careless. I was a grown man — not a feckless teenager. But I knew straight away that I did not want the pregnancy to continue, despite the fact Charlotte was in her late 30s and had never had a child.
‘Maybe it would have been different if I’d known her longer, but I wasn’t ready to have a baby with her.’
Paul says that Charlotte loved children, and he knew her chances of becoming a mother were starting to decline. Still, when they met to discuss the baby, he told her it was impossible for him to have a child.
‘She agreed to go along with whatever I thought was best, but I could see the sorrow on her face and I felt terrible,’ he recalls.
Some 15 years after he says he pressured a casual girlfriend into having an abortion, he remains single and childless
‘I knew she hoped I’d tell her to keep the baby and we’d make a go of it. But for me, abortion felt like the only choice.’
Paul accompanied Charlotte to a private clinic a week later to arrange a termination.
While they were there, she was ushered into a room for a scan and emerged in floods of tears, announcing that she’d seen the baby.
‘I put my arms around her, but my reasons for not wanting a child were still the same,’ says Paul. ‘Charlotte had the abortion a week later, at nine weeks. I wasn’t proud of it, but I was relieved that I could move on.’
Paul never saw Charlotte again and, while he didn’t dwell on the abortion in the immediate aftermath, after around five years, his attitude towards having a family began to change as he saw those around him start to have children.
‘There are bittersweet moments when I see men with their children and think: “That could have been me”,’ he says. ‘I do feel guilty about what happened.
‘I do wonder if she ever became a mum later in life, and I hope she did. Otherwise, it means her only child was aborted and, while I may never have a child, either, I’d hate to think that I deprived her of motherhood and caused her lasting pain.’
Professor Arthur Shostak, emeritus professor of sociology at Drexel University in Philadelphia in the U.S., has extensively interviewed men whose partners have had an abortion, and estimates that around 90 per cent of the men find it one of the most stressful experiences of their life, while around 9 per cent never get over it.
He says that men want — need — the opportunity to discuss their experience at the time and an outlet for any emotional turmoil.
Paul (pictured in 2007) says: 'There are bittersweet moments when I see men with their children and think: “That could have been me”. I do feel guilty about what happened'
Some remain acutely aware of the lost child, and the age they would have been had the pregnancy progressed to full term — sometimes to the extent that they continue to mark the day of the abortion.
Tony says that while he tries not to dwell too deeply on what his child would have been doing now, every year he feels a sadness in November, when the abortion took place. ‘There are still parts of the city I avoid, for example, near the abortion clinic, because I get flashbacks,’ he says.
‘The only good to have come from it was that when I met my now wife, I was very open about the abortion and my determination not to go through the experience again.
‘Talking about it helped us to clarify what we both wanted and forge a strong relationship based on honesty.’
Society may be acutely aware how deeply abortion affects women, but it seems there are many men who would benefit from having their feelings recognised, too.
Some names have been changed.
For post-abortion help and support, visit archtrust.org.uk and rachelsvineyard.org.uk A Father’s Choice by Tony Perry (£4.99, amazon.co.uk). It’s My Baby Too, a BBC Radio 4 show about how men are affected by abortion, is now available on iPlayer.
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A new era of parenting is creating a generation of "extra-special" kids. How do we ensure we’re not unleashing monsters on the world?
We urgently need your help. DAME reports the stories that need to be told, from perspectives that aren’t heard enough. In times of crisis it is even more critical that these voices are not overlooked, but COVID-19 has impacted our ability to keep publishing. Please support our mission by joining today to help us keep reporting.
When my friend’s daughter Rosie was 5, she turned to her mother and said, “I know all the other parents tell their kids that they’re the cutest kids in the world, but with me it’s true, right?” Clementine, another 5-year-old, after just a few months in kindergarten chess club, proclaimed herself “The Chess Master.” When told there were actual grown people who worked many years to become bona fide chess masters, she replied, “Okay, so there are others. But I’m the best.”
Pretty much all parents have a story about their own progeny acting like pint-size egomaniacs. It’s unlikely that any of these kids will to grow up to be an actual narcissist—they were just expressing a developmentally appropriate level of self-love. Everyone is born a narcissist—the natural self-centeredness of the young is one of their most prominent and universal characteristics. Even Sigmund Freud felt that narcissism in early childhood was healthy (he called it “primary, or normal” narcissism), a phase summed up by his phrase “his majesty, the baby.” It’s not just psychological; some evolutionary biologists argue that infantile self-centeredness is a valuable survival tool in a species whose newborns are ill-equipped to care for themselves.
But what about narcissism that persists long after your kid is out of strollers and car seats? Some scientists have warned recently that an increasing number of children are demonstrating signs of a persistent and unhealthy level of narcissism. Naturally, it’s our fault. Parents who raise narcissists, it turns out, are those who tend to subscribe to beliefs that their kids are special, different, and more entitled than the other kids to good things in life.
Among the statements in the questionnaire given to kids was this one: “Kids like me deserve something extra.” (Kids who had healthy self-esteem but were not narcissists were more likely to agree with this one: “Kids like me are happy with themselves as a person.”) For parents, narcissism-detector statements included these: “My child deserves special treatment” and “I would find it disappointing if my child was just a ‘regular’ child.”
We all know this is terrible parenting, right? It’s like a blueprint for raising the villain in every children’s movie ever. And yet these narcissistic parents and their offspring seem to be everywhere we turn these days. There are the self-absorbed, navel-gazing Brooklyn parents of The Slap, who manage to both hypercurate and totally ignore their marauding tot. There are the hard-core anti-vaccinators who, when asked about the role of herd immunity in keeping the community’s kids safe, respond “It’s not my job.”
Still, there’s perception and then there’s reality. Not every neighborhood is so precious or so permissive.
“One thing that’s important to clarify is that there are big race, class, and cultural differences in this,” says Richard Weissbourd, author of The Parents We Mean to Be: How Well-Intentioned Adults Undermine Children’s Moral and Educational Development. “There are a lot of immigrant families, African-American families, working class families, low-income families, where kids are pitching in a lot, there is much more of a sense of collective responsibility, there isn’t this hyperattention to self-esteem, there isn’t this allergy to kids experiencing adversity of any kind.”
Nor is the rise in narcissistic kids solely the fault of bad parenting. “We think the four major causes are parenting, social media and the Internet, celebrity culture, and easy credit, which makes you look better off than you actually are,” says Jean Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University and co-author of The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement.
And then there’s politics. No matter how sane and centered we want to be, all we have to do is read the news to see examples of institutional narcissism, starting with the current craze for American Exceptionalism. If a politician somehow fails to proclaim repeatedly that this is the best country on Earth, more special and deserving than all others—it’s as if a whole nation has gotten too big for its britches. As Colson Whitehead wrote in the New York Times Magazine, the content-free tautologies of politicians and others perfectly represent “our ever-evolving, ever more complicated narcissism.”
Still, enough of us are raising our kids this way that it’s a growing problem. And parenting is likely the only way we can really solve it.
“The majority of the evidence does point in the direction of these more recent generations having higher narcissism than the generations who preceded them,” says Twenge. “When you have parents who overvalue kids, who tell them they’re special and deserve special treatment, then those children go on to have higher levels of narcissism.”
A lot of these parenting failures stem from a misguided attempt to boost our kids’ self-esteem, which is itself a problem, says Weissbourd, who also co-directs the Making Caring Common Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. “There is a difference between having high self-esteem and being narcissistic,” he says, adding that bullies often have high self-esteem. “But we shouldn’t just focus on high self-esteem, because by itself it doesn’t in any way guarantee that people are going to be caring or empathic or good citizens.”
Instead, he says, “parents have to be really deliberate about this, about kids doing chores, helping around the house, meeting their obligations to their communities, their schools. I think parents have to be purposeful about doing these things. I also think parents can’t let themselves be treated like doormats.”
“I think what this study suggests is that instead of saying to your kid, ‘you’re special,’ say, ‘I love you,’” adds Twenge. “In terms of praise, it should be specific rather than general, and the praise should focus on hard work rather than inherent qualities like being smart.”
“In a lot of eras there was more character education, but the forces that used to counteract selfishness are diminishing,” Weissbourd points out. “So in a way it’s more on parents to do that. Parents can work against this tide, and it’s really important that we do.” Part of the problem is that political parties have carved out different meanings for morality; but, he adds, “There’s another kind of morality which I think we have quite a lot of common ground about, which is that kids should be taught to be respectful, caring, and fair.”
Raising kind children takes work, and sometimes it feels as if you’re swimming against the tide. But everything about parenting is hard work; you can work hard and raise a narcissist or you can work hard—at slightly different things—and raise a mensch.
After all, the original Narcissus met his end because he fell in love with his own reflection, jumped in a pond, and drowned. We are our kids’ first mirrors, their reflecting pools. We can show them that while they may be at the center of our worlds, they aren’t the center of The World—and that’s perfectly okay.
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odoo Configurator Calculator Module
If your goal is to generate a product within a lot of different attributes and attribute values, the odoo standard provides the functionality of variant products. The combination of every attribute and attribute value generates a huge amount of variant products. But mostly you don’t need every combination, probably only a few of them – and not desired are combinations that do not fit at all.
This concept means too, that you would have to maintain prices and every single product information on each variant product. Once your customer has chosen a specific variant product in the shop putting it into the basket, you will have exactly one variant product in the sale order line in sales quotation of your odoo backend. The consequence is deplorable: if your product is a combination of different sub-products, you cannot use warehouse, analytic account and so much more features odoo would provide on a single product.
Configuration logic is separate from product information or sale in an e-commerce shop. The configure-to-order process in e-commerce (shop with basket) is not the same as the engineer-to-order processes and it seldom quotes the best solution for customers. Customers are confused by the number of choices.
odoo configurator-calculator supports the sales process with single product price, grouped subtotals with product descriptions and for all that it generates backend outputs such as warehouse an purchase entries (e.g. MTO), routings, accounting and analytic accounting entries. Configurator-calculator module is the solution into odoo to configure complex fitting combination of products, price and variant products in minutes.
This video shows the complete functionality of odoo configurator-calculator module:
Main Advantages of the Configurator-Calculator Module
The configurator-calculator module provides you a very lot of advantages. Not only technical ones as less variant products and only fitting ones. This module enables marketing strategies, you can’t realize whit your odoo online shop.
The configurator-calculator module is based on the shop-functionality and uses the basket. But: You do not have to generate a huge amount of variant products for the reason of having all combinations of every attribute and attribute value. You can adjust the configurator-calculator settings in a way your customers can configure only fitting product variants. And you can use groups of products and variant products within a subtotal. That means, that your customer sees only title, description and a subtotal – and not every single product or every single price. Within this method, you can also calculate hidden costs.
The Configurator-Calculator Module at a Glance
- managing the interdependencies between different variables, settings for fitting products
- Classic configurator and calculator feature with different products (or product variants) to configure. But in place of a variant product (which normally combines all attributes), you will find every single product or product variant as sale order line in the quotation of your odoo sales backend. This reduces the amount of variant products drastic.
- configurator-calculator module allows only fitting or adequate products or product variants (e.g. components that do not fit with other components cannot be selected)
- product bundles and combined products, configurator displays only the set price
- products without single price, configurator-calculator module hides the product price
- combination of product bundles and products with hidden price, configurator displays subtotal of the configurator bundle (based on variant products)
- hidden extras
- combination of the configurator-calculator and the normal shop products (the result of the configurator-calculator module plus any further published product in your shop)
- invoice on basket for customer with subtotals and invoice on sales order within all sale-order-lines
- prices and discounts can be set based on customer and or product price lists
- a product or variant product can be set to be visible only in configurator-calculator, and it is not available as a shop product
- a product or variant product can be available in both: shop an configurator-calculator
- page for a specific configurator-calculator with different tabs
- tab for a product within all or only fitting variant products
- different tab templates (horizontal and vertical)
- different variant selector display-templates (list, checkbox, radio button e.g.)
- product configurators
- product calculators
- mixed order in the shop basket: configured products and shop products
Applications and advantages
- sales support: provide knowledge to offer the right product at the right price
- sales representatives: guided selling for complex products
- sales analytic: more transparency and comparsion
- finance analytic: better control of your margins
- administration: reduced sales and configuration operations
- marketing: increasing profitability
- customer support: requirements match the solution of optimal product configuration
- competitive advantage: quicker delivering of complex products and combinations
Better control of your margins and increasing profitability
It does not matter, how many products you sell or how complex the combinations are, the odoo configurator-calculator module guides your sales, sales representations and customers to the right product configuration. It handles even complex products and pricing structures. Your sales representatives can be confident they are offering the right products at the right price. That means shorter sales cycles, higher win rates and more satisfied customers.
A configurator, also known as choice board, in a technical sense addressing a software tool to guide a user through a configuration process. Configurators are employed in B2B as well as in B2C markets. B2B configurators are often used to support sales and enhance production efficiency. B2C configurators allow customers to "design" their desired products. According to usage, a configurator provides different advantages:
- Worldwide access to product information
- better and faster ordering process without errors
- less overproduction cause of analysing use of configurator (customer requirements)
- saving distribution costs
- Quicker reaction to customer requirements
- Shopping experience, Configurator can be saved and adjusted to specific benefits
- Better knowledge of customers' needs
- Individuality (customer specific benefits)
- customer loyalty and customer tie
Find the right product variant or product combination fast and secure
odoo configurator-calculator supports your customers to find the accurate product combination or variant product.
Your customer is an expert for his own requirements. With odoo Configurator-Calculator it is possible, to find even complex product combinations, because you have the possibility in settings, to put only fitting products into the configurator. So you can support your customers to find the adequate product combination easy and fast.
Success in marketing and distribution
Customer requests are individual, not only in B2C markets – also in B2B. The ability to quickly respond to specific customer requirements offer is vital to your success. Managing the interdependencies between different variables is a key feature of odoo configurator-calculator.
Therefore you have to know to put the right settings for fitting products that the desired product for the customer can be selected. With odoo configurator-calculator it is simpler for your team to configure and design complex products. odoo configurator-calculator supports both: the sales and the order process as well. Its settings allow a powerful, based on constraints configurator-calculator for even complicated products.
Within the usage of a configurator, you get information about changing customer behaviours and market trends.
Monitoring and analyses
- analyse customer needs and translate them it into optimal products, services and pricing
- analyse customer requirements and generate winning proposals
- analyse overcome lengthy rules from legacy systems and convert it to lean solutions and easily-managed constraints |
Cryptographic authentication chip allows developers evaluation capabilities of CryptoAuthentication, While maintaining authenticity of end-product firmware and protecting sensitive transmitted data
SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Atmel(R) Corporation (NASDAQ: ATML) today announced its CryptoAuthentication(TM) Starter Kit. The AT88CK109STK3 is a modular and versatile development kit for Atmel's CryptoAuthentication(TM) AT88SA102S and AT88SA100S client security devices and AT88SA10HS host security companion IC. Atmel's CryptoAuthentication devices are the industry's most secure authentication ICs that include an embedded SHA-256 engine and 256-bit cryptographic key to make them virtually impossible to crack using brute force methods. The nearest competing authentication IC has a key size of only 128 bits.
The CryptoAuthentication Starter Kit contains all components necessary for evaluation and demonstration of the capabilities of the CryptoAuthentication IC, as well as for developing SHA-256-based security applications on virtually any embedded platform. The kit includes boards with sockets for the AT88SA102S, AT88SA100S and AT88SA10HS CryptoAuthentication ICs, using a SHA-256 algorithm, an AVR-based small profile USB MicrobaseTM pre-loaded with demonstration software, and samples of the AT88SA102S, AT88SA100S and AT88SA10HS. Demonstration and application development software may be downloaded from www.atmel.com/cryptoauthentication-kit.
The SHA-256 algorithm in the CryptoAuthentication devices authenticates by using a "challenge/response" operation between the microcontroller or host device and client. The host can be a portable power tool, printer, medical test equipment or a satellite radio transmitter. The corresponding client can be the battery in the power tool, an ink cartridge, a medical consumable or a satellite radio.
The AT88SA102S and AT88SA100S client devices in the SHA-256 Starter Kit have a unique serial number plus an embedded 256-bit key that is never exposed. A 63-bit customer secret is burned onto the fuses in the device during the manufacturing system configuration, which can never be read. An additional 23 bits of incremental blow fuses can be used, as needed by the customer. At the beginning of an authentication process (e.g., unlocking a door or installing an ink cartridge), the host microcontroller reads a serial number from the device. The host microcontroller performs a SHA-256 hash based on the device's serial number, a random number generated by the host microcontroller, the 256-bit key and knowledge of the customer secret from the CryptoAuthentication devices that are also stored in the host. The host then sends the random number to the client as a "challenge". The AT88SA102S and AT88SA100S client performs their own SHA-256 hash, based on the same information. The resulting digest or "response" is sent back to the host. The host microcontroller compares this response with the SHA-256 digest from its earlier calculation. If they match, the client is deemed to be authentic. The output digest of the SHA-256 calculation is so sensitive to the original information that changing even a single bit of the challenge will result in a completely different value.
Ultra-low Power Consumption
Authentication ICs spend only a small percentage of the time active, so sleep mode power consumption is the most important power consumption metric. With sleep mode power consumption of less than 100 nanoamps (nA), Atmel's AT88SA102S, AT88SA100S and AT88SA10HS CryptoAuthentication ICs should have virtually no impact on system battery life. Supply voltage for the AT88SA102S, AT88SA100S and AT88SA10HS devices are 2.5V to 5.5V
Availability and Pricing
The SHA-256 Starter Kit is available now from Digikey for $99.95.
Atmel's AT88SA102S, AT88SA100S and AT88SA10HS CryptoAuthentication ICs are now available in 3-lead SOT23 packages and priced at $0.42 in quantities of 100.
Press Contacts: Sharon Harnisch, Marketing Communications Tel : +1 719 540-1723, Email: Sharon.firstname.lastname@example.org
(C) 2009 Atmel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Atmel(R), Atmel logo and combinations thereof, Everywhere You Are(R), AVR(R) and others, are registered trademarks, CryptoAuthentication(TM) and others are trademarks of Atmel Corporation or its subsidiaries. Other terms and product names may be trademarks of others.
SOURCE Atmel Corporation
Web site: http://www.atmel.com/ |
Burmese American Collective supports teacher training workshops for public school teachers in Myanmar who lack access to professional development opportunities. Teachers learn how to develop collaborative and critical thinking activities, classroom management strategies and how to implement them, and improve their English language skills. Training improves the quality of teaching provided to students and contributes to the development of sustainable education policies across the country.
After six decades of neglect from its previous government, Myanmar's education sector suffers from woefully inadequate resources, teachers who are grossly under trained and underpaid, ineffective policy and regulation, and students who are poorly qualified to lead the nation. As part of its reforms, Myanmar's Ministry of Education has committed to child-centered approaches to learning and improving training for teachers.
We support professional development workshops that provide much needed training for teachers and that focus on child-centered approaches to learning. Workshops are offered through partnership with Myanmar-based community organizations and local government. Teachers who participate in these workshops learn core skills, gain practical classroom experience, and become more effective in teaching their students the same skill set.
Training and professional development workshops are offered to hundreds of teachers across all ethnic and religious backgrounds. Upon completion of their training, equipped with new knowledge and skills, these teachers will then return to their communities and improve the quality of education for thousands of children throughout Myanmar. Teachers together with their students will reshape the development of Myanmar's education system and build a sustainable future for the entire country. |
24 Oct Why peatlands matter
An interview with UN Environment Programme’s peatlands expert Dianna Kopansky
Tropical peatlands have been in the news recently with the very serious fires in Indonesia’s Jambi Province. Dianna Kopansky has worked extensively on tropical as well as other peatlands. She also coordinates the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) work on peatlands. In this interview, she tells us about the importance of peatlands and what can be done to protect them from fires.
Why are those peatland fires happening?
It’s not the first time Indonesia is facing huge fires. In 2015, they had mega-fires, and many of them on peatlands. Because peatlands are composed of thick layers of partly decomposed organic material that formed over thousands of years, they store lots of carbon. Fires are a regular problem for Indonesia during the summer months and this year again, they made the headlines.
Peatland health is under threat from drainage for agriculture, commercial forestry, peat extraction, infrastructure development and, of course, the effects of global heating. There are three main reasons why forest and peatland fires occur: various actors (companies, small scale farmers) use fire to clear land for development and agriculture; fires are often used to stake claims to land in disputes between big companies and small farmers; and drained peatlands are highly flammable during the dry season, so small-scale clearing and camp fires can easily burn out of control.
This situation is not specific to Indonesia—fires happen around the world, from the Arctic to the Amazon to the Congo Basin.
Why are peatland fires so problematic?
Peatland fires are problematic because of the huge amount of CO2 they release (42 per cent of Indonesia’s total emissions in 2015) and the significant impact on health. This summer, hundreds of people have been evacuated, schools have been closed and poor air quality is affecting people’s health, especially the most vulnerable. Air pollution reached hazardous levels in some parts of the country—microscopic particles are particularly dangerous. Not only do peatland fires impact people, but these ecosystems are also home to unique biodiversity which relies on this habitat for survival. We need to keep peatlands wet.
What challenges does Indonesia face as the most important global tropical peatland country in terms of peatland area and carbon stocks?
Indonesia holds a significant proportion of global tropical peatland carbon stocks. Recent estimates place its peatland area at about 22.5 million hectares, almost the size of Romania. Burning land is common practice as a seemingly “cost-efficient” method of removing vegetation which can also temporarily improve soil fertility. But when you consider the cost to people’s health and well-being, and to the environment through the significant amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, clearing peatlands using fire, especially when they are drained and degraded, is not wise nor is it cheap. Peatland fires can smolder underground for months, often undetected, and despite the government’s efforts, communities’ capacities to detect and control these fires is still low.
Historically, Indonesia’s use of peatlands included significant conversion and degradation, draining for palm oil plantations, forestry and agriculture. They have learned a lot over the years and the government has taken strong measures by committing to rewetting peatlands and putting in place strict peatlands moratoria. Indonesia’s 2015 fires led to the creation of the UNEP-led Global Peatlands Initiative, with a mission to protect and conserve peatlands as the world’s largest terrestrial organic carbon stock and to prevent that stock from being emitted into the atmosphere, through fires or oxidation. Together we have been championing sharing of experience to secure a different developmental pathway for countries with peatlands like the near-pristine Cuvette Centrale of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo. Indonesia is on a long journey towards rewetting, restoration and sustainable management of their peatlands which will require support and collaboration from the international community.
What is the solution for peatlands here?
One of our immediate priorities as UNEP is to implement the first phase of a 30-month projectStrengthening Indonesian Capacity for Anticipatory Peat Fire Management, which aims to apply best practices and knowledge of peatland ecosystems to develop innovative approaches key for better-integrated fire management for the people of Indonesia. The project, connected to the work of the Initiative and the UN-REDD Programme, is a concerted effort to help communities and the government prevent, prepare for and cope with peatland fires.
Effective peatlands protection, restoration and sustainable management needs the commitment and involvement of all stakeholders, including the private sector. For example, the Wana Subur Lestari c/o Sumitomo Forestry Concession is a commercial plantation on degraded peatlands in Indonesia aiming to create a balance between economy, environment and society. They are adopting a “peat dome” approach which considers the functioning of peatlands as a whole dome ecosystem, managing hydrology as a whole, rather than splitting management between concessions or political boundaries. The company is investing in knowing more about peatlands through detailed topographic maps, monitoring local flora and fauna, investigating the distribution of peat and its depth. Together with the Government of Indonesia, it has determined which areas are suited for different types of use and management in production, conservation and social zones as per regulations.
These efforts are paying off, and while huge parts of the province were burning, the carefully managed areas of their concession did not. They have observed—in the part on the concession which they managed as a conservation area—that rare species, such as a mother orangutan and her baby are thriving. Peatland rewetting, restoration, protection and management is not only the duty of governments but should be the goal of every single one of us if we want to reach the goals set out in the Paris Agreement and in the Sustainable Development Goals.
Nature is our best ally in the fight against climate change. It is quick to react and provide results, but it also takes time to heal, so the time for action and investment in peatlands as an incredible nature-based solution is well overdue.
Link to the original article: https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/why-peatlands-matter
Picture: Fires rage on peat lands outside Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan. Photo by Aulia Erlangga/CIFOR |
Will recycling urine into drinking water solve the problem of water scarcity?On May 20, three astronauts held up silver pouches to toast a new beverage available onboard the International Space Station. The containers looked like Capri Sun, but they weren't filled with juice drink. It was water recycled from their urine.The new $154-million water recycling system-which creates a day's worth of water from urine, sweat, and exhaled air-will reduce the $12 million per year NASA hemorrhages ferrying water to the ISS. It also doubles the number of permanent crew that the ISS can support, from three to six members. "I can very easily foresee water-recycling systems on Earth," says Bob Bagdigian, project manager for NASA's Environmental Control Life Support System. "I hope that what we're doing on the space station will help demonstrate and validate the approach."Urine-recycling projects were kicked off in the late-1990s-concurrently with NASA's efforts. Orange County, California, opened its $427-million Groundwater Replenishment System in late 2007 to stop the encroachment of Pacific Ocean water on its groundwater basin, which supplies potable water to 500,000 residents from the Santa Ana River, a tributary of the Colorado. To keep the Pacific at bay, the Orange County Water District started injecting super-pure water into the basin to create a "water dam" between the brine and the groundwater. The injection stream comes from the one plentiful source the district had at its disposal: wastewater. It purifies 70 million gallons of water daily from treated sewage supplied by the local sanitation department. A primary filtration method is reverse osmosis-the same method used in desalination. Several independent audits found that the district's purified water was of higher quality than the water in the groundwater basin where it's injected.If the water is so pure, why not just send it directly to the people? Aside from a handful of natural-health proponents who claim that drinking your own urine has health benefits, there are few who are comfortable with the idea-even if the water has been cleaned. "There's a deep emotional revulsion that is counterpoised by this being good for the environment and safe," says Paul Rozin, a University of Pennsylvania psychologist who studies the emotion of disgust. Detractors of recycling systems have developed terms such as "toilet to tap" to play up the "yuck factor" with direct recycling. (The only plant that actually practices toilet-to-tap recycling is in Windhoek, Namibia, the driest African country south of the Sahara.)Orange County counteracted people's attitudes with aggressive outreach, giving hundreds of presentations to community organizations and offering samples of its recycled water. "From a public-education standpoint," advises Shivaji Deshmukh of the Orange County Water Distict, "make sure you don't hide anything and you start early." Today, Singapore and cities in Australia, as well as Los Angeles and San Diego (both cities that recently caved to public dissent on recycling systems) are developing reclamation.These plans can be a key component of any plan to combat water scarcity. So it's a good thing that most people Rozin has surveyed accept it as a cost of civilization. For those whose disgust persists, Deshmukh offers this reminder: "Most of the water we use has been recycled. In Southern California, five or six states have used (and put back) water from the Colorado River before we ever get to it." |
The Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex IIa 855/16 is a simple twin-lens reflex (TLR) camera, almost spartan, with good clean lines.
This article is not a review of the camera; instead, it surmises my first impressions and observations after using the camera for the first time. See the photos from my first roll of film shot with the Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex IIa.
About the camera
The Ikoflex uses120 film and takes pictures in the 6×6 format. You get 12 shots per roll of 120 film.
By definition, a TLR camera has two lenses. A viewing lens (the upper lens) and the taking lens (the lower lens). As the name suggests, you view, compose and focus through the viewing lens. The focus is coupled between the viewing and taking lenses. When you press the shutter release, the camera takes the photograph through the taking lens.
On the Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex IIa, the viewing lens is a Teronar Anastigmat 3.5/75mm, and the taking lens is a Zeiss Opton Tessar 3.5/75mm 4-element in three multi-coated groups.
The shutter is a Synchro-Compur XM leaf shutter, with speeds ranging from 1 sec to 1/500 sec. There is no timer delay.
The IIa model displays the aperture and shutter values in two windows, either side of the taking lens. The windows are clearly visible when operating the camera and looking from above—a significant improvement in the ergonomics over the previous models.
The camera weighs 1.2Kg, although it doesn’t feel heavy. Possibly due to its comparatively compact size. The weight is probably a reflection of the build quality. It certainly feels solid; no flimsy bits which feel as if they might break.
First impressions of the Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex IIa
I would certainly describe the Ikoflex as a quirky camera. On the one hand, it is very basic and straightforward. On the other hand, it is over-engineered, and if you don’t understand how to operate it, it can be unusable.
The sequence to load film is more complicated than in any camera I have ever used. I am still working on perfecting the technique, but so far, the following sequence works for me:
- Insert the unexposed spool of film at the bottom of the camera and engage the leader in the top spool.
- Wind the film forward a little to ensure that the leader is securely engaged and correctly seated. Close the camera back.
- Open the red glass viewing window on the bottom of the camera and wind the film forward until you see the number 1. Close the viewing window.
- Set the film counter manually to number 1 (push down and rotate the counter).
- The counter is advanced automatically as you wind the film forward after each shot. You can only advance the film forward one frame at a time.
- After taking the twelfth shot, you keep turning the knob until the film is fully wound onto the take-up spool.
Winding the film on does not cock the shutter. There is a separate lever under the lens which cocks the shutter.
There is no means of taking a double exposure that I can see.
A folding waist-level viewer provides a preview of the image. A sliding lever opens the viewer – the viewer hood panels spring up very abruptly. Beware!
The focusing screen is reasonably bright, and there is a flip-up magnifying glass to help with focus. The focus knob also has a depth of field scale.
The focus knob is not the smoothest and is a little stiff. A quarter of a turn takes you from 1m to infinity. This can be an advantage or disadvantage, depending on your point of view.
To summarise, the preview and focusing are adequate, but not outstanding.
Shutter and aperture
Sliders either side of the taking lens control the shutter speed and aperture. This operation felt strange at first (I am used to precise click settings), but they do work rather well. Being able to see the settings in the preview windows when viewed from above was a great help. My first roll of film was correctly exposed, so the settings must be accurate.
One thing to note: you have to move the lever a long way to achieve the 1/500sec setting from the previous 1/250sec setting. To achieve the 1/500sec setting, you have to set it first, before cocking the shutter.
The shutter release is on top of the camera on the right of the pop-up waist-level finder. I found the position a little awkward. A nice touch is that the shutter release is automatically locked when you fold the view-finder folded.
A few words from the service technician
When I received this camera, it was in very poor condition. It was heavily oxidised and had many years of accumulated grime, probably due to decades without use. However, with careful and meticulous disassembly and thorough cleaning of all the parts, the camera has come back to life. It is ready for another 60+ years of use.
Regarding lens quality, the technician made the following comments:
The lens is a fully-fledged Zeiss. It has that balance of sharpness and contrast that results in a magical range of tonality which holds up exceptionally well in highlights while retaining detail in the shadows.
However, the technician advised caution regarding the lens anti-reflection coatings. Use a lens hood; otherwise, the images can acquire a soft effect which can be pleasant in portraits and dreamy landscapes, but not in general photography.
The Zeiss Opton Tessar lens excels at medium distances where it has good punch, no vignetting and lacks distortion. Just like a good Zeiss. |
National Geological Screening for a GDF - Bristol and Gloucester region
This screening report hosted on this site is a technical exercise across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. No specific location in England, Wales or Northern Ireland has been identified as a potential GDF site. Any future decision on geological disposal would be subject to community agreement and planning and environmental consents.
Our work shows that we may find a suitable geological setting for a GDF in a small part of this subregion, but the potential rock may not be present in suitably shaped or sized volumes.
Rock can be seen at the surface in some of the subregion such as the Forest of Dean, the Avon and Cheddar Gorges and the Mendips and in man-made excavations such as quarries or road cuttings. Combined with some deep boreholes and geophysical investigations, this gives us an understanding of the rocks present and their distribution.
There are clay-rich rock layers south of Bristol, around Weston-super-Mare and between Wells and Frome, in which we may be able to site a GDF. There are also volcanic lavas and similar strong rocks between Wells and Frome, in which we may be able to site a GDF. These rocks may not be present in suitably shaped or sized volumes and we would need to do more work to find out whether they have suitable properties and thicknesses.
Even where individual clay-rich rock layers are found not to be thick enough to host a GDF they may support the siting of a GDF in deeper rocks as they could act as a barrier to groundwater flow from depth. This is important because movement of groundwater is one of the ways in which radioactive material could be carried back to the surface.
Some of the subregion has been mined for coal resources to depths below 100m, in the Forest of Dean and around Bristol and Midsomer Norton and iron ore to depths below 100m, also in the Forest of Dean. In these areas the mining is likely to have affected the way in which water moves through the rock. Also possible exploration in the future in these areas means that it is more likely that future generations may disturb a facility.
Parts of the Forest of Dean are also Coal Authority Licence Areas allowing companies to explore for coal. It is not known whether coal in these licence areas will be exploited. RWM will continue to monitor how this exploration programme progresses.
The area around Weston-super-Mare has Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences to allow companies to explore for oil and gas. This exploration is currently at an early stage and it is not known whether oil or gas in these licence areas will be exploited. RWM will also continue to monitor how this exploration programme progresses.
There are thermal springs in Bristol and Bath which indicate that groundwater is moving rapidly from depth to the surface in these areas. This would need to be considered in the siting of a GDF in this subregion.
For further information, read the report below.
We have also produced a summary of the geological attributes of the Bristol and Gloucester Region. |
After four years of sorting through the cemetery’s archives, the volunteers are accustomed to deciphering fancy handwriting and decoding orotund sentences. A note from an executor instructing the cemetery to prepare a certain plot for the burial of a widow next to her husband can seem as involved as a paragraph from Henry James or Edith Wharton.
James Barron, NY Times, “Preserving History, Uncovering Secrets, at Green-Wood Cemetery”, July 4, 2013
Curious about the origins of The Green-Wood Cemetery and the stories of its permanent residents? Or just fascinated by the richness and depth of the vast number of monuments and memorials that adorn the grounds?
As a volunteer, The Green-Wood Historic Fund offers you a multitude of ways to satisfy your curiosity: you can handle and preserve original and primary sources materials; make a lasting contribution to history by participating in varied research projects; or help to make our wealth of archival and historical records known and accessible.
Since 2009, the Green-Wood Historic Fund’s Archives and Historical Collections have hosted numerous volunteers and student interns. They have assisted us in the arrangement, description, and preservation of our archival and historical holdings, as well as participated in several salient research projects. Working alongside and with the guidance and direction of Green-Wood’s archivist, manager of collections, and historian, volunteers and interns have ably assisted our team on numerous projects, including:
- Archival processing and preservation of nineteenth- and twentieth-century documents, architectural drawings, photographs, and records.
- Digitization of manuscripts and pictorial records.
- Creation of archival database entries and programs.
- Conducting in-depth historical and biographical research supporting varied initiatives, publications, and exhibitions.
Our historical records and collections date back to the 1830s, so there is much to do. Please join us, today!
• Volunteers and interns must be able to commit to a minimum of 5 hours per week.
• Students interested in a general, noncredit bearing or credit bearing internship must be pursuing a career in museum studies, archives, or a related field of study. For a credit bearing internship, you must submit written confirmation from your school or program stating that you will receive course credit for hours completed.
• Recent graduates wanting to gain additional hands on experience are also encouraged to apply.
• Complete the below application form and submit a resume to email@example.com
Mr. Richman’s research began as a casual project among Civil War buffs in 2002 to identify the graves of about 200 veterans buried at the cemetery. But the historians quickly ventured deeper into archives, requiring the efforts of volunteers from as far away as California and Florida. The team discovered 2,000 graves that were missing, unmarked or severely damaged, and obtained gravestones for them from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs. Calls and e-mails from descendants of Civil War veterans searching for relatives’ remains are received almost every day.
Stephen Rex Brown, NY Times, “Confederate History Buried Far from the Battlefield”, May 22, 2011 |
Green Schools are Vegan Schools
Vegan schools are more environmentally friendly.
When all the evidence is added up, it no longer makes sense to serve meat and dairy products in schools, whether in school lunch programs, during pizza fundraisers, or with hot dogs at Fun Day. Meat and dairy at school are no longer cool because the livestock industry contributes to global warming and climate change. The only way to be a truly green — and compassionate — school community is to "go veg"!
Our task must be to free ourselves ... by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.... Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.
— Albert Einstein
Photo by -Snugg- used with permission
Why Vegan Schools?
The evidence is clear that eating meat and dairy products increases the risk of health problems such as obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancers, diabetes, food poisoning, and more — and not just in adults. If we care about the children, our students, we must be willing to consider the evidence, and do something.
There is also a connection between meat eating and world hunger, violence and inhumaneness. (See The World Peace Diet and anything by John Robbins for more info.)
And now, more and more, we are coming to see that the industrialized livestock industry, in North America certainly and around the world as well, is a huge contributor to environmental problems such as
- land use changes and deforestation, leading to land degradation (erosion, desertification, release of carbon from soils) and
- water pollution (from run-off) and water scarcity
- air pollution and acid rain (from emissions of carbon monoxide, chlorofluorocarbons, ammonia, oxides of nitrogen, sulphur dioxide, and volatile organic compounds or VOCs)
- nitrogen pollution (which leads to decreased forest productivity in surrounding areas)
- the greenhouse gas emissions that are leading to global warming and climate change (methane from animals and their manure, nitrogen from the production of nitrogen fertilizers for feedcrops, CO2 from processing plants and the transport of livestock and products)
One easy way to ensure that schools are not responsible for contributing to poorer health, world hunger, violence and environmental degradation is simply to not serve meat and other livestock-related foods at school functions and for school lunches. Vegan schools are more socially and environmentally responsible.
This is not to say that schools should start policing what comes to school in students' lunches — far from that. (Although there is definitely an opportunity here for nutrition education and environmental education for parents!)
Many families, when they hear about the impacts of livestock production on climate change, are willing to at least reduce their meat and dairy consumption if not go completely vegan (no animal products at all) or vegetarian (dairy and eggs, but no meat) — for the sake of their own health and their children's future.
At virtually each step of the livestock production process, substances contributing to climate change or air pollution are emitted into the atmosphere, or their sequestration in other reservoirs is hampered. Such changes are either the direct effect of livestock rearing or indirect contributions from other steps on the long road that ends with the marketed animal product....
Livestock activities emit considerable amounts of these three gases [carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides — all potent greenhouse gases]....
Globally, livestock are the most important source of anthropogenic methane emissions…. and account for 35-40 percent of global anthropogenic emissions. Ruminants, and to a minor extent also monogastrics, emit methane as part of their digestive process, which involves microbial fermentation of fibrous feeds. Animal manure also emits gases such as methane, nitrous oxides, ammonia and carbon dioxide, depending on the way they are produced (solid, liquid) and managed (collection, storage, spreading).
Livestock also affect the carbon balance of land used for pasture or feedcrops, and thus indirectly contribute to releasing large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. The same happens when forest is cleared for pastures. In addition, greenhouse gases are emitted from fossil fuel used in the production process, from feed production to processing and marketing of livestock products.
— Livestock's Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
Foods for Vegan Schools
Special Event Foods for Vegan Schools
- hot dogs can be veggie dogs
- pizza can be vegan cheese pizza with all sorts of vegetable and fruit toppings
- Chinese food can be veggie spring rolls and vegetable chop suey with bits of marinated tofu over noodles or rice
- lasagna can be vegetable lasagna or vegan cheese lasagna
- Mexican can be bean burritos with vegan nacho salad and a mild salsa
- nachos can be made with hummus and salsa
- sandwiches can be made from nut butters (if allowed in your school), or seitan, tempeh, or TVP (textured vegetable protein) or soy crumble with a healthy vegan "cheese sauce" (or see this list of 50 vegan sandwiches)
- hamburgers can be veggie burgers
- school garden harvest "potluck" buffet
Always try to find organic ingredients, for the health of your students and the Earth.
Check out my school's Harvest Potluck luncheon.
The offerings were vegetarian (mostly vegan), fresh from the school garden (except for the veggie dips), and cooked/baked by the students with help from their teachers or parent volunteers.
Rainbow coleslaw, kale chips, green salad, beet borscht, baked potato wedges, zucchini lasagna and zucchini bread, fava bean dip with pita bread made from the wheat my class grew at the community garden. Perhaps the presentation wasn't the most beautiful, but it was delicious and the kids loved it!
Lunch Menus for Vegan Schools
Did you know that the average family has only nine favourite meals? I'll bet that school cafeterias don't have many more than that (many school food programs start repeating their menus after just a week or two), so it's a fairly simple task to "veganize" a family's diet or a school's lunch menus. As examples, here are my family's nine favourite dinners (I follow a gluten-free diet, so adding wheat products will make this list even easier to add to):
- Chili "sans carne" (without meat) (add grated carrots, artichoke hearts, textured vegetable protein (TVP, a soy product), and a mix of colourful beans; serve with vegan cornbread)
- Stuffed peppers (rice with lots of different veggies and tofu)
- Black beans on rice or quinoa (add crushed pineapple for zing)
- Pasta (with vegan pesto or marinara sauce; add veggie ground round or TVP for a "meatier" sauce)
- Sunday "roast" (potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, beets, broccoli, kale and other veggies surrounding marinated tofu or veggie pâté, or served with soy cutlets)
- Ratatouille over rice, couscous or quinoa (the quintessential harvest stew of zucchini, eggplant, peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes and herbs like oregano, basil or thyme)
- Perogies with fried onions and soy bacon bits (with soy-based sour cream or plain soy yogurt, if you're a diehard)
- Asian noodles with bean sprouts and ginger coconut soy sauce
- Veggie burgers
- Stirfry with loads of veggies and tofu
- Greek salad (which is yummy even without the feta cheese) and spanakopita, or stuffed grape leaves (which can be vegan)
- Mashed potato pie (one of George Bernard Shaw's favourites)
- Curried vegetables (make it mild and everyone will love it) over rice, with lentil dal
Okay, that's more than nine! But it makes the point. It is NOT difficult to make the switch to vegan meals at school. Try this with your own family's favourite meals.
If your local school offers a breakfast and/or lunch program, check out the menus. It's great to see more schools (and some whole school systems)
- eliminating chocolate milk
- purchasing locally grown produce
- offering whole grain breads and cereals
- reducing added sugar and salt
- increasing dried bean options and fibre rich foods
- labelling foods for different ethnic and religious groups, and
- offering vegetarian and even, in some jurisdictions, vegan options
but think how much easier and healthier (and cheaper, if not for meat subsidies and "commodities bonuses" in the USA) school lunch programs would be if they offered only the vegan option and became vegan schools. Why offer unhealthy hamburgers and cheeseburgers when you're offering nutritious veggie burgers anyway? Why offer spaghetti with meat sauce when you're serving spaghetti with marinara sauce anyway?
And why have we gotten into the habit of providing so much choice at lunchtime? (In our society, choice = waste.) Even keeping religious, spiritual and allergy needs in mind, it is still possible to serve delicious vegan school lunches every day and meet everyone's needs.
A Letter to Jamie Oliver — Let's Veganize the Food Revolution!
You rock! You're doing great work to revolutionize what people in developed countries are eating. I know you're a chef who's been trained to cook what people want, and I know you're not a vegetarian, but would you consider making your signature piece for your Food Revolution series a vegan one?
That way, you would not only be contributing to increased health and nutrition for all Americans, but you would be helping in the struggle to safeguard the future of your children and my grandchildren from global warming and climate disruption.
It's now widely known that industrialized livestock, especially in North America, is one of the greatest producers of greenhouse gases in the world, so encouraging and modelling a transition to a more plant-based diet and vegan schools (without necessarily even bringing attention to it) would be one of the best contributions you can make with your program.
Thanks for considering this.
p.s. Please put a garden in the schoolyard of every school you work with!
Jamie Oliver keeps campaigning for healthier food — and especially, healthier food in schools. Now, if we could just convince him to, you know, go veg and help create vegan schools! For the sake of kids' future health as well as their current health.
Resources for Vegan Schools
If you are willing to help your school, school district and parent advisory group go veg, here are some resources to assist you.
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine's Healthy School Food Resource Section (with some excellent educational and promotional materials for veg schools)
World Watch Institute's Livestock and Climate Change
VegFamily Magazine, great columns and articles to support vegan family living (sometimes takes a while to load)
The Vegetarian Resource Group's Tips for Introducing Vegetarian Food into Institutions (American focus, but lots of menu suggestions)
What's for Lunch? Schools Bring Vegetarian Options to the Table by Juliann Schaeffer in the April 2008 issue of Today's Dietitian
Forks Over Knives, a documentary feature-length film that examines the scientific research behind the claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict our society (heart disease, cancer, diabetes) can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting animal-based and processed foods, and choosing a plant-based diet
SMTV, the international TV channel of a humanitarian spiritual group that provides subtitled programming on the connection between diet and environment (including vegan cooking shows)
The World Peace Diet is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the historical and cultural connection between a diet based on the oppression of other animals and an economy based on the destruction of the rest of Nature
A Compilation of Quotations for Veg Schools [ready-to-print pdf, compliments of GreenHeart Education]
Lifelong eating patterns are established in childhood. Thus, getting vegetarian meals into schools will do more than satisfy the very important goal of providing a warm vegan or vegetarian lunch to your children and their friends. Including veggie alternatives at lunchtime affirms that vegetarian meals are healthy, bona fide and desirable; an understanding that will affect students' dietary choices throughout their lifetime.
This means future adults will indeed eat more plant-based meals and encourage their children to do the same; a simple dietary change that provides multiple benefits. A minimal 10% reduction in the amount of meat consumed across America will save the lives of approximately 900,000,000 animals per year, free enough grain to feed 60 million people, and greatly reduce environmental pollution.
— Susan Wieland, in The Time is Right for Getting Veggie Meals into Schools... And Here's How YOU Can Do It! at VegFamily.com.
If you eat meat, I can imagine that you might be feeling a bit conflicted or threatened after reading this page. It's said that we are what we eat, and therefore we tend to strongly defend and rationalize our own diet. Please know that I was vegetarian for nearly 30 years before I ever asked anyone else to consider giving up meat. That's because the climate change crisis has changed everything. (I'm now vegan.)
We must now be acting on every possible way to lower our greenhouse gas emissions, and eating lower on the food chain is the easiest step we — as individuals, as families, as schools — can take. (In many developed countries, it's certainly easier than giving up our cars.)
Besides, nobody ever died from eating nutritionally balanced vegan lunches at school!
Seriously, the request here is not necessarily to "go vegan" yourself (although that would be a real gift), but to refrain from serving animal products at school for the sake of our students.
Creating vegan schools means we are working to
safeguard the future — one meal at a time.
Return from Vegan Schools to Greening School Behaviour
Return to GreenHeart Education Homepage |
In this guide, you are going to learn how to protect the guava trees from insects.
The guava tree is one of the many trees with hardwood which may be hard for insects to damage. However, despite the guava plant possessed hardwood stems, trunks, and branches, the plant has its own share of pests.
The common pests of guava include:
- Stem borer of guava
- Eating caterpillars
- Green shield scale
- Guava whiteflies and others
You can find out more information about guava pests and their management from here and here.
How to Protect Guava Tree from Insects
There are several ways in which you can deter or prevent your guava plants from damage by insects.
And they include:
- Use of biological control agents
- Chemical control method
- Planting of resistant varieties
- Use of agricultural practices
Use of Biological Control Agents
Insect pests like stem borer of guava can be controlled biologically by introducing their natural enemies such as green meadow grasshopper and spiders.
These insects can help protect your guava from attack by their prey by reducing the population of guava stem borer.
Chemical Control Method
This method of protecting guava from insects involves the use of chemicals to destroy or reduce the population of insect pests.
To protect your guava from insects using the chemical control method, spray a pesticide containing an active ingredient Fenthionin to the infested guava trees.
You can alternatively apply a pesticide, which contains the active ingredient Dimethoate. To prepare the insecticides, follow the instructions given on the product to spray your guava with the pesticide.
Prepare 5-10 liters of the pesticide when applying the pesticide on guava fruits and leaves.
Spray your guava plantation weekly and stop when you see that the pests are under control.
Planting of Resistant Guava Varieties
When planting your guava, always buy and plant guava varieties that are resistant to diseases and pests. This way, your guava can be resistant to attack by pathogens and insect pests.
Learn more about the different guava varieties
Implementing Good Agricultural Practices
Another easy and effective way to deter insects and keep their population under control is the use of good agricultural practices.
Make sure you timely prune your guava trees to reduce dense canopy. This can help allow good passage of air in and out of your guava plantation.
Weeding guava plantation can also help keep the population of insects under management.
Irrigate and fertilize your guava to restore the plant vigor. This can help your guava withstand the effects of pests even when the guava is infested by pests. You can use nitrogen-based fertilizer to feed your guava.
Practice Crop Rotation. Plant other host plants around the area of guava trees plantation. This can help reduce the population of insects on your guava trees to the other host plants.
Other Management Practices and Takeaway
- Always allow wider space between two guava plants when you are planting guava
- Collect and burn infested stems, fruits, and leaves
- Cut guava branches that rest on or touching the wall, this will help remove the bridge that other insects such as ants will use and damage your guava
Sathe, Tukaram. (2015). STORAGE INSECT PESTS OF GUAVA PSIDIUM GUAJAVA LINN. International Journal of Current Research. 7. 21015-21018,. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283210290_STORAGE_INSECT_PESTS_OF_GUAVA_PSIDIUM_GUAJAVA_LINN/citation/download
Sarwar, Muhammad. (2006). Occurrence of Insect Pests on Guava (Psidium guajava) Tree. 38. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268379548_Occurrence_of_Insect_Pests_on_Guava_Psidium_guajava_Tree |
With so many companies offering international shipping services it is not hard to find an international shipping invoice template. These packages include the invoice, a data-sheet which includes the basic information needed to fill out the package and the shipping document or the certificate of shipment.
What separates international shipping invoices from other invoices is that all the information is from the buyer’s point of view. The invoice should only contain the basic information, like the amount of the invoice, when and where it was written, and the cost of the product or service in your country.
For a business, an international shipping invoice template is an ideal way to document and track the shipping process. These packages are typically available for free. To find one, you should go to the International Shipping Services website.
Once you are there, you will need to choose the package that you want to purchase and then write down the amount that you need. These packages normally have a three-digit number after the package code. The invoice is usually labeled on the box, next to the total. A small note is also attached.
When you buy these packages, you should be able to find a few common documents such as the invoice and the shipping document which should both be different in the following ways: The invoice is usually more detailed while the shipping document shows all the details about the shipment. The shipping document shows the cost of the shipping and the destination of the shipment. The invoice shows the name of the shipper and the full address.
In most cases, the shipping documents are signed by the company and then sent via post. The company sends a copy of the shipping document to the buyer. Some companies will provide both the shipping document and the invoice. This makes it easier for the buyer to file the insurance claim with the insurance company and get their money back.
Finding an international shipping invoice template can make tracking your shipment’s much easier. It is important to know that if you do not complete your shipping documents correctly, the shipping company may charge you extra charges. You need to get everything done correctly before you can ship your product. |
From the top of the 80m high tower, the body is thrown horizontally with an initial speed of 15 m/s. At what time and at what distance from the foot of the tower does the body hit the horizontal surface of the Earth? (use g = 10 ms-2)
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The two bodies, whose initial distance is 240 m, move evenly against each other consistently. The first body has an initial velocity of 4 m/s and an acceleration of 3 m/s2, the second body has an initial speed of 6 m/s and an acceleration of 2 m/s2. Fin
- Up and down motion
We throw the body from a height h = 5 m above the Earth vertically upwards v0 = 10 m/s. How long before we have to let the second body fall freely from the same height to hit the Earth at the same time?
- Athletic competition
In a 400 meter athletic competition, a participant covers the distance as given below. find the average speed? first 80 meters 10 m/s next 240 meters 7.5 m/s last 80 meters 10 m/s
- Free fall
How long does the stone fall freely into a depth of 80m? What speed will it hit the bottom of the abyss?
The aircraft flies at an altitude of 4100 m above the ground at speed 777 km/h. At what horizontal distance from the point B should be release any body from the aircraft body to fall into point B? (g = 9.81 m/s2)
- Braking distance
The car travels at an average speed of 12 km/h and detects an obstacle 10 m in front of it. At 1 m in front of the obstacle it already runs 2 km/h. What is the braking distance? What is the required deceleration for stop in: A) 1m B) 1s?
The braking efficiency of a passenger car is required to stop at 12.5 m at an initial speed of 40 km/h. What is the acceleration braking by brakes?
- Acceleration 2
if a car traveling at a velocity of 80 m/s/south accelerated to a velocity of 100 m/s east in 5 seconds, what is the cars acceleration? using Pythagorean theorem
- The tram
The tram is moving with acceleration a = 0.3m/s2. How long it will pass the first meter of track? How long does it take 10 meters. What is its speed at the end of the 10 meters track?
- Two trains meet
From A started at 7:15 express train at speed 85 km/h to B. From B started passenger train at 8:30 in the direction to A and at speed 55 km/h. The distance A and B are 386 1/4 km. At what time and at what distance from B the two trains meet?
- Free fall
The free fall body has gone 10m in the last 0.5s. Find the body speed at the moment of impact.
- An acceleration
The car goes on a straight road at a speed of 72 km/h. At some point, the driver starts to brake and stops the car in 5 seconds. Find: (a) the acceleration during braking (b) the distance traveled during braking.
The car accelerates at rate 0.5m/s2. How long travels 400 meters and what will be its speed?
From Trutnov, the motorcyclist started at an average speed of 60km/hour. At 12.30hrs the passenger car was started at a speed of 80km/hour. How many hours and at what distance from Trutnov will car catch a motorcycle?
- Car overtaking
A passenger car travels at a speed of 30 m/s, and before it travels freight truck that drives at a constant speed of 10 m/s. Within 30 meters of the truck, the driver of the car finds out that the truck can not overtake. That's why it starts braking with
- Train speed
The train speed is decreased during 50 sec from 72 km/h to 36 km/h. Assuming that the train movement is equally slowing, find the the acceleration and the distance that it travels at.
- Free fall
For how long and at what speed does the body fall to the ground during a free fall from a height of 35 m? |
With less than a month left before Election Day, and have launched a campaign to educate voters about where the presidential candidates and the political parties stand on six key health equity issues: LGBT equality; HIV/AIDS; healthcare; substance use; mental health; and housing. Past and current positions on health equity issues were compiled from official campaign statements, party platforms, interviews and articles, and records as public servants or public figures. The campaign consists of social media, a website, and an in-depth report on the candidates and party platforms.
“There are some striking―and surprising―differences among the four candidates for president on LGBT equality, HIV, and health equity issues,” said Sean Cahill, Ph.D., Director of Health Policy at The Fenway Institute of Fenway Health. “We encourage voters to consider candidates’ positions on housing policy, health policy, and other critical issues.”
“With the election less than a month away, debate needs to move beyond emails and beauty queens to life and death issues like housing, health care, mental health, substance use, and basic legal and social equality,” said Jacquelyn Kilmer, Esq., CEO of Harlem United. “This new report and online resource will help ensure that voters will consider these issues that matter when casting their vote.”
Voters can visit harlemunited.org/vote to find detailed information on the record and positions of Donald Trump and the Republican Party; the record and positions of Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party; the record and positions of Jill Stein and the Green Party; and the record and positions of Gary Johnson and the Libertarian Party. The report also describes the records of the GOP and Democratic Vice Presidential candidates on these issues.
Shareable social media graphics with information about the candidates’ campaign platforms on these issues can be downloaded from the site. Fenway Health and Harlem United are encouraging voters to use #IssuesThatMatter when they share the graphics to encourage candidates to address these issues in upcoming debates on Sunday, October 9 and Wednesday, October 18. The detailed, 40-page report, The 2016 Presidential Candidates on Important Health Equity Issues, is available for download at harlemunited.org/vote.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 8, 2016. |
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What can a bank or building society offer you?
Don’t opt to stash your cash under the mattress when there are safer places to deposit your wage, that also provide convenient ways to manage bill payments, offer loans and give you interest while you save. What more could you want?
What is a bank?
At a very simplistic level, banks accept deposits and make loans, and then make a profit from the difference in the interest rates paid and charged. So whilst the products and services they provide can be invaluable, remember they exist to make a profit.
How is a building society different?
A building society differs ever so slightly from a bank, in that they were originally owned by their members, i.e. the customers who invest in savings schemes and those who hold mortgages and other accounts with them. Over recent years many of them have changed their ownership, meaning they have become more like a normal public company, but for the few that remain mutual (owned by its members) there are some important differences. There are no shareholders to pay dividends to, and so any profits are reinvested in the building society, and it is often run and managed by those who have some ownership. Nowadays, building societies offer pretty much exactly the same services as banks.
Why might I need a bank or building society account?
In order to store and manage your money safely; it allows you to easily pay bills, cash cheques, pay wages in, purchase goods in-store or online, make mobile payments, record your spending – the possibilities are endless (well, not quite endless, but you know what we mean!).
Why types of bank accounts are there?
The terms used can differ from one bank to another, but here are four main types to look out for:
Basic bank account – the simplest type of bank account that allows you to receive and access your money as well as pay bills via cash, debit card and online but doesn’t include overdrafts, cheques or credit cards.
Current account – allows you to receive regular payments, e.g. salary, benefits, pension etc, and regularly withdraw money either in cash, or payments via debit card or cheque.
Packaged account – a current account that offers extra features, e.g. travel insurance, interest free overdraft, motor breakdown cover, for a monthly fee (often between £10-20)
Joint account – largely used by people that live together in order to manage bills, shared expenses, mortgage and rent payments. Just remember that if anything happens with the account, you are all responsible; and (unless you require everybody to authorise each transaction) people can spend money without the others knowing!
As you know these are not the only services available from a bank or building society – most will also offer savings accounts, investments, mortgages, insurance, credit cards and loans.
Which bank or building society is for me?
Choosing the right bank or building society for you shouldn’t be too hard. Firstly, you have to figure out exactly what you need from it – for example, if you have a tight schedule and are often busy you will need to find a bank with flexible (or weekend) opening hours, that allows ATM deposits and can be managed online. Alternatively, if you would prefer to do your banking over the telephone, look for those who have the best track record in offering this service. For the more tech-savvy, there is now app-based banking which allows you to manage your money from your smartphone.
Once you know what to look for, you can quickly evaluate the competition. The most important thing to remember is that it is an incredibly competitive market, with each bank trying to look better than the next. That is why it is crucial to shop around! Focus on what is important to you and not what the (literally) all-singing all-dancing adverts try to tell you. For more help choosing the right account visit: www.moneysavingexpert.com
It is crucial to shop around!
And lastly – statistics show that the average person is more likely to get divorced during their lifetime than change their current account! But this shouldn’t be the case. You can change both of them as often as you like – the rules and process have been changed to make it much easier for you to do this. As a result, many companies have responded by offering enticing cashback switching offers and promise to transfer any direct debits you might have quickly so that you don’t miss a payment. Why not check them out or ask your bank what more they can do for you to make your money work harder? |
One of the common allergic reaction you can experience is the nickel allergy. It is the common cause that triggers contact dermatitis. The allergic contact dermatitis can result in the itchy rash. So, you can see rashes appearing on the skin surface after touching a relatively harmless substance. It is the common allergy resulting from the association with earrings as well as other jewelry items. But, nickel is a common metal that you can find in many day-to-day objects. Therefore, you can observe the nickel presence in items like zippers, coins, eyeglass frames, and cell phones.
People with sensitive skin can get a nickel allergy by just coming in contact with the metal. But, others can experience the allergy with prolong/repeated exposure to items containing nickel. You need to understand that once you develop the allergy, you are more prone to getting it again. So, it is better to avoid contact with the metal to avoid repeated occurrences. You need to get the necessary treatments to reduce the symptoms associated with the nickel allergy. Read ahead to know more about the issues and the methods to overcome them.
What Is Allergy?
Your body’s immune system responds to a certain allergic substance that comes in contact or enters your system. The hypersensitive responses vary with the person to person. The substances triggering the allergic reaction is known as allergens. You can find the allergens everywhere in the environment. So, you can find it in your foods, drinks or the air you breathe. The common allergens that can cause an adverse reaction in your body are:
- Animal Hair
- Bee Venom
Therefore, the allergens can cause adverse reactions that can cause severe distress to you. Some allergens cause no reaction in people. The allergens are classified as harmless and harmful. The harmful allergens can result in fatal complication including death. Hence, it is essential to understand your body’s reaction to different allergens. It helps you avoid the items triggering severe complication.
What Is Nickel Allergy?
Before knowing in detail about the allergy, it is important to know about the metal. Nickel is the metal found easily in the environment. The naturally available, silver-colored metal is used to produce different items by mixing it with other metals. So, you get various nickel items like:
- Eyeglass frames
- Paper Clips
- Orthodontic Braces
- Stainless Steel Cooking Items
- Eating Utensils
- Snap Buttons
- Belt Buckles
The nickel is also present in small amount in food items. So, some grains, vegetables, and fruits have nickel presence.
Nickel allergy is your immune system’s response when your body comes in contact with any product or food containing nickel. The adverse reaction by the immune system can put you in distress. It happens because your immune system mistakes the nickel as a dangerous intruder to your health. The immune system fights against any dangerous intruders like bacteria or virus to keep you healthy. So, the nickel gets mistaken for the harmful substances that can trigger illness in you. It results in your immune system producing chemicals to fight the nickel. The chemical released by your body can trigger an allergic reaction.
Is Nickel Allergy Common?
Nickel allergy is common among people. It mainly causes a skin rash with severe itchiness. It also causes redness and blistering. The allergy is common among women and young girls compared to men. So, the number of women/girls suffering from the issue is more around the world. Anyone can develop the allergy at any time in their life. Hence, age is not a restriction to develop an allergy. Unfortunately, once you develop the allergy, it may not go away completely. Your immune system is always at risk of getting affected by the problem. So, it is essential that you keep away from the foods and items containing nickel.
Symptoms Of Nickel Allergy
If your immune system reacts to the Nickel, then you may have a localized allergic response. It restricts to the area of exposure to the items or products containing the nickel. So, only the skin surface that makes contact with the metal suffers an adverse reaction. Consuming food containing the small amount of nickel can also cause reactions and changes in the skin surface. When you have the allergy due to nickel, the skin reaction can occur within twelve to forty-eight hours after coming in contact with the metal. The common signs and symptoms associated with the allergy are:
- Skin Rash
- Bumps on the skin surface
- Color changes on the skin (mostly redness)
- Dry Patches (similar to the skin burn)
- Blisters (in severe cases)
When you come in contact with the Nickel, it may cause an allergic skin rash. You are also susceptible to getting allergic contact dermatitis. The allergic contact dermatitis has the following symptoms that you need to pay attention:
- Thickened, raw, or scaly skin
- Warm Skin
- Rough Skin
- Dry/Discolored Skin
- Fluid-filled Blisters
The contact dermatitis allergic rashes usually appear after two to four weeks after getting exposed to the nickel items or objects.
Complications Due To Nickel Allergy
When you ignore the allergy, it can escalate into severe complications. So, not getting treatment can lead to respiratory problems. So, in rare cases, you can experience diverse issues like:
- Nasal Inflammation
- A Runny Nose
Therefore, you need to contact your doctor immediately and get the necessary treatment. If you are at risk of nickel allergy, it is better to take adequate preventive measures. So, the right treatment options can help you overcome the issue with ease.
Causes Of Nickel Allergy
It is not exactly clear why nickel allergy affects people. But, scientists believe that your genetics play an important part in sensitivity to the metal. You may have genes that put you more at risk of getting the allergy. So, if you have a family member or relative to the issue, then you can get affected by the issue. Your immune system can promote chemical changes that mistake nickel for the harmful substances that trigger diseases.
Every person has the power to fight off the attacks from bacteria and virus due to the powerful immune system. But, sometimes, the immune system can confuse harmless substance as intruders. It results in releasing chemicals to destroy the intruders. So, when you come in contact with nickel objects or eat food containing the metal, your immune system reacts. The result is the release of chemicals into the bloodstream that can cause itching and rashes. Therefore, the allergic reaction can appear after the first exposure or after repeated or prolonged exposure. The issue is not completely curable as your immune system will always react to nickel. So, the only viable option is to prevent coming in contact with nickel.
Nickel Allergy Diagnosis
When you observe the above-mentioned signs and symptoms in your body, you need to seek medical assistance. It will help you get the treatment at the right time to overcome the complications associated with the condition. So, get an appointment with your dermatologist to check out the rash and the underlying issue triggering it. When you see the doctor, the following diagnostic methods are used to detect the issue:
Your doctor performs the physical assessment to find the exact reason causing the rash. So, you need to answer the questions regarding the rash truthfully. It will help the doctor determine the exact cause of the rash and the factors that can make it worse. You also need to inform the doctor about the medications, supplements or the new products/foods you have tried. Hence, it sheds information on the actual factor causing the nickel allergy.
If your doctor suspects an allergic reaction due to nickel, then a patch test can reveal it. The patch test is completely safe and causes you no harm. It only checks if your immune system reacts to nickel in an adverse manner. The doctor applies a small amount of nickel on a patch and places over your skin. If you have a nickel allergy, then your immune system reacts to the patch placed on the skin. So, you may have a minor response to the nickel patch on our skin.
Your doctor may wait up to two days (48 hours) to detect any adverse reaction to the nickel patch. So, your doctor observes the skin carefully to find signs of an allergic reaction. If your skin looks red or irritated, then it means you have a nickel allergy. In some cases, your doctor cannot determine the results clearly. In such cases, more testing can reveal the issue with precision.
Risk Factors Of Nickel Allergy
Some people are more prone to the issue compared to the others. People who work in certain industries come in contact with nickel frequently. Individuals working in such areas are more at risk of the problem. So, people working in the following fields need to maintain caution:
- People Working On Cash Counters
- Individuals Working With Metals
Nickel Allergy Treatment Options
Unfortunately, nickel allergy has no permanent treatment. Therefore, the only option to avoid complications is to avoid the metal completely. It will reduce your risk of getting affected by the allergy. But, once you get the allergy, contact your dermatologist. The doctor can prescribe you medications that reduce the adverse effects of the allergy. So, the following medications reduce the irritation and discomfort caused by the allergy:
Topical corticosteroid creams offer relief from the irritation and inflammation caused due to the rashes. The different strengths of the cream can offer relief from the discomfort. The mild, moderate, potent or very potent creams can provide you relief from the itching and irritation.
The nonsteroidal creams are designed to relieve pain, inflammation, swelling, stiffness, and rashes. When you apply it directly to the affected area, you can get relief.
Instead of using the cream form of corticosteroid, you can opt for oral form. Medications like prednisone. The glucocorticoid in the synthetic form can suppress the adverse reactions of the immune system. So, it can treat the irritation due to nickel allergy, autoimmune diseases, and inflammatory diseases.
Your doctor can prescribe the oral antihistamine medications to overcome the allergic reactions like:
- A runny nose
- Skin Rashes
- Itchy Throat
Your doctor prescribes medications like cetirizine (Zyrtec) and fexofenadine (Allegra) to overcome the problem.
If you have pus or redness in the affected area, then your doctor can prescribe antibiotics. The redness and pus point to infection due to the nickel allergy. So, your doctor can prescribe the right dose of antibiotics that you need to take religiously to overcome the pain as well as infection.
When you use the medications, you have to follow the instructions properly. You need to carefully follow the guidelines to prevent the overuse or other complications.
You can use some home treatments to alleviate the issue from escalating. So, you can use the following to reduce the symptoms of the nickel allergy.
The calamine lotion gives you a cooling sensation once applied on the skin. It is the anti-itch lotion that can overcome the skin irritation. You can calamine lotion without any prescription.
You can apply moisturizing lotion to get relief from the itching and irritation. It soothes the skin and provides relief from the distress and discomfort.
Placing wet compress on the area affected by nickel allergy can relieve the distress caused due to the problem. It will also prevent the problem from worsening.
Remember the home care is only to provide you relief. You need to seek your doctor’s assistance if the conditions worsen to get the right treatment.
Prevention Of Nickel Allergy
You can prevent the allergy by avoiding all contact with the metal. Once your immune system gets affected by the allergy, you become more prone to the risk of the issue. You have to maintain caution while using any item or consume food. So, to prevent the nickel allergy, you can follow the pointers.
Know The Food
Always check the label issued by the manufacturer to check if the items contain nickel or not. Unfortunately, many food items contain the metal that you may have no knowledge. Several food items contain the metal in it like:
- Cocoa powder
- Chocolate Milk
- Black tea
- Soy Milk
- Packaged food like fish and meat
- Canned Food
Grains Containing Nickel
- Whole Wheat
- Whole wheat pasta
- Wheat germ
- Multigrain cereals and slices of bread
- All canned vegetables
- Brussels sprouts
- All canned fruits
Nuts and seeds
Soy Products (Tofu)
Avoid Contact With Nickel
As nickel allergy occurs due to the contact with the nickel, you need to avoid the metal completely. So, follow the pointers to avoid the issue:
- Abstain from cooking in the stainless steel equipment as it contains nickel presence.
- Avoid wearing jewelry made of nickel. The same rule applies to body piercing as it can lead to infections.
- Clothes with zipper or buttons made of plastic/nickel can cause nickel allergy. So, avoid wearing such clothes.
Talk To Your Doctor
Before going into surgery or perform dental work, you need to inform the doctor about your nickel allergy. Your orthodontist must have the information about your allergies before getting the orthodontic braces. The same applies to your eyeglasses too. So, talk to your ophthalmologist before getting the eyeglasses to avoid nickel presence. You also need to inform your doctor about the allergies before having any surgeries.
Avoid Hazardous Environment
If you work in an industry that exposes you to nickel, then you need to talk to your employers. Prolonged exposure can trigger a severe nickel allergy. So, it will help you develop a proper plan to move forward without any complications. It will help prevent an allergic reaction or other complications.
Nickel allergy is not life-threatening. But, the rashes can cause severe discomfort and distress. It can cause rash, blisters, and cracked skin. Sometimes, it can become infected leading to other complications. So, you need to maintain caution. See a dermatologist to get proper treatment. It will help you get the ideal treatment to overcome the problem without other complications. As nickel is present in many objects, you are at risk of getting the allergy. Therefore, to prevent the issue, you need to avoid coming in contact with the objects containing nickel.View Article Sources |
Certificate IV in Preparation for Health & Nursing Studies
Working in the health industry can be an extremely rewarding experience and one that can guide your career into new opportunities. Having a qualification in Health Service Assistance will qualify you to work as an Assistant in Nursing (AIN) in hospitals, nursing homes, health care facilities, and other areas that require an extra set of hands. Having a Cert IV qualification will provide you with entrance requirements into most universities.
If you're interested in studying health science at university - then this is a great starting point for your career goals. As this course has been designed to give you a foundational knowledge of your first-year university subjects, you will be guided through science subjects like human biology, chemistry, and physics. You'll also be taught about diseases across the world, and use this knowledge to help identify human body imbalances through the use of case studies and scenarios. Finally, we add to your skill level by teaching you about communicating at the university level with skills such as referencing, improving study habits, and creating your university schedule.
Using up to date technology, guest speakers, in-class experiments and engaging practices - this hands-on qualification will give you the skills and knowledge to understand and explain the human body, its functions, capabilities, and limitations.
Throughout 2019, our teachers and students have participated in the following:
Excursion to the Red Cross Blood bank donor centre and laboratory
Excursion to the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research
Excursion to the New Children's hospital
Excursion to the Ronald McDonald House for Sick Kids
Incursion with St John Ambulance
Incursion with paramedics
Incursion with pharmacist
Incursion with Occupational Therapist
Incursion with Speech Therapist
Incursion with a pathologist
Incursion with nurses including paediatric, renal, emergency dept, intensive care and oncology
Incursion with sonograph, Xray, MRI and CT specialist
Incursion with a GP
Incursion with a nutritionist
Incursion with the defence force
We also provide a 2-week international medical experience providing basic health care to the slum communities in India. This is in line with an international volunteer organisation called Plan My Gap Year and is an optional extra for our students. Throughout this experience students (and our trainers) are provided opportunities to work within hospitals, medical camps, pathologies, surgeries, Xray, ultrasounds and more. All of these experiences provide us with opportunities to learn how health care is provided and this can result in discussion points within the classroom and additional activities about diseases and injuries.
52831WA - Cert IV in Preparation for Health & Nursing Studies
BSBITU313 – Design and produce digital text documents
PREASU403A – Apply academic skills
PREMHS402A – Provide information on the fundamental principles of microbiology used in health settings
BSBMED301 – Interpret and apply medical terminology appropriately
PREAPU401A – Provide information on human anatomy and physiology
PREPHC405A – Use fundamentals of physics and chemistry in a health context
PREMHA404A ‐ Use mathematics in a nursing and health context
Study Options and Costs
This course is available in the following options:
Face to face (Only available to school-aged students):
One Year Program: 1 day/week during the school terms 1-3 ($2250).
Two Year Program: 1 day/week during the school terms 1-3 ($2500).
Combined with our Cert III in Health Services Assistance: Face to Face ($4100).
Completely online ($1900). This option is available to anyone.
Combined with our Cert III in Health Services Assistance: Online ($3800)
This course is used as a stepping stone to move onto more specific courses, either within the VET sector or University. A Completed Cert IV can be used as entry requirements into most universities including Murdoch, ECU, Curtin, and others across Australia.
52831WA - Certificate IV in Preparation for Health & Nursing Studies is a pathway program. It isn't a requirement for any employment opportunities. We have designed this course to give you the best foundation for a career in any health or science industry.
Here are some suggested University courses that you could aim for:
Bachelor of Health Science
Bachelor of Medical Science
Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Sports Science
Bachelor of Nursing*
Bachelor of Psychology
Bachelor of Social Work
Bachelor of Paramedicine
Bachelor of Laboratory Medicine
*Nursing is competitive - although you may meet entry requirements, there is no guarantee of acceptance. This is also the case for ATAR entry.
You are able to use your completed Cert IV + English competency to apply for any University course that requires a score of 70. There are a lot of options out there for you, so think outside the box! Always have a backup plan. Explore different career options!
Don't forget about TAFE/VET Courses too!
Cert IV in Allied Health
Cert IV in Mental Health
Diploma of Nursing
Diploma of Anaesthetic Technology
Diploma of Mental Health
Minimum Requirements & Application Details
Cert IV can be completed over 3 or 6 school terms each using a flipped classroom method where students will be provided content, videos, podcasts, activities, excursions, incursions as well as case studies and scenarios in our online environment, followed by time in the classroom to put their knowledge and skills into practice.
You can choose to do both the Cert III Health Services Assistance and IV over year 11 and 12 and graduate with 2 certificates!
If you are in school:
Students wishing to study with us MUST HAVE have achieved a C grade minimum in Science, Maths and English in year 10, and also have passed their NAPLAN/OLNA requirements. To start the process, you will need to get in contact with your school's VET Coordinator to request their support for you to complete this qualification. You will need to complete the Expression of Interest Form and get their signature on it and then forward it to us for approval. We run our programs on either a Thursday or Friday during school terms. If your school does not release students on these days - please get in contact to discuss your situation and hopefully we can help find a solution!
If you are not in school:
You must satisfy minimum competencies that can be completed in the following ways:
Evidence of previous education within the last 3 years.
Previous certificate/qualification completion.
Completion of a Language, Literacy & Numeracy test.
Complete the application document that can be downloaded by clicking the blue button above. Send it to and we'll get in contact about how to get you started.
Important note: If you are studying online, you will need to provide evidence of your ability to complete simple skills using measurements and tools used in health care. This can either be done via video or by trainer assessment. |
Date(s) - Oct 7th, 2017
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Join us for the opening of an exhibit of local artist Madge Evers’ mushroom spore prints at the Bullitt Reservation! Spore printing is the technique of taking the millions of tiny spores that fall from mushroom caps and using them to create a print.
The artist is generously donating 30% of the sale of any piece in the show to Hilltown Land Trust. Light refreshments will be served.
Madge Evers grew up in Connecticut and lives in western Massachusetts. She studied at the Maine Photographic Workshop, has a B.A. in English from Suffolk University, and an M.A. from the University of Rhode Island. Madge’s work originates with her passion for the garden and growing things. Employing a process rooted in farm and garden practices, she cultivates mushrooms which provide her with a renewable source of spore “ink.” When not making spore prints, Madge can be found teaching high school English or somewhere in the garden.
Artist’s Statement: My art begins in the garden. I cultivate mushrooms and use the spores that fall from their gills to create images. The mature mushroom gradually releases tiny spores—about 16 billion per mushroom—that settle on the surface below, sometimes shifted slightly by air currents. An image slowly emerges, sometimes crisp and photographic, and other times thick and velvety. Like a fingerprint, each mushroom produces unique patterns, which I can replicate by moving the mushroom around the canvas over a period of hours. The density of the pattern may vary as the spore supply wanes. I then spray an archival fixative onto the canvas to secure the fragile image. The species in these images is Stropharia rugosoannulata.
Spore printing began with attempts by mycologists and gastronomes to identify species and choice edibles, each mushroom’s story unique. I also use spore printing to evoke stories; Stropharia rugosoannulata establishes the narrative which I then direct through placement, manipulation and stencil. |
FIGURE DRAWING / FIGURE PAINTING
SUNDAYS: 10am -1pm
TUESDAY: 3.30 p.m - 5.30 p.m
FIGURE DRAWING AND PAINTING Using a professional art model we explore how to draw the human form using a variety of media. Students start with graphite and learn to use contour and cross contour lines. We move to charcoal and study light and plane structure. Between poses there are brief reviews of artistic anatomy.
This is an appropriate class for beginners and for those with experience.
SUNDAY 10 a.m - 1 p.m
TUESDAY 3.30 p.m - 5.30 p.m
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Learn to block in the figure using simple values
Learn to work with a limited palette of colors
Learn how to mix skin tones
Learn to paint the figure in a representational style
Continue to refine your style and perfect your proportions with each class
Drawing materials :
Vine charcoal, willow charcoal, kneeded eraser, straight metal needle or wire for measuring (recommended)
Oil paints, palette or disposable palette, brushes, odorless turpentine, linseed oil, canvas or canvas boards, paper towel |
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